Chapter 11

Tim's tires screeched as he pulled up to his best friend's home. Someone he now saw as a stranger. He wasn't quite sure how he would handle a situation such as this or if he would be able to speak to the woman civilly. When it came to his sister, he didn't play around. He protected the things that he loved and nobody, not even his best friend, had the right to hurt his family.

He rapped his knuckles against the door, waiting impatiently for it to open. When it finally cracked, he was presented with a fragile woman that he was sure to be a complete stranger now. Callie's cheeks had sunken inward, her eyes puffy and dark with running make up and redness. Her hair could only be described as a rat's nest. Tim tried to feel sorry for her, but his adrenoline was pumping anger through his veins.

Callie let the man in, and just they stepped into the living room, Tim's rage unleased.

"You promised me," he shouted, "you promised that you wouldn't hurt her and now she's broken. You broke her!"

Callie's tears that she had been trying her hardest to maintain were crashing down her caved-in cheeks like waves, her face scrunching up in pain," I didn't want to hurt her, Tim," she explained calmly.

"You've hurt everyone, Callie. You've hurt me, you've hurt my sister, and I'm sure you've hurt your kid. A kid I knew nothing about. I thought we told each other everything. Why did you lie to me, huh?" he asked, stepping closer.

"Please, Timmy, sit down. I'll tell you everything if you can just please calm down," she pleaded, taking her seat on one of the couch cushions, looking up at her best friend with begging eyes.

Tim took a deep breath, knowing that yelling wouldn't solve any of their problems. He wiped the bead of sweat forming just above his brow before taking a seat beside the Latina.

"I got deployed later than I was supposed to. The same week I found out I was headed to Aphganistan was the same week I found out I was pregnant. I had to explain to the officers that I couldn't leave. They weren't too happy with me and they explained that I would be deployed six weeks postpardum. I was horrified. Her father wasn't in the picture and my parents were completely against taking her in. They didn't even accept her as a grandchild. During my final month of pregnancy, I was seriously considering adoption, until my friend, Addison, decided that she would take legal guardianship of the baby. I was still there for Roe. She knows that I'm her Mama and that I'd do anything for her, I just couldn't take care of her by myself. A few days after she was born, my parents died, which pushed back my deployment for another three months. I had to keep throwing money at them to keep quiet. Once all of my parents' finances were situated, I agreed to be shipped off for training."

Tim let the new timeline of Callie's life sink in. He'd heard a completely different story before, "Why did you keep her from us?"

Callie's head hung parallel to her knees, "I didn't want anyone to think I was a bad mom for leaving her behind. I'm all she had and I left her here. It wasn't something I wanted to do, it's something I had to do; for Roe and for my country."

Tim's face softened. He understood her obligation to the government. How could he be angry at Callie for trying to protect herself and her child? "Who's the father?"

Callie took a deep breath, rolling her eyes slightly and gripping at the hem of her raggedy, old t-shirt, "this guy, Mark. We met at the bar one night and I haven't seen him since. I never called him or told him he has a kid. I didn't want him to feel obligated to take care of her or be with me. Why complicate things, you know?"

"But maybe he can help you out, Cal. Even if he just pays some child support," Tim suggested, trying to gain his friend's eye contact, but her entire being was lost in another thought.

"I don't need his money. Besides, he didn't seem like the type to actually step up. He was such a man whore," she suggested, chewing at the cuticles of her fingernails.

"He has the right to know he has a kid, Cal," his gaze travelled to the cushion beneath him, "just like my sister has the right to know you have a kid."

Callie didn't want to admit it, but she was a wreck without Arizona. Even in this short amount of time, she's learned that keeping this secret from the blonde was one of the worst decisions she's ever made.

"I need to see her," she stated, standing from her seat on the couch.

Arizona picked up her cell phone once again, impatiently waiting for a call from her brother. She leafed through a magazine that she found on her bedside table and even aimlessly scrolled through social media sites on her iPad. She had plenty of other things to do, but she couldn't find the motivation inside of herself to get up and conquer those burdening tasks. Instead, she crawled back beneath her comforter and pulled her knees to her chest. She waited now.

"Arizona," a quiet voice whimpered.

The blonde was disoriented. Her head was pounding from the excessive amount of tears she'd released before falling into unconciousness, but she knew that voice well. That voice always pulled her out of her funk. She looked at the woman in her fragile state. It seemed to Arizona that she wasn't the only one struggling in this situation. Seeing the woman in this way upset her. Not only because she knew she was upset with herself, but because Callie wasn't supposed to be the one to suffer through this. If Callie really didn't care about Arizona, the Latina wouldn't be standing like this before her, skin pale and eyes watery. Arizona really wanted to stand her ground, but she found it difficult not to wrap her arms around the brunette and tell her everything was going to be okay. Arizona almost giggled, thinking about how selfless that sounded. She should be the one that's being told things are going to be fine, not Callie.

The Latina's face fell into her closed fists, letting out not-so concealed sobs.

The blonde shot the woman a concerned look, not stopping herself when she stood up and stepped forward, taking Callie into her arms.

"I'm so sorry, Arizona, for everything. You didn't deserve to have to be lied to like that. No one deserved this. I didn't mean to come into your life and make things harder for you. I've been dreaming about making you happy for months before I even met you and I messed everything up," Callie managed to bellow out, taking sharp breaths every few words, "I'm not going to let myself hurt you anymore."

Callie politely detached herself from the blonde's arms,

Arizona found herself mute. She couldn't think of a word to say to the woman, not sure where her train of thought was headed.

"I'm going to go, Arizona. You don't need my toxicity in your life. I really want you to be happy, even if that means I have to be without you," Callie explained, silently hoping that the woman would speak up and ask her to stay. She tried reading Arizona's expression but it lie blank across the canvas of her skin.

"Take care of yourself, Arizon.." before the Latina could finish her sentence, hot, needy lips pressed against her own. The kiss poured out every single emotion that these women have been feeling since all of the walls had been torn down. Electrical currents and sparks coursed through their veins and just as Callie gripped up the collar of Arizona's t-shirt, Arizona turned their passionate kiss into a heart-wrenching hug. The hug a soldier recieves just before being shipped off for deployment. A hug that isn't seperated willing, but only by time. Callie released the woman, sucking up her tears as she took one last look at the woman of her dreams.

Arizona didn't know what to do. She couldn't stomach the thought of letting Callie go. She did the only thing she knew how to do which was switch into doctor mode, "make sure you take your daughter to her follow-up appointments. I want that bone to heal up as good as new."

Callie knodded her head, knowing the Arizona switched into this mode to protect herself, "I will. I promise."

A moment lingered. Just as Arizona finally built up the courage to ask questions, to get the answers she's been killing for, Callie turned on her heels and stepped out of the room.

A/N: sorry for the short chapter! more will be following very soon!