Arizona pulled into the garage mere seconds behind Callie, who was just getting out of her SUV, and motioned for her to get their sleeping daughter out of the back seat. They left the hotel at the same time and even with the heavy evening traffic, they managed to stick close to one another. Arizona was slightly surprised when Callie turned down their daughter's request to ride with her, but one look in her girlfriend's eyes told her she needed a little down time to think. Though things seemed less tense between the two sisters, she could tell something was still bothering Callie, so she might have poured it on a little too thickly about how she didn't like driving alone at night and asked Sofia to ride with her. Callie opened Arizona's car door first, greeting her with a sweet kiss, making her smile and also allowing her to get a good look into her dark chocolate eyes, which still seemed to be troubled. The blonde lifted her hand to caress a warm tan cheek and watched as those brown eyes fluttered closed while Callie leaned into the touch and seemed to relax just a little. Arizona stretched on her toes to kiss her softly, then whispered, "I'll go open the door and turn down her covers." Callie nodded, waited for Arizona to get into the house, then lifted the sleepy little girl from the back seat. When she got into the house, she carefully closed the door and made her way into Sofia's room where Arizona was waiting with a pair of pajamas. Together they made quick work of getting their daughter all settled and quietly left the room.
Once they got into the hall, Callie let out a deep sigh of relief, leaned against the wall, and pulled Arizona into her arms. Her conversation with her sister had been replaying in her head since they left the hotel room and there were some things she still couldn't wrap her head around. Now that she was at home in her safe place, secure in the comfort of Arizona's arms, she finally started to relax and think more clearly. She wanted to talk to Arizona about it but she had been going all day and had to be dead on her feet. Arizona could feel the tension in Callie's body, she ran her hands through her still perfectly coiffed hair, started massaging her scalp, and suggested, "How about I grab a bottle of wine while you heat up the hot tub, we relax a little and you tell me what's still eating at you?" Callie lifted her head, raised her hands and brushed at the dark circles under drowsy blue eyes and answered, "That sounds amazing, and I want to tell you, but you are exhausted." Arizona nodded and affirmed, "I am, but I'm also achy and my muscles are sore, I can feel how tense you are, you won't sleep well if you don't get this off your chest, and I won't sleep well knowing you are upset. So, hot tub, wine, talk, and if you're up for it, a little junior high make-out session." Callie smirked and bargained, "How about naked hot tub and high school make-out session?" Arizona started unbuttoning Callie's shirt while walking them toward their room and responded, "Hmm even better." She kissed her softly on the lips and added, "I'll go get the wine."
Once they were settled in the hot tub with Callie nestled between Arizona's legs, resting her back against the blonde's front, she started absentmindedly massaging her tight residual limb while Arizona worked on the kinks in her neck. Callie sighed when she felt her body unwind and offered, "I'm trying really hard not to be mad or upset because she went through a lot too, but…it still doesn't excuse her for abandoning me, just walking out of my life." Arizona stayed quiet and kissed Callie's shoulder softly. In her mind, there was absolutely no reason or excuse good enough for what Lucia and Aria did to Callie and by extension, Sofia. While the religious aspect was understandable, it still wasn't justifiable, not in her mind. Loyalty was extremely important to both of them and while she herself had been disloyal, she would be the first to admit, even with the PTSD and everything else she went through, it was inexcusable. She continued to massage the strong caramel colored neck and shoulders and asked quietly, "What did she say?" Callie leaned her head against Arizona's shoulder and closed her eyes trying to recall the entire conversation.
She hummed in appreciation when Arizona started working on her sore arms and admitted, "Nothing I didn't already know, at least in the beginning. She said at first she was stunned and it took her a while to get used to the idea. I mean, okay, it was a shock, it even took me some time to come to terms with it. But she said she didn't answer my calls because she saw how they just cut me off and she was afraid they would do the same to her and she would also lose her job in the firm. Part of me feels like I can't even fault her for that because you saw how I struggled when they did that, but…" This was the part Arizona couldn't relate to. By the time she and her brother each turned 18, they were fairly self-sufficient. Of course Tim went straight into the Marines and her parents had saved to help her with college, but that was the extent of it. Aria was 35 years old when this started and yes it effected Callie and even caused them a little trouble, but she figured it out.
