Arizona Robbins

"I was raised to be a good man in a storm. Raised to love my country. Love my family. Protect the things I love."

- Arizona Robbins

Arizona Robbins is currently the Chief of Pediatric Surgery and a board member at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital and wife of Callie Torres. She is the mother of Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres.

Early Life
Arizona was named after the battleship, the U.S.S. Arizona, on which her grandfather served. She came from a military family, her father being a Colonel in the United States Marine Corps. Her brother later joined the army and died.

The way she described her upbringing is that she was "..raised to be a good man in a storm. Raised to love my country. Love my family. Protect the things I love." It led her to be patriotic, loyal and dedicated in her adult life, especially to her family.

She learned to act tough when she had to, due to her name, and never had to "come out" to her parents because it wasn't a shock to them. She had a poster of Cindy Crawford in her room and she wasn't looking at her beauty mark. She never brought any boys home and when she finally brought home a girl, Joanne, her mother wasn't surprised. She had expected her father to react by saying "How fast can you get the hell out of my house?" but instead he asked her "Are you still who I raised you to be?".

Callie Torres
Arizona is a lesbian and is currently married to Callie Torres.

At the Emerald City Bar, she saw that Callie was upset and came to comfort her in the bathroom and she kissed her. Callie soon decided to ask her out, but Arizona declined the offer after finding out Erica was Callie's first girlfriend. Her reasons were metaphorical: she deals mostly with newborns at work; she does not want to deal with them in her personal life, but she claimed "[she is] super flattered. Super." at the offer. Annoyed, Callie confronted her, but the situation was made more awkward after she discovered that Arizona was on a date with a woman named Julie.

Callie started to avoid her, but she was eventually cornered in the elevator. Arizona then decided to explain that sometimes she doesn't always make the right choice under pressure and that she was wrong. Callie accepted it and Arizona asked her out again and after pretending not to be interested for a few seconds, Callie accepted.

Their relationship continued, but when Callie's father came to visit and discovered that she was dating a girl, he cut Callie off. Mark and Cristina both suggested that she lie and say she broke up with Arizona, but after Arizona approached her and told her that she loved how Callie cared so much about things and wouldn't care if Callie lied, Callie decided not to lie because her family should accept her.

However, Callie began to withdraw slightly and began to avoid Arizona. Arizona then asked if their relationship was just a fling and it had run its course and Callie told her that it probably was. Arizona later approached Callie and Callie told her the real reason was because she didn't have the money for four-star restaurants anymore but Arizona told her that they could stay in and eat sandwiches. Callie countered that neither of them liked sandwiches, so they settled on pizza instead.

The relationship was threatened again when Callie got annoyed at Arizona for believing that George joining the army was awesome, but after hearing that Arizona's brother died in the war, she apologized.

On Arizona's birthday, after a failed surprise party, Arizona told Callie she loved her, and Callie reciprocated her feelings. Callie was dismayed to learn that Arizona didn't want children. She assumed that Arizona's reluctance was related to her brother's death, but Arizona told her she simply liked her life the way it was. They came to the conclusion that they could not continue their relationship, as they both wanted different things. However, after a shooter entered Seattle Grace with a vendetta for Derek, Lexie, and Richard, they were in lockdown together, and eventually decided to get back together and have kids. They passionately kissed in happiness.

Six months after the shooting, Arizona received word that she had been given the Carter Maddison Grant, and was allowed to go to Malawi and become a doctor there. She had applied for this grant two years previously, when she hadn't met Callie yet. After some hesitation, Arizona decided to accept the grant. In the end, Callie was shown to have accepted this as well and decided to leave with Arizona. However, a fight at the airport resulted in Arizona leaving for Africa without Callie. After some time passed, Arizona came back and told Callie she missed her, but Callie closed the door in her face.

Callie continued to reject Arizona's constant pleading and apologies. Eventually, Callie revealed that she was pregnant with Mark's baby. After asking for time to process, Arizona accepted the situation, and she and Callie restarted their relationship. Callie and Arizona later reconciled and they moved back in together. After seeing the baby's heartbeat for the first time, Arizona referred to the baby as "theirs."

