Cliff Diving
Homecoming
When Callie woke up the next morning, Matt had everything packed and ready to go.
"Morning sunshine. I laid out some clothes for you, and our plane leaves in three hours." Matt stated, turning on the TV.
Callie wiggled out of the bed, grabbed her clothes and hobbled her way into the bathroom. She emerged, dressed and fully recharged.
"Alright, we should leave now, just in case."
Callie smiled, "Good, cause I'm ready to go home."
Matt nodded, "Me too. We really need to get you to a doctor."
Checking out of the hotel, they made their way out to the bustling streets of Papa New Guinea. It took them nearly half an hour until they broke through the crowd and could see the airport ahead of them.
"Finally, we made it. How are you holding up?" Matt asked, turning towards Callie, who was biting her lip and white with pain.
"The quicker we reach the terminal, the better. "
He nodded, "Alright. Let's get you off this leg. I could carry you."
She laughed, "No, just grab a cart for the bags and I can sit on it."
They wheeled their way to the gate and stood at the ticket counter.
"You're all set. The plane should be arriving in half an hour." The man behind the counter stated, handing Matt the tickets.
Matt thanked him and turned back to Callie.
She was sitting on the bench, her right leg was propped on the luggage cart.
"Here," Matt said, digging into his bag and pulling out a bottle of aspirin and some water. He placed four pills into her hand and held the water bottle out to her.
She smiled up at him thankfully, and took a large gulp from thebottle.
"Easy now, killer."
Callie scowled at him and handed the bottle back to him.
"Now boarding flight 200, to LAX."
Callie cheered, and shakily stood from the bench.
Soon they were seated and buckled in, and Callie placed her ear buds into her ears.
"Wake me up when we land." She said, closing her eyes.
She was out within minutes.
_______________________________________________________________________
"Callie, wake up. We're home."
She groaned and removed the earbuds and placed her iPod into her pocket. Looking out the window, she could see the all too familiar landscape of her home state and she let out a sigh of relief.
"Thanks, Matt."
"You're welcome. Oh, I called your doctor and explained the situation to them. He would like for us to get there as soon as possible. "
Callie stared nodded, "What did you tell them? Cause I'm sure flat out telling them I was bit by a dinosaur would go over well."
He nodded, smiling, "Well I told them that you were bitten in Papa New Guinea by some sort of animal and we want to make sure we don't have to amputate your leg."
They disembarked from the plane and slowly traveled through the always busy LAX terminal towards baggage claim.
After a few long minutes, the bags began to roll through the doors and slowly made their way around the track.
“Alright, you sit here, I'm going to get the car, and I'll pick you up out front, alright?”
Callie grimaced and Matt lightly punched her shoulder, “Come on. You’ll be fine!”
A few minutes later, Matt pulled up in his shiny black BMW; he quickly ran from the car and helped Callie slide into the backseat, so she could comfortably prop up her leg.
“Thank you!”
Matt patted her on the head, "Anything for you my dear."
________________________________________________________
It took them nearly twenty minutes to get out of the airport and onto the Pacific Coast Highway. Callie sat in the back, restless. She had missed California so much for the last few days and with what had happened, she wasn't sure she would have been able to make it home in one piece. She made a mental note to send the Destination Truth guys either a giant fruit basket, or a giant thank you card.
"What are you thinking about missy?"
Callie snapped her attention back to Matt, "Just thinking about the guys from DT and how if it wasn't for them, I might not be alive right now, and how I could possibly ever thank them and whatnot."
Matt looked at her through the rearview mirror, "I know what you mean."
The rest of the ride was silent, Matt was kind enough to leave her to her thoughts.
When they finally arrived at the doctor's office, Matt parked the BMW in front of the main doors, jumped out of the car and grabbed a wheelchair from just inside the door. He quickly pushed it back to the car and gingerly helped Callie out of the backseat.
He rolled her into the main lobby and murmured something about moving the car, and he'd be back momentarily.
Callie rolled her eyes at him and managed to push herself towards the receptionist's desk.
"Hello, how can I help you?"
"Um, yes. I have an emergency appointment with Dr. Weston."
"Name?"
"Callie Anderson."
She could hear the receptionist typing away on her keyboard, "Alright, Miss Anderson. If you want to have a seat, he will be with you momenetarily."
"Thank you."
