November 2006 Part 2
Arizona walked down the hall beside Mark. He wasn't her first choice to have a conversation with but he was Callie's best friend, so she tolerated him. She had sensed some tension between them a few weeks ago, and Callie never said why, but they seemed to have worked it out. Still, she was a little wary of him and their friendship.
"Is he here yet?" Mark asked.
"If you are talking about Calliope's dad, then the answer is I don't know. And I'm not going to meet him because we just started dating."
"And Torres is okay with that?"
"Yeah, it was her idea. In and out in one day. No muss, no fuss."
The two doctors noticed George walk past and Callie and Carlos heading toward him.
"This isn't gonna be good," Mark muttered.
Arizona saw Callie whisper something to George and wondered what she'd said. That thought quickly left her mind and her eyes widened when Callie's father suddenly grabbed George by the throat and shoved him up against the wall. She was alarmed with his actions. She truly didn't condone violence, but she privately cheered him on. George deserved some sort of discomfort and Mr. Torres' actions were definitely giving him that. It was something she herself had fantasized about doing several times whenever she thought about George's infidelity.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now," Carlos Torres snarled menacingly.
"Dad, stop it!" Callie exclaimed in horror over his actions but also in an effort to calm him down.
"You committed adultery," Carlos tightened his grip.
"Who hasn't?" Callie interjected. She pointed at Mark. "I slept with him before we were divorced so technically George isn't the only one who cheated."
Arizona quietly watched as Carlos released George and shoved him away onto the ground. The younger man scrambled away as quickly as he could. For a moment Arizona grimaced and felt a tiny pang of sympathy for him. Her mouth dropped open, however, when Carlos grabbed Mark with both hands by the lapels of his lab coat to throw him against the wall, Mark's coat constricting around his throat. No, Arizona was not a huge fan of Mark's, and she didn't like hearing reminders that he'd slept with Callie. But again, she'd give him a pass because of his friendship with Callie. On the other hand, she was getting concerned with Mr. Torres' propensity for violence.
"Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill YOU right now," Carlos threatened Mark.
Mark's face turned red and he appeared to be struggling to breathe. "Mark Sloan, pleasure to meet you," he gasped.
Callie, once again, tried to calm her father. "Dad, Mark is just a friend. And...and I'm happy now. And I'm dating someone now. And I'm happy, okay?"
Arizona watched the events unfold with growing concern. Anxiety crept through her as she noticed the way Callie was nodding and looking her way. Oh no. No, no, no. Not like this, Calliope. She tried telepathically to convey her thoughts to her girlfriend while she busied herself with a random chart.
Mark nodded along with Callie's words, hoping to placate the angry man. Carlos released Mark, who slid along the wall while walking away from the encounter. Carlos patted him on the back as he made his escape. His mood changed obviously from menacing to bright and cheery. "So you're dating again. Good. That's healthy. I'd like to meet this new gentleman suitor."
Callie nodded nervously. "Yeah. Yeah, no, um." She glanced towards Arizona, who quickly looked down at her chart. "They're pretty busy cuz they're a doctor here but, um, you would love them. You would love them because they're smart and funny and both handsome and beautiful and… and very supportive."
Arizona bit her lip to keep from groaning aloud. Really, Callie? Playing the pronoun game is so juvenile.
Carlos nodded along to Callie's sentiments. With pleading eyes, she continued. "Daddy please be okay with this." His eyes narrowed but his expression became unreadable.
Oh no. Need an escape. Retreat, retreat! Arizona's mind screamed at her when she saw Callie walking towards her. However, her feet seemed to be concreted in place.
Callie grabbed her by the shoulder and ushered her over to him. She held her out at an arm's length. Arizona gazed at her adoringly, if a little confused. "Dad, this is Arizona Robbins. This is who I'm dating now."
Before Carlos had a chance to respond, the moment was interrupted by Vivvy and Cam running down the hall and barrelling into Arizona and Callie's legs with Barbara chasing closely.
"Mommy!"
"Callie!"
"Girls! No running!"
Vivvy hugged Callie's legs tightly. Cam sensed the tension in the air and after hugging her mother, she stood in front of her with a suspicious look on her face. With one hand on Cam, Arizona nodded brightly and stuck out her hand for a shake. "And I really hope you draw the line at throwing women against walls, especially in front of small children"
Carlos' face remained unreadable, but he politely shook her hand.
"Cam, Vivvy, Barbara, this is my father, Carlos Torres. Daddy, these are Arizona's daughters and her mother," Callie introduced the new arrivals.
Barbara sensed something amiss with the current situation. Daniel might be better at interrogating, but she excelled at reading people. With an extra dose of Robbins' charm and cheerfulness, she held out her hand for an introductory shake. "Pleasure to finally meet you. We've heard so much about you." While she shook his hand, the girls were wary of him. Vivvy stepped closer to Callie, while Cam remained in a protective (for a five-year-old) stance in front of her mother.
"I, unfortunately, cannot say the same," Carlos said tightly.
"I've told you about them," Callie tried to break some of the tension. "Girls, this is my daddy."
Vivvy shyly peeked out from behind Callie and whispered meekly, "Hi, Callie's daddy,'
Cam scowled and her eyes narrowed in a pretty fair imitation of her mother. "Hi," she finally said.
Carlos nodded at them with a brusque "Hello." His gaze returned to his own daughter. "Calliope, we need to talk. Alone, preferably."
Callie hung her head and led her father away to an exam room to talk with Barbara and Arizona looking on worriedly.
"Oh, my, that didn't go well," Barbara murmured.
"No, it didn't," Arizona agreed.
"I take it he had no idea about Callie dating… you?"
"Nope. Callie and I agreed that I didn't have to meet him. This time. He's only in town until tonight, so it just made sense to wait until we had more time to get to know one another."
"He looks mean," Cam said.
"Scary," Vivvy agreed, nodding her head.
"I'm sure he's a very nice man," Arizona said blandly even though she kind of agreed with the girls.
Barbara snorted behind her hand. "A lovely man," she remarked, her voice heavy with sarcasm.
"I hope Callie's okay. Her dad is nothing like I imagined. Callie always talks so fondly of him." She looked down at the girls. "What are you doing here?"
"We knew you were working late today, so the girls wanted to see if you could join them for their snack time in the cafeteria."
"I suppose I could get away for a few minutes." Arizona looked in the direction that Callie and Carlos had disappeared. "Let me send Calliope a text and let her know where we are." She took her phone out and typed a quick message. "Okay."
"We have something for you and Callie," Vivvy said excitedly as she skipped beside her mother.
"Grandmom has them in her purse," Cam added.
"Well, maybe Callie can join us later and you can give it to her then."
# # # # # # # # # #
"Callie!" Cam yelled as she waved her hand.
Arizona turned around in her chair to see Callie walking toward them. She studied Callie's face, trying to discern how her talk with her father had gone.
"Hi, girls, Barbara," she said, sitting down. She gave Arizona a weak smile.
"We made you something, Callie," Vivvy said. "For you and Mommy."
