Arizona's POV:
It was some time around 6 am when a phlebotomist came in to take yet another blood sample from Callie. She said it already felt like the hundredth time a sample had been taken during her stay, but like Sophia, they are prone to hyperbole when it comes to things they dislike. I did feel bad for my wife though because it was the 7th or 8th time they had taken blood since her checking in yesterday, late afternoon, and I understood why she was feeling like a pin-cushion.
Callie's sodium level hadn't moved much by that point, but at least it had gone up from 118, to 120 since her check-in at Grey Sloan. It was not exactly where I'd want it to be, but I was also conscious of not wanting it to move too quickly either. It's a fine balance that needs to happen for patients with Hyponatremia in order to get their levels up to an acceptable range. So, the old adage of, "Slow, but steady wins the race," was fine with me. Calliope on the other hand...
"It's still 120, Arizona? That's it? At this rate, I'll be here another week!"
"Callie, you know better than most people that is not a bad thing. You don't want that climbing too fast and, so what if it takes a few more days, right? I'd rather have it go slow than too fast."
"That's easy for you to say, Dr. Robbins! You're not the one that's going to be stuck here, attached to an IV bag and being poked with large gage needles every 3 seconds."
Oh, her and Sophia when it comes to them garnering sympathy! I had to shake my head at her over exaggerations.
I had been sitting upright in the hospital recliner as we talked. I gave up on trying to sleep around 4 am when they took her last blood sample. Neither one of us slept much that night but I wasn't expecting to. All I cared about was being by Callie's side as she got better.
"Sweetheart, I know this sucks and I know that you're miserable for many reasons. But soon enough, you'll be doing better and you'll be able to come home. I already sent out some emails this morning to a few staff members so we can take off next week. I want you home resting for a number of days before you go back and I want to look after you while you do so."
"That was very sweet of you to do that for me, thanks, Arizona. Since I'll be missing the last part of our vacation at home, having some days to rest will help. Besides, I've been so out-of-it these last few weeks, it hasn't felt like much of a vacation."
"I know you've been exhausted my love, and it's no wonder!" I kissed the back of Callie's hand after conversing.
"What about Sophia though? She's going to be so disappointed that her vacation will be ruined. I feel bad that we didn't get to take her to Bainbridge Island today or the other things we won't be able to do since I'm stuck in here. I know she was looking forward to riding the ferry and shopping at the toy store."
"Callie, she'll be fine and she'll understand. Like myself, we both just want you to be okay. So be it if we'll have to postpone our plans for the rest of the vacation. It will give us something to look forward to when you're feeling better, okay?"
Callie complacently nodded and said, "But, I'm going to miss New Year's Eve with how slow things are moving! It's Madelyn's first New Year's Eve and I've been looking forward to spending it with her. I know that sounds silly, but you know what a sentimental fool I am when it comes to our family."
"I know Callie, and it's one of many things I love about you. At this point, we don't know where you'll be with your recovery by then. We just need to wait and see, okay?"
About that time, one of the nursing staff we knew, Kelly, came in to check Callie's vitals. I decided to excuse myself so I could grab coffee and a breakfast sandwich from the good coffee shop on the first floor.
After eating my sando and making a few phone calls, I rejoined Callie in time for her breakfast. She had opted for dry Cheerios, a piece of toast with butter and coffee. Probably sounds strange she was eating dry cereal, but I knew she was avoiding milk in order to have coffee instead. It's tough when you're on a limited fluid intake and sometimes as a result, sacrifices have to be made.
Not long after Callie's breakfast was finished, I heard Kelly's voice outside our room say, "She's right in that room. You are both welcome to go in and visit."
Seconds later, there was a small knock and two familiar faces peered in the partially open doorway.
"Is this a good time, ladies?" It was Renee that spoke, but Ari was right next to her with a concerned look.
"Come on in and join the fun... I'm just laying here with an IV bag stuck in my arm, waiting." Callie was trying to be sarcastic, but I could tell it was mixed with despondence over her situation.
