"We get to go horseback riding, canoeing, fishing, and we even get to roast marshmallows on a real campfire." Sofia exclaimed from the back seat of her mama's SUV as they traveled along the familiar route to camp Tuesday morning. Arizona tightened her grip on Callie's hand, turned to smile at her daughter and proclaimed, "It sounds like you are going to have so much fun! I can't wait to hear all about it when you get back." Sofia bounced in her seat when she saw how close they were and continued, "They already put us in teams and I get to be in the same group as Jess and Bella. Carrie is going to be our counselor, she's my favorite. We are going to share a cabin with another counselor and three other girls." Callie looked in the rearview mirror and caught her daughter's eye then stated, "Make sure you listen to everything they say and follow their directions." Sofia nodded her head and assured, "I will mama. When I talked to grandma and grandpa Sunday, he told me how important it was to listen to your com…comma…" Arizona provided, "Commanding Officer." Sofia declared, "Yeah, that's it. He said it was important to listen to all the directions and he told me some camping secrets that you can only know if you're in the Marines, but he said I'm a good soldier and he knew I could remember them." Arizona wanted to laugh; she remembered her dad telling her the same thing the one and only time she went away to camp.
When Sofia looked up and saw they were only one sign away from where they got off the highway, she could feel her heart beating and the butterflies in her tummy fluttering away. Part of her felt like she did on Christmas morning and saw all the presents under the tree, but part of her felt like that one Halloween when Alex jumped out of the bushes and scared her and Zola. She kept telling herself not to be afraid, but this was the first time she would be away from both of her moms and not staying with any of the adults she knew like Maria or Meredith. She was used to staying with her parents' friends, but this was a lot different. When her mama turned onto the same street as the camp she asked timidly, "Mommies, is it okay to be a little afraid?" Both Callie and Arizona knew by their daughter's incessant ramble she was not only excited but also nervous and wondered if she would admit it. Callie nodded and answered, "Of course it is sweetie. Sometimes being a little bit afraid makes you more cautious." Sofia wrinkled up her nose and asked, "What's cautious?" Arizona turned and told her, "Cautious is being careful." Sofia nodded then asked, "Are you ever afraid?" Callie responded, "Mommy and I are nervous or afraid every time we go into surgery." Sofia asked, "Really? But you're both good surgeons, why do you get nervous?" Arizona answered, "That's what makes us good surgeons. We are aware of all the things that can go wrong and that makes us more careful."
Callie pulled into the parking lot, found a place to park, winked at Arizona, then turned to look at her daughter and explained, "We just have to make sure we aren't too cautious and let our fears keep us from doing something that could be good for our patients, you, or ourselves because sometimes those things help us grow." Sofia watched as some of the other campers got out of the car with their parents and asked, "So I can be nervous about doing something I've never done before?" Both women smiled and nodded and Callie explained, "Sof, you're only 8 years old and there are so many things that you are going to see and do that you've never done before and every time you do them for the first time, you will be scared or nervous, but after its done, you'll be happy you did it." Sofia asked, "Like going to camp?" Callie nodded and answered, "Like going to camp, going to your first dance, riding your first roller coaster…" Callie knew she could keep going but saw that her daughter understood her point and cut herself off. Seeing they were loading the buses, Arizona asked, "You ready?" Sofia smiled, took a deep breath, nodded her head once and Callie couldn't help but chuckle because it was the exact same thing Arizona did when she was psyching herself up for something.
After hugging their daughter goodbye and reassuring her she would have a great time and there was nothing to be nervous about, Callie and Arizona stood amongst the group of parents waving at their children as the bus pulled away. Looking around, Callie noticed more than a few parents had tears in their eyes. She looked over to Arizona who was biting her thumbnail and had her other arm wrapped tightly around her middle while her right leg bounced up and down frantically. She saw Maria coming towards them, shook her head, then nodded it toward the park behind her. Maria took one look at Arizona, gave a thumbs up indicating she understood, then went to her own car. Callie put her arm around her girlfriend and suggested, "Let's go for a walk." Arizona nodded and followed but continued to bite at her thumbnail. Callie knew Arizona put on a brave front for Sofia's sake, but she was clearly not okay and this anxiety had very little to do with sending their daughter away to camp for the first time and nearly everything to do with her own experience of lying on the side of a mountain for four days with basically nothing but the clothes on their backs and their combined survival skills and medical knowledge. She knew no amount of soothing or reassurance would ease this fear. She also knew it was the last thing Arizona needed right now.
