A/N: Have I mentioned how awesome you all are? Thank you for your lovely reviews. They keep me going. Everything is Shonda's, but I wouldn't mind if she shared.
Arizona groaned as she heard the insistent buzzing from her phone then quickly rolled over and turned off her alarm before it woke up her girlfriend. She had purposely set it a half hour before Callie's alarm so she could give her a proper send off before she went back to work. It amazed her how quickly she had gotten used to spending the entire day together and knew today would be rough on her, but at least she had her meeting with Nicole and a long to-do list to keep her busy. Rolling to her other side, her heart melted once again at the sight of that beautiful smile. She gently leaned over and placed a barely-there kiss across full red lips. Sitting up, she pulled back the covers, slid down on the bed, careful not to jostle Callie while she gently slid her soft cotton t-shirt up, revealing a taut tan abdomen and soft pert breasts. Placing one arm on either side of the Latina, Arizona carefully hovered over her, bent her head down and swiped her tongue across first one soft mocha areola then the other. Going back to the first, Arizona licked it again, this time blowing on it immediately afterward. She watched in awe as a little bud started to form in the center. Sticking out her tongue, she licked again, pursed her lips, blew on it again, and watched as the little nub continued to grow out of the center of the areola. Switching to the other side, Arizona repeated the process and moved back and forth until both glistening nipples were fully erect, turgid buds standing proudly in the center of the puckered areola. Noticing the deep even breathing of sleep had given way to the quick shallow breaths of arousal, Arizona looked up and gasped at the nearly black dilated pupils peeking at her through heavy-lidded eyes.
Callie felt the cool morning air wash over her skin and her eyelids snapped open at the first touch of a warm tongue on her sensitive breast. Fighting the urge to squirm, to grab the back of Arizona's head and hold her there, Callie remained completely still, not wanting to disturb her girlfriend's exploration, and watched through her lashes as Arizona tended to each breast. By the time the blonde lifted her head, happy with her little research experiment, Callie's entire body was buzzing, her core was soaked and she wanted nothing more than to reach inside her sleep shorts and relieve herself of the pressure that was building in her clit. Instead, she chose to wait and see what else Arizona might have in store for her. When those blue eyes finally looked up at her, she was taken aback by the intense desire she saw shining back at her. Arizona smiled and whispered, "Good morning love." Then she pushed herself up and leaned forward connecting their lips in a long languorous kiss. Callie hummed in delight and brought her hand up to tangle in short blonde curls.
Arizona lifted her head briefly to switch angles and adjust herself so all her weight rested on her right side. Leaning in to capture plump red lips once again, she slid her hand down Callie's abs which were rippling with need, slipped it into her boxers, lightly scratched at the short patch of hair just above her mound, and swiped two fingers through her slit gasping at the amount of moisture that had already accumulated there. Picking her head up slightly, she smiled as she asked, "Is this all for me Calliope?" Callie's eyes rolled to the back of her head as Arizona's fingers caressed her inner lips in a slow back and forth motion. Breathing heavily, she husked out, "Always for you." Knowing it would drive Callie out of her mind, Arizona bent down and traced her lips with her tongue at the same time she circled her clit with her thumb and the opening of her sex with two fingers. Callie moaned loudly and bucked her hips trying to chase Arizona's fingers, to force them inside of her. Arizona moved her lips to Callie's ear and whispered, "Shhhh, I'll give you what you want, but you have to be quiet." Callie nodded her head to show she understood. It wasn't often her girlfriend took charge like this, but when she did, it was hot as hell and very rewarding.
Without warning, Arizona slipped two fingers deep inside Callie's tight channel and connected their lips at the same time swallowing her cry of pleasure. Arizona deepened the kiss as she began moving her fingers in and out of Callie's slick tight channel. Lost in sensation, Callie lifted her free hand up and began rolling her own nipple between her thumb and forefinger moaning once again into Arizona's mouth. As the blonde increased the speed and force of her hand, Callie's hips bucked up to meet her thrust for thrust. Breaking the kiss, Arizona whispered, "You feel so good, you're so tight. Can you take more Calliope?" Callie nodded and gasped out, "Yes! More please." Arizona added a third finger on her next thrust and continued to circle the tight bundle of nerves with her thumb causing Callie to growl at the jolt of electricity that thrummed through her body. Her every nerve was on fire, her muscles started to tense, every inward movement of Arizona's fingers deep inside her brought her closer and closer to euphoria, rolling her head back and forth, Callie barely managed to whisper, "So close. Please…I need…" Feeling the velvety walls tighten around her fingers, Arizona demanded, "I want you to come for me Calliope, but I need you to look at me, I want to watch your beautiful face when I make you come. Can you do that for me?" Callie could only manage a curt nod as she did her best to keep her eyes open and on her girlfriend's face. Arizona thrust in three more times before she said, "Now baby, come for me now." She then pushed down hard on Callie's clit as she curled her fingers into her sweet spot and looked up to see Callie's beautiful face red with exertion, dotted with sweat, jaw dropped and mouth slightly open, nostrils flared, eyes rolling to the back of her head as her eyelids fluttered trying to remain open and losing the battle as she scrunched them closed when her entire body went rigid then started shaking uncontrollably as she let out a low animalistic growl. It was one of the most exquisite sights Arizona had ever seen and only intensified her own need.
