A/N I apologize for the delay in updates.
Girlfriend
Derek and Addison had been back in New York for two months and they had just started back at work at Mt Sinai. Derek was once again the head of Neurosurgery and Addison was the head of Neonatal. The Chief at Mt Sinai was extremely happy to have them back in New York and working at the hospital again. Mark had sold his practice and he was now working at Mt Sinai too. That had startled Addison and Derek until they remembered that Brianna was a NICU nurse there. Then Mark's decision to sell his practice and become head of Plastic Surgery at Mt Sinai made so much more sense.
Mark had invited Derek and Addison out to dinner to meet his girlfriend of six months. Six months was a new record for Mark. Up until then his longest relationship was four months and that was with Amy in Medical School. Addison was dying to meet this woman who had managed to get Mark to sell his motorcycle after he had owned it for ten years. Addison hadn't met her yet despite the fact that they both spent a lot of time in the NICU. She was eager to grill this woman because she felt as though she had to make sure that this woman was of better quality than some of Mark's other girlfriends and conquests. Addison had asked for hints as to what Brianna was like and Mark flat out refused to give her any sort of clues. Derek knew his wife and he knew how much that was driving her nuts.
Addison and Derek walked into their favorite Italian restaurant, wondering if Mark and Brianna were here yet. Addison was almost sure that they had had sex before they had come to the restaurant. Addison saw Mark over the hostess' head so she walked over to them with Derek right beside her. Derek too was interested in this woman .He wanted to see what was so different about this girl that had caused Mark to take a vow of monogamy. Derek guessed that Mark was being monogamous. Addison always said that a woman knew when her partner was being unfaithful. Derek chose to believe her on that.
Mark was nervous. He had not introduced a woman to his two best friends in awhile and Brianna was the first woman in a long time that he was actually serious about. Addison didn't count because she had never really belonged to him. Mark looked over and smiled at Brianna who was chewing on her lip. She was nervous and Mark found that cute. Mark had told her so much about his two best friends and she was concerned about making a good impression on them. Mark had told her that Derek and Addison were much more his family than his biological family ever would be. So Brianna knew that she had to show them that she was a good woman for Mark. She knew about Mark's past. In fact she was great friends with Charlene and Charlene had also filled her in on Mark's past.
Derek and Addison exchanged glances when they saw Mark and who they presumed was Brianna. She was beautiful. That was their immediate impression of her. She had long brown hair and hazel eyes. Her skin was white as snow and Addison had a feeling that Brianna would rival her in the height department. Addison hoped that she at least had a brain to go with that beauty. Mark had been known to sleep with the nurses and even date a few of them, but they had never had a lot of brain cells. They joined the table and after a round of introductions and after Mark ordered a bottle of red wine, the four of them relaxed. Addison sat next to Derek and right across from Brianna. She smiled at Brianna and Mark instantly recognized that smile. He knew that Brianna was about to get grilled by Addison. Mark shot Addison a look that clearly said "be nice." Addison caught that look but she didn't respond to it. Mark looked at Derek wondering if he should be worried about Brianna. Derek shook his head. Addison was blunt and direct, but she would never be deliberately cruel to anyone even if she didn't like them. Mark hoped that Addison and Derek both liked Brianna because Mark was pretty sure that he was falling for her.
"So Brianna, when did you meet Mark?" Addison asked. She had started with a relatively easy one.
"We had conjoined twins in the NICU and Mark was the plastic surgeon on the case. The twins were born and the parents wanted to have them separated now so it wouldn't be so difficult when they got older. They spent a lot of time in the NICU. Personally I think Mark got attached to them even though he wouldn't admit it." Brianna replied confidently. She was recalling one time in particular when she had come in on her day off to check on them and Mark was sitting in a rocking chair, rocking one of them.
"Hey I didn't get attached to them, but Colin was lonely since his parents were resting and his brother was sleeping." Mark argued, knowing exactly what moment Brianna was thinking about.
Brianna raised her eyebrow at Mark and Addison giggled. It seemed as though Brianna had found out a vital piece of information about her boyfriend and that was the fact that he too got attached to patients.. Addison hadn't even known Mark to ever get attached to patients. Not like Addison did. Kudos to Brianna, Addison thought.
