"Hi, I'm Hurricane Amelia," she began with a slight breathy laugh. "I've been sober for 5 months now but I almost drank again last week. I'd planned a date with my boyfriend and when I showed up he was absolutely wasted and he'd forgotten. We were supposed to be having a fresh start but after that, I realized I need to take care of myself first. I need stability. I need someone who can keep Hurricane Amelia from becoming a category 5 storm."
Finishing with that same breathy laugh, Amelia took her seat again and tried to avoid eye contact with everyone else at the AA meeting, especially Richard. She hadn't planned on speaking at the meeting today. Honestly, when she'd gotten in her car, she wasn't actually sure if she was going to end up here or at the nearest liquor store. She was glad she'd come though. 5 months might not seem like a long time but it felt like an eternity right now.
For the past month, all Richard had been able to think about was Hurricane Amelia. He'd watched her from afar as she steadily avoided Owen. As he finally seemed to get the message. As she moved back in to Meredith's house. As she became stronger. As 5 months sobriety became 6.
It was a month after the meeting when he found himself telling Meredith and Maggie about the surgery he had watched that day. Arizona was doing a selective laser ablation of placental anastomotic vessels in a set of twins with Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome. Halfway through, the woman had begun to have premature contractions and he was sure that the woman and her babies wouldn't make it. But Arizona had remained calm and managed to save them all and it was as he finished his story that he heard Callie's quiet comment from behind him.
"She's a good man in a storm."
"Thanks for letting me stay here, Meredith," Richard said as he watched Maggie and Amelia lug his heavy suitcases from his car and into the house.
"How long are you staying again?" Meredith asked, watching as the other two women dragged the large suitcases up the stairs.
"Just a few days. Maybe a week. Termites can be tricky things to deal with and there were a lot of them," he replied over his shoulder, following his suitcases to make sure they weren't damaged. Plus, Adele had always said his eyes gave him away when he tried to lie.
It took Richard 45 minutes after moving in before he mentioned the fact his birthday was only 2 days away.
"We should do something for your birthday!" was Maggie's immediate response, followed by a less than impressed look from Meredith and a very unimpressed look from Amelia.
"How about a dinner party?" came Richard's instant reply, failing to hide the fact that this was his intention all along.
"Because look how well that went last time," Amelia muttered.
"We'll keep it small. It can be just us!" Maggie exclaimed, not letting the other women's lack of enthusiasm dampen her own.
"Can I invite a few friends?" Richard quickly interjected.
"Of course," Maggie replied, before pulling out her phone to make a list of everything she would need to buy.
"Great. This dinner party just sounds better and better," Amelia said sarcastically, already imagining a tortuous night of listening to a bunch of old men reminisce about 'the good old days' while she sat there sober and unable to leave.
Maggie was running around the kitchen giving the other two women instructions. Apparently she was determined to make up for the last dinner party by being absolutely neurotic about this one.
Amelia was chopping carrots and wondering how much of her pinky she would have to chop off to get out of the night.
"Thinner slices, Amelia, or they'll never cook in time," Maggie instructed, causing Amelia to wonder if maybe it was worth cutting off her whole hand.
"Who do you think Richard is bringing?" Meredith finally asked the question that had been playing on her mind.
"I don't know. I assumed it was old friends from med school or something," Amelia replied nonchalantly before things finally started to click. "Wait. DeLuca told me he would see me later as I left the hospital today. I figured he was being an ass."
Maggie had stopped her constant movement around the kitchen and now stood with one hand halfway to the fridge door, having completely forgotten what she was doing.
As Meredith and Amelia exchanged glances, the doorbell rang, breaking Maggie out of her stupor and sending her into a frenzy again.
"I just have to find the, uh, find the, the thing. You know what I mean. Can someone else get that?" Maggie asked, trying to convince herself that DeLuca wouldn't be stupid enough to come after everything that had happened between them.
"I'll get it," Amelia quickly replied, eager to get away from Maggie and the carrots that were starting to drive her insane. She could make out three people through the glass in the door and was beginning to become very curious about Richard's 'friends'.
Opening the door, Amelia found herself face to face with not only Richard and DeLuca, but also Thorpe. A smile broke out across her face as she realized that this night was going to be more interesting than she expected.
