Early Wednesday morning, Arizona sat at her desk going over the Senator's file for the third time since Nicole gave it to her. Based upon the most recent scans from three weeks ago, there was no mistaking what the diagnosis was. Not to her anyway, but her findings didn't quite match the reports from the other specialists who had consulted on the case. She stared at the last scan and tried to determine the best course of action. After writing down her notes as well as her plan of action for the day, the fetal surgeon called Dee and asked her to bring the Senator and her husband to her office instead of sending them to an exam room. She always found she could get a better feel for her patients if they were in a more relaxed environment and not surrounded by a bunch of medical equipment they were unfamiliar with. Though she had seen the file, she didn't know what the parents had been told, how much of it they understood, or how they were handling any of this. So she needed to start there.
All she knew at this point is they have spoken to specialists from three different hospitals and they all arrived at the same conclusion, LHLS, but didn't go into greater detail nor did they mention anything about the other defects she had noticed unless they were lumping it all together. No matter what their findings, not one of them would touch the case because it was multiples and they all agreed she should be consulted since she had the higher success rate. Arizona blew out a breath and rubbed at her face with her hands. She knew she could perform the surgery; she had performed this surgery a handful of times with successful results. She had also operated on multiples several times; she had just never performed this exact surgery on triplets with the same defects. There was no way she could say no, she just needed to know exactly what she was saying yes to and if the parents understood the severity of the situation.
Just as she crossed the room to pour herself a cup of coffee, she heard a knock on her door. Dee poked her head in and informed her the patient and her husband were here. Arizona smiled and nodded, then watched as the nervous couple were escorted into her office. Mr. Gavin was a tall thin man who looked to be in his early 40's with jet black hair that was just starting to show some grey. Senator Gavin had long straight auburn colored hair, a fair complexion, stood about two inches shorter than herself and already looked like she was 8 months pregnant even though she was in the middle of her 22nd week. Arizona crossed the room, extended her hand, and greeted the mother, "Hello Senator Gavin, I'm Dr. Arizona Robbins, please have a seat. Can I get either of you anything to drink?" The woman laughed and responded, "Right about now I could use a good strong shot, but I'm guessing as my potential doctor you would frown at that and please, call me Erin. This is my husband Larry." Arizona shook both of their hands, offered them a seat on the sofa and when both parents declined her offer of water or coffee, she sat in the chair across from them.
Before she could say anything, Erin began, "Thank you so much for seeing us. When we were first given your name, it was our understanding that you were still in Seattle so we called the hospital there and were told you no longer worked there and they had no business number for you and they could not give out your personal number. When I saw the Robbins-Herman Center for Women's Health was opening in Brooklyn, I took a shot in the dark hoping it was you." Arizona sighed and apologized, "I am so sorry about that, clear directions were given that my personal number was in fact supposed to be given to patients. You're here now and that's what matters." Both parents nodded and she noticed that Larry appeared to be more nervous than his wife.
Arizona started, "I looked at your file and had initially intended to run all of the labs and tests again, however I feel like I can cut most of that out. There is no point in putting you or the babies under unnecessary stress when I can find what I'm looking for with two simple tests. What I would like to do first is ask you to explain to me your understanding of what is going on with your babies and what you've been told so far." Erin looked at Larry and he nodded for her to speak and she explained, "At my 18-week check up with my regular OB, we were supposed to find out the gender of our babies. We were so excited to learn what we were having. While the sonographer was doing the ultrasound, she stopped right in the middle and went to get Dr. Harris. Neither of them told us what was happening and we waited for what felt like hours before they finally spoke to us. Dr. Harris told us the baby's heartbeat was irregular and we asked him which one and he said all three. He gave us the name of a fetal cardiologist in Boston and set up an appointment for us the same week. We were so upset by the news; we didn't even find out what we were having." By this point, she was crying and Larry continued, "We saw Dr. Costas in Boston and he did another ultrasound, took some blood, and did an echocardiogram. His diagnosis based on those results was hypoplastic left heart syndrome. He sent all of the results to other specialists and they all said the same thing." Arizona could hear the fear in their voices, see it in their eyes. She stood up to get her files and a box of tissue and gave it to Erin.
