Wow thank you guys for such a positive response. We're glad you liked it. Here's the next bit.
After coming home from the bar, Arizona retreated directly to the bedroom. She took off her prosthetic and crawled under the warm quilt where she tossed and turned for a bit before finally falling asleep. It seemed like she had just closed her eyes when she was woken just after one in the morning by a call from the hospital, stating that Luke's father had returned and tried to go into the little boy's hospital room.
Within minutes she was back at work. Arizona rushed into the ward and found Alex sitting at the desk, a bag of ice resting against his face. She grabbed Alex's chin and turned his face from side to side, examining the black eye and bruises. "Ouch." Her tone was mostly sympathetic but she couldn't help but add, "DeLuca might feel vindicated now, huh?" She turned her attention to the more pressing matter, "Is Luke okay?"
"Easy there," the peds surgeon exclaimed as he put the ice pack back on his face and pulled his chin out of her grip. "Luke is fine. I didn't let the idiot into his room.. That's when he punched me."
"Cops?" the blonde demanded.
Alex nodded, "They took him. Being charged with assault. And more charges pending. He won't be getting out anytime soon. I highly doubt the guy can even post bail."
Considering the report from CPS that she had gotten about Luke's living situation, she didn't doubt that to be true. "Thank God." She exhaled, relieved. "Get some rest Alex," she said, patting him on the back and headed into Luke's room.
Luke was sitting up in bed, leg still immobilized, the bruises on his face becoming more prominent now even in the dim lighting in the room. His little fingers picked anxiously at the blanket. He looked up when Arizona approached his bed, his blue eyes solemn, his lip trembling.
"He tried to hurt me," he sniffled, "but Dr. Alex didn't let him."
Arizona reached out and rubbed his back, offering him a moment of comfort. "He's going to jail Luke. You aren't going to go back to him." She sat down on the companion bed and looked up at the little boy. "Do you think you can sleep?"
Luke shook his head. "My leg hurts and my head too."
Arizona stood up again and fiddled with his IV pump, plugging in a code and giving him another bolus of pain medication, hoping once the pain was under control the boy would sleep. "Try to sleep a little, little bear," she said softly as she sat back down on the bed.
Blue eyes followed her and his voice was small, "Will you stay Dr. Zoney?"
The cold front she'd put up as of late started to melt at that voice. "Of course I will," she smiled at him and reached to her thigh, popping off her prosthetic. When she slipped it out of her pant leg, she earned a gasp from Luke.
"What's wrong?" Her eyes flicked up to him.
He pointed to her leg, "you're like me," he said softly, holding up his handless arm.
Arizona nodded, smiling, "I am." She pushed herself back upright and took one little hop towards his bed. She leaned against it and looked down at him.
"What happened to it?" His innocent curiosity was sweet.
"I had a really bad accident a few years ago." She glossed over the details of the plane crash that took her leg and the lives of two of her friends. Luke didn't need to know that. All he needed to know is that they had similar stories.
"It must have hurt a lot," he said somberly.
Arizona nodded, "at the time it sure did. But now it's okay."
"Oh. Okay." He seemed comforted by her response, and her reassurance that things were okay.
She smiled at him and gently brushed the hair from his face. "Try to sleep now, little bear."
A quick nod from Luke and moments later he was asleep. Arizona sat with him for a bit, then laid back against the pillow on the companion bed and soon was fast asleep herself. It was still dark when she awoke to Alex Karev walking into the room. She squinted up at him when he turned on the exam light.
The pediatric surgeon wasn't even surprised to find his mentor at his patient's bedside. "You stayed, huh? How's he doing?" Alex quickly jotted down the numbers on the monitors.
Arizona sat up and stretched. "Okay. Terrified of his father though."
"No kidding," Alex turned to face her, keeping his voice low as to not wake the little boy. "Poor kid. Did he sleep much?"
"All night actually since I got here. I bumped up his pain meds because he was complaining about his leg and head."
Alex nodded, writing a few more things down before looking back at her. "So, I spoke to CPS."
Arizona perked up, "and?"
"The police are involved and the father has been formally charged."
She felt her heart skip a beat and couldn't tell if she felt relief or dread. "So, Luke goes into the system," she said with a heavy sigh.
The taller surgeon nodded, "Unfortunately, yes."
Arizona looked down, feeling defeated. After all the hardships that Luke had already been through in his short little life, the thought of the small child going from foster home to foster home made her stomach churn. Alex seemed to understand how she felt.
"Just a thought...but have you considered fostering him?" It's something he never would have suggested about a patient until he saw how his boss interacted with Luke.
It took a moment before the words registered and Arizona's gazed snapped up to meet his. "Me?" Her voice was full of confusion.
Alex couldn't help but look between the pair of them again, seeing the uncanny resemblance between the tow headed, blue eyed pair. "Yeah. I mean, you know how it is. How he feels."
"Karev, I didn't have abusive parents." Sleep deprivation was still playing with Arizona's mind and it was pretty clear that she hadn't quite grasped what her protege was suggesting.
Alex looked at her, realizing it would take a few more words for his suggestion to sink in. "I know that Robbins. But you lost your leg. He lost his arm. He needs someone who understands that. Someone who can relate to him in regards to..." He tried to think of the most tactful way to word what was potentially still a sore subject with her. "What it's like to navigate a world designed for people with four limbs when you only have three." He glanced at her warily, but he needn't have worried as she wasn't even phased.
"Oh, well, yeah," she said, and reached up towards the patient bed and brushed the hair off of Luke's forehead.
"You should," Alex stated, but put his hands up as Arizona remained silent and pensive. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. It's not my place."
"No.." Arizona looked like her thoughts were a mile away as she processed his argument in her head. "it's something to consider." She put her leg on and stood up. "Will you page me when he gets out of surgery?"
Alex nodded, "of course." He watched as she walked out of the room.
Quickly making her way to the coffee cart Arizona spied the person she was looking for. "April," Arizona tugged at the redhead, pulling her best friend out of line and into a secluded corner, "I'm thinking about doing something crazy."
Any split second of irritation at being pulled away from her morning caffeine infusion was gone instantaneously "Crazy good or crazy bad? Tell me," she exclaimed. Arizona hadn't been all that adventurous as of late so April couldn't even imagine what the blonde was about to say.
She took a breath, her blue eyes sparkling before she spit it out. "I'm considering fostering Lucas."
The words registered slowly and April needed a moment of clarification. "The little guy who was abused by his father?"
Arizona nodded. Her lower lip finding it's way between her teeth for a moment before she questioned her best friend's silence. "Am I crazy?"
It a moment it all became clear about how the plan was absolutely perfect and April's face broke into a huge grin, "No! You'd be amazing!"
"You really think so?" Arizona felt her heart skip a beat. She hadn't had much to be excited about lately, but this new possibility and support from a friend was all she needed.
"Definitely. He absolutely adores you!"
Arizona couldn't help the smile that spread on her face but another thought quickly gave her pause. "What about Sofia?" The smile morphed into another pensive frown.
April quickly shook her head, knowing exactly where Arizona's thoughts were going. "She'll be an amazing big sister Arizona."
Arizona bit her lip again. "You don't think she'll be jealous?"
April shrugged, not concerned in the slightest, "perhaps. But once you explain it to her, I doubt it. She's a mature kid. She'll understand. You're helping a little boy who doesn't have anyone."
Nodding, the blonde took a deep breath, "I'm going to do it April."
I think you all probably saw that coming. More to come soon. Please let us know what you think!