Grey's Anatomy: Here (1/1)
Fandom: Grey's Anatomy
Title: Here
Rating: PG13
Status: Complete (1/1)
Author: englishstrawbie
Characters/Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Disclaimer: Here.
Author's Note: a little moment between Callie and Arizona post-7x18.
Callie is sleeping when Arizona is finally allowed back into the room. It has been almost two hours since she woke up; almost two hours since her army of doctors threw Arizona out of the room so that they could examine her; almost two hours since her broken voice agreed to marry her.
’Yes.’ It was just one word but it meant everything to her.
She slips into the room as quietly as possible, but the sound of the door sliding shut causes Callie to stir. “A’zona?” she mumbles.
“I’m here,” Arizona says softly, sitting down on the chair next to the bed. She runs her fingers delicately over Callie’s bruised cheek. She can’t help but wonder if the cuts will leave a scar, an ever-present reminder of what they had been through. “Get some rest.”
Callie frowns and lets out a small moan before opening her eyes in defiance. She blinks a few times and then rolls her head to one side, looking at Arizona. “Is she okay?”
Arizona knows immediately who she is talking about. “She’s stable,” Arizona replies. “Addison’s keeping an eye on her.” She offers Callie a small, optimistic smile. “She’s fighting. She’s a fighter, our little girl.”
Her choice of words remind Callie of the moment a few months ago when Arizona declared the bump to be “our baby”. Until now, that memory filled Callie with joy, but not today. Today it fills her with fear because it’s too soon. It’s too soon for her baby to be born, it’s too soon to ask her baby to survive in this world on her own.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. Nothing about this pregnancy had been easy so far but Callie had always held on to idea that once the baby was born, everything would fall into place. This? This wasn’t supposed to happen.
Her eyes fill with tears. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” Arizona asks, frowning in concern.
“I want to see her,” Callie whimpers.
Arizona’s heart breaks at the pain in her voice. “Oh, Calliope, I know you do. You can see her soon,” Arizona promises.
“I want to see her now. I should be there.”
She reaches for the tubes that are feeding her painkillers but Arizona stands up, pinning her arms down and stopping her before she is able to tear them from her veins. Callie searches for the energy to fight back but her limbs are weary and heavy and she soon realises that she’s not going anywhere. She cries out in frustration.
“She’s alone,” she cries. “She shouldn’t be alone. I should be with her.”
“She’s not alone,” Arizona reassures her. “Mark’s with her. Other than coming to see you, he hasn’t left her side since she was born.”
Callie sighs. Her body aches but she doesn’t know if it’s because she has been through hell or because she just wants to hold her baby. “It should be me.”
“I know. And I know that she wants to meet you just as much as you want to meet her,” Arizona soothes her. As hard as it is to watch Callie in so much pain at being separated from her daughter, Arizona cannot help but feel relieved. How very like Callie to not care about her own injuries and put her new daughter first. The familiarity of her action is comforting to Arizona.
“I’ve got something I can show you.” Arizona pulls her cellphone out of her pocket before sitting back down on her chair, dragging it as close as possible to the bed. She presses a few buttons and brings up a slideshow of photos of the baby. “I took these in the NICU. I know it’s not the same but I thought that this way you could at least see her.”
She leans in towards Callie, her head resting just above Callie’s shoulder. The hospital room is sterile, but she can smell the faint scent of Callie’s shampoo and she indulges in their closeness, inhaling deeply.
Arizona holds the cellphone in front of their faces. Callie’s breath catches in her throat. The first thing she sees is how small and fragile she looks. “She’s tiny.”
“But strong,” Arizona responds. “Look at how tightly she’s gripping Mark’s finger. He says that he can feel her holding on.”
She flicks through the photos one by one, photos taken from every angle possible. “You can’t see it because of the hat but she has the most beautiful…”
“Black hair,” Callie finishes her sentence. “She really is beautiful. Thank you.”
They reach the last of the photos but Callie makes her scroll through them again and again, taking in every inch of her baby’s features. “How did you manage to take all of these?”
“I have some privileges being an amazing peds attending, you know,” Arizona teases with a smile.
“You are amazing,” Callie says, pulling her eyes away from the photos to look at her. “I know what you did.”
Arizona shakes her head. “I didn’t…”
“You did,” Callie interrupts her. “And I will never ever forget it.”
Their eyes lock. Arizona tips her head forward and presses her lips gently against Callie’s, being careful not to hurt her. It’s light and tender and the intimate contact sends a shiver down her spine. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Callie says. “And you’re not nothing. You’re not nothing, you’re everything.”
Arizona looks at her curiously, guessing that Bailey or perhaps Owen had told her about her argument with Mark. Callie doesn’t explain it, knowing that it will only lead to another consult from Derek and she doesn’t want any more doctors examining her.
“I love her,” Arizona says. “I want you to know that. I couldn’t love her more if I’d given birth to her myself.” Her words are meant to reassure Callie, but they also make her realise that all of the arguments and the pain have been worth it now that this bundle of tiny fingers and tiny toes and jet black hair is here. She knew it as soon as she saw the baby lying helplessly on the table in the OR.
