30. Callie
Chapter 30
Callie
June 2023
It’s been a little over a week since Mason left to go back home. Work has been incredibly busy, so I haven’t had a chance to fill Jo Ellen in on everything yet. I sent her a text as soon as I got up this morning asking if she wanted to get lunch today.
Yesterday I was in the office all day, but we had our biweekly interdisciplinary group (IDG) meeting so that took up a lot of our time. IDG meetings are when the whole team meets together and discusses patients. We go over any changes in diet, symptoms, pain, and any medication or care changes that they may need. There’s more to it than that but that’s the simple explanation.
I’m sitting on the edge of my bed thinking about Mason when Jo Ellen messages me back and says that she’d be available between 12:45 and 1:30. We plan to meet at Val’s Diner around 1 pm.
She knows bits and pieces of Mason and how our time here went but she doesn’t know how I know him or any of that, except for whatever Mason has filled her in on. So that’ll be our conversation today. I’m excited to share with her the Mason I grew up with and maybe she’ll understand exactly why and how I am already having immense feelings for him.
Before we get together, I’ve got 3 patients to meet with and that’ll leave me with 3 more after lunch as well. I’m still sitting on my bed, not wanting to get up, but I force myself up and get ready for work. I still need to stop at the office to grab my tablet before heading to my first patient. It’s supposed to be hot today, with the heat index almost reaching over 100 degrees so I throw on a blush-colored dress and add a belt around the waist. I grab my black sandals and head to the bathroom to put on a touch of makeup and brush my hair.
As I make my way through the building I greet everyone who’s there. I walk into my office and see a flower arrangement sitting on my desk. At first, I thought this must be a mistake, no one would have sent me flowers. I don’t have much time, so I grab my tablet and head back out to my car to get to my first meeting.
Before I head into my patient’s house, I pull my phone out and send Mason a quick message.
Me : I saw the flowers you sent me this morning. I didn’t have much time as I am booked full with patients today. I wanted to make sure I took the time to thank you, though, before my day got away from me.
Mason : I have no idea what you’re talking about. *wink emoji* Have a great day.
Me : I will FaceTime you later tonight!
Of course, he’s acting like he didn’t send them. Technically, I didn’t read the card, but I just know they’re from him. They have to be.
Walking out of my last patient’s room I’m stopped by the nurse.
“Hey, I need to speak with you about Mrs. Jameson, if you’ve got time. I was going to call the office after lunch but figured I’d speak with you while you’re here.”
“Sure, what’s up? I hope she hasn’t been acting up again.”
“Well, we had a minor issue yesterday at dinner but getting her away from the situation quickly seemed to refocus her attention onto her food again. I think if we just keep handling it as quickly as possible her behavior won’t be as bad as it was the last month or so. Her supplies are what I wanted to talk about, though. So, nothing bad. She’s been going through more chucks lately and we’re going to need more. As well as clothes. Her daughter hasn’t been here since last month and we’ve noticed that her clothing is starting to be too big on her, especially her pants. We’ve left a voicemail with her daughter but wanted to bring it to y’all’s attention as well.”
“I can handle both of those issues for you. I’ll let her nurse know to bring more chucks with her tomorrow when she’s here seeing another of our patients. And about her clothes, we’ve got a meeting set up with her oldest daughter for Friday, so I can bring that up with her if we don’t hear back from her before then. I’m not sure if that’s who you’ve been trying to get a hold of, but we’ll get her some new clothes one way or another. Thank you for making us aware.”
“Absolutely! Take care, Callie!” the nurse says before turning to head back to the nurse’s station.
Sitting in my car I make note of the issues the nurse alerted me to concerning Mrs. Jameson.
Now to head back to Magnolia Falls to meet Jo Ellen for lunch. I don’t know why I’m so nervous to have this conversation with her. I’m not sure if it’s because she knows the adult Mason and I don’t or if there’s more to it. I turn into the diner parking lot and pull into a parking spot. I see Jo Ellen’s car parked a couple of spots down from mine, so I walk straight into the diner. I spot her at a booth near the back side of the restaurant.
“Hey, Jo!” I say, smiling, as I reach our table.
She looks up from the menu and smiles back. “Callie! I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve seen you.”
It really does feel that way. We’ve both been so busy at work and haven’t been in the office at the same time all week. This time of the year is usually busier for the office with all the meetings we’ve got, new patients, not to mention all the marketing things we do for the agency.
“It does! Are you ready to hear all about how I know Mason and all of everything in between?” I ask her.
