Hey there!

This is a totally new experience for me... I'm trying to write an Alternative universe Story.
I've been thinking about it for along time, I read a lot of Amazing AU stories, so I decide to try it.
I really hope that first chapter will tempt you of to read more.

A huge and irrevocable thanks to my friend who Alina help me with the development of the storie and Nina, who correct my mistakes.

So feel free to leave a review to let me know what you're thinking.

Have a pleasant reading and I see you soon!

...

It was another day she thought was lost. It was another day where she didn't find what she needed and she was sick of it.
So many interviews, so many charts reviewed, so many phone calls, but so much disapointment. She was witnessing the research of three years sliping throught her fingers, and it was driving her crazy. So when her fellow knocked on her door that afternoon with a big smile, she groaned and didn't even looked at her.
« What is it Wilson ? I'm busy here ! »

« I found the perfect candidate Dr Torres ! She's the one. I checked all the information I have. Of course we will need to ask her some question, but for the moment, she's perfect ! » Jo Wilson said excitedly as she gave her tablet to her mentor. « Dr Grey just told me she needed to keep her monitored for the next 48 hours. It will give us time to present the project to her ! ».

Impressed by the excitement Jo was demonstrating, Callie Torres raised her head and grabbed the tablet. Jo knew every criteria needed, she knew everything. She had been by her side for months and she knew what she was talking about. She knew what kind of patient was looked for.

« And what makes her different of all the other candidates we interviewed? » Callie Torres asked as she was looking closer to the patient chart.
« She's less than 35 years old, and obviously she's a woman... She was amputated 4 years ago and her stump is clean. Plus it's an above knee amputation ! She fits all the criteria ! She's not married, no kids and she lost her prosthetic. Or she don't have one, I don't know... » The ortho fellow insisted as she seemed to know every details contained in the patient file. « We don't know her medical history at the moment, but I can feel it ! She's our winner ! »

« Okay ! I take a look... Have you talked to her already ? Why is she here ? » Callie asked Still focused on the chart. She was analysing every piece of information she got and so far, everything was good.

« Actually I have only spoke with Dr Grey. She's been admitted because she's been assaulted and beaten. »
« What ? » Callie raised her head and look at Jo in surprise.
« She's homeless and apparently someone tried to steal her belongings. She fought to take them back, but there were 3 of them. So she lost... » Wilson explained.
« It's awful... » Callie replied, her human side immediately getting upon her professional waitings. And that's when she remembered some things about her fellow.

She knew a very little about Jo's past, but she was aware that the young women had been living in her car for a while. So maybe she felt that she had to do something for that poor woman.
« Okay, I'm going to meet her. Come with me. I need to talk to Grey first. »

. . . . . . . . . .

The blonde was laying in that hospital bed, visibly upset and mad. Meredith Grey had to explain to her several times that her injuries were serious and that she needed to wait for the CT result to be sure she was okay.
She had just received a text from Torres who wanted to meet her, so she was waiting for her outside of the patient room.
The poor woman was in pretty bad shape. She was clearly undernourished and had been the victim of a violent assault. She got three broken ribs and a lot of bruises. Her face was really damaged and one of her eyes couldn't opened because of the wound she was suffering from. Her lips was split and her stomach was covered in bruises.
Meredith didn't know her name, she didn't to give it. She didn't know what really happened except what the police had told her.

« Grey ! » Callie called her friend as she approached her.
Meredith smiled and hugged her. The two woman appreciated each other a lot. When Callie got married with Meredith's huband best friend, the two women who were already friends, became closer than never. And When Lexie, Meredith half sister, came from nowhere and Mark left his wife for her, it didn't change anything.
Callie and Mark were still good friend, and thinking back, they were in a better place now being friends instead of lovers.

Meredith was the daughter of the worldclass surgeon Ellis Grey. She had her skills and her authorithy. She was married to one of the best neuro-Surgeon of the country and they were in love like in the first day, raising three beautiful children.
A perfect family that was secretly Callie's dream.

But while she was one of the best in her professional life, her private life was a disaster. She's been divorced two times. Her first husband was Georges O'Malley, her college boyfriend. He was a weak and without ambition guy who left her six months after their wedding for her own sister Aria. They were now married and had two beautiful sons.
After a long period where she remained single, Callie met Mark Sloan at Meredith's wedding. Less than a year after their first meeting, they got married after a trip to Las Vegas. But the wedding lasted only a few months, before Lexie's arrival.

