Coffee in Arizona's brightly colored cups had become a standard thing with them, and Callie looked up with a smile already on her lips when one of the cups was planted in front of the chart she was reading at the nurses' station. "Hey, baby," she greeted her warmly, leaning up from her seat to steal a quick kiss.
"Hey." Arizona gave her a completely adorable dimpled grin and bobbed her eyebrows. "How's your morning going?" She leaned against the counter, heels rolling back and forth on her wheels.
Callie just shot her a look, eyebrow arching. "I know you're on those ridiculous shoes over there," she said. "And my morning is going fine until you break your ass."
"I'm not going to break my ass, Calliope," Arizona denied immediately. "I'm awesome!"
Laughing, Callie took a sip of her coffee as she went back to her chart. She heard the elevator arrive and someone approach the desk, but she turned her chair to get better light to inspect one of the x-rays in her case. The voice she heard greeting Arizona made her tense, though. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Dr. O'Malley or Dr. Torres. You wouldn't happen to know where they are, would you? This place is so big, and I'm scared I'd get lost…"
Arizona just smiled personably, Callie turning on her chair even as the blonde gestured to her. "Dr. Torres, you have someone here to see you." The look on Callie's face was shocked and Arizona glanced beside her at the older woman, confused. "Callie…?"
"Mrs. O'Malley," Callie greeted her guest as she stood up. She wasn't sure how she managed it, her legs felt completely nerveless.
"Oh, Callie, there you are!" Mrs. O'Malley was around the counter in a flash and pulled Callie into a hug, the Latina giving her fiancée a thoroughly confused look, shaking her head. "How are you, dear? I can never get Georgie on the phone since you two moved here! And it's so much closer than Miami, you'd think I'd be able to get a visit every once in a while!"
Figuring out what was happening, who the woman hugging Callie was, Arizona tried to decide whether she should be upset or sympathetic. Because this poor woman clearly had no idea what had happened between her son and Callie.
Pulling out of the hug, Mrs. O'Malley eagerly rooted through her large handbag and scooped out a colorful scrap of knitted wool that shook out to become a green onesie. "And I hope it's not too presumptuous to hope there might be some use for this soon," she coaxed.
That was the cue for Arizona's much touted skill with her favorite shoes to abandon her, her arms pin wheeling wildly while her wheeled heels shot forward and landed her flat on her back hard, her head hitting the floor sharply a split second later.
"Arizona!" Callie was around her ex-mother-in-law in a heartbeat, one hand on the blonde's chest keeping her from getting up. "Don't move," she ordered when Arizona started trying to sit up. "You hit your head."
Groaning, Arizona reached behind her head with one hand, tentatively searching for blood in her hair. "I'm not bleeding."
"What happened to 'I won't break my ass, Calliope?'" Callie questioned, mimicking her partner's voice mockingly.
Arizona groaned again. "My voice does not sound like that," she whined, grumbling.
"Sit up slowly," Callie coached, grimacing in sympathy when Arizona groaned. "How's your butt?"
"You know. It's awesome…"
Brown eyes rolled. "It is awesome, but is it also broken?" Callie was suddenly having flashbacks to the recalcitrant patient Arizona had been when she'd been after the car accident.
Before she could figure out if it was or not, Mrs. O'Malley was leaning over Callie's shoulder and apologizing. "Oh, dear, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"
Gesturing to a nurse, Callie got Arizona up gingerly, pulling Arizona's arm around her shoulders. "Lean on me. It's okay." Arizona hissed painfully as she was lowered into a wheelchair. "Take her up to Radiology. I want a head CT and x-ray her hips. I want to make sure the coccyx isn't broken."
Protesting, Arizona grabbed her sleeve, the long sleeves of her t-shirt extending below the rolled sleeves of her lab coat. "Calliope, it's not-"
"Oh, no, you're going to CT and you're going to cooperate," Callie ordered sternly, giving the nurse a nod. "I'll be up in a few minutes to check on the scans." Leaning over, she dropped a kiss to the top of Arizona's blonde head. "Be good for the nurses," she requested, voice soft. The nurses loved Arizona.
Watching Arizona wheel toward the elevators, Callie only remembered Mrs. O'Malley's presence when the older woman sidled up beside her. "Is your friend going to be alright? I don't even know what happened. I'm so sorry I knocked her over. This bag is so big, sometimes I don't know where it's swinging."
"Oh, no," Callie sighed to herself, turning to face her. The other woman was still holding her homemade baby clothes. "Mrs. O'Malley, when, exactly, was the last time you talked to George?"
"It's been a few weeks, I suppose. Why? Is something going on?"
She and George had been separated for more than a year and a half, their divorce signed and sealed for at least eight months. Why his mother was still in the dark about it was a mystery to her. They'd been getting along with each other since he'd finally signed the papers and decided to stay in Seattle, but if he'd really not told his mother about the divorce, she was going to kill him. Leaving this for her to do was completely unacceptable.