Trying to stay neutral and just allow Callie to have her feelings and talk it out, she asked, "But when your father turned around and came to terms with it and reinstated your trust fund…" Callie snorted and answered, "This is the part I'm having so much trouble with. You know Aria is my half-sister." Arizona nodded and Callie continued, "But daddy raised her since she was two years old, she even said herself she couldn't remember her life without him in it. Then she turned around and said she still felt like she owed her loyalty to mami, so even when daddy changed his mind, she stayed firmly in mami's camp." Arizona could feel herself getting angry. Before she could say anything, Callie added, "I told her that was bullshit. It is right? I mean this wasn't some kind of civil war within the family, but she made it feel that way. She claims I was always closer to my dad and she was always close to our mom, but that just…" Arizona kissed the top of Callie's head and decided she couldn't stay quiet and agreed, "Yes honey, it's absolute bullshit. If she disagreed with your mom, she should have spoken up. I mean, who knows, your mom could have seen she was wrong if Aria spoke against her as well, instead she felt justified because she had an ally." Callie turned her head and Arizona could see the sadness in her eyes when she asked, "So, I'm not wrong? It's okay to still be angry?" Arizona kissed her softly and answered, "You're not wrong and it's okay to still be angry. You just can't let it eat at you."
Callie smiled and revealed, "I said almost the same thing to Sof this morning. She told me she was still a little sad they both stayed away for so long and I told her she could be sad; I was still sad too and we just had to not keep thinking about it or our hearts wouldn't heal." Arizona smiled and stated, "That's very wise advice. I know it's easier said than done since you know the actual reason behind it." Callie nodded and sighed, "It is way easier said than done. But honestly, it doesn't surprise me, like I said. It just…it doesn't make any sense to me. It makes me feel as if I wasn't important enough to her to fight for me and that takes me back to those feelings of inadequacy, of feeling like I was never enough for them." Arizona's heart broke for her girlfriend and the defeated tone in her voice. She knew this was something Callie always struggled with, not only in her family but in her relationships as well, even and especially their own. She maneuvered herself around so that she was straddling Callie's lap and they were now face to face.
She lifted her hand to swipe at the stray tear and commanded, "You listen to me Calliope Torres. You have always been enough. You are strong, brave, capable, loyal, loving, compassionate, honest, and just downright amazing. You have never been the problem, you have never been at fault, it's those of us who have let you down because of our own inadequacies who are to blame. It's not you, even though I know it feels that way." It didn't escape Callie that Arizona included herself in that group and while they talked about it and were past that particular point in their lives, she appreciated that she was still taking responsibility and acknowledging how it made her feel. In her mind, it was validation that she had every right to feel that way but she shouldn't because it wasn't on her. She knew this, deep down, but sometimes needed the reminder. She smiled a genuine smile and pulled Arizona into a slow deep kiss and pulled back murmuring, "Thank you. I think…I think sometimes I just need to be reminded of that." Arizona caressed her cheek and answered, "You did nothing wrong. You were just being you and Aria was doing very much like what your mother told Sofia she had done. She was thinking of her own reasons and not realizing the impact it had on you. It's not an excuse by any means, but it's a stark reminder that in reality, this was never about you or who you love, but about their own ignorance." Callie nodded and rested their foreheads together.
After a few minutes of silence, Arizona stroked her head and prodded, "Tell me the rest." Callie rubbed her hands up and down Arizona's back and told her the rest of the story about the abusive husband, the miscarriage, and her sister's suicide attempt. Arizona sat back and asked in a slightly irritated tone, "And your dad never thought to mention that to you?" Callie shook her head and explained, "This all went on at about the same time as the plane crash and I guess he figured I had enough going on. But I am kind of upset that he hasn't mentioned it in the last several years. At the same time, I never asked about them. It was part of that unspoken agreement that we just didn't talk about them." Arizona nodded and assumed, "Yet you still feel guilty for not being there." Callie chuckled and asked, "How'd you guess?" Arizona kissed her cheek and answered, "Because I know you. Do I need to even tell you that you shouldn't?" Callie shook her head and answered, "No, even Aria told me that. She also told me that her going through all of that is what first opened mami's eyes and made her realize how she had let me down. That's when she started going to therapy. It's all just…they say what held them back from coming to me sooner was concern of how I would react, but honestly, I feel like it was guilt. I feel like they understand that there was never any good reason and they missed 10 years of my life and all of Sofia's life for nothing."
