AN : Hey guys!
Chapter 10 and first step of Arizona in her new life and first steps of her friends without her.
I really hope the story still interesting you. It's going to be a little sad for a while but of course, Things will get better.. Ors worst! Who know...
Oh yeah, I know!
Then, I made my minde about Calzona but I won't tell you already. Let's keep a little suspense!
Alina had helped me again. You can thanks her she's amazing and correct my mistake so fast!
Have a nice reading and leave a review!
Callie was standing in front of Arizona's place, waiting for Teddy to join her. They had to empty the house of her belongings and that wasn't going to be an easy task.
Arizona's parents couldn't handle it and they had asked her if she could deal with it. Callie had immediately agreed and so, here she was, still under the shock of the death of her ex-wife, about to fill boxes.
Sofia was with Meredith and her children. The little girl had cried a lot the first few hours after Callie had explained to her what had happened to her Mama. But since then, she hadn't shown any sign of emotion. She was keeping everything inside, just like her mother used to do. She was Arizona Robbins' daughter for sure, putting a cheerful smile on her face when everything was broken inside.
Well-aware of the damage that kind of behavior could do, Callie had taken the lead by asking help from a shrink. So, she could help her daughter mourn in a healthy way. She couldn't do much but she was trying.
Teddy had been totally devastated by the loss of her friend. She was blaming herself for not being more careful and present for Arizona these past months and she had decided to stay in Seattle for a little while and help her friends through this tragic time.
« Sorry I'm late! » She said, running towards Callie who was sitting on the steps.
« Hey Teddy! » She said as she stood up. « I'm so glad to see you! »
Callie hugged Teddy for a moment. She needed to be close to someone who was close to Arizona to be able to talk about her. Breaking the embrace, Teddy stepped back a little and looked at the house.
« So, this is where she is... was living. » Teddy said, biting her lip to prevent a sob from escaping. « It's beautiful. Are you going to keep it? »
« Well, it isn't my decision. You know we were divorced, so it would be her parent's decision. Or some lawyer she had hired to take care of Sofia's business. I don't really know yet. » Callie said as the two women opened the door, discovering for the first time the insides of the house. « Anyway, she was renting it, so we just have to clear out what belonged to her and it... will be over. »
Saying those word, Callie burst in tears, once again. Teddy rushed to hug her as tears escaped her own eyes and rolled down her cheeks as she looked through the living-room.
Callie took a deep breath and grabbed a box and walked to Sofia's room, when suddenly the front door opened.
« Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you will be here. » Andrew Deluca apologized. « I'll come back later ».
Callie didn't say a word, and the young intern left the house.
« Who was that? » Teddy asked.
« Oh, that was Deluca. He's an intern at Grey Sloan. Apparently he was Arizona's roommate. That's all I know. I think he's going to take over the lease on his own. Never mind... »
« Arizona had a roommate? Why? » Teddy asked. « Everything I heard about her lately... it's like she is a total stranger for me... We've been in touch all this year but I don't recognize her. »
« You know, the Arizona we used to know before the crash was gone. » Callie explained « A part of her got lost in those mountains. Her physical recovery had been long, that's normal. But her psychological recovery took years. And that's one of the reason we lost each other. »
« I'm so sorry Callie. I should have been there for her, for you. » Teddy apologized.
…...
It was her first day alone in a new life she had never asked for. She woke up in the bed without any desire to actually get up. Nothing felt good here, nothing was hers, and nothing she wanted was here. She was going to play pretend being someone she wasn't and that was making her nervous and nostalgic.
Of course her life wasn't perfect in Seattle, even before Roney entered her life. She was alone most of the time, plunging into her work, sharing her free time between Sofia when she had her and a few nights out, mostly on her own. At that time April was in the army and that's when she realized how lonely she was.
Being a double board certified surgeons had its benefits and she was happy to spend more time at work, learning to tame her new specialty.
Being a 'part time' mother for Sofia was something she didn't like. She loved her daughter more than anything, no one could deny that, but being able to see her only half of a week was hard to handle. But she had no choice, it was the way it was.
Being divorced wasn't that hard. It was just some paper she signed, a house they sold, items they shared. What was hard was not being with Callie and seeing her every single day at the hospital. She was the master of avoiding her though. She was pretty good at it. But she had to cross her sometimes or get a glimpse of her from afar. They had even worked on several patients together successfully. The truth was that where the professional factor was handled in a mature way, the emotional factor was more difficult to undergo. But like everything else, she had to raise her head and smile. She couldn't change anything. She just had to move on even if most of the time she couldn't handle it.
And now again, she had no other choice: put a big fake smile on your face and face the world!
She sighed and headed to the bathroom. She took a quick shower and got dressed. Looking at herself in the mirror she wasn't sure what do with her hair. She put them in a simple ponytail and walked to her kitchen. It was 7 am and she wasn't in the mood for eating anything. Sighing again, she grabbed her jacket and bag, left her apartment and made her way towards her new office. It was just a few blocks away and she was early, so she decided to go to a little coffee shop she had noticed the day before. She settled in a seat and ordered a complete breakfast.
She was lost in her thoughts looking sadly through the window, waiting for her coffee when a man sat across from her at the table.
« Hi! » the man said. « I've never see you here before. »
« Uh... I'm sorry, what did you say? Who are you? » Arizona mumbled, surprised by the friendly tone of the man's voice.
« I'm Seth Jefferson, nice to meet you! And you are? » he asked her.
« I'm Debra Ryan. » She replied, repeating her lesson as Agent Earwood had taught her to.
« So Debra, what brings you here? » He asked her.
Arizona looked at him suspiciously and inhaled deeply. Who was this man and what did he want? The waitress arrived and served her coffee and breakfast.
