AN: Hello everyone. I'm afraid I owe you all an apology. After reading the reviews, I didn't intend for so many of you to be concerned about the R word. Arthur was meant to be threatening for sure but I forget you guys can't read what's in my head. I will never write about sexual assault, I don't like to read about it, it's a trigger for me so I apologize for not putting a warning on the last chapter. If I ever felt the need to include that in my story it would be vague, not detailed but I don't see myself every writing that for a character. There is mention of mild violence in this chapter but again, I feel like some things don't need to be graphic and are better left to the imagination.
As for one guest review, I don't intentionally make Arizona go through hell while Callie sits by and watches. First, I'd like to say, this has sort of taken it's own path, I didn't plan all of these things at the beginning. Secondly, I wanted to show that Callie could be supportive and Arizona could grow and open up and allow Callie to be here for her. Now that I think I've accomplished that, we will see more drama with Callie as well. Callie is definitely a strong character and I don't see her as just a supportive character. Everything that I write is because it just fits that situation or character better.
This is a long chapter. I am struggling writing chapter fifty-three. I had wanted to finish it before I posted this chapter but that hasn't happened. I think I have to scrap it again and start from ground zero. Once again, this is a beta free chapter, I apologize in advance for any mistakes. I have read and edited this at least six times, probably more. I'm sure you will still find mistakes but if you wanted this posted then I needed to get over that possibility.
Know that with this chapter, it will likely be two weeks before I can update. For the reviewer that offered cashapp for a quicker update, I'm sure you were joking but I can't get paid for this AND the lack of updates is because I have a busy life right now and not because I want to make you wait, I promise. I will update as quickly as I am able. I am flattered that everyone wants more updates though. Thanks again for your support and reviews.
I hope this finds you all safe and healthy. Happy reading :)
Chapter Fifty-Two
Arizona
Arizona spent the rest of Friday night on a thin mattress on a dirt floor. She tried not to think about the stains that resembled blood or the mysterious green crust on one corner of the sheetless mattress as she sat with her back against the wall, knees to her chest. There were several other women in the cell with her in various stages of disarray and they were already taking up the few cots and bunks that were off the floor. Teddy was placed in the same cell, her mattress was three away from Arizona's, the taller blonde's position on her own mattress mirroring Arizona's. Hal had not been officially arrested as he was a respected member of the community where the clinic was run and had been vouched for by the people in the village. They knew the Carter Madison Foundation was a big deal in these parts and though they had threatened it, they knew arresting Hal would not be good for the village in the end. Hal spent the majority of the day Saturday on the phone with several people but they were not releasing Arizona so easily.
After dragging Teddy from the cell and taking her to an interrogation room Saturday afternoon, Teddy had been released with a hefty fine but remained at the jail with Hal while they worked on a way to get Arizona out. She noted Teddy looked a little worse for wear as Arizona watched them walk her past her cell but they weren't able to speak to each other. Arizona just hoped that Hal would somehow find some pull that would get her out of this.
Saturday night, Arizona was removed from her cell and taken into a room for questioning where she spent most of the night being interrogated. They roughed her up a bit trying to force her to admit to partaking in homosexual behavior while in Malawi. A particularly well placed kick to the ribs caused her to admit to being a lesbian and being involved in homosexual relationships but adamantly denied any of them involving anyone in Malawi, American or otherwise. She was not going to admit to something she hadn't done no matter what they did to her. Realizing this, the men took her back to her cell in the middle of the night. By Sunday morning, Arizona was beginning to panic and was genuinely concerned that they were not going to let her leave. The penalty for being a lesbian in Malawi was five years in prison. She wouldn't survive five years, she knew that without a doubt.
She spent her day on Sunday pacing the small cell. More women had come in and a few had left, some for interrogation and some had been released to family or friends. Arizona's head was filled with images of Callie. Memories of their first date, their first weekend in their new house, their proposals danced in her head. And at other times, darker things would appear, things she was afraid she would never see happen. Their wedding day, a honeymoon, sangrias on the beach, babies...Babies? She got no sleep, spending the night alternating between pacing and praying of all things. Arizona was brought out of her thoughts by the clanking of metal. She looked up to see a man standing there with the doors open. She noted sunlight appeared through the one window at the very top of the cell.
"Dr. Robbins?"
"Yes?" Arizona said, standing from her spot in the corner where she sat in the dirt. She hadn't remembered sitting.
"A lawyer from America named Larry has posted your bail and agreed to pay any fines on the agreement that you are allowed to return to the US. As part of that agreement, you will no longer be allowed to treat children here in Malawi. We do not want them corrupted by your unnatural ways. Are you agreeable to these terms?" The official looking man asked.
"Yes, I agree." Arizona replied softly. She was heartbroken but the alternative was too scary to consider.
"Very well then. You are released into the care of Dr. Jensen. You will be allowed to remain in the village and your colleagues may consult you for your expertise but you are not to interact with any children, is that understood?"
"Yes."
"When you leave here with your group on the eighth of March you will not be allowed to return to Malawi. If you do, you are no longer protected under these agreements and can and will be arrested. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Ok, you are free to go then." The man said, opening the gates and allowing her to greet Teddy and Hal.
"Are you ok?" Teddy asked, pulling Arizona into a tight hug.
"Yes." Arizona replied, unable to say anything else.
"After you are processed and sign the papers your lawyer sent, you may go." A young officer in charge of processing the paperwork for the surgeon said. He felt bad for the American surgeon. She had operated on his own nephew and he was very grateful to her. He didn't agree with the laws that were preventing her from performing future surgeries but he had to enforce them regardless. The paperwork took hours to process and it was well after nine on Monday morning before the three doctors were allowed to leave.
"Kafele has brought a vehicle to transport us back to the village." Hal said, helping Arizona out of the building, the sunlight blinding her as she had spent the past fifty plus hours in near darkness.
"Here, drink this." Kafele said, handing Arizona a bottle of water. She had not eaten or drank anything in over two days for fear of getting a parasite from drinking unsanitary water. Her right eye was swollen shut, her lip bloodied, and her ribs bruised from the interrogations, still she was beyond happy to be out in the heat of the sun. Teddy glanced over at her worriedly several times but remained quiet and stoic. The other blonde had a laceration above her right eye and was sporting her own bloodied lip from being so mouthy with the guards during her own interrogation. Despite the direness of their situation, Arizona smiled at her friend and her willingness to stand up for her.
"Are you ok, Riz?" Teddy asked when the two were finally alone in their apartment again.
"Yes, no, I don't know Teddy. I can't treat anyone. I can do consults with you guys but no interactions with children. I just want to go home."
"You need to call Callie, you missed your skype meeting so she got worried and sounded the alarm. Carlos found you, that's how we got you out. Apparently he doesn't trust Arthur so when he found out he was going, he sent Frank and some others to stay close by and keep an eye on you."
"Frank as in Frank the bodyguard from Spain Frank?"
"Seems so. He's on his way to the village, he's going to be staying here with us from now on to prevent any further events or ideas about arresting you again. Hal agreed to share his apartment with him."
"Wow."
"So, anyway, call your fiance."
"I can't Teddy. If I see Callie right now, I'm going to lose it and I can't do that. Besides, have you seen my face? She will kill someone. I'm serious I wouldn't put it past her taking the private jet to Malawi and strangling Arthur herself."
"You have a point but Hal and I promised Larry that you would call so you have to. And if she doesn't see your face soon, she's likely to jump on the jet and fly here regardless."
"Stay with me, help me keep Callie calm."
"Have you seen my face? She's likely to go even crazier when she sees the two of us." Teddy replied, earning a giggle from the blonde.
"We do look ridiculous and it hurts to laugh." Arizona giggled some more, holding her ribs. The emotional toll of the past few days manifesting into uncontrolled giggles. Teddy joined in and the two spent a few minutes trying to control their laughter.
