"Excuse me Miss, have you seen my wife at all? 5 ft 4, blonde, dimples for days?"
"Mmm well yes I have Ma'am, it appears she's lying in bed, right next to you. And it's Mrs if you don't mind."
Mrs Torres that is, well, in official terms - bank account, passport, driver's license etc. At the hospital, medical conferences, publications and so forth, she'd be Robbins. If Addison had remained a (Montgomery)-Shepherd and Meredith took the name, there could have been four Shepherd's at one point. There were two Grey's once, Cristina could have made it two Burke's and/or two Hunt's if she was inclined, if Catherine had taken Richard's last name there would have been two Webber's but, if she didn't, and April had taken Jackson's, there would be three Avery's... It was too complicated, Arizona Robbins would remain Dr Arizona Robbins, hardcore surgeon. Plus, Nicole already told her she wouldn't call her Torres or change the centre's name so it made even more sense.
Most importantly, she wanted to share the same name as her daughter and future child, who she'd decided would also be a Torres. She was a proud Robbins, she built her career and reputation around the name, became the person she was because of the parents who raised her. But she was ready for the final chapter, which meant she'd be a Torres, like her wife and children.
Of course, with all this deceit, they couldn't wear their wedding rings at the hospital, nor Arizona her engagement ring. They wouldn't let their official (re)union go completely hidden, they spent most of their time in the hospital/centre and didn't want to limit their tokens to the home. Arizona bought Callie a thumb ring with the initial's 'AT' engraved on the underside whilst Callie bought Arizona a new pair of earrings which had 'CT' lasered into the reverse. Wedding rings would have probably led to questions, whereas neither piece of jewellery had been mentioned.
They'd been married for a couple of months now, after the wedding and the awkward conversations, it appeared the rumour mill and constant questioning had settled down. It helped that Arizona was spending more time at the centre instead of the hospital whilst Callie had near enough been glued to the research lab, only Wilson for company.
Arizona was laying naked, covered only by the bedsheet, playing idly with silky, soft raven hair. "So, it was Hannah's 12 week scan yesterday, you know what that typically means?"
Callie was snuggled almost impossibly close to her wife, head tucked into the crook of her neck, enjoying the relaxing sensations. "That expectant parents share the news?"
"Mmm hmm, yup."
"So, today's the day huh? We tell everyone about us?"
"I think so yeah, do you?"
"I do." Callie leant up for a brief kiss, those two words bringing back fond memories. "We've been lucky since the wedding, but it's time now, 100%."
Arizona leant down and gave her wife a gentle kiss on her bare shoulder, "Well when you've been making up interns, conferences, saying you've texted people who are either in surgery or obviously in the lunch queue AND, don't forget, proposing to you 'colleague' during a surgery, I'd say we have been very lucky Mrs Torres."
Callie gave her wife a playful nudge, "Hey! That was… a slip."
Whilst they were both giggling at Callie's inability to think on the spot, Arizona's tone turned somewhat somber. "I miss wearing my necklace, and I want to wear my engagement and wedding rings, I don't want to hide my happiness or lie when people ask." It was obvious from their text exchanges and previous conversations that Arizona had never felt so lost as she did whilst they were apart. She wanted those rings on her finger all the time.
"Me too honey." Callie felt the same, she had always found comfort in her necklace and wanted to show the world she was married to Arizona Robbins. She also didn't like lying to their friends' faces, even if it was for the greater good. They both knew it was time. "Plus I want to show you off and let people know how happy I am. So, Mrs Torres, today?"
Dimples. "Today."
Not before another round or two of course…
xxxxxxxxxx
"Someone page Ortho."
"On it, Dr Hunt."
They had devised an action plan; they were going to invite their friends to Joe's after work and announce their news. It was the perfect place, it's where they'd met and people could celebrate or commiserate the news without changing seat (Arizona would punch anyone who opted for the latter). The first request was quick and easy, Callie had been paged just as she was rolling up the sleeves on her lab coat.
"Hey, got an Ortho consult, what's up?"
Owen handed her the chart. "Holly Turner, 54, possible hip replacement, can you take a look?"
