Finally! An update! Ugh, I'm so sorry it took me so long. I don't know why I was struggling so much with this chapter. Please forgive me haha. Anyway, don't forget to leave reviews and enjoy!

Arizona bounced down the stairs and into the dining area, grabbing her wallet from the counter on her way.

April looked up from her spot at the kitchen table. "What's got you in such a rush this morning?"

"Callie and I have a video call with Amelia in about thirty minutes, and I'm running late." The blonde grabbed her purse from it's hanging position on the bar chair and took a moment to scan her friend's body language. An open newspaper laid in front of her, which was the first thing that flagged Arizona's interest. April didn't read the newspaper. It was too 'oldschool'. She went to social media and the internet for her news.

"So have you made a decision yet?" Arizona inquired. She was referring to the question April had been pondering since she arrived. New York or Seattle? Did she want to start fresh here or resume and repair her life in Seattle? Although, Arizona only found out about it two days ago.

The redhead shifted uncomfortably in her seat. An obvious no.

Arizona sighed. "You need to talk to Jackson."

"I'm going to," April replied. Her eyes remained focused on the newspaper to avoid making eye contact with the blonde. "As soon as I figure out how to tell him I'm considering moving halfway across the country." The red head let her head fall on top of her arms with a groan.

April had been in New York for four days now, and she honestly kind of loved it. It was much different from Seattle; dirtier and more crowded, but there was also something about it that made her feel like she could breathe easier. For the last year, she's felt like there was this weight sitting right on top of her chest. From the moment she realized Jackson had feelings for Maggie, and vice versa, to her crisis of faith, all the way to her impulsive marriage to Matthew. But once she arrived here, she felt like that weight had begun to lift. If it weren't for Harriet and Jackson back in Seattle, April would buy the first apartment she sees.

She still hadn't talked to Matthew, either. She'd been avoiding all of his calls. Jackson hadn't called her but twice. The first to tell her that he understood why she needed time away and the second to give her an update on Harriet. Matthew had been calling at least three times a day. Only further proving to April that Matthew didn't really know her at all. When April was upset or going through something, she didn't like to be bothered. She liked to have her space, but also to know that someone was there if she needed them. Matthew didn't know that. But Jackson did.

April had no idea how to tell him she was considering this. Or if she even needed to. Because, really, there was no way she could actually do this. Jackson shouldn't have to give up his daughter for however long she was with April and she didn't want Harriet to need t take a six hour flight every time she wanted to see one of her parents. Especially at her age. She was only two. There really was no way she could move to New York.

"You know, I don't really see the point in even mentioning it to him. It's not like I could actually go through with this, Arizona. It sounds ridiculous."

"Just talk to him," Arizona pushed.

Arizona threw her purse over her shoulder, and began walking to the front door.

April's furrowed her brows. Why did Arizona keep saying that? Did she know something April didn't?

"I'll talk to him if you talk to Callie!" April yelled after friend who'd already taken off down the hall.

Out of the apartment and the earshot of her conflicted friend, Arizona dialed a familiar number and held the phone up to her ear.

It picked up after the second ring.

"You need to talk to her. Today."

Arizona walked down the hallway of Mount Sinai's Orthopedic wing, juggling two hot coffee's in her hands. A latte for herself, and a regular coffee infused with cream for Callie. Ever since her conversation with Nicole two days ago, Arizona had been working up the courage to tell the brunette that she was ready to take the next step and start dating. She didn't want to wait any longer. Five years was long enough.

Arizona was hoping that the simple gesture of getting Calliope some coffee would aid in creating the perfect mood. Or maybe not. Coffee at ten o'clock in the morning wasn't really all that romantic.

Arizona pushed the door to Callie's office open with the side of her hip. The sound causing the preoccupied brunette to take a moment from checking her emails to shoot a glance in the direction of the doorway. Her brown eyes lit up in an instant. "Oh, hey!"

Callie's gaze fell from Arizona's face to the coffee cups in her hands. "Please tell me one of those is for me."

Arizona grinned. Coffee had definitely been the way to go. "One regular coffee infused with cream. Just the way you like it." She leaned over the desk and handed off the cup to Callie, whom accepted it gratefully.

