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𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠
ꜱᴏɴɢ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ
𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 - 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜
When Mallory Shepherd woke up on Carter's first birthday, she was hit by a wave of emotions. She felt as if the last year had blown by before her eyes as she watched her son go from a newborn baby to a toddler that was bursting with energy.
One of the hardest lessons as a doctor is learning to prioritize.
She made sure to wake up earlier than they normally did, but when she got out of bed, she didn't manage to do so without waking up her husband. The shift in the bed made Alex Karev sit up, rubbing his eyes as he glanced around.
"Huh?" Alex groggily questioned. "What time is it?"
"It's five in the morning," Mallory answered as tears started to well up in her eyes. "Don't you know what day it is?"
"Of course I know what day it is," Alex retorted as he fully opened his eyes, and it was then that he noticed the tears as they began to stream down his wife's face. "What's wrong? Are you crying?"
"Our baby is one today. It's already been a year since we had him," Mallory managed to say through tears. "Can you believe it?"
Alex nodded slowly as he replied. "That's part of having kids, Mal. They have to grow up."
"Oh, my God. Are you really gonna be heartless at a time like this?" Mallory's eyes went wide as she exclaimed. "You're not even gonna shed a tear?"
We're trained to do all we can to save life and limb.
All Alex could do was chuckle as he placed a kiss on his wife's forehead and insisted. "I am not heartless. Sure, it's bittersweet that it's already been a year. But he sleeps through the night, he's starting to talk—"
"Think about when he didn't do those things," Mallory pointed out as she started to sob. "He used to be so small."
"Come here," Alex embraced her in a hug, knowing that with first birthdays, typically first-time mothers got very emotional. "Would it make you feel better if I let you wake up Carter while I get a start on breakfast?"
With narrowed eyes, Mallory inquired. "You promise not to burn the pancakes?"
"I swear, I will not burn the pancakes," Alex answered with a shake of his head. "That was one time."
While Alex got started on breakfast, Mallory went into the nursery to wake up Carter and get him dressed in a birthday outfit. After she had him dressed, she brought him out to the kitchen, parading him around with a smile.
