Chapter 15: Are You Happy?

"Good morning," Owen grinned warmly as he observed Amelia's bed head and curled some stray hairs around her ear. She blinked slowly and smiled back at him as she placed her left hand on his cheek and kissed him.

"Morning," she whispered. "What time is it?"

Owen raised his eyebrows with a hint of apology, "I let you sleep until 8:30. I figured you could use the rest."

Amelia responded sleepily as she stretched, "Thank you. It was nice. What's our plan today?"

"Well…" Owen grinned sheepishly, "I've been looking into some options. Since the conference doesn't actually start until tomorrow, I thought maybe we could be tourists today." Proudly holding up a handwritten list, he continued, "I have some ideas."

Smiling back with an air of curiosity, Amelia narrowed her eyes and playfully inquired, "What are you up to?"

"Have you been to Pioneer Square?" Owen asked. "There's a Starbucks, a Nordstrom, steps to sit on while people watching, the Max train…"

Amelia chuckled, "Yes, I've been there. Great place to hang out."

"How about the zoo? Or the Japanese Gardens?" Owen suggested as he playfully added and moved his chin toward his shoulder.

Smiling at his precociousness, Amelia winked, "Zoo? Hmmmm…we could witness a little animal behavior there or stay here and participate in our own…"

"Ahh, we could put that on the top of our list." Owen flashed a smile. "But here's my favorite option: there's this little utilitarian, out-of-way, almost industrial building just a few blocks across the Hawthorne Bridge…"

As she interrupted, Amelia furrowed her brows, crinkled her nose and laughed, "What are you talking about"

In a matter-of-fact and logical tone, Owen stated plainly, "The Department of County Management."

"County Management? What? You want to see how the County organizes their systems in order to improve our ER? If that's it, my answer is no. Too boring," Amelia insisted with rolling eyes.

Owen gazed at her seriously, yet his words were playful, "No. What I want to do there costs $60. Well, actually $65."

Amelia sat up and placed her hands on either side of his face as she shook her head, "The Department of County Management? Do they have some sort of incredibly boring and expensive tour? I am not following you, my dear."

"If $65 sounds too expensive…" Owen reasoned then paused, "I suppose we don't need to get a marriage license today." He shot her a flirty grin and looked away to his right.

Amelia playfully pushed him over so that he was on his back and she was on top of him, "You could have just offered that off the bat, you know?" She kissed him once, then again, and again. He wrapped his arms around her tiny torso as she ran her fingers through his hair. She slowly pulled herself up and straddled him with a flirty smile.

He responded by sighing with joy, kidding, "It sounds like you've chosen Pioneer Square and Nordstrom, then?"

Amelia placed her index finger on his lips and offered a sultry, "Shhhhh…" Delighted, Owen grinned widely as he raised and lowered his eyebrows quickly while holding on to her hips and completely enjoying the moment.

A while later, as they lay together blissfully, Owen stroked Amelia's hair repeatedly. He whispered, "I deeply love you, Amelia Shepherd."

"Wow," Amelia smiled with a twinkle in her eye. "Deeply? Why, Owen, I deeply love you too." She snuggled into his broad chest and kissed it. After a few moments of silence, Amelia mused, "I've never done the wedding thing – planned or otherwise. Just how does one go about planning a spur of the moment wedding?"

Without moving, Owen looked up at the ceiling and asserted, "However the hell we want, I suppose. When you look back on this day in 25 years, what will you want to remember?"

"Besides marrying you?" Amelia asked. "In a dream world, I would want to be surrounded by our families." Laughing gently she imagined, "And recall Bailey and Zola somehow being involved in an adorable and darling way."

"Hmmm," Owen groaned happily. "That'd be nice. I like those ideas."

"Perhaps we need to plan a bit more in advance?" Amelia reluctantly offered as she bit her bottom lip.

Owen beamed as he slid onto his side and looked in Amelia's eyes, "Nope. That's all possible."

"Really? Just what have you been up to this morning, Owen Hunt?" Amelia inquired with loving suspicion.

Avoiding the question, Owen bore his pale blue eyes into Amelia's presence and stroked the edge of her ear. "And location? By a pond and waterfall or in the midst of blooming roses?"

"Roses," Amelia declared without hesitation.

Letting out a huge breath, Owen closed his eyes halfway and professed, "Whew…good. Great, actually."

Leaning her head back and grinning, Amelia lightly poked Owen's nose and prodded, "Listen, Owen. Start talking. You obviously have a plan. While playful and endearing, this convoluted hinting is…"

Owen interrupted, "getting old?"

"I was going to say, 'a bit exhausting,'" she laughed.

