67. (S)He's Good to You

A/N: Even though it's three days late, this fic is two years old! In celebration, I have written this huge chapter in thanks. Thank you for all your support! Lots of love!

Why am I not surprised you two found each other?

-Miranda Bailey

Laughing upon Arizona's failure to catch the ball, she walked over to where Mark was at first base. When Jackson smashed the ball, she had run to home, closely followed by him. Squirting water into her mouth, she swallowed and smiled at him.

"Nice throw," she complimented and he smirked.

"You like that?"

"What if I do?" Chuckling, she brought him down for a quick kiss. His gloved hand came to her waist and she was about to pull away when he reached for another kiss.

"Sloan! Hey, Sloan!" Derek was yelling at them and Emily vaguely realized they should probably listen but she merely chuckled, feeling his lips leave hers.

"Yo!"

"Focus! Hello?" Emily smiled to herself, kissing him twice more before pulling away.

"Okay." Still in his arms, Emily found herself cupping his face and kissing the corner of his mouth before walking behind the fence. His eyes trailed after her and when she glanced over, their eyes met. With a wink, she twisted her shoulder towards her in a coy image before heading for the dugout.

"She's good to you. It's sickening," Lexie teased as she ran past and Mark rolled his eyes at her before slapping his gloved hand.

"Play ball!"

.

"You should stop spoiling me," Mark scolded as she stared at him incredulously. Setting the tray on his lap, she fiddled with the fluffy robe belt cinched around her waist. Today was the day of the game and she knew it meant nothing, yet nerves tangled in the pit of her stomach.

"I haven't had enough chances to do so,"

"I'm married to you. That's being spoiled enough."

"Don't get sappy on me, Sloan," she warned. "How do they taste?" Rolling his eyes, he cut a slice of the waffle and popped it in his mouth. The flavours come gently, sweet and fragrant.

"These are really good."

"Good. Now I'm going to pump my breasts before going for a run. It's your turn to bring Everett to daycare." She turned and headed back for the living room as he enjoyed his breakfast in bed. Confused at her sudden even-more-than-usual generosity, he finished off the waffles and fruits that had topped them before getting up and setting the tray in the sink. Everett was in his highchair and upon the table was a bowl of fruit puree.

"Hey, kid," Mark greeted as he grabbed his own bowl and poured himself some cheerios before adding milk. "What's on the schedule, today? Crying? Napping? I think we should work on finding a new favourite toy. What do you think?"

"I think he doesn't care as long as he's with you," Emily called from the couch. Mark sent her a look and she challenged it when she glanced at his bowl. "Sorry my breakfast wasn't good enough."

"No, it's just we gotta fuel up for the game."

"Baseball? Really? Our asses are gonna get whooped no matter how much we practiced, or didn't practice." She turned back to reading his notes on endoscopy head and neck cancer resections. He was still deciding whether or not to focus on this or facial reanimation. On one hand, one was a longer term project he's had since nearly two years ago while the other was… well, cooler.

"Hey, that may be true but we're a team." Everett took hold of his bowl of pureed fruit, and raised it up before letting it drop to the floor. The spoon clattered as some of its uneaten contents splashed out. Mark sighed, grabbing it and placing it back on the high chair table. Everett only took the bowl and dropped it again, waving happily with his spoon. Again, Mark picked it up but before he put it back in his place, he held a finger at his son.

"If you do that again, I swear-" Everett simply responded to his father's half-sentence with a drop of his spoon. Mark fell silent, staring at the plastic red spoon that had the dinosaur tail in the shape of a club in what appeared to be hopelessness. "You're lucky you're my son," he said and Emily chuckled from the couch. "Oh, you think this is funny?"

"Yeah," was her smug response. "I was the one stuck on maternity leave. It's kinda like seeing you get a taste of your own medicine." He picked up the spoon at last and set both plastic items in the sink. Washing them thoroughly but quickly, he set them on the drying rack before grabbing a damp towel and wiping away the puree from the tile. He wrung out the towel under a stream of water before hanging it to dry and then walked up behind his wife.

"You're evil," he whispered, brushing her hair back and she smirked, eyes still trained on his work. Pecking her forehead, he got up and picked up his son. Everett squealed as Mark carried him over to the changing table. "Alright, kid. It's you and me against the world today since your mom hates us. Whaddya say?"

His only response was a gurgle.

.

Walking into the lobby, she popped out an earbud as she still regained her breath from her run. Clad in tight grey yoga capris and a vest over her sports bra, Emily shifted her bag on her shoulder as she squirted a jet of water into her mouth. Sliding the bottle into her bag, she leaned over the desk for her charts.

"Here you go, doctor."

