48┃i'm sorry

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S6 EP12

NORAH PASSED BY CRISTINA at the hallway; the latter looked panicky and about to crap herself. The brunette furrowed her brows concernedly-Cristina Yang never panics.

Dragging her in one arm and Meredith in another, she shoved all three of them in an empty room and shut the door behind them.

"Cristina, you're about to explode, so, speak."

The resident did not even wait to take a breath in before her words flowed out, "Teddy-turns out she loves Owen and thought she came here to be all, you know, 'Teddy and Owen', but there's me. And now she's all pain and threatening to leave, and so I told her she could have him."

Meredith and Norah both did a double-take, and their eyes widened at her words. "What?" they chorused.

"She's an amazing teacher, and I'm, you know, I'm happy again, and I'm... I'm in the OR," Cristina breathed out. "And I'm feeling like myself and... and I... And, of course, I didn't mean it. I mean, I love Owen. I-I love him. But that means that I don't get to have her. So..." she stuttered, racking her brains, "Maybe I meant it?"

Meredith blinked at her crisis before exhaling. "Okay, here's the thing... You can't talk like this."

"Yeah, you can't, not at all," Norah agreed. "It's like broadcasting that a baby's ugly. I mean, you and I might do it, but normal, sane people wouldn't. Know what I mean?"

"I... might've lost you at ugly baby," Cristina admitted, and the two other residents sighed.

"The baby. It's ugly. The parents know it, you know it, everybody knows it, but you don't talk about it," Meredith further explained, and Cristina finally nodded.

"Okay, but... but you're saying surgery, right?" the latter questioned the both of them, "Gun to your head, you would choose surgery over Derek and Mark?"

"I am saying don't talk about this. And don't talk about it to Owen," Meredith concluded firmly.

Cristina nodded before turning her head to the brunette resident. "What about you? What happened to you? Sloan went back with Sloan last night, and he slammed the door really hard, so what's going on there?"

Norah shook her head with her hands on her hips. "Ass-Sloan in question asked daughter-Sloan to live with him-or us, in that matter-and raise her baby with us, without asking for my opinion beforehand."

The other two widened their eyes at her while their voices halted at the back of their mouths. The brunette sighed heavily, "Yes, that's my exact reaction."

"Dump him," Cristina stated firmly, and Meredith snapped her head to the former.

"That's... no. I am pissed at him right now, but... no," Norah furrowed her brows, "I mean, it's like... he had no care whether I want this or not. I love him, but I really don't fancy the idea of raising his grandson along with his daughter who suddenly barged into our lives."

"Where is he now?" Meredith queried.

"L.A.," Norah answered with a long sigh. "I told him to get Addison to save the baby. And I left a note to him to have a safe flight because that's what someone who cares does."

"You left him a note?"

"Oh, come on, it's reasonable from me!"

Cristina took a step forward and patted the brunette on the back. "Sweetheart, gun to the head, please tell me you'd choose surgery over Mark."

"Well, gun to the head, she might gun herself," Meredith stated matter-of-factly.

Norah narrowed her eyes and folded her arms above her chest. "Okay, the fact that you're not wrong-"

❦ ❦ ❦

PRIVATE PRACTICE S3 EP11

"WHAT IS THE MATTER with you?" Addison demanded as she stormed into her office. Mark followed closely behind after he was close to starting a fight with one of her co-workers, Pete.

"Me? What's the matter with you?" he questioned back, "You're as wound up as I've ever seen you."

"I am not the one starting schoolyard fights with other doctors," she scoffed unamusingly.

"You're wound up, Addie. Just admit it."

"Bizzy's a lesbian!"

Mark blinked as her words slowly sunk in. "What?"

"My mother-she's a lesbian, which means the captain wasn't a cheater," Addison explained in defeat, "It was all a sham-my whole childhood. Everything I believed about my dad, my mom, love, marriage... It's all turned on its head. So, yeah, I'm a little... wound up," she gave up, "Your turn."

Mark had to shake his head away from the information that settled in. He let out a long, heavy sigh when he returned to his problems. "I think Norah's mad at me."

"You think?"

"Well, I asked her to raise Sloan's baby with me. Or, you know, raise it with me and Sloan," he explained, slumping down on the couch.

