Timeline for Part 14:
This chapter picks up exactly where we left off on part 13. Owen and Amelia are at the hotel, we will see the aftermath of that encounter and further explore the events of 11x17.
The Journey – Part FourteenAmelia made her way to the assigned hotel room feeling her heart fluttering in an unfamiliar yet delightful sensation. She still reminisced about the touch of Owen's lips on hers when she swiped the keycard to let herself in.
Considering the place they were in, Amelia shouldn't be surprised with the opulent decoration, but the way everything was luxurious and yet comfortable still amazed her. She had walked into a foyer entrance that was impeccably furnished and decorated with soothing colors. The high ceilings and tall windows offered a panoramic view of the city outside, and the white and gold hues of everything around her matched perfectly with the romantic, homey scenario. Owen had really gone to lengths to make sure they had somewhere special to be together and even though the room was stunning, it had been his consideration and care that impressed her the most.
Amelia had no idea how much longer he would take, so she decided to thoroughly enjoy the room even in his absence. She quickly spotted Owen's case in a corner near the bedroom entrance. He had told her to make herself comfortable. Since Amelia hadn't known in advance, she hadn't brought anything with her, but she supposed she wasn't going to need any clothes to spend the night. Despite being alone in the room hadn't exactly been the way she imagined being undressed, it still made her glad to finally get rid of the evening dress. And as she unhooked her stilettos, Amelia realized that initially, she'd wanted to look her very best for Owen. Now that the evening was almost over, all she truly wanted was to stay comfortable.
The neurosurgeon felt an immense relief to step on the floor without her high heel shoes. It was past one in the morning and Amelia had been paged to the OR nearly twenty-four hours before. After spending the entire day working on multiple cases after a nearly sleepless night, all she really wanted was to relax until Owen finally joined her. The anxiety and anticipation that his impeding arrival caused were already enough to give her butterflies in her stomach and Amelia simply tossed her shoes aside, really not in need of anything else to focus on.
After seeing the hand carved marble stones in the bathroom, Amelia realized it would too much of a shame to spend the night in that room and not make the most of it. Swiftly slipping into the shower, she let the steamy hot water relax her tense muscles while she massaged them with a bubbly liquid soap. After ten minutes, the neurosurgeon felt reinvigorated. She wrapped herself in the fluffiest white towel robe she had ever touched and went back to the room, involuntarily checking the clock every two minutes to see how much time had passed.
The king size bed was too comfortable and too inviting to be ignored. Turning on the huge flat screen television on the wall, in front of the bedframe, Amelia leaned against cushy pillows, crossed her legs at her ankles and grabbed a small jar with nuts from the nightstand. After a few minutes watching a poor taste horror film and nearly closing her lids against her will, she realized exhaustion was getting the best of her.
Still determined to wait for Owen, Amelia set the alarm on her cell phone for the next morning. She had a laminectomy scheduled for nine am and she knew as soon as Owen walked into that room, they would instantly forget everything about the world outside. The neurosurgeon was so chronically tired from the rough work week that it was very likely she'd fall asleep without bothering to worry about her waking hour, so it was better to prevent she didn't sleep in while she still could.
Forcing her eyes to remain open, Amelia scrolled through the TV channels, once again checking the clock and letting a heavy sigh to realize it hadn't yet been half an hour since she'd left Owen's presence, but it already felt like too much time had passed.
.
It was past three in the morning when Owen finally was able to take the elevator upstairs. On one hand, he couldn't contain his excitement about the amazing business prospects the small reunion had given to the hospital. In the following week, two of the men he'd just had drinks with were scheduled to pay the hospital a visit and, if everything ran smoothly, the residency program would get a large donation to be invested in education.
But on a different note, Owen was extremely frustrated. He had planned for that night to be spent mostly only in Amelia's company and unfortunately, they had been invariably interrupted. The chief of surgery knew it was very late, but she had told him she'd wait for him at the room upstairs. Owen really wanted to believe she hadn't changed her mind and gone home, too upset to be left alone for so much time in an evening that they both knew would mean something.
