Ok here we go with the next chapter. This one is dedicated to my new e-mail buddy, whose kind words and encouragement convince me to keep writing this. Enjoy!!!

Susan woke up the second she felt the warmth of his body separating from her own. She lay in the tangled sheets silently listening as he pottered about in the kitchen. She smiled when she realised he was making breakfast for them. Again she questioned herself about why she had left in the first place. She knew he was right though, the past no longer mattered, it is the future that is important. All she could think about was how awesome the future would be for both of them if this worked out. What was she thinking? Of course this would work out. It was her and Mark and they were meant to be together. She knew it 5 years ago and she was absolutely certain of it now. As she recalled her time in Phoenix she realised that none of the friendships or relationships she had had there even came close to the bond that her and Mark shared. They were meant to be together. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the apartment door closing and the sound of an unfamiliar voice, a woman's voice.

"I'm pregnant......I love you."

The words Susan heard spoken rang loudly in her ears. The perfect little bubble she had existed in for the past 24 hours had suddenly been unceremoniously burst. She felt as if the room was spinning and she didn't know whether to laugh, cry or throw up.

Mark stood there utterly astounded. He had no idea what to say or do. He chided himself for his lack of response and his sudden amnesia regarding his relationship with Elizabeth. Though he wasn't even sure it was a relationship anymore. She had left him, hey was that like some kind of theme in his life, to go back to London to work with her father. He desperately searched his memory trying to remember the day she had left. They had parted on good terms, as friends. Technically all they had ever been was friends, sure they were friends 'with benefits' but for Mark it had always been about companionship and probably, if he was completely honest, about his fear of ending up alone. Yeah he cared about Elizabeth, maybe even loved her but he was not in love with her. After all his heart well and truly belonged to someone else, it belonged to Susan.

"Shit" he thought to himself, Susan was still asleep in the bedroom. "What the hell am I going to do?"

All the while Elizabeth stood patiently waiting for a reaction to her announcement.

"Well don't just stand there Mark, say something."

Still no response.

"Say anything!" She continued.

"Uh.....now is not really a good time Elizabeth."

"Not a good time?! Are you kidding me!" Her voice became louder. "I have just flown thousands of miles to tell you that I love and that we are going to have a baby and that is the best you can come up with?!"

Mark stared at her blankly. What could he say? That the love of his life was lying in his bed and they had spent hours making love? That her little announcement made him want to scream? Wait that wasn't fair, this whole mess was not the baby's fault. Baby. The word resounded in his head.

Susan frantically searched for her clothes. She had to get out of there right now. Her mind was buzzing with questions. How could he not mention he was in a relationship? Had nice, kind, sweet Mark Greene turned into one of those selfish guys who want to have their cake and eat it? What was going to happen next? Where the hell was her sweater? But most importantly how many bones would she break if she tried to escape out of the window? As she quietly searched the room she caught a glimpse of the sweater she had been wearing lying in the kitchen. At least one of her questions had been answered. As for climbing out the window, she knew that would result in quite a few broken bones so that was not an option. Now she had to decide what was the lesser of two evils - walk out there in her bra and jeans or walk out wearing something of Mark's. Screw it she thought as she pulled on one of his t-shirts and walked out of the room.

As soon as Mark heard her footsteps he spun around. He realised that whichever one of the gods had blessed him yesterday had clearly decided to curse him today. Elizabeth visibly tensed at the sight in front of her. As Susan walked into the living room she deliberately avoided making eye contact with Mark. He could see the pain etched on her face and the knowledge that he was the cause of that pain broke his heart.

"Sorry to interrupt but I should get going. Thanks again for letting me crash here Mark, it was great catching up. Sorry you had to sleep on the couch." Susan knew that she was lying but she was doing anything she could to limit the damage that had been caused. Mark felt a lump form in his throat. He had messed up big time and here she was desperately trying to save his ass. The only obstacle that stood between Susan and getting the hell out of this mess was Elizabeth who was still standing in front of the door.

Elizabeth eyed Susan suspiciously. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend Mark?" As soon as Elizabeth said the word friend Susan knew they had been busted.

"Uh Elizabeth this is Susan..." Before Mark could finish Susan quickly said hi to Elizabeth and made her excuses as she headed towards the door, still not daring to look into Mark's eyes. As the door closed behind her she felt the tears well up in her eyes. She ran downstairs and thankfully got a cab straightaway. Once she was home she went straight to bed sobbed until she fell asleep.