A/N: First off, let me say that I love, love, love Callie and I'm so glad this didn't happen on the show. But I am not afraid to write tough stuff. Also, this story will be more like a ficlet/mini-fic than a full story, but there will be a few chapters.

Some dreams feel so real that people wake up convinced that they actually happened. They are so vivid and intense that they couldn't possibly be just a dream. It feels like they were just in that particular moment. Emotional and even physical reactions can take over. Nightmares often trigger intense feelings that may not ease for a few minutes until reality sets in.

Reality may not ever set in through. Some nightmares are real. It is not possible to wake from every nightmare and feel safe and sound in bed again. No, some nightmare must be lived. The sunrise or the beeping alarm clock won't make these go away.

Arizona kissed Callie's forehead. The tears were flowing for sure, but other than that, the room was eerily silent. The monitors and machines weren't beeping or humming. They were unnecessary now. Everything was still and shockingly final.

"I love you," was all Arizona could manage to say. "I love you so much, okay?"

She squeezed Callie's lifeless hand and the fact that Callie didn't squeeze back hit her like a ton of bricks.

Eight days ago, Callie had been a vibrant, healthy woman. She had been soaking up every second of fun at her baby shower. Now Arizona was wishing that she had just tried a little harder to enjoy what would be her love's final hours as herself.

She felt horrible guilt over it all now. She had given Callie such a hard time about everything lately. Adjusting to the thought of raising a child with Mark Sloan had been difficult and she had let her girlfriend know exactly how much she didn't like it.

She couldn't help but wonder what would've been different if she would have just kept her mouth shut a little more often. After all, Callie had arranged for them to go to the B&B because of how much she knew Arizona needed a Mark-free weekend. They wouldn't have been in that car at all if it hadn't been for that. She had throw Callie's phone into the backseat, which had prompted Callie to remove her seatbelt and reach back to retrieve it. They had started fighting and that lead to distractions while driving. Would her girlfriend still be alive if she had done things differently? The logical part of her told her that there was no point in obsessing over these events, but she couldn't stop herself.

"I love you," she said again.

Alex walked into the room and handed his attending a glass of water. He didn't say anything because there wasn't much to say and it wasn't his place anyway. He just wanted her to know that the entire Seattle Grace-Mercy West staff was there for her.

"Thanks," she said, wiping away a few tears.

She thought a step ahead and panicked. She thought she knew Alex's real reason for coming in. "I'm not ready yet," she said, not wanting to accept just yet that Callie's body would have to be taken to the morgue.

"I know," he said.

"I need more time," she said. "We needed more time!"

"Yeah," he nodded. "We got a hold of her family. Her parents are on their way."

"Okay, Alex, can I have a minute?"

"Sure," he replied, stepping out.

Arizona sat in silence. All she could do was cry and stare at her girlfriend's body in disbelief. How was Callie dead? How could this happen? Why? She was supposed to grow old with Callie Torres. They were supposed to raise their little girl together. Now, who knew what was going to happen.

"You listen to me," she told her girlfriend. "We have a gorgeous girl. Looks just like you, Calliope. She's struggling. It's really bad. I need you to look out for her, okay? I'm sure you already are. Of course. You're her Madre. But I need her to be okay, Callie. If I lose you both..."

The remainder of her sentence was masked with sobs. The thought was far too painful. It hadn't fully hit her that she'd have to live without Callie, but still. The thought of losing the baby too was just too much.

About twenty minutes later, Miranda Bailey walked into the room. "Sloan wants..."

"Sloan has nothing to do with this," she said. "She's my girlfriend, not his."

"I know that," he said. "But he'd really like a chance to say goodbye, Robbins."

"No."

She didn't do it often, but Bailey decided to back off. She hadn't been through what Arizona was going through right now. She had no words of wisdom this time. There was no speech to give.

Arizona's pager went off. She wasn't working, so she knew it was the NICU alerting her to something having to do with their micro-preemie.

Her heart dropped even further into her stomach. The baby needed her, but she couldn't make herself leave Callie's side yet. "What do I -?"

"We won't move her," Bailey promised. "Go. She'll be here."

"Will you come with me?" she asked, suddenly realizing she felt a little faint.

"Yep."

Baby was stabilized by the time Arizona and Bailey got to the NICU. They were told that Mark had also been paged, and he had come ahead of them, but he had left already. Visits with their daughter were painfully short today. Her madre was everybody's focus. They felt horrible about this, but grief had simply overwhelmed them. They didn't have any positive energy to surround the tiny girl with right now.

Bailey brought Arizona back to Callie's room. To Arizona's horror, Mark was in there with Callie. He was saying his own goodbyes.

"Get away from her," Arizona ordered.

"I –"

"I don't care. Get away from her, Mark!"

"No."

"What the hell do you mean 'no?'"

"No."

"She's my girlfriend," Arizona said, not able to say "she was" yet. "Mine, Sloan. Not yours. Knocking her up doesn't mean anyt-"

"I'm her best friend."

"That would be me, actually," she said.

"Okay," Bailey cut in. "Do you two think this is actually what Torres would want? I know you're grieving, but what about Callie?"

"I'm not leaving again," Arizona said.

"Did I say you had to?" Mark asked. "No."

Arizona sat down next to him and reached for Callie's hand again.