Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Yesterday

AN: Hello! Today is the day we have another Mark in Seattle sighting! Get excited! :) I am also going to introduce the character Nicholas Porter, the man Addison slept with. I hope this has lived up to expectations! worked hard on this chapter and I cannot wait to see what you guys think.

Wentworth Miller as Dr. Nicholas Porter

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Cristina was alone in her and Burke's apartment, dancing to music from her iPod, while brushing her teeth and getting dressed at the same time. She was feeling in the mood to let loose and have a little fun before a long day at the hospital.

It had been almost three weeks since the bomb in the hospital, and things were staring to feel normal. Except, Bailey's interns had a bit more appreciation for life and took time to relish in the little moments. And, for Cristina, it was dancing in her apartment like a fool as she got ready.

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After careful consideration and many sleepless nights, here's what I've decided. There's no such thing as a grown-up.

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Burke entered the apartment after his run, and stopped when he saw Cristina dancing and having fun. A sight that was becoming more common these past couple weeks.

Cristina stops for a moment, when she sees him watching her. Then she decides to dance again, and this time tried to get Burke involved. Burke laughed as he tried to dodge Cristina who tried to get him to dance with her.

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We move on, we move out, we move away from our families and form our own.

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Burke then starts to spastically dance with her. Which caused her to shriek with laughter. As they danced around, Cristina's phone rings. Burke answers it since Cristina was lost in her own world.

"Hello? No, Dr. Burke. ... Yes. ... Yes I'll let her know." Burke said, Cristina noticed his change of attitude and stopped dancing and pulled out her headphones.

"That was your landlord. He wants you to know that there's a minor flood in your apartment. Your other apartment!" Burke informed her.

Shit.

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But the basic insecurities, the basic fears and all those old wounds just grow up with us.

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Meredith was visiting her mother at her long-term residential care. After the whole hand on the bomb thing, she decided to spend more time with her mom when she could. She was currently getting coffee while her mother sat in her favorite chair nearby.

"I'm exhausted." Ellis informed her daughter.

"Me, too." Meredith agreed.

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And just when we think that life and circumstances have forced us truly, once and for all become an adult...

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"I was going at it all night in the on-call room. What's your excuse?" Ellis bluntly asked Meredith, she had no idea who Meredith was today. She recognized that she was important to her, but not who she was. And Meredith heard things that no daughter should ever know about her mother.

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...your mother says something like that.

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"Mom." Meredith chastised her mom.

She didn't need to hear about her mother and father's sex life. This must have been when their marriage was good. Meredith barely remembered those times, unless there was photographic evidence, and there was few and far between of those.

"I tell ya that man makes me purr like a kitten." Ellis swooned like a love sick woman.

If her mother didn't stop she'd be sick.

"Mom!" Meredith said once again.

"When he isn't making me growl like a tiger." Ellis continued swooning.

"Stop!" Meredith snapped.

Ellis chuckles to herself, not listing to her daughter's request.

"And my husband wonders why I'm not interested in him anymore." Ellis said.

And then Meredith's whole world was rocked.

Her mother cheated?

She didn't now what to say or do.

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Or worse, something like that.

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But, her mother didn't seem to notice as she continued on with her reminiscing about her affair partner. Her mother had an affair partner and the a hate fueled rant about Meredith's father, Tatcher.

"If he had any balls at all he would leave on his own. No. He plays stupid. He's waiting for me to kick him out. I come home with a hickey on my shoulder. A hickey! For god's sake like I'm a sex-crazed teenager. Which let's face it these days I am. And what does Thatcher do? Pretends he doesn't see it." Ellis said.

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We get bigger, we get taller, we get older. But, for the most part, we're still a bunch of kids, running around the playground, trying desperately to fit in.

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Eddie and Frankie had an early morning because Frankie decided she wanted to be up when she woke her mommy at up five am. So after her morning feeding, and Eddie's attempt to lull her back to sleep, they had tummy time and Eddie spent time just talking to her in both English and Portuguese.

And, since Eddie was set to have to go to work at seven thirty, she tried to get Frankie tired so hopefully she would be asleep when dropping her off at daycare.

And, at four am as she was finishing up dressing Frankie, who was fighting sleep. She hoped she would be lulled to sleep and not fight it.

"Você está animado, amendoim? Papai estará em Seattle esta noite. Faz muito tempo que não o vemos, não é?" (AN: "Are you excited peanut? Daddy will be in Seattle tonight. We haven't seen him in a long time have we?") Eddie said softly.

Frankie yawned and stretched as Eddie scooped her into her arms and swayed a little.

"I'm excited to!" Eddie said with a grin. "Because I've missed him as well."

Frankie's eyes started to stay down longer as they drooped lower and lower, until they were closed.

"Your daddy has missed you so much peanut. He is going to be so excited to see you!" Eddie informed her daughter.

After settling Frankie into her carseat Eddie triple checked she had everything, she threw her purse, diaper bag over her shoulder, and then grabbed Frankie and made her way to work.

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After dropping Frankie off at the daycare Eddie made her way to the intern locker room and started getting ready for her day. She noticed Meredith seemed to be in shock. And, before she could ask what was wrong, Cristina stormed in.

"You know, he's acting like I committed a crime. Like my apartment is full of stolen goods. He's acting like I kept my apartment to hide stolen goods so I can do illegal transactions for money." Cristina complained and ranted.

Meredith and Eddie shared a look. It looked like Burke found out. And, it hadn't been good.

"Are you sure he's just not acting like you lied about moving in?" Meredith and Eddie asked at the same time.

"Okay, what's wrong with you?" Cristina asked Meredith who sounded off.

"My mommy's a filthy whore." Meredith informed her friends who shared a look, huh?

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Alex and Izzie were off to the side of the intern locker room, whispering to one another, flirting as they got ready for rounds. Ever since sleeping with one another, the two have been sleeping with each other often. It was fun and exciting, thrilling even.

"You have dirty in your eyes." Izzie flirty accused.

"You have dirty in your eyes." Alex countered back with a smirk.

"I'm not doing dirty with you any more. It was a one time lapse in judgment." Izzie told him, but he was so...good. Her beast was awakened...and she was weak.

"Oh it was a four time lapse in judgment." Alex stated.

"Yeah well it's not gonna happen again." Izzie stated firmly.

"Oh ok." Alex said, not believing her.

"I'm serious! We're friends and it didn't work when we tried to be more than that so ... as fun as it was, it's not gonna happen again." Izzie said to him, trying to be serious.

But, her body language spoke a different story. She obviously wanted what Alex could give her.

"Stop looking at me." Alex told her.

"I'm not looking at you. I'm rounding." Izzie stated.

"I'm rounding too." Alex said.

"Fine." Izzie said with finality.

"Fine." Alex said somewhat amused as he followed her out.

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Bailey's interns were in between residents. Since, all of them seemed to be Rosemary's Babies, well, except Eddie, not many wanted to work with them. So, they were assigned an attending or in the pit. It wasn't ideal but it was working. The six were currently with Dr. Burke, where Meredith was presenting to the attending.

"Chuck Eaton. Fifty-Four. Has stage 3B non small cell lung cancer with possible invasion of the pleura. And a history of COPD. He's had extensive chemo-radiotherapy with minimal regression of the tumor. He's been admitted for radical en bloc re-section." Meredith informed the attending.

"I was a smoker. The, ah, oncologist, he explained that I have a 25% chance of surviving the surgery." Chuck informed the group.

"Well unfortunately that's about right. If you should elect not to proceed we can make you more comfortable." Burke informed the dying man.

"With all due respect ah- there's no way you can make a man dying a slow death comfortable. I'll roll the dice." Chuck informed the attending, having already accepted he would most likely die, but held out hope he'd survive.

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Izzie and George were lagging behind the group slightly as they made their way to their next room for rounds.

"How would you say I looked today? Would you say I looked nice?" George asked his best friend.

"Well I say you could use a little more lip gloss but yes you're very pretty." Izzie teased.

"Oh you're mean." George teased as he threw his arm around her shoulders.

"I'm just kidding. You look fine." Izzie said as she nudged him away.

"Seriously, how's my breath?" George asked before he breathes into her face.

"George. Would you just talk to her?" Izzie asked, referring to Meredith.

"Who, what..." George asked, trying to play it off.

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"Dr. Bailey!" Eddie greeted with a wide grin as she spotted her resident in the hallway.

Eddie, had spent a lot of time with Bailey whenever possible. She knew it was hard when she had to spend a lot of time in the hospital with her husband while caring for a baby. So, she tried to help out in any way she could, and sometimes she spent time with little Tuck, while Miranda took a break or needed to do something. And, little Tuck and Frankie were becoming fast friends, well as fast of friends two babies could be. Eddie was sure the two would probably grow up together in the hospital nursery.

"Hi Tuck, oh you've gotten so big, buddy." Eddie said in the same baby voice she used with Frankie.

"Eddie." Bailey said with a genuine smile. "Karev, Yang, Grey."

"Dr. Bailey." Alex and Meredith greeted with nods.

"Bailey, Bailey's baby." Cristina quipped.

"Where are Stevens and O'Malley?" Bailey asked, doing a head count of her interns, and two seemed to be missing.