Gasping for air, Callie slowly opened her eyes, still seeing flashes of light in front of her. Finally feeling the haze clear, she turned her head just in time to see Arizona sucking on the fingers that were just deep inside of her and nearly pounced on her as she connected their lips in a hard passionate kiss tasting herself on the smaller woman's lips and tongue. Feeling breathless again, Callie threw herself onto the bed and said, "Wow! Good morning indeed. How did I earn a wakeup call like that?" Arizona turned and rested her head on her elbow then brought her other hand up to wipe sweaty black curls off Callie's forehead and said, "You're going back to work today and I wanted to give you something to remember me by." Callie smirked and said, "Well technically, you are going back to work too so it's only fair that I return the favor." Arizona smiled; she couldn't really argue with that logic. Just as Callie rolled over and settled herself on top of Arizona, her own alarm went off provoking a snarl and groan from both of them as she rested her forehead on the blonde's shoulder. Nipping lightly, she lifted her head and asked hopefully, "Join me in the shower?" Arizona pouted and said, "I'd love to, but I've got to get little miss around and ready so she doesn't make you late for work." Callie rolled off of her and stretched across the bed to turn off her alarm as she whined, "No fair! I want to play too." Arizona giggled and swatted Callie on the ass then she turned to put on her prosthetic and said, "I know, but now you have something to look forward to when you get home this evening because I am expecting you to return the favor." As soon as Callie felt Arizona's hand connect with her ass, Callie felt another gush of moisture pool at her center. While it was starting to become a normal sensation, it made her curious, both about her response and Arizona's penchant for swatting her ass lately. Callie shook her head and got off the bed as she said, "I think you are enjoying smacking my ass a little too much lately." Arizona hadn't thought about it, but realized she was doing it a lot, so she turned and asked, "Does it bother you?" Callie stopped in the bathroom door and winked as she said, "If by bother you mean turn me on, then yeah." Arizona watched her sashay that fine ass into the bathroom and sat on the bed, one eyebrow raised in interest as she thought about the implications of her girlfriend's words.
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Arizona washed up in the hall bathroom knowing if she followed Callie into theirs, she would be coming out sexually sated and freshly showered but running very late. Fighting the urge to turn back toward their room, she went in the opposite direction and quietly entered her daughter's bedroom expecting to find her sound asleep. She was a tad surprised to see her little girl standing in front of the mirror wearing only a pair of jean shorts with two shirts in her hand muttering to herself. She watched as she held one up to her chest and turned her head to try to see it from the side, then held the other up and did the same. She bit back a laugh when Sofia huffed, tossed them on her bed and stomped toward her closet. She looked so much like Callie at that moment it was almost scary. Disappearing inside, she came out fully clothed with a smile on her face, apparently happy with her final decision. Noticing her mother for the first time, Sofia smiled even brighter and said, "Good morning mommy." Arizona smiled and said, "Good morning, I came to wake you, but I see you are getting too big for morning mommy snuggles." Just the thought of that made Arizona more than a little sad. Sofia threw her arms around Arizona's waist and squeezed tightly as she said, "Never too old for mommy snuggles." Arizona started to brush her fingers through the long brown hair and snorted when they got caught up in tangles. She asked, "How do you want your hair today?" Sofia looked up and put her finger on her chin, an action that reminded her of herself and smiled, her brown eyes twinkled with excitement as she asked, "Oooh can I have one long braid? The fishbone kind." Arizona nodded and walked to the door then said, "I'll meet you in the bathroom after you put all these clothes back in the closet. Not in the laundry basket." She smiled when she heard the groan coming from inside the room. She was very much both her mothers' daughter.
After braiding Sofia's hair and listening to her ramble on about how excited she was that Bella and Jessica would both be attending the same camp and how she hoped they got along because she didn't want to be in the middle, but not too well because she didn't want to be left out, Arizona sent her to her room to pack up what supplies she would need for the day, including fresh bandages just in case, and headed to the kitchen. She put on a pot of coffee, took down a mug for herself as well as a travel mug for Callie, popped a bagel in the toaster and started gathering Sofia's snacks and items for her lunch. As she opened the refrigerator to get Sofia's water bottle, she noticed the leftover grilled chicken and salad from yesterday's lunch and decided to pack her girlfriend a lunch as well. Though it wasn't something they did on a regular basis, primarily because of middle of the night emergencies, sometimes it was a nice break from the cafeteria food. After packing both lunches and cleaning up the kitchen, she spread a light layer of cream cheese on the bagel and set it on a napkin for Callie to take with her, prepared the two cups of coffee and finally sat at the center island to enjoy her morning caffeine boost and await her family so she could send them off and get ready for her own day of meetings and errands.
The blonde smiled and her eyes fluttered closed when she felt her hair being brushed aside and warm lips leave a trail of kisses on the side of her neck. She shivered when Callie's husky voice whispered in her ear, "I missed you in the shower." Turning on the stool to kiss her girlfriend, she nearly swallowed her tongue at the sight before her. Callie was wearing one of her new outfits, black trousers with a perfect crease down the middle of both legs, a loose fitting black button down long sleeve shirt, untucked, with the sleeves rolled up, of course, topped off with a black vest with an ornate fleur de lis design in red velvet adorning the front. Her hair was perfectly coiffed, she was wearing just enough eyeliner and mascara to make her eyes pop, small silver bars took the place of her dangling hoops, and her usual heels were replaced by black leather oxfords. While she loved seeing Callie in her form-fitting dresses and short skirts, this look, on this woman drove her out of her mind. She knew part of it was the way Callie carried herself, the air of confidence she was giving off, but whatever it was, had her melting on the spot. Clearing her throat, she opened her mouth to say something but all that came out was, "Wow!"
