Hola amigos! I'm so very very very sorry for not updating in so long. This chapter was extremely hard to write as the movie in my head that formed this story slowly rolled to a close. I'm so glad for all your amazing support and thank you for everything. I hope you guys enjoy the last chapter. I plan on writing another sotry in the new year so stay tuned for that. Once again thank you guys so much for everything =D
Epilogue
"So Blondie, how was your date with Torres?" The sound of Mark Sloan's curious voice from behind me causes me to let out a sigh. He puts his lunch tray down across from me, nonchalantly taking a seat.
"Well, Mark, I don't really see how that is any of your business considering you're not Calliope, and you're definitely not me." I say seriously, testing the watering my gauging his reaction.
"She lets you call her Calliope?" He chuckles as he takes a bite out of her extremely unappetizing looking sandwich, blobs of mustard oozing from between the two slices to drip on his plate. Thankfully he swallows before speaking again. "Torres must really like you cause from anyone else that would earn a punch in the shoulder."
"I'm happy to hear that." I say with slight smirk before taking a bit out of my own mixed berry jam sandwich; I personally loved peanut butter to go with my jam but unfortunately peanut butter and hospitals don't mix.
"In that case I'm going to guess that the date went well?" He asks, raising his eyebrow slightly in curiosity.
"Yes, Mark you would be right to say that. It went extremely well, and that's all you're going to get from me, no details other than that." I say before taking another bite of my sandwich.
"Fine, Torres will give 'em to me. But can I ask one more question?" He doesn't give me a chance to answer, he just continues on. "Do you think she's the PB to your J?" He asks with a chuckle, I'm actually caught off guard by his innocence.
With no hesitation I answer, "Without a doubt." Uncontrollably a slightly embarrassed smile accompanied by blush creeps across my face.
"Good. So is there a need to have a 'you hurt her, I hurt you' speech in our near future then?" He asks, the seriousness returning to his voice.
"Definitely not. I'd never hurt her." As I look him in the eyes a familiar figure standing at the back of the cafeteria catches my eye causing my smile to falter.
She looks around the room, her eyes scan everywhere from the line up to the back door and eventually they find me. I can't help but wish I was invisible as I notice the look on her face when she sees me. The empty look on her face turns into a meaningful smile causing my stomach to churn. 'Why of all days did she have to be here today?' I ask myself as I see her begin to make her way to me.
"Mark, don't take it the wrong way when you see this because I was being honest when I said I'd never hurt her." I say to him, my tone as serious as a heart attack as I carefully stand up out of my chair because I know that there's a high chance that it'll happen if I say nothing. As I stand up he looks at me, his face expresses confusion and slight anger, obviously angry that what I had told him was about to be challenged.
Putting my crutches towards her, bringing myself about four feet away from her she smiles widely. "Zony!" She practically runs into me, wrapping her arms around me, pulling me into a definitely more than friendly hug, running her fingers lazily through the ends of my hair. "I'm so glad to see you." She whispers into my ear.
I firmly put one of my hands on her hip, the other holding my crutches, pushing her away, "I can't say I feel the same, Joanne."
She looks at me almost in shock, "I'm sorry to hear that." Even though I've pushed her away the best I can with my crutches still in hand her arms are still wrapped around my neck.
"What do you-" I don't get to finish my sentence as I notice what most would see as a minor detail but I definitely did not see it that way. Calliope is standing in the doorway the cafeteria and she's looking straight at me.
The look on her face causes my heart to drop to the floor instantly. The shock is clearly written across her face along with other emotions that make me feel ashamed; anger, hurt, fear. I only get a moment to take in her emotions before she quickly turns on her heel, swiftly leaving the room at a running pace.
"Calliope!" I call out to her but its too late, she's gone; she can't hear me. In response I begin to follow her out of the cafeteria. I'm only a step or two away when I feel a hand grip around my wrist, forcing me to stop. I turn slightly to find Joanne giving me her own lock of shock. I pull my hand away before saying the last words I hope I'll ever have to say to her. "Let me go, Joanne, just let me go."
I don't wait for a response. I bound out of the cafeteria on my crutches, praying that Calliope hasn't gotten very far.
