Chapter 4: What Dreams May Come

Callie's night was fraught with restlessness coupled with tossing and turning. When she finally did manage to nod off, her sleep was consumed by dreams with an odd nightmarish quality attached to them. She shuddered at the memory of one particularly horrific dream about blue and pink bunnies. She originally had one beautiful, pink bunny to care for and love but every time she turned around, there was another bunny screaming and crying for her attention. It really gave the term "multiplying like bunnies" new meaning. She saw Mark floating by on cloud 69. He was on a giant water bed being hand fed grapes by Lexie. She cried out in desperation for him to help her, but he just laughed as he floated by carefree unaffected by her turmoil. Next she turned to Arizona for help. Arizona was on a beautiful, shiny pink, fluffy cloud with a multitude of women lined up vying for a chance to be with the hot woman. Arizona met Callie's desperate cry for help with a shrug of her shoulders as if to say, "I told you there'd be woman lining up for me." Eventually Callie was overcome by the bunnies drowning in a sea of pinks and blues. Callie awoke from the dream dripping in sweat, and gasping for air. It took her a moment to get her heart rate, and breathing down to a normal rate. She became more determined than ever to sort this portion of her life out. So, she showered brusquely and with purpose. She dressed herself with determination. She was feeling a little queasy this morning but she didn't know if it was morning sickness or nerves. Nevertheless, she decided it was in her best interest to save breakfast for later. Arizona was at the breakfast bar in her fuzzy pink pajamas adorned with cute little bunnies. She was eating a bowl of cereal while reading the morning paper. Callie shuddered upon seeing the bunny pajamas.

"I'm going to talk to Mark," she informed Arizona with determination in her voice.

"Oh, good, that's good," Arizona replied obviously flustered, "Good luck with that," she told Callie. Callie strode intently out of her apartment. Using her key, Callie let herself into Mark's apartment calling out in greeting to her friend as she entered.

"Back here," came Mark's muffled reply indicating to Callie that he was in his bedroom. Callie reluctantly made her way to his room feeling like a woman about to face a firing squad. Opening the door, she poked her head in to see her best friend still in bed.

"Morning, Torres," Mark said cheerfully, "Come to bring me breakfast in bed?" he joked lasciviously wagging his eyebrows in mock seduction.

"Mark," Callie began apprehensively taking a deep breath to calm her nerves and wringing her hands together nervously. Mark noted his best friend's demeanor immediately getting alarmed.

"What is it, Callie?" he questioned concerned, "Did Blondie…"

"No Mark," Callie interrupted sitting down on the edge of his bed, "This doesn't have anything to do with Arizona. Well, not directly. This is about us. Me and you."

"What is wrong, Callie? Did I say or do something," Mark rambled anxiously afraid that he did something to alienate his best friend. "I know I've been hard on Arizona pointing out all her faults and all…"

"I'm pregnant," Callie blurted out but Mark continued on unaware of what Callie just told him.

"But I thought that is what I was supposed to do being your best friend," he continued his ramble. Mark's eyes widened as the auditory part of his brain registered the words that came out of Callie's mouth a few moments before.

"Wait, what did you just say?" Mark asked confused needing clarification.

"I'm pregnant," Callie said slowly like she would to a child that was having a hard time understanding, "And you are the father," she added quietly. Mark sat back in his bed staring intently at the ceiling as Callie's words flooded him with various emotions like dread, anxiety, but ultimately it was the joy he felt that he clung to like a child clings to a security blanket. Callie lay back on the bed next to mark allowing him time to compose his thoughts. When Mark still had yet to say anything, Callie's impatience and insecurities got the best of her. Sighing loudly Callie says, "You have to say something. Words, make words," she tells Mark gesturing with her hands.

"Holy crap?" Marks responds more as a question than an exclamation.

"Yup," Callie concurs quickly.

"A baby?" Mark's disbelief rapidly segues to joy.

"Growing like a weed in my uterus," Callie states.

"Not like a weed," Mark corrects removing his hands from underneath his head sitting up on his right side to look at Callie before continuing, "Like a mighty oak. We're gonna be great parents," he finishes gesturing between the two of them.

"Mark, you don't have to," Callie says offering her friend a way out.

"Are you kidding?" Mark says happily looking form her face to her belly, "That's my kid in there. I'm a dad," his semi-serious, semi-silly tone made Callie giggle.

"We're parents," he continued gesturing between the two of them, "Of a baby," he commented happily placing his hand on Callie's belly causing her to giggle even more.

"Ok," Callie said relieved, "You're in."

"Should we get married," Mark wondered aloud.

"OH no," Callie replied quickly, "I'm all for raising a baby with you but uh, there's a line," she said patting his hand.

"That's good because I'm in love with Lexie and it would be…Oh my God, Lexie," Mark said in a pained voice placing his hand to his forehead as the implication of Callie having his baby would have on Lexie.