Callie felt slightly nervous when Arizona started to turn around. She knew her girlfriend supported her journey one hundred percent, but she still worried how she felt about her new look. As far as she knew, Arizona tended to prefer more feminine women and she most decidedly did not look feminine at the moment. She could feel her body tense up as Arizona froze and tried not to squirm under the other woman's scrutiny. Rather than look down at the floor like she was wont to do, she looked into her girlfriend's face and realized by the way she was biting her bottom lip and closing her eyes ever so slightly, she was anything but put off by her appearance. When she heard the single word fall from her girlfriend's lips, she couldn't help but smile and straighten her shoulders. Tugging on the bottom of her vest and turning on her heal, she asked, "You approve?" She started to deflate when the blonde shook her head in the negative until she heard, "Yeah, you aren't leaving the house in that. Do you know how many bricks I will need?" Arizona lifted her hands to her shoulders and caressed down to the top of her breasts and back up again as she said, "You look absolutely stunning. My girlfriend is hot!" Callie chuckled then and felt her heart rate pick up as Arizona slipped her fingers into the sleeves of her vest, pulled her between her legs, leaned up, and brushed her tongue along her bottom lip. Immediately giving her access, Callie sucked her tongue into her mouth and wrapped her arms around Arizona's back deepening the kiss, tasting the richness of the coffee she'd been drinking on her tongue. Moaning into the kiss, Arizona slid her hands to the back of Callie's neck and held her close.
Finally breaking apart, the blonde rested her head on Callie's chest and said, "I'm going to miss you today. I'll try to come see you at lunch, but just in case I can't make it, I packed you a little something and added a few snacks, oh and I made you a bagel just how you like it. I know you're going to have a busy day. Don't forget to eat though, okay?" Callie closed her eyes and fought back the tears as she rested her chin on the smaller woman's head. This domestic, nurturing side of Arizona was reserved purely for her and Sofia and she could only revel in the fact that she got to see this side of her again. She couldn't help but once more think that this is the life she wanted for them all those years ago when she naively blurted out where she saw them in ten years. The irony wasn't lost on her that it had been almost ten years to the day that they first discussed their future. The journey wasn't at all what she thought it would be, what either of them wanted it to be, but the end result…it was close. They were at the top of their fields at work, owned a hospital and one, soon to be two surgical centers, had their dream home, their daughter was healthy and happy, and they had each other again. It didn't mean she was going to rush out and buy chickens, but the idea didn't repulse her.
Smiling at that thought, she bent her head and kissed Arizona's temple as she said, "I love you. Thank you. I'm sure you'll be busy today as well if Herman still works you like she used to. Promise me you'll take a break and eat too?" Arizona took a deep breath and tried to fight the nerves she was feeling. She knew Callie wasn't being mean and didn't intend to poke at an old wound, but she couldn't help but worry about the amount of time she would have to invest to get the center up and running. The time and energy she had to give to the fellowship was the final straw that broke them and she couldn't help but feel a slight bit of panic at the thought. Callie could feel the tension rise in Arizona's body. She pulled back and knew from the look on her face, the dread in her eyes that she was thinking about the past, worried this would end them yet again. Callie had written this on her post-it for a reason, apparently now was the time to discuss it. She gently lifted Arizona's chin so they could see eye to eye and quietly suggested, "Talk to me honey." Arizona closed her eyes and shook her head. She promised not to dwell on the past and knew there was no cause for her to feel this way now, she just couldn't help it. Realizing Arizona didn't want to bring up the past again, Callie bent her head so she was looking deep into those anxious blue eyes as she said, "Arizona, this fellowship…I was so angry and resentful because you wanted to do this. I didn't understand. I only saw what I wanted slipping further away. I only saw your want against mine. I didn't understand this was something you needed. After I…" Shaking her head, Callie couldn't bring herself to say she walked away. "I was angry because I saw it as something that took you and our future children further away from me. But over the course of that fellowship, I watched you slowly come back. I watched you fight for your place on Herman's team. I watched you fight to redefine yourself without me. I watched you fight to save Nicole's life. I saw the fierce, independent, determined, woman and surgeon return. I watched as you nearly killed yourself to complete a fellowship in 5 months then move on to become one of the top fetal surgeons in the world in just a few years." As Callie spoke, Arizona could hear the sincerity and the reverence in her voice. She didn't think her ex-wife noticed; she didn't think she cared to notice. Looking into Callie's eyes, all she saw was admiration and respect.
