AN: This is Calzona so of course there is going to be drama and angst but no worries, things will eventually work out. My first attempt at smut just to give you all a little taste for being so patient. I really love this chapter and I give all you smut writers out there props, it is much easier to read than to write. Arizona and Callie will not get to any true smut for a while yet. They are going to learn to fight and talk without using sex which, I hope you all realize will build a better foundation for their future. It will most likely be two weeks before I can post another chapter, fair warning. Happy reading :)
Chapter Seven
Arizona
"Arizona! Arizona, wait up!" Amelia shouted as she caught sight of the blonde stretching by a tree a few yards from the barracks.
"I'm going for a run." Arizona responded as Amelia approached her. The last thing she wanted to do right now was talk about how she was feeling or what just happened. She wasn't even sure what just happened.
"Care if I join?"
"Not as long as you can keep up."
"Challenge accepted."
Arizona allowed Amelia a few minutes of stretching before the two of them set off at an ambitious pace. Arizona intentionally set a pace that would make it difficult for them to hold a conversation. Knowing that Amelia was also an avid runner, she had to keep the pace brisk in order to keep them both breathless enough that Arizona could process the events of today before Amelia could question her about them. It was Arizona's way, process alone and then she could talk about it. It was what the therapist her parents had forced her to see following Andi's suicide had taught her to do. Prior to that, she would shut down completely or run. It was still her first instinct but now after time to process she could generally talk about what was bothering her. She should send that therapist a thank you card someday she thought to herself.
For the next thirty minutes the two kept a fairly competitive pace and ran laps around the perimeter of the base. Amelia finally tapped Arizona on the shoulder indicating they should slow down. The pair slowed their pace to a jog, then to a brisk walk, and finally to a leisurely stroll. The walk was quiet as they both were catching their breath and still feeling the burn of lactic acid in their calf muscles. With one last deep inhalation, Arizona began to speak but continued looking straight ahead as they walked.
"I called Callie an infant and insulted her because she's bisexual and told her that I wouldn't date her. When really what I wanted to do, what I set out to do when I asked her to go for a walk was to ask her out. Out like on a date. Like a date date. You know with wine and flowers and wooing. Which is weird because we can't even date here and I don't do wooing but that's besides the point because I ruined it. I heard from Meredith and Cristina what she did today for my kids and I just wanted to kiss the life out of her. And then when I saw her and we started walking and I looked in her beautiful brown eyes, I felt so much love for her. Love. Is that even possible? We barely know each other. And I panicked. I panicked because I don't know if I'm ready for love. I don't do love. Love ends badly. And I know I don't actually love her, but I know I will if we go there. The potential is there along with my getting hurt. So I insulted her and basically told her to go experiment and so, then she did." Arizona rambled. She hadn't intended to disclose so much but once she opened her mouth, the word vomit just wouldn't stop.
"Woah." Amelia replied. She had no idea how to respond. It was a lot to process.
"Yea. I cried after our talk because it all just went so badly. I was searching for her frantically to fix this and she was having a grand time with Addison Montgomery, who I can't even compete with. I haven't cried over a girl since Joanne. And I've cried over Callie, twice might I add."
"If it makes you feel better, I know without a doubt Addie is straight. She was married to my brother and I've known her for a long time. So whatever happened in that shower, it was platonic."
"Yea well spaghetti is straight until it's wet. Hell you were straight but you weren't that one night." Arizona said with a sly smile.
"Hey! We both agreed that we are better off as friends even if the sex was good."
"Good?"
"Great."
"Do I need to remind you what you said to me that night?" Arizona asked with a cocky grin.
"You swore to never repeat that Arizona Robbins." Amelia stopped and gave her a glare. Arizona giggled and said, "Fine, but I am amazing and you know it."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to do what I do best, Amy. Time to reinstate my little black book. It's been on hiatus for the past seven months."
"But you have been gone for eighteen months."
"Arizona Robbins has not gone eighteen months without sex since the age of nineteen, Amelia. I was in Boston visiting my family and I may have run into an old flame or two. Plus there was that whole one night thing with Dr. Boswell last time I did this program. We were both sleeping in the makeshift on call room because we had a late emergent surgery and a storm came in, preventing us and our drivers from leaving. You know I never liked thunder so she invited me to sleep with her and well ya know one thing led to another."
"Really? How do you manage to get laid in Afghanistan of all places? I swear, you need to teach me a few tricks, Riz."
"It's the magic dimples." Arizona smiled, purposely popping said dimples. Amelia laughed loudly and Arizona joined in. The post run high was causing them both to feel giddy.
"Come on McDimples, I'll race ya to the showers." Amelia said pushing Arizona on the shoulder, throwing her slightly off balance so she could have the advantage. Arizona caught up to her as they were approaching the barracks and they came to a halt together just outside the doors.
"Cheater!" Arizona exclaimed as she stepped inside. Most people were already lying quietly in their bunks or performing their nightly routines. A few were even sleeping Arizona noticed as she and Amelia gathered their shower caddies and pajamas having both missed out on showers earlier and feeling the need to wash off the sweat from their run.
