Carry Me Home
Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy.
Author's Note: So I started this almost a year ago for the "proposal rewrite" challenge on the Callie-Arizona Community and never finished it. In the hopes of getting back into the writing spirit and just for some fluffy-fun I decided to complete it. I do hope you enjoy.
Carry Me Home-
-A Story
Callie sat in the nursery.
She bit the Popsicle she had been eating, feeling the cold sting her teeth before moving through her body. She sat with her back against the freshly painted yellow wall, a large pillow cushioning her against its cold surface.
She clicked her heels together and watched.
Before her stood Arizona; hunched over the rosy wood of the crib she was assembling. The blonde grunted, her face contorting with frustration before she threw the screw driver to the ground.
“Why don’t seagulls fly by the bay?” Callie asked, reading the joke on her Popsicle stick.
Arizona puffed a stray piece of hair away from her face, the strand having fallen from her bandana an hour ago. “Why?” She asked, though her annoyed look clearly expressed her disinterest in the matter.
“Because then they would be called bayguls,” Callie finished the joke. She looked up. “Why did I used to think these were funny?”
“Honestly?” Arizona asked standing and attempting to pull the crib up. “I don’t know, nor do I care at the moment.”
“You want help?” Callie asked, even as she began to stand up and move forward.
Arizona’s arm shot out, stopping her mid step. “Sit your ass back down.”
“I can help.”
“You’re seven months pregnant.”
“Exactly, I’m not an invalid.”
“Callie…” Arizona warned, turning to look at the Latina with a gaze that only a mother could project. Callie was certain that no matter how much disdain Arizona once had about having a child, their child would never disobey his or her blonde mother; her ability to guilt anyone to do her bidding was uncanny.
An ability, it seemed, even Callie could not escape.
“Fine,” Callie sighed, sliding back down the wall with as much grace and she could muster. She situated the pillow behind her once more, placing her hand against her belly when the baby began to play soccer with her bladder.
She smiled. No matter how often it happened she was always astounded by the feeling and it would be the one thing she would miss about pregnancy.
Arizona picked up the screw driver again, attacking the crib with a ferocity that made Callie worry for the safety of the inanimate object.
“You know, Mark said he would help you,” she said and she watched as Arizona’s back went rigid.
“Do you think it would be possible for you to go a day without talking about him?” Arizona said her words short and punctured.
“He offered to help, is that really so bad?” Callie asked, knowing that this was, perhaps, a dangerous road to travel down.
Things had been better. Not perfect nor great. But better. After Arizona had nearly broken down expressing her fears to Callie, they sat down with Mark and set up some boundaries. He was not around nearly as much anymore and Callie could literally feel the weight that had been lifted from her relationship. It was mending. Slowly heading back to what it had once been.
Yet, despite the change, Arizona expressed great disdain anytime Mark was mentioned.
And, Callie knew, she really couldn’t blame her.
“Yes, Callie, it is.” Arizona huffed, returning to her work. “Because I don’t need Mark to function. I don’t need him to help me prepare the nursery for my baby. He can prepare in any way he wants at his place, but here? In my apartment? I think I can manage.”
“You were going to have Teddy help until she got paged,” Callie countered. She didn’t know how it happened, but it always did. One of them would start a conversation and then before either knew it they were in the midst of an argument.
Perhaps it was because they were both passionate people.
Either that or too prideful for their own good.
Or stupid.
“That’s---.” Arizona pushed hard against the crib and something snapped and Callie quickly prayed that it wasn’t a bone. “Different.”
“Because it’s not Mark.”
“Yup, pretty much exactly it right there”
Callie sighed and crossed her arms.
“What?” Arizona breathed, wiping her arm across her forehead, as a slight sheen of sweat shimmered across her body.
God she was hot.
“He’s been better---things have been better so I don’t understand why you can’t ease up a little. It would make things easier.”
Arizona sighed, rubbing her hand against her forehead. “Just because Mark finally gets that we need our own space doesn’t make everything okay.”
Callie let her head fall back against the wall.
Why. She wondered. Why did life have to be so damn complicated? This was supposed to be the happiest moment of her life, yet every little instance that was supposed to be great was covered with an unwelcome shadow.
“You’re due in two months Callie and I’m still not used to the fact that every major life decision I make will now involve Mark.”
“It’s not like I can change that. He’s the--.”
“Father,” Arizona snapped before closing her eyes. Callie watched as she took in a long deep breath. “I know. Okay, I know. So you just---have to give me time.”
