AUTHOR'S NOTE:: sorry, this is a short chapter. And to answer everyone's concerns, no I am not kicking erica out of my fic, nor am I ending her and callie's relationship for good. Believe me, the road is going to be a little bumpy for them in the upcoming chapters, but they're going to survive what my crazy little mind cooks up for them… together. Just be patient. Good things come to those who wait.

DISCLAIMER:: not mine. never has been.

Callie couldn't find her voice, so she just lifted a finger in indication. Grey and Yang stared at her enviously. She still didn't recognize the guy, though she felt a small pang of familiarity.

"Ethan West." His extended his hand to her and she took it. He shook it firmly as a smile lit his face; his hand lingered just a moment too long, a fact that wasn't lost on either Christina or Meredith.

Callie just smiled back and nodded, trying her hardest not to get lost in the charm this stranger exuded. "Dr. Callie Torres. And these are my colleagues, Dr. Yang and Dr. Grey."

"Any relation to Dr. Ellis Grey? The resemblance is definitely there. You must be her daughter." True curiosity crossed Ethan's face as he took in Grey.

Meredith nodded; it was the first time Callie had ever remembered seeing her happy about being recognized by her mother's fame.

"I researched your mother's work for my part. She's a very talented surgeon."

"Was." From Grey's tone, you wouldn't believe she was the least bit sad.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I hadn't heard she passed."

"Ahem. What can I do for you Mr. West?" Callie wasn't going to stand around for pleasantries; she still had work to do.

"Oh yes, I received a call yesterday that my brother was admitted. I was told you are his doctor."

Callie's heart fell. This was the moment she had been dreading since the previous day. It was only made worst by the fact that this guy had the Sloan-like swagger, a trait that she had a history of responding to.

"If you follow me Mr. West, I'll take you to your brother." Callie rolled her eyes at the two doctors next to her in an effort to establish that she thought their behavior was foolish. However, in her mind, she was swooning over this guy just as much as they were.

From the waist up, Nathan West didn't look to be physically harmed. With the exception of a few scrapes and scratches, he looked fine. But below the waist was an entirely different story. Both of his legs had to be suspended to avoid movement. He still hadn't regained consciousness, which is probably why the suicide story was more theory than cold hard fact at this point.

Ethan said nothing, just walked around the bed to his brother's side, a mournful look on his face.

"Your brother was brought in yesterday, after a four story drop from a freeway overpass. Both his legs were shattered. I did my best to repair them, but…" Callie trailed off. This was the party she hated.

"He's not going to walk again." It wasn't a question. She realized Ethan was probably smart enough to fill in the blanks.

There was an uncomfortable silence for several minutes. Just when Callie was about to suggest leaving them alone for a while, he looked up. "Was he pushed or did he jump?"

"What?" She was taken aback by the unorthodox question.

"My brother isn't exactly known for his cheery disposition, Dr. Torres. He jumped, didn't he?"

Callie looked at Nathan's unmoving body, shaking her head. "We won't know for sure until he wakes up, but that is the assumption, yes."

"I thought so." Ethan's attention went back to Nathan. "Why'd you do it buddy? You could have called me... you could have let me know. I never realized how bad it had gotten. I'm sorry."

"Well, Mr. West, if you'll excuse me, I have to go attend to another patient. But I'll be back in a little bit to check up on him." She knew now was the moment to bow out gracefully, let Ethan process all this. She retreated from the room, not breathing until she was a few paces down the hall.

"Dr. Torres!" She stopped dead in her tracks, but not because Ethan had called out after her, but because twenty feet in front of her, wrapped up in some file, was Erica. Or at least she was wrapped up in the file until she too heard Ethan's call. But thankfully, Ethan stepped into her line of vision before she met Erica's eyes, giving her some excuse to not look at Erica.

Ethan smiled at her. "It looks like I'm going to be in Seattle for a while. If you're not busy tonight, I'd like to take you out for a drink."

Callie smiled. The offer was tempting, but she wasn't exactly up for drinks with a stranger. Maybe she should suggest he ask Yang. That would make her week. Maybe she'd stop bothering Callie while she tried to sleep. "I don't know if that would be very appropriate…" She couldn't help it, her eyes slipped past Ethan to Erica, who was there to meet her gaze. Erica closed her eyes and shook her head, then looked back at her file.

"Scratch that… I'd love to. Meet me in the front lobby at eight."