Disclaimer: I own nothing and borrow lots. No, really... lots. Like the characters of Callie Torres, Alex Karev, Arizona Robbins, Mark Sloan, and Lexie Grey which are the sole intellectual property of Shonda Rhimes, Shondaland and ABC. All ideas for this story are from brain wrinkles and influenced by many other TV shows and movies. This is purely for entertainment purposes and sadly, no profit is being gained.
Ratings: Overall rating of this story is PG-13ish to R. This story will likely contain adult themes, activity, violence, suspense, and language.
Feedback: Yes, please. I mean... I'm not that needy. Much. I'll totally love you forever if I know you're reading and even marginally enjoying it. Without feedback, there is no love for you and less enjoyment in writing for me.
Story Information: This was created for the secret Santa exchange at .com/callie_arizona/ for margerydaw_s2 "Let's go back to the shooting. What if Arizona got shot? How would things have turned out?" This story takes place during 6x23 Sanctuary and 6x24 Death and All His Friends, be prepared for twists and turns that you didn't quite see coming... mostly because of one simple change.
Change One Thing
For most people, a hospital is a scary place. A hostile place. A place where bad things happen. Most people would prefer church, or school, or home, but I grew up here. While my mom was on rounds I learned to read in the OR gallery, I played in the morgue, I colored with crayons on old ER charts. The hospital was my church, my school, my home. The hospital was my safe place. My sanctuary. I love it here; correction: loved it here.
Arizona glided into the ER's trauma bay and smiled tightly as she caught Lexie Grey's eye line, "You paged?" A kind looking man in a grey suit answered her, "She's in a lot of pain," instead of her resident. Which she was used to, as parents over advocated for their children, especially in an emergent situation. Lightly patting the man on the arm Dr. Robbins acknowledged him before sliding in behind him towards Lexie with hopefully a less emotional and more informational diagnosis. After hearing the symptoms and seeing the supporting evidence on the films of what she knew as the tried and true traitorous appendix Arizona nodded.
"M'okay appendix," she leaned over Ruby and smiled warmly, "Let me check your belly." The hiss and sharp intake of breath as she pressed down on Ruby's abdomen cinched it and she groaned in sympathy with her tiny patient, "Ooo yeah, you have a very angry appendix."
The mother's voice chimed in, "That's surgery? She needs surgery?"
A quick nod and Arizona continued, "Yeah, she does, but the good news is it's the easiest surgery in the world. I mean, she's a baby surgeon," she motioned quickly to Lexie before stuffing her hands back in her coat pockets, "and she could do it."
Lexie's voice changed into excited awe, "You're going to let me do the surgery?"
"You're going to let her do the surgery?" The parent echoed with concern.
Arizona quickly jumped in, "Oh, no no no, of course not, I'm going to do it. I'm kinda fabulous at it." She turned her attention to the patient in question, "And Ruby, you are going to be out of here tomorrow with a teeny tiny little scar and a very good excuse for your parents to let," she shifted her good humored gaze back to the parents before lightly patting Ruby on the leg, "you eat ice cream every night of the week."
Switching back into attending mode Arizona started to ease out of the trauma bay and nodded to Lexie, "Dr. Grey, admit her to PEDS and make sure she's comfortable while we get an OR."
She felt Callie move behind her and got to the nurses station just in time to hear the end of Alex and Callie's patient rundown. Smiling warmly Arizona pushed out a breathy greeting to them both to receive cold looks from them each before Callie turned on her heel and left.
"What was that about?" Arizona asked Alex as he scribbled notes quickly in a chart.
He snorted and looked up at her, "Dude, are you kidding me? You know exactly what that's about."
Pushing out her lips Arizona sighed heavily, "Okay fine, but can you do me a favor and check in on our post-op from yesterday Kaylee Turrent?"
"The heart kid? Is she showing any complications?" Alex clicked the end of his pen repeatedly making a rat-ta-tat sound that, for some reason, Arizona found calming.
She nodded to the beat and smiled at him widely, "Not yet, but with her previous troubles during post-op I could use your extra eyes on her today."
"Yeah, I guess, like... now though?" He chucked his thumb behind him, "I was going to go grab gauze and towels to restock the kit for Trauma Bay three since my last PEDS kid vomited on most of it."
Knowing that she needed Alex up in PEDS she nodded, "Sure I'll trade you, but you have to check in on Christopher too, mostly because I could do with avoiding the mother's crazy eyes."
