flatline [m.s]

cxlii.

"no, i need to talk," lia throws the blanket back over him. "i've been thinking- if my dad and catherine get married, would that make jackson my brother? because that would then make me darci's aunty? like, i know i said i'm happy for them, and i am. but it's freaking me out."

"no, it does not," mark exhales deeply. "you are not related by blood, and you didn't grow up together."

"okay," lia sighs with relief, looking down at the magazine in her lap. "mer is not gonna like this."

■ ■ ■

"she was barely a third-year resident when we did this trial. i made the virus," derek tells mark, whilst looking out of the window, onto the hospital catwalk. his back is to mark who is busy looking on a computer.

"she assisted," mark agrees, but his tone is miserable. "when michael jordan scores, no one cares about the assist."

"i don't know. scottie pippen..." derek points out, turning around.

"you know what i mean," mark shrugs. "these women, they overthink everything. especially when they're pregnant."

"somebody's cranky today," derek observes, before looking at the screen in front of mark. "what is that? 'experimental treatments for cleft palates'."

"huh," mark furrows his brow.

"you're working on your own clinical trial, aren't you?" derek steps closer towards mark.

"i'm- i'm just- i'm doing a little research," mark dismisses.

"mm-hmm. see, the very sight of me reminds you that you've not made one worthwhile contribution to medical history, doesn't it?"

"get out," mark gestures to the door as derek takes a seat across from him.

"you should read my article," derek grins, smugly. "it will enrich your life, make you a better man."

"i'm saving it for the bathroom," mark says, and derek laughs.

■ ■ ■

lia walks into an on call room to find mark lying down, wallowing, on one of the beds.

"hey, did you hear somebody dropped a kidney?" lia tells him with amusement as she closes the door behind her.

"oh, for the love of god," mark groans, rolling over so his back is to her.

"what's wrong?" she asks softly, walking over to him, but he doesn't move or respond so she decides on taking a different approach. "i need you. i need you, mark."

"for another talk?" mark scoffs, craning his neck to turn and look at her.

"just because you didn't publish a big clinical trial- yet-  doesn't mean you're not a genius," lia says suggestively.

mark exhales deeply before standing up from the bed so that he is stood directly in front of her.

"fine. take off your pants," he instructs as he removes his own scrub top. "i'll show you the sloan method. won't ever be in a medical journal, but it should."

- - -
most patients put off facing the truth for as long as possible. and we get it. we do it, too. we ignore things. we stay under the covers. we don't pick up the phone. we don't face the music and all that crap.
- - -

"ah, lia," derek calls when he steps off the elevator to find lia stood on her phone in the hospital lobby.

"congratulations," she smiles as he approaches. "must feel good to see your name in print like that."

"it would feel better if meredith wasn't so- you know, she's acting silly about the credit," derek sighs, and lia frowns. "she's getting emotional."

"she worked her ass off for you, and you got all the credit," lia points out.

"i would've gotten all the blame had we failed," derek argues. "like i was the one who got blacklisted when she messed up my alzheimer's trial. she's the reason it took three years for them to even publish this trial."

"but you didn't fail," lia reminds him. "and you know why she tampered with your trial."

"it's simple. i'm an attending. and at the time of the trial she was a third-year resident," derek shrugs.

"who is now a damn good attending that you're married to. that's not simple. it's messy," lia shakes her head. "if it were me, i'd start with 'thank you'. you'd be surprised how far that one goes, especially with us silly emotional women."

- - -
but the longer we hide, the worse it can be. so open the test results. have the hard conversation. say what you mean. good or bad. you may be surprised at what you find. and at the very least, you'll know what you're dealing with.
- - -