[fic] you on the phone, you all alone [1/1]
Title : You on the Phone, You all Alone
Rating: G
Spoilers: 7x19
Notes: This was started in 2011 and kind of fell through the cracks but I finally finished it.
Summary: Set during 7x19. Arizona comes looking to check in on Callie at the same time the residents have taken her to meet Sofia.
Arizona Robbins would have sworn that it couldn’t happen anymore after the last few weeks, after the accident and all the surgeries Callie had survived, but her heart stopped, skipping more than one beat, when she walked into her partner’s room at the hospital and found it empty. And not just an empty bed, but the room itself entirely empty, bed missing as well as the woman who was supposed to be in it.
Dropping the tray of drinks (coffee for her, tea for Callie) and the paper bag of pastry (donuts, all for her) on the table just inside the room, she had a more than mild moment of panic, not sure what to do first - run the halls screaming, or call someone, or collapse on the floor in a heap and cry. The last one was her first instinct but was immediately pushed away. She could not freak out and cry when the love of her life, the mother of her child, was somewhere she didn’t know.
So she went with both of the first two options, her thumb sliding across the screen of her phone to dial Mark, thankfully the last number dialed during one of their bedside switches. He answered and her heart plummeted at his hoarse, sleepy voice. He obviously wasn’t in the NICU. “Mark, Callie’s gone, she’s not in her room, I mean,” she clarified before he could panic. “How did she-? Where did she-? Mark! Is she- do you have her?”
“No,” he said quickly. “I’m in the lounge, getting some sleep. Page the Chief,” he ordered brusquely and she could hear him moving on the other end of the phone, getting out of bed and standing up.
Arizona was already moving, her feet carrying her toward the only other place she wanted to be. If she couldn’t find Callie, if something had happened to her, she needed to be with their daughter. Sick and tiny and fathered by Mark Sloan, she was still perfect, still hers. She’d fallen in love with the sound of her first heartbeat, was irrevocably lost in love with her daughter from the first second she’d ever seen her in Addison’s hands. She’d been completely invested, head over heels in love with the infant she’d helped to save as soon as she’d touched her. Sofia and Callie were her heart, her family. And losing either one of them would destroy her.
Hanging up with Mark, she paged the Chief while she jogged toward the stairs, too impatient for the elevator. “Dr. Webber, this is Arizona - Dr. Robbins, sir, and I just wanted to-” she was out of breath already, her air coming in short bursts as she charged up the stairs, “I, Callie’s…”
And then she heard the murmur of conversation around the corner and she knew it and moved faster, running and having to catch herself on the corner and Meredith Grey’s shoulders as she caught sight of Callie’s bed parked next to the NICU windows, Alex and April inside with the incubator.
“Oh thank God,” she gasped, eyes not moving off of either of them. “Chief, I found her…”
“Torres?” he asked sharply, immediately concerned. “You found her?!”
Realizing her misspeak, Arizona bit her lip, hand covering her mouth as she released Meredith’s lab coat. “Oh,” she said dumbly. “Um, never mind?” she tried.
He just sighed heavily. “Is Dr. Torres alright, Dr. Robbins?”
“Yes sir,” she said, her own deep breath relieved beyond words. “Good night, sir.”
“Good night, Arizona,” he said with a sympathetic tone in his voice, hanging up the phone.
Dialing again, Mark answered on the first ring, Arizona leaning against the wall and watching, keeping her voice down. “Mark, I found her, she’s okay,” she said, breathing another relieved breath, the fresh air making her heartbeat slow gradually. They were okay, both of them. She was okay now, could breathe easier. It still wasn’t easy, strictly speaking, but easier… Breathing easy wouldn’t come until they were all three home and safe and healthy. Until then, breathing easier was the best she could do.
Mark let out a breath of his own and she could hear his relief in his gasped, “Thank God. She’s okay? They’re okay?” he checked. “Do you - do they - should I come?”
“No, it’s okay, they’re okay,” Arizona assured him. “You get some sleep, I’m going to stay.” She would stand in this hall all night and be completely satisfied.
Mark yawned, satisfied that she was looking out for them. “Okay. I’m on Sofia first in the morning, right?”
“Yes, please,” agreed Arizona, yawning herself helplessly. Lack of sleep was getting to all of them. “And then we’ll switch at rounds because you’ve got your Rhinoplasty you need to prep, right?”
