Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Hey ya'll. Here's your daily dose. …Enjoy!

Chapter 21

Arizona's POV:

"Hey Momma… how you doing girl?" I'm in my stables, performing my daily exam of the very pregnant mare. As my hands move from her face down her strong front legs, then across her back, they dip down to the region her foul is resting. After nearly a one year pregnancy, I feel the ripple of a contraction. A smile spreads across my face.

"Looks like we have a baby on the way, huh?" I finish my exam, pull of my latex gloves, then grab my phone.

"Baby's on the way. Momma's in long labor. Tell Yang. – A"

I continue cleaning out the stables. Instead of pitching the dirtied hay and manure, I take the time to separate the two and throw the waste into bins, storing them for my little science project. Its been about a month since I've revealed my crazy idea to Callie. She's been nothing but supportive, though at times I think she would be supportive of anything I did as long as it doesn't involve a bucking bull and my face in the dirt. But I haven't gotten very far, not with the wedding planning that's recommenced at full force.

When Callie called all the vendors and everyone, and realized that everything was still on, she was a little pissed. Not so much that I insisted that no one cancel our orders, but more so that I said she was mentally unstable and I had set up a 'saftey' word when it came to the planning. But… after some quick thinking and some serious dimple flashing, she calmed down was grateful. So now, everything is back on schedule. I will be married within a months time, and I can't wait. A buzzing in my back pocket pulls me from my day dreams of wedding cake and white sandy beaches.

"How long she got, great horse-whisperer? – C"

Laughing, I shoot back a reply.

"Don't know for sure, prolly 15-20 hours. Yang should come out tonight. That's if she wants to be here for the birth of HER pony. – A"

Seconds later, my butt vibrates again.

"Roger, rodger. She's coming home with me. See you in about 8 hrs. Love you. – C"

Knowing that the pregnant horse will need to be supervised constantly until she drops her foal, I pull out a foldout cot from the storage closet, along with a sleeping bag, and a lantern. By constantly I mean someone will be sleeping out here tonight. …and its probably going to be me. A quick trip back to the house, I pack up some things to keep me busy while I am stuck out in the barn, babysitting the horse in labor.

Settling in for what could be along wait, I pull out a good stack of resume's. A couple weeks ago I put out an ad in a couple different places looking for an animal caretaker. I still need to find someone I can trust with my babies when Callie and I are on our honey moon, and if I'm happy with their work, I may keep them on full time like George use to be. We still have that converted cabin on the property that is empty and I could really use another set of hands around here. Not just with the horses and stables, but ground up keep. …I'm good, but not that good.

"Alright… let's see what kind of animal people this city has…" I groan out, flipping through the first resume. Then next few hours are spent by reading through everything this city has to offer. …too old… too young… no experience… too much experience… ex-veterinarian? Hmm… reason for termination… 'prefer not to say'. …That could mean one of two things. One… he got a little too friendly with the animals. Two… he stole. By the time I reach the last resume, I have all but given up hope. But then, my mood lifts. …Female. 24. Recent graduate. Bachelors in Wildlife Management. Looking for a short term, full time employment. New to the city. …hmm… interesting. I pull out my phone and punch in the phone number at the top of the resume.

"Hello?" The woman answers.

"Hi. My name is Arizona Robbins, I'm attempting to contact a…" I glance look for the name on the cover page. "…Jessica Wick."

"Speaking."

"Hi, Jessica. You submitted your resume for an animal caretaker position on a personal residence, and I was just calling you to ask a couple questions."

"Oh! …Ok, great." I can hear the shock and surprise in her voice.

"Is now a good time?" I ask, wanting to secure this woman as soon as possible before she is snatched up by any other employer looking.

"Yes, yes of course."

"Great, ummm… let's see. Besides your degree, do you have any experience with animals? Horses in particular."

"Yeah, I use to ride as a kid. I love em." She says. My heart starts to race a little, thinking I may have found a fellow rodeo girl.

"Like…rodeo?" I ask enthusiastically. She just laughs.

"No… no. I was an equestrian. You know, jumping the poles and all that. And I worked on a breeding farm a couple summers growing up." …perfect!

"Would you be averse to extra duties? …Of course you would be compensated equally."

There is a pause, then she asks "What do you mean?"

"I live on a large ranch outside of town and… there's a lot of land, which means a lot of maintenance. Now, I have regular grass cutters and all come by but what I would hire you on to do is not just watch the horses and care for them, but also perform some simple handyman jobs around the place. Fix a fence… paint a wall… things like that."

"If it means a job, yeah… I'm up for that." She replies energetically. "How many horses do you own?"

"Three right now, but I have a mare that is about to drop a foul any day." I say with pride.

"That's so exciting. It's always a sight to see. …And to let you know, I'm not certified but I have done a lot of medical care concerning equines." She says. …I want her. She's perfect.

"Yeah… look. I'm going to be straight with you. I have a stack of about 40 resumes and yours is the only one that comes close to what I want. I would really like for you to come out to my property so I can show you around, discuss the duties…see if you are willing to accept the job. We can talk salary then but… these are my babies. If you take good care of them, I'll take good care of you. I read in your resume that you are just recently returning to Seattle, correct?"

"Yes, that's correct. …I just moved back in with my parents until I find a steady paying job." She says almost embarrassingly.

"I have a guest house that you are more than welcome to move into. That would get you out of under your parents roof, and lessen the daily commute from having to drive out here from the city. …And as far as money… as long as you don't go out and buy diamonds and cars, you'll be covered. So… what do you say?"

