Title: Ding Dong
Author: A. Windsor
Pairing/Characters: Arizona and Alex, Arizona and Webber, Callie/Arizona
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. My one year (plus!) of law school could allow me to legalese this a little more, but it also tells me it's pretty useless. So please don't sue; it's not mine, I'm just playing!
Series: Standalone (CANON)
Summary: The Chief needs to speak with Arizona. Pre- 8x01/8x02.
Author's Note: Unbeta'd. In response to strandedinaber's request at the Weekly Challenge at the rightandawesome lj community. I hope I did it justice. Mostly Arizona, but her lovely wife makes a brief, adoring appearance. Accordingly it is cross-posted: rightandawesome and callie_arizona.
"Morning, Boss," Alex yawns from the central nurse's station as Arizona enters the Peds ward, Sofia on her hip, diaper bag slung over her shoulder.
"Don't let Stark hear you say that," Arizona sighs.
"Haven't seen him."
"It's seven in the morning, Karev, of course you haven't."
Alex shrugs and rubs his ringed eyes. "I've been here for forty-eight hours. I think. Haven't seen him once."
Arizona narrows her eyes at him. "That's weird. You look terrible, by the way."
"Thanks," Alex grunts. "Hey, Sofia. You keep your moms up all night again?"
"Oh yes she did," Arizona grins, leaning over to press a few kisses onto Sofia's cheek. The baby giggles and nuzzles her back. "But seriously. You're gonna scare the kids, or at least the parents. Hop in the shower before rounds or you're doing my charts all day."
"Alright. You rounding with the baby?" Alex asks, picking up his stuff and tickling the infant's side stealthily. Sofia giggles for him.
"I was thinking about it," Arizona snarks back, and then hikes Sofia up in her arms. "No, sorry, just running super late. I wanted to check in before I ran her over to daycare. Meet you back here for rounds in twenty?"
"Yeah," Alex nods and slinks down the hall towards a shower.
"Alex smells really bad," Arizona tells her daughter in a singsong voice. "Yes, he does. He's the smelliest resident."
"Dr. Robbins."
Arizona looks up from her cooing at Sofia to see the Chief giving her a funny look.
"Uh, Chief. Sir. Good morning, sir." Arizona takes a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. She's a mother now; she can't quiver in the face of authority when her daughter can see her. "What brings you all the way to Peds, sir?"
"Just hoping to get a minute with you, Dr. Robbins," Webber says, getting that same look he always gets around her: like he might actually enjoy watching her cower a little.
"Oh yes, definitely, sir. I have rounds in fifteen minutes. Did you want to talk now? Or after?"
Webber looks her over, eyes narrowing as he looks at Sofia. "Don't you have to take her somewhere first?"
"Right, yes! Daycare. After rounds then?"
"Push rounds back a bit," Webber says. "Take this little one to daycare and then come to my office. I'd like to get this taken care of early in the day."
"Is it important, sir?"
"See you in fifteen, Robbins," he calls over his shoulder as he pushes through the big doors of the Peds ward.
"I hope your mommy's not in trouble," Arizona says, dropping a subconscious kiss on Sofia's soft head.
Arizona runs into Callie on the bridge.
"Hey, what's with the face?" Callie grins, grabbing her lab coat sleeve and pulling her in close, just the tiniest bit past the proper distance of colleagues.
"The Chief wants to see me," Arizona pouts a little. "I think I'm in trouble."
Callie leans in a little to squeeze her shoulder reassuringly.
"I'm sure you're not in trouble. You've been working so hard," Callie promises, taking a deep breath as Arizona still fidgets nervously. "Mm. You smell like baby."
The tension drains from Arizona. "Yeah, I just dropped her off. She was so brave. She only fussed a little bit."
Arizona feels the beaming smile her wife passes at her and grins back, squaring her shoulders.
"I should go see him," she says reluctantly, suddenly hyper aware that she and Calliope are staring mooning-ly at each other in the middle of one of the busiest parts of the hospital. They get enough newlywed jokes as it is.