He finally made it to the eighth floor, gently knocking on the door before swiping his keycard to open it. Owen eagerly entered the room, a look of blissful expectation on his face, but his smile quickly vanished when he didn't hear or see signs of Amelia inside the bedroom. The only sounds coming from inside were from the TV and he let out a heavy sigh, blaming himself for having had too much hope.
He was already loosening his tie, halfway through the bathroom, when the corner of his eyes caught something that drew his attention.
On the spacious king size mattress, a gorgeous petite woman was adorably curled up in what looked like a bath robe. Owen was about to turn on the lights, but gave up on it the minute he noticed her presence, suddenly feeling determined not to wake her. He approached the bed and adjusted his eyes to the darkness, noticing Amelia's serene façade as she lay there, embarked on a deep sleep.
With a smile of mixed amusement and disbelief, Owen realized that was not at all what he had in mind when he planned to take her to bed that night. Not resisting the urge to touch her, he gently pulled one lock of hair from her face to the back of her neck, watching as she didn't move a muscle. The relaxation on her expression let him know she was probably exhausted.
As chief of surgery, Owen knew everything that went on in his floor. He was aware Amelia had been paged to the hospital nearly twenty-four hours before, and that she had been up and running ever since. That amazing woman had worked all day, found the time and energy to get dressed to go out with him, delighted Owen with her company, intelligent conversation and witty sense of humor throughout the whole evening, and eventually gone upstairs a couple of hours before with a bright light in her eyes, promising she would wait up for him. But Owen wasn't upset that she hadn't resisted her sleep. Instead, he was feeling rather guilty for having brought her to an event without being able to give her as much attention as he originally intended, especially after all the effort he knew she had put into being there that night.
As his hands gently brushed her arm, Owen noticed how cold her skin was. Without a second thought, he pulled one of the duvets that had been placed at the foot of the bed and gently covered her. He had no idea how many times that scene would repeat in the years to come, or even how often Amelia would startle him in the middle of the night as she rolled over to his side of bed, touching him with her freezing hands and feet after dumping the covers in her sleep like a worry-free child.
The two glasses of whisky Owen'd had at the bar surely served the purpose to make him drowsy. It didn't take him long to quickly fall asleep on the opposite side of the bed. Roughly five hours later, Amelia's cell phone discreetly buzzed on the nightstand beside her, making the neurosurgeon repeatedly blink her eyes until she remembered where she was.
After fully making sense of the scenario around and the situation she was in, Amelia noticed she had a warm blanket covering her body whereas Owen looked very relaxed in his sleep beside her. He was lying on his back, his left hand gently holding hers. She wondered if they had spent the night like that. Involuntarily, a smile formed on her face as she got out of the bed as quietly as possible. Amelia had no idea at what time Owen had made it back to the room. She had been so exhausted that obviously her attempts at staying up waiting for him had miserably failed.
After a quick trip to the bathroom, Amelia finished brushing her teeth and changed back to the evening dress, secretly wishing she'd brought some luggage with her. There was no way she was showing up for work like that, which meant she would still have to make a quick trip home to change and be at the hospital in time for her surgery. Gathering her purse from the chair next to the bed, she hesitated for a second, surprising herself.
Amelia had found herself in that position a lot of times in her life. Sneaking out through the back door or even through a window were things she had often done in the past. Usually, to guys she had never again seen. It was fairly simply and predictable. First came a lot of flirtation, then sex, and then Amelia took off. It was an easy and uncomplicated recipe. Yet that time, it felt entirely different. And the fact there hadn't been sex involved wasn't at all why.
For some reason Amelia couldn't quite explain, she felt horrible to leave just like that, as if she was making an escape. At the same time she really wanted to see Owen and make sure he knew she'd really enjoyed the previous evening, despite it not ending exactly how they'd planned, she also didn't want to wake him. He looked very immersed in his sleep and the situation was too uncommon for her to know what to do. There, beside her on a huge bed, lay a man with whom Amelia had never sex with, and yet every day she felt more intimate with. Had it been anyone else, the neurosurgeon would have found the scenario too awkward to even prolong her stay, especially at the expense of being late for surgery.
But the thing was, it wasn't just anyone else. It was Owen.
