Hey everyone! My deepest apologies on the delay of an update. I've been swamped with work and haven't had much energy to do anything other than go to work and come home and sleep. Sometimes my work requires me to be at work from 9 at night till almost 4 in the morning so i am incredibly exhausted. But I had some time off today and I used it to catch up and finally finish this chapter for you all. I'm even well underway on the next update. Hope you all enjoy this chapter as I know it has been a long time coming. Looking forward to reading your reviews and comments!

Happy reading everyone!

hASHbrown

Chapter 13

The morning air was cool. There wasn't a breeze but it was cool. It was about five in the morning when I woke up. Callie's body resting peacefully next to me. I was wide awake and decided to slip out of the bed, throw a robe on and head out to the kitchen. I made a fresh pot of coffee, pouring myself a cup; I then walked out onto the deck and sat in the morning darkness, with only my thoughts as company.

The silence of my surroundings only allowed my mind to move a mile a minute. When I was left alone like this, my mind seemed to keep asking if today would be my last day that I would ever hear her beautiful voice, or feel her loving touch. The love we found in each other was so incredibly strong. Strong and so out of this world that it sometimes scared me a little just how much I loved her. I didn't want this to end; I wanted more days like this. More days with her where we could just be. No forces fighting to pull us apart.

At some point, when the sun was just starting to rise along the horizon, I was yanked out of my thoughts when I felt a set of strong hands rest upon my shoulder giving them a gentle squeeze. I smiled to myself with my eyes closed before turning and tilting my head up to meet the beautiful eyes of the woman I loved so much.

"How long you have been out here?" She asked, kissing me sweetly.

"About an hour maybe. I made coffee, grab a cup and join me." I said as I patted the seat next to me.

Callie, dressed in her own robe, went inside and moments later reemerged out onto the deck with a mug of hot coffee in her hands. She sat next to me and together we sat in silence, holding hands and looking out to watch the sunrise as we sipped our coffee. It was the perfect morning to follow a beautifully perfect night we had.

It was around eight in the morning and the sun had pretty much risen. Callie rose from her chair and looked to me. "We should get ready. We have to be at the marina by ten and it takes an hour to get there." She reached for my hand and I grabbed it willingly as she pulled me from my seat.

I stood straight in front of her with a devilish grin. I grabbed the collar of her robe in both my hands and pulled her lips to mine. "Do we have to go? Why don't we have a repeat of last night?" I said raising my eyebrow suggestively.

Calliope laughed and pulled me close into her embrace. "I would love nothing more than to just go back to bed with you, but I promised my parents that I would spend at least one day with them and they are kind of looking forward to meeting you too."

"They are?" I had had no idea that she even mentioned me to her parents.

"Yes. Trust me they will love you. They will love you because I love you."

We headed into the house hand in hand and got dressed preparing ourselves for brunch with Calliope's parents. After we were both showered and dressed we headed out to the dock and hopped in the boat. The sun was shining bright in the sky as it reflected into the water, making the ocean a pure shimmering blue. The boat ride was magnificent. I hadn't really taken the opportunity to just sit back and enjoy it the other day. I sat in the back as Callie drove the boat back towards the marina. The wind blowing in my face and through my hair, I had never felt so free.

Once we reached the marina and Callie tied off the boat, my nerves started to kick in. I was meeting Callie's parents. An awfully big step. She hadn't even met my parents yet. In fact I got so wrapped up in my pretty pink bubble that I had neglected to even tell my mom and dad that I was dating again. That I was in a relationship with someone and that I was beyond happy. Beyond happy and yet I was also terrified that if the treatment, the radiation and chemotherapy didn't work, our love would be cut too short.

Joseph was waiting as promised in the car for us. Calliope grabbed my hand and we hopped into the car. The ride wasn't too long, but while I sat in the back of the car with Calliope, I got to see a glimpse of the city that She once called home.

