The minute Mindy walked through those elevator doors her stomach dropped. What was she doing? She wasn't ready to face this. She was still having trouble handling those damn crutches and so every step seemed like an eternity.
You are wearing flats! FLATS! There is no greatness in this whatsoever! This is anything but a triumphal return. Such a mistake, Mindy, such a mistake…
To her surprise though, it turns out everybody was extremely excited to have her back. Betsy almost jumped on top of her, hugging her tightly for at least 30 seconds (then she was removed by force). Jeremy and Morgan helped Mindy up and escorted her to the coffee break area where they proceeded to tell her everything about the past days. Mindy was surprised no one made jokes but instead was caring and supportive of her arrival. The time for bullying will come next, she thought when she saw the "Mindy pool" was still written on the blackboard.
It turns out they had hired a temp doctor but they all knew he wasn't gonna cut it. The former model turned OBGYN was a nice addition to Shullman & Associates if you were in it for the looks. But as it turns out Mr. Leotard was a bit of a philanderer for pregnant women, which was even disturbing to Jeremy.
- So that is saying a lot, really. – assured Morgan
- Morgan! – Jeremy elbowed Morgan with an awkward laugh
- Today we sent him to the clinic where he'll be assisting Dr. Castellano with the delivery of a baby. – continued Betsy
Mindy felt her heart pound a little stronger when she heard Danny's name. She had, at first, associated his absence with one of the last conversations they had had: "I probably won't be here when you come back". The mental picture of Danny in a tractor made her smile. She felt somewhat relieved, yet nervous at the same time. So… she would have to deal with him. And not only in person, but also in her dreams that night. She swallowed.
- Do you want us to take you to the clinic? We can fire Mr. Firecracker right away, and you can also say hi to Danny. – said Jeremy over-enthusiastically
- Oh, no! – she rushed to say – I mean, guys… I just came today to say hello. I don't think I will be coming back full time for now, with the leg and all… Plus, it would be kind of fun to have an assisting doctor while I catch up.
Everyone was a bit disappointed at this but said nothing out of first-day courtesy. Mindy stayed there all day filling in some paperwork and re-organizing her office (Well, she made Betsy do it for her, of course. An injured lady must be attended to).
When she was about to leave later in the afternoon, Morgan offered to take her home in his new car. Mindy hesitated but ultimately didn't decide against it as her crutches were still killing her muscles. He left her on the entrance of the clinic's building and went to pick up the car. As everyone kissed her goodbye and left, Mindy thought that at least the weeks with Mr. Leotard had paid off for Betsy: she and Jeremy seemed closer than ever. She watched them from the door as they left together; teasing each other and blushing like two teenagers. She would have never seen that coming.
Just as Morgan was pulling down his car on the verge of the sidewalk, two people entering the building bumped into Mindy's left crutch, causing her to lose stability. Just as she was falling (and almost as if it was a slow motion scene) she recognized a familiar face: It was Dr. Daniel Castellano, looking at her with a mix of confusion, anger or worse… disgust? When she was about to hit the ground someone caught her.
- Whoa! Honey, gotta be careful! - Said the man who helped her up.
Mindy grabbed her crutches again and turned to look at her savior. A handsome, dark-haired face welcomed her with a huge, wide grin.
- Dr. Leotard, nice to meet you.
