Thank you so much for the response to the first chapter - I'm uploading this one because I feel some Callie is needed, but the next update won't be quite so speedy!
I hope you all enjoy :)
Callie Torres slammed the door of the cab shut as she waited for the driver to load her luggage into the trunk. She bit down on her lip softly, trying in vain to stop the huge tears that welled in her eyes. She balled her fists, taking long, deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself.
"Where to?" The driver asked as he buckled up.
"The airport." Callie choked out, glancing back one final time as the cab pulled out of the lavish driveway behind her. Her cell phone indicated that it was a little after 5am, and as the sun began its journey into the sky, the brunette hoped that no one would realize that she was gone until it was too late.
"It's an abomination! It's an eternity in hell!"
Callie squeezed her eyes shut, willing her father's words to stop screaming in her ears. Although Erica had disappeared without saying goodbye, the brunette had naively thought that she could seek solace from her family. She had known that the Torres' Catholic beliefs were strong, but she hadn't been expecting an ambush when she had decided to tell them.
"You'll stay here at home with us, mija. I'll speak with your Chief in the morning and we'll sort this whole mess out You'll finish your residency and take your boards here in Miami."
After her father had left the room, the ortho resident sent an urgent email to Chief Webber, begging him to ignore any attempts of communication from Carlos Torres. Moving swiftly to pack her things, Callie wasted no time in booking a flight back to Seattle; waiting until the early hours to leave the house undetected.
Her family's refusal to accept her bisexuality was painful enough to endure, but it was clear that it was something her father thought he could fix by throwing large sums of money at the right people. After leaving a note of apology for her sister, Aria, the only member of her family who had tried to understand, Callie slipped out.
The ringing of her cell phone jolted her from her thoughts. She almost ignored the call, figuring it to be her father already, but when she saw Mark Sloan flash across the screen, she answered it willingly.
"God am I glad to talk to you." She breathed, wiping a stray tear from her cheek.
"What happened?"
Callie chuckled ruefully.
"Let's just say it was a bad idea, and we'll just add it to the list of monumentally stupid ideas that I've had recently."
"Cal…" Mark began.
"No, it was an unbelievably stupid idea. They practically attacked me, yelling that it was an abomination and that I'd be going to hell. Then my dad tells me he's pulling me from my residency and making me stay in Miami."
"I'm sorry Callie. I'm guessing by the voice mail you left me that you're catching the first flight back?"
"You bet." Callie sighed, rubbing tiredly at her eyes. "I've sent an email to Webber giving him a head's up about my dad. Could you make sure he gets it?"
She heard Mark sigh over the phone.
"I'll try. Richard's been acting really oddly the past few days. Derek keeps trying to get him to tell us what's up, but he won't budge. Do you want me to pick you up at SeaTac?"
Callie smiled for the first time in days. As sex-hungry and whorish as Mark Sloan came across to most people, he was truly the best and most loyal friend that Callie Torres had.
"Please, Mark. That would be amazing. I'll let you know when I'm due to land."
"Alright Cal. I've got a bottle of tequila with our name on it tonight. Have a good flight."
After thanking him, the resident popped her phone back into her pocket, digging into her wallet to pay the cab driver as he pulled up to the airport. Thrusting some notes into his hand, she stepped out of the car and opened the trunk, lifting her small case onto the sidewalk and wheeling it into the terminal and towards the departure desks.
Once through airport security, Callie had some time to kill before her flight back to Seattle. Deciding she'd been through the ringer in the past few days, hell, the past few weeks, she chose to indulge in a champagne breakfast at one of the airport's most picturesque spots. Pulling a medical textbook from her carry-on bag, she flipped to an earmarked page and began to study.
Callie looked up as her phone rang a short while later. Checking quickly before answering, she realized it was time to head to her gate and board the flight.
"Hey, Mark. I'm just about to get on the plane, what's up?"
"I just spoke to Richard."
Callie rolled her eyes, assuming that her very stubborn father had gotten to the chief already.
"If it's about my dad, it can wait until I've had a few shots of that tequila."
"It's not about your Dad, Cal. It's about the hospital. Webber finally came out of hiding and told us we're merging with Mercy West. He basically said he won't know how many of us will have jobs next week."
The news took the breath from Callie's lungs, leaving her feeling light-headed. She had heard from other hospital mergers that most cuts were usually made on the resident level, and usually in fields such as Orthopedic Surgery, when patients decided to have treatment in specialist clinics instead of at a hospital. She was so close to taking her medical boards, so close to becoming a board certified Orthopedic Surgeon, and suddenly, the door could easily be slammed in her face.
"Cal? Are you ok?"
"Yeah...fan-freaking-tastic" The resident sighed, running a hand through her hair.
"I'll just…I'll see you at the airport, Mark. Thanks."
Dropping her head into her hands, Callie took a breath to try to calm herself. Maybe her dad was right. Maybe she should finish her residency in Miami, where she would be guaranteed to take her Boards. No. Dr. Chang's department would have crumbled years ago without Dr. Torres, and Webber and every other surgeon at Seattle Grace was aware of that. She deserved to be there. She deserved to have a job to go back to.
Her anxiety was interrupted by an announcement at a nearby gate.
"Good morning ladies and gentleman. This is a boarding call for all passengers traveling on Éclat service to Seattle. Please have your boarding cards ready for inspection at gate A5."
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