As they walked in, Ari had a puzzled look on her face, while Renee the physician, understood what Callie's sarcasm meant and softly chuckled.
Callie and I each took turns hugging our family members. While Ari hadn't proposed to Renee just yet, I knew it was inevitable and already considered Renee family after our own history and continued closeness despite our breakup. Plus, I had already helped Ari pick out the engagement ring over a week ago and knew that she would pop the question eventually.
We spent the 30 minutes they visited, filling them in about Callie and her recent struggles with her health. We discussed her progress, so far, and how it would still take a few more days for her to be, "Out of the Woods," at the rate her sodium level was going up.
Not long after Ari and Renee disappeared, my parents and our daughters stopped by to visit. We had to laugh, but it didn't take long for many of our colleagues to realize Soph and Maddy were there and they came to Callie's room for a visit with our daughters. Maddy was especially excited that late morning to be talked to, held or tickled. She was turning out to be a very social person which wasn't surprising given her Moms and big sis.
I almost thought Soph would be jealous of the attention Madelyn was receiving, but our oldest was more focused on Callie I noticed than anything else. In fact, I don't think I'll ever forget the look on her face that day as she watched Callie's blood draw and then not long after, our daytime nurse, Kelly, change Callie's IV bag. So, I kept hugging Soph and rubbing her back as much as I could during her visit in order to reassure her.
Just before our daughters and my folks left, Lance came in to check on Callie during his rounds. He shook hands with my parents and then our daughters. As a teaching hospital, we fully expected him to walk in with a bevy of interns and residents that were training to be hospitalists. Instead, he was being courteous about our privacy and only appeared himself.
"Well, hello Callie and Arizona. It looks like you two have a fan club by all the staff members I've seen coming and going the last hour I've been on this floor. As I was out reviewing your last chart notes, I have been wondering why I was such a less popular doctor with our colleagues, but now I realize that you have two adorable secret weapons!"
Lance was purposely smiling at Maddy and Soph, but he was more or less trying to lighten the mood for Sophia. I was so appreciative of that man in that moment for what he did.
"Lance, we do have amazing friends and family, but I'm excited for you to meet our adorable daughters. This is Sophia and this is, Madelyn." Callie was holding Maddy as she motioned to our girls.
"Well, I see why there has been a constant stream of people wanting to see Sophia and Maddy. If I had them as secret weapons, I could be a popular doctor too." Lance smiled mostly at Sophia again as he praised our daughters.
"You have a really cool tie!" Sophia seemed to see Lance's gentle nature and caring personality in his few sentences and felt comfortable enough to talk to him.
"Do you like the Space Needle too, Sophia? I moved to Seattle from Grand Forks, North Dakota. Our tallest building in my city, is no where close to lots of the buildings in downtown Seattle, but the Space Needle is my favorite."
"I like the Space Needle too! I used to call it the Giant Needle, until I learned the right name. Did you hear that Moms, he likes the Space Needle too!"
"We heard Soph, and it's Dr. Bowman." (We always try to keep Sophia mindful of being respectful towards adults.) I patted Soph on her back as I spoke.
"Why I'm loving your shared interests Soph and Dr. Bowman, I'll be honest when I say I'm becoming less of a fan of needles recently regardless whether it's a building or from a blood draw."
Callie rolled her eyes, as the adults laughed.
"I know you are Callie, but I just want to keep a close watch on you until your levels go back up. I'm sorry for the torture you're going through, but feel it's necessary."
"I understand Lance, but it's still not going to stop me from complaining, a little bit."
Lance patted Callie on the back as I said, "What? You complain Callie? That's so not like you?!"
"Oh, Arizona..." I was squeezing Callie's hand as I was teasing her.
After our visitors were gone, I sat with Callie and talked that afternoon. We had a rerun of an old TV show that was on low volume while we spent time together. It gave us something else to chat about as we passed the time. I suggested napping, but Callie wasn't tired she said.
