Teddy and Annie spent a lazy Sunday morning at Teddy's enjoying coffee. Around noon Teddy suggested, "let's go check out Pike Place."
"Sure," replied Annie, "I just need to do something with my hair first."
"Your hair is fine," Teddy replied. She liked seeing Annie's hair down in its natural loose waves.
"Are you sure," asked Annie.
"Yes, stop worrying about it," laughed Teddy, "do you see me worrying about mine?"
"No. I just dont like that my hair can't decide if its curly or straight. So i straighten it," Annie said.
"How long does it take to straighten it," asked Teddy, "if it will make you feel better."
"10-15 minutes," replied Annie.
"Go fast and stop worrying. It's just me," said Teddy.
"I'll be quick," Annie replied getting up and walking towards the guest room to grab her straighter from her backpack.
Teddy had to smile at the miniature version of herself. While she had spent much of her adult life in scrubs or her army uniform she enjoyed dressing up and feeling feminine. When she spent time with Annie she had noticed the girl's very feline style. She thought Annie looked very pretty in her soft burgundy wool dress and black tights. Teddy decided to change before heading out to explore Seattle.
As Teddy was walking into her room her phone rang.
"Hi Hunt," she answered.
"Teddy. I know Annie is here for a few days and I let it slip to my mom that shes here. Mom wants you and Annie to join Christina and I at her place for dinner," Owen said, sharing his mom's invitation.
"Let me ask Annie and get back to you. Thanks for the invitation," Teddy replied, "I'm just going to put my phone down and ask. She's obsessing over her hair."
"Just like her mom," Owen laughed.
"I do not obsess over my hair Hunt," Teddy shot back, "I'll be back in a second."
"Annie," called Teddy, "Owen is on the phone and want's to know if you and I want to go his mom's place for dinner tonight."
"Owen's mom is kinda like your mom," asked Annie.
"Yes. Evelyn is the closest thing I have to a mom. Christina will be there, so you can figure out the plan for tomorrow morning with her," Teddy said , "the other plan is pizza and movies."
"We could go for dinner then watch a movie when we get back," Annie suggested, "does Mrs. Hunt know about my allergies."
"I'll tell Owen were coming and to pass the allergy info on to his mom," Teddy said.
She walked back to where she had left her phone on the bookshelf, "we're coming."
"I heard something about allergies," Owen said.
Teddy replied, "she's allergic to strawberries, and cashews. She has her epipen."
"I will let my mom know. Tell Annie I'm looking forward to seeing her later," Owen said, hanging up the phone.
Teddy stood in the doorway watching Annie straighten her long thick hair.
"Are you watching me again" Annie asked, "I'm not going to disappear."
"I know you wont disappear. I need to put on my make up before we head out," Teddy replied.
Annie stepped to the side, "room for two in front of the mirror now."
"Really," asked Teddy, "I don't want to crowd you.'
"Have you seen theatre dressing rooms," Annie laughed, "I can do full hair and make up in a quarter of the space. Plus I share a bathroom with two other girls. We all get ready at the same time most mornings. Do you need more space?"
"I'm good. I got used to sharing in Iraq and it's not like there's privacy in on call rooms, hospital lounges or the attendings locker room," replied Teddy.
Annie asked, "what time is dinner?"
'Usually Evelyn likes every one there around 5 and we'll eat closer to six," replied Teddy, "we'll go explore and go straight there. Before you ask you don't need to change."
Teddy drove into downtown Seattle and found a parking spot near Pike Place. They wandered through the market sampling different things and waited in the long line at the original Starbucks. Annie enjoyed the time wandering the downtown streets and chatting, stopping to look around stores that interested them and riding the ferry across the harbour and back. As they walked they talked about the work Annie was helping Dr. Milner with and that it looked like the doctor might be able to pay Annie to help this summer as a summer job.
"Teddy, what do you think of me working for Dr. Milner this summer, staying on campus and taking a couple easy classes," asked Annie.
"Is Dr. Milner able to pay you," asked Teddy.
"She is. She said she was waiting to here on her grant from Ottawa for a summer student job. It's May to Mid august, " Annie said.
"That's good and it will build your resume for medical school," Teddy replied, "but why do you want to take a couple classes?"
"I have a psychology class I need to take and a geography elective, both are being offered once a week for 3 hours this summer," Annie explained, "Dr. Milner will work around class schedules as long as I do 40 hours a week."
"Psychology and your geography elective sound like a good plan" Teddy thought out loud, "but I don't want you to burn out. You had six courses in fall semester and 7 now. Plus 2 this summer. What are you trying to do?"
"I want to try to graduate early. I'll only need 10 classes next year to graduate and apply to medical school. I've started studying for my MCAT and want to take it in May," Annie said.
"What's the real reason for graduating early," Teddy pressed.
"I want away from Jessica," Annie admitted, "I can't deal with my sister anymore. I've started to look at schools other than UBC."
"I think a school away from Vancouver would be good for you," Teddy said, "there are a few on the west coast I think are good schools. There are also some excellent schools back east."
