Gale Winds Final
Title:Gale Winds
Author: Luvsara
Pairing Callie/Arizona
Rated NC-17.
Summary: AU fic. Some details follow the Grey’s story line although time frames are skewed. After Callie’s marriage falls apart, she gets fired as Chief Resident and her first attempt at a new relationship ends horribly bad, her self esteem plummets to a new low, to the point where even becoming an attending doesn’t make her happy. She decides to get away from it all.....she needs a change of scenery.
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
A/N 1: I haven't had this much difficulty writing a chapter since I began writing for this community. I'm not sure that I'm happy with the result, but it took me three days to come up with this. It is the final chapter to this story and I think all loose ends have been wrapped up. It has been great fun to share this with all of you. Thanks so much for the support.
Chapter 1 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/17993.html#cutid1
Chapter 2 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/18204.html#cutid1
Chapter 3 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/18477.html#cutid1
Chapter 4 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/18908.html#cutid1
Chapter 5 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/19032.html#cutid1
Chapter 6 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/19412.html#cutid1
Chapter 7 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/19637.html#cutid1
Chapter 8 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/19848.html#cutid1
Chapter 9 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/20097.html#cutid1
Chapter 10 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/20317.html#cutid1
Chapter 11 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/20638.html#cutid1
Chapter 12 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/20866.html#cutid1
Chapter 13 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/21019.html#cutid1
Chapter 14 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/21561.html#cutid2
Chapter 15 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/21969.html#cutid2
Chapter 16 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/22160.html#cutid2
Chapter 17 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/22381.html#cutid2
Chapter 18 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/22782.html#cutid2
Chapter 19 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/22823.html#cutid2
Chapter 20 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/23393.html#cutid2
Chapter 21 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/23794.html#cutid2
Chapter 22 http://luvsara.livejournal.com/23831.html#cutid2
Chapter Twenty Three:
Leaving the island for the last time was bittersweet. Although she knew she would be back.....Arizona felt like she was leaving Gertie and a huge chunk of her adult life behind. Her friends had given her a big send off the night before, so she and Callie were a little slow to get moving in the morning. Although Callie knew they needed to get going, she wanted to give Arizona as much time as she needed. They both shed a few tears as well as laughed at the memories. Arizona was sure that this was the right move at the right time, but still found it hard to lock the door and turn away. The ferry ride and trip home from Cedar island was a quiet one which was okay for both of them. They each had feelings about the island that they needed time to deal with. It was one of the most wonderful parts of their relationship.....they were okay with the silence. Most people are fine as long as they’re engaged in some sort of verbal or physical exchange, but in the silence, their mind wanders and they dream up all kinds of trials and questions and difficulties. Hell, we’ve all been there at some point in our lives, but it was the comfort in the silence that made this relationship different. It was okay to be quiet and to need time alone. They understood one another on a much deeper level than either one of them felt was possible.
***********
The morning of Arizona’s first day, Callie got called in early so they wouldn’t be able to ride together. Callie kissed Arizona tenderly as she prepared to leave "Good luck on your first day sweetheart. You’ll spend most of it in Human Resources, but maybe I’ll get to see you at some point."
After a long morning of HR videos on patient and employee safety, infection control and customer service,the Chief took Arizona around for the grand tour. The first stop was obviously the Peds wing. She met many of the nurses, interns and residents currently pursuing a fellowship in Pediatric surgery. Then she was taken down to the surgical wing. They toured an empty OR to give her an idea of their state of the art equipment. She then met some anesthesiologists, surgical nurses and techs and the all knowing clerical staff. If you make friends with them....you’ve got it made. As they wandered around the halls, the Chief introduced her to many of the surgical attending's who were around. Dr Hunt stopped them in the hall "Dr Robbins.....nice to see you again."
"Likewise, Dr. Hunt" Arizona shot him a shy smile.
