PART 2

Callie rushed down the corridor of Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital in search of any familiar face she could find. After dropping Sofia back off at day care Callie was desperate to find out exactly what had happened to her girlfriend, all she had been told is that Penny was brought into the ER a little under an hour ago but that was all she knew on the matter. Approaching the nearest nurses' station she sees a middle aged nurse sitting behind the desk.

"Excuse me, Can you tell me where I can find Dr Blake?"

Looking up from the computer screen, the nurse looked up at Callie as if she had been expecting her.

"Dr Torres, I can show you to her room if you would like?" the nurse said politely.

"No thank you, if you can just direct me to her room that will be fine." Callie responds with a tight smile.

"Sure, Room 165 Dr Torres."

Turning away from the nurses station Callie makes her way to room 165 but as she goes to open the door she hesitates as she has no idea what to expect or how bad her injuries were. Opening the heavy door Callie is surprised to see to see Penny staring at the wall with nothing but a bandage in a small are of her head. Quietly approaching the hospital bed, Callie softy grabs on to one of Penny's hands.

"What happened?" Callie asked gently.

Penny looked over a Callie as if just realising she was in the room with her, Callie could see the tears fill up in Penny's eyes.

"I'm… I'm so sorry Callie." Penny says looking anywhere but Callie.

"Why are you sorry?" Callie says as she bends down to look into her eyes.

Penny finally looks Callie in the eyes and Callie for some reason feels her whole body go cold.

"Why are you sorry?" Callie repeats but with a bit more urgency.

"She was just trying to protect me…" Penny shuts her eyes and the tears finally fall down her face.

"Who?" Callie whispers as she steps back from the bed, having a terrible feeling in her gut.

Penny slowly turns her head to look at Callie and the brunette shuts her eyes whilst releasing a slow, shaky breath.

"I was in the store down the street buying you some flowers when I bumped into Arizona…" Callie closes her eyes at the mention of her ex-wife's name. "When we got to the check out some guy holding a knife started demanding money… He grabbed me and then…" Penny stops to collect herself. "Arizona she… she lounged at him and that's all I…" Before the red headed woman even finished her sentence Callie was out the door and sprinting down to the ER as fast as her legs would take her. Seeing Dr Hunt standing by an empty examination bed updating his electronic charts, she storms over to him.

"HUNT?!"

"Dr Torres?" Owen questions, confused why a colleague is shouting across a crowded room at him.

"Where is she?" The angry brunette demands.

"I thought…"

"Not her, Arizona." Callie says impatiently.

Walking out of the ER with Callie following behind him, he stops outside of an exam room.

"Callie... Arizona was brought in a little while ago with a penetrating stab wound to the right shoulder." Owen stopped to give Callie a little time to digest the news. "When she was brought in she was fully conscious and we gave her a thorough examination. Luckily the knife missed all major arteries and is expected to make a full recovery. We put in a few stitches to close the wound so she will be a little bit uncomfortable" Callie finally realised the breath she was holding along with a few tears. "You can see her if you would like?"

"Yes please." Callie said with urgency.

Owen opened the door on his right hand side and closed it after Callie had walked through, Callie stood by the door for a few seconds simply admiring the sleeping beauty, Arizona was asleep on the hospital bed with a bandage on her right shoulder and an IV attached to her left hand. Slowly walking up to the bed, Callie pulled the chair close but before sitting she placed a lingering kiss in the middle of Arizona's foreheads. Grabbing the pale women's hand she laid her head in the palm of it and savoured the warmth she could feel on her cheek. Closing her eyes she finally let the tears flow, after a few minutes of enjoying the comfort she felt a gentle fingertip wiping away her tears. Slowly opening her eyes she looked straight into the gorgeous blue eyes and gave her a sad but loving smile.

"Hey… How you feeling?" Callie asked still holding her palm to her tear stained cheek.

"Okay, I guess." Arizona replied staring lovingly at Callie.

After a few minutes of staring at each other Callie whispers "Why?"

"Why what?" The sleepy blonde answered confused.

"Why would you put yourself in danger like that?" The brunette asks curiously but also softly.

