„Good night, Malia. Sleep tight", Arizona whispered before retreating from the softly snoozing girl's bedroom and quietly closing the door behind her. It was the fifteenth night since she had kind of moved into Callie's and her niece's home and, without her noticing it, the two of them had fallen into a routine on the nights Malia didn't spend at Zola's.
The blonde-haired woman could easily see herself tucking the young Latina in every night until Malia decided that she would be too big to be tucked in by either her or the firefighter. It felt homey. Which was exactly what she needed; after the last two years of being heartbroken and of trying to find a way back into love, Arizona felt like she finally belonged again. It made her slowly mending heart flutter with joy. Sure, she and Callie had still a lot to talk about and the conversations they had during her visits at the hospital were just the peak of the iceberg. Beneath that was a lot more dirt, she believed. They had to get to know each other again. But if there was one thing in the world the paramedic was a hundred percent certain about, it was the fact that she would be head over heels in love with the new Callie just as much – if not more – as she had with the old Callie.
She could see it all again. A future with the brunette, kids and a love stronger than anything else in the universe. She could see marriage, a big house and the picket fence if Callie wanted it. In her mind, she saw a big backyard for the kids to play in, a tree house, the pool table and home entertainment the Latina had always envisioned. The house would have shelves containing the first Edition of many old books Callie had started collecting when she was still a teenager.
Yes, Arizona could see all of that happening. In the future. For now, she had to focus on the present, on taking Malia to school tomorrow morning and on the shift ahead of her. The blonde loved her job with every fiber of her being. And even now, when she wished she could spend more time with the bedridden firefighter, she was looking forward to her days at the firehouse. The team had welcomed her with open arms and she had learned to love the little quirks – and sometimes strange behavior – of the crew. April was the best partner on scene she had probably ever had. It was as if they could read each other's minds.
Switching off all the lights and checking the sports bag that was waiting on the chair in the guest room one more time to make sure she had everything ready for tomorrow, Arizona finally fell back on the bed. She loved being here, in the house that smelled like Callie, using the detergent and fabric softener that reminded her of the Latina. Moreover, she loved Malia. However, some days were simply exhausting. Arizona had no idea how Callie had been doing it mostly by herself. It amazed her. Her respect for the Latina for doing such a great job at raising the girl was almost immeasurable.
** Flashback – three years ago **
It was a nice, mild day in the summer, not too hot, with a soft breeze in the air. The Torres family had gathered for a Saturday afternoon barbecue before four of the adults would board a plane tomorrow to get on a business trip. Arias, Callie's older brother, and his wife were supposed to take over the Torres Company one day – sooner rather than later if Lucia Torres' wishes came true – and to learn everything they could from his father, he and Elena planned to join the older couple on many business trips for the following year.
"Look at them, Calliope", Arizona said and pointed at Arias and Malia playing tag in the big backyard of Callie's parents, the tall man slowing down his steps every time he came to close to catching his little girl. "She is so happy."
"Catch me, papa!", the six year old squealed, running around barefoot in the soft grass that tickled her. "Catch meeeee!"
A second later, the girl's high-pitched voice joyfully screeched as her daddy had caught her. Arias held his precious daughter tight in his arms before raising her above his head and letting her fly. "Higher papa, higher!" The taller she got, the harder it was for him to keep her in the air for long periods of time. But that didn't mean that he would stop trying.
Callie chuckled. Her brother had always been a big kid at heart. Especially since he became a father, and even more so since he was able to goof around with his child, it had gotten worse – in the best way possible. "He'll never grow up, Elena. You are a single mother of two", she joked.
"I am not worried", the other Latina replied, taking a sip from the white wine she had poured herself and everyone else. Noticing the looks of disbelief, she elaborated. "I am not. He might be a goofball now, but just wait for the day her first date will knock on our door to pick up Malia. Arias will jump into full papa bear mode with a strict curfew, and staring down whoever tries to get too close to his little girl."
The firefighter's chuckle turned into a full belly laugh, which Arizona joined immediately. It reminded the blonde a lot of her own father. Elena's words were so true.
"He'll protect her. And I will be right by his side, doing the same", Callie stated. Just because she did not see herself having children didn't mean that she didn't love her niece.
** End of Flashback **
It was the last memory the blonde paramedic had of Arias and Elena and her almost-in-laws. Shortly after that weekend, Callie broke up with her because they wanted different things, and then she had left Seattle. A sudden realization hit her. It had also been only a few months before Callie and Malia had lost their family. A wave of emotions broke through the barricades and swallowed her. For some reason, she had not figured that out sooner, too consumed by – first – her anger and then her worries for the Latina.
Wiping her tears from her cheeks, Arizona stared at the ceiling in the dark bedroom. "You did an outstanding job at protecting her, Calliope."
"Ambulance 72, man down from unknown course. 94 Blaine Street." The siren went off as a welcome gift to Arizona who had literally just finished changing into her paramedic clothes. After a rough morning with Malia and even rougher night for the woman, the blonde had crossed her fingers, asking for a slow shift. Apparently, that was not happening. So she jumped into the driver's seat and started the engine while buckling up. "You ready?", she asked April who answered with a quick nod while fastening her seat belt. "Then let's go."
