Thank you for all the reviews/follows/favourites so far - I really appreciate every single one
Working on chapters for Girl Next Door so hopefully I will get back to posting chapters soon. My plan for this story once a week so I can try keep updates regular :)
Chapter 2: I Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You
Callie: Good morning pretty lady. Sorry if I wake you, I got up extra early because I'm worried about being late for my first day at my new job so I got up stupidly early and I am regretting it already! I hope you have a great day, whatever you're doing and I'm looking forward to seeing you tonight – C x
Arizona smiles when reading Callie's text. Though she is smiling, Arizona is worried about getting to close to Callie because she has felt more alive in the few minutes she spent with Callie than she has in the past year, the feeling of happiness is bringing up memories of how she used to feel before the crash.
Arizona replies to Callie, trying to channel what Arizona from before the crash would say, in the hope that she can bring that Arizona back to life. She misses that Arizona, the perky surgeon that skated around work and was confident when talking to attractive women. Well, she thinks to herself, might as well fake it until I make it.
Arizona: Don't worry, you didn't wake me. I hope your first day at your job goes well. I'm looking forward to that drink you promised, it had better be a good one! – A x
Arizona heads off to work with a new-found spring in her step. She heads off to her office to work through the mountain of paperwork that she has to get through before her surgery in the afternoon.
After powering through her paperwork, Arizona decides to head down to the cafeteria to grab some lunch, but first, she walks over to the cardio department to see if Teddy is free to go eat with her. She hasn't been back to the cafeteria since the accident as she's only been back at work for a few months but she never felt ready to go back because of all the stares she'd get but after last night she has a new-found confidence and she is determined to challenge herself.
Knocking on Teddy's office door, she mentally prepares herself for the looks she is going to get if she enters.
"Arizona" Teddy exclaims, the surprise clear in her voice "What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if you'd like to join me for lunch" Arizona pauses "in the cafeteria…" she trails off.
"Of course I'd like to join you" Teddy responds, excited to see this side of her friend reappear "Just let me finish this email and then we can head right off"
The blondes head down and get their lunch before sitting down at a table near the corner of the room, away from the whispers and the stares as much as possible.
"Hey, look over there, Zona. It's Callie" causing Arizona's head to swing to face the door "I wonder what she's doing here" Teddy muses.
"She said she was starting a new job today, so I'm assuming that she has started to work here. Which is bad because I will see her lots and she might over hear things people say when I walk past. I mean, even I can hear them whispering and in this hospital, everyone knows everything about everyone. Shit shit shit Teddy, she's coming over here. Can the ground please swallow me up?"
"Calm down Arizona. Everything is going to be ok? This might turn out to be a really good thing and if all else fails then you at least have some eye candy to look at" Teddy winks.
"Hello there, Battleship Arizona. It would appear that we now work together" Callie flirts.
"It would appear so Calliope" Arizona replies.
"How do you know that my name is Calliope?"
"It's on your lab coat"
"No one calls me Calliope apart from my father without getting punched"
"You haven't punched me though"
"It's polite not to punch the people you've asked out for a drink later so I'll let it slide. This time."
"Why? It's a beautiful name"
"Try growing up with it, kids are cruel so I decided to go by Callie to draw attention away from myself"
"Seriously? I grew up called Arizona and I moved around a lot so every new school people would pick on me for my name so no name sympathy from me"
"Anyway" Teddy says, breaking up the playful fighting, picking up on the flirting that was going on. She smiles to herself as Arizona is back, though she is unsure of how long this will last but everyone needs to make the most of this. "What department are you in Callie?"
"Oh, I'm an orthopaedic surgeon"
"That's cool" Teddy replies "I'm the head of the Cardio department and Arizona here is the head of the Paediatrics department"
"Wow, impressive guys. I'm only an attending but I used to be the head of the ortho department here until I had to take a break for personal reason so I'm only an attending now but if everything goes well then I should be promoted to head of the department again" Callie says, trailing off.
Arizona senses the sadness in Callie's voice and knows not to dig into people's private life; she's had enough of people trying to talk to her about the crash so she leaves it alone. If Callie wants to tell them, then she will.
"I don't remember you from when I started working here" Teddy says carefully "When did you take your break from being a surgery?"
"Three years ago."
"Ah, that makes sense that I don't remember you because the two of us started working here two years ago"
"Would you like to join us to eat Callie?" Arizona asks, surprising Teddy.
"Thank you but I only have time to grab stuff before I have to run into surgery. Another time perhaps?"
"Sure thing. And are we still on for drinks later?"
"Of course. When I say I will buy a pretty lady a drink then I keep my promise. It was nice to see you again Teddy, and Arizona, I'll see you later" With a smile, Callie goes off to get her lunch before leaving to go and prepare for her first surgery back.
8:01pm – In Joe's Bar
Callie sits nervously at Joe's, waiting for Arizona to arrive. She's only one minute late, she thinks to herself, that's not so bad.
