Title: Frontlines
Author: captstarbuck
Rating: T
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Disclaimers: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual. (I don't own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy.
Summary: My take on Callie and Arizona in NYC at the time the pandemic hit
Editor/Beta: pensco_927
Author's Note: I first conceived this story over the summer of 2020, during my many lunchtime walks. At the time, here in New York, COVID seemed to be trending downward and there was hope that we were over the worst of it. When I plotted out the epilogue, it was done with the hopeful assumption that COVID would be under control and that we'd have a vaccine by the summer of 2021. I'm now not so sure about where we'll be when it actually gets to next year. I try to be accurate in my writing where possible, but jumping ahead to next year (2021) may make that difficult. However, since this is fiction, I will just proceed with the assumption that they'll all be safe and COVID-free.
Author's Note 2: This is the final part. I'd like to thank all the readers for joining me on this short journey. I'd also like to thank those of you who were kind enough to review and follow this. It does make the writing easier when I know people are reading it.
Frontlines
Epilogue – Living the Dream
Part 4 of 4
Saturday, August 7, 2021
Needing to spend some time with their kids, Callie and Arizona decided to have an early lunch for just the four of them. Since the reserved room was unavailable for lunch as it was being set up for their wedding reception, they took a short walk into town to find a restaurant that they would all enjoy.
Callie had left the overseeing of the decorating in Aria's capable hands. Aria had, after all, had spent almost two years early in her career managing events for the company. Of course, Lucia and Barbara would be there, offering their suggestions. Callie hoped the three women wouldn't clash too much and that the hotel staff wouldn't kill Aria or the mothers.
Carlos, Marco and Daniel went to the park to make sure the actual wedding venue was set up with a place for Bailey to stand and enough chairs for everyone. Callie didn't foresee any problems with that task. There really wasn't that much to do, and the company providing the chairs would make sure they were picked up after. After that was done, Carlos was going to pick up the rings, saving Arizona and Callie from having to make any more trips.
"So, do you see anything you'd like?" Arizona asked Ricky and Sofia after they'd been seated and had a chance to look at the menus.
"I can't decide. The burger is good, but this looks good, too," he said, pointing at the Buff Mac, which was macaroni and cheese with buffalo sauce, grilled chicken, bleu cheese crumbles, Cayenne Cheddar bread crumbs & scallions.
"I think I'm going to have the Taco Party," Sofia replied, setting down her menu.
"What about you, Calliope?"
"The Go Go Power Salad." She had picked a salad with Arugula, quinoa brown rice blend, goat cheese, roasted Brussels sprouts, crispy chickpeas, blistered tomatoes & avocado vinaigrette.
"I think I'm going to try their version of the Cobb salad."
Once their orders were placed (Ricky deciding on the Buff Mac), they sat back and relaxed for a moment.
"Have you been having fun?" Arizona inquired.
"Lots of fun," Ricky answered. "We got to go to the park, and swim at the hotel pool, and the ice cream yesterday was awesome."
"And you've been including Bailey?"
"Yup." He saw the look on Arizona's face and quickly corrected himself. "I mean, yes, Mommy. He's a lot of fun and good with video games, too."
"How about you, Sofia? Is it fun seeing Zola again?"
"Yes! We went shopping yesterday and we all picked out nail polish. When we get back to the hotel, we're going to paint our nails for the wedding." Sofia grinned. "And Dr. Nic was the best yesterday. I knew she wouldn't miss any flavors."
"Are you excited for the wedding?" Callie asked.
"Yes. I get to wear my new dress."
"I guess so," Ricky added. "I've never been to a wedding before."
"How would you like to be in it?" Arizona offered with a smile.
"Really? I can be in it?" Sofia asked. Her dimples popped as her excitement bubbled over, and Callie was once again reminded of how much Sofia was like Arizona.
"If you want, both of you. Dr. Nic is my maid of honor and she'll need you to walk her down the aisle ahead of me," Arizona explained. "You'd be like a junior bridesmaid and flower girl combined."
