Chapter Text
It’s early in the morning. A rainy day in Seattle. Arizona Robbins sits comfortably on one of the guest chairs, legs crossed, laughing at something Teddy just said. She looks so at ease here. It almost feels like she never left.
They’ve been gossiping about old atendings, swapping little hospital war stories, when the knock comes.
“Oh, that must be her. Come in” Teddy calls.
The door cracks open and Monica steps in, the edges of her hair a little mussed from rushing here. Her voice is apologetic before she’s even inside. “Sorry I’m late, I had a consult”
Arizona’s on her feet instantly, waving off the apology with both hands like it’s ridiculous. “Oh, no worries at all. I know how it is. Consults always steal the clock from you” Her smile is wide and contagious.
Teddy gestures between them “Dr. Monica Beltran, meet Dr. Arizona Robbins. Arizona, this is our new chief of pediatric surgery.”
Monica’s breath catches just a little. This woman… Blonde hair catches the light in a way that makes her seem haloed, blue eyes impossibly bright. There’s a warmth radiating from her that fills the whole room, as if she runs on sunshine and coffee and nothing else. Her presence is magnetic, her smile so infectious Monica swears she can feel her own mouth betraying her, curving upward.
Arizona extends a hand. “I’m so glad to finally meet you. I’ve heard amazing things”
Monica takes her hand and finds herself holding it just a beat too long. “I actually saw you a few months ago, when you were here for the vein of Galen malformation embolisation” The words tumble out, too eager, but she can’t help it. “I was at your presentation. And the procedure… honestly, it was groundbreaking.”
Arizona’s grin softens, humility sliding in where pride could easily sit. “Oh I can’t hardly take all the credit. I had a lot of help. Shepherd was with me. That’s a good woman to have by your side when the odds are a little tricky. Have you worked with her?”
Monica’s pulse jumps at the mention of Amelia, though she doesn’t let it show. She forces an even tone. “Yeah. Plenty of times. She really is… amazing. She’s… “ she clears her throat “you’re right”
For a second, Arizona tilts her head and narrows her eyes, as if she’s heard something in Monica’s voice. Maybe her face changing tone a little. Then she lets it go, cheerful again, clapping her hands once. “Well, I can’t wait to work together on this one. Saving two babies before they’re even born? That’s the good stuff”
Teddy leans back in her chair, looking satisfied. “Dr. Beltran has prepared a a dossier with the case details. Arizona, you’ll need a space while you’re here. I was thinking Dr. Beltran’s office would be perfect” then she looks at Monica “if you don’t mind.”
Monica straightens quickly. “Oh, absolutely. It’s yours while you’re here”
“Great. We can get started”
Monica gets up and gestures toward the door, already slipping into host mode. “I’ll show you, you can get settled, and then we can start going through the charts”
Arizona beams. “Perfect. Lead the way”
Monica walks beside Arizona, looking composed and professional. They’re making easy small talk. Arizona talks about the weather, and Monica hates it. She’s not a rain person. But deep down she knows that there are things about this city that still make it feel right.
Then it’s like the universe read her mind because Amelia is right there, walking down the hallway.
She smiles brightly and rushes when she sees them… or when she sees Dr. Robbins. And the moment the blonde spots her, her face lights up to match Amelia’s expression.
“Amelia!” Arizona practically beams, and before Monica can process it, she’s closing the distance.
The hug is tight and unhesitant. They practically sway together a little. It speaks of years of comfort and…friendship. They’re still holding onto each other’s arms when they finally separate, both grinning like kids. And Monica just stands there, watching, she’s right in the middle, in front of them. And an odd tug catches somewhere in her chest.
“I can’t believe you’re here again!” Amelia says, her smile softens.
“This time I’m staying longer” Arizona replies, still holding her gaze. “Last time was too quick. Barely had a chance to catch up.” She glances back at Monica, pulling her into the conversation. “I’m actually working with Dr. Beltran now”
Amelia’s brows lift with interest, her gaze flickering to Monica for the first time. “The twins surgery?” She asks excitedly. Monica has told her about it.
Arizona nods. “That’s the one. So tell me the truth. How good is she?”
There’s a beat of silence, and Monica swears she can feel it stretching too long, Amelia’s eyes are on hers, and something hums between them. Amelia speaks softly, but her blue eyes are doing that shiny thing that totally undoes Monica every time “She’s… absolutely the best. Those twins couldn’t be in better hands”
Monica feels her cheeks warm, her heart tripping over itself. And Arizona, perceptive as ever, catches it, her lips curling with the faintest hint of amusement.
“Perfect” she says brightly. “Then I’m in excellent company. I’ll be working out of Dr. Beltrans’s office. You should stop by.”
“I know where it is” Amelia says quickly, almost too quickly. Then her composure falters, stumbles, and she adds “So I’ll… see you. I’ll stop by. Good luck with the surgery. I have a… thing. Consult.”
Her voice has gone awkward. She shifts back a step, her eyes darting to Monica with a small, timid smile. “See you around?”
Monica mirrors it, a little crooked, a little uncertain, but she nods anyway. “Yeah. See you”
And then Amelia’s gone, disappearing into the opposite direction.
