What Life Holds

7

As the sun started to stream into Meredith room, Arizona started to wake up, careful not to wake up a sleeping Meredith who was still snuggled up into her. As Arizona sat there for a minute, looking at her beautiful wife she realised she never updated Amelia and Kai, and well the rest of the guests they had been expecting, she thought but she didn't want to tell them until Meredith was ready. Just as she had that thought Meredith stirred beside her starting to wake up.
"Morning My love" Arizona cooed, kissing her wife's forehead.
"Mmm" Meredith groaned back,
"You've never been a morning person have you Meri" Arizona cooed once again repositioning herself so Meredith could sit up.
"Morning, zona" Meredith replied once she had sat up in her bed still resting against her wife. Arizona smiled at her, god she loved that women.
"Hey, so I let Bailey know you wanted to start treatment, and she said that we will start it this morning ok" Arizona explained as she rubbed small circles on her wife's back.
"Ok" Meredith replied, still in shock from the news yesterday.
"Hey it's ok, I'll be here with you every step of the way ok I love you," Arizona comforted Meredith knowing she was still struggling with accepting what was going on. "Meri, I need to ask you a question." Arizona asked looking back down at Meredith.
"Mmm?" Meredith replied not really sure where Arizona was going with this.
"We need to discuss what you want to tell the kids" Arizona explained, "as well as all our friends, I haven't told them anything yet, except Amelia cause she called last night to check on you, but it's mainly up to you when we tell people ok we will take it at your pace." Arizona continued to explain, now gently rubbing Meredith's back.
"Oh um... I don't know, I don't really want everyone to know but, I suppose everyone will find out. Should I just tell them or no I don't want to" Meredith started ramble,
"Hey, hey" Arizona interrupted, moving herself so she was no longer beside Meredith but facing her.
"It's ok take a breath" Arizona explained, taking both if Meredith hands in her. "How about this I go through a list of people who we know and you tell me if you want us to tell the yet or not, how does that sound?" Arizona questioned, Meredith didn't respond but simply nodded as she looked into Arizonas eyes.
"Ok, well let's start with Amelia and Kai, do you want to tell them" Arizona asked, and Meredith nodded, "ok what about Maggie?" Meredith nodded again, "perfect, um well Bailey knows so that's good, what about Richard?" Arizona asked she wasn't really sure how many people Meredith wanted to ask.
"Yeah I want to tell Richard, he's like a dad to me. Um I think that it's for now, I don't want anyone else to know yet, thank you you Zona, I love you" Meredith replied reaching up to hug her wife.
"Sounds good my love, I love you too. When do you want to tell them?" Arizona asked she didn't like bombarding Meredith with questions but knew it was important to make decisions now before the treatment started to affect Meredith.
"Can it be later today, I want to tell them all together it's easier" Meredith answered, half whispering.
"Of course my love, you don't need to be ashamed this is your decision and I will be here for you through all of it" Arizona cooed, "now honey this is the hard part but how do you want to tell the kids?" Arizona asked,
"Well, we need to tell them something but I don't want to scare them so maybe we can just tell them Mummy's sick but not tell them exactly what it is? Except I think Sofia and Zola will know, maybe we tell them separately and I think we should tell them I have cancer?" Meredith half answered half asked not really sure if that was the right path to take.
"I think that's a great idea my love, we can talk to them later today, you get some more rest Meri, and I'll go call Amelia, Maggie and Richard and get them all to come here, I won't be long and I'll be back before Miranda returns to start you chemo ok?" Arizona explained before reattaching her prosthetic and kissing Meredith's forehead.
"Thank you zona," Meredith replied as she rolled back over and started to go back to sleep.