"Get them, Grandmom," Cam demanded. One stern look from both her mother and her grandmother and she quickly added. "Please."
After another look at Cam, Barbara opened her purse.
"Close your eyes, Mommy!"
"And Callie!"
The two women closed their eyes as requested. Cam and Vivvy sorted through their artwork before placing it in front of Arizona and Callie.
"Open your eyes!"
Callie and Arizona opened their eyes to find "handprint turkeys" from each of the girls on the cafeteria table in front of them.
"We made turkeys!" Vivvy said.
"We made them in school," Cam added. "You can put them in your office."
"I don't have an office," Callie said.
"Not yet, but you will," Arizona responded. "You can hang them in your locker."
"I will." Callie looked down at the turkeys. She immediately knew which one Vivvy had made and which one Cam had made. Vivvy was beginning to show signs of being a bit more artistic than Cam. "Thank you, Cam. Thank you, Vivvy. They are beautiful." And to Callie, they were. After the conversation she'd had with her father, it was good to feel some love, because she sure hadn't felt it earlier with him.
"'welcome," Cam replied, trying to remember her manners.
"Do you like them, Mommy?" Vivvy asked.
"I love them. Thank you, girls. I will hang them in my office."
"So, what's the plan for Thanksgiving?" Callie asked. "What time do I need to be at your house?"
"Well, we'll be having it at Arizona's because she has a bigger dining table," Barbara explained. "Arizona, as you know, will be at work." Barbara flashed a suspicious look at her daughter. "We have to time the cooking around her schedule and Daniel's football games."
"I love Thanksgiving dinner," Vivvy said. "Turkey is my favorite."
"And the pies!" Cam added.
"I'll bake the pies Wednesday and Daniel and I will bring them over Thursday."
"I was planning on coming over Wednesday night," Callie said, looking at Arizona, who nodded. "That way I can get the girls up and start helping you with dinner as soon as you need me."
"Wonderful," Barbara looked at her with concern. Callie's words didn't match the expression on her face. She appeared to be holding back tears, and she seemed upset. She directed her gaze to Arizona and slightly tilted her head toward Callie. Arizona responded with a quick nod.
"Well, I should let you two get back to work and get these two rascals home. I'll wait up for you, Arizona. Let me know if you're going to be later than expected."
"I will, Mom. Thanks," she said as she stood up.
There were hugs all around and then Callie and Arizona headed for the elevator.
"How did it go with your father?" Arizona asked when they stepped into it.
"It went," Callie snapped tersely.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Do you want to come over tonight?"
Callie leaned her head back against the elevator wall. "No offense, but I think tonight I just need some space."
The elevator dinged for Arizona's floor. "If you're sure." Callie nodded. "Ok, then. Call me if you want to talk." Arizona pressed a quick kiss to her cheek and exited the elevator.
# # # # # # # # # #
Callie stood in the lobby, trying to decide if she wanted to go home or go over to Arizona's, even though she had declined earlier in the day. She was emotionally wiped out and all she wanted to do was have a drink or three. She just didn't want to talk to Arizona about what had happened with her father. Not yet, anyway. She sighed heavily.
"Callie?" a voice said from behind her, causing her to jump.
"Addison!" She swatted at Addison's arm. "Don't go sneaking up on me like that."
Addison laughed. "I didn't sneak up on you. I called out to you twice!"
"Sorry. I have a lot on my mind."
Mark exited the elevator and was beside the two women in a blink of an eye. "Is he gone? Is it safe?" he asked, looking over his shoulder.
Callie rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mark. He's gone."
Mark subconsciously pulled at his collar as if remembering exactly how he'd felt when Carlos had thrown him up against the wall.
"What happened?" Addison asked.
"Oh, Mark's being a big baby because my father threatened him," Callie explained.
"Threatened me? You threw me under the bus, Cal, and he threw me against the wall."
Addison laughed and was instantly intrigued. She needed to hear more about this. She knew Carlos Torres had been in the hospital but the gossip hadn't reached OB-GYN.
"Oh, get over yourself, Mark. It wasn't that bad," Callie chided him.
"Wasn't that bad?" he challenged incredulously.
"Look, Mark. He's gone so you have nothing to worry about, okay? He even patted you on the back so you're good."
Lexie suddenly appeared. "Hi, Dr. Montgomery, Callie." She turned to Mark. "Hi, Mark."
The senior doctors greeted the intern, with Mark moving closer to her.
"Do you want to grab a drink at Joe's?" he inquired.
"I guess so," she relented with a little reluctance in her voice.
"Great."
As they walked away together, Addison turned to Callie. "They're back on again?" she questioned.
"Who knows?" Callie shrugged. "You never know with them. They break up as often as Derek and Meredith." Addison chuckled. "Do you have any plans tonight?" Callie asked.
"Not really."
"Want to order some Chinese and drink wine?"
"Sounds like a good idea to me." She looped her arm through Callie's as they headed for their apartment building. "So how did it go with your father today?"
Callie shook her head. "Wine first."
"That good?"
"You won't believe what happened." They entered the building. "Can we go to your apartment? I don't know what shape Yang has left mine. I haven't been home in a few days."
Addison nodded. "How was your weekend with Arizona?" she queried, thinking Callie needed a distraction from talking about her father. She had a small vested interest in their relationship after all; she'd helped Callie pick out a dress to wear.
"Good, really good. Great," Callie stuttered as images from not even forty-eight hours previously ran through her mind. "We had a really, really nice time."
"I bet you did, if those red cheeks of yours are any indication," Addison teased as they exited the elevator on the top floor.
"Well, if you got it, you got it," Callie joked. "And we most definitely got it."
"Say no more. I don't need the details," Addison said, unlocking the door to her apartment.
Callie looked around the large living room before flopping down on the leather coach. "I love your apartment," she sighed. It was so much bigger than the one she shared with Cristina. Although the furnishings in her own apartment were high-end, Addison had gone all-out in furnishing and decorating hers. The apartment had a feel about it, very much like her parents' house had, but Addison's seemed warmer, more comfortable. She was still a little amazed at how quickly Addison had set it up, but then again, money could make things happen.
As much as she loved Addison's apartment, and the comfort of her own place, she found herself preferring Arizona's sometimes messy, toy strewn house with well-worn furniture. Arizona's house felt more and more like home to her, and it was mostly because of its occupants.
"It's a little bit chilly in here. Do you mind if I turn on the fireplace?" Addison asked as she walked over to the gas fireplace.
"No, go ahead. We never use ours."
"Would you order the food? I'll have my usual."
"Sure." Callie took out her phone and called their favorite Chinese restaurant. In the short time since Addison had returned to Seattle, they'd shared Chinese food several times.
"So, white or red?" Addison called from the kitchen.
"Red, please. And make it a large glass."
Addison chuckled to herself. At least Callie wasn't doing shots of tequila to handle whatever stress she was feeling from her father's visit. I'll wait until we have our food before I press her on the details. I don't want to be interrupted and have Callie use that as an excuse not to talk.
