A/N: I know, I know. It's been so long. And I'm not going to waste your time with excuses, but I do want you to know before you read this chapter that a lot of thought went into what happens, and what is going to happen. I mean, for weeks, I was so stuck trying to write this. And then a certain friend gave me her insight, and it totally opened new doors for where this story could go.
I actually like this chapter, so enjoy. And please review, as always. It truly does mean a lot to me.
-K.
P.S. I know that technically, it's "Addie" and not "Addy" but I've always hated the 'ie' spelling of that nickname. So just go with it.
P.P.S. Please don't kill me. You'll know what I'm talking about once you get to that part. I promise you that I know what I'm doing.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Are you?
"Yes! Stop asking, Addy!"
"I'm just looking out for you, Callie," Addison responded with a huff, continuing to focus on the road in front of her. They were on their way back to the redhead's house after spending the day at the practice, which Callie had loved, but if she was being honest, she definitely missed the hustle and bustle of a large city hospital. That alone had put the Latina on edge.
She still felt bad for snapping, however, and frowned. "I'm sorry, I know. I'm just..." she groaned. "I can't contact Arizona, because of course she had to switch from Verizon to AT&T last week, and I don't remember her new number or have my phone to get it from. And god forbid that woman checks her email more than twice a month." The brunette groaned. "So, yeah, I'm sure that I need to go back tomorrow. She's going to think something happened to me when I don't pick up after that voicemail from last night."
"If she was really that worried, she would call me," Addison muttered under her breath, before she saw Callie's face drop and realize what that had sounded like. "Shit, no. I didn't mean it like that, Cal. She just…she probably wants to give you space."
"After that drunken message I left her?" Callie looked at her best friend incredulously. The morning after "the incident" as they'd begun calling it, Callie hadn't remembered much, but- whether fortunately or unfortunately, depending on whom you asked- Addison had remembered enough.
"It wasn't that bad..." Addison blew off Callie's worry. "Seriously, I don't understand you. You basically told her that you were done. But now you… want to go back?" She tilted her head.
Callie pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's not… I don't know. It's not that simple, I guess."
Addison breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Callie had yet to make any concrete decisions. But Callie saw the reaction, as hidden as it was meant to be, and chose not to keep her friend in the dark.
"But… I'm still going to leave her. I just have to do it in person, you know?" Her heart tugged in her chest just thinking of it, but she refused to let any more tears fall; she'd done enough damage to herself, and Arizona had, too. As much as it was going to hurt, she felt almost at peace with what she was going to do. So instead of letting Addison worry any more, she quickly changed the subject to a lighter tone. "I also need my phone to be fixed; I normally can't live without the damn thing and of course the Apple store here doesn't have any available appointments for weeks! How do you manage to live this way?"
Callie's attempt to steer away from talking about Arizona didn't go unnoticed, but Addison chose to let it go; she knew if Callie wanted to talk about it, she would. So instead, she played along for the time being, licking her lips dramatically and responding, "Well… L.A. has its perks. Like, the hot men."
Her joke caused Callie to grimace. "Stopppp."
"Hey, aren't you supposed to be bisexual? Stop acting like a lesbian. You promised we'd still get to talk about guys when you first started dating Erica," Addison whined, causing Callie to let out a laugh. "And anyway, just because you were unwilling to get it on with that girl at the bar doesn't mean that we're all celibate around here," Addison joked, knowing that Callie was in a good enough mood to not take that statement too personally.
Callie just grinned. "She would have realized soon enough that I'm damaged goods anyways."
Despite the attempted lightness of the moment, Addison couldn't help but let out a sigh. "No, Cal… You're not damaged goods, okay?" Callie just rolled her eyes, uncomfortable with the backtrack in conversation, which made the redhead glare at her. "Seriously. I had hoped you and Arizona could fix what you had, because it really was beautiful, but even if you can't, or won't... You're a catch. If anything, you've been aging backwards; I mean, look at us, I'm all wrinkly and old and you're, well… not wrinkly, and only a little bit old." Addison laughed at herself. "One day, we're gonna old and senile and in a nursing home, and you'll still be getting all the bitches while I look on from my wheelchair with drool coming from my mouth… You don't need anybody, because no one is good enough for you," she added quietly.
"Addy…"
"No, listen." Addison was suddenly frustrated. She had just pulled into the driveway, so she took the opportunity to put the car in park and then lock the doors before Callie could get out, who shot her a look as if asking if she was crazy. "Stop…just…stop doing what you're doing. I've watched you repeatedly beat yourself down for what's not your fault. And not only that, but you refuse to take compliments, and you try to act like you're not the strongest person I've met in my decades of life. But you are. And you know it. So, stop being shitty towards yourself, Callie, because that's your problem. No one's going to take you seriously, if you keep getting down on yourself. They're going to take advantage of you. Look at George, and Erica, and Arizona, and even Mark, as much as I hate to say it. At some point, they've all taken advantage of the love you give. Maybe not on purpose, for some of them, but god damn, Callie, do you know how much it sucks to watch you put yourself down? So don't 'Addy' me next time I'm trying to be a good friend." Addison sucked in a deep breath, watching Callie's unreadable face. She hadn't meant to rant, but once she was finished, she was glad she had. It was something that Callie needed to hear.