"So, do you have anyone in mind to add to your little black book?" Amelia asked from her shower stall.
"A few, maybe." Arizona replied.
The shower felt amazing and the run did wonders for both Arizona's mood and her body. She felt the tension she had been feeling release. The days of avoiding Callie had taken a toll on her. She had been on an emotional rollercoaster and though things hadn't turned out the way she had hoped they would, maybe it was for the best. Maybe the timing was wrong. Her mother had told her once when she and Joanne had broken up that sometimes you meet the right person at the wrong time. Maybe this was that. But of course, her mom didn't know the whole story of Joanne either nor would she ever. Some things you just didn't need to share with your mother. Or maybe it was just a terrible accident waiting to happen. Either way, she had succeeded in stopping Callie from pursuing her. And let's face it, that was the real reason for her tears. She knew she had messed it all up and for the first time in a long time, she cared that she messed it up. As if reading her thoughts, Amelia asked, "You going to apologize to her then?"
Arizona tossed her night clothes on her still semi wet body, gathered her things, and exited the stall, joining Amelia at the sink before she responded, "Yes, I'm just not sure how to explain all this. I'm around her and word vomit just happens. All intellectual thought evaporates."
"How about just start with I'm sorry."
"What if that's not enough?"
"You won't know unless you try."
"Ugh...this is so dumb."
"No, you're scared. There's a difference. Some things are scary for a reason, Riz. If it's not scary then you don't have anything to lose."
"When did you get so wise?" Arizona said with a smile and a shoulder bump to the petite brunette next to her.
"Oh, I've always been wise, you were just too busy screwing anything with boobs to notice." Amelia teased.
"And you weren't so sweet and innocent with all those guys either Amelia Frances Shepherd."
"Arizona…"
"Don't, don't say it." Arizona cut her off, not wanting her middle name to come flying out of her mouth.
"Oh come on, it's not even that bad. It's not Frances." Amelia replied with a smile, knowing Arizona had an aversion to her middle name and therefore never used it.
"Thanks, Amelia, you're really a good friend."
"I know I am, Arizona Monroe Robbins." Amelia giggled as she shot away from Arizona's swinging rang.
"You'll pay for that Shepherd." Arizona called, as Amelia disappeared back to the barracks.
Arizona looked at herself in the mirror and whispered to herself, "Time to man up Robbins," before she followed Amelia.
Arizona climbed up into her bunk and laid facing away from the Latina but her eyes found gray ones in the bunk across from hers on the opposite side as Callie's. She knew Eliza was interested in her and she would, under normal circumstances, take full advantage of that. She found Eliza attractive and intriguing but two things kept her from encouraging that; one being their location. Despite what she had said to Amelia, they were in Afghanistan and even when she was in Malawi she was careful not to flaunt her sexual preferences. She was in no way ashamed but this was not the United States and the laws were not the same here, she didn't agree with that but she respected it for her safety. Fling or real relationship, she would never want to put someone else in jeopardy. She had been foolish with Lauren and slightly reckless, they definitely should have been and could have been more discreet. And the second, more worrisome reason for the blonde was Callie. She had somehow, without Arizona's knowledge or permission, gotten to her in a way only one other person had ever been able to. And really Andi had been puppy love, her first love. Who knows what would have happened had Andi lived. They had been friends first, known each other their whole lives practically. This time it was worse, Arizona barely knew Callie and already the potential feelings she could have for the woman were beyond anything she had ever felt. Thinking of the Latin beauty, Arizona flopped to her other side and watched the brunette sleeping peacefully in the bed across from hers. She smiled at the image and closed her eyes, allowing sleep to take her.
Arizona found herself walking through the base, darkness had fallen and she felt slightly uneasy walking around in the dark alone. Just as she was passing the shed closest to the female barracks, a strong pair of arms reached out, grabbing her from behind, a hand covering her mouth. Eyes wide in fear with her heart hammering in her chest, she struggled to free herself from the stronghold of the person pressed up against her from behind but their hold tightened. As her front was pushed into the side of the shed, Arizona felt warm breath on her cheek as a voice whispered, "Te gusta dura?"
Arizona relaxed into the soft breasts pressing into her back at the sound of Spanish being spoken by a sultry voice. She realized the hand covering her mouth smelled like coconut pear lotion and she smiled. Feeling her prey smile beneath her hand, Callie asked, "Is that confirmation that you do like it rough?"
Arizona's breath caught and her knees suddenly felt like jello. Nimble fingers that connected to a strong hand found their way under Arizona's shirt making their way up a toned abdomen to the underside of a lacy bra causing goosebumps to appear over pale skin. Callie maneuvered her hand into the cup of the bra and found hardened nipples. Taking one between her thumb and forefinger, Callie gave it a hard pinch. She smiled as she heard Arizona gasp. "I asked you a question, Arizona. Do you like it rough?"
"Mmm, I like what you're doing." Arizona replied, a coy smile spreading across her face. She didn't want to make it too easy for Callie.
