Callie rolled over and groaned in pain the minute the sunlight hit her eyes. Turning her back to the patio doors, she sighed in relief and sent up a silent prayer of thanks when she saw a bottle of water and two ibuprofen tablets sitting on her bedstand. She knew it had less to do with God and more to do with her amazing girlfriend, but still she was thankful. She cringed when her stomach flipped as she moved to sit up and had to take deep breaths to keep herself from throwing up. Her vision was blurry, her mouth was dry and her entire body ached, all reminding her why she rarely drank anymore, or at least like she drank last night. Popping the pills in her mouth, she sucked down half the bottle of water and held her pounding head in her hands. Once she fully woke up and came out of her hangover haze, she realized the shower was running and heard Arizona humming a familiar tune…a tune that was familiar to her but shouldn't be to her girlfriend. She clenched her eyes shut and tried her hardest to remember why Arizona would know that song.
Furrowing her brow, which also caused her pain, she rolled out of bed, stumbled into the bathroom, and sure enough, Arizona stood under the shower spray in all her naked glory singing, "Vaginaaa…va-va-vagina." Callie moaned and dropped her head in her hands alerting Arizona to her presence. The blonde twirled around and chirped, "You're right, it is a catchy tune." Callie flinched at the perky tone, the LOUD perky tone, kept her face covered, shook her head, and declared, "I'm afraid to ask." Arizona laughed at her girlfriend who was clearly in pain and questioned, "You don't remember telling me about how you and Grey made up a song about my vagina and then proceeded to sing it to me once I brought you into the bedroom? I must say though, I hope the vivid detail you went into last night wasn't in the original song." Callie peeked one eye out from between her fingers to gauge the other woman's mood and could clearly see she was teasing her and responded, "No, the original song was just the word vagina over and over again." Arizona laughed and continued to rinse the conditioner from her hair. She was rather enjoying this. To her, the little tidbits of information she learned were heartwarming.
Callie remembered one specific thing she hoped to God she didn't share and tried to be casual as she brushed her teeth and asked, "Are there any other secrets I spilled?" Arizona laughed and looked up to the ceiling trying to remember and replied, "Only that Addison made you gay, I finally heard the whole story about you praying to get over the butterflies on my scrub cap, and that you still get butterflies when you see me. It was quite sweet actually." Callie's shoulders drooped in relief, she shook her head at the odd topics discussed, took off the clothes that she didn't remember changing into, and stepped into the shower. Up close, Arizona could see her girlfriend was truly in pain and felt horrible, so she eased back on the intentional chirpiness and decided to give her a break.
Pulling Callie under the spray, she helped her wet her hair, squirted some shampoo in her hand, and gently massaged it into her scalp, evoking a moan of pleasure. Arizona quietly observed, "I don't recall you ever getting drunk off of wine." Even with the heat of the shower, Arizona could see the blush rise up tan cheeks and Callie explained, "After that Christmas, I uh…I limit myself. I didn't drink at all for a long time. Now I stay away from hard liquor and make sure to stop after only a couple of drinks, beer or wine mostly. That really scared me and I saw how easy it could be to become an alcoholic. I never drink when I'm upset and rarely when I'm alone. Sometimes I'd have a beer after a long day or something." Arizona realized now that she really hadn't seen Callie finish a drink or they usually shared one. Rinsing her girlfriend's hair she asked, "Do you…should we not have alcohol in the house? I mean, hopefully soon I won't be able to drink anyway." Callie couldn't help but smile at both the sentiment and the reason Arizona may not be able to drink, kissed her forehead, then answered, "Thank you for asking. It's really not a problem, just a precaution I take. Last night was the exception. We just started talking and got carried away and obviously I'm paying for it today." The blonde nodded in understanding and was proud of Callie for seeing it could have become a problem for her and catching it so soon. She was also extremely thankful for Maria and Lorraine for helping her through that time.
