Chapter 13

There was no point in delaying it any longer. Callum didn't know exactly what to expect from life or where to go from here, but he was certain of at least one thing. He wasn't ready to leave. Determined to stay in town, he woke up early in the morning and headed straight to Dr Clark's clinic, ready to take on the offer and his new position.

"We're very happy to have you, Dr Grant." Dr Clark said as he gave Callum a handshake, unable to contain the excitement of having finally convinced the young doctor to work at his small clinic. "What made you make up your mind if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm really enjoying it here and the truth is, I'm just not ready to leave so soon." As Callum said these words, he found himself thinking about Faith's adorable smile and cuke freckles.

"Well, whatever than means, I'm thrilled you're staying."

"When can I start?"

"Would Monday work for you?"

"I'll be here, Dr Clark. Thank you so much for the opportunity."

As he stepped outside of the clinic, Callum suddenly felt the autumn breeze, and as the cold hit him, so did reality. He had just signed a new contract. He wasn't going to work at the Peterson farm anymore. He wasn't going back to his old job at the hospital. This meant that his old life was now truly behind him. It was a bittersweet realization. Even though staying felt like the right choice, it wasn't the life he had planned for himself. Callum followed the footsteps of his parents and his older brother and went through medical school, despite of knowing he wasn't cut out for it. Study and hard work got him through it, and in the end, he found a specialization that felt right for him. Managed to get a good job at a decently sized and important hospital, and life was going well, until it wasn't anymore.

At first glance, Callum was a successful doctor in his early thirties. He had it all. Good career, nice apartment, a beautiful girlfriend, a great best friend, and an amazing family. But things aren't always what they seem. Distance and time made him realize how unhappy he was at times. At his job, he loved helping kids, but seeing families suffering was taking a toll on him. For weeks in a row, he would only stop by his apartment to shower and sleep, barely having time or energy to do anything else. Despite being fortunate enough to have a loving family, Callum wasn't seeing them as much as he would like to. And his ex-girlfriend Alice, and his ex-best friend Ben, had been drifting away from him for months without him even realizing it.

What Ben and Alice did was unforgivable, but Callum spent a lot of time wondering if he wasn't to blame for not seeing it earlier. He hadn't been around as much as he should've. There were probably a lot of signs that he missed. They didn't have an affair just once or twice. It had been a recurring thing, for at least a few months prior to Callum seeing it with his own two eyes. How blind was I? The three of them had known each other for over a decade. They met during their first year of university and embarked on the journey of getting their medical degrees together. Halfway through their journey, Alice and Callum started to date, and Ben had always been extremely supportive of them. Their friendship, all the good moments and all the hardships they faced together, made it a lot more difficult to understand the betrayal. Was it my fault? Did I do something wrong? Every time he found himself thinking about this, Callum couldn't help but to wonder about the role he had played in all of it and wonder if he could've done something to prevent this outcome.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing in his pocket. "Hi, Zack." Callum sighed as greeted his brother.

"You don't need to sound so excited to talk to me."

"It's not that."

"Caught you at a bad moment?"

"No. Not at all. I wanted to call you, anyway. Just signed the contract with the clinic I told you about."

"Congratulations, Cal. I wonder what made you change your mind. Taking a leap of faith and starting over, are you?"

Callum couldn't help but to smirk at the word faith. She sure has an interesting name. "Something like that. I guess you can say faith might have something to do with it. Who knows?"

"When do you start?"

"Monday."

"Why don't you sound the least bit excited about it?"

"I am. It's just..."

"You were thinking about something dumb, weren't you?"

Callum chuckled. "Yes, I was."

"You're not missing out on anything, little brother."

"I know." Do I? "And when are you going to stop saying, little brother? We're in our thirties. You're almost forty. It's just embarrassing at this point."

"I do it just to pester you. So, never."

Callum rolled his eyes. The banter between brothers never goes away, does it? "So, why did you call? Everything okay with Maria and the kids?"

"Everyone's fine. Alice dropped by. Again. She said she still had some books of yours and some clothes she had forgotten about."

"Whatever it is, she can throw it away."

