FIC: Aftershocks (20/20) FINAL CHAPTER
THE FOLLOWING MORNING
Arizona sat on the couch in the attending’s lounge between Teddy and Mark. “Does anyone have any recollection of what happened last night?” She rested her elbows on her knees and held her head in her hands.
Teddy had her head on the back of the couch with her eyes closed. “No clue. Maybe it’s better that way.”
Mark’s head was propped on his left hand as he stared at the floor. “I think Karev and Derek duked it out. At least both of them are sporting facial bruising.”
“I’ve got a weird bruise on my hip.” Teddy added.
“I remember laughing. A LOT.” said Arizona. “But I have no clue how I got home.”
“Me neither.” chorused the other two.
Arizona glanced at her watch. “Crap. Is that really the time?”
“I’ve got quarter ‘til noon.” Teddy said.
“Crap! Your dad is gonna kill us.” Mark said jumping to his feet. He pulled Arizona from her seat.
“What am I missing?” Teddy asked, her eyes darting between the two.
“Wedding rehearsal rehearsal.” Arizona rolled her eyes. “My dad seems to think that Callie and I need to be perfectly prepared for tonight’s wedding rehearsal. Although I’m a bit confused as to why he’s going to kill Mark for me being late.”
“I’m supposed to get you there on time.” He supplied.
“Not this one, Mark. You’re supposed to make sure I make it to the rehearsal at the church tonight.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. You stay here. I’ll be back in like an hour.”
Mark and Teddy watched Arizona dart from the room. “Why are you so invested in this?” Teddy asked him quietly.
He sat next to her. “What dya mean?”
“I mean, you basically planned their wedding, or at least a lot of it. Why is it so important to you to see Callie and Arizona get married?”
“I’m trying to do the right thing, Teddy.”
“Wouldn’t the right thing be to respect Callie’s wishes and stay away from them?”
“I have to make things right.”
“It’s too late for that, Mark. There’s too much baggage now.” He stood abruptly and began pacing in front of her as she continued speaking. “How does Callie not know how big your part in this is?”
“Because all my suggestions are coming from Barbara as long as she’s ok with them. Callie and Arizona don’t need to know.”
“So how is that making things right?”
He stopped pacing and stared at her, his eyes haunted with sadness. “Because they deserve to get their happily ever after. After all the crap I’ve put them through over the past year and all they’ve gone through on their own, they deserve to be together. I… I screw up relationships. They belong together without having to worry about the manwhore across the hall.”
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A few hours later after a horrendous pre-rehearsal rehearsal in their living room, Arizona sat on their bed next to her girlfriend, their hands joined on her lap. “One more day. We can do this.”
Callie brought their joined hands to her lips and kissed the back of Arizona’s hand. “We can do this. All that matters is that we…” She paused to smile at the other woman. “We are getting married.”
“We’re getting married.” Arizona repeated softly with a mirroring smile. She leaned in to gently press her lips to Callie’s. “Is it bad that I just want them to leave? I mean, I didn’t have to deal with them this much when Tim died.”
“It’s natural to not want your parents around all the time after you reach a certain age.”
“Mom I can handle. It’s Dad and his schedules down to the second and unrealistic expectations.” Arizona’s lips curled into a scowl. “I wish my brother were here. He was always better at diverting their attention so I could slip out the door.”
Callie rested her forehead against Arizona’s. “If it’s that important to you, we can make time for a moment of silence for Tim.”
Arizona sighed softly. “It is important, but if The Colonel says there’s no time, then there’s no time.” She patted Callie’s thigh and pressed another quick kiss to her lover’s lips. “I have to get back to the hospital. I’ll see you tonight.” She stood quickly, a sign the topic of Timothy Robbins was now closed.
“Eight o’clock. Don’t be late.” Callie watched her soon-to-be wife leave the room and wished there was some way she could ease Arizona’s silent struggle.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
WEDDING REHEARSAL
Daniel Robbins stood at the front of the church. “Alright. Quiet, everyone. Let’s go through this right the first time, so we can finally get some dinner. Everyone line up at the back of the church.”
“How are we doing this?” Meredith voiced the question on everyone’s minds.
