Love gives hope

Chapter 33 "humor me"

Meredith's Point-of View

"Then, Daddy said to Mommy...it's a good thing you look so good in those scrubs, or I wouldn't put up with your soap opera's and cheesy TV. Mommy was stubborn, she wouldn't take no for an answer—you remember that in the future."

I giggled as I fluttered my eyes open in the dark on-call room. I was laying on my side in one of the bunks trying to take a nap between surgeries. My back was getting sore these days. My belly was pressing so tightly against my scrubs I was afraid one bad move and I'd rip them in two... I wanted to get bigger ones but, seeing the glow on Derek's face when I rounded a corner and he could see my perfect little round, five-month pregnant belly was worth risking it one more day before hiding the little bug.

"That's not how it happened, and you know it." I mumbled sleepily into a yawn, "Lying to our child already?"

He grinned sheepishly from his kneeling stance next to the bed.

"Sorry, did we disturb you from your sleep?"

"It's cute." I smiled "I like that you want to talk to our baby, even if it does disturb my sleep."

He smiled as I felt a little roll across the top of my abdomen. I grabbed his hand and placed it where I felt the movement. As soon as Derek's hand was on my belly, the moving stopped.

"Damn it." I hissed.

"I missed it again?" he said bitter sweetly, "it's ok, I'm sure I will feel it eventually."

"This baby is as stubborn as you."

"No." he chuckled with a vibrant shake of his head, "If it gets stubbornness from either of us, it's definitely you."

"Hey, my stubbornness was just to keep you alive. I pick my battles."

"Speaking of battles, I want to discuss the ultrasound again."

"The answer is no." I sighed, "I told you, I want to be surprised."

"I want to stop calling our baby It."

"The answer is no, and that's final."

The corner of his mouth pulled up into a smile, "Who is the stubborn one again?"

"Ugh." I groaned as I pushed myself up to sit.

Derek smiled confidently in his won argument, to which I rolled me eyes. He leaned in and kissed me until I forgot my anger...as usual. He was my kryptonite, I had no immunity to him. He trickled his fingertips down my jaw line and looked at me with all the adoration in his heart, he opened his mouth to say something when instead he quickly turned his head and coughed over his shoulder. Panic rushed through me as I suddenly felt myself going from wife mode to doctor mode.

"Derek."

"I'm fine." He said, recovering quickly.

"That's the second time you've coughed today."

"Meredith." He chuckled "A man can cough more than a few times a day...it's the stupid hospital air, it makes me cough."

"Most men aren't in remission." I persisted, "You should get it looked at."

"And they will tell me the same thing they did last month you insisted I get my runny nose looked at. I have an over-sensitivity to the cold air pumping through this place. I am fine...stop worrying about me and mother the baby."

"The baby is doing what it's told to do, staying in the womb and growing." I said sternly. He opened his mouth to protest again when I narrowed my eyes and pursed my lips.

"Fine." He sighed, "If I cough any more today, I will make Curtis give me a chest x-ray...happy?"

"Almost." I mumbled with a curl of my lips, "I could really go for a strawberry smoothie right now."

"Right away." He grinned.

Unfortunately, right after he pulled me to my feet both our pagers went off, sending us to the PIT to assess a motorcycle crash victim.

"Who doesn't wear a helmet, isn't it common sense?" I asked as I watched Derek peel away gauze to look directly at brain matter.

"Common sense apparently isn't that common." He sighed, "Alright we need to get him up to an OR right away."

"I'll call right now and go get it prepped."

"No you won't." he argued "You will hand the chart to Dr. Yang and go sit down with your strawberry smoothie, you need to get off your feet and rest, not stand on them for the next five hours."

"Oh I'd be happy to!" Cristina jumped in from the door. I glared at her and then at Derek.

"Like hell I'm going to do that!" I muttered "I waddled my ass down here and helped you thus far, I'm following through, I'll be fine!"

"You will be fine with your feet up in the cafeteria Meredith, I am putting my foot down."

"And I am about to put my foot up your ass!"

"Meredith I—" he started to get worked up when he stopped to cough..My eyes tightened.

"Dr. Yang—page Dr. Nelson to take over for my husband. He has a date with radiology."

"Meredith." He huffed "I am fine."

"And you made a deal with me." I reminded him, "So either let me in on this surgery or go get a chest x-ray...the choice is yours."

His eyes grew angry...so much so that it almost turned me on. Damn estrogen. He pressed his lips together in thought.

"You're good."

"So, I've been told." I nodded, "Does that mean I get to go into surgery?"

"Yes." He sighed "There will be a chair in there that you will sit in if you seem the least bit tired."

"Whatever, I am fine."

"So am I."

"Whatever you're a fine couple...are you taking him to surgery, or shall I?" Cristina muttered.

"Let's go."

"God, why do people do this to themselves?" Derek shook his head as he tried to relieve the pressure on our patients' brain "Taking the time to put on a helmet is what, 30 seconds?"

"Apparently, not everyone wants to take the extra time to take precautions that could save their life."

Derek looked up at me from his stance at the head of the operating table and tightened his eyes.

"I'm fine."

"I am the woman who nursed you back to health from certain death, am emotional, moody, carrying your child who— at the moment, is kicking the crap out of my ribs—humor me a little."

His eyes softened as he sighed and dropped the scalpel on the medical tray. Derek reached out and placed his hand on the top of my belly. All movement suddenly stopped, as usual.

"Better?" he asked.

"Yeah." I gulped, "Now, you're going to have to scrub in again."

"No, I won't." He glanced remorsefully at the patient, "His cerebral artery is shredded, and his brain is currently ballooning out of the skull flap I opened...even if I could control the swelling, he would never wake up again."

"Damn." I said under my breath "So what now?"

He pulled his garb off as he stepped away from the table and smiled at me.

"Now, we go humor you."

My face fell with relief as I breathed just the same.

"Thank you."