December 2006 Part 2
Arizona rushed into her friend, Nick's hospital room, still wearing her surgical garb. "What's wrong? How bad is it?" she asked in a worried rush.
"10 out of 10," he moaned pathetically.
She grabbed his chart from the end of the bed. "They didn't give you anything for the pain?" Her eyebrows drew together in confusion as she started to flip through the pages.
He waved away the comment. "Oh, the pain's fine. The boredom is excruciating!"
She stopped what she was doing and stared at him incredulously. "You had me paged 911 because you're bored?"
"Come on, Yuma. Don't be like that. What's the point of being at your hospital if I can't hang with you?" He batted his eyelashes with mocking charm.
She scowled in his direction as she read 's recent notes about his biopsy. Cells are slightly abnormal in appearance. Tumor is intracompartmental. Treat via chemo, then possible tumor removal, amputation unlikely. No abnormalities found elsewhere on the pet scan. She closed the chart and replaced it in the slot at the end of his bed, then sat on the bed next to his hip. "Because I work here, I can come visit when I have a spare moment or eat lunch with you. That doesn't mean I can drop everything to entertain you." He huffed, sounding like a little boy who couldn't have his way. "Where are my parents?"
"Oh, they left to get us some lunch. I think Pops was even more bored than me, and Moms was feeling stressed waiting for the doctor to return."
"She hasn't met with you yet?"
"She was in earlier, scribbled some notes, talked with me a few minutes and then said she'd be back later."
"Have her page me when she does. I'd like to hear what she has to say."
"Roger that."
"Funny." She glanced at her watch. "I have to get back to work. I've got a surgery soon and I need to prep my patient."
Nick was proud of his "little sister" and was always amazed at what she did. He couldn't imagine treating children, let alone operating on them. He knew he was important to her, but her dedication to her job and her patients was her priority at the moment. "Okay," he said with a big fake sigh. "I guess I'll see you later."
"You will." She got up from her perch on his bed. She leaned over and kissed the top of his head, like she would with her own children. "Try to get some rest."
# # # # # # # # # #
Callie entered the cafeteria at the height of the lunch hour. She drifted over to see what the selections were and frowned. Nothing here looks good, she thought. I've been too spoiled by having meals with Arizona and her family. I can't even get my old standby of lasagna anymore. Not after having homemade by Barbara. She debated whether or not to get a burger with fries then remembered she couldn't afford a big lunch. She was cash poor, thanks to her father. Sighing to herself, she bought a power bar and a small bottle of water.
She scanned the crowded room, looking for a place to sit down. At first she didn't see anything available then she spotted Cristina sitting alone at a small round table with three empty chairs. Apparently her usual lunchmates were in surgery or not at work. She chuckled to herself, knowing that no one else dared sit with the resident out of fear of being a target of her biting comments.
"Cristina," Callie said simply, sitting down without bothering to ask if she could join her.
"Torres," Cristina Yang grunted in response before she took a bite of her cheeseburger.
Callie enviously eyed the double order of fries that sat on Cristina's plate. The hospital fries were not that great and tended to be on the soggy side, but right now they looked really good. She wondered if her roommate would mind if she stole a few off her plate.
"You're staring." Cristina said as she reached for a handful of fires.
"What? No, I'm not."
"Is that all you're having for lunch?" she asked Callie. "Are you on a diet or something?"
"No."
Before Callie could say anything else, Mark slid into the chair next to her. "Ladies."
The two women nodded their greetings to the plastic surgeon. "Where've you been, Callie? Haven't seen you around much."
"Yeah, where have you been?" Cristina chimed in agreement. "You're never home."
"Neither are you," Callie fired back.
"I'm home sometimes." Cristina shrugged her shoulders.
"Still playing house with Blondie?"
"No, I've… I was on nights last week and I'm picking up extra shifts."
"Why? Are you doing it for your boards?" Cristina asked. She could relate to getting extra surgeries to prepare for her boards.
"No." Callie looked over each shoulder before leaning forward, making sure only her two lunch companions could hear her. "I need the money," she whispered.
"Why?" Cristina was baffled. She and Callie had bonded over being trust fund kids. Money had never been an issue for either of them.
"My father cut me off when he found out."
"Found out what?"
"That I'm dating Arizona."
"I guess it didn't go well, huh?"
"No. I don't know what to do."
"Tell him you broke up," Cristina offered. "He doesn't need to know you didn't."
"Should I?"
"I think you should pay your rent," Cristina said.
"I paid this month's rent and I'll have it for next month, too."
"Yeah, and in the meantime you eat power bars and drink water," she pointed out. "Tell him you broke up and get your trust fund back."
"That's dishonest."
"So you'll be broke, but still have morals." Cristina grabbed a few more fries. "But you can't eat or drink your morals," she added, pointing the fries at Callie.
"But you can eat your girl - "
"Sloan!" "Mark!" the two women shouted at him, Callie adding a punch to his arm.
# # # # # # # # # #
Once again, Arizona found herself rushing from surgery to Nick's room. It wasn't an emergency but she did want to be there when Rebecca Swender was there.
"Sorry I'm late," she apologized as she took off her scrub cap.
Rebecca Swender gave her a kind smile. "Not to worry. I just arrived."
Arizona leaned against the wall beside her father while Barbara remained seated beside Nick's bed.
"So, as I shared this morning, you do have cancer." She offered a reassuring smile to the grim faced family. "But, I am very hopeful. It hasn't spread and it seems to be confined to just a small spot on your tibia. For bone cancer, it's the best possible diagnosis we could've had."
Arizona signed in relief. She'd read the charts and knew this, but it was still nice to have it reconfirmed. "Treatment?" she asked.
"I'd like to start chemotherapy as soon as possible. I know the holidays are coming up, but starting sooner rather than later would give us the best chance to keep it from spreading."
"How long?" Nick asked.
"Six to eight weeks, then we'll take a look at the tumor. At that point, we'll take the tumor out. After that, radiation."
"You're not going to cut my leg off?"
Arizona winced at Nick's choice of words, but understood his fear.
"Not at this time. I won't guarantee that we won't, but I think we caught it in time to treat it."
Nick sank back on his bed, his relief visible. "That's good news."
"I won't sugarcoat it," Rebecca continued. "Chemo will be tough, and so will the radiation."
"I'm tough, doc. I'm an Army Ranger."
She smiled at him. "You'll need all that toughness for this battle."
"When do we start?"
"I've scheduled his first chemo treatment for next Tuesday." She picked up his chart and made some notes. "I suggest you go home and fatten yourself up a bit before then. Chemo can be very hard on the appetite."
"Which means I'll be puking a lot?"
"Nick," Barbara admonished him while Daniel gave him a disapproving look.
"Yes, that can happen. I'll make sure to drop off some pamphlets about what to expect." She replaced the chart. "You're good to go. I'll have one of the residents bring in the discharge papers and bring a wheelchair."
"Thanks, Rebecca," Arizona said, walking her out of the room.
"It really is a best case scenario, Arizona. If he had to have bone cancer, we really couldn't have asked for a better one."
"I know. It's just…"
"I know," Rebecca answered with a gentle squeeze of Arizona's arm. "Say no more. We both know cancer can be scary."
Arizona nodded and Rebecca walked away. She took a deep breath before returning to the room. "So, what's your favorite flavor of popsicles?" she asked Nick with a smile that she hoped didn't look too forced.
"Popsicles? Why?"
"I've been told that popsicles are a favorite thing for when you go through chemo."
"I don't know."
"I'll make sure to have plenty on hand," Barbara assured him. "And I'll fix plenty of food between now and then. Doctor's orders."
"That's one doctor's order I won't complain about," Nick grinned. "Any excuse for your homemade meals, Moms."
# # # # # # # # # #
Addison walked into the breakroom to see Callie fussing with the coffeemaker, grumbling around a protein bar sticking out from her mouth. It had been the third time that she'd seen Callie eating a protein bar in the past few days.
