Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's, nor any of the characters. If I did, there'd be a lot more MerDer action and a McBaby or two by now…..

Derek Shepherd was high. Not drug high, but high on life. He'd always thought he was on a high after a successful surgery where he'd saved someone's life, but that high didn't compare to how Derek was feeling now. He decided that as he gazed into the nursery window where his three hour old son lay sleeping peacefully in his basinet. It was a glorious day in Seattle (okay, minus the rain), because after years of patience and waiting, Derek Shepherd had finally become a father. He dreamed of this day as long as he could remember and he thought about how it would feel, but nothing compared to what he was feeling now. He was high. Derek's heart ached with love for his baby boy, and for the woman who was half responsible for this glorious day resting in her room down the hall. Derek watched a nurse walk over to his son's basinet, gently pick him up, and hold him towards the window so that Derek could get a better look. Derek scanned his baby, silently relieved that his boy inherited his mother's nose. Derek smiled when the nurse took the blue hat off his head giving Derek a glimpse of the thick, curly dark hair that covered his head. Derek made a mental note to stock up on hair care products, because another Shepherd would be in need of them soon…to prevent the afro.

He watched the nurse place his baby back in his basinet and look up at him through the window. The nurse mouthed to Derek "bath" and motioned for him to enter the nursery. Derek smiled at the thought of witnessing his son's first bath and made his way into the nursery. He quietly walked over to his son's basinet as the nurse set up the accessories needed to bathe him. Derek looked at the name tag that was taped to his son's basinet that read "Baby Boy Shepherd". His eyes ventured down to his recorded "weight at birth" of eight pounds, two ounces (thanks to Meredith's wicked cravings of strawberry ice cream and potato chips, he bet) and recorded "length at birth" of twenty inches long (not too long). But what really caught Derek's eye was who was listed under "Parents of Baby". Derek and Meredith Shepherd….they were parents, the name tag said turned to the nurse and asked quietly "Can I pick him up?"The nurse gave a small laugh and a nod. "Of course, Dr. Shepherd, he's your baby".Derek smiled sheepishly and gently maneuvered his hands under his son, lifted him, and cradled him into his chest. The baby let out a small squeak and a big sigh, but continued sleeping peacefully. Derek nuzzled the baby's cheek with his nose and inhaled his scent. He smelled like brand new."Enjoy the quiet now, because in a few minutes he'll be screaming bloody murder" the nurse laughed. Derek looked at her questioningly. She smiled at him. "Most babies hate baths, especially the first few times". Derek nodded in understanding and gently put his son back into his basinet. The nurse stepped in and unwrapped the baby from his warm cocoon of blankets. That action caused the baby to open his eyes and Derek was able to catch a quick glimpse at the color. Dark blue. The nurse glanced at Derek for a moment as Derek touched the silky smooth hair on the baby's head."He looks like you. A lot. He has some of Dr. Grey's features, too, but he's definitely your son, no doubt". Derek's heart swelled at the nurse's comment and he looked down at his son, who was now in just his diaper. He looked at the remaining umbilical cord stump that was attached to his son's belly button. He thought back to three hours earlier in the delivery room when the doctor asked him if he wanted to cut the cord.

Derek stood at the foot of Meredith's bed, eyes wide at the sight before him. "It's a boy!" Dr. Warner had proclaimed as he lay the baby on Meredith's stomach. The baby was crying heartily as the nurse began to wipe him off. Derek watched Meredith's shocked face as she looked down at the baby, looked up at him, and then looked at the baby again. Dr. Warner handed Derek the scissors to cut his son's umbilical cord. Derek reached for the scissors with shaking hands as the doctor showed him where to cut between the clamps. Derek cut the cord and handed the scissors back to the doctor. "Derek! It's a boy!" Meredith stated, finding her voice as she peered between the baby legs. Derek looked at her questioningly. Meredith shrugged, "You never know with my crappy DNA. I need to make sure he's got all his parts" she stated as she examined his fingers and toes, counting up to ten, twice. "Don't worry, Mer, he's got all his parts. He's a Shepherd" he winked at her. Meredith looked at him and rolled her eyes. "OK, Dr. Grey, we need to take this little guy over to the warmer to get his body temperature stabilized and he'll be back with you in a few minutes," said the nurse. The nurse took the baby from Meredith and carried him to the baby warmer. Derek and Meredith watched the nurse put Vitamin K drops in his eyes and finish suctioning his nose and mouth. They smiled at each other as they listened to their son protest to what was happening to him by wailing at the top of his lungs. Derek had never heard a more wonderful sound. The nurse then proceeded to diaper him and wrap him in a cocoon of blankets. Derek shifted his attention to Meredith and stared lovingly at her. "He's beautiful" she whispered to him as she anxiously awaited the nurse to return her son to her arms. Derek smiled back at her and leaned into kiss her lips. "He's perfect," he whispered to her "you are perfect. I love you". The nurse made her way back over to them with their son. She placed him in Meredith's felt tears forming in his eyes and saw that Meredith had begun to cry. He kissed her again on her lips and forehead and they both shifted their attention to their beautiful baby boy in Meredith's arms.

