39┃how did you fall for her?

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S5 EP19

NORAH AND MARK STEPPED into the elevators, and the door closed after them. "Derek's coming back today," she mentioned, and he answered with a hum. She raised a brow at him; the cuts on his forehead were still healing, but his hand got cleared for surgery.

"I did tell him to apologise to you, though," she added, "In a harsh tone... I called him pea-brained."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "So you basically scolded him?" he queried, and she shrugged back with a grin. He lowered his head to her before burying his face to her neck.

"Mark, I'm pretty sure there are cameras in this place," she breathed.

"Mm... Let them enjoy the show and be jealous of us," he simply mumbled, leaving a trail of kisses down to her collarbone.

She shoved him back to his spot when the elevators ding-ed, and a big pack of other hospital staff entered. They backed up to the corner as the place quickly turned claustrophobic; chatters and discussions exchanged between the doctors and nurses, the sound of flipping pages and newspapers filled the lack of space.

"You're making me feel things, Laurie," he whispered in her ear, and she smirked. She took a small step backwards so that her back pressed against his front; he rested his chin on top of her head.

When the doors opened again, most of the people who entered had stepped out one after another.

Norah locked eyes with the attending who entered; Mark shifted a bit, but she put more of her weight on him, making his back hit against the wall. A small smirk formed on his lips when she rested her head on his shoulder.

Derek narrowed his eyes at their position-her leaning on him, both cornered in the elevator interior-before giving her a brief nod and ignoring Mark; Norah sighed.

The silence was loud.

Derek cleared his throat before turning to the resident. "Are you on my service today?"

"I got specifically thrown out of Neuro today," Norah replied, "Bailey's on Izzie's case. Don't worry, you'll be great."

On the next floor, Norah pushed herself off Mark's chest before giving him a kiss. He had an unhidden smile on his face as she stepped out of the elevators. She sighed, staring at the two men who stood as far away from each other as possible in the narrow space.

"You two better apologise to each other," she pointed at both of them, "I don't care if you're gonna... I don't know, kiss it out? Just... fix yourselves."

The two men gaped at each other weirdly as the door closed.

NORAH MADE HER WAY TO the nurses' station, where Meredith and Cristina stood. "What's with the turtleneck?" she questioned, cocking a brow at the latter's outfit of choice. "Seattle weather too cold for you?"

"Owen choked her in her sleep-that's why she's covering up," Meredith explained, "Then she hugged him." The woman standing in the middle scowled at her, speechless, while Norah gasped.

"Wow... I mean-do you want me to beat him up?"

"That wouldn't be necessary, thanks," Cristina shook her head and turned her head to the other side, "And Mer, seriously? I said I'm okay. Let's just move on."

"Turtlenecks aren't okay," Meredith disagreed, "You're not okay. Your boyfriend is not okay."

"Is your boyfriend okay?" Alex questioned her as he walked up to the three of them with a mixed expression of worry and unsettlement.

"What?"

"To be cutting into brains today," he stated. "Is he okay to be back?"

"Yes. Of course," Meredith replied, "Derek is fine."

"I was there for his carnage in the OR, remember?" he scoffed before shaking his head, "This isn't just any patient today. This is Izzie."

"Shepherd's fine, Alex," Norah reassured, and the man seemed to calm down a little. "Izzie will be fine, too. So stop frowning, or you'll get creases on your forehead before you turn thirty."

❦ ❦ ❦

NORAH HAD FINALLY GOT her patient discharged and now had a clear schedule before something else popped up. She wandered around the hospital, searching for Mark, but she could not seem to find him.

She met Timothy in the ER with the trauma attending, who both were busy with a patient who did not look too well.

To come to think of it, Timothy had been on Owen's service for a while now.

Norah opened the door to a patient's room, catching sight of Bailey and Izzie, who turned their heads to her. "Oh, should I come back later?" she asked.

"No, I'm just finishing up," Bailey replied as she gathered the charts and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"You don't have to stay, you know?" Izzie spoke with a smile, "I'm sure you have patients to work on-actual patients. They shouldn't suffer because I have things growing on my organs."

