Misunderstanding

Disclaimer: I am not Shonda Rhimes. Or ABC. So sad.

Rating: T

Summary: MT established relationship. A misunderstanding makes Teddy run and reenlist.

Sara betaed this one!

I totally fail at posting. I'm sorry! I've been busy with school but I'll be done with the semester in a month and I'll be writing more. Yay! Enjoy

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Flashback After a week of his girlfriend avoiding him, he went to her house to confront her. He found her packing...packing a lot

"What are you doing?" he asked, getting concerned.

"I'm packing," she replied as if it were obvious.

"Why? Where are you going?" Now he was starting to panic.

"Afghanistan," she replied, not stopping her packing, "I reenlisted for six months."

"Why? Why didn't you talk to me about this?"

"I need some space Mark," she looked up at him, not showing how she was really feeling.

He moved closer to her, "I have no idea what is going on, Teddy. Talk to me."

"You need to leave and you do know what is going on," she replied quietly, "Please go, now."

He tried again and she yelled at him, threatening to throw things at him. Mark left, still confused as to why she would reenlist without talking to him about it.

He didn't have to wait long to find out. The next day, after she left and he was moping around the hospital, he heard some nurses gossiping about him and Lexie. They had been talking lately but they definitely weren't sleeping together!

Teddy heard the nurses' lies about him cheating on her, but she didn't even talk to him. Not that he'd given her reason to doubt the rumors. It took him forever to get her to go out with him again.

And he started writing letters to her. Explaining what happened and that he never cheated on her, he never would.

End flashback two months without her, sending her letters every week with no reply, and he gets a call saying she was involved in a road side bombing and she was in an army hospital in Iran and he could come see her.

So here he was, on a plane to Iran, thankful that she was alive and had put him on her emergency contact list or whatever it was called.

The trip to the hospital was a blur. Her doctor told him she was a little banged up and she had a concussion but after some sleep and observation - because she was unconscious for about a day - she'd be fine to return to duty.

The doctor showed Mark to her room and he made his way to her bed. She was asleep and he sat in the chair beside her bed. Her skin was tan from being in the desert and she might have lost a little weight but she was beautiful.

He reached over and brushed some hair off her forehead causing her to stir. Teddy opened her eyes and looked at him, surprised to see him.

"Mark?" She asked, stretching slightly.

He smiled softly, "hey. How do you feel?"

"I'm a little sore," she replied, "Do you know how the others are?"

"Some fractures, cuts and bumps. They're fine," he smiled, having asked the doctor on the way.

She nodded, "What are you doing here?"

He moved to sit on the edge of her bed, "I love you. I never cheated on you. You should have talked to me instead of running," he stroked her cheek softly, "I'm here because I a call saying you were injured and I couldn't think of anything except being with you."

Her heart started beating faster; she hadn't seen him in two months, she yelled at him and almost threw things at him and told him to get out of her house and on the first word that she had been hurt, he jumps on a plane.

"But...the nurses..."

"The nurses gossip," he told her softly, "They love drama. I would never cheat on you, Teddy. Not after I worked so hard to get you to out with me again. Didn't you read my letters?"

Teddy's eyes fill with tears and a few run down her cheeks, "I'm sorry. I was so stupid. I didn't read them because I was mad."

Mark wiped the tears from her cheeks, "Its ok. I have a reputation and we have a complicated history. I understand."

"No," she shook her head, "You've changed and I know you have. I love you. I just freaked out and I should have talked to you."

"Baby, its ok," he told her. It hadn't been okay but now it was okay because she was alive and she knew the truth and she loved him.

She shook her head again, "I'm here for four more months and I miss you so much and I don't really want to be here anymore."

He kissed her forehead softly, "I miss you, too. But you're helping people. You're making them better and being badass and I'm proud of what you're doing," he gives her a smiled, "And then in four months you'll come home and we can have a lot of welcome home sex and I'll propose to you."

Teddy was following along with his pep talk until he said he was going to propose, "Propose?" She grinned.

"Yes," he nods, a smile growing on his face as the fingers of his left hand lace with her right hand, "I will propose to you when you get home because an army hospital in Iran isn't the most romantic place and I haven't found the perfect ring yet."

Teddy bites her lower lip, "What if I'm not the same? I wasn't the same after the first time...what if I change and I'm not me? What if I develop PTSD?"

Mark kissed her softly to stop her ramble. His lips meshed with hers before he pulled away slowly, "whatever happens, you're still you and I'll love you no matter what. If you develop PTSD we'll work through it together," he smirked, "You're not getting rid of me."

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Teddy held the phone to her ear with a smile as it rang.

"'Hello?" His voice was deep and rough with sleep.

"You were sleeping?" she frowned, "I'm sorry."

He sat up in bed, "Don't be sorry. You can wake me up whenever you need to. What's up? Are you okay?"

Teddy had been asked to stay an extra three months because they were understaffed until the next group came in. She hadn't seen Mark since Iran seven months earlier.

"I'm great," she grinned, "I'm coming home tomorrow."

"Are you serious?" he was very awake now.

"I am. I'm emailing you all the details and when I'll land in Seattle," she leaned forward resting her elbows on her knees, a smile plastered on her face, "I can't wait to see you."

"I can't wait either, baby," he was starting to think he'd never get to see her, "I'll be there to pick you up."

"Great," she replied and they sat in silence for a moment, "I love you."

"I love you, too," he smiled, "Are you doing alright?"

Teddy loved how protective he was, "I'm fine. There was a big firefight the other day. It was crazy for us and we lost 4 patients."

"I'm sorry, Teddy. I know you did everything you could," he wished he could wrap his arms around her; he knew that she felt bad about any patient she lost.

"We did. And we saved the other 10."

"Then just focus on that… and that I get to see you in…soon," he chuckled softly.

She couldn't even figure out how long it was until she was in Seattle but soon worked, "Soon. I have to get off the phone," someone else had come into the tent and looked like they wanted to use the phone.

"Alright. I'll see you when you land. I love you."

"I love you, too," she was smiling again," Bye."

"Bye, baby."

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Teddy was jet lagged. She had a flight from Afghanistan to Germany. From Germany she flew to New York and from there Seattle. She didn't know what day it was, all she knew is that she received a discharge and the plane was in Seattle.

She got off the plane and made her way to baggage claim, just wanting to fall on a bed and sleep, preferably with Mark.

And then she saw him. He was standing there with a smile on his face and his hands in his pockets.

Teddy found herself walking towards him faster and launching herself into his arms. Seven months since she saw him, three months longer than she was supposed to be there and now she was finally with him again. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and his strong arms wrapped around her waist, lifting her up slightly.

She loosened her grip enough to grin at him. He smiled widely before kissing her deeply. She returned the kiss passionately, having missed every part of him. His tongue became reacquainted with hers before they had to pull apart to breathe.

"Hey," he ran his fingers through her long hair, "how was the trip?"

"Long. Way too long," she trailed her fingers along the stubble on his jaw, "All I want is a shower and to curl up in bed with you...and maybe some food."

Mark kissed her nose, "We'll pick up some food and eat, you can shower, and then we'll curl up in bed."

"Excellent plan," she grinned, "let's find my bag so we can go."

They separated and joined hands, subconsciously not wanting to be too far apart. They both learned from this that they'd talk to each other no matter what. Assumptions and avoidance just led to too much time apart.

He picked up her bag when she spotted it and they headed out of the airport to spend their lives together.