Thanks again for all the reviews…
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Sofia is running around our home yelling at her mamas to "hurry up and get ready or we are going to be late". Callie and I are just laughing at our little mija's antics as we maneuver around each other to finish getting ready. The three of us drive north on the PCH for about an hour enjoying some small talk in our Jeep because we have been invited to dinner at Mark and Lexie's new home in Malibu. Sofia practically jumps out of her skin and the Jeep when we pull up to Mark and Lexie's new digs because she cannot wait to show the two of us around. Our mija joined her father and Lexie during their house hunting expedition over six weeks ago and the moment her and Lexie walked into this beautiful home…they both fell in love with it. And for Mark's sake it did not take him long to fall in love with his new home too…he jokingly told me last week that "As long as both of my girls are happy…I'm a happy man".
Later that night when Callie is putting Sofia to bed I walk by little miss munchkin's bedroom door as I hear her tell my girlfriend "Mami I am so glad we moved here with Arizona because now everyone one I love lives nearby…except for Zola…I miss Zola". I hear Callie tell her daughter "I know you do little miss but maybe after school is over and summer comes back around you, Arizona and I can take a road trip and visit our friends back to Seattle and see everyone again. I really miss Aunt Christina and Uncle Alex and Aunt Miranda…what do you say baby girl…would you like to take a road trip with me and your mama"? Sofia falls into her mami's arms and says with a big, gorgeous smile on her face "Yes mami I would". I watch Callie tuck our mija in her bed as they give each other kisses and I say "And how come I wasn't invited to the late night party".
The mind of a beautiful four year old Latina child is a sight to behold. It is pure and simple and clear of any hatred or animosity that may weigh on any of her family members from time to time. The adult family members of Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres see and feel this unadulterated love from this child as we all travel to San Diego to celebrate Thanksgiving together because Sofia has invited her father and his girlfriend with her so they can meet the people she loves most in this world. Even though there are a few people that do not like this idea they keep their feelings hidden deep inside…because for their Sofia…they will bend…for their love…of our daughter…they will bend…for their Sofia.
My parents welcome Mark and Lexie with open arms when they arrive as they hold no ill will whatsoever towards anyone…ever. They both feel there is a reason for everything that happens in our lives. They believe even though Callie and Mark could not make it work between them as lovers…they do see the love they share for their daughter and in their eyes that is all that matters. My brother too sees the good in everyone and gives Mark the benefit of the doubt. When Tim teasingly says to me today "Not sure I really understand how a man like Mark could or would let her go…I mean really…has he seen her…she's extremely hot…like really hot…but not as hot as her sister…now she's smoking hot". I just smile at my brother's subtext because I too think she's really hot…like really fuckin hot…but have to disagree with him on who is the hottest sister of the two…because my Callie is smoking hot too…like dirty smoking hot.
But as I watch Aria and Carlos and their interaction with Mark, I truly wonder if they are just acting for Sofia's sake or do they really care for him. I know from what Callie has told me about how Carlos and Aria both felt when Mark first left her and Sofia and followed Addison back to New York. How Carlos actually wanted to hire some men to hurt Mark physically but Callie told him under no uncertain terms was Carlos allowed to harm Mark in any way. But just watching the two of them this weekend, I wonder if they both have forgiven Mark for his leaving their Callie and especially his leaving their Sofia high and dry in Seattle. But then by the time we all leave and say out goodbyes on Sunday afternoon, my thoughts are that Aria and Carlos have forgiven Mark for all his bad tidings because Carlos invites him and Lexie to enjoy their Christmas this year with all of us as Aria and Carlos are hosting the holiday festivities and we all watch a very happy…very happy Sofia when she hears the good news and kisses her Tia and abuelo for a very long time.
It's 630 in the morning on New Year's Eve when my phone begins to ring that very special ring that I have set on it to inform me that I need to get to the hospital as quickly as I can. I cautiously try to remove my body from atop of my girlfriend's body but I am stuck…the sweat that both of our bodies created last night during our hours of making love and fucking the hell out of each other is now a crusty shell between our bodies and I am having trouble releasing myself from Callie. Finally prying my body from Callie's and miraculously not waking my girlfriend up in the process I begin to get ready to leave her confinement and make my way to work. Callie has the next three days off and after my shift at the hospital today I will be able to share two of those days off with her because our gorgeous daughter is with her father during her winter school break. Sofia, Mark and Lexie left four days ago to spend their winter holiday in Aspen. Mark is going to teach our mija how to ski if it's the last thing he ever does…his words not mine.
