A/N: Heeeeeeey… long time no see… ;-) Are you all still there? We hope so… with this chapter, a little more of Jackson's and Lewis' past get revealed and things really start to heaten up… a lot ;-)
We hope, you enjoy chapter 31 and reward us with some reviews :-)
Have fun!
Jackson Avery POV:
Jackson could hear the two arguing before he had reached the kitchen. Lewis and Tyler had to think he was still asleep, because their voices weren't the hushed tones of two people scared of being overheard.
"I don't want him here" Lewis told Tyler slamming an empty bowl into the sink beside him "you shouldn't have invited him to stay here without talking to me first".
"He showed up on our doorstep holding nothing but a duffel bag Lewis, what was I supposed to say? Sorry kid, I know I'll be your brother-in-law in a few weeks, but I have to assume that Lewis has a problem with you, so I have to ask you to be on your way and never darken our doorstep again?"
"That would've been a start" Lewis said "you don't know Jackson. He is one fuck-up after another and ever since he's come back from boarding school he has done nothing but put the family in one bad situation after another"
Jackson looked down at the floor, taking notice of his bare feet as it stood on the mahogany floor. Much better then anything Jackson had stood on in months. Lewis' words were hardly surprising, but it still hurt nonetheless.
"He seems like a good guy" Tyler said "It wouldn't hurt to maybe try and give him the benefit of the doubt"
"Of course he seems like a good guy" Lewis said "he is all earnest smiles and puppy dog eyes, until you let your guard down and he manages to swipe your wallet and goes to the ATM to drain your savings account"
"He's your brother"
"He's a junkie and I want him out of my apartment by the time I get home" and with that Lewis walked around Tyler and grabbing his briefcase headed for the door.
Jackson had managed to make it into the study before Lewis saw him. It was painfully obvious that coming to Boston for his brother's wedding had been a mistake.
"You with us?" Mark asked from across the table as he took a sip of his orange juice.
Shaking himself out of his thoughts Jackson smiled over at him "Yeah, sorry".
"This breakfast is amazing" Jackson said as he took a bite of the sausage that Mark had made.
"It's the least I could do after that awesome dinner you made us last night"
"It was only steak and potatoes" Jackson said "hardly Top Chef worthy"
"You don't give yourself enough credit" Mark told him "you would totally win Top Chef"
Laughing, Jackson stood up and leaned over to give Mark a kiss. Lifting his plate Jackson quickly finished his food before depositing the dish into the sink.
"As much as I would love to have reality show glory I have to be off" Jackson walked over to the fridge and opening it up pulled out the leftover steaks "mind if I take these?" Jackson asked as he held up the meat "I figured I'd offer it to Karev as some sort of peace offering"
"Of course" Mark said "I'm pretty much steaked out for the foreseeable future".
"Great" Jackson chuckled as he walked over and kissed the top of Sofia's head as she picked up one of the cheerios that were on her high chair table. At Jackson's kiss she giggled at looked up at him and in that moment he knew he loved that little girl.
"I'll call you later" Jackson said and as he grabbed his coat and headed for the door.
"I can come visit you later after my session with Lewis" Mark said and at the sound of his brother's name Jackson felt himself falter slightly.
"Sounds good" Jackson said and he was about to open the door when he heard Mark call him again.
"Yeah?"
Mark looked flustered for a moment "I was wondering if maybe...well I know Sofia loves having you here and-" Mark said and Jackson looked at him curiously "Never mind" he smiled "I'll talk to you later"
"Okay" Jackson responded "Love you" and with that he exited the apartment and made his way down to the lobby to order a cab.
It had taken Jackson a half hour to reach the hospital. Walking in, he headed straight for his office. Seeing the nurse's look at him the second he walked in Jackson knew he and Karev's fight was still the hot gossip amongst them. Walking through the lobby he looked up just in time to see Alex walk around the corner. The two men stared at one another briefly before Jackson redirected himself and took the East Wing instead of continuing straight.
