I do not own these characters, they belong to Grey's Anatomy and Co.
Dr. Avery received Arizona's text saying she'd be a little late. He decided to use the extra time to inquire about Dr. Boswell's involvement with the HELP NOW project. He was as impressed with her curriculum vitae as he was her person. He found her crisis work with survivors of domestic violence of particular interest. Her CV indicated heavy involvement in youth reconstructive surgery; a direction he believed Grey Sloan Memorial needed to point.
Dr. Avery was elated by the possibility of finding another Mark Sloan in Dr. Boswell and hoped Arizona would align his interests and back a proposal to bring her on board. It struck him as odd when Arizona abstained from the vote to have her consult the Bryson case and he suspected something had happened. It was not immediate or obviously clear, yet her abstention didn't make sense. "Surely she could recognize the value Dr. Boswell added to any Peds Program," he said to himself, and added, "She is just as brilliant and sought after as Dr. Boswell and having a colleague of equal stature would only benefit her and the hospital."
Lauren noticed a spring in her step as she walked from the hotel to her meeting with Dr. Avery. The crisp air and warm sunshine felt good on her skin. It had been an emotional couple of days, and as much as she enjoyed her time with Arizona, she also enjoyed her work. She was curious as to why Dr. Avery wanted to meet with the both of them and prepared for every possibility. She suspected a proposal would be made, and it would be one Arizona clearly knew nothing about.
Arizona took one last look in the mirror before leaving Lauren's hotel room. Her eyes were a bit puffy from crying the night before and her face was visibly flushed from the amazing early morning sex she'd just had. She stole a quick glance at the disheveled bed and felt oddly empowered. She loved the fact that Lauren had no connection to anything related to the crash. She utterly enjoyed the freedom she felt with her: freedom to be herself, flaws and all; freedom to show fragility and not have it equate to a disability; freedom from rage; especially the rage she felt toward Callie for not having done more to save her leg. In her core, she believed that if Callie had been as dedication to saving her leg as she was Derrick's hand, she'd would have.
Dr. Avery looked up just as Dr. Boswell approached his door. "Good morning," he said cheerfully.
"Good morning," Lauren replied, matching his good-natured tone.
"Dr. Robbins will be here shortly," he offered and motioned for her to sit.
Feeling privy to some kind of secret gen, Lauren smiled slightly and acknowledged Dr. Avery's statement with a nod.
Dr. Avery observed Lauren's smile and thought he spotted something behind her eyes. Suddenly, Arizona's abstention made sense. He placed no judgment, however. He, of all people, understood the thin line between desire and relational responsibility.
Arizona felt anxious about her meeting with Dr. Avery. She wondered why he hadn't mentioned Lauren's involvement. She hastily walked the few blocks to the hospital and barely noticed the cool air and sunshine. Her mind went over the many options he might want to discuss. She suspected their meeting would lead to some sort of future involvement between Lauren and the hospital. She wasn't sure how to feel about professional enmeshment. She liked the idea of dating Lauren, but knew working closely with her and Callie for extended periods of time would be a bit much. This thought haunted her entire elevator ride to Dr. Avery's office. It was further magnified by seeing him and Lauren enthralled in conversation and getting along splendidly. "Good morning. Sorry for being late," she interrupted, hearing her voice reveal a hint of uneasiness.
Lauren detected Arizona's tone and turned to greet her. She felt immediate pleasure at seeing her dressed in the lavender cashmere she'd worn on their first date and loved the way it hugged her curves. "Dr. Robbins," she said making brief eye contact and sounding one-hundred-percent professional.
"Dr. Boswell," Arizona said, taking an empty seat and focusing her attention on Dr. Avery.
Noticing Arizona's steadfastness, Dr. Avery launched. "I'm sure you're both wondering why I brought you here, so I'll waste no time and get right to the point."
Both women smiled politely.
Dr. Avery cleared his throat and continued, "I'm hoping to bring each of you in on the early stage of an idea I'm considering bringing to the board. Dr. Robbins, as co-director, I'm including you on the preliminary discussion because this proposal directly involves the global expansion of our Peds program, something you've advocated for from day one. Dr. Boswell, as a consultant, educator, and craniofacial surgeon, your input on this project is crucial because it centers on emergency youth and infant reconstructive surgery."
Arizona pondered Dr. Avery's use of the word global. She now had a pretty good idea of what he might propose and took the opportunity to search Lauren's face for signs of interest. She watched her lover listen intently and remembered Dr. Avery's confession over the way Lauren made him feel excited about plastics again. She resigned to accept whatever fate awaited her and tuned into Dr. Avery's words just in time to hear him say, "I believe that the three of us have the drive, dedication and skills necessary to set up an Emergency Pediatric Clinic in Syria."
Arizona was taken aback. She thought he was going to propose a more involved partnership with the Syrian's here in Seattle, not set up an ER there. She was speechless, proud, and immediately concerned about the level of danger.
Of all the scenarios Lauren imagined Dr. Avery proposing, this was not one of them. She stole a quick glance at Arizona and tried to suss from her expression what she was thinking. What she saw was unreadable. She opted for silence, rather than asking questions, and mentally leaned into the conversation.
