Doctors don't make promises, do they? (Callie/Erica, 11/?)
Title: Doctors don’t make promises, do they?
Author: Nelfy
Characters: Callie Torres, Erica Hahn, Callica ship, slight mentions of Mark, Christina and Addison
Summary: This fanfic shows what happened during the season 4 finale and goes further to explore the relationship between Callie and Erica.
Spoilers: Starts with the season 4 finale
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Characters belong to ABC and Shonda Rhimes
Previous chapters: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine, Chapter Ten
Author’s note: I am really sorry I made you wait for the update, the weekend went past like that *snaps finger*. Again, thanks for your comments, they keep me writing and happy!! As you might notice, I'm having difficulties with the tenses. I write everything in the past, but when I uses someone's POV, then I would write the thoughts in the present as well. Do you mind if I switch between past and present tense? Any advice how to handle that?
Chapter Eleven - The Prison
On Monday, Erica entered the scrub room, which was already occupied by two nurses, with an excited Cristina in tow.
"I'm telling you, she tamed him. Who would have thought that the woman who got cheated on in the first months of her marriage would tame the manwhore? McSteamy has stopped flirting with us, he hasn't picked up any woman at Joe's in ages and they spend all their lunch breaks together. Did you see them dancing at Joe’s last Friday? They were practically doing each other with their clothes on! I think they've just stopped having sex at the hospital because things are getting serious." Cristina noticed how Erica's whole body started to tense next to her, and when the older doctor turned to the two nurses, Cristina nearly ducked for cover.
"I am aware of the fact that this hospital is one giant soap opera, but I will not accept any rumor spreading in my OR. So if you can not focus your energy on my patient, whose life I am going to save today, then you are of no use to me. So go and tell Nurse Jones to scrub in and get out of my sight."
The young nurse looked shocked and stunned, but had enough will to live to scurry from the room.
"I am sorry, Dr. Hahn. I should have told her to stop talking."
"Will you concentrate on my patient, nurse Smith?"
"Yes, I will."
"Good. Go and prepare the instruments"
"Thank you, Dr. Hahn."
Nurse Smith left the scrub room and Cristina noticed in panic that she was alone with Dr. Hahn. Cristina had been scolded by the older doctor often enough to not want to experience that ever again.
"If you tell Callie about any of this, I will treat all the other first-year residents the way I've treated you in the past days. Which means that you won't see the inside of an OR in a while, let alone scrub in with me. Understood?" Cristina could tell that Erica was boiling inside, but she also sounded hurt. She doesn't think that that’s true, does she?
"You know that that's not true, right? Callie and Sloan are not dating."
"And why would I care?"
"Well, you would care because" the young doctor stopped, realizing that she wasn't supposed to know about Erica and Callie's relationship and their dates. "You don't. Right. You don't care."
"That's right, I don't care. I think we both know that Callie has had to deal with enough rumors and nurses gossiping about her, so if you are really her friend, then you know better than to tell her about that."
"I won't, I promise."
"Good. If you tell ANYONE about our conversation, I will perform a heart transplant on you - while you are awake. You got it?"
"Yes, Ma’am." Erica turned and entered the OR, leaving a stunned Cristina behind. The young doctor swallowed hard, then let out a long breath. Callie really makes Dr. Hahn human. Callie is her person!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Hey Beautiful." Mark sat down next to Callie, who was once again eating lunch alone.
"What do you want?" Callie asked, knowing fully well that Mark used his charm to get whatever it was that he needed.
"What, I can't compliment my beautiful friend without being accused of having any ulterior motives?" Callie just looked at Mark, eyebrows raised, waiting for him to say what he really was up to.
"Okay, alright. I need you to do a consult on one of my patients and convince her of having a surgery she refuses to have."
"Why does she refuse it? Is it medically necessary?"
"Well, not exactly. But it would really improve her quality of life, something she doesn't believe in any more."
"Okay. I have a surgery in an hour but it's only a fracture so I should be done by four. I'll page you?"
"Great! Thanks Callie."
"Just doing my job." Callie smiled at her friend, thankful that this relationship had not been messed up by sex.
