*~*~*~*~*~
It took six days for Vivian Morse to make good on her word. She arrived at the hospital with the formal adoption papers and informed Callie that the adoption hearing would be in three weeks. In the meantime, she had secured a legal guardianship order that would make it possible for Mark and Callie to take Emily home. Callie was so excited when she headed into the observation deck to tell Mark that she ignored everyone around her. She flipped on the speaker and said, "Hey, you."
He looked up at her. "Hey, baby."
She unfurled the papers and held it up to the glass. "Guess who's coming to dinner?"
Because he was in teaching mode and not holding a life in his hands, he punched the air and shouted, "Yes! Meet me in the hallway. Yang, take over."
Callie walked down the stairs as quickly as she could. He met her halfway, kissing her belly, then hugging her. "Let's go tell the *kids*. Plural. As in more than one."
"Let go." She took his hand and they walked to the nursery. Emily had gotten tired of the ward and after Jack told her all about Tuck, she begged Mark to let her go play as well. He had escorted her himself three days prior and she had fallen into sync with all the other children, calmly playing and sharing easily.
She was sitting beside Jack at one of the long tables when she saw the two adults. Saying something to Jack, she rushed to the door and waited patiently for it to open. The second Mark keyed in the code, she flew out and giggled when he snatched her up and tickled her. Jack hurried after his sister, lifting the front of Callie's shirt and shouting, "HEY, GREEN BEAN!"
"Jack, for Heaven's sake!" Callie subconsciously tugged her shirt over her burgeoning belly and glanced around. The only person nearby was Izzie Stevens, who was watching their every move. "Let's go to the conference room."
"After you," Jack replied, gesturing down the hallway.
"I think the new school is working well," Callie said when her son held open the door and pulled out her chair. "Either that of you've done something."
"No, ma'am." Jack crawled into the seat beside her and propped his chin on his fist. "Miss Elliot, my teacher, she said that manners is very, very important and that we have to treat people with aspect."
"That's REspect," Callie corrected. "And Miss Elliot is right."
The new school was private, but there were no nuns on staff and religion was not being taught. Jack's new uniform consisted of a polo shirt and slacks and in the one week he had been there, he had gotten a note sent home saying that he was attentive and agreeable and had been asked to be a classroom helper. He happily pinned his note on the refrigerator. And because the classroom star sticker on his chest was curling at the edges ... he *glued* it to the fridge. Callie and Mark had left it there. They had also put a crisp twenty dollar bill in his piggy bank and since that moment, he was acting like the perfect child.
One of the aids in the hospital nursery, Belinda Greer, had agreed to move into Gertie's old room and work as the children's nanny full time. Her resume was impressive and since she had been living in a small apartment all alone for years, she happily jumped at the opportunity. Jack loved the older woman and she was crazy about him *and* Emily. Any concerns that Callie may have had were laid to rest when Belinda intervened during bath time on her first night there and told Jack the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. The woman changed it up, making it seem like the beanstalk grew from the dirt behind the fictitious Jack's ear and the little boy ran to the bathtub without argument after that. Even Sprout had taken to the woman, choosing to sleep in her room every night.
Since she was working out a two week notice for the hospital, Belinda was with the children all day and took Jack home with her early to prepare dinner each afternoon. Callie heartily approved of her cooking as well. Belinda was from the heart of Georgia and could fry chicken better than Callie had ever eaten and since she was craving it non stop, she decided the woman was an angel.
Mark sat down across from Callie at the conference table and Emily climbed into his lap. He tugged her pig tail playfully and laughed when she pulled his ear in retaliation. Callie slid the papers across the table and put her arm around Jack, who laid his head on her shoulder, one hand on her belly.
"You want me to tell her?" Mark asked, shocked. He swallowed hard when Callie nodded at him.
Emily reached for the papers when Mark didn't. She opened them and spread them flat in front of her, her long, dainty fingers tracing the raised lettering at the top. "What's it say, Doctor Mark?"
"It says that you can go home with us tonight." Mark pulled the papers a little closer, the lump in his throat making it hard to speak. "It says that you will be our little girl forever and that you'll never have to go away again. It says that no one can hurt you or take you away from us and ... it says that we'll always love you."
"It says all that?" she asked, her eyes wide when she looked across the table at Callie, who smiled at her. The little girl pointed at a particular group of gold letters. "What does that say?"
Mark leaned his head against hers. "It says that you can call us mom and dad if you want to and that ... family is forever. That's what we are, Em, we're a family."
"Do I have to call you dad?" she asked.
"No," Mark assured her. "You can call me-"
"I like Daddy." Emily beamed up at Mark, touching the stubble on his cheek. She looked back at Callie and said, "And Mommy, too."