Her feet automatically took the steps as Amelia found it harder by the second to remain rational. Slightly bending over his side of the bed, the neurosurgeon touched his temple, lazily running her fingers through his soft strawberry blond locks.
Amelia had been longing to touch him for what it felt like an eternity. She wished more than anything that she could simply ditch work and spend the entire day in that hotel room with him. A smile lingered on her face as she imagined the two of them in bed all day long, talking and having breakfast and doing a lot more that she hadn't yet experienced with him, but already anticipated how good it would be.
A heavy sigh escaped her lips when Amelia was suddenly reminded that ditching work to spend all day in a hotel room with a man hadn't exactly worked out for her in the past. Shoving those unwelcomed thoughts aside, she tried to focus on the present, feeling grateful that this time, things were completely different. She was sober, her life was actually working out and the man lying on the bed wasn't anything like any other guy she'd met before.
Unable to resist the urge, Amelia leaned forward, softly brushing his temple with her lips. She had already gotten up to finally take a cab home to then go to work when a skillful male hand gently but firmly grasped her thigh.
An electrical wave of pleasure rushed through her entire body at the touch of his palm against the soft fabric of her dress. It made her chuckle to think how swiftly and easily his hand had gotten control of her body, and her smile of happiness became obvious to Owen the moment she turned around to face him.
"Were you going to leave without saying goodbye?" He playfully asked, gently sitting up against the bedframe.
"I think I just did," Amelia raised an eyebrow, teasing him in the same lighthearted tone.
Owen didn't bother replying. With one fast movement, he pulled her towards him, grasping both sides of her waist to make Amelia's body crash on his.
"Don't go…" He touched his forehead to hers, looking deeply into her eyes as his deep male voice was nothing but a whisper. "Stay."
Amelia felt the seductive power of his words as she became very aware of his body nearly lying underneath her. If possible, Owen was even more solid than she'd originally imagined.
"I have a laminectomy scheduled in forty five minutes," Amelia explained with an apologetic smile, running her hands on the surface of his arms.
"Call in sick," Owen joked, sneakily circling her waist with his arms to hold her captive.
"I can't," Amelia smiled mischievously, tempted to kiss him. "My boss is very strict," She suggestively gazed at him, holding her laughter. "He'll know I am lying."
"Your boss," Owen joked, whispering in her ear, "sounds like a jackass."
Amelia's laughter echoed in the room as Owen pulled her against him. Unable to control his urge any longer, he kissed her with the same desire he wished to have kissed her the night before.
"I mean it, though," Amelia was breathless when they pulled apart, but a silly smile wouldn't leave her face. "I have an important surgery. I have an entire OR waiting for me. This woman flew in from Portland just to see me."
"You little show off," Owen teased, gently releasing his grip around her body. "Alright, fine. Go." He shook his head in obvious disapproval of her decision.
"I'll catch up with you later?" Amelia grabbed her high heels and finally finished putting them on, noticing on the clock by the nightstand that now she was definitely going to be late.
"You better." Owen replied in a decisive tone.
.
Unsurprisingly, when she made it to the hospital, Amelia was a few minutes behind schedule, but nothing that compromised the quality of her work. Her spinal surgery went remarkably well. After making sure the patient had smoothly come back from the anesthesia, the neurosurgeon returned to the scrub room to wash her hands. She was aimlessly watching the OR being emptied when the door suddenly opened, startling her.
"Owen!" The word escaped from Amelia's mouth before she could contain it. She was surprised, but positively so. "Uh… Chief." The neurosurgeon quickly fixed it after noticing they weren't alone.
"Hey, Dr. Shepherd." Owen greeted her back, unable to contain a smile. He was too enchanted to hide his contentment for bumping into her, of all people. "You finished your laminectomy in OR two?"
"I did." Amelia replied, just as happy to see him again so early in the day. "Did you need-?"
"Oh, I am just trying to see if Bailey can get in here for a bowel obstruction." Owen interrupted her, watching as the scrub nurse that was inside the room left. A few minutes after Amelia had left the hotel room, he had gotten up, showered and gone straight to work.
