Hey guys, this is the new multi chapter I've been working on and posting on my tumblr. I'll post the chapters here, one at a day, to allow everyone to catch up. Thanks for the support, fb is always much appreciated!
My Boys – Beneath the Surface: Chapter 1
"I really don't know how to thank you enough."
At the sound of the words, Amelia's mother in law turned around with a sympathetic smile on her face.
"There is no need to thank me, I've told you that," The elderly woman added with a gentle nod, genuinely happy for being able to help. A couple of hours before, Amelia had called her to ask if Evelyn had any idea how to cook Spanish and Moroccan food and Owen's mother had immediately stepped in to help, driving over to her son's house to give the neurosurgeon a hand with the cooking.
The school to which Amelia's kids went to was having an international fair to celebrate cultural diversity and much to Amelia's dismay each student in the class of her eight year old twins was in charge of taking local food from a few selected countries.
"If I can't cook our own food," Amelia said with a teasing smile, "how do they expect me to cook stuff I've never even tried before?"
"Oh, but you'll love this dish," Evelyn lightheartedly added, mixing the ingredients next to the stove. She was cooking a Spanish tortilla that consisted basically of eggs and potatoes and seemed very easy to serve. "Owen used to ask me to cook this when he was younger. I am pretty sure we're going to have to save some for him," Evelyn turned her head around and looked at her daughter in law with mischief in her eyes, "But don't worry, I'm making more than enough."
"I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks your son eats like he's been starved for the past year," Amelia said with good humor. "And by the looks of it, it seems like my sons are just the same."
Evelyn shared a heartfelt laughter with her daughter in law, clearly enjoying herself. The two women spent the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen, casually talking while Amelia washed the dishes and Evelyn took care of all the cooking.
.
Owen strode around the supermarket, watching as a very excited Megan had a hard time staying still inside the shopping cart.
"Meg, sit down, you're going to hurt yourself," Owen said gently but firmly.
The five year old did as told, clearing space among the groceries to finally sit.
"Dad, can we get ice cream for dessert today?" She turned her neck around and used her best puppy eyes to convince him. "But not that strawberry kind that Lucas likes, I want the one he likes the least."
"Why?" Owen frowned while stopping at the cereal section to load the cart.
"Because," Megan replied with serene logic. "If you get one he likes he'll just end up eating everything like he always does."
Owen let out a loud chuckle and promised Megan they would get enough of whichever flavor she chose. Reaching out for his pocket, he picked up a sheet he'd left hung on the refrigerator earlier that morning. When Owen had said he planned to go out grocery shopping, Amelia had mentioned their twin sons had a school assignment that required some special ingredients and coincidentally, Thomas had asked for a special kind of glue to finish his art project.
As a way of simplifying things, Owen had scribbled "Write down what you need" on a piece of white paper and hung it on the fridge with magnets. Thomas had written his request on it and Owen could also distinguish Lucas' scrawl asking for sweets and the cereal brand of his preference. The twins had followed adding the list of ingredients their teacher had given them for the recipes they were supposed to take and at last, Owen noticed his wife's elegant calligraphy as he read the two final words on the list that made him involuntarily laugh: Your smile.
Her unexpected and adorable addition brought a large smile to Owen's face. Unable to contain a chuckle, he finished getting the items on the list with the always cheerful help of his daughter, hurrying to get back home in time to start preparing dinner.
.
Much to Owen's surprise, he found his mother already with dinner halfway prepared the minute he made it home.
"Didn't you say we were going to make paella?" Owen protested, lifting the bag with the ingredients he'd just gone out to get at the same time he stared at his wife questioningly.
"Why make it hard when you can make it so simple?" Evelyn intervened, justifying their change of traditional Spanish dish.
"Your mom said it, not me," Amelia looked at Owen with a semi apologetic smile, but the amusement was clear in her eyes. It was obvious she agreed with Evelyn.
"I thought you were doing all the cooking for Danny and Robbie's school thing?" Owen raised both eyebrows as he turned around to face her before putting the fresh ingredients in the fridge.
"Yeah, right," Amelia's disbelief was clear on her face as she let out a loud chuckle, clearly having fun. She had pretty much no talent in the kitchen and other than fixing a quick meal of semi cooked pasta or scrambling eggs, there wasn't much she would venture herself with.
Owen playfully nodded his head in disapproval and carried the leftover bags to the pantry to stock the rest of the groceries. From a distance, he could hear the excited chatter coming from the kitchen and it only got louder when Megan joined in, excitedly stepping in when her grandmother asked if she wanted to help with the cooking. Something his daughter did made the two women crack up and Owen distinguished the sound of Amelia's musical laughter vibrating in the air.