Walking into his office he took off his coat and opened his mini-fridge to put the steaks in.
Hearing a knock on the door Jackson turned around to see Alex standing there.
"Hey"
"Hey" Jackson said as he put his guard up immediately.
"You got a minute?" Alex asked and he looked just as nervous as Jackson felt. Alex's eye didn't look much better than his own. Puffy and a dark purple that made itself very noticeable.
"Yeah, I guess" Jackson said as he walked around his desk and opened up his desk drawer to pull out some papers.
Walking further into the room Alex wrung his hands together "I'm here to apologize" Alex told him "what I did yesterday was out of line"
"Don't worry about it" Jackson said "Look, I have to prepare for a surgery with Torres in an hour"
"That kid with the busted knee?" Alex asked
"Yeah"
Alex sighed "I'm trying here, man" he said "can you give me a little something"
"Look, Alex" Jackson started "yesterday we both did things that were out of line, but you made your choice and you chose Lewis"
"Jackson, I didn't mean what I said" Alex told him.
"Of course you did" Jackson said "you may not have liked how it came out, but you meant every word, otherwise you wouldn't have said it"
"So that's it?" Alex asked "We just go on with our daily routine and have the extent of our friendship be awkward conversations at the water fountain?"
Jackson could hear the pain in Alex's voice and it was getting to him. "Alex, I can accept this thing you have with Lewis if it's what you really want, but me and my brother will never be a part of each other's lives and you have already suffered once by being stuck in the middle. I'm not going to let it happen again"
"I'm an adult, Jackson" Alex said "I know you and Lewis have your...troubles, but let me talk to him. I can tell he loves you even if he won't admit to it"
Jackson shook his head "I'm sorry, Alex" he told him.
"I need you, man" Alex told him honestly "I know this thing with Lewis makes you unhappy so if-"
"Don't" Jackson told him "Lewis makes you happy. I see that and as much as I may have issues with it, he could be good for you and I'm not going to make you give that up"
"I already lost too many people, Avery" he said "just tell me we're going to be okay"
Putting his hands on his hips Jackson felt the battle waging inside him. As of that morning he was ready to write Alex off, but it was easier said then done.
"Yeah, we're going to be okay"
Running over Alex gave him a bear hug and Jackson couldn't help the laugh that escaped his mouth.
"Okay, Okay" Jackson said as he returned the hug "people are going to start talking"
"I don't care" Alex said as he hugged Jackson tighter.
Mark Sloan POV:
Mark let out a heavy sigh. He was still staring at the door when Jackson had long left, being angry with himself. Why hadn't he been brave enough to ask Jackson the one question? To move in with him? What was the worst that could happen? Jackson saying no.
Mark bit his lower lip. Okay, that would totally hurt him, but on the other hand... they weren't together for thislong. Maybe it was really too early. Maybe he shouldn't even think about it already, but he loved the man so much. So much more than he thought he ever would.
Still, moving in together was something the both of them should think about... especially after the Lexie-disaster. Mark remembered wanting her to move in with him way too early. She hadn't been ready and it didn't work out in the end. What, if he rushed things again and instead of putting them closer together, moving in would only tear them apart even more?
Energetically, Mark shook away his thoughts. He would leave it at the way they were having this relationship for now. Jackson was already under enough pressure with the plastics section and Lewis; Mark didn't want to cause him any more trouble. And maybe it was good for Jackson to stay where he was for the moment. He was sure, after her and Alex' break-up, April would need her best friend, like Callie needed him when she and Arizona had broken up.
He grabbed the dirty dishes and put them into the dishwasher, before lifting Sofia out of her highchair.
"What do you say we get you dressed now and then take a little walk before I bring you to the day care, huh, Sofia?"
The little girl clapped her hand as if she'd approve of this idea and so Mark made his way to her room and took out some of her clothes to change them, before he went to his own room to get dressed. He hadn't worn more than a t-shirt and his boxers so far, but that was definitely not the way he wanted to go outside.
