I think you'll know?
I think you'll know?
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
The woman just kissed me and walked out of the room, kind of like Erica.
And now that I think about it, at least Arizona was speaking to me before she left, not Mark Sloan, don't get me wrong, he's one of the greatest friends I've had in a long time, Erica included, because she was never really just my friend, but let's forget that and move on to better and perkier pastures.
I was definitely not in the mood for this again after last night's drinking; hangover plus kiss with ped surge you've just met doesn't equal fun morning for Calliope.
Apparently, it makes me refer to myself in the third person.
I'm going insane.
I'm turning into Izzie fucking Stevens.
Great.
I look over a chart that isn't even mine as I see her walk down the hallway, "Dr. Torres, could you tell me why you're looking at my chart?"
I looked down at the signature, Dr. Erica Hahn.
"Erica, please, do me this one favor, and pretend to be giving me a consult. I'll do anything."
When she walked over, I let out a quiet "Thank you, Erica. I owe you."
Smirking, "Dr. Torres, I didn't know you were working on this case with Dr. Hahn and I."
"I'm not, but, Mark, I swear…"
"Swear what?"
"I'll tell Sheppard about Little Grey." No doubt my eyes lit up as I looked to Erica, It was so easy to fall back into best friend territory with her, leaning forward, I whispered, "Little Grey broke him."
She pulled away with a smile most of Seattle Grace had never seen, "Broke him?"
I nodded.
During our laughter, I hadn't noticed my latest lady love walk up.
Once we had calmed down, she spoke, "Dr. Hahn, I'm Dr. Arizona Robbins; I'll be working with you on the case."
Out of the corner of her eye, I knew Erica saw me show all signs of my brain telling me to run away, and Mark definitely saw. Both of my lovely friends were smirking throughout their conversation.
"I'm sorry, is there something on my face?" She asked, self-conscious, and ever so adorable.
Erica was the first to speak, "No, it's just…Callie…"
She couldn't even complete her thought, bursting out in laughter.
I just blushed like a sixth grader.
Regaining my speech, "What my lovely friends meant is that No, there's nothing on your face; they're just complete idiots. Wait, no. Mark is an ass, Erica is on something, I think."
Through her laughter I heard Erica say "Little Grey"
I laughed, "Nope, just an idiot."
Then, something clicked in my head; Erica doesn't work here.
"Erica Hahn! What are you doing here?"
"Someone specifically asked for me, so I flew out here."
I pouted, "When do you leave?"
"I'm here for a week, and then I go back."
"Back to where?"
"Pennsylvania Hospital"
"That's far away."
"Didn't you say your parents gave you plane as your graduation gift?"
I nodded my head reluctantly; I hate the fact that I have so much money.
"A plane?" Mark exclaimed, "All I got was a couple months' rent!"
"They live in Florida, and it was the only way I could visit often."
"They have these things called plane tickets, you go to airports, and they let you on the plane if you have one."
I was grateful when Erica's voice cut in, "Sloan," and then Arizona's "Why don't we work on the case?"
I smiled at both women, "Lunch?"
Erica smiled, "I was thinking salad."
I smiled, "You're ridiculous. Did I tell you I got contacts?"
"You can see it all now?"
"No, but I like it better this way."
"Whoa, whoa, you can't see?"
The chief, of course.
"I can see fine, 20/20 vision, Chief."
"What were you talking about then?"
Erica spoke, knowing I would've killed her if she didn't, "I said something when we were," She pause, motioning with her hands, "and she was just telling me the same, Richard."
He nodded, trusting the woman, and walked away.
"You need to find better analogies that won't get me fired."
"Oh, whatever; see you at lunch?"
"See you at lunch."
"Same table? Same time?"
"Same table, same time. Bye Erica, Bye Arizona, see you then."
Hours later, lunch came, I was the first to get there; only having to set a few dislocations so far. Then came Arizona.
"That was her, wasn't it?"
"Who, Erica?"
She nodded.
"Yeah."
"How can you be about to eat lunch with her, then?"
"Honestly?"
She nodded.
"Because last night was the first time in a long time that I truly smiled, and Erica's my best friend; she keeps me grounded...we were each other's firsts, and I helped her figure out that she was gay, she told me that I was her glasses," I paused, realizing that if you didn't hear the sister story it made no sense, "it's a long story, but go with it, so that's what that contacts thing was, and then the salad thing…before we got together, we were eating lunch together, as usual, each of us was eating salad, and Mark walked up and was saying how he'd grown, and wanted to have an emotional level to the 'relationship'—I was kind of a whore, and slept with him in on-call rooms all the time—but we didn't believe him, so we started this whole threesome joke, and, actually, he has grown a lot."
She raised her eyebrows at the plethora of information.
"Well, actually, he hasn't grown that much. He still wants to break up with his girlfriend because she's his best friend's girlfriend's little sister. He's such an asshole."
I began laughing upon realizing the fact that I just told a possible girlfriend some of the worst parts of my year…willingly.
This girl was doing things to me.
"So, now knowing that I was a whore, how…uh…how…."
Jesus Christ!
What is my problem?
I asked George out with no problem and he's practically a girl!
Erica is a girl and I couldn't even get it out, I just kissed her!
What is wrong with me?
"How would…uh…you…"
I saw George start to walk up to me, and I smiled, "Hey, George."
He leaned down and whispered, "The interns are gonna start placing bets soon."
Before I could respond he continued whispering, "Callie and Robbins sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes love, then comes a civil union, then comes—"
Harshly, I whispered, "Sounds better than Callie O'Malley."
He backed up, smiling, "Low blow, Torres, low blow."
I laughed, "Go back to your table, George." And then to Arizona, "Sorry about that."
"So, what were you saying?"