After several minutes of walking together with neither of them saying a word, Arizona started to relax. She leaned her body into Callie's and wrapped her arm around her waist. She knew Callie could sense her anxiety and she was waiting for her to say something to try to calm her down. Arizona looked out over the water and stated almost like a question, "You aren't telling me not to worry." Callie glanced sideways and simply replied, "Nope." Arizona nodded and observed, "You aren't trying to reassure me that she will be fine." Callie shook her head and said again, "Nope." Arizona stopped, tilted her head and asked, "Why aren't you telling me not to worry and that she will be fine?" Callie took Arizona's trembling hands in hers, and asked, "Is that what you need right now? Is that what you want me to tell you?" Arizona looked down at the ground, thought about it for a minute and realized though it was what she expected, it most certainly wasn't what she needed because she could think of at least 15 arguments for either statement. She really wasn't sure what she needed right now. When she lifted her head, she saw only love and concern staring back at her and shook her head no.
Callie squeezed her hands and explained, "I won't tell you those things because it would be dismissing your fears and your concerns. With everything you've been through, you have every right to feel the way you feel. So you feel this way as long as you need to and if you need to feel this way until Sofia is safe at home again, then that's what you do and I will be right here to hold you if you need to be held, to listen if you need to talk, or to just be here and do nothing if that's what you need." As soon as Callie said the words, Arizona realized that was what she needed. She needed to be told it was okay to be nervous and afraid just like they told Sofia. She needed to know the person she loved maybe didn't understand what she was feeling exactly, but she understood why she was feeling it and she wasn't trying to tell her not to feel that way. She didn't know if it was from fear or relief, but Arizona let out a sob and fell into Callie's arms burying her head in the crook of her neck. Callie didn't say a word, she just held her girlfriend while she cried and rubbed soothing circles on her back. She was perfectly fine with being the strong one in this situation, but had to admit, she had worries of her own, worries from the perspective of the person sitting at home unable to do anything but wait for news of her loved ones. That was another reason she couldn't reassure Arizona because the blonde said it best Friday, there were no guarantees. Though she didn't cry, she too took comfort in their embrace.
Neither of them knew how long they stood there drawing strength from one another while the world went by around them. They could hear the boats chugging along the river, children playing in the distance, the thud of feet hitting cement as joggers passed them on the path, but they were content in their little bubble as they each realized this was a sign of their own growth, both as individuals and as a couple. Arizona took a deep breath, tightened her hold on Callie briefly, then pulled back slightly so they could look one another in the eye. Callie peered into the clear blue eyes that were slightly puffy from crying and could see that whatever demons plagued Arizona were gone for now, but she knew her girlfriend wasn't okay, so she didn't bother to ask, instead she reached up to wipe at tear-stained cheeks and asked, "Feeling a little better?" Arizona exhaled all the breath in her lungs and could swear she felt the tension that wracked her nerves and muscles leave her body with the gust of air. Realizing she was heard without having to say a word was all she really needed or wanted, Arizona smiled brightly and responded, "I am actually. Thank you." Callie arched her brow and answered, "Uh…I didn't do anything." Arizona took her hand, linked their fingers, headed back toward the car, and responded, "But you listened." Callie chuckled and replied, "You didn't even say anything." Arizona pecked Callie's cheek and chirped, "I didn't have to. Your heart heard what I needed and your words and actions fulfilled that need." Callie smiled, tightened her grip on Arizona's hand and realized she too was feeling more at ease.
XXXX
Arizona walked into the lobby of the Robbins-Herman center just in time to hear Nicole holler out, "Has anyone seen Robbins yet?" The fetal surgeon smirked and responded, "Petite blonde, super-hot? Every time I look in the mirror." The older woman retorted, "No, the Robbins I'm looking for is a little on the plain side and isn't quite such a smart ass." Arizona walked to the reception desk to take the mail Dee was holding out for her, smiled her thanks, and quipped, "Then, nope, haven't seen her." Nicole chuckled and shook her head then asked, "Where the hell have you been?" Arizona pouted, "We dropped Sofia off at camp. It's her first time going to a sleep away camp." The older woman could hear the sadness in her friend's tone and knew she was probably struggling, so she joked, "Good, that means you'll have your house to yourselves and you and Torres won't be needing to get it on in empty patient rooms." Arizona continued to look at her mail and snarked, "We don't use the patient rooms, they don't even have sheets yet." Nicole laughed at that and remarked, "Aren't you in rare form today?" Though she wouldn't admit it, she was really enjoying this newer version of her protégé. This woman was stronger, more confident, harder to rattle. She had her moments, but overall, she had clearly grown.
