More fluff. Parenthood. For everyone who loves happy Shepherds - the best kind of Shepherd there is. . . .
They've Made It
September 7 1992
They're all home now, safe and sound. His children, his beautiful wife, and himself - his family.
They're complete.
They're all home now - altogether for the first time. Just the four of them.
Finally.
After nearly two whole months of fighting and struggling to beat all odds, Noah and Nathaniel Shepherd are finally nestled safely in their cribs at their articulately and meticulously designed nursery.
Addison and Derek simply couldn't ask for more than the two healthy bundles of miracles they've been blessed with.
At first, doctors were doubtful of ever seeing this day and to a degree, so did Derek. They were oh-so small, oh-so fragile and oh-so delicate to touch. They were born three months premature, both weighing well under the norm. And with Addison's fall that had resulted in a placental abruption, who's to say further damages wouldn't be detected.
The first month would, in fact, be the utmost critical.
Addison couldn't help but blame herself. It was all her fault. It was just so stupid of her - to stand on a stool, trying to balance a large bag of flour and in heels nonetheless. What was she thinking? It was quite possibly the dumbest mistake she'd ever made in her whole entire ife.
Of course, Derek disagreed with her. No, it wasn't her fault. He didn't blame her. It was nobody's fault. It was just their time to come into the world, he had insisted. They would be fighters and pull through, he was sure of it.
And when the first month passed by and their babies were making grave progress, gaining weight and strength, some of her husband's optimism and faith began rubbing off on her.
Things were looking up.
The next month was spent with hundreds of trips to the NICU to visit their baby boys. Derek would read to them and she'd tell them how excited she is for them to come home. She just absolutely couldn't wait to carry two babies into their house.
And she just did.
It was raining when they received the news that they'd be able to take their babies home tomorrow. And against the loud pitter-patter, nothing had ever sounded better than those words.
They would be bringing their family home.
Finally.
They've made it.
"Hey."
Addison looks up from her sons' cribs to face her smiling husband. He's got that grin on his face that she prays her little boys will grow up duplicating. They sure will. It fills her heart with joy each and every time he smiles.
"Hi." she whispers quietly and walks over to him, wrapping her arms around his torso. She melts, being right where she needs to be and breathes in him. She closes her eyes at the safe and content arms.
Derek grips onto her tighter and leaves a kiss on the crown of her head, whispering something in her ear that made her smile before returning his gaze to his children who are sleeping soundly. He has never felt this lucky before in his entirelife.
"Can you believe it?" she wipes away tears. "We have two sons." she shakes her head, mesmerised at the fact that they were given not one but two babies.
But at the same time she's terrified at the fact - two boys. Double the trouble. She may be an OB/GYN and a neonatal surgeon but knows nothing about raising a baby, let alone two boys.
Bizzy would criticise; she's the baby expert, and she'd simply say that they're not mutually exclusive.
It's all going to be okay - they've made it this far. She can do this because all three Shepherds have now own a piece of her heart. Three boys, whom she is completely head over heels in love with.
February 9 1993
"Where's Derek?"
That's all Addison can ask herself as she paces the floor, heading into the fourth hour (non-stop) of her two 7-month-olds screaming and crying at the top of their lungs.
Not one, two simultaneously screaming babies.
It's a broken record.
They are.
While she's at home, changing dirty diapers, prepping bottles, and making sure the twins – who'd just recently taken up crawling – don't make any mess around the house, Derek is off working - she's obviously not angry about that because one of them has to - it's the fact that he's putting in more time at the hospital over a forty-eight hour shift and he's in total bliss of how difficult her days have become.
She needs help and Derek can't seem to see that.
She needs help and she doesn't have to ask.
She had tried putting the boys down for a nap two hours ago, but it hadn't turned out as planned. Like most aspects of life. They're both teething, so getting either one to sleep have become a game of who-can-cry-the-loudest. Not only has this become a recurring problem at nap time for the past week, but at bedtime too. And on the off chance when one falls asleep, the other's crying will soon wake the other up and it just becomes a vicious cycle.
