Seattle
Sipping her fourth glass of wine, fingers fidgeting over a simple but beautiful parchment paper with pink and purple ribbons, nodding to another refill, she sighed and closed her eyes. It's happening. Arizona buried her head over her hands and shook her head. It was her fault, she cheated, she slept with an intern ten plus times, and she suffocated her. The love of her life. She pulled her head up and stared at the paper again and read it.
We cordially invite you to our special day,
Calliope & Penelope
Writings of their names were playfully intertwined. 3 years since Callie left Seattle, 3 years since she let her go. Sofia had gone and visited her, her daughter was so excited to see her Mommy, she was talking non-stop about her school, her new friends, and then she mentioned something.
"And, and! Mama told me I'd be her best flower girl!" Sofia skipping cheerfully around her living room.
"Best flower girl?" Arizona inquired excitedly, she was not talking a lot with her ex-wife anymore other than anything about Sofia.
"Yes! Look here!" Sofia pulled a piece of white envelope and handed it over to her mother. Arizona flipped it open and her heart stopped. Preventing the tears from falling she smiled weakly when she saw Callie's wedding invitation. She's getting married. She read the list, there it was.
Sofia Sloan Torres
Best Flower Girl
Gulping, she noticed the avoidance of Sofia's middle name. Robbin. When they were together, Callie would always use Sofia's whole name, Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres. In some way to honor her other mother. But she knew, or assumed that Callie avoided that name, when Sofia got to the ER one time, she introduced herself as Sofia Sloan Torres, omitting the middle name when she talked to Penny.
"Mama said I can pick the dress I wanted to wear! Obviously pink, Uhm, will you be there to watch me Mommy?" Sofia asked curiously as she swings her feet from the couch.
Arizona gave her a sad smile. "No honey, I have a job here so I don't really know if I can get away, you'll send me some pictures right?" She looked directly at Sofia nodding her head. Sofia was beginning to understand why her mothers lived separately but don't understand the weight of Callie's marriage to Penny for her mother.
Callie's wedding was in a month, and the invitation was not even addressed to her, but she understands, who would in their right mind invite their ex-wife to their wedding?
"Hmkaaay." Sofia replied sullenly.
Arizona still preventing tears to fall out, reached in to hold Sofia's chin to pull it up to look at her daughter's eyes. "Hey, remember what I said before you and Mama moved?" Sofia nodded.
Her daughter can't help but to be sad that her Mommy will not see her in her dress and be the best flower girl ever. "Even though you are living there, I'll always love you. How about we get you your own phone so you can call and video call anytime you want? You won't have to borrow Mama's phone?" Arizona asked her daughter who was giving her the biggest grin ever.
"Really? I can have my own?" Sofia plastered her dimpled smile.
"Of course! You are almost 10, but we have to have limits for your phone usage, okay?" Arizona concluded and her daughter jumped up and down yelling 'yays' and a lot of 'thank you mommy!' while kissing Arizona multiple times all over her face.
That day, Arizona got Sofia an iPhone so they can Facetime anytime. She programmed her number in the speed dial and Callie's. Remembering her decision to buy the phone without telling Callie? Well, who cares, she was getting married so she got their daughter a phone.
She enjoyed her days with Sofia, but tonight, her daughter requested to sleep over Zola's before leaving for New York. She snatches the invitation and drowned her sorrows. She'd return the invitation back in Sofia's bag when she gets home. If she gets home.
Downing her fifth drink, she got up and finally had the courage to do what she was planning once she saw the invitation. Arizona placed a couple of bills on the bar then walked back to the hospital. She searched for Chief Bailey.
"Are you sure about this Robbins?" Miranda asked. She knew about the wedding, few of her surgeons already filed their leaves to accommodate Callie's wedding, her included. She just didn't know if Arizona knew, but with her smell and this decision, she was certain that the peds surgeon found out.
"Yes. I already thought about it. I worked things out." Arizona answered.
"Well, I'm sad to say this Robbins, but good luck." Miranda raised her arms up to offer a hug.
"I thought you don't do personal?" Arizona teased.
"I don't. This is a limited offer." Miranda shook her arms and Arizona leaned in.
"Thank you Bailey." She whispered and walked away towards her office and locked herself in.
Later that week, Arizona was packing Sofia's things, of course her daughter was busy playing with her new iPhone that she'll obviously brag. Arizona slipped in the invitation. She drives her daughter to the airport.
"Sofia, no need to bother Mama for you to call me, okay? No phone at school. And you need to do your homework and project before using the phone." Arizona reminded her daughter as the announcer calls for Sofia's flight.
"I know Mommy. I'll miss you." Sofia leaned in for another hug.
