So, I'm going to rage-type this chapter and completely ignore the events of 13x24. I've decided to turn this into more than a two shot, because, well, I just love Ariliza so much. Thank you, guys, so much for the amazing response. I'll be able to update this, and The First Time Ever, more often, as all my exams are done. Yay!
Also, thank you to our thejcappers for all of the Ariliza fluff all over Instagram to keep me inspired.
It had been over an hour since Eliza had hung up the phone on Arizona's parents. They had sent their flight details via text message and were due to arrive the next morning. Another, highly awkward, phone call had been made to Callie. Alex Karev had offered take the phone call instead, but Eliza knew that she had to be the one to do it. So, after some awkward pauses, stuttered introductions and brief explanations, Callie and Sofia were also on their way.
Arizona had yet to wake up. Eliza wasn't surprised by this, as there was no telling just how much smoke she blonde had inhaled. Jackson Avery had stopped by to check Arizona's burns- they were mostly second degree, but reached the third degree in some places, therefore a minor surgery was planned to debride the burns and to do a skin graft. There was no nerve damage, much to everyone's relief, so there was no reason why Arizona shouldn't be able to operate as soon as she had healed.
"Have you been checked out yourself?" Meredith Grey asked her as she entered Arizona's room. Eliza was beginning to see the positive side of the familial relationship between the hospital staff- not only did it make them defend each other with an unconquerable vengeance, it also made sure that none of them was ever alone. Eliza had been sitting with Arizona ever since they arrived, and every single doctor from the hospital had stopped by to visit her. She was well liked at Grey Sloan.
Eliza looked down at her hands, which were still covered in soot from her time in the smoke-filled stairwells. "I got some oxygen in the ambulance, but apart from that, no. I feel fine though- my throat feels clear and I'm breathing like a pro."
Meredith stalled for a second, appraising the other surgeon before stepping forward, wielding a stethoscope and smiling sincerely. "I'll be the judge of that. Take a deep breath." She instructed the brunette, and Eliza complied, breathing in slowly through her nose and out through her mouth. It was relieving- the first time she had allowed herself to stop and take a deep breath in a long time. "Update me?" Meredith asked, using her head to indicate towards Arizona, who was lying on the bed, looking peaceful.
"Her lungs are clear, so is her CT and her throat. Dr Avery's going in tomorrow afternoon to debride the third degree burns and do a skin graft. Her, uh, prosthetic is completely totalled, I looked at it myself. I'm pretty sure she has another one at home, so I'm going to go over there soon and get it. I gave her a tetanus jag myself about twenty minutes ago, since her medical records say she hasn't had that renewed." Eliza recited.
Meredith nodded. She knew that she would probably be asked about Arizona's condition, perhaps by a nurse or maybe even a concerned parent.
Eliza cleared her throat. "I, uh, never had the intention of stealing anyone's job or getting anyone suspended. I really didn't." She said with a shaky voice. She decided to tip her toes in the water when it came to having a peaceful relationship with the attendings of Grey Sloan. She could tell that her actions had redeemed her in a lot of people's eyes, but she still felt the need to explain.
"I know you didn't. After all of the stuff this hospital's seen over the last few years, we're all just close knit, fiercely loyal." Meredith stated. "And stubborn." She added as an afterthought.
"You have a village."
Meredith nodded. "Yeah we do."
Just then, both women were distracted from their moment by the increasing of the heart monitor which Arizona was hooked up to. Eliza's head snapped around, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Arizona's eyelids flickering gently, almost as if she were waking up from a deep sleep. Eliza took that moment to marvel in the beauty of her girlfriend- how lucky she was to have convinced such a great woman to get drinks with her.
"I'll leave you two alone." Meredith said quietly, although she wasn't sure Eliza heard her, as the brunette surgeon was so intently focused on Arizona.
"E-Eliza?" Arizona croaked. Her throat felt like it was on fire. She could feel a dull pulsating in her temple and she squinted to try to get rid of it. She took in the sight of Eliza gratefully, doubting she'd ever loved a sight more than this.
"I'm here baby, I'm here." Eliza assured her, kissing her forehead gently. "Water?" She offered, grabbing the jug from the tray next to the bed. Arizona nodded furiously, desperate to tame the flames clawing their way up her throat. She took a sip of water and sighed in relief. She relaxed into the pillows of the bed, scouring the walls of the unfamiliar hospital room.
