You Promised | Mark Sloan ✓

86┃i'll live

MEREDITH WALKED INTO Norah's room, her steps a little unsteady, but she managed to sit beside the bed. "They're taking us home tomorrow on a plane," she informed. "W-We don't have a choice because of Arizona and Mark..."

She trailed off when the brunette's gaze snapped to her. "A fucking plane...?"

"I told Bailey to just sedate all of us," Meredith told her, staring at the weary and soulless look on her face. "We'll never know it happened... right?"

Norah turned her head away, staring straight at the ceiling with her eyes strained. "I don't really know if I want to care, Mer," she stated tonelessly. "Everyone's dying, or dead... Tim and Lexie are dead. T-They confirmed my miscarriage, which means my unborn child is dead as well..."

Meredith was silent, staring back at the brunette with a look of pity and sorrow. She knew that the latter had lost very much-too much-in a single catastrophic event.

"...and now Mark's gonna die on me, too."

❦ ❦ ❦

1 WEEK LATER

BACK IN SEATTLE GRACE Mercy West, the tension in the air was beyond anything they had experienced.

It was early June, nearly half a month after the plane crash. Kai had just turned seven months old a few days ago with neither of his parents by his side.

Norah was still under observation, and Mark was recovering in the ICU. The both of them were in the same building, so close yet separated so far away.

Norah's room was next to Cristina's, and the residents-or fellows-would sit in their room during breaks to talk to them. The two of them shared the same trait: they did not speak.

Cristina was still motionless and empty, and Norah was in restrains.

She had had an outburst of rage, threatening to beat up the doctors that were holding her down-she might have punched one, she could not recall-hence the restrains.

That made sense.

What did not make any sense was everyone leaving and dying.

The surgical incision along her abdomen was itching. If it were not for her lack of energy to move, she would have already torn through the stitches. The cast on her leg was another thing that irritated her; the sprained ankle turned out to be a fracture.

"Sloan's recovering," Jackson informed in hopes to get her to speak. "Very slowly, but still, he's recovering. He's doing better."

A long silence; no response.

"Come on, Norah, you gotta say something," Meredith voiced out, but there was still no response from the brunette.

"Dude, your son misses you a lot," Alex tried but earned several scowls from the others.

April smacked him, shaking her head. "The last thing she needs is for you to guilt-trip her!"

❦

DEREK WAS PACING IN Mark's room while the latter sighed at him. "It's not your fault," he reasoned again, "You didn't force her to try your approach. If she couldn't pull it off, well, then..."

"I could've pulled it off had I been in there," Derek snapped back, dissatisfied over the loss of a Neuro patient.

"Well, you'll be back in there."

"No, I won't," he scoffed grimly. "I will be the former neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd, research librarian." The man on the bed laughed at him grimness. "Mark, the guy gave me eighty percent."