Callie stood outside on the lanai listening to the waves crash against the shore. That sounds was like music to her ears. The smell of the ocean air took her back to her childhood in Miami. She smiled to herself and thought that Mark could not have picked a better destination than Hawaii. Callie had a seat on a chaise lounge putting her feet up. She pulled a blanket over her as the cool morning air blew across her body. Mark was still fast asleep so Callie had this time all to herself.
Callie and Mark had spent the last three days in Hawaii enjoying the inside of their ocean villa and she could not complain one bit. She was enjoying her time as a newlywed. She was determined to show Mark that married sex was still hot. Callie chuckled to herself quietly and looked down at the baby name book in her hand. They had picked up the book in the airport and Callie periodically flipped through the pages over the last couple of days. Now that they knew the gender of their bundle of joy, Callie was eager to decide on a name. So far, Callie and Mark had only been able to settle on one thing...no unique names. There would be no Apple Sloan in their family.
Callie picked up her cell phone and looked through her phone book. She called her mother and waited for an answer. Although it was 6 a.m. in Hawaii, it was 11 a.m. in Miami.
"Calliope?" asked Lucia surprised to be getting a phone call from Callie.
"Is everything okay?" asked Lucia. She hadn't spoken with her daughter in more than a year. It had been the toughest decision of her life and she feared it was the wrong one.
"I am fine, mama. I just..." Callie paused feeling like a child hearing the sound of her mother's voice. She had missed her mother so much. She took in a deep breath bracing herself.
"I just wanted to let you know that I am going to be moving to Miami in a few months. I know that you and Papa have no interest in seeing me. I just didn't want it to come as a surprise if you heard about it from Aria," said Callie trying to hold back her bitterness and the hurt that lay just beyond that.
"Miami?" asked Lucia shocked. She would have never believed that Callie would return to Miami to live.
"What hospital will you be working at?" asked Lucia curiously.
She didn't really know how to connect with Callie after such a long time away from one another. Nevertheless, the one thing Callie always loved to talk about was her career.
"I will not be working at any hospital for the time being. I am still not 100% after getting shot and I'm pregnant now so, I am taking some time off," said Callie. The longer she held the phone the more she regretted calling her mother at all. She tried to let the peaceful sounds of the ocean relax her. Over the time they had been estranged Callie had refuse to let herself even think about her mother. It was too painful for her.
"Dios mio...shot?" asked Lucia. "When were you shot Calliope? Are you okay? What is going on?" asked Lucia in shock hearing that her daughter had been shot. Her heart ached and she regretted following Carlos' wishes even more than she already did. "My sweet baby...and you're pregnant?" asked Lucia trying to wrap her mind around all of this new information.
Callie was taken aback by her mother's reaction. "Mama, the hospital called you and Papa. Mark called and talked to you guys months ago when I was shot during a robbery of a local gas station. I was in a coma for days...I had to do physical therapy when I finally got out of the hospital...I was in a wheelchair for a couple of months."
Lucia felt tears slipping down her cheeks as she realized how close she had come to losing her daughter permanently and Carlos had kept that information from her. She found herself unable to form words as she sobbed.
"Mama...?" asked Callie hearing. "He didn't tell you?"
"He didn't tell me anything. I didn't know. Mi hija, I am so sorry. I should have never listened to Carlos. I don't believe in homosexuality but I believe in love...and I should have been there for you. I could have lost you forever and never even known it..." said Lucia crying quietly on the phone.
Callie said "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to upset you. I just...I'm moving to Miami with my husband in a month or so. I just wanted you to know...I'm happy and I am going to be a mother. Goodbye Mama." Callie ended the call and fought back tears. She was regretting calling her mother. However, at the same time she also realized that her mother needed to know the truth. Callie rested her hand on her stomach. "I will never abandon you no matter what you do," said Callie in a soothing voice.
Mark woke up feeling a cool breeze blow across his shirtless chest. He smiled and rolled over to put his arms around Callie. He opened one eye and chuckled seeing that her side of the bed was empty. Mark climbed out of the bed grabbing his boxers from the floor. He stepped into them yawning somewhat and then padded outside to join his wife. "Good morning, Cal." said Mark pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. He smiled seeing the baby name book. "At it again I see." said Mark a smile falling on his lips seeing how excited she was about the baby. Mark had thoroughly enjoyed his first few days of married life. The two of them had made love so many times that even Mark was starting to feel a little worn out. Mark had a seat on the chaise lounge with Callie and peered over at the book in her lap to see what section she was looking at.
Callie smiled softly hearing Mark's voice. "Morning. I thought you would have been asleep for longer...we had a very late night last night," said Callie with a devilish smirk that translated to her eyes as well. She chuckled when Mark mentioned the baby book. "Can you blame me? I am excited about choosing a name for our little girl. She deserves a name...an amazing one at that. Something that says I am the most important person in the world to my parents."
Mark reached over and rested his hand on top of her rounded stomach. "And she will be the most important person in our world. She already is...speaking of are you and the munchkin hungry? I can make breakfast or order something from room service." Mark had picked a resort where they could have the best of both worlds. Their ocean villa was equipped with a small but fully appointed kitchen so that they could cook if they wanted to, but they could also order from the resort's extensive room service menu.
