Chapter 14

Callie walked into the private waiting room where Michael was sitting. He watched as she walked toward him and sat in the chair beside where he was. "Whether I agree with you or not, you are his grandfather and I know you are worried about him."

He turned to Callie with a surprised smiled. "Thank you."

"He's going to be fine. He was dehydrated and his blood sugar was a little off, but he is going to be fine. Arizona was called into surgery and when she comes out they are going to talk. When that is done, you will hear from someone. You can eat or go outside the hospital and maybe site see, it'll be a while."

"I'll just stay here. Just have someone tell me when they are done."

Callie nodded and walked toward the door. Michael spoke just as she was opening the door. "I am not a monster, Doctor Torres."

Callie closed the door and turned to face him again. "You somehow remind me of my father. The way he was anyway. My father came here and when he learned of my relationship with Arizona, he freaked out. Threatened to take me home and cut me out of his life. When I told him that I was staying with Arizona, he left. Just like that he left. I didn't speak to him, my mother or my sister for over six months. Then he shows back up here with a priest." Callie finally found some humor in the situation. Michael even chuckled. "I mean a priest! The man brought a priest to get my girlfriend out of my life."

"So what happened?"

"Arizona." Callie smiled. "I couldn't talk to him. We would just scream back and forth. She was able to talk to him. She stayed calm where I couldn't. Our feeling were different so they were handled differently. I was hurt by my fathers actions which made me very angry. Angry that he could do his daughter, that he was suppose to love, that way. Arizona was just sad for me and father somehow. She was just trying to stand up for me. She stayed calm. She told him she loved me and that she protected the things she loved."

"So that is what this is? You are her for her?"

"Arizona is an amazing Doctor, friend, and would have been an amazing mother. She loved Jessica and Conner." Callie noticed the look on Michael's face. "I mean Jacob. What ever you call him, she loves him and he obviously has some connection to her."

"I know that you don't understand, but I loved my daughter. I did what I thought was best for my grandson. No one loves your children the way you do. I loved my daughter no matter what decisions she made. I am a man with beliefs and convictions. I watched my daughter go through a lot because she was gay. I didn't want my grandson to go through the same thing. The way you protect Arizona is the way I protect my daughter and grandson."

"You don't have to protect him from her."

"I have to protect him."

"From someone that loves him that much? Every kid should be so lucky to have her in their life." Callie's pager began to beep. "I gotta go." She turned her attention to him one last time. "She told my father about when she told her dad she was gay. That he bent for the daughter he loved. She told him about her name. That she was named after the USS Arizona that her grandfather was killed on during Pearl Harbor. That she was taught to be a good man in a storm and that she was. She is an amazing person, Michael. I can speak from experience when I say that you daughter was lucky to have met and loved Arizona Robbins. It speaks volumes of your daughter that Arizona loved her the way she did. She would have raised him to love and respect his mother for who she was, not who she wanted him to believe Jessica was."

"Thanks for talking to me Doctor Torres."

Callie smiled. "I think we are going to be seeing a lot of each other. You can call me Callie."

"Ok Callie. I promise I will think about what you said." Callie started to walk out again.

"Callie?"

Callie stopped and turned to him. "Yeah?"

"Your father. Did he give in?"

"Who did you think the man was standing beside me in Miami? He loves me. He changed for me. And now….now he totally loves her." Callie smiled and walked out of the room leaving Michael with his thoughts.

Arizona finished her surgery and was heading back to see Conner. By the time she came out of surgery everyone in the hospital knew that Arizona had a son and he was being treated in the ER. As she walked she could hear the whispering from the staff, but by now, Arizona was use to all that.

When she arrived in the ER Callie met her. "How'd surgery go?"

"Good, how is he?"

"Doing well. He was dehydrated to say the least, but he is ok."

"Alright. So I guess it's talk time."

"You will do great. Just be honest with him and tell him what he needs to know."

Arizona shook her head and walked into the room. Lexi was sitting on the stool and her and Conner were laughing at some cartoons that were on the television. He smiled when he saw Arizona come back in the room.

"You're back." He said as his face lit up.

"How you feeling?"

"Good." He said smiling.

"Well I must say you look better."

"Yeah, his potassium is good, he is hydrated and he ate a small cup of Jello." Lexi informed her.

"Well, it looks like Doctor Grey has taken very good care of you." Arizona turned to Lexi. "Can you give us a minute."

"Sure."

"Thanks for watching him."

Lexi said "Your Welcome.", then left the room.

Arizona sat on the stool and looked at him. "Ok I am ready….I think, but first we have to do something."

"What?" He giggled.

"Give me your hand." He placed his hand in hers. She tucked her pinky finger around his. "Now we are going to pinky swear."

He continued to laugh. "You laugh, but this is serious." She smiled. "You have to swear to me that if you ever need to know anything you will ask. No more drastic measures like this again. I will always be honest with you, but I have to be able to trust you too."