"I just discharged my patient, so I'm pretty free right now," Norah dropped herself on the chair near the bed. "Is that what you say to everyone else? Or is it just me?" she cocked a brow at the blonde.

However, Izzie's face showed a different expression, and Norah sighed. "I'm the first one here since rounds, aren't I? Not even Alex?" she asked, and the other woman shook her head. "Well, that's just depressing."

"Insulting the cancer patient in the room? That's very Cristina," Izzie joked.

"Who's the scarf for?" Norah asked, nudging her head at the green knitting in the blonde's hands. "I can't picture exactly Alex wearing a scarf."

"It's for Bailey, actually," Izzie replied, "But don't tell her yet. Not until I'm finished."

The brunette nodded with a shrug. There was a long silence, where they sat in the room, listening to the knitting sound of the wooden sticks hitting each other. Izzie shook her head as she missed a knit, returning to the previous row.

"Is Shepherd really okay?" she asked with a hint of worry behind her eyes.

"He looks fine," Norah assured, "Big pressure is a certainty, but overall, I think he's good-I'm sure that he's good." Izzie nodded at the reassurance and resumed with her knitting.

❦ ❦ ❦

THE RESIDENT WANDERED the halls until she was informed by a nurse that the neurosurgeon she was looking for was in an OR. Norah made her way there and found Derek in the OR, where he would be performing Izzie's surgery.

She slowly and quietly pushed open the door, staring at the surgeon standing in the middle of the room. He was repeatedly practising the surgery.

"Forceps. Lift free from the arachnoid. Tacking sutures. Patties. Suction." Derek sighed as he lifted his head from the tray of tools in front of him, looking at the currently empty gallery.

"How long have you been in here?" Norah voiced out, causing the attending to startle a little. "You know, your hands are sweating-on sterilised surgical tools," she pointed out, "That's why scrub nurses hate surgeons."

"Jesus-you scared me," he exhaled sharply before replying to her question, "I've been here a while."

He lowered his head back to the surgical tools and resumed his mumbling. She watched as he repeated the procedure over and over again-even though he already knew it like the back of his hand.

"Derek, you can do this, you know?"

"You don't know that," he stated, placing the tools back on the tray.

She shrugged. "I don't, definitely not."

He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "You never fail to not make me feel better."

"You're welcome. Besides, I'm changing the mood, taking your mind off the surgery," Norah stated, folding her arms in front of her chest. "Also, you don't deserve to feel better."

Derek's eyes met hers again, and he sighed heavily. "Now you're only making it worse."

"Face it. You've made a mistake, and it cost a patient's life. You know it, I know it. The whole hospital knows it. Big deal. Boo-hoo," she placed out, "Okay, maybe I shouldn't say 'boo-hoo' that simply... Anyways-you shouldn't feel better about a life lost. But you should feel better knowing that you're the person who could-and will-save Izzie Stevens' life today."

He pondered on her words, looking up to the gallery once again. There was a huge weight of pressure on his shoulders, without a doubt, but the resident's words were also true. He could save a life; he will save a life.

"Just focus on today. This case, nothing else. Not even the audience that will be sitting in that gallery," she continued, "So, if you have anything else on your mind at this very moment, now would be a good time to spill it all out."

He turned his head to her, thinking hard. "Actually, there is something I'd like your help with," he voiced out, and she raised a brow at him, waiting for him to continue. "Can you go to where they keep past patients records and pull out the scans of a patient named Katie Bryce?"

"Didn't I just say to focus solely on this case?"

"Yes, that's why I need you to pull out the scans," he stated, "I'm gonna propose to Meredith... again. So, knowing that you're trustworthy enough to get the scans for me, I'll have one less thing to think about-and focus better on Izzie's surgery."

"Alright, fine. I'll look for it now," she sighed as she walked back to the door.

"Thank you."

"Oh, one more thing," Norah spoke before leaving the OR, and Derek turned his head curiously to the resident. "Shave, for the love of god."

❦ ❦ ❦

S5 EP20

"THERE'S NO BLOOD IN THE brain," Derek pointed out as they studied at the patient's scans.

