S8 EP20

NORAH PULLED HER suitcase behind her with her passport tucked away inside one of Mark's leather jackets. She had her earphones plugged in and a neck pillow around her. Pushing through the evening crowds at the airport, she ducked away from contacting random people.

It bugged her a lot.

Her yawn was replaced with a grin when she saw her brother at the end of the hall, waving at her. Her legs were too tired to run up to him, so he rushed towards her instead.

"Not happy to see your little brother picking you up?" Timothy teased with a cheeky grin, and his arms held wide.

"I'm just too tired to look grateful, baby bro," Norah dove into his chest, returning his hug with her neck pillow hitting him on the face.

"Ugh, fucking pillow-Mark was pulled into surgery, by the way," he passed along, taking her suitcase from her. "A girl who got kidnapped years ago turned up on our fucking rooftop."

"Okay, wow," her eyes widened slightly, "Yeah, that's excusable, and he could make up for that."

"Well, how was Duke?"

"Brilliant, really," she responded with a smile. "Nice program, their offerings are... well, inviting..."

He raised a brow at her change of tone. "But?"

"They asked me whether I'd consider taking up plastics in the future," she sighed, and he cackled loudly. "Turns out, they're friends with Aunt A and Uncle M."

"Nuh-uh, Duke's a no."

"Duke's a big no," she yawned. "I have a video interview with John Hopkins this evening. Wish me luck."

"Pfft, you don't need luck," he chuckled, and she looked at him curiously. "They sent a fucking basket of goodies over this morning," he shrugged, "They want you. You'll do wonderful."

❦ ❦ ❦

1 WEEK LATER

NORAH SIGHED AS SHE sank into the passenger seat; Mark had nearly pressed a kiss on the side of her neck when she halted him and pushed him back to his seat. He studied the fury look on her face briefly, deciding it was best to drive off the pick-up zone.

He cleared his throat, opening his mouth to form words, but he got cut off immediately. "I called you for a getaway, and you showed up late," she scowled at him. "Where the hell did you come from? Canada?!"

"I am truly, truly sorry, Laurie," he chuckled nervously, sending her a sincere smile. "I had uh, something to-never mind... How did it go?"

"Well, for starters, he threw me a good speech about how powerful a female neurosurgeon is, and that how well it would reflect on them. Of course, you can't forget the whole 'trained-under-the-Derek-Shepherd' thing... Oh, plus a reserved position for you in Harvard."

"That's tempting," he voiced out, and she nodded.

"That's not all, love," she stated, and he turned to her attentively. "They also offered a funded research lab. And a spot for me after I finish my fellowship."

His eyes widened in surprise, glancing over at her curiously. "Well, what did you tell him?"

"I told him to pass me the pepper."

There were three long seconds when Mark processed her reply in his head while he stepped on the brake.

"You what-?"

"His eye twitched when I mentioned I have a five-and-a-half-month-old boy," she sighed. "So yes, I told him to pass me the damn pepper."

"Oh..." He broke into a laugh, and she followed, too. He shook his head at her uncontrolled snickering, not knowing whether to be impressed or surprised by her response. "You're absolutely amazing."

"Well, duh," she smirked before returning to her 'serious face', one that he recognised from moments before. "I want dessert, preferably ice cream. And I'm missing my little Kai. So you best get me home to my little boy and dessert before I-"

"Already on it," he grinned, flicking the signal beside the steering wheel. He stole a glance at her-his perfect little genius, who was whistling to the song on the radio.

She turned her head to him, her eyes narrowed. "I know I'm hot, but eyes on the road, Sloan."

He obeyed with a nod, smiling stupidly to himself while he drove them back to their home.

The same warm and fuzzy feeling in his chest never went away, and it will never go away.

She was his, and he was hers; they would be tied together-he would make sure of that.

"You know, Laurie, I love you, so very much."

"And I love you more-and before you say it's impossible-it isn't."

❦ ❦ ❦

6 DAYS LATER

JACKSON STABBED HIS fork angrily into his fruit bowl, causing half of the contents to spill all over his tray.

"You're a name brand. You're like the freakin' Ritz-Carlton of surgery," Alex muttered while chewing on his food. "Who cares if that's why they want you?"

"Because he knows deep down he's more of a roadside motel," Cristina replied with a shrug while Jackson forced out a dry laugh back at her.

"You know, Jackson, I feel you," Norah spoke as she set down her drink. "I've got calls from places asking me if I'm interested in plastics, knowing very well that I'm not going away from Neuro."

Jackson nodded while he shoved the fruit into his mouth. "Thanks, that's very... helpful."

"Oh, oh, oh-she's going for the soup!" April pointed out as she watched Holly, the girl who had been kidnapped for years, slowly making her way to the soup station in the cafeteria.

"Bold move," Cristina commented, "She's gonna have to talk to the soup guy."

"She's looking good," Jackson narrated, "Looking confident..."

"...and she bails. No soup for Holly," Alex concluded grimly.

