Chapter 76: Gwen's Progress

"Grey Sloan ER," the nurse answered the ringing phone.

Amelia stated, "It's Dr. Shepherd-Hunt. I've been trying to reach Dr. Hunt. Is he down there?"

"He and Drs. Karev and Yang have been working on a patient for the last hour. They just took him up to surgery," the nurse explained without reservation.

"Dr. Yang?" Amelia asked with surprise.

"Yes, ma'am. The patient shot himself in the heart. She's attempting to save him."

"Oh," Amelia responded flatly, neither angry nor concerned about Cristina's presence. "If you're able to let Dr. Hunt know I've been trying to reach him…"

"No problem, Dr. Shepherd-Hunt," the nurse interrupted as yet another serious case entered the ER. "I'll call up to the OR as soon as I have a chance

"His heart is shredded into a million pieces," Cristina commented. "I keep trying to repair it, but the stitches won't hold, he's allergic to the glue so some of the tissue was eaten away before I knew that. It's not looking good."

"What can you do, Cristina? There's got to be something you haven't tried. He's just a kid," Owen encouraged.

"What about steri strips? It's not a permanent solution, but it might by us some time. We could add him to UNOS for a heart transplant," Alex suggested.

Cristina shook her head, "It's a longshot…"

"A longshot's all we've got," Owen offered. The team adjusted their priorities and traded out one set of tools for another. The OR phone rang, and the nurse answered it.

"Dr. Hunt, Dr. Shepherd-Hunt has been trying to reach you," the nurse shared factually.

"Is it an emergency?" Hunt asked.

The nurse explained, "I'm not sure, Doctor. That was simply a message I was asked to relay to you. Would you like me to call her?"

"Please," Owen requested as he turned to Karev and asked, "How's the liver? Holding together? Strong?"

"We're good. It's good. If we can find a heart, everything else looks promising," Alex affirmed.

The nurse approached Owen and held the phone to his ear, "She'd like to speak with you briefly, if possible."

"What's up, Mia?" Owen asked curtly.

"Finley said you needed me to call you right away. I've been trying," Amelia shared.

Owen, certain he did not want to discuss his concerns about her crying, explained, "I'm elbow deep in a shooting victim. I'll call you soon. You're ok?"

"Ok? Umm…yeah, I guess," Amelia responded with confusion.

"He's coding!" Cristina yelled.

"Gotta go, Mia. Charge to 300!" Owen ordered as the nurse removed the phone.

"He can't withstand the paddles. There's nothing we can do," Cristina stated flatly.

Owen called out, "Internal paddles! Heart massage! Now."

Cristina and Karev stepped away from the table. The nurse flipped the switch for the heart monitor that was sounding a constant tone.

"Come on, people. Let's go," Owen bellowed.

Cristina looked at Karev and said softly, "Call it."

"Time of death 12:09," Karev stated sharply as he threw off his gloves.

"Not yet, Karev. Come on. He's just a year older than my son," Owen pleaded.

"He's gone, Chief. He was gone before he came to the table," Karev explained. "I'm sorry."

Owen stormed out of the OR, throwing his robe and gloves to the floor in anger, "Dammit!" He scrubbed out without saying a word as Alex and Cristina hung back to give Owen some space. Owen propped the OR door open and snapped, "Where's my lab coat? Will somebody call down to the ER and get it brought to my office?"

Karev pursed his lips as he caught the nurse's eye. "I'm on it, Dr. Hunt. No worries," she said reassuringly.

Owen's buzzing phone, full of notifications, was delivered promptly to his office. Wilson waited outside the Chief's door with the coat hung on her lower arm, having been told he was on his way.

"Thank you, Wilson," Owen snapped as he grabbed the coat, reached for his keys and opened the door.

"Anything else I can help with, Dr. Hunt?" Wilson offered as she saw the intensity Hunt usually kept well-contained.

Owen looked right at her. Her offer seemed to pull him out of his anger. "No, Wilson, but thanks for asking."

"Sure, Chief," Wilson responded as she returned to the Pit.

