Grey's Anatomy - "Six Hours" (1/1)
Title: Six Hours
Author: kennedysbitch
Beta: strandedinaber
Pairing/Characters: Callie/Arizona, Alex
Rating: PG
Summary: A prompt from strandedinaber: Arizona over-estimates her ability to stand for a surgery, Alex has to take over, Callie does what she does best to make her feel better.
---
It took until hour six for Arizona to realize that she may have overestimated her capabilities in the OR. The bowel resection she could do in her sleep; it was the standing in one place that was becoming a problem.
Her prosthetics guy, David, was awesome. He and his team had actually designed her a limb whose sole purpose was to function in the OR and allow her the longest possible time on her feet without pain.
But she was only eight months post-op and she knew she was pushing it. Maybe someday she could do seven or even eight hour surgeries again, but right now sweat was pouring down her forehead and her good leg was beginning to shake.
The door whizzed open behind her and Alex appeared by her side. “Dr. Robbins-”
“I’m fine, Karev,” she snapped, though the shake in her voice betrayed how much she was struggling.
Alex was used to her outbursts these days and didn’t bat an eye as he signalled a circulation nurse to dab Arizona’s forehead with a cloth. “I know you’re fine, but your wife is gonna kill me if I don’t take over before five. She wants you home tonight for Sofia, remember?”
He was full of crap and Arizona knew it, but she appreciated his attempts at padding her ego. Callie did specify that if the surgery wasn’t complete by five p.m., she was to step out and let her protégé take over. Still, she huffed in annoyance, closing her eyes and steadying her temper. She was more likely to get upset than she used to be and it wasn’t Alex’s fault this time.
Well, technically speaking he had been wielding the scalpel that put her here, but that was something she tried not to hold against him anymore. It was a work in progress but she was moving on with her life.
Alex returned to her side fully gloved and gowned, holding out his left hand for the scalpel. She lifted her eyes to meet his, finding humour and compassion staring back at her, and the angry balloon in her belly deflated.
“Fine,” she conceded, handing it over and stepping away. “Don’t screw it up.”
Alex’s familiar chuckle followed Arizona to the door as she limped inside the scrub room. Once she trashed her surgical gear, she stepped up to the sink and began to scrub out. She could feel him watching her through the glass and looked up to cock an eyebrow. He simply shrugged and turned his attention to the ten-year-old open on the table, picking up where she left off with ease.
It felt good to get out of the OR, even though limping all the way to the locker room sent a jolt of discomfort from her stump to her shoulders. Once she reached her standing limit, the pain usually transferred through to her entire body. A hot bath and some muscle relaxers would do a world of good when she got home.
The locker room was empty much to Arizona’s delight, because she really didn’t feel like being self-conscious about stripping down right now. Her dirty scrubs flew into the bin across the room and she plopped down on the bench to change her shirt. With a grunt she dislodged the heavy prosthetic and switched off the joint assist, holding it in her hands and wondering how she was going to carry it home.
She could always come back for it tomorrow; there were no surgeries and it only took eight hours to charge. Arizona took one look at the limb before stuffing it in her locker and the sheer absurdity of the act made her crack up with laughter.
That would make a good prank to pull on somebody one day. She would have to remember it for later.
Without the added weight and pressure against her left leg, the feeling started to return and she massaged her thigh muscle with her fingers. It took a moment to pull on a pair of running shorts and a cotton slip over the residual limb, and then she was standing up on her own again. She reached inside her locker to grab the set of forearm crutches leaning next to her surgical prosthetic. The one she used to walk back and forth from work every day went ignored; for once Arizona found herself not caring whether or not people stared at the legless woman hobbling across the street. She would pick both legs up tomorrow or ask Callie to for her.
Arizona swung her bag over her shoulder and closed the locker, taking a moment to tie her hair up in a messy ponytail before settling her palms on the grips. Her arms were a little shaky as she exited the room but she was (almost) positive that she could make it home before collapsing.
***
The elevator doors popped open and spit Arizona out on the main floor. As she turned towards the exit, she caught sight of her wife standing by the reception desk, a giddy Sofia balanced in her arms. Despite her exhaustion, Arizona was happy to see them and started in their direction.
“What are you two doing here?” she inquired, pausing when Callie lowered Sofia just enough for her to give their daughter a quick kiss. “I thought I was meeting you at home.”
“I thought Karev might need help wrestling you out of the OR on time,” Callie mused, smiling despite how serious she was. “I called and he said you wouldn’t be finished before five so I figured he could use the backup. How did it go?”
Arizona debated how to answer that. “It was okay, but the leg I do have left is about to fall off, so maybe we can talk on the way home?”
