Keep Me Warm
[2/2]

~x~

18 weeks pregnant.

"Ok Dr Grey, are you ready for your scan?" Addison asked walking into the exam room where Meredith and Mark sat and sitting down at the ultrasound machine.

"I uh, where's Dr Adams?" Meredith stuttered.

"He called in sick, his kids have chicken pox, so you're stuck with me"

"Right" Meredith breathed "Ok"

"Don't worry, I don't bite" Addison said with a laugh, Mark let out a snort.

"Head. Gutter. Out of it. Now." Meredith said firmly.

"Sorry" he mumbled "Ok, let's do this" he said with a smile.

Addison quickly put the gel on Meredith's bump and found the baby efficiently, the sound of the heartbeat echoing around the room "Looks good" she said with a smile "Perfect size, strong heartbeat, very healthy, do you want to find out the sex?"

"Yeah" Meredith whispered.

"Ok, well you have yourselves a little girl"

"Looks like your feeling was right babe" Mark said kissing Meredith's hand.

"We're having a girl" she said with a smile "We're having a girl Mark"

"I know" he laughed "Yang owes me $50 dollars"

Meredith reached out and smacked him "You bet on our child!" she exclaimed.

"I uh, no, no of course not" he stuttered.

"Mark" she said sternly.

"She made me do it!"

"Of course she did" Meredith smirked "That moneys being spent on the baby you understand that right?"

"Of course" he said reaching up and kissing her "I have to go and check on a patient, you'll be ok?"

"I'll be fine" she said rolling her eyes "Go, get out of here"

"Bye" he whispered kissing her again.

"Wait Mark" Addison said as he reached the door.

"Hmm?"

"The scan" she said holding a picture out.

"Thanks" Mark said taking it from her "Bye ladies" he said over his shoulder as he left the room.

"Um, thank you, for doing that" Meredith stuttered sitting up and wiping the gel from her skin "You didn't have to do it, you could have got a resident or, even an intern"

"Meredith" Addison said softly "I'm not mad at you"

"You're not?" Meredith said with a raised eyebrow "Because I slept with your husband and now I'm with your ex-whatever and he got me pregnant so…."

"You didn't know he was my husband when you slept with him" Addison said simply "And well, I can see how the you and Mark thing came about, you've both been hurt, by me and Derek, you turn to each other, I get it"

"That's how it started but, I don't know, things are different now, I forget sometimes, that that's who he is, who he was, I just want to make it work y'know? I don't want to be like my Mom and Dad, fighting over everything and anything, my Dad walking out when I was 5, I don't want that"

"Mark he, he won't walk away from the baby, no matter what happens between the two of you, he won't walk away from the baby, ask him about his family, then you'll know why"

"Ok" Meredith nodded "Thank you Addison"

"That's ok" Addison said standing up "For you" she said holding out the ultrasound picture and DVD "And if, if you want me to, I'll be your OB, not that I don't respect Dr Adams but, I am the best"

"If it's ok with you then it's ok with me"

"Well then, I'll see you in about 10 weeks"

~x~

"Tell me about your family" Meredith said as she lay back in Mark's arms in the bathtub, the room filled with candles, his hands placed on her bump.

"There's nothing to tell"

"Mark, there has to be something to tell"

"You don't speak about your family"

"Well my mother was one of the best surgeons in the world for many years, she's now in a home with Alzheimers, she was diagnosed 5 years ago, she was a crappy mother, she didn't care, I like to think she loved me but I never once heard the word love pass her lips so I guess I'll never know, we moved to Boston when I was 5 after my Dad left us, I've only seen him once since then and that was the night we made McBaby, and all he could say to me was, 'is there anything you need?' after 20 years that's all he could say, that's my family, now you go"

"Mer" he sighed "I don't…."

"Please Mark" she whispered "I just, I want to know you, I want to know everything about you, the good, the bad, and the freaking awful, please"

"Ok but, let's get out of the tub first ok?"

