Two Months Later

The next two months for Callie and Arizona went by in a blur. Callie was awake at the crack of dawn, busying herself with her laptop. She used Arizona's father's old study as her office, surrounded by dusty bookshelves and the faint smell of aged leather. Callie spent her days making calls, answering emails, and often enduring heated discussions.

The blonde could tell her business was collapsing. Being away from Seattle had done a number on Callie's enterprise. While she didn't understand much about stock markets or shares, she understood publicity. The media spun her sudden disappearance into a narrative that suggested Callie didn't care about her business anymore.

Callie worked tirelessly to salvage what she could of her dying business. She was always on edge, trying to project confidence to her partners and clients despite the growing chaos. Her once-thriving business was now on the verge of collapse, and the media frenzy only made it worse. Every mention of her name was tied to failure and abandonment. It was a far cry from the powerhouse reputation she'd built.

While Callie busied herself, Arizona spent most of her days in bed, either sobbing or staring dry-eyed out the window toward the horses in the pasture. She knew she should probably start walking them, especially since Tim had re-enrolled in the Marines, and her mom was simply too old to keep up with the chores. But the motivation just wasn't there.

Their paths crossed a few times each day. Callie would leave the study, weary and frustrated, and find Arizona making her way to the kitchen. At first, Callie was happy to see the blonde out of bed and even happier that she was eating again. It gave her a glimmer of hope.

"Hey," Callie said cautiously one morning, her voice soft.

Arizona only managed a small, tight smile. Callie's heart sank at the sight. She looked down, defeated. "Talk to me, beautiful. I'm right here," she said, her voice laced with desperation.

"Callie, not right now," Arizona replied, her tone weary.

Before Arizona could leave, Callie grabbed her hand and gently pulled her closer. "We went through this together. We lost together. Please, just let me in," she pleaded, her eyes searching Arizona's for any sign of connection.

"Together? You were here only for a part of it. Don't you dare say it was your experience too," Arizona snapped, her voice trembling with suppressed emotion.

"But it was! It was my baby too," Callie insisted, her own voice breaking.

"He was your baby for only a moment. He was mine. He grew in my body, not yours. I couldn't protect him. I couldn't…" Arizona crumbled into Callie's arms, the weight of her grief finally breaking through.

That was the last conversation they had that went beyond two sentences.

The days began to blend together. Callie's routine remained the same: up before dawn, hours spent trying to keep her business afloat, and fleeting moments where she tried to connect with Arizona. Each day, she watched helplessly as the woman she loved seemed to drift further away.

Arizona, on the other hand, found herself lost in a sea of sorrow. She couldn't shake the feeling of failure, the overwhelming guilt of not being able to protect her baby. The pain was a constant, gnawing presence, and even the simplest tasks felt insurmountable.

One morning, Callie was in the study, hunched over her laptop, when she heard a soft knock at the door. She looked up to see Arizona standing there, looking more fragile than ever.

"Can I come in?" Arizona asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course," Callie replied, quickly clearing a space on the cluttered desk. "What's up?"

Arizona took a hesitant step inside, her eyes scanning the room before settling on Callie. "I... I just wanted to see how you were doing."

Callie's heart ached at the sight of Arizona trying so hard to reach out. "I'm managing," she said, offering a small, reassuring smile. "How about you?"

Arizona shrugged, looking down at her hands. "I don't know. Some days are better than others."

Callie nodded, understanding the struggle all too well. "It's okay to have bad days, Arizona. It's okay to not be okay."

Arizona looked up, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "I just feel so... lost. Like I don't know who I am anymore."

Callie stood up and walked around the desk, closing the distance between them. She gently took Arizona's hands in hers. "You're still the same amazing person you've always been. You're just going through something incredibly hard right now."

A few more weeks went by in silence. Callie and Arizona exchanged half-hearted smiles behind each other's backs, a façade that neither found comforting. Callie knew she was in love with Arizona; it hurt her deeply to see Arizona cry, to see her in so much pain and feel utterly helpless. She threw herself into salvaging her business, using work as a distraction from the emotional turmoil.

Arizona wasn't oblivious. She saw Callie trying harder to be there for her in her own way, and she appreciated it more than she could express. However, she couldn't pull herself out of her sorrow just yet but she was willing to try. This morning, she decided she was ready to talk to Callie. Gathering her courage, she approached the study door, but she paused when she overheard Callie's conversation.

"I don't care, just sell it for the best price," Callie said, her voice strained with frustration.

"Best price, Callie? You used to be the one who nailed the deal, who got what she wanted. Now you're just settling for the best price? What happened to you?" Mark's voice on the other end was unmistakable.

"Nothing happened to me," Callie replied, but her voice lacked conviction.

"Bullshit, Callie. I know better than to believe those stupid articles. What I don't get is why you won't talk to me," Mark pressed.

"There's nothing to talk about," Callie insisted, her tone turning defensive.

"Why are you in Michigan, of all places?" Mark's question hung in the air.

