Author's Note: The beloved characters of Calliope Torres and Arizona Robbins have suffered an impasse in their two year marriage. This story is my interpitation of what I think could have happened after cameras stopped rolling and the season ended. This is a thought process that is in my head only and no way reflects any story line that may occur in the upcoming Season 10 of my favorite show. There is no way that I profit from these characters as always they belong to ABC and the wonderful and talented Shonda Rhimes. These stories, like all of my stories, are rated for a mature audience. So here is Chapter 1 of my story as I have titled this one:
THE EMEREALD CITY FREE FAMILY CLINIC
CHAPTER 1
Three months…it has been three months since my wife found out about my affair…my blatant adulterated night with another woman. Three months have passed since my world came crashing down around me. I am sitting in my new bedroom that I call home now…one of the many rooms that is in Alex Karev's new house…pondering my existence. Lauren…my out of control mistake…left Seattle and my life the day after Callie caught her in the lie that changed all of our lives…forever. That very same day I called an old friend and asked her for her help as she and her son Lucas move to Seattle within the week. Seven days have passed but on the eighth day I began my three times a week therapy sessions with my old friend as we explore the dark side of my PTSD that I have been silently suffering with for over a year now…actually for about three years now…as I desperately need to come to terms with the plane crash and the loss of my leg at decision of my wife and about the residual grief that I still have for the loss of my brother Tim . If not for my own sake and any future we may have then definitely for my sanity. But right now it's two a.m. and I am still awake trying to lull myself to sleep but there are just too many thoughts running through my crazy mixed up brain right now. But tomorrow begins a new chapter in my life as all of my friends and family help me celebrate the change in my new career plan earlier today.
After the hour long shouting match in the fourth floor doctor's lounge that ensued when Callie found out about my affair with Lauren three months ago, Callie agreed with me that even though we could no longer live together as wife and wife, that Sofia's routine remain intact. So we exchanged times and places on when and where I could pick Sofia up at and drop her off. Callie was very adamant about Sofia remaining in my life and I am so happy she did. I know that it is not for my benefit but it is what is best for Sofia right now because after our baby girl losing her father last year Callie is only thinking of our daughter's well being and I agree wholeheartedly with her decision. Six hours ago I dropped my daughter off as Callie let me give her a bath and get her ready for bed. After reading three stories to Sofia, she peacefully went to sleep in my arms and on my lap. I readjusted her back into her big girl bed as I kissed her forehead and whispered that I would see her in the morning. Then I walk out of our daughter's room to find my wife…to find Callie curled up on the sofa snoring away. I try to wake her to let her know that I am leaving when I hear her moan my name in her sleep. I call out to my wife to wake up when she places her hand on the back of my neck and sleepily pulls me into a kiss. I try to pull away but Callie's muscular ortho hand is just too strong so I lean into the kiss and accept it. Just as I am getting into the kiss it breaks suddenly as my wife is now fully awake and realizes what she has done. With her apologizing over and over as she rises from the sofa and retreats to our former bedroom and the last thing I hear is her say to me is "Goodnight Arizona, I love you". As I make my way out of my old home and onto my new one I say back to the now closed bedroom door "I love you too, Calliope".
Three months ago when Callie and I changed our living arrangement, due to my infidelity, I gave my resignation to the board at Grey+SloanMemorialHospital. Two and a half months ago I sat and wrote a business plan and began to seek out investors for my new idea for my career. Wanting to stay in Seattle because my daughter lives here, I met with several potential doctors to put my plan in action. Miranda Bailey and Owen Hunt were the first two doctors that I had a conversation with as they too both resigned from G+SMH after the second night of what the three of us now call the "Perfect Storm". Miranda's resignation from G+SMH came after our beloved Chief of Surgery Dr. Richard Webber's untimely death due to being electrocuted in the basement of the hospital during the power outage as Owen's resignation came about as a result of him and his wife Christina finally calling their marriage quits after Christina finally realizing that she could never give Owen the one thing he always wanted and that was children because her love for surgery is too great and overpowering to compromise.
With Miranda and Owen on board, I sought out the only other friends who are doctors as I gave them all a compelling Robbins speech and flashed my trademark dimpled smile. Without any hesitation on their part, the six other doctors signed on the dotted line as the nine of us now become owners and partners in the new Emerald City Free Family Clinic. For two months a construction crew has been working on all the elements to make this reality happen. With the final process of the Board of Director's at Grey+Sloan Memorial Hospital giving the nine of us their unanimous vote so that we may all have medical and surgical privileges at the hospital everything about my plan begins to take shape. I think back to earlier this afternoon as the nine of us stand at the threshold of the doorway to our new clinic and a smile crosses my face as nine hands are on the giant pair of scissors that when the words "One…Two…Three…Go" are shouted by all of us, the scissors close and cut the rainbow colored ribbon. After the ribbon cutting ceremony there was an intimate catered dinner in our new break room/dining area of our facility. With Callie and Sofia along with my parents by my side, I cling the side of my champagne flute to gather everyone's attention as I stand to make another one of my infamous Robbins speech. "I would just like to thank everyone for coming tonight and making this plan of mine a reality. I can only remember two other days that have made me as happy as I am today and the first was the day our daughter was born and the second was when my Calliope and I said "I Do". I take a long look at my wife and our daughter before going on with my speech as I say "And now today with much love and great pleasure in my heart Miranda and Owen and I want to publicly welcome Doctor's Addison and Jake Riley, Doctor's Amelia and James Peterson, Dr. Theodora Altman and Dr. Violet Turner-Wilder as the six of them join our practice here at The Emerald City Free Family Clinic". A round of applause rings out throughout the room to the all the members of our new medical practice as the champagne is flowing freely tonight.
