Disclaimer: I swear the only thing here that belongs to me is the idea, scout's honor.
This story has been in my head for a few months now and I've been working on it for a while and I decided to just upload it so here it is. The first chapter of the story known as El Regreso (for those of us who don't speak Spanish it translates as The Return). Happy reading.
August 30, 2012
"Señor Vasquez?" Arizona said closing the large door behind her.
The man looked up at her, removed the cigar from his mouth and smiled, "Ay, Arizona." He closed his book, stepped from behind his desk and offered her one of the plush, leather seats on the other side of the office, "Tome asiento." (Have a seat.)
She shook her head, "No gracias, señor." (No thank you, sir.)
The smile fell from his face when he saw the blank expression the blonde wore, "¿Cuál es el problema, Arizona? She broke the man's gaze ¿Es Catalina? ¿Está bien?" His pupils dilated, he clenched his fists and took two steps towards Arizona. "¿La cirugía se realice bien?" she did not answer him. "Doctora Robbins!" (What's the problem, Arizona?...Is it Catalina? Is she okay?...Did the surgery go well?...Doctor Robbins!)
She looked up at the man and began speaking, "Lo siento, Sr. Vásquez, pero no había nada que yo pudiera hacer. La magnitud de los daños a su hígado y los riñones causado otros órganos de Catalina al fracaso. En el momento en que ella abrió su corazón ya había dejado de latir. Mi equipo y yo intentamos nuestro mejor esfuerzo pero no había nada que cualquiera de nosotros podría hacer. Lo siento." He took one more step towards her and slapped her across her face causing her head to snap to the left. She looked at him and continued, "Nos habíamos estado preparando para esto desde el día que me trajo aquí, señor. Yo te había dicho que era probable que esto suceda. Los médicos le había dado tres meses de vida, pero le di cinco años." (I am sorry, Mr. Vasquez, but there was nothing I could do. The extent of damage to her liver and other organs caused Catalina's kidney failure. By the time opened her up her heart had stopped beating. My team and I tried our best but there was nothing any of us could do. I am sorry… We had been preparing for this since the day you brought me here, sir. I told you it was likely to happen. Doctors gave her three months to live, but I gave her five years)
He took a step back from her and sat in the seat he had offered her earlier; he covered his face with his large hands and hung his head, "¡Oh, mi bebé ... mi Catalina! Oh, querida, te amo tanto." After a few minutes he dried his eyes and looked at Arizona, his face worn but showing no emotion, "¿Dónde está? ¿Puedo verla?" (Om my baby…my Catalina! Oh, my darling, I love you so much...Where is she? Can I see her?)
Arizona nodded, "Sí, señor. Ella está en su habitación." (Yes, sir. Se's in her room.)
He walked up to Arizona again and shook her hand, "Gracias, Doctora Robbins." Arizona gave a small smile and nodded. The man placed a hand on her shoulder, "Al ver que su trabajo se ha completado, voy a organizar un avión para que de regreso a Estados Unidos." (Thank you, Doctor Robbins…Your work here is complete, I will arrange your flight back to the United States.)
Her smile grew but then faltered, "Gracias, pero yo quería quedarme para el funeral de Catalina. Habíamos crecido muy cerca durante los cuatro años y yo quería decir un adiós apropiado para ella." (Thank you, sir but I was hoping that I could stay for Catalina's funeral. We grew really close over the four years and I have to say my proper goodbye.)
He smiled warmly at her, "No tengo ningún problema con eso, Arizona, pero el funeral no será por una o dos semanas." (I have no problem with that, rizona but the funeral will not be for another week or two.)
Arizona shook her head, "Eso está bien para mí. Puedo esperar, Catalina vale la pena." (I have no probem with that. I can wait, Catalina was worth it.)
The man nodded and opened the door leading her out of the room.
September 10, 2012
That was the reason she was here, that little girl, Catalina had died and now she was back in the United States, back in Washington. She had nowhere else to go, no one to turn to. Her life had been turned upside down four and a half years ago when one night she was taken from Seattle and flown to Spain to care for a drug lord's daughter. Catalina Vasquez was only three months old when her doctors diagnosed her with Infantile Choriocarcinoma of the liver and six months when her father 'assigned Arizona to the case'. She had spent the past four years doing everything she could to give the girl more time to live. Unfortunately, Catalina's illness had gotten worse and she died before Arizona even got the chance to open her up. That was two weeks ago, her funeral was yesterday and now Arizona was back on United States' soil, handing over the fake passport that Piero Vasquez had gotten for her.
