46.

Bayport

311 Bayview Ave

Four days after they arrived back home, Chet had just signed the delivery receipt for the latest load of furniture. The two drivers smiled to him and headed out for their truck. Chet closed the door and returned to the living room. He found his sister and fiancé stretched out on one of the new leather sofas. Chet smiled to the pair.

"I assume by the smiles on your faces that both of you are pleased with your Restoration Hardware shopping experience?" He asked observing their casual positions. Iola jumped up and nodded.

"Super comfy, bro." She said. "was worth the near week of shopping." Chet furrowed his brow a bit.

"And to think, you two have only furnished two of the bedrooms and the main living room. What about the other twenty something rooms in the place?" He asked with a mock sense of urgency. Callie rolled over slightly and looked up with a pained expression. She rubbed her side.

"I don't know about you guys, but I am content for now. My body is speaking to me and it's not saying nice things." She said. Chet nodded sympathetically.

"I understand that, Angel. By back has been giving me hell all week. I know it's a common thing that after a major accident of any kind, your body takes days to acclimate and gives you some mighty serious soreness in the process. But I think we should cool it on the shopping for a bit. Well at least no more eight hour casual walks through Restoration Hardware." He said. Iola had to agree as she sat back down in an overstuffed down filled leather chair.

"Ah, that's better." She said. "but I agree. It was intense. No more marathon shopping. But I do reserve the right to say a little light shopping for more personal things would be in order." Callie raised an eyebrow and looked at her best friend.

"Are you thinking some nice lightweight things for the bath and beauty side of the house?" She asked with a smile. Iola nodded. That could mean only one store Callie deduced. "Ulta?" she asked.

"Of course." Iola said. "though it could still be dangerous going in there. It could take hours.

"Ulta?" Chet echoed. Not making the connection. Iola rolled her eyes at him.

"Like the best cosmetic and beauty supplies, bro. Think of it as our version of when you go to Gun World." She said. Chet nodded now, completely understanding.

"Well, as long as I don't have to hang out there." He said. Iola shrugged.

"Well, not like we have anything better to do. The hour I got in with Joe yesterday was not nearly enough but I am not going to fight with Gertrude about it. And since Joe did go to the doctor and got told by his regular doctor that he needed total rest and no stress for two weeks and to come back, well, I know what that means to Gertrude. Not that I'm not thankful she let me in yesterday for an hour. I am. But it didn't seem nearly long enough." Iola lamented. She perked back up and smiled. "So cosmetic shopping might just be the thing."

Callie nodded slightly, then winced in pain again. She reached into her purse and took out some Advil. She took three and then opened her bottle of water and took a drink.

"I think I need about half an hour for these to kick in though first, girl." She said rubbing her side. "I'm afraid these Advils don't work all that well." Chet took a seat next to her. He noticed the comfort of the sofa right off.

"Well if you are still in pain after sitting on this thing, it must be bad. But at least with those Advils you don't do crazy things." He said putting his arm around her. Callie rested her head on his chest.

"I might be tempted to get another dose of that stuff. At least it made me forget the pain." She said. Iola looked over to here.

"Where does it hurt most?" She asked. Callie looked up and gave a pained expression.

"Well, my side for sure. Headaches have come and gone. Lower back. Abdomen. And add some nice feeling sick to my stomach and I have resolved that I doubt I will ever get on a plane again." She said. Chet leaned over and kissed her head.

"Poor, angel. But maybe mom is right and you should see the doc for a follow up yourself. Might be able to give you some pain meds that fall in between Advil and Morphine." He said. Callie half nodded.

"You're probably right. I will get around to it. I have probably just been on my feet too much after such an event that shook me up so much. The day we got back to town I wasn't feeling all that bad. But the last couple days it has come back with a vengeance!" She said rubbing her side more.

Iola smiled with sympathy for her friend. She was sore herself, but not in the intense pain that apparently had been afflicting Callie intermittently.

"You are lucky that you weren't rubbing your side and popping pills when you visited your parents a few days ago. That must have been one of your good days." She said. Callie nodded.

"Thank the lord for that. They would have had me in the hospital in five seconds of me rubbing my head. And that is not even with them knowing about the whole plane crash. I am afraid to even go there." She said. It pained her to think about that she would eventually have to come clean with her parents and disclose what had happened. She just didn't want to be put under the microscope at the time.

"You will tell them when the time is right." Chet said. "try not to think about it. You don't want to stress yourself out." Callie sighed deeply.

"You know it's funny. Well, not funny really. Just that since the crash happened…I guess… it seemed like my emotions just have been going nuts. One time I am good and solid, and the next I am thinking too much and crack up at the lightest thought of anything stressing. It honestly has been driving me up a wall." She said placing her head in her hands. Chet rubbed her back with one of his arms.

"I'm sorry angel. I feel so bad. I want you to be better. I don't like you to feel this way." He said. Iola came and sat on the other side of Callie.

"You've been through a lot, girl. It's going to get better!" She said. Her friend turned and hugged her with tears.

"This sucks!" She said. "Everything happens at once!" Iola looked at her questioningly.

"Everything? What else is wrong?" She asked. Callie looked at her with a bit of a disgusted look and patted her abdomen.

