All Roads Lead Back to You (Chapter 4)
Author: rcruz
Disclaimer: If I owned them, things would look a lot different. The characters, settings, established histories, and general Grey's Anatomy universe referenced in this work are properties of their respective owners. This is a work of fiction for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: This is another short chapter, although longer than the last one. This is the chapter that begins the real point of this piece which is to bring Erica and Callie back together. That is in essence the major plot. If you're looking for suspense or a more complicated plot you won't find it here. The rest of the piece really centers on Callie and Erica and how they come to realize that damn it, they belong together! (Also I am in no way associated with New Balance, but I do like their shoes.)
Chapter 4 – Collision
Erica was practically bouncing down the hall. It was uncharacteristic of her she knew. She was trying to make it seem more like a stoic march, but her New Balance sneakers seemed to encourage the bouncy steps. The sneakers were new. She had finally given in to her often suppressed desire to just be comfortable and not worry about looking like a doctor, while in San Francisco. It was one of the things that had changed since leaving Seattle. She now wore comfortable clothes and shoes to work. The doctors in San Francisco all seemed to be obsessed with New Balance shoes, trying new models, exchanging stories and tips on where you get the biggest selection and best deals. It hadn't taken long for her to indulge even though peer pressure was something she didn't usually succumb to.
But comfortable footwear was not the reason she was almost bouncing. The day she had dreaded and obsessed about was almost over and so far she had managed it without seeing Callie Torres or Mark Sloan. She came directly from the airport and locked herself in one of the empty offices, using interns to run her labs and bring her the reports she needed to review. The only resident she saw was Yang who wisely asked no questions and offered nothing beyond an awkward hello and how are you. After that, she had simply taken instruction from Hahn.
She ran into Shepherd and there was of course no way of ignoring the Chief who was friendlier than she had any right to expect, given their last meeting. She was after all in his hospital. This was a favor for her. She never doubted he would let her perform the surgery at Seattle Grace, but she hadn't expected friendly.
Shepherd had been awkward. They weren't friends and she always got the feeling he resented her when she was at Seattle Grace, so it was odd when he welcomed her back and told her that her services and presence had been missed. She almost laughed at him, only managing to stifle the laughter by concentrating on the labs she was examining.
The surgery went very well. Yang performed excellently and her patient's stats were good. She hastily gave Yang instructions to page her if anything changed and then quickly made her way to the empty office Richard had made available for her. She hung up her borrowed lab coat, slipped on her jacket and grabbed her purse almost in one motion. Not even bothering to search for the ebony black hair she had been on the look-out for all day, she bolted from the room and made a beeline for the elevator.
She had made it through the day without encountering her. There was still tomorrow when she would return to make sure the patient was still stable, but if all was going well, that would be a short visit. They could page her for anything else, since she wouldn't be that far at Mercy.
Not far now, she thought to herself as she whipped around a corner, her eyes focusing on the elevator situated just in front of the main nurse's station.
Erica froze. There she was, her head bent over charts standing right in front of the damn elevators. She let out a breath trying to think. Callie did not turn around, but that was not a surprise. Erica hadn't been particularly noisy. Suddenly her vision was obscured by another body sidling up to Callie with a familiarity that made Erica's blood run just a tad cold. It was a woman, shorter than Callie, blond hair, thin. Her hands were on Callie's waist as she leaned into Callie, whispering something in her ear. Callie faced her, still seemingly unaware of the frozen figure watching them. The two women kissed and Erica felt her stomach drop. She didn't want to see this. She turned around hastily.
What had she been thinking? Seattle Grace elevators were the last place you wanted to be if you wanted to avoid someone.
She hurriedly retraced her steps, mentally trying to recall the nearest stairwell.
Mark watched the scene unfold. The sight of Arizona and Callie kissing in that non-passionate way was not news to anyone, except perhaps the blond standing a few feet away, still as a statue. Hahn.
