AN: I decided since today is my actual birthday, I would give you guys a little birthday present from me :) Things are getting deep, hang in there. I've rewritten this chapter a dozen times at least and then my beta said she was concerned all of you would hunt me down if I left the chapter the way it was originally. Not sure this is much better. I promise not to leave you hanging for long. As always, thank you for your kind words and reviews. Enjoy your day, happy reading :)
Chapter Thirty
Arizona
Entering the triage center, Arizona quickly sought out the Chief who was currently standing with many of the other attendings. Despite there being close to thirty bodies standing in close quarters within the small room, it was nearly silent as they waited for him to speak. The chief breathed an audible sigh of relief as Arizona joined them, "Dr. Robbins, I'm glad you're here."
"What can I do, Chief?"
"Write a list of supplies you think we will need and then give it to one of the teams to gather. I am pairing some of the attendings with residents and interns so there will be at least two doctors per patient. I've selected some attendings that I would like to round on every patient with the anticipation of injuries."
"I can do that sir."
"Dr. Robbins, Dr. Hunt, Dr. Riggs, Dr. Shepherd, and Dr. Sloan will be the lead surgeons today. I want the five of you rounding on every patient." The Chief said to the group of attendings who were gathering around him as Arizona wrote a list quickly. The rest of their teams were huddled together with their team leaders awaiting further instructions.
"Yes sir." Dr. Sloan replied.
"Dr. Robbins, I think we all need a little refresher course on pediatric burn patients. Can you please write medication dosages, the rule for determining body surface area that is affected by burns for pediatric patients, and anything else you might think of up on the board for us? And give us a brief rundown of what to expect, some of us don't work on pediatric patients too often." Dr. Webber requested.
"Most importantly, remember these are children, not tiny adults. Airways are different, medication dosages and rates are different, how we speak to them is different, but we worry about the same kinds of complications and the treatment for burns is the same as adults. As far as triage goes, any child with burns to the neck, face, or has burns that are on greater than twenty percent of their body surface area needs immediate treatment. We really need an accurate weight in kilograms on these kiddos, if you absolutely cannot get one, we can use broselow tape if they are small enough but only as a last resort. Secure the airway and if a child needs to be intubated, we generally have one shot. This is not the time for interns to practice, we need skilled and capable doctors to intubate. We absolutely need IV access, if you cannot obtain a peripheral, get a central line. We need adequate fluid resuscitation with LR. Also, we really need accurate intake and output to establish if they are getting adequate fluid replacement so place a foley if you think it is necessary. Burns are treated the same for kids as adults so we can follow Dr. Sloan's protocol. We also need an accurate BSA of the burns as soon as possible for proper fluid replacement so I will write that formula on the board for you. Kids are almost always undermedicated, please treat their pain and their anxiety. I will write the dose for morphine and benzodiazepines on the board for you. In the event that you have a soft blood pressure, fentanyl is the medication of choice for pain management. Tachycardia is the best indicator of hypoperfusion in children at least to begin with but if their pain is uncontrolled that may be hard to determine so make sure you are treating their pain adequately. Any kids requiring surgery or a painful procedure should get ketamine. As with any burn patient, be aware of the potential for hypothermia, compartment syndrome, and hyperkalemia. Make sure your med carts are also stocked with calcium gluconate, insulin, dextrose, albuterol, sodium bicarb, kayexalate, and furosemide. Again, I will write the dosing and drip rates on the board. Please, if you have any questions, find me." Arizona rambled quickly.
"Ok I am going to work on pairing doctors together for these patients. I will put attendings with interns but there are not enough attendings to be with each resident so older residents will be paired together. The five attendings I have already listed will be rounding on each and every patient so if you need further assistance, find one of them. Dr. Robbins, as soon as you are done writing your reminders on the board for us, take some people from your team and send them to go get the rapid infuser, the medications, and make sure that the lab has blood ready to go."
"Dr. Sloan, take Dr. Robbin's list to your group and gather the listed supplies."
"Yes, sir." Arizona and Mark replied at the same time. Mark took the list and headed off to his group in a hurry while Arizona finished writing her reminders and drip rates on the board. Satisfied that the task was completed a few minutes later, she headed in the opposite direction of Mark. Arizona joined her group at the far end of the room and gave them their instructions. Teddy and April set out in search of the rapid infusers, Nicole and Shane made their way to the lab for blood, and Alex and Arizona ran to the medication room to stock the medications they would need into the carts they had in the ER and triage center.
Arizona's heart raced as she and Alex worked quietly together to gather supplies. Her mind kept going back to her Latina. She knew Callie was upset with her and it made Arizona anxious. Tonight, she was going to tell her. It was time and hopefully both Callie and her parents would forgive her. Though she really didn't care if the older couple did, she just hoped Callie would understand and eventually forgive her.
Callie
Callie's heart began to race in her chest the second the blonde let go of her hand and headed in the opposite direction. She couldn't explain the unease that had settled within her. She had been part of mass casualty incidents before, had worked the pit many times, performed countless emergency surgeries, and though this was the first of anything like this here, she didn't feel like that was the cause of her unease. They had mass casualties here, not with so many children involved in a bombing but still, they had taken care of numerous bombing victims in the past few weeks. She kept her eyes locked on blonde curls until her thoughts were interrupted by Mark joining their group. He handed Tim a slip of paper that Callie noted was Arizona's handwriting.
"Ok, we need to gather supplies. I have a list from Arizona of extra supplies she would like brought out and organized into piles for each incoming patient. The first of the victims could arrive at any time. This may take several trips so please hurry."
"Jackson and Mark, I need you to go to the burn unit to gather mesh gauze, sterile water, sterile scissors and forceps. Also get topical antibiotic cream and anything else you two may deem necessary. Leah and George I need you to go to the first floor supply closet and gather foley kits, central line and IV kits, and extra syringes for medication administration. Callie and Cristina I need you two to come up to the second floor supply closet with me for bags of LR, pediatric IV tubing and needles, pediatric face masks, and oxygen tubing. We will all bring the supplies back here so they can be organized into fourteen piles and placed in each triage area."