Callie withdrew her hand and spun Arizona around to face her with surprising force and speed. She looked down into sparkling blue eyes before she attacked perfect pink lips without warning. She forced her tongue into Arizona's mouth and pushed her back up against the shed, securing one of her legs between Arizona's. Arizona's hands quickly found Callie's silky hair and she fisted it in her hands in order to deepen the kiss. Callie ended the kiss abruptly and moved down to continue her assault on Arizona's slender neck where she quickly found her pulse point, causing any intellectual thought to leak out of her brain. She could feel Callie's hot breath on her, followed by her teeth nibbling at her skin causing a sear of pain before it was soothed by a flick of her glorious tongue. Arizona's hands roamed up under Callie's shirt and up a muscular back. Digging her nails into soft skin enough to spur the Latina on, Arizona smiled as Callie pulled Arizona's shirt roughly over her head and focused her attention to a full lacy bra clad chest. Arizona brought her hands around to the soft skin of Callie's abdomen, scraping her nails on her skin along the way up to find Callie's beautiful breasts free of the constraints of a bra. She ran the pads of her thumbs over hard nipples with a smile on her face. She leaned in and kissed the gorgeous woman before her as she attempted to remove Callie's shirt.
"Uh uh." Callie tutted, removing Arizona's hands from her shirt as she protested. Callie overpowered her and turned Arizona so once again she was facing the shed. Arizona flushed deeply as she felt Callie pull her possessively against her so she was flush against her body as she kicked Arizona's feet apart at the same time.
"I'm in control." Callie whispered, one hand kneading a breast while the other slid down a flat stomach. Arizona felt her wetness coat her underwear and a jolt of electricity shot straight to her core as Callie's hand slid further and further down, reaching the waistband of her low rise leggings.
"Do you want me?" Callie asked seductively.
"Mmmm." Arizona replied with a content smile on her face. Another pinch of a hardened nipple and Arizona moaned, "God yes, yes Callie, I want you."
Callie smirked from behind the blonde beauty as her hand crept under the waistband of the leggings and skimmed the top of lacy underwear. Arizona held her breath and waited to feel strong fingers where she needed them most. She felt more wetness leave her in anticipation. Just a few more centimeters and she would be there.
"God, Callie, you feel so good, don't tease me." Arizona whispered and a loud moan escaped her lips as Callie's fingers only barely grazed over her swollen and aching bundle of nerves. She moaned again, she needed more, she wasn't above begging.
"Callie please."
"Arizona...Arizona…" A distant voice called. Arizona looked around, Callie was gone.
"Noooo." Arizona groaned from her sleep, trying desperately to get back to her dreamland.
"Wake up sleeping beauty. It's time for our run. Teddy will kill us if we're late. I think you were dreaming." the voice of Amelia Shepherd brought Arizona crashing fully back to consciousness.
"Why, why, why would you say that?" Arizona asked, sitting up and looking at a very smug Amelia standing on the ladder at the end of her bunk. She blushed as she thought of what Amelia may have heard if she was talking in her sleep.
"Sounded like a nightmare." Came the voice of April from the cubbies where she was changing.
"Or a very, very good dream." Amelia smiled as she hopped down to the ground.
"Ugh." Arizona sighed, dropping her head dramatically into her hands as embarrassment and now sexual frustration washed over her, "So close."
Arizona crawled down to the end of her bed and spun herself around so she could descend the ladder feet first. As she looked up, she saw Callie's dark eyes watching her intently, a cocky smirk gracing her perfectly plump lips. Arizona's breath caught as their eyes locked and she remembered how those luscious lips felt on her skin. She shuddered and broke eye contact as goosebumps covered her skin and her nipples hardened. She jumped the rest of the way to the floor and quickly made her way to the cubby.
She changed into shorts, a sports bra, and a long sleeved Johns Hopkins shirt in record time. She laced up her shoes as quickly as she could and tossed her hair into a messy bun on top of her head, eager to get out of the barracks as she could feel the intensity of chocolate orbs following her every move. A cold shower was definitely going to be required this morning.
Forty-five minutes later, Arizona was rehearsing her speech as she washed her hair in the cold shower she had definitely needed following her dream and the run she just had. She may not have gone eighteen months but it had been seven months which was definitely her longest period of time without sex and that dream was egging her libido on. Speaking of libido, she knew she needed to and wanted to apologize to Callie and offer an olive branch in hopes that they could at least be friends. She talked a big game with Amelia last night but in truth, since meeting Callie, she had been on her mind frequently. And now that she was actually living on base with her and getting to know her, she was the only woman occupying her mind these days. Maybe she shouldn't fight it. That is, if Callie would even hear her out and if she didn't panic and start rambling again with her mouth moving faster than her brain.
A loud rapping of the stall door, brought her out of her thoughts. "Other people need to shower too, hurry it up."
Arizona quickly rinsed her hair and turned the shower off. Wrapping a towel around herself, she gathered her things and stepped out of the stall to get dressed. "Bout damn time."
"Sorry Bailey." Arizona replied as she passed a very grumpy looking Bailey who grumbled
some more incoherently as she stepped into the recently vacated stall.
"Who pissed in her cheerios?" Arizona said aloud. A hearty laugh caught her attention as she looked up and saw Callie at the sink.
