flatline [m.s]

clxix.

- - -
your body contains approximately thirty five trillion cells, and every one of them is constantly being pulled down to earth by gravity. when you're lying down, gravitational forces spread between the thorax, abdomen, and legs.
- - -

"you really should lock your door," lia says as she stands at the foot of derek and meredith's bed, and they both jolt awake.

"what are you doing here?" derek asks with one eye still closed.

"i need to talk to mer," lia states. "derek, get out of the bed. i'm not getting in the bed with you in there so that you can report back to mark."

"you can't kick me out of bed," derek protests, and lia raises her brow, turning to look at meredith.

"derek, get out of the bed," meredith orders.

"i'm not wearing any-" derek begins to argue.

"i don't care about your junk, derek," lia shakes her head. "out."

"oh, my god," derek sighs, grabbing a pair of pyjama bottoms to pull on before he gets out of the bed, and lia immediately crawls into his place. "i guess i'll go make us some coffee since i'm up."

"coffee would be great," lia smiles, and derek forces a smile back before he leaves. "i told mark i'm not moving to la. the children and i are staying here."

"alright, the miracle is over," meredith shrugs.

"the miracle is not over. we're not a miracle. shut up," lia frowns and meredith chuckles.

"tell me what happened," meredith encourages.

"okay, so..."

- - -
stand up too fast and blood rushes downward, away from the brain. it causes dizziness or even fainting. it's a minor miracle our cells get anything done at all. because the human body has to perform even the simplest of tasks under unimaginable pressure.
- - -

"your wife kicked me out of bed this morning," derek tells mark as they walk through the hospital. "and my wife let her."

"of course she did," mark rolls his eyes. "if meredith broke into our house in the middle of the night, lia would have no hesitations in kicking me out."

"that's why we call them the twisted sisters," derek points out and mark chuckles.

■ ■ ■

"when do you leave for la, anyway?" callie asks mark whilst they're operating on a patient. "i was gonna ask lia if i could store some things in your side of the closet."

"did lia tell you that?" mark turns to look at her for a brief moment.

"yep. she called me at like four this morning," callie informs him. "how does it work exactly? you're not separated, but you're not living together."

"lia's staying behind?" ben interjects from the other side of mark.

"she is," mark confirms.

"and you're cool with that?" ben raises his brow.

"you're together but living apart... live-a-partners! see that? i gave it a name," callie states proudly. "now it's a thing."

"yeah, i'm familiar with that thing," ben nods. "i did it with miranda."

"how did it work out for you guys?" callie asks.

"well, seeing as i'm not living in la anymore, i'd say it didn't," ben points out.

"it's not crazy, right, to go after this opportunity?" mark looks between ben and callie. "i'm not a bad person for wanting this."

"no, but lia's not either. this is her him. it's your kids' home. you can't blame her for wanting to stay," callie highlights. "how are you gonna get laid when the person you get laid with is here and you're in la?"

mark doesn't answer, he just looks at her with disbelief, and also a slight frown.

"oh, grow up," callie scoffs. "it's a valid question."

■ ■ ■

meredith is busy gathering her stuff together in one of the doctor's lounges when lia walks in, placing her stethoscope back round her neck.

"there you are," meredith exhales deeply when she notices lia's presence. "grab your stuff. we're drinking."

"oh, i- i can't," lia shakes her head. "i have to go home and deal with-"

"fight with sloan?" meredith cuts her off. "i think you need to whine about it some more to me first. you definitely need to drink."

"i just don't know if my marriage can survive this," lia sighs and meredith walks over to hug her sister.

- - -
you would think weightlessness is a good thing, but it's not. because people weren't meant to float. without gravity, we lose blood volume, bone density, muscle.
- - -

"i mean, people do it, right?" lia asks meredith as they're sat at a table in joe's. "it's not conventional, it's not easy, but people do it. i mean, we can figure this out."

"are you trying to convince me or you?" meredith raises her brow.

"i mean, i don't want to split up our family, either, but i certainly don't want to go and then resent him for the rest of my life," lia sighs. "and that's what would happen. and he doesn't want that either, so i- i- i really just need to go talk to him about this. i-"

"yeah, well..." meredith gestures to the doorway and lia's eyes follow to see that mark has just walked in.

"hi," lia greets when he approaches their table. "what are you doing here?"

"i just got off the phone with el camino," he informs her. "i resigned from the project."

"what?" lia's eyes widen, but her brow's still manage to knit together.

"i'm not moving to la," mark elaborates.

"why would you do that?"

"well, i don't want to live anywhere else when my kids are growing up here," he tells her. "i don't want to be apart from them, or you. no job is worth that to me. i want to be with you and the kids here."

"no," lia shakes her head.

"what?" mark raises his brow.

"this is not what we discussed," lia reminds him. "i mean, you should call them back and tell them you were kidding."

"i got to pee," meredith stands from the table and quickly removes herself from the situation.

"i did not ask you to do this," lia protests. "i never wanted you-"

"i know you didn't," mark cuts her off. "i chose. i chose you... and the kids."

"i need a drink," lia stands up and walks towards the bar.

- - -
without it, we're untethered. so when you feel yourself being pulled towards something, it's not necessarily a bad thing. it may keep you centered. it may keep you safe.
- - -