"Happy birthday Richard," she said, stepping aside to let the three men in.
"Thank you, Amelia," Richard replied as he passed her. "The others will be here soon."
"Others?" Amelia asked, although her question went unanswered as the three men made their way into the kitchen.
Thorpe kissed a bewildered Meredith on the cheek while DeLuca tried to do the same to Maggie who abruptly turned and began chopping the carrots Amelia had abandoned. Richard simply stood there smiling, completely oblivious to the tension that now filled the room.
"Happy birthday, Richard," Maggie finally managed to say, attempting to take everyone's attention off of her.
"Yeah, happy birthday," Meredith added, still trying to take in what was happening.
As Maggie continued her furious chopping of the carrots, the doorbell rang again.
"That will be them," Richard said, heading back to the door.
Amelia stepped back into the foyer and out of his way, also eager to see how much more drama Richard was going to create with his 'friends'. Owen had briefly crossed her mind but she knew Richard wouldn't do that. He might have been totally oblivious to the end of Maggie and DeLuca's relationship but he'd been at the meeting where she had opened up about what Owen had done.
"Catherine, welcome," Richard greeted, stepping aside to usher the woman in.
Catherine kissed her husband as she passed him, taking off her coat and handing it to Amelia before entering the kitchen and immediately taking charge of the food preparation. Richard followed behind, still smiling to himself.
As Amelia hung up Catherine's coat, she heard Meredith open a bottle of wine and begin offering it around. Suddenly, Amelia was very aware of the fact the dinner party was now four couples (Maggie and DeLuca had broken up and gotten back together so many times, she wasn't actually sure where they were at right now), and her. She knew she should have cut her hand off.
Turning back towards the kitchen, she was visibly startled when the doorbell rang once more. She hesitantly made her way across the foyer again, desperately trying to make out who was standing on the other side of the door.
"Arizona?"
"Amelia," the blonde replied, smiling widely at her. "Richard invited me to his birthday dinner party?"
"Ok… Come in?"
Neither woman was sure when they had started ending every sentence with a question mark.
"I'm not sure this dinner party will be any better than the last," Amelia warned, taking Arizona's coat to avoid heading back into the kitchen. "He invited DeLuca and Thorpe."
People at the hospital talk. Arizona had heard all about Meredith's new man and Maggie's rollercoaster relationship with DeLuca. Suddenly she wasn't so sure that coming to this thing was the best idea. Sure, her and Richard had gone out to bars quite frequently over the past 6 months, and he was a great wingman, but when he'd invited her to his birthday dinner, she was shocked. She was used to all their interactions being either strictly professional, or about setting her up with a woman. This was new territory. Or was it. Arizona began to wonder what exactly Richard's reasons were for inviting her tonight.
Heading to join the others in the, now very cramped, kitchen, Arizona followed the shorter woman, taking the opportunity to admire Amelia's jeans, and the way they made her ass look amazing.
Catherine had everyone working on different aspects of the meal, and upon noticing the two women now hovering in the doorway, she handed them a stack of plates and cutlery, instructing them to set the table. Amelia was just glad to be far away from the food prep.
"I didn't know you and Richard were friends? I mean, I get him inviting DeLuca for Maggie and Thorpe for Mer, but how did you score an invite?" Amelia asked, before letting out a breathy laugh. "Unless he's gotten his wires crossed and thinks you and I are a thing."
"I'm honestly not sure," Arizona began, not wanting to reveal her suspicions to the only other person at this dinner party that wasn't likely to end the night with a fight. Or sex. She was also greatly regretting mentioning the way she had been crushing on Amelia and how after the last dinner party, where she'd drunkenly watched Amelia yell and cry, she'd sat there wishing she could be the one to comfort her. "He's sort of been my wingman."
"Richard Webber is your wingman?" Amelia questioned incredulously. "Now that's something I have to see."
Oh I just think you might, Arizona thought.
It wasn't long before the dinner was ready and it was delicious, even if Catherine was taking credit for it all and earning herself several death glares from Maggie who had spent 4 hours slaving away in the kitchen before anyone else arrived.