Arizona furrowed her brow and asked, "Did they explain to you what that meant?" Both of them nodded and Erin answered, "To our understanding, it basically means the left side of the heart is underdeveloped and is not doing what it is supposed to do." Arizona nodded and explained, "In a normal heart, each side has a specific job. The left side is meant to carry oxygenated blood to the aorta which is a larger artery which pumps that blood to the rest of the body. LHLS is a defect in the left side of the heart that isn't developing properly meaning the chambers and valves are smaller and not enough blood can pass through to meet the demands of your babies. In most cases, LHLS isn't even diagnosed until after the baby is born. In the fetal heart, there are other structures that help the blood by-pass the lungs while the fetus gets its oxygen from you. But when the baby is born, those passages close and that is usually when LHLS is detected. In your case, those other structures are not working properly either and it's putting a strain on each of your baby's hearts." Larry ran his hand down his face and asked, "Are you saying there's more wrong than just the LHLS?" Arizona nodded and answered, "Unfortunately, I am, it's actually those defects which caused the irregularities in the heartbeats and made it possible for Dr. Costas to discover the LHLS. What I would like to do today is do a 4-D ultrasound to see and hear the babies myself and run another echo so I can have the most up to date information before I give you my diagnosis and we develop a plan of action." Both parents nodded and Arizona stood up to lead them to an exam room.
Once Erin was as comfortable as she could get on the examination bed, Arizona went through her spiel about the gel being cold and what she was going to do and what she was looking for. After moving the wand around for a moment, she smiled brightly when she saw the tiny little bodies fill the screen. She had already assumed they were identical and shared the same gestational sac, but this confirmed it. Remembering what Erin said earlier, she asked, "Did you ever find out the genders of your babies?" Erin shook her head and Larry answered, "We…uh…we are afraid to know. The other doctors, they didn't make the odds sound good that they would survive even if she made it to term." Arizona was concerned this was an indication that they had already given up hope, she tilted her head and asked, "Why are you afraid to know when you were so excited before?" Larry took his wife's hand and looked at her then at the blonde doctor and replied, "I don't…I can't explain it." Arizona nodded, put down the wand and shared, "Knowing or not knowing the gender of your baby doesn't make this any less real. I have found with several of my patients that knowing what they are having, giving their baby a name, it gives them hope, it makes them feel closer to their child and yes, it might be scarier because then this tiny unseen object becomes human, it feels like there is more to lose. But in reality, it's not going to hurt any less if something does go wrong."
Erin and Larry looked at one another, then Larry bent down to kiss his wife's forehead and they both nodded and Erin asked, "Will you tell us? Can you see what they are?" Arizona smiled and said, "I can do better than that." She lifted the wand again, tapped a few keys, zoomed out, and turned the monitor so they could see the three very tiny humans. The fetal surgeon announced, "Larry, Erin, I would like you to meet your girls." Both parents had tears in their eyes and Arizona continued with the ultrasound and zoomed in on each fetus and explained, "This is the baby on your right, she is baby A, this here, in the middle is baby B, and finally on your left, is baby C." While she was talking, she was measuring and labeling each picture. She printed copies of each of them and handed them to Erin who flipped through them and commented on how they all had Larry's chin and her nose. Arizona smiled. In her opinion, if the parents were more familiar with everything that was happening and she could give them just a tiny extra bit of hope, it was healthier for both mother and child. Her own baby was never far from her mind and she often wished she could have gotten to that point where they personalized it, she would never not wonder what gender her baby was or what it would be like now.
Moving the wand around, she explained, "I am going to start the echo now and I will be stopping to explain to you what I am hearing as I go along." Erin sighed in relief and said, "Thank you." Arizona started with Baby A, tapped a few keys, turned up the volume and listened to the heart for a few beats before explaining, "What I am hearing is a tiny click then a whooshing sound. What that tells me is there is aortic stenosis, which is a narrowing of the aorta, the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. This narrowing means less blood flow. The whooshing sound following the click tells me there is mitral valve regurgitation which means when the valve that carries blood from the left atrium to the left ventricle contracts, the blood goes backward just a little bit." Arizona followed the same procedure on all three babies pointing out the same concern each time. When she was finished, she declared, "Let's go back into my office and we will talk about what all of this means." Larry wiped the gel from his wife's abdomen and helped her off the table.
