Chapter 3 - Thatcher Grey

"What are you doing here?" she eyed him as he took the seat across her.

"What? I can't bring my wife lunch and save her from the crappy hospital food?" Mark looked at her and shrugged as he handed her one of the brown paper bags he was holding.

She took the bag, still eyeing him suspiciously.

"Besides, you know I'm leaving tomorrow, Meri Berry," he grinned.

"You talked to Eric?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "He actually got angry at me for not telling him we got back together."

"I'll have a talk with him."

"Just a hello from you would make his world be all rainbows and butterflies," he pouted.

"Jealous?" she smiled playfully.

"Of you being too close to my brother or that my brother would most probably drop me just to catch you?" he asked. "Cos' I am jealous. Of both."

"Aww, you know you're the Sloan I love the most, baby."

"And you're the Sloan I love the most too, Meri Berry," he grinned. "Now eat."

"What'd you get?" she asked, digging into the bag.

"Food," he replied, digging into the bag he was holding into. He suddenly grinned and looked at her.

"What?" she asked him.

"You want my pickle?" he smiled at her seductively, wagging his eyebrows at her as he held the pickle he just got out of the bag towards her.

Meredith rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Keep the pickle, Sloan. No one wants your pickle around here."

"Fine," Mark playfully pouted, placing the pickle inside the brown paper bag. "No pickle for you then."

"I own the pickle, Mark."

"You sure do, Mer," Mark nodded, grinning widely. "You sure do own the pickle, Mer."

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Mark realized something.

"So where are the other interns?" Mark looked around.

"Doing their jobs," Meredith muttered. "Which apparently, I couldn't."

Mark stopped chewing and gave her a look.

"My father's here."

"Oh," Mark placed down the subway sandwich he was eating and gave his whole attention to her now.

"He's here with his other family. His daughter's pregnant and about to give birth."

"Oh."

"Is that all you could say? 'Oh'?"

"Did he know who you were?"

"No, I don't think so," she shook her head. "Apparently, Bailey's given the heads up to the others and they all started calling me Dr. Sloan for some reason."

"He didn't recognize you?"

"I haven't seen him for 22 years, Mark! Even I wouldn't recognize myself if I haven't seen myself in 22 years," she let out a frustrated sigh. "But that's just it. I haven't seen him for 22 years. I don't even know him and yet he has this effect on me…"

Before Mark could even reply, Meredith's beeper went off. She stood up quickly.

"Crap, I need to go," she smiled at him apologetically. "My sister needs me."

"Finish this on your way there," Mark picked up the subway sandwich and handed it to her.

"I'll see you later," she took the sandwich and ran.

Mark nodded and called after her. "Good luck!"

-

Mark whistled lightly as he walked the halls of Seattle Grace.

"Dr. Sloan, what are you doing here?" Chief Webber asked him as he passed him in the hall.

"Just visiting, sir," Mark shrugged. He cleared his throat and looked around him before speaking in a lower tone. "I heard Thatcher Grey's around here somewhere, sir."

"He is," Chief Webber nodded and looked past Mark's shoulder. "There he is."

Mark turned around and looked at a disoriented and disgruntled man in a grey sweater in the waiting area. "That's him?"

"You know, it's really strange that you don't know your Father-in-Law," Chief Webber lightheartedly joked. "But yeah, that's him. Thatcher Grey."

"Would it be weird if I introduce myself as his son-in-law?" Mark smirked.

"I don't think Meredith would like that,"

"I know,"

Mark gave the Chief a small wave and he looked back at Thatcher Grey. In a split second, he saw Meredith approaching Thatcher. He watched as she played and wrung her fingers around, an evident sign of her distress, as she spoke to her father as a doctor would to his patient. He watched as Thatcher nodded and walked past Meredith to go wherever he was going.

Meredith sighed and Mark caught her attention. She gave him a small smile and she followed Thatcher. Mark, too, walked after them. He kept walking until he stopped beside Meredith who was standing outside the NICU, looking inside at her Father and at her niece.

"Hey," he greeted quietly. "You okay?"