Owen set his phone on his desk and began playing the messages aloud via speaker:

"Dr. Hunt. This is Marnie Wilvower. You said I could call if I had any questions after my surgery. If you could call me, I'd be grateful. My number is _." BEEP

"Major Hunt. Colonel Smithson. I understand you spoke with Lieutenant General Rollins. We're waiting for your answer. Your country needs you, Major. Please advise." BEEP

"Owen, hey, Finley said you wanted me to call you asap. Everything ok?" BEEP

"Daddy? Hey, ummm…my teacher tolded me it was ok to call you. Umm…me-member that you're picking me up at school today. Don't forgetted me, k? Muah, muah, muah. I love you, Daddy. BEEP

"Owen. Mia again. Just checking in. Haven't heard from you." BEEP

"Dr. Hunt, this is Susanne from the hospital pharmacy. We're unable to make out your writing on a prescription for a patient about to return home. Can you call us to clarify your orders?" BEEP

"O, I'm guessing whatever you wanted to chat with me about is not as important as Finley made it sound. Hope to see you at Gwen's appointment. If not, I'll catch you afterward." BEEP

"Major Hunt. Lieutenant General Rollins. Call me immediately." THIS CONCLUDES YOUR MESSAGES.

Owen huffed and said aloud to himself, "All those in what? About an hour?"

"Patricia," Owen called as he pushed the intercom button, "Can you please come in here?"

Patricia knocked softly and then opened the door. "How can I help?"

"Please call my wife and let her know I'm doing my best to meet her for Gwen's appointment at 1:15 but I might be late. Call Susanne down in the pharmacy and see if you can make sense of the prescription they can't read. Then pull up Marnie Wilvower's record and see if Wilson might be able to return her call on my behalf. If not, call the patient and let her know I'll be in touch with her this evening. If she has a specific question, she can leave with you, you can relay that and get back to her with my answer." Patricia nodded and stepped out to call Amelia.

Owen picked up the phone and dialed the number for Lt. Gen. Rollins. When the call was answered by an assistant, he stated, "Major Owen Hunt returning Lieutenant General Rollins call." He waited on hold and tried to ground himself after such a chaotic and peculiar morning. He looked at the clock. It was 12:45.

"Hunt!" the gruff voice came through the line.

"Hello, Sir. I apologize for the delay in returning your call," Owen offered without excuses or explanations.

"Well?" Rollins, a man of few words, asked.

"Sir, I need another day or two," Owen explained.

"Why? This is cut and dry. Either yes or no, Major," the Lieutenant General snapped.

Owen smiled and looked up at the ceiling, "Yes, Sir. Permission to speak freely?"

"Go ahead," Rollins grumbled.

"Sir, I have a wife and 5 children now. If it were only me, the answer would be clear. I know you are eager for a commitment. I need to ask you to give me 48 more hours…please," Owen shared.

"1300 on Friday. Call then or before. I'll be waiting, Hunt," snapped Rollins.

"Yes, Sir," Owen formally responded. He hung up the phone and sighed heavily. He'd avoided speaking with Amelia about the situation for two days, and he knew he couldn't put it off much longer. If only he knew what he wanted, speaking with her would be so much easier. But Owen wasn't sure what he wanted now that he had a family to consider. The possibilities before him held drawbacks and consequences.

"Chief?" Patricia uttered over the intercom, "It's time."

"Thanks," Owen sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, stood up, and put on his lab coat. He paused to lean against his bookshelf temporarily and closed his eyes for a split second before he continued out the door and toward Gwen's appointment.

"Hi, Miss Gwenie," Owen offered with an enthusiastic voice and joyous smile as he greeted his little girl. She returned the enthusiasm as she smiled and laughed. She immediately lifted her arms up toward her daddy hoping he would pick her up and hold her. Owen obliged then turned toward Amelia and asked, "Where's Ella?"

"I dropped her off at the daycare. I figured Gwendolyn would be easier to fit if Ella wasn't pulling at her or trying to be involved," Amelia offered with a grin. "So, what was up earlier?"

"I'll tell you later," Owen dismissed the topic. The nurse called Gwendolyn's name and showed the family into the doctor's office where Gwen's latest x-rays were on display.

The doctor had not yet entered, but the surgeons stood in front of the x-rays and analyzed them, "Her hips look even and solid," Owen observed.

"I agree," Amelia concurred. "Does the fibula seem slightly twisted on her right leg? See how it curves there?"

"I think that's an angle and x-ray issue, not a bone reality," Owen weighed in.

