Little Moments: Season 9
Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy, or its characters and storylines. Those all belong to Shonda Rhimes and ABC.
Right Here Waiting (Episode 10):
The car ride home from Bailey's wedding was almost silent, with the exception of the radio and the contented sighs breathed into the air. Callie had to try quite hard to keep her hands on the wheel and her eyes on the road. This day had turned out much better than expected, both for her dear friend, Miranda, and for herself and Arizona.
Earlier that morning, the brunette's heart had been filled with the same quiet angst that had been burdening it for months. Guilt…anger…resentment…loneliness- these were the things that life seemed to offer in abundance these days. Not the love, and joy, and happiness it had teased her and her wife with for all but one year between the car accident and the plane crash.
But suddenly- today, things were different. There was hope. And understanding. Callie blinked, then glanced over at the beautiful blonde beside her. How could Arizona ever really think she would run? Yes- they had surely had their ups and downs since the amputation, but it was all just a part of their life…together. The brunette had meant every word she said that afternoon. There was no way she was leaving her wife's side.
Another nervous breath was released into the space beside her, and Callie finally gained the courage to look into Arizona's eyes again. "You okay?" she inquired, offering the blonde a smile before turning her attention back to the road.
"Yeah. I'm good. Great, actually," Arizona replied, smiling back at Callie as she reached a hand out to tuck a strand of hair behind the brunette's ear. "Today was…just, j-just amazing."
"Yes. It certainly was," Callie agreed as she pulled into their parking garage. Now that she no longer had to be responsible for their lives, she could really give Arizona her full attention. "I can't remember the last time we spent a whole day away from the hospital- just the two of us. Don't get me wrong, I love our days off with Sofia, but…"
"No…I get it," Arizona interjected as she removed her seatbelt and shifted to face her wife completely. "Believe me, I love our baby girl too…but it's nice to have some grown up time every once in a while."
"Yeah, guess we haven't had much of that lately," Callie said. "And now that Mark;s gone…"
Callie stopped there, not wanting anything to ruin their perfectly nice day. "Let's not think about that, okay?" she whispered. "I'm sorry."
Arizona squeezed her wife's hand, their eyes locked.
"It's only eight o'clock," Callie continued. "We still have a few hours of grown up time left. Or…or maybe some more junior high time? If..I-if you're up to it."
Arizona loved the blush that took over her wife's beautiful, caramel skin. Dimples peeked out from behind the blonde's wide grin as she nodded slowly. "I would love to revisit junior high again," she whispered as she leaned in for a kiss.
Electricity filled the car, and before either of them realized it, the women were making out in the front seat. It was only when one of their neighbors passed by the car and stared disapprovingly, that they decided it was time to head in.
"Did you see Mrs. O'Reilly's face?" Arizona said with a chuckle.
"Kinda hard to miss," Callie replied as she took her wife's hand and lead her to the elevator. "Bet her husband would have enjoyed it though."
The two lovers were still laughing when they entered the apartment, the melodious sound loud enough to wake the babysitter.
"Oh, sorry," Claudia said as she sat up on the couch. "I was reading and I must have dozed off. Sofia's been asleep for about an hour now."
"Don't worry about it," Arizona said, patting the young woman on the back. "Thanks again. Hope she was good."
"As always," Claudia replied, gathering her things. "See you guys soon."
"We'll be in touch," Callie said with a smile as she handed Claudia a check. "Thanks for taking such good care of our girl."
"My pleasure," Claudia said as she left the apartment, closing the door behind her.
After checking on the beautiful, little angel asleep in her crib, Callie and Arizona filled a couple of wine glasses and sat down on the couch.
"Bailey really did look beautiful today, didn't she?" Arizona asked as she sipped her white wine.
"Yes…gorgeous," Callie said, once again staring into the endless ocean of blue before her. "Not nearly as beautiful as you though…"
Now it was the blonde's turn to blush, her porcelain cheeks filled with sudden warmth.
"I love you, Calliope," Arizona whispered after a moment of blissful silence. "Thank you for…"
"Shh," the brunette instructed, placing a finger upon the soft, pink lips she adored. Brown eyes continued to gaze into baby blues as Callie inched her way closer to her wife.
"I love you too, Arizona," she said, her eyes welling with emotion. "And I'm right here, baby- whenever you need me…or want me."
"I always need you," the blonde sighed, fighting back her own tears. "And even though I'm not ready to do it all just yet- believe me, I want you. I just hope junior high Arizona is enough for you."
Arizona looked down at the floor, embarrassed once again at her inability to be completely intimate with her wife. She wanted so badly to give all of herself to the woman she loved, but it just wasn't that simple.
"Did you hear me?" Callie asked, raising her voice as she lifted Arizona's chin to meet her loving eyes again. "I love you. I'll take whatever part of you that you can give. And I'll still be here- waiting- whenever you are ready to let me love you all the way again. Okay?"
"Okay," Arizona replied, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I'm just gonna shut up and kiss you now…"
Callie smiled that breathtaking smile and pulled her wife in close. Both her lips and her soul were ready for that kiss, and she poured every ounce of love she had into Arizona's beautiful mouth.
The brunette no longer cared about having sex, or how long it would take to get there again. Just like a teenage girl, she just wanted to love and be loved in return. And while Arizona could not freely give Callie her body, she had given her her heart. Just as she had done the first time she whispered I love you…and agreed to have babies…and spoke the promise of forever on their wedding day.
Fingers and tongues continued to make that promise, over and over again, until well after the stroke of midnight. Both ladies looked up at the clock then, realizing they should probably get to bed.
"Meet me in the locker room after gym tomorrow?" Arizona teased as she led Callie into their bedroom.
"I'll be waiting for you," the brunette replied as she climbed into bed beside her wife, loving arms reaching out to hold her.
A/N: The little GA hiatus has proved at least somewhat effective, in that I've spent that time writing. Yay, missed doing these little moments more than I realized. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, looking forward to writing more when I can. And definitely looking forward to seeing our girls rekindle their romance in the upcoming weeks! Hope Shonda doesn't let us down…