Arizona nodded and answered, "I kind of feel the same way. I'm coming at it from a completely different angle though. I've been there since the beginning and I've watched you go through this; I've held you while you cried. I've seen the look in your eyes those times when you just wanted to call your mom on those days when everyone just needs that maternal parent to sympathize with them and do what mothers do. So I understand what you are feeling and I get how much it means to you that they are back in your life. But it doesn't mean you have to forgive and forget at the drop of a hat. We work on forgiving; we work on releasing those feelings in a healthy way and hopefully those memories will fade just like you and I have done." Callie pulled her into a tight hug and whispered, "I knew you would get it. Thank you for letting me talk it out." Arizona smiled and asked, "Do you feel a little better now?" Callie nodded, nipped at her earlobe and answered, "Mmmhmm, enough to remember I was promised a high school make-out session." Arizona shivered at the sensation, lifted her head and murmured, "Mmm. How about we skip all the schooling and just go for the homerun?"
Callie nodded, then bent her head ever so slowly, teasing Arizona by softly brushing their lips together, pulling back, tilting her head in the opposite direction, and brushing them together once more before tracing pale pink lips with her tongue making Arizona's breath hitch and her need to deepen the kiss skyrocket. No matter how badly she wanted to just take control, she was enjoying the sensuality, the sexiness, the anticipation. She moaned from deep within when Callie finally slipped her tongue between her lips and curled it against the roof of her mouth before gliding it against her own. Arizona wrapped her arms tightly around Callie's neck and wound her leg around her back. Callie tangled one hand in Arizona's soft blonde curls and slid the other just under her butt and carefully stood up and stepped out of the hot tub and started towards their bedroom.
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"What if I get scared sleeping in the tent?" Sofia asked hesitantly while she scooted her eggs around her plate. She was really excited about spending another weekend with Jess and Bella and she knew they would only be sleeping in the backyard, but she wasn't sure about sleeping outside all night. Callie was still finishing her breakfast and looked up at Arizona who had just poured herself another cup of coffee, they figured this would come up. Arizona took a sip of her coffee, silently telling Callie she got to field this question. Callie took her daughter's hand and answered, "Then you tell Stevie or Jordyn and one of them will take you in the house." Sofia looked down at her eggs, she usually loved this kind of egg because mommy put extra cheese and a little bit of bacon in them. But today she wasn't very hungry. She finally looked up and said, "But I don't want to ruin everyone else's fun." Arizona sat by her daughter and assured her, "You won't ruin anything for anyone. First of all, Bella and Jess were out in the woods with you and they might be just as scared and they might be afraid to speak up too. Secondly, Stevie and Jordyn and Steven will all be in the tent with you." Sofia looked up at her mommy and asked, "They will?" Callie chuckled and answered, "Of course they will. They have a super big tent and all of you can fit in there." Sofia felt like a balloon when you let the air out, she felt so much better. She picked up her fork and finished all of her eggs before they got any colder humming in satisfaction at the yummy taste.
Callie chuckled at their daughter and her noises and both women pointed their finger at each other claiming, "That's all you." They both laughed because it was something each of them did often. Once they were finished with breakfast, Callie and Sofia rinsed their plates and put them in the dishwasher and Callie suggested, "Let's get you all packed up. Stevie is picking you and Bella up from the center this afternoon when they get off from work." Sofia skipped into her bedroom and Callie followed.
Arizona rinsed her plate, put it in the dishwasher and saw her purse sitting on the countertop. She opened it up, took out her medicine bottle and just like she did yesterday, held the little pill in front of her and whispered, "Please work," before popping it into her mouth. "Were you just talking to a pill?" Callie asked, amusement sparkling in her dark chocolate eyes. She was almost certain what that pill was and her heart swelled just watching her girlfriend take it. Arizona nearly choked on her water and the pill from the sudden question. She thought she was alone in the kitchen. Turning slightly red, she stammered, "I uh…maybe." Callie had forgotten her coffee and returned to get it just in time to see Arizona say something to the little white tablet. Tilting her head, she asked, "What did you say?" Arizona knew it was silly to be embarrassed and she was certain Callie would understand, but she didn't want her girlfriend to see just how much she wanted this in case it didn't work right away. Arizona bowed her head and mumbled, "Please work." Callie's heart sped up, she hadn't wanted Arizona to see how excited she was because she didn't want her to worry about disappointing her, but she could see her girlfriend was in the same place.