Just say it. The ambitious voice in her head spoke up. Now. Do it. Tell her.

Right before she has a serious conversation with Amelia about her dying patient? The other, reluctant, voice fought back. That's a little disrespectful if you asked me.

Arizona decided to listen to her reluctant voice. This wasn't the right time to dive into their feelings about each other. It could wait for another time.

Arizona was relieved when the signature FaceTime ringtone filled the air. It had been quiet for almost a full minute and the silence was uncomfortable.

"It's Amelia!" Callie alerted, mid-coffee swallow. She waved a hand, gesturing for Arizona to come sit next to her.

Arizona forced a smile. Perfect.

"Dr. Torres! Long time no see," Amelia's face filled the screen. "What has it been two years already?"

Knowing about Callie's fear of confronting her old friends and colleagues, Arizona's eyes darted to Callie's face, checking to make sure Amelia hadn't hit a sore spot. Callie had managed a strained smile, but her cheeks were flushed as she had been reminded of her abrupt flee to New York.

Arizona cleared her throat. "Right, so. The censors."

Arizona watched the tension drain from the brunette's face. Callie glanced at her, eyes conveying a silent 'thank you'.

"Right. Of course," Amelia started after a brief moment of silence. She looked down. At what, neither Callie or Arizona knew. "I think it could work."

Callie's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "You do?"

"I do. I mean, there are some obvious kinks that we'll need to work out since I designed my research for brain tumors, but it has promise," Amelia responded.

"How soon can you fly out?"

Arizona whipped her head in Callie's direction. "Wait, she's coming here?"

For some reason Arizona hadn't connected using Amelia's research with Amelia coming to New York.

Callie turned to look at the woman next to her with a confused expression. "It's her research, Arizona." Her words held a 'duh' tone.

"She," Amelia started, placing a large emphasis on the word. "Can be there whenever you want me."

"How's Monday?"

"Monday sounds perfect."

Callie looked to Arizona with raised eyebrows, searching for Arizona to give her agreement.

"Yeah, perfect." The blonde complied with a strained grin.

"Alright, I have a surgery in 15 minutes, so I have to run, but I will see you two ladies on Monday."

Beep!

When the call ended, Callie turned to Arizona. "Why are you so wigged out about Amelia coming?"

"Hm, what?" Arizona's eyebrows arched, feigning surprise. "I'm not."

Callie walked into Clara's patient room with much less dread than she had two days prior. She tried to keep her facial expressions neutral and bit back the smile she so desperately wanted to display.

"Dr. Torres! Dr. Robbins told us you wanted to talk to us?" Clara's father held question in his tone. He and his wife had been told two days ago that there was nothing left Dr. Torres could do for their daughter, and now she wanted to meet with them again. The questioning was understandable.

Clara's mother stood next to her husband, eyes glued to the floor. She refused to up look up at Callie when she entered the room.

"Yes," Callie began, eyeing the mother cautiously as she stepped further into the room. "Dr. Robbins informed me of an experimental tumor treatment one of the doctors at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital in Seattle recently discovered. Though experimental, this treatment could very well remove Clara's tumor and eliminate the need for an amputation."

Clara's mother looked up at Callie for the first time since she'd entered the room. "What's the treatment?" The father asked.

"MRI guided ultrasound ablation."

Callie looked to Clara. She seemed unfazed.

"And what's that?" Clara's mother croaked.

"The idea is to surround Clara's tumor with ultrasound rays that have the same frequency as the tumor. This would cause the tumor to shatter, without me even needing to cut her open."

"How will you know if the tumor is gone if you don't physically take it out?"

"Following the procedure, I would remove any tumor fragments in the O.R."

"How many times has this been done before?" Clara's mother asked.

Callie hesitated briefly. "Not many." It was the truth. "MRI guided ultrasound ablation has been used many times to remove primary bone tumors where the sarcoma has broken out of the intramedullary space and forms soft tissue. But, in Clara's case, her tumor is still inside of the intramedullary space. This would be the first time this kind of procedure is performed."

"Who's the doctor who discovered it?"

