Title: Clarity
Author: HandsThatHeal
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Rating: M/NC-17
Summary: Three years after the plane crash, Callie and Arizona have reconciled their differences and are now the happiest they've even been. With their relationship now stronger than ever, will the necessary presence of a face from the past tear them apart? Will their marriage stand up to life's latest tragedy or will they find that they are in the exact same position they were years before?
Disclaimer: All television shows, books, movies, songs, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
Chapter Ten
(Flashback: Fourteen Months Ago)
"What about a townhouse?" Callie asked from her position in the passenger's seat, her nose buried in the Homes and Real Estate section of the Seattle Times as Arizona navigated their Lexus SUV through the busy streets of Seattle.
"Too close together," Arizona replied, her nose scrunched in distaste as she drummed her thumbs against the steering wheel, anxiously waiting for the red light to turn green. "Not enough privacy, and I want something that's all our own."
Callie glanced sidelong at her wife as the vehicle moved forward, her brow furrowing in consideration as she carefully chose her words. "Are you sure you want to buy a house?" she asked, her tone guarded.
Surprised by Callie's question, Arizona slowed the car to a halt at the next light, turning her attention from the crowded road ahead to land on the brunette who was staring back at her. "Of course I want to buy a house," she scoffed with a shake of her head. "Why would you even ask me that, Callie?" she continued, her tone slightly more harsh than she had intended.
Callie sighed, neatly folding the newspaper and resting it on her lap. "It's just. . ." she paused, turning her attention toward the road when Arizona accelerated the car a little less smoothly than she would have liked. Realizing that she'd struck a nerve with her wife, she was about to drop the subject but, resigning herself to the fact that she needed to communicate her thoughts and feelings with her just like they vowed they would do in their many therapy sessions, she worried her bottom lip between her teeth before she spoke. "You just. . .you haven't liked any of the six thousand houses we've looked at, and. . ."
"It hasn't been six thousand," Arizona quickly denied with a sardonic laugh. "It's only been twenty-two, and besides. . .I just haven't found one that I like."
Callie studied her wife's profile, desperately trying to suppress the feelings of rejection that had crept up from somewhere unknown and, reaching out, she rested her hand on Arizona's thigh, hoping her comforting touch would prove to the other woman that she wasn't angry, but concerned instead. "You sure?" she softly asked, smiling crookedly when blue eyes found her own.
Arizona found herself lost in those magical brown eyes she loved so much and, returning her wife's infectious grin, she offered a quick wink before lacing her own fingers through the tanned ones caressing her leg. "I just. . .I have this vision of you and me and Sofia in our new home, and I. . .I haven't found what I'm looking for. Yet. None of the houses we've seen have lived up to the home I've envisioned in my dreams," she honestly stated, the tension that had quickly filled the car, dissipating just as rapidly as it presented itself.
Callie pulled Arizona's hand from her jean clad thigh and, bringing it up to her own mouth, she brushed a gentle kiss against ivory knuckles. "Okay," she replied, cradling her wife's hand between her own and holding their joined fingers against her heart. "We'll keep looking. We'll find you your dream."
"This lovely Craftsman Style home was built in 1928," Tom, their realtor, commented, hoping beyond hope that this house would suit his clients' needs. "There's a circular floor plan with updates throughout, but the period details have been left intact."
"Bedrooms?" Arizona quickly asked, moving through the spacious living room and into the state of the art kitchen. Stepping up to the sink, she repeatedly began to turn the faucet on and off. On and. . .off. On. . .and off.
"Five," Tom instantly supplied, completely prepared for the blonde's line of questioning after showing the couple what felt like six thousand houses over the past couple months. "One bedroom and a full bath on the main floor, a generous master suite with his and her, umm. . .her and her closets, luxurious bath, and study upstairs with three more bedrooms and two more baths."
"Basement?" Callie and Arizona both asked at the same time.
This was Arizona's routine, and Callie had learned to just go with it, each and every inquiry she made and every monotonous action she engaged in, completely memorized word for word, step by step.
"Fully finished with a second fireplace, wet bar, rec room with theatre area, play area, and laundry," he continued.
Arizona glanced up from where her attention was solely focused on the pressure and flow of the water into the stainless steel basin, a slight smile suddenly tugging at her lips for the very first time in their almost two month search for a new home.
Callie instantly noticed the change in her wife's demeanor and, glancing toward Tom, she excitedly gave him two thumbs up behind Arizona's back.
