already gone , derek shepherd ¹

chapter forty-three.

⋆ ★ ALREADY GONE ━━━CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

( KEPT PROMISES ) , freedom part two.

៚ ......... ˁᱸᲲᱸˀ ............ ༄

ANDREW WAS STABLE. So, walking out the lobby after finalizing every thing for the patient, Callie was hesitant to approach the group of teenagers who were laughing and playing around like nothing was wrong. She cleared her throat before directing her attention to Lola, and saying, "Andrew's asking for you. Could you come with me please?" 

Nodding, she made her way over to the resident and sighed, "Hey, um, can you tell the blonde doctor I'm sorry for earlier." The girl then crossed her arms over her chest and as she apologized, Callie nodded her head. "But is he, uh, okay?"

"No, he's not okay. He's stuck in a block of cement. Like, actual, hardening-by-the-second concrete cement. How could he possibly be okay?" When the girl look like she wanted to burst into tears at any given moment, Callie's demeanor softened. "Wow. You actually care about him."

"He's my friend," She shyly admitted, afraid of the boys behind her hearing. "I, um, I know I told you guys he wasn't, but he is my friend."

"I think he's more than that. And I think you're too proud to admit it to your friends and maybe even to yourself."

"Mommy, I have a boo-boo." One of the boys imitated Andrew. "Kiss it better, please." 

"Hey," Callie raised her voice once more, her inner Jamie Grey coming out. "Andrew is in pain and he is scared and he needs someone he knows to hold his hand and be there by his side. In fact, how would you three feel if you were in his situation? You'd be crying like a little baby and I know that as a goddamn fact because you're sitting here making fun of someone who just made a goddamn mistake." 

"Ooh, Lola, hold my hand." The continued, disregarding what the resident had previously said. 

"Screw what they think," The Chief resident lowered her voice, speaking now directly to Lola. "This matters, Andrew matters. They don't."

"I can't help him," The girl shook her head, pursing her lips.

"You're gonna hate yourself for this," Were Callie's last words before walking away and back to the trauma room. 

"Okay, Andy." Webber stood over the male who was almost ridden of the cement. "We're ready to begin."

"Uh, wait." He looked over to Callie who had yet to make eye contact with him ever since she got back. "Is she... Lola?"

"Uh, I couldn't find her," The brunette lied right through her teeth. Jamie saw the way her friend's jaw clenched and she sighed deeply. "She must have went to eat or something."

"We need to start the catheter." Bailey reminded the group of doctors.

Webber nodded in agreement," Okay, now you're gonna feel some pressure," 

Andrew stopped the group of doctors once more as he said, "She didn't go to eat. She just didn't want to come, right?" Sighing, the patient accepted it. "Lola likes to hang out with me. Or she did - used to - before I did this. Once, she almost, there, uh, could have been a kiss. But I chickened out."