"Whatever you want," Callie told her. "It's fine with us."
"Only babies say mommy and daddy," Jack told her.
"I *am* a baby," she shot back. "You always say so!"
"That's because you're a *girl*." He stuck his tongue out at his sister.
Emily giggled into her hands. "You said that *some* girls can build tree houses and play video games. You said that some girls are bad asses."
"She don't got no money yet, Mom," Jack quickly stated. "I'll pay for her."
"You need to pay since you said it to her," Callie replied.
"That ain't too fair. If she can say it for free then so can I!" Jack looked up at his mother. "Did my papers say all that, too?"
"They sure did." She hugged him a little closer, kissing his head. Across the table, Emily giggled again and touched her nose to Mark's.
Callie could only grin.
Emily was already a daddy's girl.
And Mark was eating out of the palm of her hand.
*~
"WOW! IT'S REAL PRETTY! IS THAT MY BED!? IS THAT MY DESK!? I GOTS MY OWN TV!?!?" Emily screamed, her voice so shrill that Callie's eardrums ached.
The room was mostly purple, a color that Jack assured them was his sister's favorite thing. On one wall there was a mural of the moon and stars and the canopy bed sat just below the white orb. The purple bed covering matched the walls and the little girl pulled a star shaped pillow off the bed, hugging it, resting her cheek against it.
"Emily, look!" Jack cried, pointing at the far wall. "I got a climbing wall and you got that. Don't even ask me to play dolls, though."
The girl had the same look on her face that Jack had at Disneyland as she hurried forward and climbed the few steps into her life size doll house. It had working windows, working lights, and a slide that landed the child in a sea of foam pieces a moment later. She climbed out of it with Jack's help.
Mark and Callie stood side by side in the doorway, watching as Emily explored her surroundings. They both laughed when she opened the door to the bathroom she shared with Jack and ran through to Jack's room. A second later, they heard both children shrieking with joy.
"We did it," Callie said. "So far so good."
"So far so loud." Mark put a finger in his ear, wiggling it.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "You once told me that you only liked kids depending on how loud they were."
"It's different when their yours." He leaned down and kissed her. "You look tired."
"That last surgery today kicked my ass." She pulled him down for another kiss and smiled against his lips when someone tugged her pants leg. She pulled away and smiled down at Emily.
"Shame, shame!" Emily ran one of her fingers over the other, pointing at the adults. "Mark and Callie sittin' in a tree ... K.I.S.S.I.N.G."
"Get used to it," Jack said, wrinkling his nose as he draped his arm over his sister's shoulders. "They do it all the time."
Belinda called upstairs that dinner was ready and Jack yelled, "'SGETTI, EMMY! OUR FAVORITE!"
The two kids ran from the bedroom and down the stairs with such passion that Callie had to shake her head. "You'd think that boy never gets a meal. Never."
"Cal?" Mark caught her hand when she started to follow the children. "Do you want to wear the ring yet?"
"Not today."
"Do I have to beg?"
"Not at all." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. "Today is *their* day. Ours will come."
Belinda announced that she was going to play Bingo with several of her friends and quickly kissed both children on the head. They thanked her for dinner and waved goodbye. The woman winked at Callie as she gathered her purse and hurried out the front door. "What was that about?" Mark asked.
"She knew we needed time alone with them tonight." Callie started to scoop the pasta onto the plates, but Mark grabbed it before she could. She gladly sat back down and rubbed her belly. The kids were chattering nonstop, asking question after question and laughing gaily at the inventive ways that Mark answered.
A moment later, Callie cried out and Mark dropped the platter of garlic bread. Kneeling beside her, he said, "What is it? Are you -"
"She's moving." Callie's eyes filled with tears and she slid her hand aside so that Mark could feel their baby. "Oh my god."
He put his hand against her stomach and met her eyes when the baby did what felt like a somersault. "What does it feel like?"
"I don't know. Maybe butterflies or -" She frowned. "Or ... ouch ... like she's kicking my bladder. Excuse me."
"We wanna feel!" Jack said, scurrying around the table before his mother could get to her feet. He put his hand on her stomach then jerked it away when he felt a direct hit. "Whoa! Green Bean gots legs!"
Emily crawled under the table and popped up beside Callie. "Can I touch it too?"
"Of course you can."
The baby continued to perform and both children were amazed. Callie finally convinced them to eat their dinner before it got cold and headed upstairs to the bathroom, where she sighed with relief as she peed. At the sink she gazed down at her belly while she washed her hands. The tight, long sleeved t-shirt she wore left nothing the the imagination and she smiled when she saw it ripple slightly.
"Okay, kid, get it out of your system now because when the lights go out ... I want to sleep."
