Chapter 2
Everyone gathered around the TV. Callie was on the sofa, Mark one side, Cristina the other, next to Mark on the floor sat Lexie, next to Cristina perched on the arm of the chair was Owen. Sitting on the love seat was Meredith and Derek cuddling. Bailey, Webber and Teddy on the other 3-seater. April, Jackson, and Alex all sat on dining room chairs, dotted around the room. With everyone in and drinks served Cristina stood, she'd spent ages coming up with ideas for the drinking game and wasn't going to let her efforts get wasted.
"Okay, every time McPerky says awesome or makes a Disney reference or is annoyingly perky we sip, every time there is a kick ass surgery, we down the glass" she ordered, everyone either nodded or ignored her. Group briefed Cristina pressed play.
….
Welcome to medical Malawi. Several months after the shooting in a hospital in Seattle, leaving 11 people dead, we follow one of their doctors into the desserts of Africa. Not only is she the only female to ever win this award, and she is also the youngest ever recipient in its 100-year history. Dr Arizona Robbins, surgical genius takes on her toughest challenge, revolutionising the medicine of the third world.
In tonight's episode: Dr Robbins operates on a heart born in the wrong place during a power cut, a farming accident pushes the resources of the clinic, and we find out what drives Dr Robbins to be the best as one of the biggest storms to hit the East African Coast barrels down on us.
The footage starts with pictures of Malawi, smiling children dressed in neat school unforms, buildings with tin roofs, roads covered with sands, and a large hospital brick walls with green metal roof, a red cross on the side. It pans inside, Arizona is on screen, smiling bending down tickling a malnourished 3-year-old, then in the OR, her pink scrub cap on as the light goes off. Then it flicks to a roof flying off a nearby building and torrential rain and gusts of wind batter the building.
…
Back in Seattle, Callie is tense as soon as Arizona is on screen, she looks good really good, Africa suits her. Her hair is blonder, her skin slightly tanned. Drinking game and fun forgotten they remain gripped by the show.
…
Arizona is sat on camera in an office, staring just off screen, her eyes looked swollen as if she had been crying,
"So, Doctor Robbins," a female voice from behind the camera speaks,
"Arizona please" Arizona interrupts, "After all you are out here for a few months, we should call each other by our first names, right Emily?" she smiles, shifting slightly, obviously feeling awkward,
"Okay, Arizona, what made you apply for such a prestigious award?"
"My brother" there is a look of pain on Arizona's face, as she mentions Timmy, "He was in the marines, my whole family served in the military, but I can't because of my sexuality, but I wanted to help people in a different way. Tim was talking about the lack of resources and healthcare in these countries, it broke his heart and mine, especially as I knew I had the skills to help, I just needed the money. The grant comes with a sizable amount of money, he said I should apply, so I did. We were going to come out her together," she rubs her arm trying to distract herself from the pain that came with talking about Timmy,
"And your brother I bet he is proud of you?"
Arizona gives a sad smile, her eyes watering as she fought tears, in Seattle Callie tenses, she knows this is a difficult subject for Arizona, and for it to be broadcast across the world would be painful.
"He died, in Iraq" she said, looking at the ceiling trying to stop the tears.
"I'm sorry" the interviewer said, there's an awkward silence. "We last saw you in Seattle, you decided to take the award, but there was another Doctor, she was going to come, your girlfriend Doctor Callie Torres".
A flash of pain goes across Arizona's face. This topic seems to upset her more than Timmy's death,
"Calliope," she whispered, trying to steady herself by grabbing the chair tightly, "she said she wanted to come but I knew she didn't, she stopped smiling. She has the most beautiful smile in the world, and it was gone, she was going to give up everything for me, even her own happiness but I couldn't let her do it. She is so smart, and so pure, I don't think she knows how good she is. She invented liquid cartilage; she is single handily revolutionising orthopaedic surgery. I mean she was a resident and basically running her department. I couldn't ruin that, not for me, not when she wasn't happy." Arizona is now crying on camera; she wipes her eyes. "Her career would end here, she'd lose her best friend, she would be unhappy. I promised her father I'd do whatever it took to make her happy, and that wasn't her coming here" she explained devastation is clear on her face.
