"Hurry it up little miss, abuelo should be here anytime now." Callie reminded her daughter as she rinsed out her coffee cup and pulled out a travel mug. Sofia scooped the last bite of cereal into her mouth and asked, "So I don't have to go to the center today?" Callie prepared her coffee and answered, "Nope, abuela and tia Aria have meetings all day so abuelo asked if you could keep him company." The little girl's face lit up and she clarified, "Just me and abuelo?" Callie chuckled, she knew both her father and her daughter missed their little outings. She nodded and responded, "Just you and abuelo until dinner time, then abuela and mommy will be joining you." Sofia took her bowl to the sink and asked, "What about you?" Callie opened the dishwasher door as a silent reminder and replied, "I am going to be having dinner with tia Aria, we have some things to talk about." She wasn't thrilled about the idea, but when her sister asked her last night before they left, she knew she couldn't say no. Sofia put her bowl and spoon in the dishwasher, tilted her head and asked, "Are you mad at her because she didn't talk to us for so long? I think I would be a little bit mad. I'm still sad about her and abuela, but I'm trying not to be." Callie looked down into emotion filled brown eyes very much like her own and could see the truth in her daughter's words.
Walking to the living room, she pulled Sofia onto her lap and tried to figure out a way to explain so her 8 year old would understand. Finally she said, "I don't know if mad is the right word. I stopped being mad a long time ago. I think I'm still hurt, sad like you. I know they apologized, but sometimes it takes time for wounds in our hearts to heal too. Like when you hurt your arm. They fixed it right away, but it took a while for it to feel better." Sofia nodded and asked, "So it's okay to feel a little bit sad?" Callie kissed her cheek and answered, "It's okay as long as we don't let it get in the way of our healing. Like when you took the wrap off and it wasn't time yet, you exposed your arm for more serious injury. If we keep thinking about being sad or mad, we aren't giving ourselves time to heal and sometimes, we just need to talk about it to someone." Sofia nodded and asked, "Like you and mommy?" Callie replied, "Yep, you can always come to me and mommy. I talked to mommy about it and now I want to talk to Aria about it. Sometimes we have to tell the person who hurt us how we feel." Sofia lifted her hand to rub at her mama's soft tiny hairs and asked, "Is that why you and mommy never scolded me for the things I said to abuela and Aria?" Callie kissed her daughter's head and answered, "That is exactly why we never said anything smart girl. We knew it was important to say how you felt and you weren't being disrespectful, so we let you say what you needed to say." Callie caressed her daughter's face and added, "You were also defending me and mommy and that made us so proud of you." Sofia smiled brightly and her little dimples popped, reminding Callie of Arizona and asked, "Really?" Callie nodded and confirmed, "Really." Sofia bit her bottom lip nervously and asked, "What about the ET thing?" Callie laughed and answered, "Now that was just funny!" Sofia laughed with her and hopped off her lap when she heard the doorbell ring.
"Abuelo!" Sofia yelled excitedly when she opened the door. Carlos smiled down at his granddaughter when she threw her arms around him and squeezed tightly. He missed the days when he could pick her up and carry her around, but he was getting older and she was getting taller and lankier much like her mama and it just wasn't the same. When she pulled back he asked, "Are you ready for our date?" Sofia nodded her head fervently and exclaimed, "I'm so excited, I can't wait to spend the whole day with you." Callie walked up behind her daughter and greeted, "Good morning daddy." She looked down at Sofia and said, "Go get your things and put your shoes on please." They both watched the little girl leave the room and Carlos hugged his daughter and returned, "Good morning mija." He looked around and asked, "Where's Arizona?" Callie pouted slightly and explained, "She went in really early this morning. Last night was the first night the center ran a full staff for third shift so she wanted to go in to make sure things ran smoothly, debrief her staff and show them how to do a proper shift change." Carlos nodded and remarked, "The joys of being a new business owner. That's very wise. I used to do that when I opened a new hotel." Callie laughed, "I remember."
She looked down the hall and chuckled as she realized, "It's funny, I used to think about how fun it was growing up in and around hotels until I reached a certain age, then it just got boring. Sofia is becoming the same way with hospitals." Carlos nodded and replied, "You weren't much older than Sofia when that happened." Callie shook her head at the similarities and added, "She keeps trying to sneak into the galleries and watch the surgeries now." Carlos shook his head and suggested, "All three of her parents are surgeons, I'm pretty sure she doesn't have a fighting chance of doing anything else." Callie watched her daughter skip towards them and declared, "As long as she's happy with her life, she can be whatever she wants." Her father winked at her understanding the importance of that statement and held out his hand for his granddaughter proclaiming, "Your chariot awaits my lady and the city is ours for the day." Sofia hugged Callie tightly then pulled her down and whispered, "Tell tia Aria how you feel mama." Callie kissed her daughter's cheek and whispered, "I will. I love you baby girl." Sofia took her abuelo's hand and pulled him to the door calling out, "I love you too mama." Callie shook her head at her daughter, she couldn't believe how fast she was growing. She went into the kitchen, grabbed her travel mug and went out to her car so she could get to work on time.
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Arizona stood on the landing of the stairway leading to the lobby and rested her hip against the railing. She froze for just a moment when two nurses passed her on the stairs and greeted, "Good morning chief." It took her a few seconds to realize they were talking to her, then she smiled brightly and responded, "Good morning." She puffed up with pride at the title and nearly laughed at herself as she realized she felt like a royal looking out at her kingdom. From here she could still hear the muffled talking from the first floor as her fellow, Dr. Meghan Yost walked the NICU nurses through the procedures for monitoring preemies. She could also see what was happening in the lobby. She was pleased to see the first shift seemed more confident today and were working more independently than yesterday where they would complete a task then wait for further instructions. Since the stairs were right by the tall windows at the front of the building, she could also see out into the parking lot and it gave her a little thrill to see how her half of the lot she shared with Callie was no longer empty. What she thoroughly enjoyed was watching the small sign being installed directly in front of her car. From the moment she saw Callie's sign the first time she pulled into her very own parking space; Arizona had envisioned the same thing for herself. It seemed trivial, she knew, but to her, it was oddly satisfying. It gave her that 'I have arrived' feeling you get when you know you've fulfilled a dream you've had for as long as you can remember.
