Fanfic: As Time Goes By (11/?)
Title: As Time Goes By 11
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Callie’s promotion brings a man from Arizona’s past back into her life. This is my first venture into an AU fiction. There are small things that do come from the show, but nothing is spoilery.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I do not intend to profit in any way, shape or form by posting this story. It's for fun, nothing more, and nothing less. Please don't sue me.
A/N: There’s going to be a hefty time jump after this chapter (probably two or three years). This chapter is just a ball of cheesy deliciousness and fluffy goodness. Next chapter we’ll learn some stuff about Arizona’s past and things will be revving up into a bit of drama. Thank you to everyone who has been commenting on this story at LJ and Fanfiction. Net, I truly appreciate the support. Thanks to my co-writerjj_280391 and all her awesome ideas and also thank you do the super amazing greys_ajunkie cause she makes me die about fifty times a day by cracking me up. :D
Two Weeks Later
“No. Just no, seriously, I can’t take it anymore. Calliope, call them off! I’m not an invalid. I’m perfectly capable of getting up and walking down a flight of stairs. It’s bad enough you had to drive the tank to pick us all up and you had to have your father, YOUR FATHER, pick me up and lift me into the car, but I am drawing the line here! I am not going to be carried up and down the stairs for six to eight weeks while the incision heals!” Arizona was angry and the pulsating vein that Callie watched on her wife’s neck let her know that she was serious. Callie needed to proceed with caution. There had been complications with the c-section which required a second surgery. Addison couldn’t explain why it happened, but there’s always a risk with surgery and this happened to be one of them. They caught the issue early and got her back into the OR within two days and fixed the problem. Arizona never complained while in the hospital, since the babies needed to stay a little longer anyway to ensure they were fit for home life, given they were born a little premature, like most cases of multiples. Addison felt terrible about the complication, but Callie and Arizona were well aware she wasn’t at fault, these things happened and they were so happy that Addison was such a great doctor that she caught the problem early and fixed it. Addison ensured Arizona would have a stay in the hospital until the babies were ready to go as an apology and although Arizona was thankful, she made sure Addison knew it was not necessary.
“And I swear to god, Calliope, if you dare suggest having one of those elderly chair-stair-lifts installed I will make it so that you never see my naught-bits again! I have drawn a line, don’t you dare cross it. You’re my wife and they are my parents and you all should know that I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself and that I don’t want any of you waiting on me hand and foot just because my guts had to be ripped open in order to evict your children, Calliope!” Arizona was still sitting in bed, but she had managed to slowly, very slowly turn her body so that he legs were over the side of the bed. She grimaced in pain, but quickly wiped it away from her face and glanced at Callie. She frowned when she realized Callie totally caught her.
“Don’t. Don’t you dare say it, Callie.” Arizona grunted and frowned at the pain she felt from sitting in this position. She couldn’t believe how much pain she was still in, but she wasn’t about to let a little cut in her abdomen defeat her. She wasn’t going to be carried around or stay in bed all day either. She was thankful that Callie had taken maternity leave to be with her, but the hovering was really getting on her nerves. And if it wasn’t Callie, then it was her mother, or her father, or Callie’s parents and even Alice! She woke up yesterday and Alice was lying in bed next to her chewing a straw in her mouth while Sofia played with the bra she had left in bed the previous evening. Sofia had her little head in the cup while she was talking into the other cup. Alice was answering as though she was on the phone with Sofia. Yes, they were talking on the bra phone. Arizona had never been so embarrassed in all her life. Okay, there were other embarrassing things, but yeah, that was bad. Alice said Callie ran to the store and didn’t want Arizona to wake up alone.
“Arizona, there’s no reason to push yourself so hard. We have plenty hands on deck.” Callie crossed her arms and raised a single eyebrow to give around a critical look.
“You’ve been talking to my dad way too much. No navy metaphors.” Arizona bit her lip and gripped the night stand with one hand and steadied herself with her other hand on the bed as she lifted herself into a standing position. She swayed slightly and watched as Callie fought with herself whether or not to go and help her. Arizona raised the hand that was on the bed as she steadied herself to tell Callie it wasn’t necessary. “I am never having sex with you again. We are not having any more kids… ever. That’s it, Callie. I know I said ten, but I was out of my mind in grief and trauma over what happened in the hospital, so four is just going to have to be enough for you, okay? I know you’re addicted, but hey, I just gave you three at once, that must be a total dream for you and your baby addiction.”
Callie laughed and walked over to Arizona as she finally stood on her own. She kissed Arizona’s forehead and was careful not to put any weight on her wife in fear she might fall over. “You do realize we can’t actually make the babies, right? You remember what we had to go through to make the monsters that we now have?”
“I don’t want to take any chances,” Arizona pouted and very slowly started to move her way toward the bathroom. She kept one hand on the wall to her right and the other in front of her so that she wouldn’t kill herself on the short walk.
Callie shook her head and laughed again and then crossed her arms. “I don’t want to cross your line, but your father is going to kill me for letting you walk around on your own, you know. And I can’t say I’m delighted with the idea of the Colonel wanting to kill me after you’ve just given me one of my biggest fantasies.” Callie was grinning and she winked when she saw Arizona look over her shoulder to ensure she wasn’t being serious. Arizona groaned softly as she looked back forward and continued her slow, shaky walk to the bathroom.
“I will kill my father if he thinks I’m raising four kids solo.” They both laughed, but Arizona soon winced in pain and then glared at Callie. “Stop making me laugh, it’s hurts worse than walking…”
“Sorry, sorry…” Callie raised her hands in surrender. “I really do wish you’d let me help you, but I’m not crossing your line. I’m going to take the milk we pumped downstairs and put it in the fridge and add it to the surplus we already have. Your little monsters eat like mini sumo wrestlers. Just be happy they aren’t nibbling on your nipples. Mine were so sensitive and painful when I was breastfeeding Sofia and that was just one, I couldn’t imagine trying to rotate three.” Callie shook her head slightly.