"ZMC fracture of the temporal bone, ruptured eardrum," Mark added before turning to Norah, "Book us an OR."

She nodded and was about to walk off when Derek called her back. "Not so fast, Dr Lawrence," he interjected, "Mr Gates-the patient has a name-also has an injured a facial nerve, which means what?"

"He'll need a nerve repair," she answered, and Mark looked at her with a betrayed look on his face.

"Does that take place before or after Dr Sloan's ossicular reconstruction?" Derek asked. She stood in between the two attendings, raising her brow at the two, who looked like they were in an intense staring contest.

"Dr Sloan would have to explore the wound for bone fragments and reverse his hearing loss," Norah recited.

Mark nodded with a smile. "Which is why I need you to book that OR."

"Look, if he has facial paralysis, it won't matter if he can hear out of one ear," Derek deadpanned, "Am I right, Lawrence?"

The neurosurgeon stared at her, waiting for her to agree with him. At the same time, Mark's stare was burning on the other side of where she stood.

Norah wanted to toss herself off the building.

"Laurie-?"

"Alright-stop. I respect you both very, very much, and you two know that I don't play sides," she sighed, glancing between both the attendings, "But right now, I want nothing more than to punch both of you in your faces, really bloody much."

"But-"

"Mark-shush-you, too, Derek," Norah rolled her eyes as the neurosurgeon failed to hold back a snort.

The CT room fell quiet, and both attendings turned their heads back at the scans. "Brilliant. Now that you've both shut up, I'll book the OR." When she slipped out of the room, she heard Mark whispering a word, 'hot', which made her roll her eyes again.

"And Derek," she had just taken a few steps out before turning back, "Izzie asked for you when you're free to try on suits for the wedding. Also, I told her that an English top hat is just insulting that McDreamy hair of yours. Thank me later."

Derek looked horrified, and Norah cackled. "And, for god's sake, stop fighting with each other, or I'll lock you both in a supply closet until you forgive each other," she snapped lastly at the two attendings before heading away.

Derek and Mark looked at each other; the latter was concerned about his wellbeing. "She sounds like my mom," the former spoke up, and the latter nodded in agreement.

"Like the time after I hid your frogs in the oven and you chased me with a baseball bat."

Derek snorted at the memory before shaking his head at the plastic surgeon. "How did you fall for her?"

Mark shrugged with a soft smile on his face. "I just did."

NORAH LEFT THE ROOM with a sigh, walking down the corridor, where she bumped into Timothy. "Hey," she greeted, furrowing her brows at the stack of charts in his hands.

"Oh, hey back," Timothy grinned as he clutched the charts under his arms. "You look really fucking pissed off."

"Mark-Derek situation-again," she grumbled, throwing her arms in the air.

"Well, sorry, I don't have the time to chat about it. Hunt needs these fucking charts," he stated as he started walking off.

She narrowed his eyes at him. "How long have you been on Hunt's service?" she queried.

"A month or so, maybe more," he shrugged.

"And how long are you gonna stay in Meredith's attic?" she asked again, but this time, he merely waved back at her as he took off.

That cheeky grin is a sucker for trauma cases, Norah thought to herself, Bloody junkie.

❦ ❦ ❦

S5 EP22

IZZIE WAS IN A PUFFY white dress, sitting in her wheelchair while Meredith, Cristina and Norah disconnected her IV and oxygen from her.

Meredith and Derek were generous enough to let their wedding be changed, last-minute, to Izzie and Alex's, after finding out that Izzie's cancer had returned.

"I don't... I don't even know how to... I..." the blonde had a bright grin on her face, "Thank you."

Meredith returned her smile with a proud one, holding her arm tightly. Norah circled the oxygen tube onto the tank to ensure that Izzie was free to walk.

"Okay," Meredith spoke, "So who's the maid of honor?"

Izzie looked between the three women and smiled. "Cristina," she replied, and the woman who was appointed looked back at her in surprise. "Alex... He needs a best man, and he was asking for you," she told Meredith, "And Norah..."

"Oh, I wouldn't want someone who punched me to be my maid of honor either," Norah chuckled, and all four of them burst out in laughter.

