Endless Dreams, Still Holding On - Mark Sloan

"I Promise." - Chapter Sixteen

When I was 17, I got the call that everybody dreads. The one telling you that somebody you loved is dead. Let me tell you, everybody thinks that the call will be nice, that the person on the other end will sympathize for you, that they will let you down easy. That's not how it happened to me. I picked up the phone and the woman on the other end told me in these exact words, 'You're brother, Timothy Robbins, died earlier today, have a good day.' That was it. No 'if you need anyone to talk to crap', no 'we did everything we could'. I didn't even get an explanation. She told me to have a good day for gods sake. She just told me my brother was dead and to have a good day in the same sentence. I was just told he was dead. The phone call cut off. He was just gone...

"Are you sure you're okay to work?" Mark asks me after he already made me have yesterday off work.

"Mark, I'm fine. For the last time I'm fine." I say as we walk into the elevator with Burke,

"What happened to your hair?" Burke asks Richard making me notice that he dyed his hair.

"Leave him be." Addison told us.

"You dyed it." Mark states with wide eyes.

"But why?" Derek asks and Addison smacks him.

"Leave him be." Addison says again and I laugh quietly at the situation at hand.

"What are you doing? What?" Derek stutters confused.

"Ok, but why?" Burke asks and Addison rolls her eyes.

"Men who have grey hair are noticed less then men who don't." Richard states simply.

"By who?" Derek asks confused still.

"Well..." Richard starts.

"By the ladies..." Burke mutters, finishing the sentence as me and Mark laugh.

"Looks good Chief." Derek tells him and I smile at him, nodding my head in agreement.

"Ladies will love it." Burke adds.

"Very natural." Mark nods.

"He is alone, all alone. Do any of you even know what that's like?" Addison asks and then points to Burke, "Lives with Cristina." Then points to Derek, "Dates the perfect 12-year-old." Then points to me and Mark, "And I don't even know what's going on with you two but you have each other! His wife left him, after 25 years of marriage. So if the man wants to dye his hair for the ladies leave him be. Leave him be." Addison states firmly and Derek mouths ok. The elevator stops and I get out saying a quiet goodbye, happy to get away from that awkwardness.

"It's weird. Weird. It's weird right?" Callie asks as I walk into the clinic.

"What's weird Callie?" I ask her.

"I need more triage tear tags." Bailey says tiredly.

"Working with somebody I'm married to is weird. I mean, I'm his boss and his wife. At work, I'm giving him orders. In bed, he's giving me..." Callie says and Bailey interrupts her, thankfully.

"Stop! Right there! I don't need to know this. I'm tired, I'm busy. While I will concede, you and O'Malley have some challenges to overcome. I'm asking you to remember that this day is a marathon and my mind can only hold what it needs to know. Your sex life cannot be held in my mind today. Ever! It cannot be held in my mind ever. Never." She rants making me stand there shocked and Callie roll her eyes.

"Whatever..." She mutters as some woman enters.

"Sydney Heron here to lend a hand. Hey! Hi! Hello! Oh Miranda, hey. Nice clinic, very nice." She rants in a way too happy tone for my liking, it was creepy to be honest.