Walking across the room, Callie wrapped her arms around Arizona from behind, resting her hands on her tight abdomen and whispered, "I think that's sweet and it's nothing to be embarrassed about." Arizona covered her hands and admitted, "I didn't…I just…I'm really excited about this and I really want it to work, but I don't want you to worry about how I'll feel if it doesn't work right away." Callie rested her chin on Arizona's shoulder and responded, "I'm feeling the same way. This is so exciting and even if it doesn't work the first time, I think…I think we should share in that excitement and be happy and I think it's okay to have our hopes up. We have a plan for if it doesn't work, but I say, let's be happy, let's be excited, let's talk to the pills and make wishes. But most importantly, let's not hide what we are feeling from each other whether it be excitement or disappointment." Arizona turned in Callie's arms, lifted her hand to the back of her head and pulled her down for a long slow kiss. When they finally broke apart, Arizona promised, "I won't be embarrassed and I won't hold my excitement or disappointment back. I swear." Callie smiled and agreed, "Same here. I'm so happy I could burst. Just watching you take that pill made my heart race." Arizona smiled and responded, "Mine too." Callie stole another kiss and reached for her coffee explaining, "I'd better get back in there before her entire closet is in a suitcase." Arizona laughed, swatted her behind and started cleaning up the breakfast dishes.
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When Arizona walked through the lobby of the Robbins-Herman Center, she was pleased to see the boxes had all been removed and hopefully that meant they were unpacked and not just sitting in a room somewhere. She decided she would do a walk through soon but needed to touch base with Nicole and see where they stood with everything as far as students arriving next week as well as the day care program starting up. When she went to the receptionist's desk, Dee and Kim were both focused on their computers and she didn't get so much as a 'Hello'. Clearing her throat so she didn't startle them she chirped, "Good morning, I see all the boxes were cleared away." Dee looked up and said drolly, "They most certainly were, so now we spend the rest of our lives inputting each item into the system for inventory. The best part about this is, if everyone does their jobs correctly and charts everything they use, it sends me an alert that it is time to reorder something because we are getting low, instead of waiting until it's gone and everyone running around like crazy because they need it and its not there." Arizona worried, "Is it that bad? Is there a different management system you prefer?" Dee shook her head and responded, "No, this is top of the line. It's just the initial set up that is slow and tedious." Kim nodded her head and agreed, then opened her mouth and closed it again as if she had something to say but thought better of it. Arizona noticed this and asked, "What is it?" Kim sighed heavily and suggested, "I don't know how this all works, I know sometimes you have to work fast to save lives and don't have time to check off the boxes, but I was wondering if we could train people on how to use this and maybe come up with a plan for who is responsible for inventory each day." Arizona thought about it and answered, "You know, that's not a bad idea. I'm meeting with the attendings later today and we will see what they come up with." Kim smiled brightly, pleased that she had a good idea that might help, and returned to her task.
Before going to her own office, Arizona headed in the opposite direction to see if Nicole had time to meet with her. She was surprised to see Julie since it wasn't her normal day. She knocked on the door, announced her presence, then asked the young girl, "Does your warden know you're here?" Julie laughed and nodded, "Dr. Torres agreed to let me come over a couple hours every day as long as I don't overdo it. She said I needed to start building my stamina back up and this was a good way to do it." Nicole added, "I just think that's Torres speak for I don't want the old lady in my building giving everyone a hard time." Arizona laughed at that and replied, "She hasn't said anything to me about that, so I'm assuming that means she thinks Julie is getting stronger." Julie smiled sadly and Arizona asked, "What is it sweetie?" The young girl sighed and explained, I'll be turning 18 in two weeks which means I can't go back to the group home, so I guess I'm just stressing a little bit." Arizona took her hand and soothed, "It will be a little while longer until you are released, so try not to worry about that. In the meantime, we will all put our heads together to figure it out." Julie tried to smile and Arizona could see she wasn't convinced. Hearing the conversation, Nicole tried to take the girl's mind off of her concerns and suggested, "Dr. Robbins, can you give Julie a checkup before she leaves? She said she's had a few twinges, but I'm more concerned about her abdomen rubbing up against her casts. She said it's becoming very uncomfortable." Arizona was a little taken aback by the gentle tone her partner was using and agreed, "I most certainly can as soon as we are finished here."
