This is a short one, I wanted to add more, but I liked how it ended so I went with it. Sorry it's been awhile, life has gotten in the way of writing. Thanks for reading.
Chapter 7
Callie
It's been, urgh, I don't even know how to describe the last month. With the girls in a car accident and Sofia being in a coma. I need to breathe; Arizona and I both just need to breathe. Stephanie goes in today to hopefully get her cast removed. Jo did such a great job on her, makes me proud. Our hope is that once Sofia is back to work, she will be just as good. Sofia, my baby, I can't believe the hell we have gone through. I was so relieved when she woke up, but when she didn't remember Steph, Mark, or her own child, my heart broke. Arizona and I had long nights talking about it while lying in bed, crying and falling asleep in each other's arms. We had hoped Sofia would be able to come home on Friday, but that wasn't possible. Everyone, myself, included, agreed it'd be best for her to at least stay through the weekend, so here we are, Monday, and I'm walking through the halls of Grey Sloan Memorial hopefully one last time to see my daughter. The kids went to school today, Mark and Sofia decided to since Sofia had most of her memory back and Sammi was in better spirits, she'd be good to return. As for Ollie and Liv, well other than their momma being in a cast, life wasn't much different for them. Steph was always hurting herself one way or another. I feel Arizona take my hand and squeeze it, I look over at her and smile "penny for your thoughts"
"I hate pennies" I mutter and we both let out a giggle. Steph and Zola are beside us, Zola pushing Steph in a wheelchair, as we make our way to the elevators. Arizona looks up "if these things could talk"
"what?"
"the elevator, if it could talk, imagine all the shit that has happened in there over the years" she adds
"didn't my dad propose to my mom in one?" Zola asked
"hmm" Arizona hums and points to the one on the left "that one" Zola smiles, as the door opens and we step in. Zola was taking Steph to her appointment and Arizona and I were meeting Mark in Sofia's room, to hopefully pack her up and take her home. I talk to Amelia earlier and she said everything looked good, Bailey had signed off on her too, so fingers crossed. The elevator stops on the ortho floor "this is us" Steph says and smiles.
"good luck, we'll see you soon" Arizona says leaning down placing a kiss on Steph's head. I watch as my daughter in law wheels my daughter out. "they are so in love" I say without thinking.
"they are" Arizona says as she wraps herself around me "I love you Calliope" I loved when she called me that, even now I still get goose bumps when I hear her say it like she just said it "I love you too Arizona" we kiss as the door opens.
"my god, get a room" we hear, and both laugh "our baby is back" Arizona smiles and kisses me again, this time she swipes her tongue over my bottom lip, and we start making out "seriously, this is a hospital no one wants to see that" Sofia groans, laughing we break the kiss and look at our daughter, who is smiling. Somehow, we managed to get off the elevator and are now in the middle of the hallway. "come here baby" Arizona says as she moves away from me and reaches for Sofia, pulling her in. She was out on a walk, Mark was beside her, holding her hand. I watch as Arizona pulls her in, kissing her cheek. She whispers something but I couldn't hear, causing Sofia to turn red and laugh, pushing her away. Down the hall we hear a baby cry, Sofia perks up "awe I miss that"
"miss what?" Mark asks, as we slowly move down the hall back to Sofia's room
"a baby crying, you think maybe we can try for another?" she asks causing the three of us to stop and look at each other. With everything, we had forgotten to tell her, shit I actually forgot, that she was pregnant and lost it. "shit, we need to hurry" Sofia says "I all the sudden have to pee" she starts moving quicker, as Mark follows her to make sure she doesn't fall. I thought she was moving good for someone who had been stuck in a bed for the better part of a month. When we get to the room Sofia beelines it for the bathroom and shuts the door. I hear Mark let out a sigh, I don't know if it's relief or the realization that we hadn't told her about it yet. "no one told her" he says.
"no" Arizona shakes her head
"maybe we should have Clara come in and explain it"
"why?" Arizona looks at me
"because she's a doctor and is in that specialty"
"um, hello?"
"what" I ask confused, I can hear Mark start to chuckle, but when I look at him his face is serious "who the fuck trained Clara in?"
"oh right" I say and sit down
"I swear Calliope, sometimes you're as bright as a brown crayon" she shakes her head
"Arizona" I say looking at her
"I'll tell her" she says sternly
"tell me what?" Sofia asks coming out of the bathroom.
"why don't you sit down" Mark says as he goes to help her to a chair
"are you guys going to tell me what's going on?" she asks, I hear Arizona take a deep breath "you remember your gynie rotation right?"
"with you and Clara" she asks Arizona nods "yeah of course" I tune out the rest, I really didn't need to hear this again.
Xxxxxxxxxxxx
Arizona
"what, so that means I" Sofia says calmly, as she looks at me then at Mark, who is holding his breath. I give her a sad smile "you were pregnant"
"were, as in past tense?" she asks, I nod "damn, Zo was right" she mutters.
