Help
Chapter Four - Promises
Title: Help – Promises
Author: wbelisabeth
Summary: Insert one tragic event into Arizona's past and put MFEO to the test. AU.
Words: Story is under 10k. Chapter is under 2k
Warnings/Spoiler/Important: There are references to a lot of Callie/Arizona moments on the show, but they are usually small allusions, and not anything life changing. The references could include any episode ever aired, because that's just how I roll.
Rating: PG for the most part, I don't even think there is any swearing in this… very wholesome of me.
AN: Thank you to ljuser Itsallcomealive who beta'd this for me. I really cannot thank you enough. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Helena Torres was a proud woman which showed in every facet of her life. When you first meet her, her pride in her appearance is clear. Her string of pearls that Carlos had given her the first birthday they had been dating. Her perfectly arranged hair. Her elegant clothing. It wasn't just in appearance she took pride in, she took pride in everything she did. Her marriage, her children and her current activity of cooking for her husband.
She looked over the meal squinting to ensure that the garnishes were perfectly aligned. She valued the art in cooking and had tried to pass on her love for it to her two daughters, believing that fifty percent was better than nothing. Her eldest daughter cooked purely out of necessity, and while she had plenty of time and money, she took little pride and no joy in her attempts at feeding her family. Her youngest had begun to take a real shine to cooking often calling to share or request a recipe. Even with staggered shifts and limited time, she managed to find joy in cooking. Before the nonsense of the last couple of years had taken place she and Calliope had shared a great many phone calls, Helena hearing the joy her youngest got from putting together masterpieces and it made her swell with pride. The most recent before contact was lost was Chicken Picatta, which had turned out superbly.
She felt arms wrap around her as she wiped the plates free from residual sauce.
"Carlos, you scared me" She felt his lips kiss the back of her neck and she smiled as she took comfort in the touch of her husband.
"It smells wonderful."
"Hopefully it tastes the same."
The doorbell rings and shakes them both out of their own little world.
"I'll be a minute."
"I'll meet you at the table. If that's the insurance salesman, makes sure he knows that we said no the last four times… he might get the message."
Carlos smiled at his wife and the edge of frustration in her voice. He opened the door expecting the gentleman in the grey suit with greasy, slicked back hair. He was surprised to find a petite blonde, looking rather frightened. Behind her he saw a taxi, it was obvious that it was staying where it was.
"Can I help you, young lady?"
"Ummm…. I am Arizona Robbins, I have come to talk to you about Calliope sir. I'm afraid that you aren't going to like what I have to say."
Arizona looked Carlos Torres in the eye and what she saw made her own eyes well up with tears.
"Calliope?"
"Hmmm."
"Calliope Torres, look at me." The blonde watched as the brunettes eyes focused.
"I'm awake, I'm totally awake." She slurred her words. Arizona knew that it was the best she was going to get.
"I'm going to get help. I'm going to walk the two miles and I am going to get you help Calliope, so you have to promise me to stay alive ok. You have to make sure you are awake when I get back, ok?"
"You need to live for me. You need to have my girl. You need to promise."
"Cal, look at me. I'm going to live, my life isn't in question ok. You need to stay awake for me though. Stay awake."
She watched as Callie got agitated.
"You have to promise. You have to. She has to exist."
"Shhhh. Ok, ok I'll promise. Ok? Now you need to focus on staying awake. Don't make me go all playground Arizona on your ass. I grew up with the name Arizona and I learnt how to fight dirty so you better be awake when I get back. Ok?"
Callie nodded slightly.
Arizona had spent the last six hours carving out a ladder-like structure in the wall, after numerous collapses, she'd finally created something that looked like it would at least hold up long enough for her to get out. Or so she hoped. With one quick glance at the brunette she took her first step up the ladder in the wall. She winced before she took the second step knowing that the pain was going to be immeasurable.
It was. She screamed out loud as she quickly shuffled up the next step and the next, eventually slumping onto the ground at the top. She looked down and Callie had curled into the foetal position.
"Calliope." She whispered repeatedly to herself as she hobbled down the path that led to her home.
"This is 911, what is your emergency?"
"There is a woman two miles southwest of Ranier close. It's off the highway. She's trapped in an old mine or something, it's probably nine or ten feet deep. She's injured and has a previously existing infection that has flared up. She'll need immediate attention. I believe that she has been reported missing already. Her name is Calliope Torres. It is urgent that you get here as quick as you can. She needs urgent medical attention, antibiotics, pain meds, she is severely dehydrated and has not eaten in two or three days… you need to hurry. You understand that it is urgent? You understand?"
"Yes ma'am. Is there a contact number you can leave?"
"I won't have a cell on me, there is no signal out here… follow the directions. We won't be moving from the spot. I'll be administering fluids and maybe some food orally if I can, but she's getting pretty bad, pretty quickly."
She didn't even wait for a response before hanging up. She picked up the phone that she had taken from Calliope and scrolled down to find 'Mark' in her contacts, she typed in the number into her house phone and waited for the dial tone.
"Mark Sloan." He barked. She didn't know him, but she already recognized the sound of a sleep deprived loved one. She could hear the raw nerves in his voice.
"Mark? My name is Arizona Robbins. I understand you are a friend of Calliope's?"
"Callie? Is she ok?"
"Mark, I have called 911, they are on their way. I found Callie, she's in a bad way. They are going to take her to the local hospital, but I'm not so sure they are equipped to handle her injuries."
"I'm going to make some calls, see if I can get an airlift to Seattle."
"Perfect. I'll give you directions."
"Calliope."
Nothing.
"Calliope?" Her voice slid up an octave and more than a few decibels, as panic crept into her voice.
She climbed down as quickly as could, almost jumping before remembering the pain that still resided in her leg.
"Callie? Cal? Calliope? Come on, open those big brown eyes. Come on… please… please. Come on, I want to see you get your great love affair. I want to see you have your baby girl. Please? Come on, open your eyes." Her eyes fluttered a little and she groaned. "Don't scare me like that Calliope. Remember what I told you? I told you that I'd go all playground Arizona on you, playing dirty and it's not as fun or as sexy as it sounds - believe me. Can you drink this?" She hadn't expected an answer. She didn't expect anything more than the brunette's eyelashes to flutter, but that was enough. She tried to get Callie to drink the water, and succeeded some, but she knew it was not enough to fix anything, but it was all she could do. She put her arms around Callie and brought her close, again rocking her back and forward. "Maybe when you get better we could have that great love affair? I mean… you've already got your chance meeting. It was a million to one that I would be running past and that you'd be here, yelling for help. And you've got your complication… you're really sick, so if you overcome this… well at the very least it'd be something to tell our daughter about. You hear that? I stopped making plans Calliope, I stopped living, but I'm talking about a great love affair and I said our daughter… I don't know if I'm just telling you what you want to hear or if I really mean it, but it would be really nice to try. It would be really nice to be able to try and make plans with you. How about when we get into Seattle I take you out for a nice dinner?"
"Maybe." Callie said, the words barely leaving her lips.
"Maybe?" She laughed. "I can live with maybe, but you know I'm hot and I've got women lining up for me, right? So you better stay awake, because I won't stay on the market forever ok?"