Callie dropped her eyes and very subtly looked surprised to find Arizona going ‘commando’, the term her adorable wife had coined whenever she went without a prosthetic. Arizona was still self-conscious and preferred to mask her injury as much as possible, so seeing her too tired to care was, in some respects, good news.
“I’m exhausted,” Arizona replied to the silent question. “The idea of putting on my walking stick was too painful. I was hoping you could pick them up for me tomorrow?”
“Of course.” Callie juggled Sofia to her other arm and fell into step beside her wife as they exited the building. “Our Princesita here was hoping she could watch ‘The Lion King’ and colour with her Mama after dinner tonight, weren’t you?”
Sofia gave a large toothy smile and nodded shyly.
As she so often did, Sofia brought the first smile to Arizona’s face in hours. “Of course, I would love to colour with you, sweetie.”
While she had perfected her usual lengthy stride on a pair of crutches by now, her arms were too weak to go faster than a steady hobble. Callie kept pace, shooting worried glances at her wife as they crossed the street and went to their building. They skipped getting the mail and went straight upstairs.
“I’m going to shower before we eat,” Arizona said once they were inside and Callie helped her take off her jacket. She didn’t use the showers at work anymore.
“Do you need a hand?” Callie asked the question automatically, even though she expected a snarky response from the moment the words left her mouth.
Arizona’s glance was perhaps a little sharp, but she simply shook her head and declined with a polite, “No, I’m okay.”
Callie bit her bottom lip and set Sofia on the ground, letting her go once the toddler’s shoes were off. “I’ll get started on dinner. Take your time.”
***
The shower drained Arizona of what little energy she had left. While Callie finished up dinner in the kitchen, she passed out cold on the couch and woke up to Sofia trying to colour on her forehead with a crayon.
As she wiped off the purple line with a tissue, a tentative knock sounded on their front door. Arizona blinked sleepily and glanced into the kitchen. “Are you expecting anyone?”
Callie frowned, wiping her hands on a towel. “No, not that I know of.”
“I’ve got it.” Arizona grabbed her crutches and struggled to her feet, still feeling sore but somewhat more alert after the power nap. She ruffled Sofia’s hair affectionately and went over to the door.
Alex stood on the other side looking awkward and fidgety. Arizona blinked in surprise. She was pretty sure he had never even been here before, at least to her knowledge. “Hey. What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“What? No, nothing’s wrong,” Alex replied, giving her a weird look. “I didn’t kill your patient if that’s what you mean.”
Arizona waited for him to elaborate and when he didn’t, she quirked an eyebrow. “Okay. Is there some other reason you’re standing on my doorstep?”
Alex stared at the center of her forehead. “You’ve got something on your…”
Arizona quickly lifted an arm and rubbed at the remaining flakes of crayon. “Sofia. She’ll be a riot at slumber parties one day.”
Hearing her name, Sofia toddled up behind her Mama and peered out. “Hi.”
Alex looked down and actually smiled, the way he only did with children. “Hey. You should be nice to your mom, not use her as a colouring book.”
Sofia giggled and hid her face in Arizona’s pant leg.
Alex lifted his eyes to his boss. “I just wanted you to know that the surgery went fine. The kid’s in recovery and his stats are holding strong.”
“You could’ve called,” Arizona pointed out. “You didn’t have to walk all the way over here.”
“I told the parents that one of us would be in to talk to them in the morning, but I can do it if you need me to.”
“I can probably manage for a few hours,” Arizona started to say, only she froze when Callie cleared her throat pointedly from right behind her.
“That would be two days in a row,” Callie reminded her wife gently, flashing Alex a quick smile over the blonde’s shoulder. Arizona knew full well she was only back part time and was only supposed to go in every second day. Until her stamina built up, it was too hard on her body to spend that much time on her feet.
“That’s for surgery,” Arizona protested. “This is just post-op stuff.”
Callie hesitated to tell her wife what to do, because that always went over well, but she knew from experience that Arizona still had trouble managing her schedule. She kept thinking she could do more than her body was ready for and it always ended badly.
“I’d appreciate it if you would let Alex take care of this,” Callie said lightly. She knew it was the best she could do to change Arizona’s mind.
“I’ll call you with an update,” Alex spoke up. “Don’t worry, he’ll be fine.”
Arizona looked disappointed but she nodded anyway. “Okay. Thanks, Karev.”
Instead of getting ready to leave, Alex shifted his weight and looked uncomfortable again. Arizona waited patiently for him to use his words.