"Actually," Callie hesitated. "The doctor I'm referring to did not discover MRI guided ultrasound ablation. What she discovered was a way to use it to treat brain tumors. Her name is Dr. Amelia Shepherd, and she is a well known and very, very good neurosurgeon. Since she had to alter the procedure to be useful as a brain tumor treatment, we figured that if we worked together, we would be able to alter it again to find a way in which it could work for Clara's tumor."

"No," The mother didn't hesitate.

Callie felt her heart drop into her stomach. She'd been hoping, praying, actually, that Clara's mother would be pleased with the news that her daughter may be able to be cured without needing an amputation.

"Amanda!" Clara's father hissed.

"I said no, John! I am not letting our daughter be a guinea pig to some experimental procedure that has never been done before!"

"But you heard Dr. Torres, this might be her only chance. And isn't it worth it if it means she can keep her-"

"I want it," Clara spoke up, her voice assertive.

Callie and Clara's parents turned to face the sick teenager.

Amanda walked to her daughter's bedside.

"Clara, sweetie.." she began.

"No. You're not going to talk me out of this, Mom. I want to do it." Clara's eyes shone with determination as she looked to her mother. "You can do it, right, Dr. Torres?" She turned her head, her determined gaze now placed upon Callie.

"Yes," The orthopedic surgeon cleared her throat. "Yes, I can."

Clara nodded mutely. "Then it's settled." She looked to her parents. "Mom, Dad. I know you are just looking out for me, but if I have even a remote chance that I can skate, without needing a prosthetic leg, again, I'm going to take it. I understand it's risky. I understand I could die from this. But I accepted that a long time ago. So I'm getting the surgery. Okay?"

Her parents remained silent, but Clara knew she had won.

Wanting to give Clara and her parents some more space to think the decision through, Callie spoke up. "Mr. and Mrs. Davis, why don't we let Clara get some rest. We can discuss the procedure in more detail outside."

They nodded and slowly began making their way to the door.

"Wait!" Clara called after them. "Can I speak to Dr. Torres alone for a minute, please?"

"Hey!" Arizona pushed herself through the door to her and Nicole's temporary office building. "You have me for three hours and then I have to be back at the hospital for a surgery."

"Shut the door. You're letting all the hot air in," Herman complained, to which Arizona rolled her eyes in response.

"So I contacted the New York Department of Health last night and gave them our pitch."

"And?" Arizona inquired, eyes widening with anticipation.

"And they granted us the permit. We can start construction as soon as we have a contractor and layout."

Arizona's mouth fell open. "Are-are you serious?"

"Don't sound so shocked, Robbins. I was one of the best fetal surgeons in the nation. I trained you, a previous board member of Grey-Sloan, who went on to become one of the best as well. Though, not better than me, of course," Nicole responded.

"Gee, thanks for the compliment. I'm so touched." Arizona's words dripped with sarcasm.

"This is really happening, Robbins. Before we know it, we'll be opening the doors of the Robbins-Herman hospital."

"I know," Arizona shook her head. "I can't believe it. I never saw myself ever doing something like opening a hospital. Wasn't exactly something I've been waiting to mark off my bucket list." Arizona chuckled.

"Believe it. 'Cause it's happening. Don't blink or you'll miss it."

Arizona refrained from cracking a smile and narrowed her eyes, unsure if the pun was intended.

"You can laugh, Robbins. Sheesh."

A smile crept up on her face as she shook her head at her partner.

Clara patted the empty space next to her, gesturing for Callie to come sit. Her parents eyed the situation wearily, but ultimately gave the doctor a nod of approval to go ahead.

The brunette sat down on the bed's edge as she heard the door shut. She looked to Clara expectantly, and waited for her to open up.

"It's pride month," the teenager began. "And it might be the last that I'm alive for. We all know I'm dying. There's no need to beat around the bush with it anymore," Clara joked with a sad smile. "And this procedure, either it's going to work or it's not, or it's going to kill me."

Callie opened her mouth, wanting to interject and tell the young girl she'd formed a bond with that she wasn't dying. That she was going to be fine. But as a doctor, she knew she couldn't promise things she can't promise.