Callie brings me some lunch as we share this mid afternoon time together in my office. But just as we end our meal and my girlfriend begins to get a little frisky with me for some afternoon delight, my phone and pager go off simultaneously and I am swiftly heading for the OR for some more surgeries. With one final kiss on my Callie's voluptuous lips I tell her I will call her when I am done and on my way home. Fifteen and a half hours after my day began and with only one hour and twenty minutes left in this years New Year's Eve celebration I walk into our home as I see that the entire house is illuminated in nothing but candlelight. Out of the corner of my eye I notice a bottle of champagne chilling in a metal bucket on the back deck as I hear the soft snoring sounds of my Calliope. My girlfriend is sleeping ever so soundly on the chaise lounge chair and I make my way to her and kiss her lips.
I feel the warm, thin pink lips of my Arizona as she kisses me softly and sweetly and wakes me up because I have fallen asleep waiting for her to come home tonight. When I reach for her face and draw her back into me for another kiss and this kiss becomes quickly very heated but then Arizona pulls away slightly and asks "You want to take this inside Callie"? With an almost inaudible "No" coming from my lips I pull Arizona onto my body as we strip each other of our clothing and make love to one another right then and there. During our lovemaking outside on our back deck Arizona and I come to realize in a split second that it must be midnight because the whole beach area around us becomes very bright with the setting off of fireworks at the Santa Monica Pier. Arizona and I make a mad dash into the beach house as we are stark naked after being very amorous outside earlier.
I reach for a blanket off the back end of the sofa from the living room as I wrap Callie and me up in it and we stand at the back door watching the fireworks. Holding my girlfriend close to me I whisper in her ear "Happy New Year, Baby" and we share a kiss. When the fireworks die down and I continue to hold my girlfriend in my arms we shut and lock the back door and make our way further inside our home to resume our romantic night together.
After having a delightful breakfast with Callie this morning I turn on the TV to watch and listen to the Rose Bowl Parade. Callie and I are getting things ready for later when we have some of our friends over to watch some college football games. I hear Callie in the kitchen talking to someone on the phone. When I round the corner my girlfriend furiously waves her hand that is not connected to the phone to get my attention. Callie lays the phone on the counter top and I hear our mija's voice shouting "Mami I learned how to ski. Daddy and Lexie taught me how to ski and I love it". That is when I say to Sofia "That's great honey…are you having a good time then"? For the next forty minutes our precious little munchkin rambles on about all the things the three of them have done over the past few days.
Just before our conversation with our daughter is about over Mark jumps on the phone to ask Callie and me "Ladies something has come up and Lexie and I would like to know if it is alright if we take Sofia with us to Seattle for a few days. I know that I have her until Sunday night and with today being Wednesday well we just wanted to ask the two of you first. If not, It's alrig…". But before Mark can finish asking his question about his daughter Callie asks him "What came up, Mark"? You can hear Mark walking probably to the other side of their hotel room because the outer noises of our daughter and Lexie's voices are harder to hear now. Then Mark's voice comes back on the line when Callie and I hear him say "It's Lexie's dad Thatcher Grey. He has had some kind of emergency and we need to get to Seattle as soon as possible…so ladies is it alright if Lexie and I take Sofia to Seattle"?
My girlfriend amazes me…everyday…just by a simple act of kindness…and without any hesitation in her voice…whatsoever…she tells the father of our child…"Of course Mark you can take Sofia with you. But I am fair warning you that once Sofia and Zola get together you my friend are going to have a hard time keeping them apart". Callie and I tell Sofia, Mark and Lexie to travel safe and we will see them in a few days. When Callie ends the phone call she begins to laugh hysterically all by herself as I look strangely at her and ask "what is so funny Callie"? Callie stops laughing long enough to say "Wait until Mark gets to Seattle and realizes that Derek Sheppard's wife is Lexie's sister. Boy would I like to be a fly on that wall".
With a promise from her mamas and her daddy to come back to Seattle over spring break, Sofia is counting down the days on the calendar on the kitchen wall. The three days she was able to spend after the first of the year made her so happy that none of us could tell her no especially when Zola worked her magic on her parents to agree to our girls spending some more quality time together. But Callie and I thought that it was only fair to ask Derek and Meredith to come and spend a little vacation time down in sunny southern California. With the whole Sheppard family agreeing to come and spend a week at our beach house on the Pacific Ocean.