"Callie, what are you doing? Why are you bothering with that? Why not just get a cup from one of the coffee carts?"
She took the food from her mouth. "This is free."
Addison leaned against the counter and crossed her arms. "Explain."
"I can't afford to buy coffee from the coffee cart. It's too expensive." Seeing the skeptical look on Addison's face, Callie sighed before pouring the water into the coffeemaker. "My father cut me off."
Addison remembered the problem Callie had with her card. "Cut you off how?"
"Financially." She scowled and took a bite of her protein bar.. "He closed my accounts and left me with nothing," she said after swallowing. "He didn't even have the nerve to tell me himself. I had to find out from the banker. Then, I had to fight to get my last paycheck redeposited into a new account. It barely covered rent and utilities." She looked at the coffee dripping into the stained pot. "I miss real coffee," she said mournfully. "I'm stuck with this if you can call this swill coffee."
"I'm sorry, Callie. Have you tried calling him?"
"He's the one who cut me off," she protested.
"What about anyone else? Your sister? Your mom?"
"Aria has only sent me a text saying Daddy was on the warpath and no one is allowed to speak to me."
"Well, that's just wrong."
"Tell me about it." She rummaged around in the cabinets under the counter while she finished her protein bar. She finally found the paper coffee cups and took two from the stack.
"You're really going to drink that?" Addison asked.
"I have no choice. I've got to cut back on everything."
"Let me take you grocery shopping."
"No, I can't let you do that. Besides, Yang will just eat it all. Thanks for the offer, though."
"Yang could stand to eat more too. It doesn't matter WHO eats it, but I swear to God, I may slap you if I see you eat another protein bar."
"Addison, it's what I've got right now. I was lucky I bought a small box of them last month for emergencies."
"Well, now you're just being foolish. Why don't you come up to my apartment tonight and have dinner?"
"I can't. I'm working a double shift tonight and the next three days I need the extra money."
"Callie, let me lend you some money, just until you get back on your feet."
"Addison, you and I both know lending money between friends can get messy. I don't want to lose my friend."
Addison switched her tactic. "Have you Arizona about your father yet?"
"She's got enough on her plate right now," Callie grimaced, thinking about Nick. She really needed to track Arizona down and ask how the tests went.
"She would want to know if her girlfriend was starving, Cal."
"I'm not starving."
Addison pinned her with a sharp look. "What happens when you run out of protein bars?"
"'I'll be fine."
"Let me at least buy you a cup of real coffee."
Callie nodded, grateful for her friend's persistence. "That would be great, thanks."
# # # # # # # # # #
Teddy Altman pushed open the door to the break room on the surgical floor. Arizona was sitting on the lumpy couch, her feet propped up on a chair.
"Long day?" She grabbed a bottle of water, gesturing with it to see if Arizona wanted one. When her friend shook her head, Teddy closed the refrigerator door.
"Long, long day."
"Day over?" Teddy sat down beside her friend.
"Almost. I just need to put my feet up for a bit,," she answered, rubbing one foot. Her feet ached and she really wished she could go back to the Archfield to have her feet and legs massaged. Even more than that, she wanted Callie to give her a massage. She sighed. "Between surgeries and running down to Nick's room on and off all day, I don't think I've sat down once today."
"So, um, how is Nick doing?" Teddy asked as nonchalantly as she could.
Arizona gave Teddy an amused smirk. "You know, you could've asked him, but he was discharged earlier."
"I'm asking you. Didn't he have his biopsy today?"
Arizona decided to have some fun with Teddy and not make it easy on her. "I can give you his phone number and you can ask him yourself."
Teddy exhaled a disgruntled sigh. "Fine."
"And maybe we'll see you for dinner this weekend?"
"What do you mean?"
"I heard you had dinner with Nick last week."
"With Nick AND your parents," Teddy corrected.
"You had dinner with my parents, WITHOUT me." She gave Teddy a sly smile. "It was kind of odd that you'd have dinner with them without me." She grinned again. "Unless the whole reason was to have dinner with Nick."
Teddy's cheeks turned a faint shade of pink. "Okay, fine, you're right. I like him. I'd like to get to know him better."
Addison came into the room, her exhaustion mirroring her colleagues. "Ladies," she greeted them, sitting down on the other side of Arizona.
"I think it's great you're interested in him."
"Interested in who?" Addison asked. She was all ears for some fresh gossip.
"Nick," Teddy said in a small voice.
"Just don't hurt him or I'll be forced to find a brick." Teddy gave her a confused look. Arizona continued, "I don't want to be forced to beat in that pretty face of yours."
The two women on either side of Arizona were taken aback by the bright, yet somehow menacing smile on Arizona's face. Surprisingly, neither doubted her words.
"I protect my family. My father taught me to always protect the things I love."
Teddy huffed and stood up. "You know, Arizona, you can be kind of scary underneath all that perky."
Arizona laughed. "I'll text you his number."
Teddy gave them both a short wave of her hand, then left.
"She's right, you know," Addison commented. "Those dimples of yours are very deceptive."
"You don't mess with my family," Arizona explained.
"Does that include Callie?"
"Yes." Arizona's face fell. "At least, I hope it still does."
"Is something wrong?"
"I don't know. Maybe?" She shook her head slowly. "I feel like Callie is avoiding me. I get that she's working a lot, maybe too much lately. It wasn't that long ago I was a resident with boards just around the corner, and I work lots of hours now, too, but hers seem excessive." She gave a little shrug of her shoulders. "It's just that we never spend any time together now. Last month had some bumps, but we got through them." She pursed her lips in concentration before she spoke again. "I'm just worried that all my family 'stuff' with the girls, and now Nick, is too much for Callie. She's the first person I've dated in years, and maybe I'm missing something. Maybe our dating has just run its course."
"Have you tried talking to her about it?"
"Every time I try, she says she's busy and can't talk and will catch me later and never does."
"I know she's working in the pit today but I'm pretty sure she said her shift ended at four o'clock."
Arizona glanced at her watch. "I'll try to catch her before she leaves," she said, getting up.
"Arizona?"
Arizona paused, her hand on the doorknob. "Yes?"
"I really wish the two of you would learn how to communicate with EACH OTHER."
"I'm trying, Addison, but it takes two to have a conversation."
"Don't give up on her, Arizona."
"I'm not. I'm just tired of chasing after her this week."
After leaving the breakroom, Arizona was on a mission to find her girlfriend, despite what she'd said to Addison about chasing after Callie. A few lunches here and there and seeing each other briefly in passing wasn't going to cut it. Callie had been moody and short with her and she'd had enough of that, too. She'd let it pass, but now she was going to get to the bottom of it.
She spotted Callie entering the residents' locker room. Popping out her wheels, she quickly rolled down the hall. Stopping short of the door, she took a deep, calming breath before going into the room to find Callie sitting in front of her locker, locking down at the floor. "Hey," she said softly. She was a little taken aback when Callie just grunted a reply. "Haven't seen much of you lately."
"Yeah, well, I've been working a lot," Callie muttered.
"I've noticed. Why?"
"Just trying to get in hours for my boards."
"Are you working tonight?"
"No. I have tonight and tomorrow off, but I'm working tomorrow night."
Arizona frowned. Callie was definitely working too many hours. She was going to burn herself out if she continued to work intern hours. "Are you coming over tonight? Mom's made beef stew for dinner and we'd love to have you join us."
Callie's mouth watered at the thought of Barbara Robbins' cooking. A homemade meal sounded like heaven compared to her dwindling supply of protein bars. "I - I don't know."
Arizona moved closer to Callie. "The girls miss you. I miss you."
Callie's shoulders slumped. She missed the girls, she missed Arizona. Thinking about the girls only made her think about how she couldn't afford to get them Christmas presents. "I miss you, too," she said.
"Then come over tonight, spend the night."
"I don't know…"
"Callie, what's going on?" Arizona asked, her voice heavy with her concern as she sat beside her on the bench.