The next day, Callie skipped lunch entirely, since Erica had once again canceled their date because of a consult. She went up to the psych ward on the third floor to one of the most quiet on-call rooms, in which, even though it was popular among the doctors, Callie was still able to get the most sleep. As she walked down the hallway, lost in thought and already half asleep, Callie bumped into a blond woman exiting one of the offices.
“Oh, sorry. Hey, Erica!” Callie smiled, happy that she had bumped into the one person she actually wanted to see right now.
“Oh, Callie. I was just getting a consult, I have to go, surgery.” Erica shot out, already turning to leave.
“Wait. Do you want to come to dinner tonight?” Callie asked, hoping that she would at least get to see her friend (girlfriend?) in the evening.
“Yes, sure. I’ll see you then, bye!” Barely pausing to answer Callie, Erica vanished around the next corner, a blush creeping across her face. She hurried to get to the staircase, then leaned against the door to catch her breath. Great! This is exactly what I need, Callie finding out that I’m a patient of Dr. Wyatt’s.
Meanwhile, Callie fell into an empty bed in a luckily empty on-call room, thinking ‘That was weird’ before she fell asleep, completely exhausted.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
(Erica’s POV)
At six, it was finally time to go home. Or Callie’s place.
I fished out my phone, pressing speed dial and waiting for Callie to pick up.
“Hey.”
“Hey you too.” I grinned, just hearing her voice made me feel better, even though I had probably humiliated myself by acting weird when we met today in the hallway. Callie wouldn’t know why I was in Dr. Wyatt’s office, I might as well have been getting a consult. I would have been better off by acting like a normal person instead of someone who actually needed therapy. Well, too late now.
“So, are you still coming for dinner?”
“Yes, if I’m still invited. Are you at home already?”
“Why wouldn’t you be? No, I’m changing right now, in the resident’s lounge.” My heart skipped a beat, imaging Callie changing her clothes, what underwear she was wearing. Stop that, Erica, focus!
“You still there?”
“Yes, sorry. I just need to check on a patient real quick and then shower and change as well, so why don’t we meet at your place? Or do you want to go out, I would invite you to that little Thai place I know.” I grinned at the thought of our first date and the wonderful food we had shared.
“Actually, I was thinking we could order some takeout and crash the couch, since you are no longer banned from the apartment. Is that okay with you?”
“Sounds great. So, I’ll meet you there in half an hour?”
“Can you give me a ride? I’m not sure whether Cristina is still at the hospital and since you are going to my place anyways, I thought we could ride together?” Not good. Not good at all. What would people think if they saw us leaving together? Maybe no one will notice. Ha, who am I kidding, this is Seattle Grace, someone always notices. Well, I can’t really say no, can I? Damn.
“Yes, sure. Let’s meet in the lobby, then.”
“Great, I can’t wait. Bye!”
“Bye” Shutting my phone, I tried not to think about what people would say. Some form of gossip or rumor was going to get formed, some nurse always came up with a nice story during the long hours of night shift.
I changed out of my scrubs and entered the bathroom, stepping under the shower. Turning the faucet far to the left, I let the hot water cascade over my back and wash away the tension of three surgeries. Three surgeries was not that much, considering that I had let Yang do most of the work. How Callie got me to let Yang scrub in was still a mystery to me, but when those big brown eyes look at me I feel like I could promise her the world and mean it. As cheesy as that sounds, Callie makes me want to be a better person and if that means letting Yang scrub in than so be it. I was actually surprised at first, at how well Yang knew what to do, knew how to make the incision and how to hold the instruments. Figures, since she had Burke as her teacher. I just hadn't thought that he had actually let her operate that much, I had assumed that she was his little kitten he used for his pleasure. Guess I was wrong.
When my head finally started to heat up, I turned the water off and hurried to change into my street clothes. I quickly checked on my critical patient, whose condition was still stable and then meet Callie in the lobby. Even in jeans and a shirt, Callie looked stunning and radiant. I almost told her, but stopped myself before I humiliated me even more and just led her out of the hospital to my car.
