Through Lexie's Eyes (1/3)
Title: Through Lexie’s Eyes (1/3)
Author: fuzzyshy
Pairing: Callie/Erica
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Can a little night of music get them together finally?
Disclaimer : Grey's Anatomy and its characters and locations are the property of ABC Studios and Shonda Rhimes. This story is meant purely to entertain. No copyright infringement intended.
Author’s Notes: This fic is dedicated to Chelle aka burningeden who writes exceptionally well and is my first ever friend here in livejournal. She inspired me to write again.
It has been 2 weeks now since the boy encased in cement was brought to the E.R.
Exactly 14 days since Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Grey had their medical breakthrough in Neurosurgery.
It has been 14 days since I stole the residents’ files from the Chief’s office.
14 days since George was informed that he could retake his intern exam.
14 days since I sat down beside my sister’s bestfriend and tried to learn the running whip stitch on a banana.
And 14 days since George planted a kiss on my lips.
But THIS is not my story. This is someone else’s. Someone who was kissed that same night as I was. Someone who is now as confused as I am.
My name is Lexie Caroline Grey and this is a story about love, acceptance, hope and letting go.
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Other than a photographic memory, I also possess another skill. I am a very observant person. I know I talk a lot and sometimes I can’t control myself. But when I am alone, I could sweep my eyes across any room and get all details and store them inside my head. Yeah, couple that with an accurate memory and I have an internal movie inside my head updating every 10 minutes.
Like now as I sit here in the cafeteria munching a turkey sandwich, with eyes closed, I know that Dr. Shepherd and my sister are sharing a salad and holding hands under the table. Dr. Yang sits at a corner table reviewing files of folders about her upcoming surgery with Dr. Hahn later this afternoon. George is also alone in another table with piles of books around him. His test will be in two days by the way. Alex is sitting with Izzie who is animatedly talking about a case that came in the clinic this morning.
I absorb everything that is around and everything which is present but I can also tell you that I detect things which are also absent. People and things that should be around but are *missing*.
Case in point, I note that Callie and Hahn’s usual table is vacant and is now under the ownership of Dr. Mark Sloan who looks at me and smiles. He slumps down and starts to chow down on his own lunch.
I see things and feel them. And now I feel that Seattle Grace Hospital is not the same as it used to be. It shifted and tilted to varying degrees and I somehow wonder if I am the only one who notices it.
I heard from Greg (a fellow intern) that he saw Hahn and Callie making out outside the hospital 14 days ago. I don’t rely much on gossips but the way the two are behaving right now, I knew there is a grain of truth in Greg’s story.
For the past days, I have never seen the two of them together. NEVER. Not a single minute together in one room. Consultations on cases are non-existent. Regular breakfast and lunch are forgotten. And bursting in the hospital together is just a memory for the people who witnessed it for the past months. They are avoiding each other entirely and I swear they own personal radars which alarms them when the presence of one is felt within a 10-yard radius. The idea of them being best friends will sound odd to any stranger who will study their interaction right now.
I can only guess what might have happened between the two. Giving credence to what Greg told me, it is possible that the shared kiss scared the shit out of them. Well, the idea of them kissing scared the shit out of me as well! I can only imagine what they must have felt after that kiss. It’s also possible they can’t deal with IT and are now trying their very hardest to erase that from memory and are moving on with their own lives with a Great Wall of China between them.
I feel sad about these two. It is a biological response to any being that is faced with threat or stress to choose between FLIGHT or FIGHT. Obviously between them, they are of one mind to flee and leave the threat alone, shattering the glass of their friendship along the way.
My thoughts were interrupted when a flyer was slammed against my table and it took me seconds to collect myself and look at it. Seattle Grace Hospital is hosting a fund-raising activity on Friday night. All doctors, residents and interns are *required* to attend and are expected to *stay* throughout the event. It definitely left no room for excuses. Now I am positive that the hospital where I work has tilted way too far off from its axis to have such an event.
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Friday night found me sitting on a round table covered with silver and black table cloth and adorned with expensive Chinas. The chairs are covered with silver and black trimmings as well. Balloons of the same colors are taped on pillars, banisters and columns. This setting reminds me of my cousin’s wedding I attended a year ago.
