The Aftermath of Callie and Arizona

Happy Holidays Part II

Callie's POV:

It's the Monday before Thanksgiving and I couldn't be more excited. Not necessarily because of the holiday, but because Penny and I had taken time off this long weekend and booked a fabulous hotel in the Catskills. We are set to leave on Wednesday night and aren't coming home till Sunday night. I can't even remember the last opportunity I had to spend this much time off with Penny. And, as much as I miss Sophia, she was safe and sound with Arizona and her family in Seattle this week. 

As an added bonus, Penny had found a 2nd year resident to monitor the activity in the lab tonight and I also had the evening off. Penny was on her way home and I was busy making enchiladas for dinner. I had planned a romantic evening for the two of us. I can't remember how long it has been since we had alone time together and I wanted to reconnect with Penny before our long weekend.

Just then, my phone rang and there was a video chat from Arizona. I assumed it was Sophia and quickly answered.

"Mommy!" It was Sophia, "I love you!" 

"She wanted to call and tell you about her day," Arizona spoke from the edge of the screen, hope that's okay?"

"Of course and I'm always excited to talk to my baby girl. How was your day, Soph?"

"Mommy, we had so much fun. Renee and I played with Legos, we played in my new tree house and we made pizza for dinner and I had strawberry ice cream! Bye Mom!" Sophia quickly blurted out her days activities in one breath before running away.

Arizona took control of the phone after our daughter disappeared off the screen. "Sorry, she's on a sugar-high thanks to the ice cream. Renee gets to deal with her now."

"Sounds like your girlfriend and Sophia have bonded."

"I think they have, it's been fun to watch. Renee is really great with Soph... it's cute how quickly they became friends today. They have been inseparable all afternoon and evening. What do you have planned for this week? Anything fun?"

I cleared my throat, "We have tonight off so I am making enchiladas and then we are going to the Catskills for a long weekend starting this Wednesday. It will be the longest vacation I've had since moving to New York."

"You make the best enchiladas I've ever had, so I'm a bit jealous to hear I'm missing out, Callie! Sounds like you have a fantastic weekend planned and I wish you both all the best. Be safe getting there and back and call Sophia whenever you like. Happy Holidays to you and Penny."

With that, Arizona hung up the phone. I could hear Sophia giggling in the background as the phone disconnected. It made my heart sink just a bit to know I was missing out on a moment of Sophia being happy. It made my heart also sink more to realize Arizona's new girlfriend was probably whom my daughter was giggling with...

I, as usual, drifted off into my own head for who knows how long, when the heavy door to the apartment came flying open. I jumped when I heard the door creak on it's hinges and saw Penny a second later.

"Callie, are you okay?" Penny asked while giving me a concerned and quizzical look.

"I'm fine, I was just busy getting lost in a pool of my own thoughts, what I usually do when I'm alone." I replied back to Penny as I hurried around the kitchen in order to finish-up dinner.

"How was your day? How did things go in the lab today? I'm so excited you are finally home during an evening and we're all alone... if ya know what I mean! I am making enchiladas and have a batch of margaritas ready to go. I can't wait to see where this night takes us, my love!"

Just then, Penny looked down at the floor and then looked back up at me with a concerned look. "The research project didn't go as planned today, in fact, it went completely awry. That's why Dr. Baumann insisted I be the one this week to get things back on track, starting tonight. I came home to tell you and to grab some clothes. Looks like I'll be living out of an on call room this week. Please don't be mad at me Callie, I don't have a choice in this."

I could feel the anger and sadness start to well up in the pit of my stomach. Why did this need to happen now and during this perfect upcoming week? 

"So, you're telling me you won't be off this week as we planned? That I'm out $1200 for the hotel room that's non-refundable due to the holiday and short notice?!"

"Callie, if it's about the money, I will eventually pay you back."

"It's not about the money!" I screamed as I eventually broke down sobbing and ran back to our bedroom for some tissues. Penny was right behind me as I sat in our bathroom on the closed toilet, trying to get my waterworks to stop. Penny knelt down in front on me and started drying my tears with a tissue she had grabbed. She cupped my cheeks in her hands and gently kissed my forehead.

"Calliope, I love you and hope you know if I could get out of going in to work, I would in a heartbeat to spend time with you. Right now we are at a critical stage and I'm the only one Dr. Baumann trusts. I promise over Christmas I will make time for just the two of us."

"In the meantime, there will be more nights in the future that prevent me from spending time with you or Sophia and I already regret that. Someday we'll look back at this time period and smile because we'll realize how important each moment we have together truly is."

"I think it will be a long way off before I come to that epiphany, but I'll take your word on it for the meantime." My tears had subsided despite the fact my eyes had become puffy and bright, neon red.

"Can I send some of the dinner with you to eat on tonight and tomorrow,? there's plenty, as always."

"That would be amazing! I just need to throw some clothes together, take a shower and get dressed. I'll be done in about 20 minutes." With that, the redhead hurried along as she got ready to leave again.

And, 20 minutes later, Penny was giving me a deep, slow, kiss on my lips, thanking me and whirled out the door back to the hospital.

As I sat at the kitchen bar counter, staring at my food, I realized that I wasn't hungry anymore. Instead, I grabbed the pitcher of margaritas from the fridge and the cocktail shaker. Thank goodness I had the week off, I already knew I was going to be moving slow tomorrow if I finished off the pitcher of the, on the rocks lime infused drink. "Screw it!" I heard myself say out loud to nobody except myself as I poured the concoction into a pint glass...