"Right." Amelia replied, watching as the door closed behind them and, inside the OR, her patient was removed to the post op ward. "OR's all hers."
"Great."
By the look in her eyes, Owen anticipated she was about to say something they'd both like to hear.
"I felt like last night's business was left unfinished." Amelia took a step closer, obviously flirting.
"You felt that way too?" He asked, in the same tone.
"Many agenda items left unchecked," She replied, thinking about the great time they'd had the previous evening.
"Barely scratched the surface, really." Owen added. He had kissed her a few times the previous evening and once this morning. Despite the great time they'd had together the night before, the two of them knew they both expected more.
"I think we need a follow-up." Amelia creatively joked.
"Agreed." Owen nodded in approval, too mesmerized by her looks to pay attention to anything other the woman standing in front of him.
"When we won't be interrupted." Amelia said emphatically, thinking about the countless times they had been forced to part ways because of work during that week. Owen chuckled heartily, looking from her eyes to her lips, eager to kiss her again. But just as Amelia finished her sentence, her cell phone buzzed. "Oh my God." The neurosurgeon laughed with good humor, finding the situation too hilarious to believe it.
Amelia walked past him, sad to be leaving but the ER was paging her about a head trauma.
"Hey, how about… How about tonight if you're not on call?" Owen's words interrupted her thoughts.
"I'm not." She answered with a flirtatious smile, after quickly but carefully thinking through her schedule.
"Okay, then." Owen took a deep breath, wondering how he was ever going to get through that day.
"Okay." She added with a happy grin before finally leaving the scrub room.
.
Five minutes later, Amelia was taken aback to find out the ER patient she'd been paged about was actually Owen's mother. At first, when she read the last name on the chart, the neurosurgeon figured it was just a coincidence, but then as the senior lady notified the present staff that her son worked there and was actually the chief of surgery, Amelia was positively surprised to make the connection.
"Hi, Evelyn." She put on procedure gloves and smiled empathetically to the old lady who had, according to her chart, slipped in the shower. "My name is Dr. Shepherd and I am going to take care of you today." She saw the elderly lady was conscious as she acknowledged the words. "Now, do you know where you are?"
Amelia followed with her standard neuro consult, asking Evelyn questions at the same time she examined the head wound and check for any signs of deficits. There was a deep laceration caused by the fall, but the patient's general status was good. She was still listening to Evelyn when suddenly, the blinds were opened, revealing Richard Webber and Owen standing outside the trauma room.
"Mom! What happened?"
From that moment on, it became quite clear to Amelia that not only was Owen a worried, devoted son, he also had no idea what was going on in his mother romantic life.
Even though she knew it was none of her business, Amelia thought the idea that a senior lady could be dating again was very adorable. She didn't know Evelyn, much less her boyfriend John, but by the expression on their faces and the way they treated each other, Amelia guessed he wasn't conning her, like Owen obviously feared. The neurosurgeon always trusted her instincts regarding people and this time, she'd had a good impression. But of course, as a son, Owen couldn't rely on instincts alone, so she fully understood where his frustration and confusion were coming from.
Had it been her mom dating a guy who was young enough to be her brother, Amelia would have the same concerns. She didn't exactly talked to her mother that often or visited her that much, whereas Owen obviously kept in touch and visited his own very regularly, so the neurosurgeon imagined that hearing his mom had been dating the guy for a little under a year without her son knowing had alarmed him to the point of perplexity.
At the same time the family feud was installing, Amelia worried about Evelyn. She had confessed she felt dizzy and they hadn't yet fully figured out what had caused her fall. Even though the neurosurgeon wanted to talk to Owen and make him feel better about the whole situation, at that moment she had to think about that very special patient. A head CT was in order, and while they couldn't take her upstairs, Amelia tried to distract mother and son from the disconcerting topic of conversation by jotting in words about her neurological condition.
Finally, after hearing John making a sexual innuendo towards his mother, Owen fully snapped, leading Richard to intervene. Amelia stayed behind with the patient, watching as she acted obviously distressed with her son's behavior.
