Let Your Love Show - Part 4
Title: Let Your Love Show - Part 4
Pairings: George and Callie
Author: Sarah
Rating: this part is R. Just for implied sexual activity. I'm conservative!
Summary: the gang copes with the aftermath of the events of "Wishin and Hopin."
Part 1: http://community.livejournal.com/ga_fanfic/381053.html#cutid1
Part 2: http://community.livejournal.com/ga_fanfic/385743.html#cutid1
Part 3: http://community.livejournal.com/ga_fanfic/386302.html#cutid1
The plotline in this chapter continues courtesy of burningeden's brilliant ideas. Thanks so much!
Visit our new Callie-centric community at: http://community.livejournal.com/callies_anatomy/
Both George and Callie were relieved to leave the hospital at the end of the day. Their second day out of their “Vegas Hotel Room Bubble” was even more stressful than the first, and they were both tired. They’d left a little later than his friends, so he and Callie had been able to enjoy a few quiet moments together in the locker room before heading out. Actually, it was more than just a few minutes, and it had been in the shower but why sweat the details, George thought to himself, smiling at the memory. There was something vaguely naughty about getting naked on hospital property, probably the thrill of getting caught, he reflected.
He had been pretty shocked when Callie initiated it, to tell the truth. They were sitting by themselves, side by side in the locker room holding hands when he decided that he’d better mention the confrontation with Olivia. He would have preferred to keep her from ever having to hear it but if they were going to have dinner with his friends, there was a good chance that someone might bring it up. If Callie was going to have to hear about it, he wanted it to be from him. So he’d told her about Olivia, leaving out the very worst parts and making sure that she understood that he’d made it clear he wouldn’t tolerate such behavior. Callie had seemed pretty embarrassed by the whole thing.
“Everyone heard?” she whispered, hanging her head a little bit, not meeting his eye.
“Everyone heard me tell them how much I loved you and that I didn’t want to hear anything bad about you. That’s what everyone heard,” he’d promised her, lifting her chin so he could look in her eyes. She looked incredibly sad, and her eyes were watery when she opened her mouth to speak.
“Thank you, George. Thank you for standing up for me. For us. It means a lot to me,” she said softly, a few tears beginning to flow.
“Hey, don’t cry,” he told her, pulling her to him. “I love you.” He held her tightly, wishing he could take the pain on himself, anything to keep her from feeling it herself. “I’ll always protect you. Always,” he repeated, pressing his face into her hair and inhaling deeply. She smelled incredible. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too, George. Let me show you,” she’d murmured, wiping away her tears and smiling at him. Then she stood, took him by the hand and pulled him into the shower room. Pressing her lips to his she had purred, “It makes me hot when you get protective, but things are about to get a lot hotter…”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“What are you thinking about?” Callie asked as they pulled out of the hospital parking lot. They’d driven her car that morning, and George had to admit- it was a nice car. He knew that she, as a senior resident, made a lot more money than he did, but things were not adding up. The car, the Vegas trip, the hotel. He hoped she wasn’t in credit card debt or anything. They never talked about that stuff. At least, she never did. He’d brought up his lack of cash and she was familiar with an intern’s salary, but she never volunteered anything about her situation. He guessed they’d have plenty of time to talk about that stuff, when the moment was right.
“George? Earth to George?” Callie was looking at him intently. “I asked you what you were thinking about.” Deep in thought, he hadn’t heard her question.
“Oh, sorry…I was thinking about you,” he leered at her a bit. “In the shower. That was fun.”
“Ah,” she said, breaking into a huge grin herself. “It was fun. I do think I’m going to have a nasty bruise on my back where you pushed me into the taps,” she teased. It HAD hurt a little.
“Sorry, I just got carried away. I’ll kiss it later to make it better, and you can punish me later too, if you want to,” he teased her, sliding his hand up her thigh.
“Oh, you’ll get yours,” she promised, nodding at him knowingly. “Just when you least expect it.”
