"Meredith?" Arizona ducked into an empty on-call room on the surgical floor to return a phone call and she's surprised to see Meredith obviously upset sitting on the bed.
"I-I-I'm fine." She says wiping tears from her face.
"You're not." Arizona replies sitting down beside her and taking her hand. "Tell me."
Taking a deep breath. Meredith slowly lets it out and collects herself. "She's terrible. I thought I could do this, I wanted to do this. I wanted to be the bigger person, but she has no right to be here in this program or any program really." She blurts out.
"Uh, what happened?" Arizona asks.
"We had a case come in the ER today and as we were assessing him, it became obvious that she was really nervous. But I talked to her and she seemed to calm down. Then she had trouble reading the MRI, she couldn't identify the kidney. She told me the labs were okay, then I looked at them and they weren't. I just can't believe this." Meredith says shocked and disappointed.
"Look, maybe she just shouldn't be on your service. I'll talk to April and have her take her tomorrow. Then we'll get an impartial evaluation." Arizona suggests.
"Maybe you're right." Meredith replies feeling a little better.
"How are things with Amelia?" Arizona asks.
"Tense. But she's been staying at Owen's so we still haven't really talked." Meredith explains.
"Ah, well I'm sorry about everything with Callie and Penny." Arizona adds.
"You don't get to apologize for Callie any more Arizona." Meredith informs her, "but that's another conversation that I'll need to have. Ugh, why is everything so complicated?" She exclaims.
"Get a sitter tonight and let's go to dinner. You need some time away from all of this." Arizona suggests.
"I really do. Can we go somewhere besides Joe's?" She asks.
"We can definitely do better than Joe's." Arizona agrees. "I'll pick you up at 7." She says standing up to go.
"I haven't gone out since Derek died." She mumbles to herself.
"Well, you deserve a night out. I'll see you later." Arizona replies.
Meredith knocks lightly on Maggie's office door before trying the handle, not wanting to interrupt her in case DeLuca is in there with her. "Hey, are you busy tonight?" She asks.
"No, I'm still getting over the UTI." She explains.
"Okay, so if I go out tonight, would you stay home with Bailey and Ellis?" She asks.
"Of course, but who are you going out with?" Maggie can't help but ask.
"A friend, I just need a night out. Okay?" She asks.
"Okay, no problem. I'll be home around 6, is that okay?" Maggie replies.
"Perfect, she's picking me up at 7." Meredith says and closes the door.
"She?" Maggie says out loud, wondering who Meredith would be having dinner with. It must be Callie, but she is surprised that they would spending time together so soon after the dinner party.
"Ellis is asleep and Bailey has had his bath and is in his pjs, just put him to bed in a half hour." She tells her sister.
"Okay, relax. I've got this. Just go enjoy your evening." Maggie says as there's a knock at the door.
Pulling on her jacket, Meredith goes to the door and opens it. "Hey, come in a second. I was just going over everything with Maggie." She explains.
"Don't forget the ointment when you change Ellis, we've finally got that rash cleared up, but I don't want it to come back. Do you have any questions?" She asks.
Maggie is still sitting there with her mouth open and Bailey on her lap staring at Arizona. "Uh, no. I'm good. We'll be fine," she adds.
"I know, I know. But I haven't done this yet, I haven't left Ellis with anyone, Maggie." She explains.
"Meredith, we're not going to be that far away. Maggie will call if she needs you. Right Maggie?" Arizona adds.
"Of course, but it will be fine. Just go out and relax. Arizona, please help her relax tonight." Maggie says and then mentally kicks herself, that wasn't what she meant.
Arizona and Meredith laugh, "That's not exactly the evening I had in mind..." Meredith teases her sister and Arizona's face goes from laughing to shock.
"Relax, Arizona. It's been a long time, but I promise not to jump your bones tonight." Meredith says shocking the other two women.
As the leave the house, Arizona nervously jokes, "Well, I didn't even consider that was an option."
"Considering how long its been since either of us had sex, we should probably be careful tonight." Meredith admits still joking.
They enter the small restaurant and the owner comes over and greets Arizona. "Dr Robbins, it is so good to see you. Who is this beautiful woman?"
