Chapter 9: All Apologies

The next morning, Joey's alarm went off at five forty-five. After some thought, she decided to jog in to work. She brushed her teeth, got dressed, packed her assault pack then made the ten and a quarter mile jog to the hospital. She walked through the doors ten minutes after seven. On her way to the attending's lounge, she picked up a fresh pair of scrubs. When she walked in the lounge, it was alive with chatter from the doctors who'd beat her in. She said hello as she hurried towards the bathroom. She had only thirty minutes to get cleaned up if she wanted to get coffee and breakfast before her shift.

"Did you run here?" Amelia asked intrigued by her sweaty appearance. Joey stopped just short of the bathroom door.

"Yeah".

"How far do you live?"

"Not far" she shrugged. "Like ten miles".

"Oh, is that all?" she asked amused by how casually she said the distance, as if it were just a short stroll. Joey nodded then headed into the bathroom to shower and get dressed. "Ten miles?"

"She's used to it" Owen said with a shrug. "Active duty soldiers do PT every morning. Some training missions they hike twice that with fifty, sixty pounds of gear on their backs" he explained. "A ten-mile jog would be a cake walk for her".

"I'd die just having to walk that far". Arizona and Callie walked into the lounge together.

"I talked to her this morning" Arizona said as she took off her jacket. "She was finishing breakfast and they were getting ready to leave for school. She was fine".

"I'm gonna call her. Maybe I can catch her before her class starts" Callie said pulling her phone from her pocket. "Just to make sure she made it".

"Suit yourself". Arizona was telling Callie she worried too much more and more often. That used to be her problem, always looking for disaster around every corner. Now, that Sofia was getting older it was Callie who was always preparing for the worst. She joked that she remembered what she was like as a teenager. If any of that was in Sofia, she should worry more. Having an overbearing, overprotective father, Callie looked for freedom wherever she could. Arizona couldn't relate. Being a military kid, Arizona was a goody two shoes growing up. She nor her brother ever got into any real trouble. Their parents were strict and there were a lot of things she felt like she missed out on which is why she wanted to be more relaxed with Sofia. She wanted her to enjoy her childhood.

"Hey, Robbins" Alex called to her from his seat at the table, pulling her from her thoughts. She took her lab coat from its hanger and put it on as she walked over to him. "You have some free time today?"

"Yeah. After lunch I don't have surgery until two thirty. What's up?"

"Can you go over my report?" he said holding up his paper. "It has to be perfect if I'm gonna have a chance at getting this grant". She took the paper from his hands.

"I will read it later".

"Make notes on it, whatever you need to do" he said getting up from the table. "Don't hold back".

"Oh trust me, I won't" she assured him. He took his coffee from the table then headed out to round on his patients. Joey emerged from the bathroom and went over to the closet, setting her bag in the bottom on the floor.

"Morning" Callie said from her seat on the couch.

"Hi" she said nicely. "Morning". She quickly braided her wet hair to the back and secured the end with a rubber band.

"Oh there you are" April said approaching Joey. "I have a lap chole this morning and I was wondering if you'd take it for me".

"Umm, yeah sure" she shrugged. "Now?"

"Eight thirty. Helm will be assisting you" she said pulling up the chart on the tablet in her hands. "You met her, right?" Joey nodded. "Here's his chart" she handed the tablet to Joey. "You can keep that for the rest of your shift. Just make sure you return it to the charging port at the nurses' station when you're done. Also here's your pager" she said pulling it from her pocket and handing it to her. "That's yours to keep".

"Thanks". She put the pager in her pocket then continued reviewing the patient's chart.

"You'll be in OR three and I'll be covering the pit if you need anything"

"The pit?"

"The ER" she clarified. "We call it the pit".

"Why?" she asked confused. April thought about it for a moment.

"I honestly don't know" she admitted. "Anyway, Teddy had something for her kids so she's running late and she asked me to cover for her".

"Why didn't she ask me?" Owen asked over his shoulder.