She hoped they weren't slacking with her being gone.

"They should be right behind us." Eddie informed her, just as she heard Izzie's grating baby coo as she joined her near Bailey to greet Tuck.

"Good morning Dr. Bailey. Hi, big boy!" Izzie greeted.

"Are the ORs up and running?" Bailey asked the interns, she had been out of the hospital loop. She was too focused on her baby and husband to really care to ask.

"Ah yeah fully functional." Cristina informed her.

"Except there's some smoke damage to the corridors." Eddie finished for her friend.

"How 'bout you? You fully functional?" Bailey asked Meredith in concern.

"I'm fine." Meredith said, except for the fact her mommy was a whore, apparently. Not just a cold blooded woman.

"How's your husband?" Meredith asked.

"Take him home tomorrow." Bailey said, then looked down at her son and cooed in a little baby voice, "Yes we are. Yeah. Yeah."

"Oh, you're cute. I know you are." Izzie joined in.

But, that seemed to snap Bailey out of it, and quickly jumped into Nazi mode on her interns.

"Okay this is not a tea party. Go work. Save some lives." Bailey said as Eddie, Cristina, Meredith, and Alex took off. Izzie and George seemed to lag behind for a moment. "Now!"

"Bye Bailey! Bye Tuck!" Eddie called over her shoulder as they made their way to the next room, where Derek was waiting for them.

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"Jake Burton. Fifteen. Has advanced craniodiaphyseal dysplasia. Was admitted last night after complaining of headaches."

"He's not a complainer." Mrs. Burton informed the group seriously.

"He's been having some nausea as well." Mr. Burton added.

"Okay may I?" Derek asked as she moved past his parents, who made room for him, as he stood next to Jake.

"Jake, can I get you to sit up please?" Derek asked the teen.

"Sure." Jake said doing as the doctor asked.

"Right okay. I want you to look right here for me." Derek asked as he motioned to where Cristina and Eddie, the two interns on his case were standing. Jake did as he was asked.

"Thank you." Derek said.

"You know you could pretend I'm a lion. It helps." Jake informed Cristina, as he noticed her uncomfortable looks.

"Sorry?" Cristina asked him.

"You could pretend I'm a lion and then instead of a really messed up kid you get a talking circus animal which is way easier to look at." Jake said.

By this point he was used to the staring; whether shocked or uncomfortable. And, he had made that description up once when he was thirteen, and it got some laughs, and he stuck with it.

"Dr. Sousa, what's our immediate concern?" Derek asked the blonde intern.

"That the bony tumors are growing inward and encroaching on his brain." Eddie answered promptly, as Derek nodded in approval.

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After rounds were finished, Eddie and Meredith found themselves at the nurses station, as they Meredith looked over Chuck's charts while Eddie was reading up more on Jake's condition.

"Invasive non-cell. With a history of COPD." A gravely male voice asked behind Meredith.

Eddie looked over to see a handsome man with a closely shaved head shrug at the diagnosis. Meredith did the same, and did an appreciative glance up and down.

"That guy's pretty much a goner, huh?" He asked.

"Sensitivity. I like that in a stranger. Are you new here?" Meredith asked him.

"Visiting. Confounded by all the rain and it's only my first day in town." The man replied smoothly.

"You get used to it." Meredith said as she moved to join Eddie, while she appreciated being flirted with, she wasn't in the mood to be hit on, even if it was by a handsome and intense stranger.

Eddie smirked as she watched the interaction. She was going to enjoy watching Meredith turn this guy down.

"Makes me wanna stay in bed all day." The man continued.

Smooth, Eddie thought, but not as smooth as Mark. He may be handsome, but he gave off major douche bag energy.

"We just met and already you're talking about bed. Not very subtle." Meredith informed him, as she watched him make his way towards them.

Unknowingly to the three, they drew attention of three others. Mark, who had come to the hospital, hours earlier than he said he would, Derek stands up noticing him through the window of the adjacent office behind the nurses' station, and Addison comes up the hallway and looks shocked.

Nicholas Porter was here.

Mark hadn't spoken to Nicholas since he found out that Nicholas had slept with Addison. When Derek had come to his place in anger and tears as he explained what he had walked in on. Nicholas tried to reach out, but Mark wasn't in the mood. He broke his best friend, his brother, and he could never forgive that. Nicholas threw away years of friendship for a night of fun with Addison.

"Subtle has never been my strong suit. So ... do you ever go out with co-workers?" The man asked.

"I um...make it a rule not to." Meredith informed him.

"Then I am so glad that I don't work here." The man said with a charming grin.

"Are you hitting on me?" Meredith asked him, "in a hospital?"

"Would that be wrong?" Nicholas asked.

"Not if she wants to catch an STD Porter." Mark said as he made his presence known.

Eddie's eyes widened and a bright smile slide across her face. It was just like when Frankie was born, except, she was at least expecting him....even if he was hours early then he told her.

"Mark!" Eddie greeted as she all but ran to hug the father of her child. She thought she was meeting him at the hotel after she got off work. But, this was much better...more Mark.

"Hey sweetheart." Mark greeted, hugging her, but his glare towards Nicholas was icy.

Nicholas watched the interaction with interest. He had heard Mark knocked up some intern out here. And, he couldn't deny his taste, she was beautiful. Though not his usual type. She looked sweet and innocent, he usually went for knock out sirens who like Lindsey or girls looking for a brief fling.

"I thought you were going to be in later tonight." Eddie said as she pulled back slightly so she could look up at him with a bright, excited grin.

"I was, but I was able to get an earlier flight, and I thought I'd surprise you and Derek." Mark said. "Did it work?"

"Yes!" Eddie said happily, but Nicholas Porter ruined it for them.

"Sloan." Nicholas Porter greeted with an easy going smile. "You're as charming as ever."

Nicholas turned to Meredith, and all of a sudden, Derek, who came up to them, while they were distracted by Mark's arrival. And, Nicholas crumbles to the ground.

"Aah!" Derek said, as he shook his hand.

"What the hell was that?!" Meredith asked her married ex-boyfriend.

"That was Nicholas." Derek informed her.

Meredith's eyes widened in shock. This was the man who slept with Addison?

"Nice punch buddy." Mark said as he came over to his best friend who gave him a bit of a wane grin.

"Thanks." Derek said, neither men noticed Nicholas stagger up and try to take a swing at Derek, but being thrown off balance, filled with rage and embarrassment that his former friend laid him out, and Mark had unknowingly gotten into the line of fire. Nicholas accidentally hit Mark instead, sending him to the ground.

"Mark!" Eddie cried as she raced to his side, and started to fuss over him.

Addison quickly came over to her husband and took a look at his fist, worried he might have broken his hand as Richard Webber rushed to the nurses station after he got over the shock of his head of neurosurgery had raced out of the conference room they were in, to go deck Nicholas Porter.

"What in the hell is going on here!" Webber yelled.

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Richard pulled Addison and Derek into an empty conference room, while Eddie dragged Mark into an exam room so she could clean the cut on his face and see if it needed stitches, while Meredith reluctantly took Nicholas into another exam room.

Addison put a bag of ice on Derek's hand, but he took it off.

"Punching out people on my surgical floor! My head of Neurosurgery punching out people on my surgical floor!" Webber scolded.

"Put the ice back on your hand." Addison told her husband, feeling horrible that Nicholas had come complicate their lives once again.

She had made the biggest mistake in her life by sleeping with Nicholas. And, just as she and Derek were trying to work things out and try to fight for the marriage, even though Derek still felt something for Meredith and he hadn't quiet forgiven her for her affair, they were taking the proper steps. Nicholas had to turn up like a bad penny and ruin things.

Though a part of her was jealous, he didn't react when he found her and Nicholas in bed together. He had simply walked out of the room and when Nicholas left a few minutes later, they had their major blow out where he threw her and some of her very expensive clothes out into the rain, before he let her back in, soaking wet, leaving her in their home as he left their home and went to stay with Mark.

But...yet...when he was just talking to Meredith, Derek goes over and hits him. Addison wasn't naive enough to think it was a delayed response for finding him in bed with her....like everything it came down to his precious Meredith.

"My hand is fine!" Derek snapped.

He was angry.

How dare Nicholas come to town. He made it clear he never wanted to see his former friend ever again. He had broken their friendship the moment he decided to sleep with Addison. And, unlike with Addison, he was in no position and had no desire to work it out with him. He was married to Addison, he owed it to her to try, with Nicholas, there was no reason to try and rebuild any sort of relationship.

And, the sight of him with Meredith sent his blood boiling. He knew she would have to move on eventually, since he couldn't expect her to pine and wait for him, even though he didn't know how he'd handle it when the day it would happen. He couldn't stand the thought of Nicholas charming her into bed. He couldn't.

Those were the images swirling around in his head as he marched out there and laid him out. It felt pretty damn good. Though, he knew it probably didn't look good, seeing a doctor punch someone out.

"Put the damn ice on your two million dollar a year hand!" Webber snapped as Derek places the ice-pack back on his hand.

"Now, would someone tell me what the hell happened?" Webber asked, he was shocked to see Derek had punched Nicholas, who had been a friend, at least from what he remembered.

