Arizona

"Mommaaaaaa."

I look down surprised at the tear-stained little face of my daughter as she rushes at me after school, colliding into my legs and wrapping her arms around me tightly. She burrows her face against my stomach and sniffles a little as I run my hand over her hair, and I can feel my heart constrict in my chest with concern.

"Baby, what's wrong? What happened?"

I look down and softly cup her cheek, running my thumb just under her eye to catch an errant tear. God, I can't stand to see my daughter upset. I'm going to find whoever caused this and cause them bucketloads of pain – I don't care if they are five years old.

"Momma," she sniffs a little, letting go of me and grabbing my hand, "I love you so so so so much."

Taking her cue, I take her hand and slowly lead us towards the car, brow still furrowed in concern as I look down at her.

"I know you do, sweetie. I love you too. So much."

I help her as she tugs open the door to the backseat and tosses her small backpack in, and although I can't really crouch down anymore, once she climbs onto the seat it puts her a little closer to my eye level. She sniffles a little bit, rubbing her nose, and I gently tuck some loose hair behind her ear, leaning in to drop a kiss on her temple.

"What happened, Sof?"

"I told James I was getting a baby sister soon," she bites her lip, worrying it just like Callie does, "and he says..." she sniffs, big, brown eyes watering again, "he says you're gonna love the baby more than me. And he says you never going to play with me anymore."

The gathering tears overflow, running down her cheeks again as she looks at me, and it's like I can feel my heart shatter into a million pieces.

"Oh, Sofia, sweetie..." I wipe her tears softly, pressing another kiss to her forehead, "that's not true at all. Mommy and I are going to love you forever, no matter how many other babies there are."

"I don't want the baby anymore!"

I reach into the car and hug her to me, and she clings onto my shirt immediately, her words muffling against my shoulder.

"You're my momma."

"I know I am, baby. I'm always going to be yours, I promise."

Pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head, I hold her for a moment longer despite the awkward positioning half in and half out of the backseat. It kills me that anyone would tell her that – and that she would actually think that, even for a minute. I've never loved anyone or anything as much as I love the tiny human in my arms. I feel a sudden wave of sadness rush over me – maybe we haven't been showing her that enough.

"You promise?"

She leans back again and looks at me, her little fingers playing with the heart pendant around my neck.

"I promise. How about you and I go have a cupcake date together? We still have a couple hours before Mom comes home."

Brown eyes widen a bit in surprise, and her lips turn upwards into a small smile.

"Cupcakes before supper?!"

I smooth her hair down and grin, reaching over to secure her seatbelt.

"Yep. What do you say?"

"Yeah!"

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Our neighbourhood is just on the outskirts of downtown, and on the other side of the park there's a rapidly growing community of little shops and restaurants, trendy cafés, a used bookstore, a small food market. It was one of the reasons we fell in love with the area when we started looking for a house – not only for ourselves, but they were also the kinds of places I could imagine Sofia and her friends hanging out at when she's older; walking down to the candy shop, or the cafés...hopefully avoiding the small tattoo parlour (although at least it looks like a clean, classy establishment).

I had actually only discovered the little cupcakery when Callie and I were separated, and when I no longer lived in the neighbourhood, but it had become one of Sofia and I's favourite places to go on the days she was with me. We'd been there as a family since then, but Callie just didn't have the same fondness for the overly decorative, overly sugary little treats, so it was still kind of a special place for the two of us. And it was kind of nice to have that.

"Which one do you want?"

Tears forgotten, the little girl is peering into the glass counter at the numerous cupcakes on display, all with frosting an inch high and ornate swirls and decorations covering the top.

"All of them."

I laugh softly, stepping up behind her, and she leans back into me automatically while she contemplates.

"Well, maybe let's start with just one."

"That one," she points at a pink cake topped with fluffy white swirls and a strawberry, "it's pink!"

Smiling at the women behind the counter, I point down at the strawberry shortcake.

"We'll take one of the strawberry, and one of the vanilla caramel please."

The small place is empty except for two older ladies sitting at a corner table, so I nudge Sofia slightly until she looks up at me.

