Hey Everybody! I'm glad that you're here! (:

I've got one more chapter to go before we get to the good stuff, and I'm super excited for when Alex and Arizona finally meet. I promise you, it'll be worth the wait in the long run. I've got a few more things to address super quick based on your reviews and then we can get started. I have had a couple people comment on the fact that Arizona is not Alex's doctor in the first few chapters. The reason for this, is because their relationship is one that needs time to develop and making her his doctor would create a conflict of interest. It would be unprofessional if she were to be his medical provider and look at the situation through a maternal lens. Rather than blur the lines, I decided I want to make Dr. Arizona and "Mom" Arizona two separate roles in her life. They'll blur at times, but not this early.

More characters and a stronger plot are coming. I pinky promise!

"At the end of the day, the fact that we have the courage to still be standing is reason enough to celebrate."

~ Callie Torres

Chapter 4: To Build a Home

When most people think about "home" they think of the place that they grew up. They think about their mom and their dad and their childhood bedrooms. Over the course of his fifteen years, Alex had lived in a lot of different places and he'd had a lot of different "parents" to think about. Not all of the places he'd lived in were happy homes filled with love and family, but they'd all impacted him in some way or another.

His Ma had loved him for a long time. When he was really young, maybe 3 or 4, she would take him to her shifts at the local library. He'd spend the afternoon sprawled on the carpet in the Reading Room playing with trains or coloring. At the end of her shifts, she would let him change the due date stamp and the two of them would pick out a book to read that night. They'd walk home, his father usually had the car, and spend the whole evening snuggled up in bed reading before he went to sleep.

After Aaron was born, things changed a bit. With a new baby and a limited budget, his Ma had no choice but to quit her job and stay home to take care of her babies. Things were different after she quit her job. She was distant and sad and nothing Alex did seemed to bring her back.

She spent most days lying in bed, buried under the thick quilt she and his father received as a wedding gift. She didn't come out unless Aaron needed a diaper change or a feeding. They didn't go to the library and pick out books. She stopped calling him her "sweet boy" and their evening snuggles halted too.

Aaron cried a lot, but usually Ma did a pretty good job of soothing him. One night though, that changed. Alex had stayed home from kindergarten because he'd caught the infamous stomach flu from one of his classmates. Unfortunately, Aaron came down with the exact same thing.

He remembered that Ma was at her wits end trying to care for a five year old and an eight month old, neither of which could keep anything in their stomachs. After he and Aaron had both hurled on the living room couch, she lost it.

She sat both of them in the bathtub and told him to keep an eye on his little brother while she went to get new towels. He did as he was told, but eventually the water grew cold and Aaron grew fussy. Even though he was disobeying her, he got out of the tub and went to find his Ma.

It didn't take much effort.

She was lying on the kitchen floor, arms covered in blood and a knife beside her. She didn't wake up when he called her name. She didn't gasp for air when he shook her. She didn't move at all.

She needed help that he couldn't give, so he did what he'd learned from school. He called 911, pulled Aaron onto his lap, and sat next to her on the floor while they waited for grown-ups to come help.

After that night, he and Aaron were sent to new "homes". Aaron went to a young couple who were looking into adoption, and Alex went to Mr. and Mrs. Blanchard. Mrs. Blanchard insisted that he memorize bible passages every day after school and made him eat hot sauce when he misbehaved. Mr. Blanchard didn't give a shit about anything but his recliner and television.

Alex lived with them for almost a year but was removed from the house after he came across "Daddy's Princess". It was not the Disney movie he was expecting. He was removed from the house and Mr. and Mrs. Blanchard were taken into police custody.

After the Blanchard's, he went to the Richardson's "home". They had four kids before Alex came, but were more than willing to welcome him in. Their family ran like a well oiled machine and he took comfort in their home… until one of the older children pulled Mr. Richardson's gun out of its safe and tried to teach the younger boy how to use it.

He was passed through a few more homes before he finally made it back to his Ma's house. Things were great at first. His father was no longer in the picture which meant that at 10 years old, Alex wouldn't have to worry about explaining injuries at school. His Ma was preparing for the arrival of a little girl and was more than eager to fix her relationship with her sons. She made dinner every night, she helped Alex do his homework, she even took them to the movies on Fridays when tickets were cheap.

That ended after Amber was born. It started with small things at first. His Ma went back to spending a lot of time in bed. It was easier now that he was old enough to care for his siblings. But then, things got worse. She stopped showering or changing her clothes. She would lie in bed and cry about the things that she heard inside her head.

Alex could recall many occasions during which she'd apologize for being a terrible mother. She would tell him the things that she heard inside, and he worked hard to make sure she didn't believe any of it was true. She was a good mom. She was loved by all three of her kids. She was great.

The comforting words he tried to give her weren't enough. Things got worse when her paranoia began. With his father out of the picture, it wasn't long until his Ma became convinced that James Evans worked for the CIA. He'd bugged their whole house and was ready to take all three of her babies away. Alex had hid in a bedroom closet comforting Aaron and Amber for hours while she went through the house destroying every "bug" and "microphone" she could find.

He couldn't be mad at her. She was sick with a disease that she couldn't control. He couldn't go for help and risk being separated from his siblings, especially with his Pop out of the picture. So he did what he had to do. He survived.

Home had never really been a positive word for him. The people who entered his life came and went through a revolving door. Sitting in Miranda Bailey's station wagon with a grocery bag full what little belonged to him, he decided that this "Arizona" that was so eager to replace his parents would be no different.

Alex and Arizona meet in our next chapter! Are you as excited as I am? Also, I'm not sure if you're interested, but I'd be more than willing to share the music I have on this story's playlist. Each chapter I write is influenced by a song and I would be more than willing to update you on the song used. Let me know and feel free to review!