Fanfic: It's about sex and saving lives 8/?
Title: It's about sex and saving lives (8?)
Author: emdha
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Rating: PG13
Summary: Mr. Torres' surgery and Arizona finds comfort in an unlikely place...
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.
=====
Callie cried herself to sleep that night. It wasn't much of a sleep though, considering she woke up every hour, the events of the day haunting her dreams over and over.
When she had gotten home that night, a silent treatment from Cristina was awaiting her. All she had said was “how's Arizona”, without looking up from the TV. “Not good, I think we're over” Callie had replied sadly.
“Ortho, you are one stupid, stupid woman” Cristina had said, before turning off the TV and retreating into her room. So much for a pep talk.
Callie knew it was true though. She truly was an idiot. 'Back to my old crappy life' she thought to herself, burying her face in the pillow to muffle the sobs that filled the dark, empty room.
=====
Arizona didn't sleep much either that night. The image of Callie and Erica together kept flashing by. And there she thought the tiny coffins were bad. This was so much worse. The nauseating feeling in her stomach bugged her and the bed was just so...cold. She missed Callie's warmth around her, but the thought that she would probably never feel that again brought tears to her eyes again for the hundredth time that night.
=====
Callie woke up early next morning to visit her father. She felt like crap, hoping she could at least get through the day without crying, or at least without seeing Arizona.
When she arrived at the hospital, her father was already up, eating his hospital breakfast with taste. “You know Calliope, they serve better breakfast here than in the Grand Hyatt! Take some jelly.”
“Thanks dad, I'd rather not. How are you feeling today?”
“I'm fine, thank you. But that clearly doesn't apply to you. What happened?!”
“It's nothing dad. Let's get you ready for surgery.”
“Calliope, you wear your emotions on your sleeve. I'm your father, I know when something is wrong.”
Callie rolled her eyes and sighed deeply. “Arizona and I got into a fight. I think we broke up.”
“Hmmm” Mr. Torres said thoughtfully. “Is it because of Dr. Hahn?”
Callie looked at him in surprise. “How...how did you know?”
“Oh come on Calliope, this hospital feeds on hormones and gossip! How could I not know?”
Callie ignored him and continued to scan his chart, shaking her head.
Mr. Torres narrowed his eyes to slits and observed her intently. “You are fighting though, right?”
“Why would I do that” Callie replied absent-mindedly, not taking her eyes of the chart.
“Why not? It's what you do Calliope, you fight. You always fought for the things you wanted when you were little.”
“And look where it's gotten me dad: single, childless and depressed. Whoohoo!” she snapped. “I'll see you when you go in to surgery” she added, leaving the room.
=====
Arizona's day didn't start off any better than Callie's. She overslept due to the lack of sleep, so she had to reschedule a surgery for later that day. She felt awful. Little Wallace had dreaded his surgery for days and now, he had to be afraid even longer. Cristina had woken her up, yelling at her through the phone where the hell she was. Cristina was supposed to assist her, to monitor his weak heart.
She got dressed and sped to the hospital, not bothering to look in the mirror before she left. She knew she looked horrible anyway.
=====
Callie and her mother were walking beside her father's bed, who was being taken to surgery.
She waited for her mother to give her teary goodbyes before hugging her and joining Erica in the OR.
Just before she entered, she turned around at a small cough. The moment she realised it was Arizona standing on the other end of the hallway, she opened her mouth to speak, but Arizona stopped her. “Good luck Calliope” she said, her voice shaking. She didn't wait for a response, she just turned around and out of sight.
Callie stared at the spot where Arizona had stood seconds before. She snapped out of it as she heard her name.
“Are you ready Callie?” Erica asked her, her grey eyes piercing through her.
“Y-Yes, let's do this...” she said, swallowing hard, her mouth suddenly very dry. She didn't feel like operating. She felt like crying.
=====
“So...I went back to the hospital last night to give you some company, but you weren't there. What was that about?” Erica asked, while her hands were deep down in Mr. Torres' open chest.
“You came looking for me?!” Callie asked, unable to hide the surprise in her voice.
“Of course. I felt bad that we had to cut out date short and I thought you could use the company.”
“I have a girlfriend Erica. And we weren't on a date. I was with Arizona.”
“So I've heard. Didn't go very well did it?” Erica said. Callie was sure she picked up a hint of amusement in the tall blondes comment.
“Let's just focus on my dad please” Callie answered.
“Fine. Could you stand next to me please? I need you to hold this” Erica said, handing Callie a clip that was attached to a part of her father's heart. Erica was standing so close to her now that Callie could feel the other surgeon breathe steadily. Her elbow occasionally brushed hers as she continued to operate on her father.
“So...your 'girlfriend'” Erica continued in a sarcastic voice “asked me to assist her in surgery later today.”
Callie felt herself becoming a little light headed. They had been in surgery for a good three hours and their proximity and Erica's comments made her mind fuzzy.
“Excuse me” Callie muttered, before dashing out of the OR, ripping her mask of in the progress. Erica watched her leave, the grin on her face invisible behind her mask. “Nurse, page Dr. Yang please” she ordered.
=====
Arizona was pacing the hospital corridors nervously. She couldn't bring herself to watch Callie and Erica together from the gallery, but she was checking her watch occasionally. They had been in there for almost four hours now.
She was forced to ask Erica Hahn to assist her on Wallace's surgery. Cristina was unavailable and to be honest, she didn't trust anyone else with Wallace's life. She now understood a little why Callie requested Erica Hahn on her dad's surgery. When you want somebody to get better so badly, you only want the best for them. And the best happened to be walking around in this hospital the last couple of days.
But it didn't soothe the pit in her stomach she felt twitch every time she thought of the two lovebirds. They say you don't truly realise how much you love something until you lose it. Arizona now knew how true this turned out to be.