Arizona rubbed the conditioner into Callie's scalp, leaned up on her tip-toes and kissed her softly then responded, "I forgot how handsy and lovable you get when you're drinking." Callie laughed and shook her head as she started to recall more of the evening. While Arizona was trying to help her change and get dressed, she was trying to help Arizona get undressed and making up new lyrics to the vagina song and vaguely remembered something about it being pretty and pink and glistening like a flower with morning dew on the petals. She didn't know if it was the pills, the shower, Arizona, or a combination, but Callie suddenly felt much better, lathered up her hands with Arizona's body wash and asked, "Handsy like this?" She then proceeded to make sure she washed every inch of her girlfriend's body, paying special attention to certain areas.
By the time Callie thoroughly rinsed her off with the detachable shower head, Arizona's entire body was nearly vibrating with need. Deciding to turn the tables, she shook her head, took Callie's body wash and responded, "Hmmm more like this." She lathered smooth tan skin with the sandalwood soap much like Callie did to her, and after rinsing her off, she pushed Callie up against the shower wall, slipped two fingers into her slick opening and began whispering her new favorite song in Callie's ear. Callie gasped at the sensation, turned her head, captured Arizona's lips with hers, then reached down between pale legs, and returned the favor. By the time they finished their shower, all thoughts of headaches and hangovers were long gone.
When the couple finally made it out of the bedroom, they realized their friend wasn't affected at all by last night's shenanigans. She had already showered, her bags were waiting in the hallway, and she was sharing a bowl of fresh fruit and yogurt with Sofia. The little girl pouted, "I don't want you to leave today. You just got here and I never see you." Addie pulled her onto her lap and tried to comfort her by saying, "I know sweetie, but maybe I can come back before school starts and bring Henry with me this time." That put a smile on the girl's face and she asked, "Do you think it will still be hot enough to swim? Or maybe we could take him to see Times Square." Addison kissed the soft brown curls and agreed, "Maybe, but you know you'll always be my special girl right?" Sofia nodded and replied, "Yup because out of all the babies you delivered, I'm your favorite." Addison smiled and answered, "That's right! I'll miss you so so much, but now we have new books to read when you call." She looked up just in time to see that they were being watched and winked at the two women who paused in the entryway to allow them to have their moment.
Walking further into the kitchen, Callie went straight for the coffee pot and poured two cups while Arizona went to their daughter, kissed the top of her head and reminded her to pack her art supplies for today's activity at camp. When she left the room, Callie asked, "When does your flight leave?" Addison responded, "At 4:30 this afternoon, so I need to be at the airport by 2:30 pm at the latest. Nicole insists on having her driver take me, since…and I quote, 'Robbins and Torres have hogged up all your time'." Both women laughed and Callie pouted, "I'm with Sof, it feels like you just got here. I miss you." Addie laughed and responded, "I've missed you too, but between your little project and the center, I'm sure I'll be out to visit more frequently." Arizona added, "Oh I am certain we will need you to come out at least a few times once we open, I already have a ton of referrals and consults waiting to be scheduled and have no idea how I'll handle them all with just two fellows." Addison smiled and proclaimed, "I can't wait, but if I'm being honest, there's only one delivery I'm truly excited about." Callie and Arizona smiled at each other and they both joined Addison at the table to drink their coffee.
Addison pulled several small sheets of paper out of her purse and handed them over to Arizona and explained, "These are all the prescriptions you need; the last sheet is the name and website of the Cryobank. You can find detailed information about what you will need to do for a home insemination as far as when to collect the gift and what steps to take. When you start the estradiol, I would call them and inform them of your plans. Some states and banks have certain requirements about preparing it. I believe in New York they do what they call a wash to make sure all the um…excess is gone and you are getting pure…uh gift." Callie chuckled, took Arizona's hand, and offered, "We really appreciate all your help and your support." Addison nodded and responded, "I'm just so happy I can be a part of this. All the way here I was preparing this speech in my head, you know, the 'hurt her and die' spiel, but I had no idea who to give it to because I love you both dearly and I always believed you'd find your way back to each other. So I will just say this, take care of each other, keep talking, know when to listen, and never forget your love…the love you two share, it truly is enough to carry you through anything." Both women had tears in their eyes and stood up to hug their friend.
