Chapter 26
"Arizona, I just came to check on you. Do you need anything?"
"No." Arizona is laying on their bed with her back facing the door. She doesn't turn around but continues to lay in the same position.
"You want me to stay in here with you?"
"No."
Callie sighs. "Ok. I um, I guess I'll go sleep in the guest room then. It's been a long day."
Much to her dismay, Arizona doesn't respond. Callie starts to ask another question but thinks better of it. "I'm just going to grab some clothes," she says regretfully. After she made it home this afternoon, she went ahead and unloaded the few bags she had with her. After she grabs what she needs, she stops at the door and turns around, quietly saying, "I love you." She was really hoping their reunion tonight would have ended differently. She had been looking forward to laying in her wife's arms.
3 hours earlier...
After dropping Zac off with Tim, the two women made their way to the Colonel and Barbara's. It was a mostly silent ride. Callie could see Arizona's nerves getting the better of her and she reached to hold her hand.
"Addie is arranging to have the mustang brought down by a flat bed. It was honestly a mistake to drive it down on the last trip. Talk about uncomfortable. I should have listened to her and flown the last time too."
"I was wondering where it was."
"It should be here in about a week. I need to go car shopping tomorrow though. I can't put Zac in there. He needs something safer."
"Sorry. I know you love it."
"I love you and Zac more. It's just a car. You want to go with me or do you want me to just take care of it while you are at work?"
"Sounds like you might need me to drive you around unless you are going to call a cab."
"Dad said mom is off tomorrow, so he said she could probably go with me. But, I thought maybe you might want to help pick it out."
"It doesn't matter. It's whatever you want," Arizona says somewhat disinterested.
Callie sighs. "I know you are nervous, but I think once we explain, they will be fine."
"We will see," Arizona says as they are pulling in the driveway. She takes in a deep breath and breathes out slowly.
"I love you, Arizona. I'm right here with you. Just remember, there's not much up for discussion at this point."
"Callie, I get what you are saying, but they are still my parents. I still want them to be on board with what I do," Arizona bites back almost a bit too harshly for Callie's liking.
Deciding it is better not to make the situation worse, Callie opens her door and heads to wait for Arizona at the front of the car.
Arizona finally follows suit and walks to meet Callie. Callie reminds Arizona, "I love you and I'll be right there with you. We can do this."
"I love you too."
Standing on the porch, Arizona gives Callie one more look before opening the door. "Let's get this over with," she says to the brunette.
Arizona leads the way into the house, surprised to find her parents are not in the living room where they usually are at this hour.
Walking further in, she hears voices coming from the kitchen.
"I just knew she was acting weird today. I can't believe she hid this from us."
Arizona stops in her tracks, looks back to Callie and says, they already know."
"Then we just need to go face it," Callie whispers back.
Arizona doesn't say anything, but nods. She leads them into the kitchen where her parents are seated around the table with a fresh newspaper spread out before them.
The Colonel was the first to see them, and he slowly sat the newspaper down and directed his undivided attention to the two newcomers.
"Arizona. Callie."
"Hey dad."
"Hello Colonel."
Both women continued to walk into the kitchen as Barbara stands from the table. "Arizona, I think you have some explaining to do."
Arizona nods and takes Callie's hand. "Mom, as I'm sure you just read, you know that Callie and I, well, the dissolution was final last week. And I know what you are thinking, but..."
Barbara cuts her off. "Arizona, I really don't think you have any idea what I'm thinking right now."
"Mom, would you let me explain, please?"
"Arizona, we raised you better than this. When you came in last week and had that shiny new ring on your finger, you told me you were renewing your vows. You totally left the part out that you weren't married anymore." Barbara begins pacing back and forth across the kitchen floor.
"I didn't tell you because we didn't know at the time."
"Arizona, how do you get divorced and not know it?"
"I signed the papers mom. I gave them to her. I told her to file them. But, she didn't. They were on her desk and someone let..." Arizona paused. She really didn't want to tell her mom this next part, but Callie didn't give her the option not to.