When he was finished with everything, he left his apartment with Sofia in her buggy, taking a long walk through the park with her, until it was already time for his therapy session.
He made his way to the hospital, taking a detour through the orthopaedic and the paediatric sections to let Sofia say hello to her mommies, before he delivered her at the day care and made his way to the therapy room.
He was still a little nervous, but that Lewis was just really nice, helped him a lot to relax, and once he entered the room and saw Lewis smiling at him, he felt better immediately.
Jackson could do that to him too, only that his smile didn't only calm him down, but made his heart beat faster. Jackson really got under his skin and he just loved the guy very much. He hoped, at some point they could be open with each other. He wanted Lewis to know who his brother was dating and he liked Lewis already enough, so he wanted Lewis to like him as well. Not only as his patient, but also as Jackson's boyfriend.
"Hello Doctor Sloan..." Lewis started, but when he saw the look on Mark's face he immediately corrected himself. "I mean, Mark... sorry..."
Mark smiled at him, waving dismissively. "No problem... but it would be nice if you would stop being so formal... we're almost family after all..." he said, regretting it a second later when he saw Lewis' confused look.
"What?" Lewis tilted his head. "What do you mean, almost family?"
Mark bit his lower lip, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I... I mean..." he started, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. "I mean, the doctors in this hospital... we're almost like a big family... we all care for each other very much..." he replied, happy for this spontaneous intuition, and it wasn't even a total lie. Some of his colleagues were like family to him. For some of them he cared a lot more than for his real family. Not that anyone besides Derek even knew that there was still someone out there.
Everyone thought his parents were dead... and for his mother, it was true, but his father...
Mark shook off his thoughts. He hadn't thought about the man in years and his father obviously didn't give a damn about him either, so why would he care?
"I understand... yes... we'll see, right?" Lewis pulled him out of his thoughts. "If I'm gonna stay here for good... for now it's only temporary... until you're better."
"Well... I think it would mean a lot to Jackson to have you around for good." Mark answered.
Lewis nodded. "Oh yeah... I bet it would."
He moved towards Mark, looking him directly in the eye. "How are you feeling today? Ready to get going?"
Mark nodded immediately. "More than ready... and I'm good... I haven't had one of those episodes in days... Seems like the therapy already starts working."
"I hope so... but don't be too impatient, okay? And if the shaking and everything comes back, don't lose faith... especially in the beginning there can be some relapses... but that doesn't mean you're not making progress..." Lewis explained.
Again, Mark nodded. "I know... that's what I keep telling my patients too from time to time..." He followed Lewis to the gymnastic balls. "So let's get started..."
Two hours later and Mark was sweating all over his body. Today's therapy session had been a lot more exhausting then the ones before and Lewis had really challenged him. Mark was damn glad that he didn't get any special treatment just because he was Jackson's brother and that was just the way he wanted it to be.
He made his way to the hospital showers and undressed, letting the warm water wash away all the tension and the stress of the day.
After half an hour, he felt like a new person, leaving the bathroom and making his way to Jackson's office. It was already lunch time and maybe he could kidnap Jackson to this nice little Italian restaurant that had just opened near the hospital a couple of weeks ago.
A smile crossed his lips when he was standing in front of Jackson's office door, but it died the moment he knocked and opened it when he saw Michael Holt and Jackson obviously enjoying lunch together.
"Mark... hey... what... what are you doing here?" Jackson asked and he looked guilty. As if Mark had just caught him doing something forbidden.
"I thought we talked about this in the morning? I told you I would come by once my therapy session with Lewis is over... but looks like I'm interrupting something," he replied, feeling a sting in his heart when he watched the two of them, obviously very close. And Holt was eating the steak Jackson had made last night. Maybe he had made it for Michael in the first place and not for him.