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Arizona and Callie stood in the parking lot and had just finished saying goodbye to Addie before Nicole snapped at them about being late. As the car drove off, Arizona asked, "Have you eaten yet? We have some extra food that we had catered in for the visiting surgeons." Callie looked at her phone to check the time, sent a quick text to Lorraine to tell her where she would be and followed Arizona inside declaring, "I am starving. I feel like it's been one thing after another today. I have another consult in an hour." Arizona led her to the conference room, reached behind a stack of boxed lunches, pulled out two and said, "I hid these for you, you have your choice of ranch chicken wrap or strawberry poppyseed salad." Callie looked at both boxes and couldn't decide so Arizona suggested, "How about one for now and one for later?" Callie nodded, kissed her softly and whispered, "You know me so well." After collecting her lunch, the two decided to go to Arizona's office where they would be a little more comfortable.
Sitting at the table, Callie opened her salad and asked, "So how did the tour go?" Arizona smiled brightly and answered, "I think it went pretty well. We got a lot of positive feedback and several suggestions that we really would like to incorporate." Callie swallowed and asked, "Like what?" Arizona looked at her list and replied, "Many of them agreed we should have a family lounge area for each floor with more comfortable seating, refrigerator, microwave, coffee pot, much like a staff lounge, especially for the floors we expect to have long term patients. We can do that right away since all the rooms haven't been designated yet. We kept a couple open on each floor in case we thought of some other use for them." Callie nodded, "That's a good idea. I have one something like that on the long-term care floor where Julie is now. The other floors have special family rooms with vending machines, a tv, and reading materials, but everyone is told about and has access to the other lounge." Arizona wrote that down thinking it might be more cost efficient to do something similar. Callie took a drink of water and asked, "What else?" Arizona replied, "Some of them suggested some equipment but it's already been ordered and everyone had input on what we should add to our educational program." Callie asked, "Is that doable for this term or is it something that will have to be addressed later?" Arizona shrugged and responded, "Most of it is doable, but Nicole has her own style and she is the best, so I'm letting her deal with that."
Arizona took her hand and offered, "We got a great deal of compliments on the artwork and décor. They thought it was a fantastic idea to include previous patients and success stories to put our new patients at ease. I think the NICU doors and first floor nurses' station got the most compliments. One guy even mentioned how the color of the doors matched my eyes." Callie laughed and responded, "That was on purpose. I picked that color myself. You should have seen the guy at the hardware store when he asked if he could help pick a color and I held up my phone with a close up of your eyeball." Arizona laughed, "I can't believe you." Callie chuckled and responded, "I have found I get pretty ridiculous when it comes to you." Arizona sat on her lap, kissed her cheek and responded, "Not ridiculous, romantic." Callie brushed their lips together and replied, "Yeah, I like that better."
Callie pulled her in for a hug and asked, "Any negatives?" Arizona let out a huge sigh of relief and said, "No thank God. Well, other than envy." Callie smiled and responded, "Good, that's really great honey. I'm so proud of you." Arizona moved from Callie's lap so she could finish eating, sat down beside her and said sincerely, "Thank you, and thank you for all the help and support you have given me. I really appreciate you, especially how patient and understanding you've been." Callie took her hand, kissed the back of it and reminded, "I've been through this, I know how hard and frustrating it can all be. I also know this has been one of your dreams and I can't wait to see it come true for you." Tilting her head, she asked, "Have you thought about what you are going to do with the donation from my parents yet?" Arizona shook her head and answered, "I really haven't had time, but I thought I may just sit on it for a while and see what needs arise. I mean, I already have patients contacting me and a list of referrals a mile long. I may come across something I'm not prepared for or haven't thought of." Callie nodded, "That's probably the best bet. I mean honestly, I'm waiting to meet with prosthetic companies to see what offers I get and if I need to buy in."