When not one but two very large delivery trucks pulled up in front of the building, she nearly wanted to cry in frustration. It was a stark reminder of how much was truly left for them to do before they could open the doors. While nearly all the big equipment was set up, like the beds and x-rays and CT machines; the rooms, storage closets, shelves, lounges, and almost any other space were all void of supplies from the basic essentials such as gloves and swabs to the extreme necessities such as medications, needles, and IV bags. From the looks of the trucks and the stacks of boxes being unloaded into her lobby, it all appeared to be arriving at the same time. Arizona looked over to Dee who was already picking up the phone and she heard the announcement ring out, "All hands on deck. Everyone please report to the lobby immediately." The blonde sighed in relief that her administrative assistant already knew her so well and sent a silent thank you to Lorraine for recommending her.
Once everyone reached the lobby, Nicole followed Arizona's voice, walked up behind her and asked, "What's going on?" Arizona huffed and replied, "All of our orders came in." Nicole snorted and questioned, "Isn't that a good thing?" Arizona scoffed, "Not if they came in all at once and our lobby is now wall to wall boxes stacked four and five boxes high." She looked out the window and groaned, "Oh you have got to be kidding me." The older woman snapped, "I need narration here Robbins. What's happening?" Arizona pulled her mentor and partner out of the way, closer to the receptionist's desk then hollered out to the delivery men, "Could you at least make a few walking paths for us?" The men started moving boxes to clear some space and Arizona explained, "About ten minutes ago, two very large, very full trucks pulled up in front of the doors and started unloading boxes. They just keep coming. Another truck equally as large just pulled up and is waiting in the parking lot." Nicole nodded and asked, "Do we have any idea what is in these boxes?" Arizona laughed and said, "Umm everything?" The older woman snorted and said dryly, "Yeah, that helps." Arizona turned on her partner and declared, "We have received and set up the big equipment, last week's deliveries were mainly scrubs and a few essentials to get us started for training. These deliveries are honestly everything else, medical supplies, gloves, swabs, gauze, bandages, syringes, tubes, wires, oxygen masks, patient drapes, sponges, all of it. The second truck is linens, sheets, gowns, towels, and the third truck looks to be the pharmaceuticals." The older fetal surgeon chuckled and asked, "What's the plan chief?" Twenty minutes ago, she was loving that title. Right now, not so much.
Arizona sighed, rubbed her temples, then stepped up to the center of the room to address her staff. She smiled at everyone and stated, "Clearly we have a little dilemma on our hands." She relaxed when everyone chuckled. "Let's see how well we work as a team shall we?" Everyone nodded and Arizona explained, "We will focus on getting the lobby cleared out and everything put away in its rightful place. We will stock all the closets with the supplies and not worry about the rooms at this time. We can leave that for second and third shifts to take care of." Everyone relaxed a little realizing that it wasn't going to be as crazy as they thought it would be. Looking around, Arizona decided, "Instead of everyone stocking their own floor, every floor will be assigned a task to complete on each floor. Fourth floor staff, you are going to take care of putting all the sheets, towels, gowns, everything that belongs in patient rooms into their designated storage areas on each floor. Your attending will direct who will go where." Seeing everyone nod in understanding, Arizona proceeded to hand out tasks until she got to the final group and announced, "The last truck is medication, oxygen, anesthesia etc. No one is to touch those supplies except for lab and pharmacy personnel with the guidance of the anesthesiologists. Is everyone clear on their tasks?" Everyone nodded or spoke their agreement, gathered in their assigned groups and got to work opening boxes." Nicole bumped her hip and commented, "Well done! For a minute there I thought you were going to implode." Arizona laughed and responded, "For a minute there, I was imploding." The older woman chuckled and said, "Come on Shep, let's get out of this craziness." Arizona watched her partner leave then turned and smiled as she saw how well her plan was working out.
Dee looked at her new boss and was quite impressed with how well she thought on her feet and maintained her composure. Her last chief would have been losing his mind and screaming at everyone in his path, especially her. She smiled when the blonde turned to her and suggested, "I know somewhere in there is office supplies, prescription pads and all of that. I don't expect you to handle it all on your own, but that is your domain, so you tell me what you want to do and I'll pull some people to help you." The older woman looked up and nodded toward the door and said, "Looks like there's no need for that. Seems your knight in shining armor sent back up." Arizona turned just in time to see Kim, Julie, Lorraine, and a few nurses walking through the doors along with Bill, Crystal, and what looked to be three other patients. She laughed and asked, "What are you all doing here?" Lorraine put her arm around her friend's shoulder and explained, "It appears a certain ortho surgeon was pulling into work at the same time the trucks pulled up and knew you wouldn't ask for help so she asked for volunteers to help on her behalf since she has surgery." Bill spoke up and offered, "We were just coming out of PT when we heard the doc ask for help and decided we couldn't leave a man down, so here we are. Tell us what you need." Arizona wanted to cry, in a good way this time. She pointed at Dee and declared, "This is your CO for the day, she will tell you what she needs." Dee nodded and took the reins right away.
Arizona pulled out her phone to text her girlfriend and saw that she had a few other messages she needed to respond to before she pitched in to help sort out the mess in her lobby. Besides, it looked like everyone was doing fine so she could spare a few minutes. On her way to her office, she pulled up her messages and sent one to Callie first.
Me: You are my hero! I love you. Thank you.
Before she even reached her door she got a response.
C: I love you too. I remember that day and literally sat in a corner and cried for an hour before I figured out what to do. I wish I could help. Going into surgery now.
Arizona felt a little twinge of regret for not being in Callie's life at that time and how lonely she must have felt. Shaking it off she returned one final message.
Me: Go be awesome Dr. Torres!"
She laughed out loud when she got a quick response.
