A/N: Still there, anyone? ;-) Since we hadn't gotten any comments on the last chapter (not one), we are asking ourselves, if there are still people interested in this story? We have SO much more material already, we're writing on this thing EVERY day since April now, so there is a lot more to come. If you want it, but if no one leaves even a short comment, we don't know whether people want to read it or not… :-) We don't bite, we swear ;-) If you want more, it can come soon, but if not, feel free to ignore this XD

Alex Karev POV:

"I'm not running interference again, Alex" April told him before digging into her salad "She keeps asking about you and it's getting harder to make excuses"

She was talking about Arizona and she didn't sound pleased.

Looking at the woman Alex did feel guilty that he was forcing April to be his go-between for him and Robbins. Especially hearing that Robbins really did want to see him.

Alex just couldn't do it, though.

Robbins had made a great recovery, but according to April and Jackson the woman had a noticeable limp when she walked. A limp that he had put there by his stupid decisions. It should have been him on that plane, not Robbins, and seeing her with that constant reminder left Alex in a cold sweat.

"Look April" Alex said "I have to perform three surgeries by the end of the day. I don't have time to haggle with Robbins over procedures and besides, you're a lot better at it then I am"

April grabbed his hand "She misses you Alex. She never says it, but it hurts that you're making such an effort to avoid her" Alex felt the warmth of her hand and for a moment he got distracted from her words.

"Alex" April said gently "do you hear me?"

"Sorry" Alex responded "I just...what would I even say to her, Kepner? Sorry, that you're only here because I went behind your back and took a job elsewhere?"

"Do you still blame yourself?" April asked "That plane crash was not your fault and I know that if you actually talked to Arizona she would tell you the exact same thing"

"It should have been me on that plane" Alex said "and if it was, a family wouldn't have nearly been destroyed"

"So that's it, huh?" April asked and Alex was surprised to hear her so angry "you think that you're value isn't as important as Robbins?"

"She has a family, people that care about her and I-" Alex started to say.

"If you even think about finishing that sentence, Alex, I'm going to punch you in the throat" The way April looked he didn't doubt it for a moment.

"Kepner, she has people that care about her and need her here"

"Right, and me and Jackson don't need you here, Alex" April told him "I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for you and do you really think Jackson would have survived these past few weeks without you?"

"Jackson would have been fine" Alex said morosely "you would have found a way to stay"

April leaned in closer and Alex could smell the faint scent of her shampoo. It reminded him of lilacs and the smell of spring.

"You and Jackson are guys and don't share feelings, I get that" April told him "but he cares about you, I care about you. You're our family so don't ever talk about nobody needed you here, because we do need you, Alex.

The two were still staring at one another when Jackson walked up and gave Alex a tap on the back of the head "Why do you two look so serious?" he asked jubilantly.

Breaking apart April looked at Jackson then back at Alex.

"Alex is finally going to go and talk to Arizona" April said "now"

"Really?" Jackson asked "that's good, dude"

"Yeah, I was thinking maybe after lunch-"

"Now" April repeated.

"Or now" Alex repeated and stood.

"Since you're not going to finish your lunch" Jackson said as he reached over to swipe Alex's fruit cup.

"No" Alex said grabbing it from Jackson's hands "it's mine"

Holding his hands up Jackson sat back down "Fine, I don't really like cherries anyway"

Looking between April and Jackson the man remembered his words to Owen and the speech April had just given him. It was true that these two people were his family and somehow he had grown to love them as such.

They were in this together. For better or worse.

Alex had finished his snack before he reached Arizona's hospital room. He was a nervous eater and right now his stomach was doing somersaults.

Alex could do this. He had to do this for the woman who had changed his life. She deserved a real conversation with him.

Opening the door he saw the woman sitting there flipping through channels on the television that sat overhead.

"It's a hopeless cause" Alex said "nothing is ever good on that thing"

"Alex" Arizona said, surprised to see the man standing there "you're here"

"Yeah" Alex said as he closed the door behind him "I'd really like it if we could talk"

Arizona Robbins:

Arizona was really surprised to see Alex Karev at her doorstep in her hospital room. She hadn't thought this would happen all too soon after all the sneaking around he was doing. Yes, he was doing her job at the moment, and yes, it could be stressful at times, but all the excuses April Kepner had made up just to not make it look like Alex was avoiding her were bullshit. She knew something was wrong, she just didn't know what exactly.

