A/N: Thank you for continuing to support this story.

Chapter 7 – Tears

Four weeks later, all the interviews had been done and the Board of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital was thrilled to offer Doctor Jo Wilson a position back as a second year resident. Granted she had chosen a different specialty but like Alex said Psychiatry was not a field that many Doctors wanted to specialize in, so with Jo's compassion, empathy, life experiences and understanding she was a perfect fit for the Mental Health Team.

Jo and Thomas both had first day nerves. New hospital, new Job, new day care centre, new friends for Thomas to make, old friends for Jo to re-connect with and some new colleagues to get to know. It was always going to be a tough day for both of them. Just how tough remained to be seen.

Jo and Alex both took Thomas to day care before their shifts began. They wanted to make sure they had settled him in before they left. Tommy was holding on to both Jo and Alex's hand until Bailey Shepherd came rushing over.

"Uncle Alex, Uncle Alex." Bailey said excitedly and threw himself into Alex's legs. At this Thomas pulled away from Alex and only wanted his mother. Thomas had begun to feel as though Alex belonged to him, and now it seemed he had to share him with someone who called him Uncle. Just like any three year old especially an only child he didn't like to share. Especially Alex, the only Male figure he had ever had in his life.

"Hi Bailey." Alex said trying not to hurt Bailey's feelings. At the same time Alex hated the fact that Thomas had pulled away from him. He didn't want the trust he had built with Thomas over the past six weeks or so to come crashing down around the three of them either.

Jo took Thomas over to the Principal of the day care centre and explained that she had just started working at the hospital and Thomas was here for his first day. When Jo handed the paperwork back she put herself down as next of kin but she put Alex down as emergency contact.

"Bailey, I need you to do me a big favour." Alex asked.

"What is it Uncle Alex?"

"This is Thomas and he is new here. Do you think you could look after him today for me? You know show him around a bit." Alex asked in all seriousness.

"Mmm do you like blocks?" Bailey asked Thomas.

Thomas being a little shy just nodded his head.

"Come on then." Bailey said and grabbed his hand and headed over to the blocks he had been playing with earlier.

Jo returned, kissed her son and left quickly, with Alex following.

"That seemed easy." Alex commented.

"I've learnt over the years the longer you stay, the harder it is to leave and he gets upset. Starting day care where he doesn't know anyone is scary, but when you are shy and sensitive like he is, it just makes things harder on him if I stay. Thanks for introducing him to Meredith and Derek's son at least he has a starting point."

"That's okay. You aren't the only one worried here today." Alex confided in the hall. "So do you want me to come and check in on him in between surgeries?"Alex asked wanting desperately to do the right thing."

"No I have found that if you do, it makes it harder to leave. We are better to let him make his own way. I finishing at 6.00pm I will pick him up then, but if you finish earlier feel free to come down and just hang out. I have you down as emergency contact. So if I can't get here; God forbid anything goes wrong you're it. I hope that is okay."

"Of course it is. I finish hopefully at 5.00pm today but you never know. I will come down and wait for you. Maybe we could all grab some dinner together, you know celebrate our first day. I just want the world to know he is my son. But we will do that all in good time." Alex said his eyes softening as he looked at her.

"Soon Alex. I promise. Oh and dinner sounds great. I don't think I will be up for cooking tonight." She said quietly squeezing his hand.

With that Alex left for the Pediatric ward and Jo left to start her first day as a second year Psychiatric Resident.

Jo met her Attending Dr Ryan Hardy and spent most of the day with him, doing consults and learning the ropes of this new field of medicine. Jo had her phone on silent as she didn't want to be disturbed whilst going over a chart for a patient with Schizophrenia. It was complex, and Jo was totally engrossed in the patient's history.

Alex had just come out of surgery when his phone went off.

"Karev" He answered as he didn't recognize the number that came up on his cell phone.

"Dr Karev, this is Kathy from the day care centre, you are down as Thomas Wilson's emergency contact. I can't get hold of his mother..."

"What's happened to him?" Alex said fear beginning to take over as he ran towards the elevators.

"Nothing, he just won't stop crying."

"I'm on my way; tell him I will be there soon."

Alex arrived at the day care centre and sure enough, Thomas was crying nearly hysterically.

"Hey come here, I've got you. What's wrong little man?" Alex said taking him out of the child care workers arms.

Thomas was in no state to answer, his breathing was laboured and the tears wouldn't stop.

