Following Arizona out of the bedroom and into the sitting room, Callie's heart was racing as her wife's words echoed through her mind…Let's go collect your award Dr. Robbins-Torres. The Catherine Fox Award for Surgical Innovation. Did she really have a chance? Was this real? Callie slowed to a halt and looked around the room at the abundance of gifts and flowers she'd received which served as a stark reminder of the number of people who believed in her. She'd been met with such an outpouring of love, respect, and support since her nomination and it just struck her that not once had anyone wished her good luck. No, to her friends, family, staff members, former and current colleagues, even her peers in ortho, people she'd spoken to or consulted with, but never met in person; it seemed to be a given that she would win, that she had already won the Catherine Fox Award. No one believed that more than her wife. No one believed in her more than her wife…not even she herself. Finally, it hit her like a ton of bricks, the one thing every surgeon strived for, the thing she'd only allowed herself to fantasize about, was within her reach and could be sitting somewhere in a room several floors beneath them, with her name already engraved on it and she needed just a few minutes to process that fact.
Suddenly feeling overwhelmed with emotions, the weight of the moment finally hitting her full force, the excitement she'd kept at bay for fear of being let down, bubbling to the surface, Callie reached for Arizona's hand, knowing that simple touch would ground her, and asked, "Can we just…can we just take a minute?" Hearing the tremor in Callie's voice, Arizona turned to look at her wife, worried her anxiety had returned, and was surprised, but thrilled, to see the dazzling mega-watt smile creep across luscious red lips until it reached her rich mocha colored eyes, causing them to dance with excitement and couldn't contain her own smile. Callie lifted her hand to Arizona's face, curled her fingertips around the back of her head, rubbed her thumb over the deep sexy dimple, and in a voice filled with awe and slight disbelief, she declared, "I'm nominated for a Catherine Fox Award." Arizona chuckled and returned, "I was wondering when that would sink in." Callie shook her head and replied, "It didn't feel real until now. I feel like everything has just been a whirlwind since I got the call." Arizona thought about all the requests for interviews, consultations, new patients, and various offers her wife had received in the last ten days, and answered, "It has. You've barely had any time to breathe, let alone process what was happening." Callie puffed out her cheeks and proclaimed, "Yeah, well it's sinking in now."
Arizona lifted her hand to cover Callie's, turned it so she could kiss each knuckle, then pulled her toward the sofa and suggested, "So we take a few minutes to bask in your greatness, then we go downstairs and catch the end of the cocktail party." Callie laughed at that as she helped Arizona sit down, started to sit next to her and noticed a tray holding two champagne flutes and two silver ice buckets on the coffee table in front of them. Quirking her brow, Callie reached for one of the bottles, noticed the expensive label and asked, "Does Catherine expect me to get wasted?" Recognizing the other bottle as one she'd seen quite a bit of throughout the holidays, Arizona giggled and offered, "I think the other one is for me." Picking up the second bottle, Callie saw that it was her wife's go-to sparkling grape juice, shook her head and commented, "Man, they've thought of everything."
Arizona watched while Callie opened the bottle of champagne, struggling not to get it all over the place, held out one of the glasses for her to pour the fizzy gold liquid and waited for her to open the grape juice next, when instead, she picked up the other flute, poured barely an inch into the bottom of the glass, looked at her hopefully and explained, "I don't know if this opportunity will ever come to me again and it's just a little bit, but I'd like to share a toast with my wife." Knowing one small sip wouldn't hurt her or the babies, Arizona nodded, traded glasses with Callie, and replied, "I know this is only the first of many Catherine Fox nominations, but this one is special and I'd love nothing more than to celebrate this moment with you." The two turned to look at one another and Callie held up her glass with one hand while placing her other hand on Arizona's left thigh. Arizona smiled at the sensation, looked down and covered the tan hand resting on her lifelike prosthetic limb, being reminded of why her wife was nominated, and raised her glass, saying, "To my wife, my soulmate, the love of my life, the mother of my children, the compassionate surgeon, and the genius behind this amazing leg, I am so extremely proud of you." Callie lifted her glass and just before touching it against Arizona's, she said, "To my wife, my soulmate, the love of my life, the mother of my children, my muse, my reason for being, I am so extremely proud of you and need you to know, I wouldn't be here without you." Both women smiled at one another, clinked their glasses together and took a sip of the cool fruity liquid.
Callie took Arizona's flute, put it on the table next to her own, then leaned in and captured glossy pink lips in a long languorous kiss. When the kiss came to its natural end, Arizona rested her forehead against Callie's and asked, "Are you ready now?" Callie ran her fingers through Arizona's soft straight hair and replied, "I am. Thank you." Arizona lifted her head and declared, "You are amazing Calliope Robbins-Torres. Now let's go kick some cardio ass." Callie tossed her head back and groaned, "Oh God, I nearly forgot about her." Arizona winked and quipped, "Oh, I was determined to make sure of that the night I followed a sexy ortho surgeon into a dirty bar bathroom." Callie let out a bark of laughter, replied, "You most certainly did that," then stood up, helped her wife to her feet and suggested, "You know, I think I need to find her just to thank her for that." Arizona laughed, wrapped her arms around Callie's neck, kissed her soundly on the lips and teased, "I might just beat you to it."
Callie watched as her wife walked away and without the lustful haze fogging her brain, took a long look at Arizona's dress, noticed how it nearly touched the floor in the back, but rose to just below her knees in the front, showing off her legs. Narrowing her eyes, she asked, "Did you pick that design on purpose?" Knowing exactly what her wife was talking about, Arizona looked down at her dress, smiled, and answered, "Actually Addison picked this dress, but yes we both agreed this was the perfect dress to showcase your talent." Callie grunted, "You know, I didn't really think this through. I'm not sure I'm okay with a roomful of surgeons ogling my wife's legs all night." Arizona chuckled, took her lipstick out of her clutch, turned back to look at Callie and realized her wife wouldn't be the only one with a little jealous streak tonight. Callie was wearing a tailored black herringbone Brooks Brothers suit with a black silk shirt, accented with a red vest and bow tie, and Arizona was certain her wife would turn heads. She looked stunning, confident, and sexy as hell.
Sashaying across the room, Arizona ran her hands up the lapels of Callie's black suit jacket, straightened her tie, and flirted, "Once people take one look at you like this, they won't even be thinking about my legs. You are absolutely breathtaking Calliope." Looking into azure blue eyes filled with love, admiration, and desire, Callie lifted both hands to frame Arizona's face, smoothed her thumbs over the smile lines at the corners of those magnificent eyes, and murmured, "These are the only eyes I care about looking at me. I love the way you look at me." Arizona reached up, wiped the smeared lipstick from her wife's lips and declared, "Oh don't you worry, these eyes will be on you all night long." Callie bent her head, nibbled on Arizona's bottom lip, and replied, "And I'll be looking right back at you." The blonde smiled, stepped back and suggested, "Let me freshen up and then we can go down there and show those other surgeons what a real winner looks like." Callie could feel the pride emanating from her wife, and it only served to boost her own self confidence. Smiling brightly, she nodded her head and watched while Arizona touched up her lipstick in the mirror by the door, went to her side, held out her arm and asked, "Shall we go Dr. Robbins-Torres?" Happy to see her wife had finally relaxed and was actually excited about joining the festivities, Arizona looped her arm through the crook of Callie's elbow, popped her dimples, and answered, "We shall Dr. Robbins-Torres." The two smiled at one another and left their suite arm in arm.