Yes, when they last talked, they hadn't been on a good note, especially because she had been so pissed about this job interview in Miami, and mostly disappointed, but that was weeks ago. And she wasn't mad at Alex anymore. She would have been, if he had taken this offer, but he was here. And he would stay. At least as far as she had heard. She hoped she wasn't wrong.

She made a welcoming gesture and pointed to the chair next to her bed.

"Sit down, Alex," she said, waiting for him to come closer, but Alex seemed really hesitant.

Arizona let out a sigh.

She swung her legs out of the bed and grabbed the crutch she still needed for support. Her leg was better - her wife had done a great job with it - but she still needed a lot of rehab, before she would be able to walk without it again.

"What are you doing?" Alex asked, looking almost shocked, and immediately he was by her side to support her. "I'm sure you shouldn't walk around without someone helping you." He grabbed the arm that was not supported by the crutch and concern lay in his eyes.

"Well... you wouldn't come to me by your own, so I needed to do something. Guess it worked," she smiled and sat down on the bed again, pulling Alex with her. "What's wrong, Karev? Why are you not talking to me? Don't you think it's important that we speak?"

Alex bit his lower lip, looking down at her. "I... I feel bad for even being here."

"Here in my room?" Arizona asked confused.

"Yes... no... I mean that too! But if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even be in this position. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have been on that plane, and you wouldn't have crashed with the plane, and you wouldn't have been in danger of dying." He fisted his hands. "You could have died. And it would have been my fault. I... I would have never forgiven myself if something would have happened to you. Sofia would have lost her mother and Doctor Torres would have lost her wife."

"Hey... hey... stop it," Arizona cut him off, gently rubbing his arm. "I'm not dead, I'm here, don't you see?"

"Yeah, but you could have..." Alex started but again Arizona bumped in.

"No, Alex! Stop talking about what could or should have happened. I'm alive... It was a horrible crash and I was really afraid to never see Sofia or Callie again, but I made it through and I'm here. I still need some rehab, but I will be fine," she promised.

"Don't do that to you. Don't blame yourself for something that wasn't your fault. I don't blame you, either."

"Really?" Alex asked, looking slightly surprised.

"Of course not," Arizona smiled. "Yes, I was pretty pissed at you for just going to Miami without telling me you're having another job interview... and yes, I pretty much wanted to kill you in that moment, but what counts is that you didn't go. You're here Alex, and I'm glad you are."

"I'm so sorry... I... I just... I don't know what's gotten into me... They offered me everything I've ever dreamed of," Alex explained. "And so much more..." A sigh left his lips. "I thought, after all that had happened in the past months, I could start over. I could leave everything behind and start a new life. I... I just wanted to stand on my own feet."

"Why didn't you talk to me about this? I'm sure we could have found some sort of agreement... Or maybe I would have even supported your decision, but you going behind my back... that hurt," Arizona admitted.

"I thought, if I talked to you, you would try to make me stay. I assumed you wouldn't understand my reasons," Alex replied.

Arizona sighed. "You should have at least tried. Don't you think I deserved that, after all I did for you?"

"Yes. You did, and you're completely right," Alex said. "And I wanted to tell you as soon as I got back, but then the plane we wanted to catch was overbooked and we had to stay in Miami for another night, and when we got to the airport the next morning, we got the news about the plane crash." He shook his head, turning away not to have to look at her any longer. "Have you any idea what was going through my mind that moment? I thought I'm never gonna see you again, and that it's my fault if you're dead. I prayed to god for you to be okay. And I usually don't pray."

"Alex..." Arizona said, placing a hand on Alex's. "Alex, look at me."

When Alex didn't listen, Arizona placed a hand on his cheek and turned his head to hers. She could see the pain in his eyes, and the guilt. This guilt must have eaten him from the inside out. Softly she caressed his cheek, leaning her forehead against his. "I'm okay. I'm okay..." she repeated a couple of times, until Alex finally seemed to understand.

