Grey's Anatomy - Choices (8/23)
Title: Choices
Chapter 8/23
Authors: Faith & Kye
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Rating: NC-17
Story Summary: Post-6x17 "Push" -- Arizona prefers chickens to children, and Callie isn't okay with that. Heartbroken and lonely, the two women try unsuccessfully to move on with their lives, only to find they really are made for eachother.
Chapter Summary: Callie donates bone marrow, Arizona takes care of her like all good not-a-girlfriend's do.
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
Previous Chapters
A/N: Uh, we're not doctors, so...Google is our medical guide. Please excuse any major screw ups.
Also, the research we did about bone marrow donation talked about various different ways to go about harvesting it, so while Callie's experience is different than Izzie's was on Grey's, it should (hopefully) still be legit.
---
“You’re sure about this?” Arizona murmured softly to Callie. The two women stood outside of Anna Drake’s room, watching through the window as her father read the girl a bedtime story.
It was heartbreaking to watch. Arizona had been having to lightly sedate the little girl when she’d get agitated, otherwise risking her breaking something else before the current fractures healed.
“Absolutely sure?” she added again before Callie even had a chance to reply to her first inquiry. “Beyond a shadow of a doubt?”
“For the millionth time, Arizona,” Callie smiled from her spot next to the blonde. She never took her eyes from the scene unfolding through the large glass window. “Yes.”
***
Nathan Drake looked up when he heard the door to his daughter's room quietly open. He smiled at the two familiar faces. “Dr. Robbins,” he acknowledged politely. “Dr. Torres,” he added as he looked to the other surgeon.
“I told you to call me Callie,” the brunette corrected with a smile before turning her attention to the tiny little girl in the giant hospital bed.
“I've got some good news, sweetie,” Callie went on as she walked to the edge of the bed and then very carefully reached down to brush her fingers back through curly brown locks. “We found you a donor.”
Arizona watched the expression on Nathan’s face morph slowly from neutral, to realization, then to disbelief. “Y-you did?” He closed the children's book and jumped to his feet. “H-how? When? Who?”
Arizona looked over at Callie and Anna, then back to the father. “Well…”
She placed a hand on Callie’s shoulder and squeezed lightly. It was the brunette’s place to tell, not hers.
“We did,” Callie responded as she finally tore her gaze away from the hazy little girl's. It did break her heart to see Anna like this, but it didn't deter her from wanting one of her own someday.
If anything, it made her want one even more.
“I got tested,” Callie went on. “A few days ago.” She paused a moment to grin as she turned her eyes back to the little girl. “And I’m a partial match.”
Anna was still too young to understand what a bone marrow transplant was, exactly, but it was not lost on the father.
“You?” Nathan looked at Callie in awe. “Dr. Torres…Callie, you…” He truly seemed at a loss for words.
“Are awesome,” Arizona filled in, beaming at her ex.
Nathan finally seemed to come out of his stupor. “That’s an understatement,” he laughed disbelievingly. He darted around the side of the bed and pulled Callie into a really tight hug.
“Thank you,” he said, tears in his eyes.
“Ugnh,” Callie groaned in surprise as her eyes widened. She quickly recovered with a soft laugh as she reached up to wrap an arm around the overjoyed father. “You're welcome,” she offered softly.
“Daddy?” Anna suddenly spoke up from her spot on the bed. Tears filled her eyes as she looked up at her father. “My leg 'urts.”
Callie felt that pang in her chest as Nathan pulled back from the hug to look down at his daughter. Her eyes immediately shifted to the IV bag hanging just a few feet away. “Her pain meds are running low.” She looked over to her ex-girlfriend.
“I’ll take care of it,” Arizona replied with a nod. She gave Callie’s arm another squeeze. “You stay here.”
She shot Nathan and Anna a quick smile, then turned and headed out of the room.
“I can’t believe you’re a match,” Anna’s father said quietly, sitting down on the edge of his daughter’s bed. “I can’t believe you’re donating. It’s amazing, Callie, I…thank you.”
Callie's smile widened just a little. “You said that already.”
Nathan laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. “Why?” he suddenly questioned as his brow creased. He met the surgeon's eyes. “Why would you do this for me?” He looked at his daughter. “For her?”
Callie's gaze followed his. She sighed as she felt that tug in her chest again. “I want to,” she finally replied softly, shifting her dark eyes back to Nathan's. “I...I want to see her have the chance to get better.” She briefly glanced back toward the little girl who was whimpering softly in pain.
A moment of silence passed between the three occupants of the room.
“She never really had a mother,” Nathan suddenly spoke as he looked from his daughter back to her doctor. His smile was shaky, but sincere. “My wife, her mother, died of cancer a few months after she was born.”
Callie's brow furrowed as she gently shook her head. “I'm so sorry.”
“It's okay,” Nathan replied after a moment. “She went peacefully. She just wanted Anna so much...” He trailed off as he reached over to pull the blanket a little higher up his daughter's torso. “The doctors told her the risks. They warned her to not even try.” He paused a moment as memories came flooding back to him. His eyes watered with freshly unshed tears. “But Elena was a very stubborn woman who always got what she wanted.”
A moment of silence passed between them before he lifted his gaze to meet Callie's once more. “You remind me a lot of her,” he told the surgeon. “Warm. Caring. Compassionate.”
Callie was a little taken back by the kind words. “Nathan...”
“Please,” the man gently raised his hand. “I just wanted to let you know, in case no one's told you before.” His smile softened. “You're going to make a very good mother to a very lucky child someday.”
***
Arizona had paused outside of the door just long enough to hear the last part of that exchange.
Her heart stuck in her throat.
It just reiterated to her that she couldn’t hold Callie back any longer. It wasn’t fair to the other woman that they were still…tangled and complicated.
Callie would make an amazing mother. Without a doubt.
Swallowing back, Arizona entered the room. “Sorry,” she apologized softly, slipping in between them to get to the IV rack. She quickly switched bags, concentrating extra hard so she wouldn’t have to look at Callie and want to cry again.
Callie didn't have to ask to know.
Because that's just how shitty her life was these days.
Arizona had heard every last word.
Callie sighed, still smiling as she reached up to wipe at her brow. “That's very...nice of you, Nathan. Thanks.”
“I mean it,” the man instantly replied as he continued to smile. “If it's not too personal,” he hedged as he dropped his arm over his thigh. “Do you have someone special? Someone you could start a family with?”
Callie froze.
Arizona froze.
Neither wanted to look at the other, but somehow, they both did at the exact same time.
Callie was the first to look away. “Um,” she stuttered, clearly hesitating in answer. “N-Not at the moment. No.”
Arizona felt like she’d been kicked in the gut.
By a linebacker. Or whoever else did the kicking in football.
She was more of a hockey fan.
Either way, it fucking hurt.
But what else should she have expected? They weren’t together anymore. Arizona wasn’t up for kids and Callie wanted them, so it just didn’t make sense.
“All done,” Arizona spoke softly to Anna, avoiding looking at Callie as if one of them would burst into flames if she did. “Just lay back and relax, Anna. You’ll feel better real soon.”
Still without looking at Callie, she moved back out of the way and paused in her path to the door. “Get a nurse to page me if she needs anything,” Arizona said to Nathan.
“Thanks, Dr. Robbins.”
The blonde smiled. “Arizona.” She looked over to her ex one last time, feeling a painful twinge in her chest.
Arizona turned and quickly left the room.
Callie watched her go, her own heart breaking all over again.
Nathan looked from the doorway, to Callie, and then back again. “Did I miss something?”
Callie snapped out of it with a quick shake of her head. She forced a smile. “Nothing important.” She turned her attention to the little girl who was obviously feeling better thanks to the liquids flowing into her veins. “You sleep well, little one,” she called gently. “Got a big day tomorrow.”
Her smile faltered as she turned her gaze back to the empty doorway once more.
***
“You could stop pacing,” Mark called out to the only other occupant in the room. He was sitting propped up on the hospital bed with his eyes trained on Callie, who was padding back and forth in her spotted hospital gown the next day.
“You’re supposed to be resting.” Sloan was starting to get dizzy watching her. “Sit down, Torres. You’re just making yourself crazy.”
Callie chewed on her thumb nail as she paced. She shifted her gaze toward her best friend, but never stopped moving her feet. “'Crazy' doesn't even touch it, Mark.” Not that she was having 'bad' second thoughts.
Just...
Second thoughts.
Donating...anything was a pretty big deal. But bone marrow? When she wasn't even one hundred percent sure it was gonna work?
Callie really didn't like pain.
The only thing that seemed to distract her was-
“Have you seen Arizona today?” Callie suddenly demanded as she finally stopped pacing long enough to meet Sloan's eyes.
Mark wasn’t sure how to answer that.
“I’ve…seen her, yes.”
Callie dropped her hand and leveled Mark with a scary, intense looking glare.
“She was busy!” He rubbed at his forehead. “Did you or did you not tell her what time your procedure was?” With the uncertain shrug he received in return, Mark sighed and swung his legs over to jump off the bed. “Do you need me to go fetch Dr. Robbins for you?”
“No!” Callie instantly responded with a quick jerk of her head. She thought about it for a moment, and then sighed. “Yes,” she corrected softly as she turned away from her friend. She closed her eyes as she reached up to brush a hand back through her hair. “I don't know.”
Mark was quiet as he studied the woman for a long moment. He finally sighed as he dropped back down onto the bed. He stretched his legs out and folded his arms behind his head. “Women.”
***
“Up his dosage and page me if his condition changes overnight,” Dr. Robbins was instructing a nurse - not Carmen - as she scribbled a few notes down on the patient’s chart and handed it over.
She turned to head back down the hall, thinking of getting a quick nap in before surgery later, and ended up smacking directly into Mark.
Arizona jumped back, eyeballing him suspiciously. “Wear a bell, Dr. Sloan. How long were you standing behind me for?”
Mark smiled as he popped a grape into his mouth.
Seriously?
Was this guy always eating fruit or what?
“Not long,” Mark replied, still smiling as he chewed. He looked over to the nurse. “Practicing for the big game there, Dr. Robbins?” He turned his eyes back to the other surgeon as he popped another grape into his mouth.
Arizona rolled her eyes and pushed by Mark. “Don’t need any practice, Sloan. I have more mad skills that you could ever dream of.” She looked up and smirked when she saw him frowning.
“That’s not possible, Robbins. No one has more skills than me when it comes to women and seducing them.”
“Oh, but I do, Mark. I do. Plus, I’m much prettier than you.” Her smirk widened when Mark just looked shocked.
“No way you're prettier than me.”
Arizona blinked innocently at him. “Little bit, yeah.”
Mark glared at the other surgeon. “Fine. Then maybe I won't tell you that Torres is about to have her marrow sucked out, and she really wants you there but is too much of a coward to tell you that herself.”
Arizona stopped and whirled to glower at Mark. “What? Why didn’t she say anything?” she barked angrily.
Even though Mark knew Arizona wasn’t the type to hurt a fly, let alone a big guy like himself, the look in her eyes was a little…crazed.
