Heartbeat
Author's Note: Okay, so I really felt the need to write something where Callie was a rock for Arizona and I threw in a little bit of what's going on with me lately :-) It's going to be more of four short drabbles than an actual fic, but I hope you enjoy!
To be honest I was too excited to post this to beta it, so all mistakes are mine.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or anything related to Grey's Anatomy. That's courtesy of Shonda Rimes and ABC. This fiction is not meant to make money or to be harmful in any way. It's just pure for amusement.
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. Such beautiful colors. The yellow reminds me of her hair, her golden hair. As I inhale, I can smell the scent of her conditioner. It's fruity, soft, like mango or something peachy. Which brings me back to the colors… They're right in front of me, they make me feel happy, safe. My lips slowly curl into a smile.
I startle awake. Four paws creep over the bed sheet onto my legs. "Cougar," I whisper angrily. This is the second time this night Arizona's cat has awakened me. Softly I push him off my body. He starts purring, rubbing his head against my hip. I try to pat him, an attempt to shut him up, but my arm feels numb. I open my eyes to see the back of Arizona's head only inches away from my face. My other hand is draped around her waist. Too bad, Cougar, I think to myself, my arms are kind of preoccupied at the moment. I let out a deep sigh and close my eyes.
Holy crap. Did I just dream about rainbows?
Seriously?
I guess Arizona is rubbing off on me, even on my subconscious. A soft moan escapes the petite body besides me. Is she having…?
No, she wouldn't. Would she?
She slowly starts to turn. No time like the present to find out, I guess. Instead of a satisfied smile or a serene face, I face pursed lips and frowning eyebrows. No happy time dream, apparently. She seems to breath more heavily, so I stroke her abdomen softly with my thumb in an attempt to calm her down.
Five minutes later her face is still tensed up, but her breathing has slowed down again. In the meantime Cougar settled himself against my upper leg and seemed to be snoring slightly. It doesn't take long until I fall asleep again myself.
The third time I wake up that night the cat is not to blame. He's still lying crawled up by my left leg, his warm fur against my bare skin. I wonder what time it is and I look at the alarm clock. Four thirty AM. A sound coming from my bathroom reminds me why I woke up in the first place: the tap running for a few seconds, causing the pipes above my room making noise. My arms reach out beside me to feel nothing but air. I sigh and turn on my back.
At first I didn't wonder why she was out of bed so early. Maybe she needed to go to the bathroom. Maybe she was being paged and was getting herself ready to leave to the hospital. But then it struck me that I would've heard her pager and that she wasn't on call. Ten minutes later she still wasn't back in bed so I decided to get out of bed as well. I softly shove Cougar aside and roll out of the bed.
I walk over to the bathroom and notice that the light is turned off. That's weird. I slowly rub my eyes and knock on the door.
"Ari? Are you in there?" I hear Cougar jumping off the bed behind me, his nails tapping against the hard-wood floors.
"I'm here," I hear her reply with a small voice from behind the door. I feel my stomach turning into a knot and I ask if she's okay. When I don't hear her reply, I open the door and raise my hand to turn on the light.
"Please, keep the lights turned off." I narrow my eyes to perceive her in the dark room. She is sitting on the floor, her legs pulled up to her chest and her hands cradling her head.
"Ari, what's wrong?" I kneel down beside her. I hear her sigh audibly. My eyes begin to adjust to the darkness and I can see her biting her bottom lip.
"Can't... think..." I hear her stumble quietly. She still isn't looking at me. Worry is taking over me and I look around us. On the floor next to her is standing a glass of water and a strip of medicine. There are only two tablets left. I pick it up to look at the back of the strip.
"Sumatriptan?" I see her flinch at the volume of my voice and I start to whisper. "A migraine? Is that what you're having?" She nods slowly. I sit down next to her and take her into my arms.
"Shh, come here," I softly whisper. Her muscles start to relax and I pick her up and place her in my lap. "You're going to be okay." She puts her arms around my neck and lies her head on my shoulder.
"I'm.. sorry.. if I.. scared you," she whispers in my ear, followed by a soft grunt. I know the pain in migraines comes in phases, so I hold her tight. I feel her tense up again and stroke her thigh.
"It's okay, it's okay. You don't need to explain anything. Don't speak. We'll just wait until it passes, okay? I got you."
I know it's short. There are three more parts to come!
Critique is welcome!
V