=====
Erica cornered Callie in the hall outside the OR. “Everything went well, they're taking him to recovery now. Wanna tell me what happened in there?”
Callie sighed deeply, rubbing her fingers over her temples. “Nothing, I just...freaked out.”
“I understand, he is your father after all. But you can relax now, he's fine. So you wanna continue our date tonight?” she asked hopefully, trapping Callie between the wall and her body.
Callie took a deep breath before speaking. “Listen Erica, yesterday wasn't a date okay, stop saying that. I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea, but I don't feel that way about you any more. I thought I did at first, but now I realise it's the memory of us that made me feel a bit...nostalgic. I asked you to do this surgery because you are the best, no alternative motives. I went to dinner with you to catch up, that's all. Thank you for fixing my dad...but let's leave it at that.”
Erica's face dropped as she heard Callie speak. Callie tried to pass her, but Erica wouldn't move.
“You surprise me Callie. I never imagined a woman like you with a woman like her. She's so naïve and...and boring! And aren't you guys over anyway? I doubt she wants you back after she saw us in the cafeteria yesterday.” Erica bit her lip the moment she spoke those last words.
Callie's eyes narrowed as she threateningly approached Erica. “You saw that?!” she hissed. “You saw her looking and you didn't tell me?” Callie now looked at Erica like she was looking at a rodent. “Do you not remember why we broke up in the first place Erica? You left! You broke my heart! And here you are, once again intentionally screwing up my perfectly happy life! Don't you dare talk about Arizona like that! She makes me a better person but you...” she spat, fire in her eyes “I'm no good when I'm around you. We are *never* going to happen Erica. Now please, let me leave.”
This time, Erica stepped aside in awe as Callie bashed past her, not bothering to grant her another look. “Good luck Cal. You know where to find me!” she yelled after her.
But Callie didn't hear her. She was heading to the paediatric wing.
=====
Arizona was still wandering the corridors without noticing where she went. She snapped out of her thoughts as she realised she wasn't in paed's any more. These walls were not pink and blue and the buzz of children's voices was gone. The hallway was deserted and no sound came from the rooms. Arizona decided to find an empty room here to cry some more before she had to operate on Wallace. She really needed some sleep: her eyelids were so heavy they kept falling shut and, worst of all: she didn't care about her patients any more. Caring was what made her a successful doctor. She was a firm believer in the healing powers of love and family, but she couldn't give her patients that as long as the thought of all the nights she was going to be spending alone in her cold bed kept creeping up on her.
=====
Mr. Torres woke up when he heard a door open slowly. He opened his eyes and saw sad but piercingly blue eyes peek around the door curiously through a blonde mass of curls.
“I'm so sorry...” the blonde whispered as soon as she realised the room was occupied, quickly moving to close the door.
“Don't be. Come in, please.”
Arizona stepped in hesitantly, carefully closing the door behind her.
“Maybe you can tell me where I am? I just got out of surgery.”
Arizona walked over to his chart. “Well then, you're in recovery, Mr....Torres. Oh!” she squeaked as she read his name out loud.
“And you must be Arizona.”
“How did you...”
“Sky blue eyes, blonde curly hair and very pretty, I recall my daughter saying. You certainly fit the description” he explained.
Arizona smiled at him. So Callie did mention her. She walked over to him and offered her hand.
“Arizona Robbins. It's very nice to meet you Sir.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Dr. Robbins” he replied, taking her hand in both his. “Please, take a seat.”
Arizona took a chair and sat down next to the bed. Mr. Torres was scrutinizing her from head to toe. It made Arizona shift uncomfortably in her seat. She desperately wanted to make conversation but didn't know where to start, so instead she broke the awkward silence with the first question that came to her mind. “So your surgery went well?” She mentally slapped herself the moment she said it.
Mr. Torres let out a small laugh. “You tell me Dr. Robbins. I'm still alive, that's all I know!”
“Right, yeah...” she said embarrassedly, fidgeting with her fingers and looking around the room.
Another awkward silence.
“Dr. Robbins, I have a feeling that you have something on your heart. Can I be of your service?”
Arizona fixed her eyes on her hands, afraid to look up at him. It was like looking into Callie's eyes and she knew she would break down all over again.
“I have to operate on a little boy today. He's the sweetest kid and I'm afraid...today is not a good day for me and it makes me kind of numb. And I need to feel in order to save that little boy, because it'll take a miracle to fix him. I need to feel...I need to care, I should at least give him that. I can't operate on him like this.”
“Fair enough. And what got you so...numb in the first place?” Mr. Torres asked attentively.
She hesitated for a moment but decided to go for it anyway. “It's...it's your daughter. We had a fight and...I think we're over...” she said in a small voice, still staring down.
Mr. Torres sighed deeply before speaking. “Calliope came in this morning with the exact same story. This Hahn woman is the source of it all, am I right?”
Arizona nodded. She felt a jolt of anger rushing through her at the mentioning of that name. “But that's not the only thing. Calliope has had a rough year. I wanted to make her better. But some things...she has to do on her own you know. I can't think for her.” She finally looked him in the eyes and it was like talking to Callie. He was listening carefully, his friendly eyes encouraging her.
“I feel so helpless, seeing her with Erica Hahn, knowing she's not good for her. But I can't tell her that. She needs to find out herself...but it's just so damn hard!” The frustration and emotion was clearly audible in her voice.
“And I feel a little odd talking to you about it” she added half laughing, wiping her tears away with her sleeve. She didn't know why she was telling him all this. Something about this man made her calm again. It felt good to talk to someone about it.
Mr. Torres was thinking hard before opening his mouth to speak. “Dr. Robbins, let me tell you something about Calliope. Calliope has never been able to hide her emotions, she's an open book. But not everyone has the ability to read those emotions. It's taken me years to learn, but it's safe to say that Calliope can not keep anything a secret from me nowadays.”
