A/N: I am so sorry for the delay, work got in the way and I couldn't even find one hour a day to write. I hope you haven't forgotten what happened in the previous chapters ;-). I will do my best to go back to weekly updates maybe even faster sometimes but I can't promise anything. You do get a much longer chapter this time so hopefully that will make up for the long wait…
Okay, let's continue where we left off…
CHAPTER 8
It was early morning when Callie heard Sofia calling from her room. She sat up on the sofa and looked into the bedroom. She saw Arizona sleeping soundly and it took her a few moments to remember that it was real. Arizona indeed was in their bed. Callie closed her eyes for a few seconds as moments from the day before flashed in front of her eyes.
"She's home," Callie whispered and smiled as she slowly got up. She walked to the bedroom and pulled the door silently to have it almost closed, and then went to Sofia's room.
"Mommy," Sofia called when she saw Callie and stretched her arms out.
Callie smiled and picked Sofia up from the crib. "Good morning munchkin," she said and placed a soft kiss on Sofia's cheek.
"Did you sleep well? Let's get you dressed and we can prepare some breakfast. Hmm… what can we make for breakfast today? How about pancakes?"
Sofia giggled happily.
"Would you like some pancakes?" Callie asked with a smile while she was changing Sofia's diaper.
"Yes!" Sofia exclaimed playing with a toy.
"That's mama's favorite too," Callie smiled and placed another kiss on Sofia's cheek.
"Mama," Sofia repeated.
"Yes sweetheart, we will have breakfast with mama. Come on, let's go into the kitchen," she said and carried Sofia out of the room. She placed Sofia on her play puzzles on the floor and walked to the fridge.
"Okay Sofia, let's get everything we need and then you can help me make the pancakes, what do you say?"
Callie took out the ingredients she needed and then looked over the kitchen counter. At the same moment when she realized Sofia was not in her playing zone she heard her voice from the bedroom.
"Mama!" Sofia exclaimed with a happy giggle. "Up, mama!" she called.
Arizona shifted in bed and opened her eyes. She smiled broadly seeing Sofia's little head at the bottom of the bed, perking her head up just above the mattress, bouncing happily on her legs. Sofia screamed with joy when she saw Arizona open her eyes. Arizona quickly glanced the surroundings and remembered where she was.
"Mama, up!" Sofia said louder, her tone a bit impatient as Callie appeared at the door.
"I'm sorry, she crawled in here while I was getting things for breakfast," Callie said apologetically while Sofia tried to climb onto the bed.
"Come here munchkin, you were supposed to help me make breakfast," Callie said taking Sofia into her arms.
Sofia extended her arms towards Arizona and wiggled her legs, "Mama," she said.
"Let her come here, it's fine," Arizona said with a smile, she put her arms out and called, "Do you want to come here, Sofia?"
"Yes," Sofia said with a giggle, impatiently moving her body towards the bed.
"Okay, okay, hold on," Callie said through laughter and lowered Sofia onto the bottom of the bed.
Sofia squeaked joyfully and moved quickly towards Arizona on her hands and knees making Arizona laugh out loud.
"Good morning baby girl, you really do make the mornings very happy," she said smiling broadly as Sofia reached her and Arizona pulled her close for a cuddle.
"Up mama!" Sofia said again making both of her moms laugh.
"I guess she's not a fan of lying around," Arizona commented and looked at Callie.
Callie chuckled, "Nope, you'll have to get up soon, but you might get her to play with you for a few minutes."
Arizona smiled keeping her eyes on Callie, "Good morning," she said cheerfully.
"Good morning," Callie replied feeling a wave of happiness flood her body. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, I slept great, you?"
"Like a log," Callie said and quickly continued, "I'll go get breakfast ready and you can play with Sofia for a bit."
"Okay, what's for breakfast Sofia?"
"Pans-pans," Sofia said.
"Pans-pans?" Arizona asked with a confused expression on her face.
"Pancakes," Callie clarified with a smile.
"Ooh, pancakes, do you like pancakes Sofia?"
Sofia giggled happily, "Yes!"
"Me too, I love pancakes," she made a pause and looked at Callie. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"
Callie smiled, "Of course I knew! I know all your favorite things."
"Right," Arizona commented getting lost in thoughts for a bit.
"Mama, up!" Sofia exclaimed and broke the moment of silence making them both laugh out loud again.
"I'm going back into the kitchen, good luck trying to stay in bed," Callie teased making Arizona laugh again.
After Callie left, Arizona managed to catch Sofia's attention for a bit but very soon she insisted on getting up, so Arizona finally gave in and got out of bed with a smile on her face.
She placed Sofia on the floor. "Come on baby girl, let's go into the kitchen," she called as she walked slowly holding onto the furniture and Sofia followed on her hands and knees.
"Smells nice," Arizona said when she came out of the room and Callie turned around.
"Perfect timing, I was just about to come and get you. Come on Sofia, it's breakfast time," Callie said as she took Sofia in her arms.
"I'll just go wash my face and I'll be right back."
"Okay," Callie said and placed Sofia in her high chair.
When Arizona came back Sofia was already through half of her pancake. Arizona smiled and slowly sat down.
"Do you have to go to work today?" Arizona asked and took one of the pancakes.
