I don't own anything…all credit goes to ABC/Shondaland
Chapter Forty!
Arizona's POV
"How are you feeling?" My fiancée asks holding my hand while sitting on a stool right next to me on a patient table in a flimsy hospital gown. Calliope and I are waiting for Dr. Caplan to come in for our next round of artificial insemination. I'm nervous and anxious, plus this chilly doctor's office isn't helping. Callie has been giving me the fertility drugs everyday with a shot that makes me queasy for about five minutes. Besides that, everything was been solid for us. Like she said, Calliope has been coming home earlier every day and hasn't missed dinner with Sofia and I in weeks. It's nice to have our little family unit back in order, although it going to change a little with me going back to teaching in two weeks.
"I'm fine, Callie. You've asked me that five times today and it's only nine in the morning."
"I know, I just want to make sure you're doing fine." She says brushing my hair away on my forehead. "You're so strong, and I'm so happy that you're doing this for us." Callie says looking into my eyes.
"Thank you, Callie, but like you said I'm doing this for us. I'm happy to do it. I just hope it works. Baby fever has definitely taken over, and the hormones aren't helping." I say with a laugh. "I almost bought a onesie I saw the other day while out shopping. Just a few weeks ago we got Sof new clothes, and she's growing up so quick. She's going to be two before we know it, then five, and thirteen, soon she'll be going off to prom with some boy or girl who just wants to lose their virginity on prom night. I'll de damned if I let some emotional and hormonal teenager deflower our daughter!" I finish with a huff.
"I think we are getting a little ahead of ourselves, babe. Just calm down, you need to be relaxed for this procedure, okay?" She says lovingly. "If it makes you feel better, I promise to chaperone Sofia's prom."
"No, that won't help. Everyone knows the real fun happens after prom. Besides, I'm going to need your help at home with our other kids. I don't know how many we'll have or how old they will be, but I know that I probably won't be able to handle them by myself."
"Okay, okay…how about we just focus on getting you pregnant first right now." Callie says giving me a peck on the lips.
"You're right. Where is Dr. Caplan anyway with the male juices?" I say fidgeting with my gown.
"I'm sure he will be in soon, I think we are his second appointment. What time do you have to be at the school?"
"Ten-thirty. They are having some light refreshments starting at ten, but I don't think I'll make it for that." Today is orientation at the school. It's really for the new teachers to get introduced to everyone and learn about their new positions, but the other teachers are strongly urged to come. I'm excited because I finally get my own classroom and I have a homeroom, which means I'll have to come in to work earlier, but that's okay. I always liked homeroom in high school, my teacher came in with snacks sometimes and it was just a nice way to start to the day before jumping into classes. Teddy is going to be there today too, and it will be nice to see her.
"Ladies! Sorry for the hold up. How are we this morning?" Dr. Caplan asks walking into the room.
"We're good!" I say flashing my dimples.
"That's good to hear. So are we ready for round two?" He says pulling up a seat and sitting at the foot of the patient table. He snaps on some latex gloves and gives us each a warm smile.
"Yes, we are ready. I've been giving Arizona her fertility drugs every morning just like you said!" Callie states like a proud student.
"Very well, Dr. Torres. How are you feeling after the shot is administered, Arizona?"
"Slightly queasy, but it doesn't last long." I say honestly.
"That's normal. Now, I know you don't hear this often from a man, and Dr. Torres don't hurt me, but I need you to spread your legs for me Arizona." Dr. Caplan says jokingly. At first I was a little skeptical about having a male doctor, but Callie assured me he's the best and honestly if he can do his job it doesn't matter to me. Dr. Caplan has made me feel nothing but comfortable.
"No objection here! Do what you gotta do." Callie says amused. I position my legs for the doctor and turn my head to meet Callie's eyes. She gives me another quick chaste kiss and we hold our hands together. "I love you." She whispers.
"Love you more."
"Alright, you ready Arizona? The same as last time, it shouldn't take more then a minute or two. Tell me if you feel any pain or discomfort."