With a quick wink in Callie's direction, Tom then opened a door off the kitchen, motioning for his clients to follow him through. "And, the pièce de résistance," he teased, gently shutting the door behind them. "Spacious pool house built in 2009 along with this in ground swimming pool and jacuzzi, complete with a gorgeous patio, yard, and garden."
Arizona looked around the outdoor area, her eyes slightly squinting in the early afternoon sun. "Square footage?" she asked, her poker face quickly dwindling and giving way to an all too familiar dimpled grin.
"Thirty-eight hundred above ground, plus nineteen hundred with the finished basement ."
"Lot size?"
"A little over two acres."
"Why are they selling?"
"Job relocation."
"Room for negotiation?"
"Yes."
"Hmm."
Callie watched the back and forth between her wife and realtor as if witnessing a tennis match, impressed as always, but definitely not surprised by Arizona's implicit knowledge and thorough inquisition and, when the blonde turned to examine a minor dent in an aluminum downspout, she and Tom shared a hopeful glance, but they both quickly sobered when Arizona turned back in their direction.
"So, what do you think?" Callie hesitantly asked.
Arizona leaned forward to admire a deep blue hydrangea that lined the patio before straightening up to once again glance around the backyard. "My wife and I would like some time to discuss please, Tom," she spoke, running her hand over the HardiPlank siding that covered the exterior of the home.
Tom gave a tight nod before quickly excusing himself. As he disappeared back into the house, gently shutting the door behind him, Callie opened her mouth to speak but, before she even had time to make a single word, soft pink lips were on her own, the force of the kiss nearly knocking her off balance and onto the cobblestone patio below.
With dazed eyes, she pulled back, nervously chuckling as she searched Arizona's face. "So, umm. . ."
"I love it, Calliope. This house. . .it's the one!"
Seated in a rocking chair in the NICU, Arizona found herself mesmerized by the bundle that lay swaddled in her arms, the tiny nose on the baby's flawless face, an exact replica in miniature form of the one that graced her wife's face.
"So, Olivia," she cooed, smiling as dark brown eyes tracked the sound of her voice. "What do you think of all this craziness?" she rhetorically asked, a gentle fingertip brushing over the bridge of the baby's nose. "Lots of stuff going on for a three week old, huh?"
With a sigh, Arizona then shifted the infant cradled in her arms, smiling again when Olivia's mouth stretched into a wide yawn. "You sleepy, baby girl? Hmm. Me, too," she softly spoke, leaning forward to kiss a smooth caramel cheek.
Glancing up from the baby whose eyes drooped heavier and heavier by the minute, Arizona winked when she saw Callie enter the NICU doors with Sofia holding her hand, all four of their parents following closely behind.
"Hey," Callie whispered, gently brushing her lips against Arizona's cheek before taking one of Olivia's hands into her own to kiss tiny fingers that were balled into a fist. "Our parents are getting ready to leave with Sofia, so she wanted to come say goodbye."
"No, mami! No! I want to stay with you and momma," Sofia instantly argued, clinging to Callie's leg. "I don't want to go home!"
Callie took a seat on a rolling stool in the middle of the NICU, pulling Sofia up to sit on her lap. "We talked about this, sweetheart. Momma and I will be able to come home with you very soon," she tried to sooth, two arms wrapped firmly around her neck. "It's not going to be much longer. I promise. Olivia's surgery is tomorrow and hopefully after that, we'll all get to go home. Together."
Unconvinced, Sofia buried her face in Callie's chest, her eyes welling with tears as she began to sniffle uncontrollably. "I don't want to leave, mami. I want to stay with you and momma and Olivia."
Callie kissed the top of the crying little girl's head, her soulful brown eyes meeting the concerned blue ones of her wife. "Sofia, honey. . ."
"Why don't you take Sofia home," Barbara interrupted, smoothing her hand through the dark hair at the top of her eldest granddaughter's head.
"Mom. . ."
Barbara shook her head, holding up her hand to halt the argument she knew was about to come from her daughter's mouth. "Arizona, you and Callie have been at this hospital day in and day out for the past three weeks and, in that time, you've been home, what? Once?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer.
"Why don't you and Arizona take Sofia home for the night, Calliope?" Lucia encouraged, stepping up to stand next to the elder Robbins woman. "This is hard on her, mija. It's a huge change, and I'm sure she's missing you both."
Callie and Arizona shared an uneasy look; they knew this was difficult on Sofia, it was hard on them all, but they were just trying to do what was best for both of their daughters. The entire situation was miserably unbearable at times, and in the process of caring for one child, they had inadvertently neglected the other.
"The four of us are perfectly capable of spending the night with Olivia," Daniel stated, stepping up behind Arizona to place a fatherly hand on her shoulder. "I promise we'll call if anything happens."