"No, I took three days off, so I can help you adjust to everything. I will have to go through the plan for Derek's surgery a few times but other than that I'm all yours", Callie explained as she gave another bite to Sofia not realizing the words she had used.
Arizona almost choked on the piece of the pancake she was chewing and coughed a bit.
"Are you okay? What's wrong? Do you feel dizzy or nauseous?"
"I'm fine, just ate too fast," Arizona covered as she wondered why she had such a reaction to a simple expression.
"I was thinking that we should go to the park after breakfast. You haven't had fresh air in three weeks and I have only had it crossing the street from the hospital to the apartment and back," Callie suggested.
"Park! Go!" Sofia exclaimed.
Callie smiled at their daughter. "Yes, sweetie, we will go to the park, what do you think mama?" she turned to Arizona, "Would you like to go to the park?"
Arizona was still lost in thoughts, Callie's words other than that I'm all yours, still ringing in her head.
"Arizona?" Callie asked looking questioningly at her.
"Hmm?" Arizona mumbled and turned her head to face Callie and when their eyes met Arizona felt her breath stop for a few seconds.
"Would you like to go to the park?" Callie asked again and Arizona's eyes suddenly moved lower.
"I really think it would be great for all of us," Callie continued as Arizona's eyes kept on being glued to Callie's lips.
"Park!" Sofia screamed happily getting Arizona finally out of the haze.
Arizona quickly took a piece of the pancake afraid that Callie would notice her stare and finally composed herself.
"Yes, that would be great, is it far from here?" Arizona asked before she put the food in her mouth.
Callie did notice Arizona's eyes on her lips and her own energy shifted immediately as she felt her body suddenly need more air and she had to fight the urge to touch Arizona. She decided to caress Sofia's cheek instead and cleared her throat.
"Err… no, it's close, we can use the wheelchair to get there and then we can sit on the bench."
"Okay, great, let's go to the park then," Arizona smiled at Sofia who giggled happily.
Their attention was on Sofia for the rest of the breakfast and then Arizona took some time to get ready while Callie got Sofia and herself ready as well.
One hour later they were on their way out, Arizona holding Sofia in her lap, foldable stroller tucked in the back of the wheelchair and some snacks in the backpack. Sofia couldn't hold her excitement and she kept on squeaking with happiness, clapping her hands and giggling joyfully.
Arizona felt such calm with Sofia in her arms, a broad smile covering her face constantly and she felt immensely happy. She would gladly spend hours and hours with this little bundle of joy and she couldn't even imagine doing anything else at that moment.
When they reached the park Sofia immediately squealed clapping her hands "Mama, swing, swing!"
Callie lowered her head and smiled "Yes, sweetheart, we will go to the swing. You took her to the swing first and now she always wants you to push her," Callie explained.
"Oh, okay," Arizona commented as she watched Sofia's eyes eagerly looking for the swings.
When they rounded the corner Sofia screamed with joy "Swing!" and pointed her hand towards the swings. "Mama, swing!" she repeated and looked at Arizona making her laugh softly seeing all the excitement in Sofia.
"Okay, baby girl, we will go to the swing," she said and caressed Sofia's head. She leaned forward and pressed her lips on Sofia's temple while her fingers caressed Sofia's arm. The feelings that overwhelmingly took over her body surprised her a bit, but she felt happier than she remembered feeling ever before so she let herself enjoy the moment.
When they reached the playground Callie placed the wheelchair next to the swing, then took Sofia and put her into the seat. When Arizona gently pushed the swing Sofia screamed with happiness making Arizona laugh out loud.
Callie observed them for a few seconds as her eyes got watery still having to convince herself that the scene before her was not her imagination, that Arizona was really there, playing with their daughter. Arizona soon joined Sofia's giggles and Callie leaned her back on the side leg of the swing making sure to keep at least a bit of distance as she kept on looking at Arizona's lips wanting so badly to walk over, pull her up into a stand and have a taste of those lips again.
Arizona felt Callie's eyes on her and her heart started beating faster in her chest. She felt the urge to look at Callie but she was afraid to let their eyes meet so she kept on being focused on Sofia. A few seconds later Callie walked over, stood behind Sofia and pushed the swing gently from behind. Arizona couldn't stop her eyes from moving up and she looked at Callie who was focused on Sofia. Her breath became shallow but instead of looking anywhere else Arizona's eyes travelled a bit lower and were now fixated on Callie's lips again as she stopped breathing.
"Okay, a few more rounds and we will move to the bench," Arizona heard Callie say and when she noticed Callie's eyes moving slowly towards her own face she quickly looked down and focused on Sofia.
"We can place you in between us and eat some snacks, will you give us some snacks Sofia?" Arizona asked smiling at their daughter and mimicked putting something in her mouth while chewing on an imaginary snack.
Sofia giggled, "Yes!" She pointed towards the bench and said, "Sit!"
"Okay, let's go sit over there," Callie said as she stopped the swing from moving. She took Sofia out and leaned down to place her on Arizona's lap. Arizona tried to focus on Sofia but her body was too distracted by the closeness of Callie's lips as she felt Callie's breath on her cheek while Callie spoke to Sofia again.
"Hold on, we're going for another ride."
Sofia giggled and leaned into Arizona.
"Let's go for a ride," Arizona managed to say trying her best to ignore Callie's fingers that brushed lightly over her shoulders as she moved them to get hold of the chair.