The man behind the window stamped her book and smiled at her, "Welcome home, Dr. Robbins."
She took the passport and gave a small, quick smile, "Thank you."
Arizona clutched her bag tighter and moved around the corner and headed towards the exit. As she stepped through the doors she was assaulted by the wind and the cool Fall air. She stopped walking and took in a breath before slowly exhaling. She was home again. She stopped a taxi and gave him directions to her home in Queen Anne. On the way realization hit her, she had no idea what she was going to say. What she was going to tell the person she left behind for four and half years without even a phone call? Hi honey, I'm home? She ran her fingers through her hair frustrated. When she had been taken they had been married for five years and her wife was six months pregnant which would make the child four years old; she has a family. Well, she had a family; a wife who had most likely moved on and a kid who was calling another woman Mommy or a guy Daddy. Her hatred for Piero Vasquez returned, she had not felt that way about the man in a really long time but he had separated her from her family; her wife and her baby, she had all right to hate him. The cab pulled up to the address that she had given the man but she sat there looking at the house. For five minutes she refused to move, she just sat wondering what she was doing and how would she explain being missing for over four years. She was sure there was an investigation into her disappearance; her wife would make sure of it. She handed over fifteen dollars to the driver who smiled widely and thanked her. She stepped out into the three o'clock evening and walked up the steps leading to the walkway. She did not expect to find anyone at home as her wife's car was not in the driveway. Still Arizona climbed the steps to the porch and knocked on the door.
A minute later the door was opened by a short, redheaded woman, "Hello, how many I help you?"
Arizona smiled as the woman wiped her hands on her apron, "Hi, I'm Arizona Robbins. My family and I live here…well. I lived here about four years ago before I…does a Callie Torres live here?"
The woman's eyes widened, "No she doesn't. My husband and I bought this house two years ago and that name doesn't ring a bell."
Arizona's smile fell and her shoulder sagged, "Oh, okay. Thank you for your time." The woman nodded politely and closed the door.
She walked slowly down the walkway and sat on the stone steps. With a frustrated growl she allowed her head to drop to her knees. She held up her head and started laughing; Callie had moved two years prior and now she could be anywhere in the city…hell, the state…no, the country! Her laughter grew stronger; her wife had just gotten up and moved but then again, she had all reason to because Arizona had simply vanished into thin air one night. Arizona dried the tears that escaped and walked up to the door once more, she knocked again and the same woman answered.
Arizona smiled sheepishly at her, "I'm sorry to bother you again but can you please call a cab for me? I just got back in the country and I don't have a cell phone."
"No problem. You can come inside and have a seat," the woman offered.
Arizona shook her head, "Thank you but I'll wait out here."
The older woman left to make the call and Arizona sat in one of the chairs set out on the porch. A short while later the woman returned with a scone and a small cup of tea which she placed on the table in front of the blonde. Arizona thanked her and the woman occupied one of the two remaining seats.
When Arizona had taken a sip of tea the woman spoke, "I don't think I introduced myself." She smiled, "I'm Dorothy Francis."
Arizona smiled and shook the woman's hand, "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Francis and thank you for calling the cab and for the food."
Dorothy waved her hand dismissing the thanks, "It's nothing, my dear."
They sat in silence for a while until another yellow taxi pulled up before the house. Arizona stood and shook hands with the lady once more before hauling her small bag to the vehicle. During her time on the porch she thought about where she would find her wife, the only place she could think of was work so she asked the driver to carry her to Seattle Presbyterian Hospital. The fifteen minute drive seemed to take forever as they were up against unusually heavy traffic.
When she arrived at the hospital she paid the driver and walked through the front doors. The same smell that was so familiar just four years before, almost knocked her out. She hated the smell of hospitals but since she worked as a doctor in this very hospital she had gotten used to it, however, her hatred for hospital smells was back. Arizona walked up to the front desk and waited for more than a minute until the woman behind the desk stopped typing and decided to pay attention to her.