Confessing his scrambling and behind-the-scene efforts, Owen admitted, "When we found out you were the keynote speaker at the conference, I asked Derek what he thought about flying your mom and sisters out to hear you. He liked the idea and has been my co-conspirator all along. He arranged for your mother and an entire assembly of Shepherds to arrive last night. After you and I talked and decided to get married, I called my mom to see if she could come down. She, John, Zola, and Bailey will all arrive this afternoon and meet us at the Rose Gardens that overlook the city." Owen cleared his throat nervously and disclosed, "The whole idea kept taking on a life of its own. I hope you're copacetic with it all. If not, I completely understand if you want to wait or plan something else. Really."

Amelia wrapped her arms around Owen and rejoiced, "I'm going to cry, Owen. What an adorably romantic, risky, darling scramble. I love it. I love it all."

"Good," Owen sighed with relief as he held his embrace and kissed her neck.

With a perplexed tone, Amelia uttered, "But what the hell am I going to wear?"

Owen pulled out of the embrace, looked at Amelia and admitted, "I have an idea for that too." She smiled quizzically in response.

After having breakfast and getting ready for the day, the couple left their hotel room at 11:30. First, they headed across the bridge to the County Management building. Without much delay, they were able to procure their marriage license. By paying an additional $5, they were able to obtain a license allowing them to marry anytime in the next three days. While they were waiting in line, Owen explained that an old friend from college was actually a minister in town. As long as Amelia agreed, Bob was willing and available to marry them that afternoon. With Derek and Bob's help, Owen had arranged everything necessary. Bob's wife, Sara, would take photos. Amelia's mom and her sister, Nancy, were dealing with a florist recommended by the concierge. Kate and Liz were scoping out low key dress options at Nordstrom.

After the license was in hand, Owen explained that the couple would head to Nordstrom next to see what Kate and Liz might have found. Becoming concerned he'd crossed over the line, Owen asked Amelia with deep sincerity, "I haven't stolen away your dream of planning a wedding, have I? The last thing I want is for you to end up resenting me for calling in the troops to choose all the details on your behalf."

Amelia laughed heartily in response, "Are you kidding me?! This is a dream come true. I love not having to worry about all the details. It's like you're throwing me a surprise birthday party, only it's a surprise wedding. It's wonderful, Owen, really. Who else has such a fantastic wedding story? You're the best." Then Amelia added with sincerity, "And thank you from the bottom of my heart for not sending Mom and Nance to look at dresses."

Chuckling, Owen admitted, "That was Derek's idea. He deserves full credit for that."

"Damn," Amelia grumbled jokingly, "I hate having to acknowledge his brilliance."

Wanting to be surprised by the dress, Owen walked Amelia from the parking garage to the entry to Nordstrom. After chatting with Liz and Kate for a few minutes, Owen excused himself. He crossed the street, grabbed a coffee at Starbucks and found a comfortable spot that people watch on the stairs at Pioneer Square. After a break and some time alone, Owen planned to walk back to the hotel. Amelia would meet him at their room later and they would drive to the Rose Gardens together.

When Amelia greeted her sisters at Nordstrom, she discovered that they had found a great selection of possible dresses. Since the wedding would be outside and casual, the dresses were mostly knee length and simple. Kate had insisted on setting aside one dress with a lace overlay just in case Amelia wanted more of a bridal look. Just as Liz had predicted, though, Amelia vetoed the option. Instead, Amelia settled on a cap-sleeve sheath that hit just above the knee. The front had a bateau neckline while the back featured a rounded V. The belt, covered in the same fabric as the dress, featured a flat and understated bow. Knowing Owen planned to wear a charcoal suit, Amelia chose a soft gray color dubbed 'quarry' by the dress designer. Before heading to a nearby restaurant to meet the rest of the Shepherd ladies, Amelia insisted on finding a new tie for Owen in the men's section. Without hesitation, she settled on a soft laurel green tie with a subtle texture similar to her dress.

"So, Amelia, are you pregnant?" Nancy dared to ask just as the Shepherd ladies were being seated.

Amelia, in a voice a bit too characteristic of a youngest sibling, groaned, "No."

"Then what's the big rush?" Carolyn pushed. Only Mama Shepherd could ask the question in such a way that her support for the wedding clearly remained intact. Meredith tried her best to fade into the background as the strong Shepherd women peppered Amelia.

Wrinkling her nose and lowering her brows, Amelia's face soured as she began to grow weary of her mother and Nancy. Even though they had only been together for less than 10 minutes, Amelia's patience stretched thin as a thread. Amelia insisted, "Mother, I'll come back to your question in a moment. Before I do, let me clarify that today is my wedding day. Either be jubilant and celebratory or find something else to occupy your afternoons. I am not willing to sit through your National Enquirer interviews nor any words hinting at doubt or concern. Are we clear?" Amelia's eyes scanned the table seeking non-verbal confirmation of her demand.

