Say when

83

It had been a long week for both of them, they each had worked a 36 hour shift that week and had been scheduled to work 12 hours until the end of the week and were still just trying to keep up.. Derek was sound asleep enjoying the deep slumber his fatigue sent him into and wishing it would last somehow forever..

"EHEM!" he hears startling him awake feeling a foot nudge him in the leg.. he flutters his eyes open and squints through the dim light in the bedroom to see Meredith standing over him wearing a tank top and girl boxers holding Emily in her arms not looking very pleased.. "You need to get up."

"What." he croaks out in a hoarse voice as he looks at the clock "Its 2:30 in the morning Mer, we don't have to be at work until 8."

"I know." She mutters out "But that 'germ free' nursery you put your daughter in gave her a cough, runny nose, diarrhea and a 100.5 degree temp."

"What?" he whines out wrinkling his brow with concern for Emily..

"So." She said pressing her lips together "You get to sit up with her all night soothing her, because I have to work in the morning."

"What!" he gasps furrowing his brow "I have to work in the morning too."

"Yes." she sighs "But I am not the one that put her in the germ infested nursery!"

He sighed heavily unable to argue her point as he tossed the covers off of his tired body and sits up slow to stand and give up his comfortable position in bed and takes Emily out of her arms.. she started to fuss immediately and he felt his heart hitch in his chest at the miserable sound of her cry as he walked her into the living room to the rocking chair..

"I'm sorry baby." He whispered as he sat down and started to rock her hearing her still fuss and toss her warm head against his shoulder unable to get comfort.. "I know baby, daddy is sorry he didn't listen to mommy."

He sighed feeling guilty that his little girl was feeling so horrible at his expense.. he spent the rest of the night doing all he could to comfort her, giving her the meds she needed for her fever and trying to keep her cooled and mucus free..

She finally fell asleep against his chest at about 4 am and he sat there feeling it hard to keep his eyes open as the sun started to come up slowly.. he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up startled to see Meredith standing there still trying to wake up.. she reaches down and carefully takes Emily out of his arms not waking her up..

"Go get some sleep." She whispers "You have to go to work in three hours."

"What about you?" he asks..

"I'm going to stay home with her." She replies "Other parents may think that its ok to take a sick baby to day care and expose the healthy babies.. but not me."

"Mer." He says shaking his head "I'm the one that put her in there, I'll stay."

"No." she sighed "You work hard, and you stayed up with her all night.. I think you learned something.. so go get some sleep."

He sighs as he stands up and gives her a soft kiss before shuffling towards the bedroom.. he stops in the doorway watching Meredith sit down in the rocking chair and softly rock their baby girl softly running her fingers through the baby's curls as she quietly sung out a familiar lullaby..

"You are my sunshine.. my only sunshine.. you make me happy, when skies are gray.."

He smiles through his tiredness as he stands there watching the two loves of his life and feels his heart about to burst in his chest from happiness.. despite how tired he was and the pain of the workday lingering ahead of him.. he couldn't help but feel joy.