"Karev, psst Karev" a voice from the linen trolley brought Alex out his musing, he recognised it, his mentor Arizona Robbins was behind it clearly hiding from someone, the fact she'd picked the corridor barely anyone used didn't escape him.
"Have you seen Callie? Is she nearby?" Arizona whispered her blue eyes darting from side to side. Alex looked around, not seeing anyone,
"No, what are you doing?" he asked confused.
"Hiding, what does it look like Karev?" Arizona asked annoyed, surely, he didn't think she was standing behind a linen trolley for fun.
"Why?" he asked,
"Because Callie is looking for me and I don't want to be found, that's generally what hiding mean Karev" she snapped,
"But why? You like Callie, you married her" he pointed out,
"I know that Alex, I was there" Arizona sighed frustrated, "I need to go check on my post ops, walk in front if you see Callie let me know so I can run" she ordered,
"What's in it for me?" Alex asked frowning,
"I'll let you scrub in on all my surgeries next week" Arizona promised, "And lead on the bowel resection"
"Deal" Alex agreed, he hadn't done a Peds bowel resection yet. "I don't get why you're hiding from Callie though" he added as he began walking down the corridor checking every junction.
"It's classified" Arizona replied creeping behind him, also keeping her eyes peeled. They made it to the nurse's station on the Peds ward without meeting Callie, Arizona had just reached for the first set of notes when Alex signalled.
"Hey, Callie, how are you" he greeted loudly.
Panicked Arizona dove into the nearest room finding Mary-Kate her 8 year old appendicitis that she had operated on yesterday and one of the post ops she had to check on.
"Dr Zona" she greeted from her bed where she was reading a magazine. Arizona ran around the bed kneeling on the side away from the door,
"Ssh, I'm hiding from Dr Torres, don't tell her I'm here" she begged, Mary-Kate nodded, the 8-year-old turned back to her magazine trying to spot who her doctor was hiding from.
"Is she mean Dr Torres?" Mary-Kate questioned, slightly fearful her active imagination coming up with the wicked witch from snow white, trying to ensnare her doctor with an apple.
"No, she is wonderful, and caring," Arizona whispered trying to see if she could see Callie's show under the bed,
"Then why are you hiding?" Mary-Kate asked,
"Because she is trying to make me do something I don't want to do" Arizona pouted,
"Why?" Mary-Kate continued,
"Because she says I need to, and that's it good for me" Arizona revealed,
"Like what?" Mary-Kate asked confused, "Wait, does Dr Torres have long black hair, look Spanish, wear a white lab coat and navy scrubs"
"Yes"
"Is she really pretty?" Mary-Kate asked
"Very, the prettiest person you've ever seen and when she smiles, she lights up your whole world and you feel on fire like you could do anything. Why?"
"Because I'm standing right here?" Callie said standing at the end of the bed her arms crossed.
"Mary-Kate I can't find your earring anywhere" Arizona lied standing up, hoping to conceal the fact she had been hiding,
"Dr Zona I don't even have my ears pierced," the 8-year-old giggled. Arizona sighed, giving Callie her best puppy dog eyes,
"Please Callie I don't want to go" Arizona pouted, Callie folded her arms giving Arizona her sternest expression, "They're mean" Arizona tried,
"Arizona Marie Robbins, you are 34 years old. I should not have to drag you" Callie replied firmly, "If you didn't eat so many sweets and have so much sugar in your coffee"
"But I like sweets and sugary coffee" Arizona now looked like she was going to cry.
"I know babe and I'm not saying you can't have them; I'm just saying if you do the crime you gotta do the time" Callie stepped forwards drawing Arizona into a hug,
"Will you be there?" Arizona asked, biting her lip
"The whole time, holding your hand I promise," Callie said,
"I don't think I need to go though its fine" Arizona insisted trying one more time,
"Eat this without wincing, if you can I'll let you off" Callie handed her a chocolate bar, it had hard toffee inside. Arizona stubbornly took a bite,
"Arrgh" she cried, as it hit her tooth causing her to cry out.
"You need the dentist sweetie, you can't survive on a liquid diet" Callie insisted, taking the chocolate back.
"But they have big drills" Arizona sulked,
"I have bigger drills and you like me" Callie pointed out,
"It's not that bad Doctor Zona if your good they give you lollies" Mary-Kate pointed out, the 8-year-old trying to help, but causing Arizona to sulk more, and Callie to grin,
"Yeah, Doctor Zona," Callie joined in, "If your good, you get special treats" she raised her eyebrow at the word special giving her wife a seductive smile. Arizona smiled at the thought of the special treat but then frowned at the thought of going to the dentist.
"Come on babe" Callie ordered taking her hand pulling her gently out of the room. Standing at the desk was Alex. Arizona glared at him,
"Boss it wasn't me, she paid off Johnny" he pointed to a 12-year-old patient sat in a wheelchair by the nurse's station holding a crispy $20 with a huge grin on his pale face.
