Fanfic: Rhythm of Love
Title: Rhythm of Love
Author: elpmas03
Rating: PG
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
Summary: Just a little one-shot I wrote a while ago and just discovered. I know I have two other multi-chapter ones that haven’t been updated in a while, but first school got in the way…then work…then life…so it might be a while, but I will finish them, I promise! Until then, I hope this brings a smile to your lovely faces.
“Oh no, he’s hemorrhaging.”
The panicked voice of Dr. Arizona Robbins echoes throughout the quiet room, causing a frightened gasp from the assistant beside her. Her steady hands work quickly; fingers move delicately around the tiny body below her as she does her best to stop the inevitable end of her patient’s life from becoming a reality.
“Bandages, please,” she orders politely, snatching the material from the outstretched hand at her side.
“Needle.”
Another order. Another handful of help.
“Thread. Hurry doctor…I’m not sure he’s going to make it,” her voice starts to rise overdramatically, eliciting a quiet giggle from the body next to her. Her trained, pale fingers start to move furiously as she threads the tiny incision shut. She can feel astonished blue eyes piercing through her, willing her to work faster and harder to save their patient.
“Yes!” she squeals excitedly, hoisting the tiny brown teddy bear into the air triumphantly and smiling brightly as the newly declared 3-year-old next to her starts clapping as loud as she possibly can.
“You did it!” the tiny blonde yells and bounces up and down. Her tiny features suddenly twist into the most serious expression she can muster. She clears her throat. “Thank you, Dr. Robbins.”
“Oh well…thank you, Dr. Robbins-Torres,” Arizona responds, batting her eyelashes shyly. “I couldn’t have done it without my favorite girl.”
“I thought I was your favorite.”
Two blonde heads snap in the direction of the door at the other side of the room, both flashing bright smiles at the image.
“Mommy!” Emma yells, throwing her arms in the air and rushing toward her mother. Callie scoops her up and immediately takes a look over the bear in her daughter’s arms.
“Don’t worry,” Arizona sighs, brushing her bangs to the side with a swipe of her fingers. “I’ll be sure to thank you both when I win the Harper Avery for this incredible work I’ve done here tonight.”
“Hm,” Callie purses her lips and tilts the bear into the light of their daughter’s room so she can get a better look. “I’ve seen better.”
“Hey! I helped,” Emma hisses, making it clear that she’s offended when her eyebrows scrunch together and the pout starts to form on her lips.
“Yes you did and you did an amazing job of keeping your patient calm,” Callie assures her. “But...” she glances at her girlfriend before leaning in to whisper something into the tiny ear beside her.
“Hey,” Arizona reprimands them both when they start giggling. “What did you say?”
“I said…I love you?” Callie offers with a bright smile as she pulls the still giggling mini-Arizona tighter against her body to quiet her down. Arizona narrows her eyes, trying to give her most menacing look, but failing miserably when the corners of her lips twist into a playful smirk.
“Hey…Moms…”
“Hey, daughter…“
“Since I’ve had such a traumatizing night, you know…with my friend here,” Emma offers up the tiny stuffed creature in her arm, just in case her parents weren’t aware who she was referring to. “Can I sleep with you tonight?”
As soon as those baby blues glance up to Callie, she’s done for.
“Calliope,” Arizona warns, her voice low and quiet. She knows it’s no use as soon as Emma’s bottom lip starts to quiver. Who taught this kid how to speak again?
Callie chances a glance in Arizona’s direction, only to get a disapproving glare that she’s come to know so well over the past seven years.
“It’s just one night,” Callie tries to reason.
“Yeah, Mommy. Please?” Emma pipes in right on cue, laying her head against Callie’s shoulder as her tiny fingers start to play with a dark brown curl. It’s moments like these where Arizona hates the Robbins charm that she’s managed to use over the past thirty-six years; the charm that she clearly passed down to their tiny human.
“Augh,” she groans and rolls her eyes, tossing her surgical materials into the bag beside her. “Just for tonight,” she warns them both when Callie bounces them up and down excitedly.
“Of course,” Callie mumbles, sharing a knowing smile with her daughter as they both flash back to last Tuesday when Arizona said the same thing. And the Thursday before that. And the Monday before that…
“Why don’t you go brush your teeth,” Callie instructs Emma, slapping her butt playfully as the little girl scurries down the hallway. As soon the tiny blonde is out of sight, Callie saunters her way toward her girlfriend, a flirtatious grin gracing her lips.