She studied Arizona's face for a minute and continued, "But there is one project I really want to work on and I'd like to start it soon. I think once I do, I will get more funding for it." Arizona tilted her head and asked, "What's that?" Callie rubbed the back of her head nervously and replied, "I'd like to build off the plans I have for your prototype but create something that is more conducive for pregnant women. With a regular prosthetic, sockets can be interchangeable and the titanium can be resized, but it's not as easy with this one. I mean, we've constructed it for the average amount of gain and loss. I don't know how much weight is gained in the leg or if it would affect the fit. But I do know the balance changes for all pregnant women and I want to understand how to compensate for that and I also… I wonder when women get closer to term, how it will affect putting it on and taking it off. It's easy enough without the straps and with the app, but I mean actually putting it on the limb. At 5 months, it was uncomfortable for me to put on my own shoes and tie them. Then there's the whole actual giving birth, that puts a lot of strain on the legs. Honestly honey, I want to have it done and maybe do a trial first, I just…I don't want you to be the guinea pig for this. I need to know the pros and cons beforehand." Arizona could tell by the way Callie rambled and barely took a breath that this made her nervous to talk about. She wasn't sure if it was because of the leg or because she didn't want to jump the gun on the pregnancy. Either way, she knew she needed to reassure her.
Arizona reached up with one hand and removed Callie's hand from the back of her head and held it in her own, then reached up with her other hand and lightly scratched her scalp. Feeling her relax slightly she asked, "What has you so nervous?" Callie looked down at their hands, intertwined their fingers and inhaled deeply before answering, "I just…I know you're okay about the leg and everything, I just…I don't want you to think that I'm worried that you might…because of it and also, I'm worried that you think I'm getting too excited about a pregnancy that doesn't exist and I'll be disappointed if it doesn't happen right away and that you'll blame yourself and…I'm just…I'm still scared Arizona." The blonde nodded, tugged on her hand to pull her out of her chair, and in a surprising switch, sat on the couch first and pulled Callie into her lap, well, with her rear end resting between her legs so she sat sideways on the couch. Arizona began rubbing Callie's scalp and pulled her head down to rest on her shoulder while intertwining their hands on the brunette's lap. The two sat quietly and took comfort from one another while Arizona formulated what she wanted to say.
Finally she offered, "Nothing is guaranteed Calliope. I am mentally and physically healthy and there is no reason I shouldn't be able to get pregnant and carry a baby to term. I'm scared too, but I know if I allow that worry to eat at me, it will also affect my body and my ability to get pregnant or have a healthy pregnancy. I know one thing for certain and that is I won't let my fears keep me from trying. Yes, we may be disappointed a time or two, but we also know how to talk about that now and not keep it bottled up. But we want this and we will make it happen, even if it isn't the way we want it to. My chances for another miscarriage are slim and we aren't even going to go down that road." Callie looked up at her and she could see some of the worry had disappeared from her beautiful brown eyes and a little of the sparkle had come back. Smiling softly, Callie said, "We are stronger and better equipped to handle things aren't we?" It was less of a question than a statement. Arizona nodded and suggested, "I think we try this first round and if it doesn't work, we sit down and make a plan about how many more we try before we decide to look into surrogacy or anything else. But right now, we both need to go into this believing it will work and agreeing that it won't break us." Callie responded right away, "This will not break us. You're right, no more fears. We are New York Callie and Arizona."
Arizona kissed her forehead and continued, "As for the prototype, we have other means of buying in if that is what we need to do or if we need to fund new research. We have thirty million dollars wrapped up in a hospital that is now thriving and we could always sell some of our shares to the Fox Foundation if necessary. I know half of it is Sofia's, but either way, it will make a profit and continue to grow for her. I think you need to explore this new prototype, not just for me, but for every woman who is an amputee and is pregnant or wants to be but is allowing it to hold her back. You should explore your options, start researching, and see what you find. You brought up some very valid points that I haven't even thought of, so honestly, I would appreciate it if you would get right on that." Callie smirked and asked, "Is that an order?" Arizona shrugged and corrected, "It's a strong request. There's a need for it honey and I think if anyone can fill that need, it would be you." Callie kissed her softly and whispered, "Thank you for letting me be the crazy one today." Arizona smiled and returned, "Just remember, before long, I'm going to be the crazy one and it might get much worse." Callie laughed and couldn't help but reach down to rub Arizona's stomach and responded, "Oh but the return will be so worth it." Arizona just smiled and nodded.
