Callie pressed her cheek against the bus window, letting the cool glass chill her hot skin. She was an unlucky passenger on the only bus that ran in Sweetwine, knees squeezed together tightly to make room for the large man taking up the seat beside her. The air conditioner had long ago broken, years ago, leaving everyone unfortunate enough to board the public transportation sweating and tilting their mouths toward the small cracks in the windows for a last-ditch attempt at a breath of fresh air.
The heat was making her feel dizzy. Or maybe it was just her mind still reeling from her unforeseen reunion with Arizona, she couldn't be sure. Her former lover's phone number was buried safely in her apron pocket and Callie swore she could feel it almost burning her skin.
She eyed the familiar streets as they blurred past, having them nearly memorized by now. Cherry Street, where the small Catholic church she had attended weekly as a child still stood, still painted all white and unassuming. Maple Lane, where the ever rickety Sweetwine High School, home of the Wolves, had miraculously remained upright for over 100 years. Callie watched as students filtered in and out of the building, proudly adorning baby blue and silver in celebration of game day. She used to paint Arizona's nails blue for her on game days, since the blonde had always been so terrible at it. Dogwood Street, where the old and widowed Mrs. Dorothy opened her fruit stand every morning at 5:05, on the dot. She sat beneath a tacky pink umbrella for shade and sold the town her homegrown blackberries and peaches in the summer, oranges and pears in the winter.
Arizona and Callie had snuck into Mrs. Dorothy's orchard several times after dark during high school. They would gorge themselves on blackberries they couldn't afford until their lips were stained, then they'd kiss each other and lay in the grass and Arizona would point out all of the constellations in the sky to her. That one's Cassiopeia, she would say. She was always so mesmerized by the sky and Callie was always so mesmerized by her.
Callie winced as the bus came to an ungraceful stop, the brakes squealing in what sounded like a protest, and she was relieved to see they had reached her stop, just a few blocks from the diner. She stood, uncomfortably shuffling past the man beside her and gritting her teeth when his hands brushed across her lower back. "Thank you, Donna," she called kindly to the bus driver before dismounting from the bus and into the sweltering Georgia heat.
"Take care, child," Donna answered, closing the doors and peeling away from the bus stop.
Callie began her short trek to Monday's Place for her late start on the day, swimming in her own thoughts as she walked.
She had to tell her husband they were having a baby soon, she knew that, but she was scared of the stress it would put him under. Money was already tight, and she was already walking on eggshells around him to avoid making him angry.
She brushed her fingertips absently over a yellow bruise on her collarbone, tucked away and hidden safely beneath her dress.
She would wait to tell him, she decided. At least a little longer, and not before she started to show.
Callie pushed the door to the diner open, the familiar jingle of bells alerting others of her entry. Her eyes immediately fell upon Richard, in his usual booth, with his paper in front of him but no food whatsoever, not even a water. She frowned sharply, eyes flickering to the clock on the wall. It was almost 9 AM, late for him. He was always ready for breakfast bright and early when the diner opened.
She clocked in and made a beeline for the waitresses conjugating in the corner, her eyebrows furrowed. "Has no one helped Richard? I know he's not exactly pleasant, but he's still a paying customer." She kept her voice at a whisper, feeling a bit protective of the grumpy elderly man.
One of the younger waitresses, Jo, shrugged her shoulders and let out a laugh. "We tried, Cal. He yelled at us to leave him alone. Said he'd wait for you to get here 'cause you're the only one that can take his order right."
Callie felt herself relax, relieved that the old man hadn't been outright ignored, and it had simply been a case of Richard being Richard. She smiled apologetically at her coworkers and reached for a pencil and notepad, turning on her heel.
"Mornin', sweetheart," Callie smiled sweetly at the ill-tempered patron.
"Morning?" Richard grumbled. "It's damn near afternoon."
It wasn't even 9 yet, but she didn't correct him. "I'm sorry. One of the other girls could've taken your order, y'know," she raised a challenging eyebrow and bit back her smile.
"I don't like the other girls."
"That means you must like me a little bit, huh?"
"Now I didn't say all of that, pie girl," he scolded her, flattening his newspaper on the table in front of him. He waited, and when he was met with silence, he looked at her expectantly. "Well? Ain't you gonna ask?"
"Huh?" Callie asked, a little preoccupied with her racing thoughts, before she realized what he was alluding to. "Oh!" she grinned, genuinely feeling her mood lift a bit. "How's the Aries horoscope looking today?"