"What am I going to tell Lexie?" he bemoaned.

"Okay," Callie said getting off the bed so she could make a hasty retreat, "You think about that," she finished turning on her heel before leaving Mark's bedroom. She made it across Mark's living room about to reach for the door handle when she heard Mark exclaim loudly, followed by a thump, and a scramble. Callie craned her head listening to see if Mark needed help with something. She didn't have to wait long because Mark came running out of his room like a man being hunted down by a rabid pack of demons.

"Arizona," Mark said breathily, "She's going to kill me," fear evident in his deep voice. Callie looked at him quizzically.

"You do realize that you are naked, right?" she said pointing at Mark's naughty bits.

"Being naked or not being naked doesn't matter when you are dead," Mark deadpanned.

"Mark," she said raising her hands in an attempt to calm, "She knows already. I told her yesterday." Mark paused a long time letting the news that Arizona knew about him getting Callie pregnant sink in.

"She knows," he questioned doubtfully, "And…" he drawled out waiting for Callie to fill in the missing blanks for him.

"Look," she said shrugging her shoulders apologetically, "She is in no way happy about the whole situation," she paused to open the door, "I've hidden all her bricks but if I were you, if you see her, run, run for your life!"

"That's your wonderful solution?" Mark asked shaking his head incredulously.

"I'm just saying," Callie laughed before shutting the door.

"Suck it, Torres," Mark shouted as Callie retreated.

"Run for your life," she shouted back before opening the door to her apartment. She was taken aback to see Arizona sitting dejectedly on the couch with a box of tissues in her hand.

"Hey," Callie said concerned, "You wanna talk?"

"He was over the moon about the baby, wasn't he?" she asked Callie

"Yeah, he is thrilled, but he is worried about Lexie…"
"I want to say some not nice things to you," Arizona informed interrupting Callie before she could tell her more about how Mark felt about being a dad, "And I want you to listen without our relationship status coming into question," she continued anger creeping into her voice, "And without you turning your back on me," she finished.

"Okay," Callie agreed out of confusion not knowing where all this anger was coming from.

"I'm mad," Arizona told Callie through clenched teeth, "I'm mad that you slept with someone else. And I know we were broken up, but still…you slept with someone else. And I am even madder that that person had a penis and got you pregnant," she retorted angrily continuing her angry rant, "I know you're bisexual, I know that…"

"Would you have rather I slept with a busty red head and I don't know gotten herpes cause…"Callie responded with sarcasm.

"You have to give me a chance to process," Arizona shouted loudly, "I'm processing!" she exclaimed out of righteous indignation.

"I didn't plan this, okay?" Callie told the angry woman. Callie moved from where she was standing to sit before Arizona on the coffee table.

"I-I didn't plan any of this," she started hesitantly, "But there's a…" she said looking for a word to describe what was going on within her body Mark's words echoing in her mind, "A mighty oak or whatever showing up in our lives in about seven months. So, now I have to plan. And I don't know how long I can wait for you to process or what you are even doing here," she said sweeping her hand across the apartment," But, I want you…in my plan," she said fervently watching as a long tear escaped Arizona's tear filled eyes leaving a watery trail down her cheek before Arizona hastily wiped it away. Callie paused waiting for Arizona to meet her eyes.

"I want you to be part of my plan, so I need to know, are you in?" Callie whispered the question softly. Arizona locked her eyes into Callie's seeing Callie's genuine heart, and hearing the absolute truth behind her words. Callie's heart spoke to hers in a language that has existed since the beginning of man. Her heart demanded that Arizona rise to the occasion and meet Callie halfway. Arizona's heart fought a valiant battle internally against Arizona's pride. Arizona was nothing if not stubborn. In the end, it was her pride that was victorious in the end. Callie noticed immediately at the wall being thrown up between them. It was evident as Arizona's eyes went from wounded yet open to ice cold blue and completely closed off to anything being offered to her.

"I-I-I can't answer that right now," she stammered, "I'm just so, so angry," she finished getting up off the couch leaving Callie staring at her retreating back, her mouth agape in shock.

"What the hell just happened?" Callie wondered incredulously, "One minute we're living together working on things, and now this?" she continued her internal dialogue with herself. Callie felt as if she was blindsided by a Mack truck. She was even more confused than ever by Arizona's sudden turn about to anger, and she didn't see it coming at all. She took a moment to think about what was behind the events that just occurred. Her mind was still a muddy mess. She realized that things between her and Arizona were progressing at warp speed and if the shoe were on the other foot, she would be devastated, hurt, and angry. Callie made a very important decision. Callie decided that she would let Arizona keep her anger, for now. Callie knew how she wanted things to be for the two of them, and if dealing with an angry Arizona was the price she had to pay, she would gladly pay it for the chance at happily ever after. She would be crazy not to, and although Callie was being riddled with hormones making her feel like a lunatic on a full moon, Calliope Torres was anything but crazy.