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… But any original characters are mine. Hands off.

AN: Glad you all loved the hospital action. Now for the after effects. Enjoy.

Chapter 37

Callie's POV:

…Where am I? …I know this place….how do I know this place? I look around, it's a clearing. There as small stream right in front of me. The sun is soft on my face. I hear birds chirping. The clearing if filled with soft grass, surrounded my trees and flowers. It's a picture from a book, or a postcard. …but I've been here before…I know I have.

"Of course you have…" I hear a voice that sounds far off. Looking around, I don't see anything or anyone else.

"What?" I call out. …I'm going crazy, talking to imaginary voices.

"Imaginary voice? Yes. Crazy? No." The voice chuckles…oddly familiar. …I know that laugh.

"Kind of…." The voice says.

"How are you doing that?" I ask. …its freaky.

The voice laughs again "You get use to it…"

"Alright, seriously man. Who are you….why can't I see you…" I look around the clearing. Then a bright spot of light shines in front of me and slowly dissipates. A figure emerges from the light. The first thing I see are ocean blue eyes …I know those eyes.

"Yes, you do." He answers. His smile is soft and filled with care.

My mind races through my storage of memories, trying to place the face before me. Then…I see it. A picture on the nightstand next to Arizona's bed in Colorado. She was sitting on this mans shoulders. Both had the same eyes, both had the same dimples. The same beautiful blonde hair.

The man sees the picture I have in my mind as says "That was a good day…that picture was taken after she won her first All-State Rodeo…"

"Timmy?" I ask, not believing it.

The man smiles at me, and I swear I can see Arizona behind that smile. "Hello Callie."

I look at him, then around me, trying to place the surroundings. "Where are we?"

"This is the clearing Arizona took you to… the one from home." He explains, and that memory floods my eyes. I remember our talk, the way Arizona felt beside me, the love we made in this clearing. "Yeah…that's the one." Timmy says, blushing at the memory he can see as well.

"Is…is this heaven?" I ask with a voice full of sadness.

"Why would you think that?" His voice is rich in concern.

"Because…you're here…and….and I was shot. And this place…this place is the most beautiful place I've ever been…"

Timmy takes a seat and pats the soft grass beside him. I look at him, and he waves me down. I take a seat.

He looks out across the clearing, which now has two horses. Billie Jean and Smooth Criminal. "This is a beautiful place, but no…this isn't heaven." He looks at me, those blue eyes staring straight into my soul.

"Then where am I?"

"You are in the in-between…" he answers softly. I'm confused, I don't know what that means.

"Why are you here?" I ask, turning back to the clearing in front of us.

"Because you need a guide…" He says. …a guide? The in-between?

"I'm dying aren't I?" I ask, scared of the answer.

"That, Callie…is up to you." My guide tells me. He raises his eyebrows, exactly like Arizona does. We sit in silence for a while. …what? He gives a small chuckle. "You are at a place where it is up to you whether you want to live, or if you want to die and leave all you know behind."

"It doesn't hurt here…" I say. …physically, emotionally…It doesn't hurt.

"No, it doesn't. But you can't stay here forever. You have to make a choice." He looks at me. …and go back to what? I hang my head. He answers my unvoiced question. "Arizona."

"I'm not enough for her." I say, wanting to cry but no tears come. …I'll never be enough.

"You are…she just doesn't know it. Not yet anyways." Timmy answers.

"Why should I wait… I have given her everything, and she still doesn't get it."

Timmy laughs. "Callie, I'll let you in on a secret. …Arizona is stubborn." I just laugh. He continues "She…she is bullheaded, she does what she wants. She goes head first into everything. Sometimes it bites her in the ass. Sometimes it's the best decision she ever made. …Look at the two of you. You two wouldn't be together if it wasn't for her brash decisions. She bought a house after knowing you for three days. …She all action and no thought. …And that's my fault."

"Why?"

"When we were growing up…she was always the baby. She was the younger sister that was always around. …Don't get me wrong, I loved her with every fiber of my being but sometimes a boy just needs to be alone. You know?" I nod. "She was always holding me up… and she felt that, she recognized that so… she learned to act first, ask questions later. Eventually, she became the one of the boys. She was the one who pushed the limits, test the boundaries. She was the one who said 'strap these wings to my hands and watch me fly off the roof.' …She became who she is because she loved me like no other sister could love their brother."

I wipe an imaginary tear from my cheek. "Arizona told me she was born stubborn and just grew bigger." Timmy laughs at this.

"Yeah…she was predisposed to it but… I was the catalyst. No one pushed her harder than I did. She wanted me to push her. She pushed me harder than anyone did. I wanted her to push me. …we are the same. I know how she works. …I know she won last year for me, even though she didn't need to. I couldn't be more proud of her. …with or without that trophy."

Wiping more imaginary tears from my eyes, I ask "Why again? Why is she putting herself through this again?"

He lets out a huff. "Because…Burke hurt her pride. She's a proud woman. It's who she is, it's who she was raised to be…"

"Why does she have to hurt me to win back her pride?"

"Because she still isn't sure you are sticking around. She still doubts herself, still doubts she is good enough for you. Still doubts that you can be happy with her." …I don't believe that. Timmy huffs in frustration. "Arizona loves you. I've been inside her brain, I've seen inside her heart. You are everywhere Callie. She knows only you in the world. She wants everything with you… and she is afraid to loose you. ….which is why she fights. The more scared she gets, the more unsure she is, the harder she fights."

"Why would I take her back after what she did?...She lied to me!" I raise my voice at my guardian angle.

"Because you want the same thing as she does. I'm not saying you need to make it easy on Arizona. …Sometimes the only way she learns is to be smacked up side the head with a rolled up newspaper. …Tough love."

I think about all she said to me, all she did. Her actions this past week, her total disregard for my feelings about the subject. Timmy doesn't intrude my thoughts, he just lets me think.

Finally I ask "…Can she stop? …Will she ever stop?"

"Yes. When she knows you are in her life, and there to stay…she can, and she WILL stop… Because all she wants is to be with you. Forever. …Trust me, I've seen it."

"Seen it?" I ask. He nods. "What have you seen?"

A huge smile breaks across his face as he recalls the visions he's seen of the future. "You…and Arizona…and your beautiful family. The Sunday mornings, the holidays, the rides through the forests on your small family of horses." …I want that. "You can get it, but its not a given. You have to work, Arizona has to work. …It won't be an easy path, I've seen that too."

I think, for along time. I don't know how much time actually passes. Seconds, minutes, hours, days? Time doesn't seem to pass here, in this place. …I want to go back, I want to fight for her, show her she is everything I need.I want to fight for our unborn famiy. But how do I get back?

"Fight." Timmy answers. I look him in the eyes. He gets up and offers me a hand, helping to pull me up. He places a hand on either side of my shoulders and looks straight into my eyes with his, eyes that could just as easily be Arizona's. "You fight…hard. Its not going to be easy. It's going to hurt. It would be easier to give up, to follow me but…Arizona needs you. More than she knows. And you need her. More than you know." I take a deep breath and nod. "Are you sure?" He asks and I nod again.

"What do I do?"

Timmy puts both hands on the front of my chest. "Fight...and when it hurts, fight harder." Then he shoves me hard. I fall back, through the ground, I keep falling. Falling through darkness. I finally land back in my body, on the OR table.

"We have sinus!" a voice calls, putting the paddles away.

…time to fight.

AN2: Callie is back with us…for now.