S6 EP14

THE HOSPITAL WAS FAIRLY quiet compared to other days. Many hospital staff had opted for a day off to spend time with their loved ones.

Norah was in surgery with Derek, who operated on a ruptured aneurysm to start their morning; Mark was stalking the quiet halls searching for someone.

"Hey, Tim!" he approached the resident before the latter twisted the handle of an on-call room.

"Dr Sloan."

"I, uh... You know..." Mark stammered while Timothy raised a brow at him. "What are you, um, doing for Lexie... today?" he blurted out his question.

Timothy blinked at him with a smirk on his face. "Norah," he stated clearly, and Mark smiled back to him awkwardly, "hates Christmases, let alone Valentine's Day." The resident folded his arms above his chest.

"She prefers chocolates over flowers, gestures over gifts, home cook over fancy dinners... don't even get me started on big surprises, she fucking hates those," he listed out, and the attending stared at him, surprised. "Oh, you have no idea how much she fucking ranted to me about her failed dates when we were younger."

Mark cleared his throat with his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "So, you're saying that I..."

"Look, man, Nor's a fucking picky person, so you're already lucky enough," Timothy chuckled before his face dropped into a scowl. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my girlfriend is waiting for me behind this door."

"Oh. Yes, sure-sorry. T-Thanks, by the way."

"Mark, just be yourself. Don't overthink it."

❦ ❦ ❦

NORAH HAD SWORN TO bleach her eyes when she walked in on Kirian and Jace... again.

She was spinning on a chair at the nurses' station in the NICU with her eyes shut to rest them. The quietness soothed her for a moment before she was interrupted by her chair coming to a halt abruptly.

Her hand immediately went to grab the armrest but was met with warm skin instead. Mark stood in front of her with a smirk; both his hands rested on either side of the chair. Norah grinned at the sight of him.

"I almost flew off," she stated.

"Oh, don't be dramatic," he mumbled, placing a kiss on the side of her neck.

"Says the dramatic one."

She moved his head from her side to her front, meeting his lips with hers. Their kiss quickly grew heated when his hand moved to cup her cheek, and hers tugged against the collar of his scrub top.

"This is a bad idea, love. We're in the NICU," she mumbled, but her hand remained at its place.

"I'd bend you over the desk."

"We're gonna disturb the pocket-sized humans."

"Who cares?"

"I do. I care," Arizona snapped at them, and they pulled back at once. Their smiles failed to keep hidden on their faces. The Pediatrics attending sighed at them, with Callie smirking next to her.

"You two, go find yourself a room or something, don't traumatise my tiny humans."

All four of their pagers went off.

"More than a dozen traumas are coming in," Callie notified with a frown.

"On Valentine's Day? We're gonna be filled with traumas the whole night, aye?" Norah's eyes glowed as she got up from the chair, not noticing Mark, who dropped his head in frustration next to her.

A clump of cells of adrenaline junkie, he thought bitterly.

❦ ❦ ❦

GURNEYS WERE ROLLING in one after another as multiple ambulances arrived at the same time outside the ER. Many dates were forced to cut short when the surgeons and nurses got paged back to work.

To some, it was hell, and to others, it was surgery heaven.

"Fun night?" Norah asked as she caught up to Timothy heading towards the ER.

"Huh?"

"Sex hair," she pointed out, and her brother quickly turned to the glass next to him to fix his fair.

She saw April, who was busy tagging behind Derek while muttering what seemed to be a to-do list on the clipboard in her hand, as well as a crew of reporters that were slowly swarming the ambulance bay.

The ER's waiting room was packed with family members, some on their phone with insurance companies, others staring blankly at the floor.

"Excuse me, sir," Norah stated firmly at a person blocking them, who stepped away hastily. The siblings had jumped in on a case where the patient was unconscious; Norah checked the patient's neurological status while Timothy assessed other injuries.

"Get him a head CT, please," Norah instructed, "Then page Dr Shepherd. Tim?"

"I'd like to get an abdominal CT to rule out internal bleeding," Timothy informed, "Thanks."

