Second Time Around (3A/?)
Title: Second Time Around (3A/?)
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 chapter was posted elsewhere online. The rest of it is a journey.
Prior parts:
Part 1A
Part 1B
Part 1C
Part 1D
Part 2A
Part 2B
Part 2C
Part 3: Sweet little lies might have worked for Fleetwood Mac
Although a large part of her thought that the idea was crazy, when Callie saw Erica sitting by herself in the cafeteria late that afternoon, she recalled Arizona’s words from this morning that she should help Erica. Maybe that would make things easier between them. Not that much of this was easy. In this big hospital it was one thing to hide from someone who didn’t want to see you. Trying to keep away from someone who was stalking you was proving a different matter.
Slamming her coffee cup on the table earned Callie the attention of Erica, and the few other people seated nearby. “Okay, you want to talk.” Torres sat at the table across from Hahn. Close enough to keep things private, but still far enough away.
“The attending scrubs look good on you.” As she spoke, the pinched look that had been on Hahn’s face softened to a smile. “You’re the reason I came back, you know.”
The word, ‘bullshit’ pounded at the inside of Callie’s skull. Strongly. Loudly. In English and in Spanish. Accompanied by a few more choice phrases. Arizona was so going to owe her for this idea.
Erica awkwardly reached her hand across the table. It lay there, ungrasped, until Erica pulled it back without any comment other than the flash of anger in Callie’s eyes.
“I need you. We need each other.”
“You suddenly figured this out?” Still hearing Arizona’s voice being annoyingly reasonable, and perky, in her head, Callie tried to keep the outward anger to a minimum. Yet some bitterness couldn’t help but seep through.
“I’ve known.” Erica was holding to her calm façade. “I tried to deny my feelings for you, but I haven’t felt anything for anyone else. Not since, and not this strongly. But I knew there was a chance that you might act like this.”
“Like what?” Callie felt a shifting of blame in her direction.
“Like you’re mad. But you don’t have to be. We can be together.
Callie shook her head. “We can’t be together, Erica. Maybe there might have been a chance. Maybe. But you left me.” She emphasized the point by mashing her index finger into the table with each syllable. “You left me, and for a short time, I was devastated. But we were over. I’ve moved on.”
“To Robbins.”
“Yes, to Arizona Robbins. The woman that I love.”
“You’d pick that wannabe teen Barbie-doll on wheels?”
“You do not get to question my choices. You come back after no communication for over a year. You assault me. You demean my girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend is it? Baby steps into the land of PC?”
“Would you prefer if I called her my lover?” Callie shot back, noting by the fading smile on Erica’s face as she stretched out the last word of the sentence. “You don’t know her. She a talented surgeon, a wonderful person, and I will not sit by and let you insult her for spite.
“Not to mention the fact that she’s been here, Erica. She’s been here for me. She was here when George died.”
“I heard about O’Malley. I’m sorry.”
“It was horrible. I was a mess. But she was here for me. She supported me. She also supported me when my family cut me off because of my relationship with her. So no, you cannot talk about her in snide ways. You cannot undermine her as a talented surgeon and caregiver.”
“Would it be okay, then, if I picked on your boyfriend instead?”
Snotty Erica was back in full force.
“You can do whatever you want to do, Erica.” Callie stood up from the table. “You just can’t do it with me, about me, or about Arizona.” And with that, she left.
She’d tried. As Callie saw it, she’d tried to be friendly, be civil. Erica, however, was still Erica. She’d only met this aspect of Hahn’s personality once; it had been the last night that she’d seen Erica. But this is the Hahn that most others at SGMW seemed to have been introduced to at one point or another.
Fuming and focused on hunting down Arizona, Callie didn’t notice that she’d walked right past Mark.
He, on the other hand, did notice his friend and that his friend seemed just short of a rage. Mark grabbed Callie’s arm as she passed. “Torres,” he said as he tugged, breaking her concentration. “I’m not sure who you’re planning on killing, but you’re scarring the interns.”
The stalled motion didn’t decrease the emotion. “Oh, I think you can figure out who I’m going to kill,” she whispered through gritted teeth.
“C’mon.” He pulled her into an on-call room, hoping he could talk her down from whatever Erica, he guessed, had done.
Unseen by the pair, Arizona Robbins had just been turning the corner in the corridor. She saw them entering the room. She hated the thoughts that Hahn had planted in her head, but were things as casual as Callie had made them sound?
Timidly, Robbins tried the door and found it locked.
“Occupied,” boomed Mark’s voice from inside the room.
At this point, Arizona decided that whatever was happening in that room, which could well be something that she generally reserved as happening only in her deepest of fears, well, she didn’t want to know. Not now. Maybe not ever.
She closed her eyes and pushed any mental images aside. Now was not the time for this. She had patients. Clutching her fists closed so tightly that her fingernails dug into her palms, she turned and returned to the Pediatric station.
Throughout the walk, one thought kept pounding through her brain. What if Erica was right? Sweet little lies might have worked for Fleetwood Mac lyrics, or for Fleetwood Mac. But that wasn’t something she was ready to accept.
Deep down, she knew she loved Callie, and Callie said that she loved her. But now a small fear of the price of that love was growing into a greater fear. Was she the only one that Callie loved? Arizona headed towards her locker, hoping she still had at least one pack of Marlboros secreted away in her cubby. Today had become that day. A detour was in order.
