Chapter 26: Amelia's Finally Home
"Are you going to be Mommy's special helper, Bronwyn?" Owen encouraged as he and Bronwyn made the bed and smoothed the wrinkles out of the comforter. Nearly giddy, Owen was finally bringing Amelia home later in the day.
"Daddy, I'm gonna do what Zozo does," Bronwyn offered with a continuous nod as her pudgy hands patted the bed.
"Um…ok. What's that?" Owen asked with confusion. The two little girls had been spending a great deal of time together in the hospital daycare and had become fast friends.
"She's not Mommy. She's Auntie Mia," Bronwyn declared with a proud smile.
Owen's heart sank while his head told him to honor Bronwyn's decision. After all, Bronwyn was still grieving the death of her own mommy. Why would she be quick to hand that title to another? While he couldn't manage to find words, Owen offered a grin as he patted Bronwyn on the back.
Lynne, the nanny, was downstairs with the boys fixing lunch. Lynne had agreed to work for the family over the next month so each party could assess the match. So far, Owen was grateful that Lynne fit in like part of the family. The biggest challenge for Owen so far was going from just himself and Amelia to a house full of kids. Privacy was now more of a treat than a given, and quiet was only found after 9pm rather than throughout the day.
Owen and Bronwyn cruised downstairs. Oliver had set the table, Finley was learning how to flip grilled cheese sandwiches, and Lynne asked Bronwyn to put napkins at each place. Without a doubt, Lynne was going to be the grounding force in the home. Owen's gratitude was enormous, basically having Lynne at home was akin to having a stellar Chief Resident at the helm.
The kids ran to wash their hands as Lynne put the food on the table. Owen looked up at her, "Lynne, I really don't know how to express my gratitude. Your ability to keep us organized and to work with the kids is beyond fantastic. Thank you."
"Dr. Hunt, you really need to cut back on the compliments…I'm happy to do my job," she responded with a grin. "Even so, you're most welcome."
Bronwyn and Oliver came racing in and Oliver arrived at the favorite seat first. Bronwyn fussed, "No fair! You're older so you're faster. I want to sit there." Owen and Lynne caught each other's eyes as they let the scene play out.
Oliver wiggled deeper into the seat, which looked out over the water and was at the end of the table next to Owen, "You can sit anywhere else. I'm sitting here this time."
"Nooooooooo," Bronwyn moaned as she stomped her foot three times with great three-year-old force.
"Enough, Bronwyn," Owen advised calmly.
Bronwyn glared at Owen and heaved three large breaths in and out. Owen had learned to read Bronwyn's signals and knew that she was working her way toward a tantrum. She growled under her breath.
"One…" Owen said as he held his chin up a bit and frowned at her.
Bronwyn stomped her right foot and then her left, providing a hands on the hip finale as she narrowed her eyes.
"Two…" Owen warned, deeply hoping she'd give in. The two redheads were locked in a stubborn battle and the taller one would win once again despite the shorter one's determination.
"Make a wise choice, Bronwyn," Lynne added.
Finley sighed silently and was eating, while Oliver couldn't help but watch the Owen-Bronwyn-Lynne interchange as if he were at Wimbledon.
"Hey, Ollie, how about you start eating buddy," Owen suggested. Bronwyn was considering her options and had taken to standing with her arms angrily folded while she waited for someone to notice her plight.
"Hey, Dad, any chance we could play soccer after lunch?" Finley asked. He'd decided to call Owen Dad because it was just too confusing for two of the kids to call him that while he referred to him as 'Uncle Owen.' At least, that was Finley's public explanation.
Owen looked at his watch and tsk'd, "Finley, we can play soccer, but it'll have to wait until Amelia is settled in." Not getting the attention she desired, Bronwyn stomped two steps closer to Owen, who raised his eyebrows as he glanced over at her, "Yes?" Owen asked firmly.
"I want to sit there," Bronwyn pouted as she rapidly and sharply pointed her finger at Oliver's spot.
"Pick another seat or we're at three, Katie. Your choice," Owen offered in a monotone, emotionless voice.
"Katie, come sit by me, I'm all alone over here," Finley interjected trying to save his sister from a time out. Bronwyn, arms still folded tightly, stomped over to Finley and climbed up in the chair next to him.
"Thank you, Bronwyn Kate. You made a great choice," Lynne affirmed. Bronwyn offered her a sideways grin and asked Finley to hand her a sandwich.
"Can I play soccer with you guys?" Oliver asked eagerly, ignoring the drama known as Bronwyn.
"Of course," Owen responded. "Again, guys, just remember I can't play until Amelia is all settled in. It might take some time."
"Can we go to the hospital with you to get her?" Oliver asked. "I want to see Dr. Karev again – he's cool."
Chuckling, Owen responded, "Actually, Oliver, I was going to let Finley go this time if he wanted to. Auntie Mia might need some help standing up and walking and getting in the car, so I need a bigger kid to go with me."