"You'll want to keep his belly button dry, until the stump falls off" the nurse informed Derek, snapping him back into reality. "Until it comes off, a sponge bath will be fine". Derek nodded at the new information given to him and made a mental note to tell Meredith that fact when she woke later."OK, handsome, lets get you all cleaned up so you can go see your Mommy," she cooed at the baby. The nurse lay the baby on a towel and wet a cloth in the basin beside her. She began to wipe away the remaining vernex that lay in the cracks and wrinkles of his body. The baby startled at that action and began to whimper softly. Derek, who was watching every move the nurse made, gave the baby his finger to hold to comfort him. As the nurse continued to clean him, the baby's tolerance ended and the whimper turned into a hearty cry. The nurse looked amusingly at Derek and said "Nice set of lungs". Derek leaned closely into the baby and whispered in his ear "Hey, buddy. It's OK. Daddy's here and you'll see Mommy soon. It's OK, shhhh". The baby's cries downgraded to a whimper as he moved his head to follow the voice."He knows your voice," the nurse observed. Derek smiled and nodded.

"What if it's a girl, Derek?" Meredith asked as she looked up from the book she was reading. Well, half reading, as she was listening to yet another conversation between Derek and their unborn baby about how Derek would take him fishing the minute he was able to sit up and hold a fishing pole. "You keep referring to the baby as 'he', what if 'he' turns out to be a girl"?Derek had looked up at her, almost annoyed that she had interrupted his conversation with his baby. "So?" He had stated. "Girls can fish, too." Derek turned back to continue talking to Meredith's stomach. Meredith rolled her eyes and shifted her eyes back to the book she was reading, careful not to interrupt Daddy and baby bonding time again.

After his bath, Derek was able to calm down his son by gently talking to him and holding him tightly in his arms. The baby found his fist and began sucking on it loudly. The nurse finished cleaning up after his bath and came over to Derek in the chair. "He's probably hungry. If you want, you can go and wake your wife and I'll bring him down to you in a few minutes". Derek looked at his son for a moment and then nodded his head. He lay him gently into the basinet and whispered "I'll be right down the hall" and turned to leave the nursery. Derek turned back around and thanked the nurse for everything and then made his way down the hall to Meredith's room. He quietly opened the door and was greeted by the sound of light snoring. He smiled to himself as he walked into the room and made his way to Meredith's bed. He leaned into her and kissed her softly. He watched her slowly come from the sleep that she was in, open her eyes and focus on him. He stared at her for a few seconds. "Hey, Mommy. How are you feeling?" he asked her softly. Meredith looked puzzled for a moment and then a look of realization crossed her face. She looked around the room frantically for her son.

"Derek, where is he? Is he alright?" she asked, slightly alarmed.

"Meredith, he's fine. Really, he is. The nurse will be bringing him by to eat shortly," he touched his hand to her cheek and looked at her adoringly. Meredith sat up a little more straight in her bed, wincing slightly. "Are you ok?" he asked.

"I feel like I've been hit by a truck. Crap.." she moaned.

"Well, I've seen the product that came out of there," his hand touched her deflated stomach, "and I can see why you feel that way. He's huge!" Derek smiled with pride at the thought of his healthy son. He leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"Derek, what does he look like? I know I saw him, but he had all that crap on him and babies change their looks all the time. Please, tell me he's still cute," she pleaded.