"Sure babe." Brianna told him playfully. Mark scowled at her but everyone knew that he wasn't actually angry at her.
Addison turned her focus back to Brianna, eager to find out more about this woman sitting across from her.
"How old are you?" Addison asked bluntly.
"Thirty two." Brianna answered. Addison was stunned by Brianna's answer. She looked as though she was in her mid-twenties. She definitely was aging well. Addison was glad that she wasn't some twenty-five year old bimbo. That showed her that maybe Mark was finally growing up and going for women who were at least in their thirties.
"Why did you ask Mark to sell his motorcycle?" Addison asked. Derek stopped talking to Mark when he heard Addison's question. He too was interested in the answer that Brianna gave to this question.
"Because I want to keep him around for a long time and the idea of him having a motorcycle scares me." Brianna admitted softly. Mark was startled by that answer. They had not exchanged I love you's yet but Brianna had all but admitted that she was in love with him in that moment. Brianna looked at Mark with a shy smile on her face. Mark smiled at her and kissed her softly on the lips. When they ended the kiss, Mark whispered
"I love you too."
Brianna blushed crimson when Mark told her that he loved her. She couldn't believe that he was saying it in front of his friends. Brianna realized that he must have meant it since he was saying it in public. Granted he was whispering it, but people could still hear whispers.
Addison wanted to grill Brianna some more but as she watched the interaction between Brianna and Mark, Addison realized that Mark was genuinely happy. She could tell how he felt about Brianna. It was written all over Mark's face how he felt about Brianna. Mark Sloan had finally found and fallen in love. The look on Derek's face was one of pure amazement. He couldn't believe that his childhood nest friend and the biggest playboy in New York was actually in love with someone. He had caught Mark's whisper, but he wasn't sure if Addison had.
"How much of his…womanizing past do you know?" Addison asked. She felt like she needed to ask that question. She hoped that Mark and Brianna had already discussed it.
"All of it. Mark told me everything. Plus I am friends with Charlene. She told me a lot of it too." Brianna answered. She had no idea that just the mention of Charlene's name was enough to get Addison's blood boiling. Addison shot Mark an incredulous look. She could not believe that sweet Brianna was friends with Mt Sinai's resident slutty nurse. Derek looked at his wife clearly alarmed by the redness in her face. Mark looked at Brianna and then at Addison. Derek just looked bewildered which told Mark that Derek still didn't know that Addison had been pregnant with his child.
"What is going on Mark?" Brianna asked curiously.
"I haven't told you everything Bri." Mark told his girlfriend softly. He looked at Addison who nodded her agreement. It was time this whole thing was out in the open.
"I slept with Addison about eight months ago and Derek came home from work and caught us in their bed. Derek left New York and Addison moved in with me. A month later we found out that she was pregnant and she knew it was mine. In fact we both knew. I hadn't been faithful to her and she only had her suspicions about my infidelity. She caught me a month later in my office with Charlene. She terminated the pregnancy and went to Seattle to try and salvage her marriage." Mark explained.
Both Brianna and Derek looked horrified. Derek didn't care that she had been pregnant with Mark's child because it was pointless to be angry about that now, but what horrified him was that she had aborted a baby. Brianna couldn't believe that her sweet loving attentive boyfriend had cheated on this beautiful tall redhead across from her. Brianna also couldn't believe that Addison and Mark had betrayed Derek in the way that they had.
"How many women are you sleeping with now Mark?" Brianna demanded. She hoped that he was faithful to her bit now she was having her doubts.
Addison shook her head. She knew by the way that Mark was looking at Brianna that he truly loved her and that she was the only one that he was with.
"You are the only one he's with Brianna. I know him and I know when he is seeing more than just one woman." Addison whispered. She hoped that Brianna believed her but she wasn't sure that the brunette would believe her after the bombshell Mark had just delivered.
"You killed a baby." Derek murmured. He was still in shock over that revelation.
"You wouldn't have wanted to raise Mark's child. That was the only way I could get you back." Addison told him softly.