“Meredith and Derek will enter first, then Cristina and Alex…” The Colonel started but was quickly interrupted.
“Oh hell no! I am not walking down any aisles with Evil Spawn. Not after what he did to Mer.” Cristina erupted angrily.
“I’m not walking down an aisle with Meredith. Not after she screwed with my trial.” Derek stated firmly at the same time. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at everyone, silently daring them to challenge him.
“God, what is this? Kindergarten?” Teddy huffed impatiently.
“I just want to go home and curl up with a glass of wine.” Arizona muttered resting her head on Callie’s shoulder.
Callie instinctively wrapped her left arm around Arizona’s waist. She looked around at the bickering couples. “We should have known this was bound to happen.”
“Everybody just calm down this instant.” Bailey ordered. “The men and Teddy will walk in first followed by Arizona and her father. Then the ladies will go followed by Callie and her dad.”
Arizona lifted her head from its perch on Callie’s shoulder. “I thought your family wasn’t coming.”
“Dad changed his mind. Something about he missed my first wedding, he’d be damned if he was going to miss my last one.”
Arizona raised her right eyebrow. “Your last one?”
“Hush. It’s his way of saying he approves.” Callie planted a swift, chaste kiss to Arizona’s lips. She raised her voice slightly. “Can we get a move on it, people?”
“Thank you, Calliope. Now, everyone to the back of the church. MARCH!” ordered Colonel Robbins. He waited for the group to line up at the rear of the church. “Alright, now like Dr. Bailey suggested, Derek first, then Alex, followed by Teddy and finally Arizona and myself.” He waited for the doctors to follow his orders. Once he walked Arizona to her spot, he directed the remaining members. “Meredith, Cristina, Bailey then Callie escorted by Carlos tomorrow.”
As soon as Callie joined Arizona at the front of the church, the doors swung open to reveal Mark hurrying down the aisle. “Sorry, I’m late. Where do you want me?” He stood next to Barbara’s side.
Daniel’s posture stiffened. “That is NOT where you’ll be standing.”
“Oh. Right. Your spot.” Mark moved to Barbara’s other side. “Better?”
“What are you doing here, Mark?” Callie growled from her post at the altar.
“It’s the wedding rehearsal. I’m rehearsing.”
Callie stepped down from the altar to invade Mark’s personal space. “You aren’t a part of this. No one asked for your two cents. No one wants you here.” She heard Barbara’s cell phone and her future mother-in-law leave the room.
“Callie, come on.” He said softly.
“He ought to be here, Callie. He planned enough of this wedding. He should see how it turns out.” Teddy interrupted.
“He did no such thing. Barbara and I planned it all.” She scoffed crossing her arms over her chest.
Colonel Robbins shifted uneasily. “Actually, Barbara was the voice for Dr. Sloan. About three quarters of the ideas she pitched to you came from him.”
Callie’s eyebrows drew together. “I… I don’t understand.” She looked up at Mark. “Why would you do that?”
Before he could respond, Barbara re-entered the chapel. “That was Father Brooks. There’s been a family emergency out of town and he won’t be able to perform the ceremony. He said we could still use the church though.” She stopped at the end of the aisle. “What did I miss?”
“Callie just found out about Sloan’s involvement in the wedding planning.” Her husband answered.
“It’s about damn time, too.” Cristina muttered. Meredith nudged her friend to be quiet. “What? Every one of us knew. I’m surprised it didn’t come out sooner.”
“Et tu, Arizona?” Callie faced her fiancée.
Arizona sighed heavily as she descended the altar stairs. She grabbed Callie’s hands in hers. “He wanted to help and he’s been trying so hard to make amends. I know this is a lot to take in and I know it doesn’t fix everything. But sweetie, he’s TRYING.”
Callie’s posture sagged slightly. “We still don’t have a minister for tomorrow though.”
“Why not Sloan.” All eyes turned to Alex in confusion. “He got ordained on the internet when you were having trouble finding a minister. I had to help him fill out the questionnaire.”
“Karev.” Mark growled warningly.
“What? They need a minister. You’re an internet minister. You said to keep my mouth shut until people needed to know. I think this qualifies.”
“Alex is right.” added Teddy. “Callie, all of us have seen the change in Mark since the accident. The only one being hurt by your anger towards him right now is you.”