“I can’t wait,” George grinned, his fingers toying with her belt buckle. She playful slapped his hand away, giving him a sidewise half-grin, half-smirk that drove him crazy.
“We should stop,” Callie blurted out suddenly.
“Stop what?” George asked her, slightly confused. He’d already quit pawing at her; he knew she was trying to drive.
“We should stop. Stop and get some wine for dinner tonight,” she suggested.
“Dinner,” he stated, his jaw clenching a little. “Yeah.”
“Izzie’s dinner - you remember,” Callie looked at him. “You’re going to break off a tooth or two if you don’t relax.”
“We don’t have to go,” he reminded her. “We owe Izzie nothing.”
“She’s your friend, George. She wants to celebrate with you. I thought you’d be happy,” she finished, taking his hand.
“I’d be happy if I believed her. If I trusted her. I want to believe that she’s happy for us, but I’ve seen too much evidence of her willingness to make trouble. I just don’t want you to get hurt, that’s all.”
“I’m a big girl, George. I can take care of myself,” she smiled at him, squeezing his hand. “The protective vibe is totally hot.”
“I’m feeling it a lot lately,” he admitted. He couldn’t stand the thought of anyone hurting Callie. It hurt him physically to think about it.
“I like it, but we’ll be fine,” she promised. “It will be fine,” she nodded, reaching over and playfully squeezing his crotch. George defending her was a total turn on.
“Oh, I like that,” he groaned. “Think we have time for some more of that before dinner?” he asked.
“Maybe, maybe. If you’re good,” she replied tweaking his nipple. “Better be good, George.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Izzie twirled the small white layer cake on the decorating stand, watching the colors of the flowers she decorated it with blurring together. A wedding cake. A wedding cake for George. It was supposed to be your wedding, the little voice in her head reminded her. She nodded, thinking of Denny. It was supposed to be her wedding. She was supposed to be the one with the wedding cake, not George. Certainly not George and Callie. OK, she knew she needed to stop right there. This destructive type of thinking was what had landed her in hot water with her best friend in the first place. This dinner was her peace offering and she needed to be psyching herself up to be happy for George and Callie, not standing here thinking of Denny and getting jealous.
Absentmindedly, Izzie stirred the sauce. She was making chicken marsala over penne pasta with sautéed vegetables. George liked Italian food; she hoped Callie did. She didn’t know much about Callie at all, she thought sadly. She’d never really even given Callie a chance. Thinking about her behavior of the last few months, Izzie felt ashamed. She should have tried harder to get to know George’s girlfriend, but truthfully she hadn’t thought that it would last. When Callie had broken up with George, he hadn’t seemed that upset about it, had he? Thinking back, she wasn’t sure; she had been a little wrapped up with herself, mourning Denny and her surgical career. She’d tried to be there for George, tried not to gloat too much when Callie slept with Sloan. It had just been a hard time for all of them. George’s father’s illness, her candy-striper duty at the hospital, and Burke’s tremor. She couldn’t honestly say that she had ever asked George how he was feeling about Callie. She guessed she should have. George had certainly run right to Callie after his father’s death. That was pretty telling. “He loves her,” she said aloud. “He does. I need to be a good friend.” Taking a deep breath, she promised herself that she would do her very best.
“Everything looks beautiful,” Meredith enthused, coming into the kitchen and dropping a brown grocery bag on the counter.
“Thanks,” Izzie stated quietly. “I’m trying.”
“I know you are honey, and I’m proud of you,” Meredith was beside her now. “I’m really proud of you.”
“I was so proud of George in the cafeteria today,” Izzie admitted. “He really stood up to Olivia,” she remembered, smirking a little before her expression turned serious. “I kinda felt like he was talking to me too.”
“Iz,” Meredith’s expression softened a bit. “George will forgive you. He will. He gets hurt easily, and it takes him some time, but he will eventually forgive you. I should know.”