Emily was fascinated with the way Mark used a spoon to wind his spaghetti around the fork and tried valiantly to do the same. Everything went smoothly
until she spilled the contents of her fork into her lap. The new yellow dress Callie had bought for her was covered in sauce and Emily clapped a hand over her mouth. Everyone watched in shock as she vanished under the table.
Jack sat back in his seat, gazing down at her. "Emily, they don't got no devil closet here."
Mark leaned down, reaching for Emily, but she shook her head and pushed his hands away. "Come on, sweetie."
"I'm bad. Bad kids gots to sit on the floor until the closet comes open."
"You're not bad," Callie told her, peering under the table. "Accidents happen. Why don't you come back up here and we'll show you another way to eat your spaghetti. Jack's favorite way."
"Like a dog?" Emily asked, making a face. "I don't like to get dirty."
"Not like a dog." Callie grinned at her. "And speaking of dogs, Sprout will want to meet you soon. We can't bring him in until after dinner because he'll try to eat everything."
"Am I in trouble?" Emily asked softly.
"No," Mark replied.
The little girl ran her hand over her soiled dress. "Can I have somethin' cleaner?"
"If you don't let her change ... she'll get real pissed," Jack said softly, touching Callie on the arm. "Mac wouldn't never let her get dirty so she wasn't allowed to play or nothing and ... well, when she did get dirty they'd put her in the closet until she didn't do it no more."
Emily's stunned face appeared over the side of the table. "YOU CAN'T TELL NOBODY THAT! MAC WILL SKIN YOU DEAD WHEN HE FINDS OUT, JACK!"
"Mac's gone," Mark told her, reaching out and lifting her into his lap. He dabbed at her chin with his napkin, then cleaned the worst of the mess from her dress. "He'll never hurt *anyone* again. Do you think maybe because spaghetti is so messy that you can wear this until you're done?"
Emily looked down at her dress and took a deep breath. "You promise I won't get in trouble? It'll stain."
"I promise."
"We don't get in trouble too much here, Em," Jack announced. "Nobody never yells and we get to play all we want until it's bedtime. He ain't lyin'."
Looking at Callie, Emily said, "Moms yell though."
"I don't," Callie told her.
"She only says 'JACK!' when I been real bad." The little boy's voice rose slightly over his name.
"Okay," Emily said. "I'll wear it."
"Good girl," Mark replied, depositing her back into her chair.
Jack showed her the 'polite' way to eat her spaghetti and dinner passed without further incident.
That night, Jack fell asleep on the sofa and Mark put him to bed while Callie helped Emily change into her nightgown. The little girl gazed at herself in the mirror before she threw her arms around Callie and thanked her for helping her. Then she thanked her for loving Jack, saying that nobody ever loved him except her.
Mark came into the room in time to hear the last part of the conversation and opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when Emily kneeled beside her bed and clasped her fingers together.
"Dear God, thank you for Jack and for family. And for 'sgetti, which is my favoritest. And for my bedroom. And for not letting Sprout bite me. And for purple paint. And for the moon and stars. And for making good people. I didn't think they was real. Amen."
Callie had to look away. Her eyes were burning with tears. Mark tucked Emily into her bed and kissed her forehead. "We're right across the hall," he told her. "And your nightlight will be on all night."
"It's pretty," Emily told him, looking at the star shaped light against the wall. "I ain't scared though."
"Good. Because you don't have anything to be afraid of," Callie said, leaning down to kiss her. "Are you comfortable?"
"I feel real good!" Emily replied, wiggling under the cover. "Cal - uhm - Mommy?"
"What, baby?"
"Is it okay to love you?"
"Absolutely."
"Will you love me too? One day?"
Callie kissed her again. "I already do."
Emily looked expectantly at Mark.
"I already do, too." He patted her stomach, smiling at her.
"Goodnight," she said, yawning widely. "Jack said you'll make toast tomorrow. With sugar."
"You got it," Mark replied.
They watched Emily curl onto her side and close her eyes before they left the room. Quietly, they shut her door and went to their own room. Callie sat down on the long bench at the foot of their bed and took a deep breath. Mark sat beside her and took her hand. "Are you okay, Cal?"
She gazed at the far wall. "Yeah."
He studied her face a moment before he reached out and touched it. "You're pale."
"I'm exhausted."
"You haven't been sleeping much. You didn't nap today at all, huh?"
"No."
"Something's on your mind. Want to tell me?"
"They're trusting us, Mark, to not let them down and it terrifies me that we will. I don't want them to ever think for a second that we'd hurt them or let someone else hurt them." She looked over at him. "I never want them to feel the way that I felt growing up. I want to be the opposite of my parents."
"Callie, you couldn't be further from the way your parents are." He put an arm around her and pulled her against his chest. "And we'll never let them down."