The trauma surgeon couldn't contain a smile once he realized that the three most important women of his life were obviously enjoying each other's company. Over a decade before, when he'd married Amelia, it didn't take her long to develop a close relationship with his mother. Years later, she had also come to perform a surgery that saved Evelyn's life, tightening the bond between the two. The fact that Megan had been born that same week had only helped to bring the two women together and include the little girl in their special attachment.
Owen knew that his wife didn't have a close relationship with her family and that they didn't see each other much. He had always been close to his parents, developing an ever closer relationship to his mother and sister after his father had passed away. And then for a while, it had been just him and Evelyn. Owen regretted the years he'd spent neglecting his mother after being so damaged by the traumas in the war but even without meaning to, Amelia had helped him regain proximity with his mother.
Right after he'd married her, she and Evelyn had hit it off pretty quickly and in his mom, Amelia found a very caring and affectionate mother figure. When their first son was born, Evelyn had been of great help caring for the baby and the routine repeated itself every time they added a new member to the family or when the kids were on school break. Owen had long ago stopped being surprised when he came home and found his wife in the company of his mother. Even though sometimes he would accuse them of ganging up on him, Owen never really meant it because he knew that deep down, it was lovely how close the two of them had become.
Strained relationships between mother in laws and wives were very cliché and he was happy that over the years Amelia had once again grown to organically break all the expectations, uniting with Evelyn over the common love they shared for Owen and the kids, instead of unconsciously competing over it. To Owen, it just proved how kindhearted and mature his wife had become. She openly admitted how grateful she was for getting the chance to build their own happy, functional family and he knew that not a day went by when Amelia took it for granted. Her attitude was not only inspiring, it was contaminating, and Owen felt just as lucky to be able to live the dream they'd been through so much to create.
Evelyn stayed for dinner and for the rest of the night, Owen kept busy helping out Thomas with his art project. Unlike his father, the eleven year old was very talented in detailed manual work and even though Thomas could skillfully craft the miniature house he was building with wood sticks, it really helped to have his father applying glue to the assemble as he did it.
"Remind me why you're building pillars?" Owen frowned, seeing the two story house take formation. Thomas' assignment was to craft a miniature house but unsurprisingly, his son hadn't settled for creating something simple, choosing to add more walls and a second pavement to the project instead.
"Because Kate said hers would be better but it won't," Thomas replied with an ambitious grin. "So I am building a model of our house to prove her wrong."
Owen chuckled and ruffled Tom's hair, playfully shaking his head in denial. Thomas had always been good friends with Jo and Alex's oldest child and they were always friendly fighting for the top of their class. As long as they kept the competitiveness on a healthy level, Owen thought it was a good thing the two kids stimulated each other to do better.
After another twenty minutes, Thomas finally decided they'd done enough and Owen could at last relax after a full day. He kissed Thomas goodnight and checked in on Lucas, who was already in his room watching television. Imagining the youngest kids were already in bed, Owen made his way to his bedroom, eager to finish the day in the company of his wife.
Even though Owen didn't regret it one bit, having five young kids was a handful of work and at times, he wondered how they were able to manage. Among school projects, homework, extracurricular and sports activities and leisure time, he didn't remember the last five minutes of peace he'd had. Things like reading the newspaper in the morning or sleeping in on weekends had become a luxury. Despite the full day, it was still relatively early so Owen smiled to himself, imagining that maybe that night, Amelia would be up for staying up late for a very good cause. He couldn't remember the last time they'd had more than ten minutes to themselves and the idea of being alone with her made Owen anxiously stride to their room.
He was already thinking of ways to slowly undress his wife when, after he crossed the door to his room, his dirty smile vanished the moment Owen saw his bed had been taken over.
Amelia was already lying there as he'd imagined, but she wasn't alone. Robbie peacefully slept lying between his mother's legs with his head resting on her lap, while Megan and Danny were still wide awake, watching a children's movie on the television.
"You guys are still up," Owen tried to control his disappointment.
Amelia's eyes met his and he could swear she smiled mischievously, as knowing exactly what was going on in her husband's head.
"Yes, but it's past their bedtime," Amelia informed the kids, playfully squeezing Megan's nose when the little girl protested.
"Can't we at least finish the movie, mom?" Danny bargained with adorable begging eyes.
"Nope," Amelia replied decisively. "It'll run for at least another hour and you guys have watched it way too many times," she added, gently shifting on the bed trying not to wake up Robbie. "Give me a kiss goodnight."
Danny promptly did as told, being closely followed by Megan. But when Amelia handed Robbie over to Owen, he heard the little girl asking:
"Mom, can I sleep here tonight?" She skillfully made her way beneath the covers. "Please?"