The one good thing about the c-section was that Arizona was in so much pain she couldn’t breastfeed. Callie was always of the opinion that trying to breastfeed all three was just not a good idea, but she wasn’t about to fight with her crazy pregnant wife. She heard Arizona sigh as she finally made it to the bathroom and then closed the door behind her, effectively ending the conversation. She walked to the door and spoke loudly to ensure Arizona would hear her, “I left your painkillers on your nightstand with a glass of water. Please take them before you come down.” She heard a grunt and assumed that was Arizona agreeing with her, so she turned and grabbed the pumped milk and headed downstairs.
Barbara was holding Sienna and the only reason she knew it was Sienna was the pink bracelet she had on her right wrist. Skye wore a blue bracelet. There was just no other way to tell them apart. They both also had the same birthmark, a little darken patch of skin in the shape of a half-moon on their lower back, just like their birth mother and just like herself. She beamed with pride over the girl and kissed her forehead. She ran her fingers through the downy locks of blonde hair and smiled as the little girl looked up at her with sleepy blue eyes. “Oh yes, drinking all of that yummy milk is just so tiring, isn’t it, baby girl?” She whispered in her best baby voice and held the girl closer to her chest. “And you just love sucking on that little chupo, don’t you? Just like your brother and sister.”
“I must say, Barbara, our daughters make beautiful babies.” Lucia was grinning ear to ear while holding Spencer in one arm and holding a bottle of milk to his lips with the other. He was smaller than the girls, but catching up rapidly. He ate slower than the other two and no one was really sure why. He just had his own way of doing things, whereas the twins were exactly the same in every way. All three babies look so much like Arizona, they were practically clones. Callie’s heart leapt for joy in her chest that none of them seemed to take any of the father’s major traits. She thinks that Arizona was happy for that as well.
Callie bounded down the stairs and headed into the kitchen where practically everyone was. Carlos was smothering Sky with kisses, Barbara was talking to Sienna, Lucia was still feeding Spencer a bottle and the Colonel was overseeing everyone. She felt her heart burst with pride over how much love their parents were showing the babies. She prepared the pumped milk before putting it away in the fridge. Alice and Sofia had just walked into the kitchen as she finished. “There’s my big girl,” Callie grinned as she opened her arms.
“I think I’m a little big for hugs from mama bear, Callie,” Alice quipped as Sofia ran and jumped into Callie’s arms. Everyone in the room started giggling, especially Sofia.
“Mama hugs are for Sofie-bear!” She wrapped her chubby arms around Callie’s neck and kissed her cheek. Callie was so proud of Sofia, just recently she’s been able to really say her F’s and K’s so clearly. She was so worried that Sofia hadn’t been able to get them out, but Arizona always told her to give her time and that each child learns in their own time and given Arizona’s knowledge of children, she wasn’t about to argue. She was really thankful for having such a wonderful wife and the fact she knew so much about kids was a definitely bonus.
“Bunny, Ducky and MooMoo!” Sofia giggled as she pointed to each of the triplets. No one knows how or why, but she started calling Skye Bunny, Sienna Ducky and Spencer MooMoo. It was pretty addictive watching Sofia call them that was such enthusiasm, so the nicknames have been sticking. Callie kissed Sofia’s cheek and saw that she was still wearing her super sister shirt and the red cape Arizona had bought for her. She really seems to love being a big sister and Callie couldn’t be more proud.
“Sofia, how do you feel about your brother and sisters?” Lucia asked with a smile.
“Me wuvs them wots!” Sofia giggled and shyly nuzzled her face into Callie’s neck. Apparently, Sofia still needed to work on her L sounds. “Me big sister!”
“That’s right, big girl. You’re the big sister.” Callie laughed and kissed Sofia’s cheek and then she turned to Alice. “Mark should be here soon with Brittany, right?” Callie and Alice thought it would be nice for Sofia and Brittany to go see the new animated movie that just came out. Sofia wanted to play with her siblings, but they were just too small for that right now, so they tried to give her a play date at least twice a week with someone more her age. Mark didn’t mind at all and Brittany was only a few months older than Sofia, so it worked out for all involved. Alice would take the girls and Mark would hang out and watch the game with Carlos, Daniel and Callie. The ladies would take care of the babies. Lexie had been talking Callie’s ear off about this day. She was so excited to see the babies, Callie had to wonder if she wasn’t going to start talking Mark into having another soon. Callie only hoped Arizona wouldn’t do something silly to ruin the plans for the day.
“Yeah and I’m going to take the girls to the park afterward, so they can run around and be crazy. Doesn’t that sound like fun, Sofie-bear?” Alice said while she packed a small cooler with some treats.
“Yay! Sofia wuvs park! Mama, Bunny, Ducky and MooMoo come?” Sofia tilted her head and looked at Callie with her big expressive brown eyes. All the parents in the room whispered a soft “Awww..” and Callie just hugged Sofia more tightly.
“You’re such a super awesome big sister, Sofia. Bunny, Ducky and MooMoo are very tired, so they are going to stay home and nap, but they want you to go and have a super time, big girl, okay?” Callie kissed Sofia’s nose and she giggled before nodding once. Callie dropped her to the ground and she started to dance in the middle of the kitchen to some song in her head.
Daniel chuckled, “My daughters vocabulary coming out of your mouth just makes me laugh every time.”
Carlos laughed loudly and nodded, “I was thinking the same thing, Colonel.”
Callie rolled her eyes as her parents and in-laws laughed at her. “There are worse things I could say.”
“Wike crap, right Mama?” Sofia giggled and all of the parents laughed, though they tried to keep it down to a dull roar due to the babies.
Callie laughed and nodded her head slightly, “Yeah, Sofie-bear, like crap.”
There was a knock at the front door and Alice held up her hands, “I’ll get it since everyone else is full of baby.” She chuckled as well as the rest of the room as she made her way to the door. She unlocked it and opened it and Brittany bounded in and wrapped her arms around Alice’s leg. “Hullo, Alice.”
