A/N: This is one of the longest chapters I have written for this story. I also didn't plan on this chapter playing out this way but I like it. Enjoy. Review please! It really helps!
Chapter 12: First Day
The next few weeks seemed to fly by but at the same time they seemed to drag on forever. The twins were starting to sleep through the night more which was helpful considering Lexie's first day back was the next day and she was going to start needing her sleep. Lexie had really enjoyed the past couple of weeks at home with her babies getting to know them a little more. They already had very different personalities. Alli seemed to be quieter and more relaxed, but Alex seemed to always need attention of some sort even though they were only about two months old. It was kind of crazy to Lexie that they were already two months old and that they were going to be at daycare all day starting tomorrow. Lexie awoke to the sound of her alarm clock buzzing. She hit the snooze button in attempt to get a little more sleep. She did this a couple times before Mark kissed her.
"Come on sleepy head. It's time for work." He smiled kissing her again.
"I don't wanna go." Lexie pouted in protest.
"Well, at least get up and feed the twins."
Lexie couldn't say no to that. She sighed and stretched before climbing out of bed and going into the nursery to nurse the twins. Mark took a shower in the meantime and came in fully dressed afterward. "Hey, need any help?"
"It would be great if you got them ready to leave while I go and take a shower." Lexie said, and Mark nodded. She handed the baby off to her while the other laid in his crib. Lexie left the room and went to get in the shower. She showered quickly before going quickly putting on some clothes and going into the nursery where Mark was just finishing getting the twins dressed. Lexie went over and picked up Alli before going downstairs. Mark followed behind her holding Alex. He went over and put the baby in his carseat before turning to Lexie who was standing there holding Alli in her arms and standing in the doorway to the kitchen.
"Lex, what are you doing?' Mark asked looking at her. "We're going to be late if we don't leave soon."
"I can't do it, Mark." Lexie admitted.
"What do you mean you can't do it?" Mark asked looking at her.
"I can't leave them again."
"Lexie, you won't be leaving them. They'll be in daycare. You can go see them whenever you want today and they're coming home with us later." Mark assured her.
"I know, I guess I just feel kind of guilty. Like I haven't been with them enough." Lexie looked down to the baby in her arms.
"They'll be okay, Lex." Mark said giving her a gentle reassuring kiss.
"I know." Lexie nodded. "But you are going to have to put her in her carseat because I can't do it."
"Okay." Mark said taking the baby from a very reluctant Lexie. She really did feel like she hadn't been there for them enough since they were born. She knew it wasn't her fault they were in the hospital but it felt that way. Mark put Alli in her carseat, "Are you ready to go?"
Lexie nodded grabbing a few bottles out of the fridge and putting them in the diaper bag before heading out with Mark and the twins and going to the hospital. Lexie and Mark took them up to daycare and dropped them off before going their separate ways to start their days. Lexie went and met up with Derek for rounds.
"Hey." Lexie said walking up to him.
"Hey! You're back!" Derek greeted. "How are the twins?"
"Adorable." Lexie beamed to her brother in law. "So, what's first?"
"You're eager." Derek stated before continuing briefing her on the patients she would have for the day, or at least what she thought her day was going to be like. That was plan until she got a page to the pit with Arizona, of all people.
"What'd we got?" Lexie asked as she walked over to Arizona.
"Head on collision with an unrestrained driver." Arizona started. "6 month old and five year old in the back seat. We'll know more when they get here." The ambulance came blaring not long after that.
"Emma Parker. 2 year old female. Vitals are stable but she's unresponsive to external stimuli." The paramedic stated. "There is also Leah Parker. Female. Four months old. Vitals are stable. Responsive to all stimuli."
"Okay. Thank you." Arizona said accepting the patients into her care. "Lexie can you do a physical examination of the baby while I take Emma up to CT. Come find me when you are done. We're going to need you."
Lexie nodded and began doing an examination of the baby. Everything seemed to check out so Lexie took her up to the pediatric floor until the parents were found and examined as well. Lexie made her way to CT to check in with Arizona. "Everything seemed to check out with Leah. Emma?" She asked looking to the scans.
"There seems to be a tremendous amount of swelling here and here." Arizona pointed to some points on the image on the screen. "This girl isn't going to need surgery and fast if we want to save her." Arizona stated. "Page Shepherd." Lexie complied and went to page Derek. "Can you go try and find her parents for me? Just to see where they are." Arizona asked Lexie who nodded.
Lexie finally found the girl's parents after searching for a while. Her mother had been the one driving and she was being treated from some burns and a broken arm. Her father showed up at the hospital not much later. "Are you Mr. Parker?" Lexie asked a frantic man.
"Yes. How are they?" He asked. "My wife. A-and my two daughters. Leah and Emma. Are they okay?" His voice was rushed and frantic as he looked around for his loved ones. "Are you their doctor?"
"Your wife and Leah are fine. Your wife had a few burns and a broken arm and they are running a few tests on Leah but she seems to be just fine at this moment." Lexie stated watching the man breathe a very small sigh of relief. "I am Dr. Grey, a surgical resident. I'm working with Dr. Robbins, the pediatric surgeon and Dr. Shepherd, the neurosurgeon, on Emma's case."
