A/N: First off, sorry for the wait. Mid-terms/studying was taking up all my time.

Secondly, I want to punch Alex Karev in the face for how he's treating April. It makes me mad that they're leaning toward a relationship between the two, and it's not because I'm an April/Stark shipper. They shouldn't get together when he treats her like crap.

Finally, it irritates me what they're doing to April. She shouldn't have sex just to have sex. It has to mean something – especially for her – and a one-stand won't do that.

"April…"

Her head jerked up as she elbowed her way into the door, Callie not far behind her. She stared, silent, her jaw clenched as Lexie stood at the landing of the stairs, her mouth open in shock. Without a word, she shuffled into the empty foyer, watching Callie tentatively as she, too, entered.

Callie looked from April's sad, tired eyes toward Lexie, who was shocked into paralysis. She turned to the woman beside her, hunched over, cradling her wounded hand that covered her chest as if shielding her heart from more damage. "April, you need help getting upstairs?"

She only shook her head.

Callie bit the side of her check gently, disbelieving. The tortured, scared look still present in April's eyes expressed no confidence, but a sure promise that she wouldn't be sleeping tonight, anyway. "Do you want me to stay with you tonight, April?"

Shrugging, she turned to Lexie. "If you want."

Callie nodded. "I'll sleep on the floor." She turned to Lexie. "Can you grab me a pillow and blanket, please?"

Lexie didn't move, instead staring at April still, at eyes that immediately looked away.

Callie frowned as she repeated, "Lexie, a blanket and pillow. Please."

"April…" came the soft, saddened answer, as if Lexie was trapped in time, unable to move but unsure how to help.

Stepping forward, Callie's tone lowered as she said, "Go get me a blanket and pillow, Lexie. Now." She glared until Lexie scurried out the room, her eyes still wide in surprise and worry. Shaking her head, Callie turned back toward April and protectively placed an arm on her shoulder. April stared at the limb numbly before her eyes met Callie's. "What do you want April?"

"Can I shower?"

Callie didn't feel the need to remind her that she had already showered back at the hospital after the rape kit…after she had detailed what happened to Bailey and herself. Callie couldn't get that image out of her head, the way April had blindly walked into the shower stall, carefully shedding her gown as warm water cascaded down her garishly bruised back. The shower was quick, not lasting very long since she couldn't get her hand wet. Callie hadn't been surprised by April's desire to attempt to wash the memoires away. What had surprised her, however, was that April had not broken down during the cleansing process. She had simply let the water wash over her, body stiff, until she was forced to shut it off. Then, mechanically, she had dressed, and Callie had escorted her out of the hospital.

Now they were here, in a place where April was supposed to feel safe. It wasn't that place anymore. Her bed wasn't her safe haven anymore; she had admitted that when she said she didn't want to go home but lay in the wet, cold grass. Callie didn't blame her, either. After hearing April's horrific tale, she didn't want to step foot near a bed either. Sighing gently, Callie turned as Lexie jogged back into the room with a sleeping bag and blanket. "Thanks."

Lexie remained unable to keep her eyes off her friend, stunned from anger, sadness, and confusion to see April's already fragile personality completely shattered from a brutal attack that wounded her to her core. "April, what—"

Cutting her off quickly because she registered the wide opening of April's eyes as tears starting to form, Callie asked, "Do you want to head up to the shower now? I'll wait for you down here if you want."

April only nodded. "Um…I need help putting a bag over my hand."

"All right," Callie responded soothingly. "We can handle that up there." She smiled gently in reassurance as April blankly walked up the stairs to the bathroom, her hand clutching the railing like she would slip and fall down forever until her body hit solid concrete. Watching her carefully, Callie waited until she had shut the bathroom door behind her before she turned to Lexie.

The young woman couldn't take her eyes off the bathroom door, so Callie snapped her out by roughly jerking her shoulder. Lexie's eyes travelled to her, stunned. "What-What happened?"

"She was physically and sexually assaulted," Callie answered, her words filled with pain. "And do your best not to stare. She had enough of that leaving the hospital."

"She was….what?"

Callie sighed heavily. "Look, Lexie, I need to go up there and make sure she gets in and out all right, okay? When she's in the shower I'll come down and tell you what happened. Just…Knock that damn look of pity off your face. She doesn't need to see that. Not from you." Without a word, Callie made her way up the stairs. She knocked gently on the bathroom door, waiting for April's approval of entry, before she walked in.