Derek laughed slightly. "Meredith, he's beautiful. I've never seen a baby cuter than him. I'm not just saying that because he's my boy. It's true. Ask the nurse. She says he looks like me, and he has my hair". He grinned widely and wiggled his eyebrows at her. Meredith rolled her eyes at him. Just then, they heard a slight knock on the door.

"You've got a visitor," the nurse said cheerfully as she pushed their son into Meredith's hospital room. Meredith's eyes lit up at the sight of him. The baby was wide awake, sucking loudly on his fist. Derek walked over to his basinet, gently picked him up, kissed his cheek and walked him over to Meredith who was eagerly awaiting him. "Give me the baby" she demanded. Derek placed their son into her arms and watched Meredith's face change from anticipation to delight as she gazed at him. "Derek, he's beautiful," she whispered. "Hi my little gorgeous man. You itty bitty boy. I'm your mommy and I've waited forever to see you. Yes I did, I did" Meredith cooed in her best baby voice. "You are the most beautiful baby I've ever seen. Daddy and I love you very, very much and we are very, very happy that you're finally here." Meredith showered him with kisses on his forehead, nose and cheeks.

She looked up at Derek with tears in her eyes. "Am I dreaming?" she whispered to Derek as tears started to flow down her cheeks. He wiped the tears from her face and said, "If you are dreaming, I'm dreaming, too. Let's make a deal not to pinch each other so we wake up". He touched the baby's velvety skin and sighed, putting his cheek to the top of Meredith's head. They both watched in amazement as the baby squirmed in his mother's arms and began to cry. "What's wrong with him?" Meredith demanded.

"He's hungry, dear," the nurse replied. "He's ready to be fed".

"Oh," Meredith said with a slight panic. "Ummm, I'm not really sure..I mean…I know how he's fed…um..but, but.. I don't know how…to…to get him there." Meredith bit her lip nervously. The nurse smiled and walked to Meredith's side. "It's simple, dear. Once you get the hang of it, it's a piece of cake". She moved the baby in Meredith's arms, putting him in position to feed. "You'll want him to latch on right at the nipple. If he latches at an angle, you will get sore". Meredith pulled the side of her gown down as the nurse assisted her with bringing the baby to her breast. Meredith watched him as he opened is mouth slightly, as if he knew what to do. The nurse pushed him slightly into his mother where he latched on perfectly and began to eat. Meredith looked at Derek, who was observing closely behind the nurse with a slight smile to his lips. "That's it?" she asked.

"That's it" the nurse smiled. Meredith looked down at her son, who was preoccupied with his lunch. Derek moved closer to the bed and kissed her lips. "Yep, he's definitely a Shepherd" he said with a sly grin. Meredith rolled her eyes and shifted her gaze to her son.

The nurse went over with Meredith and Derek how to successfully remove him from her breast, when to change sides while feeding and when to burp him. She excused herself from the room, reminding them to push the nurse call button if they needed her for anything else.

"Derek, are you sure he doesn't come with a manual or something? This is a lot to learn. I feel like I've crammed more information in my brain today than I ever did for my intern exam". Meredith looked nervously at him for an answer. Derek looked at her and smiled "Mer, we'll be fine. We're doctors so we've got the brains to figure this out on our own. Besides, he seems to like us. " He looked down at his son who had fallen asleep after his meal.

"Well, we should have a hotline number to call. Like a 24-hour baby question number thing or whatever. Call day or night with a problem and the person on the other line will tell you how to fix it, like they offer for broken computers and things" Meredith said seriously.

Derek laughed. "Mer, we do have a hotline to call when we have a problem. It's called 1-800-GRANDMA. Mom would be happy to help us if we're stuck, she'd enjoy it even. We're lucky, though, because that hotline lady will be helping us in person for the next month." He reached toward his son, motioning for Meredith to hand him over. Meredith reluctantly allowed him to take the baby from her, but frowned at him. "You will need to share him, you know. He's mine, too". Derek smirked at her as he swaddled his son. "I'll make you a deal, I'll let you hold him while you feed him" he offered.

