Stitches of Survival

Disarm

Chapter Five: Disarm

*~*~*~*

"Morning." Teddy greeted Owen, Meredith, and I as she joined us in the elevator. "How's Cristina?"

"She's fine." Owen assured her, only making Meredith look at him as though he were crazy.

"She's fishing." Meredith informed us.

"Fishing?" I frowned. "Cristina doesn't fish."

"Oh, she's fishing." Meredith shook her head.

"She's fishing?" Teddy repeated. "Why?"

"Ask him." Meredith nodded at Owen as the elevator doors opened on our floor. I quickly slipped out, turning the corner and heading over to join Alex, Mark, and Callie as they came down the stairs.

"Can either of you use me today?" Alex asked the two attendings as I joined them. "I'm supposed to be with Stark, but he wants to work with someone else."

"Ouch." Callie winced.

"The guy's an ass." Alex shook his head.

"He's not wrong." I agreed.

"Maybe heartlessness is a peds thing." Callie suggested, clearly still bitter about Arizona going to Africa without her.

"No offense, but your girlfriend leaving town really screwed me." Alex told her.

"Me, too." I chimed in.

"I mean, I'm happy for the children of Malawi and all-" Alex began.

"Yeah, no, you should be worried for them." Callie cut him short. "Right now she's making them fall in love with her. "Oh, I'll uncleft your palate, I'll unherniate your hernia, I'm here for you. I'm yours.""

"Yeah, and then someplace better will come along." Alex went along with Callie's little rant while Mark and I just watched the two. "Peru or India- and suddenly she's all... "I know I was helping you and I made all kinds of promises, but-""

""But I gotta go."" Callie chuckled.

""Yeah, have fun with Stark."" Alex laughed too, making me roll my eyes. I certainly wasn't a fan of Stark myself, but I wasn't going to talk about Arizona like this. After all, she left to help sick children in Africa, not to hurt all of us.

"Hi." Mark spoke up one Callie and Alex had walked away, leaving us alone together.

"Hi." I offered him a small smile.

"I miss you." He was blunt.

"Mark." I warned him.

"What, you're saying you don't miss me?" He asked.

"Pretty much what I'm saying." I nodded.

"You seeing someone?" He guessed.

"Yes. His name's Andrew Rabb." I rolled my eyes. "He had a tumor removed from his pancreas three days ago, and I'm trying to help Lexie make sure he doesn't develop a fistula so she can pull a gallbladder out of a mouth."

"Go." He nodded towards the stairs. "Cure fistulas. Or fistulae."

"Fistulas." I corrected as I headed down the hall.

"I miss you." He called after me, but I only bit my cheek, refusing to look back.

*~*~*~*

"Morning, Eli." I greeted the nurse that was assigned to Lexie's patient. "Did you send Mr. Rabb's sample of pancreatic fluid to the lab yet?"

"Not yet." Eli shook his head.