To when I return

4. 2017-2018

Their first interaction that one day in July ended up being their last in a while. Unlike Mark, Lexie knew that hospital like the back of her hand. That is why she knew how to avoid him. Till that one day. "Dr. Sloan you are with me on neuro today." Lexie says as she sees Mark walk out of the residents locker room.

"I am?" He asks surprised.

"Yeah. Here, this chart belongs to Liam Strong. 19-year-old male who has been diagnosed with inoperative tumor on his lover spine. We are going to get it out." Lexie fills him in and starts walking towards the elevator.

"We are going to take out tumor you just said cannot be cut out?" Mark asks as he tries to keep up with her pace.

"Yes."

"You didn't just disappear. You lost your mind." He mutters.

"What's my first name, Dr. Sloan?" Lexie asks stopping on her track.

"What? Lexie what are you saying?" Mark is now more confused than he was only seconds earlier.

"What is my first name?" She asks again.

"Alexandra."

"Good. Now take the first letter from that and ad Grey." She leads him on. 'Oh boy he can be obvious.'

"A. Gr... No way." she can clearly see the realization hit him from his face.

"Look. That boy knows the risks. He is fully aware that if we do get the tumor out, and he survives the chance of him being paralyzed waste down is 95%. The chance that he comes out of that surgery tumor free, is less than three percent. His chance to make it out alive is less than 10 percent. He also knows that I have a reputation. He knows that I don't believe in numbers. He moved to Boston just so he could have me as a doctor. He doesn't care if he gets paralyzed or if we don't get the tumor. But he is 19. He has his whole life ahead of him. If he doesn't try this surgery now he will spend rest of his short life wondering, what if I would've tried and get better. Wouldn't you?" Lexie ends her rant and Mark chuckles a little. "What?"

"Nothing. You're right. I would. I would try and find a way to get rid of the tumor. I see your point Dr. Grey." He tells.

"Good. Let's go."

As the surgery ends Mark is in high. They were successful. All the numbers were against them and the patient is still alive, and not only alive, but he also wasn't paralyzed. He had heard of surgeries like this giving every person in OR that kind of high but damn it felt good. Lexie saw the excitement on his features and for a moment she thought that nothing had changed. This was the same Mark who she had seen after baseball game. Game where he had made homerun or something else like that. Then she remembered the 500 bucks and the fact that she had ran. Everything had changed.

Mark rarely worked with Lexie. If he was on neuro, most likely he worked with other attending. This wasn't exception. Mark had spent all day running labs and other boring stuff for the neuro attending he hated the most. Mark was on a bad mood, and he didn't make it any better. That's why he headed to the bar.

As Lexie walks into the bar with Link, Jackson and Jo they go to play pool. It  was 'that once in two months night without the twins'. After an hour Lexie had enough of her slightly drunken friends losing to her, she finally heads to the bar to order a drink. That is where she saw Mark.

"The usual" she tells the bartender who nods. "Rough day?" She asks surprising both Mark and herself.

"You can say so." He sighs.