While they waited for the food to be delivered, they chatted about hospital gossip and how Addison was finding it being back at Seattle Grace. Callie told her about the "turkeys" the twins had made her and Addison couldn't help but notice how Callie's face both softened and lit up when she talked about the girls.
Once they had the food, they settled down on the sofa, white boxes covering the coffee table. "So, spill it. Tell me what happened with your father," Addison demanded as she opened one of the containers and began to eat.
"Besides my father throwing Mark against the wall?" Callie laughed.
"Yes. I want all the details. Start from the beginning."
Callie recounted walking through the hospital with her father, and then him first throwing George against the wall, and then Mark.
"I would've paid good money to see that," Addison laughed.
"And then I introduced Arizona as my girlfriend just as the twins and Barbara showed up."
"Oh no!" Addison's jaw dropped and her eyes flew open. "What happened?"
"I introduced them all and then my dad wanted to talk to me privately." Callie finished off her glass of wine and Addison quickly refilled it. "He was not happy."
"He didn't know you two were dating?"
"No. I mean, I've mentioned Arizona and the girls a few times when we talk, but I never told him."
"It probably came as a big shock to him."
"Yeah, you could say that," Callie scoffed. "He wanted me to fly back with him tonight. Tonight! Can you believe it? He even offered the chief money." Callie became more and more animated as her anger returned. "I'm a fifth year resident! I can't just get up and leave, even if I wanted to! Which I don't, by the way I have my exam in six months. He knows that." She set her glass down. "He threatened to cut me off, so I cut him off."
"Oh, Callie. I'm so sorry," Addison said sympathetically, squeezing her friend's hand. "Have you told Arizona?"
"No."
"Callie…"
"Family is important to Arizona. If she thought she came between me and my dad, well, she'd probably break up with me or something. She'd think she was being honorable."
"You should tell her, Callie. She deserves to know."
"I'm just gonna wait, give him some time to get used to it."
"I think you're making a mistake," Addison warned.
"Maybe, maybe not," Callie uttered with a slight shrug of her shoulders.
# # # # # # # # # #
Callie had successfully dodged any questions from Arizona for the past forty-eight hours but now she was on her way to Arizona's and she wasn't sure how she'd be able to continue the charade. Arizona suspected something, but hadn't pushed Callie to talk. She hoped she could delay the talk until she heard from her father, certain he would call her tomorrow. He always called whenever she couldn't make it home for a holiday.
She was excited and happy to be spending the holiday with the Robbins family, but her last conversation with her father hung over her like a dark cloud. She parked her car in the garage and entered the house through the back door. She'd barely had a chance to set her purse down and hang up her coat before the girls were greeting her.
"Callie! You're here!" Cam exclaimed as she barreled around the corner from the kitchen, Vivvy right behind her.
"It's almost Thanksgiving," Vivvy informed her. "We were afraid you wouldn't come."
"There was no way I'd miss spending the day with my two most favorite people in the whole world," she noted, hugging them close. She hadn't seen them since Monday in the cafeteria and she'd missed them. Hugs from the girls always made her feel better, and she was in sore need of them.
"Grandmom already made the pies," Cam reported to her.
"And we got to help," Vivvy added.
Arizona made her way over to Callie where she greeted her with a hug and a kiss. "Are you hungry? There's leftover pizza."
"I guess so. Thanks."
"We had PIZZA for dinner", Vivvy said. Pizza was a treat for them and she was excited that they'd had it.
"I LOVE pizza." Cam chipped in.
"I love pizza, too," Callie said with an affirming smile.
"Go sit down and I'll get you a couple of slices," Arizona suggested. "Wine, beer or coffee?"
"A beer would be nice."
"You're just in time," Vivvy announced as she led the way to the living room.
"For what?" Callie asked.
"We were gonna watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," Cam explained.
"Yeah? I haven't seen that in a long time," Callie commented.
"How long a time?" Cam questioned.
"Since I was probably your age."
"That's a long time," Vivvy said after some thought.
"Yes, it is." Callie laughed and tried not to be offended by Vivvy's statement.
A few minutes later, Arizona brought a plate with two slices of pizza on it and a bottle of beer for Callie. The girls were seated on the sofa, Callie between them. She could sense that Callie was still bothered by her father's visit. While she was dying to know what happened, she decided not to push it. Callie would tell her when she was ready. Still, Callie seemed sad, despite her efforts to hide it from the girls.
"Can we watch it now, Mommy?" Cam pleaded almost bouncing in her seat. "Please?"
"Let Callie finish eating first then we can watch it."
Cam sighed heavily in disappointment, but remained quiet. Callie deliberately ate slowly at first, trying to tease the twins. The girls stared at her, both wanting to tell her to hurry, but were mindful that their mother was watching them. Deciding that they'd waited long enough, Callie quickly ate the second slice.
"Do you want another slice?" Arizona asked as she took the plate from Callie.
"Well…"
"No!" Vivvy and Cam exclaimed in unison.
"Girls!" Arizona reprimanded them.
"Sorry, Mommy."
"Sorry, Callie."
"No, I'm all set. Thanks."
The four of them quickly settled on the couch together, Cam snuggled next to Arizona. Vivvy, even at five years of age, was already showing herself to be more sensitive. She sensed Callie's sadness and crawled into her lap. "I'm happy you're with us tomorrow, Callie," she divulged in a quiet voice.
"Me, too, Vivvy. Me, too." She gave Vivvy a sweet hug and a kiss on her forehead. "Ready for Charlie Brown?"
"Uh huh." she nodded.
Cam and Vivvy's sole focus was on the show playing on the TV. Callie pretended to watch but her thoughts were elsewhere. Arizona subtly kept checking on Callie. It pained her to see Callie looking so lost and sad. When the show ended with the Peanuts gang singing 'Over the river and through the woods" Vivvy and Cam looked at Arizona with confused looks on their faces.
"Why go through the woods and the river to go to Grandmom's?" Vivvy queried with a serious tone.
"We WALK to grandmom and grandpop's house," Cam stressed.
Arizona looked to Callie for some help explaining, but Callie had covered her mouth and turned her head to hide her laugh.
"It's an old song, girls. It was written back when people didn't have cars and they didn't live so close to their family so they used to travel by sleighs in the winter."
"What's a sleigh?"
"It's like a really big sled with sides and seats and horses pull them. You can only use them when there's snow on the ground."
"We don't get snow here," Cam proclaimed confidently.
"We sometimes do," Arizona countered. "Just probably not enough to go sledding."
"Have you ever gone sledding?"
"Yes, when I was a little girl we once lived in a place that had enough snow for us to go sledding."
"Have you been sledding, Callie?"
"No, I grew up where it's warm and sunny."
"I want to go sledding," Cam said wistfully.
"Me, too," Vivvy echoed.
"Well, I'm not promising anything, but maybe we can try to go sledding in the mountains this winter."
"Really?"
"Can we?
"I said maybe. It depends on when the snow falls, how much and if I'm not working."