"He probably wants to tell you how 'awesome' you are," Callie reassures her. "Lunch today?"
"Sure," Arizona smiles again, slipping her hand in to subtly squeeze Calliope's. "Page me when you're free. I'll be making sure Alex doesn't fall asleep at the nurses' station again."
"Seriously? What is wrong with him? He looks like death."
"His entire year hates him. Everyone hates him."
"Except you. You love your Alex," Callie teases her. "I think I'm a little jealous."
"I've got a ton of bricks with his name on them," Arizona assures her as she heads off to the Chief's office with a lot more bounce in her step. "Tell me when and where."
"You wouldn't hit your boy," Callie calls after her.
"Just watch me," Arizona sings back, "See you at lunch."
"Chief, you wanted to see me?"
"Yes, Robbins, come in, sit down. How's the baby doing?"
"Sofia's great," Arizona can't help but smile, the last of the fluttering nerves fleeing her stomach at the thought of her sweet baby girl. "Not quite sleeping through the night, but just wonderful otherwise."
"That's good to hear," Webber says, rifling through the papers on his desk. "I was reluctant to offer this to you, given how many responsibilities you now have at home, but you're the best we've ever had, and Dr. Bailey yelled at me."
"Yelled at you, sir?"
"She told me that I had to give working mothers the same choice I would give other people and let them decide. She also called me old-fashioned."
He grimaces at the accusation, and Arizona fights back her grin.
"I'm sure you're not, sir. What exactly are you talking about?"
"Dr. Stark terminated his contract a few days ago. I would've called you in sooner, but I know you've been off for the last thirty-six hours. We came to an arrangement, and he found alternate employment. I think it was best for all involved."
"I think I've made my feelings on Dr. Stark's interpersonal skills and medical judgment pretty clear, Chief, but I can't fault his surgical ability, especially not after what he's done for my family," Arizona says diplomatically. "I also can't say the Peds department is going to miss his managerial style."
"That was the general consensus," Webber nods. "Everyone likes you, you're a world renowned surgeon, and you run a very tight ship."
"Thank you, sir."
"And I am thinking that Torres and the baby will keep you from running back to Africa any time soon."
"Yes, sir. I'm not going anywhere."
"In that case, if you want the job back, it's yours."
"The department head, sir?"
"Yes, Head of Pediatric Surgery, effective back to the beginning of this shift. If you want it."
"I do, sir," Arizona assures him, keeping her smile as professional as possible. "It's hard not to be your own boss once you're used to running things."
Webber gives her an odd look.
"In Peds, I mean," Arizona clarifies.
Webber nods. "Okay. Go save some lives. Stark was a little behind on the paperwork, so I'll need all of last week's charts reviewed, too."
Arizona stands and shakes his hand. "Don't worry; moms don't need sleep. I'll have those done ASAP. Thank you."
"Just get that place back under control," Webber orders her out the door.
"Hey, Karev!" Arizona calls down the hall as soon as she enters her domain, finally, wonderfully hers after so long.
"Yeah?" the resident answers, quickly making his way towards her.
"You can call me boss again, now."
"Huh?" the resident asks, rubbing at his neck.
"Stark left. I got his job back. You answer to me again."
"Robbins, I always answered to you," Karev grins, elated. He jogs away from her.
"Where are you going? We have rounds, Dr. Karev."
"Gotta tell the nurses! We got a party to throw. Had streamers waiting since you got back."
Arizona smothers her smug grin behind the large pile of charts she already grabbed from Stark's (now hers again) office.
"Seven minutes, Karev. Then meet me in Lucy Woodson's room, stat, ready to present!"
"You got it!" Karev actually whoops, the closest thing to emotion she's seen from him in weeks.
Arizona pulls out her phone and texts her wife the good news, receiving an immediate and rather (wonderfully) explicit response congratulating her and detailing just how Callie is going to show her how proud she is.
How long until lunch?
el fin