November 2006 - Part 1
The days following Halloween had been some of the best days that Callie could remember. The couple managed to have lunch every day and three times Callie had been over for dinner with the girls. The nights have been pretty great, too, Callie thought as she remembered one night when she came by late. She'd rocked a late evening emergency surgery and snuck into Arizona's house, surprising her in the best possible way. It was a good thing that they'd become very good at the quiet game.
Callie was hoping they could continue where they left off this weekend. They both had Saturday off and she wanted to make some plans. Maybe we could take the twins to Burger Master tomorrow afternoon, she thought. Or maybe we can just stay home and cook dinner together. She smiled to herself. Or maybe Arizona and I can have another baking lesson.
As Callie approached the employee entrance, she caught some movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head just in time to catch a glimpse of blonde hair as the person darted around the corner. That looks like it could be Arizona, Callie thought. She looked at her watch and saw that she had time for a detour.
She smelled the cigarette smoke before she even got around the corner. Arizona was leaning back against the brick wall, a cigarette in her hand. "Arizona!"
Arizona turned her head and gave her girlfriend a blank stare. "What?" she asked tonelessly.
"You're smoking." Arizona rolled her eyes and took a drag off of the cigarette. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Don't give me that You are standing out here in the cold, without a coat," she added, taking note that Arizona was wearing her scrubs. "And you're smoking,"
Arizona sighed. "Not today, Calliope."
"Arizona, talk to me. What's wrong?"
"I said, not today," she snapped sharply. She ground out her cigarette and brushed past Callie.
Callie was too stunned to immediately follow after her. By the time she gathered her bearings, Arizona had disappeared. "What the hell?" Callie muttered to herself as she turned back to her original destination. She fired off a quick text to Arizona before going to the residents' locker room to get ready for her shift.
A few hours later, she still hadn't received a reply from her text, and hadn't seen Arizona anywhere in the hospital. Where the hell is she? I thought we were supposed to be communicating better now after the Halloween crap. After one more pass through the hospital she found herself back on the surgical floor. Spotting Teddy, she made a beeline for the cardio surgeon. "Teddy!" she called out to get her attention.
Teddy's head snapped in the direction of her name. "Hey, Callie."
"Have you seen Arizona?" she asked worriedly.
"Not since this morning. We got paged last night. Our eight-year-old patient got a heart."
"Did it not go well?"
"It was a success," Teddy smiled, thinking about how well the surgery had gone. "Why do you ask?"
"I thought it hadn't gone well because that would've explained her mood when I saw her earlier."
"PMS?" Teddy offered.
"No, that's not it."
"Did you have a fight?"
Callie shook her head. "No, things have been great this week. Ever since we talked before Halloween."
"Is she mad at you?"
"No, she's not mad at me. She just seems," She paused as she tried to find the right word. "I don't know, distant and sad. And when I saw her this morning, I caught her smoking! When I tried to talk to her about it, she snapped at me and ran away."
"Arizona smokes?" Teddy's eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Not really. Just twice a year."
"Why twice a year?
Callie shrugged her shoulders. "I only saw her smoke once before."
"Did she give you a reason?"
"She said she only smokes twice a year. The first time was the anniversary of Jillian's death." Callie made a face. "I'm an idiot."
"Huh?"
Awareness dawned over Callie's features. "It must be the anniversary of when her brother died. She smokes when people she's close to dies. Those are the only two deaths of people close to her I can think of. I gotta find her."
"I think she's off for the rest of the day," Teddy offered helpfully.
"Thanks, Teddy"
# # # # # # # # # #
As soon as Callie's shift ended, she immediately drove to Arizona's house. Even though Arizona's car was in the garage, the house was dark when Callie entered it. She turned on the kitchen light and saw Arizona's phone and purse sitting on the breakfast bar. "Where are you?" Callie muttered. She was just about to call Barbara but as she glanced out the window, she saw a flame flicker from a lighter out on the patio
Frowning, Callie turned on the backyard light and went outside. Arizona was sitting motionless in one of the chairs. A half-empty bottle of Jack Daniels was beside the chair and an almost overflowing ashtray was on the other side. There was a light drizzle and the air was chilly. She had no idea how long Arizona had been sitting there.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Callie asked gently, her voice soft.
"So you could see me fall apart?" Arizona responded derisively.
"No, so I could be here for you," Callie replied gently, sitting down in the chair next to her, even though it was wet.
"Who told you?"
"No one. I figured it out myself." Callie half-expected to get a snarky comment from Arizona after what she'd said earlier in the day, but the defensiveness seemed to have left.
Arizona took a sip of her drink. "Two years ago today I was in surgery with Dr. Burbank, the head of peds at Seattle Pres. He was trying to get me to switch to peds so I was in a lot of surgeries with him. I remember it like it was yesterday." She tapped the ashes from her cigarette. "We were removing a spleen on a ten-year-old boy who'd been in an accident. Dr. Burbank had me as lead surgeon."
Callie waited patiently for Arizona to continue. She reached down and picked up the bottle. Jack Daniels? There must be some connection to her brother with this, she thought. She considered taking a drink but decided against it. One of us needs to be sober tonight.
"The Chief came into the OR when we were about halfway through the surgery. He asked me to step back and out of the OR. I wracked my brain trying to figure out what I had done wrong. The chief doesn't randomly come into the OR and pull a surgeon out. Then I saw his face and knew something bad had happened. My first thoughts were of the girls, then of my mom and dad. Never even considered it might be Tim." She took another sip from her glass. "I left the OR with him and followed him to his office, where my parents were. He left us alone and that's when they told me that Tim was dead." Her voice broke with a choked sob.
Callie rose from her chair and wrapped her arms around Arizona in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, honey."
Arizona wiped away a tear as it rolled down her face. 'A week later I was standing in a hanger with my parents as my brother came home for the last time." She closed her eyes as the tears began to flow. "My brother died over there, Callie, and all we got was a flag."
Callie instantly thought about the flag and medals on the mantle. Her heart ached for Arizona and her loss. Too many losses so close together, she thought, drawing Arizona in even closer.
"I miss my brother." She choked out as the tears came harder and faster. Her body shook from both the tears and the chill of being rain soaked.
"I know, I know. I can't imagine how you feel. I'm not that close to my sister, but I'd still be devastated if something happened to her."
"Most days, I don't even think of it. My mind just thinks of him being stationed somewhere on a mission or something. Then something happens that I want to share and I remember and I'm sad, but this day. This day guts me." She sniffled through her explanation as she tried to hold her emotions together but failed.
"I think I get it." Callie whispered against her hair as she rubbed her back and shoulders. As they sat in silence, Arizona snuggled in her arms, Callie became aware of how cold it was getting and how soaked Arizona was from the constant drizzle. She herself was pretty wet and she hadn't been there nearly as long as Arizona. Once Arizona's breathing evened and the tears were farther apart, Callie eased her to arm's length. "C'mon, Smokey Bear. You're freezing and you smell like an ashtray. I'm sure a nice long bath will help with both." she suggested.
Arizona nodded. "I'm so-"
Callie cut her off. "No. Never apologize for feeling your feelings. Not to me."
Arizona leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Are you going to join me in the bath?"
Callie smirked at her. "I could be persuaded." She looked around the patio. "You go get the bath ready and I'll clean and lock up down here." she suggested.
Arizona nodded and placed another quick kiss to her lips. "Don't be long." she whispered huskily. When she reached the door, she removed her wet Marines sweatshirt and tossed it in Callie's lap. Callie was shocked to see she was braless. "If you need some incentive to hurry up down here."
"Uh.,, " Callie stuttered.
"Don't dawdle, Calliope," she said as she disappeared into the house.
With that last vision of Arizona burned into her brain, Callie scrambled out of the chair. She hurriedly threw out the cigarette butts and the nearly empty pack into the garbage can in the garage. She didn't want the girls to have any idea that their mother smoked, however infrequently she did. She looked closely at the Zippo lighter in her hand. The 75th Regiment US Army Rangers logo was on it, and she assumed that it had belonged to Arizona's brother. She returned the bottle to its spot beside the other liquor bottles on the top shelf in the kitchen and placed the lighter in Arizona's purse. Once she'd checked the house was locked up tight, she sprinted up the stairs.