"I... I thought your session was in the afternoon..." Jackson said, and it made everything even worse.
"You thought wrong..." Mark gave back, looking at Michael. "May I ask you what you're doing in here? In Jackson's office? I thought you worked in neuro..."
"Oh, I am..." Michael replied with a smile. "But when Jackson offered to cook me some steak yesterday, I just couldn't say no. I'm sure he just wanted to thank me for my help with a case a few days ago. Right, Jackson?"
"Oh yeah, I'm sure..." Mark said ironically, shaking his head and turning around. "I don't wanna disturb any longer. Have a nice day..."
"Mark... really... it's nothing..." he heard Jackson say, but he didn't want to hear it anymore. Not in this moment. All the lunches Jackson was preparing over the past few days. He was sure they weren't for Eli or his brother or anyone else Jackson told him they were. It all made sense now. He was cooking for Holt, because he wanted to impress him.
What was it with this Doctor Holt that everyone seemed to love him so much? First Meredith and now Jackson?
Mark still couldn't believe what he had just witnessed when he made his way out of the hospital, only to run into Derek, who obviously just was on his way inside the hospital.
"Mark... hey... are you alright?" Derek asked with concern in his voice.
Mark just looked at him for a couple of seconds. "Yes... No... I mean... it's... it's probably nothing..."
"Doesn't look like nothing to me..." Derek replied, guiding Mark to the nearest bench and sitting him down before he sat down next to him. "What happened?"
"Holt happened..." Mark hissed through gritted teeth.
"What?" Derek asked, alarmed, because his name already was a very sore spot for him.
"I just caught him and Jackson having lunch together..." Mark replied.
Derek tilted his head. "So?"
"In Jackson's office... with the door closed..." Mark went on.
"Oh..." Derek blurted out, looking at him. "Have you talked to them? What are they saying?"
Mark swallowed hard. "Holt said something about Jackson wanting to thank him for his help with a case... but I don't believe him... and I don't get what's so special about him... I mean, Jackson even made him steaks... Last night he said they were for me, but obviously he had promised them to Holt way earlier, so they were for him in the first place."
"Mark, I..." Derek said, placing a hand on Mark's shoulder consolingly. "Do you think there is something going on?!"
Mark shrugged. "There definitely issomething going on. I just don't know what it is... Maybe Jackson changed his mind. Maybe he needs a real man after all, and Holt can give him what he needs..."
"Come on, that's bullshit... Jackson loves you... he wouldn't do that to you..." Derek tried to convince him, but his words didn't reach Mark.
"I don't know... I mean, what about Meredith? You thought she could be having an affair with him as well... what if he sleeps with both of them?"
"That would be... gross..." Derek commented, patting Mark's leg. "Let's just hope for the best... don't you think Jackson deserves the benefit of the doubt? And maybe it's really like Holt said..."
"Then why didn't he tell me?" Mark asked back. "Why didn't he just say he cooks Steak for Holt to thank him for his help? Why does he lie to me? And why did he vouch for him to have a permanent position in this hospital?"
"He did... what?" Derek asked, a shocked look on his face.
Mark bit his lower lip. He hadn't planned on telling Derek that, but it had just slipped out and he couldn't take it back anymore now. "Yesterday... Hunt... Owen told me, that Jackson asked him to keep Holt in this hospital..."
"Why would he do that?" Derek asked quietly, obviously not understanding why Mark's boyfriend would stab him in the back like that.
"Well... he told me some story about Michael being his brother's best friend and that he did it for Lewis... but after what I just saw, I'm not so sure anymore what to make out of it... he lies to me constantly lately... and I don't even know if I still can trust him." Mark replied earnestly. "Maybe he's in love with him..."
"I don't know..." Derek replied, getting up from the bench and pulling Mark up as well. "Maybe he didn't tell you about the lunch break because he didn't want you to worry... and maybe he is telling the truth about his brother... the only way to find out is if you talk to him about it..." He didn't look very convinced and that didn't help to dispel his doubts either.
