"I didn't know you were a surgeon here." Callie turned her attention back to Arizona when Ellis walked out. She put on her best smile, hoping to get one in return from the blonde. But that wasn't the case.
Arizona was stunned to see Callie standing in front of her.
Dr. Calliope Torres, Attending Orthopedic Surgeon… apparently. Well, according to these new hire forms the blonde was currently holding.
"I'm the Chief of surgeons here, actually." Arizona nodded dismissively before walking out of the research lab. She needed to talk to Richard immediately, and he could give more explanation for this.
Arizona walked to the general surgeon's office but didn't realize the Latina was on her heels, wondering why the blonde was so furious.
"So now Ellis likes to hire people without my approval?" Arizona crossed her arms as she stood at the entrance to Richard's office. The general surgeon was currently reading something, but he looked up at Arizona and removed his glasses.
"Oh! Dr. Torres. Yes, that was a quick hire over the past couple of weeks. We needed to prioritize getting everything in order so her research team could start in time." Richard smiled, looking over Arizona's shoulder at the orthopedic surgeon.
"Nice to see you, Dr. Webber." Callie smiled.
Arizona turned around and clenched her jaw when she realized Callie had followed her. The Latina stood with her arms behind her back, seemingly waiting to be spoken to. Arizona could tell Callie exerted confidence, which both annoyed her and turned her on.
"And you're giving her the new research lab. That was supposed to go to Alex-" Arizona started again at Dr. Webber.
"Dr. Karev is too busy running your ward, Dr. Robbins. In case you forgot, you built one of the country's best pediatric programs, and now you also run a hospital. So, both you and him have a full plate right now. Alex's research can and will wait." Richard shrugged his shoulders.
Arizona rolled her eyes, "Fine. But no more hires without my approval."
"Understood, Chief Robbins." Richard put his glasses back on, signalling he was done with this conversation.
Arizona closed his office door and turned to Callie. The taller woman looked fantastic. Her suit was a deep red, matching her lip color perfectly. Callie's hair was lightly curled, and her eyebrows were perfectly shaped. Arizona had to stop herself from reaching forward and running her hands through Callie's hair like she wanted to.
"You shouldn't be here." Arizona sighed and continued walking down the hall, knowing Callie would follow her.
"Excuse me? I'm pretty sure Ellis Grey just said I should be. Something along the lines of being the best?" Callie raised her brow and spoke as she followed the blonde to an empty office.
"Right. You come to this hospital to be the best. And you've been here for five minutes, and I've never heard of you. So according to this hospital, you're not the best."
"Ouch?" Callie raised her eyebrow and took a stance opposite Arizona. She crossed her arms to mirror the blonde's defensive body language. She didn't understand why the blonde was angry about seeing her, but it was hot, and Callie liked a challenge.
"This is your new office. Decorate it however you want. There's a coffee cart down the hall. The emergency room is on the first floor, west wing. Dr. Grey showed you the orthopedics wing. On-call rooms are all around the hospital. You'll figure it out." Arizona spoke professionally.
"And... where can I find your office?" Callie smiled, trying to break the blonde's resolve.
"Why are you really here, Callie?" Arizona questioned and walked backwards to close the door and give them some privacy.
"I told you that already. I'm going to build cartilage-"
"-from white blood cells. Which is impossible." Arizona finished.
"It's not…" Callie chuckled.
"Alright. But why here?" Arizona questioned the Latina. The last thing she wanted was a woman coming to her hospital and making her work life more complicated. She didn't need that.
"Because this hospital is one of the best hospitals on the West Coast? Top-ranked in research, teaching, and case complexity." Callie shrugged. "Plus, my friends are here."
"Your friends?" Arizona questioned.
"Derek Shepherd, Addison Montgomery and Mark Sloan..." Callie smiled softly, putting her briefcase on her new desk.
"Oh great. That's just perfect." Arizona threw her hands up in disbelief. Those three constantly tried to top one another, trying to prove they were the best in the hospital. Now with Callie here, it was probably one more surgeon who thought they were better than God.
"I don't understand what's wrong… did I do something?" Callie walked around her desk and leaned against the front of it.
"So, coming to this hospital had nothing to do with me," Arizona questioned the Latina.
Callie chuckled at her implication, "No, Arizona. I didn't move here as some creepy stalker after we slept together. Pretty presumptuous of you to think so."