Callie noticed a group of attendings gathered around the chief, Arizona being among them looking slightly stressed as she wrote furiously on a board. As she followed Cristina and Tim up the stairs, she forced her eyes away from the blonde and focused on her brother, "Tim, how is Arizona doing? There's a dozen children coming in with most likely serious injuries, she can't possibly treat them all."
"Callie, she's got this, trust me, trust her. I'm sure she's overwhelmed right now but she can handle it and she will have all of you to back her up. They are making a plan right now. Arizona, she's making a plan and earlier, when we first got the call Chief Webber and Dr. Hunt already started working on pairing doctors. Each pair will take one patient and Arizona, along with some of the other attendings, will be rounding on each group. It will be alright, Cal."
"I do trust her, I'm just worried. I just have this feeling." Callie replied.
"Well don't worry, I know she's all dimples and rainbows and perkiness but she's kind of a badass too. The feeling will pass, Cal."
"GI Joe is right, Torres. Robbins, she's kinda badass but don't tell her I said that. I don't want her thinking I am interested in the cabbage patch." Cristina replied as she loaded her arms full of bags of lactated ringers.
"I know, I know. I just have this feeling that won't go away."
"What kind of feeling?" Tim asked, he was trying to understand, he knew Callie was upset and he wanted to ease her stress but he wasn't sure what she meant.
"It's like an uneasiness. Like an impending sense of doom. I just feel like...we're missing something?"
"Like what?" Cristina asked.
"I don't know, Cristina, if I knew I wouldn't feel this way now would I?" Callie snapped, now getting frustrated that they weren't understanding how serious this feeling was to her.
"Sheesh, chill out there Carpenter. Everything is going to be alright, you will see. Arizona is badass, she's got this and we're all pretty badass too."
Callie rolled her eyes and left the closet with an armful of supplies. She didn't know what was wrong but there definitely was something wrong. The brunette dropped her supplies off and looked toward the chief but the head of blonde hair she loved was nowhere to be seen so she headed back up the stairs for more supplies. She passed Tim and Cristina coming down on her return trip up but she remained silent and focused. She knew something was about to happen but she didn't know what. She would just have to keep Arizona close until she figured it out. What were they missing?
Webber
"Chief, there's a problem." Richard heard Owen say as he approached, a grave look upon the trauma surgeon's face. A problem was not what they needed.
"What's going on, Hunt?"
"All of the girls are trapped, the school collapsed. They don't have access to the proper equipment to extract them, not like we have for EMS workers back home. Not even like what they would have if they were in the city. These small villages just can't handle something like this. It is taking far too long to extract them from the building and the girls are running out of time. Captain Grady is sending out a bus of our troops to help with extraction but they need doctors on scene for when they get them out to triage and treat them. Teddy, Riggs, and I will go. And we can take Tim and Nick as medics. Captain Grady is bringing a team of medics as well. But I need Dr. Robbins and Dr. Sloan too, we need their expertise. That leaves us room for one more doctor if you would allow us to take three of your surgeons."
"I don't like sending them into the field but it's their choice. It's not my call to make for them. I think you should take one of the Shepherds or Koracick, you may need a neurosurgeon out there for spine and head injuries." Webber responded with a sinking feeling. He knew that they needed these doctors but they were his responsibility. He himself would volunteer to go but he needed someone here to organize everything for when the patients finally did arrive. Plus, the need for a general surgeon as opposed to other specialties was just not high enough to justify it.
"Ok, will you talk to them? I need to gather Riggs, Altman, Robbins, and Gilbert to brief them. We are moving out in ten, please get them for me quickly."
"Of course, go talk to your people. I will get my doctors briefed and let them decide for themselves. I'll also get the supplies packed up for them to take."
"Thanks Chief." Owen said, patting him on the shoulder before he left to seek out his fellow service members.
"Derek, I need to speak with you. Have you seen Arizona and Mark?"
"I think Dr. Robbins is gathering medications with Karev and Mark is in the burn unit gathering supplies."
"No, I'm not, we got them all. I'm right here, what's up?" Mark said, overhearing his name as he approached the two men.
"I'll grab Dr. Robbins and then I'll brief you all together. Don't go anywhere, wait right here for me." Webber ordered before he set out to the medication cabinet in search of Arizona, grabbing Meredith along the way.
"Chief, we just arrived, what's going on?" Meredith asked, having just come out of surgery.
"A school was bombed, we're gathering supplies. I need you to help Karev get these meds gathered so I can take Dr. Robbins. She's needed elsewhere."
"Sure." Meredith said as she followed him.
"Karev, fill Meredith in, she's going to help you. I need to speak with Dr. Robbins." The Chief ordered as he stepped into the small med room with Meredith.
"What's up Chief? I really think these meds are priority, if it isn't urgent, I'd like to finish but I will find you as soon as I'm done." Arizona replied, not looking up. Getting these medications right with the correct dosing was vital and she only trusted herself and Alex with the task.
"It is urgent."
"Oh, ok, Alex, you good here? Should I get Lexie to help you?"
"I might not be Lexie or work with you often Dr. Robbins but I can handle this. Go with the Chief, don't worry, Alex can show me what you need, I'm a fast learner." Meredith replied. She wasn't offended, Arizona was a brilliant peds surgeon and though Meredith respected her, peds was so not her thing.
"Yea, I'm good." Alex replied without looking up from what he was doing. The Chief noticed Arizona seemed to be reluctant to leave but must have deemed the task to be in capable hands as she turned and followed the elder surgeon back to the triage center and up to the desk where Derek and Mark were waiting for them. Sloan was the first to speak, "What's up, Chief?"
"The school has collapsed and their equipment and personnel out there are just not as prepared as we are used to or they would be in the city. The army is sending help to retrieve victims but we need doctors on scene to treat and triage. Our five army team leaders are being sent to help. They have room for three doctors and they have requested you three. This is your choice though. If you say no, I will go myself and I will ask other doctors if they want to volunteer. This is a war zone, this is not what you signed up for and if you say no, it will not be held against you. We all have ourselves and our loved ones to think about."
"I have to go, there's children out there that could be severely injured if the building has collapsed and they're trapped." Arizona replied without hesitation. "They need me, I'm going."
