End of Chapter 11

But Arizona had a hard time explaining the narcotics, medical supplies and the expensive additions to the clinic. How was Dr. Torres funding that, if not with under the table funds?

First thing Monday she would be following up on Dr. Calliope aka 'Cal' Torres.


§

Chapter 12

§


Monday morning Arizona Robbins hurried through the company's entrance, uncharacteristically late. "Morning Chief," she huffed as she greeted her boss, slightly winded from rushing inside. "Sorry, I overslept," she explained in frustration.

The long flight home was fraught with delays. Saturday afternoon she needed to take a puddle jumper from Bata to Malabo. Then from Malabo, she flew to Frankfurt, then to Chicago and on to her destination of Los Angeles. On a good day, it was almost twenty-eight hours of travel time. Yesterday was not a good day. Arizona only walked into her apartment a few hours earlier. She showered and changed, afraid if she actually lay down, she would oversleep, so she prudently avoided her bed altogether. While she waited for the sun to rise, sorting through her mail, she fell asleep just the same - at the kitchen table.

"Good trip Robbins?" Webber cavalierly asked his team leader. He did not bother waiting for her response. "Did you forget the policy - no solo travel? It's not how we do things here, you know that," he admonished, clearly unhappy with the news that his employee delayed her return trip home.

"Sorry Chief, it was an unusual situation; it just popped up at the last-minute. I couldn't in good conscience walk away," Arizona earnestly explained. Realizing her boss' displeasure, she added contritely, "Really."

Webber looked at her, mulling her response, "Hmmmm, I can't wait to hear all about it," he replied skeptically. Normally, Dr. Arizona Robbins made practical, safe choices and she was a stickler for policies, hounding everyone else to follow her lead. She was the epitome of an exemplary employee, never straying from the expectations. Her eyes pleaded with him for tolerance. She would not expect him to be understanding of a situation she didn't fully comprehend. The best she could hope for was Webber would tolerate her actions this time.

Richard Webber decided, for the moment, he would give his protégé the benefit of the doubt. "This can't happen again without clearance. I'm responsible for your safety. Get a move on, we're running late. Debriefing is in 10 minutes, but this conversation is not finished. We'll talk later. Now, let's go hear those evaluations."

The Humans First team assembled in the conference room for the morning meeting. "Our investigation covered the general medical area. There were some improvements. Hospital administration was pleased we noticed their efforts. In terms of the human trafficking piece, we followed up on our lead, a guy named William Rivas. He is a big shot businessman, whom we suspect is buying his way through the system, conveniently leaving him off the authorities' radar. Unfortunately, he also seemed to be able to explain away every fact we challenged him with. He was squeaky clean," Arizona explained, "a bit too clean, in my opinion."

Jackson Avery piped in, "There is a doctor on his payroll, technically as his soccer team's physician. We think she is the conduit in this operation. She has access to key personal data from patient files at the clinic, so she knows which families to target. She even has the opportunity to privately converse with the families without needing to share the specifics under doctor-patient privilege," Avery air quoted 'doctor-patient privilege' for effect. "We suspect she is relaying the names of potential victims to him or one of Rivas' associates. A large number of the population speaks Spanish as well as the local dialect. She is fluent in Spanish; she's probably from Spain. Dr. Torres has the means and the opportunity. Trafficking is a huge money-maker, so there's her motive. She may even be the true culprit."

"Really? A doctor?" Webber replied, his interest piqued.

Arizona moved uncomfortably in her seat. "I'm not so sure about that anymore," she contested.

"What!" Karev yelped as he spit out his coffee. "Exactly what are you not sure about?"

Arizona paused a moment, then gathered her confidence. She knew the words she was about to speak would not be well received by her team. "I'm not sure Dr. Torres is involved, at least to the extent we suspect her of being."

Karev shook his head incredulously, and angrily spewed, "You were tracking her actions all week. Well, initially his actions, when you first thought she was a he. She was a no-show for your meeting; she couldn't bother to speak with us. You even warned her. On Friday morning you were all gung-ho when we went into that meeting. What changed? You were set to file a complaint against her, go after her medical license. During our wrap-up, no one could dispute the facts we presented. You implied she was in bed with Rivas, literally and figuratively!"

