The Song Remains the Same

Chapter 28

The gallery was nearly silent, the only sound the muted rhythm of Arizona's shoe tapping against the carpet. Her parents were in the waiting room two floors below but she'd been unable to contemplate the thought of sitting and just waiting passively. Whatever happened to Nick, she had to be there to see it. Whichever way it ended up, it would be hours before there was news to relate. It was early still and Callie was working carefully, double checking every cut and stitch.

Arizona looked up when a hand moved into her line of sight, Teddy taking a sip of her own coffee as she took the seat beside her friend. "Looks like they're just really getting into it," she noted, able to watch the procedure on the monitor. Arizona nodded without speaking, her foot still bouncing unconsciously. "It's Callie and Yang. They've got this."

"Don't." Arizona shook her head, leaning forward and wrapping both hands around the paper cup. It was nice, the coffee and the reassurance, but she couldn't hear them right now, not when Nick could die on her partner's table. Callie's brush with a cold had been brief and she'd been cleared to operate. It was both a relief and an anxiety. There was no one she trusted more, but she still wished Callie was sitting beside her, holding her hand.

Teddy didn't miss a beat. "Okay," she said dryly. "Would you mind if I watched? I haven't been on a Cardio case in a while. I miss it sometimes." She smiled comfortingly, the expression soft. "And they're two of the best I've ever seen."

It was reassurance without the cliches, support without needing to speak further. Teddy just sat down beside her and Arizona was grateful, leaning back in her seat after a long, quiet minute.

In the waiting room below them it was just as quiet, the scattered people settling into knots of tension and silence as they waited on word of their loved one's outcomes. The Colonel had posted up in the corner, able to see the comings and goings of everyone in the room. Whatever their boy's fate was, he'd be able to see it coming before it reached them.

They knew it would be hours before anything was decided for sure. Any sooner meant complications, would mean death for Nick, a man he loved as his own son. He'd lost one son, wasn't sure if he could survive losing another. His daughter had lost her brother and he couldn't bear it if she lost another.

The unmistakable sound of approaching children, shuffling clothes, squeaking sneakers, and chatter, made everyone look up, even knowing that it wasn't the news any of them were waiting for. The three Hunt children walked around the corner as if they owned the place, the two boys following their sister's direction when she spotted Daniel and Barbara in the corner.

“Hey, Mister Arizona's Daddy,” Allegra greeted them. “Mrs. Arizona's Mama.”

Carlos followed them over, giving the other two adults a nod. “They know what's happening and insisted on coming to see Arizona.”

“Where's Arizona?” Gavin asked when he couldn't spot their mother's girlfriend in the room.

Barbara leaned forward to smile softly at him. “She's upstairs watching the surgery, sweetie.”

His pale blue eyes darted as he considered that. “Arizona let us watch once,” his twin chimed in. “She said we couldn't tell Mama!” insisted Gus quickly when his siblings both shot warning looks at him.

Barbara's smile grew and she laughed quietly. “Did she, now? That sounds like my girl.” She glanced up toward Carlos. “Would you all want to sit with us?”

The three children consulted silently among themselves before looking at their grandfather. Gus was already climbing into Arizona's mother's lap when Carlos nodded. “We don't want to intrude, of course,” he murmured as he took a chair close by Daniel.