Callie rolled herself over to the nearest set of empty chairs and waited for Matt to re-enter the waiting room.
A few seconds later, Matt walked back into the waiting room and plopped down on a seat next to her.
"So, my dear; what did you think about Josh? He has a bit of rugged sexiness to him, don't you think?" He asked, gently nudging her in the arm.
She rolled her eyes, "Please Matt. I barely know the guy."
Matt shrugged, "Doesn't mean you can't get to know him!"
"Whatever."
The door next to the receptionist opened and a nurse, wearing floral scrubs stepped into the lobby, "Callie?"
Matt stood and helped wheel Callie through the door.
"Right through here, please."
Matt helped her out of the wheelchair and onto the tall bench.
"Now, you said you're here because of an animal bite, and you want to make sure you aren't infected, right?"
They nodded, and the nurse continued, "Alright, if you could just help me remove the bandage and then we can assess the damage and go from there."
Matt gingerly knelt next to Callie and gently began to unwrap the gauze and ACE Bandage from her ankle.
"Oh wow."
The nurse glanced at the wound and grabbed a dressing gown, "If you could put this on, Doctor Weston will be right with you."
There was a small knock on the door and a tall, young man dressed in a long white lab coat with a stethoscope around his neck entered the room.
"Alright, so I hear we have a pretty nasty bite and you need to get the necessary shots and possible medication to help with the swelling down."
Callie nodded and watched as the doctor went to work on her mangled ankle.
_________________________________________________________
Three shots, a set of crutches and forty-five minutes later, Callie hobbled out of the office and towards Matt's parked car.
"Ugh, I hate crutches. This shit blows."
"Stop complaining, let's get you home."
"Yeah, yeah."
Callie must have dozed off, due to whatever the doctor gave her, and woke when she felt the car come to a stop. She opened her eyes and noticed they were home.
"Come on sleepy head, we're home."
Matt, against her wishes, bent down and gently picked her up, careful to not hit her leg on the car door and carried her to the front door. He set her down so he could rummage through his pockets for the key and made to pick her up again when she stopped him.
"I think I can manage to hobble to the couch."
He smiled, "Alright. Get yourself settled and I'll bring in our bags, get you comfortable, start dinner and begin unpacking."
Callie smiled, and placed a hand on his cheek, "You treat me too well sometimes, you know that?"
Matt dropped his gaze, "You'd do the same for me, minus the carrying me. You're my best friend Callista, I'm supposed to look after you."
She gave him and big hug and kissed his cheek, "You are the bestest friend a girl could ask for."
He smiled, "Alright. Sit your ass down and I'll get you some pillows."
After Matt took care of her, she watched as he ran 900miles an hour trying to get them settled from their trip.
Roughly an hour later, Matt let out a huge relieved sigh as he sat down on the recliner, "Alright chicky, dinner is in the oven and it's your favorite."
Smiling, Callie thanked him.
"Let's see what's on TV."
They scrolled through the TV Guide and settled on the Batman marathon AMC was hosting, starting with the classic 1966 Adam West Batman Movie.
Their laughter was broken by the sound of Callie's phone ringing. She groaned, leaning forward to retrieve the buzzing device.
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this Callie Anderson?"
"Yes. Who is this?"
"It's Brad Kuhlman."
Callie smiled, "Prince Charming! How are you?"
She could hear him laugh, "I'm good. I heard you made it back to the states and managed to keep your ankle. "
"Of course. I mean, if it wasn't for your expert medical attention, I would have had to have it amputated. No big deal."
He chuckled, "So what did the doctor say?"
"Well, three huge needles later, a rabies shot and cortisone and one other that made me drowsy. Other than that, he told me to use crutches for a few weeks and if it doesn't improve, then to come back."
"Hopefully the shots will help and you can get off those crutches sooner than that! Well, I just wanted to call and make sure everything was alright, we were worried about you. I have to get going, the wife wants to go out."
"Alright, I appreciate you calling to check up on me Brad. Thank you, for everything."
They said goodbye and Callie turned back to the television.
"Brad from Papa New Guinea?"
Callie nodded, "Yeah, he wanted to check up on me."
Matt smiled, "They seem like nice people."
"Yeah.."
The silence was broken by the timer in the kitchen going off.
Matt stood, "I'll bring you a plate. Just sit there."
"Thank you!"
