CODING ━ grey's anatomy

chapter seventy seven

Using her knuckles to rub the lack-of-sleep from her eyes, Cassie shook her head, confusion still evident on her features. Mark couldn't help but to find the action rather cute; it almost made him forget that he had several patients awaiting his arrival.

"Okay, so let's drag her ass back here."

Meredith ran a hand through her hair. "Well, we're not really... talking right now."

Cassie cocked a curious brow. "Why's that?"

"Yeah," Mark narrowed his eyes, far more invested in the drama than he'd care to admit. "Why's that?"

Meredith paused just as she opened her mouth to speak, briefly eying Mark before letting out a defeated sigh.

"She blames me. For the whole—for what she had to do to save Derek's life. She blames me, and now she's alone, jobless, traumatized, and shacking up with her stupid ginger husband."

Mark knew that Cassie, for her own piece of mind, never let herself think too hard about what happened with Derek, Jackson, Cristina, Owen, and Meredith in that OR.

Gary Clark had traumatized them all.

Lexie was admitted to the psych ward, Rue lost her uncle and subsequently was put on medication for her depression, Alex was terrified of elevators, Mark still flinched every time someone slammed the cupboard shut, and Cassie's panic attacks had been happening more frequently.

Besides, Cassie quit the literal second after George died, and in Mark's humble opinion, she came back to work long before she was ready.

(He didn't think she had any interest in being a hypocrite and telling Cristina to do the same.)

"Maybe she just needs some time to heal," his fiancée shrugged. "I think we should leave her be, for now. Let her know that we're here for her, but don't try to force anything, you know?"

Meredith rolled her eyes. "No."

Out of the corner of his eye, Mark noticed said stupid ginger husband making his way towards them, clearly having heard the majority of the conversation.

"Thank you, Harper," Owen interrupted. "Grey, I told you to stay out of it. Cristina is... I'm handling it."

He sent Cassie a look of gratitude, presumably for agreeing with him, but she decidedly ignored it.

Meredith's eyes narrowed into slits, her hands on her hips in a way that made Mark think she was about to yell, but no more words were exchanged on the subject.

Clearing his throat to ease the tension, Mark turned to face Owen with a bright grin.

"So... housewarming party, huh?"

With a light scoffed laugh, Owen nodded. "Yeah, it's, uh, tonight at eight... listen, as much as I'd love to chat, I have a packed ER and a resident who isn't even in scrubs yet, so..."

Cassie blinked, and Mark assumed she'd been spacing out since Owen arrived. Coming to the realization that he was referring to her, she glanced behind her, as if there was some other resident who happened to be late.