When they returned to her office, they all took the same seats and Arizona explained, "Based upon those tests, I have confirmed the LHLS as well as the aortic stenosis and mitral valve regurgitation." Both parents nodded and she continued, "We have two options, the first is a fetal aortic valvuloplasty. Using images from an ultrasound, I will guide a needle through your abdomen, into the uterus and ultimately into each baby's aortic valve. There, I will inflate a balloon, enabling proper blood flow. After that, we will do weekly ultrasounds to monitor each baby. Due to the strain natural birth would cause on their hearts, we will need to schedule you for a C-section when the time comes and there is a possibility that one or all of them will need another balloon procedure or open-heart surgery as soon as they are born but most likely within the first 18 months. Our second option is to do nothing, monitor the babies, and operate as soon as they are born. I need to warn you, though both options are risky, if we do nothing, the chances of carrying to term are slim." Larry nodded and asked, "You mean she could lose one or all of them before giving birth." Arizona nodded and answered, "It's a strong possibility."
Erin and Larry looked at one another and Erin asked, "Do we have to decide right now?" Arizona shook her head no and declared, "No. In fact, I'd like you to go home, think about it, talk to your family members, research it, do whatever you need to do to feel comfortable with your decision. But I will say if we do it, we need to do it soon. When I first received your file, I tentatively scheduled you for August 1st which is our official opening date, just in case. I won't cancel that until you tell me to. I need to be up front and tell you this procedure is rare, it's not experimental, it is proven, I have performed three of these in the four years I have been a fetal surgeon and all three of those children are toddling around as we speak driving all of their parents crazy. I have also performed other operations involving fetal heart defects. I have never performed this procedure on multiples, neither has anyone else in the country. I have, however performed many successful procedures on multiples. I can make no promises, but I will tell you that I wouldn't suggest this route if I didn't feel it was necessary." Erin took her husband's hand and said, "Thank you for explaining everything to us and for being so forthright. I honestly feel better just because of how you explained everything. I feel like I know what is going on with our baby girls now and that we are more prepared to make a decision or at least know what questions to ask." Larry nodded in agreement.
Arizona stood up and proclaimed, "I do have one assignment for you if you choose to follow through with the surgery." Erin furrowed her brow and asked, "What is the assignment?" The blonde smiled and explained, "I like to talk to my patients when I am operating on them, so I would like you to have names for me." Both parents smiled and Larry responded, "I think we can do that. When do you need to know for certain?" Arizona answered, "I am going to be practicing and studying up, but I would like to know for sure by next Friday so we can get your pre-op blood work and get you prepared as well so when you come in the following Monday, we are good to go." Erin smiled and said, "We can make a decision by then." Arizona reached out to help Erin from the sofa and said, "Until then, I need you to make sure you don't overexert yourself, try to keep calm, even though I know this is a huge decision, but take care of yourself. Okay?" The Senator nodded then blushed slightly and asked, "Can I give you a hug?" Arizona smiled and responded, "Of course." She walked the couple to the lobby, gave them one of her cards and wrote her cell number on it, telling them, "Call this number if you have any questions." The couple thanked her again then left the building.
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After watching the couple leave, Arizona walked to the reception desk to take the messages Dee was holding out for her and asked, "How is everything going so far?" Dee looked around and responded, "Everything seems to be going smoothly, a few people have gotten lost and I've found a straggler or two, but for the most part, it's been quiet." Arizona smiled and responded, "That's good to hear since we only have a week and a half left to be ready to open those doors." Her smile grew bigger when a voice from behind her said, "Well you are much further along than I was at this point, that's for sure." Arizona turned and asked, "Hey, what are you doing here?" Callie rested her hands on Arizona's hips and answered, "I was between patients and heard there was a hot fetal surgeon across the street so I came to check her out." Both women jumped when they heard, "Aww, thanks Torres, but I've seen jealous Robbins in action and it's not pretty. Besides, if memory serves, you're not quite my type, ya know, vagina and all." Arizona turned to see Nicole had apparently just stepped out of the conference room and snapped, "Suck it Nicole." The older woman laughed and commented, "See, not pretty." Callie howled with laughter and Arizona stuck her tongue out at her partner."