I close my eyes but instead of sleep all I can see is my wife and my child and how much I want them back. Tears begin to form in my eyes and begin to run down my cheek as I whisper to myself "Callie, I am so sorry". Just as I about to drift off to sleep my phone starts to ring as I look down at it and the time reads 3:13 a.m. as Callie's face is on the screen. I answer it quickly and say "Callie" as I hear her sobbing so hard that she cannot catch her breath. Sit up in my bedas I try to calm her down because I cannot understand what she is saying as all I hear is Sofia and my father's name over and over. I finally coax her into calming down a bit as she says a little more clearly "I can't get her to stop crying. She wants her mama and I can't get her to stop crying. Please Arizona come home right now please. I can't get her to stop crying because she wants her mama. Please Arizona, I know we have a lot to discuss but please come home for our daughter tonight". I am already out the door and in my Jeep by the time my wife stops talking and begins to cry again. I say to my Calliope "Baby, I am on my way…just calm down Calliope".
The front door is unlocked and slightly open as I can hear our baby girl still crying in her room as I see my wife sitting on our bed with her knees pulled up to her chest and rocking back and forth. I walk very briskly to her as I hold her in my arms as she swallows my lower body into her embrace. I move my wife under the bed covers as I wrap her up in them and gently kiss her forehead as I whisper to my very distraught wife "I'll be right back alright" as she shakes her head yes then I walk back out of our room and into our daughter's bedroom. I speak softly to my daughter as not to scare her as I say "Hey…Hey baby girl, what's got you so upset tonight. Hey…Hey now no more tears…mama's here". With the sound of our daughter saying "Mama, mama" through her tears I scoop her up in my arms as she clenches my neck tightly with her strong little arms. I am taken aback at how upset Sofia has become tonight as I run the palm of my hand up and down her back to sooth her fears away as I say "Shhh baby girl, mama's here". When my daughter finally calms down enough for me to talk to her I begin to say "Sofia, can you tell mama why you are so upset tonight?" I sit on the edge of her big girl bed with my daughter in my lap as her head is resting and against my chest as I softly stroke her hair as I wait patiently for an answer. My daughter…our daughter lifts her head off my chest as she asks me through her sniffled tears "Why did you leave mami and me, mama. I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry if I did something bad mama. Just tell me what I did and I will never do it again I promise mama but don't ever leave me again please". Tears begin to stream down my cheeks as Sofia continues to cry and I rock our bodies back and forth as I hold onto my daughter for dear life. I place so many kisses on our daughter's head and face that I have lose count as I tell her "Baby girl, you have done nothing wrong. This is not your fault…it is mine. I hurt your mami deeply and I am trying to repair the damage…the pain that I have caused you both so don't you think for one minute that you have done anything wrong. I love you my baby girl". Sofia once again wraps her arms around my neck as she squeezes me tight and says in my ear "I love you too, mama…but please don't ever leave me again".
Sofia and I hear my wife's muffled cries behind us as I turn to see the mother of my daughter wiping the tears from her face into a tissue as I whisper "Calliope". She has heard everything that I have said to our daughter through the baby monitor. With Sofia still in my arms we both make our way to my wife as our daughter lifts her head off my shoulder and says to her mami "I love you mami. Can I sleep with my mama's tonight"? As I gasp an intake of air into my lungs because I am surprised at our daughter's request to my wife and before I can give her an answer my wife says quickly "Yes mija, you can sleep with your mama's tonight" as my wife wraps her arms around the two of us and takes a hold of my hand in hers and whispers in my ear "It's just for tonight, Arizona because we still have a lot of talking to do about us and where we go from here". Callie leads me and Sofia into our bedroom…a bedroom that I have been absent from for over three months as now as I begin to get a little nervous. I gently lay our daughter in the middle of our bed as she has drifted off to sleep as I stand at the edge of the bed and look down at her sleeping form. I feel my wife's hot breath on the back of my neck as she leans over my left shoulder to look at our daughter too and she whispers "Thank you for coming tonight and calming our daughter down. I was at my wits end with all that has been going on lately. So thank you Arizona" as she places a soft kiss on my shoulder. Just when I think I cannot take anymore, my wife hands me a change a shirt and a pair of her pajamas as I make my way into our bathroom. I quickly text all the doctors of the clinic as I tell them that Sofia is having a bad night tonight and I will be in by noon. Then I change my clothes as I put on Callie's pajamas and re-enter our bedroom only to find my girls sound asleep and snoring together in unison. I sit on the side of the bed as I take off my prosthesis and slide under the covers. Sofia readjusts herself as she lies on my chest and snuggles her face into my neck as she whispers "I love you, mama" and I kiss her forehead as I tell her "I love you too, baby girl". Then out of the blue my wife pulls the both our daughter and me into her embrace wrapping her arm around my waist like old times as she whispers to me "I love you, Arizona". I lay there for a moment in my wife's arms as my love for her grows stronger and stronger as I whisper back to her "I am truly sorry Callie for everything, especially for all the pain that I have caused you over the last year. I just hope someday you will forgive me as I try to forgive myself. I love you too".