“Here.” He raised a hand and shoved a bottle of wine at her. “I was gonna give it to you earlier but you’d already left.”
Arizona let Callie take it for her and looked pleasantly surprised. “Thanks. What for?”
Callie grinned in amusement as Alex scowled at her and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “How come you never bring me wine?”
“It’s champagne, and shut up,” Alex snarked before looking at his boss again. “It’s for your surgery.”
“I didn’t even finish it,” Arizona said sceptically.
Alex shrugged like it was simple. “You only have one leg and you just stood in an OR for six hours without even blinking.” It was a little blunt but straight to the point. “You’ve been going crazy getting stuck with appies and weird mole removals and whatever stupid crap comes in. I was saving it for when you were really back.”
Arizona didn’t know what to say to that. He never ceased to surprise the heck out of her. “Alex…”
“Aww,” Callie echoed, just to embarrass the hell out of him.
He rolled his eyes. “Whatever, it’s not a big deal. I’m just glad to have you back. Barnett’s an asshole.”
“Alex,” Arizona snapped, releasing one crutch handle to press Sofia’s ear into her leg.
“Sorry.” He looked sheepish but kind of smiled. It was more normal to have Arizona pissed at him than have her looking like she was about to cry. “Anyway, I should let you get back. I’ll call tomorrow after I talk to the parents.”
“Wait,” Arizona called as he started to walk away. She glanced at Callie, then back at Alex. “We’re about to have dinner. The champagne can chill in the freezer for fifteen minutes. Do you want to stay?”
Alex looked to Callie for permission.
“C’mon,” Callie agreed, pulling the door the rest of the way open and stepping aside for him to enter. “We eat on TV tables so don’t expect anything fancy.”
“Thanks,” Alex chuckled, kicking off his shoes as she closed up behind him. He immediately bent down and scooped Sofia into his arms. “How’s Mini-Torres doin’?”
“Careful, or she’ll draw on you when you’re not looking,” Arizona mused. She headed into the kitchen to wash up and grab some plates.
Alex set Sofia down and went to go help her but was brought to a halt when Torres grabbed him by the arm.
Callie leaned in really close. “Don’t stay too long after dessert, Karev. I have very specific plans to bone my wife tonight and can’t have you getting in the way.” She smiled sweetly, patted him on the shoulder and went to finish cooking.
Alex grimaced and looked down at Sofia. “Can I sit with you tonight?”
Author: kennedysbitch
Beta: strandedinaber
Pairing/Characters: Callie/Arizona, Alex
Rating: PG
Summary: A prompt from strandedinaber: Arizona over-estimates her ability to stand for a surgery, Alex has to take over, Callie does what she does best to make her feel better.
---
It took until hour six for Arizona to realize that she may have overestimated her capabilities in the OR. The bowel resection she could do in her sleep; it was the standing in one place that was becoming a problem.
Her prosthetics guy, David, was awesome. He and his team had actually designed her a limb whose sole purpose was to function in the OR and allow her the longest possible time on her feet without pain.
But she was only eight months post-op and she knew she was pushing it. Maybe someday she could do seven or even eight hour surgeries again, but right now sweat was pouring down her forehead and her good leg was beginning to shake.
The door whizzed open behind her and Alex appeared by her side. “Dr. Robbins-”
“I’m fine, Karev,” she snapped, though the shake in her voice betrayed how much she was struggling.
Alex was used to her outbursts these days and didn’t bat an eye as he signalled a circulation nurse to dab Arizona’s forehead with a cloth. “I know you’re fine, but your wife is gonna kill me if I don’t take over before five. She wants you home tonight for Sofia, remember?”
He was full of crap and Arizona knew it, but she appreciated his attempts at padding her ego. Callie did specify that if the surgery wasn’t complete by five p.m., she was to step out and let her protégé take over. Still, she huffed in annoyance, closing her eyes and steadying her temper. She was more likely to get upset than she used to be and it wasn’t Alex’s fault this time.
Well, technically speaking he had been wielding the scalpel that put her here, but that was something she tried not to hold against him anymore. It was a work in progress but she was moving on with her life.
Alex returned to her side fully gloved and gowned, holding out his left hand for the scalpel. She lifted her eyes to meet his, finding humour and compassion staring back at her, and the angry balloon in her belly deflated.
“Fine,” she conceded, handing it over and stepping away. “Don’t screw it up.”
Alex’s familiar chuckle followed Arizona to the door as she limped inside the scrub room. Once she trashed her surgical gear, she stepped up to the sink and began to scrub out. She could feel him watching her through the glass and looked up to cock an eyebrow. He simply shrugged and turned his attention to the ten-year-old open on the table, picking up where she left off with ease.
