Previously…
Arizona nodded in reply. "Right, I'll see you back at the house in a bit then" she said before exiting the surgery herself. As she stepped into the evening air, she looked over the street just in time to see Callie entering the pharmacy. She hoped the Latina was OK. She knew she couldn't ask Bailey and snooping through her files would be a felony unless she was under her care so she would just have to wait and see what happened in time.
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Chapter 4
Shutting off the TV, the blonde stretched out her arms and legs. A loud sigh left the dog under her feet which made her laugh. "Oh shush, I'm only stretching." Getting up, she tapped the dog lightly on the behind. "Come on girl, toilet time for you." Heading through the kitchen, she opened the French doors and watched Coco saunter out to do her business. While she waited, she put the few dishes she'd washed and left to dry on the drainer earlier that night back in their rightful places. A minute or so later Coco came wandering back in.
Just as she closed and locked the door, she heard several soft knocks on her front door. Frowning she made her way back through the house, glancing at the clock on the wall. Who would be calling on her at almost 11pm?
Opening the door, her eyes fell onto Abbey standing there in her pyjamas. "Abbey?" She glanced behind the small child but saw no one else before she crouched down. "What's wrong?"
"Docur...mommy won't wake up." The little girl waved for her to follow.
The colour drained from the blondes face as her mind registered the little girls words. Quickly grabbing her emergency bag that she kept by the door along with her keys, she slammed her door shut and followed Abbey next door.
"Abbey, where is your mommy?"
"Bed." The little girl told her as they entered the house. "OK, Abbey? I need you to do me a favour and go into your bedroom for a few minutes OK" she told the child as they went upstairs. "I want you to pick your favourite toys and you can play with them until I come back to see you. Can you do that for me sweetie?"
Slowly Abbey nodded her head and walked towards her bedroom. Quickly figuring out Callie's room was at the front of the house, she ran in and found the Latina lying in the middle of the bed, her hand still clutching a bottle of vodka. Making it over to her, she put her bag on the floor and removed the bottle from her grasp. "Callie, Callie? Can you hear me?!"
No response.
Quickly removing the pillows from beneath Callie's head, she tilted her head back by putting her fingers under her chin. Opening her mouth she put her ear to the Latina's mouth. She was breathing. A long sigh of relief left the blondes mouth as the warm air softly washed over her cheek. Despite the circumstances, the feeling made the hair on her neck and arms stand on end. Leaning back up she put her fingers to her pulse point and could feel a faint pulse. It seemed Callie had drank herself into a deep sleep. She placed the woman's arm over her stomach and took a few moments to take in her form. She saw her chest rising and falling very slowly. Her heart ached for the poor woman in front of her.
It was beyond obvious now that the vet wasn't coping. It didn't seem like she was talking to anyone about it either. Maybe she was using alcohol as a way of numbing the pain at night and if that was the case, how long had it been going on? Bringing a hand up, she let her thumb stroke at the woman's forehead. "Oh Callie. What are we going to do with you?"
Though she was completely out of it, a soft moan of approval sounded in the Latina's throat. After a few more seconds, Arizona lifted the Latina's left knee, placing a hand on it, she put her other hand on her shoulder and gently pulled her onto her side to the edge of the bed. Gathering up one of the pillows she'd thrown away a minute or so earlier, she tucked it under the woman's head. Finally, seeing as Callie was lying on top of the duvet, she went around the other side of the bed and pulled the duvet back until the other side of it was covering the sleeping woman. "There you go, sweetheart. You're gona be just fine." With one last look she left the room and went in search of Abbey.
Coming to her room she stopped at the door and smiled. The little girl was sat on her bed with a book in her hands. "Hey Abs, whatcha got there?" She asked, coming into the room.
"My book" the girl replied. "Can you read my book?"
"I'd love to read your book. How about you get yourself tucked up into bed and I'll read you a bedtime story?"
Doing as she was told, Abbey got under the covers and made herself comfortable. "Is mommy ok?"