Callie felt Arizona start to relax, was actually hearing what she had to say and continued, "You needed this for you, to prove you were still the same surgeon you were before, if not better, but you also needed it as a mom. You needed to do this for Sofia, for…umm, for the baby we lost, you needed to be able to save our future children. This person standing here in front of me, you are who you are because of the fellowship, this specialty, and you are so much stronger, healthier, happier, and better than I have ever seen you. You are still the Arizona who used to wheel around the hospital on Heelys, but I feel like you are so much more than you ever dreamed you could be. I was wrong Arizona. This fellowship didn't take you away from me, it brought you back to all of us, it brought you back to me, but most importantly, it brought you back to you." Arizona let out a sob, Callie finally understood something she couldn't put into words. Something she wasn't sure how to voice. But she was absolutely correct about all of it. "It really did. I feel so much more like myself, but a better newer version." Callie smiled, lifted her hand to brush a stray curl behind Arizona's ear and said, "I see that and I love this version of you. It will be hard and tiring and there will be days that you feel like you haven't slept in weeks. But you will come home to me and our daughter and we will support you, love you, and celebrate with you when you finally open the doors to the Robbins-Herman Center for Women's Health. I'm not going anywhere Arizona. I promise you I'm in this." Hearing Callie's words, the sincerity in her tone, the certainty in her voice made all her worries disappear. She could feel the tension leave her body as she looked into twinkling brown eyes shining at her with so much love. She leaned up then and brushed her lips against Callie's as she murmured, "Thank you."
The two women stood quietly with their foreheads resting against one another when Arizona finally spoke, "So much is going to be put on me. I have to be the eyes, find the building, decide on the décor, look at all the resumes, do the ordering…" Callie could hear the panic rise as Arizona listed off everything she would have to do. She knew from experience exactly how her girlfriend felt and soothed, "Hey, hey, you got this okay? You're not alone here. I did it mostly on my own and you can too, but you don't have to. I still have all my contacts for construction workers and decorators, suppliers, pharmaceutical reps, resumes for staff and nurses are still coming in, and we have our connections from Grey-Sloan. Once you get a plan together, we'll sit down, see what I can help you with, and we will go from there. Okay?" Arizona smiled, nodded her head, and breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't alone, she didn't have to be alone. She never had to be alone, she just had to let other people in. She looked into Callie's eyes and said, "You are amazing." Callie bent her head down and murmured against her lips, "We are amazing." She then connected their lips for a slow sweet lingering kiss.
"Ugg kissing again?" Sofia asked as she entered the room and saw her moms wrapped around each other yet again. Though she preferred this to how they used to be, she didn't want to see it all the time. What kid wants to see their parents kiss? Callie raised her brow and winked at Arizona as she said, "I think someone's jealous mommy." Arizona smiled and nodded as she slipped off the stool and both women surrounded their daughter. "You're right mama, I think she wants all the kisses for herself." Both women began smothering their daughter with sloppy kisses and making exaggerated smooching noises making Sofia giggle and squirm trying to fight her parents, calling out, "Ahhhh stop! Stop! Okay okay, gosh, kiss each other already." All three of them were out of breath and laughing by the time Sofia finally squirmed away. She went to the counter and grabbed her lunch bag and water bottle then said, "C'mon mama, we can't be late for breakfast!" Arizona went to Sofia and kissed the top of her head and said, "Have a good day baby girl. If you're feeling any pain, tell one of the counselors. Mama will give them some medicine for you to take in case you need it." Sofia nodded and said, "I will mommy. You have a good day too." She rushed off and waited for her mama by the side door.
Arizona walked up to Callie with her travel mug, breakfast, and lunch bag and said, "Go be awesome Dr. Torres. I love you." Callie took the offered items and leaned down for another kiss then said, "I'll miss you. Call me if you're feeling overwhelmed okay?" Arizona nodded and started walking toward the door with her girlfriend. As they reached the mudroom leading into the garage, Callie saw that Sofia was waiting by the car and out of sight, so she turned, put the items in her hands on the counter and wrapped her arms around Arizona's waist pulling her into her body as she asked, "Do I really have to leave?" Arizona stood up on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against Callie's and said, "I wish you didn't, but we have to join the real world sometime." Callie connected their lips again and slid her hands underneath Arizona's tank top as she whispered, "Tomorrow. Tomorrow's a good day to join the real world." Arizona laughed and lifted her hands to massage Callie's scalp, pulled her head down, then nibbled on her plump lower lip before pulling it between her own lips and slipping her tongue into Callie's mouth causing them both to moan in pleasure. Callie slid her tongue across the top of Arizona's and snaked one hand into the back of her shorts cupping her ass and pulling her even closer. Arizona rolled her hips against Callie's causing them to break the kiss on a gasp as she said, "Go. Now. Or you're never leaving this house again." Callie left a trail of kisses along Arizona's jawline until she reached her pulse point and bit down lightly as she hummed, "Mmm that doesn't sound like such a bad idea. We could live off my trust fund, grow out our leg hair, have everything delivered, and home school our daughter." Arizona threw back her head and laughed making Callie's stomach clench at the sight. Reaching behind her back, she pulled Callie's hand out of her shorts and said, "As fun as that sounds, you know neither of us could give up our jobs. Besides, only one of my legs can grow hair and I'd look like some sort of deranged sasquatch." Callie chuckled at this and her heart soared hearing Arizona joke about her leg. Finally she stepped back and said, "Fine! I'll leave, but you're going to miss me." Arizona kissed her girlfriend one more time and said, "Yes, I will miss you dearly and when you get home, I will show you just how much I missed you." Callie smiled, stole another kiss, and said, "Mmmm that sounds promising. I love you; I'll see you soon." She picked up her belongings again and headed out the door.
