A/N: This is the sequel to "Like We Used To". The beginning takes place two months later, and will not follow the time line of the show or story line, or anything like that. This will be a much longer fic then the other one. I haven't decided how long yet, but it will definitely be a lot longer. This is about how they rebuild their life together. Also, how they deal with new problems that arise, as well as old ones that come up again. It is rated M for later chapters.
Callies POV
It's been two months since I got my angel back. I won't lie and say that it's been easy the whole time. Because it hasn't. It has taken a lot of effort from both of us. But, to have her in my life I would deal with anything that is thrown our way. Every time I look at her sweet face, I am over come with so many emotions. Mostly happy ones though. At the same time I think of how I could have lost her forever, had it not been for Teddy and Addison.
Teddy and I have become pretty good friends, because she is Arizona's best friend. She is important to Arizona, so she is important to me as well. I doubt that I will ever be able to find just the right words to express just how thankful I am for everything Teddy and Addison did for both of us, as ridiculous as it was at times.
Addison calls when she can, to 'check in' and since we see Teddy every day, she always knows what's going on. I know her and Arizona talk a lot about how we have been progressing. Which, I am okay with because I know how much Teddy cares. Everything she has done and still does, is only to help us. I have tried not to involve Mark too much in my relationship with Arizona, because he has been one our biggest problems. We take one night a week for a friends night. She usually stays in with Teddy and I usually head to Joes with Mark, who has begun to repair things with Lexie. We are still friends best friends. I just don't let him weasel his way into our issues anymore, out of respect for Arizona.
When we got back together, we decided to take things slow to start with. Arizona is still living with Teddy. I am still living in my apartment but I see her every chance I get. Falling back into old habits, she has spent a lot of nights with me any way. She kept all of her things at her and Teddy's place, just to have somewhere to go once in a while. It has been nice having our own space at times, but I have been planning to ask her if she wants to move back in with me. We have just recently started couples therapy. I know it's not something either of us really wanted to do, but she is my forever and I want to get things right, once and for all. Part of our most recent sessions have been about both of us regaining our trust in each other.
Arizona has been trying so hard at learning to trust me when I assure her that I nothing will ever happen between Mark and I again. I know she still has so much trouble with the fact that I had slept with him while she was in Africa. But, she is trying and I couldn't ask for anything more from her. I have been regaining my trust in her that she won't leave me again.
Tonight would be our night with friends. Leaving work to go home and get changed before heading out, I run into Teddy in front of the hospital.
"Hey Callie"
"Hey Teddy, what's up? Done for the day?" Coming to a stop in front of her.
"Yeah. Well...you know how it is around here. I'm done for now... til my pager goes off in the middle of the night" she jokes. "What about you?"
"Story of our lives right. I was just headed home to get showered and changed. Going to head to Joes with Mark and probably Derek, Meredith's working tonight I guess so Derek was gonna come with Mark and I."
Giving me a slight look of confusion, and concern. "Oh...well, I know tonight is your 'friends night' but I thought maybe you'd be going to see Arizona at some point...after...what happened". Noticing the look on my face she must automatically know what I'm thinking. "She didn't tell you did she?" She asks.
"No, she didn't..."Another issue we have been working on is the fact that Arizona tries to put walls up because doesn't like to let her guard down. "What happened? Is everything okay? Is she okay?" I ask, with extreme concern.
"We lost the heart kid..." Teddy also knows how Arizona gets when it comes to her patients. Whenever she loses one, she tries not to show her true emotion on the matter. Instead, she tries to keep in all inside and deal with it on her own. "It was a patient she had been with from the beginning. We were finally able to find a donor heart and he was ready for his transplant, which I did...and it went smoothly. But the donor heart failed unexpectedly. There was nothing anybody could have done...it happened so fast. You should have seen her Callie. I knew she was trying not to let it affect her as much...but I could tell you know? and then...to make things worse, the kids father was yelling at her and blaming her for the whole thing, questioning her abilities as a doctor. Karev had to tell him to back off. After that, I didn't see her. She didn't even wait for me like she usually does so we could walk home...I got held up and by the time I got to the locker room I realized that she had already left..." My poor baby. I need to be with her. I need to hold her and comfort her.
"She didn't tell me". I feel bad that she felt she couldn't tell me, but I can't let her shut me out. "Would you mind if I walked home with you? I need to be with her."
"Sure. But I mean...if you really want to go to Joes for a little while you can, I know you have had a long day too. I could always sit with her for a while and keep her company and if you wanted to you could stop by later. I figured you would be the one she wanted to see but I'd have no problem with that if you still wanted to go out". I know Teddy wouldn't mind, but this is my job. I need to be there for her. Everything else in my life can wait. My baby needs me, whether she'll admit it or not.
"No. I mean...I really appreciate you wanting to be there for her. But shes my girl...it's my job to be there for her. Part of this whole couples therapy thing is putting each other first. I know she probably didn't tell me because she didn't want to keep me from anything...but I'd rather be there for her. She comes first. So, instead of going out tonight at all...I would rather just spend the time with her." Receiving a quick nod and smile from Teddy, we begin the walk back to her apartment.
