Title: Ready For A Fall (1/?)
Author: Chelle Storey-Daniel
Rating: R
Summary: Callie finds out about Gizzie and finds an unlikely ally who is actually on her side.
A/N: I have been wounded and scarred by the recent eps of Grey's Anatomy. I don't know if my muse will ever come back to finish Kissing Chaos. Certain aspects of the show are not sitting well with me.


"How long does it usually take for the newlywed sex to stop?" Callie asked, setting her lunch tray opposite Addison’s.

Addison glanced up from her newspaper and shrugged. "Derek and I got caught all over the hospital the first two years of our marriage. Is George doing the sex machine thing again?"

"George and I haven’t had sex in over a week."

"Is he still sick? He looked pretty bad while your dad was here."

"He was hungover, Addison. Not sick. Based on the smell alone, I think he probably drank enough to intoxicate twenty men, but it should be out of his system by now." Callie took a sip of her soda and sighed. "Something’s going on."

"Yeah. All the interns are about to be testing for the residency program. That’s pretty scary."

"It’s more than that."

"Have you talked to him?"

"Every time I say anything he tells me that it’s all in my head." Callie took a bite of her sandwich and added, "And Izzie Stevens is suddenly acting scared of me. She actually backed away from me earlier when I was asking her to present a case. It’s totally weird. She’s usually all over the chance to insult me."

Addison sat up a little straighter and glanced across the cafeteria at Izzie. The blond was shooting what could only be called a ‘guilty’ look at Callie. As Addison watched, George entered the cafeteria, took one look at Izzie, then the back of Callie’s head, and turned on his heel. The signs were all there. Izzie Stevens had confessed that she had slept with a married man the day that Callie’s father arrived. Addison’s stomach sank all the way to her toes as she put two and two together. George had slept with Izzie.

And Izzie thought it was God’s plan.

Callie pushed her barely touched food away and rested her chin in her palm. "Maybe it’s me. Maybe he’s still reeling from me telling him that I’ve got money. He was really upset about it."

When Addison didn’t reply, Callie looked back at her and gasped. Addison’s eyes were flooded with tears. "Oh my god! Are you okay?"

"They slept together," Addison blurted, the clapped a hand over her mouth.

"What?" Callie reached across the table and pulled her friend’s hand away from her face. "Who?"

"George and Izzie. Izzie told me that she slept with the wrong guy the night before your father came and I just realized who the married man is that she was talking about."
Frowning, Callie let her hand go and sat back, shaking her head. "That- that’s insane. George - he wouldn’t -"

"As someone who cheated ... I know the signs." Addison dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. "I’m sorry to tell you this way."

Callie pushed her chair back roughly and stood. Her gaze found Izzie, who was looking at her with wide eyes. Callie stalked toward the blond and Izzie bolted, sending her chair crashing to the floor as she raced from the cafeteria. Any doubt that Callie had was suddenly gone. She fought the urge to sink to her knees as she felt soul deep pain that she had never experienced in her life. Addison rushed forward as Callie bent at the waist and held her steady.

"Come on." Addison tugged at her, but Callie shook her head. "Callie, people are looking. Don’t give them anything to talk about. Come on!"

"I can’t breathe," Callie choked out before the onslaught of tears began. "I - I’m dying."

"No. No, you’re not. Let’s go."

"He cheated. George cheated on me with the girl who has made my life miserable for months." Callie shook her head, angry now. "After he told me that he didn’t have a chance with her because she was a blond, stacked supermodel."

"Let’s go to the lounge."
"No. I’m going to go kill both of them!"

Addison chased after Callie as she stalked into the hospital. She attempted to rationalize with her, attempted to physically stop her, but Callie plowed ahead like a freight train. When the dark haired resident slammed open the door of the intern’s locker room, George glanced up at her. He was eating his lunch alone and he smiled when she appeared, but the smile quickly faded when he saw the tears on her face.

"What happened?" he asked, wiping his mouth and setting his lunch aside. He stood and reached for her, but she knocked his hands away.

"You slept with Izzie. You slept with Izzie the night that we fought. Didn’t you?"

"Callie-"

"Didn’t you!?" she screamed.

"I - I was drunk and I didn’t know what I was doing, but, Callie-"

"Shut up!"

"It didn’t mean anything to me. It was a mistake and I’ve been trying to find a way to tell you, but I-"

"I want your things out of my room in one hour."

"No!" George took a step toward her, hands outstretched. "No. Please! We can -"

"We? There is no ‘we’ anymore!"

"I can - I can fix this."

"No. No, you can’t!" Callie cried. "We’ve been married less than three months! And you cheated on me with the one person that you knew hated me! That girl has done nothing but brutalize me since I met you and you-"

"I’m sorry." George grabbed her hand and attempted to tug her into his arms, but she yanked free.

"Don’t touch me!"

"I love you. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone in my life and -"

"George, if you value your life at *all* then stop lying to me. You never loved me. I was just too stupid to realize it." She started to turn away from him, but he caught her arm and tried to hug her. She shoved him, roughly, and shook her head. "We’re done."

"Let her go," Izzie spoke up from the doorway.

Callie turned, took one look at the woman who had trespassed on what was hers, and punched her with everything she had. Izzie’s head rocked back and she slid down the door, landing in a heap on the ground. Callie started to grab her, but Addison got between them, and then Alex Karev had Callie around the waist and was pulling her out of the locker room entirely.

*~*~*~*~*~

Fifteen days.

It had been fifteen of the longest days in Callie’s life. Just fifteen days since she learned the truth and fled Seattle as if the hounds of hell were after her, but if felt like a lifetime. She had taken a leave from work ... a leave filled with alcohol, vomit, and tears. She had flown to North Carolina, driven into the mountains, and barricaded herself in a small cabin. No cell phone, no television, no internet. Nothing. Her thoughts were more than enough to keep her distracted and she silenced them as much as possible with hard liquor.

Chief Webber had been understanding. She had the presence of mind to call him from the plane. And Addison as well. Addison had promised to make George pack his things and begged to know where Callie was going, but Callie hadn’t replied. She needed time alone, time with Jack Daniels, time with the pain. Unfortunately, the cabin wasn’t available for as long as Callie really needed and on the sixteenth day she found herself sucking down champagne in first class on a flight back to Seattle.

The seventeenth day found her hung over and squinting at the scrawling text in a chart. "Who wrote this crap?" she finally snapped. "It looks like a blind man played with a broken pen!"

"That would be me," Alex replied, walking toward her. "And I’m all yours."

"Pardon?"

"Bailey told me to get out of her sight before she sharpened her scalpel on my ass so here I am." He grinned, spreading his arms wide. "It’s your lucky day or something."

"Just great," Callie groaned. "Rule number one, I’m not your baby sitter. You either make yourself useful or make yourself scarce. I’m not going to hold your hand, wipe your nose, powder your ass, or deal with any of your little intern drama. Got it?"

"Are they running PMS through the water here?" Alex asked, but didn’t wait for her answer. "I went ahead and had the OR prepped for this guy. He’s gonna need femoral and tibial traction pins."

Callie cocked her head to one side. "Well, aren’t you just the smartest little man ever?"

"There’s nothing little about me other than the size of my patience and you’re wearing it very thin, Torres."

"*Doctor* Torres, Karev." Callie slammed the chart and glared at him. "And for future reference, I happen to be the one in charge so you don’t get to tell me what my patient needs."

"Then by all means, *Doctor* Torres, tell me what he needs."

"Femoral and tibial traction pins." Callie narrowed her eyes. "Not one word, Karev."

"Told you so."

"I said -"

"That was *three* words."

"Go find someone else to work with."

"Everyone has an intern."

"Even Sloan?"

"George is with him."

Callie felt her left eye twitch. "Rule number two ... do not mention that name in my presence if you are attached to your various appendages."

"This bitterness is going to eat you alive."

"Rule number three ... you’re not a psychologist so don’t act like one. Keep your opinions to yourself. Got it?"

"Why did you go into ortho?"

"Because unlike you and your merry band of misfits, I actually knew what I wanted going into med school."

"But why bones? It’s just so boring."

Callie fought the grin that was building when she said, "Keep that in mind the next time you get a stiff one in your pants. It’s just so boring."

"Hey-"

"Zip it, Karev."

*~*~*~*~*~

Addison slid her lunch tray onto the table and sat across from Callie. The last time they had lunch together had been a horrific event rivaled only by the projectile vomiting incident a few months prior. She narrowed her eyes as she watched the dark haired woman tinker with the lime green Ipod in her hand. After a few seconds, Addy cleared her throat. "Are you ever going to eat again?"

"I’m fasting." Callie took a sip of water and shut the Ipod off. "Lack of food nourishes the mind."

"But hard liquor is okay?"

"It’s a liquid."

"I’m worried about you." Addy rested her chin on her palm as she studied her friend. Callie’s coloring was usually so vibrant and healthy, but now her face was grey, ashen. "George asked me to tell you that he’s living at the Crestview Motel and wanted me to make sure I mentioned that the roaches are big enough to carry him away. He said to remind you how he feels about roaches."

"He should embrace them. He's the same breed after all."

"Maybe you should just talk to him."

"Because I have so much to say?"

"Because he does."

"And I should care?"

"Cal, he’s still your husband and he’s really sorr-"

"Do not tell me that he’s sorry, Addison. And don’t call him my husband. That stopped the second he slept with another woman."

Addison exhaled the breath she had been holding. "Have you seen him lately? He looks worse than you which is saying something."

"I don’t care. I genuinely do not give a good god damn."

"But-"

"You sympathize with him because you are a cheater, too. The two of you are on the same plane of wrong. I don’t sympathize. I can’t. We were *married*. We spoke actual vows that I actually honored and he didn’t. As far as I’m concerned George died with our marriage."

Stung by those words, Addison pushed her lunch tray to one side, untouched. "Let me tell you something - people make mistakes. You slept with Mark Sloan and-"

"I wasn’t married. I didn’t have a husband or even a *boyfriend* at the time because I broke up with George before I did it."

"I’m not just a cheater!" Addy finally snapped. "I happen to be-"

"Oh, really? Because the story that I heard is that you weren’t faithful to Derek."

"I slipped, but that doesn’t make me a horrible person!"

Callie nodded. "I know that. You’re a great person, an amazing friend, and kickass doctor, but you’re a shit wife. And George is a shit husband. Don’t defend him to me because it’s not possible." Callie put her ear bud back in and flipped through her Ipod again. "Tell George I hope the roaches are warmer than the dead carp he cheated on me with."

"I’m not your freakin’ telegraph service."

"But you’re his?" Callie could only shake her head. "This topic is officially off limits from this point on, Addy. I like you. I really like you and I love that we’re friends, but one more mention of George in anything other than a ‘let me help you hide the body’ capacity is going to seriously ruin what we have."

"Fine!" Addison snapped. She wanted to relish the anger she felt at Callie, but one look at the dark circles under her friend's eyes prevented it. Reaching out, she took the Ipod from Callie and yanked the earpiece from her. "I have something else to tell you."

Callie frowned a little. "What?"

"Izzie’s hair is green." The redhead smiled devilishly. "Does that help at all?"

"Green? How? Why?"

"She got into a hot tub at the spa and it did her in."

"So I guess she’s not a natural blond."

"She’s dumb enough to be."

"And mean enough."

"She was crying in the bathroom. Someone called her an elf or something."

Callie shook her head. "I wish that’s all I had to cry about."

"You wouldn’t cry if you didn’t still love him."

"Addison-" Callie warned.

"He also asked me to tell you that he misses you and he misses your infamous hotel bubble - whatever that means."

Wordlessly, Callie stood and tossed her water into the trash. Without a backward glance, she stalked away, ignoring Addison when she called her name.

*~*~*~*~*~

Alex heard someone crying in the resident’s lounge and paused outside the door. He was technically not supposed to trespass on sacred resident turf but who was he to comply with hospital policy. Quietly pushing the door open, he found the source of the noise and stepped inside. Callie was sitting on the window seat, her legs pulled up to her chest and her face was resting against her knees. She was crying hard enough to alarm him and he clenched his fists at his sides when he considered what could have brought on the onslaught. He still could not wrap his head around Izzie and George - no - it was nauseating to even contemplate it and he had just eaten.

He shut the door behind him and smiled apologetically when the loud click caused Callie to jump and look his way. "Hey," he said softly. "Are you okay?"

"No," she admitted, her voice trembling. "Addison has suddenly decided that she is George’s biggest fan and his personal mouthpiece and she won’t shut up about it."

"But on the plus side - Izzie has green hair."

"So I heard."

"It almost matches the still greenish bruise on her eye that you gave her." He pulled an apple from his jacket pocket and said, "Want half?"

"No."

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

"You want to put us all out of work?"

He shrugged, still holding it out. "Come on. Eat the apple."

"No, Satan. I have enough knowledge. Too much, actually."