"Ok" Meredith said with a smile, after they got out of the tub, dried themselves off and changed, Mark into a pair of pajama pants and Meredith into his Columbia Med shirt they climbed into the bed, Meredith snuggled up to his side, one palm placed on his chest.

"Talk to me Mark" she said softly.

"My Mom died when I was 7, since then my Dad has lived on his sofa with a can of beer in his hand, he treated me like I was a piece of crap, I think it's because I look like her, my Mom, we have the same eyes so, I think it was hard for him to see me every day, and then I met Derek, and his family, and they had this perfect life y'know? His Mom and Dad were happy, he had four sisters who loved him, he had a family, and yeah, they had their fair share of bad times, when his Dad died for instance but that's his story not mine, but they got through it, together, and they were my family too, I was part of the family, they're my sisters and his Mom is my Mom and he's, he was my brother, so I made a promise to myself that I wasn't going to become my Dad, I wasn't going to abandon my child, I was going to have a family, I was going to get myself a family just like the Shepherds and I, I didn't ever think I get a shot at it because well I'm me and I was a complete whore right up until well, until you called"

"So we're both sufferers of abandonment issues, that could be fun" Meredith said with a slight smirk.

"What it is Mer, is something to change, we can change that, I will never, ever, abandon you or our daughter, I promise you that"

"I promise you that too" she said kissing him softly "Mark I, I love you"

"I love you too" he said with a smile "You Meredith Grey, have changed my life"

"No Mark" she said taking his hand "You've changed it for yourself"

~x~

22 weeks pregnant.

"I need to hit something" Meredith said bursting into the research room, she was surprised to see Derek and Mark sat in the same room without killing each other.

"What?" Mark smirked looking up at her.

"It seems I have a half sister, no actually it seems I have two half sisters, one of which is in her last year of med school, which means it must have taken my so called father less than a year to get a new freaking family after he left!"

"Mer, slow down" Mark said standing up and putting his hands on her shoulder guiding her to his chair, he sat her down in it and knelt down in front of her "Start from the beginning"

"The youngest girl, Molly, she's 22, she's 32 weeks pregnant, the baby has a congenital diaphragmatic hernia, George is the intern on the case, he noticed that her maiden name was Grey, and that her fathers name is Thatcher, and I saw him, he didn't see me but I saw him and, what the hell do I do Mark? He can't be here! This is my place, my place, and now he's here with this perfect freaking family and, and what am I? What am I to him? Am I just a mistake? Did he ever love me?"

"Oh Mer" Mark sighed "Of course he loves you, your his daughter"

"Who he left, he left Mark, I was 5 years old! If he loved me he would have fought, I know my Mom was a bitch but, he could have fought for me"

"Look, Mer, you don't have to see him, you don't have to speak to him, you don't owe him anything, the ball is in your court"

"I don't know what to do" she whispered.

"Just breathe" he said softly "I saw Torres and Izzie in a room with a load of old cast wrap, go and break it, just, be careful with baby girl"

"I will" she smiled "I'm done, freak out over" she said standing up, Mark stood and kissed her softly "I love you" he whispered.

"I love you too" she smiled "I'll, I'll think about everything and, I'll get back to you"

"Ok babe, see you soon"

"See you soon" she smiled quickly leaving, Mark sighed heavily and sat down in his chair.

"You love her? Seriously?" Derek asked quietly "Because it wasn't long ago that you claimed you loved Addison"

"Derek don't start" Mark sighed "Yes I do love her, she is everything to me, her and that baby, I don't have a family anymore, they're my family, can't you just be happy that I'm finally growing up?"

"I'm not anything for you anymore Mark"

"Then don't comment on my family" Mark said simply.

"Fine"

"Fine"

~x~

32 weeks pregnant.

"It's going to be fine babe" Mark said softly as himself and Meredith knocked on her father's front door.

"I hate you" she mumbled "Why did you make me agree to this?"

