Namesake | PG13 | Grey's Anatomy
Title: Namesake
Prompt: Something with Bailey
Fandom: Bailey, Grey's Anatomy
Requested by: Emma
Rating: PG13
Word Count: 664
Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish they were. Please don't sue.
Author's Note: Writing something Bailey-centric is not an easy task and after much thought, I came up with this idea. In preparing myself for the upcoming season premiere of Grey's, I tried to consider what Bailey's reaction to George's death might be. I hope I managed to do an okay job (and actually managed to convey some sort of emotion!). Let me know what you think!
-
Miranda Bailey stood at the entrance of her bedroom, her arms folded across her chest as she watched her son sleep in the center of her large queen-sized bed. It made her smile to see him there, where she’d tucked him in several hours before. Though the separation hadn't meant a change in her living arrangements, Miranda felt unsettled by sleeping alone in an empty bed. It was just as well that Tuck could sense the change in atmosphere in their small apartment and had wanted to stay close to his mother. Bailey preferred to keep him close. She needed it that way, especially now.
The glow of the moon filtered through her sheer brown curtains, casting a filmy light across the slumbering toddler's body. His tiny balled fist was tucked under his chin, his pouty lips opened to emit a soft whir of breath. Bailey smiled and wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hand before climbing into bed. She was careful in positioning her body so as to not jar him from his sleep.
Propping herself up on her arm, she stroked her fingers through his soft, dark curls and then traced her index finger over the shell of his ear. His back rose and fell in a slow cadence, his breath etching softly across the sheets.
"I wish I could sleep as well as you do, baby boy," she whispered, running her thumb over his cheek. "Mama's havin' a rough time right now." She could feel her throat begin to burn and her eyes sting at the onslaught of fresh tears.
She took a deep breath and blinked several times, staring at the window, at the moon. She wasn't sure why she was having such a difficult time holding it together; she'd been able to retain a decent semblance of composure since he died. She didn't cry often and when she did, she felt the sadness in the very depths of her bones.
The reality was settling in and she didn't like it. She didn't like it one bit.
"One of my interns…" She paused to lick her lips."He, uh, passed away yesterday and Mama's pretty torn up about it. He helped you come into the world, y'know. We might not've made it without him."
Tuck breathed steadily beside her as he slept.
"One day, baby boy, you're gonna grow up into a big, strong man. And when you do, I hope you'll be like him. That boy had a complicated lil' head on his shoulders and was always trying too damn hard to get things perfect…and don't even get me started on the syphilis…but he was kind and he was good. He was brave. He was a person who cared about others, about the details. You don't get people like that anymore. We were robbed when he died. That boy had a bright future ahead of him."
She covered her eyes with her hand when the tears she had kept at bay began to escape her clenched eyelids. They hurt; the tears felt as though they were coming from the very core of her being. They burned. They stung her cheeks and felt like wet razors dragging along her skin.
"He died a hero. All he wanted from his life was to save other people and he died doing just that." A painful sob wracked her body and she stifled her wail with her fist. She could feel the hot spasms radiating from her belly and permeating the entirety of her body. "Tuck, if you live up to any aspect of your namesake, I hope you learn his selflessness. I hope you learn to be good. Make Mama proud."
Bailey kissed the top of his head before she leaned back against her pillow, not wanting to waken Tuck with her uncontrollable crying. She felt something in her heart shatter when the reality shone in neon lights in her head. George O'Malley was dead. He was never coming back.
---
Prompt: Something with Bailey
Fandom: Bailey, Grey's Anatomy
Requested by: Emma
Rating: PG13
Word Count: 664
Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish they were. Please don't sue.
Author's Note: Writing something Bailey-centric is not an easy task and after much thought, I came up with this idea. In preparing myself for the upcoming season premiere of Grey's, I tried to consider what Bailey's reaction to George's death might be. I hope I managed to do an okay job (and actually managed to convey some sort of emotion!). Let me know what you think!
-
Miranda Bailey stood at the entrance of her bedroom, her arms folded across her chest as she watched her son sleep in the center of her large queen-sized bed. It made her smile to see him there, where she’d tucked him in several hours before. Though the separation hadn't meant a change in her living arrangements, Miranda felt unsettled by sleeping alone in an empty bed. It was just as well that Tuck could sense the change in atmosphere in their small apartment and had wanted to stay close to his mother. Bailey preferred to keep him close. She needed it that way, especially now.
The glow of the moon filtered through her sheer brown curtains, casting a filmy light across the slumbering toddler's body. His tiny balled fist was tucked under his chin, his pouty lips opened to emit a soft whir of breath. Bailey smiled and wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hand before climbing into bed. She was careful in positioning her body so as to not jar him from his sleep.
Propping herself up on her arm, she stroked her fingers through his soft, dark curls and then traced her index finger over the shell of his ear. His back rose and fell in a slow cadence, his breath etching softly across the sheets.
"I wish I could sleep as well as you do, baby boy," she whispered, running her thumb over his cheek. "Mama's havin' a rough time right now." She could feel her throat begin to burn and her eyes sting at the onslaught of fresh tears.
She took a deep breath and blinked several times, staring at the window, at the moon. She wasn't sure why she was having such a difficult time holding it together; she'd been able to retain a decent semblance of composure since he died. She didn't cry often and when she did, she felt the sadness in the very depths of her bones.
The reality was settling in and she didn't like it. She didn't like it one bit.
"One of my interns…" She paused to lick her lips."He, uh, passed away yesterday and Mama's pretty torn up about it. He helped you come into the world, y'know. We might not've made it without him."
Tuck breathed steadily beside her as he slept.
"One day, baby boy, you're gonna grow up into a big, strong man. And when you do, I hope you'll be like him. That boy had a complicated lil' head on his shoulders and was always trying too damn hard to get things perfect…and don't even get me started on the syphilis…but he was kind and he was good. He was brave. He was a person who cared about others, about the details. You don't get people like that anymore. We were robbed when he died. That boy had a bright future ahead of him."
She covered her eyes with her hand when the tears she had kept at bay began to escape her clenched eyelids. They hurt; the tears felt as though they were coming from the very core of her being. They burned. They stung her cheeks and felt like wet razors dragging along her skin.
"He died a hero. All he wanted from his life was to save other people and he died doing just that." A painful sob wracked her body and she stifled her wail with her fist. She could feel the hot spasms radiating from her belly and permeating the entirety of her body. "Tuck, if you live up to any aspect of your namesake, I hope you learn his selflessness. I hope you learn to be good. Make Mama proud."
Bailey kissed the top of his head before she leaned back against her pillow, not wanting to waken Tuck with her uncontrollable crying. She felt something in her heart shatter when the reality shone in neon lights in her head. George O'Malley was dead. He was never coming back.
---