Author: lilyme
Summary: There was something going on inside the hospital. Something thought long in the past. To some it was confusing, to some even scary. But overall it was... cute.
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, nor do I own any rights to the television show "Grey's Anatomy". They were created by Shonda Rhimes and belong to her and the ABC network. No copyright infringement intended!All mistakes are mine.
Miranda Bailey loved herself a rare, quiet day at the hospital. A day that gave her a little bit of time to breathe. To go see if everything around her surgical wards was in order and her staff was doing alright.
She found it important to catch a disturbance in the force very early on to prevent it growing into a huge mess.
On her tour she stopped on the third floor nurses station to ask for the nurses' attendance report of the last few months and the schedule for the next weeks. She wanted to see if there were necessary improvements to make and maybe some additional nurses needed – if budget allowed.
After a while Deluca sat down at the station with a pensive expression on his face, looking into the direction of the hallway he had just come from. But since his mulling didn't appear to be work-related, Bailey chose to not ask him about it just now, still busy with her work at hand.
Five minutes later, Schmitt came along, looking a little anxious.
'It's getting weirder', Bailey thought in amusement, as the young man halted at the station. From the looks of it with a task on his mind, but something seemed to be hindering him from following through with it.
And it possibly had something to do with the direction both the surgeons had just emerged from.
Before Bailey had a chance to inquire what was possibly going on around there...
"Hey, has anyone seen what Robbins is up to?" Meredith Grey neared them from around a different corner with a tablet in her hand.
"You saw that too?" Schmitt's head shot up from where he must have found the floor very fascinating until now. And immediately that spooked out look was back in place, Bailey noted.
Next to him, Deluca showed a look of interest and equal perturbedness.
Apparently he knew exactly what his colleague was talking about. But the two of them were alone with that.
"What?" Meredith's face scrunched in bewilderment.
"What?" Deluca and Schmitt returned as one, the younger man pinching his glasses closer to his face, Dr. Grey's confusion being likewise confusing to him.
"You didn't mean...?" Deluca continued, but when Meredith's face no sign of cluing in, he paused.
"I was just asking because I need her for a consult," she drew out in explanation. "What are you talking about?"
Bailey nodded along with the inquiry, her curiosity now piqued as well.
"Nothing," Deluca returned and Schmitt shook his head in non-verbal agreement.
But the women wouldn't have it. They needed to know what 'that' referred to.
"Schmitt... Deluca...," Bailey admonished them while Meredith crossed her arms and gave them her most intimidating look.
The intern finally caved, "I just caught her... them... in the attendings' lounge".
With all eyes now on Deluca, this one added. "And me in the elevator earlier".
"Okay," the Chief returned, "but what do you...," she prompted, still not following what the problem at hand actually was. Until... her eyebrows shot up as a possible scenario dawned on her.
"Oh, no!" Deluca negated, standing from his chair and holding out his arms emphatically. "Nothing like that. They were decent. Just really..."
"Cuddly and in love," Schmitt added.
"Who's the other one?" Bailey questioned further. It was none of her business and usually she kept out of any personal matter, but if it happened inside her hospital and affected the processes in it, she had to know.
The men just looked at each other. And Bailey and Meredith contemplated if it was someone unexpected.
Someone they wouldn't imagine cuddly and in love with Arizona Robbins.
At least... not anymore.
They exchanged a look. Could this really be? Had they really found their way back again? After years of separation and having lived themselves apart? The last one quite literally. Two people living in the States could hardly live further apart than those two had. Until recently.
"I think we should...," Meredith pointed into the direction, and Bailey cocked her head with an agreeing jut of her lip. They needed to see this for themselves.
They abandoned the baffled men and hurried off to the attendings' lounge.
Almost missing Schmitt's hesitantly begging voice that spoke. "Can you tell Dr. Torres Dr. Hunt is looking for her...?" Seemingly unheard by the two women, he turned and confessed to the Deluca, "She scares me".
