Chapter 9
Determined to have it out with Arizona, Callie strode angrily towards the elevator. She let out a groan of frustration as her pager went off. Shit! it was Nancy, they were supposed to be meeting for an early dinner. Dammit. She'd have to talk to Arizona later. Maybe this was a good thing, it would give her time to calm down before she confronted Arizona. But the mere thought of Arizona meeting with Aria without telling her brought her anger to the surface again. You have some explaining to do Arizona she thought, before heading to the locker room.
"So I'm not having a sleepover?" Callie looked down at her daughter's inquisitive face. Pressing the doorbell for Meredith's house she smiled down at Sofia.
"No, you are just going to play with Zola for a few hours. I will collect you later and bring you home with me. Is that okay?" She asked
Sofia nodded and smiled back at Callie, happy at the prospect of spending more time with her best friend.
Whatever else they had screwed up Callie thought, this is the one thing they had gotten right. Both she and Arizona put Sofia first and had never let other issues or separation impact too much on their little girl. They had the co-parenting down to a fine art and the result was this beautiful, happy , secure child holding her hand.
Meredith opened the door with a welcome smile.
"Zola's in the TV room" she said as she stepped aside to let them enter.
Releasing her mother's hand, Sofia ran towards the TV room without a backward glance.
Callie snorted " Well she's not going to miss me"
"That's a good thing Callie, believe me. Would you rather her crying and clinging to you every time you needed to leave?" Meredith smirked.
"No of course not, a goodbye would be nice though" Callie followed Meredith into the kitchen where her friend offered her a glass of wine.
"A half a glass maybe, for courage" Callie accepted the glass.
"So you are going to break up with her?" Meredith took her own glass and sat at the kitchen table.
"Yeah, I think so " Callie ran her finger along the rim of her wine glass, thinking of the unsavoury task ahead of her.
At the uncertainty in her voice Meredith straightened, not liking this new development.
"Wait , you were adamant earlier about breaking up with Nancy, what's changed your mind?"
Dammit Meredith thought. Just this afternoon she'd had a visit from Vivian Emerson , looking for advice on how to get Callie and Arizona back together. Meredith had been surprised, convinced Vivian and Arizona were a thing. After reassuring Meredith that they were just friends, Vivian informed her that Arizona was still in love with Callie and she thought Callie was still into Arizona. Did Meredith think there was any hope for them reuniting?
Meredith couldn't speak for Arizona because the head of paediatrics was so private . But she knew Callie and had seen her dismiss relationships over trivial things, looking for "the one". They both knew Callie had already met ''the one''. But Callie never spoke about getting back with Arizona. Nevertheless Meredith agreed to help Vivian steer them back to each other. Now though, Callie seemed to be hesitating over Nancy, the woman she was currently dating.
The ringing of Callie's phone brought Meredith out of her reverie. Callie looked at her phone and her face darkened with a scowl. She pressed the 'ignore' button and tossed her phone back into her purse.
"Who was that?" Meredith asked.
"Arizona" Callie bit out.
"Why didn't you answer?" Meredith was taken aback by Callie's anger.
"I can't speak to her right now. If I do I know I'll say something I'll regret" Callie gulped down the rest of her wine and stood to leave.
"Why? What's happened?" Meredith asked following Callie to the front door.
"I swear Meredith, I thought we were doing good, that we were friends but she's so, she just uugghh" Callie clenched her hands in frustration
"Wow Callie, calm down, it can't be that bad.."
"No? how about her going behind my back meeting with my sister, the same sister who has ignored me for the past 5 years, never once returning my calls? Ignoring Sofia's existence? You know Sofia has one aunt, that's it, and that aunt has never wanted anything to do with her. And knowing that Arizona has been meeting her?" Callie's angry response faded to a despairing whisper.
She looked at Meredith, her brown eyes shining with unshed tears.
Meredith walked to Callie and hugged her.
"Oh Callie, you know Arizona. There has to be a reasonable explanation. Why would she hide this from you? And how do you know about this?"
Callie pulled back and wiped her eyes "I don't know Meredith. I saw Aria at the hospital. Her nurse gave Aria a card and said that Arizona said she should call her"
Meredith scoffed at Callie "She must be a patient right? Did she look pregnant?"
Callie shook her head " I don't know, I didn't notice. I think I was too in shock. But even still Meredith , if she's a patient of Arizona's why not give me a heads up? Do you have any idea how I would have felt if I had come face to face to with Aria? At least now I have a chance to prepare, If I get to see her that is."
"Callie, do I need to remind you of my history of meeting my sisters? " Meredith asked wryly,getting a chuckle from Callie.
"Okay, I have to go, get this over with. I'll be back for Sofia in a few hours" Callie gave a glance towards Meredith's TV room "Bye Sofia" she waited and receiving no response , shook her head wryly at Meredith. "Frozen?"
