NORAH HAD SLOWLY started adjusting back to her life before everything went down. She would camp in the hospital most of the day and have either Derek or Callie drive her back at night. The nurses were a big help, too, offering to push her on wheelchairs whenever she got tired with the crutches.

She finally brought herself to clear out Timothy's cubby. The cardboard box felt heavier than ever before. She had never thought that in her time in Seattle, she would have to clear out three cubbies of people she was dear of-each one hit closer to her heart.

Her heart-she was not sure whether it was still a heart, or was it just broken pieces of an organ circulating her blood?

Therapy was mandatory for all who had been on the plane; she had voluntarily requested extra sessions, hence visiting psych thrice a week. She knew she needed it-if not for herself, she had to be in her right mind for her son.

Kai was giggling at his mother again.

He was bigger since the last she remembered him to be. Although she felt guilty for not spending close to weeks with the little boy, she was glad that she was now spending most of her day with him.

Kai was a big fan of rolling over on his tummy, and he was trying to lift his small body up. The daycare staff mentioned that he was in the stage of learning how to crawl. She could not wait for him to crawl around and hide in places in their apartment.

She would visit Mark when Kai took his evening nap at the daycare. It was a daily routine to sit by his side while she shared with him, mostly about their son's development and growth.

She remained hopeful, though.

❦ ❦ ❦

JACKSON GLANCED AT Norah worriedly while she spun on the chair at the nurses' station. She went rounds and rounds with her eyes closed and a pen balanced between her fingers.

Truth be told, he was more worried about the cast of her foot hitting the edge of the table, but she somehow managed not to collide it anywhere.

Her eyes suddenly widened and came to a halt. She quickly scribbled some words on the piece of paper in front of her. Seconds after, she leaned back against the chair and continued her spinning.

"You're starting to scare me," he spoke up, furrowing his brows, and she stopped, staring back at him curiously. "I mean, like, what are you doing?"

"Coming up with theories and research topics-thing, since I'm not allowed in an OR right now," she replied with a casual shrug.

He nodded before asking again, "And the... spinning?"

"Centripetal force."

"What now?"

"Never mind," she brushed him off before continue turning. Her brainstorming on the piece of paper was a method she used to distract herself from other matters.

A pager went off, and both of them lowered their heads to their waistband; Norah pulled out her pager, and her eyes widened in dread.

911 - 3006 - SLOAN, M.

"I-It's Mark..."

Jackson immediately seized the wheelchair by the wall and zoomed them down the hallway and to the ICU.

Norah nearly stumbled when she arrived outside the patient room-her paling face was instantly flushed back with colours at the sight in front of her.

"Laurie! Where you been?"

She had to get screeched at not to put weight on her still-healing foot as she rushed into the room. The grins spread across their faces were never brighter.

She lunged herself towards his wide-held arms; he secured her tightly in his chest while she buried her face on his neck. They held each other for a long time, a very long time.

"Are you crying?" he whispered next to her ear.

She chuckled, nodding at his neck. "Of course, I am! You really scared the living soul out of me, Mark-I'm really not kidding," she nagged through tears.

"I know, and I'm sorry," he mumbled back as he wrapped his arms tighter around her body. She had her face buried in his chest; the beating heart under it was one she would never forget.

"This time..." he spoke up, and she lifted her head to him, "This time, I'm not going anywhere anymore."

"We're not going anywhere anymore," she corrected with a grin on her tear-stained face. "That's a promise, one that we can never, ever break. Okay?"

"Promise, and-" he leaned forward, pecking a kiss on her lips, "-sealed."

He wiped away the tears under her eyes with the pad of his thumb; the exhaustion and anxiety had really got to her. He had his own trauma and guilt to deal with, too, but none were important at that very moment.

She was smiling, grinning, beaming-the hazel eyes finally met the blue ones, once again.

"Navy scrubs," he pointed out with a proud smile on his face, and she nodded with a sobbing chuckle.

"You really scared the crap out of me..."

"I'll make it up to you," he assured with a smirk, "With many, many steamy hot s-"

"Alright-got it. Is that seriously the only thing in your head right now?" she rolled her eyes with a soft chuckle, and he shook his head, pulling her in for a kiss. "I'll be waiting. I'll always be waiting for you."

It ended up taking five surgeons to successfully pry Norah away from Mark, who was, too, in major protest. Then, it took the same group of surgeons to convince Mark to pass Kai over to Norah, so that they could examine him for a full check-up.

The whole hour, she stayed right outside the glass door with the little boy sitting on her hip; he squealed and giggled as though he knew his father was awake again.

The new interns and nurses who passed by were all in awe of the little boy. Kai would let out a small squeal every time he made eye contact with the adults, then hid his face at his mother's neck.

That night, she sat by his bedside and cried for hours.

Happy tears, she claimed-which was not entirely true-but it was not a lie, either.

She had lost too much in one tragic event, too much. There were still lives to be mourned and grieved, but right now, at this moment, she felt the first pure relief in months.

Because when she was on the verge of completely losing herself, the world returned her with a glimmer of hope.

Maybe the world had finally stopped hating me. Maybe, just maybe, it's not too bad of a place, after all.

❦ ❦ ❦

"PRETTY AMAZING RECOVERY, right?" Jackson voiced out outside Mark's room, his face beaming.

