Pairings: Mark/Lexie with appearances by other the rest the Seattle Grace.
Warnings: None
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: Thank you, thank you for the reviews and favorites. You don't know how much they mean. A special shout out to Mojotom, aussieKayz, and Leann Nickerson. Thank you so so much for the reviews! Please continue to favorite and review :)
Friends
Amelia and Derek walked through the hall after Lexie's surgery in search of Mark. After scrubbing out, they made their way to the waiting room, expecting to find Mark there. He was not. They decided to try Lexie's room next, but he wasn't there either. Walking down the hall of the admittance floor, Derek suddenly heard Mark's voice along with laughter. Furrowing his brows, he followed the voice until he was standing in front of Arizona's room. Looking over at Amelia, he let out a deep sigh before the sibling duo entered. "Mark," Derek greeted, his voice solemn.
Arizona and Mark's laughter died down once they saw Derek and Amelia's face. The plastic surgeon stood up immediately, crossing his arms over his chest. "What happened?" he whispered, color draining from his face. Arizona reached out for him, placing a comforting hand against his arm.
"The aneurysm was a lot larger than we expected. There was no way to clip it without causing bleeding," Amelia began solemnly, shoving her hands into her lab coat pocket. "It's likely that the Boise surgeons didn't properly clip the entire aneurysm, and it continued to grow the last few hours," she stated, looking into Mark's eyes.
"Please no, god no," Mark muttered, feeling his knees buckle. He couldn't live a life without Lexie. How could he go on? She was fine before she went into surgery. She was talking with him, encouraging him to go and see his daughter. And now she was dead. "No," he cried out, falling down onto the chair.
"Mark," Derek interjected, stepping forward to place a hand against Mark's shoulder. "Amelia got it. She removed it with very minimal bleeding," he smiled, squeezing Mark's shoulder. "Lexie's okay," he promised, retreating his hand from Mark's shoulder.
"What? She's… she's okay?" he breathed, wiping his sweaty palms against his scrub pants.
"Yes, she's okay. She's in recovery and will be brought back to her room shortly," Amelia reported. "I want her to get another scan in a few hours, just to make sure we got everything. But at this point, I'm confident she won't need another surgery."
"Thank you. Thank you!" Mark exclaimed, wrapping Amelia in a friendly hug. Derek patted him on the back, glancing over at Arizona. She was smiling through her tears.
"You okay?" Derek asked with a small chuckle, sliding over to the other side of her bed.
"Yeah, just happy Lexie is okay," she whispered, wiping a tear away from her eye. She glanced over at Mark to see him sitting in the chair taking deep breaths. He placed his palms to his eyes, just holding his hands there for a few minutes. Amelia exited the room to complete her operation notes, letting Derek know she would check on Lexie in about an hour.
"Mark?" Derek murmured, standing near the end of Arizona's bed with his arms crossed. "You okay?"
"I just, I need to go for a walk before I go to Lexie's room," Mark muttered, pushing himself to his feet. Leaving the room, Mark roamed the halls of the hospital, lost in his thoughts. This is the second time Lexie almost died on him. He was scared. He was relieved that Amelia was able to successfully remove the aneurysm. But he was angry. So angry at the doctors at Boise Hospital. Aneurysms were a relatively common procedure in neurosurgery so how did they clip it unsuccessfully? How did the surgeons not catch that there was more of it left? The more Mark thought about it, the more he realized he wasn't just angry. He was furious. The plastic surgeon found himself back in Lexie's room, waiting for her to be brought down from recovery.
A couple nurses wheeled Lexie into her room. Mark stood up and helped the nurses adjust her bed. Mark leaned over, caressing her cheek gently. She hadn't woken up yet, but that was to be expected. She was intubated again, and Mark hoped that as soon Lexie woke up, they would be able to take the tube out of her. Once Lexie was settled, Mark locked her bed into place. He thanked the nurses as they exited the room and resumed his position on the chair beside the bed.
"You did great during surgery, Lex. Amelia said that she got it this time. You shouldn't need any more surgeries," he whispered, taking her hand into his. "I love you so much." Mark sat there silently, watching Lexie's vitals and responses. Meredith slipped into the room, standing at the edge of Lexie's bed.
"Hey," she greeted, offering Mark a small smile.
Mark nodded at her in response, letting his eyes linger on Lexie's face. "Amelia said that she got it this time," he murmured, craning his head to look at Meredith. Meredith nodded, signifying that she already knew about that.
"It looked like she did," Meredith agreed. Mark and Meredith started to hear Lexie cough, her eyes snapping open. They both scurried to her side, and Meredith removed the tube from throat.
