"Rebecca Lauren," Meredith suggested as Derek rubbed her feet, gently massaging the swollen ankles.
"No," he shook his head. "Rebecca Stephanie."
"Rebecca Elizabeth," Meredith breathed.
"Rebecca Elizabeth Shepherd," Derek whispered, his hands stilling on her feet as he looked at her.
"Liz has been so amazing," Meredith murmured. "She's the sister I'm closest to, and I know you're not supposed to have favorites..."
"Liz is definitely my favorite sister," Derek nodded. "Rebecca Elizabeth Shepherd. She has a full name."
"She has a middle name," Meredith giggled as she reached for her water bottle and finished it off.
"Mel still needs one," Derek sighed, reaching for her stomach and rubbing it gently. "Melanie..."
"Hmm," Meredith nodded. "Melanie Emma?"
"After Mom," Derek said. "I like it."
"Rebecca Elizabeth Shepherd and Melanie Emma Shepherd," Meredith whispered. "Perfect."
"They're named," Derek breathed.
"They are," Meredith smiled.
"I'm so ready for them," Derek whispered. "I know there's still three months, but...I'm ready."
"Hmm," Meredith nodded. "Me too."
"You know what we should do this weekend?" Derek asked as she slid her feet out of his grasp.
"What?" she asked, moving off the couch and into the kitchen, needing more water. For some reason, she had been completely thirsty over the past few weeks, and drinking more water than she'd thought possible.
"Spend some time together."
"We spend all our time together, Derek," Meredith rolled her eyes as she sank onto a chair.
"No, I mean go somewhere," Derek said. "You're still feeling okay, we could get away, be husband and wife before we become Mommy and Daddy. It will be good for us, to have time to get away."
"I can't fly."
"We'll go somewhere close," Derek said, moving closer to rest his hands on her hips. "Come on, Mer, it would be fun. Just the two of us, somewhere completely naked. What do you say?"
"Derek..." Meredith breathed. "I don't..."
"If you don't want to, we don't have to," Derek sighed. "But...when is the next time we're going to be able to do this?"
"I don't know," she whispered. "I...let's do it." She nodded firmly. "Let's go away for the weekend."
"You're sure?" Derek frowned. "You don't seem excited about it. I want you to be excited."
"I am," she nodded. "You're right, we need time for us. Everything's set for the girls here, we might as well take advantage of this time. Pretty soon we'll be lucky if we can get to a movie."
"Good," Derek nodded. "Where do you want to go? Our options are somewhat limited, but wherever you want."
"Anywhere," she smiled, pulling him closer to rest her forehead against his. "It's not like we're going to leave our room."
"Oh," Derek laughed. "We do like pregnancy sex. Lots of fun positions to try again before the girls come."
"We love pregnancy sex," Meredith nodded, pressing her lips against his, smiling slightly.
"You'll come?" Derek whispered.
"Oh, I'll come," Meredith nodded. "I'll come many times. On you...beside you... under you."
"You'll lose count of how many times you come," Derek said, pulling her onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her.
"We could even start right now," Meredith murmured against his lips.
Before Derek could seal the deal, his cell phone rang loudly from the table and he reached around Meredith to pick it up.
"Ignore it," she murmured as she shifted slightly on his lap to kiss his neck.
"It's Mark," he replied, lifting the phone to his ear.
"Mark won't give you hot pregnant sex on the kitchen table," she murmured as she nibbled gently on his neck.
"He won't," Derek laughed. "But I'm worried about him and Addie."
"Hmm," Meredith murmured, gently tugging at the skin of his neck with her teeth, knowing that he was going to have a hickey but not caring.
"Mark," Derek said, tilting his head to the side and moving his hand to Meredith's waist to keep her pregnant body balanced on his lap. "Can I call you back, I'm a little busy... what? What do you mean, she's in the hospital?"
Meredith pulled back from Derek, frowning as she saw the complete horror that filled his eyes.