He kissed her head as he walked into the kitchen, "No problem."
"Morning sunshine. I laid out some clothes for you, and our plane leaves in three hours." Matt stated, turning on the TV.
Callie wiggled out of the bed, grabbed her clothes and hobbled her way into the bathroom. She emerged, dressed and fully recharged.
"Alright, we should leave now, just in case."
Callie smiled, "Good, cause I'm ready to go home."
Matt nodded, "Me too. We really need to get you to a doctor."
Checking out of the hotel, they made their way out to the bustling streets of Papa New Guinea. It took them nearly half an hour until they broke through the crowd and could see the airport ahead of them.
"Finally, we made it. How are you holding up?" Matt asked, turning towards Callie, who was biting her lip and white with pain.
"The quicker we reach the terminal, the better. "
He nodded, "Alright. Let's get you off this leg. I could carry you."
She laughed, "No, just grab a cart for the bags and I can sit on it."
They wheeled their way to the gate and stood at the ticket counter.
"You're all set. The plane should be arriving in half an hour." The man behind the counter stated, handing Matt the tickets.
Matt thanked him and turned back to Callie.
She was sitting on the bench, her right leg was propped on the luggage cart.
"Here," Matt said, digging into his bag and pulling out a bottle of aspirin and some water. He placed four pills into her hand and held the water bottle out to her.
She smiled up at him thankfully, and took a large gulp from thebottle.
"Easy now, killer."
Callie scowled at him and handed the bottle back to him.
"Now boarding flight 200, to LAX."
Callie cheered, and shakily stood from the bench.
Soon they were seated and buckled in, and Callie placed her ear buds into her ears.
"Wake me up when we land." She said, closing her eyes.
She was out within minutes.
_______________________________________________________________________
"Callie, wake up. We're home."
She groaned and removed the earbuds and placed her iPod into her pocket. Looking out the window, she could see the all too familiar landscape of her home state and she let out a sigh of relief.
"Thanks, Matt."
"You're welcome. Oh, I called your doctor and explained the situation to them. He would like for us to get there as soon as possible. "
Callie stared nodded, "What did you tell them? Cause I'm sure flat out telling them I was bit by a dinosaur would go over well."
He nodded, smiling, "Well I told them that you were bitten in Papa New Guinea by some sort of animal and we want to make sure we don't have to amputate your leg."
They disembarked from the plane and slowly traveled through the always busy LAX terminal towards baggage claim.
After a few long minutes, the bags began to roll through the doors and slowly made their way around the track.
“Alright, you sit here, I'm going to get the car, and I'll pick you up out front, alright?”
Callie grimaced and Matt lightly punched her shoulder, “Come on. You’ll be fine!”
A few minutes later, Matt pulled up in his shiny black BMW; he quickly ran from the car and helped Callie slide into the backseat, so she could comfortably prop up her leg.
“Thank you!”
Matt patted her on the head, "Anything for you my dear."
________________________________________________________
It took them nearly twenty minutes to get out of the airport and onto the Pacific Coast Highway. Callie sat in the back, restless. She had missed California so much for the last few days and with what had happened, she wasn't sure she would have been able to make it home in one piece. She made a mental note to send the Destination Truth guys either a giant fruit basket, or a giant thank you card.
"What are you thinking about missy?"
Callie snapped her attention back to Matt, "Just thinking about the guys from DT and how if it wasn't for them, I might not be alive right now, and how I could possibly ever thank them and whatnot."
Matt looked at her through the rearview mirror, "I know what you mean."
The rest of the ride was silent, Matt was kind enough to leave her to her thoughts.
When they finally arrived at the doctor's office, Matt parked the BMW in front of the main doors, jumped out of the car and grabbed a wheelchair from just inside the door. He quickly pushed it back to the car and gingerly helped Callie out of the backseat.
He rolled her into the main lobby and murmured something about moving the car, and he'd be back momentarily.
Callie rolled her eyes at him and managed to push herself towards the receptionist's desk.
"Hello, how can I help you?"
"Um, yes. I have an emergency appointment with Dr. Weston."
"Name?"
"Callie Anderson."
She could hear the receptionist typing away on her keyboard, "Alright, Miss Anderson. If you want to have a seat, he will be with you momenetarily."
"Thank you."
Callie rolled herself over to the nearest set of empty chairs and waited for Matt to re-enter the waiting room.