"They will need me too, there has to be burn victims with an explosion that size. I'm with Blondie." Mark replied, he slung an arm over Arizona's shoulders only for her to slide it off. The Chief smirked, Dr. Robbins was potentially the one female doctor that Sloan didn't have a chance with and it brought the Chief great delight to see the cocky surgeon shot down.
"I'm in but I need to talk to Meredith." Derek said, a grimace on his face.
"Good luck with that." Webber replied, knowing that Meredith wouldn't be happy about sending her fiance into a war zone.
"Derek, she's in the med room gathering meds with Alex." Arizona said, then turned to the Chief, "I need help packing up the supplies and medications. And Chief, I am going to have to speak with Callie as well."
"Mark and I will gather supplies, go find her." Richard replied. He didn't envy Derek or Arizona at the moment. If he were to tell his wife he was about to head into a war zone, she would have a conniption of course that would mean she remembered him in the first place.
"You might want to put on your vest and helmet before you talk to Cal, Blondie. She's likely to explode when you tell her what we're doing." Mark said with a grin. Arizona narrowed her eyes at him before she walked away. The Chief slapped the back of Mark's head as he noticed the man watching Airozna's backside as she walked away.
Tim
"Robbins, follow me, I need to speak with you." Owen said then walked away without waiting for a reply.
"I'll be right back, just start sorting the supplies. Twelve kids, two adults." Tim said directly to Callie whom he knew he could trust to keep everyone working. She made eye contact with him and nodded before he ran after Owen. He followed the ginger into the supply closet where Teddy, Nick, and Nathan were already waiting.
"What's going on?" Nick asked before Tim had the chance.
"The school collapsed and the girls are trapped inside. They need us on scene for medical. I need all of the supplies that you've gathered packed up. I need all of you geared up and ready in ten. I've requested three surgeons accompany us to help triage and treat the victims on scene." Owen replied.
"Which three?" Teddy asked. She already knew he would say Arizona as there were kids involved but she hoped she was wrong.
"Dr. Sloan, Dr. Shepherd, and Dr. Robbins."
"No." Tim said simply, all eyes turned to him. There was no way he could let his baby sister go into a war zone. It was bad enough he had to let Teddy go but he had no choice about that.
"What do you mean no?" Owen asked.
"I mean no. I promised my parents that I would watch over Arizona. I promised them that I wouldn't let her do anything foolish. I signed up for this, I'm in the army. She's a doctor, a kid's doctor. With all do respect, sir, I don't think we should bring civilian doctors out into the field."
"There are a dozen injured children out there, Robbins. Right now, she's not your sister, she's a pediatric surgeon with the knowledge and skillset to save their lives. It's not ideal but we need her and it's her choice. The Chief is talking to them now. They don't have to do this, it's up to them. It's not the way we would prefer to do this but we don't have much choice, we need their help, especially Dr. Robbins."
"She's going to say yes. How can she not? You've made it impossible for her to refuse." Tim replied in frustration before he stormed out of the room to find his team. He heard Teddy call his name but he continued toward his group sorting the pile of supplies. He was trying to get his frustration and rapidly beating heart under control. He would probably pay for speaking to a superior that way. But how could he explain it to their parents if anything happened to Arizona?
"Hey, change of plans, I need that stuff packed up. The building collapsed, they need medical equipment on scene and they need it now." Tim explained to his team members. Focusing on the task at hand and what he needed to get done was helping him tap down the fear and frustration he felt.
"How many of us are going?" Callie asked, knowing this meant that Tim was probably going out into the field.
"Just the Army leaders and three surgeons that have been asked to join us due to their specialties. We only have room for three doctors at this time." Tim replied, purposely avoiding the very intense stare of a pair of fiery dark brown eyes currently burning a hole in his forehead. His heart was hammering in his chest. He was far more terrified of the Latina than the war zone he was about to enter. Why was he the one that had to tell his sister's girlfriend that the perky blonde was about to enter the line of fire when said girlfriend just so happened to break bones for a living?
"Which doctors?" Callie asked, her voice calm and cool but he could tell, she was a second away from losing it. He gulped noticeably.
"If they agree, Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Sloan, and" Tim took a deep breath to prepare himself for the storm that was about to rage, "Dr. Robbins."
"Arizona." Callie whispered. He sighed, his eyes softening as all fight left Callie's body. "No, no, she's not going. Tim, tell her she can't go. Please."
"She will be fine. I will be with her and so will Teddy." Tim assured the Latina. He had expected a fight, an explosion even but he didn't know how to handle a panicked and desperate looking Callie.
"Tim, she's a doctor. She's not in the army. She should not be going out there. She's small and blonde and perky and she might be a badass surgeon but she's not in the army. She cried under authority and she believes in magic and fairytales and happy endings. She is not a soldier, Tim." Callie argued.
"I agree, Cal. I understand where you are coming from but you know damn well that nothing either of us say is going to stop her from going. So all I can do is watch over her, ok. Teddy, Nick, and I, we will all be there and we were trained for this, we have her back. Nothing is going to happen to her, I won't let it." Tim tried to reassure the ortho surgeon as well as himself.
"I don't like this." Callie confessed, feeling very close to tears, "Tell her not to go. You're her brother. Please, Tim. She will listen to you. You don't understand, I have this feeling that she's not going to be ok, I just know it."
"I don't like it either, Callie and if anything I could do or say would stop her, I would do it but we both know that she can't say no when there are a dozen little girls out there whose lives are at stake. Arizona couldn't live with herself if she didn't go. We both know it." Tim replied, his heart sinking at the Latina's words. He saw a very familiar head of blonde hair approaching and patted Callie on the arm before saying, "I'll let you two talk."
Arizona
"Hey you, can we talk for a minute?" Arizona asked as she approached Callie cautiously. She wasn't sure how much she knew and she was prepared for a fight though she hoped it wouldn't come to that. Arizona grabbed Callie's hand and led them to a more private area in a corner of the stairs behind a pillar, "Over here."
