A/N: So this will be a 'calm' Chapter. Will be our ladies spending the day with Sofia. The three will venture out as a family day. I did a lot of google search on this Chapter and have given Googles explanation so you all can get a feel for each stop.
Callie's POV
We sit down to breakfast and discuss what we are going to do today. Between Arizona and I with Sofia's input we've decided to make a whole day out as a family. With breaks for Arizona to rest we have decided to hit a few places today. We will start at the Seattle Children's Museum, then hit the Seattle Aquarium, then Pike Place Market and end the day at Space Needle. Once we get breakfast done and get everything cleaned up and everyone is dressed in comfy clothes and ready to go it's about 8:30am.
Our first stop is the Children's Museum. We get parked and make our way in. Sofia is so excited she's bouncing on her heels, I look over and it seems someone else is too. I giggle at mother and daughter. You would never know these 2 are not biologically mother and daughter. Sofia is so much like Arizona.
We make our way in and to the Cog City section. (Information FROM GOOGLE in Purple) Our Cog City exhibit prompts questions about cause and effect, and the science behind motion. Renovated in 2014 with inspiration from the STEM filled book The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan, this exhibit is full of many different sized balls to hypothesize about velocity, gravity, and balance. Kids can scoop up the balls and drop them into tubes, place them in air flow pipes, or move them up a conveyor belt. This exhibit also has a large soft-play area where little ones can safely explore while older siblings enjoy the larger exhibit.
Sofia is having an amazing time with the science behind all this. We slowly make our way around. Sofia, Arizona and I are all having a great time interacting with everything in here. From here we make our way over to something Sofia has seen and couldn't wait to get there. We get to The Fort Adventure. Building a fort, clubhouse or tent is an adventure of childhood. With imagination as your guide, an old sheet and a kitchen table can become a fort atop a mountain or a clubhouse for friends.
Inside Fort Adventure, families can work together to imagine, plan and build their own fort, clubhouse or tent. Supplies abound ranging from tires to stacks of shoe boxes to sheets and blankets. Working together, the building space inside this exhibit undergoes a transformation.
"Mommy, this is so cool, can we build a fort tonight in the living room and sleep in it?"
Somehow I knew this was going to come up as soon as we set foot into this section. How can I say no to her?
"We'll see baby girl"
"And can Mama stay in it with us?"
I look over to Arizona and see her trying to hold in her giggles. She knows when it comes to Sofia, there's not much I wouldn't say yes to. I give her a look that tells her she better answer our daughter.
"Let's get through the rest of the day Sofia and once we get back to mommy's house we will see what's going on okay?"
"Okay mama"
"Thank you" I whisper to Arizona as I grab her hand as we continue our way around the place.
From here we make our way over to the Sound Transit Our friends at Sound Transit are helping us teach children about the importance of public transportation. Not only is this an amazing place to play with trains, pretend to be a conductor and wait at an authentic station, but it's also where our families stop to have lunch! Just like a real train or bus station, this is the first stop for many of our families with strollers. After you park, you're off to experience our neighborhood and beyond!
Arizona and I take a seat to get some lunch and let her rest a little. Sofia takes off for the trains but stays in the area around us so we can keep an eye on her.
"How's the leg?"
"It's good, but I did need this little rest!"
"We will rest quite a bit today so it's not so hard on you"
"Sounds good to me, thank you for this Calliope. I am having a lot of fun and I can see the excitement in Sofia as the day progresses. I've missed her smile and giggle so much."
"Yeah, it's been amazing seeing her today. She's all smiles and I don't think it's just where we are; might have something to do with spending a whole day with both her moms"
"I really am enjoying today too. I love us all spending time together as a family"
"Me too Arizona, me too"
Once we finish lunch we collect Sofia and get her to eat a little before we head out of here and make our way to the Aquarium. We slowly make our way across town and find a parking spot. We get inside and get our tickets and we let Sofia lead us around here. After all, today is all about her.
We start off at the Window on Washington Waters. Sofia loves looking at all the fishes. We watch them for a little bit then move along to the Crashing Waves. Sofia loves the sound of them. From there we move along to the touch pool, Sofia keeping her hand in the water. Next we are at the moon Jellies and Sofia laughs at these creatures. She thinks they're funny with the way they 'swim'. We keep moving along and end up in the Birds section. We all take in all the birds in this exhibit.
From the birds we are watching the sea otters and harbor seals. Then down to the Northern Fur Seals. We make our way to the River Otters from there. Next stop is the underwater marine mammal viewing. And last but not least our last stop in here is the underwater dome. We take a little longer in here just watching all the fish swimming by and around us. I snap a few pictures of Arizona and Sofia in here. Once we get back to the car and I look at a clock, I notice it's about 3pm. We still have time before the market place closes so that's our next stop.
