Chapter 3- Be my friend

"Come on in!" a voice answered at his knock inviting him inside.

"Chief Webber?" Mark asked as he pushed the door open and sneaked his head inside before he stepped in.

The Chief stood up from his desk greeting him politely. "Dr. Sloan?"

"That's me" Mark answered proudly stepping inside while the Chief came to greet him half-way.

The chief invited him to sit down and after he took his place back at desk, started reading Mark's files.

"I read your record and I must say that I am very impressed. Since we have a short staff in Plastics, your help is more than welcomed." The Chief stated while he pushed some papers in front of Mark.

"Thank you Chief! I'll do my best to help!"

Mark looked over the papers that the Chief had given him and signed them without any other second thought. The Chief told him he would call someone to come and show him the hospital and he was expected for work the next day.

"I know that you have Meredith Grey working as doctor here!" Mark smiled thrilled with his own idea.

"Yes, indeed; she is one of our 4th year resident, and she is also one of the best! Why? Do you know her?"

"Yes, I do!" Mark nodded smiling, trying in the same time to hide his satisfaction.

"Ok then, I will page her to see if she is free now to come and give you the tour" The Chief picked up the phone read to ask for Meredith to be paged.

Mark leaned back in his chair smiling thrilled. That was probably his chance to retie the only friendship available at that moment. "That would be great!"

Soon a knock on the door interrupted their talk and Chief asked to come in.

"Did you page me Chief?" Meredith asked as made the first step inside. She stopped in the doorway finding Mark in there sitting down and looking like he was having a chat with the Chief.

The Chief stood up and came to her, and so did Mark.

"This is Dr. Sloan. He told me that you already know each other." The Chief tried to make the introductions.

Meredith looked back and forth at the two of them. Something wasn't at its place. "Doctor!" She asked looking curios at Mark.

"He will work with us from now on in Plastics, and I want you to give him a hospital tour." The Chief seemed to have missed Meredith's surprise and turned to face Mark again. "Welcome on board Dr. Sloan" he shook the hand with him.

"Thank You Chief!" Mark smiled unable to take his eyes from Meredith.

Meredith sighed resigned and stepped outside followed closely by Mark.

After a short quiet walk, while Meredith tried to avoid Mark's gazes, Mark leaned to her. "I hope you are not missing a good surgery because of me, but I really wanted to have someone known to give me a tour around this place."

Meredith stopped and looked at him "Are you a doctor?" She asked yet not believing that something like that could be possible.

Mark laughed and picked up their track, though he wasn't sure of their destination. "I know you can't believe it, but I am; but I wasn't surprised to see you a doctor… like mother like daughter" Mark grinned down at her.

"But you were… like the…" Meredith mumbled confused following his steps.

"The worst student possible …I know" Mark laughed finished the sentence for her.

The tour continued in a rather silent awkward walk and ended with a visit in pit.

"What do you say about me getting you some coffee and tell me more about how the things are going around here?" Mark offered grinning as they were approaching to the coffee cart.

"I am sorry Mark, but I don't have too much time to chat; I have to go back to work"

"Meredith, first of all it won't take too long, and secondly… this is why you are having the interns for. Let them do your job!" Mark suggested laughing.

Same old Mark, Meredith thought smiling. She shook her head disapproving. "Are you sure you want to work here? I mean this is a teaching hospital and you will have to teach them something."

Mark chuckled. "I know; I will find something to teach them." He confessed in the same flirty manner. "Come on, have a coffee with me!" He put his hand on her back and led her to the coffee cart "I'll pay for it. I am a gentleman you know." Mark pushed her hand as he saw her taking money out of her pocket. Meredith smiled shaking her head and headed to a table followed by Mark who was carrying the coffees.

"Look Mer…" He said as they reached to a table.

"Please don't call me like that!" She cut him off immediately grabbing a cup of coffee from his hands.

"Meredith, I don't want you to jump of joy for seeing me, but please let's act friendly with each other; what happened between me, Derek and Addison should not affect us. I want us to be friends; as you said I am not very welcomed here so … please, be my only friend." Mark softened his voice adopting a more serious attitude this time.

