Sorry that it took me so long to write this chapter. But my muse was fixated on Shawn and Juliet (my other WIP) and I couldn't convince her to give me something on Mark and Lexie. But now that I've written a new chapter and a one-shot for the other pairing she calmed down a little bit and agreed to let me write this new chapter for Mark and Lexie. :D So enjoy!

Chapter 7: The ring

Meredith stood in the door watching Lexie silently. Lexie had pulled a chair beside his bed sitting as closely as she could without lying on Mark's bed. Meredith knew that Lexie was sleeping in Mark's bed during the nights. The nurses told her about it. They didn't want to throw Lexie out of his bed. After all Mark and Lexie were both doctors in this hospital.

But looking at Lexie's slumped figure Meredith knew that Lexie was barely hanging on. She should try to convince her to leave the hospital for a few hours. Studying her sister Meredith suddenly felt as if she was intruding on a special moment so she almost wanted to turn around and leave Lexie alone when Lexie somehow sensed her presence.

"You always think there's enough time to do something. It's not until it's too late you realize that's just not true." Lexie said silently her gaze fixated on the wall.

"You can't say that it's too late, Lexie. It's been only two weeks." Meredith was shocked by the desperation she could hear in Lexie's voice and she went quickly over to her.

"Carpe diem." Lexie whispered barely audible.

"What?" Meredith asked confused.

"That should have been my motto. Carpe diem. Live every day as if it is your last one. Some day you will be right." Lexie replied.

"Lexie, stop. Don't torture yourself like this."

"But it's true, Meredith. What if he never wakes up again? What if I have to live my life without him? And it's all my fault. If I hadn't left him one year ago maybe this accident would have never happened."

"What if's doesn't change a thing, Lexie. They don't bring Mark back."

"But I want him back, Meredith. I miss him so much."

As Lexie looked up at Meredith she could see the tears streaming silently down Lexie's face. Lexie didn't try to wipe them away. She didn't even seem to notice that she was crying.

"Oh, Lexie." Meredith didn't even attempt to make her sister leave the hospital when she saw Lexie's despair. She pulled a chair beside Lexie and took her hands between hers.

"I don't want to cry anymore, Meredith. But I can't stop. You would think that I would be as dry as the Sahara by now but every time I look into his face the tears well up again." Lexie looked at Meredith pleadingly. Begging her silently to do something so that the hurt would magically disappear.

"I'm so sorry, Lexie."

"I'm tired, Meredith. I'm so tired. It's so hard to get out of bed every day fearing that it is going to be another day without hearing his voice. Another day without seeing his eyes." Lexie stated in a monotone voice.

Meredith was concerned about the lifelessness Lexie was radiating. It seemed that she had put her life on hold as long as Mark was in a coma. Meredith was feeling so helpless. She wanted to help her sister, wanted to make it easier for her but she didn't know how. She couldn't bring Mark back. So she only pulled an arm around her sister and hugged her for a few silent minutes.

~M&L~

Derek stopped at the nurse station when he spotted Meredith and Lexie in Mark's room. He didn't want to disturb the sister talk. He could check on Mark later. The nurses had already told him that nothing had changed during the night so there was no need for him to go in there immediately. After a few minutes Meredith stood up and squeezed Lexie's shoulder reassuringly as she turned around and walked out of the room closing the door behind her.

When Meredith saw Derek she let out a huge breath and took the few steps to wrap her arms around him trying to find reassurance for herself in the arms of her husband.

"She is devastated, Derek." Meredith murmured into his chest. "I'm scared what will happen when she is losing the last hope that Mark will wake up."

Derek hold her in his embrace for a few minutes before he leaned back putting a finger under Meredith's chin and pulling it carefully up so that she had to look into his face.

"I have to ask you something." Derek said quietly while he caressed Meredith's cheek with his thumb.

"Okay. What is it?" Meredith asked.

Derek pulled away from her and reached into the pocket of his white coat taking out the velvet box that contained the engagement ring Mark showed him the day before his accident. "I gave Lexie all of Mark's personal stuff. Except for this." Derek opened the box and turned it around to show Meredith the ring.

"Wow, it's beautiful." Meredith exclaimed.

"Mark bought it a year ago. Before Callie told him that she is pregnant with his child. I think he wanted to propose to Lexie." Derek stated.

"You mean back then?" Meredith reached for the box and took the ring carefully out of the box to look at it more closely.

"No. Well, he apparently wanted to propose back then. But I think he seriously considered to ask her now. Do you think I should give it to her?" Derek asked and Meredith put the ring back and looked over her shoulder to the now closed door of Mark's room.

"If Mark would be a normal patient I would say no. Normally I would say that we shouldn't tell the woman that the man wanted to propose to her. But it's Mark and Lexie we are talking about. She is my sister and Mark is your best friend. That changes everything." Meredith replied.

