Title: Chaos
A Title: Chaos
Author: VietAngel
Rating: K
Pairing: Mark/Callie

Summary: Mark's girls get sick…and chaos ensues in the Torres-Sloan household.

Author's Note: I originally had this story reserved for a Dark Angel fic, but I like it better for Callie and Mark.

Mark smiled when he saw Callie's name flash across the screen of his cell phone. It was 9:00 a.m. and he hadn't set foot in his house for over twenty-four hours. There was some kind of accident in a gym at a local high school and he had been very busy…so busy he hadn't even had a chance to call and talk to his wife and children.

"Good morning, mi vida. Feliz cumpleanos," Mark answered, taking the opportunity to practice his Spanish. Callie was adamant about the girls being bilingual, so he was taking the time to learn as well. "I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to call. Are you on your way in?" Her shift was schedule to start in thirty minutes.

"That's actually why I called," she replied. He could hear the exhaustion in her voice and frowned. "The girls are sick. Thalia and Aiden woke me up at 2:00 in the morning with coughing and sniffles. They're both running fevers and Evan is feeling a little warm too." At that moment Evan started screaming and he could hear Callie cooing softly to try and calm her. "I'm not going to make it in today…will you let Chief Webber know?"

"I will. I'm so sorry I can't be there…we didn't get a chance to have our private birthday morning celebration," he replied. "I have several surgeries lined up, so I don't foresee getting out of here before five…but I'll reschedule what I can and try to get home as soon as possible to help you out with the mini-yous."

"No, you're needed there. I'll be ok with the girls…but could you pick up something for dinner on your way home? My parents should be getting in around six," she replied.

"Sure thing…are you ok, Cal? You don't sound too good yourself," he said. Her voice sounded a little on the raspy side to him.

"I'm fine, just tired," she replied.

"Ok, well I'm going to let you get back to the girls. Call me if they get any worse or if you need anything. I love you," Mark said.

"I love you too," Callie replied. "Bye."

Mark arrived home at five-thirty loaded down with bags of Chinese food and plenty of chicken noodle soup. He had practically ordered one of everything on the menu. Callie definitely wouldn't need to cook for a few days…unless Cristina and Meredith came over for a visit. Those two could eat a person out of house and home. He quickly deposited the bags on the counter and ran upstairs taking them two at a time. He could hear the girls screaming and crying the second he walked in the door and he knew that Callie was in desperate need of some help. Following the sound of the commotion, he located them in the Jack & Jill bathroom between Aiden and Thalia's rooms.

He hadn't known what to expect, but he certainly wasn't expecting to find everyone crying…especially not Callie. Aiden was perched on the toilet in her pajamas and she was crying so hard she couldn't get her words out. Thalia was in the bathtub wiggling, squirming, and screaming…doing everything she could to get out of there. Evan was in her bouncer seat and was most likely crying because her sister's crying had frightened her. And Callie—the poor woman was at her wits end. She was kneeling beside the bathtub soaked to the bone with soapy water trying desperately to bathe Thalia. An entire day of taking care of three sick kids alone had very obviously taken a toll on her, and tears were streaming down her face. Mark immediately pulled her to her feet and into his arms. He wiped the tears from her cheeks and asked her what was wrong.

"I'm a horrible mother!" she sobbed. "I can't get Aiden to take her medicine; I'm trying to give Thalia a vapor bath to help her feel better but she won't keep still; and Evan won't stop crying no matter what I do."

"Look at me," he replied, cupping her face in his hands. "You are NOT a horrible mother. You are an amazing mother and a doctor. You save lives everyday and then have to come home and take care of three lovably insane little girls plus one very needy husband…you're superwoman. You're just stressed out…go rest, I've got them."

"I can't, I need to…" she started.

"What you need is some alone time. Go relax. I mean it. You can't help them if you're so stressed out you make yourself sick too," he replied as he kissed her forehead and gently pushed her toward the door. He could have sworn she felt a little warm, but chalked it up to her being overheated from wrestling with the kids. "I promise I can handle it."

