The Ways That Count Chapter 5
"So how did the dinner go?" Mark asked as he walked up to Lexie, who was studding the surgical board.
"Ava called Meredith a bitch." Lexie turned to look at him, "How do you think it went?"
He laughed, "Ava called Meredith a bitch?"
She shrugged, "Yeah. Apparently she overheard me talking to my friend Renee about how Meredith was being a bitch..."
"What did Meredith do?"
"Nothing. She pretty much brushed it off. But I don't think she was very happy about it." She shook her head, "I guess she was not too upset though, she invited Ava and me to a picnic with Derek's family at the park next weekend." She decided to leave out the part about Meredith only inviting her because she wanted to 'score points' with Mrs. Shepherd.
"Oh, you mean with Mrs. Shepherd and Lisa?"
She nodded, "Yeah."
"In that case I'll see you guys there." He smiled slightly, "Mrs. Shepherd practically raised me."
"I'm glad you'll be there." Lexie easily admitted. "Meredith can you so..." She sighed, unsure how to finish that statement. "Well, you've known her longer then I have."
"So when do you and Ava want to come swimming at the hotel with me?"
She shrugged, "When ever you are free, I guess."
"How about Saturday morning? Before the picnic?"
She smiled, "Sounds good to me."
"Whose service are you on today?"
"No one's really. Yang told me to finish her charts. I finished like a half an hour I paged her, but I haven't heard from her yet."
"She assigned you to finish her charts?"
"Yeah. She really hates me."
"I have a nasal polyp removal in a half an hour. You want in?"
Lexie grinned, "Yes, please."
~~*~~
For once, Lexie was able to leave the hospital early. It was only half past six, so she would be able to put Ava to bed that night.
"Three."
The sound of her resident's voice stopped her in her tracks, just before she reached the hospital's doors. "Damn." She cursed under her breath. She turned, "Yes Dr. Yang?"
"I need to speak with you." Her arms were crossed, her tone stern.
"Okay..." Lexie frowned, but struggled not to look too worried. She took a few quick steps towards the older woman.
"You need to trust me when I say this. Don't get involved with your attending." Cristina was blunt and to the point, "I know it might sound hypocritical of me to lecture you on this. But I think it is in your best interest. You have a lot of potential. And I think if you got involved with an attending it could hurt that potential."
Lexie was taken aback, "What are you talking about?"
Cristina rolled her eyes, "You and Sloan."
"Me and Dr. Sloan?"
Another eye roll, "Don't play dumb with me. You'd have to be an idiot not to see it. He brought you into a surgery. Sloan hates interns. So he should hate you. But he doesn't." Her eyes narrowed. "Look, I know better then anyone that getting involved with you attending just isn't a good idea. And if you are already involved...Just be careful, okay?" Without another word Cristina walked off.
~~*~~
"I think he likes me."
Renee Richards' raised an eyebrow. "Who do you think likes you?"
"Mark. You know, that plastic surgeon I was telling you about?"
Lexie and Renee were sitting on Mike and Renee's side of the deck in the shared backyard. "Oh!" Renee grinned in realization. "Really? That's great! Are you going to ask him out?"
"No." Lexie quickly answered, "I mean, he's my attending."
"So? Didn't you say that your sister started to date her attending during her intern year?"
"Well yeah...But..."
"No buts!" Renee interrupted her. "If you like him, ask him out."
Lexie looked up at the sound of the patio doors opening. Mike walked out with a tray of fruity looking drinks. "I made margaritas."
Renee grinned, "I have the best husband."
"Thanks Mike." Lexie smiled as she took a margarita from the tray. "I'm not going to ask him out." She took a drink, "What if he says no?"
"He won't say no." Renee insisted.
"Who is not going to say no?" Mike sat down between Lexie and Renee.
"Mark, that hot plastic surgeon Lexie likes."
"You've never seen him. How do you know he's hot?" Lexie asked.
"Are you saying he isn't hot?"
"No. He's definitely hot." Lexie told the couple. "I just...I don't want to put myself out there just to get rejected."
"He's not going to say no." Renee argued.
"You don't know that!" Lexie argued back. "I just..." She sighed, "Meredtih's boyfriend, Derek, who is also Mark's best friend, told me Mark does not get involved with women who have kids. So I guess that is that..."
"Well Derek is a dick." Mike put in his two cents.
Lexie laughed, "You don't even know him."
"If he said that you, he is a dick." Mike insisted. "Do you want me to kick his ass?"
She laughed again, "I don't think that would help any." She brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. "Are the kids playing alright in there?"
"Of course they are, they are good kids." Mike said, "And don't change the subject."
"You said he thinks he likes you." Renee said, "So maybe it does not matter to him that you have a daughter."
"He invited Ava and me swimming...That has to mean something, doesn't it?"
"He invited you swimming? That is huge. That so means something" Renee nearly squealed in excitement. "Oh! You have to wear that yellow bikini you have. It will drive him crazy."
