It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

71.

Derek was sitting at the nurse's station writing in a chart as Mark walked down the hallway towards him. Mark leaned over the counter for a moment and sighed. "It has been a long... long day..." He said.

"You're telling me..." Derek shook his head. "Richie is finally starting to sleep through the night, but now Meri's having problems sleeping."

"How is she doing? Is she handling the baby alright?"

"She seems to be... she enjoys being home with him." Derek said as he finished the chart and closed it. He tossed it up onto the rack and pulled another one down. "Poor thing is going to be crushed when she has to come to work."

"That's probably why she can't sleep..." Mark replied.

"Probably..."

"You should try some relaxation exercises..." Mark said in a snarky tone, getting a look from Derek.

"You realize that the relaxation exercises are the reason that we have a son now... don't you?" He chuckled as Mark laughed. Derek heard his pager ringing out and looked down. "Shit... chief wants to see me..." Derek sighed.

Mark chuckled and suddenly his pager went off. He looked down at it and looked at it with a confused sigh. "Chief wants to see me..." Mark said as he glanced up to Derek.

"This can't be good." Derek said as he stood up.

"No... not good at all..." Mark said as he stood up straight and waited for Derek as they made their way down the hallway together.

They took the stairs up to the hallway where the offices were located and walked down the hallway, glancing at one another suspiciously the entire way. "What did you do?" Derek asked.

"What do you mean what did 'I' do? What did 'you' do...?" Mark asked as they rounded the corner and walked into the outer office. They smiled at the receptionist as she glanced at the two of them. "Doctor Shepherd, Doctor Sloan?"

"Yes." They said, nodding.

"Doctor Grey will see you now." She said as she nodded towards the almost open door.

Derek walked in first, smiling politely as he stepped inside the office. Mark followed him in, looking back towards the door as if he wanted to take off running.

Ellis sat at her desk, her eyes cast downward as she listened to them enter. "Close the door, please." She said, nodding towards the door. Mark glanced to Derek and walked over to close the door. He turned back around and Derek was standing in front of the desk, and walked up beside him. "Have a seat, please..." She said, finally looking up from her journal to look at the two men before her as they sat down. She closed the journal and pushed it aside, her stern glare on both of them as they looked at her expectantly.

"Alright." She sighed as she looked between the two of them. "There are a few things I'd like to discuss with you... meaning... I speak, and you two can discuss it together outside of my office... hopefully not within earshot of me." She said sternly, her cold glare shooting through them. "First of all... this is a serious conversation... I do not want to hear any jokes or conversations between the two of you while I'm talking... in fact... don't even look at one another... I think it's just better that way." She sighed. "I'm sure you two are wondering why I dragged you from your busy paperwork and nerf basketball that you boys participate in corners of the hospital that you don't think that I know about."

Mark turned to glance to Derek. "Doctor Sloan... me... I am talking... not Doctor Shepherd... well... this conversation is one about tact... alright... next week the interns will begin their orientation and there is a mixer next weekend in the lobby... I'm sure you both heard about it... you were most likely invited..." She sighed, watching as the two of them watched her intently, nodding their heads slowly. "I've become very distressed over the thought of my daughter interning here... Doctor Shepherd..." She said softly. "Very... very distressed... and it is distress for her safety, do you understand?"