Why me? ~ mark sloan

CHAPTER TWENTY

She sighed and climbed into bed, closing her eyes to sleep but sleep never came. She turned onto her back and stared at the ceiling until she heard the bedroom door open and Mark crawl into the bed next to her.

He turned his head on his pillow to look at her and she did the same thing.

"How do you really feel about Sloan?" He whispered and Vanessa smiled, reaching her hand out and stoking his cheek gently.

"I think it's great for you." She breathed and he closed his eyes, leaning into her touch more.

"I'm sorry I didn't ask you before I said she could move in. It's just that-" Mark began.

"She's your daughter. I get it." Vanessa finished for him and he opened his eyes, looking at her gratefully.

"You said you were tired - go to sleep." He ordered softly and Vanessa nodded, leaving her hand resting on Mark's face as he pushed his arm underneath her head with his other arm on her waist as they both fell asleep.

***

"I mean she's moved in." Vanessa breathed as she flopped down on Jackson's couch. Jackson and Charles exchanged looks before Charles sat at her feet, pulling them onto his lap as Jackson did the same to her head.

"Mark has barely kissed me since she moved into the house. And everything is suddenly about her." She ranted as the two men just nodded in understanding.

"But at the same time it's his kid, you know? I can't be this selfish." She countered herself, sending herself into a dizzy confusion.

"Help me." She whined, looking at both Jackson and Charles as they laughed at her predicament.

"I say just suck it up. Come over here every night if you want  - we have nothing else to do." Charles shrugged and Vanessa closed her eyes, hands travelling absentmindedly to her stomach that had grown slightly.

"Thanks Charlie, now we'll have a whiny, hormonal pregnant lady in our apartment." Jackson joked and Vanessa flew her hand up, hitting him in the face weakly. They all laughed together until Charles spoke.

"I'm hungry." He complained and Vanessa sat up.

"Let's actually make something." She declared and the boys nodded hesitantly, thinking it would be a fun experiment. 

---

"Reed?" Vanessa repeated in disbelief, "You like Reed?" 

"Shut up." Charles laughed, threatening her with the knife he was holding, she just held up her much larger knife and he backed away, throwing his hands up in surrender.

"Okay guys, before we kill each-other." Jackson joked while he was arranging the food on the pan, ready to go in the oven. Vanessa was cutting the vegetables and Charles was kind of just hovering while drinking his beer, cutting the occasional vegetable if Vanessa asked him to. 

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Charles rushed off quickly to get it.

"You expecting someone?" Vanessa asked, looking over at Jackson. He frowned and shook his head slowly, trying to remember if he was.

"Vanessa?" She heard Mark call and she rolled her eyes at Jackson before getting back to chopping the vegetables.

"In here." She yelled back and she heard three pairs of feet walking through the house. She looked at Jackson who also looked confused. Mark and Sloan appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, Charles behind them. He mouthed the word 'sorry' as he squeezed past them, patting Vanessa on the shoulder as he passed her to stand on the other side of Jackson.

"I have some good news." He smiled and Vanessa cocked her head to the side.

"Couldn't it have waited for me to come home?" She asked, trying to keep her voice level.

"Well, it could've but I'm here now." Mark shrugged and she saw Jackson's shoulders slump next to her. 

"Alright." She continued to cut the vegetables, glancing up at Mark every so often to show she was still listening.

"Sloan is pregnant. I'm going to be a grandfather - yay!" He said and Charles spit out his beer as Jackson held in a laugh and Vanessa put the knife down to cut another bit of celery. She felt a tingly sensation on her finger so she looked down and realised she had cut the tip of her pinky off.

Sloan looked at it in disgust and Mark's eyes widened as he stepped toward her.

"Oh," Jackson exclaimed next to her, grabbing a towel to put on her finger, "my god."

"Oh!" Charles leaned behind Jackson and watched as Vanessa just looked down at her finger while Jackson wrapped the towel around it.

"Ouch." Vanessa breathed, looking up at Mark.

***

Vanessa was decorating the Christmas tree in the living room when Mark came up beside her, taking her hand in his and looking at her pinky finger that was wrapped in a bandage.

"How is it?" He asked and she looked over at him, turning her body to face him.

"It's fine - it didn't hurt then and it doesn't hurt now." She assured him, placing her hand in his.

"And the baby?" 

"Could not have been injured just because I was stupid enough to cut the tip of my pinky off." They both looked over to Sloan who was painting her nails on the counter.

"So..." He was referring to their relationship - Vanessa's and Sloan's - he had hoped they would get along but Sloan had shown no interest in getting to know or like Vanessa.

"She won't speak to me." Vanessa sighed, her hand falling to her side dramatically.

"Okay. I'll speak to her. Can you drive her to the hospital? She has a check up today and I need to go in now." He asked and Vanessa nodded. He kissed her cheek softly and said goodbye to Sloan before leaving the apartment.

The silence that followed was deafening and Vanessa was beginning to think that it would never end, until Sloan spoke up.

"I don't want to keep it." She breathed out suddenly, not even turning to Vanessa.

"What?" Vanessa asked, not sure she heard her correctly.

"The baby. I don't want to keep it." She clarified, turning to meet Vanessa's eyes.

"Why?" 

"I'm 18, I'm not cut out to be a mother! I'd rather give the baby to a family that can take care of it properly." 

"Have you told your father?" 

"No - please don't tell him." Sloan pleaded and Vanessa nodded, picking up her keys and coat, sliding her shoes on.

"Come on, we gotta go to the hospital."

********************************************************

A/N: so this is this

idk why you guys even read this story lol

Thanks for reading tho :)