Alex hopped onto the window seat next to her and smiled. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Sleeping? Drinking? Crying? Moping?" Callie watched as he polished the fruit and bit into it. She saw for the first time exactly what it was about him that kept Addison up all night. She watched with wide eyes as he licked a trickle of juice from the ripe, red skin and felt her toes curl in her shoes. No, she thought, don’t go there. Ever. It’s so wrong that wrong fears it. You're lonely and sad and broken and he's - forbidden. Forbidden fruit. That's why he's eating that. Metaphors. Signs. Read the signs, idiot.

As if he hadn’t just molested the apple, Alex continued the conversation. "Because they’re having two for one night at Vinnie’s Italian Bistro and I thought you could tag along."

"What’s the catch?"

"There’s a catch now?" Alex chewed thoughtfully and swallowed. "I’m tired of eating alone. And I’m cheap as hell so if I can drag a friend with me and she can eat for free then who am I to deny her?"

"We’re friends now?"

"Aren’t we?"

"Is there alcohol at Vinnie’s Italian Bistro?"

"We can bring our own."

Callie thought of her very empty, very silent hotel room. The prospect of facing it any sooner than absolutely necessary was too much. "Fine. I’m in, but what’s in it for you?"

"The company?"

"Because we get along so well or something."

"Or something." He gave her a little smirk that caused a dimple to appear in his cheek. "Any more questions, Torres?"

"*Doctor* Torres, Karev," she corrected. "And I don’t have any more questions but I want to make something clear. We are not going to talk about George."

"Or Izzie," he replied.

"Or marriage."

"Or Addison," he said.

"Why not?" Callie asked. "I could tell her how much you want her."

"No," he shook his head. "That ship has sailed."

"And you’re not going down with it?"

"I’m too busy trying to stop you from going down with yours."

Callie shrugged. "I can swim."

"So can I."

"And I don’t want to be saved."

"I didn’t say that I wanted to save you. I said I wanted to stop you. From drowning. Which is what you’re doing."

"If I wanted to drown I’d be dead right now."

"You’re mostly dead."

"Oh my god. Did you actually just quote ‘The Princess Bride’?"

Alex shook his head. "Inconceivable! I’d never watch that!"

"Alex!"

"My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

Callie laughed. She actually laughed from the gut and it shocked her. "You’re so weird."

"It’s a good movie!"

"Chick flick," she replied. "You like a chick flick."

"Well, Mr. Man, what’s your favorite movie?"

Without missing a beat, Callie said, "‘The Goonies’."

Alex lifted an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. Chunk rocks. I see a lot of myself in that kid."

He snorted. "Yeah, right. Hot ortho doc or short, fat boy... parallels ... not so much."

"I’m fat. And that was so me as a kid - trying like hell to fit in. And my mouth gets me into trouble and -" She trailed off, then added. "George called me ‘curvy’. Right after he waxed poetic about how perfect Izzie is. Stacked, blond, supermodel Izzie."

"You *are* curvy, but believe me when I say that they’re in all the right places." He openly eyed her chest, not caring that it was so obvious. "And not for nothing, but Izzie is not all that. She has horrible flaws inside and out."

"Inside maybe. Outside -"

"Green hair," Alex told her.

"Can be bleached."

"Wonky European teeth. And her back gets zits."

"Oh heavens! An actual chink in the beautiful armor?"

"And did I mention the self-absorbed, self-involved cruelty thing she has going for her. You know there’s something wrong with a chick who starts all her sentences with ‘I’ and usually ends them with ‘me’. Plus, she falls in love with the wrong people every time she gets the chance. Denny, George-"

"So she’s in love with him? I knew it."

"What I don’t understand is why." Alex tossed the apple core into the trash and turned back to her. "How could O’Malley -"

"Please don’t question why Miss Wonderful would fall for him. Okay?"

"What I was going to say," he replied, "is how could O’Malley find love, actual love, with you and then toss it away for the bargain basement rebound thing that Izzie used him for. That’s all he is for her. A rebound. He’s a surrogate Denny. A surrogate Denny who doesn’t even want her."

That got Callie’s attention. "He’s not with her?"

"He won’t have anything to do with her. You had all of his things sent to Meredith’s and Izzie unpacked it all into her room and he repacked every last box that same night. He took a lot of it to his parent’s place. He’s staying at that dingy little motel called-"

"We’re not talking about George."

"Fine. We’re not talking about George."

Callie nodded. "Why isn’t he with her though?"

"Why would he trade for a Pinto when he’s had the Rolls Royce?"

"You don’t have to badmouth her for me, Karev. I know that you two had a thing and she’s your friend and-"

"Actually, I do have to badmouth her. She put me through hell for cheating on her with Olivia. She said that it hurt her more than she’s ever been hurt and she judged me, hated me, and made me miserable for a long time because of it. Now she’s a mistress and she’s trying really hard to smell like roses and be the victim, but she can’t."
"You were with Olivia, too? God, you and George like to run in the same sex circles, huh?"

"Maybe." Alex openly appraised her again. "But unlike George - I know a good thing when I see it."

"Are you attempting to flirt with me?"

"Why? Is it working?"

Her pager beeped loudly and she almost jumped out of her skin. She checked the number and made a face. "Emergency room. I guess we should go."

"As you wish."

She chuckled as she hopped down. "Are you on pit?"

"The pit of despair."

"Stop with ‘The Princess Bride’ quotes! Let’s go!"

"Hey, you rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles."

"How many times have you seen that movie?!"

"Enough to know the sword fight step by step."

"Never, ever show me."

"But you should see my sword..."

"I didn’t hear that."

Alex followed after her.

She wasn’t crying anymore.

He really was a miracle worker.
Ch 3
The chapel at Seattle Grace was small and nondescript. Six pews sat on either side of a small aisle and the floor was covered in burgundy carpet. An altar with several lit candles stood at the front of the room and every pew had several boxes of tissue handy. Alex had hidden in the small room to avoid the latest couple claiming to be Ava’s parents. There was just no way the loud, obnoxious and rude people could have parented Ava. He was deep in thought, contemplating DNA tests and anything that could be done to jog Ava’s memory when Callie rushed into the room and promptly collapsed a few feet away from him.

He grabbed tissue first, but discovered the box was empty and tossed it aside. Wasting no time, he grabbed another and then kneeled beside her, instinctively wrapping his arms around her. She smelled good, like honeysuckle and roses. Or maybe cherry blossoms. He wasn’t sure, but it was soft and sweet. When she stiffened, he spoke quietly, reassuring her that it would be okay. She mumbled something about her ring and giving it back to George and when he saw that her left hand was bare, he understood what had happened.

Her tears eventually subsided and he helped her to her feet, sitting next to her on the front pew. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I don’t think so." She dabbed at her face and sniffled. "Being kidnapped isn’t very fun."

"Kidnapped?"

"George followed me into the elevator, hit the stop button, and wouldn’t let me start it again. He kept saying-"

"He stopped you from leaving when you wanted to?"

"Well, yeah. He wouldn’t let me go."

"I’ll kick his ass for that."
"Alex-"

"No. This is a *hospital*. He can’t be stranding the elevators or holding you hostage or -"

"You sound like Bailey."

"That’s a good idea. I’ll tell Bailey and *she* can kick his ass. God, she would kill him."

Callie nodded. "I gave him back the ring."

"Good. You deserved better than that anyway."

She shook her head. "I really loved it because it came from his heart. You know? He went out on his own and got it the first night we were in Vegas. I was fine using a ring that I already had, but he insisted. He was so proud."

Alex heard her voice choking up again and put an arm around her. "He’s not worth crying over."

"I honestly wanted to be married to him, Alex. I did. I really loved him and now I can’t believe how much I hate him. I genuinely, really, and truly loathe him."

"There’s a thin line between love and hate." He squeezed her hand, but didn’t let it go. "The best thing you can do is ignore him."

"I have been." Callie sighed and rubbed her stomach as it gurgled loudly.

"You’re hungry."

"I’m thirsty. The whole rule about not drinking while we practice medicine is wrong, so wrong. We do have the most stressful job on the planet."

"No, we don’t. Crab fisherman do."

Callie gasped and looked up at him. "You watch ‘Deadliest Catch’?"

"Duh! Half the fisherman live here in Seattle, Cal. Haven’t you seen Sig Hanson at Joe’s?"

"Shut up!" Her eyes widened, but Alex simply nodded at her. "You’re serious?"

"I don’t lie about crab fishing because crab, while I can’t really afford it, is my favorite food." He grinned at her. "Let me buy you a sandwich."

"Thank you, but I can’t."

"Why not."

"I’m avoiding the cafeteria. He takes his lunch break around this time and -"

"And let’s give him something to talk about." He stood and held out his hand. "You in?"

"In what?"

"Turnabout is fair play, wouldn’t you say?" He cocked his head a little. "I can’t think of anything that would bother George more than me hanging out with you. And it will piss Izzie off, too, since I’m one of the planets that she thinks is supposed to revolve around her. So, two birds with one stone, right?"

"You’re insane."

"I love to get under people’s skin. It makes my day so much happier."

"Well, God forbid I should stop you from finding a happy place."

When she stood, he took her hand in his and grinned at her. "Ready for our shocking debut?"

"Debut of what?"

"Who knows? Let’s keep them guessing."

*~*~*~*~*~

Izzie was sitting next to Meredith, self consciously poking strands of green hair under her scrub cap. Cristina slid into the seat across from her and gave her a look that was both mocking and full of glee. Izzie glared at her and said, "What? I have an appointment in two days to get it done!"

"Two full days?" Cristina snorted a little. "Miss Clairol, Izzie. Every drug store has it."

"I need a professional," Izzie replied, then brightened a little. "Oooh, there’s George." She leaned back and frantically waved at him.


Meredith and Cristina exchanged looks when George turned away and sat on the other side of the cafeteria. "Maybe he didn’t see you." Meredith told Izzie, trying to sound sincere.

"Are you kidding? He looked right at her." Cristina took a bite of her sandwich. "You made it weird, Izzie. The drunken sex? That’s even worse than George’s singing and I really doubted that he would show his face after that."

"Shut up," Izzie snapped and dug into her chocolate cake. She devoured it in about four bites and then asked Meredith for hers. She was enjoying it thoroughly when someone laughed, loudly, behind her.

Alex was sitting next to Callie, leaning unbelievably close to her, and whatever he was saying to her was apparently amusing her to no end. The three female interns watched with interest as she playfully punched him on the shoulder and he caught her hand, then whispered something in her ear. Cristina was the first to notice George, who had stood up. She tapped Meredith on the arm and pointed at him.

"Oh crap." Meredith bit her bottom lip.

"Bambi is about to get his ass kicked." Cristina pushed her plate away and fished a twenty dollar bill from her pocket. "My money is on Callie."

Izzie slowly got to her feet and took a step forward, only to be yanked backwards by Meredith. "But-"

"But nothing." Mer held her arm firmly. "I’m the one who had to x-ray your face to see if any bones were broken the last time you got near Callie and remember, I am tiny and she can hurt me, so I’m not jumping in between you two."

"Me either. I think you deserve it." Cristina took a bite of her own cake and stood so she could have a better view. "It’s like watching a little virgin about to be sacrificed."

*****

"Callie?"

Callie was still chuckling at the way Alex had changed the words to ‘You Belong To Me’ to ‘You’re A Dog With Fleas’ when George stepped up beside them. She felt Alex put a reassuring hand on her thigh and took a deep breath, keeping the smile on her face. "Dr. O’Malley, I would prefer it if you addressed me as Dr. Torres at work."

George could see exactly where Alex’s hand was and he felt his own hands fist at his sides. "What are you doing?"

Callie glanced around, then down at the untouched fruit tray in front of her. "Well, we’re in a cafeteria. I’m on a break. There’s food in front of me. I’d say I’m having lunch."

"What are you doing with *him*?"

Alex plucked a grape off Callie’s plate and tossed it into his mouth, the smirk never leaving his face. "I’m having lunch, too."

George narrowed his eyes at Karev. "You’re not going to get under my skin."

"Is that why you look like your about to have a stroke?" Alex pointed as his own face and said, "You’re all red, dude."

Ignoring him, George spoke to Callie. "Can you please come and talk to me?"

"No."

"Callie, please? I - I feel like I’m dying."

"Not yet." Alex plucked another grape and nudged her with his leg. "It just so happens that your friend here is only mostly dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead."

Callie, who had taken a sip of her soda, almost blew it from her nose as she started to laugh. She laughed hard, she laughed in a way that a few days ago she had considered an impossibility. "Stop with the Princess Bride quotes!" she wiped at her mouth, still grinning. "You mock his pain."

"Life is pain, highness. Anyone who says differently is obviously selling something." Alex chewed the grape thoughtfully as he looked up at George. "Besides, he caused his problems himself. You made your bed, Georgie, so you can sleep in it."

"Could you shut up?" George glared at him, then put his hand on Callie’s shoulder and tried to turn her to face him. "You will-

Alex caught his hand at once and stood, twisting the shorter man’s arm behind his back. "Don’t touch her and while I have your full attention let me make one thing very clear to you ... the next time you lock her in an elevator or a room or a closet or within five feet of yourself ... you’re going to need the ICU for about six months."