Arizona was already seated in the large tub when Callie entered the bathroom. She quickly shed her clothes. "Scoot forward," she said. "I want to hold you."
Arizona did as Callie asked, and when Callie had joined her, sank back into her arms. Silently Callie began to wash Arizona's hair, then the rest of her body. Arizona sighed contentedly while Callie lovingly took care of her. When Callie was finished, Arizona leaned back once again.
"So, Jack Daniels?" Callie asked.
"It was Tim's favorite," Arizona answered quietly. "I always feel closer to him when I have it." She smiled sadly to herself. "The first time I ever got drunk was with Tim and Nick on my eighteenth birthday. Jack Daniels was involved."
"Nick?"
"Nick was Tim's best friend. We sort of grew up together. His family and ours were stationed together a lot. It was like having two big brothers looking out for me. Tim went to West Point and Nick did Army ROTC. Once they had their commissions, they later went on to become Army Rangers."
"They served together?"
"Yes." Arizona sighed deeply. After a few moments of quiet, she whispered. "It was Nick who escorted Tim's… Tim home." Tears filled her eyes again. She paused to regain her composure. "He stayed with my parents for a week after the funeral, but he was always at my house. He was my rock." She took Callie's hand. "He was the one who made sure I got Tim's lighter, class ring and dog tags."
Callie let go of Arizona's hands and wrapped her arms around her. She kissed her temple gently, then her shoulder. "The water's getting cold. What do you say we get into bed and cuddle?"
"I'd like that, Calliope."
Callie got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around herself before grabbing two more towels. She handed one for Arizona to dry her hair and then began to dry Arizona off with the other.
"You're too good to me, Calliope."
"I can never be too good to you," Callie said as led Arizona into the bedroom. She started to grab some clothes to sleep in, but Arizona stopped her.
"What?"
"No pajamas tonight. Just make sure the door is locked in case the girls come home early."
Callie quickly locked the door, then hung up the wet towels. They slipped beneath the covers and into each other's arms.
"Good?"
"This is just what I didn't know I needed," Arizona said, snuggling as close as she could to Callie's warm body. "Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me, Arizona. I love you."
# # # # # # # # # #
Callie woke up first the next morning, her arms still wrapped around her girlfriend. She could tell by Arizona's deep steady breathing that she was still sound asleep. She debated with herself on whether she should wake Arizona up or not. Feeling her soft smooth skin against her own was tempting. They rarely got a chance to sleep in the nude, and the girls weren't home, either. She decided it was better to let Arizona sleep for a little while longer.
With a quiet sigh and some regret, Callie carefully slipped out of bed. They needed to talk before the girls came home and staying in bed wouldn't be conducive to talking. Once dressed, she headed downstairs to make breakfast, knowing that Arizona probably hadn't eaten much the day before. While the coffee brewed, she rummaged around in the refrigerator to find the ingredients. She quickly went about frying up some bacon and scrambling up some eggs loaded with ham, cheese, peppers and onions. By now she knew while Arizona wasn't fond of sandwiches, she did like toast with her eggs.
"Hey," Arizona said softly, entering the kitchen. Her hair was tousled in the way that Callie found utterly sexy, and she was wearing her robe.
"Good morning. I've made us some breakfast."
"I can see that," Arizona said as she walked over to Callie. She put her arms around Callie and hugged her close. "Thank you - for everything. I love you," she said, adding a kiss.
"I love you, too." Callie turned back to the stove and turned the burner off. "Would you set the table?"
"Of course."
Table set, Callie served up two large servings of bacon and eggs. She wasn't sure if Arizona would want to eat, but the way the blonde started shoveling the food confirmed her suspicions; Arizona probably hadn't eaten much the day before.
"These are really good eggs, Callie," she said between bites. "Mine never taste this good. Do you have a secret ingredient?"
"I just added a few seasonings, that's all." Callie refilled both their coffee cups. "I'm glad you like them."
"They're great. You can cook me breakfast anytime."
"Well, when you're finished eating, you need to go get dressed while I clean up the kitchen. Cam and Vivvy will be home soon and I'd like to talk before they get here." Spotting the anxiety on Arizona's face, she quickly added, "Don't worry. We just need a little talk, that's all."
As she cleaned up the breakfast dishes, Callie thought about how she was going to approach Arizona. Her girlfriend's feelings were still raw from the previous day and Callie didn't want to pile on them.
"So what did you want to talk about?" Arizona asked when she returned to the kitchen wearing an oversized sweatshirt, thick socks and a pair of sweatpants.
"Let's go sit down," Callie suggested, taking Arizona's hand and leading her back into the living room. Once they were seated on the couch facing one another, Callie stated."I'm your girlfriend."
"Okay?" Arizona's eyebrows crinkled together in confusion, not knowing where this conversation was headed.
"I'm your girlfriend," Callie repeated. "And that doesn't mean I'm your girlfriend only for the good times. I'm your girlfriend when you're sad, happy, angry, moody and everything in between."
"I know that." Arizona bristled at the obviousness of her lover's words.
"Do you? Because sometimes it feels like you'd rather deal with the emotions on your own and just have me around for the fun," Callie squeezed Arizona's hand gently. "You need to share how you're feeling with me, Arizona. I love you and I want to be there for you. I'm not going to leave just because you're having a bad day, or feeling sad."
Arizona chewed on her lower lip in thought. "Are you sure you want to even be involved with me? I have a lot of baggage - a dead wife, a dead brother, two kids…"
"First of all, Cam and Vivvy are not baggage," Callie insisted firmly. "They are like… like the icing on the cake." Arizona smiled at Callie's words. "And yes, you've been through a lot these past few years, but baggage? I wouldn't call losing loved ones baggage. You want baggage? I have an ex-husband who cheated on me. And we work with him. That's baggage."
Arizona nodded. "I don't deserve you," she said softly.
"Are you kidding? I don't deserve you."
"Calliope…"
"No, for real. My life is a trainwreck that you can't stop from happening but can't stop watching and when it happens, the collateral damage is huge."
"Maybe that's why we do deserve one another."
Callie shrugged. "Maybe." The pair sat in companionable silence for a few moments. "Next time just let me know, okay? Grieve however you want. Get mad. Cry. Take time off. Take all the space you need. Have a drink or two. But no more smoking, okay?"
"I'll try."
Before anything more could be said, the front door opened, and Barbara and the girls entered the house. Cam and Vivvy immediately ran to their mother and scrambled up onto the couch. The girls hugged their mommy and showered her with kisses. Arizona smiled and returned the hugs and kisses, holding them tightly,
"Are you still sad, Mommy?" Vivvy asked.
"Not anymore," Arizona replied,brushing a few stray hairs off Vivvy's face. "Do you know why?" Both girls shook their heads. "Because Callie made me feel better."
Callie and Barbara exchanged a look behind Arizona and Barbara mouthed "thank you." Callie gave her a short nod.
"Callie always makes me feel better," Vivvy said, looking at Callie.
"Me, too," Cam chimed in.
"And you know what else makes me feel better?"
"What?"
"You two, and Grandmom and Grandpop." She hugged them tight and met Callie's gaze over their small heads. "Our family."
# # # # # # # # # #
It wasn't often that Callie got to spend the night with Cam and Vivvy alone, but Arizona was working an overnight shift and Callie had the next twenty-four hours off before she had to work her own overnight. She parked her car in the garage and as soon as she entered the house, she could smell something delicious cooking. "Mmmmm. Something sure smells good," Callie commented.
"Oh, hello, Callie. Beef stew," she explained. "Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes."
"Where are Cam and Vivvy?" she asked as she hung up her leather jacket in a cubby that Arizona had designated as hers.
"They're upstairs in their playroom working on some craft project."
"Do you need any help?"
"No, thank you. I'm all set."
"Okay, just let me know if you do. I'm going to say hi to the girls."
Callie found the girls sitting on the floor of the playroom, markers and crayons and paper scattered about. They each had a large piece of paper in front of them which they were decorating with drawings and stickers. Vivvy seemed to be a bit more artistic as her paper had many drawings of carefully drawn flowers. Cam's paper had mostly stickers and shapes drawn in bright colors.
"Callie!" Vivvy said, getting up and running to her for a hug, Cam right behind her. Callie would never, ever grow tired of getting hugs from the twins. She knew at some point kids outgrew hugging adults so she was going to get as many as she could while they were still willing.
