This is a story of devotion.
Song in Italics is Somebody to die for by the Hurts
Richard and Bailey were standing together looking at the OR board...
"Quiet board Chief" Webber says shaking his head
"Quiet board usually means one thing Richard" responds Bailey knowingly.
"Hey we're all done in OR 2 if you need it!" Callie says coming out of the operating room.
"No need Torres" Bailey replies nodding at the board making Callie follow her direction and she spots the board.
"Uh oh...that can't be good...Coffee cart it is then" Callie says.
...
As Callie makes her way to the better coffee cart just out the front of the hospital she can see her ex-wife laughing, and potentially flirting, with the coffee girl who she thinks name is Eva. 'Deep breath Callie' she thought to herself walking up to them.
"Dr Torres the usual?" Asks Eva noticing the doctor approaching her coffee cart.
"Please but make it extra large" replies Callie then focuses on Arizona, who she can't help but admire such natural beauty in the woman...just for a moment..."Hey are you just starting for the day?"
"Sure am, just getting my caffeine fix & gossiping with Eva" says Arizona
Callie's chuckles softly at this "sure looked like flirting from afar" she whispered after moving to the side of the cart.
Arizona looks at Callie with somewhat of an unreadable expression "what would it matter if I was?" asks the blonde.
Callie soon goes quiet.
"She's gorgeous after all" she continues, trying to work out Callie.
"Your right she is pretty, don't mind me, I'll just be grabbing my coffee and heading back in, have fun flirting!" replies Callie, taking her latte from Eva "thanks" she says bluntly.
As Callie walks back into the hospital she hears the laughter start back up behind her, looks over her shoulder and sees Eva hand a piece of paper to Arizona 'someone has scored' thinks Callie...not to sure why her heart ached a little at that thought.
...
From her position by the coffee cart, Arizona watched Callie walk away in her peripheral vision 'that worked!' She thought to herself after realising she had made her ex-wife jealous, causing a little victory dance in her head. Yes, even after all this time and many flirtations with cute women, Arizona was still very much in love with her favourite Latina woman and doubted that would ever change. Arizona thanked Eva for her coffee (and phone number which she wouldn't use) and sat on a bench outside the hospital taking a moment to reflect. It was a sunny day in Seattle and her day mainly consisted of paperwork and board meetings. 'A board member...I still can't believe we own this hospital!' Arizona thought then continued her inner thinking 'I can't believe anything that's happened over the past few years - the fighting, the plane crash, deaths of some of her dearest friends, cheating, making up, a miscarriage, therapy, a break, a crash course in neonatal medicine, saving a colleague's life, a divorce, moving out of my own house, only seeing my daughter part-time, losing the only woman I've ever really loved who has ruined the chance of me ever loving someone else...what is my life now and how did it go so wrong?!' Arizona thought to herself.I could drag you from the ocean,
I could pull you from the fire
And when you're standing in the shadow
I could open up the sky
And I could give you my devotion
Until the end of time
And you will never be forgotten
With me at your side
Cause I don't need this life
I just need…
Arizona's pager went off letting her know the first board meeting was in 15 minutes. Sighing, she made her way inside, noticing Callie and Penny at the reception desk hugging then breaking away only to kiss each other which caused Arizona to continue the other way, her heart aching at the scene.
I've got nothing left to live for
Got no reason yet to die
But when I'm standing in the gallows
I'll be staring at the sky
As Arizona made her way to enter the lift she was barged out of the way by a man exiting the lift.
"Hey watch it!" She yelled at him spinning around to face him, he turned back to Arizona and apologised with a rushed "sorry" before carrying on his mad run, it was only then she noticed something shiny tucked in the back of his jeans...'he's got a knife!' she thought as the lift door closed 'damnit!' she thought, morphing into her "Good man in a storm" mode, she had to get off the next floor and run down stairs.
As the doors opened Bailey and Webber were about to enter but she stopped them both "Quick come downstairs with me, there's a man with a knife tucked in his jeans, we need to make sure he's not going to do something!" She told them hurriedly.
"What!?" Bailey asked
"Quick lets go, Robbins did you see what he looked like?!" Asked Richard as the three of them quickly made their way to the staircase.