Everyone apparently took this event seriously. Men are wearing suits and some are wearing an ensemble of coat and tie with dark slacks. Most of the women went with short evening cocktail dresses with muted colors, while others took it a little over the top by wearing sequined long gowns with matching trains which almost tripped me on my way here.
We even had our very own red carpet right at the entrance leading to the lobby. There were a couple of photographers capturing the event. They didn’t ask who we were wearing though coz if they did, I think I would rather die than say I got this dress from a thrift store across our apartment. I didn’t think they notice though. Frankly we all look like we’re being forced to dress up, attend, smile and pretend that we are about to enjoy the night.
I like my dress tonight. It’s cream, soft and silky and stops just below my knees. It has a crossover deep v-neck with open stitched trim. It’s sleeveless and my shoulders are covered with eyelet details and it makes me feel covered and vulnerable at the same time. My favorite part is the sash that ties around my empire waist and pleats at the center. It took me an hour to make a decent ribbon though and I keep on checking every 30 minutes if it is still holding up. I should have glued-stick it in position had I known it will torture me for the rest of the night.
Callie entered the lobby an hour later and I did a double take when I saw her. She’s breathtakingly beautiful. No wonder she’s late. It takes quite some time to emerge and look like THAT.
She is in RED. Fucking deep red and Callie is the only one bold enough to wear that color tonight. She stands up like a beacon of light among the boring colors swirling around her. She’s wearing a semi-sheer chiffon dress. It’s sleeveless just like mine but hers has a double low v-neck. The fabric pleats and twirls from her shoulder down to around the bust line and finally twist at the center to reveal a small amount of cleavage. From the twists and pleats around her breast area, the fabric falls down and drapes her body stopping just a few centimeters above her knees in a semi-asymmetric finish.
She completed her dress by wearing gold hoops on her ears. I don’t see any necklaces around her neck which I think is just right. Exposing her neck, collarbone and a little bit of cleavage is very bold and just as perfect. She’s the kind of girl who would do that and could pull it off successfully. Her curly, black hair flows freely around framing her beautiful face. She didn’t bother taming it with a clip. She’s holding a small gold purse that goes with her gold sandals with ankle straps. Judging from the height of those sandals, she’s standing 3 inches taller than usual. The one thing that caught my eye though is the exquisite and intricate gold armlet that is resting on her upper left arm; just the PERFECT accent to complete her outfit tonight.
Callie looks wild, bold and daring but the entire ensemble screams simplicity, femininity and delicateness just as well. She just topped my best-dressed list for tonight.
I am seated together with my 4 other fellow interns, Alex, Izzie, George and Christina. Callie scanned the crowd and since the only seats available were beside mine, another beside Dr. Erica Hahn and another beside the super weird Dr. Sydney Heron, she took the easiest route and sat beside me. I am definitely not honored though but personally, I would rather pick *me* than the two to spend the rest of this otherwise boring night with. But that’s just me. I’d like to point out that the old Callie would never think twice on where to sit and the old Hahn would wave to her and point down on a seat she just saved for her. But that was just from a memory, we are now dwelling in a very sick and tilted world of Callie and Erica.
I’m mustering up enough courage to tell Callie that I think this thing with her and Hahn is ridiculous and they should patch things up and let me back to my own world. I was about to part my lips only to be interrupted by the waiter to ask for our drinks.
I politely ask for a glass of red wine and Callie echoes my request and sighed. I don’t attempt to open my mouth this time because the courage I had a minute earlier vanished into thin air.
I look at her as she quietly zones out and stares straight ahead. Her eyes play around the stage positioned in front of the tables. It was arranged to have a podium at a corner, several mic stands, a baby grand, a drum set placed slightly at the back and 2 electric guitars parked on their own stands. There is a midnight blue backdrop hanging on the far end and lighting structures above just hanging below the ceiling. It looks like it will be a night filled with music as big speakers surround the stage as well.
