Nothing Comes Easily by captstarbuck

A new friend helps Arizona.

AN: This is, for the most part, Calzona, but Arizona-centric, with lots of other Grey's characters. It's slightly AU/Mostly Canon. This starts just before Arizona returns from Africa and varies a bit in the story of bringing them back together. Let's just say I bend the timeline and modify a few scenes to suit my own purposes.

AN: A big thanks to my betareader, "Lt." Stacy D'Lacy

Disclaimers – All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual. (I don't own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. All of that belongs to Shondaland et al. I just wanted to take them out and play)

Chapter One – I'm a Terrible Person

After flying for three hours with three stops along the way (just to get out of freakin' Malawi she grumbled to herself), and another twelve hour flight from Johannesburg to London, it wasn't until she boarded the flight for Boston that it hit Arizona Robbins that she was really going back to Seattle. That was when the anxiety and fear settled in full bore. Getting out of Malawi was stressful in its own right, and she'd only managed a few hours of restless sleep on the way to London, getting up every few hours to stretch her legs. She wasn't going to take any chances on developing blood clots. Just my luck – I'd make it back to Seattle only to die of a blood clot, she thought.

Making last minute flight reservations had put a sizable dent in her bank account, and the flights weren't the best arrangements. If she'd had time, she knew she could have had less connections and less flying. The only saving grace was that she was flying first-class to Boston and to Seattle. At least those seats will be comfortable. Twelve hours in coach hadn't been fun one bit. She sighed. With Callie and her trust fund, they'd always flown first class on domestic flights. She knew that had they ever taken the trip to Spain, they would have been flying business class.

Less than twenty-four hours and I'll be home, she thought as buckled her seat belt. Home. Is it even home anymore? Will Callie still want me? Will she still even speak to me?

She felt the anxiety rise up again and tears filled her eyes.

An hour later, and she still couldn't stop the tears. She leaned forward and reached for her purse under the seat in front of her. She rummaged through each compartment, mumbling to herself.

"Gum, Lifesavers, Advil, Tylenol, aspirin, Zyrtec, keys, tampons… no Kleenex? How can I not have any? Unbelievable…."

She felt a nudge and looked down to see a small packet of tissues.

"Help yourself," a soft voice offered.

Arizona looked up and for the first time noticed the woman sitting next to her. The woman was dressed in a green Army officer's uniform. Raised in the military, Arizona eyes instinctively looked for the rank and she quickly spotted the gold oak leaf on her shoulders.

"Thank you, Major – " She then saw the caduceus on the lapel. "Doctor?"

"Dwyer," she finished the statement, holding out her hand. "Kayo Dwyer." She pronounced her last name 'Dwyah', giving away her Boston accent.

"Arizona Robbins," she replied, shaking her hand.

"Everything okay?" the Army doctor asked gently.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine."

The woman's right eyebrow quirked upward. "Sure about that?"

"Yes, really. I'm fine," Arizona repeated as she dabbed the tears from her cheeks with a tissue.

"Uh huh. Right." Her voice had a touch of sarcasm.

Arizona handed the tissue packet back to her.

"No, keep it, I insist." The army officer smiled. "Who knows when you'll be feeling 'fine' again."

Arizona took a closer look at her seatmate. She had a faint sprinkling of freckles across skin that appeared to be permanently reddened from the wind or sun. Her short, thick hair wasn't really red, but it wasn't brown either, and it was shot full of gray. Her eyes were sky blue and even though they seemed sad, they were also the kindest eyes Arizona had ever seen.

She glanced down at the ribbons on the officer's chest. Arizona was well-versed in all things military and she noted a distinguished service medal, a bronze star and a purple heart among the ten ribbons.

"Arizona, huh? Battleship or state?"

"Battleship. I'm surprised you even asked."

"Armed forces here," she replied with a small grin. "Of course I'm going to think battleship first, even if it is the navy."

A ghost of a smile flickered across Arizona's lips. Kayo wondered when the last time was that Arizona had actually smiled.

"Kayo?" Arizona asked, her eyebrow rising.

"My initials. K. O."

Arizona softly chuckled.

"Coming or going?" she asked Arizona.

"Excuse me?"

"Is it the leaving or the arriving that's got you feeling so " *cough* "fine?"

"I – uh – I…" Arizona was rarely at a loss for words. Usually she tended to ramble, but for some reason she didn't know what to say.

Kayo's eyebrow quirked upward again as if to say "well, I'm waiting".

"Are you a psychiatrist?" Arizona finally blurted out.

"Hardly," she scoffed.

They stopped speaking when the flight attendant appeared next to them.

"Anything to drink?" she asked.