"I'm so sorry," he said again, obviously fighting the overwhelming feelings. Arizona knew him that well, and she knew that he most definitely didn't want her to see him that way.

"Stop beating yourself up, okay? Let's just... start over... I'm not mad at you anymore, and I'm glad you stayed," she said softly. "And I couldn't imagine a better replacement to do the job I can't do at the moment. You're awesome, Alex, and I believe in you. I always believed in you."

"I know," Alex replied hoarsely, apparently still fighting back his feelings.

Arizona wished she could just tell him to let go, but instead she hugged him and held him very close to her. She knew he wouldn't want to look weak in her presence, but now where she finally knew what was wrong, she totally understood. And she was glad they talked it over. She was glad, Alex came to see her and she hoped, once she was able to work again, she could make him her partner. Or at least build him up to be her partner some day.

Jackson Avery POV:

Mark didn't admit it, but Jackson knew the man was scared.

He was finally going in to get his hands and feet tested to see if any long term damage had been done by the crash. The morning of his appointment with Dr. Lee Mark was unusually silent and Jackson did his best to try and lighten the man's mood.

They had made love before showering together and then Jackson drove them both to the hospital.

Jackson had carved out a spot near the waiting area as Mark went into the doctor's office. The man had been in with Dr. Lee for ten minutes before Jackson pulled out the magazine he had brought with him to pass the time.

Psychology Today had just published an article on the effects of PTSD. Jackson had yet to be witness to any of the nightmares Eli had told him about, but Jackson believed in being prepared.

It was an interesting piece and Jackson was in the middle of reading how night terrors could be a possible consequence of an untreated case when Eli walked up to him.

Jumping and turning around Jackson gave a sigh of relief when he saw it was just Eli that had surprised him.

"You okay?" Eli asked.

"Yeah" Jackson told him "I guess I was just into this" Jackson added and held up the magazine for the man to see. Taking it out of Jackson's hand Eli skimmed it quickly.

"How is Mark holding up?"

Jackson shrugged his shoulders "He hasn't had any nightmares since he's been home, not that I know of anyway"

"That's good then" Eli said "it means he could be getting better"

"We both know the kind of nightmares you described don't just go away"

"What has Mark told you about them?" the nurse asked.

"I haven't brought it up yet" Jackson answered "I want to go to him with a game plan, hence the research" he added and held up the periodical once more.

Eli's face took on one of concern "Jackson" he started "you should really be honest with him about this. I don't see Mark being too happy about you doing all this behind his back"

"It's not behind his back " Jackson responded "I want to help him with this and having some sound information and places that can treat these kind of things makes it easier"

Walking up and standing next to Jackson Eli looked over at him "You're a doctor Jackson and you come from a family of doctors so I know having facts and treatment options is what makes the most sense, but trust me sometimes just talking these things through is the best option"

Jackson was silent for a moment before he continued "Mark doesn't talk about these things" he started "if I try to bring up the problems with his limbs he gets defensive and closes himself off. Even getting him here to see Dr. Lee was a task"

Eli reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. Retrieving a picture he sat it down on the counter in front of Jackson.

"Who's that?"

"My brother Robert" Eli said "one of the bravest men I've ever known. He has wanted to be a soldier for as long as he knew what one was and he was a good one, one of the best. He came from Iraq with a purple heart and a personal declaration of heroism from his squad leader"

"That's amazing" Jackson said.

"It is" Eli said "but nobody talks about what else these soldiers come back with. He would wake up screaming more often than not. It got to the point he avoided sleep just to not have the nightmares. I did exactly what you did Jackson. I'm a nurse and it's my job to help people so when it came to my brother I went full out. I talked to doctors and spent hours online trying to find the best ways to give him the help he needed"

"I don't under-" Jackson started

"He was angry Jackson" Eli said "I presented all this data about what he needed to do to get better and to him it was just me telling him that he was damaged. That he was wrong and he needed to get fixed. We argued, but when it was all over Robert made me see that what he needed was somebody to help see him through this. When he was ready he would come to me and we would work on his problems together, and we did, Jackson. He's now a happily married father to two of the most precious boys you will ever meet"

Jackson listened to Eli intently and the peek into the man's world made Jackson think that maybe he had a point.