Meredith leaned back on her chair staring at him; she sighed and straightened up in her seat again. "Ok, we can be friends." She agreed. "But… why… why didn't you write me back?"

"I did! But I never received an answer from you, so I thought you … gave up" Mark explained confused.

"You did? When?" She asked curious.

"The last letter I sent it before you moved to Seattle, shortly after I got yours telling me that in two weeks you would move."

"Oh…I remember now; we moved after just one week so probably the new owner didn't mail me the letter here; I thought that you had forgotten about me." Meredith sighed relieved but also sounding like regretting it.

Mark smiled brushing gently her hair. "You are show up so often in my mind." He muttered looking in her eyes. "Did you know that the last time you were in my mind was last night?" He chuckled.

Meredith giggled. "You did?"

Mark nodded; his fingers still brushing the tips of her hair, from time to time touching slightly her cheek. Meredith pulled back making his hand slip from her hair. "We are no longer Meredith and Mark. I am not the same person you knew and you are obviously not the guy I knew" she sipped from her cup and stood up. "I have to go back to work now … I guess I will see you around"

Mark stood up following her. "Now that we established to be friends again, what do you say about us going out for a drink tonight? We could catch up with this last years?" Mark asked her.

Meredith glared him. "Don't make me mad of you, Mark. You can't afford to lose your only friend." Then she turned around walking away. "You might find me tonight at Joe's, the bar across the street, but only if you stop hitting on me"

Mark chuckled acting offended. "I wasn't hitting on you!" Meredith looked back at him with a glare. "Seriously Mer!" Mark chuckled. Meredith smiled shaking her head.

"Wait Meredith!" Mark stopped her again.

"What is it now?" Meredith stopped without turning to face him.

"I have a curiosity … why are you in the 4th year of residency? Weren't you supposes to be in your 7th by now?" Mark asked coming in front of her so that he could look at her.

Meredith sighed. "After I graduated the Med School I had some sort of a fight with my mom, so I left to her sister in Europe and I lived there for a year. Then my mother got sick and I had to come to Seattle, where she had moved in the mean time; she passed away one year later …of lung cancer; then I started the internship here, so…that is why." Meredith explained.

"I heard about your mom; I'm sorry Mer!" Mark smiled sincerely.

"It's fine now." Meredith smiled grateful. "I have to go!" she turned around and left.

When she got to elevator, Meredith saw that Mark was right behind her and stopped beside her. "What are you doing? Are you following me?" She glared him as they both stepped in elevator.

"I would love to follow you, but I know that I might get you mad at me and the last thing that I need right now is my only friend to be mad at me" he said grinning. "I need to do something before I leave."

Meredith looked at him raising an eyebrow. "I hope you'll stay out of trouble Mark!"

Mark laughed and patting gently her shoulder. "Don't worry my friend! I am a big boy now!"

Meredith laughed. "Well said… boy"

In that moment the doors opened and Derek stepped inside. "Oh… this is just wonderful!" Derek groaned. "Why are you still here?"

"Derek, can we have a civilized talk?" and at his question Derek answered with sarcasm "Like 'the talk' you had with my wife? Then let me tell you that you are not my type". The anger could have been easily read on his face at that point.

The elevator jingled as it got on a requested floor. Meredith stepped outside, but turned around holding the door open with a hand and looked at them "Please behave yourself! I am not going to suture no one's face anymore" She took the hand away allowing the doors to close.

Once the doors closed, Derek grabbed nervous Mark's jacket and pushed him against the wall. "You would better keep your dirty hands off Meredith"

Mark answered with the same brutal action, pushing him back. "What is your problem? Now you are the one who forgets you are married?"

"Could you please stay out of my marriage this time? Leave Mark! There is nothing for you to do here!" Derek shouted.

Mark folded his arms across the chance and turned around facing the doors. "Actually there is." He said without looking at Derek. "I have just signed a contract here and starting tomorrow I'll work for Seattle Grace Hospital"

"You are what!" Derek snapped at him and he ran his hand over his face "This must be a nightmare"

The doors opened again and Mark stepped out. "I am sorry Derek… for being your nightmare. I really am!" and the doors closed. Mark sighed depressed but continued his track.