Arizonas POV
Sitting on my bed staring at the floor, trying my hardest not to let my mind be taken over by todays events. I could barely make the walk home. I am so exhausted, both emotionally and physically. I know I should have told Calliope, but I don't want her to feel like she has to give up her one night with friends to be here for me. We have spent the majority of our time together and don't see our friends as much. I'll be just fine. I mean, I should be used to it by now right? The heartbreak that comes with being a doctor. A soft knock at the door startles me out of my thoughts. Before answering I wipe the remaining tears from my eyes as I get off the bed and begin to make my way to the door. I open the door to come face to face with Teddy.
"h-hey...whats up?" I ask. Trying my best to sound like everything is normal.
"Just checking on you. Someone's here to see you" She replies, giving me a small smile before stepping aside to let me see my surprise visitor. Why is Calliope here? Teddy must have told her. There's no denying anything now. I don't want to ruin her night, but I will admit... I am so glad she is here. Being in her arms is the only thing that makes me feel better.
"Calliope...what are you doing here?" Looking down at the floor. If I look into her eyes I will probably break down, again.
I step back, opening the door a little more so she can come in. Lifting my head slightly I notice she gives a quick nod to Teddy who nods back, before heading to the living room/kitchen area. Closing the door behind her, she comes over to me and cups my face in her hands, forcing me to look her in the eyes. Those big brown eyes are filled with so much love and concern I almost want to cry again. No more tears Arizona. Please.
"Hey gorgeous" comes her response, in a very soft and loving tone. She's not answering my question and I can tell by the look in her eyes that Teddy told her about today.
Shifting my eyes downward to look at the ground so she can't see the tears welling in my eyes "She told you?". I realize how sheepish I sound, and I don't care. I don't know why I expected to be able to keep this from her any way.
She places a gentle kiss on my forehead before removing her hands. She takes me into her arms and begins softly rubbing my back "Yes she did".
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you...I didn't want to keep you from the small amount of time you get with friends. We have been spending all of our time together lately and I wanted you to be able to have a night to see your friends. I didn't want you to feel like you had to drop everything you were doing. I would have been okay." No I wouldn't have. I needed her tonight but was too proud to admit it, and she must have known.
She takes my hand and leads me over to the bed and gently lays me down. I guess I do look as tired as I feel. She walks over to the other side and lays down next to me "lay on your stomach" wait why my stomach? Oh, I know what she's doing. It's a routine we've gotten into on my bad days. I roll over, cross my arms under the pillow and turn my head so I can look into her beautiful eyes while she comforts me. She snakes her hand under my shirt and starts rubbing soft circles up and down my back. I love when she does this. It really does make me feel better and helps me to relax after long days.
"Thank you for being here for me, Calliope."
"Your my girl, it's my job to be here for you." She gives me one of her soft, loving smiles. It's the kind of smile that is only on her face when she is looking at me. The smile that makes me know that I am the only one for her.
"y-you don't have to stay. You can still go out if you want." I really need her with me but don't want her to feel like I don't want her to spend time with Mark. I hate him, still. But he is her best friend and I have to accept him as part of her life.
Propping herself up on her elbow and leaning on her hand, she leans down and places a soft kiss on my lips. "I'm good right here. I would rather spend my time with you any way." The genuine tone in her voice makes me fall even more in love with her, if possible. What did I ever do to deserve someone so amazing?
Just as I'm about to say something, a soft knock at my bedroom door interrupts my thoughts. I go to get up off the bed, but she places her hand on my back forcing me to lay back down "Stay. I'll get it."
I roll over so that I'm on my side, facing away from the door. She must notice me struggling to pull the covers up over myself. She helps pull the covers out from under me, and covers me before giving me a kiss on my cheek before going to answer the door.
Callies POV
I crack the door open just enough to poke my head out. I am met with a very concerned Teddy. I know she is Arizona's best friend and is probably wondering if she is okay. I don't want to keep her out of the loop, not after all she has done. I know how much she loves and cares for her, and I am happy that Arizona has found such a great friend in Teddy.
"I'll be right out." Once Teddy nods in understanding, I walk back towards Arizona's side of the bed. I lean down and place a kiss on those beautiful pink lips.
"I'll be right back ok beautiful?"
After I receive a very quiet "k" from Arizona I exit the room and close the door behind me. I head down the small hallway. I turn right at the end to enter the kitchen where Teddy is waiting, nervously tapping a pen on the counter.
"I'm sorry...I don't mean to bother you guys, I just wanted to know if she was ok." She sits on one of the bar stools and continues tapping the pen. I take the seat next to her and reach out to stop her from tapping the pen any longer.
"It's not a problem Teddy, really, I know how much you care about her..." She gives me a smile of relief before I continue. "She's alright..I think...I mean, she hasn't talked about it yet. I can tell she is hurting. Instead of pushing her to talk about it right now, I'm just trying to be there with her and comfort her...it helps her feel better when I..."
