What happens now

CHAPTER XXI

Arizona

Going back to work has got to be the best decision ever. I temporarily forgot about Wallace's death which meant I was also temporarily back to my smiling self. I still remember him once in a while, especially when we have rounds. He used to go to rounds with me. He loved it. He loved to help me out even in the smallest things. 
But what I didn't expect to happen today was his parents coming in to see me. It was hard, devastating. I had to keep the tears at bay, which was extremely difficult. It surprised me that they still wanted to give the 25 million intended to find Wallace a cure. The Chief was thankful, but I felt like shit. I felt horrible for letting their son die. They somehow understood that he wasn't gonna make it, even if I did everything in my power to keep him alive and breathing. 
The moment they left, I went to find Callie. I was crying hard and she was the only one who could calm me down. Just the sound of her voice made me want to melt right where I was. I went door after door but I couldn't find her. I even checked the O.R. board to see if she was in any surgeries. I could feel the anxiety build up in me. 

"Have you seen Dr. Torres?" I asked a nurse.
"She went in there Doctor." She pointed to the on call room nearby.

Relieved that someone actually knew where Callie was, I thanked her and rushed inside. There I saw my miraculous girlfriend sleeping , her arm over her head. I took off my shoes and laid on top of her. I could feel myself getting calmer. I wrapped my arms around her tightly as I cried in silence, afraid that I would wake her up. I soon felt weary and closed my eyes.
Callie woke me up when she moved to get me down on the bed. I opened my eyes and her expression went from annoyed by the page,  to a sympathetic one. 

"Did you cry again sweetie? Are you okay?" She asked me
"No. His parents went in to see me earlier. They still gave the 25 million. And I didn't know what to say. I went to find you and good thing a nurse saw you come in here. I almost didn't want to face them Callie. It's my fault their son died." I looked down and sobbed again.
"Hey. No. Baby look at me."
I hesitantly raised my head.
"Arizona, it's not your fault. You said so yourself that you guys didn't think he would make it after 2 years. And yet he did. If it weren't for you, then he wouldn't have spent another 2 years with his parents. You granted them another 2 years. But this time, that was it. Arizona sweetie, death is something we can't control. Please don't blame yourself." She had her hands on my cheek and I couldn't help but lean unto it. 
"I'm sorry if I'm being such a baby. It's just--"
"Hey. Stop apologizing."
"I'm sorry."
She probably laughed at how stupid I was being right now. 
"Damn it. I don't know how I get through with working when I know you're somewhere looking all cute and shit."
"I don't know how you handle it."
"My pager has gone mad. I'll see you in a bit 'kay?"
"Okay. I love you."
"I love you more."

She left me to go to the pit and I eventually went back to finish the paperwork I forgot to do. 
I sat there, reading and writing away, as I let my thoughts float. Wallace's death took a huge toll on me and I needed to move on. He's in a much better place now. 
I finished all the paperwork and checked in with the O.R. schedule if Callie got pulled in on another surgery. When I found out she was, I headed home to her apartment and put on a movie. I ordered pizza as I was starving. I got my pizza and I took half of it for Callie and put in on the kitchen counter. I ate my half and laughed along to the movie I had on. 
The sound of the door creaking open made me look towards it. The door revealed a tired Callie but with a soft smile laced over her lips.

"Calliope! You need to watch this with me. It's fucking hilarious!" I said as I laughed in between sentences.
"Did you eat dinner?" She asked as she put her keys on the counter.
"Yeah. I got pizza. I saved some for you in the kitchen."
She disappeared into the kitchen and I continued to watch, laughing along.

Callie came back with a plate of pizza on her hand and a wine glass filled with red on the other.
"Oh my gosh Arizona, I love this movie!"
"RIGHT? Everything about it is genius."

We watched and randomly talked about it. Callie gave me some of her pizza and I happily munched into them. I sat in between her legs and leaned on her. The vibrations that came from her chest, which transferred to me, made it so relaxing as if I was on a massaging chair.

She kissed my neck and whispered.
"You good?"
"I'm good. Thank you for being so patient."
"Like I said, I love you too much."

I snuggled deep into Callie and we put in another movie, this time a sappy romantic one.

xxx

"Well that movie sucked." Callie commented.
"IT WAS NOT! IT WAS A CLASSIC THAT I WOULD WATCH FOREVER!" I argued.
"It was stupid. They could've fit in the raft! If that Rose woman moved a little, they would've fit!"
"It was a sweet sacrifice Calliope. If he did got on the raft, then it would've tumbled over then they both fall into the water and die of hypothermia." 
"There were probably lots of drift rafts bigger than what they got. They should've picked a bigger one."
"Do you always make reasonings in every movie you watch Calliope?" I was very annoyed at how much she disliked Titanic. WHAT KIND OF PERSON HATES THIS?
"Only movies with stupid plots." 
"So I'm guessing that you probably didn't like Romeo and Juliet too?"
"That was also stupid." She rolled her eyes.
"OH MY GOSH! Who are you?" I was beyond annoyed at her lack of interest in my kind of movies.
"I just simply am not fond of that genre."
"Oh whatever. I honestly thought you liked these. I mean you showed up in my house on our first date, with a limo and every kind of flower you could find. Then you took me to a fancy restaurant. AND YOU ENDED THE DATE WITH A STROLL IN THE PARK UNDERNEATH THE FRICKING MOONLIGHT! HOW ROMANTIC IS THAT? And now you're telling me you hate romantic shit?"
"I love being romantic. I just didn't get inspiration from movies. I was always observant. Well, my dad, he was the biggest romantic of all time. As far as I could remember, he gave us flowers every single morning. He would cook my mom her favorite meal, even if we had a chef. He would make her day, and made my mom the happiest woman in the planet, or well, in Miami that is."
She had the biggest smile as she said that story.
"You got it from him then, being all romantic and crap. Tell me more." I was interested to know about her past, before she moved here to Seattle.
"What do you wanna know?"
"Everything."
"Like what exactly babe?"
"How did you come out to your family?"
"I loved men my entire life. I dated around during high school. But when I got into college, I started to experiment. And sure it was only for fun, but came this woman. She was hot. Not hotter than you, because you, phew you are the hottest." She was getting carried away by praising me.
"Go on Calliope."
"Right. So I met Erica. She was tall and blonde."
"So you have a thing for blondes?"  I wiggled my brows.
"You could say that." She snickered.
"Long story short, my dad made a surprise visit to my dorm. He barged in and caught us making out. Stupid Erica forgot to lock the door."
"Yikes. Carlos T. was probably mad."
"Oh honey he wasn't just mad, he was enraged. He took me home and man I received the  longest pep talk ever in my life. My mom joined in too. They were very religious and so they  hated the fact that I was gay. My dad eventually came around and accepted me but my mom, up until today she barely speaks to me. She still thinks I'm going to hell for being gay. But anyways, I didn't really come out. I got caught."
She started to burst out laughing and laughed along with her.

"How about you? How did you come out to your family?" She asked.
"Probably by the time I made Barbie marry Barbie was the beginning of me being gay. Back in the days, I always knew I was gay. I was very much attracted to women. I guess it wasn't a surprise to my mom when I brought home a girl named Eliza. I never had boyfriends. My mom knew first and she was happy for me. I was nervous to tell my dad. He was in the military and I just didn't want to bring him shame or anything. I was prepared to be kicked out when I told him, but instead, he hugged me and told me that as long I was still the Arizona he raised, then he accepts me and will love me for who I am."
"That's the sweetest thing ever."
"I guess." I shyly said and she let out a cute laugh

We continued to talk until we ran out of stories to tell. We soon fell asleep on the floor snoring into the night.