Standing just out of earshot was Mandy and when she heard the chief introduce the new Pediatric attending, she about swallowed her tongue "Well fuck me" she said flabbergasted at the realization. "What in the hell is going on?" She made her way to an on call room and sent a text to Callie immediately.
Callie never paid attention to the number from which the text was sent and mistakenly assumed it was from Arizona. She walked in and without looking up took off her lab coat "ooo, going to have some fun on your first day are we?" She asked in a playfully seductive tone.
"Callie" Mandy said loudly to bring her full attention to which Callie stopped with a startled look. "Mandy?......what are you doing here?
"I’m the one who paged you........I just saw our new Pediatric attending? Mandy gave Callie a look that said "care to explain".
Callie just laughed "Yeah ...I saw her....she’s hot."
Mandy was irritated by Callie’s banter "Callie!....for gods sake ......is that all you think about?" Callie stopped smirking finally seeing that Mandy had something on her mind. "Why did you lie to me? You said she was a fishing boat captain......not a surgeon." Mandy was thinking back to all of the times when she should’ve caught on, like when Callie was in the hospital, and she now....felt stupid for the things she had said to Arizona, which made her pissed at Callie.
"I didn’t lie to you" Callie said as a matter of fact "She is the captain of a fishing boat. She just happens to also be a Pediatric surgeon."
"So, why didn’t you tell me.......I thought we were friends." Mandy was somehow trying to make this about she and Callie.
Now it was Callie’s turn to get irritated "First of all, why does it matter? Whether she charters a boat for a living or is a surgeon, she’s my girlfriend and I love her. I don’t care what her profession is.....I love who she is as a person. So my question to you is "Why do you care?"
Mandy tried to back up a bit.....not having a safe answer to the last question "If she’s a surgeon.....why hasn’t she been practicing?"
"She’s been living on the island taking care of her Aunt" it wasn’t a total lie, "besides that’s not my story to tell Mandy.......Listen, we are friends, but you’re going to have to come to terms with the animosity you have towards her....if we’re going to stay friends. She’s here now.....so get used to it." Callie put her lab coat back on and walked out of the room.
The threat of losing Callie any further made Many’s blood boil. She felt like there was definitely more to the story of Arizona’s hiatus from surgery, so she decided to do some digging. She went to her locker, pulled out her laptop and went back to the on call room. Google search should bring up something........she typed in her name as Arizona Robbins the first time and brought up many newspaper articles having to do with the light house restoration on Ocracoke. So the next search she did, she typed Dr. Arizona Robbins, and found a whole different set of articles. Many were from John Hopkins announcing their top graduates.....Arizona being at the top of her class, there was one talking about how she was instrumental in setting up a children’s clinic in an inner city location, but the one that was the most glaring and interesting to her was a newspaper headline that read "Hospital Settles Malpractice Case". In the article, it revealed that Arizona was the surgeon involved in the case and that she had been dismissed following a monetary settlement with the family. Mandy was more than pleased to find this information. Her first course of action was to go to the Chief.
"Hey Chief....can I talk to you for a minute?" She asked as she approached him.
"Sure Dr. Ortega.....What’s on your mind?" the Chief was always very approachable with any concerns the surgeons had.
Mandy tried to put on as neutral a face as possible "Sir....I’m not one to try and tell you how to do your job, but I’m concerned about the new Pediatric attending.....I’m not sure she’s the caliber surgeon that we are accustomed to having on our team."
"I assure you Dr. Ortega, her credentials have been fully investigated. and the board and I feel very comfortable with adding her to our team." The Chief spoke in a manner that conveyed complete confidence.
"Sir...if I may......are you aware of an incident that occurred four years ago where Dr. Robbins was the cause of the death of a six year old child?" Mandy was sure that this had been overlooked or they would have never hired her.
The Chief was starting to get irritated by this line of questioning. "Dr. Ortega......I can once again assure you that the board and myself are fully aware of the incident that occurred and the fact that Dr. Robbins hasn’t been in an OR for four years. We are aware that a mistake occurred and that she has sufficiently learned from that mistake. So if you don’t mind....I have more important matters to attend to."