However, tensions continued with Mark in the picture as an active and interested father. Callie gifted Arizona with a weekend getaway, but continued communicating with Mark as she and Arizona drove. Arizona's jealousy came to the forefront, and the two argued, with Callie concluding, "Tell me what you want and I'll do it." After a pause, Arizona said, "Marry me." They had shocked faces as they approached a stopped truck and crashed. Arizona was slightly battered, but Callie (who'd taken off her seatbelt) flew through the windshield. A series of surgeries followed (including the delivery of her very premature baby) along with emotional breakdowns by both Mark and Arizona. Callie eventually woke up and turned to Arizona, who was sitting at her bedside, and whispered, "Yes, I'll marry you." They finally married at a ceremony officiated by Miranda Bailey.

Lauren Boswell
Dr. Lauren Boswell came to GSM to perform a surgery on an infant with his brain growing on the outside of his head. She was very flirtatious with Arizona, who happily flirted back. At the start of the super storm, she asked for Arizona to show her to an on-call room to rest in. Arizona obliged and took her there. They said their goodbyes and Arizona extended her arm for a handshake. Lauren simply laughed and they hugged. The lights flickered off from the super storm as they started kissing. As the lights flickered back on, Arizona pushed her off, saying that she couldn't do that. Arizona almost left and Lauren said, "Arizona, you are allowed to lose a little bit of control." Arizona pondered the thought for a moment and ended up locking the door instead of opening it. She returned to Lauren and kissed her while she pulled off Lauren's lab coat.

Miranda Bailey
When Arizona changed Jackson's treatment plan, Bailey was furious as she supported Kenley's decision and believed it was the right choice. However, Arizona disagreed, stating that more senior peds surgeons believed that course of treatment was the right choice, but she wanted to try another approach. Bailey went to the Chief, clearly expressing her dissatisfaction with this choice, both medically and personally. The Chief told Bailey that Arizona Robbins was top of her class and chief resident.

After more clear and vocal disagreements over Jackson's treatment from Bailey (relating to placing him on the transplant list), Bailey wanted a second opinion and Robbins obliged, revealing in the process that she knows the head of pediatric surgery at John's Hopkins to the point of being on first name terms with him (telling Bailey to say that "Arizona" sent her), all the while berating Bailey for second guessing her judgement ever since she arrived.

Arizona eventually began to develop a rapport with Bailey, allowing her to remove the clamp in Jackson's transplant.

Dr. Robbins reassured Bailey that she was a peds surgeon, claiming she was "uniquely qualified", and supporting her in her application, reminding her about the competition and her letters of recommendation, but remained super excited for her to move onto her service, in her own words described as "Yay!".

Teddy Altman
On her first day at the hospital, the only person Teddy knew was Owen. They joined Arizona, Mark, and Callie in the cafetaria. After lunch, Teddy and Arizona walked to the ER together. Jackson and Cristina were waiting for Arizona, because their patient was a boy with asthma. Teddy did a little exam and found at the boy had cardiac asthma. She asked for an OR, but Cristina, who had been questioning Teddy's abilities all day, was reluctant. Teddy then made it clear to Cristina that she had to what she said, and left. Arizona smilingly commented that she really liked Teddy.

Later, when Arizona noticed Teddy staring mooningly at Owen, Arizona declared that the two of them were going to be friends, going so far as to claim that, "I'm an awesome friend." She suggested that they do a ladies' night.

Alex Karev
Alex Karev and Arizona Robbins started out with a rocky relationship when they first met. But as time went on, Karev realized that Arizona was one of the few people who actually believed in him. Arizona Robbins saw Karev as a promising peds surgeon who was dedicated despite his temper and personal issues and continued to maintain a good mentor-student relationship with him until the end of Alex's residency, when Karev's decision to leave Seattle to take the fellowship offer at Hopkins led her to taking his place on a plane that ended up crashing. While she is in the hospital trying to fight the infection in her leg, she mentions that she is still very much "pissed off" and states that she feels as though Karev should have been in the crash rather than herself, because she spent the whole time thinking about her wife and her baby and he has no wife and no baby; he has no one.

