Second Time Around (1A/?)
Title: Second Time Around (1A/?)
Author: Nora C. Parker
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Set in Season 6. What if a different Cardio God came to SWMWH during the episode "New HIstory" (6x09). This story contemplates a surgeon other than Teddy joining the staff. The story veers from the established timeline as of that episode, although some of the episode is referenced within this story.
Disclaimer: I have no ownership over the characters.
Note: I began this story about a year ago. The entire first part has been posted elsewhere online, but not here on my journal. I'm going to at least post the portion that I've completed. I may write more, depending on my interest and readers' interest.
Chapter 1: Gloria Gaynor Got it Right
The insistent buzzing would not be ignored. Callie Torres reached for her pager, but felt relief as she realized it was quiet. "Yours," she mumbled.
The groan that came from the other side of the bed made it clear that Arizona Robbins had made the same discovery. "Nine-one-one to the NICU," she mumbled as she pulled on clothes.
Robbins was almost out the door when a "hey" coming from the bed drew her back to her girlfriend's side.
"No kiss?" Despite the coherency of the question, Callie was making minimal efforts to stay awake.
"You get to stay in bed. I'm not sure you deserve a kiss."
"If you have to stay, I'll come join you for breakfast."
Considering the offer for half a second, Arizona bent down and gave Callie a kiss that hinted at the reason to get up early for breakfast. The low laughter as she pulled away meant the message was received.
As she tried to stand, Callie grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled Arizona down for one more kiss. "If you don't have to stay, come back and we'll skip breakfast."
That promise made Arizona smile. She placed a light kiss on Callie's forehead. "I've got to go."
Getting up in the middle of the night was never easy. But Arizona found something comforting in knowing that Callie was there for her.
# # #
At the hospital, there was nothing comforting. In fact, Arizona Robbins would go so far as to say that she hated these cases. Two frightened parents. One newborn with a serious heart defect that made it difficult for his body to get enough oxygen. An child that would have a very bad prognosis without several extensive and invasive surgeries. Even with the surgeries, there were no guarantees. Through it all, all the baby would understand was the discomfort, not that the painful procedures are being done to make him better.
The fact that they had to meet in the hospital room of a woman who had just given birth drove home the depressing nature of the case to Arizona. Most of the time the new mother was sent home in a day or less with her child. Now she'd be sent home, but back to visit as often as NICU hours would allow. And that was the best-case view.
"Julia. Ron. We got our test results back for Zach." She went on, describing the heart defects that had been suspected in the few hours since Zach's birth, and verified by the tests that she had ordered.
"But for the good news, there are some procedures that are best done within his first week and we caught this early. We've got an excellent cardio-thorasic surgeon available. I'm going to consult with her and we're going to work up a solid plan for Zach."
"So you can fix him?" Ron asked, his voice quiet? The couple was tightly grasping each other's hands, seeking any amount of support that one could give the other.
"Surgeries. And we've talked about the risks of treatment." Even so, Arizona recounted the basic procedures and the seriousness of the risks as she noted a few things in the chart. "I'm going to leave you with some information, and I'll be back to discuss any questions you have."
Something in the message seemed to work for the parents, as they both seemed to relax just enough that the hand-holding was no longer a white-knuckled death grip. Arizona knew from experience that most of what she was telling to the parents would have to be repeated. All the couple really wanted to hear was that their child was well, and until they heard those words, they'd filter out a lot of the information.
Leaving the mother's room, Arizona headed to her consultation with this new head of cardio. Time to see if Erica Hahn lived up to her reputation as a surgeon.
The morning had been so busy she hadn't been able to meet with Callie. She hoped that her girlfriend wasn't too freaked out with the information about Hahn's return. Arizona knew that things had not ended well between them. She sent Callie a quick text with apologies for being unable to join her for breakfast, and with her hopes that they would at least get a chance to meet up for lunch.