AN: Anyone up for a little ortho Goddess work and a sappy update? Raise your hands?
Also, I am planning to finish this story within the next 5-10 chapters, so just a heads up. I hope I will do it justice, so if the updates take two to three weeks, then I am just trying to make it perfect. I have loved this journey with you, still do while it lasts. Thank you for all the love, the continued reviews, follows and favorite. You readers don't know how much us writers appreciate them!
"Okay, Collin, I'm not gonna lie to you", Callie promised as she moved around in front of the patient in order to plop his dislocated shoulder back in place, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. "If you land up in my ER again, I'll kill you." And with a quick but well-practiced movement, the young footballer's right shoulder was back where it belonged. Her pregnant belly didn't hinder her work so far, and she wished it would stay this way for another few weeks. Sure, some moves became more and more exhausting and she grew tired fairly quickly after standing at an OR table for too long, but it was only until after Christmas now. Before New Year's Eve, she was going to start her maternity leave. "You seriously need to be more careful if you still want that college scholar ship you told me about when you first came into my ER with a sprained ankle last year." And he had needed her strong ortho hands five times since then to fix some of his body parts and this was the second time his right arm would end up in a sling for a few weeks. "You're either very clumsy on the field, or you come back for me every time", she joked, noticing that the boy was finally getting over the shock. "It hurts less when people don't expect it to happen." Because even the local anesthesia didn't numb all the pain. Knowing the truth behind these words – she'd experienced the feeling once and the pain was unbearable – her mentor had taught her, she wrote a prescription for painkillers and handed it to Collin who didn't know where to put it since he was still in his football gear – minus the shoulder pads.
"When can I play again? Or at least attend practice? Please don't tell me it's going to take as long as it did when I broke my wrist. I need to practice. Talent scouts are supposed to watch our times on the field, matches and practices, I can't miss too many of them", he sighed, his light brown eyes pleading with her to give him good news while his good hand fumbled with his helmet. He needed this scholar ship. Without it, he was most likely not able to pay to go to college.
Hating to crush the boy's dream – even if it was just a little – the Latina knew she couldn't tell him what he wanted to hear. So she said, "Hold still while I put this sling on you", to win herself more time to find the right words. But no matter how much time she would get out of this, there were no right words, not when someone's future was at risk. At least she didn't need to tell him that he could never play again. That would be much, much worse. "This sling will be your best friend for at least two weeks, if not three. Then you need to do physiotherapy for another four to six weeks." She sat down on the chair in front of him, noticing the look of defeat in his eyes. "It's not going to take forever, but don't expect to be on the field within the next two months."
When he didn't say anything and just kept staring at the wall, the brunette explained the process for his treatment, the importance of giving his shoulder enough rest and sent him on his way when she was sure he had understood everything. Cleaning up the examination room, she turned around when a knock against the door frame caught her attention. "So, this is the magical work of the famous female carpenter of this hospital?", Addison asked as she stepped in, knowing how much the word 'carpenter' would tease the Latina. "Are you even still allowed to plop back in shoulders and whatever else there is that could dislocate? Because you're still housing my Goddaughter and I don't want anything happening to her."
Chuckling at the redhead's words, Callie easily overlooked the – not so funny and sorry attempt of a – joke and answered, "Dr. Gallagher said I am fine. I actually think she likes it. She gets all excited inside my belly whenever I am excited about going into an OR or doing some of my 'carpenter's' work in the ER. She starts kicking like crazy and getting her to calm down is almost impossible." She chuckled even harder at her own words. The joy of being hands-deep in a patient's knee or pelvis was something no one could relate to, at least none of her friends or fellow residents or even her wife. "No need to tell me I am weird. I get that a lot."
"I don't think it's weird", Addie held against that. "We all have our passions. Yours are bones and muscles, I like seeing babies come into this world and helping them with their big problems. Honestly, my passion is probably a lot more bloody than yours. Yours is just so... badass." The red-haired young surgeon could admit that being in ortho was tough, especially for a woman, and that many people neglected the strength, the hard work, the wonders that happened in orthopedics. She didn't think it was a lame specialty. That didn't mean she would choose it herself. "Are we almost ready to go?"