Taking one step out into the garage, Callie turned and said, "That box right there has some cast covers for your dad. I figure he will be wanting a bath or shower soon. The waterproof tape is in the…" Arizona cut her off by pulling her into another kiss and said, "Everything is where it always is. They will manage, now go before you are late." Callie smiled and said, "I love you. Have a good day." then she was out the door. Arizona looked after her two girls until they got into Callie's SUV, closed the door, rested her head against it and smiled as she thought about how right this felt. This was what she had envisioned when she finally gave into her feelings for Callie all those years ago. This is what she saw for them that warm Spring day when she slid a ring on her wife's finger. She certainly didn't expect everything that happened between then and now, but the important thing was, they were here. She still couldn't believe it, but they found their way back. Walking into the kitchen, she looked into the back yard and briefly wondered if there was room for a chicken coop.
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Callie stepped out of her Range Rover and strode toward the door of her center feeling lighter than she had in years. She knew part of it was because she had her daughter, her soulmate, her family to go home to once again, but it was also because she finally felt like the person she was striving to become inside and out. Looking down at her outfit, she briefly wondered how it would be received. Though she couldn't remember the last time she wore a dress or skirt, her outfits more often than not had a feminine cut that still outlined her body. It wasn't until recently that she took to wearing button down shirts or polos with dress pants that were more neutral in style. Seeing her reflection in the window, she realized it didn't matter what others thought because now that she figured it out, figured out who she was, she wasn't changing that. Opening the door to the main lobby, Callie looked up to see the older woman behind the desk and chirped, "Hello, Lorraine. How's my favorite administrative assistant on this beautiful Monday morning?" The older woman looked up at the greeting and smiled as she saw her boss nearly floating across the room. In the two years she had known the orthopedic surgeon, she couldn't think of a single time she had ever seen her look so sure of herself, so relaxed, so…happy. Dr. Torres was always confident, friendly, had a smile for everyone, but there was also an underlying sadness. It was almost as if she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. But this person standing before her seemed like a completely different person than the woman who walked out of here a week before. She could only hope her mood, her appearance, her happiness was because she was finally getting her wish of reconciling her family.
Lorraine held out her arms to envelop Callie in a hug and said, "Well look at you, all stylish and refreshed. Does this mean things with a certain ex-wife are going well?" Based upon the blush that instantly took over the younger woman's face, she had her answer, but it was cemented when she heard the voice of another person behind her saying, "If my 8 year old sources are correct, the certain ex is no longer an ex." Both women turned to look at Maria the head nurse who was smirking at Callie and wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Callie laughed then and said, "Your sources are correct, Arizona and I are together again." Lorraine squealed and threw her arms around her boss saying, "Oh honey, I'm so happy for you. I only met her the one time but she seems so lovely." Callie's eyes lit up just thinking about her girlfriend and nodded as she said, "She is. She really is. I'm sure you will get to know her well. In fact, she may drop by for lunch if she gets a chance. Speaking of, could you draw up her paperwork for privileges and get her a badge please? I'll send you a picture." Taking out her phone, she scrolled to the exact picture she wanted to use for her ID and emailed it to her assistant. It was a picture she had taken of the blonde shortly after they put their necklaces back on. Her blue eyes were shining, super-magic smile beaming, dimples popping as she laughed at Callie's insistence they get this moment on camera as she proceeded to take several selfies of the two of them as well as many individual shots of her love. Just seeing Arizona's picture made her miss her, yearn to touch her again. She pulled up her messages and told her girlfriend just that.
Sticking her phone in her pocket, the ortho surgeon looked up to see the two women who had become her dear friends smiling back at her and asked, "What?" Maria laughed and said, "Oh you should see your face. Love looks good on you Torres; I can't wait to hear all the juicy details. So does this outfit, by the way, which I am sure has a story behind it as well." Lorraine picked up a stack of folders and a pile of mail and said, "You can tell the stories later, right now, you have patients to see and a load of paperwork to finish." She unceremoniously shoved the pile in her boss' chest and turned back to her own work. Callie shuffled everything in her arms until she had a good grip on it all and headed toward her office as she went into professional mode already mentally planning out her day. Turning to Maria, she asked, "Do you have time to fill me in on what's been going on here before my first appointment in a half hour?" The other brunette nodded and followed her boss down the hall as she said, "Only if you'll slip in a story or two." Callie laughed and continued to her office.
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Arizona pulled into the massive housing complex and double checked the address Nicole sent to her in an earlier text. She was almost certain she had the wrong place as she couldn't see her friend and mentor choosing to live in a supportive/independent living environment. Then again, when she thought about it, she really hadn't considered where Nicole would be living. During her fellowship, the older woman slept at the hospital and never really talked about a home. After losing her sight, she lived at 'the blind school' for a while then worked for UCSF teaching fetal medicine and traveling the country for multiple speaking engagements accompanied by a personal assistant. She supposed it only made sense that she would live in a community such as this, especially in a new city. Once she found the building she was looking for, Arizona parked and sent a text to Nicole letting her know she had arrived. She wasn't at all surprised when she got "It's about damn time Robbins" in return. Just as she was about to knock on the door, it was opened by none other than the former fetal surgeon herself who greeted, "Robbins, long time no see." Arizona scoffed and sarcastically retorted, "Wow! That never gets old." Nicole closed the door and said, "Just wait, I'm full of them." Arizona mumbled, "You're full of something." Hearing her protégé's comment, Nicole reminded, "I'm blind not deaf, next time just flip me off." Arizona laughed at that and said, "It's really good to see you." Nicole smirked and said, "I'd say the same thing, but ya know, still blind as an earthworm." Arizona rolled her eyes and waited for the other woman to lead the way.
