The Aftermath of Callie and Arizona - Volume II

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Arizona's POV:

It was December 22nd, and my last day of work for the year. I was sitting in my office, trying to finish up my yearly budget, but I kept getting sidetracked by the thoughts running through my mind. I knew if I could just push through, I would have my report done and could be home with my family in no time. Yet, here I sat, staring out the window at the damp, grey Seattle morning as my contemplation dominated my ability to stay focused.

Sophia had already been out of school the last few days, so while we worked, her and Madelyn had been cared for by my parents. Callie, however, had taken that Wednesday off and was home with our daughters. We both had the rest of December off, in order to spend time together as a family. I had to admit though, I was slightly jealous of my wife that morning as I was chained to my desk and missing out on time with my girls.

It had been over a week since Teddy had stopped by the house to talk with me, the day after our Christmas party. Neither one of us had seen or heard from her since Callie had endured working with Teddy during a trauma surgery. The absence of our communication wasn't from a lack of trying, at least on Callie's and my account. I had left multiple messages on Teddy's phone, in her work mailbox, sent too many texts to count, and even wrote personal emails, but to no avail. Teddy had hunkered-down and dug-in. It was clear she was determined to ignore us at all costs and had, for the most part.

I knew after 8 days of not speaking to either of us, that Teddy wouldn't be joining us for any of our Christmas festivities. Depending on her work schedule, she would usually join us on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day. That year though, well, I had already planned on setting one less place for Christmas Eve dinner or for our Christmas Day meals. There would still be our family around us for the holiday, but it was going to be strange for Teddy to be absent from our family Christmas celebrations that year.

My heart felt broken and hopeless by that point. I hadn't been sleeping well from the stress and was worried things would never be the same with my close friend. It had especially been tough for me, during those days of getting completely cut-off by Teddy. For too many years to count, Teddy had been a person I had always talked to, each and every day. Sometimes it was just a text or a quick phone call, but we'd usually connect at least once a day. So, not hearing from her for a week, felt foreign and painfully surreal. I felt lost to some degree and I knew Callie did too.

Despite my mental distractions, I finally managed to shake myself out of my funk and forced my eyes to focus on the column of expenses I needed to reconcile for my report. After crunching numbers and prioritizing a few expenses over more ancillary costs, I was able to get my department budget to meet the expected spending revenue for the year and for each month. It was no small feat, especially given where my head was that day, nonetheless, it was done.

After bundling my report in a hospital inter-departmental envelope, I went to Dr. Webber's administrative assistant and handed it over to her. It was a satisfying, but empty accomplishment. Still, it's completion put me one step closer to starting my vacation with my family. 

Once I was back in my office, I answered a few emails and sent out a happy holidays and happy New Year's email to my department at large. I was just getting ready to turn off my computer when I heard a knock at my door and saw Renee's smiling face.

"Hey you, come on in." I motioned for Renee to join me as she walked in and closed the door. 

"Is this a bad time, Arizona? I know you are getting ready to leave so you can get home to Callie and your girls."

"Actually, it's the perfect time as I just got my budget done and handed in. What brings you over to this side of the hospital?"

We both sat on opposite ends of my couch, but we were angled so we could look at the other while we talked.