"And Ricky, we'll need you to escort Tia Aria because she's my matron of honor and you'd be the ring bearer."
"I guess I can do that," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Wonderful," Arizona said with a clap of her hands.
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"I'm going to check on the decorating," Callie said when they returned to the hotel. "You can go ahead and start getting ready if you want."
"Thanks."
As Arizona walked through the lobby, her parents spotted her.
"Oh, Arizona, I'm so glad we ran into you," Daniel said.
"Why? Is something wrong?" she worried as they entered the elevator.
"No, everything is just fine," Barbara answered. "The room is all set, the cake has been delivered and the hotel staff will bring it out while we're at the park."
"You know, Callie still hasn't told me where we're getting married," the younger woman complained.
"It's a lovely setting with a beautiful view. She really outdid herself will the plans."
Arizona nodded in agreement. "What did you want?"
"Arizona, I've got something I'd like to give you," Daniel said, unlocking the door to the senior Robbins' room.
"What? Will it take long? I've got to start getting ready. Callie gave me first dibs on the shower so I want to start getting ready before she comes up."
"No, it won't take long," he reassured her, knowing that she was starting to get nervous.
"Relax, dear," Barbara said, patting her arm.
The retired Marine Corps colonel placed his overnight bag on the bed and unzipped a side pocket. He took out a small box.
"I know this whole weekend has been a big surprise to you."
"No kidding."
"And I know that Callie has given you an engagement ring but you don't have one for her." He handed Arizona the small box. "This was your grandmother's engagement ring. It was supposed to go to Tim, and then I thought you should have it to give to Callie. I didn't give it to you when you first got married because you already had rings for one another."
Arizona opened the box and gasped. "Are you sure, Dad?"
"I'm sure. Do you think she'll like it? It's kind of simple and small. My dad didn't have much money back then with the Depression."
"It's lovely, Dad." She hugged her father tightly, tears in her eyes. She knew that this was her Grandmother's first engagement ring. When her grandfather had died at Pearl Harbor, Daniel had been born three months later. He'd been his father's only child. His mother had later remarried when Daniel was five, but she'd held on to her first ring for her son to have.
"I thought maybe you could pass the ring down to Sofia or Ricky, or even your own grandchild, when the time comes."
"Oh, Dad, now you're going to make me cry."
"Good thing I gave it to you before you put your makeup on," he teased, wrapping her up in a big hug. "We are so happy for you, Arizona."
"Thank you, both of you," she choked, hugging both of her parents. "I'm sure Callie will love it."
Forty-five minutes later, Callie opened the door to her hotel room and stopped dead in her tracks. Her fiancée and soon-to-be wife was sitting on the edge of the bed, clad only in a towel. The blonde was bent at the waist, putting lotion on her leg. The towel knotted just above her cleavage was perilously close to coming undone and Callie's mouth suddenly went dry.
Arizona lifted her head when she heard Callie enter the room. "Oh, hey, you're here. You'd better start to get ready. We don't have a lot of time."
Callie remained silent, her gaze traveling down to Arizona's smooth leg and then back up to the blonde's chest.
"Callie? Did you hear me? You need to get ready."
"Uh, yeah, right. I was just, um, thinking," she mumbled.
"Thinking, huh? Is that what you call it?" Arizona smirked at Callie. "As much as I am flattered by the attention, you really do need to get moving."
"Can you just… get dressed? I'm really distracted by, you know…" Callie waved her hand up and down.
"Oh, you want me to take my towel off?" Arizona teased, standing up and reaching for her towel.
"Yes, I mean, no!" Callie said nervously. She realized how ridiculous she sounded and took a deep breath to steady herself. "It's not that I don't want you take it off, because I really, really would like it if you did, but that would just lead us to being late for our own wedding."
Arizona tossed her head back and laughed. "You're right. We really shouldn't start the honeymoon before the wedding." She walked over to the brunette and gently nudged her toward the bathroom. "Go get in the shower."