XXXX
When they reached the lobby, Callie and Arizona immediately noticed the elegantly decorated table and joined the short line of people dressed in tuxedos and evening gowns, much like themselves, waiting to check-in. When they got to the front of the line, one of the young men behind the table greeted, "Good evening and welcome to the Catherine Fox Awards Ceremony. Are you a nominee or an honored guest?" Callie smiled brightly and proudly responded, "Dr. Callie Robbins-Torres, I'm a nominee and this is my wife, Dr. Arizona Robbins-Torres." The young man instantly stood up, extended his hand and returned, "It's an honor to have you here Dr. Robbins-Torres, and congratulations. My name is Dustin and I will be your personal assistant for the evening. If there is anything either of you need, please don't hesitate to ask." Callie shook the man's hand, looked at Arizona who was simply blinking in surprise, and responded, "Hello Dustin, it's nice to meet you as well." The tall blonde haired man gave Arizona and Callie both a small booklet, reminiscent of a playbill and requested, "If you would both follow me, I'll gladly take you to the banquet hall for the pre-dinner cocktail party." Callie took Arizona's hand once again and the two surgeons followed their guide down the corridor.
Expecting Dustin to return to his post after taking them to the banquet room, both women were surprised when he guided them to a small private table, pointed to the sign which read, 'Reserved for Catherine Fox Award Nominee Dr. C. Robbins-Torres', and explained, "This is your table. Can I get either of you a drink?" Callie looked to Arizona who simply tilted her head as if she already knew what she wanted and replied, "My wife would like a glass of water with lemon and I'll have a glass of Merlot please." Dustin bowed his head and replied, "I'll bring that over right away. Enjoy your evening doctors and good luck." Watching the young man walk away, Callie looked around at the crowd of surgeons and asked, "Should we go mingle, or…I mean, I've never been to one of these things." Arizona chuckled and replied, "It's your night Calliope, we can do whatever you want." Callie looked around the room, noticed some of the top names in the medical field were in attendance and felt her stomach churn with anxiety.
Waiting for her wife to respond, Arizona looked over to see nervous brown eyes darting around the room and recognized that her wife's previously relaxed posture had stiffened, indicating she was starting to work herself into a panic again. Stepping into Callie's side, Arizona took her hand, intertwined their fingers and whispered, "Tell me what you are thinking Calliope." Keeping her eyes on the room at large, Callie asked, "What if…what if they think I don't belong here? These are some of the most distinguished surgeons in the world. What if they look down on ortho and think I'm just…" Arizona released Callie's hand, opened the program they were just given, turned to the page she was looking for, held it up, and commanded, "Read this to me." Callie blinked and shook her head in confusion at her wife's request, then looked down at her own image, started to push the book away, and argued, "It doesn't matter what…" Her words were cut off by a grunt and the book being snatched from her hands.
Arizona huffed, looked down at the page and read, "Dr. Calliope Robbins-Torres is a world-renowned orthopedic surgeon; part owner and a member of the Board of Directors of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in Seattle, Washington; founder of Fresh START LLC., and owner and Chief of Surgery of Fresh START Center for Orthopedics and Prosthetics in Brooklyn, New York. Dr. Robbins-Torres is best known for her work with artificial cartilage, which is being used by surgeons all over the globe and in various specialties in life saving procedures. In collaboration with the late Dr. Derek Shepherd, Dr. Robbins-Torres created the brain mapping project, in which sensors were inserted into a patient's brain in order to control robotic limbs. This project led to five years of research and work with amputees, resulting in Dr. Robbins-Torres' creation of the first prosthetic to respond to stimuli without the need of invasive surgery. Dr. Robbins-Torres' innovative thinking is the epitome of what the Catherine Fox Award represents and we are honored to nominate her for this year's award."
Arizona laid the booklet down on the table, looked at her wife who was now staring at her intently, obviously fighting back tears, softened her voice and proclaimed, "Calliope, the only person in this room who doesn't see you in the same light as all of these other surgeons is you. The only difference between you and anyone else in this room, is that you will be leaving with a Catherine Fox Award at the end of the evening." Callie inhaled deeply, looked down at her wife appreciatively and asked, "You're that sure huh?" Arizona nodded and chirped, "Yup!" Callie snorted at her wife's response, wrapped her arms around her waist, bent her head and murmured against her lips, "Thank you for that," then leaned in and brushed their lips together in a sweet chaste kiss.
Stepping back, Callie took a deep breath, reached for her wife's hand, nodded, and declared, "Okay, I'm ready." Arizona smiled at her wife, started to suggest they walk around to congratulate the other nominees when they were approached by an older gentleman with white-grey hair. The man extended his hand to Callie and asked, "Dr. Robbins-Torres?" Callie smiled politely, nodded and offered her hand to the man who introduced himself, "I'm Dr. Kaufman, we've never met…officially, but we have…" Callie's smile became more genuine when she finished, "Dr. Kaufman from Cleveland Clinic, it's nice to finally put a face to the name. How is little Alyna? Did she respond to the bone transplant?" Seemingly surprised by the other surgeon's memory, the older man blinked and answered, "She…ahhh…wow, I didn't expect you to recall speaking with me, let alone the details of the conversation. Alyna is doing very well. I'd never thought of using the bone of a cadaver to completely remove her cancer. Thanks to your advice and assistance on walking me through the procedure, she's been in remission for six months now." Callie exclaimed, "That's great to hear. I'm so happy I could help." The older man nodded and replied, "You did, not only with my patient, but by being here tonight as a nominee for The Catherine Fox Award, you are proof that orthopedics is more than an afterthought, for years you have been making the medical community stand up and take notice of our specialty, no one deserves this more than you. I just wanted to say good luck and thank you." Callie swallowed the lump in her throat, she knew she'd been the first orthopedic surgeon to ever receive a nomination, but it never occurred to her that other orthopedic surgeons felt the same way she did. Extending her hand again, she replied, "Thank you for saying that; it was very kind and I'm happy to hear Alyna is doing well." She watched as the man smiled at Arizona in acknowledgement, then walked away.
When Callie turned to look at Arizona, she noticed the knowing smirk on her face, tugged on her hand and teased, "Oh hush." Arizona giggled at her wife and quipped, "I mean, I hate to say I told you so but…" "No you don't," Callie retorted and escorted her wife into the crowd of people to mingle. As they walked through the room, both surgeons were stopped several times and engaged in conversation about their specialties and, of course, Callie's nomination and her robotic limbs. While many people asked in depth questions about her project, research, process in creating the leg, none of them realized, nor were they told, that if they just looked at Arizona's leg, they would see it for themselves. After meeting three of the other nominees, asking about their own procedures which earned them a nomination, and wishing each other luck, Callie and Arizona returned to their table to collect their drinks and allow Arizona a few minutes to rest. At twenty-eight weeks, she looked as if she were eight months pregnant and she tired quite easily. While Callie knew Arizona wanted to make this evening special and focus on her accomplishments, her wife's condition and comfort were never far from her mind.
Callie pulled out a chair, helped Arizona lower herself into it, then just as she started to take the seat next to her, she felt a hand on her shoulder, turned to see her friend and former chief and exclaimed, "Richard! I'm so happy to see you." The older man smirked and replied, "Nothing could have kept me away Torres. I always wondered what it would feel like to rue the day, can't say that I feel any different though." Callie covered her face with her hands and grumbled, "Oh God! I'm never going to live that down, am I?" "Live what down?" a voice asked from behind her and Callie turned to see Catherine standing next to Arizona's chair then glared at Richard in warning.
Shrugging, the older man teased, "What have I got to lose? I'm supposedly already ruing the day." He wrapped his arm around Callie's shoulders, looked at his wife and in usual Richard Webber fashion, drew out the story just to watch the young woman squirm and answered, "It must have been, oh just about ten years ago now, right before the merging of Seattle Grace and Mercy West. This young resident found out I didn't intend to make her an attending and went off half-cocked, yelling at me on the catwalk." Arizona sucked her lips between her teeth, she hadn't actually seen it happen, but she knew she was one of the first to know. The gossiping nurses were nearly knocking each other down to get to her to tell her about Dr. Torres standing up to the chief. Richard looked up to the ceiling and asked, "Now what was it she said? Oh that's right, I believe her exact words were, 'I'm a superstar, a superstar with a scalpel. I build arms out of nothing and legs like God and when I win the Harper Avery and every other prize there is, you will rue this day Chief Webber.'" Callie hung her head in shame, while Catherine threw hers back, let out a loud bark of laughter, then declared, "Well she wasn't wrong, she builds legs like God, that's why she's here."