A long tiring cycle of tears.
She's currently bouncing Noah on her hip, tying to get his wailing to stop while he chews on a teething ring. Nathaniel, for the time being, has stopped crying and has instead decided that he wants to crawl all over the house – and of course, the staircase.
Addison catches him right on time as he tries to pick himself up onto the first step.
"No, no." she mutters and makes a swift run from the couch to the staircase, all the while still carrying Noah in her arm. She knows if she doesn't stop him right now, he'll wind-up hurt and in tears and perhaps, they'll all get to see dada at the hospital.
She truly has had enough crying for today.
"No, no, no! Nate, you can't climb up the stairs. It's too dangerous." she bends down to scoop him up with her other hand, and already he begins to get fussy and starts whimpering in her arm.
To top that off, as she stands back up, Noah looses his grip on his teething ring and it falls onto the floor, starting his loud wails once more.
Now, she's standing with two screaming babies in either arms, all by herself, and she can feel her migraine beginning to get even worse.
She's about to lose it.
Taking a deep breath, she walks over to the playpen that Derek had set up a few months ago and gently put the restless babies down. She reaches towards the coffee table and grabs the other teething ring to hand it to Nate, carefully putting in a few toys to keep the twins occupied. She then takes off to grab her phone, ready to call the only other person who can make this right.
He picks up on the first ring, and she can barely make out his greeting over the screaming of their children.
"Is everything okay, Addie?" Derek asks, because he knows it is so unlike her to call while he's at work.
She feels slightly guilty for calling and disturbing him since he's trying to get to be the doctor to assist in Bloomberg case. But she really has no other choice. "No." she answers slowly. "No, not really." she feels tears starting to form at the back of her eyes and she knows it's only a matter of seconds before there will be three crying Shepherds in the house. "I ... um …" And she feels completely stupid and like a failure that she actually has to ask him to come home. "I'm having a really hard time with the boys right now and I need you home. I'm sor-"
But before she can even finish, he rushes in with a quick, "I'm on my way."
Derek arrives home in record time. The crying is still at full swing when he walks through the door, and when he sees Addison crying as well, his heart just completely breaks.
"It's okay, Addie. Why didn't you just tell me?"
It takes about another hour or so for them to get the twins to calm down, and by the time they did, they've worn themselves out past the point of making a fuss about going down for a nap.
"I'm sorry you had to leave the hospital." The boys have finally fallen asleep and the two adults must savour every second of peace and quiet they can get.
"It's okay, Addie." he sees how upset she is and wraps an arm around her shoulders. "It doesn't matter. I got McCormick to cover for me." He knows it's been tough lately and it's really been wearing them down. They know, though, that it is just a phase and will eventually glide right over. "Right here," he holds her closer. "With my family is the only place I want to be."
August 25 1994
"Derek…" she nudges her husband's shoulder and watches as he groans and rolls over. "Derek, it's almost twelve in the afternoon…"
He moans once more and struggles to sit up. He sniffles and then lets out a sneeze.
"You're really not feeling well, huh?" she sighs and presses the back of her hand to his forehead.
He swallows and shakes his head. Sore throat, too. Great.
He reaches over to the nightstand to grab a tissue and blows his nose, "Sorry." he mutters through his congestion.
Addison lets out a small laugh and pats his leg through the comforter and blanket he's completely covered himself in.
"It's okay, baby. You're sick." she gives him a pout. "But I've got to go check on our monsters to make sure they haven't gotten into anything they shouldn't have. I left them in the kitchen."
At the revelation, Derek raises his eyebrow. Leaving their adventurous, enthusiastic, plain crazy two-year-olds in the kitchen, unsupervised isn't the best idea.
Noting his look, Addison chuckles. "Yeah, exactly." she jumps out of bed. "I'll be back to check on you in a bit!"
