A/N

It's been a long week, but welcome back. And as always, I have enjoyed your reviews :)

Chapter 34

"That's disgusting, you know?" Alex Karev indicates to my casted leg that I'm currently trying to scratch with a pencil.

"I know, but I don't even care. I'm so sick of this thing. It's been three weeks and all I can think about is how itchy my leg is," I whine while still scratching my leg.

"I know what you mean. I broke my arm a bunch as a kid and it sucked. How much longer do you have to wear it?"

"At least three more weeks," I roll my eyes. "I'm going to have a new born in three weeks, I don't know what I'm supposed to do while I have this stupid cast on and am forced to walk around with crutches."

"That I have no advice on," he laughs. "Are you going to make it to finals?"

"I plan on it. I'm honestly surprised that Callie has made it this far. She's due the week of finals, but she didn't want to start her leave too soon. She said it's because she would be too bored, but I think she wants to wait it out because it's her first year. I shouldn't have to but if I will start my leave early if she needs me."

"Well, don't worry about your classes. I've got everything on lock down, boss. And Jo said that your girl has impeccable notes so her classes are in good hands as well."

"My girl? I think you mean Professor Torres, Karev," I glare teasingly. I really do love working with him. "But seriously, you're a great TA. I have no worries leaving my classes in your hands. And I know that you will help Jo."

"She doesn't need me to help," he grins. "You should see how organized her shit is. I'm actually learning something."

"Well, I guess that's how Stark got away with so much."

He rolls his eyes, "That guy's a prick. I don't think he's even been on campus for a month."

"You're right. And as much as I hate to say it, at least Jo is prepared to work alone."

He nods and goes back to his work. I try to go back to my work but I end up just going back to scratching at my leg. I let out a sigh of relief when I hit a particularly itchy spot and I can hear Alex chuckle. Several minutes pass in silence until it's broken by his phone ringing. I try not to listen but when I hear him tell the person on the other line that we are together I tune my ears in.

"Okay, meet us in the parking garage. We will be right there," he says before hanging up.

"What's wrong, why does your face look like that?"

"That was Jo. She and Callie just got out of class and she says that Callie is having contractions. We have to go."

"What?" I exclaim. "She can't be having contractions! She's only thirty-seven weeks. We just saw the doctor this morning."

"Let's walk and talk," he says as he grabs my elbow to guide me out of the room. "Thirty-seven weeks is fine. I'm sure she's fine."

"Then why are you pulling at my arm like that? You're going to make me fall," I shrug him off and he looks at me sheepishly.

"Sorry," he mumbles as we step into the elevator.

Stepping out into the parking garage I immediately spot Callie leaning up against her car. I quicken my wobbly pace and get to her as quickly as I can. "Are you okay? How far apart are they? Did your water break?"

"No, my water didn't break. It hurts but I don't know how far apart, I wasn't timing them," she answers while holding her belly.

"I'll drive you if that's okay. I know that it's hard with the cast and all," Alex suggests.

"Yeah, that's fine, thank you. I'll ride in back with Callie. Jo, are you coming?"

"Um, no I don't need to come. I just wanted to make sure she got down here okay."

"Why don't you follow me in my car in case they need to stay in the hospital?" Alex suggests.

"Uh, yeah okay. I'll see you soon, be safe," and with a kiss they part. Karev gets into the driver's seat of Callie's car and we load into the back. Once we are out of the parking garage I make a phone call to Jamie to have her meet us at the hospital.

"She said she will be right there. But to not worry too much because your water hasn't broken," I tell Callie as I hold her hand allowing her to squeeze it if she needs to.

"Thirty-seven weeks is too early. He's not full term. We're not ready. I'm not ready!"

"Jamie said he was right on track today. But don't think about what could be wrong. We are ready. His room is ready. We've read all the books; you're going to be great. You will be a wonderful mother," I continue to do my best to soothe her.

"We're here," Alex announces as he pulls up to the emergency bay of Seattle Grace. "I'll grab someone and then park the car." He hops out and soon a nurse is opening the back door to help Callie into a wheelchair.

"Thank you, Alex. You don't have to stay."

"I know, but if you don't mind I would like to," he responds with a light blush.

I smile, "Yeah, I would like that."

He drives off and I follow behind the nurse as she wheels Callie into a room, "Dr. Maddox called to let us know you were coming in. She should be here in a few minutes. I'll help you into a gown and then get you set up on the machine to monitor your blood pressure and heart beat as well as the baby's."

I do my best to help as Callie undresses and follows the nurse's instructions. Once she is set up and in bed the nurse leaves and it's less than ten minutes when the doctor arrives. "Hello again ladies, sorry to keep you waiting. Callie, are you still feeling the contractions?"

"Yes, but I'm having trouble timing them."

"Are they too close together?" She asks as she looks at Callie's chart.

"No, it's just that they aren't consistent," Callie answers just as another contraction hits her and she squeezes my hand as she breaths through the pain.

"Okay, well that lasted about thirty seconds. The printout will tell us how far apart they are. But it sounds to me like Braxton Hicks. How long have you been having them?"

"Since about an hour after our appointment this morning," she answers and I look up in shock.

