I'm glad y'all enjoy the last one. It was surprisingly difficult to write; writer's block unfortunately got the better of me. I'm sorry for taking so long, between work and family things I haven't had the time or the energy to write. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon. Once again thanks for your support!
Excited
I can't help but pace back and forth the apartment as I wait for Arizona to finish getting ready. We had been dancing around this for weeks, debating on whether to do this or not. Before Sofia was born we had agreed we'd rather not know. But surprisingly enough this time around we couldn't agree for the life of us.
Arizona was iron-clad on her decision that she didn't want to know for weeks. But that was quickly changed once she realized that when we found ourselves a new home redecorating would probably be required for both Sofia and the baby's new rooms. Where Sofia was born so prematurely we hadn't gotten the chance to paint Sofia's room before she was born and strangely enough we had kept it the same color it had been when it was our bedroom; we had moved into Cristina's room soon after she had moved out in order for us to have an ensuite bathroom.
I surprisingly enough wanted to know as soon as possible. I wonder if it was the accident that made this time around different. But I'd never know, seeing I was unconscious for Sofia's birth and for the first couple days of her life I hadn't known she was alive, able to live outside the protection of my body. I remember hearing for the first time that I had a daughter. Arizona had taken hold of my hands, and placed a kiss on my forehead before looking me straight in the eye and telling me. I can still remember the look in her eyes, the love was pouring out as she described our daughter.
The possibility of knowing now was too enticing to wait another three months when we could be certain right now. Knowing that I could know whether I was going to have a boy with a mop of golden hair running around the back yard following Sofia all the while making airplane or dirt bike noises or a little girl who Sofia would likely treat like her own personal doll.
My thoughts are pleasantly interrupted by the sound of Arizona's foot falls coming down the apartment's short hallway. "Calliope?" She calls out, her voice showing her obvious annoyance with something or another.
"Yes dear?" I reply, turning on my heels as I stop pacing. Now face to face with my wife, I honestly can't help but laugh. Arizona is standing there, shoes untied and seeming much bigger than she was last night when I went to work. She had surprisingly popped in the matter of less than twelve hours.
I had went to work to do an overtime six hour shift at nine and didn't arrive home until around quarter after four this morning because I had been pulled into surgery. I crawled into bed as soon as I had arrived home, Arizona was sound to the world in our bed when I went to sleep and I didn't see her again until now. She had been in the shower once I had woken up so I visited Mark across the hall to use his in order for us to be on time for our appointment. I had taken Sofia with me to visit Mark, fully well knowing that Arizona had arranged for him to babysit during our appointment.
I have been pacing back and forth ever since; I had gotten ready after my shower at Mark's while leaving Sofia with him.
"Please?" Is all she says, giving me a small puppy pout, obviously too embarrassed to ask what she needed.
"Of course, babe." I say with a sympathetic smile, I knew how much the fact that she couldn't do certain things by herself and that her OR hours being slowly cut back due to the pregnancy were really affecting her. She tried to hide it most of the time, but it was times like these when she took off the cheery mask everyone else saw I could see tell how much it got to her.
I walk over to her and kneel in front of her. After tying her shoelaces I couldn't help but pause for a moment, placing my hands on her belly. "Are you excited?" She asks; her tone audibly more calm and cheerful.
"Of course, aren't you?" I reply, looking up at her with a smile.
"I am, but that doesn't mean I'm not nervous." Arizona says, biting her lip like a nervous five year old.
I place a kiss on her belly before standing up, I then put my hands on her hips bring us close together as I possibly can before giving her a kiss on the forehead as well. "I know, honey, but you can't let the nerves be greater than the excitement. Everything is going to be okay, and even if it's not then we're going to deal with it together. Okay?"
She looks up at me through her lashes; I can see waves stirring in her ocean blue eyes. "Come on, where's that super magic smile I love, huh?" I ask, brushing her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear; hoping it'll at least give me a hint of that smile.
As I had hoped, her cheeks begin to blush and a large dimpled smile begins to cross her face. "There's my girl." I place yet another kiss on her forehead. "You ready to go now?"
"I think so." She gives me a quick kiss on the lips before, surprisingly, beginning to lead me out the apartment door.
"Robbins-Torres?" An OB-GYN nurse calls out to us, letting us know that Addison was finally ready to see us. We had been sitting in the waiting room for close to an hour, Arizona leaning back against my shoulder while I rubbed her arm; she was currently experiencing unwavering heartburn and nausea, I could tell all she wanted right now was to be home in bed.
I raise my hand letting the nurse know we had heard her. I slowly unwrapped my arm from around my wife, getting up off of the bench myself before helping her onto her feet. "You excited now?" I ask, hoping that this time there'll be no worry or fear in her eyes, only love and excitement.
As I look at her I'm surprised to see a genuine heart-warming smile on her face. "Definitely." The pure joy she was feeling, despite her physical discomfort, was completely visible in her face.