“Well, hello there Miss Brittany Susan, how are you today?” Alice smiled down at Brittany and brushed her lightly brown hair out of her eyes. Brittany was a full head taller than Sofia, but the way the two played, you’d never know it. Sofia made up for her lack of height with pure Torres. At least, that’s what Callie called Sofia’s attitude, Torres, and no one else would even try to correct her.
“I was bad when Daddy tried to dress me and he made a mad face.” She shrugged and then leaned closer to Alice so she could hear her whisper, “He wanted me to wear an ugly brown dress. I wanted to wear pink. Pink is Aunt Arizona’s favorite color.”
Alice nodded and smiled at Brittany. “Did you want to wear pink to help Aunt Arizona feel better since she’s home now?” Brittany nodded and smiled brightly. If there was one thing Brittany wasn’t, it was shy. “Aren’t you a sweet girl?” Alice smiled and ruffled Brittany’s brown hair. “Sofia is in the kitchen with everyone else, why don’t you go say hi to everyone?” Brittany nodded and then ran into the other room.
“Sofia, I’m heeeere!”
Alice shook her head and looked up as Mark and Lexie walked in. He handed his bag to Alice as Lexie gave her a slight hug and then wandered after Brittany. Mark laughed and then ran his hand through his short hair. “I put some extra things in there, so you shouldn’t have to take two bags.” He gave Alice a quick hug and looked up as he saw Arizona very slowly making her way down the stairs. He glanced at Alice who just rapidly shook her head at him, saying no with her eyes, but he gave her a crazy look and walked passed her toward the stairs.
“Hey there, Blondie, need some help walking down the steps?” He smiled his flirty gentleman smile, but it was soon wiped off his face. His eyes widened when he saw the look of anger cross Arizona’s face.
“Uh, Callie… Meltdown in T-Minus 5 seconds!” Alice said after closing the door and running into the kitchen.
Callie looked up from the conversation she was having with Lexie and her parents and gave Alice a confused look. “He’s trying to help Ar-“
Callie’s eyes widened and she took off toward the stairs only to catch Arizona mid-rant and Mark staring at Arizona with a look of horror.
“-because you know, women have babies every day and just because my stomach had to be sliced open with a scalpel doesn’t make me any less capable of taking care of my kids or walking, okay? I am not in need of a man to do anything for me, ever, especially you, Mark!” Arizona had made it halfway down the stairs while ranting. She was breathing hard and her nostrils were flaring and she turned her glare onto Callie, “And you, having a good time monopolizing the babies while I sit upstairs? You didn’t check on me for the past twenty minutes and I couldn’t stand up after peeing!”
Mark blushed brightly and just turned and walked into the kitchen, trying to get away from that argument as fast as he possible could. Callie sighed and watched as Arizona silently made her way down the rest of the stairs. Callie reached out and gently caressed Arizona’s cheek and then kissed her lips softly. “Listen babe, I know you’re in pain and you’re uncomfortable and I really don’t mind you taking your frustrations out on me, but I just need you to make up your mind one way or the other, so I don’t make things worse for you, okay?” She lowered her head so she could look into Arizona’s eyes. “If you don’t want me to hover, I won’t, but if you want me to help, tell me so.”
“I want you to help me, not everyone and my mother, who is actually here and really makes that statement more of a fact than an exaggeration.” Arizona sighed and then she slapped Callie’s shoulder, because Callie was laughing at her statement.
“Hey, that was really runny.” Arizona rolled her eyes and Callie laughed while rubbing her shoulders gently, “Okay, babe, I get it. I’ll do better okay? And we’ll have the parents back off and go into baby mode, which they’re pretty much stuck in already. Oh and you missed it, proud Sofia pointed at Bunny, Ducky and MooMoo this morning while saying their nicknames.”
“Aww, why did you have to tell me that? Seriously, we have the most awesome daughter and I missed it.” Arizona pouted and lowered her forehead onto Callie’s shoulder. Callie wrapped her arms around Arizona and rubbed her back gently while pressing a soft kiss against her temple. After a moment, Arizona finally hissed in pain. “I’m sorry, that just felt so good until it didn’t because of my stupid stomach.” She sighed and Callie watched her shoulders slump further.
“I’m sorry you’re so uncomfortable, babe. Why don’t we get you into a comfy chair in the living room and I can bring the whole crowd over and we can sit and fawn over the babies until the game starts, huh? And I can get you some food, if you’re feeling up to eating something, does that sound okay?” Arizona nodded and let Callie lead her into the living room.
“Can we sit in the love seat together?” Arizona asked while giving Callie her best, most cute puppy dog eyes and pout.
Callie laughed and nodded, “Of course we can. And then we can curl up and watch the game and I promise that I won’t jump up out of the seat or anything when the Seahawks do something awesome. Oh, and tell your dad to stop making fun of me for talking like you. Really, it’s wife abuse and I need you to defend my honor.”
Arizona was laughing and trying to make herself stop. She gave Callie and grimaced in pain and then let the breath she was holding be released through her nose. “Seriously, that hurts and if you keep it up, I’ll show you real wife abuse.” Callie laughed and helped Arizona sit down on the love seat. She pulled over the ottoman they bought recently, it was lower to the ground than the other one they had and it was easier for Arizona to put her feet up while recovering. “Thank you, Calliope.”
“Anytime, babe, I love you.” She leaned in and kissed Arizona softly. “I’m going to tell the troops to relocate in here.”
“Seriously, stop with the military references,” snorted Arizona, which made her cringe in pain again.
“I can’t help it, Arizona; the Colonel brings them out of me.” Callie winked and then headed into the kitchen to make Arizona some food and have everyone else move into the living room.
After being carried upstairs by her wife, Arizona was sitting in bed with a large frown on her face. She crossed her arms over her chest and raised a brow toward Callie as she walked back in from the small nursery which was attached to their bedroom. “So, what exactly are we doing again?”
Alice walked in behind Callie and held up her hands in defeat. “I’m not an accomplice, I’m an innocent bystander.” Arizona chuckled and Callie shook her head with a laugh.
