9 months later...

Meredith sat up in bed, awakening to the sound of the phone ringing. "Hello," I she mummbled, pressing the phone to her ear.

"Hey Mer," Cristina's voice responded.

"Why are you calling so early?" Meredith whined.

"It's eleven o'clock," Cristina responded. "You are really taking advantage of this no work thing, aren't you?" Cristina teased.

"I'm pregnant. I have every right to enjoy my maternity leave."

"Whatever," Cristina sighed.

"Why did you call?" Meredith asked, slightly annoyed.

"Because I'm angry! My surgery got cancled because the patient freaking died!" Cristina shouted.

"You poor baby," Meredith said sarcastically.

"Well now I am stuck in a surgery with your husband, and it's not a very good one," Crisitna snapped.

"Well tell him I say good luck and I love him."

"Cheesy," Cristina sang.

Meredith giggled at that when suddenly... "Ah!" Meredith gasped.

"What happened? Did Alex forget to close the toilet seat again?" Cristina questioned.

"No," Meredith breathed out.

And then it hit again. "Ahaaaaah!" Meredith whined.

"Mer, what's going on? What's wrong?"

"It's coming!" Meredith cried. "The baby's coming!"

Cristina fell silent for a moment. "Well..." she mummbled. "I think we should get you to the hospital."

"Get Izzie!" Meredith shrieked. "She said she didn't have any surgeries today!"

Izzie had gotten her job back at the hospital, six months earlier.

"Okay, okay," Cristina gasped out.

"And get Derek!" Meredith hissed, suddenly screaming again as a contraction hit.

"Okay!" Cristina continued. "I'm on it! I'll call you right back okay?"

"Hurry!" Meredith cried.

The line went dead and Meredith dropped the phone onto the bed and grasped at the pillow behind her head.

Cristina went running down the hall as fast as she possibly could. The second she saw Izzie, she called out her name.

"Izzie!" she called.

Izzie spun around. "Cristina... what-

"It's Meredith!" Cristina cried.

"What about Meredith?" a voice came from behind her.

Cristina turned to see Derek standing there. "She's in labor!"

Derek's eyes went wide.

"What?" he gasped,

"I'll go pick her up!" Izzie said, running towards the front door.

Cristina extended her phone out to Derek. He yanked it from her quickly. "Thank you," he said.

"Speed dial number one!" she responded.

Derek hit the number one and pressed the phone to his ear. Meredith picked up on the first ring.

"Cristina!"

"It's me," Derek said quickly. "I just found out! Izzie's on her way."

"Ah, it hurts," Meredith cried.

"I know baby, I know. I'll postpone y surgery and everthing will be fine," Derek assured her.

"Okay," Meredith whispered.

Sh ethen suddenly screamed and Derek cringed. "It's okay," he told her deep breaths remember. "In out. In out."

"Shut up!" Meredith hissed.

"Absolutely," Derek responded.

"Distract me," Meredith pleaded.

"Sure. Um... remember the first time we met in that bar? How we thought nothing of us and we were just people? Remember?"

"Yes!" Meredith gasped out.

"Well you're the best thing that's ever happened to me and think about that night all the time and smile."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Meredith moaned.

"I'm just trying ot make you smile."

"It's not helping," Meredith cried. "Just... stay on the phone and don't talk."

Izzie drove as quickly as she could without going over the speed limit. When she finally got to MEredith's house, she jumped out of the car and unlocked the front door before running inside.

"Meredith!" Izzie called.

"Up here!" Meredith shouted.

Izzie ran up the steps and burst through into Meredith's room. Meredith was in her bed, panting and sweating.

"Help," she sobbed. Then she pressed the phone against her ear and said, "She's here Derek."

Meredith hung up the phone as Izzie ran over to her. "Okay, come on."

Izzie put one hand around Meredith's back and swung one of Meredith's arms over her shoulder. Meredith continued to breathe heavily as Izzie lifted her out of bed.

"I'm bearly dressed," Meredith sighed, motioning to her shirt and shorts that she wore to sleep in. "I'm not even wearing a bra."

"Relax, I'll come back and get you clothes later, and doctors don't care whether you are wearing a bra or not."

Derek was waiting by the front door impatiently. In just a few hours he would be a father.

"Hey," Bailey's voice rang out from behind him. "What are you waiting for?"

"Meredith went into labor," he sighed, tapping his foot.

"She did?" Bailey gasped.

"Yes and she'll be here any minute."

"I'll get a wheel chair," Bailey said, running off in the other direction.