Callie’s idea of takeout was food that made me think of heart attacks, blood clots and double bypass surgeries. I tried to argue with her for five full minutes but gave up when she accused me of eating just as unhealthily as she did.
“I do eat sugar and fat, but at least I eat high-quality unhealthy food. The things you want to order don’t even taste good!”
“Hey, have you ever tried their peach cobbler? So good! Delicious, even!” Callie closed her eyes and moaned, putting on a show for me. I squinted at her, trying to look stern.
“You are fighting dirty. Let’s just order from both restaurants, we are doctors after all, we should be able to afford that!”
Callie smiled triumphantly, kissed me long and with lots of tongue and proceeded to order way too much food for two people.
“I hope those places deliver fast, I am really hungry by now.”
“Well, that’s because you skip lunch. That’s not good for your body.” Callie is cute when she is caring and protective, but I couldn't let her be. I am strong, I am independent and I can take care of myself well enough. I have to, if I am going to take care of her as well.
“Sometimes, the patient’s welfare is more important than mine. Plus, I had a sandwich in the afternoon, so don’t worry. I just want the food to arrive here fast.” Callie didn't ask about lunch any more, for which I was grateful, instead she offered me a bet.
“I bet five dollars on the unhealthy food” Never one to resist a bet, I replied “Five dollars and whoever wins gets to decided where our next date will be.”
“Deal” Callie stretched out her hand and I shook it and pulled her in for a kiss to seal the deal. We kissed for a few minutes, soft lingering kisses that don’t have to lead anywhere but make me feel great. I only missed the sex when I was single, which was pretty much all the time. Now, I wondered how I didn’t miss kissing, because when Callie kissed me, my world turned upside down.
When the door bell rang, we both looked up in surprise. Had we really just spent all this time kissing? I wasn’t twenty anymore, an age in which kissing for half an hour seemed appropriate, yet I couldn’t exactly complain about that either. I got up to get my purse, but Callie was faster and was already standing by the open door by the time I found my purse. She paid and closed the door, grinning a 100 watt smile at me. I looked at her hands and saw the bags with roosters on them and sighed. I guess that meant that I had lost the bet. I opened my purse, pulling out a five dollar bill and handed it to Callie. However, the smile that was plastered on her face more than made up for the money that I just had lost.
When the door bell rang the second times just a few minutes later, I answered the door, as my hot date was standing in the kitchen, putting the food on plates. Just as I was paying the delivery boy, Yang stepped off the elevator and made her way down the hallway and into the apartment.
“Hey Callie. Dr. Hahn.” She nodded at my direction and got herself a beer from the fridge. I shot her a look, very clearly reminding her of our conversation in the scrub room and she ducked her head. Yang knew not to get into my way or do anything other than what I said, so I was able to count on her not spreading any rumors on to Callie.
“Hey Cristina. Do you want to have dinner with us? I ordered way too much anyways, so there’s enough for everybody.”
“Hm, I’m not that hungry, but thanks. I think I’ll just go to my room.” I wasn’t exactly excited about spending my evening with Yang when I had already spent most of my day with her breathing down my neck, but Callie wouldn’t have it.
“Come on. I know you’re hungry, you always are when you come home from work. We’re not going to bite you, I swear.”
Yang looked at me for approval and when Callie saw that and looked at me as well, I could only nod. I wasn’t going to fight about Yang with Callie again, so I had to give in. “Okay then, lets move to the sofa, that’s more comfortable.”
We spent dinner watching the news and talking. Mainly me talking to Callie and Yang talking to Callie with very few words exchanged between me and Yang. When Yang was finished with eating and had put away her plates, she excused herself to her bedroom.
“Did something happen between the two of you?” Callie asked, observing my reaction closely. I immediately knew what she was trying to do and pulled up my defenses. Not letting any emotion on my face show, I replied “No, nothing happened. Unless you count the surgeries that I’ve been allowing her to perform. Why?” So completely innocent, I thought to myself.
“I saw the looks you were giving her.” Callie wouldn’t let the topic slip, so I came up with an easy excuse.
“Listen, just because I teach Yang now doesn’t mean that we are friends. Or will ever be friends. She’s just a resident who happens to be interested in cardio surgeries.”