"Go home, mija," Carlos added. "Spend some time with Sofia. Sleep in your own bed and come back first thing in the morning. We'll take care of things here."
"And when you're alone, there's a very good chance you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants."
An infectious giggle left Sofia's mouth at the silly inflection in Callie's voice and the magic in her twinkling brown eyes as she read, the little girl snuggling further into Arizona's chest as they continued to watch and listen to Callie read. "There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won't want to go on. But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike, and I know you'll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are."
"Your turn, momma," Sofia happily insisted, taking the book from Callie's hands and passing it to Arizona.
The blonde smiled, watching as Sofia rolled over, cuddling into Callie's front and, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, she began to read. "You'll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! 98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed."
"KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!" they all three shouted into Sofia's bedroom before dissolving into a fit of giggles.
"So. . ." Arizona dramatically continued, her eyes wide with mirth. "Be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea, you're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So. . .get on your way!"
Arizona closed the book with a climactic flourish, reaching behind her to place it on the nightstand before turning back toward her wife and child. "Time for bed, little miss," she said, brushing Sofia's bangs back from her face to place a loving kiss on her forehead.
Sofia nodded, already beginning to lose the battle with sleep. "Okay, momma," she said through a yawn. "Will you and mami come home with me tomorrow night, too?" she innocently asked.
Callie and Arizona shared a brief, but poignant look, and with a nod of her head, Arizona rested her hand on Callie's arm that was firmly wrapped around Sofia's waist. "Maybe not both of us, but I promise, from now on, mami or I will be with you. One of us will come home with you every night. How's that sound?"
The little girl scrunched her nose in consideration but, with a slight nod of her head, she agreed. "Sounds good. I miss you when you're not here."
Arizona smiled sadly, desperately wishing she could be with both of her daughters every moment of every day. "I miss you, too, big girl, but I promise things are going to change. Before you know it, Olivia will be able to come home, and we'll all be here together."
Sofia yawned once more, her eyes drooping heavily. "I love you, momma," she whispered before turning over to face her other mother. "Love you, too, mami."
Callie smiled, moving from the bed , but leaning down to kiss the tip of Sofia's nose. "Love you, too, mija. Sleep tight. . ."
"And don't let the bedbugs bite," all three finished in unison.
Rounding the double bed and stepping up next to Callie, Arizona laced her own fingers through tanned ones, flipping off the light and pulling the door closed behind them. Leading Callie into the sanctuary of their bedroom, she sighed as she threw herself down onto the edge of the bed. "I'm exhausted," she huffed, closing her eyes as she flopped backward onto the mattress with a bounce.
Callie silently watched her wife for several long moments and, turning toward the chest of drawers, she grabbed a pair of pajamas before disappearing into the bathroom, gently closing the door behind her.
Realizing she was now alone in the room, Arizona sat up, confused by her wife's silent behavior and mysterious disappearance. Callie had been quiet for most of the evening; they'd cooked Sofia's favorite meal, played dolls and worked way too many jigsaw puzzles, both participating in bath time and bedtime together and, while it was obvious that Callie was overjoyed to be spending some much needed time with Sofia, Arizona could tell something was amiss. The brunette seemed introspective and distant and, the fact that she had just disappeared into the ensuite bathroom to change her clothes instead of doing so in their bedroom, gave Arizona the slightest inkling of why.
With a heavy sigh, Arizona went about readying her own self for bed, pulling down the duvet and sheets before tugging off her prosthesis and settling herself into the intoxicating comfort of the familiar mattress and covers.
Callie emerged from the bathroom ten minutes later and, immediately turning off the lamp on her bedside table, she climbed under the covers, coming to rest on her back with her fingers laced together over her lower abdomen. Knowing that Arizona had most likely already surmised that something wasn't quite right, she lay silently gathering her thoughts as she stared up at the ceiling, the room now lit only by the street lights outside and the silvery glow of an eerily full moon.
Arizona remained silent for mere seconds before suddenly scooting as close to Callie as she possibly could, her left arm snaking around her wife's waist as she burrowed her right leg beneath those of her wife. "Calliope, I. . .I know we've talked about this. We moved past all of it a hundred years ago, but I just need you to know. . ."
Callie forced out an exaggerated breath. "Arizona. . ."
Pushing herself up on her elbow, Arizona sighed, staring down into dark brown eyes that glistened exquisitely in the light of the moon. Reaching out, she reverently ran her fingertips over the prominence of Callie's cheekbone before gently forcing her wife to look in her direction. "The fact that I slept with Lauren, back then. . .it had nothing to do with my feelings for you. . ."