Richard shook his head and cursed her underneath his breath. He pulled the paper closer to him, straining his eyes. "Don't get discouraged if it seems like everyone but you is getting a piece of the pie, Aries," he raised his eyebrow at the pie metaphor, clearly finding it amusing. "Your time will come, but it probably won't be today. While you may want to sink into tender feelings and sensitivity, others may want to float on the surface and dabble in fantasy worlds. Feel free to escape in your own world for a while, but don't be surprised if others don't follow."
"I think," Callie smirked, "that the stars want me to eat more of my own pie. You want a big slice this morning? It's Graham Cracker Lemonade day."
Richard scrunched his face, as if trying to decide, but Callie already knew his answer would be yes. "I suppose I do," he sighed. "And I'll take two eggs, scrambled, and a piece of toast on its own plate. Don't let 'em touch. And a cup of coffee, steaming hot."
"After your meal?"
"Yes, and a glass of water before. But no ice, because—"
"It hurts your teeth?"
"Quit interrupting me," he scowled, shifting in his seat and wiping a dribble of sweat off his brow. "But yes. And tell that good for nothing boss of yours to get some air going in here."
"I'll get to it," Callie promised. "And the pie's on me today, for your wait." She bumped her hip against the table cheekily and smiled before turning to help the other customers in her section. She had an excruciatingly long day ahead of her, as she had been picking up as many doubles as possible to compensate for the slack in Luke's paycheck. She was dog tired, running on little sleep and not nearly enough nutrition to satiate the thing growing inside of her, but she was managing the best she could.
Despite her exhaustion, she smiled when she saw Addison, hands full of plates to deliver to tables. Her friend was the only good thing in her life on most days, that and when it was just Callie in the kitchen, molding sugar and butter and flour into a small masterpiece with her bare hands. She altruistically reached for a few of the plates Addison was balancing, filled with banana pancakes and sausage links and steaming grits, to help ease her load. "Here, let me help," she offered kindly.
"Thanks," the redhead said breathlessly, dropping the plates off at tables six and eight with a friendly smile. She turned her head to her taller friend as they migrated toward the kitchen, green eyes meeting brown. "How'd your appointment go?"
Callie swallowed. She didn't want to outright lie, especially not to Addison of all people, but she wasn't sure she could really talk about Arizona right now. Not without wanting to cry or maybe throwing up. "It was alright," she answered nonchalantly.
Thankfully, Addison didn't seem to pick up on her discomfort. Instead she smiled, green eyes lighting up. "Oh! Almost forgot. I got you somethin'." She stood on her tiptoes, reaching for the shelf of cookbooks that lined one of the kitchen walls, pulling down something sloppily covered in Christmas wrapping paper. "And shut up before you say anything about the paper, the elves were all I had."
Callie laughed despite herself, shaking her head and handing the present back to her friend as soon as it touched her hands. "Thank you, Addy, but you know I hate gifts," the brunette protested, and it was true. She hated feeling like she was receiving a hand out. Maybe it made her stubborn or proud, but that was how she had always been, and she was sure it would never change now.
"Good thing it's not really a gift for you, then. It's more for Peanut." She pressed the present back in Callie's hand, glaring at her sternly.
Callie scrunched her face up in obvious distaste at the nickname. "Can you stop calling this thing peanut?"
Addison smirked, "Peanut's better than saying it and thing like you always do. You do know it is going to pop out as a living, breathing baby, don't you?" When Callie glared at her, the redhead just shrugged nonchalantly, nodding her head toward the gift in her hands. "C'mon, open it."
Sighing in defeat, Callie glanced over her shoulder to insure they were alone, then proceeded to tear off the green and red paper covered in cartoon elves. She came face to face with a decent sized book, coated in pastel colors and adorning a delicately painted baby lion on the cover. She almost let out a laugh at how cheesy it was. "A baby book? Really?"
"Isn't it cute?" Addison gushed. "It's got places to put your sonograms and baby pictures and foot prints and all of their birth stats," she grinned, flipping through the pages to show Callie. "And look at this page. Dear Baby. So they can read what you wrote to them when they're older."
"I don't think my baby will ever be interested in reading what its plain old mama has got to say," Callie rolled her eyes, though she secretly found Addison's enthusiasm touching. I'm going to be a pseudo-aunt, Addison had exclaimed just a few days prior. It's my job to be excited enough for the both of us. "But thank you, Ads. Super cute. Very touching," the Latina closed the book and slid it back onto the shelf with the cookbooks, hidden in plain sight.
