AN: I'm late and I know and I am sorry. I forgot to post it... sorry! But hey, you also got an update on TIAM2 ;)
"Mommy, daddy, can we see Timmy again?", Arizona asked as they entered her mom's patient room after an hour or maybe more of quite even battles of Memory. Every time Callie has had a run, Arizona distracted her by making funny faces or telling her very convincingly that her chosen card was the wrong one. And when it was Arizona's turn and Callie got over being stunned by the blonde's fast moves, she just looked at her, grinning widely and playing with Mr. Turtle's fins in front of the girl's face.
"Of course, Dimples. Come in", Daniel answered for his wife. "Hello Calliope."
"Hello, Sir", the little Latina said, reaching out her little hand to shake his, just as her father taught her to.
"My, Daniel. Isn't she polite?" Barbara noticed the change in the little Latina's behavior. She seemed less scared, less sad and in a way, she seemed to warm up to them.
He nodded. "Indeed. Your parents raised you well."
"Thank you, Sir. Daddy always said, it's important to be polite, especially when adults are in the room."
"Your father was a very wise man, Calliope."
Seeing the little angel's face nodding, but turning sad right that instant, he picked her up first and put her down on his wife's bed. "Do you want to hold him again?"
"Can I?"
"Since you did a very good job yesterday, I don't see a reason why you could not hold him again today." Barbara handed the baby over to her husband and he placed his little boy into Callie's open arms. "He likes you."
"How do you know?", the Latina asked curious. She didn't dare to move when she was holding him, too scared of letting him drop or that she would hurt him, because she had only one good hand.
"He doesn't cry", Daniel simply stated.
"But he doesn't cry when he's in your arms as well."
"Because we are his family", Arizona answered. "He cries a lot when the doctors hold him", she giggled. "Because they are not family."
Brown eyes went wide in surprise. "He thinks I am family?"
"Maybe he does. Maybe your just a natural with children", Barbara said, bringing a smile to the faces of both little girls. Yet, what she noticed even more was her daughter and how she kept smiling at her new friend and how happy she was. She was happy almost every day. But this, this was something different. Though she knew her daughter made friends pretty easily, she saw the strong bond the girls shared, albeit they barely knew each other. "Calliope, what do you think of visiting us and Arizona once we are home?"
"Uhm... I don't know if that is possible." And then the sadness was back. She would love to go to her new friend's home but she had absolutely no idea where Miss Miller would take her.
"Mommy, there's a woman. Miss-" The forehead of the little blonde furrowed as she tried to remember the woman's name.
"Miller", Callie helped.
"Yeah! That's the one! Miss Miller is picking her up in a few days, bringing her somewhere. They don't know where to right now. But... what if Calliope has to move to another country or something?"
"Dimples, that's not how it works", Daniel chuckled. "They won't just send her away like she's not allowed to live here anymore."
"But maybe another city", Barb chimed in.
Her husband nodded. "That's a possibility. But, do you want to move?"
"No", the little brunette said, shaking her head.
"You should tell her that. I am sure, they will try to not do anymore harm to you than what's already happened.
"Daddy?"
"What is it, Dimples?"
"They asked Calliope about a funeral for her family. It's like the one we had for mommy's aunt Rose, isn't it?"
Barbara and Daniel needed a moment to catch up. Their daughter's brain was amazing when it came to memories and things she's seen in her very short life. Often, they wondered how their girl was able to remember that much. But then again, she was so curious about everything and saw things in a way with her sparkling blue eyes that adults didn't pay attention to anymore.
"It is", Barbara said eventually, still slightly taken by that question.
Daniel sensed the uneasiness of the girl in front of him, pulled the chair closer and sat down. "You've been to a funeral before?"
Callie shook her head. She only had her parents and her sister before, there was no other family member left and her parents didn't force her to go to any funeral they'd attended over the few years. She didn't even get to meet her grandparents, they had died before she was born. So, up until a few days ago, they were a family of four members. And now she was the only one left. "No, Sir."
"Do you want a funeral for your family?"
"I don't know, Sir", she said honestly. Though she'd never been to one, she knew what happened at funerals. "I don't want to see my parents and sister getting buried."
Barbara sat up on her bed and placed a hand on the girl's cheek to wipe away the tears that tickled down the little tanned cheek. "If you want a funeral, you should see it as a celebration of their lives, sweetie."
"But there are no lives to celebrate anymore", Callie burst into tears. Daniel scooped up his now sleeping son and put him down in the small hospital crib, letting his wife handle the situation and taking the girl in her arms.
