A/N: I have no medical knowledge. Thank you for continuing to read and also to Cycworker for her assistance.

Chapter 4

It was after three a.m. when Arizona heard the ghastly barking and howling. It startled her, pulling her from her listless state. Her flailing arm struck the sleeping body next to her. The aggressive nudge awakened Lucia, causing the older woman to instinctively move and subsequently shriek in pain as her broken appendage unwilling shifted.

The gruesome clamor left Arizona very awake to her depressing reality, one that was eerily similar to the plane crash years earlier. The images and sounds of that tragedy flashed back through her mind, reminding her she would never entirely escape that fateful trip. Arizona's breath hitched as she feared for her safety yet again. Once she forced herself to stop gasping for air, she was able to bring her attention back to the present and to her ailing mother-in-law. "Lucia, I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

There was no response from the older woman. Lucia had drifted back to sleep, her body safeguarding her from this living nightmare. Arizona roused Lucia again to drowsy consciousness. Hearing the frightening animal din, the older woman perked up, warily asking, "Are they coyotes or wild dogs?"

"I don't know," Arizona honestly answered. "I need you to stay awake. Please try." They clutched each other, fearful of being pounced on. There was nowhere to run, both knew it. Lucia, with her broken arm, was virtually immobile. Any movement resulted in excruciating pain for her. Arizona was not confident in her prosthetic holding up now that moisture had seeped in it over the hours. Plus, trampling over the slippery surface seemed impossible, especially with the escalating pain in her abdomen. Both were sitting ducks if vicious animals came their way. The two remained silent, praying their presence would go unnoticed by hungry carnivores.

They listened intently to the noises for what seemed like an interminable time, aware that the yelping was edging creepily closer. The howling reverberated through the canyon as if in stereo. Arizona heard something else. She was sure she heard voices. "Lucia, listen...I hear people. Tell me you hear voices."

Concentrating on the racket, Lucia confessed, "I only hear barking. My head throbs so much I...I can't focus," she lamented as she stared out at the blackness, thinking her eyes would help her hear better. "...wait a minute, a light. Is that a light?" Lucia noted.

Arizona saw the flicker and called out, "Help! We're here! Help us!" It took some time, but the tracking dogs picked up on the scent and sound. The wilderness rescue squad was by their sides within thirty minutes.

It took another hour for the rescuers to pull the women, each strapped securely in steel stretchers, to the safety of awaiting ambulances. Some rescue members stayed back. They were tasked with extracting the driver's body from the wreckage. Arizona was glad she didn't have to witness that, grateful to be alive and feeling horrible their driver was not as fortunate.

Lucia was the first to be carried out. Once she saw two ambulances, it dawned on the older woman that she would be separated from Arizona and her panic heightened. Though the blonde was nowhere in sight, she begged Arizona not to desert her, screaming aloud, "Arizona, Arizona..." She feared once the younger woman left her, she might never see her again and then she truly would be all alone.

Once her own stretcher cleared the ravine, Arizona could see the flashing red lights of the rescue vehicles in the distance. Relief set in as she could officially create some space from her mother-in-law after hours of patient lying and deceptive tale-telling. Dishonesty was a lot of work, Arizona concluded after her night of strategic fantasia, embellishment and major omissions. After a while, she couldn't keep her facts straight and could only hope Lucia was too mixed up to notice.

With the treacherous part of the rescue completed, Arizona lay back on the stretcher and closed her eyes in relief. She was going to see Callie and her daughters soon. She needed them, desperate to feel the warmth of their love and the security of their presence. She no longer needed to worry about herself or her mother-in-law for that matter. Arizona figured the crew carrying her mother-in-law probably had their hands full with the older woman's despair, Lucia's cries remained constant in the background. But the rescuers were professionals; no doubt they had handled countless rescues and managed many hysterical victims.

As Arizona neared the ambulance, Lucia's wails became more vibrant. It made her chuckle. Callie asked her to 'be nice.' This whole night she exceeded the definition of nice, she was extraordinarily wonderful. Well, that was after an initially pissy moment. It wasn't even much of a burden. Her interaction with Lucia, despite the frightening circumstances, was manageable. In this case, Lucia's ignorance was her bliss. But even bliss had its limits, Arizona was more than ready to leave her mother-in-law's care to the capable hands around her.

