AU: Owen Hunt's younger sister died in a car accident, leaving him the sole guardian of his six-year-old niece, Madison. He is looking for help to take care of her.
Thirty-year-old Owen Hunt held on to his six-year-old niece's hand, as they watched them put his sister into the ground. The tears were silently rolling down his face, as he squeezed his niece's hand. They were the only two people left in their family as his mother and father had died
He never thought that his younger sister, Elizabeth would die before him. She was a year younger but they grew up like twins. When Elizabeth got pregnant seven years ago, he was the first person she told. She was only 22 and the pregnancy had been the result of a one-night stand. She had considered terminating the pregnancy but she changed her mind at the last minute.
She said it was time for her to stop being a party girl and start to take life seriously. The pregnancy, she had told Owen, was her wake up call. There was someone else who was going to depend on her from now on. She cleaned up her act, stopped the drinking and the partying and the one-night stands, got herself a steady job and was fully prepared to raise the kid on her own.
Owen was there when Madison was born. She was a beautiful baby, with soft brown hair and green eyes. Since Owen and his sister were both blonde and blue-eyed, it was clear that Madison had taken the coloring of her father, whoever he was.
Owen was Madison's favorite uncle. It wasn't hard to be that, since he was her only uncle but even if he had competition, he would still have been her favorite uncle. He was the male presence that she needed in her life. When Elizabeth had made him Maddie's guardian, he never thought that it would become necessary. He always thought that Elizabeth would always be around to raise Maddie.
Then, the car accident happened. Elizabeth, an interior designer, had gone to Connecticut to visit a client and on her way back to New York, her car was hit by a truck. She died instantly. At least Owen was grateful that if she was going to die, at least, it was quick and she felt no pain.
As he tied up Elizabeth's affairs, he clearly knew that his status had changed from favorite uncle who was only there on weekends and birthday parties and trips to the zoo, to full-time dad. He wasn't prepared to be a dad. His job as an environmental lawyer kept his extremely busy. He worked long days and sometimes never got home before 10 or 11 p.m. at night. He was dating a couple of women but none of them were really serious, so he didn't really have a strong female presence to bring into his niece's life.
With his bereavement leave soon coming to an end, he knew he had to find help to raise this child. He lived alone in a large townhouse in Greenwich Village near Washington Square Park, that he had renovated over the years. He had been an avid weekend warrior, redoing the three floors from top to the bottom. The house had four bedrooms, four and a half baths and even a rooftop terrace of which he was very proud. Outdoor space in New York City was always coveted.
His friend from the law practice, Janelle Stevens, a wife and mother of two, had volunteered to assist him in the search for help. He was looking for a live-in nanny/babysitter for his niece. Maddie would be entering the first grade at Phillips Day School in one week and he was desperate that her nanny be in place by that time. He needed her to take care of Maddie in the morning before school and especially, after school. Since he worked long hours, he would not be around to take care of Maddie in the evening.
He didn't think it was going to be that hard to find someone. After all, how hard could it be to look after one little girl?
Today was the day of the interviews. He had seven prospective nannies coming in for interviews and Janelle was there to help him to identify the best prospects. He explained what he needed and he was pleased to find that most of the women were well qualified for the job, several of them having quite a few years of experience.
Janelle turned to him, "So far, it seems that Miss Davis is your best prospect. She has over 15 years of experience, has excellent references and has worked with some of the finest families in New York. Well, that's my take on it. Who else do we have?"
"Just our last one," Owen said. "Cristina Yang. The agency said that she is younger than the other candidates but they thought that they would send her over to see whether we liked her. She seems to be a little bit late." He looked at his watch. "Let's wait 10 minutes for her."
He got up and stretched his long legs. It wasn't too long when he heard the doorbell ring.
"That must be her," he said, as he went to the door.
He opened the door and found himself face to face with a pretty Asian girl with long, dark curly hair and porcelain skin. He thought to himself, "Oh my God, this girl is soooooo cute."
"Are you Miss Yang?" he asked.
"Yes. I am sorry that I am late, Mr Hunt. I was caught up in school, registering for classes. I was in this very long line. I am truly sorry," she said.
"Oh, it's okay. Come on in. My friend, Janelle and I will be having a little chat with you," he said, as he ushered her into the living room.