****************
Over the next week, Mandy continued to stew over having Arizona so close. The support of the board and the Chief was one thing, but the support of fellow surgeons could make or break someone. So she printed off several copies of the newspaper article that she had found, and left them lying in the attending's lounge and locker room, the pediatric wing and even in the cafeteria.
When Arizona came in to work that day, she stopped in the attending's locker room to change and noticed the piece of paper lying on the bench. Her heart stopped for a minute when she saw what it was and she could feel the panic start to rise. She willed herself to stuff it down and not let it consume her. She crumpled the paper and threw it away. She stopped by the coffee cart and noticed a few of the nurses and doctors glancing her way. Had they seen it or was she just being paranoid....she wasn’t sure until she entered the Pediatric wing and started with rounds. She was sure that there were a few stares and hushed conversations. Most of the nurses and interns had really liked her the first week, but now they didn’t have much to say to her. It wasn’t until she saw the same article laying at the nurses desk, that she knew for sure and then there was no stopping a full on panic attack. She quickly sent Callie a text letting her know that she would be on the roof....she needed air and if Callie could get there....it would be a good thing. Callie had just stepped into the Attending's lounge and saw the piece of paper when she got the text so she at least had an idea of what was happening. When she stepped out onto the roof, she spotted Arizona crouched down with her head between her knees, rocking back and forth.
"Arizona?......Sweetheart?......talk to me......" Callie said as she approached, but when Arizona looked up with red, swollen, tear filled eyes, all Callie could do was to drop down beside her and hold her as she cried and shook. "I know baby.....I saw it. But listen to me.....all of that is in the past.....you’ve paid the price for four years....now you just have to pick yourself up and face it head on. If anyone has anything to say about it, well....we’ll just deal with that as it comes."
"Why Calliope......why would someone want to do this? Haven’t I been through enough? It’s only been a week, but I was starting to really like it here......now I don’t know if I can stay." Arizona was despondent.
"Don’t say that.......I know exactly who has done this and why.....and I’m going to take care of it, but you cannot let this get to you.....you’re better than half the surgeons here and we need you.....I need you....here....with me." Callie was pleading. She couldn’t stand the thought of Arizona running away again.....and she knew beyond a shadow of doubt that Mandy was behind this. "Look at me" Callie said as she lifted Arizona’s chin "I love you more than anything....and we will get through this bump in the road. Look at it this way.....at least it’s all out there now....you have nothing to hide......and those who will think less of you because of it better hope and pray that they never make a mistake." Callie sat with Arizona for a few more minutes but knew she had a small window of time that she could address this situation with Mandy.....and she planned on doing it. "Sit here as long as you need.....but promise me.....you will come back." Callie kissed Arizona lightly on the lips before getting up to leave.
****************
Mandy was out of the OR and scrubbing her hands when Callie burst into the OR area. She didn’t care if there was anyone else there or not. As she approached, she grabbed Mandy by the scrub top and forced her against the wall "How could you?......I can’t believe that you are so fucking devious that you would do such a thing! And don’t try to lie and tell me it wasn’t you because I know that it was. I swear to God......how could you?......You’re supposed to be my friend.....but friends don’t try to destroy the people we love........I can’t believe you........We’re done!......Don’t you ever fucking try to talk to me again......I’ve got nothing for you." Callie turned Mandy loose and walked out of the door.
Mandy was stunned but then found herself crying "No.....Callie.....please.....don’t leave." But it was too late.
****************
Arizona finally pulled herself together enough to get her day started. As she rounded the corner, she was met by Dr. Hunt. "Dr. Robbins.....can I speak with you a moment?" Arizona didn’t really want to have this conversation, but what choice did she have, so she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and turned to face him. "I just wanted to say that..... you’re new here......and so people are going to talk.......but you just have to stay strong and focused......and in no time, the talk.....it will die down and you won’t be the topic of conversation any more. We all make mistakes......it’s what we do after that says more about our character. I just thought you should know that."
