Title: Can hardly wait

Part: 1/3
Author: lilyme
Summary: "This was set to become one of the best days of their lives. And it scared the crap out of her". Takes place sometime in the future.
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, nor do I own any rights to the television show "Grey's Anatomy". They were created by Shonda Rhimes and belong to her and the ABC network. No copyright infringement intended!

A/N: No break-up drama or whatsoever ahead. We've had enough of that on the show. Enjoy! ;)

She signed contently as she opened her eyes to a new days. One peek at the clock on her bedside table told her that she had gotten a good nine hours of sleep. Which was true rareness. Especially in her line of work.

Turning her head her eyes took in the person who hopefully had had an equally good night's sleep. To her it looked like she had. And was still having.

She was glad to see this. Because in the last few weeks, finding uninterrupted sleep hadn't always been easy for her wife. For obvious reasons as one glance at the very swollen belly hidden beneath the covers made clear.

They were thirty-eight weeks along and they couldn't wait to finally meet their new baby. To soon be a family of four. It wouldn't be long now, and this excited them to no end.

Her wife had one hand on their baby's temporary home protectively as she continued her seemingly peaceful nap.

She smiled as she leaned in to first press a soft kiss to her wife's cheek and to then plant one on the beautiful baby bump as well. From the position they had seen the baby in during the latest ultrasound it had been an indirect kiss on the baby's butt.

Then she slowly got up and got dressed before making her way out of the room and down the hall to the kitchen, intending to surprise her woman and their baby with a breakfast in bed.

She passed the freshly painted nursery, colored in a light green and yellow since they had again agreed on not wanting to know the baby's sex before birth. Well, okay, Sofia wanted to know and she definitely wanted a brother – since Zola had one of those as well. But she was too excited enough to meet him or her to really be grumpy about her mommies not letting her know beforehand.

They had done their best to involve Sofia in their activities surrounding the baby's arrival. She had helped to pick out furniture for the nursery, had also tried her hand at painting the walls – and her mothers had never once considered painting over those artistic traces. They were one gift of many to her unborn sibling.

Another one being her favorite stuffed animal teddy. She had willingly tucked it into the bag they had packed for the hospital a week ago – saying that she was all grown-up now and the baby could make better use of the teddy than her.

They had a hard time not breaking into a fit of giggles at hearing this. Their daughter – their kindergartener – their all grown-up baby girl – was really one of a kind.

Currently she was visiting her grandparents for a few days. Originally they had meant to bring her back yesterday... but there was a problem.

A big problem as a look out one of their big kitchen windows told her. And turning on the radio to listen to the news that came on right this moment, the announcer confirmed what she had already seen herself.

'The Seattle area continues its days in the vice grip of winter. Temperatures below 10°F still have the streets resemble an ice rink. Seattlers and commuters are advised to stay at home. If you have to go out, be safe', the weatherman advised and the woman in the kitchen turned off the radio with a sigh.

It had been three days of this already. They were grateful that her parents-in-law had agreed to keep their granddaughter for a couple more days – more than readily. Neither of them had wanted to risk getting involved in a car accident while attempting to bring the little girl home.

It was her luck that she herself had the opportunity to take a few weeks off from work. Owen having granted it readily. She used the time to focus on her research – which she could easily do at home – and, more importantly, focus on her wife.

She only had to go to the hospital in case an emergency came in that she was needed for. She really hoped that wouldn't be the case in the following days. She hoped that people listened to the radio and just stayed put.

However, she had a feeing that eventually something was going to happen and she had to make her way to the hospital on the icy roads.

She shook this thought out of her head and set to work on making breakfast. Warming up a couple of croissants, making fresh orange juice and cutting fruits for a yummy muesli.

She was so focussed on her work and trying to get the thoughts about possible emergencies our of her head that she almost missed a timid voice calling out behind her. "Callie?"

The brunette's head turned immediately, a mock disappointed expression on her face. "Aw, hey, not nice. I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in-"

The rest of the sentence died on her lips as she noticed the alarmed expression on her wife and saw a hand grasping the baby bump a lot harder than it had when she had still been asleep. "Oh, God, what's wrong?" she ran towards the blonde and covered the hand with hers, the over one going to the side of the belly.