Others
Arizona initially got off on the wrong foot with Dr. Bailey and Karev. Alex couldn't understand how she could be so perky after harvesting organs from a young child. When Dr. Kenley died Dr. Bailey took offence in Arizona changing Jackson Prescots course of treatment and proceeded to complain to the Chief and call her an "infant". However, Bailey soon realized that Arizona is a competent doctor and grew closer with her after applying for a peds fellowship.

After becoming Callie's girlfriend, Arizona also became good enough friends with Mark and Cristina.

Career


Following the death of Dr. Jordan Kenley, Dr. Robbins was appointed as Chief of Pediatric Surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital. She was top of her class and she was the resident chosen to be chief resident in her fifth year at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She then completed her pediatric surgical fellowship at Seattle Grace Hospital.

When Bailey and Robbins first worked together, Richard said to Bailey that "She's the best that anyone's seen in a long time, just like you are". She is also on a first name basis with the Head of Pediatric surgery at Johns Hopkins, as she studied under him during her residency.

When Arizona won a grant to advance pediatric surgery in less developed countries, she gave her notice and resigned. Later, she returns to Seattle Grace as an attending under Dr. Robert Stark, the interim Chief of Pediatric Surgery. A year later, Arizona resumes her position as the chief pediatric surgeon.

She is very much aware of the nature of her job, Robbins has seen things in pediatric surgery to the extent she has nightmares about the tiny coffins that her patients will be buried in, and so she will remain optimistic in the face of the tragedy involved in her job.

Her optimism and child-friendly abilities can be seen frequently and are also shown as she has cute animals on her lab coat; what appears to be a monkey or a lion above the Seattle Grace logo on the right hand side of her lab coat and a cat above her name and title on the left hand side; and she even wears Heelys at work, heeling around the hospital. When Cristina Yang was put on her service she made Cristina attach a small toy bear, Mr. Bear, to her lab coat and made sure she knew that pediatric surgery was not general surgery in miniature and that Cristina had to like children.

Notes and Trivia

 * Arizona wears a Holly Hobbie scrup cap.
 * Arizona likes pizza.
 * Arizona dislikes sandwiches.
 * When confronting someone who commands respect and authourity, such as her father or Chief Webber, she often breaks down and cries.
 * When under pressure and in trouble, Arizona smokes cigarettes.
 * When her brother died, she grieved by eating donuts and crying.
 * Her birthday may be November 5, the original air date of the episode Invest in Love, which depicts her birthday. If this is true, she would be a Scorpio.
 * She dislikes pumpkin scones.
 * Arizona's left leg was amputated above the knee following her being in a plane crash.
 * Sofia calls her Mama.
 * Arizona refers to her patients as tiny humans and to their parents as tiny human makers.
 * She HATES camping.
 * Because of Arizona's F.A.C.S. designation, she is board certified in pediatric surgery, despite not being stated, as of yet, in dialogue.
 * Arizona is most likely board certified in general surgery, as it is a requirement to be board certified in pediatric surgery.
 * Because of this requirement, Arizona is not considered "double-board certified".

Notable Episodes
These episodes are Arizona-centric or are otherwise very informative about her life.
 * Wish You Were Here
 * Beat Your Heart Out
 * Invasion
 * Invest in Love
 * Song Beneath the Song
 * White Wedding
 * Flight
 * I Saw Her Standing There
 * Walking on a Dream
 * Idle Hands

Memorable Quotes

 * Arizona: Most people think I was named for the state, but it's not true. I was named for a battleship, the U.S.S. Arizona. My grandfather was serving on the Arizona when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and he saved 19 men before he drowned. Pretty much everything my father did his whole life was about honoring that sacrifice. I was raised to be a good man in a storm. Raised to love my country, love my family, protect the things I love. When my father, Colonel Daniel Robbins of the United States Marine Corps heard that I was a lesbian, he said he had only one question. I was prepared for, "How fast can you get the hell out of my house?" But instead, it was, "Are you still who I raised you to be?" My father believed in country the way that you believe in God. And my father is not a man who bends, but he bent for me because I'm his daughter. I'm a good man in a storm. I love your daughter, and I protect the things that I love. Not that I need to. She doesn't need it. She's strong, and caring, and honorable. And she's who you raised her to be.