While Callie showered, Arizona put on her makeup and finished dressing. She fiddled with the ring box her father had given her as she waited. She tossed ideas around in her head as to how she would give Callie the ring.
Deciding that sitting around waiting for Callie would just cause more anxiety, Arizona got up and knocked on the bathroom door. When she got a response, she poked her head into the steam-filled room.
"Callie, I'm going to go check on the kids. I'll be back in a few."
"Okay. I'm just about done," Callie replied as she shut off the water.
Arizona stopped at Ricky's room where Daniel had everything under control. The boys were all clean and dressed in shirts in nice pants and shirts. Ricky was even wearing a tie, and Arizona was sure her father had helped Ricky with it. Sofia's room, however, was a slightly different story. The girls were all still primping and fussing with their hair and Lucia was thoroughly enjoying assisting them.
After getting reassurances from Lucia that they would all be ready, Arizona returned to her room. Callie was ready and wearing her new dress, which was white and deep pink, almost magenta and had capped sleeves, showing off her tanned arms.
"You're stunning, Calliope," Arizona breathed, almost in awe of her fiancée.
"So are you," Callie said, kissing the blonde's cheek.
Arizona returned the kiss, then took Callie's hand. She led the somewhat confused woman over to the sofa.
"I have something for you," Arizona began. "You've given me this beautiful engagement ring and now I'd like to give you one." She took out the small box. "This ring belonged to my grandmother. When my grandfather died at Pearl Harbor, she later remarried. Because my dad was her only child from her first marriage, she held onto the ring for him and gave it to him many years later. The ring was supposed to go to Tim. My dad gave it to me to give to you." She opened the box. "Calliope Torres, will you marry me?"
"Oh, Arizona, yes! Of course I'm going to marry you."
The blonde slipped the small ring on Callie's finger. "I hope you like it."
"Like it? I love it!"
Callie threw her arms around Arizona and kissed her. Before their kisses could become heated, as they so often did, there was a knock at the door.
"Girls, it's time to go," Carlos called through the door.
"We'll be right there, Daddy," Callie answered.
The two women stood up and straightened their dresses.
"Are you ready?" Callie asked, grasping the blonde's hand.
"Yes. Let's go get married," she replied, a wide smile on her face.
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When they arrived at Battery Park, they were greeted with mostly clear blue skies with a few fluffy clouds passing by. The chairs and a small trellis covered with flowers had been set up down on the large green lawn, a spectacular view of Lake Champlain in the background. Their guests were already seated, waiting for the wedding to begin. Bailey was standing at trellis, looking both happy and impatient.
Ricky and Aria were first to walk down the makeshift aisle. He walked proudly, puffing his chest out as well as his eight-year old body would allow. He tried to remember all the instructions his grandpa had given him on standing up straight, head up, eyes straight ahead.
Sofia and Nicole were next. Nicole carried her white cane, but relied on Sofia to guide her as she had so frequently done over the past two years. She rested her hand on the young girl's shoulder and gave her a nod.
"Ready, kid? Let's go get your moms married."
Callie and Arizona watched with pride, their nervousness temporarily forgotten.
"Are you ready, Calliope?" her mother asked once the others were waiting at the makeshift altar.
"Aren't you and Barbara walking down together?" Callie asked.
"No," Lucia said, fixing a stray hair that had fallen into Callie's face. "I missed your last wedding, and I'm sorry I did. This time, I will proudly walk my daughter down the aisle."
"Oh, Mom…"
Callie fell into her mother's arms, tears filling her eyes.
"Don't cry, Calliope," she said soothingly. "You should be happy."
"These are tears of happiness," Callie responded.
Lucia, always prepared, found a handkerchief in her purse and gently dabbed at her daughter's tears, careful not to smear her makeup.
Carlos held out his arm once Callie had composed herself. "Shall we, ladies?"