"She looks terrified," Lexie grumbled, staring at her sister. "Why are you so mean? Would you just go buy her some soup?"

"No, it's not mean. She's going home soon, and Dr Fincher says she has to learn to do things for herself," Meredith reasoned, and Lexie gave her an unamused sigh.

"And you're gonna finally have to go to Boston for your interview," Cristina added, causing Meredith to snap her head to the former.

"I am not avoiding the interview!"

"You've cancelled them thrice," Norah reminded her with a raised brow. "Sure sounds like it to me."

"Well, whenever you go, just beware, they may judge you more on your personality than what really matters, like your resume," April scoffed, rolling her eyes with gritted teeth.

"Meredith is not like you," Alex mumbled casually, "Her personality doesn't suck." April sent him a glare while the rest of the residents held back a laugh.

"Oh, pizza station!" Jackson notified, and they snapped their heads back at Holly.

The girl had the briefest exchange of words with the man at the counter-more like he offered her some choices, and she froze on her spot-before she quickly turned away.

"Oh, whatever!" April snapped, throwing her arms in the air before she crushed the chip in her hand. "You know what? Those programs can suck it. I'm tired of trying so hard not to be me. You know what? I like me."

"That makes one of us," Alex mumbled again and received another glare, making him snort. "You make it so easy."

"Says the guy whose hospital's offering him make-your-own sundaes," Norah taunted with a wink, and he scowled at her with a loud scoff.

"Look, you don't have to not be you," Jackson tried comforting April, "Just be a little less you. That's all."

Norah caught a glimpse of the attending, who stormed up to their tables. Mark shot her a smile before his face fell into a deadpan, glaring at the resident sitting beside her.

"Get up," he scolded, pulling Jackson's ear. "Claire Hiatt just called to tell me you walked out on your interview. Call her back, apologise."

Jackson winced, sending the attending a sour look. "Look, I respectfully withdrew my application," he reasoned, but Mark was not having it.

"You want me to drag you out by your ear?"

Norah let out a low whistle, recognising Mark's dad voice whenever Kai would fuss when he did not want to finish his bottle, or when he burst out crying for no particular reason.

"Friendly warning, he'd actually do it," Norah whispered to Jackson, who sighed and reluctantly got up from his seat.

Alex's eyes widened in realisation, and he jumped up from his seat. "Freakin' Robbins," he cursed under his breath before darting out of the cafeteria. The others chuckled softly at his late realisation, knowing very well that Arizona was tanking his recommendations.

Mark raised a brow at the resident before turning to the youngest one among the group. "Tim's too uptight these days," he cleared his throat, causing both Norah and Lexie to lift their heads to him while he directed his words to the latter. "You gotta get him laid, urgently."

Lexie coughed, feeling her face heating up. "I..."

"Lex, go," Norah whispered, and the younger resident took off embarrassedly. She lifted her head to the attending, who folded his arms in front of his chest. "Urgently?"

"Mm-hmm," he nodded before bending down and placing a kiss on her lips. "Because I'm trying to get him to cook on the night before you guys fly out for your boards... Unless...?"

She let out a grim chuckle, shaking her head. "No, I do not want Mark Sloan's famous sugared chicken. Sorry, love."

❦ ❦ ❦

3 DAYS LATER

NORAH LAY ON THE BED IN the hotel room in D.C. while she picked up the call from Mark.

"Laurie! Laurie! Laurie-look!" his voice was excited as he moved the camera towards Kai, who was on his stomach.

"Uh... tummy time?" she asked confusingly. "Love, wipe off his drool, please."

Mark brought the handkerchief to Kai's mouth, and she saw the video shuffling with loud thudding sounds before the image stopped back on the boy on his back. "Wait for it," Mark hinted, and she watched the screen closely.

She heard a small grunt from Kai as he wiggled in his crib before she let out a gasp. The boy had successfully flipped over from his back to his stomach-all by himself.

Mark brought the phone back to his face. "You saw that, right? You saw that? He rolled over! By his own!"

"I saw that! Holy crap!" Norah exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Move your face away from the screen, Mark-I don't wanna see you right now. Let me see my little Kai."

Mark let out an offended scoff while he turned the video back to the boy, who was now giggling to himself while his dad held a jingling toy above him. His chubby leg lifted to reach it, and he let out a loud squeal when the toy tinkled.

Norah felt a sting at the back of her eyes, knowing that she was not there was her son rolled over for the first time without assistance.

But the squeals and giggles coming from the other end were enough to make the grin on her face permanent.

❦ ❦ ❦

5 DAYS LATER

THE KITCHEN ISLAND WAS filled with large servings of food. Pasta and lasagne, a plate of T-bone steak that was almost finished, fish curry and a variety of steamed dim sum, fruits that were brought by Meredith and Derek, and many more.

Timothy was shuffling about the kitchen with an apron over his neck and Lexie helping him. April was also lending a hand at the kitchen, along with Arizona. Bottles of wine and whiskies were opened by the countertop, out of reach by the children.

