CHAPTER 3
Thursday afternoon that week Callie finished with her last patient at 4pm. She was going through a medical journal to find some information on whiplash when she heard the small bell that signaled that someone walked into the building.
When she opened the door to the waiting room, Arizona was there.
Callie must have looked very surprised, because Arizona suddenly doubted that she was in the right place.
"This is the clinic, right?" she asked.
Callie was silent for a few seconds, simply staring at Arizona, but then finally snapped out of her surprised state.
"Uh...yeah. Yeah. How can I help you?"
Arizona lifted her hand, showing that her ring finger was wrapped in a small dish towel. She was hurt.
"I cut my finger" Arizona said, the regret in her voice evident.
"Come sit here" Callie said, immediately in full doctor mode.
She unwrapped the finger and looked at the cut.
"Let me guess; screwdriver slipped?"
Arizona looked at her with surprise "How did you...?"
"I've seen a lot of injuries like this over the years" Callie smiled.
The latina assessed the wound and cleaned it with iodine, causing Arizona to hiss slightly in pain.
"The cut is pretty deep. I am going to give it a couple of stitches"
"Stitches?" Arizona's eyes went wide "But, do you know how...I mean..." The blonde looked around as if taking in the small place she was sitting in. She obviously didn't give the small town clinic or doctor Torres much credit.
"Calm down, Miss Robbins" Callie said in a calm tone "I'm a surgeon. I know my way around cuts. And sutures"
Callie left the room for a second and came back with a suture kit.
"You're a surgeon?! But…how come you're…" Arizona stopped before she finished the sentence. Callie did it for her though.
"Wasting my time here?" Callie said challengingly.
Arizona swallowed and looked down.
"I'm sorry. It's just…"
"I used to think like you, you know. I came here and I thought 'How the hell do people live all the way out here?'. And then… Then I fell in love. And everything else – whatever the pulsating big city has to offer – stopped being important. And slowly…slowly I fell in love with the place as well. With the people here"
Callie tied the last knot of the suture. Arizona looked down at the art work Callie had created.
They made eye contact. And it lasted a second too long to be comfortable.
"Can you...can we keep this...here?" the blonde then asked meekly "I...I may be wrong because no one actually talks to me, but I have a feeling there's enough gossip already"
"Don't worry" Callie said "What happens here, stays here"
Arizona looked grateful. She grabbed her purse and asked "How much do I owe?"
"Don't worry about it" Callie said while washing her hands "Consider it a 'welcome to town' treatment. It's on the house"
Arizona looked at her for what seemed like a long minute. Then she simply nodded, looked down, turned around and left.
As Callie heard the Thunderbird engine start she whispered "You're welcome, Miss Robbins" and laughed a bit at the stranger's antics.