As she followed her into the large open living space, Arizona noticed the various sensors, speakers, and monitors arranged throughout the house. She startled when the wall next to her beeped and announced they were entering the living room and indicated the location of and distance to the sofa. As they proceeded to the dining area, another similar announcement was made. Nicole called out questions or commands and the 'house' responded accordingly by turning on lights, starting the coffee pot etc. It was then that Arizona realized exactly why her friend had chosen to move into this community. She could live relatively independently with little assistance. As they sat down, Nicole explained, "My contacts at the blind school told me about this place and suggested I check it out. You know me, I wasn't too thrilled about living in this type of place, but I have to say, it definitely has its perks. Arizona nodded then remembered that didn't do any good and said, "Well, for what it's worth, it's very beautiful." Nicole laughed and said, "It damn well better be for what I'm paying for it. Enough of that, let's get down to business shall we?"
Arizona smiled brightly as the excitement about starting this new phase of her life took over and replaced any doubt she was feeling earlier. She then responded, "I have to admit, this last week was nice, amazing even, but I'm ready to get started and see the incredible things we do here." The normally cranky surgeon smiled then and said, "That's what I like to hear. My first question is, how sold are you on doing this in New York?" Arizona started to panic internally, worried that her business partner had changed her mind. She felt her stomach drop at the thought of losing this opportunity, but there would be no choice in the matter. She would choose Callie and her family. She furrowed her brow in confusion and said, "Well, we both moved out here, so umm, I'd say it's pretty much a done deal at this point." Nicole shook her head and scoffed as she said, "I meant in the city proper. I've been doing some research and talking to some of my contacts and if we choose to build or purchase and renovate there, we could be looking at a delay of up to a year for finding a site, procuring licensing, and finding a contractor we like with the time to do it, then there's the build time. The other option is leasing a medical building that is ready to go, which, currently there are none available in the city. There are, however, several facilities in the surrounding boroughs."
Arizona thought about that for a few minutes. She honestly didn't have a preference other than she wanted to get up and running as quickly as possible. But if she thought about it, New York City was quite a drive for both of them considering Nicole was only about 15 minutes away from Callie's house…their house…she mentally corrected herself and thought about how odd that still sounded. Finally she responded, "I honestly have no preference. When I asked if we could do it in New York, I really had no idea where I'd be living or anything. I just assumed I'd live at least in the same area as Callie, for convenience if nothing else. At the time, I thought she still lived in the city. I suppose now that we are both settled, Brooklyn seems to be the closest. I am only 10-15 minutes from here." Nicole turned in the direction of Arizona's voice and smirked as she asked, "You're settled so soon? So you found a place near Torres?" Arizona blushed, grateful the other woman couldn't see it. Clearing her throat she said, "Ah, yeah you could say that." Nicole snorted and asked, "How close?" At the younger woman's silence she accused, "Robbins! You dirty dog. You're shacking up with your ex-wife?" Accustomed to the other woman's bluntness at this point, Arizona just corrected, "Girlfriend and yes I am living with Callie and Sofia again." She stiffened prepared to be asked if it was the right choice or if it was too soon or any number of questions she had asked herself over the past several days and knew they would both face once news got out about their reconciliation. Her jaw nearly dropped when she heard, "Well good for you. I hope it works out. That daughter of yours deserves to grow up in a happy home." Arizona stared at the other woman as if she had lost her mind. She started wondering where the sarcastic, cynical woman she knew and loved disappeared to when Nicole added, "Maybe you won't be your normal stressed out, type A self if you're getting laid regularly." "Aaaaand she's back! I was worried for a couple minutes there." Nicole threw back her head and laughed as she said, "Really Robbins, I know you had a hard time with the divorce. If Torres makes you happy, then I say go for it." Arizona smiled then and said, "She does, she really does. You should see everything she…" She was cut off by Nicole's hand lifted in the air, presumably it was meant to be held up in her face as if to stop her and not off to the side pointing at nothing. She laughed as the other woman said, "I said go for it, not overshare." Arizona shook her head deciding not to argue and said, "Let's just get started shall we?"
Nicole fumbled around the table for a minute then said, "Somewhere in this mess is a list of things that need to be done. I figured we could go through it and decide who will tackle what. Obviously, finding a location and the visual aesthetics will be your responsibility, but I will give whatever input you want. Given you will be the one called for emergencies, it's important that you are comfortable with the commute, so if you say Brooklyn, I can agree with that." Arizona was already prepared for that responsibility. She tried to recall the list she rattled off to Callie earlier and asked, "What about posting jobs, choosing candidates, interviewing, hiring, supplies…" She stopped then as she started to feel overwhelmed again. Nicole responded, "I hired a personal assistant with a medical background who will start later this week. He will be responsible for the written communication on my behalf among other things. I've already reached out to med schools, the Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Society for Fetal and Maternal Medicine asking for candidates interested in joining our residency program so we should have a pool to choose from soon. I have also emailed the NYSED and posted openings for RN's, LPN's, NP's, and CNS's." Arizona laughed as she said, "Wow! You've been busy. Callie said she has a number of resumes she'd be willing to share with us as well as her supply and pharm reps." Nicole nodded and said, "Oh that's right, Torres just did this. Anything she's willing to share works for me. You work that angle and I'll take care of the legalities, finances, education, and accreditation aspects, and we will go from there?" Arizona took a look at the list to make sure they didn't miss anything crucial to the initial start-up. "There are still a few things on the list to take care of, but really we can't do some of that until we have a space to have things delivered. Honestly, I think we should look at hiring a receptionist and charge nurse right away. They can take care of a lot of the ordering and organizing." Nicole nodded, "Excellent. Why don't you take a look at what Torres has and I'll send over any resumes I have received and we can choose the best candidates and start interviewing." Arizona nodded, took out her laptop and started making a list of her own.
