Title: Sweet Disposition
Author: Badgirlinaperfectstorm
TV Shows » Grey's Anatomy
Words: 840
Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine, this is purely for entertainment purposes.
Author's Note: Set during season 8
Inhale…exhale…long inhale…slowly exhale. Teddy thought quietly to herself as she stood in the back of the elevator waiting for it to descend to the lobby. These past few weeks seemed like a nightmare, coming back to the hospital so soon after her husband's death was probably a bad idea. Stepping foot into an operation room wasn't an option for her at this point.
Earlier that morning she had been scheduled for a simple valve replacement but noticed her hands shaking as soon as the warm water turned on in the scrub sink. " Dr. Altman… Dr. Altman?" Cristina's voice was in the far distance of her mind as Teddy stared blankly through the clear glass into the operation room. A small delicate hand rested on her back, " I got this one." Cristina's calm voice muttered when the two surgeons finally made eye contact. She nodded her head politely as the corner of her mouth turned upward into a small fake smile. It was all the emotion that her body could even muster to put out. Taking a deep breath in Teddy turned on her heels and walked straight out of the scrub room and back into the hallway.
Ding. Ding. The elevator doors opening snapped the blonde cardiothoracic surgeon back into reality. Her eyes shifted to the open doors as the bouncy blonde paediatric surgeon made her way onto the elevator. A faint smile presented itself on Teddy's lips as her best friend inched closer towards her.
"Hey so I was thinking that maybe, I mean if you're up for it and all, you'd want to up Joe's in an hour or two." Arizona mentioned casually as she tried her best to keep her bubbly personality in check.
Teddy looked at her from the corner of her eye and shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know Arizona. I just…I don't think I'm…"
"No this will be good for you!" Arizona interjected making Teddy close her mouth almost instantly. "You can't keep closing yourself off and running home every night to the bed you and Henry shared. It's not healthy to close out everyone. Especially me." Her eyes gleamed with sadness for a moment. It was bad enough that she had lost a friend but even worse that she was now losing her best friend into a dark and twisty hole of despair.
Gnawing on her bottom lip Teddy finally agreed. " Okay. Fine. I'll come." In most situations it was just easier to give into Arizona, especially when you have little to no fight left in your body. "One condition though…" She crinkled her nose slightly, "You're paying for my drinks."
Arizona's hands flew up in the air, "Yay!" Her arms wrapped themselves around the tiny frame of her best friend. "I promise you won't regret coming out with me tonight. I just want all your worries to go away, even if it's only for a few hours."
As the elevator doors opened dinged in the signs of opening, Arizona clapped her hands together bouncing from side to side a little as she exited off onto the third floor. Teddy stood there leaning against the wall of the elevator watching the door shut again. "What did I just get myself into?" She asked aloud to herself softly shaking her head back and forth. When the elevator doors reopened Teddy emerged into the cardio wing trying her best to avoid everyone. Her office door was a straight shot off of the elevator, as her pace quickened people around her took notice. Most people on her staff tried to avoid any conversations with the newly widowed surgeon; they could clearly tell that the grieving process wasn't going so well.
Her hand touched the cold metal handle and she pushed her way inside the small office. "One more hour." Her voice was soft as she spoke aloud to herself. Teddy's back hit the door as it closed. She let herself feel pity for the first time that day. Tears streamed down her face as she made her way to the desk that she often sat behind. "Oh god," She sobbed into her hands as her screensaver launched forward into her sights. A picture of Henry bounced across the screen of her monitor. Teddy quickly found the mouse and shook it making the picture disappear.
The hard cold wood soothed her as she laid her head against the top of her desk. He's gone. Gone. Never coming back. It's time to move on. These were the words she had to tell herself everyday. It wasn't going to be easy, in fact it was going to be an uphill battle but she had to do it. Teddy slowly lifted her head off the table and wiped her eyes. There were steps and she knew that but all she wanted was for the overwhelming amount of pain to disappear. Maybe tonight would be the release she needed, after all Arizona did agree to pay for the widow's drinks, so why not let go for a night?