Nicole smirked and asked, "Oh so you didn't just come to grace us with your presence?" Arizona snorted, "Not quite. I was going to call a meeting with our attendings and head nurses just to get a feel for how their first week went, any tweaks they think need to be made and how their team was working out for them. I was wondering if you wanted to attend as well, maybe provide back up." Nicole looked in the direction of her protégé's voice and replied, "The medical staffing, procedures, policies, that's all you Robbins. I'm strictly academic. You run that side of things and I'll take care of the educational portion. I don't want to step on your toes or muddy the waters. While I will participate in the future, they need to have no doubt you are the chief." Arizona tilted her head and asked, "What does that make you?" Herman grunted and mumbled, "Happy I'm not the chief." Arizona laughed and Nicole answered seriously, "I'm the Dean of Academics and co-owner, I'm still their boss, but I'm not their direct supervisor, that would be you." Arizona nodded and shrugged, even though she knew her partner couldn't see her. What she said made sense, it's not like Nicole could provide accurate feedback without seeing the patient. Besides, she could no longer practice medicine. Walking toward the door she proclaimed, "Okay, I am going to check out each floor then pull the attendings in for a quick meeting. Julie, come with me, I'll take a look at you first." The girl nodded and followed in her wheelchair.
Once she stepped in the hall, Arizona popped her head back in and chirped, "I almost forgot. Where are we with the day care? Are they ready to open the doors Monday?" Nicole smirked and asked, "Is your kid tired of following you and Torres around all day?" Arizona chuckled, "There's that and we have several staff members from both buildings asking." Nicole opened her email and Arizona could hear the computer saying the name of each sender. When she got to the Day Care Director's name, she clicked something else and the blonde smiled as she heard they were all set to start on Monday. She laughed and announced, "Well that answers that question." Nicole tilted her head and asked, "Is there more?" Arizona asked, "Are you all set for your presentation to students, do you need me to go over anything for you?" The older woman scoffed and asked, "Didn't I just tell you the academics was my area? Julie has my slides all set up for me and has programmed my computer so it tells me what slide I'm on and gives me a hint about what is on it. Who knew technology could be so helpful?" Arizona tapped the inside of the doorway and said, "I guess that's it then. Let's go take a look at that beautiful boy Julie." Nicole hollered out, "Don't keep her long. We have things to do."
On their way to the elevators, Arizona asked Kim if she wouldn't mind assisting her with Julie. She knew the two girls were close and figured Julie would feel more comfortable if her friend was with her. Once Kim and Arizona helped Julie onto the exam table, Arizona lifted Julie's top and saw some chafing and scratches and one very large blister where her casts were rubbing against her abdomen which explained exactly why she was uncomfortable. Realizing this was what Callie was referring to when discussing her research on pregnant amputees, Arizona looked to Kim and asked, "Would you mind calling Dr. Torres to see if she could come for a consult." Kim's expression became worried and she asked, "Is she okay? Is the baby okay?" Arizona nodded, "I'm sure the baby is fine, I just need Dr. Torres to see something." Kim nodded and left the room quickly to call Dr. Torres.
While they waited for the ortho surgeon, Arizona performed the ultrasound and showed Julie that her baby seemed to be doing just fine. She explained, "You are at about 22 weeks so the baby would be the size of a papaya. At this point, he has all of his limbs and his body is almost fully formed and he is squirming and jerking and the twinges you feel are probably caused from the position he is in or he may be kicking one of your vital organs." Arizona watched on the screen as the baby jerked and Julie twitched at the same time. She smiled and asked, "You felt that?" Julie nodded and asked, was he moving?" Arizona nodded and explained, "I think he was trying to get away from me poking at him with my little gadget here." Julie furrowed her brow and asked, "Does it hurt him?" Arizona shook her head and responded, "No. He just feels the pressure when I push down just like you do." Julie sighed in relief and continued to watch the screen while the fetal surgeon took her measurements. When Arizona was finished, she printed a picture of the ultrasound and handed it to Julie who ran her finger over the tiny little features she could barely make out. She looked up and asked, "Why do you need Dr. Torres?" Callie chose that moment to enter the room with Kim and asked, "Is everything okay?" Arizona nodded then pointed to the bottom of Julie's abdomen.