“I’m a resident too and we are friends.” I raised my eyebrows at her wording, a sly grin forming on my lips.
“Friends? Right. You are practically an attending, and she’s still nearly an intern. You know that. I did what you asked me to do, I teach her, but you can’t ask me to be friends with her. I have friends, I don’t mind getting new ones if the chemistry is right, but I am most certainly not going to be friends with her. Now can we please change the topic?” If that didn’t make Callie back off, then I wouldn’t know what would.
“I’m sorry. You two just seem so weird and awkward around each other and I like you both, so I want you to get along. But you are right, I can’t make you be friends with her.” Callie leaned in and kissed me, but with Yang in the next room I only kissed her back for a second, accepting her peace-offering and then pulled away, pointing my head at Yang’s room. Callie sighed and rolled her eyes, a smile forming on her lips.
“Do you want to spend the night?” Really, Callie, really? “On your sofa? I think I have to decline this very attractive offer.” I answered, my voice dripping with sarcasm. Callie pouted and looked disappointed, but I would never spend a night on someone’s sofa if there was any way that I could go home. “Besides, what will Yang think?”
“She’s going to find out sooner or later anyways.”
“It better be later.” Callie looked at me disappointedly, then averted her eyes to hide her emotions. Damn. I reached forward, cupping her face in my right hand and brushing my thumb over her cheek.
“Look. I don’t trust Yang to not spread this” I used my other hand to point between Callie and myself “like a wildfire across the hospital. I just don’t want people talking about us, that’s all.” Omitting some parts of the truth is not lying, right? Right! Callie sighed, seemingly content with my explanation.
“I trust her, I really do. I just want to be able to tell my friends and Cristina happens to be one of my friends. I wish you could trust her too, or at least trust me enough to know who I can trust.” Trust, one more thing on my list of emotions that don’t go well with people. I sighed, unsure of what to say to her, taking my time to form a response in my head.
“Look, we agreed to take it slow. So let’s just take it slow and see how things evolve. I have surgery tomorrow morning, so I’m going to head home now. But thanks for dinner, it was very nice. I enjoy just spending time with you.”
Callie smiled at me shyly, making me want to take her home with me tonight. “Yeah, me too. I wish we could spend more time together, but with our schedules at the hospital I feel like I hardly see you anymore, at least at the hospital.” I had hoped that it would have taken her longer to figure out that I had been avoiding her, but it seemed like I underestimated her. I simply couldn’t have a relationship with her at work, not after Tess. I always learn from my mistakes, and if this meant I had to avoid Callie at work to not make the same mistake again then so be it.
When I didn't answer Callie, she leaned into me, kissing me again. We got up and cleaned up the living room table and the kitchen. As we said our goodbyes, the urge to stay became almost too great, but I knew that staying the night was simply not an option. We kissed goodbye and I headed out, back to my big and lonely house, that had never seemed lonely to me before Callie.
Somehow, every memory is filed either before or after Callie. My very personal BC and AC, I smile to myself. In the past, my thoughts would revolve around medicine all the time. Patients and surgeries were all I thought about. Now, thoughts of Callie and the time we spend together creep into my head constantly, even when I enter the OR I have to push her to the back of my mind. When I think of the patient's I've treated at Seattle Grace so far, they are either BC or AC. Andrew Langdon, or Cement Boy as he is referred to by almost every person in the hospital, is AC, but BK. Before the kiss. The kiss! Denny Duquette is AC. Mr. O'Malley is AC, even though she was very involved in this case. I wonder what would have happened if we had met back then, would we have become friends as well? Would we have fallen for each other? Would she not have gotten married to George? I guess she would have been with George regardless, we probably would not have been more than mere acquaintances. Some things might have been easier if we had become friends back then - we wouldn't have worked together, so I would have allowed myself to be more open with her. But then again, I might have fallen for her while she was getting married to him. We'll never know and I am just glad things worked themselves out the way they did, I ended up with Callie by my side and both Mark and George won't be able to get near her anymore.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Yes?/No? I’m working towards something, so this chapter and maybe the next will be used to fill the gaps. Any advice concerning the tenses?
