A/N: Thanks all! Special thanks to mandyg67, whomaslany, Patsy, and Cristina. Things are heating up in this chapter...

Enjoy!

Arizona adjusted the blanket over Zola. The girl's vitals were normal, everything was fine. Zola was going to be fine. But, was she fine? Arizona sighed. She thought she had the answer to her and Callie, but now... not so sure. She thought expanding their family was the answer, but the truth was, she was losing what she already had, and it would be unfair to put Zola in the middle of that. Right?

She was double checking her IV when the door opened and Grey walked in. "Hey," she said. "How is she?"

"She's doing great. No sign of any complications." Arizona smiled, patting the blankets.

"That's good," Meredith stepped closer to the bed and sighed as she gazed at the little girl. Zola had drifted off to sleep again.

"You, um..." Arizona cleared her throat. "I think you were right... what you said," or rather, growled at her earlier. It had been bugging her all day, "about- a child being everything."

"Oh." Meredith said softly.

"Callie and I- we just want each other to be happy, and I guess we're just trying to figure that out."

"Yeah," Meredith mumbled, but her gaze was on Zola. "Do you think... Do babies remember?-Ugh. Nevermind." Meredith shook her head.

Where was Medusa Grey? Snappy, impatient, focused, surgeon Grey? Who was this person in front of her? Meredith seemed spaced out- lost in herself. Arizona decided to be blunt. "Are you okay?" Arizona asked. "Grey? What's going on with you?"

"I'm... I'm leaping."

"Leaping?"

"Look, I don't know, Robbins! All I know is... I've lost everybody I've ever deeply loved. And the last time I was in this room four years ago, they told me Zola was gone for good, and I- I don't know... I'm just- It hurts, but I can't stay away! Maybe I like pain, I don't freaking know! In a couple days she'll be gone to where? Malawi or something? And I'll probably be emptying another bottle of tequila and barfing on my sister again- and-" she panted and stifiled a sob. "But I-" Meredith shook her head and drew her arms protectively around herself.

Even though Meredith tried to hide it, Arizona saw... Brokeness. "You love her." Arizona realized.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Because you're here. You're accepting the pain of loss just to be here. For her." Arizona stated, suddenly realizing something about her own situation. "That means you love her." She swallowed. She'd seen that look of brokeness before... on someone else.

"I do?" Meredith squeaked.

Arizona considered her colleague. Meredith been through a lot, built a lot of walls, big Medusa sized walls... but leave it to a tiny human to break through them. She didn't know Pre- shooting Meredith very well, but she remembered that she was a lot more hopeful, and she smiled a lot more and... she believed in love. "It's okay to leap," she said.

"Landing is really gonna hurt." Meredith said, sitting beside Zola.

"Maybe... it doesn't have to." Arizona murmured to herself.

"Huh?"

But Arizona had to go, something compelled her. She walked to the door, "Uh... nothing. I have to- I'll check on you guys later," she said as she headed down the hall.

xxx

"Are you ready Noah?" Jackson asked his son as he reached for his hand. "Big day today." He was taking him to daycare, and they had a special trip planned.

"Yeah, we goin to the park, have pic-a-nic, go look at aminals..." Noah trailed off excitedly as Jackson helped him up the steps and through the door. "Can't you come?" His son pleaded.

He wanted to, he'd tried, but even as they spoke, there was a patient that needed him in the ER, April had just paged him a few minutes ago. "Well, I have to help somebody," he kneeled down to look Noah in the eyes.

"You gonna fix a face?"

"Yeah bud," he said. "Something like that."

Noah sighed.

This was the hard part, not being able to be there. "Hey, hey..." He pulled Noah close and hugged him. "You're going to have a lot of fun at daycare, okay? And... when you get back, we'll build a fort in the living room, and you can pile all your toys in there. Mom can make us some sandwiches..."

"Yeah!"

"Okay." He pulled away and stood up, tousling Noah's curly hair. Another parent passed him, a little girl in tow. Jackson blinked, was that- was that Anna?

"Anna!" Noah called, running after her. "You're back!"

Huh. What a small world.

xxx

Alex leaned against the counter in the kitchen. "Amber, just tell me."

"Okay... But if you yell or judge or punch something, I swear I'll leave, and you won't see me for a long, long time."

Alex sighed and stroked his chin. "Alright, fine."

"I was sixteen when I met this guy, Brent..."

His heart skipped a beat. He swallowed, pressing down his anger. What the hell happened?

"He was the son of the Anderson's, the foster home I stayed at."

The Anderson's... he didn't remember them. He hadn't stayed there. Amber never mentioned them before, maybe because at that time he was in his last year at college before med school. He was really busy. He shrugged. Amber sat down at the kitchen table and put her head in her hands.