"Let me page George for you," Callie suggested, rounding the counter again to grab the phone, dialing her ex-husband's extension and hanging it up. The older woman looked confused and curious but there was no way Callie was going to speak up and explain. "How have the boys been?" George's brothers had always loved her.
"The boys are good. They're in Alaska, fishing, so I thought I'd use the break to visit you and Georgie," Mrs. O'Malley explained, still uncertain what Callie wasn't saying. "Dear…"
Before she could say anything more, George appeared from the elevator, drawing up short at the sight of his mother and Callie standing together at the lobby's nurses' station. Callie's expression was clearly furious. "Oh crap…"
"Yeah…" Callie agreed slowly, arms crossing her chest as she moved forward to talk to him out of earshot of Mrs. O'Malley. "You can deal with this, right? Because I've got to go check on Arizona up in CT."
He frowned. "Arizona? Is she okay?"
Callie couldn't help rolling her eyes. "She had a little tumble on those stupid shoes she loves. I made the nurse take her up for a scan because she hit her head and busted her butt."
"Glad she's okay," he said genuinely, the pair of them exchanging glances. "I hope I'm okay after this…"
Sighing, Callie glanced over her shoulder at Mrs. O'Malley. "We've been broken up for more than two years, George," she said, starting to feel freshly frustrated at him. "How could you not tell her?"
His shoulders slumped as he saw his mother watching them. "I'm sorry, Callie."
"Just fix it. Because Arizona and I are getting married and I'm tried of this stuff still getting in our way," she told him, getting a tiny thrill at watching his eyes go wide. They'd been engaged for six months and had told their friends at the hospital, but George O'Malley wasn't on that list.
"You're getting married? Oh my God!" Callie just eyed him, trying to read his expression. "Hey, I'm happy for you," he promised earnestly. "Would it be weird if I hugged you?" he checked before he tried it.
Callie grimaced, shaking her head. "Yeah, a little bit." She nodded toward the counter behind her. "Just take care of this, okay?" She sighed, taking another look at Mrs. O'Malley. She was genuinely fond of the O'Malley matriarch, had spent a lot of time with her when George's father had been hospitalized before his death. She knew she would be devastated to learn that they'd broken up. But there was no one to blame for their divorce. Callie had blamed George, blamed Izzie, but she knew that the marriage was a mistake. Nothing could have stopped them breaking up. And she'd found Arizona. She had no regrets about their divorce.
"I didn't want to hurt her," George confessed quietly.
"Me neither." Callie's gaze shifted to him. "But she can't keep thinking we're together. She's making us baby clothes." George grimaced. "Just be honest. That's all we can do."
He nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, thanks, Callie. You go."
She left him behind with a glance over her shoulder, pushing the button for the Radiology floor. Arizona was being wheeled out as she reached the imaging chamber and Callie took over pushing her into the observation room to check the monitors. "Anything?" she questioned the tech.
"She's clean. No bleeds," he said, bored.
"Can I get out of this wheelchair now?" Arizona requested impatiently.
Callie flatly answered, "No."
"My butt feels better!" protested the blonde, standing up despite the sharp look her fiancée sent her. "Come on," she prompted, dragging Callie out of the booth by the hand. "You can check it for me later," she promised breathily, wisely lowering her voice to avoid being overheard. In spite of her reassurance, she was still walking slowly, working a limp out of her limbs. "So…"
"You can ask," Callie told her, rolling her eyes at the attempt at veiled curiosity.
"How's your mother-in-law?"
"I don't know, I haven't talked to your mom this week," Callie answered her with a smirk.
Arizona laughed, lacing their fingers. "Okay, I'll admit it, nicely done, Calliope. How's your former mother-in-law?"
"Aside from being completely unaware that I divorced her son, she's fine," Callie said with a sigh. "But she's going to be heartbroken."
Arizona studied her features as they walked, pulling on Callie's arm as she leaned up to kiss her cheek. "I'm sorry. Really."
"George should have told her after I left. It's going to hurt her." She shook off the morose expression, pressing the button to summon the elevator. "But it's George's problem now. You're the one I have to worry about."
"I'm fine, Calliope. So maybe I walk funny for a few days." She grinned wickedly, dimples deepening as she shot a look sideways at her lover. "That isn't the first time that's happened."
Callie had to bite her lip, her eyes dutifully facing forward. "You…" Arizona had a flirty streak a mile wide. She loved it. "Just wait until I get you home," she said promisingly. The elevator they were waiting on arrived and she ushered Arizona in. The blonde made no protest as Callie crowded her into the wall, voice dropping as she boxed her lover in. "I'll want to make sure your butt stays good."
"Oh, Calliope, you know my butt is fine," Arizona answered, her own tone teasing. "You love my butt."
"I do," Callie whispered. "I really, really do. And you're being much too naughty for work."
Arizona just laughed. "You're the one holding me up against the wall."
"When do you get off?"