Callie was taken aback. She had told no one she was in Michigan. "Are you tracking me? I didn't think you were a stalker, Mark."

"Wait, so I'm right? You actually are in Michigan?" Mark's voice rose with surprise.

"What?" Callie exclaimed.

"I knew Blondie was from Michigan, she's been gone from the office without a word, and I just put two and two together," Mark explained.

"Mark, stay out of it. It's none of your business."

"But it is your business, Callie! Your business is on the verge of bankruptcy. I'm trying to keep it afloat as much as I can, but it's all crumbling down."

"Mark—"

"Come back and figure this mess out yourself!" Mark's voice was stern, and then the line went silent.

Arizona heard a thud and then a crash from inside the study. She figured Callie had flung something in frustration, and it hit the wall and broke.

She heard Callie rise from the chair, prompting her to quickly move away. Arizona watched as Callie entered the bathroom and heard the sound of water splashing against her face. Just as she heard the door unlock, Arizona pushed it open and closed it behind her swiftly. Callie wore a blank expression, clearly unsure why Arizona had cornered her in the bathroom of all places. They stood there, eyes locked on each other in silence, as if their gazes communicated volumes.

Arizona slid her arms from Callie's chest up to her neck and then to the back of her head. She rose on her tiptoes, closing the distance between them, and their lips met. Callie felt a wave of relief as all the pain seemed to melt away. She held onto the blonde's waist, drawing her closer, fingers grazing smooth skin as the hem of her camisole rode up. Arizona's tongue gently sought entrance into her mouth, and Callie welcomed it eagerly.

Before Callie could fully respond, Arizona's hand moved towards her pants, attempting to slip inside. Callie pulled back abruptly, confusion written in her eyes as she silently questioned what was happening. Arizona gazed back, offering no explanation. Undeterred, Arizona kissed her again, backing her against the wall. This time, as she felt Arizona undoing her pants button, Callie found her voice.

"Arizona?" she asked, her tone a mix of surprise and uncertainty.

"Just let me do this for you?" The blonde argued as she got down to her knees and pulled Callie's member out of her pants.

With strength the brunette didn't know she had, she held Arizona's and in hers, prying it away from her penis. Callie was a sexual being, she enjoyed sex. this was the longest she had gone without getting any action, but she did know about her promise to Arizona and she wasn't a cheater. As much as every single fiber of her being wanted to feel the blonde's hand on her, her mouth on her member, she didn't know where this was coming from.

Seeing the deflated look in Arizona's blue eyes, Callie gently pulled her up, urging her to stand.

"What's going on, beautiful?" Callie asked softly.

Arizona felt a torrent of emotions swirl within her. She had been wrestling with her thoughts for a long time, but had never felt strong enough to act on them until now. Tears welled up in her eyes as she raked her hand through her dirty blonde hair.

"Callie, I'm thinking about getting help, about seeing a therapist," Arizona confessed, her voice trembling.

Callie's heart soared with hope and relief. Arizona was finally taking a step towards the help she desperately needed. Yet, she couldn't understand why the blonde felt she needed Callie's approval.

"That's great! I'm so proud of you," Callie said, pulling Arizona into her arms and cradling her head gently.

But before she could fully celebrate, she heard Arizona's whispered words. "Which is why I think you should leave."

Callie pulled back, her heart sinking. "Leave?"

Arizona wiped away the tears streaming down her face. "I need help, but I also want to do this alone."

"But... we went through our son's death together," Callie argued, her voice breaking.

"Yes," Arizona replied, her tone tender but firm.

"Then why are you pushing me away again?"

Arizona smiled softly through her tears. "You need help too, Callie."

"I don't need—"

"You do, Callie. Your business has almost crumbled."

"I don't care about my—"

"But you do," Arizona interrupted. "It's a part of you. You built it from the ground up. People feared you, they respected you. It brought you joy. Now you spend days in my dad's study trying to salvage what's left of it. Seattle needs you."

Tears streamed down Callie's face now. "I need you too."

Arizona nodded, her own tears falling freely. "I want to be there for you, but I need to get better too."

The two women held each other tightly, their sobs mingling in the quiet room. They both knew what this meant, even if neither wanted to say it out loud. Finally, Callie mustered the courage to voice their shared fear. "I don't want us to be over."

"Neither do I," Arizona said, her voice thick with emotion. "But we cannot take care of each other if we cannot take care of ourselves."

Callie nodded, allowing her tears to fall more freely this time. "We always seem to get the timing wrong."

Arizona nodded against Callie's chest, trying to commit everything to memory—the way Callie's body fit against hers, her scent, the feel of her skin. "When do you start therapy?"

"Tomorrow morning," Arizona whispered.

Callie parted from her slightly, placing a tender kiss on Arizona's forehead. "Okay then, I'll leave by this evening."

They held each other a little longer, each trying to find solace in the other's embrace, knowing that this separation, though painful, was necessary for their healing.