"Why don't you go choose a table? Anywhere you want."

I pay for the cupcakes and watch out of the corner of my eye while she hops into a chair near the window, and a few moments later I join her, setting the sweet concoction down in front of her as her eyes light up with delight. I settle down across from her, and can't help laugh a little as she immediately swipes her finger through the frosting, licking a huge glob of it into her mouth.

"Good?"

"Mmmm."

We pick at our cupcakes in silence for a few moments, and I mostly just watch my daughter across the table, taking in every facial expression and movement, trying to commit every moment to memory. She's growing up way too fast for my liking, and it's never been more noticeable than in the last six months.

"Sof, I want you to remember that I meant what I said earlier, okay? Just because the new baby will be here soon, mommy and I aren't going to love you any less - not at all."

She glances up, her expressive brown eyes meeting mine, and she nods just a little.

"Will you have time to play? James says the baby is more important."

"We will definitely still make time to play - I promise," I pause for a moment, "it will be more busy at home though - a new baby can be a lot of work to take care of."

It occurs to me - of course, it occurs to me when I'm literally about to give birth in two weeks - that we haven't really talked to Sofia about what a newborn in the house will entail. She's just been excited about it up until now, and we've only talked about all the fun things.

"Why?"

She picks the paper off her cupcake and looks at me curiously.

"Well...little babies can't do things on their own. She'll cry a lot when she wants something, and she'll need me to feed her all the time, and keep her clean, and she'll need lots and lots of cuddles."

"I need lots of cuddles too!"

She looks rather indignant, and I smile, reaching across the table to tuck some hair behind her ear before it ends up in the frosting.

"You can help then, you're my best little cuddler! I bet you'll be a big help with taking care of your sister."

"I can help?" she looks a little tentative, but then nods, "Zola helps Bailey when he can't do something. I can do that too."

"Exactly. And you know how you like to practice your reading with mom and me? Audrey will really like it if you practice reading to her."

At that she beams - she loves books, and for a five-year-old she has a surprisingly good grasp of written words already.

"Will she come for cupcakes too?"

Unsure for a moment of exactly which answer is best...I study the small brunette, trying to imagine how things might change in the near future. I'm excited, but I also don't want everything to change. Sofia is always going to have her very own place in my heart.

"Maybe sometimes, but I think you and I should still have cupcake dates with just us, too."

I see the smile cross her face immediately, and I know that was the perfect answer - for both of us. I want my daughters to be close, and I want them to love each other, but I also always want them to know how special they each are. How much they each mean to Callie and I.

"I like that too."

.

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I text Callie when she's about to leave work and ask her to pick up something for supper, and Sofia and I arrive home just a few minutes before her car pulls into the driveway.

"Hey."

The brunette greets me with a kiss when I meet her in the front hall, and she glances at the discarded backpack and jacket on the bench.

"Did you guys just get home?"

"We went for cupcakes after school," I take the bag of food and peer inside at various Thai takeout boxes, "we...needed a little mama-daughter time."

She gives me a slightly curious look but doesn't ask anything further, instead just hanging her jacket up and then laying her hands over my stomach, slipping under the hem of my t-shirt until her cool palms rest against my skin. She smiles softly, crouching down to eye level with my belly button, and speaks softly as the baby kicks and stretches against me.

"Hi, baby girl."

I watch her, a smile spreading across my face at how utterly adorable she is, and she glances up, stilling her hands.

"That ICU nurse, Tess, brought her son in today - god, he was so cute and tiny, only two months old. I forgot how small they are, you know?"

She leans in and presses a kiss to the front of my stomach, and grins as something jabs me hard - an elbow maybe? Or a foot.

"Ow, hey..." I rub my hand over my side, "a little more gently in there."

"She's just excited to get out here, aren't you little one? We get to meet you in two weeks, little A. That's so soon."

She rolls and moves even more - she's been so active lately - and some other small body part presses hard into my bladder, immediately causing me to let out a heavy sigh. Callie straightens up, grinning slightly at the look on my face, but I just wrinkle my nose with a little bit of contempt.