Once I reach the hallway I'm faced with an unmanageable dilemma; up the hall, down the hall, take a left, take a right, I had no way to decided which. Despite my rather rotten unfortunate moments earlier it is like I've been forgiven by the fates as the face of Alex Karev comes around the corner.
"Karev!" I yell out of him, my voice spilling out my emotions as it cracks slightly.
"She went that way." He says, pointing down the hall to my left, obviously know what I was about to ask him.
"Thank you." I say before hobbling as fast as I can in Calliope's direction. Turning the corner I see the head of raven hair I could recognize anywhere about to enter a supply closet. "Calliope!" I call out to her once more hoping to receive some form of reaction. My call isn't answered as she continues into the supply closet, acting oblivious that I was even there.
I slow my pace, knowing that I'm going to need my breath for what was about to come next. I'm going to need every thing I got to explain everything to Calliope.
I knock on the supply closet door before enter, it's simply a formality but I feel that it has do be done. "Calliope?" I call out to her as I enter the supply closet before quickly shutting the door behind me.
"Go away, Dr. Robbins. And it's Dr. Torres or Callie to you." She says angrily. I cannot see her as she is hiding behind a shelf pretending to be busy getting supplies but her voice and words give away how upset she is.
"No, Calliope. You don't get to do this. You don't get to get angry over something that you have no idea about besides your assumptions and you don't get to walk away without me explaining." I say firmly but I allow for my voice to show her how I don't want her to upset.
I see her raven hair move towards the edge of the shelf; I gasp slightly as she turns the corner. Her russet eyes are filled with tears; her cheeks flushed and tear tracks streaming down them.
"Fine then," She says her voice gravelly; it's obvious to me know that she's not a woman who simply cries with tears. "Just say it, say that you didn't think that we were exclusive considering we've only been on one date and that you thought it was okay to have a lunch date with her. And don't say that she's just a friend, I seen how she was looking at you and that was clearly more than friendship."
I open my mouth to reply, even though I'm slightly taken aback by her words, but I don't get a chance to respond before she's continuing her rant never once looking straight at me.
"Because that is just complete bull, you and I both know it. I was yours and you were mine ever since you wheeled after me and ended up on crutches. But then again maybe I was wrong, maybe I was wrong about you, it wouldn't be the first time I was wrong about someone. I–"
"Calliope stop." I say hoping she'll give up this nonsense. Thankfully I'm right as she stops speaking and bringing her russet eyes to meet mine. I approach her slowly, careful to not to send her running again. I don't speak again until I'm less than a foot away from her.
The pain and fear in her eyes has become even clearer since I've gotten closer; I know I need to fix this. "You need to listen to me. She, she is nothing to me, where you," I pause as I let out a slight chuckle that I can't help but let go as I lean my crutch against the shelf before carefully cupping her soft cheek in my hand. "You are everything. So I need you to stop and let me explain." I say, giving her a small dimpled smile hoping that it'll calm her down.
"Okay, then fire away." She says, letting out a deep breath she had obviously been holding.
"You're right when you said that she was looking at me in more than just a friendly way, but that sure as heck doesn't mean I feel the same way about her. That woman is Joanne, she's Jane's sister, the woman who used to be the girl who I gave my heart to when I was eighteen years old. I'm not going to lie and say that it was a summer fling because it wasn't. I was a kid, Calliope, a kid who thought that the two of us were meant to be together forever, I had it all planned out. And the plan was great until we hit twenty five. I became a different person and so did she, unfortunately I had a gruelling way of coming to my senses about that but it's true. She was my first love but she's definitely not my last, she doesn't hold my heart anymore Calliope, you do." Slight tears have formed in my own eyes, mirroring those of Calliope in front of me. I'm terrified to witness her reaction; we've known each other less than a month and have only officially gone out on one real date. It's would be way too soon to say something like this to anyone else, but somehow with her it felt right, the words felt completely natural flowing from my mouth.
"Arizona, I don't know-" Calliope begins to speak but I carefully put my own finger to her soft, slightly rosy lips stopping her, just as I had done that fateful night weeks ago, sending electric currents up and done my spine.