Arizona was listening attentively now.
“I know that Calliope has had a rough year and I feel partially responsible for that. I haven't always been the father she deserves and I deeply regret that” he said. Now it was his turn to look down at making this confession.
“However” he continued, looking Arizona straight in the eyes, “seeing you I know now that I have nothing to fear.” His voice was a bit hoarse. Arizona looked back at him in surprise.
“It's hard for a father to see his little girl grow up, make her own mistakes, get hurt. And it's easy to make mistakes and get hurt, I know that. But to be happy...that takes a lot more. But you Dr. Robbins...you have made her happy. I haven't seen her this happy since she was a little girl. She thinks the world of you. She even turned gay for you!”
The word 'gay' came out slightly uncomfortable. Arizona chuckled and laughed through her tears. Mr. Torres looked at her sympathetically.
“Calliope never brought her boyfriends home. I hadn't even met George before they were married! But she told me all you about you Dr. Robbins. She lets you call her Calliope, not even her mother is allowed to call her that! Besides, she's never even mentioned Dr. Hahn. Why do you think that is?”
Arizona knew the answer to that, but she couldn't form words due to all the emotions overwhelming her.
Mr. Torres observed her empathetically. “Calliope is a trustworthy person. She would never do anything to hurt you, of that I am sure. She loves you very much, you know.”
Arizona's head shot up at hearing those words. “She does?” she blurted out.
Mr. Torres grinned. “She didn't have to! As I said, I read her. And if you take the time to learn, you will too someday.”
Arizona was still staring at him seconds after he finished. Suddenly, she woke up from her reverie and checked her watch. “Mr. Torres, I need to operate in a few minutes so I have to get to the OR.”
“It has been a pleasure meeting you Dr. Robbins. And I am confident that you will perform the surgery very well. You have a big heart, that should help him one way or another” he encouraged her.
Arizona beamed at him sympathetically. She couldn't believe this was the same man that everyone was so afraid of. “I cannot thank you enough for your kind words Mr. Torres. It was lovely to meet you too.”
“Now...I trust it you will take very good care of my daughter?”
“Mr Torres...I would give her the world if I could, believe me” she said, smiling at him through her tears as she moved out of her chair. “You don't have to worry about her any more. I will love her and take care of her the best I can.”
Mr. Torres smiled up at her. “That's all I need to hear. Well then...I'm looking forward to seeing more of you in the future!” he said.
“So do I” she replied. “And Mr. Torres...you're not so scary as they say you are. I mean...throwing people into walls and stuff.”
“I have my soft sides” Mr. Torres winked at her.
Arizona shook her head as she left the room and closed the door behind her. 'Callie obviously didn't get her charm from a stranger' she thought to herself, her heart considerably lighter than before.
=====
Callie was laying in Mark's lap in the attending locker room. “I messed up Mark, I messed up bad.”
“Yeah, it must be hard, having two women fight over you” he mocked, stroking her hair.
Callie was so upset she couldn't even come up with a witty response to his comment. “I don't think Arizona will fight for me. She basically told me she doesn't love me any more. Finally something good comes along and I don't even last a year without screwing up...”
“Don't lay this all on yourself Torres. This whole love thing...it's complicated. Suddenly, you have to be accountable for everything you do, for everything you feel, it's exhausting!
Callie nodded at him in agreement.
But as your best friend, I need you to promise me you will go after her. This whole happy...glowy...perky thing you've got going on lately...it makes you even hotter than you already were.”
Callie looked up at him from his lap. “You would make a horrible shrink.”
“That's mean. It's the best I could come up with.”
“I know. Thanks Mark.”
“Any time. Now, let's go win our girl back. Blondie is operating on that kid that's been living in this hospital for the last seven months and I think she needs your support, judging by her grumpy mood this morning. Blondie and grumpy, that just doesn't fit. And she's operating with Hahn, I'm hoping for some girl on girl action” he said, throwing Callie a smug grin while getting up from the couch and pulling her with him.
=====
They were operating on Wallace for two hours now. There were no complications yet, Arizona was taking her time exploring while Erica was monitoring his heart closely. Arizona tried not to look up at Erica. Every time she laid her eyes on that woman she felt the urge to kick something, and she definitely couldn't use that right now.
She stepped back for a moment, stretching her muscles and throwing her head in her neck. That's when she saw Callie staring down at her from the gallery. For a split second, their eyes locked and Arizona felt her body warm up. The gallery was pretty crowded. After seven months of treatment, most of the staff had got to know Wallace and they all had taken a liking in him.
“Everything OK there Dr. Robbins?”
“Everything's fine Dr. Hahn, thank you. How is his heart doing?”
“Steady, he's fine” Erica answered, stepping towards the operating table and observing Arizona operate on Wallace. “So...how are you and Dr. Torres coping?”
“Coping with what exactly Dr. Hahn?” Arizona asked, trying to sound calm.
“Well, with the break up and all...I'm surprised at how well you both are coping. I heard Callie was devastated when we broke up and...”
“What are you trying to say Dr. Hahn?” Arizona's voice was trembling with anger now. She was forcing herself not to look up and keep her hands steady, since they were buried deep inside of Wallace. One wrong movement could end his life.
Erica looked at the blonde surgeon in astonishment. “Are you really that ignorant?!”
“Maybe I am Dr. Hahn. Maybe you can explain it to me then” Arizona replied, still fixing her eyes on little Wallace.
Erica took one step closer to the table, looking at Arizona intensely. “You can't handle a woman like Callie, Dr. Robbins, that's what I'm saying. She might think she's happy, but I've known her a lot longer than you have. It's only temporary. I just hope you're prepared for that.”