Once at the bench Callie took Sofia's stroller out and placed her inside, fastening the belt and then turned towards Arizona.
She offered her left hand while she wrapped her right one around Arizona's waist. Arizona felt like the spot where she could feel Callie's fingers started burning while her heart started beating faster again. She took hold of Callie's left hand and pushed herself up. They walked a few steps towards the bench and Callie held onto Arizona's waist while she slowly sat down. Callie followed Arizona's body and was leaning down, her cheek almost pressing against Arizona's cheek, her perfume alluringly teasing Arizona's nose and she felt the puff of air that Arizona let out caress her own neck. Callie closed her eyes and hesitated for a second as she reveled in the closeness of Arizona's body.
"Me, me!" Sofia called and Callie stood back up while Arizona fought hard to bring her breathing back to normal.
"Okay, okay," Callie laughed and turned to Sofia, thus missing the darker shade of blue that was covering Arizona's eyes.
Arizona took a long quiet inhale and turned to Sofia too.
"Come here munchkin," she smiled and stretched out her hands. Callie handed Sofia to Arizona and Arizona placed her next to herself while Callie moved the wheelchair and the stroller to the side and took the backpack. She sat on the other side of Sofia and placed her hand on Sofia's back not realizing that Arizona's hand was already there. When her fingers touched Arizona's wrist she felt her heart skip a beat. She expected Arizona to remove her own hand but when it didn't happen she looked at Arizona with surprise. Arizona was holding Sofia's toy in her right hand and continued to pretend the stuffed animal was talking to Sofia making her giggle, while she herself was finding it hard to ignore Callie's touch and her gaze. But she didn't want to remove her hand so she kept on pretending nothing was happening while Callie caressed Sofia's back with her thumb thus making her other fingers move lightly against Arizona's hand as well.
"Yum, yum," Sofia said indicating that she wanted to eat the snacks.
Arizona laughed out loud and immediately started missing Callie's hand when she removed it to get the snacks from the backpack.
When they gave Sofia pieces of snacks to feed her moms, she giggled happily and kept on stuffing both Callie and Arizona's mouths.
"Slow down, we can't eat that fast," Callie said and gave one snack to Sofia.
"Yum," Sofia commented making Arizona laugh.
"She is such a cutie pie, always happy and giggly, I can't wait for her to start walking on her own."
"You better recover fully before that, because I don't want to be the only one running around after her!" Callie teased and Arizona laughed.
"Getting better fast is my plan too," Arizona said as she gave another snack to Sofia.
"Good, I like that plan," Callie commented and let herself enjoy the family moment she missed so much.
After a while they put Sofia into the stroller and walked around the park. Arizona pushed the stroller half of the way using it as an aid to walk and then later she let Callie take over and used Callie's arm for support. She didn't mind that her walking needed help because she enjoyed feeling Callie close.
They had lunch at a small restaurant in the park and then went home to rest. Arizona took a nap together with Sofia and later in the afternoon they played some more before dinner. In the evening Arizona watched a movie in bed while Callie sat in the kitchen and went over Derek's scans and practiced her surgery moves on the dummy she prepared. It was 11 pm when Callie decided to go check on Arizona, only to find her asleep while the movie was still running on the laptop. She smiled and turned off the laptop before she quietly switched the light off and walked out of the room. She sat on the couch and let her mind reminisce about the day for a few minutes. She was happy, they spent a lovely day together and it felt so good to have Arizona so close to her again. She smiled and then got up to get back to her surgery preparation.
SUNDAY
Sunday was spent with Arizona's parents who were leaving back home the next day. Callie got paged in the afternoon so Arizona did her walking in the park practice with her parents and they also ended up having dinner without Callie as well. Callie came back just in time to get Sofia ready for bed.
"I'll give her a bath and get her ready, you spend some more time with your parents," Callie insisted and Barbara joined her trying to convince Arizona.
"Yes, stay with us, you can assist in the bath time any day, and plus it will be more fun when you feel much better physically, it's better you rest now."
"Okay," Arizona agreed reluctantly.
Ten minutes later Barbara excused herself and went towards Sofia's room. Callie was just changing Sofia into her PJs when Barbara appeared at the door.
"You will have to tell her soon dear, because she will want to change Sofia's clothes, or bathe her…"
"I know…" Callie said under breath.
"Eventually she will see your scar too…" Barbara noted and Callie sighed.
"I don't know how to do this, it's not like I can suddenly say, Oh by the way, we were in a terrible accident when I was pregnant and both Sofia and I almost died. We are supposed to wait for her to remember…"
"True, but she's a doctor, don't you think the moment she sees Sofia's scar she will know that it was from a heart surgery? How many such procedures has she done, how many babies has she checked afterwards and seen that same scar on other children? She will know, and it's better you tell her…"
Callie sighed heavily, "You are right, I will talk to Amelia tomorrow and see how to do this…"
"I think it's better she hears it from you. What if she sees Sofia's scar and starts freaking out?" Barbara said softly.
Callie nodded her head.
Barbara placed her hand on Callie's shoulder and squeezed it, "Everything will be okay," she said and smiled. "I need to go back before she gets suspicious, and we'll have to leave soon."
"Okay, I'll be right there to say goodbye," Callie turned to face her mother-in-law, "Thank you Barbara," she said with a smile.