Kayo turned to Arizona. "You look like you could use a drink, and I know I do. What'll you have?"

"No, that's okay. Really."

"I insist." Kayo gave Arizona a small smile. "I don't like to drink alone."

"White wine."

"Vodka rocks," Kayo said. "No, make that two." Kayo smiled up at the flight attendant and noticed the name tag. "Actually, Kate, could you just bring the wine, two vodkas, two empty glasses and one glass with ice?"

"Certainly. Anything for our servicemen and women," she replied, emphasizing 'women' with a hint of flirtation in her smile. "I'll be back with your drinks in a few minutes."

When the flight attendant left, Kayo turned back to Arizona. "You haven't answered my question."

"What question?"

"Coming or going?" she repeated.

Arizona pondered the question before finally answering. "Both," she said with a small sigh.

"Fair enough."

"How about you?" Arizona queried.

"I'm not the one who's upset," she said with a smile.

"Are you on leave?"

"I've been mustered out. Just a few days of leave and then I'm done with active duty."

"Where'd you serve?"

"Iraq, then Afghanistan."

The flight attendant handed them their drinks, making sure to lean across Kayo to hand Arizona her wine. Kayo smiled at the tall brunette and thanked her.

"Let me know if you need anything else," she said pointedly to Kayo.

Kayo chuckled to herself and waited until the flight attendent was gone before she emptied one bottle into the empty glass. She quickly downed the shot that she'd poured.

"You'd do well with the people I work," Arizona corrected herself. "Worked with, only their preference was tequila," Arizona commented, sipping her wine.

"As cheap as this brand of vodka is, it's still better than anything I've had in months." She poured the contents of the second mini-bottle over the ice and took a small drink from it. "So, where were you before you got on this plane?"

"Malawi."

"Really? Doing what?"

"Running a clinic for the past six weeks."

"You're a doctor?" Kayo was surprised.

"Yes. Pediatric surgeon."

"Good for you. Malawi?" She shook her head in amazement. "Six weeks you say? I'm impressed. Very impressed."

"Don't be. I was supposed to be there for three years." Her voice was tinged with self-loathing.

Kayo took another sip from her vodka. "Homesick?" she asked.

"Something like that."

Arizona fell silent and the tears welled up in her eyes again.

"I'm sorry," Kayo apologized. "I shouldn't pry."

"No, it's okay," Arizona replied, taking a fresh tissue. "I'm just exhausted. Getting out of Malawi hasn't been easy."

"I can relate. Kandahar, Frankfort and London for me. I was lucky that I did have a short layover in Germany."

The plane's intercom switched on with a loud chime.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain. I've turned on the fasten seatbelts sign once again. Our radar indicates that we'll be heading into some rough weather. Please remain seated until we pass through this area."

"Oh, great," Arizona muttered as she finished her glass of wine. "As if flying wasn't bad enough."

The plane suddenly rocked, then dropped. For Kayo, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. She'd experienced far worse flying Military Transport. She looked over at the blonde woman. Her eyes were tightly shut and her hand suddenly shot out to grab the armrest between them. Kayo wasn't quick enough to move her arm in time and Arizona's hand clamped down on her arm with surprising strength.

"This is so not happening," Arizona murmured under her breath, her grip tightening on Kayo's arm.

"It's okay, Dr. Robbins. It's just a little turbulence," Kayo said.

"I hate to fly… I really, really hate to fly…"

Kayo gently pried the pale fingers from her arm, only to have Arizona reflexively grab her hand in a vise-like grip when the plane dropped again. Kayo squeezed the frightened doctor's hand in an attempt to reassure her.

"It's okay," Kayo repeated. "Not everyone likes to fly. Just hold on. It'll be over soon."

Kayo let Arizona hang on to her hand while the blonde woman silently mouthed what Kayo first assumed to be prayers, but then she heard a few choice swear words. From what she heard, Arizona was pretty creative with her curses. Kayo would've laughed out loud at the contrast of the pretty woman and her sailor-like swearing had she not been so visibly stressed.

It wasn't until several minutes after the captain announced that they could 'now move around about the cabin' that Arizona finally released her white-knuckled hold on Kayo's hand.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, her cheeks turning going from white to a deep red. "Me and flying… not a good combination."

"Don't apologize. It's not every day I get someone holding my hand in such a death-like grip outside an OR," she said, gently teasing her.

When the flight attendant neared them, Kayo signaled another round of drinks for herself and her seatmate. Arizona couldn't help noticing this time the way Kayo smiled at the flight attendant, called her by name. It was almost as if she were flirting with her. The flight attendant - "Kate" - appeared to be charmed by Kayo. Arizona realized the exchange between the officer and the flight attendant was providing her with a temporary diversion. Well, that only confirms my suspicions about Dr. Dwyer. The flight attendant… now that's a surprise. Maybe my gaydar needs a tuneup.

