Chapter 10: Truth, Custody, and Fine

A month after their transfusions, the boy healed quickly and hadn't had any more brain bleeds. The girl's recovery was nothing short of a miracle. Her murmur closed, letting her heart pump more blood. She was digesting food and gaining weight, and she could breathe without the vent. She had just started opening her eyes, revealing bright blue orbs. At one month, they were as healthy as they should be.

Lexie on the other hand was a completely different story. She had spent the month somewhere between getting better and getting worse. Callie thought it had something to do with her not having any contact with her babies. She hadn't even gotten the chance to name them. They were just Sloan 1 and Sloan 2. Whatever was causing it finally took its final toll on her. She had started crashing and was taken straight into surgery. Between going into cardiac arrest and the stress of being sick for a month, it was almost clear where this was going. Almost…

"I don't understand," Meredith said. She, Derek, Alex, Callie, Arizona, April, Jackson, and Mark were all in the waiting room. They had been waiting for nearly four hours before Cristina came out to talk to them.

"She went into cardiac arrest," Cristina explained. "We operated and saw nothing that would suggest it, so we closed her up and waited for her to wake up. When she did, she could barely open her eyes. She could barely breathe. We asked if it came to it, if she wanted to be out on life support. She said yes and signed the forms."

"For how long?" Jackson asked.

"Thirty days."

"So she's on life support?" Derek asked.

"Yes," Cristina replied. "Her heart rate was going down and her breathing was shallow."

"So that's it?" Meredith asked. "We're supposed to wait to see if she might wake up?"

"Meredith calm down," Derek said. "We'll just wait."

"But that's it! She just signed the papers and was done!"

"There is something else," Cristina said. "Right before she went unconscious, she asked me to tell you what she named her son."

"What is it?" Jackson asked.

"His name is Masen Derek Sloan." Derek looked at Cristina in disbelief before looking at Mark, who was just as shocked. Jackson looked down and nodded. Mark was their father. Their name was supposed to be named Sloan and not Avery.

"And the girl?" Mark asked.

"No," Cristina replied. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Anna Marie." Cristina nodded and left.

"When are the twins going to be release?" Jackson asked Arizona.

"Their labs came back clean," she replied. "Maybe a week."

"Alright I'll have their stuff ready."

"Wait a minute," Mark started.

"We'll talk about this later," Derek said. "It can wait. Let's worry about Lexie getting better." Mark and Jackson looked at each other and nodded.

"Ok," Jackson said.

"Ok," Mark agreed.

A week later, Lexie hadn't woken up yet and the twins' labs were still clean. Both Mark and Jackson were planning for Masen and Anna to go home with them. Jackson by packing their diaper bags and Mark by buying everything he would need from bottles to cribs. Neither spoke to each other unless they were prepping for or in surgery, and even then it was tense.

"How's that arm looking Avery?" Mark asked while stitching the patient's face.

"Fine," Jackson replied. He had been working on the large cut on the patient's arm.

"Good."

"Yep." Jackson took a chance and glanced at the clock. The twins would be released in an hour. Mark saw him and frowned.

"What time is it Avery?"

"8:30," Jackson replied.

"Good. I'll have just enough time to finish up here and check on some post-ops before taking my kids home."

"You mean you'll have enough time to see them before I take them home?"

"I don't see why you would do be taking."

"Well since I live with Lexie and all their stuff is there I just assumed-"

"Well you assumed wrong."

"All due respect, Dr. Sloan, Lexie is my girlfriend."

"And all due respect, Avery, they're my kids."

"Really?" Jackson mumbled, but Mark heard him.

"Excuse me?"

"Well you've only been a part of their lives for a month."

"Well if Lexie had told me she was pregnant, then I would have been there from the beginning."

"There was a reason she didn't tell you. Heck, she didn't even want the twins. She was all-"

"She what?" Jackson stopped and looked up at Mark, who was looking at him confused.

"What? It's nothing."

"That didn't sound like nothing."

"She just didn't want to raise them alone. That's all."

"Avery…"

"There's nothing-"

"Jackson, if you love Masen and Anna as much as you say you do, you'll tell the truth." Jackson looked around the room. Everyone, in the OR and the gallery, was staring at them. He looked back at Mark and sighed.

"The day after Lexie found out she was pregnant, she went to get an abortion. I got Alex and we went after her." Mark stared at him for a minute before continuing stitching up the patient. "Dr. Sloan?"

"Finish stitching up that arm Avery."

"But-"

"Just finish up that arm." Jackson stared at him for a minute before going back to the arm.

"Did you get the car seats?" Callie asked while walking into the NICU. She wanted to make sure Masen and Ana were taking, or about to take, their car seat tests

"Masen's already started," Arizona replied while rocking Anna. They were in the middle of the infant carrier test. "He's been in the seat for half an hour and he's perfectly fine."

"What about Anna?"

"I tried but she was too fussy." Callie frowned and took her from Arizona.

"What's wrong Anna? Hmm? You have to pass the test so you can go home."

"I tried that. It didn't work." Callie looked up at Arizona annoyed.

"Well-"

"Arizona!" Mark called while walking into the NICU.

"Don't yell in here," Arizona replied.

"Are the twins almost ready to go?"

"Masen's still got half an hour," Callie answered. "And Anna got upset when Arizona tried earlier."

"It's fine. Let me take her."

"Mark we need to get her in her seat so we can try again," Arizona said. "The sooner we-"

"I don't care! Just give me my daughter!" Anna started to cry, but all Callie and Arizona could do was stare at him. Mark took Anna out of Callie's arms and rocked her. "Shhh. It's ok. Daddy didn't mean to yell. He was just mad about something, but he's really sorry." She slowly stopped and stared up at him. "You wanna try to sit in seat again? This time Daddy will be here. Is that ok?" He kissed her forehead and looked up at Arizona. "Can you get the car seat?"