Callie pursed her lips in thought. Her jaw clenched a few times. Finally, she released a long pent-up breath. “Fine. Mark, will you perform our wedding ceremony tomorrow?”
“I’d be honored, Torres. Thanks.”
Cristina clapped her hands together to interrupt the awkward tension. “Ok. Now that that’s settled, I believe someone promised me food and liquor.”
Teddy, Derek and Alex all paled at the mention of alcohol. “Maybe just food for us.” Teddy said following the other ladies to the rear of the church.
Callie and Arizona watched the Robbins, the bridal party and their new minister leave the chapel. “Are you sure you’re ok with Mark officiating?” Arizona asked hesitantly.
“No. I’m not. I feel like everyone has been lying to me since you and I got engaged.”
“Callie…”
Callie pushed away and pointed her index finger at Arizona. “NO! After everything he put YOU through, everything that man put US through, how can you stand there and say this is ok?” she yelled.
Arizona shoved her hands into her pants pockets and shrugged. “I’m not condoning his past actions. I’m saying there comes a point in time where we just need to move on and leave what’s been done in the past. Learn from it and move on. Mark and I finally found some middle ground that is separate from my relationship with you.”
“This is our wedding, Arizona, and once again, Mark is making himself the center of our relationship.”
“But he’s not! He’s officiating our wedding ceremony.” Arizona sighed heavily. “Can we just give him the benefit of the doubt for once?”
Callie’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. “Who are you and what have you done with Arizona Robbins?”
“Calliope.” Arizona whispered quietly but sternly.
“I don’t like it.” Callie crossed her arms over her chest and pouted petulantly.
Arizona mirrored Callie’s posture and expression. “Would you rather cancel the wedding? Because that’s the choice. Cancel the wedding or have everything go as planned but with Mark instead of Father Brooks.”
WEDDING DAY
Dr. Mark Sloan stood at the front of the church facing the crowd. Seeing the masses before him served as a reminder that this wedding might not have taken place for many reasons, one of the most important being the fact that he was the person officiating the ceremony. Thankfully, Callie had come to her senses this morning and no one other than he (because he’d over heard the arguing from across the hall), Arizona and Callie knew the wedding almost didn’t happen.
He nervously adjusted his navy blue tie as he waited for the bridesmaids and bridesmen to make their ways towards him. It was difficult to ignore the stares and murmurs, but he tried his best. He felt a sense of pride well within him as Arizona and Callie joined hands before him. “Friends, family, we are here today to witness a miracle. To witness two very different women being joined as one through the power of true love.” He cleared his throat and continued. “Before we get too much farther in the ceremony, I’d like to take a few moments of silence to honor those who should have been here today but were taken too soon, Arizona’s brother, Sergeant Timothy Robbins, and Callie and Arizona’s daughter, Sofia.”
In front of the altar, tears fell freely from both women as they shared the grief of not having their loved ones present and the joy that this day had finally arrived. Callie reached up to wipe the tears from Arizona’s cheeks. She knew how much Arizona missed her brother and was surprised Mark knew the depth of the void. Plus, he didn’t make any comments about Sofia being his daughter when he mentioned her. Maybe it was time to let bygones be bygones. She squeezed Arizona’s hand in support and to gather strength.
After several quiet moments, he began again. “Let us pray.” He bowed his head. “Lord, we thank you for the beautiful day you have given us and for the health that allows us all to be here.”
Barbara Robbins leaned over to whisper in her husband’s ear. “So much for your precious schedule, dear.”
Daniel squeezed his wife’s hand tightly as he fought the tears brimming behind his closed eyelids. It was easier for him not to acknowledge the existence of the dead rather than deal with the holes in his heart left by the departed members of his family. “Shhh.” He admonished gently. “The idiot is praying, Barb.”
“In Your name we pray, amen.” Mark finished. He paused a moment as he watched Callie and Arizona wipe their tears. “Callie and Arizona have been through so many hardships in their relationship, granted I was the cause of several of those, yet stand before all of us stronger. They are meant to be together and are the ultimate example of true love overcoming the odds.”