Callie knew at this point, honesty was once again the only road through this. Callie interrupted, "It's my fault. I had already signed the papers when I gave them to Arizona, when I was here last month. She was rightfully upset with me, signed them, and told me to file them when I left. But I didn't. I left them on my desk in the envelope, which was already addressed. Our secretary was out sick and we had a fill-in. The woman didn't know who or who not let in my office. She let Cameron, my, um, my ex-fiancé, in my office. The only thing I can figure is that she found them and to try to get back at me for leaving her, she mailed them. That was several weeks ago. I never went looking for the envelope after I put it on my desk because I didn't want to file them. So, I didn't realize they were missing until, well, until we received the finalized papers in the mail, after we got back from New York."
"And by then, she had already asked me to renew our vows. We didn't know about the papers until after she asked me," Arizona adds.
" So, once again, this mess has everything to do with Callie and you were drug right into it." Barbara is not a happy woman, listening to the story so far.
"Mom, it wasn't her fault."
"So, you don't think she is at fault for her ex-fiancé mailing your divorce papers? She shouldn't have had an ex-fiancé to begin with! She was married to you!"
"Barbara, come sit down," the Colonel says. "You are going to get yourself all worked up."
"I'm fine Daniel. Our daughter is the one you should be worried about."
He just shakes his head as Arizona moves closer to the table.
"There is something else you need to know."
"Do we even want to know?" Barbara snaps.
"Um, well, after we got the papers, I wasn't happy. I mean, we had already planned to renew our vows anyway, so we talked about doing another ceremony and making it official again. But, I didn't want to wait. So, I made plans to fly to Vegas, then asked Calliope to marry me... last Saturday. So, we flew to Vegas."
"Arizona! You mean to tell me, that not only were you divorced, but then you asked her to fly to Vegas to get married? And you didn't bother to tell us!"
"It's not exactly like it was totally planned out mom. And this isn't her fault. I didn't want to wait. I was impatient and I wanted to be married again."
The Colonel has been quiet up to this point. "Ladies, do you feel like maybe you might have rushed into this?"
"Dad, this is what we want. We both made mistakes but we realized we can't live without each other. We want this. This is what makes us happy. Callie is who makes me happy. And maybe I should have told you as everything was happening, but I wanted you both to support us. I was afraid mom wouldn't do that if she knew everything."
"Well, you are damn right about that Arizona. She walked out on you and left you when you needed her most. She cheated on you for crying out loud!"
"That's not quite how it was, mom. It was way more complicated than that. And she was never in love with her. I know you don't understand that, but it's the truth."
"Arizona, I can't believe you had a way out and then walked right back into it. People don't change. If she did it once, she will do it again."
Callie has had about enough of Barbara Robbins at this point. "You know what, I made a mistake. I know I messed up. I hated myself almost as much as you do, for a long time. I thought I was doing the best thing for her by staying away, so I get that you think this is a mistake. But, I love your daughter and..."
"You love her so much you were going to marry someone else, huh?"
"Mom! That's enough. I love you, but she is my wife. Like I said, we both made mistakes. I forgive her, for everything. And she loves me as much as I love her. And she loves Zac. I would go through everything a million times over to be standing here again as her wife. So, that's enough. I'm not going to just stand here and let you keep berating her for mistakes that she has already apologized for. She doesn't need to explain herself to you any more than I do."
"Arizona. I can't believe you are talking to me this way."
"Well, I can't believe you are not taking into account that she makes me happy. I love her and I have waited years for this. I'm not going to let you ruin this for me."
"I think you need to leave then."
"Mom..."
"Now Arizona. I don't like this and I don't have to support it."
"I'm not asking you to like it. This is my life. This is what I want and what makes me happy. You don't get a say in that. It's my decision. Whether you support it or not, I love her and I will be spending the rest of my life with her."
"That's what you thought the first time."
"Mom, that's enough. I don't need your approval. But I thought you respected me enough to trust my judgement."
"Barbara, Arizona is right. It's her decision to make for herself, not for us to make it for her. If this is what she wants, I support her."
"Well, speak for yourself, I don't. I can't and I won't. I love you Arizona, but I can't support you when you are making decisions like this." Barbara shakes her head and then walks out of the room, leaving the three of them standing there.
"Arizona..." Callie says, reaching to take Arizona's hand. Arizona pulls it away though.