"I"m just tired. That's all. I've been working a lot." She looked down at her hands. "Six people died on my watch last night. I'm fried."
"So come over, get a good meal in you and get a good night's sleep. " She took Callie's hand in hers. "I promise to spoil you tonight." That got a small smile from Callie.
"Okay, I'll come over."
"Good. Meet me in the lobby?"
Callie nodded. "Can I ride with you? I'm too tired to drive."
"Of course."
# # # # # # # # # #
Callie felt a hand shaking her shoulder and a kiss on her cheek.
"Wake up, pretty lady." Arizona's voice cut through her brain fog. Callie groaned and slowly opened her eyes. "There's my girl." She smiled brightly. "I wasn't even out of the hospital parking lot and you were dead to the world," she teased as she opened the driver's side door and began to climb out of her SUV.
Callie followed suit and walked briskly around the vehicle. "It's been a long week."
"You're working yourself too hard." Arizona's tone held a sharp edge to it.
Callie's shoulders slumped. She felt terrible for neglecting her girlfriend and the girls, but until she could figure out a better strategy to fix her finances, she needed to work the extra shifts. She held up a single hand in a "back off" gesture. "Can we just not tonight? I don't have the energy to fight with you, nor do I want to."
Arizona stiffened. "I just made an observation out of concern." She opened the door and entered her home, leaving Callie to enter on her own. She pasted a bright smile on her face. "Hi, mom."
She greeted her mother, who was busy fixing a salad.
"Hello, dear, " she replied absentmindedly. "The stew's in the crockpot and…" her voice trailed as she finally took notice of the other two ladies. "What's wrong?"
"What? Nothing's wrong?" Arizona denied.
"Don't lie to me. A mother knows these things. Callie, what's going on?" she asked the woman behind her daughter.
"Noth-"
Barbara sighed loudly. "If you both are going to continue this charade, that there's nothing wrong, then you both need to work on your poker faces. You both walked in here with the fakest smiles I've ever seen and Callie, I swear you must have lost ten pounds since Thanksgiving. That shirt is just hanging on you."
Arizona shook her head and headed towards the living room where she could hear the kids were playing. Callie rolled her neck and sighed softly. She eased her leather jacket from her shoulders and draped it over the back of the stool next to the kitchen island.
"Sit down and tell me what troubles you," the older woman ordered.
"Really, it's noth-"
Barbara pinned her with an icy glare. "Don't lie to me, Callie. We've barely seen you since Thanksgiving. Arizona tells me you've been working nonstop."
Resigned, Callie sat down at the breakfast bar. "With boards this year, I decided to pick up some extra shifts." It wasn't entirely a lie. "We've been really busy and I haven't had a lot of spare time to get something to eat."
"Nonsense. You need to eat. We'll make sure you've got leftovers or Arizona will pack you a lunch."
"Thank you, but - "
"No buts," Barbara said sternly as she finished preparing the food. "What else?"
"What do you mean?"
"Something is troubling you." Barbara smiled kindly. "A mother can always tell."
"I, well, I haven't heard from anyone in my family since my dad was here."
Barbara set down the dish towel and immediately went to Callie and hugged her. "I'm so sorry, Callie. I can't imagine how you must be feeling."
Callie sank into Barbara's embrace. There was something about a mother's hug. Callie couldn't remember the last time she'd had a hug like this from her own mother. "It'll be okay. They'll come around eventually."
"I've told you before, Callie, that you've got family here."
"I know," she said tearfully as she wiped her cheeks. "And I appreciate it. I love the whole Robbins family."
Arizona entered the room at the end of their conversation and noticed their embrace. She shooed her mother away and replaced her, hugging Callie tightly, kissing away her tears. "Why don't you take a moment and then go see the girls," she suggested. "They just went upstairs to play. They said something about needing more room. They've missed you and I know they will be happy to see you."
"I will." She couldn't help but smile as she thought about Cam and Vivvy. They always made her feel better. "Are they getting excited for Christmas?"
Arizona and Barbara laughed. "Like you wouldn't believe."
A few minutes later, Callie found herself standing in the doorway of the twins' bedroom watching them play. Cam wore a bath towel tucked into her shirt as a cape and brandished an empty wrapping paper roll like it was a sword. Vivvy stood on the top bunk waving her arms around as her paper crown fell over her left eye.
Vivvy noticed Callie's presence first and exclaimed, "Stranger danger! Attack!"
Cam leapt towards Callie with her improvised sword at the ready. "Halt! Who goes there?"
Callie felt the last bit of stress melt away as she reveled in their cuteness. "What are you girls doing?" she chuckled.
"Vivvy's a princess and I'm a knight," Cam explained.
"I have magic princess powers," Vivvy said solemnly.
"Cool. Can I play?"
Cam climbed up the ladder to join her sister on the top bunk. They whispered excitedly in each other's ears and kept looking over at Callie. Finally, they faced her. "Okay," Vivvy stated solemnly. "But since I'm the magic princess and Cam's a cool knight, you're going to be my pet dragon." She waved her arms dramatically in Callie's direction.
"Ok, I can…"
The girls rolled their eyes simultaneously. "Dragons don't talk. They roar!" Vivvy said.
"And spit fire!" Cam scrambled back down to the floor. "And get killed by knights!" She assumed an offensive stance in front of Callie.
"Hey, no killing dragons! I mean…roawwrrr?" Callie clawed pathetically at the air.
"Don't kill my pet, cool knight!" Vivvy shrieked.
After a few more minutes of playing, they heard Arizona yell that dinner was ready. Cam ran from the room, leaving Callie laying on the floor and Vivvy stranded on the top bunk. Callie slowly rose to her feet and noticed Vivvy quietly whimpering. "What's wrong, sweetie?"
Vivvy's lower lip quivered. "I can't get down."
Callie's heart broke a little. The small girl wanted to be adventurous like her sister, but wasn't quite ready. "Well then, it's a good thing you have a pet dragon who can fly you down to the dungeon, huh?" She patted the edge of the bed. "Hang your legs over, then climb on my back" She waited for the child to sit as instructed, then turned to face away from her. She held her hands above her shoulders. "Grab my hands." She felt the tiny fingers link with her own. She gently pulled her forward. "There we go. Ready, Princess?"
Vivvy tightened her legs against Callie's sides. "Ready, Dragon!"
Callie let out her dragon roar and made flying motions with her arms as they made their way down to the kitchen. Vivvy laughed the whole way while spurring her on. Once they reached the table, Callie deposited the mini princess into her chair.
Cam jumped to her feet with her arms outstretched. "I wanna fly, too."
Callie booped her tiny nose with her index finger. "Knights ride horses, silly goose, not dragons." Cam's lower lip protruded, signaling an impending tantrum. "But maybe we can do a horsey ride after dinner. IF you eat all your veggies."
The smile on Cam's face ignited a glimmer of a spark of Christmas spirit within Callie. A night with the girls was exactly what she needed.
# # # # # # # # # #
Unfortunately, the miniscule spark of Christmas spirit was quickly extinguished during dinner, when she realized how hungry she was and began thinking of her bare cupboards and even more scant bank account. Her mood was further dampened by Nick's flirtatious banter with her girlfriend. Of all people, shouldn't he know she's a lesbian?
Her thoughts were interrupted by Arizona's exit from the bathroom. "So, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."
Callie was sitting up in bed and she immediately stiffened. Anytime someone said they needed to talk, it usually meant something bad or something she'd rather not talk about. Right now, she could think of one or two somethings she didn't want to talk about. "What?" she asked harshly, hoping she didn't sound as defensive as she felt.
"Christmas, as you know, is coming in a couple of weeks." She didn't see Callie roll her eyes at the obvious. "I need to do some Christmas shopping for the girls and I was hoping you'd come with me."
"Kinda hard to miss all the flashing lights, crappy music and Santas on every corner. People pushing each other everywhere you go. The pit is overflowing with heart attacks and roof falls," Callie replied snarkily.