Five minutes go by and Arizona still hasn't showed up. At 8:15pm I'll ring her, just checking if she's ok and to make sure she hasn't forgotten. That doesn't seem too desperate, does it?
At quarter past eight Arizona still hasn't showed so Callie bites the bullet and calls her
"Hi, this is Arizona Robbins. Please leave a message after the beep and I'll get back to you as soon as I can"
Damn, Callie thinks, where is she?
Callie decides to ring the hospital to see if Arizona has been called into a last-minute surgery but she hasn't and she apparently left the hospital over an hour ago.
At half past eight Callie is ready to leave Joe's, her heart heavy. She really liked Arizona but it seems as if the blonde surgeon had blown her off. As she gets up to pick up her coat, Arizona sheepishly walks through the door.
8:01pm - Arizona and Teddy's flat
"Teddy, I can't do this. Why did I agree to go out for a drink with her? I'm not ready for this. Since Joanne walked out on me after the crash I don't think I'll be ready to date anyone for a while, maybe forever. She ruined me Teds."
"It's just drinks, Arizona. And I know Joanne hurt you but you can't let her hold you back from what could be something great. Maybe it won't be great but it could be wonderful and you won't know until you try. If you aren't going to do it for yourself then please, do it for me"
"Fine. But I'm running late and I don't know what to wear…"
"You are going to wear these trousers" Teddy says, holding up a pair of slim fit black trousers that would give Arizona's bottom half shape but would all for her prosthetic to not be distinguished from her other leg, giving the impression that she had two legs which would make her feel more confident "and this top" she hands Arizona the trousers and a white blouse.
Arizona goes into the bathroom to change as well as apply some light make up and brush her hair. Coming out of the bathroom she gives Teddy a twirl "How do I look?" she asks, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"You look beautiful Arizona"
"I feel like I look ok but I'm still scared…"
"Zona, you are great. You are a beautiful, strong, powerful surgeon. Now, you are going to go out of that door, head down those stairs and walk into the bar and have a drink with a gorgeous lady. Because, you know what? You deserve it. You deserve happiness, someone to love and someone who loves you back. If it all gets too much, I am on call but I'll be here at home and can come pick you up if I need to ok? But I'm sure you won't need my help because you're going to have an amazing time. Now go! Go see Callie and have a fun time"
"Thanks Teds" Arizona hugs Teddy before walking out of their flat, hopeful that the night will go well.
When she reaches Joe's however, her mood changes and she is filled with anxiety. It's half past eight. I'm so late. Oh god, what if she has left because she thinks I've stood her up…
Taking a deep breath, Arizona opens the door to the bar, spotting Callie instantly. It's hard not to notice the brunette as she is the most beautiful person in the room. However, she is reaching for her coat and Arizona feels ashamed for making her wait for so long.
"I'm so sorry I'm late. I don't really have an excuse apart from this is the first time I have been out for drinks in a year, apart from last night with Teddy, and I had a minor freak out. I'm so sorry for making you wait. How about I buy you a drink to make up for me being stupid?"
"It's alright, I was just worried you'd changed your mind about me" Callie responds with a genuine smile.
Arizona goes to sit down at a table near the corner whilst Callie goes and gets their drinks. Since entering the bar, Arizona's nerves have been a lot calmer as Callie wasn't really angry, she genuinely seemed worried Arizona thinks to herself.
"As promised, your drink m'lady" Callie says with a chuckle as she bows, placing Arizona's drink on the table followed by her own before sitting down at the table.
"So" Callie says "Is there a reason you haven't been out much recently? Or are you some sort of murderer or psychopath?" which causes Arizona's heart rate to increase.
Don't lie, she thinks to herself, just don't be entirely truthful. Though I haven't spent much time with her but she's like a breath of fresh air in my life.
"Well, I'm not a murderer or a psychopath so don't worry about that! But, a year ago I went through something major but I'm not getting into that now and well, it caused my then girlfriend to leave me because I wasn't who I was when I entered the relationship. So, because I wasn't offering much support or intimacy so she slept with someone else and blamed me."
"Oh my god Arizona, I'm so sorry. She's an idiot for walking out on someone as beautiful and caring as you" Which causes Arizona to smile. No one has really been kind to me apart from Teddy since the crash unless they are being overly sympathetic or patronising which is a nice change. Especially when it's a woman as beautiful as Callie being kind.
"What about you?" Arizona asks.
"Well, I haven't been in a relationship for three years" Callie says, causing Arizona's jaw to drop. "Don't look at me like that! It's because of the same thing that caused me to take a personal break from work. Before that all happened, I had been in a relationship with a woman for around half a year but she dumped me because she didn't like the fact that I was bisexual and at one point had a friends with benefits relationship with my best friend who was male. She didn't like the fact that he was always around. But he lived across the hall and we'd go out drinking and hang out but she always thought I was cheating on her but I was always faithful to her."