The girls groaned audibly. "But you're always working." Cam pouted.
"I'm sure I can take off a weekend at some point."
"Callie too?" Vivvy questioned. "She's never been sledding."
Arizona looked over the children's heads to meet Callie's gaze. "If she wants to come with us, she can."
"I would love to go sledding with you guys."
"But there will be no sledding tonight," Arizona announced. "You two need to go to bed. We have a busy day tomorrow."
"Turkey!"
"Pies!"
"Always food with these two," Arizona grumbled as she got up from the couch. "Not that it's all six of us together for dinner. No, it's the food first with them."
"Yeah but it's food they don't normally get," Callie laughed, but she also blushed, feeling humbled by the way the small family automatically included her as part of the family dinner and in their future plans.
"I don't believe you've never been sledding," Arizona commented after the girls were tucked into bed and fast asleep.
"Arizona, I grew up in Miami. You know that. Where would I have gone sledding?" Callie thought for a moment. "We did take a family ski vacation in Switzerland once when I was in high school but I never left the indoor pool area. Aria did, but only because she was flirting with the ski instructors."
Arizona tried not to gulp when Callie said "ski vacation in Switzerland". Only people with big bucks go to Switzerland to learn how to ski, she thought. "Switzerland? Whereabouts? When we were living in Germany, we went to Switzerland once."
"Zermatt. Mom wanted St. Moritz, Daddy wanted Zermatt. Where were you?"
"We took the train to Zurich and stayed for a few days then took the train back."
"Oh, Zurich was nice. We stayed there for a few days before we came back."
"The chocolate in Switzerland was fantastic," Arizona reminisced with a smile, trying to steer the conversation away from her uneasy feelings about how wealthy Callie's family could be.
"Of course you would remember the chocolate," Callie remarked, kissing her on the cheek. "How early do you have to be at work tomorrow?"
"Six," Arizona answered with a frown. "But I should hopefully be able to leave around noon, barring any emergencies. I know mom is planning on dinner around two-ish."
"I saw the turkey in the refrigerator. It's huge!"
"Yeah, Mom likes to have lots of leftovers." Arizona grinned at Callie. "You're gonna be busy all morning."
"What about the girls?"
"Watching the parade with my dad, and probably football, too. My mom found a channel that will broadcast the parade live so the girls will be watching it very early. I imagine mom will just set them down in front of the tv with a bowl of cereal."
"How early?"
"Six or six-thirty I guess."
"That early?" Callie exclaimed. I don't get to sleep in?"
"You can try, but I'd bet good money the girls will get you up. My mom will be here then."
Callie tipped her head back against the couch and sighed loudly. "Why did I volunteer to help?"
"Oh, it'll be fun," Arizona said, patting Callie's leg. "I'm gonna head to bed now. You coming?"
"Sure. I'll lock up. You go ahead."
By the time Callie got to the bedroom, Arizona was already in bed. She was sitting up, reading a magazine. Callie quickly got ready for bed and slipped in beside her. Arizona turned toward Callie after setting the magazine on her nightstand.
"So, how did it go with your father? You want to talk about it?"
"It's fine. Nothing to talk about," Callie dismissed.
"Why don't I believe you?" Arizona persisted.
"It was a shock to him, that's all. He'll get over it. It'll just take a little time. I'm sure he'll be fine when he calls tomorrow."
Arizona wanted Callie to talk to her. But who am I to push her? I kept things from her. I'll give her a few more days, but then I'm gonna make her talk to me.
"Okay," she said simply. She leaned over and gave Callie a kiss. "Goodnight. Love you."
"I love you, too."
# # # # # # # # #
Arizona leaned over the bed and gave Callie a soft kiss. "Callie, it's time to get up. I have to leave."
"No," she mumbled, burrowing further down under the covers.
"Calliope, you need to get up. My mother will be here in a few minutes."
"Then why do I have to get up?" she whined. She pulled the pillow over her head.
"Callie," Arizona said more firmly. "I have to go."
"Then go."
Arizona glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "I'm going. I'll be home later. Have fun. Love you." She quietly left the room and went down the hall. She checked on the girls, who were still asleep. She knew they would be up soon. She'd let them wake Callie up.
Callie had fallen back to sleep before Arizona had even left the room, and asleep she remained until she felt someone on the bed. She cocked one eye open to find Vivvy and Cam sitting on the bed, staring at her.
"Are you awake, Callie?" Vivvy asked.
"I am now," she grumbled.
"Grandmom is here, "Vivvy informed her.
"And she told us to get you up. She said the parade starts in ten minutes!" Cam voiced excitedly.
"Okay, okay," Callie sat up. "Do I get morning hugs?"
Cam and Vivvy scrambled across the bed and into Callie's arms. Until she felt the twins' arms around her, Callie hadn't realized how much she needed their hugs.
"Go tell your grandmom I'll be down in a few minutes, I need to get dressed and brush my teeth."
"Okay," they chorused as they climbed down from the bed and ran out the door.
By the time Callie went downstairs, the girls were seated in front of the TV with bowls of cereal, just as Arizona had predicted. They were watching the Macy's Thanksgiving parade and excitedly pointing out the characters that they recognized.
"Good morning," Barbara greeted brightly when Callie stepped into the kitchen. "Happy Thanksgiving. Coffee's ready."
"Happy Thanksgiving," Callie returned the greeting and immediately poured herself a cup of coffee. After several long gulps of coffee, Callie poured another cup, missing the smile on Barbara's face. "So, what do you need me to do?"
"Would you like some breakfast first?"
"I think coffee will be enough. We've got that big dinner today," she replied, glancing at the turkey.
"Dinner won't be for another seven or eight hours. You should eat something."
Callie knew that tone of voice. It was the "don't even attempt to argue with me" tonality, which could only be pulled off by a mother. She nodded to the older woman and found a bagel she could toast. "What do you need me to do first?" she asked again while she ate a banana from the ever present bowl of fruit.
"I'm just about ready to put the turkey in the oven. You can start peeling the potatoes that are on the counter. Just put the peeled ones into the sink and we can rinse them off again when you're finished." She gestured to the counter where a large pile of potatoes covered the counter. A trash can had been thoughtfully placed near the sink for the peelings. "I'll work on the stuffing."
"Don't you like, put the stuffing in the turkey while it's cooking?" Callie asked. Her bagel popped up and she quickly spread some cream cheese on it.
"Oh, we don't do that anymore. Arizona was very insistent we get away from that when she was in junior high school after she read an article about food poisoning during the holidays."
Callie had to smile to herself. She could just imagine a pre-teen Arizona being all serious about that. Come to think of it, I can picture Vivvy doing that when she's older, Callie thought. "I didn't know that. I just assumed stuffing meant it was stuffed in the turkey." She'd never actually seen it made, never saw any of the food prep for holiday dinners. In fact, Callie had wandered into the kitchen one year as a young girl and one of the meaner members of the kitchen staff cursed at her and waved the giblets at her, terrifying her.