Arizona's patience with Callie using work as an excuse for her behavior snapped. "You know, Callie, if you're no longer interested -"
"Of course I'm interested, but I'm BROKE, Arizona," she blurted out, suddenly getting out of bed to pace.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm broke. I can barely make my rent. It's either rent or food. And forget about driving over to your house anymore. I can't afford to put gas in my car. And you want me to go Christmas shopping? With what?" Callie's words came in a rush.
"Callie, what's going on?" Arizona's tone softened. She patted the recently vacated spot on the bed, letting Callie know she wanted her to come back to bed.
"My father cut me off." Callie sat down on the edge of the bed, her back to Arizona.
"I kind of suspected that."
"No, not just… he cut me off financially. He emptied my bank accounts."
"What? How? How can he do that?"
Callie sighed heavily. "My trust fund. I have no access to it anymore."
"Trust fund? What trust fund? I don't understand."
"I have…had a trust fund. My family is rich, Arizona. Like really, really rich," she confessed.
Arizona thought about the comments Callie had made about growing up with a private chef and vacations in Switzerland. "How rich?"
"Very rich. Obscenely wealthy."
"Oh." Her expression fell. "I didn't know that," Arizona replied softly, kind of hurt that Callie hadn't told her.
Callie shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't like to talk about it. I've had… not so great experiences when people find out. I don't like talking about it because the money always got in the way in past relationships and it seemed like eventually I wound up wondering if they wanted me or my money."
"That's understandable. But I don't care about that, Callie. I love you for you."
"I know." She turned to face Arizona, now wanting to tell her all. "My father owns a chain of hotels, real estate, resorts, you name it."
"Hotels as in the Archfield?" Arizona asked, thinking about how their stay at the Archfield. How they had treated Callie now made sense.
"Yes, that's one of many. They're all over the world."
"So you're like Hilton rich?" Arizona tried to joke.
"Maybe in a few more years, but our families run in different circles."
"So what's up with your father?"
"There's nothing my father wouldn't do for me. He paid for college and medical school, supported me through residency," Callie said sadly, her voice trailing off. "Except this. He won't bend. He's cut me off from the rest of the family."
Arizona grasped her hands and squeezed to comfort. "Why didn't you tell me what was going on?"
"You have a lot going on, y'know, with Nick," Callie answered, looking down at her hands.
"Calliope, just because I have a lot going on with Nick doesn't mean I don't have time for you. I will ALWAYS have time for you." She scooted over on the bed so she was half behind, half beside Callie. She placed an arm around her girlfriend's shoulders. "And don't worry about money, Callie. We'll figure something out. Stocking stuffers are something my mom and dad do. As to Christmas presents for the girls, we can say they're from both of us."
"I can't do that,"
"If you insist, we'll square it away later."
Callie wiped away the few tears that had fallen down her face. "How do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Manage your money, You've got a house, probably student loans, two kids."
"I do all right."
"Residency pays crap and I don't imagine fellowships pay much better."
"I had some help." She sighed. "Jillian was an only child and inherited quite a bit of money when her parents died. Part of that inheritance was used as a down payment on the house. When she died…" Arizona shut her eyes tightly for a moment. "I inherited that money, as well as life insurance. When the girls were born, we both took out big insurance policies. And the mortgage life insurance paid off the house. As to student loans, I had a lot of scholarships and grants. What I did owe, well, I paid it off with some of the money I inherited." She took a deep breath as more memories were dredged up. "And then Tim made the girls his beneficiary of his life insurance policy so I set up college funds for them. I'm not rich, but I'm pretty set financially." She took Callie's hand. "So, let me help you out, okay?"
"Arizona…" Callie said, shaking her head from side to side.
"If you won't let me help financially, then at least let me take care of you. We can carpool when you come over, you can do laundry here, make extra meals to take with you when you're working endlessly."
"You don't have to…"
"I saw the way you were eating dinner tonight, Callie. I know you're not eating properly," she chastised. "My mom is on a cooking binge and she always makes way too much food. My freezer is overflowing already." She slipped both arms around Callie and kissed her temple.
"I just want you to realize that you aren't alone in this."
"I don't want to be a burden."
"You are not a burden. I love you. The girls and my parents love you. If your family disowned you, then that's their loss. You're a member of the Robbins family now and Robbinses take care of their own. If you can't afford to do something, then we do something else. It's that simple." She smiled brightly.
Callie rested her head on Arizona's shoulder. "I don't know what I ever did to deserve someone like you."
Arizona shook her head. "None of that. I love you and you love me and none of the rest of it matters."
# # # # # # # # # #
Arizona hummed a Christmas tune as she almost bounced down the hall. Christmas was less than a week away and she was feeling the holiday spirit. Since she and Callie had talked about Callie's 'situation', things had been good between them.. Callie wasn't working so many double shifts, she was eating regularly and spending most nights at her house. Callie finally seemed to be swept up by Christmas cheer. She'd even heard Callie singing with the girls on more than one occasion. Maybe our friends were right, she thought. Maybe communication is what we needed.
She chuckled to herself when she thought about the ornament Callie and the girls had given her. She didn't know when they'd found time to shop together, but they had. The choice was perfect - a small rolling pin. Cam and Vivvy had explained that it was because of all the baking she did. Callie had said the same thing with a look that had caused her face to flush and her heartbeat to race. She thought the ornament was thoughtful in so many different ways and she'd thanked Callie later than night in many different ways.
Callie had the afternoon off like she did, and they were going to go Christtmas shopping for the girls. But she had one stop to make before they did, and she quickly tempered her good mood. She pushed open the door to the Chemo Treatment center to check on Nick. He was undergoing his second treatment and she wanted to offer some support. Much to her surprise, she saw Teddy sitting next to him, chatting away, both eating a popsicle.
Arizona walked up to them, a bright teasing smile on her face. "Hi, kids!" Nick gave her a half scowl-half smile and Teddy's mouth dropped open. "How are you feeling, Nick?"
"Okay, I guess," he answered. "I don't really feel bad until later, when the puking starts."
"Unfortunately, the side effects of chemo are pretty nasty." She brushed his hair back from his forehead. In the few weeks since his arrival, his military short cut had grown out. It wouldn't be long before it started to fall out. It was a shame. Seeing him with longer hair reminded her of teenaged Nick and of happier times spent with Nick and Tim.
She glanced at Teddy who had resumed eating her popsicle. Maybe I should push along the matchmaking, she thought. They seem to be hitting it off, and Teddy being here for Nick's chemo shows her interest. "So, Teddy, are you working Christmas?"
"Christmas morning, then I'm on call."
"Do you have plans after shift?"
"Yeah, I do, actually," she replied, her gaze darting to Nick then back to her popsicle.
"Oh, that's too bad." Arizona was disappointed. "I was going to ask you to join us for Christmas dinner."
"Beat you to it, Phoenix," Nick said with a smug grin. "I already asked her."
"Oh, well, I guess my work is done, huh, Santa?" she commented, a little put out that Nick had stolen her idea.
"What work? You didn't do anything, Flagstaff."
"I can see I'm no longer needed," she smiled. "You look like you've got things well in hand." She smirked at Teddy whose frozen treat was now dropping down onto her hand. The cardio surgeon blushed and Arizona laughed. "You might wanna hurry up and eat that. I've got to get going. Callie and I have some Christmas shopping to do. I'll see you tonight, . Teddy, we'll talk later."
She gave Nick's forehead a kiss, dodging his attempt to smear his popsicle on her. "Behave yourself."
With a wave of her hand, she left the couple. Callie was sure to be waiting for her by the employees' entrance by now. She smiled to herself. She was determined to show Callie a good time shopping. Callie was going to learn how to shop cheaply.
As expected, Callie had also changed her clothes and was waiting for her. Arizona went up to her and kissed her cheek. "I love you," she said, surprising Callie.
"I love you, too."
"Ready?"
Callie nodded, taking Arizona's hand as they walked through the employee parking lot "Have the girls been to see Santa Claus yet?" she asked as they got into Arizona's SUV.
