A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers.
Chapter 13
Mark was sitting right beside Addison's bed when she opened her eyes. "Hey, baby, the procedure went really well and you're gonna be just fine." He pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.
Addison had to clear her throat so she could speak. "Thirsty," was the only word that she could get out with her throat being as dry as it was.
"I anticipated that being the case and I brought you this." Mark grinned holding up a Popsicle. "Now, I know that this isn't what you want, but it's the best I can do for right now and it's better than ice chips."
"It's fine," Addison replied groggily reaching for it.
"Here, let me help you, baby. You're still pretty out of it from the anesthesia." Mark said unwrapping it and holding it up to her mouth. "There you go,"
"Carson?" Addison asked concerned about her son.
"Casey's fine he's with his Aunt Callie." Mark answered.
"I didn't get him sick did I?" Addison asked finally able to form complete sentences, but her words came out raspy.
"No, I had Robbins check him over and she assures me that he's fine." Mark told her.
"Are you mad at me?" Addison asked him.
Mark cupped her face gently. "I'm not mad at all, Red. I get that you didn't want me to worry, but in the future you don't get to keep things from me for my own good. We're a team that means we take things on together. You don't have to do it all alone anymore, you have me and you have Casey. We're a family, Addie, but you have to let us be there for you."
"I never knew that Mark the Manwhore Sloan could be so sweet. You better believe that as soon as I'm feeling up to it that you're going to get all the sex you can stand and then some." Addison promised him.
"I like the sound of that, Red." Mark replied biting his lip.
"And I like it that you reserve this side of you for me only." Addison offered a weak grin.
"I told you, you're my girl it's my job to be good to you." Mark reminded her.
"I like it when you call me that." Addison told him.
"You are mine always and forever." Mark assured her. "Now, scoot over I wanna cuddle with you before my next surgery." He ordered her.
"I really love that idea." Addison said moving over.
Mark crawled into bed with her and pulled her into his strong arms. "And I really love you."
"I really love you too." Addison snuggled into him soaking up his warmth.
They were still like that fifteen minutes later when Bailey came in to check on Addison. "Un uh, un uh, I'm not seeing this, I know that I'm not seeing this, you both know better." Bailey shook her head at them.
"Oh, come on, Miranda, it's not like we're doing anything." Mark flashed her a charming smile.
"Mark Charles Sloan, I have had it up to here with you today. You've got the most put together department head in this hospital acting like a lovesick teenager. And you are just getting on my nerves." Bailey told him.
"How do you think I feel sometimes? I'm the one who has to live with him." Addison teased.
"Oh no, don't even get me started on you. I am absolutely astounded by the things that I heard come out of your mouth today regarding your boyfriend." Bailey warned her.
"Jeez, babe, what did you say about me?" Mark asked chuckling.
"I don't think I want to know what I said." Addison groaned she could only imagine the things she had said and none of it was pleasant.
"Oh you don't wanna know let's just say that Addison on morphine is very inappropriate and leave it at that." Bailey informed her before turning to Mark. "You have a surgery that you need to go prep for. Leave my patient alone and let her get some rest." She ordered him.
"Alright, I can take a hint I'm going." Mark grumbled as he untangled himself from Addison. He bent down and kissed her lips gently. "I'll be back later, Red, I love you."
"I love you too, goofball." Addison smiled up at him.
"Sloan, go now." Bailey pointed to the door and glared at Mark as he walked out.
"What did he do to you?" Addison asked sounding amused.
"He didn't do anything more than he normally does." Bailey replied with a shrug.
"I'll be the first to admit that sometimes that's more than enough to get on your nerves." Addison threw out there.
"But still he's not as bad as he used to be. You make him a better man, Addison." Bailey admitted reluctantly.
"That boy has made him a better man." Addison disputed.
"You both have, now let's get you checked out and see when we can get you out of here." Bailey replied with a smile.
One Week Later
"Addie, I'm just saying that I think it's a little soon that's all." Mark told Addison as she stood in their walk in closet picking out her outfit for the day. He stood watching her with Carson in his arms.
"Mark, I promise you that I feel fine. I had my tonsils out a week ago and I haven't had a fever in four days. And maybe I didn't mention this but I'm the only surgeon on the western seaboard who can perform this surgery." Addison replied.
"That's probably the fifth time that you've mentioned that to me, Addie. It's just you're still getting tired pretty easy. I'm looking out for you here." Mark reasoned with her.
"Mark, this has nothing to do with me going back to work early and everything to do with the fact that I'm going to LA and leaving you and Carson alone for the night." Addison corrected him.