Meredith shrugged "Don't knock it, keeps them entertained and out of my hair. Good Luck Callie"
Hearing two little voices shouting 'Let it go' Callie laughed "Good luck to you Mer"
Arizona frowned as she listened to Callie's voice telling her to leave a message. Hitting the off button, she tossed her phone onto the coffee table with a huff. That was the third time this evening she'd tried to call her ex-wife without success. Where the hell was she? She frowned . Running her hands tiredly down her face, she decided to have a bath and try again later. She was exhausted from patients and surgeries and of course the whole mess with Aria. She would have to treat her as a regular patient no matter how Callie felt, and that was going to be hard for her to do. Now, as Callie proved unreachable, Arizona's tiredness gave way to frustration. She dreaded having to tell Callie and even toyed briefly with the idea of not mentioning it to her. That thought lasted a second. She knew she had to tell Callie . After making the preparations for her bath, she picked up her phone and hit redial.
Callie looked at Arizona's name flashing on her screen and made a sound between a growl and a scream. Until she realised maybe, just maybe ,Arizona was calling her to tell her something about Aria. Even still Callie wasn't ready to talk to her,to hear anything about her sister. That feeling of abandonment had settled over her since this afternoon. Anger at Arizona, anger at Aria. And anger at herself for caring. Pulling up in front of the restaurant, Callie handed her keys to the valet before straightening her shoulders. Another dreaded task ahead of her .
"Is it because of Arizona?" Nancy asked, reacting to Callie's words a lot better than Callie had expected.
"What? No, why would you ask that? Me and Arizona have been over a long time" Callie shook her head in confusion.
"Sure Jan" Nancy responded with a small smirk.
"You're crazy" Callie dismissed, gulping her wine.
"Look Callie, I like you, not just in a romantic way. You're funny and cute and yes, have lived up to my imagination in the making out department " Nancy laughed at Callie's blush and the way she looked around self consciously.
"Eh, Thank you?" Callie replied.
"But, I've seen you with Robbins, around the hospital, in our board meetings, and if I had a dime for every subtle look you have given her or she has given you, I'd be able to retire. You are still in love with her and she's in love with you. What I can't understand is why you two don't see that"
Callie looked across the table in disbelief.
"I don't know what you think you saw…" She stuttered and halted when Nancy held up her hand.
"If you don't believe me, ask your friends. I guarantee you they have seen the same."
Still seeing Callie's look of disbelief, Nancy decided to have a little fun.
"You know I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought about her"
"huh? " Callie responded, shaking her head, "who?"
"Robbins of course" Nancy had a far away dreamy look in her eyes. "She's gorgeous, and fun and confident". Switching her gaze to Callie, she ignored the murderous glint on those eyes staring back at her. " Now that we are no longer dating, do you think it would be weird if I asked.."
"don't, don't say it Nancy and yes it would be totally weird " Callie hissed.
Nancy laughed "I'm just kidding, kind of" she shrugged. " You might want to ask yourself why the idea of me pursuing Robbins pisses you off so much, and we both know it's not because of me"
Shaking her head in exasperation at the woman across from her, Callie replied " can we change the subject please? Believe me, Arizona is the last person I want to be talking about right now"
Looking at her watch, Callie frowned, wondering who was knocking on her door at this hour. Sofia had fallen asleep a while ago, worn out from her play date with Zola and Callie had just poured herself a glass of wine after finishing some household chores.
Opening the door , she was surprised to see Arizona standing there. An angry looking Arizona, her stormy blue eyes glancing at Callie as she brushed past her entering the house.
"Arizona! What the hell?"Callie regained her composure and shut the door, following Arizona into the living area. " Make yourself at home why don't you?" she offered sarcastically to the blonde's back.
She wasn't prepared for the fire in Arizona's eyes as she whipped around, hands on hips, facing Callie.
"Why are you ignoring me? Why the fuck aren't you answering your phone?" Arizona hissed, conscious that her daughter was probably sleeping .
" I'm not ignoring you. I was out for dinner with Nancy and it wasn't convenient for me to answer" Callie's own anger was beginning to surface.
"Oh Excuse me for being inconvenient. Did it occur to you that I might be calling you about our daughter?" Arizona threw back at Callie.
Callie frowned. Why would Arizona be calling about Sofia when Callie had her?
"What about Sofia?" Callie asked.
"Um, uh " Arizona stuttered, and stammered, realising her argument had faltered .
Callie raised an eyebrow "So it wasn't about Sofia ?"
Arizona suddenly deflated . All anger leaving her. Her shoulders slumped. The adrenaline she'd been carrying, the courage to tell Callie about Aria, left her. Now she looked across at Callie, looking perplexed , confused by Arizona's appearance and anger.
"I'm sorry" Arizona mumbled. She sat on the sofa, placing her elbows on her knees, holding her head in her hands. Shaking her head she finally looked at Callie, sadness and regret in her eyes.
Callie took a deep breath. Sitting beside the blonde , she placed her glass of wine on the coffee table and looked Arizona in the eye.
"What is it Arizona?" she asked softly. Her anger too had disappeared. Seeing the genuine upset in those familiar blue eyes. Eyes that subtly changed shade as Arizona's emotions deepened - whether with desire, love, humour, anger, fear, hurt, pain, shame. She realised she was probably the only person in the world who had seen all those emotions and it humbled her.
Her thoughts were interrupted as Arizona reached for her hand, placing palm against palm, softly entwined fingers and gently squeezing for comfort.
