A Good Man In A Storm

Dr. Arizona Robbins. Head of Pediatric Surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital. Advocate for the tiny humans.

[herheartbeat]

Callie thought a moment before responding to the blonde’s offer. “Yah. I think I’ll join you if you don’t mind my company.” if her choices were between eating lunch alone, probably in some foreign supply closet or eating with an attending she was certainly picking the one that would help her socially in this place. Plus she could really use a friend, even if she and the blonde had gotten off to a rocky start. They seemed pretty good at acknowledging and working out their differences. A quality Callie definitely wanted in a friend. Especially since she knew she could be quite the pain in the ass sometimes. “Are you buying a lunch or do you need to pick one up from your locker or…whatever?”

[seattlegrace-robbins]

“Sure, I’ll buy you lunch.” Arizona knew it wasn’t what Callie meant, but she also knew that, as a resident, the only money that was being brought in usually went to paying student loans. That being said, Arizona also knew that Callie had no issue in the money department, so she was doing this genuinely because she wanted to. “It’s going to be cafeteria food, so hopefully they have something good today.” she said with a smile before heading toward the elevators with the dark-haired woman. She was excited to be able to get to know her more since she was on her service for the week. “You’re okay with cafeteria food, right?” she asked, making sure she wouldn’t be upset with that decision.

[herheartbeat]

“I do.” Callie nodded. She was right though the patients parents too the decision making and information pretty well. She had witnessed parents overreact many of times during her career already. “You really think so?“ Callie had no doubt she was a likable person, but to hear someone else say that really made her feel special. A feeling she hadn;t felt in a while, or quite often at all in her life for that matter. “I see how it can certainly be a benefit.” She flashed a bright smile at the blonde. “I think you’re a pretty likable person yourself, even if we don’t always agree with each other.” She added. “Should we part ways and come back for their answer then or…?”

[seattlegrace-robbins]

“Yeah, I guess we can meet back up soon? I’m about to grab lunch. If you haven’t eaten and have some time, you are welcome to join me.” Arizona wanted to make it a priority to get to know her fellow surgeons, especially the ones she was attracted to. Callie was very interesting to her. It was clear she knew what she wanted and did a very good job of sticking to her ideas and morals. It was an important quality in a person, and Arizona thought it made her even better surgeon because of it. It was clear to Dr. Robbins that her personal life and work might have been more intertwined than she would have liked, but so were the lives of everyone else who worked at Seattle Grace. She wasn’t sure why drama followed them around like a personal rain cloud, but it did. It wasn’t anything new, so they were all used to it. It just didn’t seem all that necessary.

[srtalaurelcastillo-blog]

“If you think so and if you’re so sure of them, I think I’ll grant you the honour of chosing the intern who will be working with us. I wouldn’t want to make a bad choice, considering that we’re living our patient’s life on his or her hands.” Addison explained, being one of the newest attendings, she didn’t know the interns very well, she didn’t know those who were competent enough to take good care of the jobs they’re assigned to do but she was sure Arizona did know at least someone who wouldn’t spend the night complaining about long shifts and lack of sleep. “Once we cover that, I guess we’re done for good. At least for today.”

[seattlegrace-robbins]

“Sounds good. I’ll meet back with you tomorrow morning in the OR for surgery.” Arizona smiled before parting ways with the redhead. She was excited to work with her, but a little nervous over the procedure that was to be done. It wasn’t her best case and she wasn’t one hundred percent sure on everything that they were going to do tomorrow morning. So, clearly, Dr. Robbins had some studying to do before she went into the operating room.

[seattlegrace-robbins]

“You wouldn’t believe the day I’ve had. I’m just ready to get home and relax, honestly. Well, after finishing this, of course.” The blonde motioned to her drink with a slight smile. She hadn’t planned on going out, but she had been convinced by the rest of her coworkers to let loose a bit tonight, especially after the stress of the day.

[srtalaurelcastillo-blog]

“Sure, as long as the intern is competent enough to keep an eye on a one-month-old baby, they’ll keep both of us posted.” Addison was a fan of hard work, she always loved to be the best in every case she got and tried to be better with every patient on her hands. That was exacty why Addison didn’t fully trust in every intern unless it was shown otherwise. “Actually I just need you to assign an intern who could actually do the job. If anything happens through the night we need to be ready.” The readhead stated under his very professional tone. “That’s all we can do for now, but if you think there’s something else left to do, be my guest.”

[seattlegrace-robbins]

“They’re pretty competent. Most of them are, but you have to watch. Occasionally they don’t quite understand their power, or lack of power, really. When they step up too far, just put them back in their place. They usually don’t fight it. They’re just self conscious enough to control easily, though confident enough to perform generally well in basic surgeries.” Arizona nodded, “Sounds like you’ve covered it all, honestly. I think we are good as of right now.”