"I was really scared." Teddy admitted, soberly.
"Me too." Arizona said, squeezing her hand. "It's nearly three in the morning in Miami, do you really think I should call Callie?"
"Absolutely." Teddy replied.
"Should I clean up first?"
"Like you said, it's nearly three there and if the situation were reversed, would you care what Callie looked like? Wouldn't you just want to see her? They've been waiting up for news. I'm sure she is beside herself with worry, you shouldn't wait."
"You're right. Ok, let's do this." Arizona said. She opened her laptop and signed into skype pressing Callie's name immediately before she could chicken out. The Latina must have been sitting by her computer and answered immediately.
"Oh my God, Arizona!" Aria said, clasping her hand over her mouth as she took in the sight of Arizona and Teddy. Maria, Carlos, Nonna, Lucia, and Addie were all standing around Callie who remained silent, her eyes brimmed with tears.
"It's ok, it looks worse than it is." Arizona said, responding to Aria but speaking to her fiance.
"It's so good to see your face Alegre." Maria said to which the group collectively agreed. Lucia placed a supportive hand on Callie's shoulder, noting her silence as well.
"Arizona if you have any further trouble you come straight to me, understand? I have three daughters now." Carlos said. Arizona's eyes filled with tears as she nodded her head.
"I understand. Thank you so much Carlos. I owe you my life." Arizona replied.
"Teddy, you ok?" Addie asked.
"Peachy." Teddy replied, earning her a giggle from the group in Miami.
"Why don't we give Arizona and Callita a moment to catch up." Lucia suggested. The rest of the group nodded in agreement and said their goodbyes and sent their love to Arizona and Teddy. "Arizona, I am going to call your parents."
"Yes ma'am." Arizona said, knowing it wasn't a question. Lucia nodded, kissed Callie on the crown of her head, and then made her way to make the phone call.
"I'm going to go see about getting you some water and something to eat." Teddy said, standing and placing a hand on Arizona's shoulder.
"Thanks Teds." Arizona said, turning and squeezing her friend's hand, "For everything."
"No problem, Riz." Teddy said, ruffling the blonde's hair playfully. She waited for Teddy to leave the room before turning back to Callie who was openly crying now.
"Oh baby don't cry. I'm ok, I promise."
"What did they do to you?"
"They were just trying to scare me."
"Arizona that is more than scaring you. Your eye is swollen shut and you have a split lip."
"They will heal babe. The important thing is that I am not spending the next five years in a Malawi prison."
"Was that a possibility?"
"I don't think it would have gone that far but yes, it was a possibility." Arizona said. She didn't think it was a great time to tell Callie that she was sure that was exactly what would have happened if Carlos hadn't intervened. She winced as she tried to pull her legs up in the chair like she liked to sit but forgot about her very tender and bruised ribs.
"What hurts? Where else are you injured?"
"Callie."
"Arizona."
"I have some bruised ribs, that's all, I swear."
"That's all? Arizona…"
"I know Callie and I'm sorry, I just know how worried you must be."
"So what happens now?"
"I spend the remainder of my time in Malawi doing consults with the other surgeons and not interacting with the villagers. They do not want me corrupting young and impressionable children or their villagers with my homosexual sin or whatever." Arizona said, her eyes turning sad and revealing the first hint that she was putting up a brave front for the Latina.
"You have to be kidding me."
"I'm not. I had to agree in order to be released."
"Come home now, we can send our jet if we have to."
"I want that, I really do. I want to come home and be in your arms and start our beautiful life together. But I can't, it will only make me look guilty. Besides, they need Teddy for that surgery on Ada Delphina this week and I am not leaving Teddy here. Not after what she did for me, Callie."
"Once I get you home, you're not going back."
"No, I'm not. Even if I wanted to, I can't."
"What do you mean?"
"I can't come back to Malawi once I leave. I mean I can but I could be arrested again if I do. The agreement your father made only protects me until March eighth.
"I'm so sorry, Arizona. I know what this clinic means to you."
"No, don't be. It did mean something to me, it does, it probably always will but you mean so much more."
"I was so terrified for you. I thought I might not ever see you again."
"I was scared too. Really scared." Arizona confessed, fighting off tears.
"I need to hear from you every day from this day forward. Promise me, Arizona. If you don't want me hopping on the jet and coming to get you, then I need to hear from you every single day."
"I promise."
"What time is it there?"
"After ten in the morning."
"When was the last time you slept or ate anything babe?"
"Friday."
"Friday, Arizona it is Monday."
"I couldn't sleep in that jail, Callie."
"Go get some sleep and call me tonight. I don't care what time, I want to hear from you." Callie said. She didn't want to hang up but seeing the exhaustion on Arizona's face let her know she needed to sleep.
"Wait, I don't want to go just yet. Did you find a dress?"
"Yes so there's no getting out of this now. You're stuck with me."
"And I'm so lucky for that. I love you Calliope. Like really, really love you."
"I love you too baby. Don't you ever scare me like that again, I will kick your ass. The only thing keeping me from threatening that now is how exhausted you look. You must have been so scared."
"It was awful but it's over and I will be home and back in your arms in a week."
"Thank God." Callie said dramatically causing Arizona to giggle. "Go to bed honey. I love you more than anything Arizona."
"I love you too. Will you stay on just until I fall asleep. I really just need to feel close to you."
"Go get in bed honey."
"Only if you do too. And I need to wash up a little bit first." Arizona said, showing Callie her dirt crusted fingernails from the dirt floor of the cell where she had been held.
"It's ok, I'll get ready for bed too while I wait." Callie said, picking her laptop up and heading to her room with it.
"Give me five minutes." Arizona said, getting up and making her way to the bathroom. The blonde quickly got cleaned up, assessing her ribs for the first time. A deep purple was setting in over the right side of her body where the most damage had been done. She scrubbed her face, careful of her right eye and the left side of her lip. She washed her hands thoroughly and decided that would have to do before she returned to find Teddy talking to her fiance.
"I promise, Cal." She heard Teddy say as she walked in the room.
"You promise her what, Teds?"
"That she will watch out for you." Callie said from the screen. "Go get your scrawny butt in bed so I can put you to sleep."
Arizona smiled into the camera, admiring the beauty of her fiance. Her eyelashes looked extra long with the wetness the tears had caused and her features looked softer now than Arizona had ever remembered seeing them before. Arizona's heart ached with guilt at the worry she must have caused the other woman.
"Callie, I'm so sorry."
"For what?"
"Just for the situation. I can't imagine what it was like for you."
"It was the worst twenty four hours of my life but like you said, it's over now. And if you ever want to do anything like this again, the answer is no."
"Don't worry, I had a full two nights plus half a night and two full days to think about my priorities and what's important to me. What I want my life to look like."
"And?"
"You. I just want you. I want to get married to you and be able to call you my wife and be blissfully happy and go on a romantic honeymoon and then…"
"And then what?"
"I want us to have a baby, Callie. I know I said before that I wasn't sure and I won't lie and say all my doubts are gone but when I was in that cell and unsure what was going to happen, knowing five years was a possibility, all I could think about was that I want a baby, with you."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Arizona, I'm glad you're saying this and I don't want you to take this the wrong way but you were beaten up and scared, you might not have been in the right frame of mind but we will talk about it when you get home. If you still want to then we will talk about it more, ok?"
"Ok but Callie I wouldn't tell you this if I wasn't sure. I know how much you want this and I wouldn't get your hopes up. I want to get married first and have a little time alone as a married couple but when we're both ready, I want it, Callie."
"I love you."
"I love you too." Arizona replied, flashing her fiance a dimpled smile before she laid her head down on her pillow.
"What do you want me to talk about while you fall asleep?" Callie asked.