"I just..." Jackson tried to say

"Just what?" Eli asked

"I watch Mark struggle every day to hide the fact that he's terrified of the future" Jackson said "his career, us, all of it weighs down on him and I need to do something. I left with Karev for Miami because instead of staying here and facing my problems I ran. I always run" Jackson continued "I need to show Mark that I'm here for the long haul and these problems with his nerves, with these nightmares, none of it is going to make me run and if I can at least try and understand what he's going through by reading up on PTSD and Peripheral Neuropathy then that's the least I can do"

Grabbing a hold of Jackson's hand Eli made the younger man look at him "Talk to him Jackson" he said "that's the best thing you can do"

"What the hell is going on here?" a voice asked from behind the two men and turning around quickly Jackson and Eli were face to face with Mark Sloan.

A very angry Mark Sloan.

Mark Sloan POV:

Mark was really afraid what Dr. Lee's tests would show. He was afraid that the other doctor would tell him that he could maybe never operate again. Or that he would find nothing, which would mean: no explanation for Mark's trembling hands and problems with his feet sometimes. It would mean, he had symptoms and Dr. Lee wouldn't know where they came from or what to do about it. Mark didn't know which one he would rather have, because both of it didn't sound very good in the long run.

When he was sitting on the chair in Doctor Lee's office, he had problems not to show how nervous he was, but he managed to compose himself and let Dr. Lee make all the tests he had to make.

He knew, the results wouldn't be in before tomorrow or even the day after tomorrow, so the wait would be a really horrible thing. But at least he hadn't had any nightmares since he was released from hospital. Maybe because Jackson was by his side, or maybe he was just getting better. Maybe he wouldn't have any nightmares ever again and they had been just temporarily.

"I will inform you as soon as I have the results, Doctor Sloan. But don't worry; even if it turns out that you have Peripheral Neuropathy, you know it's treatable... we can do something about it and soon you'll be as good as new." Doctor Lee said, causing Mark to shrug.

"I don't know..." he gave back, having serious doubts about that.

Doctor Lee consolingly placed a hand on Mark's shoulder. "You're gonna be okay. I know you're a doctor yourself, but sometimes you just have to trust the doctors around you to do the best they can."

Mark nodded. "I know... thank you." He got up from his chair, looking at the other doctor.

"Is there anything else or can I go now?"

"We're finished," Doctor Lee replied. "You're free to go. I'll call you."

Mark nodded, opening the office door and turning around to look for Jackson, who was sitting in the waiting area. When Mark moved towards him, he could see another man next to him, Eli, and slowly walked closer. They were sitting with their backs to Mark and they hadn't noticed him yet, and just when Mark was about to make a sound to get their attention he overheard them talk. Heard what they were talking about.

"I need to show Mark that I'm here for the long haul and these problems with his nerves, with these nightmares, none of it is going to make me run and if I can at least try and understand what he's going through by reading up on PTSD and Peripheral Neuropathy then that's the least I can do"

If felt like a punch in the stomach and he needed a second or two to recover from the shock he was just experiencing. Jackson and Eli were talking about the nightmares he was having during his hospital stay. Eli promised Mark not to tell anyone, and now he had to find out that he had told Jackson? Jackson of all people? Jackson who Mark didn't want to know? Jackson hadn't even asked him about the nightmares. He could have come and talked to him. Maybe Mark wouldn't have told him anyways, but he hadn't even tried. He had just gone behind his back and talked to Eli. Or the other way round: Eli could have betrayed him by going to Jackson. No matter which it was, it didn't make a difference, but it still hurt Mark. And it also made him angry.

"What the hell is going on here?" he asked, the anger obvious in his voice.

"Mark," Jackson said, jumping slightly and getting up from his chair. "You're back. I haven't heard you coming."

"Of course you haven't. Or you wouldn't have talked about my oh so bad nightmares in public." He shook his head, still having problems to believe that this was really happening right now.

"I... I was worried about you, Mark. Really worried. And when Eli told me..." Jackson started, but Mark cut him off mid-sentence.

