𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹𝘀, 𝐝.𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐝

xlvii. forgetting something

xlvii. forgetting something
4.04

There was something Atlas was forgetting. He knew the second he stepped out the front door, that he had forgotten something. He wasn't sure if it was something like leaving his id on the counter, if he put his pants in the washer this morning, or if he turned the stove off. And then it dawned on him. He now knew what he was missing.

Atlas turned around quickly and threw the door opened, there stood Derek with Star in his arms. The five month old, with her blond hair pulled into pigtails, was making gurgling noises as she poked her tongue out at Derek. Her small hands reached out and grasped into his shirt, in a attempt to pull herself closer to the man. It seems as if the baby ( toddler? ) had no problem adjusting to Derek and Atlas now.

But last night was a whole different story. Atlas had ran, literally, leaving Starlee in Dereks hold, to sneak into his moms house so he could grab a pop-up-crib. By the time he had gotten back with the pop-up-crib ( Grace had left them a diaper bag with everything they could need for a few nights, besides a crib ) Starlee was crying and wanting nothing more than to keep her guardians up. Every time Atlas would try and give the baby a bottle, she would throw it to the floor — or in one situation throwing it at Dereks face. Derek had tried to give the baby a pacifier, only for Star to spit it out, or rip it from between her lips and throw it to her guardians. It seemed as if her whole goal was to keep them up, not allowing the doctors to sleep. That was until she saw a worn out teddy bear wrapped in a shirt — it was a teddy bear from Atlas childhood, wrapped in a shirt Derek had left over and forgot about. Her hands reached out for the bear that night and she cried until Atlas handed it to her. The second she held the bear her cries stopped and it was like she was never upset with something in the first place.

Starlee squirmed in Dereks arms and reached out for Atlas, who scooped the girl into his arms. "Hi sweetheart!" Atlas cooed as the little girl smiled.

"I need to shower before we go in. You gonna leave now or wait?" Derek asked as he stuffed some things into the diaper bag, his smiled was contagious and Atlas took one glance before he smiled too.

Atlas nodded. "I'll wait." Atlas felt as if the little girl in his arms had always been his. "All your aunts and uncles need to meet you, huh? Isn't that right?"

╚═ ☆ ═╝

"Atlas Lee-Sunny! Derek Shepherd! You two kidnapped a baby?!" Bailey yelled at the two adults who entered the hospital, it was just at a lucky time that Miranda Bailey and her group of interns were standing by the entrance.

"What?! No!" Atlas was quick to send a look to his best friend. "Why would you think that?"

Bailey walked up to Atlas and Derek, "Oh you two better not be lying." She squinted her eyes at the man holding the baby — at Atlas.

Atlas would have raised his hands and shook them widely if it wasn't for the little girl in his arms. His soon to be little girl. "We are not, Bails, promise."

╚═ ☆ ═╝

"And if you sign here, then everything is set and done." Atlas and Derek signed the sheets of paper, Grace and the lawyers around smiled. "And you two are now the legal guardian of Starlee."

╚═ ☆ ═╝

Atlas is walking by a room where a doctor inside is calling for help. Atlas hurried towards the call and entered a patient room where Camille Travis, the chiefs niece was lying unconscious.

"Oh, thank god. Somebody I know. Will somebody please make sure they page my husband?" Adele, Richard Webbers wife looked at Atlas in panic.

"Of course." He tenured to the door where Alex and Izzie were standing. "Stevens, find the chief. Karev, come help." Alex rushed over and Izzie rushed off.

Atlas turned to the doctor who was standing with medical supplies in his hands. "Camille Travis, eighteen, I tried intubating three times." The doctor told Atlas.

"There's some kind of obstruction." Atlas noted as he tried to intubate.

"My baby can't breathe." Camille's mother cried.

"Sats staying down. They're at 82%." Alex pointe out.

A deep sigh left Atlas lips. "She needs a surgical airway. Somebody get me a crike tray." Atlas demanded, he was not going to just stop trying.

"How many emergency crikes have you done?"

"More than you, Karev." Atlas sneered.

The doctor Atlas didn't know the name of looked up worriedly. "Pulse is getting weaker."

"What are you doing?" Adele worried.

"Trying to help her breathe." Atlas answered softly, as he placed the scalpel at the girls throat.

"He just slit her throat!" Camille's mother panicked.

"Suction. I need suction. Get the retractors in." Atlas ordered Alex who stood by him and assisted.

"There's so much blood. You didn't hit an artery, did you?" Alex questioned.

"No." Atlas sighed. Oh no. Karev was right, there was a lot of blood.

"Oh, god. Oh, god."

"Get me that tube."

"Oh, god."

"Sats are going up."

"We did it."  Atlas turned to the girls mother and aunt. "She's okay."

Richard and Izzie enter the room.

"Oh, Richard!"

╚═ ☆ ═╝

Atlas sat at the edge of Camille's bed. She was lying down, recovering from her surgery and the tests they all had done.

"Your CT results showed that not only is the cancer back, it's spread to your chest, lungs and throat." It was sad, heartbreaking, but Atlas was a kick ass surgeon and he could operate, if the eighteen-year-old wanted it. "We have options, though. We can operate. We can be even more aggressive with the chemo and radiation."

"I just want to go home." Camille let out a breath sadly.

"We could try to treat you at home, but, Camille, you — this..." Atlas trailed off, he wanted her to comfortable and he knew what this meant, but he was going to ask anyways.

"No, you don't understand. I don't want any treatment."

"I understand." Atlas nodded. "Your ready."

Camille smiled sadly. "I'm dying. Everyone knows that. I don't want to spend what little time I have left in this hospital. I want to spend time with my friends. I want to sleep in my own bed, and I want to be home. So please don't be my doctor right now. Just let me go home."

"As your doctor, I promise to do whatever you want."

"I just want to go home."

"Then I'll get you home."