But there's a mutiny below [Mark/Derek]

[Dr. Mark Sloan]

Mark laid on the top bunk of an on call bed, his head hanging over the side. He groaned, eyes open but sagging. He was so tired, exhausted, burnt out. He wanted to crawl into his own bed and sleep for a thousand years, no girls, no nothing. But he couldn't. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't close his eyes, because every time he did, he saw Lexie on the hospital floor surrounded by a pool of blood, her own blood. And every time he saw that, his eyes shot open and he looked around frantically, making sure that what he saw was not in fact there. Mark had seen her, after the shooting. He had casually rested a hand on her shoulder as he asked her how she was doing. He knew she was okay. He knew that the shooter had not killed her. But still, every time he closed his eyes he was haunted by that image.

He hadn't slept since the shooting. Hallucinations make it rather difficult, he reasoned, even though he had avoided his apartment, which had only served to remind him of Lexie. The hotel bed was quite comfortable, but each time his eyes fluttered shut, they opened again, and he reached out to ensure that she wasn't laying next to him, dead. His hand only ever met cool linen, but it didn't stop him from checking. Mark knew he was being pathetic. The shooting shouldn't have affected him the way it did. Derek and Cristina and Avery and everyone else seemed to be doing fine, but as Mark lifted up his hands, gazing at them, he couldn't help but note that they were shaking, almost violently.

He hadn't slept with anybody since the incident. He hadn't even thought about it, which in retrospect was far more surprising than the fact that he had postponed a facial lift the other day because his hands were shaking so badly. Mark wanted Lexie back, badly. But every time Lexie drifted into his mind, he only had the urge to hold her. To pull her close and never let go. He had been close to losing her forever. Because she had done her job, because she had pulled the plug. That was what had shaken Mark to his very core. He had lost Derek, his best friend temporarily, because Mark couldn't control his impulses, and he had lost Addison, but she wasn't gone. He didn't have her, but she was still there.

But Lexie. If Lexie had died, if she had been shot by the enraged husband. Mark honestly wasn't sure what he would have done, but avenging her death, shooting Mr. Clark seemed the most passive thing he could think of. And that scared him. Mark became a plastic surgeon to help people, to help them on the outside, so that they could help themselves with their insides. He didn't become a doctor to save lives, but he never would have considered taking one. Not until Lexie. With another groan, Mark shifted, running a hand through his blond locks.

[Dr. Derek Shepherd]

Derek Shepherd was confused. He was stressed about a lot of things, there were surgeons dead, wounded staff and an uncountable number of people traumatized. Yes, he definitely had a lot to worry about, but he was also thankful. He was thankful to be alive, considering the potential damage that gunshot wound had been capable of. He was thankful that Meredith was alive, and he was thankful that he had finally been able to return to work. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Derek had resumed his position as Chief of Surgery. He’d counted down the days till he would be set for work, anticipating getting back into the hospital. He’d believed going back to Seattle Grace-Mercy West Hospital would provide him with a sense that things were still the same. He’d at least hoped that was what it would provide. However, that proved to be increasingly wrong. Being in the hospital was only a reminder. He was reminded of all the people who had been injured, hurt. Floods of memories invaded his mind, it was like every corridor, every stair case, every room and every elevator was haunted in some way or another by a horrible memory. The hospital wasn’t an escape for Derek, it was anything but.

It had been a long day. Derek had been bombarded with paperwork, and he’d been forced to hide out in his office to complete it all. He didn’t know how many hours it had been since he had moved from his desk, it didn’t matter. He’d completely lost track of time. Deciding that he’d better stretch his legs, he left his office. The surgeon would check The Board, perhaps even go and grab a quick cup of coffee. His hands tucked in his pockets as he read over the scheduled surgeries, and then he continued his descent down the well lit corridor. He stopped at an on-call room. He was tired, though he had no intention of trying to get any rest. He had work to do, and yet he still opened the door. Derek hadn’t been expecting to find anyone or anything in particular, he wasn’t even sure why he had bothered to turn the doorknob in the first place, but when he did he saw Mark. The one man who he’d been friends with since... Well, since as far back as he could remember. Sure, their friendship had endured some up and downs, but it didn’t change how long he had known the fellow surgeon for. And despite this friendship, Derek realized just how little he had seen of Mark since the shooting. They’d barely had time to share a few words, let alone actually talk. “Mark,” Derek said sounding surprised. “You okay?” he immediately asked, noticing how distressed he looked.

[alexisjordan]

Alexis-Jordan Karev was upset. She was stressed about a lot of things, school, the hospital, Derek, Mark, Meredith, Alex. Alex. He was the key to this whole mess. She's given up trying to find her older brother hours ago. All she needed was someone to tell her what to do, but since the accident the clinic was unmanned, Meredith and Derek were busy, you wouldn't see Christina or Izzie about this, one was to grumpy, the other to cheerful. The only person in the Hospital she even thought it was possible to tell was Mark, and he to had vanished completely. How was teenage girl to figure out what to do without SOMEBODY to help. The hospital wasn’t an escape for A.J today, it was anything but.

It had been a long day. Alexis had been bombarded with surgeries and paperwork, she’d been forced to hide out in Mark's empty office to complete it all. Deciding that she’d better stretch her legs, she left his office. The surgeon would grab a quick cup of coffee and head back to it all. She stopped at an on-call room. She was tired, though she still had work to do, she opened the door. Alexis hadn’t been expecting to find anyone or anything in particular, just sleep, but when she did open the door she saw Derek and Mark. Two of the three men she'd been looking for. They sat on the bed deep in conversation. She was about to turn around and leave as Mark invited her to sit down, she flopped down on the bed next to them and delivered her news.