She watched as Arizona's face relaxed a bit, but the blonde was obviously still trying to figure out if she was frustrated, excited, or both.
Callie chanced stepping forward and smiled as Arizona didn't flinch or back away. "As much as that night was amazing, and I would definitely like to repeat it, I didn't know you worked here. And I didn't know you were Chief of Surgery, which is super sexy, by the way." She winked and looked over Arizona with her white lab coat over her pencil skirt and white blouse.
Arizona felt butterflies in her stomach from Callie's gaze. She composed herself by taking a deep breath, "Listen, Callie. That night…. It was a one-time thing, ok? I was just-"
"Getting your release..." Callie nodded and tilted her head to the side, remembering Arizona saying that's what she needed their night together to be. And Callie vividly remembered giving her that release many times that night.
"It's okay, Arizona. Really." Callie chuckled.
"I just can't get involved." Arizona sighed, fidgeting with her fingers behind her back.
"I get it, really."
"Really?" Arizona asked genuinely. She didn't want to have to start avoiding Callie throughout her shifts.
"You're the Chief. I get it." Callie nodded, stepping forward and invading Arizona's personal space just a little bit. "But if you ever want that release again... I'm here. Whenever." Callie shrugged her shoulders and nonchalantly walked past Arizona.
"I better go. I need to see my new unit and patients. It was nice meeting you, Chief Robbins." Callie smiled when she turned around, and the blonde was stuck in place.
Fuck, Arizona thought. Why was this happening to her?
Callie met with her new staff on the orthopedic floor. So far, she could tell everyone was hardworking and prideful about working at this hospital. The nurses and doctors were almost like family, which Callie hadn't experienced at her previous hospital.
She met her patients and fell into the flow of her normal routine. Going over charts and assigning tasks to the interns, delegating minor surgeries to the residents, and planning her research schedule.
Before Callie knew it, it was time to get something to eat. Callie wondered if she would see Arizona when she arrived at the cafeteria. It was a large cafeteria, almost resembling that of a high school. Callie went to the salad bar and grabbed a salad and an orange. After paying, she felt relieved seeing Derek and Mark sitting at a table.
"There she is!" Mark got up and hugged Callie.
"Long time no see Callie. How's your unit?" Derek smiled and hugged Callie after Mark.
"It's amazing. This place is pretty impressive." Callie sat down and peeled open her orange.
"I told you so." Mark smiled, biting into a sandwich.
"Have you met Chief Robbins yet?" Derek asked Callie.
"Yeah. She showed me my research office. She seems... nice." Callie shrugged.
"Nice? That's it? The woman is insanely peppy, Torres. Vomits rainbows and crap." Mark spoke.
"I didn't really sense that." Callie chuckled.
"She's also been Chief for only a year, and the hospital has already gone up in ranking," Derek added.
"And she's also insanely hot," Mark smirked while drinking his water.
Callie chuckled, "Aren't you and Addison dating?"
"Yes, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the female body. And Arizona's is something to appreciate," Mark smirked.
"Mark…" Derek warned, "Arizona is our friend. Stop."
"Oh, and Derek is dating Ellis Grey's daughter," Mark added.
"You're dating Meredith Grey?" Callie's eyes widened, facing Derek. She met Meredith this morning on a consult. Callie thought she was a great general attending surgeon. Not that she was surprised, Meredith was Ellis Grey's daughter. "How did I not know this?"
"It's been an eventful year" Derek nodded and didn't hide his smile.
"And Ellis and Richard are ok with that?" Callie asked.
"I mean, there is a policy that dating is restricted, but Meredith and I are both attendings. There's no power imbalance. Plus, Ellis and Richard are too busy banging each other all around the hospital and performing impossible surgeries to care what Meredith is doing." Derek chuckled.
"Good to know…" Callie mumbled while eating her lunch.
"Why? Have your eye on a certain blonde?" Mark nudged his friend.
"No, Mark." Callie rolled her eyes.
"Well, if you decide to tap that, let me know. Derek and I have definitely seen her leave Joe's with women when she was a resident." Mark chuckled. "So, she is 100% a lady lover."
"Mark.." Derek warned his friend.
