One {Mark Sloan}

Stand By Me

"Ren, you've heard from Derek?"

Richard was getting frustrated and disorientated ever since Derek had practically disappeared from the hospital neither Meredith nor Mark had heard anything from him and he was sure he was disintegrating. Miranda, who he was still not happy with, gave him a blank look as he refused to listen to her or even look at her.

"For the last time Chief, I haven't heard from Derek, I have called him a hundred thousand times, he isn't answering. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to the adoption agency today,"

"Why?" Miranda asked.

"Well, today might or might not be the day when Ilaria officially becomes Ilaria Nara Foster, I am quite nervous about everything,"

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Miranda said as she turned to look at the OR board.

"Listen, could you go and talk to Derek after you've been to the agency, someone who he listens to?" Richard asked.

"No, I think it's a bad idea talking to Derek when he's upset,"

"But you could try?" Bailey asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, Derek gets emotional and then he manipulates you, I have experienced it before. I am not going to the woods," Renee said as Callie walked towards them.

"Big day, Ren," she said with a smile on her face which disappeared quickly when she saw the look on Renee's face.

"Hey, who moved my surgery? Chief, Chief..." she asked as Richard turned and left.

"No...no don't, he's a wreck, he is disintegrating before our very eyes. That's why men die earlier than women,"

"The board's a mess,"

"He can't lose Shepherd. I could go talk some sense into him, but I got too much on my plate," Bailey said as she pointed at the board.

"Have you tried calling him?"

"About a hundred times," Bailey said as she looked at Callie with a look, Renee couldn't figure out what was going on in Bailey's head.

"No. Oh.....you want me to go to the woods? I don't do woods. The woods are dirty and there are many many bugs. What am I gonna say to the guy? I barely know the guy,"

"You don't have to know him. You're both surgeons. You've been through the same war. Just remind him we've all been there. We all came back," Bailey said as Renee shook her head.

"Yeah, that's not going to work. This is a bad idea," Renee said as Bailey turned to glare at her.

"You're a kind of a bully, you know that?" Callie said as Bailey walked away with a smile.

"You've got to learn to say to no to her,"

"Dr Foster, Dr Sloan, good morning, they are waiting for you, Dr Foster," 

"Good luck," Mark said as he pressed a kiss to her lips and giving her his best confident smile.

"Thank you,"

"Go get our daughter home," Mark said.

"Dr Foster, come on in," Mr Chang, the owner of the agency smiled at her as he called her inside.

"Mr Chang,"

"Take a seat, well, Dr Foster we have good news, the state had approved your request for adopting Ms Foster. Congratulations," Mr Chang said as he brought out a file and slid it across the table.

"I have made little crosses on the places you need to sign," she opened the file with a deep breath, this was it, this was the last hurdle between her and calling Ilaria her daughter, in all senses. She picked up the pen and quickly signed everywhere with little crosses, she smiled as she completed signing everything and looked up with a smile.

"Congratulations, you'll get the birth certificate in the next few days,"

Renee had decided to visit Derek before returning to the hospital, she had tried to convince Mark to join her but he was insistent that there was nothing he could say which would be useful to bring Derek back, the drive to Derek's land was muddy and it was slippery but somehow Renee managed to make it, she saw Richard sitting on the porch while Derek was nowhere in sight. His front porch was filled with beer cans, junk food and more drink bottles, Richard looked up at the sound of leaves crunching under Renee's foot and just shrugged when she raised an eyebrow. 

"I tried talking to him, he's....not listening," Richard said as he walked away.

"Derek," Renee said softly as she knocked on the front door.

"Get lost," Derek's voice said as which was followed by glass shattering.

"You have to come out Derek, you can't live like this your entire life," Renee said as she tried to open the door which surprisingly was open. Carefully not to step on the broken glass she found Derek sprawled on his bed facing away from her, the inside of the trailer stank and Derek stand more than the trailer.

"Get out, Renee,"

"No, you are going to talk this out. Unless and until you don't I am not going anywhere," 

"I am not talking about anything, get out," Derek yelled, she could see he was getting angrier by the minute.

"No, I am not leaving, just let it out, Derek, tell me what you're thinking,"

"How pathetic. That's what I think about you, after everything Mark did, you ran back to him like a lost puppy. How much more pathetic can you get," Derek said as he threw his beer bottle behind Renee's head and walked away.

"Izzie has cancer, she told me not to tell anybody but I want you on this case,"

Renee looked at Christina as the resident continued to blabber, everything became quiet for her as she continued making her way towards the attending's lounge, Christina continued to talk as she shoved Izzie's files in her hands.

 "Dr Foster, are you listening?" Christina asked.

"Go away, Yang,"

"But-"

"Go away," Christina looked at her before nodding and then she walked away. Renee continued walking towards attending's lounge when Richard came and stood in front of her.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Derek called me pathetic. For getting back with Mark, he had no right," Renee whispered.

"You're not pathetic, you loved him, and you still love him, there's nothing wrong in that"

She saw Mark completing his charts at the nurses' station, she looked at Richard before looking back at Richard, she walked towards him and stood beside him but didn't say anything, Mark who was yet to look at her had already felt her presence and he could feel something was off. They were supposed to go on a short drive as a family to celebrate the adoption, he gave the chart to the nurse before looking at Renee, she was just watching him and honestly, it made him a little uncomfortable.

"What?"

"I...love you,"