"And I met this girl," Callie smiled a little. "A few weeks ago. It was at a Starbucks, but that's not important." Clara looked at her fingers as she let out a laugh, cheeks blushing as she thought of the brunette she'd met while ordering a Mocha Frappuccino. "We've been talking ever since then." She turned her gaze onto the woman sitting in front of her, whom she'd come to see as a sort of mentor to her. "She's going to Pride this Sunday. An out and proud lesbian." Clara smiled, proud and a little envious of her - sort of-maybe-possibly - girlfriend. "And I want that. Before I die. I want to be out and I want to be proud. And I want to go to Pride before it's too late."

"Clara.." Callie drew out quietly. As her doctor, she knew Clara going to a New York Pride parade in her condition would be risky. She also knew that even if she thought Clara was physically able to sustain the heat and crowd, her parents would never go for it. For one, they didn't even know she was bisexual. And from all the time she'd spent with Amanda and John in the past two years, she knew enough about them to know their initial reactions would not be the best.

John was a Colonel, and she'd heard some of his comments surrounding Trump's Transgender Military ban. She didn't want to go into detail, but they were not only transphobic but blatantly homophobic as well.

Amanda was a teacher at an overtly, strict Catholic school. The school was known for it's strong conservative views, and it had been labeled as the most regressive Catholic school in the state. And Callie also knew a thing or two about strict Catholic mothers.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea. In you're condition-"

"I know what the risks are, Callie."

Clara had been on a first name basis with Dr. Torres for about a year now.

"I know that my chances of actually being able to get out of this bed and go are so freaking slim. So I just need your help with one thing."

"Anything," Callie replied without hesitation. She'd taken this girl under her wing for the last two years. She helped guide her through the muddy waters of discovering her sexuality. She felt a responsibility to her. And not just as her doctor.

"I need you to help me come out to my parents."

"Okay, we need to talk." Nicole cut Arizona off mid sentence as she leant back in her swivel chair, crossing her arms over her chest.

Arizona glanced up from the piece of printer paper covered in marks and labels with a questioning look. "About?"

"Callie."

Arizona's eyes widened.

"We're right in the middle of —"

"She's pretty great, you know. And she makes an excellent chicken piccata."

Arizona pursed her lips. Yes. She knew.

She was getting sick of the constant talk about Callie. She had other things going on in her life. Like the hospital she was currently mapping out. She wanted to talk about other things. It distracted her from her all consuming thoughts revolving the brunette.

"Why haven't you told her yet?"

Arizona shifted in her seat, suddenly feeling squeamish.

"How do you know I already haven't?" She challenged.

The silence was enough to cause Arizona to cave in.

"Okay fine, I haven't."

"Why are you so eager to know what's going on between Callie and I, anyway?"

"Because it's making you all tense, which is making you unable to give our hospital the amount of focus it needs. Which in return is affecting my ability to focus."

Arizona fell silent. Nicole did have a point. Arizona's thoughts about Callie were all consuming. She thought about her twenty four hours, seven days a week. Her smile, her eyes, her lips, her laugh, the way she interacts with Sof, her determination, her heart. She thought about her everything. Constantly. And the "friend's first" rule made it even harder. Because she was always thinking about how she shouldn't be having these thoughts even though she wanted nothing more than to just throw being friends out the window. It was exhausting.

"Why haven't you told her?" Herman reiterated.

Arizona breathed in, lungs contracting as she expelled a heavy sigh.

"I'm scared. To tell her," the blonde admitted. "I'm scared that once we start something that it will end the exact same way it did before."

"I suppose that's a reasonable fear." Nicole stated.

Arizona responded with a short nod.

'Shit. Wait.'

"Yeah," she breathed. She'd forgotten Herman didn't do nonverbal's for a second.

"But, Robbins. Listen, you were a mess when I met you." There was the bluntness again. An amused grin pulled at the blonde's lips. "And I'm not exaggerating. You were an actual disaster."

"Okay, I get it. Can you move on now please?"

"Fine," Nicole agreed with a teasing reluctance. "Anyways, what I was saying is that you aren't who you were when you ended things. You've healed. You spent five years apart from Callie, and yet, you two came back to each other. Now I'm not a big believer in true love or any of that nonsense, but that has to mean something."