Conflicted, because Alex was correct, Arizona did feel slighted that Dr. Torres had blatantly disregarded her requests to meet, claiming her schedule was completely full. Arizona interpreted this as avoidance, not truth and latched on to the collected information like a bit pull, sharing it mercilessly.

Arizona calmly explained, "Some new information came to light after you left. I need to pursue some new leads. I'm just not comfortable with our assessments that implicate Dr. Torres at this point. It turns out she not European either; she's an American. If I am going to make accusations against a fellow doctor, I need to be totally confident the facts are accurate. My gut tells me there is more to the story. I need to do more digging."

Karev was not impressed. He had worked diligently on this assignment. Robbins drove them hard, and now she wanted to disregard their results. Between his fatigue and jet lag, he could not contain his agitation and blurted, "Your gut? It's more like your eyeballs. I saw a picture of Torres before we left, she's hot. I think your hormones are clouding your judgment. Did Torres feed you that load of bullcrap?" Adding under his breath in frustration, "She's probably sleeping her way through the system and dragged you into the sack."

The Chief may have missed the last flip remark, but Arizona and Jackson didn't. Her face flushed at Karev's comment. Jackson chortled. 'Damn Karev and his filterless mouth,' she thought. Arizona tried to sidestep the weirdly accurate portion of his insinuation. It was Calliope Torres' actions that caused Arizona to spend the night in the good doctor's bed.

"Actually, we haven't exactly spoken yet," she said, telling the simple white lie. "You're out of line, Karev. I am more than able to keep clients at an arm's length. Don't you ever imply otherwise," she reprimanded. "Let me be clear, I'm will not sign off on the evaluation until we are positive the FACTS are correct."

"More digging? You're not going back, are you?" April disbelievingly asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Arizona disclosed.

"Hold on here! Arizona, you know we can't send the team back, it's too costly," the Chief interjected. This was the first he heard any of this and he was not happy to be caught off guard.

"It would just need to be me and I'm not even sure. I'm following up on some new information stateside. I need to see what comes of it," Arizona justified. She certainly would not mind returning to Bata and hoped that new intel would open the door to that possibility.

"Arizona, have you already forgotten our earlier conversation? We don't send people solo on these trips. Remember, company policy," admonished the Chief.

"Technically, it's only a guideline, not a hard and fast company rule. Look, I don't even know if a return trip is warranted. First, I need to check out the new information. But if something substantial came of it, there is a possibility I would need to go. It would just be for a few days, only at the hospital. Low risk. We have an in-country contact I could tie in with," Arizona proposed in order to validate her position.

Seeing there was no reasoning with his team leader this morning, Webber looked at his watch and diplomatically curtailed the group discussion, "We've wandered off topic. This whole conversation about a return trip is clearly premature. I need to put this discussion on hold. Dr. Robbins, you and I have another meeting to run to. The rest of you, finish up your reports on this case and get them to Robbins. I want this project closed out. I have a new one requiring our attention. Arizona, can you hold up? I'd like to speak with you privately."

Once the room cleared, Webber, perplexed by his team leader's atypical response, probed, "How many leads do you actually have?"

Arizona stammered, "Well, umm, I...I have one lead. But it's a solid one," she earnestly said and hoped. The only concrete lead she had to go on was the absconded emergency contact name listed on Dr. Torres' passport.

This behavior was an aberration for the blond. So much so, Webber decided if Arizona Robbins felt like this warranted a second look, he respected her enough to consider her request, within reason. The Chief waited a few seconds as he thought it over, "We need to leave in a few minutes for our meeting. You can take another day to sort through this situation, but on your time, not mine. I'll extend your deadline a day, but I expect your team's final report by Wednesday morning, at the latest. If you find anything substantial, we'll talk. Until then, my deadline is firm, first thing Wednesday."