The woman looked at the blonde over her glasses, "How may I help you?"
Arizona plastered a fake smile on her face, "Good evening. I'm looking for a doctor Callie –"
She was cut off by someone calling her name, "Dr. Robbins?" She looked around and saw the hospital's Chief of Surgery, her Chief of Surgery walking towards her.
She gave another smile, "Chief Harrison," Arizona took one step forward and the man stopped in front of her with a smile on his face.
"Well I'll be…Arizona Robbins!" she could only smile up at him. "Where have you been? There was an investigation into your disappearance but I don't think anything came out of it."
She continued to hold her smile, "Can we talk in your office please, Chief?"
"Sure. Anything for you, Dr. Robbins," the man had always loved Arizona and held her in high regard. She was the hospital's crown jewel, well until she had to share that place with a certain Orthopedic Surgery Resident turned Attending.
The two walked in silence to the man's office and when Arizona was seated, Harrison again asked about her disappearance. She gave him an overview of her four and a half years, his face growing more and more solemn as the minutes passed. After catching up for a few more minutes Arizona asked the only question she wanted an answer to, "Sir is Callie still here?"
Harrison looked at her sadly, "No, she isn't. I'm afraid she left about three years ago; the last I heard she was making waves over at Seattle Grace Mercy West."
"Three years," Arizona muttered. She looked at the man again, "Do you know if she's still there?"
"I believe she would be; they got her funding for her cartilage research so it's highly possible that she's there."
"Oh wow," a smile spread across Arizona's face. Many nights Arizona had gone to bed without Callie either because she was in her study or at the hospital trying to perfect her project. "She finally got it sponsored."
Harrison nodded, "And I heard that she used it to repair a patient's knees about a month ago and so far there are absolutely no complications." He continued when he saw the wide smile on his former Head of Pediatric Surgery's face, "I only wish we were able to give her the funding. She really is making a name for herself over there; her name's probably bigger than yours by now, Robbins."
Arizona laughed, "We can chalk that up to me being MIA for over four years."
Harrison laughed along with her, "That and the fact that your wife is an exceptional surgeon."
Arizona's smile grew softer, "She's exceptional in every single way." Harrison nodded in agreement. Arizona wiped her hands on her jeans and stood, "It's getting late; I'm gonna go now, Chief."
The tall man stood as well, "That's fine, Arizona." He walked around his desk and pulled her into a hug. A hug which reminded her so much of the one she had received from Piero Vasquez just hours before. They separated and Arizona walked to the door. When her hand she was halfway through the door he called out, "Welcome home, Dr. Robbins."
She turned and gave a small smile, "I'm not home yet, Chief."
One hour later, after waiting for another taxi and creeping through rush hour traffic, Arizona was walking through the front doors of Seattle Grace Mercy West. The first thing that hit her was that this hospital did not have the typical 'hospital smell', there was no smell of antiseptic yet everything was immaculate. As soon as her feet passed the automatic doors Arizona's eyes and ears had been on the lookout for Callie Torres. Callie was nowhere in sight. She walked towards the information desk where the woman manning the station was conversing with a tall, well built and graying man dressed in navy blue scrubs.
When she stopped at the desk the woman turned to her with a smile, "Good day. How may I help you?"
"Hi. Uh, I'm looking for a Dr. Callie Torres," Arizona said and the woman turned to her computer.
"Dr. Torres just went into surgery," the man said turning to face Arizona.
"Oh," she looked to the woman who nodded confirming what the older man had said. "Do any of you know when she'll be finished?"
"Not for now; she's rebuilding a guy's neck," the man answered again.
Arizona's eyebrows shot up in surprise; that was definitely impressive. "Okay, thanks." Arizona smiled and started walking away.
"I'll tell her you were looking for her, Ms…?" he said.
She turned around and smiled, "No that's fine." She turned and started walking away again when she was frozen in her tracks. Running towards her was…Catalina? Arizona had to remind herself that Catalina was dead; but here was her doppelganger running straight towards her. Both girls were about the same age, this girl looked slightly younger than the Vasquez girl, they were both the same height and both had a full head of curly dark hair framing their faces.