"Whatever, Derek," Meredith grumbled. "It's a deal only if you have permanent diaper duty. When is your mom arriving, anyway?"

"Her plane is scheduled to land at noon. Mark left about a half hour ago to pick her up. She'll be here soon".

Meredith listened to the ringing of the phone as she waited for the person she was calling to pick up. She ran a hand over her very swollen belly nervously. "Hello?" the person said on the other side of the call.

"Hi, Carolyn, it's Meredith. How are you doing?" Meredith swallowed nervously. Even after Derek and she married over a year ago, she still became nervous when talking to his mother.

"Meredith! I am so glad to hear from you! How are you? How are you feeling?" Carolyn asked.

"I'm good, good" Meredith stammered. "Big as a house, but I'm doing well. The baby moves all the time, sometimes too much. I'm ready for this to be over".

Carolyn chuckled. "It will be over soon enough and then you'll have a precious baby to care for. How is Derek? Is he taking good care of you and the baby?"

"Yes, Yes, Derek is wonderful. He rubs my feet and back all the time, gets me food I crave, cooks for me…I couldn't ask for anyone more wonderful" Meredith smiled at the thought of her wonderful husband's attentiveness to her and her needs.

"Meredith, you've given him everything he wants. He's wanted to be a father for so long, and now you're giving him that. You've made him the happiest man in the world."

Meredith smiled. "Well, just between us," she said jokingly, "I secretly think that he's trying to butter me up for more Shepherd babies. He thinks giving me special treatment now will be a reminder of how attentive he is when I'm pregnant when he hints me up for baby number two".

Carolyn laughed at Meredith's comment. "He's always wanted a big family. He'll make a great father, that's for sure."

Meredith cleared her throat, remembering why she had called in the first place. Although she loved the idea of being a mother, it was still a very overwhelming thought. Carolyn had dropped the hint several times throughout her pregnancy that she would be more than willing to come to Seattle to help when the baby came if that would be something that Meredith would want. At the time, Meredith had pushed the idea aside, not giving it much thought. Now, as she was days away from giving birth and scared out of her wits on how clueless she was about babies, Carolyn's offer sounded like heaven. "Carolyn, my doctor said that the baby is in position and should be coming any day." She paused for a moment, trying to think of the right words to say. "I don't know much about babies..I mean…Derek does..he knows a lot from his nephews and nieces….but he can only get a week off work…and…and, I'm scared to death of the idea of being alone with a baby….what if I drop it, or put it down somewhere and forget where I put it…I haven't talked much to Derek about how scared I am…I don't want him to think I'm crazy or whatever…." Meredith paused again.

"Meredith, Derek will not think you are crazy for having fears," Carolyn stated. "Every parent has fears before their baby is born. It's completely normal".

"I'm hoping that your offer still stands about coming to Seattle. I don't know the first thing about diapers or how much a baby should poop…Can…Can you maybe help me for awhile until I get the hang of it? I already talked to Derek and he said that he was fine with it…he's happy for you to come. Please say you'll come..if you can't, I understand completely…I could ask my person, Christina, to help, but when I mention it to Derek, his eyes get as big as golf balls…and the more I think about it, Christina is more clueless than me when it comes to babies…oh, crap". Meredith let out a nervous breath.

"Meredith, I would be happy to come and help you take care of my grandchild. You just give me the word when that little angel arrives and I'm on the next flight."

"Really?" Meredith sighed in relief. "You would really come to Seattle on such short notice?"

"Dear, this is my grandchild we are talking about, and my children. Of course I will come. And since we're swapping secrets about Derek, I will tell you that he called me last week telling me to be on standby because he anticipated a 'Meredith freak-out' in the near future. I've had a suitcase packed for a week and tickets on hold at the airport."

"Derek did what?" she squeaked. Carolyn laughed at Meredith's reaction.

"He called after Lamaze class last Monday night. You had gone to bed already. He said that at Lamaze class, everyone was going around talking about what they were most scared of in regards to childbirth and caring for a baby. Derek said you were last to talk and got to hear all the other parent's fears, which apparently added a lot more fears to your list. Derek said as each one spoke, your eyes got bigger and your mouth hung open more. When it was your turn to talk, you stood up and fled the room."