"Okay," she replied. "Thanks Chief." Relief washed over her. At first she was worried the Chief was going to deny her request to follow-up, which would have been tantamount to halting a mystery mid-story. The unresolved ending, with its alluring antagonist, would only continue to gnaw at her.

"Now, let's go. We need to meet our next clients," Webber said.

"Can you give me like fifteen minutes? I...I need to use the restroom, my stomach's off. Something I ate when I was traveling," she concocted.

Webber raised his eyebrows, challenging her excuse. "Fine," he relented. An illness stopping Arizona Robbins, not likely the Chief speculated.

Arizona left the conference room with a bee in her bonnet. She dashed into Alex's office, irate at his inability to keep his mouth shut. "Alex, do I need to restate this for you? Any comments or insinuations regarding my personal life are off-limits. No exceptions! Am I clear? Just because you happen to be privy to certain details regarding my lifestyle, it doesn't mean they are to be shared. Do it again and that will be three strikes against you and you'll be done. It won't be just off my service, I'll make sure you won't have a job," she threatened.

Alex looked at the ferocity roaring from her eyes and nodded his head, "Fine. Sorry Boss." Alex had never seen Arizona this riled, usually their bantering, even when it involved sexual innuendo, resulted in rolled eyeballs and a few lashes with a wet noodle. It was facetious give and take. He knew today he struck an unusually raw nerve. Sure, he let the insolent remark loose, but he was tired. They all did it from time to time. He unintentionally blabbed out and Robbins typically rolled with it. He chalked it up to mutual weariness and shrugged it off.

Arizona stormed from Alex's office to her own. Closing her office door, she looked at her watch,"Damn it," she groaned. In ten minutes she needed to leave. She sat at her desk and closed her eyes a moment, trying to calm down. She overreacted. She knew fatigue wasn't helping the situation. But the catalyst for her outburst was not the exhaustion, it was her guilt. She broke her own cardinal rule by allowing personal feelings to interfere with her professional decision-making. Alex was right. She did not keep the alleged offender at an arm's length, rather she held her tight. It bothered her that it felt so good. Grabbing her cell phone, she opened the jpg of Dr. Torres' passport and imbibed. Dr. Torres was addictive. Immediately, Arizona relaxed as she stared at the picture, 'Even the woman's passport photo was good'.

The Chief gave her only a small window of time and patience was never one of her virtues. She had a few minutes, enough to make at one call. She opened the second jpg in order to read the emergency contact name, a Mrs. Louise O'Malley. The woman may not even be home Arizona reasoned, but she could leave a message and pray for a call back.

Arizona dialed the number listed below the name. After two rings, she was greeted by a melodious voice, "Hello."

"Hello, Mrs. O'Malley?" Arizona inquired.

The woman responded, "Yes."

"This is Dr. Arizona Robbins with the organization Humans First. I am calling about Dr. Cal Torres."

"Did you mean Callie? You're calling about Callie? Did you say you're a doctor? Is she sick? Did something happen? Is she alright? Please tell me she is okay," begged the panicky woman.

The concerned response caught Arizona off guard. "She's...she's fine," Arizona answered, 'Well, she should be fine by now,' she thought to herself. 'Callie is totally better than Cal, but still not as good as Calliope,' Arizona mused.

"You know she is working in Africa?" Arizona questioned.

"Africa, really? "I didn't," Mrs. O'Malley tentatively answered, obviously surprised by the information. At least the woman was slightly calmer than she was thirty seconds earlier. "But, she's okay you said?"

"Yes, I believe she is fine," Arizona confirmed for a second time - sprouting another white lie. She hoped Dr. Torres was fine, but she wasn't positive. "I just assumed you would know she is working out of the country since you are listed as her emergency contact on her passport," Arizona explained.

"Oh, I am? I guess she never changed it after….," Mrs. O'Malley paused, leaving only an awkward silence remaining.

Arizona prompted, "Mrs. O'Malley? Are you still there?"

"I'm here," was the strangled response.

Unsure of what instigated the downturn in their conversation, Arizona questioned, "May I ask what your relationship is to her?"

Sadness dethroned chirpiness as older woman explained, "She's my daughter-in-law...Actually, she's my former daughter-in-law. She was married to my son, George."

