Hey y'all. Just a reminder that Calzona is endgame. The first arc of this story is nearly finished. Thanks for everyone's feedback - it's much appreciated.
At the hour mark until the surgery, the operating room doors opened and the nurses and staff filtered into the room to start prepping. The cheers and applause for the people below made Callie smile. It was nice to recognize everyone involved in the process, especially those frequently overlooked. She'd been guilty of it more than once, but Arizona had always made sure to earnestly thank every member of her staff after a big surgery. The gentle blonde had been so, so close to her scrub nurses all the way up to the anesthesiologist on staff that when the merger with Mercy West had happened and her staff had been cut, she'd stayed up night after night writing letters of recommendation and compiling baskets for the team she had lost.
It was small acts like those that made Arizona Robbins so easy to love. She was so honest and genuine that as soon as you met her, you fell. There were so many reasons and characteristics that made her fall in love with the compassionate surgeon over and over again, but her authenticity and selflessness were definitely major. All her life, Callie had been pushed around by parents and partners to fit a mold that she couldn't physically form to. With Arizona, she was given the platform and trust to grow as a person and eventually expand into a family.
Which is why the image of her ring being pinned to another woman's scrub top was one of the most traumatic scenes she could not pluck from her mind. For every happy memory she had with her wife, there would be a negative one that completely destroyed anything positive happened. Their wedding would always be tarnished by her infidelity, and their engagement would always remind her of the moments where she was sure she'd never get to meet her daughter. Even after they'd worked past the cheating, life still was punctuated with instances where it really boiled down to trust. From the very beginning, things were strained and Callie had entered the relationship still healing from George. Her haunches had been up for far too long and honestly, she was tired. Tired of being on defense for everything. Tired of being paranoid about every move anyone made. She was just exhausted.
According to Greek mythology - every person used to be born with one arm and one leg. Later in life, they'd meet their soulmate and merge - forming a complete human. The metaphor was real in her opinion and stayed in the front of her mind even after Arizona's amputation. People were like tendons and muscles, when the bones break they shift and accommodate the best they can. But, eventually the muscles atrophy and the tendons tear. Infections can spread quickly and soon the whole limb would be compromised. There's no choice left, even when the decision is heartbreaking and unthinkable.
The gallery was now crammed to the point where if the fire marshal was there he'd probably resign. People were squashed together, laps were sat on, and friends were doubled up on chairs. After a few pointed looks and a few not-so-subtle elbow nudges, Callie had scooted out of her spot and taken residence in the back corner. Thankfully, the back was raised bleacher style so she was just tall enough to see over the crowd. The hospital had opened up the other three panels of the gallery for press and it looked very similar to a large concert. The amount of pressure the surgical team was under would be intense and Callie was actually relieved that she'd take to disappearing in the back.
It was one thing to be known the medical community, but with news stations and freelance photographers surrounding the double wide surgical theatre, it would be nerve-wracking. There were five operating rooms on the west side of the wing and and all of them would be used today, with only about a half hour for sanitizing. The doors between the rooms were open, and it looked like a few terrified interns were in charge of keeping them free. Since they would have to stagger the surgeries slightly, she assumed that after the first few hours of this one, most of the press across the way would move along.
The green light turned on and the din of the crowd quieted immediately, a rolling wave of silence enveloping the gallery. They wheeled in the first patient and settled him in. After a few minutes of speculation and shutter clicks, the surgical team filed in one by one - all of them identical in their gowns and gloves. A myriad of multi-colored scrub caps were visible and it made the whole scene even more amazing. The amount of teamwork this would take was astounding. As soon as they all filed in and the door closed, they reached up and waved to everyone, breaking the silence of the theatre as a wave of applause erupted, almost loud enough to swallow Callie whole.
When they stopped and turned to the small form on the table, Callie felt the familiar butterflies in her stomach - the ones she'd felt before major surgeries. It was what interns and staff called the "God Complex" but they had no idea.
"It was a beautiful day to save lives." Callie whispered to no one. She accompanied the familiar phrase with a small sign of the cross.
Someone had to say it.
Almost three hours later and the first kidney procurement had gone well. The team had a few hiccups, as all surgeons do. But the Hospital had assembled an elite team from all over the country to assist and it was proving helpful. The number of cumulative years of experience on the team were very likely in the thousands. Callie wasn't really interested in the people on the staff - she felt no loyalty to this hospital. However, she was loyal to medicine, and she knew that the U of I would pick great surgeons for this team.
The crowd on her side of the gallery had thinned a little as the initial opening of the patient went smoothly and the prepping of the next one started. Some people on call got paged and a few seemed to be uncomfortable in the crowded area. Callie had to admit that the air was getting a little stale and temperature was rising a little above comfort level.