Arizona stepped back and stretched her muscles again, hoping to catch one more glimpse of Callie before ending this surgery successfully. She was not disappointed. Callie was still there, looking down at her. But she looked angry this time. Arizona sighed. If only she could hear what Erica Hahn just said...
“Thank you for your interesting statement Dr. Hahn. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my surgery” she stated simply, surprised at how calm she sounded. She proceeded her ministrations, feeling Callie's angry eyes burn a hole in her skin. Why did she come here anyway, if she was so angry? Arizona needed to finish this surgery quickly as she felt her emotions getting the best of her.
Almost there...
“Interesting scrubcap you got there Dr. Robbins. Very girlie” Erica broke her concentration again.
Arizona didn't answer. The comment hung in the air, heightening the tension that was already lingering in the room from the start.
“That's it” Arizona whispered behind her mask, barely audible.
“Excuse me?” Erica said.
“I said that's - it” Arizona said, finally looking up at Erica. “You can't stand the fact that Calliope is with me. You see her happy and now you kick yourself in the head for ever leaving her. Am I close?”
“Uhm...”
“Shut up, that was a rhetorical question. You have no idea how badly I have wanted to kick your ass ever since I heard what you did to her. How can someone in his right mind leave someone like her?!” she exclaimed, pointing at the gallery. “You must be really, really blind or just plain stupid.”
“Dr. Robbins, I don't think this is appropriate talk during surgery...” Erica defended herself.
“Dr. Hahn, this is MY OR and I will be the one who chooses the topics of conversation” she snapped. “You come back here after all this time, thinking you can have Calliope back, just like that?”
“Well I...”
“SHUT - UP I said! I will be doing the talking. I am telling you this just once, so you better listen carefully, you girlfriend-snatching bitch. Since I have met Calliope, I am even perkier than I was before. Yes, that is possible” she added immediately as she heard one of the nurses snigger, never taking her eyes off of Erica.
“She makes me happy. I make her happy. We love each other. And that doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about her.” Arizona was much calmer now. Erica could even hear a slight trembling in her voice. She looked around uncomfortably, wishing this surgery was over.
“She truly is the love of my life, Dr. Hahn” she continued, unable to hide the emotion that coated her voice. “I would do any thing for her. Any thing. We are happy, you get it?” A mix of tears and anger welled up in her throat. “So what kind of person are you, to take that away from her, from us?”
Erica opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She was flabbergasted by the sudden outburst of the what she thought passive and boring blonde surgeon.
“I love Calliope and my dad taught me to protect the things that I love. So after your surgeries in Seattle Grace are over, you will go back to whatever hellhole they keep people like you and you will not return. And if I ever see you near my Calliope again...well, you might wanna wrap up your brilliant surgeon hands real good Dr Hahn, because I might be four inches shorter than you...but I bite” Arizona spoke, hissing those last words through clenched teeth.
Her eyes were shooting fire at Erica, who felt herself become smaller by the second. Everyone was holding their breath now, the whole room was quiet.
Suddenly, Arizona stepped back from the table. “There, all done. Good job people. Close up please!” she said in a high pitched voice.
Arizona turned on her heels and walked out the OR like nothing happened, leaving Erica staring after her, her mouth hanging open behind her mask. Arizona bashed through the doors so fast she never saw the flickering red light next to it.
The intercom had been on all that time. Callie had heard everything.
=====
Callie was observing the surgery attentively, unable to take her eyes off of the gorgeous blonde performing it. When she heard Erica's mean comments, she nearly descended to drag Erica out of that room herself but Mark had stopped her.
“Relax Ortho, Blondie knows how to defend herself. Sit down” he had said.
“Oh boy, this is good” Cristina said amused, stuffing her mouth with popcorn.
“Shouldn't you be somewhere else Yang?” Callie asked irritatedly.
“Nope, all done.”
Callie focused back on the surgery and was surprised at how calm Arizona appeared. Callie, on the contrary, was fuming and ready to snap a dinosaur bone.
Suddenly, she saw Arizona's hands tremble and she knew Erica was pushing her. 'Bad idea Erica...' she though to herself. At that moment, Arizona lost all self-control and started her verbal knock-down on Erica Hahn.
Callie's eyes widened as the soap below her unravelled further. When Arizona suddenly pointed at her, all heads in the gallery turned to her and she laughed nervously.
Erica tried to interrupt, but Arizona wouldn't let her. Callie smiled inwardly. In her relatively short period at Seattle Grace, Arizona had proven to be very persuasive, always jumping in at the right time to deliver one of her convincing speeches. She would throw in her killer dimples at the end and her victim was lost. Not even the Chief was immune to her powers.
But as the speech continued, Callie felt tears prickling in her eyes again. She didn't even notice the eyes burning in her back as the whole gallery was now enjoying Dr. Robbins' explicit display of love for Dr. Torres.
The room went black and all she could see was Arizona, fighting for her, beating the other woman to the floor with just her words. Everything seemed to play in slow motion as Arizona went in for the kill.
“Wow. That was...” Mark began.
“Yeah...” Callie muttered in a hoarse voice.
“She truly is the love of my life, Dr. Hahn. I would do any thing for her.”
The words lingered in her ears. As she saw Arizona bash out of the OR, she got up and ran out of the gallery.
“...hot” Mark continued, lost in his own dirty thoughts.
“That's right Dr. Torres, you go get her!” an intern yelled after her, throwing a fist in the air. He was rudely muted by Cristina, pushing popcorn into his mouth, choking him. “Not cool five, not cool.”
=====
A/N: A new and improved chapter 8! I hope it lives up to your expectations. I just love Calzone and even as the writer of this fic I can't bear to keep them apart for longer than 3 chapters...please tell me your thoughts on this, I love you and your reviews! XOXO
Author: emdha
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Rating: PG13
Summary: Mr. Torres' surgery and Arizona finds comfort in an unlikely place...