"What?"

"I have to pee. Again." I thrust the food bag back at her and turn to waddle down the hall to the bathroom, "for the last time, Audrey - bladder: not a squeeze toy!"

.

.

Before we know it, supper is over and a very tired little girl is bathed and in bed, and I watch from the couch as Callie makes her way back into the living room, cup of steaming tea in her hand.

"Here you go."

She sets it on the table beside me and settles onto the couch. I've been sitting with my feet up and my back against one arm, so she curls into a cross-legged position and pulls my feet into her lap, smoothing her hand along my bare ankle.

"Thanks. Can you..." I nod to my prosthetic, and she reaches up to expertly release the casing, easing it off gently and setting it down on the floor, "thanks."

My thigh is throbbing slightly, a little swollen, and I sigh softly at the relief of cool air washing over it. I let my other leg bend at the knee, bringing it a little closer to my body, and Callie immediately understands, scooting closer until her hands wrap around my remaining limb, strong fingers kneading into the muscle.

"Are you okay? You seemed a little preoccupied earlier."

"Yeah, I'm just..."

I glance down to where my hands are resting over my stomach.

"Do you think we've been spending enough time with Sofia lately? We've had so much on the go...finishing the baby room, shopping, I've been so occupied making sure things at work are in order for when I'm gone..."

"I don't think we've spent any less time than normal with her."

Strong hands massage the muscle of my thigh - already making it feel immensely better - and I let out a soft sigh, both at the relaxing sensation and at the thoughts swirling through my mind.

"I know, but," I look over and watch my wife, "maybe we should have been spending more time. She's only got another two weeks to be an only child - maybe we should have done more with her, given her some special time with us. I'm worried she's going to feel left out once the baby is here."

The other woman frowns a bit, her brow furrowing in concern.

"Where is all this coming from? Do you really think so?"

"Some kid at school today told her that we wouldn't love her as much, once we had a new baby."

Callie shifts back on the couch and guides my other leg to stretch out into her lap, rubbing her hands along my tired and swollen foot instead.

"That's bullshit. Why are kids like that?"

"Maybe it was true with his parents, you don't know. Some people are like that, I think."

She massages the sore muscles in the sole of my foot and just thinks quietly for a moment, her eyes conveying a slight tinge of worry now at my words.

"Sof knows we love her though."

"She does. We talked about it when we went for cupcakes, and I reassured her that it wouldn't change how we feel about her - and that we'd still have time for her. I just..." I watch her and sigh softly, "I'm worried now. I mean things are going to be more hectic around here...and mom and dad'll be here and they'll be fussing over the baby, and she's going to cry at night and I'll be exhausted - you'll be exhausted too-"

"Hey - hey," she stills her hands, looking up and interrupting me softly, "that doesn't mean we won't make time for her, too. Arizona, you used to come home after eighteen hour shifts and still make her breakfast and make sure she got her princess braids. You're more likely to not make time for me."

Her last words carry a slightly teasing tone, and she rubs her hand up my calf lovingly.

"Honestly, I think she's going to be okay. I think she's old enough to understand. And she might even like helping out, you know? I bet it'll make her feel special."

"I hope so."

Her hands knead and smooth over my muscles silently, and a small smile tugs at her lips after a moment.

"I love how protective you are though."

"She's my baby-" I trail off, smiling a bit to myself, "do you remember the moment we first heard her heartbeat? God, I'll never forget that."

Callie's smile widens, and she stills her hands again, looking up at me.

"It was so amazing."

"It was like it just...it really hit me in that moment, you know? I sort of thought I'd grow into being a parent. That I'd need time to grow into it, wrap my head around it. But when we heard that little heartbeat..."

I shake my head a little, smiling again at the memory that's still so vivid in my mind.

"I felt like a mom. I was completely and irrevocably hers."

The other woman just grins, chuckling softly.

"I know you were. And the look on your face that night was unbelievably adorable."