"I am sorry." Evelyn slightly shook her head in denial. "Owen has a good heart but he has always been too much of a hothead for his own good." The elder lady explained.
"Really?" Amelia asked with genuine interest, cleaning the woman's wound with sterile gauze after irrigating it with saline. "I would never have guessed," She smiled and looked Evelyn in the eyes as she got rid of her dirty gloves and picked up a new pair. "He has always seemed so levelheaded to me."
"He is," Evelyn confessed, returning Amelia's smile. "Well, sort of." The older woman gently smiled, seeing the confusion in her doctor's face. "He is very calm until something pushes his buttons." The patient let out a heavy sigh, trying to keep a lighter tone. "Then he becomes a fiery force of nature."
"Well, for what it's worth, he seems to be a really devoted son," Amelia pointed out as she grabbed a small syringe. "And he obviously cares a lot about you." She added, watching as Evelyn agreed with a discreet smile. Then, she grabbed a suture kit from one of the drawers and prepared a syringe. "This is going to sting a little but I promise you won't feel anything in a few seconds."
Evelyn nodded assertively, studying the younger woman's features as she gently numbed and then sutured her laceration. She had no idea whether or not her son was dating again. At some point, Owen used to share everything with her. Ever since high school, he had always brought his girlfriends home for his mom to meet them. But ever since he'd gotten married a few years before, that had stopped. Even when his son had divorced Cristina, it took Evelyn months to find out about it. And ever since the thoracic surgeon had left the country, Evelyn had no idea what went on in her son's love life.
But now, after identifying the signs of infatuation on the young female surgeon's face as she carefully tended to her wound and said nice things about her son with a genuine smile, Evelyn wondered if Owen had finally moved on from his previous toxic relationship.
"Okay, we'll get you up to CT now to see if you have any internal bleeds, okay?" Amelia explained after she was done with the head lac.
For the following minutes, Amelia learned a little more about Evelyn Hunt. She struck the neurosurgeon as a fascinating woman. Her speech only reinforced Amelia's initial idea that her boss was indeed very close to his mother.
Growing up, Amelia had had a tough childhood. Later on, she'd moved from city to city, never really returning home to New York as often as the rest of her siblings. The youngest Shepherd knew she was the outcast in the family, so to see Owen so naturally nurturing a healthy, intimate relationship with his mother was absolutely endearing. Over the past months, it'd become obvious how Owen was excellent at treating people with respect, justice and care. Whenever she was with him, Amelia felt especially looked after and secure. Obviously, Evelyn held a lot of the merit for raising such an honorable son.
And not for the first time, Amelia realized that the more she found out about Owen, the more she liked him.
.
A few hours later, Owen left the wardroom, fuming with anger.
He hadn't at all meant to hurt his mother, but his concern for nothing but her wellbeing, the surgeon hadn't exactly been careful with his words. After he'd pretty much told Evelyn that there was no way a young guy like John could sincerely like an older woman like her, his mother had been extremely hurt and upset. Owen had instantly tried to fix it, but after putting himself in his mother's shoes, he knew that it would take some time before Evelyn could get over his hurtful words.
He was so caught up with his own self loathing that the words he heard next completely surprised him.
"I like your mom. She's funny and smart. I mean, I am not surprised."
Owen noticed the expectant smile on Amelia's lips and the joyful way she'd spoken her impressions. Her attitude completely contrasted with his sour mood and the idea that his mom probably had of him right now. Before he could notice it, the acid reply left his lips:
"Is there a point?"
Amelia heard the harsh tone in his voice, but decided to cut the guy some slack. She understood his discontentment had nothing to do with her.
"Owen, if it were my mom I would be thrown too." The neurosurgeon confessed empathetically. "But from talking to her, it seems like they're really in love."
The chief of surgery took a deep breath, feeling in over his head. That entire situation was a circus and he couldn't believe Amelia of all people had actually embarked on the nonsense.