"My dad took them last week." She started the car, letting the engine warm up in the brisk winter air.
Callie was surprised at Arizona's response. "You don't take them?"
"Santa's not my thing but my dad…." She rolled her eyes. "Don't ever let that man hear Santa's not real." She paused in a thought. "I think it's because he missed taking Tim and I when we were little. He was away a lot and we were lucky he was home for Christmas as many times as he was. When he was stationed overseas and we were with him, we did get to spend it with him. The year we were in Germany was a fun Christmas," she recalled fondly. "What were your Christmases like?"
"Similar to Thanksgiving. Tons of family all the time. When Aria and I were younger, it was a little better. Mostly our grandparents and us. Family always showed up later. And of course, we ALWAYS attended midnight mass on Christmas Eve."
"Do you want to go this year? I'm sure we could work something out."
"No, I'm not feeling very charitable about the Church right now, especially since my father thinks I'm going to burn in hell for my sins." She was both sad and angry thinking about one of the last things her father had said to her.
"Well, that's just wrong. If you really want to go, I'm sure we can find a more progressive church that will have a Christmas service."
Callie was touched by Arizona's suggestion. "Thanks, but I'm good."
"You just let me know if you change your mind."
"I will." Callie looked out the side window as they drove. "So, you, um, don't go to church?"
"No. Is that a problem?" she asked, her tone sharp.
"No, not at all," Callie backpedaled. "I was just curious."
"Jillian did have the girls baptized. She was raised Episcopalian and when we moved here, she joined one nearby." Arizona checked the traffic before turning into a large parking lot. "I guess the girls are at the age they could start going, but I don't know." She drove up and down the lanes until she spied a parking spot. "I didn't grow up with religion or going to a church. We put our faith in family and country."
"Understandable."
Arizona parked the car and shut the engine off. "Ready?"
Callie looked at the store sign after getting out of the car. "Wal-Mart?"
"Yup. We should be able to find some things here that won't cost too much."
Callie chuckled. "If my mother knew I was shopping at a Wal-Mart, she'd be horrified." She shook her head. "She'd probably demand my father give me back my trust fund."
Arizona laughed, happy that Callie could even joke about her family. "Well, after we're done here, we're gonna hit up one of those dollar stores."
"Really?" She laughed with Arizona. "Maybe I should get a picture of me shopping in both places. My sister wouldn't believe it."
They entered the crowded store and Arizona snagged a cart. "Now, I don't want you to worry about money today."
"Arizona…"
"Seriously, Callie. We can do this pretty cheaply. The girls aren't picky or into the big name brands. At least, not yet. That'll probably change when they become teenagers." She grimaced, then smiled. "My parents are the ones that go for the big items or clothes. I usually get some games, toys and arts and craftsy type things."
Callie couldn't help but wonder if her parents would someday be buying some of those "big items" for Cam and Vivvy. She knew it probably would never happen, but she still couldn't help but dream of that maybe.
Arizona pushed the cart through the store, heading right for the toys and games. "I just can't see spending a lot of money on stuff they'll stop using in a year or two." She thought of Cam who was hard on her toys. "Or break."
Callie didn't share that she and her sister had been spoiled. They had designer clothes from the day they were born, and all of their toys were the best that money could buy. Too often, though, the gifts were never what she wanted, but what her parents thought she should have.
"This is perfect," Arizona said as she stopped the cart and reached for a tube full of plastic zoo animals. She tossed it into the cart. "You can give this to them with a promise to take them to the zoo when the weather's better. They've been hinting around, not too subtly, that they want to go to the zoo."
Callie smiled, thinking about Cam and Vivvy at the zoo. Vivvy was so curious about everything and Cam loved animals. "That's a great idea. A family trip to the zoo. I think I might be more excited than either of them."
Arizona smiled then pushed the cart a little further down the aisle. "Hmm, I don't think they need any more Legos. Your birthday present to them should keep them well supplied for quite some time."
"Maybe some more next year," Callie said.
"I think we'll get the drawing and other arts supplies at the dollar store. We should be able to find plenty of things there."
"What else do you think they'd like?"
Arizona pushed the cart around the corner and started up another aisle. "Maybe a couple of puzzles, or some games."
"How about this one for Cam?" Callie asked, pointing out a puzzle with soccer balls on it.
"Good eye. That's perfect. Now one for Vivvy."
"Flowers or butterflies?" Callie held up a puzzle in each hand.
"Tough choice. What do you think?"
"I think… butterflies." Callie placed the puzzle in the cart and returned the other one to the shelf.
"They might be a little young for this one." Arizona picked up Jenga. "What do you think?"
"Well, it says eight and up. Maybe next year?"
Arizona nodded in agreement and returned it to the shelf. "Oh here's a game they'll like. Tim, Nick and I played it a lot when we were kids." She waved the game Mousetrap.
"I don't think I've played that since I was a kid," Callie said. "One of my cousins had it. We could never get it to work right."
"Well, be prepared to play it again and again," Arizona chuckled. "Okay, let's check out and head to the Dollar Tree."
As the cashier rang up the few items, Callie reached for her wallet. "Arizona, I -"
"I've got it. Like I told you, we'll worry about it later."
Callie still didn't feel right about it, but by now, she knew better than to argue with Arizona. "Okay, but you better keep the receipts."
"I'm never going to ask you to settle up a tab, Callie. You spoiled the girls all summer and I'm certain once you get in a steadier financial spot, you will again. Stop fussing." Arizona finished her remark by planting a firm but chaste kiss to Callie's lips.
A few minutes later, they entered the Dollar Tree a few stores down the plaza from Walmart. Callie's eyes widened in amazement at the variety of everything in the Dollar Tree. "There's no way all of this stuff is just a dollar."
Arizona laughed and nudged her along. "C'mon. We'll start with the arts and crafts stuff first."
This time, Callie commandeered the cart and Arizona led the way further into the store. Arizona suddenly stopped and Callie nearly ran into her.
"Okay, it doesn't look too bad. I was afraid everything would be picked clean with Christmas less than a week away." She began tossing items into the cart; a tub of sidewalk chalk, two boxes of crayons, some coloring books, paper, glitter pens, stickers, markers and finally age appropriate activity books. "Now we need to find a few more things and we're all done."
"Y'know Arizona, the girls were playing knight and princess the other evening. Didn't they have costumes from Halloween?"
"From last year. They outgrew them." Arizona's brow crinkled as she was trying to follow Callie's train of thought.
"Maybe we should get them some new toys for dressing up, ones they won't outgrow."
Arizona smiled brightly. "That's a great idea, Callie. Both of them like to play dress up. What kid doesn't?"
"I know Aria and I used to do it, until Mom caught us wearing her very expensive high heels." She shook her head. "That was the last time we did that."
Arizona laughed. "I bet it was."
"What do you think of these for Vivvy?" Callie picked out a silver colored plastic tiara with pink and purple "stones" along with a matching set of bracelets.
"She'll love them."
"And this wand, too," Callie added, holding a plastic wand with a star on the end. "She was trying to cast spells the other night."
"Of course she was." Arizona moved down the aisle a bit and pulled out a small shield and sword. "For Cam?"
"Perfect. But…"
"But what?"
"Are you sure you want to give her a 'weapon'?"
"Valid point," Arizona responded. She thought about Callie's question while she inspected the toy sword. "They're Nerf!" she exclaimed. "Or maybe knockoffs, but they're foam. That should cut down on any injuries."
"Are you going to dress up as a dragon again?" Callie asked as the sword and shield were added to their cart.
"No, but if you play your cards right, Calliope, I might have something else I can dress up in just for you."
"Arizona!" Callie quickly looked over her shoulder to see if anyone had heard her.
The blonde laughed at Callie's reddening cheeks, then continued down the aisle, a smirk on her face. "Ooh, let's get this!" She held up the game Barrel Full of Monkeys. "Cam will love this. Now one last game for Vivvy."
"Checkers?" Callie suggested.
