You Promised | Mark Sloan ✓

76┃parenting 101

"Well, he's not crying," Mark replied as he looked down at the little boy on his chest. "That's something."

"He's not crying yet," Norah corrected him with a smirk before gently caressing their son's face.

❦

ZOLA'S BIRTHDAY PARTY was packed with friends from the hospital who were chatting away in groups. Many dishes were spread out on a buffet table, and Mark picked up a pigs in a blanket to eat.

He waved the half-bitten pastry in front of Kai's face and received a sharp slap from Callie before he could let the little boy have a lick of the food.

Norah was talking to Derek and Lexie about the 'lost cause' patient they had that day. The younger resident was rather gloomy about the unsatisfied outcome of their patient, but she was still in, nevertheless.

"Derek, I just hope the case I booked is still waiting for me," Norah voiced out, "Or I'm stripping your godfather rights for my son."

"Whoa-hey, your brain's still waiting for you," Derek defended quickly. "Can't wait for you to take a look."

Timothy rounded the corner after escaping Callie and Arizona, who were, once again, bugging him about his love life. He stopped momentarily in front of his sister with furrowed brows, "Hey, where's my little boy?"

"Well, Kai is wherever Mark is, and Mark is..." Norah glanced at the crowd, unable to find either of them and shrugged back at her brother, "wherever Kai is."

"Very fucking informative, Nor, very helpful." He clapped her on the shoulder before walking away.

Derek shook his head at his sister-in-law, who cleared her throat hastily after her eyes met Timothy's. "Lexie, staring isn't gonna work, you know?"

The woman in question blinked and stammered on her words. "I-I-He's-I'm not-He's-"

Norah sighed, shaking her head. "Lexie, from my experience, not giving in to your feelings is the worse torment to yourself. So, go for it."

❦

THE CROWD GATHERED with Webber as the centre of attention while he shared his surgical experience with the rest of them.

Mark was not listening much as he was busy playing peekaboo with Kai on his chest.

Timothy was mumbling words to Sofia before he got slapped on the face by his daughter. He managed to hold back from accidentally swearing in front of the little girl.

But before he could speak again, an argument was broke out in the background of their conversations, from the kitchen, drowning away Webber's words. Everyone slowly fell silent as the yells grew louder.

Meredith had excused herself from the crowd to check on the situation; Norah swapped a worried look with Mark before he nudged her to follow after her friend.

"You killed our baby! You don't ever forget that!" Owen's bellow rang in their ears.

Meredith and Norah had gone still by the doorway, staring at Cristina, who froze at her spot, then back at the ginger man who clearly had much to drink.

The brunette slowly took a step forward and gently reached for Cristina's hand. When Cristina did not tug away from her touch, Norah carefully moved her backwards to Meredith.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" the brunette demanded out of fury, glaring daggers at the man. "What makes you think that forcing a child on someone, forcing a responsibility on someone is anything morally close to a right thing?"