C: She's scrubbing in now and if you expect the sappy crap from me you're S.O.L.
Arizona sighed in relief when she sat down at her desk for the first time all day. On top of the deliveries, she had been here since 5:30 am and it was barely 10:00 am now. She thought it was important to see what 3rd shift accomplished and walk everyone through a shift change. In her opinion, it went fairly well for the first time and she was pleased to see that everyone was on task when she came in. She wasn't really one for surprise visits, but decided she needed to set the tone for her expectations up front. She rubbed at the back of her neck trying to get the kinks out and chase her headache away. She knew it was from a combination of things, but primarily from her period. Her first day she was just cranky, the second day was cramps from hell, and the third day was a constant headache. THE THIRD DAY! Snapping her head up, she realized that meant today was the third day. She quickly reached into her drawer, pulled out her purse, and took out the prescription medicine bottle she just had filled. She took out one small white tablet, looked at it and whispered, "Please work." She popped it in her mouth and drank down the last of her bottle of water. That reminded her of both messages she needed to return. Before doing that, she sent a cryptic message she knew no one but her girlfriend would understand.
Me: Day Three
She nearly choked when she saw the return message and threw her head back and laughed. Obviously her message was cryptic enough that Maria didn't figure it out.
C: She went nearly two years without it, you will be fine after only three days.
Still shaking her head at the response, Arizona pulled up her contacts and laughed when she heard, "Dr. Montgomery, see how much easier that is than giving out your whole life story?" Arizona shook her head and asked, "Aren't you in rare form for 7:00 am?" Addison replied, "I'm just coming out of surgery. I see you got my message." Arizona answered, "Yep, in the middle of the whole world caving in on me. Three delivery trucks at once." The redhead winced and said, "Ouch." Arizona laughed and responded, "You aren't kidding. So, you were able to take a look at the Senator's file?" Addison rubbed at her face and answered, "I was. I don't understand why none of the written notes mentioned the other two conditions. I know Dr. Costas is very thorough and surely would have heard it or seen the pattern on the echo." Arizona asked, "So you saw it too? It wasn't just me?" Addie hummed and Arizona continued, "The only thing I could think of is maybe they considered that a part of the HLHS. But do you agree with my prognosis?" Addison laughed and responded, "Of course I do, though I've got to say, I'm glad it's you and not me. I know it's one of my specialties, but I focus primarily on getting the babies in there now, not fixing them or taking them out."
Arizona smiled and commented, "I for one am grateful for that focus. I took my first clomid today." She held her phone away from her ear when she heard the squeal. Then she heard nothing and knew her friend was doing the math in her head so she cut her off at the pass and informed her, "July 31st should be the day, if all goes according to plan." Addison was grateful they weren't on a video chat, otherwise her facial expression would give everything away. She couldn't have dreamed of a better day for that to happen for her friends. She finally commented, "Oh my, that's so close! I'm still looking into getting the time off for your opening so it looks like I'll want a hotel room and probably need to have Sof sleep over with me." Arizona laughed and responded, "Yeah, that might be a good idea." Addison yawned and proclaimed, "I'm exhausted, I'm going to try to catch some z's before my shift officially starts. I'll let you or Cal know next week if I'll be able to make it." Arizona smiled and responded, "I hope you can. Get some rest, thanks for the consult." They said their goodbyes and Arizona listened to her other message and her heart nearly broke when she heard the fear and desolation in the expectant mother's voice.
When she pushed the button to return the call, Dee knocked on her door and opened it informing her, "Dr. Robbins, the Senator and her husband are here to see you. They look upset." Arizona disconnected the call and said, "Bring them in please. I was just trying to call her." Dee nodded and disappeared, then a moment later the two expectant parents entered her office. She could see both of them were about to crumble into tears. She guided them to the sofa, pulled her chair close and quietly asked, "How can I help?" Larry began, "We just don't understand, why is this happening? Is this my fault?" Arizona furrowed her brow and asked, "How could this be your fault?" Larry started crying and responded, "I…I was a twin, we were what do you call it? We weren't identical. My brother Lucas was sick from the time he was born. I don't remember much, but I remember he died when we were just 5 years old. My parents told me it was his heart." Arizona's stomach lurched and her heart broke for the man and suddenly his display of nerves yesterday made much more sense. Very carefully she asked, "Did they ever tell you more? After you got older?" Larry responded, "They would never talk about it, I heard them telling other people, they just always said his heart wasn't developing right. That…it sounds like what you are saying about our girls." Erin reached over and grabbed his hand and supplied, "I keep telling him it's not his fault. There's nothing we could or would have done differently. We still wanted a baby, so even if we knew how he died, it wouldn't have stopped us." Larry intervened, "But I…" Arizona took a deep breath and reached out for their entwined hands.
Speaking calmly she explained, "Erin's right, there is no way of knowing and none of the tests available at the time you were born would have caught this in your brother and if it is the same, it wouldn't have been labeled as such. As far as this being your fault, the fact that there is more than one baby, yeah…that might be on you." The man smiled just a little and Arizona continued, "At this point in time, current research isn't finding that HLHS is genetic. There are rare cases in which it is a recessive gene and if that were the case here, it would have skipped your children. But because you weren't identical twins, that chance is also very slim. The only reason all three of your children have it is because they are identical and share the exact same DNA." Both parents nodded and Arizona explained further, "No one can know for certain what causes these types of defects. What's important is that we know what it is and if you are willing to let me, I can try to fix that." Erin looked at the gentle surgeon and asked, "If…if it were you, would you have the surgery?" Arizona smiled and responded, "Well, that is a difficult question since I am the best person for the job and it would be kind of hard." Both Erin and Larry chuckled and Arizona became serious and responded, "If this were me, I would do everything I could to save and protect my babies. I understand your fears. Any surgery is scary and risky, but to me, not knowing, not doing anything and wondering if I could have done something is scarier." While both parents looked a little more at ease, they were far from relaxed.