"Umm....we were all close friends...until, Derek found us in bed together." Addison informed Richard.

Richard knew that Addison had slept with someone, but he hadn't realized that she had slept with one of their closest friends. Nicholas, Derek, and Mark had been inseparable during their residency, they reminded Richard of how close Bailey's interns are. It shocked him to hear that Nicholas did something like that.

"You put your weight behind it?" Webber asked him.

"Yes sir." Derek said with a nod.

"Well, alright then." Webber said, letting it drop, and made his way out of the conference room.

He had been sucker punched by Tatcher Grey after Ellis left him and moved to Boston after Richard refused to leave Adele. And, he deserved it, hell he didn't even attempt to hit back, he took it like a man and then went to the bar to drown his sorrows. And, Nicholas deserved the punch to the face from Derek.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Derek asked his wife, angry.

"I have no idea." Addison said honestly. She hadn't talked to him since she broke up with him and left New York City.

She had made it clear that she loved Derek and wanted to try with him again, and that what she and Nicholas had done was a mistake. And, she left New York to try and salvage the relationship that she destroyed in hope she could fix it, and pretend that her tried and failed relationship with Nicholas never happened, and she and Derek would be fine.

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In Trauma room 1, Mark was sitting on a gurney as Eddie gathered everything she needed for the cut on his cheek and a suture kit in case she had to give him stitches, though she had a feeling Mark would want to stitch himself up then have an intern do it, even if she was the mother of his little girl.

Eddie was fully aware that her friends were watching both her and Meredith's interactions with Mark and Nicholas.

"Not exactly the way I thought surprising you would go." Mark commented as Eddie cleaned his cheek.

Eddie flushed slightly but smiled.

"I bet." Eddie told him. "But it is the thought that counts."

Mark smiled back as Eddie gently tilted his head towards her so she could see the cut better. And he definitely needed stitches.

"I am happy to see you though." Eddie said, "I have been looking forwards to your visit."

"I am happy to see you too, sweetheart. I've been looking forwards to this too." Mark said, he had taken an earlier flight because he missed her and Frankie, phone calls and photos didn't do them any justice.

And, he had this grand idea of surprising her. And, despite the fact that he was surprised to see Nicholas there, her reaction to his arrival, was all worth it to Mark.

And, being hit in the face by one of his former friends, was not in the cards, but he was enjoying being fussed over by Eddie, who looked clearly worried.

"Well, it looks like you are defiantly going to need stitches." Eddie commented as Mark nodded figuring as such. "Do you want an X-Ray to check for any fractures?"

Mark nodded 'yes' as he watched he prep that anesthesia for his check.

Eddie than laid a towel over his shoulder and moved to grab the suturing kit.

"So, I am not going to take offense, but I am sure you want to do this yourself?" She asked waving the suturing kit slightly.

Mark smirked. Despite not knowing each other long, she understood him. Most other doctors would take offense to Mark wanting to do suture himself up. But, he was one of the top plastic surgeons in America, and the number one in the east coast, of course if he could do it himself, he would.

"Thank you sweetheart, could you hold the mirror for me?" He asked her.

Eddie nodded as she positioned the mirror so he was able to see what he was doing.

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In the trauma room next to the one Eddie and Mark were in, Meredith was unfortunately working on Nicholas Porter.

And, she said unfortunately, because he was taking this time to flirt with her. After realizing this was the man who helped Addison cheat, she would not get with him. She did not need to have the added drama in her life.

"Derek and I always did have the same taste in women." Nicholas commented.

"Excuse me?" Meredith asked.

"You're Derek's little intern, right?" Nicholas said, having heard about her when she heard from a mutual friend that Derek had been shacking up with an intern in Seattle.

"Heard about you all the way back in New York. You're famous." Nicholas continued.

"Hmm, well I heard about you all the way here in Seattle so I guess we have a lot in common." Meredith said dryly.

"We're the dirty mistresses." Nicholas said, trying to form a bond with the beautiful intern.

"I suppose we are." Meredith replied as she cleaned the cut on his cheek.

"My four hundred dollar an hour shrink says that because behind this rugged and confident exterior, I'm self destructive and self loathing to an almost pathological degree." Nicholas informed her.

"Hey, we do have a lot in common." Meredith teased dryly.

"You know it's funny, Derek..." Nicholas said as he turned to face Meredith but she grasps his face so he's staring straight so she clean the wound on his cheek.

"Derek walks in on me naked with his wife actually in the throes. And he just turns around and walks away, but he sees me so much as talking to you and I'm on the ground bleeding. Interesting, don't you think?" Nicholas continued.

Meredith doesn't respond. She places a towel on his shoulder and moves to start suturing his face. Unlike Mark, Nicholas didn't mind the intern suturing his face.

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The other four Bailey interns were sitting at the ER nurses station where they could see both trauma rooms where Eddie and Meredith were looking over Nicholas and Mark.

"Why is he suturing his own face?" George asked as he watched Mark Sloan suture his own face.

"To turn me on." Cristina stated, though she would never go after Eddie's baby daddy. But, she couldn't deny it was hot.

"Cause he's Mark Sloan. He's like the go-to plastic surgeon on the East Coast." Alex stated, reminding the other male intern.

Alex would kill to work with Mark Sloan. He was the best and Alex wanted to be a plastic surgeon and to learn under Mark Sloan would be a dream.

"So, what do we know about the guy Meredith is with?" Izzie asked as she looked at the handsome man with interest.

"That is Dr. Nicholas Porter, he is a surgical oncologist. His new method was just publish last month." Cristina said, remembering reading it in one of the medical journals she subscribed to.

"That's the guy Addison was sleeping with?" George asked, shocked.

"You can't really blame her, can you?" Izzie stated. She would go for either Mark or Nicholas if given a chance.

"No, not really." Cristina agreed.

"Yes you can." George said as both Meredith and Eddie exited the exam rooms and made their way towards their friends.

"Mark needs someone to take him to get an X-Ray to check for fractures, I would do it, but the nursery paged me, Frankie is refusing to take her bottle, and they want to see if she will eat for me," Eddie explained.

"I'm on it." Alex said as he quickly rushed off to meet Mark Sloan.

"Thanks, I'll see you guys later." Eddie said as she made her way towards the nursery to check on her upset little girl.

"McJackass wants an x-ray too, to check for fractures and I think it's a bad idea if I take him. Or take him as the same time as McSexy" Meredith asked.

"Why? Why?" George stuttered out. "Why is it a bad idea?"

"McJackass and McSexy?" Cristiana questioned.

"No." Meredith asked, trying to figure out their mc-nicknames.

"McJerk and McYummy." Izzie offered.

"No." Meredith, and Cristina said.

"McDevil and McSteamy." Meredith offered.

"Oh there it is." Cristina said.

"Yep." Izzie agreed.

Nicholas Porter seemed devilish, charming, sly, and tempting the dark male lead in a romance novel that you know would break your heart. While Mark was like the steamy male romantic character in a romance novel or movie.

"Uh, just ah choking back some McVomit." George said as he went to go help Nicholas Porter.

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George and Izzie were getting prepped for trauma, while George rambled on about Meredith, but Izzie didn't seem to be listening.

"I saw her first! The night she met Shepherd, I had her ear. We talked. And I can't even remember what I said." George complained.

"You know how when you haven't had sex for a while and you sort of forget how good it is and you don't really need it as much?" Izzie asked her best friend, curious.

Ever since she had sex with Alex....she couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Yeah, that doesn't happen to guys." George informed her.

"It's like a beast. A beast that was asleep for a long, long time and now, the beast is wide awake! And wants to be fed. And the food that Alex gave it was good food George." Izzie explained.

"Something needs to be done about your taste." George replied dryly.

"Oh! You're just jealous because your beast is still asleep." Izzie scoffed as she walked away to wait for the incoming trauma.

"Hey! My beast isn't asleep. My beast never sleeps!" George called after her.

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"Mr. Eaton. Do you need a hand with that?" Meredith asked as she made her way into Mr. Eaton's room to see him trying to set up a camera.

"Ah if you could set up the tripod that would be very helpful." Chuck said.

"Are you...what are you doing?" Meredith asked confused at what he was trying to do.

"I'm dying dear. One in four. I ah, I've never done well with odds like that. Some people are lucky. I just never have been. The camera is for posterity. Saying good-bye." Chuck informed her.

He wanted people to know how he truly felt.

"Do you want me to hold the camera for you?" Meredith asked him, instead of trying to set up the tripod and camera.

"You're very kind. Thank you." Chuck said as he sits more upright and Meredith turns on the video camera.

Chuck wiped his eyes and removes his oxygen tube from his nose.

"Okay, we're recording." Meredith informed him as she centered him in the screen.

"This, this ah this is a message for Susie Zelman. My college sweetheart and the love of my life." Chuck said as Meredith smiled softly. It was sweet he wanted to leave the love of his life a message. Though, the sentiment quickly soured when he continued.

"Susie, I loved you with my whole heart. And I never would have stopped loving you if you hadn't been a vilest whore to have ever walked the planet Earth. You deserve that- that drunken imbecile that you slept with and then married. And then at the reunion I met your ugly children, I, I knew that you had done me a real favor! I am so deeply happy that I never have to see your face again. ... Love, Chuck." Chuck finished.