Barbara smiled back at her, "I'm glad my daughter has you," she said as she squeezed Callie's hand and leaned down to place a kiss on Sofia's cheek, "Goodbye sweetheart, grandma will see you soon again."
Barbara went back to the living room and sat next to Arizona, wanting to be close to her for a while longer.
"I am so sorry I missed the dinner, there was a bus accident and a lot of broken bones, I had to perform three surgeries and have two more scheduled for tomorrow. How was your day?" Callie asked when she finally joined them in the living room. Barbara and Daniel had just gotten up and were getting ready to leave.
"We had a nice day, we really enjoyed the time in the park, and the dinner, too bad you couldn't join us but hopefully soon we can come back again," Barbara explained and gave Callie a hug.
"Take good care of her," she whispered into Callie's ear. Callie smiled and nodded her head, "I will," she whispered back as she extended her hand towards Daniel Robbins who pulled her in for a hug, taking Callie by surprise.
"Too many things have happened to both of you. I've decided that hugs are a better option."
"Oh," Callie replied in surprise but smiled wrapping her arms around her father-in-law.
"I think Sofia's hugs have influenced her grandpa quite a lot," Arizona teased.
"They have, it is the most wonderful feeling to have her hands wrapped around my neck. I don't actually remember you being so affectionate," Daniel said thinking about it for a while.
"Hey! I was affectionate, wasn't I mom?" Arizona protested.
"Oh, don't listen to your father, he wasn't there half of the time. You were like Sofia dear, very affectionate, it's just your father whose heart Sofia has robbed completely and now he thinks he's the only grandpa getting the hugs," she said as she stepped closer and hugged Arizona.
Callie laughed wholeheartedly while Daniel protested. "That is not true," he said as he moved closer to Arizona and wrapped his arms around her.
"Goodbye dear, be careful but practice hard!"
"I will dad," Arizona smiled and leaned onto her dad as he wrapped his arm around her waist and walked with her to the door.
"Come back soon," Callie said and took over holding Arizona.
"It's nice to see you in an embrace again," Barbara commented before she stepped out.
Arizona blushed and Callie felt her body immediately stiffen a bit so she let go of her waist and gently ran her hand over Arizona's back before stepping away.
"Have a safe flight," Arizona said and watched her parents leave for a few seconds, she waved at them one more time and then closed the door.
"Do you want to walk back to the couch?" Callie asked.
"Yes please, I still have some tea left, are you hungry? We saved you some dinner."
"Yeah, I'll grab a bite, thank you," Callie said as she helped Arizona sit on the couch.
"So, my parents really like you," Arizona commented making Callie laugh out loud.
"You sound surprised, I'm very likable," Callie answered in a light tone.
"No, of course, you are…" Arizona stuttered, "I meant… I've just never seen my dad hug any of my girlfriends, he was always very formal."
"Really? How many of your girlfriends have your parents met?" Callie asked pretending to be surprised.
Arizona picked up her tea cup, "Umm… one or two," she said in low voice hiding behind the cup.
Callie laughed out loud, "You already told me about bringing your every girlfriend to your house to meet your parents. One or two is not what you told me two years ago."
"Oh," Arizona gasped, and then slapped Callie's hand lightly "So why did you ask if you already knew!?" she protested.
Callie laughed again, "Because you said the same thing to me two years ago when you were explaining why your dad did not want to hug back then."
"Sorry, I somehow felt uncomfortable saying that I used to bring every girlfriend home…"
Callie smiled, "It's fine, it's actually comforting to see you do exactly the same, it means you haven't changed, you're still my Arizona."
Arizona looked at Callie and blushed, the insecurity immediately showing up.
"Okay, I'm gonna go get some food," Callie quickly said and got up.
"Callie," Arizona called after her.
Callie turned around, "Yes?"
"What did my father mean when he said that too many things had happened to both of us?"
"Oh… well…" Callie hesitated, "I… umm… I don't think I should tell you, Amelia said we have to let your brain try to remember things…"
"I have a feeling something terrible happened…" Arizona said looking intensely at Callie.
"Even if it did we are all fine now," Callie replied with a smile, "So how about you enjoy your tea and I'll go grab some food. How was the walk in the park?"
"You are changing the subject," Arizona protested.
Callie looked at Arizona and smiled compassionately, "I know, but it's too soon to go there, okay, if you don't start remembering after a while, I will tell you everything, okay?"
Arizona sighed, "Okay," she agreed reluctantly.
"So the walk?" Callie incited.
"Oh it was great, I did two rounds and my leg doesn't hurt at all, no dizziness, no nausea," she explained.
"That's amazing, honey!" Callie said with excitement walking over to the kitchen. "I think fresh air does you a lot of good!" she continued while Arizona had to swallow carefully the tea she was holding in her mouth because she was close to choking on it after she heard Callie call her honey.
"Um, yes it feels so nice to be outside," Arizona agreed, grateful that Callie hadn't noticed the slip she made and how it affected Arizona.
"Tomorrow I will send a nurse over to help you," Callie said as she placed a plate on the kitchen table and sat down.
"Callie that's not necessary!" Arizona protested.
Callie lifted her head, "I have two more surgeries tomorrow, and I have to check on Derek, and I have to prepare for his surgery," she explained calmly. "You have to go for a walk, it is important for your strength and recovery, you can't take a break because I'm not around to help you out," she added looking at Arizona softly but with determination.