"It started this morning." She groaned and looked over to Chet. "Sorry about your sheets, babe. Didn't have any pads on hand." Chet smiled understandingly.

"It's ok, Angel. I find it more sad that I will have to be celibate for a week." He said. Callie shot him a glance.

"Not a picnic for me either, hun. I'd rather be having a week of wild sex with you than cramping on top of aches and headaches. All you have to do is sit around for a week for it to pass. I have to have the fun part." Chet nodded.

"Point taken, Angel. Sorry. Can I get you some chocolate or soda or Mydol?" Iola rolled her eyes then giggled.

"Well bro, your hearts in the right place." She said patting him on the back. She turned to her friend.

"Maybe a little caffeine might help. We can do Starbucks before Ulta. And a good dose of chocolate in between." Callie smiled slightly at the prospect. She took a deep breath.

"I really should suck it up a bit. A bit of whip lash and a period isn't the end of the world. But Chet might be right on the Midol recommendation. These cramps suck." She said half laughing through the pain. Iola rubbed her back some more.

"Know how it feels girl. My turn should come next week. I am not looking forward to that since it coincides with the time Joe should be gaining some freedom." She said with a sigh. Chet rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Well ladies. I guess I know when I should be doing something and it's probably not sitting here giving you advice in that, er, special time of the month." He said a bit uncomfortably. Iola giggled.

"Well bro, I am sure you can find something to entertain you. Cal and I will make our way to Ulta. Nothing relieves pain better than some Lancome." She said. Callie perked up a little at the thought. Chet nodded.

"Well, I will probably go get the overflow of mail at the office and maybe go by the apartment. Not really sure. I will kill some time." He said. Iola got up and extended a hand to Callie.

"Let me help you up, girl." She said offering her hand. Callie nodded and held her half up. Iola took it and pulled her up to stand. Callie walked over to Chet and wrapped her arms around him.

"I love you, babe. Miss me?" She asked. Chet smiled.

"I love you too, angel. And yes, I will miss you." He said giving her a gentle kiss. Callie smiled back at him.

"That's pretty good pain relief. See you soon." She said. Iola fished her keys out of her purse and handed them to Chet.

"Yours stuck with my car, bro. Enjoy." She said with a grin. Chet shrugged.

"No problem. You ladies have fun. But don't overdo it!" He said firmly. He was worried about Callie and her ups and down. He didn't want her to exhaust herself. Iola nodded in his direction.

Chet left the house and got into Iola's Volvo. He started the motor and pulled out onto Bayview and headed towards town. He wanted to stop and get the company's mail. Fifteen minutes drive brought him to downtown Bayport. He drove the car onto Mulberry Street and drove two blocks to where the offices of Hardy, Morton and Hardy were. He got out and locked the door. He noticed Cho's Deli was open. He was hungry. He was happy to return and give some business. He walked in. A moment later Cho came out of the back room when he heard the bell on the door.

"Coming!" he said upon hearing the bell. Upon seeing Chet, Cho's face lit up. "Ah, Mr. Chet!" He exclaimed happily. "So good to see you. I pray to Buddha every night for your return!" He said bowing to Chet. "Without you coming in daily to buy super subs I was almost to point of having to take daughter out of Vassar and send her to state college. That would be tragic!" He gestured for Chet to sit down. "Please, sit, Mr. Chet." He said. Chet smiled.

"Thank you, Cho! I am honored to return here and to save your daughter's education." He said. Cho smiled broadly.

"You are too kind, Mr. Chet! So, what you like? Super Sub and chocolate milk?" He asked. Chet nodded.

"Yes, please, Cho! Extra meat, too." He requested. Cho nodded gratefully and went about his task. Chet sat back and sighed. It was good to be home.


The black Jaguar cut down the highway with ease and speed. Inside, Callie and Iola isolated from the outside world. Callie, clad in a well distressed pair of Miss Me jeans, dark blue wool sweater and open backed black leather sandals. She maintained focus on the highway through the Ray Ban Wayfarers covering her eyes. The sound of music filled the cabin. The Rolling Stones Can't You Hear Me Knocking came through the speakers like breaking ice.

Yeah, you got satin shoes
Yeah, you got plastic boots
Y'all got cocaine eyes
Yeah, you got speed-freak jive

Iola looked sideways to her friend, who was generally more chatty. Callie was focused and perhaps, in another world altogether.

Can't you hear me knockin' on your window
Can't you hear me knockin' on your door
Can't you hear me knockin' down your dirty street, yeah

Iola wasn't sure if it was something that she could attribute to Callie's physical injuries, or the mental after effects. Or maybe just because she was cycling. She waved her hand slightly near Callie's range of vision. Callie briefly turned her head towards her hand, though said nothing.

Help me baby, ain't no stranger
Can you help me baby, ain't no stranger
Help me baby, ain't no stranger

The roar of the Jaguar leaping forward even faster seemed to increase with the pace and intensity of the music. For a moment Iola was a bit scared as she gazed upon the speedometer which was reading ninety miles per hour!

Hear me ringing big bell tolls
Hear me singing soft and low
I've been begging on my knees
I've been kickin', help me please
Hear me prowlin'
I'm gonna take you down!