“Don’t shoot the messenger, Robbins. She’s too afraid to admit that she wants you there, but she’s upstairs burning rubber and freaking out about having a hand drill shoved into her side.”
Arizona’s shoulders slumped and she ran a hand back through her hair. “We’ve been…avoiding eachother, kind of. It’s…awkward, and hard, and…and if I go up there and she really doesn’t want me there, then I just look like a big jackass, and she…did she specifically say out loud that she wants me there?”
Mark stared at Arizona with a deadpan expression on his face.
Women.
“Not in so many words,” Mark slowly replied. “But she is Torres, after all.”
Arizona chewed her bottom lip as she thought it over. She knew what she wanted to do.
There was no place else in the world right now that she would rather be.
But...
Things just weren't that simple. Not anymore.
Arizona sighed again. “Screw it.” She turned and quickly headed down the hall.
Mark watched her go, still smiling.
Women.
***
“I’m gonna kill them. Both.” Callie was replacing her fear with anger, because anger was easier to deal with.
Not only was Arizona not here by her side, but Markus was also MIA. Son of a bitch was gonna die when she saw him next.
She didn’t wanna do this on her own.
Laying on her stomach, Callie could feel herself shaking as she tried to breathe in and out evenly, ignoring the doctor working behind her to get everything set up.
The door suddenly burst open just as Callie finished uttering her death threats, and a slightly winded Arizona Robbins came stumbling in.
“Sorry,” she breathed, closing the door more quietly behind her. “Someone forgot to tell me what time the procedure was.” The blonde gave Callie a pointed stare.
Arizona reached over and snagged the short stool in the corner on her way over, wheeling it up to Callie’s head and sitting down next to her so they were about level. She was wearing her surgical mask and scrub cap.
“Hi.” Her smile softened beneath it, and she reached up to take Callie’s nearest hand.
Callie was still shaking as she swallowed back. “I don't wanna do this,” she suddenly blurted. She squeezed the hand in her grasp a little harder.
Arizona's eyes widened as she glanced up toward the doctor briefly. “What do you mean?”
“I mean I don't wanna do this,” Callie instantly repeated, jerking a little when she felt the doctor lay a hand on the back of her leg. “I...I changed my mind,” she quickly added, the look in her eyes clearly conveying her confusion.
She hadn't really changed her mind.
It was just last minute...
Something.
“Calliope,” Arizona started softly as she dropped her gaze back down to meet deep brown eyes. She gave the hand in her own a gentle squeeze. “This is all you've talked about for days.”
“I know!” Callie snapped. “But that was before I was about to have a giant needle shoved up my-”
“Calliope,” Arizona scolded as she looked up at the doctor again. He was just standing there, needle in hand. His brow was arched as he stared back at the blonde.
Arizona returned her attention to her ex with a sigh. “I know you don't mean that,” she whispered softly as she leaned in closer. “You're the strongest person I know. You can do this.”
Callie whimpered quietly. “I know.” She tensed up and swallowed back once more. She squeezed her eyes shut as she clenched the other woman's hand. “Just...do it fast.”
“Sweetie,” Arizona soothed, reaching up to brush the side of Callie’s face gently. “You’ll be sore when you wake up, but the rest of this is gonna be a breeze for you. And I’ll be here the whole time, I promise.”
Callie still looked unsure, so Arizona leaned in even closer. Their noses were practically touching by now. “Have I ever lied to you?” she whispered softly, repeating Callie’s earlier words back to her.
Callie watched Arizona quietly for a moment. “No,” she admitted softly as she shifted on the uncomfortable table. She released a heavy sigh, willing her body to stop shaking.
It was admittedly easier with Arizona clutching her hand so gently.
“Promise you'll be here?”
“Cross my heart.” Arizona brought her other hand up to hold Callie’s inbetween both of her own. “Just think of this like a two hour nap at work.” It was obvious she was smiling beneath her mask. “You’ll wake up feeling refreshed, and…sore, but there will be free Jell-O and chocolate milk for two whole days.”
“I hate Jell-O,” Callie pouted.
“I know,” Arizona replied softly as she nodded. “I know you do.”
Callie's expression lifted as she smiled hopefully. “Pudding?”
Arizona laughed. “Pudding it is.”
“Are we ready to proceed?” the doctor finally spoke up a bit impatiently as he moved beside the table.
Arizona shot him a glare. “Almost.”
The doctor sighed impatiently again.
Arizona looked back into Callie’s eyes. “Ready?”
When the ortho surgeon pouted again, but nodded, Arizona glanced at the doctor and nodded as well. His scrub nurse brought the gas mask up to Callie’s face. “Take a deep breath in and out for me, and count back from ten.”
Arizona squeezed Callie’s hand tightly.
The nervousness returned tenfold to the brunette's body as she kept her eyes locked with the deep blue in front of her. She felt the mask placed over her nose and mouth as she took a deep breath in.
“I'm still in love with you,” Callie managed to whisper a moment before her eyes started to flutter.
Damn.
That was some strong stuff.
Arizona’s chest tightened. “That’s the anesthesia talking,” she whispered softly, but she smiled just a little. Her eyes stayed locked with Callie’s until the other woman’s drooped closed.
“I’ll be here when you wake up.”
***
Callie's eyes fluttered open a few hours later. She groaned as her body was abruptly jerked from its unconscious state.
Her back was sore as hell. Her mouth was dry. Her arm hurt where the IV was jammed into her forearm.
She felt like she'd been hit by a truck. A really, really big truck.
The oxygen mask covering her face was heavy as she blinked and then tried to turn her head. “Arizona?”
Arizona was napping on a chair next to Callie, but she instantly jerked awake with a grunt. “M’here…” She sat up with a groan and popped her back, then stood up against the side of Callie’s bed.
“Hey, baby,” the blonde murmured softly, reaching up to softly brush her fingers along Callie’s forehead. “You did great. Really, really great.”
Callie groaned as she closed her eyes in a long, extended blink. “Don't feel great,” she mumbled in response as she tried to stretch her aching limbs. But she just didn't seem to have the energy.
Or the control over her own body.
She blinked again as she took in a deep, much needed breath of the oxygen. “Sore,” she groaned as she reached out with her right hand to swipe at her IV line. “Where's the good stuff?”
Arizona intercepted the flailing limb and gently placed it back by Callie’s side. “You’re on a mild sedative for now; they wanted to wait to see how you felt before breaking out the morphine.”
She very carefully sat on the edge of the bed, taking Callie’s hand into her lap and holding it tightly. “Anna’s in surgery right now. They should be done soon, and I told them to give us an update as soon as that happens.”
She didn’t know why, but Arizona felt kind of…nervous sitting there. She wanted to be with Callie, but she just wasn’t sure if she should be. Technically, they were trying to stay away from eachother to…make things easier.
But screw what she ‘should’ do. She wasn’t going anywhere.
“Mark sends his greetings. He also said to say he thinks you’re crazy, but he loves you for it.”
“Screw Mark,” Callie instantly replied with a heavy sigh. She reached up to rub at her itching nose, but her hand met with the hard plastic of the mask covering most of her face. She groaned in frustration as she closed her eyes and flailed her hand a little. “This suuucks.”
“Aww,” Arizona laughed, unable to help herself.
Calliope Torres was just adorable. And sexy. And beautiful. And…
Bah, she was so screwed.
Carefully, so as not to bump or move anything that would hurt, Arizona pulled herself up onto the bed and curled up next to her woman, content to just watch her silently.
The staring got to Callie after a moment though, and she scrunched her nose. “What?”
“Nothing,” Arizona smiled softly. “You just…have this uncanny ability to look drop dead gorgeous even when you’re covered in chicken pocks or have holes in your hip bone. Must be the polka-dot gown. It’s your colour.”
Callie groaned as she pushed at the blonde's body. She was so weak, it didn't do much more than ruffle Arizona's scrubs.
She groaned again.
Arizona couldn't stop smiling as she lay next to the brunette. She turned onto her back with a heavy sigh as she rested her hands across her stomach. Her blue eyes locked onto the ceiling. “Y'know,” she started as she squirmed to get comfortable. “This is gonna earn you some major points someday.”
Callie arched a brow, her own gaze trained on the ceiling. “Points?” she mumbled from behind the mask. She blinked lazily.
“Yep,” Arizona nodded. “I'm sure whoever you end up with is just gonna love the story of how you saved a poor, helpless little girl and her brittle, brittle bones.”
Callie's brow furrowed as she turned her gaze to the right. “Arizona?” she called softly before reaching up to pull the mask down from covering her mouth. She met and held the other woman's gaze when she finally looked back at her. “Why would you even say something like that?”
Arizona was silent for a long moment, until she was finally able to look away from Callie again. “I’m just being realistic, I guess.”
She didn’t mean to come off sounding so…cold. But it hurt to think about.
It hurt a lot.
“Nathan was right, Callie. You’re gonna make an amazing mother some day.” She risked glancing over at the other surgeon, managing a sad smile. “Not that you need the extra points, because you’re already clearly awesome, and the women will be lining up around the block. Or men, if things go that way.”
She sighed and turned to stare blankly back up at the ceiling. Part of her was worried about Callie ending up with Mark. Nothing against him, but…yeah. That prospect was almost more painful than the thought of her being with anyone else.
Arizona jerked when a hand suddenly landed hard against her stomach. Her blue eyes widened as she turned her attention to her ex-lover. “Hey,” she protested weakly as she reached up to rub at the sore spot on her abdomen.
“Ass,” was Callie's instant reply as she shot a glare at the blonde. “And seriously?” she added after a moment. “Have you not been paying attention this last year?” A tired, yet knowing smile spread across her lips. “You’ve pretty much ruined me from ever hopping that train back to 'Boystown'.”
That made Arizona grin. “Guess that means I’m pretty awesome too, huh?”
She laughed when Callie smacked her in the stomach again. “You know, for a patient who just woke up from minor surgery, you’ve got a lot more energy than you should.” This time she recoiled a little when Callie slapped her in the gut a third time.
“Yeah, well,” Callie grumbled as she shifted and twisted in the bed. “I'm in pain and you're the nearest object for me to take it out on right now.” She sighed heavily as she glanced over towards the blonde. “I don't care if we did finally make it 'official',” she explained softly. “I don't wanna hear you talk like that.” She reached out with her hand again, but this time, she rested it gently against the blonde's smooth stomach.
Callie whimpered softly. She knew it was...over.
Whatever.
But...
“It wasn't just the anesthesia talking,” Callie suddenly blurt as she gazed deeply into blue eyes. “I...I really am still in love with you.”
Arizona took Callie’s hand in her own and squeezed. “And I’m still in love with you.” They shared a long, lingering look. “Always will be.” She brought Callie’s hand to her lips, pressing a soft kiss to the back. “But I want you to be happy, Calliope. I don’t want to hold you back.”
She hadn’t planned on them having this conversation right now. Callie wasn’t exactly in the best shape for it. But…once more they were having ‘the talk’. For the third time.
It really sucked even more every time it happened.
Callie jerked her hand out of the blonde's grasp to reach down and smack her in the stomach again.