Arizona ignored her friend's comment as she was distracted by one particular piece of mail. She pulled out the larger, rather ornate white envelope, broke the black wax seal on the back and pulled out the single piece of black and white parchment. The two colors were designed into a swirl that almost reminded her of the yin-yang symbol and the text was an old English style written in white on the black side and black on the white side and while it should have looked disjointed, it flowed together beautifully. She hadn't even read the words yet but was already intrigued by what was clearly an invitation of some sort. "Are you ignoring me Robbins?" Nicole's tone was a little gruffer this time. Arizona's head snapped up and she responded, "Uh, no, I just got distracted. Sorry, what were you saying?" Nicole ignored the question and asked, "What could be more important than me that caught your attention." Arizona laughed and held up the invitation then realized that, along with asking if her partner had seen it was fruitless and responded, "I was looking at this invitation."
Nicole knew exactly what invitation the blonde was talking about, she received an electronic version of the same thing reading the details of the event, which rather impressed her, though she assumed the wording on hers was a tad different than on the one her partner received. She snapped out, "Well are you going to read it to me or is it top secret?" Arizona was absolutely mesmerized by the beauty of the invitation and couldn't shake the idea that when the time came, she would want something similar as a wedding invitation, if they chose to go that route but she was way ahead of herself since they weren't even engaged yet. Shaking herself from her thoughts she read, "Black and White Gala for a Night of Hope, Sunday, July 31st at 6:00 pm, Honoring Members of the Medical Community at The Aria Hotel and Suites of New York City." She then glanced at Nicole's pile of mail and supplied, "It looks like you got one too." Nicole pretended to be interested and asked, "Is it a fundraiser of some sort?" Arizona read the invitation again and responded, "No it just looks like an event to celebrate local doctors and surgeons. There's a website here to RSVP." Nicole nodded and asked, "Dee, can you RSVP for both of us with a plus one. This will be an excellent chance to get our names out there in the community and it has the added benefit of being the night before our grand opening." She looked to Arizona and said, "Robbins, I'm assuming you'll be taking Torres."
Callie walked into the lobby pushing Julie in her wheelchair, excited to see Arizona had received her invitation and asked, "Taking me to what?" Arizona whipped around at the sound of her girlfriend's voice, held up the invitation and explained, "To this Black and White Gala." Callie pulled her own invitation out of her pocket and replied, "I was planning on asking my girlfriend, but I'd much rather go with you." Julie giggled and Nicole gagged then asked, "Please tell me you are delivering my assistant and didn't just come over here to flirt. Robbins has work to do." Callie chuckled and responded, "One assistant, present and accounted for and no flirting but I was coming to ask if you both got the invitation too." Julie wheeled herself to Nicole and declared, "Ready for work boss." Nicole ordered Shep to take her to her office and Julie followed behind, not wanting to spook the dog. She wasn't sure how service dogs worked exactly. Callie called out, "You get three hours then back to your cell." She smiled when Julie turned her head and nodded her understanding.
Arizona walked over to Callie, kissed her hello, lifted the invitation and asked, "You really want to go to this?" Callie nodded and answered, "It looks like a lot of fun; besides it will give us a chance to buy new fancy outfits." Arizona laughed, leaned on her tip-toes, brushed their lips together and responded, "It looks glamorous. These invitations are just gorgeous." Callie did an inner happy dance, pleased that Arizona loved the invitations. She almost couldn't contain her excitement when the blonde added, "When we get there, if we decide…um…Okay, I'm just going to say it. When we get married again, I want a big wedding because this time it will be legal and final and I really like this style of invitation." Arizona was never one for big celebrations and she never saw herself getting married, let alone twice…to the same woman, but this was their new start and it was just something she didn't want to gloss over and Callie was big on weddings and she deserved to have a real one…a legal one. Callie smirked, tilted her head and asked, "You've been thinking about weddings?" Arizona shrugged her shoulder and replied, "Maybe." She still couldn't ignore the little jangle in her nerves or the niggle in the back of her mind reminding her Callie was the one who walked away and though she said she wanted to get married again, maybe she wasn't quite at the point of talking about it yet. She sighed in relief when she saw that mega-watt smile and her heart flipped when Callie responded, "Me too." It wasn't much and she wasn't sure what it meant, but it was enough to quiet her nerves.
Callie rested her hands on Arizona's hips and stated, "I need to get back, I didn't get a chance to take Kim's cast off yesterday and she met me at the door as soon as I walked in today. I promised her the minute I got Julie settled, she was my first patient." Arizona smiled, took Callie's hand and started walking her to the door and replied, "Speaking of patients, I need to start scheduling some or there will be no need for us to open." Callie nodded, kissed Arizona one more time and made her way across the parking lot. As soon as she was out of earshot, Callie started whistling the tune of 'Going to the Chapel'.