She studied his expression curiously. "And?"

"And I... didn't ask her about her thoughts on it before I uh..." he added the last part in a small voice, glancing at the redhead who had her hands on her hips.

"She isn't answering my calls or texts, Addison, and I think I might start losing my mind here," he rubbed along his jaw, "I know I should've asked her first, but I was so excited. And I was so sure it was the right thing, because of her. Well, keyword: was."

"You didn't consult her on whether she's fine with you raising your grandson along with your daughter in you two's home," Addison deadpanned and shook her head, "And she's still young for that, don't you think? She's just a third-year resident."

"Do not take her side!"

"Oh no, I am taking her side!" she fired back, "When you snapped at the many nurses or doctors, including me, she was the one who apologised to them all."

"I never asked her to-"

"But she did so anyway. And I'm sure you don't need me to tell you why," she cut him off with an unamused look on her face. "Mark, I have no interest in knowing what the hell you snapped at her about, but I'm telling you, if you go on at this rate, it's not gonna end well."

"I..." His words flushed off as the guilt slowly ate him from within.

"Don't waste this one love, Mark. It's a great one, and you know it."

Mark leaned his head back against the couch but sprang up to his feet only seconds later. "I screwed up, oh my god," he muttered under his breath, "This really sucks right now... and your thing sucks, too."

He paced a few laps before lifting his head back to Addison with a bitter look on his face. "Bizzy's a lesbian?"

"Thank you!"

❦ ❦ ❦

"YOU BLEW THE AVM?!" Mark bellowed as he pushed into the room where Addison and Sam were in.

"Not on purpose," the redhead stated.

"I already told him that." Naomi was behind him, trying to pull him back at he merely shrugged off her hand.

"Well, then what the hell happened?!"

"Stop yelling at her," Sam interjected, but Mark merely ignored him.

"She lost a lot of blood, but she's gonna be okay," Addison tried to reassure him, but he was nowhere near calming down.

He ran both his hands through his hair. "A-And the baby?"

"I think he's gonna be fine."

"You think?!" he scoffed loudly.

"I hope. I'm sorry," Addison corrected her words. "The AVM is very delicate, Mark. It's directly below the dissection, and i-i-it just blew."

"I-I need to see her," he muttered out, his voice panicking. He was on the verge of losing his mind, and he could feel it.

"Okay, look, Mark, she's gonna be in bad shape when she wakes up. She hemorrhaged. I had to open her up. She's gonna be much worse than last time," she explained, and he stared back at her blankly. "The last thing she needs is to look up and see you hovering, terrified."

He could feel everything over his head, and the unsettling nerves were creeping up his neck. "What do you expect me to do?"

"Why don't we just take a walk?" Naomi suggested but got shot down by Mark.

"Naomi, don't talk to me like I'm a child," he snapped at her, "I'm not a twelve-year-"

He shook his head furiously before fishing for his phone from his pocket. The three other surgeons stared at him worriedly; his face painted with pure concern as he repeatedly dialled a number.

Naomi narrowed her eyes in concern. "Should he should be...?"

"Yeah, let him," Addison insisted as they watched Mark continue pacing around the room.

"Pick up... Pick up... Pick up..." he mumbled, but when the call went into voicemail again, he swore out loud. "God dammit-why aren't you picking up?!"

Addison was quick to look for her phone and tap on a number. A wave of relief flushed over her when the call picked up on the other end.

"Addie?"

"Derek, get Norah on the phone right now."

NORAH WAS PUTTING HER stuff away in her cubby when the door to the residents' locker room busted open.

Derek marched into it, ignoring the curious stares of the other residents, and dragged her out by the back of the collar of her white coat.

"What the-what? What?!" she hollered at the attending. Seeing his furrowed brows, she sent him an apologetic look. "Sorry, didn't mean to snap... What?"

"Mark's freaking out. You aren't answering his calls?"

"Huh? He didn't-" her eyes widened when the realisation sank in; she was silently scolding herself for being a fool, presuming that he did not bother to call. "Oh crap, I changed my number yesterday, and I... Crap."

"He's on the phone. Here," Derek nudged his phone to her. Norah took a glimpse of the caller ID, then pressed the phone against her ear.

