You're Like Coming Home

80.

Meredith Shepherd was exhausted.

She used to think the meaning of the word. After a long week of studying for an important test or spending nights having sex with her husband instead of sleeping, she would have said she was exhausted. But now she knew that she had been very very wrong. That had been mild tiredness compared to what she was feeling now.

Her entire body felt as if it were filled down with lead, and it was all she could do to sit up and eat the meals Derek brought up to her. She knew she had to eat, she wanted her baby to grow big and strong, but the fatigue she was feeling cancelled out any hunger she might have been feeling.

"Meredith."

She heard her husband's voice whisper her name and she squeezed her eyes closed tightly and curled further into herself, her hand tightening over her belly. Her belly that was still very flat but where Derek's baby was resting safely. Her husband was amazing, he had done everything she had asked without a single complaint, and once he had learned that cologne was not an option for the next eight months he had held her hair as she'd gotten sick once again. And when the fatigue had set in a couple days after she found out she was pregnant, he had laid in bed with her for hours, quickly agreeing to her request not to leave her side. Instead of sleeping, he'd read pregnancy books from cover to cover, and spent time mumbling softly to his baby.

He'd been amazing.

But now he was waking her up, and she was pretty sure that waking her up was so mean that it cancelled out every amazing thing he had done for her so far.

"Go away," she swatted blindly at him, her hand falling to the bed beside her head.

"Beth and Nathan are here," he whispered. "They have big news."

"Too tired," she whispered.

"You've been asleep for hours."

"And it's your fault."

Derek sighed. "Come on, Mer, I know you're tired," he whispered. "But they have pictures. Of the baby."

"Baby?" Meredith sat up quickly, a hand going to her head to fight off the sudden dizziness. "Oh no."

"Careful," Derek said, reaching out to grab her. "Their baby, Mer."

"Do they...did they find out?"

"I don't know," Derek laughed as she slowly got to her feet, testing her balance for a moment before she walked towards the stairs. "Be careful."

"I'm pregnant, Derek, not dying."

"I know, but you've been dizzy and I don't need you falling down the stairs."

"I'm fine," she sighed, trying to fight of a yawn.

"Mer!" Beth giggled from the couch as Derek and Meredith walked into the room.

"Hey," Meredith smiled at Beth as her eyes were drawn to her friend's slightly swollen stomach. "How are you feeling?"

"Great," Beth smiled. "We just got back from the doctor's."

"And we have pictures," Nathan announced, holding a sonogram out proudly.

"Oh," Meredith breathed, staring down at the grainy black and white image as a hand went automatically to her stomach. "Beautiful."

"Could you tell the sex?" Derek asked, staring at the picture over Meredith's shoulder.

"No," Nathan rolled his eyes. "It's mother's child. Stubborn as all hell."

"That is not true," Beth rolled her eyes. "The doctor said it would have been ambitious to expect to know this early."

Nathan opened his mouth, then quickly closed it and nodded. "Of course, Beth," he said with a smile.