"I don't know" April shrugged. "But you're ok to do the lap chole with Helm?"

"Yeah, I got it".

"Great. Thank you" April said gratefully as she turned to leave.

"No problem". Joey checked her watch. It was almost eight o'clock. She went into her bag and pulled out the apple, granola bars and water bottle she packed. She went over and sat in the empty chair to eat her breakfast and review the patient's chart before surgery. She could feel Callie looking at her but she kept her eyes on her tablet. She heard Arizona's voice at the table behind her talking to Owen and Amelia. She ignored that too and tried to focus. She finished her apple and granola bars then spent another few minutes going over the chart. Deliberately ignoring Arizona's presence, she got up, put her water bottle in the frig then headed out to surgery.

"What's that about?" Amelia asked interested.

"What?"

"She didn't speak to you at all" she stated what they'd all noticed. "What happened when you left the bar last night?"

"Nothing" she shrugged. "We walked back to our cars together".

"So why isn't she talking to you?" Owen asked. Teddy had told him all about Arizona and Joey so it was surprising to him as well when Joey didn't speak to her.

"It's complicated" she said using Joey's line. "I have to go". She took her coffee and Alex's report and went to round on her patients. Joey had a successful surgery and updated the patient's chart before heading down to the ER. Teddy hadn't arrived yet so they were still short a body and there were several patients waiting for surgical consults. She jumped right in where April needed her. She jumped on one trauma of the two that came in. Her patient needed an ortho consult and Callie responded to the page. They had an interesting exchange with the patient who'd broken his leg. He'd fallen out of a tree while attempting to trim the branches. Callie was sassy and unfiltered. She had a great sense of humor. Joey enjoyed working with her. The patient was cleared of needing any surgical intervention. After his leg was set and casted, he'd be able to go on his way. With her part done, Joey excused herself and went to lunch. She got a sandwich and fruit then went back to the attending's lounge to eat, thinking it would be relatively empty. She walked in and stopped in her tracks. It seemed everyone had decided to eat there instead of the cafeteria. She contemplated turning around and leaving but that would've made her standing there like a deer in headlights even more awkward than it already was. She walked in and went over to the frig, retrieving her water bottle, then went to sit on the couch. A moment after she sat down, Callie walked in.

"I'm definitely gonna need a drink tonight" she said as she pulled off her lab coat. She hung it over the back of the chair Jackson was sitting in on her way to the frig. She retrieved a container of fruit then went over and took a seat next to Joey on the couch. "That tree guy was nuts". Joey laughed. "What happened to you?" she asked looking to Joey. "You just disappeared".

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. It just, it seemed like you had it under control on your own".

"Really? Is that what it seemed like?" Callie asked sarcastically. Joey stifled her laughter as she took a bite of her sandwich. Arizona glanced up from reading Alex's paper to see Callie and Joey laughing together. She tried not to let it bother her but she apparently wasn't hiding it well.

"Are you gonna say something to her?" Amelia asked in a hushed tone. Arizona shook her head.

"Arizona, what is going on?" Meredith asked confused. "She doesn't acknowledge you this morning and now she's still ignoring you but she's talking to Callie?".

"I- I" she let out a huff of air and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know".

"Would you two let her focus, please?" Alex said annoyed with them interrupting her concentration.

"I don't think we're the ones breaking her concentration" Meredith said looking across the room. He turned around to see Joey and Callie sitting on the couch together.

"Oh" he said taking in the scene. "That's…. interesting. So, are you gonna ask her what's so complicated?" he asked turning back to Arizona.

"Do you want me to read this or not?"

"We'll shut up" he quickly replied.

"Thank you". Callie walked out of the lounge and Maggie walked in past her. There was no empty seat at the table. Jackson was sitting in the single chair reading a medical journal. The only free space to sit was the couch next to Joey or somewhere on the floor. Meredith, Amelia and Alex watched her as she contemplated what to do. She decided to go over to the couch and sit down. She pulled back the foil top on her yogurt and stirred it with her spoon.