"I…I…had to use the restroom…" Meredith protested. "I was just coincidence that I couldn't hold it anymore when it was my turn to talk, not the fact that the topics being discussed were sore nipple, hemorrhoids, and episiotomies" Meredith sighed.

"Meredith, I've been there. I know what you're feeling. I was a first time mom once, too. And I can assure you that all the feelings that you are feeling are normal. When I was pregnant with Kathleen, I felt so sorry for her because I thought I was incompetent as a mother. It gets easier, I promise. Now, you have Derek call me when that grandbaby of mine makes an appearance and I'm on my way."

"Thank you, Carolyn, for everything. Derek and I really appreciate you doing this for us".

"You're welcome," Carolyn replied. "Oh, and Meredith…..Thank you for finding my son…you make him so happy….you're perfect together".

Meredith's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Hello" a familiar voice said. "Are you up for some company?"

"Hi Iz, yes come in, please," Meredith said, adjusting herself on the bed so Derek could sit beside her.

"Well, I'm not alone..I brought a few people with me." She walked in, immediately followed by Christina and Alex. All but Christina made a bee line for the baby's basinet. Christina hopped on the bottom of Meredith's bed and stared at her for a moment.

"What?" Meredith asked, scrunching up her forehead.

"You look different, weird different, almost Mommy-like," Christina replied. "I would have never pegged you to change your look to the Mommy type, but here you are, all Mommy-fied". Christina crossed her arms over chest and seemed to wait for an explanation.

Meredith was exhausted...and suddenly, Meredith needed to puke. She had just made it to the hospital to start her forty eight hour shift and the wave of nausea started again the moment she entered the resident's lounge. She barely made it to the restroom as she reintroduced herself to the breakfast that Derek had made her before she left the house that morning. At the time, the food looked so much more appealing as it was making its way into her body and not back out. She moaned pathetically as she sat on her knees waiting for the next wave to hit her. She heard a knock at the door.

"Meredith, are you in there?" Christina asked.

"Who else do you think is making the throw up sounds?" Meredith retorted. She was crabby. Crabby about being nauseous, crabby about being tired, crabby about her clothes not fitting anymore. Meredith mustered up the strength to unlock the bathroom door. Christina quietly made her way into the bathroom and sat at the opposite side of the toilet, leaning against the wall. "It's your fault you let McDreamy impregnate you with his McSperm. You saw this coming" she replied.

"Christina, can't you be the least bit supportive? I would be for you if you were me…I was supportive to you when you were me," Meredith reminded her.

Christina looked at her, slightly amused. "Can I get you anything? Saltines? Ginger Ale?"

"No," Meredith moaned, "just distract me from the obvious symptoms of my reality. Make me think of something else".

"OK, well Owen wants to get married" Christina stated nonchalantly.

"What?! When did he say this? Did he propose?" Meredith demanded.

"Meredith, I said he wants to get married. Get your pregnant mind out of the married people gutter. He didn't propose, he just mentioned it over breakfast this morning" Christina stated. "Maybe I read too much into it, but he mentioned that since Callie moved out, we practically live together. He said we should put both our names on the lease."

Meredith looked at her with a puzzled expression. "That's it? That was the conversation? Did he mention the "m" word at all? Did it come up?"

"Not the "m" word, per se, but it was implied. He was screaming marriage in his head". Christina huffed.

"OK, you're going to have to help me read between those implied lines because from what you've just told me, I have no idea why you're thinking he wants to get married." Meredith felt a wave of nausea come across her again and she clutched her stomach. She regrouped and regained her composure. "Talk to him about it. Just because he wants to move in together doesn't mean that he wants to get married. If he were to ask you, would you say yes?"

Christina looked at Meredith like she had two heads, then her expression softened. "I don't know. Maybe. You remember the last time I got married, well almost got married. It was a disaster".

"It's so not the same. You and Owen are different than you and Burke. Owen is your McDreamy whether you like to admit it or not". Meredith sighed, fighting down her nausea.