XXXX
Once Arizona finished making her appointments with some very relieved mothers, she sent the patient files to her fellows to get their input and to see just how astute and detail oriented they were. Their feedback would tell her a great deal about the approach she needed to take with both of them and where their strengths and weaknesses were. She then sent an email to all new staff members reminding them that their start date was the following Monday and the staff orientation would begin promptly at 8:00 am. As soon as she finished that, she firmed up the agenda, sent it out to all current staff along with individual emails reminding them of their portion of the training and what it needed to entail. Each of the four nurses they hired who were already working at the center would lead different seminars on patient care, shift changes, general expectations of their duties, and a more detailed tour of the center. Once the initial two days of orientation were completed, everyone was expected to follow their normal shift schedule and would be assigned duties to assist in the setup of the center.
Just as she started to move on to the next task, Nicole appeared in the door and asked, "How would you feel about performing a procedure on opening day?" Arizona knew she was looking at the other woman like she had lost her mind, but Nicole didn't know that so she asked, "Have you lost your ever-loving mind? I haven't operated in almost a month, two by the time we open and now you want me to do it on the first day we open with cameras and everyone around?" Nicole reached down and felt for the sofa she knew was just by the door, took a seat and answered, "Look Robbins, forget all that. This procedure needs to be done as soon as possible and the parents want you to do it. Besides, cameras will probably be around anyway because of who it is." Arizona saw the file in her mentor's hand, walked over and sighed, "Let me take a look at it. Why would there be camera…oh." As soon as she saw the name on the file she understood. Nicole answered anyway, "It's the Senator and she's expecting triplets and they all have the same heart condition. Every fetal surgeon or heart specialist she's been to has recommended you." Arizona looked up from the file and surmised, "Meaning no one else wants to touch it." Nicole responded, "Meaning you're the best, well, I'm the best, but they won't let me operate anymore, so that leaves you, but you've done this procedure before and you've operated on multiples a number of times." Arizona didn't doubt her skill or talent, she just didn't like the timing.
Flipping through all the scans, she decided, "I want her in here next Wednesday prepared to go through all the testing again. If our lab isn't up and running by then, I'll send her to Callie to get all new bloodwork. I won't promise anything until I see the most recent results, but as it stands now, it looks doable." Nicole nodded and replied, "I knew you wouldn't let me down." Arizona shook her head and answered, "It's a good thing we got all that equipment from Grey-Sloan or I would be back to making jello molds to practice on." Nicole furrowed her brow and asked, "You have a silicone womb?" Arizona responded, "Several actually. When I saved the quads, I had one designed for multiples. I also have silicone fetuses at various stages of gestation." Nicole laughed and replied, "I KNEW I picked the right horse." Arizona rolled her eyes and said, "Back to the Senator, make sure she knows I'm not promising anything and we aren't open to the public yet. With that said, I'll make sure we have all the equipment we need set up and ready for her." Nicole nodded in understanding then asked, "Tell me where we are with everything else."
What started out as one question turned into a two-hour meeting with both Julie and Dee being called in to take notes. Hearing a knock on the door, Arizona looked up and smiled at Kim who was holding up both hands, free of bandages or casts. She waved the girl in and asked, "Why aren't you wearing a brace?" The girl smiled and responded, "Dr. Torres said it was just a hairline fracture to begin with, whatever that means, but it was all healed and I only have to wear it when I'm doing heavy lifting or stuff like that. Plus I got my stitches out today too." Julie held out her arms for a hug and exclaimed, "I'm so happy for you. I get my stitches out today too." Arizona was touched by the friendship the two girls shared. She knew they were going to struggle once Julie was released and they no longer lived in the same place. Kim hugged her friend and nodded, "I know. I was actually sent to get you." She looked at Arizona and said, "Dr. Torres said you owe her for letting Julie stay an hour longer." Arizona scoffed and asked, "Why do I owe her? She's Dr. Herman's assistant." Kim just shrugged and said, "Okay bestie, let's burn rubber." Nicole offered, "I'll be there bright and early tomorrow kid." Julie shook her head, she had no idea why the woman didn't use her name and quipped back, "You got it old lady." Arizona's jaw dropped and she stared at Nicole wondering what she was going to do, she nearly went into shock when the other woman just threw her head back and laughed remarking, "Damn, can I pick em' or can I pick em'?"
Dee followed the two young girls out the door, half wondering what Lorraine got her into, but mostly enjoying the interaction between her new work family. Nicole asked, "You really have to ask why Torres said you owe her and I don't?" Arizona thought about how Callie's brain worked and remembered she still owed her for something else and replied, "Damn, that makes two now." Nicole tutted her tongue and whined, "Oh I'm sure it'll be so hard for you to repay her." Arizona smirked knowing those favors would be returned in some sort of sexual activity and just for the hell of it responded, "Depends on what toy we use." It was Nicole's turn to drop her jaw and she popped out of her seat declaring, "On that note, I'm out of here." Arizona just laughed and muttered to herself, "I'll have to remember that one next time she gets on my nerves." Sighing heavily, she picked up the Senator's file and sat down at her desk to read every single word.