Finley responded, "Sure, I'll help." He was happy to have some time alone with Owen.
"But I always get to go. I want to be with you," Bronwyn whined.
"Sorry, Kate. This time, it's just Finley," Owen explained. Bronwyn screamed and banged her fist on the table as Owen assured Lynne, "I've got this." He walked over and told Bronwyn calmly, "Grab my hand, Kate, let's go."
Bronwyn re-folded her arms and faced away, offering a loud and defiant, "No!"
Owen gathered a huge breath of air and picked her up against her will, without saying a word. He hated when it came to this. With her legs flailing and her voice shouting, Bronwyn attempted to wiggle out of his grasp. He took her to her room and set her on the bed, only to be met with the deepest of preschooler declarations, "I hate you."
Owen frowned and responded, "That's too bad. I love you. But, Bronwyn, this behavior isn't something to love. What's going to happen now?"
"Time out," she pouted.
"Right. You stay in here and take some deep breaths. Think about what choices you could've made instead, got it?" Owen instructed.
Bronwyn flipped onto her tummy and flailed on the bed, pounding her fists and feet into the mattress. Owen thought to himself as he left the room, somebody didn't sleep well last night.
Since he didn't want to head back down the stairs only to turn around and take Bronwyn out of time out, Owen walked over to his room and sat outside on the balcony. He picked up his cell and called Amelia, who answered right away.
"Hi handsome. Want to come pick up a pregnant woman who's looking for a ride and a bed?" she joked.
"You have no idea how badly I want to do that," Owen chuckled. "I'm leaving here in about 10 minutes. Did Annalisa process the formal discharge details?"
"Yep, ready to go. Tell me you'll have a chance to snuggle with me in bed when I get there," she pleaded.
"Let me check my calendar…let's see, I'm scheduled to pick you up, settle you in, play soccer in the yard, eat dinner, and then I'll have time to put my feet up," Owen recited.
"Man, you're a busy guy. I'll take whatever last minute cancellation you have available and add my name to the waiting list in case you have a cancellation," Amelia kidded.
"I love you," Owen laughed, "and I'll see you very soon. Now…I have to go tell Miss Bronwyn her time out is over."
He hung up the phone and walked to Bronwyn's room. Fast asleep, Bronwyn had worn herself out. In the quiet stillness, Owen could look at her and ponder her darling face. The more frequent tantrums, a result of all the transition according to Lynne, were wearing Owen out.
On the way to the hospital, Owen and Finley listened to a baseball game and made plans to go to a Mariners game together. They pulled up to the main doors and Owen parked the new Buick in his front row spot.
"How come you get to park so close?" Finley asked.
"See that?" Owen asked as he pointed to the sign.
"Yeah, Chief of Surgery," Finley read.
"Really what it should say is, 'Since your job is so crazy, we're going to give you a great parking spot'." Owen joked as the two headed inside. Immediately, as if a hospital-wide APB had been issued, staff and doctors approached Owen.
Alex walked by and shook his head at the chaos, then spotted Finley sitting in the waiting area. "Hey, man, how's it going?" Alex asked Finley.
Finley sat up from his slouch and smiled, "Hi, Dr. Karev."
"The old man is pretty popular. Everyone's been waiting for him to come in. Do you mind if I sit with you while you wait for him? I'm waiting for the lab to test something for me." Alex inquired. One great benefit of knowing Alex was that he knew where the remote for the waiting room TV was hidden. He changed the channel to the Mariners game as the two watched it. Alex suggested with a smile, "Now all we need are some peanuts and popcorn." The two watched the game and snacked on some semi-stale crackers Alex bought from the nearby vending machine.
After about 15 minutes, Owen approached. "Hi Alex. What's the score?"
"5-2, Mariners," Alex shared. "Hey, Finley, I'm going to go check in with the lab on those tests. See you around, dude."
Owen sat down next to Finley and commented, "That was nice – he bought some snacks and put the game on, huh?"
"Yep. I like him. He's a good guy," Finley mused. "Now off to Auntie Mia?" Owen smiled and nodded as the two headed to the elevator to make their way up to OB.
"My knights in shining armor!" Amelia exclaimed as the guys entered her room. "Boy am I glad to see you!" Amelia spread her arms wide and embraced Owen as he reached the bed. "Hi, Finley. I hear you've been taking great care of the house while I've been here," Amelia grinned. Finley smiled awkwardly and shrugged.
"Ok, any papers or anything we need to do?" Owen fretted as he gathered her bag and a vase of flowers.
"We're ready to roll. I'm all checked out and ready to go home," Amelia explained as the nurse brought a wheelchair in. "You're all going to insist I not walk, aren't you?" Everyone but Finley nodded, and Amelia surrendered.
Not long afterward, the trio pulled up to the house. Owen parked as close to the front door as he could, asking, "Are you going to be ok walking up to the bedroom? Or do you want to start out downstairs?"
"I'll be fine. Just walk alongside me," she instructed.
