The couple had gotten in the car, Callie having everything situated. The mother had to have a talk with Summer about why she couldn't come, and convinced the ten-year-old that they would see her soon. She felt terrible leaving the girl, especially knowing she was so scared, but she knew she had to. Lucia was excited to watch her grandchildren- and she was eager to meet the newest addition.
Callie was driving, holding Arizona's hand, rubbing the back of the woman's hand with her thumb. Arizona was nervous, but she remained silent for the car ride. She was in pain, but tried not to show it. She was hoping she didn't have to get a c-section, like she did with the twins. She remembered how horrible the recovery was, especially while getting used to two new babies. She already planned on doing everything in her power to avoid surgery.
"I'm so excited, we finally get to meet our little baby Torres" Callie said softly after a whole lot of silence.
Arizona nodded, humming, "Mhm."
She was in pain-- obviously. Callie knew it. And Arizona didn't always like to show it, which worried Callie a lot.
As they pulled into the hospital parking lot, Arizona cleared her throat. "Can you uh... can you text my mom?"
Callie looked over at her wife, confused.
"I just... I want her to be updated... I know you're gonna text your parents with updates.. can you just... text my mom too?" The blonde struggled to speak.
"Yeah, of course." Callie nodded. She didn't mind keeping Barbra updated, and if that was what Arizona wanted, it was what she would do.
"Thank you." Arizona shifted in her seat.
"We should get you in there" Callie said, getting out of the car. The brunettes anxiety was starting to kick in, remembering the fact that her sister died from giving birth. She tried not to show it, but Arizona knew Callie struggled when she was in labor.
The woman grabbed their bags before helping her wife out of the car, holding her close and reaching behind her to close the door.
"How do you feel?" Callie asked as she held her wife's hips gently.
Arizona rested her head on Callie's shoulder, wrapping her arms up and around her shoulders as well. "Like this big ass baby is gonna destroy my vagina" the blonde responded.
Callie laughed, "let's go inside."
Once the doctors got Arizona situated and in a room- after a series of tests of course- Callie sat down on a chair next to the bed.
"You're sure you want me to text your mom?"
"Please" The blonde whispered, reaching her hand off the bed gently, since she had an IV in.
Callie nodded and held her wife's hand. "Okay" She used her free hand to get out her phone. First, she texted her parents, but then she clicked on Barbras contact.
The last time Callie texted Barbra was years ago. The brunette let out a breath and typed up a message.
Hi, Barbra, it's Callie. Arizona and I are at the hospital, she's in labor! Right now she's about 5 centimeters dilated, she wants me to keep you updated. I'll keep in touch!
Callie squeezed Arizona's hand gently. "I just texted your mom."
"Thank you" Arizona whispered. She knew Callie probably didn't want to be texting Barbra after what happened recently, but Arizona wanted to have a relationship with her, and updates about the birth of her child were something a mother and daughter would talk about.
Callie smiled softly, nodding. "Of course" The woman held onto her phone for a while, waiting for a text back. She prayed Barbra would at least acknowledge the message. To Callie's luck, the woman texted back.
Tell Arizona I'm proud of her.
Callie let out a breath, making sure her wife wasn't having a contraction before placing her phone in the blondes hands.
"What?" Arizona was confused.
"Read it" Callie spoke softly.
The blonde looked down at her wife's phone and read the messages. Tears started to form in her eyes. Her mother hadn't said that since Arizona was very young.
"She said that?" Arizona was surprised, but loved hearing that-- her mother was proud of her.
"Yeah, she did" Callie nodded. The brunette watched a tear fall from her wife's eyes. "Oh, baby."
"Sorry I'm just..." More tears fell.
"It's okay, Ari" Callie didn't want to stop her wife from crying. She just held the woman's hand in both of hers.
The blonde was beyond happy- it meant so much to know her mother said that. All a child ever wanted to do was make their parents proud, and Arizona felt relieved to know she had made her mother proud. She had felt like she hadn't for so long- to hear that was special.
Callie reached up and wiped some tears from Arizona's face. "Look at that.." she had said, a smile on her face. Callie knew her wife was happy, so she was happy.
"She's proud of me... she said it."
Callie chuckled, "Yeah, Yeah, she did."
