Hey, guys. Thank you all so much for the kind reviews. I love it when I get the notifications on my phone! You are the best!
I know some of you were slightly upset with Lexie for not talking to Mark and being irrational. And I totally agree with you. But I can see her side of things as well. But don't worry, they will talk and solve this.
I just want to apologize as well. Cancer and sickness in general is a sensitive subject that I think most of us have dealt with one way or another. My mother died of cancer when I was little for example. So I hope this story doesn't trigger anything. If it does, I deeply apologize. But I can promise you that Mark will be okay. Slexie doesn't die in my world.
The medical stuff in this chapter isn't completely correct, but keep in mind that this is a fiction. Hope you will enjoy this chapter, and make sure to leave a review :D


"Okay, this will be a little cold."

Lexie was well aware. She'd been on the OB/GYN rotation so many times now. And with the photographic memory, she only had to see it once to remember it for the rest of her life. She knew how this worked.

However, as the OB doctor squeezed the gel onto her stomach, she winced a little at the cold. The nervousness didn't exactly help either. After she got home to Meredith last night, she told her and Derek about the pregnancy and Meredith pulled some strings to get her an appointment already the next morning.

Lexie closed her eyes, and memories of the last time she was on this very table flashed before her eyes.

.

"Okay, this will be a little cold." The OB doctor said softly, she could tell that her patient was really nervous. And she understood that. This wasn't the first woman to exam her uterus to make sure she would be able to conceive a child.

Lexie winced at the cold and squeezed her eyes shut. She kept squeezing an imaginary ball in her hand in order to not shake. These news would affect her entire future.

A few weeks ago, the idea crossed her mind. The horrible idea that maybe she wouldn't be able to get pregnant in the future. The piece of plane literally crushed her pelvis and legs. It had taken Callie and Bailey several surgeries to get it all back together. And now she was worried that her uterus might have been affected. To the point of not being able to conceive a child.

Please let it be okay. She thought to herself, patiently awaiting any sound from the doctor. It couldn't have been more than 45 seconds since she squeezed the gel onto her stomach and checked the monitor, but it sure felt like 45 minutes.

She hadn't told Mark about her worries. She was well aware of Mark's desire to have children with her. Hell, he even promised her a daughter and two sons while she was crushed under the plane. She didn't want to crush Mark's dream and she didn't want him to worry. So instead, she decided to get an exam and take it from there.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the doctor cleared her throat. Opening her eyes, she realized the doctor must have been watching her for a while now. Lexie had been expecting a look of empathy and sadness, but it was the complete opposite.

"Everything looks fine, Lexie." The female doctor told her softly, a warm smile on her face to seal the deal. "Your uterus is intact and I don't see any reason you wouldn't be able to get pregnant."

The heaviest sigh escaped Lexie's lips. The weight on her shoulders was finally off and it felt like she could breathe normally now. She nodded a little. "Thank you. So much." She said softly and offered the doctor a smile in return. Although, the smile was more for herself.

She would be able to get pregnant.

.

Lexie opened her eyes and turned her head to her left. She immediately met her older sister's gaze, her eyes as supportive and comforting as ever. A small smile found it's way onto her face as she squeezed Lexie's hand.

"Do you think Mark will be angry that he didn't get to be here for the first ultrasound?" Lexie asked nervously, feeling the lump in her throat grow bigger. The fight with Mark last night still hurt inside her and she didn't want him to be more mad at her than he already probably was.

With the smile still on her face, Meredith gently shook her head. "No. I'm 100% positive that he will accept it. He understands. And he can be here for the next one."

"He will understand my reasons, right? That I just want something concrete to show him." Lexie said pleadingly, just wanting to be assured that he wouldn't be mad. The ultrasound photo was gonna be her way of apologizing to him.

Meredith was about to answer her when a new sound filled the room and interrupted the sisters' conversation. All eyes fell on the monitor, which now clearly showed a peanut shaped figure along with the sound of the baby's heartbeat.

"Everything looks good, Lexie." Dr. Carter said with a warm smile. "The fetus looks healthy and it has a strong heartbeat."

Lexie sighed in relief and reflexively squeezed her sister's hand. She did feel a little guilty about Mark not being here right now, but she pushed the feeling away. He would understand, and like Meredith said; He could be there for the next one.

Dr. Carter let the women admire the image on the monitor for a while longer before she removed the transducer from her stomach. She then pushed the machine back and printed the picture. She also made some notes in Lexie's chart on her iPad before turning back to her patient. "Everything is fine. Just remember to take your prenatal vitamins and take it easy. And just give me a call if you feel any pain or bleeding." She said and gave her the photo along with a warm smile. "I'll see you next time."