She explained, "I wanted you to see this before I get her all fixed up and bandaged." Callie washed her hands, put on a pair of gloves, and examined the chafing marks and cuts caused by the tops of Julie's casts. Arizona informed her, "She's 22 weeks pregnant, so 5 and a half months. But I remember us talking about it during your research and thought you'd want to take a look." Callie looked up to Julie and asked, "How long has this been like this?" Julie responded, "Only since I started getting around in the chair and sitting up more. What is it?" Arizona explained, "You have cuts and chafing from the tops of your casts rubbing against your belly when you sit down." Julie looked to both surgeons and asked, "Can it hurt my baby?" Arizona shook her head and declared, "Only if it becomes badly infected, but right now it's clean. I'm going to put some cream on it and bandage it up for you and Dr. Torres will make a note in your file to have the dressings changed." Callie continued to look at the cut and the tops of her casts and agreed with Arizona that this was directly related to the studies she did about the prosthetics and what pregnant women experienced with their socket and now she understood why her girlfriend called her over. Callie looked to Julie and stated, "Once Dr. Robbins has bandaged you up, we are going to put you back in the chair and I'm going to measure your stomach and your casts to see how we can prevent this from continuing." The girl nodded and sat patiently while Arizona tended to her wounds.
Once she was finished, they helped Julie back into her chair and Callie measured the length of the cast that was covered by the protruding stomach. While it wasn't much yet, she knew it would be soon. She stared at the casts for a moment trying to weigh her options. She could cut back the tops of the casts, but that would only be a temporary fix and it would make Julie less stable on her feet for physical therapy. She needed to keep the casts on for at least another couple of weeks. Arizona watched as Callie found a roll of cotton padding, wrapped it around the top of the casts and taped all around it. When she was finished, the ortho surgeon explained, "I know this is a little bulky and probably uncomfortable. When you come back over, I'll have figured something out." Julie squirmed in her seat for a minute then proclaimed, "It is a little uncomfortable, but it doesn't hurt anymore." Callie smiled and answered, "Good, I'll take another look at it when you come back over. Just have someone page me to your room." Julie nodded and Kim wheeled her back to Dr. Herman's office.
Callie took Arizona's hand and said, "Thanks for calling me over to see that. I guess it didn't register that casts would do the same thing. Now I just have to figure out a fix without damaging the integrity of the cast or a socket. They are both that length to provide stability. If I reduce or alter that, I'm running the risk of her not healing properly or throwing someone off balance if it's a prosthesis." Arizona walked her to the lobby and replied, "I figured you'd want to see that firsthand and get some measurements. Thank you for coming over so quickly." Callie kissed her cheek and answered, "Anything for you." She then shook her head and requested, "Next time you have someone call and say Dr. Robbins needs you, can you have them clarify you are not in danger or in need of medical attention?" Arizona chuckled and answered, "I think I can do that. I'm sorry you were worried." Callie placed a chaste kiss on her lips and replied, "Thank you. I need to get back. I love you." Arizona nodded and returned, "I love you too." She watched as Callie walked away then sent out a page to all of her attendings to meet in the conference room.
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Sitting in the conference room, Arizona was going over her notes from her meetings with the attendings and the head nurses. She was pleased to hear that the feedback was mostly positive and the few concerns that were brought up were easily addressed. Each attending agreed that it would be most helpful if one person per shift, per floor, was responsible for taking inventory and they could work on a rotating schedule so everyone had their chance and it wasn't placed on one person long-term. They also reported that everything was put in its place and by the end of the second shift, all patient and exam rooms would be fully stocked and ready to go. She was also impressed that each attending had already submitted a copy of their schedules and patient appointments for the first week to Dee so she and Kim could start calling and getting insurance information into the system. Overall, things were going smoothly.