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.
=====
Callie cried herself to sleep that night. It wasn't much of a sleep though, considering she woke up every hour, the events of the day haunting her dreams over and over.
When she had gotten home that night, a silent treatment from Cristina was awaiting her. All she had said was “how's Arizona”, without looking up from the TV. “Not good, I think we're over” Callie had replied sadly.
“Ortho, you are one stupid, stupid woman” Cristina had said, before turning off the TV and retreating into her room. So much for a pep talk.
Callie knew it was true though. She truly was an idiot. 'Back to my old crappy life' she thought to herself, burying her face in the pillow to muffle the sobs that filled the dark, empty room.
=====
Arizona didn't sleep much either that night. The image of Callie and Erica together kept flashing by. And there she thought the tiny coffins were bad. This was so much worse. The nauseating feeling in her stomach bugged her and the bed was just so...cold. She missed Callie's warmth around her, but the thought that she would probably never feel that again brought tears to her eyes again for the hundredth time that night.
=====
Callie woke up early next morning to visit her father. She felt like crap, hoping she could at least get through the day without crying, or at least without seeing Arizona.
When she arrived at the hospital, her father was already up, eating his hospital breakfast with taste. “You know Calliope, they serve better breakfast here than in the Grand Hyatt! Take some jelly.”
“Thanks dad, I'd rather not. How are you feeling today?”
“I'm fine, thank you. But that clearly doesn't apply to you. What happened?!”
“It's nothing dad. Let's get you ready for surgery.”
“Calliope, you wear your emotions on your sleeve. I'm your father, I know when something is wrong.”
Callie rolled her eyes and sighed deeply. “Arizona and I got into a fight. I think we broke up.”
“Hmmm” Mr. Torres said thoughtfully. “Is it because of Dr. Hahn?”
Callie looked at him in surprise. “How...how did you know?”
“Oh come on Calliope, this hospital feeds on hormones and gossip! How could I not know?”
Callie ignored him and continued to scan his chart, shaking her head.
Mr. Torres narrowed his eyes to slits and observed her intently. “You are fighting though, right?”
“Why would I do that” Callie replied absent-mindedly, not taking her eyes of the chart.
“Why not? It's what you do Calliope, you fight. You always fought for the things you wanted when you were little.”
“And look where it's gotten me dad: single, childless and depressed. Whoohoo!” she snapped. “I'll see you when you go in to surgery” she added, leaving the room.
=====
Arizona's day didn't start off any better than Callie's. She overslept due to the lack of sleep, so she had to reschedule a surgery for later that day. She felt awful. Little Wallace had dreaded his surgery for days and now, he had to be afraid even longer. Cristina had woken her up, yelling at her through the phone where the hell she was. Cristina was supposed to assist her, to monitor his weak heart.
She got dressed and sped to the hospital, not bothering to look in the mirror before she left. She knew she looked horrible anyway.
=====
Callie and her mother were walking beside her father's bed, who was being taken to surgery.
She waited for her mother to give her teary goodbyes before hugging her and joining Erica in the OR.
Just before she entered, she turned around at a small cough. The moment she realised it was Arizona standing on the other end of the hallway, she opened her mouth to speak, but Arizona stopped her. “Good luck Calliope” she said, her voice shaking. She didn't wait for a response, she just turned around and out of sight.
Callie stared at the spot where Arizona had stood seconds before. She snapped out of it as she heard her name.
“Are you ready Callie?” Erica asked her, her grey eyes piercing through her.
“Y-Yes, let's do this...” she said, swallowing hard, her mouth suddenly very dry. She didn't feel like operating. She felt like crying.
=====
“So...I went back to the hospital last night to give you some company, but you weren't there. What was that about?” Erica asked, while her hands were deep down in Mr. Torres' open chest.
“You came looking for me?!” Callie asked, unable to hide the surprise in her voice.
“Of course. I felt bad that we had to cut out date short and I thought you could use the company.”
“I have a girlfriend Erica. And we weren't on a date. I was with Arizona.”
“So I've heard. Didn't go very well did it?” Erica said. Callie was sure she picked up a hint of amusement in the tall blondes comment.
“Let's just focus on my dad please” Callie answered.
“Fine. Could you stand next to me please? I need you to hold this” Erica said, handing Callie a clip that was attached to a part of her father's heart. Erica was standing so close to her now that Callie could feel the other surgeon breathe steadily. Her elbow occasionally brushed hers as she continued to operate on her father.
“So...your 'girlfriend'” Erica continued in a sarcastic voice “asked me to assist her in surgery later today.”
Callie felt herself becoming a little light headed. They had been in surgery for a good three hours and their proximity and Erica's comments made her mind fuzzy.
“Excuse me” Callie muttered, before dashing out of the OR, ripping her mask of in the progress. Erica watched her leave, the grin on her face invisible behind her mask. “Nurse, page Dr. Yang please” she ordered.
=====
Arizona was pacing the hospital corridors nervously. She couldn't bring herself to watch Callie and Erica together from the gallery, but she was checking her watch occasionally. They had been in there for almost four hours now.
She was forced to ask Erica Hahn to assist her on Wallace's surgery. Cristina was unavailable and to be honest, she didn't trust anyone else with Wallace's life. She now understood a little why Callie requested Erica Hahn on her dad's surgery. When you want somebody to get better so badly, you only want the best for them. And the best happened to be walking around in this hospital the last couple of days.
But it didn't soothe the pit in her stomach she felt twitch every time she thought of the two lovebirds. They say you don't truly realise how much you love something until you lose it. Arizona now knew how true this turned out to be.