"Checkers it is," Arizona agreed, placing it in the cart.
# # # # # # # # # #
Callie stood at the nurse's station, finishing up a few notations on a chart.. She only had a few patients to monitor as all of the elective orthopedic patients had been discharged. There had been a few emergencies over the weekend, but no new ones over the past few days. Unless there were more emergencies, she anticipated getting out of work on time. Nobody scheduled elective orthopedic surgery over the holidays.
Right now, however, her day was only half-over and she was hungry. She'd slept at her apartment the previous night and didn't have any leftovers to bring. She wasn't sure what she was going to do for lunch. Her stomach growled loudly just as her roommate walked up to her.
"Hungry much?" Cristina said.
"And a Merry Christmas to you, too, Yang."
"Pfft. I'm Jewish," she said, grabbing a chart.
Callie rolled her eyes. "Sure you are." She handed her chart back to a nurse.
"Step-dad is Jewish. It's close enough."
"Are you working over the holidays?" she asked Cristina.
Cristina rolled her eyes. "I always work. Holidays always have the best traumas."
"Aren't you going to Meredith's or something?"
"Yeah, I'll stop over tonight. Hopefully someone else is cooking and not Mer. What about you? Going to roller girl's?"
Callie scowled. She hated that nickname, almost as much as she hated the damned shoes. "Yeah, I'm going there tonight and I have Christmas off. I have to work New Year's Eve, though."
"Me, too."
Their conversation was cut short by children's voices.
"Callie!"
"Yang!"
The sounds of small feet running down the hallway interrupted them, followed by Vivvy hugging Callie's legs and Cam hugging Cristina's legs. Both girls were wearing bright red Santa hats, just like their mother who was pushing a cart down the hall toward them.
"Merry Christmas, Yang!" Cam and Vivvy said.
"Um, uh, Merry Christmas," she sputtered. She looked around wildly for a way to escape but was soon blocked by Arizona and the cart.
"Dr. Yang." Arizona greeted her with a bright smile. "Just who I was looking for."
"Huh?"
Arizona picked up a brown paper bag from the cart. There was another paper bag remaining, as well as several platters wrapped in either green or red cellophane. "Cam and Vivvy insisted that we pack you a lunch, too." She handed the bag to Cristina. "Probably a good idea since I know you help yourself to Callie's leftovers all the time," she added with a wink.
"What is it?" she asked as she peeked into the bag.
"Homemade baked mac and cheese, grilled chicken, spicy green beans and an assortment of Christmas cookies."
Cristina was speechless. The twins looked up at her with big smiles on their faces. "Um, thanks, munchkins."
"Calliope, here's your lunch." Arizona held out the other brown bag.
Calie took the proffered bag. "Thanks." She kissed Arizona's cheek, then the top of the twins' heads. "Are you joining us for lunch?"
"No, we have deliveries to make," she said gesturing to the rest of the treats piled on to the cart.
"Where did you find time to bake all of those?" Callie asked.
"Mom and the girls started yesterday morning and then I helped after work and this morning." She gestured to the girls. "Let's get going, girls. Time to hand out the cookies and then we have to get home to bake another batch of cookies for Santa Claus."
"Santa needs his cookies," Cam said seriously.
"And we're gonna decorate them," Vivvy informed Callie and Cristina.
"Have fun," Callie said, giving the trio another kiss each. "I'll see you after work."
"Bye, Callie! Bye, Yang!" Cam and Vivvy called out as they walked away beside their mother.
"I'm starving," Cristina said as she pushed past Callie and into the nearest break room.
Callie followed Cristina into the room where she waited for her chance to use the microwave. Once Crsitina pulled her container out of it, Callie put hers in. She waited by the counter as she watched her roommate dig into the food.
"Oh, this is good," Cristina said, shoveling another bite of food into her mouth. "Really good."
She continued to eat mostly in silence except for a few moans of appreciation for the food. "I swear, Callie," she said as Callie sat down opposite her. "If you don't marry roller girl, I will."
"Wait, what?"
"If you get fed like this all the time, it's worth considering it."
Callie dismissed Cristina's statement as one made from a foodgasm. It did, however, put images in her head of herself marrying Arizona. The thoughts made her smile. "You know, Cristina, marrying Arizona is not just about the food. She has Cam and Vivvy."
Cristina scowled, thinking about being a step-parent to two five-year olds. "Good point." She sighed. 'Maybe her parents would adopt me? Her mother's the really good cook, right?"
Callie laughed out loud. "I think it's a little late for adoption."
"Damn." Cristina continued to eat, but stopped for a moment. "Did you ever open those cards from Florida?"
"What cards?"
"They came a few days ago. I tossed them in your locker."
"Thanks, though telling me would've been a good idea."
"Hey, I gave them to you. What more do you want?"
Callie was about to rag on Cristina some more, but her phone buzzed and she picked it up. There was a text message from Arizona.
A: Let me know when you'll be home tonight.
C: I don't think it'll be late
A: Good. I have something special for you to wear tonight.
C: Oh yeah? What?
A: You'll find out when you get here. TTYL.
Callie's thoughts drifted to all the many options Arizona could have for her to wear.
"I changed my mind," Cristina said bluntly.
"What?"
"Yeah, seeing you with your sex face made me realize there's more than just food and kids to marrying roller girl. You can have her."
"Gee, thanks." Callie rolled her eyes as she took another bite of chicken.
"No problem." Cristina dug into the bag for the cookies. "Though I still want to be adopted."
Callie laughed. "You run scared anytime the kids show up. Besides, you couldn't stand all the perky."
"True." She took a big bite out of the frosted cookie. "But promise me you'll still share your leftovers?"
"I haven't been sharing them now. You're just helping yourself to them."
Cristina shrugged her shoulders and rummaged through the bag for another one. "Y'know," she said, waving a cookie. "I should save these for later. Robbins is delivering cookies all over the hospital. I'm gonna track them down." She stuffed the cookie back into the bag and rolled the top closed. "See you later."
"Merry Christmas, Cristina."
"You too, Callie."
# # # # # # # # # #
Callie sat in her car for a few minutes after parking it in Arizona's garage. She wondered how long it would be before she had to stop driving it. Her car was a gas hog, as most cars built back in the 50s were. Arizona had told her they could carpool, but she didn't want to have to rely on her for rides all the time.
She could picture her family back in Miami, having dinner and then getting ready for midnight mass. Aria, of course, would be drinking with our cousins, Callie thought. And Dad wouldn't be able to stop talking business. Mom, no doubt, would either be talking about her latest case or some upcoming charity function.
Thoughts of her family made her remember the cards she'd stuffed into her purse. She pulled her purse over to her lap and snatched the cards out of it. She opened one first, recognizing the address as her Uncle Berto's. My gay uncle, Callie thought. My family accepts him. Why can't they accept me? Sighing, she opened the card and her mouth dropped open and tears filled her eyes. Five crisp one hundred dollar bills dropped out.
"Para nuestra sobrina favorita, Family first, no matter what my brother says. Hope to see you soon. Merry Christmas! Love Uncle Berto and Ramon."
Callie wiped the tears from her cheeks and breathed a sigh of relief. It felt good to know that someone in the family was in her corner. She opened the other card which held a deposit slip with a simple note of "Merry Christmas, A". She did a double take when she saw the amount and immediately called her sister.
"You know I'm not supposed to be talking to you," said the voice on the other line.
"You can't just deposit five thousand dollars into my account and not expect a thank you, Aria. Daddy's going to flip when he finds out."
"How's he going to find out? It's my money, from my private account, deposited into your private account. The only way he'd find out is from Gerald and Gerald's not going to talk."
"Aria…"
"Merry Christmas."
The call ended before Callie could say anymore. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief as she felt a lot of the tension lift from her shoulders. She gathered the cards and her purse and walked into the kitchen from the garage. As soon as she entered the house, Callie heard the Christmas music playing and the girls laughing, and smelled something cooking.
