The Aftermath of Callie and Arizona

To Be Determined

Arizona's POV:

The light was starting to significantly dim outside the hospital window I was staring out of in Ari's room. Because it was January, it would be completely dark just after 5 o'clock that evening. 

The rain had stopped by that point in the day, but a few of the storm clouds were still hanging around. The clouds looked more like wispy, strings of black embroidery threads, than actual clouds with the way the dimming light reflected off of them.

We had been sitting with Ari, but also talking to our colleagues since returning to town and the hospital that late afternoon. Callie had already spoken with Laura Wheeler, MD, the doc that was performing Ari's needed Orthopedic procedures, and was given permission from Laura to watch from the gallery. 

As a courtesy to Callie, Laura had also closed the gallery to observation. While I'm all for residents and students learning, I appreciated Laura keeping our family matters as private as possible and not letting anyone observe, other than Callie.

Ari was still unconscious, but we were hopeful with time, that she would regain consciousness. Owen and the others that had examined Ari were thinking it was due to a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), or from generalized inflammation as a result of her head smacking the driver's side window with great force. We were told she hit the window hard enough with the left side of her forehead that it broke out. 

Jackson had already attended to Ari's head lac and did an exceptional job stitching it up. Ari was going to be left with a decent scar, but at least the wound was now closed and treated.

We were waiting to see what the short and long term effects would be and there were still concerns regarding internal organ damage. Time was the great decider in Ari's case, as it is in most patients I see. She was now playing a waiting game with her health that we were all a part of too.

I was sitting in a chair at the foot of Ari's hospital bed, watching her, while Callie went out to the lobby to make a phone call to Ari's boss. Callie had taken Ari's purse and cell phone from where they were being stored at the nurses station for safekeeping and used her address book to call her boss before rejoining me.

While we both sat and observed Ari, Callie noticed there were texts that were unopened from Alison and Renee on Ari's phone.

"Arizona? Do you think I should open the texts from Allison and let her know about Ari? As much as I'm not thrilled about it, she is my sister's fiancé."

"That's a good question, and I know you'll find this amusing, but for once I don't know if you should or shouldn't open her texts."

"Wait a minute... my double board certified surgeon wife doesn't have an answer for a change?" 

Callie raised her eyebrows at me and then said, "I'm not sure what I should do either. I want to protect Ari's privacy, but want to do what is right by her regarding her current relationship."

"Renee did say Ari begged her to come back to her, then again, you have to wonder how much Ari had drank at the point she started texting Renee last night. Maybe we should just sit on this and talk about it more tonight. I think both of us are too inundated right now to make any decisions without some more reflection."

"Works for me, Arizona." We were sitting next to one another, which made it easy for Callie to lean her head on my shoulder for consolement. I wrapped my arm around her and held Callie close to me.

"Calliope, I know you are getting ready to go observe Ari's surgery, but would you be okay if I left for the evening? I was thinking it would be easier to get Sophia from Meredith's tonight so she can get ready for school at her own house tomorrow morning. If you need me with you, I already spoke to my parents and have them waiting in the wings if we need their help. I don't know about you, but after all of this today, all I really want to do is hold our daughter in my arms."