Disclaimer: Characters belong to Shonda Rhimes and Grey's anatomy. I keep borrowing them just to have fun writing stories. I hope you enjoy too

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Chapter 3: "The best memories are those we have forgotten."

The brunette was sitting next to Arizona's bed, watching her with a soft smile on her lips. The blonde's face was calm and rested. It had been a lifetime since she dared look at her ex-wife like that.

Callie had always been fascinated by how beautiful and charming the blonde was. She could look like a child you wanted to hug and protect, and suddenly turn into a super sexy bomb whose clothes you wanted to rip out; but Arizona sleeping, had been her favorite show for many years.

The Latin sighed heavily; she could not let herself be caught up by these old memories that no longer had a place here and now. She was certainly not there to approach a flame that had burned both of them, leaving within them, the indelible mark of a deep wound.

She was mandated by their friends to help Arizona get her memories back and she should try to return to her daughter the mother the child had wanted to reunite with for months.

Having given to her in-laws a few updates, she had phoned New York and arranged to be able to take some time off work. It wasn't like it was exciting or even that she was indispensable over there, her position at the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine in New York had nothing to do with the responsibilities she had had at the Grey-Sloan-Memorial. But when she made the choice to leave, she did not ignore it, so she accepted the often long and boring days, without grumbling too much.

She had also left a message for Penny to let her know that she would not come home for a few days.

Due to the frown on Penny's face when she told her that she was leaving for Seattle by the bedside of Arizona, the Latin woman secretly thanked the inventor of the answering machine to save to her from a conversation with her girlfriend, who inevitably would have asked her questions for which she didn't have the answers to.

Anyway, in this field, she wasn't essential either. Penny spent most of her time in the hospital, and when they were together, they had many disagreements especially about Sofia.

So apparently the place where she could be most useful right now was on that chair, next to her unconscious ex-wife's bed.

It was again a hell of a trick that life played with her, thinks the Latin woman, laughing inwardly at this idea

Sighing, and taking the tablet on her lap, Callie decides to consult the publications of the famous specialist internationally recognized for his work on the Traumatic Retrograde Amnesia of Emotional Origin, which Amelia had indicated to her.

Knowing what to expect when Arizona would wake up, seemed to her the most productive she could do right now.

She had been reading for hours, looking up from the screen to check the sleeping blonde every now and then; when raising her head for the umpteenth time, two perfectly awake blue eyes, stared at her silently.

The slightly furrowed eyebrows and a serious face, Arizona seemed to fight in her head. Callie swallow hardly, she no longer knew how to read this face and feared what awaited her. Suddenly, she had a stranger in front of her.

- Hey... How do you feel Dr. Robbins?

Over the course of her reading, the Professor Koperman's medical arguments had totally convinced the brunette.

The brain setting up a protection to avoid too painful memories, any method making them emerge in a brutal way, seemed to be risky to Callie also. The Latin woman therefore accepted the idea of giving her ex-wife some time and accompanying her with patience, so that she could recover her memory at her own pace.

That was a real challenge for the brunette whose patience was not the strong suit. She raised her eyebrows as regrets came to tickle her guilt. She had very often shown to Arizona during her recovery for the leg and even afterwards, that this quality was woefully lacking.

Even though reliving the leg episode terrorized her more than anything; the last few months in New York had changed her, she had thought a lot, and she was now convinced that she could try to do better on this matter. The voice of the blonde who had not yet said a word, brings her back to the reality of the situation that she had committed to face anyway.

- Uh... Who...? Who are you? Have we met.? Uh... Are you Dr. Bailey? ... I'm a little confused... What am I doing here? I... I mean, this ... This isn't a guard room ... And... Why am I connected to this IV? Why are you sitting next to me?...

For someone who hadn't spoken to her in months, the blonde had a lot to ask her right now, thinks Callie smiling.
The brunette had forgotten the endearing tirades of her ex- wife and the way she stuttered and groped for words as soon as she was upset; and she had especially forgotten how much she loved that.
Clearly it wasn't just Arizona that had memory problems says for herself, the brunette.

- Wow, wow, wow. So many questions, Dr. Robbins... Wearing her biggest smile, Callie gets up from the chair and extends her hand to the blonde to introduce herself. It seemed kind of ridiculous to her, but she was ready to play the game... Dr. Torres Ortho

- Ortho?

As she attempted to move to greet the doctor in front of her, the pain in the blonde's chest suddenly cutting her breath, give the answer to Arizona who cannot hold back a moan. Callie rushes in, holding her in place.

- Don't! You mustn't move. You have two cracked ribs, and your left shoulder is out. It's very painful... I will call the neuro, maybe we can increase painkillers to relieve you.

- Aren't you a good enough doctor to do it on your own? The blonde wrinkles her eyes looking at Callie distrustfully… You don't have a lab coat so... Uh... I don't know if I should take your word for it...

Rediscovering the rotor spirit of her ex-wife, sometimes close to gracious condescension, one trait of character that she had inherited from her father Colonel, Callie cannot hold back a giggle. She may not have had her full memory, but Arizona had lost none of her quick wit and vigilance.

- With or without my lab coat, I am an excellent surgeon! One of the best... Callie replies with a big smile, making a playful wink… But you wake up from a coma of several days, your neurological condition takes precedence over your orthopedic condition, so I have to take the neurologist's advice.

- That makes sense... I just felt that you weren't the style that cares about hierarchical or comrade constraints. The blonde smiled at the orthopedic surgeon, and this charming smile lighting her eyes, Callie identified it so well.

It was amazing how, despite the pain that tore her chest with each breath, Arizona felt good. Not everything was clear in her mind, but when this Doctor Torres talked to her, it was like she was the most important person in the world.