“Christmas is coming soon and I know you don’t have a lot of extended family, but I do and they’ve been bugging my parents for pictures, so I figured we’d take some shots and I’ll have them developed before our parents leave and we can make everyone happy.” Callie smiled and started to set up a tripod on the other side of the bed.
“You want to take a picture of me, with four babies after I just had surgery and can barely sit up straight for more than couple of hours?” Arizona raised a brow suspiciously at Callie.
“Yup, that’s exactly what I want to do.” Callie nodded and put the camera on the top of the tripod and looked through it at Arizona, who was holding her middle finger up at the camera with a scowl on her face. Callie hit the button and took the picture of Arizona posing that way, “Ooops.” Alice was snickering behind Callie and Callie was grinning widely, but Arizona shot them both a glare, so Alice quickly turned toward the door and motioned for Sofia to come in.
“Sofia the red-nosed reindeer!” She jumped onto the bed near Arizona’s feet and the jostling of the bed made Arizona cringe in pain. Sofia looked up at Arizona with her big brown eyes and a small pout on her lips, “Sorry, Mommy.” Arizona just willed the pain away and smiled at Sofia. She was wearing a pair of all brown pajamas and had a headband with fuzzy antlers attached to her head. She was also wearing a red nose that glowed and her super sister cape. She looked so adorable and Arizona wished she could just reach out and squeeze her.
“Aww, you look so cute, big girl, who helped you put that together?” Arizona asked and Sofia moved to sit to the right of her knees.
“Mama and Awice!” Sofia giggled and turned to watch Callie as she fiddled with the camera.
“Well, they sure did a nice job.” Arizona lifted her hand and gently caressed Sofia’s cheek and she leaned into her touch and it just made Arizona’s insides melt with love and adoration. There was a sudden flash and sound of a picture being taken.
“I couldn’t resist,” Callie said. She turned around and grabbed a bag and then walked over to Arizona. She reached into the bag and pulled out a Santa cap and put it on Arizona’s head, tilting it a little to make her look even more adorable. She leaned down and kissed Arizona’s nose. “You look so cute, babe. I’m really glad you put on that red shirt, it’s almost like you knew I was going to do this!” Callie was wearing a matching red shirt and she pulled out another Santa cap and put it on her head. “There, we’re a matched set.” She winked at Arizona who just shook her head slightly. Callie crawled into the other side of the bed and slipped her arm around Arizona’s shoulders. She sat as close as she could to Arizona with Sofia sitting between them. “Can you check the camera, Alice?”
Alice nodded and looked through the camera and made sure they all fit. She gave them a thumbs up. “Looks good, let me get the triple threats.” They all laughed as Alice walked into the nursery and grabbed Skye. She brought Sky to Callie, who held her in her free arm. Skye was wearing a red and green onesie which had the word ‘JOY’ written on the front in white. Alice went to nursery and brought out Spencer, who was also in a matching onesie with the word ‘LOVE’ written on the front. She handed Spencer to Arizona who held him in her left arm so that he would be in the middle of the picture next to Sofia. Alice then grabbed Sienna, also decked out in a green and red onesie with the word ‘PEACE’ on the front in white. Arizona took Sienna into her right arm and then Alice went back to the camera.
“So, did Yang and Grey make these onesies too?” Arizona rolled her eyes, but honestly, she thought it was insanely cute.
“I think they mentioned making an online shop and ‘taking the baby world by storm’.” They all laughed, but Arizona did her best not to move too much, since her hands were full.
“Those onesies are perfect, Callie, you can read the words really clearly. Peace, love and joy and you can just plaster the picture over somethin’ and send’em off.” Alice laughed and started snapping several pictures. “Gosh, April wasn’t kiddin’ me when she said you guys were such a cute family.”
Twenty minutes later the babies were all fed, cleaned and in bed, well, for a few hours anyway. Callie told Sofia a bedtime story while keeping the baby monitor with her, since she didn’t want Arizona jumping up to get them. After she kissed Sofia goodnight, she headed back to her bedroom to see Arizona laying on her back and holding a medical journal up over her head. Callie chuckled as she pulled out some clothes to sleep in for both of them. “Your arms are going to be tired after doing that for too long, you know.”
“These arms need the exercise, considering we have years of baby holding ahead for us.” Arizona deadpanned as she kept reading.
“Should I get changed first, or do you want me to help you first?”
“Hmm.” Arizona dropped the journal on her nightstand and then grunted as she lifted herself into a sitting position. Callie came over quickly and helped her sit up. She pulled off Arizona’s shirt and then grinned.
“No bra, niiiiice.”
Arizona blushed and then pouted while looking up at Callie. “It’s not fair. They’re finally out and we can’t have sexy time because I can’t move without being in pain.”
Callie laughed and helped Arizona into a soft black cotton tank top. Callie was thankful to see she was already wearing a pair of sleep shorts, because helping her change pants was like trying to wrestle a two year old with ants in their pants, but Callie would never say that to Arizona. “We’ll have plenty of time for that when you feel more up to it, as long as you don’t think I’ll impregnate you with more demon spawns.” They both laughed.
“They’re all so beautiful, Calliope. How have we been so blessed to have four wonderful children?” Arizona remained sitting up as Callie leaned behind her and fluffed her pillows. Arizona leaned back and snuggled into the warmth of the bed as best she could. Callie covered her and leaned in and pressed a not so innocent kiss to Arizona’s lips.
“The moment I found you, babe, I knew my luck in love changed. We’re just that awesome together.” Callie changed into her sleep clothes and headed into the bathroom for her nightly ritual, “And I’m glad we’re not calling them demon spawn anymore.” She smiled when she heard Arizona giggle.
When she was finished, she slid into bed next to Arizona and kissed her on the temple. She smiled to herself when she realized Arizona was already asleep, the painkillers along with the stuff to help her sleep really seemed to kick in quick. Another nice thing was that Arizona didn’t seem to have any nightmares. Callie would have to remember to say thank you to Addison later. She snuggled next to her wife, careful not to disturb her or touch her belly and closed her eyes. Her last thought before drifting to sleep was about how lucky she finally was to have everything she’d ever hoped and dreamed of.