“We’re about to have a baby, Arizona. A baby. How much more time could you possibly need?”
To Callie’s surprised horror, Arizona’s face suddenly sunk. Clear tears obviously brimming her crystal eyes, even as she tried to hide them. She took in a deep, shuddering breath, looking away from Callie before turning back to her.
“I don’t know,” she said, her voice cracking. “I was under the impression that I had all the time in the world. But I guess---.”
Arizona’s head dropped and she sniffled.
“The crib is ready,” Arizona whispered before she bolted for the door.
Callie’s face dropped as she realized how Arizona had taken her statement. She began shaking her head, even though Arizona wasn’t looking. She hobbled to her feet, the large baby bump keeping her from moving faster than she would have liked.
Arizona was gone before Callie was even at her full height. “Arizona!” she called, knowing that her voice would carry faster than her body.
The click of the bedroom door was her only response.
Callie sighed, leaned back against the wall and looked to the crib.
It was beautiful.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Arizona stretched.
The movement caused her bag to fall down her shoulder slightly and she hoisted it up before digging her keys out.
She smiled.
It had been a good day. A number of scheduled surgeries and a few traumas. All successful. All tiny humans were now sleeping soundly in their hospital beds.
It was days like this that reminded her why she loved her job.
She hummed slight unlocking the door, looking forward to a quiet evening at home; knowing that Callie would be ready for the company after being home alone all day.
Things were getting better. They were not perfect nor were they great. But they were on their way to mending what had been broken and quiet evenings at home were Arizona’s favorite time to continue to stitch the seam of their life back together.
They still had their bumps.
Still had their disagreements.
But they were able to talk now. More freely, more openly.
They were getting better.
And better was all that Arizona could hope for.
“Damn it!”
The quiet curse was not one Arizona had been expecting when she opened the door.
“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”
“Callie?” Arizona asked, closing the door and shrugging off her coat. She turned to see her girlfriend in the kitchen, bent over the stove. Callie jumped at her voice, spinning around with a pan of burned-Arizona-didn’t-even-want-to-know-what sizzling in the center of it.
“Damn it!” Callie cursed again, a glimmer of frustrated tears in her eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“Everything!” Callie all but yelled, nearly throwing the pan into the sink.
Arizona’s brow rose and she debated whether or not to take a step back or forward. “Everything?” she slowly asked, eyeing the burned mess that now hissed in the sink. “Is that…a ham?”
Callie’s chin wobbled as she watched the smoke rise from it. “No,” she squeaked out. “It’s chicken.” Arizona winced as Callie hiccupped. “And now it’s ruined!”
“Callie,” Arizona started, finally taking a step forward and she swore the mess in the pan hissed at her. “It’s just dinner. We can order in.”
Callie sniffled.
Hormones.
Despite the fact that a pregnant Callie was quite possibly the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, she was looking forward to the day that Callie’s hormones returned to a semblance of normal.
“It’s not just dinner,” Callie said, defiantly; her tears turning to frustration. “Everything is ruined and it was supposed to be perfect but nothing has been going right all day.”
“You want to talk about it?” Arizona asked when Callie picked up a spatula and began scrapping at the burned pan.
Callie laughed. “None of my clothes fit, again, so I had to put on this stupid dress which makes me look like a cow.”
“You look beautiful,” Arizona said, walking over and placing a kiss on Callie’s cheek. She rubbed her arm. She knew it probably sounded like she was placating Callie but it was the truth.
Callie snorted in disbelief. “So then I had to take time to get a new dress because I wanted to get dressed up, you know? Because that’s what you do. But I didn’t have time to go dress shopping so I was rushed all day long.”
Arizona knit her brow. “What do you have to get dressed up for?” She asked, wracking her brain for any occasion that she could recall. But her question fell on deaf ears as Callie continued to rant, seeming to not hear her girlfriend.
“And then I went grocery shopping but they didn’t have your favorite wine, even though they always have it so I had to drive across town.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes I did!” Callie exclaimed and Arizona took the tiniest of steps back. “Because you should have your favorite wine. But when I got to the new store I had to wait a half hour in line because they were having computer problems. And then. Then!” Callie threw the spatula into the sink, her attempts to clean the pan failing. “Then I’m finally able to go pick up the ring but I had to spend over an hour at the jewelers because they thought they lost it! They actually couldn’t find it.”
Callie laughed again, one of utter disbelief.
Yet Arizona didn’t hear it.
Her mind, her entire body, her entire soul had frozen when Callie said “ring”. “W-w-what ring?” Arizona squeaked out, unable to wrap her mind around why her girlfriend would have bought such a piece of jewelry.