"Where are we?" She asked.
"At Seattle Pres. There was an explosion at Grey Sloan. You were caught in it." Eliza explained softly, her right hand holding Arizona's uninjured hand while her right stroked the blonde surgeon's hair gently. Arizona closed her eyes, remembering her time in the smoke-filled halls. She leant heavily into Eliza's hand, glad for the touch.
"I thought…" She trailed off, looking up to the ceiling, trying to fight off tears. "I thought I would never see you again." She confessed, unable to stop a few tears that escaped the corners of her eyes. They left silver tracks on her face, each a map of both pain and of relief.
Eliza didn't say anything more, but instead wrapped her arms tightly around Arizona, burying her face in the blonde curls which she loved so much. She breathed in her favourite smell- of the lavender shampoo Arizona used frequently. The smell was comforting to her, even if it was contaminated by smoke.
After a few minutes, a sharp pain in her left arm caught Arizona's attention, and she drew back, only then noticing the heavy bandaging. She gave Eliza a questioning look.
"You burned your arm, most likely it came into direct contact with flames, due to the extent of the burns. They're mostly second degree, but third degree in some places. Avery doesn't suspect any nerve damage, but there's a surgery scheduled tomorrow to debride them." Eliza told her.
"And my leg?" Arizona prompted her, recalling the way the metal that replaced her left leg had been twisted out of shape.
"Prosthetic is completely totalled. I was waiting for you to wake up before I went to your place to get the other one." She explained. Arizona nodded. "There's something else." Eliza began, her voice growing softer. Her relationship with Arizona was new and she wasn't sure if she had crossed a line by calling not only her parents but her ex-wife. However, she reminded herself that it was the right thing to do and continued. "Callie's going to be here tomorrow, with Sofia. I also called your parents."
Arizona was delighted at the thought of seeing her baby girl again, but the thought of the worry her parents must be experiencing put a frown on her face. "You didn't need to call my parents. They don't need any more worry."
Eliza pressed her forefinger softly to Arizona's lips in a shushing motion. "You know as well as I do that they'd kill you if you didn't call. You need your people."
"I would have phoned them." Arizona insisted. "It's just that they've had enough to worry about. With Tim… It was so hard to tell them about the plane crash."
"How about you stop worrying about them and look forward to seeing them." Eliza suggested, which won a smile from Arizona.
"I do miss them. It's been ages since I've seen them in person."
Just then, Andrew DeLuca came walking in, holding what Arizona recognised to be her spare prosthetic. Maggie followed closely behind him, night bag in hand. Arizona squinted towards the door but quickly averted her gaze when the bright light assaulted her eyes. "Maggie and I stopped by the house. They're not letting anyone into the hospital otherwise I would had gone to your office."
"We didn't want to intrude or anything… We just thought…" Maggie began to ramble, but Arizona cut her off with a smile.
"Thank you guys, so much. I really appreciate it." She said sincerely. The thought of being mobile put her slightly at ease.
"It's Dr Minnick here that you should thank." Andrew piped up. "She only went running into a burning building for you."
Arizona's head snapped up. "You what?" She asked Eliza, who suddenly became very interested with the pattern-less ceiling.
"We're leaving." Maggie announced awkwardly, dragging Andrew by the arm and pulling him out of the room. Once they reached the hall, Maggie turned to Andrew with a half amused, half condescending smile. "I don't think she knew about that part yet." She said, a smile playing at the corners of her lips.
Andrew smiled back. "Woops." He said, before looking apprehensively through the transparent doors to Arizona's room. "I just hope she's okay. I don't know much about what happened, but she was alone in the fire. She still has nightmares from the plane crash, I hear her at night. She doesn't need this too."
Maggie's eyes widened. "She always seems so perky and happy."
Andrew exhaled slowly. "Yeah, well… I think it's because Sofia's gone. I'm glad she has Eliza, even if everyone hates her. At least she's not alone anymore."
Maggie sighed, a feeling of newfound respect for the blonde paeds surgeon building in her chest. "We should all put more effort into letting her know she has people here."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Back in the room, Arizona was staring at Eliza fiercely, unable to believe the words that Andrew had just spoken. "You ran into a burning building? For me?" She asked, her eyes welling up. In that moment, she was overcome by love for the brunette beauty sitting beside her.
