Excuses
Chapter 3:
Twenty minutes later the three of them walked into Seattle Grace Hospital,
"Callie are you okay?" Owen asked,
"Yeah, I'm just tired why?" Owen shook his head,
"No I meant more...physically you look like you're limping" Christina observed her friend and saw a scarlett tinge that spread over her cheeks. Christina felt her jaw drop open,
"You are limping...and you blushed, what happened?" The pair looked at her and she groaned,
"I don't know guys I must have hurt my ankle last night or something I don't know" Owen and Christina's eyebrows rose once again,
"Doctors Torres...we're not going to believe that, what happened?"
"George is ...well grieving" It was all Christina needed to catch on,
"Ok way too early in the morning to think about that"
"Oh!" It was all Owen managed before turning to say something to her but stopping himself. Instead the three just walked in silence, Callie feeling her embarrassment bubble,
When they entered the attendings' lounge Derek looked up and greeted them. Christina and Owen said good morning and moved to the corner where Owen's locker was to get changed. Christina had made herself right at home in the past couple of weeks, not that any of them cared, she even kept her change of scrubs in Owen's locker. Callie greeted Derek who looked at her curiously as she winced when she reached up to get the coffee off the top shelf,
"You okay Cal"
"Why does everyone keep asking me that?"
Derek raised his hands in surrender making Owen and Christina laugh. Two minutes later Derek was laughing as well after Christina had finally managed to tell the neurosurgeon why his fellow attending was very stiff that morning. Christina laughing turned to Callie ready to say something when Mark wandered in, they all knew that he'd had an early start that morning,
"Hey baby girl" He smiled at Callie who he saw first at her spot at the table and she looked up at him smiling tiredly,
"Hey Mark"
"What's up, you look..." Mark trailed off unable to put a label on how she looked. Callie slumped forward in exasperation. Fortunately for him Christina interrupted with a rather blunt explanation of the reason Callie wasn't looking quite so herself that morning not unlike the one she had given to Derek,
"She suffered George's wrath last night and is now rather sore" Owen grinned impishly at his girlfriends indifference,
"What?" Mark asked confused. It was only then that he noticed Mark acknowledged Derek on the couch behind Owen and Christina who were sat on the other side of the attendings desk. He nodded at his friend before both of their attention was refocused when Owen expertly caught the apple that Callie had pitched towards Christina who sat next to him for her remark.
Owen chuckled at her when Callie stuck her tongue out at him childishly,
"Is that why you're hiding in here?" Mark asked as he reached for his coffee mug in the cupboard,
"I am not hiding!" Callie responded affronted,
"Uh huh sure" Mark nodded at her a stupid little smirk playing on his lips.
"That's why I'm hiding in here" Christina spoke up again, "You should try being friends with him at the moment" the resident visibly shivered and then perked up before adding,
"That and you have the coolest coffee machine in the hospital if not the world" All the attendings grinned towards her. This had become their group, their circle: Derek, Owen, Christina, Mark and Callie. And Christina was the only intern that was permitted access to the attendings room...her and Karev at least who could usually get in as well. It was an unspoken rule of the hospital. But other than the two of them, no one else.
Callie groaned as she tried to focus on the charts in front of her before she slumped down on the table.
"I need more drugs" Mark who still hadn't caught on to what had happened question his friend once more,
"What the hell happened Cal?"
"Nothing" Callie insisted but Mark was stubborn if not anything else and he turned to Christina seeking his answer,
"George is grieving" the woman supplied cryptically,
"His Dad, yeah I know" Christina rolled her eyes and tried again,
"George has interesting methods of dealing with his gri—"
And just like that they literally heard the light bulb flick on or rather explode in Mark's head and watched as his eyes widened.
"Oh...oh right...yeah I didn't need to know that...Torres what the hell?"
"It's not funny!...It was horrible!" Her voice was muffled as she was still face down on the desk but she continued,
"It wasn't even good sex, it was horrible sex!"