It felt good to get out of the OR, even though limping all the way to the locker room sent a jolt of discomfort from her stump to her shoulders. Once she reached her standing limit, the pain usually transferred through to her entire body. A hot bath and some muscle relaxers would do a world of good when she got home.
The locker room was empty much to Arizona’s delight, because she really didn’t feel like being self-conscious about stripping down right now. Her dirty scrubs flew into the bin across the room and she plopped down on the bench to change her shirt. With a grunt she dislodged the heavy prosthetic and switched off the joint assist, holding it in her hands and wondering how she was going to carry it home.
She could always come back for it tomorrow; there were no surgeries and it only took eight hours to charge. Arizona took one look at the limb before stuffing it in her locker and the sheer absurdity of the act made her crack up with laughter.
That would make a good prank to pull on somebody one day. She would have to remember it for later.
Without the added weight and pressure against her left leg, the feeling started to return and she massaged her thigh muscle with her fingers. It took a moment to pull on a pair of running shorts and a cotton slip over the residual limb, and then she was standing up on her own again. She reached inside her locker to grab the set of forearm crutches leaning next to her surgical prosthetic. The one she used to walk back and forth from work every day went ignored; for once Arizona found herself not caring whether or not people stared at the legless woman hobbling across the street. She would pick both legs up tomorrow or ask Callie to for her.
Arizona swung her bag over her shoulder and closed the locker, taking a moment to tie her hair up in a messy ponytail before settling her palms on the grips. Her arms were a little shaky as she exited the room but she was (almost) positive that she could make it home before collapsing.
***
The elevator doors popped open and spit Arizona out on the main floor. As she turned towards the exit, she caught sight of her wife standing by the reception desk, a giddy Sofia balanced in her arms. Despite her exhaustion, Arizona was happy to see them and started in their direction.
“What are you two doing here?” she inquired, pausing when Callie lowered Sofia just enough for her to give their daughter a quick kiss. “I thought I was meeting you at home.”
“I thought Karev might need help wrestling you out of the OR on time,” Callie mused, smiling despite how serious she was. “I called and he said you wouldn’t be finished before five so I figured he could use the backup. How did it go?”
Arizona debated how to answer that. “It was okay, but the leg I do have left is about to fall off, so maybe we can talk on the way home?”
Callie dropped her eyes and very subtly looked surprised to find Arizona going ‘commando’, the term her adorable wife had coined whenever she went without a prosthetic. Arizona was still self-conscious and preferred to mask her injury as much as possible, so seeing her too tired to care was, in some respects, good news.
“I’m exhausted,” Arizona replied to the silent question. “The idea of putting on my walking stick was too painful. I was hoping you could pick them up for me tomorrow?”
“Of course.” Callie juggled Sofia to her other arm and fell into step beside her wife as they exited the building. “Our Princesita here was hoping she could watch ‘The Lion King’ and colour with her Mama after dinner tonight, weren’t you?”
Sofia gave a large toothy smile and nodded shyly.
As she so often did, Sofia brought the first smile to Arizona’s face in hours. “Of course, I would love to colour with you, sweetie.”
While she had perfected her usual lengthy stride on a pair of crutches by now, her arms were too weak to go faster than a steady hobble. Callie kept pace, shooting worried glances at her wife as they crossed the street and went to their building. They skipped getting the mail and went straight upstairs.
“I’m going to shower before we eat,” Arizona said once they were inside and Callie helped her take off her jacket. She didn’t use the showers at work anymore.
“Do you need a hand?” Callie asked the question automatically, even though she expected a snarky response from the moment the words left her mouth.
Arizona’s glance was perhaps a little sharp, but she simply shook her head and declined with a polite, “No, I’m okay.”
Callie bit her bottom lip and set Sofia on the ground, letting her go once the toddler’s shoes were off. “I’ll get started on dinner. Take your time.”
***
The shower drained Arizona of what little energy she had left. While Callie finished up dinner in the kitchen, she passed out cold on the couch and woke up to Sofia trying to colour on her forehead with a crayon.
As she wiped off the purple line with a tissue, a tentative knock sounded on their front door. Arizona blinked sleepily and glanced into the kitchen. “Are you expecting anyone?”
Callie frowned, wiping her hands on a towel. “No, not that I know of.”
“I’ve got it.” Arizona grabbed her crutches and struggled to her feet, still feeling sore but somewhat more alert after the power nap. She ruffled Sofia’s hair affectionately and went over to the door.
