Lines - Grey's Anatomy fanfic - Mark/Callie - 3/3
Callie awoke in the morning sore and stiff, but very warm. She usually slept in very little clothing, if any at all, and she had a tendency to kick all of the covers off of herself over the course of the night. Because of this, Callie was usually freezing in the mornings. On this morning, despite her usual lack of clothing, she was nice and warm. Still very groggy, she wondered why. Had the heater kicked on with more strength? That wouldn’t make much sense, she hadn’t changed any settings. It was then that she recognized that her pillow felt strange. In fact, it was moving. Up and down, very slowly. Rising and falling.
Turning slowly with wide eyes, Callie found a sleeping Mark Sloan was her pillow. He must have been her source of warmth.
“Shit,” Callie whispered.
Mark had spent the night. The line had been crossed. Callie struggled to remember the previous night’s events. The dancing. The kiss beneath the mistletoe. The confession in her kitchen. The, dare she call it, love making. She began to smile, until she realized one key problem.
Mark hadn’t said jack shit to her last night.
After Callie had confessed her feelings for him, Mark had kissed her, but he had never said anything back.
He must not feel the same way, Callie realized with a sinking disappointment.
“He regrets it,” she muttered in her quietest voice.
Callie knew she shouldn’t have told him.
Fucking Addison had told her she should. That she knew Mark, and he wanted Callie. But what did Addison really know? Didn’t Mark cheat on her, anyway?
Callie slowly and quietly removed herself from Mark’s hold, careful not to wake him. She slipped on her clothes, grabbed her purse, and left her apartment without looking back.
* * *
All day at the hospital, Callie avoided Mark. A large part of her wanted to call up Addison and scream about how wrong she had been. But mostly, she didn’t want to talk to her. She was too upset. Mark didn’t reciprocate her feelings. Callie had made a fool of herself once again, and in the process, probably lost her best friend. He didn’t feel the same - if he had, he would have said as much when she confessed her feelings. She ruined it. It was all she seemed to do when it came to matters of love.
Callie purposely ignored the usage of the “L” word as it passed through her thoughts.
Damn that Mark Sloan.
Every time she turned a corner, she saw him and had to go the opposite direction. She skipped lunch to avoid seeing him in the cafeteria. She was becoming an expert at avoidance. But Callie couldn’t handle the anticipated pitying looks she just knew he would give her.
She checked on patients non-stop, and, at one point, she even hid in a storage closet. But as wonderful as empty syringes and bedpans were, she was getting tired of hiding.
Luckily for Callie, she was called into emergency surgery. She’d never been so pleased for broken bones. This way Mark couldn’t possible try and get a hold of her.
Unfortunately for Callie, she was very wrong.
The operation was going well. She installed a metal rod in the man’s leg with ease and moved on to the patient’s heavily injured arm. She glanced up just as she was beginning to get somewhere and noticed Mark standing in the gallery, arms crossed, looking pissed. Callie narrowed her eyes and went back to work. She ignored him and fixed bones, as usual, still completely on her game.
That was, until Mark’s voice filtered through the speakers.
“Dr. Torres,” he said loudly over the comm., “I need to talk to you.”
“Dr. Sloan,” Callie began testily, “Can this not wait until I am out of surgery?”
“Well, Dr. Torres, if you wouldn’t avoid me outside of surgery, we wouldn’t have this problem, would we?”
“Did you ever think, Dr. Sloan, that I was avoiding you because I simply don’t want to see you?”
“Callie, I-”
She cut him off, “Call me Dr. Torres, please. I’d rather keep things professional.” She was pissed now.
“Callie,” Mark said with more force. “I will be waiting for you in the attending’s lounge when you get out of surgery. Please meet me there and talk to me.”
Callie sighed heavily. “Fine.”
The rest of the surgery passed in a blur. Albeit, a successful blur, but a blur nonetheless. She was distracted by the anxiety consuming her over her upcoming meeting with Mark. There was no avoiding him now. The interns and scrub nurses were giving her funny looks. She knew there would be gossip filtering through the hallways the moment surgery ended.
She let one of the residents close, observing, and it was all over. She headed to the attending’s lounge. It was empty except for Mark, and Callie had a feeling he had made sure it would be.