"Mark?"

"Oh, thank god," Mark panted on the other side of the phone, "A-Addison blew up the AVM. Sloan hemorrhaged a-and she had to be opened up, and I-I don't... I..."

"Okay, stop pacing, right now," she spoke firmly and heard the loud steps coming to a stop on the other side of the phone. "The AVM is delicate, Mark. There's no way to assure anything during the surgery, you know that."

"I know, but I just... I-I shouldn't have brought her to L.A., this is a mistake-"

"Stop right there. If you're gonna start blaming yourself, remember that I was the one who told you to go to L.A.," she spoke with a lingering uneasiness within her. "You don't get to blame yourself for what happened in the OR, alright? No one could've predicted anything."

There was a long pause on the other side before his voice came through again, this time slightly strangled.

"I'm so sorry," he managed out, "I-I should've asked you about Sloan living with us and all and... I'm sorry."

"Love, it's-"

"No, I know what you're gonna say, and no, it's not okay," he cut her off, knowing what she would say to calm him down.

But it was his fault, and he knew it-the guilt within him was the main reason he was losing his mind.

"I shouldn't have... I just... When Sloan gets better here, I'll fly back the first thing, okay?" he spoke again in a less panicky voice, "And just... Come home, please."

"Okay," she replied with a nod he could not see, "I will. I promise. I'll see you soon, alright?"

❦ ❦ ❦

THE NIGHT AFTER, NORAH lifted her head from the couch when she heard keys jingling outside the door. Mark entered the apartment with his suitcase behind him, looking tired and distressed.

There was also a surge of relief when he saw her waiting for him.

Shutting the door and tossing his keys aside, the next thing he did was stalk over to her in the living room and bury his face at her neck, his arms hugging her tight.

"I'm sorry, really."

"I know you are. It's just," Norah moved his head between her hands. "You made me feel left out that day, and it was like you're building... whatever it is you're building, with no regards of me, like I was tossed aside... and I don't wanna be left out, you know?"

"Oh god..." he shut his eyes and dropped his head slightly, "I didn't mean to make you feel like that, Norah... Damn it-I was being selfish, aren't I?"

"Very," she sighed, "Well, I didn't mean to just disappear that night, either, but that was a lot thrown at my face at once, so I needed some time and space to clear out in my head. But please, ask me before you decide to do something big, hm?"

"Never again, I promise you that," he smiled back at her before averting his gaze from her eyes falteringly.

"What is it?"

"Nothing, just uh... I feel like shit right now."

"As you should," she deadpanned before placing a kiss on his forehead, making him break into a smile. "But you're forgiven. So go take a shower, then we can get some sleep."

"Skip shower?"

"If you wanna sleep on the couch, no problem."

❦ ❦ ❦

S6 EP13

"HE LOOKS HORRENDOUS," Norah shrieked at the sight of Derek, who stood at the stairs while adjusting his white coat. That, plus the speech cards that he shuffled in his hands was just another level of an unpleasant sight.

Mark nodded in agreement as his coffee got snatched over by his girlfriend. "Seriously, what's with the tie?"

"I know, right?" Callie laughed in agreement, "What the hell is he wearing?"

"He looks good," Owen disagreed with them, "Chiefly."

"He looks like an undertaker," Cristina shrugged.

"He looks like one of those lab techs in my university," Norah narrowed her eyes, "He has bad fashion sense."

The group snorted at the resident's blunt criticism towards their new Chief of Surgery.

"I promised him we'd clap," Arizona muttered.

"Oh. Now?"

Derek cleared his throat, and everyone's chatters died off. He lifted his head to the group of surgeons who gathered in front of him.

"I want to thank you all for being here. I know you're busy, so I'll try to make this quick," he spoke, "As you may have heard, I have been appointed the new interim Chief of Surgery. It's my personal goal to make this transition as smooth as possible. I know we've had a rocky few months. Mistakes have been made..."

"He's talking about the merger," Alex told the group, and Lexie shushed him.

"...I intend to right those wrongs and, uh... bring this hospital back to its former glory."

"'Former glory'? Who wrote his cards?" Norah raised a brow, and she bit back a smile when Derek's eyes drifted over to her among the crowd.