"How do you know?"
"Because I can't fail when I'm with you and I don't think you know how to fail."
She smiled at him, then jumped and put her hand on her stomach. "This baby is going to kick its way out."
Mark slipped off the bench and kneeled in front of her. Lifting her shirt, he kissed her stomach, then said, "Go to sleep, Green Bean."
"Oh my god. Not you too," she laughed.
"Green Bean is a great nickname." Mark pressed his lips to her belly again and the baby kicked him in the mouth. Hard. He sat back and said, "Okay, maybe she doesn't agree."
"Who would?" She leaned down and hugged him. "I can't believe how much I love you. Who would have thought that a dirty one night stand could become something so great?"
"It was a *cheerful* one night stand and I thought it. Why do you think I pursued you like I did?"
"I dunno, Sloan. You were playing it pretty close to the chest. I didn't even know that you were interested."
"It took a certain little boy inviting me to dinner to make you realize what was right there all along." He rubbed her leg. "Let's go to bed."
She got to her feet and stretched, groaning when her back popped. "I've wanted to do that all day."
"Want a massage?"
"Do you even have to ask?"
She was asleep within ten minutes.
But he continued to rub her soft, silky skin anyway.
It had taken Mark a lifetime of looking ... and never really believing in it ... to find out that families did exist. He had spent many first nights like the one Emily was currently spending and he had looked at his foster parents with the same raw hope that she looked at them with. He had walked a million miles in her shoes ... and Jack's ... and he decided that it was a trip worth taking.
Not matter how hard the journey had been.
Because it had landed him here.
He had come full circle.
*~
Emily wasn't in her bed the following morning. Callie's heart sank and she hurried to Jack's room. Her son was still sleeping soundly, tangled in the covers. She went back to Emily's room and checked under the bed, then she opened the window of the doll house, only to find it empty as well. The same feeling of desperation that she had experienced when Jack ran away sent chills through her.
Rushing back across the hallway, she threw the door to the master bedroom open and finally breathed. Emily was curled in the floor on Mark's side of the bed, her star pillow under her head and the dirty dress she had worn the night before spread over her like a blanket. It was cold in the room due to the ceiling fan and Callie hurried forward, bending to scoop the little girl up.
Mark's eyes flew open when Callie rested her palm against the bed to help her as she kneeled down. He sat up and opened his mouth to speak, but he saw the sleeping child and swung his legs over the edge of the bed instead. He picked Emily up and put her in the warm spot he had just vacated, then helped Callie back to her feet.
They watched as Emily burrowed under the cover, disappearing completely. "What was she doing in the floor?" Mark asked.
"I don't know," she replied. "But we keep it too cold in here and-"
"Were you gonna pick her up?" Mark demanded suddenly, putting his hands on his hips. "What have I told you? How many times do I have to say -"
"She's light as a feather."
"I don't care! If you do that again, Torres, I'm going to kick your -"
"Stop." Callie inclined her head toward the bed, where Emily was peering out at them over the covers.
Mark smiled down at the little girl. "Good morning, cutie."
"Are you gonna kick her ass?" Emily asked quietly. "'Cause that would suck."
He looked back at Callie, who crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a look that was half amused and half interested in his answer. "No, I'm not."
"It's mean to say that," Emily pointed out. "You ought not to do it."
"Why were you in here?" Mark asked her.
"I had a bad dream." Emily sat up and pushed her hair back. It was straighter than Jack's but so long that it tangled at nothing. "I dreamed that you wasn't real and I wasn't here no more."
"You can wake us up next time," Mark replied.
Emily gazed at her new father's bare chest, then at his boxer briefs. "If it's so cold then how come you sleep in just your panties, Daddy?"
"Oh ... I ... uhm ... Callie?"
Callie raised a brow at him. "I'm not explaining."
"You are e.v.i.l." Mark scratched his chin, looking back at the little girl. "Do you want to help me make French Toast, squirt?"
"I can help!?" Emily shoved the cover completely off and got to her knees. "I'm a good cooker."
"Then you can help." Mark grabbed his robe and put it on, smiling at the ingenious way he had changed the subject of the conversation. "You ready?"
"Daddy?"
"Hmmm?"
"How did you put the baby in mommy's tummy?"
Mark was still stuttering when he carried their new daughter into the kitchen.
He finally distracted her with Hershey Kisses.
For breakfast.
*~*~*~*~*~
Callie's seventh month of pregnancy passed quickly. She was so busy with Emily and Jack that there was barely time to breathe. They formally adopted the little girl three short weeks after taking her home and celebrated with a party Chuck E. Cheese that several of their co-workers enjoyed more than the children did. Seeing Derek Shepherd going head first down a slide with Emily on his back had sent camera phones into overdrive and he had done it several times. Meredith had entertained the children by being pulled out of the audience to dance on the stage with animatronic animals and Cristina stuffed her mouth so full of pizza that every child was amazed.