"Mom," Amelia clipped, "I love him. I'm not getting any younger, and we've already bought a lakefront house. Why the hell not marry this afternoon in a rose garden?" Her eyebrows and mouth formed straight lines as her alert eyes fixed their gaze.

"I see," Mama Shepherd shrugged. "Just checking, Amelia. No need to work yourself into a frenzy."

Stone calm, Amelia breathed in and out slowly, "Mother, I'm not frenzied."

Pushing her daughter's buttons unconsciously, Carolyn patted Amelia's hand and smirked, "Ok, dear. You're not."

Amelia pursed her lips and shot a glance at Liz, who attempted to contain her bubbling laughter. Liz leaned over to Meredith and mumbled, "And we wonder what drove her to drink…"

"Can we ask about the man about to be our brother-in-law or is that not allowed either," Nancy fussed.

Looking at her eldest sister blankly, Amelia spouted, "Would you like to hear a description of our sex life or learn details about his…"

Mama Shepherd hissed quietly, "Amelia, please."

"What, Ma, I was going to say wardrobe. Details about his wardrobe," Amelia lied.

Nancy rolled her eyes and shook her head in dismay, "Oh, Amy, are you afraid to tell us about Owen? Is that the problem?"

"Nancy, do not call me Amy," Amelia proclaimed before changing the subject, "So, Mer, I can't wait for you to see the dress." Meredith, deeply wishing Amelia had not called attention to her presence, listened and nodded with a pasted-on grin.

After adding to the description of the dress and sharing details about the tie Amelia had chosen for Owen, Kate commented, "Ma, you'll really like Owen. I did. Lizzie, what were your impressions?"

Meredith's phone buzzed as the question was raised. She pulled it from her purse to see a text from Derek, Are you surviving the Shepherd estrogen overload? Meredith attempted to hold back her giggle as she typed back, McBitchy is in full swing and Amelia is not backing down one mm. Nearly immediately, Derek sent a reply stating, Ah…so nothing has changed. Want me to come rescue you? Meredith typed, YES! After typing her affirmative plea, Meredith looked up to notice everyone was waiting for her to finish texting before continuing the conversation. Awkwardly blushing, Meredith returned the phone to her purse and mumbled, "It was Derek. He's on his way." Mrs. Shepherd smiled widely as each sister reacted in her own unique way.

After Kate repeated her question, Liz widened her eyes and smiled warmly as she looked dreamily upon Amelia, "Owen seems wonderful, Mela. He really does. Is he as kind and sensitive as he appears to be?" Thank God for Liz, the calm peacemaker of the family.

As Amelia responded and the conversation unfolded further, the women found themselves deeply engaged in analysis of the best traits in a husband and father. Liz and Meredith attempted to say as little as possible while the other Shepherd women spoke non-stop.

A while later, Derek approached Meredith from behind and whispered something in her ear as he kissed her cheek. Meredith laughed softly as she moved her chair to the right to create more space. Before sitting down, he made his way around the table, greeting each sister and his mother. As he headed back toward Meredith, Derek reached onto Nancy's plate and stole her bread. As he bit into it, Nancy simply looked up at her baby brother and smiled, finding his actions adorable. "Are we all ready for the big event of the afternoon?" Derek asked with inquisitive eyes and a charming smile. The family resumed their conversation, talking over one another and interrupting each other as was their custom. Meredith found herself thankful for her broken, lonely childhood.

As everyone but Amelia and Meredith argued over who would cover the bill, Derek eventually grasped the check and walked over to the server with his credit card. He came back to the table, simply stating with a self-satisfied grin, "Problem solved. Remember this at Christmastime." While he waited to sign the printout, everyone began to excuse themselves. Meredith, knowing from an earlier conversation that Derek wanted time alone with Amelia, assured Derek she would see him back at the hotel and departed.

Amelia yawned and shared, "I forgot how exhausting they all are."

Derek chuckled and nodded his head, "Except Lizzie. She just fades into the background as the melee explodes."

"True," Amelia agreed as her gaze fell far away.

"Aims?" Derek asked softly.

Amelia blinked and glanced at her only brother, "Mmmmm?"

Uncharacteristically, Derek shifted in his seat uncomfortably, "Are you happy, Amy?"

"I am," Amelia cooed. "I truly am, Derek."

Derek reached over and hugged his sister from the side as he leaned his head against hers. Amelia wondered aloud, "I'm not even sure if there will be much of an aisle, but will you walk me down the rose-strewn pathway or whatever there might be?"

Tightening his grasp around his baby sister, Derek whispered, "It would be an honor, Aims. I only wish Dad were here to do so instead."

"I only wish Dad were here, too," Amelia echoed.