Disclaimer: I own nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch.
A/N 1: HAPPY NEW YEAR! Woop woop, may 2011 be super awesome! Next week Grey's Anatomy starts :D
A/N 2: Sorry :(. I know that it's been a while, but things kind of got hectic. Anyway, here's the next instalment of The Accident, I really hope that you enjoy it. Pretty please review, I have no idea if this one is any good. The direction that I'm going in does kind of scare me a little, so please tell me if you would rather the new addition not be there, that way I can do a quick edit and I can go back along the path that I was following before my muse changed tracks.
Ch10
Callie risked one more look into the room. The woman with her back to the door had Arizona in a fit of laughter, tears streaming down her cheeks. Arizona was practically glowing. Callie immediately turned away from the room, clearly Arizona wasn't missing her.
She walked backwards away from the door very slowly. Her heart felt like it was being broken apart into thousands of tiny little pieces. Get a grip of yourself Callie. She reprimanded herself mentally. You've known her just over a day!
Despite trying to convince herself not to care, she felt her breath catching in her throat. Who was this woman and where did she come from? Callie looked through the glass one last time, she saw the woman embracing Arizona enthusiastically, the gorgeous blonde receiving the hug with a broad grin and her dimples dancing happily over her face.
Callie watched as the slender woman perched on the edge of Arizona's bed turned toward the door, she looked down at her watch then back into the startling eyes of the wonderful blonde. Callie could see the look of loss and defeat spread suddenly across the perky woman's features. Although every part of the Latina wanted to saunter into the room and pull Arizona into her arms, to put the dimples back in their rightful place, the pain of the unknown caused her to turn away from everything that she had ever wanted and walked down the passage toward the main exit of the hospital.
"Looks to me like someone has the bug." Arizona was pulled out of her own world by an eerily familiar voice. She turned her head toward the door as the light haired woman walked further into the room.
Arizona beamed. "What's brought you here so early?" She was so happy to see a familiar face again. "I thought that we had arranged for you to fly here next week, after everything was all settled?" She held out her arms to woman, gesturing eagerly for her to come closer.
"Well that was before you decided to start running into cars." The striking woman with electrifying blue eyes sat on the edge of Arizona's bed, pulling the giggling woman into a tight embrace. "So who is she then?"
"Who's who?" Arizona feigned ignorance, suddenly finding the little speckles on the roof tiles extraordinarily interesting.
"Come off it Zona, I've known you your entire life. When you sit there all dozey eyed with drool practically falling off your chin, I know that there's definitely something going on." The brunette grinned cheekily at Arizona, who immediately started wiping at her chin. They both erupted into a fit of giggles, the slender brunette doubling over until her head rested on the blonde's good knee.
"Stop it!" She forced through her laughter. Arizona suddenly became serious. Her heart was pounding at an unbelievable pace as she thought about the breathtaking Latina that should be coming any minute now. "She should be coming to visit at one. An evil doctor lady banned her from entering my room outside of visiting hours." A pout spread across the delicate features.
"Aww Zona. It must be so hard being you." The woman crooned sarcastically. Arizona felt herself being pulled into yet another comforting hug. She had remembered the heartbreak that these hugs had cured when she was a naive teenager. She released her grip from around the all too familiar form.
The brunette looked down at her watch then back into eyes that were full of sorrow and defeat. It was almost half past one and there was still no sign of Arizona's new lady-love. She decided that the best idea was to change the subject all together.
"So have you found an appropriate apartment yet?" She was leading slowly up to the question that was sitting on the tip of her tongue, eager to leap into the air.
"I have actually, it's absolutely beautiful. It's got this immaculate kitchen that looks like it's just been re-done an-"
"Please don't tell me you chose an apartment because of a new kitchen?" The blonde smiled up from the bed rather impishly. "I can't believe you Zone! You nearly burnt down the kitchen making toast. I mean seriously. Seriously?"
"It's such an awesome kitchen though. It has this swanky little fridge that talks to you." Arizona quietened quickly at the disapproving look that was being directed at her. "Whatever, it's my apartment and my kitchen."
"Well I suppose your awesome kitchen with your swanky little fridge will give you incentive to start learning to cook real food." Arizona's cheeky grin immediately dissolved off her features and her heart slowed, feeling like it was about to come to a complete stop.
"I wonder where Calliope is?" Arizona glanced down at her companions watch. "If she couldn't be here, she would have at least called or paged Sloan to be here." She knew that she was wrong to be going into panic mode, she didn't know Callie all that well, maybe this was something that she did on a regular basis. Maybe she wasn't really as in to me as I thought? She shook her head at the thought that found its way into her troubled mind.