Just then, car tires screeched as Izzie pulled up in front of the hospital.

Alex, Crisitna and Lexie came running then, following after Bailey. "Give her space!" Bailey warned. "You all were very agrivating when I was in labor!"

"Actually, George was the one who was with you," Cristina pointed out. "Lexie wasn't even here yet, Meredith had her hand on a bomb, I was waiting for Meredith, and Izzie and Alex were in a suply closet-

"Enough!" Bailey cut her off as Alex at Cristina.

Basiley ran over to the door and ran outside with the wheel chair.

"You had to say that out loud?" Alex growled.

"Yeah... pretty much," Cristina chuckled and then followed after Bailey.

A moment later Meredith wass being wheeled into the hospital by Bailey. Derek was right beside them and Izzie was behind him.

"I don't think she is wearing a bra," Alex pointed out.

Lexie slapped his arm. "Ow!"

"You deserved it!" Lexie fought and then turned away and followed her sister.

They had brought Meredith into a hospital room and gotten her into a bed.

Izzie, Alex, Derek, Cristina, Lexie, Bailey and now Mark and Owen were all in the room.

"Oh no! You are not all staying in here," Meredith warned.

"Who's staying?" Dr. Shwarts, who would be delivering the baby asked.

"Derek and Cristina," Meredith said. "No offence Lexie."

"Believe me, non-taken," Lexie gaspe dout and then pulled Mark out of the room with her.

Izzie wished her good luck and then she and Alex left the room. But they all waited outside and watched through the window.

"Alright Meredith," Dr. Shwarts said. "It's time to push."

"No," Meredith cried. "I'm not ready."

"You can do this," Cristina said. "You have to."

"No," Meredith cried, shaking her head.

Derek kneeled down next to her. "Hey," he whispered. Meredith turned her face to him. "You can do this. Just think, the sooner you push, the sooner we'll be parents. We'll have a whole life together. Our dream house is almost ready. And I love you so much. But all you have to do is push."

"Okay," Meredith whispered.

She squeezed Derek's hand as tightly as she possibly could. "Ready?" Dr. Shwarts prepared her. "Push!"

Meredith cried out loud and grabbed Derek's hand even tighter than she already was. Derek cringed back from the pain.

"Push!"

Meredith once again did as she was told and screamed.

"She doesn't look so good," Alex pointed out.

"She's having a baby!" Lexie defended.

Izzie just watched with tears in her eyes. Owen was smiling at Cristina who was making a face. Meredith had grabbe donto her hand as well.

"Well the twisted sisters are bonding," Owen said.

Mark chuckled.

Finally the screaming stopped and there was a soft cry from inside the room.

Lexie turned to Mark and wiped her eyes. "I was going to wait to tell you until tonight," Lexie said. "But now is kind of a perfect time. I'm pregnant."

Mark's eyes widened and he started to sway. Alex and Owen cought him and held him up.

"You are?" he gasped.

Lexie nodded, looking a bit worried due to Mark nearly fainting.

"That's great," Mark said, throwing his arms around Lexie.

Owen still held a hand on his shoulder. When he pulled back from Lexie he turned to Owen and said, "I think I'm fine," Mark said.

Owen let go and Mark chuckled for a moment, staring at Lexie with tears in his eyes, before fainting again.

"Oh my gosh! Mark!" Lexie gasped.

Alex broke down into a fit of laughter and Izzie elbowed him.

"It's a boy!" Dr. Shwarts anounced.

Meredith fell back against the bed, losening her grip on both Derek and Cristina's hand. Cristina fell into the chair next to the bed and rubbed her hand, trying to get some feeling back into it.

Derek hardly noticed though. Meredith laughed brethlessly as the baby was passed to her.

"He looks just like you," Meredith whispered to Derek.

"He has your eyes," Derek whispered.

Meredith ran her fingers over the baby's head which already had a little bit of hair on it.

"He has your hair!" Meredith said excitedly.

She and Cristina shared a look of amusement. "What should we name him?" Meredith whispered.

"What do you think of Aaron?" Derek asked.

A smile lit Meredith's face. "I think it's perfect!"

Derek kissed her head. "I love you so much Meredith," he said.

"I love you too."

For a moment Meredith's mind flashed back to the shooting. It seemed so long ago now.

Eveyone she loved was happy and safe and back together. The shooting was over now, long gone.

This was the safe place, the happy place... this was The After Moment.

THE END

A/N: Please please please review and let me know what you thought of the story.

Thank you so much for reading it!

Review!