It was Cristina who convinced Emily to cut her hair and Cristina who took her to the salon to have it done. When the little girl came home, she announced that her hair was going to make a wig for sick kids and demanded that Callie put her new shoulder length hair in pigtails. Callie obliged and Emily spent the remainder of the day gazing at herself in the mirror. Even Jack liked the cut and offered to brush it that night before bed.
The behavioral problems Emily had didn't begin to show up until she got comfortable with Callie and Mark. The agreeable little girl who had loved everything during the first few weeks soon made it very clear that she only liked *certain* things. She didn't like dolls with blond hair and either removed their heads completely or cut their hair to the scalp with scissors. She also didn't like pink. At all. Any pink clothing that was in her closet found its way to the trash can or ... unfortunately ... into the toilet which caused quite a commotion when Emily tried to flush them away.
For the most part, Emily was easy going. Jack had been right when he said that she never cried. She never shed a single tear. When she was angry, her arms went across her chest and she'd tap her foot while she steamed. When she was upset, she'd sit in the floor with her face hidden against her knees and when her temper got the better of her ... she would head into the closet in her bedroom and lie flat on her back. She didn't hit or scream ... she simply went into the dark.
And stayed there for a while.
Her mood, after she would hide away in the closet, usually stayed dour for at least two full days. During that time she would only speak when spoken to and wanted to eat her dinner under the table. Callie and Mark stuck to their guns and refused to give an inch where this particular habit was concerned. Eventually, the child got the picture and didn't even attempt to sit under the table when she was upset. Or any other time.
Emily was enrolled at the same school Jack attended and quickly caught on to the routine and structure of private school. She enjoyed drawing and Callie was stunned when the little girl presented her with a horse sketch that looked like a professional had done it. Callie had asked her to draw another one for Mark and watched with wide eyes as Emily's hand flew over the paper. They decided to pay for additional art classes.
Jack, who had decided to join the band after all, settled on the violin and spent hours upon hours screeching out 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'. Mark and Callie enjoyed listening at his door ... not for the quality of music, but because every mistake was met with swear words that would make a sailor blush. And he tried to sing along and incorporated the swears completely in tune as he played. Their personal favorite rendition was:
'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Dammit ... kiss my ass you freakin' whore
Shit ... Up above the world so high
Crap ... Like you have bullshit in your eye
Twinkle ... holy hell ... Twinkle little star
PISS ... how I wonder why I play this freakin' thing when it hurts my damn fingers. Argh!'
As Callie entered her eighth month of pregnancy, the baby decided to be agreeable and presented an open legged display of wonder. When Addison officially confirmed that it was a girl, Callie was so excited she could hardly stand it. Mark felt the same and after the ultrasound, he showed her the 'Daddy's Princess' onesie he had in his locker. It was neon pink and the ugliest thing that Callie had ever seen, but when Mark laid it over his shoulder and patted it, she told him it was gorgeous.
And prayed that the baby liked pink more than Emily since Mark apparently did.
They worked together on the nursery, which was now fully stocked thanks to a surprise baby shower that Miranda planned at the hospital. Bailey timed it so that Addison could be there and no one complained when the hen party was crashed by all the roosters. Mark didn't enjoy the fact that George appeared and dropped off a swing and highchair that he claimed his mother had sent, but he held his tongue for Callie's sake. The baby's room took shape, complete with dark furniture, sage green walls, and Disney themed *everything*, thanks to Jack, who decided that the baby should experience Disney like he had.
The school year came to a close and the weather turned so hot that Callie grumbled nonstop about entering her final weeks under record high temperatures. She cursed Mark Sloan relentlessly. Her breathing was labored just walking to the mailbox and she stayed so hot that her scrubs would be soaked after an hour long surgery. The only great thing about being pregnant in the blistering heat was *everyone's* willingness to bring her ice chips, which she craved nonstop.
As she began to prep for Jack and Emily's sixth birthday, Callie innocently told her parents that they didn't have to make the trip out for it. They still didn't know that she was pregnant *or* that she had adopted another child. Her hormones were already out of whack and the last thing she needed was the 'unmarried with a child on the way' speech. She had gotten a similar one when her marriage to George fell apart. There she was, pregnant and unwanted, and they had made it clear that divorcing while pregnant was a mortal sin as far as they were concerned.
When she lost the baby and filed anyway ... they hung up on her. They didn't even say they were sorry for her loss.