"Because they're your family" Mark said simply "And don't say they're not" he said pressing a finger to her lips "They are, you have to let them try Mer"

"Ok" she sighed.

"Meredith, hello" Thatcher stuttered as he opened the door "And this must be…."

"Mark Sloan, pleasure to meet you" Mark said shaking his hand.

"Come on in" Thatcher smiled leading them through to the lounge.

"Meredith dear!" Susan smiled walking out of the kitchen "How are you?"

"I'm good and you?" Meredith smiled.

"I'm good" Susan smiled.

"Oh uh, this is Mark, my boyfriend"

"Nice to meet you Mark" Susan nodded "We have about 15 minutes before dinners ready so, would you like a drink?"

"I'll just have water thanks" Meredith smiled.

"I'm good for now" said Mark.

"Ok, one water, sit down dears, Meredith your feet must be tired"

"Yeah" Meredith laughed.

Mark and Meredith sat down on the sofa, Mark's arm wrapped around her shoulders, his other hand placed on her bump.

"So uh, how are you Meredith? How's the baby?" Thatcher asked.

"I'm good" Meredith nodded "The baby's great, perfect, kind of just want her here now though"

"Your getting impatient aren't you babe" Mark said with a laugh.

"Just a little" Meredith laughed.

"Well, I hate to break it to you Meredith, but you were a week late" Thatcher said with a laugh.

"Well, that would be just my luck" Meredith sighed.

"I'm sure she'll be right on time" Mark said squeezing her hand.

~x~

35 weeks pregnant.

"Mer...Meredith?" Derek stuttered as he walked into the gallery "What are you doing here?"

"Watching" she said simply.

"The surgery finished 10 minutes ago and you should be at home"

"I haven't been in an OR in months, believe me, just watching them clean up is helping, and home is boring, what are you doing up here?"

"Thinking" Derek said walking over to her and sitting down.

"Wanna talk about it?" Meredith said nudging him.

"I just, I'm trying to remember why I'm mad at you but, I can't"

"You can't remember why you're mad a me" she said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah" he sighed.

"Do you think maybe it's because you didn't really have a right or a real reason to me mad at me?"

"Probably" he nodded "It's just, you saw what him being here did to me and then you go and sleep with him, and then you're pregnant and he's here and you're with him and you love him and, it's a little bit about you but, I think it's mostly about him"

"He's really sorry Derek" Meredith said softly "He misses you"

"Yeah" Derek sighed "I know"

"I miss you" she said with a sad smile "In a purely platonic way of course"

"You don't miss me in the other way? Not even a little bit?" he asked with a mocking pout.

"Maybe a little bit" she smirked "But it's ok, it's ok to miss each other, we had something Derek, I know that, we just have more with other people, and that's ok" she said squeezing his hand "And it's ok to forgive them"

"I've forgiven Addison"

"Derek" Meredith sighed "The way you look at her sometimes, especially if you see her talking to me or Mark, that's not forgiveness, you love her, and deep down you love him, just give them a chance"

"When did you get so optimistic?" Derek smirked.

"I think it's the baby, I'm sure as soon as she's out I'll go back to being a cynic" she laughed.

"Is everything ok? With her?"

"Yeah, she's pretty perfect" Meredith smiled "I just want to meet her"

"Not long now" Derek smiled.

"I know" Meredith said softly "Come on, we should go" she said trying to stand "Ok your going to have to help me up here"

Derek laughed and stood up, he took Meredith's hands and pulled her up, they walked out of the gallery together and out to the main surgical desk.

"Make the step Derek" Meredith whispered as she noticed Mark and Addison stood at opposite sides of the nurses station.

"Come on" Derek said softly walking them over to Mark "I picked up a stray in the gallery" he said with a smirk.

"Mer! What, what are you doing here?" Mark stuttered "You should be at home"

"I know, bed rest, blah blah blah, I was bored" she shrugged.