Nicole demanded, "Get in here, I need your help. Torres, since you don't seem to have a job, you might as well join us." Both women furrowed their brow and followed the older surgeon into the conference room where they saw a woman standing near the table with an assortment of cakes and other desserts. Nicole explained, "PR insists that we have cake and other refreshments for the grand opening and sent Rita from Just Desserts to offer us some samples. Torres, I need you to do my part since I'm not a huge fan of putting strange things I can't see in my mouth and I also need you to make sure we don't end up with some rainbow fun-fetti crap from Dr. Perkypants." Callie chuckled and Arizona scowled. The three women sat at the table and Rita started, "First I need to ask if there are any allergies or certain flavors that are off the table. Both Callie and Arizona responded, "No lemon." The woman laughed and removed three different plates from the table. Nicole quipped, "I'm pretty sure they don't do nuts either." Callie shook her head and Arizona hissed, "Shut up Nicole." She looked at Rita and informed her, "Nuts are fine." The slender woman nodded her head and offered up the first piece of cake describing the flavors.
When they were all finished, Callie declared, "Well, I already know my favorite." Arizona shook her head and responded, "No kidding, we could tell from the sounds you were making and you barely let me taste it. But what I did taste was amazing." Callie smirked and asked, "Awe, are you jealous of a piece of cake again?" Nicole snorted and pointed out, "See, not pretty." Rita took out her tablet and asked, "So one vote for the chocolate raspberry truffle cake?" Callie nodded fervently and Rita looked expectantly at Arizona. Callie supplied, "Either the strawberries and cream or the tuxedo torte." Arizona smiled brightly and chirped, "Yup!" Already knowing the answer, Callie looked at the three choices and asked, "Are we going for one flavor here?" Rita shook her head and responded, "From my understanding, we were asked to prepare for 75 to 100 people. To be honest, we could do all three. The fruit ties them all together and is perfect for a summer gathering and the richness of the truffle cake is countered by the fresh creaminess of the strawberries and cream." Nicole spoke up, "That sounds like a plan to me. Robbins, what do you think?" Arizona was lost in her thoughts and reminded of another cake tasting she and Callie participated in 8 years ago and she was no less effected by the noises her girlfriend made today than she was back then. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts she sighed, "Yeah, that sounds great. We just need to make sure to keep this one away from the cake table." Callie puckered her lips and replied, "Mmmhmm, and what did the strawberries and cream taste like exactly?" She leaned forward and licked the tiny bit of cream that was left on the top of Arizona's plump pink lip and hummed in appreciation.
Nicole could hear they were doing something probably inappropriate and suggested, "If you two are done being gross, I think we are all finished here." Callie let her phone drop from her pocket and the two surgeons stood up to leave the room. Once they returned to the lobby, Callie remembered, "Oh, my mom and dad are in town and asked if they could come by this evening, they want to check on Sofia and see how she is for themselves and mom said she has something to give me." Arizona could see how happy just saying that made her girlfriend and she was thrilled to see that smile on her face. Nodding she answered, "Of course they can. Hopefully, I will be out of here at a decent time tonight." Callie smiled and replied, "Good, I'll text them back. Is it okay if I ask them to stay for dinner?" Arizona scrunched up her face and responded, "Of course it's okay Calliope, you don't have to ask me that." Callie reached in her pocket to get her phone and furrowed her brow, commenting, "Oh, I must have dropped my phone, I'll be right back." Callie ran into the conference room, handed her credit card to Rita and whispered, "Thank you, and thank you Nicole." Rita swiped the card, handed it back and Callie reached into her chair to grab her phone and left the room.
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Callie had just taken the lasagna out of the oven to rest and slid the garlic bread in, when she heard the garage door open, causing her heart to race a little faster. She wasn't quite sure what it was about that sensation that made her feel so good. Maybe it was the fact that she was experiencing it again after so long. It could be that she finally figured out in therapy only one person made her heart race and her palms sweat like they were now. Obviously she'd been attracted to other people both sexually and emotionally, but it was something about Arizona, just knowing she was near, that made her body react differently. She laughed as a streak of brown hair flew past her, running toward the mudroom. Apparently she wasn't the only one excited that her girlfriend was home.
Sofia waited until the door opened and squealed, "Mommy, mommy, mommy, guess what?" Arizona dropped her bag by the door, scooped up her daughter and mimicked, "Sofia, Sofia, Sofia, what?" The little girl giggled and wiggled herself out of her mommy's arms and declared, "Stevie and Jordyn said since we had so much fun camping with you, next weekend we can camp at their house and we can sleep in a real tent." Arizona and Callie both smiled at their daughter and the blonde exclaimed, "That sounds like so much fun!" Their friends had asked them about the idea at the pizza place after hearing what a great time the kids had with them the night before. They agreed they didn't want them to experience any trauma so they hoped by doing these things they could ease the kids and themselves back into the idea of camping since none of them were huge fans at the moment.