She stood there staring, seemingly incapable of movement. Suddenly her body seemed to recover and she turned so quickly, her hair actually twirled. He shifted his eyes to Callie who was smiling at Arizona's retreating form.
"Why are you still here?" he asked.
"Just finishing up some charts," answered Callie trying to look around him to catch a glimpse of the person approaching the elevator.
"Your shift was over two hours ago. You're not waiting for Hahn, are you?" he asked knowing full well the answer.
"Fuck you Mark," said Callie returning to her charts.
"Because if you were, you just missed her."
Callie's head shot up. "What?" She was looking around frantically.
Mark leaned on the counter. "My guess is that she decided to take the stairs after watching your lack-luster make-out session with Arizona."
"Fuck!"
"You can probably still catch her if you take the..." He never got to finish. She was already bolting for the elevator which had miraculously opened as she reached it. She ran past the man waiting for it and looked impatiently at him as he hesitated before entering.
"Say hi to her for me," Mark shouted before the doors closed, catching only the barest glimpse of Callie's rude gesture.
Callie pushed the "L" that would take her to the main floor a thousand times not caring that the man in the elevator with her was backing himself into the opposite corner. He made no move to punch a floor, so she figured they were both heading to the same place. She stood there, leg shaking up and down in anticipation.
"Come on you piece of crap elevator," she mumbled to herself urging the elevator to move faster.
She felt a gentle thud as the elevator hit the main floor and stood directly in front of the doors. There was a delay which made her curse again.
"Open the fucking..."
The doors parted slowly. Her body had already turned as she lurched forward between the still half closed doors her feet moving fast. She felt the crash in her chest first as it collided with someone, slamming right into a shoulder in motion. Two tangled bodies reached out to each other for balance. Callie recognized the touch immediately and felt a flush of heat travel up her body, culminating in her face.
"Erica," she managed to whisper as they straightened themselves out.
Erica stood there looking at her, an unreadable expression on her face. Callie was afraid to see anger in those eyes, to watch her once again walk away from her.
But Erica was not walking. She averted her eyes. She stepped back and seemed to look everywhere but directly at Callie.
"Erica, hey," said Callie a little louder reaching out to her now, sensing that Erica wanted to bolt.
Erica was trying hard not to look at her, but she jerked when Callie's hand touched her arm. Her eyes went to Callie's face instantly, pausing for a few seconds.
"I can't...I have to go." She made a move to leave.
"Don't. Please don't walk away again."
Callie was holding back tears. She had waited a long time to see Erica. She knew she couldn't stop her, really. Erica was a force of nature, but she had to at least try to get her to stay this time. Not like last time, when she watched Erica walk away feeling helpless and confused, but believing there would be another day for them. Not knowing the shock that she would experience later when she realized it would be the last memory she had of Erica. And now Erica was here, standing in front of her, with nervously shifting eyes. But she was standing. She was not walking away and Callie at last felt she could breathe again.
Callie smiled at her, not wanting to scare her, but wanting Erica to know that staying had been a good thing.
Erica's eyes were now focused on her. Whether they focused on her because they had nowhere else to look or because Erica had finally centered herself, Callie did not know or care. All that mattered was that she was staring into the clearest blue eyes she had every known and they were staring back.
Callie smiled again and was surprised when that smile was returned.
"Hello Dr. Tor..."
"Don't" Callie said again, with a little force. She had no desire to antagonize Erica, but she would be damned if she was going to let her use that professionalism she liked to use as her armor.
"We've seen each other naked, Erica. I think we're a bit beyond formalities, don't you?"
Callie smiled trying to make her comment sound playful and bring down the tension. Erica surprised her again by laughing. The woman didn't laugh or smile often, but when she did you knew she meant it.
"You're right. Hello Callie."
Score one for Torres, thought Callie as she visibly relaxed.
Callie didn't want to start the conversation she had been dying to have here in front of the very active elevators, but she didn't know how long she had Erica for. She stepped away from the elevator slightly and pulled Erica with her with a light touch on her arm. Erica did that jerky thing again.
