Callie's POV
"Ow... what the hell?" I yelp as I feel myself being pushed down to the ground by a guy running down the sidewalk. I look up and I see him extending his hand to help me up.
"Shit, I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention, obviously." I take his hand and he helps me up. Brushing off my pants and shirt, he just stares at me.
"Uh yeah, it's fine. Nothing is broken."
"Thank God for that. I'm Mark... Mark Sloan." Extending his hand for me to shake, I do and politely smile at the stranger known as Mark now.
"Callie Torres."
"Nice to meet you. Sorry, but I have to go. I'm late for football practice and if I get there any later, my coach will use my balls as practice for the kickers." I laugh and nod my head.
"Nice to meet you too. Try not to knock anyone else over... until you get to practice atleast." I shoot him a wink and he smiles and takes off.
I wake up to the sound of someone dropping something outside of the room I happen to have landed in. When I move my head, I feel an arm tighten around my waist and immediately know Arizona is sleeping behind me. Even in her sleep, she holds onto me tight, not wanting to let go. Sinking back into her embrace, I let sleep take over again.
"Callie?" A familiar voice calls my name while I'm sitting in the small coffee shop next to my school. I turn around to see the same guy that knocked me on my ass just earlier today.
"Hey to see you walking and not running down innocent pedestrians." He laughs and gestures towards the empty seat infront of me.
"This seat taken?" He asks. I shake my head no and he takes the empty seat. Ordering a coffee for himself, asking if I need a refill, which I happily accecpt.
"So, seeing as I knocked you down, I think that makes us friends." He says after a short moment of silence.
"Is that so? I would've thought knocking someone down made you an enemy... atleast an asshole." I quip, shooting him a wink to let him know I was kidding. He gives me a grin and shakes his head.
"I like you. Your sarcasm is better than most people I know. I like it." I just smile and sip my coffee. "So, you live around here?"
"Yeah, I go to school right down the street and I live with my Aunt. I'm originally from Miami and that's where my parents and sister are, but I got a chance to go to school up here, and I had to take it. What about you?"
"Yeah, born and raised New Yorker. Go to school a couple of blocks from here. Captain of the football team."
"Captain huh? All the girls must fall over you."
"You could say that." He gives me a wicked grin and right there, I know he's thinking of something dirty... I don't even know this guy all that well and yet, I know what he's thinking. Just then, a cute blonde walks past us and we both take a second to enjoy the view.
"Sorry to burst the sexual bubble you have over your head Mark, but that blonde has a better chance of getting into my pants than you do." As soon as the words left my mouth, he chokes on his coffee and his face turns blood red.
"So you're...?"
"Gay? Unfortunately for you, yes. Fortunately for her... yes." I say with a raised eyebrow and fold my arms across my chest.
"You and me... checking out the girls... this will be the start of a beautiful friendship Torres."
I'm woken up again at the sound of Arizona's pager. She bolts out of her position behind me and checks it. I sit up, rubbing my eyes, trying to focus.
"Mark is out of surgery. Let's go."
That's all I need to know as I jump off of the bed, throw my shoes on and let Arizona lead me to Mark's room. Looking at my watch, I see Mark has been in surgery for a little over 7 hours. My stomach is in knots and my mind won't shut up long enough to even think of anything else other than having to see Mark. He has to be ok. He just has to.
We stop infront of a room and I have to take deep breaths to stable myself for what I am about to see. Usually, family is the only people allowed in patients rooms at this time, but nobody is stopping Arizona and I, and I couldn't be more grateful. Arizona slowly opens the sliding door and pushes the curtain back. Her hand stiffens in mine and right then, if I had eaten anything in the past 16 hours or so, it would have been on the floor infront of me. I hadn't even seen him yet, but just by that, I know I should expect the worse. Finally, opening my eyes and looking at the man in the bed, I don't see Mark. I see a shell of the man I have grown to love so much over the past 17 years. The man lying in the bed, with tubes and leads coming out of him isn't the vibrant, sarcastic, dirty minded, loving guy I know as Marky. I slowly move further into the room, taking a seat next to him and slowly taking his hand into mine. Arizona stands behind me, her hand on my shoulder, offering me any kind of support she can, and it is welcomed because seeing my best friend like this is killing me. Hearing the door slide again, I look over to see Teddy walk into the room, with a chart in her hand and coming up to the other side of Mark, checking his vitals.
"How is he?" I ask. Teddy looks at me with sympathy in their eyes and I try to brace myself for the news I am about to recieve.
"Right now, it's a waiting game. In the woods, he had delayed cardiac tamponade. Nobody noticed until he was unresponsive. They had to do a Pericardiocentesis in the field to drain the excess fluid so he wouldn't go into heart failure. I repaired everything that I could and he held steady in the OR. Right now, I have him in a medically induced coma to give his body time to heal. He's on high doses of antibiotics to fight an infection he got while in the woods. Neuro cleared him for any brain injuries, so right now, we just wait. When I see his vitals get stronger, I will reverse the Propofol and try to wake him up and try to remove the breathing tube."