"Thank you." She paused her music and flipped through the first binder. Only a day before her mom's surgery and coincidentally, Mark's dad's resection surgery. Weird.

"What'd you do?" Raising her head from reading, she looked over to see Jackson catching up with her. Approaching the elevator, she pressed the button to go up. "Sloan's been letting me do pretty much all of his surgeries."

"He's been cooking because he's bored, and he likes you because I insisted that he gives you a chance." The elevator doors opened and she entered. "Are you complaining or are you thanking me?"

"Both," he replied, a twinkle in his eyes. He followed in after her and she flashed him a smile. "He has a knack for making me feel like a prostitute." Chuckling, she brushed back hair from her sweaty forehead.

"Itt's part of his natural charm."

"Oh, it's charming alright," Jackson drawled sarcastically. The doors opened and in walked Taylor. "Dr. Jacks."

"Hey, Taylor," Emily greeted and the blond gave them both a wide smile.

"Pumped for the game?" He looked to the elevator lights as they ascended once more. "Can't wait, but I heard we're gonna lose pretty bad."

"Probably," Emily snorted, recalling the gossip of the nurses. When the doors opened again, Jackson stepped out with a half-wave and only the two remained. There was a nervous energy bouncing off Taylor and she glanced at him, eyebrows knitting together. "You have something to say."

"No-"

"Taylor," she warned and he sighed.

"Lex moved out," he admitted at last. "She went back to Meredith's."

"Oh, and are you okay with that?" The blond surgeon shrugged. "Is Lexie okay?"

"Hard to tell these days. Shep's working her hard. Seems we don't have time for a relationship - even for surgeons." The attending was visibly frustrated and it wasn't hard to tell why. Being in a relationship with someone who didn't share the same pictured future was hard. Emily merely squeezed his arm.

"She's ambitious," she said.

"Tell me about it." The elevator doors opened and they both exited. She began her way to the Chief Resident's office. Following after her, he merely sighed. "It's not my place to say anything. We'll stick it out - maybe she'll change her mind." The brunette doctor frowned, mulling his words over as she dug through her bag for the key.

"Right. Maybe you should talk about it more," she advised and he sighed again. "Or not." Unlocking the door, she stepped in and gave her friend a smile.

"I don't know how much longer I can wait, but I'll try." He matched her smile with one smaller before walking past, hands shoved in his pockets. Chewing her bottom lip, she watched him go for a moment and then closed the door to change into her scrubs.

.

:if i have to talk to my dad, you have to spend more than two minutes with your mom:

The text was read once Emily scrubbed out of a surgery with Bailey. Sighing heavily, she pocketed her phone and turned, leaning against the sink. Looking over at her, her old resident gave a quick inspection of her mental state.

"What's got you so twisted up?"

"Mark wants me to check up on my mom," she informed, making a slight face. Bailey's face softened when Emily let her hand drop, the other coming to pinch the bridge of her nose. "It's none of your concern, sorry."

"You're right, but that doesn't mean I won't care. You're one of my babies, Moore, whether you like it or not."

"Yeah, but it's - we were never close," she says, eyes trained on her sneakers. "Not like how you and George were, or how you and Meredith are. Sorry, I should just go-"

"Hey, I may not be able to understand what you and Sloan are going through, but I'm glad that he's in your corner. And who cares if it looked like I played favourites, I still taught you and it was always a breath of fresh air. With everyone else in your group having their own drama, it was nice to teach someone who never had a single personal problem interfere with her work." A fond smile crossed her face when Emily removed her hand from her face and looked at the shorter woman. "Despite what I thought and who he was, you've changed Mark Sloan for good, Moore, so hold on to him. He's good to you."

"Thanks," she whispered as the attending walked past. Emily took a moment for herself and then dug out her phone. The time was 10:00 AM on the dot. The game was in five hours. She could last that long.

:i will.: With that text sent, she pushed off the sink and left the scrub room. Taking off her scrub cap, she stuffed it in her pant pocket and went for the elevator, immediately pressing level three for the neuro wing. As the elevator began to move, she backed up and leaned against the rail. Her head pressed against the wall as the doors opened. Navigating through the halls, she spotted Derek at the nurse's station.

"Hey," the brunette greeted and the neurosurgeon looked up immediately.

"I just got a new set of your - of Mrs. Deluca's aneurysm. Because it's so large, instead of a clip, I'm thinking using a stent to divert blood away from the aneurysm."

"A flow diverter," she said and he nodded with a hum. "What are your chances?" she asked and he took out a set of CT scans and MRI scans. Holding it up to the light, Emily could see how huge it was, how easily it was prone to burst.