"Right," Arizona nodded her head.
"If you feel more comfortable, I can check with Karev and see if he can stop by and go for a walk with you?"
"Oh, yes that would be much better!" Arizona said with excitement, I want to talk about cases, it felt so good when I went through his cases with him."
Callie smiled, "Okay, I'll ask him tomorrow morning if he can come have lunch and a walk with you, but if not, I'm sending a nurse over!"
"Okay," Arizona agreed reluctantly and wrinkled her nose. "I hope I can start physical therapy this week, I want to get back in shape and get back to work."
"Slow down, will you?" Callie pleaded. "Can you please focus on the recovery first and then think about going back to work?" God this feels like us, normal us, just having a talk with her, Callie thought before she heard Arizona reply.
"I don't want to spend more weeks lying around and going for strolls, you don't know how hard it is to not be able to go to work because you are supposed to stay in bed. We are not made for such life, we are surgeons, I've already been off work for almost a month."
"You have been recovering from a serious head trauma Arizona, you can't expect to go back to work after a few days of feeling better. One week ago you almost fainted when we first got you back on your feet!"
Arizona sighed heavily, "Are you always this right?"
Callie laughed softly, "Most of the time," she teased. "You have your moments too," she added remembering when Arizona tried to reason with her after the car accident when she was pushing herself too much and stubbornly overdoing in her rush to get better faster. "If you go too fast you risk injury and then your recovery will be set back," she continued. "I know it's hard, but be smarter than me and slow down."
"Smarter than you? So you were injured before? Were you?"
Callie sighed and looked at Arizona with raised eyebrows.
"Fine! You can't tell me anything!" Arizona said with annoyed tone. "I don't like this amnesia thing! You all know so many things that have happened in the past three years and I have to be in the dark!" she protested. "Do you know how hard it is to not remember things?"
"No I don't," Callie replied softly.
"So it was not a head trauma!" Arizona concluded.
"Arizona!" Callie looked at her with amusement, "Are you really gonna try to use deduction to get the information?"
Arizona formed her mouth into a pout, "Fine, I won't!" she crossed her arms making Callie laugh out loud.
"You will remember at some point, I'm sure of it."
"How can you be so sure?" Arizona asked looking down, a tad of fear audible in her voice.
"I have to be, I have to believe you will remember everything about me and Sofia, otherwise I would just be sad all the time," Callie said in low voice as her eyes got misty.
Arizona noticed the sadness that covered Callie's face. She swallowed hard and decided to change the subject, this conversation was starting to lean towards a heavier side and she didn't want to go there.
"So tell me about your surgeries today, it's been a while since you've worked on broken bones so much, hasn't it?"
"Oh it was amazing, yes I was working less after the plane crash, but after Tuesday I'm going back to full time. Wasn't planning on two surgeries tomorrow though, so I have to practice some more tonight for Derek's surgery. Would you like Sofia to stay here tomorrow or should I take her to nursery?"
"I'd love her to stay but I'm a bit afraid to be with her alone, what if she falls because I can't get to her fast…"
"Oh, you wouldn't be alone," Callie quickly interjected. "We have a babysitter who comes here occasionally, she can come help you out."
"Oh, well then I would love that! If I start physio soon, then Sofia will have to go to nursery, so I'd love to be with her more now, when I have time, she makes me happy."
Callie smiled, "Okay, I'll call her, so that's Maria and Karev on your schedule for tomorrow."
"Will you be home for dinner?"
"I should be, but I'll let you know if I can't make it."
"Okay," Arizona nodded her head and finished her tea. She slowly started getting up.
"What are you doing?" Callie asked in panicky voice, "Wait, I'll help you get up!"
"No, it's fine, I've been practicing this today with my parents, I have managed to do it on my own a few times already."
"Oh-kaay," Callie dragged with hesitation and watched Arizona get up slowly, ready to jump to her if needed.
Arizona walked slowly to the kitchen sink, passing a few feet without holding on to anything and Callie looked at her in awe.
"You really are determined to recover fast, aren't you?"
Arizona smiled broadly, "Must be the military child in me," she said with a wink.
Callie laughed and fought hard to stop herself from bolting forward. All she wanted to do was get close to Arizona and wrap her arms around Arizona's waist, pull her close and get lost in her lips, but instead she crossed her arms on her chest and sighed quietly.
Arizona placed her cup in the sink and turned around "I'm gonna go get a shower," she informed and their eyes met. Arizona felt her breath suddenly get caught in her throat and she made sure to inhale slowly.
"Okay, I'll be here, practicing for the surgery."
"Okay," Arizona said and slowly walked to the bedroom. She felt Callie's eyes on her but didn't turn around. It was hard enough to breathe as it was, let alone face her again and then have to fight whatever those feelings were that have been appearing lately whenever their eyes met.
When Arizona disappeared from her view, Callie closed her eyes and allowed her nostrils to indulge in the smell of Arizona's perfume that lingered in the living room. After a few minutes she heard the shower running in the bathroom and her mind immediately remembered numerous times when she was in that shower with Arizona, naked, watching the water run along Arizona's skin as her fingers and lips roamed all over Arizona's body. She sighed heavily and opened her eyes, "These thoughts are not doing me any good," she mumbled and took her plate to the sink. She cleared the table and prepared her notes and the dummy hand to practice her surgery again.
