As Arizona steps forward and lifts her hand to aim at the man, a gunshot runs out, and pain sears through the side of her chest. Arizona staggered back and fell, clutching her wounded side, her face contorted in agony. Blood seeps through her fingers, staining her shirt crimson. Gritting her teeth, she tried to get up, refusing to let the pain take her down. With a determined grimace, Arizona looked around, her focus unwavering.

As she was about to get up, the shooter came next to her and kicked her in the stomach, making her fall again. He bent down, putting his knee on Arizona's stomach and the gun barrel pointing at her head.

"You!... You have been a pain in my ass... you have been warned not to pursue it, but you didn't listen. Now look where it got you... lying on the floor ... struggling to breathe... About. To. Die".

"You...you are...you are not going ... to... get away with this," Arizona said as breathing was difficult.

"What are you gonna do?" the man laughed. "You can't even breathe."

"I…" Arizona was thinking fast; she couldn't let this man go. Suddenly, she could hear sirens from a distance. She took a deep breath, thanking God that the backup had arrived. But the issue was that the man could hear the siren too and was ready to let go and run, but Arizona was faster. She grabbed the man by his collar.

"You are not going anywhere," she said, keeping an iron-clad hold on the man's collar. The man tried to get Arizona's hand off, but she didn't let go.

"You should know..." The men said, putting a finger on Arizona's wound, "... when to quit."

Arizona screamed in agony, her strength decreasing with every painful second. She tried hard to maintain the hold, but it was getting difficult, and that man kept pushing the finger in.

Arizona's breathing was labored, her vision blurry, and the blood loss was making her lose consciousness, but she pushed through the pain, trying hard to stay awake.

"HEY," Alex shouted from a distance, his weapon drawn before him. Behind him was Keith, both running towards where Arizona was.

The man realized he had to run now, or else he would be caught, so with a final punch at Arizona's wounded side, which finally made her leave his collar, he sat off.

"Alex, go to Robbins," Keith shouted. "I'll go behind him."

Alex went and knelt near Arizona. "We need a medic at 1810 Stewart Street …now!" Alex yelled over the phone.

Another shot rang through the night, making Alex and Arizona jump.

"Go," Arizona whispered.

"I am not leaving you," Alex replied. "Anderson will handle it."

"He might need you," Arizona tried again.

"I said I am not leaving you," Alex replied, putting pressure on Arizona's wound, trying to stop the blood.

In the next few minutes, the EMTs arrived at the location. Arizona was airlifted to the emergency room at Seattle Grace Hospital.

…

The phone rang at the ER of Seattle Grace

"Seattle Grace Hospital," April said, picking up the phone. "Mmhmm, Okay…"

"Chopper coming in with a GSW. People get ready," she told the ER staff and ran to receive the patient.

She, with a few other staff, reached the roof just in time to see the Chopper landing.

"So many GSW nowadays…" April said sadly.

"This is America for you guys," Christina replied.

"30-year-old GSW to the side, approximately 6 inches below the axillary, possible broken ribs, BP 95/60, P54, sucking chest wound," EMT yelled over the sound of the chopper.

"Who is with the patient?" Christina asked.

"Me," Alex replied.

"Patient Name?"

"Arizona Robbins"

They all rushed into the elevator. "Take her to the trauma room 1, and Page Doctor Hunt and ask the nurse to prepare the OR," Christina instructed the interns.

Arizona was taken to the room where the interns and resident started the initial work on her while waiting for the attendees to join.

Dr Owen Hunt entered the room hurriedly with the iPad in his hand. "What do we have?"

"GSW… to the side, sucking chest wound, severe blood -" April started to tell but was interrupted by Owen.

"-Call Torres," Hunt said stoically.

"Dr Torres? But she is ortho... why?"

"I said to call her immediately if she is in surgery. Get someone to tag her out…. GO!".