Sensing an invitation to continue, Dr. Avery said, "Dr. Robbins, I've heard you say on numerous occasions, "This hospital needs to do more to help the Syrian's and is in a perfect position to train their field docs to better assist with child and infant trauma." We both agree on this, but I think we can be more effective by building a sustainable program there, rather than conducting trainings that do not accurately reflect field conditions here. This is where your input is key. We can use the work you've done in Malawi as a template. Granted, the circumstances are different, and the risk factors are much greater, but the structural procedures should be similar. I also think it is something that can be managed from here, if you're not comfortable traveling, or with the level of risk.
Arizona appreciated the way Dr. Avery's eyes softened when he added the tagline about travel and safety. She immediately thought of Sofia.
"Dr. Boswell, I think the work you've done with HELP NOW is just one of the many skills you bring to the table. Your willingness to train other docs is unmatchable and the fact that you already travel around the world doing emergency infant reconstructive surgeries makes your input vital. There is also a way we can have you involved domestically, if you feel the conditions in Syria are too dangerous."
Lauren was flattered. She was involved in a similar project just out of med school and considered it one of her greatest accomplishments; though she rarely shared this achievement with colleagues because doing so would ultimately lead to disclosing a piece of her personal story. In typical Lauren fashion, she showed an ease and grace with Dr. Avery and tilted her head in a way that indicated she would like to hear more.
"Finally, I imagine my role would be part administrator and part surgeon. I am willing to travel between here and there throughout the entire developmental stages, if conditions allow. The only thing I need to know at this point is if either or both of you are interested in participating in phase one. If you are, I was thinking we could take a few weeks, then regroup. That would give me time to quietly run the numbers and determine risk factors.
As a board member, Arizona would absolutely back the idea; as a mother with an opportunity to practice in the field, she wasn't sure. There were just so many aspects to consider. Without prioritizing, she listed the pros and cons in her mind: Sofia; the level of danger, the children of Syria; Callie; the hospital's ability to financially back the entire project; the opportunity to do in Syria what she accomplished in Malawi; Lauren's involvement; the fact that she hadn't set foot on a plane since the crash; her panic attacks. She suddenly realized she was getting ahead of herself. What was being asked of her in the moment was her interest in the developmental phase, nothing more. She focused and said, "I'm willing to give this serious consideration and am happy to meet again in a few weeks."
Lauren kept current with world politics and recognized the need and potential danger involved. Her first consideration was the children of Syria. She then contemplated the role of a field doc. There were practical day-to-day aspects to deliberate, as well. She was contractually obligated to a few hospitals in the States and would require a generous amount of flexibility. Moreover, a line would be blurred if Arizona was to become her boss, and she would need to maintain some form of autonomy. None of her concerns were unmanageable, however; and there was clearly no harm in participating in the developmental phase. She followed Arizona's lead and said, "I'm more than happy to take time and think this through."
Dr. Avery smiled exuberantly. He felt honored to be sitting across from two of the best surgeons in the country. His excitement about what the future would hold was understandable. His mother had put him in a position he didn't want to be in and he'd found a way to make it fit his personal values and desire to become a better surgeon. He lifted from his chair slowly and in a tone that revealed genuine enthusiasm said, "I can't tell you how grateful I am that you're both willing to consider this. Thank you."
Arizona and Lauren simultaneously lifted from their respective chairs and returned his smile. Side by side, they walked to the elevator in silence. Each knew they would need to talk about what was just proposed, but neither was ready.
Lauren stepped into the elevator and was glad to see Arizona join her. She had an early evening flight and hoped for a proper goodbye. She rubbed her forehead and considered options. She could ask Arizona to lunch, but didn't want to impose upon her time. She could ask her back to the hotel, but felt a little too overwhelmed by the emotionality of the past few days to be in such an intimate setting. Then she remembered the park by the hotel and wondered if Arizona would meet her there.
Arizona watched as Lauren's long lean finger massage a circular pattern above her left eyebrow and realized that neither one of them had time to pick up coffee before their meeting. In a light and bubbly tone she teased, "Why, Dr. Boswell, it appears to me that you're suffering from caffeine withdrawal."
Lauren chortled and felt relief at Arizona's playfulness. "I think your diagnosis it spot on, Dr. Robbins."
Arizona chortled back, considered Lauren flight time, and impulsively asked if they could meet for coffee later.
"Absolutely! How about the park by the hotel?"
"That would be great." Arizona said. It was a perfect place, she thought. She was beginning to feel overwhelmed with everything on her plate. She still needed to speak with Callie about Sofia and her day-care arrangements. She also knew Dr. Avery's proposal had yet to sink in. Plus, she and Lauren had resumed their affair, something she didn't regret, but hadn't planned for.
Lauren could see that Arizona had a lot on her mind. She wanted to say something comforting but knew this wasn't the place. She opted for action, rather than words, and quickly gauged the floor they were on. She had just enough time to gracefully move into Arizona's space and bring her lips to hers in a quick but meaningful kiss.
Arizona felt comforted by the closeness. She knew they had a few seconds before the door would open and surrendered to the moment. She focused on the softness of Lauren's lips and the warmth of her palm that was lightly pressed against the side of her face.
Hearing the bell, Lauren pulled away as quickly and gracefully as she'd moved in. She looked deeply into Arizona's beautiful blue orbs and whispered; "Text me with a time, and I'll be there."
Arizona watched as Lauren walked away. She thought back to their first time in an elevator together and recalled the way her heart sank when Lauren's subtle flirtation indicated a mutual attraction. She wrapped her arms around herself and felt the softness of Lauren's sweater nestled against her bare skin. For the third time that morning, she brought her wrists to her nose and inhaled the faint scent of Lauren's perfume.