As she was carried closer, there was no way to evade the sobs, they swarmed her, making it was impossible to ignore Lucia's sad symphony. While Arizona was more than ready to ditch her role as friend and caretaker to the older woman, Lucia was devastated to be separated from her only confidante and that simple reality tugged at Arizona's heart strings after having spent hours of unplanned companionship.

Arizona considered Callie and Carlos, both loved Lucia, despite the woman's despicable flaws. Whether she wanted it or not, Lucia was Arizona's responsibility. Arizona begrudgingly knew she needed to remain supportive a bit longer. Arizona spoke to one of the EMTs carrying her stretcher toward an awaiting ambulance, "I need to stay with her. She needs me."

"We can't do that. You are supposed to be transported in separate ambulances," he replied matter of factly.

"You don't understand. She's had a serious head trauma. She doesn't know who she is. I'm her only friend at the moment."

The man shook his head, "It's not protocol." He was robotically undoing the straps that held her immobile during the perilous trek up the side of the ravine. In the background, she could hear Lucia's ongoing cries.

Arizona barked at the man, "First off, I'm a doctor. Are you or anyone else here a doctor?"

The EMT remained unfazed, perfunctorily completing his tasks. "Nope," he replied rather blasé.

Irritated with his I-don't-care attitude, Arizona let loose, "It's very important she stays calm so whatever is going on inside her head, a brain bleed or a blood clot, or whatever, doesn't get any more angry or exacerbated until she is under a neurosurgeon's care. Because if it does, and her condition worsens, I wouldn't want to be you, denying her a doctor's care en route to the hospital. Do you know who Carlos Torres is?"

Arizona did not wait for an answer, she just kept on spewing, "If you don't, I'll tell you. He's got more money than God. Trust me, you don't want to get on his bad side. That is his wife of forty plus years! But she doesn't know it. She's scared! I can keep her calm until she gets to the ER. I've done it for hours."

Arizona had created such hubbub, the supervisor came over to see what the ruckus was all about. Overhearing the tail end of the rant, she walked over to Arizona, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I need to ride in the ambulance with Lucia Torres. Her amnesia is beyond frightening for her. I'm her only friend at the moment, the only one she trusts. At the moment, she doesn't know who her family even is. Please. She's depending on me to help her through this. And I'm a doctor, more than qualified to assist with her case should the need arise."

The woman smiled, it was an easy request and the older woman was truly beside herself. On the surface, Arizona appeared healthy and feisty enough to not be secured to a gurney. While the supervisor had no idea who Carlos Torres specifically was, all the stops had been pulled out for this search. Money was not an object. "I think that's a good idea," the rescue leader answered.

Wrapped in a blanket, Arizona gingerly took a seat next to the stretcher inside the ambulance. Her ribs ached beyond belief, but she tried to ignore the pain. The drumming in her head resulted in nausea. She wasn't sure if she bumped it in the accident or if the headache was from the stress or even from hunger. The warmth of the ambulance was comforting. She had been functioning on pure adrenalin so far, it would need to last another thirty minutes. Watching Lucia blubber, the tearful woman's hand clutching her, Arizona calmly said, "I'm here now, Lucia. Relax. We'll be at the hospital soon and you'll feel better. It's okay. I promise I will be right here."

Lucia finally let go of her fears and settled down. All evening she put her faith in Arizona. So far, the younger woman did not let her down. She allowed the pain medicine to do its job and her body rested. Her only response was a thankful squeeze to Arizona' hand.

XXX

Arizona entered the hospital's ER via wheelchair - the EMTs would not allow her to walk in, it was bad enough she was not on a stretcher. Arizona euphorically smiled at the sight of Callie just thirty yards away, but then unbridled tears gushed without warning. The night had been full of terror, anxiety and uncertainty. But she was safe now and no brave façade was needed, she just let loose. It was one of the best perks of her marriage, no longer having to pretend to be some brave, solitary soul. It took years of therapy, but honesty was a relief, so she allowed herself to cry freely.