Meredith doesn't look too impressed, and bit her tongue so she didn't say something she shouldn't as Chuck puts his oxygen tube back in.

"Could you please put in a fresh tape dear?" Chuck asked, as Meredith reluctantly did as he asked.

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Alex stood in the X-Ray room with Mark as they looked over his scans which showed no signs of fracture, thank god.

"I read about that jaw reconstruction you did using a micro-muscular free transfer from the foot." Alex told Mark.

"You interested in plastics?" Mark asked, looking at the intern he met briefly when Eddie had given birth to Frankie. But, they hadn't talked.

"Absolutely." Alex said. He had wanted to go into plastics since he started medical school. That was his ultimate goal.

"Might want to consider a transfer to New York or Los Angeles. You're not gonna see any heat up here." Mark said, at least until he got here, he didn't want to tell him that he had taken Richard up on his offer, and he would be starting when the former head of plastics retired, which was still a few weeks out.

When the code black happened, and the desire to be closer to Eddie and Frankie, along with the very impressive offer from Seattle Grace, had him agreeing. He had yet to tell Eddie or Derek that he was taking this position, and had asked Richard to let him tell them. And, the older man agreed.

"Actually, have you ever seen an advanced case of craniodiaphyseal dysplasia?" Alex asked.

"Lionitis?" Mark asked intrigued as Alex nodded.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

George and Izzie met, Jill, the paramedic, by the doors that lead to the ambulance bay.

"Restrained driver in a minor MVC. Vitals are stable but witnesses saw seizure activity behind the wheel." Jill stated as they pushed her into the OR.

" really don't think I even need to be here." Their newest patient, Pamela, said not wanting to explain to the doctors about what actually caused the accident.

It was embarrassing and had no way of controlling it.

"You should really let us determine that ma'am." Izzie informed Pamela seriously.

"Witnesses say she was screaming, shuddering and, and cracking her jaw." Jill informed the two doctors.

"Do you have a seizure disorder that you're aware of?" George asked Pamela.

"Epilepsy?" Izzie asked her.

"Not epilepsy. I don't have epilepsy- Oh no. Oh god it's happening again. Oh no! Oh! Oh! Oh, Oh Ah! Ah!" Pamela complained as she spontaneously orgasmed again and looked upset that it happened once again.

"Was that a ...?" Jill asked shocked as she looked at George and Izzie.

"Did she just have a...?" George asked the two women, shocked.

"Orgasm." Izzie finished for him.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Mark made his way to the nursery to find Eddie sitting in a rocking chair holding their little girl in a small room off the side of the main nursery.

He was standing in a small foyer, that was blocked from the daycare center from the hospital by a locked door, so no one could get in without checking in, at the small window check-in.

"Can I help you sir?" A blonde woman asked as she approached him.

"Oh, I am here to see Frankie Sousa-Sloan..." Mark said.

"And you are?" The blonde asked as she pulled out a binder to pull up the approved visitor and approved pick up list.

"Her father, Mark Sloan." Mark said.

"Ah, Eddie said you'd be stopping by." she said with a smile as she saw Mark's name on the approved list, and nodded. "I am Emma, I often watch Frankie while she is here while Dr. Sousa is working. You have a sweet and adorable little girl, sir."

Mark smiled.

"Thank you." He said.

"Eddie and Frankie are in our baby room, if you would like to go through that door." Emma said as she opened the door for him, and Mark made his way towards where his girls were.

He made sure to keep his eyes out for any little kids so he wouldn't run them over, as he tried to resist the urge to run and see his daughter in person in weeks.

Eddie looked up to see Mark enter the room.

"Hey." She greeted, and then turned to her wide awake little girl who was now happy and fed and was enjoying cuddling with her mommy.

Pictures did not do the mother-daughter pair justice, in Mark's opinion. This was still one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen. It took his breath away every time he saw them together. He tried to push away the feelings for Eddie, he wanted to make sure he was falling for her, and not for the fact they were co-parenting their little girl.

But, no matter what, he wanted to commit this to memory.

"Hey." Mark said, his heart constricted at the sigh of Eddie and their little girl.

"Hey peanut, guess what your daddy is here." Eddie said as she got up and made her way to Mark, who was happy to take his little girl in his arms.

Frankie's bright blue eyes seemed to light up at seeing her father. Or at least recognizing his voice.

"Hi Frankie girl." Mark greeted as tears welled up in his eyes, happy to have her back in his arms. "My god you've gotten so big. Oh I've missed you so much."

Eddie watched with a smile. Wishing she had her camera so she could take a picture of this sweet and beautiful scene in front of her.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Addison entered the OR and made her way to the two interns that paged her.

"Spontaneous orgasms? Are you sure?" Addison asked her.

"Oh yes." Izzie said with a nod.

"Kinda hard to miss." George added.

"Okay." Addison sad as they walk up to Pamela.

"Miss Calva, I'm Doctor Montgomery-Shepherd." Addison introduced herself to Pamela.

"It's Pamela. Since we're gonna be talking about you know. May as well get familiar." Pamela told Addison.

"Okay, Pamela can you tell me how long this has been happening to you?" Addison asked her.

"For a few months I guess." Pamela said.

"How often?" Addison asked her.

"About 7 or 8 times a day." Pamela said embarrassed.

"Every day?" Izzie asked shocked.

"Eh Dr. Stevens." Addison chided.

"I'm sorry. Every day?" Izzie asked trying to sound more professional.

"Yes. Every day." Pamela confirmed.

"And you haven't seen a doctor about this before?" Addison asked her, curiously.

"It's not exactly something you want to cure is it?" George commented.

"Dr. O'Malley!" Addison chided once again.

"Sorry." George said, then in a low tone he asked, "Is it?"

"I went to my doctor. He sent me to a shrink." Pamela ignored George, and looked only at Addison.

"And he didn't do any tests?" Addison asked shocked.

Pamela shook her head no.

"Pammy? Are you back here?" Pamela's father. Mr. Calva yelled as he looked around the ER for his daughter.

"Oh god no. You called my father?!" Pamela asked them embarrassed, god could this get worse?

"He's your emergency contact person." George said confused.

"Pammy, what happened? You were in an accident?" Mr. Calva asked when he saw his daughter and quickly made his way over to her.

"I caused the accident Dad." Pamela informed her father, her tone resigned.

"You had one of your..." Mr. Calva asked, trailing off awkwardly.

"Episodes. Yeah. Oh no. Dang it." Pamela said as she grabbed a pillow and shoved it onto her face to muffle her orgasm.

Mr. Calva stood there awkwardly and wanted to distract everyone from one of Pamela's episodes.

"She's a junior at UW. She's a math major. Last 3 semesters she made the honor roll. High up in the honor roll." Mr. Calva explained them.

"Mr. Calva we're gonna run some tests and we're gonna... we're gonna figure out what's causing your daughter's..." Addison started, unsure what to call what was going with Pamela, without embarrassing the young woman.

"Episodes." Pamela informed her. It sounded better than orgasms.

"That's right. Episodes." Addison said as she looked at the father/daughter pair. "Okay."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Meredith was sitting in a chair in Chuck's room as she was recording yet another hate video for her patient. She couldn't understand why such a nice man wanted to leave such horrible things to his friends and family.

"And when you were fourteen! You stole Laura Brendese right out from under me. You knew how I felt about her! Don't say you didn't know because you knew! And you went for her anyway. What kind of human being does that to his little brother?" Chuck ranted to his older brother.

"He was fourteen! Cut him slack for god's sake." Meredith finally snapped. Then she realized what she did, and sighed.

"Oh. Sorry, I forgot we were recording." Meredith apologized.

"If you wouldn't mind rewinding just a little bit. Please?" Chuck asked her as Meredith shuts the video camera and stands up.

"I'm a doctor. Not a videographer and I do need to prep you for surgery." Meredith informed her patient.

"But you offered to help." Chuck said as he looked at her with wide eyes.

"When I thought you were saying goodbye." Meredith informed him.

"I am saying goodbye. None of these people. Not one of them knows how I really feel. My whole life, I've kept it all inside. I, I don't want to carry this with me to my grave." Chuck said seriously.

"You seem like such a nice man. Wouldn't you just rather them remember you that way?" Meredith asked him curiously.

"No. ... Please rewind the tape." Chuck asked her again.

With a sigh, Meredith did what her dying patient asked.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Mark, Eddie, and Frankie were enjoying some family time together. Mark was still holding Frankie who was content at looking at him with her wide blue eyes as her parents talked.

Just then, Eddie's pager went off.

"I have to go, I need to take my patient down for an MRI," Eddie said with a sigh.

"Go, I've got Frankie." Mark said, with a grin, "go be a doctor."

"Okay," Eddie said as she bent down and gave Frankie a kiss on her forehead.

"Seja bom para o papai" (AN: Google translate-Be good for daddy) Eddie said as she gave her one last kiss on her forehead.

"Have someone page me if you need me." Eddie asked him as he nodded as Eddie made her way out of the nursery.

