They had slept for an hour in the on call room, their bodies totally wrapped around each other. They could have stayed there longer, but the sound of Arizonas pager cut through the silence of the room and had them both instantly jolting awake. "Dammit" Arizona muttered as she looked at the small screen…."it's the little boy from the other night…the drunk driver that drove through the house" She stood up and dressed as quickly as she could, smiling as Callie passed her the various articles of clothing that had been thrown across the room
"The kid that had his leg amputated?" Callie asked as she bent down to help her wife fasten her prosthetic in place
"Yeah" Arizona gave a small frown, "he lost so much blood, I guess it isn't a surprise we are having problems now" She bent down and quickly pecked Callie on the cheek before heading out. "Don't forget to get Sofia from Merediths, and it's our turn to have Zola and Bailey tonight…"
"What time will you be home?" Callie called out quickly just before the door clicked closed.
With a small grin Arizona popped her head back around the door and said. "As soon as I can…but don't wait up honey….love you!" And with that she turned away, closing the door behind her
"Urgh!" Callie growled in frustration as she lay back down on the small cot. Her wife was determined to keep pushing herself. Callie worried about her at the best of times, but now….now there were….other considerations, and it was up to her to come up with a plan to make Arizona realise that she would have to start slowing down…a careful plan that wouldn't have the hot headed peds whizz feeling ….fussed over. "Urgh!" Callie yelled again, before finally climbing out of bed and getting herself dressed. She glanced at her watch, it was only 7.30am, she wasn't due at Merediths until 10.00, so she had time to go home, grab a quick shower and change. Arizona was due to finish around 2.30pm, and then the two of them had the rest of the weekend off…albeit babysitting the Shepherds kids…they alternated now as Derek worked in DC during the week, so weekends were precious to him and Meredith…so Callie and Arizona would take the kids one weekend…then the weekend after next they would all send Sofia to Meredith …worked even better if there was time off involved. And it also served to remind her just how much she really missed Mark!
Callie had reached her car and was just about to get in when she heard someone walking over to her. She smiled as she saw it was Richard Webber. "Chief!" Callie couldn't help it…the Chief maybe Owen Hunt now…but to her…it was always Richard who owned the title.
"Torres!" he smiled as he came to stand in front of her. "Came over to see how Robbins is feeling, hear she was back at work today…and in the OR!"
"Uh yeah….no holding her back, you know that!" Callie grinned, "but yeah…she is feeling fine!"
"Her results show she is still anaemic, we really need to find out why…"
"Yeah" Callie cut in quickly, "we are uh, planning on making an appointment…with our family practitioner"
Webber frowned and shook his head. "Well, not much point in that when the hospital has all the facilities to run tests and fully check her out!"
"Think Arizona has had her fill of hospitals as a patient Richard!" Callie said with a small smile, "she maybe more….comfortable with our own doctor!"
Again Webber frowned. "They'll just refer her to us…may as well cut out the middle man!"
Callie nodded and muttered. "I'll ask her…tonight"
"Make sure you do….hate to think there is any kind of….underlying issue, but if there is…sooner we catch it…sooner we can fix it!"
"Fix it….yeah" Callie tilted her head a fraction and whispered. "Right!"
Just then they hear the unmistakable giggle of Miranda Bailey. Turning around Callie smiled as she saw her friend and her husband, Ben Warren, walking hand in hand towards their car. "Yo BCB!" Callie called out with a giggle of her own. "Beyonce? She should be worried girl!"
Miranda chuckled as she gave a small bow before calling back. "Aint got nuthin on you Torres…you're good ….damn good!"
"Oh ya know it!" Torres winked and added, "I'm not a bad singer either!"
Miranda just glared before nudging Ben in the ribs as he couldn't hold back his laughter
Webber chuckled and asked Ben. "Have you heard about your wife and Torres here…along with Robbins…? They turned their OR into Karaoke bar!"
Callie gasped theatrically and placed her hand on her chest. "Karaoke?! How dare you!"
The two men laughed as Ben said. "Yeah…I heard…but not from Miranda…the nurses talk ya know…a lot! Seems it was quite a show in there!"
Bailey gave a small huff and pursed her lips. "We were all tired…and it….lifted the energy levels…it was a one off, that's all!"
"So did you do the Beyoncé booty shakes or shouldn't I ask?" Webber grinned
"There was no shaking of the booty….the bootocks remained perfectly still until I had finished my surgery…we sang…that's all!"
"Uh huh" Again Webber grinned. "well you should know…Avery is thinking of having a staff talent night for the next big fund raiser….and you three are top of his list"
"Aw hell to the no" Bailey sputtered before giving another deep huff and turning to walk on the their car, her husband chuckling as she started muttering to herself
Webber looked at Callie and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. With a low chuckle Callie quickly shook her head, pointed at Bailey and stuttered. "What she said!" before climbing quickly into her car and waving to Richard as she started the engine and drove off as quickly as she could.
