A/N So sorry about the long wait everyone. I really hope that my readers are still with me. I'm back to writing again. This chapter is definitely Addek heavy with a sprinkling of Mallie.
Always
Addison had just seen sixteen year old Bianca Kincade for a routine checkup on her twins that were joined at the head. She was doing as well as could be expected right now but Addison was growing concerned about her blood pressure. It was steadily rising and she was worried for Bianca and the babies. She had informed the Kincade's that Bianca would have to check into the hospital next week if her blood pressure had not decreased. Addison knew that the sixteen year old was scared out of her mind but she also knew that her job was to keep the babies in Bianca for as long as she possibly could. If that meant hospitalizing her and putting her where she could be watched for problems, Addison would do it. Not a moment earlier than she had to. She was giving it one more week and if Bianca's blood pressure was not down, she would be a resident of the hospital for the duration of her pregnancy.
Addison had to go to the NICU next to check on the babies that were there. The last two days had been a flurry of babies born really early and Addison was hoping that they all made it through the night. She figured she would have gotten paged if one was struggling though so she was hopeful. She put the sterile gown on and walked into the room. Her blue eyes scanned the room until they landed on one incubator that was in the center of the room. Addison could barely see the baby because she was hooked up to so many machines and tubes and wires. Her parents had walked out on her just yesterday saying that they were not prepared to deal with her medical issues. The baby had been born at 26 weeks which was just two weeks over the age of viability. So once she was healthy, Addison and the social worker would have to find her a new home. Addison brushed her fingertips over the top of the incubator. She wanted to stick her hands into the holes to touch the baby and let her know that she was not alone, but the baby was too fragile. So Addison stood there looking at the baby girl and she didn't even hear footsteps coming into the NICU.
"Hi Addie." Derek whispered into her ear. Addison's body shivered when she felt Derek's breath on her ear. She marveled that he was still the only guy who could make her shiver like that without even being touched. Derek knew that he couldn't just snap his fingers and have Addison fall into his arms again. He had hurt her on multiple occasion and he needed to make it up to her. By the way she was reacting to his breath on her skin, Derek wasn't sure it would be that difficult to get her to forgive him. Okay now he was sounding arrogant. That was not the way to get her to forgive him.
"What are you doing here?" Addison asked softly so as not to wake the babies. She wasn't aware that any of her patients were Derek's patients as well.
"The Mickelson baby." Derek explained simply. Addison was confused by Derek's answer. She had had no idea that there were any problems with the Mickelson baby.
"If something happened last night I would have been paged." Addison pointed out.
"I told them not to page you and that I could handle anything that came up." Derek explained. He knew that Addison was going to be furious with him. He could see that look on her face. It was the "how dare you overstep your bounds" look.
"Derek, these are my patients. MINE! You had no right to tell the nurses not to page me if something was wrong." Addison hissed. She needed to keep her voice low so she would not disturb the babies. Addison left the baby girl's incubator and hurried over to the Mickelson baby's incubator to check on him.
"You needed sleep Addie." Derek explained as he followed her over to the Mickelson baby. Derek knew that Addison had been working almost non stop in order to avoid him and he really wanted her to get some sleep.
"I was fine Derek." Addison insisted fiercely. She was not some poor little girl who couldn't decided for herself if she was tired or not.
"What's wrong with the Mickelson baby?" Addison finally asked, wanting to change the subject so she didn't end up choking him right in the NICU.
"He had a seizure last night." Derek explained. Addison sighed heavily knowing that Derek had probably spoken to his scared parents. Addison felt bad. She really should have been there and she was still furious at Derek for not calling her and letting her know what was going on with her patient.
"What are you going to do?" Addison asked Derek as she chewed on her bottom lip.
"Well it could have been a onetime thing which is why I am reluctant to do anything invasive." Derek told her.
"Plus he is still tiny. He was born at 31 weeks and I am not sure he is strong enough to go through anything invasive." Derek added. He had told the parents all of this already. Now he had to tell Addison.