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Callie’s promotion brings a man from Arizona’s past back into her life. This is my first venture into an AU fiction. There are small things that do come from the show, but nothing is spoilery.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I do not intend to profit in any way, shape or form by posting this story. It's for fun, nothing more, and nothing less. Please don't sue me.
A/N: There’s going to be a hefty time jump after this chapter (probably two or three years). This chapter is just a ball of cheesy deliciousness and fluffy goodness. Next chapter we’ll learn some stuff about Arizona’s past and things will be revving up into a bit of drama. Thank you to everyone who has been commenting on this story at LJ and Fanfiction. Net, I truly appreciate the support. Thanks to my co-writerjj_280391 and all her awesome ideas and also thank you do the super amazing greys_ajunkie cause she makes me die about fifty times a day by cracking me up. :D
Two Weeks Later
“No. Just no, seriously, I can’t take it anymore. Calliope, call them off! I’m not an invalid. I’m perfectly capable of getting up and walking down a flight of stairs. It’s bad enough you had to drive the tank to pick us all up and you had to have your father, YOUR FATHER, pick me up and lift me into the car, but I am drawing the line here! I am not going to be carried up and down the stairs for six to eight weeks while the incision heals!” Arizona was angry and the pulsating vein that Callie watched on her wife’s neck let her know that she was serious. Callie needed to proceed with caution. There had been complications with the c-section which required a second surgery. Addison couldn’t explain why it happened, but there’s always a risk with surgery and this happened to be one of them. They caught the issue early and got her back into the OR within two days and fixed the problem. Arizona never complained while in the hospital, since the babies needed to stay a little longer anyway to ensure they were fit for home life, given they were born a little premature, like most cases of multiples. Addison felt terrible about the complication, but Callie and Arizona were well aware she wasn’t at fault, these things happened and they were so happy that Addison was such a great doctor that she caught the problem early and fixed it. Addison ensured Arizona would have a stay in the hospital until the babies were ready to go as an apology and although Arizona was thankful, she made sure Addison knew it was not necessary.
“And I swear to god, Calliope, if you dare suggest having one of those elderly chair-stair-lifts installed I will make it so that you never see my naught-bits again! I have drawn a line, don’t you dare cross it. You’re my wife and they are my parents and you all should know that I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself and that I don’t want any of you waiting on me hand and foot just because my guts had to be ripped open in order to evict your children, Calliope!” Arizona was still sitting in bed, but she had managed to slowly, very slowly turn her body so that he legs were over the side of the bed. She grimaced in pain, but quickly wiped it away from her face and glanced at Callie. She frowned when she realized Callie totally caught her.
“Don’t. Don’t you dare say it, Callie.” Arizona grunted and frowned at the pain she felt from sitting in this position. She couldn’t believe how much pain she was still in, but she wasn’t about to let a little cut in her abdomen defeat her. She wasn’t going to be carried around or stay in bed all day either. She was thankful that Callie had taken maternity leave to be with her, but the hovering was really getting on her nerves. And if it wasn’t Callie, then it was her mother, or her father, or Callie’s parents and even Alice! She woke up yesterday and Alice was lying in bed next to her chewing a straw in her mouth while Sofia played with the bra she had left in bed the previous evening. Sofia had her little head in the cup while she was talking into the other cup. Alice was answering as though she was on the phone with Sofia. Yes, they were talking on the bra phone. Arizona had never been so embarrassed in all her life. Okay, there were other embarrassing things, but yeah, that was bad. Alice said Callie ran to the store and didn’t want Arizona to wake up alone.
“Arizona, there’s no reason to push yourself so hard. We have plenty hands on deck.” Callie crossed her arms and raised a single eyebrow to give around a critical look.
“You’ve been talking to my dad way too much. No navy metaphors.” Arizona bit her lip and gripped the night stand with one hand and steadied herself with her other hand on the bed as she lifted herself into a standing position. She swayed slightly and watched as Callie fought with herself whether or not to go and help her. Arizona raised the hand that was on the bed as she steadied herself to tell Callie it wasn’t necessary. “I am never having sex with you again. We are not having any more kids… ever. That’s it, Callie. I know I said ten, but I was out of my mind in grief and trauma over what happened in the hospital, so four is just going to have to be enough for you, okay? I know you’re addicted, but hey, I just gave you three at once, that must be a total dream for you and your baby addiction.”
Callie laughed and walked over to Arizona as she finally stood on her own. She kissed Arizona’s forehead and was careful not to put any weight on her wife in fear she might fall over. “You do realize we can’t actually make the babies, right? You remember what we had to go through to make the monsters that we now have?”
“I don’t want to take any chances,” Arizona pouted and very slowly started to move her way toward the bathroom. She kept one hand on the wall to her right and the other in front of her so that she wouldn’t kill herself on the short walk.
Callie shook her head and laughed again and then crossed her arms. “I don’t want to cross your line, but your father is going to kill me for letting you walk around on your own, you know. And I can’t say I’m delighted with the idea of the Colonel wanting to kill me after you’ve just given me one of my biggest fantasies.” Callie was grinning and she winked when she saw Arizona look over her shoulder to ensure she wasn’t being serious. Arizona groaned softly as she looked back forward and continued her slow, shaky walk to the bathroom.
“I will kill my father if he thinks I’m raising four kids solo.” They both laughed, but Arizona soon winced in pain and then glared at Callie. “Stop making me laugh, it’s hurts worse than walking…”
“Sorry, sorry…” Callie raised her hands in surrender. “I really do wish you’d let me help you, but I’m not crossing your line. I’m going to take the milk we pumped downstairs and put it in the fridge and add it to the surplus we already have. Your little monsters eat like mini sumo wrestlers. Just be happy they aren’t nibbling on your nipples. Mine were so sensitive and painful when I was breastfeeding Sofia and that was just one, I couldn’t imagine trying to rotate three.” Callie shook her head slightly.
