"Haven't seen you around before. What are you in? OB?" Alex asked the blonde leaning against the reception desk and staring at her cell phone.
"Depends. Are you interested in OB?" Sloan asked suggestively. Alex chuckled. He had her right where he wanted her.
"Plastics actually. But I could be persuaded," Alex said cooly.
Sloan smiled. But it didn't last long when she saw Mark coming from down the hallway. And by the looks of it, he didn't look happy.
"What do you think you're doing?" Mark asked, directing his question toward Alex.
"Why do you care?" Alex asked, unbothered by Mark's apparent anger.
"Because that's my 17-year-old daughter you're talking to. That's why," Mark replied. Alex looked over at Sloan accusatory as she looked down.
"Here. Now get out of here," Mark pulled a wad of money out of his pocket, knowing that Sloan was here for money to use at the cafeteria. Sloan took the money and started walking away toward the cafeteria.
"Love you!" Mark called out to her as the nurses and doctors looked back at him. Sloan glared back at him. He did that on purpose to embarrass her as a form of punishment, and she knew it. And it worked like a charm.
"Isn't it bad enough that you've already been with my girlfriend?" Mark asked, still angry but trying to keep his composure.
A few days ago, Lexie told him that she and Alex had a casual relationship of sorts back in Seattle. Kind of like how her and Mark's relationship started. They were becoming more serious, and Lexie didn't want to have any secrets. She wanted it to work with Mark, and she could see that he wanted the same.
While it was still a little awkward between her and Sloan, they were both at least making an effort. And Mark kept Lexie in the loop on everything baby-related. Alex and Lexie broke it off a while before she left Seattle, and the breakup, if you could even call it that, was mutual.
But she knew that not only would she have to work with Alex again, but so would Mark. And she just wanted Mark to have all the facts. Especially since she knew Alex was interested in plastics. So, Lexie only thought it was fair he knew about her and Alex's relationship in Seattle.
"Look, that was a long time ago. It was nothing; it's not like I was in love with her or anything. Trust me, she's all yours," Alex said nonchalantly.
There was a pause as Mark glared at Alex a little longer before speaking.
"So, Shep' says you're my resident for today. I like to round on pre-op before post-op. Seem easy enough?" Mark asked, still a little angry.
"Yes, sir," Alex said, with no indication of sarcasm in his voice. He didn't need to give Mark Sloan another reason to hate him. Not if he still wanted to go into plastics, that is.
"Good," Mark commented, a little surprised that he didn't get some sarcastic backtalk from him, given his reputation. People, or more specifically, Addison, told him Alex reminded her of him in a way. Other than catching him flirting with his teenage daughter, he didn't see the resemblance.
"So, finish up those pre-op notes and get me some coffee while you're at it. Bone dry cappuccino," Mark said, pulling his wallet out and handing Alex some cash. Alex reluctantly took the cash in his hands as Mark started to turn around.
"What do ya think you're doing? These residents aren't your servants, Sloan," Charlotte said, who had just watched the entire exchange go down from the other side of the hallway. Alex snickered, watching Mark get scolded by the chief.
"Dr. King, nice to see you," Mark said, flashing her a smile.
"These residents aren't your assistants, Sloan. Now apologize," Charlotte said, folding her arms across her chest. Again, Alex snickered.
"Seriously? He's an intern!" Mark argued.
"He's a resident and deserves your respect just as much as any other doctor here. Now apologize," Charlotte said, her tone impatient.
"Sorry, Karev," Mark muttered.
"Apology accepted, Dr. Sloan," Alex said politely, his smug smile apparent.
"Now, let's get back to work, shall we?" Charlotte asked before walking away. Mark turned to look at Alex, waiting for him to give him back the cash he gave him. But all Alex did was smile and walk in the opposite direction as he went back to work.