Callie walked down the aisle, between her parents, their arms linked. Arizona watched in silence, her heart seemingly filling her chest with love for Callie. Neither of the brides were aware of the change in procession and Arizona was so happy for Callie. Lucia had been great over the past few years. She clearly relished her role as Abuela, and she'd been wonderful in her interactions with Arizona, but there was always a little part of Arizona that wondered how much Lucia would accept a wedding. Her stepping up to walk Callie down the aisle with Carlos ended those fears.
"Was this your idea?" Arizona asked her mother.
"Oh, no, not my idea. Lucia insisted that she walk Callie down the aisle with Carlos. And I totally agreed with her." Barbara smiled. "And I'm glad she did. I wanted to walk with you, too."
"Enough chit chat," Daniel said with a mischievous smile. "Let's get you married, Arizona."
Her parents looped their arms through Arizona's arms and walked her down the aisle to a waiting Callie. Once they reached the altar, they each kissed their daughter's cheek, then sat down.
Arizona instantly reached for Callie's hand. "I love you," she whispered.
Bailey scowled once at the couple, letting them know to keep quiet, then broke out into a wide smile.
"We are gathered here today to celebrate life, love and the return of a little bit of magic," Bailey began.
Callie and Arizona both grinned as they recalled similar words spoken at their first wedding.
"I have known these two for more years than I want to count," the short general surgeon continued. "I have seen them at their worst and at their best. I can say with absolute conviction that they are at their best when they are together. The love this couple shares has never gone away, and today, I am happy to join them once again in matrimony."
She smiled at the two women. "Since we all know Torres has a fear of public speaking." She paused as the family and friends all chuckled. "And because Robbins has been blindsided by this weekend, we won't ask them to make up their vows on the spot, though we know Robbins is prone to speechmaking at the drop of a hat."
Again, chuckles were heard from those seated.
"So, let's get these two married as we've all been waiting for this moment for a long time." She turned to Callie first. "Callie?"
"I, Callie, take thee, Arizona, to be my wedded wife. have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part."
"I, Arizona, take thee, Callie, to be my wedded wife. have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part."
"Rings, please," Bailey said to Ricky.
The young boy reached into his pocket and handed the rings to Aria, who then passed them on to Callie and Arizona.
In the fifteen plus years that Miranda Bailey had known Callie, she was positive that she'd never seen her smile so bright or look any happier that she did when the couple exchanged their rings. And Arizona, well, she saw a sense of peace on her face that had been missing over the years.
"By the authority vested in me by the internet and the State of Vermont, I now pronounce you wife and wife. You may kiss your bride." Bailey gave them one of sternest looks. "And remember to keep it clean. There are children present," she said under her breath, then she smiled.
Cupping one another's face in their hands, the two women kissed, not realizing that they were reenacting their kiss from their first wedding.
Next to Nicole, Sofia clapped her hands and beamed. She was at the age where she was starting to believe in true love and romance, and to her, the wedding between her moms was the epitome of romance. Ricky was not as impressed and rolled his eyes. Anyone kissing was 'icky'.
The guests cheered and applauded as the newlyweds continued to kiss.
"Let's party!" Cristina called out, breaking the spell that seemed to have fallen over the couple.
"I love you," Arizona whispered against her wife's lips as the kiss ended.
"I love you, too," Callie replied.
Hands clasped tightly, the couple turned to face their family and friends. Sofia and Ricky immediately went to them and hugged them. Their family and friends soon followed with their hugs and congratulations.
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Back at the hotel in their private room, the group had settled down to eat and celebrate. Aria and Nicole had been seated at the table with Callie and Arizona. Both sets of parents, Marco and Addison were at a nearby table of their own. Meredith and Ellis were joined by Cristina,Miranda, Ben and Richard, while April, Mathew, Ruby and Harriet shared a table with Teddy and Alison. The older children, Sofia, Ricky, Eddie, Mariana, Henry, Zola and Bailey were at a table near the grandparents.