[seattlegrace-robbins]

lostcallie:

Experimental PEDs Case || Arizona/Callie

She followed along with Dr. Robbins stepping outside of their patients room with the parents. This wasn’t anything that would be too serious or worrisome so she kept a fairly neutral face herself. Every moment like this was a huge learning experience for Callie. Her communications skill were not the greatest as a teenager and she had learn quite a lot over the years since then. Not that it filled her life with lots of people though. She could be outgoing in a friendly manner, she just needed to get comfortable first. Before she knew it she had informed the parents of every possible risk or negative effect of the procedure and the two doctors were left waiting for an answer. “Take some time to think.” Callie added. “We can come back around in a bit for an answer?”

The two stepped away, leaving the doctors alone. “That went well.” Arizona said with a smile. “I think that they will make an informed decision, don’t you? It wasn’t so hard.” turing toward Dr. Torres, the blonde changed her attitude a bit. “They like you, you can tell. You’re a very likable person. It’s a good thing, especially in a line of work like this one. When you’re liked, you’re trusted, and when you’re trusted, you are given better opportunities. By patients and colleagues, trust me, it’s definitely a great trait to have.” Robbins wasn’t trying to go anywhere with Torres, she was just paying her a...mostly...innocent compliment. It wasn’t that Callie needed a confidence boost, but Arizona felt the need to do so for her. It was odd, but exciting. Once Arizona had an idea, she couldn’t let it go. It was great as a surgeon, not so great as a person.

[herheartbeat]

Experimental PEDs Case || Arizona/Callie

“This is a kid. I can’t remember 100% but I do believe it does not get presented in front of the patient just to the parents, correct? That’s all I got for questions.” The Latina titled her head slightly. “Right.”A muttered with a small nod. She didn’t have any doubts that Dr. Robbins’ procedure wouldn’t work she simply thought it was too much of a risk and that was exactly what she was going to tell the parents. The straightforward facts without her own opinion included. That was just unnecessary. Having her charts already tucked under her arm she took one last glance at the blonde surgeon and them proceeded down the hall towards the patients room reviewing in the facts in her head so she would have some sort of organized way in presenting the possible negative outcomes of this procedure.

[seattlegrace-robbins]

Arizona nodded, “Yes, definitely parents.” she said, following Dr. Torres to the patients room. “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. Could we speak with you in the hall for a moment?” she asked calmly with a small smile on her face so the parents wouldn’t be alarmed. She did this all the time, but somehow it was still different every time. You could never tell how the parents would react or anything, but it was important to be especially informative and patient with them because their child’s life was at stake. She continued conversation with them, hearing Dr. Torres interject from time to time to tell the risks and everything. “It’s your best option, honestly...” She made clear that the two of them weren’t disagreeing, but they were just presenting the opposing sides. “You don’t have to give an answer right now, but we need to act quickly.”

[residualchaos]

“We don’t exactly make it up. Except when we do…” Derek laughed. “But I promise it’s not open. We do have some set policies.” As Derek listened to Arizona speak about the hospital he felt comforted. He had left his old life behind completely and had been somewhat nervous about integrating into a new environment. The one comfort he had come in with was that he was going to be able to start over. He just hadn’t been too sure how easy it would be. “I’m glad to hear that I’ll be in strong company. Would you say the interns make the teaching easy on you? I haven’t had any of those in quite a while either.”

[seattlegrace-robbins]

“Well, as far as interns go, our are pretty good. Don’t leave them to do anything serious, though, because they have a tendency to make things messier than when they came.” A laugh escaped from the blonde’s mouth, “But as far as teaching them goes, they’re mostly good listeners. Sometimes you get a few duds, but they usually find their place before their intern year is over.”

[srtalaurelcastillo-blog]

“It’s settled then. I’ll tell one on the new Interns to book an OR for tomorrow morning, to keep an eye on the baby and keep both of us posted about any unusual thing.” Addison knew that waiting was the best choice, even if it was just for few hours: She was glad Dr. Robbins agreed to also wait, after all, she needed Arizona in the OR not only because she was the best in her field but also because working together they’d have better chances to save their patient.

[seattlegrace-robbins]

“Sounds good, just keep me posted.” Arizona knew that Addison would, she was pretty good about keeping everyone informed because she was excellent at keeping herself informed, but so many doctors made everyone fend for themselves. Not that it was a bad thing, but it brought a different feeling to the case, which was never practical. Doctors working on a case together were much more likely to do better if they have a great, communicating team. “Is there anything you need from me before I leave?”

