MINUTES Chapter 1 - A Laurzona fanfic immediately following on from season 9 finale.
Disclaimer: These people sadly are not mine!
'Apparently I lost you…'
Callie leaves the common room stunned. She walks past Owen and the others, and announces that after a shitty night she's heading home.
The doctors couldn't help but overhear her and Arizona's screaming match, but neither could they determine the gravity of it. And judging by Callie's demeanour, this was as serious as they come.
'Callie, you ok?' asks Owen
'I don't know…I, I have to get my daughter…' she replies in a daze.
The other doctors instinctively know to stay out of whatever it is Callie's business is, while she goes to change out of her scrubs. On returning, she stops dead in her tracks when she sees Dr Lauren Boswell standing just feet away from her. Lauren quite innocently turns around to see what everyone is staring at, only to meet Callie's sad eyes that immediately turn hateful.
'Callie…' Lauren begins softly, her face an equal measure of guilt and concern, 'I…'
'No. You do NOT get to say my name,' Callie spits, her daze now snapping to full focus. 'You had sex with my wife. My WIFE. And now she's leaving because of you.'
Callie's voice is stern and direct. She will not let Lauren Boswell reduce her to tears. Not in front of her colleagues. Not yet anyway.
'So don't assume it's ok to talk to me.'
And with that, Callie turns on her heels, leaving everyone in shock at this revelation. Arizona cheated on Calliope? With Dr Boswell? All eyes settled on Lauren, the colour wiped from her face. Suddenly hit by the impact of last night's actions, Lauren abruptly excuses herself with some words about needing to get her things and heading home.
'Yeh, it seems her work here is done,' quips Alex, generously breaking the silence that was hanging in the air.
But no sooner had they all begun talking at once, were they muted again, as Arizona suddenly appeared from around the corridor carrying a couple of boxes.
She looked pained and worn out, yet resolute.
'I'm not going to pretend you don't know what has happened. I've gathered my things from upstairs, and won't be coming back. It's not fair on Callie for me to stay on at the hospital.'
She turns to look at Owen directly.
'I'm so sorry I've let you all down but I have to do this. My letter of resignation is already on your desk.'
Owen steps toward her.
'Take some time by all means, but we'll discuss this further when appropriate.'
'Thank you, really,' she replies somehow managing one of her radiant albeit brief smiles, '…but this has to be.'
'We will discuss it, Arizona. There are ways to make things work,' Owen offers again, but Arizona - eyes glazed and weary - simply apologises once more and leaves Grey Sloane Memorial.
As she approaches her car, she is startled to hear quickening frantic footsteps heading towards her. She momentarily loses her breath as she wonders if it's her, closes her eyes, turns around, and sure enough is met with the most tragically beautiful face she has ever seen.
Without even the slightest hesitation, Lauren begins her plea.
'I didn't know that love at first sight existed,' she began, her chest heaving from her desperate rush to catch this wondrous woman. 'Growing up you think it's a fairytale, and when you're older you think it's, it's hindsight romanticising things - and I don't know exactly what it was, which part of your everything - but something made me fall in love with you within a minute. That first minute we spoke! The minute I saw your eyes…'
Lauren caught her breath and continued more purposefully.
'I fell so in love in that minute that it blinded me to all that you had to lose and I'm sorry. Deeply. I understand that I have to take a step back. But I can't let you leave without telling you that with every minute since, I've been falling more and more…'
'Can you just grab these boxes from me for a second? They're reallysuperheavy' Arizona interrupted, much to her own embarrassment.
'Oh sure, sorry…crap…I've got th…' Lauren stuttered
'You got them?' Arizona asked simultaneously.
'Yeah,' Lauren assured her with a hint of nervous laughter, to which Arizona contributed.
'I just needed to free my arms so I can shake you - with prior warning so you don't get me arrested for harassment, that is -' Arizona said, completely poker-faced. Then she let her beautiful blue eyes linger on the stunning hazel ones that were looking searchingly into her own.
'Please don't beat yourself up. I was blind too. And for the record, I don't believe in love at first sight. At least I didn't. What happened, happened for a reason. I don't regret my decision to be with Callie - I love her and always will - but I have screwed things up. I have to mend the broken pieces. I owe it to her, to our daughter. So I have to have us keep our distance…'
Arizona's expression was impossible to read, and Lauren's vulnerable heart was starting to break from the minute she heard Arizona say she'd always love Callie.
'I understand. I'll step away,' Lauren whispered in defeat.
'…to keep our distance for now,' Arizona encouraged.
Lauren felt her stomach plummet to her very centre.
'For now?' she asked, not quite trusting her ears
'Just give me time to fix things here,' Arizona smiled. 'Can you do that?'
'Whatever you need.'
Disbelief, longing, admiration. Lauren was overwhelmed by the perfect person that stood before her. She had to use every ounce of the self-control she had permitted Arizona to abandon - just last night - in order not to embrace her. She knew Arizona was reading her lustful thoughts to the letter but couldn't bring herself to break their gaze.
Arizona looked down teasingly. And without further eye contact, gently kissed Lauren's flushed cheek before getting herself and her belongings into her car. As she prepared to leave, she leaned out of the window, beaming intently at her unintended future.
'And just so you know, there'll be plenty more minutes ahead, Dr Boswell.'
And with that, Arizona sped off - driving almost as fast as Lauren's heart was pounding deep in her chest.
To be continued…
OK so that was my 1st ever attempt at a fan fiction. I was just so amazed by these two that I had to whet my own appetite in the wait for season 10 haha!