“Yeah. When’s the last time you slept, Robbins?” he asked, surprising her with the genuine concern in his voice.
“I’m fine,” she grumbled instead of answering.
“Robbins,” he repeated with a growl. “You’re lucky you haven’t ended up in here yourself, you know?” Arizona just made a noncommittal noise, her eyes still locked on Callie, able to see her mouth moving as she lifted her stiff hand to the window between herself and their daughter. “Get some sleep tonight or I’m telling Torres,” Mark barked at her sternly.
It was the only threat that would work and she knew it as well as he did. She couldn’t do anything that would hurt Callie. And running herself into the ground in exhaustion would do it. “Fine,” she said, leaning her shoulder against the wall to hold herself up. “See you in the morning.”
Hanging up and tucking her phone in the pocket of her lab coat, Arizona was quiet, content to watch and know that the two loves of her life were safe. She barely noticed the fifth years milling around at the end of the hall until Alex approached her, nudging her with an elbow.
“When’s the last time you slept?” he asked, his voice quiet.
Arizona just rolled her eyes without looking away from Callie and Sofia. “Why is that anyone’s business?”
“I can tell Torres,” Alex offered, shrugging defensively when she just glared narrowly at him. “I bet she’d think it’s her business.”
“And I can kick you off my service,” she countered. He had no arguments for that. “How long has she been here?” asked Arizona, changing the subject.
Alex glanced in their direction and crossed his arms over his chest. “Just a few minutes. It was Yang’s idea.”
“It’s okay, Karev,” she said, releasing a deep breath. “I just almost had a heart attack when I walked into her room and the bed was gone.” Her next breath was shaky. “It’s good. It’s a good thing, bringing her here. She needs to see Sofia. And Sofia needs to see her too. Thank you.”
“We can go, if you can get her back to her room,” he offered, not sure if Arizona wanted to approach her fiancée or if they would want a private moment for the three of them. He wasn’t prepared for the sheen of tears in her eyes when she looked back at him. “Okay, we’re going to go. Page if you need anything, okay?”
She nodded. “Alex, thank you,” she whispered hoarsely, leaning into the wall and nodding as Cristina gave her an awkward pat on the shoulder as she passed. “Thank you,” she whispered again as they were left alone. Of course, Callie didn’t know she was there yet, but that was okay. She wasn’t going anywhere.
She couldn’t hear what Callie was murmuring but that didn’t matter. The joy on her face said more than any words ever could. Unfortunately, the exhaustion behind her eyes was clear and she could see it growing stronger. Moving quietly into the NICU, Arizona gowned and gloved and crossed to the window. A small smile grew on her lips when Callie finally noticed her, tears clouding her eyes as she watched Arizona carefully recheck everything before she wheeled their daughter’s little carrier back to its place.
She didn’t speak as she joined Callie in the hall, a weak hand reaching for her. “How long were you here?” asked Callie, voice hoarse. Her fingers could straighten, barely, but she couldn’t hold Arizona’s hand the way she wanted to so Arizona did it for her, wrapping her hand around Callie’s.
“I didn’t want to intrude,” she answered. “You needed to meet her.”
“Our daughter,” Callie pointedly clarified. “Arizona…”
“I was watching,” the blonde assured her. “I was here.” She sighed, her own exhaustion seeming to seep from her pores with the sound. “I thought my heart was going to stop when I went into your room and you were gone…”
Frowning, Callie’s free hand reached up for her face, brushing across her skin as lightly as she could. She loved Arizona for not helping her, trusting her recovering hands not to touch too hard or fumbling fingers not to poke her in the eye. “How’d you figure out where I was?”
“Oh, I didn’t know. I was freaking out. I called Mark and the Chief and was running…” She leaned back against the window that made up the larger part of the NICU wall, glancing over her shoulder to their baby’s bed. “I needed to be with her,” she answered. “If I couldn’t find you, if something had…” she choked on the rest. “I needed to see my daughter.”
Arizona’s devotion was incredible and Callie squeezed her hand, a feat that had been out of her reach until only quite recently. “She’s lucky to have you,” she whispered, touched.
“We’re lucky to have you,” countered Arizona. “So you can’t keep going away,” she commanded, voice choked.
“Arizona, I’m not going anywhere.” Callie met her eyes straight on. “I just met our daughter. Do you think there’s anything on this earth that would keep me away from her? Or you?” she asked, ducking her head to keep her gaze when Arizona dropped her head. “A baby was always part of my plan, and I’m sorry for how things ended up, but I need you too or it doesn’t work.”
