Song Beneath the Song, Redux (2/?)
Title: Song Beneath the Song, Redux
Author: writerwannabe
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Rating: PG13
Summary: A series of missing moments that take place between 7x18 and 7x19. Each will focus on either Callie or Arizona, but may be written from another character’s POV.
Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are the creation and property of Shonda Rimes and ABC. No profit is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.
AN: Since deciding to change the series from one shots to an on-going continuous series, I've changed the title. Part 1 was formerly called "Bare" and can be found here: http://callie-arizona.livejournal.com/1796722.html
Bailey
Arizona wearily lowered herself onto the bench in the locker room and pressed a hot towel against her face, mindful of the bandage on her forehead. The pounding in her skull wasn’t letting up and she didn’t want to risk getting sick in the shower before her shift started. She heard the door open behind her, followed by an exasperated sigh.
“Doctor Robbins, I have been looking everywhere for you,” Miranda Bailey complained in a huff as she made her way inside the room. “In on-call rooms, the NICU, the Attendings’ lounges, and even the cafeteria.”
The towel dropped to the floor and Arizona turned around so fast she saw stars flash behind her eyes. “What’s wrong? Is it Callie? The baby? What-“
“Woah, wait,” Bailey interjected; holding out her hands to grab Arizona as she attempted to rush passed her. “Callie and the baby are fine,” she hastily assured her. “I came looking for you to see how you were holding up.”
“Wha-“ The tension in Arizona’s shoulders dropped noticeably as she let out a long breath, the momentary ball of panic melting away. “Me?” She replied, “I’m fine.”
“Okay,” Bailey intoned slowly. “Now say it like you mean it.”
“I’m fine,” Arizona repeated, forcing the grimace on her face into some semblance of a smile. “Just tired…really, really tired.”
“Then why did I happen to see your name on the rotation list for next shift?” Bailey asked, hands on her hips. “I distinctly remember the Chief telling you that he’d call a resident in to take your place for the next few days.”
“No, I need to be on schedule,” Arizona insisted, as she moved to her locker and pulled out her lab coat and ID badge. “You don’t understand-“
“What you need is to park yourself next to Torres’ bedside,” Bailey told her. “It’s bad enough her priest-wielding father will be arriving soon-“
“You called Calliope’s parents?” Arizona exclaimed.
Bailey snorted. “ I most certainly did not,” she said, “but the administration did once Torres was admitted. It’s their job to call the next of kin.”
“Right, right,” Arizona muttered to herself. Of course Callie’s parents would have to be notified, she rationalized. They were her family and they deserved to know, even if they hadn’t spoken to their daughter since she told them about the pregnancy. Right?
“At least they saved you a phone call,” Bailey pointed out.
“You’re right, you’re right,” Arizona said, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I’m just not thinking clearly right now. Of course her parent should know. It’s just…” She paused. “I’m not exactly their favorite person.”
Bailey sighed. “I guess they haven’t gotten on page with the whole girl-girl love situation.”
“Her father… maybe, although he’s definitely not happy about it,” Arizona admitted, wryly. “But her mother and sister? Not so much.”
“That’s a damn shame,” Bailey weighed in, watching with interest as Arizona retrieved small bottle from her locker. ““What’s that?”
“This?” Arizona asked, as she opened the cap and spilled a handful of brownish, pills onto her open palm. “Just some Advil… I have a killer headache, and I don’t want to have to take it out on the tiny humans or their concerned parents.” She popped the pills in her mouth and swallowed them dry, grimacing at the bitter taste.
“Uh, huh,” Bailey tsked. “The day I see you take out your frustrations on your precious patients is the day I allow the residents to call me ‘the Nazi’ to my face.”
“I didn’t think you knew about that,” Arizona said without thinking. Bailey arched an eyebrow at her and she blushed under the glare. “Sorry…so not what I meant to say.”
“Right.”
Arizona shrugged into her lab coat and attached her ID badge. She glanced up at the clock and groaned. “Look, I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine and I’m going to be late for my shift.”
“And when was the last time you ate?”
“Bailey--”
“Less than forty-eight hours ago you were in an automobile accident. I am giving you the benefit of the doubt when you tell me that you’re ‘ fine’.” Bailey took a step forward and placed her hands on Arizona shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. “ Even if you do look like you need twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep in the nearest on-call room.” She paused. “That said, I do not want to see you upstairs until after you grab something to eat in the cafeteria.”
“I’m not-“
“Hungry?” Bailey snorted. “Do not make me drag you down there myself.”