Tears stream down my face and a forced sob escapes my lips as I listen to Teddy explain Mark's condition. I'm extremely confident in Teddy's abilities but hearing everything that happened to Mark while he was lost in the woods just makes me want to scream or throw something, but I keep my cool somewhat and thank her for everything she's done so far.
"Normally, I'd ask everyone to leave and come back later, but I won't. You're welcome to stay as long as you like. I'll have a nurse bring in a cot, blanket and pillows incase you want to catch some sleep. I'll be back in a few hours to check up on him and see if he's made any progress."
"Thank you so much Teddy." Arizona says, knowing I won't be able to say anything right now. My focus on my best friend. Teddy leaves and a few minutes later, a nurse is bringing in everything we would need to get some sleep in Marks room.
"Calliope, I'm going to check on Alex and everyone else. It'll give you a little bit of time with him alone." She kisses my forehead and squeezes my shoulder before leaving me alone with Mark. I just look around at all the monitors and then back to his face. The tube breathing for him is ugly and makes my heart clench. I lay my head down on our conjoined hands and close my eyes, silently praying for him to pull through this.
"Torro! Happy 21st Birthday! We ready to tear some shit up?!" Marks exclaims as he walks through my apartment door. I just look at him with an amused smile.
"Hey Marky. Hell yeah I'm ready!" I yelp when he picks me up and spins me around in his strong arms. Over the years since we've met, he has become my best friend. Who would've thought that the guy that knocked me on my ass would become my closest friend in the world? I sure as hell didn't.
"Well, let's get going. Bring your camera. We're going to need documented proof of what happens tonight, because I have a feeling, we're not going to remember a damn thing come morning."
Alarms start going off and I bolt up from my seat. Teddy comes rushing in and moves me from the bedside. "What the hell is going on Teddy?" I demand, fear ever present in my voice. She doesn't answer me, just keeps stats and vitals, listening to his heart with her stethescope. After instructing a nurse to give him some sort of medicine, she waits for it to kick in. What feels like hours, which was only a minute, the monitors settle down and his vitals return to what they were.
"His blood pressure got too high and that's what set off the alarms. He's ok for now, but I have to change some of the medications, so that doesn't happen again." She leaves the room after giving the nurse more instructions and I resume my place by his bed.
"Mark, you can't do that anymore. Seriously, you're scaring the hell out of me. You have to be ok. You have to be Uncle Mark to my kids. If I have boys, you have to teach them about football and how to work on cars. If I have girls, you have to be on the porch with Arizona and I, with our shotguns on our laps when her first date arrives. Please Mark... please."
Arizona's POV
What was supposed to be the last few days of my honeymoon, turned into days of uncertainty, pain and guilt... atleast on my part. Guilt for having sent Karev in my place for the surgery in Boise. Even though I feel guilty, I have a sense of relief. I wasn't on the plane that ended up taking the life of a fellow colleague and friend, that put Mark in the position he's in now, that put Karev with a barely working left leg, Derek having to question his surgical future with an injury that could end his career.
My heart is breaking for my wife. She is sitting by Mark's beside, praying to whoever will listen to let her best friend survive this, and honestly, I hope he does. If he doesn't, my wife will be completely heartbroken. I'm not intimidated by their friendship. I know how deep it runs, but I also know that Callie has never had an intimate thought about Mark the entire time she's known him, so jealousy has never been an issue when it comes to their friendship. Mark has always been a great friend to both of us. He was just standing beside Callie at our wedding, as her Best Man. He gave a heartwarming and hilarious toast at the reception... and now, he's in a coma, on a ventilator, hanging on for dear life to wake up.
My beautiful wife... It was hard leaving her in that room alone with him, but I know her. I know she needed some privacy. I made my rounds to everyone elses room to check on them and now I'm in line at the coffee cart, knowing that Callie and I need it badly. I hear someone come up behind me and turn to see Teddy.
"Hey Teds. How's Mark?" I ask
"We had a little scare a minute ago. His blood pressure shot up and I had to change some of the medications he's on. He's good now. Hopefully, in the next couple of days, I will be able to take him off the ventilator and wake him up."
"I just can't believe all of this. One day, I'm lying on a beach in Spain and the next, I'm back home, one friend dead and others barely hanging on or so traumatized that they aren't even speaking to anyone."
"How's Callie?"
"She's devestated. Mark is her best friend, like you and Addison are mine. I can't even imagine what she's going through. I'm just trying to be there for her. Giving her her privacy with Mark, holding her when she needs to be held."
"You're doing everything right Arizona."
"I hope so."
One Week Later: Callie's POV
"Ok, we're going to reverse the medication and wake him up. Ready?" Teddy asks me and all I can do is nod my head. Arizona is gripping my hand and I find instant comfort in her touch. I watch Teddy do what she does and now it's just a waiting game to see if he wakes up on his own.
What felt like days, Mark started to come around. I was right there by his side, holding his hand gently.
"Marky?" I softly said, looking at him when he opens his eyes. The emotion that overcame me was full on. Tears springing to my eyes. The breathing tube had already been removed a few days earlier when they were confident he was breathing on his own.
