The phone rang on the other end once, twice, "Aló?"
"Um, hello. Mr. Torres?" Arizona asked, her nerves bubbling up into her voice.
"Yes, this is he. May I ask who I am speaking to?"
"It's Arizona," the blonde paused, waiting for some sort of response from the man on the other line, "Arizona Robbins, Callie's-"
"Girlfriend, yes I know who you are, Arizona," Carlos chuckled at the woman's anxiety.
Arizona paused as she fiddled with a loose string on her scrub top as she tried to keep herself composed.
"Mr. Torres," Arizona swallowed hard, "Callie was in an accident."
"What kind of accident?" Panic struck Carlo's voice, "Is she okay?"
In the background of the other line, Arizona heard a woman speaking fluent Spanish. Carlos replied to the woman in a rushed tone.
"She was hit by a car," Arizona answered, "And I don't know. She is in surgery right now. They haven't updated me on her status yet."
"Well you're a surgeon aren't you?" His voice was now harsh, "Go and find out."
"Sir, I'm sorry. I can't. In this situation, I'm considered her family, not her surgeon."
Arizona heard nothing on the other line. She prepared herself for swearing and cursing and yelling from the man.
"We will be there as soon as we can," Carlos said instead, maintaining a level voice, "See you soon."
Mr. Torres ended the call and Arizona closed her cell phone.
Mark looked over at Arizona, silently asking about the conversation.
"They said they would be here as soon as they could," Arizona answered, taking a seat next to Mark.
Time passed slowly for the rest of Callie's surgery. With each ticking second, Arizona and Mark grew more and more anxious. Neither person left the waiting room. They would resituate in their chairs, both incapable of sitting still. Sometimes Arizona would pace from one end of the room to the other and back, silently praying.
Other doctors came and went, occasionally asking about Callie or bringing coffee to the two in waiting. Christina came most frequently, always checking for updates. She never stayed; waiting around for an answer wasn't her thing. She needed to keep busy.
Even though she would never admit it, Christina had grown very fond of Callie. When Izzie came to her with the apartment ad two years ago, Christina knew that the blonde's intention were to move in together. Instead of turning down the offer, Christina played it dumb and took the flyer to Callie.
She loved sharing an apartment with the Latin woman. Callie was a great cook, non-dramatic and non-clingy. She was willing to sleep in Mark's apartment or at Arizona's whenever Christina wanted free-roam of the apartment with Owen. She cared about Christina and had no problem stating her opinion. Callie had become the sister Christina never had.
After her shift ended, Lexie also joined Arizona and Mark as permanent residents in the waiting room. She took a seat next to Mark, gently rubbing his back in an effort to console him.
"Any updates yet?" Lexie asked.
Arizona and Mark shook their heads in unison. The room returned to silence.
It was about ten p.m. when the O.R. door finally creaked opened; a fatigued Bailey and Hahn walked into the waiting room. Arizona quit her pacing and turned towards the surgeons. Christina, who had returned only minutes before, walked to Arizona's side. Both Mark and Lexie stood up and joined the huddle.
"She is stable now," Bailey began, "She lost a lot of blood. She is lucky to have gotten in when she did. But she's a fighter. God is she a fighter."
Bailey smiled brightly. She looked at the four people in front of her, infecting them with the glow. A wave of relief washed over the four. Everyone released the breath they had been holding. Smiles were exchanged among the friends.
"She is going to be okay," Bailey repeated.
"Can I see her?" Arizona asked as she turned back to Bailey and Hahn.
"Yes, Dr. Robbins," Bailey turned to the others, "Dr. Yang, Dr. Sloan, and Dr. Grey, Dr Hahn will answer any questions you may have. Arizona, come with me."
Bailey turned back through the door she came from with Arizona close behind. The two weaved through hallways, passing the nurse's station, radiology labs, and skills labs. They turned down another hall, leading to the Intensive Care Unit. The general surgeon came to a stop in front of a room halfway down the hall.
"Right in here," Bailey instructed opening the door.
As the door opened, Arizona was greeted by bright, white walls and ceiling. Machines on the far wall beeped and hummed, each in charge of checking vital signs. The bed in the middle of the room held the woman she had come to see.
The woman in the bed looked nothing like the Calliope Arizona knew. Arizona used to love watching Callie sleep; even when unconscious she was energetic and beautiful. But now, the woman in the bed was pale and lifeless.
As Arizona approached she noticed how bad Calliope was injured. Her arms were completely scratched and road-burned. The right side of her face was bruised. Her lips had a single long scratch reaching from her nose to her chin but it didn't appear deep enough to scar.
Arizona pulled a chair up next to the hospital bed and reached for Callie's hand. The blonde lovingly stroked the soft skin with her thumb, holding Cal's hand in between her own. She watched as Calliope's chest slowly moved up and down with each breath she took.
Tears began to fall from the blonde's eyes as she placed a kiss to her lover's hand. A deep sob shook her as she kissed Callie's hand again.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered, "I'm so sorry."
Holding Calliope's hand, Arizona placed her head on the hospital bed. The white sheets below her absorbed the tears as they fell. She continued to stroke Callie's hand, allowing the rhythmic motion to lull her to sleep.
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I'm soooo sorry how long it took to update. I have been flying around like a chicken with its head cut off... and I have had miserable writer's block. As always, reviews are very appreciated!