Arizona turned as the child rushed past her shouting, "Uncle Mark!" She launched herself at the man's feet and hung on tight.
Mark laughed, "Well, if it isn't little Miss Sofía." He swung her up to allow her to sit on his shoulders and walked off chatting with the little girl.
Arizona walked out into the afternoon and sat on one of the benches in front of the hospital. She was exhausted and still unable to find her family. She reached into the side compartment of her bag and pulled out her box of cigarettes and her lighter. Arizona hated smoking, Callie hated when she smoked and for a while she only did it when she was really stressed or knew that she would be in trouble but since Catalina's death it was the only thing that gave her comfort. Now, she needed the comfort; she was unable to find her family so she needed something to make her feel okay, the only thing she had was her cigarettes. She put out the half used cigar and stomped on it. She was frustrated again, Callie was right under her nose and she was still unable to find her, she was unable to have her family back. She got up and stopped one of the many taxis passing the hospital and told the driver to carry her to the nearest motel. He did so and fifteen minutes later she was opening the door to her room. Five minutes later she was passed out on the threadbare twin sized bed.
March 9, 2008
Arizona checked her rearview minor for the fifth time in a minute, she was more than sure that the vehicle behind her had been tailing her since she left the hospital. She switched lanes but the vehicle stayed in the left lane. Maybe she was just being paranoid, quite a few of the Seattle Pres. surgeons lived in or near Queen Anne. Ignoring the vehicle for a while, Arizona told her car to call her wife's phone, it rang without answer. When she was five minutes away from home, the car to her left swerved into her and caused her to spin off the road. The car pulled up behind hers and a man emerged, ran up to her car, smashed the left rear window and placed a cloth soaked in chloroform over her nostrils.
When Arizona opened her eyes she saw nothing, her captors had covered her eyes. She tried to lift her hand to remove whatever was covering her eyes but her hands refused to move from the armrest they were on, she was handcuffed to the seat. Being blind and handcuffed made her feel uneasy and she soon felt worse. The only sound she could hear was the whirring of an engine and realized that she was in an airplane. Anyone who knew the blonde knew that airplanes were not her thing. On finding this out her body tensed and stayed that way until the plane landed what felt like hours later. Her wrists were released and re-cuffed in front of her before she was led off the plane. She felt the sun for a short while before her head was ducked and she was allowed to sit in a car. They drove for almost forty-five minutes in complete silence. When the vehicle stopped she was taken from the vehicle and led up a flight of stairs, down a hall and into a room where she was pushed onto a couch. Her blindfold was removed and her hands were released. The man who had led her to the room left and locked the door. Arizona looked around her cell. It was a relatively small room; it was about twelve by nine and was completely bare except for the couch she was sitting on and a single, uncovered light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The walls were painted in a sickly shade of green that reminded Arizona of the puke of the children she worked with. She looked at her watch; it was twelve thirty in the afternoon. The accident and kidnapping had occurred thirteen hours before and now Arizona was sure that she was not in the United States. She closed her eyes and leaned back in the couch. Arizona's mind flashed to Callie and she reached for her phone in her right pocket; it was missing. Of course they had stripped her; now she had no way to contact anyone back home and she seriously doubted that her captors would willing give her a phone call.
The door was opened and two men walked in both dressed in business suits, one tall and lanky and the other of medium height and having a thick, muscular body. The taller of the two spoke and confirmed that Arizona was no longer in the United States. The only words Arizona could understand from the man's speech were her name and 'doctora', she had heard Callie used that word and she figured she was either in Mexico or in Spain and judging from the amount of time that passed she guessed that she was in Spain.
Both men turned to her and the muscular man spoke, "Doctora Robbins, ¿cómo fue tu vuelo?"
The other man translated, "Doctor Robbins, how was your flight?"
Arizona laughed sarcastically, "If I was awake for most of it then I could answer that but since you people knocked me out and brought me here then I'll have to say that it wasn't the most pleasurable." She knew she should not have been so snarky with the men but she could not help it.
The translator nodded, "Estaba bien." The Spanish man smiled and Arizona glared at the other man knowing that he did not translate what she said.
"Buena. ¿Por qué no descansa un poco? El almuerzo estará listo en breve y voy a tener algunos de mis hombres vienen y te cuando es el momento," the man said clasping his hands in front of him and smiling.
