Pairings: Mark/Lexie with appearances by other the rest the Seattle Grace crew
Warning: T for now, may be updated in future chapters.
Summary: Mark regrets not telling Lexie how he feels about her as their plane plummets to the ground. Will they both make it out safe and sound? Will Mark be able to make Lexie his and prove to her he loves her?
Disclaimer: I do now own these characters. All rights go to Shonda Rhimes. Some scenes may be based off scenes that occurred in Grey's Anatomy.
Announcements: I don't know much about medical procedures so if some of this information is incorrect, I apologize. Thank you for those of you who continue to read, favorite, and leave reviews. Please continue to do so!
Waiting
Fear rippled through Mark's body. The doctors were coming in to tell them the outcome of Lexie's surgery. His entire life could change in a moment. He suddenly understood what it was like to be the loved one's family waiting for the doctors to come and update them on whether their loved made it through surgery or did not. Waiting for news. Waiting to see if their whole life was going to be changed in an instant. Mark would do anything to switch places with Lexie. She wouldn't have felt all that pain from being trapped under the plane. She wouldn't have had to go through such a long and strenuous surgery. Mark was pulled out of his thoughts as the Boise doctors entered his hospital room.
"Hello, oh, wow, quite the crowd," a female doctor smiled, standing up a bit straighter. "I'm assuming we're not all family?" she asked. Mark was becoming impatient and irritable as the doctor delayed telling him the outcome of Lexie's surgery. Meredith sensed Mark's annoyance, deciding to step in.
"I'm her sister," she said, taking a step closer to the doctor. "How is she?" Meredith questioned, eyeing the doctor.
"Yes, okay… I'm Dr. Lyons. I'm the neurosurgeon that worked on your sister and your…?" she trailed off, glancing to the others. Mark bit his tongue, shooting his eyes over toward Derek. Derek noticed, shuffling over next to Meredith.
"Yes, we're all like family here," Derek explained, crossing his arms. "And we're all doctors. So, please, let us know how she is."
"Right, okay. Well, Dr. Grey had several life threatening injuries. When we got into her brain, we noticed that her aneurysm began to swell, which caused Hydrocephalus. We were able to control the bleed and reduce the swelling, but we don't know what her long term prognosis will be," Dr. Lyons explained, adjusting her lab coat.
"Do you have her post-op scans?" Mark questioned, his face stern and emotionless.
"No, but we can get them if you'd like," Dr. Lyons stated, confused as to why Mark was asking for the scans. She knew that he was a doctor, but she was almost certain that he was not a neurosurgeon. Mark looked over toward Derek, silently asking him to look over the scans. The only doctor that he would trust is Derek. He was the best neurosurgeon, and Mark wanted his eyes on Lexie's scans.
"Bring us the scans. Now," Derek stated, staring Dr. Lyons straight in the eyes. Derek was sure that she was a good surgeon, but good would not suffice for Lexie. She needed the best. She couldn't have the best, though, since Derek could not operate on her. It was not just because of his hand; Lexie was his sister, his family. Regardless if he was physically able to operate, no one would let him. Derek looked over at Mark, letting out a ragged sigh. "Should I call Amelia?" he questioned. Amelia was his sister, and also a neurosurgeon. She was almost as good as him. Mark and Amelia had slept together before, and Derek knew that the last time they had, Lexie had indirectly caught them. However, Mark also knew that after Derek, Amelia was the best.
"Let's see how the scans look," Mark commented, running his fingers against his jaw. Dr. Lyons quickly left the room, leaving the rest of the group to swim in their own thoughts.
"We'll have to see how Lexie does overnight. If she does okay, and is stable enough, then we are hoping to get everyone back to Seattle tomorrow," Richard spoke, his voice bringing everyone out of their thoughts.
"That sounds good. Arizona and Derek need Callie's surgical skills," Mark commented, impatiently waiting for the scans to be brought to the group. "If Lexie isn't stable, you should still go back. I can stay here with her until she is stable for transport," he suggested, looking at Richard for his thoughts.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Richard replied, curious as to why Mark was so adamant about staying with Lexie. He knew about their past, but as far as he was aware, they were not back together. Dr. Lyons entered back into the room, and Derek immediately took the scans from her hands. He held them up to the light, staying silent.