"Arizona? Don't you want to go home, even if it's for a short time? You know, you don't have to stay here tonight. I will be just fine, getting jabbed with a needle every few hours. Why don't you go home and get some sleep or take a shower?"
"Callie, I know I don't have to stay here, but I want to stay. If I smell bad, I can run upstairs and take a shower. I have a change of clothes in my office or can throw on some scrubs."
"For the record, you don't smell bad, I just thought a shower might make you feel better, that's all. And instead of eating bad cafeteria food tonight, why don't you go grab something to eat at one of the restaurants around the hospital? Getting outside would be good for you and a decent non-hospital meal couldn't hurt either."
I was about to protest with Callie when I realized she was right about the quick outing. Plus, after eating food from the hospital for a day, I was ready for something different. So, I called Joe's Bar and ordered a cheeseburger and French fries. When I got back to Callie's room, I noticed the remnants of her dinner sitting on her tray table. Apparently it was some sort of pot roast, or at least that's what it looked like.
Once dinner was done, we settled in and started watching a newer TV show about people who remodel houses that were falling apart. As I was commenting about one scene we watched, where the contractors found a family of raccoons living in the attic, I begun to notice Callie had gotten quiet. She started frantically looking around the room when I said, "Callie, what's wrong?"
"Arizona, I don't know. I just starting feeling really weird again. I'm not sure what's happening but something is wrong."
I immediately jumped up from my chair and rushed to get Kelly and her team of nurses. They quickly ran in the room and started checking vitals and took blood to be rushed to the lab for STAT processing. Again, Callie's blood pressure, heart rate and blood sugar were all normal. Her sodium had even gone up to 123 by that point in the evening. Still, Callie began to profusely sweat and she laid back to a low reclining position.
"Callie, talk to me. What is it that you're feeling? Use your words, sweetie. What is it?"
I was beginning to become highly concerned as Callie just kept looking around the room. She didn't talk for almost a minute.
"Arizona? I feel like I'm floating. It feels like I can see my body and I'm somewhere up above my body and yours. It's like I'm looking down on everything."
The nursing staff had already paged Lance as I continued to try and evaluate what was suddenly going on.
Next thing I knew, Callie went blank and then closed her eyes. It looked like she didn't have a choice and it was as if she had suddenly been unplugged. It felt like that moment when you're using a computer and it accidentally and unexpectedly loses all power.
"Callie! Calliope! Callie!" I immediately began looking her over more closely, but she didn't respond.
"Arizona, hey, let me in there okay? I've got this."
Lance had come in the room and gently motioned for me to step out of the way. Part of my response was visceral from years of working in Emergency medicine to start tending to Callie, but my actions were mostly because I knew something was gravely wrong with my wife.
I stepped back, however, and watched as Lance tried to rouse Callie. Pretty soon, Lance started going through all the stimuli that should elicit a response from patients if they are conscious. Callie had little to no response to most of these tests, even the Sternal rub. I felt my heart sink into the pit of my stomach when reality hit me, hard. Callie had slipped into a coma, despite the fact that her sodium level was rising.
Lance looked over at me and said, "Arizona, this is probably just temporary and she'll bounce back soon. I'm going to continue with raising her sodium exactly as we have been doing. I don't think it's the rate I'm using, I think Callie's brain decided it needed to rest. Her body's been through a lot for the weeks she's been battling with this. I will be here tonight and will be checking on her, so no need to worry. I'll come back to check on you both in the next hour. Page me if anything changes, okay?"
I slowly nodded at Lance as he walked over to where I was and gave me a brief, but tight hug. He leaned back and then squeezed Callie's hand before saying, "Callie, you're going to be just fine, okay? I'll be right here looking after you, I promise."
With that, Lance left and the nurses cleared out. The painful truth really sunk in after a few more minutes of watching my wife. This wasn't the first time I had dealt with or seen Callie in a coma, but after her recovery from our car crash, I had hoped it wouldn't ever happen again. Now, here we were. I could already feel the bad flashbacks from our past starting up and was seeing images of Callie then, and Callie now.