“I can’t wait for you to meet your daughter,” Arizona says. “She’s going to love you so much.”
Callie hears the crack in her voice and looks at her. It’s the first time she really sees her since waking up and she notices the cuts and bruises that adorn her face. “You’re hurt,” she says simply.
Arizona shakes her head. “I’m okay,” she says with a sad smile. “As long as you’re okay, I’m okay.”
A single tear runs down her face. Callie tries to wipe it away but her hand doesn’t co-operate and all she can do is watch as Arizona rubs her cheek in a swift movement.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispers.
“Sorry for what?” Callie asks with a frown.
“I should have been paying attention to the road. I should have…” She falters, blinking back the tears that are on the brink of falling.
“No. No! It was an accident, okay?” Callie says.
Arizona bites her bottom lip. She didn’t want to do this, she didn’t want to offload her own feelings onto Callie after all that she had been through but the truth was that Callie was the only one who would understand and who could bring her any comfort. Arizona buries her face into Callie’s shoulder, hiding her crumpled face. The guilt that she has been feeling overwhelms her. The last 24 hours have been the longest, loneliest and most terrifying 24 hours she has ever experienced. All she has wanted - needed - is for Callie to wake up and now that she has, Arizona cannot fight her emotions any longer.
“It’s okay,” Callie soothes her with words, wishing she could scoop Arizona up into her arms and provide her with some physical comfort. “It was an accident. I’m okay. I’m going to get better and our daughter is going to get better, and then we’re going to get out of here and I’m marrying you. I’m marrying you.”
She feels Arizona nod against her body.
“You’re exhausted. You need to sleep,” Callie says.
Arizona laughs. She lifts her head and rubs her eyes. “I should be saying that to you.”
“You’ve been taking care of me for the last 24 hours,” Callie says.
“And I’m going to keep on taking care of you. I’m not leaving you,” Arizona says, pushing aside her own feelings once more.
Callie smiles. “I know.”
“You should rest too,” Arizona says. “You need to rest and get better. We all need you to get better.”
She stands up. She places her fingers delicately on Callie’s eyelids, closing her eyes. She bends down and kisses each one, then drops another kiss on her lips. “Sleep,” she instructs her. She settles back on her chair, pulling it close to the gurney again and resting her head on the mattress. She wraps her hand around Callie’s and is sure that she feels Callie squeeze her fingers as she drifts off to sleep.
Title: Here
Rating: PG13
Status: Complete (1/1)
Author: englishstrawbie
Characters/Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Disclaimer: Here.
Author's Note: a little moment between Callie and Arizona post-7x18.
Callie is sleeping when Arizona is finally allowed back into the room. It has been almost two hours since she woke up; almost two hours since her army of doctors threw Arizona out of the room so that they could examine her; almost two hours since her broken voice agreed to marry her.
’Yes.’ It was just one word but it meant everything to her.
She slips into the room as quietly as possible, but the sound of the door sliding shut causes Callie to stir. “A’zona?” she mumbles.
“I’m here,” Arizona says softly, sitting down on the chair next to the bed. She runs her fingers delicately over Callie’s bruised cheek. She can’t help but wonder if the cuts will leave a scar, an ever-present reminder of what they had been through. “Get some rest.”
Callie frowns and lets out a small moan before opening her eyes in defiance. She blinks a few times and then rolls her head to one side, looking at Arizona. “Is she okay?”
Arizona knows immediately who she is talking about. “She’s stable,” Arizona replies. “Addison’s keeping an eye on her.” She offers Callie a small, optimistic smile. “She’s fighting. She’s a fighter, our little girl.”
Her choice of words remind Callie of the moment a few months ago when Arizona declared the bump to be “our baby”. Until now, that memory filled Callie with joy, but not today. Today it fills her with fear because it’s too soon. It’s too soon for her baby to be born, it’s too soon to ask her baby to survive in this world on her own.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. Nothing about this pregnancy had been easy so far but Callie had always held on to idea that once the baby was born, everything would fall into place. This? This wasn’t supposed to happen.
Her eyes fill with tears. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” Arizona asks, frowning in concern.
“I want to see her,” Callie whimpers.
Arizona’s heart breaks at the pain in her voice. “Oh, Calliope, I know you do. You can see her soon,” Arizona promises.
“I want to see her now. I should be there.”
She reaches for the tubes that are feeding her painkillers but Arizona stands up, pinning her arms down and stopping her before she is able to tear them from her veins. Callie searches for the energy to fight back but her limbs are weary and heavy and she soon realises that she’s not going anywhere. She cries out in frustration.
“She’s alone,” she cries. “She shouldn’t be alone. I should be with her.”
“She’s not alone,” Arizona reassures her. “Mark’s with her. Other than coming to see you, he hasn’t left her side since she was born.”