“I know,” Izzie felt the tears beginning to come. “I just hate it when he’s mad at me. He didn’t want to come here tonight. Callie made him. I could tell. You should have seen the look on his face, Meredith. And the way he stepped in front of Callie when I walked into the room. He looked like he thought I might hurt her.”
“Well,” said, choosing her words carefully. “He kind of has a point. We’ve all been a little hurtful to Callie, I think. This is a good chance to turn that around.”
“Yeah,” Izzie nodded. “You’re right. Still,” she continued, giggling a little, “she tried to beat you up!”
“OK, OK,” Meredith laughed. “Point taken, but we’re about new beginnings tonight, right? George and Callie are married and we need to be happy for them. Promise me, Izzie.”
“I promise, Mer.” Izzie wiped the tears from her cheek, sniffling a little. She pulled Meredith in for a hug. “Thanks.”
Their moment was broken by the sound of heavy footsteps in the hallway. Derek strode across the hallway and entered the kitchen. “What did I miss?” he inquired, juggling a case of beer and a large bouquet of flowers.
“Nothing,” the girls spoken in unison and laughed. “Everything’s fine.”
“All right then,” continued Derek. “Who’s coming to this lovely occasion tonight?”
It’s just us. And George and Callie. Christina and Burke are working all night tonight, and uh, Addison can’t come either,” Izzie finished cautiously, watching Derek’s response.
“You invited my ex-wife,” Derek crossed his arms and cocked an eyebrow at Izzie. “Are you crazy?”
“Calm down McTwitchy. The McEx said she couldn’t come so just McRelax,” Izzie joked, hoping to lighten the mood. “I had to ask her. She’s Callie’s best friend. She’s Callie’s only friend. Oh! Did I just say that out loud?”
“Izzie…new beginnings,” Meredith warned her.
“I know, I know. It just slipped out,” Izzie looked sheepishly at Meredith. “What’s wrong with me?”
“Filters,” offered Derek.
“Excuse me?” Izzie was confused and a little annoyed. Derek talked too much.
“Filters. You don’t have any.” Derek continued, oblivious to the young woman’s irritation. “Filters might keep you from saying every little thing that pops into your head.”
“OK! Derek, I need you to help me get dressed for dinner,” Meredith chirped, desperate to change the subject. “Come upstairs with me?” she intoned, kissing him on the cheek. “Izzie, everything is going to be fine. We’ll be back to help you set the table in a little while, OK?” she asked, pulling Derek out of the kitchen.
When they were alone in the hallway, Meredith slapped Derek on the ass. “Don’t mess with Izzie tonight! She’s tense.”
“She should relax,” Derek stated, clearly a master of the obvious. “Why’s she so threatened by Dr. Torres?”
“She’s not. She’s fine. She’s Izzie,” Meredith finished. “Just try to understand. Pretend you understand, and DO NOT pick on her tonight, OK?”
“OK,” Derek agreed, pulling her to him for a kiss. “Now, did I hear you mention needing some help removing clothes? Or something?” he teased, picking Meredith up and throwing her over his shoulder. “We have a little time before dinner.” Giggling, the two of them made their way up the stairs and into Meredith’s room, leaving Izzie alone in the kitchen with her thoughts.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dinner had been lovely, George reflected. Izzie was on her best behavior, Meredith and Derek were appropriately gracious and the food had been delicious. Izzie was a great cook. She’d make someone a wonderful wife someday he thought, looking at his best friend. She looked sad, he realized. He knew she was probably thinking about Denny, And thinking how differently things would have turned out if Denny had lived. He felt his heart beginning to thaw a little toward her. She really was trying, but he needed to see more. He needed to see that she’d changed her attitude toward Callie. He needed to see that he no longer had to defend his wife to her.