"Merry Christmas!" she greeted them.
"It's not Christmas yet," Vivvy corrected her.
"It's tomorrow," Cam said. "Santa Claus comes tonight."
"After we're asleep."
"That's right." Callie gave each girl a hug, then walked over to Arizona. She gave her a quick kiss on her cheek as she took a peek over Arizona's shoulder.
"Just in time for dinner," Arizona said as she continued to stir the soup. She saw the tears glistening in Callie's eyes. "You okay?" she whispered.
"I'll tell you later," she whispered back, and then in a louder voice, "What's for dinner?"
"Well, I like to have a light supper for Christmas Eve. We've got a big breakfast and an even bigger dinner tomorrow."
Callie smiled as she thought about the ham dinner Barbara had planned. She was looking forward to helping her with it.
"What're we having?"
"Tomato soup and grilled cheese. The soup will be ready in a few. I just need everyone to pick the cheese they want for the sandwich."
"Even you?" Callie teased.
"I don't mind a good grilled cheese every now and then. Besides, it's becoming our tradition to have soup and grilled cheese on Christmas Eve, right girls?"
"Right," they repeated.
"With cookies for dessert," Cam added.
"And ice cream?" Vivvy asked hopefully.
"We'll see," Arizona said. "What kind of cheese do you want?"
"Swiss, please, Mommy," Cam said. "I like the holey cheese."
"Vivvy?"
"I'm thinking," Vivvy answered.
Callie bit her lip, trying not to laugh at the serious face Vivvy was making. "What have you got?" she asked. "Cheddar?"
"Yes."
"Can I have cheddar and swiss?"
"You can have whatever you want." Arizona took out the loaf of multigrain bread and several packages of cheese.
"I want that, too. I changed my mind. I want both."
"Me, too."
"I guess we're all going to have swiss-cheddar grilled cheese sandwiches."
"Do you need any help?"
"Can you keep an eye on the soup?" Arizona requested as she took out a griddle big enough for her to cook all four sandwiches.
While the two women finished preparing supper, Vivvy and Cam sat at the breakfast bar, chattering about Santa Claus and his reindeer.
"Were you good this year?" Callie asked as she set the bowls of soup on the table.
"We're always good," Cam bragged.
Callie raised an eyebrow in skepticism. "Really?"
"Most of the time," Vivvy admitted.
"Good 'nuf," Cam muttered.
"Well as long as you finish your supper, and go to bed tonight without any trouble, I'm sure Santa will stop here," Arizona said, plating the sandwiches.
"We'll be extra good tonight, Mommy," Vivvy promised.
The four of them sat down at the dining room table and proceeded to eat their supper.
"What movie do you want to watch after your bath?" Arizona asked. "Rudolph? Charlie Brown?"
Cam and Vivvy looked at one another as if in silent conversation. "Rudolph," they said as one.
"Okay. Baths, Rudolph and then we set the cookies and milk out for Santa."
"Don't forget the carrots for the reindeer," Cam reminded her.
"And the carrots."
After dinner, she and Callie cleaned up the few dishes and pans. She closed the dishwasher and turned to Callie. "So, about that outfit I have for you for tonight…"
"Arizona!" Callie hissed, looking around the room to make sure the girls couldn't hear them. "Can't you tell me about it later?"
Arizona just laughed. "Relax, Calliope. It's not that kind of an outfit. We all have matching pajamas."
"Oh, God…" Callie whined, thinking about Halloween and those costumes. Arizona had probably picked out pajamas with some stupid theme.
"What?"
"Matching pajamas? Really, Arizona?"
"Yes. The girls and I have had matching pajamas the past two years. It's tradition. Matching pajamas, a movie, cocoa and cookies for Christmas Eve."
Callie sighed. "I suppose we'll look like elves or something."
"No, I didn't want to scare you off," she chuckled. "Girls, bath time!"
Callie and Arizona followed the girls upstairs. While Callie got the girls into the tub, Arizona took out the new pajamas. She then went onto the master bedroom and laid out their pajamas.
Bath time went quickly as the girls were eager to watch the movie. When Callie saw the pajamas for the girls, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"These aren't so bad," she said, as she helped Vivvy into her set of red and black plaid pajamas.
"I went easy on you this year, Calliope." Arizona buttoned up Cam's top. "But next year, watch out. No guarantees of what we'll wear," she said with a grin. "Okay, you two, go downstairs and get the movie out. Callie and I need to get into our jammies."
"It's a 'jama party," Cam exclaimed.
"It is."
Cam and Vivvy hurried down the stairs and the couple went into the master bedroom. Callie hated to admit but the pajamas did look nice, and they were made of the softest flannel. "These are actually pretty nice," she commented as she slipped on the top.
"I'm glad you approve."
"Can I make a request?"
"Sure."
"Next year, can I help you pick them?"
"I'd love for you to do that," Arizona said, kissing Callie. "And next year, I'll be sure to hang some mistletoe."
"You don't need mistletoe to get a kiss from me."
"Good to know." Arizona smoothed down her pajama top. "Ready?"
Callie nodded and the two women joined the girls on the couch for the movie, cocoa and Christmas cookies. Callie was afraid the girls would be too excited to get sleepy, but by the end of the movie, they were starting to doze off.
"Let's get Santa's cookies out for him."
"And the carrots."
Arizona nodded with a smile. "And the carrots." She let the girls each pick out two cookies for Santa then opened a bag of small carrots.
"Don't the reindeer get big carrots?" Vivvy asked.
"Well, I think they should each get one small one. They'll be eating carrots all over. Too many big carrots and they'll be too full to fly."
Vivvy and Cam both pondered that. "That makes sense."
"Let's get you two to bed. The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner morning will come."
"Can Callie read this year?" Vivvy asked.
"You want me to read?"
"Night b'for Christmas," Cam explained.
"Wait! You hafta cut the last loop!" Vivvy suddenly remembered. "It's your turn, Mommy."
"So it is."
Arizona took out the scissors and cut the last lonely loop that was still hanging. "There. No more days until Christmas."
"I can't wait until Santa comes."
"Me, too,"
Once the girls were tucked in Vivvy's lower bunk, Arizona handed Callie the treasured book to read. The girls were fast asleep once Callie finished reading. She sat for a moment, looking down at the sleeping girls. These moments were what being a family was all about.
"You okay?" Arizona asked in a soft voice from the doorway.
Callie nodded and quietly got up from the rocking chair. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Arizona said automatically. "But why?"
"For letting me be a part of your family. I love Cam and Vivvy so much. Being around them makes me so happy." She kissed Arizona. "You make me happy. I love you."
"I love you, too, Calliope." Arizona returned the kiss and took Callie's hand.
"What's next?" Callie asked as they returned to the living room.
"We get some alone time, then my parents will be over to fill the stockings and set out their presents and presents from Santa. We'll finish wrapping our gifts and put them under the tree"
"And tomorrow?"
"The girls will come into our room no earlier than seven." Callie smiled at Arizona's use of the words our room, but almost blanched at the time. "We will wait together until Mom and Dad along with Nick come over. Then we open our stockings." She poured them each a glass of wine. "After that, we have breakfast before opening presents."
"Sounds like a busy morning."
"It is."
Callie smiled again at the thought of snuggling in bed with Arizona and Cam and Vivvy, all excited about Christmas.
"It sounds wonderful."
"It is."
Arizona took notice of Callie's smile and easy demeanor. "You seem happier tonight, more relaxed."
"I'm happy, or at least, happier than I've been in awhile."
"What changed? If you don't mind my asking." Arizona took a sip of her wine.
Callie left the room for a moment, then returned carrying two envelopes. "I got a couple cards in the mail. One from Aria and one from Uncle Berto and his partner Ramon." She smiled as she removed the cards from the envelopes. "Not everyone in my family shunned me." Tears filled her eyes.
"That's awesome, Calliope." Arizona took the cards from her to read what was written. "I'm afraid you'll have to translate. I don't know much Spanish and what little I did know, I've forgotten over the years."