"Here," Kayo said handing Arizona another glass of wine. "This should settle your nerves."

"Thank you."

"So, now that we've shared such an intimate moment, maybe you'd like to tell me why you're feeling so fine?"

"I… it's nothing… I don't even know… I'm fine."

"Look, I get that you don't know me, but I'm a good listener. You're clearly upset about something. Maybe talking about it to a complete stranger – one you'll never see again – can help."

Arizona had enough trouble trusting her friends, but a complete stranger? Not gonna happen. And yet… if she didn't talk to someone she was going to completely lose it. She hadn't even told Teddy, let alone her family, that she'd left Malawi.

Maybe it was the nearly two glasses of wine on an almost empty stomach, or maybe it was the lack of sleep over the past forty-eight hours, but Arizona Robbins gave up trying to keep it all inside.

Looking down at the glass in her hand, Arizona whispered in a quiet, shameful voice, "I'm a terrible person."

Kayo leaned in closer. "No, you're not." Her voice was gentle.

"Yes, I am."

"Arizona, a 'terrible person' wouldn't think they were a terrible person."

"All my life I've done the right thing, professionally and personally. And these past three months, I've discovered that I'm not who I thought I was."

"What happened?" she asked.

"I had a fantastic opportunity. An opportunity of a lifetime," she rambled. "I won a grant to work in a clinic in Africa. For three years! I could have helped hundreds of children, maybe thousands." Her face crinkled with her disgust. "And I left."

"Why'd you leave? Did something happen? Were you in danger?"

"No, nothing so dramatic or noble." She started to cry. "I couldn't stop crying. I missed my girlfriend. My girlfriend, whom I left standing in an airport. I left her behind. How could I hurt Callie like that? How could I think that I could be happy in Africa without her? I'm such a failure." Arizona wiped her nose.

It wasn't just the pain of missing Callie, but the realization that she had failed at her grant and had failed to be a good man in a storm. What a joke., she thought. What a cruel joke.

Kayo took the bereft woman's hand in her own. The kind touch of her hand sent Arizona into another spasm of sobs. Kayo felt awful. She could see the woman was in pain, and she hadn't meant to make it worse.

"Take a deep breath… that's it… it'll be okay…"

At any other time, Arizona would've thought the words trite and meaningless. But Kayo's voice was soothing and she found that she did find comfort in it.

When Arizona's sobs lessened, Kayo squeezed her hand once more. "Why don't you start from the beginning?" she suggested.

And so, Arizona did. For two hours, she talked and Kayo listened. For two hours Arizona spilled her guts about everything that had happened over the past two years to a complete stranger. Kayo hardly spoke; she only uttered a few words here and there of encouragement, consolation or sympathy. By the time Arizona had finished, her eyes were red-rimmed and she was still sniffling, and she'd gone through both packs of tissues that Kayo had provided.

"Y'know, Arizona, in everything you've said, nowhere did I hear anything about you being a terrible person."

"You're just being nice."

"The only thing I heard was your love for Callie."

Arizona closed her eyes and sighed. "And now I'm going back to find out if she still loves me, if she can forgive me for leaving."

"She'd be a fool not to. Granted, it might take some time for her, but I think she'll come around. I don't think you're the kind of woman that one can easily stop loving." Kayo smiled and patted Arizona's small hand.

"Thank you, Kayo. Thank you for listening to me."

"No problem." Kayo looked at her watch. "Wonder if we have time for one more drink?"

"Oh, no more for me," Arizona said.

"Well, you're probably right. I can have more on my next flight, assuming I make it. This flight is already running 20 minutes behind schedule."

Arizona sighed. "I need to stop thinking about… this… even just for a little while."

"I could ask the flight attendant for a deck of cards?" Kayo offered.

"No, thank you. I need something else to distract me."

For one quick, despicable moment, Kayo entertained the thought of 'distracting' Arizona with a proposition of joining the 'Mile High Club'. As soon as the thought entered her mind, Kayo mentally kicked herself. You pig, she chastised herself. Arizona thinks she's a terrible person? I've clearly got her beat in that category. How could I think like that?

"Tell me about yourself, Kayo. You already know so much about me."

"What do you want to know?"

"Well, obviously you grew up in Boston, if your accent is any indication." Arizona smiled.

"Right about that."

"Where'd you go to school?"

"Medical or undergrad?"

"Both."

"West Point then Yale Med."

"Wow. Ivy League."

"Yeah. Amazed that a kid from South Boston could end up there, huh?"

"No, I'm not surprised, just impressed." Arizona reached for her purse and took out a pack of gum. "Want a piece?"

