Chapter 40
Arizona stood on the military base tears running down her face. She was missing college but some things were more important than school and as consistently top of her class one day wouldn't hurt.
"Flagstaff" Nick approached,
"I don't want you to go" Zona sobbed, hugging her second brother tightly,
"I know, but we are together, we will look out for each other, and we will be home in 6months" Nick promised,
"There is a war" Zona said,
"I know, but we have done the training, we are with some of the best trained guys in the world"
"Look out for each other, make sure you have each other's back, and come home, promise me Nick I need you both to come home" Zona begged fearfully, not wanting to lose either man.
"I promise I will do everything in my power to make sure we both come home" Nick said hugging his 'little sister' again.
"I love you Nick" Zona said refusing to let him go
"Love you to Yuma, now go out there and be the kick ass surgeon we all know you are" he ordered,
"Nick I'm still in med school" Zona laughed, letting him go so he could say goodbye to his own sister and parents.
"Yeah and…. You're going to be the best I can tell" he said, as Timmy came over,
"Go hug your own sister" he joked gently punching his friend's shoulder. Nick took the hint giving Zona's hand one last squeeze.
"Zona" Timmy said, trying not to cry, it wasn't cool for a recon marine to cry, not in front of his fellow soldiers.
"Timmy" Zona said having no such qualms, freely allowing the tears to fall. Mom was sobbing into dad's shoulder. The Colonel was in full uniform, standing stiffly, his blue eyes watery but Zona knew no tears would be falling from him.
"I love you" he said,
"Come home" Zona begged, "Please, I need you to promise me you'll come home" Timmy sighed, he desperately wanted to promise but knew he couldn't, it was a war zone he was going to.
"I promise I will do everything in my power to make sure that in 6 months' time I am stood here with you, I promise I will never stop trying to get back to you" he said sincerely. "You know its always been my dream to serve, just like yours is to be a surgeon, I have to do this Zona" he reminded her, bravely Zona nodded,
"I'll miss you, you have to write every week," she ordered, jokingly he saluted,
"Only if you send care packages every week, I want jelly tots and Reece's pieces" he ordered, Zona nodded, if that's what her brother wanted she would pack so many sweets into the care packages, it would look like a candy store.
An alarm sounded, everyone started getting their belongings together.
"I love you Zona, I'll see you soon, pinky promise" Timmy said giving his sister one last hug, Zona squeezed his so tight, only letting go when she felt two hands on her shoulder gently prying her apart,
"Look after each other" Timmy ordered, Zona and his parents, picking up his bag and following his team to the awaiting plane. Zona stood between her parents, her dad squeezing one hand her mom's arm around her gripping the other as they watched the plane take off.
"You know what we need" Daniel suggested as he watched his son leave with mixed emotions, he was proud that he was serving his country, but sad to see him go. It was strange being the one left behind. Both Zona and Barbara just looked at him with red rimmed, bright blue eyes, it broke his heart to see his family so distraught, "Doughnuts, lots of doughnuts" he insisted gently pulling them out of the hanger as he sent a silent prayer that Timmy would return home safely.
Zona returned to Hopkins, depressed, she had loved spending the weekend with her parents, but she was worried sick about Timmy. The only thing cheering her up apart from the daily trips to the doughnut shop with her best friend Sophie, and the thought of the upcoming clinical placements, where medical students were allowed to grace the halls of Hopkins and shadow interns and residents to improve their clinical knowledge. Zona could hardly wait, finally it felt she was on her way to being an actual doctor.
She turned up at Hopkins 20 minutes early determined to make a good impression. As she waited outside, she saw the bushes, curiously she wondered over remembering the night she had hidden in them while Timmy had gone to get medical supplies, lost in memories she made her way inside her feet automatically taking her to the Paediatric wing. She wondered if Doctor Mabel and Edna were still working here, as she stood outside the doors. Feeling very strange, the last time she was here she had gotten lost and Doctor Mabel had let her go on rounds, she was convinced she'd be given back to daddy, convinced Barbara and Daniel's love was limited to good behavior. With Timmy leaving those feelings of uncertainty had resurfaced and being back at Hopkins, where their journey had started had intensified those emotions.
"Hello, can I help you?" a voice from behind made Zona jump, she spun around, seeing a familiar face she just couldn't quite place,
"Sorry, I was looking for the med school meet" Zona said to the male doctor, she tried to catch a glimpse of his lab coat to try get a clue but was on the wrong side.
"I'm on my way there anyway, I'll walk you" he offered. Zona nodded taking a last look at the Pediatric ward trying to shake off the memories that came with seeing it again, memories she had desperately fought not to recall.