"Derek... he hasn't even told his brother that we're together... maybe because he's not sure about us anymore... Maybe he wants to break up with me..." Mark said, his voice and his whole body shaking. "I can't talk to him... I don't wanna lose him... what if I'm right?"
He turned around, taking a few steps away from Derek. "I can't... okay? I can't deal with this right now..." When he felt his legs starting to shake, he leaned against the nearest tree, trying to calm down. He had been so happy that he had made so much progress, and now everything was falling apart. He had been so happy this morning and now it looked like he was about to lose Jackson? He didn't even want to think about it anymore, so he just sat down on the ground, hoping his legs would stop shaking soon. He watched Derek turning around and walking into the hospital, hoping that he wouldn't do something stupid. Like talking to Jackson.
Jackson Avery POV:
Jackson could already feel the panic start to work it's way through his system. Why hadn't he just been honest with him? Told Mark that he had agreed to make the stupid steak for Michael?
No, he had to lie and make it that much worse.
"He didn't look too happy" Michael said as he walked up and stood behind Jackson "I'd say he looked downright livid"
"Shut up" Jackson said evenly "shut the fuck up"
"Excuse me" Michael asked "who the hell do you think-" he started to say before Derek Shepherd walked right into Jackson's office an drew the attention of both men.
"I guess it's true" Derek said as he stood in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest.
Jackson stood up straighter. "You talked to Mark?"
"Not much need to talk" Derek said. "He's pretty broken up about what he thinks happened between you two" and looking behind Jackson to Michael he sneered.
"Nothing happened" Jackson said "he has to know that… I would never"
"Not never" Michael said "come on Jackson, let's be honest with the man"
Jackson turned to look at Michael and saw that he wanted to draw this out.
"I mean he's not a first choice, but I'll get that soon enough" Michael said as he stared at Derek and Jackson was quick enough to step in-between the two when Derek lunged for Holt.
"What's the matter, Shepherd?" Michael laughed "If I didn't know any better I would say you have some trust issues"
Jackson found it hard to hold Derek back, but in the end Jackson was still stronger than the older man and kept the two men separated.
"Stay the hell away from my wife" Derek warned "I'm not going to tell you again"
"Kinda hard to do now that our young Avery has been such a wonderful asset in helping me stay. I expect me and Meredith will get to know one another a lot better while you're home baking cookies and trying to remember your glory days"
Derek looked down at Jackson and pushed the man off of him "I hope he was worth it, Jackson" Derek told him "because he's causing you to lose Mark and if I have a say I'm going to make sure he knows that he can do a lot better than you"
Jackson stepped back at Derek's words. It felt like a slap to the face and he was speaking before he could stop himself.
"I guess that would leave the door wide open for you to fuck him like the good old days" Derek took the look Jackson held just a second before.
"No shit" Michael said laughing "Shepherd and Sloan had a thing back in the day...I have to give Sloan credit, he knows how to get 'em"
"You don't know what the hell you're talking about" Derek told Jackson "I see you really have no idea who Mark is"
Derek walked up and stared Jackson down "Mark is my brother and I'm going to make sure you don't get to hurt him again" Derek said "I see he should've listened to Callie from the beginning, but if Mark is susceptible to anything it's a pretty face"
Turning around Derek stormed out of Jackson's office and the minute he was gone Jackson knew he fucked up...again.
"Impressive" Michael said as he turned back towards Jackson's desk "who knew little Avery could be so viscous"
"Get out" Jackson told Michael
"What?"
"I said get out" Jackson repeated and walking in front of Michael he pushed the man towards the door and Michael stood up to his full height.
"My life may be shit right now" Jackson said "but at least I don't have to follow one more of your god damn orders any longer and that almost makes it worth it"
"Who says you don't have to?" Michael asked.