"Well, thank you, Eli!" he said ironically. "How sweet and caring of you to tell my boyfriend about a secret I didn't keep for nothing. I wouldn't even have told you, if you hadn't found me in this situation several times. I trusted you, Eli. I thought we were friends."

"We are!" Eli assured him, but Mark waved dismissively.

"Friends don't go behind each other's back. I can see Jackson doing it... going behind my back instead of just asking me about it, but you? I can't believe you told him. Why couldn't you just accept that I didn't want him to know?"

He looked from Eli to Jackson.

"And you... god, I can't believe you're betraying me like that. You could have asked me. You could have just talked to me, but instead you're talking to him. Why couldn't you accept that I wasn't ready to tell you? That I just needed time to get through this?" Mark's voice was a lot quieter than he thought it would be.

"Have you any idea how it feels to be caught in this nightmare over and over again? To see the woman you once loved and wanted to have a family with die unhappy, because she still loved me? Do you even know how guilty I feel that she was even there? She was there for me, and she's dead because of me. She's dead and I live. She had her whole life ahead of her and now it's over. I still hear her scream in my head, I still see her bleeding, and I see her fighting. I promised her to get her out from under the plane, but I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried. And whenever I dream about it... about her... it's like she dies again. Over and over again," Mark explained quietly.

He could see Jackson moving towards him and stretching a hand to touch him, but he took a step back.

"Don't touch me!" he said sharply. "I hope you're feeling better now. I hope you two are satisfied with yourselves. Now you know what my nightmares are all about, congratulations. You just made me experience it all over again."

"Mark, I'm... I'm sorry..." he heard Jackson whisper, but just turned around.

"Me too!" he replied taking a few steps away from Jackson. "I don't want you to come to my apartment today. Or tonight. Or tomorrow." he said before getting into the elevator that was just arriving this moment and pressing one of the buttons, only noticing that he was in the orthopaedic department when he got out. And of course he had to run into Callie only mere seconds later.

"Mark... hey," Callie said, but immediately noticed that something was wrong. "You're... shaking... are you okay?"

Mark shook his head. "No... No I'm not," he admitted. Callie was one of the few people he could really trust. One of the few people where he could let his feelings out. She knew him better than anyone else. She would have known if he lied to her anyways, so he didn't even try.

He felt Callie's arms around his waist and hugged her back, leaning into the embrace. "I had a fight with Jackson." he said after a while, still trying to compose himself. He didn't even know when Callie and he had moved towards one of the on-call rooms, but when she closed the door, he could finally let go, and he did. He sat down on the bed, letting Callie take his hand and he started talking, because he just had to. He had to get it out, because he still felt so betrayed.

Jackson Avery POV:

Jackson had no idea what was going on.

One minute he was talking with Eli about Mark and the next Mark was yelling at him. Jackson had tried apologizing. He had tried telling Mark that none of it was Eli's fault, but every time he went to open his mouth Mark continued on.

Mark was already on the elevator when Jackson made a move to go after him. He was about to sprint towards Mark before he felt Eli grab his arm.

"He's angry" Eli told him "he needs to cool down"

"No" Jackson said "I have to fix this" and before Eli could say anything else Jackson withdrew his arm from the man's hold and made his way towards the only place he knew Mark would go to let off steam.

A part of Jackson could understand Mark's reaction, but it baffled him that the man couldn't see that Jackson was only trying to help.

He made his way to the Orthopaedic wing and as he turned the corner he saw Mark and Callie hugging a second before the woman lead Mark to one of the on-call rooms.

If it was bad before, having Callie involved was about to make it a whole lot worse. The woman didn't like him and really didn't like him with Mark.

After whatever conversation the two were having in that room Jackson was more then a little sure that Callie's already bad opinion of him was going to be cemented.

Jackson was used to dealing with people who didn't like him. It came with the territory of being in a profession where your family's name was practically royalty. People assumed the worst about him and Jackson could easily chalk it up to professional jealousy, but Callie?

The woman disliked him on a personal level. Jackson had no idea how to try and get around that when he didn't know what the cause was to begin with. Callie had a wife and kid so he knew it wasn't about her wanting Mark.