Then, she almost got married a third time with Erica Hahn, a Cardio surgeon who was working with her at the hospital. But she realized Erica wasn't made for her a few weeks before the wedding, and she decided to break up with her.
Totaly desperate, Erica left the hospital and the town, and she never heard of her after.
Erica wasn't her first girlfriend. Callie had always openly be bisexual even if she had more male than female partners.
Actually, she was single and it was perfect this way. She didn't want to lose time dating people who didn't interest her at all.

She was secretely believing at love at first sight. She thought deep inside that one day, she would meet the person who was made for her and that something would click in her mind.
But right now she was doing an impressive new study on a robotic sensitive leg. She wanted to change the way the medical world was dealing with the amputation and the prosthetics.
And she was here, meeting her friend Meredith Grey to meet a possible candidate.
On the paper, Merdith's patient presented the perfect profile. If she agreed to be a part of the study and if her health status were compatible with every criteria, it would be amazing.

Callie and her fellow had met more than 35 candidates, and they had only retained 3 people. Two of them finally refused numerous constraints that involved the project, and the third woman got some health issus at the very last time that prevented her from being included.
So as she turned her gaze to discover that potential patient, Callie Torres took a deep breath and was keen to show her the project.

It was a very big deal. Indeed, her donators were expecting concrete results by now. She was under a lot of pressure and she was over stressed. Meeting this woman could change her life, and she didn't know that it wouldn't only be in a professionnal way.

« So, what's her name ? » Callie asked Meredith as she looked at the woman throught the window. « Wow... she's really injured... »
« I don't know. She refused to say it. And she's been left for dead on the sidewalk. I think her assailant didn't take the time to be sure she was still breathing or not... »

Callie suddenly felt her stress level increased. Not only she was thinking about the patient having some unexpected injuries which excluded her from the trial, but she also felt deeply sorry for her. She had grown up in a wealthy and loving family. Her parents had always been there for her, and she would never have to care about being in that kind of position.

« Is there something wrong more than the bruises and her broken ribs ? »
« No, she seemed okay. I'm waiting for the last results, and I monitored her for the night at least. But i'm not sure she's going to agree to stay. She's been pretty aggressive. » Meredith explained. « So if you want to talk to her, she's all yours ! Good luck ! »
« Thanks. » Callie replied, still looking at the patient.

It was now or never. Hesitating, her hands were a little sweaty, and she quickly dried them on her labcoat. She sighed, trying to keep her self-control and to introduce herself as a confident and trustful doctor.

That Woman must have lived some difficult events in her life to find herself living in the streets on her own, and Callie guessed she wouldn't be easy to convince.
She approached the door and knocked carefully. The woman turn her head, wincing in pain.

« Come in. » She said as Callie opened the door.
« Hi. I'm Dr Torres from Ortho. I'd like to talk to you about a project I'm working on. Will you agree to talk about it with me ? » Callie introduces herself, speaking in a compassionate but professional voice.

The woman noded and so Callie grabbed a chair and sat next to the bed. Callie blushed a little when she felt the patient staring at her. She could almost feel her look on her. She had a piercing and cold gaze, but Callie found it impressive. She could barely see her eyes between the wound and the bruises, but they seemed to have been throught a lot of dramatic life events.

Blue... They were blue. Callie has always had a things for blue eyes, but that was not the point.
Noticing the woman's little reaction, she cleared her throat, trying to catch her attention back.

« What's your name ? » She asked, looking at her and trying to make her feel comfortable.
« Just tell me what you want to say and leave me alone please. » the woman replied.
« Well I think you're going to be interested so can you give me your name please ? » Callie insisted as the woman rolled her eyes. This was not a good sign. She needed to be more open. She had to make that patient she was really special without letting her know she was desperate to find someone to join her trial.
« Jane... »
« Ok Jane... And what's your family name ? »
« Doe... »

Now it was Callie wo was rolling her eyes. She wanted to fool her, fine. But Callie wasn't shy and she wasn't ready to surrender.

« Okay, Jane Doe... So I'm an orthopedic surgeon and I am working on a brand new kind of prosthetic limb. It's a prosthetic leg that will help the amputees to not only get more motorskills back but they would be able to feel real sensation throught their prosthetic also. It won't only be a tool to help you walking. It's gonna be a real extension of your body. » Callie explained excitedly. « I've been looking at your chart and You seem to fit all the criteria ! »

« Can you give me that bottle of water please ? » the woman asked.