After dinner the three women cleared the table together while he and Derek ventured outside in search of some firewood. He wasn’t entirely comfortable with Dr. Shepherd, but he appreciated Derek’s willingness to celebrate with him and Callie. He watched while Shepherd expertly built and stoked a fire in the stone fireplace. Satisfied with his handiwork, Derek strolled back into the kitchen to lure the women out in the family room. George took taken a seat on the loveseat, facing the fire, lost in thought. He thought of his father, and desperately wished his dad could be there to see him with Callie. The appearance of his bride drew him out of his thoughts and he found himself shocked by how beautiful she looked. Flanked by Meredith and Izzie as she entered the room, she seemed to glow, a tall, radiant vision in her dress and heels. Standing to greet her, he walked across the room and took her hand briefly before grabbing her waist and pulling her in for a kiss. “Hey, you” he whispered.
Callie smiled at George and then at his friends. “Thanks for inviting us here tonight. It really means a lot.”
“You aren’t leaving are you?” asked Izzie. “We’ve got a fire, there’s still wine left, and Derek brought booze. Sit down. Stay.” She smiled at Meredith as if to say: see, I’m trying!
“Yeah, stay!” Meredith suggested. “We want to hear more about your wedding.”
“Sure, OK.” George replied, looking at Callie hesitantly. She smiled and nodded her approval. “We’ll stay,” he agreed, taking his seat on the loveseat. Callie snuggled in beside him and crossed her legs toward him, tucking her foot behind his leg. He placed his hand on her knee and squeezed gently.
“Tell us all about it,” Meredith took a seat on the couch with Derek. “Every detail.”
“Every detail?” asked George. “OK…Callie, help me out here.”
“Well, it was at the Chapel of the Bells. The same place that Kelly Ripa got married? From Regis and Kelly? We made the reservation before we left. George asked me in the middle of the night, and so we just drove to the airport and bought our tickets and we went. It was my idea. George wanted to go to the courthouse, but he had some time off coming at work and I thought this would be more fun,” she continued. “I know it sounds horribly impulsive and I guess it was, but it just seemed like the right thing to do.”
“It was the right thing to do,” George interrupted, leaning over for a quick kiss. “We flew first class. It was great. We stayed at the Bellagio, in one of their honeymoon suites. We didn’t have much time to pack, and Callie didn’t have a dress but there were some shops in the lobby of the hotel and she found something she could wear. She looked so beautiful. What was the name of the store, Cal? It started with an A.”
“Um, Armani,” Callie shifted uncomfortably. She saw the girls’ eyebrows go up at the mention of the couture label. This was not the direction she’d wanted the conversation to go.
“The dress, it was kind of shiny. Cream colored shiny things with some gold. I’m not really good at that part.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Callie interjected, really wanting to change the subject. George looked adorable in his suit. So handsome. The ceremony…it was short. They don’t give you too much time in there, at the chapel. But it was perfect. Very romantic.”
George took back over, eager to continue. “After the ceremony we took a limo back to the hotel and had dinner in a great restaurant. I’m not even sure what we ate; it was pretty fancy. Callie ordered. What was the name of that place?”
This was not good, she thought. George was telling them too much. He was like a kid recounting his first trip to the circus. She knew someone was going to ask the inevitable question. Resigned, she answered, “Le Cirque.” And then it happened.
“OK,” said Derek, sitting up straight. “I have to ask this. Vegas is expensive. Too expensive. And what you’re describing, well that is pretty much four star and above. The Bellagio? Le Cirque? Armani? And you stayed a week? Now, I haven’t been to Las Vegas in a while, but I’m sure it hasn’t gotten any cheaper. O’Malley, how on earth did you swing this? If an intern is making enough to pay for a first class week in Vegas, then I need to renegotiate my contract,” he chuckled, only halfway joking.
Callie looked at her hands. It had happened. Shit! She looked at George, whose face had fallen considerably from his glee of a moment ago. Quietly he muttered, “Callie paid for it all.”
Callie felt sick to her stomach. Everyone was staring at her, in surprise. George’s face was ashen and he looked like he wanted to crawl under the sofa. He was obviously a little embarrassed. She’d been foolish to hope no one would ask the obvious question. Now she was going to have to answer some more uncomfortable questions, no doubt. She took a deep breath, setting down her glass of wine and sitting up straight.
