Authors Note: I took the summer off because I wanted to see how things were addressed in the season premiere. Sad to see Eliza kicked off in that way, but I am loving Carina! I am going to finish this story, just be patient with me :) I hope you guys stick around.
Chapter 7
"You know how much I love you, right?" Arizona smirked. Eliza was stabbing into her salad glaring across the cafeteria table at her.
"You better," Eliza muttered. The two had planned to meet for lunch across the street at a cafe in between Arizona's morning and afternoon surgeries but Arizona's first surgery that morning got delayed. She was unable to push back her later surgeries because she wanted to make sure to be out of the hospital early to meet Callie and Sofia at her house. She had called Eliza to apologize and told her not to worry about lunch, that she would grab something from the cafeteria. Eliza made the argument that Arizona should not have to eat the horrible cafeteria food if her girlfriend was unemployed and laying around on a couch all day anyways.
Eliza also had to admit, it was just another excuse to see Arizona. She swallowed her pride and walked into the hospital carrying lunch for the two of them. She wore a baseball cap and a hoodie over it. She was hoping nobody noticed it was her, but she knew sitting across from the blonde would give her away.
"I really do appreciate it," Arizona smiled, showing off her dimples. Eliza rolled her eyes, but she also broke into a smile as well. "You know, i've been thinking..."
"About what?"
"Well, since Sofia is coming into town for good, I was thinking maybe it would be a good idea to introduce you to tonight. Officially."
"Really?" Eliza grinned. "Tonight's the night, eh?"
Arizona shrugged sheepishly, "Only if you're ready for it."
"Of course," Eliza grinned. "I've been excited to meet Sofia. I feel like I already know her from talking to her through FaceTime."
"Yay! Then it's settled. Tonight is the night! Nervous?"
"Not yet," Eliza laughed, "but give me some time."
"Callie is dropping her off around 6, so why don't you drop by around 6:30?"
"Sounds great."
"I'm cooking," Arizona giggled.
Eliza rolled her eyes, "So frozen pizza?"
Arizona feigned offense, "NO!" Eliza raised her eyebrows at her, "Frozen chicken nuggets and mac and cheese," Arizona admitted.
Eliza chuckled, "has she seen her room yet?"
"No," Arizona shook her head, "She's been dying to, but I told her it was a surprise until today."
Arizona had asked Sofia if she wanted her room to be decorated a certain way, and Sofia had insisted on having a beach theme room inspired by the new animated movie, Moana. Arizona had not had the time to watch it yet, though she knows she will have it memorized by the end of the summer with Sofia being back for good. Arizona called an interior designer who had done the rest of her house and asked her if she had time to quickly redecorate Sofia's room before she arrived. Luckily, the designer had some time and she and her crew spent two days transforming the room.
"She's going to love it."
"I think so too," Arizona grinned. Arizona looked down at her cellphone and her smile dropped.
"You have to go?" Eliza asked sadly.
Arizona groaned, "Yeah, code blue." She quickly got up, pressed a kiss to the top of Eliza's head and shouted, "Love you," as she ran out of the cafeteria.
Eliza took a couple more bites out of her salad before getting up, chunking it in the trash, and making it out of the hospital as fast as she could.
Arizona ran around the house eagerly, making sure everything was perfect for their night with Sofia. She had purchased Moana on DVD, bought all of Sofia's favorite snacks, and picked up a bottle of wine for adults. She was nervous, but she knew the evening would go well. As she pulled freshly baked cookies from the oven, she heard the front door bell ring. She looked at the clock on the kitchen wall that read 6:10 PM.
She grinned, rushing to the front door. As she opened the door, she didn't have a chance to react. Sofia had already wrapped her arms around her mother's legs.
"I missed you, Mommy!" Sofia exclaimed.
"Oh, sweetie! I missed you. You have no idea..." Arizona whispered as she pulled her daughter up and held her close. Sofia was getting too big to hold, but Arizona was savoring in those last times. Arizona placed her daughter back down and looked up at Callie, standing in the doorway with bags.
"Callie, hey! Come in." Arizona stepped aside and allowed Callie to drag in a couple of suitcases. "How was the flight?"