After it appeared that most of the guests had finished, or were almost finished with their meal, Aria stood up and tapped her glass with her fork.
"What are you doing, Aria?" Callie hissed.
Ignoring her younger sister, Aria tapped her glass again to get everyone's attention.
"Good afternoon!" she said loudly. "I hope you're all enjoying yourselves." After seeing the guests smile and nod, Aria continued. "As Callie's matron of honor, I'd like to say a few words."
"Oh no," Callie muttered. "It's payback time for when I roasted her at her wedding."
"Quiet, Cal," Aria reprimanded her. "I would just like to say how happy I am to have been a part of this wedding, and how thrilled I am for Callie and Arizona. I couldn't have picked a better person for my little sister than Arizona. But… "
"Here it comes," Callie whispered to Arizona, only shutting her mouth when Aria glared at her.
"As I was saying, I am not surprised. When Callie and I were younger, much, much younger, we had Barbie dolls. Now by the time Callie was truly old enough to play with hers, they had come out with the Spanish Barbie, which was basically a Barbie doll with dark eyes and hair. I looked it up and her name was Teresa. So, we each had a Teresa, and I had one of the original Barbies, which I gave to Callie."
Aria took a sip from her glass of champagne and grinned at her sister.
"Callie may not remember, but I do. When Callie played with her Barbies, the two dolls were always together – blonde Barbie and Spanish Teresa. And when I say together, I mean all the time. The two dolls lived together in the Barbie Dream House, rode around together in the Barbie Corvette and I even recall the two wearing wedding dresses together."
Callie's cheeks reddened as Aria shared the story.
"So, I think my little sister was destined to be married to a blue-eyed blonde." Aria turned to face her sister-in-law. "But Arizona, you are no Barbie." Aria grinned at her new sister-in-law. "Maybe more of a Skipper."
Arizona's mouth dropped open as everyone laughed, none louder than Nicole.
"I'm just kidding, Arizona. I think Callie's lucky to have found and married you. You were the dream she always had, but didn't know." She lifted up her glass. "Congratulations!"
Callie stood up and hugged her sister. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Sis. I haven't seen you this happy in years and years." Aria returned the hug, then hugged Arizona.
"Thank you, Aria."
"And I have something for you," Aria said, a Cheshire Cat like smile on her face.
"What did you do, Aria?" Callie asked, suddenly suspicious.
Aria reached under the table for her purse. She opened it and took out a bag. "Believe it or not, Mom never threw them out. She even saved all the clothes."
She pulled out the two Barbie dolls, both wearing wedding gowns.
"Oh my God! Barbie and Teresa!" Callie exclaimed.
"Let me see, let me see," Arizona demanded.
The guests roared with laughter as Callie held them up for the room to see.
"I can't believe Mom saved them," Callie said, her voice full of wonder as she propped them up against the empty champagne bottle on their table.
"It's pretty sweet," Arizona commented.
Once she'd heard the couple sit down, Nicole stood up. Arizona felt a sliver of fear pass through her. She could only imagine what the woman would say. Nicole's wit was almost always tempered with a bit of embarrassment for her and Arizona was sure this moment would be no exception.
"Good afternoon. I feel as Robbin's 'best woman' it's my duty, and my honor to make a toast as well."
Arizona reached for Callie's hand and her wife gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"First of all, since Arizona's fellowship with me is both the reason they split but also the reason they got back together, I deserve a thank you from every person here."
The guests in the room chuckled and the newlyweds rolled their eyes at Nicole's statement.
"Some of you here don't know that I'm here because I got a second chance. I'm alive because a perky, annoying, stubborn, gifted blonde surgeon pushed me and I got that second chance. It's only fitting that I helped to give her a second chance at life, too. Let's face it. We all know that medicine is not Robbins' life. Sofia, Ricky and Callie are her life."
"Don't make me cry, Nicole," Arizona whispered.
Nicole turned her head in the direction of Arizona's voice and smirked.