"Okay, well, I'm not looking for a relationship. I think for right now it's better I focus on my research and building my department." Callie shrugged off her friend. The Latina was not about to tell Mark she already slept with the blonde, especially when Arizona seemed to be a private person.
Before the conversation could continue, Callie's pager went off, and she silently thanked it for interrupting this conversation. "That's me. Time to do what I'm best at." Callie winked at her friends before leaving the cafeteria and going to the ER.
Callie walked into the large emergency wing and was instantly surrounded by busy doctors and nurses. It was hard to determine where she was needed.
"You're Dr. Torres?" A man in navy scrubs walked up to Callie and gave her an iPad to review before leading her to the emergency bay.
"That's me. And you are?"
"Dr. Alex Karev, Pediatric attending. We were both called for this case. 12-year-old boy, hit and run. The damages are pretty severe to the abdomen and both legs. They'll be here in two minutes. That's all I got." Alex reported to Callie while they both put on their gown and gloves.
Callie nodded, taking in the information. Now was her time to help this kid the best way she could.
Before the surgeons knew it, the ambulance was pulling into the ambulance bay, and two paramedics hopped out of the back, pulling a stretcher with a small boy in a neck brace.
"Branden Miller, 12-year-old male, full code status. Was playing in his driveway when a car came down the road, hit him and drove off. The patient was conscious on scene. Major injuries to the stomach displayed by deep bruising, and both legs which are obviously... fractured or something." The paramedic took a deep breath before showing Callie the child's mangled legs.
"or something," Callie said under her breath, feeling bad about the boy's injuries.
"BP is 76/43. His heart rate is 50. The patient is alert, and his parents are on the way. We stabilized him with some fluids, but he will need a blood transfusion." The next paramedic spoke to both Alex and Callie.
Alex nodded and wheeled the boy to the trauma room. He immediately put an ultrasound on the boy's stomach and detected most likely bleeding in his abdomen. "We need to get him upstairs now."
Callie agreed and started to prep Branden for surgery. "Okay, Branden. I know this seems scary right now, but we're going to give you some medicine to fall asleep, and we will operate, and it'll all be okay. Your parents are on their way here, okay?"
"Okay…" the little boy nodded as a tear slipped from his eye.
"Dr. Wilson, I need you to administer the propofol, then get him an emergency X-ray before the OR. Karev and I will meet you up there. Got it?" Callie asked the resident.
"Yes, Dr. Torres. Right away." Dr. Josephine Wilson responded.
Callie and Alex were quickly scrubbing in, reviewing their surgical plan with each other.
"I think it's just a simple reconstruction of the bowel." Alex started. "Hopefully, there's no signs of necrosis or infection."
Callie nodded in agreement. "I need to do two hip replacements and then put a rod in both femurs to save the legs."
"Uh woah, Torres. You're not going to amputate? There's less risk for infection." Alex questioned the Latina.
Before Callie could respond, Arizona walked into the scrub room and leaned against the sink while the surgeons were scrubbing their hands. "You two got this?"
"Of course we do. Dr. Torres is even going to try to save the legs" Alex nodded.
"As opposed to just doing two clean amputations?" Arizona asked Callie.
"I can do the hip replacement and insert the rods. It'll work." Callie nodded and smiled behind her mask. She knew the surgeons at this hospital weren't going to just trust her skills. She had to prove to them she was the best.
Arizona sighed, "If you think you can do it, then I'd like to see you try."
Callie raised her brow at Arizona's response, willingly accepting her challenge.
"Good luck in there, both of you. I need to go talk with the police about this." Arizona nodded before leaving the two surgeons to do their work.
Surgery was going great so far for both surgeons. Alex was working on the reconstruction, and Callie inserted the rods in Branden's femur.
"So... Dr. Torres. You're from New York?" Alex asked.
"Yup. Originally Miami, but I moved to New York for medical school and residency." Callie smiled.
"And that's where you met Addison, Mark and Derek." Alex nodded while operating.
Callie chuckled and looked up at Alex briefly. How did he know her past already? She's been in Seattle for maybe 24 hours. "Yes."
"Why did they come to Seattle years ago, and you didn't?" Alex asked.
"Well, it just wasn't the right time for me yet. I was working under a great orthopedic surgeon, and career-wise it was smarter for me to stay in New York. It was hard seeing my friends leave, though." Callie hammered some screws into place.
"Are you married?" Alex asked.