She walks out of their bedroom and into the kitchen, relieved to see her sons sitting in their booster seats at the kitchen table where she had left them. They'd just been switched from highchairs to the booster seats, so she was a tad bit apprehensive at leaving them alone for a second.
"Mama's back." she announces to the young boys.
"Papa?" Noah asks in curiosity, searching the room for his father. His face falls when he can't see him.
"Papa's not feeling well right now, Noah."
"Papa sick?" Nate asks, a small frown forming on his lips.
"Yeah, but he'll feel better real soon, boys." she assures the toddlers.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, she remembers just how early it is. The plan was for Derek to take the boys to the park today, but obviously that wouldn't be happening now. The thought of keeping the two energetic boys in the house all day is enough to drive her insane. There is no way she'd be able to keep them entertained and cooped up in the house all day. Since they turned two, she noticed the twins were all about exploring. They like adventures, and they know adventures are not found at the house.
Suddenly, she's struck with an idea.
"Hey, boys." she grabs their attention. "How about we make something for Papa to eat so he can feel better soon?"
Both their eyes light up.
"Cooking!" One of them shouts out. They love to pretend to cook with her.
"Kitchen!" The other calls.
She smiles at them before going to take them out of their seats. "Yep, that's right." She places them each down on the floor. "You guys are going to play with your kitchen."
She watches as they race over to their play kitchen that she and Derek bought last month. She knew it would be a good idea.
She noticed that the boys showed such a fascination when they were in the kitchen making dinner. Clearly at their age, they can't really help, so they had decided to buy a play one for the boys to use and keep them occupied while real cooking is actually taking place.
As the boys play with their fake pots and pans, Addison puts a pot of water on the stove. She's going to attempt to make soup, though she usually leaves the cooking to Derek. But the soup is from a can. How hard can it be?
After she pours the soup in and waits for it to heat up, then walks over to her sons and kneels beside them.
"Are you guys being mama's helpers and cooking for papa?"
Noah and Nate nod their heads without answering, fully concentrated on their "meals". Addison finds it too adorable.
"Oh yeah? What are you making?"
"Cake!" Nate exclaims, smiling up at his mother. He then sticks out a pan filled with his imaginary cake.
"Wow! That looks yummy, Nate. And how about you, Noah? What are you making for papa?"
Noah looks up from stirring his imaginary pot of food. "Paskettis!" he states proudly and Addison laughs at his cute pronunciation of spaghetti.
"That's great." she smiles. "Papa is lucky to have such big boys."
The twins nod happily and focus back on their cooking before Nate tugs on her hand a few minutes later.
"Yes?"
He points behind her, back towards the real stove. "Bubbles." he tells her as his brother turns to look as well.
"Many, many bubbles, Mama." Noah adds.
She cautiously turns back around, afraid of what her sons may be referring to. "Oh no!" she quickly gets up.
Derek's soup.
Of course. Why is she even surprised?
Luckily, the damage hadn't been too much, just some splattered soup over the stove top. She managed to save most of it, thanks to her boys.
After cleaning up and getting a bowl ready, she heads to the bedroom, ready to bring her husband the soup.
"We come too." Nate says as he and his brother hold their plates of "food."
Addison really doesn't want her toddlers being exposed to the cold Derek has, but with the pouts on their faces, she really can't say no. It'll just be for two minutes.
"Okay, come on."
They break out into smiles and skip over to their mom, going in the room first.
"Papa!" They cheer, and Derek props some pillows up and leans against the headboard of the bed.
"Hey, boys." He sniffles a bit, and offer them a wide smile.
"They wanted to make you food so you'll get better." she informs and smiles warmly. "Nate made you some cake and Noah made spaghetti."
"Paskettis!" he corrects and both parents laugh.
"Eat, papa." Nate hands him his plate of 'cake' and Noah follows with his pasketti.
There's obviously nothing on the plate, but he can't disappoint his boys. So, he takes the play forks they have sitting on the plates and takes a bite off of each of the plates.
"They're delicious. Thank you, boys." He tells them.