She’s still clad in her usual dark blue scrubs, a white long sleeve t-shirt rolled up underneath, and her hair splayed out in loose curls across her shoulders. And Arizona doesn’t think she’s ever seen her look prettier. Then again…she’s said that millions of times before.
“Hi,” Callie whispers, leaning in to press a soft kiss against smiling lips. A gentle “welcome home” gesture turns into a hormone-driven clash of tongues and teeth before long. It takes everything Arizona has to pull away, her body screaming for oxygen.
“Hi,” she sighs and plays with the collar of the dark blue scrubs in front of her.
“How was your day?” Callie whispers, pulling Arizona into a tight hug and resting her head into the softness of the pale skin of her girlfriend.
“Oh you know…watched some cartoons…colored some pictures…saved a few dying stuffed animals…the usual,” she smiles at the sound of the quiet laugh spreading goose bumps along her skin. “Actually…I was thinking…”
“Uh oh. That’s never a good sign.”
“I was thinking,” Arizona continues, ignoring the joke. “We should tell her. Today. Tonight, I mean. Right now.”
Callie’s eyebrows rise slightly, the surprise evident in her eyes. “Okay,” she states simply with a shrug of her shoulders.
“Really?” Arizona quips.
“Really.”
****************************************************************************************************************
Two hours, one fight over the remote, and two viewings of Sesame Street later, Emma Robbins-Torres finds herself right where she wants to be-in the middle of both of her parents, her limbs flung loosely and equally around them both and their eyes on her as she makes her teddy bear dance to the ending credits of her favorite show. Her plan worked. Brilliantly. It always does. She’s the baby; the center of their world and she knows that no matter what she does, she’s always going to have those dimples to work her magic.
“Hey kiddo,” Arizona laughs quietly, taking the stuffed animal and setting it on the edge of their bed. “There’s something that Mommy and I wanted to talk to you about.”
Uh oh. Did they find out what happened the other day at preschool? She didn’t mean to hurt him. Well…not really. But what was a girl supposed to do? Any boy who steals her toys deserves to be pinched a few times. Zachary Sloan, included.
“Remember a little while ago when Aunt Lexie’s belly started to get really big?” Callie starts hesitantly, carefully watching the reaction of her daughter. She smiles when she gets an understanding nod. “Well…do you remember what we told you? About why her belly was getting bigger?”
“Mhmm. Uncle Mark said it was because she’s an emotional eater.”
“No, no not that,” Callie shakes her head, ignoring the exasperated eye-roll she can practically feel from the woman across from her. “Uncle Mark was just kidding…kind of…”
“What Mommy means, Em,” Arizona cuts in. “Do you remember what Mommy and I told you about Aunt Lexie? About how she was going to have another baby soon?”
Blonde curls bounce as Emma nods.
“Okay, well…Mommy’s belly is about to get bigger too,” Arizona says softly, as if it will make this go easier.
It takes a few seconds for the words to sink in, but eventually they do. And eventually the panic starts to settle in as well. This means another baby? Another little person crying and screaming all of the time like Aunt Teddy’s new baby? A new division in her moms’ attention. This means she’s going to have to do crazy things like…be nice to the thing and…share her toys. Oh no. She can’t hand over her bear.
“Em?” Callie calls quietly when she sees the scared look in her daughter’s eyes. “This doesn’t mean anything has to change with the three of us, okay? It just means you’re going to have a little brother or sister to play with…someone who can keep you company at daycare a-and someone who is going to look up to you.”
Realizing their daughter is still very much unconvinced at the idea of another kid in the house, Arizona grabs her attention.
“Having a brother or sister is one of the best feelings in the world,” Arizona whispers reassuringly, tucking a stray curl behind the little girl’s ear. “I promise. You know how much Mommy and Aunt Aria love each other, right?”
Emma nods, a quizzical look still on her face. She glances between the two women on either side of her. They are pretty trustworthy and besides…it might be nice to have someone to boss-play with.
“Do I have to give it my bear?”
“Nope. The bear is all yours,” Callie reassures her, unable to contain the quiet laugh.
“Okay,” Emma declares with a sharp nod.
“Okay?” Callie whispers.
Callie and Arizona both watch as the little body twists itself to sit up, placing a tiny hand on Arizona’s stomach and planting a soft kiss to her t-shirt clad belly.
“Uh, Em?” Callie calls reluctantly. “The baby’s going to be in this belly,” Callie motions to her own stomach, letting out a quiet laugh as her daughter scurries across the bed and repeats the gentle kiss on her other mom’s stomach. Callie glances up to catch her girlfriend’s eyes swollen with tears.
“Do I look fat?”