Richard had placed himself at the head of the table with Catherine, Meredith and Thorpe on his left, Arizona, Amelia and Maggie on his right and DeLuca sitting at the other end. Arizona had tried to sit as far away from Richard as possible but unfortunately he'd pulled the whole 'it's my birthday, I get what I want' routine and chosen everyone's seats for them.
Everyone had just finished serving themselves when Richard began talking about Arizona's amazing ability to stay calm during a crisis. Arizona had ducked her head and blushed, feeling more and more certain about his intentions.
"She's a good man in a storm," he stated, looking intently at a very confused Amelia, while Arizona flicked her eyes between the two of them and suppressed the urge to groan. He was a great wingman when she wanted him to be, but when he was trying to sell her to a straight girl, the whole thing just became cringe-worthy.
Richard's praises of Arizona came far too frequently throughout the meal and if she wasn't completely out of the closet, Catherine would probably think they were sleeping together. Although she didn't have to worry about Catherine thinking anything because it seemed Richard had briefed her on his plans for the evening because she was completely focused on Amelia.
"So, Amelia, is there a man or woman in your life at the moment?" Catherine said abruptly and with zero tact. Meredith had choked on her wine and Maggie probably would have too, had her and DeLuca not been having a whispered argument that everyone else was choosing to ignore.
In an effort to avoid answering immediately, Amelia speared a carrot and shoved it into her mouth. It was still hard. Maggie was right; she should have cut thinner slices.
"Um, no," she replied, resisting the urge to call the older woman ma'am. Arizona was looking at her now. The blonde knew the answer was no but she was sure Amelia would clarify that she was straight. All straight girls seemed to go out of their way to make sure you knew that they were one hundred percent into penis. In fact, a question like that usually led to the straight girl telling a story about how big her last boyfriend's dick was, just so there was no misunderstanding. So needless to say, Arizona was completely thrown by the other woman's short reply.
Richard and Catherine exchanged a look as a confused Thorpe looked to Meredith, who was staring intently at Arizona, who's mouth was just slightly opened as she watched Amelia, who was turning a violent shade of red and shoveling food into her mouth at an alarming speed, desperate for this night to be over. She was completely over Owen, and was never going back there again, but as far as everyone at the hospital knew, she was straight. She didn't think she'd ever given them any reason to think otherwise, but apparently she'd done something to make Catherine Avery ask that question. She cursed herself internally for letting her gaze rest on Arizona's cleavage a little too long earlier, she just couldn't help it when everyone around her was coupling up and she'd never seen the blonde in anything but work clothes. Well at least she couldn't remember if she had. She'd been pretty caught up on Owen for a while there.
Meredith and Thorpe began their own whispered conversation in which Meredith tried to reassure both her boyfriend and herself that Amelia was straight and Catherine Avery was just trying to be inclusive and accepting for once in her life.
Maggie and DeLuca were still completely oblivious to everything else going on at the table, however their argument was growing more heated and as Maggie pounded her fist on the table, everyone turned to look. Except Amelia who's focus was still on eating her meal as fast as possible in order to escape.
"We'll be right back," Maggie said with a curt smile at the other dinner guests. Standing, she practically dragged DeLuca through the house and up to her bedroom.
As if completely unfazed by it all, Richard turned his focus back on Arizona and Amelia, telling story after story about their achievements and complimenting them both repeatedly. Amelia briefly wondered if he had memorized her CV on purpose but was honestly very glad that they were back to talking about work and not her lack of relationships.
After they had all finished their meal, except for Maggie and DeLuca who could still be heard yelling at each other upstairs, Catherine finally managed to stop her husband's rambling long enough to convince him that they needed to 'talk' before she flew home again tomorrow. With that they disappeared into the spare room and Meredith used it as the perfect excuse to also whisk Thorpe upstairs to her own room.
Arizona and Amelia were left in shock by it all and found themselves silently clearing the table and stacking everything into the dishwasher.
"Sorry about tonight," Amelia said awkwardly, as they stood admiring the now clean kitchen.
"Why? It wasn't your fault," Arizona stated simply. "Besides, I sort of had fun."
"That was your idea of fun?"
"Well not exactly, but it was definitely better than the last one," Arizona replied, turning towards the living room. "Let's sit down, my leg is killing me."