“Calliope!” Arizona scolded. “Seriously!”
“Well, stop saying stupid crap and I won't have to keep smacking you!” Callie growled dangerously.
“But-”
“No,” Callie cut her off sharply. “No,” she stated more firmly, her gaze leveled on the blue eyes staring back at her. “I don't wanna hear any more of this crap about how you want me to be happy with someone else.” Her bottom lip started to tremble. “I only wanna be happy with you.”
Arizona’s heart sank in her chest. She wanted to lean over and kiss the other woman instantly. It was that damn lip, how was she supposed to resist it?
“We aren’t supposed to do this,” Arizona pointed out, suddenly realizing that they were very, very close.
“Shut up,” Callie breathed.
“No, I mean we aren’t -”
“Arizona - Shut. Up.”
It was Arizona’s turn to pout a little. “You’re supposed to be resting-”
Callie smiled as she closed the distance between them, cutting off the other woman’s sentence before she could even finish.
***
“What'cha readin'?”
Lexi jumped in place, letting out a soft cry.
Meredith laughed as she rested her elbow against the desk. “Jumpy?”
Lexi shot her sister a glare. She paused a moment to glance back over her shoulder before leaning in toward the other doctor. “You would be too if you had Bailey constantly breathing down your neck about babysitting the hospital's hottest, and apparently most 'id-controlled' recently broken up lesbian couple!” She took in a sharp, much needed breath.
Meredith's eyes widened, but she continued to smirk. “You say that like it's a bad thing. I know a million guys in this hospital that would just die to be in your shoes.”
“Well, I'm not a guy,” Lexi shot back as she slammed her file folder shut. “And this really sucks.”
Meredith kept her smirk as her little half-sister brushed past her to head off down the hall.
***
The door to Recovery Room 301 suddenly opened.
“Okay, Callie, I-” Lexi looked up from the file in her hands as she stepped into the room. Her eyes instantly widened. “Oh my God!”
Callie and Arizona instantly jumped apart.
“Seriously!” Lexi stomped over to the bed, slapping the folder down hard against the end. She leveled her gaze on the brunette. “You just had a bone removed from your ass!”
Callie's brow furrowed as she scoffed. “Uhh, hip.”
“Whatever!” Lexi shot back instantly. She glared at Arizona. “Can you just not ever control yourselves?! Seriously!”
Arizona looked and felt extremely guilty. She wasn’t quite wrapped around Callie, since the brunette was in a fair amount of pain, but she was definitely snuggled up nice and close.
“Um…”
“Seriously!” Lexi slapped the bed rail again with her chart, causing them both to jump a second time. “You’re gonna get me fired. And I can’t, I-I can’t do it anymore, watching you two get all, all touchy-feely and…and…”
“Things with Karev not going so well, Little Grey?” Arizona asked lightly.
Lexi glared at her attending. “Alex and I were just sleeping together to forget our mutual pain. Now Mark is sleeping with Teddy and you two are broken up but screwing in supply closets and it’s all just…just…hey!”
She smacked the rail again when she noticed Callie’s finger tracing patterns on the back of Arizona’s hand.
Callie rolled her eyes as she stopped the motion. But she didn't pull her hand away. “You're being way uptight about this, Little Grey. No way Bailey's gonna fire you-”
“She so will!” Lexi quickly cut in with another slap to the bed.
“Easy with the file there, Little Grey,” Arizona noted with a slight twitch of her brow.
Lexi's eyes narrowed at both women. “If either of you call me 'Little Grey' one...more...time...”
Callie smirked. “You gonna tell Bailey on us?”
Lexi's expression suddenly shifted as she began to smile.
Callie's smirk vanished in a second. “Oh no...”
Arizona sighed and reluctantly pulled away from Callie to sit up. “Little Gr- Lexi,” she quickly corrected. “I’m sorry Bailey’s on the war path and you got stuck in the middle, but it’s our business what we do. No one else’s. This hospital might gossip more than a trio of sixteen year old girls, but I’m done caring.”
She reached down to grasp Callie’s hand again. “We’re working on our relationship. And if Bailey asks, you can tell her to back off. From me. Tell her to yell at me. Well not yell, but…she can talk to me if she has problems with this.”
Though the thought of a pissed off Miranda Bailey was enough to make her shiver.
‘The Nazi’ indeed.
“Little Grey.” Arizona frowned. “You’re…shaking.”
Lexi's bottom lip was trembling as her eyes began to glisten with tears. “I miss Mark,” she suddenly blurted before bursting into tears.
Callie arched a slow, calculated brow.
Arizona mirrored the move.
A few moments passed of Lexi's quiet sobbing before Callie casually leaned over to whisper next to the blonde's ear. “Should we stop her?”
Lexi snorted as she reached up to wipe at her nose with her sleeve.
Arizona was still watching with mild curiosity. “I don't think so,” she answered after a beat. “I think it might be a little like poking a sleeping bear.” She tilted her head just a little. “It's all cute and fuzzy when it's asleep, but wake it up, and you'll know what it's like to have something literally bite you in the ass.”
Callie nodded once. “Right. Gotcha.”
They watched her cry for another ten or so seconds, at which point Arizona finally released her unofficial girlfriend’s hand and slid off of the bed. “Lexi?” Arizona approached the fake blonde the way in which one would approach a wild, wounded animal.
Slowly and with extreme caution.
“Hey.” She reached out to gently place a hand on Little Grey’s shoulder, and then suddenly found herself holding onto the sobbing girl as she collapsed in her arms. Her heart broke a little for Meredith’s sister.
“It’s okay,” she tried to sooth, hugging her close. “You’ll be okay.”
She shot Callie a ‘what now?’ look over Lexi’s shoulder.
Callie's eyes widened as she threw her one free hand into the air. “What?” she mouthed as she motioned to her other arm. The one with the IV cord currently attached to it.
Arizona frowned.
Lucky.
Callie smiled at the cute little pout. And then she groaned.
She was so bad at breaking up. At least, she seemed to be with Arizona.
Others? Not so much.
Dammit.
“Uhh, Lexi?” Callie smiled as she shifted in her bed. Her pain meds were really almost completely gone now. She winced as the painful discomfort finally caught up with her brain. “Why don't...” She trailed off as she slowly blinked her eyes.
A lot of painful discomfort.
Arizona noticed instantly. “Okay.” She very carefully extracted herself from Lexi, then held her at arms length. “I need you to sit for a minute, okay?” She guided Lexi to the chair she had previously occupied and set her down.
“I’m sorry,” Lexi murmured almost incoherently through her tears. “I’m pathetic.”
“No, you’re not,” Arizona pointed out as she walked the few steps back over to Callie’s bed. God knows she had cried like a baby in Mark’s arms when she and Callie broke up.
Er, tried to break up.
The…first time.
Or was it the second?
Arizona’s thumb jammed down on the bedside pager, making sure to hold it down long enough to get someone’s attention before dropping it aside and turning her gaze back to Callie. “I need you to be still, okay?” she ordered softly, placing both hands on her lover’s shoulder and gently guiding her back down into a prone position. “Easy does it.”
She helped Callie lay back and shuffle down comfortably, or as much as she could. Then she mashed down on the button some more.
Callie suddenly hissed in pain as her lower back scraped across the sheets of the bed. “Oww,” she moaned with a grimace.
Arizona instantly pulled her back up off the bed. She glanced down, her gaze catching a brief flicker of something. “Calliope?” she called softly. “Sit up.”
Callie instantly complied, though it took some effort.
Arizona reached down to pull away the back of her gown. Her eyes widened as she turned to Lexi. “Get me her doctor.”
Lexi sniffled, rubbing at her nose with the back of her hand.
“Now!”
Lexi jumped, and then leapt from the chair to dash out of the room.
***
Arizona stood rigid, glaring at the other doctor.
The man swallowed back uneasily as he reached up to adjust his glasses. “I’ve never had any nerve compression problems with any of my donor patients before.”
“Well, you can't say that after today, now, can you?” Arizona shot back, still glaring at the doctor. She glanced to his nametag.
Peters.
What a stupid name.
Dr. Peters once again adjusted his large-rimmed glasses. “It's just a small infection-”
“Small?” Arizona repeated as she held her arms crossed over her chest. “Small?” She lifted a hand to point towards her ex's recovery room. “Have you seen how inflamed her back is? It looks like she went ten rounds with Mike Tyson!” Her brow furrowed. “Well, maybe not Tyson. She does still have both of her ears.” She switched the finger to point it at the doctor. “But that doesn't let you off the hook, mister!”
Dr. Peters held up his hands defensively. “Hey, I didn’t do the actual marrow sampling. The intern might have screwed up taking the sample, which if you remember back to when you were young, happens. It’s nothing major, it’ll clear up in a week or so, we'll also give her antibiotics to fight any infection possibility, she'll need bed rest and some pain meds.”
Arizona stepped up and got in the man’s face. “For your information, when I was an intern I never screwed up like that. Instead of putting a patient’s life in danger, if I didn’t know how to do something properly, I’d ask. Even more important, when I was a resident I never put inexperienced interns on important cases involving members of our staff! In fact, I’m pretty sure I have never failed to teach someone properly in this teaching hospital in a way that lead to a screw-up as big as this one!”
She could literally feel the blood pounding in her ears and could barely see she was so angry. “If he didn’t know what he was doing and you couldn’t have been bothered to teach him, then he should never have been in that room in the first place! So you had better pray to God that the transfusion works, because if there are further screw ups in this case I will personally see to it that your job suffers the consequences!”
It wasn’t until her loud, angry rant was over that Arizona became aware that everyone in the vicinity had stopped what they were doing to watch the exchange. But she didn’t care - this idiot had been careless, and if this wasn’t the only mistake made then the whole case could be thrown out the window. A three year old girl could not get the treatment she needed, not to mention the potential for nerve damage on Callie’s part.
So yeah, Arizona was prepared to make heads roll.
She shot the incompetent doctor one last glare before turning to disappear back into the room.
***
Callie smiled lazily as she watched her partner approach the bed with blurry vision. “Arizona,” she laughed as she reached up with her free hand to swat at the air. Her smile faltered. “Why are you so fuzzy?”
Lexi looked over to the blonde surgeon. “I just gave her some morphine for the pain, a-and her antibiotics should be arriving soon.” She reached up to place her hand on the IV bag to judge the level. “I can add them in as soon as they arrive.”
Callie laughed.
Arizona glanced down at Callie with an amused smirk, though she was still pretty tense and pissed off at idiot boy out in the hallway. “Good. The sooner we get them in her, the sooner she gets better.” She furrowed her brow and looked down when she felt Callie swatting idly at her scrubs, apparently trying to feel Arizona up but unable to coordinate her hand enough to do so. “You’re cute when you’re high,” she mused.
The attending glanced back up at Lexi. “Are you okay, Dr. Grey? I mean really. You can tell me if you want to. I’m good at listening to people.”
“Yeah, me too,” Callie suddenly piped up as she turned a serious expression towards the resident. And then suddenly laughed. She lifted her drowsy hand to point it at Lexi. “Lexi and Mark sittin' in a tree-” She stopped abruptly as her smile faltered. She yawned a little and then dropped her hand back to the bed.