"I um…heard you were doing a surgery here. You must have been hiding all day because I didn't see you. I only found out a couple of hours ago that you were even here."
"I'm just here today and for a short time tomorrow and then I fly back to California."
"California? Is that where you ended up?"
Erica looked down at her shoes. "Yes," she responded. "San Francisco Medical"
Callie waited to see if more was forthcoming, but Erica had never been a lots of detail kind of woman, her experience with seeing leaves notwithstanding.
"Have you been there this whole time?" asked Callie.
She knew she had to be careful. The exit doors were too close and the memory of Erica walking away from her right outside those doors too fresh.
"Yes," Erica chuckled. "I took the first job I was offered. Not the brightest move on my part, but I was pretty… Well, it doesn't matter now."
Callie cringed.
"Listen, I have an idea. Why don't you let me take you to Joe's for a drink and you can tell me all about San Francisco."
Erica looked unsure.
"Erica, I haven't seen you in six months and...well, you never returned my calls."
Callie did not want to play that card, well aware that it could backfire.
Erica sighed audibly.
"Okay," she said.
It worked!
Callie pounced. "Let me just change out of these scrubs."
"Why don't I meet you there?" suggested Erica standing there looking nervous with her hands jammed in the pockets of her jacket.
"No!" said Callie alarmed at the prospect of letting Erica out of her sight. "I mean, why walk over there alone? Why don't you walk me to the resident's locker room and you can wait while I change. You can start telling me about San Francisco."
Erica seemed to struggle with the idea, her eyes shifting between the door and Callie. A full minute passed between them before she responded.
"Okay," said Erica again.
She removed her hands from her pockets and motioned towards the elevator. Callie was still watching her, wanting to be sure that she was coming. It was irrational, she knew, to not want to let this woman out of her sight, but she was too scared that she would disappear again.
They rode the elevator back up and much to Callie's surprise they did indeed chat. She expected Erica to be silent, to make her work for every piece of information, but Erica engaged her, answering every question about where she lived, how she liked San Francisco, what restaurants she liked and all the other inane questions people often ask to fill up conversational space.
There were plenty of other things Callie wanted to discuss, but she knew she needed to have patience with Erica or at least the Erica she had known. This person bore a striking resemblance, except she seemed a little wearier, less hard and just a tad bit more vulnerable.
Erica paused at the door to the resident's locker room.
"I'll wait out here," she said not even wanting to contemplate going in and actually watching Callie change.
"Nope. Can't have you lurking around outside, people would talk. Come on in Dr. Hahn. I won't embarrass you."
Erica looked at her like she was crazy, but much to her dismay Callie was serious. She took a deep breath and followed her, intent on staying by the door and well away from any place that might afford her even a glimpse of Callie changing.
They kept up the small talk, with Callie doing most of the talking now. She told Erica about the dramas of the past six months, how perspectives had changed since Erica left, how everything was so different, although in some ways they remained the same. Erica listened intently waiting for one particular nugget of information. It never came. Callie did not mention the woman she had kissed. She heard about Hunt and Dixon. She heard what sounded like a familiar story about the "new" Shepherd/Grey drama. She even heard about Sloan and Little Grey. She heard about crazy wacky interns and had to roll her eyes.
"Some things don't change about this place," she commented.
Erica had never particularly liked the way Webber ran things and even before the Stephens debacle, she debated whether she would last at Seattle. He never seemed to like her and she certainly had no soft spot in her heart for him. It had been hard to come to terms with the fact, that if it hadn't been for Callie she might have left sooner.
Callie rolled her eyes as she walked back into Erica's line of vision, continuing their last conversation about psychotic interns.
"It's really messed up. The Chief went ballistic."
"He should," Erica said with a note of incredulity in her voice.
"Ready?" said Callie seeming refreshed and energized from her change of clothes.