Iola took on a look of shock as she watched the speedometer cross the 100 MPH mark. She gently touched her friend's shoulder.

"uh, Cal. I think it's a little fast, girl." She said softly, not wanting to shock her. Callie looked down slightly and let off the accelerator. The car reduced speed down to 50 and Iola gave an inward sigh of relief. Callie looked over to her friend.

"yeah, I guess it was. Sorry about that. Just kind of got lost in the moment there. I was thinking. And the music just took me into this place…hard to explain I guess." She said without much emotion. Iola looked at her friend with a worried expression. Something was going on with her that she couldn't put a finger on. Years of friendship and she had never quite seen her friend acting this way. Iola attributed it to some kind of post traumatic effects of the accident. She put a smile on her face.

"Well, you will feel better with a good size latte in you." She said softly. Callie nodded and thought to herself "Yeah, a cup of coffee is going to fixed my fucked up mind."

Callie took the exit ramp which led to the mall. A few short turns later, Callie pulled into a parking spot near the east side entrance. She turned the ignition off and slowly looked over to Iola. She smiled and Iola saw Callie's eyebrows raise slightly over her Wayfarers.

"Good to go, baby girl?" She asked. Iola nodded. The two got out of the car and walked towards the entrance.

Bayport Mall was a mid sized mall with all the usual franchised stores and plenty of eateries. They made a bee line for the Starbucks. About halfway, Callie slowed down and grabbed her side.

"Not so fast, girl. I need to medicate again soon I guess." She said. Iola slowed down and turned. She backtracked a few steps and put her arm around her friend to support as she rubbed her side and back.

"Take your time." She said. "I feel really bad for you. The post crash soreness is hitting me a bit for sure, but I don't think I have any one area that is so bad it drives me nuts. It is gonna get better though. I know it will." She said with a smile. Callie furrowed her brow in mild pain as they slowly walked the rest of the way. Upon entering the Starbucks, Iola helped Callie to a table where she sat down to take the pressure off. "I'll get your drink, huh. The usual?" she asked.

Callie nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks, girl." She said with a wince. She watched Iola walk over to the counter to order their drinks. She took a deep breath. She watched out through the glass walls of the Starbucks out into the mall. All of the people seeming to be driven by the need to spend. Often money they didn't even have. Callie laughed to herself and saw her faint reflection against the glass wall.

"Your no exception, girl." She told herself. "You've been at it for four days. Are you any happier?" She looked down at the table. "no, didn't think so." She muttered softly. But she figured self-analyzing her shopping habits and what they meant to her or anyone else was pointless. She knew she was a bit of a hypocrite. The fact that most of the things she had bought in recent days or would likely buy that day would not make her happy was hardly a shock. She did smile with the thought of having such a loving man as Chet who accepted her, flaws and all. Her one bright spot, she thought. Another surge of pain hit her lower back and she rolled her eyes and took a breath.

"This sucks." She said to herself. A moment later Iola walked back towards her table holding two large lattes. Callie disliked the Starbucks sizing terms. Iola placed the drink before her.

"Here ya go, girl. One venti…" Callie waged a finger at her with a half smile since she knew her friend was giving her grief. Iola laughed.

"Oh, that's right! Here is one Large vanilla latte with a triple shot for good measure." She said. Callie smiled back to her and took her drink.

"Thanks, hun." She said and took a sip. "not bad. Overpriced, but good." Iola laughed.

"Overpriced? Coming from the millionaire." She said. Callie looked at her friend with a slightly annoyed look.

"Still overpriced, and I don't feel like a millionaire. Not sure I want to have that distinction." She said. "Yeah, it's allowed us to buy a nice place to live and some cool furniture. But I don't know. It all seems kind of empty, really." She said taking another sip.

Iola pursed her lips in thought. She knew her friend was sad in some ways. Maybe even depressed. With an occasional grasp towards happiness and hope, but still mired down in doubt and sorrow. She was glad that she at least had Chet there for her. She had noticed a definite trend of when her brother was around Callie, she would often perk up. Iola was really hoping Callie would bring up the idea of seeking a therapist to work with. The crash, it seemed, flipped this internal button which made her almost manic at times to an extent where she was either super happy or super transfixed on something and others when she was sobering in tone and full of introspection.

Iola took her drink and gave a shrug.

"Well, it's nice to have security anyway. How is your drink?" She asked. Callie nodded.

"Not bad. Though I should take some meds while I have something to drink." She said and sorted through her purse and pulled out a bottle of Mydol. She took a couple out and tossed them into her mouth, then took a drink.

"Damn cramps." She said closing her eyes briefly. She looked up and forced a smile. She knew she was being a bit of a downer. "How is Joe? Has he messaged you today?" She asked. Iola nodded.

"Yeah, Gertrude and Laura are double teaming him. Apparently, he went over the one hour TV limit and they are doing their best to control what he looks at. That would be amusing to watch I think. I am sure it's driving him nuts." Iola said. Callie giggled a bit at the thought of aunt Gertrude and Laura monitoring what Joe looked at!

"That could be a full time job!" she said. Iola nodded.