=====
Erica cornered Callie in the hall outside the OR. “Everything went well, they're taking him to recovery now. Wanna tell me what happened in there?”
Callie sighed deeply, rubbing her fingers over her temples. “Nothing, I just...freaked out.”
“I understand, he is your father after all. But you can relax now, he's fine. So you wanna continue our date tonight?” she asked hopefully, trapping Callie between the wall and her body.
Callie took a deep breath before speaking. “Listen Erica, yesterday wasn't a date okay, stop saying that. I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea, but I don't feel that way about you any more. I thought I did at first, but now I realise it's the memory of us that made me feel a bit...nostalgic. I asked you to do this surgery because you are the best, no alternative motives. I went to dinner with you to catch up, that's all. Thank you for fixing my dad...but let's leave it at that.”
Erica's face dropped as she heard Callie speak. Callie tried to pass her, but Erica wouldn't move.
“You surprise me Callie. I never imagined a woman like you with a woman like her. She's so naïve and...and boring! And aren't you guys over anyway? I doubt she wants you back after she saw us in the cafeteria yesterday.” Erica bit her lip the moment she spoke those last words.
Callie's eyes narrowed as she threateningly approached Erica. “You saw that?!” she hissed. “You saw her looking and you didn't tell me?” Callie now looked at Erica like she was looking at a rodent. “Do you not remember why we broke up in the first place Erica? You left! You broke my heart! And here you are, once again intentionally screwing up my perfectly happy life! Don't you dare talk about Arizona like that! She makes me a better person but you...” she spat, fire in her eyes “I'm no good when I'm around you. We are *never* going to happen Erica. Now please, let me leave.”
This time, Erica stepped aside in awe as Callie bashed past her, not bothering to grant her another look. “Good luck Cal. You know where to find me!” she yelled after her.
But Callie didn't hear her. She was heading to the paediatric wing.
=====
Arizona was still wandering the corridors without noticing where she went. She snapped out of her thoughts as she realised she wasn't in paed's any more. These walls were not pink and blue and the buzz of children's voices was gone. The hallway was deserted and no sound came from the rooms. Arizona decided to find an empty room here to cry some more before she had to operate on Wallace. She really needed some sleep: her eyelids were so heavy they kept falling shut and, worst of all: she didn't care about her patients any more. Caring was what made her a successful doctor. She was a firm believer in the healing powers of love and family, but she couldn't give her patients that as long as the thought of all the nights she was going to be spending alone in her cold bed kept creeping up on her.
=====
Mr. Torres woke up when he heard a door open slowly. He opened his eyes and saw sad but piercingly blue eyes peek around the door curiously through a blonde mass of curls.
“I'm so sorry...” the blonde whispered as soon as she realised the room was occupied, quickly moving to close the door.
“Don't be. Come in, please.”
Arizona stepped in hesitantly, carefully closing the door behind her.
“Maybe you can tell me where I am? I just got out of surgery.”
Arizona walked over to his chart. “Well then, you're in recovery, Mr....Torres. Oh!” she squeaked as she read his name out loud.
“And you must be Arizona.”
“How did you...”
“Sky blue eyes, blonde curly hair and very pretty, I recall my daughter saying. You certainly fit the description” he explained.
Arizona smiled at him. So Callie did mention her. She walked over to him and offered her hand.
“Arizona Robbins. It's very nice to meet you Sir.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Dr. Robbins” he replied, taking her hand in both his. “Please, take a seat.”
Arizona took a chair and sat down next to the bed. Mr. Torres was scrutinizing her from head to toe. It made Arizona shift uncomfortably in her seat. She desperately wanted to make conversation but didn't know where to start, so instead she broke the awkward silence with the first question that came to her mind. “So your surgery went well?” She mentally slapped herself the moment she said it.
Mr. Torres let out a small laugh. “You tell me Dr. Robbins. I'm still alive, that's all I know!”
“Right, yeah...” she said embarrassedly, fidgeting with her fingers and looking around the room.
Another awkward silence.
“Dr. Robbins, I have a feeling that you have something on your heart. Can I be of your service?”
Arizona fixed her eyes on her hands, afraid to look up at him. It was like looking into Callie's eyes and she knew she would break down all over again.
“I have to operate on a little boy today. He's the sweetest kid and I'm afraid...today is not a good day for me and it makes me kind of numb. And I need to feel in order to save that little boy, because it'll take a miracle to fix him. I need to feel...I need to care, I should at least give him that. I can't operate on him like this.”
“Fair enough. And what got you so...numb in the first place?” Mr. Torres asked attentively.
She hesitated for a moment but decided to go for it anyway. “It's...it's your daughter. We had a fight and...I think we're over...” she said in a small voice, still staring down.
Mr. Torres sighed deeply before speaking. “Calliope came in this morning with the exact same story. This Hahn woman is the source of it all, am I right?”
Arizona nodded. She felt a jolt of anger rushing through her at the mentioning of that name. “But that's not the only thing. Calliope has had a rough year. I wanted to make her better. But some things...she has to do on her own you know. I can't think for her.” She finally looked him in the eyes and it was like talking to Callie. He was listening carefully, his friendly eyes encouraging her.
“I feel so helpless, seeing her with Erica Hahn, knowing she's not good for her. But I can't tell her that. She needs to find out herself...but it's just so damn hard!” The frustration and emotion was clearly audible in her voice.
“And I feel a little odd talking to you about it” she added half laughing, wiping her tears away with her sleeve. She didn't know why she was telling him all this. Something about this man made her calm again. It felt good to talk to someone about it.
Mr. Torres was thinking hard before opening his mouth to speak. “Dr. Robbins, let me tell you something about Calliope. Calliope has never been able to hide her emotions, she's an open book. But not everyone has the ability to read those emotions. It's taken me years to learn, but it's safe to say that Calliope can not keep anything a secret from me nowadays.”