Kayo almost choked on her response. Piece of what? Oh… yeah… gum… Mind out of the gutter, Dwyer…

"Sure, thanks," she replied blandly.

"Residency?" she asked Kayo.

"Fort Hood. I was there until I was sent to Iraq in '02."

"Any specialty?"

"Trauma."

"What's next for you?"

"What do I really want to do, or what I'm actually going to do?" she said with a grin.

"What do you want to do?"

"Drink lots of alcohol, have lots of sex and then sleep for a month."

Arizona laughed along with Kayo. "Long tour?"

"You have no idea. I haven't been stateside for more than three days since I first went to Iraq."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to visit with some old army buddies of mine for a little while, unless I overstay my welcome first, then I'll look for a job." Kayo fell silent for a moment. "I haven't lived anywhere but military housing since I left the Academy, except med school."

"I grew up a military brat, so I kind of know what you're going through."

"Army?"

"Perish the thought," Arizona said proudly. "Marines. My dad retired a full bird," Arizona lapsed into military jargon.

"Moved around a bit, I guess."

"Yeah. Every eighteen months, it seemed."

"Where'd you like best?"

"San Diego was nice… at least the climate was. We were in Virginia three times. The last time I lived at home was when my dad was at Quantico."

"Where'd you go to medical school?"

"Hopkins. I did my residency there, too." Arizona made a face. "Excuse me. The wine seems to have gone directly to my bladder."

Kayo stood up, ducking her head. It was then that Arizona noticed how tall she was. Kayo stepped back into the aisle, letting Arizona scramble past her. She remained standing, grateful for the chance to stretch her legs.

Arizona gave herself a good look in the mirror as she washed her hands in the sink in the tiny airplane restroom. I look like crap, she thought, noticing her slightly bloodshot eyes and the circles underneath. She splashed some cold water on her face and ran her fingers through her hair. I should've brought my purse in here with me. Oh well, I've got a long layover in Boston. I can freshen up there.

She stepped out of the restroom and spotted Kate talking with Kayo. She smiled to herself. Kayo reminds me of a female version of Mark Sloan. As soon as she approached her seat, Kayo and Kate stepped aside. Arizona politely excused herself as she maneuvered past them to return to her seat.

"Major, I'll let you know as soon as I can," Kate said, patting Kayo's arm.

Kayo thanked her and sat back down.

"Hot date?" Arizona teased.

"What? No." Kayo's cheeks reddened.

"Not for lacking of trying," Arizona laughed.

"Naw, she wanted to know if I had a layover in Boston. I explained that I wasn't even sure if I'd have time to make my connection. She's going to try to make arrangements so I can get off first and get down to customs ASAP. She also said she'd have them hold my next flight if it was only going to be a short delay."

"They can do that?"

"I guess being a war hero…" Kayo rolled her eyes. "It has some perks".

The shapely flight attendant returned. "You're all set, Major. They'll meet our flight at the gate and get you through as quickly as possible."

"Thanks, Kate."

The brunette leaned over and whispered, "and if you're ever passing through Boston again, call me." She slipped a piece of paper into Kayo's hand before walking away.

With a sheepish grin and an embarrassed shrug of her shoulders, Kayo stuffed the paper in her pocket.

Before Arizona could make a comment, the captain made the final approach announcement, instructing the passengers to return their seats to the upright position and to fasten their seatbelts. She offered Kayo a small smirk before she turned her attention to her purse.

Kayo reached for her briefcase under the seat in front of her. She took out a small pad of paper and a pen. She quickly scribbled a few notes on it.

"Arizona?"

"Yes?"

"The timing of this will seem kinda awkward, especially after… you know… Kate giving me her number and all."

"What?"

She handed Arizona the piece of paper. "Here's my email address and cell phone number. I was hoping you'd let me know how it goes with Callie. I don't mean anything else by it," she quickly added. "It's just… I'd like it if you could drop me a note, or text me or something someday so I know you're okay."

Arizona accepted the note, knowing that she'd probably never see Kayo again.

"I won't make any promises."

"I know. Just… someday… let me know."

"Okay."

They stayed silent as the plane landed, then taxied to the gate. Kayo turned to Arizona and took her hand. "Good luck, Arizona. I hope everything works out for you the way you want."

"Thank you, Kayo… for listening."

"Glad I could help," she said, immediately getting up when the plane had stopped. She reached into the overhead compartment and grabbed a small duffel bag. She saw Kate approaching and looked down at Arizona one last time. "Take care of yourself, Dr. Robbins," she said softly.

"You, too, Kayo."

Kayo gave Arizona one last look over her shoulder before following Kate out of the plane.

TBC