Later in the day, Derek came home with Amelia to find Addison furiously typing away at her laptop while Nate sat playing with some educational baby toys on the floor next to her. Derek and Amelia looked at each other, with Amelia gesturing with her head towards Addison. It was like they were having a silent conversation with each other, with Amelia encouraging Derek to speak up and Derek throwing it back at her and asking why she couldn't be the one to speak up. Amelia rolled her eyes, but gestured again, this time with an annoyed look on her face.
"Hey, Addie. Whatcha doin' there?" Amelia asked, smiling as she went over to pick an excited Nate up from the floor. Addison looked away from the screen and smiled at the three of them, partly embarrassed at how crazed she must've looked a minute ago.
"And what about you? Huh?" Amelia asked playfully to the baby in her arms, who giggled back at her.
"Dada," Nate said while holding his arms out toward Derek.
"Rude," Amelia commented jokingly as she handed him off to his dad.
"Hey, buddy," Derek bounced Nate for a bit before kissing his forehead.
"Everything okay?" Derek asked while juggling a squirmy Nate in his arms.
"Yeah. Just…planning Nate's first birthday party," Addison sighed and chuckled after seeing Nate turn around when hearing his name.
"It's gonna be fine," Derek said, trying to reassure her.
"My parents, Archie, the practice, the hospital, not to mention a million Shepherds," Addison started. Derek and Amelia chuckled.
"And Weiss and Savvy, too! Did I tell you they called?" Addison asked.
"No, they're coming, too?" Derek asked, finally letting Nate down to crawl back towards his toys and hoist himself up, using the coffee table as leverage.
"You gonna walk for us before your birthday?" Amelia asked, kneeling and tilting her head at Nate, who smiled back at her but proceeded to fall softly to the ground when Amelia coaxed him into getting him to walk toward her.
"He'll walk when he's ready," Derek said, somewhat defensively. Amelia jokingly put her hands up like she was surrendering.
"How are we gonna have enough space for everyone?" Addison asked.
"We'll be fine. Just put everyone outside. We can even take over the whole beach," Amelia joked.
"People can just shuffle in and out," Derek shrugged. Amelia smiled and nodded while Addison looked at them curiously.
"You're either so insulted by the idea because it's not WASP-y enough for you or you're looking at us like that because you recognize us as the geniuses we are," Amelia said smugly, knowing it was the latter. Addison rolled her eyes and chuckled.
That night, Derek offered to take Addison out for dinner to help destress her over the birthday party details and asked Amelia if she wanted to come. That way, all four of them (Nate included) could have dinner together. But Amelia declined, letting the couple have some alone time. That way, they could make their night out into a nice, if not impromptu, date night. And she'd settle for a quaint movie night with Nate.
While Derek and Addison went out for dinner, Amelia fed Nate and ordered some Chinese takeout before taking him upstairs to give him a bath. Then, she took him to her room to watch a movie. Derek and Addison only agreed to her plans after approving her movie choice, so after some back and forth, they agreed on letting Amelia show 101 Dalmatians to Nate.
Every time anyone took Nate on a walk in his stroller, he'd point out every dog they'd pass. The word, dog, even became the third word Nate ever said after Mama and Dada. Amelia, however, got "Mimi" to be Nate's fourth word. It wasn't exactly Amy or Auntie, but it was the closest he was going to get to her name at this point. And while she hated the nickname, she let it become a nickname specifically reserved just for Nate. Kind of like how Amy was now just a name Derek called her.
But Nate's love for dogs had Derek strongly considering adopting a dog for the family. But Addison pushed back by reminding him that having a baby was more than enough work and responsibility. For now.
"Mimi! Dog!" Nate exclaimed, pointing at the TV in Amelia's room while he sat on her lap.
"That's right, Nate! You're such a big, strong boy, aren't you?" Amelia cooed as she ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead.