"So you think we should take the wait and see approach?" Addison asked. She didn't want to put Elijah Mickelson through any invasive surgery either but the idea that he had a seizure was scary.
"As soon as he is a bit stronger I'll do a CT on him and see if I see any problem spots." Derek promised her. Addison sighed knowing that was all he could do right now. Elijah was small and he was very unstable.
"Thank you." Addison told him. She moved to check on the Robertson baby. She breathed out a sigh of relief to see the baby awake and moving around in his incubator. The Robertson baby had been born six weeks early but his lungs had been underdeveloped. Addison was sure that he was ready to come off of the ventilator now. It had been two weeks since he had been born. Addison decided to take out the ventilator by the end of the day.
Derek continued to follow her as she checked on each and every one of the patients and when she reached her last patient, Derek watched her with the baby. Derek loved watching her with a baby. It was amazing and it made him want to have kids with her. He was honestly very jealous that Mark and Callie were having kids first. Derek knew that Addison would be a fantastic mother and he knew that if Mark could do the whole dad thing that he definitely could.
"This little girl was born with an extra set of all 4 limbs. We needed to make sure she was doing well before we subjected her to surgery. Well today is surgery day for her." Addison commented. Derek found it odd that he had not known about this. He had been in on the conjoined twins case with Mark a year or so ago.
"Is there a reason that you didn't ask me to be a part of it?" Derek asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I thought I did. Gosh Derek I am so sorry. I thought I asked you soon after she was born." Addison felt bad because she had honestly thought that she had asked Derek if he would scrub in on the surgery just to make sure that no nerves were damaged in surgery.
"Is Mark scrubbing in with you?" Derek asked.
"Yeah. Surgery is at eleven thirty." Addison told Derek. Derek nodded, mentally rescheduling everything else in his head.
"You're free right?" Addison asked, suddenly uncertain. She knew the look on Derek's face was the look that he had when he was trying to rearrange things in his head.
"Yes, I'm free." Derek confirmed. Addison breathed out a sigh of relief as she walked out of the NICU. Derek followed her to the walkway that bridged the Chief's office with the patient rooms. He wanted her to talk to him and he knew that getting her to do that was going to be tough. She was still hurt that he had picked Meredith over her in New York and Derek was sure that she had every reason to be upset with him.
"Are you going to talk to me Addie?" Derek asked. Addison had been mortified last week when Mark and Callie had seen them standing so close to each other and touching each other. So she was avoiding Derek and it seemed as though she could no longer avoid her ex husband and possibly new boyfriend. Not when she and Derek had a surgery together in a few hours. Having Mark in there with her and Derek was not going to be fun for Addison. He was a good friend but he had seen them together and Addison wasn't stupid. She knew that Mark wanted her and Derek to get back together. Addison could sense that Derek was still following her and so she turned around. Finally she was allowing herself to really look into his deep blue eyes. Those eyes that always pulled her in even if it was unintentional.
"I told you that I couldn't forgive you for picking Meredith over me in New York." Addison told Derek. Derek nodded, knowing that she was right. He had really hurt her when he had done that.
"But you also said that you were still in love with me." Derek pointed out. He was not about to let Addison think that he had forgotten about that.
"You have a lot more to do before I can forgive you." Addison told Derek. She was trying to appear confident and full of restraint, but all she wanted was to have him kiss her. She needed his lips on hers or she was going to go insane.
"I know I do and I promise you that I will make it up to you." Derek told her as he reached for her hand and brushed his fingers over her knuckles. Addison had forgotten how gentle Derek's touch could be. She also had forgotten how weak in the knees she got when he touched her.
"I am going to go up to the roof and have breakfast. Do you want to come?" Addison offered. Derek smiled knowing how much she loved the roof and the viewfinders that were up there. She loved the viewfinders in New York too.