"Do you think I could move away for school," asked Annie.
"You'll be young. If you do it your way you'll turn 21 your first year of medical school. Most of your classmates will be a year or two older. This also gives us time to improve any test scores or grades if we need to," Teddy said, "you need a back up if you don't get in first try. Some sort of masters degree program would be ideal."
"Do you think I can handle the school work," asked Annie.
"You've done the last semester of pre-med and the first six weeks of med school before," Teddy said, "with me. I'm sure you absorbed it all."
"I don't remember that,"laughed Annie.
"I'm sure you can do it. You'll be doing it without someone practicing soccer on your bladder," Teddy smiled.
"I don't play soccer. Any kick I did was a perfect grand battment," Annie teased.
"The music I was listening to you were not doing ballet," Teddy teased back, "you know I prefer rock. But you danced before you were born. I could put on music while I studied or hung out at home and you would wiggle and kick like crazy. I'd put on music soI could sit and relax and you would go crazy. I could see your dancing through my skin."
"So I've always danced," asked Annie.
"Yes. You were a dancer from the beginning. You came out dancing," Teddy said, "I loved music and dancing when I was your age. Now I just like music."
"I still like music," Annie replied, "I always have it on when I'm doing homework. Sometimes it get's stuck in my head like my own personal soundtrack."
"I get that. I've had music stuck in my head for days sometimes. I rarely turn my tv on, just my music," Teddy said.
"Why didn't you put music on this morning then," asked Annie.
"I didn't know what you liked. Plus when I have music on I dance around the house like an idiot," Teddy confided.
"Country and pop are my favourites but I'll listen to anything except rap," Annie replied, "and getting ready or doing chores dancing is the fun kind. We do dance party clean ups in my unit at school so all the chores get done."
"Then we will put music on tonight when we get home and get organized for tomorrow," Teddy said with a smile.
"What do you usually listen to," asked Annie.
"Lately it's been a lot of classic rock. I spent a lot of time in Texas for school so I learned a lot about country then," Teddy said, "I like anything but rap. I usually just put my iPod on shuffle. Do you have a favourite artist?"
"Taylor Swift," Annie replied.
"I've heard some of her stuff, I like her song about bullies," Teddy replied.
"Mean," Annie laughed "it's one of my favourites. I really like Mine, White Horse and You Belong with Me."
"I've only heard some of it," Teddy said, "if you have your iPod we can play it in the car on the way to Evelyn's."
"I have my iPod and my phone," said Annie, "it's on both,"
"We should head over there. I just need to go into the grocery store and grab a bottle of wine," said Teddy.
"I find that weird that you can by wine in the grocery store," Annie said.
"Have you tried wine yet," asked Teddy.
"A few sips of my moms. It was too bitter," Annie said.
"When your at home and can drink what do you like" asked Teddy.
"Peach or apple cider," replied Annie, "some times we make grown up Shirley Temples with orange juice, 7up, grenadine and Malibu rum,"
"That's all too sweet for me," Teddy laughed, "I drank a lot of vodka in my student days."
"We put vodka in rootbeer, " Annie said, "you don't taste the alcohol then."
"So it's the taste you don't like," asked Teddy.
"I don't really like being drunk either. I felt out of control and I didn't like it," Annie said.
"Once in a while with safe people it's okay," Teddy said, "a friends house, your dorm, camping. As long as no one has to drive. If I ever hear of you drinking and driving I'm dragging you into Owen's OR and you can watch him put some one who was hit by a drunk driver back together."
"He can put people back together when their hit by drunk drivers," asked Annie, "where was the trauma surgeon last spring when Kyle got hit by a drunk driver when he was walking his dog."
"Who was Kyle," asked Teddy.
"A friend of mine from high school. We were on student council together and he was my pas de deuce partner," Annie said, "he was walking his dog after dance and got hit."
"Do you know what happened," asked Teddy gently, "he sounds like a good friend."
"He was. But some of the kids at school teased him because he liked boys instead of girls. He was one of my best friends. I could totally trust Kyle," Annie said, " his mom said that by the time they got him to the hospital there was nothing they could do. So they had to wait a while and then they gave his organs to other people. He saved 10 lives. He wanted to be a paramedic."
"That was an incredible gift for his family to give," Teddy said. Putting her arm around Annie, "I'm sorry you lost a good friend. It's hard to say good bye to them."
"It is. After Kyle passed I didn't want to do ballet for a while, I'd look for him every time I went into the studio," Annie said.
"I felt the same way every time we lost people in the desert. Especially Owen's sister. Meghan was kidnapped and we don't know what happened to her but we don't talk about it with him or their mom unless they mention Meg. Meg was another cardio surgeon on our team, her and I worked together a lot. After she went missing I'd look for her to scrub in with me or grab coffee after a hard day," Teddy said.
"I'm sorry you lost your friend and Owen lost his sister. I'm scared that one day something will happen and Chris will be in danger somewhere," Annie said.
"He might be but most come home safe," Teddy said.
They got in the car and drove towards the Hunt's.