“Buh--,” Arizona could only stare slack-jawed as the diminutive woman pulled her through the door and down the hallway. They had just reached the elevators, when Bailey’s pager went off.
“They’re paging me to the pit,” Bailey explained, as she clipped the pager back onto the waistband of her scrubs. “Now what are the odds that you’ll actually go to the cafeteria to grab something to eat if I leave you here?”
“Good,” Arizona assured her. “Very good. I will go to the cafeteria before I head upstairs start my shift.”
Bailey gave Arizona a shrewd, calculating look before her expression softened and she gently patted her on the arm. “See that you do.” With that, she turned and made her way down the hall, disappearing around the bend and left Arizona standing by the elevators.”
“What the hell was that?” Arizona whispered under her breath. Of course, she’d seen glimpses of the softer side of Dr. Miranda Bailey when the other woman was considering participating in the pediatrics Fellowship program.
But this? Why in the world would Bailey traipse around the entire hospital looking for her just to make sure that she was ‘all right’. She wasn’t the one lying in the intensive care unit hooked up to half a dozen machines with a traumatic brain injury. She wasn’t the one whose heart stopped beating not once, but twice. She wasn’t the one who wasn’t even aware that she had given birth to a premature baby; a baby who was fighting for her own life.
The elevator chimed as the doors opened and Arizona was relieved to see that the car was empty. She was about to take a step towards it, when the door to the stairwell opened and Mark emerged, followed closely by Lexie Grey. She watched as the Resident gently steered him down the hallway with a supportive hand on the small of his back.
Arizona felt a small pang from the gesture. Apart from April and Bailey, she hadn’t seen any of her other friends since Callie had been admitted. She understood that they were all on rounds, but still…
The exhaustion and stress was wearing her down. The elevator doors started to close and Arizona, with a reluctant sigh, let them, realizing that she’d finally get to visit Sofia without having to deal with Mark.
“I didn’t exactly promise Bailey that I’d get something to eat,” she told herself. “I implied, but never promised.”
Arizona turned and made her way towards the Attending’s lounge. While she didn’t have time to eat before her shift started, she hoped that a cup of coffee would help alleviate the pounding behind her eyes before the Advil kicked in.
Not that it mattered. A headache wasn’t going to stop her from entering the NICU. If she couldn’t see Sofia as a parent, then she would see the preemie as her doctor.
Author: writerwannabe
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Rating: PG13
Summary: A series of missing moments that take place between 7x18 and 7x19. Each will focus on either Callie or Arizona, but may be written from another character’s POV.
Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy and its characters are the creation and property of Shonda Rimes and ABC. No profit is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.
AN: Since deciding to change the series from one shots to an on-going continuous series, I've changed the title. Part 1 was formerly called "Bare" and can be found here: http://callie-arizona.livejournal.com/1796722.html
Bailey
Arizona wearily lowered herself onto the bench in the locker room and pressed a hot towel against her face, mindful of the bandage on her forehead. The pounding in her skull wasn’t letting up and she didn’t want to risk getting sick in the shower before her shift started. She heard the door open behind her, followed by an exasperated sigh.
“Doctor Robbins, I have been looking everywhere for you,” Miranda Bailey complained in a huff as she made her way inside the room. “In on-call rooms, the NICU, the Attendings’ lounges, and even the cafeteria.”
The towel dropped to the floor and Arizona turned around so fast she saw stars flash behind her eyes. “What’s wrong? Is it Callie? The baby? What-“
“Woah, wait,” Bailey interjected; holding out her hands to grab Arizona as she attempted to rush passed her. “Callie and the baby are fine,” she hastily assured her. “I came looking for you to see how you were holding up.”
“Wha-“ The tension in Arizona’s shoulders dropped noticeably as she let out a long breath, the momentary ball of panic melting away. “Me?” She replied, “I’m fine.”
“Okay,” Bailey intoned slowly. “Now say it like you mean it.”
“I’m fine,” Arizona repeated, forcing the grimace on her face into some semblance of a smile. “Just tired…really, really tired.”
“Then why did I happen to see your name on the rotation list for next shift?” Bailey asked, hands on her hips. “I distinctly remember the Chief telling you that he’d call a resident in to take your place for the next few days.”
“No, I need to be on schedule,” Arizona insisted, as she moved to her locker and pulled out her lab coat and ID badge. “You don’t understand-“
“What you need is to park yourself next to Torres’ bedside,” Bailey told her. “It’s bad enough her priest-wielding father will be arriving soon-“
“You called Calliope’s parents?” Arizona exclaimed.