"I'm sorry" she said abruptly. Everyone's eyes fell on her.

"You're talking to me?" Joey asked seeing that she was looking at her.

"Yes" she nodded, "I'm sorry for my behavior yesterday with my…" she paused, "with your patient" she corrected herself. "You were right. I wasn't respectful. I was rude and presumptuous and I'm sorry".

"Thanks" Joey said simply. Maggie hadn't been expecting for it to go that easily.

"So, we're good?" she asked.

"Yeah" Joey nodded. "We're good".

"Good" Maggie said surprised. She'd expected to have to work harder for her apology to be accepted. "Great" she said with more enthusiasm. Joey winced at her bright, upbeat tone of voice. "So, we can start over? Be friends?" Joey nodded with a strained smile on her face.

"Fr- yeah. Frien- sure" she stammered.

"No, you don't mean that. You're just trying to be nice" Maggie said seeing how forced her smile was.

"No, I'm… not. I'm- I" she continued to stammer, "we can be friends. It just… seems like you're very…. cheerful and upbeat". Maggie nodded.

"Yeah" Maggie nodded. "I mean, a part from my bitchy moments I'm a mostly happy, optimistic person. Aren't you?"

"Not generally, no" she answered without hesitation.

"Really?" she asked surprised. "You have to be optimistic sometimes. I mean, like with you and Arizona; that took optimism" she said looking back and forth between her and Arizona.

"What do you mean with me and Arizona?" she asked confused.

"Well, you know, with the whole…"

"Maggie" Amelia said from her seat at the table. She shook her head and gestured for her to stop talking. Arizona looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there. Joey continued to look confused. Obviously some conversations had been going on behind her back. Her pager went off in her pocket. She retrieved it and looked at the message.

"Alan Houser's awake" she said before getting up from the couch and returning her pager to her pocket. She cleaned up her trash from lunch then hurried off to see her patient, leaving again without acknowledging Arizona.

"Could your mouth be any bigger?" Amelia asked pointedly at Maggie. Meredith laughed.

"I didn't know it was a secret".

"Like that would make a difference" Meredith teased. Joey met up with April and Parker visiting with Mr. Houser and his family. His labs looked good. His post-op scans were clear and he showed no signs of any neuro deficits. His wife and children were very happy. So was Joey. He was her first patient at her first civilian job. Getting a good outcome felt like a good omen for the rest of her time here. She finished the rest of her day then went back to the attending's lounge. She chatted with Alex and Meredith, who were also getting ready to leave for the day then went into the bathroom to change. She came out in the jeans and Rolling Stones t shirt she'd packed that morning. After tossing her used scrubs into the laundry bin, she went to the closet to get her things. She put her jacket on then put her bag on her shoulder. When she turned to leave, Arizona was standing there.

"Whoa" she said stopping short of running into her. "Sorry".

"Oh, it's fine" she replied waving off the near collision. "So your, uh, your patient regained consciousness?" she asked with a big smile.

"Yeah" Joey nodded. "Yeah, he did. He's doing really well".

"That's great" she said happily. "Congratulations".

"Thank you".

"I was wondering if we could get together and talk" she said hopeful that she'd get the response she wanted. Meredith and Alex pretended to small talk across the room but they were really eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Umm… I thought you had Sofia tonight?"

"Yeah, I do" she confirmed, "I- I didn't mean tonight. Umm… maybe Friday?"

"Oh, I- I'm sorry. I can't do Friday" she said regretfully. "I already have plans".

"Oh" she said, obviously disappointed.

"But I… I'm sure we'll… find a good time for both of us".

"O- so, you would want to get together sometime?" she asked. She thought maybe Joey was letting her down easy saying they'd find a good time without really intending to find a good time, similar to saying she'd find her when she wasn't really sure she would.

"Yeah" she said surely. "I would like that".