"I, um… I got you something else, too." Addison reached into her apron pocket and retrieved a piece of folded paper. She unfolded it and smoothed out the crinkles to the best of her ability, revealing an infographic with a giant pie on it, before holding it out for Callie to look at.
"A pie contest?"
The redhead nodded. "I stole the flier off a telephone pole outside the gas station. It's in December in Atlanta," she bit down on her lip, praying internally that Callie wouldn't immediately write off the idea. "It's a $50 entry fee and a $25 bus ticket there, but I figured if you could save up enough to get there you'd be sure to win."
"That's a sweet thought, Addison, and very flattering, but—"
"The grand prize is $25,000."
And that finally caught Callie's attention. Because twenty-five thousand dollars was enough, more than enough, to leave Luke and to build a new life for her and her baby with.
Which was the thing she wanted most in the world.
She reached for the flier, skimming her eyes over the words carefully. "You really think I could?"
"I know you could, Callie," Addison said gently, a reassuring smile adorning her lips. It was so nice having someone that genuinely, wholeheartedly believed in her, and Callie felt her eyes start to sting a little bit. God damn hormones. "I can half my tips with you for a few weeks too, if it helps, 'cause I know how hard it is to keep money from him. You can always just pay me back after you kick everyone's asses and—are you crying?"
"Yeah," Callie's lower lip wobbled a little and she pulled her friend in for a hug, a rare occasion for the two. "I am."
"Shit," Addison teased, even as she hugged the brunette just as tightly, rubbing her back to comfort her. "You're turning soft on me."
Callie rolled her eyes and pulled away, wiping the tears off her cheeks and sliding the refolded flier into her apron, right next to Arizona's number. Your time will come, the horoscope Richard had read to her this morning claimed. Maybe it was true. Maybe there was a light at the end of this tunnel, and maybe it looked like blue eyes and $25,000.
The deafening clangor of pots and pans being smashed against one another made both women jump, and Addison turned sharply on her heel to glare at the source of the disturbance. Mark stood in the doorway, grease towel thrown over his shoulder and a sour look on his face. "I hate to break up the make out session, ladies, but you're on company time here," he grunted.
"You wish, pig," the fiery redhead hissed, rolling her eyes sharply before sauntering back to work. The two were always at one another's throats, and Callie wondered some days how Addison managed to keep her job with the way she talked back to their boss.
Callie rubbed her sleepy eyes and willed herself to muster enough energy for the 14-hour shift before her. The newfound sliver of hope that had wormed its way into her heart, however small, had put an extra spring in her step, and she found herself straining a little less to greet each of her customers with a smile.
"I think this is the first time I've seen Dr. Sweetheart not… perky. Or smiley," Teddy critiqued with a raised brow, eyeing the doctor that sat in the dirty booth across from her.
"Seriously, 'Zona," April chimed in, words a little slurred from being tipsy. "Everything alright over there? We aren't annoying you that much, are we?"
The three girls had arrived at the Silver Dog Saloon, one of Sweetwine's three bars, a little over an hour ago. April and Teddy had immediately started on shots, and both women were already buzzing and warm from the tequila, giggling at every little thing.
Arizona was still sipping on her first glass of white wine, quiet and pensive, mind elsewhere.
She raised her eyes to look at her new friends, offering a smile that didn't quite meet her eyes. "No, no, I'm sorry. You guys are great," she ran her hands through her long hair, pulling it over her shoulder and adjusting in the booth. She sat with her knees to her chest, chin resting atop them like a child. "I'm sorry for being a downer. Today was just hard," she brushed it off.
"You can talk to us about hard stuff, you know," Teddy prodded. "That's kind of what friends are supposed to be for."
"Yeah!" April hiccupped and giggled, ordering a round of three shots this time. "And for buying drinks when we talk about the hard stuff."
Arizona felt a ghost of a smile on her lips, grateful she had met people who seemed so genuinely kind at work. She had gotten lucky, she knew. She crinkled her nose at the shot glass placed in front of her, but she licked salt off of her hand and let the warm tequila slide down her throat and eased the burn with the slice of lime, anyway. Might as well, she thought.
She thought about her words carefully. She didn't want to reveal too much right away and risk the girls thinking of her as the new crazy unprofessional doctor that hooked up with her patients, not when they were just getting to know each other. "I saw my ex today."
Both of the women's faces immediately contorted in sympathy. "Oof," April empathized.