"Confidently? Seventy, seventy-five percent. Hm," mused Derek, brow furrowing, "maybe eighty." Emily knew he was lying to make her feel better and she accepted that. The surgeon pulled her hair out of her bun and shook out her curls absently. "I'll try my best."

"I know. I don't - It's not her I'm worried about."

"You barely know them," Derek murmured, glancing at the room where Andrew and Carina were nervously hanging around. When Carina spotted Derek looking at them, she began to make their way over. Emily brushed hair away from her face but to be honest, the tall Italian woman made her a bit uneasy and self-conscious.

"Dr. Shepherd, we have some questions regarding the surgery tomorrow," the woman began and Emily took it as her chance to slip past them. Ducking her head, she ignored Andrew's questioning glance and headed for the door. Twisting the knob open, she sucked in a breath and forced herself in.

Sofia Deluca rose higher on the bed and Emily forced herself to meet those eyes.

"Did Dad know?" The first words that come out are callously said. "That you cheated on him?"

"Milly-"

"Answer the question," she growled, rage growing like a everlasting fire in the pit of her stomach. She tried to quell it with softer thoughts but failed. Her throat as small as a needle, she tried not to let her lips tremble from the betrayal and anger she felt for this woman.

"Yes." Something chipped off, landing in that pit of her stomach and smoldering before being set completely aflame. Taking in a quivering breath, she finally closed her eyes. "Your father is a good man, a man better than what I deserved, and when I found out he… was unfaithful, I thought it was my chance."

"To marry some other man?"

"To marry the love of my life," Sofia stated coolly. Tears began to cover her eyes with a sheen but Emily refused to let them drop.

"I thought Dad was the love of your life. I… I thought we were your kids." Though her voice was deep with pain, there was a high pitched whimpering behind her words. "For so long, I wanted to know if you were even alive. How could you just leave us like that? Like we meant nothing?"

Damn, she thought. Hot ribbons of salty tears race down her cheeks as she rubbed at her face in frustration. Sniffing, she ignored how Sofia reached for her before pulling away when she had noticed what she was doing.

"I don't answer to you," she finally said when she had calmed down. "Not anymore. But you will answer me. How can you lie there and act like nothing is wrong?" The completely chilling note of her voice shocked even her as Sofia Deluca recoiled at her daughter's voice. "Act like you didn't betray me, betray Noah, betray Dad? Remember him? The man you always told me was the man you imagined spending the rest of your life with."

"It wasn't a lie."

"Then, what was it?"

"I met Leo when he came to America for a business trip. I fell in love with him, I make no apologies for that." Sofia's eyes glossy, she ducked her head in shame. "I'm only sorry that I hurt you." Jaw clenched, Emily tried to make herself less of a mess but it was so hard seeing her mother, someone she had loved with all her heart, admit that her parents' love story wasn't real.

"I don't - I can't even—" She stopped, trying to collect her wits and thoughts— "For so long, I was so angry at Dad because he drove you away. Now, I see it's the other way around."

"Your father is happily married to his new wife."

"He was happily married to you!" Emily screamed. "Stop trying to justify what you did! Stop trying to make it seem like it's anything but your fault our family is in pieces." Taking steps forward, she ran her hands through her hair, clutching near her roots as she paced.

"Emily, calm down."

"You weren't here! You were never here!" Just like that, Emily became that lonely university student who had no one to lean on, that med student who was forced to swim before she even knew how to float. Then, she was the woman in the ambulance, watching two men bleed out before her eyes, and then the surgeon who saw Tom's life slip between her fingers. When at last she became the woman who was almost a widow before she was even married, and stayed like that, haunted as she saw herself dig gauze into Mark's wound, her eyes became poisoned daggers and Sofia Deluca flinched back, deathly afraid of the daughter who would never raise a hand against anyone. "You were never here for me, for Noah, for anyone. How could you be so selfish?"

.

Mark's hand stopped above the knob when he heard those words. Now, every single kindness Emily had ever bestowed on a patient made more sense than ever. He knew the Deluca siblings eyes were on him, watching his move and decided to make his entrance upon hearing the next words.

"Would it have been so hard to explain, to tell me what the hell was going on in your head?"

That was his cue, before he knew his wife would break down. Opening the door, he immediately made his presence known by confidently striding towards her and pulling her into him. The woman on the bed, startled, looked at him like he was both a godsend and a hell spawn for touching her daughter so intimately.

"Excuse us for a moment," he said and pulled a crying brunette out of the room and to the nearest on-call room, shielding her from prying eyes. Unceremoniously pushing her inside the room, he closed the door behind him and locked it.

"Mark - she - I couldn't-" Every word came out mumbled, shaky and he barely understood anything as she crashed into him, arms coming up around his waist as she held onto his top like a lifeline. Standing in that on-call room, they merely stayed in silence until she calmed down significantly and resorted to just standing in the dark, the only light filtering through the blinds. He held her head to his chest as she let her arms fall limp by her sides.