XXXX
"So do I even need to ask what you and Arizona are going to be doing with two nights without the kid?" Maria asked while holding the suction for Callie. The ortho surgeon drilled the pin in place, picked up the next one and responded, "Actually, we decided to work late. I need to catch up on some paperwork, start on my presentation to the prosthetic companies for Friday, and she has a bunch of odds and ends she wants to tie up. Depending on when we get out of here, we'll probably grab some take out and fall asleep on the sofa watching a movie. What about you?" Maria laughed and replied, "Oh, we're totally getting it on." Callie laughed and shook her head at her friend. Maria watched Callie drill the next pin then asked, "Is she uhh…she looked a little upset today. I mean, more than sending your kid off to camp for the first time upset." Callie knew her friend knew everything and Arizona was okay with that, but she still wanted to be respectful of her girlfriend's privacy so she offered, "I think we both struggled with letting her go today a little more than you normally would simply because of all the stuff we've been through." Maria nodded and responded, "You two have had more than your share of shit happen, that's for sure." Callie snorted then turned her focus back on her patient.
After checking on her patient in post-op and finishing her rounds for the day, Callie went to her office to start putting together her presentation. Fortunately, she had detailed notes and all of the data printouts from her own trials as well as some data from Arizona's use of the leg. It took her no time at all to put together several slides with all the technical information. Preparing the presentation wasn't her problem, giving the presentation was a whole different story. When she got to the section about making adaptations for weight gain and loss, she got distracted by her new idea and started doing research on amputees and pregnancy. She found page after page of women who explained in great detail what problems they experienced with their prosthesis during their pregnancy. While she felt validated that many of her questions were actual concerns, she still didn't have the answers she needed. She hastily grabbed her laptop and all the notes she took from her searches and headed to her lab.
XXXX
Though she still had plenty of work to do, at 6:00 pm, Arizona was starving and headed across the lot to see if Callie wanted to order take-out. She tried to call her multiple times, but her phone kept going straight to voicemail, meaning she hadn't charged it again. Just as she pulled the door open, she met Maria on her way out who declared, "If you're looking for Dr. Frankenstein, she's been locked in her lab for hours." Arizona chuckled, thanked her friend, then headed to the third floor to see if she could find her girlfriend. She could hear the blaring music from outside the door and knew that meant Callie was caught up in her work and nothing was going to tear her away, not even the lure of food. Deciding to try anyway, Arizona knocked, she heard the music turn off and was surprised when the door swung open and Callie ordered, "Take off your pants." Arizona just stared at her in shock and must have taken too long because Callie pulled her inside, locked the door, and started removing Arizona's pants for her. Arizona laughed and asked, "Are we back to the no foreplay thing? Because I've got to tell you, so not hot." Callie glared at her from the floor, pulled a measuring tape out of her pocket and began measuring Arizona's leg from the top of her prosthesis to the bottom of her abdomen and wrote the measurements on a notepad she also took from her pocket.
Arizona stood not two feet from the door with her hands on her hips staring down at the ortho surgeon in amusement. When Callie got like this, there was no point in asking questions or arguing, she would just remain focused on her task and keep asking until she got her answer or in this case, she would do it herself. Callie looked up and asked, "What is the average measurement for a 5 month pregnancy?" Arizona tilted her head and responded, "It depends upon the person really, how much they weigh before the pregnancy, how much they gain during pregnancy, how many babies they are carrying, and if they carry high or low." Callie huffed, pushed herself off the floor, walked across the room, got a pillow from the sofa, walked back, shoved it in Arizona's shirt and measured it herself. Arizona couldn't contain her laughter. Callie looked up and demanded, "How pregnant is that?" Arizona looked down at herself and couldn't help but smile at the sight and responded, "That would be between five and six months for someone of my size, but it's a little too high and remember the belly will be tight, so don't put any tension on the measuring tape." Callie nodded, adjusted the pillow until Arizona stopped her, then measured again. She wrote down the measurements and proceeded to measure the length from the top of the prosthetic to the bottom of the pillow and wrote those measurements down as well. She looked up from the floor and asked Arizona to sit down then followed her girlfriend to the sofa watching closely as she sat down then measured the leg and abdomen again. Finally, she sat beside Arizona and declared, "There is so much more to think about than I initially thought." Arizona looked down and realized the bottom of the pillow was close to rubbing against the top of her prosthetic in the seated position and finally understood what this was all about.