"Okay." I nod my head and close my eyes. Callie leans her forehead against mine and we sit in silence and let Dr. Caplan do his work. Soon I hear Dr. Caplan snapping off his gloves and standing up.
"Okay ladies, it's all done! I'm going to elevate your legs for a little bit and you should sit for about twenty minutes then you are welcomed to leave. If you have any questions you can call. Just like last time, wait at least two weeks before taking a pregnancy test. Positive or negative, call me okay?"
"Of course, thank you so much." Callie says standing up and shaking his hand.
"My pleasure, I hope it goes well for you two. Remember, limited strenuous activity and no sex until after you take a pregnancy test." He says giving me a pointed look.
"It's not easy saying no to Callie, but I'll try my best. Thank you once again."
"No problem. See you two later." He says before exiting the room. Callie sits back down and looks at me.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. No pain or anything. Now we just gotta let the little swimmers do their job." I say optimistically. We sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes in our own little worlds. "How would you feel if we had twins, Calliope?"
"What?" She says alerted.
"Twins, how would you feel if we had twins?" I ask again.
"Umm, I guess it would be a blessing to get two beautiful babies, but I'm not sure if I could handle it. We would have three kids under the age of three all at once. That's a lot."
"So you wouldn't be happy?" I say slightly disappointed.
"Oh no, no Arizona. I would be over the moon, babe." She says seeing my reaction. "It would just be a lot. We could do it together, but it would just be an adjustment. I think Sofia would be shocked," Callie says chuckling. "I told you I wanted all your kids, and I mean that. So we could have twins or triplets and I'd be thrilled. It would just be overwhelming at first."
"Okay."
"Okay? Why did you ask that, Arizona?"
"I was just thinking about it…it probably won't happen, but if it did I wanted to know what you would think." I say casually. "Twins would be cool, but a lot of work. I'd probably have my mom come and stay with us for a while. She would love that."
"The house would be crowded, but filled with love."
"Love and lots and lots of noise."
"Mhmm."
"Has it been twenty minutes yet?"
"Almost, babe. What do you want for dinner? Sof and I will stop at the store on the way home."
"Hmmm…what about lasagna? We haven't had that in a while, and the leftovers last for a couple of days."
"Sounds good. We should be leaving here around five or six."
"Callie, I can just pick her up from daycare after my thing at school. I should be done by three."
"No it's fine. I got her, plus take some time to yourself. Soon, you'll be back in the work grind, and maybe even pregnant and you'll be an emotional rollercoaster."
"Gee, thanks babe." I say sarcastically.
"You know what I meant, Arizona. All I'm saying is to take the rest of the afternoon to relax." Thirty minutes later I'm sitting in the auditorium at school. Callie and I parted ways at the hospital and the promise to see each other at home later. People are filing in the auditorium and there is a light chatter among all the teachers. Teddy is sitting next to me and we decided to take a seat in the back.
"How was the summer?" Teddy asks snacking on some fruit.
"Good…visited the parents, and visited some of Callie's family. Sofia is growing at rapid speed. The usual family stuff, what about you? Every time I texted you, you were in a new place."
"Just been traveling with Henry's team. I'm like a baseball wife. All the significant others of the team players host events and functions. It's a lot of work. That's why I'm happy to be back at school. It gives me some sensibility, plus it grounds me a little. On the road we are treated like trophy wives, most of the girls like it but I don't. I can't get used to it. I'll miss Henry of course when he's gone, but I like being back in Seattle."
"The life of a professional athlete's girlfriend. Getting showered with attention and pampered all the time. It must suck." I mock.
"Yeah yeah, make fun if you want."
"I'm kidding. I can only imagine what it's like. It looks glamorous from the outside, but I'm sure it's not easy. If Callie was gone for days at a time I don't know how I would handle it. It's crazy how much I miss her when she's not around. She and Sofia consume my thoughts all the time. I can barely sleep when she's not next to me."
"Damn, you got it bad Robbins."
