norway | mark sloan

⇥ CHAPTER 20

season 3 episode 17

Closing the door lightly behind him, George made his way to his wife as he removed the gloves from his hands and listed, "Cristina's gone, Izzie's helping Alex in the clinic–" He paused upon hearing a sniffle, "Callie?"

"I'm sorry." Callie apologized, feeling guilty for feeling sad when he was closer to Marcela as she wiped her face clean of tears before turning around to face him, "I-I'm sorry, I know she's your friend–"

"She's also your friend." George reminded, throwing his gloves in the trash before he stepped in front of his wife, "She's your friend and it's okay to feel, Callie."

Callie numbly nodded as she whimpered, "I-I know, it's just..." She inhaled sharply, shifting to doctor-mode, "we have patients to see and–"

"There are other ortho doctors in this hospital, Callie." George reminded, taking a moment to console his wife as he placed a delicate hand on her face to brush aside the tears that escaped and he swallowed his own grief, whispering, "You don't need to apologize for feeling."

Callie's eyes locked onto George's before she wrapped her arms around him and promptly cried, allowing herself to grieve for her friend before she felt him begin to shake in her arms as he finally allowed himself to feel as well.

✶

"I told you not to stress it, Marcelita." Teresa teased, pinching her younger sister's cheek with a smile before she looked at their father, "So we're going to Minnesota now?"

"Yes, mija."  Agustin De La Cruz assured his eldest daughter with a tearful smile on his face, relieved that she had survived the surgery, "Minnesota, here we come."

"Yup." Marcela chuckled with a grin, looking at Teresa as her happiness grew at seeing her awake, "And–"

"And you," Teresa began with a teasing smile, pointing to her sister, "are going to become a surgeon there."

Marcela squinted at her sister under her glasses, "Teresa–"

"Come on." Teresa smiled, grabbing Marcela's hand as their father slipped out of the room to speak with the doctors, "Use that big brain full of memory and go be a surgeon, Marce." 

"Mm." Marcela shrugged, "Maybe after you visit all the places you want to go to on your list."

"What's the rush?" Teresa beamed, "We have all the time in the world to see them now."

"I guess." Marcela laughed lightly out of pure joy before she checked the clock, "I'm going to get a snack for Dad since he hasn't eaten anything after you went in."

"All right." Teresa leaned back in her bed as she smiled and Marcela stood, "I'll be right here."

"You better." Marcela joked, turning the corner before entering the elevator door to head down to the cafeteria.