"Calliope, that was hours ago. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I was in class and they were very small at first, I didn't truly notice them until right before Jo called you, I promise."

"I don't want you to get worked up. Either of you. Braxton Hicks are perfectly normal. If that is truly what this is they should hopefully go away soon."

"What if it's labor. Is thirty-seven weeks healthy for giving birth?" I question somewhat nervously.

"It's a little early. Full term as you know is at week thirty-nine. But luckily he was in a good position this morning. He is right on track for weight and development. It this is it we have everything we need to make sure that he's taken care of. I'll be in to check on you in a little while, okay?"

"Yes, thank you Jamie," with a pat on Callie's hand and a nod in my direction she leaves the room.

"How are you feeling?"

"I feel a little silly if it's just Braxton Hicks. I wish I didn't make Jamie rush all the way down here."

"Don't feel like that, sweetie. That's her job. This is our first baby, I'm sure this isn't the first time it's happened to her. Better safe than sorry, I don't want you giving birth in your office," I joke.

"Oh god, can you imagine Jo's face if that were to happen? She was freaking out enough as it is."

"You're right. But Alex did a pretty good job at keeping me calm. I'm glad she called him."

Another contraction hits and luckily it passes relatively quickly. Jamie comes in to check the monitor, "That looks to have been a smaller one. I'm sure that you are not in labor. I'm going to check and see if you are dilated at all just in case."

Jamie takes her position at the foot of the bed and places Callie's feet in the stirrups. She goes through the exam before snapping her gloves off, "No dilation. You can go home but I want you to be monitored. Arizona, will you be able to do that?"

"Of course, I'll do whatever she needs."

"Good, I'm not recommending bed rest but I do want you to take it easy. I know you still have about a week and a half before you are taking your leave, but if you feel any more pain or if the contractions start again don't hesitate to start it early, got it?"

"Yes, I understand. I will make sure my TA covers my office hours until I leave. I'll just go to work for classes and then work from home."

"Excellent. The nurse will bring in your discharge papers to sign and I will see you two on Wednesday for your appointment. Have a good night and don't hesitate to call if you need anything else."

"Thank you, Jamie," I answer and she smiles before once again leaving the room. The nurse comes and disconnects Callie from the machines and I help her get dressed. As we are leaving we make our way through the waiting room to see Alex and Jo sitting patiently. As soon as they spot us they get up and meet us half way.

"Hey boss, everything okay?"

"Yeah, Karev. She's all good. Thank you so much for being here, I appreciate it. You too, Jo."

"Of course, I'm glad everything is okay. Do you want us to drive you home?"

Callie looks to me and I shake my head, "No thanks, Arizona will be fine to drive now that she knows I'm okay. Thank you though. I'll be on campus tomorrow but do you think you could cover my office hours starting tomorrow?"

Jo immediately nods, "Of course, anything you need just let me know."

"Alright, well we will see you both tomorrow."

"Wait, let me go pull your car up," Alex suggests as he runs out the door without waiting for a response.

I look to Jo and she is just smiling after her boyfriend. "He's a great guy," I say.

"Yeah, he is. But only to the people he really cares about. Which makes us even luckier."

"You're right, it does."

Less than five minutes later Alex comes back into the waiting room. He hands me my keys and pats me on the back, "You had better hurry. There's a security guard out there that was giving me the stink eye."

I laugh, "Okay, let's go babe. Thanks guys."

I help Callie into the car and shoot daggers at the security guard when he tries to give me the same stink eye. I drive us home quickly and help Callie upstairs and straight into bed. I know that Jamie didn't say bed rest but she did say to relax. I work at putting things close to the bed that I think Callie will need.

"Okay, water… phone…"

"Honey," she chuckles, "You don't need to fuss over me. I'll be okay just laying down for a while."

"I just want you to be relaxed. Dr. Maddox said you need to take it easy."

"I know, and thank you for taking such good care of me but why don't you lay with me?" She suggests.

"Okay, but only for a minute. You need to eat something for lunch soon."

"Arizona, I need you to relax. I know that you were scared earlier too. I need you to lay with me so you calm down," she says calmly while reaching her hand out for me.

I acquiesce and make my way to sit beside her. I don't know what to say so we sit quietly while I play with her hand in my own. After a moment Callie breaks the silence, "Can you tell me what you're worried about?"

I squeeze her hand and let out a breath, "It's all just so real, you know? I mean we have been waiting for this for nearly seven months, but today it felt real. It felt like we were about to be parents and I was really terrified."

"What part terrifies you the most?" She asks softly.

"Not the part about being a parent. I'm so ready to meet our son… But the thought of something going wrong is what scared me today. I know that thirty-seven weeks means that he would probably be fine, but I just don't want anything to happen to either of you. I love you both so much," I finish quietly. I can feel myself on the verge of tears. I didn't even know how much I was feeling until Callie asked me to talk about it.

"I love you, too. And I felt the same way. I was so relieved when she said it was just Braxton Hicks. But not just because I want to get to full term," she pauses and I can tell she's nervous to say the last part. I squeeze her hand and bring it up to my mouth to kiss her palm. She soon finds the courage to continue, "I also felt terrified to become a mother. What if I have no idea what I'm doing? I could be a terrible mother; I mean I'm only twenty-three. I just graduated college less than a year ago. This is my first time with an actual job… I feel so woefully unprepared after today."

