Chapter 61: We Need to Get Back
"Your weekend went well?" Mark asked. They had talked a bit about the weekend, but not too much.
"It was amazing." Derek smiled, taking the last few bites of his lunch, "I am in love with her." He said in a very low tone, just in case someone around them was listening. They had decided to go to the grill on base for lunch. They had the best turkey melts a person would ever have.
"Damn. She has a hold on you already and you can't even go public with that shit. Sucks to be you." Mark said nonchalantly.
"Like you are in a much better place." Derek reminded Mark.
"No man, I am not a lovesick puppy. You, my friend, are." Mark retorted quickly not considering for one second he is anywhere at the place of Derek and Meredith.
"Yet Cristina stayed the entire weekend with you." Derek smirked to Mark. He really didn't care that he was a love-sick puppy, but he wanted Mark to admit he is also in more than he cares to admit.
"Yes, she did. We had a great weekend of fucking. Just fucking." Mark announced proudly, but thought about Cristina and their conversation last night in bed, it was definitely more than fucking. He just wasn't ready to say it was more.
"Yeah, you say that now." Derek rolled his eyes and took the last few sips of his soda before getting up to refill his cup not checking with Mark if he needed more.
"Um?" Mark said loudly enough, grabbing his cup as Derek had turned around to walk towards the soda machine.
"Yes?" Derek looked over his shoulder and chuckled to himself. "Do you need something?"
"You didn't ask if I needed more." Mark explained pathetically.
"So, you are my love-sick puppy dog, and you are jealous I don't feel the same way about you." Derek said loudly enough for some of the others around to hear causing a few laughs erupt.
"In your dreams loverboy. Go and get us some damn soda." Mark said playfully, truly enjoying the time with his best friend. He couldn't be happier they were both stationed here together. He was also extremely happy that Derek had found Meredith despite their present situation.
"As long as you don't try to kiss me when I return." Derek laughed and took the cup out of Mark's hand. Derek couldn't be more on top of the world. They were stationed together, and he was in love with the woman he saw himself with for the rest of their lives. Other than Meredith and him not able to be out in the open, things were as close to perfect as possible.
Mark just shook his head in laughter. He hadn't realized how much he had missed Derek while they had been stationed in different areas. As Derek returned, "For the record, I don't want to kiss your ugly mug." Mark said looking to Derek with a rather serious look on his face, or as best as he could.
"Why not, I have a beautiful mug." Derek sat Mark's glass down while smiling that amazing smile.
"Keep telling yourself that."
"Don't have to, Mer . . ." Derek stopped and coughed while growing nervous, hoping no one caught on to the name he was starting to speak. He straightened up, smiled, and continued in a more hushed tone, "She tells me all the time."
"Glad someone does."
"Are you done yet?" Derek asked looking to Mark's plate knowing they needed to get back. Meredith and Alex launched right before they left for lunch. Derek was just glad the plane got off the ground with seemingly little problems. He knew that plane needed a complete overhaul. He told his Senior Chief this morning it really didn't have many more flight hours left on it. He wasn't too concerned because he had checked the plane over well this morning and made sure Mark and Cristina had checked their respective parts and areas as closely.
"She won't be back yet." Mark said, knowing what Derek was thinking.
"I know, but I just like to be around. I know it is strange, but I just think I need to be around." Derek explained. He loved seeing her land and get out of the plane. He wasn't able to see her much, but if he could ever catch a glimpse he did. Something about her pulling off her helmet, seeing the sweat pouring a bit from her face, and the way she swung her head left to right to shake out her hair that had fallen when she took her helmet off made him want her that much more. Derek realized in the sky, she was in charge, in control and one of the best pilots on the entire base. In his thoughts, he also quickly felt down. How would this ever work out? It didn't matter though, somehow it would.
"Okay, let's go." Mark took his last bit, grabbed his basket, and Derek's to throw away the contents of what was inside.
Derek smirked and batted his eyes at Mark, "Ah, honey, how nice of you to clean up after me."
"Shut the fuck up. I am going to kick your ass." Mark said with a playful tone to the serious nature he tried to speak in.
"In your dreams." Derek walked out of the door getting in Mark's car that they had brought over that was about a mile walk uphill from their hanger.
Derek had no idea why, but he was feeling anxious about getting back to the hanger. He knew there was work to do on 503 when they got back from lunch. "Busy afternoon." Derek said to Mark while they drove.
"Yeah, it is. I hate that shit. We are going to be run ragged until our next detachment that will be two weeks long, then deployment. Guess we need to get used to it." Mark stated.
"I guess so, but damn. When are we supposed to breathe? You and I don't even have families. Think about those with a wife and children? Can you imagine how hard that shit would be?" Derek continued thinking about his own childhood. His mom was a strong woman and kept it all together. His dad was also a man of honor and did what he could with his family when he was home. He knew that was not the case for many of the men. They went out to the bars and messed around on their spouses at home as well as on deployment.
Mark shook his head, "I can't imagine. I think about Cristina and not being able to see her." Mark just stopped and looked to Derek.
Derek just smiled hugely and didn't say a word. Nothing had to be said between them. Mark knew he was farther in than he was letting on and Derek knew this before now.
"Stop. I don't want to hear your shit." Mark gripped the steering wheel a little tighter while he heard his text message indicator go off with Cristina's tone as he was pulling into a parking spot way out from the hanger.
"I need to get Sailor of the Year so we can park at the hanger." Derek said smugly getting out of the car.
Mark got out of the car as well, but stopped dead in his tracks the second he was out. He didn't hear a word Derek just said while he read the text message from Cristina. His face went white, and he had no clue what to say in this minute.
"Damn, I don't even get a response?" Derek had started to walk towards the hanger but looked back when he noticed Mark was not beside him. He looked at Mark who was staring at his phone not able to even look up.
"Mark?" Derek asked feeling a lump form in his throat. He had no idea what elicited this reaction from his best friend, but whatever that text said, was it.
Mark stood there with absolutely no clue what to say. He couldn't look up and face his friend. He couldn't tell him the contents of the message. Because when he did, he knew his world would come crashing down and at this point, they knew nothing… nothing concrete, just what was in the message.
Derek stood there looking at the stir of emotions building up in Mark. He grew extremely anxious within a second and continued locked onto Mark although Mark would not look up. "Look at me damn it."
Mark looked up slowly as white as a ghost with no clue what to even say… How to even begin.
Derek's breathing grew rapid, making it hard for him to even grasp for breath. "Fucking tell me now!"