Her heart beat wildly in her chest.
There really was only one explanation.
Wasn’t there?
Despite Arizona’s quiet question, Callie rambled on. “And then I finally get home but I was really late so I couldn’t get everything done and I put the oven on too high. And now you’re home and nothing is ready and dinner is ruined.”
“What ring?”
“And I was going to set your favorite dress out for you, I even got it dry cleaned but I haven’t even--.”
“Calliope,” Arizona all but yelled when Callie showed no signs of stopping her rant. Callie’s head finally snapped up, her mouth hanging open slightly; her breaths coming heavily. “What. Ring?”
The room fell quiet as the two women stared at each other. Callie’s mouth forming a slight-breathless “o”. Her hair disheveled; her eyes wide.
Arizona’s mind reeled.
What.
Ring.
“Uh…” Callie began, a low hum as her eyes darted to the far side of the counter.
Arizona followed her gaze to a tiny black box sitting on the edge, the velvet soft under the bright light of the kitchen. A small item she hadn’t seen when first distracted by Callie’s ramblings.
Suddenly, Callie turned scrambling and snatching the box before she was once again standing directly in front of Arizona.
Something in the back of her mind told Arizona that now would be an excellent time to say something. Yet the swelling of nerves and the erratic beating for her heart told her otherwise.
“Um.”
It seemed neither of them could form words at the moment.
Callie’s hands shook as she opened the box.
Arizona’s eyes widened.
That ring.
Arizona felt her jaw drop, unsure of how her body was reacting at the moment, unable to focus on anything but the glint and shine of the diamond before her. It mustn’t have been good though, because Callie’s face suddenly slacked. Nerves and her panic being replaced with utter horror.
“Oh God,” Callie whispered. “You hate it.”
Arizona’s eyes snapped up to meet Callie’s unable to say anything. She tried. She swore she did. But her mind seemed to stop working.
And what a time, too.
“You think I’m crazy.”
Arizona slowly shook her head. But the brunette didn’t seem to notice, she was once again rambling.
And yet.
Even as she did, she continued to hold out the ring. As if it was suspended on its own accord.
“I just. After last week---the nursery. I get it. I think. I mean---I am. Getting. It. And I just. You should have all the time in the world. And I, God this is stupid. I want you to know…I’m not….Mark isn’t---you are it. For me. I am committed to you. I meant when I said that I want you as a part of this baby’s life. And mine. Because I can’t imagine---my dream is not right without you. And I thought this would be a good way to show you that I’m committed and I’ll wait as long as you need to be okay with everything and that you may never like the thought of co-parenting. But clearly you’re…and it’s not like I can even get down on one knee….God this sounded like a much better idea when I was watching reruns of ‘Friends’.”
Callie finally stopped, her eyes darting around the room; looking anywhere but Arizona; the blonde certain her own face now looked like she had been standing out in the rain.
When had she started crying?
“Calliope,” Arizona finally squeaked out, only getting sound after trying a number of other words. And then one continued to pop again and again until the only thing she could focus on was its three simple letters.
“Yes.” She finished quietly.
“What?” Callie’s head snapped back to her, her eyes wide with shock.
Arizona smiled and a similar, radiant one began to form on Callie’s face.
A smile Arizona hadn’t seen in a long time.
A smile she had quite missed.
It was beautiful.
There really was no other word for it.
Slowly, Callie brought her hand up lightly brushing at the tears falling down Arizona’s cheek. Her thumb soft and warm.
“Marry me?” She asked as if it was the simplest question in the world. As if Arizona hadn’t already answered. As if there wasn’t any other option.
Because, when it came right down to it, there really wasn’t.
Not for either of them.
Callie had said it perfectly.
They were it. Despite their misgivings. Despite any other force that told otherwise. They were it.
“Yes,” Arizona responded, her voice stronger and louder than before.
And suddenly there was a ring on her finger and she was being pulled forward in a kiss.
There were, perhaps, other ways to deal with the differences they had been encountering of late. Arizona knew. Certain that Callie knew as well. But even as they stood, huddled together, tears and laughter emanating from them both; the smell of burned chicken hanging in the air as the baby kicked between them.
Arizona felt a weight lift from her chest.
Happiness.
A happiness she didn’t know existed, didn’t even know she wanted.
A happiness that started and ended with the woman in her arms.
Things were getting better. They were not great nor were they always happy.
But, Arizona realized, she had somehow stumbled on a piece of perfection.
Fin