The words like this are from 3x04.

Also - Mark does not show up in Addison's hotel room like 3x02.

So….Thank you so much for the reviews. And this chapter might be a little slow, but I am already planning chapter four and I have some drama planned. I am beyond thankful for every single review and comment about the story. Thank you for being patient as I enjoy doing OTP Prompts. [ If you see anything you would like to do - please comment and let me know! ] As always, thank you so much for reading!

Chapter Three : "What I Am."

Meredith woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. Her stomach was killing her, again, and it was the third day in a row where she didn't hear a word from Mark. She lets out a growl, before taking the bottle of Pepto to her mouth and drinking it quickly.

"Are you okay?" George O'Malley asks, looking down to his friend when she slips on her scrub top.

The words come out of her mouth without really thinking of her answer."I'm just... not feeling like myself."

"O'Malley has that effect." She quickly tunes everything else out when Alex Karev and George start to go at it. She did not want to get in the middle of anything today.

The day starts to move quickly, Meredith following the rest of her friends and bailey from room to room. She stops when Miranda Bailey stops, she doesn't feel her resident's eyes on her when she holds her stomach. "You alright Dr Grey?" The woman asks.

Meredith looks up. "Yeah, Dr. Bailey, I just need to make a choice is all." A choice about Mark, a choice about Derek and how to get him to leave her alone. She looks up to see Derek Shepard, coming her away and she lets out a sigh. Today was not going to get any better. She was already looking forward to being home, in her bed with a blanket wrapped tightly around her.

Derek stops, where Bailey's interns were. "Karev. Dr. Grey, I am clipping a basilar tip aneurysm. Any interest."

"Dr. Bailey can I get…" Addison begins to say before her eyes move to across the hallway where the glass way. "Oh my god…"

Meredith does not bother to look where everyone's attention was, bending over and emptying her stomach onto the floor. Bailey quickly moves to her intern's side, "Grey?"

"No Mr. Sullivan don't light that!" George yells. Mr. Sullivan has lit a cigarette, which causes an explosion as he is on Oxygen.

She vomits, again. She was ready to go home and hide when Cristina asks, loudly, if she was pregnant. She did not have to look up when she feels all eyes on her, but when she does she sees him, Mark Sloan.

And, she was ready to faint.

She looks up from her bed, dressed in a gown already and cursing the day she has had already. "Mark." His name comes from her lips lightly, a small smile when she sees him standing there. "You are here. You are always here when I need you."

He takes a step inside the room, before going to her side. "I didn't know you were going to need me. But I am happy to be here." His smile becomes lighter when he sees her smile back at him. "How are you feeling?" His hand comes to her cheek.

"Better now that you are here. Derek is driving me nuts. And...and I'm not having a baby." The words come out of her mouth a mile a minute, she stops when she hears Mark laugh. "What are you laughing at?" She growls at him.

"Nothing." He quickly changes his answer. "I'm laughing at you. I knew you weren't pregnant. We have been talking almost every day, and besides Derek bothering you and the vet asking you out. There has not been a single person...just like me."

"I like you." She admits to him. "And it's just not the morphine talking….I want you."

He bends down, pressing a small kiss to her forehead. "I know. And I like you. A lot Meredith. I'm scared…" He would never say this to her, not knowing she could remember this. But right now, he felt free. He felt like he could say this. "I'm scared that I am going to mess this up somehow and I don't want too."

"I know." She says, her eyes closing for a moment. "That's why we will work to make sure it doesn't fail…"

"You're a good friend," Meredith tells Cristina Yang, who's sitting by her hospital bed. Meredith thought for a moment, next time that she saw Doctor Bailey she would have to ask why or how she got a whole room to herself.

"You're so high right now," Cristina says, looking up from her charts.

Meredith laughs. She might be high from the morphine, but she was telling the truth. "Actually, you're my best friend in the whole entire world."

The other woman laughs loudly, "Now, I feel sorry for you."

"Why? Cause I could die today?"

"This is why I hate being around stoned people."

"If I did die today, I'd only be remembered as the slutty intern who dated two doctors." She replies.

"One doctor. One vet." Cristina raises an eyebrow.

"No, two doctors. Derek. Mark." The woman quickly covers her mouth. "NO, I was not supposed to tell you that. Mark doesn't know we are dating. But we are...I think I could be…" She could be happy. Not that she is happy right now, because she was happy with him right now. She could see them happy together, forever… She just had to let them be happy, give them a chance.

"Mark?" She asks in surprise. "When did...he's the mystery caller?" Meredith nods. "He has been the one who has been making you so happy…" Again she nods. "Well damn, Grey. I did not see that coming."

The woman dressed in the hospital gown laughs.

"She told me your secret," Cristina says, stepping closer to Mark Sloan than she wanted too.

"What?" Mark's words take her by surprise.

"Just...be good to her." The woman warns before walking away.

"Dr. Grey, you've got a fever, high white count. And tenderness over McBurney's point which suggests…" Doctor Bailey says, walking in with George behind her, Cristina quickly moving from her sitting position to standing up. Appendicitis, the word comes out of intern's mouth and Meredith a little behind the other two interns. "Dr. O'Malley, prep Dr. Grey for surgery. You're scrubbing in."

Words tumbled out of George's mouth, As laying in the hospital bed she speaks up, "Uhh... Am I the only one who remembers last time George scrubbed in on an appendectomy? He almost killed the guy. Sorry, George…" Meredith makes a face to the man, begging silently forgiveness.