Callie got her feet just as George swung his right fist at Alex’s face. It clipped her in the nose and she half stumbled into Alex, whose face was now even redder than George’s had been. He grabbed her, tilted her chin, saw the blood and, still clutching George’s left hand, slammed him face first onto the table. Callie intervened before Alex could do it a second time and pulled him away. She felt her own blood dripping from her nose, over her lips, and cupped her face.

George, who finally realized who he had punched, reached for her. "Oh my god. Callie, I didn’t mean-"

Alex stepped around Callie and shoved him hard, causing George to land on his backside. "Stay the FUCK away from her!"

George scrambled back to his feet and glared at Alex. "You slept with her! You slept with my wife! My WIFE!"

"George!" Callie, who had been wrestling the napkin holder with shaking hands finally gave up and threw it on the ground in front of her. "I am not your wife! I stopped being your wife when you cheated on me with that - that good for nothing, white trash, trailer park dwelling, Anna Nicole Smith wannabe! You can have her! You deserve each other!"

"I married you!" George plucked up several of the napkins that had fallen out of the holder and held them out to her. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you."

"Oh?" Callie slapped his hand away and then drew back and putting her weight into it, hit him with a right hook that spectators would claim for weeks actually lifted him off his feet. "I just meant it enough for both of us."

And with that, she turned on her heel and left the cafeteria with her head held high.

Thirty minutes later she was sitting in one of the smaller trauma rooms with an ice pack on her hand while she waited for the X-rays to come back. She knew that nothing was broken in either her nose or her hand, but Alex had insisted and because he gave her a choice of letting him check her out or strangling George with IV tubing, she agreed to the tests. The nurse finally arrived with the films and she watched as Alex tacked them to the lightboard and studied every inch of them.

"Nothing’s broken," he finally announced and shut the light off.

"Told you."

"Where did you learn to fight like that anyway?"

"I grew up in Miami and I already told you that I was the designated whipping post at school. My older brothers taught me how to fight before I was potty trained."

Alex lifted the ice pack off her hand and held it in his own, massaging it, warming it. "Remind me not to piss you off."

"You haven’t so far."

He lifted one brow. "That’s not entirely true. You were pissed last night when you found out where I lived."

"I was more shocked than pissed," she replied. "What were you doing in the chapel earlier?"

"Hiding."

"Hiding?"

He explained about the people who claimed to Ava’s parents while he slowly wrapped her hand in an ace bandage. After he secured it, he said, "Have you met her?"

"Not really. I consulted with Sloan about the bones in her face, but didn’t work the case." She studied him. "Why?"

"I think you’d like her."

"Do you like her, Alex?"

"I like her."

"Do you *like* her, Alex?"

"You know," he said, sitting next to her on the stretcher. "It’s weird. When I pulled that pylon off her face and looked down at her I saw my mother."

"Your mother?"

"I know it sounds insane because Ava is clearly younger than me, but the first real memory I have of my mother is me pulling a chair off her. My father had beaten her into unconsciousness. I couldn’t have been more than six or seven. Maybe younger. It was Christmas Eve and my dad was pissed because she didn’t have enough money for beer after she bought a turkey and stuff for a real dinner the next day.

"She had put me to bed early, telling me that Santa would come, but since he never did and my father liked to tell me I was a fucking bastard every chance he had, I wasn’t holding out much hope for Santa. But I went to bed anyway and her screams woke me up."

Saying nothing, Callie put her bandaged hand on top of his. He laced their fingers gently to avoid hurting her as he continued. "That whole night I kept talking to her and she wouldn’t wake up so I did the only thing I could think of. I put cookies beside the fireplace and a glass of milk, the way the kids at school said they were going to do, and I kneeled down and prayed that Santa would bring my mother back. Then I got a blanket from my bed and slept next to her on the kitchen floor."

Alex smiled a little. "Santa came that year. My mom woke me up that morning and she had tried to cover the bruises and the blood had been cleaned up and when I saw the used bicycle in front of the tree I knew that Dad’s beer money had bought that for me and the beating she took was so that I could have a present."

"I’m sorry," Callie whispered.

"I’ve never told anyone that story." He sounded shocked and glanced at her. "Ever."

"Then thank you for sharing it." She smiled a little. "And for not letting it break you."

"We are not our past, Callie. We’re our present and I’m okay." He glanced over at her. "Are you? Your nose could light up the sky, Rudolph."

"He was aiming at you."

"Don’t do that. Don’t make excuses for him."

"I’m not."

"You are." Alex glanced up at the big clock on the wall. "Our shifts are up. Want to get out of here?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"Want to go see a movie?"

"Sure." Callie grinned at him. "Can I pick?"

"As you wish."

"Johnny Depp’s new one is out."

"I take it back."

"Now now, don’t go back on your word."

"Dammit." He made a face as he hopped off the bed and helped her down. "I pick the next one."

*~*~*~*~*~

Addison called Callie’s cell number again and frowned. She had left no less than six messages and had called at least six more only to hang up when it clicked over to voice mail. Her little black dress was clinging to her body in all the right ways and she had splurged on the Prada pumps that she had been eyeballing for weeks. She pushed her freshly washed hair over her shoulder and picked up the hotel phone, asking to be connected to Callie’s room. When there was no answer, she hung up and grabbed her purse.

In the parking garage, she noted that Callie’s car was not in the usual spot and got into her own. Her hunger had reached critical mass so she quickly left the hotel in search of food. She wasn’t exactly dressed for Joe’s but the man could make a great club sandwich and with any luck, she would find Callie there. She pulled into a spot near the entrance and ignored the catcalls that a group of men sent her way as soon as her long leg emerged from her convertible.

Once inside, she scanned the bar for her friend and took a seat at the bar. Joe appeared at once and set a glass in front of her. "Hey, Ads! How’s it going?"

"Good, you?"

"Busy night."

"I see that." Addison scanned the crowd again. "Have you seen Callie? We were supposed to be meeting for dinner."

"I haven’t seen her, but after everything I’ve heard today I’m not shocked."

"What do you mean?"

Joe leaned forward, bracing himself on his elbows. "Everyone’s talking about it. Apparently George accused Alex of sleeping with Callie in the cafeteria because those two were all over each other and then Alex and George started to fight, George accidentally hit Callie, and Callie punched him so hard that the latest estimate is that he went two feet into the air, but Yang says it was more like four feet."

"What?" Addison was scandalized. "He hit her?"

"Everyone says that he didn’t mean to do it, but she had a bloody nose and Alex played the dashing prince and fought for her honor." Joe glanced toward the small group of interns at the table in the corner. "Izzie said that Alex and Callie were having foreplay right in the middle of the food court and that the only thing stopping it from being sex was the fact that they had their scrub pants on."

Addison blinked several times. "Callie and Alex? *Karev*?"

"I know, right?" Joe shook his head and stood up a little more. "Karev gets around! It was what? A few weeks ago that I saw the two of you kissing in this very spot."

"They were kissing?" She could feel anger bubbling from somewhere deep inside. "Are you sure?"

"Well, I don’t know how many other ways you can have foreplay in public that wouldn’t get you banned from the hospital." He shrugged. "What can I get you, kiddo? You want food or spirits?"

"Uh, neither." Addison shook her head and got to her feet. "I - I gotta go."

When she grabbed her purse and turned, George was standing behind her. His eyes were bloodshot and glassy and his lip was so swollen it looked like he had an entire package of chewing tobacco tucked behind it. His jaw was mottled with bruises and he stared at her, his eyes accusing. "Did you know?" he finally asked, and his voice was hoarse from the apparent tears that he had shed. "Did you know about her and Alex?"

"No." Addison shook her head. "Joe just told me."

"He’s sleeping with her."

"Did they tell you that?"

"They didn’t deny it." George ran a hand through his hair, making it stand on end and it completed the look of a man who was completely broken. "I - I just - my dad was right, you know? He said that she was the one for me, that she got me, and that I would be crazy to let her get away and I didn’t see it. I didn’t see it, Dr. Montgomery. I didn’t see it until she was gone."

"You're drunk," Addison said, digging through her purse for a tissue. "You didn’t drive here did you?"

"I’m living in my car now. Can't afford a decent place and the roaches finally got to me." George blew his nose. "I can’t go back to Meredith’s and my mother would choke me to death with her bare hands if I showed up on her doorstep and had to tell her what happened between me and Callie."

"When was the last time that you ate?"

"I dunno." George looked heavenward, his eyes tearing again. "She won’t even talk to me. I - I made a mistake that I don’t even completely remember so I don’t think I even liked it."

Addison met Joe’s gaze and the bartender shrugged. "Come on, studmuffin." Addison put an arm around his shoulder and led him toward the door. "You can sleep on the sofa at my place and we’ll order enough room service to soak up all that liquor."

"I’m never eating again."

"I know." Addison patted him on the back as she led him to her car, where she buckled him in and tried not to notice that he was in the exact same shape she had been the night Derek had left her.

*~*~*~*~*~

"Admit it." Callie took a sip of her frozen drink as the credits rolled and the lights came up. "You liked it."

"Not in a million years."

"Liar." She grinned a little as he tilted the bag of popcorn back and finished it off. "Do you have someplace that you need to be?"

"Nope."

"I’m hungry."

His eyes widened. "It’s about damn time."

"Johnny Depp. ‘Nuff said."

"Bull shit. It was the smell of this buttery popcorn that you refused to even try."

"I know a great place and they’re open late."

"Lead the way."

Thirty minutes later they were being seated outdoors at a swanky seafood place that overlooked Elliot Bay. The lighting was dim and there were two small tea candle lanterns on either side of the scrubbed wooden table. Callie ordered a glass of wine and urged Alex to do the same, telling him that it complemented the king crab legs perfectly. He figured that he could put his credit card to good use and agreed, scanning the food prices on the menu.

The manager brought the wine himself and addressed Callie by name, asking for her order. She introduced Alex and said, "Crab. Lots and lots of crab, Nate."

Bowing slightly, the manager hurried toward the kitchen and Callie beamed at Alex. "It’s your favorite food on the planet."

"It’s also the most expensive on the planet which is why I only eat it once a year."

"Then consider yourself lucky because George hated seafood of any kind and I’m rich enough to buy this restaurant, this street and probably half of Seattle."

"Huh?"

"Oh, you didn’t hear? I thought everyone knew."

"You’re rich?"

"Very."

He finally said, "Uh, how rich exactly?"

"Do you like the wine?"

"It’s actually the best I’ve ever had."

Callie lifted her hand and a waiter appeared. "We’d like the bottle, please."

She waited until the waiter was out of earshot and said, "You trusted me this afternoon and told me about your mom so I’m gonna return the favor. No one knows this either. I mean, George knows that I have money, but he has no idea how much. My family is old money. My mother is Greek and her family is one of the wealthiest in Greece. My dad is technically Cuban, but he was born here in the states. His parents had inherited millions years ago and my dad, being as business savvy as he is, put a ton of stock in the computer craze and his money quadrupled in a matter of years. Now he dabbles in real estate and oil and he has resorts and villas all over the world that turn over billions of dollars every year."

"Billions?"

"Billions." Callie leaned back in her seat as the bottle of champagne was brought to the table in a beautiful wine chiller. She plucked it out, looked at the date, and said, "That’s why paying four thousand dollars for a bottle of wine or twenty five hundred a week to stay at the Archfield really doesn’t matter to me."

Alex choked on his wine, his eyes round. "Four thous- Callie! Four thousand dollar for a bottle of *wine*?"

"It’s good. You said so yourself."

"Oh my god."

Callie bit her bottom lip as she watched him stare out over the bay. "Are you freakin’ out?"

"Why? Do most people freak out?"

"Yes. My bank account has cost me every relationship I’ve ever had and was the catalyst that drove George into Izzie’s bed. Well, that and the fact that she’s his ideal woman. His Venus. His dirty whore. God, I hate them both."

"Now who’s freakin’ out?"

"I’m not freakin’ out."

"You look like you’re freakin’ out. If you hold that glass any tighter you’ll shatter it." Alex reached across the table and took it from her. "Any more secrets?"

"Only that I’m dying."

"Come again?"

"I’m dying."

"You want to explain that one a little better?"

"When my family finds out that I’m going to be divorced they’re going to kill me. My mother claims that she already wrote me out of her will for eloping and so this? I’m signing my own death warrant by signing the divorce papers."

"How about an annulment?"

"Same difference really. My family is very religious and very old fashioned. My mother especially."

"Tell her that Jesus would not want you to stay with a cheater."

"Oh god no." Callie shook her head, her eyes wide. "If my dad or my brothers caught wind of what George did to me ... that would be signing his death warrant. I’m the baby of the family and the only girl so that makes me special."

"That’s not what makes you special."

Their food arrived and Callie reached for a piece of bread, which she savored for a while. She watched as Alex cracked into the crab legs and instead of putting them on his plate, he filled hers first, digging out the meat for her. No one had ever done that for her and she smiled as she finished off her wine and refilled her glass, then his. Their conversation was light while they ate. They joked, mostly about their weirdest patients, and finally Callie leaned back and rubbed her stomach. "God, I’m full."