He chuckled with her as they both knew the child's mother had been sidling up to Dr. Robbins more and more with each visit of her son for his rounds of surgery. He stuck out his hand, "I will chick block for you so I don't have to do the menial restock."
Arizona shook his hand and pulled him in closer, "I owe you Karev."
His wolfish grin spread over his face, "Dude, I've been in the room with her, remember? You owe me a lot." Flipping the chart shut he started walking away, "A way lot Robbins, like two first assists on something cool!"
"Fine, I'll be up in PEDS in thirty, I expect an update on Kaylee." Arizona stuffed her hands back into jacket as she turned on her heel and bounced lightly before heading off towards the supply closet. Turning the corner she could have sworn she heard the discharge of a gun, but shook her head thinking that it probably was just boxes falling down from the top rack as they usually would from the shorter employees.
Rounding the corner she saw a plain clothes man before her eyes moved to the floor and she saw Dr. Adamson on the floor and then her blue eyes looked back into a cold glare, "Sir, whatever you..."
The noise caused her to turn swiftly, but the searing pain ripped through her senses as she hit the floor with a strangled cough. Her thoughts drifted to her brother for a moment before she tried to focus on anything, but the pain. She tried rolling to her left side to attempt to take off her coat to use it for compressing the wound, but her right side was useless so she glanced around trying to see if anyone was nearby; instead her eyes caught sight of the elevators, which led to the OR floor.
Pushing herself with her legs Arizona cried out in pain with every movement and prayed she wouldn't pass out before she got to the elevators. When in front of the doors she threw her left arm up haphazardly missing twice, before seeing it light up and the soft ding of the doors opening. Her silent mantra that someone would be in the car was dashed. Sucking in a deep breath her scream tore through the vacant hallway as she pushed herself further into the elevator and finally relaxed as she heard the doors shut behind her.
Pushing through the doors to the Pediatric wing Callie bristled as she knew this was the inevitable area to run into Arizona. She rolled her shoulders back quickly imagining a heavy armor to be attached piece by piece over her scrubs so she would be impenetrable to the piercing blue eyes, deep dimples, super magic smile, and worst of all the whisper talking. All of these traits in the evil and deadly arsenal of Dr. Arizona Robbins whom she now called Dr. Hecate, which her sister helped her come to although she favored her Dr. Assface the best.
She chuckled to herself and mumbled to Graciela, "Um, Jason Perkins." The petite resident turned around to grab the chart as Alex placed one of the desk phones back down into its cradle.
"Hey Torres, can I scrub in on the break? I'm all done here." He scratched the back of his head and squinted before continuing, "You haven't seen Robbins by any chance have you?"
Callie grumbled loudly as Graciela handed her the chart, "No, thankfully, why has the Lady of the Manor not swung by PEDS today to grace it with her splendor?"
"Dude," Alex rolled his eyes, "It sucks okay, but at least you got a reason for the breakup. It blows, but at least it's a reason."
He rounded the desk but not before the desk nurse cleared her throat, "Um, we're on lock down."
Both Alex and Callie turned their attention to the nurse before pagers started beeping echoing the exact information the nurse had given them.
"Okay," Alex turned to Callie and shrugged, "So what now?"
Raising her eyes to the ceiling she exasperatedly said, "Come on!"
Alex leaned over the counter and picked up the handset punching in the pager number for Dr. Robbins. He nodded over to Callie, "Could you call her instead of like texting your bff or whatever?"
"Do what now? I'm not calling her?" Callie shook her head.
Setting the phone down Alex gathered the nurses and staff around the counter who were congregating, "Okay then how about acting like an Attending?"
Callie pushed back her coat and stuck her hands in her scrub pant pockets, "Alright everyone, you know what a lock down is right? We're going to lock the entrances into the unit. That's the double doors, the stairs, any entry point okay?" She saw the staff nodding at her, "Continue on rounds and checking on your patients if there are any questions refer them to Dr. Karev or myself." Looking down kindly at the brunette manning the desk, "And if you could continue paging Dr. Robbins until you get an answer that would be awesome."
She looked back at Alex and saw him nod before edging around her, "And I'll head off any slip ups to the parents, meaning Steve."
The young floppy haired resident's mouth dropped open and snapped shut as he felt Alex's hand wrap around his own.
"Alex?"