Christina rolled her eyes dramatically. She sighed and stood up. She turned around as she opened the door. Her face softened for a moment. "The look fits you…the Mommy-fiedness. You're glowing right now and you look really happy.. Better hurry up or you'll miss rounds". Christina stopped and turned to Meredith again. "You know, now that I think about it, the glow you have could be the reflection of light hitting your face from the toilet bowl", and with that, she closed the door behind her.

"I do not have the Mommy look" Meredith said. "I'm just tired. I gave birth a few hours ago, you know".

Christina smirked. "You are such a mommy, Mer. Your face flashes 'minivan'. It's cute, though. We wouldn't want McDreamy junior to have a mommy who didn't look like a mommy." Christina paused, motioning to the baby, "Did you guys name him yet?"

"No, not yet," Meredith answered. She looked at Derek questioningly. Derek looked back with the same questioned look on his face. "We know his middle name will be Christopher, after Derek's dad and Derek's middle name, but we are still debating the first name".

"Dude, you should just rip the band aid off and name him Derek junior." Alex stated. "It's like Derek cloned himself, minus the nose".

Meredith glanced at Derek, who's face was beaming with pride. "We thought of that, but we decided that we wanted him to have his own personality. He deserves his own name. Although, we have to decide soon because the hospital won't let us take him home without naming him." Meredith sighed and leaned into Derek, who put his arm comfortingly around her.

"Well, he is definitely a cutie pie. Ladies man in the making." Izzie said as she cuddled the baby closer to her. "And look at his hair" she squealed as she pulled back his blue hat. Derek sighed as he ran his fingers through his own hair, making it a point to the visitors in the room that he was responsible for that particular trait on his baby.

At that moment, Izzie and Alex's pagers went off. Izzie glanced at her pager and said "Crap, we gotta go". She turned and placed the baby in Christina's reluctant arms. "Meredith, I'll stop by before I leave tonight." Izzie turned to the baby and said "See you soon, angel pie," and placed a kiss on his forehead. Izzie and Alex hurried out of the room.

Christina looked uncomfortable with the baby in her arms. She gave Derek a look that said 'he's cute, come get him now' and Derek leaned over to take his son from her. Christina hopped up from the bed and turned to Meredith. "I gotta go. I'm with Bailey today. Oh, and thanks for giving me the sparkle pager while your on maternity leave." She pulled the shiny pager out of the pocket of her lab coat and wiggled it at Meredith. "Later!" she called as she left the room.

Derek turned to Meredith and looked at her for a moment. Meredith's eyes began to droop heavier and heavier, and within seconds, she was snoring. Derek chuckled as he gazed at his son. "That's your Mommy making that noise," he stated, "once you're around her long enough, you get used to it. Don't tell her she snores though, because she'll get mad". He watched his son as he opened his little eyes and tried to focus on him, almost like he was taking in every word he said. "Your mom can get pretty fired up sometimes", he continued quietly glancing up at Meredith to make sure she was still asleep before he continued the conversation, "especially since we knew you were on the way".

Meredith stood at the nurses station, sorting through lab results a mile thick. She hated labs, especially now because she had to stand forever. Her back and feet ached and at this point in time, all she wanted to do was page her husband to the on call room to rub her aching muscles. She looked at her watch to see what time it was. Derek was still in surgery and would be there for about another half hour. She wallowed in her own self pity as she rubbed her lower back with her fingers and sighed in agony. She felt someone place their hand directly above hers on her back and begin to rub gently. She spun around to find Derek smiling at her, with a look of concern in his eyes.

"You ok?" he asked as he proceeded to use both his hands to massage her back.

"I hate delivering labs," she whined. "Especially when my back is killing me and I've been on my feet for the past four hours."

"What can I do to help you? What do you need?" Derek asked with concern as he moved his hands forward and began rubbing her swollen stomach underneath the counter.

Meredith turned to look at him and wrapped her arms around his waist, smiling smugly. "I could use a few shots of Jose Cuervo, but seeing that he's in remission for the time being, I'll take a shot or two of Derek Shepherd." Meredith snorted at her attempt at a joke as Derek raised his eyebrows. She continued to laugh as Derek rubbed his hands up and down her stomach.

"I guess I could oblige you're request since you are carrying around my son or daughter in that big belly of yours" he smiled at her.