Arizona looked up when she heard a knock on the door and smiled when she saw Miguel standing in the doorway. She waved for him to come in and asked, "Is this a social visit?" Miguel shook his head and answered, "While I'm always up for social visits, I have some documents for you to sign if you have a few minutes." Arizona nodded and asked, "What have you got?" Miguel took out the folder of papers he'd carefully stacked together and hoped the fetal surgeon would just take his word for what she was signing. Opening the folder he explained, "First, I have the deed to the house. I'd like to get it submitted right away because a certain ortho surgeon has been on my case. So, I'll need you to sign, here, here, and right there." Arizona started to read over the first page, then realized that it was nothing that would come back to bite her and just signed where she was asked. Miguel relaxed slightly and lifted part of the documents, revealing only the signature line and explained, "This one is your revised contract with the center after we changed your salary. I already sent you a copy, I just need your signature on these next two pages." Arizona was certain they'd taken care of her contract already but shrugged and signed anyway. She normally wanted to read everything, but she trusted Miguel wouldn't steer her wrong. When she finished, he closed the folder quickly and confirmed, "You're all set then. I'll notarize these when I get back to the office and have a final copy sent to the house." Arizona nodded, thanked him and continued to look at her notes from her meetings.
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Friday afternoon, Callie found herself pacing back and forth in the lobby of Fresh START, waiting for Miguel to emerge from the building across the lot. If he couldn't pull this off, all of her planning would have been for nothing. The longer he took, the more her heart sank. Arizona was methodical, intelligent, savvy, she didn't sign anything without reading every word, even the fine print and the little teeny barely visible footnotes of the fine print. Sometimes it was a blessing, like yesterday when she was choosing an offer from the prosthetic company, but right now, it felt like a curse. She just knew this wouldn't work, then what would she do? Everything was ready and in place.
Lorraine and Maria stood at the reception desk watching their friend come unraveled before their eyes. They hadn't seen her this worked up since the week before Arizona and Sofia arrived and she ran around like a chicken with her head cut off rushing everyone to get things done so she could take the week off to spend with her family. Lorraine leaned over and asked, "If she's like this waiting for papers to be signed, what is she going to be like next Sunday?" Maria visibly shivered and asked, "Should we have one of the other attendings write us a script for some sort of anxiety medicine?" The older woman laughed and declared, "We don't want her knocked out." The nurse looked at her friend and clarified, "Not for her, for me, because if she's like this next week, I'm going to kill her." Lorraine laughed and they both looked up to see Callie nearly attacking Miguel when he walked in the door.
As soon as her attorney walked in the door, Callie pulled him into the conference room and asked, "What did you find out? Can we do it?" The man shook his head at his friend's impatience, laid his briefcase on the table and ordered, "Sit down Cal, take a deep breath." Callie did as he commanded and started to open her mouth when he held up his finger telling her not to say a word. He put his hand on the table and explained, "First of all, there is no prior residency requirement in the State of New York for a marriage license, so you are all good on that front." Callie breathed out a sigh of relief, shook her head and admitted, "I can't believe I didn't even think about that." Miguel smiled and reminded her, "That's why you pay me the big bucks. Secondly, Julia, Maria's cousin agreed to give me the application under the condition that I allow her son to work off his court ordered community service in my office for the next two weeks. I will be taking the first week and you will be taking him the second week." Callie chuckled and responded, "That's only fair." Tilting her head, she asked, "What about Arizona, did she buy it? Did she sign everything?" The attorney laughed and said, "You weren't kidding about her wanting to read everything. Fortunately, I shuffled the papers you wanted signed in with the deed to the house, and a few contracts I needed her to sign for the center. She started to read every word then I guess she figured I wouldn't do her wrong." Callie sat back in her chair, visibly relieved.
He pulled a folder out of his briefcase, took out the papers and pushed them across the desk and explained, "Okay, so we have an application for a marriage license, two applications for legal name change, and one deed to the house. Sign here, here, there, and right there." He pointed out the places for her to sign on each document and declared, "Now all I need from you is a check made out to the State of New York for 35 dollars and I'll submit the application this afternoon and you will have your license by Monday." Callie put down the pen, breathed a sigh of relief, and proclaimed, "It was so much easier in Vegas and last time with Arizona, it wasn't even legal." The man chuckled and responded, "You know, it would also be a lot easier if the bride actually knew she was going to be a bride." Callie laughed, nodded, and asked, "But where's the fun in that?" Miguel shook his head at his friend and asked, "So are you going to pop the question first or are you just going to do it all in one go? Like 'Will you marry me? Good because the wedding is in ten minutes'." Callie chuckled, bit her thumbnail and answered, "I haven't decided yet. I'm afraid if I ask, she will figure all the rest out and it will ruin the surprise. What do you think?" "Don't ask him, his idea of a proposal was to slip the ring on my finger while I was sleeping and wait to see how long it took me to realize it was there." Maria shared while walking into the room. Callie smiled and said, "Aww that's kind of sweet." Both of her friends chuckled making Callie look at them curiously.
