Summary: Another what if/AU story. It's also inspired by the song "If It Kills Me" by Jason Mraz (the song and lyrics will be relevant later). What if Arizona arrived just as Callie's marriage was falling apart?
Timeframe: Season Four, starting with the end 4.01 right after Bailey tells Callie she hopes tomorrow's better.
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Grey's Anatomy and I seek no profit from this story. I just borrowed them for a little while to tell a story. I also do not own the parts of the story that exist and/or referenced in season four such as Callie getting promoted, George sleeping with Izzie, etc. All I did was stick Arizona in a little early. I also don't own Jason Mraz's beautiful song or lyrics.
Author's Note: O.K. so in order for this to work, I kind of took Erica out of the picture, still leaving Seattle Grace without a head of cardio and since Addison is gone after Burke and Cristina's wedding, Arizona basically is in her place being head of Peds (oh and there's no Dr. Kenley). To remind anyone who doesn't remember what happened in the first episode of the fourth season, Callie is chief resident, has a case with Alex and he goes behind her back to Bailey. Also George and Callie aren't doing to well and they're trying that baby makin thing. I apologize if any of this information isn't really needed but I'm trying to set the stage.
Callie sighed as she watched Bailey leave. 'I should be happy I got this. I deserve it, I deserve chief resident. So why do I feel like this?' Callie thought as she put her head in her hands. She sat there for a few minutes before she heard a voice.
"Excuse me?"
Callie looked up into some of the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. She considered the woman in front of her. She didn't recognize her but she had to work at the hospital. The woman was wearing dark blue scrubs and a coat.
"Yes?" she asked sounding a little more frustrated than she would have liked.
Arizona studied the woman in front of her. There was no doubt she was beautiful and something about her was incredibly intriguing. Arizona also noticed how sad and defeated she looked. She felt for her.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to disturb you. I'm Arizona Robbins, I'm the new head of Peds and I was told by one of the nurses inside that you're the chief resident. I just wanted to introduce myself and catch you before you left." Arizona smiled widely at Callie.
Callie sighed but couldn't help but be a little uplifted by the smile on Arizona's face. She offered a small smile and said "I'm Callie Torres, oh actually O'Malley I guess now. It's nice to meet you." Callie stood and extended her hand.
Arizona was a little disappointed that Callie was married but happy that she was smiling a little. "Well it's nice to meet you as well Callie." Arizona turned to walk away but then turned back and said "I know we just met and you don't know me very well but you looked a little sad and I want you to know I'm free to listen if you need it." She smiled warmly at Callie.
'That smile is incredible' thought Callie. She shrugged a little and shook the thought out. "Thank you. I will let you know" Said Callie.
Arizona gave her a slight nod then headed back inside.
Callie turned toward the parking lot and headed toward her car. She texted George to see if he would be home and hoped that maybe his day had gone a little better and she could lean on him a little.
Arizona tried to read the same sentence for the third time. She sighed and put the medical journal down. She was excited to start somewhere new and was very thankful that Dr. Montgomery had been so willing to share information and be available if she needed her. Arizona thought Dr. Montgomery's reputation preceded her and could tell she was well liked among her peers and patients. There was a lot to live up to and although Arizona was sure she was up for the challenge, it was still exhausting.
Arizona decided to walk around the hospital a little to clear her head. She walked past the nurses' station and stopped when she heard Callie's name. She placed herself somewhere inconspicuous and listened in.
"She's doing a horrible job. Everyone knows Bailey should have gotten chief resident." She heard one girl say.
The girl's companion responded "And did you see O'Malley and Stevens the other day? I swear I saw them sneak into a closet, he's probably cheating on her and she doesn't even know."
Arizona gasped a little and the girls jumped at the sound. She decided to slip away before she was found out. She hoped it wasn't true. She was happy she had offered her support earlier to Callie because it sounded like she probably needed it.
Arizona checked her watch, she figured she could take an hour break and went to find the nearest on call room to sleep.