"Technically. Some people call it something different when it's not inside the bird, but it's all the same. Old bread cooked in broth." While Barbara set about throwing together the stuffing, adding an assortment of spices, Callie peeled a pile of potatoes that seemed to be never ending. "So what does your family normally do for Thanksgiving, Callie?" Barbara asked.
"Oh, our Thanksgivings are spread out over two days. One day my dad's side of the family comes, and the next day my mom's side comes over. They alternate every other year as to who comes on Thanksgiving and who comes Friday."
"Why not just have everyone there for one day?" Barbara placed the stuffing into the top oven. When Arizona and Jillian had bought the house and had the kitchen re-done, Barbara insisted they get two ovens. Arizona had complained a little bit about that, but in the end, had agreed they came in handy for big meals.
Callie laughed out loud at Barbara's questions. "Well, there's too many of us, even for my parents' large ostentatious house. I have so many aunts and uncles and cousins on both sides of the family." She laughed again. "One year they tried to get everyone together when there weren't quite so many of us. It did not go well. I was maybe five or six years old. I remember fighting and yelling and a few people in tears. The two sides do not get along at all."
"That's too bad," Barbara murmured. "Holidays are a time for families to be together." She turned to see a pained look on Callie's face. "Callie? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she sniffled once.
"Are you missing your family?"
"Something like that," Callie deflected.
Barbara had taken a large pot out and quickly set it down on the counter. She took a few steps over to Callie where she gently took the knife and a potato from Callie's hands. "I'm guessing it didn't go well with your father after he met Arizona?"
"It didn't go great, that's for sure."
"Have you talked with Arizona? She can be a great listener."
"No, I didn't want to burden her just yet. He just needs time to cool off. It'll blow over soon."
Barbara wasn't sure who Callie was trying to convince. "I know it's not the same, Callie, but you have a family here who loves you."
Callie sniffled again and nodded. "I know. And I love the Robbins family, too."
Barbara gave Callie a moment to compose herself. "So, we have a green bean casserole, which Daniel will bring over with the pies shortly, but I think we need another green vegetable on the table, add a little more color. What do you think?"
"Sounds good," Callie said, giving Barbara a grateful smile for having changed the topic. "What else needs to be done after we get the potatoes boiling?"
"Well, I'll bake some rolls later and we can cook the broccoli later as well. I do have to make the sweet potato casserole, though."
"What's that? I've had sweet potatoes before but a casserole?"
"Oh, it's Daniel, Arizona and Vivvy's favorite for Thanksgiving," Barbara informed her, taking out the ingredients, then a recipe card. "We'll make it to the point where we're ready to bake the final part, but we won't do that until right before dinner."
Babara first boiled the sweet potatoes, then drained them. She placed them into a large mixing bowl then added eggs, butter, milk, dark brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. "Now stir until everything is mixed in and smooth."
Callie did as instructed. The dish they were making seemed more like a dessert than a vegetable but she was not about to argue with Barbara. "What's next?"
"We make the topping. Now, I would normally put pecans in it, but Cam really does not like nuts, so I don't." While Barbara mixed up flour, butter and more brown sugar, Callie looked at the recipe card. Barbara then spread it out on top of the sweet potato mixture.
"Marshmallow?" Callie exclaimed.
"Yes. Right before I put it in the oven for 30 minutes we sprinkle some of those miniature marshmallows on top," she explained. "It isn't sweet potato casserole without them."
"How are you not all overweight?" Callie muttered, shaking her head in dismay.
"I guess we're all blessed with high metabolism," Barbara chucked. "We don't always eat like this, Callie. It's just a holiday tradition."
Callie thought about Barbara's words. She was right. Arizona usually had the girls eating healthy snacks and well rounded meals. The exception to those were the big Sunday dinners (not every week) and holidays.
"Now, we can take a break. We need to let the potatoes cook for a while before we mash them and we need to keep basting the turkey."
Daniel announced his arrival by bringing the green bean casserole into the kitchen.
"Happy Thanksgiving," he said as he placed the dish on the counter.
"Happy Thanksgiving to you, Daniel," Callie replied. "Can I give you a hand with anything?"
"Would you help me with the pies? Apparently my wife thinks everyone needs a personal pie."
"Sure."
Daniel had driven the car over with the food. It saved the many trips he would have to make if he'd done it by foot. "Barbara sharing her cooking secrets?" Daniel asked as they brought in the pies.
"Some. I don't think I'm ready to cook a turkey dinner by myself just yet, but maybe someday I will be."
"That's the spirit," he said, his eyes twinkling. "Will you be watching the football game with me and the girls?"
"Sure. Who's playing?"
"The Lions are playing the Dolphins in the first game," he answered, looking at his watch. "Should be kicking off in a few minutes."
"Dolphins? That's my team," she said a little excitedly. She almost never got to watch them play since she became a resident.
"You're a Miami fan?"
"I was born in Miami. I grew up watching them." She left out that she'd seen them play from her father's box seats.
Barbara shooed them out of the kitchen before promising Callie she'd call her back in when she needed help. The parade was over and the girls were sprawled on the couch watching a cartoon on Nickelodeon.
"Who's ready for football?" Daniel questioned the girls.
"Me!" Cam sat up excitedly. "I wanna watch."
"Callie said her favorite team is playing today."
"The Lions?" Vivvy asked hopefully.
"No, the Dolphins," Daniel said with a fake frown.
"But we always root for the Lions," Cam pouted crestfallen. Always to her meant they'd rooted for the Lions the previous year.
"I'll root for the Dolphins with you, Callie," Vivvy said shyly.
"Me, too!" Cam agreed with more enthusiasm.
"Traitors," Daniel grumbled, switching the channel to the game.
# # # # # # # # # #
After locking her office, Arizona headed down the hallway to the elevator. Her early shift had fortunately been uneventful and she'd split her time between paperwork and the kids on the ward. It sucked being in the hospital for the holidays, so Arizona made sure to spend extra time with each one, even playing a few games with some of them.
When the elevator doors opened, she found Teddy and Addison in there.
"Done for the day?" Arizona asked.
"Yes." The two women nodded. "How about you?"
"Yup," she replied with a grin. She pushed the button for the lobby even though it had already been selected. "Where are you two headed?"
"We were just talking about that."
"We thought we'd try Joe's for a burger and a beer."
"No," Arizona said firmly.
"No?" Addison asked, amusement in her tone.
"No. You're coming to my house for dinner."
"We are?" Teddy asked, bemused by the assumption.
"Yes."
"Thank you for the invitation," Addison said, "but we can't possibly just show up for dinner."
"Sure you can. My mom always makes way too much food. Besides, she'd kill me if she thought for one minute I hadn't invited you."
"Is your mom cooking?" Teddy asked, picturing the dinner. She'd had more than a few meals with Arizona and her family and she had enjoyed each one. Her mouth was already watering as she thought about the dinner that lay in wait.
"Mom and Callie."
"Callie's helping your mom?" Addison probed. She knew Callie had some cooking skills, but taking on a Thanksgiving dinner seemed like a lot. She and Callie had both grown up with private chefs and staff.