"Well she's clearly an idiot but you don't deserve to be with someone who doesn't accept your sexuality or someone who doesn't trust you; because that's not a healthy relationship"
Arizona is shocked that someone would treat Callie like this. But it makes her think. She thinks back on her previous partners and doesn't think she's ever slept with a bisexual woman. Has that been on purpose? She thinks to herself. Arizona used to have a lot of lesbian friends, but she hasn't seen them since the accident and a lot of them were strongly biphobic and would say that bi women would always run back to men. Maybe it was a subconscious thing, maybe I was afraid to date a bisexual woman due to fear of their rejection.
"Thanks Arizona, that really means a lot"
"Anyway, enough sad stuff. How about I buy you a drink now? Because that's two that you've bought me so I owe you some!"
Heading off to the bar to get them more drinks, Arizona smiles. Since meeting Callie, something inside her has snapped and she feels lighter, more optimistic as well as more confident than she has felt since the crash.
Back at the table, Callie also smiles as she watches the blonde doctor walk away, watching her hips sway as she walks. She really likes Arizona but is scared of the possibility of a relationship because it has been so long since her last one. Her heart rate increases as she thinks about the blonde at the bar. Despite the rising levels of anxiety inside her, she is also feeling excited at the possibility of spending more time with the beautiful blonde.
Arriving back at the table with their drinks, Arizona sits down. Her leg has been starting to hurt since she's been standing all day in surgery, but she tries not to let it show.
The two women sit and discuss their likes and dislikes, finding out that they are similar as well as different in many ways. They both love animals, travelling and baking. But, Arizona loves pop music and rom coms and when Callie tells her she likes rock music and horror movies, Arizona chuckles "Just don't make me watch any horror movies"
"I won't, as long as I don't have to watch any rom coms"
They continue to talk about everything and nothing, both avoiding the major events in their lives they don't feel comfortable talking about just yet. But both of them not feeling the need to be really personal just yet.
"Excuse me" Joe interrupt them "But it's closing time so you'll have to head out"
"Wow, I'm so sorry Joe, we didn't realise the time!" Arizona says, shocked that they have been talking for so long without getting tired.
The two of them head out of Joe's when Arizona starts to shiver. Noticing this, Callie takes off her coat and wraps it around the blonde's shoulders. "Thanks" Arizona says with a smile. Her heart starts to race as the scent of Callie fills her nose.
Reaching Arizona's apartment building, Arizona reluctantly takes off Callie's coat and returns it to her "Thanks for lending me this, I should have brought my own coat but I didn't realise it would be this cold when I was walking home"
"It's no problem" Callie beams
"And thank you for walking me home Calliope. Do you have far to go home?"
"Not really, my car is in the hospital car park so I'll be safe going home don't worry"
The two women pause, looking at each other.
"Could I take you on a proper date sometime soon? I really like you Arizona and would really love the opportunity to take you on a date instead of just for drinks at Joe's. Not that I have anything against Joe's that is…"
"I really like you too Callie but I'm not a hundred percent sure that I'm ready for a relationship" Arizona says, her voice filled with regret.
"Oh" Callie sounds defeated.
"Can we hang out though? Can we get to know each other a bit more and then I can rethink this? I'm really sorry, but the personal stuff I've been dealing with has kind of made it hard for me to even think about dating. And the fact that I really like you is scaring me. So, if we take it slow, then I'll feel more confident. But I have really enjoyed the time that we have spent together so far. Please don't take this personally, this is because of my own issues…"
"Don't worry about it" Though Callie is upset, she understands where Arizona is coming from "A few years ago that's how I felt, so I understand where you're coming from"
"Thank you for understanding. Just give me a bit of time and I will open up to you and when my confidence has gotten better, I promise I will let you take me out on that date"
"Well, I look forward to that."
"How about we do dinner in a couple of days. Not a date, but spending time together. As friends."
"That sounds wonderful. How about you text me the time and location and I will meet you there"
"It's a date. Or, not a date. You know what I mean" Arizona says, causing Callie to chuckle whilst Arizona blushes, with both of them wishing it really was a date. But knowing that before she can date properly, she must work on herself first.
"It's getting late, I'll see you tomorrow" Callie hugs Arizona, subtly breathing in the blonde's scent.
"I'll see you tomorrow at work the Calliope" Arizona takes a deep breath, gathering her confidence before placing a light kiss on Callie's cheek before walking into her building, leaving Callie with a massive smile on her face.
As Callie drives back to her house she is hopeful that a relationship will blossom between her and Arizona soon, despite Arizona saying that she might not be ready. She hopes that the kiss on the cheek was an indication of that. For the first time in a while, Callie feels positive about her love life and is optimistic about where it will end up.
Any guesses as to why Callie took a break from being a surgeon?
Please let me know what you think of this story so far?