"Yes, give me ten minutes and I'll meet you up there." Derek promised. He squeezed her hand and then hurried away. Addison wasn't sure where he was going but she was eager to spend some time with Derek alone.
Ten minutes later she was up on the roof next to the viewfinders with breakfast in her hands. Thankfully it was actually sunny in Seattle today. So they wouldn't get rained on. Derek was smiling as she came into view. He walked right over to her and stood beside her, trying not to think of his overwhelming desire to kiss her like he had never kissed her before. He took the breakfast sandwich that she offered and they were silent for awhile as they chewed. It was a peaceful comfortable silence. Not an uncomfortable one. Once they were done with their sandwiches, Addison moved to look into the viewfinders. Derek was standing beside her trying to keep all the dirty thoughts from invading his brain. He finally took a risk and moved so that he could wrap his arms around her waist. He had expected Addison to flinch or pull away, but she didn't. She seemed to relax into his arms.
"I love you." Derek whispered into her ear."
Addison blushed crimson feeling very relieved that no one else was there. She believed that Derek loved her but she was scared to say it back to him even though she felt the same way and even though she had already said it to him last week. She wanted Derek to kiss her. They were alone right now and she just wanted him to take the risk and kiss her on the lips and make her feel that love that he said he had for her.
"I know you are scared to say it back again so I'll wait as long as I need to. I know you love me and that's all I need right now." Derek told her softly before he blew hot air against her neck.
"Kiss me." Addison pleaded. Derek smiled knowing that her resolve to keep from getting romantic with him was fading. He lowered his lips to her neck and he kissed her neck as his hands tightened on her waist. Addison burst out in giggles. So Derek had kissed her like she wanted but in a more intimate place which until two seconds ago was covered by her blue shirt.
"I meant on my lips." Addison told him with another soft giggle.
Derek looked at her, mesmerized by her eyes and her skin and her lips. He had no idea what had possessed him to think that Meredith could ever compare to her. Addison was the girl he was supposed to be with forever.
"I'm sorry Addie. You were right all along. You are still the love of my life and you always will be." Derek told her lovingly, before he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. He held her tightly as his tongue darted out to run along her lower lip. Addison parted her lips and let his tongue in. She slipped her own tongue into his mouth as her hands tangled into his dark curls that looked so much like Russell Crowe. Finally Derek pulled away but he still kept her body close to his and he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. He loved her so much and he hated himself for nearly ruining their chances to be together.
"I love you so much Addie." Derek told her softly before he pressed a soft, quick kiss to her lips. Addison had tears in her eyes as she listened to Derek's words. She had never expected Derek to do this. She had never expected him to have a change of heart. He wanted her and she was excited for that.
"I love you too Derek. We can make us work. We're Derek and Addison." Addison told him confidently.
"And we will always be Derek and Addison. I was a fool to think that anyone could be better than you. I want to be Derek and Addison again." Derek told her. Addison was so happy right now she was pretty sure she could fly. She was back with Derek. Maybe not officially but they were a lot closer than they were a month ago.
"Come on. Let's go prep for the baby's surgery." Derek whispered.
"Her name is Chloe. Chloe Young." Addison whispered. She didn't want to be impersonal when she was talking about the baby that they were about to operate on.
"Right." Derek told her with a nod as he guided her back into the hospital and to the NICU where Chloe was waiting to have her extra limbs removed. With the extra limbs removed her heart and lungs would have an easier time working because there wouldn't be extra appendages to provide blood and oxygen to. The parents were hopeful that the surgery would be a success and they had complete confidence in the team that Dr. Montgomery had set up.
In one of the on call rooms Callie was sound asleep with her hands on her stomach. Mark had been checking on the baby that he and Addison and probably Derek were going to operate on in an hour or so and now he was going to check on Callie. He was worried about her but at least she was finally eating a balanced meal and she appeared to be gaining weight. He had needed that reassurance that she was gaining weight in order for him to relax a bit. He was excited for the babies to come but he was wanting them to be healthy and happy as well.
