"Doctors practise deception all the time. We give vague answers to hard questions. We don't talk about post-op pain. We say, "you'll experience some discomfort". If you didn't die, we tell you, "the surgery went well". But the placebo has to be the doctor's greatest deception. Half of our patients, we tell the truth. The other half, we pray that the placebo effect's real. And we tell ourselves that they'll feel better anyhow, believing help's on the way, when, in fact, we're leaving them to die. Doctors practise deception every day on our patients, on their families. But the worst deception we practise is on ourselves. Which is why sometimes, it takes us a while to realise that the truth has been in front of us the whole time" 

"just for a moment, can we pretend that nothing's changed at all?"

"You're pregnant?" Lucy asked in disbelief. Callie nodded solemnly.

"With Mark's baby?"

"Yeah"

"And Mark knows and Arizona knows but Kelly doesn't?"

"Yeah"

"Holy shit"

Callie, Mark and Lucy entered the hospital together. "So, what did Arizona say?" Lucy asked. "Well, she said she's in", Callie replied. "That's good, right?" Mark said.

"I'm still hedging my bets. I'm not gonna move back in with her until I know for sure she's not gonna bail again"

Kelly approached them. "Hey, you got dinner plans tonight?" she asked Mark. "No", he replied.

"I'm cooking for you tonight. Your place. I make a mean chicken parm"

He smiled as she kissed him. She walked off. He turned back to Lucy and Callie, making a concerned face. "When are you gonna tell her?" Lucy said. "Not until after my home-cooked meal", he said.

"I would ask for the leftovers but I have a feeling they're gonna be all over your face"

"Think she's gonna take it that badly?"

"Did you not remember Little Sloan? She hated her"

"That's different. She was a pregnant teenager"

"Whose baby you offered to raise without telling her"

"Yeah, I'm gonna be wearing chicken parm tonight"

"Mark, you do not have to do this", Callie said. "I'm giving you a Get Out of Jail Free card. No hard feelings. You can be the cool uncle that hangs out on Sundays"

"I'm not the cool uncle. I'm the dad"

"You love Kelly, and the last time a Sloan kid appeared in Seattle she dumped you. Now if you were the cool uncle..."

"I'm not the cool uncle! Don't ever say that again!"

"Ok!"

"This is my kid. I want this kid. Cool uncle..."

"So, tell her", Lucy said. "Do not wait until this kid comes out looking all Sloan-y"

Teddy, Jackson, Beck and Cristina entered their patient Martha's room. "Martha Elkin...", Cristina began. "Actually, I'd like Jacobs to present", Teddy interrupted. "Martha Elkin, 75, multivessel coronary disease confirmed by angiography", Beck presented. "Here this morning for an off-pump CABG".

"Thank you, Dr Jacobs"

"That's just doctor speak for a quadruple bypass", Jackson explained. "Thank you", Martha said. "Pre-op labs and X-rays were normal", Cristina continued. "Ok, you're ready to roll, Martha", Teddy said. "My husband went down for some coffee", Martha said. "He wanted to know how long I'd be asleep after the procedure". "Well, Martha, it's hard to tell,'' Jackson said. "Every patient reacts differently, but we'll keep him posted". "Most patients wake within 90 minutes", Cristina said. "Oh, that's helpful, dear", Martha smiled. "He'll be glad to know that. We're both so nervous".

"Well, some anxiety is completely normal, but...let me reassure you...Dr Altman is an incredibly talented surgeon. You're in the very best of hands"

"Martha, I'd like to give you my cellular telephone number", Jackson said. "Now, you or your husband, if you have any questions, if he gets a little worried or wants an update, then he can call this number. I'll even make sure to have a nurse answer if we're in the OR". "Oh, you're wonderful", Martha said. "You all are! This is the finest patient care that I have ever seen. I feel like a VIP".

"Well, it's just what we do"

"You're both so full of shit", Beck chuckled, as they left the room.

Jackson and Beck were talking at the nurses station. "So, are you gonna scrub in on the surgery?" he asked her.

"Maybe next time"

"Yeah, that's fine. You came back. That's a start, right?"

"Yeah"

Teddy was walking with Cristina when Jackson and Beck caught up with them. "Charts are updated", Beck informed. "Have you decided who's gonna be first assist?" Jackson asked. "Why would I decide now? Patient care has never been better", Teddy replied. "I mean, once I choose, one of you is gonna be skulking around like a surly teenager". Teddy got into the elevator and Jackson groaned. "What's wrong with you?" Beck asked. "This should be an easy choice", he said. "I have been practising these graft attachments every day for a month". "Some of us don't need to practice", Cristina said.

"Sure, Yang. You've got more experience overall, but these last couple months you haven't exactly logged a lot of hours in the OR, have you?"

Cristina froze and looked at him. "That's not...", he began but she walked off. "Wow", Beck said. "You really had to go there? You're that insecure?"

"Beck..."

"No, just don't talk to me"

She walked off.

Meredith and Lucy were walking with a concerned Jackson. "She's wigged out, ok. Now she won't say anything. I think it's my fault", he said. "What did you do?" Lucy asked.

"We were busting each other's balls, we both wanted the same surgery, and I may have said something about her...flaming out"

"Are you kidding me?"

They arrived at the residents lounge where Cristina was sitting down with her head in her hands crying. Lucy and Meredith rushed to sit on either side of her. "Get him out of here", she said. "Get out!" Meredith snapped and he ran off. Cristina peeked out from her hands to see if he was gone and got up. She bit into an apple, seemingly unbothered. "What the hell...?" Lucy muttered. "He'll be feeling guilty for the next hour while I sew a quadruple bypass", she smirked.

"You are evil"

"He started it"

Jackson bumped into Beck in the hallway. "Can we talk?" he asked.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really"

"Go ahead, I guess"

"I am an idiot"

"That's a good opener"

"I should never have said that. I didn't mean it. It just slipped out because I wanted the surgery so bad. But I am really sorry that I said it"

"Thanks for the apology. It really hurt my feelings what you said today"

"I know. I'll make it up to you"

"How?"

"Pizza and whatever movie you want, even one that I don't like"

"I can make you watch She's All That?"

"As many times as you want"

"And 10 Things I Hate Things About You and Spiderman"

"If that makes you forgive me, consider it done"

"Ooh, I'm gonna enjoy this"

Kelly was cooking for Mark in his apartment. "This is my mom's recipe and hopefully, I can do it justice", she said. "She was such a good cook when I was younger before surgery really took over our lives". She opened the fridge and took out his cheese. She sniffed it and flinched. "See, I knew your cheese would be gone off", she said, taking a fresh one out of a shopping bag. "So I bought my own". She started grating it. "Calle's pregnant", he blurted.

"Oh, my God! That's great. She loves babies. Did they do a turkey baster thing or something. I mean... Wait a minute. Ok, so wait... Arizona just got back, and they...were they doing...? Wait, was this before they...?"

She looked at his face and the realisation dawned on her. She stopped cooking. "I saw the heartbeat today", he said. "This is my kid. This is a part of me. Please, is there any way that we can...".

"How the hell...did you get me in this position twice?! I can't believe this! I cannot believe this!"

She stormed out and slammed the door. 

He followed her out. "Kelly, can we just talk about this?" he asked. 

"I can't talk to you right now. Please don't follow me"

She got into the elevator and he sighed. 

hope you enjoyed! comment your opinions! song is one last time, please by dodie