His translator spoke, "Good. Why don't you get some rest? Lunch will be ready soon and I will have some of my men come and get you when it's time."
Arizona nodded and looked around, "Where am I to sleep?"
The translator asked the question and received a response from the other man, "You will be transferred shortly up to your room, there you'll find everything that you need…and a comfortable bed."
"What am I here for? Why did you guys kidnap me?" Arizona said looking between the two men.
The translator did not ask this question he simply answered, "You will find that out after you have lunch."
Arizona squeezed her eyes shut. "Okay, can I at least call my family…my wife or my parents?"
He translated again, "I'm sorry Doctor Robbins but we cannot allow that while you are here."
Arizona glared at the men before they walked out. A few minutes later the door opened again and another man walked in, he motioned for her to get up and follow him. She did as she was told and led to the end of the hall, and down many others that Arizona assumed was to confuse her, before they stopped at a door. The man opened the door for her, allowed her to step in and closed the door behind her. She took another step and looked around this room; it was a major contrast to the room she had just left. Three walls were painted a soft cream color and the fourth was more of a glass partition between the room and the balcony; against the wall furthest from where she stood was a queen size bed covered in a silk sheet the color of the walls and a walk in closet stocked with clothes and shoes that were all her size; the wall to her right had a door which she assumed led to the bathroom. Arizona walked to the glass wall and looked out, her breath hitched when she saw the large lake and the mountains in the distance which looked blue due to the mist covering them. This view was breathtakingly stunning. She turned away and walked to the closet beside her bed and looked at the variety of clothes she had to choose from. She took out a pair of khaki colored shorts and a light blue blouse. She moved to the bathroom and opened the door; she jumped when the lights turned on off their own accord. She walked into the bathroom, which was bigger than the room she was previously held in, and took another look around. The room was completely white, the walls, the tiles and the furnishings. She put her clothes on the marble countertop, which stretched from one wall to another, and looked in the mirror which ran the length of the counter; it gave her a panorama view of the room behind her Arizona laughed out of disbelief, she was taken from Seattle and shoved into what…luxury? This was totally unbelievable. She turned on the water and allowed the bathtub to fill up before she slipped in and sat there for a long time.
When she finished her bath she sat on the edge of her bed, tears streaming down her face. She had no doubt that Calliope was worried and frantic, possibly putting herself and their baby at risk. She looked around the room; of course there were no phones in here. Her tears flowed even more, she had no way of contacting her family; she would probably die over here and no one would know. Callie would be devastated. Arizona moved up to lie on the bed, the tears still falling. She missed her family, her mother, her father, her wife and their unborn child.
That was the last thing Arizona thought before she fell asleep.
Arizona woke up and sat on the edge of the small bed just as she had sat on the bed that Vasquez had given her. She reached into her bag and pulled out her wallet, it was the only thing she was allowed to keep over the four and a half years; she opened it and pulled out a picture that she had put away after a year of living in Spain. Arizona looked at the picture and tears came to her eyes; it was taken just two months before her abduction. She and Callie had flown to Boston to spend the Christmas holidays with the elder Robbins, before the picture was taken the wives were engaged in a discussion about their baby's future sporting endeavors, Callie had wanted equestrian while Arizona wanted soccer or lacrosse, they had come to the agreement that they would allow the child to choose. Barbara Robbins snapped the picture when Callie had rested her head on Arizona's shoulder and the blonde placed a kiss in her hair, her hand resting over her baby. Her tears began falling and she put up the picture in its rightful place at the front of her wallet. She looked around the room and saw the phone on the other side of the bed; she crossed over and picked up the phone and listened for the dial tone. She dialed the number for the place that had become her home since she was sixteen years old.
On the third ring the phone was answered and Arizona's tears started again, "D…Dad?"
"Arizona?" the man on the other side of the country breathed out. "Arizona…is that you darling?"
She nodded but realized that he could not see her, "Yes…yes, it's me."
"Oh my God, baby! Where are you?" Daniel asked. She heard him stand from his creaky office chair and close the door shortly after.
"I'm in Seattle," Arizona answered wiping her eyes.
Daniel called out to his wife and told her to pick up the other line, "When did you get back?"
