After the Storm

Chapter 11: Forgive and Never Forget

Callie's POV

I just stood there, staring at her in shock

"You're pregnant?" I asked, shaking my head as the words fell off of my tongue.

She nodded, her lips forming a small, inevitable smile.

But I had no idea why she was smiling.

"So you slept with someone else?" I screamed. Disbelief crossed my mind.

"No, no, no! Callie, no. I didn't sleep with anyone else," she said, her smile had faded.

"Calliope, cheating on you, was the worst mistake of my life. Hurting you, made me feel horrible. And I know that I can't answer you when you ask me why I did it, because I honestly don't know. I do know that it was a horrible, horrible mistake. And I know that I can never take it back, but... maybe we can get through this," she said.

My arms were folded across my chest.

I tapped my foot on the ground to keep calm.

She was asking for my forgiveness. She was asking for another chance. But I just didn't know if I should give her one.

"How are you pregnant, then? If you didn't sleep with another man," I said, looking her straight in the eyes.

"If you would just sit down with me, and listen, then I'll tell you," she said, her blue eyes were glistening from the tears.

I sighed, relaxing my muscles.

"Walk with me," she said.

Then, she held out her hand. I ignored that, and walked straight passed her.

We were walking into the woods by Meredith and Derek's house, down the trail.

"Okay, explain," I said, calmly.

She took in a deep breath.

"It all started about a week after Mark woke up from the coma. The week before..." she trailed off.

I nodded, thinking about Mark. God, how I missed Mark.

"I knew that we might want another baby. Well, not might, I knew that we would want another baby at some point. When you were at home, catching up on sleep from staying with him all night, I wandered into his room. He was surprised because I hardly talked to anyone. Let alone did anything. I told him upfront what I wanted,"

FLASHBACK IN ARIZONA'S POV

"Phoenix!" Mark called upon seeing me stumble into the room.

I smiled halfheartedly.

"Hey, Mark. How you doing?" I asked him, setting my crutches aside, and sitting in the green hospital chair.

I scooted up close to his bed.

He nodded.

"I'm good. I see that you're doing better," he said, looking down at my prosthetic. I frowned.

"It-it's weird, I know. I'm still trying to get used to it myself," I said.

He smirked his world-famous Mark Sloan smirk.

"What prosthetic?" he asked, pretending as if he didn't notice, and I looked up at him, my eyebrows raised.

I scoffed and smiled, lifting up my legging.

He looked at it, then up to me, and back at the prosthetic.

"It looks fine," he said, causing me to smile.

"So, what's up? Is Callie alright?" he asked.

I nodded.

"She's okay. She's really happy that you woke up," I said.

He smiled. "Well that makes two of us," I laughed.

"That actually makes about twenty of us. Everyone's glad that you're alright," I said.

He smiled.

"For now. So what's up?"

I took in a deep breath, preparing my answer.

"Callie will want another baby. Not now, but at some point, she will want another baby. You and I can guarantee that," I said.

He nodded in understanding.

"Mark, I wanted to ask you if-if you would donate sperm, so that we can have the future she wants. And- if you d-don't make it," I trailed off.

"Arizona, I know too, that it's a possibility, more likely my fate, that I won't make it," he said.

I frowned, tearing up a little. I took his hand in mine, careful of the IV.

"If you don't make it, I want your sperm so that when the time comes, one of us can have your baby. I don't want anyone else to be the father besides you, Mark," I finished.

He contemplated what I was asking for a moment.

"Hell yeah," he said, nodding.

His blue eyes flickered up to mine.

"I want it to be a surprise for Callie. I'll give it to the sperm bank to hold until the time comes, and then, well," we both laughed.

"Maybe we'll finally get a Sloan man in the family," he said, chuckling.

I laughed very hard.

And those laughs turned into cries, because I didn't under any costs, want to lose Mark. I started sobbing very hard.

"Arizona," he murmured, squeezing my hand.

"I've had a long life. A long, very good life. I'm okay, Callie's okay, Sofia's okay, and you're okay. If I had to chose life or death, of course I'd chose life, but dying isn't a big deal. And besides, Lexie's waiting for me. I'll be okay," he said.

I stood up, and hugged him.

I buried my face into his chest, and cried very hard, for a very long time.

After a while, I stood up, and wiped the tears off my face.

"Well, go get Webber, Derek, anyone. Go get someone," he said.

I laughed.

"Okay," I sniffed.

"I love you, Mark," I said.

"I love you too, Phoenix," he said, winking.

And I smiled, and he smiled.

Mark didn't waste time before donating and sadly, he passed away three days later.

END FLASHBACK

I was crying by the end of Arizona's story.

"You did that all for me?" I sobbed.

She nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"You- you're pregnant with Mark's baby?" I asked.

She nodded again, smiling.

"We're going to have another baby?" I asked.

She nodded one final time, laughing.

A genuine laugh. We both started crying, but for the first time in what felt like forever, they were tears of joy.

I smiled brightly.

My smile stretched from ear to ear.

And I swear I've never been this happy before except for three specific times.

When I saw Sofia for the first time, our wedding day, and when Mark woke up from the coma.

And now.

I leaned in, and actually hugged her.

For the first time in two weeks, I hugged her. She hugged me back, and everything was okay.

Even if it was just for the moment.

It felt good, really good, knowing that everything was okay.

Just for the moment.