The two friends sat there for the better part of twenty minutes. Callie looked up after taking her last drink. She saw Iola messing with her phone. She appeared to have a look of consternation.

"Let me guess. You are scared that if you send that text to Joe it will make his phone beep or vibrate, and in turn set off the Gertrude Hardy monitoring system?" She asked. Iola looked up sheepishly and nodded.

"Yeah, that pretty much is it." She said. "Kind of like walking on eggshells." Callie nodded looking into space a bit.

"Yeah, I remember sometimes when I would message Frank, he would get pissed off. And he wasn't sick or being monitored. I mean I admit there was a time or two I messaged him when he was on a case doing something important. But…" She continued. "there were many more times when my texting would just bug him. Makes me wonder sometimes." Iola noticed the faraway look in her eyes.

"I know this may be poor timing, but can I ask you a question?" She asked. Callie nodded to her.

"Sure." She said.

"Do you ever miss him?" Iola asked. Callie gave a pained expression and opened her eyes wider. She raised her eyes as if in thought. A thought she didn't want to have.

"Ugh, girl. You know that's not a black and white question. We are friends and have known each other a long time." Iola gave a faint eye roll and looked to her friend.

"Well, then specifically, I mean do you ever miss him in the context of a boyfriend?" She asked. Callie took a deep breath, staring straight forth in thought. Her gaze shifted to Iola.

"No. To be honest, I think that chapter has been written and finished and done. I think it ended a year ago. Forget the bullshit year he led me on and couldn't quite let go. Am I sorry it ended the way it did? Yes. I think it should have been a short, sweet and absolute thing Instead he made it linger. So yes, I wish it would have just ended quick." Iola nodded.

"I can understand that. I was just curious." She said. Iola, she supposed, had her agenda with the question. Perhaps just to make sure that her best friend didn't harbor any lingering interests on that level. She didn't think Callie did. But as erratic as she had been, Iola just wanted to hear it for certain. Callie looked to her. Her finger running along the edge of her cup.

"I suppose I had that question coming." She said perceiving why Iola asked her to begin with. Iola strained a bit, feeling uncomfortable, hoping she hadn't offended her friend. Callie smiled faintly.

"Trust me, girl. That is over. He is history!" she said throwing the cup into a nearby trashcan. She could think of the many dozens of reasons the possibility of reconciliation would not be happening. But understood why Iola asked. Callie knew her emotional ups and downs as of later made her seem, at times, unpredictable. But one constant, that Iola was well aware of, was that Callie had always felt strongly about Chet. Ever since he had declared his long time suppressed desires for her known, she had been helplessly in love with him. And it was a real love. Chet offered her emotional vulnerability she had never seen from Frank. Knowing Chet for so long, she knew him like a book and there were no surprises. She was happy and content with him as her lover and soon to be husband.

"I hope you don't hold it against me. I mean for asking. I know you love Chet. I think there were times through the years that I could have easily read some unspoken language between the two of you that seemed to clearly be a prelude to bigger things. I suppose though, at those times, it just seemed so out of the realm of possibility that I just never thought about it as becoming reality." She said. Callie nodded.

"Well, me neither. Chet was like the brother I never had. I think that having that place in each other's life allowed for us to be completely transparent with each other. We never consciously were attempting to be a couple. We were just always good friends who could basically tell each other anything. It was always a safe place. I have even told him things I've never told you." Iola smiled.

"Well, that was probably prudent depending on the circumstance at any of those given times." She said. "I didn't mean to ask a question like that, but, well, I just had to know. Ya know?" Cal nodded and brushed it off with a gesture.

"Don't sweat it, girl. It's all good." She said with a rub of her side. Iola looked to her concerned.

"You ok to do this? I mean we could pick another day." Callie shook her head.

"No, I am sure this pain will last a while. So, I will probably have to learn to live with it. I am just glad you don't have these same issues. We were all bounced around in that plane pretty good. I just got banged around a few more times than you. It'll pass." She said forcing herself to stand up. Iola tossed her cup in the garbage and the two friends left the Starbucks.

A short walk to center area of the mall brought them to the Ulta store. They walked in and took it all in. Iola, wide eyed.

"Wow. So much I'd love to buy." She said. "But I best watch my money." Callie rolled her eyes and shook her head a bit.

"As you pointed out, I am a millionaire, so I don't think there is anything here that can't be afforded." She said. Iola shot her a glance.

"You know, girl. I don't want to become that friend who takes advantage cause their other friend has money. You don't need to buy me things." Callie lowed her Wayfarers down her nose a bit and looked at her best friend.

"Iola, we are going to live together. We have been friends since grade school. We have been best friends when I didn't have a dime. I feel pretty comfortable with buying you some nice things. Relax." She said. Iola rolled her eyes.

"But that furniture alone. Those four days of shopping pushed about fifty thousand dollars!" Callie shrugged.

"But Chet and I live there too. It's household furniture. You just get the fun of using it since we live in the same house. Chet told me to go to Restoration Hardware cause the furniture was better made. You didn't tell me to." Iola shook her head at.

"Girl, you can use whatever semantics you want to explain it. Chet is quite good and turning words about to suit a rationale that suits. But no matter how you put it, I know you have been good to me. And I'm pretty sure when you and Chet bought me a king sized Tempurpedic adjustable bed that you knew you wouldn't be using it." Callie turned and gave her a wicked look and pursed her lips for a moment.