She smiled, "Okay, I will wear the yellow bikini."
~~*~~
The week flew by. Before Lexie knew, it was Saturday. It was ten o'clock in the morning when Lexie and Ava arrived at Archfield hotel. She took a deep breath before knocking on Mark's hotel room door.
"Hello." Mark greeted mother and daughter after he opened the door, "Come in."
"Hi Dr. Mark!" Ava grinned up at the man. "Thanks for letting me and mommy come swimming."
"You're welcome Ava." Mark smiled at Lexie, "Do you two need to change?"
Mark was already in his dark blue swim trunks, and Lexie tried not to make it look obvious as her eyes scanned his very sculpted chest. Was there any man in the world more gorgeous then he was? "No. We got are swimsuits on already." Lexie knelt down, pulling Ava's pink sundress over her head. Ava smiled down at her pink and purple floral one piece.
She sighed nervously as she pulled off her blue sundress, slowly revealing her yellow bikini. She folded it and along with Ava's sundress placed it on the floor, next to her purse. "Ava, can you grab your water wings?"
"Ah-huh."
Mark took a deep breath, as he struggled to take his eyes off the single mother's body. But he couldn't. She was so damn beautiful, it was ridiculous. He only hoped he didn't look like a creep as he watched her pull her hair into a simple pony tail. He sighed, not sure if he was going to be able to handle it when he saw her wet in the water. She smiled shyly, "You ready to go?"
"Yup. I just have to grab my key card. Did you bring towels?"
"Yes." She nodded, she pulled two towels from her beach bag. "Got them right here."
"Wow. Looks like we have the place to ourselves." Lexie smiled, there was not another soul in the pool area.
"That pool is HUGE!" Ava nearly yelled.
"We need to get your water wings on before we go in." Lexie warned. She dipped each inflated wing into the water before slipping them onto Ava's small arms. "Ready?"
"I wanna jump in. Can you catch me, Mommy?"
She smiled, "Of course I can." She shivered as she slowly emerged herself into the water. "Ready babe?"
Ava answered by jumping in. She slightly clung to Lexie for a second, while getting use to the water. She looked up at Mark, who was smiling down at them from the ledge of the pool. "Come on Dr. Mark! Jump in!"
"Should I do a canon ball?"
Ava furred her eyebrows, "What's a canon ball?"
He grinned, "I'll show you." Mark walked to the other end of the pool, where it was deeper, "Are you ready to watch Ava?"
"Yes!" She squealed in excitement.
Mark took a small running start, before bringing his knees to his chest as he jumped. He hit the water with a splash. When he emerged he could hear Lexie and Ava's laughter. "That a was BIG splash!" Ava told him through her giggles.
He swam up to the pair. "Did I get you wet?" He asked Lexie when he noticed her wet hair.
"Yeah, a little bit." Lexie laughed.
"Mommy! I wanna try to do a canon ball! Do you think my splash will be as big as Dr. Mark's?" She kicked her legs as she swam to the edge.
"I'm not sure honey. You can try."
Lexie and Mark both laughed as Ava did her best attempt at a Mark sized canon ball. Her splash, of course, was much smaller.
~~*~~
Ava insisted she wanted to to got to the bathroom all by herself once they arrived back into Mark's hotel room.
"Mark?"
"Yeah, Lex?" Mark asked, as he pulled a pair of jeans from his dresser drawer.
"I just wanted to thank you, for you know, inviting us. Ava had a blast." She wrapped the towel around her waist a little tighter.
He shrugged, "You're welcome. I had a lot of fun." He told her, "We should do it again."
She smiled in agreement. "We should. Do you mind if Ava and me take a quick shower before we go to the park? I hate smelling like chlorine."
"Yeah of course. There is shampoo in the shower."
She went to pull her hair tie out of her hair, but it was tangled in her hair, "Owe." She pulled again, but it would not budge. She frowned, "Damn it..."
"Here..." He smiled, "Let me help, before you pull all your hair out." He gently took the tangled hair and untangled it from the hairband. "Here." He handed her the hairband.
"Thanks." Her hand lingered over his as she it from him. She tipped her head up as he tilted his down. Lexie held her breath as their lips were just about to touch...
But Ava had other plans for the two, "Mommy! Come wipe my butt!" She yelled from the bathroom.
Mark sighed, but laughed. So close...
Lexie pulled away, smiling as she shrugged, "Duty calls...We are gonna take a quick shower...Give us 10 minutes?"
He nodded, "After yous guys get out I need a quick shower." A cold one, he thought. Lexie disappeared into the bathroom.
He groaned, falling back onto the bed. He rubbed his eyes with his palms. He almost kissed her. He really wanted to fucking kiss her. Ava complicated things a little, normally he wouldn't even think about trying things with a single Mom. But Lexie was different. He liked Lexie. He really liked Lexie. And the truth was, he liked the kid. Ava was adorable and sweet.
He sat up, deciding maybe he was ready for the complicated.
TBC...? Please review.