"Hi! Whatcha making?" she asked as released Vivvy and hugged Cam.
"Cards."
"Birthday cards," Vivvy emphasized. "Do you know how to spell Happy Birthday, Callie?"
"Well, let's see if we can spell it together," she said, sitting down on the floor and selecting a crayon and a piece of paper. "What do you think the first letter is?" She sounded out the letter.
"H!" they both said in unison.
"That's right," Callie said, printing a large "H" on the paper. "What's next?"
"I?"
"O?"
"Well, that would be Hippy or Hoppy birthday."
The girls giggled as they said "Hoppy Birthday."
"U?" Vivvy suggested. "Or E?"
"Then we'd have Huppy or Heppy Birthday. What's left?"
The two girls thought for a moment, then both gleefully shouted "A!"
"Right again," she said, adding the A. "Now we add what?"
"P!"
Callie nodded and wrote down two Ps. "Next we add a Y."
"Why isn't it E?" Vivvy asked.
"I don't know," Callie said. "It's one of those spelling rules you'll learn later."
"I know the next letter," Cam said proudly. "It's B."
"Right!" She started the second word. "The next few are hard, so I'll write them down." She added the IRTH to it. "Now, what's 'day' begin with?"
"D!"
"Right. You two are so smart." The girls beamed with the compliment as Callie finished the DAY. "There. That's Happy Birthday. Do you think you can write it on your cards?" The girls nodded. "Are the cards for a friend?"
"No, Mommy."
"Mommy's birthday?" Callie asked carefully.
"Yes. Mommy's birthday is in three days!" Vivvy said as Cam held up three fingers.
"Well, I'm sure she will love your cards."
The girls flipped over the paper and somewhat legibly copied the printed letters from Callie's paper, They both then drew hearts of all shapes and sizes around the words. As she watched the girls, Callie pondered the news of Arizona's birthday. Why didn't she tell me? I need to do something for it. I can't just not recognize it. But does she not want me to know?
"If you fold it, it becomes a card," Callie said, folding her own piece of paper.
"Can you do that for my card?"
"Me, too!"
Callie carefully folded the paper so that it became a card, the 'Happy Birthday' on the inside. Cards in hand, the girls hid them with the explanation, "we don't want Mommy to see them until her birthday."
"Good idea." Callie got up from the floor. "Let's go wash up. It's almost time for dinner."
Callie felt a little weird eating dinner with the twins and Barbara and Daniel without Arizona present. It was the first time she'd done that. It seemed Barbara sensed her unease and quickly included Callie in all the conversations around the table.
Once dinner was over, Cam and Vivvy joined their Grandpop for a rousing game of Candy Land. Callie immediately got up and started clearing the table.
"Do you think you can manage the girls all by yourself tonight?" Barbara asked as she rinsed the bowls out.
"I think so. I'm sure I'll be able to get them to school in the morning and walk them home later. I do have to leave by five o'clock, though, for work, and I'm not sure when Arizona will be home."
"I'll come over before then and start dinner."
"Thank you." Callie paused for a minute after bringing the last of the dishes into the room. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Cam and Vivvy told me Arizona's birthday is this week."
"Friday," Barbara confirmed.
"I didn't know. Why wouldn't she tell me?"
Barbara started the hot water in the sink for the pans. "Arizona doesn't like to celebrate her birthday."
"Why not?"
"Well, part of it is from all the moving around we did when she was growing up. Having to start at a new school, or knowing we'd be leaving in another year, well, she just didn't make a lot of friends, especially when we moved and she was the new girl at the beginning of the year. There wasn't a lot of time to make new friends before her birthday rolled around, and she didn't want to be disappointed." Barbara chuckled to herself. "It didn't help that her birthday is the same day as the Marine Corps birthday. When she was little, she thought all the events on the base were because it was her birthday. You can only imagine how upset she was to find out it wasn't. And when she became a teenager, she resented having to share the day with the Marines."
Callie smiled as she pictured a little Arizona believing the day was for her.
"The Marine Corps Birthday is a big deal. There's a ball and a special cake ceremony. Arizona used to think Daniel and I were getting dressed up for her birthday." Her mood shifted. "And then with Tim dying so close to her birthday…" Barbara's voice trailed off and she turned away from Callie to hide the tears which were quickly welling in her eyes. "It's a difficult time of year right now… for all of us."
Callie took the older woman's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Say no more."
"It's silly, though," Barbara said, wiping her eyes.
"No it's not. Grief has no timeline."
"Now that Cam and Vivvy are older, they want to celebrate their mother's birthday."
"I'd like to celebrate it, too." Callie urged. "What if we just do a small celebration here?"
"Family only." Barbara added, "And by family, I mean you, too, Callie."
Callie smiled. "Yes. Maybe you could show me how to make one of Arizona's favorites."
"I think that's a terrific idea, Callie,"
"I work overnight starting tomorrow, but I should be free all day Friday."
"Why don't you come to my house Friday after Arizona goes to work. We can go shopping together."
"What will you make?"
"Usually we try to have some sort of fish or seafood on Fridays, but Arizona loves homemade lasagna and we haven't had it in a long time. I think she'd like that. It's one of her comfort foods that she won't fix for herself."
"Sounds like a plan. I can't wait."
# # # # # # # # # #
Arizona looked up from her desk to see Callie standing in the doorway with an overly wide smile on her face that bordered on being creepy.
"Hey. What are you doing here?" she asked warily.
"Nothing. Just thought I'd drop by before I ran some errands." Callie's higher than normal pitched voice caused Arizona's eyes to narrow in suspicion.
"Callie…"
"I wanted to drop this off for you," she said as she placed a coffee and a bag on her girlfriend's desk.
"What's this for?"
"Can't I just do something nice for my girlfriend?"
"You're up to something," Arizona answered as she reached for the bag.
"Fine," Callie huffed. "Happy Marine Corps Birthday! I brought you donuts."
"You brought me donuts?" Arizona grinned, momentarily distracted as she opened the bag. "Thank you, Calliope."
"I got you an assortment, so don't eat them all at once."
"I won't," she said as she took out a frosted donut with sprinkles.
"I've got to get going." Callie leaned over and kissed Arizona before she could bite into the donut. "I love you."
"Love you, too," Arizona mumbled around a mouthful of donut.
"Remember. Don't eat them all at once," Callie warned. "And eat something healthy for lunch."
"I will."
Callie shook her head as she left Arizona's office, knowing Arizona would probably eat two or three of the donuts right away. She's got such a sweet tooth, Callie thought. After leaving the hospital, Callie made one quick stop before driving to meet up with Barbara. She was really looking forward to spending the day with Barbara. Callie loved the older Robbins couple. There was a warmth to them, even Daniel, that she enjoyed.
# # # # # # # # # # # # # #
Callie looked around the kitchen in awe of the amount of food she and Barbara had bought for tonight. She had thought it would be easy. Some hamburger and sauce, layer a few noodles and top with cheese. What have I gotten myself into? She wondered.
It had been an eye opening experience, since she'd never gone grocery shopping with her own mother. Lucia had always been too busy with her career and committees to be bothered with grocery shopping. After all, they had maids and a full kitchen staff to do the mundane shopping. Abuela had taken her along once or twice, but the experience could never compare to shopping with Barbara Robbins.
Barbara was a firm believer in shopping locally while only using the best ingredients. Their first stop had been to Adam, the baker, where they had picked up some garlic bread and cannolis. Then, there was Tony and Angela at the grocery store and finally, Mark, the farmer who sold his meats in a store on his farm. Callie found it rather amusing to imagine Mark Sloan as a farmer.
"So where do we begin?" she asked, feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the ingredients.
Barbara pulled out a cutting board and a couple knives. She gave brief instructions on how the tomatoes, onions, garlic, and mushrooms should be cut. "While you do that, I'm going to start on the meat." She pulled out a large bowl and some dry spices. She mixed some of the spicy pork sausage with a larger portion of hamburger. "There are two secrets to my lasagna that Arizona has never been able to crack and they both have to do with the meat. First, the meat I use is a mix of both sausage and hamburger. Mix them up, season the mixture, add a couple splashes of Worcestershire sauce, cover and put in the fridge for an hour. Second, dice up three or four bacon strips, fry them, and then start frying the meat mixture in the same pan with the bacon grease."