"People tell me that all you have to do is look at Robbins and Torres to know how much they love each other. Well, I can't see so I have to rely on my hearing."
The women that were in Callie and Arizona's room the night before began to laugh as they recalled the stories they'd shared, and the two brides began to blush.
"I knew this was a bad idea," Arizona said, pressing her face against her wife's shoulder. "Make it stop, Callie."
"Do you think anyone would notice if we snuck out now?" Callie suggested, only half joking.
Nicole cleared her throat as a warning to the two to be quiet.
"You can hear the love these two have for one another in the way they speak. I can always tell when Torres calls on the phone because Robbins' voice lights up. Even when they bicker, and these two bicker a lot, there is always an undercurrent of deep affection."
Many heads in the room nodded in agreement.
"Robbins, I think you've met your match in Torres. Actually, it's a perfect match." Holding her glass up, she added, "May you have many, many more years of happiness."
Arizona hugged Nicole. Startled, the older woman stiffened, not used to the blonde invading her private space. She awkwardly patted Arizona's back then pulled back from the embrace. She reached for her chair and quickly sat down.
Arizona remained standing. She picked up her glass of champagne and looked at her family and friends who had gathered for the day. She felt as if her heart was overflowing with love for every single person in the room. She blinked the tears that suddenly sprang to her eyes and took a deep breath.
"As most of you know, I HATE surprises." She paused for a moment to gaze very lovingly at Callie.
"We sure do, and it's no wonder after that train wreck of a surprise birthday party Callie threw for you," Cristina called out.
"Funny you mention that party, Cristina. That was the night I told Calliope I loved her for the first time." She looked adoringly at her wife. "Now, she has surprised me in the best way, by planning this beautiful night and bringing us all together. I look forward to seeing what kind of surprises our future holds together." She lifted her glass. "To Calliope!"
"I love you," Callie said, then gave Arizona a sweet, almost chaste kiss. Before she could return to her seat, Aria was poking her.
"Your turn, Sis," she whispered.
"Do I have to?" she half-whispered, half-whined. Seeing Aria shooting her one of the patented Torres' glares, Callie relented.
"So, there's no following a master speech maker and I hate public speaking." She raised her glass. "Thanks for coming!" She gulped down what was left in her glass. "And if you don't mind, I'd like to have a dance with my wife."
She reached for Arizona's hand and led her to the center of the room and they began to dance.
"So, that was quite the toast, Calliope," Arizona teased.
Callie cringed. "I just hate speaking in front of a bunch of people."
"I know," the blonde said with an understanding tone. She then gave Callie a big smile. "However, you were wonderful with your proposal."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
Callie gently spun Arizona so they could see everyone else on the dancefloor. Daniel was dancing with Nicole, Carlos was dancing with Barbara and Chief Webber had paired up with Lucia. Rickey was leading the younger children in dancing, Harriet standing on top of his feet so she could follow his lead. Following his cousin's action, Eddie danced with Ellis. Making sure that Mariana wasn't left out, Henry had stepped up to dance with her.
It was the antics of two of the other kids that drew Callie's attention away from the older couples. Sofia and Zola were jumping and bouncing around, and Callie was immediately reminded of Cristina and Meredith.
Hearing Callie softly groan, Arizona asked, "What's wrong?"
Callie motioned with her eyes toward the two pre-teens dancing around. "It looks like we've got the next generation of 'twisted sisters' on our hands."
Arizona laughed. "Hopefully we've got a few more years before they discover tequila."
"Many, MANY years," Callie stated firmly.
Another turn and they saw Ben and Miranda dancing together. April and Mathew were near the other couple, also dancing. Ruby and Allison were toddling around, trying to dance.
One last spin and the newlyweds were facing their remaining friends and family. Addison and Aria had moved to sit with Meredith and Cristina, Marco and Teddy joining them.
As they looked around the room at their family and friends who had become family, they realized they hadn't just survived the covid pandemic. They had thrived through it.
The End.