"Who says I won't be using it?" She said. Iola had to look back at Callie. She blinked her eyes repeatedly and cracked a nervous grin.

"I suppose…" she said and averted her gaze as she felt she was turning red. Callie smiled and gestured for Iola to follow without further concern for budget.

Callie was traditionally a fairly conservative woman most of her life. And she still shared the philosophy that it is wise to not overindulge. But on such occasions, she thought it would not hurt in buying some things that made both her and Iola good about themselves. Self image was important. Not necessarily for the sake of others. But it was undeniable that she felt better when she was able to pamper herself from time to time.

Over the course of the next hour, she and Iola picked out a variety of makeup and beauty supplies. Callie had been smelling a variety of men's cologne, trying to determine what she might like to give Chet. Iola walked up to her. She noted Callie sniffing from the coffee tray so she could try another scent. She sprayed a small white card. She saw Iola coming. She offered the card.

"What do you think?" She asked. Iola took a sniff and half smiled.

"A little masculine, isn't it? She giggled. Callie looked down.

"For your brother." She said. Iola nodded.

"Does smell good. What is it?" She asked. Callie held up a bottle.

"Armani Gio. I think I like it the best!" She said. Iola took a container off the shelf.

"Done deal!" She said. "Anything else? Callie shook her head and rubbed herself again, then moved her hand up to her forehead.

"uh, no. I am getting more aches and headache coming back. I think it's time to go." She said a bit flustered. Iola noticed she didn't look that well and appeared rather fatigued.

"Go sit on that chair and I will check out. Ok?" She asked, directing her towards a nearby chair. Callie nodded without objection. She quickly pulled a bank card from her bag and gave it to Iola.

"Here, use this." She said. Iola took it and the hand basket full of items and got in line. She looked over her shoulder to her friend. Callie had her head rested against her hand. Her fingers massaging her forehead in hopes to alleviate the apparent pain.

Five minutes later Iola had checked out and was given her bagged items. She returned to the chair and found Callie in pretty much the same hunched over position. She had her glasses back on. Iola guessed she was wearing them to avoid the bright white lights throughout the store.

"Ok, girl. Let's get out of here." She said offering her hand. Callie looked up looking a bit distressed. She took her friend's hand and pulled herself up to a standing position. Callie started walking along with Iola.

"Thanks, I am feeling knocked out. Must be all the lights in there and I was huffing all that cologne and coffee which likely made my head worse!" She said rubbing her forehead as they walked along.

"It's ok, we will get out of here and get some rest. Looks like you've had it." She said watching her friend closely as they walked together. Once free of the noisy mall a wave of cool air hit them. Normally this would have been helpful. But for some reason as they walked along it seems to assist in further disorienting Callie. As they approached the car she looked to Iola.

"Think you better drive, hun. I am not feeling that…." Her words were cut short as she collapsed to the ground! Iola swung around and immediately knelt next to her friend. Panic struck her face.

"Cal! Are you ok?" She asked. She put her arm around Callie and was relieved at least that she hadn't completely lost consciousness. Callie shook her head slowly.

"Uhm, no. Not feeling good…" Her voice faded. Iola fished through Callie's bag and found the keys. She hit the lock button on the car and it bleeped to indicate it was unlocked. Surprisingly no one was in the parking lot and didn't see the event. Iola pulled her friend up from the back and helped her stagger the rest of the way to the car. Iola leaned her friend against the back seat door while she opened the passenger side front door. She helped her friend ease into the front seat and shut the door. She quickly retrieved the bag and purse she dropped when she helped Callie. Iola ran back to the car and got in. After stuffing the bag and purse in the back seat she looked over to Callie who was clearly worn down. She reached over and helped buckle her seatbelt. She took a deep breath.

"Ok, girl. Like it or not, we are going to the hospital. I think they need to give you a full MRI or something they didn't give you in Colorado. You might have had a concussion yourself!" She said starting the car. Callie held up her arm in slight protest, then dropped her arm.

"Yeah, maybe you are right." She said. "If nothing else maybe they can give me some better pain meds." Iola smiled in spite of the situation as she pulled out of the parking lot.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." She said and burst into traffic. Bayport General Hospital was only about ten minutes away luckily and Iola made it there quickly. She pulled the Jaguar into the ER parking lot. By this time Callie had regained much of her faculties. She looked over to her friend and then the hospital, which she wasn't fond of the idea of going into.

"I suppose you aren't going to let me talk you out of this." She asked Iola. Her friend shook her head firmly.

"Not a chance, girl. You collapsed in the parking lot back there. I am no doctor, but I suspect that maybe in Colorado they missed something in terms of maybe not giving you an MRI or whatever full body scan that Joe got and you didn't." Callie sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Maybe they will give me something for my back that is better than Advil." Iola gestured with her hand and nodded.

"If they think you need it, they probably will. But we need to get you checked over just to make sure you don't have a concussion." Callie wrung her hands a bit, then nodded her acceptance.

"Ok, let's get this over with." She said. Iola nodded.