"My name is Dr Jacobs" he introduced, "I'm the chief here" he said holding out his hand. Suddenly Zona knew how she knew him,
Dr Mike" she said, remembering how he had let her observe her first surgery all those years ago. Confused by the medical students use of his first name the chief stopped walking,
"Do I know you?" he asked, Zona winced slightly at his tone, he was clearly unimpressed with a medical student being so familiar, it sounded really disrespectful,
"I don't think so, I mean you did, I was a patient here, a long time ago," Zona explained, "that's why I was at the Paeds ward, just lost in memories I guess" Mike stopped walking, studying the young medical student, something about her was familiar,
"Who was your physician?" he asked, trying to place her, over the years he had had a few Pediatric cases, but not many, as a general surgeon most of the time his surgeries were sent straight to the Paeds surgeons.
"Dr Mabel, I err, I don't remember her second name, and Dr Edna" Zona blushed, aware of how childish she sounded. "My mum worked here to, Nurse Barbara Robbins"
The penny dropped for Mike, how could it not, even now he remembered the code pink, the two missing abused kids, finding out they had gone back to their abusive home and were returning with serious illnesses, the relief that they were okay, and one of his nurses had applied to adopt them. Only for a few weeks later a second code pink for the same child, finding the broken and bruised girl standing in the viewing gallery absolutely captivated by the surgery going on below.
"I remember" Mike said staring at the healthy young woman in front of him. "So, you're interested in surgery?" he asked continuing to escort her to the medical student briefing. "Which branch?"
"Pediatrics, I want to be a pediatric surgeon" Zona told him firmly, this had been her dream since she was 5, since she had met Dr Mabel. Mike smiled, recalling the little blonde girl.
"Are you doing well in school?" he asked curiously,
"Top of my class" Zona said proudly, this was her dream and Dr Mike was someone who could help her get there, he opened the door to the conference room they were using. Zona recognized her classmates and took a seat next to Sophie.
"I thought you got lost" she whispered,
"Just lost in memories" Zona replied cryptically as Dr Mike stood at the front.
"Welcome to Hopkins, you are the next generation of doctors, you are the future of medicine and we are here today to start shaping you. Some of you will be surgeons, others physicians, some radiologist or neurologists, there as many branches of medicine as there are students sitting in front of me, and I am proud that your journey started here with us" Mike's eyes rested on Zona. "Now, you filled in a preference sheet before you got here today, and we have assigned each of you to a colleagues, some will have interns, others residents, and a few attendings, they will swap over the year so you will get to work with each grade. Learn from them, ask them your questions." Mike encouraged. Handing over to his secretary.
"Phillip Smith, Oliver Hardy, you are with Dr Mills" she began. Arizona found herself with an intern but paired with Sophie.
"My name is Dr Timms, keep up, be fast and answer my questions, I didn't want to be lumbered with you, but I have been, so don't slow me down" he said aggressively, Zona looked at Sophie,
"We have no intention of slowing you down" she said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes, what was it with interns that they thought medical students were stupid, she didn't get to say anymore as his pager sounded,
"It's the pit, okay stand back and keep quiet" he ordered, leading the way down, once they arrived it was chaos,
"RTC 5 passengers, head on collision, we have driver of the red car," the paramedic began, Zona stood back keeping her eye on Doctor Timms, as he was assigned to a child passenger and began examining her.
"What do we have?" Zona's breath hitched as she recognized the voice, Dr Mabel!
"Female, 7, RTC, breath sounds quiet on the left" Timms recited,
"Okay, high flow oxygen, let me listen," Mabel ordered. "Hey hun, I know its pretty scary, but my name is Dr Mabel, I'm going to look after you" she promised, "hey you" she pointed at Zona, "can you come here and keep her calm, just talk to her" she requested, legs shaking Zona nodded stepping up to the head of the bed. Just Mabel talking to the little blonde-haired girl had brought back memories she was struggling to push down.
"Hey" she said making sure she gave her biggest smile popping her dimples at the little girl. "My name is Arizona, what's your name?" she asked, so focused on the girl she didn't see Mabel pause what she was doing,
"Zoey" the little girl said clearly scared.
"Its scary here isn't it, but don't worry, Dr Mabel here has the best medicine, it's like magic, do you like magic Zoey?" Zona asked, remembering the words Mabel and Barbara had spoken to her all those years ago. Zoey nodded. "Great, so you're going to feel a slight pinch, that's so we can get the strong magic to work" Zona explained as Timms got the canula, "Now, you are going to feel the magic, its going to make you feel floaty and relaxed," Zona watched as the nurse administered the pain relief, "So Zoey, who is your favorite Disney princess?" she asked seriously, she could tell the pain relief was working as Zoey visibly relaxed,
"Cinderella" Zoey said,
"Good choice, well Doctor Mabel, she is like the fairy Godmother, she makes everything better, and Dr Timms he is like Gus, he helps Cinderella go to the ball" Zona explained, suddenly Zoey whimpered, "can you tell me where it's hurting the most?" Zona asked worriedly, reaching down holding her hand, knowing from experience the little girl needed someone to be focused on her, anchoring her down, making her feel safe.