Hearing this, Callie picked up her head and her breath hitched when she saw her former chief's eyes fill with tears of pride as he smiled at her and claimed, "No, she wasn't wrong and I knew this day would come. You are a superstar Callie; you always were and I couldn't be more proud of you." Callie let the man pull her into a tight hug and knew she didn't dare say anything or she would be a blubbering mess. Richard Webber was like a second father to all of them and to hear his confidence in her meant just as much as it would have if her own father had said it. Catherine held out her arms, pulled Callie into a hug and added, "We're all proud of you, Callie dear." The ortho surgeon stepped back, smiled brightly, and finding her voice, croaked out, "Thank you both, that means a great deal to me." She then looked at the older man and declared, "You've given me so many opportunities to learn and grow and I'm positive I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the skills and life lessons I learned from working with you." Still choked up himself, the former chief nodded his appreciation and was relieved when his wife took the spotlight.
Catherine turned to Arizona and squealed, "Look at you! You are glowing and you look absolutely magnificent." She looked up at Callie and said to both of them, "I guess double congratulations are in order. It's been a big year for you two." Callie went to Arizona's side, helped her stand up, wrapped her arm around her shoulder and replied, "It most certainly has." Unable to help herself, Catherine lifted her hand in front of Arizona in a silent request, smiled when the younger woman nodded her approval, then caressed her stomach, and asked, "How far along are you?" Arizona answered, "I will be at 28 weeks tomorrow, even though I look like I am about to pop any minute." Unable to still her medical mind, Catherine glanced down at Arizona's leg and couldn't help but ask, "And this is the same leg?" Callie and Arizona looked at one another proudly and Callie explained, "It's primarily the same leg, it functions the same, but when we decided to have a baby, we started working together to make a few updates. We made some changes to the joints so the leg was better equipped to handle the added baby weight as well as to compensate for the natural shift in balance. Also, after a particularly rough day at Disney World, we decided to merge one of my other inventions with this one and it has the capabilities to cool the residual limb to reduce swelling or heat it to soothe cramping." Shaking her head, Catherine declared, "This is just fascinating." Seeing that someone was waving at her from across the room and remembering why she'd approached the younger surgeon, the older woman smiled, looked up, and asked, "Callie dear, would you mind coming with me to meet a few donors? They are interested in talking to you about funding further research." Surprised by the request, Callie looked at Arizona who smiled and waved at her to go and felt better about leaving her wife alone when Richard offered, "Go on Torres, I'll keep your wife company." Callie kissed Arizona's cheek and whispered, "I won't be long." Arizona nodded then watched as her wife walked away.
When they were alone, Richard asked, "How is she taking all of this?" Still staring at her wife, Arizona snorted, then turned to her friend and answered, "Exactly how you'd expect; she's a nervous wreck and is still a little surprised by all of it. She's convinced herself she isn't of the same caliber as many of the surgeons in this room." Richard shook his head in wonder and commented, "I remember when Catherine came home after attending her presentation and told me how surprised Callie seemed to be that she was there on behalf of the award committee." Arizona laughed and replied, "Oh it was priceless. She was actually speechless." The former chief laughed and declared, "It's always fascinated me how she can appear to be so confident, even to the point of cocky at times, but when you get to know her, learn who she really is, you realize how humble she is and how she doesn't understand the impact she's had on the medical profession as a whole." Arizona nodded in agreement and stated, "I think she's finally starting to catch on." Richard looked up to see that Arizona was once again staring at her wife, pride evident in her eyes, and couldn't help but ask, "And you? You're okay with all of this?"
Arizona looked down at her legs, noticed one of her ankles was just a little more swollen than the other and that's the only difference even she herself could see between the two legs and replied, "It was never a secret how I felt about her brain mapping project and her work with robotic limbs. What wasn't widely known about my reaction is the fact that I thought my wife cut off my leg and was doing all of that to ease her own guilt and to try to fix me. I was horrible to her Richard and I allowed the loss of my leg to destroy our marriage. Callie continued to work on this leg and felt like she had to do it in private. I'm convinced that if I hadn't found it by accident when I first moved here, this thing never would have seen the light of day until we eventually had that conversation. We've both changed, grown, and evolved into better people. I've accepted who I am now, the limitations placed on my body by the amputation and I've healed emotionally. There is absolutely no way I could not be proud of the things Callie has done, how far she's come, and quite honestly, this thing is bigger than me. I'm not the only person who is impacted by her invention and I'd be selfish not to let her share it with the world. I was selfish. Callie deserves this, so yes, I am more than okay with this. I am thrilled for my wife and more proud of her than I could ever explain." Richard carefully pulled the younger woman into a hug and whispered, "I'm proud of you too Robbins, you've come a long way."
Standing near the table, they both watched as their wives moved from one group to another and Richard suggested, "Let's go take a walk." Arizona curled her arm into the crook of Richard's elbow, and as the two started walking, she suggested, "So tell me how things are going in Seattle." Richard started filling her in on all the gossip she missed and they found themselves on the other side of the room where the pictures of each nominee and a brief bio was displayed on the wall. Looking at the picture of the blonde cardio surgeon, which was hung next to Callie's, Richard chuckled and asked, "How did she take this?" Arizona laughed and replied, "Oh, far better than Hahn did, I'm sure." Richard looked around them to make sure no one was listening and discreetly admitted, "We all had a good laugh about it. I can't say that there's a single person who didn't get great satisfaction from knowing that she most likely went on a rampage after seeing Callie was nominated as well." Arizona laughed and revealed, "Yeah we got a good laugh from it too." As they silently read the bios of the other surgeons, Richard felt his phone vibrate, pulled it from his pocket, smiled when he saw the caller, and stated, "I need to take this, are you good here?" Arizona nodded, waved him off and told him she would catch up with him later. She went down the row, reading the biographies of the other nominees, purposely skipping that of the cardio surgeon, then returned to her wife's picture, reached out to trace her name, then chuckled at herself for acting like a schoolgirl and getting such a thrill from seeing their hyphenated names.
XXXX
Not one for frivolities, Erica Hahn had deliberately arrived at the pre-dinner mixer mere minutes before the awards dinner started. She wasn't interested in kissing people's asses or holding a conversation with surgeons who didn't measure up to her standards and by the looks of all the unfamiliar faces, it appeared the room was full of them. She refused to admit she wanted to size up the competition and maybe get a glimpse of her ex…lover? Girlfriend? Once she left Seattle and Seattle Grace behind for good, she never looked back and took no interest in the hospital or the ortho surgeon herself. Taking a drink of her scotch, the blonde hissed at the burn in her throat along with that of her ego at the thought of being nominated alongside an orthopedic surgeon and two general surgeons. In her mind, the contest was really only between herself and the neurosurgeon. General surgery was for people who couldn't decide what they wanted to do and stuck to the basics, and ortho…well ortho wasn't even a surgical specialty. She was ashamed to admit how angry she was about Callie Torres being one of the other nominees. This was her second nomination and she knew she had it in the bag, and she wasn't even sure which pissed her off more, the idea that her sutureless aortic valve was even being compared to some stupid prosthetic leg, or the fact that she let it ruin her own joy over being nominated.
Slamming the rest of her drink, Erica set her glass down on the bar and figured she should at least go say hello to Catherine Fox and stopped when she noticed she appeared to be deep in conversation with the same man she'd been talking to since she arrived. She'd only seen him from the back, but by the look of his suit and the way he seemed to be commanding the conversation, she assumed he was probably some donor she was schmoozing. Looking around the room, she noticed all of the other nominees were here and couldn't help but take a little pride in the fact that she didn't see the tall brunette who didn't belong here anyway. She muttered to herself, "Probably knows she doesn't have a chance in hell at winning," then slowly started making her way around the room, hoping she didn't get caught up in some boring conversation before they opened the doors and took their seats at their tables. She'd almost skipped the ceremony out of protest once she found out that Callie Torres was one of the other nominees but couldn't resist rubbing her win in the other woman's face.