"Zona, don't worry, I'm sure that she has a reason for not being here. But who's Sloan?" The woman perched on Arizona's bed folded her arms across her chest and cocked her eyebrow.
"Resident man-whore, also known as Callie's best friend, also known as Lexie's new stalker, but known to most as the best Plastic Surgeon this side of America – although he thinks he's the best in the world." Arizona rattled off Mark's many titles as the woman opposite her became more confused.
"Wow, I thought you'd only been here for a day, why does it seem you've been here over a year?"
"I've been bored, and I've been forced to endure the company of Mark Sloan for most of today. I finally persuaded him to go after his girl when I got fed up of him making droopy eyes over his phone." The woman let out an exasperated sigh at Arizona's meddling. The woman could never leave a person alone long enough to kick themselves.
"Okay, so tell me about this woman that has you all extra rainbows and unicorns?"
"Cal you can't just assume that this woman is Arizona's girlfriend." Mark repeated for the sixth time in twenty minutes. "It could be anyone."
Callie thrust her hand through her loose curls furiously. She was pacing up and down in front of Mark who was lazily sprawled over the couch. "How could she do this? I know that I only met her yesterday, but I feel like I've known her forever. I know I must seem crazy, but that's how I feel. I just can't believe that she-"
Callie hadn't noticed Mark stand up until his hands were firmly gripping her shoulder. "Relax Cal. You can't just assume that this woman is Arizona's girlfriend. She could be a friend, cousin, aunt. Who knows?" Seven and counting. Mark thought to himself.
The young surgeon sighed, defeated and heart-sore. She dropped down onto the couch that Mark had down left. The two women seemed far too close and intimate for her comfort. They couldn't just be friends, unless they had known each other since they were in kindergarten? They could be a perkier version of the Twisted Sisters?
"Go talk to her." Callie was pulled out of her own private conversation with herself and forced back into the real world. "Cal you're just going to end up torturing yourself by creating hundreds of different roles that this woman possibly plays in Blondie's life. Just go in there and act like a doctor rather than killing yourself."
"Who are you and what've you done with my man-whore best friend?" Callie looked up into caring eyes. Her smile was as broad as his. It was amazing how quickly this man could make her feel on top of the world before she slipped over the edge.
"You didn't let me finish." Callie stood up and walked toward the kitchen. She already knew what he was going to say. "The sooner you get back into Blondie's bed, the sooner I will have some dirty details. Oh, and then we can arrange the threesome." He smirked at Callie's disgusted face. "What? I know that it's bound to happen one day."
"Yah, in your dreams most probably." She rinsed her empty coffee cup and placed it on the draining board. "Besides, I thought you were after Lexie again? Was Arizona behind your ER declaration of love by any chance?"
"Blondie is awesome." He grinned. "Now get your butt back over to the hospital and go find out who the mystery woman is. As soon as you have, tell me. The threesome can always change into a foursome." Callie slammed the door with a look of disgust and humour etched across her gorgeous features.
She walked down the passage and pressed the button on the elevator before realising that she had forgotten her purse in her apartment. She sighed then turned back to her door to retrieve al essential items. At this rate it may be midnight before I get to see her. Callie thought to herself. Breath, walk, breathe, walk.
Her heart pounded faster as she took each step. She was petrified of what she would find on the other side of the hospital door. The hospital loomed larger and larger in front of her. The building hadn't seemed as intimidating as it did now, not since her first day of work, the first day that she had ever stepped onto the hospital premises. That day seemed so long ago now. She felt like it could have been a lifetime ago.
Callie took a deep breath as she stepped into the elevator and pressed the button that would carry her to the Orthopaedic floor. She had decided that it would be a good idea to stop off at the gift shop to buy ridiculously over priced flowers.
She felt like the entire hospital could feel her heart pounding through the walls and floors. Every step toward the blonde's room was harder to take. Her heart couldn't handle any more damage. One more fracture or break and she knew that she would never heal. There was no more space on her heart for plasters.
As Callie looked up from her focus on the floor she noticed that The door to Arizona's room had been opened and that a tall slender form had started to exit. She stopped in her tracks, she looked behind her toward the elevator and then back at the door. If she turned and ran now the woman would know that she was avoiding something. She doesn't know you. Callie reminded herself. She rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. There was no way that this woman could know who she was.
A sudden idea formed in Callie's mind. She pulled herself up to her full height, unexpectedly brimming with confidence. She walked with a determined air in the direction of the slender woman. She made as if she was going to walk past her, but as she neared the woman she stopped abruptly. Blue eyes. She had lost herself all too often in very similar blue eyes.