"Okay". Arizona's smile returned full force. She took a card from her pocket, wrote something on the back and held it out to Joey. "Here's my card. I just put my cell number on the back". Joey took the card from her. "Call me".

"Ok" she said simply before putting the card in her pocket. "I'm gonna… I have to get home. I have some furniture being delivered. Good night Arizona".

"Good night" she said as she stepped out of her way. Joey made her way out the lounge, saying goodbye to Alex and Meredith as she left. "Do you think she'll call?" she asked looking over to her friends that she had no doubt had been listening.

"Yeah" Meredith said confidently.

"Probably not" Alex said simultaneously. They looked at each other then back at Arizona.

"Maybe" Meredith said with a shrug.

"You never know" Alex said also changing his answer. Arizona let out a huff of air then grabbed her bag from the closet and headed into the bathroom to change. Joey made it home just in time to meet the delivery men and sign for the last of her bedroom set. She unrolled her new mattress and let it take form while she put her bed together. She was excited about sleeping in a real bed instead of on the floor in her sleeping bag. Once she finished with her bed, she headed out to the store to finally do some grocery shopping. She ran up a steep bill buying all the staples and enough food to last the next couple of weeks if she stuck to cooking more than ordering out. She returned home, put her groceries away, then went to her bedroom. She showered off her day then got in bed and texted with her sister.

Meanwhile, Arizona was at home with Sofia. Her class was working on projects about what their parents did for a living. Callie had done her part with Sofia over the weekend. Now, it was Arizona's turn. She decided the best way to depict her job was with a jello mold. She'd used them during her fellowship to practice procedures and now she was making one with Sofia to show her class how she operated on babies still in the womb. Sofia was worried that the mold wouldn't last until the next day but Arizona assured her it'd hold up just fine as long as they left it in the refrigerator overnight. They finished the mold and put in the frig then Arizona started on dinner while Sofia watched a movie. They ate then made cookies together. After that, it was showers and bed.

The rest of the week flew by and it was Friday. It was Callie's night with Sofia and Arizona didn't want to go home to an empty place so she decided to go over to the bar for dinner and a drink. Alex, Jo, Amelia and Maggie were already there so she joined them at their table. She ordered a burger and fries and poured herself a beer from the pitcher at the table. They were talking about Alex's grant proposal when Joey walked in with an attractive fair skinned woman with light brown, wavy hair. She noticed them at their table and gave a polite wave before going to the bar with her date. They took two open seats and ordered drinks.

"Wow" Amelia said eyeing the two woman at the bar.

"I guess she really did have plans, huh?" Alex asked looking to Arizona. The waiter came over and set Arizona's plate in front of her. She politely thanked him. "Did she ever call you?"

"No" she said as she dipped a fry in ketchup and took a bite.

"Doesn't mean she won't" Jo said still holding on to her optimism. "She said she had plans and that's why she couldn't get together with you tonight. And that wasn't a lie. She really did have plans".

"Yeah, with another woman" Amelia said with distaste. She thought Joey was nice but she didn't too much like the way she seemed to be jerking Arizona around.

"In all fairness, we don't know who she is" Maggie chimed in.

"Exactly" Jo said in agreement. "She could just be a friend".

"She just moved here remember" Amelia pointed out, "and she's not particularly friendly".

"Well, she's not… not friendly" Jo said, continuing to defend Joey.

"She doesn't ever seem like she has too much to say" Maggie said before taking a drink. Arizona let them discuss Joey while she ate her food. She didn't really have anything to say and she didn't really know what to think of Joey's behavior.

"Doesn't look like she's at a loss for words right now" Amelia quipped. Arizona glanced over just in time to see Joey laugh. It was the biggest, most free laugh she'd seen from her thus far. She looked completely comfortable with the woman she was with. "Why don't you just get her number and call her?" Amelia asked, pulling Arizona's attention back to their table.