Callie grimaced. "That sounds like a cardiologist's nightmare."
Barbara shrugged. "Maybe so but the best foods are." She placed the bowl of meat into the refrigerator. "For now, since it looks like you got everything cut up," she placed a deep pot in front of Callie. "Put all the tomatoes, half the mushrooms, and three quarters of the onions and garlic into the pot. Add just enough water to barely cover everything and put it on the stove to boil down and simmer."
Callie followed the instructions. "What about the rest of the stuff?"
"We'll add them to the meat towards the end of frying that up." She watched as Callie cleaned up the small mess she'd made. "Did your mother teach you how to cook?"
Callie snorted derisively. "God, no. Lucia Torres would burn down the house trying to boil her own water. We had a kitchen staff, but my abuela…grandmother…she taught me a few Cuban dishes."
Barbara smiled fondly. "It's always nice to have recipes passed down within the family."
"Speaking of recipes, I was wondering if you had one for brownies. My baking skills have really improved and I was hoping to fly solo to surprise Arizona with some homemade brownies soon."
Barb stifled a smile as she walked over to her corner cupboard and removed a rectangular box. She removed the lid, rifled through a myriad of index cards, and removed one. She handed the stained card to Callie. "Sometimes baking solo can be very therapeutic," she said with a wink.
Callie's face reddened as she connected the baking term to her and Arizona's euphemism. "Uh…right." Quickly, she put the index card in her purse. "So…uh…don't we need to make the noodles?"
"Not today, dear." Barb placed a box of Barilla lasagna noodles on the counter. "We just need to shred the cheese."
"I thought for sure we would be making the pasta."
"Oh, I do when I have the time, but I think that would be a bit too much for your first lesson in my kitchen." She busied herself with stirring and tasting the sauce. She added a few dashes of one of the spices and nodded after she tasted again. "I think we're ready to fry up the meat.
Eventually, the fried meat was added to the sauce mixture. Barbara allowed Callie to take the reins in assembling the dish. Once assembled, Callie spread a layer of shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheeses over the top and covered it with aluminum foil. She stepped aside to allow Barb to place it into the preheated oven. Barb pushed a few buttons to set the oven timer. "Now that that's done. Why don't we sit and have a cup of coffee? It's still a bit early to have some wine."
Callie sighed in relief. "That sounds like an amazing idea."
# # # # # # # # # # # # #
As soon as she walked through the door from the garage, Arizona smelled her mother's lasagna cooking and her mouth immediately began to water. It had been a long time since her mother had made it and she couldn't wait to have some. When she entered the kitchen, she saw her family lined up, her parents on one side of the girls, Callie on the other side. The girls had big smiles on their faces and Callie had a nervous grin.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"Happy Birthday, Mommy!" Cam and Vivvy shouted.
Her irritation at being reminded of her birthday was tempered by the matching expectant looks on Callie and the twins' faces. Her mother also gave her a sharp look as if to say 'Be Nice'.
"Thank you."
The girls ran over to her, waving their homemade birthday cards.
"See what we made you!"
"We made you cards!"
Arizona oohed and aahed over the cards the girls had made, noting that Cam's printing was getting better and Vivvy's drawings of flowers were certainly getting more artistic.
"Thank you. These are the best cards anyone has ever given me." She bent down and gathered the girls in her arms for a hug. "I'm going to save them forever."
She accepted hugs from her parents, then focused her attention on Callie. She gave her girlfriend a look that had Callie nearly squirming.
"Happy Birthday?" Callie said, then quickly hugged her and whispered, "Please don't be mad," before she kissed her cheek.
"I'm not." Arizona released Callie. "Please tell me that what I'm smelling is your homemade lasagna, Mom."
"It is. Callie and I made it today."
Arizona's face softened as she looked at Callie once more. "You made me lasagna?"
"No, your mother and I made you lasagna," she corrected her, throwing a wink at Barbara.
"And it's time to eat. I just pulled the garlic bread out of the oven and the salad's on the table."
After washing up, Arizona joined her family around the dinner table. "I can't wait to eat. I'm famished."
"What's fammshed?" Vivvy asked.
"Really, really hungry," Arizona answered as she served up a large portion on her plate.
"Did you eat anything else besides donuts today?" Callie asked.
"Mmmm," Arizona non-answered as she shoved a fork full of food into her mouth.
"Arizona!" Callie said, exasperated.
"It was super busy today," Arizona shrugged. "This is really good," Arizona said after several more bites.
"I just wished we had time to make the pasta," Callie said wistfully. "As it was, we barely had time to let the sauce simmer properly."
"Make the pasta?" She looked at her mother, who quickly looked away.
"We'll try another time, Callie. Don't forget to leave room for dessert," The elder Robbins tried to redirect the conversation. Arizona glared at her mother, partly because she wondered what her mother had been up to with the pasta, and partly because she hated having birthday cake. "Now I know you don't like birthday cakes and all that singing," Barbara said as if reading her daughter's mind, "but we did get some mini-cannolis from the bakery."
"I'm surprised you didn't make Callie make them from scratch," Arizona muttered, earning a glare of her own from Barbara.
"What's cannon… cannon-noli?" Cam asked.
"It's a really yummy dessert," Callie answered, beginning to rise from her seat.
"Sit back down, Callie," Barbara ordered. "I'll get dessert." Minutes later she returned to the dining room carrying a plate piled with cannoli. "We have chocolate, cookies and cream, chocolate chip, plain and pistachio."
"What's 'stachio?" Vivvy asked.
"Pistachios are nuts."
Cam's face crinkled in distaste. "Yuck! Nuts!" she said, sticking her tongue out.
"Arizona, you're the birthday girl," Barbara said, ignoring Cam's outburst. "You pick first."
Arizona selected a chocolate one and a plain one, then passed the plate to Callie, who chose a pistachio and chocolate chip. The girls each picked a chocolate one, with Cam opting for chocolate chip for her second; Vivvy the cookies and cream.
Once dessert was done, Arizona picked up some of the dirty dishes and followed her mother into the kitchen. She looked over her shoulder to make sure Callie wasn't following. She dumped the dishware into the sink with little care. Before her mother could admonish her, she pinned her with a glare. "Stop hazing my girlfriend."
"I've done no such thing."
"Making pasta and sauce from scratch? You've never made homemade pasta and the only time you make sauce from scratch is when you are canning the garden tomatoes. You always use Prego for your lasagna because you once told me it held the noodles and meat sauce together better."
Barbara pressed her lips together and dropped the washcloth into the sink. "I think sometimes you forget that not everyone has a family who passes down their traditions."
"That's not what you were doing."
"That's exactly what I'm doing, Arizona. You have never shown an interest in learning my recipes, other than the simplest, most time efficient way of making them. Callie asked me to teach her some of your favorites. If she really wants to learn how to make pasta from scratch, then I'll come clean, find a recipe and we'll figure it out." She turned her attention back to the sinkful of dishes. She noticed her husband had entered the kitchen and had his hand in the cookie jar. "Now, go spend time with Callie and the girls. Your father and I will clean up."
"We will?" he questioned. His wife pinned him with a glare. "Oh, right. We will."
Arizona shook her head and walked out of the kitchen into the living room. She sat next to Callie and pressed a quick kiss to Callie's cheek while they watched the girls play with their Barbies. Maybe birthdays weren't so bad after all.
# # # # # # # # # # # # #
After the girls were put to bed, Callie and Arizona relaxed on the sofa simply enjoying the quiet and each other's company. "I'm surprised your father didn't name you Marina after the Marine Corps." Callie teased eventually.
"Me, too, though it would sound better than Arizona."
"I like Arizona. It's unique and it has a story behind it."
"Whatever you say, Calliope."
"Touche," Callie sipped her wine nervously. "I hope we didn't upset you, celebrating your birthday and all."
"No. it was… nice. Just family." She looked Callie in the eye. "But that's all I ever want. Don't ever have a big party for me."
"I promise." Callie thought for a minute. "Not even for the big 4-0 or the big 5-0?"
"That's a long way off, Calliope." Though she resisted, in her heart Arizona was touched that Callie was already thinking that far out into the future. "Maybe. We'll see."
