Cristina sat down dejectedly on the cot in the cell. She sighed and then suddenly started singing, "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen; Nobody knows my sorrow; Nobody knows the trouble I've seen; Glory, Hallelujah!"
Meredith turned around, "Cristina, why are you singing that?"
"They always sing that in those old movies when people are locked up in jail. All I need now is a metal cup to run across the jail bars and then I would be totally set for jail life," Cristina said, mournfully.
"We are going to get out of here soon enough, as soon as Sheriff Shepherd gets that fax from that other sheriff," Meredith said, confidently.
"Meredith, you never know about these small towns. We could end up in the Big House for 20 years and I will become some large muscular woman's wife and sex slave," Cristina said.
"Cristina, that is not going to happen," Meredith said.
"Well, if that is not going to happen, then we are going to end up being sold into prostitution to help finance that sheriff's upkeep of his hair. He needs a lot of products to keep that hair in that state. That doesn't come cheap so he finds unsuspecting young women to lock up and then sell them into prostitution," Cristina whispered, so the sheriff and his deputy did not hear them.
"I think his hair is gorgeous and he is pretty cute," Meredith whispered back, admiring the sheriff's well-groomed coif.
"Meredith, don't tell me you like this guy. He locked us up in jail. What are you thinking?" Cristina said in a disgusted tone.
"Well, the same thing you're thinking, obviously. We're going to be leaving the day after the wedding and you are making goo-goo eyes with that farmer," Meredith said. "I wonder if the sheriff is married. Hmm, looks like there is no ring."
"Well, at least the farmer gave us room and board and is actually trying to help us. That sheriff has locked us up. So, tell me, Meredith, who seems to be the better deal here?" Cristina said, defending herself.
Their conversation was interrupted by the sudden re-appearance of Owen, who was accompanied by a very short woman with a bob haircut.
"Good grief," Meredith said. "That little woman is his lawyer? We will be here, forever."
"Good morning, Sheriff Shepherd," the woman said. "I hear you have locked up two young ladies, without charging them with anything. What about their constitutional rights?"
"Yeah, you tell them, little short lawyer person," Cristina said from the cell. The small woman looked around and gave Cristina a death glare that made her feel like shriveling up.
"Miranda Bailey, good morning," Shepherd said. "Right now, Miranda, they are now persons of interest. I can hold them for a period of 48 hours. You know that."
Bailey sighed. "So what are you doing about getting those sketches from the sheriff at Millbrook?"
Shepherd turned to his deputy. "Kepner, can you call Millbrook again?"
Kepner was about to call, when the fax machine rang. She put down the receiver. "That should be them, now." She walked across to the fax machine and picked up the message. She took a brief look at the sketches before handing them over to the sheriff.
The first sketch was of the brunette suspect. Owen, Bailey and Shepherd all looked at it the same time.
"A-ha!" Owen said, excitedly. "You can let Cristina go. That is definitely not her. The brunette con artist is Caucasian.'
"I knew it," Cristina said, jumping up and down. "I knew the brunette was not Asian."
They then took a look at the blonde suspect's sketch. Again, they realized that it was not Meredith.
"Well, Sheriff Shepherd," Bailey said. "You have no choice but to let them go."
"I had no choice here, folks," Shepherd said, as he walked to the jail cell with the keys in his hand.
The two girls walked out of the cell, grateful to be free. "At least I know I won't become Big Momma's sex slave," Cristina said, gleefully.
She couldn't get out of there fast enough and ran to the front door. She was a little too eager to get out of there because she tripped and went crashing to the ground. Owen rushed forward to pick her up.
"I'm okay, I'm okay," she said, a little embarrassed.
"You're not okay," he said, as he picked her up. "Your forearm is bleeding. Quick, let's go to Ole Doc Webber and let him see about it." He guided her to his truck and put her in the passenger seat.
"Meredith," he called. "I will be right back for you, as soon as I get Cristina all fixed up. Thanks, Miranda for all of your help." He quickly jumped in his truck and went screeching down the street.
"Clearly, I am chopped liver," she said, as she watched the lawyer make her departure, too. She went back to the sheriff's house and took a seat in his waiting room. She decided to call her sorority sister, Izzie, to ask if she could bring another guest to the wedding, since Owen had volunteered to take them to the ceremony. She dialed her number.
"Hey, Izzie," she said to her friend. "It's me, Meredith. Sorry we couldn't make it to the bachelorette party last night. We got some major car trouble and right now, we are in Huntsville."
"That's okay, girl," Izzie said. "But you are going to make it to the wedding, right?"
"Yes, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," Meredith said. "Since we have no form of transportation, right now, one of the locals volunteered to take Cristina and me to the wedding. Is that okay with you?"
"That's okay. We catered for a few extras. What's his name? I will have to write it down for the guest list," Izzie said.
"His name is Owen Hunt," Meredith said. "He's a corn farmer from Huntsville."
