So, was a bit bored and thought I'd write this between washing my car and practice a little later.

Too Short For Grudges

Callie stood in the doorway of Izzie's room and watched as her chest slowly rise and fall. Everything around Callie just stopped. Izzie didn't look like the same Izzie anymore. She looked so tiny curled up in the hospital. Her skin didn't have the same glow anymore. It was pale. Her once shiny blonde hair was now shaved off, and her bald head was exposed. Her lips weren't a rosy red anymore, but a pale pink. Callie had never seen anybody so sick, granted, she basically lives in a hospital and is surrounded by plenty of sick people. She had just never seen anybody she knew that looked so sick. Callie wasn't sure if she wanted to be here. Callie didn't even know what exactly drove her to come here. Maybe it was the conversation she and Arizona the previous night. Callie replayed it over and over in her head. Arizona had gone with Callie to go visit the O'Malleys, and when they got home, Callie broke down completely. Arizona knew that while George was her ex-husband, he still meant a great deal to her, and his death was nothing but difficult for her to get through. Arizona had explained to her that when her brother died she went straight to her old best friends house and made up with her because she realized life was too short for grudges, and that maybe she should try and do the same.

"Callie?" Izzie's weak voiced asked as she lifted herself up a little on the hospital bed.

"Hey." Callie said uneasily.

"You just get back form the funeral?" Izzie asked softly, noticing that Callie was dressed in all black.

"Yeah." Callie nodded as she moved away from the doorway and walked over to the seat next to Izzie's bed.

"How was it?" Izzie asked, her chin trembling a little. "They wouldn't let me go. They said it was too risky."

"Iz, you're a doctor, you know it is risky, especially after the last few days you've had." Izzie nodded sadly. "It was sad." Callie whispered. "It's one thing to go to a funeral for somebody who was really old and sick, but George was so young, and his death... It was-" Callie wiped away a few tears. "It was tragic."

"George is a hero." Izzie chocked out. "He's a hero." Callie nodded her head as she looked away trying to contain her tears. She had promised that she wouldn't break down and cry, but it was getting harder and harder.

Izzie tried containing her tears long enough to say, "How are the O'Malley's doing?"

"Not good." Callie shook her head.

"George shouldn't be dead. I should be dead right now." Izzie cried. "It should have been me. He didn't deserve this." Callie wiped away a few tears from her own face and grabbed Izzie's hand tightly.

"Listen, you've got to hang in there okay? Because we just lost George, and we don't want to lose you either. Alex, Meredith, and Cristina won't be able to handle this. Sure they walk around as if they have no feelings in the world, but they are broken right now, completely broken, and if you give up, it would kill them." Callie stressed the word 'kill'. Izzie let her head fall back onto her pillow as she shook her head slowly and sobbed.

"I'm just so tired."

Callie gave Izzie's hand a squeeze. "Just keep fighting, Izzie. That's all we can ever do. Move forward and keep on fighting."

Izzie let some tears fall down as she nodded her head. "Callie?"

"Yeah?" Callie asked.

"Can we talk about something less- depressing?" Izzie asked. "I've been sitting in this hospital bed for the past two days thinking about how my best friend just died, and how I may join him, and I'm tired. I'm tired sitting here. I'm tired of thinking."

Callie agreed understandingly. "What do you want to talk about?"

Izzie shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing medical, nothing depressing, and nothing having to do with death."

"You don't leave me with a lot of options." Callie joked quietly.

Izzie smiled a bit. "Well, I never realized how much gossip patients hear. Like how Meredith and Derek got married on a post-it. I mean I gave them such a beautiful wedding, and they would rather do it on a post-it. I'm not complaining, I got to marry Alex, but a Post-It? SERIOUSLY?" Izzie looked over at Callie with a puzzled expression.

Callie smiled and shrugged, "I got married by an Elvis impersonator, things aren't exactly how they used to be."

Izzie laughed a little and nodded in agreement before she continued with her gossip. "Owen and Cristina are giving it another go. I have to say that I'm happy for the two of them. I know these past few weeks have been hard, but I'm proud of them. Cristina seems happy with him, too, so that's a plus. Happier than she was with Burke. You know, I used to think Cristina was just some smart ass bitch, but Cristina is a good person. She's a very honorable person. I don't know what I would've done without her. She's grown alot these past couple years. I suppose we all have. We were immature babies when we first walked these doors. I like to think we've grown since then. But out of all of us, Cristina grew the most, maybe even more than Meredith." Izzie said looking up at Callie with a small smile. "Don't you think?"

"Yeah, I think she has too, although, you all have grown into fine doctors." Callie agreed. "What other gossip is there?"

"There is something about the new PEDs attending, Dr. Robbins, dating one of our very own, Calliope Torres." Izzie gave her a huge grin that lit up her eyes.

Callie smiled. "Bite your tongue Izzie Stevens, only Arizona calls me Calliope."

"That's another thing I heard." Izzie laughed. "So when did this happen?"

"Me and Arizona or the whole... woman thing?" Callie asked with a short laugh.

"We all kind of know about the Hahn thing, I was wondering about Arizona."

Callie shurgged. "Month or so ago? We're taking it slow."

Izzie wiggled her eyebrows, "Slow. That's what they all say."

Callie rolled her eyes at Izzie's childish antics. "How's married life?" Callie inquired.

"Difficult, especially in my situation but Alex has been so great to me." Izzie gushed. "Are you happy, Callie?" Izzie asked suddenly.

"Well these past few days haven't been easy." Callie admitted.

"I meant, in general. With Arizona."

"I'm very happy." Callie smiled at the thought of her girlfriend. "She's super."

"Super? Well, I'm glad. If anybody deserves to be happy, it's you. I know this is the last thing you want to hear, but I am so deeply sorry for what I did, Callie. I never made your marriage with George, easy. I know that. This, I guess, is karma." Izzie said motioning around to her hospital room. "I'm dying of Cancer and George got hit by a bus. Ironic don't you think?"

"Izzie Stevens, this isn't karma. This is life. We all make mistakes, and I like to believe that there is a higher power up there that forgives us for our mistakes. I like to believe that that higher power is making sure that George is with his father right now sitting back and watching us. If this is karma, then I should be laying right beside you as well, because I committed adultery too. Mark Sloan should be here, Meredith, Derek, Addison, Chief."

Izzie nodded quietly. "Thanks for coming to visit me."

"I'm glad I came. I really am, and I'm sorry you lost your best friend." Callie whispered.

"I'm sorry you lost the man you loved." Izzie replied.

Callie's beeper went off suddenly. "Go." Izzie said. Callie nodded and got up to leave.

"Callie, I hope you decide to come back and visit. Maybe you can bring Arizona. I worked with her once before I got sick. She was nice and cheery." Izzie smiled. "I like cheery."

"I'm starting to like cheery too, and don't worry, we will." Callie agreed before walking out of the room, walking tall, feeling a huge weight being lifted off her shoulders

THE END!

Just a short little one-shot that i've had cooking up in my head for awhile now. F/B