"Yes. She and mom have started sharing recipes I guess. Callie even learned how to make lasagna a few weeks ago."
"I don't know, Arizona, it seems kind of last minute," Addison still protested.
"Nonsense. The more the merrier. Good food. Good wine. Exceptional company." Arizona grinned. "You are more than welcome. In fact, I insist."
"If you say so."
"C'mon, Addison. You don't know what you're missing. Arizona's mom is a great cook. I'm in."
"Fine. You've convinced me."
"Great!"
"What time?"
"Now." She looked at her watch. "Dinner will be in about an hour. Teddy, you know how to get there. Addison, do you need directions?"
"Oh, we can ride together," Teddy suggested. "No sense both of us driving."
"I'll drive," Addison said. "I've got a patient that I might need to come back for."
"Great. You can follow me."
Twenty minutes later, Arizona was leading Teddy and Addison into her house.
"Happy Thanksgiving! I brought some strays home with me," she announced jokingly.
Barbara came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. "Teddy! Dr. Montgomery." She greeted each woman with a hug, which Teddy happily accepted and startled Addison.
"I hope you don't mind a few more mouths to feed," Addison said apologetically. "Arizona wouldn't take no for an answer. And please, it's Addison."
"I raised my daughter right," Barbara remarked, then turned her head. "Daniel! We need the leaf added to the table." She turned back to her daughter. "Arizona, take these girls' coats and hang them up, then get them a drink," she ordered as she returned to the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in forty-five minutes."
Arizona rolled her eyes and Teddy snickered. Addison hid her amusement behind her hand. Following her mother's orders, not that she needed to be told, Arizona dutifully hung up their coats and led them into the kitchen.
"Addison! Teddy!" Callie greeted them. "Are you here for dinner?" she asked, setting down the whisk she was using to stir the gravy. Careful not to get her friends' clothes dirty from her hands or apron, she gave them a quick hug.
"Your girlfriend took pity on us and invited us for dinner," Addison stated..
"And you know me, Callie, I never pass up a home cooked meal," Teddy added, deeply inhaling the aromas that filled the kitchen and smiling at Barbara Robbins. The older woman had become like a second mother to Teddy in the short time that she'd been in Seattle.
"Leaf has been added," Daniel said as he came into the kitchen, which was soon becoming crowded. "Not sure if we have enough pie, though." He winked at Callie, who laughed and swatted his arm. The girls, despite wanting to join the fun, knew better to stay out of the kitchen when there was a holiday meal being prepared.
"Good. Don't go disappearing on me, Daniel. The turkey will need to be carved soon. Arizona, add the extra place settings. Callie, keep stirring. We don't want lumpy gravy." Barbara snapped off orders like a drill sergeant.
"Run for your lives," Arizona whispered to Teddy and Addison while she carried the two extra plates to the dining room. "She'll put you to work if she catches you standing still in the kitchen."
"I'll help you," Teddy offered.
Addison looked on at the plates and bowls that were filled with food covering the kitchen island. A massive turkey, easily the biggest she'd ever seen, sat on the counter. "Do you need me to do something?" she asked Barbara.
Callie began giggling at the image of Addison in the kitchen. "Addison's worse in the kitchen than Arizona," she told Barbara. She laughed at the glare Addison directed at her.
"Well, she can pour the wine and fill the water glasses." Barbara looked over Callie's shoulder at the gravy. "Perfect. Let's get the food on the table and Daniel can carve the turkey."
"You have FOUR doctors - surgeons - here and DAD carves the turkey?" Arizona groused.
"Have any of you ladies, excuse me, surgeons, carved a turkey?" Barbara asked.
No one answered. then Callie piped up, "I haven't but I'd love to learn. How hard can it be?"
"If we wanted entire muscles removed from the bone, then one of you could take over. In the meantime, we'll stick with the man who's been slicing turkeys longer than any of you have been alive," Daniel said.
"Fine," Arizona grumbled as she began carrying bowls of food into the dining room, Teddy and Addison at her heels, hands full of more bowls. Callie stayed in the kitchen with Daniel, eager to learn how to carve a turkey. "Dad never taught me how to carve the turkey," Arizona pouted when she saw Callie standing beside Daniel.
# # # # # # # # # #
Midway through a mostly quiet meal, with the exception of silverware scraping the plates and an occasional "Please pass the" or "Mommy, can you help me?" there was a knock at the door. All of the adults exchanged a look.
"Were you expecting someone, Arizona?" Barbara asked.
"No," She got up from the table and started for the living room. Before she could even reach the door, it swung open.
"Hi, Honey! I'm home!"
"NIck!" Arizona ran to him and threw her arms around him. He, in turn, lifted her up and spun her around.
"How's my wife? Did you miss me?"
"Put me down, you jerk," Arizona chuckled affectionately. He set her down and she lightly punched him in the arm.
"Is that Nicolas?" Barbara asked, jumping up from the table, followed by Daniel.
"Who's Nick?" Teddy asked Callie.
"A family friend," Callie said, giving Nick the side-eye. She'd heard the comment about "Wife" and didn't appreciate it at all.
After much fussing by Barbara and Daniel, they brought Nick into the dining room. He grinned at the three women sitting at the table, Two of them had friendly smiles on their faces and one was giving him the evil eye.
"Nick, these are my friends, Doctor Addison Montgomery and Major Doctor Teddy Altman." She turned to Callie. "And this is my girlfriend, Doctor Callie Torres. Everyone, this is NIck."
"Her husband," he said with a mischievous grin.
While Barbara and Daniel laughed, Teddy nearly spit out her drink, Addison's gaze darted to Callie who looked like she was ready to go all cage fighter, and Arizona just punched Nick in the arm, only harder.
"Don't be such a jerk, Nick."
"It was a lovely wedding," he continued. "Young love, you know how it is."
"Nicholas!" Arizona said, readying her fist for another punch when he moved away from her. "I was eight, he was ten," Arizona explained. "Jerk."
"You shouldn't call people names," Vivvy said.
"Yeah, Arizona," Nick agreed, before turning his attention to the twins. "And who are these young ladies?" he asked. "Carmen and Victoria, right?" he teased.
"I'm Vivvy!"
"I'm Cam!"
"That can't be right," he disputed in disbelief. "The last time I saw Cam and Vivvy they were little girls."
"We're five years old!" Vivvy explained.
"We're not little any more," Cam added. "Who are you?"
"I'm your Uncle Nick," he said.
"Sit down, Nick. Have you eaten?" Barbara ordered, her motherly instincts kicking into overdrive.
"Just a snack on the airplane."
"I'll get a plate of food together for you."
"Don't go to any trouble, Moms. I can get it."
"Nonsense."
Daniel retrieved a chair from the kitchen and placed it in the empty spot beside Teddy. "Thanks, Pops," Nick said, sitting down. He turned to Teddy. "Major?"
"Army Med, inactive."
"Captain, Army Ranger," he said.
"How long will you be here, Nick?" Barbara asked as she set the plate down in front of him. "Eat up. You're looking a little thin."