Arizona stood as Callie approached. Immediately, the brunette wrapped Arizona in a tight embrace, wishing to never let her go, but Arizona howled in pain. Callie pulled back in fright. "My ribs. I think I bruised some ribs and...and I have a headache," Arizona woefully explained

"What! Arizona you shouldn't be walking." Callie quickly switched to doctor mode. She ran her warm hand under Arizona's shirt, deftly tracing her wife's rib cage. The pain dulled with Callie's touch. Arizona rested her head on her wife's shoulder and placed a hand on each of Callie's hips, settling for the closest thing to a hug she would get for a while.

Callie furrowed her brows. "I'm not sure they are only bruised. How about your head, did you bang it?" The blonde weepily shrugged. Barking orders and demanding scans, Callie made sure her wife was being cared for. She was so relieved to have Arizona back, she wouldn't risk any medical issues and she did not care who she pissed off in the process.

Suddenly, Arizona panicked. "Callie, the girls! Where are the girls? I don't want Sofia to see me like this. Look at me; I'm not even a hot mess. I'm a disaster! I can't even hug her or hold Phoebe," she tearfully realized.

Callie grinned as she ran her hands up and down Arizona's arms, "You are most definitely a hot mess - my hot mess. Relax. One of the nannies my dad hired is staying at the chalet with Phoebe. Sofia stayed at Aria's last night. Maya's wanted to have a sleepover with Sofia - those two are peas in a pod. Once your car went missing, Aria convinced me it was a good idea. Considering I was slightly hysterical, it was just as well," Callie grimaced as she recalled her torment.

Arizona's hands held Callie's hips even tighter in support.

Callie looked at her wife and shared, "We didn't tell any of the kids there was a problem. Aria will explain it to them when they wake up. She's going to bring Sofia and Phoebe to the hospital soon. I know you want to see them. Just because you can't hold or hug the girls, it's not going to change anything. You're still their Mama, just seeing you will make them happy. Sofia will understand. You're always telling everyone how smart she is, and she is. She'll get it. Okay?"

"Okay," Arizona rasped, as her body trembled.

Feeling Arizona shiver and touching the cold damp clothing her wife was wearing, Callie quickly suggested, "Hey, let's get you out of these." She scrounged up a pair of scrubs so Arizona could rid herself of the wet garments hugging her chilled body. As doctors, they were readily granted professional courtesies, including commandeering an on-call room for some extra privacy. Callie helped Arizona shed her sogginess. Arizona silently sat on the bed, completely spent, letting Callie strip the damp clothes from her tired body and replace them with dry ones. After, she removed Arizona's prosthetic, examining the mechanical leg intently. "I guess we'll need to wait until it dries out to see if it's working properly. It seems okay. We'll know better in a couple hours. Worst case is I'll get an intern to get one of your backup legs and fly it out here."

"Callie, we can't make an intern do that."

Callie grinned, "Arizona, we essentially own the hospital, we really can. Let's not worry about it now." Sitting behind Arizona on the bed, she pulled her gently back, so the back of Arizona's head rested on her chest and she could safely hold her wife just few moments before heading to X-ray. "Arizona, I love you," Callie whispered in Arizona's ear.

The words caused Arizona's eyes to well. So choked up, Arizona could only nod, but she placed her hands over Callie's, intertwining their fingers and the two laid in silence. Their brief minutes of connection were soon interrupted by a knock on the door. A nurse was waiting, ready to wheel Arizona to radiology. Arizona took her seat in the wheelchair, covering her legs with a blanket so her stump was less obvious. As she was pushed down the hall, Callie stayed right by her side. They had not gone twenty feet when both women heard a hysterical Lucia, "Arizona...Arizona!"

Arizona objected, "Stop. Callie, wait. I can't go anywhere yet. I need to check on your mother," Arizona said.

Callie disagreed. "My mother will be fine. You've been awesome to tolerate her this long. She's not your responsibility now. There's a whole hospital full of medical personnel who can care for her, plus my dad is going to make them all crazy making sure they are. We don't need to join that circus."

The tears and sadness from her confused mother-in-law were a heavy burden to ignore, especially after spending so many challenging hours together. "Calliope, you don't understand. Where's your dad? I need to talk to you and your dad." Sensing Callie's reluctance, Arizona firmly stated, "Now. Please."