"Not a great one he was in a rush out of the lift and barged past me but he had a denim jacket and red baseball cap" she rushed out.
"Oh no...that guy was just up here and asked me where he could find Dr Torres..." Richard said disbelievingly.
Arizona stomach dropped at this sentence and she paused to look at Richard.
"What, what...did he say why?" Arizona asks, praying to the sky the knifed man hadn't yet got to Callie who was downstairs.
"No he was just in a hurry! I had spotted her talking with Blake over the balcony...and pointed her out" ...
"Damnit Richard! Come on we need to be subtle when we get down there, it's the main lobby so don't want to worry people if we don't have to!" Said Bailey, in full on Chief mode.
As they made their way through the main lobby, all three of them were looking for either Callie or the man but trying not to draw attention from anyone. Webber spotted Penny first.
"Blake! Where's Torres?" He asked
"She's just talking with an old patient's father, he um, his kid was injured a few months ago after a car crash and needed a double leg amputation...it didn't go well and the child didn't make it through surgery - it hit Callie quite hard and the dad has been calling her every week since to keep going through why his kid died" explained Blake.
'Oh my god this isn't good!' Arizona thought to herself but couldn't find any words, she needed to find them.
As if reading her mind Bailey piped up "where did they go Blake?" She asked.
"Just into meeting room A, is everything ok?" Asked Penny but she didn't get a response until Richard turned back to her "do you remember the patients name?" He asked.
"The girl was Beth Miller" she responded.
Arizona led the trio quickly towards there intended destination but Webber pulled her to a stop.
"Just wait a minute we need a plan!"
"Richard I just need to get in there and make sure Callie is safe!" responded Arizona whose head was going 100 miles per hour.
"We don't need to startle him or make things worse. Bailey, you do what you need to do with the authorities. Robbins, let me go in, you've got a kid!" Richard tries to reason.
"Yeh and that kid is also Callie's baby girl so I need to make sure she doesn't get hurt! You've recently got married and found out you have a kid too! All I've got now is Sofia and I'm not going to let her lose another parent! Just stay out here to trap him if he makes a run for it! Please Richard!" replies Arizona
"Arizona don't do it" he says
"I have to"
"Be cautious and don't get hurt, just try to talk it out until the police get here!" He gives Arizona a look as if telling her not to do anything stupid - mind made up she faces the door.
Because no matter where they take me
In death I will survive
And I will never forgotten
With you by my side
As soon as I push the handle gently to make my way into the room I can already here this man's angry but hushed tone telling Callie how it's all her fault, it's only when I fully enter the room the terror hits me - he's got his arm wrapped around Callie's neck holding her in place and the knife in his other hand. The scene in front of me forms a lump in my throat, my eyes go wide, I look at Callie who can see I've entered and she sobs instantly.
And I don't need this life
I just need…
Somebody to die for
Somebody to cry for
When I'm lonely
Arizona stiffens immediately and makes herself know calmly "Mr Miller" she says and the man with the cap and knife snaps his head around.
"What the hell do you want, get out now, it's only Dr Torres I want to speak with!" He says sharply.
"Now Mr Miller I think I know why you're here...it's about Beth isn't it?" Arizona prods the man who is still holding both Callie and the knife tightly.
"Don't speak of my daughter when you don't even know us!" he's angry, grieving, lost.
"I know, one of my PEDs surgeons assisted Dr Torres on the case so I know and I'm very sorry for your loss Mr Miller" Arizona tells him sincerely but trying to keep an eye on Callie, who is staying quiet - they lock eyes and Callie barely nods letting Arizona know she can still breathe and is ok considering. Arizona focuses back on the distraught father, one hand remaining in her pocket the whole time.
"Mr Miller I'm telling you the truth, these surgeons did everything they could to try and save your daughter but her injuries were far too severe for such a small person to survive. It hurts, I know, especially when you lose someone as close as a child, I see it regularly with my job unfortunately. We can help you grieve and go through the motions, we have that help here but this isn't the way to deal with it." says Arizona trying to reason with the man, slowly edging her way closer to the pair to try and gain some control.
"No, she was the main doctor and she's going to pay for it, a life for a life seems fair" he says, moving the knife to a former grip.
