Mark and Lexie - Let's Start Over

Chapter 13 - The burnout

⚠️Just a quick trigger warning for this next storyline of self harm. It won't be too graphic I hope, just be careful when reading. ⚠️

The following morning was the same as usual, wake up, get dressed, go to work however today Mark was feeling much more paranoid of what he had seen last might. It was unlike Lexie, well at least unlike the healed Lexie. The last time she had interrupted sex like that was when her ptsd was at its worst...I mean why else would she interrupt such an amazing time?

Lexie went into the bathroom, unravelling the bandages on her hands revealing a more noticeable wound than yesterday. How could she operate with her hand like that, people would know. She decided to take the day off feeling ill. She wrapped her arms again but even tighter, put on her robe and walked out to an anxious Mark on the bed.

Mark looked at Lexie's face and back down to her arms, the flashbacks of the blood last night haunting him.

Mark -"Lex, are you okay? You look, well you look sick" he says

Lexie stands, her shoulders hunched over "yeah I think I am. I'm taking today off work" she replied coughing

Mark stood up and moved towards her

Lexie - "I'm sick remember, what are you doing" she questioned

Mark hugged her "I'm doing what any husband would do, look after their wife in sickness and in health" he said happily

Lexie pulled away, "wife? husband?" she said, sounding genuinely ill now

Mark smirked, "oh it's just a fantasy I have, that's all" he said recalling of the time he had said to Lexie "but I'm saying you could have a husband" and hoping she'd recall it. He wasn't too disappointed she didn't, because after all she was ill.

He helped her into bed, and pulled her dressing gown off, again revealing nothing but a bra underneath. Lexie didn't realise until the covers were over her, and Mark was sat on the bed besides her, with his hands slipped between the covers. He stroked her hands and the beginning of her arms, feeling the roughness of her bandages.

She realised what he was doing,that he knew, but she refused to move, refused to acknowledge it like Mark was waiting for. So instead he gave her a brief kiss on the head, and very bluntly managed a "see you later babe" before leaving.

Lexie was left looking at her hands, wishing they would scar over quicker so she could just pick at them and they'd go, and the feeling of the bandages were driving her insane. She didn't know how much longer she could take it.

Meanwhile, Mark arrived at the hospital to a huge plastics case...nothing quiet about today. The only silence was from his girlfriend who he was convinced was mentally unstable. But, it must have just been an accident so he did his best to once again forget about it.
He walked into his next patients room.
"Hi, I'm Mark Sloan, plastics" he spoke, shaking the hand of his patient before his resident explained her diagnosis and symptoms. While he did so, an agitated Lexie still lay at home, numb.

Lexie tried to move but she was almost glued to the ground, her brains numbness engulfing her in bed. But the motivation to get her up were those cruel voices echoing in her head. "Get up you lazy killer. Get up and hurt yourself. You deserve the pain"

She then rose, and shook her head as though her body's sudden movement had taken away the demon lingering in her mind. She out her robe back on, stood up and went to make her breakfast

Eggs...she got them out, cracked them and the sudden urge to use the sharp edges of the egg shell to pierce her skin took over her. "Do it Lexie. Olivia's life can't be bought back, all because of you". At this point, she just stared down at the eggshell for a moment before picking it up and turning it upside down, the spiked edges digging into her wrists. She held it there for a second, before eventually stopping herself. She was left with deep, small cuts across her wrist, a slight bleed to them.