"That's part of it, he's never been away from you before and you know he's a momma's boy." Mark admitted.
"Mark, it's only going to be for a few hours. I have to go to the hospital first and pick a resident to take down there with me to get the patient stable and ready for transport tomorrow." Addison reminded him.
"Well, I don't like the way that Pete guy you work with at the practice looks at you." Mark informed her fixing a pout on his face.
Addison arched an eyebrow at him. "Baby, you have nothing to worry about. My heart belongs to this really sexy plastic surgeon that I know."
"Promise?" Mark asked her.
"I promise and I forgot to mention that I have the most adorable son in the world with said plastic surgeon and we're trying to have another baby." Addison grinned at him.
Mark grinned back at her. "Are you gonna talk to Naomi and see about that?" he asked. He understood that Addison getting pregnant was a long shot, but he wanted to do everything that they could to make it happen.
"If I get a minute I will. I have to drop by there anyway." Addison answered him.
Mark nodded his acceptance of that. "You know I'm not going to be able to sleep without you tonight don't you?"
"Look at it this way you won't have that long to sleep without me because Carson will keep you busy for most of the night." Addison pointed out to him.
"I know that, but I'm used to you laying right there next to me to keep me warm." Mark countered playfully.
"I just kept you warm in the shower for fifteen minutes, babe. I think that will hold you over until tomorrow." Addison said and then she leaned in close and whispered in his ear. "And if not there's always phone sex."
"I am turning you into a dirty woman, Red, and I like this side of you." Mark smirked.
Addison winked at him. "I promise that I will get extra dirty for you tomorrow in an on call room after I finish that surgery."
"You're on, Red." Mark agreed readily.
"Zip me up, so I can go face the vultures that are undoubtedly waiting for me in hopes of getting in on this surgery." Addison turned her back to him so he could zip up her skirt.
"They are without a doubt hovering right now waiting to trip over themselves to impress you." Mark chuckled zipping her up.
"Let's go face the music, the sooner I get this over with the sooner I can be back home with you." Addison told him kissing his cheek.
"Sounds good to me, Red." Mark went along with her because it was just easier to do as she said most of the time.
"Addison, thank God you're here. The residents have been swarming around looking for you since they got wind of the surgery you're doing tomorrow." Callie greeted her friend.
"They also heard LA and they want to go on a road trip." Addison added.
"Do you know who you're gonna take?" Callie asked.
"Of course I know who I'm taking. I'm taking the only one that I can trust with something like this." Addison answered.
Callie gave her a knowing look. "I should have known." She commented.
"That doesn't mean I'm going to let the residents know that right away. I think I want to see them trip over themselves trying to impress me for a little while." Addison smirked.
Callie laughed at her. "This right here is the reason they call you Satan." She informed her.
"Oh, I know." Addison acknowledged.
"Don't look now, but here comes one of the vultures." Callie said as Jackson Avery walked over to them.
"Good morning, Dr. Montgomery, Dr. Torres." Avery greeted the two attendings cheerfully.
"Avery," Callie answered with a nod in his direction.
"Dr. Avery, what can I do for you?" Addison asked him even though she knew what she wanted.
"I was just wondering if you could use another resident on your service." Avery explained.
"Dr. Avery, I don't know that Dr. Sloan could do without you chasing around after him." Addison replied.
"I'm sure that Dr. Sloan could manage without me to get his dry cleaning for the day." Avery assured her.
"I don't think that he can do without both of us though. I'm going to need someone to keep an eye on him while I'm gone and you seem like the best candidate for the job." Addison informed him.
"Yes, ma'am," Avery replied before turning on his heel and walking away.
"I'm surprised that he didn't turn his charm on for you." Callie laughed.
"He knows better he wants to stay on Sloan's good side he can't do that if he puts the moves on me." Addison reasoned with her.
"This is true." Callie agreed.
"Speaking of Sloan I need you to keep an eye on him and Carson tonight. It's not that I don't trust him with our son, it's just the first time that they've been alone together for the night." Addison told her.
"Say no more, I've got an eye on both your boys tonight." Callie assured her.
"Thanks, Callie, it's just you know how Mark is." Addison replied gratefully.
"I do know how Mark is. He's a wreck without you and that's why I plan on keeping a close eye on him. I don't want him boiling water in that apartment while he's alone with that boy." Callie retorted.
"It means a lot to me that you're going to look out for them while I'm not here." Addison told her.
"Don't think anything of it. Carson is my godson and Mark is like the creepy pervy brother that I never wanted, but got anyway. What I'm saying is you guys are my family and you would have my back if I needed you to." Callie replied dismissively.
