CHAPTER 1
Arizona had had a rough couple of months. She had been promoted to the head of peds and had been swamped in difficult surgeries as well as paperwork from the moment she moved into her new office.
She loved Seattle Grace Hospital and she loved her colleagues there. They were the closest she had to a family in Seattle, and she couldn't imagine a better life anywhere else. But she needed a break. Or for something new and interesting to happen.
She'd contemplated going on a long vacation, but going alone just didn't seem so appealing. And her best friend, a trauma doctor named Theodora that everybody called Teddy, was deeply immerged in a project on bone fractures, so she couldn't take time off to accompany Arizona anywhere.
Tuesday night Arizona was sitting in the staff lounge with a few other doctors. They were all feeling miserable, and the relatively quiet night in the hospital gave them plenty of time to talk about exactly how miserable they were. Karev, a young doctor, was entertaining everybody, explaining how bad the last date he went on was.
"…and then she asked if she could have my leftovers as well!"
Everybody laughed out loud.
"At least you had time to go on a date, Karev" Teddy said.
"Aaaaand, you found someone who would go on a date with you!" Arizona chimed in "I love all of you guys, but I could really use some adult conversation that doesn't involve sutures, fractures or 'who's sleeping with whom in the on-call rooms'!"
"Hear, hear" Teddy said and lifted her cup of coffee in a cheer "To adult conversations!"
They all laughed and lifted their cups.
"Actually," a guy from plastics called Mark said "an old friend of mine just moved here from New York, and I was thinking if maybe you'd be up for a blind date?"
"God, yes!" Arizona breathed out eliciting another laugh from the group.
Mark chuckled.
"Don't worry, I know exactly how desperate that sounded" Arizona said with a slight blush in her cheeks "I mean, I need for something – anything – to happen"
"It's okay, Robbins. I'll set it up. How is Friday night?"
"Perfect!" the blonde said. She didn't really care to ask who this friend was. She just needed to get out of the hospital and meet someone who wasn't wearing scrubs. And have a million glasses of wine.
Later that night she got a text message from Mark.
Friday at 7:30. The Italian place on Cherry Street. Wear something sexy! – M
She shook her head at the message.
Alright. Thanks, Mark! – A
When Friday night rolled around, Arizona spent a long time trying to figure out what to wear. She realized earlier in the day that she knew absolutely nothing about the date, and since Mark was nowhere to be found and therefore couldn't elaborate on the nature of the person she was meeting, she was now trying on different clothes, wondering what would be a good thing to wear.
She settled on a blue dress that stopped right below the knee and she let her blonde curls hang lose.
The restaurant was quiet when Arizona arrived. The hostess showed her to a table, and she sat down. She felt nervous all of a sudden. She'd been excited about going on a date. Excited about meeting someone new. But she kept thinking about Mark who was the hospital man whore, and it made her wonder if this date was going to be like Mark. She was a big fan of sex, and she'd had plenty of one-night stands in Seattle, but something inside her really, really wanted something a bit more committed.
She looked at the clock. It was 7:45. Maybe she was being stood up? She looked around and saw a dark haired latina enter the restaurant and walk directly towards the blonde's table. The woman looked determined and was sporting a figure hugging black dress that made Arizona jealous of both the clothes and the woman's curves.
Expecting the woman to pass her table, Arizona reached for her wine glass and looked over the menu. The woman didn't pass the table though, and when Arizona looked up, she was standing right in front of the blonde.
"Arizona?"
The blonde nodded slowly.
"I'm so sorry I'm late. The traffic was a bit heavier than expected and I didn't have your number…I'm Callie"
The brunette reached out her hand to great Arizona. She had a radiant smile.
Arizona shook the woman's hand, but looked at the brunette questioningly. Who was this woman? And why was she talking to the blonde?
A few seconds passed, and then the Latina spoke.
"Oh no…Mark didn't tell you I was a woman, did he?"
Arizona swallowed.
"Uh…"
"Let me guess; You don't date women?"
Arizona wasn't quite sure what was going on.
"I don't…"
"Oh" Callie said and clenched her jaw "I am going to kill him" she said under her breath.
And then it dawned on Arizona what had happened. She stood up.
"Oh my God. He thought…I…I'm not…I mean…I…I…"
The latina closed her eyes as if to steady herself.
"It's okay, don't worry" She motioned to the waitress that she was going to take care of the bill for whatever Arizona was drinking, and then put a hundred dollar bill on the table.
"Well, it was nice meeting you, Arizona. If you see him before I do, tell him that I'm coming for him" she deadpanned, and then she turned around and walked away.
It all happened so fast that Arizona barely had time to process. She was shocked and a bit thrown off balance by the situation.
She looked at the brunette as she exited the restaurant, then sat down, and finished her wine while staring into the air.
This was for sure going to beat Karev's dating story.
First she would deal with Mark though, and the next day she marched directly towards the nurses' station where Mark was leaning against the counter, flirting with not just one but three nurses.
"MARK!" she yelled at the man as she approached him.
"Hi Robbins! How was the da…"
He didn't get to finish the sentence before Arizona had grabbed him by his scrub top and pulled him into the staff lounge.
"I can't believe you!" she growled at him as the door closed behind them.
"What?" he asked, oblivious to where Arizona was going with her blue eyes full of rage.
"A woman? You set me up with a WOMAN?"
Mark opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out.
"A woman, Mark?"
"But, you told me…"
Arizona crossed her arms, tilted her head, and arched her eye brows. She clearly wanted an explanation.
"…You told me at Meredith's party that you wondered what it would be like to date a woman. I just thought that maybe you'd like Callie…But I guess not?"
"Jesus Christ, Mark! Things I tell you in private, when I'm drunk out of my mind, don't count out here in reality. Besides, I think the key word in your sentence is 'wondered' and not 'wanted'. I am not gay!"
"Okay, okay! Don't kill me" he lifted his hands in surrender.
"Oh, I won't kill you, but maybe the gay woman you set me up with will" Arizona spat out, turned around, and left the room.
"Shit!" Mark whispered.
A few seconds later he got a text message from Callie.
You are NEVER going to set me up with anyone ever again, Mark Sloan! A straight woman? Seriously? – C
He decided to smooth things over with humor.
Does that mean that you're backing down from the challenge? ;-) – M
I hate you! – C
Well, I love you :-) Drinks soon? – M
Yes, when I no longer feel the urge to cut off your penis, we can have drinks – C
Mark chuckled and put his phone away. Now he would have to focus on mending his friendship with Arizona.