Lexie took the photo and looked at it for a moment. It was her baby. Her and Mark's baby. A life created by the two of them was resting in her uterus. She had imagined this feeling so many times, but she never knew it would feel this good. Now she just hoped that Mark would forgive her and be there for her and the child.

"You ready to go?" Lexie's thoughts were interrupted by her sister's soft voice. Lexie looked up at Meredith and nodded before pulling her shirt down and getting up from the table.

They left the room in silence and made their way down the hallway towards the elevators. The photo was resting safely in Lexie's lab coat pocket, but she gently protected it with her hand anyway. Just in case.

"Thank you for letting me stay with you last night. I really appreciate it." Lexie said softly. All night she had felt like an intruder. But she really needed some space from Mark.

"You're always welcome, you know that. And thank you for letting me in on your little secret." She replied and gently touched her sister's arm. Silence fell between them for a short moment. "You're gonna talk to Mark today, right?"

Lexie nodded immediately, not waisting any time at all to even think about it. "Yes. As soon as I find him." She informed as they reached the elevator and stepped inside. Lexie leaned against the wall as Meredith pressed the button for the surgical floor. Thankfully, they were alone.

As the elevator started moving, Meredith looked over at Lexie and sighed. "Relax, Lex. He's not gonna be mad at you. He's just gonna be very happy that the baby is okay and just the fact that there is a baby."

Lexie didn't know what to believe. In her mind, Mark had already ordered the divorce papers. She figured he had every right to be mad at her. But a small part of her agreed with Meredith and knew that everything would be fine. He wasn't mad at her.

Before she could respond, the bell dinged, indicating that they had reached their destination. The doors opened and the sound of the busy hallways filled her ears. Back to reality.

In an instant, Lexie's feet were guiding her out of the elevator. She briefly turned back to her sister and offered her a smile. "Thank you for coming with me. I'll see you later." She said and then walked down the hallway, determined to find her husband and solve this.

It didn't take her long to find him. By the nurses station, he was currently working on his iPad. Probably making notes in a chart. He looked busy, which made Lexie doubt a bit if this would be the right time to talk to him. But a bigger part of her won the battle before it even began.

She took a breath before she made her way over to him, thankful that no one else was around to overhear. "Hey." She greeted, softly but yet determined.

The sound of her voice had always been enough for him to look up and search for her, even if she wasn't talking to him. No different this time. He looked up and gave her a small smile. He was glad to see her. "Hey." He replied softly.

"You want to talk now?" She asked with a little uncertainty in her voice, as if he was gonna turn his back on her and walk away any second.

"Yeah." He said and nodded. "Come with me, I wanna show you something." He gently grabbed her hand, not waiting for her confirmation before he dragged her with him. Lexie didn't question him or asked where they were going, she just followed him, feeling relieved that he didn't seem angry. Not yet, anyway. She thought to herself.

They walked down the hallway and then Mark opened the door to a room and let her in first. As she walked inside, she recognized it immediately. It was the room they used to get bigger pictures and 3D prints of tumors and organs, and whatever else. All you had to do was connect your iPad to the device and it would show the scans and document like an overhead projector.

Mark closed the door and quickly set up his iPad. After doing some scrolling and touch-clicking, he was soon ready to show her everything she needed to know. He shot a quick glance towards her before the screen appeared in front of them, showing Mark's medical file.

Lexie took a step closer to him, making sure that their arms touched a little.

Mark took a breath and then started explaining to her.

"Mark Sloan, diagnosed with a gastrointestinal stromal tumor. The tumor is small and operable, Bailey caught it early. According to her, the surgery will be a piece of cake. After the surgery, radiation treatment will be set up along with a really small amount of chemo, just to be on the safe side." He explained and eventually looked down at her, awaiting her reaction to the information.

Lexie took everything in, inhaled and nodded. "Who's gonna operate? Bailey?" She asked and looked up at him.

"Bailey, Webber, your sister." He corrected. "They're gonna come up with a plan."

She nodded slowly, accepting everything and still taking in all the information. "So you'll be okay?"

"I'll be okay." He confirmed. "It will be an easy fix, Bailey will make sure of it."

Lexie nodded again and closed her eyes, this actually made her feel a lot better. Then she remembered that she had something to show as well. Looking up at him, she offered him a small smile and reached her hand out, silently asking for the iPad. When he, with a smile, gave it to her, she immediately set up her own file. After a moment, her medical information showed on the screen in front of them.