"You have a really good mom, Frankie. We're bot really lucky." Mark said as Frankie cooed.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"Okay Jake, you know the drill." Eddie said as she and Cristina helped Jake onto the MRI machine. "It can get a little cramped in there so you have to try not to move."

"Yeah, about fifty MRIs are enough for you to get used to them." Jake informed the young doctor jokingly as he gave her a grin, as the machine started to move him in.

"You know, you have really nice eyes. You both do" Jake informed the intern.

"Oh, thank you." Eddie said with a smile.

Cristina gave him a slight smile as she pressed the button to stop the MRI from moving.

"I'm just saying you're mostly all surly and hard core but your eyes aren't." He said looking at Cristina and then he turned to Eddie.

"And yours hold wisdom, real wisdom, like you're an old soul. A really smart one. I wouldn't be able to tell otherwise, you're so nice and kind. But, your eyes tell me you've been through a lot. Makes you stronger." Jake said honestly.

Both interns gave him a smile.

"I'm really big on eyes. The only part of my face where the tumors aren't growing." Jake informed them.

"Yeah, they are the windows to the soul." Eddie agreed, you could tell a lot about a person by the look in their eyes.

"Yeah, you've got nice eyes." Cristina agreed. His eyes were one of his most striking features.

"Yeah?"

"Mmm Hmm." Cristina hummed.

"You, you get that I'm jailbait right?" Jake tased them as both doctors laughed a bit.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"Meredith." Webber greeted, as Meredith came up beside him.

"Chief. ... Chief, can I ask you something? Not worked related?" Meredith asked curious to see if Richard knew who her mom might have had an affair with.

"Mmm okay." Webber agreed.

"Do you remember my father?" Meredith asked, she could barely remember him, and her view of him was colored by the years of abandonment and her mother's hatred of him.

"Of course." Webber said.

"Do you know why he left?" Meredith asked, wondering if he knew her mother was having an affair, because she spent much of her life in this hospital before her mother suddenly picked her up and moved them to Boston.

"I believe your mother asked him to." Webber said, awkwardly.

He tried not to think back to that time. It was not his proudest time of his life. He had engaged in an affair and ruined a family. He held a lot of self-loathing for that.

"Right but do you know why?" Meredith pressed again.

"No. No I'm sorry I don't. Well have a good day." Webber said quickly as he raced off, leaving Meredith confused.

"Thanks, you too." Meredith said.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Derek, Eddie, and Cristina were making their way back to Jake's room to discuss why Jake was getting these horrible headaches.

"Dr. Yang, book an OR please." Derek asked, as Cristina nodded and went to do as the resident asked as Eddie followed Derek to Jake's room.

Eddie looked confused. What was going on here?

They both found Mark and Alex standing in the room, while Mark was talking to the parents and Jake.

"How, how is that possible?" Jake's mother asked.

"It's precision work. It won't be easy but..." Mark informed the mother, while Derek, who was still in a bad mood, interrupted with an annoyed tone.

"Dr. Sloan, can I help you with something?" Derek asked.

"He says he can fix my face. He says he can make me look like normal." Jake said excitedly.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Eddie, Alex, and Cristina were watching Derek and Mark argue in Richard's office.

Derek seemed to be taking all his anger about the fact the Nicholas Porter had come to Seattle Grace out to the nearest available target, who probably wouldn't take it to heart, or cause him to want to beat his skull in. Which, happened to be Mark. Who understood his friend may be angry with him on some level, for trying to encroach on his surgery, but his was more angry about Nicholas.

"What did he say? Did you hear that?" Alex asked the other two woman.

"Did he call him a crack-whore?" Cristina asked as Eddie giggled.

"You call him that." Alex said knowingly.

"Oh shut up." Cristina said.

"I'm trying to read lips." Eddie said as she watched them argue back and forth.

"Shepherd's gesturing! Big gesturing!" Cristina said.

George walks up to them, confused at what they were watching until he looked into the chief's office to see an argument.

"What do you got?" George asked.

"Shepherd, Sloan battling it out." Alex informed his fellow male intern.

"I don't know who to agree with." Eddie said as she watched the scene. "I mean I don't want Jake to take any unnecessary risks. But, if it could make his life better..."

"Oh it's getting good!" Cristina said as Eddie rolled her eyes.

"Why what do you got?" Alex asked George curiously, he was down in the Pitt with Izzie today.

George shrugs and acts very casual, but it was obvious he wanted to gloat. It took a moment before he finally blurted out.

"Just a woman down in the E.R ... having spontaneous orgasms." George said.

All three turned to stare at George in shock. George quickly took off, with Alex and Cristina following quickly behind him wanting to see this.

"Hey, wait, wait, wait!" Cristina called out after them as Eddie laughed and waited for the results of this battle between two best friends.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Inside Richard's office, Derek knew he was over reacting a lot about Mark's idea. But, he had so much anger welled up inside him that seemed to focus on Mark. Because, if he focused on Nicholas, he might hurt him more than he already had.

"That is not the point!" Derek exclaimed.

"The point is that the kid wants his face fixed!" Mark said calmly as he leaned against a wall.

"The point is you wanna get published!" Derek said, knowing this would be a big case for Mark as well.

"Well yeah and I'm guessing your Chief of Surgery does too." Mark said, knowing Richard as well as Derek and Addison. "You know how the press love a good before and after shot Richard."

Richard didn't say anything. Feeling torn. He could see both men's side, and he knew Mark was probably one of the few plastic surgeons who could do this. He had done a similar surgery on a less sever case when he was in his plastic fellowship, if Richard could remember correctly.

Derek knew by the look on Richard's face that he lost. Richard was swayed by the possibility of being published, and he also knew Mark was just as good of a friend to their mentor as he was, so they were both deadlocked with sway with the chief.

"Don't say it." Derek groaned.

"Dr. Sloan if you can get the parents to sign a consent form ..." Richard said.

"Round two goes to the jackass." Mark commented, using the name Derek had called him, as Derek sent him an annoyed look.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

The three interns made their way into the ER to see Pamela, the girl with spontaneous orgasms.

"Which one? Which one?" Cristina asked George as she looked around.

"Twelve o'clock." George said, nodding straight ahead.

"Oh no! Oh no it's happening!" Pamela groaned as she started having an orgasm. Cristina and Alex look very amused as they watched the scene play in front of them, like it was some show. Addison notices them and quickly closes the curtain to give her privacy.

"Doctors. Is there something you need?" Addison asked authoritatively.

"No. No." George denied.

Alex shakes his head, no, trying not to look guilty at being caught.

"No." Cristiana said.

"Well in that case move on." Addison ordered as they turned around and started heading back the way they came.

"I don't get what McDreamy and McDevil see in her." Cristina said to her fellow interns as they scurried away.

"She's McHot." Alex said honestly.

"McYeah she is." George agreed.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"Oh come on, you're not even a little bit happy to see me?" Nicholas Porter asked as he found Addison on the mezzanine that lead towards Richard's office.

"Go home! Whatever it is you came here to do, just drop it and leave." Addison ordered.

"Hey we all make mistakes Addison. All three of us..." Nicholas started to say about their affair and the outcome.

"Nick!" Addison interrupted.

"But somehow, somehow I lost my two best friends and the woman I loved." Nicholas said.

He missed Addison. He truly loved her, and wanted to be with her.

He also wanted his friendship with Mark and Derek back. He missed them, and in the moths of radio silence from the two of them, he realized they were his only true friends. The others he surrounded himself with were yes men, the type who would suck up to him because of who he was and hoping to have some of his success. They had been true friends...and they no longer spoke to him.

Couldn't they all move on and he be able to have a relationship with Addison. And his friendship back with Mark and Derek?

"Please don't say that." Addison begged him.

"He doesn't know how we felt." Nicholas realized. "He doesn't know you stayed with me after he left? How do you expect to work out a marriage if you can't even be honest with him?"

"Why are you here?" Addison demanded angrily. She wanted to forget their brief relationship. It was a mistake, one she never wanted to think about again.

"For one reason. To bring you home. I miss you, Addison." Nicholas said, his voice oozed with charm.

"I'm in love with my husband, Nick." Addison informed him seriously.

"But he's not in love with you. He's in love with that intern and he's not even trying to hide it. Why would even want to stick around for that?" Nicholas demanded the love of his life.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Mark and Eddie sat in the outdoor cafeteria with Frankie sitting on Mark's lap as they had lunch together.

Mark was in a bit of a funk, because of how Derek reacted. But, he was not taking it too personally. He and Derek have fought before and they always make up. The longest fight they ever had was when they were eight and fought over some game, and it took them two days before everything got back to normal after they both apologized.

Eddie and Mark both agreed not to talk about work, and just focus on other topics.

Eddie noticed her friends were watching them, from a few tables away, but she ignored them and focused on Frankie and Mark.

"Are you and Derek going to be okay?" Eddie asked Mark concerned.

"Yeah," Mark said, "once he calms down, and we talk, we'll be fine, Eddie. I promise." Mark said honestly.

"Okay." Eddie said with a nod as she popped a French fry in her mouth.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Cristina and Meredith were watching Mark and Eddie having lunch when Izzie, George, and Alex joined them bickering about Pamela.

"I think you're making it up." Alex informed Izzie and George.