I feel a set of eyes burning the side of my cheek. I look up and I saw Hahn staring right at me. At me? Did I forget something today? Maybe a patient? Is she silently telling me that I screwed up on something? I try to fidget nervously on my seat coz being on the receiving end of Dr. Erica Hahn’s gaze is unbearable. I straighten my back and saw her line of sight pass through me and fall on the person seated beside me. Oh. Stupid Lexie. Of course, she’s looking at *her*.
Callie must have forgotten her radar tonight. She seems oblivious to Hahn’s stare as she unconsciously traces the rim of her red wine glass over and over again. Her other elbow is propped on the table and her chin is resting on it. She looks bored obviously as she stares straight ahead. When I look back at Dr. Hahn, she is not staring anymore. She is in the middle of a conversation with Dr. Webber.
I’m getting depressed with these two.
I try to shake off the feeling and join in the conversation our own table is having. All nine of us except one are relaxed and laughing as we nurse our free alcoholic drinks.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
An hour later, Chief Webber delivered a moving speech about medicine, giving back and helping people. We all gave him a polite round of applause after that and we all settled back into our seats.
I groan inwardly when I see the graying and old Dr. Crawford take the podium. Surely, this won’t be another seminar on continuing medical education. I’m not done yet with my internship and I don’t need another doctor to tell me that there are still a LOT that I don’t know yet and the steady drone of his monotone voice would easily lull me to sleep. Perfect. Just perfect. This is what you get when you lose your right to pick out events you attend to.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce to you tonight the doctors who used to study under me in Florida. I saw them grow in my very own eyes, from lanky, teenaged med students to world renowned specialists in their chosen fields. This will be an opportunity for me to see them shed off their white coats and change ‘em to leather ones. Let us give a round of applause to “Doctors with Strong Causes!”
I forgot my own surprise when I heard a gasp louder than mine. Callie looks like she has seen a ghost. Both of her hands are covering her mouth that has somehow lost a jaw. I pull it up for her and she lets me. Her hands are visibly shaking and she remains shocked and a little bit pale as the band members starts to come up the stage.
“Are you alright?”
…
“Dr. Torres?”
“Yeah. Yeah. I’m fine.”
I send her a look saying she is acting weird tonight. She ignores me and stares directly at the vocalist.
The entire crowd was silent. I am not sure if event such as this is common here in Seattle Grace. Judging from the looks of residents, it is not. This is a first time for everybody. Chief Webber must be patting his back for a job well done albeit it is not in full swing yet.
The sexy vocalist sits himself in front of the baby grand positioning the mic stand before him as well. He gave the crowd a sly smile then counted from one to three.
The Chief went out with all the money to fund awesome speakers and amplifiers tonight. Percussion filled the entire lobby accompanied by a very distinct sound of the piano. And.. and.. and was that a violin?! Oh. My. God. I am having goose bumps all over.
I’m holding on your rope
got me ten feet off the ground…
I’m hearing what you say
But I can’t make a sound
My name is Lexie Grey and I think I’m in love with the vocalist.
You tell me that you need me
Then you go and cut me down, but wait
You tell me that you're sorry
Didn't think I'd turn around, and say...
He’s singing how it’s too late to apologize and he’s singing it with all his heart and with his blue eyes hidden beneath his eyelids edged with long, thick, black eyelashes.
I'd take another chance, take a fall
Take a shot for you
And I need you like a heart needs a beat
But thats nothin new
He opens his eyes as he says again that it’s too late to apologize now. His eyes sweep the crowd and rest on our table and then finally those eyes fall on Callie. I swear I can feel the intensity of those blue eyes and the caress of his hands on the ivories of the piano. He is not looking at me though. He is still looking at Callie. and Callie is fixed on him as she sips the liquid from her wine glass.
What the hell is going on?
His eyes are on her. Hers are on him. And everyone else’s including Hahn is transfixed on the stare match between the two.
The final note of “Apologize” ended and everything that happened after that was chaotic in my opinion.
The stage lights up like a computerized fireworks display.
There was a wild burst of applause.
Callie suddenly standing up muttering about getting another drink.
And the oh so sexy vocalist stands up and bows.
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