·˚ ༘ ┊͙[magnetic hearts and souls] ! ˊˎ
in which the brain surgeon and the heart surgeon are like magnets, their hearts being pulled together slowly. 𝘢𝘯𝘥 in which the brain surgeon and the heart surgeon have been through it all, but n...
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lxxiii. a shirtless atlas and alex 6.08
"Who's this little one?" Atlas cooed as he stepped closer to Alex, the resident had paged Atlas in concern to a baby who had just been born a couple hours ago.
"Hannah Parker. She's got a tumour throughout her heart. It wasn't ever treated in utero, and now she's dying." Alex explained as he handed Atlas the chart.
Atlas made an awe sound. He had worked on baby's and children more often than he liked. "Films?"
Alex handed him the films. "Her heart rate has been dropping. She went below 60, we did managed to bring it back up. But now she seems to be going back down."
Atlas hummed and reached forward to take the breathing mask off the baby. "Come here," Atlas whispered as he picked up the baby who wasn't too much bigger than both his hands put together.
"What are you doing?" Alex asked confused, he had been on peds for a long time, but never once had he seen Atlas come into the nicu and hold a baby. In fact, he had never seen anyone hold a dying baby.
"She needs to be held. She's alone, she needs someone to hold her." Atlas explained briefly as he shuffled away from the incubator and towards one of the many rocking chairs.
Alex Karev watched with a glint of something in his eyes. With one more glance at Atlas, he moved towards the baby he and Arizona had delivered early that morning.
He slipped his hand underneath the baby gently and held her. "Hey there, girl. I got you. Yeah." His words were so soft and kind that even Atlas was taken back — Atlas had only seen kind and compassionate Alex a few times.
"It's okay. You're not alone. No, you're not." Alex held the baby to his chest. "You're not alone."
Alex has been holding the baby girl in his arms for awhile, he wasn't even sure how much time had pasted when his former resident entered the nicu.
"Oh. Is that the preemie?" Miranda questioned as stepped closer to Alex. Her face was twisted in confusion, not really expecting Alex to have picked up the baby bundled in pink.
Alex looked down to the baby cradled in his arms. "Oh, yeah." He nodded. "I was just, uh... well, I tried everything — and Sunny over there did it first!" He whisper shouted, more in a fear that he could get into trouble for picking up the baby, he knew damn well that Bailey could end up giving him shit.
She wasn't going too, instead she smiled. "Kangaroo. The way you're holding the baby, it's called a kangaroo hold."
Alex nodded, "Atlas mentioned a kangaroo hold."
"There's been cases where the kangaroo helped the baby's thrive. But Karev, look at the numbers." Bailey pointed to the monitor, showing Alex that the baby's numbers had increased.
Alex chuckled, "Heart rates going up."
"Yeah, it is, and her temperature is normal. Karev, you may have just kick-started this baby's entire system." Bailey smiled at the man.
Then she turned towards Atlas, who was still rocking the baby he had picked up. "How's yours doing?"
"Improving slightly." Atlas briefly informed as he went back to rocking the Hannah.
"Take off your shirt. Both of you." Bailey commanded.
"What? No. Take off your shirt." Alex instantly shot back.
"Bails, I'm flattered." Atlas grinned.
"Just — the kangaroo hold, it's most effective when there's skin-on-skin contact. It's usually the mom, but, you know, you two are gonna have to do." Bailey shrugged as she explained in a short way how the kangaroo worked. More so explaining that it worked best when shirtless.
When neither Alex or Atlas ( Atlas was internally screaming, never once would he have thought to hear Miranda Bailey ask for someone to take their shirt off ) didn't start to take off their shirts, she got a little more demanding, if that's what you'd like to call it. "I'm not kidding. Take off your shirt!"
Alex looked down at the baby cradled in his hands, he sighed deeply. He gently placed the baby back into its incubator before he shrugged off his shirt and lazily threw it to the floor.
Bailey have a thumbs up before she turned to Atlas, who had still not taken off his shirt like she asked. "Your turn."
"Bails." Atlas groaned.
"Nope, shirt off now." Her tone was snappy and it made Atlas slightly scared.
When he didn't move, being stubborn, Bailey started him down. The look in her eyes made Atlas stand up and hand her the baby, before he too shrugged of his shirt and pink gown and took the baby back.
╚═ ☆ ═╝
It was awhile later when Derek showed up, his scrubs were changed and he now wore what he had shown up to work in that morning. He grinned wildly when he spotted the two shirtless men in rocking chairs. "Look at you two."
"Don't even." Atlas snarked as looked looked up at Derek sleepily.
Derek chuckled quietly and moved towards one of the rolly stools not to far from the rocking chair. He sat down and rolled himself towards Atlas. "What's her name?" He nodded his head towards the little girl sleeping peacefully in his soon-to-be-husbands arms.
"Hannah Parker. She's got a heart tumour that wasn't treated, and now she's dying." Atlas frowned.
"She was never treated? At all?" Derek asked, he was having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that the baby Atlas was holding, could have been treated but wasn't.
Atlas sighed, "No."
"Oh."
"Who's your best man?" Atlas questioned as he tried to lighten the mood.
"Mark." Derek replied quickly, without any hesitation — Atlas knew deep down that Mark would have been his answer, the two were practically brothers who just fought every once and awhile.
"And have you asked Bailey?" Derek let a small smirk twist on his lips, he knew for a fact that Atlas was to scared to ask Bailey to be his bridesman, bestman?
"Soon, okay, soon."
"Whatever you say, love." Derek only smiled as he leaned his head on Atlas shoulder.
