Chapter Two: Surface
He looks into the brown eyes of the brunette bombshell he quickly became close with two years ago.
She looks so…different.
Her hair was short when he first met her. It didn't even go beyond her ears. Now it's long, like waves of brown silk. Her bangs still sexily swoop over her eye. He's always liked that.
He's always liked her. Ever since she declined his offer for a date.
"Olivia!" It comes out in a loud whisper.
"Mark," she exhales and brushes the tears off her cheek, "It's been a while."
Is this really happening?
"What are you doing here? How'd you find out?" He questions.
She leans back against the machine, "Arizona called me. As soon as I got the message, I took the first flight I could get."
Has this really been going on for approximately six hours?
He wants to keep his mind on Callie. Most of it still is but a part of it is meandering away to Olivia.
"You…you look good," he can't help but let it out.
It's true. She does.
He notices her lips tug into a small smile but she doesn't say anything.
She glances at him and smiles a little more. She's missed him. She's missed his quirky personality and his proud smile. She doesn't want to admit it, though. Last time she was in Seattle, they made each other's lives hell. The constant tension and the many refusals for a simple date. She didn't want to make a mistake by sleeping with him.
She wasn't going to make that mistake again.
She takes a good look at him this time; he looks different. He looks a little more vulnerable. His eyes are red and puffy and the only thing he has to keep his macho appearance is his strong stance and his crossed arms.
She's staring.
He's staring.
"Di-Did you want to-" Olivia grabs the water out of the machine and steps out of his way.
"Oh, yeah, sure," Mark takes her place.
If he declined her offer, it'd only look like he came to the vending machine just to see her.
Awkward, much?
"Where's your partner?" Mark asks while he makes his selection. He tries to appear like he doesn't care but deep down he cares more than he really wants to.
"Back in New York. He couldn't make it this time but he sends his regards," Olivia responds.
He'd scoff if this wasn't such a tense situation already.
If anything, Mark is happy that Elliot stayed. He'll never tell Olivia that. He knows she's close with her partner. He had an underlying fear that they're romantic but it helped when she informed him that he's married with five kids. Last time they were here, Elliot would constantly deter Mark's constant flirting with Olivia even though Olivia assured him she could handle it herself.
He still has that fear.
"Um," Olivia circles her finger around the top of the bottle, "What happened exactly?"
He looks at her. Is she asking what happened to them? Or something else?
"To Callie," she confirms.
Oh.
"She flew through the windshield when they hit a truck. They're trying to operate without hurting the baby."
She's wide-eyed at this point, "Baby? What baby?"
She never knew. Nobody told her.
"Callie's baby. My baby," he mutters the last part but it's still audible.
He did say a few things in that argument with Arizona that he didn't even mean. If the baby doesn't make it, he doesn't want to just screw Callie again and expect everything to be back in line. This baby is already a part of him. He feels like he's created a family for his friend and something like that can't be renewed like an art project gone wrong.
Olivia didn't notice the huge bump where Callie's stomach was supposed to be when she was observing the procedure. She feels her stomach drop a little when she hears the second part of Mark's answer. His baby. Not some sperm donor's baby, Mark Sloan's child. She didn't even know they were sleeping together. Did Arizona take it well?
She can't express her disappointment, shock, and a bit of jealousy. She has to hide it. All she can do is smile.
"Arizona is probably wondering where I am," she says in an almost whisper. She gently rests her hand on his shoulder and half-smiles, "Nice catching up."
"Wait," Mark quickly grabs her hand when it slides off of his shoulder, "How long are you staying?"
Her eyes tear away from his down to her hand enclosed in his warm one. He quickly releases.
She wasn't complaining or anything.
Her mind flashes back to Callie while he waits for an answer.
She was tossed through the windshield.
"I don't know. I didn't give my trip that much thought," she slides her free hand into her pocket.
"Where are you staying?"
She is pregnant.
Olivia's going to have to stay for a while. She doesn't know why she's beginning to get irritated.
"I'm not sure, Mark. I really don't know. It's not like I sat down and preplanned all these little details. I was going to look for a cheap motel or something," her voice breaks. The frustration blends in with her words and the tears come simultaneously.
Now he feels bad. It hasn't even been an hour and he's already made her cry.
Great job.
Her hand shields her mouth while she tries to calm herself. He rubs her shoulder to try and help her calm down a little.
"Look, I'm sorry. I know this is hard," he begins.
She nods.
His arm shifts a little to pull her into a hug. He refrains.
"Stay with me until you decide to leave. So when you do make up your mind, you don't have to pay more than you want. You don't even have to pay anything."
She looks at him and chuckles.
He's taken aback. That wasn't a joke.
Olivia wipes a few tears off of her cheek. They seem to have traced the same path that the old ones left, "I don't think that's such a good idea, Mark."
"Why? I'm helping you save money," he protests. He might as well keep it up – he's making her smile. That's a start, right?
"Thanks for the offer but I'll find a place in the area."
He's not that far from the hospital.
The chill in her palm reminds her that Arizona is still waiting for her water.
With one last simple smile, Olivia makes her way back to Arizona.
Mark watches her walk down the hall and turn the corner, out of his sight.
He's always liked her. She's possibly the only woman that could make rejection so damn sexy.
He's always liked that.