For a moment, there’s just silence as Monica watches her go. Then Arizona tilts her head, slyness flickering in her eyes. “So… you two are close?”
The question catches Monica off guard. She didn’t see coming. She hesitates, then forces a measured breath. “We’re… friends. I don’t have a lot of them here yet. I’m still relatively new. But… yeah. Shepherd’s a friend.”
“I see” Arizona says lightly, her eyes twinkling with something Monica can’t quite read. Mischief, maybe. Or recognition.
They keep walking, but Monica can feel the flush in her cheeks, it’s been happening more often lately.
By mid-afternoon, Monica’s office looks like the inside of her head… papers spread across the desk, scans and lab tests, their tablets show more scans and Arizona is pacing with a pen in her hand, sketching diagrams in the air as she talks.
“The challenge” Arizona says, tapping her pen against a fetal ultrasound printout, “is the shared blood supply. The twins are mono-mono, sharing a placenta, and we’re seeing early signs of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. Baby A’s heart is already under strain”
Monica leans forward, her own notes scattered with neat handwriting and color-coded highlights. “If we don’t intervene, Baby A could go into heart failure before viability. The goal is selective fetoscopic laser photocoagulation…targeting the connecting vessels to balance circulation”
Arizona grins, eyes sparkling as though this is her idea of fun. “And lucky for us, Grey Sloan has the best setup for it. Smaller scopes, better visualization. If we time it right, we can give both kids a fighting chance”
The door opens without warning. Monica doesn’t even need to look up, there’s only one person who walks in like that. Her lips curve before she can stop them.
“Hope I’m not interrupting” Amelia says, walking in.
Monica feels the warmth flood her chest at the sight of her, but Arizona is quicker “Never!” She sets the pen down. “We’re just going over the surgical plan”
Amelia steps closer, eyes flicking between them. “The twins?”
“Yep” Arizona says “So here’s the gist, both twins are-”
Amelia smiles at her “Oh…Monica already told me about the case before you got here”
Arizona pauses, brows up. “Oh. Well then…” she cuts straight to the plan “Laser surgery at twenty-two weeks. It’ll be tight, but doable. If all goes well, they’ll both make it to term”
Amelia’s expression softens with admiration “Like I said earlier, those babies couldn’t be in better hands. You two will make a great team”
Monica swallows, a strange tightness curling in her throat. She knows it should feel like a compliment, but instead it lands awkward. She forces a nod. “Yeah”
The room stills for a second, until Arizona breaks it, just casual as ever “So, Amelia… are you busy tonight? I thought we could go out, catch up”
Amelia glances at Monica quickly, then to Arizona “Oh, I’ve got Scout tonight” Amelia says quickly, eyes darting back to Monica before returning to Arizona. “But this week, absolutely. I’ll find the time. It’ll be good to catch up properly” then she adds “When’s the surgery?”
“Thursday” Monica says, voice sharper than she means. Both women glance at her, and she tries to smooth her tone. “We’ll need every minute between now and then to prep”
“Right” Amelia says, hesitating like she wants to say more. “Maybe I should leave you guys to work. You need all the time you can get”
“Yeah” Arizona says
Then Amelia offers a small, almost shy smile directed at Monica “It was nice to see you.”
Monica’s lips tilt upward, faint and helpless. Then Amelia slips out, leaving the office quieter than before.
Arizona turns slowly, eyes gleaming as she sits down in front of Monica who is taking another sp from her tea “Don’t you just love her?”
Monica coughs, nearly choking, eyes watering as she sets the mug down with a clatter.
Arizona bites back a laugh. “You okay there?” She sounds innocent, but her smirk betrays her.
Monica clears her throat, determined to sound even. “Yeah. I’m okay. And yep, she’s great”
But the words stick in her chest, heavier than they should.
She shouldn’t ask. She should focus on the case. But the question spills out anyway, betraying her. “So… how long have you two been friends?”
Arizona leans back in her chair with a fond expression “Oh, too long. I used to work here, back when Derek Shepherd was still head of Neuro. Amelia came up from Los Angeles then. She’d had a rough time and Derek helped her start over. Honestly? People doubted her a lot, including my ex-wife, but I’ve never seen a surgeon like her. She saved someone very dear to me. Everyone said it was impossible, but she pulled it off. That case is on medical books now!" A nostalgic grin appears on her face "To this day I don’t know how she made that possible” Arizona shakes her head, still grinning. “I’ll always be grateful. People worship Derek around here, and sure, he was brilliant and I loved that man with my whole heart. But Amelia… she’s just as good, if not better.” Then she leans a little forward, smiling at Monica “She’s amazing. Like you said”
The words are intended as praise, and Arizona is starting to get interested in whatever situation is going on here, but unfortunately Monica feels something else, low and ugly, pulling in her chest. She’s never been the jealous type. And she has no right, but there it is… unmistakable, prickling under her skin. The thought that Arizona might see Amelia the way Monica… doesn’t let herself admit she does. And they have all that history…
It’s ridiculous. She and Amelia are friends. Just friends. And yet, her pulse is still quick, her face hot, and the only thing that keeps her steady is the stack of charts between them.
Focus, she tells herself. Focus on the case. That’s the most important thing right now.