"I told her that. She keeps insisting on wanting to know where you are. No idea what she's up to. As far as I know, they're still together."

"I don't really care anymore, Zack." And that was the truth. Suddenly it dawned on him, that he really didn't care anymore. Which was a weird realization to have. After months of reflexion and introspection, Callum realized he didn't feel anything anymore when he heard her name. He felt only a weird numbness and nostalgia that was hard to describe. It almost felt as if it had all happened in another life. To younger and different version of himself. Almost a decade of his life had been spent besides her, and yet, now, he felt nothing but a cold indifference towards the people that betrayed him, the people he once would've entrusted his life to and would've given his life for.

"Good for you. This means I can finally be honest about something."

"About what?" Callum asked, concerned. He didn't need anyone else close to him coming out with obscure secrets. He probably wouldn't be able to handle any. All he wished for was honesty and some peace and quiet.

"I never liked her. She always seemed like a nutcase to me. Always thought you could do better." They both chuckled. "I'll let you go and celebrate your new job."

Celebrate... For some reason Callum didn't feel like celebrating. The last few months still felt surreal to him. Maybe everything that happened was just life yelling in my face, telling me I needed a change... He thought as he glanced around at cobbled streets, at the small stores and the leaves that had fully changed colours. I want to tell Faith I'm staying.

Dr Gardener: Hey Rapunzel. What you up to? Stuck in your tower, or do you have time to grab some lunch? Have some news I want to share with you.

Rapunzel: Rolling my eyes at your dorkiness as per usual.

Rapunzel: Free to leave my tower. Where do we meet? And what news?

Dr Gardener: I'll pick you up in my carriage in ten. What do you feel like eating? My treat. I'll tell you about the news in person.

Rapunzel: Steak. I'm too curious. Tell me now.

Dr Gardener: No. See you soon.

Callum smirked at his phone as he was getting in his car.

***

"So, you're staying? You're not leaving after Christmas?" Faith asked, eyes wide open. Her food was starting to get cold, but she hadn't processed the news quite yet, and was unable to do anything but to stare at Callum in disbelief.

"I'm staying, Faith." Callum nodded.

"Oh, that's good. I mean, I'm happy for you. You know... That's what you wanted, right? To be a doctor somewhere quieter."

Callum chuckled. "Just say it, princess." He leaned over, his face just a few inches away from hers. "You're happy I'm staying." Callum smirked.

"What?" Faith felt her cheeks turning red and finally looked down at her plate.

"But if you wanted me all to yourself, you should've hired me first." He winked. Faith opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She was too flustered to think of a witty response. "Ursula got your voice, princess?"

She chuckled. "Dork." Faith finally took a bite of her food, trying to hide the fact that she was smiling from ear to ear. Why am I so happy that he's staying? She felt like yelling at herself. "Do you know all the princesses because of your patients?"

"That. And two small nieces obsessed with Anna and Elsa. I'm surrounded but cartoons all the time. I feel like I know the lyrics to every song in all those movies."

Faith giggled at the thought of Callum singing and dancing around as if he was a prince in a movie. He certainly would make a good prince... For some reason that thought made Faith blush a little, so again, she turned her gaze down to her plate.

"Does the offer to help me find a place still stands?"

"Of course. When do you want to start looking?"

"As soon as possible. Doesn't seem fair to keep staying at Uncle Kade's."

"I think he enjoys your company a lot more than he's willing to admit. I'm sure he'll miss having you around as much."

"Then why does he grumble so much all the time? Throwing me off the kitchen and telling me to go to work." Both chuckled.

"I think that's just Mr Grant's love language."

"Let's hope you're right."

Faith might've been one of the most honest people Callum had ever met. During the short time that they'd known each other, one thing became obvious to him, Faith couldn't lie or hide anything at all. Her face would immediately turn red if she got flustered or her nervous and her eyes were equally expressive. It was refreshing to have someone so sincere in his life. Even as they finished their meal, her expressions as she tasted the food were so genuine and pure. Adorable... He thought as Faith open her eyes wide after tasting the pudding she ordered for dessert.