"Well, your creepy pervy brother needs you to keep his ass in line." Addison joked patting her on the back.
"No worries, I've got him." Callie promised her.
"Which resident do you guys think Montgomery is going to pick to go to LA with her?" Christina asked. She and the other misfit toys were sitting in the tunnels like always.
"She's going to pick whoever hasn't managed to piss her off lately." Meredith guessed.
"In other words I have a shot and you three don't." Lexie mused.
"Lex, you slept with her boyfriend she's not gonna forgive that one anytime soon." Christina pointed out to her.
"Besides that, we all know that Montgomery likes me best." Karev threw out there. He was babysitting Carson at the moment.
"Bullshit, Alex, you're the main one of us who pisses Addison off. I bet she takes one of the Mercy West transfers." Meredith called him out.
"She's not gonna take anyone from Mercy West they all avoid her service like the plague." Lexie disputed.
"She hasn't had anyone to torture in a week divine inspiration might strike her and she may decide to start on them." Christina quipped.
Alex held up a hand to silence them when he heard the familiar click clack of heels coming down the tunnels. "Just act busy." He urged them.
"Dr. Karev, Dr. Yang, Drs. Grey," Addison greeted them.
"Dr. Montgomery, it's good to have you back." Lexie replied with a warm smile.
"I owe you guys a thank you I wouldn't be back right now if it weren't for all of you. So, Grey, Yang, you're off my service and, Little Grey, you were never actually told that you had to stay on my service, but you're free to go pursue other cases too." Addison informed them.
"What about me, Montgomery?" Alex asked in disbelief that she was still hell bent on punishing him.
"Well, you were the one who insisted that I let you take a look at me, so thank you." Addison answered him.
"You're welcome," Karev replied stiffly. He couldn't believe that she was still keeping him on her service.
"Karev, I do have a question for you." Addison told him bluntly.
"Fire away," Karev shrugged.
"Do you have so strong an attachment to my son that it's gonna stop you from getting on a plane and going to LA with me for the night?" Addison asked straight-faced.
"You want me on this case?" Karev asked trying not to sound too excited.
"Yes, I want you on this case, no one else I know knows how to watch a fetal heart monitor the way you do." Addison retorted.
"I can be ready to go ten minutes ago." Karev threw out there.
"You just need a change of clothes and some clean scrubs." Addison told him.
"What do I do with him?" Karev asked about Carson.
"Give him to Meredith." Addison answered. The two residents she trusted the most with her son were Meredith and Karev. "Meredith, Derek has assured me that he can keep an eye on him for today while Mark is in surgery."
Meredith took Carson from Alex. "If for some reason Derek can't do that I'll watch him or I'll get Callie to take him." she assured her.
"Thank you, Grey," Addison said before turning to Lexie. "Lexie, if you really still want to be on my service you can keep things coordinated with Karev from this end, but that's only if you want to I can always find someone else." She said throwing her a bone. She realized that she hadn't been the nicest to her.
"Of course I will, Dr. Montgomery, whatever you need." Lexie jumped at the chance to be involved with such a high profile case.
"Dr. Montgomery, can I by chance get in on this?" Christina asked. Sure it wasn't cardio, but this was a big case.
"Yang, if you want in you're in, but I would have thought you would have gone running back to Altman by now." Addison replied.
"I've been on Altman's service since you've been gone nothing as interesting as this has come in." Christina informed her.
"Well, you know how I like things done. When Karev gets all the information to Lexie I'm trusting the two of you to book an OR and get a surgical team together." Addison ordered.
"Whatever you say, Dr. Montgomery." Lexie and Christina answered in unison.
"Karev, go grab your stuff and lets get going." Addison told him.
"Ok, I'll meet you in the lobby in ten minutes." Karev replied.
"Sounds good, Karev." Addison agreed.
"Mark, I really have to go." Addison told her boyfriend when he pulled her close to him again.
"Just one more kiss to hold me over until the morning." Mark begged sticking his bottom lip out in a pout.
"One more kiss and that's it." Addison relented while laying down the law.
Mark kissed her passionately and didn't pull away until the need for oxygen screamed through his brain. "I'm gonna miss you, Red."
"I'll miss you too, goofball, but I'm coming back because I love my boys too much to stay gone." Addison assured him.
"We love you too, Red." Mark replied.
Addison bent down and kissed Carson on the head. "You be good for your daddy, Carson Charles, mommy loves you and she's going to miss you so much."
"He'll be fine, Addie, I promise that I'll take good care of him." Mark swore to her.
"You're his daddy, Mark, I know you will. You two boys mean the world to me and I know that you'll take care of each other." Addison replied smilingly.
