Callie sighed as she sank back into her sofa. She had wanted to stay at the hospital, wanted to be there as soon as the call came in…wanted to keep busy to push her fear away…to keep her heart beating instead of shattering into a million pieces…Yeah, she had wanted to stay at the hospital. Bailey had other ideas!
"You're goin' home girl!" she had told Callie when she had walked in to the ladies and found Callie leaning on the sink, tears streaming down her face, her fist pushed against her mouth to muffle her sobs. "And you are goin' now!"
"No" Callie had gasped, "I won't go home…I can't…go…ho…home"
Bailey had quietly locked the main door behind her and was quickly checking under the stall doors to make sure they were alone. "Callie" she said as she'd looked under the last door. "Honey, you've been here for nearly two straight days…you've done eight surgeries…EIGHT…back to back! That's more than enough for anyone…let alone anyone who…uhh…who"
"Has lost…everything?" Callie had sobbed. "Who...who is going out of her mind every second that passes? Miranda…the only place…the only place I can shut out the screaming in my mind is in theatre…the only time I'm not looking around every corner of every corridor expecting to see Arizona…or Mark…walking towards go...home me, smiling…is in surgery…"
"You're hiding" Bailey had said softly
"I'm hiding" Callie had agreed just as softly. "Because if I hide, maybe it will all go away…and when I come out…Arizona will be standing there…waiting for me…waiting… for…for me"
"You're exhausted. You can't keep this up. The Chief is right…how will you have the strength to be there when they get back, when Arizona is waiting for you" Bailey had moved closer and added, "you need to go home Callie…take your beautiful little girl and…go…home!"
"It's not my home!" Callie screamed, then sobbed "It's not my home…without Arizona…it's not my home!"
Bailey had quickly stepped forward as Callie had sunk to her knees, "Where is she Miranda, she asked shakily…where is she?"
Callie had cried in Bailey arms for a full ten minutes before she allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. Gently Miranda had washed her face, humming gently as Callie tried to control her breathing. "Got to get you looking presentable when we go pick up Sofia, and then you and I are gonna go back to your apartment…where I am going to feed and bathe her while you pour yourself into a nice warm bath and soak until you prune! Then you can come tuck your baby into bed whilst I make up your spare bed…before the two of us sit back on your sofa and raid Arizonas fine wine collection without her givin' ME the evil eye!"
So here she sat, on her sofa, whilst Bailey spoke to Ben on the phone in the guest room asking him to drop some things off in the morning and to kiss Tuck for her. Here she sat, on her big comfy sofa…alone…without her wifes comforting arms around her"
"Rub my feet" Callie said as she flopped onto the sofa next to Arizona and brought her feet up on to her wifes lap
"Ewwww…no!" Arizona wrinkled her nose and pushed them away. "They stink Callie!"
Callie gave a low throaty chuckle. "Yeah, I've been in surgery for five hours…best freakin' five hours ever! Young guy who crashed his motorbike...his leg was like snapped in three places...anyone else would have amputated…but not me...cos I am a genius! Your wife Arizona Robbins, is a frickin' genius! I am awesome"
Arizona smiled and stroked her fingers through her hair as she looked sideways at Callie. "Yes, she is…totally awesome…super awesome. But I'm still not rubbing your stinky feet!"
Callie pouted, then tried for her trump card. "Mark would rub them for me" Arizona briefly pursed her lips, not in annoyance…not anymore…no now it was amusement…and that meant…her trump card didn't work anymore! "Aw c'mon Arizona…my feet are killing me here!"
"Serves you right for wearing heals at work!" Arizona chuckled. "But, ya know what…I do feel sorry for you…so…" she turned on the sofa until she was face to face with her wife. Callie smiled and raised her eyebrow, already starting to raise her feet back up towards her wifes lap, frowning as Arizona reached out and pushed them back to the floor, running her fingers back up Callies leg…her blue eyes locked on Callies…"so…" she leaned forward…and whispered…"I'll wash your back for you in the tub…will that make your feet feel better?" It was Arizonas turn to raise an eyebrow, a slow sensual smirk played on her lips as she gently tilted her head towards their bathroom.
"Yeah…oh yeah!" Callies smile lit up her whole face as she leapt to her feet, reaching her hand out to a giggling Arizona and practically dragging her to her feet. They kissed and giggled, swaying slightly to the soft music playing in the back ground, giggling some more as they whispered in each others ears, teasing each other ..laughing out loud as the soft music suddenly changed to an up tempo beat and they both began to exuberantly dance around freezing as their phone started to ring….