"It's okay to feel that way. But I think that you are wrong. You will be a wonderful mother. You are so good with Olivia and Ellie. You've been around more kids than I have, it doesn't matter that you are only twenty-three. You are just a natural with them. I'm sure sometimes we will feel like we are doing everything wrong. When we are awake in the middle of the night and he won't stop crying. Or when he pukes all over us in public and we don't have spare clothes. But none of that matters because no parent is perfect. But we love each other, and we will love him so much. We will learn to be awesome parents; it comes with experience."

I wipe a tear from her eye and she smiles at me, "Thank you, Arizona. You're right, we will be awesome. Together."

"Together," I repeat. "Now, what do you say about having some soup for lunch and watching a movie on the couch?"

"I say, lead the way."

The next few days pass in pretty much the same way. Callie only goes to campus for class and then she comes home to relax. I shortened my office hours so that I could be home with her as well. I make her relax as much as possible, and even though I'm still using my crutches I only let her get up when absolutely necessary. Like going to bed or taking a nap, which is what she is currently doing in our bedroom.

I'm sat on the couch reading What to Expect When the New Baby Comes Home when I hear my computer chime with a Skype call. Smiling I mark my page and swap my book for my computer.

"Hi, Tim," I greet when the image loads

"Hey, Zebra. How's my favorite sister doing?"

I roll my eyes, "I'm good. How are you doing?"

"I actually meant Callie," he teases and I flip him off. "But seriously, what happened to your face?"

I rub the pink scar above my eyebrow, "Car crash. Some asshole ran a light. Totaled my car, broke my leg. So I've been managing with a damn cast."

"Ouch, was Callie with you?"

"No, thankfully. I was with my friend Mark, but he's okay too. How are things over there? Did you make it to Germany yet?"

"A couple of days ago, yeah. That's why I couldn't call a few weeks ago when I was supposed to, I had to finalize everything with my unit before shipping out. Looks like I'm going to be here for about a month and then San Diego on June third."

"What are you going to be doing for the next month?" I ask. I have been out of the military for years but I still want to keep up with the details. Especially ones that involve my little brother.

"Mostly helping with units as they ship out. Getting things ready and some training."

"So you're a pencil pusher?" I tease him.

"Fuck off, Zebra. You're the nerd in the family, not me. I'll never be a pencil pusher," he grimaces.

"Hey, I'm the perfect child. I took after mom and the Colonel."

"Kiss ass. And speaking of children, how's my nephew?"

"He gave us a scare a few days ago, Braxton Hicks. So Callie is taking it easy and I'm making sure to read every book I can find," I say as I hold my book up for him to see.

"Braxton Hicks, those aren't serious right?" I shake my head and he continues, "So she's just resting as a precaution? They're both okay?"

"Yeah, the doctor told her to rest. She still has this week of work before she starts her leave, so I want her to get all the rest she can. She's due in less than three weeks."

"Damn. Well I'm glad she is okay. Did you straighten everything out with your lawyer?"

"Wow, I didn't realize how busy my month has been," I laugh. "We got everything settled. I had my blood drawn a few weeks ago so that I could be proven as the biological parent. A judge signed off on it and we can put my name on the birth certificate right away."

"You had to take a paternity test? That's bull shit."

"Yeah, well it's better than going through an adoption. And it's all settled now. All I have to wait for is the birth. He's going to be a Robbins," I smile.

"That was never in question, Zebra."

"I know that, thank you. But I mean Callie and I decided on a name; Wyatt Robbins."

His grin lights up the screen, "That's awesome. It's a good name, strong. What's his middle name going to be?"

"We haven't decided. Callie actually picked the name, but I loved it right away. Don't tell the folks, we aren't really telling people yet. Except for Maggie."

"I won't tell them, but who's Maggie?"

"Oh, she's our lawyer. She's pretty great. She made the whole process really easy. She said she learned a lot after having to go through second parent adoption for her own kids. Even helped us with some other medical paperwork in case I do something stupid and wreck my car again," I chuckle.

Once again there is a call for 'Robbins' in the background. Our backs straighten and Tim apologizes, "Sorry Zebra, duty calls."

"Go on, sign your paperwork," I wink. "Don't do anything stupid, Gunny."

He grins, "Wouldn't dream of it, Corporal."

I sigh in relief. I know that he's not home yet, but I am glad he'll be pushing a pencil for the next month, even if he doesn't want to call it that. I look at my watch and debate whether to pick my book up or join Callie in our bedroom. She's only been in there for about thirty minutes, but if I don't go in there she's more likely to try to get out of resting.

Making my decision I close my laptop and get up to make my way to the bedroom. When I enter the darkened room I smile, Callie is curled up around her big pregnancy pillow taking up most of the bed. I ease under the covers gently so I don't wake her. Once I'm fully in bed I wrap my arm around her middle and snuggle against her back. Placing a kiss on the back of her neck it doesn't take much longer for me to fall asleep with her.