"Arizona, please," Callie begged, shaking her head and squeezing her eyes shut. "I know. You don't have to say it. I already know."
Arizona dejectedly watched as a tear trickled from the corners of her wife's closed eyes before ducking her head to press a whisper of a kiss against each of her eyelids. "Look at me, Calliope."
Callie adamantly shook her head, too exhausted and emotionally frazzled to do anything more than cry.
"Please, Calliope. Please. . .I need you to look at me."
Callie sniffled, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth before blowing out a cleansing breath through pursed lips as she slowly did as her wife asked.
When watery brown eyes finally met cerulean blue, Arizona paused, staring into the depths of her wife's soul and, certain she now had Callie's full attention, she drew random patterns over her wife's neck and chest.
"I love you, Calliope. I've always loved you. I never stopped loving you. It's hard to separate my feelings, and even more difficult to explain, but I can honestly tell you that what happened back then wasn't your fault. And, I know. . .I know that sounds crazy and maybe even a little farfetched, but it. . .it's the truth. I have always and will always find you miraculous. Breathtakingly stunning. What I did back then had nothing to do with the way I viewed you, but instead, it had everything to do with the way I viewed myself."
Callie searched Arizona's face; they had been through all of this before, and she believed her wife, she really did. Arizona had proven to her, not only in her words, but in her actions that she loved her and their family more than anything. It was obvious that Arizona regretted what she'd done, that she knew she had made an irrational decision and, while Callie had guiltily thrown herself into her work, trying to do what she thought was right for her wife in the only way she knew how, Arizona had done the same. She'd merely acted in a way that felt right at the time. And, despite all the heartache they both had caused each other, they had eventually healed, but healing was a process; one that ebbed and flowed and was ever changing. It wasn't an exact science and, in understanding that, it was clear that healing didn't necessarily mean old insecurities would never again rear their ugly heads.
"I'm sorry. I. . .I'm just a mess, and I'm feeling inadequate and insecure, and. . ." Callie trailed off, shaking her head as she brusquely wiped at her eyes. "I haven't felt like this in a really long time, and I know it's just me. I know my hormones are a mess, and I'm probably being a total moron," she admitted with a slight smile. "Because deep down, I know that we're together, that you're not going anywhere and that our family is going to be okay, but sometimes I let my fears get the better of me. I'm so unsure of what's happening with Olivia. I can't help blame myself, and now Sofia. . ."
Arizona shook her head, taking the sides of Callie's face between her hands and planting a firm kiss against tear moistened lips. "I love you, Calliope Torres. Nothing about you is inadequate. Nothing about this is your fault. And yeah, sometimes you can be a moron, but. . .You. Are. Amazing. You. Are. Great."
Callie chuckled softly through her tears and, allowing herself to be enveloped into the cocoon of Arizona's embrace, she buried her face in her wife's neck as she tightly held on to the woman she loved. "I love you so much, Arizona. You are the most beautiful person I've ever met. Inside and out, and I. . ." she trailed off against smooth ivory skin when Arizona rolled onto her back, pulling Callie along with her to rest on top of her smaller form. "Just. . .thank you. Thank you for loving me."
Arizona kissed every inch of Callie's face that she could reach, both women losing themselves in the security and warmth, safety and protection of their loving embrace. "I love you so much, Calliope, and we. . .we're going to be okay. We're going to get through this," she insisted, running her fingertips up and down the long muscles of her wife's back. "As long as we talk to each other, as long as we're honest with one another, nothing will ever tear us apart."
(Flashback: Eleven Months Ago)
"How the Hell did we survive so long in that apartment without a bathtub like this?" Callie asked, raising one arm from beneath the water's edge and watching as bubbles dripped from her wrinkled fingertips.
"We had a tub put into Sofia's bathroom," Arizona mumbled through the toothpaste and toothbrush that filled her mouth.
"Yeah, but this. . .this is just so much MORE. It's got the jets and the seats, and there's more than enough room for two," Callie replied with a smirk before seductively wagging her eyebrows up and down.
Arizona chuckled softly, spitting into the sink and rinsing her mouth with a handful of water. "If I'd known a bathtub could make you this happy, I would have insisted we move to a bigger house years ago," she teased, stepping across the tiled floor to take a seat on the edge of the large garden tub where her wife was currently soaking.
Callie smiled, blowing a mound of suds from the palm of her hand before taking a deep breath and plunging her entire body beneath the water and the mountains of foaming bubbles.