"Shshsh", Barbara soothed, brushing through thick brunette curls and rubbing soft circles on Callie's back with the other hand as she watched with proud as her daughter's smaller hand joined hers. "It's okay." Blue eyes were locked on another set of blue's as she met her husband's gaze. The one hand of the little Latina that was not in a cast, held on tight to her cardigan as loud sobs filled the room. "Daniel... "
He knew what his wife was thinking. They'd talked about it before. They both loved the little girl and he felt sorry for her as well. But the chance was next to nothing, that they'd get custody or anything else with his job. What if they'd had to move in a few months again? What he saw was breaking his heart just as much as his wife's, but there was nothing he could do.
"I want a funeral", Callie mumbled into the crook of the neck of Barbara Robbins.
"What did you say, sweetie?"
"I think I want a funeral", she sniffed.
"Okay", Daniel answered. "Then you should tell that to Miss Miller, I assume she's the one who asked you?"
Callie nodded. "But I don't want to go there alone", she said, her voice thick with fear.
"I can go with you", Arizona said immediately.
"We all can", Barbara reassured her and Daniel nodded. At least, they could do that.
"Thank you", Callie said, a small smile on her lips wiping away the last tears with the back of her hand. She was grateful she'd met Arizona and she was thankful for her parents. They somehow gave her the feeling of being protected and not completely alone anymore. "I think I have to get back to my room. They serve dinner soon and I think I am a little hungry."
"Can I go with Calliope?", Arizona asked.
"Of course, Dimples. But don't stay too long."
"Thank you, Sir", Callie said as she hopped of the bed. "Thank you, Mrs. Robbins."
"You are very welcome, young lady."
"I'll be back soon, promised", Arizona smiled, hopping of the bed as well and dragging Callie out of the room by her arm.
"She'll always be a handful", Barbara said laughing.
"She will. But to be honest, she's everything we've ever wished for. She's so caring, maybe a little too smart for her own good, but if it stays that way, I don't think we have to worry about her being a good person."
"I think you're right", Barbara sighed. "It would be great if they can stay friends. Calliope needs her. And I am sure, that our little bundle of energy can learn a lot from her."
"Let's hope everything falls into place", Daniel agreed, watching his son sleep for a short moment before he smiled at his wife.
xxx
"Arizona", Daniel started when he thought his little girl was unnaturally quiet as he was half way through the chosen bedtime story for this night. "Something's bothering you."
"I'm just thinking about Calliope."
"What are you thinking?", he asked.
"What if she has to move? She said, she does not want to move, but what if she has to? What if that woman finds a family for her and she does not like them?"
"Dimples", he sighed, laying to book aside on the bed and tugging his daughter closer to him until she was sitting on his lap, her little arms around his torso and her head resting against his chest. "I am sure Miss Miller will take good care of her."
"But she is not her mom. She is not there to read her bedtime stories. And everything she told her was confusing for Calliope. She said, that she didn't understand everything."
"Your friend seems pretty smart to me, so I think she's going to tell them if something is wrong. And then Miss Miller or another one will do the right thing."
"I gave her Mr. Turtles", Arizona mumbled.
"I know Dimples. And that was very very nice of you", he said, stroking the blonde locks.
"I told her, she can keep him."
The man looked completely stunned at his little daughter. Only one year ago, Mr. Turtles would have gone with Arizona everywhere she went, if he and his wife hadn't put their feet down on that one. And now, his girl just gave her favorite toy away?
"She needs him more, daddy. Please don't be mad", she pleaded as her father didn't say anything, thinking she'd done something wrong.
"I am not mad, Dimples", he answered honestly. "You're such a good friend to her."
"What if she really has to move?"
"Then we're going from there", Daniel said. He saw the same thing his wife had seen. They sensed their daughter really liked the little Latina and it was more than obvious that the feeling was mutual. And still, they couldn't do anything to ease the situation.
"Can I go see Calliope tomorrow again? When we get to the hospital? I know we're only going in to get mommy home, but... "
"We can go in a little earlier, if you want to", he said, feeling his daughter nodding against his chest. "But now it's time for you to go to sleep okay?"
"Okay, daddy", the blonde girl said, climbing into her bed again. "Can we leave the little light on? The one with the butterflies?"
"Of course, Dimples", Daniel said as he put the blanket over his daughter. "Do you need anything else?"
"No. I love you, daddy."
"I love you too", he said, placing a soft kiss on his little girl's forehead and switching on the nightlight.
"Daddy?", Arizona asked
"Yes, Dimples?"
"Can we still help Calliope?", she asked sleepily, Tigger already in her right hand.
"Help her?"
"The funeral", she yawned.
"Of course, Dimples."
"Okay, daddy. Love you", she got out before falling asleep.
Smiling, Daniel Robbins left his daughter's room. Tomorrow, they'd have a second child – a baby to take care of and he was sure they'd need some time adjusting to the new situation at home. But then again, they managed it the first time when Arizona was born. And she was not too young now, so she'd understand that her little brother needed her mom a little more now.