"I had a visitor today, a patient " Arizona began, her eyes full of sympathy.
"Aria" Callie cut in before Arizona could continue
Clearly taken aback Arizona frowned " yes, how did you know? "
"I saw her leaving the hospital. I saw your nurse give her your card ."
Arizona was shaking her head in confusion "Why didn't you call.. Wait, is that why you've been ignoring me? You're pissed at me for seeing Aria?"
Arizona's voice rose and she pulled her hand from Callie's, rising swiftly and walking away from her.
"Of course I was angry Arizona. She cut me out of her life. She thinks you're evil. She thinks OUR daughter's existence is a sin! And you're helping her? Without talking to me"
Callie's voice had risen during her tirade but had fallen to a broken whisper as her emotion got the better of her, tears streaming down her face.
Shaking her head dejectedly she slumped forward as her sobs grew in intensity.
"Oh Shit" Arizona thought . Crying Callie was one of her weaknesses. She was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Sitting beside her ex-wife, she hesitated for a second before placing a comforting arm around her shoulders and drawing her closer. Her other hand rested against Callie's face as she pressed her lips against Callie's temple, reminiscent of a scene long ago when Carlos Torres had disowned his daughter.
"Oh sweetheart, I'm sorry, please don't cry" she whispered.
Callie leaned in closer, appreciating the comfort offered as the abandonment by her family was relived. So many times she had thought "Fuck them, it's their loss" holding her head high, as each special occasion in her life, and her daughter's life, was ignored by the women in her family, the women she had grown up with, her mom and sister.
And on each occasion , the other woman in her family , her wife , held her tighter and told her how much she was loved and that she and Sofia would love her all the more to make up for "those idiots".
Minutes passed and Callie's tears dried as she was lulled into calmness by Arizona's soft touches and whispered endearments . Gradually Arizona realised the storm had passed and clearing her throat, she reached past Callie for some tissues, pressing them into Callie's hands .
She got up and passed Callie's wine glass to her as she went to the kitchen and got herself a glass. By the time she had poured herself some wine and returned to Callie, the tired brunette had recovered and was sipping from her own glass.
Sitting across from Callie, she relayed her meeting with Aria . Callie listened nonchalantly at first and then with a barely concealed smile at Arizona's failed attempt to hide her anger at Aria's behaviour.
"I swear Callie , her arrogance was so unbelievable. I have no idea how she can be related to you" Arizona shook her head , recalling Aria's belief Arizona would not tell Callie .
"So what's wrong with her? , how far along is she?" Callie finally asked .
"That I cannot tell you. Unfortunately she does have doctor/patient confidentiality for that information . But you know I typically operate when they at least 5 months gone" Arizona shrugged .
"Can you help her ? Is it serious"
"I'm going to try my best Calliope. Maybe you should talk to your dad tomorrow . Aria will probably keep your parents updated"
Callie nodded. She didn't want to ask . She knew her dad was caught in the middle and the family rift broke his heart .
"I can't believe she hates me so much"
"Callie she doesn't , she just-"
"Oh Please Arizona , I can see how easy it is to ignore me for the past 6 years, she's in Miami , I'm in Seattle. But now? She's in my hospital , literally in MY hospital , and she still won't see me?"
Arizona couldn't argue with that . She hated very few people in her life but Lucia and Aria were on that list. Seeing what they had done to Callie , so selfish and hurtful. And knowing that someday her daughter would know of that hurt , would know her grandmother and aunt thought her existence was wrong , Arizona shuddered at the pain this would cause Sofia.
"You know what ? I can't do it Callie. I can't treat her . I thought I could put my personal feelings aside but I don't think I can" Arizona blurted out .
Callie laughed "Arizona you are the most professional, ethical doctor I know"
"Callie , she wishes Sofia didn't exist. How can I ?"
"Because you are Doctor Arizona Robbins, you are better than them . Just treat her as you would a stranger" Callie suggested.
Nodding her thanks Arizona got to her feet " I'd better go" . She started towards the door .
"Arizona?"
"Hmm?" Arizona turned back and gasped as she was engulfed in a hug.
Callie felt Arizona tense before she relaxed into her embrace and put her arms around Callie's waist , returning the hug.
"Thank you for telling me and for ..you know"Callie drew back and absently tucked a lock of Arizona's hair behind her ear, as she often did in the past, her thumb grazing Arizona's cheek.
"You're welcome Callie" Arizona hid her shiver at Callie's touch.
Then the inevitable happened. Their eyes held for moments, gazes charged with an intensity both felt, neither could pull away . Before Arizona realised what was happening, her lips were pressed against Callie's , tentatively at first and then harder, mouths opening in a familiar dance.
Callie didn't breathe, her heart hammering in delight at the feeling of those lips, that mouth . Before she dared to breathe Arizona had pulled away, out of her arms, a look of shock on her flushed face.
"I'm sorry Callie , I don't know … I'm sorry , Uh , Goodnight" Arizona turned and practically ran out the door leaving a dazed Callie in her wake.
Callie finally gasped , arms still held out in an empty embrace, stunned, wondering what the hell has happened .