'Of course she's straight,' Arizona languished. In just a couple minutes, her silly fantasy had been squashed. 'George was her husband.'

"You said 'was married'. Dr. Torres and your son are no longer together?" Arizona questioned.

After another long pause, "My son, George, died in an accident a few years back, but even before he died, they divorced. I still think of her as my daughter-in-law," Mrs. O'Malley tearfully shared.

"I'm sorry about your son, Mrs. O'Malley...Well, you have not been in touch with Dr. Torres lately, so you can't speak about what she is involved with. How about providing a character reference?" Arizona proposed.

Mrs. O'Malley perked up at the request. "Callie, well she is a character," the older woman joked. "Funny, caring, compassionate. I just love her. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body. If anything that's her problem. She would do anything for people. Is she in trouble? Please tell me she is okay," Louise O'Malley pleaded. "You know, she will always hold a special place in my heart."

Arizona tried to skirt the issue on the doctor's wellbeing, "I'm just following up on her work overseas. I really haven't had a chance to speak with her in person yet, and your opinion would help me complete the reference part of my report."

"Who did you say you work for?" Mrs. O'Malley suddenly inquired.

Arizona replied, "I'm with a physician advocacy organization, Humans First. I work out of LA.

"Have you spoken with Callie's mother, Lucia? Or even Dr. Bailey. They could probably help you better," Mrs. O'Malley suggested.

"Do you happen to have a number for either one?" Arizona inquired. Though her fantasy may have hit a dead-end with this phone call, her professional purpose had not.

"I don't. I didn't interact much with Carlos or Lucia. They live in Miami, if that helps. Dr. Miranda Bailey, she used to work at what was Seattle Grace Hospital. I can't remember what they call the place now. She's at LA General I heard," Mrs. O'Malley responded.

"I'll give them a call. Thank you, Mrs. O'Malley. I really appreciate you taking the time to speak with me. Have a nice day," Arizona answered.

"If you see Callie, tell her I miss her. Bye," Mrs. O'Malley said as her voice trailed off and the phone call ended.

The conversation left Arizona deflated. Truly, it was absurd to think anything more was going to come from those last hours in Bata, which was exactly the problem. The harder she tried to shake Calliope Torres from her mind, the more of a distraction the orthopedic surgeon became. Arizona resolved the best way to distance herself from this dilemma was to finish the job she started and complete her report, meaning she needed to track down two more people.

Leaning back in her chair, she said, "Well, three of the names seem to be clearer, George, Bailey and I'm assuming Daddy is her father. She must be on better terms with her mother, since she didn't offer a tearful apology to her that night. I have the number for LA Gen, but I'll need to track down the mother's home phone number," Arizona concluded aloud. "Though if Dr. Torres' mother is anything like mine and I was working in a third world country, she's going to be all sappy and tearful. Can't wait for that conversation," Arizona sarcastically commented.

Arizona looked at her watch, "Shit," she was late. It was a good thing she didn't need to use the bathroom because there wasn't time. She grabbed her briefcase and hurried from her office, pulling up the number of Los Angeles General Hospital on her cell phone as she scurried to meet Richard Webber.

Once the number in her contacts popped up, she pressed call on her phone and waited impatiently for it to connect. "Los Angeles General Hospital. How may I direct your call?" the switchboard operator queried.

She replied, "Dr. Miranda Bailey."

"One moment, please."

"Good, she still works there," Arizona said with relief.

The call went straight to voicemail. She left a message, "Dr. Bailey, my name is Dr. Arizona Robbins. I'm with a doctor's advocacy group here in LA. Currently, we are working on a project and we need a character reference on a Dr. Calliope Torres. Would you be able to help me on that? Mrs. Louise O'Malley gave me your name. If you would return my call, I would appreciate that," Arizona left her cell phone number and ended the call.

"Get a move on Robbins, we're late," Richard barked as soon as he saw Arizona round the corner. He was waiting impatiently in the building's lobby.