After that, the boys try to explain what nearly happened with their mother's soup, and Derek isn't the least bit surprised.
If only the OR was the same as the kitchen.
Addison then decides that he needs to get his rest and she and the boys leave him to it.
"Love you, papa!"
July 30 1996
"You do not hit your brother! Do you understand me, Nathaniel Charles Shepherd?"
This was not how their day is supposed to go. It's late in the middle of summer, and instead of having a nice day out at the beach, the family of four is at home doing a lot of screaming and yelling.
"But he started it!" Four year old Nate whines and glares at his twin brother. "Noah pushed me!"
"I don't want to hear it." Addison silences him. Lately, it seems all the brothers have been doing is fight. Fight, fight and even more fighting. And she's quite frankly getting sick and tired of it. She's at her wits end with their pushing and slapping. "It never stops! If it isn't you who started, it's your brother!"
Derek is sitting on the coach reading the new edition of medical journal while all the commotion goes on. He remains quiet, not really wanting to get involved.
"Well, is not my fault!" Nate yells, and this just about sends Addison over the edge.
"You do not raise your voice at me! Go to your room now! And no TV for the rest of the day!"
From his corner, Noah giggles quietly, causing Addison to turn around.
"Watch it. Otherwise the same goes for you."
Noah's smile fades. His mother means business.
"It's not fair…" Nate mumbles, standing up from his seat. His lips tremble as tears threaten to fall, but instead he lets his anger take over. "Noah never gets in trouble, mommy! It's always me!" he shouts and stomps up towards his room. But before going in, he turns around and stares angrily at his mother. "I hate you!" he walks in and slams the door.
Addison suddenly turns pale and cold as she lets her son's words sink in.
I hate you...
"Mommy…?" Noah begins carefully.
Turning away so her son won't see how wounded she is. "Noah, please just go to mommy and daddy's room."
He knows not to say anything and quickly gets up and runs to his parents' bedroom.
Once he's gone, Derek sighs and walks over to Addison in the kitchen.
She looks completely dishevelled.
"Addie…"
"Nate…he…he hates me." she mumbles and tries to wipe her eyes with the back of her hands. "My son hates me." she says the word like it's incomprehensible.
"No, no." Derek tries to reassure her. "He doesn't hate you. He didn't mean it. He's just four."
Is this how Bizzy feels?
"Well, he said it." she shrugs, then slowly turn her attention and narrows her eyes at her husband. "Why am I always the one disciplining them!" she exclaims.
Derek is quickly taken aback. "So, now it's my fault?"
"Well, you never punish them. You're the care-free parent who lets them do whatever they want. 'Hey, boys, you want to fight and kill yourselves? Go ahead!'"
"Okay, let's not overreact here, Addie."
"Oh, I'm not." she shakes her head fiercely. "You damn well saw Nate hitting Noah before. But did you do anything? Of course not. 'Cause that's mommy's job. Mommy is the bad cop here. Mommy is who everybody hates."
Derek rolls his eyes. He doesn't want to pick a fight with his wife, but she seems to be doing that for him already.
So, before he really gets in trouble, he'll just throw in the towel and that's what he did. He threw up his hands and walked away, heading towards their bedroom to join Noah.
As he closes the door behind him, Addison groans in frustration and heads across the hall to do the load of laundry that has to be done.
Looks like they aren't going to the beach today.
XXX
Two hours later, she's sitting alone in the living room and hears the boys' door creak open and out walks Nate. He walks slowly towards his mom and wipes his tear stricken red eyes.
"I'm sorry, mommy." he softly says with a frown and climbed up onto her lap. "I don't hate you. I love you." he tells her, hugging her and kissing her cheek.
Addison smiles slightly and lets out a jagged breath. "Thank you, baby. But you made mommy really upset. When I give you a punishment, it's because I care. I want you to see the difference between right and wrong, okay?"
Nate nods and closes his eyes, snuggling into his mom.
Addison wraps her arms around his small body and rocks him gently.