"Don't even remind me about the last one. That was hell."
"Yeah. Let's not talk about that. Not that I have a very clear recollection of it," Arizona cringed at the memory of the horrific hangover she had endured the next day.
"Lucky you."
"I'm sorry. Let's talk about something else," Arizona quickly apologized as she began massaging her aching thigh. Sometimes her prosthetic just didn't seem to work right and took ten times the effort to make it do what she wanted to do.
"Please."
"So Amelia, is there a man or woman in your life at the moment?" Arizona teased, hoping the brunette would at least laugh.
"Ha. Ha," came the sarcastic reply.
"Oh, lighten up," Arizona said with a smile, moving down the couch playfully push the shorter woman who now had her arms crossed. "It's not the worst question she could have asked. She could have asked you who you like?"
"No one," Amelia replied too quickly, not realized Arizona wasn't actually asking.
"Or what your type is?" Arizona continued playfully, now eager to get as much information out of the pretty, maybe-not-so-straight, neurosurgeon sitting next to her.
"Someone stable. And calm. Someone who can keep Hurricane Amelia from becoming a Category 5 storm."
And just like that it all fell into place in Arizona's mind. She was a good man in a storm and so he'd set her up with Hurricane Amelia.
"I have two types," Arizona stated.
"Yeah?" Amelia questioned, relaxing a bit and actually looking the other woman in the eye.
"Yep. For random, meaningless sex, I always go for the disposable blondes. The ones who will move away or who you can get rid of easily."
"And the other type?" Amelia was curious. She didn't really think she had a type, she just knew that so far none of her past partners had been it. She knew she needed supportive, safe and calm, and the more she thought about it, and the more she looked at the woman beside her, the more she realized, maybe a woman with a kid and an actual house was what she needed. Not that she thought Arizona would ever actually be interested in the mess that was Hurricane Amelia. She just certainly didn't need a man who lived in a trailer and had just as many problems as her but refused to actually get help.
"The other type is my long-term, marry-me type. The feisty brunettes who keep shaking up your world but you let them and you help them calm their world down. I think it's a paeds thing. Kids come into hospital and they think their whole world is over and they panic and cry and scream and you calm them down and fix them. I like fixing people."
"Want to fix me?" Amelia muttered in a breathy laugh, quietly enough that Arizona wouldn't have heard, had she not moved so that she was sitting so close that her leg was touching the brunette's.
"I thought you'd never ask," Arizona whispered as she leant in and kissed Amelia softly on the lips. The brunette's eyelids fluttered closed as she gently returned the kiss.
Amelia had grown so used to rough lips and a scratchy beard that the softness of Arizona's lips caught her off guard and made her wonder why she'd ever bothered with men at all. She'd kissed a few girls in college when she was drunk or high or both but there was something totally different about kissing a girl sober. Or maybe it was just kissing Arizona that was different.
The kiss was brief, but both women found themselves breathing heavily as they pulled apart.
"I've noticed you, you know," Arizona softly told her. "This past month, you've changed. You look like you are in control. You look like you're already fixing yourself."
Amelia hadn't expected the blonde to kiss her. She hadn't expected the accomplished, organized, calm Arizona to even look twice at the mess that seemed to constantly follow Hurricane Amelia.
"I'm not so sure about that," Amelia said, suddenly feeling very shy and becoming very concerned with picking off a piece of lint from her jeans.
"I am," Arizona replied simply before gently turning Amelia's face back to her own and leaning in to kiss her again.
Neither woman noticed that Meredith had come back downstairs, suddenly realizing she was leaving all the dishes to her guests yet again. Halfway down the stairs, she stopped and stared at the two women currently kissing on her couch. Not making out. Not desperately groping each other. Just simply and sweetly kissing. She couldn't help but smile to herself. She'd been worried about Amelia ever since she'd started dating Owen and since they'd broken up, and she'd seen how much better Amelia was, she'd been worried they'd get back together. But this, this was what Amelia needed. Sweet and calming Arizona. A good man in a storm.
Creeping back upstairs, she made a mental note to give Arizona a stern talking to tomorrow and warn her that if she did anything to hurt Amelia, Meredith would be forced to kill her.