"you knew?" Callie asks
"no, but I was sick when Zo and I were taking our boards, it came on all the sudden then was gone, she mentioned something about making me take a test when we got home, but then we left on vacation and well, you know the rest" she looks up at Mark. "I'm sorry if I would have" he puts his finger on her lips to stop her "Sofia, knowing wouldn't have stopped the car accident. I think knowing would have made it worse, at least for me"
"right" she nods, then smiles "we'll just have to try again" she must not have seen his face fall, I take a deep breath as I'm about to rip my daughter's world apart "Sof" I say softly, she turns her attention back to me "you can't"
"I can't" she repeats
"no baby girl, I'm sorry"
"why?" she asks then looks at Callie, who explains that the same thing that happened to Callie after the car accident had happened to Sofia "oh" she says sitting back in her chair "then we'll look into adopting, hey maybe we can find Sammi a Steph" she says smiling.
"you're ok with this?" I ask
"well no, but I can't dwell on things I can't change, so why not embrace it" she smiles. Wow my baby girl is really all grown up. I can feel the tears sting my eyes. Hearing a noise at the door I look up and see Steph and Zola, Steph is standing, with no crutches while Zola holds her hand. "I'm back bitches" Steph says as she enters the room. Sofia laughs "nice boot"
"I thought I might as well add it to my wardrobe, I'll get it in all different colors, one for everyday of the week" we all laugh
"how'd it go?" Callie asked, Zola pipes in and repeats to Callie what Jo had said, Callie seemed happy with it. It wasn't much longer, and Amelia followed by her interns and Bailey walk in, along with Cristina and Meredith. I'm sure Alex and Jo would have been here too, but I'm assuming they are busy. "we are all here today, to tell you, Sofia Sloan Torres Robbins Fox, whatever your name is" Amelia stops to take a breath "you are officially discharged from Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital" a round of whoops and hollers fill the room. Reminding me of the day we first took her home. A look at Callie, I can see the tears, I'm sure she's remembering it too. She moves closer to me "do you remember the day we finally got to bring her home" she whispers so I'm the only one to hear her. I smile "I was just thinking about that" Callie and I both turn to face each other, I feel her hand slide into mine, and she squeezes it, then leans in placing a soft, but meaningful kiss on my lips. "eww get a room" Sofia laughs
"I don't know why, but I missed that" Callie laughs as she places another quick peck on my lips and pulls away.
"hey moms" Sofia says when I look at her she's looking at us, "do you think maybe we could have a party tonight"
"oh I don't know Sof, you just" Callie starts to say, but is cut off by Amelia "I think a party might be what the doctor ordered"
"you heard her" Sofia laughs
"how about a dinner party" Meredith suggests, Callie and I turn to look at each other, I nod "I think that is doable"
"I'll spread the word, your place at 7" Meredith says pulling out her phone, as a round of beeping fill the room.
Xxxxxxxxxxx
Stephanie
I was finally able to take a bath and soak, and shave my legs. Zola says she doesn't care, that I can braid my leg hairs, but I find it kind of gross. I let out a groan of satisfaction as I lower myself into this giant tub. Thankful my moms loved taking baths together, so they got the giant tub, with jets. Zola comes in with our Bluetooth speaker, playing 90's music. That's what we liked to listen to, I can't explain why, we just did. Sofia liked the more modern stuff when we were teenagers but when she wasn't around Zola and I would change it to the 90's. I'm not paying much attention to what Zola is doing, listening to the song that was playing, when I hear her say "lift it"
"huh?" I give her a confused look, seeing that beautiful smile "your leg babe, lift your leg" that was when I noticed she had a razor and shave gel in her hands. "you don't" I started to say but was cut off by her lips on mine "I know I don't have to, I want to" if I ever had any doubts about if this woman loved me, I was a complete fool. I lift my leg out of the water, slowly, I still had some pain in it. I'm told I will for the rest of my life. "damn" Zola giggles as she sees that we could literally tie it in braids. "I guess that's what happens when your in a cast for that long" she says as she goes about smearing the shave gel on my leg, then comes the razor, I watch in contentment as she glides the razor over my skin. It doesn't take long, thank god my mom found that brand of razor a long time ago. We buy nothing else, with me constantly breaking my appendages. "when do you go back to work?"
"I have been working" I say
"I know" she smiles "but when do you go back to the office?"
"oh" I let out a sigh, I wasn't ready to go back to the office "honestly I should have already been back" I laugh
"that's what I thought" she leans forward kissing me "all done with that one, give me the other" I sigh and slowly reposition my legs. Once she's done with the other, I put it back under the water and lean back, enjoying the warmth with my eyes closed "scooch forward"
"huh?" I ask confused when I open my eyes I see she's naked and wants in. I smile and move forward, the water splashing over the edge as I did, even more so as Zola made herself comfortable behind me. Once she's settled she reaches forward pulling me back into her. Her chin in the crook of my shoulder I hear her say "much better"
"yeah" I mumbled, I could fall asleep right now, and I almost did, but the song turned to one that always made us laugh. Zola wraps her arms around me. "I love you Stephanie, I hope you know that"
"I do" I may not know a lot of things in this world but I know Zola loves me "I love you too" I smile turning my head, when our lips met, all I could see were fireworks, and the futter in my stomach was just like the first time we kissed, all those years ago.