After sitting quietly for a few more minutes, Callie checked her phone and lamented, "I should get back. I want to go over this file before my next consult and I have a few quick procedures to do this afternoon." Arizona sighed and replied, "I have a ton of phone calls to make. Fortunately they are job offers, so they should go well. I want to call and check in with Jo first though." Callie saw something she couldn't quite recognize flash across Arizona's face and asked, "What is it?" The blonde thought for a minute and answered, "Yesterday when I was meeting with Nicole and Addie, they were the ones who came up with the ideas about advertising that we were LGBTQ friendly and making sure we hired staff members who were inclusive and open-minded. I guess it just bothers me that I'm not the one who spoke up first. I get so worried about the stigma sometimes that I miss opportunities like this and Nicole had to remind me that my name was on the door and I'm not just speaking for me but also for my patients and staff members. I just…I need to be a better advocate for our community." Callie nodded in understanding and assured her, "I get that. But you have to remember, we both come from backgrounds where we couldn't speak up. Also, we spent ten years in a welcoming but very heteronormative environment. I think that's why I struggled with my identity so much." Arizona added, "It's just, if it were you though, if you couldn't find a gynecologist you were comfortable with, I'd have a fit. But here I am, a lesbian, not even offering my services as an OB/GYN to my own community." Callie pulled her into a tight hug and suggested, "Well then we change that." Arizona nodded her head in confirmation and responded, "Yeah, that's all I can do. You need to get going. I love you. Oh, and stop and grab a few lunches for Maria and Lorraine please." Callie replied, "I love you too. I will, thank you. I'm sure they will appreciate it." Arizona walked Callie to the door, kissed her one last time, and watched her walk down the hall.
After getting herself a fresh cup of coffee, Arizona settled down at her desk with the stack of candidate files she needed to call which also included the recommendations from her nurses and Dee. But first, she grabbed her cellphone and dialed Jo's number. She smiled when Jo picked up and asked, "Hey Arizona, what can I do ya for?" Arizona responded, "Actually, I called to see if there was anything I could do for you. Cal mentioned you were asking about gynecologists and I just happen to know one of the best." Jo asked, "Oh yeah? Can I get the name?" Arizona laughed, "You're talking to her." The line went quiet for a minute then Jo remarked, "I thought you were a fetal surgeon." Arizona explained, "I am both actually. I had to certify as an OB/GYN in order to practice Maternal-Fetal medicine, now it's…never mind, the point is, Cal didn't know that when you asked." The line went quiet again and Arizona figured out the problem and declared, "I know it's weird since we are friends and all. We actually hired a new OB/GYN who has an extensive background working with non-binary and transgender patients. She won't be practicing from here until we open next month, but I can give you her information if that will make you more comfortable. But if there's something that's really bothering you, I'd like to help." Jo laughed and answered, "Thanks for understanding. I just don't need Cal staring at me like she wants to kick my ass because you've seen my private parts." Arizona laughed and knew that's exactly what Callie would do. Jo added, "If you wouldn't mind giving me this other doctor's name, I'd appreciate that. I'm not in any pain or anything, it's just I know I'm due for a check up and the last doctor I went to made assumptions based on my appearance and I just walked out." Arizona replied, "I'm glad to hear you aren't having any problems. I'll text you her name and number. Make sure you told her I sent you." Jo responded, "Will do, and thanks for calling."
Once she disconnected the call, Arizona made the rest of the calls she needed to make and was excited when all but one of the candidates accepted the job right away. The hold-out was a nurse and she wasn't a no, but she was asking for more money. Arizona wrote down the amount she wanted and went over her resume again. After seeing how much experience she had and how long she had been at her last job, she decided to talk to Nicole about making a better offer. Looking at the list of staff members they already hired, she made a list of the staff they had left to hire then another list of the things that they still had to do. She sighed in relief when she realized the to-do list was shrinking substantially by the day. Now the hard part was delegating. Arizona always had a hard time with that because she found that many times it was just easier to do things on her own rather than explain them to someone else. She was great at handing over the reigns in an operating room or with residents she was teaching, but this was a little harder. This was her baby and she needed it to be perfect. On the other hand, she also knew if she didn't ask for help or pass things off, she would be here night and day like she was the first week they got the building. So if for no other reason than the fact that she'd rather spend that time with her family, Arizona made smaller to-do lists for each of the staff members they hired so far and had to place her trust in them.