"Right, and I'm sure that you have Callie on standby to keep an eye on me." Mark teased her.
"Mark, I love you more than anything in this world expect our son, but you are a twelve year old stuck in a grown man's body." Addison said only half in jest.
"It's one of the things you love about me." Mark called her out.
"It is one of the many things I love about you, but forgive me if it doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in me when it comes to leaving our son alone with you." Addison elbowed him in the ribs lightly.
"Montgomery, are we ready to go?" Alex asked as he walked up.
"Yeah, we're ready." Addison answered him.
Mark picked up Carson's little hand and waved it in Addison's direction. "Casey, say bye-bye, mommy, I love you and I'll see you tomorrow."
"Mark, make fun of me all you want to, but just walk away." Addison told him fighting around the lump in her throat so she could speak.
"Ok, call me as soon as you land, so I know you're safe." Mark ordered her.
"I will, I love you, Mark." Addison responded.
"I love you too, Addie." Mark returned the sentiment before walking away.
"Alright, Karev, let's get this show on the road." Addison said clearing her throat.
"I'm ready any time you are." Karev agreed.
"Sloan, since Addie's out of town, what do you say to having boys night tonight?" Derek asked Mark.
"I've got the kid no can do, Shep." Mark replied shaking his head.
"Mark, I know that you have the kid I was thinking something along the lines of dinner and a couple of beers at your place." Derek informed him.
"Let me guess, Addie got you cornered and you promised her that you'd keep an eye on me." Mark ventured.
"No, she didn't actually Meredith suggested that maybe you could use a friend tonight with Addison being out of town." Derek corrected him.
"I should have known that one of Addison's suck ups would come up with something like that." Mark joked.
"I think that they finally got the hint and they are learning to treat her with the respect that she deserves." Derek laughed. "So, what do you say about tonight?"
"Torres and Robbins took pity on me and promised me dinner. I think Callie promised Addie that she would make sure that I wouldn't go off the rails again like I did that one time. If you want we can turn this into a group thing though." Mark replied.
"That sounds good, I'm married to a resident and if it's at all possible she spends more time at this hospital than I do." Derek agreed.
"I don't know if it's possible for anyone to spend more time at this hospital than my girlfriend does. Her pager is always going off at ungodly hours of the night because of laboring mothers." Mark countered.
"You're preaching to the choir on that one. She had this rule back in New York the nurses weren't allowed to page her until her patient was seven centimeters dilated." Derek chuckled.
"That sounds like a rule that I need to remind her of." Mark said thoughtfully. "So, I'll tell Torres and Robbins that you're in for tonight."
"Yeah, I'm in," Derek confirmed. What he wasn't telling Mark was that he had promised Addison that he wouldn't let him have too much alone time to think about things. Thinking about things tended to get Mark in trouble. Point in case he suffered a brain injury after getting on a motorcycle for the first time in probably five years.
"Dr. Sloan," Lexie said meekly as she walked up to her brother-in-law and ex-boyfriend.
"Mark is just fine, Lexie, what do you need?" Mark asked her with a smile.
"I was wondering if you've heard anything from Dr. Montgomery. She has me coordinating things here for her surgery tomorrow." Lexie explained to him.
"I heard from her when her plane landed. I'm sure that she's just trying to get a read on the situation before she calls to set things up on this end." Mark answered her.
"It's just that put her faith in me and I don't want to let her down." Lexie told him.
"Little Grey, don't worry until there is something to worry about. The fact that you're asking me if I've heard from her proves that she put the right person in charge. Trust me she wouldn't have done that if she didn't think you could handle it." Mark assured her.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mark." Lexie smiled at him her voice sounding a little steadier.
"You thank Addison for putting her confidence in you I'm just telling you how she operates. I know the way my girlfriend thinks and she wouldn't have put you in charge if you were an idiot." Mark corrected her.
"Listen to him, Lexie, he's right." Derek chimed in helpfully.
"Wow, check out these digs." Karev said with a low whistle as he and Addison walked into the practice.
"Karev, mind you manners and don't make me regret bringing you along." Addison warned him. They had made a stop at the hospital and then at her house before heading into the practice.
"Dude, as if the house wasn't enough you seriously worked in paradise." Alex commented.
"If it's at all possible I think you might be more juvenile than Sloan." Addison shook her head at him.
"I was just saying." Alex replied with a shrug.
"Just keep your mouth shut and follow me." Addison ordered as she led him to the kitchen area. Her former colleagues spent more time in there than they spent actually practicing medicine.
"Addie, you're back." Naomi was the first to greet the redhead.
