CHAPTER 36

They spent the next couple of days opening presents and getting ready for their honeymoon.

Arizona had arranged the trip, and she hadn't let Callie in on anything – not even the destination.

When they touched down in Madrid, Spain and Callie realized where they were, she got giddy. Two weeks in Spain was going to be heaven.

They spent two days in the capital city, and then drove south to Granada, the most beautiful city in the whole country. For three days they ate wonderful food, made love at all hours of the day, and walked around the narrow streets of the old town.

And then Arizona got sick.

They were at a street concert when Callie noticed that Arizona looked a little pale. The blonde looked at her with a furrowed brow and a hazy look in her eyes.

"I don't feel good" she said and grabbed Callie's shoulder to steady herself.

"Baby?"

"I'm dizzy…I think I need to…" was all Arizona managed to get out before she fainted into Callie's arms. Callie immediately sat down on her knees, holding the blonde, while using all the strength she had to push the dancing concert crowd away.

"Baby, baby" she called to Arizona, trying to wake the blonde up. Arizona looked so fragile it really scared Callie.

A few people helped Callie get the blonde away from the crowd, and the blonde slowly came to. She had gotten even more pale and her eyes were watering. She was also shaking even though it was a very warm evening.

"Arizona…I'm going to call somebody, okay. We'll get you checked out"

Arizona swallowed and nodded. She could feel goose bumps forming all over her body. Callie felt it too, and while the latina was calling for an ambulance, she took her jacket off and wrapped it around Arizona.

The ambulance arrived a few minutes later and when they arrived at the hospital everything started getting hectic. Arizona was on an emergency room exam table, and lost consciousness again. Callie turned to a group of hospital staff.

"Hey, HEY!" Callie yelled "Por favor, ayudala!"

A doctor and three nurses ran over to them, and started checking Arizona's vitals.

They checked her for everything, gave her fluids, and when she finally woke up, she was on her way to have scans and labs done.

"Callie…" she whispered reached out her hands.

"I'm here, baby" Callie said as she rushed down the hall next to the bed Arizona was being transported in.

They took scans and blood, and wrapped the blonde in warm blankets as her body temperature kept dropping.

They couldn't figure out what was wrong. Meanwhile Arizona was drifting in and out of consciousness, and Callie was scared out of her mind. She wasn't getting any answers from the doctors, and Arizona wasn't coherent enough to let her know how she felt.

In the middle of the night, Arizona woke up for a few minutes.

"Callie, my neck. It's stiff…" the blonde breathed out "Ask them…they need to check for…"

"Meningitis…" Callie gasped.

The latina ran to the nurses' station and told the staff about Arizona's neck.

They drew blood again and confirmed that Arizona did in fact have meningitis. And she was in a poor condition.

They pumped her full of antibiotics and hoped for the best. For three days Arizona was awake for only short periods of time. And even then her mind was foggy. Callie didn't leave her side.

When the fever finally loosened its grip on the blonde, and Arizona was stable enough to get on the plane, they flew home. Arizona slept the whole way, and Callie never let go of her hand.

She spent two days at Willard & West and then begged to be taken home. As they arrived at the Mazatlán, a few of Arizona's colleagues were waiting at the couple's apartment, ready to give Arizona a final check up to make sure that she was getting better. They gave her the okay to stay at the apartment instead of the hospital, and when they left, Callie carried Arizona from the couch to their bed.

Arizona hadn't spoken much for days. She was weak. She had lost a lot of weight. And she was tired. So very tired.

She slept for days, only waking up when Callie carried her to the bath tub or insisted she should eat something. The latina made her protein shakes and made sure she was hydrated. It was killing Callie to see her like this.

On a Sunday night Callie was watching some stupid reality show. The living room was dark, and she had her feet up on the coffee table. It had been a rough couple of weeks, and the constant worrying and being awake at odd times of the day was starting to wear on her. She hadn't worked much as she spent most of her time at the apartment. Luckily she had Eduardo to take care of business.

And now she was drinking a cold beer and spacing out in front of the TV, contemplating where she would take Arizona when the blonde would be okay to leave the apartment. The beach maybe. She smiled at the thought.

And then she heard movement from the bedroom. The door opened, and Arizona slowly stepped out, her disheveled hair and Callie's old softball t-shirt making her look very cute.

The latina got up and rushed over to the blonde.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm good" Arizona said with a hoarse voice. This was the first time she'd left the bedroom since they got home.

She looked weak, but she looked a lot better than she had for many days. The light was back in her eyes.

"I just…I just want to sit with you for a while" she said.

Callie helped her walk across the room and to sit down on the couch. Arizona pulled her legs up, and Callie put a blanket over her before she sat down next to her.

"What are you watching?"

"Oh…uhm…something stupid"

"That sounds great" Arizona said. Right at that moment she couldn't imagine anything better than watching trashy TV with Callie.

They sat in silence for a while, Arizona occasionally giggling at the TV. The sound made Callie's heart warm and light. She had missed the blonde.

"So…Spain was pretty awesome, huh?" Arizona said with a small smile.

Callie chuckled, relieved that Arizona was back from the foggy haze of fever.

"Yeah. It was pretty awesome. Until you checked out"

"I'm sorry"

"No, please, please don't be sorry. I'm just happy that you're better now. You scared me… They said…they said you were close to…"

"I know. I felt it" Arizona said "But I'm still here"

Callie nodded.

"I'll make it up to you" Arizona started. Callie looked at her "The last week of the trip, I mean. I'll take you next year"

"I'll hold you to that" Callie smiled.

An hour later Arizona was asleep on the couch. Callie carried her to bed and as she lay the blonde down, Arizona opened her eyes.

"You're such a gentlewoman" she whispered.

"I do my best. Now rest, baby" Callie kissed Arizona's forehead and the blonde fell asleep almost instantly.