Prompt: Arizona is with Sofia alone somewhere, when someone makes an offensive comment about if Arizona is married to a man of ethnicity or how she as a white woman plans to raise an obviously not white baby in their culture. Queue Arizona defending her family. Then being asked to leave for causing a scene, which she does more then happily with an oblivious Sofia
AN: People these days….
Another one written by Maisie, this one gave me some problems. I hope this was what you were looking for anon!
Grocery shopping was not supposed to be dramatic. The biggest problem Arizona was supposed to have was deciding if they should get skim or whole milk (Sofia usually rooted for chocolate). However this time, as the panic gripped her gut and Arizona struggled to stay calm, she knew things were going to be bad. Sofia was gone, just a moment with her back turned and her four-year-old daughter had wandered off somewhere (not that Arizona was letting herself think about the other possibility).
"Sofia!" Arizona called out, glancing down every isle as she searched for her daughter, ears tuned for the distinctive cry "Sofia!" she repeated, gripping the shopping cart tighter as her pulse continued to skyrocket.
Front desk, check the front desk it was her last hope, Arizona was already imagining having to call Callie and somehow explain how she'd lost their child in the middle of a grocery store. Her stomach twisted and Arizona picked up the pace, Calliope would hate her, hate her forever if she lost their child. Where the hell was Sofia?
Spotting the information desk Arizona all but ran over there "Excuse me" she asked at once "My daughter wandered off, she's about four years old and-"
"Momma!"
The familiar and eager cry nearly broke Arizona's heart as she saw her daughter sitting happily behind the counter "Sofia!" she cried, relief obvious in her voice but confusion spreading across her features as the worker who was sitting with her daughter gave her a curious look and stopped Sofia from running to her mother "Is there a problem?"
"Do you, uh, have any proof of ID or something that proves this child is yours?" the worker, a man in his late twenties with short cut brown hair and hard brown eyes, asked.
Arizona glanced at the name tag the man was wearing "Neal, look, that is my daughter, her name is Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres and she was born on April 22nd. What's the problem?"
The man hesitated "She doesn't exactly look like you and I'm not one hundred percent sure she's your daughter." He said, raising an eyebrow and adding under his breath "Not exactly everyday you see a gringa with a Mexican baby."
"What did you just say?" Arizona said, all kinds of parental instincts kicking in as well as disbelief at the situation.
The man took a step forward "Look lady, I don't know who you are or if this kid is really yours. All I was sayin' was that it's not often that people like you have babies like her. It is my responsibility to make sure that this child is returned safely to her parents and you cannot prove to me that you are her mother. So if you could, just call the father, have him come down and this can all get sorted."
It was lucky there was a barrier between Arizona and 'Neal' because she if there wasn't, well her outburst would probably have been slightly more physical "That little girl is my daughter. She is four years old and has two loving mothers, both of whom care for her a great deal. This particular parent may not share a resemblance to her daughter but that doesn't make her any less mine. I can tell you anything you want to know about my daughter, like the fact she hates carrots and would rather smear them across her face than eat them. When we go to the zoo she has to see the giraffes first, every time. And the first time that the giraffes weren't outside, we had to go home because she was crying the entire time. Now are you going to let me take my daughter home?"
"That's all well and good ma'am but I need proof of ID."
"Do you expect me to carry Sofia's birth certificate around Neal? Look, give me my daughter or bring your manager over here." Arizona said, casting a glance at her oblivious daughter. Sofia was more than occupied with a coloring book she'd found and was sprawled out, utterly ignorant to the current situation.
"Would Trent Dorris report to the information desk, Trent Dorris." Neal said into the microphone, matching Arizona's steady gaze.
"You have got to be kidding me." Arizona said "You are seriously not handing over my child just because I don't look like her?" she asked incredulously "Do you think that just because I'm white and she's mixed that I couldn't possibly be her mother? Is there some cultural gap that she's going to be ignorant of, that I can't possibly raise my daughter to be aware of both of her heritages?" Arizona was basically shouting at this point, angry beyond belief that her own daughter was being held from her.
From her left she saw who she assumed to be the manager walking towards them, a look of mild horror on his face "Neal, what exactly is the problem?"
"Well, uh, sir, this lady lost her kid but she can't prove that this is her child."
"Actually he's not letting me take my child because he believes that I am not her mother because I am white and she is Hispanic." Arizona corrected angrily "And if I'm not mistake my wife performed surgery on you. So you know that this is my child."
Trent Dorris let out a breath "Neal, this woman is in fact this childs mother. I know this because as Doctor Robbins said, her wife performed surgery on my foot when it got smashed in my car accident last year. Now I understand you concern but-"
"You understand his concern?" Arizona asked, well past the point of realizing that she was causing a scene "His concern is illegitimate and racist."
"Now Doctor Robbins I am going to let you take your daughter and I am going to have to ask you to leave. You are causing a scene and disturbing the shopping experience." Mr. Dorris said to a fuming Arizona.
"Fine." Arizona forced out, welcome her daughter into her arms and forgetting completely about the cart full of groceries she still had to pay for.
She stormed out of the grocery story, noting to spend her money elsewhere from now on "Momma" Sofia said, still clinging to her color book "can I finish coloring when we home?"
"Of course." Arizona said "But before you do can you remember what momma tells you about wandering off?"
Sofia just stared at her.
"It scares momma when you wander off so you have to either stay where momma can see you or ride in the cart okay?"
Sofia pondered for a moment before nodding "Yes momma." She agreed happily, clambering into her car seat "Can we wisten to my CD on the way home?"
"Sure thing." Arizona sighed, wondering how she was going to explain the lack of groceries to Calliope.