"My tummy" Zoey moaned, whimpering as Mabel gently pressed it, she lifted the t-shirt and everyone could see dark bruising,
"We need to get to CT then to the OR, Timms book me an OR," Mabel ordered.
"Okay Zoey, we are going to go on a little ride, see there is a special camera that can take pictures of your insides, and I know that sounds scary, but it doesn't hurt" Zona quickly explained,
"You come" Zoey asked, Zona looked up from the small tear-filled face for the first time, meeting Mabel's eyes, searching for permission, Mabel nodded, if Zoey felt safe and could stay calm with the perky medical student then it was for the best.
"Of course." Zona replied, keeping Zoey's handheld as the staff busied around prepping them to move.
"Who are you in Cinderella?" Zoey asked, Zona pretended to think,
"Hmm, maybe I'm Jaq, or I could be a pumpkin, what do you think?" she made a silly face, and was rewarded with a laugh from Zoey, even if she winced as she did so. "Or maybe I'm not from Cinderella, what other Princesses can we name?" Zona asked seriously,
"Ariel, but she has red hair, Belle but she has brown hair," Zoey started, Zona nodded after each one,
"Ooo I know who I want to be Tinkerbelle" Zona decided, "she can fly and she is magic"
"She is pretty too" Zoey agreed.
"Okay we are at the special camera, I need you to be brave, can you do that for me" Zona requested, nervously Zoey nodded. "Now we will be right there on the other side of the glass, and you need to keep as still as you can and we will be right back" Zona promised as they transferred her across onto the scanner, reluctantly Zoey let go of Zona's hand allowing Zona to join the team by the CT screen.
"Dr Timms what is your verdict?" Mabel asked as the images started coming up on screen,
"Err, head is clear, hemopneumothorax left side, ruptured spleen" he diagnosed,
"Arizona, what is the treatment?" Mabel questioned, Zona bit her lip,
"A chest drain, and depending on the damage to the spleen and grade of the tear depends on whether a splenectomy is needed or whether you can repair it while keeping the spleen in. Looking at the scan its beyond grade 3, I'd say grade 4 so operating is needed" Zona said,
"Very good" Mabel replied impressed, "Timms you okay to scrub in?" she asked, Timms nodded eagerly. "And Arizona, as you have done such a good job keeping her calm would you like to watch?" she offered, Arizona nodded just as excitedly as Timms, as she returned to Zoey, "Great, I'm going to talk to the parents, can you prep?" she asked Timms who nodded, they transferred her back off the CT table hooking all the monitoring back up making sure none of the wires had kinked or come out.
"Wow Zoey you were so brave" Zona praised, as she came out of the scan room.
"The camera didn't hurt at all" Zoey told her, Zona smiled making sure it was the biggest most reassuring one she could do.
"I told you, now you know you have an owie in your tummy" Zona asked, Zoey nodded, "Well Dr Mabel needs to make it feel better, so we are going to give you some special medicine that will make you sleepy and when you wake up it will be all better, and then comes the difficult bit," Zona paused dramatically, "Deciding what flavor jello to have"
"What do they have?" Zoey asked curiously, Zona paused having no idea, she was sure the jello flavours had changed in the years since she had been a patient.
"Dr Timms?" she questioned desperately,
"They have blue, red or green" he said, Zona decided to run with it
"Hmm blue, what could that be, blueberries, or blackberries or mouldy cheese" Zona guessed, causing Zoey to giggle, "what red foods can you think of?" she asked
"Strawberry," Zoey replied,
"Good guess, or it could be tomato flavored" Zona said being silly, "Then there is green, that has to be broccoli or Brussel sprouts"
"No, its lime" Zoey shouted, smiling at the silliness of Zona.
"Hmm are you sure," Zona frowned, "I think once you wake up, we are going to have to do a taste test of all these jello's" she suggested, as they arrived in the anesthetic room
"Yay" Zoey said
"There's a lot of jello's I bet your tummy will be really wobbly" Zona resisted the urge to give it a poke, as Mabel caught up with them, slightly out of breath, having ran up the stairs.
"I have the consent, are we ready" Mabel said as the doctor began injecting the sedative
"Okay Zoey, sleepy time now" Zona said still holding her hand
"Then jell-o" Zoey checked, her eyes closing,
"Then Jell-o" Zona promised as Zoey went fully under,
"You are extremely good with children" Mabel commented, Zona blushed,
"I volunteered as a candy stripper on a Paeds ward for the last year" she admitted,
"I recognise you from somewhere" Mabel said staring intently at Zona, trying to place her, "Arizona, I know that name"
"I was your patient, a long time ago, Zona and my brother Timmy" Zona admitted, Mabel stopped scrubbing, as she recalled the 2 children so many years ago, she still had the drawing Zona had given her on her wall, and on the days, she struggled she stared at it and reminded herself of the good she could do.