"Tell me about our five kids again." Arizona replied, her eyes already closed. Callie smiled and thanked her lucky stars before she started the story. Arizona was asleep before she even finished retelling her the dream.
"Sweet dreams mi amor." Callie said. She watched her fiance sleep for a while, afraid to let her out of her sight before she could no longer fight her own drowsiness. She took one last look at the screen, pressed her fingers to her lips and then placed her fingers on the screen before closing her eyes without signing off.
Callie
A knock at the door woke Callie from her sleep a few hours later, she moaned slightly as the light shining in through the curtains assaulted her eyes. She heard a moan mimic her own and looked at the computer screen still open on her bed to see the blonde stretching on the twin bed she slept on. Her blonde hair was scattered across her pillow and her forehead was slightly creased between her eyebrows. Callie smiled, she could tell Arizona was still sleeping and was fighting to stay that way. The Latina heard the knock again, followed by another groan from the blonde and she hurried off the bed to answer the door before it woke Arizona.
"Hey, I was just worried about you." Aria said, standing in the hall.
"I'm ok. What time is it?"
"Barely nine. Everyone stayed home from work today, we're all sitting down for breakfast, Mami wants you to join. Addie called the Chief, he's aware of the situation with Arizona and is relieved she is safe for now. Anyway, you have until Wednesday morning to get back to Seattle now. Addie figured you wouldn't want to be on a seven hour flight and unreachable for Arizona today."
"No, I don't. I'll be down in just a minute ok."
"Sure. You want coffee?"
"God yes." Callie replied so drastically that her sister giggled causing Callie to smile in return. "Be down soon."
Callie shut her bedroom door and quickly crossed her room to her bed, pulling her laptop into her lap so she could admire the sleeping beauty on the screen for a few more moments. She was lost in thought, her mind racing between what could have happened and grateful that the woman before her was safe for now. She thought of their future and Arizona confessing that she wanted kids, her smile getting bigger at the thought. The brunette was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed blue eyes had opened and stared at her in return through the screen separating them.
"You're watching me sleep." Arizona said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and then wincing as she pushed on her swollen eye.
"Awe baby, it looks even worse today. You should have your ribs and your orbits x-rayed."
"I will." Arizona replied, knowing that Callie wouldn't stop until she agreed. If she could ease some of the ortho surgeon's worry, she would do just about anything for her right now. That and the fact that her ribs were twice as sore now and taking a breath was painful kept her from arguing.
"Wow, that was way too easy. Are you ok?"
"How can I not be when I wake up and the first thing I see is your beautiful face." Arizona
asked, a dimpled smile gracing her face as she did. But another wince followed as the split on her opened and began to bleed.
"I'm going to file charges against the officers that did that to you." Callie said, her temper flaring as she saw the damage to her fiance more clearly.
"Callie, things are different here. You can complain but being gay, being lesbian, being anywhere on the lgbtq spectrum gives authorities free range to do what they want. People are arrested and beaten for being gay daily. The penalty for being a lesbian is five years in prison. I got off easy, Callie."
"You got off easy? Arizona, you can't smile or laugh without being in pain. It makes me so furious." Callie replied, trying desperately not to lose her temper. Not being with Arizona at the moment was making her anxious.
"I know and if you looked how I am sure I look, I would be calling up all of the Robbins cousins to handle it but I promise, I am ok and the best thing for us to do is just to lay low until our flight leaves on Saturday."
"Calling the Robbins cousins and Tim in doesn't seem like such a bad idea."
"Callie…"
"Arizona! I brought you food and not just nsima, Frank brought food from the market. He bought Mandasi, do you know what Mandasi is, Arizona? It's donuts!" Teddy said, flying through the door with Frank carrying bags of food.
"I also brought a bean and vegetable stew and cabbage salad." Frank said.
"Is that Callie?" Teddy asked, seeing the blonde sitting up in bed with the laptop propped on her legs.
"It is."
"Hi Callie. Tell Arizona to come eat. She hasn't had anything since Friday."
"What? Arizona, did they not give you food in the jail."
"They offered but it wasn't edible and I couldn't risk getting sick from drinking the water. It's not like I couldn't lose a few pounds before the wedding but I am hungry."
"Go eat. Aria came a while ago to wake me up and will be up again soon if I don't make an appearance downstairs. I'll call you back later, ok?"
"Ok, I love you, Callie."
"Love you too. Teddy, will you please make sure she eats more than just the donut things?"
"I make no promises but I will try. Also, she's going to get an IV when we go get her x-rays so we can get her rehydrated." Teddy replied, blowing a kiss to Callie.
"Thank you Teddy and Frank, thank you so much." Callie said, before turning to Arizona. "Promise me you will eat, go get those x-rays, and then get some more sleep."
"I promise."
"Ok. Be safe."
"You too. Give everyone my love and thank Carlos for me again."
"I will. Talk to you in a few hours babe."
Callie shut the screen and made her way downstairs, just as Aria was coming back up. The two smiled and giggled, Aria trying to make an excuse for coming back upstairs that didn't involve knocking on Callie's door again but they both knew it was the reason for her coming back up. Callie followed her sister out onto the patio where her entire family plus Jared and Addie sat drinking coffee and enjoying the sunshine.
"How's Robbins?" Addie asked.
"Putting on a brave face but she's in pain. I can tell she was scared. I think there was a real chance of her facing five years in a Malawi prison but she sugar coated it for my sake. They beat her and starved her though."
"Oh my God." Aria exclaimed. She had seen her sister-in-law's face but she hadn't put the pieces together about how she had gotten the bruises.
"Can't you make a complaint about the treatment she received?" Lucia asked, looking at her husband.
"Mami laws are different in Malawi."
"But Arizona is innocent." Lucia argued.
"No, Mami, she's not. Not really. Her crime is being gay. It's true that she didn't partake in homosexual activity while in Malawi which may have been the only thing that kept her from five years in prison but she is gay. She's engaged to a woman. In Malawi, that's enough of a reason to get away with beating a person. Hell, it's even a reason here sometimes. Remember, even you guys were ready to persecute her."
"Callie…" Aria said softly.
"No, I didn't mean anything by it. I'm sorry, Mami, Papi. I'm tired and worried and it's making me cranky. You have come a long way and I love that you have accepted Arizona. I just meant it's not easy for us and sometimes people make judgements based solely on that."
"No Callita, you're right. We judged Arizona without getting to know her. In fact, I didn't want to get to know her but we were wrong and I am so very glad that we have her in our lives now. I'm glad you do." Lucia said, placing a supportive hand over her daughter's.
"So Arthur turns her in for something she hasn't partaken in and just gets off scott free?" Jared asked, changing the subject.
"Not scott free, I'm sure there will be consequences. He violated the code of conduct contract he signed so The Carter Madison Foundation will be able to make a formal complaint against his license, both for his behavior and for risking the life of a fellow surgeon." Callie replied.
"That doesn't seem sufficient." Carlos said, his arms crossed over his chest. "I looked deeper into the Blake family, they are associated with some people known to have mob ties. I don't trust him."
"I know it isn't fair but for now, at least it's something." Callie responded though she felt as sick about it as her father currently looks.
"So, are we on a rescue mission to go get your girl then?" Aria asked, looking both mischievous and serious.
"Sadly, no. Arizona is afraid it will make her look guiltier if she leaves and despite what happened, she's there as a doctor first and under contract. She knows that her consultation is needed and Teddy is needed for a major cardiothoracic surgery. She won't leave without Teddy and she won't deprive these children of getting their surgeries even if she is no longer allowed to operate."
"What do you mean she can't operate?" Addie asked.
"They forbade her from interacting with children or the villagers. They are worried that she will corrupt them. She is allowed at the clinic as a consultant only. She cannot perform any surgeries or see any patients." Callie said. Gasps and shouts of anger came from various family members around the table. Callie agreed with them, wholeheartedly. Even if she never said so, she knew Arizona was devastated by this.