Author: Nelfy
Characters: Callie Torres, Erica Hahn, Callica ship, slight mentions of Mark, Christina and Addison
Summary: This fanfic shows what happened during the season 4 finale and goes further to explore the relationship between Callie and Erica.
Spoilers: Starts with the season 4 finale
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Characters belong to ABC and Shonda Rhimes
Previous chapters: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine, Chapter Ten
Author’s note: I am really sorry I made you wait for the update, the weekend went past like that *snaps finger*. Again, thanks for your comments, they keep me writing and happy!! As you might notice, I'm having difficulties with the tenses. I write everything in the past, but when I uses someone's POV, then I would write the thoughts in the present as well. Do you mind if I switch between past and present tense? Any advice how to handle that?
Chapter Eleven - The Prison
On Monday, Erica entered the scrub room, which was already occupied by two nurses, with an excited Cristina in tow.
"I'm telling you, she tamed him. Who would have thought that the woman who got cheated on in the first months of her marriage would tame the manwhore? McSteamy has stopped flirting with us, he hasn't picked up any woman at Joe's in ages and they spend all their lunch breaks together. Did you see them dancing at Joe’s last Friday? They were practically doing each other with their clothes on! I think they've just stopped having sex at the hospital because things are getting serious." Cristina noticed how Erica's whole body started to tense next to her, and when the older doctor turned to the two nurses, Cristina nearly ducked for cover.
"I am aware of the fact that this hospital is one giant soap opera, but I will not accept any rumor spreading in my OR. So if you can not focus your energy on my patient, whose life I am going to save today, then you are of no use to me. So go and tell Nurse Jones to scrub in and get out of my sight."
The young nurse looked shocked and stunned, but had enough will to live to scurry from the room.
"I am sorry, Dr. Hahn. I should have told her to stop talking."
"Will you concentrate on my patient, nurse Smith?"
"Yes, I will."
"Good. Go and prepare the instruments"
"Thank you, Dr. Hahn."
Nurse Smith left the scrub room and Cristina noticed in panic that she was alone with Dr. Hahn. Cristina had been scolded by the older doctor often enough to not want to experience that ever again.
"If you tell Callie about any of this, I will treat all the other first-year residents the way I've treated you in the past days. Which means that you won't see the inside of an OR in a while, let alone scrub in with me. Understood?" Cristina could tell that Erica was boiling inside, but she also sounded hurt. She doesn't think that that’s true, does she?
"You know that that's not true, right? Callie and Sloan are not dating."
"And why would I care?"
"Well, you would care because" the young doctor stopped, realizing that she wasn't supposed to know about Erica and Callie's relationship and their dates. "You don't. Right. You don't care."
"That's right, I don't care. I think we both know that Callie has had to deal with enough rumors and nurses gossiping about her, so if you are really her friend, then you know better than to tell her about that."
"I won't, I promise."
"Good. If you tell ANYONE about our conversation, I will perform a heart transplant on you - while you are awake. You got it?"
"Yes, Ma’am." Erica turned and entered the OR, leaving a stunned Cristina behind. The young doctor swallowed hard, then let out a long breath. Callie really makes Dr. Hahn human. Callie is her person!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Hey Beautiful." Mark sat down next to Callie, who was once again eating lunch alone.
"What do you want?" Callie asked, knowing fully well that Mark used his charm to get whatever it was that he needed.
"What, I can't compliment my beautiful friend without being accused of having any ulterior motives?" Callie just looked at Mark, eyebrows raised, waiting for him to say what he really was up to.
"Okay, alright. I need you to do a consult on one of my patients and convince her of having a surgery she refuses to have."
"Why does she refuse it? Is it medically necessary?"
"Well, not exactly. But it would really improve her quality of life, something she doesn't believe in any more."
"Okay. I have a surgery in an hour but it's only a fracture so I should be done by four. I'll page you?"
"Great! Thanks Callie."
"Just doing my job." Callie smiled at her friend, thankful that this relationship had not been messed up by sex.