"I'll take that maybe and hang onto it." She got up from the sofa, grabbed her purse, then returned to her spot beside Arizona. "I didn't have a lot of time to hunt for the perfect gift, since I didn't know when your birthday was until three days ago, but I've been wanting to give you this," She reached into her purse. "Especially since I already have a key to yours." Callie handed her a key to her apartment. "This is for those times you need to get away from the hospital and don't have enough time to go all the way home." She barked out a short, nervous laugh. "You'll probably want to check to see if Yang's there. Then again, it shouldn't be too much of a problem since she seems to live at the hospital or she's over at the frat house of Meredith's."
"Thank you, Callie," Arizona said with a smile and a kiss. "This is very thoughtful." Her smile turned a little wicked. "Can I also use it if I want to surprise you?"
"I'd be hurt if you didn't at least once or twice," Callie smirked.
Arizona leaned in for another kiss. "Count on it."
"So, I got you another gift."
"Callie, you didn't have to get me anything."
"Well, this is a present both of us can enjoy."
"What is it?"
"Next Saturday, we are booked for a spa day at the Archfield. It includes a couple's massage. After that, we've got a room there for the night. We're going to have a nice dinner at the hotel, so dress up sharp, and then maybe go out dancing, or we can go back to the room." She wiggled her eyebrows. "We'll check out Sunday after a champagne brunch in our room."
"Callie, that sounds like too much."
"Don't worry about it. I know somebody." Callie waved off her comment dismissively.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. Nothing but the best for my girlfriend."
"It sounds wonderful," Arizona sighed.
"Good. We have to be there at nine-thirty." Callie leaned back. "And you do know the best part of your birthday tonight?"
"I can't imagine it being any better."
"Well, there's birthday sex, but if you don't want - "
"Oh, I want," Arizona cut Callie off. "I have to thank my girlfriend for giving me the best birthday I've had since, well, I can't remember when."
"What do you say we go on upstairs and make it truly memorable?"
"You read my mind," Arizona said, jumping up from the sofa.
# # # # # # # # # #
Arizona popped out the wheels on her shoes and began rolling down the hall in an effort to catch up with her best friend. When Teddy abruptly stopped and turned around, Arizona nearly ran into her.
"Careful there, Speed Racer," Teddy teased as she steadied Arizona.
"Ha. Ha." Arizona straightened her lab coat. "I'm glad I caught you."
"You mean you're glad you almost ran me over?"
"Semantics," Arizona said, waving her hand. "What time do you get out of work?"
Teddy looked at her watch. "Fifteen minutes, provided no emergencies come in."
"Me, too. Do you have any plans?"
"Not really. Why?"
"Great! You're coming with me to Nordstroms and then I'm buying you dinner."
"Nordstrom's?"
"You haven't been to Nordstrom's yet?"
"I don't even know what it is."
"You need to get out more, Teddy," Arizona said with a roll of her eyes. "It's the best place for clothes shopping."
"And why are we clothes shopping?"
Arizona's pager sounded. "I gotta speak to some parents. Meet me out front in twenty and I'll tell you why."
Teddy just shook her head and laughed as Arizona rolled down the hallway toward the elevators.
Thirty minutes later, they were pulling out of the hospital parking lot in Arizona's SUV.
"So, why are we clothes shopping?" Teddy asked.
"I need a new dress. Callie and I have a hot date Saturday." She looked left to check the traffic, then turned right at the stop sign. "She's set up a spa day at the Archfield, a room there and dinner there."
"Wow! That's quite a date."
"It is. We haven't been on a date like that and I want to impress her. I have a few nice dresses, but they're more for a work function. I want a dress with that WOW factor."
"Wow factor?"
"Yes, something classy, elegant, but still sexy. But not slutty," she added.
"Oh, that's all," Teddy laughed. "Should take us no time at all. Will be in and out in a jiffy."
"Do you think so?" Arizona asked in all seriousness.
Teddy rolled her eyes. "Oh, absolutely."
The first hour of dress shopping had been fun, but Teddy was growing impatient and hungry as it was now well into the second hour. The dresses Arizona had rejected ("too trashy", "too boring", or whatever the reason) now filled its own rack. As she sat by the changing rooms, Teddy's stomach growled loudly. She could only imagine how wedding dress shopping with her would be, should Arizona ever marry Callie. "C'mon, Arizona. Pick one. I'm hungry," she complained.
"I think this one might work," Arizona said as she exited the changing room. "What do you think?"
Teddy looked up from her phone where she had been searching for places to eat. "Wow! That's a great dress," she commented when Arizona turned around to show it off.
"You think so?"
The dress was a dark marine blue that was almost navy. It shimmered in the light when she turned. It was cut low in the back, but not too low, and showed just enough cleavage to get Callie's interest. The length was at the knees, and showed off her well toned legs.
"Callie will love it. I think you've found your dress." Teddy then mumbled under her breath, "Thank God."
"What was that?"
"So, do you have shoes or are you going to wear your roller shoes?"
"Heelys," she automatically corrected her friend. "And that would be a no. I'm not going to wear them. I've got a pair of black heels I can wear."
"Better practice wearing them," Teddy suggested.
"Why?"
"When was the last time you wore heels?"
"Good point," Arizona couldn't recall the last time she'd worn them.
"So, can we go get dinner now?" Teddy asked.
"Yes. I just need a moment of silence for my bank account. I've never bought a dress that was this expensive."
Teddy laughed. "It'll be worth it when Callie sees you in it."
# # # # # # # # # #
"Arizona?"
"Upstairs, Mom."
Barbara scurried upstairs, garment bag in hand. She entered Arizona's bedroom where she found the girls sitting on Arizona's bed, a packed overnight bag sitting on the floor.
"I found one of my garment bags. Now let me see the dress," she said, hanging the bag up.
Arizona carefully took the dress out of the store bag. "What do you think?"
"I think you need to put it on so we can all have a good look."
"Really?"
"Yes. Callie won't be here for another hour."
"Fine," she grumbled, heading into her bathroom to put on the dress. She stepped out into the bedroom minutes later. "Well?"
"It's lovely, Arizona."
"You look like a princess, Mommy," Vivvy said. Her sister had no comment, other than grumbling to herself.
"Shoes?" Barbara asked.
"My black heels," Arizona said, holding up the shoes. She didn't tell her mother that she'd been practicing walking in them the past two days.
Barbara nodded her approval. "Accessories?"
"I… I don't have anything I can wear." Left unsaid was that almost all of her jewelry, necklaces and earrings had been gifts from Jillian. Arizona was saving them to give to the girls when they were older. She didn't think it appropriate to wear any of them on a date with her girlfriend, and she couldn't bear to wear them anyway. She hadn't worn any jewelry since Jilian's funeral.
"I think I've got just the pair of earrings you can borrow, and maybe a necklace. Just let me run home. I'll be right back."
"Your dress is really pretty, Mommy," Vivvy said after Barbara left. "Isn't it, Cam?"
"I guess so," she muttered. "I don't know why we can't go with you," she whined.
"It's just a day for Callie and I. It's for my birthday." Arizona tried to explain. "We'll be back tomorrow and we can do something fun."
"I want to come, too."
Arizona sat down beside Cam, trying not to wrinkle her dress. "Cam, sometimes Callie and I need to do things without you and Vivvy." Cam frowned. "Just like when you and Vivvy like to do things without each other. There are things you like to do that Vivvy doesn't."
"Like soccer," Vivvy said helpfully. "And I like dance and you don't."
"You sometimes do things with your friends without Vivvy, and sometimes Vivvy does things with her friends," Arizona added.
"I 's'pose."
"I think tonight you and Vivvy should think of something we can do together tomorrow."
"Promise we'll do somethin' fun tomorrow?"
"I promise."
"Okay." she mumbled.
Barbara returned, holding a pair of simple, yet elegant pair of diamond earrings and a matching silver necklace with a diamond and sapphire setting. "I think these will go nicely."
"Mom, that's grandma's necklace," Arizona protested.
"I know. It's yours. I've just been keeping it all these years for you." She patted Arizona's hand. "Now put them on, and the shoes so we can see."
Arizona did as she was told. Barbara clasped her hands in front of her chest. "You look so beautiful, Arizona. Turn around."
Arizona slowly turned around once. "Do you think Callie will like it?"
"She will love it. Right, girls?" The girls nodded from their perch on their mother's bed. "Your grandpop is downstairs with a surprise for you."