"Hi, baby," Mark whispered, gazing into her eyes. "Your surgery went great," he whispered, leaning one arm behind her head. Lexie nodded, letting her eyes flutter closed for a few minutes.
"Did they get it?" Lexie croaked, licking her dry lips. Mark nodded as Meredith went to pour her sister a cup of water. She assisted Lexie with taking a sip before setting the cup back on the table.
"They did," he confirmed, stroking his fingers through Lexie's hair. He didn't think now was the time to tell her about the fact the initial doctors didn't fully clip the aneurysm.
"Good," she whispered, leaning into Mark's touch. Lexie drifted in and out of sleep the next couple of hours. Meredith ended up leaving to spend the night with Derek in his room. Mark never left Lexie's side and kept her hand securely held in his.
Lexie had just woken up, and she figured her sedation was beginning to wear off. She wasn't as sleepy, but she also started to feel more pain in her legs and head. It wasn't a headache like she had earlier, though. She knew this was how people tended to feel after having brain surgery.
"Lexie!"
The resident turned her head toward the door, seeing her red headed best friend come barreling through the sliding doors. "You're awake," she smiled, bringing her voice down a few degrees.
"April," Lexie greeted, opening her free arm for a hug. April slipped over to Lexie, wrapping her friend securely in her arms. "I was so worried about you. How are you? How are you feeling?" She rambled, pulling away from Lexie. She took a seat on the edge of Lexie's bed, eyes gleaming as she looked at Lexie. Jackson had trailed in behind April, muttering an apology to Mark about how April barged through the door.
"I'm good," Lexie promised, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "In a little pain but I feel much better after my second surgery."
April's head snapped over toward Mark, narrowing her eyes at him. "What does she mean second surgery?" She questioned hastily, crossing her arms. Mark arched his eyebrows at April's sudden outburst, turning to Jackson for an explanation.
"April," Jackson started, moving to sit on the chair near April. "They found that Lexie still had an aneurysm. Amelia Shepherd operated and everything went fine. They got it all," he explained, cowering away from April as she continued her death glare toward him. "You hadn't slept in almost 48 hours. You needed sleep. And Lexie is fine!"
Lexie, sensing that that things were heading in a sour direction, decided to intervene. "I'm good, April. Besides, now that you're well rested, you can personally look after me tonight," she grinned, patting her friend's leg. Jackson held his breath as he waited for April's reaction, letting it out once he saw April smile at Lexie.
"You bet I will be!" She stated, setting her hand on top of Lexie's that was resting on her leg. Jackson mouthed thank you to Lexie, to which she nodded nonchalantly.
"It's good to see you awake," Jackson said in an attempt to clear any awkward tension left over in the room. Lexie smiled back in appreciation, squeezing Mark's hand.
"Thanks, Jackson," Lexie murmured, resting her head against the pillow. The bed was elevated so she was in a sitting position which allowed her to be able to maintain conversation with everyone.
"You must be so happy," April commented, pulling Lexie's attention away from Jackson. Lexie furrowed her brows not having a clue what April was referencing. "That Mark broke up with Julia," the red head clarified. Lexie's head snapped over to Mark, eyes widening.
"You broke up with her? Why didn't you tell me?" Lexie asked quietly, letting her hand go limp in Mark's. Mark frowned deeply, lacing his fingers with Lexie's again.
"I was going to, there just wasn't enough time," he explained gently, his eyes begging her to believe him.
"I'm glad you did, for obvious reasons," Lexie spoke. "I just…" she sighed, pausing. "How did she take it?"
April glanced over at Mark sheepishly, assuming that he had told Lexie about the breakup. She hadn't intended to be the one to break the news. "Not well," Mark grimaced, looking down at the bed. Lexie sucked in a breath, taking Mark's demeanor to mean that he regretted leaving Julia.
"I'm sorry," Lexie whispered, not being able to stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks. Mark immediately shook his head, cupping her face in his hands.
"Don't be. I would do it over again in a heartbeat," he stated, wiping away her tears with the pad of his thumbs.
"She was just bitter, Lex," April spoke up in an effort to appease the situation. "She knew that Mark always loved you. How could anyone not?" She questioned rhetorically, smiling in Lexie's direction. The brunette bit the inside of her cheek.
"I love him, too," Lexie murmured, staring up into Mark's eyes. Lexie never wanted to hurt Julia, but she knew that she would be hurt by Mark breaking up with her. She wanted to know what Julia had said, though. Judging by Mark and April's coyness, Lexie knew that it wasn't anything good.
"Can I get something for the pain?" She voiced softly, glancing up at Mark. He nodded and released her hand.