"It'll be okay," he whispered and she nodded numbly against him. Looking up through shining hazel eyes, Emily raised her left hand to hold and he reached up, interlacing their fingers. Swinging their locked hands down, he leaned to kiss her forehead before engulfing her in another hug again.

"It was good to let it out," she admitted a few moments later and he merely hummed in response, content to just sway together. "We don't have work tomorrow, do we?"

"No, we don't."

"Good." Pulling away, she wiped at any stray tears and grimaced at the wet stains on his top. "Sorry."

"Don't sweat it," he said, waving it off as he cupped her face. Brushing away the final tears, he kissed her fully on the lips. "I'm sorry I told you to go talk to your mom,"

"I'm sorry I told you to go talk to your dad," she replied and he half-smiled.

"Look at us with mommy and daddy issues."

"Mark."

"Whatever. It's done." Sliding his hand down to her shoulder, he committed her face to memory as if he had never done it before before pulling away. "And we have to get back to work. Are you gonna be okay?"

"Definitely," she said. Her voice quivered just a tiny bit but still she lead the way out the on-call room. She turned away to go back down the hall and Mark shoved his hands in his pockets, watching her go.

"Dr. Sloan?" Turning around, he pulled his labcoat tighter across his chest to hide the tear stains. Andrew Deluca stood before him. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine." Walking past him, he felt the stare follow after him as he walked up to Derek who had watched the interaction from afar. "Tell me you've got something."

"It's huge. I've never seen anything like it," he confessed and Mark surpressed a frown. "I'm hoping to know more once I get in there." Derek's lips pressed together and he refused to look at him. "How's Dick?"

"Altman's pretty confident. I'm not. Derek, I don't want him dead, but I don't want to ever see him again." His best friend's blue eyes met his. "Make sure her mom makes it."

"I pull off miracles for a living. Don't worry about me. I won't crack under the pressure and run into the woods." Mark only humphed and looked to his shoes - sneakers Em had bought him for his past birthday.

"It's not you I'm worried about. I can't lose her again," he said hoarsely, at last looking at Derek again. "Not like Boston."

"Mark-"

"You save her."

Derek sighed, "I'll try."

.

The game sucked ass.

Mark hated when Emily was right sometimes, but he guessed he didn't mind when her beer-washed mouth pressed against his.

"Goodnight." Jackson stood, brushing past Emily's and Mark's legs.

"Night, Avery," Mark called after his apprentice.

"Night, Jackson."

Taylor took a swig of Meredith's canteen before handing it to Emily. "Come on, Lex. I'll drive you back." The two took off and Emily waved after them. At the other end of the bench, Meredith, Derek, and Alex were speaking and the two Sloans glanced over.

"I just got a message from Janet. I guess the judge got in touch with her. He's looking at Zola's files. We're gonna get a court date."

"Hey! Congratulations, Shep," Mark exclaimed, sliding down the bench as Meredith's face beamed like the sun.

"We're getting a hearing? We have a hearing."

"We have a hearing." Meredith laughed, pecking her husband on the lips before kissing Alex's temple.

"We're getting a hearing." Emily leaned over to give her friend a hug, kissing her cheek as the drunk blonde took her husband's hand. Derek stabilized her as the two Shepherds left.

"What'd you do?" Emily asked with a glance at Alex.

"Nothing." Emily rubbed a hand over his head and leaned over to kiss his head.

"Okay…" she trailed off dubiously before turning back to a more-sober Mark. "Take me home," she mumbled to her husbandand he nodded, pressing their faces close.

Taking her hand, he ran a thumb over the ring as he jumped off the top stair of the bleachers. He turns around and plucks her from the top, carrying her down to the ground. Her arms looped around his neck until she was securely on the ground. He took her hand again and she leaned against him as they walked back to the car.

"Did you ever realize that the necklace you gave me before Alex and Izzie's wedding…" she trailed off and he raised his head from hers, glancing down at her.

"What?"

"The ring is like the one you gave me when we were married," she said and he chuckled, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Yes. That's what I was going for."

"You're sappier than I thought," she teased and he growled, nipping at her ear. "Come on, let's get some dinner. I'm starving."

.

Walking into the hospital, she held Mark's hand as he pushed their son on a stroller. They had made a game plan. First, they'd stop by the cardio wing since the surgery was scheduled for earlier, at around 9 AM, then they'd watch for a bit before Emily went to go to her mom's procedure. Everett squirmed and Emily picked him up.

Everett swung his hands and Emily kissed his cheek as they headed for the elevator.