She did, and confirmed his suspicions, but noted the surgery would have to wait. It was non-emergent and it was a good one for Wilson to assist and/or potentially lead again. She answered some final questions from the patient before pulling the curtain closed as she left with the Trauma surgeon. "So, a few of us are going to Joe's after work, meeting there at 7, you in?"
"Sure, what's the occasion?"
They hadn't planned for questions. Why hadn't they planned for questions? They were surgeons, they were always being asked questions. "Just you know, to, celebrate, being, erm, surgeons."
If they did that, they'd go out every night. Owen wasn't persistent like Doctors Grey and Montgomery, so he let it slide. "Sounds good, count me in."
xxxxxxxxxx
"Karev, wait up!" She spotted her boy after he'd completed rounds, she did briefly wonder why she was always shouting at him from afar.
"I haven't got any patients for you to steal, Robbins."
If she wasn't in such a good mood, she may have swatted him. "No no no, it's erm, a few of us are going to Joe's after work." She searched her brain to offer up a reason, Alex wasn't usually one to seek an occasion to go out, but she felt inclined to offer one. "It's been a hard few weeks and I've not seen many people, so thought it would be nice to have a get together, you in?" It was the half-truth at least.
He didn't stop but he slowed his pace as he turned. "Are you buying?"
She rolled her eyes, typical. "Yes Karev, I'm buying."
"Can Jo come?"
She almost, almost said 'Callie would insist', but she had better reactions than her wife when posed with awkward, personal questions. "Of course, the more the merrier. 7 o'clock sharp."
"Sweet, see you there."
xxxxxxxxxx
"No."
Whilst Alex had slowed down for Arizona, the Chief wasn't as accommodating for Callie. "Come on Bailey, one drink, just one. I'll even buy!"
"Torres," now she stopped, abruptly, almost causing her friend to walk right into her. "Do you know how many evenings I've spent with my husband and children this week?"
She was almost sheepish in her response. "I'm guessing by your tone, none?"
"That's why you've got that expensive education." She continued on.
Callie didn't give up, she'd been friends with Miranda for years, they were residents together and near enough had the same journey within these four walls. She had officiated her wedding for god's sake, she wasn't going to take no for an answer. She quickened her pace and stepped in front of her. "Please Bailey, just one, I- I kinda need you to be there. Ben can come too. Please."
The Chief could see the desperation, she was literally begging, but couldn't fathom a reason why she would. It was this intrigue that ultimately swung her. "This better be good."
There's that smile. "Oh it will be. 7 o'clock, Joe's."
"Mmm hmm, I'll be there, don't disappoint me Torres, first rounds on you."
xxxxxxxxxx
Arizona spotted her next two targets, Ah, two birds with one stone.
"Hey, you both fancy coming to Joe's tonight?"
Teddy quirked an eyebrow, she'd heard that before. "Ladies night?"
"Err… kinda, Karev will be there, and others."
"What's the occasion?"
"Just you know, drinks." She perked up, bouncing on the spot, "For fun!"
April nodded; it was Jackson's night with Harriet. "Sure, count me in."
After an excited 'yay', Arizona turned her attention to Teddy and gave her a questioning look.
"Sounds good, it's been ages since I've been out, what time?"
"7 o'clock sharp, see you then." She started to turn but stopped, her tone warning, "and don't be late, either of you." She had grown close to both surgeons, April had been an immeasurable help after her and Callie's divorce, she wanted to ensure both were punctual.
The Trauma and the Cardio surgeon briefly looked at each before giving Arizona reassuring nods.
Dimples. "Awesome!"
xxxxxxxxxx
"Are you asking me to be your wingman?"
"What? No! These are drinks with everyone, it's been ages since we've been out."
"So we're not hunting for cheeseburgers?"
That euphemism, again. Why was Grey's mind solely on getting laid? Or at least Callie getting laid. It took everything for her to say she'd been having cheeseburgers morning, noon and night for months, but she refrained. "No! Just good ol' fashioned work drinks."
Meredith thought back to Alex's previous comments and felt mischievous. "Is Arizona coming?"