When Mark had his mind made up there was no arguing with him, so she kissed him on the cheek and retreated to their bedroom to change into some dry clothes and do as she was told. Mark looked at his three daughters and sighed. He honestly didn't know how Callie did it some days. He made a mental note to talk to the Chief Webber about giving Callie some vacation time. He'd take her somewhere nice and tropical and it would be just the two of them. He shook the thoughts from his mind and focused on the task at hand. He rolled up his sleeves and kneeled down in the spot that Callie vacated. He was all too aware that hanging on to a squirming Thalia was as easy as trying to catch a greased ferret.

"Thal, baby, try to keep still for daddy please," he spoke softly to try and calm her. "I know how much you hate taking baths sweetie, but you'll feel better."

He finished washing her as quickly as he could and dressed her in the warm flannel pajamas Callie had laid out for her on the sink. As soon as she was warm and safe in his arms, the crying stopped. With her forehead resting in the crook of his neck, he could feel the heat emanating from her skin. Callie appeared in the doorway—dry and slightly more relaxed in black cashmere lounge pants (the ones he pitched a bitch about the second he saw the credit card bill, but apologized profusely for once he saw them on her) and a soft grey cotton layering tee. Callie cleared her throat and Thalia immediately reached for her. That one was a mama's girl through and through. She gave him a sloppy kiss on the nose before moving into her mother's arms and Mark's heart nearly melted.

"I kiss daddy!" Thalia told her mother excitedly, pointing her little finger at her father and clapping.

"Aww, Thal, you're so sweet," he replied, giving her a kiss on the nose too. She giggled and buried her face in her mother's shoulder.

"Come on baby, lets go get some juice," Callie said. She smiled at Mark and mouthed a silent 'thank you' before heading downstairs to the kitchen.

He scooped Aiden into his arms and rubbed her back to comfort her. She was definitely a daddy's girl, despite being the spitting image of her mother. He waited for her sobbing to subside before talking to her.

"What's with the waterworks, Aid?" he asked softly.

"Mo-mommy tried to make me take this medicine, daddy," Aiden replied, holding up the small cup of red liquid. "It's disgusting daddy! It's just awful!"

Mark tried his best not to laugh. They had learned long ago that Aiden was the drama queen of the group. As hilarious as it was, he didn't like the fact that she was giving her mother a hard time.

"You know that mommy loves you, right?" he asked. She immediately shook her head 'yes.' "Has she ever done anything you hurt you?" She shook her head 'no.' "And you know she never would. I know the medicine doesn't taste very good, but you need to take it so you can feel better. You know, some kids are lucky enough to have a wonderful mommy like you…so when she tells you to do something, don't argue with her, baby. Just remember that she loves you and she's doing it for your own good. Now will you please take your medicine?" She nodded her head in agreement and made a funny face before gulping the medicine down. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and flashed Mark that signature crooked grin…seemingly the only thing she inherited from him. He brushed the mass of thick, dark curls from her forehead and planted a kiss there. "Good girl, now why don't you go downstairs and find mommy. I'm pretty sure she has some juice waiting for you to wash that nasty medicine down."

The room was blissfully quiet. He looked down at Evan and she flashed him a gummy smile. She gurgled happily as he cradled her in his arms and headed downstairs to join the rest of the Torres-Sloan clan. Twenty minutes later, with Mark carrying Aiden on one hip and Thalia on the other, and Callie bringing up the rear with Evan, they all headed up front to answer the door. Thalia and Aiden immediately wiggled out of Mark's grasp and bounded toward their grandparents. Amaia and Emilio Torres were always a welcome sight. Much to Callie's dismay and the girls' joy, they doted on their grandchildren as much as they did their daughter.

"Happy birthday, darling," Amaia said, kissing her daughter's cheek and pulling her into a hug.

"Yes, happy birthday, mija," Emilio added, mimicking his wife's actions. He quickly wiped the smile from his face and glared at Mark, as per the usual routine. "Is this one still treating you like the goddess you are?"

"Yes, papi," Callie giggled.

"Good. I don't need to snap his neck then," with that he pulled Mark into a hug. "It's nice to see you again, son."

"It's good to see you too, dad. How was your flight?" Mark asked.

"Other than your mother's complaining, it was fine," the older man replied.

"I wasn't complaining, I was merely stating a fact. We are moving to Seattle. I refuse to miss my grandchildren growing up. Look how big Thalia is! She was a tiny little thing like Evan the last time we saw her…and Aiden has grown at least a foot!" Amaia replied.