"Whatever happens, we'll make it." The words startled him and he looked over at her. "Whatever happens, we'll make it."

"We'll make it," he repeated and their fingers interlaced. She squeezed his hand and he squeezed hers.

.

"Navigating to the left lung. There's the tumour. Alright, bovie."

"Hey." Noah came in, sitting on the other side of Mark. "How's the surgery?"

"Going smoothly for now. Altman said the heart is what she's worried about. She's hoping it hasn't invaded the aorta but she won't know the damage until she gets in there," Mark murmured, leaning on his knees and placing his clasped hands before his lips. "There were no tumours in the right lung."

Everett let out a cry at that moment and Emily, sitting at Mark's feet, sighed and gave him the dolphin although months ago, he had elected to deny it at every turn. As per previous experiences, Everett turned away and proceeded to grab at his feet. Noah grinned, picking up his nephew as Emily leaned against Mark's knee. He weaved his fingers through her hair and she took his hand.

"And after they're opening him up?" Noah asked and Mark nodded. The pediatric surgeon stood, pacing back and forth. He took out his phone, checking on the time.

"Em, surgery's in ten minutes."

"Okay." The brunette didn't look away from where Teddy began to resect the tumour. She absently tugged on the blanket Everett was resting on. Folding it up, she slid it into the diaper bag before getting up. Mark's gaze followed her and she leaned down, a hand on his shoulder.

"Everything will be okay," she whispered and he closed the distance between them. Their lips glided over each other's and she savoured his presence before pulling away.

"See you in a bit."

"See you in a bit." Straightening up, she ruffled his hair before walking to the exit with the diaper bag left beside him. Noah descended the steps and placed Everett in his father's arms. Her gaze lingered on the two of them, her two boys, before Noah urged her forward with a hand on her shoulder.

Her brother kept her close under his arm as the two travelled to the neuro wing. In the room, Mr. Deluca, Andrew, and Carina were all inside as Derek spoke to them. The bed was gone - she must've been taken up to surgery already.

Mr. Deluca looked up and saw the two siblings lingering by the window. Emily wanted to shrink away, to meld into her brother's side or hide behind him but he stayed firm.

"Can they come in? They should hear this, too." At that, Carina and Andrew turned to the window. Lexie went to the door, swinging it open.

"They're doctors - they know what's going to happen," said Derek.

"And Carina is, as well. She's their mother; they should hear it." Noah and Emily walked in slowly, unsure if their presence was welcomed. The brunette detached from her brother, resorting to just holding his hand tightly.

"Mr. Deluca, with all due respect, she's their mother." Noah directed a look at the other pair of siblings. "I don't want you to lose your wife. That's a common courtesy."

"Right, well, I have to get going if I'm going to save Sofia's live." Derek gestured for Lexie to follow. "Dr. Grey,"

"We'll bring you updates," the younger surgeon promised before following after her mentor. Emily turned to watch them go but Noah remained firm in his stance.

"You should probably start heading to the waiting room," the pediatric surgeon said stiffly.

"Noah - that is your name, yes? - she told me a lot about you. She said you were in the army." Carina looked at her father sharply.

"I was with Doctors without Borders," he informed. "I came back from service a few years ago. I'm afraid you have me and my sister at a disadvantage. We don't know who the hell you are."

"Leonardo Deluca - I'm an accountant."

"Oh, so she went for someone with a more profiting job," Emily muttered under her breath and Noah barked out a harsh laugh. Covering his mouth, he sent a glance at his sister who winked in response.

"Noah Moore, one of the most foremost pediatric surgeons in the world - not to brag," he said with a shrug. "You probably already knew that though, since you apparently knew we existed and we didn't know you did." They shook hands almost amicably. "T'is my sweet sister."

"Emily Moore."

"Oh, don't stop now. She was personally invited to work with Harper Avery and is the best ortho resident I've ever seen." Emily felt a cold wave of shock wash over her. Noah was proud of his little sister, he always made that clear, but to brag about his achievements and hers… it was unlike him. Emily turned to look at him, to really read his expression and found that underneath that smile, she saw something desperate to prove they didn't deserve to be abandoned.

You know we didn't deserve this, she thought, so why are you trying to prove it?

"That's… that's fantastic. Andrew himself is working to become a surgeon as well and Carina is a fifth-year resident."

"Doctor genes seem to run in the family," Emily said through gritted teeth. "Unfortunately, because you're family, you can't be in the gallery during the surgery. So, if you'll excuse us, Noah, may I speak to you for a moment?" Pulling her brother out of the room and down the hall, she opened the nearest supply closet and shoved him in there.

"What?"

"What the hell was that? You know I don't like bragging." His fingers clutched at his hair and he shoved a bin. "Hey!"