Xxxxxxxxxx
Sofia
When we got home, Mark helped me to the couch, and sat down with me. Mom asked if I wanted anything to drink, declining she nodded and headed into the kitchen. I can smell the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Steph and Zola disappeared upstairs, Steph mumbling something about wanting a bath. I am sitting here, my husband next to me, staring at a black tv screen. Lost in my thoughts of my dad, and the dream I had, I'm startled when Mark reaches for my hand. Looking over at him, as we make eye contact we both smile. How could I not remember him? Or my own daughter, the thought of Samantha makes me smile, but it quickly passes when I remember I can't have anymore. Mark notices the change in my mood "it's setting in isn't it?"
"what is?"
"that you can't have anymore babies"
"yeah" I softly say and lay my head on his shoulder "but like I said we can adopt."
"but it still hurts" his voice is soft
"it does" I nod as I feel the tears sting my eyes. He squeezes my hand and we sit there. I must have dozed off because the next thing I know mom is running through the living room to the door. I didn't even hear the bell or anyone knock "hey come in" turning my I see it's auntie Meredith with her hands full of bags. She must have seen her pull up "I got the stuff, are you sure Callie wants to cook"
"yes, you know how she loves it" mom smiles, taking some bags from her. Meredith looks over and sees me "Sof, glad to see you home"
"it's good to finally be home" I smile "mom does momma need any help?"
"no momma is fine" momma says from the kitchen doorway "Arizona" she almost whines causing us all to giggle, big bad ass Calliope Robbins is funny when she whines at my mom. "I told you I would help her" I swear she stomped her foot too.
"I saw her pull up" mom says walking past momma placing a kiss on her cheek.
"never a dull moment here" Mark whispers and we both giggle
"no, and I missed it"
"we missed you" Mark says leaning in giving me a kiss.
Xxxxxxxxxxx
Arizona
Callie and Meredith are putting the finishing touches on dinner, the big table is out, and set with the good dishes. Meredith is putting the last pan into the dishwasher, shutting it, she pushes Callie over so she can get at the soap. Callie just laughs, and hands me the platter she had just filled to be put on the counter. When we have this many people over for dinner it's always buffet style. I heard the front door open, and someone call out. I smile and make my way into the other room to meet the newcomers. Clara and Jen, and Jen's belly of course. They had decided a few years ago to have kids, wanting to get settled before they started their family. "move I gotta pee" Jen says as she makes her way through the house and towards the bathroom. I see Clara roll her eyes and laugh "always" I smile and reach out to hug her. I haven't seen her outside of the hospital in quite a while and haven't had time to get caught up. The door opens again and April walks in with Jackson, Alex and Jo not far behind, along with Bailey. "Teddy and Owen are on their way, they got paged as we were leaving" Bailey says looking around the house. "glad to see it's actually clean" she says in her Bailey tone, not really judging, but yet she was. "yeah well you know" I shrug. Cristina was next to arrive, with a brown bag, she didn't say anything and just heads into the kitchen where Meredith and Callie are. "well make yourself at home" I say. Jen is now back and she and Steph were in conversation about something at work. Looking around at the group, the only person missing is Richard. Making eye contact with Bailey, she gives me a sad smile. Richard had a stroke a few weeks ago, and was now in hospice care. With everything going on with Sofia, I hadn't really given it much thought, and that made me feel like shit. Callie and I went to visit him a few days ago, but he doesn't remember us. I'm pulled out of my musings when Callie comes in "dinner is ready" I stand back and let everyone go first. Hearing the door open I turn and see Teddy and Owen "sorry we're late"
"you aren't" I smile and give Teddy a hug "Callie just put the food out"
"perfect" Owen smiles squeezing my arm and joins the line.
"you know" Teddy says pulling out of my grip "you and Callie have done an amazing job with these kids"
"thanks" I smile, there is a knock at the door as it slowly opens and a head peaks around it. "is it safe" I hear and laugh
"just fucking go" another voice says pushing Maggie through the door "it's not like you've never been here before" Amelia says rolling her eyes. I laugh "foods in there" I point to the kitchen.
"Arizona are you going to eat?" my wife asks poking her head out of the kitchen
"in a bit" I smile, and feel the warmth run through my body as Callie wraps her arms around me.
"there's a lot of people here" she whispers just above my ear.
"there is" I let out a contented sigh, as laughter roars from the kitchen. "but there's no place I'd rather be" I feel her let out a deep sigh "me either" and kisses my cheek.