I run my hand down over the round swell of my belly, pressing my palm in against Audrey as I feel her move around a little. She's clearly awake right now, and she immediately kicks back against my hand, feeling the touch and probably hearing the sounds of our voices.

"She's awake now. Feel."

I reach for Callie's hand and press it over the same spot, laying mine on top of hers. She presses in and Audrey responds again, bringing a smile to the other woman's face.

"Hey there, little one."

"Do you think we'll have more, after her?"

The unbidden question leaves my lips before I even realize, and I see my wife's eyes flicker up to me in surprise.

"Do you want more?"

I look down to where the faint movement of our baby is actually visible inside of me, small bumps and ripples moving across my stomach. Do I want more? I'm not even sure where that question came from. I didn't know I was even thinking it, if I'm honest.

"I don't really know. Maybe?" I laugh softly, shaking my head, "we should worry about having this one first."

"Arizona Robbins: complete and utter softie."

"We just make awesome kids, that's all. You can't deny that."

"Well, we don't know how Audrey's going to turn out yet."

I raise my eyebrow slightly, seeing the slight smirk pull at the brunette's lips.

"Oh, she's going to be awesome."

.

.

One week later

"The end."

I close the last page of the book I was reading to Sofia and glance down at the little girl in her bed. She lets out a yawn, curling onto her side against me where I'm sitting beside her, and lets out a sleepy mumble.

"Another."

"I think it's time to sleep, baby, " I whisper softly, soothingly rubbing her side, "close your eyes."

Her breathing starts to even out after just a few minutes, so I quietly slip away and push myself to standing, flipping off the bedside lamp and leaving the bedroom in just the gentle glow of the nightlight in the corner. I slide the book back onto her shelf and make my way down the hall, letting out a small groan as I rub my lower back. Over the last few weeks, my gait has noticeably slowed and become a little more laboured - the weight has just thrown me off balance at this point, and my back is definitely feeling it. One more week though. Tomorrow is Friday, and officially my last day at work before I start my maternity leave. I haven't been in surgery, really, for the last month or so - but Elise has taken over pretty seamlessly, and between her and our fellow, I'm happy enough that the department will run smoothly.

"Back aching?"

Callie looks up as I walk into the kitchen, and I smile when I see that she's mixing up a couple mugs of hot chocolate for us. Despite the fact that it's August, it's been the one drink I've craved more than anything over the last few weeks - and especially when she makes it from scratch.

"Killing me. But Sofia's asleep, and after I drink that," I point, sighing happily, "I think I'm going to follow suit. I'm exhausted today."

I come to stand beside her at the island, and she shifts behind me after a second, rubbing her hands down over my back with a gentle touch. When she reaches my lower back she kneads softly into the muscle, and I groan slightly, bracing my hands on the counter top.

"Oh...that's good."

"We can go lay down," she drops a soft kiss on my shoulder, "I'll give you a real massage."

"Mm no this is good, just keep doing what you're doing. I don't want to move."

Strong fingers continue to knead into my lower back, working through the stiff, achy muscles, and I hum a little as she finds a particularly tight spot and works at it. Marrying an orthopedic surgeon was the best idea I ever had - those hands are golden.

"Tell me about your day."

"Well..." she starts slowly, considering as her hands work at my back, "it was a pretty good day. I did the final surgery on Julie Davis - remember her? It went really, really well. We've done a total reconstruction of her hand at this point and I'm pretty confident she's going to have full use of it with a some physio-"

Her voice soothes me, and I let out a soft sigh, just content to listen to her while her hands move across my back. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I think the muscle spasms I've been having all evening may be the beginnings of some mild contractions - possibly just Braxton Hicks though, since I'm still a bit early. I can feel Audrey moving around a little now - although she hasn't been active at all since this afternoon - and then a strange sensation catches me by surprise. Almost like a hard kick, but...different.

And then what happens next catches me even more by surprise.

I feel a rush of wetness between my legs and the fabric of my grey yoga pants is immediately soaking as I freeze, looking down to where a tiny pool of liquid is gathering on the kitchen floor.

"Um...Callie, I think my-"

"Oh my god, your water just broke."

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