"Well, I was more like thinking about going to the animal shelter to get a puppy." Amber gave her mother a sweet and childish smile, trying to get her to agree. Natalie never wanted a pet in the house. Not even a fish. She knew she was going to end up being the one taking care of it.
But Amber also knew that there was no way she would say no to her. She was taking advantage of the situation. And she didn't even feel bad about it, after everything she had been through. A puppy was the least she deserved.
"A puppy?" Natalie asked, hoping she had heard wrong.
"A puppy." Amber confirmed.
"Amber-"
"Please mommy, I promise to take care of it." Amber interrupted her and gave her the sweetest voice she could. Amber was not even close to being that type of person. She was sweet, but she didn't act like it. Not the girly kind of voice or the attitude. She always wanted to be more like Natalie. And Natalie wanted her to be nothing like her. She only wanted her to be able to stand up for herself, the way Natalie could. And that's about it.
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The visit to the animal shelter was long. Amber wanted every animal she could see. Every single one of them. And Natalie was freaking out on the inside, about the state her house was going to be soon. She liked animals but not inside her house.
And then Amber came across a puppy. A female golden retriever. And she didn't need more searching. She already had a name picked out for her. Mulan. Like her favourite Disney Princess.
But to say that Natalie was not handling it well would be an understatement. "No, don't eat that. Bad dog." The next morning Natalie was trying to get ready for work and prepare breakfast for Amber. And feed the puppy which wouldn't stop chewing on everything she saw in front of her. She was a little more energetic for Natalie's liking. Because she wasn't energetic at all. "Amber, I swear-" She started yelling and Amber ran downstairs.
"She's little mom, she will learn." She petted the dog.
"We could have gotten a cat." Natalie complained.
"How dare you, she can hear you."
"Don't do that." Natalie warned her. "I am too tired for that. I only slept an hour. How am I supposed to go back to work like that?"
"You didn't sleep again?" Amber asked worried.
"Don't worry, tonight I will sleep like the dead."
"Maybe if you slowed down with the coffee." Amber pointed out. She had counted the cups of coffee her mother had drank in the last hour. Three. And she was sure she would be getting more at work.
"Coffee is the only thing that keeps me going right now." Natalie took one last sip and got up from the chair. She put her shoes on in a hurry.
"Can I try?"
"No." It was a long shot. "Come on. I'll be late. And you're already late." She opened the front door and waited for Amber to take her stuff.
"Okay, okay. Bye Mulan." She gave the puppy a kiss. "I'll see you later. Please don't ruin the house. Mom will kill you and then she will kick me out."
"Not arguing with that."
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"What are the double S brothers gossiping about this time? Is it Derek Shepherd's messy love life with the nurse? Or is it Dr. Sloan's adventure with a nurse." Natalie caught up with the two doctors once she spotted them at the lobby.
She wasn't sure how she was supposed to act in front of Mark but she hoped that it wouldn't be awkward because she couldn't do awkward.
"And here I thought I wouldn't have to hear your annoying accent ever again." Derek mocked her but still smiled, happy to see her.
"Screw you." Natalie exclaimed and then turned to look at Mark, who was already looking at her. A mix of emotions in his eyes. "Hi." She smiled.
"Welcome back Turner." And she was thankful that he wasn't being awkward. Because she wouldn't be able to handle it.
"I honestly didn't think you were going to show up." Derek changed the subject when they stared at each other a little too long.
"Why not?" Natalie questioned as they started walking towards the nurse's station.
"Didn't you hear? We got a brand new rank as a teaching hospital." Derek said annoyed. No one likes the new number their hospital was at.
"Are we number 2?" Natalie asked hopeful.
"Close enough." Mark told her. "12."
"12? What? 12?" Natalie remarked. "God, I need to improve my teaching skills. I am freshen up and ready to work. I am going to get the hospital back to its glory."
"You don't look freshen up. You look pale and very tired." Derek pointed out, wondering what was up with her.
"Jeez, thanks Derek. I thought we were friends." Natalie glared at him.
"You still look beautiful tho." Mark added and Natalie gave him a side glance while Derek rolled his eyes at both of them.
"I couldn't sleep last night. I got a puppy for Amber and it didn't stop fussing around the house all night." Natalie decided to ignore Mark's statement. "But okay, 12? It's humiliating. Twelve. You're the best neurosurgeon in the country."
"Thank you." Derek told her.
"You do not have anything nice to say about me?" Mark asked after a small pause.
"You're the best plastics guy at Seattle Grace." Derek mocked him.
"Nice, really nice." Mark made a face and turned to look at Natalie as Derek was taking some charts from a nurse.
"Do not force me to praise you." Natalie told him.
"I'd praise you." Mark mumbled but the conversation quieted down as Rose came up to them.
"Hey, Rose." Derek said when he noticed her.
"Hello, Dr. Sloan. Dr. Turner good to see you again." But Rose completely ignored him.
"Hi." Natalie sent her a forced smile and turned to look at Derek once she was gone. "What was that about?"
"He broke it off with her. He's with Meredith." Mark informed her.
"Of course, you're caught up in the middle of another love triangle." Natalie rolled her eyes at him.
"She took it well at the beginning. I was hoping we could be civilised. She's working in my O.R." Derek said.
"Civilised is out. It's gone, it's a trail of fairy dust. Now she's got delayed rage." Mark warned his friend about what is coming next.
"Delayed rage?" Derek wondered .
"She was being big before, putting on a brave face. Now she's had time to think. Now she hates your guts. You have to break up with her." Natalie added, continuing Mark's thoughts.