"I'm not gonna push her" she shrugged. "She said we'd get together. I'll wait until she's ready". She cleaned her hands with her napkin then discarded it on her plate with her mostly finished meal. They went back to talking about Alex's grant proposal then about the new guy Maggie was seeing. It'd only been a few dates but she liked him and she was optimistic about where it would go. Talking among themselves, they hadn't noticed that Joey and her mystery date had gotten up from the bar until Joey appeared by their table.

"Hey" she said nicely, "Sorry to interrupt".

"No, not at all" Jo said with a big smile. "Do you want to join us? You can pull up a chair".

"Oh, no thanks" she politely declined. "I just wanted to steal Arizona for a minute…. if that's ok". Everyone except Arizona enthusiastically granted permission. She noticed that Arizona didn't say anything. "Arizona can I… can I talk to you… for a minute?" she asked her directly.

"Sure". She got up from her chair and went off to the side with Joey. She turned to face her and waited for her to say something.

"I, um, I just wanted to apologize" she said sincerely. "I know I said I would call you and then I didn't".

"It's okay if you don't want to call me or go out…."

"No, I don't want to go… I mean I do" she said not wanting her to get the wrong idea. "It's not that I don't want to call or go out. I do want to call you" she said more clearly, "and I do want to go out with you sometime". She looked over her shoulder to the woman she'd been having drinks with. She was waiting patiently for her near the door. "And that's not… she's not" she said pointing over her shoulder, "I'm not on a date" she assured her.

"It's ok if you are" Arizona said back, trying to appear unaffected.

"Well, I'm not" she repeated. "She's just a friend. She's in town visiting" she explained. She knew she didn't really need to explain herself. They weren't dating so she had no obligations but still she felt the need to make sure Arizona knew the situation. "I will call you" she said firmly.

"Ok" she said with the same smile that made Joey's stomach flutter.

"Ok. I, um, I gotta…."

"Yeah" Arizona said before she finished. Joey turned and left the bar with her friend and Arizona returned to her table with hers. She could hardly get comfortable in her seat before she was bombarded with questions about their conversation. She told them what Joey said and they continued to give her advice and speculate about Joey's intentions. Eventually the conversation moved on to other people's business. They left the bar together around ten to head home and get ready for the next day.

Joey's mom called her Saturday morning to ask when she and her father would be able to come for a visit. It was the end of her first week at work and she'd told them, once she was settled into her schedule, she would say when they could visit. She was in the attendings' lounge arguing with her on the phone.

"Je ne veux pas dire littéralement une maman de semaine" she said annoyed. "Je vais. Je vais. J'ai juste besoin de plus de temps. Oui, je vous appellerai. Je t'aime aussi". (I didn't literally mean a week, mom. I will. I will. I just need more time. Yes, I will call you. I love you too). She turned around to find Maggie, Amelia and Jo staring at her. "What?"

"You speak french" Jo said more than asked.

"Yeah". She slipped her phone in the pocket of her scrubs and went over to the frig. Earlier in the week she'd brought in some food for herself. She grabbed a string cheese, some apple slices and her water bottle then went over and took a seat on the couch.

"Me too" Maggie said happily.

"Lover's spat?" Amelia asked only half joking.

"I was talking to my mother" she said dryly.

"Oh".

"Where's she from?" Maggie asked taking a seat to her on the couch.

"Missouri" she said pulling a string of cheese and putting it in her mouth. Maggie laughed.

"No, I mean originally".

"Missouri" Joey repeated, even though she knew what she meant.

"Oh".

"My grandparents came over from Afghanistan" she elaborated with a smirk.

"You're funny" Maggie said sarcastically.

"They speak French in Afghanistan?" Jo asked after some thought.

"No" she said simply. "They speak french in Africa".

"So, she learned french in Africa?"

"No. She learned french in high school". She was a bit annoyed with the questions but she knew it was all part of the process. She had to build new relationships with these new people that she would be working with from now on. It seemed much easier to do in the military. When you need to trust someone with your life, bonding comes easy. This was different. There were no close quarters, long training missions, deployments or life and death situations. Everyone came to work, did their jobs, then went home to their respective families.

