I Thought I Just Saw A Ghost (3/?)
Title: I Thought I Just Saw A Ghost (3/?)
Author: asirnay
Pairing: Callie/Arizona, Mark/Lexie, Arizona/Teddy (friendship), Callie/Mark (friendship)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: What happened after the end of episode 7.10
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
“What’s the meaning of re-hiring Arizona Robbins without informing me?” Phil Stark was known for many things during his tenure at Seattle Grace-Mercy West, but tact obviously wasn’t one of them. He barged into Chief Richard Webber’s office as he met with Felicity Bradshaw, the hospital’s accountant, to discuss budgeting concerns.
“Dr. Stark, I’m in the middle of a meeting here.” The Chief glared at the head of peds with disbelief. None of his other surgeons would have the audacity to enter his office in such a manner. “We can discus your concerns with Dr. Robbins another time.”
“No, we need to discuss this right now!”
Webber looked over at Felicity, who immediately got the hint. She exited the office, shutting the door behind her.
“Have a seat, please.” The Chief gestured towards the vacant chair in front of his desk. Stark waived off his employer’s invitation, wearing a sour look on his face. Webber folded his arms in front of him and cleared his throat. “Okay, then. Let me ask you something, Dr. Stark. What time did you get here this morning?”
“Oh.” Phil felt disarmed by Webber’s question. “About 10:30.”
“10:30? That’s a little late for you, isn’t it?”
“Well, see, I had a, uh, personal matter to tend to. I couldn’t get here before then.”
“Is everything all right?”
“No. I mean, yes. Yes. Everything is fine, sir. Nothing to be worried about.”
“That’s good. But still, you should’ve called me so I could have another peds attending cover your cases and handle your residents. Fortunately, Dr. Robbins took initiative. I hope that isn’t why you have an issue with her now, is it?”
“No. No, sir, absolutely not.”
“Good. That’s good. You’ve only been here a short time, Dr. Stark. So, let me fill you in on a few things about Seattle Grace-Mercy West that you might not know about. This may be a very large hospital, yet I’m well aware of everything that goes on here. Your coming in at 10:30 every morning has become a frequent occurrence and I seriously doubt that you’ve had a ‘personal matter’ to tend to every single day.”
The brash confidence that fueled Phil began to deflate.
“To be honest, Dr. Stark,” The Chief continued. “I haven’t been satisfied with your work during the time you’ve been here. I’m also well aware of you taking credit for Dr. Karev’s idea when you treated the liver patient a few weeks ago. One thing I can’t tolerate from my doctors, next to laziness, is fraud. This is your first and only warning. If I don’t see some improvement, and fast, then Dr. Robbins being re-hired will be the very least of your worries. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, sir.” Phil reluctantly answered.
“Good. You may leave now. And if you happen to see the accountant outside of my office, please send her back in.”
The head of the peds department exited in defeat.
“You’re seriously going to marry this guy?!” Arizona Robbins looked astounded by the news she just received. “Teddy...”
“Well, it isn’t so much a marriage.” Dr. Altman entered the hospital cafeteria along side her fellow attending and good friend. “It’s more like...an arrangement of convenience. Isn’t that what being married is like anyway?”
“I wouldn’t know.” The peds surgeon handed over to Teddy an orange tray while keeping one for herself. “You’re asking the wrong person.”
“Maybe someday, that won’t be the case. Maybe someday you’ll be marching down the isle with a certain ortho surgeon.”
“Somehow, I doubt that.” Arizona turned her attention to the woman behind the counter serving food. “Lasagna, please.”
“Make that two.” Teddy chimed in. “Thanks.”
“So, she slept with Mark. You two were broken up. You can’t hold that against her.”
“You don’t understand. Mark has been a constant in Calliope’s life, long before I was even in the picture. Over the years, they’ve developed this pattern. She broke up with George the first time. She slept with Mark, on the first night night they met. After she married and divorced George, she starts having feelings for Erica Hahn. They have some issues. Instead of talking it out, she sleeps with Mark.”
“But,” Teddy interjected, as she received her plate of lasagna. “After you two broke up the first time, she didn’t sleep with him, now did she?”
Arizona realized that her friend made a valid point.
“Dr. Robbins?” The woman behind the counter called out, ready to hand over a second plate of the daily special.
“Oh, sorry.” Embarrassed to have been caught in a daze, the shorter blonde received her lunch.