A few seconds later, Matt walked back into the waiting room and plopped down on a seat next to her.
"So, my dear; what did you think about Josh? He has a bit of rugged sexiness to him, don't you think?" He asked, gently nudging her in the arm.
She rolled her eyes, "Please Matt. I barely know the guy."
Matt shrugged, "Doesn't mean you can't get to know him!"
"Whatever."
The door next to the receptionist opened and a nurse, wearing floral scrubs stepped into the lobby, "Callie?"
Matt stood and helped wheel Callie through the door.
"Right through here, please."
Matt helped her out of the wheelchair and onto the tall bench.
"Now, you said you're here because of an animal bite, and you want to make sure you aren't infected, right?"
They nodded, and the nurse continued, "Alright, if you could just help me remove the bandage and then we can assess the damage and go from there."
Matt gingerly knelt next to Callie and gently began to unwrap the gauze and ACE Bandage from her ankle.
"Oh wow."
The nurse glanced at the wound and grabbed a dressing gown, "If you could put this on, Doctor Weston will be right with you."
There was a small knock on the door and a tall, young man dressed in a long white lab coat with a stethoscope around his neck entered the room.
"Alright, so I hear we have a pretty nasty bite and you need to get the necessary shots and possible medication to help with the swelling down."
Callie nodded and watched as the doctor went to work on her mangled ankle.
_________________________________________________________
Three shots, a set of crutches and forty-five minutes later, Callie hobbled out of the office and towards Matt's parked car.
"Ugh, I hate crutches. This shit blows."
"Stop complaining, let's get you home."
"Yeah, yeah."
Callie must have dozed off, due to whatever the doctor gave her, and woke when she felt the car come to a stop. She opened her eyes and noticed they were home.
"Come on sleepy head, we're home."
Matt, against her wishes, bent down and gently picked her up, careful to not hit her leg on the car door and carried her to the front door. He set her down so he could rummage through his pockets for the key and made to pick her up again when she stopped him.
"I think I can manage to hobble to the couch."
He smiled, "Alright. Get yourself settled and I'll bring in our bags, get you comfortable, start dinner and begin unpacking."
Callie smiled, and placed a hand on his cheek, "You treat me too well sometimes, you know that?"
Matt dropped his gaze, "You'd do the same for me, minus the carrying me. You're my best friend Callista, I'm supposed to look after you."
She gave him and big hug and kissed his cheek, "You are the bestest friend a girl could ask for."
He smiled, "Alright. Sit your ass down and I'll get you some pillows."
After Matt took care of her, she watched as he ran 900miles an hour trying to get them settled from their trip.
Roughly an hour later, Matt let out a huge relieved sigh as he sat down on the recliner, "Alright chicky, dinner is in the oven and it's your favorite."
Smiling, Callie thanked him.
"Let's see what's on TV."
They scrolled through the TV Guide and settled on the Batman marathon AMC was hosting, starting with the classic 1966 Adam West Batman Movie.
Their laughter was broken by the sound of Callie's phone ringing. She groaned, leaning forward to retrieve the buzzing device.
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this Callie Anderson?"
"Yes. Who is this?"
"It's Brad Kuhlman."
Callie smiled, "Prince Charming! How are you?"
She could hear him laugh, "I'm good. I heard you made it back to the states and managed to keep your ankle. "
"Of course. I mean, if it wasn't for your expert medical attention, I would have had to have it amputated. No big deal."
He chuckled, "So what did the doctor say?"
"Well, three huge needles later, a rabies shot and cortisone and one other that made me drowsy. Other than that, he told me to use crutches for a few weeks and if it doesn't improve, then to come back."
"Hopefully the shots will help and you can get off those crutches sooner than that! Well, I just wanted to call and make sure everything was alright, we were worried about you. I have to get going, the wife wants to go out."
"Alright, I appreciate you calling to check up on me Brad. Thank you, for everything."
They said goodbye and Callie turned back to the television.
"Brad from Papa New Guinea?"
Callie nodded, "Yeah, he wanted to check up on me."
Matt smiled, "They seem like nice people."
"Yeah.."
The silence was broken by the timer in the kitchen going off.
Matt stood, "I'll bring you a plate. Just sit there."
"Thank you!"
He kissed her head as he walked into the kitchen, "No problem."