After several long moments of submersion, she quickly reappeared, drops of water enticingly sliding down her face and hair to drip into the valley between her breasts. "So what do you think?" she asked, reaching out to take Arizona's hand. "You think this tub is big enough for two?"
Arizona bit her bottom lip, desperately wishing she was one of those water droplets that continued to travel down her wife's chest. "I'd say it's definitely big enough for two," she replied with a wink.
"Care to christen it with me?"
Without a word, Arizona briefly pondered her wife's request before reaching down and pulling her tank top up and over her head.
"I'll take that as a yes," Callie teased with a laugh, intently watching as Arizona slid her yoga pants and panties down her legs before removing her prosthesis and slipping down into the warm water below.
With a brief peck at plump lips, Arizona settled herself between Callie's outstretched legs, and leaning back against her wife's chest, a contented sigh escaped her mouth as the warmth of the water penetrated her aching muscles and weary bones. They'd spent the better part of the past week getting their new house ready for move in, starting first with Sofia's bedroom and then the kitchen, followed closely behind by their own bedroom. They still had more boxes to unpack and rooms to complete but, when Callie had wearily deemed them finished for the day, Arizona refused to argue. Moving was certainly one of her top five least favorite things to do.
"Mmm, I have to agree," Arizona hummed after silently enjoying the heat of the water and the exhilarating sensation of her wife's naked body intimately pressed against her own for several long moments. Running her hands up and down the length of Callie's slippery thighs, she laughed when the brunette tickled her sides before enveloping her in a hug from behind. "This does feel pretty amazing."
"Mmmhmm," Callie agreed, wrapping her legs over the tops of Arizona's thighs as she pressed a hard kiss against her temple. "But, to be honest, YOU feel even more amazing," she contended, her fingertips boldly grazing over turgid nipples before cupping both of Arizona's breasts in her hands to delicately hold their weight.
Arizona shivered at her wife's pleasing touch, goose bumps rising over her exposed skin as her head fell backward onto Callie's shoulder.
Pleased with her wife's response, Callie ran her lips down the side of her face, plump lips attaching to the ivory skin at the prominence of Arizona's jaw. "You're beautiful," Callie husked, never stopping the ministrations of her tongue and mouth against Arizona's neck. "You are hot, and you are sexy," she continued, one tanned hand trailing down the flesh of a firm abdomen to play at the meticulously trimmed hair she found before cupping the soft mound of her wife's sex.
Raising her hips to press her center more firmly into her wife's palm, Arizona sighed. "What else?" she asked, darkening blue eyes fluttering shut.
Callie chuckled softly, pulling Arizona impossibly closer, her own aroused nipples caressing two alabaster scapulae. "Hmm, well. . ." she paused, a seductive smirk tugging at her lips as she ran the middle finger of her right hand gently along the length of her wife's slit. "You have these mesmerizing blue eyes that I could stare into every moment of every day."
Arizona nodded her head, swallowing thickly as two fingers sought out her clit. "Mmmhmm," she moaned, turning her head to kiss the tanned flesh at her wife's neck before nipping at her earlobe. "Keep going."
Callie laced the fingers of her left hand through those of her wife, bringing their arms to rest beneath two perfectly rounded breasts. "You're smart and honorable, strong and courageous." She paused, peppering a line of gentle kisses down the soft skin of Arizona's arched neck as she drew deliberate circles over a more than eager clit. "You're the best wife a person could ever have. . .and the best new house 'picker outer' in the entire world."
Arizona let out a bark of laughter at her wife's teasing remark, though her mouth quickly fell agape with a sharp gasp of pure bliss when Callie entered her with two insistent fingers. "Oh, God. . ." she groaned as she forcefully bit into her bottom lip, her hand tightening its grip on the fingers interlaced with her own as her free hand wrapped around Callie's neck to tug at the saturated brunette hair at the back of her head.
"You're so gorgeous, Arizona," Callie husked into her wife's ear as her thumb began to furiously rub against a protruding bundle of nerves. "You do things to me that no one else ever has," she stated in a provocative tone, her own hips now rocking into Arizona's firm bottom with the same repetitive in and out rhythm of the fingers buried deep inside her wife.
Arizona's breath caught in her throat as Callie nipped and sucked at her pulse point with shameless teeth and wanton lips, her breathing becoming heavier and more labored as her wife's talented fingers and thumb continued their carnal work. "Don't stop, Calliope. You feel so good. Please, don't stop."