"He's not. I saw it four times." Izzie informed her friend-with-benefits.

"What?" Meredith asked them confused as she looked away from Mark and Eddie.

"Woman with spontaneous orgasms." George informed his roommate.

"Oh yeah, uh huh." Cristina agreed.

"Really?" Meredith asked shocked.

" You're just jealous because you didn't see it yourself." George said to Alex.

"Totally am." Alex scoffed.

"Spontaneous orgasms? Really?" Meredith asked shocked.

"You look really nice today." George said lowly to Meredith sincerely, but she didn't seem to hear him.

"Any chance they're contagious?" Cristina asked curiously.

"I mean spontaneous orgasms that would solve so many problems." Meredith commented.

"It would. It would." George agreed.

Then, once again in a low voice, he said "I think you smell nice too."

"You know it's like you see someone throw up, makes you wanna throw up too. Kinda like that?" Cristina said as she took a bite of her food.

"Kinda like..." Izzie started as she glanced at Alex. He was grinning and laughing silently at her. And, it took all her control to not laugh herself.

"You know what? I'm not hungry. " Izzie informed the group, and turned to Alex with was still grinning.

"Do you hear me? I'm not hungry. Neither is the beast." Izzie said as she gets up and leaves the group confused.

"The beast? Is that like some sly reference to your penis?" Cristina asked the evil spawn.

"Get your mind out of the gutter crack-whore." Alex commented.

"Mmm." Cristina hummed with an amused smile.

George and Meredith laugh.

"No it's not Alex's penis. It's, you know when you haven't had sex for a long time and you forget how good it is, so you want it less?" George asked, using Izzie's reference.

Both Cristina and Meredith look at him weirdly.

"Yeah that doesn't happen to me." Cristina informed him.

"Me either." Meredith stated.

"Me either." George stuttered out.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

In the CT room George was complaining about his lack of a relationship with Meredith.

"I grew my hair for her and..." said George.

"I know." Izzie said, having heard this all before.

"And I don't even think she's noticed." George continued as if Izzie hadn't said anything.

"You could just try telling her how you feel." Izzie reminded George.

The scans that come up and really blurry.

"Uh guys, she's moving. Like a lot." The CT tech informed them.

"Pamela you have to hold still." Izzie reminded her patient through the mike.

The three hear Pamela having an orgasm through the mic. The CT tech looks amused. Izzie switches off the mic quickly to give her some privacy.

"Okay." Izzie muttered.

"That's not helping the beast sleep." George commented.

"Ah no. No it's not." Izzie agreed.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Eddie and Alex were in Jake's room as Mark marked Jake's face.

"You're drawing the medial to the tumor." Alex asked as he watched the man work.

"It's a guideline for what the bone structure should be." Mark informed the two interns.

" You hear that Dr. S?" Jake asked excitedly, to the intern with a wide grin. "I'm gonna have bone structure."

Eddie smiled at how excited Jake seemed to be. It was infectious.

"Jake." Mrs. Burton said as she, her husband, and Derek entered the room.

"What do you think? Am I Dali or more of a Picasso?" Jake asked his parents, making Mark smile.

"Could you stop doing that for a minute please?" The boy's father asked, Mark as he sat down next to his son.

"Jake, Jake I'm sorry. This surgery, the brain surgery is very dangerous." Mr. Burton explained.

"Oh don't say that. You, you don't get to change your mind." Jake pleaded as Derek approach him.

"You know, I know Dr. Sloan has made you some big promises ... but the bony tumors inside your skull are bad." Derek informed the teen.

"I don't care!" Jake said, his voice raised.

At that, Eddie felt her heart grow tight. It hurt her to think that such a smart, funny, cheerful boy could hate himself simply for the way he looked. But, would she feel the same if it was her? Where her differences were more noticeable to the outside world? She was a genius, and knew what it was like to get odd looks growing up walking into a room. And, even still today. But, her genius wasn't physical...his was. Boney tumors made him feel like a freak.

And, she hated that for him.

He didn't deserve this. No one deserved this.

"The bleeding will be hard to control. I'm not trying to frighten you. I just want you to understand." The neurosurgeon explained calmly.

"I do understand this...I understand this has nothing to do with plastic surgery. So, so if I'm going to be under the knife anyway then I-"

"The plastic surgery can be done at some-" His father tried to placate his son.

"I'm sorry to interrupt." Mark stepped in.

"What you need to understand -" Derek said, raising his voice slightly.

"Excuse me Jake is actually right. No reason to put him through a second surgery and a second round of anesthesia." Mark explain as Alex nodded in agreement.

"Dr. Sousa, what do you think?" Jake asked the youngest intern.

"Jake, I'm just an intern, I don't..." She started to explain.

"I know." Jake said, but he trusted her. "But I want to hear what you think, I trust you Dr. S."

"I..." Eddie said as she took a deep breath trying to gather her thoughts, and weighed what was good for the patient and what he wanted. She looked at Derek with an apologetic look. "I think, if you plan on having the surgery done, which clearly means some more risk, you should do it now. It's safer than in two separate surgeries."

She knew Derek was going to be angry with her. She wasn't siding with Mark because she was her baby's father. She was advocating for her patient. Not the attending she was working with. Yes, she was hear to learn, but the patient asked for her professional opinion and this was it.

Mark stared at her with a mix of admiration and surprise on his face.

"See?!" Jake asked his mom.

"Honey we just want to focus on keeping you alive." His mother explained with tears in her eyes.

"Come on mom. I almost died when I was ten years old. And then again when I was twelve. And then again last year. But, but I'm still alive. I'm still alive. So, so I say we go for it." Jake said, trying to convince his mother that he would survive both surgeries.

"Jake." Mr. Burton said, still unsure.

"Look, I...I know that you think I'm perfect just the way I am but ... that's your job to do that. But ... for once in my life I'd like to think to that someone else thought that. Please, Please?" Jake pleaded.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

As soon as the doctors left the room, Derek turned to the youngest intern.

"Dr. Sousa, what the hell was that?" Derek asked, gaining the attention of Rory Burkhardt and a the nurses who were at the nearby nurses station.

"Dr. Shepherd, I'm sorry, I...." Eddie started.

"You're on my service, not Dr. Sloan's. That means you advocate for my surgery. Not some superficial, unnecessary procedure." Derek yelled at her, the girl blushed and felt hot tears well in her eyes.

She always hated disappointing people, especially male authority figures. Unresolved daddy issues and possibly the fact she always wanted her mother's approval, and disappointing any authority figure made her feel like she was five years old, who no matter what she did, her mommy didn't love her.

Mark looked at his friend in shock and went to defend Eddie who had just given her opinion and remind him that everyone could have an opinion, and being an intern didn't mean you lost your opinion.

But, Eddie always stood up for what she believed in.

"Dr. Shepherd, respectfully, the patient asked for my honest opinion." Eddie stated. Her tone of voice left no room for argument.

"You once complimented me on standing up for the patient, no matter the personal consequences. That is what I did with Jake. He wanted my honest opinion on what I thought. So, I apologize that I didn't advocate for your surgery and I will apologize that I went against your wishes. But, I do not however apologize for advocating for my patient. And if you have a problem with that, you can take me off this case. If there is nothing else, I need to go prep my patient." Eddie said.

Derek said nothing, but both men looked in shock that the usually sweet and kind intern had given Derek the riot act. While Alex tried to hide his amusement. He had pissed Eddie off and he did not pity the man, her dress downs could be brutal. Derek said nothing as she turned on her heel and with a swish of her long braid she walked off to start prepping her patient for surgery.

"I'll go help her." Alex said, leaving the two attendings alone.

"I'm going to go see Frankie before I get ready for the surgery. You better apologize to Eddie, Derek. You can be angry at me all you want, you can direct your anger out on the fact that Nicholas is here on me. But, Eddie did not deserve that. Our job is to do what is best for the patient, balancing what they want and what they need." Mark said.

Rory Burkhardt, made her way over to her boss as Mark left.

"Yes, Dr. Burkhardt?" Derek asked, with a sigh, his anger deflated, he felt bad, Eddie had done what doctor should do. Advocate for their patient.

Though he knew he would be getting another dress down. Rory Burkhardt, much like Bailey and Eddie, spoke her mind. Even if it wasn't something you'd like to hear.

"Okay, I am your fellow, and you told me I could always tell you my opinion." Rory said as Derek nodded.

"Okay, three things Dr. Shepherd, one, totally uncalled for, Sousa was doing her job, second, I am your fellow, it makes it my responsibility to tell you when you're being a dick, and third check your ego." Rory said before she walked off.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Derek found Meredith in an office off a nurses station, shuffling through envelopes.

"You've given up surgery to go into clerical work?" Derek asked his ex-girlfriend.

"I'm fulfilling a patient's dying wish to send hate mail to everyone he's ever met." Meredith informed him.

"Ah. ... Right now I understand the impulse." Derek said.

"Me too. Why do people cheat?" Meredith asked him curiously.

"That's a good question." Derek said, not sure why people cheated.

"Why do you think she cheated on you? Were you different then? Were you a bad husband?" Meredith asked Derek curiously, trying to figure out why Addison cheated.