"Yay!" they said, jumping off the bed and bolting from the room and down the stairs.
"I feel so guilty," Arizona said as she removed the earrings and the necklace, then her shoes.
"Why?"
"Callie and I both have the weekend off and I feel like I'm ditching the girls." She carefully put the necklace and earrings into the box and stored it in her overnight bag.
"Arizona, that's nonsense. All parents need some time alone with their significant other. You spend almost all your non-working time with them now. Give yourself a break, okay?" Arizona nodded. "Now get out of that dress so I can hang it up."
"Yes, ma'am," Arizona retorted as she entered the ensuite once again to change her clothes.
# # # # # # # # # #
"So, I already checked us into our room," Callie said as she parked her car at the Archfield. "We have time to put your stuff in the room before we hit the spa." She didn't add that she didn't want Arizona to see the fuss the staff made when she checked in. She would save that discussion for another time.
"We can check in this early?" Arizona asked as she got out of the car.
"Yeah. The room was available so it was no biggie," Callie replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "Besides, we've got spa appointments and dinner reservations here, so it made sense to let us have the room early."
They took Arizona's purse, overnight bag, and garment bag out of the trunk and went into the hotel. Arizona had never been in there; she'd never had a reason to. It certainly lived up to its reputation as it was very elegant, grand even, and very upscale. Arizona felt underdressed in her jeans, but felt a little better seeing that Callie was dressed the same. As they rode up alone in the elevator, Arizona took Callie's hand. "Thank you for doing this, Callie."
"I wanted to do something nice to celebrate you."
"Well, this is certainly more than I expected." She paused before speaking again. "I have to admit I had some reservations about leaving the girls. Other than work, I've never left them on a weekend."
"Arizona, we don't -"
"Let me finish, okay?" Callie closed her mouth. "I thought long and hard about it, and with a little push from mom, I decided that I needed to do something for me, for us. This was just what I needed."
"Everyone needs a break now and then."
"I know."
The elevator stopped and they got out, then Callie led the way down the hall. When she opened the door to the room and they stepped inside, Arizona's mouth dropped open and she spun around a few times. "Wow!" Arizona exclaimed. "Did you get the best room in the hotel?"
Callie scoffed. "Hardly. This is just one of the Gold Suites. There are Ambassador Suites which are a step up from them. And then of course, there's the Presidential Suite."
"I can only imagine what the others must be like if this is only the Gold Suite," Arizona mused as she looked around the large living spaces with a small kitchen/dining area. A vase of fresh cut flowers sat on the table alongside a basket of goodies and a bottle of wine. Arizona walked further into the suite. "Two bedrooms, Calliope?" she asked incredulously after seeing the bedrooms and the adjoining ensuites.
"Yeah, well, I thought when we got ready for dinner, we could do it separately, make it seem like a real date," she said, hanging up the garment bag and setting the bag on the bed.
"I guess that makes sense."
"And, with two bedrooms, we can use one bed when we get back from the spa, and then one when we come back to the room for the night," she said with a small, almost lascivious smile.
""That makes even more sense. I like the way you think, Callie." She pulled Callie in for a kiss. "Do we have to wait until we get back to christen one of the beds?" she flirted.
"Unfortunately yes." Callie frowned as she glanced at her watch. "We have to be at the spa in five minutes."
# # # # # # # # # #
Arizona leaned back against the elevator wall and sighed happily as they made their way back to their suite. She'd never felt so relaxed, yet rejuvenated, in her life.
"You okay?" Callie asked,
"I'm awesome," Arizona replied. "Thank you, Calliope. I don't think I've ever been more pampered in my entire life."
"I was thinking we could order something light for lunch from room service and just relax."
"That sounds wonderful. I think I could take a nap."
Once back in the room, they checked over the room service menu before ordering salads and a pitcher of water with lemons.
"So, what did you think of the spa?"
"I've had a mani-pedi before, and even been in a sauna once, but a mud bath and a facial? It seemed almost decadent. And I didn't think I'd like a massage, but my legs and back feel so much better." Arizona leaned against the pillows with her legs stretched out.
"We should try to have a massage more often. The amount of time we spend on our feet…"
"Good idea." Arizona smiled. "Or maybe I could give you a massage?"
"With your girly hands?" Callie laughed.
"Girly hands?" Arizona protested.
"Well, yeah."
"Need I remind you how talented my girly hands are?"
"That's big talk for someone who said the massage was turning her to jelly," Callie teased back.
"Well, I guess you won't need a reminder any time soon of just how talented my girly hands are then," Arizona rebuffed saucily as she edged away from Callie.
"Wait. Wait. I didn't say that," Callie backpedaled.
A knock at the door with a "Room service," interrupted them.
Callie rose from the sofa, "This discussion is not over," she said as she crossed the room. She opened the door to let the room service attendant roll the cart into the room.
"If there's anything else I can get for you, Ms. Torres, please let me know."
"This will be all for now. Thank you."
He gave her a slight bow and left the room. Arizona wondered if the hotel staff treated all the guests the same way. She'd noticed how the staff at the spa had snapped to attention when they'd entered it, and how they were almost too nice and accommodating. "The service in this place is pretty amazing," she commented.
"Well, it is a luxury hotel," Callie said, uncovering the dishes. "Eat on the sofa and watch a movie or over on the table?"
"Oh, let's eat here. I'm feeling lazy and I want to just eat my lunch and then cuddle on the sofa with you while we watch a bad, trashy movie."
Not even a third of the way into the movie, Arizona began to nod off. Declining Callie's suggestion that she lay down on one of the beds, she placed her head in Callie's lap and fell asleep.
As she sat on the sofa, Callie absentmindedly stroked Arizona's hair and thought back to the time before Arizona had entered her life. If someone had told her five months ago that she'd be in a suite at the Archfield with her girlfriend, she would've laughed in their face. In all honesty, her life was a train wreck at the time; an ex-husband, a toxic friendship with Erica, a past not so healthy friends-with-benefits relationship with Mark.
From almost the moment Arizona had entered her life, Callie felt her life getting better. Arizona grounded her. Arizona loved her unconditionally. Arizona offered her a different kind of loving family that she didn't know she wanted or needed. And she was head over heels in love with Arizona. She'd never been happier, despite the ups and downs they'd had.
"What time is it?" Arizona asked, sitting up and yawning.
"Time to get ready for dinner, sleepyhead."
"How long was I asleep?"
"About two hours."
"I'm sorry. I know you had plans for other things."
"Don't apologize, okay? You needed the rest. Besides," she said with a sly smile. "Now you're well rested for other things later." She got up from the couch. "If we get going now, we should have time to grab a drink or two in the bar before dinner."
"What time is our reservation?" she asked as she stretched.
"Seven-thirty."
"So we're still getting ready separately?" Arizona got up from the sofa and took a few steps toward the bedroom where her dress and bag were.
"Yes." Callie headed for the other bedroom. "Don't forget what the spa ladies said. No makeup, no showers."
"Not even a little eyeshadow or mascara?"
"Well, maybe."
"And lipstick?"
Callie shrugged once again. "I'm only repeating what they told us. It's up to you, but honestly, you don't need any makeup." Arizona's face and skin still had a glow about it that Callie loved. "You're beautiful without it."
Arizona walked up to Callie and kissed her. "Thank you, Calliope. You're beautiful, too. I know that when we walk into the restaurant tonight, everyone there will be jealous because I'll be with the prettiest woman there." She gave Callie one last quick kiss, then returned to "her" room to change.
"Where have you been all of my life?" Callie whispered to herself as she watched Arizona walk away.
# # # # # # # # # #
Callie could not keep her eyes off of Arizona the moment she stepped out into the living area. The front of the dress exposed just enough cleavage for Callie to want more. And when she turned around, Callie thought her heart would stop. The expanse of bare back made her hands tingle just to touch it. And the way her heels made her ass pop. Oh. My. God, Callie thought. The way she was reacting to Arizona made her wonder how she never realized before how attractive women were. Maybe it's just Arizona. I don't get like this was just any woman. Just Arizona. Butterflies. I feel butterflies whenever I see her.
Arizona suddenly felt a little uncomfortable with the way Callie was staring. "Is there something wrong with my dress?" she asked, turning around once more, and then looking over her shoulder in an effort to see if there was something wrong.
