"Look I am doing my best here, to make sure that you are happy, and that Mark is happy, and to make sure that the tiny person growing inside me is happy. I don't know what else I can do to be honest, please tell me, 'cause I'll do it, whatever will make you happy I will do it."

"Marry me."

"What?"

"I mean it. I love you more than anything, but I want more, I want commitments, I want rings, so… marry me."

[Callie's POV]

I stared at her, not entirely sure what I was feeling. Was she really doing this, and right now? The soft, adoring grin on her face was telling me that she was in fact being serious, but the more she looked at me the smile started to fade. Why? Was she regretting what she said? Why did she look so annoyed? So… hurt? Then I realised exactly why. I still hadn't given her an answer. My mind was racing but I could not form words right now. Arizona had literally rendered me speechless.
She took her eyes off me, and with a sad sort of defeat she turned her eyes back to road, gripping the steering wheel particularly tight.

I shifted in my seat and looked down into my lap. I didn't know what to do or say, I clicked my seatbelt back into its holder and, ashamed of my silence, I started to speak.
"Arizona, I – "
"It's fine, don't worry." She said through what sounded like the beginning of tears. "I shouldn't have said anything, that was foolish of me."
"It wasn't foolish." I said trying to reassure her, but it just made her more upset.
"Of course it was foolish Calliope, I should have known you didn't want that."
"I didn't say that!" I protested, "I didn't say I didn't want to marry you!"

Arizona indicated and pulled into the long driveway of the B&B we were to be staying at. We both were silent as we neared the parking lot of the beautiful old building. I wanted to point out the beautiful tall trees and the lake that we had been excitedly reading about in the brochure the night before as we packed, but at this stage I wasn't even sure if we'd be staying.

We came to a stop and the hum of the car engine silenced.
"You're right; you didn't say that at all, you didn't say anything." Arizona started, still staring ahead hands on the steering wheel. "I ask you to marry me and you look at me like I'm absolutely crazy, stunned at the very thought of your girlfriend wanting to spend the rest of her life with you, and make it official."
She was crying now, quiet tears rolling down her cheeks. My heart tightened as I witnessed her, I hate seeing this beautiful woman cry, especially when it's me that brought her to tears. What had I done?
"Arizona, you… I mean, I…" I stopped and took a breath, not wanting my muddled words to make the situation worse. "You completely took me off guard; I wasn't expecting that at all. Baby, I just – "
At this she turned quickly to look at me, tearful eyes now quickly turning to angry eyes.
"You just don't know if you're ready to give up the Bi dream? Is that it?" She snapped her seatbelt free and opened the driver door to get out.
"Ari, honey where are you going? Is this conversation really over? Wait!"
She turned round and looked at me again, still very angry. "It is over for now; I need to not be near you right now. Go and check us in, I'm going for a walk. I'll grab the bags on my way back; you shouldn't lift them in your state."

She spat out the last three words like she was referring to some unwanted disease I had, and it immediately brought tears to my eyes. As she slammed the car door shut I watched her walk away into the ground of the B&B. This was supposed to be a relaxing, wonderful, private night away for us to really connect again. And as soon as it began it had turned into something very different. I wiped my face and got out of the car to check in.

[Arizona's POV]

I walked quickly away from the car, immediately regretting my anger toward the beautiful woman I left behind me, I know my words will have hurt her, never mind my leaving her alone in the car, but I just needed to put some distance between us. I needed a minute to process what had just happened, and I needed a minute to cry, uninterrupted.
I walked through the grounds until I reached the picturesque lake we had seen in the brochure for our stay at the B&B. It was so beautiful, and I know Calliope had picked it especially with me in mind. She preferred our breaks from the hospital and our lives to be in fancy hotels, ordering room service and not leaving the room until we absolutely had to. I loved these times with her, but my idea of a perfect getaway is exactly this; beautiful surroundings, nature and countryside, old quaint houses with porches and painted shutters.
I sat down at the edge of the lake and looked across the water, allowing myself to think back over what had happened in the car. First there were the persistent messages on her BlackBerry from Mark, they had really gotten under my skin, it was her idea to have a night away from everything, from him, and then only half an hour out of Seattle and he had begun to send her messages. I had snapped and now I cringed when I remembered the words that had tumbled out of my mouth. Not only had I made some more jealous jibes at how Mark owned a part of her life I never could have a hold of myself, I went as far as to have a go at how she hadn't been engaging with me sexually anymore since she had gotten more heavily pregnant. I was so ashamed at myself.
I really meant it when I asked her to marry me though; I want her to be my wife. Despite the frustration at everything that was going on I still knew, and realised in that moment, that I am in love with that woman. Calliope Iphigenia Torres was the one for me. Did she not respond because she didn't feel the same anymore? I know things had been very different since I returned from Africa, not just her being pregnant either, had she begun to realise that she no longer wanted me in her plan?
Tears escaped my eyes again as I let my head fall to rest on my knees that I was hugging tightly to myself. What was I going to do?