Oh crap. "Err, yeah I think so, I asked her and she said yes. I mean everyone is invited and she's everyone so yeah she's invited. She works at the hospital and we're all friends, right? I mean we're friends, I mean good co-parents for Sofia, we're friends…" She was sinking, damn Detective Grey, again. "…so yeah she can come, or not, whatever."
She knew, she definitely knew, but she wasn't going to tease her friend anymore. "Sounds good, 7 it is."
xxxxxxxxxx
Their list had been completed, every close friend/colleague they wanted to announce their news to personally had been invited. If any of them pulled out, and therefore heard the news second hand, well neither were going to lose any sleep.
"So Owen, Karev, Wilson, Bailey, Teddy, Kepner and Grey, that's everyone right?"
The blonde went through the list in her head. "Addison?"
"I texted her as she's not in today, but she responded with…" she retrieved her phone from her pocket. "…A thumbs up emoji, the dancing lady, the 'see no evil' monkey, four cocktails, four glasses of wine, the drunken face and, for some reason, the astronaut emoji." She scrunched her nose, "That musta been a typo."
"Awesome! So that's everyone." At the realisation their last steps had been put into place, Arizona leant in and wrapped her arms around the body she had spent hours worshipping. "I can't wait to tell them, even if I am nervous, I want everyone to know I'm yours and you're mine."
Callie reciprocated the affection by placing her hands on her wife's waist, leaning in so their foreheads touched. "I feel the same way, my love."
After finalising how they were going to announce it and brainstorming scenarios they'd face, they headed out of the on-call room. However, before Callie turned right to make her way to the elevator, and Arizona left towards an exam room, their pinkies brushed slightly. The contact resulted in the most briefest of links, it was only for a second or two, but it was there. Turns out it was a second or two too long, they'd been spotted.
He wasn't even surprised, "They're doing it."
Meredith's attention changed from the chart to the two parting surgeons. "The McNasty?"
Alex nodded. "They're totally doing it."
xxxxxxxxxx
He took of a swig of his beer and leant into his friend, "Told you they were doing it."
"That you did, Callie kinda gave it away earlier, she went on one of her adorable little rants." They clinked their glasses in a mini celebration of his earlier assertion and their friends' news.
Whilst Alex and Meredith weren't overly shocked, knowing the two surgeons for the longest, the reactions from everyone else at the bar told a different story.
Teddy was first, "Eighteen months?! You've been together eight-frickin'-teen months and didn't tell us?!" But then remembered an earlier conversation, "I knew you're seeing someone months ago!"
"Yeah, you just thought it was the scrub nurse and not my… wife." That words continued to give her butterflies.
April skipped right to their latest piece of news. "AND you're having another baby?!"
Not long after shifts ended, the bar was filled with their friends and colleagues. Meredith, Alex, Teddy, Addison, April, Owen, Bailey, and even Nicole all were in attendance. Their secret was finally out. They got back together after Arizona's slip up with Minnick, Callie moved into Arizona's, they got engaged, got married and were expecting another child via surrogate.
Addie was more frustrated that no one picked up on it, not that they had hid their momentous pieces of news. "More to the point, how did no one notice?! You two were always obvious!" She was almost incredulous, but that was the confident arrogance of Addison Montgomery. She was first to note Callie's interest in the vagina monologues after all.
The couple knew they'd be fielding a plethora of questions when they held up their wedding rings to the group and announced, "We're married!" in unison, huge, giddy smiles adorning their faces. They were met with gawking silence, gasps, wide-eyed shock, squeals, curse words, jumping up and down… not one person had the same reaction. They were also met with one smug looking nod as Alex took a sip of his beer and leaned into Meredith.
Arizona took the lead with the first few comments. "We were totally slipping up at the end but yeah, we managed to keep it a secret. We just didn't want anyone to know, everyone knows what the halls of the hospital are like." That statement did garner the same reaction from everyone, knowing nods and a chorus of 'true's. "We just wanted to work on it, on us, with no gossiping nurses or interns." She turned to Callie, looking up in awe, "And we're the best we've ever been, so happy, right my love?"