"No, no, not at all," Callie murmured. "You look… you are stunning, actually."
"Thank you, Calliope." Arizona took her turn in looking over Callie's deep purple dress that was low cut in the front, but tastefully. "You look… miraculous. Breathtaking."
Callie blushed. No one had ever called her that before. She'd been called "hot" or "pretty" or "smoking" but never once had she been called "breathtaking" and never with the reverence that Arizona did.
"We clean up pretty nicely, don't we?" Arizona joked in an effort to ease Callie's embarrassment.
"We do," Callie agreed and she picked up her purse. "Shall we?" she asked as she started for the door.
"We shall," Arizona laughed.
The ride in the elevator down to the main floor was silent, both women happily gazing at each other adoringly, with, of course, a little bit of lust. Upon entering the main entrance of the restaurant and bar , Arizona was once again struck by how attentive the staff was. They were almost falling over themselves as they hurried over to them.
"Did you want to dine early, Ms. Torres?" the maitre d asked.
"No, thank you. We're going to have drinks before dinner."
"Very well."
Callie's hand lightly brushed against Arizona's back as she guided her into the bar. She spotted two empty stools at the bar and they made their way to them.
"This certainly isn't Joe's," Arizona remarked as she sat down on a leather bar stool and looked around the room. Everything about the room, from the bar stools to the artwork to the soft jazz playing in the background had an understated elegance.
"It definitely is not Joe's," Callie laughed. The bartender was immediately in front of them as soon as Callie sat down. "What would you like?" Callie asked Arizona.
"Um, a gin and tonic, with a twist of lemon."
"Dirty Martini," Callie said.
The bartender nodded and immediately went to work preparing their drinks. He set the drinks down in front of them. "I'm Garrett. Just let me know if you need anything else."
"Did you know that the Archfield has an indoor swimming pool?" Callie said as she nodded her thanks for the drinks.
"Really? I did not know that," Arizona replied, sipping her drink.
"I was thinking that maybe sometime this winter we could check into a room with the girls, order room service and take them swimming."
"I don't know, Callie, that sounds like an awfully expensive weekend." Arizona frowned.
"It'd only be for one night. I'm sure I can get us a deal. It seems only fair that they get a night away like we did."
"I'll think about it. But no spa, right?"
Callie laughed. "No spa. We'll save the spa for their thirteenth birthday."
And there it was again - Callie referring to a future. Arizona could see a future with her, and Callie's frequent mentions of future moments gave Arizona hope.
"In the meantime, we need to think of something fun to do with the girls tomorrow."
This time it was Callie who was moved by Arizona's automatic inclusion of her. "How do you feel about the girls having nail polish?"
"They are still a bit young."
"It'd only be this one time. We can stop and pick up some of that nail polish for kids that peels off. We can give them their own 'spa' day. We can even give them a facial with cucumber slices on their eyes."
"I don't know, Callie…"
"C'mon. It'll be fun."
"I guess we could ask them if they want to."
"That's the spirit," Callie laughed, and gestured to the bartender for refills.
As Arizona finished her first drink, she saw two men approach from behind Callie. "Looks like we might have company," she warned as she tilted her head slightly in their direction.
"What?" she asked, but before she could turn around, the men were right beside them. She supposed they were pleasant enough to look at, but she didn't want to be bothered, and she was only interested in the woman seated next to her.
"Good evening, ladies," the taller one said. "I'm Dave and this is my friend Brad."
Arizona gave them a tight polite smile, but said nothing. Callie did the same.
"We saw you sitting here by yourselves and wondered if we could buy you a drink and perhaps dinner?"
Callie snorted derisively, unimpressed with the men. "Yeah, no." Were they supposed to be impressed that they wanted to buy them dinner? Clearly they didn't know that Callie's family owned the hotel. "Thank you, but that would be a no," she repeated. "We have plans."
"Surely you have time for at least one drink?" Brad directed his attention at Arizona.
"No, thank you," Arizona said curtly, and swiveled her stool away from them.
"Just one drink?" he persisted, his hand on the back of her seat.
While Arizona tried to ignore the men, Callie made eye contact with Garrett. One look was all it took from her. The bartender came over. "May I help you with something?" Garrett asked the men.
"We're just trying to buy these two lovely ladies a drink."
The bartender could see Callie was irritated. "I think they've made it clear that they are not interested."
"And who the hell are you to speak for them?" Dave angrily asked, his manner changing instantly from charming to angry. He was clearly someone used to getting his way.
Arizona was uncomfortable and Callie was getting more annoyed by the second. "Listen, Davey, we said we had plans. And we said it politely."
Garrett gestured with his hand and the group was soon joined by a large man. He placed a big hand on the shoulder of each of the men. "It's time for you to leave," he said in a monotone.
"What?" "Why?" Dave and Brad said.
"Because I said so." The security man was taller than both Brad and Dave, and easily outweighed them. His jacket sleeves were tight around his arms, indicating his large biceps. "Please don't make me cause a scene, gentlemen."
"Fine," Dave spat. "The drinks in here are overpriced, anyway, and the women are cold as ice," he shrugged the security man's hand from his shoulder. "C'mon, Brad. We can do better than these two."
Once they'd left, the security guard turned to Callie. "My apologies, Ms. Torres. We'll make sure they're not allowed back here."
"Thank you."
There was something about the way Callie carried herself through the whole scene that didn't necessarily disturb Arizona, but she was a little baffled and curious. It wasn't that Callie was acting entitled. She just had a detached confidence and seemed very at ease throughout their day. She was polite to the staff, even somewhat friendly, but there was another layer, almost a distance to it. Arizona was raised with her mother's southern friendliness and manners and her father's marine honor. She was always gracious and friendly to wait staff; actually anyone performing any kind of service. She wondered if it was because Callie came from money. How much, Arizona had no idea. She only knew Callie had been raised with a family chef and to her, that meant some kind of wealth.
"Well, that was interesting," Arizona said as she sipped from her new drink. "I'm a little surprised at how quickly the staff got rid of them."
"Well, the Archfield has a reputation to uphold, and letting women be harassed is not what they want their reputation to be."
Callie's response made sense to Arizona, but it seemed like her words came from some first-hand knowledge of some sort. "You know a lot about the hotel."
Callie shrugged her shoulders once more. "I stayed here when I came out for my residency interview, then stayed here a few days when I first got to Seattle, and then again for a short while after my divorce from George," she explained. She didn't add that she'd lived here with George. "Did I ever tell you I used to live in the basement of the hospital?" she asked, changing the topic.
"What? No, you didn't."
"Yeah, I had a really nice setup down there. It was great for being first to the ER when a trauma came in," she chuckled. "The other residents in my group couldn't figure out how I was always so quick to arrive."
"When did you move out?"
"Oh, the chief came down one day and caught me dancing in my underwear."
Arizona almost spit her drink out. "The chief? As in Webber?" she asked, her eyes wide open.
"Yeah," Callie laughed. "Needless to say, that was the end of my basement living."
"Excuse me," Garrett interrupted. "Your table is ready whenever you are."
"Thank you, Garrett. Would you let them know we'll be right there?"
"Certainly, Ms. Torres."
Callie gracefully slid off her barstool and grabbed her drink. "Ready for dinner?"
"Yes."
They ordered a bottle of wine with dinner. After considering the duck, Callie ordered the pan seared scallops; Arizona the steak.
"Have you started studying for your boards yet?" Arizona asked while the salads were set in front of them.
"A little, but it's months away," Callie answered as she placed the linen napkin into her lap.
"I could help you study, if you want. It wasn't that long ago that I took them."
"Thank you, but I think I'll be okay. I have a fantastic study method."
"Well, let me know," Arizona said, taking a bite of her salad. "I'm sure I can come up with some really interesting ways to reward you for every right answer." Arizona gave Callie a coy smile.
"Hmmm, Maybe we could merge the two methods," she suggested.
"That could work. Or we'd at least have fun trying to merge the methods."
Callie blushed. It was still somewhat of a surprise whenever Arizona flirted with her. If someone were to look at her, they'd never suspect the kind of things Arizona could say. And she does it sometimes with that innocent look on her face, too, Callie thought.
"What are your plans for Thanksgiving?" Arizona asked when their salad plates were taken away. "Are you going home… to Miami?"