Now that that's out of the way, she'd have to apologise to Derek. She knows she had overreacted. She was just very upset, understandably so, with what her son had said.
He would understand. Derek always does. And that's why she loves him.
September 1 1997
The twins, five years old, started kindergarten today. For the weeks leading up to their big day, Addison had been a nervous wreck about sending them off. Derek too.
They're no longer babies.
They're still her babies though.
When Addison goes to pick them up from school, she meets all the other parents and then grins when the class gets dismissed.
She wave at her two fiery redheads and they run over to her with their big boy backpacks and lunchboxes, and hug her.
"Hi!" she's excited to hear all about their first day in school. She smothers them with kisses, and they each pull away.
"Mommy, we're not babies anymore!" Noah protests his mother's kisses.
"We're in kindergarten!" Nate adds in.
Addison just laughs and grabs each of their hands and lead them to the car. "When we get home, you have to tell me and daddy all about your day!"
XXX
"Derek!" she calls into the house, assuming he's upstairs working on something. "Our big boys are home from their first day of kindergarten!"
As she assumed, Derek walks down the stairs with a smile to greet his family. First, he kisses his wife, then goes to hug his boys.
"Hey, boys. How was kindergarten?"
Nate is the first one to speak up. "It was so much fun!" he exclaims. "I made so many friends!" And Addison and Derek are especially delighted to hear that. The youngest twin continues to babble on about the day's happening but Noah just stays silent.
"Noah, what about you?" Derek asks. "How was your day?"
Noah is usually willing to share everything just like his brother, so Addison and Derek are slightly confused.
Was something wrong?
Did something happen?
"It was okay…" he remarks, placing his bags down on the side of the staircase before retreating to his room.
Nate just shrugs and follows his brother's suite, setting his bags down on the floor. He then goes in to the kitchen and sits by the island, waiting for one of his parents to come in and make him a snack.
"That was weird." Derek said to Addison, who nods, and goes in to the kitchen to help Nate.
XXX
"Can I come in?" Derek knocks softly on the wooden door to his sons' room.
"I guess." he hears a quiet mumble.
"You guess?" Derek playfully asks, letting out a small laugh. "You love it when daddy comes in to talk to you." he rounds the corner to find Noah lying on his stomach in bed. "What's wrong, buddy?"
"Nothing." he shrugs and flips over to face his dad.
"Now I know this isn't nothing, Noah Shepherd. Come on. You know you can talk to me about anything."
The five-year-old sighed and opened his mouth to speak. "Daddy, Nate has so many friends already. Everyone likes him because he's so loud and…fun."
"I'm sure you've got a lot of friends too." he assures, but Noah just makes a face that tells him he's so wrong. "Right?" he adds.
"Not as many as Nate, daddy."
Derek sighs. It's only normal for the twins to get jealous of each other. But usually it's about toys and books…now it's about friends.
What's next?
Girls?
He'll just have to be prepared for that one.
"Well, it's only the first day. I'm sure you'll make lots of friends." he tells him, but Noah only frowns.
"How 'bout this?" Derek makes Noah sit up in bed before continuing. "Tomorrow, I want you to go to school and ask Nate and his new friends if you can play with them. And then, when they say yes, you'll see how much fun kindergarten is. You'll have all those new friends too."
"Daddy, I don't know…"
"Hey, just try, okay? I'm sure you'll have fun." he insists.
He hates seeing his son like this, because he felt that way too. He grew up not having many friends, and he would hate it if the same thing happened to his son.
XXX
The next day when the twins came home from school, something changed. Not only was Nate going on about what had happened in school, but so is Noah.
Addison nods at Derek, knowing his talk with their son must have been effective.
Later, after dinner, Derek calls Noah over to ask how it went.
"You were right, daddy!" he smiles proudly at his father and threw his arms around him.
December 20 1999
When the boys are seven, Mark and his wife and their children came to visit.