Before Callie could speak up, the doorbell rang and knowing it was her abuela and abuelo, Sofia asked, "Can I get the door please?" The two women nodded and their daughter started to run toward the door before she heard, "Walk please." coming from both parents. She rolled her eyes, her mama didn't say anything when she ran to see her mommy, she didn't see how this was different. Arizona wrapped her arms around Callie's waist, rested her head on her shoulder and sighed in relief. Callie furrowed her brow, kissed the top of her head and asked, "Are you feeling okay?" The blonde nodded against her chest and mumbled, "Cramps." Callie rubbed her back and soothed, "Oh, my poor baby." Arizona lifted her head and her pout turned into a big smile when she heard the word baby and remembered what getting her period meant. Callie arched her brow and asked, "Um feeling better already?" Arizona nodded and shared, "Baby." Callie smiled as well and bent down to brush their lips together. Neither intended to deepen the kiss, it just always seemed to happen. Finally coming up for air, they realized that neither Sofia nor her parents had come to get them yet and walked toward the living room, Callie pulling the bread out of the oven along the way.
Sofia swung open the door excited to see her abuela and abuelo and threw herself into her grandparents' arms. After greeting both of them and telling them her exciting news about camping with Stevie, she stopped mid-sentence when she realized there was someone else with them. Looking at the stranger, she was almost certain she knew who it was. The lady had dark hair and eyes like her and mama and was a little taller than her abuela but shorter than her mama. She tilted her head and if she tried really hard, she could see that the lady looked like her mama just a little bit, she was pretty too, but not as pretty as either of her mommies. Finally, she put her hand on her hip and asked, "Who are you?" Callie and Arizona stepped into view just in time to hear their daughter's question. At the surprised expression on her girlfriend's face, Arizona arched her brow and Callie mouthed, 'Aria'. Arizona nodded and wasn't sure what to do at this point. Callie never said much about her feelings toward Aria, she primarily talked about her mom abandoning her.
Aria stood in the doorway and looked down at the little girl who was the spitting image of her younger sister at that age and almost felt like she was 13 again. Finally she reached out her hand and introduced, "My name is Aria." The little girl tilted her head and claimed, "My mama has a sister named Aria." The woman nodded and said, "That would be me, I'm your tia." Lucia rolled her eyes, walked over to stand by Callie and Arizona and whispered, "Now she's done it." Arizona snorted, Callie continued to stare, and Carlos watched as his granddaughter studied his eldest daughter. He was almost certain she was going to let her have it.
Sofia crossed her arms and explained, "Tia means aunt, if you are my tia, why don't I know you? If you are my tia, it also means you are mama's sister. I have all kinds of aunts and uncles, not real ones because my uncle Tim, mommy's brother died a hero and she misses him every day. But you are my only real one and you are alive and you've never called or visited. If I had a brother or sister, they would be my best friend and I would want to talk to them every day. So, why should I let you talk to my mama now?" Arizona started to say something and Lucia whispered, "Let her be dear." Callie almost wanted to laugh at the look on her sister's face, she looked terrified of the little girl. Aria looked up to see her sister standing next to the blonde woman she assumed was Arizona and looked at her pleadingly. Callie crossed her arms and responded, "My daughter asked you a question."
Realizing she wasn't getting off easy, Aria bent to one knee, looked the little girl in the eye and responded, "You have every right to ask me that question Sofia. I have been a bad sister and I made some bad choices." Sofia looked to her abuela, reached out her hand, waited for the older woman to join them and asked, "Did you make the same bad choices as abuela?" Aria looked to her sister, then her mother, then to the little girl and said, "I did and I let someone else's decisions influence me and didn't make my own choices. But, like abuela, I would like to get to know my family, I would like to apologize to my sister, my niece, and her other mommy. I would like to earn the right to be a tia to you." Sofia looked to her mama and back at the other woman and asked, "And do you want to be a sister too? You need to be a sister. If I was a sister I would always want to be there for my brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews." Aria looked directly at Callie and replied, "I would very much like to be a sister again." Sofia looked to her parents and asked, "Do I let her in?" The other adults in the room tried to hide their laughter and Callie walked up behind her daughter and asked, "Would you like to get to know your tia?" Sofia nodded then looked at the other woman and asked, "Do I have any cousins?" The other woman smiled softly and said, "Sorry, no cousins, but I have a dog at home in Miami." Sofia's eyes lit up and she asked, "Can I see pictures?" Aria smiled at the little girl, looked to the adults and asked, "Why didn't anyone tell me to start with that?" Aria pulled up the picture of her dog, showed her niece a few others, and was surprised when she was pulled into the house and the little girl hugged her tightly.