"No, I have to work Friday and the weekend. I do have Thanksgiving off. What about you?"
"I have to work Thanksgiving morning, but I'm off the next two days. Mom wanted to know if she should expect you for dinner."
"I'd love to. I would like to help your mom fix dinner, if that's okay with her."
"She would absolutely love to have your help." Arizona pulled her hands back from the table as their main courses were set down on the table. "Mom thinks I had myself scheduled for the morning on purpose."
"You didn't?" Calle teased.
"In the past, I have managed to finagle ways to get out of helping cook dinner, but I had no say in the schedule this year. I was given the option to work in the morning or work in the afternoon. I chose the morning." She picked up her silverware. "This looks delicious. And so do your scallops."
"Would you like to try one?" Callie said, offering Arizona her the fork with a scallop speared on it.
Arizona finished chewing a bite of her steak, and then sighed contentedly. "Only if I can share a taste of my steak, which is probably the best steak I've ever had."
The two women each shared a taste of their dinner, with Arizona agreeing that next time she'd have the scallops. After that, they ate mostly in a comfortable silence. Callie liked that they were so at ease with one another that they didn't have to talk. Far too many times she'd dated people - men - that she either felt compelled to fill in the silence with inane chatter, or listen to them blather on about themselves. "Do you want dessert?" Callie asked as she set her napkin on the table. "Or maybe an after dinner drink?"
"I don't think I could eat another bite," Arizona said, "but a drink would be nice. Maybe something sweet?"
Callie nodded, not unsurprised at all that she suggested something sweet. "That'd be nice."
"As long as we don't have anyone trying to join us," Arizona joked.
"Oh, I don't think you have to worry about that," Callie said as she lifted her hand ever so slightly to let the waiter know they were finished.
Once Callie signed the check, they returned to the bar and ordered Irish Coffees.
"I once read that Irish coffee contained all the major food groups," Arizona said with a smile.
"How so?"
"Chocolate, whipped cream, alcohol and coffee."
"Very funny," Callie smirked. "But for you, accurate." Callie lifted her drink and took a sip, leaving a small dab of whipped cream on her lip. "So, I was thinking that maybe we could take a cab and go dancing. It'd be a shame to let these dresses go to waste."
"As much as I love to watch you dance, and we do look fabulous, I have another thought."
"Oh?" One of Callie's eyes arced up, indicating that she was intrigued. "What's that?"
Arizona leaned in closer and husked, "It would also be more of a shame to let those beds in our room go to waste." She licked her lips. "All that privacy and we can be as loud as we want."
Callie abruptly set her drink down, almost slamming it to the bar top. "Your idea is much better. Let's go," she urged, hopping off her bar stool.
"I thought you'd see it my way," she laughed as she followed Callie out of the bar.
# # # # # # # # # #
Callie woke up first, her body partially curled around her girlfriend's body. Arizona was on her stomach, her head turned away from Callie. She carefully sat up, then leaned over and kissed Arizona between her shoulder blades as the sheet was tangled down around her waist. She lightly traced her fingertips up and down the bare skin. When Arizona began to stir, she stilled her hand, then began a more soothing action on her back to ease her back into a deep sleep.
Last night was… Callie couldn't come up with the words to describe what had taken place when they'd returned after dinner. Sex with Arizona was always good, great, fantastic but last night. Wow. As soon as they were back in the room, they were all over one another. It was hot, passionate, even a bit wild. They couldn't get enough of each other. And when they were finally sated and spent, they took a shower together and crawled into the other bed, only to find themselves making love this time. Callie had never felt a connection so strong with anyone. Exhausted, they finally fell asleep, bodies wrapped around the other.
We need to do this, get away, more often, Callie thought as she eased out of the bed without disturbing Arizona. Maybe we can have a night once a month where it's just the two of us - no kids or roommates. I wouldn't ever say no to a repeat of what we did. She was smiling when she left the bedroom suite.
She checked the clock and then decided to order a large breakfast for the two of them. We certainly burned off a lot of calories last night, she smirked to herself. Forty-five minutes later she was wheeling the cart of food from room service into the bedroom where Arizona was still sleeping.
"Wake up, honey," Callie kissed Arizona's cheek.
"Mmmm. Good morning," Arizona replied as she kissed Callie back. "I smell coffee. And bacon." She perked up from the aromas.
"I ordered us breakfast."
Arizona sat up then swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I need to use the bathroom. I'll be right back."
"I hung the other robe up in there for you," Callie called out.
"Thanks!"
Moments later, Arizona was back in the room, also wearing an Archfield robe. "These are really nice," Arizona said, running her hand down her sleeve.
"Do you want one?"
"Oh, no, thank you, but no," Arizona sat back down on the bed and leaned against the headboard. "That looks like a lot of food," she commented when she spotted all the covered dishes.
"I thought you might be hungry. I know I am," she said with a wink. "I've got waffles, scrambled eggs, extra bacon, because I know how you love your bacon, fresh fruit and two pots of coffee."
"Smells delicious."
Callie plated the food, brought it over on a tray provided by room service and set it down beside Arizona, then joined her on the bed. She then poured them a cup of coffee.
"Thank you. This is wonderful," Arizona sighed. "Breakfast in bed. I can't remember the last time I had it."
"You deserve it. It's your birthday weekend."
"And it truly has been one of the best birthdays I've ever had," she said not for the first time. "I don't want it to end."
"Me too." Callie poked at a waffle with her fork. "You know, about last night…"
Arizona took Callie's hand. "You don't have to say anything, Callie. I felt it, too." She leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Everything about it was wonderful, especially last night."
Before either could say more, the sounds of Desi Arnaz singing "Babalu" rang from the other room. Callie groaned softly. "I forgot it's Sunday. I need to go get that."
Arizona's brow crinkled in thought, but Callie was across the room before she could ask about the importance of the ringtone and Sundays. She grabbed a piece of bacon and chewed thoughtfully on it. Every so often, Callie's voice would raise as she spoke rapidly in Spanish, but Arizona couldn't really hear what was being said in the other room.
Several minutes later, Callie returned and scowled as she plopped face down on the bed.
The action piqued Arizona's curiosity all the more. "Conversation not go well?"
Callie turned her head to the side to face her girlfriend but remained on her belly. "That was Daddy. He's coming in late tonight and wants to see me. I have surgery in the morning, so we agreed to meet after he's done with his meetings sometime tomorrow afternoon."
"Okay." Arizona drew the word out slowly. "I don't understand the problem."
"He's checking up on me. Which doesn't make any sense because we talk every Sunday." She groaned once more and jumped to her feet to begin pacing the room. "Unless…" Does he know I spent the weekend here? She wondered.
"Does he know about us?"
Callie stopped and turned to face her. "He knows I've been spending a lot of time with you and your family but he doesn't know the context. I…I'm not…that's not a conversation I thought we should have on the phone."
Arizona nodded. "I agree. So what do you need me to do? Do you want me to meet him with you? Do you want me to make myself scarce?"
Callie crossed the room and sat next to her. She grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I want you to treat it as a normal day. He's only in town for the day. Quick turn around trip. If we happen to see you as we're walking the halls, then I'll make a quick introduction, but otherwise, I'd prefer to introduce you properly once he's had a chance to get used to the idea of me dating a woman."
"You're telling him tomorrow?"
Callie sighed heavily. "I dunno. Maybe?" She shook her head. "I know I need to tell him. I just don't know how to do it." She shook her head again. "I'd rather he had more time to get to know you. He's only here for the day. Maybe I'll invite him to come for an extended visit before Christmas."
"Are you sure?"
Callie nodded emphatically as her resolve grew. "Absolutely. No muss, no fuss."
"Alright, then. I only have one last question." Arizona held up her index finger. Callie arched an eyebrow in response. "How late is checkout?"
Callie glanced at her watch. "Noon. We have a couple hours. Why?"
Arizona stood and dropped her robe. "Just wondering if we have time for a shower. Possibly together." She sauntered towards the bathroom, giving Callie an unobstructed view of her naked backside.
"Absolutely!" Callie exclaimed, rushing to her feet and quickly shedding her own robe. Whatever was impending with the visit from Carlos Torres could wait until tomorrow. For now, it was time to make the most of the last bits of their weekend escape.