Can't Help Falling in Love

78

"Hello Shepherds," Dr. White smiled as she entered their exam room, looking down at Meredith's chart in her hands. "I see that you've been experiencing some discomfort, Meredith."

"That's an understatement," she sighed as she leaned into Derek. "I've been having Braxton Hicks a lot more frequently, and the dizzy spells are getting worse. I want to make sure the girls are okay."

Dr. White frowned as she looked down at the chart. "You're thirty weeks," she said slowly.

"It's too soon, right?" Meredith whispered. "It's too soon for them to get here, so they can't come yet."

"Well, they're almost fully developed," Dr. White nodded. "But we would ideally like to keep them in there for a little bit longer."

"What does that mean for Meredith?" Derek asked. "Is she going to be okay? She has to be okay."

"I know you're not going to like this," Dr. White sighed. "But I'm going to have to tell you to admit yourself to the hospital. We'll monitor you for a few days, but if the Braxton Hicks don't stop soon, we're going to have to push your delivery forward. And..." she smiled as she looked closely at the screen where the sleeping babies appeared. "From the looks of it, we'll be ready to deliver next week either way. They're growing fast."

"Next week?" Derek asked, his eyes wide. "But...her original due date is still four weeks away."

"You know it's a lot more unknown with twins, Dr. Shepherd," Dr. White said. "Your girls are pretty big already. I'd say they're six, six and a half pounds each. Pretty big for twins."

"You mean I have thirteen pounds of baby in me?" Meredith asked with wide eyes. "That's...a lot of baby."

"It's starting to make sense why you're constantly tired, isn't it?" Dr. White asked. "Don't worry, that's why you're having a C-section. It's too risky for a woman of your size to deliver twins naturally."

"Yeah," Meredith sighed, turning to look up at her husband with tears in her eyes. "Derek?"

"Yeah?" he whispered.

"I have to stay in the hospital."

"I heard that," he sighed. "It will be okay, Mer. They just want to be sure the girls are healthy."

"We're not...you have to go home and get things ready," she sighed. "We're not ready yet."

"I'm not going home," Derek shook his head. "I'm staying here with you. There's no way I'm leaving you."

"But the house isn't ready."

"It is," Derek nodded. "I'll send Mark out to get the car seats, but other than that we're completely ready for our little girls to come."

"We have to call people," she breathed. "Mom, the sisters...they all need to know, they've been so good."

"Don't worry about any of that, Meredith," Dr. White said softly. "We're going to get you into a room, and then you and Derek can call your family. I'm considering this a high risk pregnancy."

"Okay," Meredith whispered, leaning into Derek, tears streaming down her face as she clutched her stomach.

"Don't worry," Dr. White smiled softly. "We're going to take good care of you here. You and your babies will be just fine."

"Thank you," Meredith said softly, trying to hold back tears as Derek helped her into a wheelchair.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, kneeling down in front of her, reaching out to brush some hair back from her face.

"I'm scared, Derek," she whispered, gripping his hand tightly. "I'm so completely scared."

"I know you are," Derek said softly, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand. "I am too. But we have to be brave for our girls."