"Derek," Meredith stated, anxious to hear what he had to stay.
"Get me the pre-op scans," Derek ordered, not caring that he sounded bossy. As far as he was concerned, he was temporarily going to take over Lexie's case. Dr. Lyons sighed tensely, departing the room. Mark looked over at Derek expectantly, raising his eyebrows as if asking Derek for an explanation.
"The scans look okay… but I'm concerned that there may still be some internal bleeding. I want her to have another scan in a couple hours," Derek explained, passing the scan to Meredith. The female doctor had studied under Derek for a while, and while she had a love for neuro, she had decided to let that specialty go in order to save her marriage. Looking over the scans, Meredith nodded her head in agreement with what Derek had reported. She passed the scans back to her husband, looking over at Mark.
"Should we call Amelia?" she asked hesitantly, looking back and forth between Derek and Mark. Mark immediately nodded, his eyes boring into Derek's.
"If Lexie has to have another surgery, she needs the best. I would prefer you to operate, but we all know you can't," Mark sighed tensely, trying to stay calm so that he would be able to see Lexie. Dr. Lyons entered the room, handing Derek the scans he asked for before silently departing from the room. Placing the new scans up to the light, he grimaced.
"What?" Mark asked, looking over at Meredith who was also peering upwards at the scan.
"She had a lot of bleeding," Meredith stated quietly, rubbing her hand against her other arm.
"It looks like they got good control of the bleeding for what they were working with," Derek commented, passing the scans to Mark in case he wanted to see. Mark studied both of the scans, nodding in agreement with what Derek had told him.
"Call Amelia," he requested. Derek left the room to call his sister, hoping that he wouldn't have to do too much convincing.
"We'll go tell Hunt," Richard stated, grabbing the scans and chart from Mark. Bailey followed Richard out of the room, leaving Mark with Meredith, Jackson, and April.
"Do you think she'll wake up?" April asked Meredith, biting down on her lip.
"I hope so," she whispered, taking a seat on the other side of Mark's bed. Normally, Mark would make some comment about having the two women in his personal space, but at this moment, he was glad for the support.
"Amy said that she would get a flight into Seattle tomorrow morning," Derek reported, walking back into the room. "We just have to make sure Lexie is stable enough so we can get her home tomorrow," he explained, offering Mark a small smile. The group sat silently, each wrapped in their own thoughts.
About an hour later, Dr. Vaughn walked into the room. "Dr. Grey, Dr. Shepherd, you can change into normal clothes," he stated, handing each of them a pair of scrubs. "Dr. Grey, you'll need to stay connected to the antibiotic drip, but other than that, I'm officially clearing you for discharge. Dr. Shepherd, since you're refusing surgery, I'm not going to officially discharge you. However, since you won't let us do anything, you're able to change out of the hospital gown. Dr. Lyon's will be down here momentarily to allow Dr. Grey to go see her sister," he smiled, leaving the room. Meredith glanced over to Mark, knowing that he wanted to see Lexie.
"It's fine, they won't let me," Mark sighed, watching as Derek went into the attached bathroom to change. Once he came out, Meredith went in and changed, too.
"Why are they just letting one person up?" April questioned, furrowing her brow. When they performed surgery on critically injured patients that came in through the ER, they allowed two up at a time. Meredith shrugged when she came out of the bathroom.
"Maybe they said that because they didn't want Mark to think he could go see her," she suggested. Dr. Lyons then entered the room, offering Meredith a small smile.
"Ready to go see her?" she asked, noticing that Meredith was now changed into a pair of scrubs.
"Yeah."
"Can I go, too? Or Dr. Shepherd?" April questioned, really wanting to see Lexie for herself. Dr. Lyons sighed, her eyes darting between Derek, April, and Mark.
"Sure, but one of you will have to wait outside and then switch out so the other can go in. We only allow two in at a time," she explained. April turned, resting her hand on top of Mark's.