She took Callie's hand in hers and suggested, "How about we order some take-out, I go get my laptop and the things I need to work on, and you explain to me exactly what it is you are trying to do and I will attempt to answer as many questions as I can, both as a maternal-fetal surgeon and as an amputee." Callie blew out a deep breath and her entire body deflated in relief as she replied, "Yes please." Arizona tugged on Callie's hand until she leaned into her and sealed their lips in a long languorous kiss. Pulling back, she straightened Callie's hair which she had clearly been running her hands through out of frustration, and whispered, "Hi." Callie relaxed even more, looked down at bare pale legs, smiled sheepishly, and responded, "Hi." She took Arizona's hand in both of hers and played with her fingers then offered, "I'm sorry, I just got so focused and I…" Arizona put one finger over Callie's lips and asked, "Are you really explaining to me of all people how you get when you are doing research?" Callie chuckled then responded, "No, but I basically accosted you as soon as I opened the door." Arizona shrugged and quipped, "Now we're even, though I still think my version was way sexier." Callie arched her eyebrow and asked, "Is that a challenge Arizona Robbins, peds?" Arizona shook her head and replied, "Maybe for another day. Put your phone on the charger and bring me my pants please, then we will order dinner and you will walk with me to my office and explain what's going through that beautiful brain of yours." Callie furrowed her brow, took out her phone, and sure enough, it was dead.
Arizona took the pillow out of her shirt, waited for Callie to bring her pants back and said, "So, I am assuming this little experiment had something to do with rubbing or chafing." Callie picked up Arizona's pants, handed them to her and replied, "I sat down at my desk to prepare my presentation, then when I got to the part about weight adjustments, my mind went to the new prototype and I started researching and just went down the rabbit hole. Arizona, this one woman showed a picture of what the top of her prosthetic did to her stomach and it was horrible. Then another talked about the issues she had after having a c-section. She couldn't wear her prosthesis for weeks while it healed and it's still tender." Arizona pulled up her pants and asked, "What else did you find out?" Callie picked up Arizona's phone which fell out of her pocket, found the website for the new Chinese place Arizona discovered, placed their order then answered, "Mostly stuff about the same questions I mentioned to you but no real solutions. I mean, some prosthetists filed down the lip of the socket, others padded it with different materials, some replaced the sockets because of weight gain. That one I'm not as worried about anymore because of the way my socket is built, we just have to make sure the sensors still align." As the two women walked to Arizona's office to collect her things, Callie continued to share her findings.
XXXX
By the time Arizona found everything Callie needed and gathered her own work, they were just in time to meet the delivery driver at the door of Fresh START. Once they were in the lab and started eating, Arizona suggested, "I feel like what you are asking for is too broad." Callie furrowed her brow and asked, "You don't think I can do it?" Arizona shook her head and quickly assured, "No that's not what I'm saying at all. Think about it like this, when you decided to make the robotic leg prototype, you knew you were building it for me and had my exact measurements as a guide. Correct?" Callie nodded and Arizona continued, "If you weren't building it for me, what would you have done?" Callie thought for a moment then responded, "I would have found one of my patients who was willing to test it." Arizona nodded, "Exactly, because no one prosthesis will fit every amputee, but once you have the initial idea planned out, it can be duplicated for others. What makes it harder is, no woman's body reacts to pregnancy the same way. It's like I said earlier, it depends upon the person, what their beginning weight is, how much and how fast they gain, how they carry, how many babies they are carrying. You need to narrow it down to a single individual and start from there. Once you know what adjustments to make and when to make them, then it becomes something more universal and can be sized to fit others." Callie was starting to understand, she knew this and knew it would come to her, but right now her mind was all over the place. She nodded and replied, "So I need to find someone willing to test it for me." Arizona stared at her for a moment and Callie started shaking her head, "No Arizona." Though she built the prototype for Arizona, it was never her intention to ask her for anything related to the leg or other projects involving prosthetics.
Arizona huffed in frustration and instead of arguing, asked, "Why not?" Arizona could see the answer in Callie's eyes, she could see the memories and the fears, she could hear herself reminding her over and over that she was her wife, not her doctor. Reaching out, she took both of Callie's hands in hers and looked directly into those haunted eyes and said quietly, "I don't really remember crashing. I don't know if I was knocked out even. My first clear memory was looking at my leg, seeing my shattered bones and laughing." She noticed the confused look on Callie's face and explained, "I was in shock. But I remember saying to Jerry, the pilot, that I was married to an orthopedic surgeon and I was staring at my bones. I just kept asking myself over and over, what would Callie do? What if Callie were here?" She stopped talking for a minute to let Callie take that in. She continued, "But when we got home and you did all that you could do and made the only decision you could, I got angry. On the mountain, I was still thinking like a doctor, we all were, out of shock and for our own survival. After the amputation, I could only think and feel like a patient, a victim and struggled to discern my wife from my doctor. But I wouldn't let you be either." Callie cut in with, "You thought I cut off your leg Arizona, it's hard to reconcile that on top of everything else." Arizona nodded then replied, "My point is, my trauma, my anger…not just at you, but at the universe, kept me from allowing the one person in the world who was qualified to take care of me to just…do it, to do what you do best as both a wife and an orthopedic surgeon." Callie knew there was a point to this, but she was struggling to make the connection.
