Disclaimer: I make no claim to any part of Grey's Anatomy (except the role of devoted fan) and will make no profit from any part of this story. Every single character mentioned in this story belongs to Shondaland, American Broadcasting Corporation, and any other corporate entity that has a stake in Grey's Anatomy. No copyright infringement whatsoever is intended.
Many thanks to Shonda Rimes for creating Grey's Anatomy, to the talented cast, staff, and crew who help her realize her vision, and to ABC for making it available on the public airwaves.
Author's Note: This is the spot where I would prefer to publicly acknowledge the contributions of my beta, but for reasons only partly understandable to myself, she prefers to remain anonymous. She was able to assist me through almost half of the story before RL made it impossible for her to continue, but the original concept and development of the overall story arc owes much to her inspiration and encouragement. She has my thanks for the gifts of her time, energy, and talent she shared with me.
Author's Warning: This story is labeled Mer/Mark, and it is Mer/Mark, but they're not exactly girlfriend and boyfriend. They're . . . both less and more than that. You'll understand once you start reading. Lots of sex is implied, but nothing specific is shown. (Darn!)
Families
Chapter 11
Mark was having a conversation with Richard in the Seattle Grace Hospital lobby when he saw a familiar blond head walking toward him.
"Susan!" he called out, greeting her with a hug and a kiss. Then he turned around to make his introductions. "Chief, this is Susan Grey, Meredith's stepmother. Susan, this is Richard Webber, our Chief of Surgery."
"Oh," said Susan, a look of surprise on her face. Then she recovered her manners and smiled as she extended her hand. "You must be the boss of all bosses Mark and Meredith were talking about over dinner a few weeks ago." Then she hiccupped.
Richard smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you. But I'm afraid our Board of Directors would disagree with your description of my position."
At that moment, both Mark and Richard noticed that Thatcher had been trailing behind Susan. Mark nodded stiffly. "And this is Meredith's father, Dr. Thatcher Grey."
"We've met," said Richard uncomfortably, extending his own hand to shake Thatcher's. "Thatcher, how are you?"
Thatcher chose to put his right hand around Susan's waist instead. "We're quite fine, thank you," he said frostily. Susan responded by laying her head on Thatcher's shoulder.
Mark was confused by how the temperature of the lobby seemed to have dropped so suddenly.
"Well, ah, Dr. Sloan, we'll continue our discussion later," said Richard awkwardly, as he backed away. "Nice to meet you folks." And with a nod of his head, he started walking toward his office with all the speed his dignity would allow.
Susan leaned her head against Thatcher's shoulder. "Sorry, honey," she murmured. "Hic!"
Thatcher pressed a kiss to the side of her forehead. "Don't worry about it, sweetheart. You didn't know."
Mark was bewildered by what had happened, but he quickly decided he didn't want to know what was going on. "So, what brings you two to Seattle Grace?"
"Hiccups," said Thatcher, while Susan simultaneously said, "Meredith. Do you know if she's available? Hic!"
"I know she's on duty, but I don't know where she is right now. I can have her paged," Mark offered, silently hoping that Meredith still liked the idea of talking to Susan.
"No, don't do that. Hic! I promised I'd leave her alone until after that big test she's having." Susan smiled. "She promised that once she passes, she'll let me cook--hic!--that pot of chili I promised her a few weeks ago."
Marked nodded thoughtfully. This sounded promising. But if Susan wasn't there to see Meredith, that meant. . . . "Hiccups?" He looked at Susan, whose expression grew decidedly sheepish, and then at Thatcher. "You brought her in for hiccups?" he asked quizzically.
"I know it's silly," Susan interjected. "I have acid reflux, and--hic!--sometimes I get hiccups. Thatcher insisted I see a doctor, and we thought we might be able to catch a glimpse of Meredith here, if she was around."
"What my wife isn't saying, Dr. Sloan," Thatcher said tightly, "is that her hiccups have gotten worse over the past week--and that last night, she wasn't able to sleep at all." Thatcher ignored Susan's squeezing his hand. "I would have taken her to our regular doctor, but Susan insisted on coming here. So, if you'll just direct us to the department in charge of curing hiccups, we'll be on our way."
"Hic!"
It was clear that Thatcher meant to put him in his place, and Mark wasn't quite sure why. Payback for their conversation in the laundry room? Then why wait until now? Because of something he'd said today? Mark shrugged mentally; he wasn't about to get into a pissing match with Thatcher. "Your best bet is to go to the free clinic across the street."
Thatcher's color rose at that comment, and even Susan looked a little surprised. "We have insurance, Mark. We're covered."
Mark realized what his comment had sounded like. "It's your call." He shrugged. "I could set you up with a gastroenterologist here in the main building, but then you wouldn't be able to see Miranda Bailey. Not only is she one of the best doctors in this hospital, she's also Meredith's supervisor. If anybody knows where Meredith is right now, she does."
"That that's where we'll go." Susan smiled. Thank you, Mark," She reached up with her free hand to pull Mark's head down for a kiss on the cheek, and then hiccupped in his ear before whispering, "Sorry."
Susan then turned to Thatcher and patted his shoulder. "Okay, honey, let's go find Dr. Bailey." With a curt nod from Thatcher, they set off toward the front door.
Mark watched them carefully for any signs of trouble. Despite all the weird behavior he'd just witnessed, Susan seemed content to walk with Thatcher's arm curved protectively around her waist. Then he shook his head at himself. Grey women didn't need any champions to defend them, despite occasional appearances to the contrary. If he didn't watch out, he'd turn into Derek and start seeing damsels in distress around every corner.
