The Apprentice

Bonding

TheTealWriter

***

"Wait, you mean her father moved to Spain and left a twelve-year-old girl to take care of herself?" Maggie gasped.

"I can't believe it. The girl watches her mother get murdered and then months later her father abandons her. No wonder she's so anxious."

"Okay, well PD is still investigating. So, we wait to hear what they find." Maggie suggested.

"Okay, don't call Social Services until the PD gets here. I'll go and talk to her and break the news gently. The girl has been taking care of herself for two years, I don't think sticking her with authority figures, especially strangers is going to go over very well." Dr. Manning explained.

***

"Hi, Callie. Remember me?" Natalie wondered as she entered the young brunette's room and cleaned up her hands. "How are you feeling?"

The young girl smiled and stuck up her thumb.

"Well, your blood pressure is still a little high but your heart rate is back to normal so I would say that you're probably feeling a little better?" She nodded. "Good." Dr. Manning turned to Alana and her parents who had been sitting by her side. "Would you mind giving us a minute?"

"Of course." Mr. and Mrs. Wilson agreed. However, as Alana attempted to leave, Callie's grip on her hand tightened.

"She can stay if you want, I just need to talk to you," Natalie explained. "Sweetie, you know that, because you're a minor, legally we can't let you leave here without a parent or guardian. And since we can't reach your dad-"

"Please don't call social services!" She pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie. We have to."

"I can't- please- I don't wanna live with strangers! Please!" The brunette pleaded through raspy breaths. Her monitors started to beep and suddenly her heart rate was back up to 120.

"Okay, sweetie I need you to breathe. Can you do that for me?" The doctor suggested as she took hold of her hands. "Okay, in and out. Good girl."

***

"How'd she take it?" Dr. Reese wondered as Natalie approached the desk.

"Total panic attack. That girl has some serious trust issues. If they stick her in a foster home, she's likely to run away, or maybe worse." Natalie sighed.

"Well, what can we do?" Sarah questioned.

"I don't know." Natalie shrugged. "She's gotta stay overnight for observation anyway, so I guess that gives me a little time to figure something out. I'm gonna stay with her, with everything she's been through I'm not ruling suicide out just yet. I'll see if I can get her to open up. Can you let me know when PD gets here?"

"Sure"

"Thanks."

***

Hours passed before Natalie finally finished her shift. But instead of heading home, she made a quick phone call before heading to Callie's room, now back in her civilian attire rather than her scrubs.

"Hey, mind if I join you?" She asked. Callie smiled and nodded. "I brought some Jello. But I didn't know what flavor you like so I just brought them all."

"Thanks."

"So, we got Strawberry, Raspberry, Orange and... I think it's lime?" She glanced at the green pot in her hand.

"Bleh. I'll take Strawberry thanks." She chuckled.

"Good choice." Natalie handed her the pot of Jello. "So, I'm curious. How have you managed to take care of yourself for two whole years? I mean at twelve I was still learning how to tie my shoes."

"I used to love helping my mom around the house. Cooking, cleaning, all of it. It was sorta natural to me." She explained.

"And rent, food, school? How are you paying for it all?" She wondered.

"When my mom died she left me everything. She had been saving since she found out she was pregnant."

"So, it's just you? No brothers or sisters?" Dr. Manning continued questioning. Callie shook her head.

"I always wanted a brother." She explained.

"Really? Why's that?"

"Best friend for life. Someone to help care for. Someone to love unconditionally." She clarified. "When I was little I had an imaginary brother. Soren. I would read him stories every night and play games and- I sound completely insane right now."

"No, of course not. You know my imaginary friend was a dog called Lucy. I would carry a leash with me wherever I went like I was taking her for a walk. We would play fetch and I even left her a bowl of water." Both Natalie and Callie chuckled.

"So..." Callie started munching on her jello. "What about your family? What are they like?"

"Well, my parents live in Seattle. So, it's just me and Owen."

"Owen?"

"My son." Natalie pulled out her phone, showing the picture of her son on her lock screen.

"You do not have a son." Callie glared. "You look way too young."

"Well, you're very sweet. But so wrong." Natalie joked.

"Cute. He has your eyes." She noticed.

"My mother-in-law is bringing him here while she goes for dinner. So, you'll be able to meet him if you want."

"Really?!" Callie lit up.

"Sure, Honey."

***

"In V-fib, you use the crash cart to restart the heart's current."

"And if the patient is a systolic."

"There is no current, so you push the meds instead."

"So, where did you attend med school?" Natalie joked.

"My teacher wanted to get me tested to move up in school. But I needed a parent to sign the form so I had to say no." Callie sighed. "I guess I'm not gonna become the youngest med student in the states after all."

"So, what made you want to become a doctor?" Manning wondered.

"My mom. She was a pediatrician. Her name was Natalie too. She believed in helping people." Callie explained. "She donated blood every twelve weeks from the age of twenty-one and she was an organ donor after she died."

"She sounds like an amazing woman." Natalie smiled.

"She was... You remind me of her."

Natalie furrowed her brow in thought. But her thoughts were interrupted.

Knock knock.

Sarah Reese poked her head into the room.

"Doctor Manning, PD just arrived."

"Thank you, Doctor Reese."

***

"As far as we can see there was no sign of a struggle. So, if what her friend says is true and she really was pushed, it was either spontaneous or the pusher was smart enough to cover her tracks. All that we found at the scene was a backpack and an old cellphone." Jay Halstead clarified as he handed the items over.

"Thank you."

***