Arizona smiled as she reached down to tuck the blanket up further over her now snoozing ex-girlfriend.
“See?” Lexi smiled softly after she watched the scene for a moment. “That's what I want. That right there.”
Arizona didn't pause in her task. “What's that?”
Lexi pointed towards he bed. “That,” she quickly replied. “I want someone to love me enough to pull a blanket up over me when I'm lying there all...infected and full of morphine.”
Arizona smirked as she made sure the edges were tucked under Callie’s shoulders so she’d stay nice and warm. “Speaking from experience, this is much more fun without the pain and drug-induced coma. But I get what you mean.” Watching her lover carefully for any signs of distress, Arizona gently stroked her fingers against Callie’s soft cheek.
“Mark misses you too.” Arizona glanced up at Lexi. “He’s still hurt that you left him. Which I understand, by the way.” She smiled a little. “I’m not ready to be a mother, and imagining being a grandmother at your age is just terrifying. So I get why you split. But…” She looked down at Callie and sighed. “He wants a wife and kids. Nowish. But he also wants you.” She looked up again. “So here we both are.”
Their situations really were too similar.
“But for what it’s worth…he misses you. Callie stands by the fact that you helped him become a better person, and even though I didn’t really know him beforehand…I think so, too.”
Lexi smiled. “Thanks, Dr. Robbins.”
The blonde arched a brow.
Lexi kept her smile as she nodded. “Arizona.”
“Save the cheese!” Callie suddenly blurted as she jerked awake. Her right arm flew up from the blanket, completely undoing all of Arizona's hard work. She blinked, reaching up to rub at her nose as she turned a hazy look to the woman standing next to her.
Arizona laughed at the display, resting a gentle hand on Callie’s shoulder. “What am I gonna do with you, hm?”
***
While Callie was sleeping, Arizona decided to take the opportunity to get some paperwork done. The more she finished now, the more time she’d have to take care of Callie once she was transferred home. She and Mark had worked it out so they’d take turns in shifts, both at the hospital and at Callie’s place.
“Yang, I know you have a natural aversion to children, but I need you to cover rounds for me tomorrow morning. Karev is out with the flu and-”
She looked up from the desk, expecting to see Cristina Yang still standing there, but instead found a very gorgeous pair of brown eyes staring back at her.
“You’re…not Dr. Yang,” she stated dumbly, staring back at Carmen Rodriguez.
The nurse smiled as she tucked a stray brown curl back behind her ear. “No,” she offered softly. “I don't mean to disturb you...?”
Arizona cleared her throat as she piled up the papers in front of her. “No. It's fine.”
“Good,” Carmen replied with a sigh of relief. She paused a moment, biting her bottom lip.
Arizona swallowed back thickly.
The nurse stepped up to close the last few feet between her and the desk. She placed her elbows up on the counter, crossing her arms as she leaned forward. “I just wanted to touch base,” she offered, her smile still firmly in place. “I want to make sure I'm on the same page as you for our first time.”
Arizona twitched in her chair as she reached up to rub at the back of her tense neck. “Uhh...what?”
Carmen gave the other woman an odd look. “Our first time?” she repeated slowly. “In the...OR?”
“Oh, right,” Arizona laughed nervously. She couldn’t believe how jumpy she was at the sudden appearance of Carmen. “That. Of course. Um.” She cleared her throat again. “The um…I have my supplies set aside beforehand, with the…the different instruments for the kids that are needed to...do surgery.”
Wow. Very medical, Robbins. Awesome.
She was usually so good at smooth-talking to beautiful women.
Or kissing them in public bathrooms.
“It’s a simple repair. Twelve year old girl had a horseback riding accident and lacerated her liver.” Arizona looked through her papers distractedly. “Should only take a few hours to repair, and I want to make sure we didn’t miss anything on the CT scan while we’re in there. I’ll walk you through my usual methods, so you’ll have a better idea when we get to the bigger stuff. You said you had some peds surgery experience before?” Arizona glanced back up at the other woman curiously.
Carmen was still smiling, her brown eyes taking in every movement of the blonde's. “Did anyone ever tell you how cute you are when you're all flustered but serious?”
Arizona's eyes widened.
Nurse Rodriguez laughed away the tension. “Just trying to get you to relax a little,” she offered softly. “I promise I don't bite.”
Arizona could feel her palms beginning to sweat.
Carmen pushed back from the counter, still smiling to herself as she walked around to where the surgeon was seated. Placing one hand on the desk and the other on the back of Arizona's chair, she leaned down to get a better look inside the file.
Arizona gulped.
Hard.
It took a lot of effort to keep her eyes glued to the information folder in front of her.
But before she could say anything or do something stupid and embarrassing, Mark Sloan appeared out of thin air right across the desk from both women.
“Ladies.”
Arizona looked up, unsure whether she had more of a ‘help me’ look on her face or…something else.
Mark shot her a pointed glare. “Your girlfriend just woke up. She's spazzing from the morphine and the nurse tried to page you ten minutes ago.”
Arizona's brow furrowed. It took her a moment to realize exactly what the man's words meant. “Crap,” she cursed softly as she quickly reached down to her side.
The blonde unclipped her pager, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the screen. “Double crap,” she cursed softly again before she quickly pushed her chair back to stand up.
Carmen looked a little crestfallen at the sudden brush-off, but Arizona was up and gone before anyone could say any more.
Mark watched her go with a suspicious look in his eye, and then glanced over to Carmen with that wide, toothy grin of his.
“Hi there.”
***
Arizona dodged gurneys and nurses and various patient family members as she jogged through the halls and took the stairs two at a time to get to the next floor.
“Crap,” she murmured under her breath again as she slowed down once she was in front of Callie’s room. Pushing the door open, she spotted Meredith hovering over Callie’s bed along with a nurse.
“What happened?” Her eyes immediately fell to the brunette laying in bed.
Meredith looked up at the sound of the blonde's voice. “Her body isn't adjusting to such a high dose of morphine yet, but it's the only thing that keeps her from having constant pain.” She smiled in sympathy. She liked Callie. And Arizona.
She liked Callie and Arizona.
As in...together.
Any idiot could see how much they loved each other, and she was no idiot.
“She woke up and didn't see you,” the nurse suddenly added. “She started freaking out. I...I think all the morphine has done something to her brain.”
Meredith sighed.
This nurse, however, was an idiot.
Arizona shot the nurse a look. “Get me Dr. Peters.” He was the one in charge of Callie’s case, so to speak. She grabbed a stethoscope from the wall and quickly put it on, leaning down to listen to Callie’s heartbeat. It was a little irregular.
“Dr. Peters went home,” the nurse replied. “H-he said she’d need more if she was still in pain, so I was going to ask if we should increase the drip.”
“Well obviously that’s not a good idea, since she’s clearly in distress because of the morphine,” Arizona snapped out of irritation. “Get out. Now. Get someone else in here who actually paid attention in nursing school.”
She was done with dumb people today. She didn’t care if she was being a mean-spirited bitch.
Arizona pulled the stethoscope back out of Callie’s gown and off of her ears, then swung it around her neck before grabbing Callie’s chart. “I’m signing off on a medication change to demerol. Give the morphine some time to wear out of her system, then switch her over at a controlled, low dose to start with.”
Aware that her tone was still a little unintentionally sharp, Arizona glanced up to find Dr. Grey staring at her with a slightly raised brow.
“Please,” she added much nicer, smiling apologetically.
“I can't let her do that.”
All eyes turned towards the door as Chief Shepherd stepped into the room. “Dr. Robbins,” he hedged as he kept his eyes locked with Arizona's. “I can't let you do that, either.”
Arizona turned to face him. “Why not?”
“I thought it would be quite obvious,” Derek replied after a small pause. “Not only is it unethical for you to change another doctor's orders, but it's also highly inappropriate for you to be adjusting your girlfriend's pain medication while she is a patient at this hospital.”
Blue eyes narrowed. “She's not my-”
“It doesn't matter,” Derek quickly interrupted with a shake of his head as he walked further into the room. “You're a pediatric surgeon, Dr. Robbins,” he stated calmly. “Calliope Torres is not a pediatric patient.”
Arizona grit her teeth and somehow managed to hold her tongue.
Telling the new Chief to go screw himself probably wouldn’t be a very smart decision.
She was aware that she was still cranky, and her temper had never done her any good before.
“Dr. Peters isn’t here, Dr. Shepherd. Dr. Torres isn’t reacting well to morphine,” she stated, in as neutral a tone as she could manage. “In my medical opinion, she would be better off on demerol, but her physician has gone home for the day.”
Meredith remained on the other side of Callie’s bed, watching the exchange. She stayed very still, trying not to get noticed.
Jumping between her post-it husband and a very protective roller-shoed girlfriend seemed kind of like a death sentence.
Derek just smiled. “I understand your concern, Dr. Robbins,” he replied coolly. “But that doesn't change the fact that I don't feel it would be in this hospital's best interest to have you authorizing a change for a patient that you have such a close, personal interest in.”
“Chief-”
“Please, Dr. Robbins,” Derek interrupted with a quick wave of his hand. “I really do understand your concern. And I sympathize. But I just can't...” He trailed off with a sigh. “Look, Arizona,” he started, switching tactics as he reached up to rub at the back of his neck. “You can't change her medication. You just can't. Whatever you two want to call yourselves, the simple fact is that you have a close, personal relationship with her.” He paused as he glanced towards the bed. Callie seemed to be a lot calmer now as she snoozed lightly.
Derek shifted his gaze back to the concerned blonde. “If you want to stay with her to monitor her progress, that's perfectly fine.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “But you're not changing her medication. End of discussion.”
Arizona looked away bitterly. She knew he was right, she really did, but…dammit, she was right too.
“Fine,” she answered stiffly, focusing her eyes down on Callie again. “Sorry…Chief Shepherd.”
Meredith slowly made her way around the bed. “If you need anything, just page me, Dr. Robbins.” She offered a reassuring smile before following Derek out of the room.
“You’re mean,” she teased him once they were out of ear shot. “She’s just worried about Callie, you know that. You didn’t have to come down so hard.”
Derek gave her a knowing look. “I'm not being mean,” he replied as he reached up to adjust his tie. “I'm being 'Chief-ly'.”
Meredith laughed with a roll of her eyes. “Yes, because showing sympathy would be a weakness, right? And you don’t want anyone challenging your authority.”
Derek slipped an arm around his wife’s waist and pulled her in close. “They don’t need sympathy. It’ll work out in the end.”
Meredith fixed him with a skeptical stare. “You seem awfully confident, Chief Shepherd.”
That made Derek laugh. “Do you not remember our own adventures in Break-Up-Sex Land? We met in on-call rooms and supplies closets for weeks, in total denial the entire time. And now look at us.”
Meredith leaned into him as they walked down the hall. “That’s a good point, Chief Shepherd.”
Derek grinned at Meredith as they headed toward the elevator. “I find you strangely attractive when you call me that.”