"I still don't see how it could ever be goo-"
A pen went flying at Christina's head this time but Derek yelled out when it nearly hit him instead. Apparently not watching where you're throwing something impedes your aim,
"Hey" Derek protested
"Sorry Derek"
"You should be Torres" it wasn't Derek who had answered her apology however and she turned to the doorway to see Alex shutting the door behind him,
"And why exactly should I be sorry Alex Karev" She questioned with mock annoyance,
"Hmmmmmm" Alex's pretended to think for a moment before raising his head again in feigned recognition,
"Oh that's right because you bailed on us the other night...both of you actually!"
"I couldn't take anymore, you don't understand Alex" Callie almost pleaded with him
"Her legs couldn't ben-" Callie turned sharply towards Christina who was smirking towards Callie,
"You are very, very, very close to not being in my surgery today Yang" Christina grinned knowing there was no way Callie would take her off her surgery but for the sole purpose of humouring Callie she motioned zipping her lips closed and throwing the key away causing the others to laugh, Alex began to help himself to their coffee that Christina had been speaking of before,
"what are you doing up here by the way?"
"Dude same thing she is" Alex nodded at Christina
"She has a name" Christina interrupted,
Alex nodded,
"Yes she does and she is coming to dinner tonight whether she likes it or not" Alex said pointedly to Christina
"Actuall—"
"No actuallys If I am going you are going" Alex said with a tone of finality
"But—"
"No buts"
"What's tonight?" Derek had gotten up from his comfortable position on the couch instead choosing to join the group around the table. Christina groaned at his question,
"We're taking the grieving out to dinner"
"All of you?" Derek questioned,
"I'm not going" Alex and Christina turned to look at Callie incredulously,
"What?"
Callie sighed,
"Look I have been a good wife...right? I've put up with the unmentionable sex, I've cooked for his family, whether he appreciated it or not, I've been there when he's needed me, when his family has needed me. I've put up with his mood swings and all his different ways of grieving but now...and don't judge me for saying this but ..right now..I need a break...I, I need a break from George ok!" She trailed off knowing her words were wrong,
"I don't think that's how marriage works Cal" Derek was the one to break it to her and she collapsed on the table at his words.
Callie had spent the entire day keeping herself busy. She hated to admit it but when Christina pointed it out to her when the two were scrubbing in with Derek for their surgery she couldn't deny it,
"Look Cal you're going to have to come to dinner tonight whether you like it or not in fact it's just going to be more exhausting if you tire yourself out so much before we even get there. Trust me there's no way you're getting out of this one, I've tried" And with that her friend moved into the operating theatre and Derek looked down at Callie worryingly.
"Cal maybe you shouldn't go ...maybe you should take a break I mean I still stand by what I said before that marriage doesn't work like that but...when George is like he is now...you should take a break. It sounds like you have 100% responsibility with him right now Cal and that's not healthy however you look at it" She smiled smally at him, finally someone got it. He was right she had one hundred percent responsibility in her and George's relationship right now and he had one hundred percent freedom and she was exhausted. And yet...Christina was right per usual,
"There's no way I'm going to get out of this dinner now Derek, no way" He smiled at her grimly as he tied the pulled his mask over his head and tied hers on,
"Let me know if I can do anything yeah?" She nodded,
"Thanks Derek, now let's go save a life shall we?" The neurosurgeon grinned and nodded and they walked side by side into the OR.
Seven hours later Callie hiked up the stairs to the apartment she shared with George. She hadn't heard from him the entire day and had no idea if he'd even be home or not. He was. And it wasn't good.
When Callie walked into the apartment he looked up from his horizontal position on the couch,
"Hey baby, what's up" Great...
The beer bottles in front of him showed her just how the night was going to be.
"George"
"Yeah baby"
"Christina, Izzie, Meredith and Alex are meeting us at the restaurant soon remember."
"Izzie?" And with one word George had just stabbed her with a huge blunt knife straight through the heart.
"yep Izzie will be there" George didn't hear the sarcasm in her voice.
"Well what are we doing then we have to get ready Callie" He stood up and all but stumbled through to the bedroom.
"I don't know, what are we doing George?" Callie muttered to herself when he was out of sight,
"what are we doing?"
Pretty, Pretty please let me know what you guys thought!
Dinner is next chapter with a happy as always George and the rest of the interns. More Meredith and Izzie action next chapter...although that's not really a good thing
Thanks for reading guys.