"Oh my god, so long," Sofia said dramatically throwing her hands up.
Callie nodded with a roll of her eyes, "It was that. Sorry we are late. Sofia insisted on getting ice cream in the airport. Her appetite is probably ruined, so I'm sorry about that."
Arizona smiled and waved her dismissively, "No worries! We were planning on eating junk all night anyways."
Callie laughed, "I figured."
"HEY!" Arizona glared.
"Mommy," Sofia interrupted loudly. "I want to see my room! Can I show Mama my room before she leaves, please please?" Sofia begged as she grabbed onto Arizona's arm.
"Sofia," Callie warned. She did not like it when Sofia begged.
Sofia sighed. "Just for a second, before she leaves. Please," Sofia repeated in calmer tone.
"Of course, Sweetie! I'm excited for you to see it!" Arizona grinned as she led the pair up the stairs.
"I really do love how you've decorated this house," Callie noted as she walked up the stairs. The wall on the stairs was lined with black and white family photos in black frames. It was a very modern elegant touch. Callie saw pictures of Arizona's parents, her brother, and mostly Sofia. Then she came across an older photo when Sofia was only a year old. It was a picture with Arizona, Callie, Lexie, Mark, and Sofia. They were all at the park sitting on a bench and they asked a woman passing by to take the photo.
"Wow, I haven't seen this picture in so long," Callie whispered.
"Daddy's there," Sofia smiled from the top of stairs. She was trying to be patient but ended up walking away, leaving Callie and Arizona looking at the photo.
"You didn't have to-" Callie started.
"He's her father, Callie. That was our family- is our family," Arizona smiled softly. "I want her to always know we are unit despite whatever has happened between us."
"Thank you," Callie breathed out heavily. The quiet was interrupted by Sofia shouting from the room down the hallway.
"OH MY GOD- I LOVE IT!" Sofia could be heard stomping around her room, gushing.
"She wants you to see it, we better get up there," Arizona laughed.
As they entered the room, Sofia was already standing on top of her bed, holding a Moana doll.
"Sofia!" Callie scolded her.
"Mommy's house, Mommy's rules!" Sofia grinned sneakily.
"Yeah, well Mommy says no monkeys jumping on the bed," Arizona retorted playfully.
Sofia rolled her eyes at Arizona and hopped off the bed and continued exploring. Arizona's jaw dropped at her daughter's sassiness and turned to Callie accusingly.
"That is all you," Arizona mouthed.
"YOU!" Callie mouthed back, throwing her finger at Arizona.
"I cannot believe you did all this," Callie said in amazement. All the walls were a light beige except for one wall that was a beach mural. Sofia had a hammock in the corner of her room by her bookshelves. There were even fake palm trees.
"Actually, I just hired a decorator," Arizona muttered with a shrug.
"Mama, what will my room be like at your house?" Sofia asked.
"I guess we will have to figure that out." Callie turned to Arizona, "I'll be spending the week looking at houses in this area. I figure it's close to the hospital, you and Meredith. All of our stuff from New York should be getting shipped here in the next couple weeks, but she has everything she needs to hold her over a few weeks."
"That's exciting," Arizona nodded. "There are a lot of houses up for sale, so it's a good time."
"That's what Michelle told me," Callie replied, referring to the realtor they have both been using since buying their first house together. "It is exciting."
"And Abuelo and Abuela are coming to visit as soon as we get settled," Sofia announced excitedly.
"What! Now that IS exciting," Arizona smiled, walking over to her daughter and throwing her arms around her. She had missed her so much, all she wanted to do was hug her for days.
"I think I want my room at Mama's house to be Star Wars," Sofia said thoughtfully.
"Now that is definitely all you," Callie pointed at Arizona.
Sofia giggled, "Mommy told me it was her and Uncle Tim's favorite when they were kids."
"I'm sure Princess Leia was her favorite character..." Callie joked, making Arizona throw her head back and laugh. Callie wasn't wrong.
"I want a spacecraft bed!"
Callie just shook her head, "We will have to see about that... might have to get your decorator's number," Callie joked to Arizona.