Aria stood up and looked at Callie with tears in her eyes and said, "I'm sorry Callie. I was awful and there is no excuse for my behavior. I really would…I'd like to try to rebuild our relationship, if…if you would." Callie looked to Arizona, held out her hand and said, "This is my girlfriend, the mother of my child, someday she will be my wife again. If you can't treat her like family, then there's no need for you to stay." Aria nodded, looked the blonde in the eye and said, "I was wrong Arizona. I was small minded and I allowed my ignorance to keep me from my family for too long, that includes you. Can you forgive me?" Arizona looked to the other woman who was beautiful in her own way and slightly resembled Callie and responded, "If Calliope and Sofia forgive you, that's what matters to me. If their hearts are whole, then mine is as well." Aria held her arms out to her sister and asked, "Can I have a hug?" Callie pulled her sister into her arms and whispered, "I've missed you." Aria replied, "Me too, so much." The two women pulled apart and Arizona was surprised to find herself entwined in the other woman's arms as well. Carlos dabbed at his eyes and was happy to see that his family was whole once again.
Callie added another place setting to the table and Arizona walked up behind her with a pitcher of water and asked, "Are you okay?" Callie pulled her into the kitchen so they were slightly out of view from the others and responded, "Honestly, I'm struggling a little bit. She was 35 years old when she stopped talking to me. It's been 10 years and not once has she even thought about contacting me? I guess I'm wondering what took her so long and why now. I mean, my mom is extremely religious and rigid, but Aria wasn't." Arizona could feel the frustration rolling off of Callie in waves. She reached up and rubbed at the stubble on the back of her head and suggested, "So you ask her, you tell her how you are feeling. You are entitled to those feelings and to those answers." Callie took a deep breath and nodded, "Thank you. I know you're right and I will talk with her, but for tonight…" She stopped, looked in the other room and watched her daughter interact with her tia for the first time and finished, "For tonight, I'm just going to be happy to have my family back." Arizona kissed her softly and replied, "You're entitled to do that too." The two women hugged, then called everyone to the table for dinner.
Sofia decided to sit in her mama's normal spot next to her tia Aria, leaving Callie her seat at the end with Arizona next to her, then Lucia, leaving Carlos at the other end. Sofia looked at the woman next to her and asked, "Are you a doctor like my mommies?" Aria smiled at the little girl and answered, "No, I'm a lawyer like abuela." Sofia nodded and responded, "I'm going to be a doctor when I grow up. I'm going to work on the bones of tiny humans." Aria, Lucia, and Carlos all looked to the two surgeons for clarification and Callie explained, "She wants to be a pediatric orthopedic surgeon." Arizona muttered under her breath, "This week." The rest of the adults laughed and Sofia sent her mommy her version of the Torres glare. Not quite as scary with the dimples and the smile, but she pretended to be chastised, held up her hands and declared, "I'm sorry baby. You know mama and I will support whatever you want to do when you grow up and you would be an amazing doctor." Aria laughed out loud, looked at her sister then at the little girl sitting next to her and asked, "Did you two just clone her or something? I swear she's like this perfect mixture of both of you and I've only been here for thirty minutes." Callie laughed and remarked, "You would think."
