Callie felt as though she were dreaming; nothing felt real. Everything seemed so far away, even the sound of her cell phone beeping. She couldn't move at first. She wondered whether she really had died. Eventually, she reached for her cell. There was an SMS from Arizona. As Callie read the words on the screen, she could not process what they said. She stared at the screen until the words sunk in:
''This doesn't even the score''.

Callie felt everything all at once. She couldn't think; she couldn't breathe. She felt as though the world was falling towards her. She grabbed her leg and pulled it, screaming. She felt a pain in her leg as her hands pressed down on her wound. She threw herself backwards into her thin hospital pillow and swore loudly. Nothing numbed the pain she felt. She knew Arizona was right; Callie had ruined her life and nothing would even the score. She hated herself so much that being in her own company made her panic.

She looked up at the window. Arizona was standing there, laughing at her. She made eye contact with Callie, before walking away.

Callie was dumbstruck and confused. Her emotions made her dizzy and confusion extended to her entire brain. She couldn't remember where she was for a moment. Her heart raced and she longed for her body to just somehow…give up; to let her die. Then she thought of Sofia and hated herself even more.

Meredith and Cristina were standing outside the room. Callie could hear them talking, but couldn't hear what they were saying.

''You go in'', said Meredith.
''You're better at this stuff'', replied Cristina.
''I don't know what to say!''
''Well, neither do i!''
''I could take the baby. People like babies. Babies make people happy'', suggested Meredith.
''Her wife's head of peds''
''Oh. Yeah. Well what do I say then?''
''I dunno, just go in!''
Cristina pushed Meredith into the room. Meredith dragged Cristina in with her.

''Hey'', said Meredith, slowly. ''You ok?''
''Yeah, I'm good'' replied Callie, wishing it were true.

There was an awkward silence. Meredith and Cristina looked at each other for help.

''I had a baby!'' Meredith blurted.
''oh, yeah, that's great. Congratulations'' said Callie.

Another awkward silence.

''Look, Callie'', Meredith began, ''you know you don't have to do this on your own. We're all here. We'll all help''.
''Thanks, but I'm, you know, fine. I'm great'' replied Callie.
''Well, I hope you're ok. We just came to tell you that. if you need us, we'll be around''
''yeah, we work here'' said Cristina. Meredith looked at her.
''Thanks guys,'' said Callie, ''but really, I'm fine''.
Pagers started to beep.
''We'll be back soon'', said Meredith, running out.

Callie looked at her phone again. She felt the emptiness of the room engulf her. She had no new messages. She felt angry now; anger at the realisation that Arizona was punishing her. She slept with Lauren to punish her. She wanted her to cut off her leg; she wanted her to suffer like Callie had made her suffer. Now she was standing outside her room and taunting her, sending her messages and taunting her. She deserved it, Callie realised, as that falling sensation returned.
She had not seen Alex Karev in a while either. He was obviously on Arizona's side, Callie realised. Maybe he was even in on the plot to make her suffer.

Meredith returned some time later, without Cristina.

''You've been crying'', Meredith said. ''Are you ok?''
Callie said nothing for a moment.
''She's punishing me. Arizona is punishing me. I destroyed her; I took away a part of her. Now she's punishing me''.
''I'm sure she's not punishing you. Sometimes these-''
''She sent me a text''
''What text?''
''She said – we had this argument – she said if I cut off my leg it would 'even the score' and-''
''she said what?!''
''Well, I don't think she meant it like that, not then…but, but she text me and said that this doesn't even the score. And she came to my window and laughed. She laughed. She stood there, right there, and laughed. She's punishing me''
''Oh my god,'' said Meredith, shocked, ''why? How could she do that?''
''I don't know'', said Callie, ''I guess I deserve it''.
''You don't deserve it'' replied Meredith.

***

''Arizona laughed at her'' Meredith explained to Alex and Cristina later that day.
''She did what?'' asked Cristina, visibly shocked.
''She wouldn't do that'' stated Alex, taking a bite of his sandwich.
''Callie said she did. Callie said she saw her'' replied Meredith.
''Well, she didn't see her'' retorted Alex.
''She sent her a message too''
''Saying what?'' asked Cristina
''That it didn't even the score''.
''Oh my god''
''Seriously, guys'' said Alex, ''they're arguing. Arizona did a bad thing, but it doesn't make her a bad person. And she definitely wouldn't laugh''
''Well, what does she say about it?'' demanded Meredith.
''I don't know, I haven't seen her today yet. She's been in this awesome surgery since the crack of dawn. But when I do see her I won't be asking her anything. She's just as messed up as Callie is over this.''
''She hasn't tried to cut off her leg'' Meredith pointed out.
''Well, it wouldn't be so hard for her to – what? Don't look at me like that'' Cristina muttered, taking a sip of her coffee.

***

''Someone help!'' a woman screamed, rushing through the doors of the hospital carrying a limp child in her arms.
Karev rushed over. He grabbed the child and put her onto a gurney, asking, ''what happened?'' as he threw his stethoscope to his ears.
''She'd, she'd been ill'', the woman explained, the crying breaking up her southern accent. ''She had a temperature, and this rash''. She controlled herself and rushed on, ''we thought it was nothing; that she'd be over it by today. We travelled all the way up with her. But she won't wake up. And listen to her breathing!''. She started to cry again.
Karev took the small girl of around seven to the emergency room. He took off her nightdress to see the rash the woman had described. It was an odd looking rash, but one that immediately ruled out meningitis. He was relieved for a moment, until he saw her armpits. Her lymph nodes had swollen and turned black. He stared for a moment in disbelief.
''What is it?'' asked Jo, coming up behind him.
''Page Arizona. Stat''.

***

''Dr Robbins'', said Stephanie, approaching her as she scrubbed out of what had seemed like the longest surgery in history.
''I'm scrubbing out'' replied Arizona, not looking up.
''Dr Robbins, they're looking for you downstairs. It's an emergency''.

Arizona reached Karev and asked ''what happened?''
''Where have you been?'' demanded Karev.
''What? I've been in surgery'' replied Arizona, surprised at his tone.
''I've paged you a million times. I've had interns pressing redial for twenty minutes trying to get you on your cell''
''I was in surgery, Alex. And I don't have my cell today, I forgot it''.
She checked the patient. She gasped.
''Oh my god''.
''It's not, is it?'' asked Karev.
''Alex, where are these people from?''
''Somewhere South, I think'' replied Karev, quickly. ''Arizona? Is it?''
''It looks like it,'' said Arizona, ''it looks like it's by the bacillus yersinia pestis''
''The what?'' asked Jo.
''The plague'', replied Karev, gravely.
''Get Hunt'', Arizona said to Jo.

***

''Why did you send that message to Callie?'' Karev asked in the midst of the rush.
Arizona stopped in her tracks, ''what message?''
''Look, you don't have to explain anything to me. Forget I asked''
''No, really, Alex. What message?''
''You sent her a message. To her cell'', he added, sounding less sure of himself now.
She didn't respond.
''You know she's lying there, a right mess'' Karev accused.
Arizona continued working on the patient. She didn't look at Karev.
''Do you even care?'' he asked her.
''Alex'', she started.
Then Hunt arrived.