"What was that, Robbins?" they heard Bailey ask from behind her stall door.
"Nothing." Arizona called as she smiled at a still giggling Callie. The sound of Callie's laughter filled her heart. Arizona walked over to stand at the sink beside Callie. "Hey."
"Hey." Callie said with a smile, not looking away from the mirror as she continued plucking her eyebrows.
"Callie, I'm really sorry about yesterday. What I said, I didn't mean it. I'm so sorry that I offended you and I'm even more sorry if I hurt you. Our talk didn't go how I wanted it to at all."
"You didn't hurt me."Callie said, trying to keep her badass, I don't care demeanor but then she registered the rest of Arizona's words. Turning to face Arizona for the first time, Callie asked, "It didn't?"
"No, no it didn't. Callie, can, can we talk?"
"Yea...no...no, I mean, yes, yes we can talk but after you have more clothes on." Callie said, a blush spreading across her tan face as she struggled to find words. Arizona looked down at her towel and wet skin and smiled shyly. She was happier than she should be that her lack of clothing was causing Callie so much turmoil.
"Yea, of course. Lunch, maybe, we could sit together. I'll wear more than a towel so your eyes can stay in your head and you can form words." Arizona teased.
"I wasn't the one moaning my name in my sleep." Callie teased back. Arizona blushed a deep red before she walked into a changing stall and pulled the curtain. She could hear Callie chuckle from her spot at the sink.
"Damn it." Arizona whispered to herself.
Arizona tried desperately to pay attention as they made their rounds that morning, listening intently as Erica Hahn spoke about her plan for Mali, who indeed had a congenital heart defect that would need to be operated on in the future, but for now, they were just keeping a very close eye on it. Once Dr. Hahn and Dr. Bennett were finished talking about their plan with Mali, they were divided into two smaller groups. One would head with Dr. Herman and Dr. Bennett to the women's unit and the other half would go to the peds unit. Expecting to head the group that would attend to the peds cases, Arizona let her mind wander back to a certain brown haired beauty.
"Dr. Robbins, do you make a habit out of daydreaming?" Erica Hahn's voice brought
Arizona back to reality.
"No, Dr. Hahn, I'm sorry. What were you saying?"
"I was saying that I'd like to operate on the Ebstein's anomaly boy's heart sometime this week. His shortness of breath is getting worse and I noticed more edema than my assessments previously showed. Clearly there is something more interesting to you than the ebstein's anomaly though."
"Bahiri. His name is Bahiri. And no, he is my priority. I will speak with his sister, Taara as well as Bahiri today. Would you like me to scrub in with you?"
"Can you stay focused long enough for such a surgery?" Erica sniped before adding, "Dr. Robbins, the boy is six and his sister is seven, you do not need to explain anything to them other than the boy requires surgery."
"I'm aware of their ages Dr. Hahn. But all they have is each other now and Taara is going to be scared to let Bahiri have surgery. They trust me and I can explain the procedure in a way that a six year old and a seven year old can understand without terrifying them."
"Fine, you can speak with them and calm their fears while I save the boy's life. The decision has already been made, the boy needs surgery or his sister will bury him. I think we should let someone else have the spotlight for once. Since you're already a superstar, maybe let Karev and little Grey scrub in." Erica said before leaving the room. Slowly, the rest of the group dispersed.
"You ok?" Alex asked, "I don't have to scrub in, you should be in there. Hahn is a.."
"No, Alex. Dr. Hahn is right, you deserve to learn. You could be great in peds ya know. I realize on the surface, at first glance, it doesn't seem hardcore but the first time you save a life, you will see, Karev. Now, I have some patients to go see. Come help me round on the tiny humans."
Walking through the double doors, Arizona sought out Bahiri and Taara as well as the interpreter. When it came to a heart surgery, she wanted to make sure they understood and nothing was lost in translation. Trying to figure out the best way to explain this to a six and seven year old, she pulled out a model of the heart from an anatomy doll she had donated from her medical school days along with some clothes, toys, and books. Though Bahiri was six, he was small for his age, part of the heart condition that he was suffering from. Just looking at him, you would think he was three or four when he had actually just celebrated his sixth birthday last week. Not wanting the young boy to become short of breath, Arizona picked him up out of bed and carried him over to the table where Taara sat looking at the model of the heart Arizona had dug out. Arizona smiled as Karev rounded on the kids, glancing in their direction from time to time.
"Do you know what that is, Taara?" Arizona asked. The interpreter didn't need to say anything as Taara immediately responded with, "Yes Dr. Arizona, it is the heart."
"You're a very smart girl, Taara." Taking the heart and opening it up to reveal the chambers and valves of the heart, Arizona asked another question, "Do you know what the heart's job is?"
"Love." Bahiri shouted with a giggle.
"You are absolutely right clever boy." Arizona smiled, "But it has another important job, doesn't it Taara."
"It brings blood to your body."
"Yes it does. And your blood carries oxygen with it on tiny little cells. Do you know how the heart does that?"
This time, both children shook their heads no but they remained a captive audience. "Do you see these four compartments?" Arizona asked as she pointed out the four chambers of the heart.