"I know I do, and I wouldn't change a thing." The lights flash to let everyone know to find a seat and the principal of the school comes on stage and begins her speech. After about forty minutes I get a little restless listening to the different people coming on stage to talk, so I whip out my phone and start playing some game to distract me. Teddy laughs at me, but I just brush it off. Within ten minutes my phone begins to vibrate and I have an incoming call from Mark. That's a little odd because he hardly calls me, he used to when he lived in Seattle and we would arrange pick up sometime with Sofia, but since then he doesn't call me. Maybe a text, but rarely a call. I decide to ignore it, if it's important he would leave a voicemail.
Twenty seconds later I get a voicemail notification. Okay, a little strange, but I'll listen to it later. Two minutes later he calls again and now I'm questioning leaving the room to answer the call.
"Hey are you okay?" Teddy asks whispering in my ear.
"Um yeah, I think so. Mark just called me and left a voicemail. Then he called again."
"Mark? That's Sof's dad, right?"
"Yeah."
"Why would he be calling you? Isn't he in L.A?"
"Exactly my thoughts…I'll call him back later."
Mark Sloan – iMessage
I swipe to look at the message.
Arizona. Call me back ASAP. Please.
It's safe to say I'm a little freaked now. I pick up my bag and let Teddy know I'll be right back and quietly sneak out the room. Without even listening to his voicemail I call him back and he picks up after one ring.
"Arizona! I've been trying to reach you." He says out of breath.
"Sorry Mark I was busy, what's up?"
"Tell me you're with Callie and Sof."
"What?"
"Where are Callie and Sofia?"
"At the hospital…I saw them almost two hours ago. Sof is at daycare and Callie is working. What's going on you're freaking me out?"
"Where are you?"
"At school…Mark, what is going on?" I ask concerned.
"I'm assuming you haven't seen the news, but there was a shooting at Seattle Grace. It's breaking news on almost all the news channels."
"A shooting? What the hell are you talking about?!" I ask pacing the hallway.
"Some lunatic walked into the hospital and shot some people! I'm getting a plane ticket now and I should hopefully be there by this evening. You need to get to the hospital! Like five minutes ago!"
"Okay! I'm going now. Wait, why are you coming?" I ask making my way out the school and into my car.
"Because my kid is probably traumatized and I can't reach Callie!"
"Oh God, Mark you don't think…"
"I don't know! I'm freaking out too! Cal knows how to protect herself, but when you have crazy people with guns you never know. If one hair on Sof's head is out of place I swear I'll hurt someone." Mark says angrily. I can't even begin to think about what he just told me. This can't be true. I just saw her! I kissed both my girls bye before I left the hospital. "Just get to the hospital and call me. If I don't answer send me a text, I'll probably be on a plane."
"Okay…I got to go." I quickly hang up. I hook my phone up to the Bluetooth in the car and begin driving to the hospital. I dial Callie's number, and the rings fill the car.
"Come on, come on, come on, Callie pick up." I whisper to myself. All I get is her voicemail.
"Hey, you've reached Callie Torres. Sorry I missed your call, leave a message and I'll call you back when I can!"
"Callie, baby please call me back. I need to make sure you're okay. Love you."
This isn't happening. Calliope and Sofia are fine. They have to be fine. They are my entire world. Why would someone walk into a hospital with a gun? Why would they use that gun on innocent people? It's a hospital, people there trying to get better! I can't lose Callie because I won't survive. Sofia. Who would hurt innocent children? I just fed Sof breakfast this morning, and she was talking and babbling the whole time this morning on the way to the hospital. Sofia can't lose Callie. She's not even two. She can't lose her mother! This world is so crazy, one minute everything in perfect and the next you're world can turn upside down. You never think it's going to happen to you, but then it does and now I have to deal with it. I pull up to the hospital and try to find a parking spot. There are ambulances; police cars, policemen and women, and I even see a SWAT team truck. This cannot be good. Yellow police tape is everywhere and people are running out of the hospital crying. I don't even know where to look and I can't even get close to the scene.
I see a policeman talking on his walkey talkey and I approach him.
"Excuse me, what is going on?"
"Ma'am please stand back." He says ushering me away.