"Not really interested in twenty questions, huh?" Jo asked, hearing some annoyance in her voice. Joey gathered her thoughts and put on a polite smile.

"Sorry" she said sincerely. "I'm, uh… ask away".

"No, no. I get it" Jo said understandingly. "The "getting to know you" game can be tiresome".

"Yes, it can be" she agreed.

"But I'm interested though" Maggie interjected.

"Interested in what?" Meredith asked as she walked into the lounge.

"Where Joey's family is from. I have a special interest in genealogy" she said looking back at Joey.

"Is that right?" Joey asked mockingly.

"You're very funny this morning". Joey chuckled as she finished her last apple slice then got up from the couch and threw her trash away. She put her water back in the frig then headed for the door.

"Later" she said as she exited. She got through the first half of her day then went to the cafeteria to get lunch. She saw Maggie, Jo, Alex, Meredith, Callie, Jackson, Amelia, Arizona, April, Teddy and Owen all sitting together. There was a lot of bantering and laughter. She flashed back in her mind to the days when she enjoyed that kind of camaraderie over MREs in the middle of a sandbox or burgers and hot dogs at an FRG organized cook out on post.

"Dr" she heard faintly. "Excuse me Dr". She emerged from her trance and peered over the counter at the cafeteria worker talking to her. "Your plate" she said pushing it closer to her.

"Yeah, sorry" she said taking it and putting it on her tray. "Thanks". She took her tray and walked towards the cafeteria doors when she heard someone call out to her. She looked over to see Maggie waving her over to their lunch table. She politely shook her head, declining a seat at the table, and left the cafeteria with her lunch.

"She is really not a people person is she?" Maggie asked as she watched Joey leave.

"It's a big adjustment, going from active duty to the reserves" Owen explained. "She'll warm up. Just gotta give her some time". They finished lunch and went back to work. It was almost the end of the shift when another trauma came in; a child hit by a car. Being that the patient was a child, Joey got her first chance to work with Alex. Callie responded for ortho to assess his fractures. Amelia did his neuro exam and Maggie assessed his cardiac function before they both cleared out of the crowded trauma room. Meredith stayed in as an extra set of hands. The boy's mother could be heard outside the trauma room doors, screaming for her son. Joey was finding it hard to focus over the sound of her hysteria.

"Dr. Rajah" Meredith said loudly, getting her attention.

"Yeah" she answered absentmindedly. "Um, you guys good without me?". She removed her gloves before they answered her.

"Yeah. He's, uh, he's stable now so we're good" Alex said giving her permission to leave.

"You ok?" Callie asked with some concern.

"Yeah" she said still distracted by the sobbing outside. "Dr. Karev, are you okay with, uh, with just having Dr. Grey to scrub in with you…. on this?" she asked as she pulled off her gown and discarded it.

"Yeah, we're good" he assured her.

"Ok, good". She could feel her chest starting to tighten and her breathing quickened.

"You sure you're alright?" Callie asked. Joey quickly left the trauma room without answering her and rushed past the distraught mother out to the ambulance bay. She walked over to the bench and sat down to collect herself in the fresh air. She focused on her breathing and tried to clear the screaming from her head. A few minutes later, Owen sat down on the bench next to her. She looked at him as she continued to try to control her breathing.

"Take your time. No rush". She leaned back and closed her eyes, trying to take her mind somewhere else. He sat quietly beside her as she worked through whatever was troubling her. He remembered his own struggle when he first started at Grey Sloan, then Seattle Grace. He didn't have anyone to lean on who understood what he was going through. He was glad he could be there for Joey. They sat quietly, breathed deeply and allowed the sun to beam down on them.