Both children nodded their heads and waited for Arizona to continue, "They are called chambers but you can think of them as rooms. This room fills up with blood that is low on oxygen and then this one pumps it to the lungs where it gets oxygen. Understand?"
Arizona waited for the interpreter, both children nodded so Arizona continued, "This side of the heart, the left side, gets blood back from the lungs and then it goes into this room and it squeezes the blood and forces it out of the heart and into your vessels that carries your blood throughout your whole body." Arizona said as she poked Bahiri in the ribs, the arm, his tiny thigh, and then his little nose eliciting a giggle from him. Taara remained very still and very serious as she focused on what Arizona had to say.
"Now, these little guys here are called valves but you can think of them as doors to the rooms. They have a very important job. When one room of the heart sends blood to the next room, these little doors close and stop the blood from going backwards. If the blood goes backward, the heart can't get oxygen to your body very well." Arizona waited until the interpreter finished before she asked Taara, "Understand?"
"I think so."
"Bahiri's door, this one here," Arizona pointed to the valve between the right atrium and right ventricle, "does not work properly. It needs to be fixed so Bahiri can breathe better and feel better."
"Because his heart is sick, his body do not get enough oxygen? Correct Dr. Arizona?" Taara asked. Arizona gave her a dimpled smile, the child was bright and mature for a seven year old.
"That is correct, Taara."
"Will you fix him Dr. Arizona?"
"A heart doctor will fix his heart. And Dr. Alex and Dr. Lexie will be there too. I will be here with you Taara, so you don't worry so much." Arizona smiled at her to try to reassure her.
"I will be ok Dr. Arizona. You fix Bahiri's broken heart."
"My heart is broke?" Bahiri asked so innocently with a missing front tooth that Arizona just giggled and snuggled him close.
"No Bahiri, your heart is perfect but there is a tiny little spot that is sick and needs to get better and it needs a special doctor to make it better."
"Does it hurt to fix a sick heart?" Taara asked.
"Bahiri will get medicine that will make him sleep. When he wakes up he will get medicine to keep it from hurting too much. But we will have to be gentle for a little while." Arizona explained.
"It's ok Taara, I am not too scared."
"You're one brave little boy, Bahiri."
"When?" Taara asked.
"I'm not sure, but I will tell you before it happens, ok. Now, how about a story before I head off to lunch and Bahiri here is going to take a nap and rest so his sick heart can get better."
By the time Arizona left for lunch an hour later, Bahiri and several of the smaller children were fed and fast asleep. The older children had gathered around to listen to the story before they returned to their own beds to study quietly if they were well enough to do so. Arizona left plenty of different types of educational materials in the ward. Some of the older children had a harder time picking up English but several of the younger children had become close to being fluent.
Arizona made her way outside and saw Callie sitting on the ground against the building in the shade. As her eyes caught Arizona, she waved her over showing that she had grabbed a water and a bag lunch for her already. Walking over, Arizona gave her a big smile, making sure to pop her dimples. As she plopped down next to Callie she said, "Hey, how was your morning?"
"Oh I was in the ER/triage with Owen and Koracick this morning. Not much was going on, a few people who stopped in with different illnesses but nothing too serious. So Owen went over triage stuff with us all morning and all I could think about the entire time was if he was commando or not." Callie laughed. Arizona who unfortunately had just taken a swig of water, choked and sprayed water through her nose. Eyes watering and cheeks flushed with embarrassment, Arizona coughed violently while using her napkin to wipe her face and nose.
Callie rubbed circles on Arizona's back and said, "Wow, you and meal times are always eventful, huh."
"Sorry, I wasn't expecting that." Arizona said, once she caught her breath and got the coughing under control.
"Teddy told me." Callie laughed.
"Great, now I'm wondering if he's commando. Ohhh and I just got a flashback of his junk." Arizona flushed a deeper red and Callie broke into uncontrollable laughter. "I'm glad you find this funny, I think I've lost my appetite."
"So I don't have to worry about you and men?" Callie asked once her laughter was under control.
"Nope, gold star. Plan to keep it that way."
"So I just have to fight off the women then."
"Do you want to fight off the women?"
"I'm not answering any questions until you answer the one you owe me." Arizona looked Callie in the eye with a confused look on her face so Callie elaborated, "Your nickname, Riz, you promised you would explain."
"Ugh," Arizona sighed. She truly had lost her appetite now. If she explained this to Callie there is no way she would continue to be interested in her.
"Arizona, no judgments, I'm just curious."
"Fine, remind me to pinch Teddy, hard." Arizona said with a small smile, "You might not like me too much after I tell you this though so I just want to say, I'm not proud of this. I'm not ashamed either but it's not something I am looking forward to telling you about."
"Hey, why don't you let me decide for myself. Now stop stalling, Blondie."
"Only if you never call me that again!"
"Deal."
"Ok, well I had a high school romance that was my first experience with love and it ended badly. By badly, I mean she died."
"Andi?"
"How did you?" Arizona looked at her in confusion without finishing her sentence.
"Teddy mentioned she had a sister. I put two and two together."