Just then they heard the front door to the house close and a loud "Hello!" rang through the house.
"I brought pizza! That's a food group, right?" the voice joked.
"Eliza?" Sofia asked Arizona with excitement and Arizona nodded in return. "Oh!" Sofia darted out of the room to greet the guest.
Arizona turned to Callie nervously, "I am so sorry. I didn't think you'd stay to see the room-"
"Oh, do you not want me to see her?" Callie asked insecurely. She was not sure how to escape the awkward situation.
"No, no, no, I just wasn't sure if you-" Arizona rambled, but Callie cut her off.
"No, I do! I mean I figure if Sofia is going to be spending more time with Dr. Minnick now, should definitely meet her... again... Right?" Callie asked uncertainly. Callie and Eliza had crossed paths before in the professional setting at conferences. There were not many female orthopedic badasses.
"No, yeah, definitely," Arizona nodded awkwardly. "So, let's go."
Two pair caught up to Sofia downstairs who was already engaged in a conversation with the brunette in the kitchen. Sofia had never been very shy. The pair immediately brought a smile to Arizona's face.
"She agree's. Pizza is a food group," Eliza announced with a grin as Arizona and Callie walked into the kitchen. "Oh," Eliza said in surprised, "Hi."
"Hey," Callie waved awkwardly.
"Eliza, this is Callie, Callie this is Eliza," Arizona said formerly introducing the two.
"We've met," Callie chuckled as she reaches for Eliza's hand. "Nice to see you again, Dr. Minnick," Callie says formally.
"Nice to see you too, Dr. Torres," Eliza smiled, "Please just call me Eliza."
"Then call me Callie," Callie replied just as pleasantly. "I have seen you puke, so I suppose we should be on a first name basis."
"Wait, what?" Arizona asked, turning to Eliza, confusion written all over her face. "Neither of you told me this... what?"
Sofia laughed "How did that happen?"
Eliza grimaced, "Ugh, you remember." Eliza covered her face with her hands to cover her shame.
"Remember what?" Arizona asked curiously as she looked back to her ex-wife who had a smirk on her face. "I want to know!"
"During my residency..." Eliza started slowly, shaking her head in disappointment. "I enjoyed..." Eliza hesitated as she looked down at the young ears. "...the nightlife a little too much. We had a huge orthopedic conference in San Francisco and on the first night I drank way too much... Koolaid... I showed up the next day completely... sick from too much... sugar," Eliza said carefully.
Sofia's eyes narrowed, "I know what drunk means."
Arizona laughed out loud and bent down to throw her arms around her daughter. "You are too smart. Will you do me a favor and go grab another movie to watch after Moana. I have an entire bookcase filled in the guest room."
"Okay, Mommy," Sofia agreed as she skipped out of the room. "Continue," Arizona grinned as she poured herself a glass of wine along with Eliza. "Want some wine?" Arizona asked Callie.
"No, no, no, thanks... She was slumped over in her seat," Callie continued the story, chuckling. "I had seen her present with a colleague the day before. That's how I remember it was you."
"God, I got so sick," Eliza explained, "and before I knew it, I was trying to run out of the conference room but I only made it to the trash can in the back."
"Hey, at least you made it to the trashcan," Callie pointed out.
"I can't even imagine you so... out of control..." Arizona said with her eyes narrowed at her girlfriend. "You're too type-A."
"Now, I am! Not so much back then..." Eliza laughed. "Hey, Callie, you should stay for dinner," Eliza suggested. "We have chicken nuggets and pizza. Really healthy," Eliza said sarcastically as she nudged Arizona.
Callie frowned, "I am actually staying with Meredith and she asked me to meet her at Joe's. She didn't sound great..."
"She definitely needs some friend support right now," Arizona said sadly thinking about the drama with Rigg's sister returning.
"Raincheck though. I am always up for a junk food night," Callie laughed.
"Definitely raincheck," Eliza agreed.
"Alright, I better get going. I'll see you tomorrow at the meeting," Callie said to Arizona before turning to Eliza, "I look forward to working with you, Dr. Minnick. I read your most recent publication on neuromuscular electrical stimulation post-surgery. I really want to pick your brain..." Callie trailed off when she saw Arizona and Eliza exchange a look. "What?"