"H-how is she?"
"Her vital signs are all stable. Her heartrate and blood pressure seem fine and she is breathing regularly but she has a large amount of swelling in her brain." Lexie started to review the case.
"Wh-what does that mean?"
"Right now, Emma is in a coma. They are taking her up to emergency surgery right now to try and reduce the swelling in her brain."
"A coma? Could the surgery wake her up?"
"That's a possibility. Right now, we are trying to reduce the amount of possible damage."
The man nodded. "Do you-do you happen to know when I can see my wife and Leah?"
"You should be able to see them soon. Someone should be out here to update you shortly. I need to get up to the OR but I will be back as soon as I possibly can to give you and update on Emma's condition." Lexie said to him giving him a look of sympathy.
He nodded slowly looking down at the ground before looking back up to Lexie. "Thank you, Dr. Grey."
Lexie gave him an empathetic smile before going up and scrubbing into the OR. The surgery seemed to be successful and reduced the pressure in her brain but the real test would be if she woke up or not. Lexie scrubbed out and went to inform the family. Lexie walked into the room where the family had been reunited except for the oldest daughter.
"Dr. Grey." The man said standing up quickly. "How is she?"
"The surgery seemed to be successful and the swelling in her brain has gone down. We will know more if she wakes up. The next 24 hours are critical and are going to tell us a lot. I'm on call all night. I will keep you posted." Lexie said and the baby she had examined earlier started to babble a little. Lexie smiled a little before walking out.
"Thank you again." He said.
Lexie went down to the daycare to spend time with her own babies. The daycare workers informed her that Alli had a very slight fever but she was really fussy and couldn't be calmed. She wasn't allowed to stay in daycare with a fever either so she would have to be checked out. She tried paging Mark but he was in surgery so it was no use. Lexie sighed and signed Alli out when she got a page. "I guess you are going to spend the day with your Mommy, little one."
"Lex, why do you have a baby?" Derek asked when she arrived in the room.
"Because Mark is in surgery and she had a slight fever so she couldn't stay in daycare. She also wouldn't quiet for anyone but me so here she is." Lexie said exasperated. She had had a long first day back already.
"Her first word is going to be hypothalamus..." Derek stated.
"Yeah, tell me about it." Lexie said. "Anyway, why was I paged?"
"We just took Emma up for a CT to see how much the swelling has gone down. I thought you would want to know."
"Yeah, thanks." Lexie took a look at the scans and saw that the swelling had gone down tremendously and everything seemed to look normal now.
"Are you on call tonight?"
"Yes, I am." Lexie said with a sigh.
"Okay, good." Derek said. "I don't think you're leaving."
"Wonderful." Lexie rolled her eyes. She did hourly check ups on Emma while holding Alli in her srma because Mark was in back to back surgeries. Eventually Lexie just decided to watch Emma and sit in her room. Soon enough Lexie heard a stir and she paged Derek and Arizona immediately. "Emma?" Lexie asked quietly as the young girl opened her dark brown eyes.
"Where am I?" The girl said quietly.
"You're at the hospital."
"Who are you?" She asked coming to her senses more.
"I'm one of your doctors. My name is Dr. Grey." Lexie smiled comfortingly.
"Where's my Mommy and Daddy?"
"Your Mommy and Daddy are upstairs they have been waiting for you to wake up."
She sat up a little. "If you are my doctor, why do you have a baby?"
"This is my baby. She was a little a sick so she had to stay with me. I'm waiting for her Daddy to come and get her." Lexie smiled. "Her name is Alli."
"I have a baby sister." Emma smiled a little. "Your baby is cute."
"Thank you." Soon Derek and Arizona came in. "I'm going to go tell her family that she is awake. I think they'll want to know. I'll be back soon."
Lexie went to the room and told the family of the young girl that she had woken up. "This is a good sign. We still aren't completely sure as to the extent of her injuries or how much damage the swelling did to her brain but things are looking good. She was talking to me earlier." Lexie stated.
"Thank you so much, Dr. Grey." Mrs. Parker said with a smile. "That's a really adorable baby by the way."
"Oh, thank you." Lexie smiled looking to her daughter. "I'm waiting for my husband to get out of surgery to come and take her."
"Oh, she's yours?" The woman asked. "How old is she?"
"Yeah." Lexie said. "She's eight weeks old. She was really early and a twin so she's tiny." Lexie said shifting the pacifier in the baby's mouth.
"Oh, well she's adorable."
"Thanks. I should probably be getting back up to Emma now. I will come back when you all can come see her."
"Thank you." Both parents said.
"Lexie!" Mark called.
"Mark! Finally." Lexie said turning around.
"Is she okay?"
"Yeah, she was fussy and had a small fever but it's nothing serious. She's fine." Lexie assured her husband. "Now, can you go get her and Alex ready to go? I have something to finish up." Lexie said. Mark took the baby from Lexie and took her to get her and Alex ready to go home. Lexie went and met with Derek and Arizona. After the tests they had run they found that some of the girl's motor skills had been affected but it was nothing that some therapy couldn't fix. Lexie went and told the parents that they would be able to see their daughter in the morning. She then proceeded to go downstairs and meet up with Mark to go home ending the crazy first day back.