Arriving at the scene not even ten minutes later, both women grabbed the bags and made their way through the circle of people surrounding the man on the ground. "Sir, can you hear me?", the redhead asked, earning a nothing in response. "Weak pulse, shallow breathing."
"He's having a heart attack", Arizona stated, the stethoscope still in her ears. "Push an epi and start compression, Keps, I'll get the defi." If there was one thing the blonde didn't like about her job, it was the curious people blocking her way. Years ago, during one of her first shifts, her superior had taught her to elbow her way through the crowd if necessary, and she did that. "Move!"
She and April worked quickly, one reading the other's move without a word being said. "Okay, clear", Arizona called out, ready to shock the man back into rhythm. "Still nothing. Again." She charged the device again, higher this time. "Clear." Nothing. "Damn it. Again. Two hundred." Finding April's eyes, her face hardened with determination – even though her anger and will wouldn't change a thing if his heart was too weak. Arizona was aware that this was the last chance this man had. "Clear."
The redhead checked the pulse and the heart rate shown on the monitor sprang back to life. "Pulse is getting better."
"Okay, let's pack up and get him to the hospital." Looking at their patient, Arizona shook her head. The two of them would never be able to put him on a stretcher. He was way too big for that. "Can we get some help here?", she asked, her voice sounding harsh and demanding, which was normally not her way of talking to people. Today, she made an exception. It was not her day. She needed today to be over, and fast. It was already enough 'todaying' for today.
Fifteen minutes later, they pulled up in front of the hospital and after a quick report to the nurses on shift, Arizona signed the papers. "Do you mind if I make a quick stop at Callie's room? I'll have my radio with me".
"No problem, I'll wait in the car. Tell her the firehouse says hey and that we miss her." It was the same message every day, but it never lost its meaning.
Nodding, Arizona made her way up to the third floor and to the Latina's room. Quietly slipping in when she saw that the other woman had her eyes closed, the blonde sat down next to the hospital bed.
"I am awake, you know?", Callie asked with a smirk on her lips. "What happened? Bad case?" Sitting up, the brunette lifted Arizona's chin with her hand. "Wanna talk about it?" She shifted a little to be more comfortable. "Or not?"
"Rough night", the blonde confessed. "Malia climbed into my bed at around two, because apparently, she is getting sick. She sprawls just like you. I woke up on the floor twice!" Hearing Callie's laughter fill the room made her break out into a giggle as well. "It's not funny. I lost at least half of my sleep." She was not really complaining, she had loved snuggling with the younger Latina. Until the girl decided to sleep diagonally in the bed.
"Well, it's a good thing then that I am going to be discharged tomorrow." Callie had one of the biggest smiles in weeks on her face. The prospect of leaving not only this room, but the hospital in general, had her feeling elated. She was dying to sleep in her own bedroom again, where pulling the curtains close would put the room into a pitch black darkness, where the only thing that smelled like bleach was the bathroom and where her own bed sheets didn't want to make her scratch her skin off. She wanted to have homemade breakfast or eat a simple bowl of cereal while looking out of the kitchen window when she wanted to, and not when the nurses brought in her food. There was just so many things she was looking forward to. But most of all, she was happy to be around her niece every day. That girl had the ability to cheer her up – always.
Mouth agape, Arizona just stared at the firefighter for a moment. Had she heard right? Was Callie coming home? "Are you serious?"
The brunette nodded. "Positive. Doctor Strauss came in earlier and gave me the news. I'll be discharged after morning rounds tomorrow. The skin graft is finally healing nicely and the burn wounds are manageable. He'll prescribe some ointment I will have to apply for the next couple of weeks, but I am well enough to do that at home." Watching her lover's – or whatever she was supposed to call Arizona these days – blue eyes light up, turned the butterflies in her stomach to flutter around like crazy. "I know it's short notice and I know you're on your shift, so don't sweat, okay? I am perfectly capable of taking a cab home and making it onto the couch by myself. Doctor said no heavy lifting yet, but-"
"Are you kidding me?", Arizona interrupted her. "I will be here and I don't want to hear any arguing from you. I will personally escort you home and take care of you", the blonde declared. "Chief Webber will have to understand. Malia will be so ecstatic, she'll forget all about her tummy ache when I tell her." The young Latina had kept asking every day when her tia Callie would be home. Then Arizona fell silent. "I guess I'll also pack up my belongings and get back to my own apartment."
Reaching for the blonde's pale hand, tanned fingers squeezed lightly. "Actually, I wanted to ask if you would mind staying a little longer? I am not at a hundred percent yet, so I will most likely need help with Malia. And I thought that maybe you could assist me when taking a bath and in applying the ointment?" Just the thought about Arizona's touch made her shiver with excitement. "Completely platonic until we are comfortable with more, I even promise to keep my hands to myself", she winked.
"Like you were ever able to that, Calliope", the blonde laughed, tears brimming her eyes. "I would really love to stay and help." The day didn't seem so bad after all.
AN: So, I know it's been a while and I already got insulted for that. But I promised to finish my stories and I will do so, but when I have time to write.
I don't know what happens afterwards, to be honest. I guess we'll see.
This was just a filler to get me to the next part.