Nodding, the Latina snapped off the gloves and finally hugged her friend. She had seen her early in the morning, before going into work, but since neither of them knew when Teddy and Addie where actually going back to New York, she was going to make the most of it and hug the two women as often as she could. "Almost. I just need to change and bring his charts to the nurses' station." Quickly shooing her friend out of them room, she leaned close and whispered, "I've thought about your proposal, or at least I thought about possible ideas. You could take her up to the Space Needle, they have good food and the view is amazing. You could gaze at the night sky and pop the question."
"I know, but I wanna do something else. Doing it over dinner is so cliché, I wanna be innovative and do something she wouldn't dream about happening, you know? Something she loves, something she will never forget, not even when we're married for fifty years, old and wrinkly." And that was hard to find. Addison surely didn't want to charter a plane and fly to the Bahamas to propose to her girlfriend, that would be going overboard and she had learned that Teddy wasn't a fan of doing things the extravagant way. It's one of the things Addison loved the most about the other blonde, that she was so down to earth and never asked for money, even though she knew the redhead would give it to her in a heartbeat. "I've been trying to come up with something since I have that ring."
It was a shame that ring wasn't on Teddy's finger yet. It was beautiful, elegant, but not too shiny. Exactly how her best friend liked her jewelry. "We'll find something", the Latina assured her friend when they reached the nurses' station. "Mr. Hansington in room 1065 may need another dose of morphine throughout the night. And Mrs. Yen-Lo in room 1142 is not allowed to eat anything after dinner if we want to do surgery on her hip first thing tomorrow morning, could you please remind her of that so she won't bribe her daughter to sneak in Chinese food for her in the evening." Rose, the head nurse nodded and wished the younger women a nice evening – though it was still pretty early – after accepting the charts. "Now, locker room and we're out of here.
Ten minutes later, the brunette had changed into her warmest pair of maternity pants, very comfortable winter boots and her coat. It was a tad bit tight over the belly by now, but Callie refused to by a new one for the last couple of weeks. If the weather got any colder, she'd just wear more clothes under the coat and leave it unzipped. "So, what's the plan? Any word from the double trouble?" Arizona had left the hospital four hours ago, after her extended night shift and an emergency surgery, supposedly going Christmas shopping with Teddy – which was still a weird layout for the foursome. But the Latina mused that the two blonde were strolling through the DVD and game sections of any store, to fill one of the empty shelves in the living room with all kind of entertainment.
Snorting, Addison checked her phone again, despite knowing that there wouldn't be any messages and missed calls. "I wouldn't be surprised if they come back to your home with two bags full of DVDs and games, each, and Teddy finding another reason why she needs the entertainment station", she laughed. Her girlfriend was sometimes too predictable. "Maybe they already got lost and-"
"Addison", Callie interrupted her friend as an idea sprang to her mind.
But Addison didn't listen. "Right, that's not a good idea. Them getting lost would mean that you'd have to raise the baby alone, or that I would have to come back to Seattle and raise the baby with you and-"
"Addison", the Latina said again, still trying to get the redhead's attention and wanting to stop her before she created a horrific, Hollywood-like outcome. But since her friend was on a role of verbal diarrhea, she didn't hear her.
"You could do it alone, though, right? With your mom's help and I'm sure Momma B wouldn't mind helping either, after all, Melody is her daughter's daughter and she'll want to be involved."
"ADDISON!" Stomping with her foot like a toddler who didn't get what he wanted to finally make the other woman stop talking like a waterfall and listen to her, the brunette's eyes gleamed with pure giddiness when the redhead looked at her. "I think I have an idea."
With her jaw dropping down and a perplex expression on her face, the red-haired woman just stared at Callie for a moment. She had never seen the Latina stomping her foot. Frankly, she had only met the couple when they were much older than toddlers – probably grown out of the stomping-your-foot-age, but she had rarely witnessed the other woman losing her temper. "Okay? Care to elaborate?, she asked when she found her voice again.
"It's winter. It's two weeks until Christmas. What happens every year around that time? What does the city set up to get everybody into a Christmas mood?" Callie knew that she was talking cryptic, that she had given her friend a riddle to solve, but she wanted Addison to kind of come up with this herself. And when the other woman's eyes lit up like the lights on a Christmas tree, she proudly announced, "I think we found the base of our plan."