Was it Lexie? Did Callie resent Jackson for being in what Callie thought should be her place?

Jackson was still ruminating when he saw Mark and Callie exit the on-call room and the second Mark caught sight of Jackson the man made a beeline for him.

"What in the hell are you doing here?" Mark asked him angrily "I thought I made myself very clear that I don't want to see you right now." His words were an angry whisper, but they held the same bite as if Mark had screamed them in his face.

"I need to talk to you"

"There's nothing to talk about, Avery" Mark said and the older man calling him by his last name hurt and he wasn't quite sure why.

"I just wanted to understand what you were going through" Jackson said quietly "see if I could do anything to help"

"You and Eli gossiping behind my back was not the answer"

"Don't blame Eli" Jackson said "it was me. I convinced him to tell me and he really didn't want to"

"That doesn't make what he did okay" Mark said "I would have told you when I was ready"

"Right" Jackson said and he couldn't stop the biting sarcasm that came with the word.

"What?" Mark asked and Jackson immediately wanted to take it back. This wasn't making anything better.

"If you just look at this article" Jackson said as he pulled the magazine that had started the conversation between him and Eli out of his back pocket.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Mark said snatching the magazine out of Jackson's hand and throwing it to the ground and now the man was right in his face.

Angry and probably beyond reason.

"I don't want your help"

Jackson had looked up briefly and could see Callie standing a few feet behind Mark. Jackson could see her staring at him and she looked upset with him.

Jackson had already felt embarrassed, but once he saw Callie that shame turned to anger.

"Okay" Jackson said "I get the message. I guess I was an idiot for thinking our talk in your bathroom actually meant something, that it proved I could be there for you when you needed me, but I was wrong. You have Torres for that and if you only want me to be a warm body when you need a distraction or when she isn't there to talk things through with I can do that. It's not what I wanted, but I've played that role for you before. I guess I can do it again"

Mark's face looked as if it had seen a ghost. All the anger that had been there previously had vanished and in its place was a startling shock.

Walking around the man Jackson was about to head back to the elevators, but Callie stood directly in his path.

"Mark" Callie said "why don't you go to the parking lot and I'll meet you there in a couple minutes"

"No I-" he started to say, but the woman cut him off "please Mark you've had a hard enough morning as it is"

Mark looked as if he wanted to say something, but decided against it and besides, what Callie wanted she pretty much got.

Once Mark was gone Jackson made an effort to walk around the woman.

"No you don't" she said "me and you are going to have a conversation. Privately"

"I have patients" Jackson told her. The last place he wanted to be was with her right now.

"Like I give a damn" she said to Jackson and grabbing his hand she lead them both back into the on-call room.

Callie Torres POV:

"What do you want from me?" Jackson asked, once Callie had closed the door to the on-call room. "Whatever is wrong between Mark and me is none of your business."

"Whatever is wrong with Mark is my fucking business. I'm his best friend and he's the father of my child, and when he suffers like that, it's hard to stand by and watch," Callie gave back. She didn't want to be all too angry with Avery, because somehow she could even understand why he did what he did.

Mark had told her everything. He had told her about the nightmares and about the tests and about his fears not to get back to his old self ever again, or to lose his job if he couldn't operate anymore. And then he had told him about Avery and his efforts to help him, but for Mark it didn't feel like help.

"You tell me," Avery replied, rolling his eyes. "Why do you think have I started this research? Just for fun? I wanna do something for him. I wanna be there for him. I wanna take care of him."

"See, that's exactly the problem," Callie gave back. "Mark doesn't want you... or anyone else to take care of him. I will tell you something about Mark, Avery..." she said, pointing to the bed and waiting for Jackson to sit down, and then she sat down next to him.

"Mark lost his parents when he wasn't even a teenager. His mother died in a car crash and his father started drinking, so he kind of lost both of them at the same time. He had to learn to take care of himself at a very young age, and he had been all by himself for a very long time. He sometimes even acts like he doesn't care for anyone but himself, but that's his way of dealing with certain things. It's a protective mechanism... if someone gets too close, he shuts this person out before he or she gets too close. He tried that with me as well, and believe me, it wasn't easy to break this wall down. To have him let me in," Callie explained.