Arizona choked back the tears and thanked Dr. Hunt for his words of encouragement and then went about her day. Some of the nurses, interns and residents had the courage to ask her about the incident and how she handled it. Many of them spend every waking moment dreading the possibility of making a mistake and worrying about it was making them crazy. So for those who seemed sincere, she shared her feelings about it and it helped to bridge an invisible gap between the attending and the intern and resident. She was very human and all though they always strived for excellence, sometimes mistakes do happen. For those who seemed to have a chip on their shoulder, she went on with her normal routine and put them in their place as needed.
****************
After six months had passed, Arizona was taken off probation and given full privileges. The Chief and the other Attending's had found her work to be exemplary. Up until this point however, she had always had another attending in on her surgeries....just in case something went wrong. On this day however, she would be taking point. It was actually a gun shot wound to the lower extremity in which the bone was shattered and the vessels were highly damaged, but the nerve appeared to be intact. Callie had planned to be in the gallery for moral support, but was called in to another surgery. The orthopedic surgeon on this case was to be Dr. Ortega. The air was tense. They hadn’t spoken to each other since Arizona came on board Early on in the surgery, Mandy had made some smart ass comments to the effect of "let’s try to keep this one alive", but Arizona was able to maintain her composure. Mandy was bitter.....she hadn’t talked to Callie since the incident in the OR scrub area. During the procedure, Mandy got a little cocky and before she knew it, she had accidentally cut the artery that Arizona had just bypassed. There was blood spewing everywhere and Mandy panicked. Arizona stayed calm and collected and was able to get the bleeder stopped, reroute the bypass and restore normal circulation, before Mandy every knew what was happening. After they closed and exited the OR, they stood side by side as they scrubbed out.
Mandy was the first to speak "I’m sorry that I underestimated you.....that was incredible."
"Thank you Dr. Ortega......Listen...I understand why you don’t like me.......Calliope is amazing and gorgeous.....and I’m sure you’re not the only one that I’ll end up having to deal with. But, lets be clear....if you ever put your lips on my woman again.......I’ll use a 10 blade to cut them off." Arizona shot her a dimpled smile that left Mandy wondering if she was serious or not....but she wasn’t about to test her.
***************
On a rare occasion, both Arizona and Callie got off at a reasonable hour. Neither of them felt like cooking, so they ordered a pizza. After showering and slipping into something more comfortable, they ate and enjoyed a bottle of wine. After dinner they found themselves quietly curled up in each other’s arms. "Calliope.....there’s something I need to say to you." Arizona sat up and positioned herself in front of Callie, holding her hands. "A lot has changed in my life over the last year and a half....and I have you to thank for most of it. I don’t think I would have ever found my way back to surgery......and to love....without you. You’re the most amazing woman I have ever known and I want you in my life forever.....I want to grow old with you....and.....and....."
"Why Arizona Robbins.......are you asking me to marry you?" Callie asked with a huge smile on her face.
Arizona grinned real big "Yeah.......something like that."
"Yes baby......yes.....I’ll marry you." Callie pulled Arizona to her and kissed her passionately. They spent the rest of the evening making love to one another.
The wedding took place in the late spring on Ocracoke at the light house. It was a small ceremony consisting of their families and a few friends. They missed Gertie’s presence there but knew deep down that she would be thrilled for them and they toasted her with a glass of her favorite wine. They decided that the island was the only place they really wanted to be, so their honeymoon was spent at Gertie’s house and out on the boat whenever Brynne didn’t have a charter going out.
It was hard to believe that so much had changed in the course of two years. They learned that for the most part, it was the storms that blew through our lives that gave us the greatest opportunities to learn and grow. They cause a lot of chaos which then forces us to reorganize our thoughts, fears, belief systems and our truths. For Callie and Arizona, they had weathered the worst of their storms early on, so the rest just felt like Gale Winds blowing through the trees.