Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine. I borrow…

AN: So Arizona had alittle fun in Oklahoma. Will it catch up to her and bite her in the ass, or was it nothing at all? Just have to wait and find out. Chapter 35 is up. Enjoy!

Chapter 35

Callie's POV:

After saying good bye to Arizona that night, that night were she made me crumble in desire and I returned the favor tenfold, my life went back to normal. My life, pre-Arizona, is boring. Get up, go to work, perform surgical miracles, come home and go to bed. That's how I've spent my days since I said good bye to her. We agreed to wait to have 'the talk' until tour season was over, when Arizona didn't have so much on her plate. But we both know that we want an 'us', we just have to figure out how it's going to work.

The week Arizona was in Oklahoma was hard for me, knowing that she was putting herself in danger and me not being able to be there was tough. She called after every ride to tell me that she did not get trampled again. I had to believe her because I couldn't watch. My TV server did show the tournament, but I just couldn't watch, mainly because I would be useless here in Seattle if something actually did happen to her. So I made due with the daily phone calls and text messages. One of those days, I called Arizona after losing a patient on the table and the next mornng there was a bouquet of flowers with a note attached:

Soft speech, pure heart, peaceful eyes, strong hands, focused mind and determined decision mixed with the amazing awesomeness that is Calliope Torres always makes you a winner. Never doubt, never question yourself. You are great. –A

That day I was soaring on cloud nine. She always knows what to say. …she's perfect.

Tonight is the first night of the Championship Tournament in Vegas, and I made sure I had no surgeries scheduled so I can watch Arizona's interview. She told me it was a little rocky, but that it should bring some good press to her sport.

I get home and throw my keys on the table, one key heavy from the one Arizona left, and change into my comfy clothes. I grab a blanket, make some popcorn, and settle down on the couch to watch my girlfriend's interview that is being played all across America….my girlfriend. MY girlfriend. my GIRLFRIEND. I like the sound of that. I flip to ESPN2 and…there she is. Blonde hair straighten, the same blue shirt she wore the night of our first kiss, her eyes twinkling from the stage lights and her cowboy hat. …She's breathtaking. She's out of her sling…doesn't want to appear weak. The host is just starting to introduce her.

"…Arizona Robbins, current rider in the PBR."

"Thanks for having me Pat, it's an honor." She gives him a dimpled smile.

"It's an honor to have you here; you have become quite a name around the professional sporting world." The elder, balding, white guy says.

"Well, I'm just happy to be able to do what I love for a living. Not everyone can say that."

"So Arizona, tell us why? Why does a young…beautiful, woman such as yourself get on the back of a bull?"

Arizona smiles, I can tell her wheels are turning, thinking of a way to say what she wants politely. "Like I said, it's what I love. I started riding bulls because…well, primarily because I was told I couldn't. I've been rodeoing since I was a kid, 8…9 years old. But my brother started bull riding when I was 11. I asked if I could take lessons as well, but all the grownups said little girls didn't ride bulls. And that…that never made sense to me." She shakes her head slowly.

The interviewer nods.

"So, after months and months of begging and nagging my brother, I talked him into putting me on a bull. As soon as I was set, as soon as I felt that bull rope in my hands, the power of the animal under me…that was it. I knew that that was my…thing. You know? The thing that makes your world turn."

"And what did your parents have say about that?"

Arizona gives a small chuckle "Ohhh my Momma and Daddy were not happy. They pictured their little princess barrel racing or something like that. Hell, my Momma would have been ecstatic if I didn't want anything to do with rodeo, but after they saw me…saw how happy it made me, they came to accept it. They bent for me, because I'm their daughter."

"After they accepted it, did they find you a coach to help you along?"

"They tried, but all the coaches in my area didn't want to touch me. They thought having a female rider was...I don't know….blasphemous? So my brother would take his lessons then immediately come home and teach me what he had just learned. My Daddy bought one of those training bulls and set it up inside one of our barns and that was how I learned. No coach held an interest in teaching me until I won my first rodeo competition, beating out their own students."

"Tell us about your life growing up."

"Well I was born in a little town in Northern Colorado, and grew up on a farm about 30 miles outside that little town." The interview laughs "So I was raised in the sticks, but I wouldn't change that. My family's farm goes back four generations, of which I now own a third of. My Momma was born and grown a southern belle, and my Daddy is still working on the same farm as he was when he was five. Some people say it's a simple life but….but it's not an easy life. I've been working, helping out, since I was five myself, and its where I call home. It's the one place where everything feels right, everything makes sense….atleast it was. I may be adding to that list soon." At this I perk up on the couch….she talking about me? About Seattle?

"Oh, how so?" Gossip goes a long way for ratings.

"Let's just say that there is a certain someone out there that may be added to the list."

"So you're dating someone, how is that going?"…Yea Z, how is that going?

"Mmm….I'll just say that I'm…I'm very happy with the way things are going. It's tough trying to get to know someone when I'm in town for a couple weeks then move on. Hell, it's hard to keep in touch with family while I'm on the road. …Imagine trying to start a relationship."…oh babe, you are doing just fine.

Christina comes busting into the room, exhausted after a long day playing with hearts. She comes over to the couch and plops down next to me. "Hey! That's Rodeo-Girl!"

"Shut it Yang! I'm trying to watch." As I give her the Torres glare.

"And what about your brother? You keep in touch with him?" The interviewer continues.