George looks to Meredith, one of his best friends and giving her a soft smile than looking to his resident and losing the smile. "I don't have to scrub in, Dr. Bailey. I could just... uh... unless you want me to... not going to happen again."

Bailey does not feel the soft sigh come out of her lips. Her interns were truly the troublemakers Webber promised that they would be. But they were talented. "That good enough for you, Doctor Grey?"

Meredith's face brings out into a small giggle than a smile, "Your pretty." The other three doctors sigh, leaving the room. Meredith calls after the only man that was in the room to bring her back ice chips.

He stands at the door, arms crossed as he watches her sleep. How did he miss this girl in the time he was gone away from Seattle? He doesn't move from the doorway when her head rolls over to look at the door then the white wall. "McSteamy…" His nickname rolls off her tongue and into the air with such pose. She reaches out her hand in the air towards him and he quickly comes to her side. "I missed you."

"You saw me a little over an hour ago." He begins to remind her.

She makes a face, a small frown coming to her lips. "And am I not allowed to miss you?"

"You are. I heard you talked to Cristina about us…"

Red comes to her cheeks right away. "And…"

"We're dating?" He could date. Well, he could date one person and that one person was Meredith Grey.

"Something to talk about when you are taking care of me." She tells him certainly. "Kiss me, Mark?"

Her question caught him by surprise. "Kiss you?"

She nods, "Yes, please. Kiss me. Just in case I die…" He laughs, stepping closer to her before softly pressing his lips to hers. She moves quickly, wrapping her arm around his neck and bringing him closer to her. She says breathlessly when they hear a cough at the doorway, "I can die happy now."

"No," Mark tells her quickly. "No, You, Meredith Grey, are not allowed to die." He waits to see that she nods before smiling, "I will talk to you later." He walks out of the room, not caring that Bailey has seen every moment of that.

Bailey steps in. "Over Shephard?"

Meredith nods, "Mark makes me happy. Derek needs to leave me alone and get the hint."

Bailey smiles. He didn't know much about Mark Sloan, but if Mark didn't hurt her young intern it would be okay.

Meredith should not be surprised when Derek comes in and checks on her. "What are you doing?" She questions.

"What?" Derek says softly. "I'm checking up on you. I don't see any vets doing that."

"Derek…" She says softly. "I know you think that there is something between us. But there isn't. I think I am in love with someone else."

"But he isn't here. And I am, Meredith." Derek says seriously. "I always will be."

George couldn't help but let out a soft laugh when Meredith speaks to him as he wheels her out of the room."Ohh on the table keep me draped. Too many people have seen me naked already. I'd like to keep whatever dignity I have left. McSteamy. McSteamy WOO HOO."

Mark set down his clipboard, moving to his favourite person in the hospital at the moment. He smiles softly at her. "Well, how are you feeling at this moment?" He questions her.

"I don't think you are supposed to know that we call you McSteamy. Are you mad?" She asks, his question already slipping out of her mind.

He shakes his head, "NO, No. I am not angry at all. Honestly, I think the nickname is perfect. Now, How's my favourite dirty mistress?"

"Very good. I will see you afterwards…" She promises.

"It's a date. Your room...ice chips."

Mark looks to the resident that was in charge of Meredith and her oddball friends as she walks into the room. "How's he doing Mrs Sullivan?" Bailey asks, and Mark wonders for a moment if she was angry with him. ABout the kiss in Meredith's room.

"We're just getting an update now, Dr. Bailey." Mrs. Sullivan answers her.

That was Mark's time to answer."Surgery went well. We removed the necrotic tissue, applied the live cells and if his body responds in three to four weeks…"

"He'll have his face…" The woman says.

"Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan...your face may never be exactly what it was. Even if everything goes perfectly well, there will be scarring…" Mark begins to say, seeing the wife's face makes every word come out of his mouth hard.

Every single word comes out of the wife's mouth, tears coming to her eyes. "But he's a salesman. He has such a nice face."

Mark went to open his mouth, but he had no clue how to answer the wife. At least answer the wife where she would feel better and Bailey quickly went to his rescue. "You have an incredible wife, Mr. Sullivan. And half a dozen car salesman in the lobby waiting to visit you. Your face may be different. But you know as well as I do, it's not about what you look like, or your job or how successful you are. It's about having people in your life who you love, and who love you. That's all that matters."

They walk out of Mr. Sullivan's room together, and Mark stops her. "Thank you for your help in there…"

She nods, "It's not a problem, Doctor Sloan. Just do me a favor, don't hurt Meredith. Derek has done that enough… She is smart but she has not had enough love in her life. From anyone." She stops talking, taking a deep breath before she picked up talking again. "And she's already up and asking if you were okay…"

He nods, "Thank you."

Her fingers squeezed the ice chip in her fingers, she jumps when she hears the door open then shut. "I snuck you some ice cream." The voice, his voice, calms her right away. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. I feel okay. I feel better." She admits to him, before smiling at the bright pink ice cream she saw in the clear up. "Is that strawberry ice cream?" He nods. "And you are the best. Come sit by me…"

"Doctor Grey, are you trying to get me into the bed on the first day?" HE gasps, putting his hand to his chest.

"Get over here before I change my mind!" She laughs softly at him, he watches him as he quickly moves to the bed. "I'm really happy that you are here…"

"Me too, Grey. Me too."