TITLE: We Will Survive

FANDOM: Grey's Anatomy

PAIRING: Callie/Arizona

RATING: M

WORD COUNT: 2526

SUMMARY: My take on life post plane crash, some season 9 spoilers.

I do not own any of these characters.

"Look, look who it is baby, it's Aunt Teddy" Arizona said pointing at her computer screen sitting in the coffee table in front of Arizona and Sofia.

"Hey pretty ladies, how's it going?" Teddy asked as she smiled back.

"We're ok aren't we Sof? Uncle Derek just brought over some groceries so we can make an awesome dinner for Mamma tonight and you got to play with Zola, wasn't that fun?"

Teddy smiled before asking "How's Derek doing?"

"Well you know, his hand is getting there but I can see he's still struggling. He basically lost a brother and sister in the…"

A second passed and Teddy answered "Yeh it must be hard for everyone" looking straight at Arizona hoping she wasn't pushing her friend too far.

Arizona smiled sadly and looked down at Sofia, happily playing with her blocks leaning with her back on Arizona's right leg and babbiling away completely unaware that the comfy position she was nestled in was only possible because her Mommy's left leg was no longer there.

"Well yeah, some of us are doing better than others." Arizona answered carefully while Teddy just gave her a 'explain more' look.

"I've been home for six weeks and it's been amazing and horrendous all at the same time. The months in the hospital were awful. I missed Sofia and Calliope even when they were with me. I was in agony, I…I was depressed…"Arizona trailed off and looked away from the screen, the beginnings on tears just about misting over her baby blues.

"And now?" Teddy asked gently.

"Now? Now I realise that a lot has changed in the four months I wasn't home. I'm coming to terms with my leg and that's an ongoing process. I'm not saying I don't still get days where I want to scream and shout how unfair it all is but now I'm home and I get to wake up next to my wife and look after our beautiful baby girl and I realise that I'm the lucky one. I'm not the broken one." Arizona almost said the last sentence in a whisper and carried on before Teddy could think of anything to say.

"She wakes up in the middle of the night and I know she's looking for him."

Teddy just sighs sadly as Arizona continues.

"Callie said Sofia was struggling to sleep and I know it was really really hard for her while I was in the hospital but we both figured it was me she was missing because I was the one who got her back to sleep at night whether that was here or across the hall."

"It's only natural that she misses her Daddy"

"I know, we know, it's just that it's a pain she's going to carry around for ever and there's nothing we can do to ease it."

"Dada".

Arizona just looked down sadly as a tear escaped her eye and she pulled Sofia up, onto her knee and kissed her soft head.

"Arizona, you and Callie and the strongest people I know, if anyone can get you through this it's you."

Arizona just looked away again, almost unable to bear hearing Teddy's words.

Teddy frowned before asking "How's Callie? She at work?"

"Yeh, she took so much time off after the accident sitting with me, telling me everything was going to be ok that now I'm literally out of the woods and on the mend she's thrown herself back into Dr mode."

"And we're not happy about this?" Teddy probed, feeling like she was missing something.

"I cried, I screamed at her, I clung to her for dear life, for reassurance and while I was spiralling down she picked me up time and again, told me she loved me, that she wasn't leaving and put me back together. She's the reason I made it home, the reason I can get up in the morning and look forward to the life I am now going to have."

"Arizona, what you guys have has always been special and none of that comes as a surprise to me, Callie loves you two with all her heart but why do I feel like there was a but coming?"

"Because there is, she was amazing, supermom, superwife, superdoc and now I just don't know what to do. She's spent 4 months in hell, she lost her best friend, her wife was a wreck and yet she remained so strong and stoical and together that now, now I'm in a position to actually share her struggles, she won't let me, I don't know if she doesn't trust me or what but I have to beg her not to take Sofia to daycare." Arizona hadn't meant to unload, it wasn't her style but she was lost.

"I can't speak for Callie and I can't imagine what the last four months have been like for her but don't forget I was there too. My last procedure at Seattle Grace ended with Mark Sloan coding on my table. I watched them unload all of you from those damn helicopters and at that moment we were all just so glad they weren't just unloading 6 body bags." Teddy paused and Arizona felt slightly chastised. "Don't' get me wrong, I know life has been hell for both of you but this supermom/wife thing is probably the only thing keeping Callie together. You remember when Henry died all I wanted to do was cut, cut and cut and cut. It stopped me having to actually stop and actually deal with the fact that my husband was gone."

This struck a chord with Arizona.

"I know without a doubt that Callie trusts you with Sofia, even if you are still using crutches with Sof in her sling to get about. She is maybe just scared to actually face the fact that now she doesn't need to visit your room, or get to go and see Sofia in daycare when she is on her lunch break and that means she has to have lunch in the cafeteria without her best friend or her wife or the super amazing cardio god that got fired to make her accept her kickass promotion" Teddy added the last bit to lighten the mood but knew she'd got her message across.

Arizona's tears had spilled over long ago and exhaled the breath she didn't realise she was holding but smiled a watery smile at her friend on screen.

"When did you get so clever Altman?"

"Oh Robbins I always was, you just don't like to admit other people are smarter than you"

Arizona always knew it was a good idea to befriend the cardio god.

"Teddy I don't know how to thank you, I guess I just got wrapped up in my own issues."

"I'm pretty sure having some issues after falling out of the sky, nearly freezing to death in the woods, becoming delirious from sepsis and them recovering from an above knee amputation that your wife performed on you counts as exceptional circumstances Arizona. Don't beat yourself up about it, just show Callie that you're ok and encourage her to talk, you guys will sort it out."

"Yeh and they say I should be ready for my first limb fitting in a few weeks, that I can't wait for!"

"Sounds great but please tell me you aren't going to try and get the guy to fit you a pink leg?"