Arizona could see Callie wasn't understanding what she was trying to say, so she went on, "I'm not angry anymore, my trauma and PTSD are being managed. Yes, I am an amputee, but I'm thinking like a doctor again and there is only one person in the world who I believe in, who I trust enough to see me through this process and because I'm thinking like a doctor again, a fetal surgeon, you need my experience and expertise for research purposes. The fact that I am an amputee and you already have the prototype built to my specifications doesn't hurt. So, what I'm saying is, I know your fears that history will repeat itself are holding you back. So we don't go into this as patient and doctor, we go into it as partners in every sense of the word. When I get pregnant, I will allow you…no I expect you as my partner to worry about my pregnancy, to make sure I am comfortable, and to cater to my every whim." That got a chuckle from Callie and Arizona smirked and continued, "While we are at work, you can ask the technical questions and make the adjustments and I will provide feedback."
Callie thought about everything Arizona said. It never registered with her before what her wife must have felt or thought upon first seeing her injuries. Everything she said made sense, perfect sense. Her biggest fear was not that Arizona wouldn't want to participate but if something went wrong with the new prototype, she would blame herself, or worse, Arizona would blame her. Finally she said, "I guess I'm just concerned that if the leg fails or something goes wrong…" Arizona cut her off and answered, "If the leg fails at home, you are there with me. If the leg fails at work, I am surrounded by experts and you are right across the lot. But if it does happen Calliope, I know it's not your fault. I know it isn't and if we do it as a team, something is less likely to happen." Callie rubbed her hands down her face and asked, "You really want to do this?" Arizona looked up and affirmed, "I really want to do this. This is an opportunity neither of us can pass up and quite honestly, I'd be pissed if I had to be in a wheelchair for the majority of my pregnancy. Do you really want a nine month pregnant hormone casserole on wheels?" Callie cringed at just the thought of it then responded, "Nobody wants that!" She pulled their hands up between them and agreed, "Okay but we do it together." Arizona smiled brightly, threw her arms around Callie's neck and declared, "We do it together." Both women smiled at one another and sealed their agreement with a long sensual kiss.
Once they finished eating, Callie went to her lab table, grabbed her notes and returned saying, "Okay, so I am going to take all of this information into account, we will figure the average measurements and gains per trimester based on your current weight and I will start working on a new prototype." Arizona nodded and suggested, "Now that you have a plan, maybe you could include it in your presentation to let them know you are already working on upgrades. It could be another selling point." Callie sighed and asked, "Is this your way of telling me to finish my presentation first?" Arizona nodded and pouted, "I'm afraid so honey. That's just a few days away and you know you always want extra time to practice." Callie stomped her foot and responded, "Ugh, fine, but I can do that from home on the sofa while we are watching a movie." Arizona laughed, she knew damn well that laptop wouldn't even make it out of the bag, but she was tired and had a long day, so she agreed.
XXXX
True to the predictions of both women, neither laptop even made it out of the car and both women were asleep within minutes of starting the movie. Arizona awoke to a faint buzzing sound and realized the sun was shining brightly through the windows and tried to nudge Callie awake. The taller woman groaned and rolled over, tossing Arizona onto the floor with a loud thud. Hearing this, Callie shot straight up still half asleep and looked around the room. She had no idea what time it was but she wondered why Arizona didn't wake her up and make her go to bed with her. Rubbing her face, she called out, "Arizona?" The blonde giggled at the confusion on her girlfriend's face, sat up and laughed even harder when Callie grabbed her chest and gasped. Furrowing her brow, she asked, "What the hell are you doing on the floor?" Arizona scowled at her and answered, "I tried to wake you up and you turned over and pushed me off the couch." Callie rubbed her eyes and replied, "Oh, sorry. What time is it?" Arizona shrugged and answered, both of our phones are on the charger in the bedroom but I think the alarm is what woke me up." Callie nodded, helped Arizona off the floor, handed her the crutches and went to make the coffee. Noticing the clock on the microwave, she called out, "Oh crap, Arizona we have to hurry. We overslept by thirty minutes." She turned on the coffee pot and rushed into the bedroom where Arizona was already running the shower.
