Daddy
Callie sighed and checked her watch and sighed when she read the time. It was already 9:30. Callie knew that Mark's first surgery, a repair of a cleft palate on a baby didn't start until the afternoon so Callie knew that she had to tell him now. She was afraid that if she waited much longer, she'd lose her nerve and she couldn't afford to do that. She decided to take the stairs up to his office on the 3rd floor only because elevators were full of people and they left her too much time for thinking. She was panicking internally, but doing her best to make sure that it was not showing on the outside. She was feeling sick to her stomach again, but now that she knew she was pregnant, she was attributing that to the morning sickness.
It seemed like only seconds later she was standing in front of his office trying to get over the bad case of nerves that was coursing through her body. She swallowed a lump that had taken up residence in her throat and she knocked on the door and said "Mark, it's Callie. May I come in?" Callie hoped that Mark wasn't with some hot young nurse in his office. That would make all of Callie's anxieties return. To her immense relief, Mark called "Come in Callie." Callie knew that he wouldn't tell her to come in if he was screwing anyone right then. Callie inhaled and exhaled once more before she took the doorknob in her hand and turned it.
Seconds later when she had walked into his office and closed and locked the door, she finally got a good look at the man whose child was inside of her. He had piles and piles of charts and paperwork all around his desk. When he finally looked up from them and saw Callie, he flashed his infamous MccSteamy grin in her direction. God Callie hated it when he did that, She smiled somewhat nervously at him "What's going on Callie?" Mark asked as in as gentle of a tone as he could manage. Callie pulled out the ultrasound picture and put it on his desk. Mark studied her for a minute before his slate colored eyes went down to the picture that was now on his desk. He may have been a Plastic Surgeon but he knew when he was looking at an embryo. Mark wasn't getting why Callie was showing it to him. It would have been clear to almost anyone else. Mark wasn't sure quite what to say so he said "Congratulations Callie." That seemed appropriate to say in this situation. He wondered why she was showing it to him so he asked "Why are you showing it to me?" Callie wanted to throw something at him for being so dense. Maybe she was right to start lusting after women now "Look at the approximate date of conception." Callie whispered softly. Mark's eyes looked for it and then when he found it, his breathing caught "May 5th " Mark murmured. That meant that this baby was his. He knew that he had slept with Callie on the night of the 5th He looked at Callie and shook his head. He could not believe this was happening all over again. Except this time Callie wasn't married to another man like Addison had been and Mark knew that she wanted kids. Mark just wasn't sure Callie wanted them with him "What…How…No way..." Mark was now muttering incoherently. He looked up at Callie for confirmation. Callie sighed "I just found out this morning and yes it's yours." Callie told him quietly. Mark rubbed his face with his hands and sighed "I need some time to think Callie." Mark told her quietly. Callie eyed him and said "I have a surgery that should only take five hours to complete. Then we can talk. I want you to be as involved as you want to be, but only if you give it 100% Mark nodded as he handed Callie the ultrasound picture. Mark had a lot to think about right now "Thanks Callie. For telling me I mean." Mark told her. Callie nodded and smiled before she left Mark's office.
Once she was gone, Mark left his office too. He needed to track down Derek so he could get his longtime best friend's opinion on the subject. Mark hoped he would catch Derek at the surgery board. Instead he saw Derek about to go scrub in for a surgery "Derek." Mark called as he ran over to his best friend. Derek looked up when he heard his name, but he couldn't help but be a little irritated when he saw Mark running towards him "What Mark?" Derek demanded, irritably. Mark sighed, knowing that Derek was in his pre-surgery mode and that meant he was all business and likely had no time to listen to Mark right now "Do you have a minute?" Derek looked at Mark in disbelief and said snappishly "No I am about to operate on a teenager's brain Mark." Mark set his jaw and said "Well I need to talk to you." Derek could tell that his longtime best friend was definitely troubled so his face softened and he said "I'll come find you when I am done in surgery okay Mark?" Mark knew that was the best that Derek could offer him right now so he was willing to take it "Okay page me when you get out." Mark told Derek. Derek nodded and went into the OR with his patient and tried to put the troubled look on Mark's face out of his head at least for the time being.
Mark went back to his office and sat down on the black leather sofa that he had bought for his office. He couldn't sit at his desk because then he would be forced to work on all of that paperwork now and he knew he would be distracted for awhile. He would have to go tell the family of the baby he was planning to operate on that he couldn't do it today. No one wanted him operating on anyone when he was this distracted. Greater chance for errors if a surgeon was distracted in surgery. Mark had a enough to think about right now. His surgery wasn't scheduled for another two hours but he realized he had to go talk to the parents now.
Once he had talked to the parents and explained that there was a family emergency and he would be unable to operate, he felt better. The parents were nice about it. They were probably relieved that Mark had realized that he wouldn't produce as good of results today as he would if he wasn't distracted. Mark went back to his office and decided to stay in there at least until he talked to Derek. He knew that he wanted a second chance to prove that he was father material, but he didn't want to be like his father had been to him. he didn't want his kid to ever think that he or she wasn't wanted. Mark lapsed into silence as he considered his options and tried to factor in what he thought Callie would want as well. He had a lot of time to think about this before he and Callie had to talk and he was grateful because he had a lot to think about.