Arizona's smile brightened.

She and Callie had come back to each other, hadn't they? They were together and then Arizona left her for Africa. But then she came back and they were together again. Then they got divorced, but five years later, they found their way back to each other, still with those same feelings they'd had the night they met in that bar bathroom. Yeah, that had to mean something.

"Who knew Nicole Herman was such a romantic?" Arizona teased.

"I'll kill you if you tell anyone about this."

Arizona entered her apartment. One glance in the direction of the kitchen, and she found it. After her talk with Herman, the surgeon realized she'd left her phone at home. She figured that if she was fast enough, she'd be able to grab it and get back to the hospital in time for her surgery. They'd finished early today anyways.

Arizona shoved the device into her back pocket when she noticed April. She was sat on the bottom step of the stairs. Her elbows rested on her knees, head bowed over her hands, faced palm to palm, as if she was praying. Arizona squinted.

"Hey," she called in a soft voice. She didn't want to startle her.

April looked up.

"Oh, hey. I didn't hear you come in."

April noticed Arizona walking over to her, and scooted over to make room for her friend on the step.

"What are you doing over here?" the blonde questioned. A hint of humor could be heard in her voice.

"I talked to Jackson," The redhead admitted.

Arizona looked up at her friend with wide eyes. Feigned shock plastered on every pore.

"You did?"

"Yep," April confirmed, popping the 'p'. She reached down to her left and lifted a glass of white wine, and sipped a serviceable amount.

"What did he say?" Arizona prodded, even though she already knew. Since April's accident and the supply closet talk they'd shared, Arizona and Jackson had been developing a new type of bond. They were closer.

Jackson had called Arizona two days ago and revealed the internal conflict he was struggling with. Arizona hadn't told him that April was considering moving to New York, though. She knew better than to betray her trust once again. But she did tell him that he needed to talk to her. Soon.

April gave a humorless laugh.

Five Hours Ago

April opened up her contacts on her phone, the small device shaking slightly in result to her trembling hands. She scrolled down.

Jackson Avery

Press.

Message — Call — FaceTime

Slight trembling fingers hovered over the 'call' option, questioning whether or not she should be doing this. April had already decided moving to New York could not be an option so she wasn't really sure why she was listening to Arizona and telling Jackson anyway. Unknown to the red-head, it was her subconscious want for New York to be an option.

Press 'call'.

"Hello?" The deep voice rang in her ears.

"Hey, Jackson." April's voice was soft, worn sounding.

"April.." Jackson trailed off. He'd been thinking about her. She knew from his tone of voice. He always trailed off after saying her name when he had a lot of things to say to her, but didn't know how to begin or where to start.

"We need to talk."

"Yeah," The man's voice was a whisper. "We do."

"I'm sorry I haven't called," the redhead spoke into the speaker of the phone.

"It's, uh, it's okay," Jackson swallowed. "You needed some space."

April gave a slight nod, only to realize a second later he couldn't see it.

"How's the face?" April asked. A hint of a smile could be heard in her voice.

"Oh, you know. Hurts, but, I'll survive," the man responded with slight humor in his tone as well.

April wanted to give a light chuckle in response, but nothing about this situation was funny. Silence fell between them for a few passing moments.

"I've been meaning to-," the two began to say in unison.

"Go ahead," April urged. She figured that since she'd been ignoring him for the past four days, that he could speak first.

"I've, uh, I've been thinking," Jackson paused. "A lot recently. About the decisions I've made the last few years. Maggie, the contest, Montana.." he trailed off. "Our divorce."

He spoke the two words in a hushed whisper, but April felt them hit her right in the gut. Her mouth fell open.

"What-" she cleared her throat. "What are you saying, Jackson?"

Jackson was silent for a second, trying to think how he could put this in a simplistic way that April would understand. His throat felt thick with emotion.

"I don't think I want what I wanted anymore."

"He thinks we should try again." Her voice was void of emotion. She hadn't processed it yet. The fact that the man she had just accepted she would never be with again, told her that he wanted to try again. She was confused. What about Maggie? Why didn't he tell her before?

"Did you tell him about New York?"

"Yeah," she breathed.

"And?" Arizona pressed.

