Halfway
Title: Halfway
Author: nerdfightergirl
Pairing: Callie/Arizona, Mark/Lexie
Rating: K+, PG
Summary: Lexie and Mark are back together, but Lexie is still wary about her role in Sofia's life. Arizona makes it clear that halfway is not enough.
Disclaimer: I am very glad to say that I don't own Grey's Anatomy of these characters. This is purely for enjoyment and I am not making any money from it.
Arizona finished packing the last of the items Sofia needed for her day across the hall with Mark. She glanced at her watch and saw that she had about five minutes to make the transfer before she had to race across the street to the hospital for a meeting. “Ready to go, big girl?” She questioned, gazing adoringly down at her 10 month old daughter. She didn’t expect an actual response, nor did she get one. She did get a little giggle and a cry of, “Mama!” which made her beam with pride. Of Sofia’s three parents, Arizona was still the only one so far to be named.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Arizona knelt down and plucked the little girl from her bouncy chair. She grabbed the one bag that always traveled with Sofia, along with Sofia’s current favorite toy and made her way across the hall.
Even though Mark insisted that she could just come in when she was dropping off Sofia, Arizona didn’t want to chance walking in on something she’d rather not see. So she knocked. When the door opened after a short wait, she was surprised to see Lexie on the other side instead of Mark. Lexie seemed as surprised to see Arizona as Arizona was to see her.
“Uh, right. Is Mark here? I have a meeting soon and it’s his day with Sofia.”
Lexie’s eyes widened. “Uh, no. He’s not. He had to go into the hospital. VIP consult. He said he’d be back by the time you came to drop off Sofia. I guess he was wrong there.”
Arizona was a little frustrated that Mark wasn’t there when he was supposed to be. She really couldn’t be late to this meeting. “Right. Well, he’ll be here soon, right? So, is it all right if I just leave Sofia here with you until he gets here? She just ate and I changed her diaper, so you shouldn’t have to deal with that. I will warn you that she has taken to crying when I leave her, but that only lasts about 10 minutes and then she’s okay with anyone.” She held out Sofia’s bag for Lexie to grab and frowned slightly when Lexie made no move to take it.
“I don’t...I mean, I don’t think I can.” Lexie struggled to find the right words. “Mark and I just got back together. And she’s the reason we broke up. I don’t think you really want to leave her with me.”
Arizona sighed. She knew this would come up when Mark announced that he and Lexie were back together. “Lexie, she’s a baby. My baby. And I can’t make you forgive Mark for her. I can’t make you forgive Callie or even me. But Sofia didn’t do anything to you. And she’s Mark’s daughter. She’s not going to go away. She’s going to be around sometimes when you’re here. What do you plan to do if you guys get married? Just leave for the day whenever Sofia is over? You can’t be halfway in. You can’t make her feel like you resent her, because she’s one of the most precious things in my whole world, and I won’t let you hurt her like that. You either have to be willing to be happy around her or you can’t ever be around her. She’s an amazing, sweet, smart little girl, and if you would just spend a little time with her and try to give her a chance, I’m sure she’ll charm the pants off you. I’m not asking you to step up and be her mom. She has a couple of those already. She doesn’t need another mom. But you can’t treat her like she’s a leper. And you can’t let her get attached if you’re planning to bail on her later. Now, I have a meeting, so I need to go. Again, is it okay if I leave her here with you, or am I expected to haul her and her stuff across the street and sign her into day care until Mark can get her?”
Arizona looked expectantly at Lexie, who relented and stepped back to let Arizona in. Arizona dropped the bag on the floor by the door, and went to place Sofia in her play pen before thinking better of it and walking over to Lexie. She held out Sofia, offering the baby to Lexie. “She doesn’t bite. Well, actually, she does, but that’s just because she’s trying to cut a tooth. But she won’t hurt you. And she has teething rings in the freezer if she needs them. I’m sure you are equipped to take care of a kid who can’t even walk yet.” Lexie finally took Sofia from Arizona. Arizona smiled and spouted off instructions as she walked toward the door. “That stuffed dog is her favorite toy and he will sometimes help with the crying. Mark should have everything she needs around here somewhere. If you can’t find something you need, check the bag. It has emergency supplies: diapers, wipes, outfits, etc. If you should happen to have an emergency, or if Mark tells you he has to stay at the hospital, Callie will be off in two hours. You can try to page either one of us, but please don’t do that unless it’s a real emergency. Now I really have to go before I’m late for my meeting. And I promise the crying will stop eventually. Just remember that it’s not you.”
Arizona darted out of the apartment and closed the door behind her. As always, the tears started to fall as soon as the door shut. Through the door, Arizona could hear Lexie speak over the tears, “Okay, kid. Looks like it just you and me for a while. We can do this, right?”