mark on my heart | Mark Sloan

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"We can sit here in silence all day," Henson says gently. "Or we can make use of our last session."

Bonnie takes a deep breath and looks up from the cushion she stares at. "Quite frankly, I'm done talking. I just... I want to live now. Get on with things and be okay. But I'm waiting for the call that could shatter the very nice bubble I've created for myself."

"Are you prepared to take that call on your own?" Henson asks.

"I really would rather not but there was a massive trauma this morning - my fiance is a little occupied." Bonnie sighs.

"Then you find someone you trust and stick by them as much as possible. You know your calming techniques, how to manage your stressors and anxieties. I have no doubts that you've got this." She says sincerely.

Bonnie gives a small smile. "Thanks doc. Can't say I'll miss you but it'll be strange without you around."

She laughs. "I'll take that as you'll miss me, don't worry. Good luck Bonnie. You'll be wonderful."

Bonnie heads out and grabs a tea from the cart - coffee is a restricted food while they're in the process. Marks orders. She makes her way inside and goes to the library; Derek sits scrolling through a journal.

"Can I come annoy you for a bit?" She asks as she flops in the chair opposite him.

"Huh?" He looks up and registers what she said. "Right now? No. I've got a dozen journals to get through-"

"Please." She says quietly. "I don't want to be alone."

Derek hesitates but quickly turns away from the computer and scootches closer on the wheely chair. "What's up norbert." He takes her free hand.

She playfully rolls her eyes. "I just don't want to wait alone for the call. What if there aren't any viable eggs? We got 23 at collection, only 15 of those were good to be used. And that number will get even smaller when they've been fertilised."

"And what if you get all 15? What if you get 5? All you need is one. One healthy bunch of cells." He smiles gently, a very Derek smile. "All this what if can be positive, too, Norbert. Plus you can try again. You can always try again."

She smiles small and leans her head on his shoulder. He hands her some of the paper journals and she half reluctantly helps out. Her heart clenches as her phone buzzes, sitting bolt upright as Derek quickly comes closer.

"Answer it!" He snaps as she just stares.

With a deep breath, she hits answer and sets it down on speaker. "Mrs Teller?"

"Hi, yes, hello." She rambles. Derek grabs her hands.

"This is Nurse Morgan from the clinic, is Mr Sloan with you?" The voice on the end of the line is slightly Southern, quiet comforting.

"He's in surgery, you can go ahead without him." She swallows hard. "We had 15 right? How many do we have now?"

"So of the 15 we selected as healthy, we genetically tested those and lost 30 percent. The 12 eggs we fertilised saw only half of those grow steadily and what we'd call normal. So you have-"

"Six!" Bonnie gasps. "6 embryos? Really? Seriously?" She tears.

The woman chuckles gently. "Yes ma'am. You got 6 eggs ready to grow. Now doctor Granger wants to schedule a transfer for friday-"

"2 days!?"

"- in 2 days, yes." She chuckles again. "He feels 2 is a good first try. The other 4 shall be frozen for later use. How does that sound, Mrs Teller?"