“I guess there are some things I should tell you all about myself.”
Pairings: George and Callie
Author: Sarah
Rating: this part is R. Just for implied sexual activity. I'm conservative!
Summary: the gang copes with the aftermath of the events of "Wishin and Hopin."
Part 1: http://community.livejournal.com/ga_fanfic/381053.html#cutid1
Part 2: http://community.livejournal.com/ga_fanfic/385743.html#cutid1
Part 3: http://community.livejournal.com/ga_fanfic/386302.html#cutid1
The plotline in this chapter continues courtesy of burningeden's brilliant ideas. Thanks so much!
Visit our new Callie-centric community at: http://community.livejournal.com/callies_anatomy/
Both George and Callie were relieved to leave the hospital at the end of the day. Their second day out of their “Vegas Hotel Room Bubble” was even more stressful than the first, and they were both tired. They’d left a little later than his friends, so he and Callie had been able to enjoy a few quiet moments together in the locker room before heading out. Actually, it was more than just a few minutes, and it had been in the shower but why sweat the details, George thought to himself, smiling at the memory. There was something vaguely naughty about getting naked on hospital property, probably the thrill of getting caught, he reflected.
He had been pretty shocked when Callie initiated it, to tell the truth. They were sitting by themselves, side by side in the locker room holding hands when he decided that he’d better mention the confrontation with Olivia. He would have preferred to keep her from ever having to hear it but if they were going to have dinner with his friends, there was a good chance that someone might bring it up. If Callie was going to have to hear about it, he wanted it to be from him. So he’d told her about Olivia, leaving out the very worst parts and making sure that she understood that he’d made it clear he wouldn’t tolerate such behavior. Callie had seemed pretty embarrassed by the whole thing.
“Everyone heard?” she whispered, hanging her head a little bit, not meeting his eye.
“Everyone heard me tell them how much I loved you and that I didn’t want to hear anything bad about you. That’s what everyone heard,” he’d promised her, lifting her chin so he could look in her eyes. She looked incredibly sad, and her eyes were watery when she opened her mouth to speak.
“Thank you, George. Thank you for standing up for me. For us. It means a lot to me,” she said softly, a few tears beginning to flow.
“Hey, don’t cry,” he told her, pulling her to him. “I love you.” He held her tightly, wishing he could take the pain on himself, anything to keep her from feeling it herself. “I’ll always protect you. Always,” he repeated, pressing his face into her hair and inhaling deeply. She smelled incredible. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too, George. Let me show you,” she’d murmured, wiping away her tears and smiling at him. Then she stood, took him by the hand and pulled him into the shower room. Pressing her lips to his she had purred, “It makes me hot when you get protective, but things are about to get a lot hotter…”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“What are you thinking about?” Callie asked as they pulled out of the hospital parking lot. They’d driven her car that morning, and George had to admit- it was a nice car. He knew that she, as a senior resident, made a lot more money than he did, but things were not adding up. The car, the Vegas trip, the hotel. He hoped she wasn’t in credit card debt or anything. They never talked about that stuff. At least, she never did. He’d brought up his lack of cash and she was familiar with an intern’s salary, but she never volunteered anything about her situation. He guessed they’d have plenty of time to talk about that stuff, when the moment was right.
“George? Earth to George?” Callie was looking at him intently. “I asked you what you were thinking about.” Deep in thought, he hadn’t heard her question.
“Oh, sorry…I was thinking about you,” he leered at her a bit. “In the shower. That was fun.”
“Ah,” she said, breaking into a huge grin herself. “It was fun. I do think I’m going to have a nasty bruise on my back where you pushed me into the taps,” she teased. It HAD hurt a little.
“Sorry, I just got carried away. I’ll kiss it later to make it better, and you can punish me later too, if you want to,” he teased her, sliding his hand up her thigh.
“Oh, you’ll get yours,” she promised, nodding at him knowingly. “Just when you least expect it.”