Arizona smiled and nodded her head. "She is sweetheart. Your mommy was just super tired. She had a really busy day at work."
"Mommy didn't go to work today" the little girl said. "Mommy's sick."
Furrowing her brows, Arizona decided she needed to talk to the Latina tomorrow. She needed to help her because the vet was struggling and being the person she was, the blonde made it her mission to help her neighbour out.
Putting a smile back on her face for Abbeys benefit, Arizona got onto the small bed and lay down beside her before she opened the book. As she started to read the first page, a tiny hand came over and clutched the top of her arm for comfort. It literally made the doctors heart melt. Within the next few minutes the little girl was flat out. Gently peeling herself up from the bed, Arizona turned and tucked the girl in a bit more before she bent down and left a small kiss on her forehead. "Night princess" she whispered before tip toeing out of the room.
Making her way downstairs she walked into the kitchen and after opening a couple of cupboards, she finally found the glasses. Filling one with water she turned and headed back up the stairs. Coming into the Latina's bedroom she found Callie in the exact same position she'd left her. The only difference this time was that her mouth was now wide open, her breathing a little more audible.
Setting the glass down on the bedside table, Arizona looked around the room. She knew she wasn't going to leave Callie alone all night so she had to figure out where she was going to sleep. She didn't think it appropriate to sleep in the bed so seeing a chair which was oddly very similar to the old chair she had in her bedroom, she pulled it a bit closer to the bed. Luckily there was a blanket folded on the back of it which she wrapped around her shoulders. Putting her feet up on the bed she resigned herself to the fact she probably wouldn't get much sleep that night.
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As her body began to wake up, a long groan left her as she turned to lay on her back. Her mouth felt and tasted horrendous. Slowly, she began to blink.
"Callie?"
Her eyes shot open, her head jerking up at the sound of someone else's voice. Big mistake as the effects of the drinking she'd done lastnight wrapped it's beady little hands around her head. "Arghhh" she cried, her hands coming to squeeze at her temple's as she flopped back onto the bed.
"Hey, it's OK. Take it easy." Arizona said, coming to sit on the side of the bed.
"Arizona? Why are you in my room?" The Latina's eyes were squinting as she tried to quell the ache behind them.
"Abbey came for me just before 11 lastnight. She said you wouldn't wake up." Hearing the blondes words was like getting hit in the face by a train. Callie cringed and covered her face in her elbow as the doctor continued. "I came in and found you passed out on the bed here with that..." she told her, pointing to the almost empty bottle of vodka "..in your hand. I checked you were breathing and got you on your side but I didn't want to leave you, so I stayed."
"Where's Abbey, is she Ok?" Though her body screamed for her to not move, Callie sat up only to be pushed back down by the blonde. "Abbey is fine. After I saw to you lastnight I went and read her a story. She was out like a light in minutes. I just checked on her there and she's still sleeping. Everything is fine, OK? You don't have to worry."
Callie thought that couldn't be any further from the truth right now. She'd been caught drinking herself into a stupor. She'd neglected her child when she'd needed her through the night and to top if off, the new doctor in town had witness it all. She squeezed her eyes closed as tears began to form. "I can't believe this."
"Hey, it's OK. It's OK. There's been no harm done. Abbeys OK and you're OK. Here... drink this" she told her, bringing the glass of water to her. Wiping at her tears Callie gingerly slid her body up the bed a bit more before she accepted the offered glass. She took several big mouthfuls before setting the glass back on the bedside cabinet. She noticed her bedroom chair was moved closer to the bottom of the bed and the blanket now in a heap over the arm of it. "I'm sorry to have dragged you out late lastnight and made you spend the night here."
"Hey, don't be sorry. I'm just glad you're alive coz at first I thought I was going to come in to a dead body."
Again Callie cringed at the blondes words. She shook her head lightly. So many emotions were circulating. Most of all she was humiliated. She never wanted anyone to see her like this. Least of all the woman she'd only known for a couple of weeks. She needed help. There was no denying it now. "It's not OK. I'm not OK, Arizona."
