"Derek?"
"Yes?"
"What if I have to have a c-section?"
He'd wondered when she was going to talk about this. Earlier, at their appointment with Dr. Chu, they'd learned that Meredith wasn't dilated or effacing - at all. Taking a steady breath and pulling her closer to his side, Derek said, "Then you have to have a c-section, Mer."
"It's not what I want," she stated. Her voice was calm and serious.
"I know. Maybe you won't need a c-section. We won't know for sure until you're actually in labor."
"You're right and at this point, I'm worrying unnecessarily, but I'd rather we have a plan made before labor even begins."
"A birth plan," he chuckled, thinking of what they'd listened to recently.
"Yes!" she laughed, "a birth plan. What do you want, Derek?"
He sighed and looked away from her for a moment. Then he leaned in to kiss her and answered, "I wish I could make it so you can have Ian effortlessly, painlessly, and in the blink-of-an-eye."
"Derek -"
"However," he squeezed her with a small hug to indicate he wasn't done speaking. "Since I'm not a magician, I just want you to have the easiest, healthiest delivery possible. I will support whatever you want to do - as long as you and Ian are safe."
"So, if I tell you I don't want any medication at all - you're fine with that?"
Derek actually blanched a little but answered steadily, "Like I said, whatever you want as long as you and Ian are safe."
Meredith giggled and said, "Okay but for the record, I have no intention of trying to be super woman. I want to try to have Ian without drugs but if the pain gets to be too much - I promise I'll be asking for an epidural. Okay?"
"Of course!" Derek said with a small catch in his voice.
"If it does come to me needing a c-section," Meredith sighed, "I'll have one without complaint. I just want to try to have Ian vaginally first. I want the experience. I want to know we tried. Is that crazy?"
"No, not at all!" Derek gave a sigh of his own and closed his eyes. He ran his fingers up and down Meredith's back in a relaxing way. As excited as he was about Ian's birth day - he was also completely freaked out about it. He was resolute about staying calm for Meredith's sake, but the idea of her being in pain and not being able to do a damn thing about it really bothered him. He knew everything would be all right, though. "I love you, Mer."
"I know." She moved to kiss him. "I'm grateful for you and our love every day. And even though I'm a little freaked out about giving birth - I'm excited, too. I love you and Ian, and I can't wait to bring him home and for the three of us to be a family." When she was done speaking, she laughed.
"What?" Derek asked with a grin.
"Just," she shrugged and laughed again. "I was such a workaholic - devoted to being a surgeon and nothing else. Then I ran around the corner and straight into you. Now we're married and expecting a baby. I never factored having a family of my own and now it's the most important thing to me. You knocked me on my ass and changed everything."
"Excuse me?" Derek laughed. "I knocked you down? By your own admission - you ran around the corner and into me."
Meredith started to say something and then grabbed his hand and put it on her stomach instead. "Apparently," she giggled as Ian kicked and wiggled around, "he's already agreeing with his Daddy."
They stayed that way - talking to one another and to Ian - for quite some time. And then they got up to go for a walk and have dinner.
"You know - it's just not normal to have the baby shower this close to your due date."
"Lexie," Meredith smiled at her sister. "Will you please relax? Everything is going to be fine. Even though I think this shower business is pointless - I'm sure it'll be fun. In some strange way."
Lexie let out a giant puff of air. "You're right," she finally agreed. "Molly just has me all worked up, I guess. She's convinced you're going to go into labor in the middle of her party tomorrow."
"I thought it was mine and Derek's party - in honor of our baby," Meredith giggled.
"Yeah, you keep thinking that. Just please, please don't go into labor during the baby shower."
"I'm pretty sure you can stop worrying about that, Lex. According to Dr. Chu - I'm sealed up tight."
"What?" Lexie asked with a frown. Then her face cleared, and she said, "Ewww. Meredith, there are some things I just don't need or even want to know. God," she said irritably and walked away from her laughing sister.
"What's wrong with her?" Mark asked as he walked up to Meredith at the nurses station.
"You don't want to know," she answered as she shifted on her feet - trying to ease the dull ache in her back.
"I do want to know," Mark answered and then frowned as he saw Meredith grimace slightly. "Are you all right, Mer?"