"You still love her" the interview said quietly, Arizona nods just slightly wiping the tears from her face.
"Calliope Torres is not someone you ever stop loving, its why I had to let her go, I had to let her be happy, she didn't want to come, I was being selfish making her. Plus she is amazing, and she has already moved onto someone else," she whispers sounding broken. They hear a door open off screen,
"How do you know?" the interviewer asked, Arizona gave her a sad smile holding up her phone,
"I texted a friend, a week after I got here. I knew as soon as I got onto the plane I was making a mistake, there is nobody else in the world as incredible as Calliope, but she deserves better."
…
In Seattle the room is silent. Callie has gripped Mark's arm so hard he can feel her nails breaking the skin, as Arizona admits she still loves Callie. Everyone is torn between staring at the screen and staring at Callie.
Callie is white as a sheet, her normal tanned skin pale, tears tracking down her face. Her lip nearly bleeding, what is she meant to do with that information?
"Cal, are you okay?" Mark asked.
"Who?" Callie asked furiously, her eyes going to Teddy, she held her hands up defensively, it hadn't been her.
"I refused to tell Arizona anything, told her to text you if she wanted more information." Teddy said defensively.
"Then who?" Callie asked, scanning the room, this time her eyes landing on Mark, he wasn't making eye contact and looked uncomfortable.
…
Back on screen it was as if Arizona could hear her question,
"my best friend refused to tell me so I texted hers. He sent me a picture of them in bed, it was only a week after we broke up and she'd moved on, she went back to him," Arizona said sounding broken, the interview went to speak but the door slammed open.
"Dr Robbins, we need you" a voice said, Arizona stands, wiping her eyes one more time before running off, grateful of the interruption,
…..
"She left you jobless and homeless in an airport" Mark said defensively. "I couldn't let her hurt you again"
"So you told her I was dating you, her worst fear?" Callie said her voice rising as she pulled away from him unable to believe her best friend would do that, she grabbed his phone searching his texts easily finding the chat with Arizona, under the name blondie. It was as she had said, a text,
Mark, I miss her, is she okay, if I come back do I have a chance with her?
Mark had replied with a photo of them in bed, Callie sleeping her head resting on his naked chest. To anyone who didn't know the story it would look incriminating but Callie recalled it distinctly, that was the night she had cried herself to sleep Mark rubbing her back as she did so.
No wonder Arizona didn't come home, no wonder she stopped texting Teddy. Her worst fears, Callie going back to men and not just any man, her intrusive best friend, her ex-partner, the one Callie had spent countless night reassuring Arizona there was nothing going on with. Anger filled her, he should have come to her, they could have formatted a response, Arizona would have come home and they'd be together, but because of him she was there still, and Callie was alone, in limbo, waiting for the love of her life to return.
"Get out" Callie shouted, furious with him,
"But Cal…"
"Now, before I ruin my surgical hands"
"Mark, I think you should go" Derek said as Owen stepped in separating the pair, Mark sent Callie a pleading look one she ignored. Instead her eyes going back to Arizona on screen, her red rimmed swollen eyes, feeling a pang of pain in her heart.
"Please press play" Callie begged, her voice shaking, she needed more, she needed to see the whole thing.
…..
"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" the interviewer asks, the camera pans down to a child whose heart is visibly pumping in his chest, there are no ribs stopping it, any trauma and it would rupture. Arizona smiles,
"No, nobody has, this is rare, very rare, especially at this age, Kondo is 10, we are going to operate tomorrow, if all goes well, he'll grow up to be a healthy adult, with his heart firmly tucked in his chest." She explained,
Kondo spoke,
"Dr Zona, if I die, in surgery, could we wait to tell my family at home. My sister's birthday is tomorrow, and I don't want to ruin it." He begs, Arizona reaches down squeezing his hand.