After another hour of organizing, firming up to-do lists, and catching up, the two fetal surgeons wrapped up their meeting. As Arizona stood to leave, Nicole reached for a folder, held it out and asked, "Does this have your name on it?" Arizona looked down and laughed as she said, "Yes, that's me." Taking the folder, she glanced inside at the contents and saw that it looked like a great deal of official paperwork and asked, "What's this?" Nicole stood and responded, "All the legal crap. The top packet is the grant contract. I had them put both of our names on it, so you'll officially be part owner and need to sign it before we can start getting funding. Second is a partnership agreement I had my lawyer's write for us stating each of our official responsibilities once we get off the ground. You may want to take some time and have your attorney take a look at it as well. Third is the contract for my employment with the Robbins-Herman Center, just for transparency. Finally, you'll find your contract. Again, take a look at it, have your attorney go over it. If there's anything you need to add, just let me know and we can discuss it. I think I remembered everything, I also included malpractice insurance so you won't have to worry about any of that as well as medical with an extra stipend for any additional cost for your prosthetic or physical therapy. Can't have you limping around the place. What would the residents think if one of their bosses is blind and the other can't walk?" Arizona snorted and said, "God, I've missed you. I'll take a look at it and get everything back to you as soon as I can." Nicole started walking to the door following the voice prompts from the smart house and asked, "Where will you be setting up shop until we find a location?" Arizona scrunched her face up as she realized she hadn't really thought about it. She was fine working from home for the majority of it, but when they started meeting with people and interviewing, she didn't feel comfortable having strangers coming into either of their homes. Huffing she said, "I really haven't thought about it. We have a huge table and Callie has a home office, I'm sure she will share the space. But I don't want to have meetings or anything with people here or at home. I'll talk with Callie tonight and see what she says." Nicole nodded in agreement and said, "Well let's see where you are with a location in the next week or two and maybe we can just rent some office space nearby for the time being." Arizona agreed and after a few more pleasantries, they said their goodbyes and she was out the door.
XXXX
After getting into the car, Arizona looked at her phone and noticed she had two missed messages from Callie. The first was shortly after she must have arrived at work and the second just a few minutes ago.
C: I miss you already. Can't wait to show you how much.
C: How's your meeting going? Almost lunchtime, do you think you can join me?
Looking at the time, she realized it was indeed lunchtime and she was starving. She was also missing her girlfriend something awful. She remembered seeing a few restaurants along the way and decided to stop and pick something up for the both of them. She sent Callie with a lunch, but it would keep. She also didn't know when her girlfriend would be able to leave after a week of being gone, so she could always eat it later. Sending off a quick reply, she pulled up her GPS and headed toward Fresh START. Maybe she would just set up in one of the conference rooms for the rest of the day and go over all of the paperwork she was just given.
XXXX
After seeing the patients with appointments, Callie did her morning rounds, spent some time on each floor catching up with the goings on, making sure there were no problems or immediate needs then returned to her office to go through the mountain of paperwork that was left from the week before. Fortunately, most of it was signing time sheets, purchase orders, and finishing a few charts she didn't get to before she left, none of it was anything that took a great deal of time or effort to read over. She considered this a blessing since she was struggling with keeping her focus on her work and off a certain blonde-haired blue-eyed beauty who kept invading her thoughts. As she closed the last patient chart on her tablet and turned to the pile of paperwork, she heard a knock on the door and her heart started racing and she couldn't help the smile that was blooming on her face. She knew that knock, it was the same pattern of one hard knock followed by three soft knocks in quick succession that she had come so accustomed to over the years. Jumping from her chair, she nearly tripped over her own feet rushing to open the door.
Arizona smiled as the door swung open and almost dropped everything in her hands when she was pulled into the office and pushed against the door. She barely got out, "Whoa!" before her lips were captured in a searing kiss. It only took her a few seconds to catch up and respond just in time to allow Callie to slip her tongue into her mouth deepening the kiss. Holding onto their food with one hand, she allowed her bag to slip out of the other and wrapped it around Callie's waist pulling her into her body. Feeling the pressure on her lower back, Callie stepped closer to Arizona and slipped her thigh between her legs, humming in pleasure as she felt her girlfriend grinding against her. She raised her hand to tangle in soft blonde curls and wrapped her other around Arizona's back as she walked them backward toward the sofa that sat just beside the door. Feeling the soft cushion against the back of her legs, she sat down and pulled Arizona down to straddle her hips. Arizona set the bag of food on the seat beside them and raised both hands to the side of Callie's head pulling it back slightly so she could both change direction and take charge of the kiss. Callie caressed Arizona's thighs and moved her hands upward until she was cupping the blonde's jean-clad ass, making them both groan out at the feeling. Finally pulling back to take a much needed breath, Arizona smiled down at her girlfriend and said, "Hi." Callie beamed back at her, lifted her hand to wipe the smudged lipstick off the blonde's now bare pink lips, and responded, "Hi. I missed you." Arizona bent down, kissed Callie's lips, her cheek, and the soft spot behind her ear before responding, "I missed you too. I brought you some lunch." She proceeded to place soft warm kisses along Callie's neck and jaw line making it nearly impossible to think of anything other than her hunger for the woman in her lap.