The ER was still in a mess where patients filled the corridors on gurneys; the trauma rooms were all occupied with doctors and patients. Owen was yelling out instructions to the floor while the attendings ran around for consults.

"Dr Lawrence!" Kirian called out at the entrance of the ER.

A woman was screaming in agony while she got wheeled in by a paramedic. She had some serious burn wounds all over her skin that made many people wince at the sight of it. The paramedic handed the patient to Timothy, who gave Norah a nod while the latter was already changing gloves and calling for supplies.

"Okay, give her 10 of morphine, now," Norah instructed, and the nurse handed Timothy the needle. She was quick to assess the burn scars, frowning at the condition of the patient's skin. "Somebody page Dr Sloan stat!"

"I can't find a vein," Timothy informed and handed the morphine shot to his sister; Norah handed the tool on her hands to him. The morphine got injected into the patient, and her shouts had slowly started to soften.

"Nor?"

"Mm-hmm. Let's go."

The siblings worked together tremendously; their work harmonised without speaking a word to each other. Kirian, who was handing them the tools and gauze, looked far from amazed at their coordination. At the same time, he was trying to keep up with the siblings' pace.

"What do we-oh, wow." Mark arrived at the burn patient, where Norah and Timothy had almost done the debridement. "Have you-"

"Gauze," Timothy interrupted, and Kirian handed him a large chunk of it, then passing Norah another tube of silver sulfadiazine.

Mark looked between them, sharing the same astounding look as the resident next to him.

"They are made for plastics," Kirian mumbled in awe. When the siblings had finished their work, he could not help but clap for them. "That was less than seven minutes," he pointed out. A few residents and nurses, too, were muttering to one another around them.

Mark had a proud look on his face as he lowered his head to her. "You know the greatest plastic surgeons in Europe?" he queried, and she raised a brow curiously at the awestricken look behind his eyes. "Dr Martin and Aria Fernsby. They're here."

Norah's eyes widened twice their size while Timothy choked on air as he threw his gloves into the bin. He gasped sharply when he met with two pairs of eyes. "Nor..." he nudged his head, and she turned on her heels.

The unmistakably familiar faces stood across the ER, both staring at them; one grinning proudly and one had the forever stern look on his face.

Norah felt like throwing herself off Gardinetti's roof.

"Mark, run," she muttered calmly as the pair started walking towards them.

"What? Why?" he asked confusedly, "I'm the Head of Plastics in this hospital." He walked up to them before she could hold him back; her face heated up as she gulped.

"Hello, Dr and Dr Fernsby," Mark greeted with a nervous smile, "I'm Dr Mark Sloan, Head of Plastics at Seattle Grace Mercy W-"

Aria shook his extended hand while Martin merely walked past him towards the two residents who were frozen in their places as horror flashed upon their faces.

"Honorah, Timothy," he addressed in a cold voice, "We taught you better than seven minutes."

Mark cocked a brow at them. "Honor-what?"

Norah's eyes flickered to him briefly, then back to the man in a suit in front of her. "U-Uncle Martin... nice s-seeing you here," she mustered a smile and saw Mark's jaw drop to his feet at the corner of her eye.

This is gonna be a fun reunion.

❦ ❦ ❦

"HONORAH?" MARK URGENTLY asked while Norah watched him pace around in the room.

"Yeah, like Tim, Timothy. Norah, Honorah... Don't call me that, though, I despise it," she replied, before frowning, "Wait... Why do you think the surgical board writes 'H' instead of 'N'?"

"I don't know-'H' and 'N' looks quite similar to me," he mumbled. He stopped at his spot, turning to face her. "Your Aunt and Uncle are the greatest plastic surgeons in Europe, and you never told me before?"

A smile crept on her face. "Tim and I are brilliant in plastics for a reason," she shrugged, and he groaned, shaking his head.

"I met your dad on Thanksgiving, and your Aunt and Uncle-who happens to be two surgeons whose work I admire-on Valentine's Day," he rambled on while rubbing his jaw, "What's next?"