"Callie…" Arizona breathes out looking anywhere but at Callie.

"No, I understand you wanted to help but you could have gotten yourself killed, do you have any idea how serious this could have been?" The brunette says as if just realising her self how different the outcome could have been. Callie gets up off the chair and starts pacing. "You have a kid Arizona did you even think of her when you threw yourself at a guy with a knife?" Callie continues with her rant getting louder and more accusing every second. "I mean ser…" Before the feisty Latina could continue with her rant Arizona Interrupted.

"I couldn't stand there and watch the universe take another thing from you Callie!" Arizona exclaimed softly from her spot on the bed.

Stopping dead in her tracks, Callie turns her body to look at Arizona.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Arizona stares at the wall unblinking as tears fill her eyes once more. Due to the long silence Callie walks around the bed and sits on the bed, Callie then reaches across and gently turns the blondes face towards her own, keeping her hand on the pale woman's cheeks she asks gently.

"What are you talking about sweetie?"

"When I see that guy standing there, holding the blade to her neck… I didn't care how scared she was, all I thought about was how devastated you would be…" she broke the sentence in a whisper, grabbing the tanned hands against her pale cheeks she held on tight before turning her head to kiss the inside of the Latinas palm. Continuing in a sad tone, "After all you have been through… because of me… I thought maybe, just maybe I could give you one last thing. I know how much you have lost Calliope, I couldn't stand by and watch you lose Penny as well." Arizona looks down to her chest when she feels Callie remove her hands from her face.

"Wow, you really have no idea do you?" the brunette scoffed out. Now placing her hands on her lap.

"Wha…" Arizona lifts her head at the tone.

"You're right. You're right." The brunette looks her straight in the eyes. "Losing Penny would have been devastating and I would have grieved but I also would have gotten over it…" The brunette says trying to keep her emotions at bay. "But you, if you had…" she couldn't even say the word. "If you had died, I would have died right alongside you." Callie leaned toward the blonde and gently rested her forehead against Arizona's. "I can't begin to explain to you what you mean to me, whether we are together or not you still hold a large piece of me heart and I believe you always will." Arizona's breath caught in her throat. "We may not end up together…" Callie says wishing for that not to be true. "And I think by now we both know how cruel the universe can be and I'm not naïve to the facts." Callie slowly tilts her head back from its resting place. "But Arizona… baby, if there is anything I've learnt in the last is that hour is that you can't choose who you fall in love with." Callie gives the other woman a sad smile. "I've spent the last few months convincing myself to feel things for Penny but I never felt that complete admiration for Penny as I have for you. It's always been you and it always will be." Hoping her word have made Arizona realise just how important she was to the brunette Callie looks down to the blonde lips before slightly moving forward.

Arizona turns her head a fraction to the left which stopped the taller women's movement. "I don't want you to be saying this because you almost lost me, we do this all the time. We break up then get back together when something bad happens." Arizona says with a genuine but also forced chuckle. "It's a pattern with us and look where we have ended up."

"How about this, we start from the beginning. We get to know each other again."

"How?"

"Well, how about a date? As soon as you get out of here I will take you to wherever you want to go." Callie says excitedly.

"What about Penny?" Arizona says cautiously.

"I will go speak to her, right now?" Callie says getting off the hospital bed and walking towards the door.

"Calliope…" Arizona calls out. The brunette turns around to look at the blonde beauty. "Please just… Just make sure this is something you definitely want. I won't survive if in a few days regret this. If you see a future with Penny don't let me get in your way." Callie instead of replying walks determinedly to the bed, leans down with her hands and gently pulls Arizona's face towards her. Slowly bringing her lips to the other woman's she places a gentle but loving kiss on the blonde woman's mouth. Both woman are shocked at just how powerful this completely innocent touching of lips was they both feel as if they had just come home from a really long trip. As Callie lifts her head she lovingly rubs her nose against Arizona and looks deep into her eyes.

"I've never been more sure of anything." Callie says with certainty. Once again walking to the door she gives a loving smile to the blonde and says "Be right back…"

... :) Part 3 or leave it?