"She was my best friend, too, long before we dated," she ran the tip of her finger around the rim of her wine glass, focusing her eyes on it. "I met her when I was seven. And I realized I loved her at our Junior prom." She smiled to herself at the memory. "I went with my friend Alex from my AP Biology class, and her date was some guy from the football team, but we spent most of the night together instead. We snuck out to the bleachers and I kissed her for the first time that night."
"Bad breakup?" Teddy gently encouraged her to keep talking when she became quiet.
"The worst," Arizona confirmed. "It was obviously a long time ago. 12 years ago now, I think. But I really expected to spend the rest of my life with her." She reached for her glass and took a swig of it, staying curled up in the booth, staying small.
"What changed?"
"We were supposed to move together," Arizona confided, her face sad. "To Rhode Island. I had a full ride scholarship to Brown, and she was supposed to go to culinary school in the same city, and it would have worked out so perfectly. But then she…" Her eyes developed a glazed, distant look to them, and she shook her head softly, not really wanting to remember the last day she had seen Callie back then. She couldn't think about the words the Latina had said. It hurt too much, even now. "It doesn't matter. But we broke up and I haven't seen her since. Until today. So, it was hard."
"I can imagine," April said softly, eyebrows furrowed with genuine sadness for the blonde before her. She hadn't known Arizona long, but she was always so full of joy and life, and April wanted to protect that part of her, wanted to help nourish it. It was precious and rare, especially in a town full of so much misery. Arizona had brought light with her arrival.
"She's married," Arizona frowned, finishing off her glass of wine and signaling for a second. "And I didn't think it would surprise and hurt me so much, especially after so long, especially when I have a girlfriend, but it did." She shrugged. "And I just missed her. Just being around her, really. Listening to her talk, watching the way she moves. It's like," she paused to sip her new glass of wine, "it's like I'm this high strung, high energy, type A control freak all of the time. And then she's next to me and I'm finally calm. And no one has ever done that to me before."
Arizona realized then that she had been rambling and her cheeks flushed hot. She cursed herself for being a bit of a lightweight and cleared her throat, smiling wide enough to ensure her dimples flashed. "But I'll get over it, especially if Friday night girls night becomes a tradition."
Teddy and April smiled warmly at their newest friend, ordering another round of shots for the table before pulling the blonde onto the dance floor. All three women could tell this would be the start of a very special, very beautiful friendship.
Callie's body physically ached as she clocked out of the diner, finishing up her double shift as it neared midnight. She wasn't sure how much longer her body could withstand the heavy workload.
She stepped into the hot Georgia night, the sound of crickets and frogs filling the air, and she began her walk toward the bus station by herself. It was dark outside, lit only by the moon, a few neon signs, and the rare streetlight, and it made her feel a little uneasy. She kept her eyes trained to the ground, stepping over dandelions in sidewalk cracks to distract herself from her nerves.
She jumped sharply at the sound of a dog rustling through the garbage for food. She huffed, irritated with herself for being so jumpy all of the time, and looked down at the small to-go order of French fries Mark had let her take for dinner. "Here, boy," she whispered to the dog, dumping about half of the fries on the ground for the stray to eat. She didn't have much of an appetite anyways, and he wolfed it down in seconds.
She continued her short walk to the station, fishing around in her pocket for the small outdated flip phone she kept for emergencies and to call Luke on occasion. She hesitated, then pulled out the piece of paper Arizona had given her earlier that morning, dialing the number and pressing call before she could change her mind.
Arizona was likely already asleep, she figured.
She was surprised when she picked up after the third ring. "Hello, this is Dr. Arizona Robbins," a soft voice answered, and Callie furrowed her brows. Her tone sounded weird, a little groggy and blurry. Had she been sleeping?
"Hi," she said dumbly, mind going blank as she searched for something, anything to say. "It's Callie. Sorry for calling, I know you were probably asleep."
Callie could hear shuffling on the other side of the phone, as if Arizona was sitting up straight in bed. "I wasn't asleep," Arizona admitted, and Callie could hear the yawn the blonde tried to stifle. "I was in bed though. I just got home not too long ago. I went out with a couple of friends."
That was why her voice sounded different. She was tipsy. Callie bit her lip, taking a seat on the bench as she waited for her bus. "I'm sorry. I'll let you get to sleep."
A quiet laugh came from the other line and it made Callie's chest ache. "Stop apologizing, Callie. I gave you my number for a reason. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Callie answered truthfully. "I'm just waiting for my bus, and it's late and dark and I'm—"
"You're scared."