Confirming those exact sentiments, her wife leant in and gave her a gentle kiss, whispering "So, so happy, my love." Before she could go back for a second, her phone buzzed, she wasn't surprised. She'd just heard Meredith say she'd texted Cristina with the news and despite the nine hour time difference, this was still worthy of an instant reply. Callie held the phone so both her and Arizona could read the message. 'It was just a matter of time before you and roller girl got your heads out your asses and back together, text me when something surprising happens like Kepner grows a second head or Richard retires. Oh and congrats I guess. Love to my goddaughter'.
As she lowered her phone, laughing at her friend's outwardly unimpressed reaction (and knowing inwardly, she was happy for them), she felt a familiar presence behind her. "So you were having cheeseburgers, makes sense now."
She turned to face Meredith and flashed her eyebrows, "Oh you have no idea." It earnt her a light-hearted nudge from Arizona, who held her tighter. "The hospital's sound proofing has improved over the years."
"Wait, in the Ortho on-call rooms?! That's why you were going up there, not Abigail!?"
They heard a gruffed voice shout over the music. "Yeah and that's why she was stealing my Ortho consults and patients."
Arizona chose to ignore that comment, but her flushed cheeks confirmed Alex's assumptions. She nodded at Teddy as she finished her drink. "Yep, so you were close Altman. However, there's also a rarely used one on the fourth floor which saw a lot of action."
As if it aided the conversation, Callie quipped, "Amongst other places."
"Mmm… hmm, a few supply closets..."
"…Almost in the attending's lounge, but then we realised where we were before a scrub top came off, lucky no one came in after, there was a lot of panting that needed controlling."
"Amen."
"There was also an exam room but-"
Bailey had to withdraw her glass from her mouth, another sip and she'd end up choking. "Now you're just getting nasty."
"So, no different than you were before?" Meredith posed the rhetorical question to the group.
Realising talk of their sex life had overtaken the news of being MARRIED and you know, expecting a CHILD, Callie attempted to change the subject. "Okay thanks guys, moving on from sex in the hospital. We're erm, married you know? Kinda expecting a kid?"
They fielded more questions than they had thought, "What does Sofia think?", "Where did you go for dates?", "How did Callie propose?", "When did you set a date?", "Where was the wedding?" "When is the baby due?" "Have you got any names for the baby?", "What do your parents think?" but happily answered each and every one of them, loving that they could recall and share their reconciliation journey. Then there were more statements that questions. "I genuinely didn't have a clue", "How did you hide it so well?", "I can't believe no one noticed", "You were always so obvious", "You didn't even eat lunches together", "You never arrived or left together, what the hell?!" Callie was smug, she'd be AWESOME in a covert operation.
After enjoying the back and forth with his friends, Owen thought back to what must have been his specific deceit. "Was that that you didn't want me to attend that conference?"
Well, at least she didn't have to lie, but her response was still timid. "Yeah." For some reason she felt bad lying to him, sure he wasn't a close friend like Meredith, but they felt more than colleagues. They'd worked on various projects together, he was always keen to listen to her ideas and, in the aftermath of the crash, he did try to steer Arizona towards her when she needed help.
A dark, gravelly voice finally gave her two cents on the news. "I knew before all of you."
That was met by a few 'WHAT's from the crowd.
Arizona's gaze shot to her mentor. "I don't recall inviting you, Nicole."
Taking a sip of whiskey like it was water, she shrugged, completely unbothered. "The talent doesn't need an invite, and don't roll your eyes at me Robbins."
Blue eyes snapped to Callie's, "See, told you she knows!"
"Oh settle down Robbins, I was happy for you then and I'm happy for you now. Now, stop moaning and enjoy celebrating whilst I go find an easy lay. See you next week." Nicole Herman had indeed known for months and, considering her penchant for gossiping, Arizona was extremely grateful the news had remained between them. "And I want all the details next week Robbins, don't leave a thing unsaid." Herman out.
After placing an amused kiss to her wife's temple, just next to her ear, which was met with wolf whistles and what can only be described as animalist noises, Callie surveyed the room and asked the one question her & her wife were anxious about. "So erm, you're not mad?"
