Code Blue

~ Chapter 55 ~

Welcome back!
It's surgery day...

Chapter 55
Wednesday November 22nd
Mallory's POV

"Guess what I'm doing today?" I practically oozed with excitement as I asked my brother the leading question. I tore my eyes away from baby Otis, who was sleeping soundly in his incubator hooked up to different wirings and machinery still, to look at my older sibling.

"What?" Noah asked in return.

"I said guess" I stared at him, forcing him to make one, irritating him in true younger sibling fashion. He playfully rolled his eyes at me and I chuckled, waiting anxiously to tell him the amazing news.

"Hmm you're scrubbing in on a surgery?" Noah quirked an eyebrow, opting for the most obvious choice.

"Yes! But not just any surgery" I quickly clarified with enthusiasm, lighting up at just the thought of the career opportunity I'd be getting today. It was quite ironic, I never thought that Harry of all attendings here would be the one to provide me with such an experience, but that just shows how much things can change in 3 months. "I was the chosen intern to scrub in on a once in a lifetime case that's never been attempted before using regenerative medicine!"

Noah immediately went into a state of surprise, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping open. Within seconds, he managed to escape his finger from the grip of Otis' hand and rush around to the other side of the bed, throwing his arms around me in complete joy. He squeezed me until I was practically begging him to let go so that I could breathe, but I could feel his joy for me by his reaction.

"Mallory that's amazing!" Noah gasped, finally letting go of me and stepping back to show me his wide smile. "I'm so proud of you"

"Thank you" I grinned, really feeling his pride towards me. That's one of my favorite things about having Noah as an older brother, I've never felt thrown to the side by him. Growing up, my parents were never people I would run to when good things happen. Although when I was younger, I did, but as I got older and realized they didn't care as much as Noah did, I turned to him with everything.

He never made me feel small like my parents did. Even if I ran to him boasting about how I did the monkey bars all by myself at school or was picked to be line leader for the day, he always acted like that was the best news that he ever heard in his life.

I never had to question whether he cared about me or not.

"I told you, you could do it" Noah said knowingly, referring to all the times I sat and debated whether I was truly cut out for life as a surgeon. It's not surprising that I felt like a failure at times during medical school after hearing my father drill it into my head that I wasn't smart enough, I wasn't intelligent as Noah was, or that I would never amount to anything my entire life.

I was constantly compared to Noah and it led to me questioning my own abilities as I had highs and lows during my education. There were many times that I would cry on the phone to him wondering if I had what it took to make it through those grueling years, struggling to keep going when my father's words were always in the back of my mind.

I thought that eventually after I called too many times he would stop answering the phone, but just like always, Noah was always there. Even on late nights with a newborn fussing in the background or early mornings on his way to work, he never missed a single call. He was always counteracting my parent's words, assuring me that I had what it took to graduate and start residency. He never let me believe that what they were saying was true, and that he would be there to cheer me on and tell me he was proud on days when I was making it.