By now, Sawyer is already ten years old, and there have been two new additions added to their family; five year old Kai and three month old AnnaSophia.
"Oh, Mark…" Addison gushes over the tiny baby. "She is so precious."
It feels like forever since she and Derek have had a baby in the house.
It's been seven long years.
XXX
It's a week after the Sloan's have left to go back home in Connecticut when the twins slide into the kitchen one morning as their parents cook breakfast, ready to start their new mission.
"Morning!" Noah smiles.
"Good morning, boys." Addison leans against the counter as Derek cooks.
"Mommy, we were thinking…" Nate begins.
"Oh," Derek remarks. "This can't be good."
Despite their father's comment, Noah continues. "We really liked having baby AnnaSophia here last week. And me and Nate were thinkin'…and we want a little brother or sister just like Sawyer and Kai have." The twins smile brightly at their plan.
How could their parents say no to their smiles, right?
Derek look hesitantly at Addison who now looks completely washed out.
She's been thinking about it too. So, has Derek.
"Oh." It comes out as a whisper. "I…um…" And she doesn't know what to say. "Excuse me." She quickly rushes out of the kitchen and into her room.
"What'd we do?" The boys look lost.
Derek just shakes his head and rushes after his wife. When he enters their room, he finds her in a mess of tears in the middle of their bed, sobbing.
"Oh, baby…" he quickly sits beside her and wraps her in a hug. "They don't know any better…"
"I know." she cries, and it breaks his heart. "It's just…" she hiccups. "I want a baby too…but we…we can't."
Was it so wrong to want another baby? After they've been given two wonderful, healthy boys already?
And he doesn't know what to say to fix it. They've had this discussion before. It's never anything new.
"It'll be okay. They'll soon forget about it. It'll be okay, Addie."
It won't and she knows it.
A hysterectomy can't be reversed no matter how many times you wish upon a star.
April 9 2000
"I call the window seat!" Nate exclaims, pushing in front of his brother.
"But I wanted the window seat." Noah pouts.
"You boys can both have the window seat." Derek cuts in before the fighting gets any worse. "One of you is going to sit in a row with mom and the other with me."
"I call dad!" Once again, Nate is the first to call dibs.
Noah just shakes his head. He was going to pick mom anyway.
They're on their way to Los Angeles on a six hour flight, usually Derek goes by himself on occasions like this, but the boys were tired of having to say goodbye to their dad and Addison had the brightest suggestion that they might as well make a vacation out of it.
"Mom! Tell Noah to stop pinching me!"
Boy was this going to be a long flight.
XXX
They've been in L.A. for a few days and the Lasker Award is tonight. So far, they've taken the boys to a lot of places to sightsee. They've walked on the Walk of Fame, did some shopping – mostly Addison did – on Melrose, and even took a drive to San Diego to visit the zoo.
Today, hours before the award ceremony, they're on the beach, just soaking up the sun and playing in the water.
"Come on, mom!" Noah calls out from the water. Addison is sitting, lounging on a chair, working on her tan. "Come in the water."
"In a little bit, baby." she answers. "I like watching you and your brother." she adds.
Derek's teaching them how to use their new boogie boards they picked up from the local beach shop up the road.
"This is so much fun!" Addison hears Nate tell Derek and she smiles. She loves watching all three of her boys enjoy themselves.
Even Derek looks just so happy
The waves are pretty big and many times it takes down the twins. But within seconds, they come back up, ready to try again.
An hour later, they come back ashore and walk up towards Addison, dripping in the sea water.
"That was a lot of fun, mom."
"Yeah, and next time, dad said he may even teach us to surf! How cool would that be!"
She raised a brow at Derek; he doesn't even know how to surf.
XXX
The family enjoyed the rest of their time in California. The ceremony went as well as expected and Addison proudly latched on to Derek's arm the entire evening.
"Great job, baby." she whispers in his ear.
"Dad, that was so cool! When I grow up, I want to be a surgeon just like you and mom!"
"Me too!"