April took a moment before running out of the room, confused by the sudden change. She reached OR 2 and placed the mask on her face. "Dr Torres…umm… Dr. Hunt asked me to tell you that you are needed in Trauma Room 1… … Dr. Chang will cover this."

"T1, why?... what's the case?"

"Ummm… GSW"

"GSW? Why does he need me?"

"I don't know. He just asked me to get you urgently."

Callie was confused and a little irritated; she was enjoying the surgery and was getting called for some GSW. "Fine!" She said, handing over the patient to Dr. Chang and moving to scrub out.

They walked briskly towards the ER. "Hunt, this is better be good…" the moment Callie's eyes fell on the face of the GSW victim, she felt like her life was sucked out of her lungs.

"Arizona!" she screamed, quickly standing beside her, taking Arizona's hand and caressing the head.

Arizona's eyes slowly opened upon hearing Callie's voice, " Ca—Ca—llie."

"Shh… don't talk," Callie replied, caressing her forehead and tears in her eyes. "You are gonna be okay," she added more to herself than to Arizona.

"We gotta stop…. Meeting… like this," Arizona said with a painful smile.

"You always go to extreme measures to meet me…. You have my number, don't you?" Callie replied with teary eyes.

Arizona chuckled and regrated it instantly.

"Why isn't she sedated yet?" Callie asked Owen.

"She refused," Owen replied.

"Refused?" Callie asked in shock and looked toward Arizona.

"I…" Arizona swallowed heavily. "I need to tell what happened and … pain meds".

"So, you will stay in pain till …. When?" Callie asked desperately.

"Another agent to take the statement," Alex replied from the far corner, still refusing to look at his boss, lying on the table, covered in blood.

"How Long!" Callie asked.

"Any minute now."

"Can't it be after she has been treated?"

"No, I can…can't risk missing out… something."

"Arizona! You have a bullet lodged in your chest; we need to check… we don't know what damage it has done or will cause to your organs… not to speak about the blood loss."

Callie said desperately. She felt irritated and helpless. It hurt her heart to see Arizona in so much pain, but she also knew how stubborn she could be regarding her work. She just sat there helplessly caressing her hair, whispering encouraging words. Hunt and other doctors worked on controlling the bleeding and monitoring her vitals, which fortunately were stable.

After what felt like forever, the other team of FBI came in which took Arizona's testimony. With heavy breathing and immense pain, she gave her version of the incident. As per her, the suspect was left-handed, had olive green eyes, smelled like Cuban cigars and musk, and the scotch he had while in the bar. She further told them the whole ordeal of the evening and gave them the warehouse location, how he shot her, warned her not to pursue him, and all about poking her wound to get away from her grasp. Callie tried hard not to let her tears fall hearing what Arizona had been through.

Alex didn't have much to give as he attended Arizona when he arrived at the scene. He called Keith, who told him he was on his way. The suspect ran off by the time he reached there, but he managed to get the suspect's shoulder when he shot him.

Arizona tried to suggest waiting for Keith to come, but one look from Callie, and she was quiet. Arizona was rushed to the OR when she was done with the testimony.

"Hunt, I need to be in the OR," Callie said firmly.

"Torres, you know the rule, she is your girlfriend... you can't be in there," Owen replied, matching the tone.

Callie huffed, but Owen did not give in. "If you want to sit in the gallery and watch quietly while the expert surgeons work on her... there is nothing I can do about THAT," he added.

Callie had no other choice. This was the closest she could stay to Arizona as of now. So, she went to sit in the Gallery anxiously.

The Team started working on Arizona. There was significant blood loss, and the bullet was lodged in her rib, so they had to make a bigger incision.

Callie had her hand clasped and prayed continuously.

"Torres?" Mark said, coming into the gallery along with Addison.

Callie didn't move. Instead, she kept on praying.

"She is gonna be okay," Addison said, comforting Callie's shoulder.

"She is stable, and the best team is working on her," Mark added.

