Counting To Fifteen [Grey's Anatomy]

chapter ten - dislocations

Daisy watched Callie's every move carefully as the woman examined her sister.

"Mhm. You popped it clean out of the socket." Callie examined Calypso's shoulder.

The six-year-old was in excruciating pain, her face tear-stained from the events of the night. She tried her best to muffle her sobs, but her shoulder was hurting her so badly.

Mark stood to one side of Calypso as he had an ice pack pressed gently against her shoulder. Daisy stood on the other side, Calypso's hand in her own. For a six-year-old, the kid really had a strong grip. But Daisy didn't mind at all, she knew Calypso was in pain.

"How'd this happen?" Callie asked curiously, not taking her eyes off of Calypso's shoulder.

"My friend Ava has a trampoline, and...and I fell off." Calypso whimpered out through her cries.

"And that accounts for the cut too, I'm assuming." Callie eyed the small gash on Calypso's forehead.

"A stick scratched me when I hit the ground." Calypso slowly nodded, sniffling as she sat there. She was slightly embarrassed, truthfully.

She had fallen right off of the trampoline at Ava's house, landing on her shoulder. She had caused such a panic for everyone: Ava and her mom, Mark, Daisy. Especially Daisy. Daisy looked like she wanted to cry too, and Calypso felt guilty.

"It feels like it's on fire." Calypso cried out, wanting Callie to just fix her already.

Callie frowned, taking Mark's place beside Calypso as she gingerly put her hands in the correct placement around the bone. "This isn't gonna feel great at first. I'm gonna pop your shoulder back into place. I'll count to three, and then-"

"Why three?" Calypso sniffled, looking up at Callie with teary eyes. "Three is such a boring number. Can you count to fifteen?"

Callie frowned. The six-year-old's shoulder was dislocated, and her primary concern was what number Callie counted to?

"What? Why?"

"We like fifteen. It's a good number." Calypso spoke. "Please?"

Callie was confused. "But...I normally just count to three. Fifteen's too high."

"Please just count to fifteen." Calypso begged. Counting to fifteen was her and her sister's familiarity, and it was the one thing that comforted Daisy more than anything. Calypso had already made Daisy so nervous tonight, she wanted to help ease her.

"But why don't I just count to three so that-"

"Christ, Torres, just count to fifteen." Mark sighed loudly, Callie immediately frowning.

But she did begin to count up, Daisy internally counting with her as she tapped gently against Calypso's hand.

Callie got higher in number, and Calypso braced herself for the excruciating pain she would feel in her shoulder when Callie got to fifteen.

"Twelve, thirteen, fourteen-"

Calypso wailed out in pain when Callie quickly thrust her shoulder back.

"See? Not so bad." Callie smiled, walking over and opening up a drawer as she retrieved a black arm sling.

"Not so bad" was a major understatement. Calypso was in intense pain, every nerve in her shoulder screaming out in agony.