4Ø

you hear about Torres and Robins?" Mark asks his wife, sliding beside her in the break room. Eleanora doesn't glance up from the labs she was going over but she does raise a brow to indicate she was intrigued. Mark grinned, leaning against the back of the couch and throwing his arm around his wife's shoulders.

"I know you know that they've been going to marriage counseling, but their therapist has recommended that they go on a 30-day separation." Eleanora pauses in her writing, slowly turning her head. "I know. They have to live in the same house for Sofia's sake, obviously, but no talking, no sleeping in the same bed, ."

"That sounds..." Eleanora starts, blinking a few times in her attempt to find the exact words. Mark nods, shaking his head a bit.

"Like absolute hell."

_____

Eleanora looks up from where she was sliding covers over her shoes, her scrub cap tightly placed on top of her head. She had another surgery for her trial, placing the drug in the new round of patients. Her eyes land on Arizona and April, the two women smiling.

"Hey, guys. You need something?"

"Actually, we wanted to invite you to a girl's night." Arizona started, Eleanora perking up a bit at the words. "I need to practice a procedure for Herman's service and the practice doll is absolutely horrendous."

"So, I came up with the idea to make little jello mom bellies and put grapes in them as the little baby hearts!" April tells her, a small laugh coming from the neurosurgeon. "So, not only will we be making and eating jello, but we can also try and own Arizona up on Tiny Baby Heart Time!"

"That sounds absolutely amazing." Eleanora agrees, going to stand up. "I get off around 6 and can just meet you at your place, Arizona?"

Arizona nods, the three women talking for just a few more minutes before April's pager goes off and Wilson calls out for Eleanora to join her in the OR. Eleanora gives her friends one last wave before jogging over to Jo, a soft smile on her lips.

_____

," Callie calls out to Sofia from the little girl's doorway, chuckling a bit when she hears a sleepy, half-hearted reply. The little girl is curled up underneath her blankets with an older stuffed mouse stuffed between her body and her arms. She hadn't slept without it either in her arms or in her line of sight for almost two years. "Sweet dreams."

Callie softly and quietly shuts the bedroom door, her shoulders deflating a bit as the exhaustion from the day catches up with her. The sound of laughter from the kitchen catches her attention, her brows furrowing. She and Sofia had gone out to eat after Callie picked her up from her babysitters, so when they got home the woman helped her daughter straight into bed without going anywhere else.

Callie starts towards the kitchen, pausing in the doorway as annoyance fills her due to the sight in front of her. Eleanora, April, and Arizona are surrounding the island in their kitchen with jello packets, ingredients, and mixing bowls and spoons scattered across the marble expanse.

"I had to look at so many places to find this, but I did!" April tells them, Arizona and Eleanora both letting out laughs. All three women notice Callie in the doorway, Arizona quickly moving her eyes away. Eleanora and April's laughter trails off a bit but they continue to smile at their other friend.

"Hey, Callie." Eleanora greets, moving her eyes to glance between her and Arizona before focusing back on the jello in her bowl. April clears her throat, noticing the pinched look on the orthopedic surgeon's face.

"Are we too loud for Sofia?" She asks, voice apologetic and slightly worried.

"No, I just put her down. I thought you-" Callie replies, voice low. She stops speaking for a moment, annoyance flaring on her face before she focuses her attention on Eleanora and April. "I thought Arizona had to study."

"Uh..." Eleanora begins, her and April sharing a look before looking over at Arizona. The woman makes a face at them, April's mouth forming an 'o'.

"Right, uh, talking is against the rules." April points out. Eleanora nods, speaking up.

"Arizona actually is studying. The model they have at the hospital is crap so we came over to help jello mom bellies and put grapes in them in place of a tiny baby heart. They're the perfect size and jello is the perfect consistency for the uterus so-"

Eleanora is interrupted by Callie letting out a harsh, "Neat." The woman grabs a bottle of wine set out and brings it to her lips, her hard and angry eyes focused on Arizona. Eleanora shuts her mouth quickly, stalling in mixing jello. She glances over at April with slightly wide eyes, not knowing what to do.

"I'm also making Ambrosia salad," April starts, trying to make the room less tense. "Kepner family recipe!"

It's silent in the room as Arizona and Callie stare at each other for a few moments before the latter takes the wine bottle and exits the kitchen, just leaving the three friends.

"Right." Eleanora says slowly, leaning over to grab a grape to pop in her mouth. "That was completely normal."

_____

" Mark whispers, shaking his wife's shoulder. She was asleep on the couch, some opened mail on her stomach. She grumbles quietly, moving one hand to swat at his arm. Mark grins, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead.

"Kids asleep?" He asked. He ended up having to stay late at work for an emergency surgery so he couldn't go to the boy's first hockey practice with Eleanora and Alessa. That also meant he missed having dinner at the family's go-to diner.

Eleanora hummed, leaning her head away from her husband. "All sleep. Momma sleep now."

Mark chuckled, shaking his head. He reached forward to pick up the mail from her stomach, standing up straight to go place it in the office. On his way to their office, his eyes catch a part of one of the letter's, his brows furrowing a bit as his eyes dance across the words and register them.