After the Storm

Chapter 10: News

[ARIZONA POV]

It had been over a week; just three more days and it would be two. I still didn't know where Callie and Sofia were staying and neither did anyone else. Callie hadn't called into work since she disappeared.

When I called, she would either hang up after a few rings or let it go to voicemail. I couldn't leave her voicemails because her inbox was full. There was one positive to her hanging up, however; as long as she cancelled the call, at least I knew that she was okay.

These past two weeks had been moving painfully slow. I found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on my work because I was sick with worry for my wife and daughter; I would gladly give her the space she needed if she just would've told me where she was going.

As I walked around the hospital, I received judgmental stares from most of my colleagues. I figured that everybody knew because even people I wasn't friends with treated me with a passive-aggressive attitude. I was labeled as a cheater.

Thankfully, however, most of my colleagues were mature enough to swallow their pride and work with me. Derek, notably, had been working hard to avoid me and I wondered why. Was this bringing back memories of Mark and Addison? Or did he just care for Callie more than I ever knew?

I rounded the corner towards the nurses station and spotted Derek, leaning against an abandoned gurney and flipping through charts. He obviously wasn't busy and I wouldn't take no for an answer today.

"Derek," I called, moving towards him as fast as my legs would allow.

He looked up, startled, and offered me an uncomfortable smile. As I neared him, he flipped his charts closed and turned towards the opposite direction.

"Dr. Robbins, what can I do for you?" Derek asked, nervously glancing at his watch. He chuckled, scratching his head. "You know, you've caught me at a bad time. I'm sorry, but I've gotta' run."

"This is childish," I told him, wasting no time getting to the point. I placed my hands on my hips, forcing him to look me in the eye. "You're avoiding me."

"Arizona, I wish I could talk, but I've been paged for an emergency surgery and I really should get up there."

I knew he was lying and I didn't want to waste time pointing it out to him. I was exhausted. I just wanted somebody to be honest with me.

"Derek," I murmured, my voice remarkably gentle and fragile. It must've caught his attention because he looked at me with watery, guilt-ridden eyes. "Please. I have nobody to turn to and I'm tired of having nobody to turn to. I have no idea where my wife and daughter are and I'm a mess. My life is a mess and I just... I just need to know that they're okay."

Derek frowned, his eyes falling to the floor. I could see that he knew something that I didn't. He tried to look away from me because he didn't want to crack, but I would do everything in my power to break him.

"Please, Derek," I cried, a tear slipping down my cheek. "I mean, what if it were you? What if Meredith and the kids had disappeared and you had no idea if they were safe?"

Derek sighed, placing a hand on my shoulder. He turned around and looked behind him before leading me away from the nurses station and into an empty room.

"Callie and Sofia are safe, okay? I promised her I wouldn't tell you where they're staying, but they're perfectly safe."

I gasped, relief flooding throughout my body. I was elated, but it still wasn't enough. Anger started to replace the relief I felt and I needed to know more:

"Derek, you've gotta' tell me where they are," I pleaded. My heart was thumping, making it difficult to speak. "She's my daughter, too. I deserve to know."