“Then we both need to be more careful,” Arizona said, voice hoarse.
Callie squeezed her hand as best she could. “Will you walk me back to my room?”
“As if I was just going to leave you here in the hall,” Arizona scoffed, regaining control of her emotion with a grateful smile. She loved this woman more than anything in the world. Except for their baby girl. She let her hand be drawn to Callie's lips, slow and jerky movement, but definitive pressure from her partner's hand guiding her own. They were all going to get better and go home together. “Keep being so smooth, lady, and I might even spend the night.”
Callie's smile was tired but she squeezed Arizona's fingers again. “A girl can dream, right?”
Dark eyes fell closed as she relaxed back into the sheets, Arizona stroking the back of her hand before reluctantly letting go to move toward the head of the bed. Before she set off she took another long look into the NICU and a deep breath. Callie's forehead was warm as she leaned over to kiss her skin but the prone woman merely sighed softly at the contact.
She only drowsed, rousing enough to peek one eye open as Arizona got her settled back in her room, her partner fixing the sheets over her, adjusting the recline of her bed, straightening the tubes and wires she still had to wear. Callie caught her hand when Arizona brushed her hair back from her face gently, smiling when Arizona's fingers slipped through hers. “You will stay, won't you?” It was selfish, maybe, to ask Arizona to sleep on a cot in her room when she could go home and be comfortable, but she couldn't help herself. Arizona was home, they were together, they were getting married, and she wanted her with her.
Arizona took a seat on the edge of the bed, holding her hand and pulling it onto her leg. “I'm not going anywhere, Callie.” She couldn't move, shouldn't ask her to lay down with her, but it was all she wanted. Arizona knew it without hearing the words and stretched out on the narrowest edge of the bed, her head on the pillow above Callie's shoulder. She was moving gingerly, very careful not to put any pressure against her injured body. Both of them sighed at an almost sharp feeling of relief at sharing space again. “Sleep,” Arizona coaxed in a soft whisper. “I'll be here in the morning.” They fell asleep with Arizona's thumb making circles against the pulse in Callie's wrist.
Rating: G
Spoilers: 7x19
Notes: This was started in 2011 and kind of fell through the cracks but I finally finished it.
Summary: Set during 7x19. Arizona comes looking to check in on Callie at the same time the residents have taken her to meet Sofia.
Arizona Robbins would have sworn that it couldn’t happen anymore after the last few weeks, after the accident and all the surgeries Callie had survived, but her heart stopped, skipping more than one beat, when she walked into her partner’s room at the hospital and found it empty. And not just an empty bed, but the room itself entirely empty, bed missing as well as the woman who was supposed to be in it.
Dropping the tray of drinks (coffee for her, tea for Callie) and the paper bag of pastry (donuts, all for her) on the table just inside the room, she had a more than mild moment of panic, not sure what to do first - run the halls screaming, or call someone, or collapse on the floor in a heap and cry. The last one was her first instinct but was immediately pushed away. She could not freak out and cry when the love of her life, the mother of her child, was somewhere she didn’t know.
So she went with both of the first two options, her thumb sliding across the screen of her phone to dial Mark, thankfully the last number dialed during one of their bedside switches. He answered and her heart plummeted at his hoarse, sleepy voice. He obviously wasn’t in the NICU. “Mark, Callie’s gone, she’s not in her room, I mean,” she clarified before he could panic. “How did she-? Where did she-? Mark! Is she- do you have her?”
“No,” he said quickly. “I’m in the lounge, getting some sleep. Page the Chief,” he ordered brusquely and she could hear him moving on the other end of the phone, getting out of bed and standing up.
Arizona was already moving, her feet carrying her toward the only other place she wanted to be. If she couldn’t find Callie, if something had happened to her, she needed to be with their daughter. Sick and tiny and fathered by Mark Sloan, she was still perfect, still hers. She’d fallen in love with the sound of her first heartbeat, was irrevocably lost in love with her daughter from the first second she’d ever seen her in Addison’s hands. She’d been completely invested, head over heels in love with the infant she’d helped to save as soon as she’d touched her. Sofia and Callie were her heart, her family. And losing either one of them would destroy her.
