Sequel to "Still Learning". Set a few months later maybe around Christmas or so. Callie, Arizona, Kate and Jackson all have their lives set and ready to go. Will everything turn out the way they planned it?
Chap. 1
Arizona stood at the nurse's station looking through a patient's file. She was so busy with her day she hardly noticed her sister, Kate, walk up to her.
"Arizona… sorry I didn't mean to scare you. Have you seen Callie? I called her and paged her with no answer. I have news on her funding for her cartilage research that I think she will be happy to hear." Kate Robbins, Arizona's younger sister, and a CEO of Seattle Grace-Mercy West hospital said with a grin plastered across her face.
"Oh Kate that is awesome. Calliope will be so excited… now we just need to find her. Actually, come to think of it, she had an emergency surgery to do… she should be done soon." Arizona answered barely taking her eyes off of the chart.
"Ok, what is going on Arizona?" Kate asked. She could tell her older sister had something on her mind.
"Oh… it's stupid really." Arizona said finally looking up from the chart.
"No it isn't… try me." Kate said looking down at her watch and then back at her sister.
"I don't want mom and dad and Maria and Carlos to come up for Christmas… I want it to just be me and Calliope. And of course you and Jackson and Daniel… I just, I want an uneventful holiday. I want to wake up at noon and open gifts whenever… there is just so much pressure when it's everyone." Arizona answered.
"Jackson has to work Christmas Eve… he is so mad. And I agree with you 100% but it's a week from Christmas, we won't be able to cancel or change anything now… and I dread having Mom and Dad stay with us… I don't know if we should give them mine and Jackson's bed and sleep on an air mattress in Daniel's room or what." Kate laughed. "Maybe it will snow a lot the day they are all coming in and their flight will get canceled… that's awful to wish for but-"
"I told Callie the same thing last night." Arizona smiled at her younger sister.
"Ok, I have got to find Callie. She is going to die when she gets this news!" Kate said walking towards the elevator.
Arizona went back to looking at her chart. She wanted to be happy for Callie but there was a little boy, Stephen Kyles who needed a heart asap and would probably not get to see Christmas if he didn't.
"Anne? Has UNOS called back with a donor yet?" Arizona asked the red headed nurse that was sitting behind the nurses' station filing charts.
"Not yet Dr. Robbins… I will page you and let you know when they do though." Anne looked at the doctor with a sad look.
"Thanks…" Arizona turned sadly to see her fiancé walking up to her holding a piece of paper and sporting a huge grin.
"Guess who just was awarded her finally $2 Million for her cartilage research! That's right… me… the rock star with a freaking scalpel. Arizona, smile this is good news…"
"Callie, I'm so happy for you! I just, I have a kid who is in need of a heart and he probably won't see Christmas if he doesn't get it. I am very happy for you, I am, I just… he is 6 and needs a new heart." Arizona said with a sad look on her face.
"Oh Arizona, I'm sorry… I don't have any more surgeries today; I could call UNOS and whoever else I need to." Callie said pulling Arizona into her. "I'll do whatever I need to just tell me."
"No Callie, you don't have to do that… I think we just need to wait and see. I hate weeks like this… and on top of that I am serious when I say I don't want our parents to come up for Christmas… is that bad?" Arizona asked stepping out of Callie's embrace.
"No, I feel like we just saw them… I have had the same feeling. I mean what was it 2 months ago?" Callie said fidgeting with the sleeve of her long sleeved t-shirt. "It's for two days though and then it's all over."
"Well, you are right there. Crap, ok I've got to take this, I'll talk to you later and if I don't I'll see you at home tonight!" Arizona's pager went off interrupting the two women. She raced off down the hall leaving Callie in front of the nurses' station.
"Dr. Torres?" Callie turned around to see Chief Webber headed towards her with a big goofy grin on his face. "Katherine Robbins just told me to good news, congratulations!"
"Uh, thanks chief… I have a question." Callie says to him.
"Ok…"
"What will it take to get a heart to uh…I think his name is Stephen Kyles? He needs one right now." Callie asked nervously. "I know we have to wait on UNOS but if he doesn't get one right now, he'll die and it's almost Christmas and he is 6 years old… we have to do something."
"Dr. Torres, you know the rules… he'll get a heart when it's his turn to get a heart." The chief said and then he turned on his heel and left.
"Shit…" Callie cursed under her breath. She looked up at the nurses' station and walked over to it. "Anne… what's the number for UNOS. We've got a heart to find." Callie said walking behind the desk and picking up the phone.
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Kate had a lot to do and even more to think about. She had set herself up in her favorite place in the hospital, right in the middle of the cat walk that on one side over looked Seattle and the other she was able to keep a close eye on the hospital. She had propped herself up on the railing and opened the notebook she had been keeping over the past month or so after she got back from maternity leave. She had already found the money she wanted for Callie's research, and also for Dr. Derrick Sheppard's exploratory neuro surgery research. She was hoping to find the funds for the Cardio department and also for the clinic that had taken a hit in funds, up until she had gotten one of the head CEO jobs after she moved to Seattle just months earlier. But that was when she was single and childless. Since she had moved to Seattle her life had been on the up and up. She had her son back and a fiancé that hung the moon.
"Hey Kate!" Teddy Altman walked up behind her. Kate turned and smiled at the older woman.
"Hey Teddy. How are you?" Kate asked.
"Oh, you know the usual. I thought I saw you up here working in your usual spot and thought I'd stop by to say hi. What is on the agenda today?"