A-C-T
"It's kinda weird they suggested to meet us here", Teddy stated, putting the skates down on her right side and waiting for Arizona to sit down next to her. "They don't even like doing this. And I assume Callie will only sit around, she can't possibly go onto the ice, not in her... condition." Shaking her head, she took off her boots and pushed them under the bench before slipping her right foot into the ice-skate. She loved that feeling. Rollerblading, ice-skating, it was just something she really enjoyed. And when her best friend had suggested to meet them at the skating rink – set up under the winter sky and with a big Christmas tree at one end, just outside of the rink – she had immediately leaped at the idea and asked the other blonde where that was. Growing up in a relatively small town, she had seen many of these in movies before she had moved to Boston for college and the feeling of skating under the night sky just never grew old. "When did they say they'd be here?"
"In about ten to fifteen minutes now. So, we might get to skate some rounds before they get here and ruin all the fun", Arizona winked at her friend, re-doing the laces of her skates after testing the movement of her ankle and deciding that the knots weren't tight enough. She had no clue how and why Callie had suggested to end the day on ice. The idea was great – that wasn't the problem- but both of them knew very well that the redhead and the Latina preferred normal shoes over everything with rolls or skids under their feet. And it was also already getting dark outside, dark and colder. So it didn't make any sense to Arizona for them to spend the evening here. "Ooh, maybe it's an early Christmas present", she mused and clapped her now mittens-clad hands in delight.
Laughing at her friend's joy, Teddy stood up and helped the other blonde to get to her feet. Her gaze moved over the partly crowded sheet of ice and a big smile formed on her face. She freaking loved ice-skating. "Come on, let's go." Grabbing Arizona's hand, she led them to the gate and waited for a family to pass them, not wanting to startle the kids who were a little wobbly on their legs. Usually, she would call 'Race!' and head off into the crowd before Arizona had the chance to catch up with her, but there were too many children here and she wondered how she would react if wannabe speed skaters would pass their kids and maybe make them tumble. And the truth was, she and Arizona liked going fast, faster than it was good for them. "I'm so gonna love this."
Stepping onto the ice, both did some slow moves, the first steps always looking a little ungraceful as they had to get used to the feeling again. "So will I", the slightly shorter blonde stated and took her friend's hand, just like they used to in college and through med school. It was the only time she allowed herself to hold another woman's hand, and only because both of them knew their relationship would always stay purely platonic. Looking up at the sky, Arizona saw gray clouds hovering deep. "It looks like it's about to snow." She wished for a white Christmas. Even if that meant more injured kids in the ER, more car accident victims because the winter 'came out of nowhere' and even if that meant that she would have to shovel their driveway free of the beloved snow every day. She dreamed of a white Christmas.
Making it around the skating rink thrice before blue eyes spotted a very pregnant Latina and a redhead sitting down on one of the benches near the big tree, Arizona dragged her friend to the boards, greeting the two other women with a wide, deep-dimpled smile, "Hey you." She waited for her wife to get up and pursed her lips, expecting a kiss. Her cheeks were already red from the cold air, blonde hair was neatly tugged under the beanie she bought while shopping for presents and her hands were only warm due to the mittens she wore. "I've missed you."
Mirroring the blonde's smile, Callie leaned in for another kiss and placed her warm hands over cold cheeks, rubbing the cheekbone before parting their lips, "Hey yourself." God, she really loved her wife, and the child-like look her lover's face showed. Joy and happiness were practically dancing in those eyes and the brunette knew that, even without the main event that was still supposed to happen whenever Addison got enough courage to actually get on the ice – it was a good idea. "Do you want some hot chocolate? I saw a booth on the way here with hot drinks."
"I'm good, thank you. Teds?", Arizona asked the other blonde but quickly noticed that her friend had her eyes glued to the redhead's behind while she bent over to untie her boots. "Teddy?" Her voice had a singing ring to it as she nudged the taller woman near her ribs with her elbow, laughter bubbling up when Teddy almost lost her balance. "I just wanted to know whether you wanted something hot to drink and warm you from the inside? But you're probably already feeling hot...", she giggled.