Callie waved away her comment. "It's just an endearment Uncle Berto uses sometimes."
"If you want, you can put them on the mantle with the rest of the cards."
"Really?" She waited for Arizona to nod, then took the cards from her and stood them on their ends along with the other cards from friends and family on the mantle. Callie returned to the couch and sat next to her girlfriend. "So, we have alone time? How much?"
Arizona glanced at the clock. "Maybe an hour, why? Did you want to finish wrapping the presents?"
"I had something else in mind." She put an arm around Arizona and pulled her closer. "How about an old-fashioned junior high school makeout session?"
"That sounds pretty good to me," Arizona agreed, settling into Callie's embrace.
# # # # # # # # # #
Arizona awoke to Callie's snuggling up to her, her body pressed against her back. She smiled as she thought about how they'd managed some more alone time after her parents had left after they'd filled the stockings. It had been a quiet, intense round of lovemaking that left them both a little stunned. Since they'd been dating, there had been many, many moments where the connection between them went beyond the physical, but nothing like it had the previous night. Arizona had always called Jillian her first real love, but she'd now come to believe Callie was her true love.
Callie pressed her lips against the back of Arizona's neck, her hand slipping beneath her pajama top. "Merry Christmas," she whispered, her hand drifting upward.
Arizona firmly grasped Callie's hand, halting her movement. "Not that I don't like where this was headed, but the girls will be in here any minute."
"Damn," Callie muttered. "I was hoping to unwrap you for Christmas."
"Later, I promise." She moved Callie's hand so that it was resting atop the clothing. "But for now, you need to behave yourself."
"You're no fun," Callie grumbled as she put some space between them.
"I was plenty fun last night," Arizona replied, flipping onto her back and stretching.
"You were, we were," Callie agreed with a smile. "Merry Christmas," she said once again, leaning over to plant a soft kiss on Arizona's cheek.
"Merry Christmas to you."
The door creaked open and Arizona briefly considered having her father oil the hinges but decided that the noise was a good "warning" system for when the girls opened it unexpectedly.
"Did he come? Did he come?" Cam and Vivvy asked as they climbed up on the bed.
"Did who come?" Arizona teased.
"Santa Claus!"
As soon as Arizona and Callie sat up, the girls crawled into their laps, Cam in Callie's and Vivvy in Arizona's.
"You know, I think I heard him on the roof last night," Callie said, causing the girls' eyes to go wide.
"Really?"
"Uh huh," Callie said with a nod. "I heard what sounded like reindeer walking on the roof."
"And I know I heard a 'ho ho ho' last night," Arizona added.
With that bit of news, Cam grew even more impatient. "Can we go downstairs now?"
"Not yet," Arizona said, tapping each girl on the nose before getting out of bed. "Callie and I have to use the bathroom and brush our teeth." Both Can and Vivvy huffed and pouted. "No pouting," Arizona called out before she shut the door.
"You heard your mommy. No pouting," Callie said before she began to tickle the girls.
The girls were still giggling when Arizona exited the bathroom so Callie could have her turn. They were still eager to go downstairs, but no longer pouting. She checked her phone and saw that her parents and Nick were on the way. It was cold and Nick wasn't feeling well, so they were driving the short distance instead of walking.
"Is it time?" Callie asked when she re-entered the room. She'd taken a little longer to brush her hair out. Arizona was sitting on the bed, braiding Cam's hair. Vivvy's hair was already in pigtails.
"Almost," Arizona said. "They should be here any minute." She sat back. "There. You look very pretty, Cam. Both of you do."
"Just like your mommy," Callie said, causing three dimpled smiles to appear.
"And you are beautiful," Arizona said, getting up from the bed.
"Sweet talker," Callie replied.
"Only for you, Calliope."
"Mushy mushy," Cam said, flopping down on the bed and hiding her face in a pillow.
"Merry Christmas!" Daniel called up the stairs. "I think Santa Claus has been here!"
The girls jumped from the bed and ran down the stairs, followed by Callie and Arizona. Callie really wanted to see the girls' faces when they saw the stockings and presents. She stood by the staircase with Arizona as Daniel took down the stockings and handed them to the girls. She grasped Arizona's hand as they watched the girls gleefully open their stockings, their joy splashed across their faces as they held up each trinket, toy or treat.
"Girls, come sit down and open your stockings," Barbara said as Daniel handed the gold stocking with the angel to his wife.
"Save the candy until later," Arizona said as they stepped around the girls.
"Merry Christmas," Callie said.
"Merry Christmas," the others said back.
Arizona gave her parents a kiss on the check before walking over to Nick. He was bundled up under a blanket. "Merry Christmas, St. Nick." She added a kiss to the top of his head and tucked the blanket tighter around his shoulders.
"You, too, Flagstaff."
Arizona plopped down on the sofa ending up between Nick and Callie. "Gimme, gimme!" she said with a laugh as she reached out her hands for her stocking.
"Arizona!" Callie admonished.
"What?"
Daniel ignored his daughter, handing Nick and Callie their stockings first. He held up the blue stocking covered in snowflakes. "You want this?" he teased.
"Yes!"
"Were you good this year?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.
"I was very good this year."
He unceremoniously dropped the stocking onto her lap with a "Ho Ho Ho."
Callie waited for the others to begin opening their stockings. She looked down at the girls who had emptied their stockings and were now playing. Cam had a small candy cane sticking out of her mouth as she pushed a small jeep around the floor. Vivvy was playing with a small horse, making it "gallop" across a chair.
"Go ahead, Callie. Open it," Arizona urged, one hand crammed down her own stocking as she reached for a candy cane.
Callie reached into the stocking and pulled out a package of pens and she saw that Arizona had the same package sitting next to her.
"Santa knows how you doctors are always needing pens," Barbara said with a wink.
Callie continued to pull items from her stocking, finding snacks, gift cards for gas and the hospital coffee cart, a small tube of her favorite lotion, some Hershey miniatures, a few little chocolate balls with wrappers that make them look like xmas ornaments and of course, candy canes. She held up the lotion. "How did Santa know I was out of lotion, Arizona?" she asked teasingly.
"Cuz he's magic and knows everything," Arizona responded with a wink.
"And the gift cards? It's too much."
Arizona leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "It's Christmas. Stop overthinking it and just enjoy."
Callie felt her heart swoon. "I love you, so much."
Arizona's blue eyes sparkled with joy. "I love you, too."
Barbara smiled as she watched the interaction. "You all look so darling in your matching pajamas," she gushed. "I need a picture of the four of you."
"Can you take it now? I don't want to spend the day in my pajamas waiting for you to take it," Arizona grumbled.
"And I can't help with breakfast if I'm dressed like this," Callie added.
"And I don't need Teddy to see me in my jammies, either," Arizona continued to gripe.
"Honestly, Arizona. You're like this every year," Barbara groused. "You can wait a few more minutes for me to get a picture." She called out to the girls. "Cam! Vivvy! Go stand in front of the tree. I want to take your picture."
"And then breakfast?"
"Once I'm done."
The girls scrambled over from their spots on the floor to the tree. They eyed the presents eagerly, but knew they had to eat breakfast before presents could be opened. Callie was first off the couch and joined the girls. Arizona set her stocking aside and rose from the couch. Her mother stopped her. "What, Mom?"
"Did the girls tell you what they wanted Santa to give them?" she whispered.
"Not everything, I'm sure."
"They asked Santa to have Callie live with them." She leaned in closer to Arizona. "Maybe that's something you should think about. Not now, but certainly in the future."
Arizona smiled at the thought of Callie living with them all the time. "I will."
Arizona waited until Barbara had taken a few snapshots of the girls standing in front of the tree.
"Why don't you all sit in front of the tree?" Barbara suggested.
Arizona and Callie sat cross-legged and then Cam and Vivvy crawled into their laps. With a few more minor changes to positions and head tilts, everyone was ready.
"Ok everyone, family on the count of three. One…two…three!"