"Yeah," she whispered before turning and went to get the seat.

"What the hell was that?" Callie asked.

"Not now," Mark replied.

"No we're gonna talk about it. What pissed you off so much that-"

"Did you know Lexie was going to get an abortion?" Callie stared at him for a minute.

"What?"

"Did you know she was going to get an abortion?"

"I-I-I think you-"

"Did you know?" She sighed and nodded.

"She told me two months before the twins were born."

"Another thing you didn't tell me."

"Mark you don't get to do that. You don't get to act like the victim. You hurt Lexie. We hurt Lexie. She was scared and alone. She didn't know what to do."

"That still doesn't make it right."

"She knows that and you can't be mad at her. She hates herself for what she did, or almost did. She loves Masen and Anna, but it's hard for her."

"How is being a mom hard for her?"

"She's a resident working long hours, she lives in a house full of people, she recovering form extensive injuries and surgeries, and every time she looks at her daughter she's going to see the man she loves but can't have." Mark looked down at Anna and sighed.

"Then I-"

"Guys!" Arizona said while coming back into the NICU. "She's awake. Lexie's awake."

"How you feelin?" Bailey asked.

"Better," Lexie replied. "A little tired, but better." Bailey smiled and checked her pulse.

"Your pulse is strong and your vitals look good. I think, for now, you're going to be just fine." Lexie smiled and nodded.

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome." Bailey walked towards the door and opened it.

"When can I see my babies?"

"Right now," Arizona said from the doorway. She walked in carrying Masen, followed by Callie and Mark with Anna.

"We thought you'd like to see them," Callie said.

"Can I hold them?" Lexie asked

"If you feel up to it," Bailey replied. Lexie nodded and sat up.

"This is Masen," Arizona said while placing him in Lexie's arms.

"Is he ok?" Lexie asked.

"He's fine," Callie replied. "They're both fine."

"They're awesome," Arizona said. Lexie smiled and looked down at Masen. He was sleeping, sucking his thumb peacefully.

"He's perfect," Lexie whispered. She kissed his forehead and handed him back to Arizona.

"This is Anna," Mark said while handing her to her mother. "Anna Marie." Lexie looked at her and blinked back tears. Anna was awake, looking around the room curiously.

"She's so pretty."

"She's beautiful." Anna started to cry and wouldn't stop. Mark picked her up and she instantly stopped.

"We're gonna go," Callie said while walking towards the door. "Give you some privacy."

"Yeah," Arizona added while handing Masen to Lexie. "Have some family binding time." She and Bailey left and closed the door behind them. Lexie looked back down at Masen and smiled.

"He's so hansom," Lexie said after a while.

"He's a Sloan," Mark replied. She rolled he eyes and looked at him.

"Really?" He smirked and nodded.

"Really." She laughed and looked back at Masen.

"When do they get to go home?"

"Today. Masen already passed his infant carrier test."

"Good boy."

"Anna's taking hers later."

"Ok." Mark sighed and looked at her.

"Lex."

"Yeah?" she asked while looking up at him.

"I want full custody Anna." Lexie stared at him and her smile slowly disappeared.

"What?"

"I want full custody of Anna. It's the best thing to do."

"Well I don't. I mean how is taking my daughter from me the best thing to do?"

"You can't take care of both of them by yourself."

"You don't know that. You don't know anything."

"I know you were going to have an abortion." She looked down at Masen and bit her lip,

"I was-"

"You were what?"

"I was scared! I didn't want to have to do this alone!"

"You wouldn't've had to do it alone! If you had told me I would have been there for you!"

"Me and your pregnant best friend?!" Masen woke up and started to whine. "Shhh, go back to sleep." She rocked him back to sleep before looking back at Mark. "I didn't want to be part of that."

"I remember you being perfectly fine with Sloan?"

"And I remember dumping you?"

"Because I was a dad."

"No, it was because you were a grandfather and you were asking me to be a grandmother."

"Because I thought you loved me enough to support me, be there for me. But you left."

"I'm in my twenties, not my fifties."

"I'm not fifty."

"Close enough."

"People who are fifty don't have babies."

"Sure they do. They just sleep with their lesbian best friend."

"That-"

"But I like Callie and love Sofia, so you can have this one."

"Damn right I do."

"But you still can't have full custody."

"Yes I can. Any lawyer can tell you that."

"Oh really?"

"I'm more financially stable and have my own house-"

"You mean your apartment made for one, maybe two, people that you've somehow managed to squeeze three people into? You want to add another person?"

"I can but a house. I was going to before-"

"Before you moved out of your hotel room and into your apartment?" Mark frowned and Lexie smirked.

"Yes…but I will buy a house. A big one with a backyard and a pool."

"And until then?"

"It'll be fine."

"And if it's not?"

"Then Sofia will have to stay with Callie and Arizona more often."

"You really wanna sacrifice seeing her."

"She lives across the hall, and she'll have to stay with Callie for a few weeks any ways. That'll give me time to find a house."

"Or Anna could stay with me."

"No."

"I can do this."

"No you can't. Not all by yourself."

"I'm not. I have Jackson while you have-"

"Me." They turned and saw Julia standing in the doorway. "He has me."

"I don't care. He's not getting full custody."

"You're right."

"Julia!" Mark exclaimed.

"You're not, but he should have the right to come and see his daughter whenever he wants." Lexie sighed and looked at Mark.

"Fine," she said. "But he can't have her overnight unless I say so."

"Fine."

"Julia-"

"Fine," Julia said, cutting off Mark. He sighed and nodded.

"Fine."

Sorry I've been gone so long.

Please keep R&R and I'll keep writing!