"Jillian, this is my friend and colleague Meredith Grey. Meredith, this is Jillian Stewart."
"Welcome to Cucina della Madre," Jillian says putting an arm around each of them and leads them to a table.
"This is so charming, it reminds me of Italy." Meredith exclaims smiling at her.
"You've been to Italy?" She asks pleased.
"I have been all over Europe. An adventurous soul and a misspent youth." Meredith explains.
"Arizona, I like her. Bring her anytime!" Jillian says as she walks away from them.
"I didn't know that you've been to Europe." Arizona remarks.
"My best friend Sadie and I took off after high school graduation and backpacked and slept our way across Europe, before coming home and starting college." Meredith replies. "Back then I wanted to be a photographer, not a surgeon."
"Really? I had no idea." Arizona says taking a sip of water, "What changed your mind?"
"My mother. I came back from Europe with tons of photos and I was trying to get a showing at a gallery in Boston. My mother came in and looked at the photos and told me that they were good, but nothing special. She told me that I'd never be anything but an ordinary photographer." Meredith explains.
"Ouch." Arizona replies. Then nods as Jillian's daughter comes by with two glasses of wine and some bruschetta. "Oh, Jillian doesn't have menus and now that she knows that you've been to Italy, there's no telling what she will serve us. Hope you're up for an adventure tonight." She says smiling.
"Actually, this is perfect. Thanks for suggesting it." Meredith replies delighted so far, then adds, "Jillian is lovely, I'll eat anything she sets in front of me."
"Good, that will make her very happy." Arizona remarks leaning forward conspiratorially. "Okay, so back to you the photographer."
"The ordinary photographer." Meredith reminds her. "She told me that I should find something that I could excel at, that no daughter of hers would be ordinary." She says taking a sip of her wine, "so I decided to be an extraordinary surgeon."
"And you are." Arizona says lifting her glass.
"We both are amazing surgeons." Meredith replies touching their glasses together.
"Oh my god, that food was amazing. Next time I have a dinner party, I will just have her cook for us." Meredith replies as they get into the car.
"You'd have another dinner party?" Arizona asks surprised.
"Let's face it, it's not like I could have a worse one that that one?" She replies laughing.
"Good point." Arizona admits smiling at her friend.
"Hey, thanks again for tonight. We should hang out more often." Meredith says as they pull up to her house.
"I'd like that." Arizona replies and Meredith smiles and reaches over and gives her arm a quick squeeze.
"Hey Maggie, how were the kids?" Meredith asks taking off her jacket.
"They were perfect." She replies smiling at her, "How was your date?"
"Dinner with Arizona was great," she replies smirking at her sister. "Is Amelia home?"
"She is in her room." Maggie replies, wondering if Meredith will go up and talk to her.
"Is she alone?" She asks.
"Yes, Owen just dropped her off about an hour ago." Maggie remarks. "Are you going to talk to her?"
"I know that I should, but I don't want to. I just had an amazing meal and I'd just like to go to bed." Meredith explains.
"Where did you go for dinner?" Maggie asks.
"This little Italian place Cucina della Madre, it's not far from here. It was like eating at an Italian trattoria." Meredith replies heading up the stairs to bed.
"Oh, I wonder if Andrew's been there?" Maggie blurts out.
"I thought you weren't dating an intern?" Meredith teases.
"We're just friends." Maggie calls after her.
The next day Arizona and Meredith are having lunch together when Alex appears, "You have to see this video!" He says handing them his iPad. Huddled in together, they watch then cringe.
"Alex, what the hell!." Meredith hisses.
"Why are you showing us porn?" Arizona whispers angrily.
"It's a sex tape from that Pastor at that big church that's been in the news." He explains.
"Wait, that guy was in the ER earlier today." Meredith says looking at the screen again.
"Are you sure?" Arizona asks, not really wanting to look at the naked man again.
"I think Maggie's in the OR with him right now. No wonder he had a heart attack, that's quite a workout." Meredith replies as Arizona shifts uncomfortably in her chair.
"Okay, so I'm going to go." Arizona says awkwardly standing to leave.
"I'll call you later about this weekend." Meredith reminds her.
"What's this weekend?" Alex asks.
"Nothing," Meredith replies