April's voice cut through the noise in the trauma department and Owen glanced up instinctively tensing at the sound. He wasn't the only person who'd noticed a change in her behavior but he was probably one of the few people to understand it. They'd been stationed together for nearly a year and though free time was scarce, they'd forged a strong friendship while they were away. He'd watched her grow, witnessed her handle the intense environment with calm precision and even though he sympathized with Jackson he also respected the changes she'd made. She'd picked up a wealth of new skills despite all the difficulties and she was stronger for it... which was why he stopped what he was doing to make sure she was okay.

He spotted her standing across from a patient who was clearly agitated by something but she was holding her own against his flailing arms. It looked like she had the situation under control but he didn't like the idea of someone harassing her. Even though he wasn't much to look at in terms of physique the patient was still a lot bigger than she was and he hesitantly set his tablet aside to find out what was going on.

"Doctor Kepner?" He approached them still sizing up the man she was arguing with. He was of average height with an unruly mop of dark brown hair framing his face but there was nothing that screamed alarm bells, except for the bloody bandage wrapped around his hand. "Everything okay over here?"

April forced a smile even though she was beyond frustrated with the patient. She'd been trying to get him to listen for nearly ten minutes and was half tempted to kick him out but she fought the urge, taking in a deep breath to explain the situation. "Mr. Levits requested Doctor Shepherd look at the lesion on his hand. I was just telling him that she works in Neurosurgery not trauma."

Owen cleared his throat, surprised to hear Amelia's name being thrown around. It shouldn't have made any difference to his reaction but it did and he was embarrassed to admit that despite their current lack of a relationship, he still had to catch himself whenever somebody mentioned her. It was ridiculous, just like the sudden wave of protectiveness that washed over him. "Has she treated you before?" He directed his attention back to the patient trying to keep his expression neutral, "or are you a friend, family?"

The man shook his head trying to swallow his nerves. The red-headed bitch had got him all worked him up, made him angry and ruined what was supposed to be a perfect moment. Nothing was going to plan. The damn self inflicted cut wouldn't stop bleeding, it hurt like hell and he wanted out but he couldn't leave. He had to think of something and fast. "I... I just heard she was a really good doctor-" he stumbled over the lie, "but it's fine I... I don't care anymore. I just need something for the pain."

He knew he couldn't see her, not now. He needed their first meeting to be perfect and he was far too on edge to leave a good impression. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her and anger rushed hotly through his veins as he drew in a steady breath to calm himself. He'd find another way to get to her and then everything would fall into place. "I'm sorry, really I am. Can we please just start again? I'm Aeryn..."

Owen felt unease crawl beneath his skin as the man's demur completely shifted and he watched April reluctantly agree to help. He didn't like it but he had no reason to distrust the situation and he sighed scrubbing a hand back through his hair as she led him to one of the empty beds. Honestly he was relived Amelia wasn't on the floor. Even though he knew both women could handle themselves something didn't feel right and he reached out quickly grabbing the arm of a passing nurse. The clipboard she was holding said she was about to run bloods on a nearby patient and he took the files offering her a smile. "I'll look after these."

A confused look crossed her face and he lifted an eyebrow nodding over his shoulder. At first he wasn't sure she got the hint but she seemed to catch on and he was relived when she agreed without asking any questions. It wasn't hovering, he wanted to be close by... just in case.

~~)(~~

~~)(~~

Amelia frowned as she brushed her nose against the flowers left at reception. They were beautiful, definitely not from the hospital gift shop and she titled her head at the nurse curiously, "are you sure these are for me?"

"That's what the card says." The main phone started ringing and the older women shrugged helplessly as she picked up the call, "Grey Sloane Memorial Hospital, how can I assist you today?"

Amelia slipped her nail beneath the fold lifting it up as she turned away from the desk. There was no signature just her own name underlined with two crosses at the end. The mystery perplexed her and she frowned racking her brain for a possible explanation. The last person who'd sent her flowers had been James -her ex-fiancée- but they weren't exactly on good terms and her relationship with Owen was tentative at best.

Still, since he'd resigned as chief they'd both been stumbling awkwardly over subtle hints... maybe it was his was making the first move?

She took a deep breath trying to squash her nerves as her feet pushed towards the trauma department. She'd told him they were a mistake, that she didn't have anything to give him but so much had changed since those words had spilled from her lips. She was learning to trust herself, to work through her emotions instead of shutting them out and part of that was due to Owen. She'd let herself feel the bad maybe it was time she allowed herself start feeling the good too.