“Hey,” he said gruffly.
“Hi,” Callie replied in a small voice.
“So, Torres,” he began. “Why have you been avoiding me? You were gone when I woke up this morning…”
“Because you must regret last night,” she said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Because you never said anything back after I said…all that… like an idiot.”
“You’re not an idiot, Cal.”
“Sure I am! I married an adulterous intern! I got into a relationship with a woman I knew it would never work out with. To top it off, I fell for my best friend! And then I went and told you about it like the idiot I am all because your ex-lover was convinced you felt the same!”
“Callie, I-”
She cut him off, “Don’t say anything, okay? Just let me go back to avoiding with you for a while because I can’t deal with this.”
“Callie,” Mark said firmly, “I do feel the same.”
“Don’t try to make me feel better, Sloan.”
“Torres, I’m not lying to you! I want more, too.”
Callie blinked. “Then why didn’t you say anything?”
Mark sighed. “I thought my response said enough?”
“Your response said you wanted to get laid.”
“That’s not really how it was intended.”
Callie crossed her arms and remained firmly planted on the other side of the room. Mark approached her slowly, and she remained stiffly still. He stepped closer and stroked her arm.
“C’mon, Cal. Please. You know I want you.”
“How would I know that?” she whispered.
“You’re the reason Lexie and I never worked. I’ve wanted you since before you were with Hahn! I’ve kinda loved you for a while, Torres.”
Callie’s eyes widened. “Don’t say that if you don’t mean it, Mark. Please don’t say that if you don’t mean it.
Mark let out a breathy chuckle. “I mean it, Callie.”
With that, Callie flung her arms around him and buried her head in his chest, trying in vain not to cry.
Mark laughed, louder this time, and rubbed her back soothingly.
Callie spoke quietly into his chest, muffled a little by the material of his scrubs, “Love you, too.”
Mark held her tighter.
After a few minutes like this, Mark spoke up, “So…you want to get dinner?”
“Mm,” Callie nodded into his chest. “Our usual place?”
“Sounds good,” Mark smiled.
He took one finger and lifted her chin. Mark grinned and kissed her soundly on the lips.
“Does this mean I can start spending the night without reprimand?” Mark inquired.
“Hmm…” Callie pondered. “I guess I kind of like you there.”
“Then I will kind of be there anytime.”
Suddenly, Callie was kind of glad that she’d let those lines blur.
Turning slowly with wide eyes, Callie found a sleeping Mark Sloan was her pillow. He must have been her source of warmth.
“Shit,” Callie whispered.
Mark had spent the night. The line had been crossed. Callie struggled to remember the previous night’s events. The dancing. The kiss beneath the mistletoe. The confession in her kitchen. The, dare she call it, love making. She began to smile, until she realized one key problem.
Mark hadn’t said jack shit to her last night.
After Callie had confessed her feelings for him, Mark had kissed her, but he had never said anything back.
He must not feel the same way, Callie realized with a sinking disappointment.
“He regrets it,” she muttered in her quietest voice.
Callie knew she shouldn’t have told him.
Fucking Addison had told her she should. That she knew Mark, and he wanted Callie. But what did Addison really know? Didn’t Mark cheat on her, anyway?
Callie slowly and quietly removed herself from Mark’s hold, careful not to wake him. She slipped on her clothes, grabbed her purse, and left her apartment without looking back.
* * *
All day at the hospital, Callie avoided Mark. A large part of her wanted to call up Addison and scream about how wrong she had been. But mostly, she didn’t want to talk to her. She was too upset. Mark didn’t reciprocate her feelings. Callie had made a fool of herself once again, and in the process, probably lost her best friend. He didn’t feel the same - if he had, he would have said as much when she confessed her feelings. She ruined it. It was all she seemed to do when it came to matters of love.
Callie purposely ignored the usage of the “L” word as it passed through her thoughts.
Damn that Mark Sloan.
Every time she turned a corner, she saw him and had to go the opposite direction. She skipped lunch to avoid seeing him in the cafeteria. She was becoming an expert at avoidance. But Callie couldn’t handle the anticipated pitying looks she just knew he would give her.