“I can’t wait,” George grinned, his fingers toying with her belt buckle. She playful slapped his hand away, giving him a sidewise half-grin, half-smirk that drove him crazy.
“We should stop,” Callie blurted out suddenly.
“Stop what?” George asked her, slightly confused. He’d already quit pawing at her; he knew she was trying to drive.
“We should stop. Stop and get some wine for dinner tonight,” she suggested.
“Dinner,” he stated, his jaw clenching a little. “Yeah.”
“Izzie’s dinner - you remember,” Callie looked at him. “You’re going to break off a tooth or two if you don’t relax.”
“We don’t have to go,” he reminded her. “We owe Izzie nothing.”
“She’s your friend, George. She wants to celebrate with you. I thought you’d be happy,” she finished, taking his hand.
“I’d be happy if I believed her. If I trusted her. I want to believe that she’s happy for us, but I’ve seen too much evidence of her willingness to make trouble. I just don’t want you to get hurt, that’s all.”
“I’m a big girl, George. I can take care of myself,” she smiled at him, squeezing his hand. “The protective vibe is totally hot.”
“I’m feeling it a lot lately,” he admitted. He couldn’t stand the thought of anyone hurting Callie. It hurt him physically to think about it.
“I like it, but we’ll be fine,” she promised. “It will be fine,” she nodded, reaching over and playfully squeezing his crotch. George defending her was a total turn on.
“Oh, I like that,” he groaned. “Think we have time for some more of that before dinner?” he asked.
“Maybe, maybe. If you’re good,” she replied tweaking his nipple. “Better be good, George.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Izzie twirled the small white layer cake on the decorating stand, watching the colors of the flowers she decorated it with blurring together. A wedding cake. A wedding cake for George. It was supposed to be your wedding, the little voice in her head reminded her. She nodded, thinking of Denny. It was supposed to be her wedding. She was supposed to be the one with the wedding cake, not George. Certainly not George and Callie. OK, she knew she needed to stop right there. This destructive type of thinking was what had landed her in hot water with her best friend in the first place. This dinner was her peace offering and she needed to be psyching herself up to be happy for George and Callie, not standing here thinking of Denny and getting jealous.
Absentmindedly, Izzie stirred the sauce. She was making chicken marsala over penne pasta with sautéed vegetables. George liked Italian food; she hoped Callie did. She didn’t know much about Callie at all, she thought sadly. She’d never really even given Callie a chance. Thinking about her behavior of the last few months, Izzie felt ashamed. She should have tried harder to get to know George’s girlfriend, but truthfully she hadn’t thought that it would last. When Callie had broken up with George, he hadn’t seemed that upset about it, had he? Thinking back, she wasn’t sure; she had been a little wrapped up with herself, mourning Denny and her surgical career. She’d tried to be there for George, tried not to gloat too much when Callie slept with Sloan. It had just been a hard time for all of them. George’s father’s illness, her candy-striper duty at the hospital, and Burke’s tremor. She couldn’t honestly say that she had ever asked George how he was feeling about Callie. She guessed she should have. George had certainly run right to Callie after his father’s death. That was pretty telling. “He loves her,” she said aloud. “He does. I need to be a good friend.” Taking a deep breath, she promised herself that she would do her very best.
“Everything looks beautiful,” Meredith enthused, coming into the kitchen and dropping a brown grocery bag on the counter.
“Thanks,” Izzie stated quietly. “I’m trying.”
“I know you are honey, and I’m proud of you,” Meredith was beside her now. “I’m really proud of you.”
“I was so proud of George in the cafeteria today,” Izzie admitted. “He really stood up to Olivia,” she remembered, smirking a little before her expression turned serious. “I kinda felt like he was talking to me too.”
“Iz,” Meredith’s expression softened a bit. “George will forgive you. He will. He gets hurt easily, and it takes him some time, but he will eventually forgive you. I should know.”
“I know,” Izzie felt the tears beginning to come. “I just hate it when he’s mad at me. He didn’t want to come here tonight. Callie made him. I could tell. You should have seen the look on his face, Meredith. And the way he stepped in front of Callie when I walked into the room. He looked like he thought I might hurt her.”