Arizona sat back in her chair and debated with herself for a moment then shared, "My daughter, Sofia, she was born at 23 weeks old because my girlfriend and I were in a car accident. When Sofia was delivered, she didn't have a heartbeat. I stood and watched as my colleagues did their best to no avail. Finally, I shoved them out of the way and got her heart beating myself. Before she was a month old, she had to have heart surgery. She spent three months in an incubator in the NICU. She's 8 now and last week she led a group of campers to safety while they waited to be rescued. Except for the scar, you would never know she struggled to live. She was 1 pound and 1 ounce and fit in the palm of my hand. Today I can barely lift her. I also lost a child right before my 8 week check-up. We don't even know the gender. Every time I look at an ultrasound, this little pinprick pokes at my heart because I wonder what if. So when I say to you, I get it, I understand, I don't mean it from the point of view that I'm a surgeon and I've seen it. I mean it from the point of view that I'm a parent and I've lived it. So, if this were me, yes, I would have the surgery and I would be scared out of my mind and I would seek reassurance wherever I could find it. As a surgeon, I can't and I won't make you any promises. I will however tell you that I am one of the best and I am confident that this surgery is successful and necessary and I am also confident in my skills and apparently many of my peers are as well or you wouldn't be here."
Erin and Larry looked at one another and for the first time since Arizona met them, they visibly relaxed. Erin reached out for Arizona's hand, squeezed it tightly and said, "Thank you Dr. Robbins. I think we both feel so much better now and I think we know what we need to do." Larry nodded and offered, "We'd like you to operate on our girls. We need to give them the best chance we can Dr. Robbins." Arizona looked at both parents, smiled and suggested, "Please, call me Arizona. I have a feeling we will be seeing a great deal of each other." The couple nodded and she asked, "Is there anything else I can do for you?" Erin shook her head and asked, "So what do I need to do to prepare?" Arizona went to her desk, opened her laptop and quickly printed out a document and handed it to Erin explaining, "These are all the directions for the days leading up to and after the surgery. Because you are carrying triplets, I want to keep you for at least a week afterward so we can monitor you around the clock. Dee will contact you with further instructions and a definite time, but I still need you to come in sometime next week for bloodwork." Erin nodded and this time didn't ask before pulling the surgeon into a hug. Arizona walked them to the lobby and sighed when she remembered what a mess they had going on.
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Callie popped her neck and stretched out her arms while walking toward her office. She just finished a three hour surgery and she was starving. She glanced across the parking lot and saw another delivery truck sitting out front and wondered if Arizona had stopped to eat. She took out her phone to send her girlfriend a text message and smiled when she saw the message telling her it was day three. That meant Arizona started her medication and their baby making journey had begun. She walked into her office scanning through the messages Maria sent to Arizona and without paying attention, she walked over to her couch and started to sit down when she heard, "Not quite what I picture when I think about you sitting on my face." She jumped up and turned to see Arizona lying on the couch and laughed when her words finally registered. She lifted her hands to the waistband of her scrubs and teased, "We can do it your way, I have no problem with that." Arizona giggled, turned on her back, lifted her arms and whined, "Come here you." Callie took off her lab coat and gracefully poured herself on top of Arizona settling her hips between her legs and resting on her elbows. She bent down to steal a kiss then asked, "What are you doing here?" Arizona pouted and responded, "Hiding." Callie chuckled and asked, "It's that bad over there huh?" Arizona nodded and answered, "Another truck just came, I have no idea what it could be. I assigned every team a task and Dee and Bill are directing traffic. I'm tired, hungry, have a headache, and miss my girlfriend, so I ordered food for us and came over to hide from all the scary boxes." Callie poked out her bottom lip and kissed Arizona's forehead.
Scooting down to make herself more comfortable, Callie rested her head on Arizona's chest and closed her eyes when a pale hand came up and started playing in her hair and whispered, "I missed you too, I hate waking up alone." Arizona hummed in agreement and asked, "Did you understand my message?" Callie lifted her head and smiled her mega-watt smile and asked, "About the third day? I did, did you take it?" Arizona nodded and Callie put her head back down just in time for Arizona to reveal, "If everything goes to plan, we should be ready to inseminate on July 31st." Callie's eyes went wide and she tried to keep her entire body from vibrating with excitement. Apparently something tipped her girlfriend off because she asked, "What is it?" Callie looked up at her with the most illuminating smile and answered, "Not only did you just tell me I'm for sure getting sex that night, but you just told me when we get to try to make a baby so I'm trying not to jump up and scream it to the world." Arizona laughed, pulled her down for a long lingering kiss and whispered, "We're making a baby." Callie leaned forward to kiss her again but they were both smiling so big they just ended up laughing.
After they settled down, Callie asked, "What did you order for lunch?" Arizona rolled her eyes and answered, "Period food." Callie nodded and replied, "Greasy burgers, salty fries, and a chocolate milkshake." Arizona shrugged, lifted her brows and teased, "I got you a salad." Callie scowled and snapped, "You better not have." Arizona laughed and said, "I got you the other stuff too, but I ordered you a salad just in case you didn't feel like having something heavy." Callie nodded and retorted, "You got me a salad so I wouldn't get hungry when you eat all my fries." Arizona defended, "I'm possibly eating for two." Callie threw back her head and laughed, "And so it begins. I do believe I need to knock you up first." Arizona nodded and responded, "I mean, this is Mark's ummm stuff so really, all I need to do is be in the same room with it when I'm ovulating." Callie laughed again and shook her head declaring, "You are overtired and getting silly." Arizona nodded and replied, "Maybe a little." She groaned when she heard a knock on the door, she was so comfortable and didn't want to move. Callie rolled off of her and went to the door to collect their food, thanked her nurse and went back to sit next to her girlfriend who finally found the strength to sit up.