After several more kisses, heavy petting, and inappropriate comments about what they'd rather be eating, both women sat on the sofa next to each other sharing bites of the Chinese food Arizona picked up. Callie swallowed her cashew chicken and asked, "Where did you get this again? This is amazing. I have almost given up on finding a decent place nearby." Arizona sucked a noodle into her mouth and responded, "It was on the way here from Nicole's place. So it's about halfway between here and our house." Callie smiled at hearing Arizona finally refer to the house as theirs then was reminded about her girlfriend's earlier meeting. "Oh yeah, how'd that go? How is she?" Arizona snorted, "As sarcastic as ever. But it went well. She's hired a personal assistant to help her with the paperwork, job postings, legalities, and the education aspect. She's also agreed to hiring a charge nurse and receptionist right away so that will take some stress off me for the ordering. But I still have a long list of things to do. First and foremost being finding a facility." Callie could see her girlfriend seemed a little more at ease after their meeting. She was grateful everything wouldn't be put on Arizona's shoulders. She took her cup of pop from her girlfriend and took a drink before asking, "So are you looking for a place in the city? Do you want to go check out some places this weekend? Are you thinking of building or…" She was cut off by the shaking of blonde curls as Arizona explained, "Nicole already looked into building or leasing in the city and we are looking at a year, maybe more if we want to go that route. So we are going to start looking in Brooklyn then spread out from there if we can't find anything. It's a decent commute, so I'm hoping we can find something here.
As she spoke, Arizona noticed the way Callie's eyes lit up before quickly dimming again. Unsure of what just happened she asked, "What is it?" When Arizona first started talking about looking in Brooklyn for a place to house their center, Callie's first thought was to suggest the Brooklyn Medical Park, which was where Fresh START was located. It was new and there were currently buildings standing empty, including the facility across the parking lot that was just finished. But she knew she had a habit of trying to take things over or getting her heart set on something then being disappointed and getting angry when it doesn't pan out. That was one of their biggest problems in the past, her pushing something on Arizona, or making decisions without her and getting angry when she didn't agree. This was Arizona's project, her career and as much as she'd love to have her close, she didn't want her to feel like she had to do it just to make her happy. Unfortunately, she didn't hide her initial excitement well enough and the blonde saw right through her. Callie rubbed the stubble on the side of her head, a sure sign of nerves that Arizona instantly recognized. She tilted her head and asked again, "What are you thinking?" Callie inhaled deeply and responded, "It's ummm…the medical park…here, uh, there are available buildings here." Seeing Arizona narrow her eyes, Callie rushed to explain, "I'm not saying you have to look here or anything. I mean, this is your center. I just got excited at the thought…but you don't have to…I mean…it's a bad idea. Forget I mentioned it." Arizona stared at Callie, at first not understanding why she was nervous about telling her about the available buildings here, but as the brunette continued to explain, she realized why she was so hesitant to do so. This time it was Callie who was worried about their past coming back to bite them.
Seeing Callie's nervousness, the concern written all over her beautiful face, made Arizona's heart ache. She knew these things would keep coming back to both of them, she just hoped it would end soon. Putting down the container she was holding, she took the box out of Callie's hand as well and set it on the table then slid over to sit in the taller woman's lap. She lifted one hand to scratch at the light stubble on the back of her head and the other to smooth away the lines and creases that formed on her face. Finally feeling her girlfriend relax into her touch she softly said, "We have to stop doing this to ourselves. Everything is different now. We are different. You can suggest things and not worry that I will think you are making a decision for me. I know that's not who you are. There is a difference between saying, there are available buildings here and I just bought the building down the road for your center." Callie snorted knowing that is exactly the sort of thing she may have done in the past. Arizona kissed her cheek and said, "I have lived in New York for a whole 8 days Calliope. You've lived here for two years and you have just opened your center so you know what is available. I'd kind of be upset if you didn't make suggestions at this point." Callie studied her girlfriend's face and realized she was right, about all of it. They were so self-aware, so hyper-sensitive to where they went wrong, that they were walking on eggshells at times. Breathing a sigh of relief, feeling the weight fall from her chest, she nodded and said, "I know, you're right. It's going to take us both a little more time. I just…I don't want to…" Arizona leaned in and cut off what she was going to say next by brushing their lips together. Pulling back she said, "You won't screw this up. We won't screw this up. We just have to remember to keep living in the now and leave the past where it is." Callie nodded and rested her head on Arizona's shoulder and lifted her hand to play with the gold chain that rested against alabaster skin as she whispered, "I love you." Arizona smiled, rested her head on top of Callie's and said, "I love you too." Both of them secretly thinking about how much they enjoy being New York Callie and Arizona.