"We are gonna take really good care of you. Okay? And you are not gonna ruin your sister's birthday." Arizona promises, looking sad.
….
"Cristina what are you doing?" Owen asked as his wife began typing manically into her phone, "Are you looking at flights?" he asked puzzled and amused,
"I got to get in on that" she said nearly drooling, "I mean when do you ever see that, it's not even on my list because it's on nobody's list," she said eagerly, and confused, how was nobody else fighting to get in on this surgery. It was a heart beating under the skin,
"This was recorded weeks ago, she has probably already done the surgery" Teddy said,
"How are you not wanting to do this?" Cristina asked amazed her mentor was staying so calm,
"It's an attending thing, she is, but she hides it better" Owen joked,
"You're friends with Robbins, text her ask if I can scrub in" Cristina begged. Teddy rolled her eyes,
"We only text a few times, she hasn't replied to me for the last few weeks, I'm guessing she is too busy doing surgeries like that".
"Can you blame her?" Cristina drooled, focusing again on the television.
….
"Now if this was America, I'd have a cardiothoracic surgeon and plastics working with me, here I am one of two Doctors, Andy, I mean Dr Thomas, is into maternal health and medicine, so it's me alone, doing an extremely complex operation." Arizona gives a smile that anyone who knows her can see if fake, she looks stressed. "In America, I'd also have unlimited blood, FFP, clotting factors, bypass machine, here I have an OR, an anaesthetist, a scrub nurse, and a medical student, instead of blood I have fluids, which means I can't misstep, I can't cut the wrong thing. Here there is no fail safe. I have to be perfect" Arizona said, it was clear the pressure was weighing on her, but she looked determined.
…
"Ask her about her approach, ask her which angle she is going in at, show the X-ray, or the echo, or the CT" Cristina begged the television.
"Yang shut up" Bailey ordered throwing a pillow at her head.
…..
"We are now 4 hours into the surgery at the most critical part, Dr Robbins has to gently move the heart into the chest" the reporter says, Arizona is focused her pink scrub cap on, suddenly the lights go out and the equipment stops working.
"What's happening?" Arizona asked, slight panic in her voice,
"Power cut" a nurse reports,
"Joseph, switch to manual ventilation, Brenda I need a torch" Arizona says keep her voice calm, "I have my hands on the heart of a 10-year-old, I need everyone to move slowly," the room is pitch black for a few moments.
"I have a torch on my phone" someone behind the camera says,
"Thank you" Arizona replies as a slight light appears, "Joseph, how is the breathing".
"We are on the bag Dr Robbins, but I have no monitoring" he reports squeezing a bag,
"Okay, Brenda pass the torches to Lucy, and Clive" the camera moves slightly, and a brighter light appears, "have we got a battery for the monitor".
"Yes Dr Robbins, I'll get it" the nurse disappears and re appears plugging in the monitor, observations come back up, there is an audible sigh of relief,
"Okay, we have another 6 hours, and I can't stop, I've gone past that point, how long will the monitor last for?" Arizona asked, her voice staying calm.
"About 6 hours" Brenda replies,
"Okay, and the torches?"
"I don't know".
"Okay, Clive, please turn your torch off, we need to preserve light" Arizona says, calmly, her hands continuing to move as she continues operating. "I can't wait until we get our new building" she mutters under her breath,
Now over to our sponsors…...
…..
"Wow, she is operating in the dark, that's hardcore" Cristina says, in awe,
"Peds is hardcore" Alex chips in,
"Please peds is babysitting, but that, cardiac surgery in the dark, that's hardcore" Cristina mutters,
"It's terrifying, in the dark, with no ventilator, not knowing how long the batteries are going to last, it's an infection nightmare" Teddy said, lightly chastising Cristina.
"Uh huh, I wish I could scrub in" Cristina whispers,
"Get in the queue" Alex adds as nearly every resident nods.