After they went through their ritual of swapping out pickles and tomatoes and placing them in each other's Styrofoam box, Callie popped a fry in her mouth and said, "I'm glad you're here actually. I wanted to talk to you about some of the offers I got for the prototype." Arizona slurped on her shake and asked, "What happened to the Mobius guy?" Callie shook her head and explained, "His was more of a wishful thinking type thing. Mobius focuses on robotic arms and he's trying to talk them into branching out because of his daughter. I asked him to bring her in for a consult and I'd see what we could do. Anyway, I got two serious offers and I want your input." Arizona furrowed her brow in question and Callie put down her food and turned to look at her. She took Arizona's hand and explained, "This is a huge decision professionally, financially, and personally and you are my partner, my soulmate, and I want us to make this decision together. It affects our family so it's our decision." Arizona smiled, leaned in to brush their lips together, and whispered, "Thank you." Callie smiled and responded, "Thank you. You've already made so many sacrifices and you haven't made a single decision without consulting me since you moved here. It's what we do now." Arizona nodded, bit down on a fry and inquired, "Tell me about them and what you are thinking."
For the remainder of their lunch, Callie explained both offers and the pros and cons of each as she understood them. Arizona asked, "So which one were you thinking about?" Callie tilted her head and answered, "OSSUR. I've worked with their products the most, they have a quick turnaround time and they produce high quality prosthetics. They're offering a smaller percentage though. I mean, I see the merits of both and honestly, I think I might be stuck on OSSUR because I know their products better." Arizona nodded, looked at the written documents Callie showed her and compared the two then suggested, "I am leaning more toward Blatchford." Callie tilted her head and asked, "Why?" Arizona pointed to the papers and explained, "Both companies agreed to use the same products you used with no need for further updates, yet OSSUR's projected sale price is five thousand dollars more than Blatchford who is also offering you a larger percentage of total sales." Callie looked down at the papers and furrowed her brow and revealed, "I didn't even notice that part. What else?" Arizona turned to the last page and pointed, "Right here, OSSUR is asking that you don't use your own products on your patients. Basically, they are implying that by manufacturing the prototype, they are purchasing your patent." Callie looked through the Blatchford paperwork and pointed out, "Oh, right here it says I still have control of my intellectual property and patents. But OSSUR has already extended an offer for any new upgrades or products." Arizona nodded and argued, "That's because they want to control your inventions and creations. It also says they have the right to use it in their other products. But Blatchford says they are asking for the option to do that and offer you a percentage of those sales as well."
Callie sat back and said, "Wow! I can't believe I missed all that. I think it was just, I saw OSSUR and saw stars. See this is why I needed you." Arizona gave her a hard smacking kiss, flipped her hair and chirped, "Because I'm awesome." Callie mumbled, "Or because you read the fine print." Arizona chuckled and answered, "That too. Honestly, they are both good offers, but I feel like Blatchford follows more closely with your intent to deliver at an affordable cost and allows you more flexibility to continue to use your own designs." Callie nodded and declared, "Blatchford it is." She leaned in, kissed Arizona softly, lifted her hand to caress her cheek and whispered, "Thank you for going through this with me. I really appreciate your feedback." Arizona leaned into the touch and answered, "Thank you for asking me and including me on this decision." She smiled brightly and teased, "New York Callie and Arizona are rockin' it!" Callie nodded and agreed, "We totally are!"
Arizona started cleaning up the mess and sighed, "I guess I need to get back and face the boxes." Callie tossed her cup in the garbage and pouted, "I need to get back to work too. Are you sure you are up for dinner with my parents tonight? I can just pick Sof up from their room when I'm done with Aria." Arizona nodded and responded, "I'm looking forward to it actually. But from the look on your face, you aren't so excited about your dinner date." Callie shook her head and released a deep breath and admitted, "I'm really not. I have so much to say to her and I just don't want to explode on her." Arizona wrapped her arms around Callie's waist and suggested, "Just talk to her and if you feel like you are getting too angry, ask her if you can finish the conversation at another time because you don't want to say something you can't take back." Callie kissed the top of Arizona's head and said, "I wish you could come with me." Arizona rubbed her back and offered, "Try to talk to her alone first, then if you need to, we can talk to her together. How's that?" Callie smiled, nodded and declared, "I love you so much." Arizona lifted her head and returned, "I love you too. I'll see you tonight. If you need to, just step away and call me. I'll answer." Callie nodded and walked Arizona to the door and kissed her goodbye.
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Arizona walked into the restaurant at The Aria and smiled when Carlos stood and waved her over and Sofia met her halfway to give her a hug. Arizona smoothed out her daughter's hair, narrowed her eyes at her and teased, "I don't recall seeing that dress before, did you con abuelo out of a dress?" Lucia stood to hug the blonde and responded, "I'm the guilty one. I saw it at a boutique last week and couldn't resist." Arizona nodded and agreed, "It's very hard. Thank you, it's beautiful." Sofia sat in her seat and declared, "Asides, I needed a fancy dress for dinner." Arizona bit back her smile and corrected, "Besides, not asides." Sofia huffed and nodded her head in understanding. Carlos chuckled and hugged the blonde then pulled out her chair and apologized, "I hope you don't mind that we are eating here, we are not trying to go cheap on you…" Arizona interjected, "I wouldn't quite call a 4-star restaurant cheap, but I don't mind at all. I've only eaten here once before and the food was amazing." Carlos bowed his head in thanks and responded, "Well you are in for a real treat tonight. The chef is preparing to upgrade the menu soon and has made some changes to existing dishes. It's always been my preference to taste everything before it is approved, so tonight we will be treated with a tasting menu." Arizona smiled brightly and responded, "Oooh that sounds so exciting." Lucia added, "We have an ulterior motive for inviting you to dinner, we have been at this for years so we always appreciate the opinion of others. So please don't hold back. We are looking for things that we would want to eat over and over again and dishes you can't get just anywhere." Arizona nodded, looked at her daughter and asked, "We can definitely give our opinion can't we Sof?" Both of the elder Torres' laughed at that because they could most certainly testify to that fact.