"So, what, I'm leftovers?" Cristina raised a brow.

"You tried to save my life," Izzie reminded, "That makes you honorable."

"Alrighty then, I'll head in first," Norah spoke before lowering her head back at the blonde, "And Iz-congratulations."

"Norah, you are a good friend," Izzie stated solemnly, "Even if you nearly dislocated my jaw once."

NORAH OPENED THE DOORS and slid into the church, where most of the guests were already seated. She narrowed her eyes as she scanned the place; Timothy was with Lexie on the left side of the seats, Callie and Arizona were near the front, the group of interns filling the seats at the back.

She spotted Derek, who nudged his head towards the other side of the seats. Mark was sitting near the middle, waving at her lightly. With a growing grin on her face, she made her way to the rows of benches on the right.

The smart grey suit and dark dress shirt on him formed one word in her mind: hot.

She sat down between Mark and George; the latter complimented her dress, and she had to hide her chuckle from the look on her boyfriend's face.

"You look hot in that dress," Mark spoke; his eyes were glued to her body as he allowed his mind to run wild.

"I look hot always," she corrected with a smirk, and he chuckled with an agreeing nod.

He drew in a breath, taking in the scent of her perfume before leaning down to her ear. "Well, you look hotter out of that dress."

George faked a gag next to them, and she smacked him, causing him to let out a yelp while he rubbed his pained arm. "Come on, George, you're just bitter that you don't have a date."

"Hey, don't bully the lonely people!" George scowled with a light laugh, "I like being lonely-single, I mean. It has way fewer problems, and more... more um..."

She cocked a brow at his loss of words. "You're bitter."

"Yes, I'm bitter," he caved and sighed.

The ceremony started shortly after. Alex stood in front in a black suit, and Izzie in a white dress walked down the aisle. She got dizzy halfway, but George stepped up and offered her an arm, leading up to the man, who would soon be her husband.

Mark wrapped his arm around Norah, pulling her closer to him, and she rested her head on his shoulder. The guests listened to the bride and groom's vows quietly with smiles on their faces; Norah was fiddling with Mark's tie, and he could not even try to keep his eyes off her.

"Remember the last time we attended a wedding?" he asked, lowering his voice.

"Mm-hmm."

"Remember what happened after the wedding?"

She lifted her head from his shoulder-those blue eyes and suggestive smirk made her roll her eyes. She leaned towards his ear, whispering, "If you want action, you gotta ask nicely."

"What if I don't wanna ask nicely?" he imposed.

"Well, that's too bad, then," she shrugged, "Good thing comes to those who ask nicely."

She placed his tie back to where it belonged and patted his chest twice. She returned his disbelief look with a sly wink before staring straight ahead at two of her close friends.

He knew that he should be focusing on the wedding, whether it was out of respect to the newlyweds or whatever-but he could not, at all.

Hell, how could he even bother to concentrate on a word the officiant was speaking, when the only focus on his mind was her hand that was resting on his thigh?

He lowered his head to her once more and whispered next to her ear, "You know, the bathroom's not too far from here. What do you say?"

She merely glanced at him and rolled her eyes before staring back ahead. He leaned closer, grazing his lips against the side of her neck. "Please?"

She physically moved his face back to the front, her hand squishing in his cheeks while she stared at those puppy-dog eyes he did not know he had.

The tension that was building up between them was hard to ignore, especially when his gaze failed to leave her lips; the dilating of his pupils only made her want to taunt him more.

"Nope," she responded, popping the 'p' with a smirk.

The woman was driving him insane as he shifted uneasily on his seat. "You should know that the only thing I can think of right now are those fingers of yours dancing on my thigh, and the many ways I wanna make you scr-"

His words got cut off by her hand slapping over his mouth with an alarmed look on her face. "Mark Sloan!" she whisper-yelled at him, "We are in a wedding, for god's sake!"

Gently removing her hand, he gave her a teasing smirk while she glared at the amused look on his face. He leaned in to kiss her neck, with five words in his mind that he did not speak out-

One day it'll be ours.

━━━━━

Heads up for the next chapter, because... 🧍‍♂️💥🚌😀


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