Asystole ✷ Mark Sloan

𝟬𝟲𝟱 made of honour

𝙇𝙓𝙑.
MADE OF HONOUR

──────

REALLY, HE SHOULD have been able to predict this going badly.

What exactly had he expected? 

Had he expected smooth sailing, had he expected this to be easy?

 Had he expected this to be simple? 

Had he expected to be able to sit there, put all of his trust and faith into her and for it to just work itself out?

There was one thing that he was certain on and that was: This was Beth. Elizabeth Montgomery. Nothing was ever straight-forward with her.

She didn't like to be told the word no, he was certain of that. He couldn't tell whether it was the amalgamation of growing up in a rich family and having everything handed to her on a silver platter, but she really did not like the word 'no' at all. 

He hadn't known her for as long as the others had, as long as Doctor Shepherd or Doctor Sloan... but it was something that he'd figured out very quickly.

It was because of that that he should've expected something more than simplicity: curves, bends, a couple of moments where he really was terrified for his own safety. 

He should've expected the near-death experience, the aghast looks she shot him as he spoke to her, the simmer of her temper as her knuckles clenched into snowy precipices, the stench of pure stress and terror. Admittedly, he hadn't imagined dying quite like this and he was going to be pissed if this really was the way he was going to go--

BREAK.

Their bodies jolted forwards, restrained by the seatbelt and almost knocking the air out of their lungs. 

There was a moment of silence as things suddenly came to a halt. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, feel the tremor of his hands as he fought to catch his breath.

There was a moment of stillness, a moment where they both sat there with wide eyes and heaving chests. 

He blinked, his spine pressed against the chair and muscles locked. Another split second of silence; he gathered his thoughts, pressed his lips together and then looked over at Beth.

"Holy shit!" 

He announced into the universe as every single neuron in his body screamed. It was a sudden loudness that made Beth's face twitch. His blood rushed around his body, kamikazing into a surge of adrenalin. 

His chest heaved as he braced out his hand, pressing his fingers firmly against the dashboard in front of him. 

"Holy shit--" He repeated, both panicked and exasperated, "What are you trying to do? Go back to the fucking future?"

He hadn't been able to let himself breathe until the car had stopped moving and now his chest heaved, eyes fixed on Beth as she looked at him with a sheepishly amused expression. He looked alarmed, eyebrows raised so far up his forehead that Beth had half expected them to be claimed by his hairline. 

She sat there, blinking at the man in the passenger seat and hands still firmly grasping the steering wheel.

"Jesus... Eli," Beth breathed out as if she hadn't just almost murdered the two of them with her reckless driving. 

The interior of the windows were almost foggy with the deep breaths the nurse was taking as he eventually allowed himself to let go of the safety stabiliser over his shoulder.