"Excuse me." Callie shook her head to bring her mind back to the present situation. She smiled at the woman who was clearly a relative of Arizona's. "Sorry, it seems that you're in a hurry to get somewhere, but would you be able to point me in the direction of the cafeteria please?"
"Umm sure, it's on the ground floor, as soon as you get out of the elevator there should be a sign pointing you in the right direction. However if I was you I'd avoid the cafeteria at all costs and rather pop over to the little coffee shop over the road. The food is much better and the coffee actually does taste like coffee, rather than the tar that this place tries to pass off as coffee."
The light haired woman flashed Callie a broad smile, revealing crater sized dimples. They weren't as deep and defined as Arizona's, but they were there none the less. "Thanks, I might just do that."
Callie walked straight past the room that the slender woman had walked out of, instead heading to the nurses' station. She pulled out her phone and quickly typed Mark a message. 'Clearly a relative. No foursome. Don't wait up for me xxx' She locked the keypad on her phone and slipped it back into her bag.
Her heart souring once again she walked into Arizona's room and closed the door softly behind her. She looked down at the angelic face that was fast asleep. Even in Arizona's sleep she had a killer smile on her face, which made Callie feel weak at the knees. The brunette watched as a frown formed across the once peaceful visage. She could see that Arizona was uncomfortable from the way that she fidgeted and awkwardly tried to move around in her sleep. Although she felt sorry for the woman, she still found it incredibly endearing and slightly funny to watch.
She leaned over the woman, putting the flowers down gently on the side of the bed. Callie placed feather light kisses on the creases of Arizona's frown, causing her to stir from her sleep. The brunette trailed kisses down a smooth, milky cheek, edging closer and closer toward the pouty pink lips.
"Mmmm, Calliope." Arizona breathed out, sleep marring the clarity of her voice.
"Hey baby." Callie smiled against Arizona's cheek. Placing one last chaste kiss at the corner of the blonde's mouth she moved in on the irresistible pout. What was meant to be a light, gentle kiss quickly became more heated as Arizona's senses returned to her. Callie could feel herself being pulled onto the bed, but mindful of the extremely overpriced flowers, she pulled out of the searing kiss. "I brought you something."
Arizona immediately became giddy. Last time it was a teddy and donuts. "Ooh. I feel like it should be Christmas, or my birthday."
Callie reached underneath her torso and pulled out the bouquet of Arizona's favourite flowers. "You've got to understand that this is no ordinary bouquet of flowers, this is a hospital bouquet, and when you have full function of all your limbs and you're patrolling the corridors of this fine establishment, you will understand what that means." She smiled down into the sparkling blue eyes once again. She hadn't realised how much she had really missed seeing them this afternoon until looking into them now.
"I hope that they also mean 'Sorry I stood you up'." Arizona frowned childishly, forcing a pout and trying desperately to keep it on her face.
"Sorry I stood you up." Callie leaned over the blonde placing a chaste kiss on her lips once again.
"Aaah, so you must be the elusive Doctor Torres?" Startled momentarily Callie pulled away from Arizona. She turned to face the woman at the door, only to see that this time she wasn't alone, this time a tall, dark haired man stood beside her, and a blonde baby slept peacefully in her arms. "We meet again."
Callie smiled sheepishly at the woman in the doorway before looking down at Arizona. She already knew that the woman was part of the family, she assumed that the gentleman was her husband and the sleeping infant her daughter. She noticed that almost all the colour had drained out of the blonde's face. Something just didn't seem quite right.
Arizona forced herself into a more upright position. This was going to be a long night. She patted the bed next to her, and gestured for the rest of her little party to make themselves comfortable in the limited space.
"Umm Calliope this is my sister Grace and her husband Liam. Liam, Grace this is Calliope." She paused unsure of how to introduce the infant in her sister's arms. She looked hesitantly up at her sister, pleading for her to save the situation.
"And this here is little Sophia. Well she was little Sophia, but I don't think that we'll be able to call her that for much longer. She's just grown so much already!" Grace crooned down at the sleeping child. She knew that Arizona hadn't said anything and part of her wondered why. She held out the infant toward Arizona in silent questioning. The blonde immediately stretched out her arms toward her older sister anticipating the soft warm feeling of the child in her arms.
Arizona cradled the child in her chest, smelling the sweet scent that only an infant possessed. Her eyes closed and a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. She had forgotten that Callie was in the room, and that she would be watching the interaction between her and the child. When she looked up into the brunettes eyes, she saw that she knew.
There was no anger or sadness in Callie's voice, there was no hurt or blame, just plain curiosity. "Why didn't you tell me?"