Meredith’s smirk widened. “I know.”
---
Chapter 8/23
Authors: Faith & Kye
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Rating: NC-17
Story Summary: Post-6x17 "Push" -- Arizona prefers chickens to children, and Callie isn't okay with that. Heartbroken and lonely, the two women try unsuccessfully to move on with their lives, only to find they really are made for eachother.
Chapter Summary: Callie donates bone marrow, Arizona takes care of her like all good not-a-girlfriend's do.
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
Previous Chapters
A/N: Uh, we're not doctors, so...Google is our medical guide. Please excuse any major screw ups.
Also, the research we did about bone marrow donation talked about various different ways to go about harvesting it, so while Callie's experience is different than Izzie's was on Grey's, it should (hopefully) still be legit.
---
“You’re sure about this?” Arizona murmured softly to Callie. The two women stood outside of Anna Drake’s room, watching through the window as her father read the girl a bedtime story.
It was heartbreaking to watch. Arizona had been having to lightly sedate the little girl when she’d get agitated, otherwise risking her breaking something else before the current fractures healed.
“Absolutely sure?” she added again before Callie even had a chance to reply to her first inquiry. “Beyond a shadow of a doubt?”
“For the millionth time, Arizona,” Callie smiled from her spot next to the blonde. She never took her eyes from the scene unfolding through the large glass window. “Yes.”
***
Nathan Drake looked up when he heard the door to his daughter's room quietly open. He smiled at the two familiar faces. “Dr. Robbins,” he acknowledged politely. “Dr. Torres,” he added as he looked to the other surgeon.
“I told you to call me Callie,” the brunette corrected with a smile before turning her attention to the tiny little girl in the giant hospital bed.
“I've got some good news, sweetie,” Callie went on as she walked to the edge of the bed and then very carefully reached down to brush her fingers back through curly brown locks. “We found you a donor.”
Arizona watched the expression on Nathan’s face morph slowly from neutral, to realization, then to disbelief. “Y-you did?” He closed the children's book and jumped to his feet. “H-how? When? Who?”
Arizona looked over at Callie and Anna, then back to the father. “Well…”
She placed a hand on Callie’s shoulder and squeezed lightly. It was the brunette’s place to tell, not hers.
“We did,” Callie responded as she finally tore her gaze away from the hazy little girl's. It did break her heart to see Anna like this, but it didn't deter her from wanting one of her own someday.
If anything, it made her want one even more.
“I got tested,” Callie went on. “A few days ago.” She paused a moment to grin as she turned her eyes back to the little girl. “And I’m a partial match.”
Anna was still too young to understand what a bone marrow transplant was, exactly, but it was not lost on the father.
“You?” Nathan looked at Callie in awe. “Dr. Torres…Callie, you…” He truly seemed at a loss for words.
“Are awesome,” Arizona filled in, beaming at her ex.
Nathan finally seemed to come out of his stupor. “That’s an understatement,” he laughed disbelievingly. He darted around the side of the bed and pulled Callie into a really tight hug.
“Thank you,” he said, tears in his eyes.
“Ugnh,” Callie groaned in surprise as her eyes widened. She quickly recovered with a soft laugh as she reached up to wrap an arm around the overjoyed father. “You're welcome,” she offered softly.
“Daddy?” Anna suddenly spoke up from her spot on the bed. Tears filled her eyes as she looked up at her father. “My leg 'urts.”
Callie felt that pang in her chest as Nathan pulled back from the hug to look down at his daughter. Her eyes immediately shifted to the IV bag hanging just a few feet away. “Her pain meds are running low.” She looked over to her ex-girlfriend.
“I’ll take care of it,” Arizona replied with a nod. She gave Callie’s arm another squeeze. “You stay here.”
She shot Nathan and Anna a quick smile, then turned and headed out of the room.
“I can’t believe you’re a match,” Anna’s father said quietly, sitting down on the edge of his daughter’s bed. “I can’t believe you’re donating. It’s amazing, Callie, I…thank you.”
Callie's smile widened just a little. “You said that already.”
Nathan laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. “Why?” he suddenly questioned as his brow creased. He met the surgeon's eyes. “Why would you do this for me?” He looked at his daughter. “For her?”
Callie's gaze followed his. She sighed as she felt that tug in her chest again. “I want to,” she finally replied softly, shifting her dark eyes back to Nathan's. “I...I want to see her have the chance to get better.” She briefly glanced back toward the little girl who was whimpering softly in pain.
A moment of silence passed between the three occupants of the room.
“She never really had a mother,” Nathan suddenly spoke as he looked from his daughter back to her doctor. His smile was shaky, but sincere. “My wife, her mother, died of cancer a few months after she was born.”
Callie's brow furrowed as she gently shook her head. “I'm so sorry.”
“It's okay,” Nathan replied after a moment. “She went peacefully. She just wanted Anna so much...” He trailed off as he reached over to pull the blanket a little higher up his daughter's torso. “The doctors told her the risks. They warned her to not even try.” He paused a moment as memories came flooding back to him. His eyes watered with freshly unshed tears. “But Elena was a very stubborn woman who always got what she wanted.”
A moment of silence passed between them before he lifted his gaze to meet Callie's once more. “You remind me a lot of her,” he told the surgeon. “Warm. Caring. Compassionate.”
Callie was a little taken back by the kind words. “Nathan...”
“Please,” the man gently raised his hand. “I just wanted to let you know, in case no one's told you before.” His smile softened. “You're going to make a very good mother to a very lucky child someday.”
***
Arizona had paused outside of the door just long enough to hear the last part of that exchange.
Her heart stuck in her throat.
It just reiterated to her that she couldn’t hold Callie back any longer. It wasn’t fair to the other woman that they were still…tangled and complicated.
Callie would make an amazing mother. Without a doubt.
Swallowing back, Arizona entered the room. “Sorry,” she apologized softly, slipping in between them to get to the IV rack. She quickly switched bags, concentrating extra hard so she wouldn’t have to look at Callie and want to cry again.
Callie didn't have to ask to know.
Because that's just how shitty her life was these days.
Arizona had heard every last word.
Callie sighed, still smiling as she reached up to wipe at her brow. “That's very...nice of you, Nathan. Thanks.”
“I mean it,” the man instantly replied as he continued to smile. “If it's not too personal,” he hedged as he dropped his arm over his thigh. “Do you have someone special? Someone you could start a family with?”
Callie froze.
Arizona froze.
Neither wanted to look at the other, but somehow, they both did at the exact same time.
Callie was the first to look away. “Um,” she stuttered, clearly hesitating in answer. “N-Not at the moment. No.”
Arizona felt like she’d been kicked in the gut.
By a linebacker. Or whoever else did the kicking in football.
She was more of a hockey fan.
Either way, it fucking hurt.
But what else should she have expected? They weren’t together anymore. Arizona wasn’t up for kids and Callie wanted them, so it just didn’t make sense.
“All done,” Arizona spoke softly to Anna, avoiding looking at Callie as if one of them would burst into flames if she did. “Just lay back and relax, Anna. You’ll feel better real soon.”
Still without looking at Callie, she moved back out of the way and paused in her path to the door. “Get a nurse to page me if she needs anything,” Arizona said to Nathan.
“Thanks, Dr. Robbins.”
The blonde smiled. “Arizona.” She looked over to her ex one last time, feeling a painful twinge in her chest.
Arizona turned and quickly left the room.
Callie watched her go, her own heart breaking all over again.
Nathan looked from the doorway, to Callie, and then back again. “Did I miss something?”
Callie snapped out of it with a quick shake of her head. She forced a smile. “Nothing important.” She turned her attention to the little girl who was obviously feeling better thanks to the liquids flowing into her veins. “You sleep well, little one,” she called gently. “Got a big day tomorrow.”
Her smile faltered as she turned her gaze back to the empty doorway once more.
***
“You could stop pacing,” Mark called out to the only other occupant in the room. He was sitting propped up on the hospital bed with his eyes trained on Callie, who was padding back and forth in her spotted hospital gown the next day.
“You’re supposed to be resting.” Sloan was starting to get dizzy watching her. “Sit down, Torres. You’re just making yourself crazy.”
Callie chewed on her thumb nail as she paced. She shifted her gaze toward her best friend, but never stopped moving her feet. “'Crazy' doesn't even touch it, Mark.” Not that she was having 'bad' second thoughts.
Just...
Second thoughts.
Donating...anything was a pretty big deal. But bone marrow? When she wasn't even one hundred percent sure it was gonna work?
Callie really didn't like pain.
The only thing that seemed to distract her was-
“Have you seen Arizona today?” Callie suddenly demanded as she finally stopped pacing long enough to meet Sloan's eyes.
Mark wasn’t sure how to answer that.
“I’ve…seen her, yes.”
Callie dropped her hand and leveled Mark with a scary, intense looking glare.
“She was busy!” He rubbed at his forehead. “Did you or did you not tell her what time your procedure was?” With the uncertain shrug he received in return, Mark sighed and swung his legs over to jump off the bed. “Do you need me to go fetch Dr. Robbins for you?”
“No!” Callie instantly responded with a quick jerk of her head. She thought about it for a moment, and then sighed. “Yes,” she corrected softly as she turned away from her friend. She closed her eyes as she reached up to brush a hand back through her hair. “I don't know.”
Mark was quiet as he studied the woman for a long moment. He finally sighed as he dropped back down onto the bed. He stretched his legs out and folded his arms behind his head. “Women.”
***
“Up his dosage and page me if his condition changes overnight,” Dr. Robbins was instructing a nurse - not Carmen - as she scribbled a few notes down on the patient’s chart and handed it over.
She turned to head back down the hall, thinking of getting a quick nap in before surgery later, and ended up smacking directly into Mark.
Arizona jumped back, eyeballing him suspiciously. “Wear a bell, Dr. Sloan. How long were you standing behind me for?”
Mark smiled as he popped a grape into his mouth.
Seriously?
Was this guy always eating fruit or what?
“Not long,” Mark replied, still smiling as he chewed. He looked over to the nurse. “Practicing for the big game there, Dr. Robbins?” He turned his eyes back to the other surgeon as he popped another grape into his mouth.
Arizona rolled her eyes and pushed by Mark. “Don’t need any practice, Sloan. I have more mad skills that you could ever dream of.” She looked up and smirked when she saw him frowning.
“That’s not possible, Robbins. No one has more skills than me when it comes to women and seducing them.”
“Oh, but I do, Mark. I do. Plus, I’m much prettier than you.” Her smirk widened when Mark just looked shocked.
“No way you're prettier than me.”
Arizona blinked innocently at him. “Little bit, yeah.”
Mark glared at the other surgeon. “Fine. Then maybe I won't tell you that Torres is about to have her marrow sucked out, and she really wants you there but is too much of a coward to tell you that herself.”
Arizona stopped and whirled to glower at Mark. “What? Why didn’t she say anything?” she barked angrily.
Even though Mark knew Arizona wasn’t the type to hurt a fly, let alone a big guy like himself, the look in her eyes was a little…crazed.