« Seth, can you leave my customer alone! » The waitress teased the man. « Is he bothering you? Let me know, I'll kick him out. »
« No, it's okay, thank you. » Arizona politely replied.
« You see? I'm just trying to get to know Debra here. » Seth teased the waitress back.
« Alright then... But don't annoy her please! »
She left the table and got back to work. Arizona was a little relieved, apparently the man was known in the area, so he wasn't a threat.
« So, are you here for a while or just for a few days? » he asked.
« I'm sorry, but I'd like to have my breakfast peacefully, so if you don't mind leaving me alone... » Arizona asked him.
« Oh... okay... I was just asking, because you know, you don't come here by accident. » Seth replied. « I mean, it's a quiet district except for the people who are living nearby or working around. There are not a lot of things to do here. And I've never seen you before and you're pretty so... »
Arizona rolled her eyes. She had noticed his wedding ring and thought that he had some nerve to try to seduce her without even hiding the fact that he wasn't single.
« Listen, Seth? Right? » Arizona said. « I'm not available and I'm not interested in you, at all. Moreover, you seem to be married? So you can go now. »
« Oh! No I wasn't trying to hit on you! » He interjected. « I was just trying to be friendly. I'm sorry if I came off that way... And you're right, I'm happily married and I'm a very faithful husband, so don't worry about that. By the way, you're not my type... »
Arizona was tired of this man already. She didn't get what he wanted or needed. She ended her breakfast quickly and stood up, leaving Seth on his own.
She was still a little early but decided to go to her new job anyway.
Arriving in front of the building, she checked her new phone where she had the address, and entered the building.
…...
April was not feeling motivated that day. She was in the attending's lounge, waiting in front of Arizona's locker with an empty box. She couldn't believe that her friend was dead. It was unreal, it was unfair.
She wished Arizona had talked to her about her problems. She could have helped her, she could have done something.
Alex and Joe entered the room and noticed her, frozen in front of the now ownerless locker. They approached her and Alex placed a friendly hand on her shoulder.
« I can't do this. It... It will really mean that she's gone, and I'm not ready for that. » April said as tears rolled down her face.
Alex sighed and rubbed his face. He wasn't ready either to do that, but someone had to do it.
« I'll do it. » Joe said. « I'll do it, but I think that you guys should go and have a drink or something, I'll take care of it. »
April approached Joe and took her in her arms as a silent thanks.
…...
« Here is your office Ms. Ryan. » the woman said. « You already have files waiting for you! I'm here to help you if you need it. Don't hesitate to call me. We're thrilled to have you here! »
« Thanks a lot. » Arizona replied.
She entered the room and sighed deeply. « Great! » She thought to herself, looking around. It was a small room surrounded by shelves. She had a big desk full of paperwork waiting for her and she didn't want to do it, but she had to. She took her seat behind the desk and looked at her laptop. She opened it and just wished she could write an email to April or even Callie to inform them she was okay and that they just had to be patiently and they will see her again. She wanted to do it badly. Restraining her tears, she closed her eyes and turned her chair towards the giant windows behind her. She opened her eyes and noticed the wonderful view of the city she had from there. She swallowed hard but smiled a little. It was sunny out here and the sky wasn't clouded at all.
« Hey there! » a familiar voice said, knocking at her still open door. « I'm your neighbor, office 12. As we're going to work on some files together, I brought you a welcome gift! »
Arizona stood and looked at the man she already knew.
« You must be kidding me? »
…...
Amelia Shepard was alone, in her office, reviewing some CT scans when Stephanie Edwards entered.
« Dr. Shepard, the OR is ready, we can scrub-in now. »
« I'm on my way. » Amelia replied softly.
« Are you okay? » Stephanie asked her mentor.
« I have to be. » Amelia replied. « It's just... You know, people keep dying around me and it... »
« She was a great surgeon. » Stephanie said.
« And a great friend... » Amelia replied instantaneously.
« You know, it's funny actually... A few weeks ago, I had a talk with her about the fact that she was a legend among the interns and the residents. » Stephanie confessed.
« What do you mean? » Amelia asked.
« You know, she survived so many accidents, she had been through so much and she was still here, smiling and working hard. She began from square zero with that fetal fellowship and learned everything in less than 6 months... I told her she was immortal... » Stephanie said, tears appearing in her eyes. « I guess I was wrong. »
Amelia nodded and laughed. « Come on, we have work to do! »
…...
« I don't get it Bailey! That accident is just so... » Teddy said.
« So what? » Bailey asked, annoyed by her friend's questions. « Accidents happen all the time! »
« But after all those events, why wasn't she under protection? And why did she ask to be transferred? It doesn't make any sense! »
« She had changed since you left the hospital Altman. She had been through a lot and she didn't want to be treated here, because the last time, things didn't go the way they were supposed to. » Bailey lied.
« I'm lost here Bailey. Everybody is buying the facts and the story. I guess I'm the only one who thinks that the accident doesn't feel real... » Teddy insisted.
« You want proof? You can call the police if you want. Ask them, and you'll see that there's nothing weird. It's just a stupid accident. » Bailey replied. « So if you'll excuse me, I have rounds. »
…...
« What are you doing here? » Arizona asked.
« Debra? Wow! I know we were meant to meet again! » Seth said. « So you're our new medical expert? »
« Apparently. » Arizona said coldly. « Would you get out of my office, I need some privacy. »
« Okay... » Seth winced. « I will leave you here. You can call me if you need anything! »
He left the fruit basket he had brought on a shelf and closed the door behind him.
Arizona immediately took out her phone and called Agent Earwood, leaving her a voice mail.
« Hi, it's Debra. You might want to check on a certain Seth Jefferson who is working in the office next to mine. »