"Lexie Grey-Sloan, 7 weeks pregnant. Fetus looks healthy, no bleeding or pain. Mother's blood pressure was a little high, but due to some stress, that is accorded to be normal. Some relaxing and calming down should do it. Prenatal vitamins were given along with the date for the next appointment." She explained in one breath and remembered the ultrasound resting in her pocket. With a small smile, she reached for it and took it out. She looked down at it for a short moment before handing it to Mark.

Mark looked down at the photograph in her hands before taking it into his own. He studied it for a long moment, letting the realization settle. It was his baby. His baby with Lexie.

"What do you think?" She asked softly, searching his face for a response.

Mark took the iPad out of her hands and then moved slightly to stand behind her. He gently wrapped his arms around her waist, letting his hands rest lightly on her belly. "I think it's wonderful."

She responded by resting her hand on top of his. A soft sigh escaped her as she leaned against him and closed her eyes. "Are you mad at me?"

"Mad? About what?" He asked, not knowing what she was talking about.

"Well…" She replied and shrugged a little. "About everything. Me keeping this secret from you, me yelling at you outside of the hospital, me sleeping somewhere else last night." She suggested and took a breath. "But mostly, for not including you in the first ultrasound."

Mark chuckled softly against her neck and then planted a soft kiss against her skin. "Why would I be mad about any of that? You didn't keep it a secret, you told me about the pregnancy, the yelling was well deserved and I agreed that we needed some time to ourselves." He explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "As for the ultrasound, It's fine. I'll be there for the next one."

A sigh of relief escaped through her lips. She had been so scared that he would hate her after this. "I'm sorry." She whispered softly, still feeling the need to apologize.

"Hey, look at me." Mark said and turned her so she was facing him. He gently cupped her face in his hands and made her look up at him. "I love you. We are gonna have a baby. And, unfortunately, I have some treatment to get through. But we will get through this, I know it. Everything will be fine. We just have to take one step at a time. We'll be fine, Lex."

Lexie looked into his ocean blue eyes and felt her self falling in love with him all over again. She didn't know if it was his little speech or her hormones choosing a bad time to show themselves, but the tears welled up in her eyes anyway. "I just love you so much." She whispered softly, not trusting her voice to hold.

Mark just smiled at her lovingly for a moment before he leaned down to capture her lips with his own. Her hands moved up to rest on his arms as she kissed him back. They both stayed like that, just savoring the feeling of being close to each other. Both of them were thinking the same thing, that they have wasted so much time before to dance around each other and date other people, when all they ever wanted was each other. After the plane crashed, they both realized that life was too short. And they had made silent promises to never waste another moment.

When air became needed, Mark broke the kiss and pulled back slightly, resting his forehead against hers. After a moment, they pulled back more and looked at each other. A bubble was formed. Suddenly, Mark and Lexie were the only people existing. And it felt wonderful.

Then the bubble burst when Mark's pager interrupted their peace. Both let out a sigh of annoyance as Mark checked it. "Hunt is paging me to the ER." He said annoyed and put his phone back in his pocket before looking back at Lexie. "Will I see you at home tonight?"

Lexie nodded before he even finished the question, taking a step closer to kiss him again. "Yes." She confirmed and pulled back, keeping her hands on his arms. "I'll be home tonight. I promise."

Mark offered her a warm smile and then nodded. "Great. I can't wait. See you tonight." He said and kissed her softly again before grabbing his iPad and walking towards the door.

"Be careful!" Lexie called after him, seriously. Her motherly instincts showed themselves already. But after all; Her husband was sick and she just wanted him to be okay.

A chuckle left him as he turned around in the hallway. "That's my line. You can't use my line." He joked, winking at her before he really left the room.

Lexie just smiled at his joke and shook her head. Her hands moved down to rest on her belly, protecting her baby.

Everything would be fine.

When Lexie got home that night, she was met by a child's laughter. The laughter she would recognize anywhere, Sofia's laughter. That girl sure could laugh, especially when Mark was around. The sound brought a smile to Lexie's lips as she took of her jacket and purse and hung it by the door.

"You surrender now? Are you finally ready to surrender?" Mark's voice sounded from Sofia's room in the back of the apartment. By the sound of Sofia's laughter, Lexie could tell that Mark was currently tickling her. She could briefly hear some muffled 'No's coming out of Sofia's mouth. It didn't take much to tickle that girl.

With the smile still on Lexie's face, she shook her head and then made her way towards Sofia's room. During the short distance, she started imagining Mark doing this very same thing to their child. She had imagined that so many times before, but now when she was actually pregnant, it felt more real than ever. Her hand once again found it's way onto her stomach as she reached the room.

Just as she'd expected, Sofia was laying on the floor on her back, Mark hovering over her and using his hands to tickle her. The child used all the energy she had to attempt to remove her father's hands. But the laughing took all her energy, which gave Mark a big advantage.