Part of me didn't want to deal with the reality, but the doctor part of me left the room to call my Mom and then Ari. I ended up staying close to Callie's side that night and throughout the next day. The staff could see that I wasn't going to leave and kindly kept bringing me food and beverages. I was so out of it, I barely ate or drank much. I instead, kept by Callie's side, holding her hands and talking to her. I was stunned by 48 hours, that my girl still hadn't woken up and the coma was persisting.
Some time later on that night, I closed my eyes. They felt like they were hot pieces of coal that burned and watered in their sockets from my exhaustion. By this point, I knew I needed a shower, but didn't care. Ari and Renee had tried to encourage me that morning to take a break while they sat with Callie, but I refused their kind offer. I wasn't going to leave until my girl was awake and alert.
As I sat there, contemplating everything that had been going on the last 4 days, I heard a woman say, "I know I'm the last person you want to see right now, but I came home immediately when I heard what was going on. I know I've been a complete jackass to you both recently and I'm so very sorry, Arizona. I love you both and thought I'd see what I can do to help."
I felt the woman's hands rest on my shoulders as she approached my chair from behind my view. I know I let out an epic sigh as I turned to make eye contact. I scoffed and shook my head as I looked at her with a mix of sadness, hurt and disdain.
"Well, I see you're still alive. Forgive me though for not caring about your apology or wanting to see you, Teddy. Whatever you're going through, doesn't matter to me right now."
She let go of my shoulders and empathically gazed at me. "I know I fucked up on an unbelievable level, Arizona. I understand if you never forgive me or if I've ruined my chances of being your friend again. When I heard what happened, I packed up and drove straight here as soon as I could."
"Did you want a medal for your actions or something Teddy, because I don't care. I used to care, but after everything you have put me through and... well, your apology doesn't matter in this moment. How did you even know that...? Oh, wait a minute, let me guess, Renee told you."
"She did, but advised me to leave you alone but I couldn't. You two are some of my closest friends and I, well, I wanted you to know that I'm sorry and how much I love you. I know this is the wrong time for me to make you feel any worse, but wanted to see if I could help with anything."
I probably shouldn't have said this, but in the midst of the emotional rollercoaster I had been on, I said, "No, I don't need anything from you, nor will I going forward. After the way you've treated us these last few weeks and then cut us off! No, I already decided that I don't need you in my life or my family's lives. I have more respect for myself than to put up with someone as selfish as you!"
I saw huge tears fill Teddy's eyes as she silently nodded. "What if we just sit together and I promise not to talk? I just want to be here for you both and promise not to say anything else."
A small, annoying part of me that always tells me the right thing to do had apparently checked-out by then. I did momentarily contemplate Teddy's offer, but the hurt and anger I was feeling regarding our fight, won over my senses.
"I'd actually prefer it Teddy, if you would leave. Maybe you misunderstood me, but I don't want you in my life. Not now, not tomorrow or any of the other days, so do us a favor and get the hell out."
I could tell Teddy felt my rage and anger as she nodded. "I understand Arizona and will leave you alone. If you should change your mind though, I'll be sitting outside the room for a while. I promise not to bother you and will keep quiet. If you decide you want anything, you know where to find me."
With that, Teddy patted my shoulder and then Callie's right leg before she left the room. I could hear her as she pulled up a chair and plunked herself into it. I heard her let out a huge sigh before I got up and closed the door. While I knew Renee only meant well, I was not thrilled about Teddy showing up when she did.
'That woman has some fucking nerve to show up here right now and I'll be damned if I'm going to put-up with dealing with her now!' I was giving myself an internal talk about what had just happened as I sat there focused on Callie.
"I'm sorry you heard that sweetheart but I'm right here, okay?" I squeezed Callie's hand before standing up and kissing her forehead.
As time was continuing to go by, I was starting to become more concerned if Callie was going to come out of her coma or if she'd have neurological damage as a result. I felt myself sigh too, as I laid my head face down on the bed, right next to Callie.