"I'm just back for the day Charlotte called me in on a case at St. Ambrose. I already stopped off there to check in on the patient and we're flying her to Seattle in the morning." Addison replied.
"Well, it's good to have you back no matter how short your stay is." Sam chimed in.
"Thanks, Sam," Addison smiled. Karev cleared his throat behind her. "Guys, this is my resident Alex Karev. Karev, this is Sam, Naomi, Pete, Sheldon, and Cooper." She introduced them pointing to each person as she spoke.
"Addison, you wouldn't be chance happen to have the time to do a consult on a patient of mine as long as you're here would you?" Pete asked her hopefully.
Addison consulted her watch. "I can do a consult as long as it's within the next hour." She told him.
"I can make that happen." Pete assured her.
"Montgomery, should I be getting back to the hospital?" Alex asked her.
"Karev, there's really nothing that you can do there unless you want to sit and watch a fetal monitor all day." Addison reasoned with him.
"I think I'll just stick with you then." Karev replied. The last thing he wanted to do was be stuck watching a damn fetal monitor all day.
"Yeah, that's what I thought." Addison chuckled. "Actually, you can go hang out in my office while I go talk to Naomi for a little while. Or if Cooper is in a really good mood and he doesn't mind you can shadow him for the day. He's a pediatrician and I know that you secretly have a thing for peds."
"He's more than welcome." Cooper assured her.
"Karev, go hang with him and try not to embarrass me." Addison ordered him.
"Whatever you say, Dr. Montgomery." Alex replied flippantly.
Addison rolled her eyes at him. "I swear that residents should be seen and not heard." She sighed.
"Addie, what can I do for you today?" Naomi asked her friend as they sat on the couch in her office.
"I want to get pregnant, Nae, and I was hoping that you could help me with that." Addison replied.
Naomi looked at her and sighed. "Addie, you know what a long shot that is and I don't want you to be disappointed when that doesn't work out."
"I'm a big girl, I can handle it, Nae. It's just that Mark and I want to attempt to give Carson a sibling. I know that it's a long shot, but I want to do everything in my power to make it happen." Addison explained to her.
Naomi laid a gentle hand on her knee. "I have to ask you this because you're my best friend. Are you sure that you're not rushing things with Mark?"
"Mark and I are incredibly happy together, Nae. I know that you might not be able to see it, but he's a different guy than he was in med school. I had to have my tonsils out last week, and he has catered to my every whim since then. I mean he has been right by my side. I don't think we're rushing things, because we spent too much time denying what we feel for each other." Addison answered her. She got tired of having to defend her relationship with Mark to her and Sam. Really it was starting to make her wonder why she had ever run off to LA in the first place. It seemed unreal, but Seattle was the one place that she could actually be herself and not take flak for it. The people there got her and they didn't question her decisions.
"I'm going to give you some advice and you don't have to listen if you don't want to, but I feel like I need to say it. You should give yourself some time you and Mark haven't been together that long. You two need to settle into being a couple and being parents before you try to add another baby to that." Naomi advised her.
"Naomi, I hear what you're saying and I understand that it's coming from a place of love and concern. However, I'm not getting any younger here and if this is going to happen now is the time to do it. Besides that Mark and I don't ever do things the easy way. As a matter of fact I'm not sure that we know how to do things the easy way." Addison retorted.
"Since I know you and I know how stubborn you are. I know that there is no talking you out of this. So, if this is what you really want we'll get your blood drawn right now and we'll see where we can go from there." Naomi relented having said her piece.
"Nae, what I want more than anything is to give Mark another baby." Addison replied firmly.
"Ok, then we'll get your blood work done and I'll send it back to Seattle with you, so you can take it to the fertility specialist that I'm going to recommend." Naomi sighed deeply. She really didn't understand her best friend's fascination with Mark Sloan of all people.
"Naomi, I know that you don't really approve of my relationship with Mark, but he's good to me and he treats me like a princess, so that should be good enough for you. As my best friend I need you to be supportive." Addison told her.
Naomi smiled at her. "I'm doing your damn blood work aren't I? And you tell Mark that he needs to have a test done on his sperm count. If that all works out and you two are still having trouble conceiving come see me and we'll do IVF."
"Thanks, Nae," Addison smiled back.
"Since the manwhore makes you so damn happy I can't stand in the way of that." Naomi replied pulling her into a hug.
A/N: Here's the next chapter I hope you guys liked it. I know that it seems a bit jumpy and more like a filler chapter, but that's because I had to set up what's going to happen in the next chapter and I promise you that you're going to love it. Until next time please review.