Half an hour later Arizona appeared at the door. Callie was absorbed in her practice and didn't notice her, so Arizona observed her for a bit. She let her eyes go over Callie's face, following the line of her nose and then stopped again at her lips. Still unaware of Arizona standing there, Callie exhaled slowly one moment and placed her tongue in the corner of her top lip trying to get the next move correctly. Arizona gasped at the scene and when Callie nailed the move precisely she leaned back with relief and finally noticed Arizona standing there.
"Hey, you're done," she said with a smile.
"Yeah, you should go take a shower too, take a short break and refresh."
"If I take a shower, I will fall asleep. I want to go another round, that way I will be ready for the surgery tomorrow, so if anything unplanned happens with surgeries tomorrow, it won't be an issue if I miss another round of practice."
"Okay, well I'm tired, so I'll go to bed," Arizona informed and turned towards the bedroom.
Callie got up and followed her. "I'll let you know when Alex can stop by."
"Oh, actually I remembered he gave me his phone number so I figured I can call him and ask him myself."
"Okay, perfect, then let me know if he can't make it and I'll find someone else," Callie said with a smile.
"Great, I will," Arizona replied and got under the covers.
Callie stayed in the doorway leaning onto the frame.
"I'll be up for a while, so if you need anything let me know."
"Okay," Arizona said as their eyes met. She felt her heart rate increase as she anticipated Callie to approach her again.
Do I get a goodnight kiss tonight as well? The question played inside Arizona's head and on the tip of her tongue but she didn't dare to say it out loud.
Callie on the other hand didn't trust herself to come closer, she couldn't get an image of Arizona's naked skin under the shower out of her head and she was sure if she came close to Arizona's lips, she would definitely take her head and pull her in to let their lips meet, and she could probably not resist trailing her fingers along Arizona's skin and pushing her to the mattress and then all sorts of things could happen… She knew she shouldn't rush things, Arizona was home, and she just needed to be patient and grateful for that, so she decided it was better to stay at a safe distance.
"I'll let you get rest then, good night," Callie said softly.
"Good night," Arizona whispered back.
When Callie left, Arizona stared at the doorway, lost in thoughts, wondering about the disappointment she felt that Callie didn't approach the bed this time. She closed her eyes and imagined Callie's lips getting close to hers. She sighed and touched her lips with the tips of her fingers before she turned the light off and rested her head on the pillow.
MONDAY
Arizona spent Monday with Sofia and the babysitter, Alex couldn't stop by, so Arizona was stuck with an intern who came to have a walk with her which made Arizona even more determined to get better as fast as possible so she could go for walks on her own. In the evening Callie got held up at the hospital so the babysitter put Sofia to bed. Arizona insisted she could do it but Maria said she received strict instructions from Callie to put Sofia to bed and she wasn't budging. In the end Arizona gave up and went to have a shower. Maria soon left and Arizona was suddenly alone in the apartment. It felt weird, she didn't know what to do, she realized she was missing Callie. She sat on the couch and started flipping the channels. At 11 p.m. she gave up waiting on Callie and went to bed. At first she found it hard to fall asleep because she was afraid Sofia would wake up and she wouldn't hear her, but in the end she was too tired and fell asleep with a book in her hands.
Half an hour later Callie tiptoed into the apartment. She saw light in the bedroom and hoped Arizona was still awake, she walked slowly to the door and a wave of disappointment covered her face as she saw that Arizona was already asleep. She walked slowly to the bed and removed the book from Arizona's hands. Arizona stirred but didn't wake up. Callie observed her sleeping soundly for a few minutes and then leaned forward and brushed her lips gently against Arizona's left cheek. She walked back to the door and turned around one more time. Arizona was still asleep, Callie smiled and switched the light off. She then went to check on Sofia and stood above her for a while before she gently tucked a stray hair behind Sofia's ear and caressed her cheek lightly. She had a shower and then went to bed as well. It was a big day tomorrow and she needed to get some sleep.
TUESDAY
It was Tuesday and Arizona had her check up with Amelia early in the morning. They dropped Sofia off at the daycare and then headed to Amelia's office. Callie had to go prepare for Derek's surgery so Arizona met Amelia alone but they agreed to have lunch together after Callie finished the surgery. When they were done with the scans and memory tests, Arizona asked Amelia to take her up to the OR gallery with her to see how the surgery was going. When they came up, Meredith was already there.
"Arizona! Hey, hi, how are you doing? I'm so sorry I haven't come for a visit, but with Lexie's surgeries and recovery, and Derek, I didn't have time."
Arizona's face formed a puzzled look.
"This is Meredith Grey, my sister-in-law, Derek's wife," Amelia explained noticing Arizona's confusion.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot that you don't recognize any of us, it's a bit hard to process you know, because you are still the same Arizona to us."
"Imagine what it's like for me, most of the people I meet in the hallway know me and I have absolutely no clue who they are."
Meredith offered an understanding smile, "You will remember, Lexie recovered from serious injuries, you will recover as well."
Arizona smiled and looked down into the OR.
"How is it going?" Amelia asked.
"Half way through, going well so far."
Arizona observed Callie and smiled. She noticed how different Callie looked in her surgical gear, her energy was different, she was composed and focused but there was also a determination that she hadn't seen so far, she seemed so professional and Arizona realized she liked this version of Callie too. She is hot being in charge of the OR, Arizona thought watching Callie's hands skillfully move around delicate nerves, fixing the smallest of bones inside a very important hand.