"Look Dr Karev, it's nothing. He is just upset because the kids were asking about his dad. As he doesn't have a father he got upset."

"And? How long did you let him cry like this for?" Alex said trying not to let his anger get the better of him.

"For about an hour."

"An hour! Did you bother to read his history?"

"It is my experience that children from single parent families when asked about the absent parent get very upset. He will settle eventually."

"DID. YOU. READ. HIS. HISTORY?" Alex repeated with a slow anger in his tone.

"No. There wasn't time."

"There wasn't time? Jesus! Well if you had bothered to do your job you would know that Thomas suffers from asthma, quite severely. This length of crying could bring on an asthma attack."

"I am sorry I was unaware. As I couldn't get hold of his mother..."

"Don't blame his mother for your incompetence. This is on you. As for "your experience" I'd like to know in what? Child physiology, paediatric medicine. What?"

Alex was still holding a crying Thomas when Jo came running in the room.

"My god what has happened? "

"Sheer incompetence." Alex spat as he took Thomas and left to go back to the Ped's ward to check his oxygen levels and offer more comfort.

Jo followed them out of the room. "Alex please tell me what happened?"

"Apparently the other kids were asking about Tommy's dad. I guess he didn't have an answer and all the other kids were talking about theirs and he got upset. Right now I am more concerned about his asthma. Then I will worry about the other thing."

The three of them entered an exam room and Thomas crawled into his mother's lap, while Alex got his stethoscope out and listened to his heart rate and how much oxygen he was taking in. Being with his mom and her comforting words soothed him.

When Thomas had calmed down enough and was able to breathe normally, he was ready to answer his mother's questions.

"Now baby do you want to tell us what happened in there today?" Jo prompted.

"All kids talk about a daddy and I want one and I don't got one." Tommy said comfortable enough now that he was with his mom. During the past six weeks he had also come to trust Alex implicitly as well.

"Well that isn't quite true sweetheart." Jo replied quietly.

Alex was definitely not going to say a thing. He was letting Jo take the lead and whatever she said he would be okay with one way or the other.

"But where is he? Why doesn't want me." Thomas said his bottom lip trembling.

Alex had to look away; there was no-way he was letting his son see his own eyes fill up with tears. For that matter he didn't want Jo to see him either. But those words 'doesn't want me' hurt like he had been stabbed in the stomach with a knife one hundred times. I do want you, more than you can ever know. You and your mother are the most important things in my shitty life. I'd give up everything I have for the two of you.

"Oh baby boy your daddy does want you. He does. He has been busy working away and mommy took you to live somewhere else and she is so sorry for that."

"Why?"

"Because mommy was scared and she made a mistake. I shouldn't have done that. I am sorry baby."

"Where is he? My daddy." Thomas asked quietly.

Jo looked over at Alex and nodded her head slightly. Alex knew what was coming and braced himself for the reaction. He had no idea if it was going to be good or bad.

"Sweetie, I need you to have a drink of water and listen to mommy carefully. Can you do that?"

Thomas nodded his head.

"Do you have your listening ears on? Because this is really important." Jo asked smiling.

"Yes I promise." He said.

Jo took Alex's hand in hers and gave it a little squeeze, it was now or never.

"Thomas, Alex is your daddy."

Thomas's eyes were as wide as sources. He took a moment and just stared at Alex and then back at his mother.

"Really?" Thomas asked directly looking at Alex.

"Yes. Is that okay?" Alex asked gently not knowing what to else to say.

Thomas got down off his mother's lap and went and climbed up into Alex's lap, while Alex and Jo still held hands.

Thomas kissed Alex and said "Can I call you daddy now?" Before he threw his arms around Alex's neck. This time Alex didn't care if Jo saw his eyes welling up with tears. This was the most significant moment of his life so far.

"I would love it if you did." Alex said fighting back the tears.

Jo began to cry too. This was definitely a moment she would never forget. Jo had thought about so many scenarios in her head how this would play out. None of them had lived up to this one.

"Thomas, I need you to know something. I have always wanted you and I love you very much." Alex said.

Thomas had a big grin on his face. "I love you too daddy, can I tell everyone now?"

"Anyone you want too." Alex said with a slight laugh.

"Let's go. I wanna tell everyone at day care." He said as he got down from Alex's lap and grabbed his parents hands and led them out the door.

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter and please leave me a review! Next Chapter will be more Alex/Jo focused! I promise!