“Well,” said, choosing her words carefully. “He kind of has a point. We’ve all been a little hurtful to Callie, I think. This is a good chance to turn that around.”
“Yeah,” Izzie nodded. “You’re right. Still,” she continued, giggling a little, “she tried to beat you up!”
“OK, OK,” Meredith laughed. “Point taken, but we’re about new beginnings tonight, right? George and Callie are married and we need to be happy for them. Promise me, Izzie.”
“I promise, Mer.” Izzie wiped the tears from her cheek, sniffling a little. She pulled Meredith in for a hug. “Thanks.”
Their moment was broken by the sound of heavy footsteps in the hallway. Derek strode across the hallway and entered the kitchen. “What did I miss?” he inquired, juggling a case of beer and a large bouquet of flowers.
“Nothing,” the girls spoken in unison and laughed. “Everything’s fine.”
“All right then,” continued Derek. “Who’s coming to this lovely occasion tonight?”
It’s just us. And George and Callie. Christina and Burke are working all night tonight, and uh, Addison can’t come either,” Izzie finished cautiously, watching Derek’s response.
“You invited my ex-wife,” Derek crossed his arms and cocked an eyebrow at Izzie. “Are you crazy?”
“Calm down McTwitchy. The McEx said she couldn’t come so just McRelax,” Izzie joked, hoping to lighten the mood. “I had to ask her. She’s Callie’s best friend. She’s Callie’s only friend. Oh! Did I just say that out loud?”
“Izzie…new beginnings,” Meredith warned her.
“I know, I know. It just slipped out,” Izzie looked sheepishly at Meredith. “What’s wrong with me?”
“Filters,” offered Derek.
“Excuse me?” Izzie was confused and a little annoyed. Derek talked too much.
“Filters. You don’t have any.” Derek continued, oblivious to the young woman’s irritation. “Filters might keep you from saying every little thing that pops into your head.”
“OK! Derek, I need you to help me get dressed for dinner,” Meredith chirped, desperate to change the subject. “Come upstairs with me?” she intoned, kissing him on the cheek. “Izzie, everything is going to be fine. We’ll be back to help you set the table in a little while, OK?” she asked, pulling Derek out of the kitchen.
When they were alone in the hallway, Meredith slapped Derek on the ass. “Don’t mess with Izzie tonight! She’s tense.”
“She should relax,” Derek stated, clearly a master of the obvious. “Why’s she so threatened by Dr. Torres?”
“She’s not. She’s fine. She’s Izzie,” Meredith finished. “Just try to understand. Pretend you understand, and DO NOT pick on her tonight, OK?”
“OK,” Derek agreed, pulling her to him for a kiss. “Now, did I hear you mention needing some help removing clothes? Or something?” he teased, picking Meredith up and throwing her over his shoulder. “We have a little time before dinner.” Giggling, the two of them made their way up the stairs and into Meredith’s room, leaving Izzie alone in the kitchen with her thoughts.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dinner had been lovely, George reflected. Izzie was on her best behavior, Meredith and Derek were appropriately gracious and the food had been delicious. Izzie was a great cook. She’d make someone a wonderful wife someday he thought, looking at his best friend. She looked sad, he realized. He knew she was probably thinking about Denny, And thinking how differently things would have turned out if Denny had lived. He felt his heart beginning to thaw a little toward her. She really was trying, but he needed to see more. He needed to see that she’d changed her attitude toward Callie. He needed to see that he no longer had to defend his wife to her.