He turned at Callie's beckoning, "Yeah?"
Her eyes soften for a moment before she continued, "When did she tell you she'd be here?"
Rolling his wrist he looked at his watch and then back at Callie, "Forty minutes ago."
There was no true reason to panic yet, but Callie knew that the one thing that Arizona was proud of herself was being punctual. When she had teased her about the early is on time and on time is late mantra she was merely reminded that when you're a Marine brat you pick up traits and that was one of them.
A lock down could be for anything.
She kept focusing on the lights in the ceiling of the elevator they shimmered now and again and that's when she knew that tears were brimming over again. Arizona tried to pick up her head to make sure that she was holding pressure on the wound still, but all she could see was red seeping up the white doctor's coat and she laid her head back down. It took minutes to bleed out if a vital organ was hit, but Arizona was thankful that her reflex to turn and how she was still able to have cognitive thought meant that the bullet was either lodged in her body or exited without ripping through an organ or vessel, but she did feel cold and her right hand felt clammy. Those signs indicated that she was in Class II hemorrhage, she coughed lightly and winced at least she hoped it was just Class II.
The elevator started to groan as it moved and she closed her eyes hoping that when she opened them she would see a savior. As the car dinged she struggled to open her eyes and heard a loud gasp from a woman who she hoped was not Callie, but at the same time she wished it would be.
Arizona gasped and her eyes shot open as the pain radiated down to her toes her coat was firmly being used as a type of stretcher and she tried to lift her head as the main surgical floor's desk swooped into her view before her. Soon the door to the conference room opened and she was placed on the wooden table. Her hand shot up to feel a strong arm on her right, "No, no. OR."
Leaning into her view a caring hand swept hair out of her face, "I know Arizona, I know, but we can't risk it."
"Mark?" tears filled her eyes, "Where is she?"
He cupped her face and shook his head, "I don't know, but let's focus on you okay? You've been shot."
The door to the conference room opened quickly and the comforting chatter of Lexie Grey's voice lilted through the air, "Okay, I pulled everything I could from the - from the supply closet and," Arizona caught her eyes and tried to smile at her before she screamed out in pain at Mark's prodding.
"Remember what," Arizona choked on her words for a moment and huskily finished, "taught you. Talk to me. No feeling. Talk to me."
Lexie nodded and handed Mark a pair of scissors as he started to cut away Arizona's coat and scrub top to get a clearer view of the entry point, "Never thought I'd get to see what's under the hood huh, Robbins?"
He grinned at her kindly as he moved past the wound and Arizona started sucking in air to try to stifle the need to yell.
"Just stay with me okay? I know you had a comeback for that one."
Lightly moving the scrub top towards Lexie he nodded for her to take the scissors and work on the other half of her coat. The resident's shoulders slumped, but she grasped the scissors as they both heard a cough and Arizona's weak voice come through, "Just make sure the ladies are draped or I'm going to kick your ass later."
Mark laughed and dropped a light kiss on Arizona's forehead, "I wouldn't have it any other way Robbins."
"Ew," Arizona's nose scrunched up, "I don't like emo Mark."
Wincing he put a hand under her hip and another under her shoulder, "You're going to dislike Dr. Mark even more." He nodded to Lexie to help him keep Arizona on her side as his hand ran up and down her back and groaned as Arizona's scream echoed his thoughts, "Nothing. Damnit, the bullet is still lodged in there some place so we're going to have to wing it." Sloan glanced at Lexie as he sat Arizona back down on the table, "No exit wound. Lexie set up an IV. I'll set up a chest tube."
A loud vibrating noise sounded in the room as Lexie nodded, "Okay, okay we can do this." She carefully placed the breathing tube over Arizona's ears and murmured softly to her, "You're going to be okay Dr. Robbins."
Laughing slightly Arizona nodded, "That's it Little Grey, just keep talking to me." Her breathing became a little more labored and a thin line of blood trickled down the side of her mouth, "Be what I teach."
Alex slammed the phone down again, "She's not answering any pages, damnit."
"Dr. Karev, the patients, there are too many to do this effectively," Steve juggled four charts.
"Four doctors, nine nurses for forty-two patients we're running on fumes man just do what you can do." Alex slipped a pen into his pocket.
Callie opened a chart and looked between the two of them, "So let's put them all in the play room. We can't manage the floor, so this way we can watch them all at once."