End of the shift came and like every other day that week the attending's lounge was full of everyone getting ready to go home for the day. Joey kept to herself as the others discussed going to the bar across the street for a drink. She packed her bag, put it on her shoulder and headed out. Jackson invited her to join them for a drink but she declined and said she'd see them on Monday. In the parking lot, Joey hurried to her car. She wanted to get home, shower off her day and have a much needed drink on her couch, alone. She was opening her door when she felt someone behind her then suddenly a hand on her shoulder. She grabbed the person's wrist, squeezed and twisted, pulling their arm behind their back and slamming them into the hood of her car.

"Ow, you're gonna break my wrist". She quickly let go once she realized it was Arizona who'd approached her. Arizona cradled her wrist against her chest and breathed through the pain shooting up her arm. Joey took deep breaths and tried to ground herself as quickly as possible.

"Arizona, I'm… I'm so sorry" she said breathily. "I didn't kn…. I'm sorry" she apologized again. "Are you… are… are you okay?"

"I'm fine" she said as she soothed her wrist which was already starting to bruise. "I'm sorry" she apologized receiving a look of confusion from Joey. "I- I didn't mean to sneak up on you" she clarified her apology.

"No… no, you didn't" she said quickly. She'd calmed herself down by now. Her heart rate had slowed and her breathing was under control. "You did…. a little bit" she admitted. "But it- it's not your fault. I, um, I overreacted" she said apologetically. "I'm really sorry" she apologized again. "I, uh, I'm gonna go… um, home" she said opening her car door. "You should… um, make sure you ice that wrist".

"Yeah, I will".

"I'm really sorry Arizona" she apologized for a final time as she got in her car. Arizona stepped back as the engine turned over. Joey pulled out of her spot and headed home. Arizona walked to her car and got in. She sat in her seat for a minute and examined her wrist. It was thoroughly bruised, had some swelling and pain but she had full range of motion. "Not too bad but definitely sprained" she thought to herself. She thought about going back inside to have April take a look at it. She was staying overnight to monitor a patient she'd grown fond of. She knew she'd take a look and keep her confidence about how it happened. After some thought, she decided she'd just go home. If it got any worse, she'd come back in the next day for x-rays. She started her car, maneuvered out of her parking spot with her uninjured hand then headed to pick up Sofia and go home. Meanwhile at the bar, the conversation had turned to Joey's episode in the ER.

"So, what happened with Joey today?" Maggie asked nosily. "Did she really freak out in that trauma?"

"She didn't freak out" Alex said in her defense. "The kid was stable. We didn't need her so she left".

"But there was something obviously off… about her" Callie argued.

"She was a bit…. absent" Meredith agreed. "But she didn't freak out. She made sure we were okay before she left".

"What did Owen say about it?" Callie asked looking at Meredith.

"Nothing".

"You sent him out there after her, right?" She nodded.

"He didn't say anything to me" she shrugged. "I went out there before heading up to CT and they were just sitting there on the bench in the ambulance bay".

"They weren't saying anything?" Amelia asked. Meredith shook her head.

"It wasn't just me though right?" Callie asked.

"No, something was definitely…. off" Meredith agreed again. She remembered the way Cristina was there for Owen, even when it was to her detriment. With the prospect of Arizona getting involved with Joey, she hoped that Owen could act as a buffer between them so she wouldn't have to go through some of the things Cristina had. "Arizona's home with Sofia?" she asked. She checked her watch.

"She should be picking her up from her school soon".

"She's at school on a Saturday?" Maggie asked confused.

"Her class left for their camping trip yesterday morning. They get back tonight".

"You gave in on that, huh?" Alex asked.

"No. But I never did tell her that she couldn't go so technically, I guess, I did. I tried to bribe her to stay home with a movie night including Wonder Woman but she wasn't interested; even though she's already pestering us about finding her a Wonder Woman Halloween costume".

"Oh, please keep her away from Zola" Amelia pleaded, "I don't think we're ready for her musings about Halloween costumes yet".

"Or her changing her mind after I've already bought the one she said she wanted" Meredith said with an eye roll. They continued conversation until they finished their drinks then cleared out to head home.