What a Catch

Chapter 16: Walk in the Rain

Chapter 16: Walk in the Rain

  And the music is soft
And the voice it is hushed
And the boy he has loved
And the man he has lost  

Brooklyn sat quietly in the corner of the room as they prepped Lexie for surgery. She hadn't said more the two words since she was told the plan of action. The teen was still trying to wrap her mind around the situation. So she remained unmoved and unspoken through the situation. About an hour later, Lexie was taken to the OR. "Do you want to come?" Mark asked as he walked out. Brooklyn shook her head no and continued to sit.

Sometime later, Arizona was passing by the room to see Brooklyn with her knees to her chest and staring at the wall. "Brooklyn? What are you doing here?" Brooklyn looked up but didn't speak. Arizona furrowed her brow and pulled a chair next to her. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I'm becoming a big sister today." Brooklyn stated quietly. "16 weeks early."

"You... Oh, sweetie I'm sorry." Arizona's face softened. There was a beat of silence before she spoke next. "I've seen a lot of preemie's make it. It's a long road, and it isn't easy but it isn't a lost cause."

"But... what if doesn't make it... What if he dies?" Brooklyn looked down. "I saw what my mom was like after almost losing me. I can't bare to see her like that again. She was a wreck."

"Come here." Arizona motioned as she stood up. "I have something I want to show you." Reluctantly, Brooklyn got up and followed Arizona to just outside of the NICU. She stopped in front of a board with picture of a bunch of kids hanging on it. "These kids... they are the broken ones. They're the one's who made it. Zoe. She was born at 26 weeks with a heart defect. Her odds were about 40 percent. She's three now. Ethan and Carter. Born at 22 weeks. They just took their first steps. The point is- the odds aren't always in our favor, but that doesn't mean we can stop trying. These babies are small. We have to fight for them. You have to fight for your brother. We're going to take care of him, okay?" Arizona comforted. "Sofia was born at 23 weeks."

"She was? I didn't know that."

"She was. Callie and I were in an accident. We thought we were going to lose both of them but we didn't. So don't give up."

Brooklyn nodded as she took the board in. All of the kids that made it. Even with that, she knew some still didn't but at least she had some hope now. Turning around, he saw Mark walking down the hallway. "How-how are they?"

"He's tiny. 1.2 pounds. They're going to bring him down now." Mark replied. "He's stable though. He looks pretty good for his size."

"And mom?"

"She's good too. They just took her to recovery. You'll be able to see her in a few hours. She'll probably be able to go home in a couple of days."

After a few hours of waiting, Lexie was out of recovery and back to her room and the baby was moved into the NICU and they were finally able to meet him. "Listen, he's going to be really tiny. I know you've seen a preemie before but it's going to different being that this is your brother." Addison relayed to the teen as they put on their gowns. "There's a lot of tubes and wires so be gentle."

"I know. I know. Can we just go in now?" Brooklyn asked eagerly. Walking into the room, Addison directed Brooklyn to the incubator. Brooklyn stopped dead in her tracks, seeing the tiny baby before her. She looked at the incubator, puzzled as to what to do or say in the situation so she stood motionless for a moment before taking a step closer. "He's so... tiny..." The girl muttered. "I can touch him can't I?"

Addison nodded and opened the incubator. "Be my guest. I'll give you minute. Just remember to be gentle."

Brooklyn pulled over a stool and sat down. Gently, she grabbed the baby's hand and wrapped it around her finger, slowly stroking it. "Hey, Little Munchkin. It's your big sis, Brooklyn. God you're so tiny. You're gonna be okay, alright? We're all fighting for you. All you have to do is stay alive little buddy. Okay? Because Mom's fighting for you. And so is Mark, or Dad, I guess you'll probably call him Dad. That's a complicated situation. I'll tell you that story some other time. But it doesn't matter because we all love you. So you can't die, okay? You have to be okay because I- I wanna see you grow up. You've got a long life left. You can do it. Just... stay with me. For me. And for Mom. Especially for Mom. I hate seeing her cry. And-and losing you- that would kill her. I saw what happens when she sees one of her kids broken. Another story for another time. Anyway, she wouldn't make it. And she'd try to hide it but it wouldn't matter because, I'll let you in on a little secret, Mom... she's a horrible liar." Brooklyn laughed a little and wiped the few tears that began to stain her cheeks. "Alright, that's enough for today. Let's do this again tomorrow... I've got a bunch to catch you up on." Brooklyn smiled and shut the incubator gently and walked back out to Addison.