"Rub her back" Teddy finishes my sentence, with a soft smile.
"Yeah. how did you know?"
"She told me. I hope you don't mind. I don't know if it's some cutesy thing you wanted kept between the two of you...I just asked how you guys were doing one day, and it came up during our conversation. She said it was a comforting gesture that you used on bad days, to relax her. I thought it was really sweet, actually."
"Cutesy?" I raise an eyebrow at her.
"Yes, cutesy"
"Yeah. I rub her back." I smile at her before continuing, so she knows that I am okay with her knowing. "She has really been so much better about opening up to me and letting me in. Sometimes instead of forcing her to talk about it right away, I'm just there for her, she likes back rubs. I let her talk about it in her own time. I think this has to be one of those times...you know how she is about her kids in peds. Since I have some clothes here from last week... I'm going to stay with her tonight, if you don't mind me staying here..." I know she doesn't care but I figured I would ask any way.
"You know I don't mind. Since you're here with her, I think I'll head out for a little while, see who's at Joes. That way, you guys can have some quiet time. I ordered a pizza for you guys, I'll leave the money on the counter. Make sure she eats..." She gets up off the stool, grabs here keys and coat and begins to head to the door.
"You don't have to leave...you can stay..." I trail off.
Stopping just before the door, she turns to face me.
"No..well...I was going to go out any way until everything happened today. Then I decided on staying with her if you couldn't be here. I was hoping you would be here with her though. You're the one she needs." Giving me a genuine smile before heading out the door.
Once the pizza got there, I was able to get Arizona to come out of her room and eat a little. We ate in complete silence. But, I'm just glad she ate.
Arizona's POV
I really could use a hot shower, but I am just so exhausted so I don't know how well that's going to go. I hop off the bar stool, gather our plates and put them in the sink.
"I'm going to try and take shower." I begin heading to the bathroom, as Calliope trails behind me. "You coming in?" I ask.
Clearly she's noticed by now how exhausted I am, and isn't done taking care of me just yet. "Of course, let's get you showered and then we can put a movie in and just relax if you want. I won't make you talk about it tonight if you don't want to ok?" There she goes again, being all amazing.
Once we're inside the bathroom, she turns on the water so it can warm up. She carefully helps me remove my clothes, before removing her own. Taking my hand, she leads me into the shower and under the spray of hot water. She quickly washes up before tending to me. I could probably wash my own hair and body, but I love when she pampers me. So, I let her do her thing.
2 hours later...
Callies POV
After showering and getting dressed for bed, I helped her dry her hair and put it in braids. I love her hair like that. She is just too cute for words. She was able to tell me a little bit about today, on her own. She told me the same story Teddy did. After that, I didn't want to push her anymore. So, we put in a movie, which we got about half way through before she fell asleep. She is currently snuggled up to my side, resting her head on my shoulder and has her arm draped around my middle. Out of force of habit, I am gently rubbing up and down her back.
Although I am not yet tired, I was just starting to think about closing my eyes when I hear my phone vibrate. I reach over to the nightstand to grab my phone, being careful not to wake her. I notice Marks name flash across the screen. Crap. I forgot to call him and let him know.
"Hello" I answer, trying to be quiet.
"Torres...is blondie ok? I ran into Teddy so I knew you wouldn't be coming. Just wanted to make sure everything was ok."
"Yeah, she's ok. She's already asleep. Thanks for calling. I'm sorry I forgot to call you and let you know."
"Not a problem..see you tomorrow at work?"
"Definitely. Thanks for understanding, and I am sorry about tonight" Well, I'm sorry about not calling. But, not sorry about being here for her.
"Take care of your girl Torres I'll see you tomorrow"
After hanging up the phone, I can feel her start to stir in my arms. Crap I woke her up. She lifts her head and rests her chin on my shoulder. I'm met with a pair of sleepy, baby blue eyes.
"I'm sorry did I wake you up?" I ask.
"No...it's too early to sleep...I don't want to sleep now..." I can tell by the tone in her voice that she really just needs to sleep this off. I reach over and grab the remote off the night stand and click the TV off.
"Arizona, no one's going to think any less of you if you go to bed early. You have had a long day, and you need to rest. Tomorrow is a new day."
She scoots up a little, placing a lingering kiss on my lips before settling back down into her previous position. I place a few soft kisses on the top of her head and begin gently running my hand up and down her back.
"Thank you for taking care of me"
"You don't need to thank me for taking care of you. Your my girl, it's what I live for."
"I love you Calliope. Goodnight."
"I love you too, my angel. Sweet dreams."
After only 15 minutes I can tell she is already asleep.
Tonight did not turn out like I planned. It turned out even better, because I got to spend it with her. Even though she had a bad day, I love every second that I have gotten to spend with her and I wouldn't trade it for anything in this world. At the moment, sleep is out of the question for me. But, I know she is exhausted and I want her to get some rest. So, I close my eyes any way even though I won't sleep just yet. I remain quiet and still, because I don't want to wake my sleeping angel.