That seemed to break any tension in the room and the remainder of dinner consisted of Sofia talking about the camping trip and how her moms found them and how they made an even better camp at home for her and her friends. Carlos asked all about her interview and Lucia and Carlos filled Aria in on both Callie's and Arizona's centers and how impressive their work was. The two women were flattered by the complements and couldn't help but notice the pride in the voices of the elder Torres'. At some point, the conversation came back to Sofia and she asked, "What's your dog's name?" Aria responded, "Her name is Nala." Sofia's jaw dropped open and she exclaimed, "Like The Lion King." Aria nodded and replied, "That's one of my favorite movies and when she was just a puppy, she looked just like a lion cub, so I named her Nala. Now she's about to have puppies of her own." It was almost comical how Callie's and Arizona's heads snapped up and they looked at one another with what could only be described as pure terror. Sofia looked at her moms then back at her aunt, then at her moms again and Callie whispered, "In 5, 4, 3, 2…" "Mommies can I have a puppy? You said when I got older. I'm older now." Sofia asked excitedly. Callie put a fake smile on her face, looked at her sister and said, "Thanks." Aria laughed and responded, "Anytime." Trying to change the subject, Arizona asked, "Are you a big Disney fan?" Carlos coughed, "Say no." Aria straightened her shoulders and proclaimed, "The biggest." Sofia and Arizona looked at one another and Lucia shook her head and whispered, "She just keeps stepping right into the traps." Arizona laughed and whispered, "I'll go easy on her."
Once they were all finished with dinner and everyone pitched in to clean up, Sofia challenged her tia and her mommy to a game of Disney Trivial Pursuit. Callie just shook her head in shame for her sister. She was almost certain she would have learned to stop bragging and boasting by now. Once the game was set up, Sofia asked, "Mama are you going to play?" Lucia saved her by responding, "Actually, I thought mama and I could take a walk around the yard. I need to work off some of these carbs." Sofia pouted only for a minute when Carlos piped in, "You know what, I think I'll give it a try, I raised two daughters and have a granddaughter, maybe I learned a thing or two." Sofia let him pick his color first then chose hers, and left Arizona and Aria to choose their pieces. Everyone indulged Sofia while she told them the rules of the game and then they got started.
After they shut the patio door, Callie looked back toward the house and asked, "Was that the surprise you wanted to bring me? Because I gotta say, I'm definitely surprised." Lucia shook her head and answered, "No, that wasn't it. She asked to come and was afraid you'd say no if you knew she was going to be with us. I can't tell you what to do mija, but I know, even though I never told her what to do, I know she was worried I would treat her the same way as I treated you. It's not an excuse, she's a grown woman and I could have told her otherwise. Just know, she's missed you, we both have and she's had a bit of a difficult time herself." Callie argued, "But I could have been there for her, we could have been there for each other. Sometimes what she did hurts worse. I know you were at least…you were doing what you thought your religion demanded of you. She was just…being selfish." Lucia nodded in understanding and replied, "I can understand why you feel that way. I won't get involved. I just wanted you to know." The two walked in silence for another few minutes until they reached the rock garden. Callie felt as if she needed a little calm and if she couldn't be with Arizona to ground herself, she would choose the next best thing; the place that reminded her of Arizona.
Lucia sat on the bench and watched the water flow down the mini falls and quietly said, "It's beautiful." Callie looked into the pond and watched as the color changed to her favorite blue and said, "I call it Robbins-Torres falls. When I had it built, I knew she would love it here, she likes to take time alone to think and process and I wanted her to have her own place to do that. It's kind of become my favorite place too. This is where we had our first talk and decided to try again and where we were right before I asked her to be my girlfriend." Lucia smiled and suggested, "Well it's only fitting I give you this here then." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box. Holding it in her hand, she explained, "This belonged to your Abuela Iphigenia Torres. Just before she passed, she gave this to me and told me to make sure you get it. Well, she said, 'You make sure when the right one comes along, they have this ring to put on her finger.' It's funny that I never realized she didn't say man or he until just now. But anyway, I believe you have found the right one and I think it suits her more than it does you. I've had it sized and cleaned. It's all ready for her." She handed the box to her daughter who had tears running down her cheeks.
Callie knew the moment her mother took the box out exactly what it was, though never in a million years could she have guessed the words that were to follow. She looked down at the box and opened it to see the ring she had admired most of her life but hasn't laid eyes on in over 20 years since before her abuela passed away. Her mother was right, this ring was more suited for Arizona, in fact it was so perfect, she considered having it replicated but didn't want to wait that long. She understood in that moment why she had yet to find the perfect ring, she was staring at it. She closed the box and put it in her pocket then wrapped her arms around her mother and pulled her into a tight hug whispering, "Thank you so much mami, this means everything to me." She pulled back and said, "It's not just having the ring, but having your blessing. I just…thank you. Thank you for seeing us." Lucia was crying as well and wiped her daughter's tears and she commanded, "You just make sure that gets passed on to Sofia or…if I happen to have any other grandchildren." She winked at her daughter and Callie laughed and responded, "How about you let me ask her to marry me before we think about more kids?" She knew they weren't ready to tell anyone they would be trying soon. She didn't want to add more pressure to Arizona. Both women wiped their tears and Callie suggested, "We should probably get back before my girls literally mop the floor with Aria and daddy." Lucia laughed and agreed.