"Undertaker needs a speechwriter," Cristina cringed.

"We are screwed," Jackson sighed.

"Yes, you are, sucker," Alex replied smugly.

Timothy snorted at them, "Relax, Jackson, you'll be fine."

"Check it out. Chief Webber," Reed pointed out, causing their heads to turn towards Webber and a board member who both were walking into the lobby.

Derek followed the crowd's gaze and locked eyes with Webber, who looked unamused. The former became panicked upon their arrival at his speech. "What I meant... Uh, by that is..."

"Oh no, this is getting bad," Norah grimaced as Derek continued stammering on his words.

"What I'm trying to say is-I want to thank you for your support in advance... Uh, that's all," he wrapped up hastily, "Okay, let's get back to work."

The crowd murmured and whispered to each other, and Arizona started to clap with a forced smile on her face; everyone, too, followed suit confusedly.

Norah clapped along with them, though it felt more like they were mocking his speech. Thankfully, her uneasiness washed away when Mark started wolf-whistling beside her.

Derek sent a glare at him while walking towards the pair. "How was it?" he asked.

Norah reached up and covered Mark's mouth before he could speak before turning to the interim chief. "It was, uh, good, mm-hmm... cool," she replied, maintaining a friendly smile on her face.

Derek flickered his eyes to Mark, who shook his head, and his eyes lowered to the resident again. "Come on, Norah, I could use your brutal honesty right about now."

She caught his look, realising that he was, in fact, serious before nodding. "Fine, if you say so," she cleared her throat and wiped her hand on Mark's coat since his tongue was not behaving.

"You look like a Chemistry nerd with social anxiety who was held at gunpoint to give a bloody speech," she did not hold back, "And the tie looks like you're suffocating yourself."

Mark had to cough away his laughter as Derek cocked a brow at her while loosening his tie. "That bad...?"

She nodded with a pitiful smile. "I personally felt awkward for you."

❦ ❦ ❦

MARK WAS IN A SKILLS LAB, adjusting his skin graft in the dish. Norah sat adjacent to him while she watched his work. The glances stole, and the smiles were more than often.

"Hey, Sloan's released from L.A., right?" she queried, and he lifted his head to her momentarily.

"Yeah, but Addison's keeping her for a few more days. She's gonna counsel her or something," he informed with his focus still on his graft, "I mean, she's eighteen, and a baby's a big change in her life."

Norah lowered her head when her phone chimed. The notification that popped up caused her eyebrows to knit together at once.

This time it was a number she recognised... from before.

From: Unknown Number
[11:32] Changing your number doesn't work.
[11:32] You can't ignore me forever.

"You still there?" Mark asked as he noticed the look on her face, one that she had whenever she was deep in her thoughts.

"Y-Yeah, I'm here."

"Why did you change your number, though?" he queried curiously while she snapped her attention back to him, "I mean, why so suddenly?"

"Uh... Spam messages. It got annoying," she answered before peeking back at her phone.

To: Unknown Number
who are you? [11:33]
why do you have my num? [11:34]

From: Unknown Number
[11:35] Forgotten me already? I'm sad.

To: Unknown Number

hi sad, bye sad [11:35]

To: Unknown Number
[11:36] Don't I just miss your humor.
[11:36] I'll give you a hint.
[11:37] I'm the guy that caused you to move across the country.

Her thumbs froze mid-air, her eyes narrowed at the cursor that was blinking back at her. Play it off. It's probably just a troll.

To: Unknown Numberidk such person, sry [11:38]

From: Unknown Number
[11:38] Don't you?
[11:39] I'm hurt, truly.
[11:39] Nice talking to you again, doll.

At that last text, Norah felt the hair on every inch of her skin stand as she stared at the text, rereading it over and over again, praying that it was some kind of joke.

There was no way, right?

"Earth to Laurie," Mark called out, causing Norah to snap her head back to him. "You zoned out, again."

"Yeah... I guess I did," she replied before stuffing her phone away, the odd sense of creepiness crawling up her skin.

"So, I was asking, you sure you're okay with this?" he repeated his question, "Sloan and the baby and all, I mean."

"Well, um, a baby's a lot of work, that's for sure... And kids terrify

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