"You barely ate!" He pointed at her plate, at the mound of food still there.

"You gave me ten freakin’ pounds." She scraped what remained into his plate, which was empty.

Not missing a beat, he dug in. "God, this is good. Not for nothing, you’re a damn good dinner date."

She nodded and then her mouth dropped open. "Holy hell!"

"What?"


Digging through her purse, she turned her cell phone on. It immediately beeped and she saw that Addison had called. Several times. "I was supposed to have dinner with Addison tonight."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. We were supposed to get all dressed up and look pretty and -"

"Well, you got most of it right without her. You look very pretty."

"Now I know you’re flirting with me."

"What would you say if I was? Really?"

She took a deep breath. "I’d tell you that you probably shouldn’t because I’m a little tipsy from the wine and you’re looking better and better to me and it wouldn’t be fair to either one of us to pursue something right now."

"Why not?"

"Because I like you. I genuinely like you and I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next few weeks with George or my family or at work once Webber gets wind of what happened today so-"

"I’m a big boy. I can take it."

"It wouldn’t be fair to you, Alex. Don’t you get it?"

"You’re not ready."

"I’m not ready."

"But if you were -"

"We would have already been back at my room and halfway there," she stated bluntly.

"You’re wrong."

"Am I?"

"You wouldn’t be halfway there. You would have been there several times and we’d just be getting started good."

She swallowed hard and licked her lips, glancing down at her hands. Her ring had left an indentation in her finger that refused to go away. Closing her eyes, she remembered the way George’s hands shook as he slipped the simple, silver band over her finger. He had never taken his eyes off her and she believed him when he spoke his vows in a strong, succinct voice. Her eyes found Alex’s again and she shook her head. "I’m sorry."

"It’s okay." He leaned forward and used his thumb to wipe away a small amount of butter from her cheek. "You can’t blame a guy for trying, though."

"You’re good at trying."

"I’m even better at waiting. And I will wait."

*~*~*~*~*~

Alex dropped her off at the hotel and slowly meandered the residential streets until he pulled into Meredith’s driveway. The moon was full and seemed to hang directly over him, bright and shiny. Making a mental note to joke with Callie the next morning about werewolves, he grabbed his duffel bag, which contained his soiled scrubs, and headed into the house, whistling. Meredith was sitting on the bottom of the stairs, a cup of hot cocoa in her hands.

"Hey," he said, shutting the door behind him. "You’re up late."

"Cristina is sleeping in my bed again. She flails."

Alex glanced into the living room, but Derek wasn’t on the sofa. "And Shepherd?"

"We’re in an off phase. He met a woman."

"There’s a lot of that going around." Alex dropped the duffel at his feet and sat down next to her.

"What are you doing with Callie?"

"Trying to keep her mind off O’Malley."

"Don’t you think you should stay out of it?"

"Not really. She’s my friend."

"Since when?"

"You know - I’ve listened to all of you at one time or another bitch about her. Izzie’s the fucking worst, but all of you have said things. George made a mistake. He rushed into something with her. She’s not good enough for him. She’s a bitch, she’s a whore. And you know what?"

"We were wrong?"

"Exactly. And she genuinely loved him. And she’s genuinely hurt in the most horrible way possible. I saw what I did to Izzie when I slept with Olivia and we weren’t even technically together at the time. Callie’s hurting and she doesn’t have anyone on her side."

"It’s not that we’re not on her side, Alex, but George - George is one of us. We’re the interns!"

"Is that really something to be proud of though? One of us? Look at the mistakes we’ve made. And when you really think about it, it shouldn’t be us against them, because we’re going to be one of them one day very soon."

"That’s true." Meredith sipped her cocoa and sighed. "But a little bit of friendly advice? If you’re sleeping with her you should stop. If you haven’t, you shouldn’t. Sex complicates everything and solves nothing."

"I’m not sleeping with her. I wanted to, but I didn’t. She wouldn’t."

"Really? I just figured that since she was with McManWhore-"

"See, you’re wrong about her again."

"That’s not all we were wrong about," Izzie said, walking down the stairs behind them. She sat behind Meredith and wrapped her arms around her bare legs. "George does love her. He loves her and not me." She glanced up at the ceiling and her eyes brimmed with tears. "God, it sounded different out loud than it did in my head."

"Most things do," Meredith offered, then handed Izzie her cup. She watched as the blond took several sips, handed it back to her, and dried her eyes. "Things will work out. They usually do."

"Since when are you Polly Sunshine?" Cristina joined them, her hair sticking out like curly horns and her eyes puffy from sleep. She grabbed the mug of chocolate and drained it, then crossed her arms. "It’s either too late at night or too early in the morning to be having a bonding moment."

"Why are you awake then?" Alex asked.

"Because Bethany Whisper over here has been playing the same sad shit for the past forty minutes and crying off key. Which apparently means that Bambi isn’t in her bed for a change."

"It was *one* time!" Izzie shouted. "Once! And it was a big deal to me because it was right after ... right after Denny died and it felt right."

"Everything feels right when you’ve had enough bourbon." Cristina rubbed her eyes. "I once sutured my own leg at a frat party and didn’t even realize it for two days."

"How did you cut it open?" Alex asked.

"I didn’t." Cristina glared at him. "I was practicing my technique. And in case you failed to notice I do have the best suturing technique in our year. Yours usually look like loose shoe strings."

"How long is she going to be living here?" Alex asked, glaring at Meredith.

"Until Burke stops being an ass."

"Burke is always an ass."

"Then I guess she’s here to stay."

"I really gotta find a place," Alex said. He stood and picked up his bag.

"Alex?" Izzie asked softly.

"Yeah?"

"Is she okay? I mean, Callie?"

"How do you think she is?"

"Not good," Izzie replied.

"Would you sleep better if I told you that she cried her heart out and wants to die?"

"No!"

"Fine, I’ll tell you the truth. She’s strong and she’s okay. This isn’t beating her and she’s not going to hide under the bed or let either one of you get to her because she’s better than that." His eyes met Izzie’s and he added. "She’s better than you and it’s no wonder George would rather have her. Wouldn’t we all?"

Izzie jumped to her feet and rushed back up the stairs, her sobs hanging in the air. Cristina sighed and said, "I’m sleeping on the sofa."

*~*~*~*~*~
CH 4
*~*~*~*~*~

Callie made a quick pit stop by the vending machine in the lobby of the hotel. She didn’t have much experience with female friends but one language was universal in female and that language was chocolate. With her arms laden and her belly full for the first time in days, she rode the elevator to Addison’s room with a smile on her face. She had to knock on the door with her foot and after a few minutes, the redhead opened it and peered out.

"Hey." Callie nodded at the wine glass in her hand. "Whatcha drinking?"

"Rum."

"Is the rum gone?"

"What are you doing?"

"Sorta quoting ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean', which you loved as much as me."

"Oh." Addison watched her closely, trying to gauge whether or not Callie felt remotely guilty for what she had done. "So, what *are* you doing?"

"Nothing says I’m sorry like carbs and I’m really sorry that I missed dinner." Callie moved her arms a little and almost dropped a package of donuts. "Ack! Can I come in?"

"Sure. Why the hell not? I should just leave the door open all the time."

Callie glanced at her, noting the way she slurred her words, before moving past her and dropping the assortment of goodies on the table nearest the door. Taking off her jacket, she turned and smiled at her friend, opening her mouth to speak. That smile slowly faded when she saw that Addison was not alone. George was curled up on the sofa, a blanket pulled around him like a second skin, his knees drawn upward. His snore broke the silence and pulled Callie from her shock. "What the fuck, Addison?"

Addison drained her glass, shut the door behind her and crossed her arms. "Well, I can only imagine, seeing as how I wasn’t there to witness it myself, that him seeing you and Alex Karev making out in front of the entire hospital hurt his feelings. I imagine his feelings aren’t nearly as hurt as his face, though. Nice job being mature and grown up, Callie."

"Wait!" Callie held a hand up. "Wait. WHAT!?"

"This is your *husband*, Callie. Your *husband* and he made a horrible mistake. What you did today, though? That was on purpose. You intentionally broke him."

"I didn’t do anything!"

"You didn’t hit him?"

"He hit me first!"

"Did he mean to?" Addison took a step forward. "Did he mean to hit you? Or was he aiming at someone else?"

"Someone else."

"Who?"

"He was aiming at Alex," Callie replied.

The redhead’s eyes widened and she put a hand on her chest. "Really? And why is that?"

"Why is what?" Callie questioned.

"Why were you with Alex?"

"Gee, I don’t know, Addison. Could it possibly be because we had lunch together?"

"Is that what it was? I heard that you were practically having sex with him on the cafeteria table!"

"Who told you that!?"

"Joe. He heard it from Izzie."

"OH! OH! Of course he did!" Callie shouted, throwing her hands in the air. "Of course it has to be the truth! Because Izzie fucking Stevens is apparently a walking prayer book. We already had a Virgin Mary. She can be the Virgin Whore."

"What are you doing with Alex? Trying to make George jealous? Look at him! He’s living in his car, he’s been drinking himself into a stupor every night, and he loves you! I know that he loves because-"

"Because you have been in his shoes! I know!"

"I was going to say that we’ve had a lot of conversations while you were gone and I’m really getting tired of you throwing my past in my face." Addison’s hands were shaking so she shoved them into the pockets of her robe. "Were you with Alex tonight?"

"Yes, mommy. After being punched in the face, humiliated beyond belief, and finally finishing my shift I went to see a movie with him and then we had dinner. And the night before that we had Italian food."

"That’s where you were!? I - I knew it! I told you that Alex had apparently met someone and you just stood there acting like you had no clue!"

"You told me that you and Mark, remember him, the guy you broke *your* marriage apart for, were getting back together because he loved you!"

"So then you *are* with Alex!"

"No, I am not!"

Addison shook her head, her eyes narrow. "I know that you don’t have many female friends and I really don’t have to wonder why now, but let me school you a little just in case some other unsuspecting girl comes along and *tries* to like you. When you know that your friend, that would be me, has been fantasizing about someone, in this case that would be Alex, and they confide that in you ... YOU DO NOT FUCKING DATE THEM, BITCH!"

Callie’s jaw dropped in anger. And shock. It took all of her resolve to keep from lashing out. She took a deep breath and turned, clutching the back of the chair so tightly that her fingers hurt. She gathered her jacket in her fists and exhaled slowly before facing Addison again. Her tears were hot on her cheeks when she said, "You’re drunk. And because of that I’m going to go and I’m going to pretend that you didn’t just say that to me."

"Truth hurt?"

"Stop."

"Get the hell out of my room." Addison glared at her, then opened the door for and with a tilt of her head, made it very clear that Callie was being dismissed.

Callie walked to the door, and since she was as tall as Addison, looked her right in the eye. "I’m sorry to bring your past up again, because you’re clearly in denial about it, but if we’re going to talk about schooling someone then let me tell you one thing. I was Team Addison. I protected you from the raunchy prom sex that I walked into." She saw the shock on Addison’s face. "Oh yeah. I didn’t say a word because I didn’t want to see you hurt and I didn’t even know you at the time. I have never judged you and I have never questioned your decisions, but now? Now I’m walking around in Derek’s shoes and I know exactly what it felt like for him when he came home and saw you and Mark together in his bed. Now some people may say that you were hanging around Seattle and were about to pick things up with Mark again because you know how much that would hurt Derek, but-"

"That’s a -"

"That’s a lie? Wow. That sounds like the exact same lie that Izzie told about me and Alex. He’s my friend, Addison. And it’s really nice to know that I have one left." She looked back at the sofa, where George rolled onto his side and snored again. "Have fun with your little brother. Apparently you trained him well."

"Callie-"

With her jacket over her arm, Callie stalked toward the elevator and didn’t look back.

*~*~*~*~*~

At noon the next day, Callie was reclining in a lounge chair beside the pool. Her sunglasses, fashionably overlarge and far too expensive, hid the puffiness in her eyes. Untouched magazines were on the ground next to her chair and her Gameboy, well charged from lack of use, lay against her thigh. She watched with mild interest as a couple of women walked past and flopped into vacant seats a few feet away. Two weeks ago, Callie and Addison had been in that same spot doing exactly what they were doing: gossiping, laughing, and enjoying a day off.

Callie picked up her Ipod and stuck the bud in her ear. After ten minutes of changing every song choice, she gave up and made a mental note to replace every stupid love song with angry girl music. She adjusted the strap of her red bathing suit and attempted to get comfortable. She was close to dozing when a shadow fell across her.

"What? You can’t nap in your room?" Mark Sloan took the empty lounger to her left and flopped out on his stomach. "Want to put sunscreen on my back?"

"And decrease your chances of catching skin cancer? Never!"

He held the tube up and said, "I already did my front. Come on, please?"

"No."

"Why not. Afraid that the memories will be too much for you?"

"Shut up."

Resigned to the fact that she was not going to help him out, Mark made a big show of rolling over and putting his arms behind his head. The Speedo he wore would have been ridiculous on anyone else, but the way he wore it was anything but. "So, what are you doing?"