Callie rested a hand on top of Mark's hand and smiled at him. She decided against telling Mark about her conversation with her mother. "No, I am not hungry right now. I ate a muffin and drank some milk before I came out here. I had an early morning craving for something sweet. Besides, I was thinking we might actually leave out today. I do not want to go back home and tell everyone I didn't see anything except for the inside of our villa. I want to do some touristy things like sightseeing and shopping. I want to try some of the local food too. We are going to make the most of this honeymoon because it will be a long time before we will have another vacation." Their chosen professions did not really allow for much vacation time.
Mark frowned but that frown slowly slipped into a smile. "Alright, if we must then we must. We will go out today and see the sights. Maybe we can check out one of those dinner cruises tonight...I think the brochure is on the table in the living room. What else do you want to do today?" Mark scooted back onto the chaise to put his feet up. He was still a little tired but he liked being close to Callie. "So have you found any names in that book that you like?"
"I think the dinner cruise would be great. And lucky for you I don't get seasick. I wouldn't mind going to the Sealife Park to get a look at some of the beautiful creatures there. And of course I want to spend some time on the beach. I've got a little list of things I want to do and see while we are here." Callie had a thoughtful look on her face. "I really like the name Caitlin, Lily, Rose, and Ava. On the other hand, maybe some variation of Lily like Liliana. Do you like any of those names?" asked Callie.
Mark looked over at Callie as she rattled off the names that she liked. "Those are all very nice names. I think I like Caitlin and Lily the best out of the group. Caitlin Sloan has a certain ring to it." He smiled thinking after saying the name aloud. "Given any thought to a middle name?" asked Mark.
Callie smiled brightly. She was happy that Mark liked the names she picked out of the book. "I think Caitlin Sloan is a beautiful name. I haven't really given middle names much thought yet. We need the first name before we can pair up a good middle name. What about you? Have you thought of any names that you'd like for our little girl to have?"
"Hmm, you make a good point. We wouldn't want to choose two opposing names for middle and first." Mark closed his eyes trying to think of the name he had seen a few days ago that he liked. "I like the name Haley. I like the name Emily too."
Callie said, "I like both of those names too. This is really hard. I don't know how people do it. I checked my e-mail this morning and there was a message from that real estate agent that we contacted. She sent a listing of houses that meet our needs. So some time in the next couple of days we will need to look at the places and see if we like anything."
Mark smiled and said, "I hate to tell you this but most people hate their names. No matter how hard we work to choose a good name for our daughter, she will probably hate it. Okay, we will look at the listings today or tomorrow so that we can get back to her." He reached over taking Callie's hand. He looked at her engagement ring and smiled. "When we get back to Seattle my first priority is going to the jeweler and getting a replacement wedding band for you. I will make sure that it is nice than the first."
"There is no rush to get a wedding band for me, Mark. We are no less married just because I only have an engagement ring on my finger. You are still very much my husband and I am very happy to be with you," said Callie with a smile.
Mark kissed her hand and said, "I am just sorry that everything happened the way that it did. I am sure that Lexie stole that wedding band. There is no way that Derek misplaced it. He is meticulous to the point of being anal-retentive. I am just happy that you were still willing to marry me after that."
"You have nothing to apologize for Mark. For once you did not do anything wrong. You cannot be held responsible for the fact that Lexie flipped her lid anymore than I could be held responsible if Arizona would have done the same. You and I are both coming out of very messy break-ups. An uncomfortable moment with our respective exes is just par for the course. And if memory serves me correct I wasn't just willing to marry you...I insisted that we still get married. Right then...right there." Callie looked at the sleepy look on his face. She chuckled softly. "Come on, baby. Let's go back to bed. I am tired." Callie yawned a little.
"I would have preferred that Lexie shoved me and not you. However, we are married now and that is all that matters. However, you gave her a prizefighter punch. Anyway, we will be moving to Miami for a while to get away from the madness. Are you sure that you want to go back to bed? You looked like you were enjoying yourself out here on the lanai," said Mark
She chuckled and said, "I am sure that I am ready to go back to bed. Come on let's go old man." She laughed softly, stood up with the baby book, and headed inside to their bedroom. Callie slipped into their bed and yawned again feeling the sleep coming over her.
"Old man?" asked Mark laughing. He chased her into the villa closing the doors. He walked back into their bedroom and flopped on the bed making Callie laugh. Mark chuckled and pulled Callie into his arms. "This really is paradise you know...just me and you...an island onto ourselves. I have to say...I am looking forward to taking some time off work once we leave Seattle. I love you." Mark leaned in and kissed Callie softly.
"I love you too Mark. Moreover, I cannot think of a better place to be on a honeymoon with you than right here. You know me better than anyone else ever has...I think that is one of the things that Arizona always resented. You knew me in a way she could never fully understand," said Callie. "I love you too Sloan." said Callie. Callie was quiet for a moment and then asked. "When you called my parents after I had been shot...who did you talk to?" Callie had never really thought to ask about it after hearing from the Chief that her parents were not interested in being there.
"Well, it is only fair because you know me so well. You saw through to the real me when no one else could or even wanted to. You saw me for what I was and you loved me anyway. You knew that I was horribly flawed but you loved me anyway," said Mark with a smile. Mark's brow furrowed thinking that was a very strange question for her to ask at a time like this. "I spoke to your father. Why do you ask?"
Callie smiled. "No reason. Get some rest apparently we have an active day ahead of us." She leaned up and kissed him softly before curling up closer to his body and closing her eyes tiredly.