V-Day Challenge(Romance): Heart left Behind
TITLE: Heart left behind.
AUTHOR: Neolithic Dream
PAIRING: Callie & Arizona
RATING: PG 13
SUMMARY: Just a little something for the Valentines Day Challenge.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Calzona or any of the characters mentioned in this fic. They are the property of Shonda Rhimes/ ABC etc... This fic is purely written for enjoyment and without intent or prospect of profit. No copyright infringement intended.
Arizona Robbins lay in her bed, alone and lonely, watching and waiting as the flickering digits of her alarm clock changed to 5:30 ,bracing herself for the harsh tone of the alarm. She switched it off and lay back on the bed and sighed. She didn’t need the alarm; she’d been awake since 4 a.m., yet another disturbed sleep to add to the months of disturbed sleeps.
As she got up to start her day she realised that she just wanted this day to be over- Valentines Day-one of her favourite days of the year-just not this year. Arizona Robbins was not someone used to being alone on Valentine’s Day. Hers was not the old narrative of ugly duckling to beautiful swan. No, with those dimples, the blonde curls and those large blue eyes Arizona was a gorgeous child who transformed into a pretty, graceful teenager and finally into a confident beautiful thirty-something. From Grade School on she had always had admirers especially on Valentines. The early cards from secret anonymous admirers had changed to cards and gifts from a steady stream of girlfriends; some serious, some not so, all ultimately let down gently.
Today, however, there would be no Card, no gifts, and no flowers. Not today.
As she showered Arizona realised this should have been her fourth Valentine’s Day in Seattle. Even on the first, when she had been in Seattle only a few weeks, she had a date. A second date no less with Ju-, June or no, was it, yes, Julie. It had been pleasant and a third date was agreed upon for the following week. A third date that began at the Emerald City Bar and who knows what might have happened, on the significant “third” date, had Calliope Torres not happened. Yes, Arizona sighed in remembrance, Calliope Torres, unique by name, unique by nature. Poor Julie didn’t stand a chance.
Her second Valentine’s Day in Seattle - now that was memorable. She and Calliope were like love-struck teenagers all day. They were both on-call that evening so had an early romantic dinner and swapped beautifully delicate heart-shaped necklaces as symbols of their love. Giggling like schoolgirls they pledged never to remove them at least not until replaced by more significant jewellery. Arizona recalled that her now broken necklace was still in her purse.
Neither of them would have believed that by the time her third Valentines in Seattle rolled around they would have been through two painful breakups and one glorious makeup. Last year they were trying, struggling to find a way to rebuild what had been broken. Had they been a patient the chart would have read- “CALZONA- critical but stable for now”. They had both tried so hard, both had desperately wanted them to survive.
As she crossed the short distance from her accommodation to the Hospital Arizona recalled again the scene at Sea-Tac Airport, and the copious amount of tears she had shed on the flight over. She had left her heart behind in Sea-Tac of that there was no doubt. Walking through the doors of the CARTER MADISON Paediatric Clinic she knew that this should have been her fourth Valentine’s Day in Seattle; the place her heart still remained even though the rest of her was standing in the open door of her small office in the Malawian capital.
Still, peering into her office, she could not but smile at the sight before her. It was still standing on her desk where she had left it last night. She knew it was meant to remain undiscovered until today but to take her mind of the ache in her heart she had decided to get some work done ahead of schedule.
It had been hidden in her briefcase, amongst some very dull budget forecasts; slipped in surreptitiously, probably as her tears were still flowing. The most beautiful, handmade Valentine’s Day card Arizona had ever received. It was just a simple piece of stationery folded in two, probably stolen from the supply cupboard. She recognised the crayon colours, red and purple, from the secret crayon stash in her office. The message on the front could not have been simpler -“Happy Valentine’s Day” printed in Capitals with crayon. Of course like all great Valentine Cards it was anonymous but a clue had been left behind by the author. A rather large clue in the shape of a tiny smudged red handprint.
A handprint that Arizona would recognise anywhere. It was the print of the tiny hand that had held her finger with a surprisingly firm grip when only a few hours old just 4 months ago. The hand whose grip on blonde curls was now strong enough to make Arizona almost cry in pain; the same grip that had brought about the destruction of her heart-shaped necklace only days ago. The tiny hand whose tiny owner possessed the largest set of lungs in Seattle; the cause of all those sleep disturbed nights. The tiny, beautiful, most precious hand of one Miss Danielle Sloane Torres.
Calliope had told her time and time again that, as she was the one breastfeeding, there was really no need for Arizona too to be awake for the midnight and 4am feeds; Arizona had simply replied that if she was not wearing that telltale bleary-eyed sleep-deprived zombie look how else would people know that she was a new mom?
She knew she had made a bit of a scene at the Airport; tears flowing, clinging on for dear life to both Calliope and Dani ,crying that she did not want to go to Malawi, that it was for far too long . Calliope laughing at her, telling her that in only seven days she and Dani would be standing there again waiting for her to disembark from her plane. SEVEN days, that was a whole week, that was a lifetime to Dani - what if she didn’t remember her when she came back; what if she did something new, like a new type of gurgle, or a new different snore or grimace. Arizona was sure to miss something, SEVEN days.
Calliope promised to record everything and that when she got back and had recovered from her jetlag they would belatedly celebrate Valentine’s Day with a night at the Archfield; their first night alone in four months. Dani’s Dad would do his babysitting duties. Calliope had kissed her, called her a moron and sent her scurrying to the boarding gate with the last call for boarding ringing in her ears.
As Arizona held the card to her face and placed a gentle kiss on the red handprint she knew she had left her heart behind in Sea-tac but she knew too that in six days she would be reunited with it.