The car pulled up into this long winding driveway that came around the front of an enormous grey bricked home. In the centre of the driveway sat an exquisite fountain and the gardens around the house were beautifully landscaped. Filled with flowers and greenery, the house was a marvel of it's own. My jaw was practically touching the ground I was so floored by the work of art that Callie called her childhood home.

We exited the car and as we were walking up the steps to the beautifully crafted glass door, they suddenly opened and a dark brunette, older woman greeted us.

"Callie, my dear it's been too long!" the woman said as she pulled Calliope into a tight hug.

"I know, I know. Missed all of you." Callie pulled back from the woman and turned to look at me, where I was standing behind her.

"Mary, this is Arizona. Arizona, this is Mary the housekeeper and well, she's like family. She's been with my parents since me and my sister were little."

I smiled and the Mary pulled me into a hug swell before pulling away and taking a good look at me. "She's even more beautiful than you described her to be. Listen, ladies come inside. Lucia and Carlos are out on the veranda waiting for you two."

We stepped in through the door and my jaw dropped once more as I took in the sight before me. The house on the inside was just as striking as the outside. High ceilings, dark wood flooring, this house was beautiful, and smelled divine. Lifting my jaw up, Calliope and I were escorted by Mary to the veranda out in the back.

Stepping out into the Florida sunshine we were greeted by Carlos and Lucia Torres.

"Calliope, Mija it's good to see you." Callie's father said as he pulled her into his embrace.

"It's good to see you too, daddy." Callie pulled away and looked to her mother who was waiting for her turn to hug her little girl. "I've missed you mom. I've missed you both." Callie and her mom shared a lingering hug. The smile in Lucia's face warmed my heart as I saw her be reunited with her daughter.

Lucia saw me standing watching them and instantly pulled away. "Calliope, aren't you going to introduce us?"

"I was about to get to that. Mom, dad this is Arizona Robbins."

I reached my hand out to shake Lucia's she smiled to me and took my hand in hers placing the other on top of the back of my hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Calliope has told us quite a lot about you.

"Please, come and sit down. I believe that breakfast is almost ready. Would you like a cup of coffee, Arizona?" Carlos said to me

"I would love one, thank you." I responded as I took a seat at the table next to Callie.

Breakfast was well underway and conversation with the Torres' seemed to come easier than I thought it might be. They were both very lovely and made me feel right at home.

"So Arizona, what do you do for a living?" Lucia asked me while digging into the platter of fruit sitting in the centre of the table.

"Oh, I'm a lawyer for one of the largest firms in Los Angeles."

"Oh Carlos, she's a lawyer. Calliope I'm liking her more and more. A lot better than Erica."

"Mom, don't start." Callie said to her mom. She then glanced in my direction with an apologetic look.

"No, Callie it's okay. I want to hear about this Erica woman." I said giving her a devilish grin.

"Erica was Calliope's ex-girlfriend. She was way too serious and a little stuck up if you ask me" Lucia explained.

"Does she live in Miami somewhere?" I asked, directing my question to Callie.

"No actually, she was another doctor at St. Ambrose back in LA but she doesn't work there anymore. To be honest nobody knows what happened to her." Callie said, sipping on her coffee.

"What do you mean? What happened between you two?" I asked. People don't just disappear. Usually.

"Her and I got into an argument one night out in the hospital parking lot. She wasn't really willing to listen to my perspective on what it was we were arguing about so she walked away from me that. I never saw her again. Next thing I know, I show up to work to find that she resigned." Callie told me.

There was a bit of an awkward silence after that but Carlos quickly jumped in to lighten the mood.

"So, Arizona. Our Calliope has told us a lot about you, but she never said how you two met." He asked me.

"Well sir, It was kind of one of those 'meant to be' situations. I was grieving the death of my ex girlfriend and one day, my friend Teddy dragged me out to the beach, and that's where I first saw Calliope. We kept running into each other and I found out that she works with Teddy at the same hospital."

