You Promised | Mark Sloan ✓

87┃promise, and sealed

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.