Chapter 3: Mark

Mark arrived early to his office, trying to piece the last three days' events together. He knew something was going on and it irked him to not be able to do anything.

His and Derek's friendship had been on the mend for a while now, and there was no way he could even broach the subject of Derek's indiscretion.

And yes, Mark knew about Derek's indiscretion. He knew his friend like he knew the back of his hand.

Mark was a man of experience. He was a man who could easily read people. His medical expertise had given him the innate sense to read between the lines of people. Most of all, Mark was a man. He knew what types of feelings surfaced and when.

He saw their glances at Joe's three days ago. He knew those glances like he knew the way to a woman's body. He had been in several situations in a similar manner before, and he knew how those had been resolved. It was always messy.

He noticed the way they looked at each other, with longing. However, they knew that Hell would freeze over before they could ever be together.

Mark drummed his fingers on his desk, before grabbing his white coat hanging on the chair as he headed out to put broken people together again.

He thought about asking Derek about the glances the very night he noticed them, but he thought better of it. If anything, he didn't pry into personal lives. Prying involved attachment with women.

However, he and Derek still had ground to cover before they could go back to their playful banter.

Instead, he did what he did to the few people who were close to him. He gave Derek the benefit of the doubt. In a sense, at least.

He decided he would be on the lookout for a few days before making any move. However, last night confirmed his suspicions that Derek had indeed slept with another woman. He cheated. He had slept with Izzie Stevens and now Mark knew everything.

And knowing everything had suddenly left him in this dilemma. Should he do anything? He spent last night pondering over their situation. He cared for his friend.

Derek and Meredith had been through so much baggage that when Derek finally moved in with Meredith, Mark thought everything would work out. That is, until Mark found out about one detail that would sow doubt into their relationship. Derek never let his trailer go. This could only mean that Derek was banking on the relationship to go sour again. As if Meredith would want him to move out eventually.

Now, Isobel Stevens was another matter entirely. She was feisty when it was something she believed in and compassionate when called for. She was intelligent, headstrong, and every bit as hot.

Mark remembered thinking how hot sex with her might be when he first arrived at Seattle Grace. But he didn't mess with interns and soon enough she moved out from his sex drive. Although, he would occasionally think about her, he knew she was one of those types who got attached, and he tried very hard to avoid those types.

Now, Mark was putting everything together.

Derek and Meredith could have made it if they had more trust. They had become the couple he had idealized himself with Addison. But Derek had shattered this blissful image just as Addison killed a part of him when she had an abortion.

He was now mentally listing everywhere Derek had gone wrong.

1. He should have let go of the trailer and embraced Meredith for whatever twisted person she was -- that is, if he truly loved her.

2. He should have kicked Alex and Izzie out more forcefully.

3. Alex should have been more of a man and been with Izzie.

4. Maybe, Mark, himself, should have had sex with Izzie.

And either way that Mark thought about it, he was angered with his friend for making stupid mistakes.

No doubt, that Derek and Izzie had been through a lot of pain, but what had happened between was outside the limits. Derek and Izzie were the kind of people who would only get together if they were the last people on Earth . . . or . . . if they had met each other first and moved from there.

By now, Mark was leaning against the nurses' station . . . waiting.

He was waiting for Derek's arrival. Mark had decided to confront Derek. After all, how could Derek break their friendship and then turn around and have another adulterous affair, the same reason for which he broke it off with Mark.

Mark was the kind of man women could sleep with, no strings attached. He was a pro and didn't offer anything else. Derek was the kind of man, well, Addison's abortion was explanation enough.

Mark was dead set in confronting Derek by now and had his eyes trained for Derek's arrival.

"Have you heard?" Nurse Olivia interrupted him.

"Heard what?" Mark turned to looked at her.

"Dr. Montgomery's back. Quite suddenly actually."

"What?!" Mark was confused.

Olivia gave him a look before continuing. "I mean the Chief didn't call her or anything."

Mark was momentarily distracted.

At that same exact moment, Derek made his arrival. Mark caught sight of Derek, with his slightly unkempt hair and dark circles under his eyes.

Suddenly, Mark was thrown into a flashback of a time when he, Derek, Addison, Archer, Sam, and Naomi used to all be the best of friends. They each had screwed up personal lives, but they were free to do whatever they wanted when with each other. No judgements. Somewhere along the lines, however, they grew a part, got divorces, and took new lovers. Their friendship became more fragile than ever before.

Mark was thrown from his reverie and glanced at a worn Derek again. It was then that Mark decided against the confrontation. Everything had a way of coming out at this hospital when it would, and when that happened, he would be what Derek needed in the aftermath -- a friend.

Mark turned away from Derek and started walking down the hall to find about this Addison business before seeing his patients.

He would forget the mental images that confirmed his suspicions the night before about Derek and Izzie. Their kiss.

Mark was walking down an empty hallway, glad that most of the other doctors had the night off, and he had some time to himself. He had just turned the corner when he saw a door slightly ajar. He could see the two outlines of Derek and Izzie in a heated discussion through the crack. He stopped himself finding the whole situation quite strange.

" -- I can't do this -- " came Izzie's teary voice.

"Izzie, I have tried to forget what happened between us. I want to feel bad, but it keeps playing over and over again in my mind," Derek said sadly.

Mark held his breath as he saw Derek take a red-in-the-face Izzie, who was shaking her head, into his arms and kissed her deeply as he wiped away her tears. Mark slowly let his breath out and then silently walked by.

Now, Mark roamed the halls for Addison, thinking that he was the only one who knew, and now he was burning the image in his mind.

What he didn't know was that he wasn't the only one who knew.

Addison Montgomery, fresh off a plane from Los Angeles and away from Noah, had seen Mark and was running after him to surprise him when she saw him stop for a minute before shaking his head and walking off. She walked to see what in the room had stopped Mark when she saw Derek and Izzie in a firm lip-lock.