"I'm... I think the baby's coming," Arizona said as her eyes sought Callie's nervously.

"Wha-," Callie began, somehow the thought having trouble entering her brain. Which was a funny thing considering the baby bad been almost all she had been able to think about lately. "A-Are you sure?"

Before Arizona could even respond – a reply that would have come out rather harshly at feeling like her wife doubted her words – a sharp sting shot through her lower abdomen and she had to fight hard not to double over in pain.

Luckily Callie was there to keep her upright. She intended to get Arizona to sit down, fearing that her prosthetic might give out in her suddenly shaky state. But the blonde refused, remained standing and clinging to the brunette with her eyes tightly shut until the pain subsided after a good minute.

"I'm sure," she finally replied more gently as she started to move out of the embrace a little, Callie's hands running over back soothingly definitely having helped her some. "I... I felt some tugging throughout the night. I thought they were Braxton Hicks, I've had them before. I mean, they were a little stronger than before, but," she laughed mirthlessly at what she felt was her own stupidity. She as she doctor should have known that this was different.

Right...?

And Callie wondered how she herself could possibly have missed that. So much for a good night's sleep. Dammit. But Arizona had looked so peaceful this morning...

"And then this morning I got up because I thought I needed to pee. And my water broke as soon as I did," she nodded downwards, and, really, only now Callie noticed the wet streak on Arizona's pajama shorts.

And then wanted to hyperventilate.

There was the emergency.

Crap.

"Okay. Okay, um," Callie started to pace, thinking about how to go from here. Arizona clearly had to get to the hospital. Now. There was no way around it. Arizona's gaze followed hers that again took in the outside world. More afraid than ever. They looked at each other before Callie made a plan. "Okay... You sit tight. We'll get you in some clean clothes and I'll get the bag. And then I'll try and get the car as close to the house as I can," she nodded to herself. Arizona tripping and falling on the icy path that led to the garage being the last thing they needed.

On top of everything else.

Their baby sure had the perfect timing.

Or, rather, the weather had.

And whose idea had it been anyway to move into a house in the outskirts of Seattle? Miles away from the hospital? That would make a trip on icy streets a hundred times more fun than it already would have been if they still lived in the apartment across the street from Grey Sloan Memorial?

Well, okay, it had been Arizona's originally, and at first she herself had been reluctant. But her wife's heartfelt speech had convinced her. Had made her realize that especially as of late the old apartment held much more bad memories than good. Memories of fights, tearful nights, losses and loneliness.

They had really needed a fresh start. And this gorgeous house with the huge garden, surrounded by trees that could easily hold a tree house and a swing set had been perfect for them. It had enough room for them and Sofia, and even for a couple of more tiny humans.

A fact that had played an important role in their home search – them feeling that at some point they'd be ready to try for another baby.

A baby that wanted to be born a little sooner than expected.

And suddenly Callie thought them really foolish for picking a home this far away from the hospital.

She huffed to herself as she intended to head out into the hall.

But Arizona's "Wait!" and another wave of pain hitting her held Callie back.

The brunette gasped. There hadn't even been three minutes between the two contractions. "Arizona..."

"I know," the other woman replied gasping as she neared Callie. The two contractions she had had before meeting Callie in the kitchen had also been very close together already.

Callie shook her head, her mind still set on getting them to the hospital. No matter what. There was still time.

"There's no time," Arizona said vehemently, reading Callie's silent thought. This was it. She set her jaw tightly and nodded determinedly. "I'm gonna have the baby. Right here. In our home. And you're gonna help me".

Callie just watched on dumbfounded as Arizona slowly made her way to the bedroom, the pain hindering her in moving about quicker. "Oh, God," she mumbled. She tried to get a grip of herself and help her wife. This was set to become one of the best days of their lives. And it scared the crap out of her.

"Callie!?" a demanding and pain-filled voice knocked her out of her stupor and got her moving.

Rushing to the bedroom, she silently said her first prayer in years.

to be continued