Callie turned her head to stare at him in surprise. Arizona squeezed their joined hands to regain Callie’s attention.
“I’m told the brides wrote their own vows.”
Arizona and Callie both shook their heads negatively.
Mark squirmed uneasily. “Um…ok. Any chance you could make some up now? Because I didn’t memorize the traditional ones.” The crowd chuckled.
“Maaarrrrk.” Callie groaned.
Arizona’s grin widened as she turned to Teddy. “You owe me fifty later.” She stage whispered. She turned her attention back to Callie. “It’s ok. We can do this.”
“Arizona, there’s three hundred people here.” Callie panicked.
“Look at me. It’s just you and me having a conversation.” She soothed. “I’ll start. I, Arizona, take you, Calliope, to be my wife. I promise to love you, care for you, and honor you. I promise to be your rock in every storm we face and I promise not to bail when things get tough. This is my solemn vow to you.”
“Oh, Arizona,” Callie breathed softly.
“Callie, it’s your turn.” Mark prompted.
Callie took a deep breath. “I, Callie, take you, Arizona, to be the one with whom I spend my life. I love you with all that I am and all I ever will be. You’re my better half and without you, there’s no sunshine and rainbows. There’s only dark and twisty. I know there will be times of darkness for both of us, but I promise to be your light. This is my solemn vow to you.”
The two women smiled at each other, their eyes lost in the others.
“May I have the rings?” Mark asked. Teddy and Cristina reached forward to place the rings in his upturned palm. “Rings are a symbol of eternity. No beginning and no end. Much like these rings, may Callie and Arizona’s love have no end.” He held his palm towards Arizona. “Place the ring on Callie’s hand and repeat these words: With this ring, I thee wed.”
Arizona’s voice cracked as she whispered the words. Callie’s left hand shook as Arizona slid the ring onto her third finger.
Mark held his palm open towards Callie. “Place this ring on Arizona’s finger and repeat the words: With this ring, I thee wed.” He waited as Callie repeated her oath. “By the power vested in me by that internet website and the state of Washington, I now pronounce you wife and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Arizona slid her right hand over Callie’s cheek as she leaned in to capture Callie’s lips with her own in a gentle kiss. Her eyes twinkled as she pulled back and mouthed “I love you.” The couple turned to face the crowd and walked down the aisle to the rear of the church to the sounds of wolf whistles and clapping.
Once the remaining members of the bridal party arrived to the rear foyer of the church to form the receiving line, Meredith cornered Derek. “Post-It.” She stated simply.
“What?”
“Post. It. I’m calling Post-It. We made promises to each other, Derek Shepherd. Promises that have been just as binding for us as if we had stood in front of a crowd of people and said them. One of those was no running. I screwed up. I know that. I have to live with that. But today is about Callie and Arizona and I want to spend it with the man I love. So, Post-It.” Meredith said with determination.
“Meredith…”
“Derek, if I’m not allowed to run from our relationship, then neither are you.”
“Uh, Mer, we need to get this receiving line moving so people can head to the reception.” Cristina interrupted.
“And you, “ Meredith turned to face her best friend. “You need to stop being mad at Alex. If you’re going to be mad at someone, be mad at me. I screwed up. Alex gave me every opportunity to tell the Chief what I did and I chose to keep quiet. And Alex, I should hate you for telling on me, but I don’t. So please, come home.”
The bridal party was stunned speechless for a moment until Arizona nudged Teddy. Teddy sighed heavily. “Damn it, Bailey. How do you know these things?”
Miranda shrugged. “I raised these fools. I know my babies. Pay up.”
Everyone laughed as they straightened the line and the doors opened to reveal the first pew of well-wishers. Subtly, Derek inched closer to Meredith and grasped her hand, giving it a quick squeeze. Meredith looked at him with surprise and was comforted by the small smile on his lips.
Mark was the last person to go through the line. He hugged Arizona and stood awkwardly in front of Callie. “Congratulations.”
In a move that surprised everyone, Callie stepped forward to engulf him in a tight hug. “Thank you.” She didn’t need to elaborate. He knew everything she was thanking him for. They both knew the aftershocks from the accident bore far reaching effects and while their friendship would never be what it once was, it was slowly on the mend.
THE END