"You're going to go, aren't you?" Callie asked, though it was more of a statement than a question. Arizona's heart clenched at the look in Callie's eyes. She had never seen such a look on the Latina's face and she felt a pang of guilt for being responsible for the hurt she saw there, for the fear. The truth was, if Callie was the one going into a war zone, Arizona would be just as terrified, hell she may even forbid her from going, not that she could or would ever tell Callie she couldn't do something but she would still try to convince her not to.
"I have to, Calliope. There are a dozen little girls that need me." Arizona said softly. She placed her hand on Callie's cheek and ran her thumb over her cheek bone. She had to go but she wanted Callie to know that her feelings about this mattered to her. "I know you're scared and you don't want me to go."
"Then don't, please, for me, Arizona, don't go. I need you too."
"Callie…"
"I have this awful feeling, I woke up with it and I thought it was because of the secret you're keeping but it's this. Arizona, please, I need you to stay here with me."
"Baby, I know you're worried, I would be too. And if it was you going, I would be putting up a fight too but I have to go. I'm a pediatric surgeon and there are a dozen little girls who need me. I don't want to upset you but I have to go, Calliope. Please understand. I don't want to leave you upset."
"I know you have to go. I don't want you to and I don't like that you're going but I know you have to." Callie replied as she mimicked Arizona and placed her hand on Arizona's cheek. The blonde leaned into the touch and turned her head to kiss Callie's palm. She felt Callie's emotions switch as she knew this was a losing battle. She hadn't expected to talk the blonde out of going but she had to try and the blonde knew it. Now that she had tried and failed, the ortho surgeon was accepting the fact that Arizona was going.
"I will be back as soon as I can. I'll be careful." Arizona promised.
"I know. I will kick Nick, Teddy, and Tim's asses if one hair on your head is out of place. So unless you want to be responsible for that scene, you better be." Callie replied only half joking and Arizona knew it. "One hair, Arizona."
"I love you." Arizona blurted out with a smile at the Latina's over protectiveness despite their less than private environment.
"I love you too." Callie said. Despite the fact that they were not in a private place and the fact that they had agreed to not show any affection outside of the base for each other's safety, Callie pulled Arizona in for a passionate but quick kiss and then held her close in a comforting hug for a long moment.
"You better come back in one piece, Robbins or I'm kicking your ass too." Callie said as they broke apart but she held Arizona firmly by the sides of her scrub top, not wanting to let go.
"Is that a promise?" Arizona teased but at the glare she received she added, "Don't worry, I will be careful. Extra careful even."
"Leave the heroics to the actual Army, Arizona. I mean it. I know you need to help those girls but you stick to medicine. Swear to me that you're not going to do anything reckless."
"Calliope, I swear. I will be careful and I will come back to you in one piece with all my hair exactly where you last saw it." Arizona replied with a smile, though Callie's tension was still palpable. She could tell it was taking all of her resolve not to have a meltdown and flat out forbid her to go.
With one last peck on the cheek and a squeeze of her hand, Arizona turned and joined the small group of people now waiting for her to load up and leave. Callie watched as the blonde turned with a slight wave and a dimpled smile that made her chest tighten before she disappeared into the back of the army vehicle. And she felt like she was watching her heart leave her body as she watched the woman she loved disappear into that truck.
Arizona sat down between Teddy and her brother, she noticed Owen holding Teddy's hand tightly on the other side of her. Nathan, Nick, Derek, and Mark sat across from them. Everyone was silent, lost in their own thoughts as the truck rumbled to life and moved toward the school at a pace that was much faster and rougher than their usual route allowed. Arizona could hear sirens in the distance and even with the sealed doors of the vehicle protecting them, they could smell the smoke in the air.
Teddy
Teddy was the first to step out of the vehicle and as soon as her feet hit the soil, she turned to survey the scene for safety. She could tell immediately that this was going to be bad. The building was a pile of rubble and there were still a few places that were burning. As soon as she deemed her immediate surroundings free of danger, she began advancing toward the building slowly. She could see Captain Grady and his unit working to free the rubble that trapped the girls off to the left side of the building. It would be a slow process as it was unstable and they couldn't risk it caving in and crushing the already injured children.
"Altman, we got one of the teachers out, she's laying over there, we need you to check her out." Grady called, pointing to a makeshift gurney where some of the medics were working on a woman. All she could see of the woman was her bare and bloodied feet. She didn't wait for the rest of the troops as she ran to the woman.
"What do we have, Carter?" Teddy asked the nearest medic. She watched Owen, Nick, and Tim head to the other side of the building where they were trying to free the other teacher. Arizona made her way to a pair of medics that were working on one of the children. Teddy's heart sank as she watched the blonde start CPR before she shook her head and refocused her attention back to the woman in front of her.
"Female, probably in her 30's, buried under some rubble. Mild cuts and burns to her feet and legs. She was conscious when we pulled her out but complained of pain in her chest and seemed to be having difficulty breathing. She lost consciousness about a minute before you got here." Carter explained while Teddy pulled on some gloves and grabbed the stethoscope from the nearest medic bag. Checking that her airway was clear first, Teddy moved on to her chest and heard the problem right away. She checked the pulse ox on the woman's finger and confirmed that her oxygenation was low.
"Tension pneumothorax. Give me the biggest needle you have in that kit and some iodine." Teddy shouted while she and Carter worked on carefully cutting the charred clothing from the woman's torso. Teddy used her fingers to count along the ribs and find her landmark before she scrubbed the area with iodine and then jabbed the needle into the spot she marked visually. She sighed a breath of relief as she heard the air escaping and the woman's oxygen saturation slowly began to rise. "She needs to be transported soon. As long as she regains consciousness and her o2 sats remain above 90%, she can wait for transport for a little while. Place her on supportive oxygen and monitor her closely."
"Yes ma'am." Carter replied. Teddy barely heard his confirmation as she got up and headed to the group that was trying to extract the next victim. She saw a flash of blonde hair and headed in that direction, curious as to what everyone was crowding around
"What the hell is going on here?" Teddy asked as she approached the group standing around the blonde.
"She's the smallest." A guy by the name of Washington replied as if this explained everything. Sloan and Shepherd nodded their heads with grimaces on their faces.
