Chapter 8
At that point, Mark was pretty certain that there was something between the two women:
1) The first doubt came when Callie pestered him with all those questions.
2) He suspected again when the always super friendly Callie, didn't want to help the 'new perky pediatrician'.
3) And he was completely sure when she said 'Calliope'.
1) Mark knew her very well. Beyond being his daughter's mother, she was his best friend for years.
And he had noticed that something was wrong. She didn't really seem herself. He could see she wasn't really there even as the three of them were relaxing and enjoying the afternoon together.
"We can't today Sofia, it's raining..." Callie explained why they couldn't go to the park.
"But I want quirrel, mama!"
"I know, we'll go as soon as possible, ok?" She gathered absently the small colored cars scattered across the carpet in front of her daughter.
Mark intervened "You went the other day, didn't you? We could do something else today… How about some pixar movie or coloring?"
Callie looked up. "Yeah… Does your neighbor.. have children? You could make Sofia play with them…"
"Nope, I don't think so." Mark answered.
"What, she came here alone?"
"I don't know, Callie. She surely hasn't children."
She hummed "Weird.."
"The first few days I saw a guy but I haven't met him again."
"Did he look like her? Do you know the name?" She thought about Tim and she remembered him being blond-haired.
"Mmh no… Why do you care?" She seemed very curious.
"No, nothing, just thinking… Maybe a boyfriend!"
"Maybe... The only thing I know is that she's not affected by my charm!"
"Haha idiot!" Callie laughed, masking her relief. She certainly didn't want the two of them to get involved.
Mark sat down on the carpet saying "The golden boy of the hospital? Not even you could resist! Only Bailey is insensitive!"
She covered Sofia's ears and whispered jokingly "Why did I tell you you were the father?"
"Because I'm the best daddy in the world, right?" she took the baby on his lap and made her bounce.
Callie thought at the new information… She was curious, she didn't want to admit it even to herself, but she was.
The man interrupted the silence. "Nick! That's the name of the guy.."
"So, not her brother! I knew it.." She said in a low voice. Or at last she thought she did.
Unfortunately Mark had heard her.
"What did you just say?"
At that, she froze. She didn't dare to look at the man, as she picked up a toy on the floor.
"Nothing, nothing". Stupid, she was stupid!
"Don't bullshit me, Callie!"
She put on her jacket and said casually "I'll explain another time, ok? I have rounds in half an hour.."
"You can't run away from this, Torres"
"Goodnight my baby!" She kissed Sofia without looking at her father, and she run to the hospital for her night shift.
Leaving the elevator she collided with Pauleen who was bringing pizza and beers to her friend. The pizza box almost falling out of her hand.
"Shoot! Sorry I wasn't looking!" Callie said, catching the box.
"Woo there!" She got the box and greeted the woman. "Hey Callie, hi! Don't worry, you're speaking to miss clumsy here!"
They smiled a little embarrassed.
"Are we swapping?" Pauleen wondered.
"Yes.. I mean, no, that is, if you mean from Arizona.. No, I was just leaving my daughter before my shift."
Confused Pauleen nodded "Sure!" She lied. "So.. Have a nice one!" She exclaimed stepping into the elevator.
"Yeah, thanks! You too!"
After the third loud knock, Arizona opened the door adjusting her hoodie. "Finally!"
Her friend didn't even bother to say hi before entering. "You can't imagine who I run into like two seconds ago!"
Arizona looked at her puzzled.
"Don't you even try to guess?"
"Well I don't know lots of peop.."
"Callie! She was in your elevator!" Pauleen interrupted her.
"Oh, I see..."
"'I see'? It's Callie! 'Your long lost love' was here!"
"Sssshhh! Will you shut up?" She sighed and whispered "Sofia's dad lives in the apartment ahead!"
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH"
Arizona observed her… She was aware that sooner or later that would have happened, and she knew her friend. She also knew how she would react.
"I can't believe it AHAHAH of all of the places AHAHAH! What were the chances?!"
Arizona didn't even look at her, she walked over to the couch commenting "I'm glad my life amuses you… Terrific!"
"Ahaha c'mon Arizona you would laugh too if you weren't interested."
She didn't deny it and she opened the beer throwing herself on the sofa and putting her feet up on the footrest. The situation was effectively quite comical.