"That man gave our mom two perfect kids. One is becoming a surgical resident since he was an EMT and I've talked to him. Maybe not as much as I should have, but he's funny, and kind, and sensitive. The sister is your age, give or take a few years. She works at a prestigious Italian hospital."

"So? I get it, she used them to replace us because we're fuckups."

"Aren't the parallels uncanny?" he finally inquired softly. "The son, an emergency response for medical aid, a surgeon; the sister, at a prestigious hospital, fifth-year, one of the best residents in her year. I don't think she realized it but she used them as a substitute for us."

"What are you saying?"

"Okay, we both have issues."

"Yeah, you're a mess."

"I'm being serious here," he snapped and she crossed her arms, leaning against the wall. "I need something, okay? I need something to hold on to. You were a kid but I was halfway across the world and when I came back, she was gone. I have abandonment issues just like how you have PTSD." Emily froze at his words. "Since Mom left, I thought Theresa would leave me. I thought she would take the kids and go. I was never there - I… wasn't there for their births. I missed out on their lives. I realized that's exactly what Mom did to you."

"No', why didn't you ever tell me?" For all her life, her brother was a rock. Always there to welcome her with a smile, always there for a hug or a conversation, the one who understood her when no one else did.

"It's not exactly over-the-table dinner conversation, is it? It's not a big thing."

"Still-"

"Is your PTSD a big thing?" She was deadly silent and he swallowed. "How could I tell you when I left you, too?" His hazel eyes flickered to meet hers and she bit her lip. He sighed heavily, "And you had your own problems - you were living your own life. I'm the big brother. I should be protecting you."

So the gene that made Emily so recklessly, dangerously selfless lived in Noah, too. Funny, that.

"Hmm, so, what's the point of spreading out all of our achievements ever?" she questioned and he leaned against a metal rack, hands in his pant pockets.

"I don't know. I feel like I need to prove to them like… we didn't fuck up. We didn't fuck up with Mom, or Dad, that wasn't our fault. The way Mr. Deluca looks at us, like we're something to be pitied - a fucking pair of kicked puppies - I can't stand to be stared at like that. I have this need to prove to him that we're… we are better without her help. We grew up. You have Mark and Everett and a family. So do I."

"But…" she prompted, sensing that it was there somewhere.

"But it still feels like a competition, like they don't have to prove anything but we do because she left us so there must be something wrong, right?"

"Noah, you can't think like that. We're different from them."

"Of course we are. It's just not so clear once you step back and see it for yourself," he remarked. At her quirked eyebrow, he offered a half-smile. "We look like a huge family, Em, and it's crazy. If—" he stopped, then restarted— "No one would guess we're only half-siblings based on how we look."

"Well, Carina is a step-sibling," she said and he shot her a look. "I guess I kinda get it. But, maybe you shouldn't put it like that. You make yourself seem more arrogant than anything." She took a deep breath.

"Yeah, that was always Mark and Derek's thing," he replied and she exhaled sharply in response, too somber to laugh.

"I hate this."

"Well, she's gone after recovery, and we'll never have to see her again. The kids seem alright, though, so maybe I wouldn't exactly throw a fit if I ever see them again."

"And the mister?"

"Whatever. None of my business." She snorted at his response and he opened his arms for a hug. Immediately, she embraced her brother tightly.

"Promise me you won't brag to them again."

"I can't promise that but I'll try. I like showing off my little sister."

"Haha," she said sarcastically. "It's not a competition. You'll always be my favourite brother."

"I'm touched," he whispered against her head and he pulled back, pecking her forehead. "Come on, let's get up to the gallery."

.

"It's a beautiful day to save lives. Let's have some fun."

.

Mark felt another presence behind him and raised his head. Emily was just in the next door gallery so when Arizona sat beside him, he offered a smile.

"How's it going?"

"They just started the resection of the heart tumour."

"Oh. That's good. Did they get good margins with the lung tumour?" she asked and Mark leaned back. Everett squirmed at his father's sudden movement but didn't stir from his nap.

"Yeah." Noting that Arizona was in a scrub cap and in a gown, he surmised, "You just get out of surgery?"

"What? Oh, yeah, it went fine," she said with a bright grin. "I just wanted to check in on you. Callie and I are taking turns between surgery."

"That's cute but I don't need babying."

"Callie thought otherwise. You don't have anyone - Derek's in surgery and the Moores have Derek's surgery to worry about, so here I am." Clasping her hands, the blonde turned to look through the glass.

"Do you want to hold him?" asked Mark and Arizona tilted her head.

"Hm? Oh, sure." Getting up, he stretched before excusing himself for the bathroom. After he went, he popped by Derek's surgical gallery. Noah and Emily were watching in rapt attention.

