Ten Blade

6.09

Once she saw the caller ID, her brows furrowed in worry.

"Mark, honey, is everything on with Sloan?" She asked.

"Addy blew the AVM." He told her, his voice broken and clearly panicked.

At the state of her boyfriend, Helena felt her own anxiety rising, trying to keep her voice steady and calming as she spoke. "I-is she ok? And the baby?"

"Sloan is ok, but she lost a lot of blood. She d-doesn't know about the baby yet... God, Lee, I should have never brought her to get the surgery..." Mark let out, his voice breaking.

"Hey, hey, don't do that. You couldn't have known, no one could have known, not even Addy. You hear me, Mark Sloan? This is not on you. You just need to try to keep calm for me, ok?" She asked through the phone, her voice breathy as she talked her boyfriend through his anxiety. "Now, Sloan should wake up soon and you'll get to check on the baby and her. I'm assuming you'll need to stay there for a few days, keep me updated?" She requested.

"I'm coming home, Lee." Mark told her, his voice sure but loving. "I can't stay away for so long, not when we're fighting. As soon as I make sure they're both ok, I'm coming home. And we're gonna figure this out, ok, sweetheart?"

"Ok, I'll see you soon." The brunette nodded even if he couldn't see her, her heart warming at the words. "I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart. Bye."

As Mark hung up the call, Helena took a hand to her chest, rubbing away the anxiety she was feeling as she got back to work.

——

Early the next morning, Helena sat on the floor of her living room, trying to set up a changing station as she heard the door to the apartment open.

Expecting to see her girlfriend still asleep from her previous shift, the man's eyes widened at the sight of her awake. "Hey, sweetheart. What are you doing?"

"Oh, hi, you're back!" She let out, her face lighting up with a smile. "I am miserably failing at setting up a changing station..." The short girl got up, pointing her screw driver to Mark. "Wanna help?"

"A-a changing station? As in for Sloan's baby?" The man asked, taking off his coat as a smile formed on his own lips.

"Well, yeah, you know Sloan is still a bit lost about the baby stuff so I though we should get a makeshift nursery ready, at least for now." She explained. "I also have toys, a crib, baby bottles and a breast pump..." Helena waved to the objects as she spoke. "You know, the basics."

At that, Mark approached her from across the room, taking her in his arms as she pressed a passionate kiss to her lips. "I love you so much, Lee."

"I love you too." She smiled into his lips, joining their foreheads as they pulled away.

"Are we really doing this? Are we forming a family?" Mark smiled as wide as Helena had ever seen, the girl playing with the hair on the nape of his neck.

"We're forming a family." She smiled back, letting out a giggle at her own happiness.

"Lee, I am so sorry that I didn't... I never meant to hurt you o-or make you feel like you don't matter. You matter so much to me, you are everything." He told her, holding her hand to his chest.

"I know, honey..." She whispered, nodding with tears in her eyes. "I know you didn't mean to. And it's ok, we're ok. But don't ever disrespect me like that again, ok? Don't ever belittle me like that..."

"Never again. I promise." He told her, pressing a kiss to her palm. "I promise..."

Helena flashed him a smile. "And I'm sorry if I made you feel as though I don't value your family... our family. I do. And I want to do this." She nodded, her voice sure, before she shook her head, shrugging off the heavy feeling. "Now, help me set up the changing station."

"Fine." He conceded, grabbing the screw driver Helena handed him. "But, before that, what on earth is a breast pump?"

The girl giggled at the question, shaking her head. "Mark Sloan, you have so much to learn."

And, as the two struggled to put together the furniture, the excitement in their eyes was unprecedented. They were forming their own family. And, in that moment, they knew that, despite everything, this was all they ever wanted, all they'd ever dreamt of. Maybe their dreams had just been presented in a bit of an unconventional manner.

——

Word count: 2195

AN:
I hope you enjoyed how Mark and Helena worked through this situation! I tried to find the balance between them actually having a fight and then making up, because I genuinely believe this is how it would happen.
To me, Helena has always been so motherly and had a dream of having a family, that she wouldn't refuse helping to raise the baby. But I do also think she wouldn't put up with how Mark made such a decision for her.
Anyway, let me know what you think?