Amelia once again made eye contact with her husband and saw the shadow of physical pain behind the blue of his eyes. She wanted to laugh but tried her hardest not to.
"Can she, dad?" Amelia provoked looking up to her husband, knowing very well that even though Owen really wanted the kids in their beds as soon as possible, he would hardly say no to such a sweet request from his daughter.
"Yes," Owen dryly replied. When Megan excitedly celebrated, not for the first time he felt guilty for wishing that for at least twenty minutes a day, they got a break from the kids. Truth is, he loved them too much to even consider being without them.
The trauma surgeon took the twins to their rooms and tucked them in. Upon his return, Amelia and Megan were already lying beneath the covers with the lights off. Letting out a conformed sigh, Owen went to bed too, feeling his daughter's arms instantly wrapping around his neck, clinging to him as she stole all space available.
He closed his eyes and let out an amused sigh through his nose, involuntarily laughing at his own predicament. Very gently, Owen turned to his side and placed the little girl on the mattress, seeing she was already too deeply asleep to wake up with the movement.
"Do you want to take her to her room?" Amelia whispered in the dark.
Owen propped his head on his elbow and stared at his sleeping child. She looked like a little angel.
"Nah," He replied, pulling the covers to make sure she wasn't cold.
Even though it was dark, Amelia noticed the mesmerized look on her husband's face as he stared at their daughter. Megan really was adorable and just like her brothers, at the end of the day, gave all meaning to their lives.
"You want to have sex, don't you?" Amelia provoked her husband, muffling her laughter at his startled expression.
"Shhh!" Owen censored her for using the word, childishly covering Megan's ear with his hand.
"She is asleep," Amelia justified, leaning over their daughter to give the girl a kiss on the head. "She can't hear us."
"How do you know?" Owen defensively asked with a whisper.
Amelia playfully rolled her eyes and got comfortable on the bed, feeling her body relax from the intense day. Owen was already half asleep when he heard his wife's voice resonating in the room again.
"Don't you ever just look at the kids and wonder what the heck have we done?" Amelia asked with good humor, turning to her side to face her husband.
Owen furrowed his brown heavily, apparently offended with the question.
"Of course not!" He rejected her supposition completely.
Amelia couldn't help laughing at his outrage.
"You are way too politically correct," She teased him, reaching out her hand to grab his. "I am not saying this is a permanent feeling, it's not. I actually feel incredibly guilty when I think that so the thought only lasts for like, two milliseconds," She confessed. "But come on! You have to admit it… Don't you just wish they could be locked in Neverland for at least a little while so you could enjoy some quality, worry free moments from time to time?" Amelia asked with sincerity, making Owen lighten up. "I mean, when was the last time you didn't have to worry about absolutely anything?"
"Before I met you," Owen replied with mock pretense, clearly provoking her. Amelia's laughter warmed his heart and he gently rubbed his thumb on her open palm, enjoying her touch. "Nah, I am kidding… I actually can't remember what it's like not to worry. I mean," Owen turned his head to face her. "I thought worrying about my unit in the army would be the biggest responsibility of a lifetime, but then I became Chief of Surgery…" He added with a playful voice. "Then, you happened," Owen teased her, seeing Amelia scowling at him in response. "And just when I thought my worrying days had reached its limit, I became a dad. It's like I can't catch a break."
"And they just kept coming, right?" Amelia thought out loud.
"The kids?"
"No, the reasons to worry."
"Oh," Owen thought about it for a second, realizing how right she was. "Absolutely."
"But yeah, the kids too, I guess," Amelia decided with a lighthearted tone, smiling when she met her husband's eyes in the darkness. The neurosurgeon stayed quiet for long seconds, apparently immersed in deep thought but soon after, Owen heard her voice again. "Do you ever think how it would be if we'd done things differently?"
"What do you mean?" Owen quizzically asked, more interested in the conversation.
"Well, how our lives would be if we didn't have the kids. Or if we only had one or two like we initially planned."
"Amelia, you have always said you wanted a lot of kids and so did I." Owen argued.
"Yeah, but remember how after Tommy we decided to stop?" Amelia asked with a broken voice. "What were we thinking? We were so stupid back then."
"What?" Owen chuckled at her spontaneous confession.
"Just imagine the insane amount of happiness we would be missing out on if we didn't have the twins or Megan, or even Tom and Luke."
"Didn't you just say you wanted to ship them to Neverland?"
"No," Amelia frowned, looking deeply offended. "That's not what I said."
"Then, what did you say?" Owen raised one eyebrow at her, having fun with how worked up she was getting.