"Hey," he said, startling them both out of their reveries. Guess they were more alike than Mark realized. "How's your surgery going?"

"Fine," his wife replied. "Derek's just opened her up."

"Okay… good." He quickly darted in, cupping his wife's head from behind and pressing a kiss to her hair before retreating. He knew she smiled as he returned to his own gallery in lighter spirits. Then, he heard the beeping.

Running into the gallery, he stood before the glass.

"Clamp. Yang, suction!"

"What's happening?" he barked to Arizona who had risen to her feet as well. "Arizona-"

"The aorta is dissecting. He came in on a motorcycle crash, right?"

"Yeah-"

"It must be sequela to the open-heart surgery he had when he first came in. Altman and Yang know how to fix it. Don't worry."

"Dacron graft." Plopping back down, he covered his face with his hands and leaned back into the chair to sit down. Arizona settled back down, Everett still in her arms.

"I think Everett wants his daddy." She extended the child between them and Mark looked up, taking his child without hesitation. "You know you're a great dad, right? You don't have to worry about becoming like him."

"Thanks," he muttered, not quite believing it. No matter what, Addison's words always lingered whether he noticed them or not.

"Mark, you're not him. I see it in how you hold your son, in how you babysit Sofia. You don't have to worry about being a bad father - I don't think it's possible." Arizona's soft smile coaxed out one of his own and he nodded.

"Vitals stable." That caught their attention and Mark leaned forward, seeing Teddy look up at him with a nod. He breathed a sigh of relief and sat back once more.

.

"What the- Is that what I think it is?"

"Dr. Grey," Derek's voice cut through Lexie's shock with a well-meaning glance at the siblings in his gallery. Noah got up and reached for the intercom.

"Derek, what is it?" he asked and the neurosurgeon paused, tools in his hands. He seemed to be confused, trying to plot out his next move. "Derek."

"There's another aneurysm right beneath the first." Emily felt something lodge in her throat and she couldn't quite breathe. Pressing her hands against the glass, she glared as hard as she could until she was sure the glass would melt.

"Can you clip it?"

"The aneurysm would block it. We'll just have to be careful."

"So, now what?"

"I go slow, I go steady, and I try to prevent from rupturing the second one." Emily glanced at Noah who removed his hand from the intercom and sighed. "Dr. Grey, inform the family-"

"Derek, wait. We'll do it."

.

"The scans didn't show the second aneurysm because it lies right beside the first, which was large enough to begin with." Noah said, hands behind his back. Mr. Deluca inhaled sharply and he turned away, hand fitted over his eyes.

"So, now what?" asked Andrew.

"Dr. Shepherd is removing the second aneurysm. With luck, he'll be able to remove it without it rupturing. Don't worry, he's very good," Noah consoled. Emily clenched her fists loosely, wanting to walk away.

"We'll come back with an update if need be," Emily said and the two turned back to head back up to the gallery."

.

He rocked Everett's car seat that they could connect to a stroller. The child was fast asleep, his dolphin snuggled against him. Mark had half-convinced him to take it back.

"Hey, how're you doing?" Callie asked, coming in with two plastic boxes. Handing one over to him, she cracked hers open and dug into her salad with her fork. "They only had sandwiches, sorry."

"It's fine," he replied, cracking it open and digging into the basic tuna-lettuce sandwich. "And I'm fine. There was an aortic dissection but they fixed it. Now they're resecting the heart tumour."

"Oh, that's good. It looks like they're getting good perimeters."

"Yeah. Hey, what time is it?"

"Almost one." Callie's hand wrapped around Mark's and the Latina smiled at her best friend. "I can take Everett off your hands for a while. You look exhausted."

"He's sleeping, for now," he said, blinking. "He's the only thing keeping me sane at this point."

"Sats are low."

"The tumour is eating away at the tricuspid valve; we need to get control of this bleeding. Suction, Yang." The two friends darted to their feet and Mark felt his breath hitch and catch in his throat. The beeping of the monitors had his heart beating in his toes and in his head all at once.

"B.P is dropping."

"Damn it. 5-0 vicryl, let's move! Yang, suction." Taking the suture, Teddy began to try and sew the wound close. Mark looked to the monitor in the corner of the gallery and swallowed tightly. The tumour had eroded the tricuspid wall. Removal would mean tearing a hole too big to fix but leaving in would mean the tumour would eat through the whole valve.

"B.P. returning back to normal." Mark's knees felt weak and he stumbled back. The two cardiothoracic surgeons stared at the beating heart, one that wore itself thin because of the extra weight on one of its main valves. He was gonna be sick.

Pushing past Callie, he walked as calmly as he could down the hall and out the double doors. He leaned against the wall by the O.R. board and tried to swallow down the acid burning his throat. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back and tried to calm his breathing.

