It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

66.

June 8th

Derek stood at the surgical table, his mind totally and completely at the task at hand. He was instructing an intern or two on the procedure as he performed it, his voice was strong and confident as he glanced up at the scrub room. He noticed that Ellis was standing at the sink washing her hands. He shook his head as he continued the procedure, chuckling to himself as he thought of her coming in to check on him. He continued and listened as he heard the door from the scrub room open.

He stood continuing the procedure, when he heard Ellis walk up beside him. "Dr. Shepherd. I'll take it from here." She said calmly as she watched his eyes. He was about to challenge this decision, but there was something in her voice that he couldn't quite get that made him hand the instruments to her. He took a step back and filled her in on the surgery, the patient's history and the procedure that he was performing. His voice was calm and reserved as he stood there, his eyes watching Ellis as she continued the surgery.

"Doctor Shepherd." Ellis said softly as she looked up. "You can go now." She said, her voice stern as he watched on, his eyes showing confusion. "Doctor Shepherd... you're going to want to go now..." She said softly.

Suddenly, the pager on the table went off and Derek's head snapped in its direction. "That's..."

"Doctor Shepherd..." Ellis said softly, her eyebrows raised as he watched the scrub nurse pick up the pager.

"Meredith Grey is in labor." She whispered as she looked up at Derek, her eyes passing to Ellis. "Doctor Grey..."

"Shit!" Derek exclaimed as he turned, running out of the operating room as quickly as he could.

Ellis watched as he scrubbed out as quickly as he could, shaking her head as she looked up at the scrub nurse. "I told him that he was going to want to go..." She said with a sigh as she continued the surgery, watching Derek take off out of the scrub room.

🎄🎄🎄

Derek rushed as quickly as he could to the stairs, climbing them two at a time as he swung around the corner and smashed himself into the door to swing it open. He ran as quickly as he could down the hallway, swinging around the corner of Meredith's room. "Where... where... is she...?" He panted to the nurse who was changing the sheets on the bed.

"Delivery, ." She said as Derek took off down the hallway. He rushed down the hallway and listened as the nurse shouted which delivery room. He swung around into the delivery room, and could immediately hear Meredith's voice.

"Where is he?" She whimpered as she lay on the bed. "Where is he... didn't someone page him?" She was sobbing as he swung the door open.

"Meri..." He panted as he ran to her side, grabbing her hand, he placed his other hand on her face as she looked into his eyes with a look of pure fear. Her eyes were so frightened, her lips trembled as she focused on his face. "Meri... are you alright...?" He whispered as he glanced to the doctors as they examined her.

"I..." She said, suddenly screaming as she squeezed his hand as hard as she could.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Derek exclaimed.

"Do NOT say 'ow'!" Meredith exclaimed, her eyes narrowing as they filled with tears, her hand continuing to squeeze his tightly. "YOU do NOT get to say 'ow'!" She screamed as she panted. "Derek... Derek... help me!" She screamed as she turned her face from his, hearing the doctors as they examined her.

The screaming, shouting, pain, and pushing began at that moment. The frantic rush of the moment, the pride hiding behind the fear as Derek began to experience one of the most frightening, yet most wonderful things in his life. Meredith was in pain, and it was killing him. He had never, ever seen that look of pain on her face before. He had never, ever heard the loud angry voice that she was using, and he had never, ever heard the words that were being screamed from her lips, the anger and frustration in her voice as she pushed and shouted and screamed and cried. Tears rolled down her cheeks as Derek tried his best to soothe her. He gave her his hands, he touched her face, kissed her lips and could feel his own tears rolling down his cheeks.

Then he heard it.

"Shit." The doctor whispered.

Derek's attention went to the doctor at the base of the table. "Shit? Shit? You're bringing my child into the fucking world and you say shit?" Derek exclaimed.

"Derek... calm down..." Meredith said as she panted, the pain was becoming unbearable, but seeing Derek so unraveled was making her nervous.

"She's bleeding! We need to get her into surgery, NOW! The baby isn't coming...we need to do an emergency c-section! Get an OR!" The doctor exclaimed as he pushed past Derek and started pulling the gurney out of the delivery room.

Derek stood shocked for a moment, staring at the door as it closed behind them, his heart smashed into a million pieces as it rose into his throat. And all that he could think of was that there was absolutely no way in the world that he was going to let her go through this without him right by her side.

He took off running after the gurney, Meredith calling his name as they carted her down the hallway. He caught up with them and grabbed hold of her arm as they pushed her into the elevator. "Derek!" She exclaimed as she sobbed, grabbing hold of his arm, digging her nails into him as he wrapped his arm around her, kissing her hair, her face, her lips her ears, any part of her that he could until the elevators door opened. They pulled her down the hallway and Derek followed right behind, though as they pulled her through the operating room doors, one of the doctors grabbed Derek. The gurney kept going, and Derek was being pulled back.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" He exclaimed. "I need to be with her! I need to be with her!" He screamed.

"Doctor Shepherd, she's being prepped for surgery... you know that you..."

"Shut the fuck up!" Derek exclaimed as he pushed the doctor out of the way and ran down the hallway after the gurney, swinging into the scrub room of the operating room as quickly as he could, he scrubbed in as if he were the one that was going to be performing the surgery. He needed to be there. He needed to see her face, feel her skin, he needed her more than she needed him. Everything was starting to blur together, so when the surgeon stepped into the room, Derek wasn't even paying attention. Derek turned to push his way into the operating room, when he heard her voice.

"Derek?"

Derek's head snapped to the side and her red hair caught his attention. "Addison." He swallowed hard.