*~
Emily wanted a princess party and Jack wanted anything as long as it involved horses and violins so Callie hired a medieval party planner who erected a jumping castle, provided mimes, wenches and jousters, and turned their backyard into a renaissance faire. There were parrots, monkeys, and ponies (who smelled so bad that Callie had to avoid the area they were utilizing) and two glorious princesses who were dressed as Snow White and Cinderella that captivated Emily so much that she shadowed their every move.
Callie spent a majority of her time with her feet propped in a chair. She had been dealing with a persistent stomach ache since she awoke and between the heat and the dull pain, she was nothing short of miserable. She listened only half hearted as Addison and Cristina debated whether or not California should be kicked out of the United States. When the pain graduated from a minor annoyance to a full on aggravation, Callie got to her feet and headed to the house to take the one of Pete's herbal remedies.
Halfway through the festivities, Margie and Al Torres showed up bearing gifts for Jack. Callie was in the kitchen, her head buried in the freezer because of the heat, when her mother walked up behind her and announced that she had gotten 'fat as hell'. With a grimace, Callie shut the freezer and turned, her hands on her belly. Her mother screamed, clutching the cross necklace she wore and her father actually crossed himself since he didn't have a prop to work with.
"You are pregnant!" Margie shouted.
Callie looked down at her stomach as if seeing it for the first time. "Is that what it is!? I thought it was gas!"
"CALLIOPE, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!?" Al cried. "ALREADY A SINGLE MOTHER AND NOW LOOK AT YOU! TWO FATHERLESS CHILDREN!"
"I can assure you I didn't knock myself up," Callie replied. "Mark and I are still very happily together and everything's fine."
Emily raced in from the party, the front of her purple dress covered in grass stains. "Lookit what Jack done! He made me fall down!"
Callie picked her daughter up and sat her on the counter. "Are you hurt?"
"Worse. I'm *dirty*."
"You want to put on another dress or your new shorts?" Callie asked her.
"DRESS! Duh! I'm the princess! I gotta wear the damn dress!" Emily lifted her arms. "Come on, pokey. Help me change!"
Callie's father hurried forward and tried to pick the little girl up before Callie could. Emily wasted no time slapping him, hard, in the face. "Who the hell are you, Mister?"
"Who the hell are *you*?" Al replied, trying to hide his smile as he massaged his cheek.
"Emily Torres Sloan." She tiled her head to one side. "Why are you talking to my mommy?"
Margie simply shook her head. "Calliope, tell me you didn't - that this isn't - what have you done!?"
"Emily," Callie said, ignoring her mother. "These are your grandparents. That's Mami and that's Papi."
"I gots grandparents!?" Emily crowed. "Kick ass!"
And just like that ... all hell broke loose.
Emily refused to go outside and play. Even when the yelling reached a fevered pitch, she clung to Callie and would not obey when any of the three adults told her to leave the room. For her part, Callie tried to maintain her cool, but when her mother suggested that she needed a psychiatrist and her tubes tied in no particular order, she lost it completely. Lifting Emily into her arms, she shouted at her parents to get the hell out.
A searing cramp rushed through her abdomen then, something that Callie had not experienced thus far. She stumbled in mid stride and one arm shot out to grab the back of the chair as the other cradled Emily. She cried out, breathing deep, and a moment later she felt a gush of fluid as her water broke.
Emily looked down at the hardwood and said, "Holy crap, Mommy! You peed in your panties!"
Another pain hit Callie, this one hard enough to buckle her legs and she landed on her knees, sobbing as she went. "Oh god" she whispered. "Go get your daddy, baby."
"What's wrong?" Emily put her hand on Callie's shoulder. "Why are you cryin'?"
Callie choked on her own scream then. It was a horrible, brutal sound, and Emily burst through the back door yelling 'Daddy' at the top of her lungs.
Mark knew something was wrong the second he turned. Emily *never* cried, but she was nearly hysterical. He dropped the football he had been tossing with Derek and met her halfway. "What's wrong?"
"Mommy's hurt!" Emily shouted. "She's hurt so much she peed on the floor."
Addison dropped the hot dog she was eating and almost tripped over Cristina, who had made a mad dash for the house as well. Every doctor in the backyard knew exactly what was happening and they all rushed forward except for Meredith, who Emily out of Mark's arms and tried to corral the other children as best she could.
By the time Mark got to Callie, her father was kneeling beside her while her mother paced the length of the kitchen. Addison pushed Mark out of the way and said, "Somebody call 911!"
"Addy-" Callie shook her head. "She's early."
"She's not *that* early."
Cristina arrived with the first aid kit from Callie's bedroom and opened it, handing Addison a pair of gloves. The red head slipped them on and lifted Callie's dress. Miranda held up a towel for modesty's sake and told everyone who wasn't needed to get the hell out when she saw the blood on Callie's thighs.