As if on cue, the monitors started to beep. The panic sat across the room. Callie left her seat and stood near the gallery's glass. One hand clenched on her heart, another on the observation glass. Mark and Addison are right on her side.

" Delayed Pneumothorax; her left lung collapsed," Teddy yelled over the beeping monitors.

" Shit! Get the chest tube," Hunt instructed the nurse.

"Her pulse is getting low," Teddy whispered to Owen. Very well aware of the actively listening ears in the gallery.

"It will get better if I get this damn chest tube in '' Owen whispered. "Damn, it's too much blood, suction."

"God, please ...please not her '' Callie pleaded to an invisible entity.

After a few tense minutes, the beeping of the monitors stopped, and the stat returned to normal. There was a collective sigh across the OR and gallery.

Callie's eyes were brimming with tears as she thanked God. Mark and Addison made her sit back on the chair.

After another Hour, the surgery was done successfully, and Arizona was transferred to the ICU for the night. Even though she was out of the woods due to the episode in the OR, Owen decided to keep her under intense care overnight.

...

"Go home," Bailey told Callie.

"I can't leave her here all alone," Callie replied.

"Torres, you have been on call for the last 36 hours, and ... she is heavily sedated... she will not wake up till tomorrow... doctors and nurses are watching her. They are instructed to inform you when something changes," Bailey replied firmly.

"I will sleep in the on-call room... but I'm not leaving," Callie replied with equal firmness.

"Fine! Do whatever you want to do... Nobody listens here... behave like a child... all of you." Bailey left, leaving Callie in front of the ICU.

Alex was standing at the far corner; he slowly walked toward Callie." Umm...Dr. Callie"

"Yes..." Callie turned towards Alex. "Ah... Alex, right?"

"Yeah... I am..."

"Arizona's right hand... I know... he talks very fondly of you," Callie said with a slight smile.

"Thank you," Alex said meekly. "Umm… I know the doctor told us that she is out of danger.. but... umm, I wanted to ask you too... is she going to be okay?"

Callie looked at Alex carefully; he looked like a wrestler; he had a broad physique and rugged looks, but now he was looking like a lost child worried about his mother. It showed how much Arizona mattered to him. It warmed her heart to know that Arizona had such an incredible team.

Callie put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "She will be alright...she will have to."

"Yes..." Alex said finally, properly smiling. "She is a tough one... it will take more than a bullet to take her down."

Callie wasn't sure if he was saying this to comfort her or himself, but she was thankful anyway,

Lying on the bed with tubes coming out of her chest and an oxygen mask against her pale skin was a site that Callie never wanted to see ever again. Arizona was always this tough, strong person, making her 5 feet 5inch height look like a 6 feet kind of person. But today, on this hospital bed, she seemed so petite that Callie felt her heartache. Callie loved the softer side of Arizona, but this vulnerability was heartbreaking.

"Should I inform her parents, or you would?"

"Ahhh," Callie hesitated. She had yet to talk to Arizona's parents. She had been in the background once or twice when Arizona Face Timed her parents but has yet to speak to them. She wasn't even sure if Arizona's parents knew about her.

"It would be better if you do it.

"Alright, I will do it in the morning," Alex replied. Callie nodded.

"Go home, get some rest... you had a tough day... I am here," Callie told Alex.

...

After Alex left, Callie went into the ICU. She held Arizona's cannula hand in hers carefully. She kissed her forehead and pulled the stool near her bed.

"Please be okay," Callie whispered. "I don't think I will survive if something happens to you."

She held Arizona's hand in hers for a long time until the day's exhaustion got the better of her. The constant beeping of the Monitor acted like a lullaby because if monitors are beeping periodically, Arizona is stable. She drifted to sleep with her head next to Arizona's hand.

A/N- Hello,

Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter

I am happy to see you have not given up.

I hope you liked this chapter… It was a little heavy, but it will be better soon.

Please keep reviewing and motivating me.

Love and happiness to all

~ RT