Unable to deny her own torturous need, Callie couldn't prevent her own hips from grinding against her lover's ass as she agonizingly slid her fingers from within Arizona's pulsing core to caress swollen folds. "You feel incredible, Arizona," she panted, licking at a bead of sweat that dripped down the side of a fair cheek.
Arizona quickly turned her head, desperately capturing full lips with her own, groaning into Callie's mouth when the tip of her wife's middle finger deftly rubbed tight circles over her throbbing nub. "Please, Ca-Callie. Please," she begged in a hoarse whisper, overwhelmingly aroused by not only what Callie's fingers were doing to her center, but also by the fact that her wife was so unabashedly using her body to stimulate her own burning core.
"Mmmm, Arizona. God. So, so good," Callie breathed, once again plunging into her lover, burying her fingers inside Arizona's slick opening and quickly withdrawing before immediately thrusting back in.
As the two frenzied lovers writhed and thrashed against each other, cursed expletives and shameless cries of pleasure echoed off the walls, the rapidly cooling water of the tub sloshing about to haphazardly spill over the ledge and messily splash onto the tiled floor below.
But, neither woman cared, both too focused on the overwhelming sensations of ecstasy that were currently consuming them, two wives intent on reaching the euphoric eruption they both knew was mere seconds away.
And in a flash of white light, Arizona came first, her back arching against Callie's heated front as her hand fisted in thick wet hair. A low guttural moan then ripped from her throat as her entire body went still before dissolving into shuddering convulsions, her core contracting with uncontrollable spasms around her wife's relentless fingers.
Racing toward her own pulsing moment of release, Callie greedily forced Arizona's body down onto her own, the friction of the blonde's backside against her throbbing member, inevitably pushing her over the edge. "Arizona!" she screamed in uninhibited satisfaction, her left hand clutching at her wife's, her toes curling painfully into the wall of the tub.
Nuzzling her nose against Callie's as their bodies trembled with the aftershocks of their lovemaking, Arizona continued to pull at brunette hair as their individual orgasms slowly began to subside. "Totally should have gotten you a bath tub years ago," she breathed as she gently caressed Callie's thigh with one hand, the other still holding on tightly to tanned fingers.
Callie chuckled breathlessly, whispering hushed 'I love yous' into her wife's ear as she gently removed her fingers from Arizona's center. "Bath tub sex with my hot wife is definitely my new favorite thing to do."
"Yeah?" Arizona questioned, turning her head so she could kiss her wife's flushed cheek.
"Yeah," Callie replied with a contented sigh. "Sex in this tub was the first thing on my list of things I wanted to do in this house."
"You have a list?"
Callie nodded in reply.
"Care to share what else is on said list?"
Callie smirked, opening her eyes for the first time since the earth shattering orgasm she'd just experienced ripped through her form. "It's a short list. I've only come up with two things so far," she replied, leaning forward to peck at bruised lips. "Sex in this tub and. . .making another baby in our new bed."
With Sofia skipping between them and holding onto each of their hands, Callie and Arizona made their way into the cafeteria of Grey+Sloan Memorial Hospital at 9am the following morning. Glancing around the crowded room full of exhausted looking breakfast goers, Arizona spotted their fathers sitting in a secluded nook at the back of the room.
"How'd it go last night?" Callie immediately asked once they had made the short trek across the cafeteria.
Two sets of tired, but pleasant blue eyes looked up in her direction, Carlos and Daniel both smiling at the sight of their refreshed looking daughters and the brilliant toothy grin on their eldest granddaughter's face. "Very well," Carlos answered with a nod of his head. "We took shifts. Your mothers are with Olivia, now."
Callie and Arizona both breathed respective sighs of relief, taking a seat at the sides of their own fathers with Sofia now sitting on Arizona's lap. "Thanks for staying last night," Arizona stated, nudging her father with her elbow. "It was nice to spend some time at home."
Daniel smiled, removing the lid from the bottle of apple juice he'd purchased in anticipation of his granddaughter's arrival. "Of course, Arizona," he replied, taking a sip from his own to-go cup of coffee.
Glancing around the bustling cafeteria, Carlos spotted a particular tall and thin surgeon entering the room, his eyes squinting as he stared her down. "So, mija," he stated, wrapping his arm around Callie's shoulders as he watched Lauren disappear into the tray line. "The Colonel and I couldn't help but notice that there is a specific doctor roaming these halls who seems to be giving you and Arizona a bit of trouble."
Callie's brow initially furrowed in confusion but, glancing toward her wife, realization quickly dawned when she saw the look of understanding written in Arizona's wide blue eyes.
"So, we were wondering if there's something the two of us could do," Daniel hinted, pulling Sofia from his daughter's lap.