"There's a little girl that needs to be extracted, she's too injured to get out of the building on her own but they made a whole big enough for me to fit through. I'm going to go in and get her." Arizona explained, she was worrying her lip between her teeth, a sure sign that she was deep in thought. She looked over to the spot where Arizona had been doing CPR only a few minutes ago and saw a sheet covering a small figure. Damn.
"Over my dead body." Teddy replied, fixing Arizona with the best mom glare she could muster, "If you think I am letting you go in that building you are crazy, Arizona."
"That's what I told her. Torres is going to be on a murder spree if we let her go in there." Mark replied.
"The Chief too probably. But someone has to get the kid and Mark and I are too big." Derek added. Teddy turned her attention back to Arizona as the blonde began to ramble.
"Teddy, she's six years old. I can get to her. I know you don't want me to and I'm not exactly thrilled about it either. Callie is going to murder me with her bare hands when she finds out. But she's six years old and she's crying in pain and asking for help. She's hurt and terrified, Teddy." Arizona explained. Teddy bent down and looked through the small hole in the rubble that they had created to see the child. She knew Arizona was determined. She had just lost a child and she knew that would make her want to save this child that much more.
"I'm small, I think I can fit through there." Teddy replied, starting to remove her vest and extra clothing. Though she was taller, she still had a slender build.
"Captain Grady ordered us not to go in but says he can't stop the docs." Washington replied with a grim look on his face as he nodded in Arizona's direction.
"Teds, if there was another choice I wouldn't be going in there."
"Callie is going to kill us all and if she doesn't, your mother will." Teddy said as she began helping Arizona remove her vest.
"Let's just worry about the little girl right now. I'll worry about how Calliope is going to take pleasure in murdering me slowly later." Arizona replied.
"As soon as you are through, I will hand you your vest and helmet and the supplies you will need to get her through to us. Put your helmet on immediately, Arizona."
"I will."
"In and out, Riz. You stabilize her, get her to us so we can pull her through, and you are out right after that. I mean it, Arizona. I can't believe I'm even agreeing to this."
"I know Teds, I don't want to be in there longer than I have to be either but there's no other way." Arizona replied. Teddy threw her arms around her best friend and sent up a silent prayer. She had abandoned her religion long ago but that didn't mean she hadn't been raised Catholic or that she had abandoned God all together.
"We will be waiting right out here, Robbins." Derek said, offering a smile before the blonde lowered herself into the hole.
Arizona
Arizona shimmied through the tight space feet first as there was a slight drop at the end and she hadn't wanted to fall through on her head. As she felt her toes scrape solid ground, she slid herself the rest of the way out and waited as Teddy handed her helmet to her. She placed it on her head as promised then grabbed her vest and the supplies before she turned to the whimpering little girl. Arizona dropped to her knees beside the little girl who was huddled in the corner holding her leg that was bent at an odd angle. Dried tears had left tracks on her soot covered face.
"Do you speak English?" Arizona asked. The little girl shook her head no and began to cry again. "It's ok. I'm Arizona." Arizona said, pointing to herself before repeating her name, "Arizona."
The child looked at her and said, "Arisona." the Z sounding more like an S but she smiled at the little girl and shook her head yes. She pointed at the little girl and asked, "What's your name?"
"Ameera." the little girl said, pointing to herself.
"I'm here to help you, Ameera." Arizona replied as she racked her brain for the word help in a language the girl might understand but came up with nothing.
"Help." Ameera mimicked.
"Yes." Arizona replied. She looked for something in her bag to splint the little girl's leg enough to get her out of the crumbled building. Arizona took her vest and placed it over the girl's head and upper body to protect her from any falling debris while she worked. Small particles of dust and ceiling rained down on the pair while the doctor worked, big brown eyes following every move she made.
"How's it going down there?" Teddy called. Arizona could hear the strain and worry in her voice.
"I'm with her, looks like a broken leg, a bad one, I can't see any other visible injuries but I've just done a quick scan. I'm going to splint her leg, check her over a little more thoroughly, and get her right up to you." Arizona called. She looked back at the little girl and showed her the bright orange splint and the gauze then pointed to her leg. Ameera looked at her with a frightened look but nodded her head yes. Arizona could tell just from having listened to Callie talk about bones and surgeries and from working with the Ortho Goddess for these past few months that this was a bad break. The bone was through the skin and she knew splinting it was going to cause the girl a lot of pain. She rummaged through the bag and found a bottle of morphine. She estimated Ameera's weight, she was small for her age, and prayed that she wasn't giving her too much as she injected the medication into the girl's thigh before the little girl realized what was happening.
"Help. I'm helping you." Arizona said as tears formed once again in the child's eyes at the sudden poke of a needle in her good thigh. Arizona hugged her tightly for a few moments until she felt her start to relax in her arms. Once the child was nodding in and out of consciousness, Arizona went to work splinting her leg, working as quickly as she could. Even with the morphine, Ameera cried out and tried to push Arizona away from her injured leg. The doctor would stop and soothe the trembling child for a moment before returning to the task. Once the leg was splinted and secure, Arizona set about checking Ameera for any more serious injuries. Finding none, she picked the child up, careful of her injured leg and handed her through the small hole to Teddy who was awaiting her.
"Got her. Ok Arizona, now you." Teddy called. Arizona turned to a sound and gasped as she saw black hair laying in the rubble. A raspy voice had yelled help but it had come out as a whisper, she only just barely heard it.
"Teddy, there's another girl." Arizona said, turning away from Teddy to go investigate.
"Arizona Monroe Robbins, get your ass back here!" Teddy shouted but Arizona moved to the child. She could see a dirty arm sticking out from beneath the rubble with the dark hair. She turned the corner to the other side of the rubble and could see a large piece of the ceiling laying across the girls back.
"Teddy, I need Shepherd." Arizona called up to her friend. "There's a little girl down here, maybe twelve or thirteen, she's trapped. It looks like a piece of the ceiling landed on her back."
"Arizona, do not move anything, it's not stable. You went in for the child and you got her. We have to let them work safely to get the rest out. Come out and we will work on moving the rubble so we can safely extract her." Teddy called.