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Early Saturday morning, Callie, Arizona, and Sofia pulled up outside Lorraine's house at the same time as Maria, Miguel, and Bella. They all laughed when they noticed Arizona was holding a large box of donuts and a gallon of juice and Maria was holding a box of bagels and a to-go box of coffee. Callie chuckled and commented, "Great minds think alike." As they approached the porch, Lorraine swung the door open and informed them, "Kim is still in the shower, I forgot how hard it was to wake up a teenager and how long they think a shower needs to last." Maria laughed and responded, "Thanks for warning us. Fortunately we still have 5 years before the terrible teens." Miguel took the boxes from Maria and carried them into the kitchen. He was seriously rethinking his choice of volunteering to spend the day with all these women. Arizona followed him into the kitchen with the donuts and juice and offered, "Miguel, I never got a chance to thank you for the work you did at the center. It was absolutely gorgeous. I had no idea you had such talent." Miguel smiled and returned, "Thank you, it was our pleasure. My father is a painter and an artist and he had brushes in our hands since we were old enough to grip a bottle. My brother followed in his footsteps and truly inherited his talent and love for it. I enjoy it and worked for my dad to pay for law school, I still do some side work obviously." Arizona was thoroughly impressed and wanted to know more. While the two continued to talk about Miguel's choice to go into law, Sofia and Bella ran outside to play in the yard and Lorraine, Maria, and Callie looked at paint swatches.
When Kim emerged from the bathroom, she was excited to see everyone and still couldn't believe how great they had all been to her. Maria patted the seat next to her on the sofa and ordered, "Come here girl, we need you to pick out a color and decide on a theme for your room. Miguel will go get the paint and he, Callie, and Arizona will start painting while you, me, and the girls go get your decorations and comforter and anything else you need." Kim smiled and replied, "Thank you, but the blanket I have is just fine and…" "Nonsense!" Maria cut her off. "Miguel and I didn't give you a present at your party because this is our gift to you. Now pick a color please." Kim looked at all the swatches, looked to Lorraine and asked, "Any color?" Lorraine nodded, "It's your room sweetie, any color you want." Kim looked at the swatches again and informed them, "I really like animals and animal prints. I think I'm going to use my scholarship from Mr. and Mrs. Torres for veterinary school. I think I'd like zebra print for a theme, but I don't know what color will go with that." Arizona took out her phone, pulled up the website for one of the local department stores and typed in the search bar and smiled when a large variety of items appeared. She showed the phone to the teenager and asked, "What about one of these?" Kim looked at all the options and saw one she really liked and asked, "What about this zebra print comforter with red accents instead of the pink they have here? But I still don't know about the walls."
Miguel looked at the picture she pointed to and told her, "You leave the color to me, I have some ideas." He looked at everyone and said, "Okay, let's do this." Miguel informed them he had a couple stops to make and would be back within the hour and Maria told them they would be back when they got back. Callie, Arizona, and Lorraine sat at the kitchen table eating donuts and drinking coffee while they waited. Arizona looked to Lorraine and asked, "How are you both adjusting?" The older woman smiled and answered, "We are doing well. It took me a couple of days to adapt to having someone in the house again, but it feels good. I never realized how much I missed it. I wasn't lonely, but the silence can get to you sometimes. Kim is having a hard time asking for or accepting things, like you saw today, but she is getting better." Callie understood exactly what her friend meant about the silence getting to you but chose not to mention it and replied, "I can see how it could be hard for her, she never really had anything of her own and now, she's getting all this attention and has so much more freedom." Lorraine laughed and shared, "Oh, you should have seen her when we brought everything home from the party and she got a real chance to look at her presents and open the cards. She cried for nearly an hour. She said she never had her own stuff and was just staring at the money and gift cards asking, 'What am I supposed to do with this?'. She spent most of the next day writing thank-you notes." Arizona nodded, "She gave us ours and it nearly brought me to tears. She said she'd never had a party thrown for her before." Lorraine supplied, "That really was sweet and it was a wonderful surprise that you included me in that. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done." Callie hugged her friend and responded, it's nothing in comparison to what you've done for me.