Addison's face remained impassive as she examined Callie. "How long have you been contracting?"
"Just now. I - I mean I've had a few dull aches today, but childbirth is supposed to hurt right and this is - AHHHHH!"
Mark pulled Callie into his lap and held onto her as the scream was wrenched from her. "Breathe, baby," he told her, rubbing her belly. "Pick something out and look at it the way they taught us."
"SHE'S EARLY!" Callie yelled. "She's not coming yet! She's can't come yet!"
"You're already dilated to nine." Addison slipped her hand free and looked up at Bailey. "Tell Pete to come in."
Bailey nodded and opened the back door. Pete arrived a moment later and squatted down beside his girlfriend. "What do you need?"
"Pain control. This baby is coming and she's not going to wait for the ambulance."
"NO!" Callie cried. "NO! Addison, it's not time!"
Miranda put her hand on Callie's leg. "You can't hold her in. Trust me, I've tried that before."
"It's okay, Cal," Mark pulled her a little closer. "We can do this."
"We don't even have a name yet," she whimpered. "And - and -"
Pete grinned at her. "Don't you want to meet her before you name her?"
"MOM!!" Jack suddenly screamed, pounding on the back door. "LET ME IN! DAD, PLEASE!!! MOVE OUT OF THE DAMN WAY, MEREDITH! I WANT MY MOM!"
"I've got him," Bailey said, pushing herself to her feet.
A few seconds later, the pounding stopped and Addison grinned at Callie. "Three kids who all share a birthday. I'd say that makes you lucky. Three birds with one stone or whatever."
Another pain hit Callie and she was convinced that her insides were being ripped from her. She even looked down to see if Addison had a knife in her belly. Her eyes caught Cristina's, who gave her a reassuring smile, and then the urge to push was so strong that she couldn't help herself. She was vaguely aware that her father had gone out into the back yard and that her mother had taken his spot beside her head, but all that mattered in that moment was pushing.
And she pushed with everything she had.
The paramedics arrived at the same moment that Callie and Mark's daughter made her debut. Addison accepted the scissors from one of the medics and held them out to Mark, who was sobbing. "Get your shit together, Sloan, and don't cut anyone!"
Mark snipped the cord and let the scissors clatter to the floor when Addy laid the baby on Callie's chest. Reaching down, he touched the trembling infant, rubbing her back and she instantly quieted. He had gotten at least one of his wishes. The baby had as much jet black hair as her mother and her lips were a perfect Cupid's bow, full and plump.
"There's too much blood," Addison said softly, grabbing one of the many towels that Derek had brought into the room. Reaching up, she lifted the little girl into her arms and handed her off to Cristina, who headed into the living room with her. "Callie? Callie, can you hear me?"
Mark finally realized that Callie had not responded at all to their little girl. She was lying heavily in his lap and his heart stopped. "Cal?"
Addison reached back between her friend's legs and said, "Inverted uterus."
"What - what does that mean?" Margie asked, finding her voice for the first time.
"It means her uterus has turned inside out," Pete replied, snatching the stethoscope that the paramedic was holding in his hand. He listened to Callie's chest, then felt her wrist. "Start an IV. Now."
"Ma'am," the medic said to Margie. "You'll need to move."
"What's wrong with her? Why isn't she -"
"MOVE!" Mark yelled.
In the other room, the baby had begun to cry again.
And Mark joined her, clinging to the woman he loved as if his arms could keep her alive.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Have you heard anything?" George asked Meredith, handing her a cup of coffee. "It's from the vending machine. Sorry."
"Thanks." Meredith blew the coffee before she sipped it, then she reached down and took his hand in hers. "Addison's the best at what she does."
With a nod, George leaned back against the wall and glanced at Mark, who was sitting beside Derek with his head in his hands. He had seen that same identical pose on a man once before ... when Meredith had drowned and Derek sat forlornly in the hallway. "The baby's gorgeous," he said. "Looks just like Callie. Where are the other kids? Jack and ... Emily, is it?"
"They're in the nursery," Meredith replied, watching as Derek put his arm around Mark. "We should have heard something by now. There - there was so much blood. It was like ... "
The door to the waiting room opened and Addison walked in. She nodded politely at Meredith and George, then walked across the room and kneeled down beside Mark, who hadn't heard the door open at all. "Mark?"
He looked up fast, reaching for her hands. "Is she-"
"She's gonna be fine." She smiled when Mark pulled her into his arms. She patted him affectionately and pulled away, getting to her feet. Taking a deep breath, Addison spoke loudly for everyone's benefit. "She needed a blood transfusion. I was able to repair the inverted uterus with no lasting damage. Because her cervix opened so quickly for the birth ... she had a tear that we had to go in and suture, but she's fine. She's perfect."