"Ok. I promise."

Arizona release his finger, but held his hand. He smiled in approval. "Alright. What do you want to know."

"What happened when my mom died?"

"Wow, we are just jumping right into this, huh?"

"They have told me things but the just don't seem right."

"She and I were on our way to work…."

"I mean after. How am I not with you? Why did you leave me?"

There is was. The question that Arizona had nightmares about. She hoped if she ever met him that wouldn't be the first question he asked. Arizona always knew she wouldn't get that lucky. "Leave you? I didn't leave you. They took you from me." Before she knew it or could stop it those words came out of her mouth.

"They took me?" He said with a hurt tone to his voice.

"What did they tell you happened?"

"That my mom was killed and that is why I was with them."

"I was in the wreck with your mom and when I woke up your grandfather was there. He told me that he was taking you to live with them."

"Why?"

"Well they were your mom's family and they felt you belonged with them."

"They never told me about you."

"I am not surprised. They didn't like me very much."

"Why?"

"Well, they didn't approve of your mom and me being together." All of a sudden Arizona realized something. "Wait. If they didn't tell you about me, how do you know?"

"Can you hand me my back pack?" He pointed to the floor.

Arizona looked around and found the pack and brought it over to the bed. As he was going through the bag, she couldn't imagine what he was looking for. As he stopped looking for his secret, he looked up at Arizona. "You can't tell anyone I have this."

"Ok"

"They will take it."

"Ok." Arizona was extremely curious what was in the bag.

"When my grandmother passed away, I like to go in the attic and sit sometimes. When I missed her I would go up there and go through the pictures she had. One day I found this." When Conner pulled his treasure from the bag, Arizona lost her breath. It was like the wind had been knocked from her. She knew immediately what it was and Conner knew it.

"Arizona, just look."

Arizona looked up from a stack of books and homework. "Ok, I am looking. What?"

"Black or brown."

"I don't know, honey. Brown?"

"That's what I said." She leaned over and kissed the top of Arizona's head. "Thanks."

"Now what is it you are doing with that?"

"The doctor said we need to keep a journal. They recommend it for anyone trying to have a baby. Kind of a keepsake. That way you can remember what happened and maybe a child will one day know." Jess walked off very excited and sat at the kitchen table and began telling her deepest thoughts to whom ever would someday read the journal.

"Can I see that?"

Conner handed Arizona more than he ever knew. This was the piece she need. The one thing that could have helped her. The one thing about that horrible time she remembered.

"Where is it?" Arizona said frantically.

"We will find it, sis." DJ said has they tore the room apart.

Arizona sat in the middle of the floor crying and her brother went to join her. "That is all I have. Without that journal….I don't have a case. It is the only thing she ever wrote that said he was mine too. Without that, I will never get him back. With it I have a chance. Without it I have nothing." Arizona cried into her brothers chest.

"We will find it. Somewhere. It has to be here."

"What if….what if they found it? What if they knew that was the only thing I had?"

"We will find it."

Arizona held the book and rubbed the cover. She knew they took it and why. They took the only proof she had; she always knew they had it. Anger began to take hold of Arizona again.

"So, you found out about me through this?"

"Yep. I never told anyone. I snuck it into my room one night and read as much as I could before falling to sleep."

"I looked everywhere for this thing. I knew they took it. With this they wouldn't have been able to take you as easy. I would have had a chance."

"So you wanted me with you?"

She looked away from the book and back to Conner. She returned to her seat beside the bed. "I loved you so much. I thought I would die a lot of days. The pain of losing you and Jess both, it was unbearable. I would have never let them have you. I fought for you I swear. We just didn't make it legal anywhere. That was our mistake and it cost you and I am so sorry."

Conner smiled a comforting smile as a tear ran down Arizona's face. "It's ok."

"I am sorry about your grandmother."

"Thanks."

"Conner, how did you know that was me in Miami?"

"This." Conner pulled a picture from the bag. "It was in the book."

Again, Arizona remember that day.

"HURRY! GET THE CAMERA!" Arizona shouted.

"I am trying." Jess ran into the room with the camera. "Got it."

"Look at him." Arizona said with pride as Conner was taking his first steps. Arizona was in the floor and he was walking to her as Jess took pictures. "Come on. Come to Mommy."

Just as Conner made it to Arizona's open arms, he fell into her arms. As they hugged, Jessica snapped the picture.

"That was the day you took your first steps. You walk right to me." Arizona now had tears running down her face. She looked at Conner. "We loved you so much. You have to know that. I need for you to know that."

"I do."

"I just…..the law was so different when came to what they thought a family was. Now it is probably different, but then….then I just didn't have anything I could do." Arizona wiped the tears and took a deep breathe. "Ok, so what now?"

"I love my grandfather."

"I know."

"But she wanted me with you."

Arizona looked at Conner. "What are you saying?"

"I wanna stay here, with you. Can I stay with you?"