Epilogue
She wants to work again, but Cooper begs her to spend one more day at home.
"And do what?" she asks him.
"Sleep. Eat. Recover."
"Brood," she counters. "Crave. Hurt."
He sighs. "Point taken. At least promise me you'll stick to paperwork, and take an extra-long lunch."
That doesn't turn out to be a problem. By the time lunch rolls around, she's feeling shaky and irritable again.
"Food," she tells Amelia. "Then a meeting. Please."
They swing by the hospital on the way back, so that Callie can check her arm again before she leaves to go back to Seattle.
"It's good," she tells them. "I'd like to keep you in the sling until the sutures come out and the rash is cleared up. Then Pete or whomever can put the cast back on."
Then Callie turns to Amelia. "Can we have a minute? Alone?"
With Amelia off in search of coffee, Callie grows serious. "So, honestly? How crap do you really feel?"
"Holding."
"I see that. But...look, this has been a rough one, and for me too. I don't think I've ever even done a surgery where the patient couldn't have anything, not even a numbing cream. I was cutting into you in there and thinking damn, she's going to feel this all afterward. And then...the other stuff on top of it..."
"Yeah. Sorry. Guess I ruined your vacation."
"No! It's not...I mean, I don't mean..."
"I know what you mean. Kind of sweet of you, being all concerned like this. But I'm holding. I am."
"Well, if you ever want to talk again..."
"Don't think so. But thanks."
She heads back to the office with Amelia, and she's thoughtful. Maybe she's wrong after all, about the talking. Sure, it's hell having people she works with all up in her business. But maybe this is what Violet and her whole safe space deal is for. And maybe, people like Amelia-like Cooper-can be a safe space too...
Amelia's making chit-chat as they pull inside, but she tunes it out, still lost in thought. She sees Cooper heading from the kitchen back into his office, and makes her decision.
"Coop! Hey, Coop!"
He turns, sees her, smiles. "Hey babe."
"Can we talk for a minute?"
He trades looks with Amelia, clearly not expecting this opening. But he nods, and she follows him into his office
She sits, fidgets. Tries to look unafraid.
"Okay, this may take more than a minute," she finally says.
He doesn't go around to the other side of his desk, though. He comes and sits with her, smiling, waiting.
"So, here's the deal. Got my arm checked today. You know, before Callie leaves?"
"Yes."
"Says I'm stuck in this sling until the stitches come out and the rash clears up. Then I need to find someone to put a cast on again. I'd rather not involve Pete in my business any more than I need. Can you handle this for me?"
His eyes tear up and she shakes her head, maintaining the composure she needs to get through this conversation. "You'll have to check it for me, Coop. Every day. See how it's healing."
He takes a deep breath, trying-not all that successfully, but even so-to keep composure too. "I will. Of course I will. I'm honoured. I'm very good with casts, you know."
"I just bet you are. So, we're good, than?"
He breathes out again, the mist at last clearing from his eyes. "Oh, yeah. Yeah, we're good."
THE END
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