"Don't say anything. I know you don't know what to say, so don't say anything. Just think okay?" I say hesitantly removing my finger from her lips. "So I'm going to go and let you process this on your own terms, I'll be waiting for you, when you're ready." I lean in and place a gentle kiss on her temple before pulling away with a smile, taking my crutch back into my hand.
I turn away from her slowly and exit the supply closet as swiftly as possible, hoping that she wouldn't take forever to absorb what I had said.
"Mark, I'm really not in the mood." I say, sighing as I feel someone poke my shoulder, I was standing in one of the hospital seldom used hallways hoping no one would be able to find me except for Calliope who knew that this is where I came to think looking over a chart.
"No wonder the old lady doesn't trust you. Who's Mark, your mistress?" I'm immediately caught off guard by the sound of Joanne's slightly mocking voice behind me.
I feel the bile rise in my stomach as I turn around, swivelling on my good foot, so that we are face to face. I can't help but look her straight in the eye, giving her a glare. As soon as my eyes meet hers I can't help but think about how she's got nothing on Calliope, in more ways than one; her catlike green eyes have nothing on Calliope's bottle green freckled russet eyes.
"What do you think you're doing, Joanne?" I ask her firmly, attempting to keep myself from cracking; she may not hold my heart now but Joanne Abernathy was the one woman who had always held a power over me, before now, before Calliope.
"I was taught to show gratitude, Arizona, I thought you were taught the same. I came to thank the woman who saved my little sister, to see you." Her voice is filled with innocence but after years of practice I can hear the slight devilment in her tone.
"Well you shouldn't be thanking me. I'm not the one who did the saving, I wasn't even there. It was all Calliope." I say continuing to keep my tone firm; it was the only way I was ever to keep hold on myself.
"Ah, Calliope." She says with a slightly evil smirk. As she pauses I can't help but think of how much I hate the sound of Calliope's beautiful name coming out of her mouth. It makes wants to hit her and throw up at the same time. "She seems a bit young to be saving patients all by herself don't you think?"
And now I want to hit her even more, I'd just love to connect my tiny fist of fury with her jaw. "Calliope is perfectly capable, thank you very much." I can feel my cheeks beginning to flush in anger with every word even though I say knowing that it was completely true, once again in more ways than one.
"Is she now? That's good to hear. I'm glad the backup plan is working out." Joanne's tone makes my hands bawl into fists. "It's that what you always said you'd do if we didn't work out? You'd go get yourself a cute young resident to stroke your ego and fulfil your needs in an on-call room. Wasn't it?"
"Well if my memory serves me correct wasn't it you that got themselves someone to stroke their ego?" I say my voice filled with anger as my mind begins to replay the moment of catching Joanne in bed with her own ego-stroker of sorts, also know as her mistress.
"Hmm, well I suppose your right there, 'Zona."
"Don't call me that." I practically bark at her as her old nickname for me falls out of her name.
"Well, someone's sure snappy. I'm sure the little lady enjoys a firm hand, always the dominant one aren't you Arizona?" The arrogant aggressive grin that crosses her face is the last straw; my already thin hold on myself snaps at her words.
"You little bitch!" is all I'm able to get out as I get cut off, raising my hand to hit Joanne unable to connect my fist with her face, by a hand catching my wrist and a concerned voice in my ear.
"Don't do this Arizona." Calliope's voice is just loud enough for her and I to hear, I can feel body pressed gently against me, her other hand rested against my lower back.
"And you must be Calliope, the perfectly capable resident who saved my sister and has Zona here wrapped around her finger." Joanne smirks devilishly once again, "In more ways than one." I hear her say under my breath.
As I make one step towards Joanne I feel Calliope squeeze my wrist slightly as if to say that she wasn't going to let me do this and that she wasn't going anywhere. I can't help but be thankful for the gesture as in only enforces the thoughts behind the words I'm about to say.
"You can say whatever you want about me Joanne but leave her out of this." I say, practically spitting my words at her. Joanne, who seems slightly shocked, opens her to speak once again but I cut her off not wanting to hear what she had to say. "Do us all a favour, just go see Jane and don't go looking for me again," I say my tone completely serious, "ever."