"…I was just going to say that I'd be glad to live in the same nursing home as you, but only if it's in Seattle, because it gets too hot down here," Callie awkwardly stated, not sure of what to do about Addison's sudden outburst. Luckily, the other woman didn't seem to be angry, and instead just turned a dark shade of red, mumbling something before getting out of the car.
Callie followed suit. "What did you say?" she yelled up the driveway.
Addison had already unlocked the door and was halfway through the entryway. "I said, 'No fuckin way.' Old ladies and rainy, slippery cities don't mix well. You should know this, 'Orthopedic Surgeon'," Addison mocked.
"Hey, I won't be just any old lady! I'm badass Callie Torres!" Callie defended with a smile on her face. Still, as she followed her friend inside the house, she began to think about what Addison had said to her. She had never been more grateful for having a friend like her.
Xx
"I'm gonna miss you, Cal," Addison admitted as she embraced her closest friend. "Are you sure you want to take a taxi? Those guys are kinda sketchy sometimes," she whispered, glancing towards her Bentley that sat idly in her driveway and then shifting her gaze to the peeling paint of the yellow taxi that had just pulled up.
"It's fine, Addy," Callie replied exhaustedly, but with a slight smile on her face. "I don't want you to have to go out of your way just to take me to the airport. The drive back would be a mess."
Addison gave in. "Okay, if you say so." The pair stood in silence for a few moments, until Addison began fidgeting. "Hey… I love you, Callie. And watching you get hurt is…" she cleared her throat. "Just, take care of yourself." They hadn't talked any more about Callie's plan, but they were both aware that things were going to be different soon.
Callie teared up at Addison's words, and squeezed the lighter skinned hand tightly. "I'm trying," she spoke softly. "Thank you for caring about me," she added, as if it were a big deal.
And Addison guessed that, while it wasn't for some people, it was for Callie, who had been through some unimaginable things with no one by her side. "You don't need to thank me for that. You're worth caring about." Addison stepped in for another embrace and kissed Callie on the cheek. "Now go! You never know how bad security's gonna be," she laughed, which seemed to get the Latina moving.
Once Callie had gotten into the taxi with her one bag and carryon, she rolled down the window before pulling out of the driveway. "I'll see you soon, Addison!" she waved as the car slowly began its trip down the street. Callie tried to pretend like she knew what she was doing, but when Addison's house finally disappeared behind her, she sunk down in her seat with a sigh. As much as she'd like to forget reality, she knew she had to go back, and now was as good a time as ever. She just hoped that she'd figure out something to say to her wife to get her to understand her choice, by the time the plane hit the dampened ground of Seattle that evening.
Xx
Addison had been lying on the couch since Callie had left, just thinking about Arizona and Callie, and wondering where they'd gone wrong. She'd looked up to them more and more every day; every man she ever met, she hoped would be "the Arizona to her Callie." And now… if their relationship couldn't survive, then definitely had no hope. Callie had refused to speak any more about it, and it worried Addison that she hadn't thought it through as much as she thought she did. She understood why Callie had made the decision, and if she were 100% biased towards her friend, she would agree. But Addison had the feeling that there was something about Arizona that no one understood. She just didn't know how to get it out of that stubborn woman, and it wasn't like she could warn her about the oncoming breakup to get the truth out of her, even if she actually had her phone number.
Addison was still trying to devise a plan when the doorbell rang. She groaned, not wanting to get up from the comfortable position, but did so anyways, only to find that no one was there. Instead, a package stood in place of a person. It was small, just a regular brown cardboard box, with no return address.
It looked like nothing exciting, and she couldn't remember having ordered anything off the internet recently- for the first time in a long time- so she almost threw the box on the table to open later. But curiosity got the best of her and she quickly made her way through the house to the kitchen to grab a knife. Once the packaging tape was cut off, Addison pulled out a little object wrapped haphazardly in tissue paper, as if the person who had packaged it was in a hurry. She gasped when she realized what it was: a state of the art pocket tape recorder. The only person she'd known to have something like that was one of the doctors she'd worked with from the hospital, and they'd been using it for a clinical trial. So she had no clue why anyone would want her to have one of them.
Addison made a decision without even really having to think, and pressed play. "You're on time," the voices began.
It took a few seconds, but she heard a female voice reply. It sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it. She almost shut off the recording, thinking that the package was a mistake, but something held her back from doing so. A moment later, a word stuck out. "Sofia."
Addison gasped when she realized what she was listening to. It was Callie's dad and Arizona. From the beginnings of the conversation, she assumed that the recording had been taken after Callie had left. Carlos's voice was hard, as if he was trying not to snap, which was the first hint. And Arizona sounded as if she had been trying not to cry.
As much as Addison despised the woman currently, she couldn't help but feel bad for her- Carlos was a scary man, at least on the few occasions she'd met him and from what Callie had told her.
Addison wanted to sit there and listen to the entire recording play out, but she knew Callie was about to get on a plane in LAX and never come back, and whoever had sent the tape recorder obviously knew that Callie had been staying with her, but didn't expect the former to leave town early. Even without hearing the conversation from beginning to end, she knew it was something that could potentially change Callie's decision. Which meant that it was her job to get to her best friend before her flight took off in less than an hour.
Addison picked up her phone, and dialed Callie's number, only to remember that her phone had never been replaced after the incident.
Shit, time for Plan B.