The one good thing about the c-section was that Arizona was in so much pain she couldn’t breastfeed. Callie was always of the opinion that trying to breastfeed all three was just not a good idea, but she wasn’t about to fight with her crazy pregnant wife. She heard Arizona sigh as she finally made it to the bathroom and then closed the door behind her, effectively ending the conversation. She walked to the door and spoke loudly to ensure Arizona would hear her, “I left your painkillers on your nightstand with a glass of water. Please take them before you come down.” She heard a grunt and assumed that was Arizona agreeing with her, so she turned and grabbed the pumped milk and headed downstairs.
Barbara was holding Sienna and the only reason she knew it was Sienna was the pink bracelet she had on her right wrist. Skye wore a blue bracelet. There was just no other way to tell them apart. They both also had the same birthmark, a little darken patch of skin in the shape of a half-moon on their lower back, just like their birth mother and just like herself. She beamed with pride over the girl and kissed her forehead. She ran her fingers through the downy locks of blonde hair and smiled as the little girl looked up at her with sleepy blue eyes. “Oh yes, drinking all of that yummy milk is just so tiring, isn’t it, baby girl?” She whispered in her best baby voice and held the girl closer to her chest. “And you just love sucking on that little chupo, don’t you? Just like your brother and sister.”
“I must say, Barbara, our daughters make beautiful babies.” Lucia was grinning ear to ear while holding Spencer in one arm and holding a bottle of milk to his lips with the other. He was smaller than the girls, but catching up rapidly. He ate slower than the other two and no one was really sure why. He just had his own way of doing things, whereas the twins were exactly the same in every way. All three babies look so much like Arizona, they were practically clones. Callie’s heart leapt for joy in her chest that none of them seemed to take any of the father’s major traits. She thinks that Arizona was happy for that as well.
Callie bounded down the stairs and headed into the kitchen where practically everyone was. Carlos was smothering Sky with kisses, Barbara was talking to Sienna, Lucia was still feeding Spencer a bottle and the Colonel was overseeing everyone. She felt her heart burst with pride over how much love their parents were showing the babies. She prepared the pumped milk before putting it away in the fridge. Alice and Sofia had just walked into the kitchen as she finished. “There’s my big girl,” Callie grinned as she opened her arms.
“I think I’m a little big for hugs from mama bear, Callie,” Alice quipped as Sofia ran and jumped into Callie’s arms. Everyone in the room started giggling, especially Sofia.
“Mama hugs are for Sofie-bear!” She wrapped her chubby arms around Callie’s neck and kissed her cheek. Callie was so proud of Sofia, just recently she’s been able to really say her F’s and K’s so clearly. She was so worried that Sofia hadn’t been able to get them out, but Arizona always told her to give her time and that each child learns in their own time and given Arizona’s knowledge of children, she wasn’t about to argue. She was really thankful for having such a wonderful wife and the fact she knew so much about kids was a definitely bonus.
“Bunny, Ducky and MooMoo!” Sofia giggled as she pointed to each of the triplets. No one knows how or why, but she started calling Skye Bunny, Sienna Ducky and Spencer MooMoo. It was pretty addictive watching Sofia call them that was such enthusiasm, so the nicknames have been sticking. Callie kissed Sofia’s cheek and saw that she was still wearing her super sister shirt and the red cape Arizona had bought for her. She really seems to love being a big sister and Callie couldn’t be more proud.
“Sofia, how do you feel about your brother and sisters?” Lucia asked with a smile.
“Me wuvs them wots!” Sofia giggled and shyly nuzzled her face into Callie’s neck. Apparently, Sofia still needed to work on her L sounds. “Me big sister!”
“That’s right, big girl. You’re the big sister.” Callie laughed and kissed Sofia’s cheek and then she turned to Alice. “Mark should be here soon with Brittany, right?” Callie and Alice thought it would be nice for Sofia and Brittany to go see the new animated movie that just came out. Sofia wanted to play with her siblings, but they were just too small for that right now, so they tried to give her a play date at least twice a week with someone more her age. Mark didn’t mind at all and Brittany was only a few months older than Sofia, so it worked out for all involved. Alice would take the girls and Mark would hang out and watch the game with Carlos, Daniel and Callie. The ladies would take care of the babies. Lexie had been talking Callie’s ear off about this day. She was so excited to see the babies, Callie had to wonder if she wasn’t going to start talking Mark into having another soon. Callie only hoped Arizona wouldn’t do something silly to ruin the plans for the day.
“Yeah and I’m going to take the girls to the park afterward, so they can run around and be crazy. Doesn’t that sound like fun, Sofie-bear?” Alice said while she packed a small cooler with some treats.
“Yay! Sofia wuvs park! Mama, Bunny, Ducky and MooMoo come?” Sofia tilted her head and looked at Callie with her big expressive brown eyes. All the parents in the room whispered a soft “Awww..” and Callie just hugged Sofia more tightly.
“You’re such a super awesome big sister, Sofia. Bunny, Ducky and MooMoo are very tired, so they are going to stay home and nap, but they want you to go and have a super time, big girl, okay?” Callie kissed Sofia’s nose and she giggled before nodding once. Callie dropped her to the ground and she started to dance in the middle of the kitchen to some song in her head.
Daniel chuckled, “My daughters vocabulary coming out of your mouth just makes me laugh every time.”
Carlos laughed loudly and nodded, “I was thinking the same thing, Colonel.”
Callie rolled her eyes as her parents and in-laws laughed at her. “There are worse things I could say.”
“Wike crap, right Mama?” Sofia giggled and all of the parents laughed, though they tried to keep it down to a dull roar due to the babies.
Callie laughed and nodded her head slightly, “Yeah, Sofie-bear, like crap.”
There was a knock at the front door and Alice held up her hands, “I’ll get it since everyone else is full of baby.” She chuckled as well as the rest of the room as she made her way to the door. She unlocked it and opened it and Brittany bounded in and wrapped her arms around Alice’s leg. “Hullo, Alice.”