"I wouldn't want a baby to die though Addie." Derek told her.
"I did what I thought was best for everyone. I would get you back and Mark could continue his life as a womanizer." Addison told Derek with finality in her voice. She was so done talking about it.
Mark looked at Brianna and silently begged her to forgive him for what he had done. He couldn't lose her. She was the woman who he thought of every night before he fell asleep and she was the first thing he thought of when he woke up. Brianna nodded slowly. This had had happened a long time ago and she didn't want to lose Mark over something that had happened eight months ago.
"I forgive you." Brianna whispered. Mark pulled his beautiful girlfriend into his arms and hugged her, He was so grateful that he hadn't lost her over this.
Addison sighed a sigh of relief. She was so glad that Mark hadn't lost Brianna over what had happened in the past. She knew how much Mark would hate himself if he lost Brianna.
"So has Mark met your parents?" Addison asked. She was trying to change the subject from such a depressing topic as abortion and affairs.
Brianna looked at Mark who was smiling. Mark had never been good with parents and Derek knew that the best out of everyone. So Derek couldn't quite figure out why Mark was smiling at the idea of meeting Brianna's parents. Maybe he had met them already and they had taken easily to him, Derek wasn't sure.
"My parents invited the two of us for Thanksgiving this year." Brianna replied. Derek was surprised that Mark had agreed to meet his girlfriend's parents at Thanksgiving dinner. To Derek that just felt like added pressure. Addison would never admit that she was disappointed but she was. She was so used to Mark joining the Shepherds for Thanksgiving dinner and knowing that he wouldn't be there this year, felt a little bit like the end of an era.
"You better let Mom know." Derek warned Mark. Derek knew that once Carolyn found out that Mark was having dinner with his girlfriend's parents she wouldn't be mad.
"I plan to still make an appearance at dinner." Mark told Derek. He figured that was the least he could do after everything that Carolyn had done for him when he was a child. Brianna looked at Mark wondering if he wanted her to join him at Derek's mother's house. It was a mark of how special Brianna thought Mark was that she was bringing him home to her parents and she wondered if he planned to do the same for her "Would you join me for a little while at Derek's mother's house?" Mark asked his girlfriend, somewhat nervously.
"I'd be honored." Brianna told Mark with a smile.
"Mom is going to love her." Derek told Mark. Derek knew that his mother was going to love the woman that Mark had brought home for Thanksgiving. Derek also knew that Mark was nervous about bringing a woman over to the Shepherds for dinner. Derek knew that Mark's concern lay with Derek's sisters, more specifically Nancy who would definitely have an opinion on Brianna.
Brianna was now really confused. She had no idea that Derek and Mark were brothers. Mark had told her that his parents had never really been parents. Sperm and egg donors Mark had called them. Addison saw the look on Brianna's face so she figured she ought to clear up the confusion.
"Mark was practically raised by Derek's mother. So Mark calls Derek's mother Mom. They aren't biological or legal brothers, but Derek and Mark were inseparable when they were little and they have been as close to brothers as they could possibly be." Addison explained to Brianna, hoping she understood a little better the bond between Derek and Mark.
Brianna nodded slowly. It made sense to her now. Mark's real family was the Shepherds and his parents had never been part of his family. Legally and biologically maybe but not in any other way.
"So where did you go to school?" Addison asked, now that the confusion was over.
"Princeton." Brianna answered simply. Addison was stunned. Mark was finally dating an Ivy League alumni. It was about time that he was dating a smart woman. Of course Addison was not going to tell Mark that, but she was definitely thinking it.
Just then their food arrived. They were all starving and they started eating as soon as the waitress had left their table. The women stuck to pasta dishes and the men got dishes with meat. Mark and Derek were not really big pasta eaters so they stuck to meat which they could eat a lot of. Once Addison had eaten some of her food, she looked at Brianna.
"So what is your family like?" Addison asked curiously. She had finished grilling Brianna and now she wanted to know about Brianna's family.
"Well my parents have been married for forty years and I have three older brothers and one younger sister." Brianna explained.