"Forget pinching her, I need to staple her lips shut."
Callie laughed lightly, "You look so sweet and innocent but damn there's some darkness in you. Ok, continue please."
"After Andi, I threw myself even more into school than I already had. I was eighteen, going into my third summer of classes, and everyone thought I would take time off of school, they expected me to fall apart. But I didn't, I just threw myself into school two weeks after her funeral. I graduated from college the following May and started med school in June where I met Joanne."
"She was a med student too?"
"A T.A. actually, and six years older, oh and married but I didn't know that at the time. I was young and foolish and I fell in love with Joanne. She led me to believe we would have a future together and I was head over heels when her wife tracked me down and humiliated me in front of everyone in my class. I was devastated. When I went home for spring break, my parents could see that I wasn't caring for myself and they insisted I get help. I gave them a sugar coated version of what happened with Joanne, leaving out the wife and that she was six years older parts. So, I started seeing a therapist at their insistence. She helped me cope with Andi's death and with the aftermath of Joanne. By the time I started my round of summer classes in June, I was feeling much better and was back on track. But something changed in me. All these women expressed interest in me and I had always believed that I wanted a relationship but after two back to back disasters, I decided that shag em and bag em was my new found motto. And the ladies just couldn't resist the Arizona Robbins charm. I wracked up so many names in my little black book that Teddy, Nick, and Amelia started referring to me as Riz. It was their little inside joke. You know like Riz from Grease. And it worked because Riz could be a nickname for Arizona so no one questioned it."
"So, Riz is a codename for slut?"
"Ok now that you say it like that it sounds reeeeaaaallly bad."
"I don't like it."
"I told you that you wouldn't. But Teddy, Nick, even Amelia, they would never call me that. And I don't believe they see me that way. I'm not proud but it was consensual and all parties were adults. I was up front about what I wanted. I was single and didn't have time for anything serious."
"I'm not judging. I'm a little jealous. And I don't like the slut reference."
"You're jealous?" Arizona asked, her eyebrows slightly raised and a sudden flutter wreaking havoc in her chest.
"I didn't really intend to say that out loud so can we just move on," Callie pleaded. Arizona smirked but nodded her head, deciding to let the beauty off the hook for now, "So, Andi?'
"Teddy's little sister. Teddy and Andi's family was often stationed with my family along with Nick and his sister, Sara's. The six of us were close in age and hit it off. We were almost always stationed together and a lot of the time, we were each other's only friends. I was a baby the first time the Altmans and my family were stationed together. I'm not even sure if Andi was born yet or was just born to be honest with you. And we met Nick's family when I was three and we were stationed in Okinawa, Japan."
"How did she die?"
"Suicide." Arizona replied quietly.
"Oh. Oh, God, I'm so sorry, Arizona."
"Me too. But it was a long time ago and I've long since accepted it and moved on." Arizona replied. Callie reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, "What about you?"
"What about me?" Callie asked.
"Where did you grow up? Do you have any siblings? Have you ever been into a girl before?"
"Oh wow, jumping right into this then. Ok. Grew up in Miami. Yes, I have a sister, Aria. She is four years younger than me." Callie said, avoiding the last question.
"Oh no you don't, Torres, no flaking out on the last question, I answered yours."
"Ok, fine. There was one girl, in med school. We were friends, or so I thought. She didn't make friends easily, people didn't really like her. She was abrasive and blunt but I didn't mind. I guess because she didn't have any other friends, I didn't question how much time we spent together or how close we had become. We spent nearly every waking moment together. Even though I was a freshman and she was a senior, she always hung out with my friends and I. So, after our first semester of med school was completed and we had all passed our finals, my friends threw a party and invited both of us. We played drinking games and we were all stupid drunk. The drinking games led to truth or dare and one of my male friends dared her to kiss me. We kissed, at first it was just us making a big show but then she deepened the kiss and it became quite passionate. I admit I really enjoyed it. We walked back to my dorm room and we started to make out. She had already removed my shirt and was unbuttoning my jeans before I realized what we were doing and put the brakes on. I laughed it off as too much tequila but when I woke she was gone. I left for Miami to start Christmas break that day and I worried the entire time that I was gone about what it all meant. I considered then that I might have feelings for a girl that surpassed regular friendship but when I returned, she pretended she didn't know me and we never spoke again. At first, I was crushed but she was graduating anyway and then I got a new boyfriend and the demands of med school just took my mind off of it. I hadn't seen or heard from Erica since until this trip."
"Wait, Erica Hahn is the girl you made out with?!" Arizona exclaimed in a whisper.
"Yep." Callie replied awkwardly.
"So she wasn't lying when she said that she knew you well." Arizona said softly, "I mean, I knew she had made comments about you and I saw you two flirting the first night. I even thought she might have a thing for you but I didn't realize you had an actual history. I just assumed this started on this trip and she was just trying to get under my skin."
"What do you mean?"
"After that day that you helped save that little boy's leg, Erica was bragging about you and she might have mentioned something to everyone about how close you two once were and that she always knew you would be a terrific surgeon. Oh and she sort of hinted that you two were working on becoming close again. But I thought she was just trying to irritate me."