[herheartbeat]

Experimental PEDs Case || Arizona/Callie

“Just show me what you’ve got Robbins. Prove me wrong if you need to. I just won’t believe it until I see it.” Maybe Callie had approached this situation a bit too aggressively, but then again that was just part of her personality. Especially when learning something that was opposite of her beliefs she took extra precautions and it was going to take a lot to change her opinion. Her values were uniquely her own and they played a huge role in her judgements especially when it came to medicine and science. She had always been like that, since she was a little kid. She wouldn’t believe that a certain seed turned into a pink flower until someone proved it. “You give them the positive spiel on the procedure and I can give them the negative effect? I know that, I didn’t start working here yesterday.” Okay maybe she also had a slight attitude problem as a result of lashing out at her loneliness lately. “Are the parents around now or do we need to wait and use that time to prep?”

[seattlegrace-robbins]

“Don’t worry, I definitely won’t let you down, Dr. Torres.” The blonde flashed a smile before looking down at the chart to check on a few things, continuing conversation through the business. “Yes, I believe they’re in the room with him now, unless the stepped out for any reason.” she said before looking back up at the woman. “Do you have any questions or anything?” there was a pause as she sensed an attitude in the fellow surgeon, “You know, you’re a wonderful surgeon, and I trust your work, but I’m just not giving up on this. You do understand that, right?” Arizona hated bad air, as long as she wasn’t the one to cause it. She could get very passionate about her cases, so when others had something else in mind, it was a hard game to play, but she managed. Besides, most of the time she was right. Robbins hadn’t yet worked with Torres on a big case, so it was obvious the two surgeons didn’t know each others work style as well, but it was an easy thing to catch on to, so she wasn’t worried.

[srtalaurelcastillo-blog]

“Yes. We do, we still need to wait for his results, I’ll get some intern to check him up, if he can make it through the night, he’d have bigger chances to survive.” Addison tried to explain, she was aware of the child condition and how low were the odds but for here, that was the more reasonable thing to do. “I don’t usually trust the odds, Dr. Robbins. They don’t have the medical skills, we do. I’ve heard you’re one of the best at what you do, and let me tell you, I am too. So, trust me when I tell you, the chances of surviving will increase if he makes it through the night without some sort of complication.” 

[seattlegrace-robbins]

Arizona nodded in agreement for the first time. “I guess I’m in.” She didn’t want to give in completely, but she knew that it was the right thing to do in this situation. Dr. Shepherd was clearly an incredible surgeon, so agreeing with her wasn’t hard. It was just the fact that such a risky surgery on such a tiny human was a big commitment and a lot of factors went into it. Most surgeons discount it, but it was clear Addison was not. She was very aware of everything going on in the case, which was extremely important, especially in cases like this one.

[srtalaurelcastillo-blog]

“We’re on the same team, here. Trust me on this one. I’ve never done it on a newborn but it’s the only card we’ve got left to play.” Addison sighed once again, she’d usually look up for any other option but right now, she just couldn’t find one. Besides, now that she was in Seattle, she needed to keep her mind busy and working on risky cases as that one she was working along with Arizona were just the best choice to keep her busy. “I know it can work. If you agree to do it, we can schedule the surgery for tomorrow morning. I don’t think he’ll be able to wait any longer.”

[seattlegrace-robbins]

“Tomorrow morning? We don’t have that kind of time and you know it.” Arizona was ready to take action immediately, though they were not prepped to perform the surgery on the infant yet. “The amount of time that has to go into prepping for this kind of procedure is too significant for this child’s life expectancy.” Robbins didn’t know what else to do, so it was clear that this was the only option, but it was a scarce outcome for the child. “The odds are just insane, Dr. Shepherd. Unless you have a plan...”

[herheartbeat]

Experimental PEDs Case || Arizona/Callie

“Well it’s going to take a lot more than just talk to change my mind about this.” Callie knew she really didn’t have much say in this. Dr. Robbins was bound to do just as she though was best and just as words were not going to make her change her mind she knew there was nothing she could say to change the blondes mind. Still it was going to take some proof for her to change her mind on this. After all this was a child they were talking about. That was serious business but if the blonde made the call she would take all the responsibility for any negative consequences. Doing this was a huge risk but if Dr. Robbins was willing to take it should couldn’t do anything but try and support it or at least not stand in the way. “Should we talk to his parents about the decision then?”