Within a few minutes, two waiters arrived and placed four large plates with a variety of appetizers and hors d'oeuvres on each plate. The two men stepped aside and the chef placed a small card in front of each of the patrons and greeted, "Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Torres. I know you are familiar with the process; however I would like to explain it to your two lovely guests if I may." Carlos nodded and the chef proceeded to tell Arizona and Sofia that each item they will be tasting is listed on the card and asked that they put a star next to their favorites, a checkmark if they like the sample, and an 'X' if they did not like it at all. Everyone nodded their understanding, accepted the pens which of course had the Torres logo emblazoned on them, then listened as the chef described each of the finger foods. Sofia was loving this, she felt so important to be able to help pick the menu for the hotel. She was the first to declare, "I really like this little taco cup. It's one tiny bite but I could eat a hundred of them." The adults laughed and Arizona agreed, "It's really good and I know mama would love it too. I think my favorite is the crab stuffed mushroom, but I really like this watermelon cube with burrata and balsamic vinaigrette too." Sofia laughed and argued, "You like that because it would be mama's favorite." Both Carlos and Lucia looked at one another knowingly and secretly marked their cards as the two carried on their conversation.
The meal continued in the same fashion throughout the evening, next with a salad course, then onto the main entrées and side dishes. Both Carlos and Lucia were impressed by Sofia's comments as well as her sophisticated palate. While they knew she loved her fast food and treats, she also clearly had been exposed to a variety of foods and cultures. Lucia noted how frequently Arizona mentioned Callie and how she would love a certain dish or how she would like some ingredients but not others. It warmed her heart to know how naturally it came to the blonde and she wasn't just doing or saying something because they were Callie's parents, but because their daughter was never far from her mind. She had to admit, this woman certainly knew her daughter's tastes, and it was funny that they haven't changed much from when she was a child. Once their meal was finished, they continued to carry on a conversation, though each of them was wondering how things were going with the two family members who were clearly absent.
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Aria paced the living area of the penthouse suite in the hotel and worried that maybe she should have asked Callie to meet her in public. She knew her sister had a temper and might be less likely to unleash it in a fancy restaurant. She also knew this was probably going to be a very emotional conversation and didn't want either of them to hold back their feelings. She knew Callie was holding herself together for her family's sake last night, but she could feel the tension when just the two of them engaged in conversation. When she heard the knock on the door, she released the breath she'd been holding and went to answer it. She was slightly surprised to see her sister standing before her in what looked to her to be men's clothing, navy blue trousers, a button down shirt with dark and light blue paisley designs, and a pair of suspenders. She had noticed the hair cut yesterday but thought nothing of the jeans and t-shirt her sister was wearing. Callie noticed her sister taking in her appearance and realized that was just another layer they needed to unwrap during their conversation. Finally she asked, "Are you just going to stare at my clothes or are you actually going to let me in?" Aria shook her head, opened the door wider and mumbled, "Sorry."
Callie walked into the living area and noticed the dining table was already set with a variety of covered dishes. She turned to her sister and arched her brow in question. Aria snorted and responded, "Daddy had the chef make extra portions of some of the items from 'the tasting menu' they are offering to Arizona. It just arrived." Callie snorted and replied, "I can't believe mami thought of that, it was genius." Aria balked, "That was mami's idea?" Callie laughed and nodded her head and explained, "I was just going to pick three dishes but mami insisted the bride had to participate in choosing the food for her wedding." The older Torres sister shook her head and asked, "Does she have some kind of spell over them or something?" Callie smiled dreamily at how staunchly her girlfriend defended her and their love to both of her parents and replied, "She's just amazing like that." Aria could see how deeply in love both women were with each other and her heart hurt over the fact that both she and her mother held that against her all these years. She held out her arm toward the table and asked, "Shall we?" Callie nodded and took a seat.
While Aria poured them both a glass of wine, Callie removed the silver cloches from all of the dishes. Seeing all of the offerings, she shook her head and observed, "Wow! They weren't messing around." Aria agreed, "They most certainly weren't, and to think we are only seeing a portion of what they got." Callie chuckled and declared, "Oh my girls are in food heaven right now." They both started eating in tense silence, the clinking of forks or the scraping of a knife on the plates the only sound in the room. Neither knew where to start or who should start. Callie felt she was owed a more thorough explanation and apology and didn't feel like she should have to ask for it. Aria was concerned that any reason she gave wouldn't be enough and no amount of apologies in the world could excuse her behavior or take away the hurt that was evident in her sister's eyes. Not able to take it any longer, Callie set her silverware down a little too firmly and stated, "I just want to know why." Aria looked up at the woman across from her and could now clearly see all the hurt, anger, and pent up frustration she carried with her for the last ten years in her eyes and on her face. She swallowed the food and the lump that formed in her throat, took a drink of her wine to give her a little more time, then set her silverware down as well.
Callie inhaled deeply not knowing what would come out of her older sister's mouth, but already feeling it wouldn't be enough. Aria shook her head and answered, "I can't give you a good reason or an acceptable reason. I understand now, there is no reason to cut someone who has done absolutely nothing to you out of your life." Callie stared at her sister and answered, "That's not good enough. I need to know what you were thinking, why you just stopped answering my calls. You were my sister, you had gay friends, we always supported each other. When I first introduced Arizona to daddy and he cut me off, I expected it from mami, but not from you. I just knew when I called you after he left that you would answer and you would understand. But I got nothing Aria! Nothing for 10 years." Aria hung her head in shame and answered, "At first, I was shocked. It took me a while to wrap my head around it. When I saw how they reacted, I thought…I guess I thought they would cut me off too." Callie shook her head and argued, "But when daddy changed his mind, you still didn't. You didn't even come out to meet Sofia or come to my wedding. Even mami tried…okay she didn't try but she showed up." Aria snorted and Callie chuckled as well. Aria didn't know how to answer this without hurting both her sister and the man she knew as her father, but she had to try to make it make sense.