"Teddy!"

"What?"

"You can't make fun of a cripple like that!"

"Ok ok whatever, I should really go. Got people to talk to and things to do before I head to Afghanistan for 2 weeks."

"Ok Teds, thanks again and be safe. Talk soon."

"You're welcome and I'm so glad you're doing so well, big hug to that little bundle of joy and say hi to Callie for me."

With that, Teddy signed off and Arizona shut down the computer.

"Ok Munchkin how about we look at what Uncle Derek brought over and cook up a feast for Mamma coming home?"

Not that Arizona would ever admit to there being benefits of Sofia being born so premature it was very handy that she could still carry her around in a sling quite easily while she shuffled around on her crutches.

About 3 hours later, Sofia was sitting happily in her high chair. The apartment had been tidied and Arizona was putting the finishing touches to a dinner that Callie loved. Granted it was one of Mark's recipes but they'd all enjoyed it many times and Arizona could now pull it off quite convincingly. Callie entered the apartment after a 16 hour shift, she'd been called in early and the smells and sounds that hit her senses as she walked through the door made her smile widely. Arizona was chatting to someone and Sofia was chewing on her fingers as Callie rounded the corner into the kitchen. It was just as Arizona rang off her cellphone and turned around to see Callie's wide smile falter ever so slightly and caught her eyes fleeting land on the stump that was all that was left of Arizona's left leg. Her eyes held a look that Arizona didn't recognise, it was one she guessed was what? Shock? Disgust?

Arizona immediately turned beet red and dropped her head, feeling ashamed she was not the healthy happy able surgeon her wife married and instead a damaged, disabled housewife with no immediate job options.

"Dinners in the oven, I'm not hungry" Arizona quickly mumbled out as she tried to make a beeline for her bedroom before Callie saw her tears.

"No wait!" Callie cried out more forcefully than she'd intended, she quickly crossed the kitchen and grabbed Arizona's waist before she could retreat too far. Arizona tensed at the touch and stopped, not sure she was strong enough to wriggle out of Callie's hold and remain balanced on her crutches.

"It's ok, I understand. I'm not mad, I don't blame you, I know its repulsive you can't help how you feel Callie." Arizona sobbed out.

Callie slipped her other arm around Arizona's waist and hugged her closely from behind, resting her chin on the shorter woman's shoulder whispering,

"Sssh stop. You know I love you, you know I don't care what your leg looks like, you're beautiful to me Arizona. You always were and you always will be"

Arizona shut her eyes, and willed herself to stop sobbing. Her mind was whirling. Just a few hours ago she was so hopeful, convinced that her and Callie would be ok. They just had to keep talking. Never once through her whole recovery when she was scared and upset did Callie ever flinch or recoil at the sight of her or her injuries. Callie had lovingly bathed her and dressed her stump most days in the beginning and that trend had carried on until she had gone back to work just a few weeks ago. Arizona was confused, and scared and felt like she might vomit. She took a deep breath, "I need my meds Callie I feel like I might pass out."

Callie just held her, practically trapping her in their backward embrace. As Arizona controlled her breathing and willed herself not to be sick and calm the thousands of thoughts in her brain, she suddenly registered something damp on her shoulder. Never once since the plane crash had Arizona seen Callie cry. A few times when Arizona was just home, she nearly registered that Callie sometimes cried herself to sleep but the pain meds she was still on were strong and they pulled her under and off to sleep without really allowing her to fully understand what was happening. Arizona felt Callie relax slightly and moved to turn her crutches around to face her wife

"Talk to me" she said through her own tears.

"I…I…It wasn't you…I'm…I'm not disgusted or whatever you thought I just… forgot" Callie managed to choke out as she embraced her wife.

Arizona let one crutch fall to the floor and she wrapped her now free arm around her distraught wife, she kissed Callie's temple and tried to soothe her "It's ok baby, deep breathes, shhh I'm here and it's ok, we're ok."

"No it's not Arizona, it's not ok." Callie pulled back, so she could explain fully. She took a deep breath. "I was paged in at silly o'clock this morning, I left you sleepy soundly in our bed looking as peaceful as I've ever seen you, I checked on Sofia and slipped out of the apartment. My page was a 911, building site collapse and I've practically been in surgery for 16 hours straight, I'm exhausted," she took another deep breath "and then I walked in and smelled dinner and saw our little girl all happy and heard you laughing and talking, clearly with another adult and I thought…I thought…" Callie started to well up again as Arizona hugged her back into her embrace

"And you thought it was Mark." Arizona stated sadly.

"How many times did I come home and find Sof in her high chair with Mommy and Daddy waiting for me to come home for dinner and I was so busy today that I haven't had a chance to remember and I just came home and the reality hit me and I remembered that he's…he's…gone." Callie dissolved into more tears and Arizona awkwardly guided them to the couch as best she could.

"Calliope, I love you and I know you love me and I know you miss him. I miss him too. But I am here and I am going nowhere, we are going to watch our little miracle grow up and into a beautiful young woman who looks just like her Mamma and we are going to tell her all about her Daddy and how much he loved her and we are going to grow old together. In a few weeks I'm gonna get fitted with my new leg and slowly but surely I'm going to try and return to surgery in whatever capacity I can. Whatever else we have to deal with I'm going to be right here. You've spent months putting me back together and I'm here and I'm damn near healed so you can stop, you can stop trying to do it all. Remember what you said to me the night of the plane crash? Whatever you can't do I can, I'm here and that's how this works ok?" Callie laughed through her sobs.

"I'm here Calliope and I'm not going anywhere, even without my new leg yet, you can lean on me, I'm strong enough for both of us right now and you need your time. I can't imagine what these past months have been like for you but just breathe and remember that we'll be ok."