"You spend fifteen minutes with her and you have this whole thing figured out," He commented with sarcasm, too disappointed in his mother and in Amelia's apparent gullibility. "I know nothing about this guy." Owen affirmed with conviction. He might not have been the fairest, but at that moment, he didn't care. His mother's wellbeing was more important than anything and if there was the slightest chance he was being obtuse, Owen was willing to make a mistake because at that moment, the benefit of the doubt was too much to risk. He had to think about what was best for his mother and if the price to pay for his concern was a random guy was taking offense at Owen's accusations, then so be it. Unconsciously taking out his frustration on the one person who had an unbiased view of the situation, Owen fired. "And you don't know my mother, so please just stay the hell out of it."
Amelia stayed quiet, letting the words sink in. The minute she realized how much of a jerk Owen was being, she turned around and left, too disappointed at him to believe his actions. It was one thing for Owen to be upset about the situation, but being concerned for his mother didn't give him the right to treat her like that. Especially not when Amelia had nothing but the best of intentions.
As she went upstairs, Amelia's thoughts wandered to the moments they'd shared earlier that morning. Your boss sounds like a jackasshad been Owen's playful words to express his displeasure with the fact she had to go, and he couldn't allow her to stay. Before, Amelia had known he was joking.
But right now, after hearing him treat her with such hostility, those words started to make absolute sense.
.
Owen hovered by the hospital entrance, trying to recover from that rollercoaster of a day. It had started off too well, with him being woken up by Amelia's soft caresses and affectionate smiles. Then, they'd made plans that had gotten him even more excited, but everything had changed when, around noon, he'd found out not only had his mother suffered a domestic incident, she was also involved in a potentially dangerous relationship with a guy Owen had never met and really couldn't trust.
Because Owen cared so much about his mother, he had acted really badly in face of the situation, hurting two people he really cared about. Thankfully, after controlling his temper, listening to John and reanalyzing the situation, Owen had become rational enough to see things through a new perspective. Of course it didn't mean he was completely okay with the guy now, but at least the firefighter didn't seem to be a conman or a schemer. Owen would make sure to keep a closer eye on his mother from now on, at the same time he was well aware she was a grown woman and was entitled to living her life to the fullest. As long as John didn't give him a reason to change his mind, Owen wouldn't intervene.
But now, after making sure his mom was okay under the careful watch of the trusted ICU staff, Owen wrapped up everything else at work to finally go home. And yet, he felt like he still owed one last apology. He and Amelia had agreed to see each other later that day, but Owen had a feeling he'd screwed everything up. Nonetheless, he was a man of integrity and wouldn't leave without talking to her.
Seeing as the neurosurgeon had just made her way from the main lobby to the entrance doors, Owen hurried his pace to quickly catch up with her.
"Amelia, I am so…"
"Sorry?" Amelia asked, turning around to face him. She couldn't believe how angry she was. "For being such a jackass?"
"And for how I spoke to you." Owen humbly confessed, fully agreeing with her accusation. He had indeed treated her in an awful manner, when all she'd tried to do was to cheer him up. "I was out of line."
"You think?" Amelia ironically provoked him, too surprised with his apology. For the past afternoon, she had been preparing to stay angry with him for quite a while. For as long as his attitude made her angry, Amelia wouldn't feel sad, and that was her intention as she invariably didn't make the situation any easier.
"I am sorry." Owen empathically spoke the full sentence this time, adamant that she heard it from him. He meant every word and wanted her to know it.
"Good." Amelia replied in a dismissive tone, ready to walk away. She had accepted Owen's apology because she knew he was being sincere. Amelia wasn't one to hold a grudge, but she also needed time to process the whole situation and get over her anger with him.
"Don't go. Not like this." Owen insisted, hoping there was a chance she would stay. He let out a heavy sigh, ready to make a confession that meant a lot more than just the newly found condition with his mother. "It just took me by surprise." Owen tilted his head and looked at the woman in front of him very suggestively. It was all true. He was used to being on his own. Having someone offer words of comfort, someone he actually cared about and longed to be with was something entirely new. "I am not always good with surprises."
The confession didn't startle Amelia. She had quickly picked up on the fact that Owen was very much in control of everything around him. It probably made him feel vulnerable and exposed to have to relinquish some of that control.
And just like him, she was also too overwhelmed by the way things were progressing between them. Feelings that before didn't exist today had proven to be remarkably present. And the reality of how Owen could potentially hurt her feelings alarmed the neurosurgeon very much.