"That's... that's... awesome."
Callie laughed more. Her wife was adorable. Callie always loved when her wife said the word awesome- something about it made her melt.
"I'll make sure I keep her updated" Callie reassured.
"Thank you" The blonde repeated, the smile not leaving her face. Arizona's mother was proud of her- that was something she hadn't heard her say in at least 15 years. Arizona kept thinking about it for hours as she labored. It was comforting, and made her feel good about herself. Callie was always very positive and encouraging, and Arizona wasn't one to get down on herself, but it felt amazing to have her mother being so positive.
Callie had alternated between pacing the hospital room, pacing the hallway, or comforting her wife. The woman always got nervous, some times more than others, and this was probably one of her most nervous moments.
Back at the couple's home, Summer was beyond worried about her mother. The young girl had been able to tell Arizona was in pain. And, she knew she was okay if she was at the hospital, because there were doctors there that could help her, but she still didn't like it. Additionally, she was confused about why she couldn't come- she just wanted to make sure her mother was okay. She knew today was already sad, and now she couldn't even be with her mom.
The young girl had been in her room since her parents left, she didn't want to talk to anyone. Lucia was worried, and didn't understand why her granddaughter seemed so upset. She had decided to call Callie- maybe she could talk to Summer.
Callie was sitting in a chair next to Arizona's bed, alternating between kissing her hand softly or just holding it, the two had been whispering softly back and forth to eachother.
Callie sat up when her phone buzzed in her pocket, keeping one hand in Arizona's as she looked to see who it was. "It's my mom, can I stay in here?" Callie didn't want to disrupt Arizona.
The blonde nodded softly. "Don't go."
Callie leaned over and kissed her arm before answering her phone. "Hey, Mom, what's up?"
Lucia was glad Callie had been able to answer. "Summer has just locked herself in her room, did something happen?"
Callie looked at Arizona as she spoke. "Uh, I don't know. Is she okay? Can I talk to her?"
"Yeah, one second honey." Lucia spoke before Callie could hear her mother's muffled footsteps up the stairs and to the girl's bedroom. Then, she heard her mother knock on the door.
"I don't wanna talk!" Summer had said.
Callie's eyes narrowed.
"I know, sweetheart, but your mom is on the phone, she really wants to talk to you."
Suddenly, the lock clicked open and Summer took the phone from her grandmother, closing the door and locking it again. "Mom?"
Callie smiled. "Hey, my love. How are you doing?"
"Is Mom okay?" Summer asked quietly, ignoring the question.
Callie nodded even though Summer couldn't see her. "She's perfectly fine."
"Are you sure?" Summer was still thinking about what had happened in the kitchen- she knew her mother had been in pain.
"I'm sure, she's right here next to me, and she's smiling." Callie assured her daughter. And, it was true- Arizona was smiling.
The blonde leaned in close to her wife so her mouth was near the speaker too. "Hi, baby, I'm okay, I promise." The woman's soft breath could be heard over the phone as it hit Callie's cheek, her voice gentle, and reassuring, like a mother's voice always is.
Summer smiled at the fact that both her mothers were there, and Arizona was okay. She needed to hear it from both of them before she believed it, so, now she had felt much better.
Arizona stayed close, wanting to hear what her daughter said.
"I wanted to come too" Summer said after a moment of silence.
"We know, and we wish you could have. But, you'll get to see us right after the baby is here, and then in a few days we'll be back home and everything will go back to normal." Callie spoke lovingly and understandingly, her daughter was sensitive to change- she liked having both of her mothers with her.
Arizona wished more than anything her daughter wouldn't be upset the whole time they were gone. She didn't like when her children were sad, and neither her nor Callie could be there right now to comfort her.
"Okay..." Summer mumbled.
"What have you been doing?" Callie started a new conversation.
"I'm just in my room."
"Yeah, Grandma said you won't come out.."
"I'm just... worried about Mommy." Summer explained her behavior.
"Mommy is perfectly fine."
"I know... it was scary, Summer." Arizona cut in. "I'm so sorry I scared you. But, I promise you, I'm great! I'm just fine, there's nothing for you to worry about." Arizona tried to convince her daughter, feeling terrible that she had to experience her mother in such pain. But, she was beyond grateful the girl had been there. She didn't know how she would have managed the three young children, her pain, and calling Callie by herself.