“Don’t shoot the messenger, Robbins. She’s too afraid to admit that she wants you there, but she’s upstairs burning rubber and freaking out about having a hand drill shoved into her side.”
Arizona’s shoulders slumped and she ran a hand back through her hair. “We’ve been…avoiding eachother, kind of. It’s…awkward, and hard, and…and if I go up there and she really doesn’t want me there, then I just look like a big jackass, and she…did she specifically say out loud that she wants me there?”
Mark stared at Arizona with a deadpan expression on his face.
Women.
“Not in so many words,” Mark slowly replied. “But she is Torres, after all.”
Arizona chewed her bottom lip as she thought it over. She knew what she wanted to do.
There was no place else in the world right now that she would rather be.
But...
Things just weren't that simple. Not anymore.
Arizona sighed again. “Screw it.” She turned and quickly headed down the hall.
Mark watched her go, still smiling.
Women.
***
“I’m gonna kill them. Both.” Callie was replacing her fear with anger, because anger was easier to deal with.
Not only was Arizona not here by her side, but Markus was also MIA. Son of a bitch was gonna die when she saw him next.
She didn’t wanna do this on her own.
Laying on her stomach, Callie could feel herself shaking as she tried to breathe in and out evenly, ignoring the doctor working behind her to get everything set up.
The door suddenly burst open just as Callie finished uttering her death threats, and a slightly winded Arizona Robbins came stumbling in.
“Sorry,” she breathed, closing the door more quietly behind her. “Someone forgot to tell me what time the procedure was.” The blonde gave Callie a pointed stare.
Arizona reached over and snagged the short stool in the corner on her way over, wheeling it up to Callie’s head and sitting down next to her so they were about level. She was wearing her surgical mask and scrub cap.
“Hi.” Her smile softened beneath it, and she reached up to take Callie’s nearest hand.
Callie was still shaking as she swallowed back. “I don't wanna do this,” she suddenly blurted. She squeezed the hand in her grasp a little harder.
Arizona's eyes widened as she glanced up toward the doctor briefly. “What do you mean?”
“I mean I don't wanna do this,” Callie instantly repeated, jerking a little when she felt the doctor lay a hand on the back of her leg. “I...I changed my mind,” she quickly added, the look in her eyes clearly conveying her confusion.
She hadn't really changed her mind.
It was just last minute...
Something.
“Calliope,” Arizona started softly as she dropped her gaze back down to meet deep brown eyes. She gave the hand in her own a gentle squeeze. “This is all you've talked about for days.”
“I know!” Callie snapped. “But that was before I was about to have a giant needle shoved up my-”
“Calliope,” Arizona scolded as she looked up at the doctor again. He was just standing there, needle in hand. His brow was arched as he stared back at the blonde.
Arizona returned her attention to her ex with a sigh. “I know you don't mean that,” she whispered softly as she leaned in closer. “You're the strongest person I know. You can do this.”
Callie whimpered quietly. “I know.” She tensed up and swallowed back once more. She squeezed her eyes shut as she clenched the other woman's hand. “Just...do it fast.”
“Sweetie,” Arizona soothed, reaching up to brush the side of Callie’s face gently. “You’ll be sore when you wake up, but the rest of this is gonna be a breeze for you. And I’ll be here the whole time, I promise.”
Callie still looked unsure, so Arizona leaned in even closer. Their noses were practically touching by now. “Have I ever lied to you?” she whispered softly, repeating Callie’s earlier words back to her.
Callie watched Arizona quietly for a moment. “No,” she admitted softly as she shifted on the uncomfortable table. She released a heavy sigh, willing her body to stop shaking.
It was admittedly easier with Arizona clutching her hand so gently.
“Promise you'll be here?”
“Cross my heart.” Arizona brought her other hand up to hold Callie’s inbetween both of her own. “Just think of this like a two hour nap at work.” It was obvious she was smiling beneath her mask. “You’ll wake up feeling refreshed, and…sore, but there will be free Jell-O and chocolate milk for two whole days.”
“I hate Jell-O,” Callie pouted.
“I know,” Arizona replied softly as she nodded. “I know you do.”
Callie's expression lifted as she smiled hopefully. “Pudding?”
Arizona laughed. “Pudding it is.”
“Are we ready to proceed?” the doctor finally spoke up a bit impatiently as he moved beside the table.
Arizona shot him a glare. “Almost.”
The doctor sighed impatiently again.
Arizona looked back into Callie’s eyes. “Ready?”
When the ortho surgeon pouted again, but nodded, Arizona glanced at the doctor and nodded as well. His scrub nurse brought the gas mask up to Callie’s face. “Take a deep breath in and out for me, and count back from ten.”
Arizona squeezed Callie’s hand tightly.
The nervousness returned tenfold to the brunette's body as she kept her eyes locked with the deep blue in front of her. She felt the mask placed over her nose and mouth as she took a deep breath in.
“I'm still in love with you,” Callie managed to whisper a moment before her eyes started to flutter.
Damn.
That was some strong stuff.
Arizona’s chest tightened. “That’s the anesthesia talking,” she whispered softly, but she smiled just a little. Her eyes stayed locked with Callie’s until the other woman’s drooped closed.
“I’ll be here when you wake up.”
***
Callie's eyes fluttered open a few hours later. She groaned as her body was abruptly jerked from its unconscious state.
Her back was sore as hell. Her mouth was dry. Her arm hurt where the IV was jammed into her forearm.
She felt like she'd been hit by a truck. A really, really big truck.
The oxygen mask covering her face was heavy as she blinked and then tried to turn her head. “Arizona?”
Arizona was napping on a chair next to Callie, but she instantly jerked awake with a grunt. “M’here…” She sat up with a groan and popped her back, then stood up against the side of Callie’s bed.
“Hey, baby,” the blonde murmured softly, reaching up to softly brush her fingers along Callie’s forehead. “You did great. Really, really great.”
Callie groaned as she closed her eyes in a long, extended blink. “Don't feel great,” she mumbled in response as she tried to stretch her aching limbs. But she just didn't seem to have the energy.
Or the control over her own body.
She blinked again as she took in a deep, much needed breath of the oxygen. “Sore,” she groaned as she reached out with her right hand to swipe at her IV line. “Where's the good stuff?”
Arizona intercepted the flailing limb and gently placed it back by Callie’s side. “You’re on a mild sedative for now; they wanted to wait to see how you felt before breaking out the morphine.”
She very carefully sat on the edge of the bed, taking Callie’s hand into her lap and holding it tightly. “Anna’s in surgery right now. They should be done soon, and I told them to give us an update as soon as that happens.”
She didn’t know why, but Arizona felt kind of…nervous sitting there. She wanted to be with Callie, but she just wasn’t sure if she should be. Technically, they were trying to stay away from eachother to…make things easier.
But screw what she ‘should’ do. She wasn’t going anywhere.
“Mark sends his greetings. He also said to say he thinks you’re crazy, but he loves you for it.”
“Screw Mark,” Callie instantly replied with a heavy sigh. She reached up to rub at her itching nose, but her hand met with the hard plastic of the mask covering most of her face. She groaned in frustration as she closed her eyes and flailed her hand a little. “This suuucks.”
“Aww,” Arizona laughed, unable to help herself.
Calliope Torres was just adorable. And sexy. And beautiful. And…
Bah, she was so screwed.
Carefully, so as not to bump or move anything that would hurt, Arizona pulled herself up onto the bed and curled up next to her woman, content to just watch her silently.
The staring got to Callie after a moment though, and she scrunched her nose. “What?”
“Nothing,” Arizona smiled softly. “You just…have this uncanny ability to look drop dead gorgeous even when you’re covered in chicken pocks or have holes in your hip bone. Must be the polka-dot gown. It’s your colour.”
Callie groaned as she pushed at the blonde's body. She was so weak, it didn't do much more than ruffle Arizona's scrubs.
She groaned again.
Arizona couldn't stop smiling as she lay next to the brunette. She turned onto her back with a heavy sigh as she rested her hands across her stomach. Her blue eyes locked onto the ceiling. “Y'know,” she started as she squirmed to get comfortable. “This is gonna earn you some major points someday.”
Callie arched a brow, her own gaze trained on the ceiling. “Points?” she mumbled from behind the mask. She blinked lazily.
“Yep,” Arizona nodded. “I'm sure whoever you end up with is just gonna love the story of how you saved a poor, helpless little girl and her brittle, brittle bones.”
Callie's brow furrowed as she turned her gaze to the right. “Arizona?” she called softly before reaching up to pull the mask down from covering her mouth. She met and held the other woman's gaze when she finally looked back at her. “Why would you even say something like that?”
Arizona was silent for a long moment, until she was finally able to look away from Callie again. “I’m just being realistic, I guess.”
She didn’t mean to come off sounding so…cold. But it hurt to think about.
It hurt a lot.
“Nathan was right, Callie. You’re gonna make an amazing mother some day.” She risked glancing over at the other surgeon, managing a sad smile. “Not that you need the extra points, because you’re already clearly awesome, and the women will be lining up around the block. Or men, if things go that way.”
She sighed and turned to stare blankly back up at the ceiling. Part of her was worried about Callie ending up with Mark. Nothing against him, but…yeah. That prospect was almost more painful than the thought of her being with anyone else.
Arizona jerked when a hand suddenly landed hard against her stomach. Her blue eyes widened as she turned her attention to her ex-lover. “Hey,” she protested weakly as she reached up to rub at the sore spot on her abdomen.
“Ass,” was Callie's instant reply as she shot a glare at the blonde. “And seriously?” she added after a moment. “Have you not been paying attention this last year?” A tired, yet knowing smile spread across her lips. “You’ve pretty much ruined me from ever hopping that train back to 'Boystown'.”
That made Arizona grin. “Guess that means I’m pretty awesome too, huh?”
She laughed when Callie smacked her in the stomach again. “You know, for a patient who just woke up from minor surgery, you’ve got a lot more energy than you should.” This time she recoiled a little when Callie slapped her in the gut a third time.
“Yeah, well,” Callie grumbled as she shifted and twisted in the bed. “I'm in pain and you're the nearest object for me to take it out on right now.” She sighed heavily as she glanced over towards the blonde. “I don't care if we did finally make it 'official',” she explained softly. “I don't wanna hear you talk like that.” She reached out with her hand again, but this time, she rested it gently against the blonde's smooth stomach.
Callie whimpered softly. She knew it was...over.
Whatever.
But...
“It wasn't just the anesthesia talking,” Callie suddenly blurt as she gazed deeply into blue eyes. “I...I really am still in love with you.”
Arizona took Callie’s hand in her own and squeezed. “And I’m still in love with you.” They shared a long, lingering look. “Always will be.” She brought Callie’s hand to her lips, pressing a soft kiss to the back. “But I want you to be happy, Calliope. I don’t want to hold you back.”
She hadn’t planned on them having this conversation right now. Callie wasn’t exactly in the best shape for it. But…once more they were having ‘the talk’. For the third time.
It really sucked even more every time it happened.
Callie jerked her hand out of the blonde's grasp to reach down and smack her in the stomach again.
“Calliope!” Arizona scolded. “Seriously!”