When she entered the house, Oliver and Bronwyn ran up to hug her just as Owen fretted, "Easy, guys. Easy."
Amelia laughed softly at Owen's protective streak and mumbled to him, "They're fine, Owen." Then she turned to the kids, grasping Oliver's chin in her hand first. She pulled it up, so he was smiling at her and commented, "Oh, Bronwyn, you look marvelous." As he and Bronwyn laughed, she bent down to Bronwyn and said, "And, Oliver! I think you've grown since last time I saw you."
"Oh, silly, Auntie, I'm Bronwyn and he's Oliver," Bronwyn clarified with an eye roll.
"You'll have to keep reminding me until I can tell the two of you apart," Amelia winked. Owen extended his arm to help Amelia stand up. She accepted it with a grin, but truly hated all the over-protectiveness.
Lynne came into the entry, "Dr. Shepherd-Hunt, so nice to have you home. What can I get for you? Tea? A snack?"
"Oh, Lynne, you're going to spoil me. I'm fine right now, thank you," Amelia smiled.
Owen looked at Amelia and whispered, "Let's get you settled in, ok?" Amelia nodded.
Holding on to the banister, Amelia walked upstairs without a problem and sighed happily when she reached her bed. She kissed the comforter and proclaimed, "Oh, bed, how I've missed you!"
Bronwyn ran up behind her and whispered loudly, "Bed's don't talk."
Amelia embraced the little girl and laughed as Owen set Amelia's bags down.
"Do you want the doors to the balcony opened or closed?" Owen asked.
"Open is fine for now. Thanks, O," Amelia responded as she shifted against the pillows and stretched out on the bed. Bronwyn imitated every move Amelia made and snuggled alongside her.
"Bron, Auntie Mia needs to rest. In a few minutes, you need to go back downstairs with Miss Lynne," Owen offered authoritatively.
"Hmmmph!" Bronwyn grumbled as she folded her arms in frustration.
"What's that?!" Amelia exclaimed. "Bronwyn, Bronwyn."
"I want to stay up here with you," Bronwyn pouted.
"No," Owen declared, "Three minutes and it's back downstairs." Amelia looked up at him with questioning eyes. Who was this firm father figure standing before her and what happened to fun-loving Uncle Owen?
Owen switched gears back to overly attentive husband and asked Amelia what she wanted within reach. He handed her a new medical journal that had arrived the day before and the TV remote. "What else?" he asked.
"Ummm…something lighter than Neuroscience Studies and Trials. Like Us Weekly or People?" she suggested.
Utterly confused, Owen inquired, "Do we have those around here?"
Amelia frowned, "No, probably not. You'll have to swipe them from the hospital for me."
"I have a maz-ga-zine you can read, Auntie!" Bronwyn celebrated as she hopped off the bed and ran to her bedroom.
"Why were you so firm with her?" Amelia mumbled to Owen.
"I've learned a lot while you've been away. Just watch. You'll be counting to three and issuing declarations in no time," Owen teased.
"Here!" Bronwyn offered as she threw a Nat Geo Kids onto the bed. "Maybe you can even read it to me."
"Thanks, Bronwyn. Maybe later, ok?" Amelia responded. She looked at Owen and explained, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm beat. How about you wake me up for dinner?"
Owen bent down and kissed Amelia as Bronwyn nuzzled her way into the embrace. "Kate, go on downstairs, I'll be there in a minute, sweetie," Owen suggested. She blew Amelia a kiss and trampled down the stairs.
Owen followed Bronwyn as far as the door, which he closed and locked behind her. Then, rubbing his hands together, he smiled broadly and asked, "How tired are you, really?"
Amelia looked at him sadly and wondered aloud, "Are you just dying? What's it been? Two weeks?"
Owen's clothes were quickly being thrown off as he corrected, "Sixteen days." He crawled into bed and added, "But who's counting?" As he kissed Amelia's cheeks, forehead, neck, and shoulders, he mused, "It is so wonderful to have you home."
He began to unbutton her top and kiss her breasts as she purred, "That's a nice treat." She maneuvered out of the rest of her clothes as their hands caressed each other's bodies. Once the foreplay began to lead to actual sex, Owen hesitated. Amelia nudged, "You're not going to hurt the babies. Forget they're there." She reached down and grabbed him, stroking him and kissing his chest. She led him toward her and braced herself, knowing the experience would be quick with 16 days of pent up sex drive. They kissed as if they'd never kissed before, hungry and desperate for one another. After she gasped and screamed into a pillow, she lay back in a state of bliss as the two intertwined their bodies.
Just as Amelia was drifting off to sleep, she heard a soft knock at the door. "Hey, Dad, are you about ready for some soccer?" Finley asked.
Owen closed his eyes, then opened them and smiled. He leaned over to kiss Amelia as he responded to Finley, "Give me 5 minutes buddy. I'll meet you guys outside.
The Shepherd-Hunt Family is now a party of 5; what do you think? What are some things that you would like to happen in the story?