Mark Sloan always saw something in Natalie, something he couldn't quite explain. He saw courage and sensitivity all in one person and he always hated how Natalie couldn't see that. After everything she had gone through, she was still up and going, up until her last breath. It was what made Mark fall in love with her, it was also what made him lose her. And it was hard all at the same time.
Loving her changed him. And losing her made him change all over again. Because he needed to be everything all at once for his children. And there was nothing he wouldn't do for them. All three of them.
That morning he woke up feeling like it was a little too hard to get out of bed. He had a dream, he saw what it would be like having her with him and it was enough to make his whole day feel like a burden to be alive. Because all he knew the moment he opened his eyes was that he wanted to fall asleep again and continue holding her, like it was his reality.
Mark was cleaning up the table. He and Natalie had just finished eating dinner. Natalie was upstairs putting the kids to sleep. Iris and Sam. Amber was in New York studying, and everything was exactly like it was supposed to be. And Natalie Turner was exactly where she was supposed to be. Right next to her family.
"So the kids are sleeping." Natalie walked into the kitchen. "I just called Amber to make sure she's not out partying." She added and gave her husband a horrifying look.
"And?" He asked her, knowing the answer already. He also knew that he had to make sure that Natalie wouldn't freak out much about Amber being away. It was exactly what it would happen, if that was real.
"She will be out partying in a while, but I can do nothing about it." Natalie sighed and set her phone on the table. "So I am choosing to trust her, and I made her promise me that she will text me that she got home alive. It's really sweet that you let her stay in your apartment in New York." She walked up to Mark, wrapping her arms around his back.
"I think you know that at this point there isn't anything I wouldn't do for any of you." Mark said and kissed the top of her head. Natalie rested her head on his chest and Mark rested his hand around her neck. He took a deep breath, like a part of him knew that it wasn't real, and all he wanted was to linger on her scent just for a little bit.
Natalie pulled her head back a little bit so she could look up at him. "You're a great person Mark, an amazing husband and dad." She told him, like she was sending him a message. She gave him the words Mark needed to hear the most.