"Are you asking for a particular reason?" Callie chuckled behind her mask.
"Nope." Alex shrugged. "Just trying to get to know you."
"Not married… or in a relationship." Callie smiled. "Just happy to focus on my research right now."
Alex was about to ask the brunette another question but stopped when the monitor started beeping out of control. "He's hypotensive, and the bowels are fine. There isn't enough blood flow to the leg, Torres."
"I know. Give me a second." Callie nodded, asking the surgical scrub nurse for a new instrument every second that passed.
"Everything ok down there?" Arizona's voice came through the intercom, and Callie looked up. She wondered if Arizona had been watching her operate the whole time.
"It's fine. Give me a second." Callie looked down at the surgical field, examining the tissue and nerves in front of her.
The room went quiet as the Latina went to work. She reached for instrument after instrument and was tying sutures quickly to tie off any bleeding ends.
"Torres are you sure-" Alex started but stopped once the heart monitor started beeping regularly again.
"I'm done. It's done." Callie put the surgical instruments down and reassessed her quick work, which looked perfectly executed.
Dr. Wilson looked over Callie's shoulder to observe her work. "Wow, Dr. Torres. How did you know to do that? And how did you do that interlocking stitch so quickly?"
"Just instinct Dr. Wilson. Thank you. You can close the incisions if you would like. Then take the patient to post-op and monitor every hour."
"Yes, thank you, Dr. Torres." Jo smiled behind her mask, taking over Callie's spot.
Callie removed her mask and gloves, "Nice working with you, Dr. Karev. Hope we can operate together again soon."
The Latina knew from earlier that Dr. Karev was one of Arizona's friends, so she decided to try to keep a positive work relationship with him.
When she walked out of the OR and to the scrub room, Callie couldn't keep the smile off her face. She completed a successful surgery with Arizona and her coworkers watching. She was slowly proving herself, and hopefully, Arizona would see she was worth getting to know.
It was the end of Callie's first day, and she was on cloud nine. Her research lab was beautiful, and her unit staff seemed skilled and reliable. Seattle Grace Mercy West was demonstrating why they are the best.
The Latina wanted to take the chance and see if the blonde was in her office, and she smiled when she saw Arizona's desk lamp on and the blonde was typing on her laptop.
She knocked on the open office door and stood at the entrance.
Arizona looked up when she felt a presence at her office door. She saw Callie looking back at her, smiling, and she couldn't help but smile back.
"Good job on the surgery today, Dr. Torres."
"Thank you, Chief Robbins." Callie nodded, looking into the blonde's eyes. "Are you almost done working for tonight?"
"A couple more things to review and sign." Arizona nodded.
"Well, maybe, we could get a drink after you're done?" Callie smiled.
"Callie.. we can't. I can't do.. this." Arizona sighed and closed her laptop while gesturing between them. She stood up and walked towards the brunette.
"Why won't you let me take you out for a drink?" Callie watched as Arizona pulled her into the office and closed the door to give them privacy for this conversation.
"Because I'm your Chief." Arizona crossed her arms.
"And?" Callie stepped closer to Arizona.
"And drinks will lead to more.." Arizona's breath hitched slightly.
"And?"
"And I Googled you, and you're Carlos Torres' daughter."
Callie sighed. She hated that her family's life was public information. "And?"
"And your father influences most of the board members at this hospital, including Richard and Ellis. And I can't get involved in that, Callie. I could lose my job if a conflict of interest such as a.. a relationship between us happened."
"Arizona.."
"A-and you have a penis." Arizona took a deep breath, trying to use every excuse she could think of so she wouldn't fall for the Latina.
Callie felt herself go rigid. The comment took her aback. "You have a problem with my penis?"
Arizona regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. "I just.. I'm-I'm a lesbian. Penises haven't really been my.. top interest" she looked down.
"You thought differently the other night?" Callie said softer between the two of them.
"Callie.." the blonde looked up at the woman across from her.
"No, forget it." Callie looked away from Arizona. "I get it now."
"Callie I didn't mean it like that.."
"Forget it, Chief. I should get home." Callie opened the door and closed it more forcefully than necessary.
"Cal-" Arizona sighed and rested her forehead against the door. Her whole life, she never hesitated to put her work first. But for the first time, everything in Arizona told her to put Callie first.