"Me either." She shouted and let out a sigh of relief, feeling better just to have said it. She noticed Owen's gaze and the way he was looking at her. Once again, she identified the sweetness and secure comfort in his expression. Who was she kidding? Of course Owen could potentially hurt her. But after seeing the loving look in his eyes, and thinking about everything she'd learned about him over the past weeks, she could never believe he would do it on purpose. For months now, Amelia had heard Owen and mostly, she'd watched him. She trusted her judgment. Relationships weren't easy and at some point, they would hurt each other. But the best thing about it, what made this whole thing between them worth pursuing, was their capacity to come around, put themselves in each other's places and truthfully apologize after being in the wrong.
With one last look, Amelia decided the expectation they'd been through for the past week was already causing too much friction. At first, the constant interruptions had been amusing. Now, they were simply annoying. Because of the scars in their past, they had wasted too much time carefully planning everything, trying to withhold control at all times, when truth was, they weren't allowing themselves to make the most of what was growing between them could potentially become. With a discreet shrug of shoulders, that was much more about consternation than indifference, Amelia sheepishly suggested:
"Maybe we should just get over that."
Owen smiled and read the message in her eyes. He was done planning and waiting and overthinking everything too. And Amelia was so amazing that she was willing to let what had happened that day be a part of the past, while they focused on a much more pressing present.
"I want to take you home," Owen took a step towards her, testing her reaction. She didn't flinch or flee. Instead, she stood her ground, carefully listening to his words as she sustained his gaze. "I want to take you home, turn our cell phones off, shut the blinds, lock the door… I…" Owen saw himself lost for words as he finally allowed himself to touch her, cupping her face with his hand. "I want you, Amelia."
The way she put her hand on top of his and exhaled slowly, as if controlling her own pulse, made Owen realize she was giving him an affirmative answer.
"If we're going to do that," She spoke very seriously, looking deeply into his eyes. "I'm going to need a ride home."
Owen chuckled, suddenly not feeling so nervous anymore. Her lighthearted joke had broken some of the tension and from that moment on, he knew what had happened in the halls of the hospital earlier that day had already been forgiven and forgotten. Holding out her hand in his, the chief of surgery guided her to his car.
They drove home only with the radio station playlist as a background noise. Amelia kept staring outside through her window, watching as the night sky became darker as clouds swiftly gathered. Earlier that day, she'd heard on the weather forecast that a storm was expected for that Friday.
"I really wanted to take you somewhere nice," Owen broke the silence with a humble glance just as they were about to park the car. Planning too much really didn't see to work out for them.
"You already are." Amelia replied with simplicity, giving him a smile that proved she meant every word of what she was saying.
After noticing Amelia wasn't at all the kind of person who was impressed by displays of wealth and power, Owen felt his admiration for her growing even more. She was a unique woman and he wanted very much to make her happy.
As soon as they left the car, he walked around it, standing by her side before they could climb the steps up to his trailer.
"It looks like a storm is about to strike." Owen noticed the color of the sky. A strong gush of wind passed through them, making Amelia's cheeks get even rosier as her locks of brown hair fluttered with the air.
"It looks like it, indeed." Amelia replied mysteriously. When Owen's eyes left the clouds above their heads and met hers, he understood the real meaning of her words. An important milestone in their relationship was about to happen, and once it did, they couldn't take that step back. By taking her to bed that night, Owen knew that they were about to share a lot more than just sex. The idea was frightening, but not because Owen was scared. Instead, he felt incredibly anxious and positively surprised that life had given him the chance to start over and actually build something better this time around.
Amelia noticed the familiar smile that formed on his face, but she was too overwhelmed by her emotions and his presence to formulate any questions. From that moment on, she would ignore all her rational thoughts, and would focus only on her feelings. Owen noticed the way she hesitated for a split second, only to finally sustain his gaze again. She was giving him another signal and he intended to fully respond to it.
Grabbing Amelia's hand in his, Owen finally opened the door to his trailer, knowing that, in that moment, he was also opening the door to their future.