"But would it do any good if I give it to her or would it increase her pain even more." Derek looked at Meredith questioningly.

"Honestly, I don't know. But I think she deserves to know that Mark bought an engagement ring for her, Derek. She deserves the truth. Maybe it'll help."

"You are right. I think Mark would want her to have it." Derek put the box back in his pocket , grabbed Mark's chart and walked into his room.

~M&L~

"Something new?" Lexie blurted the question out the moment Derek entered the room.

Derek only shook his head and made some notes in the chart looking back and forth between the monitors and the paper. When he was finished he flipped the chart shut and put it carefully on Mark's bed before he went to the door and turned the lock.

"What's going on, Derek?" Lexie asked surprised.

"I need to give you something and I don't want anyone to interrupt us." Derek stated.

"What is it?"

"I'm holding onto it for two weeks now."

"It has something to do with Mark." Lexie assumed.

"Yes. I gave you all his personal stuff but I wasn't sure if I should give you this special item as well. It's huge." Derek explained.

"So you don't have it with you? Was it in his car?"

"No. I'm not talking about the size. I mean that it's kind of a big deal."

"Derek, I'm really not in the mood to play any games right now. So either you give it to me or you leave us alone." Lexie stated exasperatedly.

"You are right, sorry. Meredith said that you deserve the truth and that it might help. At least a little bit."

Lexie took in a sharp breath when she saw Derek pulling the small velvet box out of his pocket. Holding it in her direction Lexie reached for it with trembling hands and took it carefully. Stroking over the velvet she waited a few seconds before she opened it. Seeing the ring Mark had bought for her the ever-present tears burned in her eyes again.

"When ..." Lexie bit her lip to hold her emotions in check before she continued. "When did he buy it?"

"A year ago." Derek replied.

"A year ago?" Lexie looked up from the ring with shimmering eyes.

"Yes. He told me about it a day before ..." Derek stopped abruptly.

"Before the accident." Lexie finished his sentence.

"I surprised him in his office while he was looking at it. That's when he told me the story."

"Why did he have it with him?" Lexie's gaze returned to the delicate band in the velvet box.

"What?" Derek asked confused.

"Why did he carry the ring around with him? I mean, when he bought it already a year ago why did he take it out of the closet or wherever he had kept it."

"Isn't it obvious? He wondered if it was too soon to propose to you. If you were ready to marry him or if he would scare you away."

"He was afraid I might run." Lexie stated sadly.

"You've already run away from him twice, Lexie."

"I know. But I wouldn't have run this time. I love him, Derek. I want to spend the rest of my life with him." Taking the ring out of the box Lexie whispered barely audible. "I would have said yes if he had asked me."

Lexie turned her gaze towards Mark and Derek left the room silently to give her some space to process the fact that Mark had wanted to propose to her. Lexie struggled to prevent the tears from falling again and inspected the ring closer. It was beautiful. Exactly what she would have chosen for herself. When she turned the ring into the light she discovered the engraving and she lost the battle to hold her tears in check when she deciphered the meaning of the nine letters.

You are the one who put me back together

Lexie closed her fist around the ring pressing it into her palm. Her gaze returned to Mark in the hospital bed. He was her soul mate. Maybe she had put him back together. But the last year without him had showed her that she wasn't complete without Mark. He was the one who made her whole. Lexie walked to the bed and sat down beside Mark. Her one hand was still clutched around the ring while she traced his jawline with a finger of her other hand.

"I'm so sorry, Mark. Sorry that you were afraid of losing me again. Sorry that you still couldn't trust me completely. But I'm ready now. Ready for everything you always wanted. Because I want it too. I want it with you." She leaned forward and pressed a light kiss on his lips. "I would have said yes, Mark."

Lexie closed her eyes while her lips brushed over his when she suddenly felt a movement. Totally baffled she sat up again and looked down at Mark. He groaned and his eye lids began to flutter.

"Mark?" Lexie asked breathlessly. "Mark? Can you hear me?"

Lexie wanted to shake him, wanted to force him to open his eyes and when Mark finally opened his eyes and looked at her seeing his blue eyes again knocked the breath out of her.

"Where am I?" Mark whispered with a rasping voice.

"Oh my god, Mark. You are back." Lexie pressed another kiss on his lips before she realized that he tried to push her away. Lexie backed away and looked at him questioningly seeing that his brows were furrowed with confusion. Lexie could hardly contain her excitement but with Mark's next words every happiness Lexie was feeling vanished in a heartbeat.

"Who are you?"

I already mentioned that I'm an angst fan. Did I mention that I am a fan of cliffhangers too? But only if I write them myself. I hate to read them. So I'm well aware of the fact that cliffhangers are mean but this is where my muse took me so far and I thought you might want to read a new chapter before tomorrow's episode. So don't shoot me. :D