"Well, let's just pray that Saturday gets here fast and Alegre stays safe and out of trouble in the meantime." Maria said, kissing her rosary as she sent up a prayer for the blonde.
"Gracias abuela."
"Well, since I have you girls here for an extra day, why don't we do some more wedding planning? What do you say Callita?" Lucia asked. She didn't know how to process this injustice against her future daughter in law but she felt like a little wedding planning might help Callie.
"Sure Mami, that would be great but I have a call to make first."
Callie excused herself and went to the den for some privacy for the call she needed to make. She knew the blonde would be furious with her if she knew what Callie was up to but the brunette was only concerned about that if Arizona ever found out. She called Tim first, explaining what happened and that Arizona was now safe and a plan was set in motion. Next she called Barbara and Daniel, her future in-laws both rightfully upset with worry. She spent a lot of time calming their fears and promised to make Arizona skype them as soon as possible. An hour later, Callie rejoined her family and they spent the afternoon talking about the wedding.
Arizona
Arizona ate until she physically felt ill. She didn't know if the food was actually that good or if she was just so hungry that any food at that point would taste just as amazing. Once she had her fill of food, she made her way to the clinic with Teddy and Frank to get the x-rays she had promised Callie. After getting the all clear from the volunteer radiologist on her orbital bones, he confirmed a broken rib on the right side. She declined pain medication knowing that Motrin would be best for the inflammation but agreed to a bag of fluids to help her get rehydrated. Once she was finished at the clinic, she made her way back to the apartment with her two tag-a-longs in tow. Now, with a full belly and having full-filled her promise to her fiance, she took some Motrin for the pain and a Benadryl to help her sleep and the blonde was down for the night. She awoke in the early morning hours to her skype going off. After a brief conversation with Callie and a promise to call her back no matter what hour it was in Miami, Arizona fell back asleep until noon. She woke in a panic, unsure what day it was.
"Teddy!" Arizona called but the surgeon was obviously needed at the clinic. Collecting herself, Arizona realized it was only Tuesday and Teddy's surgery on Ada Delphina wasn't until the following morning.
After skyping with Callie and a quick shower, Arizona had nothing to do. She checked some emails and then skyped with her brother and then her parents at Callie's insistence. She spent a good amount of time trying to calm her family members down and promised that she and Callie would both keep them in the loop. After all of that, the blonde sat and went over surgical plans that Teddy had brought from other surgeons for Arizona to review and consult on. Reviewing the surgical plans kept her busy for a while but her mind kept wandering and she had a difficult time focusing. A knock at the door followed by Frank's voice startled her.
"Sorry to bother you, I assumed you might want to go to the clinic at some point today and I thought I should accompany you."
"I'm afraid I won't be much help there. That and the villagers no longer trust me. It's better to do my consulting from right here."
"Oh I don't know, you might be surprised." Frank said, gesturing for her to follow him. Arizona rolled her eyes but agreed, it was the quickest way to get rid of him. And seeing that it was nearly four in the afternoon and she had nothing left to do, she relented.
"I need five minutes to get dressed." Arizona said, before shutting the door and throwing on her scrubs quickly.
Frank and Arizona walked over to the clinic together, she avoided eye contact with the villagers they crossed paths with, more because she was afraid of being reported again than feeling shame. She had dealt with homophobia on more occasions than she cared to count and some cut deeper than others but at the end of the day, she knew she was a good person and she deserved happiness. Frank led her to the conference room where she would do her consulting from her breath hitched as she passed the cork boards on the walls, usually filled with polaroids of their success stories. Those boards were now filled with photos of herself with the kids she'd helped, letters and cards from families to her, words of support and encouragement. The blonde's eyes filled with tears, the trauma and stress of what had happened finally catching up to her. Frank quickly helped her into the conference room and sat her in a chair.
"Frank, I'm ok."Arizona giggled, as the father-like man seemed unsure what to do with a tearful woman.
"I know." He answered simply. "I thought you needed to see that, I'm sorry it upset you."
"No that's not what upset me and you're absolutely right, I did need to see it. Thank you, Frank."
"You're welcome. It is my understanding that Dr. Lachlan and Dr. Jensen will be here momentarily to go over some consults with you. I'll be just outside if you need anything." Frank said, trying to exit the room quickly in order to put some distance between himself and the tearful woman.
"Thank you." Arizona smiled, amused by his discomfort.
Frank had barely left the room when the door opened again and Hal Jensen and Joslyn Lachlan entered the room. Arizona braced herself. She hadn't seen Hal since the morning they returned from Salima together and she hadn't seen Joslyn since their meeting with Arthur about his botched surgery. The two looked solemn and Arizona prepared herself for a lecture. Technically she had done nothing wrong, the charges were made up but it had still caused a lot of drama and bad publicity for the foundation.
"How are you doing, Arizona?" Joslyn asked, the motherly concern evident in her voice.
"All things considered I am ok. Anxious to get home honestly."
"I could understand why."
"Arizona, we have a few things to discuss as representatives of the foundation." Hal said, getting to business.
"I understand, Hal." Arizona replied.
"As we are still currently in Malawi and have physicians under contract at the clinic, our position is delicate. On Monday, once we have safely returned to the U.S., the Carter Madison Foundation is prepared to release a statement."
"I understand." Arizona sighed. She hadn't considered how this would affect her reputation once she returned to the U.S. but of course, the foundation would have to say something about it.
"The statement will be in defense of you and your impeccable record as a pediatric surgeon. It will also include that we are in support of all lifestyles and stand by our surgeons, physicians, nurses, and volunteers and that if they are not safe in the countries they are working in, then we will not do business there. The Carter Madison Foundation would like to thank you for your service and formally apologize to you about your arrest here at that time. When they issue their statement, there will be a public apology to you from the board and on behalf of Dr. Blake's part in your arrest. There will be a code of conduct investigation on Dr. Blake as well as a complaint made upon our return to the U.S. to the licensing board."
"What?" Arizona whispered, unable to believe the words she was hearing.
"Is that ok?" Joslyn asked.
"I...I don't know. I mean I am grateful, I thought I would be defending myself to the Foundation so this is a pleasant surprise but as far as a public apology. Has this been in the U.S. media?"
"Just a brief bit, no mention of your name, just a short blip about an American doctor who had been detained in Africa. It was only a few seconds long and hasn't gained much attention that we're aware of. The Foundation would like to get ahead of it though."
"I'm not sure how I feel about bringing it to the media's attention. I am gay and I don't want to hide that and I appreciate your support more than you know but I am a well-known pediatric surgeon. The truth of the matter is, my patient's parents will not all support my lifestyle and their children may suffer because of that. I would like to keep my private life away from my professional life as far as the media is concerned."
"We understand." Joslyn replied.
"Dr. Arthur Blake's services as an orthopedic surgeon are unfortunately still needed, however, he is not to perform surgery without direct supervision. I will personally attend all future surgeries at the clinic with him. I know it isn't fair that he can still treat patients while you cannot but he has Imani's second hip to fix and the second surgery on Tau's right leg to complete."
"No, don't apologize. I owe you so much, Hal. The children come first and Imani and Tau need these surgeries, I am perfectly okay with them getting them."
"Ok then, on to consultations?" Josyln asked.
"Yes, of course."
Arizona spent a rest of the late afternoon going over consultations with Hal and Joslyn, not just for the current surgeries but also for the next group of surgeons. The peds surgeon had been considering a new plan but it was still in its infancy phase and she wasn't ready to share it but seeing the cork boards had once again inspired her. She had fallen in love with Malawi and its people, she wasn't going to let one bad experience change all the love she had received while working there.
"You look deep in thought." Josyln commented as they gathered their papers at the end of the day.
"I have a thought."
"Care to share?"