And it's really all Derek can hope for in life. Having of his two sons look up to him, aspire to be him, feel inspired by him. It gives him the greatest feeling in the world.
November 13 2004
"I didn't mean to, mom." Twelve year old Noah sighs angrily as he and his brother enter their house with their mother.
"You didn't mean to cheat on an exam?" Addison asks, clearly outraged. Sure, it's not the worst thing he could've done, but it may as well be the genesis of many in the future.
They went through all of elementary school with no problem at all, and now, in the seventh grade, she receives the news that her precious little boys have cheated on an exam.
"Mom, it wasn't his fault." Nate tries to quickly interrupt. "I shouldn't have given him the answers."
"No, it's not your fault, Nate. Your brother should know better than to cheat. Just wait 'til your father hears about this."
Addison had been called in the middle of surgery that afternoon and was informed that during a math exam, Noah was caught cheating off of Nate. The teacher decided that both of their papers were invalid, and they would have to re-take in a week's time.
"You're lucky your teacher is letting you re-take." Addison comments before sending them off to their room.
XXX
"Well, did you ask why he did it? Maybe there was a reason…"
"A reason? Derek, the only reason our son would have for cheating on an exam is that he didn't study last night like we told him to! Why are you even defending him?"
"Addie, I'm not defending him…But maybe we should let him explain. I don't know, it's just an idea…"
Addison sighs, knowing her husband is right. He always is.
"Fine." She mutters, and she can spot a hint of a smile on his face. He knows she hates yelling at their children, but he knows she only does it because she cares.
XXX
Derek quickly calls Noah into the living room without Nate.
"I'm sorry." He stands before them, hands in his pockets and eyes on the ground. They both know he's embarrassed.
"We just want to know why you did it, Noah." Derek says calmly.
Sometimes his calmness just annoys her.
He doesn't want any shouting - that's Addison's job as a parent.
Noah sighs and slides his feet back and forth on the wooden floor. "'Cause I'm dumb at math." he shrugs with sadness in his voice. He looked to his father. "You and mom are good at math. And Nate is good at math. And I'm…not."
"Well, you just have to study more and work harder, baby." Addison lightly suggests.
"But I do." He argues back, but not in a rude way. "I mix my numbers up and I mix my operations up, and then when it's time for exam, it's all just a mess…And I'm sorry I disappointed you guys."
Addison and Derek look up to their son as he explains his problem. Maybe there is an actual underlying problem.
XXX
In the coming weeks, much to Noah's horror and dismay, Addison and Derek had taken him to see a doctor to see if he's got a learning difficulty.
Noah wants to cry when he hears such a big word come out of the specialist's mouth.
Dyscalculia.
It's a difficulty in comprehending arithmetics, such as in understanding numbers, learning how to manipulate numbers, and learning facts in mathematics.
They know it will be a challenge for the entire family.
And so, they hired a tutor to come three times a week to work one-on-one with Noah. Derek and Addison even help in their spare time.
They had been worried that Nate would make fun of his brother's condition, but he was actually really understanding and comforting.
XXX
"Hey, dad." After school one day, Noah greets his dad in the kitchen.
"Hey, buddy. What's up?"
Noah smiles proudly, a smile that even has Derek grinning. He knows he's about to get good news.
"I got 80 on my math exam…all by myself." He adds, and Derek has to chuckle at that part. No more cheating for his sons.
He leans in to give his pre-teen a hug. "I'm so proud of you, Noah."
October 12 2007
The boys are fifteen and are already in their sophomore year at Dalton School. Addison can't believe how old her babies have become.
What's even more ironic is that both of her sons are in the varsity football team - they, themselves, can hardly ever be classified as athletic. While Derek can't quite say he's thrilled about it, he's glad his sons are doing what they love.
Addison knows something is wrong when the two boys arrive home in silence and just completely ignore each other.
"Hey, mom."
"Hi, mom."
They each say one after the other.
Noah goes in to the kitchen to get something to eat while Nate plops down on the couch, turning on the TV.