"Yeah," she sighed and then went to carefully sit down. "I'm just one hundred months pregnant and a little uncomfortable - that's all."
Mark quickly came around the desk and knelt in front of her. "Are you in labor? Do you need me to get Derek for you? What are -"
"Mark," Meredith cut him off, "I am not in labor."
"But you just said -"
"That I'm uncomfortable," she interrupted again. "Thank you for caring about us but this little guy is not ready to come out yet."
"How do you know?" Mark insisted, "You've never had a baby. You don't really know what to expect. You said your back hurts - that could be back labor."
"You know about back labor?" Meredith asked in surprise.
"I did a Gynie rotation for my Residency - same as everyone else."
"You remember back labor?"
"All right fine," Mark looked embarrassed. "I've been reading up on labor, delivery and some other baby stuff in case you and Derek need some help."
"Oh," Meredith said and was surprised to feel her eyes fill with tears. "That's really sw -"
"Yeah, yeah," Mark interrupted and stood up. "Let's just have you checked out to make sure you aren't in early labor."
"I'm not in any stage of labor," Meredith said stubbornly.
"You don't know that."
"Actually, I do," Meredith insisted.
"How?"
"Just trust me," Meredith giggled.
"No," Mark said and crossed his arms. "Either you get checked out or tell me how you're so certain you're not in labor."
"Jesus," Meredith mumbled, starting to feel irritated and smothered. "Fine," she said. "I know I'm not in labor because when Derek and I saw Dr. Chu two days ago she said I'm sealed up tight Also, that we should be prepared for the possibility of a c-section. Anything else you think I'm too stupid to know about my own body and my baby?"
"Sealed up?" Mark asked and then went a little pale. "Uh - no. Okay - umm. See you later Meredith," he said and walked quickly away.
Meredith sighed again, feeling just a little bad for giving such intimate information to Lexie and Mark. Why couldn't they just believe her, though? She sat at the nurses station finishing her charts. Afterward, she realized she was hungry and went in search of Derek to see if he wanted to get some lunch with her.
Meredith looked across the crowded room and saw her handsome husband smiling at her. She smiled back as her heart gave a little jump of pleasure. She wondered if she'd always feel that quick thrill about Derek. She certainly hoped so. She got up from Kathleen's dining room table - where she'd been looking at baby pictures of Derek - and walked across the room to him.
"Hi," he said and wrapped his arm around her to massage her back.
"Hi," she replied and sighed with a mixture of pleasure and relief at the feel of his kneading fingers.
"How are you holding up?"
"Pretty well. Are you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Derek asked with a slight frown.
"Baby shower," Meredith giggled and looked around at the pretty decorations, elaborately wrapped packages and food-lined side table. Even though Molly and Kathleen had attempted a masculine theme with blue and chocolate brown - it was still feminine and a little froufrou. Meredith assumed it was just the nature of a shower.
"I'm happy to be here," Derek shrugged. "You deserve all of this attention. And I quite like that our family and friends love you and our son enough to want to do this."
"And you," Meredith said seriously
"Of course," Derek said with a slightly cocky grin.
"No," Meredith said and then giggled at his frown. "I mean yes, Of course they all love you, but you deserve all of this, too."
"Oh," Derek said, his contented expression back in place. He shrugged and said, "Regardless, this is for you, Mer. You've done all the work of growing and carrying our son. Enjoy the spoiling," he chuckled and leaned down to kiss her softly on the lips. Unable to help themselves, the happy couple lingered over the kiss.
"Knock it off," Mark's voice interrupted good-naturedly.
"Who invited you?" Derek asked, removing his lips from Meredith's.
"You," Mark grinned.
"Why?"
"Derek," Meredith admonished.
Mark just chuckled and said to Derek, "I think you needed some testosterone to balance all the female gush and baby food tasting."
"They aren't really going to make us taste that nasty stuff, are they?" Meredith asked, looking a little queasy.
"I believe they are," Mark replied, enjoying Mer's reaction. "How can you call your son's future food nasty?"
"We aren't feeding him that jarred crap," she answered adamantly. "When he's ready for solids we'll immediately provide mushier, unseasoned portions of what we eat."