“I’m just saying, Arizona. Once you came into the picture, Callie broke that pattern. She had a relapse. She thought she’d never see you again. What was she supposed to do? Become a nun? You should’ve seen her. You really hurt her. One night, some of the attendings went out for drinks together. She asked me if you mentioned her. She just looked so sad. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that you didn’t ask about her. Why didn’t you? I know you. I know you were thinking about her the whole time you were in Malawi. Or else, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation face to face. It seemed like in all the e-mails and all the phone calls, you purposely avoided talking about her.”
“I don’t know.” Arizona grabbed a small container of yogurt from the counter. “Once I ended up in Malawi alone, I just tried to throw myself into my work. I figured ‘out of sight, out of mind’. But then I found myself, like, in this emotional tug of war. My mind is on one of the rope and my heart is on the other.”
“I can take a really good guess what won that battle.” Teddy reached over for a small bowl of salad. “You can’t control everything, Arizona. Sometimes, it’s good to throw caution to the wind. Callie is one hell of a woman. She’s definitely worth the risk. But, I think you know that already.”
Arizona smiled as she passed the cardio goddess an empty cup. That smile quickly faded once she saw who entered the cafeteria. Callie and Mark wore matching grins, probably having just shared a private joke. And knowing Sloan, it was a dirty one. The peds surgeon filled her cup with iced tea from the self-service soda dispenser. Teddy looked over at them and then at her friend. She patted Arizona gently on the shoulder to comfort her.
The two blonde surgeons sat together after paying for their lunches. Teddy dug right in, while Arizona kept watching Callie as she stood in line to purchase her own lunch. At that moment, she looked so happy. Her infectious laughter was heard clearly above all the chattering going on.
“What’s wrong?” Altman finally noticed her friend longing for her ex.
Robbins turned face forward. “I think I just lost my appetite.”
Callie knew Arizona had been watching her from afar. She felt her ex’s piercing blue eyes gaze at her from every angle. Torres begged Mark to keep telling her dirty jokes to distract her . Reluctantly, he obliged. He continued his barrage of blue humor until they left the lunch line. They purposely chose a path towards the other side of the cafeteria, steering clear of Arizona and Teddy. The peds surgeon sighed, but what she saw next made her perk up a bit. Sloan and Torres went their separate ways. Lexie Grey awaited her boyfriend’s arrival. She greeted him with a kiss on the lips. Callie waived at her, opting to sit alone a few tables away.
“Mark and Little Grey are back together?” Robbins inquired.
“Yep.” Teddy responded before taking another bite of lasagna.
“Hmmm.” Arizona picked her fork to begin eating her lunch.
“Will you be needing anything else, Dr. Torres?” The concierge looked up from his computer screen to address Callie directly.
“Umm. Not right now.” The raven haired beauty picked up an long envelope, containing the key card to her room, from his desk. “Maybe I’ll call for room service once I’m settled in. Thank you so much though.”
“And thank you for once again choosing the Archfield. Enjoy your stay.”
“Good night.”
Callie boarded the elevator, her wheeled suitcase in tow, with several other guests of the hotel. She got off on the 10th floor. After entering her room, she immediately crashed upon the comfortable bed. Exhausted from work, Torres didn’t even bother to take off her leather jacket or her shoes. Word got out about her minimally invasive hip replacement surgery. One patient even came all the way from Los Angeles to have the procedure done, something she would have to brag to Addison about the next time they spoke. The Chief was more than pleased with the publicity it generated for the hospital. Perhaps Callie’s star was finally beginning to rise. Ortho was low on the totem pole in terms of respect. Even her fellow attendings disregarded her specialty. Instead of wallowing in self-defeat, she relished in her underdog status. It fueled her to work even harder. In Callie’s mind, she was already a rock star with a scalpel. It was only a matter of time before others would begin to recognize that. Perhaps that time was now.
As she began to drift off into a well deserved sleep, Callie’s Blackberry began to ring. She groaned out of frustration as she tried to fish it from her pocket. Her eyebrow arched in surprise when she saw the name on the caller ID.
“Hello?” Callie spoke while her eyes were closed. She remained laying flat upon the bed.
“Hey, bitch!” A youthful voice spoke. Loud music and numerous voices lingered in the background.
“Aria!” Agitated, the ortho surgeon sat upright on the bed. “I told you before I don’t like being called that. I’m not one of your little friends you run around with in Miami.”
“Okay then. Hello there, sister dearest. How do you do?” The younger Torres’ voice dripped with sarcasm, causing her elder sibling to frown.
“I’m hanging up, Aria. Bye.”
“Alright, alright! Callie, don’t hang up! I’m sorry. Geez!”
“What do you want? You never call me unless you want something.”
“Wow, what’s up with all the hostility? Can I just call my big sister just to see how she’s doing? Mom told me what happened with you and your girlfriend breaking up and her going to Africa without you.”