"Mi vida, we are not moving to Seattle. What about my business?" Emilio asked.

"The boys can handle the business. You should have retired a long time ago you old coot. We are moving to Seattle and that's final!" she replied. He opened his mouth to argue, but she raised an eyebrow at him in that same way Callie always did when she wanted Mark to let her have her way. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that the Torres women were the bosses in their relationships.

"Yes, dear. We will start looking for houses tomorrow," he replied. Scooping his two oldest granddaughters into his arms, he grumbled under his breath about hoping that they didn't inherit that look.

A few minutes later the entire family sat down to dinner. The girls didn't have much of an appetite, but that was to be expected. Mark also noticed that Callie was pretty much just shoving food around her plate, but she often lost her appetite when she was tired. After dinner, everyone headed into the family room to sit down and watch a movie and Callie excused herself and headed upstairs to the bathroom.

"Mark," Amaia called softly, trying not to wake Aiden who was asleep in her arms. "We will take excellent care of your babies…I think it's time for you to head upstairs and go take care of ours." He looked puzzled and she knew he was about to say that Callie told him she was fine. She knew her daughter—she wasn't fine. "I know she said she's fine, she always does. She's not feeling well…a mother always knows. I've felt it every single time Calliope has been sick or hurt, even when she was clear on the other side of the world. Maybe it's because we carry them inside of us for so long that we develop a special bond, but a mother always knows when there's something wrong with her child."

He nodded his understanding and eased a sleeping Thalia off of his lap and onto the sofa. He covered her with a blanket and mouthed a 'thank you' to his mother in law before heading upstairs to check on his wife. He stopped in the doorway of their bedroom to just watch her for a second. She was sprawled across the king sized bed on her stomach in the midst of a fitful sleep. He slipped his hand under her shirt to feel the skin of her lower back. She whimpered and squirmed, she was burning up and his hands felt ice cold against her skin. He felt the back of her neck too for good measure and cursed under his breath. Her skin was flushed and her clothes were soaked through with sweat.

She coughed painfully and he couldn't help but cringe at the raw sound. He walked around to the other side of the bed and retrieved a bottle of water from the mini-fridge they kept hidden in the cabinet at the bottom of his night stand. There was a bottle of Tylenol PM sitting beside the lamp and he shook two pills from it before heading back over to her. He hated to wake her, but it had to be done.

"Callie, baby you've got to wake up," he said, shaking her. "You need to take these and get that fever down."

After much grumbling and whining she eventually complied and sat up. Her slow movements told him that her body ached all over. She downed the pills in one quick gulp, but he stopped her before she could lie back down.

"You need to drink all of the water," he said.

She sighed, but she knew he was right. While she finished the bottle of water, he busied him self with undressing her. When she was done, he hauled her to her feet and led her into the bathroom. He turned on the water and adjusted it until it was on the hot side, but not the nearly scalding temperature Callie usually liked. He was about to send her in on her own until he realized she was practically sleeping on her feet. He stepped in with her, fully clothed, and allowed her to rest her weight against his chest as the soothing hot water beat down on her aching body. By the time he finished washing her hair, she shivered, and he knew it was time to get out.

He dried her body and wrung as much water as he could from her hair before leading her back to the bedroom and sitting her at the edge of the bed. He quickly changed into some dry clothes—boxers and a t-shirt. For unknown reasons, Callie was always comforted by sleeping in his clothes when she was sick, so he pulled out a pair of pajama pants and a long sleeved tee for her. He dressed her, being sure to secure the drawstring on the pants that were much too large for her, and slipped some warm socks on her feet before taking on the task of combing through her too thick mass of hair. Twenty minutes later her hair was still damp, but mostly tangle free and Mark couldn't help but smile triumphantly at his work.

Pulling back the covers, he settled her on the bed and crawled in beside her. Poor thing, she was asleep before her head even hit the pillow. He pulled her closer until she was settled comfortably on his chest. The hot shower and Tylenol had obviously done it's duty, because her forehead felt a little less hot against his neck. He brushed her hair back and kissed her there. Superwoman was allowed to have an off day once in a while…and he felt so blessed to be the one to take care of her when she did.

Fin.