"Dead mum on Halloween?" she joked but was returned with his unamused look. "Alright, stop. You're freaking out when there's no reason to be."

"Your uncle didn't even shake my hand!"

Three sharp raps knocked on the door of the on-call room they were in, and they both snapped their heads towards it.

"Norah," a deep voice called out, and Mark's face fell into a paler colour.

"Love, don't be a dramatic arse and don't you dare pass out," she hissed at him as she twisted the doorknob slowly.

When they left the on-call room, Mark staggered along behind her, feeling the heated stare of the man burning onto his skin.

The plastic surgeon introduced himself briefly before excusing himself for surgery, which was scheduled for another hour. Timothy snorted softly next to the Fernsbys.

"You're dating your Head of Plastics?" Martin questioned with a look, but before Norah could speak, he added, "We saw how close you two were just now, so no point in lying." Aria nodded with a tight smile next to her husband.

Norah raised a brow at them. "Is it really all that bad, though?"

"W-What are you doing in Seattle?" Timothy interjected, changing the subject; Norah sent him an appreciative smile.

"Should we deliver the news straight, dear?" Aria asked, and Martin nodded with a rare smile. She turned to their niece and nephew, who shared puzzled looks on their faces. The way their eyes looked at the older pair reminded her very much of when they were teenagers, and a motherly smile pulled on her mouth.

"We're opening a private practice."

"A private practice?" Norah repeated in surprise, "What about your practice in Scotland?"

"Oh, we're still running it, of course," Martin chuckled. "The one here will be run by a close friend of ours."

"In Seattle?" Timothy questioned.

"Out of Seattle, but still in Washington," Aria replied. "Also, we'll be holding a fundraising gala, and the both of you have to attend."

The siblings sent each other a 'help me' look, not a fan of the sound of that.

"We'll text you the details soon."

Norah narrowed her eyes at them. "Okay... Then why are you both like, here here... right now?"

Aria sighed as she laced her arm into her husband's. "Gardinetti's roof collapsed. We were on our way to having our anniversary dinner there."

Norah and Timothy looked at each other with a slightly relieved look on their faces. "Oh."

❦ ❦ ❦

AFTER A BUSY DAY IN THE ER, Norah zoomed down the hallway after getting an urgent page from Mark in the lobby. She clipped her pager back to her waistband, walking up to him, Callie and Sloan.

"What's up with the 9-1-1 page?" Norah questioned, slightly confused at the whole situation.

"You paged her, too?" Sloan let out a scoff, dropping her head. Mark narrowed his eyes at her before looking over to Norah, who merely frowned back at him.

Callie stared at Sloan, waiting for her to speak up. When the blonde did not, she had no choice but to inform herself. "Mark, she's..."

"I'm giving the baby up for adoption," Sloan blurted out. Norah's eyes widened at her announcement, and Mark furrowed his brows at his daughter. "I'm not a mom. I'm not ready. And I want him to have good parents and a good home."

"No, don't. I..."

"They'll love him," Sloan reasoned, "They'll love him more than I will."

Norah could see the conflict in Mark's eyes, how much he wanted the baby, how much he wanted an addition in his life for something he thought he had missed out on before.

She also knew when he clamped his mouth shut with his eyes trying to look away from the ultrasound picture. He had made a choice-he had chosen her over the baby.

Despite the large hollow within her, she just could not climb up to that level-not now, not yet.

❦ ❦ ❦

"I COULDN'T, MARK, I JUST..." Norah spoke as she walked beside a moody Mark after seeing Sloan walking away. "I know how much you wanted the baby, but I'm not ready for it. It's just too sudden... I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Don't apologise," Mark exhaled heavily though his head was still drooping. "Can't force anyone to do something they don't want to, yeah?"

"Well, that's... Yeah."

"I was really set on being a dad, you know?" he turned to her, "I always had this dream of building a whole family and all. A good one where parents actually love their child and not just leave them aside and go on with their work..."