Meredith stopped laughing immediately and her green eyes that were filled with amusement turned cold. Derek swore he saw daggers in them.

"Are you calling me fat?" she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

Derek was taken aback. "What? NO! I wasn't saying that…I was saying…I was..the baby…The baby is getting bigger so your stomach is getting bigger…." Derek stopped talking and looked at the floor.

Meredith gasped. "You ARE calling me fat, aren't you? You think I'm fat and probably ugly because of the lack of sleep I'm getting and how worn down I am. I'm going to tell you something, Derek Shepherd," she poked her pointer finger into his chest, "the reason why I look the way I do is because of you. Every time I turn around you're buying me strawberry ice cream or potato chips, so if anyone is to blame for your wife looking like a tank, it's you!" Meredith began to cry and Derek grabbed a hold of her shoulders, keeping her in place. He didn't notice the audience that had gathered, apparently enjoying the scene before them.

"Mer, listen to me, I do not think that you are fat. You are beautiful, you're even more beautiful now because now you're carrying my baby. You are the most beautiful woman in the world. I buy you those things because you ask for them and I want to make you happy. There's nothing in the world more important to me than making you happy. I love you…" he was cut off.

"Oh, whatever, Derek. Try to change your story now. I AM fat, just ask Christina. She had to go and get me bigger scrubs today because the size that I was wearing doesn't fit me anymore." She covered her eyes with her hands and sobbed. Derek took a moment to think about what he was going to say. His track record sucked so far today.

"Meredith, that's a good thing, don't you see?" Meredith looked up from her hands to glare at him. He ignored her stare and continued. "When your stomach gets bigger, that means our baby is growing. I'm excited to see your stomach getting bigger because that means that he's healthy and happy. He's growing because of you, Meredith. You are taking care of our baby, so please let me take care of you." He stopped talking to see her reaction, hoping that he was able to successfully crawl his way out of the hole he dug for himself.

Christina, who witnessed the majority of the scene, came up beside Meredith to take over sorting the labs. She gave Derek an evil glare as if to say 'fix this now'.

Derek looked back at Meredith and pulled her into his chest. He could hear her sniffling, but she didn't pull away from his embrace.

"Scrub in with me?" he asked. "I have a craniotomy in five minutes in OR one and I would love your assistance. Then, after that, I will rub every aching muscle in your body till your heart's content." He looked at her pleadingly, rubbing his hands up and down her back.

Meredith looked at him, sniffed and nodded her head, wiping her tears away. She looked at Christina and thanked her for taking over labs. Then, she waddled away from the nurses station, but turned back around to look at Derek.

"I don't know, Derek, are you sure you have enough room for me in your OR with my big belly and all?" she retorted as she spun around and continued on her way to scrub in. Derek looked around at the people who watched the event unfold. Alex looked at Derek, shaking his head. "Dude, that was rough," he said laughing. Derek groaned as he left the nurses station to go and scrub in with his wife. It was going to be a long surgery, and an even longer evening for masseuse Derek.

Derek heard a soft knock at Meredith's hospital door. He glanced over at Meredith, who was still snoring soundly. "Come in" he called quietly.

The door opened as Mark walked into the room, followed by Derek's mother. "I found this lady at the airport who says she knows you," Mark said, shifting his eyes to the snoring, sleeping Meredith. "Geez, Shepherd, does she always make that much noise when she sleeps?" Derek chuckled and nodded as he stood up to put the baby in the basinet and hug his mother. Carolyn laughed and hugged her son, quickly dismissing him as she walked over to her grandson, who was sleeping soundly as well. Derek watched his mother look over the entire length of her grandson adoringly and then looked up at Derek with a smile. Derek nodded at her that she could pick him up. Carolyn gently removed him from his basinet and cradled him close to her and she sat down in the chair that Derek offered her. She leaned in to inhale his scent.

"He smells wonderful," she murmured. "He is a beautiful boy."

Mark sighed. "It's too bad he looks like a miniature version of Derek. He's cute now, but we see the end result" He motioned his hand towards Derek. "The only thing the kid has going for him is the fact that he failed to inherit Derek's crooked nose."

"My nose was fine until I met you," Derek replied. "If anyone is to blame for my nose being crooked, it's you because you broke it".