“That happened a month ago, Aria. You’re kind of late checking in on me.”
“Again, I’m sorry. I just got back from vacation. Me and my girls hit up Amsterdam.”
“Vacation? Vacation from what? You’re not doing anything!”
“I’m celebrating my graduation from college.”
“That was six months ago.”
“You know me. The party never stops.”
“Hmph. I can tell. I hear it in the background. What are you celebrating this time?”
“This is our welcome back party.”
“You’re hopeless, Aria. When are you going to grow up and do something with your life instead burning through your trust fund?”
“You must be alright now. ‘Cause there you go, criticizing me again.”
“I criticize because I care. You’re young. You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for. You can do anything. Instead, you’d rather live out ‘Sex In The City’ with your friends.”
“Alright, I’m done with being lectured. And personally, I’m insulted that you’d compare me and my girls to that shitty TV show. We’re more like ‘Jersey Shore’.”
“Oh, even classier.” Callie delivered a dose of sarcasm back at her sister.
“Whatever. Before I go, Daddy told me to tell you that he’s shipping you that dinosaur you call a car back to Seattle tomorrow by cargo plane.”
“That dinosaur is a classic.” The ortho surgeon spoke in defense of her baby blue ‘57 Thunderbird. “But, you wouldn’t know anything about that.”
“And I don’t know wanna know either. I like my Hummer just fine, thank you very much!”
“Gas guzzler is more like it. But you can afford it, for now.”
“Goodbye, Callie. I got better things to do than to argue over who’s car gets better mileage.”
“That would be mine.” The elder sibling smirked with satisfaction when she heard Aria suck her teeth. “You know, you should come out here and visit me some time.”
“It’s so boring out there. There’s nothing to do. It rains all the time. Need I go on.”
“I just figured I ask. I haven’t seen my little sister in person in over a year. And my schedule is super-crazy since I got re-hired...”
“Alright. Alright. I’ll think about it. Cut off the guilt trip, please.”
“Cool. Talk to you later.”
“Bye, bitch!” The younger Torres immediately hung up.
“Aria!” Callie growled once she heard the line go dead. The raven haired beauty laid back down with a smile on her face. She actually missed bickering with her sister and hoped she’d give her invite to visit some serious consideration.
__________________________________________________________________
Author's Note 2: In my head, I pictured Naya Rivera from Glee as Aria. Agree or disagree?
Author: asirnay
Pairing: Callie/Arizona, Mark/Lexie, Arizona/Teddy (friendship), Callie/Mark (friendship)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: What happened after the end of episode 7.10
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
“What’s the meaning of re-hiring Arizona Robbins without informing me?” Phil Stark was known for many things during his tenure at Seattle Grace-Mercy West, but tact obviously wasn’t one of them. He barged into Chief Richard Webber’s office as he met with Felicity Bradshaw, the hospital’s accountant, to discuss budgeting concerns.
“Dr. Stark, I’m in the middle of a meeting here.” The Chief glared at the head of peds with disbelief. None of his other surgeons would have the audacity to enter his office in such a manner. “We can discus your concerns with Dr. Robbins another time.”
“No, we need to discuss this right now!”
Webber looked over at Felicity, who immediately got the hint. She exited the office, shutting the door behind her.
“Have a seat, please.” The Chief gestured towards the vacant chair in front of his desk. Stark waived off his employer’s invitation, wearing a sour look on his face. Webber folded his arms in front of him and cleared his throat. “Okay, then. Let me ask you something, Dr. Stark. What time did you get here this morning?”
“Oh.” Phil felt disarmed by Webber’s question. “About 10:30.”
“10:30? That’s a little late for you, isn’t it?”
“Well, see, I had a, uh, personal matter to tend to. I couldn’t get here before then.”
“Is everything all right?”
“No. I mean, yes. Yes. Everything is fine, sir. Nothing to be worried about.”
“That’s good. But still, you should’ve called me so I could have another peds attending cover your cases and handle your residents. Fortunately, Dr. Robbins took initiative. I hope that isn’t why you have an issue with her now, is it?”
“No. No, sir, absolutely not.”
“Good. That’s good. You’ve only been here a short time, Dr. Stark. So, let me fill you in on a few things about Seattle Grace-Mercy West that you might not know about. This may be a very large hospital, yet I’m well aware of everything that goes on here. Your coming in at 10:30 every morning has become a frequent occurrence and I seriously doubt that you’ve had a ‘personal matter’ to tend to every single day.”
The brash confidence that fueled Phil began to deflate.