"I knew you were avoiding me I had to get spies, it's for your own good" Callie reminded her, Arizona sighed while making a mental note to talk to Johnny later, just because he had cancer didn't mean he could grass her up to her wife. Team Peds was meant to stick together.
"Callie I still have post ops" Arizona protested, trying to escape the dentist.
"Alex is covering" Callie insisted
"I don't even have an appointment"
"I made you one for 20 minutes time" Callie replied, "Look I know your scared, but I'm going to be there the whole time" she promised, "And when we are done we can go home, I've arranged for Mark to take Sofia and we can have some alone time" she promised still walking her wife out of the hospital hoping to distract her enough to get her into the car, at least there she could put the child locks on. She knew Arizona was scared of dentists, but this was extreme. Callie had noticed Arizona wincing in pain when she ate nearly a month ago and advised to go and get checked out and had assumed she had when she returned with antibiotics, it was only 2 weeks ago she discovered April had prescribed them not a dentist.
Over the last week Arizona had resorted to a liquid only diet, sleeping more upright, not eating anything too hot or too cold. Yesterday Callie had noticed her face had begun to swell and knew her stubborn wife would have to be physically marched into the dentist before she got sepsis from a tooth abscess. She had booked the appointment and had planned to take Arizona, who asked if she could quickly pop into the hospital for her insurance details. Callie had agreed and had waited in the car, only to find Arizona hadn't returned. Sighing she had gone in paging her wife, again no reply with her calls and texts going unanswered.
Callie knew what this was, her wife had a pattern of running away when she didn't want to do something, and this was extreme. After searching the hospital twice Callie had started thinking smarter finding an army of kids who'd betrayed their beloved Doctor Zona for $20 if they saw her and rang her first. Callie knew it was a matter of time and it had worked
"She is in there, Doctor Torres" the kid pointed, Callie handed him the $20 finally finding her wife.
Now she had her firmly grasped all she had to do was get her in the car and to the dentist so she could finally get her tooth sorted. They neared the door, Owen approached
"Arizona, I have a consult" he started
"No, my wife is not on call, no" Callie interrupted, "There are over 20 Peds surgeons in this hospital and unless it's a procedure only my wife can do then no" she insisted shutting Owen up.
"But Callie I could help" Arizona moaned, trying to delay just a bit longer, Callie sighed, trying another track.
"You know the abscess, well it's making your breath smell, and I can't take in anymore, so until you get it sorted there will be no kisses, no cuddles, no sex, no sharing a bed" she threatened watching Arizona's eye widen in horror.
"You wouldn't" she replied, Callie grinned knowing victory was hers.
"Get in the car Arizona, or you will find out exactly how serious I am" Callie hid her grin as Arizona promptly climbed in.
The whole way to the dentist Arizona sat jiggling her knee off the floor and biting her nails nervously, as they approached her breathing quickened, a light sheen of sweat developed on her forehead, and the shaking worsened. As Callie parked Arizona jumped out vomiting in the hedge. Callie was there in an instant holding her hair back.
"You're really nervous" Callie pointed out sympathetically, Arizona nodded sinking back onto her heels wiping her face on a tissue.
"Lets get it over with" Arizona insisted gripping Callie's hand, despite Arizona bravado, it was Callie who lead her in, who spoke to reception and who stood when Arizona's name was called a few moments later dragging her wife into the dentist's room.
In the dentists Callie had to stop Arizona running away resorting to sitting next to her holding her hand like an anchor.
They went to the chair again Callie had to physically hold Arizona in place, while the dentist examined her mouth then removed the tooth and drained the abscess.
Outside Callie hugged her drugged up wife.
"I'm proud of you" she said sincerely,
"I love you Calliope" Arizona replied sincerely. "I'm sorry that I hid from you, and didn't tell you it was sore"
"I know you are, and you're going to make it up to me by returning in 4 weeks to have your new tooth placed without any of these games, right?" Callie asked,
There was silence
"Arizona, you're going to go back without a fight, right?" She repeated her heart sinking, as she turned in the car only to find her wife fast asleep.
Callie moved some hair out of her wife's face, marvelling at how peaceful she looked. She knew she would have another battle to get Arizona to return to the dentist in 4 weeks for her follow up. Still now she knew withholding sex worked it was going to be a lot easier, maybe next time she wouldn't tell just give her a lift to work and suddenly arrive at the dentist. Either way Callie knew this would be a life long battle with her wife. Still Arizona was always there for her, every speech she had to make Arizona was there, holding her vomit, passing her mints and water and standing in the crowd mouthing the speech to her when she needed prompting. Saying that she had never actively hidden from her wife, to avoid a speech, Arizona was going to have to make that up to her. Callie grinned, her imagination enjoying the thought. With the rest of the day off as soon as she woke they were going to have a lot of fun.