…
"It is now hour 10 into Kondo's surgery. Dr Robbins has been operating without a break fighting the darkness. The local generator has broken so they have resorted to manual ventilation, battery powering the monitor and torches to see. There is no suction, and the risk of infection grows every moment Kondo is open. The temperature in the OR is rising, currently 34 degrees." The voice over says,
Suddenly the monitor dies giving a slow bleep, before switching off.
"Dr Robbins" Joseph prompts, worriedly
"I'm done, I'm closed, lets extubate him quickly" Arizona orders desperately, "then, let's get him settled on the ward" she advised, staggering slightly, her hands shaking. Quickly she steps out of the OR going to the scrub room sink and vomiting as the pressure gets to her. Brenda is there, glaring at the film crew.
"Dr Robbins, drink" Brenda orders handing Arizona a bottle of water, Arizona drank it.
"Brenda, its Arizona" she corrects, turning around sliding to the ground grateful to be bending her knees.
"So, it went well?" the familiar voice off camera says, Arizona nods,
"Amazingly, it was close, the surgery was difficult, and the dark, and the power, I'll stay with him tonight, monitor him, make sure there are no complications" she says, looking exhausted,
"Aren't there nurses to do that?"
Arizona gives a small smile,
"There are 2 nurses on the night shift and currently over 40 patients, they can't monitor him like he needs, so I have to stay," Arizona explained, "I'll stay, that way if anything goes wrong, I'm there."
Suddenly the lights go on,
"And the generator is working" Arizona sighs standing up, "which is good because now we have monitors, and we have lights overnight and we have alarms" she smiles softly "now I get to update his brother and eat. Keep up if you can" she gives the camera mischievous grin as she clicks her heel wheels down and skating out of the room with ease.
…..
"Those damn heelies" Bailey mutters under her breath,
"That was intense, cardiac surgery in the dark" Meredith mutters,
"In Iraq we had a few calls like that but never for that long" Owen adds, exchanging a look with Teddy as the reminisced silently. They also had a lot more staff, blood and equipment.
"Wait, that's it, they aren't even going to show the surgery, just the final stitch, it's one of the rarest cardiac surgeries there is, they don't even bother to show it, I mean it was dark, but we could have seen something, I didn't even get to see her approach" Cristina rants interrupting the silence. Everyone else in the room hides amused smiles while secretly agreeing, except for Callie who is focused solely on Arizona. She looks tired, drained, her smile isn't her real smile, it's her work smile.
She'd admitted to loving her, she'd basically said she loved her so much she sacrificed her own happiness to make sure Callie was happy and fulfilled, what was she supposed to do with that?
…
The camera is filming in a corridor, initially all they can see if flakes of white paint and hear something strange. As the camera gets closer, they see Arizona sitting by Konda's bed, crying.
His eyes open,
"Dr Zona, I am awake, you fixed my heart" he exclaims happily,
"I did Konda" Arizona replies, quickly wiping her eyes to remove the evidence of her tears. "Your heart is exactly where it should be tucked up inside your chest".
"And I can play football, with my brothers" he asks excitedly,
"You can" Arizona agrees.
"Dr Zona why are you sad?" Konda asked,
"It's nothing Konda, I'm okay, I'm awesome" Arizona says, but even as she says awesome, she begins crying. "I left someone important behind when I came here, and I miss her".
"Your heart is broken Dr Zona, why can't you fix it? You are magic, you can fix hearts" he asked innocently. Arizona let out a sob, covering her face with her hands,
"My heart is broken in a different way to yours, yours was outside your chest, so all I had to do was tuck it in, my heart is in Seattle, and it can't come here because it's doing really important work, and I can't go there because I'm doing really important work, like fixing your heart, but I'm okay Konda." Arizona lies,
"But your heart is broken, you need to fix it" he frets,
"It's okay Konda," she promises, "you need to sleep now, or your heart won't heal" she says, it's clear Konda is fighting sleep. She gently smooths down his hair, as his eyes close and soft snores sound out. "If only it was that easy, I don't deserve her," she whispers thinking nobody can hear her. Before the scene cuts, they see the camera pull back.