"Not yet but I will let you know when I am ready to."
The next morning, Teddy and every surgeon besides Dr. Lachlan, Arthur, and Arizona went into surgery to try to remove the mediastinal tumor from Ada Delphina's chest. Arizona and Joslyn worked in the stock room, took inventory, mapped out more surgical plans, and finally resorted to pacing the conference room. Medically speaking, as a surgeon, Arizona knew the surgery was planned to take most of the day but as someone who was benched, waiting was torture. Eventually, Arizona and Josyln went for a walk along the outside of the village before finding themselves playing cards in Josyln's apartment.
At four, Arizona skyped Callie knowing she would be awake waiting for her call before she needed to shower and get ready to go in for her own surgeries. The Latina had returned to Seattle the night before with great anxiety that she was unreachable for the flight. Arizona watched with a smile as Callie spoke with her, first in bed with a sleepy look on her face and then racing around the room gathering her things for the day. The t-shirt she had worn to bed riding up on occasion to show the bottom of her tan cheeks that her lacy boy short underwear didn't cover. The image made Arizona's heart rate increase. Why on earth had she decided two weeks in Malawi was a great idea when her very sexy fiance was at home?
"What's that look for?" Callie asked, turning back to the camera and noting Arizona's dreamy far off look.
"What look? There's no look." Arizona replied with the most innocent smile she could muster with the dirty thoughts circulating her brain. She knew she had been caught.
"Mmm the look that looks like you want me for a snack."
"Because I do. I love how you look in the mornings." Arizona replied.
"Don't. Don't do that because I have to go to work and be badass and not be mopey because I miss you so much. Mopey is not badass, Arizona." Callie replied, pointing her finger sternly at the camera. Arizona giggled at Callie's seriousness.
"You are a badass, Calliope, I just love that I get to see the softer parts of you too. The parts that you keep hidden under all that armor. It makes me feel lucky that I'm one of the only people in the world that get to see that part of you."
"God I miss you."
"I miss you too, like crazy miss you. I'll be home in a few days and trust me, I have no desire to leave like this again."
"Good because you're not going."
"Go kick some ortho ass, babe."
"You know it." Callie said with a wink that made Arizona's breath hitch. The woman seriously didn't know how sexy she was.
Arizona had fallen asleep on the couch after her talk with Callie and was awoken by Teddy returning a short time later. Ada Delphina had coded twice but the surgery had been a success and the child would hopefully make a full recovery. Arizona was sad that she missed the surgery as she made Teddy recount it for her in as much detail as possible but she was also bursting with pride for her best friend. Ada Delphina's surgery marked the last of the cardiac surgeries they had on their agenda upon arrival in Malawi. Arthur and Hal would complete the last of the ortho surgeries the following day and Friday they would get the clinic back in shape and ready for the next round of surgeons.
The next two days passed without much incident. Arizona filled her days with talks with Callie, helping out at the clinic with behind the scenes work, and consulting the other surgeons as needed. On Friday, the surgeons that had been on holiday returned and were prepared to take their clinic back. Teddy helped Arizona stock supplies and Arizona revealed her next project as they worked.
"So you want to bring kids to America to be operated on? Is that even possible?"
"I don't know, it's just an idea right now but look at the kids we have saved. What if we could do pro bono surgeries in the U.S.? I mean not on a large scale but a few a year. It would be great publicity for Seattle Grace and I could still help these kids. And not just the children of Malawi, we could bring kids from other countries for life changing surgeries as well."
"It is a great idea if you can find a way to fund it and get the Chief on board."
"Yea, I am not so great with authority figures but maybe once I have the wrinkles in my plan ironed out I will present it to him. But when we get home and for the next three months, the only thing I want to think about is marrying Calliope."
"Someone get the wedding bug finally?"
"The prospect of being in prison for five years may have helped me put my life into perspective."
"Well I'm glad something good came from it then." Teddy said as she and Arizona left the clinic for what they thought would be the last time.
XXXXX
For the second Friday in a row, Arizona and Teddy were awoken by a pounding at their door in the middle of the night. Arizona's heart beat wildly as she imagined police outside her door. She had been careful not to step a toe out of line and in ten hours, she was to be at the airport in Lilongwe to head home to her Calliope. The blondes looked at each other, Teddy motioned for Arizona to hide and though she wasn't proud of it, the woman found herself entering the makeshift bathroom and crouching behind the tin tub.
"Who is it?" Teddy asked through the closed door.
"I need to speak with Dr. Robbins." A voice called from the other side of the door. Arizona stood as she heard Joslyn's voice. She made her way over to Teddy and opened the door to find Joslyn standing there with a group of people, some from the village, some other volunteers at the clinic.
"May we come in?" Joslyn asked but didn't wait for a response as the small group entered their apartment.
"What's going on?"
"We don't have a lot of time. Hal is already across the street with Malcolm setting up for surgery. Dr. Reichie's son was attacked by a hyena."
"A hyena, like from the Lion King?" Teddy asked.
"Joslyn, I can't operate." Arizona said, reading between the lines.
"He is German. Dr. Reichie's two young sons and wife joined him on this trip. They are not villagers, there is no rule specifically against you working on a child that is not from Malawi and Dr. Reichie and his wife have requested you personally to operate on their son."
"Still, this is bending the rules, Joslyn. How bad is it?"
"His arm was nearly torn off. Malcolm is getting him sedated and Hal is getting the surgical suite put together."
"What can I do?" Teddy asked.
"It's not technically against the rules but we are pushing our luck here. Get Frank to speak with Dr. Rechie, he will get your travel arrangements in order. Then I need you to pack you and Dr. Robbins things. You two will be leaving as soon as the surgery is over. We don't want to take any chances that Dr. Robbins will be detained over this." Joslyn explained. Turning back to Teddy, Joslyn added, "And be careful, there may still be hyenas in the village."
Arizona and Joslyn ran across the dirt street of the village to the clinic followed closely by the four people who had been with her when she knocked on Arizona's door. Arizona entered the surgical room to find Malcolm and Dr. Sullivan, along with several of the returning surgeons, already attending to the boy. Arizona took a moment to gather her thoughts and her strength as she looked down at the mangled child.
"Oh God." She whispered, alerting the rest of the group to her presence.
"Thank goodness you're here, Dr. Robbins." Karsyn said as she looked up from the area on the boy's abdomen where she was working.
"What are we looking at?" Arizona asked as she got gowned up by one of the nurses.
"I need your assistance with his arm. Arthur refused to work on it and I know you have paid attention to Callie's surgeries and maybe you might be able to do more than the rest of us." Malcolm said.
"Oh, I am no ortho surgeon. I'm interested in Callie's work because she loves it and I love how excited she gets about it but I can't perform an ortho surgery."
"You're his only chance at keeping this arm, Dr. Robbins." Malcolm said.
"Hold on, I have an idea." Arizona said. "Hal, get your laptop, I will skype Callie, she might be able to walk me through this."
"Are you sure?"
"What other options do we have?" Arizona asked. Hal nodded in agreement and left to get the laptop. Arizona turned to the other surgeons. "What else are we looking at?"
"They tore his abdomen open and were snacking on his intestines by the time his screams were heard. Karsyn and I are getting that under control." Dr. Winston Channing replied.
"Thankfully between the dermatologist here, Dr. Sanders and myself, we have enough plastics knowledge to repair the damage they did to his face." Dr. Naomi Marshall replied, her hands steady and her voice even but Arizona could see the caution in the woman's dark eyes.
"The worst of it is this arm though. Looks like it's hanging by just skin and a little tissue at the elbow." Malcolm replied as he examined it more carefully. "It seems they grabbed the child from the open window and dragged him outside by this arm."
"The poor kid." Karsyn said.
"Poor parents. Can you imagine, he's what two, three?" Arizona asked.