“To be honest, Dr. Stark,” The Chief continued. “I haven’t been satisfied with your work during the time you’ve been here. I’m also well aware of you taking credit for Dr. Karev’s idea when you treated the liver patient a few weeks ago. One thing I can’t tolerate from my doctors, next to laziness, is fraud. This is your first and only warning. If I don’t see some improvement, and fast, then Dr. Robbins being re-hired will be the very least of your worries. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, sir.” Phil reluctantly answered.
“Good. You may leave now. And if you happen to see the accountant outside of my office, please send her back in.”
The head of the peds department exited in defeat.
“You’re seriously going to marry this guy?!” Arizona Robbins looked astounded by the news she just received. “Teddy...”
“Well, it isn’t so much a marriage.” Dr. Altman entered the hospital cafeteria along side her fellow attending and good friend. “It’s more like...an arrangement of convenience. Isn’t that what being married is like anyway?”
“I wouldn’t know.” The peds surgeon handed over to Teddy an orange tray while keeping one for herself. “You’re asking the wrong person.”
“Maybe someday, that won’t be the case. Maybe someday you’ll be marching down the isle with a certain ortho surgeon.”
“Somehow, I doubt that.” Arizona turned her attention to the woman behind the counter serving food. “Lasagna, please.”
“Make that two.” Teddy chimed in. “Thanks.”
“So, she slept with Mark. You two were broken up. You can’t hold that against her.”
“You don’t understand. Mark has been a constant in Calliope’s life, long before I was even in the picture. Over the years, they’ve developed this pattern. She broke up with George the first time. She slept with Mark, on the first night night they met. After she married and divorced George, she starts having feelings for Erica Hahn. They have some issues. Instead of talking it out, she sleeps with Mark.”
“But,” Teddy interjected, as she received her plate of lasagna. “After you two broke up the first time, she didn’t sleep with him, now did she?”
Arizona realized that her friend made a valid point.
“Dr. Robbins?” The woman behind the counter called out, ready to hand over a second plate of the daily special.
“Oh, sorry.” Embarrassed to have been caught in a daze, the shorter blonde received her lunch.
“I’m just saying, Arizona. Once you came into the picture, Callie broke that pattern. She had a relapse. She thought she’d never see you again. What was she supposed to do? Become a nun? You should’ve seen her. You really hurt her. One night, some of the attendings went out for drinks together. She asked me if you mentioned her. She just looked so sad. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that you didn’t ask about her. Why didn’t you? I know you. I know you were thinking about her the whole time you were in Malawi. Or else, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation face to face. It seemed like in all the e-mails and all the phone calls, you purposely avoided talking about her.”
“I don’t know.” Arizona grabbed a small container of yogurt from the counter. “Once I ended up in Malawi alone, I just tried to throw myself into my work. I figured ‘out of sight, out of mind’. But then I found myself, like, in this emotional tug of war. My mind is on one of the rope and my heart is on the other.”
“I can take a really good guess what won that battle.” Teddy reached over for a small bowl of salad. “You can’t control everything, Arizona. Sometimes, it’s good to throw caution to the wind. Callie is one hell of a woman. She’s definitely worth the risk. But, I think you know that already.”
Arizona smiled as she passed the cardio goddess an empty cup. That smile quickly faded once she saw who entered the cafeteria. Callie and Mark wore matching grins, probably having just shared a private joke. And knowing Sloan, it was a dirty one. The peds surgeon filled her cup with iced tea from the self-service soda dispenser. Teddy looked over at them and then at her friend. She patted Arizona gently on the shoulder to comfort her.
The two blonde surgeons sat together after paying for their lunches. Teddy dug right in, while Arizona kept watching Callie as she stood in line to purchase her own lunch. At that moment, she looked so happy. Her infectious laughter was heard clearly above all the chattering going on.
“What’s wrong?” Altman finally noticed her friend longing for her ex.
Robbins turned face forward. “I think I just lost my appetite.”
Callie knew Arizona had been watching her from afar. She felt her ex’s piercing blue eyes gaze at her from every angle. Torres begged Mark to keep telling her dirty jokes to distract her . Reluctantly, he obliged. He continued his barrage of blue humor until they left the lunch line. They purposely chose a path towards the other side of the cafeteria, steering clear of Arizona and Teddy. The peds surgeon sighed, but what she saw next made her perk up a bit. Sloan and Torres went their separate ways. Lexie Grey awaited her boyfriend’s arrival. She greeted him with a kiss on the lips. Callie waived at her, opting to sit alone a few tables away.
“Mark and Little Grey are back together?” Robbins inquired.
“Yep.” Teddy responded before taking another bite of lasagna.
“Hmmm.” Arizona picked her fork to begin eating her lunch.