"Mark I, I just wanted to say, what I wanted to say is, is, congratulations" Derek said holding out his hand.

"Thank you Derek" Mark sincerely giving his hand a small shake.

"But I swear to god if you go manwhore on her…."

"I think Cristina scared him out of that a very long time ago" Meredith laughed "I'm just gonna go, talk to Addison" she said backing away.

"Ok, how the hell did you do that?" Addison whispered as Meredith reached her.

"We talked things through, I think we'll all be fine" Meredith said softly.

"You're my new favourite person" Addison smiled.

"I do what I can" Meredith said with a laugh.

"But as your doctor I'm mad at you, home, rest, now please"

"Do you know how bored I am at home! There's only so much daytime TV a girl can watch, especially a girl who hates daytime TV"

"Meredith, home" Addison said with a slight glare.

"Going, going" Meredith mumbled.

41 weeks pregnant.

"If you don't get this thing out of me today I swear to god Addison Forbes Montgomery-Shepherd I will kill you" Meredith hissed as she waddled up to Addison and Derek in the cafeteria.

"Are you having contractions?"

"No" Meredith pouted.

"So your water hasn't broke yet?"

"No! But, induce me for the love of god! I can't take anymore of this! I haven't seen my feet in over 4 months Addison! 4 months! And I'm tired and everything freaking hurts and I need to get her out of me!"

"Ok, just breathe" Addison said slowly standing up and helped Meredith into a chair "Der go and get a wheelchair for me" she said turning back to Derek.

"I'm on it" Derek said quickly leaving.

"Now Meredith, where's Mark?"

"He got called in for a consult" Meredith said wiping her eyes.

"Ok, so we'll page Mark, and then we'll go up to OB and do a check up ok, and if everything looks in order we'll induce you"

"Thank you thank you thank you" Meredith said wrapping her arms around Addison.

"Just try and relax" Addison said returning the hug "She'll be worth it, I promise"

~x~

"This is your fault" Meredith growled grabbing the front of Mark's shirt "You did this to me" she cried as a contraction ripped through her.

"We're almost there Meredith, we're almost there" Mark said softly.

"Meredith, I'm going to need you to start pushing now" said Addison "When you're ready, one big push"

Meredith screamed loudly and gripped Mark's hand tightly as she pushed, releasing with a heavy pant.

"Good, good that's good" Addison smiled "And another"

"I can't" Meredith panted.

"Yes you can" said Mark "You can Meredith"

"I hate you" Meredith screamed as she pushed again.

"I can see the head" Addison said over Meredith's scream "Keep going Meredith"

"I, I can't" Meredith sighed "I need, a minute….forget I said that" she screamed pushing hard.

"Ok, that's the head out" Addison smiled "One big push for me Meredith"

Meredith screamed even louder and pushed.

"There we go" Addison smiled as the baby slid out "Mark, do you want to cut the cord?" Mark reached across and cut the cord "Oh guys she is beautiful" Addison smiled, the sounds of cries instantly filling the room, she slowly placed the baby against Meredith's chest.

"Hey" Meredith whispered tearfully "Hey baby girl"

"Oh my god" Mark whispered kissing Meredith's temple "Look at her, she's, perfect, she's so perfect"

"I can't promise I'll be the best Mom" Meredith said softly as she brushed her finger over the babies cheek "But I can promise that I'll love you, and protect you, and never leave you"

"Marry me" Mark whispered.

"What?" Meredith said snapping her head over to him.

"Meredith, I love you, I love you more than, I ever thought possible, marry me"

"Ok" Meredith whispered "Ok I'll, I'll marry you, I love you"

"I love you too" Mark said kissing her "Both of you"

~x~

5 years later.

"Oh god, I want another one" Meredith whispered as she rocked Lily Shepherd in her arms.

"What?" Addison said with a laugh.

"I want another baby" Meredith said quietly "She is so beautiful Addison, can I just steal her so I don't have to do the whole pushing a baby out of me thing again?"