"That's better, but you wait till I get one of those wheel chairs." She insisted. The look on Iola's face sent Callie the message that it was best not to go there in terms of objecting.

"Ok, nurse." She said. Callie watched as Iola retrieved a wheel chair and rolled it down by the car. She helped her friend from the car into the chair. Then slammed the car door and guided the wheel chair down a walkway and into the ER entrance.

Once inside Iola pushed Callie to the check in area. A receptionist looked at them.

"Hi, can I help you?" She asked Callie. Callie started to speak then realizing it would take twenty minutes for her to explain a plane crash and all of her symptoms she gestured to Iola.

"Uhm, sure. Just let my girl here go through it all." She said. "It will take me half an hour to explain it all. I will just dig up my ID and insurance card." She said as she started digging through her purse she heard Iola give the receptionist a detailed account of the plane crash and then ran down a list of Callie's symptoms. After taking down a good amount of information the receptionist looked up.

"And for an aviation accident they did not do a CAT or MRI?" She asked. Iola shook her head.

"No, just some standard X-rays in Colorado." She said. The receptionist took Callie's cards and copied them and printed out some paperwork.

"Well, we will get you evaluated properly." She said. "Please sign and date these forms, Miss. Shaw and we will get you triaged." She said. Callie sighed and nodded. She signed the forms put in front of her and set the pen down. The receptionist picked up her phone.

"Yes, triage 1B, please. Thank you." She said and hung up. "It will be just a moment. You won't need to wait given the history and present conditions." She said. Callie and Iola nodded.

About two minutes later a nurse came out and smiled down at them. She looked at a chart.

"Miss. Shaw?" She asked. Callie nodded. Please come this way. Callie gestured to Iola.

"Tell my driver where to go." She said with a wry grin. The nurse smiled and gestured for Iola to follow her. She led her into one of the ER suites. She gestured to the bed.

"Can you get up yourself or would you like help?" She asked me a kind smile. The nurse, a woman of about fifty or so, greying blondish hair and of medium build looked to Callie and Iola. Callie smiled. She slowly got up with Iola helping her whether she liked it or not. The nurse took out a gown and set it on the bed.

"If you could slip into this, Miss. Shaw. I will be back in a moment to get your vitals." She said and excused herself. Callie gave Iola a smile and furrowed her brow slightly. She held out her arms.

"Now is your chance to undress me, girlfriend." She said. She held her arms up. Iola rolled her eyes with a half smile and proceeded to help Callie out of her top. She stood there with just a black satin bra in place. Callie gestured to Iola. "Well? They may need to measure them or something. Better get it off." She said. Iola looked to her friend with an amused look. Callie looked incredulously at her.

"Well, you are the one who brought me here. Now you have to work." She said. Iola sighed and wrapped her arms around Callie's back to undo her bra closure. Callie leaned into Iola to where her face was just millimeters away from Iola's. "There, now you have more room." she said gazing into her eyes. Iola, at most any other time may have been more distracted by the position she was in. But as she was rather preoccupied with ensuring her friend was in good health, she merely sighed and quickly unfastened her friend's bra. She stepped back. Callie sensing her friend was not exactly enjoying her attempts to tease her, relented. She removed her pants and then asked Iola to hand her the gown. Iola smiled and tossed her the gown. A moment later, Callie slipped it on and slid onto the bed.

A few moments wait and the nurse returned. She smiled upon seeing Callie was in gown and laying down.

"Alright, my dear. Let's just get your BP monitor on and temp." She said and expertly slid the blood pressure cuff around her arm and pressed a button on the monitor. She took out an electronic thermometer and placed in under her tongue. She stood patiently for a few seconds until the thermometer beeped. She removed the probe from Callie's mouth and put the thermometer back in its place.

"So far, so good. Your BP looks a little low. You said you were feeling fatigued?" She asked. Callie nodded.

"Yes, a bit." She said. The nurse looked down at the clipboard to the printout.

"Wow. A plane crash! You are one lucky lady. Looks like side pain, lower back pain, abdominal pain, headache and your period started?" She asked Callie. Callie nodded. Iola spoke up.

"She pretty much passed out in the parking lot about half an hour ago or so." She said. The nurse nodded.

"Well, we will get you checked out." She said. Just a moment later a man in a white coat with dark curly hair stepped in. Callie estimated his age to be somewhere in his forties. He gave a broad smile.

"Hello! Hello! I'm Doctor Ames" He greeted with a somewhat loud voice. The nurse handed him the clipboard. He studied it for a few moments and looked up. "Wow, you made it through a plane crash? I'm happy to hear that!" Callie nodded, again not too thrilled to be reminded of this fact. The doctor looked up to the monitor. "Are you still feeling faint?" He asked. Callie held out her hand in a gesture suggesting so-so. The doctor nodded. "Ok, well, it says they did not scan you at your initial hospital visit when you were rescued. Is that true? No CAT or MRI scanning?" Callie shook her head.

"No doc, just some regular X-rays." She said. The doctor shook his head. "You crash into a mountain and they don't do a scan? Incredible. Well, we can fix that." He said. He turned to the nurse. "Get a Chem 20 with expanded panels. And I will order a scan. Start her an IV with 5% Dex." He said and turned to Callie.