The next day, Callie skipped lunch entirely, since Erica had once again canceled their date because of a consult. She went up to the psych ward on the third floor to one of the most quiet on-call rooms, in which, even though it was popular among the doctors, Callie was still able to get the most sleep. As she walked down the hallway, lost in thought and already half asleep, Callie bumped into a blond woman exiting one of the offices.
“Oh, sorry. Hey, Erica!” Callie smiled, happy that she had bumped into the one person she actually wanted to see right now.
“Oh, Callie. I was just getting a consult, I have to go, surgery.” Erica shot out, already turning to leave.
“Wait. Do you want to come to dinner tonight?” Callie asked, hoping that she would at least get to see her friend (girlfriend?) in the evening.
“Yes, sure. I’ll see you then, bye!” Barely pausing to answer Callie, Erica vanished around the next corner, a blush creeping across her face. She hurried to get to the staircase, then leaned against the door to catch her breath. Great! This is exactly what I need, Callie finding out that I’m a patient of Dr. Wyatt’s.
Meanwhile, Callie fell into an empty bed in a luckily empty on-call room, thinking ‘That was weird’ before she fell asleep, completely exhausted.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
(Erica’s POV)
At six, it was finally time to go home. Or Callie’s place.
I fished out my phone, pressing speed dial and waiting for Callie to pick up.
“Hey.”
“Hey you too.” I grinned, just hearing her voice made me feel better, even though I had probably humiliated myself by acting weird when we met today in the hallway. Callie wouldn’t know why I was in Dr. Wyatt’s office, I might as well have been getting a consult. I would have been better off by acting like a normal person instead of someone who actually needed therapy. Well, too late now.
“So, are you still coming for dinner?”
“Yes, if I’m still invited. Are you at home already?”
“Why wouldn’t you be? No, I’m changing right now, in the resident’s lounge.” My heart skipped a beat, imaging Callie changing her clothes, what underwear she was wearing. Stop that, Erica, focus!
“You still there?”
“Yes, sorry. I just need to check on a patient real quick and then shower and change as well, so why don’t we meet at your place? Or do you want to go out, I would invite you to that little Thai place I know.” I grinned at the thought of our first date and the wonderful food we had shared.
“Actually, I was thinking we could order some takeout and crash the couch, since you are no longer banned from the apartment. Is that okay with you?”
“Sounds great. So, I’ll meet you there in half an hour?”
“Can you give me a ride? I’m not sure whether Cristina is still at the hospital and since you are going to my place anyways, I thought we could ride together?” Not good. Not good at all. What would people think if they saw us leaving together? Maybe no one will notice. Ha, who am I kidding, this is Seattle Grace, someone always notices. Well, I can’t really say no, can I? Damn.
“Yes, sure. Let’s meet in the lobby, then.”
“Great, I can’t wait. Bye!”
“Bye” Shutting my phone, I tried not to think about what people would say. Some form of gossip or rumor was going to get formed, some nurse always came up with a nice story during the long hours of night shift.
I changed out of my scrubs and entered the bathroom, stepping under the shower. Turning the faucet far to the left, I let the hot water cascade over my back and wash away the tension of three surgeries. Three surgeries was not that much, considering that I had let Yang do most of the work. How Callie got me to let Yang scrub in was still a mystery to me, but when those big brown eyes look at me I feel like I could promise her the world and mean it. As cheesy as that sounds, Callie makes me want to be a better person and if that means letting Yang scrub in than so be it. I was actually surprised at first, at how well Yang knew what to do, knew how to make the incision and how to hold the instruments. Figures, since she had Burke as her teacher. I just hadn't thought that he had actually let her operate that much, I had assumed that she was his little kitten he used for his pleasure. Guess I was wrong.
When my head finally started to heat up, I turned the water off and hurried to change into my street clothes. I quickly checked on my critical patient, whose condition was still stable and then meet Callie in the lobby. Even in jeans and a shirt, Callie looked stunning and radiant. I almost told her, but stopped myself before I humiliated me even more and just led her out of the hospital to my car.
Callie’s idea of takeout was food that made me think of heart attacks, blood clots and double bypass surgeries. I tried to argue with her for five full minutes but gave up when she accused me of eating just as unhealthily as she did.