"We'll be right there," Derek said, gently pushing Meredith off his lap and dragging her towards the door. "Tell them to shotgun the tests...I don't care what she's saying, that's what I'm saying. We'll be there as soon as possible."
"Derek?" Meredith frowned as Derek practically shoved her into the passenger side of his car. "What's going on?"
"Mom," Derek breathed, reversing the car and speeding towards the road. "Apparently she fell in her garden."
"Is she...she's okay, isn't she?" Meredith breathed. Memories of Michael's death flashed through her mind, and she gently reached for his hand, placing it on her belly.
"Mark says she is," Derek sighed. "He was in the ER when they brought her in, but... there could be a clot they haven't caught, internal bleeding...I told him to run every test there is."
"She's awake?" Meredith whispered. "And she knows things?"
"Apparently," Derek sighed, his hand tightening over her stomach as he felt two strong kicks beneath his hand. "That was a strong kick," he breathed.
"They're trying to calm their daddy down," Meredith whispered.
"It's working," he breathed, pulling onto the ferry boat.
"Hmm," Meredith smiled. "They're playing right now."
"Playing?" Derek frowned, reaching his other hand to rest on her stomach.
"Kicking each other," she giggled. "Sometimes it feels like World War Three is going on inside of me."
Derek smiled slightly as he lifted her maternity top slightly, leaning down to rest his head against her stomach. "You girls have to be good for Mommy," he whispered. "Daddy needs her right now. And he needs both of you. So please be good for Mommy, and make sure you kick a lot for Daddy."
"Derek," she murmured, a hand buried in his hair. "We should...you need to drive."
"Oh," Derek breathed, pulling away from her and moving the car off the ferry boat.
"She'll be fine," Meredith whispered, running a hand over his shoulder gently.
"She has to be," Derek inhaled sharply. "She...she's my mom, Mer."
"I know," Meredith nodded. "She'll be fine, Derek. She's strong."
Derek breathed in deeply as he pulled into a parking spot in the hospital. "Mer," he breathed, turning to look at her with wide, terrified eyes. "I can't do this."
"Do what?" she frowned, bringing his hand to her belly.
"Watch my mom...she can't die."
"Oh, Derek," Meredith breathed, leaning forward. "I know I'm not a doctor, but...it sounds like they're just keeping her a precaution. It will be good for them to run the tests to make sure, but she's going to be fine."
"You have to help me," Derek whispered. "I need you to be there for me."
"I will be," she smiled, squeezing his hand. "All three of us will be. Right, girls?" she smiled down at her stomach. "We're here for Daddy. And Grandma." She turned her eyes up to Derek and leaned forward to kiss him. "Feel that? They're fighting over which one of them is there for Daddy more."
Derek took a deep breath before he nodded. "Let's go," he said, a small smile playing on his lips. "We have to do this."
"We're here for you," Meredith nodded as she met him on her side of the car, taking his hand as they walked towards the hospital.
Derek was completely silent as they made their way through the hospital, staring down at his feet. Meredith didn't miss the curious looks of doctors and nurses and the completely jealous way some of the younger females looked at her. According to Addison, Derek was the most popular doctor in the hospital by female staff and patients alike, but she'd never really experienced it before. She ran a hand over her stomach, smiling at the fact that she was carrying the children of the best looking surgeon in the hospital.
"Shep," Mark cried as he stepped out of a room in the ICU. "We just finished the testing."
"What's wrong?" Derek asked. "Is there a clot? An aneurysm? Internal bleeding?"
"She's okay," Mark sighed. "She's asking for you. She's a little bruised, but she'll be fine."
Derek gripped Meredith's hand as he walked into the room, tears filling his eyes at the sighed of his mother in the hospital bed, hooked up to several tubes. "Mom," he breathed, stepping into the room.
"Derek," she said softly, smiling at the couple in the doorway. "Meredith."
"Mom, what happened?" Derek asked, moving to the bed, kissing her cheek quickly before he settled on the chair beside her bed.
