Thanks for your reviews and interests in this story. I appreciate all the comments.
This is Chapter 2, and like I mentioned before, I'll either end things with this chapter or do one more. Please note: I'm not a pro…..I write for fun so there is no doubt you will find errors in my writing if you're looking for them. I would just ask that you keep in mind that I focus more on making my stories "fun to read" and hope you enjoy them. ;)
I'd love to know what you think of this chapter, too, so feel free to drop me a line or two. Enjoy!
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"Morgan?" The surprise in Derek's voice mirrored what Mark had felt when he realized it was her. "As in your Morgan?
"Yeah," Mark replied, "I don't want anyone else but you to look over her scans. Can you come in?"
Derek wasn't at all surprised to see Mark taking control of the situation even though he and Morgan hadn't been together for over 15 years. They're entire "group" had known how much Mark and Morgan had been in love; Much like him and Addison had been at that time in their lives.
Mark heard shuffling in the background before Derek answered, "I'm already getting dressed. I'll be right there."
Mark knew that Derek needed rest as much as he did. After all, Derek's day had been just as long and exhausting as Mark's. But this was Morgan and Mark knew Derek would be just as concerned as he was over the shape she was in.
"Thanks, buddy." Mark answered.
He returned to the exam room and found them getting Morgan ready to go to Radiology for CT Scans. They had given her a sedative to calm her down which had already begun to take effect. She noticed Mark walking back in to the room and turned sleepy eyes his way.
"Will you go with me? Please?" The fear he heard in her voice moved him.
He grabbed her hand, "Of course. I'll stay right with you, okay?"
She gave him a small smile and continued holding his hand as they pushed her bed out of the room and made their way to Radiology.
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Thirty minutes later, Morgan's CT scans were finished and she was in a room. Thanks to the sedatives she had been given earlier, she was fast asleep which allowed Mark a chance to step away to review her tests. He was in a Radiology room with Callie when Derek walked in.
"Hey," Derek said. "How is she?"
Mark turned around to look at him, "She's sleeping right now, but…Honestly, she's not good. She scared…Actually, she's terrified."
Derek could see the muscles on the side of Mark's jaw moving as he clenched his teeth together in anger over what had happened to their friend. He patted Mark's back, "We'll take care of her. He won't get near her again."
"Damn straight he won't," Mark said. "I'm going to make sure of that."
Callie didn't miss the fierce protectiveness she heard in Mark's voice. It was unmistakable and obvious how much he had cared for this woman.
Derek turned to look at the scans posted in front of them and immediately saw an area of Morgan's brain clearly showing a concussion. He pointed towards one of them, "Right here…..She definitely has a concussion. Looks pretty severe." He shook his head in disbelief as he continued to look over the pictures in front of him. "What did he do to her?"
Mark sighed, "I don't know. She was pretty upset so we didn't get into many of the specifics. I just know that she came to Seattle to check on a 'boyfriend' who was supposedly attending a 'conference'. She found him at his hotel with another woman, confronted him on it, and ended up here with the hell beat out of her. I don't know much more than that because she was really upset and I didn't want to push her too much for details yet."
Derek shook his head in understanding, "Probably a good idea." Then he turned back to look at her test results again before releasing a deep breath. "Okay…..well…..Let me exam her for any other symptoms and we'll go from there."
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Mark put out his arm to stop Derek right before they walked into Morgan's room.
"Listen to me," he began. "She's in bad shape. She doesn't look anything like the Morgan we remember, so I just want to warn you."
"It's okay, Mark…I understand. We've dealt with trauma victims before."
"I know…..but believe me…..It makes a big difference when that victim is someone you know."
They walked into the room to find Morgan still sleeping. A nurse was checking her vital signs so they waited. Derek was thankful for the reprieve since it was a shock seeing Morgan in the state she was in. Mark was right; Seeing a friend who was hurt to this extent was completely different from someone you didn't know. Neither was easy to deal with, especially when women and children were involved, but at least they were able to keep things in perspective when it was a "patient" verses a "friend". Seeing Morgan lying with such extensive bruising and abrasions was a hit in the gut for both men.
Once the nurse marked her chart and walked out, Mark stepped up to the bed. He gently shook Morgan, "Morgan, can you wake up for a minute, sweetie? Derek is here."
It took a little more prompting, but she eventually started to open her eyes slightly. One eye was nearly swollen shut, but the other one opened wide upon seeing Mark and Derek both at her bedside. "Mark? Derek? What are you doing here?" Her gaze darted around the room in confusion, "Where am I?"
Derek stepped up to her and smiled, "Hey, Morgan." He leaned took her hand. "It's been a long time, huh?"
She smiled weakly. "Yeah."
"So do you remember what happened?" he asked.
She looked as if she were contemplating his question before looking at him….and then Mark. Her brows furrowed.