"Arizona Williams" she said with disbelief in her voice, she had wondered what had happened to them since they had moved away, every time she looked at that drawing she wondered what had become of the Williams siblings, and now she had the opportunity to find out.
"Arizona Robbins, Barbara and Daniel Robbins adopted us" Zona explained awkwardly, she loved this reunion but wasn't sure she wanted Dr Timms to know anything,
"Of course, after this I will buy you lunch, and you will tell me everything" Mabel insisted clutching Zona's arm tightly, Zona nodded tears in her eyes.
After scrubbing in they entered the OR. Zoey had been covered and draped. It made it a lot less personable. Zona stood just behind Mabel as she operated. Mabel carefully explaining each step both for Timms and for Arizona making sure she asked lots of questions.
"Dr Timms how is your suture technique" Mabel asked,
"Good, I came top in skills lab," he boasted,
"Okay, you can close" she offered, she watched him like a hawk as he neatly stitched it, "well done" she praised, "Right can you settle her on the ward, monitor her until she wakes up" Mabel requested. Timms nodded, they scrubbed out,
"Okay Zona, lets go get lunch" she suggested, Zona allowed the use of her nickname she was one of 7 people allowed to call her Zona, "anything you don't like, wait I remember, not sandwiches and hot food"
"Good memory" Zona praised as they walked to the canteen,
"I've thought about you and Timmy nearly every day, wondering what happened to you both" they each picked lunch Mabel insisting that she paid.
"Let's go to my office, its more private there" Mabel insisted, the things she wanted to ask Zona were sensitive and she guessed Zona wouldn't want her whole class to know about it.
On the way the found Doctor Will,
"Hey hun" Mabel gave him a peck on the lips, "Zona this is my husband" she announced, pointing at the chief,
"We've met," Will said, "Lunch?" he asked,
"Yeah, Zona do you mind if he joins?" Mabel asked, Zona shook her head no, she didn't mind although was a little overwhelmed at having the head of surgery and the head of Paeds in her dream hospital lunching with her.
"Great, I packed lunch today" Will showed them his lunch bag, truthfully Mabel had packed lunch too but knew Zona wouldn't want to share her sandwiches. She remembered that firmly.
They arrived at Mabel's office Zona's attention was taking by the wall of drawings, she recognized instantly the one framed in the middle. The 2 blonde hair figures with a brown-haired doctor, doughnuts, chocolate, a stethoscope and a large pink heart, all in a box. Zona remembered for years all of her drawings had been framed like that, in a box, the wardrobe keeping people safe.
"You kept it" she said amazed.
"Of course," Mabel replied, "One of my favorite patients drew that for me, so tell me everything, how is Timmy? where did you grow up? How are your parents?" Mabel asked,
"Give her time to answer love" Will said, placing his hand on her arm.
"Well Timmy is doing well he joined the Marines, he is in Iraq currently," Zona began filling in her hero on her life.
Once Zona had finished Will invited her to observe his appendectomy, he knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help but favor the young blonde who had idolized his wife so much she'd chosen the same career. He could tell how touched his wife was, at the young blonde, who'd bashfully told them she had wanted to be a pediatric surgeon ever since she was 5 years old. Eagerly the blonde had nodded, and to make sure he wasn't seen to be playing favorites Will had walked to the canteen inviting 2 other medical students he had found there to also watch.
Scrubbing in Will carefully watched each student's technique, before helping them get gloved and gowned up. He began asking each student questions to try and gage their knowledge, on everything from blood results to anatomy. He was impressed by Arizona's wide-ranging knowledge, she was clearly ahead of her peers and nearly at intern level, which was especially impressive for a second-year medical student.
For Zona, after hanging out with mom in hospitals all over the world after school meant she had heard these questions asked before, she had listened into medical conversations, snuck into OR viewing galleries, anything she didn't know she had gone home and searched encyclopedias to make sure she understood everything, or she had found a doctor, sitting at break and quizzed them, having a knack for finding the doctors who loved to teach eager students, and now she was being invited in. She couldn't wait to be an intern and actually get to start helping.
So Arizona is at medical school and she met her hero again,
Timmy and Nick are in Iraq, i haven't decided how close to canon i'm keeping it as to if Timmy dies or not, but if you keep reading i guess you'll find out when i do write it, it won't be for a few chapters either way. I defo plan on Arizona and Callie reuniting,