[seattlegrace-robbins]

“I don’t see why you’re so opposed to this, but if you’re really that against it, I think you’re going to miss out on a very interesting and innovative procedure that could possibly shape the way for growth development issues all across the boards.” Arizona could tell that Dr. Torres was aware of who has the final say, but she wanted to make it clear it wasn’t about that. Seattle Grace was a teaching hospital, and part of the teaching process was to guide the residents and interns into making the right decisions. Whether it was going off of what comes natural, or what would be the best development of medicine, all of which were undermined by the choice of what was truly best for the patient, was up to doctors. “It would be right to bring the option up to the family as soon as possible, and who knows, they might not want to be a part of a risky surgery event though it could be there best bet. Besides, we are required by law to provide all of the information at hand.” Arizona wanted to hear Callie’s thoughts, but was still sticking with her ideas and feelings on the issue. It was her job as an attending to make sure the patient comes first, though she was aware of Dr. Torres’s work and knew what she was capable of surgically. 

[residualchaos]

Derek held back a laugh when Arizona reacted almost as expected when he outed himself as a neurosurgeon. At least she still seemed sweet enough to get to know him anyways. “It pays the bills.” he joked. Not that he had many living in a trailer. “Private practice was actually pretty great. None of those hospital politics - stronger relationships with patients. I do look forward to the challenges though. What makes Seattle Grace so special?”

[seattlegrace-robbins]

“Really? I guess you would find protocols to be out of the picture, really. I’ve always seen it that the practitioners make it up as they go along, really. Here you’ve got all the equipment for any situation, really.” Arizona paused for a second. “Not to mention the excitement.” Arizona had never really given a lot of thought to why Seattle Grace was so special, but the thoughts filled her head to quickly and so vividly when asked about it. ‘Well, first off, we are a Level One Trauma Center with some of the most amazing surgeons in the country...in the world, honestly. Our interns are good, considering, and our residents have their head in the game and keep the stakes pretty high. Also, the attendings here are just incredible. We are truly a family here.” She shrugged. “It sounds cheesy, but it’s honest.”

[drmeredithgrcy-deactivated20160]

Meredith laughed at the woman’s own self-awareness; the sincerity in her question belied the painfully typical question that would have ordinarily caused Meredith to turn way displeased. “No, first time. But it’s right across the street from the hospital — I needed the drink. I’m guessing you’re in the same boat?”

[seattlegrace-robbins]

Arizona nodded, “Yes, exactly. I’m a surgeon there, and work can be stressful sometimes, as most jobs can be.” She knew that being a surgeon was significantly harder than the average day job, but she also didn’t want to diminish the jobs of others. “So you’re new to the area, or just the hospital?” she paused a moment. “You’re not a patient relative or anything, right? Because I’m pretty sure I could get in trouble for discussing work related problems with an outsider.”

[seattlegrace-robbins]

Experimental PEDs Case || Arizona/Callie

“Dr. Torres, I realize that you have a process and I respect that, but I honestly think this procedure could be helpful for the little guy. It’s too soon for his legs to stop growing and I think that this is the best solution.” Arizona knew that it was risky, but it seemed like the only logical option in this case. Seattle Grace was ridden with experimental procedures, so what was one more? Besides, Callie Torres was only a resident, so Robbins had the last word. Arizona wasn’t one to use that argument often, and wasn’t ready to pull it out yet, but she thought about it. She knew that she had the upper hand in the case and Dr. Torres was only here to help out, but she also knew that Callie had a great amount of practice under her belt already and knew a lot more about the bones than she did. “If you have any other suggestion that you truly think could be helpful, I’d be glad to hear it, but nothing else has seemed the least bit practical yet.” Arizona looked toward the woman, waiting to see if she had anything useful.

[residualchaos]

“You have that happy peds attitude about you. Y’know - the kind of person that kids like.” Derek nodded towards the bear for emphasis. “And yes, I’ll be in neuro.” Derek dropped his specialty as casually as he could. Neurosurgeons often got a bad rep for being self-absorbed and demanding, and while Derek could exhibit those traits at times he wasn’t particularly proud of it. “I’m definitely ready to start working at a hospital again. I’ve been in private practice for a few years and had almost forgotten how exciting it could be.”

[seattlegrace-robbins]

“I try. It’s a fun job, honestly. These kids need something happy, so I try to bring them the most joy I can, the rest is up to them.” Arizona’s eyes widened slightly, nodding in understanding. “Neuro...wow. That’s a pretty big job you’ve got there.” Arizona knew how the neuro guys could be, but she gave him the benefit of the doubt. He seemed like a pretty good man from what she’d seen in the past few minutes, but that didn’t mean anything. “I’ve never personally been a fan of private practice, but I’ve heard it can be interesting. Although, you’ll get a lot more fun, challenging cases being in a hospital...especially this one.”