Arizona watched Callie and Lorraine interact and could just feel the affection and respect they had for one another. She also realized since Callie mentioned it, she couldn't unsee her mother when she looked at the older woman. She already knew she wanted to include the name Lorraine in their daughter's name if they had another girl, but now she would insist on it for completely different reasons. This woman was truly amazing and who knows where Callie would be without her. She was broken from her revery when Callie asked, "What do you think Arizona?" Arizona shook her head and said, "I'm sorry what?" Callie laughed and repeated, "I asked you what you thought about checking out Kim's arm Monday and seeing if we can't replace the cast with a brace." Arizona shrugged and answered, "You're the expert Dr. Torres." Callie smirked and replied, "But you are the treating physician Dr. Robbins, so I would like your opinion." Arizona shook her head and answered, "I don't think it would hurt to do an x-ray and see how she's healing. I'm not opposed to her having a brace instead of the cast." Lorraine clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Oh that would make her so happy. She hates that thing." Both women laughed and finished their coffee just as Miguel walked in the house with three cans of paint followed by a man who looked very much like him carrying a box of supplies.
Once he explained his idea to all three women and got Lorraine's nod of approval, everyone got to work in Kim's room. They moved all the furniture to the center of the room and covered it with a drop cloth, then Marco, Miguel's brother taped everything off and put Callie and Arizona to work on opposing walls while he and Miguel each took a wall. Lorraine stood in the doorway and asked, "What can I do?" Miguel winked at her and answered, "You're the boss, you do what you want." Lorraine wasn't one to sit around, so she picked up a roller and decided to help Arizona with her wall. With the five of them working, it took no time at all to get the first coat finished. Deciding they deserved a break, Lorraine made a pitcher of lemonade and brought out some snacks and they all sat outside to get some fresh air while they waited for the paint to dry.
By the time Maria got back with the girls, everyone was back to work and almost finished with the second coat of paint. Fortunately the walls were white to begin with, so they really didn't need to cover anything up. While they were gone, they decided to surprise Kim with her room so Lorraine rushed into the living room and asked to see all the purchases. Sofia and Bella had to show off their new toys first and ran to the back yard to play with their new dolls. Maria shrugged and defended, "I promised them a toy since they were so good." Kim smiled and added, "They were a lot of help." She put her head down and asked shyly, "Are you sure this isn't too much Maria? I was given some money and gift cards. I feel like I should give you something." Maria shook her head and responded, "Honey, this is what family does. You and Julie, you're ours now and we take care of our own." Lorraine couldn't wait anymore and asked, "Show me what you got. I'm so excited." Kim opened one bag and pulled out a bright red sheet set and throw pillows, then took a Zebra striped comforter from another bag, zebra throw pillows from another, a black lamp with a red shade and a few other trinkets from the last bag. Lorraine oohed and ahhed over it all and commended the girl on her choices.
As soon as they opened and pulled the tags off everything, Arizona and Callie walked into the living room and Callie gasped as she saw all the decorations. She looked to Arizona and asked, "Why can't we do this to our room? I love this." Arizona looked at all the animal print and thought about how the room was painted and responded, "It's perfect for a teenager, but for a couple of 40 year olds, it's just kind of…" She couldn't think of a word, but didn't have to because Maria supplied, "Kinky, weird, fetish-like?" Arizona nodded, "All of that." Callie looked at her friend and said, "Oh, shut up, no one asked you." Arizona wrapped her arms around Callie's waist and cooed, "I like our room exactly as it is. You did an amazing job." Maria cleared her throat and Callie's face started to flush and she explained, "I uh, may have had help." Maria laughed and said, "You wanted to paint the room black." Callie stomped her foot and responded, "It was a joke…funny…haha!" Arizona just stared at Callie and Lorraine piped in with, "She chose most of it, we just agreed or disagreed." Callie nodded and said, "See, I did it mostly by myself." Maria muttered, "Even though we thought she was crazy for picking colors you'd like." Lorraine arched her eyebrow and argued, "You thought she was crazy. I thought it was sweet and romantic."