[xx]
Callie sighed as she looked at her watch again. 4.30pm…Arizona should have been home nearly two hours ago! She smiled as Sofia brought her a plastic teacup and tugged at her Mammas trouser leg to get her full attention. "Is that for me?" Callie asked as she crouched down to take the cup as it was thrust upwards. "Why thank you!" she smiled as Sofia nodded emphatically
"Dink it Mama!" Sofia said with a small stamp of her foot
"You mean drink it Sofia…and do not stamp your foot with me young lady…your mommy and I have told you about that" Callie tried to scold her daughter, but the face she was pulling and the way she had her arms folded over her chest as she stared back at her…made it almost impossible to keep her face straight…she was such a perfect mix of herself and Arizona…and not always their best traits! At nearly four years of age, she was stubborn, wilful and opinionated…but also kind, smart…and funny….very funny. But still…Callie had to be tough so…"Sofia, what should you say when giving somebody a drink?"
"Don't slurp!" the little girl replied with her eyes wide
Callie bit her bottom lip and gave a small nod as she pulled the little girl nearer. "That to smart girl…but….how about…drink this please?"
Sofia looked at her mother and gave a small shake f her head. But I don't wanna drink it Mama…I want YOU to drink it!"
"I'd give up if I were you" came a welcome voice from behind, just before some equally welcome hands came to rest on Callies hips and soft lips grazed her cheek as she was pulled back to nestle against her wifes soft body
"Momma!" Sofia cried out as she flung her self at her mothers right leg, nearly knocking Arizona off balance, it was only because she had already wrapped her arms around Callie that she managed to stay upright
"Sofia!" Callie scolded softly, "what did you forget?"
Instantly Sofia stepped back and looked up at Arizona. "Sorry Momma…I forgot…I'm too big to run at you now!"
Arizona smiled as she stepped away from Callie and bent down slightly before scooping Sofia up and hugging her. "No matter how big you get though baby girl….Momma will always want yur hugs….never forget that…ok?"
"Ok" Sofia nodded as she rested her head against her Mommas shoulder. Suddenly her eyes fell on the plastic teacup in Callies hand and she began to wriggle free. "I made tea for yous …..Mamma say you need looking after cos you worked so hard looking after all the sick little boys and girls and making them better…so….I make you tea…and you drink it!"
Arizona chuckled s she let her daughter back down to the floor, the little girl turned to race back to her den to fetch another cup when she caught her Mamas eye and quickly turned to look back at Arizona before saying, in her best grown up voice, "Don't slurp!"
"What!" Arizona laughed as her tiny whirlwind of a daughter ran out of earshot.
Callie reached over and pulled Arizona back into her arms. "Yeah….sorry about that" she muttered, "I was trying to remind her of her manners….ya know…please….thank you kinda thing…but somehow…she remembered that first!"
"Uh huh….probably cos I say it to you all the time!"
Callie pulled back and glanced sideways at her wife. I do not slurp! EVER!"
"Uh huh!"
"I don't!!"
Arizona reached up to gently pinch Callies cheek, grinning as she whispered. "If you say so baby….but you DO always remember to say thank you!"
Callie grinned back and winked. "Oh yeah…always!" And with that she pulled Arizona back into her arms and kissed her gently as her wife smiled against her lips.
The kiss was just getting interesting when Sofia came running back into the room with the new cup for Arizona. Seeing what her mommies were doing she stopped in her tracks and put her hands on her hips as she told them. "We just can't leave you two alone for a minute!"
Both her mommies gasped as they turned to look at their daughter, both chuckling at the look they were getting from the almost four. "I feel like I have just been caught making out by my dad!" Arizona chuckled
"Where did she get that from!?" Callie gasped. Laughing as they both looked at each other and said at the same time…"BAILEY!"
[xx]
Sofia had chatted all through the afternoon, her volume increasing as Meredith dropped off Zola and Bailey. Finally, it had been bed time…and as Callie walked back into their lounge after settling the chatterboxes down for the night, she smiled to herself as she noticed her wife curled up on the sofa fast asleep. She walked over and picked up a soft fleece blanket before sitting down next to her, gently lifting Arizonas head onto her lap so she could stroke the wild soft curls. She studied her wife and frowned a little. The revelations of the last few days had taken a big toll on Arizona….she had barely slept, the stress of realising what had happened to her had triggered flashbacks and nightmares to the plane crash….if Callie tried to cuddle up to her wife before she was fully awake the blonde flinched, even in her sleep, and pulled away….and then there had been the times when Callie had woken to the sound of her wife crying…before she would climb out of bed and make her way to the shower…she had had four showers in one night before returning to her first day at work, almost as if she was trying to wash away any visible signs of what had happened to her.
