"What are you scared of?" The sensation of Arizona's breath on the back of her neck was somewhat calming.
"That I won't wake up." Callie's voice was small. "It's stupid."
"Hey." The blonde held on to her girlfriend as if in an attempt to stop her mind wondering. "It's not stupid. If this was one of your kids, what would you tell them?"
"That it's a trauma."
"Exactly. If you got hit by a car, you'd expect to have flashbacks. This is no different. It takes a long time to get over a trauma."
"It's been almost twenty years." Both women were whispering even though they were alone in the bedroom. Arizona didn't want to push Callie too far. She was just beginning to relax. "That's a really long time."
"Not long enough though." The surgeon softly kissed the tanned neck in front of her. "What did you feel, when you were ill that night?" She wasn't sure how the Latina would react to that question but she didn't stiffen. Callie was lying in her arms perfectly still. It was like any movement would cause her to fall from her safe place.
"My head... it hurt so much. It was like it was going to explode. I had such a high temperature but I just felt freezing. So cold. I fought off the paramedics even though I was unconscious because they took away my bed covers. I kept throwing up but I knew my stomach was fine. I..."
Arizona caressed her partner's arm in encouragement. "You...?"
"I felt like I was going to die." Callie took a deep breath as the load lifted. She knew what Arizona was doing.
"Do you feel anything like that now?"
"No. I know... like I said, it's stupid."
"Stop saying it's stupid. It's not. It's human. Why didn't you warn me about this honey?"
"I didn't want it to happen. I thought this year would be different if I just ignored it."
"Okay, well now I know for next year." The brunette couldn't help the small smile and chuckle. "What?" Arizona asked.
"It's still weird to think that you'll be here next year."
"I know. Do you think you can get to sleep now?"
"Yeah, I think..."
"Nothing bad is going to happen Calliope. You're gonna fall asleep, then I will and you'll wake up in a few hours and my arms will still be around you."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
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Arizona kept her promise and Callie did wake up with her girlfriend's arms around her. She felt guilty for keeping the surgeon up so late. She skilfully slipped out of her grasp without waking the blonde and went into the kitchen. Not too long after and Arizona woke up as well to the smell of breakfast cooking. She was glad today was her day off.
She stood at the doorway watching as her lover danced around the kitchen to the radio which was thoughtfully turned down low. It was mesmerising as Callie moved from whisking pancake batter to heating the oil to taking the bananas from the grill. The smell of cinnamon filled the blonde's nostrils.
"You gonna just perve on me or are you gonna poor us some coffee?" The brunette asked without turning around.
Arizona took two mugs out of the cupboard and filled them with the steaming beverage.
"How did you know I was there?" She waited for Callie to flip the pancake she was currently making before standing behind the curved figure, wrapping her arms around her.
"I could smell my shampoo." The Latina answered as she plated up their breakfast. "About last night,"
"Don't you dare apologise." Arizona warned as she took a seat at the breakfast bar.
"I wasn't going to. I was going to say thank you."
"Thank you?" The surgeon asked between mouthfuls of banana and syrup. "I wasn't just gonna sit back and let you tail spin Calliope."
"I know but you shouldn't have to deal with this train wreck."
"Hey, we've been through this. You're not a train wreck you're a..."
"Small car crash." Callie interrupted.
"Not even that. There's just a few dents in the body work. That's all."
"Gee thanks." The Latina leant over and kissed her partner in a way which said more than just good morning.
"What was that for?" Arizona was almost blushing.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
"And I didn't really say hello last night."
Soon both plates were empty and Callie stood to clear up but the blonde stopped her.
"Calliope?"
"Arizona?"
"You know how I met your parents?"
"Well you spoke to them over skype. I don't think that counts as meeting them."
"Oh well, my parents are coming to Seattle in ten days." Arizona spoke tentatively.
"For anything in particular?"
"It's my birthday the day after."
"What? Why didn't you tell me? I have no time to..." Callie was cut off by a pale hand over her mouth.
"No. I don't do birthdays. I don't want anything and if it was up to me I wouldn't bother with it. My parents always insist on visiting though and they want to drag me to dinner so I thought you could come." The blonde tried to smile sweetly and pop the dimples but she failed to hide her nervousness.
"Of course I'll come to dinner darling, if you want me to."
"Really?"
"Yeah, why don't you want to do anything?" Even now Callie was thinking up presents and plans.
"I just don't... please don't do anything." The Latina didn't respond. Instead she just stood up and started to clear away the breakfast things. "Calliope?"