Grinning at the unintentional phrasing, Arizona stole a kiss as they both heard the elevator slow down and Callie took a step back. They were a happily engaged couple (who just happened to be flirting like teenagers), but they were still at work. "Hopefully about fifteen minutes after you get home."
Callie gave her a glare, forcing her lungs to draw in a deep breath and hold it. This woman was going to be the death of her. "Arizona…"
"My last surgery should get done by four," Arizona had pity on her, answering her normally as a few nurses filed onto the elevator and it started moving up again.
"I've got some research to do in the lab, but I'll meet you in the locker room? We can ride home together."
Arizona just scoffed. "I think you mean I'll come get you from the lab," she corrected her with a cheerful grin as the elevator stopped on the next floor, holding the door open for their fellow passengers to vacate the car. "You always lose track of time in there."
"I'm making cartilage from jell-o!" Callie offered defensively.
"And that's admirable, but I'm sure I can manage to distract you," promised the perky surgeon as she let the door go and pulled the stop button, surprising Callie. The smile slid down to become a serious, earnest expression.
"What? Are you okay?" asked Callie, her concern immediate. "How's your head? Does it hurt?"
Arizona caught her hands when she reached for her, the blonde kissing the back of her hand. "That's what I was going to ask you," she said softly. "How are you? I know seeing George's mother can't be easy for you…"
Blinking in surprise, Callie's brow furrowed as she grew confused. She hadn't even thought twice about the situation going on down on the second floor. Arizona was her priority. "What? Arizona…"
"It has to be hard, that's all I'm saying," Arizona interjected. "And if you need to talk…"
Callie smiled abruptly, freeing one hand to cup her partner's cheek, stepping close to her. "I'm okay," she said. "Really. I don't have anything left to say about George. But if I need to talk, you are the person I will talk to," she promised. "Do you think I'm hiding something from you?"
"No," said Arizona immediately, shaking her head. "Not at all." She smiled against Callie's thumb as it brushed across her lips. "I do think there are things we don't talk about much, though."
A frown creased the brunette's brow. She was under the impression that they talked about everything. And honestly. It was refreshing, freeing, knowing that she could tell Arizona anything without being afraid or judged. "Such as?"
Arizona took a deep breath, able to feel her head pounding. "Like your parents," she answered.
Callie blinked again. This was an unexpected change of subject. They didn't talk about her parents because most days, aside from a single stab of occasional regret that they couldn't get past themselves to be her parents, she didn't think about her parents. "What? Arizona, I honestly don't think about them. It's been a long time, it's not something that bothers me…"
"Do they know you're getting married?" Arizona interjected, her tone unintentionally short. A deep breath and she softened. She never wanted to hurt Callie, with anything. Her only instinct was to protect her, take care of her, and support her as much as Callie would let her. But this, the issue of her contrary parents was something she wasn't sure how to protect her from or take care of. So she just hoped to be supportive.
Callie's shocked expression was back on her face, bottom lip falling open. "Do they know we're getting married?" she echoed. "No. They don't know." Chewing on her bottom lip, Callie met her eyes, seeing the concern, the love there. "When would I have told them?"
"Do you want to tell them?" asked Arizona softly, not sure how much of a push was too much. Her parents had been wonderful, supportive and loving and loyal. And she was grateful to them every day for that. She wanted to be that for Callie if she needed it.
Dark eyes studied her face, sliding over every detail. "Do you want me to tell them?" countered Callie, her own voice gentle. "Because I'll tell them that I'm marrying you. I am not ashamed…"
"I don't think that, Calliope…" Arizona denied instantly.
"I know you don't," Callie smiled, "I don't care what my parents think, I don't care if they're there…"
"You don't want your dad at your wedding?" She didn't believe that for a second. Callie had grown up traditional, Catholic. There was no way she hadn't dreamed about her father walking her down the aisle. And to have two weddings where that hadn't happened…? She couldn't believe that didn't bother her partner.
Both hands framed the blonde's face and Callie leaned in, kissing her softly, almost chastely, instead of answering immediately. "The only thing I care about is that you're the one waiting for me at the end of the aisle," she whispered, smoothing her thumbs under blue eyes. She could live in those eyes. And she lived for them. "Okay? If it really bugs you, I swear I will think about talking to my parents, but you don't have to worry about me. As long as you're there, that's all I need."
Nodding, Arizona considered her for a long moment and snaked one hand around her to push the stop button back into place and start the car moving again. "Okay. Just promise me…"
"If I need to talk, or decide to call them, you're the one I'm coming to," Callie agreed before she could finish the request, taking another kiss and smiling. The doors dinged before they opened and Callie stepped back slowly, freeing Arizona from the wall again.
A dimpled smile made Callie smile and the blonde bumped her with an elbow, resuming their playful atmosphere. "So, I'll come by the lab and pick you up?" she checked.
"I'll be looking forward to it," Callie said, tucking her hands in the pockets of her lab coat as Arizona winked and kicked off on her wheels. Callie had to bite back a rebuke at the sight, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She loved that woman the most.
Lurkers be lurking again... :P