The fact that Meredith got a mention in Infinity War made me wanna finish writing that fanfic I planned exploring her life. I have total writer’s block, unfortunately, so this is all I have so far. I figured I should post it here just in case it’s all I ever have:
[Background: Meredith just found out she’s pregnant and has informed her parents and brother. Also, I too subscribe to that headcanon I keep forgetting isn’t canon, that “Jason” was probably the name on Ego’s driver’s license.]
*
“Who’s the father?”
“Jason,” Meredith said, although the name came out in such a panicked jumble that it sounded more like “j’son.”
“And where,” said her father, his hands noticeably quivering, “is Jason now?”
“I don’t know,” Meredith mumbled, thinking of the spaceship.
“What’s his last name?” her mother interjected.
She felt like she was standing on the outskirts of Hell as she looked at the floor and whispered “I don’t know that either.”
“Oh, Meredith,” said her mother. “You didn’t even…” She took a deep breath as if to compose herself. “I’m so disappointed,” she said. “So, so disappointed.”
Her father suddenly decisively took her mother’s hand and lead her into the other room.
“We’re gonna talk about this privately,” he said. “Stay there.”
Meredith had no idea why she wasn’t included in the “we’re”, but she clearly wasn’t gonna be for a while. Her father closed the door on her. Thomas spoke up for the first time.
“How old was he? Don’t say you don’t know.”
Meredith absolutely knew that one. And couldn’t say. “Thirty,” she muttered.
“Bastard,” Thomas said flatly.
For the next few minutes there was muffled conversation from behind the door, and Meredith stood still as a statue.
Her mother marched out first, and her father tried to hold her back, but she was having none of it.
“You’ll have an abortion.”
“That’ll go down mighty well with your church-going friends,” Meredith said.
“Don’t you dare be sarcastic to me. How can you want this kid? Are you insane?”
“Honey, it’s up to her,” said Meredith’s father, although he said it very quietly.
In a fair world Meredith’s life wouldn’t have hung on that decision, but it did. And it wasn’t. “I want the baby.”
Meredith’s mother pursed her lips.
“Are you sure?” her father asked, rather desperately.
“Yes.”
“Do you want a baby,” he said, picking his words very carefully, “or do you want Jason’s baby?”
“I want my baby.” They were fightin’ words.
“You won’t want it in a few years,” her mother said, almost wringing her hands. “Hell, you won’t want it in a few months, when you start to show – you sure as God is my witness won’t want it when people stare at you on the street sayin’ there’s that little whore with the bastard child-“
“Mary!” Meredith’s father snapped.
“It’s not what I think! It’s what they’ll think!”
“Since when have you or I given a damn about what anyone else thinks, Mom?” Meredith asked. “Actually, if we’re doin’ questions, when d’ya think would be the right time to tell the kid his own grandmamma was callin’ him an “it” before he was even out the womb?”
Mary’s mouth opened and closed like a fish’s. It was almost funny.
“You think it’s a boy, huh?” Thomas said, speaking up before anyone else
could.
“Just’a feeling.”