"I can come back down and let you know how she is," April offered, knowing that this had to be hard on the plastic surgeon. Nodding, Mark forced a small smile.
"I would appreciate that."
April, Meredith, and Derek followed Dr. Lyons out of the room, heading upstairs to the ICU. That left Mark and Jackson in the room together, a tense silence settling over them. "Tell me the size Ms. Bryan decided to go with for her breasts," Mark muttered, glancing over at Jackson. The younger doctor couldn't help but let out a small laugh, finding humor in the fact that Mark would ask about one of his patient's breasts. That was Mark, though, and Jackson was glad that he saw a speck of the Dr. Sloan he knew returning.
The group decided on the way upstairs that Meredith and April would go into Lexie's room first, so that April could report back to Mark about Lexie's condition. Once outside her door, the two woman looked at each other and took a deep breath before entering into Lexie's room. The brunette was connected to tons of machines. She had a breathing tube in, and had a monitor that was checking her heart constantly. Each girl made their way to one side of Lexie's bed. April gently took Lexie's hand, as did Meredith.
"It's April. I'm here, Lexie," April said softly, tears pricking at the back of her eyes. April saw the shape that the other doctors were in. She didn't think that Lexie could look too much different. She did, though. The cuts and scrapes were similar to those of the other group, but seeing her connected to all these machines was a sober awakening for April. Lexie was way worse than the other doctors that were in the woods. "You did great during your surgery. We're all waiting for you," she whispered, scooting a chair up beside Lexie's bed. Meredith did the same, resting her other elbow on the bed and put her head in her hand.
"Jackson is with Mark right now so he's not alone. He's so worried about you, Lexie. You have to pull through for all of us," Meredith murmured, watching as Lexie's chest rose and fell as a result of the breathing tube. "You did so good out there. You're so strong. Dad knows about the accident. He's waiting for you back in Seattle," she added, rubbing her palm across Lexie's. Though Meredith wasn't close to Thatcher, she knew that Lexie was. Lexie worried about him all the time.
"Amelia Shepherd is going to look at you once you get back to Seattle. Derek can't operate, but we all want you to have the best doctor that you can. Stay strong so that we can get you home," April whispered, glancing down to Lexie's legs. They were being stabilized by rods. April knew that it must be painful, so she was slightly relieved that Lexie was sedated so that she did not have to feel that pain.
Meredith and April sat with Lexie for about twenty minutes, each offering words of encouragement to the younger doctor every now and then. April decided that she should switch with Derek so that he could sit with his sister-in-law, and so that she could report back to Mark. "I'm going to go update Mark. I'll be back later," April promised, squeezing Lexie's hands lightly. She departed the room, noticing Derek sitting on a chair right outside. "I'm going to update Dr. Sloan," she whispered, tears gathering in her eyes. Derek stood up and pulled the girl into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist, crying into him softly. "I-I didn't know she would look that bad," she said through her tears, gripping onto Derek's scrub top. The neurosurgeon rubbed his hand against April's back until she calmed down.
"She's strong, you know that. We'll get her through this," Derek encouraged, resting his hand on her shoulder. Nodding April wiped her eyes.
"Thank you," she stated, turning to take the elevator back down to Mark's floor.
"And Mrs. Pierson is recovering nicely from her burns. We are still debriding them, but she should be discharged in a couple of days," Jackson reported, Mark listening intently. Going over his patients made Mark temporarily forgot how scared he was about Lexie's recovery. April shuffled into the room, and both plastic surgeon's eyes were on her. She forced a smile and walked over toward Jackson.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Mark demanded, straightening up in bed. He didn't like the look on April's face. Something must have happened when April was up there. Did Lexie code? Did she seize?
"She's fine. She's stable," April promised, letting out sigh. "I just, I didn't realize how bad off she was," April began, running her fingers through her red hair. "Lexie's intubated and they're monitoring her heart. Her pulse was strong. Blood pressure was a little low, but that's to be expected. Oxygen percentage is 94%, which is really good for her state," April noted, noticing that there was now a chair besides Jackson. She took a seat, resting her elbows on her knees. "Umm, they stitched up her scrapes and have rods straightening out her legs. Looks painful, but she's sedated so likely doesn't feel anything," she explained, looking over at Mark.
