Another two weeks had passed and Callie sat in her bed, head resting in her hands, crying uncontrollably. Axel and Dash were sound asleep in their nursery, Arizona had been called in for an emergency surgery, and Ace was at daycare.
"What is wrong with meeeee?" the brunette wailed into her dark bedroom.
The twins turned a month old today, and every day since coming home, this was Callie's life. For the 27th day in a row, Callie cried, tears streaming down her face, chest tight, and breathing labored. This was the norm whenever the Latina was alone; when her wife and family were around, she put on a brave face, a smile, but in the quiet of her dark room, she sobbed.
"I-I can't f-f-fucking stop!" Callie yelled this time, anger beating out sadness.
Suddenly, Callie reached for the water on her night stand; she gripped it in her strong hand, eyeing the clear glass before throwing it across the room with all her might. The glass hit the wall and shattered causing the Latina to break out in sobs again.
"I can't keep doing this," Callie whispered to herself, "I need to get myself under control."
Not two minutes after Callie threw the glass at the wall, her cell phone vibrated on the bed next to her; Arizona was calling.
After taking a moment to compose herself, Callie answered the phone, "Hello?"
"Hey, babe, how's your afternoon?"
The Latina sighed, she couldn't tell Arizona the truth because she didn't even know the truth herself, "It was good. The boys just went down about fifteen minutes ago, I was about to lie down and nap myself. Do you know when you'll be home?"
Arizona spoke to someone in passing before getting back to the conversation with her wife, "I'm actually heading to my office now to grab my stuff, then I'm gunna get Ace and head home. Do we need anything?"
"Um, I'm not really up for cooking tonight, could you stop and get takeout?"
"Chinese ok?"
"Yeah, that's fine," Callie looked at the time on her phone, "I'm going take a nap before you get home and the twins wake up."
"Oh, ok," Arizona sighed as she dropped onto the couch in her office, "I'll be home in about an hour. I love you."
Callie mumbled and 'I love you' back to her wife before hanging up the phone and dropping it onto the blonde's pillow, "I'll just take a short nap. I'll be fine when I wake up."
It was about an hour and a half later that Arizona trudged into the house. Ace was whining next to her because he wanted pizza for dinner but Arizona refused to stop at two places because it had started pouring as they'd left the hospital.
"Ace, can you go put your toys away please?"
"No! Want pizza!" He yelled as he stomped his foot.
Arizona sighed, running a hand threw soaked blonde locks, "Go to your room if this is how you're gunna act. I'm not dealing with it. And if you keep yelling and wake up your brothers or Momma, you're gunna be in big trouble."
Ace eyed his blonde mother, almost testing her, until he saw the look in her eye and ran straight for his room. The blonde let out another sigh has she dropped the food in the kitchen before making her way to the nursery to check on the twins; both babies laid in their cribs, staring at their mobiles, not a care in the world.
"Calliope?" Arizona called as she left the nursery and headed for the bedroom she shared with the brunette.
Callie, who hadn't fallen asleep, was sitting in bed, crying again and never heard Arizona come in the house or yelling her name. The brunette was so wrapped up in herself, tears falling hard, she never heard the bedroom door open, either.
"Calliope," Arizona rushed to the brunette's side, "What's wrong, baby?"
Callie sniffled and wiped her eyes, "I'm fine, I'm fine. I uh… I stubbed my toe on the thing…"
"The thing? What thing, Cal?"
"Just … the thing, Arizona, Jesus, get off my back!" Callie snapped and climbed out of the bed and into the twins' nursery."
"Callie!" Arizona called after her wife, chasing the Latina into the nursery, "What is your problem?"
Callie whipped around, "Right now, you're my fucking problem, Arizona. Just leave me alone!"
Arizona blinked, clearly taken aback by her wife's attitude, "Um, wow, ok. I think I'm gunna go shower. Can, uh, can you handle the kids alone for a few minutes or…?"
"Yes, I can handle my own children. What kind of parent do you think I am?"
"Right," Arizona nodded and walked away, holding back tears from the attitude she'd gotten from her wife.
"Ma," Ace whispered from his bedroom door.
Arizona stopped in front of the room, "Hey, bud. What's up?"
"Momma mad a mi?"
Arizona frowned, Ace had heard Callie yelling and now he was worried she was upset with him, "No, bud, Momma isn't mad at you. Let's go see her, ok?"
Arizona and Ace made their way to Axel and Dashiel's nursery, the small brunette shyly walking a few steps behind the blonde.
"Calliope," Arizona called softly into the room.
"What, Arizona?"
Clearing her throat, Arizona ushered the boy in the room, "Ace heard you yelling and thinks you're mad at him. He got kind of whiney about the Chinese food for dinner and I told him to be good or you'd be upset. Now, even though he did nothing wrong, he thinks you're upset with him."
"Oh, Mijo," Callie cried as she pulled her son into her arms. "Lo siento, Mijo, Momma isn't mad at you, I promise."
"Why don't you and Ace go spend some time together? Have dinner with him, I'll take care of Ax and Dash. When was the last time they ate?"
"They need to be fed," Callie placed Ace back onto the floor, "Let me feed your brothers, Mijo, while Mommy showers and when we're done, you and Momma have a date with dinner and some Elmo. Sound good?"
Ace nodded, "Bien, I go play, Ax y Dash drink."
"I'm gunna hit the shower," Arizona spoke with a hand rubbing the back of her neck. "Are you ok with them?"
Callie nodded, "Arizona, I'm sorry, for earlier."
"Mm, it's … don't worry about it. I'll go shower then take care of the twins so you and Ace can have some Momma and son time. I won't be long."
"Arizona-" Callie didn't get the finish her sentence as the blonde strode off toward their bedroom. "Jesus, I fucked up."
A half hour later, entered the twins' nursery to see Callie gently laying Dash in his crib.
"They down?"
Callie turned and eyed the blonde, "Yeah, fed, burped, and changed, they'll be asleep for a few hours. Why don't you come have dinner with me and Ace, I'm sure he'd love to have some uninterrupted time with both his mothers."
Arizona shook her head, "No, that's ok. I'm not very hungry anyway, I think I'll just go lay down. I'll take the monitor, and keep an ear out for the babies. You spend time with your son."
"Our son, Arizona," Callie sighed.
"He's our son now? So, he's your son when you're mad at me for … whatever stupid reason, but when you're good, he's our son?" Arizona nodded, "Got it. Just wanted to make sure I had it right."
"Arizona, please?"
The blonde shook her head, "No, I'm all set. Ace is waiting for you and it's already 6, he only has two hours till bedtime."
Callie just dropped her head, sighing, before heading to Ace's room.
Arizona had no idea what to do; Callie had never treated her like this, sure they've gotten into fights and stupid arguments but this was like nothing else. As the blonde stalked off to the bedroom she shared with Callie, she began thinking about the mood swings in the last hour or so. And then, she began thinking about all the times Callie insisted on showering alone. At first she thought the showering alone was because Callie still wasn't happy with her body but now…
"Post-partum depression," Arizona sighed and palmed her forehead. "How did I not see this sooner?"
Ok, so, short chapter. I've been... all over the place mentally so I apologize for the sucky, short, take forever to post chapters. Forgive me?
~Elijah