Hanging up with Mark, she paged the Chief while she jogged toward the stairs, too impatient for the elevator. “Dr. Webber, this is Arizona - Dr. Robbins, sir, and I just wanted to-” she was out of breath already, her air coming in short bursts as she charged up the stairs, “I, Callie’s…”
And then she heard the murmur of conversation around the corner and she knew it and moved faster, running and having to catch herself on the corner and Meredith Grey’s shoulders as she caught sight of Callie’s bed parked next to the NICU windows, Alex and April inside with the incubator.
“Oh thank God,” she gasped, eyes not moving off of either of them. “Chief, I found her…”
“Torres?” he asked sharply, immediately concerned. “You found her?!”
Realizing her misspeak, Arizona bit her lip, hand covering her mouth as she released Meredith’s lab coat. “Oh,” she said dumbly. “Um, never mind?” she tried.
He just sighed heavily. “Is Dr. Torres alright, Dr. Robbins?”
“Yes sir,” she said, her own deep breath relieved beyond words. “Good night, sir.”
“Good night, Arizona,” he said with a sympathetic tone in his voice, hanging up the phone.
Dialing again, Mark answered on the first ring, Arizona leaning against the wall and watching, keeping her voice down. “Mark, I found her, she’s okay,” she said, breathing another relieved breath, the fresh air making her heartbeat slow gradually. They were okay, both of them. She was okay now, could breathe easier. It still wasn’t easy, strictly speaking, but easier… Breathing easy wouldn’t come until they were all three home and safe and healthy. Until then, breathing easier was the best she could do.
Mark let out a breath of his own and she could hear his relief in his gasped, “Thank God. She’s okay? They’re okay?” he checked. “Do you - do they - should I come?”
“No, it’s okay, they’re okay,” Arizona assured him. “You get some sleep, I’m going to stay.” She would stand in this hall all night and be completely satisfied.
Mark yawned, satisfied that she was looking out for them. “Okay. I’m on Sofia first in the morning, right?”
“Yes, please,” agreed Arizona, yawning herself helplessly. Lack of sleep was getting to all of them. “And then we’ll switch at rounds because you’ve got your Rhinoplasty you need to prep, right?”
“Yeah. When’s the last time you slept, Robbins?” he asked, surprising her with the genuine concern in his voice.
“I’m fine,” she grumbled instead of answering.
“Robbins,” he repeated with a growl. “You’re lucky you haven’t ended up in here yourself, you know?” Arizona just made a noncommittal noise, her eyes still locked on Callie, able to see her mouth moving as she lifted her stiff hand to the window between herself and their daughter. “Get some sleep tonight or I’m telling Torres,” Mark barked at her sternly.
It was the only threat that would work and she knew it as well as he did. She couldn’t do anything that would hurt Callie. And running herself into the ground in exhaustion would do it. “Fine,” she said, leaning her shoulder against the wall to hold herself up. “See you in the morning.”
Hanging up and tucking her phone in the pocket of her lab coat, Arizona was quiet, content to watch and know that the two loves of her life were safe. She barely noticed the fifth years milling around at the end of the hall until Alex approached her, nudging her with an elbow.
“When’s the last time you slept?” he asked, his voice quiet.
Arizona just rolled her eyes without looking away from Callie and Sofia. “Why is that anyone’s business?”
“I can tell Torres,” Alex offered, shrugging defensively when she just glared narrowly at him. “I bet she’d think it’s her business.”
“And I can kick you off my service,” she countered. He had no arguments for that. “How long has she been here?” asked Arizona, changing the subject.
Alex glanced in their direction and crossed his arms over his chest. “Just a few minutes. It was Yang’s idea.”
“It’s okay, Karev,” she said, releasing a deep breath. “I just almost had a heart attack when I walked into her room and the bed was gone.” Her next breath was shaky. “It’s good. It’s a good thing, bringing her here. She needs to see Sofia. And Sofia needs to see her too. Thank you.”
“We can go, if you can get her back to her room,” he offered, not sure if Arizona wanted to approach her fiancée or if they would want a private moment for the three of them. He wasn’t prepared for the sheen of tears in her eyes when she looked back at him. “Okay, we’re going to go. Page if you need anything, okay?”
She nodded. “Alex, thank you,” she whispered hoarsely, leaning into the wall and nodding as Cristina gave her an awkward pat on the shoulder as she passed. “Thank you,” she whispered again as they were left alone. Of course, Callie didn’t know she was there yet, but that was okay. She wasn’t going anywhere.