"Kinda." Eliza admitted.
"You're an idiot." Arizona said, before smiling. "But I love you." She admitted. She then realised that this was the first time she had said it out loud to her girlfriend, and she found herself slapping herself internally for waiting so long.
"I love you too." Eliza said, and both women slipped into a brief silence, taking in the relief, heat, and joy of the moment. "Now you, rest. You've been through quite the ordeal. And from what I've heard about your firecracker of a daughter, you're going to need the energy."
"You're amazing." Arizona smiled, the exhaustion finally setting in as her eyelids began to droop. She suspected the pain medication was behind the omnipresent grogginess she was experiencing. She closed her eye obediently and almost instantly fell into a peaceful slumber.
The night passed relatively uneventfully. The haunting story behind the real cause of the fire had finally reached the couple's ears- the tale of how Stephanie Edwards had been alone with a rapist and caught in the fire with a six-year-old girl was one that left both surgeons speechless. For the first time in their lives, the doctors at Grey Sloan were glad a patient was dead-burned to a crisp, as Ben Warren, who had seen the remains of the body, had described it.
The lights were dimmed in the room in which Arizona was situated. The blonde surgeon remained unconscious, the events of the day plus the pain meds taking their toll on her. Eliza, ever so loyal, had stayed determinedly beside her girlfriend's bed in a steadfast vigil, refusing to let her eyes wander away from the sleeping beauty. It was only when she got an email from Barbara Robbins, who had paid for in flight WiFi, saying that their flight was about an hour out, did she eventually stand up and leave the room.
"I'm going to pick her parents up from the airport." Eliza told Alex, who had been loitering outside most of the night. "Can you sit with her?"
"Sure." Alex agreed easily. "What time does Torres's flight get in?"
"I'm not sure." Eliza admitted. "She said something about taking her father's private jet and getting a taxi here. She told me I didn't have to worry about picking her up." She said. She and Alex bid their goodbyes and Eliza set off for the airport, an aura of determination taking over her.
'You got this, Eliza. They're lovely people. They made Arizona, they can't be that bad.' She told herself the whole way there, yet the words she used to comfort herself only set her more on edge. They were lovely people who raised an amazing human being- they deserved her utmost respect, and Eliza was nervous about conveying that respect effectively.
Of course, SeaTac airport was completely flooded. As the end of May drew closer, vacations started and schools ended for the summer. Sofia's summer vacation started in two weeks- Eliza knew that it was thirteen days exactly, because Arizona had been counting down the days until her little girl was home with her. Eliza was nervous about meeting Sofia, because it was her opinion that mattered most to the brunette. However, despite her nerves, she was excited for all of the things they had planned- Arizona had days planned out packed full of trips to zoos and museums and ice cream shops. Her excitement was contagious and Eliza found herself counting down the days along with her.
She wasn't sure if Arizona had mentioned her to Callie. Eliza wouldn't want to overstep and just presume that her girlfriend's ex-wife was okay with her meeting Sofia. Arizona had briefly mentioned that she planned on having that conversation with her, but times at the hospital had been crazy recently, as they always were, and Eliza wasn't sure that she had ever gotten around it. However, whether Callie knew about her before or not, she knew her now. She hadn't appeared shocked or even upset over the phone. So, Eliza decided to look on the positive side and look forward to meeting both Callie and Sofia.
Making her way through the busy crowds, Eliza marked down the terminal that she was heading to. Once she found the terminal, the situated herself right next to the gate, tapping her foot impatiently. She kept her eyes glued to the automatic doors, which in roughly ten minutes, Barbara and Daniel Robbins would walk through. The only time she looked away was when a text from Arizona came through to her phone.
Hey pretty lady. Jackson just came by to debride the burns a little bit so that there's less to do in surgery. Stung like a bitch but went well. Hope meeting my parents goes well- remember to relax. I love you so they'll love you. - A
Eliza smiled down at her phone, completely in awe of how strong and caring her girlfriend was. She was just about to hit a reply when the glass doors slid open and out walked who Eliza recognised to be Arizona's parents. They looked around confusedly for a second before Eliza realised that the two people had never met her before and would have no idea what she looked like. She raised her hand in the air.