"Ah, the adventures of children whose parents are both doctors," the doctor joked as he entered the office. "I hope you see what I see – her hips are ready for their next challenge. I suspected they would be since her hips have never gave her trouble before. Go ahead, have a seat and I'll tell you what I see in the films. Then we can talk about plans." The doctor explained that the PT was a bit tentative about Gwen's muscle strength in her ankle, but both professionals agreed that Gwen was ready to be nudged more. The plan was to fit her with a leg brace on her right leg and to provide a walker to help stabilize her. The walker would be a temporary measure, not a permanent one. She'd use it periodically throughout the day and PT appointments would need to increase to three times a week plus twice daily home exercises for the next two weeks. The goal right now was to strengthen her muscles and simply encourage Gwen to bear some weight. The brace would keep her leg in proper alignment and would offer support. Walking, however, was far down the road.

The doctor went on to celebrate how far Gwen had come and how great and willing she was as a patient. Leading them down to another room, the doctor spoke happily about the brace they would try and the tiny pink walker waiting for her. Holding up her brace, the doctor looked at Gwen and enthusiastically asked, "Gwendolyn, look what we have for you? Do you want to see how it works?"

The baby reached out for it as the doctor continued to use a reassuring and happy voice. He removed her shoe and placed the brace on over her sock and leggings, tightening the Velcro straps securely as he explained, "You may find she wants to play with the straps. If so, you can always put the brace under her clothes. She'll need to wear the brace 24/7 to begin, then the PT will work with you to adjust the schedule over the next year or so. I'm really pleased with the fit today – it's ideal. Probably in about 4-6 months, you'll need to have her brace refitted. If she has a growth spurt, just call me up and we can assess the current brace for fit and efficacy. I'm pretty sure we'll be able to stay with this more low-key and less obvious brace for her, but there is always the chance we'll need to consider something with stronger and broader support. Any questions?"

Numbly, Amelia noted, "She doesn't seem to mind it." Owen locked his gaze on Amelia, he could tell she was struggling and stressed. When she sensed his glance, she grinned feebly at him and he moved next to her and placed his arm around her.

"She's a trooper, Amelia," the doctor declared. "Such a great little patient. She'll be running marathons in no time," he chuckled. The doctor excused himself and explained that his assistant would be in to explain some details and show them how to work with her until the next PT appointment.

Left alone in the room, Owen leaned over and looked in Amelia's eyes, "You ok?"

"I don't know. This just all makes it so real. Up to now, it was easy to fool myself into thinking she just had a lot of doctors and appointments. But I saw that brace on her leg and my heart sunk. Her disabilities are real," Amelia pondered aloud.

Owen, holding the baby in one arm, wrapped his free arm around his wife, "I know." He held her for a solid minute before slowly unlocking his grip. He leaned his head against Amelia's and looked at his little girl, "What do you think, Miss? Ready to take the world by storm?" Gwen smiled and clapped her hands.

After the assistant visited with the couple, Owen noted the time and suggested, "Shall we grab a quick coffee?" Amelia agreed. They stopped at one of the coffee carts and headed to his office where they could be alone. Amelia set a blanket on the floor and placed toys upon it as Owen set the baby down.

While he was attempting to engage Gwen in a toy, Owen offered, "Finley said you were crying this morning. What's going on?"

"He did, huh?" Amelia smirked. "Can't believe everything a 12-year-old tells you."

"Mia…" Owen drew out the sound of her name with a concerned tone. "What's up?"

Amelia shook her head and lied, "I'm not sure. Just an emotional morning. I've been in a funk. Maybe I was more worried about today's appointment than I admitted to myself." Hoping to change the subject, Amelia asked, "How has your day been?"

"Strange," Owen stated flatly. "I saw Cristina in the elevator – I had no idea she was even in town. A 13-year-old kid shot two adults, came to the ER after shooting himself in the heart. Didn't make it off the table. It was…horrible. Then I came up here and had a ton of messages, including one from Bronwyn I have to play for you later. After dealing with those calls and handing some off to Patricia, I ran to the appointment. I've been non-stop and surprised all day. I'm glad to be heading home soon."

Amelia studied her husband and the stress on his face. "Do you want me to keep the little ones here in daycare? You've had a helluva day."

"Absolutely not," Owen grinned. "I want to try out this brace and teach the kids how to work with her. We'll be fine. I'll probably just get pizza for dinner. When's your shift over?"

"I'm here 3-11. It'll be late," Amelia sighed as she yawned.

"Tired?" Owen inquired. "Are you sure everything is ok? You're good?"

Amelia stood up and pasted on a fake smile, "I'm great, Owen, but I really need to run. I'll see you late tonight. Bye bye, Gwen. Mommy loves you."