What a Catch

Chapter 15: Breaking The Girl

Chapter 15: Breaking the Girl
Twisting and turning
Your feelings are burning
You're breaking the girl

"What do you think about throwing a surprise party for Brooklyn's birthday?" Lexie looked up to Mark as she was rested against his chest while they watched tv.

"Do you remember the last time you threw a surprise party?" Mark looked at her with a small chuckle.

"For who? Arizona?" Lexie thought back. "That was like 18 years ago."

"Yes Arizona. As I recall she walked in and started crying."

"In my defense, she had just lost a ten year old patient she'd been treating for years. I don't think Brooklyn is as emotionally unstable."

"That's probably true but she said she didn't want a party or anything. Brooklyn doesn't really seem like the partying type. She's more of a homebody. She's more like... you."

"At least we've got that going. I still feel like I need to lock her in the coat closet and not let her out until she's like 30 even though I know she's not sneaking out and going to wild parties."

"I see where you're coming from but I'm pretty sure that's quite a few kinds of illegal."

"Yeah probably. I mean I'd feed her and take her out on walks."
"She's not a puppy, Lex. Brooklyn needs a little more activity than that."

"What do I need?" Brooklyn asked as she walked into the room.

"Regular walks and feeding." Mark stated as he looked up to the teen.

Brooklyn arched her eyebrow.
"What am I? A puppy?"

"That's what I said." Mark replied.

"I can't believe you're going to be 16." Lexie let out a reminiscent sigh as she looked to the . "Where did my little girl go?"

"She grew up. As kids tend to do."

"Yeah well this one's not allowed to grow up." Lexie stated as she ran her hand across her stomach that seemed to grow more everyday. She felt small movements under the surface. Lexie smiled, "He's getting stronger which means we're about to reach the "I'm never sleeping again stage.'"

"I'm sure that's a fun stage." Mark replied.

"It's a blast. Three months of no sleep before the baby. Hopefully he's like Brooklyn and sleeps almost through the night from the day we bring him home."

"If he doesn't, do I get to remain the favorite? Or does he automatically come to the top because he's a baby and way cuter than me?" Brooklyn asked.

"I'm not picking favorites, Brooklyn." Lexie assured.

"Okay. Sure." Brooklyn gave a slow nod. "Can we get a puppy though?"

"A puppy and a baby. No thank you."

"What if it's not a puppy? What if it's like a fully grown, house trained, crate trained, leash trained dog? Can we get one of those?"

"That I might think about. Why the sudden interest in a dog?"

"You mentioned it. I've always kind of wanted one... so it's not really a sudden interest. My birthday's coming up." Brooklyn hinted. "Like I don't want a car I just want a puppy. Pleaseeeee. I've never had more than a fish."

Mark turned around. "You never got the poor girl a pet?"

Lexie shrugged and hung her head down. "Well, I was a resident at first. And then it was just me and Brooklyn and she wasn't old enough to take care of a dog and I was busy. And then all of this crap happened. And like I said, she never asked. What kind of dog would you want?"