"Well we were close friends, a long time ago. Like I said, I haven't seen or heard from her since halfway through my first year of med school. And although I would like to be friends again if possible, there's definitely nothing but platonic feelings on my end. I am not interested in her that way."
"She seems to think it was more than that. You have an odd taste in friends."
"What do you mean?"
"Erica is...prickly, at best. I'm a nice person so that's me trying to be nice. And Cristina Yang, I think I could knock he upside the head with a compassion stick a dozen times and she would still be snarky and smug. And don't get me started on Mark Sloan."
At the mention of Mark, an awkwardness that wasn't previously there started to creep in. Arizona took a bite of her sandwich, she was so tired of sandwiches, they had never been her favorite anyway but after the past two years she's eaten far more than she cared to. Callie chanced a glance at Arizona.
"Mark is a good guy. I kissed him in the supply closet last week because I was confused. He didn't initiate it, I did. I just wanted to see if I was still attracted to men, I guess."
"And you are?"
"Yes."
"But Mark? He checked out my boobs."
"They're good boobs Arizona...I mean from what I've seen...not that I've looked but you in the towel and in your tank tops...and then in your bra. I mean..they were right there." Callie rambled a deep blush forming as her word vomit continued, a nervous laugh evident on her tongue.
"Good boobs huh? But you haven't looked? Not even peeked? Because last night you couldn't form words and now today, just talking about it, you're a bit frazzled there, Cal." Arizona teased.
"Are you saying you've never been distracted by boobs?"
"Point taken." Arizona replied. "So, Mark was just a test?"
"Yes. Give him a chance, he's a bit pervy but he's mostly a good guy."
"And Erica?"
"Nothing to tell, I swear."
"What about my brother?"
"Tim is sweet, and kind, and hot," Callie laughed as Arizona scrunched up her nose at Callie's description of her brother, "And I like him, a lot actually. He would normally be my type. But he kissed me, I didn't initiate that. And I told him we can only be friends because I like someone else."
"You do?"
"I do."
"Do I know this person?"
"You might know her." Callie smiled and looked at Arizona but she wasn't done teasing.
"Oh, her. Well tell me about this girl, what do you like?"
"Well she's smart, really smart, like surgeon smart. And she's sweet and funny. Not to mention she has these amazing eyes, the bluest eyes you can imagine and these dimples, oh my god, the dimples."
"Sounds like a catch."
"She is."
"You're a catch too, Calliope. You're stunning."
"Ha, have you looked in a mirror lately?"
"I'm serious. Your skin is this perfect light caramel color, it almost glows and it's so soft. And you have these giant brown eyes that are unlike any eyes I've ever stared into. Your hair has the perfect amount of curl and it's so silky, the color is a perfect contrast to your skin. And don't get me started on that smile." Arizona replied. Callie flashed the smile Arizona was hooked on and Arizona returned one, popping her dimples once again. They spent a few more seconds in a slightly awkward but mostly comfortable silence staring at each other with goofy smiles plastered to their faces. They each had a bit more of their forgotten lunches and sat enjoying the sunshine for a few minutes.
"So I'll have to fight off men and women. But you only have to fight off women, that doesn't seem fair."
"Do you want to fight off men and women for me?"
"Hey, I answered your question, now you have to answer mine. Do you want to fight off the women?" Arizona asked, one eyebrow raised in curiosity.
"Is it weird if I say I kind of do?"
Arizona pretended to think, tapping her finger on her chin before she looked Callie in the eyes and said, "Is it weird to say that I find that kind of hot?"
"Hot?" Callie asked with a smile as she leaned in to brush her lips against Arizona's before she realized where they were and she cleared her throat and sat back. Arizona pouted slightly as she looked up at Callie. She realized, now was not the time or place but she still felt slightly disappointed. Especially as images from her dream crept into her mind. As if she could see exactly what was on Arizona's mind, Callie asked, "What exactly was your dream about?"
"What...ah, what dream?" Arizona feigned innocence.
"The one that had you moaning my name."
"Robbins...Torres...all hands on deck. A family of six is coming in after their vehicle hit a land mine and rolled. Three kids, mom, dad, and grandma."
"Saved by the bell." Arizona said, jumping up. Then realizing what she just said, she turned to Owen, "I didn't mean it like that. I mean, I'm not happy about the family being blown up."
"It's fine Robbins." Owen said with an awkward smile before he took off back inside.
"Wow, you're dark, Arizona," Callie teased, then added, "This does not mean you're off
the hook, I'm going to find out about that dream."
"Only if you're lucky." Arizona teased back as they jumped to their feet and followed Owen into the building. Though her exterior seemed cool and flirtatious, inside Arizona was freaking out. How was she going to explain that dream? 'Crap, crap, crap. You'll just have to make something up. But you're a terrible liar.' Arizona argued with herself until the commotion around her brought her back to reality.
Callie and Arizona joined the crowd of doctors running toward the triage center. Before parting ways, Callie grabbed Arizona's hand and squeezed it. Arizona turned to her, a worried look on her face, "You'll do great. Stay safe ok."