Arizona struggled to stay focused the balance of the day while she sat in meetings offsite with her boss. During lunch, she merely picked at her food. Richard could not decide whether she was indeed ill or if there was something else bothering the blonde. During the afternoon briefing, she jotted down a few notes, tried to engage in productive dialogue and forced herself to stay focused, but to no avail.

Unable to hold off any longer, Arizona pulled out her cell phone, pretending to be reading an important text message and not ogling the picture of Calliope Torres. Arizona silently pondered, "This is getting more convoluted. Dr. Torres, you are an enigma. I mean come on, you divorce the son, but the mother-in-law doesn't just like you, she loves you. And distracting, you made the long trip home rather pleasant, clearly wishful thinking on my part," she blushed at the recollection. "Moot point now anyhow."

She was jarred from her daydream when her cell phone vibrated in her hand, making her turned even redder in embarrassment. "Would you excuse me?" Arizona asked the group. "I need to take this," she said apologetically. Richard Webber was less than pleased with his employee's obvious distractibility; his glare conveyed that in no uncertain terms. Arizona averted her eyes from his and scooted to the hallway, where she took the call, "Dr. Robbins."

A business-like voice replied, "Dr. Robbins, Miranda Bailey here. I can meet with you, though I am not clear on the purpose from your message. I don't have time to chat now. How is 5pm today at my office?"

"That would be super," Arizona cheerily replied.

"Super?" Dr. Bailey hissed. "My office is on the 6th floor of LA General, number 615. See you then," Dr. Bailey snappily responded and ended the call.

Before returning to the conference room, Arizona shut her phone off and tucked it away. She knew she was currently on the bad side of Webber. Why wouldn't she be? She traveled alone, showed up to work late and had been lost in her own world all day. She was clearly off-task. "Snap out of it, Arizona," she reprimanded herself. "The sooner you get through this meeting, the sooner you can sort out the Torres problem. At this point, you need to accept that this is just a work related discrepancy that needs resolution." She returned to the meeting, immersing herself in the conversation.


§


"Robbins, thanks for finally showing up today. You had me worried there," Webber said as the two were leaving the building later that afternoon.

She looked at him guiltily, "I'm sorry Chief." She had no viable excuses, so she made none.

"Look, I need you, 100% of you, not just a piece. It's just past 4:00. Go do what you need to clear your head. Tomorrow make sure the Arizona Robbins I know and depend on shows up for work," he sternly directed.

She sheepishly smiled, like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "See you tomorrow."

Arizona grabbed a cab to LA Gen. As the taxi drove through the city, her mind wandered back to her last twenty-four hours in Bata, specifically her time with Calliope Torres. Was the appeal the case or the woman? The answer was both, though initially the latter seemed to have the edge.

Her conversation with Mrs. O'Malley unfortunately clarified things, though she still felt obligated to find something that tipped the scales in Dr. Torres' favor. Arizona was rather harsh in her initial assessment of the woman. Everyone she spoke with professed the doctor's innocence. No one could believe that Dr. Torres was anything but sincere in her actions. The records Arizona scrutinized from the clinic showed the money spent by Dr. Torres definitely exceeded her paycheck, that fact did not help matters. Despite learning the woman was straight, the phone call to the former mother-in-law only provoked Arizona's curiosity further. Louise O'Malley was not the stereotypical mother-in-law; she gushed about her ex-daughter-in-law.

Sitting in the coffee shop at LA Gen, passing time until her appointment with Dr. Bailey, Arizona decided to track down the second lead provided by Mrs. O'Malley, Dr. Torres' mother. If she could sort this out today, her paperwork could be completed tomorrow and then she would be free and clear to move on to another assignment by Wednesday, which would hopefully halt her daydreaming.

Getting the phone number of Lucia Torres proved problematic. She made a few calls, even calling in a favor, and eventually she secured the unlisted home phone number of a Carlos and Lucia Torres of Miami, Florida. Arizona dialed the string of numbers.

"Torres residence, may I help you?" the voice said on the other end.

"Yes, I would like to speak with Mrs. Torres. Is she available?" Arizona politely requested.

The voice inquired, "May I ask who is calling?"