So, Arizona wasn't sleeping, she wasn't talking, she was….switching off as if she could pretend it wasn't happening. There were some perks though….it seemed that after her showers Arizona sought another kind of distraction, of reassurance…so Callie had found herself being fully woken up in the best possible way! Things had already been improving in that area so much for them before….before San Francisco…but after…they had been ….amazing….but now Callie was worried that it was just another way for Arizona to hide from what was happening. With a small smirk Callie realised that right now…she was just fine with that…for now.
Callie sighed and rubbed the edge of her temple. Arizona already looked paler than usual, with not sleeping and everything else that triggered, working full time at a highly demanding job….dealing with an energetic four year old and preparing for the arrival of a new baby via their surrogate AND then finding herself pregnant…all at the same time….too much, just….too much. Callies heads was spinning and she wasn't the one who was pregnant! It was all just….too much, and Callie knew they needed some time to just…escape, to gather their thoughts….to plan and prepare. To plan…argh she thought…I forgot to call Robyn! She reached over for her phone, noticing the date as she went to switch it on before dialling out. Sofias birthday was in four weeks….which meant her and Arizona would be celebrating their wedding anniversary just four months later…maybe she could throw a surprise party for Arizona…but by then she would be over six months pregnant…would she feel like a party? She glanced at the DVD playing in the background…noticing for the first time it was Disneys Brave…and a conversation she'd had with Arizona whilst in San Francisco started to replay in her mind
"It's nice…to be here like this….with you!" Arizona had whispered against Callies neck as they soaked in the large tub with the view of Golden Gate Park. Arizona was behind Callie, cradling her in her arms."We don't really get a chance to do this anymore…and we used to….even after Sofia came along…we used to have our weekends away!"
Callie nodded and sighed slightly. "That's cos we had Mark…and because after the accident you didn't…uhm…I mean it wasn't…uh"
"I wouldn't let you touch me…like this…not for a long time" Arizona said sadly tightening her arms around Callie. "I'm sorry…so sorry" she whispered
"Arizona…it's okay!" Callie said as she turned her head to look at her, startled to see the tears in her wifes eyes."I…I knew you didn't feel…comfortable…and I didn't need you to…to…."
"Make love to you…"
"To make love to me, in order for me to KNOW you loved me…I knew…I always knew" Callie said as she took Arizonas hand in hers and kissed it.
"I treated you so badly….after the ….the crash. I was…so evil to you….I made your life hell…and yet, you stood by me….you were there for me!"
"Just like you were there for me after the car crash….did you ever want to leave me…after the crash?" Callie asked softly
"NO! No Callie….how can you aske me that!" Arizona gasped
"Then how can you aske me why I didn't leave you? I knew you were hurting…I knew….you were scared and confused…I just….I just didn't know…how to…how to…"
"Fix me?" Arizona smiled slightly as she tilted her head to look at Callie
"To HELP you. It was like…my Arizona was in there…somewhere…but couldn't find her way through…so I had to keep going, as if everything was ok…in the hope that one day…she would be strong enough to break through….to come back to me!"
"And now?"
Callie sat up and turned so she lay on Arizona, and brought her face so close so she could looked straight into her wifes eyes as she said. "And now…now I know THAT Arizona, the one I was waiting for….she didn't come back from the mountains….and it has taken me….a long time to accept that….and it has been painful, and tough…and I have been…so angry….but now…now I see the NEW Arizona…the woman who is stronger than ever….who has picked herself up and moved forward…and I am SO SO grateful, that she wants to move forward with me….that she still loves me….that I am NOT one of the things she felt she had to give up….no matter how hard she tried….And this new Arizona? She aint so different….she still has the same cute laugh, she still drives me crazy with her mad jokes and her weird sense of humour…and she is still a closet Disney fan….but best of all….she has the same excellent taste in women!"
"Yeah….Lauren was pretty nice!"
Callies eyes narrowed and she pushed herself up off Arizona slightly
Arizona winced as she saw the look of Callies face. "Too soon for that kinda joke huh?" she asked quietly
Callies eyes narrowed again as she slowly lowered herself back onto Arizona. "Too soon to EVER mention that womans name again!" she said as she physically shivered
"Sorry!" Arizona whispered. "And…not just for the lame joke! For what its worth…new and improved Arizona….loves you more than old Arizona could ever have imagined possible. You're my world Calliope Iphegenia Torres….and I intend to spend the rest of my life just proving that to you…I promise"
Callie sighed and nodded before lowering her head to Arizonas chest and whispering. "More nights like these would convince me!"
Arizona chuckled as she stroked Callies wet hair and bent to kiss the top of her head before softly muttering. "That would be good….that would be….really good. I can't remember the last time we had a holiday….everything with us happens so quickly….our life happens….so quickly….so yes Calliope….nights like these….just you and me….my idea of heaven!"
Callie looked at the phone in her hand and then back at the DVD….she chewed at her bottom lip for several more minutes…before making her mind up and hitting speed dial. "Owen?" she said as she heard the voice at the other end. "It's Callie….I need a favour….a really….REALLY big favour!"