You Promised | Mark Sloan ✓

45┃seemingly inoperable

S6 EP7

"HOSPITALS ACROSS THE country have reported substantial savings..."

Norah sighed at the nurses' station while she listened to the chief talking about how to help regulate the hospital's budget... again. It has been a daily routine for all hospital staff to gather while Webber gave what seemed to be a roll-call every morning.

"How bad is it today?" Derek asked as he stood next to Norah and Bailey, his arms folded above his chest.

"The chief's implementing a computer model for scheduling our surgeries from now on," Bailey replied.

"Efficiency and progress, he says," Norah added with a forceful smile before sipping on her coffee.

"...And to make sure this was the right decision, I have enlisted one of our own to do a trial run for the last month," Webber declared before turning to the plastic surgeon next to him, "Dr Sloan?"

Mark leaned against the empty OR board with a clipboard in his arms. "I know what you're all thinking," he prefaced, "'It's a machine. It doesn't know me. It doesn't know what I like.' But after using this new system for the past month, I gotta say, people-I'm a convert."

Norah clamped her mouth shut, trying her very best to fight the urge to snort at her boyfriend's speech. Mark caught her eyes in the crowd and quirked a brow at her; she returned him with an encouraging yet grim smile.

"This computer knows me better than I know me," he nodded firmly with one of his charming smiles to reassure the staff.

Derek walked up from the crowd of surgeons towards Webber, ignoring the plastic surgeon who stood at the side. "Chief, this thing's rearranged my schedule for the entire week," he complained before turning to the crowd, "I mean, haven't we had enough change here already?"

"Change is good, everyone," Webber claimed before focusing back to the neurosurgeon, "Embrace it."

As the crowd slowly scattered off, Mark walked up to Norah, who was still sipping on her coffee. She passed it to him, and he took big gulps, nearly finishing it when he returned the cup. She glared at him with an 'are-you-serious' look across her face.

"How did I do?"

She raised a brow at the hopeful look on his face, a break of laughter finally escaping her mouth. He stared at her blankly while his confidence drained by the second.

"Mark, I love you, but... I mean, 'I'm a convert'? 'This computer knows me better than I know me'?" she mocked with a grin while his face faltered, "Not convincing at all, Dr Sloan."

Derek was snorting next to them as he patted his best friend on the back. "Poor you," he faked a sympathetic look before turning to the resident, "That was very, very blunt."

"Nah. That was very, very honest," Norah corrected with a smirk.

"You had reduced his ego into ashes, Norah," Derek chuckled, "Great job."

"Don't mention it."

Mark snapped his head between the two of them. "I hate this Neuro duo," he huffed before finishing the coffee from Norah's hand. The latter made a sound of protest, in which he shut her up with a kiss before turning and walking away.

"I, on the other hand, love this Neuro duo."

"Mm-hmm. Me, too."

❦ ❦ ❦

NORAH WALKED INTO THE CT room along with Callie, both wide-eyed and shocked. "Isaac has a cord tumor?" Callie questioned.

"Oh, it's awesome. Look," Cristina stated as she held the scans in front of her. Callie and Norah walked to her; the latter held the scan up to the light while observing the image.