"Yeah, his SATs are good?" Derek queried with a bright smile, and Callie nodded. "He's being weaned off pressors?"

"Yeah, BP is 110 over 60," Jackson notified.

The group of surgeons stood outside the room, watching the pair's faces lit up as they flirted shameless with each other, just as they used to.

Norah had moved the armchair right next to Mark's bed, and he had shifted closer to the edge of the bed; their hands linked into one, him tracing on her palm.

Derek was grinning at them-the two who were made for each other. He stole a quick glance towards Webber, who had a different look on his face. "You think it's the surge?" he queried carefully.

"Mm. I-It might be," Webber replied with a brief nod.

"I don't. I don't think it is," Derek claimed before furrowing his brows at the pair; the way Mark was staring at Norah brought smiles to everyone's faces. "It can't be. She won't... She won't survive it. So it can't be."

It was not a strong argument, but he held onto the chance that they would be alright. He needed both of his best friends-both of whom he considered as family-to get the happy ending they deserved.

❦

IN THE ROOM, NORAH HAD been next to Mark in the ICU right after dropping Kai off at daycare. There, they talked on for hours, catching up with everything he had missed, and she blabbered on while he listened attentively.

She furrowed her brows at him, whose bright blue eyes she drowned herself in. "You know," she started, "I've been rambling for a while now. And as much as I like you staring at me, I really love your voice and words as well."

He chuckled lightly, tilting his head at her. "Your presence make me speechless-you make me over my head, had I mentioned?" He scooted aside on the bed, gesturing for her to sit with him.

"That's funny, because you do me, too."

She sat partially on the edge of the bed; her injured leg rested on the bed, while the other was on the floor supporting her weight. It was enough for her, for him-for them.

He draped an arm around her shoulder, and she rested her head on his chest. They sat with each other, watching the many nurses and clumsy interns walking by in front of their room.

"Laurie?"

"Hm?" There was a long silence, which got submerged in their love. She lifted her head to him, raising a brow when she felt his heart beating quicker in his chest; him staring at her oh-so-dearly. "Mark?"

"Marry me."

She was caught way off guard, without a doubt-the way her eyebrows shot up immediately showed it all. He was praying that she would not freeze or freak out, but she was blinking back at him as though trying to make out that this was not a dream.

"I-well-I know this is a very crappy way and situation to do it, but uh... I've been planning it for months now... And I just... couldn't quite find the right timing, you know? With Kai being so little and all..." he chuckled nervously, his gaze not leaving hers.

"The day you screamed in the woods, my heart broke. My heart was torn into pieces because yours did. The pain of it reminded me that I was still alive, and I'm still fighting to feel the pain over and over again," he brought her hand to rest above his heart, "This one beating in my chest? The rhythm you love most? It belongs to you, and only you."

He stared into her eyes; the fluttery that overwhelmed him had never changed. "God-after all these years, you'd think that the butterflies wouldn't be so intense anymore, but I'm still falling for you day after day, over and over again... You drive me completely insane, and I love you for it. Our journey and our love weren't easy, and I don't think they'll ever be-we're complicated... but we are complicated together.

"And, also... it kinda sucks that I can't get down on one knee since, um, you know... And uh, I-I do have the ring, but it's not with me right now," he narrowed his eyes slightly before chuckling, "But um, I want us to be complicated together, for the rest of our lives..." his gaze stared into the glistering hazels, "Do you?"

It was wicked how all grief could get paused-even washed off-in a single moment.

And if that one single moment, with that one special someone, could make the past weeks of thrashing and struggle to feel like nothing-isn't that someone the one?

―

"I know, Laurie. And I'm not going anywhere. Because you're the one."

―

"Mark, I love you, and I'm not going anywhere anymore. Because you're the one."

―

She leaned up and kissed the side of his jaw, a grin forming on his face. "I want us to be complicated together for the rest of our lives, and every life to come," she mumbled before pulling back. "But I'm not accepting your proposal."

"W-What...?"

She stared into the blue eyes frowning back at her while her hand rest rested at the side of his face. "Love, I'm not letting you do this just because you're hooked up on machines on a hospital bed," she spoke softly, shifting closer to him. "You're gonna get better, and you're gonna get out of this bed and get down on one knee."

She placed a kiss on his lips, and he leaned in for more, his hand travelling to the side of her neck. "You're gonna promise me to recover, and I'll promise you my hand in marriage," she mumbled, and he smiled against her lips. "So, you put your mind in healing yourself, and I put my mind in dealing with my head and leg-because we are gonna be perfect."

He broke into a grin, smiling at her until his cheeks felt numb. His eyes were starting to sting, too, knowing that they would spend the rest of their lives with each other. "I'll hold onto that promise. You?"

"Promise, and-" she smirked, pecking a kiss on his lips, "-sealed."

She snuggled into his chest, and he hugged her close, never wanting to let her go; her grip did not feel like she was about to loosen it anytime soon either. "I love you, Laurie, so, very much. You know that?"

"I had always known," she lifted her head to him, "And I love you more, Mark, love. So much more."

He chuckled, shaking his head to himself. "And here I thought you would've known that that's impossible by now."

It was hours after, and she fell asleep with her arms still tight around his body.

It was hours after when his smile finally faltered, and his eyes started to sting.

He never wanted to let her go. Ever.