The Colonel watches them as he says, "Your mom will come around. Just like you want the best for Zac, she wants the best for you. She just doesn't want to see you get hurt again."
"Well, she is the one doing a good job of hurting me right now," Arizona says. "Dad, we both made mistakes, but we have moved past it. Calliope makes me so happy, why can't mom just be happy for me?"
"Arizona, I can't say I don't see where she is coming from. It can be a little concerning. But, I trust you. I trust your judgment. If you say this is what you want, then I support you."
"Thank you, dad." She says rushing over to give him a hug.
"But mom, she…"
"She will come around. There is too much for her to miss out on if she doesn't. Now, you guys get out of here. I'm sure Callie just got back from New York?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then I'm sure you two have some catching up to do. Go home, we will see you tomorrow morning with Zac?"
Callie spoke up. "Actually, sir, if Arizona doesn't mind, I'll keep him with me. I have some things to do but he can come with me."
"Alright then. Well, you two, enjoy your evening."
"Dad, I'm really sorry I didn't tell you."
"Arizona, I'm going to let you in on a secret. I already knew. All of it. But, I knew how your mom was going to take it, so I let you take the lead. Remember, I'm the Colonel. I have my ways."
Arizona stands, a little bit in shock. "You knew?"
"Yep. I protect my family at all times. I didn't see where you needed my protection this time. So I let it be. Like I said, I trust you and your judgement."
He turns to look at Callie. "You will love and protect them both from here on out. They will be your first priority. As long as we agree on that, I don't see any problems. We all make mistakes and if Arizona forgives you, so do I."
"I promise, sir. They are both my first priority. I love them both. I've made mistakes but you have my word, I have learned from them. I'll never make those same mistakes again."
"Alright then. That's good enough for me. You two get out of here. Give your mom some time. She will come around."
With one last hug to the Colonel, they leave and make their way to Tim's.
A few minutes into the ride, and Arizona still hasn't said anything, so Callie breaks the silence. "You know, if there was something I could do to make this better for you, I would. I know this is hard on you and I'm sorry for that."
"Can we just not talk about it right now? I just need time to process."
"Um, yeah. That's... fine."
It seems like an eternity passes until they finally get to Tim's. When they pull in, Arizona says, "If you want to stay here, I'll grab him. Might be quicker that way."
"Oh, sure. I'll just wait here then."
Arizona, hurries in to grab Zac, and true to her word, she is quick. Tim follows her out carrying Zac, who has fallen asleep and buckles him up.
"Thanks for watching him, Tim. We will talk to you soon."
"Wait... aren't you going to tell me how it went?"
"There Isn't much to say. Dad was ok with it, claims he already knew. Mom asked me to leave. So, there you have it."
"She really asked you to leave?" Tim asks, surprised.
"Yep. She uh, she said she can't and won't support it. And that's about it."
"She will come around. She's just mad you didn't tell her."
"I think it will be a while before she ever comes around. I mean, she probably won't even watch Zac now. I'll probably have to find someone."
"Did she say that?"
"She doesn't have to. She asked me to leave. If she doesn't want me there, it's hard to take Zac and pick him up. And the funny thing is, dad still asked before we left if I was bringing him in the morning. Luckily, Calliope said she would watch him tomorrow. I wasn't even sure what to say to him."
"She isn't going to cut Zac off, Arizona. She might not like the situation right now, but she won't take it out on him."
"You think her not wanting me there is not taking it out on him? And this isn't a 'situation' Tim. This is my life. This is more than something that will end in a week or two."
"I understand that. But, I think she will realize has immature she is being about it. It's your life to live. She has a lot to miss out on if she can't get past it."
"Well, I don't think she cares about that right now."
"But, she will. Just give her time. She is a lot like you that way, or I guess I could say you are like her. You both need time to process things. You're both the same that way. But when she has had that time, I think she will see what everyone else sees. And that, is that you two love each other and have been given a second chance. Just do me a favor..."
"What's that?"
"Don't take this out on Callie. You are upset with mom, not her. I know how you are, and you need to let Callie be there for you. I know not having mom on your side is eating away at you. But she is the one who is wrong, not you. Callie has went above and beyond to be here with you right now. So, let her."