Callie looked at hern disapointed by the lack of concern from the woman. What's her problem ? Why wasn't she thrilled to be offered that opportunity ?
She was leading the game for now, but Callie still had some tricks.
She handed her the bottle and their eyes locked for a second.

Even if she was really injured and bruised, that woman had something that upset Callie.
She had just been assaulted, she was in an hopital bed but she remained strong an she wasn't letting Callie get to her so easily.
Callie didn't know what seemed to attracted her to that stranger, but she felt immediately a connection between them.

« I can show you a video of our first test if you want... » Callie mumbled as the blonde took a sip of water.

She looked patiently at her, smiling. If it wasn't the first they met, she could almost think she was making fun of her. Callie gulped and began to nervously making click her finger nails.

She was the one. She can help her to concrete her years of research.

« No thank you. You can go now. » The blonde coldly replied as she put her bottle on the table next to her bed, not even looking at Callie who was now begining to feel a wave of stress overwhelmed her entire body. She had no choice. She had to convice that woman.

« But I can assure you it's going to change your life ! It's revolutionary ! » The orthopedic surgeon insisted. She had nothing to lose and was now trying to play the scientific card.

Why in the world someone could refuse such an offer ?

« I told you I wasn't interested ! » the woman said, harshly as she looked at Callie with a dark glare.

Callie could feel the anger in the woman's eye and it cooled her. The icy reaction she received was so intense that her own enthuthiasm fade a little. It was not the first time the person in front of her remained sceptical when she explained briefly her research. Dealing with amputees was not an easy task. But she was used to it now. She know the struggle those patient had to fight to accept their new body, she knew everything about it. She knew the depressive period, the digust of their own appearance, the phantom limb pain, the uncomfort of the prosthetic. She was dealing with it every single day.

But in front of that woman who was calling herselg Jane Doe, Something was different. She didn't know anything about her except that she was homeless and... amazingly beautiful even if she was almost disfigured.

« Can you take a moment to think about it ? I notice you arrived in the ER without your prosthetic . Where is it ?» Callie asked her which made the blonde raised her head and looked at her with a different gaze.

Callie knitted her eyebrow and found a little confidence back. She might have find a way to interact with her.
The woman sighed and laid back her head on the bed. « I sold it, to a pawn shop... »

Callie felt bad and let escape a sigh of shock. She tried to contain any reaction of pity not to hurt her potential candidate but she was deeply touched by what she just heard.
So now, for her, 'Jane' was not the best candidate, she was the only one she wanted to work with.

Even pressed for time and by economic constraints, Callie remained a very empathic person and she was not able to refrain from thinking that the coming of this patient in her hospital at this very moment could only be a sign of fate.

« I can help you Jane. This trial, it can change your life in so many ways. » Callie said in a soft voice.

« Nothing can change my life. I don't need a life. I had one and … Whatever... » the woman whispered.

« Listen, let me show you what this is about. You have nothing to lose. It's a wonderful program, you'll be the first female to enter the trial. » Callie insisted, believing hard in her chanced to convince the other woman.

Closing her eyes as Callie lost her last hope, Jane shook her head slowly no.
« If you change your mind, just tell Dr Grey. I will get back to you. »

Callie gave the woman her hand, but she didn't took it and simply turned her head on the opposite side.
Callie clenched her teeth in frustration and felt a tension around her neck and shoulders. She stood up and grabbed her tablet and walked toward the doors. She failed, one more time to convice somebody. But this time, not the trial or its terms was her main concern. She was just sad Jane wasn't accepting the help she was offering her. And she was taking it personnaly. It was one more failure added to an already long list.

« Dr Torres right ? »

« Yes ? » Callie automatically turned back to Jane, hoping for the best. Whatever the young woman was about to say, it was surely the begining or the end of something.

« What would I have to do concretely if I accept your offer ? » She asked

« You want me to explain the procedure in details ? » Callie asked with a big smile on her face. She took a few steps back and smiled at Jane. That was it ! She had managed to catch her attention. And even if she didn't knew anything about her, she already notice a change in the tone of her patient voice, and it made her feel better.

« Dr Grey said I'm stuck here until tomorrow, so I can used a little company... » The blonde said playfully.

« So you want to see the video Jane ? » Callie asked, reaching the bed closer and hoping she would agree. She was sure the woman will agree immediately after she knew everything about the project.

« It's Arizona... »

« Sorry, what ? » Callie asked, raising her head from her tablet and confused by the blonde statement.

« My name, it's Arizona, and yes , I'd like to know more about your robot leg... But I'm not saying I'm in ! »