"We will have you checked out. Any other symptoms?" Callie shook her head a bit. Iola cleared her throat.

"Well she has had up and down emotional spells. And then when she had her spell outside the car in the parking lot…" Callie gave a somewhat irritated expression.

"Spells? What the Hell is this? A Walt Whitman play? Let's not get too dramatic. I'm just not feeling myself. I went through a wreck. I'm sure I will feel better after some rest." She said. Dr. Ames smiled kindly to her.

"Don't you worry, Miss. Shaw, you are going to be ok. I will be back in a bit." He said and walked out. Callie shook her head at all the drama. The nurse was situated to her right and motioned to her arm.

"Let's get a little blood from you and hook you up to an IV. That should help." She said kindly. Callie strained and rubbed her lower back.

"Can I get something for my pain?" She asked. The nurse nodded.

"I'm sure that can be arranged. Have you had any meds recently?" She asked. Callie sniffed a bit, feeling a little overwhelmed at the needle she had pushed into her arm.

"Uhm, yeah. Some Midol a couple hours ago." She said blankly, trying to remember if her recollection of time was accurate. "Is that about right, Iola?" She asked. Iola looked at the clock on the wall.

"Yeah, I think you popped those about two hours ago." She said calmly. Callie had been shifting her vision to her left while the nurse took a few vials of blood and got her IV in place." She smiled and applied some stickers from the clipboard to each blood sample.

"Ok, I will tell the doctor and see what he wants to give you. I will be back soon. There might also be another nurse or technician who stops in to give you a scan. They will just whisk the hole bed down to the machine and get you done quick. No worries!" She said in a calm tone. A moment later she parted the room. Callie sighed and gazed over to her friend, who looked up from her chair sheepishly.

"Hope you aren't mad." Iola said. Knowing she perhaps stepped out of bounds in describing her friend's condition. Callie sighed and shook her head.

"No, I just don't feel crazy about being stuck in the arm and seeing blood. Not a fan of hospital stays in any event. Iola nodded as she knew this for a fact. All through growing up Callie was always nervous around doctors.

"I know. But we should be out of here in no time. And when we get home we can throw a couple drinks back and rest." Callie nodded.

"That would be nice." She said. She looked around the room. Pensively observing the monitor that sat above her head. She looked down at her arm with the IV fluid running into it. A moment later a knock came on the sliding door opening to the room. A dark haired woman of about 30, wearing a white lab coat came in.

"Hello. I'm Gina. I am going to take you down for an MRI. Is your name Callie Shaw?" She asked. Callie nodded.

"Yes, I am." She said. Gina smiled.

"Great. Well, let me release the brakes on this bed and we will get rolling." She said after she checked the IV and then she began pushing on Callie's bed. The wheels bed moved easily from its resting spot. She moved her down the hall and into a nearby elevator. Iola followed them in. Gina hit a button and the elevator started moving. A short ride later the doors opened and they entered into a hall that had far fewer people. Gina pushed Callie's bed down a hallway and turned into a lab which held a huge white circular device. What looked like a huge donut with a plank running inside the hole. Callie took a deep breath upon viewing the large machine. Iola took her hand and smiled down to her. Gina rolled the bed parallel to the long plank that protruded out from the center of the circle.

"Now all we need to do is get you over on this long plank. Let me help you." She said and helped Callie from her ER bed to the plank attached to the machine. Callie looked up nervously.

"Well, this looks interesting," She said with a nervous laugh. Iola looked down at her.

"You get to have all the fun." She said and held her hand tight for a moment. Callie sighed.

"Could use a dose of that morphine from the other hospital." She said. Gina smiled and told her to relax and explained the procedure. After a couple minutes Callie nodded a bit uneasy.

"Ok, girl. Gonna be ok?" Iola asked her. Callie nodded and took a deep breath.

"Not really, but uh…" She started. She was feeling the stress and anxiety mounting. Iola looked down at her.

"What, girl?" She asked, wanting to make her friend as comfortable as possible. Callie looked up into Iola's eyes. A tear running down one of her cheeks.

"Well, uhm, since Chet isn't here. Could I trouble you for a kiss in case I don't come back?" She said quietly. Iola paused for a moment then gave a reassuring smile. She bent down, brushing the hair away from her face and kissed Callie slowly. It seemed to last several minutes to Callie, but was only a few seconds. Iola raised her head and smiled again.

"That better? And I am pretty sure you will be back." She said. Callie gave her a smile back and nodded.

"Thank you, baby girl. See you in a bit!" She said. She turned to Gina. "Ok, doc. Let's do this." She said. Gina smiled.

"Ok, like I said before we will just be stepping out of the room for a few while the machine does its thing. Be assured we are looking at you through the glass." She said. Callie nodded and Gina and Iola left the room. Callie took a deep breath as the machine started it's scanning process.

After a few minutes the test was done. Though to Callie, those few minutes seemed like several hours. Iola and Gina returned to the main room and smiled. Iola leaned over and looked down.

"Welcome back. You made it!" Callie gave a weak laugh and took a breath.

"Yep. Get me outta here." She said. Gina smiled.

