Can't Help Falling in Love

63

Meredith sighed as she opened the front door, stepping into her house and dropping several shopping bags onto the floor as she leaned against the now closed front door. It was two days after Christmas, and Derek's sisters had insisted on taking her shopping for maternity clothes during the post holiday sales. She had been shopping for the past three and a half hours, and although she was in her second trimester already, her back was killing her and her completely swollen stomach was straining as the muscles started to lengthen.

"Mer?" her husband's voice called as he came out of the kitchen, smiling widely. "Hey, how was shopping?"

"Good," she nodded, moving to lean her weight against him instead of the door. She pressed her lips against his before resting her head against his chest. "Although your sisters are evil."

"I've been saying that for twenty eight years," Derek laughed. "They weren't mean to you, were they?"

"Of course not," she rolled her eyes. "Just...they think they know everything about having babies. But none of them have had twins. And when Kath was in her second trimester she was barely even showing."

"Hmm," Derek sighed. "They're know it alls. Sorry. I can talk to them if you want me to."

"It's okay," she sighed, rubbing her stomach gently.

"Are the babies okay?" Derek asked, moving to his knees in front of her and lifting her shirt.

"They're good," Meredith nodded, smiling as he pressed his lips to each side of her stomach. "My stomach's just...growing."

"That it is," he smiled softly. "Hi guys. Daddy missed you today. I hope you were good for Mommy."

"What did you do today?" Meredith asked as Derek stood again and took her hand, kissing her gently.

"Went into the hospital this morning," Derek shrugged. "Then just came home, set up the office a little more."

"Hmm," Meredith nodded, leaning against him as he led her into the kitchen. "Derek," she gasped when she saw dinner sitting on the table, soft candlelight illuminating the room. "What is this?"

Derek smiled as he kissed her quickly. "We're in the second trimester now," he smiled. "You've been amazing, Mer, putting up with morning sickness and everything else, but you're feeling a lot better now, so I figured we could celebrate. Dinner, movies, whatever you want."

Meredith smiled softly. "Thank you," she whispered, pressing her lips to his. "We love you."

"I love you too," Derek said, running a hand over her bump. "All three of you. So much."

"What are we having for dinner, Daddy?" she giggled as she sat down and reached for a piece of garlic bread.

"Well, I wasn't sure what the cravings would be today," he laughed. "But I figured steak was a safe bet."

"Definitely," she giggled, reaching eagerly for a knife and fork as she dug into the plate Derek had set in front of her.

"So since you're feeling better," Derek said as he started eating as well. "I was thinking that now would be the best time to start getting ready for the babies. Or at least thinking about it."

"What do you mean?" she asked, reaching for the glass of sparkling grape juice Derek had offered her in lieu of wine.

"There's a pretty good chance you'll be put on bed rest," Derek pointed out. "And even if you're not, by the end you're going to be exhausted, Mer. Carrying two babies isn't easy. I'd really feel better if we did everything we could together, when you're still comfortable."