Callie was annoyed, but arguing with her wife after the horrific experience she endured the last hours forced her to hold her tongue. She saw in Arizona's eyes determination. If she wanted Arizona to herself, she would need to appease her wife and let her get off her chest whatever was bothering her. "Fine, I'll get my dad," Callie conceded.

Callie grabbed her father, who was hovering in one of the ER bays, watching the doctor and nurses try to settle his somewhat hysterical wife. Callie was certain the medical personnel present were happy to see Carlos step out. He was a tad overbearing. "Daddy, do you have a minute? Arizona needs to speak with us. She said it's urgent."

With Carlos and Callie standing by her outside the ER room, Arizona divulged, "Carlos, you need to understand something. Lucia suffered some head trauma."

Carlos impatiently replied, "Yes, I know that. The doctor already told me. They are getting scans now. I need to get back to her-"

"Carlos, stop. Just listen," Arizona reiterated. "She has amnesia."

"What do you mean amnesia?" Callie blurted. "Wasn't she just screaming your name? That's vintage Lucia."

"Calliope, she's not screaming for me because she's angry, she's screaming because she needs me."

Shaking her head, Callie replied, "I don't understand. She knows who you are, doesn't she?"

Calmly, Arizona explained, "This may all disappear in a few hours. But for the moment, she doesn't know who she is, who you are or even who I am. I'm her best and only friend, Arizona, at the moment. She doesn't know she hates me. I...I didn't tell her much more than my first name, purposely keeping the conversations vague. She knows I'm married, but not to whom. She knows I have two daughters and their names, but the names meant nothing to her when I mentioned them. She doesn't know she's married or she has daughters or where she is from for that matter. She's scared...and she's counting on me to help her through this...I promised her I would."

The explanation left Callie and Carlos momentarily speechless. Callie finally spoke, "What are you proposing we do? We need to tell her who she is, who we are."

Arizona earnestly shared, "This Lucia is very different than the one we are all familiar with. She's frail and frightened, even pathetic at times. I promised her I would stay near by her until she sorts it out. She probably is not going to recognize either of you. She might not trust you. I'm her person at the moment. I think we need to ask the doctors how to handle it."

"Lucky me," Callie bitterly laughed. "I just spent all night worried you were dead, praying you weren't. You're finally here, probably with cracked ribs, suffering some hypothermia and who knows what else, maybe a concussion and I can't even hug you. Just when I think the nightmare can't get any worse, you proceed to tell me my mother, who can't stand to even be in your presence, needs you to stay by her side. Am I being selfish if I say I don't care?"

Carlos looked at Callie with disappointed eyes, "Mija, you don't mean that."

Callie looked at her father helplessly and said nothing. She did mean that. Her expression said as much.

"Calliope, I understand what you are saying. It's crazy, I know. But you weren't there." The moment the words left Arizona's mouth she regretted them. She had spoken similar words post affair. But it wasn't the same; she didn't mean them to be construed as harsh or callous. Callie's eyes welled with tears, hurt and frightened that this was déjà vu.

Arizona struggled to stand, using Callie as her crutch. "No, Callie. Just stop. Whatever you are thinking, stop thinking it. It's just that you didn't see her or hear her fear. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm worried about her. I just spent hours pretending to be her friend. I created this fallacy. As much as I'd like to walk away, I'm not cruel enough to ignore her now. I can't leave her, not yet. We need to talk to the doctors about how much to tell her when she's fully conscious again. Learning the truth too fast may do more harm than good."

Callie nodded, allowing Arizona to wipe the tears away, before stepping on her tippy toe to kiss her. "Are you good? Are we good?"

Callie nodded, swallowing her remaining teariness. "I...I overreacted. I'm sorry….You need to sit back down." Callie gingerly lowered Arizona's body to the wheelchair.

"It's been a rough day, I get it," Arizona offered in support.

Callie furrowed her eyebrows, sarcastically replying "Rough?"

Carlos finally spoke, "Arizona. Thank you." He knew the past hours must have been quite grueling. "I know you're not terribly religious, but you certainly turned the other cheek tonight. I'm grateful."

Arizona humbly smiled, "It was fine. This is probably just a temporary state, brought on by the shock of the accident. She'll most likely be back to hating me tomorrow. Let's speak with the doctor and see how to manage this until then."