"Mr and Mrs Robbins!" She called out, and the older couple spun around to face her. Barbara's face broke into a smile and she rushed forward to Eliza. Daniel, however, remained stoic and followed at a slower pace, not holding back in obviously appraising Eliza. "I'm Eliza Minnick. It's lovely to meet you." She introduced herself, holding out her hand to Barbara first. She was pleasantly surprised, however, when the older woman pushed her hand away gently and instead pulled her into a hug.
"We hug in this family, dear. And besides, anyone who makes Arizona happy deserves a hug." She said with a warm smile. Looking back on it, Eliza wasn't surprised that Barbara had hugged her- Arizona had to have gotten her warm, huggy nature from her. Eliza turned towards Daniel, who terrified her more in person. Although they had gotten off to a good start on the phone, she still found herself wracked with nerves.
"Colonel, it's nice to meet you." She said, holding her hand out. He shook it gladly, a half smile playing on his lips, a rare occurrence for him, especially in front of his daughter's girlfriend that he just met. However, Daniel knew that Eliza was different. She had the balls to call them up without ever meeting them before all to make sure that Arizona had people around her during a hard time. He knew that Arizona's wellbeing was at the forefront of her mind, as she was able to cast any nerves aside for the sake of her girlfriend.
"I thought I told you to call me Daniel?" He asked, smirking. Eliza breathed a sigh of relief. She took Barbara's bag from her and slung it over her shoulder before leading them out of the airport. On the way to the car she updated them on Arizona, who no doubt was waiting anxiously for them to return.
"So what is it you do, Eliza? Arizona said you were a doctor, too." Barbara asked once they were seated into the car. Eliza switched the engine on and pulled out of the parking space.
"I'm an orthopaedic surgeon, I work with bones." Eliza explained. "I'm also certified in sport science."
Barbara nodded. "And do you have any kids?"
Eliza shook her head firmly. "No, ma'am. Never found the right person, I guess. But I'm looking forward to meeting little Sofia."
Barbara smiled proudly at the thought of her granddaughter. "Oh yes, Sofia. She's a pure ray of sunshine, just like her mama." She paused. "Would Arizona be the right person for you? In the future, I mean."
Eliza smiled. "I think so… I know so. When the time comes, yes, I imagine there would be more grandbabies for you." She replied with a smile on her face. She and Arizona had never actually discussed having kids, because their relationship was so new, but she was hopeful. She knew that Arizona wanted Sofia to have siblings. The thought of a mini Arizona running around the house made her smile widely.
Barbara took a minute to consider the answer, feeling her heart swell with happiness. She was loving Eliza more and more by the second. "Arizona never used to want kids. After Tim died, I thought that our hopes of grandbabies were over. But then one day, she phoned us up, telling us all about the situation with Callie and Mark, and how she had heard Sofia's heartbeat. I could tell she was completely in love."
"She loves that little girl so much." Eliza agreed.
It didn't take long for them to get back the hospital. Arizona, as expected, was thrilled to see her parents. She greeted them both with a bone-crushing embrace. A few tears were shed as Barbara and Daniel were reunited with their daughter for the first time in too long.
They were interrupted by a knock on the door. All four people in the room whipped around to be pleasantly surprised. Callie was standing in the doorway awkwardly, holding Sofia's hand. Sofia was dressed in a long sleeved white t-shirt with pale purple jeans on. Her hair was hanging loosely around her face. Arizona stared in shock for a few moments, before smiling brighter than Eliza had ever seen her smile before. She held out her arms to her little girl who went catapulting into her mother's arms.
"Mama! I missed you so much!" Sofia exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her mother's neck and holding on for dear life.
"I missed you too, baby girl. So much." Arizona said through tears of happiness. She released her daughter from her grasp and held her out at arm's length, examining her closely. The pain in her arm was the least of her worries as she took in every single feature of Sofia's face, the freckle on her left cheek just below her eye or the scar on her chin from an over enthusiastic game of tag. 2You've grown so much." She commented.
Sofia giggled and rolled her eyes. "Duh, mama, I'm six."
Arizona laughed at her daughter's antics. "Oh yeah, how silly of me. You're practically an adult now."