"The same thing you are."

"I’m looking at your boobs. Are you looking at your own boobs, freak? Is that why the glasses are so big?"

"There are about thirty empty spaces out here, Sloan. Why don’t you move? I’m trying to enjoy my day off."

"Hell. So am I."

"Hush."

Callie enjoyed the silence and attempted to relax again, but her cellphone vibrated for the millionth time and she picked it up, gazed at the number, and laid in back on her lap where it continued to vibrate.

"You can’t really expect me not to mention the fact that you are purposely letting your phone vibrate *there*." Mark rolled onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow. "Is that your husband?"

"I don’t have a husband."

"You didn’t have a boyfriend either. Funny thing, that. Because I would swear that you eloped with your *boyfriend* not long after we hooked up."

"Am I gonna have to call security?"

"No." Mark grinned at her. "I saw your non husband pounding on your door earlier. I think he’s still sitting up there."

"Great." Callie pulled her glasses off and pinched the bridge of her nose, which was aching more today than she would have liked. Several Tylenol had not stopped it and neither had the three White Russians she had enjoyed for lunch.

Mark saw how red and swollen her eyes were and said, "Wanna talk about it?"

"Negative."

"For what it’s worth ... Addison looks worse."

She put her glasses back on and stared at him. "What does she have to do with anything?"

"Well, she drunk dialed me at midnight, crying her eyeballs out because you two had a fight. I had to go round up Kleenex, with aloe of course, and hold her hair while she puked all night. And the Prince Charming who isn’t your husband slept through it like a baby."

Callie sighed. "I need a vacation from my life. And I need to get out of this hotel."

"Addison’s finally asleep, by the way."

"Good for her."

"You get that she was drunk, right? Anything she said-"

"Wow. That excuse has become so popular. Sleep with your best friend? It’s supposed to be okay because they were drunk. Call your best friend a bitch and I’m supposed to just overlook it because someone can’t hold their rum."

"She loves you. You’re the best friend she’s ever had and -"

"Did she send you down here?"

"She suggested that maybe I could run interference. She wanted me to remind you that she’s got a temper to match her hair," he said. "What did you guys fight about anyway?"

"Not really your business."

"She wouldn’t tell me either."

"Then stop nosing around." Her phone vibrated again and she checked the number.

"Why don’t you just talk to him?"

"Mark-"

"Look, I really don’t want to catch Frodo on Addison’s sofa again. I have a plan where she’s concerned and while I’m sure your little man could stand to learn a thing or two I’d rather not have an audience. So take one for the team and suck it up!"

"Jackass."

Callie stood, grabbed her sarong and shoved her feet into her flip flops. Saying nothing, she gathered her belongings and stormed past him. It wasn’t until she saw George sitting outside her hotel room that she remembered that Mark had given her fair warning. She tried to turn, but he saw her and jumped to his feet. "Callie! Wait!"

Mumbling every swear word she had ever heard and a few that made no sense, she turned and purposely held her head up as she walked past him and unlocked the door. The room was a mess and the suitcase that she had taken with her to North Carolina was upended and the contents were scattered around the floor. She had done that the previous night and made no apologies for the carnage as George followed her into the room and softly closed the door behind him.

She went to the closet and grabbed a pair of jeans, which she slipped over her swimsuit and hastily buttoned. Next, she yanked a white button down shirt from the hanger and tied it at her waist. When she finally turned to face George, he was leaning with his back against the door, watching her. "Are you planning on blocking me again?"

"No."

Callie was glad that she still wore her sunglasses because seeing George in this state, no matter how much he deserved it, got to her. It reminded her, as he drew the back of his hand across his eyes, of his father’s funeral. As they had made their way, hand in hand, to the open casket for the first time he had leaned close to her and whispered, ‘Stay close to me.’

And she had.

Anger quickly erased the memory and she turned to the window, refusing to look at him. "Addison said that she made sure you got all your things from the room."

George sniffled a little. "No, I left something."

"Then get it and go, George."

"All right." Suddenly he was behind her and his arms were around her waist. "I’ve got it, but I don’t want to go."

She bit her bottom lip when his chin rested against her shoulder and his cheek pressed against hers. She stiffened and he moved one of his hands so that it was resting over her heart. "I love you," he said and it was the cracking of his voice that stilled her, that prevented her from pushing him away. "Callie, I really, really love you and I’m sorry. I know that doesn’t mean much, but you have to believe me. I mean, you see that I’m here. You see that I haven’t been within five feet of her since-"

"Stop." Callie shrugged him off and turned to face him.

"Talk to me."

"You want me to talk to you? Fine."

"Just tell me what you’re thinking."

"I’m just - I’m just done, George. You know? I’m done. I’m tired. I’m tired of doubting you and chasing you and begging you for your time. I’m tired of feeling like someone you settled for -"

"That’s not how I feel."

"Stop it!" she shouted. "That is exactly how you feel. You stood in that exact spot and told me that Izzie didn’t have feelings for you. You *laughed* at me, George. You laughed at me for telling you the truth and then you put me down! She’s the supermodel and I’m the curvy nothing who was too stupid to realize that nothing would change after we got married."

"But-"

"You asked me to talk to you and bygod, I’m not finished." She held up her hand to stop him. "As hard as it is to hold my head up at the hospital when I know that everyone is laughing at my expense ... that pales in comparison to how dumb I was to believe you when you came here and asked me to marry you. That is the humiliating part because you’re the bad guy who cheated, but I’m the complete moron who actually thought that some great guy could love me. Me, George. Not my money, because you didn’t know about it. Not my father’s big business, because you didn’t know about that either. Not because I was ahead in the program and aced the intern exam and you could cheat off me. You were on your knee asking *me*. And I fell for it."

"Is that - have guys done that to you before? Dated you for you money? Because of who your dad is?"

"I already told you that. Remember? You were too busy yelling at me for not telling you about my money that you didn’t pay attention to the part where I said that it had cost me every relationship I’ve ever been in."

"Wait." George shook his head. "You told me that I was the only guy you’ve ever loved."

"Which is true. Which clearly illustrates that I’m better off in a string of dead end relationships than chasing after one that I can never have."

"You have me. All of me. Callie, don’t - don’t you remember? Remember when we had lunch with your dad and he spilled the drink on my lap."

"Mmm, I should thank him for that." She grabbed an elastic band and piled her hair in a pony tail. "I have to go."

"Listen to me!" He grabbed her, forcing her to look at him. "At lunch that day, with your dad? That’s when I remembered. When he spilled the drink on me. I didn’t even remember it until then which is what I’ve been trying to tell you."

"It took a glass of cold water on your crotch to make you remember?"

George nodded, wide eyed. "That ought to tell you something. And I still don’t - I mean, I only remember bits and pieces. I was so drunk that I don’t even know how I did it."

"Well, you did." Callie shrugged. "And this isn’t something that I can just deal with. This changed everything."

"Are you sleeping with Alex?"

She laughed. It was a cruel, hateful sound. "You don’t get to ask me anything about my sex life after what you did."

"Are you? Just --- are you?"

"It’s none of your business."

"You’re my *wife*."

"Not for long." She grabbed her purse and put it over her shoulder. "I’m seeing a lawyer next week."

"No - no, don’t do that."

"Don’t worry, George. You won’t have to go empty handed. I’m sure that the fact that I paid off your student loans won’t really matter. You’ll still get plenty."

"What?!"

"Oh, right. That was gonna be a surprise." She glared at him. "Yeah, I paid off your student loans and I was going to give that to you for your birthday so you wouldn’t have to worry about it while we looked for a house. But now you’ll be able to buy a house anyway because I’m sure that your lawyer will take at least half of everything I have and then you can spend it all on your bestest friend."

"I - I don’t want your money! I want you!"

Callie said nothing for a while, just gazed at him. Finally, she said, "Don’t you see what you’ve done? I’ve lost respect at the hospital. Addison’s on your side. My family will disown me once I shame them with a divorce and I’m stuck here for at least two more years. I have to see your face for two years, until I’m done with my Residency. Until I can get the hell away from you."

"But-"

"You don’t want me, George!" she yelled and the severity in her voice shocked both of them. "You’ve taken all I have! I have nothing left to give!"

She purposely bumped her shoulder against his as she stormed past him. The door slammed behind her and she stalked down the hallway, not sure where she was going, but convinced that she had to go.

George sat down on the bed, his face buried in his hands. And he cried.

Twenty minutes later the phone rang and out of habit he picked it up. "Hello?"

"O’Malley?" asked a man.

"Uh, yeah?"

"Is my daughter there?"

"Who?"

"O’Malley, how many women do you live with?"

"Right, uh, hello, Mr. Torres."

"My child is not returning any phone calls. Would you happen to know why?"

"I’m sorry. I don’t," he lied. "I - I know she’s been really slammed at the hospital."

"Well, tell her that her mother has arranged the wedding party for the two of you and since we understand how your schedules are we’ll be bringing it to you."

"Excuse me?"

"Roughly one hundred of our friends and family members as well as anyone she wants to invite there. Melaina, that would be Callie’s mother, has made arrangements for the grand ballroom there at the Archfield. Mark your calendar for not this Saturday, but the next. If memory serves that was a date that Callie implied would be free for both of you. We’ve chartered the flights already so don’t let her change the date. I’m sure you’ve seen by now that she’s stubborn as hell so tell her that it’s concrete and if she backs out she will not like the results. Okay?"

"Yes, sir."

"And Mr. O’Malley?"

"Sir?"

"My wife is not nearly as kind as I am so you’ll want to make a better impression on her than you did me."

*~*~*~*~*~
CH 5
*~*~*~*~*~

Callie was leaving the liquor store when her cell vibrated against her hip. She checked the number and smiled a little before she answered. "Rick’s Pool Hall. Eight ball, speaking."

"How’s my favorite twin?"

"I’m your only twin, Cam." Callie put the bottle in the back seat of her open convertible and leaned against the car. "How’s my favorite brother?"

"Oooooh," Cam replied. "I’m telling Loukas and Stavros that you said that."

"We shared a womb. You wouldn’t do that to me."

"I was born first, little sister."

"With all the wisdom and knowledge that six whole minutes gave you," she laughed. "Why don’t you tell me what’s new?"

"Why are you screening your calls? Our mother is so pissed at you that she has taken our family photo down from the mantle and put one up of Loukas and Stavros from before we were born."

"Jesus, Cam. What did you do to piss her off?"

"Well, I’m still gay. And I’m bringing Blake to your elopement party."

Callie started to laugh and then her face fell. "To my what?"

"Elopement party. The one that she has been planning for weeks now."

"What? When?"

"This is why you shouldn’t screen your calls. Not this Saturday night, but next. Mom has three jets bringing our dearest and most annoying relatives, but my invitation was lost in the mail apparently. Blake predicted it would be. Dad went behind her back and put us on the last flight out. They’re on the first."

"That’s only two weeks! We have to stop it."

"Yeah, because Mama running us through with her grandfather’s sword would be a pleasant way to die," Cam chuckled. "Besides, Dad said that he talked to your husband and ... do you know how weird that is for me? You have a husband! Anyway, he talked to him a few minutes ago and he’s okay with it."

"Daddy talked to George?"

"Yeah. I guess he’s not screening *his* calls."

There was a long pause and Cam finally added, "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah ... I’m fine."

"You sound upset?"

"No." Callie swallowed hard and wiped the tears off her face as if he could somehow see them. "I - allergies or whatever."

"Here’s the part where I remind you that I know you better than I know myself. Now, talk."

"Rough week."

"What’s wrong? Married life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be?"

"Something like that."

"You want me to beat him up?"

"I already did that." The tears were coming a little faster now. "Cam?"

"Yeah?"

"I made a mistake. I - I shouldn’t have married him."

"What happened?"

"He doesn’t love me."

"Well, now that’s not humanly possible. Does he know you? Has he seen you? Of course he loves you," he soothed. "Look, I’m no expert on marriage and since our entire lack of a President refuses to let me marry Blake then I can’t really comment on your marriage, but relationships ... I know relationships. And they’re hard and it’s a constant struggle."

"He cheated on me." When there was no reply, Callie put her head in her free hand and said. "Cam? Cambyses Torres, you cannot tell. You can’t tell Daddy. He’ll - he’ll kill him."

"No. He’s not going to get the chance. I’m flying out tonight."

"No! Don’t! Okay? My life is complicated enough right now. I can’t - I can’t do this. I’m gonna see a lawyer and - and get a divorce or -"

"Oh my god," he said. "Mama would forgive you for murder before she forgave you for that! You know how she is! Do you remember when we stole Uncle Kakistos’s boat and sank it?"

"You mean his yacht and how could I possibly forget almost dying to save your flailing ass."

"There could have been sharks."

"I’m sure you scared them off with said flailing."

"My point is that she buried our pictures in the back yard, Callie. She made Loukas and Stavros dress up for a funeral and pretended we were dead for eighteen months. She didn’t speak to us, she refused to eat with us, and told everyone that we were on vacation in Italy even though we standing right there for introductions."