"Great," Mark chuckled, "you're going to be a crunchy earth Mama."
Meredith rolled her eyes in slight annoyance at Mark and walked away.
"Why are you annoying my wife?"
"It's fun." Mark answered with a shrug.
"You're an idiot." Derek said with a grin toward his friend.
"So, I've been told," Mark stated. He looked around the room and gave a slight grimace. Then, turning to Derek, he asked, "Do you suppose there's any beer around here?"
Laughing, Derek said, "Come on, I'll put you out of your misery." He proceeded to lead Mark to the other side of the house. He opened a door and was blasted with the loud sound of a baseball game.
Closing the door behind them, Mark grinned and asked David, "When the hell did you add this room on to the house?"
"Hi," David said, grinning and getting up to shake hands with Derek and Mark. "Welcome to the 'Man Room'. Or, in your case today, 'The Hideout'. We had it added on about a year-and-a-half ago. I figured it wouldn't be long before you'd head back here. Grab a beer and let's watch the rest of the baseball game."
In the main house, Cristina was grumbling to Meredith about having to taste unidentified jars of baby food. Then she had to write her best guesses down. Whomever had the most correct answers won a shower gift.
"I don't see you tasting this crap-in-a-jar," Cristina said to Meredith.
Laughing, Mer answered, "I'm the Mommy. I'm exempt from the games." She looked at the spoonful of green glop Cristina was about to taste and grimaced, "Thank God."
Cristina shut her eyes and quickly put the bite of baby food into her mouth. Just as quickly, she made a gagging sound. She grabbed the napkin Meredith offered her and spit the food into it. "Oh my God. Oh my God," Cristina whispered in horror. "That tastes like vomit. No wonder babies cry and projectile vomit so much! I'd cry too If my parents were trying to feed me that garbage!"
Meredith was giggling uncontrollably by now. She was drawing attention to herself and Cristina.
"Stop it," Cristina hissed. "Your sisters are coming over here. Stop it before they try to make me eat more of that crap."
Meredith shut her eyes and made herself stop laughing by thinking about surgery and taking deep breaths.
"What's so funny?" Molly asked.
"Isn't this fun?" Lexie asked at the same time.
"Yes," Meredith answered before Cristina could say anything sarcastic. "Thank you."
"So," Molly said, "we're going to have one more game. Then we'll eat, open the gifts and do an art project. Okay?"
"Okay," Meredith said with a straight face.
"An art project?" Cristina asked.
"Yes," Lexie sighed. "It's actually very sweet and -"
"Lexie," Molly interrupted, "it's a surprise. Come on, you can help me set up the poopy diapers before you spoil Meredith's art surprise."
As Molly and Lexie walked away, Cristina turned to Meredith. Both women wore freaked out expressions. "Did she say poopy diapers?" Meredith asked.
"Yes," Cristina replied in disgust. "Listen Mer, I love you. I really do but I can't play a game that involves diapers of any kind. I just can't."
"I love you too," Meredith replied. "Because I do, I'm going to rescue you from this. Come with me."
Cristina happily followed Meredith to the other side of the house and into the 'Man Room'.
"Oh, thank God," Cristina sighed.
"I wondered how long before you had to escape, Yang."
"I lasted longer than you, Sloan. You wimp. I bet you didn't even try any of the vomit-in-a-jar."
"Damn right. I'm too smart to try that crap."
Meredith laughed and sat down beside Derek.
"You have to leave," David said to Meredith with a straight face and much to everyone's shock.
"Why?"
"Cristina can stay," David said, "but you really do have to go. You're the guest of honor. Kath and your sisters will come looking for you. Then we'll all be forced to go out there and taste crappy baby food and search for the crappy diaper. I love ya Mer, but I don't want to be subjected to that. So, see you later."
"I'm exempt from the games, though."
"They'll still look for you," Derek said and got up to help Meredith up from the couch. Then he walked with her to the door of the Man Room.
Meredith sighed and leaned up to kiss him. "You stay and enjoy the game," she said.
"Come get me for the gifts," he said. He kissed her again, then whispered, "I'll make it up to you later."
"Okay," she said with a grin and went back to her baby shower.