"What else do you have?" Jackson questioned "you have nothing left to hold over me. Mark already thinks the worst and hearing about Tyler isn't going to help that any"
Michael looked concerned and it made Jackson smile.
"He only thinks so right now" Michael told Jackson "I can make that go two ways Avery"
"Get the fuck out my office" and with one final push he shoved Michael out and held the door "tell Lewis I said hi" and with that he slammed the door in Michael's face.
Going over to his desk he picked up his cell and called Mark.
It rang 6 times before it finally went to Mark's voice mail and Jackson felt his stomach drop.
This is Mark, leave a message
"Mark" Jackson started "you have to let me explain. I swear you have the completely wrong idea. I love you so much… just please give me a chance to fix this"
He heard the beep just after he said the last words and collapsing on his desk he put his head on top of his desk. How could his life have gotten so screwed up so soon?
Opening his desk drawer he pulled out the small white bottle and took out two of the white pills.
He just needed to calm down and get his nerves and body in order. Putting the pills in his mouth he took a long drink of his bottled water and sat back against his chair.
He could fix this. He could make Mark understand that what he saw just a huge misunderstanding.
Getting up he walked out of his office and into the lobby and out of the main entrance. He saw Mark and was a second away from running over to him until the man moved and he saw a very agitated Derek Shepherd talking to him.
"Dr. Avery" a nurse called as she ran up and tapped the man on the shoulder "Dr. Hunt needs to see you in the pit" and looking back at the woman he nodded. Turning around Jackson gave the two men one last look and followed the nurse back inside.
He reached the pit just as Owen was taking his gloves off and throwing them in the bin.
"Dr. Avery" Owen said as he walked up to the man "I'm glad you're here"
"You wanted to see me?" Jackson questioned.
"Yes" Owen said "have you and Karev worked things out?"
"Yes, sir" Jackson told him "I'm sorry that we let things get out of control"
Owen looked over at Jackson "That's good to hear, because you two are important to this hospital and I'd hate to see your friendship turn sour"
"We're good, sir"
"Great" and handing Jackson his stack of case files he smiled "starting tonight you two are working the pit for a week"
"Excuse me?" Jackson asked astonished.
"You heard me" Owen told him "if you and Karev are as good as you claim then you two should be able to work together for a week"
"I don't know if you remember, but I'm kind of running the Plastics department"
"I'm aware" Owen told him "and I'm also aware that your surgeries are all elective and won't take more then two hours of your day"
"But-" Jackson tried to say
"Have fun" Owen told him and disappeared around a corner.
Looking down at his stack of folders Jackson groaned. Yeah, he and Alex were well on their way to building their relationship back, but being forced to spend the better part of 10 hours every day in a stressful situation could make things take a bad turn.
Walking into the pit he saw the chaos and bustling as patients were being wheeled in.
"Dr. Avery" the same nurse from earlier said "we have a guy who thought that he could swallow a whole bar of soap"
Rolling his eyes Jackson followed the girl.
This was going to suck.
Lewis Avery POV:
Lewis was sitting in his office, looking into a few cases. So far Mark was his only patient, but Hunt had given him a couple of potential others since he would stay in this hospital at least as long as Mark needed him, and Hunt even told him that there was the possibility of a permanent position afterwards. Which Lewis had told him he would think about. He didn't know if he wanted to stay here for good if Jackson was always around him. They weren't good for each other. They brought out the worst in each other and sometimes Lewis really hated this asshole side of himself.
A knock pulled him out of his thoughts and he looked up from his paperwork to focus on the door.
"Yeah? It's open!" he shouted to the door and a couple of seconds later it opened and Mark Sloan appeared in the doorway.
Surprised, Lewis got off his chair, tilting his head. "Doctor Sloan... Mark... is there something wrong?" He could tell that the man was upset and his whole body was shaking.
Mark came in and closed the door after himself, before sitting down on the chair in front of Lewis's desk.