"How would you…like….how would you like to, uh…" I took a deep breath, and then rushed out, "go on a date with me?"
She smiled broadly, "I'd love to."
After a few moments of comfortable, smiling, silence Erica walked up.
"I was wondering when I was gonna be able to eat."
"Erica, again, I hate you."
"Callie, again, no Mason-Dixon Line until at least the third date."
"Oh, I know…last time my mom was here she was like, Calliope, you musn't be so free with your sexuality, men don't want women who've been passed around so many times." She said, mimicking her mother's accent, rolling her eyes after the statement.
The pediatric surgeon looked up, "What brought that on?"
"She was in my room, and found a pair of Mark's boxer's and one of his shirts;" I faltered, I knew he stayed over the night after Erica left, but I wasn't about to tell her I was a sobbing mess, so Sloan took care of me; I knew better than that, "he helped me out one night, and I guess he left some clothes after he showered."
Soon thereafter, our lunch break ended, and we all had to work, Arizona and I, however, had a date planned for the next night.
I spent the next day mentally preparing myself for the date, practicing like I was back in high school, except, I never did that back then. I could probably proposition Casanova and get a date, but I couldn't find it in me to be calm, cool, and collected when talking to Arizona, hopefully, that date with Casanova got me a trip to the depths of Calliope Iphegenia Torres.
What felt like years later, I arrived at the blonde's doorstep, and rang the doorbell. She answered the door, smiling, "You look beautiful, Callie."
"I would say the same about you, Arizona."
Her grin got even wider, "Come in, please, and I'm not even finished getting ready."
From farther inside the house, I heard another voice call, "Mommy!"
Arizona looked panicked, "I'll be right there, Harris!"
She ran towards the back of the house as I stood near the kitchen, in some awkward limbo. She came back quickly with a little boy in her arms as he cradled his hand. Going from nervous-Callie-date-mode to strong-Callie-doctor-mode, I went over quickly and asked what happened.
"A medical textbook fell off the shelf, and on to his hand."
"Can I see your hand?"
He shook his head stubbornly.
I smiled, "No?"
Another shake of his head.
"If you let me see your hand, I'll...buy you a gift. How does that sound? Like a good deal? Only if it's okay with Mommy, though."
As we, the boy and I, looked to the blonde, "It's a deal."
As I examined his hand, I spoke, "So what kind of gift do you want?"
He motioned for me to lean forward, so he could whisper something in my ear, "Make Mommy smile, Daddy made her sad."
I smiled, "I can do that, Har, I can do that."
"So how's it look, doc?"
"Just a bruise, ice it and you'll be fine. It'll hurt for a while, though, so be careful."
He jumped off of the chair, hugged us both, and ran off.
"Sorry I didn't tell you about him. It's not something I usually throw on people like that."
I smiled, "It's okay, Ar, trust me."
She looked wary, "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
"I don't believe you."
I smiled, "I know you don't, but it's the truth."
"The truth."
"The truth, and would I lie? I told you, like, my entire year yesterday."
"True."
I leaned forward and kissed her, loving the feeling of her lips against my own. My eyes still closed as I pulled away, I rested my forehead against hers, smiling.
"The babysitter should be here soon."
"Good, 'cause I really want to kiss you some more, and I'd rather not scar your son."
"Not fair."
I laughed, "I agree wholeheartedly."
Finally, the babysitter came, and we left, "So, what'd Har ask for?"
"He whispered, so I think it was a secret."
"But it's a gift, Cal, I'm gonna see it anyway."
"I know you will, but maybe you should wait for him to tell you what he asked for, okay?"
"Okay."
Many kisses, smiles, and sweet nothings later, Arizona closed her door as I—very reluctantly—drove off, both of us excited for the next day at work.
"Hey, Callie, Har told me that you have to call him?"
I laughed, "Now?"
She smiled, "Now."
I smiled just as brightly, "Follow me, then." I took her hand and pulled her into the only place inside the hospital I had service; I was not going outside in the freezing cold rain. Embarrassingly so, the only place in the hospital I had enough service to hold a good conversation was in an on-call room.
Her hand was placed so perfectly on my back, her thumb stroking the skin, she'd inadvertently exposed, so delicately, as I dialed her phone number that only my mantra of "I'm calling her son" was keeping me from, for lack of a better word, jumping her, right then and there.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Har? It's Callie."
"Hey!"
I smiled, "Hey, Bud."
"Mommy told you to call me?"
"She did."
"You made her smile."
"I'm glad."
"A lot."
I smiled at Arizona, "I was happy to do it; your Mommy's a very special woman."
"Okay. Tell Mommy I love her, bye bye."
"Bye bye, I will."
As I put my phone away, I said, "He says he loves you."
She smiled, "What were you happy to do?"
"Now, that breaches doctor-patient confidentiality."
"His gift?"
I nodded.
"Well, obviously, if he already got it, you can tell me."
I shook my head, "Nuh uh."
"Please?"
"Nope."
"Please, baby, please."
I closed my eyes, at the sound of the blonde before me calling me 'baby,' I was a goner, and let out a quiet, "Sorry, kid."
"He said, 'Make Mommy smile, Daddy made her sad.'"
"He said that?"
"Mhm, he's a great kid, with an amazing mother." I smiled, punctuating the sentence with a kiss.
"Mmm, whose girlfriend needs to do that more often."
"I agree."
"Do I get my way every time I call you baby?"
I grinned, "I wouldn't push it, baby."
She smiled in return, a smile that would marvel each of the world's wonders combined.
As we walked out of the on-call room, I realized something; when Erica leaves for Philadelphia again, I wouldn't be alone. I mean, I had Mark before, but I needed more than a friend to keep me standing. Now, I have that, and more.
