xlii.

                                    

                                          
- - -
the skin is the largest organ in the body- it protects us. holds us together. literally lets us know what we are feeling. the skin can be soft and vulnerable. highly sensitive, easy to break. skin doesn't matter to a surgeon.
- - -
                          
lia wakes up to find mark lying on his side, propped up on his elbow staring at her, causing her to giggle at the fact he had been watching her. 
                          
"i need something from you," he smiles, the second he realises she's awake. 
                          
"mmhm," she hums, rolling over towards him, reaching under the duvet as she leans in to kiss him. 
                          
"that too," he groans, as she pulls away from the kiss. "i need you to give sloan an ultrasound today. it's been almost three weeks."
                          
"can't someone from o.b do it?" lia sighs, kissing him again and rolling over so that she is on top of mark, straddling his waist. 
                          
"yeah, but," he begins, smirking into the kiss, and gripping her hips. "she likes you. all the sloan's do."
                          
"hey, do we have any-" sloan says, as she bursts into the bedroom. she cuts herself off when she sees lia on top of mark. "oh, ew!"
                          
"sloan," lia groans as mark pushes her off him and back onto her side of the bed. 
                          
"what..." mark says, but sloan has already left, so he gets out of bed and gets dressed before going to find her in the living room, leaving lia in bed annoyed. "sloan... sorry about that."
                          
"whatever," she shrugs, as lia walks out of their bedroom. "there's no more cereal."
                          
"why are you sorry?" she raises her brow at mark. "she's the one who didn't knock before she came in."
                          
"i'll get some cereal this afternoon," he tells sloan, and lia smiles and closes her eyes uncomfortably. "how about some juice? lia's gonna give you an ultrasound today, why don't you pick up some breakfast at the hospital?"
                          
"it's gonna be more," sloan says, as she takes some money off mark. 
                          
"you need some for lunch too?" he asks. 
                          
"yeah," she nods, and mark hands her more money. 
                          
"i'm gonna shower," lia sighs. 
                          
"uh, could you hold on a minute?" sloan says, stopping her from entering the bathroom. "i'm probably gonna have to hurl this."
                          
■ ■ ■
                          
"hey, um, do you have any cash?" sloan asks lia as she is performing her ultrasound. "i lost the headset to my phone."
                          
"how about you hold the phone up to your ear?" lia rolls her eyes. 
                          
"you were the one that bitching at me last night for being on the phone so late," sloan points out. "maybe if i had a headset, i wouldn't talk so loud."
                          
"maybe if you had your own apartment you could talk whenever you want, but we're all making compromises," lia says, continuing to look at the ultrasound screen. "okay, here's the head."
                          
"kinda looks like an alien," sloan chuckles. 
                          
"it's gonna be a very cute alien," lia smiles.