"I... I need to talk to you... it's really... really important..." Mark stammered, and immediately, Lewis was alarmed. Something here was completely wrong and he needed to find out what it was.
When Mark lifted his hands, Lewis could see that they were shaking.
"Oh Shit... another episode?" he asked concerned, rounding the table and grabbing Mark's wrists.
"Yeah... something like that..." Mark admitted. "I think it's just because... because I'm so agitated..."
"What happened?" Lewis asked, gently massaging Mark's pulse point.
"I... I... I'm sorry... I just didn't know who else to turn to and since you're his brother..." Mark babbled, and immediately had Lewis' full attention.
"Is something wrong with Jackson?" He didn't want to admit it, but somehow he was still worried about him. Jackson was his brother after all, even though he mostly managed to hide the fact that he loved him very well. Because when he let those feelings out, he was vulnerable and Jackson was able to hurt him again and he didn't want this.
"Yes... No... not with him... it's..." Mark started, looking up at Lewis. "I probably shouldn't tell you, because I promised Jackson to be patient... I promised to be understanding when he said he wasn't ready to come out in front of you, but I... I just can't take this any longer..."
Lewis let go of Mark's hands and put both of his hands on Mark's shoulders. "Calm down, Mark... take a few deep breathes and then you start over, okay?" he gently said, rubbing his shoulder blades.
At the moment, not many of the things Mark was saying made sense to him, even though he could of course jump conclusions, but he didn't want to. He wanted to hear it from Mark himself.
It took Mark a couple of minutes to really calm down enough to be able to speak again, but finally he did.
"Jackson and me... we're not only colleagues... he's my boyfriend..." he blurted out, looking at Lewis nervously.
Lewis couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. That was easier than he thought it would be and he would have never thought to find out who Jackson's boyfriend was like that. But it meant Mark trusted him, even though he couldn't understand what a man like Mark would see in his little brother.
"But that's good, isn't it?"
"Normally, I would say yes... but I think he's cheating on me..." Mark went on.
Surprised, Lewis looked at him. "Why would he do that?"
"Because with all my problems, I'm not a real man anymore... maybe he's unhappy... I don't even know..." Mark looked pretty desperate and Lewis somehow wanted to help him.
"He's lying to me constantly... and it hurts me that he can't even be honest with me... I thought I deserve at least that... I told him honesty was even more important than loyalty when we got together... I can take him needing to sleep with someone else from time to time, but why does he have to lie about it?"
"Hey... stop..." Lewis said, rubbing Mark's shoulders again. "Maybe you're wrong... maybe it's all a big misunderstanding?"
"Then why does he lie to me? You're his brother... you know him better than anyone else here, I think..." Mark gave back.
Lewis sighed. He could do a lot of damage here. He could tell Mark what an asshole his brother was. He could tell him that Jackson indeed was a cheater and a liar and that Mark deserved something better - and well, that was exactly what he thought. Mark didn't deserve to be treated like that. As far as Lewis could say. But he would rather bite off his tongue than let it all out. This way Jackson definitely had something he had to thank him for.
"Mark... you're upset and I'm sure, so is he... when you're upset you say and do things you don't mean... give it a little time and talk to him again... maybe there is a simple explanation for everything..." Lewis tried to convince Mark, but he already saw that Mark wasn't really buying it.
"You know... I think it's great that you try to protect him, but I know what I've seen... I think he has an affair with your best friend..." Mark stated.
Lewis stared at him in shock. "Michael?" he asked, before he burst out in laughter. "Oh come on, Mark, you can't be serious... Michael is straight as an arrow..."
"Well..." Mark started. "That's what I thought about Karev as well... and now look at him..."
"You know about that?" Lewis wanted to know, getting slightly nervous as Mark nodded.
"I do... and it's none of my business... If you two are happy, so be it... but... but maybe there are things you don't know about your best friend..." Mark assumed.