Callie had to smile a little at the memory. "She called us hired help."

"And we were only ten. She’ll never talk to you again. Are you sure this is what you want to do?"

"Yeah. And no. I mean - I hate him and I want to strangle him with my bare hands ... and I also love him so much it hurts." She didn’t try to hide her sobs now. "I can’t - I can’t even look at him and not want to let him apologize and make it better and fall asleep on his shoulder like I always do. Like I did. I mean, talking about us in the past tense is killing me and he keeps crying and begging and saying he’s sorry and God I want to believe it and I keep falling into him every single time he looks at me and I can’t - I can’t breathe when I’m near him. And I’m choking to death without him. What do I do? What am I supposed to do, Cam?"

"Oh, sweetie," he replied, his voice soft. "Only you can decide what you want to do. I can’t - I don’t know what to say. I can only tell you Mama has thrown herself into planning this party and you know that she had your wedding planned from birth so this is all she has. She pulled out all the stops, Cal. It’s gonna be huge. She hired a band, catered in enough food to feed a third world country, and she’s determined to accept this elopement thing. If you tell her that it’s off it’s gonna hurt her and I don’t always like our mother, but I do live in the same zipcode as her and I saw first hand how much it hurt her when you broke the news that you had gotten married to begin with. She’s taking a huge step by doing this."

"So, you think I should pretend to be happy and smile and pose with him for photos and act like I’m not dying inside."

"Honestly? Yeah, I do. It’s one night. What you decide to do after that is up to you. And I really want to see you and the only way Dad’s letting me off is if I’m coming there for the party."

"Okay."

"I’ll still beat him up if you want."

"Nah, just promise me the first salsa."

"Are you kidding? I claim the first and last salsa." Cam sighed a little. "I love you, kid."

"I love you, too. Don’t tell anybody. Okay?"

"I promise."

They said their goodbyes and Callie closed the phone. Drying her face, she opened the car door and the lone bottle of bourbon she had purchased caught her eye. With a determined nod, she closed the door and headed back into the liquor store to buy the biggest bottle they had. She was drowning anyway. Miserable. Lost. Her tears were coming and she couldn’t stop them.

But maybe she could delay them for a while by swimming to the bottom of the bottle and she knew that when she was there ... nothing would hurt anymore.

Fifteen minutes later, she parked her car in her designated spot in the deck beside the Archfield. It was hot and humid inside the cement walls after the afternoon shower that had come and gone earlier. The top was down on her car and she left it running, letting the air blow into her face as she opened the smaller of the two bottles, took a deep breath, and drank down over half. She grimaced, gagged a little, and drew the back of her hand over her mouth. Before she could change her mind she tipped the bottle again and in less than fifteen minutes, the bourbon was gone and the second, larger bottle, was giving her a hard time. After three tries, she finally got it open and took a few pulls.

Thirty minutes later the car was spinning and the only logical allowance her brain would concede was to crawl into the backseat and lie down.

It never dawned on her that the engine was still running.

*~*~*~*~*~

Addison pulled her tongue away from the roof of her mouth and grimaced. Something had woken her up and as she opened her bloodshot eyes and looked around, someone pounded on the door again. She rolled onto her back, her arms flung wide and stared up at the ceiling. Whoever was at the door was persistent and she groaned when her feet hit the floor and she attempted to lift her head off the pillow. It was heavy, so heavy that her neck protested angrily and then her stomach muscles joined the chorus and gave her a stark, visual reminder of the marathon projectile vomit that she had managed the night before.

She smiled a little. She’d have to tell Callie about the - And then the memories of the night before hit her like a sledgehammer. She looked at the sofa and saw that it was empty and there was no sign of the blanket George had used. She could have imagined it, but as she stood and saw the array of junkfood Callie had arrived with she knew it was not her imagination at all. With a groan, she put her hand over her mouth and shook her head.

"Addison?" Mark knocked again, harder now. "I can hear you. Open the door."

She stumbled across the room and let him in. "I have to go talk to Callie."

He caught her around the waist as she started past him and said, "You may want to talk to the mirror first."

"What?"

He pointed at the floor to ceiling mirrors on the far wall. Addison turned and gasped. She wore a tanktop and panties, her usual sleeping gear, but her hair was plastered to her cheek and her make up had not only run, something that looked suspiciously like vomit had dried on her chest. "Damn," she said and slowly crept forward for a closer look. "What did I do?"

Mark pulled the cover back on her bed and wrinkled his nose. "Where do you put it all, Addison? Because for five hours I watched you puke so how you managed to do it again is beyond me."

"Ugh," she groaned again. "My stomach is killing me."

"You turned it inside out. It should." He stripped the sheets off and picked up the phone, leaving a message for housekeeping. "Go take a shower."

"Did you talk to her?"

Mark didn’t have to ask who the ‘her’ in question was. "Yep. She’s pissed as hell."

"What did she say?"

"Not a lot. She wouldn’t tell me what the two of you fought about either."

"It was too stupid to ever mention again."

"Look, if you ladies want to fight over me I can understand."


Addison shot him a look and pretended to vomit. "You wish."

"Then you must be fighting over O’Malley. I guess she wasn’t thrilled to see you taking care of the enemy."

"Stop trying to figure it out, jackass."

"Ohhh, that’s exactly what she called me." Mark sat down at the table and opened a package of donuts. "I’m starving. Will you go get ready?"

"For what?"

"You need to eat. And the fact that I am brave enough to take you out after witnessing firsthand that you can’t hold anything down should prove to you that I really do love you, Addison."

"I hate love!" Addison snapped, yanking her closet open. She dug through until she found a pair of slacks and a shirt and then turned to face him again. "You stayed last night."

"Through it all. The hair holding. The consoling. I can take care of you. I’m not just good in bed -- I’m a good best friend."

"Callie’s my best friend."

"I don’t think she’s seeing it that way right now." He watched as Addison’s face fell, then stood and took her hand in his. "That’s not to say she won’t come around. The sooner you get a shower we can go and you can call her. I’ll even play referee if you want."

"Do you really mean it, Mark? When you say that you love me?"

"I haven’t had sex in twenty seven days. And last night when you crawled into my lap in the bathroom floor and I put my arms around you ... it felt like coming home. I’ve loved you for a long time and you’re the only person in the world that makes me want to be the person you think I should be." He pulled a string of matted hair from her face, and cupped her cheek. "I love you. You’re the reason I’m here, the reason I stayed, and the woman that I want to spend my life with. Of course, I prefer the cleaner version, but I’d take you this way if it was the only way you’d come."

She smiled a little and said, "I don’t know if that was sincere or sexual, but it was nicely done."

"It was both. Want some company in the shower? Maybe I can take care of those hard to reach areas."

Addison bit her bottom lip and hated the way he smiled at her, hated the way his hand traced her chin, hated the way he smelled so familiar and safe. She nodded her head before her mouth could protest and turned, knowing that a decision had been made and she prayed it was for the right reasons.

*~*~*~*~*~

"Holy Mary Mother of God. Stop ringing! Hello?"

"Callie?"

"Who said that?"

"It’s Alex. Are - what are you doing? Are you crying?"

Callie sniffled. When she finally spoke it was a sob. "Why am I not in a coma yet? Stop waking me up now. Okay. Bye."

"What!? Don’t hang up! Where are you?"

"In my car. I’m gonna run out of gas."

"Where’s your car, Callie?"

"Archfield."

"I’m on my way. Gimme fifteen minutes."

"Don’t bother."

"Is that your car running that I hear?"

"Don’t worry. I haven’t died in an hour of trying so it’s not likely to happen in fifteen minutes. Jesus hates me." As an afterthought, she added. "Fuck clean air."

"Turn the car off."

"Okay."

"Do it now."

"Okay." Callie, who was sprawled face down in the backseat of her car made no attempt at moving.

"You didn’t do it, did you?"

"Not really."

"I’ll be right there." Alex hung up and called Addison’s cell.

Moments later Callie’s car was turned off and she felt a hand on her back, then her hair was pushed away from her face. Even in her drunken stupor she recognized Addison’s red hair, although the face was a blur. "Not funny, God. And I’ve been praying, too! Damn it."

"What the hell are you trying to do?" Addison shook her, hard. "Get your ass up."

"Stop driving in a circle, Addy. It’s rude. And there are speed bumps!"

"Jesus." Mark opened the passenger door and sat down, peering into the backseat with Addison. "How much did you drink, Torres?"

It was work, but Callie managed to wrestle the empty bottle from beneath her and she held it out. Her eyes were out of focus when they landed on Mark. "Hey! I did die! I’m in hell and Satan’s here, too."

"She’s toast." Mark took the bottle from her and said, "Did you drink all of this."

"That was my second bottle, right? Was it two? Didn’t even breathe! Just choked it down." Callie nodded, then she belched and found it so funny that she practically rolled off the backseat.

"That’s too much alcohol too fast. She needs to throw up," Addison said.

Mark pushed the seat forward and gripped Callie under the arms. She put up a good fight and by the time Mark had her out of the car he was winded and she had slumped onto the pavement. Addison, who had joined them, kneeled down beside Callie and felt her skin. "She’s cold."

"Don’t you call me any more names, Addison!" Callie growled, pushing her hands away. "I would punch you in the eye if you would be still. You are a very, very bad friend and I hope your tits sag."

"There is nothing wrong with my tits and your very, very bad friend is going to stick her finger down your throat to help you out." Doing just that, Addison tilted the younger woman forward and waited for her gag reflex to kick in.

When three attempts yielded nothing, Addison frowned. It took a split second for it to dawn on her that Callie wasn’t moving, wasn’t struggling, and she pulled her upright, slapping her face. "She’s not breathing. Mark, she’s choking!"

Mark moved fast. He pulled Callie from Addison’s arms, pinned her back against his chest, and began the Heimlich maneuver. Callie spasmed, coughed and vomited, effectively clearing her airway which had been blocked. "We have to get her to the ER."

Alex squealed to a stop a few feet away from them and leapt from his jeep. "How is she?" he asked, tilting her head back. She was still in Mark’s arms and her head lolled from one side to the other. "What did she drink?"

"A fifth of bourbon for sure. She mentioned more." Addison reached for the second bottle and drew up short. There was an empty pill bottle lying in the back seat. She picked it up, glanced at the label, and said, "Get her in the car."

"What?"

"Get her in the car! NOW!"

Alex and Mark both saw the empty bottle at the same time and Alex grabbed Callie’s feet, helping Mark lift her over the side of her convertible, which was thankfully open. Alex jumped into the driver’s seat and sped away with her as Addison and Mark climbed in Alex’s jeep to follow. Alex ran two red lights, almost hit a parked car, and took the entrance to the hospital fast enough for the tires to protest loudly. He slammed to a halt at the entrance to the emergency room and was relieved to see that there was a stretcher waiting. Someone must have called ahead.

"Possible overdose." Alex said, as he lifted her out of the car and deposited her on the gurney.

Dr. Bailey gasped and looked down at Callie. "What the- Karev? What did she take?"

"Fifth of bourbon and -- and, shit, I don’t know! Addison’s bringing the bottle."

He helped Bailey push her inside and yanked his jacket off. Without being told, he started an IV and drew her blood himself. He was vaguely aware that Izzie was on duty and that she had been shouted at by Bailey to move her ass. He took a step back as Cristina and Meredith answered the same page that had apparently summoned Izzie. "Meredith?"

"Yeah?"

"Call George," Alex said softly, running a hand over his hair.

"I already did."

"Callie? Callie, open your eyes and talk to me." Bailey slapped her cheeks a couple of times. "Unresponsive. Her skin is blue, clammy. What’s the temperature, Stevens?"

Izzie rattled off a number that was incredibly low and Bailey began barking out orders to the three female interns. Meredith was sent for warming blankets. Cristina rushed out for a gastric lavage kit and Izzie was sent running to the lab with Callie’s blood. Addison arrived in the middle of the chaos and said, "Percocet. Prescription was for forty. Prescribed to Harold O’Malley."

Bailey nodded and began the insertion of the tubes into Callie’s nose. Callie choked then and it took Mark, Alex, and Addison to hold her down. The vomiting began almost instantly and they rolled her onto her side, watching as she retched and heaved. Then, before anyone could stop her, she pulled the tube out and her nose, which was still swollen and bruised, and blood began to pour from it and her mouth. Alex stared at the monitors as they began to beep and said, "Oxygen level is at eighty five."

"Damn it. There’s too much blood in the airway." Bailey snapped. "Yang, we’ll need a breathing tube before we try to lavage again."

Cristina was on it. She tilted Callie’s head back, inserted the breathing tube on the first try and began to pump the bag, watching as Callie’s levels rose into the nineties. "Clear."

"Let’s do this again." Bailey opened the second kit, which Addison had grabbed from the hallway and covered the hosing in lubricant. "Hold her down this time, people. Hold her down! On three now. One, two, three."

Callie didn’t gag this time.

She didn’t respond at all.

"Grey, rush the fluid." Mark said, taking the stethoscope from Meredith’s neck. "Get an EKG in here. Stat," he barked at Izzie, who had returned.