"You can't put a bunch of sick kids-" Steve dissented.
"Shut it," Alex nodded, "Yeah that would work, nice thinking Dr. Torres."
The both nodded to each other and Alex picked up the phone again to dial Arizona's pager one more time.
Arizona tried to focus on Lexie holding her hand and how she was softly running her thumb back and forth the side of her hand.
"You're doing great Arizona, okay, so I'm going to put a chest tube in okay? You're with me?" Mark's voice was softer and more caring than she'd ever heard him be, maybe there was a reason that Callie saw more than a six-pack in him.
"I have to be with you, but you have to deal with the screaming," she looked at Lexie, "Don't think less of me with the screaming bit okay Grey?"
Her breathing got heavier as the two surgeons murmured to each other and she felt the cold swab of iodine circling around the incision site. Knowing was about to happen only increased the anxiety she was feeling. She really wished she didn't know that Mark was going to slice into her side. She met his eyes for a moment and nodded before she felt her body being ripped apart of the second time that day. Her hand gripped Lexie's tighter and she tried to muffle her own screams of pain with her own hand.
It worked for a moment until the chest tube was inserted then she cried out loudly as tears streaked down her face. She couldn't focus on anything, but the pain radiating down to her toes and then back up to head. She couldn't make out what was being said before a ball of gauze was pushed into her mouth.
Alex pushed Kaylee down the hallway toward the playroom and chatted with her about making new friends for herself as well as Mr. Whiskers. He nearly ran into Callie pushing Christopher down the hallway and almost thought about asking if Callie had the lovely benefit of meeting his mother, but decided to refrain from it.
"Why won't you call her?" Alex prodded.
Her brow furrowed, "What you want to get into this now?"
"Um yeah, she's MIA, there's a lock down and you're being an ass for not calling on your phone." He countered.
Callie raised a finger as she wheeled Christopher up to another patient, "Christopher, Tyler. Tyler, Christopher you both hate chicken, discuss." Turning back to Alex she pointed back out into the hallway.
"First off, the ass in this tale of two doctors is Dr. Assface Robbins." She grimaced and then continued, "She's not answering her pages from her department and it's not like it's going to change if call her cell phone."
Alex crossed his arms and blocked Callie from continuing down the hallway, "Stop. You're scared. I get it and you don't want to show you're scared first. I get that too, but I need you to call her and you need it too so stop being an ass."
They both turned around to see Graciela coming around the corner with the emergency appendectomy patient, Ruby.
Both rushed to the patient and Alex looked back at Callie once more as he pulled his stethoscope from around his shoulders. "Call her now."
Mark looked over her body and sighed, "She needs a transfusion. I don't know what we're going to do."
Looking at Arizona struggling to stay coherent Lexie softly answered him, "I'll go. I'll go get it."
"No, that's insane." Mark shot back instantly, "I'll go."
"What? No, I don't know what to do..." she motioned to Arizona's shallow breathing, "I don't know what to do and you do." She looked pleadingly back to Sloan, "I can't just talk to her. I need to do something."
Nodding solemnly at Lexie, Mark relented, "Okay."
"Arizona? I'm going to go and I'll be right back so it's your job to be here to teach me when I get back okay?" She smiled earnestly at the frail woman, "And by that I mean," she grinned widely, "You'll let me do an appy right?"
A soft laugh and nod answered her as Lexie slid off the table and headed towards the blood bank downstairs.
The labored breathing filled the room as Mark checked the chest tube and Arizona gasped, "Hey Mark?"
He leaned forward and brushed her hair back again trying to sooth her as best he could, "Yeah?"
"Thanks."
Mark smiled, "Ah, I'm just doing it for the eye candy."
She chuckled and coughed, "Eat it up."
The human life is made up of choices. Yes or no, in or out, up or down and then there are the choices that matter: to love or hate, to be a hero or to be a coward, to fight or to give in, to live or die.
The buzzing of a phone rang out through the room.
"I should of said yes." Arizona blurted out.
Mark turned towards her, "What?"
"I should have said yes to the babies and not because I want the babies, but I want her, ya know?"
His eyes glistened and she pursed her lips at him, "Of course you know. You," she weakly pointed her finger at him, "Should have said no to the babies for a bit, not forever. Lexie makes you better." Her brow knitted for a moment in thought, "So you have to tell her."
"Callie?"
"No, Lexie."