"I can't leave her here, Teddy. She's trapped and injured badly. I can't leave her alone." Arizona shouted to her friend before she grabbed the medic bag and went around the rubble to see the girl's face. Her eyes were open and she looked terrified.
"You're going to be the death of me, Arizona." Teddy shouted but the blonde ignored her as she focused on the girl.
"I'm Arizona." Arizona said, pointing to herself.
"I'm Homa. I speak English." The girl said to Arizona. "Is my little cousin alright?"
"Ameera? She has a hurt leg but she is going to be ok. My very good friend can fix her right up. We got her out and she will go to the hospital soon."
"Good, I tried to protect her. Is Hera still over there?" The girl asked and Arizona followed her gaze to another body laying a few feet away.
"You did a good job protecting her, Homa. I'm going to go check on Hera, I'll be right back." Arizona said. She made her way over to the girl that had to be Homa's twin and felt for a pulse. She sighed in relief as she felt the strong, steady rhythm beneath her fingers. The girl was unconscious with a laceration to her head that was bleeding but looked otherwise unharmed.
"She's ok, I think she got hit on the head by some of the rubble but she's ok, Homa." Arizona said. She pulled some sterile water and gauze from her bag and flushed Hera's wound before she wrapped some gauze around her head to stem the bleeding. "Ok, now, let's worry about getting you out of here. Hera should wake up soon. Can you tell me what hurts?"
"Nothing hurts, I can't feel anything but it is hard to breathe." The girl gasped, her breathing already sounding shallower.
"Ok, I'm going to just see if I can see the rest of your body, ok, you just relax and focus on your breathing." Arizona said. She crouched down and slid between some larger pieces of rubble to make out the lower half of Homa's body. The girl was crushed, literally. She could see that her legs and pelvis were completely shattered and her spine was likely broken as well with the size of the rubble that sat on top of her. Arizona took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. There was no way to get Homa out. If they lifted that rubble, it would release the blood that was being stemmed by the weight of it holding pressure and she would bleed out before they could help her. She couldn't believe the child had even regained consciousness at all. She let a few tears fall and then wiped them away quickly, fixing a smile to her face for the little girl.
"It is bad, isn't it, Arizona?"
"Yes, Homa, but don't you worry about that, ok. They are working on getting us more help. I'm too small to get that rubble off of you by myself so I'm just going to sit here and hold your hand while we wait, ok?"
"I'm getting tired again." Homa said. Arizona slid her fingers into the cold hand and ran the fingers of her other hand through silky dark hair that was far too close resemblance to Callie for her liking.
"Just close your eyes, Homa, it will be over soon." Arizona whispered. A tear fell from her face as she heard the girl take her last breath only a few minutes later. Small, dirty fingers went lax in Arizona's hand. She sat there for a moment with the little girl, not wanting to leave her alone but knowing she was gone before she found her strength again and got up to let Teddy know she was coming up.
"Teds, Homa is gone but her twin, Hera is unconscious and alive down here. I'm going to see if I can get her alert enough to get her out. Then we are both coming up." Arizona called. She saw green eyes peek down at her and then widened a split second before Teddy yelled, "Arizona, get back!"
Arizona moved just in time but felt a sharp pain in her shoulder as she was knocked to the ground by a falling piece of rubble. She sat up and cursed as she looked at her injured shoulder and realized her collar bone was out of place. Callie was going to be on a rampage, she knew she was in for a good ole Spanish lecture tonight. She smiled at the thought and then the smile slid off her face as she realized that her way out had been closed off by the falling rubble that had nearly crushed her. She looked to Hera and saw she was now awake and staring at her with frightened eyes. She had to find a way to get them both out of there. There was no way she could lose a third child in as many hours.
"Arizona! Arizona, speak to me!" Arizona heard the crackling over the walkie-talkie in the medic bag and scrambled to get it.
"I'm here, Teds, we're both ok."
"Oh thank God. Are you hurt?"
"Pretty sure my shoulder is out of place. Can you get us out of here?"
"We're working on it. Sit tight and keep that radio nearby."
"Copy that." Arizona replied. She walked over to Hera and sat beside her, the girl was staring at her sister's lifeless body. "Come on, let's go over here where there's more light so I can see your head better."
"Homa, she pushed me and Ameera out of the way." Hera cried.
"I know, she was so brave. She didn't suffer, Hera, she wasn't in pain. Come on now, honey, let's go look at your head, it's bleeding again." Arizona pulled the girl to her feet with her good hand and the two sat down near the edge of the room where a small hole in the rubble remained, allowing light to shine through. Arizona wondered what Callie was doing and if Ameera had arrived to her yet as she tended to Hera's head wound.
Callie
"Tim, where is Arizona?" Callie called as she marched over to the blonde man that was walking beside a stretcher with one of the teachers on it.
"She's still out there. Nick and I are headed back, we were just transporting one of the teachers and a child in. These two seemed to be the least injured but we couldn't get to the rest of them yet. Arizona was helping extract a six year old. That little girl will be transferred here soon." Tim replied. He and Nick had been working on the other side of the building and had no idea that Arizona had entered the rubble while helping extract the six year old or that she was at this very moment trapped inside of the collapsed building.
"Robbins, how far out are you?" Captain Grady could be heard over the radio on Tim's belt. Callie watched Tim carefully as he unclipped it and pressed the button to talk.
"We're at the hospital now, we will be returning momentarily."
"Stay put, we are sending another bus to you with a child that needs immediate transport and then we will be heading out as soon as possible with the rest. The girl has open fractures to her left leg. Dr. Robbins splinted it and gave us strict instructions to get the child back to Dr. Torres immediately, she's worried the child may lose her leg."
"How is Dr. Robbins coming with the rest of the kids?" Tim asked, he knew the situation was grave and the likelihood of them getting many more of the children out alive was slim to none.
"We reached a bit of a predicament but it's under control." Captain Grady replied. Tim attempted to walk away as he responded but Callie was hot on his heels.
"What's going on, Captain?" Tim asked, noting the Latina had followed him. Callie was standing near enough to hear the entire conversation, there was no way she was letting Tim walk off without her knowing what was going on with Arizona.