“Yes, let’s go ahead and order and then we can get right into it!”
Once our drinks are placed on the table and we’ve given our order to the waitress I begin the story of Mason and me. The shorter version.
“We dated all four years of high school. It was the best four years of my life. We had so much in common and things were just so easy for us. I think that’s why it completely rocked me when he left. He completely blindsided me.”
“Damn. I had no idea that’s the kind of person Mason was. I met him years ago, back when my brother and Mason were roommates, but I never got to know him. The few times that we all hung out when I went up there to visit Mason he was very quiet, kept to himself, and looked bored the whole time we all were out.”
“That’s so weird. When we first met, he was shy, but it didn’t take long at all for him to open up and become more outgoing! He was a football player, had a lot of friends, and was always a part of the popular crowd. I miss that Mason, but I think I’ll come to love adult Mason just as much if I let myself. I’m a little nervous about moving forward since we’re so far apart. Long distance is why we broke up in high school. I know we were so much younger then and had no idea what love was. I just... I can’t help but be a little nervous given our history.”
“I think it’s absolutely understandable that you feel that reservation, Callie. I can’t speak for the Mason that you knew in high school, but the Mason that I know now is compassionate, understanding, and determined. So, I think you’ll come to figure out that you’re okay with where things are going once you let that guard down a little. It’s up to you to decide when that happens, though.”
We sit and chat while we eat our lunch, laughing over both of our experiences with Mason. I’m so thankful I have someone to talk to about this that isn’t Mason or my parents. They obviously both want the same ending and while I do, too, it’s nice to have a neutral side.
“Thank you for meeting me and listening to me blabber about my high school love, Jo Ellen! I guess we better get back to our patients. I’ve got three more to meet with and then I’ll be back in the office to finish up some paperwork before heading home.”
“I know we aren’t close and don’t hang out outside of work, but if you need someone to talk to, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’ll see you back at the office if I’m still there when you get finished with your patients.”
I grab my bag and head for the door. It was really nice talking to Jo Ellen about Mason. I think her knowing who he is now really helped me come to terms with where we are now – in whatever you want to call this. I think I’m going to call Mason tonight and see where he is with things and maybe we can figure out what we are doing and how we want to handle this.
I’m sitting at my desk submitting paperwork for my last two patients when my phone rings. I look down to see Mason’s name light up my screen.
“Hey, I’m still at work. I should be done in about 20 minutes. Can I call you back when I’m heading out?”
“Of course you can. I’ll talk to you soon, Callie.”
Thanks to my talk with Jo Ellen, I am in a much clearer head space. She knows and trusts Mason as who he is today, which is helping allow my guard to fall a little. I wonder where Mason’s head is. Maybe we can figure more of that out now. I attach my phone to my magnetic holder and pull up FaceTime before leaving the parking lot.
“Hey Callie! How was your day?”
“It wasn’t too bad. I had lunch with Jo Ellen today and told her all about our high school shenanigans. It was a good chat and I’m feeling happier about things.”
“Happier? I didn’t know you weren’t happy?”
“That’s not what I meant. We talked about my reservations about doing this long distance because of our history. Talking with Jo Ellen today made things a little clearer for me, and it allowed those guards to fall a little. That’s actually what I wanted to talk about.”
“Oh, okay. You had me worried for a minute there. I’m down to talk about whatever you need to.”
“I just wanted to see if we could figure out exactly what we both want from this. See where our heads are, if we’re on the same page. That kind of thing.”
“I think you know where I stand but I’ll be happy to answer any questions or concerns you have. I want to do it right this time, Callie.”
“I would love nothing more than to have our happily ever after, I think you know that, Mason. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to do the whole long-distance thing, given our history, but every day I feel more and more ready to just give it a go. We are both adults now, more mature, and more responsible... I think it could work this time.”
“You don’t know how happy I am to hear that, Cal. There’s nothing I’ve regretted more than walking away from you. I am willing to do whatever it takes to make you feel comfortable, wanted, and important... I hope that you know that.”
“I’m starting to. It’s going to take time but I am seeing that more and more each time we talk. I’m ready to move onto whatever next chapter there is for us.”
We ended up talking for hours that evening. I cooked and ate dinner, cleaned up my house, and did my night routine all while on FaceTime with Mason. The conversation came so easily, and it relieved a lot of my worries. We’ve decided to give our relationship another chance. We planned a few fun things to do while I was there visiting him next month, seeing as I’ve never been to New York. I’m excited to see where this goes.
Mason really is home. That feeling never really went away.