I Won't Let Nobody Hurt You

35

Addison, Arizona, and Meredith sat in the waiting room of Tabitha's office as the little blonde light kicked her feet, giggling around her pacifier. The redhead kissed her temple and glanced at Arizona. "Should we have just canceled? She's in her younger headspace so she's not incredibly verbal right now."

"We can still let Tabitha know what's been going on, even if this little one can't contribute to the conversation like she normally does." Arizona booped Meredith's nose. "A lot has happened this past week and it would probably be helpful if she knew about it before Mer is able to talk about it herself."

"That's true." Addison hummed. "I like Mark as chief way more than I ever liked Richard as chief. I doubt Richard would let you miss the beginning of your shift so we could both take bunny to therapy."

"Very true, he'd say that you're more than capable of taking her yourself since you'll be home with her anyways." Arizona rolled her eyes. "Is he still calling you from rehab?"

"Yeah, he says he needs to see Meredith so he can make amends with her as part of his recovery." Addison sighed. "I told him to kick rocks, respectfully."

"I always knew you were protective of those you loved, but damn, protective mama bear Addie is hot." Arizona bit her lip as she wiggled her eyebrows.

"Oh calm down." Addison playfully slapped her arm with a laugh. "We're literally at our daughter's therapy appointment, have some self control."

"What's self control?" Arizona feigned ignorance.

"You, my love, are insufferable." Addison shook her head and pecked Arizona's lips. "Thankfully I like that about you."

"Yes, thankfully." Arizona agreed with a bright smile. "So how did Richard respond to being told to kick rocks, respectfully."

"He said that holding onto my anger would do nothing but bring me unfulfillment." Addison rolled her eyes. "I said I'd let go of my anger when he stopped trying to make my daughter a part of his treatment plan. He said he would just start calling you and I told him that you would say the same thing as me. Although, he had doubts that you'd be that mean."

"Oh on the contrary, I'd probably say something worse than you did. I do not play around when it comes to my kid." Arizona huffed. "It's like he just assumes that Mer is going to forgive him when that may not be the case. He can't base his sobriety around her forgiving him."

"I told him that too." Addison nodded. "We have the same conversation every time he calls, I'm about ready to just stop answering."

"I don't blame you." Arizona sighed and reached out to hold Addison's hand in hers, rubbing soft circles on the back of it. Tabitha came out to call them back and Addison settled Meredith onto her hip as Arizona grabbed her diaper bag. The little blonde turned herself into a cradling position the second Addison had sat down on the couch in Tabitha's office, reaching up to trace the redhead's cheek with a finger.

"Is she in her one year old headspace?" Tabitha asked as she noticed how Meredith seemed younger than usual.

"She is." Addison nodded as she looked at Meredith with a soft smile. "She's not very verbal when she's this young, but we thought that we could at least let you know what's been going on this past week and how it's been affecting her."

"Absolutely." Tabitha nodded. "Is she back to work now?"

"Kind of." Arizona sighed. "She went back on Monday but three of her interns were talking about her and she just couldn't handle being there so the two of us went home after only an hour."

"Then yesterday while she was on her lunch break her biological father was brought in so she and I went home." Addison continued. "He needed a liver transplant and was too unstable to transfer, so the best solution was just for us to leave. Originally he was going to be transferred to another hospital after he woke up from surgery, but he wasn't stable so he's still there. I called out for her, which is probably a good thing because it's a lot harder to get her out of headspace when she's one than it is when she's two."