She checked on patients non-stop, and, at one point, she even hid in a storage closet. But as wonderful as empty syringes and bedpans were, she was getting tired of hiding.
Luckily for Callie, she was called into emergency surgery. She’d never been so pleased for broken bones. This way Mark couldn’t possible try and get a hold of her.
Unfortunately for Callie, she was very wrong.
The operation was going well. She installed a metal rod in the man’s leg with ease and moved on to the patient’s heavily injured arm. She glanced up just as she was beginning to get somewhere and noticed Mark standing in the gallery, arms crossed, looking pissed. Callie narrowed her eyes and went back to work. She ignored him and fixed bones, as usual, still completely on her game.
That was, until Mark’s voice filtered through the speakers.
“Dr. Torres,” he said loudly over the comm., “I need to talk to you.”
“Dr. Sloan,” Callie began testily, “Can this not wait until I am out of surgery?”
“Well, Dr. Torres, if you wouldn’t avoid me outside of surgery, we wouldn’t have this problem, would we?”
“Did you ever think, Dr. Sloan, that I was avoiding you because I simply don’t want to see you?”
“Callie, I-”
She cut him off, “Call me Dr. Torres, please. I’d rather keep things professional.” She was pissed now.
“Callie,” Mark said with more force. “I will be waiting for you in the attending’s lounge when you get out of surgery. Please meet me there and talk to me.”
Callie sighed heavily. “Fine.”
The rest of the surgery passed in a blur. Albeit, a successful blur, but a blur nonetheless. She was distracted by the anxiety consuming her over her upcoming meeting with Mark. There was no avoiding him now. The interns and scrub nurses were giving her funny looks. She knew there would be gossip filtering through the hallways the moment surgery ended.
She let one of the residents close, observing, and it was all over. She headed to the attending’s lounge. It was empty except for Mark, and Callie had a feeling he had made sure it would be.
“Hey,” he said gruffly.
“Hi,” Callie replied in a small voice.
“So, Torres,” he began. “Why have you been avoiding me? You were gone when I woke up this morning…”
“Because you must regret last night,” she said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Because you never said anything back after I said…all that… like an idiot.”
“You’re not an idiot, Cal.”
“Sure I am! I married an adulterous intern! I got into a relationship with a woman I knew it would never work out with. To top it off, I fell for my best friend! And then I went and told you about it like the idiot I am all because your ex-lover was convinced you felt the same!”
“Callie, I-”
She cut him off, “Don’t say anything, okay? Just let me go back to avoiding with you for a while because I can’t deal with this.”
“Callie,” Mark said firmly, “I do feel the same.”
“Don’t try to make me feel better, Sloan.”
“Torres, I’m not lying to you! I want more, too.”
Callie blinked. “Then why didn’t you say anything?”
Mark sighed. “I thought my response said enough?”
“Your response said you wanted to get laid.”
“That’s not really how it was intended.”
Callie crossed her arms and remained firmly planted on the other side of the room. Mark approached her slowly, and she remained stiffly still. He stepped closer and stroked her arm.
“C’mon, Cal. Please. You know I want you.”
“How would I know that?” she whispered.
“You’re the reason Lexie and I never worked. I’ve wanted you since before you were with Hahn! I’ve kinda loved you for a while, Torres.”
Callie’s eyes widened. “Don’t say that if you don’t mean it, Mark. Please don’t say that if you don’t mean it.
Mark let out a breathy chuckle. “I mean it, Callie.”
With that, Callie flung her arms around him and buried her head in his chest, trying in vain not to cry.
Mark laughed, louder this time, and rubbed her back soothingly.
Callie spoke quietly into his chest, muffled a little by the material of his scrubs, “Love you, too.”
Mark held her tighter.
After a few minutes like this, Mark spoke up, “So…you want to get dinner?”
“Mm,” Callie nodded into his chest. “Our usual place?”
“Sounds good,” Mark smiled.
He took one finger and lifted her chin. Mark grinned and kissed her soundly on the lips.
“Does this mean I can start spending the night without reprimand?” Mark inquired.
“Hmm…” Callie pondered. “I guess I kind of like you there.”
“Then I will kind of be there anytime.”
Suddenly, Callie was kind of glad that she’d let those lines blur.