"Yeah, I'll go find a nurse," Mark murmured, stepping out of the room. As soon as he left, Lexie turned to her best friend.
"What happened? Tell me exactly what happened. Were you there?" Lexie asked, spewing questions at April. She knew this conversation would need to be quick as Mark would be back quickly with her medication.
April sighed deeply, looking up at Lexie. "She said that you left because of Sofia. She said that she loves Sofia and you don't, and that you love him with conditions," she said softly, frowning as she watched tears pool in Lexie's eyes. "But Mark said that you were allowed to be angry and hurt when Callie got pregnant. He said that he's always loved you and always will, and it will always be you. Julia didn't want to hear that. She took a small detail, Sofia, and blew it out of proportion. She wasn't around when Mark got Callie pregnant. She has no way of knowing how you felt. Mark said that you'll be an amazing mother figure to Sofia," April rambled, taking Lexie's hand gently. "He loves you. He doesn't want to be with her, Lex. He didn't even try to comfort her when she was upset," April explained, trying her best to comfort Lexie.
"How could I blame Sofia? I was hurt and angry when he got Callie pregnant. But I would never blame Sofia. She was the innocent one in this. Do I blame Callie? 100%. Do I blame Mark? Yes. But Arizona managed to get past it, and so can I," Lexie sighed, biting her bottom lip. "It makes me angry that Julia would act as if she knows me."
"I know, Lex. Mark chose you, though," April encouraged, smiling brightly at her friend. Lexie nodded, watching as Mark came back into the room. She offered a small smile to him, opening her hand for his.
"They're coming in with it," Mark reported. He looked over at Jackson and April, motioning toward the door. "Let's let Lexie get some rest," he stated, walking over to take Lexie's hand in his. April frowned, without letting Mark see.
"They can stay," Lexie murmured.
"I'll be checking on you throughout the night. This isn't the last of me you'll be seeing," April grinned, giving Lexie a small side hug. She and Jackson slipped out of the room, leaving Lexie and Mark alone. Lexie withdrew her hand from Mark's, slipping her arms under the blanket.
"Is something wrong?" Mark frowned, feeling empty once Lexie withdrew from him.
"Why didn't you tell me what Julia said?" Lexie whispered sadly, shaking her head. "April told me that she brought up Sofia. How could she do that, Mark?" The girl muttered, shaking her head in anger.
"I defended you, Lex. I told her she didn't know us. I said you had every right to be angry over Callie getting pregnant. She doesn't know you, and she doesn't know me. She doesn't know us. I understood why you were angry, but it still broke me that you left," he murmured, trying hard to restrain himself from reaching for Lexie. "I wouldn't ever talk bad about you or not defend you. I was furious with what she said, but I never have to see her again. She's out of my life, Lex," Mark explained, his eyes pleading with Lexie.
She sighed, nodding her head. "It just really hurts me that she used Sofia as the pawn. She wasn't born yet. I would never blame her, ever. It was you and Callie that… you and Callie did it. Sofia was the result of it, but I could never, ever blame her or hold a grudge against her," she whispered.
"I know, Lex," Mark assured her, hesitantly leaning in to press his lips against hers. "Are we okay?" He questioned, hovering his lips over hers. Lexie didn't respond, slipping one hand out from the blanket. She placed it against the back of his neck, pulling his lips back against hers. Their lips molded together perfectly, like two puzzle pieces fitting together. Mark pulled back slowly, cupping her cheek. "I love you, Little Grey," he grinned, nuzzling his nose against Lexie's. Lexie's heart burst at the name, always having been a sucker when he called her that. Her cheeks tinted red as she gazed into Mark's icy blue eyes.
"I love you, too," she whispered, massaging the bare part of his neck with three of her fingers. "Will you lay with me?" Lexie asked shyly, biting her bottom lip.
"I don't want to hurt you," Mark replied hesitantly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. At that moment, a nurse came in and placed some pain medication in Lexie's IV. She thanked the nurse, before turning her attention back to Mark.
"Pleaseee?" Lexie pleaded, mustering up her best puppy dog eyes.
"Lex," he laughed lightly, pulling away from her. He could never resist her when she looked at him that way, and she knew that. He brought the guardrail down on the side of the bed and slipped off his shoes before climbing into bed next to Lexie. He slid one hand under Lexie's neck and wrapped his other hand around her waist, snuggling her against his body. "I love you so much, Lex."
"I love you, too," Lexie whispered, slipping into a deep sleep as soon as she was in Mark's embrace. Everything was right in the world. Julia was out of the picture, Mark was hers, and she was his.