Mark nodded, listening to every word April said. "Okay, that's good," Mark nodded, feeling slight relief. He wouldn't feel completely relieved until he was able to lay eyes on her and examine Lexie for himself.
"Did you ask if they'll let me up there?" he questioned. April shook her head, leaning back into the chair.
"I didn't. Derek just went in there, and I think Hunt, Bailey, and Webber are heading up there, too. Hopefully they will give us an update when they're done," April stated. She was exhausted. She had worked a 36 hour shift and was ready to go home and pass out right when she and Jackson were paged about the accident. Since hearing about that, she wasn't able to sleep. The red head was worried about her best friend as well as the other doctors. Mark nodded, letting his eyes slipped closed.
"Dr. Sloan," Owen called, walking into Mark's room. His eyes snapped open to be greeted with Owen. Mark didn't know how long he had dozed off, but judging by the fact it was now dark outside, it must have been a while. Mark offered Owen a nod, turning his head to look at April and Jackson. April had her head rested against Jackson's shoulder while Jackson had his head tilted back. His neck would definitely be sore Mark thought. "Lexie's doing good. So far she's been stable. The doctors do not want you going to see her, but I finally convinced the Chief to let you go up," he stated as a nurse brought in a wheelchair. The two sleeping individuals were just waking up when they heard that statement. Jackson immediately stood up to help Mark into the wheelchair.
"Thanks, Hunt," Mark replied once situated in the chair. Jackson wheeled Mark up toward Lexie's room. Meredith and Derek were standing outside Lexie's room, eyes landing on Mark as soon as he turned the corner of the hallway.
"Hey," Derek greeted, offering Mark a small smile. "I'm sure you were filled in on her condition and status," Derek started, and Mark gave him a nod in agreement.
"She looks a lot different, Mark. Honestly, she looks worse than she did in the woods," Meredith said softly, resting her hand against Mark's shoulder. "Just be prepared," she whispered as she and Derek moved aside so that Jackson could wheel Mark into Lexie's room. As soon as the doors opened, Mark's breath hitched in his throat. April and Meredith were right, Lexie looked horrible. She was hooked up to so many wires and so many tubes. In his eyes, she was still the most beautiful woman ever.
"I'm here, Lex," Mark whispered hoarsely, grabbing her hand as soon as he was close enough. Jackson bit his lip, resting his hand on a non-injured part of Lexie's leg momentarily before leaving the room. He wanted to give Mark some privacy.
"They wouldn't let me up here earlier, but I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere," Mark promised. If any doctor, nurse, orderly, or anyone tried to get him to leave Lexie's side, they had another thing coming for them. "I'm okay. I had a few bruises, but other than that, I'm fine," he explained, resting his head against the bed. "I wish I could trade places with you. You… You don't deserve this," he whispered, moving his other hand up to rest against her arm. "I love you, I love you so much," he breathed, rubbing his hand up and down her arm.
Mark remained in that position until Richard came into the room. "Mark, you have to get up," he stated, coming up to rest a hand on his shoulder.
"No, I'm not leaving her," he deadpanned, his eyes turning to look into Richard's.
"I know. They're going to bring up a bed for you. You need sleep, and we know you won't leave her side. So, we're going to bring you a bed and you will try and rest," Richard ordered pointedly. Mark nodded, standing up from the wheelchair. He walked to the other side of Lexie's bed, so that they could place the extra bed on the side he was previously on, as there were less machines and wires on that side.
"Thank you. I, I really appreciate it, Dr. Webber," Mark stated, offering Richard a real smile. He nodded, staying in there with Mark until the bed was wheeled in. Once it was, Meredith and Derek entered, assisting Mark with getting settled into his bed. He turned on his side so that he was facing Lexie. Grabbing her hand, he laced their fingers together. Meredith and Derek took a seat on the two empty chairs, thankful that they reclined. The group fell asleep, listening to the sound of the ventilator breathing for Lexie.