I still don't own the show.
Their night had been a far cry from the quiet evening she had wanted, but at least they were alive. It was the one thing Callie was holding on to.
She was currently sitting in the gallery watching as Meredith finished up wiht one of the patients she had accompanied to the hospital.
The accident had been fatal. Callie had guessed as much from the moment it had played out in front of them. There had been multiple deaths and fuel had leaked over the road. The fuel had made Callie nervous especially with Meredith so close to it. She had been going to join her future wife, to assist her in assessing the trauma, but Meredith had made it clear that she was not to approach the vehicles.
Callie had not been someone to be bossed around, certainly by Meredith. However, she understood the dangers involved and kept away. Meredith had done everything she could to keep the truck driver and the mother-daughter combo in the second car alive. The husband in the second car and the couple in the first were already gone.
Meredith had offered her an out when all the patients were loaded into the back of the Ambulance vehicles. She had urged Callie to go home, but Callie didn't want to leave her fiancee. They had been close to dying today and she wanted to keep Meredith in sight.
Meredith had been quick to hand the truck driver with creeping paralysis over to Derek. She had already diagnosed a tutor. The mother was not in good shape and in a heart beat, her mother and Dr Theodora Altman had whisked her off for a full triage, leaving Meredith with the daughter. Callie had assisted Meredith in processing the little girl, had ensured that the little girl had no fractures that needed surgery. The MRI had shown a sever brain bleed and Meredith had promptly booked an OR.
Meredith had expressed concern about cranial swelling. It was unpredictable and all Callie could do was encourage Meredith and reiterate how great a surgeon she knew her fiancee was. Callie knew that Meredith would struggle if she wasn't able to keep her safe; there had been more than enough death for one night. It was something that was never easy as a surgeon, let alone a neurosurgeon.
The procedure had been long. The skull had a section removed to allow access to the bleed that had formed. There was no knowing the extent of the damage, not until the swelling was reduced and the patient woke up.
Callie watched as Meredith took the time to close up. She had decided to leave the skull flap off which left Callie wondering if her fiancee was being extra cautious or whether she was anticipating the need to operate again.
Moving to stand, Callie didn't take her tired eyes from Meredith. She looked almost as tired as Callie felt. Meredith needed to no longer be in that room. She was exhausted and Callie fought the temptation to go to the intercom and tell her to step back. However, it wasn't her place, nor would it be right to undermine her fiancee in her own OR.
Meredith needed her, not to hover, but to hold her when everything was finished. The woman may be too stubborn when it came to seeing out surgeries, especially when she get attached to the patient. This would be different though. Meredith had cared for and treated multiple people single handedly tonight. Three of those people had died. Hell! It could have been them! There was nothing that Callie would be able to do to remove the impact of being at that accident, seeing and doing so much. Nothing would block out the cries of the little girl who had lost her father and whose mother was in a critical condition.
Callie moved out of the gallery, her hand shifting onto the minuscule baby bump. She wanted to get down to the scrub room to meet Meredith once she was done. She did not wish to dwell on what could have been lost earlier in the evening and instead focused her thoughts on what they still had. She still had her fiancee and their baby and soon, if Callie had her way, she would have those things curled up asleep in an on call room. There would be no driving home to bed tonight. No takeaway. There would only be a bowl of soup fro the canteen downstairs and a bunk bed with her fiancee.
On reaching the scrub room, Callie leant against the sink and watched Meredith carefully. She could see that she had covered what she could and dismissed the staff that were no longer needed. Those people made their way into the scrub room and prepped to leave. Callie moved out of their way, eyes shifting as she watched as Meredith gave clear instructions to the fellow who would be escorting the little girl to recovery.
Callie chose to ignore her grumbling stomach as she waited for Meredith to remove her gown and watched as she too began to make her way towards the scrub room. Before Callie could speak, Meredith beat her to it.
"I'm going to go check on the mother and report to next of kin."
Callie took a deep breath. She knew that she needed to pick her battles and this could potentially lead to one.
"Last I heard, the mother was undergoing a lengthy procedure, next of kin is on the other side of the country and before you ask, Derek removed the tutor on the drivers spine and is closing up."
Meredith moved past Callie towards the sink. She didn't look at her and Callie was waiting for her to react. On receiving nothing, Callie moved forward and rested her hands on Merediths hips.
"When there is an update, we'll hear about it. Until then, lets find food and a bed. You need your rest."
Meredith's head dropped forward and Callie felt her fiancee draw in a deep breath. She was expecting her to fight, but when she felt Meredith lean back into her arms and lift her head, she slipped her arms around her completely.
"Okay" Meredith sounded in resignation.
Callie held her a moment longer before leading her out of the scrub room and towards the end of her evening.