Addison looked at Mark who did not look fazed at all. Addison was glad to see that. It showed her that they had talked about her family as well.
"My oldest brother is thirty-nine. My middle brother is thirty five and my youngest older brother is thirty three. My sister is twenty-eight." Brianna explained further.
Addison looked at Brianna and she couldn't help but be struck how Mark was around her. It was so different than any other time that Mark had introduced a woman to them and Addison really loved seeing that.
"How did you get into nursing. Especially in the NICU?" Addison asked. She was definitely curious about this answer.
"My oldest brother Andrew has a daughter who has Down Syndrome. She's ten now but getting that diagnosis was rough on my brother and his wife as well as the rest of the the time I was really not sure what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Kara's diagnosis inspired me. I wanted to help other babies and their families." Brianna replied. She looked at Mark and Mark kissed her forehead. He knew she didn't tell a lot of people about Kara's diagnosis.
Addison liked this woman. She loved how Mark and Brianna treated each other. It was a wonderful thing to see given Mark's womanizing past.
Derek and Mark had been discussing the Yankees in the past hour so they had really not been paying a lot of attention to the women, except for an occasional comment from Derek or a kiss from Mark to Brianna. Derek liked Brianna too. She made Mark a good man and a happier man. One who Derek felt comfortable to once again call his brother. It almost felt like Brianna had brought Mark back to Derek, Of course Derek was never going to admit to being that sentimental. When the dessert menu came, both Addison and Brianna ordered tiramisu and the guys got chocolate gelatto. It took Addison less than five minutes to eat her dessert. She loved tiramisu and she couldn't get it in Seattle so she was glad she was getting it now. Brianna followed her very closely and finished right after she did. When the guys had finished and the bill came, Mark took it before Derek could object. Mark paid the bill without even showing the amount to anyone. Derek was surprised that Mark had done that. He assumed that it was because of Brianna, but Derek didn't voice his opinion.
After the goodbyes were said, Derek and Addison climbed into Derek's silver BMW and Mark and Brianna climbed in Mark's black Lexus. Addison was so happy with the woman that Mark was with. She liked Brianna and she felt that Brianna was good for Mark. Addison was sure that Brianna would call Mark on any crap that he pulled, especially if Mark cheated on her which Addison honestly didn't see Mark doing. He loved that woman and Addison just had this feeling that he wouldn't ruin it.
"I like her." Addison told Derek with a smile.
"Me too. She actually seems to have a brain this time." Derek pointed out.
"And I can tell that he loves her." Addison added with a smile.
"You heard him?" Derek asked, totally surprised. He had thought that Addison didn't hear Mark.
"Hear what?" Addison asked, genuinely confused.
"He whispered to her that he loved her." Derek told Addison. That only made Addison smile wider. She was so happy that their best friend had fallen in love with a wonderful woman. She didn't say anything to Derek. She didn't feel the need to.
Just then they pulled up to the brownstone. Derek pulled the car into the garage beside Addison's black Mercedes and they both climbed out of the car.
They hadn't realized how tired they were until they arrived home. Addison was much to tired for sex so she just followed Derek upstairs. She pulled off her blue Chanel dress and put on a t-shirt. Derek took off his suit and left his boxers on. He wrapped his arms around his wife and pressed a kiss to her neck and Addison giggled. She was exhausted, but Derek was kissing her neck and that made her giggle. Addison pulled on Derek's arm and the both landed on the bed.
"You didn't grill her as much as I thought you would." Derek told Addison after he had sat up and leaned against the headboard.
"I liked her and she treated Mark well and he treated her well. I didn't see the need to continue to grill her." Addison told Derek already half asleep. Derek smiled at his sleepy wife and pressed a quick kiss to her lips and pulled her into his arms as he got under the blankets and laid down on the bed.
"I love you." Addison murmured sleepily.
"I love you too Addie." Derek told her before he reached over and shut off the light.
Derek and Addison fell asleep almost immediately once their heads hit the down filled pillows. They looked forward to getting to know Brianna better because they both knew that she would be part of their lives for a long time, maybe even forever if Mark took the plunge and popped the question to her.