We make our way there, park and make our way in. We hit the farmers market, the craft market, stop and taste some specialty foods from around the world. We hit the independent shops and shop around a little. We keep taking little breaks to rest and let Arizona sit down for a bit. While we are sitting at one point I look over and see some street performers and point them out to the girls. Arizona looks like she needs a bit more rest
"Calliope, I can see them from here, why don't you take Sofia a little closer so she can watch them?"
"No Arizona, we are fine here"
"Honestly Calliope, I need to rest a little bit longer and I can see them from here. Take her over there so she can see them a little better"
"Please mommy, it looks like fun"
"Well, how am I supposed to say no to that? Come on munchkin; let's go see what they're doing"
"Arizona, are you sure you're okay here?"
"Yes Calliope, I will be fine. I'll be right here when you're done."
I lean down and give her a kiss on the lips and when I pull back I give her a big smile. Sofia hugs her and looks up to me.
"Mommy, can I get on your shoulders so I can see them better?"
"Of course baby girl. Get up on the table here and climb on"
She gets on the top and I sit down and she climbs aboard. She giggles a little as I stand up and try to adjust to her weigh on my shoulders. We turn and wave to Arizona and off we go. We get up there and Sofia is laughing at their antics. One of them sees her up there and comes closer to us. He is making animals with balloons and looks up to her.
"Hi there little miss. And what's your name?"
"S-Sofia"
"What a pretty name. Well Sofia, what is your favorite animal?"
"I love monkeys, mommy loves tigers and mama loves dogs"
"Wow, really? Well let's see what we can do for you then shall we" and he winks at me.
He sets about making the dog, the tiger and then the monkey and Sofia and I are both enthralled with it all.
"And is this mommy or mama under you?"
"This is mommy; mama is over there with the yellow hair"
"She is huh? Well what do you say we go talk to her and give her her little doggie?"
"OH, she will love it"
We turn around and make our way back to Arizona.
"Mama, mama guess what?"
"What baby girl?"
"This man made you a dog wif balloons!"
"He did? Wow that's pretty cool huh?"
"It's so cool mama, he made mommy a tiger and me a monkey"
"Wow!"
He winks at Arizona and passes her the dog. He leans back up and passes Sofia the monkey. I lean over and get Sofia off my shoulders and sitting beside Arizona. He then passes me the tiger he made for me. I secretly pass him a $20 for the entertainment. He takes a bow and turns around and off he goes.
"Mommy, that was so cool. What are we going to do now?"
"Well I thought we could go to the space needle and grab some dinner then head home"
We all make our way out to the car. I load our bags into the trunk and our 'animals' in the backseat with Sofia. We all get buckled in and pull out of the market. We make our way over to the needle and Sofia looks WAY up top
"Mommy, are we going all the way up there?"
"We were going to Sof, but if you think you won't like it we can stay down here and find something to eat."
"Can we try it mommy? It is a long way up there, we won't fall will we?"
"No baby girl, it's perfectly safe. Mama and I have been up there before."
"You have?"
"Yup we have"
"Okay, let's go. But can we go up and come back down and maybe get pizza for dinner at home?"
I look over to Arizona and get a nod from her "Of course baby, you can hold onto mama and my hands okay. You have to tell us if you get scared though okay?"
"Okay mommy"
We make our way to the line-up and wait our turn. Once we are called to go up Sofia grabs mine and Arizona's hand and we're off. We start the climb up and Sofia is tightening her grip a little bit.
"Are you okay Sof?"
"Yes mama, but my ears feel funny"
"Okay baby girl, watch me and do what I do okay?" Arizona makes a face that look a little like a 'blow fish' and 'pops' her ears. Sofia follows suit and she giggles when her ears 'pop'.
"All better baby girl?"
"Yes, thank you mama"
We get up top and onto the observation deck. Sofia grabs on a little tighter as she looks out and all she can see is clouds. I bend over and pick her up into my arms and let her look out the windows a little better.
"Wow mommy this is way far up"
"It sure is baby girl. Are you okay?"
"Yes, just don't let go of me please?"
"Never baby"
I reach out with my free hand and grab Arizona hand while we walk around a little bit. I can tell Sofia is starting to get a little tired and Arizona looks like she's ready to call it a day. I get them to the elevator and start back down towards the ground. Once we get out of the elevator I put Sofia back down and I think she's pretty happy not to be up there no more. We make our way over to the car and get all buckled in. I place my hand on Arizona's thigh.
"You okay?"
"Yup, just getting a little tired, someone kept me up all night" and she sends me a wink
I lean over towards her and whisper in her ear "I'm not sorry and I didn't hear you complaining last night!"
"That will never happen!"
"Okay, do you want me to drop you at home or do you want to come home with us for dinner and sleep?"
"Oh pizza for dinner and sleeping in a fort tonight sounds amazing to me!"