She pushed open the doors and the usual chaos greeted her as she spotted him across the room. He was patching up a young boy, no more than four or five, and a smile curved on her lips as she stopped to watch the animated exchange. He was obviously doing his best to entertain the child and he was rewarded when the boy burst out laughing. It wasn't the first time she'd seen him interacting with kids and there was no doubt in her mind, he was going to be an amazing father and whoever made that happen was going to be even luckier.

The thought lodged in her chest and she breathed in sharply.

She didn't want to go there but she couldn't stop herself from wondering what it would be like to start a family with him. It was ridiculous, they weren't even dating... but on some level she could almost admit to herself that the idea of them together felt right. If they could just-

"Nice flowers."

She jumped as April appeared beside her and even though she wasn't technically doing anything wrong a faint blush spread across her cheeks. "Ah, thanks. I..." she stumbled over the words awkwardly, "I was just you know, I thought... how's things down here anyway, busy?"

April gave a small but genuine smile at the obvious rush of embarrassment. She knew there was a thing. Despite all the distractions on tour Owen had been worried about something back home and she'd eventually managed to prise the truth out of him. At first she'd been surprised by the admission but they were both private people and even though she wanted to say something she resisted, deciding to change the subject instead. "You seem to have a fan club going on around here today."

"I do?" Amelia cocked her head confused by the comment. For once she'd had a relatively quiet week. There were no career defining surgeries or miracle procedures. In fact she'd spent most of her time catching up on paperwork, which was hardly an activity to draw attention.

"There was a patient in here a couple of hours ago who only wanted to be treated by you. Must be all those lectures going viral, you're getting a reputation-" April nudged her playfully but the humour in her expression faded as her gaze drifted to Owen and the boy he was treating. It was getting easier but sometimes the emotion still caught her off guard. Parks, supermarkets... anywhere with children could be a trigger and she breathed in deeply trying not the think about the loss of her own baby.

Amelia recognized the look on her face and felt a pang of empathy. She'd been there before, obsessing over the what ifs and wondering what life would have been like if her baby had lived. She wasn't good at making friends but she understood exactly what the women was going through and she crossed her arms resting the flowers in the crook of her elbow, hoping she wasn't over stepping the mark. "It's hard-" she admitted quietly, "I thought... I didn't know if I would ever feel the same way about kids again. I still don't know if I could go through another pregnancy."

"You lost a baby?" Shock and confusion played across her features as the words sunk in. She didn't like to talk about her own experience. Everyone tried to say the right thing, wanted to help but nobody really understood and she found herself suddenly curious. "How... I mean, sorry that's-"

"Anencephaly." Amelia cleared her throat, shifting on the balls of her feet as the memories washed over her. It still hurt to think about the pregnancy but she pushed through the pain forcing herself to face it instead of running. "He lived for forty-two minutes. I mean, I'm a neurosurgeon and my baby had no brain that's pretty twisted right?"

"Yeah..." April breathed out sharply, biting down on her lower lip, "I'm sorry... I didn't know."

"I'm surprised Owen didn't tell you while you guys were off crusading." She regretted the comment as soon as it slipped from her mouth. Even if he had said something it would've only been because he was trying to help but she knew him better than that and immediately felt guilty for assuming he'd breached her trust. For all she knew he hadn't even mentioned her while they were on tour.

April picked up on the sudden tension but she suspected it had more to do with Amelia's own insecurity rather than jealousy. She and Owen had grown close but no matter how much they'd bonded it was in a completely platonic and professional way. "We didn't really talk much about home..."

She hadn't wanted to think about it which in hindsight had been a mistake. Somewhere along the line she'd let go of everything -including her marriage- and now she wanted to go back? It felt like the right thing to do but because of her choices she had segregated her life and it had come down to her career or Jackson. Even though it wasn't an easy decision she knew the only way they were going to get through it was if they started communicating again. A lesson both her friends could benefit from. "He was worried about you..." she smiled gently, hoping it was enough to make a difference, "he didn't say anything but I know he missed you."

Amelia's heart skipped a beat and she flushed embarrassed by the reaction. It was more than she'd been expecting and probably more than she deserved given how she'd ended things between them but it gave her hope. If he still cared then maybe they still had a chance. "Thank you-" she took a deep breath, stalling as the words fell short. She'd always found it difficult to express herself around new people but opening up was part of the healing process and she needed to take the leap. "I'm not so great with this sort of stuff but if you ever need someone to talk to... people mean well, they say they understand but they don't. I know what that's like."