The fifth-year residents were given an early day-off to prepare before their trip the following morning. But they were now all gathered at Norah and Mark's apartment, enjoying the delicious meal cooked by Timothy Lawrence, who was humming to a tune while he moved swiftly in the kitchen, juggling back and forth between a pot of stew and the pan sizzling on the stove.

Mark had organised a mini-party for the fifth-year residents, who were soon flying out to San Francisco in less than twelve hours. Other attendings such as Webber, Bailey and Teddy had stopped by a while, but they were called in for surgery.

Everyone was eating and drinking; some of the residents were still quizzing each other anxiously with their study cards in their hands. The cards were ultimately seized away by the attendings who urged them to relax and enjoy the food, worried that they might drop sooner or later.

"I'm really glad Lexie and Timothy are back together," Meredith spoke up as she made her way to the living room.

Norah grinned and nodded in agreement. "It's like you and Derek, Callie and Arizona, me and Mark..." she replied, "They're meant to be."

The night was young.

After the plates got cleared and the dishes washed, they gathered in the living room, chatting happily with one another.

Meredith and Derek sat next to each other while they watched Zola playing with Sofia on the floor; a very stressed-looking April was being calmed down by Jackson, who was stiffening a laugh. Alex was in the hospital taking care of a patient in the NICU.

Timothy sat partially on the edge of the couch with Lexie lying on his shoulder, both of them mumbling and chuckling to their own. Norah had ended up sitting on Mark's lap since the other seats on the couch were already taken.

Everyone had grins on their faces, plus April, who was close to tears. The two little girls were giggling-Sofia had clawed on Timothy's face, and he let out a shriek; Zola picked up the soft toy and handed it to Derek, who was absolutely in awe.

Norah stared at Cristina; she had Kai seated between her legs while she played with the boy, who had bubbles of saliva drooling out his mouth. The brunette stared amusingly at the slight horror on Cristina's face.

"Time flies, huh?" Mark spoke up as the both of them stared at their son. "Kai's six months old already. Like, wow."

"Time flies..." Norah repeated his words while her back leaned against his chest, grinning at Kai, who was trying to bring his foot into his mouth. "I'm glad you planned this, really. We really needed it."

"Well, you guys are really good," he stated before placing a kiss on the side of her neck. "And you're stressing yourselves out for no particular reason. Scotch?"

"No, thanks. Don't feel like it," she shook her head and pushed his glass away.

He narrowed his eyes at her before shrugging, "Alright then. Suit you."

She rolled her eyes at him, tracing circles on the back of his hand that was on resting on her leg. She shifted in her sitting before leaning to his ear. "What's in your pocket?"

He was close to choking on his sip of whisky, clearing his throat. "M-My pockets are... um, empty."

She studied his facial expression confusingly. The blinking eyes and tightened jaw, the biting of his inner cheeks while he stared back at her innocently. Her eyebrows shot to the air, and she scoffed at him unamusingly.

"For the love of god, Mark-"

She was about to stand up when he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her back onto his lap. "Whoa, whoa, Laurie, hold on a second."

Norah yelped when a foam block was thrown at her face, her head snapping to Cristina, who was glaring at them sternly. "In front of your son? Get a room, seriously!" she scolded, covering the boy's eyes.

Little Kai leaned forward to bite his godmother's hand, causing her to shriek. Cristina snapped her gaze to the boy, who was smiling innocently back at her while he lay his head on her leg.

"You evil baby... The Sloan gene in you is making you a Devil Spawn."

Kai merely blinked with a goofy grin and dove towards his godmother.

Norah snickered and bent down to pick up the foam block by her leg. Mark inhaled sharply, his body stiffened, his eyes widened alarmingly-two words plastered in his mind: Oh fuck.

Timothy eyed him suspiciously across the room, and Mark mustered a smile back at him.

He let out a deep breath when Norah sat back up, her back pressing against his chest once again after she had hurled the foam block back at Cristina. Wrapping one arm around her waist, he moved her sitting position slightly to his comfort.

He would be damned if she noticed the little velvet box in his pocket.

"You sure you don't want to, um, drink?" he asked, but she shook her head again.

"No, because if I drink now, I'm gonna drown myself in whisky," she stated, "And I can't do that because I'm leaving to take my boards tomorrow, and I-I haven't packed for the trip."

"You haven't packed for-"

"I know!" she hissed back. "That's why I'm freaking out right now... internally."

He nodded with his brows furrowed, hugging his arm over her tighter. He decided that the box in his pocket shall wait.

Moving her hair to the side, he placed a kiss on the back of her neck. She had a warmth in her chest, snuggling closer to him behind her.

The laughs and cheers, cries and joys in the apartment was pure bliss. They were all enjoying themselves, enjoying their night with each other, whom they would call a family.

This was a present she would frame in her mind for a long, long time.

Because this time was, in fact, the calm before the storm.

━━━━━

Clean your minds 😉