….
"That felt intrusive" April speaks, "I mean who do they think they are filming everything"?
"They want the story, Arizona is the story" Teddy educates, there was a reason film crews that came to Iraq were always escorted. Her eyes are on Callie, she is sat stiffly, back straight her eyes focused on the screen. Arizona is back on.
….
"Dr Robbins, we need you" a voice sounds out, the camera is on, focused on Arizona who is sleeping at her desk her head resting on a mound of paperwork.
Arizona is up within seconds, having slept in scrubs, her hair is all over the place, the humidity obviously having an effect. A slight amount of drool on her cheek.
"Yeah" she says rubbing swollen red eyes,
"Farming accident, the tractor, it wasn't working, then it was and wouldn't stop".
"How many" Arizona is now sat up and her hair is secured by her scrub cap.
"5, 3 children, 2 adults"
"Thank you Precious," Arizona says, following her out of the room. "Have we woken everyone up".
"Yes, Joseph and Andy are both aware and waiting. Brenda, and Mary and also there, and you have me, I have told Alinfe and Grace to keep their eye on our existing patients,"
"Thank you Precious, I can't wait until the rest of the staff arrive" Arizona says, before kicking out her heelies and skating to the hospital entrance, pleased to see 5 cots cleared. The cots are low, a thin stained mattress lies on each covered with a sheet,
A commotion outside, 3 men run in each carrying a child, Arizona quickly assess.
"Bed 1, Joseph" she shouts the first child is about 12 and has a nasty gash to his leg, it would need a washout and maybe antibiotics, but it wasn't immediately life-threatening, the second child is a lot worse, barely responsive, blood leaking from what is left of his arm.
"Bed 2, Brenda, pressure dressing," her blue eyes flick to the next child, he was limp, most of his bowels out of his abdomen,
"Andy, bed 1 I need Joseph, Mary with me" Arizona orders, "Straight to the OR."
The door opens again, 2 adults come in, both being carried by 4 men, one has his leg hanging off, the other an arterial bleed to his neck. Arizona pauses, all 5 needed the OR, and 3 need it immediately, it's clear, she is going to have to choose who lives and who dies.
"We take him, we stop the bleed then him, the amputation will only take a few minutes, then if he is alive, we will operate on the child. Mary, wet gauze on his stomach, lots of wet gauze. Precious, with us" Arizona says, decisively.
The camera cuts to her scrubbing rapidly,
"We have no blood stores, so I have to stop them loosing blood, asap" she says gowning then gloving up. In the OR Joseph has sedated the patient while Precious is applying pressure.
Arizona approaches clamp at the ready. As Precious moves the bleeding starts, Arizona clamps it and quickly sews the artery together before stitching the neck closed.
"Precious get me the next one" Arizona orders, removing her gloves and gown cleaning the blood off the floor using the mop in the corner, there was no time for a deep clean as she scrubbed the next patient was in.
10 minutes was the time it took her to fully remove the man's leg and stitch up his stump. "Brenda a tight pressure dressing please" Arizona orders. She leaves the OR.
"He didn't make it" Mary tells her, as she approaches the bed, a small figure evident under the sheet. "I'll will make sure his parents are informed, if they cannot afford to bury him will we tomorrow" she promised. Arizona nodded, tears running down her face.
"He didn't have to die, if this was Seattle, America, if we had more than one OR, more than one surgeon" she mourns, taking a moment to breath,
"Arizona," Mary prompts,
"Okay" she visibly straightens herself turning to the child with the gash on his arm, "The OR is free".
The camera follows as she neatly washes out and cleans the other 2 children's wounds.
Then it finds her sitting on the same cot as earlier, crying her arms wrapped around her knees.