"You too." Callie replied. And with that, the two joined their teams to prepare for the incoming injured patients they were about to receive.
As the first child entered the triage center, Arizona rushed to his side, complete doctor mode taking over, "What have we got?"
"Nine year old male, unrestrained in the backseat, thrown from the vehicle. Looks like possible head and spinal injuries." The army medic replied.
"I need neuro over here." Arizona yelled, then added, "Alex, you take this one with Shepherd and grab someone from general to look at him. Get IV's and fluids going, I will be there as soon as I assess the other two children."
As Arizona finished rattling orders, the second child came in, this one was conscious and screaming in pain and Arizona could immediately see that his femur was sticking through his clothing on his right leg, "Eleven year old rear passenger, needed to be extracted from the vehicle. He was also unrestrained."
"I need ortho and a trauma surgeon over here." Owen Hunt and Callie both came running over to Arizona's side.
"I'll take this one, Torres. There may be more broken bones coming in. You and Eliza assess them as they come in and come get me if you need me." Owen ordered.
The mother and grandmother came in next. Both unconscious, the mother with a foreign body protruding from her abdomen. The grandmother although unconscious seemed relatively uninjured.
"I've got this one." The Chief said as he started assessing the mother. "I will also need neuro over here to assess her and Kepner, come give me a hand."
"I'll take Grandma with Yang." Mark offered, then seeing that both Derek and Tom were already assessing the first child and the mother, he added, "Amelia, we should have her neuro status checked as well."
"Dad died on scene, nothing we could do. This is the last one." The army medic said as he carried in a small child that was bleeding heavily.
"I need a gurney!" Arizona yelled as she saw the young girl, "Where's the bleeding coming from?"
"Open abdomen. She was the middle rear passenger sitting on her grandma's lap. She went through the windshield."
"She was thrown through through the windshield! Why aren't we stabilizing her c-spine and pelvis?" Arizona growled. She grabbed the small girl's head in her hands to hold it steady. I need a board and collar on this gurney now!" She yelled. Callie and Eliza both came running with the board and collar. Gently placing the girl on the board, Arizona quickly began assessing her wounds.
"Callie, get a central line on her. Eliza go get two bags of O neg and a rapid infuser. Bailey, Amelia, Teddy, get ready to scrub in with me. I need a full set of x-rays, chest, pelvis, arms, legs, neck, and a CT as soon as that central line is in Callie. Take Eliza with you and Lexie too."
Arizona set off to do a quick assessment of her other two pediatric patients. The younger boy who was the first to come in was headed up to surgery with a brain bleed and spinal injury. Derek would be performing the surgery with Alex and another intern by the name of Matthew to assist. As well as Erica Hahn as they were concerned about damages sustained in the chest wall.
The second boy with the open femur fracture was also headed to surgery with Owen, Sam, George, and Jo Wilson, an intern that Arizona wasn't familiar with yet. He seemed to have sustained no other serious injuries although he had bruising over his abdomen that they were watching. Satisfied that the other two children were in good hands and the four year old girl currently in CT required her undivided attention, Arizona went to check on the x-ray and CT results.
"Damn it." she heard Amelia say as she entered the room to see her already staring at the scans. Feeling Arizona's presence, Amelia said, "She's got a brain bleed."
"And a pelvic fracture. And a belly full of blood. Shit, it's her spleen. We need to get her into surgery now."
"Eliza go get more blood. The rest of you, lets get her to the OR and start getting her prepped. We need to stabilize that pelvis before we open her up, Callie or she will bleed out. Then Bailey, Eliza, and I will work on her spleen and any other internal injuries we come across while Amelia and Lexie work on the bleed. That will leave you and Teddy to work on the pelvis once she's more stable. Can you do that?"
"Yea, yes, I can." Callie said as she kissed her Saint Gianna Beretta Molla necklace that her Grandmother had given her when she graduated from medical school.
"Is that a cross?"
"No, it's the female saint of doctors and medicine. My grandmother gave it to me. It's kind of a ridiculous superstition but I always kiss it before surgery after I'm done praying."
"Praying? Were you even listening to me?" Arizona asked getting irritable.
"Yes, of course I was. I prayed for her while she was getting scans."
"I think that's nice, I'll say a prayer too." Bailey replied.
"Well, while you two pray, I'm going to save her life. With science and medicine."
"Are you Catholic, Bailey?" Callie asked, ignoring Arizona's snarky remarks.
"Christian. You Catholic?"
"`Yea, I am." Callie replied. And with just that simple three letter sentence, Arizona felt like she had been punched in the gut. All the air left her lungs. She used her breathing techniques to ground herself as she scrubbed, tuning everyone else out. She felt Teddy's hand on her shoulder. Ok five things I can see...Arizona started her ritual to ward off a panic attack that she hadn't had in years. 'And this is why you stick with one night stands, Riz. Love, relationships, they're messy, complicated. They cause panic attacks.' Arizona thought to herself.
"You ready?" Teddy asked her. Recognizing the signs of Arizona's panic attack though she doubted anyone else had.
"Time to be awesome." Arizona said as she walked into the OR.