Long Road from Ruin part 10
[Firstly I just want to apologise for the delay in getting this chapter written. I am right in the middle of my final final exams… So things have been kind of hectic, and this is kind of short compared to other chapters. But this chapter is here, and I'm aiming to update on both this and My Favourite Game this coming Friday or Saturday :)
Secondly, in response to cycworker: I agree that my want for detail in this story has turned out a bit repetitive, especially considering that the story has only covered the time-span of one day so far. I had originally wanted to cover the whole four days; however I have reconsidered this to cover some details in other ways. I hope the time jump in this chapter has worked :)
In response to everyone else who has reviewed at any point throughout this fic: thank you for the reviews and kind words, it's all really appreciated. As always, enjoy.]
Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital
Callie's pov
Callie sat staring into space. It had become part of her routine in the past four days. Stare into space before a conference call, feel like she was losing the ability to breathe, have a colleague help bring her breathing back to normal before staring into space again. Only Sofia could get her out of this state, and she was in day-care. Just because everybody else's world was turned upside down didn't mean her daughter couldn't enjoy a slice of normality. The only slice of normality Callie enjoyed daily was her coffee. She hadn't slept, and she still wasn't allowed to work as such. She had been asked for her opinion on cases by other Orthopaedic surgeons, but the OR was off-limits.
The only way Callie could keep her mind busy was by keeping count of things; 3 days, 7 panic attacks, 8 talks from colleagues telling her there's still hope, 22 cups of coffee. The conversations with colleagues would have made her smile ordinarily; there was something soothing about hearing Kepner talk about how her parents were praying at church, or listening to Webber talking about how Seattle Grace staff was all fighters. "We're rockstars, Torres, rockstars with scalpels," his voice echoed in her head. Knowing they were there was enough to make Callie want to break down. She had never done well with people being kind to her, with even the smallest acts of kindness causing the flood of tears to break through the barrier in her tear ducts. Yes, they all had missing friends and colleagues, but it was her who had a missing wife and best friend. It was Callie, who once again, had life deal her the worst hand imaginable.
Her parent's in law had become more and more withdrawn, almost like the personality had been scooped out of them. Understandable, given the circumstances, of course. The only person around the hospital who was in a blissful state of unawareness was little Sofia. Callie was almost jealous of her child. She supposed it had been a good thing having three surgeon parents for her daughter. The long hours they worked meant she was probably used to not seeing her Mommy or Daddy on a clockwork routine. Or it might be the fact that at Sofia's age, she had the same level of awareness of any child that age. They had all been so convinced that Sofia was incredibly advanced for her age, she was hitting all the targets for her growth and development despite having been born premature, and being the daughter of three of the best surgeons in Seattle, there was no question about her intelligence. Callie was definitely more inclined to think it was the work routines contributing to her daughter's blissful state.
On seeing Owen enter the room, Callie glanced at the clock. Sure enough, it was a minute before they were due to receive the eighth of the update calls. She noticed Daniel Robbins sit up a little straighter in his chair; saw the transformation from broken hearted father to dedicated Colonel. Callie also felt Barbara Robbins' hands cover her own. It had become routine for Callie and her mother in law to comfort each other during these calls. Callie was grateful for Barbara more than ever in this moment. She had called her father last night after the update, only to have her mother pick up the phone. Lucia had insinuated it was some sort of karma that had caused this mess, leaving Callie heartbroken. Callie had never really known what it was like to have a mother who loved her – it was why she was so protective and loving with Sofia – but right now, in the face of tragedy, she was getting to see a little piece of how a mother should be. Callie found herself jealous of her wife, before she was brought back to reality by the ringing of the conference phone in the middle of the table.
It was Owen who pressed the button to receive the call, answering with a straight forward "Hunt". The need for pleasantries in these conversations had long gone.
"We have news for you Hunt."
Everybody in the room began to lean over the table, as if being closer to the phone would allow them to get the news faster. It was just a simple slip of logic, but so easy to achieve in the face of everything which was happening.
Hunt replied with a hand gesture indicating they should hurry up and give him the news. A move which Callie would have found hilarious if the words she had just heard weren't echoing in her head. There was news. Actual news. Not just coordinates, but news. They'd found Arizona and Mark and the others. And things would be ok and –
Callie's brain stopped dead. There was no indicator as to whether or not they were even alive. Catching up with reality outside of her brain, Callie caught Owen ask what the news was.
"Well," came the disembodied response, "We have 6 people, dehydrated and delusional, some injuries."
Dehydrated and delusional, Callie had never been so happy to hear those words. They were alive. A person can easily recover from dehydration… Her thoughts were stopped in their tracks.
"We've also found remains of one person. We haven't managed to get one word of sense out of anybody. They are under sedation and heading to Boise hospital. We are hoping to get them hydrated and patched up before transferring them to you when they're more stable."
Callie knew Owen was still talking, but all she could hear was her heartbeat. There were remains. They didn't have identities. What if…?
She had to stop herself from thinking, because her heart couldn't take another blow after facing the uphill fight that had been her life. Instead, she left the room, heading downstairs to the ER in search of bones to break.