Outside the room Arizona called Amelia.
"Hey Arizona, how's everything did you get an update?" Amelia asked as soon as she answered the phone.
"Um yea we did, can you bring the kids up to the hospital later. You and Kai come too, aim for" Arizona quickly checked her watch seeing it was already nearly 9 o'clock, "aim for maybe 3:30?" Arizona asked, she didn't want them to get there too late but she wasn't sure how long Meredith's chemo would take.
"Oh um sure, Ari. Scout normally sleeps between 3 and 4 but we can change it," Amelia replied quickly grabbing Kai's phone to look at their calendar.
"No, um don't change Scout nap time, bring the kids up for his nap, so maybe 2:30?" Arizona exclaimed, she felt bad making Amelia and Kai change their plans for them again.
"Sure, Ari is everything ok?" Amelia asked concerned, she had bad feeling.
"It will be ok" Arizona replied, she wasn't lying but she wanted to wait till she was with Meredith to tell them everything.
"Ok then I'll see you at 2:30, take care Ari" Amelia replied before ending the call. Now Arizona had to call Maggie and Richard they where going to be the harder ones, Amelia knew Meredith was the in the hospital she had been there when she collapsed but Maggie and Richard didn't know, she thought for a moment and decided Richard would probably be the hardest so she decided to do him next if she could get him them Maggie would be easy.
"Hello Richard speaking" Richard answered,
"Hey Richard it's Arizona," She started not quite sure of where to go.
"Oh hey Arizona, everything ok I heard you cancel dinner last night." He questioned.
"Oh um yeah, about that can you come to the hospital at 2:30 today" She asked
"Oh um, yeah I'm working today so I'll be here all day is everything ok?" He asked now concerned.
"I will be," she answered not really sure what else to say.
"Ok, I'll see you at 2:30. You and Meredith enjoy your day off I hope the kids had good Easter, I've got to go" he answered quickly before hanging up. Pleased with how that went Arizona smiled, that was easier then she had expected, but she did make note that Richard was around the hospital today so she would have to try and stay clear of him. Next to call was Maggie.
"Hi Arizona, is everything ok, why did you cancel did we last night?" Maggie asked as she answered the phone.
"I...I'll explain later, can you come by the hospital at 2:30 today?" Arizona asked hoping Maggie wouldn't ask anymore questions.
"Oh um sure, that's fine. I've got a surgery at 4 anyway I'll just come in a bit early." Maggie answered thankfully oblivious to the seriousness of the issue.
"Ok, we'll I'll see you then," Arizona replied finishing the phone call. That was the easy bit now for the hard part of actually telling them all Meredith had lung cancer as well as second growths on her lungs.
As Arizona walked back into Meredith's room she smiled, Meredith was curled up sleeping, small snores escaping her. Arizona loved the sound of her wife's snores. Just as Arizona sat down in the chair next to Meredith's bed Chief Bailey entered the room.
"Morning Arizona, I see Meredith's still asleep" she smile at the blond women in the bed. "It's time to get started so you want me to wake her or do you want to." Miranda asked as she began to prepare both the chemo and Meredith's port. Miranda was going to insert a small port into Meredith's chest to help with chemo save her having to be poked and prodded each time she came in for treatments
"Meri baby, it's time to wake up" Arizona cooed as she lightly shook her wife.
"Mmmm" Meredith groaned as she sat up in the bed.
"Good morning to you too Meredith" Miranda replied laughing slightly at the sleepy women.
"Mmm, sorry Bailey I'm definitely not a morning person" Meredith replied, reaching out her hand to take Arizonas.
"Oh I remember Grey, you where a delight during morning rounds when you where an intern" she laughed as she prepared the tray with Meredith's port, her smile fading slightly as she began to prepare Meredith herself. "Ok honey, now it's time to get started. First I'm going to insert a port into chest then we will start your chemo ok." Meredith just nodded as she squeezed Arizonas hand. Miranda inserted the sedative into Meredith's IV, once Meredith was asleep she began to insert the port. It was about an hour later when Miranda finished.
"Ok Arizona, page me when she wakes up it shouldn't take long, then I'll start the chemo." Miranda smiled sympathetically as she left Arizona and Meredith. She was right it was only about 15 minutes later when Meredith started to wake up. Arizona quickly paged Miranda then continued to talk to Meredith attempting to distract her from the procedures Miranda was having to perform. It wasn't long before miranda had returned and it was time to start the chemo treatment.
"Ok Meredith, I'm going to insert the chemo now it's going to take roughly 6hrs, then I'll do a quick evaluation then you can go home ok. For now we will be doing three chemo sessions a week, and we will see how you respond ok." Miranda explained as she attached the chemo to Meredith port, Meredith just nodded and looked at Arizona who smiled back.
"I'll be back to check on your in a bit" Miranda explained as she left the room.
Meredith just looked at the line connecting her with the chemo as she watch the first of the medication travel down to her port, as she felt it enter her port she winced at the feeling it wasn't one she was used to it had an almost burning feeling as it entered.
"Shsh, it's ok" Arizona cooed as she looked at her wife she hated seeing her in pain, but she knew that this was soon going to become their new normal. Carefully she climbed into Meredith bed moving Meredith so she was leaning against her, she felt Meredith start to shake against her and noticed she was crying, "oh my love it's ok, I'm here it's ok" she cooed running her fingers through Meredith hair. As she ran her hands through Meredith hair she realised it was slightly knotted from rubbing again her pillow, "here my love let me braid your hair and you sleep ok, I'm here and I'll wake you when everyone gets here ok" Arizona cooed carefully reaching for the brush in her hand bag and starting to braid her wife's hair. It didn't take long and Meredith had fallen asleep in Arizona arms.