Callie pulled into her parking space with five minutes to spare and both women breathed a sigh of relief. Callie had a full schedule of appointments and surgeries for the day and Arizona had a number of conference calls and meetings as well as the last few interviews. They both filled these two days on purpose so they wouldn't have time to think about their daughter being away at camp. Giving each other a quick peck goodbye, they both walked into their respective buildings at exactly 9:00 am. Arizona went straight into the conference room where she knew Nicole would be waiting for her and sat down just in time for the phone to ring. Callie, on the other hand, went directly to Lorraine who was holding out her white coat, handed her a tablet and ordered, "Room 1, kid with a basketball injury possible tibia fracture." Callie smiled at her administrative assistant and entered the examination room. Both women continued to move from appointment to appointment throughout the morning.
Arizona finally made it to her office for the first time that day and just sat down at her desk when she heard Nicole frantically call out, "Robbins, get out here now?" Arizona was concerned by the tone of her partner's voice and ran to the lobby where her entire staff was standing in a circle in front of the television watching a building go up in flames. Looking at the concerned faces she asked, "What is it?" Nicole asked her, "What camp is your kid at?" Arizona scrunched up her face in concentration and said at the same time as the reporter on the television, "Camp Copneconic." She listened as the man went into detail about how the dining hall exploded and several campers and counselors were still unaccounted for. Arizona ran to her office, grabbed her pediatric medical bag and ran out the door missing the part where the reporter stated that at this time police are asking all parents to stay out of the area until the fire is contained.
Callie was in the middle of casting a little girl's arm when Maria burst into the room and demanded, "Dr. Torres, I need to see you right now." Callie walked out of the office and noticed her PA walked into the room she just vacated. While Maria drug her down the hallway, she asked, "What is it? What's happened?" Maria stopped in front of the television in the lobby and pointed at the screen. Callie looked up to see a large wooden building on fire and read the banner that ran along the bottom declaring there had been a gas explosion at Camp Copneconic and several campers and counselors were still unaccounted for. She watched a moment longer while paramedics pushed stretchers into the backs of their rigs. She turned to tell Maria to get her med kit when she saw the woman running toward her with two bags.
By the time they got to Callie's SUV, Arizona was already there and dialing Jordyn's number while Maria called Miguel. Callie threw all three bags in the back, made sure everyone was secure then tore out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell. Maria informed them, "Miguel and Marco are on their way." Arizona nodded and said softly, "Stevie and Jordyn too." The camp was an hour and a half further upstate. All three remained quiet and listened to the news reports while Arizona held both her phone and Callie's in her hand and Maria stared at hers willing it to ring. The closer they got to camp, the more disheartening the news became; the fire had spread to two cabins and the surrounding wooded area and there were several victims with multiple burns and injuries. Fortunately there were no fatalities at this time. With 45 minutes left to go, Callie saw flashing blue lights in her rearview mirror and let out a string of Spanish curse words. She stopped, rolled down her window and the policeman asked, "License and registration please." Callie took a deep breath and reached for her wallet when Arizona leaned in, held up her medical ID badge from Fresh Start and explained, "We are orthopedic and pediatric surgeons and our services are needed up at the camp that caught fire." The policeman looked at Arizona's badge, turned back to Callie and ordered, "Follow me." The man ran back to his car, turned on his sirens, pulled ahead of Callie and she quickly pulled out behind him. Callie shook her head and asked, "Why didn't I think of that?"
As Callie followed the police officer as closely and safely as she could, her phone started ringing with an unknown number. Arizona picked it up and a voice boomed through the car, "May I speak to Dr. Torres please, this is Alexander Winters from Brooklyn Bridge Park". Callie responded, "This is Dr. Torres and I have Dr. Arizona Robbins and Maria Santos with me as well." The man cleared his throat and explained, "I am sure by now you have heard the news of the fire." Callie responded, "We have and are on our way." Mr. Winters cleared his throat again and said, "Dr. Torres, we have been able to account for all campers and staff members with the exception of the six children and two counselors from your daughter's cabin. It says here Bella Santos is one of those children as well." Callie nearly blew up, "You just lost eight people? What do you mean you can't account for them? Is their cabin one that caught fire? Were they in the mess hall?" Mr. Winters responded, "No ma'am, their cabin is located in the back of the camp and wasn't touched by any of the damage. Upon asking other staff members, no one saw them at lunch." Callie looked up and saw they were only a few miles away and responded, "We will be there within the next 20 minutes." She then disconnected the call.
As Arizona stared out the window, she grabbed Callie's hand and asked, "Callie?" The brunette tightened her grip and responded, "Yeah?" Arizona turned to her with tears in her eyes and said, "I need to hear it now. I need you to say it now." Maria arched her brow in question and Callie took a deep breath and said with all the confidence she could muster, "They are going to be okay. They are smart and resourceful. They are hiding somewhere until they feel it is safe." All three women had tears in their eyes. The words did little to comfort them.
A/N: I am so happy you liked the last chapter. It was so fun to write. This one, well, we will see how you respond. I got this idea from one of the reviewers and there were a few of you who requested I shake things up a bit.