"You didn't tell her?" Eliza asked.
Arizona shrugged, "They just walked in like 10 minutes before you did!"
"Tell me what?"
"I was fired," Eliza stated matter-of-factly.
Callie's jaw dropped. "What? When? Why was I not notified?"
Arizona rolled her eyes. "Bailey. Nobody was notified."
"Okay," Callie responded shaking her head, "I need more context..."
"Then you'll need this," Eliza laughed as she grabbed the third wine glass and reached for the bottle.
After explaining what had happened, and how things were handled, Callie was upset.
"Well we need to do something. We need to have a united front for tomorrow, right?" Callie asked.
"I do think we need to be united," Arizona agreed unsurely.
"It was a wrongful termination!" Callie exclaimed, "Technically, she could sue! Oh god, please don't sue," Callie said desperately to Eliza.
Eliza laughed, "I have no intention of suing. Bailey actually handled the termination legally. I was paid out of my contract. Honestly, my time was already coming to an end anyways..."
"We can get everything sorted out tomorrow," Callie said looking toward Arizona.
"No, really," Eliza turned to Arizona. "I actually got a call earlier for an interview at St. Johns. Before you guys say anything. I know. It's not up to par with Grey Sloan, but there is so much room for growth. I applied for head of orthopedics and it sounds like they are considering me for the position if I facilitate my residency program there."
Callie sighed, "St. Johns definitely doesn't get the funding that Grey Sloan does. It will be difficult to get research backed there."
"I think this could be my chance to take a hospital and really turn it around with my program. It doesn't get the funding because their teaching program is average at best. My program is evidence-based. There is strong research to back up its efficacy and I think this is what some of the Doctors at Grey Sloan did not want to understand." Eliza shrugged, "I could really do something great over there. And if I am being completely honestly, Dr. Torres. There is only room for one head ortho..." Elize shrugged. "Right now I need to do what is right for me."
Callie groaned, "I know i'm being selfish, but what does this mean for our residency program? From what Meredith was telling me, the residents were really showing growth under your supervision."
"Like I said, my time was almost up. The protocol is there. It's just up to someone to facilitate it."
"Richard," Arizona noted.
"...but he wont?" Callie asked. Both Eliza and Arizona shrugged. "Then we need to talk to him. We need to get Meredith here because if anyone is going to knock some sense into him it will either be you," Callie pointed at Arizona, "Or Meredith... We should actually get everyone over here now so that we can go in tomorrow prepared and united..."
Callie's passion was taking over and Arizona laughed, "Whoa whoa whoa," Arizona said. "No," Arizona shook her head firmly. "I haven't spent a night with my daughter in weeks. I have missed her. So I am going to eat some junk food, drink some wine, watch Moana, and cuddle my baby. We can solve this tomorrow morning at the meeting. I think our board has done enough sneaking around behind each other's backs. That is what got us in this situation. We need to act like professional adults. We need to go in there, listen to each others opinion and decide together on the best course of action moving forward."
Callie groaned, "Fine. Fine. But I can't guarantee that Meredith and I won't talk about this all night as we get drunk on Koolaid," Callie teased Eliza.
"She's seven! How was I supposed to know she knew what being drunk meant!"
"She has Wine-o's for mom's," Arizona shrugged.
"Damn right." Callie sighed as she gulped the last bit of wine, "Okay, I'm leaving. I'll see you in the morning then," pointing at Arizona. "I'll see you soon, I'm sure, Eliza."
"Yes," Eliza smiled, "Goodnight Dr. Torres."
Arizona guided Callie out to the front door, making small talk with her as she left.
"She's great," Callie noted casually.
"I thinks so," Arizona smiled, showing off her dimple.
"I'm happy for you. You seem really... happy," Callie concluded lamely, unsure how to express what she meant.
"I really am." Arizona wanted to apologize for Callie's unsuccessful relationship with Penny, but she knew it wasn't the right time. She didn't know how to respond.
"Goodnight," Callie gave Arizona a hug before walking out.
"Night."