Nate sat on her lap until he eventually laid his head down on her pillow as Amelia rubbed his back. He lasted almost 30 minutes before falling asleep in Amelia's bed, and Amelia finished watching the movie for the both of them, laying on her side as she rubbed his back softly while he slept. Watching Nate sleep peacefully beside her was nice to see, and it only made her wonder what kind of mom she'd be someday.
Lately, Nate had been a little fussier than normal around bedtime. Addison even started sleeping in the rocking chair with Nate in her arms in his nursery sometimes because she didn't want to wake him once she got him to fall asleep. That is until Derek came in to bring her back to their bedroom.
Addison liked to joke it was because Nate was fighting against the fact that he was growing up as they inched closer to his first birthday. But Derek liked to say it was because he just liked the comfort of sleeping in his mom's arms. And Amelia and Addison just rolled their eyes playfully at Derek's attempt to suck up.
So, Amelia figured she'd let him sleep instead of picking him up to take back to his crib. Especially since doing so could wake the peacefully sleeping baby from his slumber. So, she grabbed some more pillows and positioned them around him to make sure he'd be safe in her bed before situating herself beside him softly. When Derek and Amelia got home later that night, they looked into Amelia's room to find the two sleeping peacefully. After confirming Nate was safe, they went to bed for the night.
In the morning, Derek and Addison were enjoying their alone time in the comfort of their own bedroom, knowing that it'd only be a matter of time until Nate woke them up. Amelia, however, enjoyed sleeping in. And was doing just that until she woke up from a slight shove from a pillow hitting her face.
"Ow!" Amelia exclaimed, her eyes still struggling to open.
She heard giggling coming from Nate as she felt the mattress move underneath her. When she moved the pillow that hit her in the face, she found Nate shoving the rest of the pillows off the bed, giggling as he did.
"What do you think you're doing?" Amelia asked playfully. Nate's smile widened as he carefully got himself down to the floor, still holding onto the bed.
"Are you going somewhere?" Amelia asked, her playful tone still apparent.
"Mama!" Nate exclaimed before he let go of the mattress and fell forward on his hands.
"Alright, hold on. Let me help you out there, buddy," Amelia yawned as she shuffled the covers off her still half-asleep body.
To her surprise, she saw Nate pick himself up slowly and stand without falling. Amelia watched in awe as she watched him take a step, and then another, and then another. He was walking. Amelia put her hand to her gaping mouth as she watched him clumsily walk toward the door as she excitedly got out of bed and followed him from afar as he walked all the way to his parents' bedroom across the hall.
When he got there, Nate leaned his small hands on the closed door and looked up at Amelia as if waiting for her to open the door for him. But all Amelia could think of was the last time she came into Derek and Addison's bedroom unannounced. So, she knocked. She heard them giggling behind the door, which only made her feel better about the fact that she'd knocked first.
"Come in!" Addison called out as she continued giggling.
"You guys better be decent in there!" Amelia yelled out.
"Amy, you have the worst timing," Derek muttered, pulling his head out from under the covers.
"Well, I'm not the one who wanted to say hi this time," Amelia said teasingly as she gently laid a hand on Nate's shoulder to make sure he wouldn't fall as she opened the door.
"Mama!" Nate said excitedly as he practically ran, or at least the closest he could get to running as a toddler who just figured out how to walk on his own, toward the bed.
"Hi, baby!" Addison giggled, reaching down to pick up her boy once he got to the bed.
"Are we walking now?" Derek chuckled as Addison handed him over as he snuggled against his chest.
"He just…started walking," Amelia giggled. She'd never been so happy about getting woken up by a baby in her entire life.
"You're a big boy now, aren't you?" Derek asked playfully. Nate grinned widely back at him as he crawled around in the bed over Derek and Addison in bed.
"Okay, well, I'm going back to bed," Amelia said, before turning around.
"Did you wake Auntie up this morning?" Addison asked, looking down at the boy bouncing on her lap. Nate giggled as Addison kissed his cheek.