"I'll miss you too honey, but can I ask for a favor?" Arizona tilted her head and bit her lip. Sofia nodded. "Can you give this to Penny without Mama knowing? It's a secret." Arizona handed over a short envelope. Sofia reached for it and tries to inspect the package and she gave Sofia a knowing look, Sofia raised her hands to surrender when they heard someone calling Sofia.
"Abuelo!" Sofia ran towards her grandfather who envelops her in to a big hug. Arizona walks towards them and handed over Sofia's suit cases.
"Mr. Torres." Arizona greeted.
"Arizona, I told you, it's Carlos. Now you and Calliope might not be together anymore but you are still Sofia's mother." Carlos insisted and Arizona gave a sad smile.
"You know, don't you?" Carlos asked and Arizona smiled again and nodded. "You are still family to me Arizona. Calliope's, she's-" Carlos gave Arizona a tap on her shoulder. "Well you know her." Carlos tried to explain but they were already calling for their flight.
Sofia hugged her mother one more time and said her I love you's and rolled her suitcases towards the gate waving and crying. Carlos hugged Arizona and whispered. "I wanted Calliope and you to work out. I tried. I'm sorry Arizona."
Arizona wiped few tears waving good bye to her daughter and ex-father-in-law. She pulled another envelope from her pocket and looked at her boarding pass.
New York
"Dad, please stop looking at her like that. I know you don't like Penny, but it's my rehearsal dinner. And I am going to marry her tomorrow." Callie exhausted.
Carlos never warmed up to Penny over the years, he hated that Callie separated from Arizona, he hated that Callie moved for Penny and Sofia was taken away from her home and her other mother. When he heard that his little girl was going to marry someone else, he reluctantly agreed. Carlos even agreed to accompany Sofia form New York to Seattle and back again for Callie's wedding preparations.
Callie was preparing her dress. "Sofia can you please get off your phone and help me?" She exclaimed. Callie hated that her ex-wife bought their daughter a phone without even consulting her. "Ugh! Arizona just decided that her daughter needs a phone without even consulting me." Callie ranted.
"I will look at her the way I want to Calliope. You are going to marry her, I respect that, and you are an adult. What I don't respect is that you don't even acknowledge your ex-wife, Sofia's mother." Carlos sat by the door and crossed his arms.
He didn't like Callie's fiancé, but for her daughter? He got the best hotel in New York to cater to her daughter's wishes. Callie glanced back at him. "You didn't even invite Arizona to see Sofia as your flower girl. Did you even tell her that you were getting married?" He whispered knowing that the kid was in the room.
"Daddy, who in their right mind invites their ex-wife to their wedding?" Callie grunted. She was placing her heels on and looked at the mirror. "We got divorced, we are already over and-" Callie sighed. Arizona and she had an amicable relationship, but something about her ex-wife, something just wasn't, Arizona had let her go, and she never tried to get back together. "She won't care."
Carlos walked over Callie to help her put the necklace in her and he smiled. "Trust me, she cares."
Carlos and Sofia left Callie alone in the room. She was still fidgeting but she dialed Arizona's phone.
"Robbins."
"Hey."
"Oh, Callie?"
"Yeah. Are you busy?"
"Uhm. No, not really. What's wrong? Is it Sofia?"
"No. Sofia's fine. It's me."
"Ohkaaay? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yes! Uhm. I just wanted to tell you that- uh, I'm getting married tomorrow."
Silence
"Congratulations Callie. I'm happy for you."
"Are you?"
"I wanted you to be happy. Now you are."
"Arizona?"
"Yeah?"
Callie sighed. Of course her ex-wife doesn't care that she was getting married.
"Uhm, Callie? Are you still there?"
"Uh, yeah."
"Sorry, I have to go. Congratulations and good luck tomorrow."
"T-thank you Arizona."
"Good bye Callie."
Callie plops down the bed. Why was she feeling like this? So Arizona didn't care. She wasn't supposed to. She snaps back up. It's almost time. Rehearsal dinner.
Walking towards the ballroom, she looked and found her friends from Seattle waving and giving her thumbs up. Sofia was sitting beside Carlos and Penny was waiting in the presidential table. She walked around chit chatting with everyone, Owen, Bailey and Ben was the only ones available to join her wedding due to the shifts in the hospital.
Ting ting ting!
Glass clinking together and Penny stood up. "Thank you everyone for joining me and Callie." Everyone went silent and looked at her including her wife to be.
"I just want to thank everyone here and I want to assure every one of my love and devotion to Callie." She raised a glass towards Callie.