"Twice." Mark agreed.

Carolyn glanced from Derek to Mark, but quickly turned her attention back to her grandson, who had found his fist and began sucking on it loudly. She leaned in and whispered to him, "Yes, you do look like your Daddy, little guy, and I'm glad that you didn't get his nose, either".

"Mom!" Derek groaned. Meredith then let out a loud snore, causing all three to glance at her. Mark chuckled and looked sympathetically at Derek. Carolyn just smiled. "She's exhausted, poor girl. I should go and get settled in at home Derek. The flight was long and I'd like to rest for awhile. I'll come back for awhile this evening" Derek nodded in understanding.

"I'll take her home, man. You stay with the handsome prince and his snoring mother." Mark joked.

"Thanks, I'm having a hard time leaving them," Derek admitted.

Mark nodded. "It's the least I could do after making those nose jokes." Mark looked at Derek seriously and held out his hand. Derek reached out and shook it. "Congratulations, Derek, you have a beautiful family". Derek nodded at him as Mark turned to grab his coat. Carolyn gave her grandson one last kiss and walked over to kiss Meredith and then Derek. She leaned into Derek's ear and whispered "He's beautiful" and Derek could feel tears forming in his eyes at her remark as he watched them leave the room.

________________________________________________________________

"Mer, we really need to decide on his name." Derek informed her later on that day. He sat in the chair beside her bed, holding their sleeping, nameless son. "I know", she sighed. "Every name we've thought of so far hasn't fit him. I thought for sure I'd know is name when I saw him." She thought for a moment. "What about Matthew?"

Derek shook his head. "Nice name, but it doesn't fit him".

"Aaron." He suggested. Meredith shook her head in disgust. "I went to elementary school with a kid named Aaron. I remember that he ate the paste". Derek raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?" she replied. "I don't want to think of the paste kid every time I say my son's name."

"This is going to be harder than we thought," Derek sighed. He looked down at his son, who was sleeping peacefully. He had one of his hands tucked up under his chin.

"He has surgeon hands, Mer. He'll definitely be a surgeon," Derek nodded. He touched the curled hand of his son, rubbing his palm until he opened his fists so that Derek could study his fingers. His son was perfect in every way. He only cried when he wanted fed, and he comforted easily when talked to. Derek studied his son's calm, quiet face for a moment and said, "Noah, Noah Christopher Shepherd". He looked over at Meredith for her reaction. He watched her eyes as she tossed the name around in her head. She looked at him after a moment with a sparkle in her eyes and nodded in agreement. Their son finally had his name.

"Well, Noah. It seems Mommy and I've decided that's your name," Derek said to his son softly. "What do you think?" Noah gave a big yawn in response and continued sleeping. Meredith laughed at the baby's reaction.

Derek reached up to the blue hat that covered his head and pulled it back. "See? Look at that hair. He'll have women lined up to date him before we know it".

Meredith rolled her eyes at him. "Women? Seriously? Derek, he's not even a day old and you have him dating. Let him at least poop first," she laughed.

"Mer, I'm just stating the facts." Then a look of seriousness washed over his face. "Want to know what I really wish for him?"

"What's that?" Meredith replied, lying back against her pillow. Derek stood up from his chair and put his sleeping son gently in his basinet. He walked over to Meredith, cupped her face with his hands and looked into her eyes.

"I hope that Noah is as lucky as his dad was to find someone just like his mom" Derek looked lovingly at her. Meredith could feel her face begin to turn red and her heart speed up at the words he said. "I love you, Meredith, more than anything. Thank you for giving me this day, this life. For making me a father. You've made me the happiest man in the world. I gave you my heart and entrusted you with it and you healed it. You made it stronger. I owe you my life for that". He leaned in and kissed her softly. When they pulled apart, Meredith was breathless.

She found her breath and whispered, "I love you, too, Derek. More than anything. We're in this together for life. You and Noah make me so happy". She pulled his face back to hers and kissed him deeply.

"And," she smiled slyly when she pulled away, "I do have this thing about your hair" she said as she ran her fingers through his thick curls. Derek smiled at her and leaned in to kiss her again.

I enjoy constructive criticism to a degree. Please, leave me comments!!!