Calzona - Together Again

Chapter Eight

-Arizona -

Mark comes back in my room, empty handed.
"I thought you said you were going to get some things from your apartment." I say, confused.
"Oh. Um. Yeah. I didn't find what I was looking for."
Confused, I shrug. "Okay."
He slips into a pair of sweatpants and a tshirt, then he crawls in bed next to me.
"Whenever Callie was sad, I'd introduce her to little Mark and it would rise her spirits."
"Mark!" I exclaim, laughing. "You were being so sweet before that."
"Little Mark is sweet too."
"Yeah and 'Little Mark' provided Sofia!" I laugh.
"Touché."
He takes the TV remote and switches it on. I snuggle down in the blankets and he lays next to me.
"But one last thing. You cheated on me. You're a slut. You're a whore. YOU DO NOT GET TO BE SAD. You do not get to make ME the victim. IT'S YOUR FAULT WE DIDN'T WORK."
Callie's harsh words run through my mind as I lay in bed. I begin shaking, tears violently streaming down my face.
I am surprised to feel Mark's body take the shape of my own and he spoons me, swinging a heavy, muscular arm around my tiny waist.
"Mark..." I whisper.
"I'm not getting onto you, Blondie. I'm helping you sleep. Just close your eyes. I'll take care of you."
Surprised at his sweet change of personality, I turn so that I'm facing him. I bury my head in his chest, and I take fistfuls of his shirt, breaking down and hanging on for dear life.
"Okay." He soothes. "You're okay. I've got you. You're okay."
He rubs my back until I stop crying and I begin to drift off to sleep. But before I do, I whisper faintly.
"Mark?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm glad you survived the plane crash."
"I am glad you survived too, Blondie."
"I'm sorry about Lexie."
"I'm sorry about Callie."
"We are a lot alike, Mark."
"Mhmm."
"I'm glad I have you."
"You're the best friend I've ever had, Robbins."
"Counting Derek?"
"Mhmm."
"And Callie?"
"You bet."
"I'm sorry about Derek too."
"I know, Blondie."
He kisses the top of my head.
And then I drifted off into a deep slumber.
--------------------
12:39 AM
Ring, ring
I wake up in Mark's arms, hearing my ringtone. Not wanting him to wake up, I snatch up my phone and I walk out of the room, shutting my bedroom door closed.
I look at the Caller ID.
"Callie!" I exclaim.
"Hello?" I answer.
The voice is faint. "Mommy?"
"Sofia? What is it baby? It's 3:39 in New York!"
"Mommy when we went to see Penny she was with another lady."
I softly gasp. "Okay, honey. And?"
"Now Mama's crying."
"But you saw Penny three days ago, baby."
"Mama's been crying every night. I am scared, Mommy."
"Where is Mama now?"
"She's locked in the bathroom. She doesn't know I'm awake. She keeps saying stuff."
"Okay honey. Can you put the phone up to the door so I can hear Mama?"
"Yes Mommy."
I hear rustling, and then I hear the phone being pushed against the door. I faintly hear my Calliope crying. I make out words.
"I messed up. I messed up. It's my fault. It's my fault. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
My heart breaks at the sound of my Calliope crying. No! Snap out of it, Ari. She's a bitch. "Okay honey." I say when Sofia comes back. "Just go lay down in bed, honey. I'll sing you to sleep."
Sofia obeys me. "Okay mommy. I'm under the covers."
"If I lay here. If I just lay here. Would you lie with me and just forget the world? Forget what we're told. Before we get too old. Show me a garden that's bursting into life."
After singing the first couple of lines from the song Chasing Cars, I hear her breathing slow down, and her soft snore travels to me from the other side.
"Goodnight princess. Daddy and I send our love."
I hand up the phone.
Click

Walking back into my old bedroom, I slide in next to Mark. He hangs an arms over me and draws me close. Finally I realize that he wasn't only comforting me about Callie, but I was also comforting him about Lexie.
That's when I realized...
I once lost a brother.
But now I've gained one.