“Well, stop saying stupid crap and I won't have to keep smacking you!” Callie growled dangerously.
“But-”
“No,” Callie cut her off sharply. “No,” she stated more firmly, her gaze leveled on the blue eyes staring back at her. “I don't wanna hear any more of this crap about how you want me to be happy with someone else.” Her bottom lip started to tremble. “I only wanna be happy with you.”
Arizona’s heart sank in her chest. She wanted to lean over and kiss the other woman instantly. It was that damn lip, how was she supposed to resist it?
“We aren’t supposed to do this,” Arizona pointed out, suddenly realizing that they were very, very close.
“Shut up,” Callie breathed.
“No, I mean we aren’t -”
“Arizona - Shut. Up.”
It was Arizona’s turn to pout a little. “You’re supposed to be resting-”
Callie smiled as she closed the distance between them, cutting off the other woman’s sentence before she could even finish.
***
“What'cha readin'?”
Lexi jumped in place, letting out a soft cry.
Meredith laughed as she rested her elbow against the desk. “Jumpy?”
Lexi shot her sister a glare. She paused a moment to glance back over her shoulder before leaning in toward the other doctor. “You would be too if you had Bailey constantly breathing down your neck about babysitting the hospital's hottest, and apparently most 'id-controlled' recently broken up lesbian couple!” She took in a sharp, much needed breath.
Meredith's eyes widened, but she continued to smirk. “You say that like it's a bad thing. I know a million guys in this hospital that would just die to be in your shoes.”
“Well, I'm not a guy,” Lexi shot back as she slammed her file folder shut. “And this really sucks.”
Meredith kept her smirk as her little half-sister brushed past her to head off down the hall.
***
The door to Recovery Room 301 suddenly opened.
“Okay, Callie, I-” Lexi looked up from the file in her hands as she stepped into the room. Her eyes instantly widened. “Oh my God!”
Callie and Arizona instantly jumped apart.
“Seriously!” Lexi stomped over to the bed, slapping the folder down hard against the end. She leveled her gaze on the brunette. “You just had a bone removed from your ass!”
Callie's brow furrowed as she scoffed. “Uhh, hip.”
“Whatever!” Lexi shot back instantly. She glared at Arizona. “Can you just not ever control yourselves?! Seriously!”
Arizona looked and felt extremely guilty. She wasn’t quite wrapped around Callie, since the brunette was in a fair amount of pain, but she was definitely snuggled up nice and close.
“Um…”
“Seriously!” Lexi slapped the bed rail again with her chart, causing them both to jump a second time. “You’re gonna get me fired. And I can’t, I-I can’t do it anymore, watching you two get all, all touchy-feely and…and…”
“Things with Karev not going so well, Little Grey?” Arizona asked lightly.
Lexi glared at her attending. “Alex and I were just sleeping together to forget our mutual pain. Now Mark is sleeping with Teddy and you two are broken up but screwing in supply closets and it’s all just…just…hey!”
She smacked the rail again when she noticed Callie’s finger tracing patterns on the back of Arizona’s hand.
Callie rolled her eyes as she stopped the motion. But she didn't pull her hand away. “You're being way uptight about this, Little Grey. No way Bailey's gonna fire you-”
“She so will!” Lexi quickly cut in with another slap to the bed.
“Easy with the file there, Little Grey,” Arizona noted with a slight twitch of her brow.
Lexi's eyes narrowed at both women. “If either of you call me 'Little Grey' one...more...time...”
Callie smirked. “You gonna tell Bailey on us?”
Lexi's expression suddenly shifted as she began to smile.
Callie's smirk vanished in a second. “Oh no...”
Arizona sighed and reluctantly pulled away from Callie to sit up. “Little Gr- Lexi,” she quickly corrected. “I’m sorry Bailey’s on the war path and you got stuck in the middle, but it’s our business what we do. No one else’s. This hospital might gossip more than a trio of sixteen year old girls, but I’m done caring.”
She reached down to grasp Callie’s hand again. “We’re working on our relationship. And if Bailey asks, you can tell her to back off. From me. Tell her to yell at me. Well not yell, but…she can talk to me if she has problems with this.”
Though the thought of a pissed off Miranda Bailey was enough to make her shiver.
‘The Nazi’ indeed.
“Little Grey.” Arizona frowned. “You’re…shaking.”
Lexi's bottom lip was trembling as her eyes began to glisten with tears. “I miss Mark,” she suddenly blurted before bursting into tears.
Callie arched a slow, calculated brow.
Arizona mirrored the move.
A few moments passed of Lexi's quiet sobbing before Callie casually leaned over to whisper next to the blonde's ear. “Should we stop her?”
Lexi snorted as she reached up to wipe at her nose with her sleeve.
Arizona was still watching with mild curiosity. “I don't think so,” she answered after a beat. “I think it might be a little like poking a sleeping bear.” She tilted her head just a little. “It's all cute and fuzzy when it's asleep, but wake it up, and you'll know what it's like to have something literally bite you in the ass.”
Callie nodded once. “Right. Gotcha.”
They watched her cry for another ten or so seconds, at which point Arizona finally released her unofficial girlfriend’s hand and slid off of the bed. “Lexi?” Arizona approached the fake blonde the way in which one would approach a wild, wounded animal.
Slowly and with extreme caution.
“Hey.” She reached out to gently place a hand on Little Grey’s shoulder, and then suddenly found herself holding onto the sobbing girl as she collapsed in her arms. Her heart broke a little for Meredith’s sister.
“It’s okay,” she tried to sooth, hugging her close. “You’ll be okay.”
She shot Callie a ‘what now?’ look over Lexi’s shoulder.
Callie's eyes widened as she threw her one free hand into the air. “What?” she mouthed as she motioned to her other arm. The one with the IV cord currently attached to it.
Arizona frowned.
Lucky.
Callie smiled at the cute little pout. And then she groaned.
She was so bad at breaking up. At least, she seemed to be with Arizona.
Others? Not so much.
Dammit.
“Uhh, Lexi?” Callie smiled as she shifted in her bed. Her pain meds were really almost completely gone now. She winced as the painful discomfort finally caught up with her brain. “Why don't...” She trailed off as she slowly blinked her eyes.
A lot of painful discomfort.
Arizona noticed instantly. “Okay.” She very carefully extracted herself from Lexi, then held her at arms length. “I need you to sit for a minute, okay?” She guided Lexi to the chair she had previously occupied and set her down.
“I’m sorry,” Lexi murmured almost incoherently through her tears. “I’m pathetic.”
“No, you’re not,” Arizona pointed out as she walked the few steps back over to Callie’s bed. God knows she had cried like a baby in Mark’s arms when she and Callie broke up.
Er, tried to break up.
The…first time.
Or was it the second?
Arizona’s thumb jammed down on the bedside pager, making sure to hold it down long enough to get someone’s attention before dropping it aside and turning her gaze back to Callie. “I need you to be still, okay?” she ordered softly, placing both hands on her lover’s shoulder and gently guiding her back down into a prone position. “Easy does it.”
She helped Callie lay back and shuffle down comfortably, or as much as she could. Then she mashed down on the button some more.
Callie suddenly hissed in pain as her lower back scraped across the sheets of the bed. “Oww,” she moaned with a grimace.
Arizona instantly pulled her back up off the bed. She glanced down, her gaze catching a brief flicker of something. “Calliope?” she called softly. “Sit up.”
Callie instantly complied, though it took some effort.
Arizona reached down to pull away the back of her gown. Her eyes widened as she turned to Lexi. “Get me her doctor.”
Lexi sniffled, rubbing at her nose with the back of her hand.
“Now!”
Lexi jumped, and then leapt from the chair to dash out of the room.
***
Arizona stood rigid, glaring at the other doctor.
The man swallowed back uneasily as he reached up to adjust his glasses. “I’ve never had any nerve compression problems with any of my donor patients before.”
“Well, you can't say that after today, now, can you?” Arizona shot back, still glaring at the doctor. She glanced to his nametag.
Peters.
What a stupid name.
Dr. Peters once again adjusted his large-rimmed glasses. “It's just a small infection-”
“Small?” Arizona repeated as she held her arms crossed over her chest. “Small?” She lifted a hand to point towards her ex's recovery room. “Have you seen how inflamed her back is? It looks like she went ten rounds with Mike Tyson!” Her brow furrowed. “Well, maybe not Tyson. She does still have both of her ears.” She switched the finger to point it at the doctor. “But that doesn't let you off the hook, mister!”
Dr. Peters held up his hands defensively. “Hey, I didn’t do the actual marrow sampling. The intern might have screwed up taking the sample, which if you remember back to when you were young, happens. It’s nothing major, it’ll clear up in a week or so, we'll also give her antibiotics to fight any infection possibility, she'll need bed rest and some pain meds.”
Arizona stepped up and got in the man’s face. “For your information, when I was an intern I never screwed up like that. Instead of putting a patient’s life in danger, if I didn’t know how to do something properly, I’d ask. Even more important, when I was a resident I never put inexperienced interns on important cases involving members of our staff! In fact, I’m pretty sure I have never failed to teach someone properly in this teaching hospital in a way that lead to a screw-up as big as this one!”
She could literally feel the blood pounding in her ears and could barely see she was so angry. “If he didn’t know what he was doing and you couldn’t have been bothered to teach him, then he should never have been in that room in the first place! So you had better pray to God that the transfusion works, because if there are further screw ups in this case I will personally see to it that your job suffers the consequences!”
It wasn’t until her loud, angry rant was over that Arizona became aware that everyone in the vicinity had stopped what they were doing to watch the exchange. But she didn’t care - this idiot had been careless, and if this wasn’t the only mistake made then the whole case could be thrown out the window. A three year old girl could not get the treatment she needed, not to mention the potential for nerve damage on Callie’s part.
So yeah, Arizona was prepared to make heads roll.
She shot the incompetent doctor one last glare before turning to disappear back into the room.
***
Callie smiled lazily as she watched her partner approach the bed with blurry vision. “Arizona,” she laughed as she reached up with her free hand to swat at the air. Her smile faltered. “Why are you so fuzzy?”
Lexi looked over to the blonde surgeon. “I just gave her some morphine for the pain, a-and her antibiotics should be arriving soon.” She reached up to place her hand on the IV bag to judge the level. “I can add them in as soon as they arrive.”
Callie laughed.
Arizona glanced down at Callie with an amused smirk, though she was still pretty tense and pissed off at idiot boy out in the hallway. “Good. The sooner we get them in her, the sooner she gets better.” She furrowed her brow and looked down when she felt Callie swatting idly at her scrubs, apparently trying to feel Arizona up but unable to coordinate her hand enough to do so. “You’re cute when you’re high,” she mused.
The attending glanced back up at Lexi. “Are you okay, Dr. Grey? I mean really. You can tell me if you want to. I’m good at listening to people.”
“Yeah, me too,” Callie suddenly piped up as she turned a serious expression towards the resident. And then suddenly laughed. She lifted her drowsy hand to point it at Lexi. “Lexi and Mark sittin' in a tree-” She stopped abruptly as her smile faltered. She yawned a little and then dropped her hand back to the bed.