"Dr. Robbins went into the building to get the little girl. She was able to splint her leg and safely get the child out but when the doc was ready to come out, she found another little girl. The child was in bad shape, unable to be moved due to her injuries so Dr. Robbins stayed with her until she died. There was nothing we could do for the child but Dr. Robbins couldn't leave her to die alone. She found the dead girl's twin sister and they were getting ready to climb out when another piece of the ceiling fell and their way out was cut off. We're working on extracting them now."
"What?" Tim and Callie yelled at the same time. Callie's heart hammering in her chest.
"We've been in contact with her. There's a walkie-talkie in each medic bag. She had her helmet on but a piece of rubble caught her shoulder and she thinks her collar bone is out of place from the fall. She is uninjured besides that."
"Tim, I need to talk to her. I need to talk to her right now." Callie demanded, now nearing hysteria with worry, anger, and fear.
"Which frequency is she on, Captain?" Tim asked then adjusted the walkie-talkie in his hand to the correct one. He wasn't sure the range would be enough for Callie to be able to speak with Arizona.
"We're extracting the remaining survivors now. As soon as Dr. Robbins and the girl she is trapped with are free, we will all be heading back to the hospital."
"Copy that Captain. Gilbert and I will await your arrival." Tim said, signing off the radio with his Captain before he turned to Callie with the walkie-talkie. "These are supposed to have a twenty mile range but they are walkie-talkies and Arizona is fourteen miles away, so don't freak out if you can't reach her, Cal."
"I'm already freaking out, Timothy. You were supposed to be with her. Where the hell were you?" Callie shouted.
"Callie, I didn't know she was going into the building. The Captain gave me orders and I had to follow them. Nick and I went one way and Arizona and Teddy went another." Tim said. He pressed the button on the walkie-talkie and started talking, "Big Rob to Little Robbin, do you read?"
"I'm here Big Rob." Arizona's voice broke over the walkie-talkie after several seconds. The signal was a bit broken but clearer than he had expected. "Where are you?"
"I'm at the hospital. Nick and I were ordered to transport the teacher and one of the children to the hospital. There's someone here that wants to speak with you."
"This is one Latina furiosa. You have some explaining to do, Little Robbin." Callie said into the speaker as she pulled the walkie-talkie from Tim's hand. A pause told Callie that Arizona had heard her and was trying to find the right way to respond.
"Instead of an ass kicking, would you settle for putting my shoulder back in place?"
"Are you ok?"
"I am, I promise. As soon as I get out of here I am heading back to you. They have gotten all of the survivors out, there's nothing more I can do here. As soon as Hera and I are free, we can come back."
"Have Owen pop your shoulder back in, I don't want it out of place for that long, it can cause further damage but I will inspect it as soon as you get back."
"I want you to put it back in place."
"Well you should have thought about that before you crawled into a collapsed building, Arizona. What were you thinking?"
"I know but…"
"No, Arizona, you promised me you were going to be careful, that you wouldn't do anything reckless. That does not involve going into collapsed buildings and being a hero. Get your ass back here in one piece before I have a nervous breakdown."
"They're working on it right now, I'll be free soon, I can see Teddy through the rubble again."
"I'll be waiting for you." Callie said before she shoved the walkie-talkie into Tim's chest and stormed off.
"It's Big Rob again, Cal needs some space." Tim said into the walkie-talkie. Callie was fuming but she wanted to be close enough to hear what was said so she settled with pacing a few feet away, her hands constantly running through her dark locks.
"They're sending the little girl with Washington and Carter, along with two other little girls. Hera is down here with me, she has a head injury but seems to be ok otherwise. She just keeps crying for her sister. The other teacher and the rest of the children didn't make it."
"I'm sorry." Tim said, knowing this wasn't the outcome that any of them wanted.
"Me too. How mad is she?"
"Remember that time when I pushed you off the dock and you nearly drowned?"
"Mama whipped you with a switch." Arizona replied with a gulp.
"I'd say she's a few notches above that mad."
"Shit."
"Yea, I wouldn't want to be you when she gets her hands on you, sis."
"Watch over Callie for me please. They're getting ready to pull Hera out, then me and since my shoulder is out of place, I'm probably going to have bitch baby tears so I'm signing off. See ya soon, bro."
"See you soon Little Robbin." Tim said. He walked over to Callie and chanced placing an arm around her, "You ok?"
"Yes but Arizona isn't going to be when I get a hold of her. What the hell was she thinking?"
"I'm not sure, Cal. I'm not happy with her either but you know that you would have done the same thing. So would most of us."
"Yea, well I didn't. Arizona did, after she promised me that she would be careful. She promised me she wouldn't do anything reckless and she'd just stick to medicine. I've had a bad feeling all day, Tim."
"I know, Cal. Just hang on, she's going to be back in your arms soon enough."
"She better be."
Callie didn't have much more time to dwell on her anger or fears. The child Arizona had extracted arrived a short time later and Callie rushed her up to surgery with Eliza, Alex, and Lexie assisting. Although her anger flared once again as she uncovered the child to see Arizona's vest laying over her small frame, she had removed her fricken bullet proof vest, the ortho doc was definitely going to kill her blonde. Despite her anger, she was impressed with the job Arizona had done on splinting the child's leg. She had also written that she had given her IM morphine with the dosage, time, and her vitals in permanent marker on the girls splint. Smart. Callie couldn't help but smile when she read a note to her in Arizona's handwriting.
"I know you're mad, Calliope but this is the little girl I went in that building after. Now she has a chance because my super awesome rockstar girlfriend is going to fix her leg. Take good care of Ameera for me."
The message and the adorable little girl she was about to operate on may have softened her up a bit but that didn't mean her blonde wasn't in for one giant ass kicking. Callie cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders as she stepped up to the table. She would have to put Arizona on the backburner for now she thought as she asked for the ten blade.
Arizona
"Alright Hera, put this on your head, ok?" Arizona said, handing the child her helmet. The hole was just about big enough for them to climb through but pieces of rubble were shifting and falling at regular intervals all around them now.