Teddy, still a little shocked that Addison was indeed putting her shoes under the bench to exchange them for a pair of – what the redhead always called – very dangerous, sliding utensils, and also embarrassed for being caught staring at her girlfriend's behind, blushed. But she had to admit, she was looking forward to making a few rounds with her girlfriend, holding her hand and letting the rest of the world not faze them for a while. Still, she couldn't help but wonder. "Is she okay?", she asked the Latina.
Brushing it off with a wave of her hand, Callie mumbled a quick, "She's fine", after checking her friend. The red-haired woman seemed fine on the outside, composed and utterly cool with the knowledge that she was about to ask a really big question tonight. "Can you get off the ice for a bit? I want to talk to you about something", she asked her wife and found blue eyes squinting at her. "It's nothing bad, I promise. I've just missed you today and didn't get a chance to talk to you about our plans for Christmas. Besides, we should – maybe – make an emergency plan in case Melody decides to come early into this world." It was purely strategic to give Addison some time alone with her girlfriend.
Nodding, Arizona used the nearest gate to step off the ice and walked over to her wife, crossing Addison on her way to the very same gate. Frankly, the redhead wasn't as good at walking on skates as she was at walking in high heels, but she did it for Teddy and that warmed the blonde's heart. Callie would do the same for her if she wasn't housing their baby right now. She had done it every year, at least once, some years even twice. "So, what did you have in mind? As an emergency plan, I mean?", she asked the brunette.
"Nothing. I just wanted you near me and give the lovebirds a little time alone", the Latina replied with a smile and connected their lips before the blonde could protest, feeling her instantly melting into the kiss. "Your lips are really cold", she teased, their noses still touching when she didn't want to part too much. "How was your day?" Although her wife already began to answer her question, she didn't take her eyes off of the other couple, her gaze following their rounds so she knew when Addison was gonna put the plan into action. And then the redhead slowed down enough to stop close to the Christmas tree – close to where Callie and Arizona were sitting – without risking to fall and land on her butt, the brunette put her hand over her lover's mouth, effectively cutting her off. "Come on", she said, pulled her wife to her feet and walked closer to the other couple, wanting to hear their friend's words.
"Calliope, what are you-" But Arizona's thoughts died on her tongue as she followed her wife when Addison, clumsily and seemingly nervous, got down on one knee. That alone took her some effort, but she eventually managed. "Holy, she isn't-"
Nodding, Callie assured, "She is", and put her left arm around the blonde's waist, needing to feel the love of her life as close to her as possible with the winter clothes between them. "But now shush, I wanna hear what she says." The grin on the Latina's face got wider and brighter as she remembered how happy Arizona had made her when she said yes. And how happy her wife had made her every day since then, through all the little bumps on the road, through their hectic internship and residency. Arizona was just always there.
On the ice, the redhead fumbled with the box containing the ring she had picked out, her courage fading when she noticed that people were catching up with what was happening and forming a small semi-circle around them. Taking one last deep breath, she began, "Teddy, I love you. There are no words to describe how much I love you, how much I don't want to spend my life without you. I want you, I need you in my life. We've tried being apart and that didn't work. And I know that we basically just got back together a few months ago, but I know that you are it for me. You're the soulmate I have always wanted to find, the first thought in the morning and the last at nightfall. When you are with me, I feel like I can conquer the world with one hand as long as you are holding the other." Pausing to take another breath, she tried to sort out her thoughts, the speech she'd had prepared was completely forgotten. "I could go on and on and tell you all the little and big things I love about you. But to be fair, the ice is pretty cold." That earned her a round of laughter from the crowd. "So, I guess the important words are, will you marry me?"
Even before she heard Teddy's response, Arizona started to cheer from her spot, missing the 'Yes' over her own wolf whistles. She didn't need to hear the other blonde's words, though, the tears in her eyes and the big smile on her face were enough to know what her answer had been. And she was so happy for their friends, happier than words could even try to express. She watched as Teddy helped the red-haired woman back on her feet, swaying lightly back and forth before putting her arms around her back to steady her and connecting their lips in a kiss. When Addison slid the ring onto Teddy's finger, the crowd clapped their hands, whistled and smiled because they witnessed something so utterly romantic so close to Christmas.
Looking at her wife, blue eyes beaming at the Latina with joy, she said, "I love you."
"I love you, too."
So, good proposal?