He nodded, "Okay, I'll tell her and you will tell Callie. Okay?"
Weakly nodding she agreed.
"You gotta hang in there if you want to see this play out right? Lexie will be here any minute she had to go to the blood bank and back."
Mark opened up a gauze kit and tried to clean the area around it. "She'll be back soon."
Bursting through the door Lexie pushed in a cart full of supplies, "Is she still alive?"
"She's unconscious. Vitals are tanking. There's nothing more I can do for her."
Taking a seat Lexie tried to calm down from her own meeting with Mr. Clark, "Don't die Arizona. This was my fault. I unplugged his wife. I'm so sorry. This was my fault."
The phone beside the table buzzed again. Mark fished around in the pockets on his side and cleared his throat trying to get Lexie back from wherever she was, "Lexie, check the pockets on your side, is it her phone that is ringing?" Ripping off the gloves from her hands she dug deep into the blood soaked coat and found saw the light flash off just as she pulled it out of the pocket.
"Who was it?" Mark questioned.
She smiled tightly at him, "Who it should be... do we call her back?"
Alex sat behind Ruby with a syringe and scooted forward, "Okay, you're going to feel a poke and it's going to hurt, but just for a moment."
The girl cried out and Callie looked down at her lovingly and encouraged her to squeeze her hand tighter and tighter until it was over.
"Okay, all done." Alex stood up as he rubbed lightly on Ruby's shoulder. He smiled tightly at Callie until he saw something flash across her eyes and turned to see where she was looking. His eyes landed on an older man and then he saw the .45 at his side.
A coldness wrapped around his heart and he stepped cautiously forward, "Sir, this is a children's wing.
The thin man seemed to be elsewhere, "They shot me."
Alex took a couple of steps forward with his palms up, "Mister?"
His eyes focused back on Alex, "Clark, Gary Clark."
"Mr. Clark there are only children here."
He heard Callie add, "Give him some bandages Alex."
Nodding he leaned towards the equipment cart and lifted some bandages off, "Gary, here are some bandages for your wound."
A beeping noise came from behind Alex and Mr. Clark rose to attention his eyes set on the woman, now in front of the child. "It's just my phone sir, an alarm for medication."
He visibly relaxed and nodded to both of them, "Thank you for the bandages."
Turning on his heel he left the doorway and Alex shut the door quickly. He hustled back to Ruby and ran his hand up and down her arm. "It's okay Ruby. It's okay. We're all okay."
He looked over his shoulder at Callie, "Who was it? On the phone?"
Callie breathed a sigh of relief for two reasons the shooter leaving and her phone showing hope she didn't know she needed, "It was Arizona."
"I'll call it in and you call her back."
They both looked up from the phone and Lexie shook her head, "I bet she just couldn't get to it because of a patient or she's fine. I know she's fine."
"Calliope?"
Lexie turned back to the table and saw that Arizona was conscious again, "Arizona, it's me Lexie."
"Callie, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I was wrong." Her eyes darted across the room not able to focus, "I want you and me. If you and me means kids..." she smiled and took in a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment and opened them again, "Then you get the first seven years and I'll take them after that," sighing at her own joke she grabbed for Lexie's hand, "Don't go. Stay with me."
Running a hand over Arizona's clammy forehead Lexie lowered her voice and scooted closer, "I'm here, I'm right here Arizona. I'm won't go anywhere." She shot a concerned look over her shoulder at Mark as a tear rolled down her cheek and mouthed out a plea to get Arizona out of the hospital.
Mark's head dropped and he tried to agree with her, but the phone buzzed and they both looked back to it before Mark motioned for the phone. He cleared his throat, "Callie, it's me Mark."
Callie rushed into the recovery at Seattle Presbyterian and saw Teddy smile at her and nod towards a room. She entered and her heart dropped seeing how pale Arizona looked. Her form was so tiny in the bed and she rounded the corner searching for her hand, "Arizona, baby?" She snorted at herself, "Never mind the babies thing okay? I just want you and me. If you and me means no kids. I guess we're going to have lots of puppies."
Live or die, hero or coward, fight or give in. I'll say it again to make sure you hear me you hear me, the human life is made up of choices. Live or die, that's the important choice and it's not always in our hands.
A pause filled the room, "but no chickens okay?"
She ran her hand along her hairline and tucked a wavy strand behind her ear, "Okay maybe just one."