"My name is Dr. Robbins, from Humans First. I am calling in regards to her daughter."

"One moment, please," was the courteous response.

Seconds later a different voice spoke, "Dr. Robbins? This is Lucia Torres. May I inquire as to what you are calling about and what this has to do with my daughter? Is she okay?" Lucia worriedly asked.

"Yes, she's fine. There is a project I am affiliated with that involves the hospital in Africa where she is currently employed. I was hoping I could ask you some questions," Arizona explained.

"Who is this?" Mrs. Torres crossly responded. "My daughter, Aria, is working here in Miami."

"I'm sorry. I was under the impression that you were the mother of Dr. Calliope Torres. Do I have the wrong number? If so, my apologies for bothering you," Arizona said with remorse.

"Please don't call back. Good day Dr. Robbins," Lucia Torres said as she abruptly hung up the phone.

'I was certain that Mrs. O'Malley mentioned that Carlos and Lucia were the parents of Calliope Torres. I just assumed their last name was Torres as well,' Arizona reflected.

Looking at her watch, it was just a few minutes before her meeting. She left the coffee shop and took the elevator to the sixth floor.

Promptly at 5:00pm, Arizona knocked on the open office door of Miranda Bailey, "Dr. Robbins, I presume?" Miranda asked as she looked up from her desk.

"Yes, please call me Arizona. I'm with Humans First. We investigate human rights issues," Arizona said.

Miranda Bailey stood and shook Arizona's hand, sizing her up. She skeptically stared at the blonde, from head to toe. Dr. Bailey's wary eyes made Arizona uncomfortable. "You're here about Callie." She wasn't asking. "Is she in some sort of trouble because I'm fairly certain this is not a social visit? What exactly is your interest in Callie Torres?" Bailey demanded.

Arizona was caught off guard by Dr. Bailey's word choice and her imposing tone of protectiveness. Arizona stuttered, trying to explain, "My interest in..ummm."

Annoyed at the blonde's stalled response, Bailey impatiently asked, "Do you have a business card or some credentials? For all I know you could be another jilted lover looking to get your hands in her deep pockets."

Now totally bewildered, Arizona mutely gasped, 'Me a lover, I thought she was straight?' Arizona Robbins' mouth dropped wide open, "What? No!" she emphatically replied. She fumbled in her briefcase for the documents requested by the formidable physician. Arizona stammered, "Here's my card and credentials." This woman was far more skeptical and intimidating than Mrs. O'Malley, right from the get go, Arizona readily concluded. She knew she would not be skirting questions easily.

"What exactly does Humans First have to do with Callie Torres?" Bailey pressed.

Miranda Bailey was not a tall woman, but her airs were monumental and perceptive. There was no point in trying to be anything but forthright. Arizona took a deep breath and divulged, "Her name has come up in certain questionable situations. I'd like to think it's nothing, but in order to help me straighten this out, I need your insight. Can you give me a bit of background on Dr. Torres, specifically why would she go to Africa in the first place?"

Miranda threw her hands in the air and offered a disgusted look as she flopped back down in her chair, "The woman's a damn fool, that's why. Her heart broke just one too many times."

Arizona, sitting in the chair nearest the desk, looked at the doctor perplexed, "I understand she was married, divorced and then the ex-husband died. That broke her heart?"

Miranda Bailey shook her head, "If it was just the cheating husband, she would have been fine. I'm quite sure the decision to hightail it out of the country was the culmination of the few disastrous relationships that followed." Bailey stopped a moment, continuing to scrutinize the blonde.

She looked suspiciously at Arizona before continuing, "It's just that...never mind. Listen, I don't get involved in people's personal business. But I will tell you that Callie Torres is good people. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and it always gets her in trouble. She is as honest as the day is long. I don't know what you're insinuating, but I would swear on a bible her involvement is innocent," the feisty shorter physician declared with confidence.

Arizona broached this next subject apprehensively, "There are a few names I was given, and I was hoping you could shed some light on who they are." Arizona already figured out 'Bailey' and 'George'.

Bailey nodded, "Perhaps."