"My-my fiancée and daughter are in that hospital! Please tell me what's going on!" I yell. I can't hold back my emotions any longer.
"You said your daughter was in the hospital?"
"Yes, yes! She's one and a half. Her name is Sofia Torres. She is wearing…ummm…crap what was she wearing this morning?"
"Ma'am all the kids in the daycare were evacuated. If she was in daycare she is okay, all those kids were accounted for."
"Oh thank god." I say releasing a breath. "Where are they?" He points to a tent set up in the parking lot surrounded by police and I see little children sitting on the ground. I thank the police and jog over to the tent. I see Angela, a daycare employee, visibly shaking and trying to keep the children calm.
"Angela! Where is Sofia?"
"Oh Ms. Robbins! It's so good to see you. I haven't seen Dr. Torres. Sofia is right here." She says turning around. I feel tears roll down my cheeks as I see Sofia sitting quietly with her legs crossed and her head down. I see the little yellow ribbon I put in her hair and I start to break down even more. The ribbon. How could I forget the ribbon? It's always a conversation every morning on what color she wants to wear. "You can take her with you, just sign right here." Angela says putting a chart in front of me. I quickly scribble name and give her a smile and hug. I try to wipe my tears away so I don't startle her.
"Hey my little princess. How are you?" I ask leaning over to pick up Sofia.
"Mommy!" She says looking up and swinging her arms around my neck. I hold her close and rub her back up and down trying to calm her down, but really it's more for my comfort. I need to feel her. I need to make sure she's okay.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" I ask her. She leans back to look at me and shakes her head no. Sofia wipes away a tear on my cheek and gives me a quizzical look.
"Mommy cry?" I just laugh at her innocence. Her little face just warms my heart.
"Mommy is just to happy to see you!"
"Oh. I love you, mommy." Say says wrapping her arms around my neck again.
"I love you too, baby girl! So, so much! I'm glad you're okay." I walk over to Angela who is still keeping watch on the other kids. "What happened, Angela?" I ask.
"I don't even know. We got a code black page and went on lockdown. An hour later we were escorted out by SWAT team members." She leans over to whisper in my ear so Sofia can't hear, "A guy opened fire in the hospital."
"And you said you haven't seen Dr. Torres?" My voice begins to shake thinking about all the possibilities.
"No, I haven't. I'm sorry."
"Okay, thank you. Take care."
"Ice-cream, pwease." Sofia says. It seems this whole situation is lost on her, and I'm thankful for that. I don't want her to know what is going on.
"Maybe later, okay? Gotta find mama."
"Mama?"
"Yeah, let's go see if we can find her!"
"Kay." Sofia says and leans her head down on my shoulder and I start looking around for a glimpse of my fiancée.
"Arizona!" I hear my named shouted. I turn to the voice and see Bailey walking over to me with her son in her arms.
"Bailey! What's going on? What happened? Have you seen Callie?"
"Yeah, she's—"
"Oh thank god, where is she?!"
"No, Arizona listen." She says sternly. Her eyes soften and I can tell it's not good news.
"Bailey, no. No, no, no."
"I saw Callie, but she's on her way to Mercy West Hospital."
"What!? Why?" Bailey looks at me and then to Sofia in my arms.
"Four people got shot. Callie, she got shot Arizona. I'm so sorry. I saw them taking her away on a gurney. All people hurt are being transferred to Mercy West."
"She got—" I can't even say the word. I start crying all over again, but I try to contain myself for Sofia's sake.
"She was alert when I saw them loading her up in the ambulance. I'm heading over now to Mercy West. You can follow me in my car." I nod my head and Bailey and I walk to our cars in silence. I buckle Sofia in and close her door.
"Bailey, why? Why Callie?"
"I don't know…she'll be okay though. I know it. She's strong."
"But she got—"
"Yeah…she did." Bailey says solemnly before walking away. I get in my car and look back at Sofia in her car seat.
"Home?" She asks.
"Not yet, baby girl. Mama first." I turn back around and start the car, making my way to Mercy West and Calliope.
AN: Thanks for reading! Happy weekend!