"I'm scared, yes."
"Well," Arizona chirped, and Callie could hear the smile in her voice. She really was just pure sunshine. "Then I'll stay on the phone with you until you're safe and unscared."
Callie laughed, feeling the tension in her shoulders start to ease a bit. "Thank you."
"Mhm." There was a moment of silence, and then, "I'm so sorry about this morning."
Callie felt her heart drop a bit, and she couldn't have stopped the frown on her face if she tried. "You regret it?"
"Regret isn't the right word," Arizona said, clicking her tongue against her teeth. Callie couldn't see her, but she was sure her eyes were closed, the way they always were when she was searching for her words. "But it really shouldn't have happened. You're my patient and I'm responsible for you and you were vulnerable—"
"I'm not vulnerable," Callie argued, keeping her eyes trained on the moths that danced around the streetlight above her bench. "I instigated it, even. You don't have to treat me like some fragile, broken thing. I knew what I was doing."
She could hear Arizona suck in a breath, surprised by the fire in her tone, no doubt. "I didn't mean it that way, Callie."
"I wanted it. You."
A pause.
"I wanted it too."
Another pause. How could they have tension like this over a phone call? It made her press her thighs together, and the humidity in the outdoor air suddenly felt unbearable. She rushed to change the subject. "I really didn't expect to ever see you in Sweetwine again. I guess it all just overwhelmed me."
"If it makes you feel better, I didn't expect to come back either. I avoided this place for years."
"What changed your mind?"
"My…" Arizona started, and Callie could tell instantly from the shift in the blonde's tone what she was about to say. She steeled herself for the impact of the words, hoping it would make them hurt less. "My girlfriend. She's a resident at St. Mary's in Savannah."
"You have a girlfriend?" Callie hated how small her voice sounded.
Arizona nodded before remembering Callie couldn't see her. "I do. Her name is Lucy."
"How long have you…?"
"Four years."
Callie swallowed. Of course Arizona had a successful doctor girlfriend of four years named Lucy, because why wouldn't she? "Do you love her?" The question came spilling out of her mouth before she could stop it, and she immediately felt like an idiot.
"Calliope…" Arizona pleaded softly. No one had ever really asked her that question about Lucy before, and it surprised her. "Yes, I love her," she said quietly, but even as she said the words they didn't feel right. They made her feel guilty. "She's sweet and smart. You would like her."
"I'm sure I would," Callie said simply. She tilted her head back to look at the stars, pretending, for a moment, that they were 17 again and laying in Mrs. Dorothy's orchard. "Where is she now?"
"She's on 24 hour call a lot, so she sleeps at the hospital most nights." Callie played with the hem of her dress, not saying anything. Desperate to fill up the silence, Arizona kept talking. "She's meeting my parents tomorrow."
Callie raised an eyebrow, smirking a bit at the memory of Arizona's dad making her older brother Tim's high school girlfriend leave in tears after an introductory family meeting. He was a bit of a terrifying man to those that didn't know him. He commanded respect, though Callie had always viewed him as a big teddy bear. She had spent the majority of her childhood at the Robbins' household instead of her own, and Callie had grown incredibly close to the entire family. "Meeting the colonel, huh?" Callie giggled. "I'll send her my prayers. And maybe a fruit basket."
That made Arizona laugh. "He's not that scary, is he? He always loved you."
"I loved him." She smiled sadly. "I miss him. And your mom."
"They miss you," Arizona said truthfully. "They asked about you for years after we broke up." She could hear how sleepy Arizona was getting by the easy tone of her voice. She was certain the blonde would be out like a light the moment they ended the call.
"I really want to see you again," Callie admitted quietly.
So quietly she wasn't sure Arizona heard it, until, "bake me a Marshmallow Mermaid pie and we'll talk."
Callie grinned and rolled her eyes. She squinted as the bus finally pulled into the bus stop, blinding her momentarily, and she stood and started gathering her things. "My bus is here."
"Mmkay," Arizona mumbled groggily, barely awake. "Are you still scared?"
"No. I'm safe and unscared now. You did a very good job." Callie boarded her bus, sitting toward the front and leaning her head against the window. It wasn't so bad at nighttime. Less crowded and way less hot.
Arizona giggled tiredly, muffled by her face pressed to her pillow. "You can thank me with a Marshmallow Mermaid pie."
Callie hated herself for grinning like an idiot.
"Goodnight, Arizona."
"Goodnight, Calliope."