“I do eat sugar and fat, but at least I eat high-quality unhealthy food. The things you want to order don’t even taste good!”
“Hey, have you ever tried their peach cobbler? So good! Delicious, even!” Callie closed her eyes and moaned, putting on a show for me. I squinted at her, trying to look stern.
“You are fighting dirty. Let’s just order from both restaurants, we are doctors after all, we should be able to afford that!”
Callie smiled triumphantly, kissed me long and with lots of tongue and proceeded to order way too much food for two people.
“I hope those places deliver fast, I am really hungry by now.”
“Well, that’s because you skip lunch. That’s not good for your body.” Callie is cute when she is caring and protective, but I couldn't let her be. I am strong, I am independent and I can take care of myself well enough. I have to, if I am going to take care of her as well.
“Sometimes, the patient’s welfare is more important than mine. Plus, I had a sandwich in the afternoon, so don’t worry. I just want the food to arrive here fast.” Callie didn't ask about lunch any more, for which I was grateful, instead she offered me a bet.
“I bet five dollars on the unhealthy food” Never one to resist a bet, I replied “Five dollars and whoever wins gets to decided where our next date will be.”
“Deal” Callie stretched out her hand and I shook it and pulled her in for a kiss to seal the deal. We kissed for a few minutes, soft lingering kisses that don’t have to lead anywhere but make me feel great. I only missed the sex when I was single, which was pretty much all the time. Now, I wondered how I didn’t miss kissing, because when Callie kissed me, my world turned upside down.
When the door bell rang, we both looked up in surprise. Had we really just spent all this time kissing? I wasn’t twenty anymore, an age in which kissing for half an hour seemed appropriate, yet I couldn’t exactly complain about that either. I got up to get my purse, but Callie was faster and was already standing by the open door by the time I found my purse. She paid and closed the door, grinning a 100 watt smile at me. I looked at her hands and saw the bags with roosters on them and sighed. I guess that meant that I had lost the bet. I opened my purse, pulling out a five dollar bill and handed it to Callie. However, the smile that was plastered on her face more than made up for the money that I just had lost.
When the door bell rang the second times just a few minutes later, I answered the door, as my hot date was standing in the kitchen, putting the food on plates. Just as I was paying the delivery boy, Yang stepped off the elevator and made her way down the hallway and into the apartment.
“Hey Callie. Dr. Hahn.” She nodded at my direction and got herself a beer from the fridge. I shot her a look, very clearly reminding her of our conversation in the scrub room and she ducked her head. Yang knew not to get into my way or do anything other than what I said, so I was able to count on her not spreading any rumors on to Callie.
“Hey Cristina. Do you want to have dinner with us? I ordered way too much anyways, so there’s enough for everybody.”
“Hm, I’m not that hungry, but thanks. I think I’ll just go to my room.” I wasn’t exactly excited about spending my evening with Yang when I had already spent most of my day with her breathing down my neck, but Callie wouldn’t have it.
“Come on. I know you’re hungry, you always are when you come home from work. We’re not going to bite you, I swear.”
Yang looked at me for approval and when Callie saw that and looked at me as well, I could only nod. I wasn’t going to fight about Yang with Callie again, so I had to give in. “Okay then, lets move to the sofa, that’s more comfortable.”
We spent dinner watching the news and talking. Mainly me talking to Callie and Yang talking to Callie with very few words exchanged between me and Yang. When Yang was finished with eating and had put away her plates, she excused herself to her bedroom.
“Did something happen between the two of you?” Callie asked, observing my reaction closely. I immediately knew what she was trying to do and pulled up my defenses. Not letting any emotion on my face show, I replied “No, nothing happened. Unless you count the surgeries that I’ve been allowing her to perform. Why?” So completely innocent, I thought to myself.
“I saw the looks you were giving her.” Callie wouldn’t let the topic slip, so I came up with an easy excuse.
“Listen, just because I teach Yang now doesn’t mean that we are friends. Or will ever be friends. She’s just a resident who happens to be interested in cardio surgeries.”