At this Arizona gives a slight pause, her face falling fractionally, shifting in her chair. "My ahh…my brother is…was a, ahh…he was a marine. He was killed in action." Pat gives a supportive nod, willing Arizona to continue."He was ah… serving in Iraq when a roadside bomb exploded. His humvee flipped and he was thrown from the vehicle. When he came to, the rest of the guys he was traveling with were trapped inside. He pulled 5 guys out, most of them wounded pretty badly. He defended those 5 guys for 3 hours against enemy fire until a bullet finally found him just as rescue had arrived. He died a hero, protecting his fellow brothers in arms." She wipes a tear from her cheek.

"I am sorry for your loss, he sounds like an amazing human being."

"He was. My ahh…my parents never wanted him to join the military, but he fought them just like I fought them about riding bulls. Timmy would have loved to be here in Vegas, to watch me ride. He said that that was the happiest he's ever seen me, when I was on top of a bull."

There is a pause for Arizona to collect herself, and then the interviewer begins "So, this tournament in Las Vegas. Tell us about it, how does it work.?"

"Well, the PBR field consists of thirty riders. Every rider accumulates points throughout the season by their performance during rides." Pat nods, showing he's following "The tournament here in Las Vegas consists of two parts. The first part takes four days with each rider taking four rides. All thirty riders are split into two pools which determines which days they ride. So if I am in pool A, I would take two rides on the first day, and two rides on the third day. This allows for the riders to recuperate a bit between rides."

"Makes sense…"

"After all those rides are finished, comes the championship round. Only the top three riders partake in this round. It lasts only one night, it is the grand finale. There are three riders, three bulls, and nine rides total. Each rider will ride each bull once. The person with the most points after that…wins."

"Easy as that?"

"Easy as that…" They both laugh.

"You had an…incident in Seattle, where you were wounded pretty badly. Is that going to affect your chances at winning?"

"Well, it didn't affect my rides in Oklahoma, so I'm going to say no. That one ride doesn't affect another." Arizona subconsciously cradles her shoulder.

"But that must have been scary, seeing the back end of a bull come raining down on you."

"It uh…it happened too fast for me to be scared. I… I don't remember a lot of that ride, and I've never seen it on tape so-"

"Oh well, we have it right here." The interview cuts in, obviously looking to get something out of Arizona.

"You do?" He nods.

"Could we watch it together?" Knowing that Arizona can't really say no. She just gives a weak nod in agreement.

At this, the screen shows the ride that brought Arizona back into my trauma room that night. I had been able to avoid watching it, but knowing that this is the first time Arizona has seen it, I need to watch as well. After real time, they of course have to slow it down and zoom in on the impact of the hooves against the beautiful body that I have grown addicted to. I have come to worship. When the camera cuts back to Arizona, she has a little less color in her face.

She takes a deep breath "Wow…that was uh…." She gives a little laugh "No wonder it hurt so much afterwards."

"So this ride has no effect on you? You're still the rider as before?"

"Absolutely…every rider gets bucked at one point in their career….At MANY points in their career. But what separates the good from the best are the ones that get back on and LEARN from past rides. This ride, this….mistake…happened. And I'm going to use it to learn from, and not use it as a reason to be afraid or shy away from any other bull."

Looking down at his notes, then back to Arizona he asks "Any reason we won't be seeing you in the Championship round?"

Arizona laughs, "Well Pat….A lot of things can happen between now and then but uh….I'd say your money is safe if you bet on me." She gives him a wink and he blushes …poor man, I've been a victim of that wink too. It's a killer.

"Ok, say you win…first female athlete to compete head to head with the men and win. Then what?"

"That's a good question…one unfortunately I can't answer just yet." Arizona says, looking like she's somewhere else in thought.

"Well, can't you give us a hint?"

She takes a deep breath and replies "The way I see it, I have two options….continue….or quit. Both have positives and negatives, I just have to figure out what's important to me. What my priorities are."

"You would quit? After coming so far, you would retire from the PBR?"

Arizona thinks for a second "I've uh…..I've thought about it. I'm not saying that I am retiring, but it's uhh… yeah it's something that I've thought about. But we'll just have to see won't we?"

The old guy gives a smile, use to very vague answers from his guests "Yes, we will." Then turns to address the audience "Be sure to stay tuned for the kick off of the PBR Championships in Las Vegas, after these commercials."

I flip the TV off. …shes thought about retiring? I mean, I know I've dropped hints but…she'd do that. Even if it wasn't FOR me, her retiring would be perfect. I wouldn't have to worry about her every god damned time she was on the road.

"Wow….I didn't know Rodeo-Girl was famous." Yang breaks my thoughts.

"Oh….uh yea, she's something. You see Sports Illustrated?" I reach for the coffee table and pull out one of the many Sports Illustrated I bought. Arizona is on the cover, looking bad ass in her jeans, blue shirt and cowboy hat. I've never understood guys fascination of girls on Sports Illustrated…but I now I get it. This magazine came in VERY handy last night in the privacy of my bed.

After calling Arizona that night and telling her how amazing she was, I went to bed. Arizona was in pool B, so she would take two rides tomorrow and two rides the fourth day. She says that she is feeling better every day, and I just hope that it continues. Drifting off to sleep, I think of a little blonde boy, with Arizona's blue eyes and dimples riding a horse in front of his momma …my wife.

…the future, or what it could be. Be safe Arizona.

AN2: This one went on and on alittle but I was trying to make the interview alittle bit more substantial.

AN3: I have NO clue how the championship, or regular PBR tournaments are formatted. Just pulled this out of my…booty lol. Now leave some reviews!