For her, it was more tragic than comical.
Amelia poured herself some coffee "Wasn't she a virgin? What did Avery do to her?"
"Yeah, 'was'!" Karev commented chewing on his sandwich.
Jackson was annoyed. "Don't you have anything else to do? "
"Avery, you know how it is in this hospital.." Callie answered jokingly.
"So let's talk about Cristina and Owen!" Jackson tried again.
"We don't talk about Cristina and Owen" Cristina cut him short.
"Well I don't know... About Karev always in peds!"
"Hell yeah.. It's hardcore!" He said mouthful.
At that, everyone giggled.
"Roller girl told you?" Cristina asked amused.
"I like it there, and children are better than adults."
"Someone has a crush on the new pediatrician..." Jackson said as he stood up and walked out.
"I have not!" He shouted behind him. After some silence "Ok, you know what?! She's hot!"
Everyone laughed. Alex continued "But I'm not doing it for that..."
Amelia chuckled behind her coffe cap. Then she looked up and she realized that it came out louder than she had intended.
Callie voiced everyone's expression "What?"
"Oh.. No nothing, it's none of my business!"
"C'mon it's gossip! It's never anyone's!" Alex insisted.
Amelia thought about it for a while, she didn't want to out her new colleague. She remembered that Arizona was quite at peace with her sexuality, but maybe at work she was more reserved. So she opted for a simple "Nothing special… I don't think you're really her type" before heading for her ward.
Callie wondered why, in these days, she found herself talking about Arizona all the time.
She suddenly sat up from her seat and, grunting, she tossed the journal she was reading on it.
"What's wrong with you?" Alex asked.
"Nothing, I'm just exhausted and we're always talking about her." Changing rapidly her scrub top, she continued "Arizona here, Dr Robbins there. She's a genius, her requests are approved blahblah..."
Cristina raised her head from the couch. "You may seem.. envious... Anyway, you said it yourself: apparently she is a genius, but she's new. Give it one week!"
"And by the way, her project costs nothing!" Alex added defensive. "In fact, if you two want to come and help this weekend, an extra pair of hands are always welcome!"
"Busy!" Cristina yelled as the trio parted ways.
2) Arizona had inherited the department from Stark. Saying it was a disaster was an understatement.
It was gloomy, a rundown. And there was no 'magic'. Instead she was convinced that tiny humans needed a whole different atmosphere in order to heal.
Two days after she joined the surgical team, she decided to present to the board a small project for the "Renovation and Decoration of the wing".
They would paint the corridors some more cheerful colors than gray and they would decorate all the rooms, along with children, parents and any volunteer hospital staff.
Her project also included a gathering of toys to be made available to children to play, and the realization of a wall of "joy" in the place of the "survivors' wall" that was there.
Not only the board approved it immediately, thanks to its affordability, but the whole crew was thrilled with it. Their new boss was engaging, sunny, perhaps too much, but above all, she was not grumpy 24 hours a day. Everyone liked working in these new conditions.
And surprisingly, Karev liked it too. Robbins trusted him, she believed in him enough to make him believe in himself.
Mark's doubt became more real when everyone was bending over backwards to lend a hand. Some people just passed by to greet their colleagues in the pediatric ward or out of curiosity. And in all of this, Callie just didn't want to help, she preferred to take over the ER.
She was always the first one in these kind of thing. The most sensitive and empathetic person Mark knew.
He was convinced this was what had brought them closer. None of his past 'dates' had seen anything else in him. Everyone stopped at his beautiful and well-kept surface. But not her, she was different.
So, no, this cold and impassive attitude just didn't suit her.
3) Toward the end of the afternoon some interns were painting a big flourishing tree for the joy's wall while Mark, Lexie and Arizona made sure everything was okay.
The pediatric surgeon looked casually at the photos and she saw Callie and Mark with a minuscole baby in their hands.
Those who appeared in that wall were those who had made it and just thinking that Callie and Sofia had had problems, made her sick.
She had to know. She asked Mark why he and Callie were there, what happened... He recounted that during the 7th month of pregnancy they had an accident. Callie had been very injured and they had to give birth to Sofia.
Arizona, looking very shaken, let slip one "Oh no, Calliope".
And just then, Mark knew.