"Did he-?" he gritted out.

"No..." Amber shook her head, "He didn't hurt me..." But tears were starting to form.

He gripped the edge of the countertops causing his fingers to hurt. The bastard must've done something

"We... were seeing each other, and then one day, I cut class and came home early... "Amber continued. "He was there with this other foster girl, Tara. She just got there like a week ago. I heard noises from his room, it sounded... it sounded like he was hurting her."

"Fuck," Alex gritted his teeth.

"I saw him... he- he-" she swallowed and couldn't finish her sentence.

"He raped her?"

His sister nodded, a soft shuddering sigh escaping her lips. "Tara saw me, but I don't think he did. I didn't do anything... I didn't try and stop it... I just.. left. Grabbed my stuff and ran away. And then..." Amber wrapped her arms around herself.

"What?" he stepped closer and pulled a chair out to sit across from Amber.

"I found out I was pregnant with his child."

The sky opened and a huge solid weight like an anvil hit him. "What?" he gasped.

xxx

Lexie stared at the screen. With her mouse, she manipulated the image of the brain to different angles as she 'painted' certain areas. She was marking areas where certain genes were expressed. With this knowledge, if someone had a genetic disposition for a certain disease, they could determine where in the brain it would most likely effect. She sighed, and clicked, and clicked, and clicked. This was a lot different than she expected, but it was only her first day, so...

Click.

Click.

"Lexie Grey..." someone said.

"Huh?" she looked up. Standing beside her was a man just a couple years older than her. Dark hair and eyes, slightly pale face.

"What? Photographic memory not working?"

"Chad?" Chad... from Harvard. They'd been in the same classes together. Study buddies, or more likely study enemies, they'd competed against each other, fought for extra credit, glared at each other before exams. He'd come in second to her though.

"Thought you were gonna be a surgeon."

"I am." She stuttered. "A surgeon, I mean. A neurosurgeon." A freaking board certified kick ass surgeon.

"And you gave that up for brain mapping... interesting." He said, stroking his chin.

"I didn't give it up. I still am a surgeon, but this... this research-" She gestured to the screen.

"I know, pretty amazing isn't it?" Chad said quietly, with a touch of admiration in his voice.

"Yeah." Lexie said with a smile. "So... you chose neuroscience huh?"

"My dad has Parkinson's..."

"Oh."

"Yeah... It just takes one, right? What about you?"

"I-" Lexie started, but all she could think seemed lame in comparison. I like the challenge... I have photographic memory and it would be useful for this kind of research. Change of scenery. I need space from my boyfriend- etc. "A lot of reasons..." she said, smiling.

"Well, maybe we could go for coffee sometime. Catch up."

"Coffee? I mean uh, coffee... yeah. Coffee. Coffee is good." She nodded several times. As long as McStalker doesn't pop out of nowhere.

xxx

Callie carefully set the artificial leg down and typed some information into the computer. Hunt was making her do this presentation tomorrow, and she wanted to be ready. She pressed a button on the leg, and the motor hummed as it flexed slightly. Excellent.

"Calliope," Arizona said from behind her.

Calliope. It had been a long time since Arizona had called her that. She turned to see her wife in the doorway.

"Hey." She greeted. She swallowed nervously. Things had been tense between them and she hated fights. She hoped she could restrain herself from saying or doing something hurtful.

"Can we talk?" Arizona asked, taking a few steps into the lab.

"Yeah, sure." Callie said, although she focused on the circutry in front of her. She stopped when Arizona put a hand over hers. She looked up slowly into Arizona's brilliant blues.

"I'm sorry." Arizona said.

"For what?" Callie asked.

"You... cut off my leg-"

Callie dropped her screwdriver and blinked. Huh? Arizona was apologizing for her leg being cut off? What?

But Arizona squeezed her hand and continued. "You cut off my leg... and all I thought about was how it hurt me. But- it hurt you too, didn't it? You- had to make this choice. This terrible choice, between saving my life... and-"

"Breaking a promise." Callie said, her voice cracking.

"A stupid promise."

Callie swallowed. She didn't really know what to say or think. What was Arizona saying?

"I was... really selfish," Arizona continued. "I took it out on you. I didn't see-" She squeezed Callie's hand. "I didn't see... That you did it because you love me."

"Yeah... well, love hurts." Callie stated bitterly.

Arizona sighed, a sob in disguise. "I-I know. So... I'm sorry. For hurting you. I was scared," Arizona continued, "When I lost my leg, my whole world shifted on it's axis, and all I saw was... how you looked at me. I thought you were looking at me like I was broken, but... you were the one breaking. I was breaking you. Callie... I didn't get it. I'm sorry I didn't get it until now."

