A/N: Wow, thank you everyone for your lovely reviews! It's made me happier than you can believe. I've decided to continue the story, so we'll see where it goes from here. I only hop I can live up to your expectations!

Please enjoy, and feel free to tell me your thoughts!

The first thing Callie felt was cold. She had curled inward at some point in the night to keep in some of the warmth, but the Seattle temperature had been getting colder everyday, and was evident by the chill in the apartment. The heater would soon become her best friend.

Her best friend.

Mark.

The thought was pushed away quickly, her dark eyes already welling with tears against her will. She couldn't allow herself to break apart, not after last night. There was some progress, at least that's what she was telling herself. Arizona said words that didn't include 'leave' or 'what have you done to me'. This could be a step in the right direction. It would definitely be a while until they would be at a good place.

The air felt stale, like no one had walked around the room in at least a week. Granted, Callie had been banished to the living room for the past month, but that was no excuse for it to feel like a foreign space. Abandoned.

Arizona was lying in the same position as before, facing Callie on her side. The brunette expected her to be asleep, but wide blank eyes told her otherwise. There was no telling whether she'd been up all night or not, Callie fell asleep before her.

After bringing Arizona home from the hospital, this had been what frightened her the most. Not the lack of leg, or the horrible words, this. She would just stop and stare at nothing, without moving. Despite Callie's best efforts, she would remain that way until the unappeasable anger would return stronger than before. It was exhausting, but more than that terrifying. If this was going to be the rest of Callie's life, she honestly didn't know what she was going to do.

"Arizona?" She spoke softly, as if the woman in front of her might break.

Blue flicked to brown, but she remained silent. Realizing this was the most acknowledgement she was going to get, Callie continued. "Do you want some breakfast? I can make some omelets with all the ingredients you like."

"I'm not hungry," Arizona murmured. For the most part, she had pushed Callie away when it came to help, even when it included food. It used to be something The blonde cherished about her wife, always wanting Callie to make something instead of going out to eat. She appreciated the home cooked meals. Now it was just a reminder of another thing she needed done for her. It resulted in a recent loss of weight that Callie battled to the best of her ability. The lack of a willing party was problematic, though.

Callie's fingers combed through her hair as she said, "Arizona, you have to eat. We've been over this. It's not healthy."

"Why do I need to stay healthy?" There was genuine curiosity in her voice. It caused a knot to form in Callie's stomach. Did she not realize how important she is?

"Because, I don't want anything to happen to you," Callie emphasized. Her fists were clenched tight at her sides, to the point of pain.

Arizona looked up at her then, the barest hint of emotion crossing her features. "Something has already happened to me."

The weight of that statement caused Callie to draw in a sharp breath. She couldn't tell if she was referring to the crash or the amputation, but either implication threatened to overcome her. Even if she didn't mean for it to be, it was an accusation. Callie had failed her. First she sat at home wasting her time while Arizona suffered in the woods. Then took away the one thing the blonde asked for.

This was worse than any dying patient, than any pain she'd caused anyone in the past. It was the worst thing she had ever done, and it was going to be with them for the rest of their lives.

She couldn't think about that, not if she was going to make the best breakfast known to mankind. Callie couldn't change the past, no matter how hard she tried, or desperately wanted to. The option to do all she could to make the present better was still open, though.

"I know that. But I can protect you now, and that starts with feeding you, right?" Callie allowed the corners of her mouth to lift slightly.

Arizona did not seem to find the situation humorous or cute, so there was no response. The brunette leaned in to kiss her forehead, but an immediate turn of the head prevented it from connecting. Awkwardly leaning back, Callie looked down at the defensive form of her wife and sighed. It was a constant uphill battle, but she had to keep going, no matter how difficult Arizona was making it.

Time.

It would take time. Even if it hurt.

With this in mind, Callie waited until she closed the bedroom door to let her tears fall. She wouldn't make a sound, because that would be giving in, which she had no time for. There was a wife and baby to take care of. So she allowed herself a few seconds to collect herself before making her way across the cluttered living room. Between her recent banishment and Sofia's toys, the once tidy area had fallen into disarray. Usually, Arizona would have never allowed this kind of neglect. She'd clean with a passion the brunette had never seen before, hair in a messy bun and wearing one of Callie's oversized sweatshirts. Every few minutes an order would be barked across the room and Callie immediately obeyed, not willing to face the consequences if everything wasn't sparkling by the estimated time.

Damn marine brat.

The nursery was quiet when Callie entered, but there stood the toddler, hoping up and down at the sight of someone. Only recently had she mastered the art of walking, and it brought a smile to her mothers' faces every day. Well, Callie's at least. She knew Arizona cared, but it was hard for her to watch Sofia stumble around when she had lost the ability entirely. The dull look in her eyes while she tried to be excited for her little girl was heartbreaking, to the point of Callie trying to avoid the situation entirely.

She could tell that Sofia missed her mama though. Every morning when the brunette came in, she could tell by her confused expression that Arizona should have followed closely behind.

When she got Sofia out of the crib she held her tightly, breathing in the intoxicating baby smell that never ceased to calm her. The brunette's heart melted when her baby curled around her shoulder in return. As long as Callie had this, and Arizona realized she had it too, they would be all right. She was sure of it.

Their cuddling was interrupted by a loud knock that echoed through the apartment. Callie grumbled at the unexpected interruption, but made her way towards the door anyway. She turned the knob and raised her eyebrows at the visitor.

"Alex? What are you doing here? I though you were on your way to Hopkins," Callie questioned, trying to keep the now squirming baby still.

The obviously exhausted man sighed. "I need to talk to Robbins. I didn't go."

He sounded very matter-of-fact about all these sudden changes. But even if he changed his mind, it really wouldn't change the anger his former mentor still felt towards him. It might have pleased the old Arizona, but now Arizona really wasn't in a forgiving mood. If she couldn't even tolerate her own wife, why would she be willing to talk to him?

"I don't think this is a good time. Maybe give her a while to not hate us, and then come back. It could do wonders for your health," Callie warned.

"I'm not leaving until Robbins helps me figure out how to take back the Peds Ward until she gets better."

"Alex, I really-"

"Torres!"

The determined set of his jaw showed that he really wasn't going to let this go. Sighing, Callie stepped to the side and let him in. Her face twisted into a grimace as he headed towards the bedroom door. Arizona might finally kill her for this.