Callie sighs. Her body aches but she doesn’t know if it’s because she has been through hell or because she just wants to hold her baby. “It should be me.”
“I know. And I know that she wants to meet you just as much as you want to meet her,” Arizona soothes her. As hard as it is to watch Callie in so much pain at being separated from her daughter, Arizona cannot help but feel relieved. How very like Callie to not care about her own injuries and put her new daughter first. The familiarity of her action is comforting to Arizona.
“I’ve got something I can show you.” Arizona pulls her cellphone out of her pocket before sitting back down on her chair, dragging it as close as possible to the bed. She presses a few buttons and brings up a slideshow of photos of the baby. “I took these in the NICU. I know it’s not the same but I thought that this way you could at least see her.”
She leans in towards Callie, her head resting just above Callie’s shoulder. The hospital room is sterile, but she can smell the faint scent of Callie’s shampoo and she indulges in their closeness, inhaling deeply.
Arizona holds the cellphone in front of their faces. Callie’s breath catches in her throat. The first thing she sees is how small and fragile she looks. “She’s tiny.”
“But strong,” Arizona responds. “Look at how tightly she’s gripping Mark’s finger. He says that he can feel her holding on.”
She flicks through the photos one by one, photos taken from every angle possible. “You can’t see it because of the hat but she has the most beautiful…”
“Black hair,” Callie finishes her sentence. “She really is beautiful. Thank you.”
They reach the last of the photos but Callie makes her scroll through them again and again, taking in every inch of her baby’s features. “How did you manage to take all of these?”
“I have some privileges being an amazing peds attending, you know,” Arizona teases with a smile.
“You are amazing,” Callie says, pulling her eyes away from the photos to look at her. “I know what you did.”
Arizona shakes her head. “I didn’t…”
“You did,” Callie interrupts her. “And I will never ever forget it.”
Their eyes lock. Arizona tips her head forward and presses her lips gently against Callie’s, being careful not to hurt her. It’s light and tender and the intimate contact sends a shiver down her spine. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Callie says. “And you’re not nothing. You’re not nothing, you’re everything.”
Arizona looks at her curiously, guessing that Bailey or perhaps Owen had told her about her argument with Mark. Callie doesn’t explain it, knowing that it will only lead to another consult from Derek and she doesn’t want any more doctors examining her.
“I love her,” Arizona says. “I want you to know that. I couldn’t love her more if I’d given birth to her myself.” Her words are meant to reassure Callie, but they also make her realise that all of the arguments and the pain have been worth it now that this bundle of tiny fingers and tiny toes and jet black hair is here. She knew it as soon as she saw the baby lying helplessly on the table in the OR.
“I can’t wait for you to meet your daughter,” Arizona says. “She’s going to love you so much.”
Callie hears the crack in her voice and looks at her. It’s the first time she really sees her since waking up and she notices the cuts and bruises that adorn her face. “You’re hurt,” she says simply.
Arizona shakes her head. “I’m okay,” she says with a sad smile. “As long as you’re okay, I’m okay.”
A single tear runs down her face. Callie tries to wipe it away but her hand doesn’t co-operate and all she can do is watch as Arizona rubs her cheek in a swift movement.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispers.
“Sorry for what?” Callie asks with a frown.
“I should have been paying attention to the road. I should have…” She falters, blinking back the tears that are on the brink of falling.
“No. No! It was an accident, okay?” Callie says.
Arizona bites her bottom lip. She didn’t want to do this, she didn’t want to offload her own feelings onto Callie after all that she had been through but the truth was that Callie was the only one who would understand and who could bring her any comfort. Arizona buries her face into Callie’s shoulder, hiding her crumpled face. The guilt that she has been feeling overwhelms her. The last 24 hours have been the longest, loneliest and most terrifying 24 hours she has ever experienced. All she has wanted - needed - is for Callie to wake up and now that she has, Arizona cannot fight her emotions any longer.
“It’s okay,” Callie soothes her with words, wishing she could scoop Arizona up into her arms and provide her with some physical comfort. “It was an accident. I’m okay. I’m going to get better and our daughter is going to get better, and then we’re going to get out of here and I’m marrying you. I’m marrying you.”
She feels Arizona nod against her body.
“You’re exhausted. You need to sleep,” Callie says.
Arizona laughs. She lifts her head and rubs her eyes. “I should be saying that to you.”
“You’ve been taking care of me for the last 24 hours,” Callie says.
“And I’m going to keep on taking care of you. I’m not leaving you,” Arizona says, pushing aside her own feelings once more.
Callie smiles. “I know.”
“You should rest too,” Arizona says. “You need to rest and get better. We all need you to get better.”
She stands up. She places her fingers delicately on Callie’s eyelids, closing her eyes. She bends down and kisses each one, then drops another kiss on her lips. “Sleep,” she instructs her. She settles back on her chair, pulling it close to the gurney again and resting her head on the mattress. She wraps her hand around Callie’s and is sure that she feels Callie squeeze her fingers as she drifts off to sleep.