"I'm so sorry this took so long!" Addison says as she ushers us into an exam room, shutting the door behind her.
"Relax, Addie." I say, helping Arizona sit up on the exam table. "Just as long as Peanut in there doesn't decide to shy away, then everything is fine." I chuckle, trying to keep Arizona as relaxed as she currently is.
"Seems like you've got a nickname for this one already, huh?" Addison asks Arizona with a warm smile, obviously trying to help me achieve my goal.
"Yeah, we do." She gives her a small slightly nervous smile. "Calliope came up with this one."
"Then likely it'll stick," Addison laughs as pulls up my wife's file on her iPad. "Okay, let's get down to business then."
Arizona nods like a child intently listen to their parents, causing me to chuckle a little. "We're sure about this right?" I ask her because I know how much she dislikes having to do things she doesn't really want to do.
"Not a doubt in my mind." She says, taking my hand in hers intertwining our fingers together as Addison prepares for the ultrasound. I feel a slight squeeze of Arizona's hand as Addison places the gel on her stomach and I can't help but gently squeeze back; it had become sort of a ritual of comfort between the two of us, if one of us did it then the other would do it back.
I can immediately feel tear prick in my eyes as one of my most favourite sounds in the world echoes through the room. I can feel Arizona's eyes on me before I see them; I turn my head to find her big clear blue eyes staring straight at me, tears forming in them to mirror my own.
"You two ready?" Addison asks before she's about to begin.
I don't look at her because Arizona's eyes are telling me what she wants but that she's slightly too embarrassed to ask. So I ask for her, "Uh, Addie can you just write it down and give it to me and we'll find out when were at home?"
"Not a problem." She says with yet another warm smile as she begins the ultrasound.
Within a few minutes Addison passes me a slip of paper and we're out the door. "You want me tell you?" I ask as we enter the empty elevator, Arizona swiftly presses the button for the ground floor as the door closes behind us.
"Yes, I do." Arizona gives me a wide grin; she clearly knows what she wants. "I thought we'd uphold the tradition you know?" She lets out a childlike laugh that immediately warms my heart.
"Well," I say, pulling the slip of paper out of my pants pocket and begin to open it.
"Don't!" Arizona quickly snatches the paper out of my hand before I get a chance to see or read anything on the paper. I can't help but stare at her in confusion; her face isn't contorted in anger but is flush in embarrassment. "Not here. I don't want to find out in an elevator again. Not that finding out that Sofia was bound to exist wasn't special because of course it was. It was one the happiest moments of my entire life even if I didn't show it then. I just don't want it to happen here, I don't want every special moment we have to happen in a hospital, you know?"
I continue to look at her and see nothing but innocence and love. I can understand exactly what she means as I scan back over important memories in or relationship; the first time I called her my girlfriend, our first Valentine's Day, our first Christmas, and the list could have gone on and on.
"Okay." I say, accenting the word with a kiss on her forehead before slowly taking the piece of paper gripped in her hands and placing it back in my pocket. "Then where would you like to go then?"
"How about now?" I ask hoping that she'd find this the perfect place.
"Here is perfect." Arizona takes my hand as she sits down on the bench next to me, leaning her head back against my shoulder.
"Good." I lean forward, slightly placing a kiss to her temple. I had taken her to the bench where we frequently ate our lunch together during the first year of our relationship. "So here we go."
I put my hand into my pants pocket and pull out the small slip of paper once again. I open the piece of paper and I can't help but grin from ear to ear.
"So what are we having, dear?" Arizona asks, without even seeing her face I can tell there is a smile spreading across it.
"Looks like there's going to be lots of hair braiding and pig tails in our future, love." I say, placing a kiss on her temple, still smiling.
"Really?" Arizona leans forward, turning her upper body so that we're face to face. A huge smile is spread across her face, dimples out in full force.
"Really."
I can't help but think of a little toddler looking just like Arizona did as a child running around chasing an older version of Sofia around the back yard, Sofia's hair in a French braid and our newest addition wearing braided pigtails in typical Arizona fashion.
"I'm excited." She whispers, a smile still on her lips.
"Me too, I'm excited to see Sofia teach her things that we will teach her. I'm excited to see her go to Sofia with things she's unable to come to us about because she knows that her sister will always be there for her. I'm excited to see them playing in the backyard, I'm excited for everything."
"We are going to have awesome kids, aren't we?" Arizona whispers, she is now only a breath's distance away.
I can't help but now capture her lips with my own; the temptation of the closeness between us has become unbearable. The taste of her strawberry vanilla lip gloss and something that is distinctly Arizona never fails to drive me crazy, sending shivers down my spine and electric shocks through by body.
As I force myself to pull away, I whisper my response against her lips. "The best."
"I love you, Calliope." Arizona places her hand on my cheek, brushing her thumb against my cheekbone.
"I love you too."