"You did great! And now we can get you back to your room. All the fun parts are over!" She said. Callie was just fine with that. She was tired of being probed and stuck into a giant tube that made strange noises. Gina pushed Callie back with Iola following. Within five minutes they were back in the ER suite. Gina locked her bed back into place and smiled.

"Well thank you, Callie. We will get this scan to the doctor in a few minutes." Callie nodded.

Iola sat in the chair next to her friend. She looked over to Callie.

"Can I get you anything, Cal?" She asked. Callie nodded.

"A drink would be nice." She said. Iola nodded.

"Sure. Juice, water or soda?" She asked. Callie thought.

"Juice, I guess. They usually have a bunch of that stuff around hospitals. Iola nodded.

"Can do! Be back in a few!" she said, encouraged that at least Callie was enduring the experience. She walked out of the room to search for juice.

A couple minutes passed and the first nurse walked back in.

"And how are we feeling, Miss. Shaw?" She asked looking to the IV bag to see if it required changing. Callie looked up.

"Well, I still have some pain going on. Did you get any meds for that yet?" She asked. The nurse smiled.

"I will check with the doctor again and see what we can do. Be back in a few, ok?" She asked. Callie tossed her hands up slightly and gave a light laugh.

"Well, not like I am going anywhere." She said. The nurse smiled and left. Callie wondered if all the nurses got sick of having to force smiles upon patients who treated them bad. Callie knew she was being a bit short with the staff. But she felt scared that she may actually have a concussion. She didn't want to endure the unpleasant experience she had earlier in the parking lot. She was scared and didn't want to hear her brain might be damaged because of the crash. She took a breath and tried to straighten her mind up a bit so she could be nicer to the people trying to help her. She knew she would also get out of the hospital sooner if she were cooperative. Customer service was probably somewhat dependent on how nice the patient was being. A stable patient might sit around for hours if they were just being paint in the ass. Callie also didn't like herself for the way she was acting. She recognized she had a problem and didn't want to make it someone else's.

About ten minutes later Iola returned with a cup of ice and two small orange juice containers.

"Hey girl. Hope orange juice works for you." She asked her friend with slight apprehension. Callie smiled to her.

"Orange is great, babe. Thanks for finding it." She said. Iola took out one of the containers and opened it. She poured the contents into the glass.

"Here you go. Sorry I don't have any vodka to put in it." She said. Callie smiled and shrugged.

"It's for the best." She said taking the drink. She looked around the room and sighed. Iola took a drink from a bottled water she bought. She looked around and up at the clock.

"Guess this is where we wait for hours for test results that are already in. You know they do the labs pretty quick and that MRI gave instant results. Why does it always take hours to get the doctor to come in?" Callie shrugged.

"Usually because everyone uses the ER for non emergencies and these rooms are always full of people." She said. Iola nodded.

"Guess so. But didn't see many other rooms with actual patients in them. Maybe we get lucky and can get home before midnight. Callie took a deep breath.

"Yeah, all kind of pointless for them to come say you banged you head. Take it easy for a couple weeks. Here are some pain meds." Iola took another drink and smiled.

"At least you will get some better drugs than Advil for your pain and some peace of mind that you don't have a concussion…." She was interrupted by the doctor standing in the doorway.

"Hello, Miss. Shaw." He greeted, "And your friend here is right. You can now have peace of mind that you are indeed Not concussed!" he said with a smile. Callie looked up with a relieved look.

"Thank God!" She said. "We had a fellow passenger on the plane and he suffered a concussion and I, well, we…" She said gesturing to Iola, "were worried about it happening with me." Callie smiled with great relief. The doctor walked in with his clipboard.

"Nope you have a clean MRI, young lady. You are fortunate you walked away from it without a concussion or worse." He said sitting down next to her. "Ok, let's talk about your pain." He said looking down at her labs. Callie looked up with a little bit more concern than she had a moment ago.

"Nothing serious, I hope." She asked. The doctor shook his head.

"Nope." He said showing her the page that had the lab panel numbers. "See here on the left are all the normal ranges the test should fall in and as you can see, your numbers on the Chem 20 all came back normal and in range…But…" he continued. Callie sat up.

"But what?" She asked. The doctor smiled.

"Relax, young lady, you're fine." He said then pointed down the sheet and pointed with the tip of his pen. "right here is the problem, which really isn't a problem at all." Callie looked down. She seemed confused since she didn't understand medical terminology. She looked down at the line on the paper that was highlighted. It read Beta hCG: 426 mIU/mL. Callie looked up blankly.

"Ok, what does Beta hCG mean?" With those words Iola's eyed widened and she screamed happily!

"Yipeeeee!" She screamed and ran to Callie's bedside. She looked intently at the lab sheet. She focused on it to make sure she really saw what she saw! She looked at Callie with a broad smile and began to weep. Callie was still perplexed. She looked to Iola. Iola realizing that Callie still had no clue pointed to her and laughed with tears running down her face.

"You got a D in biology and now it's showing! Hahhahahaha!"

Callie looked at her, then to the doctor, then to the paper. And suddenly it hit! The term she had learned (and forgot) in high school biology class came back to her and she was thunder struck!

"I'm… Pregnant?!" She gasped!