"Addison, get on the phone with the lab," Bailey said, leaning down to examine the bile that Callie had vomited onto the floor. "I don’t see anything solid. Yang, how’s the suction."

"Second collection. First was liquid, no solid."

Bailey stood and shook Callie, leaning close to her. "Callie! Did you take any medication?" She spoke again and again, but Callie didn’t move. Checking her blood pressure, Miranda swore under her breath. "Where is that EKG, people!?"

"Her blood alcohol is point thirty-three," Addison said, hanging up the phone. "So far they haven’t found anything else."

"Point thirty-three? What in the world-" Bailey began.

"Callie?!" George shouted from the hallway.

"Keep him out of here." Bailey looked at Alex, but it was Addison who intercepted him.

"George, I need you to stay here with me," she said, her hand on his chest.

"No. NO! What happened?"

"Listen to me," Addison snapped, holding up the empty bottle. "What do you know about this?"

He took the bottle and read the label. "It - it was my dad’s. It was in a box of his stuff that I brought home after - after he died."

"Was it empty?"

"What?"

"The bottle, George. Were there any pills in the bottle?"

"I don’t know. I-" George’s eyes widened as comprehension dawned on him. "What did she do? What did she do?! Dr. Montgomery?!"

"Right now we know that she has alcohol poisoning. We’re waiting on the toxicology. This bottle was with her in the car."

"In the car?"

"Yeah. In the car. In the car that was running in the parking garage of the Archfield." Alex, who had lingered in the doorway to hear what George had to say about the medication, glared at the other man. "What the hell did you do to her now?"

"Shut up, Alex. And go call the lab again!" Addison pushed George out of the way as the EKG machine was rolled past them.

George leaned back against the wall, his hand over his mouth. "How bad is it?" he finally asked.

"Her B.A.C. is point thirty-three."

"No. No. That can’t be right. That - that can be fatal. Addison, that can be fatal." He shook his head emphatically as if his own denial could make it untrue. "Are they-"

"They’re doing everything they can. You know they are."

"Who’s working on her?"

"Sloan and Bailey."

"Is she breathing on her own?"

Addison shook her head, then caught him as he tried to rush past her. "You can’t do anything."

Meredith joined them in the hallway and said, "Dr. Montgomery, you can go back inside. I’ll stay with him."

Grateful, Addison nodded and squeezed George’s hand before hurrying back into the room. Meredith leaned against the wall next to George and leaned her head against his shoulder. "She’s strong. She’s strong and she’ll come back."

"You don’t know that."

"I’ve been there, George. She’ll come back."

"They’re breathing for her."

"Only because she pulled the tube out and compromised her airway."

George looked at her. "She’s awake. So she’s responding?"

"It - it was instinct. To pull it out. She’s unconscious."

"But - what about her heart and was she - didn’t she -"

Meredith took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "Should you call someone? Do you think you should call her parents?"

Callie had told him enough about her mother and father to force him to shake his head. She would be mortified if, no ... when she woke up and found them there. He needed to call someone, though. He needed to hear someone who would not judge him, not be angry at him. Taking his cell phone from the pocket of his jeans, he called home.

Louise answered on the first ring. "Hello?"

"Mom?"

"Georgie?"

"Mom," he began to cry and sank down the wall, his back against it. "Callie’s in the hospital. Can you - can you come?"

"I’m on my way."

Meredith kneeled beside him and put her arms around him.

When Derek walked past them a few minutes later and went into Callie’s room, neither had to wonder why.

*~*~*~*~*~
CH 6
"How long was she without oxygen?" Derek asked, checking the EKG readout.

"Seconds," Addison said. "She only stopped breathing for a second. She was choking and Mark ... he did the Heimlich."

Derek glanced from Addison to Mark, but said nothing to the other man. Instead, he turned to Bailey and watched as she lifted the fourth container that had been taken from Callie’s stomach. "Is she clear yet?"

"No."

"There’s no sign of narcotics. I checked with the lab." Derek confirmed and leaned down, doing a sternum rub on Callie’s chest. She made no move to push him away. "How long has she been unconscious?"

"She’s been in and out of it since we found her," Alex said, stepping up beside the bed. Without even realizing it, he had taken Callie’s limp hand in his. "What about the fumes? From the car?"

"It’s a big garage," Mark pointed out. "And it’s well ventilated."

"Fumes? Why am I just now hearing about fumes? Was this a case of too much to drink or a suicide attempt?" Bailey stared from Alex to Addison. "Well? Which is it?"

Alex looked down at Callie. There was blood still trickling from her nose and he reached down, wiping it away with his thumb. "It was just an accident," he finally said, even though his conversation with her replayed in his head. "That’s all. Just a stupid mistake."
"After she’s clear go ahead and use the charcoal." Derek took the chart from Izzie and glanced through it. "She’ll need an MRI. That much alcohol-"

"Don’t say it. Don’t even think it," Addison snapped. "There is nothing wrong with her brain. She -"

"She’s one of us. We’re going to run every test that we have," Derek replied, scribbling a couple of notes before he shut the chart. "Draw some more blood and see where we’re at with the alcohol and check her ALT and AZT, we need to keep an eye on her liver. Page me when the results are in."

Izzie moved around the bed, pulling on a pair of gloves and grabbing an empty vial. Alex, who was still holding Callie’s hand, snatched the vial from Izzie and said, "I’ll do it myself."

"Karev," Dr. Bailey warned. "You are not on duty. You are a visitor."

"She’s not touching her." Alex filled the vial and handed it off to Izzie, glaring at her. "You must be so happy. You’re living the dream. You get to reap what you sowed first hand. You get to watch her fall."

"Shut up, Alex," Izzie growled.

"I do have to give you a little credit, Iz," he replied. "I’m surprised you’re not cutting *her* wires and tubes just to make sure she’s completely out of the picture. There’s one lesson that apparently stuck."

"Okay, that’s enough!" Bailey pointed at the door. "Stevens, get that to the lab right now. Karev, go wait outside."

Cristina, who had collected the fifth container, said, "She’s clear."

"Start the charcoal," Bailey told her. "I’ll go talk to O’Malley."

George had been coaxed into an empty seat behind the nurse’s station. He sat with his head resting in his palms and when Miranda touched his shoulder, he jumped to his feet. "How is she?"

Miranda explained as best and as gently as she could and then said, "George, do you think she did this intentionally?"

"We had a fight. I - I shouldn’t have let her go. She was upset and - and did she take those pills, Dr. Bailey? Did she?"

"No. She didn’t."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "We checked her stomach contents and Derek confirmed it with toxicology."

"So it’s just alcohol?"

"I wouldn’t say *just*, George. It was a lot of alcohol and apparently no food at all, but her heart looks good and she’s getting plenty of oxygen. We’re going to take her down for an MRI and then we just have to wait."

"Can I see her?"

"Yes." Bailey stopped him as he moved away, her hand resting on his arm. "She looks bad. Be prepared for that."

George swallowed hard, his eyes on hers. He nodded his head slightly, then walked across the hallway and entered Callie’s room. He was vaguely aware that Addison and Mark left the room and glanced only briefly at Cristina as she continued to administer the charcoal. The steady beeping of Callie’s heart should have reassured him, but the blood on her face and the color of her skin was more than he could handle. Tears blurred his vision as he let the rail down and sat next to her. He brushed her bangs aside and leaned forward, kissing her forehead softly, breathing her in. His cheek lingered next to hers and he whispered, "Come back to me. You have to come back. Please don’t go. Don’t do this."

His pleads remained soft for a few moments, then he laid his head against her chest and began to cry in earnest. And his prayers were loud enough that most of the ER staff heard them.

*~*~*~*~*~

Doctors are required to have a certain level of desensitization. They’re forced to deliver bad news with a professional and courteous attitude and they can’t become emotionally involved. Ever. As Addison stood in the hallway listening to George, she felt her own resolve break and mumbled something to Mark about getting coffee. The look she gave him implored him not to question and when he nodded his understanding, she walked slowly down the corridor.

She headed out into the fresh air and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. When she blew her nose a moment later and turned to throw the tissue in the trash, she saw Alex sitting a few feet away. She joined him on the bench and said, "When you called me you said you thought Callie was trying to kill herself in the basement of the Archfield."

"Yeah."

"So, why did you tell Miranda that she wasn’t?"
"I was scared when I called you," he replied.

"That doesn’t change what she did."

"She told me where she was, Addison. If she wanted to die she would have hung up the phone."

Addy chewed her bottom lip, then nodded. "I guess that’s one way to look at it."

"That’s the only way I *will* look at it," he said. "It wouldn’t make sense otherwise. She was fine. She was doing so much better."

"It’s my fault, I think. We had a fight. Last night. It was bad. It was really bad." Addison sighed. "It was about you."

"Me?"

"You and her."

"What?"

"I think it’s wrong for the two of you to do what you’re doing. Whatever it is."

"You don’t know what we’re doing, but you feel qualified to tell us it’s wrong?"

"What *are* you doing?

"We’re friends."

"Are you, Alex? You’ll have to forgive me if I feel the need to remind you that you never even talked to her until your ex-girlfriend slept with her husband. I could be wrong, but it seems pretty evident to me that you’re trying to hurt Izzie Stevens. If that’s the case then you’re using Callie and I don’t like that one bit."

"I like Callie. I like hanging out with her and if I get the added bonus of driving Izzie insane by doing it then you’ll have to forgive *me* for not really caring."

"Stevens left you for Denny. That’s what I heard."

He nodded.

"You were in love with her."

He nodded again.

"You still are."

He shook his head. "No. I’m in love with who she used to be. I’m in love with the optimist, the pretty girl who gets in your face, tells it like it is, and demands that you respect her for her brain. The goofy girl who laughs at funerals and cries at weddings. That person died with Denny. I don’t know who she is anymore."

"So, what are you doing with Callie?"

"Making her feel better."

Addison studied his profile. "Why?"

"Because I can." Alex finally looked at her. "I’m not going to do anything to her, Addison, if that’s what you’re worried about."

"She still loves George, you know."

"Why do you think I made sure Meredith called him?" He shrugged. "It wasn’t because I wanted the guy around."

"Just be careful, Alex. Okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"A woman who has had her heart broken is usually very easy to take advantage of and most of the time they welcome the relief. Don’t let her think that you feel anything for her if you don’t."

"It’s not like that."

"Really?" Addison arched an eyebrow. "Do you usually come rushing up on the white horse to save the damsel the way you did tonight?"

"This particular damsel is a special case," Alex replied. "She knows my secrets."

"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Finding someone that you can talk to about anything is rare. I trust her."

"So, that’s it then? She’s a confidante?"

"Why are you pushing this?"

"You kissed me."

Alex’s eyes widened. "No, you kissed me and I thought I made it very clear that I wasn’t interested. I hate following the crowd and Yang and Gray already have the whole intern and attending thing down."

"Yeah, but-"

"And correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Mark Sloan answer your cell phone when I called?"

When Addison looked away, Alex smirked a little and stood up. He looked down at her and said, "If I was a betting man I’d say that having your cake and eating it too isn’t all it’s cracked up to be."

"You’d probably win that bet."

"I’m going back in. You coming?"

"In a minute," Addison replied, watching as he walked away. She leaned forward after a minute, buried her face in her hands and said, "God, this sucks."

"Private conversation? Or can anyone join?" Derek sat down next to her. "How are you holding up?"

"By a string," she admitted. Her chin trembled at the confession and she exhaled slowly. "It’s bad, isn’t it? Worse than-"

"No." Derek shook his head. "It’s not the worst I’ve seen and it’s certainly not going to kill her."

"There’s always a but."

"But you know that the liver and the brain, all of it, could be affected," Derek watched her for a second. "When did you become such good friends with Torres anyway?"

"After she slept with Mark. We bonded over the horror of it all. It’s funny, you know, I should have been angry or hurtful to her, but I couldn’t be. I needed a friend and there she was."

"And if you hated every woman that Mark has slept with that wouldn’t leave many females for you to bond with."

"That’s very true." She smiled a little, then looked at her ex-husband. "Do you think it’s possible for a man to change? A man like Mark?"

Derek considered the question thoughtfully. When he finally spoke, it was with sincerity. "I have known Mark my entire life. You’ve heard about his past, but I lived it with him. I remember him climbing in my bedroom window because the yelling was so bad at his place. Hell, we could hear it. You know, his father was sick and his mother constantly had men coming and going."

"You told me."

"You would have to see it to understand exactly how horrible it really was. You asked me if I thought it was possible for him to change and the answer is yes, but that’s not really the question you should ask."

"What should I ask?"

"Are you the one who *can* change him?" Derek shrugged. "Do you want to?"

"I want to believe that my marriage didn’t fall apart for nothing. I want to believe in something. I want to want him without being afraid of what it will do to me if I have to worry where he is every second. I want to trust him. I mean, I need to trust him again. And I really can’t yet." Her expression changed suddenly. "And that is exactly how Callie feels about George and I am the biggest ass on the planet."