Addison looks up from her computer, "Um, want to enlighten your mother on what's going on?"
"Ehh…" Nate replies, flicking through the channels. "Nah." He shakes his head. "Rather not."
"Nathaniel…" she warns.
"Ask your other son." he simply replies.
Addison sighs at how childish her teenager has become and walks into the kitchen – only a few steps away – to ask her other son.
"Noah, what's going on with you and your brother?" she stifles a laugh. "Care to share?"
Noah closes the fridge after grabbing an apple and narrows his eyes. "You wouldn't understand anyway."
Addison stands shocked and slightly offended. "I'm your mother, of course I'd understand."
Noah just shakes his head. "Maybe later."
XXX
"So, apparently, our sons are fighting about something." Addison informs Derek as they sit on the couch much much later that night over a much need glass whiskey.
Derek had been away on work to remove a tumour on a five year old and had only came back home an hour or so ago, after the boys had already gone off to bed.
Derek laughs. "Yeah, I know."
"What? How? You weren't even home…"
"It's called a phone, Addie." he jokes.
"So, you know what it's about."
He nods with a smirk. "It's been going on for about a week."
Her eyes widen in surprise.
It has?
"Well, you have to tell me!" she playfully smacks his chest.
"Isn't it obvious?" he asks, but she still looks completely lost.
She shakes her head. "You gotta fill me in here, Der."
"It's over a girl." Derek states simply, taking a sip from his glass. "A cheerleader from what I hear…" he smirks.
"Oh, goodness." She sighs as a laugh forms in the back of her throat. "A cheerleader?" She leans back so she's resting against Derek. "They're high maintenance."
Like their mother.
June 27 2009
"I am so proud of you, boys." Addison extends her arms so her two, tall and large, seventeen-year-olds can fit into a hug together. "And you both look so handsome in your cap and gown!" She gushes, causing them both to blush.
"Thanks, mom. Way to play it cool." Nate says, but remains in his mother's hug.
Noah laughs at his brother's comment.
"Leave your mom alone." Derek says. "If there is any day for her to embarrass you guys, it's on your high school graduation."
Addison smiles at Derek. "That's right." She laughs tearfully.
"Well, I hate to ruin this family moment we have going here…" Noah begins, taking off his cap and tucking it beneath his arm. "But me and Nate kind of have a party to get going to so…"
"Alright, alright. We can take the hint. Don't want to hang out with your parents on graduation night, we got it." Addison shoos them away. "Go. Have fun. You boys deserve it."
"Be safe!" Derek calls after them as they dash off with their friends.
XXX
"We did it. We raised two intelligent, incredible boys."
Addison and Derek went back to their brownstone and their home already felt different. In two months, their boys will be off in college.
That word scares them both. College.
College.
But just yesterday, they were babies.
"They're not boys anymore, Derek." Addison tells him. "They're men." She sighs and shakes her head. "God that feels so weird to say…My babies aren't babies."
They'll always be her babies no matter what age they are.
Derek grins at his wife and leans in for a kiss. "We did good."
"We did." She agrees. "But it's going to be so different next year. I mean, our house is going to be empty. I can't even remember it empty and quiet." She laughs. "What are we going to do with ourselves?"
Derek smirks at this and raises his eyebrows. "Well…" he begins, earning a laugh from Addison as he leans over and places light kisses on her lips. "I could think of a few things…"
"Oh yeah?" she tempts him. "Like what?"
"Well…" he drags out the word once more and then, he's kissing her like it's their first time ever. And she can't help but feel like she's twenty one and in med school all over again. "We could…watch Al Pacino?"
And this sends Addison into a fit of laughter. He will never change. And that's what she loves about him.
"Sounds like a plan, Dr. Shepherd." She leans back into his embrace and closes her eyes with a smile.
They have made it.
Thanks so much for reading guys!! Like this Shepherd family?? I do.
Please check out Karma. I've updated Chapter 6!!
Happy New Year!!!