Arizona was getting dizzy moving her head back and forth between the three women but she was enjoying their interaction. Finally she observed, "You three are worse than sisters." Callie and Maria looked at each other and proclaimed at the same time, "We would've killed each other by now." Lorraine agreed, "You should see them when they start arguing in Spanish." Callie looked at Arizona and smirked, she knew her girlfriend got turned on whenever she spoke Spanish, especially in the bedroom. Arizona turned beet red and quickly walked to the kitchen to get something to drink. Maria laughed and called out, "I know what that means Robbins." Arizona drank her lemonade and retorted, "Suck it Maria." Kim sat on the couch laughing at the entire interaction. Finally she asked, "When do I get to see my room?" Marco and Miguel walked into the living room and Miguel answered, "Right now kiddo. But you need to close your eyes." Kim popped off the couch, walked down the hall and Callie covered the girl's eyes while everyone else went into the room so they could see her reaction. Maria, Lorraine, and Arizona all had their cameras ready for the unveiling.
Callie guided her into the room, counted to three, then removed her hands. Kim kept her eyes closed for another minute trying to will herself not to cry but she could already feel the tears stinging the backs of her eyes. Finally, she opened them and her hands instantly flew to her mouth as she squealed, "Oh my God! This is amazing." She looked around her room and saw two walls were painted a solid red while the other two were painted a Zebra pattern. Just like she knew she would, she started crying and turned into Callie since she was closest and kept saying, "I can't believe it. It's beautiful." Callie patted the young girl's back and tried to soothe her then leaned down and whispered something in her ear. Kim popped her head up and mouthed, "No way." Callie nodded and turned her around and she said, "Oh my gosh, Maria is crying!" The brunette wiped her eyes and defended, "It's the paint fumes." Arizona muttered, "Paint fumes my ass, you're just a big ole softy under all that sarcasm." Maria raised her hand to flip Arizona off when the two younger girls came running into the room and hugged Kim telling her how pretty it was. Maria muttered something in Spanish and Arizona smirked and answered, "If you're trying to turn me on, it only works with her." She then pointed at Callie who could only laugh at the interaction.
Marco and Miguel checked their work, took the tape down, moved the furniture back, and instructed Kim to keep the windows open and the fan on for the rest of the evening to get the fumes out. Seeing how outnumbered the two men were, Maria let her husband off the hook and Lorraine and Callie assured him one of them would take Maria and Bella home later. After they left, Lorraine ordered pizza as a thank you and Sofia and Bella convinced Kim to play a game with them. Callie watched the three girls in the living room and asked, "Do you think she babysits?" Maria shrugged and responded, "I don't know but she is really good with them." Arizona added, "I'm impressed she already knows what she wants to do after she graduates. Will she be a senior this year?" Lorraine answered, "She and Julie both will. Julie is a year older, but she was held back the year her parents passed away. They are talking about taking courses on-line. Kim doesn't want to go back without Julie and Julie won't be able to go to the same high school since she is pregnant. They figured if they do it on-line, they can help each other out and still work." Callie nodded in understanding and said, "They are both such good kids and have their heads on straight." Maria agreed, "They really do."
While they were eating their pizza, Sofia exclaimed from the living room, "I can't wait until Tuesday. I've never been camping before." Arizona's head snapped up and she asked, "That's this week?" Maria pulled up her calendar on her phone and whispered, "Oh crap, it is." Callie snorted and declared, "Looks like we're going shopping tomorrow. I don't even remember where the list is. They didn't send any reminders?" Maria shrugged and answered, "I have no idea, Miguel usually picks Bella up and I forget to look in her bag." Arizona shook her head and replied, "I haven't seen anything, but I took a picture of the list." Maria smiled and said, "It's times like this I remember why I like you." Arizona retorted, "And its comments like that which make me wonder why I like you." Maria stuck out her tongue then plastered on a fake smile and asked, "Arizona would you please send me the list?" Arizona returned her smile, tapped her phone a few times and responded, "Only because you asked so nicely." Callie muttered, "Talk about acting like sisters." Lorraine just laughed at the entire conversation and thought about what a great addition Arizona made to their little trio. She knew Maria's snarky comments were her way of accepting someone and she was happy the blonde could give as good as she got.
A/N: You all are awesome. That's all. Oh and everything belongs to Shonda. Lucky bitch. Just kidding, she's not a bitch.