"He said he's willing to move here."

Arizona's eyes widened, eyebrows skyrocketing. Now Jackson had not told her that.

Arizona watched April with a concerned expression as she watched her take another sip of wine. It was only one thirty in the afternoon.

She reached over April's lap, and took the glass from her hand.

"What are you—?"

Arizona took the glass over to the kitchen sink and poured it down the drain.

"You're not drinking at one thirty in the afternoon. Come on," Arizona took April's hand and pulled her up into a standing position. Once steady on her feet, Arizona wrapped her arm around her friend's back. "How about a nap instead?"

Arizona tugged on her last ponytail. She felt moderately less claustrophobic without the bands holding her hair so tight against her head. Leaning her tired body against her office door, the blonde expelled a weary breath.

Arizona's surgery hadn't gone well. The ten year old boy she'd been operating on bled out on her table halfway through the procedure. And the standard feelings of failure and sadness that comes along with losing a child coupled with the desire to tell Callie just how much she wanted to abandon the "friend's first" rule and push her up against the wall with her lips attached to hers, left the blonde's mind a whirling mess.

Arizona dropped her scrub cap onto the office chair next to the door as she moved over to her desk to grab her phone. She wanted to check if she had any missed texts or calls from April. She was worried about her. Jackson dropped a bomb on her and she knew April was overwhelmed with emotions as well as reasons. And she wanted to get back to her as soon as possible. Hopefully to find that the liquor was still in the cabinet where she left it.

But she didn't have any texts from April. Only one text. A text from Callie.

'Need to talk to you about Clara. Let me know when you're out of surgery.'

Blue eyes looked to see how long ago the message was sent as soon as she finished reading it.

10 minutes ago.

Arizona checked the time. 4:23 p.m.

April will be okay for another thirty minutes, right?

Arizona opened up the notification and began typing.

'I just finished. Where do you want to meet?'

Arizona tapped her fingers against the bottom of her cellphone as she waited to receive a reply.

'The attending's lounge up in Ortho.'

'I'll be there as soon as I can.'

Arizona shoved her phone into her scrub pants' pocket and left the room.

"Hey. What's going on?" Arizona entered the attending's lounge. Concern laced her tone. Worried that maybe Clara's parents were refusing to give consent for Amelia's procedure.

Callie stood next to the beige colored couch, tapping her foot anxiously and chewing on the skin inside her cheek. She was struggling with an internal crisis.

Clara had asked Callie to help her come out to her parents, and going against every single bone in her body screaming at her that it wasn't a good idea, she said yes.

The orthopedic surgeon whirred around when she heard Arizona enter.

"I told Clara I'd help her come out to her parents and I'm kind of freaking out," the words spewed from Callie's mouth in a rush.

Arizona's blinked at her.

"Woah, wait. Hold on," Arizona sputtered, rushing up to Callie. "You did what?"

"She was going on and on about how she wanted to be "out and proud"—" Callie recited Clara's words with air quotes. "— before she dies and I felt bad and I said yes! And now I have to figure out how to tell her colonel father and very Catholic mother that her daughter is bisexual. I have no idea how to do that, Arizona! You remember when I came out to my dad."

The brunette was rambling, and if it wasn't for the fact that Callie was genuinely wigging out, Arizona would've commented on how cute she found it.

"Okay, okay," She soothed, searching her mind for something to say that wouldn't make the situation worse. "Um, it's gonna be okay. I can help."

Relief flashed on the brunette's face. "You can?"

I can?

Arizona nodded. "Yeah, um, I'll talk to the father, and you can talk to the mother. Okay?" Arizona winced a bit. Usually she wouldn't get involved with these types of things, but it was Callie and — well, it's Callie.

Callie shook her head. "You don't have to do that, Arizona."

Callie was the one who got herself into this situation, and she was the one who had to get herself out of it. It wasn't Arizona's responsibility.

"I want to," Arizona winced again. She didn't want to. She was lying through her teeth. Arizona knew what to say to the father. She'd done it before. Tell him her story, about her own father and so on. But she really wasn't looking forward to having to lie about it again. It just brought up painful memories that she'd moved past from.

But, she'd do anything for Callie.