Alex stood on the other side looking awkward and fidgety. Arizona blinked in surprise. She was pretty sure he had never even been here before, at least to her knowledge. “Hey. What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“What? No, nothing’s wrong,” Alex replied, giving her a weird look. “I didn’t kill your patient if that’s what you mean.”
Arizona waited for him to elaborate and when he didn’t, she quirked an eyebrow. “Okay. Is there some other reason you’re standing on my doorstep?”
Alex stared at the center of her forehead. “You’ve got something on your…”
Arizona quickly lifted an arm and rubbed at the remaining flakes of crayon. “Sofia. She’ll be a riot at slumber parties one day.”
Hearing her name, Sofia toddled up behind her Mama and peered out. “Hi.”
Alex looked down and actually smiled, the way he only did with children. “Hey. You should be nice to your mom, not use her as a colouring book.”
Sofia giggled and hid her face in Arizona’s pant leg.
Alex lifted his eyes to his boss. “I just wanted you to know that the surgery went fine. The kid’s in recovery and his stats are holding strong.”
“You could’ve called,” Arizona pointed out. “You didn’t have to walk all the way over here.”
“I told the parents that one of us would be in to talk to them in the morning, but I can do it if you need me to.”
“I can probably manage for a few hours,” Arizona started to say, only she froze when Callie cleared her throat pointedly from right behind her.
“That would be two days in a row,” Callie reminded her wife gently, flashing Alex a quick smile over the blonde’s shoulder. Arizona knew full well she was only back part time and was only supposed to go in every second day. Until her stamina built up, it was too hard on her body to spend that much time on her feet.
“That’s for surgery,” Arizona protested. “This is just post-op stuff.”
Callie hesitated to tell her wife what to do, because that always went over well, but she knew from experience that Arizona still had trouble managing her schedule. She kept thinking she could do more than her body was ready for and it always ended badly.
“I’d appreciate it if you would let Alex take care of this,” Callie said lightly. She knew it was the best she could do to change Arizona’s mind.
“I’ll call you with an update,” Alex spoke up. “Don’t worry, he’ll be fine.”
Arizona looked disappointed but she nodded anyway. “Okay. Thanks, Karev.”
Instead of getting ready to leave, Alex shifted his weight and looked uncomfortable again. Arizona waited patiently for him to use his words.
“Here.” He raised a hand and shoved a bottle of wine at her. “I was gonna give it to you earlier but you’d already left.”
Arizona let Callie take it for her and looked pleasantly surprised. “Thanks. What for?”
Callie grinned in amusement as Alex scowled at her and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “How come you never bring me wine?”
“It’s champagne, and shut up,” Alex snarked before looking at his boss again. “It’s for your surgery.”
“I didn’t even finish it,” Arizona said sceptically.
Alex shrugged like it was simple. “You only have one leg and you just stood in an OR for six hours without even blinking.” It was a little blunt but straight to the point. “You’ve been going crazy getting stuck with appies and weird mole removals and whatever stupid crap comes in. I was saving it for when you were really back.”
Arizona didn’t know what to say to that. He never ceased to surprise the heck out of her. “Alex…”
“Aww,” Callie echoed, just to embarrass the hell out of him.
He rolled his eyes. “Whatever, it’s not a big deal. I’m just glad to have you back. Barnett’s an asshole.”
“Alex,” Arizona snapped, releasing one crutch handle to press Sofia’s ear into her leg.
“Sorry.” He looked sheepish but kind of smiled. It was more normal to have Arizona pissed at him than have her looking like she was about to cry. “Anyway, I should let you get back. I’ll call tomorrow after I talk to the parents.”
“Wait,” Arizona called as he started to walk away. She glanced at Callie, then back at Alex. “We’re about to have dinner. The champagne can chill in the freezer for fifteen minutes. Do you want to stay?”
Alex looked to Callie for permission.
“C’mon,” Callie agreed, pulling the door the rest of the way open and stepping aside for him to enter. “We eat on TV tables so don’t expect anything fancy.”
“Thanks,” Alex chuckled, kicking off his shoes as she closed up behind him. He immediately bent down and scooped Sofia into his arms. “How’s Mini-Torres doin’?”
“Careful, or she’ll draw on you when you’re not looking,” Arizona mused. She headed into the kitchen to wash up and grab some plates.
Alex set Sofia down and went to go help her but was brought to a halt when Torres grabbed him by the arm.
Callie leaned in really close. “Don’t stay too long after dessert, Karev. I have very specific plans to bone my wife tonight and can’t have you getting in the way.” She smiled sweetly, patted him on the shoulder and went to finish cooking.
Alex grimaced and looked down at Sofia. “Can I sit with you tonight?”