I found a little extra time in my day. Here is a short chapter, enjoy :)
"Hey class, as we wrap things up today, I wanted to remind you that I have posted the scores of your most recent exam online. If anyone feels like they are behind or aren't doing as well as they want to be, come talk to me. I am happy to extend lab hours or provide you with tutoring" Callie said. With that, we began to slowly trickle out of the classroom. Callie made eye contact with me and nodded her head in the direction of her office. I nodded back, walking back to her office with her.
"What's up?" I asked.
"Your classmates are going to start thinking you're cheating soon" She said.
"What? Why? Did I do something? I didn't think anything between us was that obvi.."
"No, ARizona, no. Nothing like that. You have had the top score on every exam and quiz I have given. I would be suspicious if I didn't know how intelligent you are" She said, offering me a huge smile.
"Well, thanks. I love what we do every day in lab, so that makes it easy" I said.
"From what I have seen in labs and on your exams, you were born to be a surgeon. I'm glad Addison is your physician mentor, she will teach you a lot" Callie said.
"Yeah, I lucked out" I said. Silence fell between us. The conversation had ended, yet both of us lingered in her office.
"How are you feeling?" I asked, trying to restart the conversation.
"Pretty well, minus the small basketball in my abdomen" Callie said, rubbing her stomach.
"You're almost 3/4 done though! That's exciting, Calliope.. I mean..Dr. Torres" I said awkwardly. She nodded, skepticism written across her face.
"As sick of being pregnant as I am, I am more nervous for her to be here..."
"You how know how child birth goes. You will sail through it with flying colors. And if you don't, Addison is your doctor. She is the best of the best."
"I know, I know, that is all true. But it's not even that so much as the other stuff. Like bringing her home. At least now that she is inside of, she isn't subjected to all of the drama and what not..." She broke eye contact, her eyes now glued to the floor.
"Drama?" I probed. She continued to avoid my gaze, her eyes shifting from one floor tile to the next. I couldn't help but think back to the days when we worked together multiple hours a day. I would push her to talk to me, to open up and tell me what was bothering her. Usually, she would relent, dragging me down to our bungalow where we would talk and talk until we were forced to go to a surgery. We would tell each other anything and everything without fear of judgment. We understood each other. Every wall was broken down. There was nothing between us, or so it felt in those moments. Now, even though we were 'friends', I felt like pushing her for an answer to the harder questions was crossing the line. I wanted to be there for her. I wanted to make her open up because I knew deep down that Owen never did. But, it wasn't my place. I needed to not get wrapped up in her, for me. This realization, was acutely painful.
"Well, I hope whatever it is works out for you. I better get going" I said, walking out of her office. To my surprise, Leah was there, leaning against the table, waiting for me. She smiled when I stepped out of Callie's office, grabbed my hand, and pulled me in for a kiss. The kiss stunned me, as she had never been overtly affectionate in class before.
"You ok?" Leah asked, squeezing my hand. I turned my head and there Callie was, watching us. By the look on her face, composed but furious, her lips slightly turned down, she had seen the kiss, the hand holding, everything. I almost turned around and apologized to Callie. That was my first instinct. But then, the memories of her telling me to move across the country flooded into my head. The pain of that, of losing her, it always seemed to come back to me. I had just started to get over that. I was sick of regressing into sorrow every time I thought about what Callie and I used to be. She had a baby on the way with her husband. Nothing about this was easy. This what not what I wanted. She would always be what I wanted. Hell, there was nothing I wanted more than to let go of Leah's hand and grab Callie's face and kiss her. I wanted to tell her how I never stopped loving her, how wrong it feels when we are apart. But I had just begun to pull myself out of her enough to realize that I needed to let that go, as much as it hurt, as wrong as it felt. So when I locked eyes with Callie, with that angry look on her face, I offered a small smile and turned around.
"Yes, let's go" I said to Leah as we walked out of the door, hand in hand.