Arizona was listening attentively now.
“I know that Calliope has had a rough year and I feel partially responsible for that. I haven't always been the father she deserves and I deeply regret that” he said. Now it was his turn to look down at making this confession.
“However” he continued, looking Arizona straight in the eyes, “seeing you I know now that I have nothing to fear.” His voice was a bit hoarse. Arizona looked back at him in surprise.
“It's hard for a father to see his little girl grow up, make her own mistakes, get hurt. And it's easy to make mistakes and get hurt, I know that. But to be happy...that takes a lot more. But you Dr. Robbins...you have made her happy. I haven't seen her this happy since she was a little girl. She thinks the world of you. She even turned gay for you!”
The word 'gay' came out slightly uncomfortable. Arizona chuckled and laughed through her tears. Mr. Torres looked at her sympathetically.
“Calliope never brought her boyfriends home. I hadn't even met George before they were married! But she told me all you about you Dr. Robbins. She lets you call her Calliope, not even her mother is allowed to call her that! Besides, she's never even mentioned Dr. Hahn. Why do you think that is?”
Arizona knew the answer to that, but she couldn't form words due to all the emotions overwhelming her.
Mr. Torres observed her empathetically. “Calliope is a trustworthy person. She would never do anything to hurt you, of that I am sure. She loves you very much, you know.”
Arizona's head shot up at hearing those words. “She does?” she blurted out.
Mr. Torres grinned. “She didn't have to! As I said, I read her. And if you take the time to learn, you will too someday.”
Arizona was still staring at him seconds after he finished. Suddenly, she woke up from her reverie and checked her watch. “Mr. Torres, I need to operate in a few minutes so I have to get to the OR.”
“It has been a pleasure meeting you Dr. Robbins. And I am confident that you will perform the surgery very well. You have a big heart, that should help him one way or another” he encouraged her.
Arizona beamed at him sympathetically. She couldn't believe this was the same man that everyone was so afraid of. “I cannot thank you enough for your kind words Mr. Torres. It was lovely to meet you too.”
“Now...I trust it you will take very good care of my daughter?”
“Mr Torres...I would give her the world if I could, believe me” she said, smiling at him through her tears as she moved out of her chair. “You don't have to worry about her any more. I will love her and take care of her the best I can.”
Mr. Torres smiled up at her. “That's all I need to hear. Well then...I'm looking forward to seeing more of you in the future!” he said.
“So do I” she replied. “And Mr. Torres...you're not so scary as they say you are. I mean...throwing people into walls and stuff.”
“I have my soft sides” Mr. Torres winked at her.
Arizona shook her head as she left the room and closed the door behind her. 'Callie obviously didn't get her charm from a stranger' she thought to herself, her heart considerably lighter than before.
=====
Callie was laying in Mark's lap in the attending locker room. “I messed up Mark, I messed up bad.”
“Yeah, it must be hard, having two women fight over you” he mocked, stroking her hair.
Callie was so upset she couldn't even come up with a witty response to his comment. “I don't think Arizona will fight for me. She basically told me she doesn't love me any more. Finally something good comes along and I don't even last a year without screwing up...”
“Don't lay this all on yourself Torres. This whole love thing...it's complicated. Suddenly, you have to be accountable for everything you do, for everything you feel, it's exhausting!
Callie nodded at him in agreement.
But as your best friend, I need you to promise me you will go after her. This whole happy...glowy...perky thing you've got going on lately...it makes you even hotter than you already were.”
Callie looked up at him from his lap. “You would make a horrible shrink.”
“That's mean. It's the best I could come up with.”
“I know. Thanks Mark.”
“Any time. Now, let's go win our girl back. Blondie is operating on that kid that's been living in this hospital for the last seven months and I think she needs your support, judging by her grumpy mood this morning. Blondie and grumpy, that just doesn't fit. And she's operating with Hahn, I'm hoping for some girl on girl action” he said, throwing Callie a smug grin while getting up from the couch and pulling her with him.
=====
They were operating on Wallace for two hours now. There were no complications yet, Arizona was taking her time exploring while Erica was monitoring his heart closely. Arizona tried not to look up at Erica. Every time she laid her eyes on that woman she felt the urge to kick something, and she definitely couldn't use that right now.
She stepped back for a moment, stretching her muscles and throwing her head in her neck. That's when she saw Callie staring down at her from the gallery. For a split second, their eyes locked and Arizona felt her body warm up. The gallery was pretty crowded. After seven months of treatment, most of the staff had got to know Wallace and they all had taken a liking in him.
“Everything OK there Dr. Robbins?”
“Everything's fine Dr. Hahn, thank you. How is his heart doing?”
“Steady, he's fine” Erica answered, stepping towards the operating table and observing Arizona operate on Wallace. “So...how are you and Dr. Torres coping?”
“Coping with what exactly Dr. Hahn?” Arizona asked, trying to sound calm.
“Well, with the break up and all...I'm surprised at how well you both are coping. I heard Callie was devastated when we broke up and...”
“What are you trying to say Dr. Hahn?” Arizona's voice was trembling with anger now. She was forcing herself not to look up and keep her hands steady, since they were buried deep inside of Wallace. One wrong movement could end his life.
Erica looked at the blonde surgeon in astonishment. “Are you really that ignorant?!”
“Maybe I am Dr. Hahn. Maybe you can explain it to me then” Arizona replied, still fixing her eyes on little Wallace.
Erica took one step closer to the table, looking at Arizona intensely. “You can't handle a woman like Callie, Dr. Robbins, that's what I'm saying. She might think she's happy, but I've known her a lot longer than you have. It's only temporary. I just hope you're prepared for that.”