"I was ah ... I was just a little absent. Not that that's an excuse for her." Derek said.

"Do you think things would have been different if you'd had kids?" Meredith asked him.

"Do I think she wouldn't have cheated?" Derek asked, he thought about it for a moment, and he truly didn't know. While they always talked about kids, it never seemed to be the right time, to the point that people stopped asking or assumed they couldn't or didn't want them. "... I don't know."

They just look at each other for a bit. Mark comes up to the doorway.

"Alright man Jake's ready to roll. I'm sorry did I interrupt something?" Mark asked noticing the intense gaze between his brother and his lusty intern.

"No it's fine." Meredith informed Mark with slight smile.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"Pamela you should really try and relax." Izzie said to her patient as she entered the CT room.

"I am trying to relax. The episodes happen when I won't relax." Pamela informed her doctor.

Izzie helps Pamela stand up.

"Do you really think you can fix this?" Pamela asked her, not wanting to get her hopes up.

"I uh hate to be insensitive but ah would it be the worst thing ever if we can't?" Izzie asked, "I mean ..."

"You know I like sex as much as the next girl. Like in bed or even private. But when you can't go to the movies or drive a car or go to church with your parents." Pamela said, informing Izzie of her life now. She wasn't normal anymore. It wasn't pleasurable to have these episodes. Her life was stopping because she had these episodes so frequently. She hated it. It wasn't as good as people thought it would be.

"Oh my god." Izzie said, having not thought of it in that way. She just thought of the pleasure. Pamela had no control over this. It was impending her life completely.

"You know that dream where you show up at high school and you're naked?" Pamela asked Izzie seriously.

"Yeah."

"Yeah well I would really, really like to wake up." Pamela informed her.

Izzie nods. She would do all she could to figure out what was wrong with her.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

In Burke's OR, Meredith was standing next to Burke as she watched him complete this complex surgery.

"It's crossed the intra-thoracic fascia?" Meredith asked the attending.

"I'm afraid so. I'm gonna have to go into the chest wall." Burke informed her.

"He made seventeen hate tapes." Meredith informed her best friend's boyfriend.

"I'm sorry?" Burke asked.

"Video-tapes of himself. Telling people how much he hated them. Spewing every hurt feeling he ever had." Meredith informed him.

"And he mailed them?" Burke asked shocked.

"No he wanted me to but I don't think it's a good idea. He was scared. He was in shock. He wasn't thinking clearly." Meredith said honestly, not wanting to send them out.

"That's not for you to decide Dr. Grey. He asked you for something. You told him you would do it. If you don't, that doesn't make you noble. It makes you a liar." Burke informed her, thinking of the fact Cristina had lied to him about moving in with him.

Meredith glances at him.

"Did you know she kept her apartment?" Burke asked her.

"Yeah I did. Sorry." Meredith apologized.

Burke nodded. He wasn't mad at Meredith. It wasn't her job to tell him. It was Cristina's.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Bailey was standing in the gallery over Derek and Mark's OR rocking her son as she watched the surgery. Tucker was asleep, and this was a interesting surgery, so she decided to watch it while Tuck slept in her arms.

"Now, Dr. Shepherd is opening the skull cap." Bailey informed her sleeping son.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"Is it harder to get through the bony tumors?" Alex asked Derek as he opened Jake's skull cap.

"It's a little more dense." Derek informed him.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"That's what he's doing. Yes he is." Bailey spoke to her son as she watched Derek work.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"Basin. This is done. Cottonoid. Hang another unit of blood. I've got it." Derek ordered as he worked on Jake, while the three interns watched him.

Mark was standing near the side ready to start the plastic surgery once Derek was done.

"Oh son of a bitch. We're loosing him. Give me a sponge." Derek ordered as Jake's heart monitor starts beeping rapidly.

"Alright I need another unit of blood!" Derek said.

"That is too much blood." Eddie whispered to herself. Everything was happening so fast, almost to fast to process.

"I've got it." Cristina said as she grabbed more blood.

"Put in the pressure and fusia." Derek ordered.

"No carotid. We've got V-FIB." Alex said.

"CPR and bag him. He's loosing a lot of blood. Someone get FFP." Derek ordered as Eddie started to give Jake CPR.

"Paddles, get the paddles. Charge to 200." Mark ordered.

"Charging." A nurse said as she charged the paddles.

"Stand back." Derek ordered as Mark took the paddles.

"Clear." Mark called as he put the paddles to his chest.

As the boy flatlined Derek turned to the genius intern, compassion in his eyes. He didn't have to speak for the girl to know he regretted how hard he had been on her. earlier.

"Dr. Sousa, call it." Derek said.

Eddie nodded and sadly said, "time of death 18:20."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

The O.R was empty as Cristina, Alex, and Eddie were suturing Jake's dead body closed.

"Shame he never had his face fixed." Alex commented.

Cristina and Eddie shared a look. Maybe they could. It would take the family's consent, but maybe he could get the surgery he fought so hard for.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Eddie, Cristina, and Alex found Mark in the attending's lounge and Eddie's brain short circuited seeing him shirtless. His was just as handsome and she remembered when she slept with him. And, her mind conjured up memories of that night and she wanted a repeat performance. Stupid hormones. As much as she would love to act on them, they had Frankie to think about, and now wasn't the time.

"Dr. Sloan?" Alex asked.

"Yeah?" Mark asked as he turned to face them.

"We have an idea." Cristina spoke, as she smirked at Eddie's flushed face.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

In the morgue with Jake's body on a table. Cristina, Eddie, and Alex are standing there scrubbed up. Mark comes in redressed in scrubs.

"Alright, I got the parents approval." Mark informed them as the three interns moved to put their scrub masks on.

"You don't ... really need those." Mark informed the three.

"Right." Alex said as they stopped and moved to the table.

"Dr. Sloan," Eddie said, as Mark looked at her with a 'really' look but nodded.

"Yeah Ed?" He asked.

"His eyes shouldn't change." Eddie informed him seriously. "He liked his eyes, he said they could tell a lot about a person. And, he should keep them."

"Of course." Mark agreed as Eddie smiled. Then Mark went into surgical mode after a deep breath.

"Scalpel." Mark said as Alex hands him the scalpel and they watched and assisted Mark in removing the boney tumors from Jake's face and making it the way Mark had drawn it.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"Mr. Eaton, can you hear me?" Burke asked his patient, whom slowly opened up his eyes.

"Oh god. Ugh." Chuck groaned.

"Don't try to sit up. You're gonna be in pain for sometime. But I'm please to report that we removed the entire tumor." Burke said with a smile. He truly was one of the lucky ones, no matter what he said.

"I'm alive?" Chuck asked shocked.

"Yes sir, you are alive." Burke informed him.

"My tapes ..." Chuck said as he looked at Meredith who held up a bag filled with envelopes.

"Would you like me to throw them away?" Meredith asked him.

" No. I'd like you to mail them. I've said my peace. Sometimes a man has to say his peace." Chuck said after a moment, as Meredith nodded.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Meredith looked through a phone book for a Tatcher Grey. She didn't want to turn into Chuck. She didn't want to make hate tapes on her death bed. She needed to talk to her father. She needed to say her peace.

She may not need him in her life. But, she needed to know the truth once and for all. And, she needed to see him.

George saw Meredith, and quickly came to her side.

"Mer! Do you want...I want to take you ... out for a drink tonight. Maybe not Joe's, maybe some place where we can talk? You know there's something I need...I want ..." George said and he chuckles awkwardly. "to talk to you about."

Meredith is still looking through the book and not really paying attention to what George was rambling about.

"It's important." George said as Meredith ripped out a page from the phone book.

Then turned to look at him and said, "I don't want to make video tapes on my deathbed George."

Meredith walks away leaving George just standing there confused and hurt that Meredith never seemed to see him.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Meredith rang the doorbell of the house she stood outside of. Her father's home. A man she hadn't seen since her mother took her to Boston. She only had to wait a few moments until a familiar, yet older looking man, opened the door. Her father. Logically she knew he was going to look older, but part of her expected to see the man she remembered vaguely in her memories as well as from the few pictures she had.

He looked shocked to see her. He recognized her right away. He would always be able to recognize her. She looked so much like Ellis, but there were was a similarity she shared with her sisters.

"She had an affair." Meredith said.

"Ye...yes." Tatcher said shocked.

"Why didn't you stay and fight for us?" Meredith asked, wondering if she wasn't good enough for him to fight for. Did he not want her?

Thatcher steps outside and closes the door.

"I did. I tried." Tatcher said, he did, but Ellis was a force of nature, and she refused to let Tatcher near her and filed and won full custody. Leaving Tatcher broken.

"Why didn't you try harder? You just left." Meredith said.

"Meredith." Tatcher said, his heart clenched in pain. He hated how much he hurt his little girl. There wasn't a day that passed that he didn't think of Meredith.

Meredith wipes a tear away.

"Is there anything you need? Anything at all?" Tatcher asked her worriedly.

"No. ... I don't need anything from you." Meredith said honestly, she wasn't looking for a relationship with her father.

Meredith walks away, leaving a forlorn Tatcher watching her go.