Arizona breathed deeply, nervously fidgeting with the sleeve of her sweater. "There's nothing you can do, dad. Calliope and I are handling things just fine," she adamantly stated, anxiously shifting in her seat.
Carlos shared a poignant look with Daniel before glancing between his daughter and daughter-in-law. "If she's causing problems, we'll take care of it, Arizona," he offered.
"Mr. Torres. . ."
"Daddy, please. . ."
"I mean, I won't hit a lady, but I know people, so just say the word, and I'll make it happen," the elder Torres continued.
"God, no, dad," Callie insisted with a slight chuckle and a roll of amused brown eyes.
"You sure?" Daniel asked.
Arizona rolled her eyes before closing them and shaking her head. "Yes, dad," she curtly answered. "We're sure."
(Flashback: Two Months Ago)
The unmistakable sound of the contents of one's stomach hitting the water of the toilet bowl swiftly roused Arizona from her slumber, her body taking longer than her brain to register its wakefulness.
But, once her tired form was willing to move, she quickly sat up on the side of the bed, donning her prosthesis and the UGG boots that sat next to her bedside table for occasions exactly like this. Moving into the ensuite bathroom, she sighed, her arrival perfectly timed for her to see Callie lunge forward, her body lurching as she vomited into the commode.
With a heavy heart, Arizona grabbed a wash cloth and an elastic hair band from the linen closet, wetting the cloth with cool water before dropping to her knees behind her wreching wife. "Here, sweetie," she said, gently dabbing at her wife's forehead.
"Oh, God," Callie groaned as her body convulsed one more time, her abdomen contracting to rid itself of anything and everything that remained within.
Arizona sighed, pulling sleep tousled brunette hair into a messy bun before sliding the cloth down a sweaty cheek to land at the back of her neck. "How long have you been up?" she softly asked as Callie rocked backward, her back slumping against Arizona's chest.
Callie shook her head, closing her eyes as she blew out a cleansing breath. "N-not long. Just before you came in," she whispered, hastily leaning forward, dry heaves now wracking her exhausted form.
Arizona moved right along with her wife, once again wiping a sticky brow with the cool cloth. "It's okay. You're okay," she tried to soothe, unable to do anything more.
Once again leaning back, Callie breathed deeply, her eyes meeting her wife's for the first time since she'd entered the bathroom. "Thank you," she whispered, resting her head on Arizona's shoulder. "But, I'm fairly confident I'm dying."
Arizona chuckled softly before kissing Callie's temple as she lovingly ran the tips of her fingers over the swell of an ever expanding baby bump. "You're not dying," she corrected, smiling when she felt a flutter of movement beneath her hand. "You're pregnant."
"Ugh," Callie groaned. "Feels more like dying."
They silently sat on the cool tiled floor, Callie's hands resting over Arizona's that now reverently cradled her belly.
"You ready to get up?" Arizona asked after several long moments of continuing to hold her wife.
Callie breathed deeply and, with a weak nod of her head, she moved back up onto her knees before attempting to stand. Now on her own feet, Arizona never left her wife's side, quickly reaching out to grasp Callie's arm when she began to wobble back and forth. "I've got you," she said as she helped her wife cross the room. "You okay?" she asked, making sure Callie was steady on her feet.
Nodding her head, Callie held tightly to Arizona's outstretched hand as she moved on shaky legs toward the sink to brush her teeth.
Finally making their way into their bedroom, Callie carefully crawled back into the bed, rolling onto her side and landing in the middle of the mattress. Arizona lay next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing her cheek. The fatigue Callie was experiencing was evident in her sullen brown eyes, her usually caramel skin a shade lighter and a sickly gray.
"I feel like total ass," Callie groaned, swallowing hard. "I don't remember being this sick, for this long, with Sofia."
Arizona reached out, brushing Callie's bangs off her forehead. "You weren't pregnant for this long with her," she softly stated, sadness evident in her eyes.
Callie sighed, snuggling further into her wife's embrace. "So this is a good thing, right?"
Arizona nodded, sliding her knee between her wife's legs. "Definitely."
They lay in silence for a few moments, both lost in their own thoughts of Sofia's untimely birth combined with how much they were looking forward to meeting their new little bundle of joy. "Let's stay home today," Arizona offered, leaning up on her elbow to stare down at her wife. "Sofia already has today off school. Let's just take the day to relax. You, me, and our girls."
Callie smiled, loving the way the word 'girls' sounded coming from Arizona's mouth. "I think I could handle that," she teased.
"Good," Arizona said, pecking at her wife's cheek. "Because today, Sofia and I are going to take care of you."