"Just turned three last week. His name is Zeke."
"Well Zeke, my fiance is a genius, we're going to see what we can do about that arm ok little guy? You just hang in there for me." Arizona said as she leaned down and whispered into the sedated child's ear.
"Here, she's on. And she's not happy." Hal warned as he returned with the laptop.
"Dr. Jensen explained the situation. What do we have, Dr. Robbins?" Callie asked. Arizona couldn't see her in the camera but she knew she was using her professional voice.
"Three year old boy pulled from his bed through an open window by a pack of hyenas. It seems as though they dragged him by his right arm. It is barely attached to his body. I'm out of my element here." Arizona responded.
"Can you get the camera closer to the wound for me?" Callie asked. Arizona could see her squinting her eyes in thought as Hal moved the camera over the tiny arm to give her a better view.
"Ok. Dr. Robbins, I think I can walk someone through this. There's no guarantee that he will keep that arm and he is going to need follow up surgeries but if he can get to another hospital with more capabilities and some ortho surgeons, this will at least give him a chance at keeping his arm. Who is performing the surgery?"
"I am." Arizona replied, her eyes meeting Callie's through the camera. She could tell Callie was furious at her but wouldn't make a scene for fear of causing more trouble for the blonde.
"But I thought…"
"His parents requested me, I'm the best chance he has, Callie."
"Ok Dr. Robbins, I need you to be my hands for me then. Tell me everything you see and do exactly as I say." Callie said.
Arvhy6vizona started the surgery by shortening the severed areas of the limb. She and Malcolm cut away the shredded tissue, leaving them with clean tissue on each end to work with. Arizona found that listening to Callie's voice as she worked was soothing and the two worked together like a well oiled machine. When the last stitch was placed nearly five hours later, the surgical suite erupted into shouts of excitement and clapping. Arizona smiled at Callie through the camera but the brunette did not smile back.
"Congratulations Dr. Robbins, it looks like the boy has a good chance of keeping that arm thanks to you." Callie said, her tone was calm and cool, sounding almost robotic.
"His name is Zeke, he's three years old and he's the son of a German surgeon volunteering here. And I couldn't have done it without you." Arizona said, hoping to warm up her fiance.
"Yes well, I thought we had an understanding." Callie said, not wanting to fight in front of the current group but also letting her dismay about the current situation be known.
"I am going to scrub out and get Teddy. We are heading straight to the airport with Frank."
"Call me when you land for your first layover. Where will that be?"
"We have a short layover in Nairobi again and then we will be headed to New York. We have a longer layover in New York then we will be headed to Seattle."
"No, I'll meet you in New York when your flight arrives." Callie said, leaving no room for argument.
"Ok." Arizona replied, not wanting to argue with her furious fiance.
"Have a safe flight. Please message me before you take off and when you get to Nairobi."
"I will. And Callie…"
"Yes?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, now get your butt to that airport, Arizona."
The blonde didn't have to be told twice. She handed Hal his computer back and hugged him tightly before making her way to the scrub room where she scrubbed thoroughly and dashed across the street where Teddy and Frank were already waiting with their luggage loaded in a rented car. Arizona sighed a breath of relief as the motor of the car started and she watched the village disappear behind her just as the sun was rising.
A little over two hours later they arrived at the Lilongwe airport where Arizona just had time to text Callie that they were boarding their plane before they were taxiing down the runway. A little over two hours after that, they landed in Nairobi. After a quick bite to eat, the trio explored the airport, wasting time. The flight had been delayed and it would be a few more hours before Arizona and Teddy needed to board the plane for New York. Once the call for the flight was heard overhead, Frank walked them to their gate before separating from them as he would be flying back to South Africa later that day. Arizona sent Callie yet another text and then settled into her seat for the fifteen plus hour flight back to the US. Dr. Reichie had upgraded their seats when he had booked their new flight so Teddy and Arizona's seats were much more spacious, allowing them to lay down and Arizona had no trouble falling asleep once the Xanax kicked in. When she opened her eyes again, it was late Saturday night in New York and she was able to see the New York city lights as they circled the airport. She had never been more relieved in her life. A giant dimpled smile crossed her face as they began to descend.
Callie
"So you're flying to New York to get Arizona just to fly back to Seattle when she's already booked on a flight?"
"Yep." Callie replied to her redheaded friend as she drove them to the airport. Addie was bewildered as she watched Callie weave in and out of traffic.
"But why?" Addie asked.
"Because Addie. Arizona...ugh...she just...I just need to see her, now, ok."
"Ok." Addie replied. She knew Callie was furious at the blonde for performing that surgery.
As soon as Calie had signed off the skype call with Arizona performing surgery, she had hunted down Mark and Addie to vent to them while she booked the soonest flight to New York. Her father was sending the jet to New York for her disposal but she had to book a commercial flight for the night in order to make it to New York by early morning, she couldn't wait for her father's jet to get to Seattle. Her flight was to take off in a little over an hour and she was concerned they weren't going to make it to the airport in time as she weaved in and out of traffic.
"I know you don't think I should go to New York to get Arizona but I just need to be there when she lands. Not to mention, a few hours after her plane lands, the plane bringing Arthur Blake will land and I want to be there for that as well."
"And that is exactly why you should not go to New York."
"I'm going Addie."
"Fine." The redhead sighed, she knew there was no talking Callie out of this.
The flight on the commercial flight was cathartic for Callie though she couldn't sleep. By the time she landed in New York, it was four am Seattle time, seven in New York. Arizona's flight would be in at around eleven pm that night. She had opted for the Torres hotel for this stay as it was closer to the airport and Callie always felt a bit more powerful when she stayed at her family's hotels. She fell into bed, setting her alarm for noon. She had places to be that afternoon.
The second her alarm sounded, the usually difficult to wake brunette bounded from her bed. She started the coffee pot and headed straight for the shower. Arizona's flight wouldn't be in for a while yet but she had a few meetings to get to before she picked up her blonde. Two hours later, Callie found herself in the Chief of surgeries office at New York Presbyterian. She never flashed her name or used her clout but she intended to leave no room for confusion about the Torres family pulling their funding should Dr. Blake get off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. After shaking hands in understanding with the Chief of surgery, Callie smiled brightly and made her way to her hotel to wait until her other guests arrived for her next meeting.
A few hours later, her phone pinged as she sat in the hotel bar nursing a glass of wine, a smile crossed her lips and she pulled out a fifty and left it at the bar. She made her way to the previously planned meeting place and smiled as she parked her car and saw the person she was looking for rush toward her.
"Callie! Long time no see." Tim said as he hurried to hug his soon to be sister-in-law, swinging her in a circle as they embraced in a parking garage not far from the airport.
"How have you been, Tim? How's Sara?"
"Getting huge. She's due at the end of next month and we are just so excited for baby boy."
"Still not giving up the name, huh?"
"Not yet." Tim replied with his own dimpled smile.
"Callie!" The brunette turned to see an entourage of blonde hair, blue-eyed men approaching them.
"Aren't you guys a sight for sore eyes." Callie giggled as she hugged each of the men. Every single one of Arizona's cousins stood before her. She had hoped just to get two or three of them there but they had all jumped at the chance to come to their cousin and her fiance's defense.
"So, where's this Blake guy?" Trent asked. Of the group of men, he was the most likely to let his temper get the better of him.
"His flight hasn't come in yet. It should be here sometime Sunday morning. I'm thinking we should make our move on Monday."
"So what are you thinking, Cal? Fill us in on this plan of yours." Reese said. Callie quickly filled them in.
"I know we can handle him but why didn't you just let your dad take care of him, Cal?" Tim asked once the group had dispersed.
"Because I'm pretty sure Blake wouldn't make it out alive if I left this to my dad. He has some associates, well actually they are more my cousin's associates at the casino and I've never met them and really have no idea what they do but I am not stupid, I know the type of men they are. If Blake disappeared it would not do Arizona or the foundation any favors."
