You're Like Coming Home

86.

"Derek Christopher Shepherd!"

Derek cringed as his wife's accusig voice traveled down the stairs and to his ears. Obviously he had done something that was going to bring an end to the world. Just like the night before when he'd folded her laundry and put it away. Apparently his idea of helping her meant that he thought she was incapable of doing anything, and he had no respect for pregnant women because he didn't think they could do anything for themselves.

"Yes, Mer?" he called, hoping he sounded cheerful enough.

"What the hell is this?" Meredith demanded as she walked into the kitchen and threw their toothpaste tube at his head.

"Umm...I bought the wrong toothpaste?" Derek suggested.

"You squeezed it from the top," Meredith snapped. "You know I hate when you do that."

Derek nodded. Even if he had no idea what she was talking about, he had learned quickly that nodding was the best thing to do in this situation. "Sorry Mer."

Meredith stared at him for a moment before she shrugged. "It's okay," she said before turning to walk into the living room, flipping on the TV.

Derek stared after her for a moment, wondering how no one had told him the severity of her mood swings. She got mad at him for pretty much everything he did, which either resulted in him apologizing profusely and her throwing his favorite bottle of cologne out the window or him apologizing profusely and her asking him what he was apologizing for. Apparently the mood swings were Meredith's strongest symptom of pregnancy so far.

"Do you want some milk?" Derek asked. "How's your heartburn."

"It's fine," she snapped. "If I needed milk, I'd get it myself. Honestly, Derek, I'm not incapable of doing anything."

"Sorry, Mer," Derek replied automatically. He sighed as he went back to making their sandwiches, carrying the plates towards the couch. Hopefully she would at least eat and they could enjoy a few minutes together before her next mood swing struck.

"Lunch," he announced, sitting down beside her.

"Yummy," Meredith giggled, reaching for her plate and causing Derek to exhale in relief. He chewed on his own sandwich as he concentrated on the TV, turning to Meredith when he heard her sniffle loudly.

"Mer?" he asked. "What's wrong? Are you okay? Is baby okay?"

"We're fine," she nodded, sniffling slightly. "This commercial is just so horrible. That little girl just lost her balloon. And now she's the only one at the birthday party without one. She's so sad, and now no one wants to be around her because she doesn't have a balloon."

"Oh Mer," Derek sighed, pulling her into his arms. "It's okay. She gets a balloon at the end of the commercial."

"But she doesn't have any friends," Meredith whimpered.

"I'm sure that once she gets a balloon she'll get friends," Derek assured her.

"What if that's our baby?" Meredith sobbed. "What if I'm such a bad mother that I can't raise my baby to be nice enough to have any friends, and then she'll be the girl at the party with no balloons and no friends!"

"Well...she wouldn't be invited to any parties if she didn't have any friends," Derek pointed out.

Meredith stared at him for a moment, tears filling her eyes. "You think our baby isn't going to have any friends!" she exclaimed.

"I didn't say that," Derek denied quickly.

"But you think that," Meredith insisted. "I'm going to mess up your baby and then you're going to hate me because I can't even get our baby any friends."