A few more minutes passed, full of laughter and catching up. Arizona turned to Eliza, who had been watching the scene unfold intently, revelling in the chance to see Arizona interact with Sofia. "Sofia, do you remember me mentioning my friend Eliza?" She asked Sofia, who turned around to smile at the brunette surgeon.
"Your special friend, mama." She commented.
"Hey, Sofia. I'm Eliza." Eliza introduced herself in a soft voice, making eye contact with the little girl. Sofia was quiet for a few seconds, before she jumped off the bed and ran over to hug Eliza's legs. Eliza, although surprised, gladly hugged the little girl back.
Two hours later, Arizona was being wheeled up to surgery. It was a minor surgery, and Arizona knew it, but she was still on edge. The last time she had woken up from a surgery she had found out that more than half of her left leg was missing. And from that moment on, she had experienced her marriage crashing and burning. She had to relearn how to walk again- it had been the hardest time of her life.
"You okay, sweetie?" Eliza asked her. By this point, Barbara, Daniel, Callie and Sofia had stayed behind in the waiting room. Eliza was yet to have a proper conversation with Callie, but it was the last thing on her mind. She looked down at Arizona, a reassuring smile on her face. Jackson was pushing the gurney along the hallway, accompanied by April who, although she wasn't needed, insisted upon observing the surgery. Although this wasn't their hospital, all the doctors from Grey Sloan had been given privileges.
"The last time I had surgery I woke up without a left leg. I'm just a little nervous." Arizona admitted with a small laugh, trying to play it off, but Eliza could see that the blonde surgeon was genuinely really anxious. She asked Jackson to stop wheeling the gurney for a second and he complied, turning away from the two people and pretending not to listen.
"Do you know what your mom asked me on the way to the hospital?"
"What?"
"She asked me about kids. Our kids. If we ever planned on having any." Eliza told her, a smile growing on her face.
"And what did you tell her?" Arizona asked, the intonation of her voice conveying her surprise. The thought of her and Eliza's babies made her smile widely. Eliza saw the hope in her girlfriend's eyes growing and it melted her heart.
"I told her that I knew you were the one. I told her that, yes, when the time comes, I could imagine dozens of little Arizonas and little Elizas. That Sofia would make an amazing big sister." Eliza said, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. "So instead of thinking about the last time you came out of surgery, think about all of little tiny humans. Okay?"
Arizona nodded, brushing tears from her eyes. "Okay. I love you."
"I love you too." Eliza told her, kissing her girlfriend's forehead softly. "I'll see you on the other side, okay?"
"Okay." Arizona said, and Eliza beckoned for Jackson and April to start pushing the gurney again. When they reached the red line that indicated that Eliza couldn't go past that point, she gave Arizona a kiss, nodded appreciatively to Jackson and April, and went to join Arizona's family in the waiting room.
"They're taking her in now. It should only take a few hours, four tops." Eliza explained, mostly for Arizona's parents. Jetlag was slowly catching up to Sofia and she was gradually nodding off, and Callie, being a surgeon herself, already knew this information.
"And how does the surgery work?" Daniel asked. Knowing the details, the exact plan, seemed to calm him down, Eliza noticed.
"Okay so first, they'll go into what they call the donor site. In this case, because some of the burns are more severe, it will be the abdomen. They'll take all the layers of skin that they require from there and put them on the burns on her arm where the burns are. Over the next 36 hours the donor skin will start to grow over the burns."
Daniel took a moment to process the information. "Sounds… simple."
Eliza nodded. "It is, sir. You don't have to worry. She's going to be fine."
Callie watched the whole scene intently. It was bittersweet to see someone else making Arizona happy. It was bitter because she was sad to see that her ex-wife had completely moved on and had found someone that made her happier than she had been in her marriage to Callie, at least towards the end, anyway.
However, it was more sweet than bitter. It made Callie happy to see Arizona find someone she loved. She had Penny back in New York and things were going smoothly. The year of the Preminger Grant was almost up and Callie was looking forward to reuniting her daughter and her other mother. And plus, she was beginning to like Eliza. It was clear that the other orthopaedic surgeon made Arizona happy, and Sofia really liked her, too.
"She'll be okay." Barbara said to Daniel, nudging his shoulder with hers and taking his hand.
"I know she will." He said. Everyone in the room agreed and sat back, waiting for the surgery to be done.