"So a good ole Robbins beat down it is then."
"Something like that." Callie replied with a smile.
"Hey, isn't my sister going to be landing soon?"
"Shit, yes! I didn't realize we had been here for so long. I'll text you when we get back to the hotel."
"Ok. Oh and Cal, I had to tell my dad what we were up to so he and mom will be here by lunchtime tomorrow."
"The Colonel is coming?"
"Yep and a few of his army buddies too. By the time we are through with Blake he will be too scared to even think about you or my sister again."
"Well ok then. See you at lunch." Callie said with a wink.
Callie arrived at the airport just in time to see Arizona's flight had landed and was heading to the gate. Callie made her way to the arrivals area and waited impatiently to see two heads of blonde hair. Fifteen minutes later, Callie caught her first glimpse of the taller blonde and then finally, her fiance came into view. She heard a squeal before she saw Arizona drop her things and run to her, nearly knocking them both to the ground as she reached her, throwing her arms around her with force.
"Let me take a look at you." Callie said as their embrace ended, pushing Arizona away so she was at arm's length. She looked her up and down, she was dirty and her eye was still bruised but the swelling was gone. Her lip was split but no longer puffy and bloody.
"A little help here." Teddy shouted, as she stood near Arizona's discarded belongings.
"Sorry Teds." Arizona said, letting go of Callie reluctantly to go retrieve her belongings.
The trio made their way to the car, Callie helping with the luggage as she loaded it in the car she had rented for the day. "Where are we going? I thought we would be on the jet back to Seattle right away."
Callie looked at her fiance and sighed, "We're heading back to Seattle on Monday. I have the penthouse at the Torres hotel for tonight and tomorrow night. I thought you and Teddy could use a little pampering and a break from traveling and I have a meeting while I'm in the city on Monday."
"Thank you Callie." Teddy said, imaging a big tub full of bubbles.
The ride back to the hotel was quiet. Traffic wasn't bad as it was nearing midnight. Upon arrival at the hotel, a bellhop bounded down the stairs, grabbing their luggage while a valet attendant took the keys for the rental car from Callie. The women rode the elevator up to the top floor in silence. Teddy had her own room and bathroom on one side of the three bedroom penthouse while Arizona and Callie had the master suite.
"Oh my God, Callie, I could kiss you. Look at the size of this tub!" Teddy squealed. Arizona shot her a warning glare and the taller blonde held up her hands, "I won't, I'm just saying, this tub is amazing."
"Is there a bathtub in our bathroom?" Arizona asked.
"Of course there is. Want me to run you a bath?" Callie asked.
"That's really sweet of you but no, I think I'm going to shower this grime off first and then soak in the tub for a bit."
"You definitely need a shower." Callie said, scrunching up her nose to tease her fiance.
"I know." Arizona replied, unable to deny it, especially after over twenty-four hours of traveling.
"I have lunch reservations in the hotel restaurant for us at one tomorrow so you guys take your time relaxing and being pampered, we can sleep in." Callie said.
"You're so sweet. Care to join me in the bath?"
"I could be convinced." Callie replied coyly.
"I'll shower quickly." Arizona replied, rushing to the bathroom to start her water.
The blonde took longer in the shower than she planned. Once the stream of hot water pelted her skin and the smell of soap and shampoo filled the air, she had a hard time pulling herself away. Only the thought of her fiance naked in the bathtub with her pulled her from the shower twenty minutes later. She started the bath water, adjusting to get the perfect temperature for the Latina and added the complementary lavender bubbles sitting on the edge of the giant bathtub. Once the water was filling, Arizona went in search of her fiance.
"Callie you coming?" Arizona asked, from the doorway of the bathroom.
"Just a minute." Callie said into the phone, she covered the mouthpiece and turned to face Arizona, smiling as she saw her clad only in a skimpy hotel towel, "I'll be right there babe."
"Who is on the phone at this hour?" Arizona asked.
"Go get started honey, I'll be right there." Callie said again, waiting for the blonde to disappear before she went back to her call. Making sure Arizona wasn't nearby, Callie went back to her phone call.
"Yes sir, I understand. We will see you then. Thank you." Callie said into the phone. She hung up and began peeling off her clothes as she made her way to the bathroom. She stopped at the doorway and smiled at the sight. Arizona was submerged in steaming water, covered in bubbles. Her head rested back on the edge of the tub and her eyes were closed. A small smile was on her lips.
"I can feel you staring at me." The blonde said but she didn't open her eyes.
"It's because you're so breathtakingly beautiful."
"Hmmm, in that case, keep staring." Arizona replied, finally opening her eyes and smiling as she saw the mostly naked Latina standing in the doorway. "Why are you all the way over there?"
"I just wanted to admire the view for a moment."
"Well you've had your moment. Now drop those panties and get your sexy ass in here."
"Wow, prison life made you bossy." Callie laughed, unable to tease the blonde just a little over the ordeal.
"Haha." Arizona replied, complete with sticking her tongue out at Callie. The brunette laughed, flinging her underwear in the blonde's direction as she sauntered over to the tub.
"Scoot forward." Callie demanded.
"Now way, climb in. I want to hold you."
"This isn't a request, Arizona." Callie said, gently pulling the blonde's chin toward her so she could place a kiss on her lips.
The blonde squinted her eyes at her but Callie's Torres glare was on point and the blonde sighed and scooted forward a few seconds later. Callie inhaled sharply as she saw the ugly bruising over Arizona's right side. Parts of it were still a deep purple but most of it had faded to an ugly yellow. She ran her hand gently over the area as Arizona looked over her shoulder at her. Without a word, Callie climbed into the tub and pulled Arizona to lean back against her front.
"I've been dreaming about this moment." Arizona said. She knew they still had to talk. She knew Callie was mad and had many questions but at the moment, she was just so happy to be in Callie's arms.
"Me too." Callie said, kissing Arizona's shoulder tenderly. Arizona turned her head so she could kiss Callie but the odd angle didn't allow for her to kiss her the way she wanted to and Callie was not loosening her hold on her.
"Callie…"
"Shh, just let me hold you for a minute." Callie said, resting her head back on the edge of the tub so the Arizona was relaxing against her chest. She let her hands roam over Arizona's breasts and hard nipples, down to her flat stomach, brushing over her mound and then back up again. "I just missed feeling you."
"I want to feel you too." Arizona replied, allowing her head to turn to the side so Callie could have access to her neck.
"Come on." Callie said, gesturing for Arizona to stand. Callie stood once the blonde was up and grabbed two towels, handing one to Arizona so they could each dry off.
"What are we doing?" Arizona asked.
"We can take a relaxing bath later. Right now, I want you and I want you in bed not in the bathtub." Callie replied, watching as Arizona's eyes darkened slightly with her words.
Arizona stepped out of the bathtub quickly, grabbing Callie's hand and helping her out safely onto the bath mat before taking possession of the Latina's mouth. She walked Callie backward into the master suite, her lips never leaving Callie's until the bed caught the back of the brunette's knees. Arizona grabbed Callie's towel and dropped it to the floor, immediately followed by her own, her lips attached to a tan neck as her tongue ran over Callie's pulse, feeling it quicken against her mouth. The blonde smiled, she loved that she could make Callie respond to her in that way.
Arizona gently pushed Callie backward onto the bed and followed her, straddling her lap as her hands roamed over curvy hips, a soft but toned belly, and finally reaching breasts that Arizona dreamed about. She looked down at her fiance, dark eyes meeting her own as she reached down and threaded their fingers together. Her mouth found Callie's left nipple and the blonde moaned at the feeling. Callie's hips bucked but Arizona was savoring the taste and feeling of Callie's nipple in her mouth.