"She came to visit Teddy one day when I ran into her at the hospital chapel. I could tell that she was upset about something so I talked to her for a short time and coaxed her into coming on a little jaunt with me. After that we just seemed to hit it off." Callie added in after me.

"I don't want to come across negatively or anything, but Arizona I have to ask. Being that my daughter is sick..." Carlos started to say, but I immediately cut him off.

"Mr. Torres, with all due respect, if your going to ask me if I'm with her only because she's sick or if I'm playing with the emotions of a sick woman, then I'm going to stop you right there. I fell in love with Callie before I even knew she was sick. In pursued the relationship. I went after her. The fact that she is sick hasn't changed a thing. I'm in love with your daughter sir, and that will never change." I said to both Lucia and Carlos, all while firmly holding onto Callie's hand.

The rest of breakfast went well. Conversation went back to lighter subjects and was filled with a lot of laughter. After breakfast, Carlos had asked Callie to walk with him to his study. Which left me alone with Lucia to take a tour around the house.

"You have a beautiful home Mrs. Torres." I said as I took in my surroundings and the lovely fragrance that filled the home.

"Thank you dear, and please call me Lucia."

I smiled back to her. She wasn't at all what I had expected. Callie's parents, I had come to discover were very catholic. Which is probably why it surprised me a little to see that they had accepted Callie's sexuality and our relationship with each other.

"Lucia, I had so much coffee this morning, could you tell me where your bathroom is?"

"Sure thing dear. Just walk straight down this hall it's the second third door on the right." She pointed down the long hallway we were standing in. I started to make my way down to the bathroom, Lucia continuing on back to the living area.

As I was drawing nearer, I could hear voices coming from the door to my right. I identified the voices to be that of Callie and her father. Normally I do not condone ease dropping, but I couldn't fend off my curiosity and I rested my head to the door to get a better listen at what they were saying.

"Calliope, I hope you know what you are doing. You are not fighting off a cold. You have cancer. An illness that is so unpredictable. You have no idea what lies ahead. I just don't want you to get this girl's hopes up of a future with you if there is even the slightest possibility you won't make it."

"That's really nice dad. I'm not dead. I'm still here. I'm still breathing, I'm still living."

"But you refused treatment. So yes, you are alive and living. But for how long Calliope? How long before you break your mother's heart, mine, and that beautiful woman that loves you?"

"I'm getting treatment. I'm fighting this daddy. I'm fighting this not only for you and mom, myself. I'm fighting for Arizona too. Her last girlfriend died of cancer, and when I met her she was practically dead inside from the pain. But she is happy again, daddy. And I mean really happy. She loves me and I love her. I love her more than anything in this world and I will do what ever it takes to beat this."

"Calliope, I..."

"I will beat this daddy. I will not be responsible for taking her happiness away. I will not be the one who breaks her heart and kills her all over again. I won't leave her, I can't. I cannot be another dead girlfriend in the story of her life. I won't have that be her story, because she deserves better. She will have a future, and I am going to fight with everything I have to make sure that that future has me in it."

"You love her a great deal don't you?"

"I love her more than life itself. Never thought I'd find love like this."

"Then, I am proud of you and I am so happy that you have someone to see you through this."

The rest of the day was for Callie and I to do as we please. She had decided that she would like to take me around the city and show me all the places she used to spend her time.

After spending several hours exploring the hustle and bustle of Miami, Callie and I had Joseph drive us back to the marina so that we could head back to the house to enjoy the rest of our afternoon on the beach.

The sun was setting over the water, it was a glorious view. Spending time just enjoying the fresh air with the woman I came to love so quickly induced feelings in me that were beyond anything. These feelings that I was experiencing, thanks to Calliope were an adventure on its own.

Callie and I sat in the sand on the beach just at the shore as we watched the sun set and cast a warm sparkle along the water. I pulled her into me and connected our lips, enjoying and reveling in the feeling of our love that I could only pray wouldn't be cut too short.