After a few minutes Amelia got up, "Arizona, we have to go meet your physical therapist, and I want to give you a few more instructions for your memory exercises."
Arizona nodded her head. "Okay, let's go, is it still on the floor above us?"
"Yes," Amelia confirmed.
"Can we try and walk there?" Arizona asked. "My leg hasn't hurt since Friday and I have been walking more," she added.
Amelia thought for a second. "Okay, sure let's give it a try."
Arizona smiled and Amelia helped her get out of the wheelchair. They walked slowly out of the gallery and continued towards the elevator. The therapist checked her leg and approved her to do the first session right then and there and Arizona was happy, it was perfectly aligned with her plan to get better soon. After her therapy session she went back to Amelia to go over the scan results and do the final test for the day, the surgical procedures one. Amelia wanted to do it another day, but Arizona insisted she was not tired and she was waiting for Callie anyway. Plus she really wanted to talk about medicine. Time flew and she thoroughly enjoyed the surgical tests. Later she met Alex while waiting for Callie and before she knew it a message from Callie arrived. It was almost 2 p.m. and Callie had been in surgery for almost five hours, but she was finally done and was now free for their lunch break. It was too late to pick up Sofia because it was her nap time, so Arizona told Callie to meet in the cafeteria where she was sitting with Alex.
When Arizona saw Callie at the entrance she smiled broadly. She noticed that Callie was relaxed and happy, that meant the surgery went well. Callie approached the table and Arizona immediately asked.
"How did it go?"
"All went great, it was as perfect as it could be," Callie said with a big grin on her face.
"Yay, that's awesome, you are awesome!" Arizona exclaimed happily making Callie laugh out loud hearing Arizona's favorite expression again.
Callie slumped into the chair with a long exhale. "It was stressful though, it's not every day you are holding one of the best neuro surgeon's career in your hands…"
"We should celebrate tonight!" Arizona said.
Callie laughed out loud, "With what? You are still taking medication, you can't have any alcohol!"
"Dammit, I forgot!"
"How did your tests go?" Callie asked.
"Oh everything went great, the scans are clear, I had my first physical therapy session…"
"Already?" Callie asked in surprise, "I thought today was just an informational meeting."
"Well I said I felt good and wanted to try it out and Peter, my therapist, agreed, so we gave it a try, and it was amazing!"
"Great! Do you want to go for a walk outside?" Callie asked.
"Actually no, I feel a bit tired since I walked with Amelia from your OR gallery to the physio ward above."
"Oh, you watched the surgery?"
"We did for a bit. You look badass in the OR!" Arizona commented and Callie felt like she was melting hearing that comment.
"So we had to cross that long corridor," Arizona continued, "and paired with the therapy, I feel like it's enough for today."
"Hmm, you are actually being wise about this, I'm surprised," Callie teased.
"Heeey," Arizona protested. "I wasn't a problematic patient before either."
"Just a teeny tiny bit," Callie teased and laughed at Arizona's pouty face.
Alex laughed out loud and turned to Arizona, "She's just teasing you because she's in a good mood."
Arizona crossed her arms in protest and Callie smiled. "I was just kidding, you were the most perfect patient. How did the surgical tests go?"
"Oh God, it was so amazing to talk about medicine, and surgeries and the procedures. I really enjoyed it! Amelia thinks that as soon as I'm physically fine, I can get back to work."
"That is amazing!" Callie said with enthusiasm. "Today is filled with great news!"
"Yes, I told you, we have to celebrate!" Arizona said again.
Callie laughed out loud, "We can order a special dinner."
"And some good wine, come on I can have a glass of wine."
"Not with the medicine you are taking," Callie warned with a serious expression on her face.
"Fine," Arizona said and crossed her arms again in protest.
"We can buy kids champagne and pretend it's real?" Callie offered and elicited a broad smile from Arizona.
"Okay, let's do that!"
"This seems like old times, you two look like the married couple you've always been," Alex commented without thinking while chewing on his food.
Arizona looked at Callie briefly and was met with a soft smile. She smiled in return but averted her eyes quickly.
"So when will you know how Derek's hand is doing?" Arizona asked not willing to deal with any emotions at that moment.
"Uf, not for a while, now the tough part starts because he is a terrible patient who doesn't listen to doctor's orders. I hope he will be less stubborn than at the beginning."
"I talked to Mer, she threatened to bring the rest of his sisters over if he misbehaves," Alex said through a chuckle.
"Oh that ought to work!" Callie laughed.
"He doesn't get along with his sisters? How many does he have? I thought it was only Amelia," Arizona asked.
Callie chuckled, "He has three. No?"
"Four!" Alex corrected chewing on his food, "Plus if his mom comes too, they would drive him crazy, I think he will behave."
"Well he better, if he wants to still have a career!" Callie commented and took a bite of her food.
They stayed for a while longer but then Callie had to go back to work, and they found a resident to take Arizona home to get some rest. Arizona was too excited to sleep so she decided to rest on the sofa. She could smell Callie's perfume on it and she wondered what it would feel like to lie in Callie's arms. She looked up into the ceiling and sighed, She's my wife, it's not weird I am thinking about this… she told herself in her head and then sat up and opened her book. Two hours later she heard the keys in the lock and a scream of joy coming from Sofia when she saw her. Arizona smiled and slowly placed her body in the sitting position.