"We have a kid who walks," Derek said proudly. Addison smiled back before pulling him in for a sweet kiss as he held onto a squirmy Nate, making sure he wouldn't fall off the bed. But Nate just whined back, clearly just wanting to crawl around the bed and play.
"Alright," Derek chuckled and let go of Nate's shoulders as Addison pulled away, giggling at their little boy.
Nate crawled around for a while longer, finding it entertaining to crawl around on his parents' big bed. Then, he looked up at his parents once he got bored, as if they had some kind of answer for him.
"You hungry yet?" Addison asked, glancing at the clock on her bedside table. This was usually the time when they'd start bringing Nate downstairs for breakfast. Nate nodded his head up and down in response.
"Pancakes?" Derek asked, knowing it was Nate's favorite.
"Yeah!" Nate shouted, his little fists clenching in excitement.
Derek and Addison chuckled as Addison picked him up as they went downstairs for breakfast. A few days later, everyone arrived for Nate's first birthday. The Shepherds arrived first, insisting to help out in any way they could. Carolyn essentially took over their kitchen, getting some of the Shepherd siblings to help as her sous chef of sorts. And it didn't even matter that Addison already told her she ordered catering from a nearby quaint Italian place nearby with Nate's favorite food, spaghetti.
Plus, Italian food, or at least Italian-American food, was something she knew would be easily liked by Maya, Lucas, and the stampede of Shepherd children that would be there. But Carolyn wouldn't budge; she insisted on making snacks, anyway. Derek practically had to physically pull Addison away from the kitchen to stop her from trying to argue any more than she already had.
Then Weiss, Savvy, and their four-year-old adopted daughter, Lily, arrived. She was a shy little girl with jet-black hair and wide brown eyes. Derek and Addison figured Savvy must've put her hair up in pigtails, but Weiss very proudly told them he did them. Parenthood looked good on them, and Derek and Addison were just relieved that Weiss and Savvy made it through after Savvy's surgeries.
They both had faith they would, but they also knew it wouldn't be easy. And it wasn't. Derek and Addison had their fair share of marital problems to work through, but they also knew they almost didn't make it. They wouldn't have if they both hadn't admitted to each other, and themselves, that they still wanted to make it work. But Weiss was now a dorky dad who would wear a tutu over his khakis if Lily asked him to. And did on occasion because not only was Lily currently into everything princess-related, but she was starting ballet classes, too.
Savvy also looked great. Even Mark approved of Savvy's implants. But he also said he would've done a better job. Savvy laughed but joked that if he had been her surgeon, it would've been the only way he would ever see her naked. After years of Mark teasingly flirting with her only for Savvy to tease him back, this made the whole friend group chuckle. And that also included Sam and Naomi, who, like everyone else from the practice, made an appearance, along with Maya.
Addison's family members were among the last to arrive. Fashionably late, as Archer put it. The only person who came later than Bizzy, The Captain, and Archer, was Arizona, who was only late because she was stuck in a surgery. Other than saying hello and making small talk with her parents, Addison distracted herself by going around to talk to the other party guests. She still wasn't entirely over everything that had happened the last time they came to visit, but she knew they wouldn't mind being left to their own devices. Especially after Addison directed them toward the nearby drink cart before going around to her other guests.
Besides family, Weiss and Savvy, and the doctors from Oceanside Wellness, Derek also invited the doctors from St. Ambrose, or at least the ones they were friends with. All the attendings as well as Alex, who Addison insisted on inviting (even though Derek opposed), and Lexie, Mark's girlfriend and resident who Derek suspected was growing more interested in choosing neuro as her specialty.
"Did you have to invite her?" Sam said quietly to Addison, who turned to look across the room to see Vanessa talking to Aryan, or "Ary", Singh, Sam's cardio attending and mentor, as well as Arizona.
"Did you not want me to invite Naomi, too?" Addison asked sarcastically. Sam gave her a look back.