"I say… I'll see you Monday?" Her smile is very evident in her tone, thinking she just hit the jackpot. …nothing is too much when it comes to Callie or my horses.

"Ok. Awesome. See you then." Hanging up the phone, I breathe a sigh of relief. Finding a qualified person to watch the horses has been a on the foremost part of my mind for weeks. I wasn't kidding with Callie when I told her I wouldn't be joining her on OUR honeymoon if I didn't feel comfortable with the person taking care of Skittles and the others. The remaining hours I spend checking in with Tom, making sure he and his team are still on schedule, and then I dive back into my research. The first few weeks it was like trying to read a classic novel in a foreign language, but slowly, bits of information are starting to stick and come together. …if it was easy everyone would do it.

"Hey Rodeo-Girl." A dry voice pulls my attention up from the textbook and composition book in front of me. Without even realizing it, day has turned to night. Christina has just stepped into the stables followed closely by Callie. The Asian doctor walks right past me and on to the stall with the pregnant mare. I stand and greet my fiancé properly, its been almost 13 hours since I've seen her and that's 13 hours too long. She walks up, pizza in one hand, and gives me a kiss.

"Hey baby." I growl, our lips millimeters apart.

"Mmmm…hey." She purrs and kisses me again.

"Hey hey hey… life is about to be brought in to this world. I would like my baby to remain innocent…at least for 5 minutes." Yang interrupts us. Callie and I laugh at the dry doctors humor as my fiancé sets to pizza down on the work bench. We each grab a slice and take a seat on the cot as I fill in the two doctors on the condition of the soon-to-be momma. The night is spent in pleasant conversation, Christina taking regular drags out of the tequila bottle she brought, and Callie and I sitting next to each other on the cot, leaning back against the wall. The skies open up and soon the only sound heard throughout the stables is the steady, deep breathing of the horses, the plinking of rain on the roof, and an occasional snore out of three sleeping women.

The sound of a large animal bedding down wakes me. Callie is asleep, her head on my shoulder and Christina is curled up in the sleeping bag on the floor. My ears tune in, not wanting to disturb Callie if I don't have to, and listen. When I hear the pregnant mare's labored breathing, I know the time has come.

"Cal…" I shake the woman on my shoulder. She groans, hating whatever or whoever is disturbing her precious sleep. "Callie… wake up babe." I shake her harder. Her head snaps up, momentarily confused by her surroundings. The place looks nothing like our bedroom, or even the on call room she occasionally spends a few hours in.

"What?" She growls as she tries to stretch out this kink in her neck. I get up and shake the doctor on the ground. She too groans but wakes quickly.

"Come on, she's ready." I say softly. Looking out the door of the stables, I can see the tip of the sun peaking up over the trees. Soon, three women step into the pregnant mares large birthing stall. I have my surgical gloves, towels and stethoscope, along with my bag of instruments just incase this delivery goes south.

"She's huge." Yang says, staring at the large belly of the horse.

"You would be too if you had an 85 pound baby in your uterus." I reply just as dryly. I've learned that you have to go word for word with the witty doctor if you are to earn her respect. Just as with the last birth I was at with Callie, I show Christina the ropes. She feels the contractions from the outside, and attempts to calm the laboring mother. Horses are very attuned to human emotions and personalities so I wasn't surprised that when Yang tried to soothe her, she just kept moving her head away from the woman.

"You remember what to do, Cal?" I ask. Callie's face registers shock but she nods. "Then do it." I say with a smile as I move towards to front end of the mother and gently stroke up and down her long face, giving her comfort and love. Still, Callie is shocked, uncertain of herself. "Go on, babe. I'm right here if you need help." Visibly swallowing, she moves to the business end of the horse and directs Christina just like I did with Callie. When the front legs are out, Yang takes a gentle grip and pulls slowly, aiding the mare in her delivery. As the foul plops out, sac still covering its face and body, I stand and join the women.

"Now pierce the sack…" Callie instructs, and Yang follows her directions. "…Then rub its nose and pat its chest to encourage it to breathe."

"What, no slap on the ass?" Yang shoots, trying to maintain her rough exterior but its useless. Her face has a huge smile on it. Looking at Callie, I see her mega-watt smile is adorned as well and it makes me smile. …you can't not smile at the birth of a horse. The two step back as I bring the stethoscope buds to my ears and exam the foal.

"Lungs sound good… Heart is strong…" I say. A quick peek between the legs, I stand and corral the women out of the stall to let the new mother have her time with her baby. "Congratulations, Christina. It's a girl." I let the other women watch the new addition for a while as I clean up our mess from last night. Soon, the new foal is on his feet and he shakily explores his new surroundings. The smile on the usually stoic doctors face is blinding.

"So?..." I ask the Asian. She glances at me for a fraction of a second then turns back to her new baby.

"We're even." She says. This pony was suppose to be a thank you for saving Callie's life. If it wasn't for Yang, my fiancé would have died on that OR table after she was shot. Hahn may have fixed her lung and other damage, but it was Yang that kept her alive long enough for the top Cardiothoracic surgeon to get here. Callie comes up behind me, wraps her arms around my waist and rests her chin on my shoulder. The three of us watch the new bundle of life in silence. All the while, I can't stop replaying that horrible day, the one that nearly cost me everything I hold dear. I lean back into Callie's embrace even more, needing to feel her breath on my neck, feel the strong pounding of her heart against my back.

…No, Christina, we'll never be even.

AN2: Ok… a little fluffy, I know. But, Yang was owed a pony and I wanted to deliver on that promise. Let me know. And as always, thanks in advance for all your kind words.