With her hand held firmly within her wife's, Callie fiddled with the iPhone in her free hand, the latest gossip on Twitter and Facebook doing little to calm her racing mind.
"This is ridiculous, Arizona," she anxiously stated, tossing her phone down onto the table in front of her as she stood from her seat in the surgical waiting room where they had been stewing for the past two hours. "Let's just go up to the gallery."
"Callie. . ."
"Just for a few minutes."
"Calliope. . ."
"They can kick us out if they want, but at least we could. . ." Callie trailed off, halting in her nervous rambling and anxiously paced circuit around the room when she saw Alex Karev appear through the swinging double doors.
"Karev. . ." Arizona breathed out, quickly jumping from her seat to cross the room in order to speak with the younger surgeon.
Callie was immediately at her side and, swallowing thickly, she reached out to take a trembling ivory hand between her own. "H-how'd it go?" She swallowed again, her mouth suddenly as dry as the Sahara. "How is she?"
Reaching up, Alex pushed his scrub cap from the top of his head, his poker face suddenly morphing into an uncharacteristically chipper grin. "The surgery went great. They're taking her up to the NICU right now, and you can see her in just a few."
Twenty minutes later, Callie sat next to Olivia's incubator, one hand resting inside to lovingly trace soothing patterns over the little girl's soft skin. Leaning back against Arizona who stood behind her with her hands resting on her shoulders, Callie sighed. "I'm so happy right now, I don't know what to do with myself, Arizona. I can barely even make words," she admitted, nudging her wife's side when she sat on a stool next to her.
Arizona nodded in understanding, the emotions coursing through her own body and soul completely overwhelming her. "She's perfect, Calliope. Beautiful. And we're going to get to take her home with us before we know it," she stated, kissing Callie's temple.
A lone tear trickled down a caramel cheek and, with a quick swipe of her hand to brush it away, she turned toward Arizona, a megawatt smile lighting her face. "Can you believe it? I mean, I know she's ours, a-a-and that we were eventually going to get to take her, but. . ." She paused, shaking her head.
"It's okay, Calliope," Arizona insisted with a grin. "I know exactly what you mean."
With a silent understanding transpiring between them, they turned back toward the sleeping infant, both content to do nothing more than watch the steady rise and fall of her tiny chest.
"Oh, shoot," Arizona soon exclaimed, quickly popping up from her seat. "I need to call our parents. Will you be okay if I step into the hall?"
Callie nodded with a wink, watching her wife exit the NICU doors before turning back toward the mesmerizing sight of her baby girl.
Once in the hallway, Arizona pulled her phone from the back pocket of her jeans and, leaning against the tiled wall, she was wholly unable to wipe the ecstatic grin off her face as she dialed her phone.
"Arizona. . ."
Glancing toward the familiar voice, she slowly lowered the phone from her ear, her eyes closing as she shook her head. "Not today, Dr. Boswell," she warned, turning from the taller surgeon to find a more private area to complete her call.
"Arizona, please," Lauren softly beseeched, reaching out to grasp the fleeing woman's arm. "I'm leaving tonight, and I just. . .I hoped we could talk. I really hoped you would give me another chance."
Begrudgingly turning around, Arizona carefully considered her words, overwhelming frustration now evident in her tensed shoulders and scowling face. "I don't want to hear any more of this, Lauren," she shouted, her arms flailing to emphasize her point.
"But I like you, Arizona. Really like you, and I. . .I think that we could have something. I think we should give us a chance."
Arizona rolled her eyes at the blonde's pleading words, completely unwilling to even consider her argument. "This. . ." she moved her arm, gesturing between herself and the taller blonde, "you and I aren't going to happen, Lauren. EVER again. There is no us. There is no we. There is only a me and a Callie and a Sofia and an Olivia. There isn't a Lauren or-or-or a Dr. Boswell ANYWHERE in that equation. So please, Lauren! Please stop trying to tear apart my family!"
And with that, Arizona turned to return to her wife and youngest child but, spotting Callie quietly standing behind her, she paused, taking in the shocked, but undeniably pleased expression on her wife's face. Staring at the love of her life for several long moments, she then turned back around one final time, but before she could speak, Callie beat her to it.
"My wife and I will forever be grateful for what you've done for our daughter, Dr. Boswell," Callie began, her eyes never leaving the surprised ones of the taller blonde. "Because of you, Olivia is going to live a happy and healthy life but, beyond that, we don't need you here. Not anymore. Your services are no longer warranted at this hospital, Dr. Boswell, and it's time for you to leave."