Mary approaches,
"Arizona" she greets,
"He didn't have to die" she repeats from earlier, it's clear the death of the child is weighing on her mind. "I don't even know his name."
"His name was Chinwemwe, he was 9." Mary said sadly,
"9 is too young" Arizona cries,
"Yes, but without you we would have lost all 5, our doctors they are good, but they don't train in fancy hospitals, you teach us your skills, and bring your equipment, you saved 4 lives today and with your teachings you will save many others, we have 3 more doctors and 5 more nurses coming tomorrow, a new hospital being built, with your funds, you will change Malawi Dr Robbins, for the better." Mary reassures. Arizona nodded clearly comforted by her words. She reaches for a necklace, a gold heart, giving it a soft kiss.
…..
"Wait, that's the necklace, the Valentine's necklace," Cristina points out, Callie's eyes leave the TV briefly as the episode ends, to glare at Cristina. "Oh my God, she still loves you, but she can't come back because she promised to save all these African children, that is so tragic" she gloats, "oh and I mean it sucks, majorly, it sucks for you and her" she continues as the room glares at her.
"We should top up" Meredith decides trying to save her friend, from Callie, who looked like she was about to murder Cristina, instead grabbing the tequila bottle going around filling the glasses.
…
"We need supplies, as much food and clean water as possible, this storm is predicted to cause mud slides, and spread disease, I have upped the order of our medical supplies, can you make sure the windows are hammered shut and the roof secured. Precious, can you show the new staff around" Arizona orders, Brenda is walking alongside, she gestures at the extra staff, all interested in Paediatric medicine, who had arrived at the worst time, instead of medicine they were starting to get a course in disaster management,
"This is not the first storm to hit Malawi" Brenda says, smiling slightly,
"I know, but it's predicted to be one of the worst in history and one can never be too prepared, Carter Maddison promised me as many supplies as I wanted, and I think it's time they delivered." Arizona orders going to her office picking up the phone.
….
"That's her Marine Colonel father talking" Owen suggested, recognizing the military training, across the room Teddy nodded her agreement.
"She is like it on the ward too, any talk of any weather and she is preparing" Alex adds.
Callie still sat silently; Arizona had been like that at home too. They were probably the only house in Seattle that had an emergency bag, spare batteries, a torch, wind up radio, thermal blankets, 6L of water, purification tablets, ration packets, a huge first aid kit. Or at least it had been in their apartment, until they gave up the lease, now it was probably in storage, like everything else they owned. She had told Callie why once, curled up in the blankets, a storm when she was a child in Germany, 15 people had been killed, they'd be trapped in the house for days, they hadn't prepared, and they'd resorted to drinking bath water in the dark. Arizona had been terrified, but the thunder, the lightening, and the powerful rain. It was one of her earliest memories, being scared.
…..
The picture is mostly black, they can hear wind howling, and see a few figures by torchlight, there is singing,
"We have put everyone into 2 rooms in the centre of the clinic," Arizona screams at the camera, lots of locals came too, the hospital is the sturdiest building around.
A large bang sounds, some of the women and children scream before the singing increases.
"I'm going to look" Arizona shouts, the camera follows her and the torch, they open the door to what was the reception to find rain pouring in, the roof is flapping off, once, twice and with a final bang the roof is gone, several of the cots and sheets follow.
Quickly Arizona shuts the door, turning to the camera,
"We were going to build a new clinic anyway, I guess we get to do it a little sooner than planned," she says trying to be positive as thunder sounds overhead.
The program goes to clips of the storm, Arizona walking around the room, checking on patients, as thunder and lightning and howling winds sound. Another huge bang sounds, this time there is a woman screaming as the camera fades to black.
"Tuned in next week to find out if the clinic survives the storm….. if Doctor Robbins and the staff and patients are okay….. on channel 122".
I am so excited that JCap is coming back even if its just for one episode, i really hope it confirms Calzona is in NY living happily.
Let me know if you are just as excited,
Also about the chapter i made it so long so would love some reviews,