"You feel better?" Summer asked hopefully.
"Mm, Mhm" Arizona hummed into the phone.
"Then why can't you come back home?"
Arizona looked at Callie.
Callie wrapped an arm around her wife before she cleared her throat. "We can't come home until your little brother or sister is here."
"But the hospital is for sick people. Is the baby sick?"
"No, no. The hospital isn't just for sick people, it's also for mommies and babies" Callie tried to explain that everything was fine, but the ten year old was scared- and she just needed her mothers.
"Ugh" Summer responded.
The couple exchanged a look. "I'm sorry, sweetie" Callie said softly.
"I miss you guys" Summer mumbled, playing with her Uncle Tim's duck with her free hand, rubbing the soft fur between her fingers.
"We miss you too. We'll be back before you know it. I promise" Callie just wished she could hug her daughter and make her feel better.
"Okay... Will the baby be here tonight?"
"Uh... maybe. We don't know yet."
"If the baby is here before bedtime can I come see you?"
Callie and Arizona exchanged looks- Arizona still had her cheek pressed against Callie's to hear her daughter.
"Maybe. We'll have to see, honey. But, I'm gonna keep texting with grandma so if you want to know what's happening you can ask her." Callie knew the girl just didn't like not knowing what was going on with her mothers.
"Okay." Summer whispered.
"We love you" Arizona reminded.
"I love you too." Summer said softly, and with that, the phone call ended.
"She's so scared..." Arizona mumbled shamefully.
"Babe, it's not your fault."
"Maybe I shouldn't have had her come in and call you though... she didn't need to see... all that. I shouldn't have asked her to help Cal, now she's terrified."
"Arizona. It's perfectly normal for you to be in pain sometimes, and it's fine for her to see that. Then, when she sees you go back to normal after she knows you were hurt, she'll learn that she can do the same." Callie knew it sucked in the moment, but in the long run, Summer wouldn't remember how scary it was, she would remember that her Mom was strong.
"I wish I had gone about it differently."
"And I wish I had stayed home today, but I didn't, and we can't change that now, baby. So, we gotta deal with it."
Arizona sighed. Callie was right. Summer would be okay, and she did what she had to in the moment.
"Right now, we gotta focus on getting this baby out of you, cuz I want newborn Torres cuddles" Callie said with a smile.
Arizona's worried expression faded away. "Mm I do like newborn cuddles." She hummed in agreement.
"Almost better than wife cuddles" Callie teased.
"Hey" The blonde pouted playfully, feeling Callie's arms snake around her.
"Why don't we walk a little? Get this baby out of you."
"Ughhh" Arizona groaned. She loved having babies, but she also hated having babies. It was a confusing feeling.
Callie had continued to comfort her wife- and update her mother, father, and mother-in-law. It felt like days of pain for Arizona, though it had only been 3 short hours. The blonde progressed much more quickly than her doctor had imagined. And, at 4:37 pm, the last child of the Torres Family entered the world. Weighing a mighty 8 pounds 3 ounces, and crying like crazy, their bald, blue eyed little girl looked absolutely perfect to her Mama, who got the honor of cutting the cord.
"It's a girl! We have another baby girl! Arizona... I love you" Callie was crying- she always cried. She was beyond happy as the small bundle of preciousness was placed in her arms.
Arizona was leaned back in the pillows, doctors still making sure she was ok, since 7 babies and 6 births does a lot to a woman. "Let me see..." She whispered breathlessly as she heard her wife coming closer.
Callie leaned over, placing their now calm baby girl in her wife's arms.
"Hey, pretty girl. Oh, look at you..." Arizona had whispered, a smile on her face as she put her hand on the baby's back. The infant was rested perfectly against her mothers chest, and Callie was just staring, utterly amazed by her wife, once again, and in shock that they had another beautiful little girl to love forever and ever.
Callie and Arizona gushed over their new addition as doctors got the new mother of seven comfortable, Callie took her photos, and Arizona's obgyn situated Arizona to breastfeed. Arizona had too much experience to need help, but she was tired, so she didn't complain when the doctor did most of the work to make sure everything went smooth.