"Sloan?" Prying open his eyes, he saw Hunt looking at him. "Your dad's surgery go okay?" He didn't answer, simply pushing off the wall and continuing down the hall. Stuck in a daze, he found the nearest on-call room and lay down on the bed. His head felt light and he wasn't quite sure he was still in the same reality until the door opened.

"Hunt told me he saw you come in here."

"Callie," he groaned, not opening his eyes, "I just need to be alone."

"I'm not leaving my best friend alone when he needs me and I know Em wouldn't want you alone. Come on, you need to take a break from this floor. Let's go to the nursery." Mark sat up and glanced over at her, seeing her hold the car seat and the diaper bag slung over her shoulder. He swung his legs off the bed.

"Let's go."

.

"Okay. Give me a titanium long clip." Emily pulled at her fingers fretfully as Noah tensed beside her, leaning forward. "Lexie, pull the first aneurysm up and suction,"

"I don't like this," Emily murmured and Noah made a noise of agreement. "Come on, Derek." The neurosurgeon slowly navigated the clip underneath the first aneurysm and was just about to clip it when blood flooded the view. She gazed up at the monitor in the corner and saw only red.

"Damn it. It ruptured." The high-pitched beeping of the monitors made her hair stand on end and she couldn't tear her eyes away.

"She's hemorrhaging." There was the sound of the suction, the feel of Noah's hand clamped on hers as the two doctors worked to clear the field. There was so much unending blood and Emily's internal clock as a surgeon, one that could count minutes to rough accuracy, knew that they only had five minutes to clip the aneurysm, and even then, there was a high chance there could be neural deficits.

She couldn't hear anything except that beeping. It echoed in her head as Lexie continued her best to suction the blood coming out of the brain like a squeezed sponge.

"You're going in blind?" The words cut across her haze and she snapped her gaze to the actual surgeons just as Derek inserted the clip. His eyebrows furrowed, he let the clip snap shut and withdrew just as the beeping stopped. Lexie dragged the suction across to soak up the remaining pools of blood.

The beeping slowed and resumed it's normal, rhythmic pacing. Emily leaned back into her chair and curled up, leaning against her brother who pressed his lips against her hair.

"Dr. Grey, would you like to close? I'd like to tell the family." Derek glanced up at them, a smile hidden behind his mask. Despite the chance of neural deficits, he had saved her after all.

"Of course, Dr. Shepherd."

.

Emily ran down the steps just as Derek exited the scrub room and she grinned, slapping him lightly on the arm.

"Going in blind was stupid," she scolded but he shrugged.

"It saved her life, didn't it?" he retorted and she conceded that point as Noah came down the flight of stairs to shake his best friend's hand.

"Nice save, Shep, I guess," he added teasingly. The three of them headed for the waiting room where the Deluca family were waiting. As Derek updated the family, she felt noticeably lighter. Her mom could leave - she could put this whole past behind her. She had to tell Mark and ask how his dad's surgery went.

"Thank you, Dr. Shepherd," Leonardo Deluca hugged the neurosurgeon. "Thank you."

:mark wru?: She sent the text with one hand while watching the good news be delivered from afar. Glancing up at Noah, she read his lips, 'Go.'

She squeezed his arm and went for the elevator just as her phone dinged.

:daycare:

The response was succinct and she made her way to where her husband was. Preparing herself, she entered slowly at first and then saw Mark, one hand on the stroller and the other on his phone. His back was to her.

"Hey," she announced her presence and he turned. Tears were streaming down his face and she immediately enveloped him in her arms. Taking his face in her hands, she wiped away the tears.

"Talk to me, please."

He leaned down to kiss her and she allowed it. "My dad's not gonna make it," he said. "The tumour eroded the tricuspid valve - there was nothing they could do." He was quiet for a moment, and then asked, "Can we go home?"

"Of course." Pulling herself up by his shoulder, she kissed him thrice on the lips before taking the stroller and pushing Everett forward. Mark had a hand on her hip and she wrapped a hand around his waist, allowing them to push the stroller together. "Wanna order a pizza? We can watch a movie."

"Wanna watch Iron Man?" he asked quietly and she leaned against him.

"I'll watch whatever you want," she assured and he sighed, pecking her forehead.

"Let's go home."

A/N: It's crazy to think we have 300+ followers, 200+ favourites and reviews, and over 100k views. I'm absolutely astounded. From the pit of my heart, I adore every single one of my readers. Thank you. As a celebration, I have completely gone over this fic, editing all 67 chapters and improving the dialogue, adding new scenes, and new storylines as well. Thank you, once again.

Next: Mark decides what to do with his father.