Mark walked into the on call room that he knew was Callie's favorite. He turned on the light and he was surprised that she was the only one in there. Mark guessed that Callie chased all the potential sleepers out so she could sleep well He heard a groan which he assumed was coming from Callie. Mark sat on he bed and put his hand on her stomach.
"Mark?" Callie finally mumbled something discernable.
"Yeah, I'm here." Mark told her quietly.
Finally Callie opened her eyes and she struggled to sit up. She was able to sit up without Mark's help and she rubbed her eyes, trying to wake up.
"Hey, how's the baby you and Addie are operating on?" Callie asked softly.
"She's stable and Addie's got Derek scrubbing in with us too." Mark explained. He had gotten a text message from Addison letting him know that Derek was scrubbing in with them.
"That baby has got the three best surgeons working on her. You'll fix her right?" Callie asked. She believed that Mark, Addison and Derek could do a lot but she also knew the risks that went with this type of surgery.
"We are her best shot Cal, and you know that." Mark told her. Of course he couldn't promise a favorable outcome. Unforeseen things could happen during surgery. Callie grew silent as she pressed her hand to her stomach She knew how Chloe's parents felt. If something awful happened to their daughter, it would be painful and heartbreaking.
"How are you and the babies?" Mark asked. He hadn't seen her much last night because he had come in to the hotel room late. This weekend they would be moving into the new house and both of them were so excited for it.
"We're good." Callie reassured Mark. Mark put his hand on her stomach and felt a kick. He wished that Callie would let Addison tell him the sexes but he wasn't pushing her on it anymore.
"Have you thought of any more names yet?" Mark asked curiously. He wanted to have the name choices settled by the time the babies arrived. He was not good at picking names so he was going to let Callie do it. She was much better at it than he was.
"How about Ryan for a boy?" Callie suggested. Mark liked it but he thought it was a bit plain.
"I was thinking something a bit more unusual like Liam." Mark suggested. Callie was surprised how much she liked the name Liam. Maybe Mark wasn't so hopeless with naming the babies as she thought he would be.
"How about Liam Ryan Sloan?" Callie suggested. Mark smiled when Callie spoke. Of course that meant they had to come up with more names since they didn't know if they were two girls or two boys or one of each.
"We still have to come up with a second boy's name and two more girl's names." Mark reminded her.
"We still have several more months Mark." Callie pointed out. Mark nodded, knowing that she was exactly right. Nothing firm had to be decided today.
"I like the name Olivia." Mark admitted. He had been thumbing through the baby name book that Callie had bought a few days ago and that had been a name that stuck out to him.
"That's pretty Mark. I like Katelyn for a girl myself." Callie admitted. Smiling, Mark spoke,
"Katelyn Olivia Sloan." That was a beautiful name and now all they needed was to come up with another boy's name and another girl's name just in case.
"You know if you let us find out what we are having then we might not have to come up with four different names." Mark pointed out.
"I made the choice Mark. We're waiting." Callie insisted with a frown. Mark sighed knowing that it was pointless to argue with a pregnant woman. He checked his watch and sighed. It was time for him to go scrub in for Chloe's surgery.
"I have to go Cal. Time for Chloe's surgery." Mark told her before he kissed her forehead.
"Do you want me to come watch Mark?" Callie asked curiously.
"No you go back to sleep." Mark told her before he opened the door to the on call room.
"I'm always sleeping." Callie grumbled. She was really starting to hate how she was always sleeping now that she was pregnant. She was only dimly aware of Mark leaving the room as sleep was overcoming her again.
Mark laughed when her heard her last comment. He knew how much her exhaustion was getting on her nerves. Now it was time for him to switch gears and go make a baby's life so much better. He met up with Addison and Derek in the scrub room and he could tell that something was different between the two of them. He couldn't put his finger on it though. He would figure it out after they finished Chloe's surgery. A baby's surgery was much more important than trying to figure out what was going on between his two oldest friends.