After dinner the three women cleared the table together while he and Derek ventured outside in search of some firewood. He wasn’t entirely comfortable with Dr. Shepherd, but he appreciated Derek’s willingness to celebrate with him and Callie. He watched while Shepherd expertly built and stoked a fire in the stone fireplace. Satisfied with his handiwork, Derek strolled back into the kitchen to lure the women out in the family room. George took taken a seat on the loveseat, facing the fire, lost in thought. He thought of his father, and desperately wished his dad could be there to see him with Callie. The appearance of his bride drew him out of his thoughts and he found himself shocked by how beautiful she looked. Flanked by Meredith and Izzie as she entered the room, she seemed to glow, a tall, radiant vision in her dress and heels. Standing to greet her, he walked across the room and took her hand briefly before grabbing her waist and pulling her in for a kiss. “Hey, you” he whispered.
Callie smiled at George and then at his friends. “Thanks for inviting us here tonight. It really means a lot.”
“You aren’t leaving are you?” asked Izzie. “We’ve got a fire, there’s still wine left, and Derek brought booze. Sit down. Stay.” She smiled at Meredith as if to say: see, I’m trying!
“Yeah, stay!” Meredith suggested. “We want to hear more about your wedding.”
“Sure, OK.” George replied, looking at Callie hesitantly. She smiled and nodded her approval. “We’ll stay,” he agreed, taking his seat on the loveseat. Callie snuggled in beside him and crossed her legs toward him, tucking her foot behind his leg. He placed his hand on her knee and squeezed gently.
“Tell us all about it,” Meredith took a seat on the couch with Derek. “Every detail.”
“Every detail?” asked George. “OK…Callie, help me out here.”
“Well, it was at the Chapel of the Bells. The same place that Kelly Ripa got married? From Regis and Kelly? We made the reservation before we left. George asked me in the middle of the night, and so we just drove to the airport and bought our tickets and we went. It was my idea. George wanted to go to the courthouse, but he had some time off coming at work and I thought this would be more fun,” she continued. “I know it sounds horribly impulsive and I guess it was, but it just seemed like the right thing to do.”
“It was the right thing to do,” George interrupted, leaning over for a quick kiss. “We flew first class. It was great. We stayed at the Bellagio, in one of their honeymoon suites. We didn’t have much time to pack, and Callie didn’t have a dress but there were some shops in the lobby of the hotel and she found something she could wear. She looked so beautiful. What was the name of the store, Cal? It started with an A.”
“Um, Armani,” Callie shifted uncomfortably. She saw the girls’ eyebrows go up at the mention of the couture label. This was not the direction she’d wanted the conversation to go.
“The dress, it was kind of shiny. Cream colored shiny things with some gold. I’m not really good at that part.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Callie interjected, really wanting to change the subject. George looked adorable in his suit. So handsome. The ceremony…it was short. They don’t give you too much time in there, at the chapel. But it was perfect. Very romantic.”
George took back over, eager to continue. “After the ceremony we took a limo back to the hotel and had dinner in a great restaurant. I’m not even sure what we ate; it was pretty fancy. Callie ordered. What was the name of that place?”
This was not good, she thought. George was telling them too much. He was like a kid recounting his first trip to the circus. She knew someone was going to ask the inevitable question. Resigned, she answered, “Le Cirque.” And then it happened.
“OK,” said Derek, sitting up straight. “I have to ask this. Vegas is expensive. Too expensive. And what you’re describing, well that is pretty much four star and above. The Bellagio? Le Cirque? Armani? And you stayed a week? Now, I haven’t been to Las Vegas in a while, but I’m sure it hasn’t gotten any cheaper. O’Malley, how on earth did you swing this? If an intern is making enough to pay for a first class week in Vegas, then I need to renegotiate my contract,” he chuckled, only halfway joking.
Callie looked at her hands. It had happened. Shit! She looked at George, whose face had fallen considerably from his glee of a moment ago. Quietly he muttered, “Callie paid for it all.”
Callie felt sick to her stomach. Everyone was staring at her, in surprise. George’s face was ashen and he looked like he wanted to crawl under the sofa. He was obviously a little embarrassed. She’d been foolish to hope no one would ask the obvious question. Now she was going to have to answer some more uncomfortable questions, no doubt. She took a deep breath, setting down her glass of wine and sitting up straight.
“I guess there are some things I should tell you all about myself.”