The blonde looked at her and softly nodded. "So what are you going to do about it?"
Before Callie could reply, her eyes caught movement at the bedroom door.
"Mommy?"
"Hey Abs. How's my little munchkin this morning?"
The little girl rubbed at her eyes as she came into the room. "Are you sick mommy?"
Taking a quick glance at Arizona who had now stood up and moved to the bottom of the bed, Callie tapped the mattress beside her indicating for her daughter to join her. "Mommy is a little under the weather at the minute baby. But you know what? Dr Robbins here is an amazing doctor and she's going to give me the magic medicine that will make everything all better. Isn't that right Dr Robbins?"
Arizona nodded and smiled at the little girl who looked over at her. "That's true Abbey. Your mommy is going to be feeling much better very soon."
"Yay." The girl said excitedly, causing the 2 women to laugh.
"I guess I better go."
"Did you have a sleepover mommy?"
Callie frowned until she clocked on to what Abbey meant. "I did Abs. Mommy had a sleepover with her friend Arizona lastnight."
"Can Megan sleepover tonight?" Abbey tried, referring to her own friend from school.
She really couldnt imagine having another child in the house right now. "We'll see later on today how I feel munchkin."
Pushing the chair back into it's proper place, Arizona folded the blanket and put it over the back of the chair. "I'll leave you guys to it then. I need to go check that Pop's has been a good girl."
"Can I come?" Abbey asked excitedly.
"Abbey, Arizona is a busy woman. She can't hang out with us all day."
"I wouldn't mind taking her over to mine for a bit if you want to, you know, take a shower and perhaps pull yourself around?"
Callie looked at her. "I can't ask you to do that Arizona. You've clearly already done so much for me lastnight."
Arizona laughed and stepped closer. "You're not asking. I'm offering. Abbey and I could take Pops for a nice walk seeing as it's Saturday and we don't have school or work. When we get back, I could rustle us all up some breakfast if you wona come over too?"
The Latina mulled over the blondes offer for a few moments. "OK" she said softly. "How about you 2 go for a walk while I take a shower and then I'll make breakfast here for when the 2 of you come back? What do you say to a nice big fry up?"
"Yay!" Abbey squealed again and hugged her mother.
Arizona laughed as she watched the 2 embrace. "Alright. We'll walk and you can cook. We'll come back in say, an hour?" She asked, receiving a nod in return. "Great. An hour it is."
"Abbey go throw on some clothes. We cant have you walking around the streets in your pyjamas."
The little girl practically propelled herself from the bed and out of the room. "She's such a great kid. She's a real asset to you Callie."
The Latina nodded. "She deserves alot better than what she's been getting lately. I need to sort myself out."
"I'd like to help, if you'd let me? I know it's something you have to do yourself but support goes a long way. If you don't want it to be me, I think there's alot of people out there that will bend over backwards for you."
Callie nodded, knowing exactly how true the blondes words were. "They are a great bunch. I guess you'll have gotten to know most people by now?"
"I've certainly met alot of people over the last couple of weeks. Everyone seems super friendly."
"Do you miss New York?"
The blonde didn't need to think about her answer. "Not even a little bit."
"How come you left there and came here anyway?"
Before Arizona replied, She turned to see Abbey coming back into the room. "Ready to go kiddo?"
"Ready docur rubuns."
The blonde bent down and tickled the kids side's. "I told you, call me Arizona."
Abbey giggled and squirmed at being tickled. " Ari'ona, stop" she laughed out.
Stopping her tickle torture, the blonde stood up and turned back to Callie. "That's definitely a question for another time." She turned back to the child. "Say bye to mommy."
"Bye mommy. Ima see the doggy now."
Backing out of the room, Arizona smiled at the Latina. "See you soon, Callie."
"Thank you, Arizona. Just...Thank you."
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