“I’m a resident too and we are friends.” I raised my eyebrows at her wording, a sly grin forming on my lips.
“Friends? Right. You are practically an attending, and she’s still nearly an intern. You know that. I did what you asked me to do, I teach her, but you can’t ask me to be friends with her. I have friends, I don’t mind getting new ones if the chemistry is right, but I am most certainly not going to be friends with her. Now can we please change the topic?” If that didn’t make Callie back off, then I wouldn’t know what would.
“I’m sorry. You two just seem so weird and awkward around each other and I like you both, so I want you to get along. But you are right, I can’t make you be friends with her.” Callie leaned in and kissed me, but with Yang in the next room I only kissed her back for a second, accepting her peace-offering and then pulled away, pointing my head at Yang’s room. Callie sighed and rolled her eyes, a smile forming on her lips.
“Do you want to spend the night?” Really, Callie, really? “On your sofa? I think I have to decline this very attractive offer.” I answered, my voice dripping with sarcasm. Callie pouted and looked disappointed, but I would never spend a night on someone’s sofa if there was any way that I could go home. “Besides, what will Yang think?”
“She’s going to find out sooner or later anyways.”
“It better be later.” Callie looked at me disappointedly, then averted her eyes to hide her emotions. Damn. I reached forward, cupping her face in my right hand and brushing my thumb over her cheek.
“Look. I don’t trust Yang to not spread this” I used my other hand to point between Callie and myself “like a wildfire across the hospital. I just don’t want people talking about us, that’s all.” Omitting some parts of the truth is not lying, right? Right! Callie sighed, seemingly content with my explanation.
“I trust her, I really do. I just want to be able to tell my friends and Cristina happens to be one of my friends. I wish you could trust her too, or at least trust me enough to know who I can trust.” Trust, one more thing on my list of emotions that don’t go well with people. I sighed, unsure of what to say to her, taking my time to form a response in my head.
“Look, we agreed to take it slow. So let’s just take it slow and see how things evolve. I have surgery tomorrow morning, so I’m going to head home now. But thanks for dinner, it was very nice. I enjoy just spending time with you.”
Callie smiled at me shyly, making me want to take her home with me tonight. “Yeah, me too. I wish we could spend more time together, but with our schedules at the hospital I feel like I hardly see you anymore, at least at the hospital.” I had hoped that it would have taken her longer to figure out that I had been avoiding her, but it seemed like I underestimated her. I simply couldn’t have a relationship with her at work, not after Tess. I always learn from my mistakes, and if this meant I had to avoid Callie at work to not make the same mistake again then so be it.
When I didn't answer Callie, she leaned into me, kissing me again. We got up and cleaned up the living room table and the kitchen. As we said our goodbyes, the urge to stay became almost too great, but I knew that staying the night was simply not an option. We kissed goodbye and I headed out, back to my big and lonely house, that had never seemed lonely to me before Callie.
Somehow, every memory is filed either before or after Callie. My very personal BC and AC, I smile to myself. In the past, my thoughts would revolve around medicine all the time. Patients and surgeries were all I thought about. Now, thoughts of Callie and the time we spend together creep into my head constantly, even when I enter the OR I have to push her to the back of my mind. When I think of the patient's I've treated at Seattle Grace so far, they are either BC or AC. Andrew Langdon, or Cement Boy as he is referred to by almost every person in the hospital, is AC, but BK. Before the kiss. The kiss! Denny Duquette is AC. Mr. O'Malley is AC, even though she was very involved in this case. I wonder what would have happened if we had met back then, would we have become friends as well? Would we have fallen for each other? Would she not have gotten married to George? I guess she would have been with George regardless, we probably would not have been more than mere acquaintances. Some things might have been easier if we had become friends back then - we wouldn't have worked together, so I would have allowed myself to be more open with her. But then again, I might have fallen for her while she was getting married to him. We'll never know and I am just glad things worked themselves out the way they did, I ended up with Callie by my side and both Mark and George won't be able to get near her anymore.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Yes?/No? I’m working towards something, so this chapter and maybe the next will be used to fill the gaps. Any advice concerning the tenses?