"Ok, Arizona, send her through." Teddy shouted. This was more of a horizontal hole they had built, they just had to crawl through it Arizona told herself. The hole Arizona had lowered herself from earlier was completely caved in now. Their rescuers had to create a whole new escape route for them at a different area of the school. Luckily, Arizona and Hera had been able to get to it without too much difficulty.
"Ok Hera, be brave ok. You can do this." Arizona said, hugging the scared child. She let the child use her knee to climb up into the hole and then she used her good arm to boost the child's butt the rest of the way in.
"Ok honey, nice and slow, you're doing great, Hera." Arizona could hear Teddy coaxing the terrified child through and Arizona smiled. It had been a rough day, an awful day, really but saving Ameera and Hera felt good, despite the loss of Homa and the little girl she had been unable to save when they first arrived.
"I'm scared." Hera said, stalling her movements and freezing halfway through the tunnel.
"Hera, I'm scared too but you have to go so I can get out too. Keep going honey, Teddy is on the other side and she is going to help you." Arizona encouraged.
"I'm afraid I will get crushed like Homa."
"Oh, honey, I know but you have to keep going. Just a little bit further and you will be free, Hera."
"Come on, Hera, we've got you. Then Arizona will follow you and you will both be safe." Teddy gave the child one last push.
Arizona watched the child begin to inch further and further toward the exit. The blonde held her breath as she watched a few dust particles fall and settle over Hera. The child stopped and covered her head but needed no further coaxing as she felt Arizona's helmet there. It seemed like hours but it was only a matter of another half of a minute and Hera was climbing through the other side and straight into Teddy's arms.
"Ok, Arizona, let's go. Get the hell out of there."
"You don't have to tell me twice." Arizona replied. She rolled a large piece of rubble over and stood up on it to help hoist herself into the hole in the wall. "Oh damn it."
"What's wrong, Riz?"
"My shoulder. Crawling out of here is going to be more difficult than I thought." Arizona replied.
"Slow and easy, Arizona. You've got this ok." Teddy replied.
"Talk to me, tell me something to keep my mind off the pain."
"I slept with Owen."
"What?! Where's Hera?"
"Don't worry, we're alone for the moment. Gentry and Dean walked her over to get evaluated by Riggs."
"When did this happen?"
"We went on a perimeter check together two nights ago and made good use of your little love shack."
"Ugh, Teds, that is a scared, holy place. It's where I had my first date with Calliope. It's where I wished on a shooting star for Callie to show me her boobs. It's our sacred place and now it's all ruined with hetero sex cooties."
"You wished to see Callie's boobs on a shooting star? Not for world peace or to end hunger or for her to fall in love with you? Boobs? Really?"
"I panicked. I didn't want to not wish for something and in the moment all I could think was boobs. Callie's boobs. You haven't seen Calliope's breasts, Teddy so you don't understand but trust me, they could create world peace. My wish was not wasted." Arizona replied with a goofy smile on her face as she pictured the Latina's perfect breasts.
"You're such a goob."
"So, sex with Owen? How was it?"
"Mind blowing, earth shattering, could bring world peace."
"That good?" Arizona asked. She stopped her progress to look up at Teddy, she was halfway through but her shoulder was on fire and she just needed a quick break.
"You have no idea."
"I don't need deets, Teds. Are you happy?"
"Yea, you know what, I am." Teddy replied with a giant smile. Arizona heard footsteps approaching so she knew their conversation was over for the moment. She took a deep breath and began inching her way forward again.
"Teds?"
"Yea?"
"I'm happy for you." Arizona replied with a smile but it slid quickly from her face as she felt the rubble beneath her shift and rocks and dirt crashed down onto the lower half of her body, making the space much tighter around her legs.
"Dr. Robbins, are you ok?" the man she had come to know as Gentry asked as he peeked in at her. She surveyed her body quickly and though she was sore, she felt no further injuries that were noticeable so she shook her head yes.
"Ok, this is pretty unstable so we're going to pull you out. Put this around your waist." Gentry said, handing her one end of what looked like a leash with a clip on the end. It took her a few minutes, several failed attempts, and about a dozen curse words before she got the belt clipped.
Her shoulder was on fire and she knew it needed to be stabilized and soon.
"Ok, I got it."
"Ok, we're going to pull on three, ready?" Dean asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Arizona replied.
"Ok, One, Two, Three." Gentry counted.
"Son of a bitch." Arizona said through gritted teeth as the two soldiers attempted to pull her through the rubble but her lower half was stuck and more rubble caved in around her everytime they tugged on her. They repeated the process several times and though she inched forward much quicker than she had been on her own, she could feel the space getting smaller and smaller.
"Hold on, this isn't working, the whole damn thing is going to cave and crush her." Dean argued with Gentry.
"I need a break, my shoulder." Arizona whimpered. Her shoulder was stuck at an odd angle but the hole was so tight, she could do little to relieve the pain and pressure.
"Gentry, get her out of there." Teddy yelled frantically. Arizona's head was so close to being free in the hole they had created. Teddy reached in and stroked the soft, dirt caked hair of her best friend. The stability of the building was quickly fading and a shifting in the rubble had caused more to cave in on the blonde with their attempts to pull her through. She felt her chest tighten as more rubble fell down around her and the little air she could feel and light she could see was cut off completely.
"Arizona!" Teddy screamed but though she could hear her, she couldn't answer. The rubble and dust around her made it too difficult to even breathe. Her ribs and left shoulder were burning in pain. She heard the rubble shifting again and braced herself for impact. The space was getting tighter by the second and Arizona could feel the air being squeezed from her lungs. It was difficult to take a breath and when she greedily inhaled, she felt her mouth being coated with dust and dirt. She coughed and spit but her mouth was so dry, it did little to cleanse the dust from her airway. More rubble crashed in around her and she was now unable to expand her chest enough to even take a deep breath. The shallow breathing and lack of oxygen were causing her to feel dizzy and she started seeing lights flashing behind her eyelids. She thought of her mom, dad, Teddy, Tim, Callie, their faces etched in her mind as the lack of oxygen was finally too much and she felt herself slipping into unconsciousness. Callie was definitely going to kill her she thought with a smile before she went limp completely.