Finding herself near the back of the room, Erica looked up only to be greeted by a life-sized picture of herself. She read through her biography, mildly irritated that they didn't write what she had her assistant send to the awards committee. She knew they'd leave out the most important highlights of her career. She nearly growled out loud when she saw the picture hanging next to hers. She studied the photo for a moment, noticed how the other woman's appearance had changed, and like she had many times over the course of the past ten years, allowed herself just a second to regret her decision of walking away. Maybe this was why she was so angry about Callie's nomination. She'd been able to just move on and make something of herself all on her own. She knew she could have fallen in love with Callie, she was halfway there. She also knew it would be messy and bring her nothing but heartache. She'd vowed the night she left Seattle to focus on her career and though she'd been in a few relationships, with women of course, at least she could credit Callie with helping her find her true self, it was never anything that lasted long.
Stepping closer to the photo, she'd noticed the name on the biography page was Callie Robbins-Torres and wondered why that hadn't registered with her before. Apparently Callie finally settled down and got herself married. She almost felt sorry for the guy. The Callie she knew was confused and didn't even know her own sexual orientation. Lost in her own thoughts, she nearly bumped into the very pregnant woman next to her, saw the pale hand reach out to underline the words orthopedic surgeon, heard the small chuckle, felt as if she had a comrade and asked, "Can you believe they are even considering an orthopedic surgeon? Honestly, what has she done other than weld some tin and plastic together? It's demeaning to the rest of us who actually save lives." When the woman turned to look at her, Erica's breath hitched at the sheer beauty of the other blonde. Her blue eyes were a shade unlike any she had seen before and seemed to glow with some unnamed emotion and though she was barely smiling, she could see a hint of dimples and wondered what the other woman would look like when she smiled fully, revealing said dimples. She was clearly unavailable, based upon the size of her stomach and the expensive looking rings on her left hand, but Erica knew a gorgeous woman when she saw one and this woman was absolutely magnificent.
Feeling someone walk up next to her, Arizona didn't have to look to know who it was. She could tell by the pure venom in her voice when she talked about ortho as if it were the scum of the earth, that the new comer was none other than Erica Hahn. Taking a deep breath to keep herself in check and not embarrass herself and her wife, Arizona pasted a polite smile on her face and turned to get a look at the woman who had caused lasting damage to her wife's self-esteem. Looking into ice blue eyes seething with anger, Arizona noticed just a flash of what seemed to her to be regret before the woman trained her eyes on her and a sickening feeling washed over her when she saw the cardio surgeon's face soften and the look in her eyes changed from anger to interest. She almost wanted to laugh out loud at the irony. Finally feeling as if she could speak through her own anger, Arizona asked sweetly, "How is acknowledging another surgeon's hard work and creative genius demeaning to the rest of us?" She watched as the anger returned to the other woman's eyes and waited for a response.
Realizing the other woman didn't feel the same way she did, in fact almost seemed to be in awe of Callie's stupid leg, Erica scoffed and repeated, "Creative genius? How do you call making a prosthetic leg genius. It's been done for centuries. Using different materials and fancy sensors that light up doesn't make it new or innovative. It's basic carpentry at best. Trust me when I tell you Callie Torres is no genius." Erica could feel her ire rising and it was only made worse when the beautiful woman looked her in the eye and laughed in her face.
While talking to the donors who were extremely interested in investing in her further research and work on upgrading the prototype to accommodate pregnant amputees, Callie was distracted when she heard her wife's laughter coming from behind her. Knowing that wasn't her usual laugh, but the one dripping with sarcasm, the one she used right before she properly put someone in their place, she turned to see the two blondes standing toe to toe glaring at each other. For the first time, she realized Richard had joined them, looked at him, and at the same time, they both muttered, "Uh oh." Then Callie excused herself and rushed to the other side of the room with her former chief right behind her. As they approached the two women, Callie saw Arizona was about to go for the jugular and started to intervene when Richard pulled her back and whispered, "Let her go Torres. You and Hahn both need to hear this."
Arizona looked at the clueless, self-important woman in front of her and though she wanted to scream it for the room to hear, she lowered her voice and hissed, "Callie Torres is not only a genius when it comes to creating robotic limbs, she is a highly sought after and talented surgeon. She has saved hundreds of lives, both literally and figuratively, all while being shoved aside and pushed around by surgeons like you who are too full of themselves to think any other specialty matters or are ignorant enough to believe orthopedics is merely fixing broken bones. She has replaced nearly an entire skeletal system with titanium limbs, rebuilt a man's neck, created artificial cartilage from Jell-o, and has given patients the ability to walk, feel, and live their lives as normal. Callie Torres has more talent, more heart, more intelligence, and far more respect in the medical field than you could ever hope for, especially with that holier than thou attitude. As for your own nomination Dr. Hahn, as a maternal and fetal surgeon, I've been doing minimally invasive sutureless valve replacements for four years on patients who haven't even been born yet. Just because you do it differently, doesn't make it award-worthy, and it certainly makes you no different than what you are accusing Callie of. If you took half a minute to take your head out of your ass, you'd recognize that not only did Callie invent a robotic limb, but those sensors you just criticized, allow the amputee to feel external stimuli, it gives us better mobility, allows us to do things we wouldn't be able to do or couldn't do without having several different types of prosthetics. No a robotic limb doesn't save lives in the literal sense, but it does in every other way that matters." When she finished, she narrowed her eyes at the other woman and dared her to say anything else.
Erica was flabbergasted, never in her life had anyone spoken to her the way this woman just spoke to her. She had no idea who she was, but she was clearly a staunch defender of Callie and her project. When the woman's words finally registered and she realized that when talking about amputees, she started saying 'we', speaking as if she herself were an amputee, she wondered if this was one of Callie's patients. Not even caring if she were caught staring at the other blonde, Erica took in her appearance once again, looked at her arms and legs and knew there was no way this woman was an amputee. She knew she'd been caught staring when she saw the smirk creep across the blonde's lips and she asked, "You can't even figure out which one it is can you?" Erica snorted and replied, "No, because you clearly have nothing wrong with you." Seeing the flash of anger in the other woman's eyes, Erica stepped back when she stepped forward and was relieved to see Richard Webber walking toward them with the man…not the man…not a man…with Callie herself who went straight to the other woman, wrapped her arm around her shoulder, splayed her hand protectively over her stomach and soothed, "Don't get yourself worked up baby. She's not worth it."
Callie held Arizona close, kissed her temple, and couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction that washed over her when Erica realized who she was. She saw the moment everything started to register with her and just to turn the knife a little, she smiled down at her wife and teased, "I see you two met." Arizona couldn't help but chuckle and reply, "We have, well not officially." She winked at Callie and was content in giving her wife the satisfaction of saying, "Erica Hahn, Arizona Robbins-Torres, my wife." Erica looked at the two women who were now wrapped around each other lovingly, and in a flat monotone voice, repeated, "Your wife." Callie smiled and replied, "My wife. I guess I have you to thank for that though. We met shortly after you screamed at me in the hospital parking lot and told me I couldn't be a little gay." Arizona laughed at that, lowered her voice and husked out, "Oh you are most certainly more than a little gay." They were interrupted by the ding of a bell and Catherine announcing, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to thank you all for being here and invite you to go in and find your tables."