“Well, hello there Miss Brittany Susan, how are you today?” Alice smiled down at Brittany and brushed her lightly brown hair out of her eyes. Brittany was a full head taller than Sofia, but the way the two played, you’d never know it. Sofia made up for her lack of height with pure Torres. At least, that’s what Callie called Sofia’s attitude, Torres, and no one else would even try to correct her.
“I was bad when Daddy tried to dress me and he made a mad face.” She shrugged and then leaned closer to Alice so she could hear her whisper, “He wanted me to wear an ugly brown dress. I wanted to wear pink. Pink is Aunt Arizona’s favorite color.”
Alice nodded and smiled at Brittany. “Did you want to wear pink to help Aunt Arizona feel better since she’s home now?” Brittany nodded and smiled brightly. If there was one thing Brittany wasn’t, it was shy. “Aren’t you a sweet girl?” Alice smiled and ruffled Brittany’s brown hair. “Sofia is in the kitchen with everyone else, why don’t you go say hi to everyone?” Brittany nodded and then ran into the other room.
“Sofia, I’m heeeere!”
Alice shook her head and looked up as Mark and Lexie walked in. He handed his bag to Alice as Lexie gave her a slight hug and then wandered after Brittany. Mark laughed and then ran his hand through his short hair. “I put some extra things in there, so you shouldn’t have to take two bags.” He gave Alice a quick hug and looked up as he saw Arizona very slowly making her way down the stairs. He glanced at Alice who just rapidly shook her head at him, saying no with her eyes, but he gave her a crazy look and walked passed her toward the stairs.
“Hey there, Blondie, need some help walking down the steps?” He smiled his flirty gentleman smile, but it was soon wiped off his face. His eyes widened when he saw the look of anger cross Arizona’s face.
“Uh, Callie… Meltdown in T-Minus 5 seconds!” Alice said after closing the door and running into the kitchen.
Callie looked up from the conversation she was having with Lexie and her parents and gave Alice a confused look. “He’s trying to help Ar-“
Callie’s eyes widened and she took off toward the stairs only to catch Arizona mid-rant and Mark staring at Arizona with a look of horror.
“-because you know, women have babies every day and just because my stomach had to be sliced open with a scalpel doesn’t make me any less capable of taking care of my kids or walking, okay? I am not in need of a man to do anything for me, ever, especially you, Mark!” Arizona had made it halfway down the stairs while ranting. She was breathing hard and her nostrils were flaring and she turned her glare onto Callie, “And you, having a good time monopolizing the babies while I sit upstairs? You didn’t check on me for the past twenty minutes and I couldn’t stand up after peeing!”
Mark blushed brightly and just turned and walked into the kitchen, trying to get away from that argument as fast as he possible could. Callie sighed and watched as Arizona silently made her way down the rest of the stairs. Callie reached out and gently caressed Arizona’s cheek and then kissed her lips softly. “Listen babe, I know you’re in pain and you’re uncomfortable and I really don’t mind you taking your frustrations out on me, but I just need you to make up your mind one way or the other, so I don’t make things worse for you, okay?” She lowered her head so she could look into Arizona’s eyes. “If you don’t want me to hover, I won’t, but if you want me to help, tell me so.”
“I want you to help me, not everyone and my mother, who is actually here and really makes that statement more of a fact than an exaggeration.” Arizona sighed and then she slapped Callie’s shoulder, because Callie was laughing at her statement.
“Hey, that was really runny.” Arizona rolled her eyes and Callie laughed while rubbing her shoulders gently, “Okay, babe, I get it. I’ll do better okay? And we’ll have the parents back off and go into baby mode, which they’re pretty much stuck in already. Oh and you missed it, proud Sofia pointed at Bunny, Ducky and MooMoo this morning while saying their nicknames.”
“Aww, why did you have to tell me that? Seriously, we have the most awesome daughter and I missed it.” Arizona pouted and lowered her forehead onto Callie’s shoulder. Callie wrapped her arms around Arizona and rubbed her back gently while pressing a soft kiss against her temple. After a moment, Arizona finally hissed in pain. “I’m sorry, that just felt so good until it didn’t because of my stupid stomach.” She sighed and Callie watched her shoulders slump further.
“I’m sorry you’re so uncomfortable, babe. Why don’t we get you into a comfy chair in the living room and I can bring the whole crowd over and we can sit and fawn over the babies until the game starts, huh? And I can get you some food, if you’re feeling up to eating something, does that sound okay?” Arizona nodded and let Callie lead her into the living room.
“Can we sit in the love seat together?” Arizona asked while giving Callie her best, most cute puppy dog eyes and pout.
Callie laughed and nodded, “Of course we can. And then we can curl up and watch the game and I promise that I won’t jump up out of the seat or anything when the Seahawks do something awesome. Oh, and tell your dad to stop making fun of me for talking like you. Really, it’s wife abuse and I need you to defend my honor.”
Arizona was laughing and trying to make herself stop. She gave Callie and grimaced in pain and then let the breath she was holding be released through her nose. “Seriously, that hurts and if you keep it up, I’ll show you real wife abuse.” Callie laughed and helped Arizona sit down on the love seat. She pulled over the ottoman they bought recently, it was lower to the ground than the other one they had and it was easier for Arizona to put her feet up while recovering. “Thank you, Calliope.”
“Anytime, babe, I love you.” She leaned in and kissed Arizona softly. “I’m going to tell the troops to relocate in here.”
“Seriously, stop with the military references,” snorted Arizona, which made her cringe in pain again.
“I can’t help it, Arizona; the Colonel brings them out of me.” Callie winked and then headed into the kitchen to make Arizona some food and have everyone else move into the living room.
After being carried upstairs by her wife, Arizona was sitting in bed with a large frown on her face. She crossed her arms over her chest and raised a brow toward Callie as she walked back in from the small nursery which was attached to their bedroom. “So, what exactly are we doing again?”
Alice walked in behind Callie and held up her hands in defeat. “I’m not an accomplice, I’m an innocent bystander.” Arizona chuckled and Callie shook her head with a laugh.
