Half an hour later Mark, Meredith and Ashley were sitting in Mark's office, sipping from their hot chocolate, when Derek entered the room followed by a officer. Ashley immediately stood up as she felt the man had come in for her.

"Ms Morrison, I'm very sorry for your loss", the officer told her, before holding up a plastic, transparent bag. "These are Mr Winter's belongings. His immediate family wanted you to have them", he said.

With shaking hands she carefully took the bag from the officer. "So soon? I mean, doesn't that usually happen after the autopsy?", she asked his softly.

"Well, the family made arrangements for Mr Winter's body to be taken to NY as soon as possible. The New York Presbyterian will perform the autopsy as far as I know. When asked what to do with his belongings, they told us to give them to you", he explained, before checking his beeping pager.

"I have to go. Once again Ms, I'm very sorry for your loss", he told her.

"Thanks", she replied, before shaking the extended hand of the officer.

After he left, she turned to her friends, still holding the bag clutched in her hand.

"You've got his record then?", Ashley asked Derek, her voice sounding a little dazed.

"Yeah", he told her, as he held up the file. "It was a tragic car accident", he started to explain. "He was crossing an intersection when a car from the left ignored a red light and hit the car's driver's side. Because of the sudden impact his car spun out of control and came to a stand still against a telephone post. He coded twice in the ambulance. When he got here he was unconscious and was suffering from massive internal bleeding. His BP was low. They had started him on a blood transfusion of O-neg. After he coded for the third time they started CPR again, but to no avail".

Derek's little speech had been nothing but doctor talk. Straight forward, no walking around the bush. He knew that after spending years with doctors, that he wouldn't have to sugarcoat his words or use the 'common people translation', as she used to call it.

Just then, three different beeping noises filled the room. Mark, as well as Meredith and Derek checked their pagers, before looking almost guiltily at Ashley.

She chuckled. "Damn, you would have thought working with Bailey had taught you something. Run!"

Meredith simply smiled at her, before running off, Derek following her closely.

"Derek!", Ashley called out right before he left the office. He turned around, looking at her questioningly. "Thanks…", she told him, "… for everything".

"You're welcome", he told her, before taking of.

"You're okay?", Mark asked her, when it was just the two of them.

Ashley nodded. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Just go be God", she told him as she pressed a soft kiss on his lips.

"Where you're staying tonight?", Mark asked her while glancing at the plastic bag.

Ashley noticed but shrugged it off. "I'll be at the hotel. Now, would you please go save a life now?", she asked him.

He simply answered by kissing her fiercely, before running of to finally answer his page.

Ashley picked up her handbag from the floor, then walked towards the door. After shutting off the lights, she closed up his office, before heading for the hotel.

*****

3 hours and 4 glasses of white wine later, Ashley finally heard Mark come home.

"Hi, honey. I'm home!". Mark called out as he entered the room. From her place on the large bed, Ashley waved to him, before focusing her attention at the papers in her hands.

After taking off his shoes, Mark made his way over to the bed. He pressed a soft kiss on the top of her head, before whispering "I'm going to take a quick shower".

Ashley nodded distractedly.

A few minutes later Mark returned, freshly showered. When he saw the silent tears Ashley was crying, he quickly made his way over the bed, before gently sitting down next to her. Her wrapped a strong arm around her.

"What's wrong, Ash?", he asked softly.

She turned her head so she could look at him.

"He did it. He finally did it", she told him.

"What did he do?"

She smiled lightly as she saw the confusion written all over his face.

"He signed the divorce papers".

Now, Mark was even more confused.

"Honey, you were already divorced. The marriage ended the second he died", he told her, almost thinking she was a little delusional.

"I know it's sounds out there", she told him, "but he signed those papers before he died. He finally realized we would never make it, that a life with him wouldn't make me happy. For the first time he made a selfless decision and see where it got him".

He rubbed her arm softly, before pulling him closer.

"Jason signed those papers because it was the right thing to do. But it's not the reason of his accident. So don't start blaming yourself for something you had no control over", he reasoned with her.

She nodded. "I know and I'm not blaming myself. Or at least, I don't think I am. It's just that I've realized something. Something that made me happier than I ever thought I could be".

"So they're happy tears then?", he asked.

"Yeah, they are".

"Okay, now I'm curious. What did you realize?", he questioned.

She smiled up at him, before crawling into his side, resting her head on his chest.

"That there's nothing standing in our way now".

*****

Only an epilogue left…