"Cristina Yang, Janelle Stevens. She is helping me today with the interviews," he said.
As Janelle shook Cristina's hand, she looked at Owen, who was standing behind Cristina, his face was all lit up with this foolish, massive grin. Janelle surmised immediately that Owen was not really interested in the girl's qualifications to be a nanny, but in the girl herself.
Janelle said, "Thank you for coming in, Miss Yang. Have a seat. Can I call you Cristina?"
"Yes," Cristina said. She assumed that the woman was Mr. Hunt's girlfriend.
Owen took his seat next to Janelle and started admiring how pretty the girl was.
"Owen," Janelle said, nudging him lightly. "Can you explain what the job entails?"
"Oh, yes," he said. "My niece Madison is living with me now. She is six years old. The job is a live-in position because I need someone to stay with her because I work very long hours. She is starting grade school in a week's time so I would need you to get her ready in the morning, get her breakfast, fix her lunch. I will drop her off in the mornings. In the evenings, you will have to pick her up, get her fed, bathed, help her with her homework and put her to bed. Also, if it is not too much trouble, you will be asked to help keep the place in a reasonable state of tidiness," he said. "It's not going to be hard. Madison is a lovely girl. You will also have your own bedroom and bathroom. The pay is as discussed with the agency with a bonus at Christmas. Your weekends are off."
Janelle realized that Owen was actually trying to make the job as attractive as possible to the young girl. Where did that bonus at Christmas suddenly come from, Janelle wondered. He hadn't mentioned a bonus to any of the other candidates for the job.
Janelle asked, "So why are you interested in this particular job, Cristina?" She realized that she was going to have to ask the questions.
"I am very much interested in children. I love working with children. I have a degree in child psychology," she said.
"A degree in child psychology?" Janelle said. "Doesn't that make you a little over-qualified for taking care of a six year old?"
"Well, this job would greatly assist me, as I am pursuing a Master's degree at NYU. This job will fit in well with my schedule. I can go to school during the day and see about Madison in the evening," she said.
"Well, can you tell me about your past child care jobs?" Janelle asked.
"I am only 22," Cristina said. "So most of my jobs have been babysitting jobs. I have been babysitting since I was 14 years old. I have a lot of references from all the parents that I have sat for. Also, from a couple of my professors, whose kids I took care of, while I was in college. I have taken care of kids from babies to 12-year-olds, so I have dealt with a wide range of behaviors."
"But you have never had a full-time nanny job?" Janelle enquired.
"No, but I have taken care of the same children on a consistent basis," Cristina said. "Their parents have given me references. I can leave them with you and you can contact them."
"Thank you," Owen said, as he took the letters from her.
"Is there anything else you need to know?" she asked. "I would really like the job."
"Well, we will let you know as soon as possible," Owen told her. "Thank you for coming in, Cristina. Let me show you the way out."
As he showed her out, he took a final admiring look at the young woman, as she walked away from his house.
Cristina really needed this job. It offered room and board, in addition to a salary. It would be a godsend, especially since the house was so close to NYU. She hoped that her relative youth and her lack of her experience in a full-time nanny job would not be held against her.
He had a huge smile on his face, when he went back to the living room.
"Wipe that smile off your face, Owen," Janelle said.
"Wasn't she something?" Owen said.
"Listen, which head are you thinking with, right now?" Janelle said, shaking her head. "I can tell you are attracted to the girl. If you were in a bar, you would have made a move on her."
"I think that given her age, she would relate well to Maddie," Owen said.
"I still think that Miss Davis is still the best candidate," Janelle said. "I recognize that Miss Davis is not as young or as attractive as Miss Yang but she does have the most experience. Miss Davis is still your best bet. She is the perfect nanny."
Owen sighed.
"Thank you, Janelle for your patience and your input. I will make the final decision," he said.
"Alright. I am heading out of here," she said. "I have to meet my husband and two kids at the pizza place."
She kissed him on the cheek. "Alright, Owen. Miss Davis is the choice." He showed her out of his house.
Owen sat in the living room and looked over the candidates' information sent over by the agency. He took the information sheets on both Davis and Yang. He considered everything that Janelle had said.
He took out his phone and dialed the number.
"Hello," he said. "I have decided to offer you the job."
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