You've got a Way

45.

She wanted to be home. She was tired of her stupid new ER position and she was tired of med school. After her eight hour shift, she had gone straight to her class based solely on bandaging. Who needed a stupid class on bandaging and knowing how and when to compress? Nobody. It was stupid and now she was tired. Her legs were tired. Her hands were even tired from turning the steering wheel onto her apartment's street.

She just wanted to get home and perhaps have Derek make her something good. Something warm and amazing and then maybe she would crawl into bed and hope Emma let her sleep in the next day. So as she took the key from the ignition, she smiled in sole relief as she noticed the lights were off to the house. Derek had most likely been able to keep Emma in bed.

She hopped out of the car, reaching into the backseat to grab the Halloween costume that she had forgotten to take inside after their trip to the mall just the week before. She was going to be an adorable bumble bee, even if Derek had wanted her to be a bunny. Meredith had managed to urge Emma's hand into picking the yellow and black costume.

"Ouch." Meredith groaned, yawning slightly as she put the key into the door. She stomped her feet, as she struggled to get the key in door. He wasn't even coming to open it for her and that wasn't cool. He always met her at the door, so suddenly she was shocked that he wasn't even in the living room as she stepped inside, tossing all of her stuff including the costume to the floor. It was dark. Pitch Dark.

"Derek?" Meredith asked, reaching to turn on the light from the side table. Nothing. She stepped forward, flipping the switch that would normally light the whole room. Nothing. "Okay..."

She looked around, opening the front door to check the neighborhood, but even the apartment next to her had lights in the window. There was probably an axe murderer in her house or Derek had taken Emma and left her. That had to be it because she had paid her electric bill and not even the light next to the couch was turning on.

"Okay....killer in my house. I'm going to die and there will be no power for anyone to find me and it's going to be dark." She whispered to herself, suddenly hearing some familiar baby babble further away in the house. "Emma..." Meredith quickly walked to the stairs, flipping on the hall light, but still nothing. No lights so Meredith just ran up the stairs, pushing the nursery door open. "Emma!"

"Ma!" Emma giggled. "Mama!"

"Emma." Meredith gasped, suddenly looking around the candle lit room. There were candles over the dresser, along the window ledge, luckily none of those cream beautiful candles in reach of her baby. She was puzzled. Emma looked unharmed, completely happy, but that didn't explain why her one and a half year old daughter was wearing a fluffy cream dress with a gold bow on her head, from what Meredith could see.

"Hee!" Emma pointed to a piece of paper that was pinned to her dress.

"Why aren't you dressed for bed? And why are you alone...and the lights?" Meredith groaned, stepping forward to her smiling baby.

"Shh..." Emma giggled, still pointing to the paper on her dress.

"I...hmm." Meredith stopped, reaching for the paper and taking it into her hands before lifting Emma onto her hip. "You look so pretty."

"Pwetty." Emma repeated.

"Your new favorite word." Meredith rolled her eyes, kissing Emma's head before unrolling the paper and reading it.

Hi Mer. You're probably wondering why Emma has her party dress on right now. And why there aren't any lights on in the house. But, you'll find out soon. I just want you to know how much I love you and Emma. And I know, that we can be extraordinary together, instead of ordinary apart. Just do me one little favor and kiss our daughter and then turn around.