(end part 3A)
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 chapter was posted elsewhere online. The rest of it is a journey.
Prior parts:
Part 1A
Part 1B
Part 1C
Part 1D
Part 2A
Part 2B
Part 2C
Part 3: Sweet little lies might have worked for Fleetwood Mac
Although a large part of her thought that the idea was crazy, when Callie saw Erica sitting by herself in the cafeteria late that afternoon, she recalled Arizona’s words from this morning that she should help Erica. Maybe that would make things easier between them. Not that much of this was easy. In this big hospital it was one thing to hide from someone who didn’t want to see you. Trying to keep away from someone who was stalking you was proving a different matter.
Slamming her coffee cup on the table earned Callie the attention of Erica, and the few other people seated nearby. “Okay, you want to talk.” Torres sat at the table across from Hahn. Close enough to keep things private, but still far enough away.
“The attending scrubs look good on you.” As she spoke, the pinched look that had been on Hahn’s face softened to a smile. “You’re the reason I came back, you know.”
The word, ‘bullshit’ pounded at the inside of Callie’s skull. Strongly. Loudly. In English and in Spanish. Accompanied by a few more choice phrases. Arizona was so going to owe her for this idea.
Erica awkwardly reached her hand across the table. It lay there, ungrasped, until Erica pulled it back without any comment other than the flash of anger in Callie’s eyes.
“I need you. We need each other.”
“You suddenly figured this out?” Still hearing Arizona’s voice being annoyingly reasonable, and perky, in her head, Callie tried to keep the outward anger to a minimum. Yet some bitterness couldn’t help but seep through.
“I’ve known.” Erica was holding to her calm façade. “I tried to deny my feelings for you, but I haven’t felt anything for anyone else. Not since, and not this strongly. But I knew there was a chance that you might act like this.”
“Like what?” Callie felt a shifting of blame in her direction.
“Like you’re mad. But you don’t have to be. We can be together.
Callie shook her head. “We can’t be together, Erica. Maybe there might have been a chance. Maybe. But you left me.” She emphasized the point by mashing her index finger into the table with each syllable. “You left me, and for a short time, I was devastated. But we were over. I’ve moved on.”
“To Robbins.”
“Yes, to Arizona Robbins. The woman that I love.”
“You’d pick that wannabe teen Barbie-doll on wheels?”
“You do not get to question my choices. You come back after no communication for over a year. You assault me. You demean my girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend is it? Baby steps into the land of PC?”
“Would you prefer if I called her my lover?” Callie shot back, noting by the fading smile on Erica’s face as she stretched out the last word of the sentence. “You don’t know her. She a talented surgeon, a wonderful person, and I will not sit by and let you insult her for spite.
“Not to mention the fact that she’s been here, Erica. She’s been here for me. She was here when George died.”
“I heard about O’Malley. I’m sorry.”
“It was horrible. I was a mess. But she was here for me. She supported me. She also supported me when my family cut me off because of my relationship with her. So no, you cannot talk about her in snide ways. You cannot undermine her as a talented surgeon and caregiver.”
“Would it be okay, then, if I picked on your boyfriend instead?”
Snotty Erica was back in full force.
“You can do whatever you want to do, Erica.” Callie stood up from the table. “You just can’t do it with me, about me, or about Arizona.” And with that, she left.
She’d tried. As Callie saw it, she’d tried to be friendly, be civil. Erica, however, was still Erica. She’d only met this aspect of Hahn’s personality once; it had been the last night that she’d seen Erica. But this is the Hahn that most others at SGMW seemed to have been introduced to at one point or another.
Fuming and focused on hunting down Arizona, Callie didn’t notice that she’d walked right past Mark.
He, on the other hand, did notice his friend and that his friend seemed just short of a rage. Mark grabbed Callie’s arm as she passed. “Torres,” he said as he tugged, breaking her concentration. “I’m not sure who you’re planning on killing, but you’re scarring the interns.”
The stalled motion didn’t decrease the emotion. “Oh, I think you can figure out who I’m going to kill,” she whispered through gritted teeth.
“C’mon.” He pulled her into an on-call room, hoping he could talk her down from whatever Erica, he guessed, had done.
Unseen by the pair, Arizona Robbins had just been turning the corner in the corridor. She saw them entering the room. She hated the thoughts that Hahn had planted in her head, but were things as casual as Callie had made them sound?
Timidly, Robbins tried the door and found it locked.
“Occupied,” boomed Mark’s voice from inside the room.
At this point, Arizona decided that whatever was happening in that room, which could well be something that she generally reserved as happening only in her deepest of fears, well, she didn’t want to know. Not now. Maybe not ever.
She closed her eyes and pushed any mental images aside. Now was not the time for this. She had patients. Clutching her fists closed so tightly that her fingernails dug into her palms, she turned and returned to the Pediatric station.
Throughout the walk, one thought kept pounding through her brain. What if Erica was right? Sweet little lies might have worked for Fleetwood Mac lyrics, or for Fleetwood Mac. But that wasn’t something she was ready to accept.
Deep down, she knew she loved Callie, and Callie said that she loved her. But now a small fear of the price of that love was growing into a greater fear. Was she the only one that Callie loved? Arizona headed towards her locker, hoping she still had at least one pack of Marlboros secreted away in her cubby. Today had become that day. A detour was in order.
(end part 3A)