Their conversation was interrupted when they heard Lucia's pleading from inside the ER bay. "I need to speak with Arizona, please. Please find her," the older woman desperately begged.

"Stay here," she cautioned Callie. Entering the ER bay, Arizona announced, "I'm here, Lucia," as the nurse pushed her into the space.

Tears dripped down the older woman's cheeks. "I...I didn't know where you were and I'm...," she hated having to admit her fears.

"Hey, you're scared and it's okay. This whole thing is scary. Look who I found in the waiting room. This is your husband, Carlos."

Lucia stared intently at the balding man, searching for clues to convince her that Arizona was right. There was no recognition, nothing. Carlos took a few steps toward the bed, but Arizona stopped him from getting too close when she noticed Lucia flinch. He softly said, "Hi," not wanting to frighten his wife any further with his boisterous jubilation at seeing her.

"Hi," Lucia meekly responded.

Arizona took charge. "Lucia, I need to get my ribs checked. There's a doctor waiting just outside the room to help me. You still need X-rays for your arm. Hopefully, the results from the CT scan will be ready soon and show what's going on in your head, maybe figure why you have the amnesia. I need to leave you for a little while. But you need to trust me, Carlos is your husband. You've been married to him over forty years. Okay?"

"But you'll be back?" her mother-in-law worriedly asked.

Arizona grinned, "I'll be back."

"Maybe you still have a story or two left to share about your daughters? I hope I can meet them," Lucia pleaded, had no remembrance of her husband but felt a keen connection to Arizona's daughters.

"We'll see. Carlos knows how to find me and I'll make sure the nurses do, too. We'll figure this out." Arizona spoke sincerely.

"Arizona, thank you," Lucia whimpered.

Arizona leaned over to whisper to the older woman, "Carlos is a very good man. He can get a bit excitable, but don't let him frighten you. He loves you dearly. And he likes giving orders, so whatever you want or need just ask him - don't tell him I said this, but he is a bit pushy."

A relieved smile appeared on Lucia's face and she nodded.

Callie observed the whole scene incredulously from afar. "If I didn't hear the whole thing with my own ears, I wouldn't believe it. Aria is not going to believe me. That is not my mother."

Arizona smiled. She was thinking the same thing.

XXX

An hour later, Arizona lay in a hospital bed in the ER with Callie at her side, waiting for the X-rays of her rib cage to be officially read. "Callie you've got the ortho doc here in a tizzy. He sees broken bones all the time. It's a ski resort. He's good at this."

"I only want the best for you and I'm the best – and he knows it. They all need to up their game if they expect me to let them touch you," Callie sternly replied as she ran her fingers through Arizona's hair. The action seemed to have a greater calming effect on Callie than Arizona.

"It's broken ribs, Calliope. There's not much to be done." Callie had joined the radiology tech when the pictures were taken. She saw on the computer screen that two of Arizona's ribs were cracked.

Callie mulled, "You know the only positive thing about the relationship we've had with my mother is that I didn't need to share you. Now, I need to learn to do that. Apparently, I'm not a good sharer. This whole situation sucks!"

Arizona scrunched her face, commenting, "I don't mind sharing you with my mother."

Callie sat up, trying to explain herself without putting her foot in her mouth, "Let's just say tragedy makes for strange bedfellows."

"Ew, Calliope, this is your mother we are talking about."

Callie responded, "Time with your mother isn't a chore. It's like watching the history channel when I'm with your mom, I'm always learning new things about you. Secondly, your mother doesn't expect me by her side 24/7."

Just then a nurse poked her head in, "Dr. Robbins, Dr. Marvin asked me to find you. He is with Mrs. Torres and she's having a hard time. He could use your assistance."

Arizona smirked, "Speaking of 24/7, I guess we need to go check on your mom. Maybe it's for her to meet you. But remember, we're not together, like married together." Arizona looked at the scowl on Callie's face, and sheepishly asked, "Can you help me up?"

Callie, frustrated by the turn of events, complained, "I hate this family love thing we've got going at the moment. Now, I remember why they say careful what you wish for," she grumbled as she carefully helped Arizona move from the bed to the wheelchair.