Title: Soothing
Author: A. Windsor
Pairing/Characters: Callie/Arizona
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. My almost two years of law school could allow me to legalese this a little more, but it also tells me it's pretty useless. So please don't sue; it's not me, I'm just playing!
Series: Standalone, post ep.
Summary: Arizona and Sofia look for Callie. Post-ep to 8x20.
Author's Note: Not beta'd. Just some processing. I'm not even sure there's plot, or a point.
Callie is late.
Like, fifteen minutes late, without a phone call, page, or text in sight.
Arizona, Sofia on her hip, spends another minute scanning the lobby for any sign of her wife, and then marches up towards the attendings lounge.
If she's a little extra paranoid because of all this talk of kidnapping, no one would blame her.
With Sofia's diaper bag secure on her shoulder, and her daughter babbling happily in her arms, Arizona heads up the stairs to find her wife.
"What is taking Mami so long?" she muses aloud to her one-year-old, who gives her some baby nonsense back.
"Yes, I don't know either."
Arizona pushes into the attendings lounge, but it's empty. She frowns and starts to think of all the other places Callie might be. It doesn't hurt to check the bathroom, she decides, headed back behind the cubbies.
"Calliope?" she asks as she hears the sounds of someone in the stalls. She turns the corner just in time to hear retching and find her wife bent over one of the toilets miserably, the stall door swung wide.
"Oh, okay," she spins around quickly to save Sofia from the sight. The baby giggles at the twirling motion, and Arizona decides they've had to deal enough with her vomit that she can probably handle this.
"There you are," Arizona says softly, setting Sofia's diaper bag down on the counter and then moving to be closer to Callie. It's a bit awkward, given the baby on her hip, but there is no way in hell she's putting Sofia down on the floor of a bathroom. The floor her mami is currently kneeling on.
Callie makes an indistinguishable moan and can't look up.
"More public speaking?" Arizona asks sympathetically, remembering the previous week's adventures in puke-combing that preceded the press conference.
Callie slumps back, leaning against the wall of the stall (and thank god this is the attendings bathroom and pretty sanitary). Her eyes, her devastated brown eyes, lift to meet Arizona's, and they fill again with tears at the sight of their little girl.
"She had a baby," Callie says quietly, wiping at her mouth with the bit of toilet paper in her hand. "It broke her pelvis."
"Where's the baby?" is all a dumbstruck Arizona can say.
Callie tilts her head knowingly as her face crumples again. Now Arizona feels a little nauseous, sitting down on the floor beside her, careful to keep Sofia in her lap.
"Oh god."
"Yeah."
Callie leans her head against her wife's shoulder, managing a watery smile for her daughter. Sofia squeals and shakes her stuffed giraffe, oblivious to the mood.
"How did you-?"
"It's an old break, improperly healed. I was asking her about it and she- She said it, plain as day. Like it wasn't the most devastating thing anyone could-"
"Hey," Arizona says, getting one hand free to loop through Callie's arm and rest on her thigh. "She's been through a lot. Maybe... maybe it was a blessing."
Callie's eyes lock on Sofia.
"A baby, Arizona. In that... hell. I mean, I could handle it. Separate myself from it, focus on the bones to reshape, the life to give back. I could until..."
Sofia waves her animal at her mami again and babbles away. Callie lets out a shuddering breath, tears slipping down her cheeks.
"I'm too badass for this."
"A badass mom," Arizona reminds her, kissing her cheek.
"She could have died," Callie whispers. "Our baby, could have died."
"Calliope..."
"I was barely coherent, barely understood but you... You saw all of it."
"She didn't. She's right here," Arizona assures her. "Say hi, Sofster."
At her mom's nickname for her, Sofia giggles again, reaching for Arizona's long, straight hair.
"And ow. She's got a grip."
Callie smiles again, wiping at her tears with the back of her hand.
"I know, I know. But that doesn't mean she's safe. There are psycho kidnappers and freak accidents and a billion different things that could take her from us."
"No, we already had our scare," Arizona assures her, holding their girl tight at all this talk of what-ifs. "We used up our allotment."
"Thanks," Callie sighs, leaning over to kiss her cheek, tears slowing. "We should get home."
"We should!"
"How was your day?" Callie asks as Arizona scrambles to her feet, impressively keeping Sofia steady.
"Fine," Arizona shrugs. "Wash your hands so you can get baby snuggles."
"Okay. Let me get my toothbrush, too."
Arizona nods, and Callie quickly returns with everything necessary to brush her teeth.
"Karev figure out your evil plan yet?" Callie asks, grinning. The grin is a little hollow, sorrow still masked behind it, but she's coming around.
"I don't want to talk about it," Arizona huffs.
As Callie brushes her teeth, Arizona complains to both of her girls about the only man she really cares about in Seattle (outside of Sofia's daddy... sometimes). The mundane little dramas of the Arizona and Alex Show over in peds helps take Callie's mind away from the horror of today. She rinses and spits as Arizona rants about Alex's manners, having stolen Sofia's giraffe (Gerry, Arizona calls him) to act out some story that provers her point.
"Just get him some real interviews, babe," Callie smirks.
Arizona pouts and huffs. Callie leans over and smacks a kiss square on her lips before lifting Sofia out of her arms and lifting her high into the air.
"Hi you," she coos to her angel. "¿Cómo estás? ¿Tuviste almuerzo con Daddy today?" [How are you? Did you have lunch with Daddy today?]
"And Momma," Arizona pops up.
"Hey, look at you," Callie praises. "Toda la familia se va a entender." [The whole family's going to understand each other.]
Arizona grimaces. "You lost me a little there. Something about the family."
"You're doing great."
"Well, the words you usually say to me in Spanish are not things I will repeat in front of our daughter."
Callie smiles widely. It's amazing how well Sofia and Arizona soothe her soul.
"Now, let's go home, please. I have a very wild night planned."
"Wild, huh?" Callie questions.
"Yes. We're going crazy: dinner with our daughter, and then we can fall asleep while I feel you up on the couch watching prime time."
"That's what we did last night," Callie laughs, turning to head for the door.
Arizona retrieves Sofia's diaper bag and hurries to keep up in her impractical heels.
"Yes, why would we mess with a perfect formula?" Arizona asks, making her wife laugh again.
"Can't argue with that."
el fin