Can't Help Falling in Love

75

"I heard the second most beautiful pregnant woman in the world is craving tacos and quesadillas," Mark announced as he walked into Derek and Meredith's bedroom a week later.

"Oh thank God," Meredith giggled, reaching eagerly for the bag of take out that he was holding.

"Shep got pulled into to an emergency surgery," Mark sighed as he sat down in the chair beside the bed. "Apparently it's good practice for me to take care of you, since Addie will be in your place in a couple months."

Meredith giggled as she bit into a taco, reaching for the soda Mark had placed on the nightstand. "It's only true practice if it's two in the morning and you have to drive an hour there and back to the nearest Taco Bell," she said. "I thought he was going to kill me."

"Yeah, Shep said something about that too," Mark laughed. "How are you feeling today?"

"Completely and totally bored," Meredith sighed. "Derek...he gets to go be a surgeon and do exciting things and...go downstairs. And I'm stuck up here with baby sitter after baby sitter."

"We're not baby sitting," Mark laughed. "But no one wants you left alone. We worry about you."

"I know," Meredith said as she shoved more taco meat into her mouth. "They want me to do this for another ten weeks."

"I know it sounds like forever," Mark sighed. "And Shep's trying like hell to get his pat leave early."

"What?" Meredith asked, looking up quickly. "Why? He needs to put more hours in before the girls come."

"You're on best rest, Grey," Mark rolled his eyes. "You really think that whipped husband of yours is able to concentrate on surgery? He's constantly worrying about you."

"But...he can't take ten weeks off," Meredith frowned. "He's a resident, he'll fall behind."

"That doesn't matter to him," Mark shrugged. "And God knows that if Addie ends up in this position, I'd be doing the same thing."

Meredith bit her lower lip as she stared down at the half eaten quesadilla in her lap. "It would be really nice to have him here," she sighed. She looked at Mark for a moment before she asked, "Why can't he just take the time off? If he wants to, he should be able to."

"Apparently the chief's giving him a hard time about it," Mark sighed. "Don't tell him I told you that."

Meredith narrowed her eyes. "What the hell is she doing now?" she asked. "Did she say something?"

"She says that if he wants to stay in the program he won't let this distract him from surgery," Mark said.

"What?" Meredith yelled, sitting up in bed. "Seriously? Who the hell does she think she is?"

"Calm down, Grey," Mark breathed, reaching out to push her back into the pillows. "Shep will have my ass if your blood pressure spikes. I'm supposed to be distracting you."

"She thinks she can...seriously?" Meredith asked. "Seriously? Isn't there some kind of law or something that says when a man's wife is sick and exiled to bed he can take time off of work?"

"There is," Mark nodded. "But apparently if Shep takes it, he won't be allowed back to the residency at Seattle Grace."

"What?" Meredith shouted again, starting to swing her legs over the bed and preparing to get out of bed.

"Oh, for God's sake, get back in bed," Mark rolled his eyes. "There's not much anyone can do about this, Grey. She's the chief of surgery, no one else has as much power as her."

"She's purposefully putting Derek on more shifts because she knows I'm sick," Meredith said. "That stupid bitch."

"Look, pretty soon he's going to go onto pat leave and until then we've got plenty of people keeping you company," Mark nodded. "Hell, some of your students even called Derek and told them they would come visit."