"Jason," she answered. "Ummmm….Jason and I had a fight. Right?"
Now it was Mark's turn to move by her side, "Yes…..You said you met him at a hotel and had an argument. Do you remember any of it?"
"Oh my God. It was awful. He was awful…..I shouldn't have surprised him. Why did I do that?"
Tears filled her eyes and Mark leaned down closer to her, "Please don't cry, Gracie….We're going to fix it. I promise."
Hearing Mark call her by her childhood nickname was both endearing and heartbreaking; She had been given her grandmother's name as a "middle name", so most of her family called her "Gracie" rather than "Morgan". Only those who knew her best ever called her Gracie….and Mark was definitely included in that group.
Mark reached to wipe a tear away. "Derek needs to ask you some questions, okay?"
She shook her head in response and Derek began a preliminary exam by asking her to follow the movement of his finger, looking at her pupils, and asking her some routine questions such as the date, her birthdate, etc. He asked if she remembered coming to Seattle and what hotel she'd gone to meet Jason. When she had answered everything to his satisfaction, he smiled at her.
"You have a bad concussion, but I think you'll be okay with some rest. I'll be back later to check on you, okay?"
She offered him a tired smile, "Thanks, Derek."
Derek motioned for Mark to follow him into the hallway. When they were out of earshot, his expression turned grim.
"She's taken quite a hit." Derek said.
"I told you it was bad," Mark replied as he crossed his arms and looked back towards her.
"We'll keep an eye on her, but I think she'll be okay as far as any head injuries are concerned. You are going to have your work cut out for you to fix all that damage, though. What the hell did he do to her?!"
"I don't know." Mark sighed as he ran a hand down his face, "But I'm going to find out."
Derek put a hand on his friend's arm, "Just don't push her too fast. The trauma to her body is going to be hard enough to heal without bringing up the memories of what happened. We're going to have to give her some time."
Dr. Bailey walked up, "Sorry to interrupt you, gentlemen, but we have a couple of police officers in the E.R. looking for a 'Morgan Matthews'". Torres said I needed to talk to you before bringing them up here. Wanna tell me what's going on?"
She looked from one man to the other. Mark was the one to speak first.
"Morgan is a friend of ours from college," he began. "She was assaulted tonight by a supposed 'boyfriend'. She's traumatized and in no condition to talk to police right now."
Bailey's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "They're going to want a statement," she said.
"I understand that!" Mark snapped. Then, looking towards her he exhaled a deep breath. "I'm sorry. Look, she's been through hell tonight, Bailey. She's in no condition to talk to anyone and have to recount what happened. "
Bailey noticed the expression on his face as he looked towards Morgan's room.
"Is that your professional opinion…..or a personal opinion?"
Mark turned back towards her and she saw the pain in his eyes.
"It's both, Miranda." Derek answered for him. "Tell them to come back tomorrow and we'll make sure she can give a statement."
That seemed to satisfy her. "Okay…..but I don't think we can hold them off too long. If they are going to find the SOB who did this to her, they'll need to get her statement."
"She'll talk to them tomorrow." Mark said softly before excusing himself and walking back in to Morgan's room. Thanks to the medications she'd been given, she was resting comfortably. He pulled a chair closer to her bed and sat down with a heavy sigh before taking her hand and placing a kiss on her palm.
Bailey looked towards Derek. "Anything else I should know?"
"Morgan went to college with us," he said. "She and Mark were together for nearly 4 years before things ended. I don't think he ever got over her."
Bailey shot a surprised look in Mark's direction. Who would've thought Mark Sloan had ever been 'in love'? Seeing Mark with her now made it obvious though. Her expression softened as she turned back towards Derek.
"Okay," she sighed. "But like I said, we won't be able to hold the police off very long. If they are going to make an arrest, they'll have to get her statement."
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It was close to 5 a.m. when Callie made her way back to Morgan's room and found Mark asleep in the chair beside her. He still held her hand in his. She smiled softly; He had definitely cared for this woman at one time, and from the looks of things, that had never gone away. She made her way further into the room and touched his shoulder.
"Mark, wake up," she whispered.
He stirred and looked up at her sleepily.
"Why don't you go home and get some rest. I'll sit with her and call you if anything changes."
Mark shook his head, "No, I'm fine."
Callie gave him a knowing look, "No you are not 'fine'. You look like crap. Go home, sleep a couple of hours and get a shower. She probably won't wake up for a while anyway."
He still looked hesitant to leave Morgan, but finally gave in. After all, he lived right across the street from the hospital and could be back within five minutes if needed. That was the only reason he agreed to go. "Okay, but only for a couple of hours. If she starts to wake up before that, I want you to call me."
"I will. I promise."
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In the next chapter, we'll start dealing with the 'aftermath'. There will also be a confrontation between Mark and 'Jason'. I'm looking forward to that!