"Hi baby girl! Oh it's so nice to see you, I've missed you," she said as she watched Sofia crawl quickly towards her. Arizona placed Sofia on her lap.
"I just ran into the delivery guy, so I'll go freshen up a bit and change my clothes and then we can have dinner," Callie said.
"Okay," Arizona said and turned to Sofia, "We had a really good day today, how was your day baby girl? Are you hungry? Mama is hungry, and we'll have a special dinner. We are celebrating today," she talked to Sofia while caressing her back.
After Callie joined them on the couch, they took the food out and Callie opened the fake champagne with a loud pop. They toasted with it, giggling about the ridiculous taste. They played with Sofia a bit and then Callie went to put Sofia to bed.
When she came back she poured them some more of the fake champagne and walked over to the couch. She handed Arizona one glass.
"To the great day!" Callie said and Arizona smiled as their glasses clinked.
They spent the rest of the evening talking about Callie's surgery and Arizona watched in awe as Callie's face lit up talking about fixing bones.
"You really love orthopedic surgery?" Arizona asked with a smile.
"I do, breaking bones in order to fix them, just hearing that cracking sound, it's such a stress relief," Callie explained with excitement causing Arizona to make a face of horror.
"Remind me to be careful never to break any bones, I wouldn't want to end up on your operating table as a stress relief."
Callie laughed wholeheartedly "If that ever happens I promise I'll be gentle," Callie teased making Arizona laugh out loud.
For a split moment their eyes met but there was no time for anything else to develop as they heard Sofia call from her room.
Callie smiled, "I'll go check on her and I'll go get a shower."
"Okay," Arizona said with a smile and watched Callie get up and go to Sofia's room.
After a few minutes Arizona decided to take a shower too. When she came back, Callie was not in the living room yet, so she got into bed. It was an eventful day and she was tired so she just wanted to rest.
Ten minutes later Callie appeared at the door. "Oh, you're already in bed. Is there anything you need? I'm gonna turn in earlier too," Callie said stretching her back and massaging her neck. "I feel exhausted."
Arizona observed her for a moment. "That sofa is not really comfortable, is it?"
"It's fine, don't worry about it," Callie said avoiding Arizona's eyes.
"You are a terrible liar," Arizona smiled softly, she removed the cover from the right side of the bed, "You should sleep here."
"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable," Callie hesitated.
"You make me feel a lot of things, but I assure you, uncomfortable is not one of them."
Callie looked at Arizona, Is she flirting with me? she wondered, but managed to cover her surprise with a smile as Arizona quickly continued.
"And I am sure you have been really uncomfortable on that sofa for several days now, you've had long surgeries the past few days, you should rest properly, and even though I don't remember your birthday I am sure you are not twenty anymore."
Callie laughed out loud, "Okay, let's give it a try for one night and we'll see how you feel."
"Okay," Arizona said and smiled and then suddenly her face changed, "You don't snore, do you?" she asked seriously.
"I don't," Callie said through laughter, "But you do", she said in a teasing tone.
"I do not!" Arizona protested.
Callie laughed. "No, you don't," she said smiling, "You do this cute slow exhale before turning to sleep."
Arizona smiled softly, "Is there anything you do?"
"Well, I guess you will just have to wait and see," Callie said, a mysterious smirk covering her face.
Arizona's face formed a dimpled smile.
"I'll go get my alarm," Callie said and turned around.
Arizona nodded her head and watched Callie walk out of the room as excitement started to build up inside of her. She will sleep right here next to me, a whole night of feeling her body close to me...
When Callie returned, Arizona was reading a book trying to get her mind to think about anything else but Callie.
"You sure you don't want to change your mind?" Callie asked hesitating a bit.
"I'm sure," Arizona said and tapped the bed inviting Callie to lie next to her.
"How's your leg?" Callie asked getting under the covers.
"It's fine, it doesn't hurt at all anymore," Arizona explained.
"Good," Callie said with a smile, she closed her eyes and whispered, "Good night."
Arizona looked at her and leaned forward slowly, placing a kiss on Callie's left cheek, "Good night," she said softly and leaned back on her pillow.
Callie opened her eyes and looked at Arizona in surprise.
"I was just tucking you in," Arizona explained with an innocent smile and then reached over to turn off the light on her side of the bed.
Callie smiled, "Okay," she whispered.
Arizona moved down on the bed and adjusted her pillow, she lay down and exhaled slowly.
"There it is," Callie said with a smile.
"What?"
"The cute exhale," Callie said with eyes closed.
Arizona laughed. "Sweet dreams," she whispered.
"Sweet dreams," Callie said.
Arizona lay there not being able to close her eyes, a part of her wanted to reach out and touch Callie while she was still trying to slow down her own heart from beating too fast.
"Callie…" Arizona called a few minutes later.
"Hmm…" Callie replied half asleep.
She's cute when she's half asleep, Arizona thought and smiled.
"I'd like you to tell me a bit more about our story this weekend."
"Okay," Callie said with a smile but not opening her eyes as she drifted off to sleep.
A/N: I feel happy I finally managed to post this chapter, I really missed writing... How was that? Hope you liked it :-).