“Christmas is coming soon and I know you don’t have a lot of extended family, but I do and they’ve been bugging my parents for pictures, so I figured we’d take some shots and I’ll have them developed before our parents leave and we can make everyone happy.” Callie smiled and started to set up a tripod on the other side of the bed.
“You want to take a picture of me, with four babies after I just had surgery and can barely sit up straight for more than couple of hours?” Arizona raised a brow suspiciously at Callie.
“Yup, that’s exactly what I want to do.” Callie nodded and put the camera on the top of the tripod and looked through it at Arizona, who was holding her middle finger up at the camera with a scowl on her face. Callie hit the button and took the picture of Arizona posing that way, “Ooops.” Alice was snickering behind Callie and Callie was grinning widely, but Arizona shot them both a glare, so Alice quickly turned toward the door and motioned for Sofia to come in.
“Sofia the red-nosed reindeer!” She jumped onto the bed near Arizona’s feet and the jostling of the bed made Arizona cringe in pain. Sofia looked up at Arizona with her big brown eyes and a small pout on her lips, “Sorry, Mommy.” Arizona just willed the pain away and smiled at Sofia. She was wearing a pair of all brown pajamas and had a headband with fuzzy antlers attached to her head. She was also wearing a red nose that glowed and her super sister cape. She looked so adorable and Arizona wished she could just reach out and squeeze her.
“Aww, you look so cute, big girl, who helped you put that together?” Arizona asked and Sofia moved to sit to the right of her knees.
“Mama and Awice!” Sofia giggled and turned to watch Callie as she fiddled with the camera.
“Well, they sure did a nice job.” Arizona lifted her hand and gently caressed Sofia’s cheek and she leaned into her touch and it just made Arizona’s insides melt with love and adoration. There was a sudden flash and sound of a picture being taken.
“I couldn’t resist,” Callie said. She turned around and grabbed a bag and then walked over to Arizona. She reached into the bag and pulled out a Santa cap and put it on Arizona’s head, tilting it a little to make her look even more adorable. She leaned down and kissed Arizona’s nose. “You look so cute, babe. I’m really glad you put on that red shirt, it’s almost like you knew I was going to do this!” Callie was wearing a matching red shirt and she pulled out another Santa cap and put it on her head. “There, we’re a matched set.” She winked at Arizona who just shook her head slightly. Callie crawled into the other side of the bed and slipped her arm around Arizona’s shoulders. She sat as close as she could to Arizona with Sofia sitting between them. “Can you check the camera, Alice?”
Alice nodded and looked through the camera and made sure they all fit. She gave them a thumbs up. “Looks good, let me get the triple threats.” They all laughed as Alice walked into the nursery and grabbed Skye. She brought Sky to Callie, who held her in her free arm. Skye was wearing a red and green onesie which had the word ‘JOY’ written on the front in white. Alice went to nursery and brought out Spencer, who was also in a matching onesie with the word ‘LOVE’ written on the front. She handed Spencer to Arizona who held him in her left arm so that he would be in the middle of the picture next to Sofia. Alice then grabbed Sienna, also decked out in a green and red onesie with the word ‘PEACE’ on the front in white. Arizona took Sienna into her right arm and then Alice went back to the camera.
“So, did Yang and Grey make these onesies too?” Arizona rolled her eyes, but honestly, she thought it was insanely cute.
“I think they mentioned making an online shop and ‘taking the baby world by storm’.” They all laughed, but Arizona did her best not to move too much, since her hands were full.
“Those onesies are perfect, Callie, you can read the words really clearly. Peace, love and joy and you can just plaster the picture over somethin’ and send’em off.” Alice laughed and started snapping several pictures. “Gosh, April wasn’t kiddin’ me when she said you guys were such a cute family.”
Twenty minutes later the babies were all fed, cleaned and in bed, well, for a few hours anyway. Callie told Sofia a bedtime story while keeping the baby monitor with her, since she didn’t want Arizona jumping up to get them. After she kissed Sofia goodnight, she headed back to her bedroom to see Arizona laying on her back and holding a medical journal up over her head. Callie chuckled as she pulled out some clothes to sleep in for both of them. “Your arms are going to be tired after doing that for too long, you know.”
“These arms need the exercise, considering we have years of baby holding ahead for us.” Arizona deadpanned as she kept reading.
“Should I get changed first, or do you want me to help you first?”
“Hmm.” Arizona dropped the journal on her nightstand and then grunted as she lifted herself into a sitting position. Callie came over quickly and helped her sit up. She pulled off Arizona’s shirt and then grinned.
“No bra, niiiiice.”
Arizona blushed and then pouted while looking up at Callie. “It’s not fair. They’re finally out and we can’t have sexy time because I can’t move without being in pain.”
Callie laughed and helped Arizona into a soft black cotton tank top. Callie was thankful to see she was already wearing a pair of sleep shorts, because helping her change pants was like trying to wrestle a two year old with ants in their pants, but Callie would never say that to Arizona. “We’ll have plenty of time for that when you feel more up to it, as long as you don’t think I’ll impregnate you with more demon spawns.” They both laughed.
“They’re all so beautiful, Calliope. How have we been so blessed to have four wonderful children?” Arizona remained sitting up as Callie leaned behind her and fluffed her pillows. Arizona leaned back and snuggled into the warmth of the bed as best she could. Callie covered her and leaned in and pressed a not so innocent kiss to Arizona’s lips.
“The moment I found you, babe, I knew my luck in love changed. We’re just that awesome together.” Callie changed into her sleep clothes and headed into the bathroom for her nightly ritual, “And I’m glad we’re not calling them demon spawn anymore.” She smiled when she heard Arizona giggle.
When she was finished, she slid into bed next to Arizona and kissed her on the temple. She smiled to herself when she realized Arizona was already asleep, the painkillers along with the stuff to help her sleep really seemed to kick in quick. Another nice thing was that Arizona didn’t seem to have any nightmares. Callie would have to remember to say thank you to Addison later. She snuggled next to her wife, careful not to disturb her or touch her belly and closed her eyes. Her last thought before drifting to sleep was about how lucky she finally was to have everything she’d ever hoped and dreamed of.