"Aha, no" Addison smirked "Because I just did the whole pushing a baby out of me thing and I kind of want to keep the baby"

"I know" Meredith sighed "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, sore, want to get out of this damn hospital bed and go home"

"Can't you just pull the attending card?" Meredith smirked.

"Tried it" Addison shrugged.

"Tough deal" Meredith said with a slight laugh.

"Mer?"

"Hmm?" Meredith said looking over to Addison.

"I want you to be her godmother y'know"

"Really?" Meredith asked with a smile "Are you sure? I mean, me? Not one of your med school friends or, or one of Derek's sisters or…."

"Meredith" Addison said cutting her off "You are my best friend, you know this, I want you to be the godmother to my daughter, and Mark will be the godfather, end of conversation, ok?"

"Ok ok" Meredith said with a laugh.

"Ok Liv, we have to be very very quiet" Mark said as led 5 year old Olivia into the room "Someone wants to meet their baby cousin" he said softly looking to Meredith and Addison.

"Hop on up Livvy" Addison smiled patting her bed, Olivia pulled away from Mark and climbed up onto the bed next to Addison "Did you have a good day at kindergarten?"

"Yep" Olivia smiled "I told them all about my Aunt Addie having a baby"

"You did?" Addison smiled "Well, do you want to hold her?"

"Yes please" Olivia grinned.

"Ok sweetie lets just put this pillow under your arm" Meredith said grabbing a pillow and putting it under Olivia's arm "You have to be very careful with her" she said slowly passing Lily over to her, placing her in her arms "There we go Liv, meet Lily"

"She's really small" Olivia said with a whisper.

"I remember when you were this small" Addison smiled as she moved her hand to rest on Lily softly, her other arm around Olivia's shoulders "Your Daddy asked your Mommy to marry him when you were this small"

"You did?" Olivia said looking to Mark.

"I did" Mark smiled "You were only a minute old, and Mommy was holding you, we hadn't even named you, and I asked her to marry me, and she said yes"

"Cool" Olivia smiled "Mommy, are you going to have another baby?"

"Well that's something me and Daddy have to talk about sweetie" Meredith said softly, glancing briefly at Mark.

"But I think" Mark said stepping to Meredith and wrapping his arms around her "I think having another baby is, something we'll do"

"I want her to be as beautiful as Lily" Olivia smiled.

"I'm sure she or he will be Liv" Addison smiled softly.

"Ok" Mark said pulling his camera from his pocket "How about you give Lily a little kiss right here" he said stroking Lily's forehead a little, as Olivia placed her lips softly against Lily's skin Mark took a close up picture of them "Beautiful" he smiled.

"Hey" Derek said walking into the room.

"Here comes Daddy" Meredith said with a grin, she moved to him and hugged him tightly "Congratulations Der, she's gorgeous"

"She is huh" Derek smiled "Did Addie ask you about being godparents?"

"She did" Meredith smiled "I'd love too, we'd love too"

"We would?" Mark asked "I wasn't even asked!"

"This is me telling you" Meredith smirked.

"Hey" Derek whispered moving to Addison's side and kissing her softly "How are you feeling?" he asked stroking her cheek softly.

"Good" she smiled.

"And how are you Miss Olivia?" Derek asked "What do you think of your new cousin?"

"She's really pretty Uncle Derek" Olivia beamed "She looks just like Aunt Addie"

"She does doesn't she" Derek smiled "Liv, will you promise me something?"

"What?" Olivia asked.

"Will you promise that you'll be like Lily's big sister, you'll look after her and protect her, and be her friend forever, just like me and your Daddy"

"I promise" Olivia smiled "Forever and ever"

"I love you" Mark whispered kissing Meredith softly as Derek, Addison and Olivia all cooed over Lily "Forever and ever babe"

"Forever and ever" Meredith smiled.

~x~

The End.