Three Words - merzona

Chapter 1 - Warm and Dead

It was just another day for the people of Grey-Sloan. It has been back to a calm normal since Arizona, the head of Pediatrics, gave her wife, Callie, who was at the time a fellow board member and head of Ortho, tickets to New York. The well-loved blond surgeon let her daughter be happy, even at the cost of her own joy. That's exactly how the hospital saw it, and that was exactly how the surgeon felt too.

That same pediatric surgeon though just came out of an ambulance, unconscious and blood all over. The people waiting for the trauma knew it was a car crash, but they did not know it was Arizona. The paramedic knit her brows at the doctors, seeing as they were stunned by the casualty they brought. 

"Arizona Robbins, 35 years old, got into car crash. We suspect that she has a brain bleed, we already gave her fluids but it's already critical," the paramedic said pushing the bed towards the door on her own. "What are you doing? Are you deaf? This is critical." she snapped. 

Grey was to first one to budge and assist pushing the bed. Karev and Kepner then followed. They were sweating bullets as every second passed. Grey checked the pediatric surgeon's pulse, it was already weak and she hardly felt it. Karev pushed her out of the way but she did the same to him almost immediately, firmly replying that she had it. 

April looked over at her friend and placed needles where they needed to be. She did so without speaking a word to Karev or Grey, the same goes to each pair you could make among the three surgeons. They barely spoke to each other, only to the other staff.

The three watched as the blond surgeon was stable, but not for long. Arizona's blood pressure was declining and so was her heartrate. 

"W-what's going on?" Karev manages to blurt out. April shook her head saying she did not know, in a hurry. Grey was already beside Arizona checking her eyes and then started pumping her.

"It must be the brain bleed." Karev said abruptly, "Page neuro 911, now!" he shouts at one of the nurses. "I can't believe we didn't page them sooner," he mutter under his breathe. 

5 minutes pass by and the room is now filled with attendings. They talk amongst themselves like vendors at the market. Everyone was busy arguing, everyone but her. Grey was still pumping, pumping on Arizona's chest despite the lack of heartbeat. Even Alex only looked beside her with pity, and he loved Arizona as a sister.

"Grey, I think that's enough." Bailey says when she noticed. Grey only glared the at former, "Defibrillator, stack. Charge 200," she said to the staff. Everyone in the room watched, sorrow in the way they looked. 

Grey shouted again, "Charge 300!"

And again, "400." 

And again.

"Grey that is enough." The chief said by the door. Owen finally made time to check on one of his surgeons himself. Yet Meredith Grey shot a look at him, disappointed. "No! I will not stop. I will not stop. She's not dead." 

Owen sighed. "She's dead, Dr. Grey."

She shook her head hesitantly, taking a moment to look at all the other surgeons who were there with her in that moment. 

"No." she manages to say despite the heat that rush to her face. "I will not stop until she is warm and dead. You hear me? Owen? Bailey? Oi, Alex. She is NOT dead until she is warm and dead."

Alex gulps at Meredith. He nods. "You heard her people, let's get to it. April tell the department to get us more blood. Quickly, go go! Let's do this, Mer." Alex faces Meredith with intent, this got even Bailey on her feet.

5 more minutes pass. Everyone was about to pass out. Everyone almost gave up. Everyone was about to say their goodbyes.

But there she was, Dr. Grey's very own medical miracle. 

Breathing and her heart beating, she was alive, yes, very much so. 

Meredith sighed into relief as her fellow attendings started clapping. "Good job, Grey."

"Good job to you too, Robbins. You put up the good fight." Meredith says to the unconscious blond once alone. Truth be told, she could not point the exact reason why she tried so hard for the blond earlier. Maybe it just felt wrong to lose another one of her own, especially in her hands, when they were just in arms' reach. She did not need that kind of guilt right now. Maybe it could have also been for Alex. Or the hospital. Each and every one of the staff knew Arizona is an important part of the hospital. Yeah maybe that was it. At least that's what she told herself before leaving Arizona's bedside altogether.

Before next morning struck, Alex Karev made sure to check on his sister. He laid there on her bedside for a few minutes. He wasn't there as her doctor. He came there as her brother, as family. And as one of Arizona's closest friends, he made sure that the news reached Arizona's parents but he was debating in himself whether to call Callie or not. He was not a man to pry into Arizona's personal life that doesn't necessarily involve him, indeed. He decided that if Arizona wanted to see her daughter that she can tell him that the moment she wakes up, and he will make sure to arrange that shortly. Anything for Arizona.

The only regret he bore was when he could not testify for the blond when she needed it. The custody battle. She did not even to try to talk him into it, she fought her own fight alone, Alex thought. It made him grit his teeth more when he found out Arizona showed up at Callie's front door with tickets for NY. He knew it was Arizona's selfless side that acted-up and he swore to never pry in his sister's personal matters unless she asked; so he could not do anything about it. And it was not as if he did not have his own fair share of losses before, he understood why Arizona did that and how hurt she must have been. He knew he did not want to lose Arizona too. He did not want for them to lose each other.

What's important is he's here for her now. Hence from this point on, while looking over at the resting blond, he was never going to let anyone or anything hurt Arizona. 

A knock came from the door as he was contemplating. 

"Hey, I don't mean to disturb, I was just going to check up on her." Meredith's voice sounded from the door. Alex sent her a look but it quickly softened, it was Meredith who saved his sister.

"I can't thank you enough for not giving up on her." he said, unmoving, and as Meredith checked the monitors. She cracked into a weak smile, "I couldn't give up on one of our own. And besides, maybe I felt guilty for letting Callie say all those things to her in court. Don't give me too much credit."

Alex did not eat Meredith's words up, she was his sister too, both of them were. 

"Nah, dude. You did it because you're a good doctor." he remarks. Meredith could only shrug jokingly, knowing there was no changing Alex's mind. 

"I need to go. Arizona would be disappointed in me when she finds out I put her before those tiny humans." he jokes and Meredith chuckles. She noticed Arizona called her patients tiny humans a lot. It was a cute sight, someone as dark and twisted as her couldn't have come up with.

Arizona opened her eyes for the first time the next morning. Quite taken aback to see blond hair other than her own on her bedside. She knew very well who it belonged to. Meredith is sleeping, head on the unoccupied side of Arizona's bed. The resting blond wondered why she was the one to keep an eye on her instead of Alex. But she remembered all those tiny humans in the pediatric ward and nodded off sheepishly, thinking Alex made the right choice. 

Arizona wanted to update Meredith that she was awake so she lightly tapped the doctor's head. Meredith was awake, she thought, because her head lifted almost immediately at the contact.

"Awake, I'm awake," she murmured. Meredith's eyes laid on Arizona's and they widened. "You're awake." she said in shock. Arizona smiled slightly at her colleague.

"Yeah- um, hold on let me just page or um- um, call Alex-" Meredith said standing up for her chair and pulling away from her patient's bedside. Arizona watched and chuckled softly as Meredith stumbled upon her words, even when she called on one of the nurses to call Dr. Karev to say Dr. Robbins was awake.