Callied looked up at Arizona in disbelief, she raised an eyebrow. She was confused, she was angry, she was relieved... Arizona was saying things she'd never thought she would hear. She was admittng her part in this... whatever it was. For the first time in a very very long time, Callie didn't know what to think or say or do. She was in shock. "I... don't know what to-" she sighed as she turned in her stool. "What does this mean?"

"I don't know."

"Arizona, do you... do you really want to adopt Zola?" she asked her wife. Arizona visibly deflated, her plush lips parted slightly and her shoulders drooped. Callie knew her answer then. "I can be... I was pushy about kids. And you never really got a say with Sofia. Adopting Zola right now isn't the answer," Callie said, finally stating her doubts out loud.. "We need to be a team, and... right now, we're not."

"Oh." her wife replied. "I... was thinking of, well... I was thinking of giving up my fellowship. Spend more time together..."

Callie thought about it for a moment. Arizona was a kick ass surgeon, she'd worked hard to get Herman's attention, Arizona couldn't give this up. She shook her head, "No."

"No?" Arizona's voice hung with a pang of disappointment and confusion.

"Arizona, I'm not going to be responsible for you losing something else. Your leg, the miscarriage, Zola, No. Not this time. You worked too freaking hard to get that fellowship and I'll be damned if you give it up for me. I don't want you to give that up."

"But-"

Frustration boiled in her. They wanted so much. They wanted... everything. But what was everything anymore? Meredith's words echoed in her mind... You have Sofia. And Mark. You have great promising careers and decent sleep at night. Isn't that enough? Isn't it enough to wake up next to the person you love? "I don't know!" Callie exclaimed. Because the wounds were deeper than a band-aid could fix. "I don't know how we fix this okay? I am thankful for your... apology, but I just don't... know what to do."

Arizona tucked her hands into her pockets. "Okay," she said nodding.

"Okay." Her voice sounded hoarse and wounded.

"Um, Janet the social worker is here. I guess we're canceling our appointment?"

"I guess so." Callie said quietly while she gazed at Arizona, mystified at the feelings churning within.

xxx

Meredith leaned forward when Zola shifted in her bed. The girl snuffled and wiped her eyelids before looking up at her.

"Hi," Meredith smiled, nervous.

"Hiii" Zola said, eyeing her curiously. Arizona had said that she didn't know much english but it didn't really matter.

Meredith bit her lip and slowly reached over to cup the girl's cheek. Her hand hovered for a split second before dropping down to caress her. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

The girl just shrugged and sighed.

"I know... brain surgery sucks," she said. "But...you- you're strong. I knew it when I met you. You're strong... and, I'm here, and... we'll get through this. We're a team, you and me." She swallowed and pushed away the thought that soon Zola would be gone and her heart would break again.

Zola just watched her. Meredith imagined it must be weird having this babbling doctor at her bedside. She reached up and pulled a glove out of the sterile box over her head. "Wanna see something cool?" she asked. She pinched the opening of the glove into a small hole and blew into it like a balloon. It stretched, the air filling up all the fingers and bloating the palm. She tied the bottom into a knot and grabbed a marker from her labcoat pocket. On the smooth surface, she drew a smiley face in the middle. "Look, it's a guy with spikey hair!"

Zola grinned and reached for it. Meredith happily handed it to her. "I practically lived in the hospital when I was little. I learned few things," she said, shrugging. Her gaze wandered around the room, looking for something else entertaining. She just wanted to see that brilliant smile again. "Hey, wanna take my blood pressure?" she asked, reaching for the blood pressure cuff.

Zola half smiled at the new 'toy' as Meredith wrapped the cuff around her upper arm and gave Zola the pump, gesturing for her to squeeze it with her hand. Zola squeezed, watching curiously as the cuff inflated around her bicep. "Oh, look at you, I told you you were strong."

Meredith heard a knock and turned in her seat. Arizona entered, another lady with a file folder following behind her. "Oh-"

"Meredith, this is Janet," Arizona interrupted.

Janet. The social worker? Her heart plummeted. Were they already needing to send Zola away? "She just got out of surgery. It's too soon-"

"Oh... Zola's not going back to Africa." Arizona said quickly. "At least... not yet. Janet is here... because, well somebody expressed an interest in adopting her."

A strange jealous relief filled her. "Oh... so you and Callie are-"

"Actually... um, Janet is here to talk to you about Zola."

"Me?" Meredith asked, pointing to herself.

"Yeah... that whole leaping thing. I think now is a good time."

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please Review!