He should have fought harder.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

After Mark had finished his post-mortem surgery, he found Derek and the two men talked it out. And, things were good between them both again. And the two made plans to meet up and hang out and get dinner and maybe a drink while he was in town, on Derek's day off in two days. Before Mark, Eddie, and Frankie left for the night.

Derek needed to finish up some work before he left, and as he entered an empty elevator, Addison quickly stops the door from closing, and hops on. This was the first time since the conference room that Addison had seen her husband and she needed to make sure they were okay and they really needed to talk.

"Hey." Addison greeted.

"Hey." Derek said.

"I haven't seen you all day." Addison commented.

"I didn't want to see you today." Derek informed her simply.

"It's not my fault he showed up Derek." Addison said, hoping he believed her.

"I know." Derek said as the doors open on a new floor, revealing Nicholas who was waiting for the elevator. Nicholas stepped in and Derek and Addison step to the side as Nicholas hits a button for the floor he needed.

"Don't beat yourself up." Nicholas said, knowing that Derek beat himself up for loosing a patient. He had been in the OR gallery watching.

"I'm taking the stairs." Derek said as the elevator door opened and he left the elevator, and Nicholas stopped the doors from closing and looked pleadingly at him.

"Oh come on. How come you can forgive her but not me?" Nicholas asked.

"I didn't forgive her and with you I have no obligation to try!" Derek said as he walked away and the doors close. Addison leaned back against the wall, upset and tired.

"Your marriage is over Addison. All you have to do is admit it. And you can come back home with me. I'm going to the bar across the street. Meet me there." Nicholas whispered the elevator opened to the floor they needed and he walked off, leaving Addison alone in the elevator, upset.

One thing she knew for sure was that she wasn't going to be meeting Nicholas at Joe's. She had chosen Derek, and not him, and she planned to stay with Derek, even if he hadn't forgiven her yet.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"So, I know this great Chinese place, if you're hungry." Eddie said as she carried Frankie in her car seat.

"Sounds great." Mark agreed as he followed her to her car. He had taken a taxi to the hotel and then to the hospital, so Eddie offered to drive him.

"Perfect." Eddie said with a smile. "And, thank you, for doing that today, for Jake. I know you didn't have to."

"It was no problem." Mark said, he knew how much the teen wanted it, and he had no problem doing the surgery for him, even if he would never know.

"You know." Mark said after a moment, "I admire how you stood up to Derek today. You were right, you know, you only advocated for what your patient. I know he saw that after he calmed down. You're an amazing doctor, Eddie." Mark told her, as Eddie blushed.

"Thank you," Eddie said as they reached her car and she unlocked her car with her key fob, and Mark opened the back door so she could put Frankie's car seat into it's base.

"You don't need to thank me sweetheart, it's the truth." Mark said as he kissed her forehead as Eddie smiled.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Cristina and Alex offered to stay later and show Jake's parents his body. Mr. and Mrs. Burton hesitantly entered the morgue. They saw Jake laying on a metal tray, and looked at their little boy after the plastic surgery. Mrs. Burton strokes Jake's hair softly.

He looked different, yet, the same. He was still her little boy. Just the version he desperately wanted, which is why they agreed when they were approached with the concept.

"He looks ... peaceful." Mrs. Burton told her husband sadly.

"He does." Mr. Burton agreed.

After a while they leave the morgue and Cristina covers up Jake's body before she and Alex left the room sadly.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Burke entered his apartment and looked around the slightly messy apartment as he made his way into the bedroom to stare at Cristina who was sitting in their bed as she sat Chinese food.

"Um..." Cristina said as she watched Burke pace for a bit and look at her unsure of what to say.

"I am Preston Burke! A widely renowned cardio-thoracic surgeon. I am a professional and more than that, I am a good and kind person. I am a person that cleans up behind myself! I am a person that cooks well. And you, you are an unbelievable slob. A slovenly, angry intern. I am Preston Burke! And you, you are the most competitive, most guarded, most stubborn, most challenging person I have ever met! And I love you. What the hell is the matter with you that you won't just let me?" Burke ranted as he looked at the wide-eyed Cristina.

"I gave up my apartment 20 minutes ago." Cristina informed him, and Burke sagged slightly. Knowing that Cristina was showing him that she loved him.

"Well alright then." Burke said before he entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

I've heard that it's possible to grow up, I've just never met anyone who's actually done it.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Izzie was checking over Pamela, when the younger woman battled for a moment about whether or not to ask the question she had. But, she wanted to know.

"Dr. Stevens, after the surgery will I still be able to...when I want to will I still be able to have" Pamela asked stopping for a moment as she glanced at her sleeping father and lowers her voice, "you know, episodes."

'Even better Pamela, you'll be able to have orgasms." Izzie said as Pamela smiled.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Without parents to defy, we break the rules we make for ourselves. We throw tantrums when things don't go our way.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Izzie saw George sitting on a bench in his civilian clothes, as she and Alex left the hospital after a long shift. She told him to wait for a moment as she went to check on him.

"Hey." Izzie greeted him.

"She doesn't hear me." George said sadly.

Izzie sits down next to George, concerned.

"What?" She asked.

"She doesn't even hear me when I talk." George informed Izzie.

"She will if you make her." Izzie encouraged him.

"You fed the beast didn't you?" George asked noticing she was way more optimistic and perkier than usual.

"Twice." Izzie said as she looked back to see Alex still waiting for Izzie a few feet way.

"I'll see you later." She told George.

"Bye." George said, jealous that everyone seemed to be finding someone except him. And the one girl he did want, didn't seem to see him.

Izzie runs up to Alex and they walk off together.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

We whisper secrets with our best friend, in the dark.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Richard was once again visiting Ellis, this time they were looking out the window enjoying the night sky.

"Meredith came to see me today." Webber informed her.

"Hmm. Poor baby. Poor thing. Her father left, you know?" Ellis informed Richard, who nodded.

"I think she knows about us Ellis. I think she's figured it out." Webber informed his former lover, who was trapped inside her memories.

"She's five years old, Richard." Ellis said with a scoff as she walked away.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

We look for comfort where we can find it.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"This seat taken?" Nicholas asked Meredith when he saw her sitting at the bar.

"I guess not." Meredith said after a moment.

"Double Scotch. Single malt." Nicholas ordered as Joe nodded and then he turned to Meredith.

"You look sad." Nicholas stated.

" I just saw my father for the first time in twenty years." Meredith said sadly.

"How'd that go?" Nicholas asked as he took a sip of the drink Joe placed in front of him.

"Could've gone better. What are you still doing here?" Meredith asked, knowing he had stayed in the hospital, according to the gossip that spread around the hospital.

"I'm hoping Addison shows up." Nicholas informed her.

"You're still in love with her?" Meredith asked, referring to Addison.

"You're still in love with him." Nicholas stated back.

"She won't show you know." Meredith informed him knowingly. She wouldn't.

"No?"

"He's not the kind of guy you leave if you can help it." Meredith said honestly.

"What if you're wrong? What if just this once ... life comes down on the side of the dirty mistresses?" Nicholas asked her as Meredith wished the same.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

After dinner, Eddie dropped Mark off at his hotel and promised to meet him tomorrow so he could spend some time with Frankie while she worked.

When she got home that night, Eddie did Frankie's night time routine and put her down for the night as she crawled into bed, tired.

After spending time with Mark once again in Seattle, she couldn't help but wish it was full time. She loved having him here. For Frankie and for her. It was nice. And, she couldn't help but remind herself that Mark would have to return to New York, and she couldn't help but wish he could stay.

And, she knew she was falling for him. Hard. But, was it because he was Frankie's father and he was stepping up and being this amazing man she needed or because she loved him for him....she was so confused. Love was confusing.

And, what if he didn't see her as anything other than a friend and Frankie's mother?

She'd talk to Eli soon. Maybe he could help her figure this all out.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

In his hotel room, Mark couldn't help but think of Eddie and Frankie. He made the right decision agreeing to Richard's offer. He needed Frankie and Eddie in his life. New York City wasn't home anymore. His home was with his two girls here in Seattle, and he couldn't wait to be a family, even a non-traditional family.

And...maybe once he is here full time he and Eddie could discuss being something more? But, he needed to talk about it with his brother, he needed to know if he was falling in love with Eddie for her, or if she gave him a family.

Unlike all the other romantic relationships in his life, he had the most to loose with Eddie and he wanted to make sure he wanted her for the right reasons....and he was also afraid of her response, wold she want to be in a relationship with him?

But, for now, he pushed those thoughts out of his head as he quickly fell asleep.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

And we hope against all logic, against all experience...

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

In his trailer, Derek was in bed, awake and deep unthought as his back was to Addison who was sitting at the table looking upset.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Like children, we never give up hope.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Meredith had just returned from the bar, proud of herself for not falling for Nicholas' charm, when she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in." Meredith called.

George opens the door and enters and closes it behind him.

"I know I'm not a world renowned surgeon and I know I'm not a lot of things that you've gone for in the past. I know. ... But ... I would never leave you ... I would never hurt you ... and I will never stop loving you." George said as he made his way towards her, she seemed to finally be listening to him. Meredith is silent and just stares at George for a moment. Before Meredith made a decision and lifts his shirt off him and they lean in to kiss.