Another round of applause started as the lead surgeon gave the signal to close up the first patient. Most of the staff walked out of the room and started to scrub out as a lot of the crowd started to dissipate. Callie realized that a lot of the people watching were probably members of the team that would work later. Most people didn't realize how many people it actually took for a single surgery, especially with a complicated one like this. Some of the people around her would be working for at least 12 hours straight if not more.
Instead of assisting in clogging the exit, Callie stayed put for a little bit watching the remainder of the team signal to stop the clock and high-five. She missed her team, she really did. The clinic was stable and quiet - the worst she saw was dislocated shoulders, broken fingers, and a few torn ligaments. She missed the feel of a team at her fingertips - ready to change someone's life for the better. A smile slowly spread across her face - she hadn't felt the desire to be in an OR in ages. Granted, it was still panic-inducing, but the feelings were coming back slowly.
The cleaning team shuffled in and started sanitizing the room in a hurry. Callie checked her phone and decided that she probably had about twenty minutes before the team came to prep the room again. Unless, she decided to peek into one of the other theatres but, she'd gotten comfortable in this one and wasn't too keen on following the crowd to each room. She was here for the experience not the glory.
She stood to leave and walked in the direction of the cafeteria. It was almost noon and because she'd skipped breakfast - her stomach was not very happy. Plus, it was meatball sub day and that was a holiday in itself.
After grabbing a sub and a few napkins, Callie made her way outside and picked a picnic table that was empty - exactly how she liked to eat. For too long her meals had been interrupted by interns or attendings with personal problems. There was nothing she coveted more than a quiet meal period, especially since she wasn't interested in making friends in blustery Iowa.
She felt her phone vibrate on the table and for a moment was confused. She didn't talk to people - willingly. For weeks after she'd left, everyone had called her non-stop. Eventually everyone tapered off; either they'd gotten the hint or Karev had squealed on her. Even so, the only person she'd answer the phone for was Sofia, Karev, or very occasionally Meredith.
At first Alex had sent her updates of the drama at Grey Sloan and occasionally photos of Sofia when he babysat. But, at her insistence, he'd stopped. It hurt too much when she asked why he had to babysit and he'd reply with standard bullshit that didn't actually answer her question outright but told her the information she'd been looking for. Plus, she knew he was Arizona's best friend and it was cruel to make him choose sides when he'd mentioned her ex-wife's girlfriends or whatever.
Arizona was dating.
It stung- pretty badly at first. But, as the weeks went by, the idea of Arizona smiling at someone who didn't pressure her to 'get better' every night and someone who appreciated her for who she now was, placated Callie. Was she angry? Definitely. But, it was more anger at herself for being too weak to stick around. Could she blame Arizona for trying to find companionship after their relationship had been so toxic? How could Callie even look her in the eyes after all the horrific she let her lawyers say about her. It was bad enough that she'd made their friends pick sides, but when they realized what a smear campaign she was running, it made them angry too. She never thought she'd say it but having Alex impartial to it was incredible helpful.
So, when Callie saw Karev's name on the caller ID, she thought twice before answering.
""Hello?"
"Hey, Callie. It's Alex. Uh, it's been a while." he stuttered the words out. She could tell he was nervous.
"I didn't lose your number, dork. I've just...been busy. I-" Callie started.
"No, I get it, " Alex interrupted. " I do. I just saw that you guys were going for a 10 way domino today. Are you there?"
Thankful that he'd started with neutral territory, Callie relaxed. "I was up in the gallery for the first harvest. You'd shit yourself if you saw how big the theatres here are. They're huge and it goes all around. There were like 3 hundred people observing. It felt like a medical opera!"
"Sounds terrifying. You staying for all of 'em?"
"Not sure. I cleared my schedule for today. I don't have much else to do. They're aiming to be done by midnight."
"It's what...12:30 there?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, why?"
His chuckle reminded Callie how much she actually missed her friend.
"No reason, I'm just keeping tabs on it throughout the day and I wanted to check in later to see how it went. But, I have a date tonight so I might not be able to call."
"Ohhhhh," Callie feigned interest. "What's her name? I thought you were with-"
"Sofia." He paused for a moment. "I'm babysitting."
Callie exhaled slowly, of course. She felt the anxiety build quickly in her chest.
"Hey Cal, it's not what you think. But, I gotta go - I'll call later, okay?"
She confirmed that she might answer twice in one day and then hung up - her mood suddenly dampened by the snippet of info he'd given her. She chastised herself for being petulant. At some point she was going to have to get over the fact that she no longer mattered to anyone in Seattle over the age of 10.
Out of time, napkins, and patience, she threw away her garbage and made her way back into the Hospital. If she was lucky, she'd find a seat with no one's elbows in her personal space.
