April

Yes, I'll marry you. The words had been a godsend to Arizona when Callie finally regained consciousness and opened her eyes. The cloying fear that had gripped the peds surgeon ever since Derek Shepherd's initial assessment eased a trifle at hearing the hoarse, yet lucid words. Although her heart lurched when Callie once again lost the battle against sedation, Arizona was confident that her girlfriend had finally turned the corner. Her shoulders slumped in mindless relief and she closed her eyes, taking a moment to silently offer up a prayer of thanks.

She reached down and took Callie's hand, gently chafing the soft skin. Only then did she notice a second ID bracelet, half hidden beneath the one Callie was given after she was admitted to the ICU. She didn't have to hold the bracelet up to the light to read what it said. She saw these bracelets everyday in the NICU. Each had an isolette number, a surname, and relationship status to the baby printed in bold letters. Arizona could just make out TORRES- Mother in the dim light of the room. She looked down at her own wrists, covered in lurid, purple and red bruises. She hadn't been given a bracelet, nor was she allowed the same visitation rights as any biological parent.

Even in the eyes of the hospital, amongst her own coworkers, Arizona Robbins was nothing.

Dr. Stark had made it clear that only immediate family was allowed in the NICU and that they had to be accompanied by one of the parents at all times. Non-immediate family members and friends of the parents were simply not allowed inside the unit at any time. The shock must of clearly been showing on her face because he made a point of saying that they were not his rules. That they were the hospital's, and if she had a problem, she could take it up with the hospital board. He almost, almost, looked genuinely sorry. But Arizona had worked under him for months now and could clearly read the slightly upturned lip and shrugged shoulders. Robert Stark was secretly pleased and Arizona desperately wanted to find herself a brick to wipe the smirk off of his smug face.

An alarm going off across the unit brought Arizona back from those less than pleasant thoughts. She lifted Callie's hand and gently pressed her lips against the raw, scraped knuckles. "I'll be right back," she whispered, tucking Callie's hand under the thin blanet. She stood, wincing as her sore body protested the movement after sitting for so long. Deciding to page Derek, Arizona started to make her way out of the room. She had just reached the doorway when a sickening jolt of vertigo hit her without warning and the world turned sharply on its axis. She grabbed onto the doorframe and closed her eyes, willing the dizzying sensation to pass and her stomach to settle.

"Dr. Robbins?"

Arizona inwardly sighed and opened her eyes, thankful that the hospital floor no longer appeared to be moving around her. April Kepner was standing no more than a foot away from her, clutching a chart to her chest. Arizona forced a smile in the hope that it would alleviate the concerned look that resident was giving her. "Sorry. It's been a long few days."

"I understand," April replied, cautiously. "Are you alright? You look a little pale?"

Arizona shrugged. "Haven't gotten much sleep. I think it's starting to catch up to me." She rubbed at her eyes tiredly. "I was just going to page Dr. Shepherd. Callie woke up for a few minutes."

"She did?" April asked, craning her head around the doorframe to glance into the room.

Arizona nodded, her smile less forced and more genuine. "She opened her eyes, looked at me and she said…well she spoke to me."

"That's great," April exclaimed. "I was just coming by to give you an update on the baby, since Dr. Sloan hasn't left the NICU and I didn't think that you'd be leaving here any time soon."

"And Dr. Stark didn't have a problem with you doing this?" Arizona asked.

"Oh, well he was called into the ER for a consult," April admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "He doesn't exactly know where I am." She cleared her throat. "But I...er...thought you should know. The ultrasound showed evidence of an IVH, but as of now it hasn't progressed beyond Grade 1."

"That's good," Arizona whispered to herself. Intraventricular hemorrhages were common in premature infants and Grade 1 types were the least severe and usually resolved over time without medical treatment.

"The chest xrays and blood tests were not so good," April continued, flipping through the chart in her hands. "The xrays confirmed RDS and she wasn't responding well to the CPAP, so we had no choice but to put her on the ventilator."

"That explains the IVH," Arizona replied. "Survanta?"

"Yes," April confirmed. "It appears to be working. She no longer exhibits signs of bradycardia and the cyanosis is almost completely gone."

"And the Hypertension?"

April scanned the chart. "We're treating with Hydralazine. It took a few attempts, but they've managed to start a PICC line. She's taken to the fortified formula quite nicely and xrays of her abdomen shows no signs of NEC, even though her weight remains unchanged."

"She should be gaining," Arizona relayed unhappily.

"It's still early," April attempted to reassure her. "Since putting her on the ventilator, blood sugar, sodium levels and pressure have all stabilized." April sighed and once again clutched the chart to her chest. "I heard what Robert…I mean Dr. Stark said," she confessed, staring down at the floor. "About not letting you in."

"Rules are rules," Arizona replied evenly.

"But—"

"And as an attending pediatric surgeon," Arizona cut her off, "I have both the right and responsibility to visit patients in the NICU. And once Dr. Shepherd comes in to check on Callie, I intend to start my rounds."

"But the chief—"

"Said that I could take all the time I need," Arizona replied. "And what I need is to see my baby and the only way that I'm allowed to see her is if I go to work. And that's what I intend to do. Rules are rules and they can't prevent me from seeing her if I'm there as her doctor."

"It's not fair."

"No it's not," Arizona agreed. "But I've discovered that a lot of things in life aren't fair. Look, you should go back before Stark returns and notices that you're missing. I'll be up there in the next hour or so. Until then, page me if anything comes up?"

"Of course," April replied as she turned and made her way towards the elevators.

Arizona took a deep, settling breath. Pushing away from the doorframe, she made her way down the hallway towards the nurses' station. The joy at hearing Callie's declaration was now tempered by the anxiety of what Derek might find during his assessment, as well as the fear brought about by April's update on the baby.

The persistent throbbing behind her eyes was getting worse and the last thing she wanted was to contend with a migraine and Stark at the same time.

There weren't enough bricks in the world to help Arizona Robbins deal with that.