Derek laughed now. He genuinely laughed and Addison found that she couldn’t help but join him. "Life is cruel and disturbing," she finally said.

"Yes," he replied. His pager went off and he stood. "Labs are in. Let’s go check on your friend."

*~*~*~*~*~

Izzie saw Louise first and her stomach dropped a little. She felt like someone who was being sent to the principal’s office. George was undoubtedly going to tell his mother what had happened and Louise, well, Izzie didn’t want to think about that. She tried to duck into a linen closet, but the older woman spotted her and hurried forward. "Dr. Stevens! Oh, thank heavens! Have you seen Callie? I can’t find George and-"

"He’s in one of the family rooms. I - I’ll show you."

"What happened to Callie? He - he said that she’s sick, but no one wants to tell me anything."

"Uh, George needs to explain it, Mrs. O’Malley, I can’t really give you any information."

"But, I’m family. Dr. Stevens, she’s my daughter in law and we talk all the time."

"I understand, but-"

Cristina and Meredith came around the corner pushing the gurney that Callie was lying on. Louise drew up short and gasped, instinctively reaching out and stopping them. "Oh my god, Callie? Honey?"

"Mrs. O’Malley, you need to come with me." Izzie put her hand on the older woman’s shoulder.

"What’s happened to her? Was it a car wreck? There’s blood. And why is that tube in her mouth? Harold - Harold’s esophagus was-"

"Mom?" George rushed forward and put an arm around his mother. He didn’t let his gaze linger long on Callie’s face because to do so would have finished him off, he was certain of that. "They’re bringing her back from an MRI. We just - we have to wait for Dr. Shepherd to tell us what they find."

"Oh, Georgie, did you call Melana?"

"Who?"

"Her mother, son. Her mother needs to be here. Oh, she’ll be devastated. We’ve been planning the party together and she’s so excited to meet you and see Callie and-"

"You’ve been talking to Callie’s mom?"

"Oh, every day. She’s a wonderful lady and Callie’s her baby, her only little girl."

"Mom-"

"We have to call her."

"We will."

Izzie watched as Louise leaned over the stretcher and gave Callie a kiss on the cheek, then let George lead her away. She glanced at Cristina, who was staring at her. "What?"

"Was that as awkward for you as it looked?" she asked. "You know he’s gonna tell her, right?"

"Let’s just go," Meredith said, pulling on the gurney. "Izzie, can you let Derek know that the MRI is done?"

"Whatever." Izzie stood in the hallway a moment longer, watching as Callie disappeared back into her room.

*~*~

"What happened to her, Georgie?" Louise had taken a seat and watched as George paced the length of the room. "Sit down, son. You’re going to need your rest."

"It’s my fault. She did this because of me."

"Did what? Georgie, you’re scaring me."

George flopped into the seat beside her and leaned his head back against the wall. "I’ve ruined everything."

"What do you mean?"

"She said she’s divorcing me and-"

"What?! Honey, you two just got married and it’s new and -"

"I slept with Izzie," he cut her off. He couldn’t bring himself to look at her, couldn’t bare to see the look of shame that was undoubtedly on her face. When she didn’t reply, he said, "I was drunk and she was drunk and it just happened. Callie and I had been fighting and I left and - God, I should have stayed, Mom. I should’ve stayed and worked through it, but I didn’t and now - now she’s - Callie’s miserable and she could die."

The minutes dragged past. Louise said nothing and the silence was deafening. George finally cleared his throat and said, "This is the part where you tell me that you raised me better than that and I’m a huge disappointment and -"

"What happened to her, George? What happened to Callie?"

"She’s got alcohol poisoning. Enough to kill her. Enough to damage her brain. Enough to - enough to leave me and I can’t stop her this time. I can’t chase after her like I always do and even if I could ... I’ve given her nothing to come back for."

"Alcohol poisoning," Louise repeated. "But Jerry had that after a few beers and he-"

"They think it was intentional." George finally looked at his mother and the hurt on her face caused him to crack. "And so do I. What I did to her - Mom, I’ve already killed her she was just taking care of the rest."

Louise watched her son fall apart and finally put her arms around him, holding him close. They cried together and were still hanging onto one another when Ronnie and Jerry arrived. Louise didn’t tell them much and when George shot her a look of gratitude, she winked at him and gave him a little smile. It had the effect she hoped it would. He calmed down and sat next to her again. She patted him on the arm and excused herself.

In the women’s bathroom, she made one of the hardest phone calls of her life. She could tell that she had woken the other woman and had not even given the time difference a second thought. "Melana? This is Louise?"

"Oh! Goodness, hello!" Melana replied sleepily. "I hope you are well."

"I’m fine." Louise took a deep breath and said, "I’m sorry to call you like this, but well, I’d want to know if it were me."

"Know what?"

"Callie’s been admitted to the hospital. She’s very ill. You may want to come."

"Κύριε έλέησον!" Malana exclaimed in Greek. "Raphael! Raphael, wake up! Something has happened to Calliope."

A moment later, Raphael Torres was on the phone and Louise, who had not spoken with him much at all, found herself practically shaking at the third degree he issued. He gave her his cell phone number, took hers, and informed her that they would arrive within seven hours. She didn’t have to wonder how he could make that happen. The air of authority with which he spoke would likely have caused God himself to blanch at the idea of not being able to catch a flight out. He thanked her, wished her well, and ended the call. Louise closed her phone and rejoined her sons.

The minutes stretched into an hour, then two. During the fourth hour, Dr. Bailey came out and assured them that they were not forgotten, but they were still running tests and had no additional information. Jerry eventually dozed in the corner and Ronnie went in search of food. He came back with sodas and cakes and handed them out. The rustling of Louise’s bag eventually woke Jerry up and he kicked Ronnie for not bringing him anything. "You were asleep, dude," Ronnie said. "And with your stomach? You better not eat or drink anything unless you’re waiting in the car."

Jerry responded by taking the food out of Ronnie’s hand and slapping him on the back of the head. "The only thing wrong with my stomach is that you’re around."

"Boys!" Louise scolded. "Stop it!"

Twenty minutes later, Derek walked in and George jumped to his feet. "Dr. Shepherd?"

"Have a seat, George." Derek introduced himself to the rest of the O’Malley family and sat opposite George. "I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to speak with you. Unfortunately something like this is a waiting game and we’ve been monitoring everything very closely. The good news is that she’s is responding well to treatment. Her heart’s strong and her B.A.C. has dropped to point zero seven. That’s better than I had hoped for at this point and I think we owe that to Mark and Addison. They forced her to vomit, which purged her system of some of the toxins. The bad news, George, is that the level of alcohol that we pulled out of her system would have been fatal if it had gone untreated. She ingested enough to kill someone double her size and that’s a problem. We have a problem. It’s very important that you tell me the truth. Is she binge drinker?"

"No." George shook his head. "No, she’s never had more than a couple of drinks with me. Occasionally at dinner she has wine or a mixed drink, but she’s never even gotten tipsy."

"Just as a precaution I’m going to have Psych take a look at her."

George had expected it. "Okay. What - how about her breathing? Is she breathing on her own?"

"Well, we’re going to check and see. We can’t take her off the respirator unless you give us permission to do so. Dr. Bailey put the tube in as a precaution because with Callie slipping in and out like she was she could have stopped breathing at any time. We’re going to take her off the machine when and if that’s okay with you, you’re welcome to be with her, and see how her oxygen levels stand. If she can maintain into the nineties on her own then we’ll take the tube out." Derek stood. "We won’t know until she wakes up if there are any other issues."

"Do you have to do this right now?" Louise asked Derek.

He shook his head. "No. It’s a big decision and not one that should be taken lightly. Feel free to discuss it and then let me know what you decide."

"Her parents should be here soon. They’re one the way." Louise looked at George and said, "You should wait for them. Just in case."

"You called them?" George asked her. When she nodded, George swallowed hard and looked back at Derek. "Has she regained consciousness at all?"

"She’s coming around. A few minutes ago she pushed my hand away when I did a sternum rub and that’s a good sign. She’s also fidgeting and -"

"I don’t want her to wake up with the tube, Dr. Shepherd. That’ll scare her and I don’t want her scared."

Derek glanced at Louise, then back at George. "She could wake up any time."

"Then take her off. Do it now. Do it before she wakes up and realizes that she might not be able to breathe." George slowly got to his feet and turned to his mother. "Do you want to come with me?"

"Of course."

George walked into the hallway and waited for her to follow. Ronnie and Jerry were both abnormally quiet and he wanted to thank them, to tell them that it was a nice change, to make a joke. Anything to lighten the mood, but he couldn’t. He said nothing, even as Ronnie clapped him on the shoulder and said that they’d be waiting for him. As his mother emerged and he took her hand in his, it crossed his mind to invite his brothers into Callie’s room, but he just couldn’t. If she - no. He couldn’t.

Addison and Alex were standing on one side of Callie’s bed. Addison was holding her friend’s hand and she smiled a little when George and Louise walked in. "I think she’s trying to wake up," she told George. "She keeps lifting her hands."

George hurried across the room and looked down at her. "Callie?"

Derek moved behind George and flipped a switch, effectively cutting off the support of air and then stepped back into the shadows to wait. George looked at the monitor, his eyes never wavering from the oxygen level that was currently at ninety-nine. The seconds ticked past and the number dropped four points, then five.

"Derek?" Addison commented as the number dropped into the eighties.

"Wait for it," Derek replied.

A pin could have dropped and startled the entire room. Nobody moved, no one seemed to breathe, least of all Callie. The number plummeted further still and Derek glanced at his watch. "Thirty more seconds and we’ll turn it back on."

"Please, Callie. Breathe, baby." George, who had taken her hand in his, squeezed it. "Come on! You can do this!"

"Fifteen seconds," Derek said.

"SHIT!" Addison cursed so suddenly and with such force that everyone jumped. "Callie? Callie! YOU BETTER BREATHE, GOD DAMMIT!" Addison shook her, hard, gripping both of her shoulders now, practically climbing on top of her. "BREATHE! I WILL KICK YOUR ASS IF YOU DON’T BREATHE! DO YOU HEAR ME? IF YOU DIE I WILL KILL YOU! AND MAKE IT HURT! YOU WILL PAY!"

Alex grabbed Addison around the waist and pulled her back. And Callie took such a deep breath that it seemed to suck the air out of everyone else. Her eyelids fluttered open and she reached her free hand up, feeling the tube in her mouth. Addison grabbed her hand and said, "Leave it alone."

"Oxygen’s at eighty-eight." Alex put a hand on Callie’s leg and said, "You can do better than that, Torres. What the hell?"

The machine eventually stopped beeping as Callie’s number slowly climbed out of the danger zone. George was crying and he wiped his face and leaned down beside her. "Good job," he whispered, kissing her temple.

She groaned then and pushed at him. George moved back a little and she held a hand up shaking her head no.

It was very clear that she didn’t want him near her.

*~*~* ~*~*~
CH 7
Addison cleared her throat and tried her best to make the awkward situation bearable for George, whose face had fallen when Callie pushed him away. She watched as his mother put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but George didn’t step forward again. "Hey," she finally said, rubbing Callie’s arm. "Want us to take that tube out?"

Derek looked from George to Addison and moved a little closer. "It could be premature. We should monitor her for a little while longer. She was slow to respond."

Callie shook her head and pointed at the tube again. When Derek opened his mouth to speak, she grabbed his jacket and pulled him a little closer. Her word, though muffled, was unmistakable. "Now."

"No. No no no. Don’t try to talk," Addison told her and reached up, smoothing a strand of her friend’s hair back. Callie pushed her hand away and shook her head, reaching for the tube again.

"I’ll put the restraints on. Don’t make me," Derek said, stopping her. "I’m going to ask you a number question and I want you to show me with your fingers what the answer is. Okay?"

Callie rolled her eyes and nodded.

"What’s five minus four?"

Callie flipped him a bird.

"She’s fine," Alex said, laughing a little.

Callie nodded, put a finger on her nose, and pointed at Alex, who beamed at her and said, "I rock at Charades."

Derek looked at George again and said, "O’Malley, it's your call."

George’s gaze was still on Callie. She had not met his eyes once and it was killing him. He glanced at the monitor and saw that her oxygen was in the nineties and nodded. "Take it out."

"You may want to wait outside," Derek told Louise, who nodded and headed into the hallway.

It only took seconds to remove the tube, but it was still hard to watch. Callie was restrained by George and Alex and gagged and coughed as Derek pulled it free. He sat her up instantly, handing her a basin as she gripped it, spitting out the blood that collected in her mouth. Addison rubbed her back and said, "How do you feel?"

"Where’s my chart?" Callie rasped after a couple of seconds, barely audible. Her words were slow, drowsy sounding.

Alex handed her a tissue and said, "You probably shouldn’t be talking yet and -"

"Get it," she interrupted, taking the tissue and blotting her mouth.

Alex looked at Derek, who nodded, then retrieved the chart from the door. He held it out and watched as she opened it and flipped a few pages. "It’s not here," she finally croaked.

"What’s not there?" Derek asked her.

"DNR. I’m