"Arizona…"Callie whined, their threaded fingers preventing her from accelerating things. The Latina loved to go slow and tease but she didn't always welcome it when Arizona reciprocated, turning the tables on her.
"Callie, please just let me feel you, ok? I want to savor this." The blonde said, her eyes meeting Callie's once again. Seeing the emotion in her fiance's eyes, Callie nodded and willed herself to be patient. Recently she had taken the more dominant role in the bedroom and much to her surprise, Arizona had mostly let her but she could see that Arizona needed to be in control now.
Callie felt cool fingers run up her sides, short nails scraped along the outsides of her breasts then down her arms, Arizona's lips once again finding Callie's. A possessive tongue swiped Callie's bottom lip and as soon as the brunette granted entrance, the blonde took advantage, her tongue quickly taking control over the brunette's mouth. Callie could feel Arizona's wetness as the blonde continued to straddle her lap and it took all over her willpower not to flip the tables on the smaller woman. Callie felt Arizona lift herself from Callie's body before her breath tickled her ear.
"Spread your legs, Calliope." Arizona demanded. The brunette didn't even consider disobeying and immediately spread her legs, sighing in contentment as Arizona lay between them. Their bodies flush together as Arizona leaned down and once again took possession of Callie's mouth.
Callie whimpered as Arizona pressed her pelvis against Callie's core. Due to the lack of privacy and the laws in Malawi, the couple had not been able to do much more than flirt during their skype calls and Callie had severely missed Arizona's touch. She felt the blonde smile against her lips before a skilled hand snaked between their bodies.
"God yes, Arizona." Callie whispered as the blonde's fingers explored her folds and pressed against her clit.
"I missed this." Arizona whispered, nibbling at Callie's collarbone. The blonde had intended to tease Callie much more but she had no more willpower to do so. She ran her fingers through silky folds once again, making sure they were well lubricated before she circled Callie's entrance and slid two fingers into her.
"Mierda Arizona, this isn't going to take long." Callie whispered as she pulled Arizona's hips into her, causing the blonde to enter her more forcefully. Arizona used her hips to help back her thrusts, curling her fingers every so often to hit the spongy area that she knew would throw Callie over the edge.
"You are so sexy, Callie." Arizona whispered into the brunette's ear before she kissed her way down the writhing body. She wasted no time attaching her mouth to Callie's clit as she continued pumping her fingers in and out of the brunette. She felt her walls tightening and moving her fingers became more difficult.
Callie focused on breathing as she felt the rippling in her abdomen, she nearly lost it as Arizona's mouth found her bundle of nerves. Her hips matched Arizona's thrusts and as Arizona applied pressure to her spongy area while her tongue performed magic on her clit, Callie fell over the edge, hard in a powerful orgasm that made her entire body convulse and all the oxygen was sucked from her body. "Oh God, oh God, oh God" Callie chanted as she came down from her high, Arizona milking every tiny orgasm she could from her body before the brunette could take no more and stilled Arizona's hand.
Arizona slowly and carefully removed her fingers, kissing her way up Callie's body before laying down half on top of the Latina with a cocky smirk on her face. She painted Callie's breasts with the wetness from her fingers and then took her time sucking it off as Callie caught her breath. Callie ran her hands through blonde hair, causing Arizona to look up at her.
"Do you know how much I love you?" Callie asked.
"About half as much as I love you." Arizona replied, placing a gentle kiss on Callie's lips.
"No about double as much as you love me." Callie said, kneading her fingers into the back of Arizona's neck and then firmly pulling her down to meet her lips. This time Callie was in complete control and there was no question about it.
Callie ended the kiss, pulling herself and Arizona up into a sitting position. The brunette scooted herself back against the headboard while the blonde watched curiously. Having herself positioned and comfortable, she reached for Arizona and helped the blonde straddle her lap where she quickly took possession of her mouth again. The kiss ended with them both slightly breathless and Callie smiled as Arizona placed her forehead against Callie's and played with the chain that contained her engagement ring around the brunette's neck.
"What are you doing?" Arizona asked as Callie's lips started exploring a slender neck.
"I want to hold you while I make love to you." Callie replied simply. She wrapped her left arm around Arizona's back, holding her close to her while her right hand moved down between them to explore the blonde's core.
The blonde whimpered lightly as Callie's fingers explored, barely ghosting over her. Red lips eagerly explored the pale skin of Arizona's neck and chest, licking across her jawline, down to her collarbones and back. Arizona arched her back, encouraging her lover to move her mouth lower. Callie smiled as she pulled a breast into her mouth letting her tongue flick the hardened nipple gently. Arizona whimpered again, louder this time and Callie released the nipple with a moan as she tightened her left arm around Arizona again and her right hand finally circled the blonde's entrance, gathering wetness as she did. She watched Arizona's face as her fingers gently entered her, white teeth bit into a bottom lip and the blue eyes she loved were closed tightly.
"You are so beautiful." Callie said, stilling her fingers while the blonde adjusted to her. Blue eyes popped open and Arizona smiled down at Callie before she crashed her lips into Callie's.
The blonde took control as she began moving against Callie's hand, grinding down on it. Callie watched as Arizona moved her body against her, causing a new sense of arousal to hit the brunette. She held the blonde tightly as her pace increased, curling her fingers against her as she moved. Arizona moaned and her head fell back on her shoulders giving Callie access to her chest which she took advantage of, collecting the previously neglected breast into her mouth.
"Oh my God, Callie." Arizona moaned, her movements becoming more urgent. Callie released the nipple, turning her full attention to helping Arizona with her impending orgasm.
Arizona's movements became frantic, Callie met every thrust and held her close as she felt the blonde's inner walls begin to tighten. She pressed her thumb lightly against Arizona's clit and rubbed gentle circles as the blonde continued thrusting against her fingers. Callie thrust her fingers in and pressed firmly against Arizona's g spot the next time the blonde moved, her thumb still circling her clit and Arizona came undone around her. Her walls spasming as Callie gently massaged them, her head falling on Callie's shoulder, her arms clinging tightly around her neck, fingers wrapped in dark hair as her entire body trembled against Callie. She brought the blonde down from her high gently, removing her fingers and hugging her tightly. A sniffle alerted Callie that the continued trembling was more than just after shocks.
"Hey, hey, baby look at me." Callie said, trying to pry the blonde's arms off of her so she could look at her but Arizona shook her head and continued to hold on. "Did I hurt you honey?"
Arizona shook her head and continued to cry, holding tightly to Callie as the brunette rubbed her back and whispered soothing words in her ear. She kissed her shoulder, her cheek, her temple, ran her fingers through still wet blonde locks, and waited patiently for Arizona to collect herself so they could talk. Finally, Arizona's grip loosened and she sat up a bit, her eyes on her engagement ring as her fingers gently probed it.
"Arizona, look at me." Callie said, hooking her finger under the blonde's chin and gently bringing her head up so she could look in her eyes.
"I'm sorry. I'm ok. I was just, overwhelmed, I guess by my emotions. I was so scared I would never see you again or if I did it would be in five years and you would have moved on by then. I just, I never want to take this for granted again. I love you so much Calliope." Arizona said, the tears beginning to form again. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure why I'm so emotional."
"I was scared too, honey, you have no idea how much. And I love you too. Come here, lay down. We have a while before we have to get ready. I want to just hold you for a while." Callie said, urging the blonde to lay down beside her. Callie pulled the throw blanket at the end of the bed over them as Arizona settled with her front against Callie's front. The skin to skin contact something they both needed at the moment. Arizona's head rested in the crook of Callie's neck and they tangled their legs together. Callie set an alarm before she rested her head down on the pillow. The blonde's breathing signaling her that she was already fast asleep. She took a moment to relish the feeling of the blonde against her, running her fingertips over the smooth skin of her back and spine before she let sleep take her.