They received a chorus of 'no's and reassurances from everyone in the room.
And after eighteen months, their bodies finally, fully relaxed.
It was at that point he felt inclined. A calling, an act he had to complete. He wasn't one for speeches, in fact he didn't want to admit to any emotion, he wasn't raised in the most accepting household, hence his hard exterior. However, Arizona Robbins had torn down his walls, ultimately making him a better surgeon, a better person. Alex stood and raised his glass to get everyone's attention and cleared his throat. "I err, I just wanna say, I've known Torres and Robbins for a long time, before they were together, during their relationship and after." There was a ping of sadness in both surgeons at the word 'after', they didn't want to remember the bad times but they had learned from them, so maybe everything does happen for a reason. "I've known them through the happy times, the worse times and the frickin' horny times when they couldn't keep their hands off each other." He raised an eyebrow in their direction. "Which was a lot I can tell you." There were plenty of knowing nods that didn't go unnoticed, were they really that bad?! "I feel like I should have realised they were together; Robbins had that stupid grin for months and Torres couldn't keep a story straight to save her life." Arizona took opportunity of her wife's head shyly dropping to place her own against it, holding the other side with her hand, pulling it close. She was smiling at the reaction Alex's teasing had caused. "Seriously though guys, I think I speak for everyone when I say we're happy you're no longer being idiots and realised you're meant to be together." He raised his glass high. "So, to Torres and Robbins, or Torres and Torres or… whatever you are. Cheers."
Addison simplified it. "To Callie and Arizona!"
Whilst Bailey offered some alternatives. "To Mrs & Mrs, Dr & Dr, hardcore and badass Torres!"
As the glasses clinked and congratulatory hugs were shared, it was evident that no one felt any anger, hurt, frustration or anything remotely negative towards them or their news. As the celebratory reactions died down, Arizona approached her boy and gave him the warmest hug she could, surprised when it was returned. "Thank you, Alex."
He response was just as gentle. "Whatever Robbins."
xxxxxxxxxx
"So, everyone seemed to take it well?"
"I thought they would."
"We have good friends."
"We do."
When they got home from the bar, thankful Sofia was spending the week with Arizona's parents, they flopped onto the bed, the weight of keeping their secret for months had been lifted.
They turned to their sides in tandem, facing each other, bodies and souls as close as they can be. Arizona was first to speak, they had taken a few moments to digest just how different their professional lives would be going forward. "So, we're out of our little pink bubble. Think we'll survive no longer panicking at every public exchange we have in the hospital?"
Callie giggled as she stroked the softest collar bone she'd ever caressed. "Oh definitely. I can't wait to have lunch with you again, wear our rings and necklaces, talk to you in the halls, ask you how your day was, make plans for our weekend, discuss our evening, cuddle you in the attending's lounge, tell you I love you before I-"
That was enough of an answer for Arizona, she grabbed her wife by the cheeks and brought her in for what can only be described as a life affirming kiss. "I can't wait for all of that and more either."
Pulling back slightly she let out a goofy chuckle, "I heard Addie feign sickness when we exchanged rings." Callie had insisted on a mini 'placing of the rings' exchange in front of everyone. It was mainly met with 'aww' and smiles, but the redhead was a lot less sentimental.
"I think the only two who didn't were Owen and Kepner. Who'da thought our two Trauma surgeons would be the least sarcastic of the group?"
"So, now it's out in the open and everyone's happy for us, we have a few days off without Sof, what are your plans for me…" Callie raised her eyebrows suggestively. "…Mrs Torres?"
Arizona could not get enough of being referred to as Callie's wife again. The trials and tribulations that was 'Callie and Arizona' had been replaced by peace, calm, happiness and utter contentment. The love had never gone away. They had worked on their selves, each other, talked, planned, laughed, supported and most importantly, communicated and made time for each other and their family. As she placed a passionate kiss against her wife's lips, indicating she wanted to take it further, she withdrew and was met with her wife's playful pout. She only had one answer.
"Finish our daughter's treehouse before baby number two arrives, Mrs Torres."