Though she had seen the bruises just hours before, Callie still felt her heart stop at the sight, at the multiple parts of her body that were tinted a dark purple from a savage attack which left her physically and emotionally torn. The bruises came alive, devilish, because Callie could place in her mind an action that had caused such brutal scarring. April indirectly had detailed what happened to her after Bailey's gentle line of questioning of where he hurt her and how. Every bruise formed at the hands of a monster; given the chance, Callie would make sure he died a slow, painful death. She would make him suffer and beg for mercy, just as April had.

Delicately, Callie slipped the grocery bag over April's broken hand, gently holding it down with tape to ensure no water could travel in. "April, are you okay?"

April's eyes were fixed on the mirror, at her own broken reflection.

"April?"

She met Callie's eyes. "Yeah?"

"Do you want me to wait in here until you're done or are you okay?"

"I'm okay," she answered quietly, turning her head away from the mirror. Shrugging, she moved toward the shower and gently opened the sliding door. "I'm…I'll be okay."

"April?"

She turned her head slightly to look at Callie over her shoulder.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of," Callie told her firmly. "This is not your fault, okay? You have nothing to be ashamed of."

"Sure."

Callie could only watch her slip into the shower, sliding the door carefully behind her. Callie stood there for a few moments, watching through the blur as April wet her hair with her one good hand. Deciding to give her much needed privacy, Callie opened the door gently and, as she left, heard a broken, whimpered cry that made her blood run cold.

Callie was downstairs in the kitchen only moments later where Lexie sat at the island, furiously stirring a mug of coffee. The clanking was rough, reflecting the anxiety in her heart, and instantly stopped as Callie leaned against the island. With a sigh of exhaustion, she rubbed her eyes and looked up to meet Lexie's worried gaze. "What do you want to know?"

"What happened to her, Callie?" came the soft, disbelieving question.

"Do you really want to know?"

Lexie paused for a moment, contemplating the scenario, before she nodded. "Yes."

"She was raped," Callie told her. "And beaten. And…And she's going to need us right now, okay? She's going to need everyone tor rally around her. And what she doesn't need is that look of pity. So you get it out now, Lexie. Because if I see you look at her like when she's down here, I swear to God it'll be the last thing you do."

"Callie, I—"

"You're allowed your surprise and anger and emotions, okay? I get that. But she needs you to step up and be her best friend. So you get your emotions out now or when she's not around. Because if she sees you like this…" Callie shook her head. "It'll destroy her even more. And if you hurt her, well…"

"I got it," Lexie answered softly. "I got it."

Callie nodded. "Good. And you tell Jackson and Alex to do the same. Especially Karev. Because I will kick his ass and we all know I can do it."

Arizona was chopping up an apple when her wife came through the door. She looked haggard, more exhausted than any grueling surgery, which surprised her slightly considering it was the afternoon. Smiling brightly, Arizona asked, "Emergency surgery?"

When Callie simply threw her keys down in a bowl and traipsed toward her, Arizona looked up, worried. Her movements, stiff, indicated that something was seriously wrong. "Hey, what happened at the hospital?" The knife dropped from her hands, clanking against the counter as Callie leaned against the island, cradling her head in her hands. Immediately, Arizona rounded the corner, gently wrapping her arms around her wife's waist. Feeling Callie shake against her from a pained sob sent her concern over the edge. "Calliope, what happened?"

Callie clutched Arizona's hands tightly, clinging to her anchor like she'd collapse if she let go. She forced herself to breathe in, to end the tears, as she told her wife, "April Kepner was raped this morning."

"What?" Arizona's hands immediately fell. Her eyes were wide in shock as Callie turned around and slumped against the cool granite. "She was…what?"

Callie nodded, furiously wiping her tears away. "She was walking back to her car after the shift last night and a man…He came up behind her and knocked her unconscious. And when…" A hitched breath stopped her from continuing.

Gently, Arizona reached up to wipe the tears away. Her wife was a strong woman, her resolve built tougher than anyone else she knew and for her to cry…It hurt Arizona more than if the tears were her own. "Hey…Hey, it's okay. It's okay."

"No it's not!" Callie yelled, slamming her hands down against the counter. "It's not all right that when she woke up, she was tied down to a bed! Th-That some sick fuck raped her and then beat her so hard she passed out! And it is not all right that she can't sleep at night…that she woke up screaming because she can't bear the thought of closing her eyes and remembering the way he..." Callie frantically ran her fingers through her hair at the memory of the sound April had made, the sound that told Callie she was being ripped apart. "It's not all right!"

Arizona wasn't sure what she could do for her wife except to hold her tightly when her sobs overcame her, sending her to the floor. She simply held her, and hoped that was enough.