Arizona stepped back and stretched her muscles again, hoping to catch one more glimpse of Callie before ending this surgery successfully. She was not disappointed. Callie was still there, looking down at her. But she looked angry this time. Arizona sighed. If only she could hear what Erica Hahn just said...
“Thank you for your interesting statement Dr. Hahn. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my surgery” she stated simply, surprised at how calm she sounded. She proceeded her ministrations, feeling Callie's angry eyes burn a hole in her skin. Why did she come here anyway, if she was so angry? Arizona needed to finish this surgery quickly as she felt her emotions getting the best of her.
Almost there...
“Interesting scrubcap you got there Dr. Robbins. Very girlie” Erica broke her concentration again.
Arizona didn't answer. The comment hung in the air, heightening the tension that was already lingering in the room from the start.
“That's it” Arizona whispered behind her mask, barely audible.
“Excuse me?” Erica said.
“I said that's - it” Arizona said, finally looking up at Erica. “You can't stand the fact that Calliope is with me. You see her happy and now you kick yourself in the head for ever leaving her. Am I close?”
“Uhm...”
“Shut up, that was a rhetorical question. You have no idea how badly I have wanted to kick your ass ever since I heard what you did to her. How can someone in his right mind leave someone like her?!” she exclaimed, pointing at the gallery. “You must be really, really blind or just plain stupid.”
“Dr. Robbins, I don't think this is appropriate talk during surgery...” Erica defended herself.
“Dr. Hahn, this is MY OR and I will be the one who chooses the topics of conversation” she snapped. “You come back here after all this time, thinking you can have Calliope back, just like that?”
“Well I...”
“SHUT - UP I said! I will be doing the talking. I am telling you this just once, so you better listen carefully, you girlfriend-snatching bitch. Since I have met Calliope, I am even perkier than I was before. Yes, that is possible” she added immediately as she heard one of the nurses snigger, never taking her eyes off of Erica.
“She makes me happy. I make her happy. We love each other. And that doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about her.” Arizona was much calmer now. Erica could even hear a slight trembling in her voice. She looked around uncomfortably, wishing this surgery was over.
“She truly is the love of my life, Dr. Hahn” she continued, unable to hide the emotion that coated her voice. “I would do any thing for her. Any thing. We are happy, you get it?” A mix of tears and anger welled up in her throat. “So what kind of person are you, to take that away from her, from us?”
Erica opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She was flabbergasted by the sudden outburst of the what she thought passive and boring blonde surgeon.
“I love Calliope and my dad taught me to protect the things that I love. So after your surgeries in Seattle Grace are over, you will go back to whatever hellhole they keep people like you and you will not return. And if I ever see you near my Calliope again...well, you might wanna wrap up your brilliant surgeon hands real good Dr Hahn, because I might be four inches shorter than you...but I bite” Arizona spoke, hissing those last words through clenched teeth.
Her eyes were shooting fire at Erica, who felt herself become smaller by the second. Everyone was holding their breath now, the whole room was quiet.
Suddenly, Arizona stepped back from the table. “There, all done. Good job people. Close up please!” she said in a high pitched voice.
Arizona turned on her heels and walked out the OR like nothing happened, leaving Erica staring after her, her mouth hanging open behind her mask. Arizona bashed through the doors so fast she never saw the flickering red light next to it.
The intercom had been on all that time. Callie had heard everything.
=====
Callie was observing the surgery attentively, unable to take her eyes off of the gorgeous blonde performing it. When she heard Erica's mean comments, she nearly descended to drag Erica out of that room herself but Mark had stopped her.
“Relax Ortho, Blondie knows how to defend herself. Sit down” he had said.
“Oh boy, this is good” Cristina said amused, stuffing her mouth with popcorn.
“Shouldn't you be somewhere else Yang?” Callie asked irritatedly.
“Nope, all done.”
Callie focused back on the surgery and was surprised at how calm Arizona appeared. Callie, on the contrary, was fuming and ready to snap a dinosaur bone.
Suddenly, she saw Arizona's hands tremble and she knew Erica was pushing her. 'Bad idea Erica...' she though to herself. At that moment, Arizona lost all self-control and started her verbal knock-down on Erica Hahn.
Callie's eyes widened as the soap below her unravelled further. When Arizona suddenly pointed at her, all heads in the gallery turned to her and she laughed nervously.
Erica tried to interrupt, but Arizona wouldn't let her. Callie smiled inwardly. In her relatively short period at Seattle Grace, Arizona had proven to be very persuasive, always jumping in at the right time to deliver one of her convincing speeches. She would throw in her killer dimples at the end and her victim was lost. Not even the Chief was immune to her powers.
But as the speech continued, Callie felt tears prickling in her eyes again. She didn't even notice the eyes burning in her back as the whole gallery was now enjoying Dr. Robbins' explicit display of love for Dr. Torres.
The room went black and all she could see was Arizona, fighting for her, beating the other woman to the floor with just her words. Everything seemed to play in slow motion as Arizona went in for the kill.
“Wow. That was...” Mark began.
“Yeah...” Callie muttered in a hoarse voice.
“She truly is the love of my life, Dr. Hahn. I would do any thing for her.”
The words lingered in her ears. As she saw Arizona bash out of the OR, she got up and ran out of the gallery.
“...hot” Mark continued, lost in his own dirty thoughts.
“That's right Dr. Torres, you go get her!” an intern yelled after her, throwing a fist in the air. He was rudely muted by Cristina, pushing popcorn into his mouth, choking him. “Not cool five, not cool.”
=====
A/N: A new and improved chapter 8! I hope it lives up to your expectations. I just love Calzone and even as the writer of this fic I can't bear to keep them apart for longer than 3 chapters...please tell me your thoughts on this, I love you and your reviews! XOXO