Sutures and Secrets || Mark Sloan

40 | Brothers and Sisters

05x15

Days later, Charlie and Meredith were still fighting and she wasn't exactly on the best terms with Derek either. While it was relatively easy to avoid both of them at the hospital, especially now that Mr. Dunn had finally been discharged and they no longer had to work on his case together, avoiding them at home was much more complicated.

The tension in the house was unbearable, to the point where Charlie had even considered moving out. But that wasn't exactly an easy fix. Moving in with Mark wasn't an option - at least, not yet. Not when Derek still didn't know about their relationship. Renting her own place on a resident's salary wasn't feasible either. She even entertained the idea of asking Cristina and Callie to move in with them, but she wasn't sure she could handle Cristina's moods at home as well. That left her back at square one: her best option was moving in with Mark. But in order to do that, she would have to tell Derek about their relationship, which was probably not the best idea when their relationship was already strained.

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One morning, Charlie rushed to the hospital earlier than her shift would've initially started because Mark had called her and told her that Addison and her brother Archer had been flown in from LA. Archer had parasites in his brain and since Addison wanted the best possible care for him, she had turned to Derek. Knowing how much Addison meant to her - and even Archer, in some way - Charlie didn't hesitate for a second. She needed to be there.

She hurried down the hall toward the ICU, her heart pounding from both exertion and worry. As she rounded the corner, she finally spotted Addison standing outside Archer's room, watching through the glass as Derek examined him. Naomi was beside her, arms crossed tightly over her chest, looking just as tense.

When Addison saw Charlie approaching, her expression immediately shifted. Relief washed over her face and before Charlie could even say anything, Addison pulled her into a tight hug. They clung to each other for a long moment, both of them so happy to see one another, though they both wished it were under different circumstances.

"God, I've missed you.", Addison murmured.

"Me too.", Charlie admitted before pulling back slightly to hug Naomi. It had been years since she'd last seen her. "Hey, stranger."

Naomi smiled, hugging her back. "Hey yourself."

Charlie turned back to Addison, studying her closely. "I cleared my schedule for today.", she announced. "I'm here. For whatever you need."

Addison's lips parted in surprise before she quickly shook her head. "Lola, you didn't have to do that. I'm fine."

Charlie gave her a pointed look. "Your brother has parasites in his brain, Addison. I cleared my schedule."

Addison exhaled, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "Thank you."

Charlie's gaze flickered over her friend, taking in the subtle differences in her appearance. "You cut your hair."

Addison blinked before running a hand through her shorter strands. "Yeah. You like it?"

Charlie nodded. "I do. It suits you."

Before Addison could respond, the door to Archer's room opened and Derek stepped out. All three women immediately turned to face him, tension settling heavily between them as they waited for an update.

Derek exhaled. "He's groggy. His eyes are open, but I don't think he's awake." His expression turned dry. "Mostly because he hasn't tried to kill me yet."

Charlie fought the urge to smirk. Archer and Derek had never exactly been best friends - not when Derek and Addison were married and especially not after the divorce.