Callie was shocked to see that her father had two pieces in his pie and laughed when he told her one of the questions was, 'What is the name of the female lion cub in The Lion King?" Arizona laughed and exclaimed, "You should have seen Aria's face. It was priceless." Aria bent her elbows and clapped her forearms together twice and Arizona laughed harder and quipped, "Back at ya Ross." Callie, Arizona, and Aria all laughed leaving Lucia, Carlos, and Sofia wondering about what appeared to be an inside joke. Arizona looked at the elder Torres' and explained, "It's a reference from the show 'Friends'. Carlos nodded his head even though he still didn't understand. Aria got another question wrong and looked to her niece to see she had a full pie and was halfway to the middle of the board. She crossed her arms and pouted, "I can't believe I'm getting my butt kicked by an eight year old." Carlos laughed and retorted, "I told you to say no." Within minutes Sofia won the game and laughed while her tia claimed the game was fixed and everyone cheated.
Callie looked up at the clock and declared, "Time for trivia champs to hit the hay. Brush your teeth and we will be right in." Sofia nodded and made her way around the table hugging everyone and saying goodnight. When she got to Aria, whose back was to the kitchen, she noticed something sitting on the counter by the refrigerator and got an idea. She looked to her mama and asked, "Can I get a drink first?" Callie nodded and watched while her daughter went to the cabinet, got down a glass and filled it with water from the door of the refrigerator while messing with something on the counter. She furrowed her brow but didn't see anything out of sorts when her daughter turned around. When she came back through the dining room, she asked, "Can Tia Aria tuck me in?" Aria looked to Callie and Arizona who both nodded their agreement and Sofia told her, "I'll call you when I'm ready." Aria nodded and the adults continued with their conversation while the little girl prepared for bed.
When Sofia called out, "Okay, I'm ready" in her sing-song voice, both Callie and Arizona realized their daughter was up to something. As soon as Aria disappeared down the hall, the two women quietly followed. They watched as Aria carefully pushed open the door and called out, "Sofia? Can I turn the light on?" When she didn't get an answer, Aria stepped into the room and saw a red glow coming from Sofia's bed and figured it was a tablet or night light of sorts, so she made her way further into the room. Callie and Arizona quickly went to the door and saw the mysterious glow and looked at one another in confusion. Aria said again, "Sofia?" Suddenly a flashlight turned on and illuminated Sofia's face and her head was covered with a white towel as she lifted the glow stick and pointed it at Aria saying, "ET phone home." Aria jumped back and shrieked and started out of the room until the light came on and she saw her sister and her girlfriend standing at the door laughing so hard they had tears running down their faces. Sofia jumped up and down on her bed yelling, "I got her back mama!" Aria looked at Sofia then at Callie and Arizona and asked, "Did you put her up to this?" Both women shook their heads and laughed even harder. Callie walked to Sofia, gave her a high five and proclaimed, "Thanks baby girl!" Aria stomped out of the room muttering, "That's not a child, she's a watch dog, a pit bull. Who needs an 8 year old bodyguard?" Callie and Arizona laughed even harder and hugged their daughter. After settling her down, they both tucked her in and kissed her goodnight then quietly left the room.
A/N: So glad you loved the last chapter and I just have to say, thank you all for sticking with me. When I started this, I had an end point in mind, but the journey is just so fun.
I'm not a doctor and did A LOT of research. The Senator's condition is based on a family I read about on the American Heart Association website. I even looked on you tube so I could describe the heart sounds correctly. I'm sure I got some stuff a little confused and for any medical professionals out there, I apologize in advance.
Many of you have been asking about Aria and you will learn more about her story in the next chapters. Also, if you didn't get the reference at the end, it's in the last few paragraphs of chapter 44. I just had to do it.