Why me? ~ mark sloan

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

"Mark! Stop it!" Vanessa squealed as Mark continued to splatter paint over her. She turned to him and he stopped, putting on the most innocent face he could think of before she moved her arm, sprinkling him with the paint as well.

The paint splattered the walls and the cover on the carpet but Mark's whole face had little freckles of paint and his clothes looked like they had little stars painted onto them.

She chuckled as he looked down at his white shirt that was now covered in light-grey paint. His mouth was held open as he looked back up at her and ran toward her, wrapping his hands around her waist and burying his face in her neck, making her giggle and try to push him off.

His stubble tickled her neck and she grabbed his hair, trying to push him off but he wouldn't budge as he dipped her down, giving him more space to cover as she continued to laugh but had given up on trying to get him off of her.

"I'm sorry! I'm s-sorry. Let me go." She breathed between giggles and he lifted his face from her neck as his arms supported her back. His eyes searched her face and she kept her eyes on his as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a sweet kiss that tasted the tiniest bit like paint but that made it all the more perfect.

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Vanessa pressed her fingers down on her wrist, feeling her pulse. This was something she did whenever she felt herself panicking, the constant rhythm and reminder that she was alive usually calmed her down but today it just wasn't working.

She desperately pressed her fingers further into her wrist, needing to feel the heavy pulse of her blood being pumped around her body. Her breathing was shallow and uneven - so much so that she didn't hear the footsteps walking into the kitchen.

Mark walked into the kitchen where Vanessa was stood and noticed her fingers on her wrist. Of course he knew about the technique and he could also tell that it wasn't working. He walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and took her hand in his. 

She looked back at him with a questioning look on her face but he just kept his eyes on her hands and she turned her head back to it's original position.

He placed the two fingers that were still held out onto his wrist, finding his pulse immediately and she held her fingers there as he stayed hugging her from behind to comfort her more.

He breathed in and out deeply and she tried to match his breathing as she felt his pulse beating beneath her fingers and she felt her own heart rate slow down and sync with his so that they were completely together as one.

He noted her breathing starting to even out as she leaned her head back onto his shoulder and he placed a soft kiss on her cheek. She moved her hands over his that were resting on her stomach and left them there as they held each other while Vanessa calmed down.

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"I'm fine!" Vanessa tried to convince Mark as she swung her legs to get out of bed but he caught them and put them back on the bed.

"You were shot - I'm saying you're staying in bed." He countered, his voice stern.

"Stop ordering me around - I can do whatever I want - I'm saying I'm fine."  Vanessa argued but ultimately stayed laying in the bed. 

"I'm not trying to order you around, I'm just saying that you almost died and I want you to be careful." 

Vanessa rolled her eyes and sat up in bed more, not looking at Mark as he sat on the chair beside her hospital bed.