Author's Note: Disclaimers still apply. All the kind words about the story are still super Title from Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me"
I Want You to Want Me..
The next two weeks passed in a blur. I finally had a grasp of Seattle Grace, and I was starting to make my mark in the hospital. I still hadn't met Callie yet, but I continued to actively listen for any new information I could get on her. My favorite bit of information? Her full name: Calliope. It absolutely suited her. I found myself doodling it on a regular basis, feeling like a high school kid all over again. Not that I minded.
Yup, things were finally working out (Callie notwithstanding) and I was on top of the world. Today in particular had been one of those really good days where everything aligned perfectly. I had three emergency surgeries, and each kid managed to pull through just fine.
"Dr. Robbins, that was excellent work in there!" my favorite scrub nurse gushes as we leave the OR theater after my final surgery of the day.
"Thanks! It feels great to be back in my old form. But I really believe it's the kids who make me look good, they're all so resilient." I respond, trying to be modest but a twinge of pride sneaking through.
Karen smiles softly. "A whole bunch of us nurses are heading out to Joe's after our shifts end, to kind of unwind. Why don't you join us, celebrate your arrival to Seattle." After a shaky start with the nurses, I've actually come to enjoy their company, and am fast beginning to see them as friends.
I consider her offer for a moment, before nodding my head in the affirmative. "That sounds lovely. I'll meet you guys there!" I continue to wash up in silence, a wave of happiness flushing over me. For the first time since Joanne broke up with me, I feel like my old self again.
On my walk over to Joe's, I call Abigail to check in on her. As she animatedly recounts her day at school, I feel a pang of guilt that I'm heading out instead of coming home to her. But I know that she's old enough now where I can go out every once in a while and not have to worry too much about her, and I quickly push the guilt aside. Tonight is for celebrating. After a satisfactory check in with my daughter, I enter Joe's and immediately spot the nurses. I quickly order a drink and assume my perch on the stool next to Karen.
Half an hour later, during a lull in conversation, I look across the bar and notice Callie sitting with Dr. Grey. I watch their conversation intently, and cringe as I see a visibly upset Calliope excuse herself as she makes her way to the bathroom.
Taking a deep breath, I down the rest of my drink and make the split second decision to go follow her. Before I know it, I'm clutching the bathroom doorknob. I give myself one final internal pep talk, and slowly make my way into the room, flinching a little as I see her wiping the tears out of her eyes. She looks at me through the mirror, and I take that as a cue to start conversation. "Hey"
"Hey" She counters noncommittally, still actively attempting to hide the tears. This is going to take some effort.
"Ortho, right?
"Yeah, right. Hi"
"I'm Arizona Robbins, Peds surgery. I've seen you at the hospital…are you okay?
She chuckles with a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Yeah, no. I'm fine…Fine".
"People talk. Where we work. They talk. A lot. So, for the sake of being honest, I think I should tell you that…I know things about you, because people talk." I internally berate myself for sounding like a stalker. But then I realize it's sort of true.
"Oh. You mean…Terrific" The confusion that once marred her features is overcome by acknowledgment, and I speak hurriedly, trying to get in what I need to say before she begins to freak out about the whole "gay" thing.
"It is, actually, the talk. People really like you over there. They respect you, and they're concerned, and they're interested. They really like you. Some of them really like you. You—you just look upset, and I thought that you should know that the talk is good. And when you're not upset, when you're over being upset, there will be people lining up for you."
She looks at me incredulously, offering a self-deprecating laugh. "You wanna give me some names?"
And suddenly, I know what I have to do to get this breathtakingly stunning woman in front of me to understand that I am that name. I will be first in line for her, no matter how long it takes. I stare at her sympathetically and offer her a tender smile. I lean in, easily placing my lips on hers for an all too brief moment.
As I pull back, I struggle to keep my facial expression as serious as possible; to make sure she really understands. "I think you'll know".
Shock paints over her face, and for a split second, I almost think I've messed up any chance I had with her. But her face quickly softens, and it's then I see it: the glazed look and slight smirk that tells me my uncharacteristic move has worked in my favor. I flash her a mega-watt grin as I make my exit, exerting all my effort to not skip out the door.
I head back to the scrub nurses, muttering an incoherent sentence excusing myself. I throw down a few bucks to cover my tab, and I race out the door, my brain moving a mile a minute. I make it back to our apartment in record time, cursing out loud as I enter the front door to find the living room completely empty. Typically the night owl, of course Abigail would choose tonight to go to bed early.