Bailey snorted. “ I most certainly did not,” she said, “but the administration did once Torres was admitted. It’s their job to call the next of kin.”
“Right, right,” Arizona muttered to herself. Of course Callie’s parents would have to be notified, she rationalized. They were her family and they deserved to know, even if they hadn’t spoken to their daughter since she told them about the pregnancy. Right?
“At least they saved you a phone call,” Bailey pointed out.
“You’re right, you’re right,” Arizona said, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I’m just not thinking clearly right now. Of course her parent should know. It’s just…” She paused. “I’m not exactly their favorite person.”
Bailey sighed. “I guess they haven’t gotten on page with the whole girl-girl love situation.”
“Her father… maybe, although he’s definitely not happy about it,” Arizona admitted, wryly. “But her mother and sister? Not so much.”
“That’s a damn shame,” Bailey weighed in, watching with interest as Arizona retrieved small bottle from her locker. ““What’s that?”
“This?” Arizona asked, as she opened the cap and spilled a handful of brownish, pills onto her open palm. “Just some Advil… I have a killer headache, and I don’t want to have to take it out on the tiny humans or their concerned parents.” She popped the pills in her mouth and swallowed them dry, grimacing at the bitter taste.
“Uh, huh,” Bailey tsked. “The day I see you take out your frustrations on your precious patients is the day I allow the residents to call me ‘the Nazi’ to my face.”
“I didn’t think you knew about that,” Arizona said without thinking. Bailey arched an eyebrow at her and she blushed under the glare. “Sorry…so not what I meant to say.”
“Right.”
Arizona shrugged into her lab coat and attached her ID badge. She glanced up at the clock and groaned. “Look, I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine and I’m going to be late for my shift.”
“And when was the last time you ate?”
“Bailey--”
“Less than forty-eight hours ago you were in an automobile accident. I am giving you the benefit of the doubt when you tell me that you’re ‘ fine’.” Bailey took a step forward and placed her hands on Arizona shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. “ Even if you do look like you need twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep in the nearest on-call room.” She paused. “That said, I do not want to see you upstairs until after you grab something to eat in the cafeteria.”
“I’m not-“
“Hungry?” Bailey snorted. “Do not make me drag you down there myself.”
“Buh--,” Arizona could only stare slack-jawed as the diminutive woman pulled her through the door and down the hallway. They had just reached the elevators, when Bailey’s pager went off.
“They’re paging me to the pit,” Bailey explained, as she clipped the pager back onto the waistband of her scrubs. “Now what are the odds that you’ll actually go to the cafeteria to grab something to eat if I leave you here?”
“Good,” Arizona assured her. “Very good. I will go to the cafeteria before I head upstairs start my shift.”
Bailey gave Arizona a shrewd, calculating look before her expression softened and she gently patted her on the arm. “See that you do.” With that, she turned and made her way down the hall, disappearing around the bend and left Arizona standing by the elevators.”
“What the hell was that?” Arizona whispered under her breath. Of course, she’d seen glimpses of the softer side of Dr. Miranda Bailey when the other woman was considering participating in the pediatrics Fellowship program.
But this? Why in the world would Bailey traipse around the entire hospital looking for her just to make sure that she was ‘all right’. She wasn’t the one lying in the intensive care unit hooked up to half a dozen machines with a traumatic brain injury. She wasn’t the one whose heart stopped beating not once, but twice. She wasn’t the one who wasn’t even aware that she had given birth to a premature baby; a baby who was fighting for her own life.
The elevator chimed as the doors opened and Arizona was relieved to see that the car was empty. She was about to take a step towards it, when the door to the stairwell opened and Mark emerged, followed closely by Lexie Grey. She watched as the Resident gently steered him down the hallway with a supportive hand on the small of his back.
Arizona felt a small pang from the gesture. Apart from April and Bailey, she hadn’t seen any of her other friends since Callie had been admitted. She understood that they were all on rounds, but still…
The exhaustion and stress was wearing her down. The elevator doors started to close and Arizona, with a reluctant sigh, let them, realizing that she’d finally get to visit Sofia without having to deal with Mark.
“I didn’t exactly promise Bailey that I’d get something to eat,” she told herself. “I implied, but never promised.”
Arizona turned and made her way towards the Attending’s lounge. While she didn’t have time to eat before her shift started, she hoped that a cup of coffee would help alleviate the pounding behind her eyes before the Advil kicked in.
Not that it mattered. A headache wasn’t going to stop her from entering the NICU. If she couldn’t see Sofia as a parent, then she would see the preemie as her doctor.