"Yay, pizza and a fort!" we hear from the back seat
I just shake my head at their antics and pull out and make our way home.
Arizona's POV
Once we get to Callie's she lets us in and goes back to the car to grab the bags. I make my way into her room to change into jammies and take my leg off. I know it will be a little red and swollen but it was so worth it for the day we all had today. I make my way back out to the living room and collapse on the couch.
"Sofia, go put your pajamas on and get ready for bed and I will order pizza for dinner then we can build our fort"
"Okay mommy" and off she goes.
Callie goes and changes into her pajamas and grabs all the pillows and blankets she can find. She comes out and starts to build the fort with a little help from me and Sofia. We finish that and she orders the pizzas. We decide on a movie to watch while we're waiting and Callie has gotten us all a drink from the kitchen just in time to get the pizzas that just arrived.
We sit in our fort and eat our pizza and sit back for the movie. Sofia is snuggled in between Callie and I. We finish our dinner and Callie gets up to clean up. She comes back and snuggle into us girls. I'm just getting comfy and then that damn pager goes off! I hope it's not mine.
"NO! Not now" Callie gets up to check the pager.
"Sorry ladies, it's a 911; looks like I got to go to work for a bit. Arizona will you be okay here?"
"Yes Calliope, we will be fine. Go be a rock star!"
"Wow, didn't realize I missed THAT so much"
Callie leans down and gives Sofia and kiss and hug then comes my way and wraps me up in her arms. Places a gentle kiss on my lips and says she'll be back as soon as she can.
Callie's POV
Of course my damn pager would interrupt my time with the girls but it's all part of my job. I rush into the bedroom and change after giving my girls their hugs and kiss and then say good bye to them and out the door I go.
I can only hope this 911 isn't going to be a long one. I make my way to the hospital and in through the emergency doors. There's a nurse there to assist me gown up and I look over and see Kepner manning the desk.
"Kepner, what do we got?"
"Dr. Torres. Patient is in exam room 2, patient on a 4-wheeler when it flipped and rolled into a tree. He has massive lacerations all over and what looks like a broken femur, broken ankle, and broken arm"
"Damn, okay. Let's go take a look shall we?"
Once we get in the exam room I introduce myself and take a look at the injuries. I get plastics paged to take a look at his face while I look further into the ankle, arm and femur. I know he needs surgery so I get someone to call for an OR stat.
Once I get to the OR and scrubbed in, I get to work to try and save this guy's leg. It certainly is bringing back some bad memories. All I can think about is Arizona on this table and the promise I broke to her. I can feel the tears starting to well up in my eyes and I close my eyes and fight them off. Now is not the time to break down, I need to get these thoughts out of my head and get to work.
About 7 hours later I am standing at the sink, scrubbing out. I can finally have my little melt down. I stand there for a few minutes and just let the tears fall. I am beat, to say the least. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, spent all day out and about with the munchkin and Arizona and then had to come in here. I grab my phone out of my pocket and notice a missed message from Arizona.
Hey, it's me. We tried to wait up for you but it was getting pretty late. We will probably be asleep when you get home. Please wake me – A xo
I make my way up to get changed. I notice the time is almost 4am. Yup, they'll defiantly be asleep, where I hope to be soon. I get changed and head out. Once I pull into the driveway I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. I park the car, get out and lock it up. Make my way to the door and unlock it as quietly as possible so I don't wake anyone. They left the light on in the kitchen for me. I make my way there and grab a quick drink of water and shut off the light. I go back into the bedroom to change back into my pajamas. As quietly as I can I climb back into our fort with the girls and I notice the Sofia is snuggled up into Arizona's side. Snug as a bug! I take out my phone and snap a quick picture, before crawling in and onto the other side of Arizona. I get under the covers and notice her shirt has risen up a little bit. I wrap my arm around her and draw random pictures on her tummy. She starts to stir and she looks up to me
"Hey you"
"Hey yourself" I say as I lean down and gently kiss her.
"Are you just getting home now?"
"Yup, a few minutes ago"
"You look beat and you also look like you have been crying. Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, it is now that I'm back here with you two. Just had a patient come in with some severe injuries and brought back some bad memories."
"Oh Callie, I'm so sorry. Do you want to talk about it?"
"Yes I think I do but can it wait till tomorrow? I'm so tired and I just want to curl up into you two and sleep for a while."
"Sounds like a perfect plan to me babe, c'mere" she holds open her arms and I lie down and snuggle deep into her side. I place a gentle kiss on her lips and lie back down for some much needed sleep
"Good night Calliope"
"Good night Arizona"
A/N: Okay, so I know absolutely nothing about medical jargon. I used google. I also googled things for kids to do in Seattle, hence the places they visited today. Sorry for ANY mistakes, they are all mine.