Before she could reply, Thatcher stepped out of the room.

"Thank you," Thatcher smiled crookedly at Meredith.

"Umm, it's my job," Meredith muttered.

"Dr. Sliver told me that it was you who monitored the baby in there," he continued. "So thank you. I wouldn't know what to do if my daughter finds out her baby died."

Meredith froze at that point, Mark felt her tense up and he knew she was about to have a panic attack. He maneuvered his self in front of her and he cleared his throat to catch Thatcher's attention.

"We're glad you're grand daughter's fine, Mr. Grey," Mark outstretched his hand towards his father-in-law.

"Excuse me? But who are you?" he asked as he shook Mark's hand.

"I'm Dr. Sloan," Mark introduced his self.

"Another Dr. Sloan?" he asked.

"Yes," Mark nodded, feeling Meredith's hand go to his arm and squeeze it tightly. He knew she was doing her best not to burst into tears right at the moment. "I'm a Dr. Sloan too."

"Well, I better get going now," Thatcher gave him a small smile, retreating.

"Dr. Grey!" a nurse called out. "Dr. Bailey's looking for you!"

Mark watched as Thatcher's head turned to the nurse who called out and his eyes went towards Meredith who was tucked behind Mark. "G-grey?"

Mark turned around and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Sloan, I think we should go."

"Meredith?" Thatcher called out.

"Let's go," Mark led her away from her father.

All the nurses stared as he held on to her and walked her inside an on-call room. He sat him down. "Meredith?"

She continued to give out ragged and uneven breaths.

"Hey, hey," he called her attention. "Look at me."

"H-he… I-I…" she stammered.

"Mer, breathe," he cupped her face between his palms. "Breathe."

She stopped trying to talk and finally caught her breath.

"Why don't you go lay down for a little while?"

"I can't, Bailey's…"

"Shhh," he stopped her. "I'll take care of Bailey for you. Now you go lie down."

After a few moments of hesitation, she finally lied down. Mark waited until he heard her soft breathing before placing a kiss on her head and quietly leaving the on-call room.

He walked down the hall to where they last saw Thatcher Grey. He was standing right outside the NICU. Mark approached him and stood right in front of him.

"You don't know her," Mark told the man that was allegedly his wife's father. "You'll never know her."

"Excuse me?"

"She's a great woman," Mark continued, ignoring his comment. "She's who she is no thanks to your disappearing act. You ruined her life by leaving her and not showing up. And now you're here talking about your family. You'll never know what you missed, Mr. Grey. You'll never know what a wonderful person your daughter turned out to be despite you."

He pointed a finger at his father-in-law, warning him

"If I ever see a single tear on her face that was caused by you, I swear, Mr. Grey…"

Mark couldn't finish his sentence. He didn't have to. He didn't want to. Cause Thatcher Grey was never going near Meredith ever again. He left the man standing in the middle of the hall.

-

"I wanted that," she spoke softly as they both watched Thatcher Grey and his family gather around the baby's incubator. "I wanted that to be me."

"Meredith…" he knew she was about to break down again, the way she was leaning on him for support. He was afraid that if he stepped back, she'd fall.

"But I have you, Mark," she turned around and wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his lean chest. "And it's enough for me not to want that anymore."

"Meredith, it's okay for you to want that," he pulled away just enough for him to look at her. "And we will have that… Someday… It'll be me, you, my parents and your mother, and hey, maybe even Eric, around our baby."

"Someday?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," he nodded, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Someday, when we're ready."

"But not in an incubator, okay?" she asked.

Mark let out a small, quiet laugh. "Of course."

"And we both know Eric'll be the first one there," she giggled lightly.

"I know," he agreed. "He'll probably want to be inside the delivery room with you."

"And you won't let him, right? You won't let him see my vajayjay."

"I'd have to kill him before he does," he reassured her.

"Good," she smiled, burying herself more into his arms. "I love you, Sloan."

Mark's still leaving. Yadayadayada. (I should have let Mark punch Thatcher. That would have been good. LOL.)

Guess who updated on the day she turns a year older? haha. Hit me with some comments. :D