Mutually deciding they had nothing more to say, Callie and Arizona moved to go into the ballroom, when Arizona turned her head and proclaimed, "In case you are still wondering, it's my left leg." She then turned back into Callie's arms, realized she needed to distract her wife, and whispered, "I should go to the bathroom before we start." Callie nodded and guided her in the other direction. As Richard walked past his former employee, he bit back his laughter, patted her on the back and declared, "Dr. Hahn, always a pleasure." When he too turned to go into the ballroom, he saw the redhead standing in the corner, holding up her cell phone, obviously having recorded the whole confrontation, shook his head and chuckled, "Come on Montgomery, you've had your fun. When did you get here anyway?" Addison handed her phone to her husband and replied, "Just in time to see all that go down. We were hiding from Cal. She didn't know any of us would be here." Richard nodded in understanding, guided them inside the ballroom and directed, "We are at tables 1 and 2, up in the front." Addison nodded, took Jake's hand, and went in to find a seat.
XXXX
By the time they reached the bathroom, everything her wife said finally caught up to her and Callie was so turned on she couldn't control herself. She pulled Arizona into the largest stall, locked the door, pushed her up against the wall, rumbled out, "That was hot as fuck," then took her lips in a hard passionate kiss. She was charged with so much emotion and poured everything she was feeling into the long and demanding kiss. Pushing her tongue past soft pink lips, Callie moaned when it was immediately sucked in and Arizona's tongue tangled with hers in a fight for dominance. It became clear in that moment that they were both worked up and needed some sort of release. Callie slid her thigh between Arizona's legs and let out a low growl when her wife dug her nails into her ass, pulled her closer, and began rolling her hips and grinding down on her leg. It took everything she had not to slip her hand under the hem of the sexy red dress and sink her fingers into her wife's moist heat. She attempted to soften the kiss when she realized Arizona must be reading her mind, took her right hand and slid it up her soft inner thigh, only stopping when their linked fingers made contact with the creamy arousal that was dripping from her wife's core.
Arizona knew this was wrong on so many levels, they could get caught at any second, and while that thought should have stopped her, it only excited her, spurred her on, and moving her finger, she slipped her lacy panties aside, and guided the strong tan hand in hers exactly where she needed it to be. Expecting Callie to come to her senses, to pull back, Arizona gasped in surprise when two fingers collected her moisture and easily slipped inside her throbbing opening. Callie swallowed Arizona's cry of pleasure and proceeded to thrust her fingers in and out of her wife's tight channel at lightning speed, putting the weight of her body behind each thrust. Her own needy clit begging for attention, Callie started rubbing herself against Arizona's thigh and whimpered when she felt her zipper being tugged down and two delicate but extremely talented fingers began circling her clit, quickly bringing her to her peak. Breaking this kiss when she felt as if she were about to pass out, Callie buried her head in Arizona's neck, tried to control her labored breathing, but knew it was no use when she felt the warm breath dance against the sensitive skin near her ear as the blonde pleaded, "Come with me baby." She looked up into navy blue eyes full of lust, love, and desire, curled her fingers to push against the spot she knew would make her wife lose her mind, and felt her own climax crash down over her with a harsh tug on her clit and sharp teeth nipping at her earlobe. Quickly connecting their lips once again, they swallowed each other's moans and felt the kiss soften as both bodies slumped together, as they struggled to come back from their euphoric state.
Once she felt like she could hold herself up, Callie stood upright, removed her fingers from her wife's core, brought them to her lips, sucked at the salty sweet juices coating her fingers, and watched in fascination while Arizona did the same. Looking into one another's eyes, both women giggled when Callie asked, "Did we just fuck each other senseless in a bathroom at the Catherine Fox Awards." Arizona's eyes sparkled with mischief as she answered, "We sure did." Helping each other fix their clothes, Arizona remembered that she honestly did have to use the restroom, and hissed, "Now go, I have to pee." Callie's face dropped and she argued, "You pee in front of me every day." Arizona furrowed her brow and whined, "Not in a public bathroom, it's weird." Callie laughed and asked, "As opposed to what we just did being absolutely normal and not at all against the law." Arizona tilted her head, muttered, "Good point," then proceeded to take down her ruined panties and sit on the toilet.
Glancing down at the floor to give her wife some semblance of privacy, Callie couldn't help but notice the lacy fabric that was now pooling at her wife's ankles and asked, "What is that?" Arizona looked down and replied, "Uh, my underwear Calliope, you know, the barrier that we pushed aside so you could fuck me." The brunette shook her head and asked, "You've had those on all night?" Having finished her business, Arizona reached for the garment in question, started pulling it up her legs and replied, "Uh, yeah, I didn't just put them on during our walk from the cocktail party." Callie shook her head and asked, "Where did you get them?" Arizona chuckled at the ridiculousness of the conversation and replied, "The same place I got the dress and the little surprise that is waiting for you upstairs for after you win your award. Now let's go." Just the thought of their post award celebration had Callie's body thrumming with need all over again. She nodded absentmindedly, not able to think of anything but seeing her wife in those sexy underwear and opened the door of the stall. Staring at one another through their reflections in the mirror, both women washed their hands, then they opened the door and nearly ran right into Erica Hahn. The blonde looked at the couple she'd fled to the rest room to escape, saw their flushed skin, the glazed over looks in their eyes, and it was clear to her what they'd just been doing. She wasn't certain why she felt a stabbing in her gut at that moment, but she did and she didn't like it. Scoffing at the two women, she eyed-them up and down then pushed her way past them, ignoring the snickers as the door closed behind them.
XXXX
Upon reaching the ballroom, both surgeons were pleased to see people were still filing in and smiled when Dustin approached them and offered, "Please allow me to escort you to your table doctors." They followed the young man to another door which wasn't being used, then allowed him to guide them through the maze of tables. Seeing all the tables and hundreds of people seated around them, Callie tightened her grip on Arizona's hand, looked back to see her smiling her gorgeous super-magic smile at her, and instantly relaxed. As they neared the front of the ballroom, they heard a small crowd erupt into applause, whistling, and whooping, and Callie looked up to see the cause of the commotion. She couldn't keep the tears from flowing when she saw the people at the two tables directly in front of them standing, facing in her direction, smiles on their faces, tears in their eyes, all clapping for her. Feeling Arizona's hand slip from hers, she looked to see her wife clapping for her as well, then shook her head in disbelief, and whispered, "Did you do this?" Arizona shook her head and replied, "No, but I knew about it." Callie glanced at the tables once again and saw that her colleagues, old and new, were intermingled amongst one another, having traveled from New York and Seattle just to support her.
As she approached the seat Dustin held out for her, Callie looked around at the small group that now surrounded her and saw that Grey, Bailey, Karev, Avery, and of course Richard had come out to support her along with Jake, Addie, Maria, Miguel, Lorraine, both of her parents, and Aria. Reaching for a napkin from the table, Callie wiped her eyes, hugged them all individually, and sobbed, "I can't believe you all came!" Bailey pulled the taller woman in for another hug and explained, "We wouldn't have missed this for the world." They all burst into laughter when Alex interjected, "I came for the free food…oh and to see that." When the peds surgeon extended his hand, they all turned to see Erica Hahn looking in their direction and if looks could kill, they wondered which of them would be dead first. Turning back towards her friends and family, Callie declared, "Now I don't know if I'm more nervous about this thing or less." Grey slapped her on the back and offered, "No reason for the nerves, we are here for you because we believe in you." Callie pulled her into a hug and whispered, "Thank you for being here. It means a lot." Meredith nodded and quipped, "I didn't come for my own award, the least I could do is show up for yours." The ortho surgeon shook her head and asked, "How are you all so certain?" In a rare showing of emotion, Karev answered, "Because we've all worked with you, we've all learned from you, we've all seen you in action, and even if you don't walk away with that award, we want you to know you've still won." Surprised by such tender words coming from such a gruff man, Callie threw her arms around him and quickly stepped back when she heard her wife warn, "Watch it Karev before I get a brick."