"Owen Hunt? He is already on the guest list from my fiancé's side of the guest list. He's from Huntsville, you say. Well, my fiancé is from Huntsville, so I guess that is how he was invited," Izzie said. "See, it all worked out fine. I guess I will see you tomorrow."
"Yes, Iz. Thanks," Meredith said, as she hung up.
"Hmm, it seems that Owen was already invited to the wedding," Meredith said, aloud to no one in particular.
"Well, the wedding you're going to is probably the Karev-Stevens wedding. Alex Karev is Mayor Larry Jennings' stepson. The wedding ceremony will be held in that church in Brewster. That's where the bride is from. The reception will be held here in Huntsville at the Town Hall. They got a huge reception hall there and since Jennings is the mayor, they got it for free," Shepherd said.
"Small world, isn't it?" Kepner said. "Such a coincidence you're going to the same wedding."
"So are you going to the wedding?" Meredith asked, hopefully.
"Yup," Shepherd said, giving her a gleaming smile.
Cristina and Owen made quick time in arriving at Dr. Webber's office. He ran to the passenger side and opened the door for her. Cristina stepped out, gingerly holding her arm. They went into the office.
There was a red-headed young woman and an older brown-haired woman at the receptionists' desk.
"Hello, Owen," the older woman said. "What can we help you with?"
"Cristina, she fell down outside the sheriff's office and got a huge cut on her arm. She needs to be fixed up," Owen said, anxiously.
"Let me see, young lady," the older woman said.
"Thank you, Patricia," Owen said.
"Just doing my job," Patricia said. "That is a nasty cut, Cristina. You will need about three stitches. I will get Dr. Webber."
The young woman interrupted, "What about Dr. O'Malley? He has to get to know the townsfolk if he is going to take over for Dr. Webber in a month's time."
"Owen, this is Olivia Harper, she will be taking over for me when Dr. Webber and I retire at the end of the month," Patricia said. "Dr. O'Malley – George O'Malley will be our new doctor. Let's just ask Owen who he would like his young lady to see."
"Dr. Webber, please," Owen said. "He has been my doctor since I was a little boy."
Patricia gave Olivia a superior smirk. She led Cristina into the doctor's office. A tall, older, bald gentleman was in there.
"Young Hunt, how are you doing?" the man said.
"Okay, Dr. Webber. I am not the patient. My friend, Cristina fell down, and she cut her forearm on a nail," Owen said.
"Cristina, you're not from around here, are you? I would have remembered if a pretty girl like you would have come to my office, before," the doctor said, taking a look at the cut.
"No, I am from California. We are here for a wedding," Cristina said.
"Ah, well. You will need about three stitches. Are you up to date on your tetanus shots?" Dr. Webber asked.
"I don't know," Cristina said, ruefully. She hated needles.
"Well, just to be sure, we will give you a tetanus shot. Don't want a nasty, old nail causing some infection," Dr. Webber said. He cleaned the wound and applied some local anesthesia before he started to do his stitches.
Cristina was quite a trooper for the stitches since the area was numbed but when it came to the tetanus shot, she cringed. She grabbed Owen's hand and squeezed it, when she got the shot. Owen's face broke out into a huge grin, when she grabbed his hand.
"Alright, that wasn't so bad," Dr. Webber said, soothingly.
"Thank you, Dr. Webber. So I hear you're moving on soon. Going down to Florida to play golf?" Owen asked.
"Ah, well, you know they are replacing me with a young whippersnapper, George O'Malley. It wasn't my choice but the mayor insisted that we needed new blood in the clinic. Patricia and I are leaving at the same time. O'Malley brought his own nurse, Olivia. I am sure you met her outside," Dr. Webber said.
"Well, I will miss you, Dr. Webber," Owen said. "You're the only doctor I have ever known since I was a little boy."
"Well, thank you, Owen. You tell your momma hi and can you ask her to bake me one of her lovely blueberry pies. I haven't had one of those in a while," Dr. Webber said, shaking Owen's hand.
"Will do," Owen said, as he guided Cristina out of the doctor's office. There was a young dark-haired man speaking to the red-headed nurse. Owen assumed that was O'Malley, the new doctor hired to replace Ole Doc Webber.
They drove back to the sheriff's office, where an impatient Meredith was pacing outside. She climbed into the back seat of the truck.
"Are you alright?" Meredith asked.
"Yeah, got some stitches, a tetanus shot and some antibiotics," Cristina said.
"Owen," Meredith said. "I called my friend, Izzie, about you coming to the wedding and she told me that you were already invited."
"Oh," Owen said. "I guess it must be the Karev-Stevens wedding you were talking about. Sheer coincidence."
"Who is Karev?" Cristina asked.
"Alex Karev. That's the guy Izzie is marrying. Apparently, he is from Huntsville and his step-dad is the mayor, Larry Jennings," Meredith explained.
"Well, then, it looks like we're all going to a big, happy wedding, tomorrow," Owen said, as he drove out of town back to the farm.
A/N: Please leave your reviews. I really appreciate reading them. Next chapter is The Wedding.