Arizona said, "Mark."

"Mark, as in Mark Sloan?" Bailey demanded. Arizona shrugged.

"How could Mark Sloan be involved, the man's been dead for a couple years?" Bailey fumed.

"The name…." Arizona stammered, "Dr. Torres mentioned a few names, first names, and Mark was one of them."

"I hope I don't regret talking to you." If looks could kill, Arizona would be already dead. The feisty woman's death stare penetrated her like a sharp knife. "Mark Sloan was Callie Torres' best friend, until he was killed in a plane crash. Do you remember the one with the surgeons from Seattle Grace?" Bailey looked at Arizona Robbins for acknowledgment before continuing.

"Torres never stopped grieving for the man. After he died, Torres and I became closer, but eventually, she even shut me out. I guess she was afraid to get hurt again; she just shut the world out. I swear the woman is convinced that everything she touches will turn disastrous. Yes, she made some impulsive choices, which didn't pan out well. But really, she just had a string of rotten luck and gave up too soon to realize that eventually the pendulum was ultimately going to swing the other way," Bailey illuminated.

Arizona nodded, "How about Erica?"

An angry glare shot at Arizona, making it clear that Erica was more foe than friend. "That would be one of the women who broke her heart, she just up and left her. Anymore names?" Bailey demanded.

"Emeline?" Arizona added.

"Now, that one means nothing to me," Bailey said with relief. Based on the way the conversation evolved, it was clear Emeline was, at the very least, a close friend. Naturally, Arizona couldn't help but wonder if she was a past or present romantic interest. Dr. Bailey did say 'women'.

"How about money? Would she be the kind of person who would be swayed by a financial incentive?" Arizona inquired.

"The woman's name is Torres!" Dr. Bailey caustically replied. Seeing no flash of recognition, Bailey prompted, "The hotel magnate, Carlos Torres, is her father. She has a trust fund with more money in it than she'll ever need. Where have you been?"

Arizona cringed with stupidity. She prided herself on due diligence, but she had yet to even Google Calliope Torres. "Dr. Bailey must think I'm incompetent" she worried silently.

Obviously not expecting Arizona to answer her rhetorical question, Bailey continued her spiel, "But Callie Torres resented the money. She ignored that trust fund. It cursed more relationships. Once the person found out who she was, the money was more appealing than she was. Plus her cartilage work, it's her patent on the fabrication of cartilage. She gets the proceeds from that."

"Dr. Bailey, are you telling me that Dr. Torres is the orthopedic surgeon who created the synthetic cartilage? It changed the way we do medicine," Arizona incredulously queried. She knew of the discovery, just not the name of its creator.

Dr. Bailey smirked, "You're preaching to the choir, girl."

Arizona felt like an idiot. When she started this assignment in Equatorial Guinea, she never realized the physician in question was an American or a female for that matter, so she had not bothered to search in her own backyard. Considering she had only returned to the States hours earlier and not had a spare moment since, she should cut herself some slack, but that wasn't her style. She should have done her homework.

"Any more questions?" Bailey asked.

"Actually, just one more. You said she was the daughter of Carlos Torres. I thought I called his house and spoke with a Lucia Torres. She said her daughter was named Aria. I must have called the wrong family. Do you have the contact information for Dr. Torres' parents?" Arizona probed.

Shaking her head in disgust, Bailey answered, "You didn't call the wrong number. That's the saddest part. Can you imagine parents disowning their own child over whom they choose to love? You're smart, I'm sure you can connect the dots. It's not my place to say more. Call me if you need anything that directly involves your investigation."

Arizona stood to leave. Bailey added, "If you take anything from what I've told you, remember Callie's truly is a good person." Bailey shook her head, "I've shared enough of Callie's personal business with you, a complete stranger nonetheless. Don't make me regret it," Bailey threatened. "Nice to make your acquaintance, Dr. Robbins."

"Thank you for your time, Dr. Bailey," Arizona cautiously replied. Walking out of the office Arizona couldn't help but smile. The information shared by Dr. Bailey was not just insightful, it was invigorating.