Getting to his feet, Mark squeezed Derek's shoulder in gratitude and said, "Can I see her?"
"You bet you can. She's already asking for you."
Mark glanced at Callie's parents, who had also gotten to their feet. "Just give me a few minutes."
"Take your time," Al replied. "We'll wait."
Mark headed to the recovery room. Addison pointed at a curtain and he thanked her, slowly easing behind it. Callie was lying on her side. Wordlessly, Mark laid his head on her chest and listened to her heartbeat. It was strong and steady and he cried from relief and ... happiness. A second later, he felt her hand on his head. "Welcome back, baby," he said.
"I wasn't quite ready to go," Callie whispered, running her fingers through his hair. "I need to marry this great guy because I can't live without him."
His head shot up, unashamed of the tears on his face or the fact that fresh ones were falling. "Is today -"
"Today's the day." She grinned at him, her eyes hooded. "Yes, I'll wear the ring and I'll marry you anytime you want, but first ... I'm dying to see the person who tried to kill me."
Cristina pushed the curtain back. In her arms, she carried five pounds seven ounces of perfectly healthy baby. She had stayed with the little girl since the moment she came into the world. Mark helped Callie sit up and braced several pillows behind her back as she reached for their child. Cristina happily surrendered her and cleared her throat. "Your other two kids are waiting in the hallway. They're yanking on Derek hard enough to pull his shoulders out of the socket. Can I bring them back?"
"Give us five minutes," Mark replied, his eyes never leaving Callie, who was stroking the baby's cheek.
Nodding, Cristina left them alone. Mark reclined against the pillow beside his *fiancé*, leaning his head against hers. "She's tiny. Only seventeen inches."
"Should she be out of the incubator? Should she-"
"She's healthy."
"Did you hold her the entire time I was in surgery?" Callie asked. "Because I'm jealous."
"No." Mark shook his head. "I haven't held her at all."
"Why?" Callie asked, stunned.
"Because my hands were full."
"Your hands were full? Of what?"
"You. You may not have felt it, but I was carrying you this. I was there every step of the way."
She brushed a tear off her cheek. "I only thought I couldn't love you more."
"Do you love me enough to hand her over?"
Callie nodded and he took the little girl, cradling her against his chest. The baby grunted and stretched and he laughed, patting her softly on her backside. "What are we calling her?"
"MOM!" Jack bellowed, cutting through the silence in the recovery room. Someone shushed him and he said, "I AIN'T WAITING NO MORE! MAMA!"
A moment later, the little boy peered behind the curtain, pulling Emily in behind him. He opened his mouth to speak, then his eyes landed on the baby in Mark's arms. "GREEN BEAN! HOLY SHIT! SHE'S LITTLE!"
"You owe me a dollar," Callie told him, patting the bed. Cristina appeared and picked up Emily, then Jack, easing them onto the bed with a stiff warning to be still. "You can't say bad words in front of your sister."
Emily regarded Callie with a look of apprehension. "You was screaming. You scared me real bad."
"I'm sorry, squirt," she replied, tucking a strand of Emily's hair behind her ear. "I didn't mean to. You did a good job by getting your daddy for me, though."
"Can I hold her or what!?" Jack snapped. "I didn't even get to ride the ponies!"
Mark smiled, nodding. "Sit down flat on the bed."
Jack complied and held his arms out. Mark kept the baby steady as Jack held her, stroking her fingers, her ears. Then it was Emily's turn and she was fascinated with the thick, dark hair on the infant's head. "What's her name?" the little girl asked softly.
"We don't know yet."
"Well, *we* do," Jack replied. "Me and Emily done decided."
"We're not naming her Green Bean." Callie shook her head.
"We know," Emily said, crossing her arms over her chest when Mark lifted her baby sister from her lap. "We're naming her Amelia"
"Amelia?" Mark asked curiously.
Jack nodded. "She was a baby at Mac's house. Me and Emily liked her, but somebody adopted her."
"Plus Amelia was the first girl to fly a plane on the ocean," Emily told Callie. "That's what 'Stina told us when we asked her if she liked Amelia."
"Amelia Earhart," Cristina replied. "One of the bravest women who ever lived."
"Duh," Mark told her. "I like it."
"I like it, too." Callie said, grinning up at her best friend. "Amelia *Grace* Sloan. Named after the *two* bravest women who ever lived."
"Who's the other woman?" Jack asked.
"Your Godmother. Cristina *Grace*."
"Literally," Mark said under his breath.
Callie shot him a look and he grinned, kissing Amelia on the head. "Welcome to the family, baby girl."
She threw up on him in response.
It was true love.