"Torro." His scratchy, horse response made the tears fall freely without abandon.
"Oh God, Mark... never do that to me again."
He half smiles and winces in pain... "I'm sor-sorry"
Teddy reassumes her position... checking his vitals, listening to his heart and lungs, readjusting medication where it needed to be. When she's done with her exam, she smiles at me, nodding her head, writing a few things in his chart and telling us she would be back in a little bit for further examination. Once the room is clear of everyone but just me, Mark and Arizona, I see tears in Mark's eyes.
"What's wrong? Are you in pain? I can call a nurse in here."
"No, I'm fine... Lexie's dead. I told her I loved her, and she died." My heart is breaking for my best friend. He's only been inlove once before and now, the woman he loved is dead. "Torro..."
"Yes?" I choke out, emotion getting the best of me yet again.
"Don't ever get on a plane to go to Boise, Idaho. The flight path is a bitch." I can only give a small chuckle and squeeze his hand.
"I promise. Neither Arizona or I will ever fly to Boise, Idaho." He gives me another small smile and is soon passed out asleep. Now that I have talked to him, seen him awake, I feel like I can finally relax. Teddy assured me that she would page Arizona when Mark woke up again, so we left the hospital for the first time in almost 2 weeks and headed home. Hand in hand, we walk into our home and I let out a sigh of relief. Mark is ok, he's awake and talking and I have my wife by my side. Then, the sudden realization that I've pretty much been ignoring my wife for the past 2 weeks or so since the whole plane crash happened
"Arizona..." I speak the first words since we came home.
"What?"
"I'm sorry I've been distant. This whole thing has been awful... and I've been awful. I've ignored you and haven't focused on you. I'm so sorry."
"Hey hey... look at me." I pull my head up and my vision blurs from the tears making another appearance. "You haven't been ignoring me on purpose. Your best friend was in a coma. I understand Calliope, really, I do. I love you so much."
"Don't ever leave." I choke out. All of this has opened my eyes that life isn't guaranteed. Of course, I always knew that, but to have it hit this close to home, it's definitely an eye opener.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't ever leave. I can't live without you. I saw the pain in Marks eyes when he said Lexie was dead. He loved her, and now she's gone. I know if that were me, and you had died in a plane crash, or left me... I wouldn't survive. I can't, I won't survive."
"Listen to me Calliope... I will never leave. Willingly, I will never leave you. You are my soulmate. You are the love of my life. Everything about you makes my world brighter. I love you with every piece of me and I will never leave. I promise."
Her words hit me right in the heart... it's not that I didn't know that. I know Arizona loves me more than anything, but hearing it after the events that have taken place just sends me over the edge and makes my heart swell with nothing but adoration and love for my incredible wife. I gently push her against the wall and crash my lips to hers. Pulling her hips into me, my tongue invading her mouth. The groan I get in response tells me she likes where this is going and even if someone burst through our house and stole everything we owned, I couldn't stop what I was doing. I pull back and instantly attatch my lips to her neck, her hands ravelling into my hair, pushing my face harder against her. I quickly shed her jacket and toss her shirt to the floor. My hands making quick work of her zipper, I waste no time by pushing my hand down the front of her panties and feeling slick wet heat at my fingertips.
"You're so wet Arizona... God you drive me wild." I practically growl in her ear. I feel her buck her hips into my hand and plunge two fingers into her wet core. The moans driving me crazy with want and I set my pace. "I love you so much Arizona. I love you." Our breathing is thready and I can feel her starting to get weak, so I pick her leg at the thigh and she gets the picture, wrapping her legs around my waist and holding her against the wall, my fingers still deep inside of her. "You are so beautiful baby." I whisper.
"Fuck... Calliope... harder baby. Fuck me harder."
"Harder baby? Harder than this?" I strain my arm and drive deeper into her.
"God, fuck yes... just like that."
I plunge my tongue deep into her mouth and I can feel her start to come undone. Her walls gripping my fingers tightly and her breath washing over my neck is making my head spin. "Come for me Arizona... I want to feel you come around my fingers. I love you baby." I whisper to her, as if what we were doing were a secret.
With two more thrusts, the screams she lets out is nothing I've ever heard. "YES CALLIOPE..."
Nothing else is said as we both try to regain our composure and get our breathing under control. Her legs collapse to the floor and she lays her head down on my shoulder. "Calliope... I love you so much."
"I know you do baby." I kiss her temple and just hold the love of my life in my arms. This is where things makes sense. When she's in my arms, everything else wrong in the world disappears, and it's just me and her. I don't think I'll ever get over this feeling. I wouldn't want to.
A/N Some wanted Mark to die, like he did in the show... but I like Mark in this story. He's seriously just the best friend, with no sexual history with Callie, so things weren't always tense. So, I kept him alive. The majority wanted him to live, and they won, so... there.
A/N2 The next chapter will be a time jump. A little update on Marks condition, and Award Season. Callie and Arizona hitting the red carpet! Maybe a little more baby talk :)