Amelia seemed to ponder his question for a few seconds, processing her answer before opening her mouth to talk.
"I said that even though sometimes I wish I could get a five minute break, I really don't, you know?" She played with Owen's index finger between hers, idly staring at the ceiling while lost in thought. "I mean, even though these five brats drive me close to exhaustion nearly every day, I feel like I live and breathe for them. And I absolutely can't imagine myself being happy without any of you." Amelia confessed, letting her husband know of the important role he played in her life too.
"Yeah," Owen agreed, closing his fingers around her hand and bringing it closer to give his wife a gentle kiss on her knuckles. "I feel the exact same way." He seemed to struggle with his thoughts for a second before finally admitting. "I guess sometimes I do ask myself why we decided to have kids in the first place," He smiled sheepishly at the confession when their eyes met. "But all it takes is one look at either of them to make me instantly remember and regret my doubts."
Amelia grinned, happy to realize she wasn't the only one who felt like that.
"It would be pretty cool to send them to Neverland, though," She teased, chuckling at her realization. "This way, they'd never have to grow up."
Owen smiled at her admission and watched as Amelia gently wrapped one arm around Megan, snuggling next to the little girl at the same time she protectively held her.
"Owen?" Amelia's whisper broke the silence after a few minutes. "Are you sleeping?"
"I am trying to," He did his best to hide his smile at his teasing reply.
"I spoke to Meredith today," Amelia shared, letting out a sigh of frustration. "She is not going to the wedding."
Owen rubbed his eyes, fighting off sleep. He knew that conversation would probably take more than a few minutes.
"Did she say why?"
"Not really," Amelia replied, playing with a nonexistent loose thread on her pillow case. "I mean, I didn't expect her to go in the first place anyway but as usual she just made up a sad excuse about work as a way to justify her absence."
"Well, I can't say I am surprised."
In a few weeks, Owen and Amelia were traveling to the East Coast to attend Amelia's oldest sister's wedding. A few years before, after visiting Amelia and realizing how unhappy and frozen in time her life was, Nancy had gone back home and turned the table around. A few months later, she had divorced the husband with whom she hadn't had a real relationship in nearly a decade, gotten closer to her kids and soon after started dating again. Now, a couple of years after meeting someone very special, Nancy was going to remarry and Amelia had planned with months in advance some free time at work so that she and Owen could spend some time in Connecticut for the wedding.
"I told her that we wouldn't mind taking Zola, Bailey and Ellis," Amelia confessed, supposing Owen would be on board. "I know Meredith isn't interested in keeping a relationship with my family but the kids will always be Derek's and they should be given the chance to spend time there. It's their family too, after all."
"Of course," Owen promptly agreed. "Do they want to go?"
"I didn't ask them yet," Amelia confessed. "But I suppose they'll want to. It's summer anyway and they'll be off school. I don't see why they wouldn't want to go."
Owen was too polite to say why he absolutely agreed. Over the years, it wasn't uncommon that Derek's three kids came to spend time with them, often having sleepovers. Before Amelia had married him, she used to live in the same house as her nieces and nephew, and the three kids had always felt a special connection with their aunt. But over the years, they'd grown to be left alone for large periods of time while their mom was working extra hours at the hospital.
"Are we really doing this?" Owen let out a sigh of worry. "Traveling across the country with eight kids?"
"Well, Zola is hardly a kid anymore…"
"You know what I mean," Owen turned his head sideways and looked at his wife above Megan's head.
"It could be fun," Amelia tried to sound encouraging.
"Yes, it could," Owen agreed, giving up adding that it could also be a total disaster.
"Are you going to sleep now?" Amelia asked. Her voice sounded like she was still lost in her own thoughts.
"Yes," Owen slowly moved up and leaned over Megan, surprising his wife when he gently touched her face with his hand. "By the way, I loved your request on the grocery list today."
Amelia took a fraction of a second longer than usual to realize what he was talking about and she couldn't help smiling in response when the memory of her spontaneous addition caught up with her.
"Well, I meant it," She declared affectionately, feeling Owen's thumb rubbing on her cheek as he leaned over with full intention to kiss her.
Amelia noticed the sweetness in his eyes as he intensely gazed at her, obviously admiring her features.
"We're very well off then," Owen realized before capturing her lips with his own. "Because this is all I need to smile." He added, recalling her wish.
"A kiss?" Amelia giggled when he buried his face on the curve of her neck, playfully exploring the area with his lips. "Is a kiss really the price of your smile?"
"No," He raised his head, making eye contact with his wife and seeing the contentment on her face. When Owen replied, his voice sounded firm with determinate conviction before he got back to his side of the bed to finally fall asleep, "For you, they'll always be free of charge"