"Callie, we had a rough start, even rough when we had to move, but after all this, we are here. We love each other. I just want to mention that Callie, she's special, so there maybe guidelines to be in a relationship with her." Everyone laughs again and Callie just smiled at Penny.
"Someone helped me with this, someone who really knows her. And I agree 100%." Penny stated while she pulled out a white piece of paper and held it nervously. Penny proceeded to read the paper.
"10 guidelines into marriage with Calliope Iphegenia Torres"
Callie rolled her eyes and everyone smiled and giggled.
"Rule 1: she doesn't like sandwiches or salads. She likes pizza, even cold pizza."
Callie widens her eyes, Penny didn't know that she doesn't like sandwiches, Penny could only make sandwiches for Callie because she was helpless in the kitchen. Actually she avoids eating pizza, because it was their thing.
"Rule 2: She speaks Spanish when she's angry or ranting, try to get a recorder for that so you can have someone translate it." Penny continues and she chuckled.
"Rule 3: Don't be afraid of ferrets, she likes them. She had a pet ferret for 9 years." Penny giggled again and Callie looked at her worried.
"Rule 4: When she's scared about something, try to look for her in the church or chapel."
She was a badass surgeon, but the only one who can find her in the church or chapel was that person. The person she thought didn't care.
"Rule 5: She can stay in surgery for 7 hours without taking a break, but she gets extra grumpy, so put small pieces of candies in her lab coat, her leather jacket. She'll be less grumpy."
Callie tears up now. She remembers how she leaves small candies, chocolate or anything she can nibble on, it was in her lab coat, her leather jacket. That woman, the only woman who knows that or even does that, was not the one talking right now.
"Rule 6: When, not if, when. When she wins the Harper Avery Award, she'll be expected to give a speech. Store some extra tissues, towels, a basin and a comb. She'll be puking so hard for being nervous, combing her hair relaxes her."
Callie never suffered from public speaking after they moved in New York, Penny had no idea about this. She knew it. But her fiancé keeps on reading and laughing at this.
"Rule 7: She'll dance in her underwear. Beware of watching or startling her, you might get something thrown at you."
She told Penny about the dancing, her fiancé always wanted to watch or see her but never got the chance.
"Rule 8: She may fool everyone, (because she's a "badass") but she actually likes to be called Calliope, because it reminds her of her father calling her when she was a kid, even now. She's a daddy's girl."
Callie only told one person about this. Because she only wanted this person to call her Calliope. And it was not her fiancé.
"Rule 9: If you want to see the most beautiful thing in the world, wake up early, she smiles while she sleeps. It's the most amazing thing you will ever see."
Carlos and Sofia looked at Callie, she was openly weeping now. Penny on the other hand continues to chuckle.
"Rule 10: Love her, cherish her, adore her and she will give you happiness and the whole world."
"PS: Lilies are your friend, not roses, not any other flower. She'll pretend to like it, but lilies are her favorite." Penny finishes her speech laughing, not noticing Callie's reaction.
"I will follow these rules/guidelines, I love and cherish you Callie, you make me happy and I'll offer anything in the world for you." Penny finishes and sipped her drink and glanced back at Callie who's biting her lip and crying.
Penny sat down and looked at Callie. "Hey are you okay?" She asked and Callie shook her head. "What's wrong?"
Callie reached for the paper Penny was holding. She quickly opened it.
Penny,
I know you and I never got to talking, but as the ex-wife I hope you understand why I am writing you this. Callie's special, she's lovely and the best person you will ever meet. She's breathtakingly stunning, she's miraculous. She's a genius with a scalpel.
You are super lucky to have Callie as your wife, she can be a bit stubborn, but she loves you and will make you extremely happy. I know, because I felt that when I was married to her. (I hope you don't take this the wrong way though. She loves you, I respect that.)
I have written some guidelines or rules if you prefer, so you won't repeat the mistakes I did.
I wish you and Callie all the best.
Take care of Sofia and Callie.
Love them. Cherish them.
Arizona
Callie chuckled while tears fall from her eyes. She clutched on the piece of paper, the other piece was the one Penny read. She cared. She cares. Callie gulps as she tries to regain her normal composure. She always wanted Arizona to come after her, but she didn't. She had completely let her go.
Callie was feeling a lot, she felt Arizona cares, she felt loved, but she also feels mad, angry at her ex-wife for not being brave enough to come after her. She closed her eyes, finally getting rid of her hiccups. She jerked her head up and opened her eyes.
Arizona. She couldn't believe it. After all those years, Arizona was there, standing by the door of the ballroom floor. She was far away but she knew that her ex-wife was tearing up. Arizona gave her a sad smile and a small wave and mouthed 'Bye' before leaving Callie's sight.