Mark Greene stood in the lounge staring at what used to be Susan's locker. Now it was just a locker. Eventually someone would come along and use it and life would move on. Mark did not want to accept that. He groaned as he sat down and held his head in his hands.
"And after all that, she still got on the train?" Doug Ross asked as he sat down in one of the chairs opposite Mark. "Are you sure you said it right? What exactly did you tell her?"
Mark groaned. "I shouldn't have come here," he commented. "How could I expect you of all people to understand?"
Doug frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You've never loved someone the way I loved Susan," Mark pointed out angrily. "Look, this day has been hell enough. I'm going…I don't know. Somewhere," he said. He was going to say home, but technically he lived at Susan's old place. He could not go there, but he did not want to go to his place either. He did not know where he wanted to go. He just had to get out of County.
"Tell Kerry I'm not feeling well," Mark said as he reached for his coat. He carefully put it over his scrubs then walked out of the lounge and out of the ER. He did not care what happened to the patients in there. For all he cared, the place could spontaneously combust. It only reminded him of Susan anyway.
"Ok," Doug agreed as he watched his friend go. He could not help but feel bad for the guy. Although he knew that Susan was leaving for Phoenix, part of him was convinced that she would stay if she knew about Mark's feelings for her.
"Mark leave?" Carol Hathaway asked as she entered the lounge with a chart.
Doug nodded. "Yea, he's not feeling so great," Doug pointed out.
"Did he get to her in time?" Carol asked. Her tone was sympathetic and caring.
Doug nodded once more. "He told her, but she got on the train anyway."
"Poor guy," Carol noted. She sighed tragically as she handed the chart to Doug. "But since he's gone, you're stuck with most of the cases. Thirty-five year old GSW to the chest waiting for you in trauma one along with Weaver."
Doug rolled his eyes. "Mark, you lucky bastard," he grumbled as he started walking out of the lounge.
Mark did not think so. He sat there sitting at the El station watching as various lines pass him. He still did not know where he wanted to go. The preferable place would have been Phoenix, but what was the point. If he went there, he would only be rejected again. He could not take that anymore. He could not take anything from this day anymore. He could already feel his eyes getting tired, so he felt it was useless trying to fight it. He did not want to go anywhere else, so he might as well fall asleep right there on the bench with the rumbling from the El in the background. He groaned, but his mind was made up. He turned over slightly on the bench so that he was on his side. His cheek was pressed against the cold, hard bench. His eyes felt heavy.
He slowly closed them. There she was. Susan. Mark opened his eyes again to look into the nothingness in the station. His eyes were getting too heavy. He had to close them. There she was again. Susan. Her blonde hair. Mark was gently stroking her cheek and moving her hair. He was moving closer to her. He was kissing her.
He was asleep.