The Secrets That We Keep
Chapter 2
A few days had passed since she first stepped her foot inside SGMW and she was loving every minute. It was such a contrast to her old work place. She was use to chaos, being short staffed and not having the right equipment or medications at hand but here she had everything she needed to make a difference and actually help and save people's lifes. Of course every hospital was chaotic in it's own way but the chaos here was more organized and subtle.
She had been working in Africa, Malawi for three years up until the plane crash two years ago. After the accident she was flown back to America, Boston, for surgery and rehabilitation and a painfull recovery. It was not until now, two years later, that she felt ready and strong enough to go back to work and leave her past behind, thousands of miles away. Arizona was born and raised in Boston. Attended medical school and did her internship there, eventually she got the opportunity to go to Africa and help less fortunate women and children who didn't even have the facilities to clean a minor scrape or cut. She didn't have to think twize before deciding to go.
It had been three long years of witnessing horrendous injuries and a lot of death but also a quite amout of satisfaction. Helping people is what she was trained to do and she wouldn't have it any other way. Being a surgeon ment that you were frequently faced with death and suffering but also survival and recovery. The good outweighs the bad, sometimes not, but that all cimes with the job. You can't save everybody, even with the latest equipment, techniques or procedures out there. It was simply not possible.
"Dr Robbins, I've got the results back from the leukemia kid."
Arizona popped her head up from her paperwork and watched her new colleague and friend Teddy Altman wave a chart up in the air. "Thanks Teds, and I've told you several times to call me Arizona or Zona. You've gotta stop with the whole dr Robbins thing, at least when we're not around patients or other staff."
Teddy nudged her shoulder playfully. "Are you flirting with me, dr Robbins? Is that your way of coming onto me? Should I be worried?"
Teddy had learned her first day working with Arizona that she was openly gay and wasn't seeing anybody. It made dr Altman wonder how an attractive woman like Arizona could be single and that someone hadn't tried to snatch her up after working five days at the hospital. Teddy had told Arizona about this place functioning like a brothel. Attendings sleeping with interns and interns sleeping with nurses and so on. The on call rooms, the hospital provided, were more functioning as booty call rooms and that wild things happened in there. The blonde made a mental note not to stay in one of them.
Giggling at her friends joke she snapped the papers out of her hand and quickly scanned them. "Hmm," she mumbled and bit her lower lip. "Her white blood cells are still abnormal. Im gonna have to switch to a more aggressive approach. Damn! I thought she was doing better." she sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.
"You can't save everybody, Zona. We do what we can." Teddy placed a soothing hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "You should go and lay down for a while. You've been on your feet for almost twenty hours. I'll page you if there's an emergency." Teddy literally pushed the blonde away from the nurses station where they were presently standing and watched as she tiredly shuffled down the hall.
She was indeed tired and a nap would do her good. The room was dim lit and empty. Making her way down towards the bunk beds in the far corner she sighed and stiffled a yawn. She bent her knees and attempted to sit down.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The voice came out of nowhere and gave Arizona such a freight she stood up so quickly and slammed her head into the bed frame above.
"Ow, fuck me!" The blonde cradled her head as she hissed in pain.
She instantly felt a warm hand on top of her own. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, I thought that you had seen me when you walked in." The stranger led the bonde towards a nearby chair. "Here have a seat and let me take a look at your head."
Arizona sat down and relaxed under the gentle touch. Curiosity got the better of her and the need to face this stranger became too much. Lifting her head she was faced with the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She blinked in confusion, thinking that the blow must have caused her to hallucinate or maybe even die and gone to heaven. The big brown eyes, plump red lips and jet black wavy hair fell down this woman's broad shoulders. Her skin was tanned and smooth and it took Arizona all the willpower she had not to reach out and touch the incredibly sexy woman in front of her. "Beautiful." she unconsciously murmured.
The stranger smiled slightly and raise her eyebrows in an amused manner. "Well, thank you. You're not so bad yourself. But my real name is dr Torres, Callie Torres." the brunette let her fingers grace across the blonde's scalp, checking for any injuries, but was relieved when all she could feel was a small bump.
Arizona still looked confused, like she was in a haze or floating around in a little bubble, oblivious to the world around. She opened her mouth to speak. "Um, I... It's... I'm... what?"
Callie couldn't help but to smile at the pretty blonde and found herself lightly brushing her fingertips down a smooth cheek. She thought for a second that the dazed woman had actually leaned into her touch but she wasn't sure. "Don't worry, I have this affect on women. It's a gift, really but also a curse." she winked at the blonde and reached out her hand. "And you are?"
Arizona snapped into reality and held the offered hand. "Oh sorry. Im dr Robbins, Arizona Robbins. Nice to meet you, although I wish it had been under different circumstances."
Callie found herself not wanting to let go of the hand she was firmly holding, but realized that it would be extremely awkward if she didn't, so she let her arm sink to her side. "Yeah, sorry about that." there was a short silence before Callie's face lit up. "Oh, dr Robbins! You're the new head of peds, right? The whole hospital has been talking about you for weeks." she watched as Arizona's face grew serious and slighly pale. "Only good things." she quickly added, not wanting the blonde to think that the staff had been talking bad about her. "Only good things." she softly repeated.
Arizona smiled and felt herself blush from her reaction. "Well, thank you dr Torres for... making me hit my head and make a fool out of myself."
Callie chuckled nervously. "Any time." she was just about to leave when she stopped dead in her tracks and turned. "Um, were you planning on taking a nap? I'm just asking because, well since you're new, you should know that these bed sheets are probably not the cleanest if you know what I mean. Considering the human traffic passing through this door." the latina was fidgeting with the stethoscope around her neck.
"Oh!" Arizona stated and took a full circular view of the room. "Oh!" she repeated again but louder, finally understanding what Callie was referring to. "Ew, that is gross."
"Yeah," Callie replied. "Um, come on, I'll show you something." she grabbed Arizona by the elbow and led her down the corridor, rounded a few corners and took a flight of stairs that were hidden away from view.
"Um, dr Torres? Where are you taking me? If this is your way of telling me that you're attracted to me and want to bed me then all you had to do was say so."
Callie laughed at the blonde's sense of humour. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna take advantage of you." the brunette suddenly came to a halt. "This, is my sanctuary."
Arizona took in the sight before her. Callie had led her into a secluded part of the hospital where empty trollies, stretchers and beds were lined up against the wall. There were blankets neatly folded on a small nightstand nearby and Arizona could make out two beds already made at the far end of the wall.
"I always come here to relax or sleep. Nobody really knows about this place, just me and a couple of others but they rather sleep in the on call rooms where they tend to unwind in a different kind of way. The two beds at the far end have clean bed sheets in them, changed them myself this morning. You're more than welcome to use this as your get away place whenever you want and need to." she gestured for Arizona to make herself at home. "Um, I have a surgery in twenty minutes. A hip replacement but I'll see you later. Sleep tight."
Before Callie had a chance to turn Arizona gently took her hand and squeezed it firmly. "Thank you, Callie, for showing me this place. I really appreciate it."
Callie looked up from their locked hands and into Arizona's sincere blue eyes and saw the beauty in them. "You're welcome." the brunette replied with a shy smile.