"Thanks, Moms. Nothing a good home cooked meal won't cure."
"Teddy says the same thing," she said, sitting back down. "You'd think the army doesn't feed you."
Teddy and Nick both laughed. "Nothing like this," he started digging into his food. "Oh, God, Moms, I missed your food so much," he mumbled between bites. "It's the best."
"Slow down, Nick," Barbara smiled widely. "There's plenty of food."
"I'll say. Mom always makes enough to feed an army."
"Ha ha, Phoenix. You're so funny," Nick teased.
Addison observed that Arizona and Nick's bickering resembled Mark and Callie's, but with no sexual undertones.
"Phoenix?" Teddy asked.
"Oh, Nick thinks he's so clever by calling me whatever city in Arizona he can think of. He's been doing it for years," Arizona explained. "It's getting old, Nick. You need a new routine."
NIck laughed. "Never, Flagstaff. As long as I know it annoys you, I won't stop."
Arizona gave a little huff before returning to the food on her plate. Taking their cue from Arizona, the others at the table also resumed eating.
"Can we have pie now?" Cam asked while she chewed her last bite from her plate. "I even ate all my brockly," she added.
"Cam, not everyone is finished," Arizona admonished. "We don't have pie right after we have dinner. We have to clean up the dishes and put away the rest of the food. Besides, you need to give your belly time to digest so you have more room for all the different desserts Grandma made."
Cam crossed her arms and pouted, which Addison found adorable. She couldn't remember the last time she shared a sit down dinner with children and it made her a little jealous. She found herself wishing she could have her own children, her own family to share dinners.
The young girl waited impatiently for everyone else at the table to finish eating, staring at each one in an effort to hurry them up. She only smiled when the adults pushed their empty plates away and leaned back.
"Who's joining me with KP?" Arizona asked as she stood up.
"I will," Teddy volunteered.
"As will I," Addison said.
"Come join me on the back porch for a cigar, Nick," Daniel half-ordered.
"Sure thing, Pops."
Callie offered to help with the cleanup but was quickly shot down by Arizona. "You and Mom cooked. You sit. We've got this."
"But your mom is helping," Callie protested as she saw Barbara heading into the kitchen.
"She's not helping, she's supervising," Arizona said.
While Callie remained seated, she watched the others head to the kitchen. She noticed that Nick seemed to be favoring his left leg. It was subtle and she doubted anyone else picked up on it, but she had a trained eye for all things ortho, and she spotted it. Maybe it's an injury from the war, she thought. Odd that Arizona didn't see it.
She got up from the table and wandered into the kitchen. She was a little amused by Barbara's "overseeing" Teddy, Arizona and Addison. The older Robbins ran a tight ship, even if it wasn't her own home. She'd organized the three into a well-oiled machine in no time with washing dishes, loading the dishwasher and packing up the leftovers.
"Did you know Nick was coming here?" Arizona asked her mom as she washed a pan.
"No. I was as surprised as you."
"I thought he still had a few months left on his latest deployment."
"Well, I'm not going to question it. If he has leave, I'm just happy he chose to spend it with us."
Callie looked out the window. Daniel and Nick seemed to be having a heated discussion of some type. It came to an end with Nick looking down and Daniel's hand on the younger man's shoulder. It looked like they'd reached a truce of some sort.
Arizona came up behind Callie and rested her chin on her shoulder. "Whatcha looking at?"
"Nothing, really. Your dad and Nick looked like they were having an argument or something."
"I'm sure it's nothing. Just dad being dad and Nick being Nick," she dismissed.
Callie wasn't so sure, but decided to let it go. She turned her head and gave Arizona a kiss. "What's next?"
"Another kiss?" Arizona smiled, returning the kiss.
"I won't ever say no to that," Callie said with a smile. "What I meant was, do we have pie now because I don't think I could eat another bite."
"No, no pie now. We go sit down in the living room and relax, talk, watch football. Pie comes later."
"Cam will be disappointed."
"She needs to learn patience," Arizona said pointedly. "She's always in a hurry for everything."
Callie laughed. "Especially when desserts are involved, just like her mother."
"Funny."
The group reassembled in the living room. Arizona wasn't used to having so many people in her house and she was grateful that she'd let her mother talk her into buying a loveseat last year. Like usual, Daniel claimed the recliner, Cam in his lap. Vivvy sat with Barbara on the overstuffed chair, with Callie and Arizona on the loveseat, and Nick, Addison and Teddy on the couch.
Out of the corner of her eye, Arizona watched as Teddy and Nick became engrossed in a conversation, and that they were leaning a little bit toward one another. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. Her best friend and her "brother"? Maybe it's a good thing, she concluded. Maybe it'll help Teddy get over Owen, and stop the not-so-secretly pining for him. Her thoughts were interrupted by a squeeze of Callie's hand on her own.
"What?"
"Nothing. Just, I love you. I've had a great day with you and your family."
"It's your family, too, Calliope," she responded, adding a kiss. She leaned her head against Callie's shoulder and listened to the sounds of her family and friends. Callie was talking with Addison about something at work, Teddy and Nick were still talking intently. Probably swapping army stories, she thought. The girls were chatting with their grandparents. It made her heart full. After Jill had died, she never thought she'd have these kinds of moments again. And now? Now she had a girlfriend that she loved, who loved her and her family. She had friends who weren't just co-workers. She had family with her. It was like a dream.
She found herself almost dozing off, so she quickly stood up. "Who wants pie?"
"Me! I want pie!" Cam voiced excitedly, jumping down from her grandpop's lap, Vivvy copying her actions as she leapt from Barbara's lap.
"Anyone else?" Arizona asked the group.
"We have pumpkin, apple, and blueberry pie, plus Oreo mudpie or cookies," Barbara listed the pies while getting up from her spot. "What would you all like?"
Arizona made a mental note of everyone's choice and then followed her mother into the kitchen. Barbara warmed the pies while Arizona took out the dessert plates and forks.
"There's whipped cream in the refrigerator and vanilla ice cream in the freezer."
The group once again found themselves seated around the dining room table. Barbara sliced the pie and plated it while Arizona added the whipped cream or ice cream (or both) before serving. Daniel, Cam and Nick couldn't decide what they wanted, so they got a silver of all the desserts.
Addison had barely finished her small slice of apple pie before her pager sounded. She got up from the table and found her purse. She slipped on her coat then went back into the dining room. Holding her pager up, she announced, "It looks like I'm going back to the hospital. Mrs. Robbins, Callie, the dinner was lovely. Thank you all for having me." She looked over at Teddy, who was still eating her pie. "Teddy, are you coming with me?"
"Oh, someone here can give her a ride home," Arizona said, "if Teddy wants to stay."
"I've got a rental. I can give you a ride," Nick offered as he gave Teddy a big smile.
"Sure, that'd be great, thanks," Teddy said between mouthfuls of pie. "I haven't finished my pie and I'm having a good time."