Aria took a drink of her wine and explained, "What I am about to say is going to upset you and I mean absolutely no disrespect to you or daddy." Callie was certain she knew what was about to come out of her sister's mouth but nodded for her to continue. Aria stated, "Even though I can't remember my life without him in it and I feel like he is my father in every sense of the word, there's this little piece of me that knows I'm not his biological child, that my biological father passed away before I was born. So a part of me, I felt like I had to follow mami's lead." "That's bullshit and you know it!" Callie yelled, tossed her napkin on the table, stood up, and started pacing the room. Aria rubbed at her temples and tried, "No, I didn't know it. You were always closer to daddy and I was always closer to mami. You know that and you can't deny it." Callie turned on her and retorted, "You were 35 years old Aria! It took you 10 years and mami's acceptance of me and my family for you to finally make an effort." Aria looked properly chastised, but Callie was in no way finished.
Callie started pacing again and felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She took it out and smiled when she saw it was a text from Arizona. Opening it up, she read the message and did exactly what it said, 'Breathe'. Callie closed her eyes and let out a deep breath then in a much calmer tone supplied, "What you did, it hurt worse because I knew that you were only following mami's lead. I knew you were worried about losing your trust fund and your place in the firm. Mami…I don't agree with it, but I expected it, she was doing what she thought her God was asking of her, what her religion required her to believe. But you…you were a grown adult and stayed away for selfish reasons. For 10 years Aria. Do you know how much has happened to me in 10 years?" Aria had heard bits and pieces, but she figured she was about to hear it all right now. Callie sat down and explained, "I almost died in a car accident, Sofia almost died before she was 5 minutes old, Arizona was the one who saved her. Arizona almost died in a plane crash, she lost her leg and it changed us both. Mark, Sofia's dad and my best friend did die because of that crash. I was married, got a divorce, lost my daughter in a custody battle, moved to a different state. Not once did you or mami call or check on me or even ask how I was. Not once did you think to ask about your niece or try to meet her. Part of me wishes it was because of religious reasons, at least it would make a little sense. But it makes no sense to me at all." Aria could feel the hot tears running down her cheeks, tears full of guilt and shame, not just for this but for what she was about to share.
Aria shook her head and proclaimed, "I'm not as brave as you Callie. I'm not as strong as you. I grew up loving my indulgent lifestyle while you fought it every step of the way. I couldn't make it on my own and I was scared to death to try. Hell, I'm still scared to try because the one time I did, I failed miserably and almost died because of it." Callie's head snapped up hearing this. She looked at her sister and asked, "What happened?" Aria let out a sigh and shook her head in shame then began, "Eight years ago, mami hired a new lawyer in the firm, Jason Richardson. He was handsome and sexy and charming and he was perfect and he was catholic. There was this instant connection and of course our parents were all over me to date him. I was 37 years old and I was still single, that's a sin in and of itself." Callie chuckled because she knew in her mom's eyes it was. Aria continued, "We were married within a year. Beach wedding, it was gorgeous. My life was just…amazing. I was so happy until about a year after we were married. I was about to make partner and that's when things started to change. I don't know if he was jealous or what, but he became verbally abusive, he was constantly ridiculing me. When we were invited places, he would either take me and watch me like a hawk accusing me of cheating on him, or he would decline on my behalf and go without me. Before long, he had isolated me from everyone and even tried to put a wedge between me and mami. He kept making excuses why we couldn't go to family dinners and I was just…I was so enamored by him, I didn't care. All the signs were there, I just didn't see them."
Callie watched as her sister's eyes glassed over and she seemed to go to a completely different place. She understood what was happening when Aria went on, "We were married for almost a year and a half when I got pregnant." Callie's eyes widened and now she understood what her mother meant by Aria had gone through a lot as well. Aria saw her sister's reaction and shook her head, "I was over the moon. Oddly, you were the first person I wanted to call. I knew you just had a baby and I wanted to talk about pregnancy and get parenting tips from my sister. He knew we were estranged and why. He actually refused to allow me to call you. He said he didn't want that in our child's life. Sadly, that was really the most he commented about the baby." Callie's heart swelled just a little; she knew she shouldn't, but she felt good knowing that her sister wanted her. She also understood now that it wasn't just her mother's influence that held her back. Aria got up from the table and went to the window and continued, "He didn't really have much to say about the baby, didn't go to appointments or anything. When I was about 6 months along, Mami discovered someone had been embezzling money from the firm. It started a little over two years before she finally discovered it. Almost ten million dollars in total." Callie gasped; she knew what was coming.
Aria looked at her sister and said, "I figured it out. I found a secret account. I also found out his name wasn't Jason Richardson. When I confronted him about it, we got into a huge fight. He told me he never loved me, he married me for my family's money but daddy made him sign a pre-nup and he was determined he was going to get 'his' money one way or another. You know our temper, I went crazy on him and started screaming at him. He pushed me away from him and I fell into the wall, I got back up in his face and he pushed me again and I fell down the stairs." By this time, both women were crying. Callie got up and wrapped her sister in her arms and tried to soothe her. Aria picked up her head and kept on, she needed to get it all out, "Obviously I lost the baby, but I was in a coma for about a week. I had a concussion and a broken leg. They said something about brain swelling, I really don't know. You're the surgeon. When I woke up and found out I lost my baby, I went into a deep depression. I wouldn't talk to anyone. I blamed myself and my temper. They admitted me to the psychiatric ward and I was there for a month before they released me. Daddy pressed charges against Jason and he was convicted for attempted murder and manslaughter. Mami had the divorce finalized before I was even out of the hospital. They had me declared incapacitated and got power of attorney over me. After I was released, I went back to that house. I saw those stairs and kept replaying the argument over and over in my head. I couldn't handle it and took all my medication at once. Mami found me."