"Such as him sleeping with my baby brother?" Lewis shook his head. "No... seriously... Michael would have told me about it if that was the case... I can guarantee you, there is nothing going on between Jackson and Michael."
Mark raised an eyebrow, still suspicious. "Are you sure about that?"
"Absolutely..." Lewis replied.
"What if he sleeps with your best friend because you're sleeping with his?" Mark asked.
Again, Lewis shook his head. "He isn't... you need to talk to Jackson, and I'm sure there will be a simple explanation for the lying... maybe he didn't want to upset you..."
Mark sighed. "Yeah... yeah maybe you're right... you're his brother after all... you know him better than I do..."
Lewis smiled at him. A friendly, earnest smile. "Yeah... maybe... I'm sure you're gonna be okay..."
"Thank you..." Mark said, getting up from his chair and hugging Lewis tight. He obviously felt a lot better now and Lewis almost felt bad for lying straight to his face. Almost. And it wasn't all a lie, he was sure Michael was not sleeping with Jackson. He wouldn't do that to him.
"Hey, it's okay... I'm glad I could help..." Lewis replied once Mark let go of him. "And if you ever have one of those episodes again... try to calm down first... that's very important..." he said, pointing to Mark's hands who had stopped shaking already. "Calm down, take a few deep breathes and focus on something good in your life... like your daughter..."
Mark nodded. "I will try..." He turned around and was already at the door when he called Lewis' name again.
"Yeah?" Lewis asked, looking at him.
"I'm... I'm sorry I unloaded all my shit on you... and I'm sorry I came out to you like that... I know it should have been Jackson to tell you about us, but..." Mark started, but Lewis cut him off mid-sentence.
"It's okay... I'm sure Jackson will understand..." He said, smiling at him and watching the older man leave.
He waited for a couple of minutes, before he put down his files and left his office to look for Jackson, but when he didn't find him in his office, he went to Hunt to ask him about Jackson's whereabouts and found out about him being in the pit.
When he arrived there, he first saw Alex and took a few steps towards him. "Hey, Babe..." He kissed him softly, looking around and found Jackson only a few meters away. Obviously it was still tense between Jackson and Alex.
"What are you doing here?" Alex asked, leaning against Lewis.
"I need to talk to Jackson about something..." he informed him, noticing the concerned look on Alex' face. "Don't worry, I'll play nice..." He slapped Alex on the butt, before turning towards Jackson and stopping next to him.
"Hey dear brother..."
"What do you want?" Jackson asked through gritted teeth.
"I just had a very interesting conversation... with your boyfriend..." he looked around, moving closer towards Jackson. "Mark..."
He grinned when he noticed Jackson growing stiff immediately.
"Alex? I'll be right back... just a minute, okay?" he said, grabbing Lewis' arm and pulling him out of the room into the hallway.
"What do you want?"
"Nothing!" Lewis grinned. "I am just surprised that it's really Sloan... I thought he had a better taste when I saw him with... what was her name again? Torres... the woman is hot..."
His look went serious. "But just in case you haven't noticed: you're hurting him and he turned to me because he thought I knew you best..."
"What did you tell him?" Jackson asked angrily.
"Nothing,... I even tried to get him off the idea that you're sleeping with Michael... he was so sure of it, but I think I did a great job causing some doubts about his theory... You should thank me, Jackie." Lewis replied satisfied.
"But just in case you care: Your little fight caused him to get a relapse... we were making so much progress until you decided to upset him so much, that he was shaking when he came to me..." Lewis shook his head. "I needed a couple of minutes to calm him down before he even was able to really talk to me...you're destroying all the good work I'm doing here..."
"Leave Mark alone... he's none of your business..." Jackson replied.
Lewis smiled. "I think that's where you're wrong... he likes me and he already starts trusting me..." He patted Jackson's back as he passed him by. "If I were you, I would be very careful. One word from me and your relationship with him will be over... I just need to tell him I caught you and Holt and that I was wrong... It's up to you, Jackie..."