Arizona smiled as she reached down to tuck the blanket up further over her now snoozing ex-girlfriend.
“See?” Lexi smiled softly after she watched the scene for a moment. “That's what I want. That right there.”
Arizona didn't pause in her task. “What's that?”
Lexi pointed towards he bed. “That,” she quickly replied. “I want someone to love me enough to pull a blanket up over me when I'm lying there all...infected and full of morphine.”
Arizona smirked as she made sure the edges were tucked under Callie’s shoulders so she’d stay nice and warm. “Speaking from experience, this is much more fun without the pain and drug-induced coma. But I get what you mean.” Watching her lover carefully for any signs of distress, Arizona gently stroked her fingers against Callie’s soft cheek.
“Mark misses you too.” Arizona glanced up at Lexi. “He’s still hurt that you left him. Which I understand, by the way.” She smiled a little. “I’m not ready to be a mother, and imagining being a grandmother at your age is just terrifying. So I get why you split. But…” She looked down at Callie and sighed. “He wants a wife and kids. Nowish. But he also wants you.” She looked up again. “So here we both are.”
Their situations really were too similar.
“But for what it’s worth…he misses you. Callie stands by the fact that you helped him become a better person, and even though I didn’t really know him beforehand…I think so, too.”
Lexi smiled. “Thanks, Dr. Robbins.”
The blonde arched a brow.
Lexi kept her smile as she nodded. “Arizona.”
“Save the cheese!” Callie suddenly blurted as she jerked awake. Her right arm flew up from the blanket, completely undoing all of Arizona's hard work. She blinked, reaching up to rub at her nose as she turned a hazy look to the woman standing next to her.
Arizona laughed at the display, resting a gentle hand on Callie’s shoulder. “What am I gonna do with you, hm?”
***
While Callie was sleeping, Arizona decided to take the opportunity to get some paperwork done. The more she finished now, the more time she’d have to take care of Callie once she was transferred home. She and Mark had worked it out so they’d take turns in shifts, both at the hospital and at Callie’s place.
“Yang, I know you have a natural aversion to children, but I need you to cover rounds for me tomorrow morning. Karev is out with the flu and-”
She looked up from the desk, expecting to see Cristina Yang still standing there, but instead found a very gorgeous pair of brown eyes staring back at her.
“You’re…not Dr. Yang,” she stated dumbly, staring back at Carmen Rodriguez.
The nurse smiled as she tucked a stray brown curl back behind her ear. “No,” she offered softly. “I don't mean to disturb you...?”
Arizona cleared her throat as she piled up the papers in front of her. “No. It's fine.”
“Good,” Carmen replied with a sigh of relief. She paused a moment, biting her bottom lip.
Arizona swallowed back thickly.
The nurse stepped up to close the last few feet between her and the desk. She placed her elbows up on the counter, crossing her arms as she leaned forward. “I just wanted to touch base,” she offered, her smile still firmly in place. “I want to make sure I'm on the same page as you for our first time.”
Arizona twitched in her chair as she reached up to rub at the back of her tense neck. “Uhh...what?”
Carmen gave the other woman an odd look. “Our first time?” she repeated slowly. “In the...OR?”
“Oh, right,” Arizona laughed nervously. She couldn’t believe how jumpy she was at the sudden appearance of Carmen. “That. Of course. Um.” She cleared her throat again. “The um…I have my supplies set aside beforehand, with the…the different instruments for the kids that are needed to...do surgery.”
Wow. Very medical, Robbins. Awesome.
She was usually so good at smooth-talking to beautiful women.
Or kissing them in public bathrooms.
“It’s a simple repair. Twelve year old girl had a horseback riding accident and lacerated her liver.” Arizona looked through her papers distractedly. “Should only take a few hours to repair, and I want to make sure we didn’t miss anything on the CT scan while we’re in there. I’ll walk you through my usual methods, so you’ll have a better idea when we get to the bigger stuff. You said you had some peds surgery experience before?” Arizona glanced back up at the other woman curiously.
Carmen was still smiling, her brown eyes taking in every movement of the blonde's. “Did anyone ever tell you how cute you are when you're all flustered but serious?”
Arizona's eyes widened.
Nurse Rodriguez laughed away the tension. “Just trying to get you to relax a little,” she offered softly. “I promise I don't bite.”
Arizona could feel her palms beginning to sweat.
Carmen pushed back from the counter, still smiling to herself as she walked around to where the surgeon was seated. Placing one hand on the desk and the other on the back of Arizona's chair, she leaned down to get a better look inside the file.
Arizona gulped.
Hard.
It took a lot of effort to keep her eyes glued to the information folder in front of her.
But before she could say anything or do something stupid and embarrassing, Mark Sloan appeared out of thin air right across the desk from both women.
“Ladies.”
Arizona looked up, unsure whether she had more of a ‘help me’ look on her face or…something else.
Mark shot her a pointed glare. “Your girlfriend just woke up. She's spazzing from the morphine and the nurse tried to page you ten minutes ago.”
Arizona's brow furrowed. It took her a moment to realize exactly what the man's words meant. “Crap,” she cursed softly as she quickly reached down to her side.
The blonde unclipped her pager, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the screen. “Double crap,” she cursed softly again before she quickly pushed her chair back to stand up.
Carmen looked a little crestfallen at the sudden brush-off, but Arizona was up and gone before anyone could say any more.
Mark watched her go with a suspicious look in his eye, and then glanced over to Carmen with that wide, toothy grin of his.
“Hi there.”
***
Arizona dodged gurneys and nurses and various patient family members as she jogged through the halls and took the stairs two at a time to get to the next floor.
“Crap,” she murmured under her breath again as she slowed down once she was in front of Callie’s room. Pushing the door open, she spotted Meredith hovering over Callie’s bed along with a nurse.
“What happened?” Her eyes immediately fell to the brunette laying in bed.
Meredith looked up at the sound of the blonde's voice. “Her body isn't adjusting to such a high dose of morphine yet, but it's the only thing that keeps her from having constant pain.” She smiled in sympathy. She liked Callie. And Arizona.
She liked Callie and Arizona.
As in...together.
Any idiot could see how much they loved each other, and she was no idiot.
“She woke up and didn't see you,” the nurse suddenly added. “She started freaking out. I...I think all the morphine has done something to her brain.”
Meredith sighed.
This nurse, however, was an idiot.
Arizona shot the nurse a look. “Get me Dr. Peters.” He was the one in charge of Callie’s case, so to speak. She grabbed a stethoscope from the wall and quickly put it on, leaning down to listen to Callie’s heartbeat. It was a little irregular.
“Dr. Peters went home,” the nurse replied. “H-he said she’d need more if she was still in pain, so I was going to ask if we should increase the drip.”
“Well obviously that’s not a good idea, since she’s clearly in distress because of the morphine,” Arizona snapped out of irritation. “Get out. Now. Get someone else in here who actually paid attention in nursing school.”
She was done with dumb people today. She didn’t care if she was being a mean-spirited bitch.
Arizona pulled the stethoscope back out of Callie’s gown and off of her ears, then swung it around her neck before grabbing Callie’s chart. “I’m signing off on a medication change to demerol. Give the morphine some time to wear out of her system, then switch her over at a controlled, low dose to start with.”
Aware that her tone was still a little unintentionally sharp, Arizona glanced up to find Dr. Grey staring at her with a slightly raised brow.
“Please,” she added much nicer, smiling apologetically.
“I can't let her do that.”
All eyes turned towards the door as Chief Shepherd stepped into the room. “Dr. Robbins,” he hedged as he kept his eyes locked with Arizona's. “I can't let you do that, either.”
Arizona turned to face him. “Why not?”
“I thought it would be quite obvious,” Derek replied after a small pause. “Not only is it unethical for you to change another doctor's orders, but it's also highly inappropriate for you to be adjusting your girlfriend's pain medication while she is a patient at this hospital.”
Blue eyes narrowed. “She's not my-”
“It doesn't matter,” Derek quickly interrupted with a shake of his head as he walked further into the room. “You're a pediatric surgeon, Dr. Robbins,” he stated calmly. “Calliope Torres is not a pediatric patient.”
Arizona grit her teeth and somehow managed to hold her tongue.
Telling the new Chief to go screw himself probably wouldn’t be a very smart decision.
She was aware that she was still cranky, and her temper had never done her any good before.
“Dr. Peters isn’t here, Dr. Shepherd. Dr. Torres isn’t reacting well to morphine,” she stated, in as neutral a tone as she could manage. “In my medical opinion, she would be better off on demerol, but her physician has gone home for the day.”
Meredith remained on the other side of Callie’s bed, watching the exchange. She stayed very still, trying not to get noticed.
Jumping between her post-it husband and a very protective roller-shoed girlfriend seemed kind of like a death sentence.
Derek just smiled. “I understand your concern, Dr. Robbins,” he replied coolly. “But that doesn't change the fact that I don't feel it would be in this hospital's best interest to have you authorizing a change for a patient that you have such a close, personal interest in.”
“Chief-”
“Please, Dr. Robbins,” Derek interrupted with a quick wave of his hand. “I really do understand your concern. And I sympathize. But I just can't...” He trailed off with a sigh. “Look, Arizona,” he started, switching tactics as he reached up to rub at the back of his neck. “You can't change her medication. You just can't. Whatever you two want to call yourselves, the simple fact is that you have a close, personal relationship with her.” He paused as he glanced towards the bed. Callie seemed to be a lot calmer now as she snoozed lightly.
Derek shifted his gaze back to the concerned blonde. “If you want to stay with her to monitor her progress, that's perfectly fine.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “But you're not changing her medication. End of discussion.”
Arizona looked away bitterly. She knew he was right, she really did, but…dammit, she was right too.
“Fine,” she answered stiffly, focusing her eyes down on Callie again. “Sorry…Chief Shepherd.”
Meredith slowly made her way around the bed. “If you need anything, just page me, Dr. Robbins.” She offered a reassuring smile before following Derek out of the room.
“You’re mean,” she teased him once they were out of ear shot. “She’s just worried about Callie, you know that. You didn’t have to come down so hard.”
Derek gave her a knowing look. “I'm not being mean,” he replied as he reached up to adjust his tie. “I'm being 'Chief-ly'.”
Meredith laughed with a roll of her eyes. “Yes, because showing sympathy would be a weakness, right? And you don’t want anyone challenging your authority.”
Derek slipped an arm around his wife’s waist and pulled her in close. “They don’t need sympathy. It’ll work out in the end.”
Meredith fixed him with a skeptical stare. “You seem awfully confident, Chief Shepherd.”
That made Derek laugh. “Do you not remember our own adventures in Break-Up-Sex Land? We met in on-call rooms and supplies closets for weeks, in total denial the entire time. And now look at us.”
Meredith leaned into him as they walked down the hall. “That’s a good point, Chief Shepherd.”
Derek grinned at Meredith as they headed toward the elevator. “I find you strangely attractive when you call me that.”
Meredith’s smirk widened. “I know.”
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