When the two were finally alone, it had been about thirty minutes, no one yet knew the baby had been born, the couple had just been focused on making sure the birth had gone smoothly. Now, their main concern was naming their sweet girl.
Callie had her newborn daughters hand wrapped around her finger as she sat next to Arizona, the baby still rested perfectly on her chest.
"She's perfect." Callie whispered.
"She is."
"I cant believe we have another little girl."
"Me either... it's crazy" Arizona said as she let out a soft breath.
"I'm really proud of you, babe, you did amazing" Callie kissed Arizonas head.
"I love you." Arizona replied.
"I love you, and, I love you, little cutie." Callie giggled at her own nickname for her daughter. "She needs a name, I really don't wanna write little cutie on the birth certificate."
Arizona smiled. "Yeah, let's not do that."
Callie nodded in agreement as she used her hand that wasn't wrapped by the small baby's to play with Arizona's hair. The two sat in silence, they both knew the other was trying to think of a name-- they never planned out names. It was always such a last minute thing, they didn't really want to pick a name until they had actually seen what their child looked like.
"You know, I do think Paige fits her well." Arizona said after some time.
Callie remembered Summer mentioning that name and smiled. "Summer wanted to name the baby Paige."
Arizona nodded- she knew.
"That night... The night your mom first called." Callie continued.
Another soft nod.
"I like Paige..." Callie whispered.
"Summer, Jackson, Max, Olivia, Mason, Kaylee, and Paige..." Arizona mumbled as she fidgeted with the hospital bracelet on her wrist.
Callie smiled, letting her wife think it out.
"I like Paige, too." The blonde said after a few moments.
Callie kissed her cheek and looked at their baby girl. "What do you think? Is Paige a good name?" She asked the sleeping baby jokingly. After no response, Callie looked at her wife again. "Paige approves."
Arizona rolled her eyes at her wife's dorky personality. "Well, I'm glad she likes her name. Cuz, once we sign these papers, she's stuck with it for quite some time."
Callie nodded in agreement. "She says she thinks it's a good name to be stuck with." The brunette kissed her wife's cheek again.
Arizona leaned into her wife. "Mm, great." She laughed a little. Her wife was adorable.
"I think Paige is the perfect way to complete our family, she's perfect" Callie went from playful to serious.
"I agree."
"You're the most amazing person ever."
Arizona blushed. Callie always made her feel so incredibly special, especially in moments like this.
"So are you, babe. So are you" Arizona whispered, cuddling closer to her wife, soaking up this moment.
The next time a nurse came in, Callie and Arizona officially gave their smallest baby her name: Paige Torres. And then, the two were ready to break from their baby bubble and tell people, as Paige hadn't yet made herself known outside of their small hospital room after an hour and a half of being alive.
The first person Callie texted was her mother- a simple photo of the baby that a nurse had captured when Callie first laid Paige on Arizona.
Paige Torres. 8 pounds 3 ounces of perfect.
She hit send after staring at the picture for way too long before sending the same thing to her dad. Arizona was watching Callie type out the message and couldn't help but smile, her head being rested against the brunettes shoulder.
Then, Callie clicked on Barbara's contact. "What picture do you want me to send her? Do you want me to send a picture?" Callie didn't really know what to do.
Arizona didn't know either- it felt more natural with Lucia and Carlos- they just wanted to see their grandbaby. Barbra was different. Arizona had never introduced her newborn child to her own mother before. "Uh... a picture would be nice." Arizona said after thinking about it. "And just... tell her... everything went well..." Arizona hoped she was doing the whole talking to your mother thing right.
"Alright..." Callie set her phone down- that was enough time not staring at her perfect baby girl. She gently lifted the baby off Arizonas chest and into her arms, allowing Arizona to shift and get closer to her as the baby opened her eyes. "You know, you better soak up all this silence, because I promise, back at home, silence is a blessing. A rare, rare, blessing. Though, I'm sure you'll fit right in and make the silence even more rare" Callie whispered to Paige.
A/N: Hello! I'm so sorry for not updating for such a long time! I hope you guys are still sticking with me. I have some ideas, and a few chapters written. I will try to keep at updating regularly! As always, I love to hear feedback!!
Happy New Year!