You Promised | Mark Sloan ✓

76┃parenting 101

3 DAYS OLD

NORAH HAD KAI WRAPPED in a blanket and was now in Lexie's arms while the younger resident cooed him. "He looks bigger," she pointed out. "I mean, he's only a few days old, but... he looks bigger."

"He's a newborn. He eats, he sleeps, he poops," Cristina stated bluntly while she helped pack the things in the hospital room into a bag. Norah and Lexie furrowed their brows at her before she added softly, "But he does look bigger."

There were several soft raps of knocks on the door, a little too loud since Timothy was far from excited. Kai started fussing in Lexie's arms, and she sent a wide-eyed look to Norah.

"Oops?" Timothy smiled as he walked up to them. "How's my favourite nephew doing?"

"He's your only nephew, Tim," Norah quirked a brow at his smirking face as he lifted Kai from Lexie's arms; the latter had a lingering look at him that the older resident caught.

"For now," Timothy winked while he cradled the newborn in his arms.

"Where's Mark?" Cristina queried.

"Handling discharge," Norah replied while passing a pillow to her. "And probably stealing NICU blankets..." she narrowed her eyes at her brother, "He seemed to have a list."

"I might or might not have given him a list of items to-er-borrow-but-not-return from the hospital," Timothy admitted guiltily. "But hey, the rash creams here are good."

"Well, he'd probably come back with..." she trailed off, raising a brow at Mark, who had just entered the room with a large bag over his shoulder, "...that. Mark, what did you steal?"

"I didn't steal them. The nurses love you, and him, so here's a bit of everything," he informed, holding up a stuffed elephant with a wide grin on his face. "This is from Uncle Derek and Aunt Mer, and Karev got him a whale from the gift shop... How's my little man?"

Timothy passed Kai over, and Norah grinned at the sight of the little boy in the arms of Mark's tall figure. "Ready to go home, Laurie?"

"Oh, hell yes. Time to bring our little boy home."

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2 WEEKS OLD

"HEY THERE, LITTLE MAN," Mark grinned, picking Kai up from the bassinet; the smile on his face was radiant. "Are you hungry?" he cooed in a baby voice. "Aw, you're so cute."

"Mark, pass him to me," Norah spoke from the bed, raising a brow at him.

"Hmph, but I don't wanna let you off my arms," he murmured while lulling Kai in his arms, "Shhh..."

He walked over to her, where she had stacked up several issues of medical journals on the nightstand; the ticking clock had long disappeared. Her frown softened when she saw the awestricken look on his face.

"Mark, he's hungry," she stared at him while he cooed their baby.

"I know," he mumbled, sitting down next to her on the bed.

"He's literally crying."

"I know, Laurie, but he's too adorable!"

Norah mentally face-palmed herself while their kid fussed in his arms. "Alright, hand Kai over right now. He needs to eat!"

With a pout on his face, Mark passed their child over. She tried to roll her eyes at him, but his face was just too precious for her to do so.

"Can I not go to the hospital today?" he asked sheepishly. "I mean, technically, I'm still on leave..."