Maria explained, "It was very sweet, except I didn't notice it until I was scrubbing in and it slipped off my finger and fell into the sink. If it weren't for the sound it made, it would have gone straight down the drain and I would have been none the wiser." Callie howled with laughter and nearly had tears in her eyes when she asked, "How have I never heard this story before?" Maria shrugged and answered, "Maybe because it's number one on my top five most embarrassing moments." Callie laughed again and Miguel asked, "How did you get engaged before?" Callie shook her head and answered nonchalantly, "Oh we were driving to a Bed and Breakfast when Arizona asked me to marry her then we drove into the side of a truck and I flew through the windshield. When I woke up from my coma my first words were 'yes, I'll marry you'." Maria pursed her lips and declared, "How about we don't recreate that scene?" Callie nodded fervently and answered, "I'm good with that." "Good with what?" Lorraine asked when she walked in the room. Callie explained what they were talking about then asked, "How did you get engaged?" Lorraine laughed and answered, "I got knocked up." Not expecting that answer at all, the three other adults just stared at her then burst out into laughter. Secretly, Callie thought about how that would hopefully be happening on their wedding night but decided not to share that little tidbit. Finally she said defeatedly, "Well you have been no help at all. Thank you. Maybe I should just do it all in one shot."
"Do what in one shot?" came another voice from the door. They all looked up to see Stevie standing in the doorway. Maria decided this was becoming a little too dangerous to talk about openly, pulled their friend inside and shut and locked the conference room door. She then explained, "Cal is trying to decide if she should propose before hand or if she should just wait until that night and do it." Stevie nodded and sat next to their defeated looking friend who was now holding her head in her hands shaking it back and forth. Callie mumbled between her hands, "How did you propose?" Stevie rubbed the back of their neck and replied, "Oh, I went for the ring in the dessert thing. She almost choked to death." Maria threw up her hands and asked, "What is with these morbid engagements?" Callie pounded her head on the table once more and proclaimed, "That's it! No engagement!"
Lorraine reached for Callie's hand and said, "No, she deserves her proposal. So we sit here and toss around ideas until we figure it out." Miguel started to stand up and Maria pulled him right back down declaring, "Oh no, you're staying for this." Lorraine took a seat on the other side of Callie, clapped her hands together and exclaimed, "Ooh this is going to be so much fun." Callie shook her head and laughed at her friends. She was seriously at a loss. Miguel offered, "How about you take her out to a fancy restaurant and propose there?" Maria scowled at him and asked, "Seriously?" He threw up his hands and defended, "You're the one who wanted me to stay." Lorraine suggested, "How about the top of the Empire State Building. Kind of like that movie. I mean, you're both from Seattle." Callie shook her head and answered, "Too overdone." Maria said, "Ohh a sky-writer!" All of the adults in the room just stared at her and Callie asked, "Did you really just suggest I ask a plane crash victim to marry me with an airplane?" Maria shook her head and agreed, "Yeah, bad idea." They all continued to throw out ideas and one by one they were shot down. Finally Callie just dropped her head to the table again and declared, "I give up! I can think of a surprise wedding but I can't think of a single decent proposal."
A/N: You are all truly amazing and I love your reviews. So, what do you think? Should Callie propose before the wedding? I honestly have two different scenarios in mind, so I'm just wondering what you think.
Also, I agree that Aria's reasoning for staying away (at least prior to the abusive husband thing) was lame and apparently so did Callie.
Finally, I wanted to address a few reviews I have received, some seem to be firmly in Arizona's camp stating she is making all the concessions and Callie is doing nothing, while a couple feel that Callie is making all these grand gestures and Arizona hasn't returned them. I am trying to even them both out, but like many of you, I feel Callie needs to be the one to propose and show how much she truly wants to be with Arizona. However, the gestures will be returned in the future.
As always, these characters belong to Shonda.