She couldn’t hear what Callie was murmuring but that didn’t matter. The joy on her face said more than any words ever could. Unfortunately, the exhaustion behind her eyes was clear and she could see it growing stronger. Moving quietly into the NICU, Arizona gowned and gloved and crossed to the window. A small smile grew on her lips when Callie finally noticed her, tears clouding her eyes as she watched Arizona carefully recheck everything before she wheeled their daughter’s little carrier back to its place.
She didn’t speak as she joined Callie in the hall, a weak hand reaching for her. “How long were you here?” asked Callie, voice hoarse. Her fingers could straighten, barely, but she couldn’t hold Arizona’s hand the way she wanted to so Arizona did it for her, wrapping her hand around Callie’s.
“I didn’t want to intrude,” she answered. “You needed to meet her.”
“Our daughter,” Callie pointedly clarified. “Arizona…”
“I was watching,” the blonde assured her. “I was here.” She sighed, her own exhaustion seeming to seep from her pores with the sound. “I thought my heart was going to stop when I went into your room and you were gone…”
Frowning, Callie’s free hand reached up for her face, brushing across her skin as lightly as she could. She loved Arizona for not helping her, trusting her recovering hands not to touch too hard or fumbling fingers not to poke her in the eye. “How’d you figure out where I was?”
“Oh, I didn’t know. I was freaking out. I called Mark and the Chief and was running…” She leaned back against the window that made up the larger part of the NICU wall, glancing over her shoulder to their baby’s bed. “I needed to be with her,” she answered. “If I couldn’t find you, if something had…” she choked on the rest. “I needed to see my daughter.”
Arizona’s devotion was incredible and Callie squeezed her hand, a feat that had been out of her reach until only quite recently. “She’s lucky to have you,” she whispered, touched.
“We’re lucky to have you,” countered Arizona. “So you can’t keep going away,” she commanded, voice choked.
“Arizona, I’m not going anywhere.” Callie met her eyes straight on. “I just met our daughter. Do you think there’s anything on this earth that would keep me away from her? Or you?” she asked, ducking her head to keep her gaze when Arizona dropped her head. “A baby was always part of my plan, and I’m sorry for how things ended up, but I need you too or it doesn’t work.”
“Then we both need to be more careful,” Arizona said, voice hoarse.
Callie squeezed her hand as best she could. “Will you walk me back to my room?”
“As if I was just going to leave you here in the hall,” Arizona scoffed, regaining control of her emotion with a grateful smile. She loved this woman more than anything in the world. Except for their baby girl. She let her hand be drawn to Callie's lips, slow and jerky movement, but definitive pressure from her partner's hand guiding her own. They were all going to get better and go home together. “Keep being so smooth, lady, and I might even spend the night.”
Callie's smile was tired but she squeezed Arizona's fingers again. “A girl can dream, right?”
Dark eyes fell closed as she relaxed back into the sheets, Arizona stroking the back of her hand before reluctantly letting go to move toward the head of the bed. Before she set off she took another long look into the NICU and a deep breath. Callie's forehead was warm as she leaned over to kiss her skin but the prone woman merely sighed softly at the contact.
She only drowsed, rousing enough to peek one eye open as Arizona got her settled back in her room, her partner fixing the sheets over her, adjusting the recline of her bed, straightening the tubes and wires she still had to wear. Callie caught her hand when Arizona brushed her hair back from her face gently, smiling when Arizona's fingers slipped through hers. “You will stay, won't you?” It was selfish, maybe, to ask Arizona to sleep on a cot in her room when she could go home and be comfortable, but she couldn't help herself. Arizona was home, they were together, they were getting married, and she wanted her with her.
Arizona took a seat on the edge of the bed, holding her hand and pulling it onto her leg. “I'm not going anywhere, Callie.” She couldn't move, shouldn't ask her to lay down with her, but it was all she wanted. Arizona knew it without hearing the words and stretched out on the narrowest edge of the bed, her head on the pillow above Callie's shoulder. She was moving gingerly, very careful not to put any pressure against her injured body. Both of them sighed at an almost sharp feeling of relief at sharing space again. “Sleep,” Arizona coaxed in a soft whisper. “I'll be here in the morning.” They fell asleep with Arizona's thumb making circles against the pulse in Callie's wrist.