Weighing my options, I decide there are really only two. I could either let Abigail sleep and tell her in the morning, leaving the very legitimate possibility that I'd burst from utter bliss in the middle of the night. Or I could risk my life by waking up my kid, who loves her sleep, in the middle of the night to tell her that her mother just kissed a stranger in a dirty bar bathroom. I roll my eyes at myself…clearly I chose risking my life to tell Abigail.
I sneak into Abbie's bedroom, and crawl into her bed next to her balled up form. My fingers begin to trace a slow pattern up and down her arm as I bend over to whisper in her ear. "Psst…Abigail, honey…wake up. I have a story!"
Abbie shifts in bed, muttering some jumbled words that probably have no earthly definition. However, I do feel her breathing pattern change, so despite the lack of verbal cues, I decide to start talking.
"I kissed Calliope in the bathroom of Joe's bar tonight…"
"That's nice Mom. I'm sure Joe enjoyed it"
"No. I'm still a lesbian. I kissed Callie in the bathroom of Joe's BAR. I didn't kiss Joe"
"Why would you kiss a bathroom?"
"Super. You need to wake up right now. I'm running out of ways to explain the events of tonight." I nudge her some more, hoping that the conversation we had was enough to rouse her out of slumber.
I watch as my daughter slowly extricates herself from her slumbering state, stifling a laugh as she goes from unconscious to elated in .2 seconds.
"YOU KISSED CALLIE!" Abbie screams, turning over and enveloping me into a bear hug. "You need to tell me everything. Start from the beginning."
"Well, I was at the bar, and Calliope was with Lexie. And she was really upset, and went off to the bathroom, so I decided to go follow her…"
"Wait. You went to go follow a woman you've never actually met before? Arizona Robbins, you've got moxie"
"I know! I don't know what came over me." I giggle briefly before continuing. "But anyway she was crying in the bathroom and I just started rambling about how I had heard people talking and how 'the talk' was good and that after she was done being upset people would be lining up for her. She was super confused so I just leaned in and kissed her. And then I left. And now I'm telling you the story."
"So you just kissed her and left. You kissed her. In a gross bathroom. And then just left? You are so the man in this relationship." Abigail smirks, but the hint of pride in her eyes does not go unnoticed.
I playfully swat at her, a teasing pout toying at my lips. "Four seconds ago, you were just praising my moxie. Now you're accusing me of the kiss and run."
"Hey, whatever works for you. It sure is a memorable first encounter though. Do you think she's into you?" Abigail questions as she grips my arm.
"I mean, I don't know. It was really, REALLY awesome…but she only just met me today. And only knew me for 2 minutes before I was trying to make out with her. Sooo…I'm just hoping she's not freaked out by the weird new Peds surgeon." I joked, trying to disguise the growing fear in my eyes, but Abigail was having none of it.
"Mom. You're amazing. And I don't mean that just because I love you. I mean you're amazing in every sense of the word. You deserve something great. And Callie would be lucky to have you. Don't count yourself out until you actually talk to the chick and figure out where she's at." Abbie pleads, anxiously glaring at me.
I nod my head in acceptance as tears begin to fill my eyes. "When did you become all grown up and motherly?" I ask wistfully as I tuck an errant curl back behind her ear.
"I know it's weird right? I'm like all knowledgeable and awesome now!" she answers cheerfully.
"That you are. That you are." I laugh quietly as I place a kiss on her temple.
I pull myself out of her bed and tug the covers back over Abigail. "Alright, enough story time. Time for you to go back to sleep. I love you"
She pulls me down for a silent hug, before releasing her hold and allowing me to head to my room. Just as I'm about to pull her bedroom door closed, I hear her clear her throat.
"Goodnight whore!" she playfully calls out as I spin around to look at her. I reach down to grab a discarded pillow on the floor, chucking it at her upright form. She goes to throw the pillow back at me, but I slam the door just in time, laughing as I hear the pillow thump against the door.
Settling into my own bed, I replay the kiss over and over in my head, willing myself to never, ever forget the moment. Burrowing into my pillow, I finally drift off to sleep, visions of Callie invading my last conscious thoughts.
Author's Note 2: I really struggled with this chapter-I couldn't decide if I wanted to use the Grey's way of Callie and Arizona's meeting or if I wanted to create my own. However, I decided the Grey's way created a more organic flow for my story, and future chapters will be far more original and thus, I opted with the Grey's way. Also, I think the scene was brilliantly acted by both Jessica and Sara, and nothing I write could come close to their version.
On an unrelated note-this week is insanely busy for me, another update probably won't occur until the end of the week. Sorry!