"Well, I am working on your grant right now for the Cardio department, and next on my list is the clinic. There is a lot of work to do there. I should be able to get the money for the Cardio department no problem but the clinic is not well loved even though we have made improvements to different issues… you really just can't please the board. I got into an argument with a CEO today, Jim Bradwell, who has been on the board since close to when the hospital opened so he likes to run things how they ran it then and in times of change and growth you can't do that." Kate rambled on.
"You need a drink, girl's night tonight. I'll talk to Cristina and Meredith if you talk you your sister and Callie. Maybe I can even get Bailey to come." Teddy said with a smile.
"I'll have to talk to Jackson and see if he can watch Daniel but that sounds like an awesome idea… lord knows I could use a tall cold one right about now." Kate said laughing.
"Ok, I have a surgery to get to… you have fun working." Teddy said she patted Kate on the shoulder and then headed off to her surgery leaving Kate alone again staring at her notebook.
"I'm never going to pull all this off…" Kate thought as she read over her notes. She hated the men she worked with. Many were too old to even be working anymore and the others were so rich they had no idea that there was such a thing as money trouble. When she had asked that their pay be cut by a fourth so that they could come up with money faster for the hospital many had laughed in her face and a few even called her an idiot. To them she was some young know it all who had waltzed in with a fancy degree but didn't have what it took to back it up, but to the doctors and nurses she was well loved for the work she was doing to make their jobs better and more care free when it came to the money issues. She had made it to where many, if not all, of the departments never had to come beg for money for a new state of the art surgery, or a new test that a patient needed. She had found the funding that they needed and put it into place for them. She knew that was why many of the CEO's hated her. She was amazing at what she did and they knew it. Kate looked at her watch. 4:30… she was off at 6 and she couldn't wait to get out of the hospital for the weekend. She wanted to spend the night with the girls drinking the week away and then spend the weekend in bed with her two favorite guys. She was happy that Jackson had all day Saturday off. His schedule had been beyond hectic the past few weeks and she was lucky to have him home at night.
"Katherine Robbins!" Kate spun around to see Chief Richard Webber walking up behind her.
"Hi Chief…"
"I need you for a project… come with me to my office." Chief said without stopping. Kate closed her notebook and headed off after him. Once in his office the Chief sat down behind his desk and Kate sat down in one of the chairs on the other side of his desk. "Your sister has a patient that needs a heart… he is 6 years old and he needs a heart within the next week or he won't live. I have a sneaking feeling that Dr. Torres went against what I told her and is trying to pull a few strings herself for a heart for him but I doubt she can do a lot… so what I need for you is your signature on this paper saying that the hospital is ordering a heart to this boy asap. I can't pull anymore strings then I already have and as much as Torres would like to get this boy a heart she is in ortho and no one is going to send a heart this way for her and-"
"Show me where to sign… and I'm guessing you already went to the board and they wouldn't do it." Kate slyly smiled at the older man. She pulled a pen out of her pocket and signed where Chief Webber had shown her.
"They are a ridged group these days Kate… and I know you would love to do anything to go over their heads so, when a few of them said no I knew I could come to you."
"I don't understand them… a kid needs a freaking heart and they just sit up in their offices drinking coffee and getting blow jobs from their secretaries… you didn't hear that last part." Kate said blushing.
"I have been around a long time Kate… I know exactly what goes on in some of those offices." He laughed out.
"Ok, do you need me to do anything else?" Kate asked standing up.
"Oh, no… thank you Kate. I'll let you tell your sister that you helped save a little boy."
"Thanks… ok I'm gonna get back to work now. If you need anything else let me know if you need anything Chief Webber." Kate told him as she walked out of his office. She set off for the Peds floor looking for Arizona. She pushed the elevator button and waited for it to come up. When the elevator opened Kate stepped on looking over at the man next to her.
"The weather is getting bad out." The man said looking over at Kate. He smiled a gentle smile.
"Yeah, I heard that it might get bad out later today… but then again I guess it is later today." Kate laghed. She hadn't realized it was getting so late.
"Maybe you can help me, you work here right?"
Kate nodded at the man.
"I am looking for my grandson, Jackson Avery… he is a resident here."
Kate looked at him as if his head was about to pop.
"You're Harper Avery… I'm Katherine Robbins. I, uh…"
"You are my grandson's fiance… I know the name he talks about you everytime I talk to him. I also hear that I am a great-grandfather now." Harper said and Kate couldn't figure out if he was angry or happy or disgusted even.
"I uh, I can help you find Jackson if you need me to. I was heading to find my sister that works here u-but… I, well, she can wait it's not an emergency. He should be on the Neuro floor today but I could be wrong." Kate said as the elevator doors slipped open and there stood Arizona. "Thank god." Kate said under her breath. "Arizona, hey! I'm sure you know Dr. Harper AVERY!"
"Hi, Dr. Avery… how are you? Are you here to see Jack-oh… uh, Jackson?" Arizona said backing up so that her sister and Dr. Avery could get off of the elevator.
"Yes I am… and you are?"
"Arizona Robbins, head of Peds." Arizona answered shaking his hand.
"Robbins huh… so you two are sisters?"
"Yes sir…" Kate answered. She glanced at Arizona nervously but knew she wouldn't really be of any help. "Arizona, uh, we are headed to find Jackson… I have some news for you if uh, I'll page you later."
"Ok… and welcome to Seattle Grace-Mercy West Dr. Avery." Arizona said rushing onto the elevator.
Kate looked back at Harper with a nervous smile. "He's this way." Kate said before turning on her heal and walking in the direction of her fiance, silently reminding herself to kill him once he was found.