"Are you going to surrender now, Sof?" Mark asked with a chuckle, clearly not noticing his wife in the doorway. His focus was on his daughter.

"No, Daddy!" Sofia exclaimed through her laughing, still fighting to keep Mark's hands off of her. "No sujjende!"

"Are you sure?" Mark asked as he managed to get his fingers under her armpit, making the child squeal in laughter. "I can do this all night." He teased in a sing song voice.

Sofia laughed some more, turning her head back and forth, hoping that it would push her father away. "Stop, Daddy!" She exclaimed, apparently ready to finally surrender.

Her words were enough for Mark to stop tickling her and slowly remove his hands. Sofia was exhausted from all the laughing, and he was exhausted from tickling her. When Sofia had calmed down a bit, they locked eyes with each other. A sight Lexie really loved. The girl offered her father a warm smile, silently telling him that she loved him. None of them were aware that Lexie was watching them

"Is Daddy playing dirty again?" Lexie asked jokingly, breaking the silence and making her presence known.

Both father and daughter looked up to the source of the voice. Sofia smiled widely at her step mother and quickly got to her feet. "Lessie!" She exclaimed as she ran towards the older woman, reaching her little arms out.

Lexie smiled at the girl and kneeled down just in time to catch her when she came running. She wrapped her arms around Sofia and lifted her up. "Hey, Sofia. I'm so happy to see you. It's been a while." She said and hugged her step daughter tightly. Looking over Sofia's shoulder, she watched Mark getting to his feet as he smiled at them.

"I miss you, Lessie." Sofia said softly against Lexie's neck.

"I missed you too, Sweetie." Lexie replied softly and planted a kiss to Sofia's neck. Even though Sofia wasn't her biological daughter, she loved her as if she was.

Mark made his way over to his favorite girls, the smile still wide on his face. "Hey." He said softly and gently touched Lexie's arm. He was so happy to see her, to see both of them together.

"Hey." Lexie replied softly. After a moment, Sofia started to unwrap herself from Lexie's arms, indicating that she wanted down. Once she was down on her feet, she grabbed Lexie's hand and dragged her towards the center of the room. "Come play, Lessie." She ordered.

"Okay, okay." Lexie laughed and followed her. All of them then sat down on the floor, letting Sofia show Lexie all her new toys.

"Look, Lessie." She said proudly and showed her step mother her toys. Lexie smiled and nodded and just sounded impressed.

Mark sat down beside Lexie and gently took her hand in his. "For the record, Sofia is not the only one who missed you." He said softly with a warm smile on his face, making sure to not sound too serious.

"Aww, I missed you too." Lexie said warmly and smiled at him. She kissed him quickly on the cheek before turning her attention back to Sofia. "Did you tell Callie?" She asked quietly, as if Sofia would figure out what she meant.

Mark nodded in response and cleared his throat. "Yeah. I told Callie. We talked for a while and then she ordered me to spend as much time with Sofia as I could." He said softly, smiling a little at his daughter.

"That's nice." Lexie replied softly, shooting a glance towards him again. They locked eyes for a moment before they both once again turned back to the small child in the room.

Mark let his daughter show off her toys for another moment before he let go of Lexie's hand and positioned himself onto all fours, keeping his eyes on his daughter as if she was candy he soon would eat up. The tickling game would soon be back on.

Lexie watched Mark and laughed a little before making a fake gasp. "Oh oh. You better start running, Sofia. Because Daddy seems ready to tickle you again." She told the small child who looked up in horror before meeting her father's eyes. A wide smile covered her face as she knew what was happening. Soon she started laughing and hurried to get rid of her toys so she could get up and run for her life.

But Mark was too fast.

Lexie laughed loudly as Mark managed to grab the child and gently push her down to the floor. Soon, his hand were everywhere, and Sofia fought like an animal to make him stop. Her laughing and squealing didn't help her much.

"Lessie, help!" Sofia squealed when she managed to get a breath.

Lexie didn't have to be asked twice. She got up to her knees and pulled her sleeves up a bit before she started tickling Mark. He hated to admit it, but he was really ticklish. And Lexie knew about all his sensitive spots.

Mark started laughing immediately, letting go of Sofia in order to try to get Lexie off of him.

"Come help me, Sofia." Lexie exclaimed as Mark reached behind him and managed to tickle Lexie as well.

"No!" Mark shouted through his laughing. "That's cheating!" However, the girls didn't care. In no time, Sofia was on her feet helping Lexie torturing her father. She loved this.

Through the laughing and tickling, Lexie smiled to herself. For the first time in a very long time, she truly felt like everything would truly be okay.

As long as she had Mark.