Callie stepped back, wiped the tears from her eyes, shook her head and asked, "Why didn't anyone tell me? Why didn't daddy tell me?" Aria looked at her and answered sadly, "Your wife was just in a plane crash and lost her leg, your best friend died, and you were raising a baby on your own." Callie quickly did the math in her head and realized that it was around the same time, or shortly afterward. Either way, she was in no condition to wrap her head around that. Aria took her sister's hand and explained, "It took me about 2 years to fully recover. Mami took care of me during most of that time. I didn't realize she blamed herself as well. One day we had a long talk and she broke down about how she pushed me into marriage and it was her fault and how she had misled both of her children and let us down. I talked her into seeing my therapist. At first we went together and then she started going alone. I didn't go back to work full time until last year. Mami and I, we've been trying to figure out how we could reconcile with you, if you would even give us the chance. When she called me that night after you left the hotel, she was a mess. I convinced her to go to you, to try again. When we found out what happened to Sofia, I couldn't let any more time pass, I had to try too. I'm sorry Callie. I truly am, I was selfish in the beginning and should have reached out to you. But these last several years, I was just…I was a damn mess." Callie pulled Aria into a hug and replied, "I accept your apology and I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."
Aria pulled back and argued, "Oh no, you don't get to do that. I know you and your big heart and you are already feeling guilty for something you had no control over and no knowledge about. This is on me. I carry this load. Got it?" Callie smirked and replied, "You're still pretty damn bossy, you know that?" Aria nodded and answered, "I'm the big sister, I get to be bossy." She tilted her head and looked at Callie and asked, "So are you ummm…are you still my sister or?" Callie looked down at herself and nodded, "I'm still biologically a female, yes. But I am non-binary and I just…" Aria cut her off and asked, "Is this a long story? Because I'm starving." Callie chuckled and responded, "It's kinda long. Let's heat up the food and I'll tell you about it." Aria gathered the plates and put them in the microwave and Callie explained her journey to her sister while they ate. When she was finished, Aria asked, "Do mami and daddy know?" Callie smiled and answered, "They do, they asked me all about it and wanted me to help them understand." Aria nodded and declared, "I'm really proud of you Cal. You've lived your life your way and hit a lot of bumps along the way, but you're staying true to yourself and I admire that. I always have. I just wish I was brave enough to stand up for you back then." Callie reached out and grabbed her sister's hand and said, "I'm going to tell you what I told mami. We aren't going to keep apologizing and we aren't going to dwell. You've apologized, I do forgive you, I don't trust you just yet, but I will work on it and I want to move forward." Aria stood up and held out her arms and prodded, "Bring it in." Callie stood and hugged her sister.
Pulling back, Aria looked at the clock and asked, "Shouldn't they be back by now?" Callie looked at her phone and didn't see any messages from Arizona and shrugged then offered, "Maybe they are still downstairs." Aria grabbed her phone and suggested, "Let's go join them. I'd like to get to know my future sister in law better." Callie clapped her hand over her sister's mouth and ordered, "Shut up! She doesn't know." Aria pulled Callie's hand down and teased, "I'm pretty sure she can't hear me." They walked out of the room and got into the elevator and Aria asked, "So does your kid grill everyone who comes into your house or was I special." Callie snorted and mumbled, "Oh you're special." Aria shoved her shoulder and ordered, "Shut up." Callie laughed and told her about how Sofia did the same thing to their mother and Aria said, "See, she's a pit bull." Callie laughed and said, "You're just mad that she got you with the ET thing." They stepped out of the elevator and Aria worried, "I'm not sure she likes me. Maybe I should give her a puppy." Callie glared at her sister and warned, "Don't you dare!"
When they walked into the restaurant, Callie's face lit up when she heard Arizona's musical laughter and she followed the sound to the private table reserved for family. Seeing her face, Aria whispered, "You are so whipped." Callie kept her eyes on the beautiful blonde and proudly admitted, "Damn straight." Aria retorted, "Umm don't you mean damn queer? Cuz you are anything but straight." Callie asked, "Are you trying to make jokes?" Aria shrugged. Callie whispered, "I'll sic my pit bull on you." Aria quipped, "I'll give her a puppy." Their argument was broken up when Carlos noticed his daughters approaching the table and declared, "There's my other two girls." Arizona popped out of her seat and rushed straight to Callie and pulled her into a hug. Before she could even ask, Callie whispered, "I'm good. We're good." Arizona pulled back and noticed her girlfriend had been crying and arched her brow indicating she didn't believe her. Callie linked their fingers and said, "I promise. I'll tell you all about it when we get home." Arizona nodded and pulled Callie to the table. She pouted when she saw that Aria stole her seat next to Sofia. The little girl looked up and noticed her mama's eyes were puffy and turned to look at her tia and narrowed her eyes at her and asked, "Did you make my mama cry?" Callie rushed to her sister's defense, scooped her daughter out of her chair and whispered, "Mama did what you said and told Aria how I felt and I cried a little bit while I was doing that, but I'm okay, I promise, and I can already feel my heart healing." Sofia looked at her mama again and smiled when she saw her special smile, nodded her head, and squirmed out of her mama's arms and took her seat next to her tia again.
Arizona and Callie both took a seat and Callie said, "We thought you'd have been done with dinner a while ago. What took you so long?" Sofia looked at her mama and explained, "It was a tasting menu mama, they brought us all kinds of food and the chef had to explain each one and then when we were done, we had to tell him what we thought and we got to vote on these little cards and he did that between every course and it was exhausting and I'm stuffed." All the adults laughed then Callie looked at the plates sitting closest to where her girlfriend was sitting and asked, "What was wrong with the chicken piccata? You barely touched it." Lucia, Carlos, and Sofia all answered, "It wasn't yours." Callie smiled, kissed Arizona's nose and declared, "You're so cute." Arizona shrugged and responded, "I'm spoiled. But while we are on the subject, you haven't made that for me in quite a while." Callie nodded and promised, "I'll make it soon." Aria coughed, "Whipped." Callie glared at her sister and lifted her hand to scratch at her forehead with her middle finger. Arizona chuckled and was happy to see the two sisters were acting like sisters.
A/N: Whew! This one's a long one. I know it could have been two chapters, but…there's no excuse. The girls kept talking to me so I wrote what they said to write.
As always, I love seeing your updates and I hope you see some of your predictions or wishes coming true. I'm doing my best to incorporate them. Some of them have even given me inspiration for things I hadn't planned on including.
None of the characters or companies are mine. Well some of them, but not the one's you're here for. They belong to Shonda.