"It's not fair at all, Dr Torres helps people for a living, she fixes people when they're broken, she's a healer and she has a young daughter too. You know what it's like losing a family member, look what it's done for you - do you really want Dr Torres' beautiful daughter to grow up without her mum? To know her amazing mother was killed because of grief? Please Mr Miller, just look at me. You don't have to do anything stupid here" says Arizona coaxing the man and it appears to be making an impact, he looks into Arizona's eyes.
When I'm standing in the fire
I will look him in the eye
And I will let the devil know
That I was brave enough to die
"You really think that speech will make me stop, I lost my daughter, my daughter, I shouldn't have buried my only child and someone needs to pay for it!" Arizona keeps her eye contact but briefly looks to Callie who has tears running down her face, silently begging Arizona to just leave the room and let it happen, the blonde shakes her head once and looks back to the man. Plan B.
Arizona steps closer again.
"DON'T! Don't come any closer or I'll kill her I swear to you!" I think he means it with the look of the devil in his eye.
And there's no Hell that he can show me
That's deeper than my pride
'Cause I will never be forgotten
Forever I'll fight
The next few minutes were a tense stare down between Arizona and Mr Miller. Arizona gritted her teeth "If you hurt her, I won't be responsible for my actions" she tells him.
Mr Miller just laughed at this menacingly and raised his hand holding the knife, the next event happened in a blur. Arizona pulled out of her pocket her phone she had been holding onto the whole time and out of reflex threw it at the man's head making direct contact, enough to startle him and loosen his grip on Callie who broke free. Arizona shouted to Callie to "RUN!" whilst she dived at the man to tackle him to the ground. Arizona heard the door open and she briefly relaxed knowing Callie was safe but now she was wrestling with a man almost twice her size. Mr Miller quickly reacted to Arizona and gained momentum, throwing Arizona off him whilst he grabbed his knife and lurched forward at her and made contact with her prosthetic leg. Arizona took the opportunity of his shock of hitting a metal leg to sweep his feet with her good leg making him fall down to the ground, she got up as fast as she could and made for a quick escape. It was too late. The man was too fast. Arizona had just enough time to open the door, see shocked and worried faces looking on from a distance (including Callie who looked horrified) and a few police snipers pointing their guns at the door she had opened. All at the same time, Arizona felt a sharp pain in her lower back, a gun shot and Callie's voice screaming her name before she hit the ground in agony and her world went black.
And I don't need this life
But I need…
Somebody to die for
Somebody to cry for
When I'm lonely
Callie ran straight to Arizona quickly followed by Webber, Bailey and Karev who had all been outside the room for the fall out. They tried to assess what had happened, blood was quickly coming from the stab wound on Arizona's lower back, her kidney, Karev took off his lab coat and applied pressure.
"Arizona what the hell did you do that for you idiot!" Callie couldn't believe what had happened and wasn't sure if Arizona could hear her or not. She couldn't understand why her ex-wife would risk her own life to save her.
"Arizona please stay with me, think about Sofia, she can't lose you! Neither can I! Please wake up, wake up! Callie started shaking, tears flowing freely. Penny had approached Callie to try and pull her away to let the others work on her.
"No!" Callie shrugged her off, holding onto Arizona's hand "I can't let go, she just risked her life for me! I can't let her go!"
"Torres, you need to let us work on her!" Bailey told her sternly.
"No Bailey you don't understand I need her! To be alive...she has to live. I need to tell her something" Callie explained urgently.
"Callie she needs you too, she loves you but she needs you to let go so we can save her!" said Webber after checking for a pulse with no success.
Callie looked down at Arizona, still crying and fighting an internal battle but quickly coming to a solution, leant down to Arizona's ear and whispered to her "don't scare me, you need to pull through this, for Sof and for me. I need you to survive so I can tell you I still love you and need you back" Callie then looked to Arizona's pale face, she couldn't help but lean in and kiss her briefly on the lips as if to give Arizona something to fight for.
And I don't need this life
I just need…
Somebody to die for
Somebody to cry for
When I'm lonely
Don't go gentle into the good night
Rage on against the dying light
One-off...or two-parter...hmmm