You Promised | Mark Sloan ✓

65┃you're the one

S7 EP11

"SO YOU'RE TELLING ME that Arizona showed up last night, all the way back from Malawi?"

"And Torres slammed the door at her face," Mark confirmed with a nod.

"How did she know Callie's in Tim's place, anyway?" Norah quirked a brow at him. Mark sent her a guilty smile and she huffed, "Of course, I should've figured."

The two coffees in their hands were already half-empty when they stopped at the lobby where the volume of the TV had been turned up.

When the live news report started to roll, all the chattering and gossips had fallen silent. The lobby was slowly crowded with surgeons and nurses, who were listening to the news update.

"We are currently live in a major Seattle-area shooting. We have reports that a gunman has opened fire on students and faculty. Again, that's at Pacific College. We now take you live to our on-scene reporter."

Everyone was quiet, except for the few sobs and cries coming from some of the staff. Norah felt her hair standing as the news showed the college building being evacuated, the students and faculty with scared and anxious looks stapled on their faces.

To her right, near the waiting area, she could see Kirian frowning at the news with his jaws clenched tightly. Nina was next to him, who, too, looked slightly paled.

To her left, Timothy had gently rubbed his lower right chest, where the scar from his gunshot wound remained. Lexie was sobbing and wiping her tears off with a tissue while she rested her head at his shoulder. The two had gotten back together after the successful date; Norah was beyond relieved and glad for both of them.

"Students and faculty are still in the building. I'm trying to get some answers, but what we know so far is that a gunman opened fire at Pacific College and that there are at least a dozen-I'm sorry? Okay. Okay, there are at least twenty victims."

The live tape was cut off shortly after when the police on the scene started moving the reporters away.

The mumbles and whispers in the lobby slowly grew; Norah rubbed the back of her neck uneasily, as though she could rub off the literal chills on her skin. It felt like she could see the muzzle pointing at her face once again.

"Hey, are you alright?" Mark spoke next to her as he nudged her lightly.

"I will be... We will be."

❦ ❦ ❦

"THERE ARE FIFTEEN ambulances on the way, maybe more to come," Owen informed while the group of surgeons waited nervously at the ambulance bay, "First one is three minutes out."

"People, people... Our own trauma is fresh and we are going to have feelings today, and there is no shame in that" Webber spoke up as he walked towards the middle of the group, "What I want to say is, what we went through six months ago, they are going through right now. Which makes them our brothers and sisters. Which makes them fellow travellers. Which makes them our own. So, to the very best of our ability, we are gonna do our work first. And you're gonna have your feelings later."

Norah rocked back and forth on her heels, mainly because she had drunk a little too much water even though she felt that her mouth was still dry. She swallowed down the bitter taste on her tongue and took several deep breaths.

"Grey? Lawrence?" Owen asked, checking on them.

"I'm fine," the two residents chorused; Lexie was sobbing while Norah was still fidgeting silently.

"Go to the pit, make sure we're stocked. Call the blood bank-" Mark stated but she cut him off.

"Mark, I'm okay."