“Will you be needing anything else, Dr. Torres?” The concierge looked up from his computer screen to address Callie directly.
“Umm. Not right now.” The raven haired beauty picked up an long envelope, containing the key card to her room, from his desk. “Maybe I’ll call for room service once I’m settled in. Thank you so much though.”
“And thank you for once again choosing the Archfield. Enjoy your stay.”
“Good night.”
Callie boarded the elevator, her wheeled suitcase in tow, with several other guests of the hotel. She got off on the 10th floor. After entering her room, she immediately crashed upon the comfortable bed. Exhausted from work, Torres didn’t even bother to take off her leather jacket or her shoes. Word got out about her minimally invasive hip replacement surgery. One patient even came all the way from Los Angeles to have the procedure done, something she would have to brag to Addison about the next time they spoke. The Chief was more than pleased with the publicity it generated for the hospital. Perhaps Callie’s star was finally beginning to rise. Ortho was low on the totem pole in terms of respect. Even her fellow attendings disregarded her specialty. Instead of wallowing in self-defeat, she relished in her underdog status. It fueled her to work even harder. In Callie’s mind, she was already a rock star with a scalpel. It was only a matter of time before others would begin to recognize that. Perhaps that time was now.
As she began to drift off into a well deserved sleep, Callie’s Blackberry began to ring. She groaned out of frustration as she tried to fish it from her pocket. Her eyebrow arched in surprise when she saw the name on the caller ID.
“Hello?” Callie spoke while her eyes were closed. She remained laying flat upon the bed.
“Hey, bitch!” A youthful voice spoke. Loud music and numerous voices lingered in the background.
“Aria!” Agitated, the ortho surgeon sat upright on the bed. “I told you before I don’t like being called that. I’m not one of your little friends you run around with in Miami.”
“Okay then. Hello there, sister dearest. How do you do?” The younger Torres’ voice dripped with sarcasm, causing her elder sibling to frown.
“I’m hanging up, Aria. Bye.”
“Alright, alright! Callie, don’t hang up! I’m sorry. Geez!”
“What do you want? You never call me unless you want something.”
“Wow, what’s up with all the hostility? Can I just call my big sister just to see how she’s doing? Mom told me what happened with you and your girlfriend breaking up and her going to Africa without you.”
“That happened a month ago, Aria. You’re kind of late checking in on me.”
“Again, I’m sorry. I just got back from vacation. Me and my girls hit up Amsterdam.”
“Vacation? Vacation from what? You’re not doing anything!”
“I’m celebrating my graduation from college.”
“That was six months ago.”
“You know me. The party never stops.”
“Hmph. I can tell. I hear it in the background. What are you celebrating this time?”
“This is our welcome back party.”
“You’re hopeless, Aria. When are you going to grow up and do something with your life instead burning through your trust fund?”
“You must be alright now. ‘Cause there you go, criticizing me again.”
“I criticize because I care. You’re young. You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for. You can do anything. Instead, you’d rather live out ‘Sex In The City’ with your friends.”
“Alright, I’m done with being lectured. And personally, I’m insulted that you’d compare me and my girls to that shitty TV show. We’re more like ‘Jersey Shore’.”
“Oh, even classier.” Callie delivered a dose of sarcasm back at her sister.
“Whatever. Before I go, Daddy told me to tell you that he’s shipping you that dinosaur you call a car back to Seattle tomorrow by cargo plane.”
“That dinosaur is a classic.” The ortho surgeon spoke in defense of her baby blue ‘57 Thunderbird. “But, you wouldn’t know anything about that.”
“And I don’t know wanna know either. I like my Hummer just fine, thank you very much!”
“Gas guzzler is more like it. But you can afford it, for now.”
“Goodbye, Callie. I got better things to do than to argue over who’s car gets better mileage.”
“That would be mine.” The elder sibling smirked with satisfaction when she heard Aria suck her teeth. “You know, you should come out here and visit me some time.”
“It’s so boring out there. There’s nothing to do. It rains all the time. Need I go on.”
“I just figured I ask. I haven’t seen my little sister in person in over a year. And my schedule is super-crazy since I got re-hired...”
“Alright. Alright. I’ll think about it. Cut off the guilt trip, please.”
“Cool. Talk to you later.”
“Bye, bitch!” The younger Torres immediately hung up.
“Aria!” Callie growled once she heard the line go dead. The raven haired beauty laid back down with a smile on her face. She actually missed bickering with her sister and hoped she’d give her invite to visit some serious consideration.
__________________________________________________________________
Author's Note 2: In my head, I pictured Naya Rivera from Glee as Aria. Agree or disagree?