"Look, I know it's a little awkward, but hasn't it been long enough? You're both grown adults. And no one said you had to talk to her. There are more than enough people here to talk to without bumping into her," Addison explained. Sam crossed his arms, glancing over at Vanessa, who was now listening intently while Arizona talked.
It'd been over a month since they broke up. They were well into the new year, and Sam was still moody over the entire breakup. She felt like she may as well have been talking to a teenager. And having Bizzy and The Captain here, while she kept her distance, had a way of making her feel on edge.
Plus, she realized she was friends with Vanessa. They weren't best friends or anything, but they worked together pretty frequently and while it was unfortunate that she and Sam didn't work out, their breakup didn't have any effect on their friendship.
"Can you be a grown-up about this?" Addison asked, slightly annoyed.
"I am a grown-up. She's the one who can't be a grown-up," Sam muttered before walking away in the opposite direction from where Vanessa was talking.
"What was that about?" Derek asked as he came up from behind her.
"Nothing. Sam's just being whiny about Vanessa being here," Addison said. Derek chuckled.
"I swear even Nate isn't even that fussy," Addison muttered.
"Drink," Derek held out a martini in front of her, kissing her temple while she took a sip out of the glass.
"Where is Nate, anyway?" Addison asked, now realizing that neither of them had their son.
"Relax, he's with Grandpa Mark and Sloan," Derek joked, pointing at them while they played with some of his toys outside on the deck.
"He's never living that down, is he?" Addison giggled.
"Nope. Did he tell you what he wanted Nate to call him?" Derek asked, chuckling.
"No, what?" Addison asked, intrigued.
"Papa. He wants our son to call him Papa," Derek said, trying to keep it together. But it didn't last long as the both of them laugh.
"What'd you tell him?" Addison asked.
"I told him it was fine as long as we could still call him Grandpa," Derek replied. Addison kept her eyes on him, arching an eyebrow as she waited to see if there was more to the story.
"He walked away," Derek added before getting Addison's drink from her hand and taking a sip as she laughed.
The rest of the party went out without a hitch. Nate didn't quite get the concept of blowing out his candles, so Derek and Addison did it for him. But he did love the Cars chocolate cake Derek got for him. It was currently Nate's favorite movie, despite the fact that he'd never watched the movie in its entirety in one sitting.
It was a two-tiered cake, with black-and-white checkered fondant flags on top behind Lightning McQueen, and Mater action figures. Nate was so excited that he immediately went and pulled the cars off the cake when they placed it in front of him. And given the fact that they hadn't lit the candles yet and they were actual toys rather than edible decorations, everyone at the party found it sweet and endearing.
As everyone sang Happy Birthday, Nate held onto the cars, one in each hand. Derek and Addison leaned into each other, watching a roomful of people who loved their son sing along with them. And all they could think about was how grateful they were they stuck it out.
A/N: So, there isn't much plot in this one, so it's mostly just a cute fluff chapter for Nate's first birthday. References include Mark's dialogue with Alex near the beginning is from Grey's Anatomy 3x11 about how he likes his charts. I had this idea of how Nate would start walking and this is pretty close to how I originally imagined it, so I hope you enjoyed it. Also, as always, thanks to Stephanie for your help, she came up with Nate's nickname for Amelia because Amelia or Auntie feel like they might be too hard for a baby to say. Also, I brought up the idea of Nate having a race car bed, but he's still a little young for that, but I found a way to still squeeze the whole race car thing!
And Nate likes dogs (because it's cute when babies love dogs) and the movie, Cars, in part as a reference to Patrick Dempsey's love of cars. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! There's only a few things left that I'd like to get through for this overall story, and I do have an ending in mind already and I've kind of had the ending idea for a long time now (since like chapter 10 or something crazy like that). So, I hope you guys have enjoyed this chapter and this overall story. See you next time and happy new year since I haven't updated this story since before the new year!