Arizona just nods. "Well, Callie is waiting. Thanks again, Tim."
After getting back in the car, Callie watches Arizona. She couldn't hear what she and Tim talked about but can guess it was about the events of the evening. She leaves Arizona to her thoughts and they ride the rest of the way home in silence.
Once home, Callie offers to carry Zac upstairs. She pulls back his covers and lays him down. She pulls his shoes off and decides his athletic shorts and t-shirt are just as comfy as pajamas, so she covers him up instead of taking the risk of waking him as she puts on pajamas.
Deciding she is going to get ready for bed, she walks into their room to grab pajamas. She sees Arizona laying on the bed and decides to wait. She walks in and sits on the bed but Arizona then turns to face the other way.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Arizona, we need to talk about it. I know you are feeling a million things right now and it would probably help to talk."
"I don't want to talk right now. My mom doesn't want to see me and there is really nothing else to say right now."
"You can tell me how you feel about that."
"I don't want to talk about Callie. I already told you that."
"Ok. We can just lay here. We don't have to talk."
"I'd rather just be alone for now."
Disappointed in Arizona's behavior, Callie scoots off the bed rather quickly. "Sure. If that's what you want, we can wait. But we will have to talk eventually."
Arizona doesn't respond, so Callie sighs and leaves the room. She walks downstairs and pours herself a glass of wine. Today was supposed to be great. It was going to be her first official night back at home since they were remarried. They hadn't seen each other in over a week. It was supposed to be a good evening.
Callie sips on her wine and thinks about Arizona. She always wants time alone when she is upset. She has always been like this. Even back in high school if it was something as simple as a bad test grade or a fight with Tim, she always wanted to be alone. It's always frustrated Callie, more so now than ever before. She was hoping Arizona would have gotten past it, but she can see now it's not the case.
After a few glasses of wine, she realizes Arizona isn't coming down and the events of the day have left her exhausted. She takes her glass and the bottle of wine back to the kitchen and heads upstairs.
"Arizona, I just came to check on you. Do you need anything?"
"No." Arizona is laying on their bed with her back facing the door. She doesn't turn around but continues to lay in the same position.
"You want me to stay in here with you?"
"No."
Callie sighs. "Ok. I um, I guess I'll go sleep in the guest room then. It's been a long day."
Much to her dismay, Arizona doesn't respond. Callie starts to ask another question but thinks better of it. "I'm just going to grab some clothes," she says regretfully. After she made it home this afternoon, she went ahead and unloaded the few bags she had with her. After she grabs what she needs, she stops at the door and turns around, quietly saying, "I love you." She was really hoping their reunion tonight would have ended differently. She had been looking forward to laying in her wife's arms.
Just as she is walking through the door, Arizona seems to remember what Tim said, and says, "Calliope! Wait!"
Callie stops and turns back around to see Arizona scooting off the bed and standing up. She walks over to Callie and takes one of her hands in her own.
"Don't go. I'm sorry, I just needed some time to think. I'm not trying to shut you out. I just needed a few minutes to wrap my head around everything. It's not your fault. I didn't mean to make you feel bad or that I didn't want you here. I don't want you to ever feel like I don't want you. I'm sorry."
"It's ok. I know how you are. Some things never change," Callie says giving Arizona a sad smile. "I knew you just needed time. I was hoping I wouldn't have had to sleep in the guest room, but I would have if it was what you needed."
"I'm sorry. What I need, is to feel your arms around me. I've missed you. I just needed to sort out how I was feeling I guess. It's hard to talk about it when you don't understand it yourself."
"How about this... we get changed, we get in bed, I hold you, and we can save all talking for tomorrow. I just want to feel you in my arms tonight."
"Calliope, this is why I love you so much. You seem to know what I need before I do. Thank you... for even coming back up to check on me. You had every right to be upset with how I was acting."
"Well, I can't say I was happy about it, but I know from past history you just needed some time."
"Calliope, I am sorry. I need to do much better about it. I should be able to process with you there with me. I'll work on doing better. I promise."
"That's all I can ask. I love you."
"I love you too, Calliope. Now, come hold me?"
"Nothing else I would rather do..." Callie says, quietly shutting the bedroom door.