Callie and Arizona exchanged a look, and suppressed the giggles that threatened to pop out. The couple got up from the table and walked Addison out to her car. Addison thanked Arizona once again for the invitation to dinner and then drove off as she was needed at the hospital.
"So, do you think a romance is brewing between Teddy and Nick?" Callie asked as they walked back to the house.
"I don't know. Maybe? It could be they're just talking army crap."
"I've had a really great time today," Callie said, taking Arizona's hand.
"Even the cooking with my mom?" Arizona questioned with a smirk.
"Even that," Callie laughed. "Your family is wonderful." She scowled a little. "I'm not so sure about Nick, though."
"Oh, don't worry about Nick, Callie. He's harmless."
"Mmm. We'll see," she muttered.
When they entered the house, everyone was back in the living room and watching the football game, or pretending to watch it. Teddy and Nick had claimed the loveseat this time, leaving the couch for Arizona, Callie and the girls.
"Does Seattle ever play on Thanksgiving?" Cam asked.
"Sometimes."
"Callie's favorite team played today," Vivvy told Arizona.
"Oh? What team is that?"
"The Miami Dolphins," Callie answered.
"I like dolphins, " Vivvy said.
"I like dolphins, too, but Seahawks are the best."
"Where's Miami?" Vivvy asked.
"It's very far away," Callie said.
"How far?"
"Let's go get the atlas," Arizona said. "I will show you on a map."
Barbara felt a wave of nostalgia with a touch of pride pass over her as she watched Arizona return from her office with an atlas that she opened on the dining room table. Cam and Vivvy knelt on the chairs as they looked over the map with their mother. It reminded Barbara of all the times she'd taken an atlas out to show Tim and Arizona where they would be moving to next, or to show them where Daniel was stationed when they couldn't go with him.
Callie leaned over from her spot on the couch toward Barbara. "She is such a good mom," she complimented. "And I know where she gets it from, too."
"Thank you, Callie." Barbara smiled. "Did you know when Arizona was younger, she never wanted to be a mom, or have kids?"
"Really? She's such a natural." Callie's gaze fell on Arizona and the twins as they continued to look through the atlas.
"I think she felt it wasn't possible, being gay, so she just decided she didn't want them." Barbara chuckled softly. "So you can only imagine our surprise when Arizona told us she and Jillian were expecting. We didn't even know they were trying!"
Callie looked back again towards the trio and the dining room table and tried to imagine what the twins were like as babies, or even toddlers. She'd seen photos, but it wasn't quite the same. She felt a flicker of jealousy and wondered if she measured up to Jillian. "She must have loved Jillian very much," she said with as much neutrality in her voice that she could muster.
"No, Callie. Don't do that. Don't compare yourself with a ghost. Yes, Arizona loved Jillian but she loves you."
Before Callie could reply, Vivvy came skipping over to her and climbed into her lap. Cam was right behind and got up beside Callie.
"Mommy said you used to live in MIami," Vivvy said.
"That's where I grew up," Callie told her.
"It's a long way away."
"It is."
"It's near the at.. At-lic Ocean."
"Atlantic Ocean."
"What's an ocean?"
"It's a big place of all water."
"BIgger than the water the ferries go on?"
"Way bigger than that." Callie wanted to promise them a trip to see the beaches and the ocean, but she still hadn't heard from her father and it left her with very uneasy feelings.
When the football game ended, and a second serving of pie was eaten, Vivvy was asleep in Callie's lap and Cam was beginning to doze off against her mother.
"I think it's time for me to head home," Teddy said. "I've got an early day tomorrow."
Nick immediately jumped to his feet. "I'll get the keys to my car. Your coat and purse, do you want me to get those as well?"
"No, thanks. I'll get them."
While Nick drove Teddy home, Callie and Arizona got Cam and Vivvy into their pajamas and into bed. After a little talk about their favorite part of the day and a short story, it was time for them to go to sleep. The girls' "goodnights" included Nick, Dr. Teddy and Dr. Addison, which Callie thought was very sweet.
Nick had returned by the time they'd finished with the girls. He was sitting on the loveseat, Barbara and Daniel still in the room.
"NIck's going to be staying with us," Barbara said. "I insisted."
"Okay."
Callie was privately relieved to hear that bit of news. She wasn't sure she'd like it if Nick were to stay at Arizona's home. Something about him was making her suspicious and she didn't know why.
"So, Nick, what are you doing in Seattle?" Arizona asked as she sat down beside Callie on the couch.
"Aren't you happy to see me?" he deflected.
"Don't be wise, Nick," Barbara gently reprimanded him. "Of course we're happy to see you. We're just surprised."
"You know we've missed you," Arizona added.
"And how long are you here for?" Barbara asked.
"Oh, I had some leave saved up and decided to spend it here with my family." Seeing the look the colonel was giving him, he continued, "and I have an appointment at the VA next week."
"The VA? Were you hurt?" Barbara's voice rose in alarm.
"Oh, it's just a follow-up appointment. It's no biggie," he dismissed. "I thought since I would be here in Seattle, I'd drop in to the local VA."
"Nick, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just a routine physical, that's all."
"Why don't I believe you?" Arizona fired back.
"Have I ever lied to you before, Tucson?"
"Oh, give me ten minutes and I could probably come up with quite a list." She crossed her arms and glared at her friend who'd become family.
"Well, I'm fine," he insisted, giving her his most charming smile.
Callie was skeptical, but kept her thoughts to herself.
# # # # # # # # # #
While Arizona was in the bathroom brushing her teeth, Callie thought about how different this Thanksgiving had been compared to the ones in Miami. What had started out as a small family holiday dinner, soon grew with the addition of three friends. Even with Teddy and Addison, and then later Nick joining them, it had still remained warm, friendly and relaxed. Callie smiled as she thought about their tradition of pizza and a cartoon on Thanksgiving eve and watching the parade and football games on Thanksgiving. She had her own traditions with her family, but they were more formal and not nearly as fun, and they always seemed to be overrun with relatives the whole time. It was never just her parents and her sister Aria. Instead of sharing the meal preparation and cleanup like the Robbins family, cooks and kitchen staff worked to get meals for the whole weekend. She wondered if the whole Torres clan had gathered once again. Sighing, she looked at her phone one more time.
Arizona stood in the door of the ensuite, rubbing the lotion into her hands. "Dinner was great, Callie. You did a wonderful job."
"Thanks, " she said in a flat tone. "It was mostly your mom."
"I doubt that very much," she replied, earning a small smile from Callie. "Are you okay?" she asked as she crossed the room and sat down on the bed beside Callie.
"You know, I'm fine," she said, setting her phone on the nightstand.
"You seem upset."
"I'm fine," Callie repeated.
"I noticed you checking your phone a lot today."
Tears suddenly filled Callie's eyes. "He didn't call."
"Your father?"
Callie nodded. "He didn't call."
Arizona pulled Callie into her arms. "I'm so sorry, Calliope." She felt helpless and didn't know what to do. "What do you need from me?"
"Nothing. Just hold me," Callie whimpered, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Always."