Chapter 7
By the time the burgers arrive, Arizona and Melanie are both feeling more comfortable around each other and Arizona is dying to ask her a question.
"Okay, so I want to ask you something but I don't want you to take it the wrong way. I'm just really curious. Why did you ask me out?" Arizona asks.
"Why wouldn't I ask you out? You're beautiful, smart, funny and attractive as hell." Melanie replies.
"I'm also 7 weeks pregnant, single with a six year old daughter and an ex-wife. That doesn't bother you?" Arizona asks.
Melanie sets her burger down and wipes her hands, "No, that doesn't bother me." she replies and smiles broadly. "Do you know why?" she asks.
"Yes!" She blurts out.
"All that says to me is that you're living your life fully. Look, my ex and I have been broken up for five years, we tried to have kids but it didn't work out and we couldn't seem to get past that failure. I never thought I'd have kids being a lesbian and all, but when Marta and I met, she was consumed by it. She wanted it more than she wanted me, I eventually realized." Melanie confesses. "I haven't really dated anyone since."
"You haven't dated in five years? Did she ever get pregnant?" Arizona asks.
"She did, twins. Now she's married to another woman & they live in Idaho on a goat farm." Melanie replies.
"You're making that up." Arizona accuses playfully.
"No, I'm serious. They make gourmet goat cheese and stuff." She adds, "I'm serious. Do you want to look at their website?" Melanie asks, pulling out her phone.
"No, no, I believe you." Arizona replies laughing.
They exchange glances and smiles, then take a few more bites of their food.
"What about you? What's your story?" Melanie asks.
"Me? Oh I never wanted kids." Arizona begins and Melanie interrupts her.
"You're a pediatric surgeon who didn't want kids?" She asks.
"I like kids, I just didn't want any myself." Arizona explains. "But Calliope, she wanted kids. We broke up over it, then we got back together."
"Okay, that's like the most boring story I've ever heard." Melanie teases.
"I don't think I can tell you the whole story tonight. It's going to take a few more burgers." Arizona replies playfully.
"Really? Give me some highlights and I am in town for the rest of the week, we could possibly work that out." Melanie teases back.
"The rest of the story involves a trip to Africa, a dramatic break up at the airport, my ex sleeping with her ex and getting pregnant, then we got back together, then both survived a car wreck, and I almost died in a plane crash." Arizona replies looking straight at her, practically challenging her to respond.
"Okay, now you're joking." Melanie says holding the blonde's gaze.
"I wish that I were." Arizona replies. "Do you need a get out of this date free card now? I think I have one here." She teases.
"No, I'm good. I'm curious though, how do two people survive all of that and then break up?" Melanie asks softly.
"There are many ways to survive, not all of them strengthen your relationship." Arizona replies sadly.
"Okay, I get that." Melanie remarks. "Tell me about Africa, I googled you and I remember that you won a grant or something to build a clinic in Malawi, is that right?"
"No, that was the other Arizona Robbins." She replies straight faced, then begins laughing, "Sorry, it's been pointed out to me before that I'm the only Arizona Robbins on the internet."
"You scared me for a minute. I google people all the time and I was pretty sure that there was only one." Melanie replies relieved. Shaking her head she takes a sip of her iced tea and then waits for the blonde to talk again.
"I was in Malawi for six months to open the clinic, but I missed Callie like crazy, so I renegotiated my contract and came home, then the plan was for me to go over for two months every year for three years to supervise it. But I never made it back over there, Callie was seriously injured in a car wreck and then about a year later I was in a plane crash." Arizona explains.
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"I know that we spent the evening trying to scare each other away, but I really had a great time." Melanie replies when Arizona pulls up at the hotel to drop her off.
Putting the car in park, Arizona turns to her. "I can't believe that I'm saying this ...I'd like to see you again, but my parents are coming in tomorrow and they are staying with me. I don't know what the rest of my week is going to be like," she says nervously.
"How about lunch or coffee? I'd really just like have the chance to get to know you better." Melanie replies reaching over and grasping her hand.
"I'd like that too. Why don't I meet you here in the morning for coffee? And then maybe lunch the day after?" Arizona replies smiling at her.
"That sounds great." Melanie replies returning the smile nervously. Then suddenly she leans in and whispers, "I am kissing you good night though."
Arizona meets her halfway and they kiss lightly. Melanie brings up her hand and caresses the blonde's face, as they softly kiss. Arizona pulls back, "Mmm."
"Hmm, as first kisses go, that one needs a little work. Are you sure you don't want to come up and work on it with me?" Melanie asks playfully.
"I would love to, but I think we both know what would happen if I come up to your room." Arizona replies thickly, leaning in to kiss her again.
After a few minutes of kissing, Melanie pulls back and pauses to catch her breath, "I'm going to have to go now, or I'm going to insist on going home with you." She teases.
They both smile shyly, then both end up asking the same question, "What time does your day start tomorrow?"
Laughing, Arizona goes first. "I have rounds at 8 and surgery at 10."
"I don't have to be at Bayside Ortho clinic until 10, so do you want to meet here at 7 or so for coffee?" Melanie asks.
"Yes, I do. How about 7:15?" Arizona suggests.
"That's perfect, then you can go to work and I can get a little work done before my appointment." Melanie replies, then leans in again and Arizona doesn't.
"Oh no, it's too hard to stop kissing you, I'm not doing it again." Arizona replies playfully.
"Okay, then I'm going to go to bed, alone, again." Melanie says dramatically and gets out of the car and then walks around to the driver's side.
Arizona laughs and opens the door and gets out and then gives her a goodnight hug and kiss.
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The next morning, Arizona is parking her car and running a little late for rounds when she spots Callie heading into the daycare with Sofia.
"Hey, you're running late too." She remarks catching up to them. "Can you check her in? I just got paged to the ER and Wilson's already there." Callie asks relieved when she spots Arizona.
"Yeah, of course. Go, I've got this." The blonde says as Callie bends down quickly to kiss their daughter goodbye before rushing off.
"I missed you last night, what did you and Mami do?" Arizona asks as she takes off Sofia's jacket.
"We made the bed for grandma and grandpa, Momma." Sofia replies.
"You made the bed...? Well that was really nice of you. They'll be here today to see you after school." Arizona reminds her daughter.
"I know and Mami says they're staying with us." Sofia replies.
"She did?" Arizona asks more to herself than to Sofia. Then turning around to the attendant, she reminds them that her parents are going to be in town and are authorized to take Sofia in and out of daycare.
"Bye baby, I'll see you later. Have a good day!" Arizona says kissing her goodbye.
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"Hey, I didn't hear from you last night. How did the fitting go?" April asks stopping by Arizona's office that morning.
"It went really well." Arizona says beaming a huge smile.
"I guess, so when do you get it?" April asks.
"Oh, not for another week. They took all the measurements and everything yesterday to build the socket," she explains.
"Okay, so there's this weird smiling thing going on with your face, I haven't seen this in a long time, so I'm confused and you're going to have to tell me what's causing it." April replies playfully. "Did you meet someone?
Arizona pauses, she didn't want to say anything but she's about to burst. "I may have had a date last night and then a coffee date this morning." She confesses.
"Two dates in less than 24 hours?" April asks right as her pager goes off. "I expect details," she says turning to leave.