"I know exactly what you mean," she inputted, and he sighed. "We're good, right?"

"Mm-hmm..."

Norah yelped and was sharply pulled aside by a large but careful force. Lifting her head, she saw a stressed out-looking Timothy who was frowning deeply.

"I just gave Aunt A and Uncle M a whole fucking tour in this hospital because Shepherd insisted," he shrieked, his face looking pale, "Fucking murder me already, oh my god."

They came to a halt-Mark followed behind them curiously-when they met the Fernsbys at the hospital's catwalk. Aria flashed them a motherly smile, and Timothy returned with one of his signature grins, except looking more frightful as he nudged Norah towards them.

"Oi, you sod-"

"Don't worry, you two are grown adults, and we have no interest in disturbing your lives anymore," Aria reassured when the siblings started to push each other to the front like they were kids. "It was pleasant seeing you two, all grown up, working hard to strive in your careers."

Martin nodded, "Keep it up. And hopefully, we can meet for a meal soon." He turned his gaze to the Head of Plastics with a smile on his face. "Take good care of her, Dr Sloan."

"I-I will, absolutely," Mark got slightly taken aback, but he nodded firmly. "It was a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise."

When the pair walked away, Timothy let out a deep exhale as though he had been holding his breath for hours. Mark held onto Norah's arm with a grin plastered on his face.

"Alright, Mark, please don't start fanboy-ing."

❦ ❦ ❦

IT WAS NEAR MIDNIGHT when their shifts ended.

Norah sprawled across the bed, with her head buried in between the pillows. She was reading up on the newest issue of a medical journal while speaking to Mark, who was in the shower.

"Our Aunt and Uncle took in Tim and me when our dad was absent," she shared, flipping to the pages of neurosurgery, "They care for us like we're their own children."

The running water stopped and was followed by the sound of the glass door opening. "So, no bad childhood there?" he queried.

"Oh, no, growing up with obnoxious and arrogant surgeons was something else," she shivered at the recollection, "Uncle M started teaching me suturing when I was twelve. I once cried for three hours straight. His stare was terrifying... I guess that's why I don't wanna specialise in plastics now. I'm traumatised."

She sat up on the bed when the bathroom door opened, taking in the sight before her eyes. Mark had a towel wrapped around his hips; a glimmer of sadness behind his eyes that she took notice of-it was hard not to.

"You sure you're okay?" she queried, and he nodded quietly, not wanting to touch the subject. Instead, he cocked a brow at her.

"Honestly, I still can't believe you never mentioned that the Fernsbys are your relatives," he muttered, "How much of you do I still not know?"

She thought for a moment before shrugging, "I guess you'll just have to find out, don't you?"

She moved to the edge of the bed as he walked towards her. She stared at the little beads of water dripping down his head, rolling from his chest to his abdomen. Hot. Extremely hot.

The corner of his lips tugged upwards when he caught her eyes roaming across his body. "You can get more than just a view, you know?"

"Oh, trust me, I definitely know that. I own the whole view," she smirked before clicking her tongue. "But I'm just seeing who can resist who longer."

He snorted and shook his head. "The moment I drop this towel, Laurie, you're losing."

She smirked, hooking two of her fingers at the top of the towel and pulling him sharply towards her. He stumbled on top of her on the bed.

"I don't call it losing if there'll be a prize," she mumbled with a grin. A light chuckle escaped his mouth, and he left a trail of kisses along her neck, pinning her hands above her head.

When they eventually fell asleep, his arms were still hugging her from behind as she rested easily in his arms.

They were like puzzle pieces fitting perfectly to form a part of a picture-a picture he planned to paint into a large one filled with the most vibrant colours; behind every stroke of the brush, it was his hand on hers.

Her ability to rest safely under his touch made her heart warm; him watching her fall asleep in his arms grew a fuzzy feeling within his chest.

The same words crossed both their minds-warm and fuzzy.

He knew at that moment-or perhaps way before then-that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

From: Unknown Number
[01:27] See you soon, Honorah.

Or at least that was what he hoped.