That announcement turned all of their attention to Arizona, who, until that point had been standing in the background behind her wife, taking great pleasure in seeing her have her moment with their friends, in watching her realize just how loved and supported she was. "Oh my goodness, look at you!" Meredith squealed and pulled Arizona into a hug as well. Without asking for permission, she caressed Arizona's stomach and jumped back in surprise when she felt a kick to her hand. Looking up, she exclaimed, "Wow, they are really moving in there." Arizona smiled, looked at her wife and declared, "They are excited for their mama." They all laughed at her comment and Addison chimed in, "You laugh, but she's not joking. Put your hands on either side of her stomach Grey." The blonde glared teasingly at her friend and huffed, "I'm not a trick pony Addison." Ignoring her friend, Addie directed, "Talk to them Cal." Loving the effects she had on their babies, she bent down and cooed, "Hey gremlins, are you excited to be here? Do you want to hear mama win an award?" Meredith's eyes grew when she felt the excessive movement, as if the babies were all clamoring to get to Callie's voice. Pulling back her hands, she declared, "Okay, that is something I've never seen before." They all laughed and rather than infringe on Arizona's privacy and testing the theory for themselves, they listened while Grey explained what she'd felt.
After everyone settled down and dinner and drinks were served, they all slipped into easy conversation as if no time had passed. Callie was well aware that everyone at both tables knew about her fear of public speaking and appreciated that they were keeping her engaged and not giving her time to dwell on the fact that she had a 20 percent chance of standing up there and giving a speech to hundreds of strangers. She wondered then if what she had prepared was good enough. She'd only stuck to thanking the committee for nominating her, her friends for supporting her, and her wife for sticking with her no matter what. But now that she thought about it, she realized they probably expected her to share some of her process, if not, at least her motivation behind the robotic limbs and brain mapping technology. She didn't know if she was prepared to do that, if she could do that. It would be infringing on Arizona's privacy and though they'd discussed it and she understood her wife's point of view, she still didn't feel as if it were her story to tell.
Noticing Callie had become extremely quiet and let the conversation go on around her, Arizona studied her wife's face and saw the battle waging in her eyes. Leaning closer, she whispered, "What are you thinking Calliope?" Callie sighed and asked, "What if I do win? Is…is my speech good enough?" Arizona took Callie's hand in hers, caressed it until she felt the tension ease from her body, and explained, "Calliope, your speech is very nice." Seeing her wife's arched brow, knowing she expected more, Arizona sighed and explained, "Your speech is nice, it's polite and to the point. In my mind, this is one of those occasions where you need to forget about those cards and just talk. It's like I told you before your TED Talk and before you presented to the prosthetic companies, show these people who you are, how passionate you are about your specialty, about this prototype. Tell them what drives you. Make them see why you deserve to be the person on that stage." Knowing her wife was right, Callie nodded, kissed her on her cheek and murmured, "Thank you. I love you." Arizona noticed they were clearing the tables and a screen was being lowered along with the lights, and returned, "And I love you. No matter what. I'm proud of you for just being here, for just being who you are." Callie's entire body relaxed, she knew that was her wife's way of telling her that even if she didn't' win, she would still be proud of her and believe in her.
XXXX
For the next fifteen minutes, the large screen hanging above the stage projected images and video clips of each of the nominees at work in their respective fields. When Callie's image appeared with a voice-over detailing the project for which she was nominated, not only did the two tables occupied by her friends and family start clapping and cheering, but she heard cheers and applause go up around various points in the room. She watched while images of her working with patients, a video clip of her in the O.R. at Fresh START, and a list of grants and other commendations she'd received flashed across the screen. When the images faded to black, Callie continued to stare, burning this memory in her mind. She'd worked her entire career for this moment and now that it was here, despite her fears and doubts, she felt a fire ignite from deep within and realized she didn't just want to be a nominee, she wanted to walk out of here with that award in one arm and her wife in the other.
When the lights came up, a spotlight appeared at the corner of the stage and followed Catherine Fox as she walked to the microphone amongst the roar of applause. Once the room became silent, Catherine began, "Thank you, thank you all for being here to celebrate not only these amazing and talented surgeons, but the Inaugural Ceremony of the Catherine Fox Award for Surgical Innovation. As you all know, the foundation has undergone a major facelift, part of that is due to the forward thinking of last year's award winner Dr. Meredith Grey and my very own son, Dr. Jackson Avery, ironically enough, a plastic surgeon." She waited for the laughter to stop and continued, "This award has a long history of celebrating those surgeons who have destroyed obstacles, altered the direction, and invented the future, of how we are to live and heal and thrive. While I've always believed that to be true and I've tried to build my own career around that mission, I believe we, as surgeons, sometimes lose sight of that fact. I lost sight of that myself. I was struggling to keep an institution alive simply because it was important to me. I didn't look beyond that fact, I didn't see the damage it could have done, I didn't see the further harm it could cause. When I was approached by Dr. Grey and Dr. Avery about keeping the basic tenets but improving the quality and the mission of the foundation, I understood my purpose so much better." Interrupted by applause, Catherine waited for a moment to continue her speech.
"While searching for this year's nominees, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a presentation which reminded me of the true importance of what we do. I began to see my career and the focus of this award in a whole new light when the presenter stood in front of me and declared that we can take a life without killing the patient. Often times we focus so much on saving the life, that we don't think about what that life will look like for the patient. Once patients are released from our care, we have no idea the things they go through just to wake up and get out of bed each morning. It was in that moment that I realized our role as surgeons is not only to save lives, but to provide our patients with a better way of life. It is with that thought in mind that we chose our nominees and decided on a winner for this year's Catherine Fox Award for Surgical Innovation."
While the room erupted in applause, Callie sat stunned as she recognized her own words being repeated to the room at large and thought for a fleeting second that she may actually have a chance. Feeling Arizona's grip on her hand tighten, Callie swallowed thickly and whispered, "That…I said that." Arizona nodded and quietly returned, "You did say that and apparently, it struck a chord with Catherine." Callie smiled and tuned back in, just in time to hear the older surgeon announce, "Without further ado, it is my pleasure to invite my dear friend and respected colleague to the stage to announce the winner of this year's Catherine Fox Award. Ladies and gentleman, please welcome last year's winner, Dr. Meredith Grey." Shocked, Callie's eyes snapped up and she looked across the table to see Jackson pulling out Meredith's chair and escorting her to the stage. Noticing neither of them would look her in the eye, she could feel her heart drop to her stomach in disappointment, realizing in that minute that she hadn't won the award. There was no way her friend could have kept something so big from her.
When she reached the podium, Meredith hugged Catherine, took the fragile glass statue, then looked out at the crowd of surgeons and teased, "Since I missed receiving my own award, I'm not sure if I should give my acceptance speech before I pass on the torch or just get right to it." The crowd laughed once again and Meredith took a deep breath, preparing to recite the words she'd been writing for almost a month when she was asked to present this award. Looking down at the name engraved on the award, Meredith decided to toss out the generic speech she'd prepared for a random winner, and shared, "When I was an intern, I had a dog named Doc." Karev leaned in and whispered, "What the hell is she talking about?" Arizona shushed him and focused her attention back on the stage, not wanting to miss a second of what was said.
The general surgeon continued, "When I found out that Doc had an osteosarcoma on his leg, I went to the orthopedic resident, one I wasn't very nice to, and asked her if she could give me a prognosis. At first, she snapped at me and with good reason. She had a patient with a bullet in his tibia and the longer it stayed in there, the more likely he was to lose his leg. She was bumped from the O.R. board because everyone else put their specialties before ortho. We do it, we've all done it in an attempt to save our own patients and never once have we stopped to realize what that does to a patient we don't try to save. Later that evening, that same resident paged me into the x-ray room, showed me scans of a human leg from a patient that had the same type of cancer and laid everything out for me. She explained how bone cancer developed in the human and the end result, which for him, was death. There are two things I will never forget about that interaction, the first being that bones, sick bones, can indeed kill us. The second and most important to me, is the sympathy in her eyes and the understanding in her voice when she talked to me about what would eventually happen to my dog and the options that were available to me. She didn't have to do that; she didn't have to care about me or my dog but she spoke to me as if she were speaking to a family member who had to make a life altering decision and in this case I did." Callie looked up at Meredith in disbelief, put her hands over her mouth and gasped, "Oh my God." She looked around the table and saw all of her colleagues staring back at her as they all realized that Meredith was talking about her. Feeling Arizona's hand on her leg, Callie intertwined their fingers and tried her best not to run out of that room and throw up on the expensive carpet.