She had such a beautiful smile thought the blonde, and her eyes were so deep. She guessed into them, a great deal of anxiety and deep down a small shadow of sadness gave them a mysterious glow that made you want to dive into it to discover all that was hidden there.

Embarrassed by her ex-wife's insistent gaze, Callie turns away and pages Amelia.

Having people around would certainly help.

In a matter of seconds, Alex, Bailey and Amelia stormed the room.

- Hi, I am Dr. Amelia Shepherd neuro...

- Uh... Shepherd? ... Shepherd is not supposed to be a man... As far as I can remember it was Dr. Derreck Shepherd,

- It was... He is my brother... For someone who had given advice to everyone and especially to April, Amelia turned out not to be very skillful. From the first words, the neurologist was confused, but Arizona's mind was too preoccupied to catch the mistake.

- Not that I'm complaining ... Personally, I prefer female doctors. No offense... Chuckles the blonde addressing Alex, who was biting his lips not to laugh.

The pediatrician knew by heart the mischievous gaze which was at this moment on his mentor's face and considering the dazed gaze, she was putting on her ex-wife, he could say that Callie had decoded it as well... And it doesn't spoil anything when she got such pretty eyes too. Sneers Arizona, staring conspicuously on Amelia.

While the embarrassed neurologist was pretending to be at ease by monitoring the vitals; whispering, Miranda moves closer her.

- Do not put her back in a coma, but do something to shut her up or she'll drive Torres away again

With an annoyed look, Arizona stares at the small woman who had just whispered something she hadn't been able to hear.

- I... I'm Dr. Bailey... Stammers Miranda. She wasn't very comfortable with this kind of exercise either; she had never been a good liar.

- I... I mixed you up with Dr. Torres... The blonde laughs, grimacing in pain... I definitely did not do my homework right; I should be rereading the files. Although I do not think that our body measurements are recorded in our private files.

Ignoring the inappropriate mockery of her colleague and friend, and the fact that she was her friend was really helping a lot the small woman to contain herself right now, Miranda continues

- You apparently asked for me...…

- Yes... Dr. Bailey... Jack needs to be put on the list for a transplant... All protocols received to this point have failed... I respect Dr. Kenley, but he's been wrong so far... We must stop wasting time... Jack's running out of time, actually... Put him on the transplant list immediately.

The pediatrician had suddenly abandoned the perky tone and was speaking in a rather directive professional tone.

Anyway, Miranda wasn't going to fight the blonde for a case that had already been fixed for almost 10 years, Jackson had had an organ transplant in extremis, and he was fortunately a young man about 20s, full of life.

- You are right... We'll do it... Dr. Karev, put Jackson on the list. Orders Miranda in an overly emphatic tone, to the current head of the pediatric department who by playing his role as a young resident responds to Miranda in a way far more docile than he had ever done.

- Perfect. Concludes the blonde closing her eyes and seeming to relax.

A small, steady snoring filled the room, Arizona had suddenly dozed off.

- Sedation is working. Notes, Amelia relieved

Since the surgery on Herman's tumor the neurologist's gotten closer to Arizona. The two women had spent many nights cheering each other up, when the Arizona's mentor didn't wake up. The neurologist wasn't very comfortable with again overseeing a colleague's still enigmatic case

For letting go of the tension that everyone felt trying to play their roles as credibly as possible, the other surgeons in the room, who each in their own way adored the blonde, shared a look, and burst out laughing nervously.

- Oh my gosh, I could never thank chemistry enough! Miranda sighs, relieved... She is even more arrogant and annoying than in my recollection

- Yeah, and pretty direct too. Damn, she was hitting on Amelia in front of us. For a first day in a new hospital, she didn't waste any time, even me, I didn't do it... Alex was laughing

- Stop guys she's on medication. She's not really her right now

- Absolutely she is. Trust me. She was exactly like that when she arrived at the Seattle Grace. Callie giggles. Slightly presumptuous, confident, perky, cheeky, teasing and... The brunette sighs raising her eyes to the sky... Jumping on everything that looked like a woman...

- Callie, she was sedated... Repeats Amelia

- No, but it's okay... She flirted with me before you came... Sneers Callie... I met her like that, loved her like that and even, married her like that... I had only forgotten that about her... And I'm fine. It's okay... But I just want you to know that this is not the effect of the drugs. That's her before she was with me, and she was really hitting on you, and you're gonna must handle this right now. Callie laughed... And I wanted to wish you good luck with that!

For what Amelia had known about Arizona's personal life for months, it didn't seem much different from what Callie was describing. The blonde was rather liberated since her ex-wife left for New York. She seemed more open, confident, and back to being the inveterate lover she'd been for a long time.

- Still unaware of the leg?... The neurologist asks.

- No... I think it's better by the way... I can stand it, but a small dose by small dose... Otherwise, I'm the one who you will have to sedate. The brunette laughed awkwardly.

The doctors had left the room, leaving Callie alone and thoughtful.

It was going to be complicated, thinks the Latin. She tried to be strong and emotionless, but she was shaken by conflicting feelings that she didn't analyze very well, and that she didn't even know if it was safe to analyze.

Smiling tenderly, she looks at the sleeping woman. As a reflex, finding this gesture that she had made a thousand times, the back of her hand stealthily caressing the porcelain cheek, she arranges behind the ear a lock of blond hair that fell on Arizona's face.

Callie takes a deep breath, leans down to place a kiss on the blonde's forehead and walks out of the room.

Arizona was alive and that's all that mattered.

For now, she needed to focus on pragmatic things. She was on her way to meet Meredith and make sure she could stay home for a few days; call her ex-in-laws to reassure them about Arizona's health, and get her former medical gown, because if she had to play Dr. Torres, she should as well do it thoroughly.

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