"Fine, I won't make a fuss."
"Thank you."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X
Eleven days later and both women were again sat at the breakfast bar. Callie had done as she said and not made a big deal. Well, she had cooked the blonde breakfast but that was nothing new. Arizona had then opened her card and smiled at the simple understated message of love and birthday wishes. All in all it was going well. However she had not noticed when her girlfriend had slipped a gift wrapped box in her bag as she left. Callie thought that the surgeon might be more willing to accept the present if she didn't receive it during a highly pressurised dinner.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX
Later that day and Callie was sat at her desk in Adam's House. She had changed into the dress she had bought for tonight's dinner and was waiting for her girlfriend. Arizona was picking her up on the way to the restaurant where the brunette would be meeting her parents for the first time. The fact that she had not heard from Arizona all day was not helping the Latina's nerves.
She was broken out of her thoughts by the crash of her office door opening so forcefully that it hit the wall. If Callie hadn't seen the look on her lover's face, she would have just stared at her flawless body.
"What the hell is this?" Arizona put the offending box on the desk and rested her weight on her hands on it too. "Up here." She said when she realised that Callie was fixed on her chest.
"It looks like a birthday present from a loved one to me." The brunette was playing it cool, hoping that her partner would burn herself out and talk to her about it.
"I told you not to."
"Well if you don't like it..." Callie stood up and moved around to stand behind Arizona. "I still have the receipt. I'll just return it."
The blonde turned around. "No. It's not that. It's ridiculously perfect and sentimental and you actually made me cry a little..."
"So, what's the issue?"
"You said you wouldn't make a fuss."
"I slipped it in your bag without saying a word."
"I... I guess I'm just an ungrateful bitch then." Arizona tried to leave but Callie caught her and enveloped her with her arms, from behind, before she could even get close to door. The brunette's strength meant that she couldn't get out.
"No, Arizona you are from that darling." She waited for the woman in her arms to relax. "If I had given it to you a week ago, would I have got this reaction?"
"No but it would have been slightly random."
"You look beautiful by the way." She began kissing up Arizona's neck. "Even more so than usual."
"You aren't gonna let me go are you?" The surgeon couldn't help but smile. She should have known that Callie wouldn't just let this go. There had to be a reason to hate your own birthday. The Latina had never left her place in Arizona's head.
"Never." The blonde laughed. "Well maybe actually, I don't want to be late the first time I meet the Colonel."
"Sorry, I really do love the bracelet."
"Good." Arizona turned in her arms and rested her head on Callie's shoulder.
"I used to love my birthday when it was the four of us."
"You mean with Tim."
"Yeah, but you worked that out already right?" She pulled back to look into deep brown eyes.
"Maybe." The brunette had realised the connection but that wasn't important here.
"You need to get out of my head."
"You really want me to?"
"No." There was a long pause as Arizona settled herself back into Callie's embrace. "He used to bake me a cake. Every year it had more pink and rainbows and glitter on it. He found it funny because that's what everyone assumed I was into."
"What with you being so perky and cute you mean?"
"Yeah. He tried to be so macho and manly, you know? Be everything my Dad was. Tim was always gonna be in the army but his dirty little secret was that he loved to bake. I used to threaten to tell his friends in order to get him to clean my room." Both women laughed at the thought.
"So you blackmailed your little brother?"
"Basically yeah. Then he went off to train and then he was deployed. My birthday was never the same. He was always away. Then he never came home. I mean that hurts all the time but..."
"It's more obvious on days like today."
"Exactly." Callie could feel the tears run down from Arizona's face onto her chest.
"You don't have to accept the gift. I shouldn't have pushed things."
"Of course you should have." The blonde reached round for the box. "Wanna put it on me?" She asked as she removed the bracelet and studied it for the hundredth time that day. It was solid silver with a hinge on one side and a clasp on the opposite one. On the outside was the word LOVE and on the inside it read: it's Patient, Kind, Selfless, Beautiful, and Pure. It's YOU.
"You're sure?" Callie really didn't want to upset her girlfriend.
"Definitely." She grinned from ear to ear as the metal clicked into place around her wrist. "Thank you. I love you Calliope." The surgeon placed the gentlest of kisses on inviting lips.
"I love you too."
Before they left for dinner, Arizona excused herself to fix her makeup. The Latina used it as a chance to go ask Simon for a favour.
They then left hand in hand and made their way to the blonde's car. Dinner time.