It was true and the realization lodged in her throat. She'd been offered support and professional help but if anything the idea had only made her feel more isolated. Hearing those same thoughts spoken out-loud was a surprising comfort and even though she was scared of facing it part of her wanted to test the boundaries. "Do you think you could ever try again?"

Amelia shifted her gaze letting it fall back to Owen. A few months ago the answer would have been no but she didn't want to shut herself off anymore. She wanted to experience the good and the bad, work through it all like a 'normal' person and while children were the last thing on her mind the idea wasn't as terrifying as it had been.

"When I found out I didn't think I could do it..." she straightened her shoulders finding the truth hard to admit. Being pregnant had been the worst nine months of her life but she'd given it everything and somehow she'd made it through. "Honestly, I don't know if I'm strong enough to try again but that's the thing... something like that makes us stronger and we build ourselves back up. That's what makes us human."

Owen glanced up and a small smile curved her lips as she caught his gaze. He'd taught her that, showed her that opening up wasn't a weakness and when a look of confusion crossed his expression she felt her chest tighten. She didn't want things to be awkward between them. She wanted to love, feel and break... be destroyed and when he finally returned her smile a second later, she knew she wanted to experience that with him.

April caught the looks flying between the pair and the words hit her causing something nostalgic to flare up. She and Jackson had been through hell but they always managed to find their way back to each other. Just because she couldn't see a clear path for them at the moment, didn't mean they were over and she was finally ready to trust those feelings again. A wave of relief washed over her and she watched as Owen signed off his patient. He and Amelia deserved some of that happiness and she couldn't help smiling as he approached them. "Doctor Hunt."

Owen nodded his head at both women, his eyes drawing to the bouquet in Amelia's hand. "Nice flowers."

Amelia nodded trying to figure out if the surprise was genuine or if he was just being coy but there was nothing to suggested he'd sent them and she tried to sound casual as she brushed them off with a shrug, "patient obviously liked my work."

"Well, what's not to like?" Her cheeks darkened and he smiled, completely taken with her until April cleared her throat. Obviously she'd picked up on the not so subtle flirting and he felt his own embarrassment rear up as she stared them down.

April shook her head not sure whether to find the whole situation cute or frustrating. They were like a couple of teenagers and rather than be tactful she jumped straight in, "okay... I'm going to leave cause you guys have a weird 'thing' going on and well, sometimes I say things that I shouldn't so-"

"Thank you Kepner." Owen cut her off desperately trying to keep his expression neutral as she winked at him. Not that he was surprised by her bluntness. His relationship with Amelia was like a giant pink elephant that neither one of them wanted to address. At work they were professional and friendly but they hadn't spoken about anything personal including the fact he'd resigned as chief. They were walking on eggshells and sooner or later other people were going to start to notice.

They were left standing alone and Amelia kept her voice low as she inched forward, "she's right." It was hard to admit and she squared her shoulders steeling herself for his reaction. She'd never been good at sugar coating things and for once she didn't want to. "This is awkward and it shouldn't be. Do you want to have dinner sometime this week, talk about this... us?"

Hope bubbled in his chest and he blew out a subconscious breath trying not to be swayed by her intense gaze. The doe eyed uncertainty was almost heartbreaking but he held back scared that if he told her just how much he wanted them to work, she'd run. "I'd like that-" he kept his voice casual even though his heart was racing, "I'm rostered on the early shift tomorrow?"

"I have a Lumbar Microdisectomy." She bit her lip mentally placing her upcoming surgery's. It was tight schedule but she didn't want to wait, even if that meant moving a few things around. "I could get off early Wednesday?"

"Works for me." The nerves fluttering in his stomach started to settle when she smiled gently. It felt like it had taken them forever to finally relax around each other and he wanted to say something, to reassure her he was relived but her pager went off before her got the chance.

Amelia rolled her eyes as she dug her phone out of her pocket. It was a 911 and she resisted the urge to yell at the universe as she stuffed the device back into her coat. "Sorry, I've got to run... Wednesday at eight?"

He nodded feeling a wave of regret as she dashed towards the door but his own pager went off reminding him that now wasn't the right time. He had an incoming to trauma, multiple casualties and he couldn't afford any distractions but he also couldn't help the rush of hope that propelled him forward. After everything they'd been through, maybe this was their chance to start moving forward.