The phone was ringing. Callies phone was ringing. Her eyes snapped open and she gasped as she jolted awake. Shaking her head to clear the fog in her mind she stared at the phone, as it kept ringing.
"Callie" Bailey said as she peered around the guest bedroom door. "Do you want me to pick it up? It could be the hosp…"
"The hospital" Callie gasped as she quickly snatched up the receiver. "Hello? Hello…Owen?"
"Calliope?! So this is how a father finds out his daughter is ok!" her fathers voice boomed down her ear.
"Dad..I…I…"
"Do you know how it feels to worry aye? Dios mio! I switch on the news while I am in a hotel in Washington…I see there is a story about a plane missing….then I see the writing along the bottom of the screen…I see it says the plane is from Seattle. My daughter lives there, so I sit with my glasses on and read more of the little writing going along the bottom of the screen…"
"Daddy…"
"And what do I see Calliope? What do I see? I see the little writing that says the plane has doctors on board! Important doctors…from the hospital where my daughter works…where my daughter is an important doctor! So…like a concerned father I ring my daughter to make sure she is safe… I ring my daughter, two or three times…I leave a message…then another...just asking her to ring me back..but I don't hear from her…so I think okay…maybe she is busy…so I will ring again, and I will leave another message…I think this 15 times Calliope Torres…15 times ..just asking her to ring me or text…to let me know she is okay…just let me know she is safe!"
"Daddy stop!" Callie whimpered, instantly feeling the comforting hand of Miranda Bailey on her shoulder. "Stop please…I …I ..oh daddy just…stop"
"Callie?" her fathers voice had instantly changed from enraged to concerned parent, as he gently said. "Mi nina, tell your papa…tell him what's wrong?"
Callie tried to speak, but the words stuck in her throat. She heard the low moan that came out instead, and clamped her hand over her mouth stifling the sob she felt bubbling up.
"Callie!" her father voice was now edgy, concern giving way to fear as he whispered. "Tell me? These people missing…they are your friends?"
Callie nodded before gasping "Yes daddy…yes. My friends!" she took a steadying breath as felt Miranda start to gently rub the small of her back "You met them , "Callie said softly as she struggle to regain control. "At my wedding…you met them…Lexie Grey…"
"Oh…Callie.." her father whispered as he instantly remembered the young woman.
"Her sister is on the plane to…Meredith and Derek…Merediths husband"
"Marks good friend, "her father muttered as more faces flooded in from his memory…I met them when we came to visit Sofia…they were friends with your old room mate…uh, Carolina…"
"Cristina" Callie corrected him, "Crisitina Yang…Sofias Godmother"
"You had Sofia Christened!?" her father gasped…"without her abuelo? Callie!"
"Dad…Cristina is on the plane to!"
Her father sighed deeply. "Oh Calliope…you must be worried sick…I know these people mean so much to you…baby…"
"Daddy" Callie cut in…."there were six people on the plane…"
"Six?" her father repeated…the way his daughter had said it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on edge. "Six" he repeated again, he took a deep steadying breath before asking. "Mark?"
"Yeah, Mark…"Callie whispered…"And…and Arizona!"
Her father sank to the edge of his bed and closed his eyes tightly. "Oh Callie!" he breathed. "Oh…baby…no" The air whooshed out of his lungs as image after image of the woman his daughter loved flashed into his head, the woman Carlos Torres had come to respect, to admire…to see as another daughter
"Mom will be delighted!" Callie laughed bitterly. "The father of my bastard child, and the woman whose very existence has apparently condemned me to hell! Well, you can tell mama she was right…cos right now...I AM in hell! I…AM…IN HELL!"
"Calliope, baby girl…please…" her father was still trying to regain his own self control, but his heart broke as he heard his precious beautiful vibrant daughter whimpering down the phone, "I'm in hell…in hell…this…is hell…"
"Mr Torres sir?" came a new voice. "Miranda Bailey here"
"Ah yes…Dr Bailey…I remember you! Callie talks about you a lot…she like you"
"Hmmm, I like her to Mr Torres…"
"Where is Sofia?" he asked gently.
"Asleep, she is fine…too young to really understand what is going on but aware that one of her mommies isn't there, you can tell she is looking for her" Miranda replied
"Has there been any news?"
"No sir…not yet"
He sighed deeply before telling his daughters friend. "There is a flight to Seattle that leaves in three hours…I have already booked my ticket…I'm on my way…
"Sir…"
"My baby girl need me Miranda Bailey…she needs me…I'll be there…I will be there for her"
"And so will I sir" Miranda whispered
He smiled and nodded to himself as he said. "I know that…I know. I'm on my way…tell her…I'm on my way"