Joanne's face instantly reddens and I'm not quite sure if it's out of embarrassment or anger. She once again opens her mouth to speak but Calliope cuts her off. "I think it'd be best if you leave now." Both she and I are taken off guard by the completely serious, almost professional, tone of voice.
And with a small, almost curt, nod Joanne is gone.
"Come with me." Calliope's gentle voice breaks the silence left by Joanne's exit as she takes my hand.
I turn around to find her russet eyes slightly filmed over with tears but are still filled with love and affection. I can't help but reach up and brush her raven black hair out of her eyes, tucking it behind her eyes so that I can get a better look at the breathing taking view that was Calliope. I simply nod my head, signalling that I'd follow her; I knew that no matter where she was going I'd follow her anywhere.
She takes my hand, tediously lacing our fingers together, and steps back leading me towards an on call room. She lets go of my hand and I grab hold of my crutches once again and immediately follow her. It isn't until we're behind the closed door of the tiny little room that she speaks again.
"What were you thinking, Arizona?" She asks, her tone tells me that she's not judging me or trying to make me feel bad but she is simply concerned and curious. "You could have injured yourself even more. And I really don't want to have to put another cast on you ever again." Calliope wraps her arms securely around my waist, almost as if she doesn't want to let me go in case I had the urge to go hunt down Joanne and give her a piece of my tiny fists.
"I was raised with the name Arizona so I learned to fight dirty on the playground. What do I have I don't have you? I have nothing, so don't expect me to let someone bad mouth you or us because I'm not the type of person to put up with that, especially from Joanne." I reply my voice firm yet sweet as I put my crutches down before wrapping my arms around her neck, pulling our bodies closer together.
Calliope ducks her head slightly and places a chaste kiss on my forehead, immediately causing my cheeks to flush. "You don't have to worry about that anymore, because I'm not going anywhere. Nothing anyone can say or do will make me leave or do what she did to you, ever." She whispers against my skin before pulling away slightly.
I can't help but look up at her with a confused expression. "How do you?" I'm unable to finish my sentence as I am slightly in shock; I'm trying to process the possibilities of how she could have found out about what Joanne did, but thankfully she knows me all too well and is able to finish my thought process for me.
"You're not the only one with pulls with the psych floor nurses to get time with everyone's favourite pediatric psychiatry patient." She gives me a small smile. "Jane told me all about Joanne. I don't know if you wanted me to know but don't be mad at her, she's just a good kid trying to help me out. I just had to know who I was dealing with, I had to find out whose ass I'd be verbally kicking because I can't stand the thought of hurting you."
"I'm not mad." I say quickly before she gets a chance to say anything else. "I don't want you to think I am. I'm actually amazed that you'd go that far, to go ask Joanne's own sister about what happened between us."
"Of course I'd go that far, Arizona I –" Calliope stops in the middle of her sentence, her eyes immediately meeting mine telling me exactly what she was stopped herself from saying.
I know that the only reason she's holding back now is because in every other relationship she's had according to Mark she's got burnt for saying those words first, but I want to show her that she doesn't have to say them first. In any other relationship I would have thought that it was too early to say those three little words that meant so much but with Calliope I knew that it didn't matter because it was true, when I say those words I'll know that I'll mean them.
"I-I love you." I may stutter over my first word but what I say is true and I need her to understand that. I stand the best I can on my tiptoes and place my forehead against hers. I see her eyes flicker in shock of my words. I take one of my arms down from her neck, placing my hand on her cheek. "I love you Calliope."
"You do?" Calliope's voice immediately reveals her true vulnerability at this moment. I can feel the fear and anxiety along with the happiness that is present in her words.
Without thinking I slowly lean in and capture her lips with mine hoping that my actions will answer her innocent question for me. It takes almost all of my resolve to keep the kiss innocent as I wanted nothing more than to have my way with her, eventually I had to pull away to resist the temptation.
"I do." I finally verbally answer her, knowing that it would reinforce everything I've done since we've entered the room.
And Calliope's reply sends me into ecstasy more than any physical act ever could. "I love you too, Arizona."