He had a reason. Upon the news of her return, stories of everything Torres-related bas eventually also reached the interns. And had some effect.
Callie Torres... had an everlasting reputation at the hospital. Dating from years back where at times she could seem a bit intimidating and aloof. Plus there was also the stories of resident Torres always being the first to answer a page and showing up a mere minute after an emergency came in – no matter what time of day it was. To this day it was still a mystery to most people, how that was possible.
Deluca, who knew Torres enough to not be intimidated and especially knew the answer to this mystery from his roommate, meanwhile pondered a problem himself. "I might have to consider looking for a new place."
On their way to the mentioned location, Bailey and Grey were joined by Amelia Shepherd. "Hey, where's the fire?" she joked confronted with their determined pace.
"Possibly some rekindling in the attendings' lounge," Bailey returned and Amelia scrunched her face in confusion at the unexpected reply.
"What? I don't...," she wondered, but stopped, when they had reached their destination. And just like that found herself unable to voice more than a surprised, "Whoa...".
Because there they were. Still on the room. With Callie sitting on the sofa and Arizona relaxing in her lap, with her arm drawn around Callie's neck and its fingers lazily weaving through the long dark hair. In between she put sweet little kisses on the brunette's cheek and temple, while the other woman was apparently trying to work... as far as the tablet in her single free hand indicated. If she was actually being successful in that... was unclear.
The new arrivals watched through the open door. Not very sneaky of them, they knew. And not very sneaky of Torres and Robbins either.
But who knew if they even tried to keep it a secret.
"Uh-hum," Meredith cleared her throat to get their attention. "Hey, uh, Arizona, could you hop off? I kind of need you for a consult on Mrs. Cooper," she smirked, choosing not to comment on their cozy embrace just now, rather letting her face speak. Talking about this situation could come later.
Bailey on the other hand, opted to share her thoughts now. "It's good to see you back," she said in a genuine voice.
It counted for several reasons. Callie being back at the hospital certainly was an amazing development. Torres was still the most accomplished ortho surgeon she had ever known. And the two years spent in New York, while little successful on the relationship front, had not diminished any of that.
Quite the contrary.
And seeing Callie and Arizona back together was also something she didn't object. It always had been clear to her that those two belonged together, no matter what.
"Oh, and Schmitt said to say that Hunt is looking for you," she added, but had Callie confused for a moment. Confused and also slightly blushing from the continued attention of their three friends lingering in the doorway.
"Uh, 'Schmitt'?" she chose to distract herself. She still not entire caught up on the new interns and residents in the hospital. Given it was her second week back, it was not that bad, she hoped.
"'Glasses'," Amelia provided, having entirely forgotten what she had wanted to do before this interesting situation had turned up.
"Or 'Blood Bank'," Arizona added one more of the many nicknames the man was known by, as she stood up and offered Callie a hand. She smirked at her new old lover's tinted cheeks.
They had been dating for a while in secret. Having been in a long-distance-relationship for four months before Callie finally had the chance to move back to Seattle.
And of course then... with the prospect of them both working at Grey Sloan Memorial again, they had wondered about how to break the news of their newfound togetherness to their friends and colleagues.
This right here... was actually not the worst start.
"Oh... right!" the brunette realized. "I saw him through the window. Why didn't he tell me himself?"
"Um, well...," Amelia prompted to the enamored position they were just scrambling out of. With Arizona right now straightening the front of Callie's scrubs that had become a bit crumpled.
Bailey shooed her away with an amused hand on her arm, before turning back to the two lovers. "I guess he's heard all the intimidating rumors about you," she grinned at the oddness of all these stories being a stark contrast to what she was currently seeing here.
"Which is not the worst thing," Meredith shrugged as they waited for Callie and Arizona step out of the room.
One could see that the two of them were happy together. And no matter what the hospital rumor mill or anyone else would think about this, this was what really counted.
END