Seeing the recognition in Callie's face, Meredith went on, "As I continued through my residency, I watched this surgeon treat patient after patient as if that person were the only thing that mattered to her in that moment. No matter what was happening in her own world, in her own life, she was always present for the patient. When it came time to take my boards, this surgeon dedicated every extra minute she had to helping me study. She would be waiting for me outside of the O.R., she would send me random texts of questions and penalize me if I didn't respond to her in an appropriate amount of time. She would make me meet her in the park at some ungodly hour in the morning before the sun came up, push her daughter in a stroller, and quiz me for an hour every day for months. She took me under her wing and not only made me a better surgeon, but she also made me a better doctor and I'd like to think, a better person. She taught me how to speak to patients, how to think outside of the box, how to focus on what was important. Quite honestly, she was exhausting and the boards were far easier than being on her service." The crowd erupted in laughter once again, and Callie sat with tears streaming down her face, holding onto Arizona's hand like a lifeline.
Meredith looked directly at Callie and declared, "Earlier, Catherine spoke about how we as surgeons not only need to focus upon saving lives, but also upon assuring that the quality of the life we are saving is improved. This vision, this mission, has always been forefront in this surgeon's mind. As many of you know, several years ago, six surgeons from Seattle Grace Mercy West were in a plane crash which resulted in the death of two of our own surgeons, which ultimately led to the change in name which is now Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. I was one of those six surgeons along with my husband Derek Shepherd. When we were finally brought home, Derek's hand, which had gone through the side of the plane, was in shreds, his nerves were destroyed and we were certain he would never operate again if he could even regain any use whatsoever. Everyone in this room knows that to a surgeon, that's a fate worse than death. One surgeon, that same orthopedic surgeon, worked tirelessly to find a way to save my husband's hand. She knew him well enough to know he'd have no life if he couldn't operate. Even though it was four years after that initial conversation about my dog, even though we were talking about my husband's hand, and even though I was a surgeon myself at that point, this surgeon sat with me with the same compassionate tone in her voice, the same empathy in her eyes, and laid everything out for me because in that moment, I wasn't a surgeon, I was a surgeon's wife, the family member of her patient. Going through her own personal losses at that time, she still treated my husband as if he were the only patient under her care and gave everything she had to saving my husband's hand and she did. It is because of this surgeon that Dr. Derek Shepherd was able to operate up until the day he died."
Meredith waited for the applause to die down, swallowed thickly, trying not to cry at the thought of her husband and said, "It is also because of a brain mapping project the two of them worked on together and this surgeon's continued passion for that project and her motivation behind it, that the AR-5511 robotic leg was created. I can attest to you; this project was a true labor of love. This surgeon started developing this leg because she saw, she knew first-hand, what losing a limb could do to a person and she worked every day against all odds to perfect this prototype in order to give amputees just a piece of what they had before. There are many varieties of prosthetics on the market, but none of them can even compare to this. When my husband and this surgeon first started this trial, they had to surgically implant sensors into the brain and the patient would remotely relay messages to a limb that was only connected to their body through a series of wires. It truly looked like something out of a science fiction movie. Since then, after years of research, trial and error, with the advancement of technology and the genius to know how to use that technology to her advantage, this surgeon has placed the sensors directly into the socket to align them to the patient's nerve endings which allows them to send messages to the leg without need for any further invasive procedures. This surgeon has also reversed the technology of these sensors so the patient not only sends messages to the leg, but the leg can also send messages to the patient. The AR-5511 prototype is the first light weight, vacuum sealed, 100 percent waterproof…trust me, I know that one for a fact…responsive prosthetic on the market and it allows the amputee not only better mobility, but it has returned the ability to feel, to respond to stimuli, to let the person know if something touching them is too hot, too cold, if it is prickly or soft and not only that, yes, there is an app for that. The wearer can control his or her prosthetic limb directly from an app on their cell phone or tablet. No, it isn't a replacement for the leg or limb that was lost, but it is as close as anyone could get and something that only one person in this room had the imagination, the drive, the courage, the talent, and the skills to create."
Looking out over the crowd, seeing more than half of them in tears and the other in pure awe, Meredith smiled brightly and announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my great honor, my humble privilege, to present to you the winner of this year's Catherine Fox Award, my dear friend and mentor, the brilliant orthopedic surgeon who not only saves lives but improves the life of everyone she meets, Dr. Callie Robbins-Torres." Though she knew it was coming, upon hearing her name, Callie froze in her seat. Her mind registered the applause but she could only hear the roaring in her ears. She looked around at the sea of people standing and clapping for her, and though she knew who they were, their tear-filled faces became a blur. It wasn't until her gaze landed on cerulean blue eyes shining with tears and dancing with pride, that everything came back into focus. Finally feeling someone tug on her arm, Callie looked up to see Jackson standing behind her with tears in his piercing green eyes and his arm held out for her to take. Standing up, Callie turned to Arizona, pulled her into her arms, kissed her chastely, and whispered, "Come with me," then took her hand and pulled her to the stage with her.
As she approached the stage, Callie accepted the award from Meredith and choked out a sob when she heard, "Derek would be so proud of you." She hugged the other woman, then she hugged and thanked Catherine Fox, felt Arizona tug at her hand and allowed herself to be led to the podium. She looked out at the sea of people who were standing, clapping, and cheering for her…FOR HER. Glanced at the tables which held her blood and chosen families, the people who supported her throughout her life and career, then turned to Arizona, pulled her closer, kissed her cheek, and finally bent toward the microphone and with a tremor in her voice, she choked out, "Thank you, this…wow. What an honor, thank you." She waited for the applause to die down and for everyone to take their seats, looked at Arizona, took a deep shuddering breath, then started again, "My mother claims she knew I was going to be an orthopedic surgeon when I was about four or five years old because I would run around the house singing Dry Bones, though as kids do, I mangled the words and used to sing 'damn bones' instead of 'dem bones'. My wife claims I still do that, but now it's when I'm woken up in the middle of the night for an emergency." Callie smiled when everyone laughed at her impromptu attempt at a joke just to calm herself down.
Looking down at the award, seeing her name engraved across the front, Callie relayed, "I honestly can't tell you what that four year old girl wanted to be when she grew up, but I think I can safely say that despite what anyone might think, we don't choose our specialty, it chooses us. From the moment I knew I wanted to be a doctor, a surgeon, bones spoke to me. There was a fascination, a connection, that I just couldn't explain. Standing here today, seeing my name on this award, knowing the events that led me here, listening to the very flattering and complementary things that were said about me, I wonder, as I have over the course of the past seven years, if ortho chose me, if I was chosen for ortho, to fill this particular need, to be at least knowledgeably prepared for the unthinkable." Callie turned her head, looked at Arizona, arched her brow, received the permission she needed in the form of a wink, then continued, "Among the victims…well the survivors, of that plane crash, was my wife Dr. Arizona Robbins…now Robbins-Torres. Until they were rescued, Arizona spent four days staring into her open femur, watching the muscle, bone, and flesh deteriorate and become infected with each passing moment. She looked at her bones and knew that waiting for her back home, was her wife, an orthopedic surgeon. She also knew the longer she was in the elements and not being treated, the more dire her circumstances became."
