CHAPTER 2

'Aaaand the aneurysm's clipped, and we're good to go.'

'Nice work Dr. Shepherd,' Ellen, her quietest, yet most diligent scrub nurse looked across at her, the crinkling of her eyes revealing the smile behind the mask.

'Nice work everyone,' Amelia replied, trying to roll out the kink in her neck, 'Edwards, you're good to close up, right?'

The resident was already in place, 'I got it Dr. Shepherd.'

Amelia nodded, and a moment later was scrubbing out, letting the weight of the last 4 hours roll off her shoulders. She always felt a bit shaky after a surgery, coming off that adrenaline high.

'Impressive.' A male voice behind her made her jump.

'Owen,' she laughed, reaching for a paper towel, 'You trying to give a girl a heart attack?'

'Hm, well,' he moved to lean against the sink, 'even if I did I'm sure Pierce would fix you up pretty quick.'

She narrowed her eyes, and he grinned, eyes twinkling. She could totally see him as a little boy, 3 feet smaller, hair longer, getting up to all kinds of tricks.

He spun round and started scrubbing, 'I'm actually resecting a bowel with Bailey. We were just waiting till you were done. How's your day?'

His colleague sighed, 'You know, I feel bad saying it, but three back to back aneurysms have kinda got me hoping for a nice acute subdural hematoma…oo, or a glioblastoma…'

Owen paused in his scrubbing.

'Let me get this straight. You're hoping for someone to be so sick, so eaten up by this cancer growing inside of them, just because you want to get your hands on a brain tumour?'

Amelia gave him a sheepish look, 'Well, when you put it like that…'

Owen laughed, 'To be fair, the pit's pretty empty. It would be nice to have some mass trauma rolling in –'

He broke off as a little fist came out of nowhere and pounded him across the shoulder.

'Hey!' He yelped, 'How is that any worse from what you just said?!'

'You've totally cursed it now!'

'What?' Owen rubbed at his arm, a bemused look on his face.

'The minute anyone says that the pit is empty, even just hints at it, next thing you know there's blood up the walls and gurneys flying all over the place.'

'Oh c'mon, that's so not a thing.'

Owen's pager let out a self-righteous bleep.

Amelia cocked her head to one side and narrowed those vibrant eyes, 'Sorry, what is it you were saying?'

'…I hate it when you're right.' Owen grumbled.

'You love it,' Amelia quipped, flashing a smile.

If only she knew how much he loved it. If only he could find a way to tell her. That smug look that descended, coupled with the excited flush of her cheeks. The way she wrinkled her nose momentarily, as if to announce her victory. And those eyes. They took on a different hue when her emotions were running high, and it was a piercing blue that now flashed triumphantly. But how was he supposed to say any of this if they were just supposed to be friends?

Before he even knew what he was doing, he found himself blurting, 'Come with me to Joe's later.'

Amelia's scrubbing became noticeably slower as she refused to meet Owen's gaze.

'You…you mean just us two?'

'Uhm, yeah…I mean, well, no, there's a group going…I…I think, uhm, not sure how many, but, you know…a friends thing.'

Nice work Owen, you couldn't have sounded any more casual.

'Oh,' he watched her petite frame relax as her scrubbing returned to normal. Owen was surprised how much that simple act could hurt; another painful reminder of how she wasn't interested in their relationship being anything other than what it was.

She looked over at him, smiling, and he tried to rearrange his face into something that resembled nonchalance.

'Yeah sure, I'm up for that. I could do with a good group night out. Oh, and you have to remind me, I have the weirdest thing to tell you about something that happened this morning - you're so gonna love it!'

His curiosity aroused, Owen began to speak, only for both surgeons to be startled by a very impatient-looking Bailey banging on the window separating the two rooms.

'Dr. Hunt. You gonna stand around there chatting all day, or are you actually planning on coming in here and helping me save this woman's life?'

Amelia cleared her throat, 'I think you've been summoned Dr. Hunt. No way am I getting between you and Miranda Bailey.'