"Today," the blonde said to her father, running her hand along her jeans clad thigh.
Barbara answered the phone, "What is it, Daniel?"
Her husband answered her, "It's Arizona."
"Ari?" Barbara said softly.
"Yeah, Mom," Arizona said the tears welling up in her eyes again when her mother said her name.
"Oh, Arizona! Where were you?" Barbara asked.
Arizona stalled for a few seconds before whispering, "Spain."
"Spain? What were you doing there?" Daniel asked.
"I was taken there and…" she paused, unable to continue. Her voice came out strangled when she spoke again, "Can we talk about that another time please?" Arizona said rubbing at her right temple.
"Fine, honey," Barbara said before continuing, "Why did you go to Seattle? Why didn't you come here first?"
Arizona answered without thinking, "I had to see Callie."
A soft 'oh' escaped the older Robbins woman's lips before Daniel asked, "Have you seen her as yet?"
Arizona sniffed, "No. I went to the house and she moved, I went to the hospital and she transferred and then I went to her new hospital and she was in surgery. No, I haven't seen her all day."
"Do you want me to call her?" Barbara offered but Arizona quickly rejected. "You're right; she and Sofía are probably sleeping anyways."
"Who?" Arizona asked confused.
"She doesn't know, Barbara," Daniel said quietly.
"What don't I know? Who's Sofia…?" Arizona closed her eyes and a tear slipped from behind her lids. "Callie's daughter," she whispered before either of her parents could answer. The little girl who ran past her earlier passed through her mind and she covered her mouth with her hand to suppress the sob that was threatening to escape.
"Your daughter," Barbara answered. "She's so beautiful, Arizona."
"I know," Arizona said quietly, "I saw her today when I was at Seattle Grace Mercy West. She ran right past me." She let out another sob as she realized that she had seen her daughter and had not realized. Not her daughter; Callie's daughter, she was not her mother, she was never there.
"You did! Oh my, Ari…" Barbara said before her husband shushed her.
"What's her name?" Arizona asked hoping that the child did not adopt another name other than Torres.
Daniel answered, "Sofia Robbin Torres." A small smile broke out on Arizona's face and she wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "Callie named her after you, 'Zona." Words failed to come from Arizona's mouth and so the only thing she could do was nod. "Sofía knows about you, she knows that we're her other mother's parents. Callie hasn't allowed your memory to fade; that beautiful baby girl probably can't pick up your face in a crowd but she knows about you, she can tell you stories about her Mommy, thanks to Callie."
"I should find her," Arizona said after a few minutes of silence from both sides. "Do you guys know where she lives now?"
Both answered in the negative, "She and Sofía visit us; we haven't been to Seattle since the Easter before you disappeared."
Arizona sighed, "Okay."
Daniel asked, "'Zona, where exactly are you?"
"I'm at a motel, The Crashpad, I think it's called. It's about ten minutes from the hospital that Callie works at," Arizona said reaching over to the window to peek through the blinds.
"I don't like the sound of that place," Barbara said. "Do they have clean beds…good food?"
Arizona laughed, the tears still heavy in her throat, "It's not so bad, the room doesn't look like it's too insect infected and the sheet is a bit threadbare, the humidifier doesn't work and the only food around is a restaurant about a mile up the road but I'll survive."
Barbara grumbled at the conditions that her only daughter was living in, "You had better find that wife of yours and soon, young lady or that place will be the death of you."
Arizona laughed again, "I'll try, Mom…I'll definitely try."
"Good, now you go and get some sleep; isn't it almost midnight over there?" Barbara said.
Arizona looked at the glow-in-the-dark face of her watch, "Yeah, quarter to."
"Okay, off to bed with you," Arizona laughed as her mother treated her like the ten year old she was over twenty years ago.
"Goodnight, Mom…goodnight, Dad," they both chorused their goodnights and love yous before Arizona hung up.
She rested her head on her pillow, still in the clothes she left Spain in, and fell asleep. This time her dream was not about the kidnapping or Catalina's death but it was about that moment when she reconnected with her wife, the only woman she had ever truly loved.
Go ahead and tell me what you think…just leave a review. It's that simple. Thanks and have a fantastic rest of the day. *still searching for chocolate and strawberries