Callie squeezed Arizona's hand and revealed, "While I would love to tell you that I was able to save her leg and that is why she is standing next to me today, I can't do that. In fact, while I was in the midst of operating on Dr. Derek Shepherd's million dollar hand, unbeknownst to me, my wife was coding on the table in the adjoining O.R." Callie waited for the gasps and flurry of discussion to come to a halt and continued, "I had just exposed the damaged ulnar nerve when a resident rushed into the room and broke the news to me. He told me she'd gone into septic shock and it was her life or her leg. Though everything inside me was screaming for me to go to my wife, to try to save her leg, I knew I couldn't. Not only did I have a patient on my table, but being her wife, it was against hospital policy for me to be on her surgical team. Unfortunately, I didn't have that surgeon to look at me with concern and empathy and lay out my options, I was that surgeon, but I wasn't…like Meredith, I was the wife of a surgeon, and my only option in that moment, the only thing that was clear to me, was that I had to save my wife, the mother of my child at all costs, and I made the call that I knew would destroy her and ordered him to amputate her leg." Needing to take a moment to settle herself, to keep from falling into a heap on the floor, Callie stopped and stared down at the podium. She was certain she couldn't continue. Looking at her wife, Arizona knew she was becoming too emotional, reliving that moment as she spoke and could see the guilt was eating her alive.
Deciding to step up, Arizona continued, "Fortunately for me, Callie did make that extremely difficult call. Even though she knew how much it meant to me to be able to teach our daughter to walk, to roller skate, to do the things we as parents do with our children as they grow up, understanding that like her, like all of you, I spent upwards of 16 hours on my feet, running to emergencies and standing in the O.R., Callie chose to save my life. While I was just a shell of myself, barely talking to anyone, leaving my wife to deal with all the details of my care, it was then that she realized, that she recognized, it wasn't just having a life that was important, it was what you could do with it that mattered most. For the past five years, she focused all of her attention on the study and improvement of prosthetics, not just for me, but for other amputees and their families as well. After creating the brain mapping sensors with Derek, she started the Veteran's Robotic Limb Project and eventually, her research became her life's work and she was able to open her own medical center dedicated not only to the medical intervention for amputees, but also to the psychiatric treatment, the occupational rehabilitation, and the emotional healing, knowing that all of those things were equally important in not only saving a life, but in preserving it. Since I lost my leg, I used the basic training prosthetic, a more technically advanced prosthetic with a computer chip, I had to purchase a different, more life-like leg so I could wear dresses, I've also used a running blade. Every time my activity changed, I had to change my leg and every time I had to change my leg, there were different physical repercussions like swelling, blistering, loss of balance, overall discomfort, but most importantly, the constant reminder that my life would never be the same. I would never just be able to jump out of bed and go. Showering was hard, carrying my child was hard, doing my job was hard. Living…was hard."
Arizona then looked up at Callie, stepped out from behind the podium, and declared, "I've spoken to several of you this evening, stood by my wife's side while she explained her prototype to each of you. Not once did anyone look down at my legs, not once did any of you realize that you were actually within touching distance of the invention that earned my wife her nomination, that I was actually wearing what is now, an award-winning piece of art." Arizona looked to Callie and stated, "I don't know if you were chosen for ortho to prepare you for this moment, I can only say that I thank God that you were chosen for ortho, that you were given the foresight to see what I could not, the empathy and compassion to know the true value and quality of life doesn't lie within how many more breaths you take, but what you can do while taking those breaths, I thank God for placing you in my life. I thank you for loving me, and for fighting so hard against so many odds, including my own stubbornness, to make it possible for me to stand here today feeling more whole, more confident, and more treasured than I've ever felt in my life." As Callie stood at the podium and cried, the crowd was brought to their feet and the room erupted in a thunder of applause.
Callie fell into Arizona's arms, buried her head in her neck and murmured, "Thank you, I can't believe you." Arizona pulled back, wiped her wife's tears, and whispered, "Go finish up Dr. Robbins-Torres." Nodding, Callie returned to the microphone, picked up her award, looked at it once again, choked back her tears, and stated, "I'd like to acknowledge the late Dr. Derek Shepherd for beginning this endeavor with me and though he wasn't able to see it to the end, I know he's with us and is smiling his signature McDreamy smile, full of confidence and pride." She then turned to Arizona and declared, "This award is dedicated to my wife. Not only were you the motivation behind this project, but without your unwavering support throughout my career, I never would have had the courage to do many of the things that I've accomplished." Turning back to the crowd, she offered, "Thank you all for your support and thank you to Catherine and the award committee for seeing what I was trying to accomplish by creating this prototype. Also, in case you still haven't figured it out, it's her left leg." The crowd erupted into applause once again and Callie took Arizona's hand, guided her to the side of the stage and whispered, "You are so getting laid tonight Dr. Robbins-Torres." Arizona threw her head back in laughter, and returned, "You bet your sweet ass I am Dr. Robbins-Torres."
The minute they returned to the table, Callie was nearly attacked by her friends and family, passed from one to the other for hugs, kisses, and congratulations. Finally settling down, they listened as Catherine said some parting words, none of which Callie heard over the din in her ears and her sole focus being on the small glass statue in her hands. She finally came out of her haze when she heard Richard exclaim, "Oh boy. Excuse me while I go save my wife." They all looked up in time to see a red-faced and clearly agitated Erica Hahn stomping up the steps and onto the stage to speak to Catherine. Jackson quickly followed and they all looked on as the security guards dragged the outraged woman off the stage and out of the room. Callie looked up to see Addison standing there with her phone pointed at the commotion and asked, "What the hell are you doing?" The redhead grinned wickedly and answered, "Shooting the sequel to my movie. I got part one when Arizona ripped that bitch a new one at the cocktail party." Arizona gasped and exclaimed, "You did not!" Addison handed over her phone and the small group of surgeons huddled together and watched Arizona staunchly defend her wife. Karev let out a whoop, and claimed, "I think I'd almost rather be hit with a brick." The other's laughed while Arizona took Callie's hand and defended, "No one messes with my Calliope." Callie kissed her head then reached for the phone and said, "Let me see this again. This will never get old."
After all the excitement died down and everyone was engaged in their own conversations, Callie turned to Meredith and asked, "How the hell did you keep that a secret?" The general surgeon shook her head and replied, "I didn't know. Catherine decided a while back that she wanted to start having the previous year's winner present the award. When she asked me to do it, she told me she didn't realize what a predicament she would be putting me in and refused to tell me for fear that I would tell you either way it went. I had a generic speech prepared until I saw your name on the award and just spoke from my heart." Callie covered her friend's hand with hers and offered, "Thank you for that. It was very touching." Meredith smiled and returned, "Don't mention it. I mean ever, I have a rep to protect." Callie laughed, shook her head at her friend and promised, "Your secret is safe with me. It's the other five or six hundred people in the room I'd be worried about though." The blonde laughed, wrapped her arm around Callie's shoulder and sincerely stated, "You deserved this win Cal. This was a long time coming and this project in particular…it's validation. I'm happy for you and very proud." Knowing she was going to tear up again, Callie nodded, muttered a thank you, then smiled when she felt two hands on her shoulders and heard her wife's soft voice ask, "Do you mind if I steal my wife for a few minutes Grey?" Based upon the look in her friend's eye, Meredith knew exactly what her intentions were and she wouldn't be seeing either woman for the rest of the night. Smirking, she waved her hand and replied, "Not at all, she's all yours."
Callie turned to look at her wife, about to ask if she was okay, when her breath hitched at the sight before her. Arizona was gazing down at her, a full bottom lip caught between perfect white teeth, cerulean eyes were now the shade of midnight and twinkling with something more than desire, it was almost feral. She knew that look, she loved that look, and if she were being honest, she was just slightly afraid of that look. That look meant she'd be lucky if she made it to the room fully clothed. Nearly toppling over her chair to get to her feet, Callie grabbed her award, and muttered, "Tell everyone we said goodnight and we'll meet you for brunch." The last thing she heard was Grey's cackle as she was dragged from the ballroom.
A/N: Is it okay to say this one had me tearing up a little bit? Just a warning, the next chapter will be almost pure smut and hopefully will be up soon.
Also, if you didn't see it in my comments, I felt like the last chapter just didn't flow very well and went back and made some changes. I also added a little family scene. If you haven't gotten a chance to read it after my comment, please do.
As always, everything belongs to Shonda. Any references made to the show and original characters are only being borrowed.