"I get that, but what does it have to do with the whole situation?" Jackson asked.

"Mark doesn't want to be the one someone has to take care of. He doesn't want to be a burden for anyone, especially not for people he loves. He thinks he can deal with those things himself, and doesn't see that sometimes it's the wrong way. He sometimes does the wrong things for the right reason." Callie said. It wasn't really easy to explain how Mark was, how to deal with him. Especially not to someone like Avery, because he just wasn't objective in this thing. Because he loved Mark so much, even Callie could see that, even though she didn't particularly like it.

"I never meant to go behind his back, but he didn't give me another choice," Jackson defended himself.

Callie let out a sigh. "Why? Have you even asked him about his nightmares?"

Jackson shook his head. "No, but..."

"No buts," Callie cut him off. "You didn't give him the chance to come to you by himself, and now he feels betrayed. He feels like two of his friends went behind his back and tampered with a situation Mark isn't in control of. And Mark hates not to be in control. He hates if someone thinks he can make decisions for him and such."

"That's not what I intended to do. I went to Eli because I'm fucking worried. I don't want to interfere with his life, but I can't just watch him suffer like that when there are ways I can help him." Jackson replied.

Callie nodded. "I know, but it's not how Mark sees it. To him it looks like instead of coming to him, you went to a friend of his and together you were going to make a plan about what to do... and that is something he has no control over."

Gently she put a hand on Jackson's shoulder.

"Look, I know you love him, and I know you wanna help him, but that's not the right way. And it's definitely not helping. It's driving you two apart. Mark will shut you out even more now," Callie assumed, somehow hoping that she wasn't right.

"Mark is sometimes... or rather most of the time... too proud to accept help from anyone. I agree that he needs help and that he maybe won't get through this all alone, but the first step is for him to accept that he has a problem, and that it won't go away by itself."

She bit her lower lip, not knowing if it was right to speak out loud what she was really thinking, because she knew, Jackson wouldn't like it, but when Jackson was about to get up, Callie held him back.

"Is there something else?" Jackson wanted to know and Callie nodded.

"Yeah... I know this is none of my business, but maybe you should reconsider your relationship with Mark," she blurted out.

"What?" Jackson asked, looking slightly stunned. "What do you mean?"

"You know what the problem with Lexie was? The reason it didn't work out between her and Mark and would have never worked out, even if they had tried it again?" Callie looked Jackson directly in the eye.

"Well..." Jackson started. "For one, Lexie didn't accept Mark's family. First there was his daughter, Sloan, and then Sofia was on her way. She wasn't ready to be a stepmom just yet... at least that's what she told me. And what Mark told me."

"Yeah," Callie nodded. "Amongst other things. I think the main problem was the age difference. Yes, they really loved each other but they weren't in the same place with their lives. Like you and Mark. You are in different places right now. You're young and impulsive and I don't know... I think you want different things."

"I want Mark," Jackson declared. "And you know nothing about me. I'm not Lexie. Yeah, I can be impulsive, in that you're right, but I want what's best for Mark and I would never want him to decide between me and his family."

"I know that," Callie clarified. "But sometimes love just isn't enough. Sometimes two people love each other and still can't be together or shouldn't be. Maybe you should try to find someone who can give you everything you want and need, because right now, Mark doesn't make you happy. I can see that. End it before it really hurts."

"It already does," Jackson admitted, looking away. "And if you think, I will leave Mark just like that... just because you ask me to, you're wrong. I won't give up on him. I won't give up on us, because he's all I want. He's all I ever dreamed about." He lifted his head and looked at Callie. "And he's worth fighting for."

Without any other word, he turned around and left the on-call room, leaving Callie there on her own.

Callie sighed and rolled her eyes. Great. That worked out perfectly fine. Maybe she should talk to Mark again, make him understand why Jackson did what he did, even though she had already tried, but she didn't want to stab him in the back. Mark needed her support right now, and if things with Jackson really went downhill, maybe more than ever. So she made her way out of the on-call room and to the elevators. Mark was waiting for her.