"I was just careless," Emma shrugged. "I tripped over a tree root, no big deal."
"Chris and Kath found you passed out in the front yard."
"They over reacted," Emma said. "It's completely silly for me to be here overnight. I didn't even need to come here in the first place."
"Now is not the time to be stubborn, Mom," Meredith said softly. "We were worried about you."
"I'm sorry I startled you, dear," Emma said softly. "But your only job right now is to make sure my grand daughters are taken care of."
"They're fine," Meredith smiled. "Becky Elizabeth and Melanie Emma are fine."
"Melanie Emma," she repeated, her eyes growing wide. "Oh, Derek..."
"We wanted to name her after you," Derek said softly. "So you can't...Melanie has to know who she's named off her. She and Becky need her grandma."
"I'm fine, Derek Christopher," Emma insisted. "I honestly don't need to be here."
"Can you do us a favor?" Meredith asked. "Just...take it easy? Because I'm five months pregnant. With twins. And my doctor told me to avoid stress, so I don't need to worry about my mother in law."
"The guilt card," Emma said with a smile. "Are you sure you're not Catholic?"
"I'm sure," Meredith giggled. "But we need you, Mom. Our girls need you."
There was a knock on the door and Mark poked his head in a moment later. "Emma," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Has there been any pain in your abdomen? Trouble breathing?"
"A bit," Emma nodded. "But I told you, Mark, I'm fine."
Derek frowned as he looked up at his best friend, knowing there was something wrong. Mark had his bad news expression on his face. "Mark," he said. "What is it?"
"Looks like a fractured rib," Mark sighed. "No big deal, but you can't go full speed for awhile. Recovery may take longer with your age."
Emma frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"He means you have to relax," Derek laughed slightly.
"Relax?"
"I know you're not familiar with the concept, Mother, but it means you get to rest, watch soaps, eat lots of ice cream."
"That's completely ridiculous," Emma frowned.
"It will be fun," Meredith giggled, resting a hand on her belly.
"Fun?" Emma raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Meredith nodded. "I'm supposed to be resting a lot too. I'll probably be put on bed rest before too long. We can keep each other company in our misery."
"You're in your fifth month," Emma stated. "Is everything okay with the girls?"
"Definitely," Meredith nodded. "It's just...I'm small and the girls are big, so they're going to completely take over my body before too long. You can come stay with us, and we'll let Derek spoil us."
"I can't ask you to do that," Emma shook her head.
"It will be fun," Meredith promised. "Please Mom? Otherwise it's just me and Derek. And he's an idiot, I don't want to be stuck with him all day."
"Thanks a lot," Derek frowned.
"Shut up, it's working," she muttered, elbowing him in the stomach.
"Are you sure?" Emma asked, looking between her son and daughter in law.
"Positive," Meredith nodded. "I'm still working, but we'll make sure someone's with you during the day. And at night we'll do stuff."
"Do stuff?" Emma asked with a small smile.
"Mother daughter stuff," Meredith nodded. "I never had that when I was growing up, and I need to learn because I'll have two daughters soon."
"Alright," Emma smiled. "But I will not be treated like a sick old lady."
"Never," Derek shook his head, wrapping his arm around Meredith.
"Alright, we're going to keep you over night," Mark said, scribbling in the chart hanging over the end of the bed. "But you can go home tomorrow."
"Thanks Mark," Meredith said.
"It's my job," he shrugged. "But don't blame me if Addie hears about your girls' pow wow. She's been complaining that she doesn't do enough girl things, so I can't be held accountable for what she's told."
Meredith giggled. "She should come," she said. "You too. You and Derek can spoil us."
Mark rolled his eyes. "I'm not whipped like your husband over there," he said.
"I'm not whipped," Derek frowned.
"Of course not," Mark smirked.
"Don't worry," Meredith smiled, leaning into Derek. "I love you anyways. And so do Becky and Mellie. They're Daddy's little girls already."