yep, I'm back with a new chapter already. I love this story too much so I chose to work on it more. enjoy chapter 2 of sickening Amelink fluff.
"Hey Link, I'm heading over to the hospital," Amelia paused by the kitchen entry on her way out the door.
Link appeared around the corner with Scout in his arms and Ellis wrapped around one of his legs. "You're leaving me? All alone with these crazies?"
Laughing, Amelia held out her arms for Link to transfer their son into. "I'll see you later, big guy," she said pressing a kiss to Scout's baby-soft hair. "Try to keep the meltdowns under control for Daddy, okay?"
Scout just babbled and wound his fingers into his mom's hair. Link took the preoccupied baby moment to scoop Ellis into his arms instead of around his leg, and then took Scout back in his other arm. "I'm sure the screaming will start the second you pull out of the driveway," Link sighed. "Go, and have fun being child-free. Good luck at your appointment."
"Thanks," Amelia kissed her boyfriend on the lips, then left, waving goodbye as she descended the stairs to the driveway. Link and the kids stood on the porch waiting until she had pulled the car out of the driveway and was halfway down the street. It was promptly at that moment that Scout started crying for his mommy and Ellis declared she was hungry. Children, Link thought to himself, heading inside to see to their wants. At least the two older ones could entertain themselves enough. Link had no idea what he would do with three kids that needed constant attention.
Across town, Amelia had no issue with traffic as she found her way to Grey Sloan Memorial. Parking in the main lot, she grabbed her mask and headed inside, straight to the fourth floor. She had a consultation with Carina DeLuca, in regards to some postpartum questions. Scout was about nine months and while he was completely healthy, Amelia had some concerns about her own body. So she booked an appointment, taking initiative this time unlike with the ultrasound for Scout.
"Amelia!" Carina spotted her coming down the hall and gestured to the closest door. "I've got a room set up right away, as you get priority."
The beauty of the Italian OB-GYN still makes Amelia blush sometimes, even if she is with Link. He's cool with her finding women attractive though, yet another great thing about their relationship; nothing is weird or something one should be embarrassed about. Their bond was absolutely perfect, and Amelia loved every bit of it.
Finding her bearings, Amelia smiled back at Carina. "Thank you so much. How are things at the hospital?"
"Same old. I'm glad you called me because we've been so swamped with COVID-related patients the past half year or so, that I've barely been able to perform my actual job!" The two shared a knowing look. Link often came home after dropping files off at the hospital, saying that if he had to pick a time he was not at work, he would pick now. Although he now worked at the hospital two to three days a week, half days. He missed surgery, so he and Amelia worked things out so he could go back and pursue another thing he loved. It was just another thing in their relationship that just worked.
"Well I hate to disappoint, but I'm only here regarding some questions I had about my period," Amelia began. "We're coming up on about nine and a half months postpartum and my period has been super irregular and actually hasn't really been present for the last while. I know Scout's breastfeeding so that makes things weird but I wanted to make sure things were, you know, okay. Done rambling, Amelia dropped her purse on the ground and started to unbutton her coat.
Carina was a bit taken-aback, and raised an eyebrow at Amelia. "Do I have to be the one to tell you again? Amelia, you're pregnant!"
Dumbfounded with shock, Amelia dropped her coat on the floor behind her. "What, no. How on Earth-"
"-I thought that's exactly why you were coming in. Link mentioned a while back how you threw for a whole week straight, the fullness in your breasts is an obvious sign and the other changes in your body." Carina tried not to laugh at the astonished expression on Amelia's face.
"I swear I had no idea. Why does this keep happening to me?" Amelia perched on the edge of the examining table. "Just one time I'd like to actually find out I'm pregnant myself, then make an appointment with the knowledge I am indeed having a baby." The whole situation really was funny though, as this was the second of her and Link's babies that would be a surprise. Although she was 100% sure that she was going to keep this baby, because it wasn't so scary anymore. She and Link had managed to keep Scout happy and alive for nearly ten whole months, so what was another? Another baby to kiss and love and grow their cute family. Amelia was nervous but mostly excited. Only thing was, she just had to tell Link.
"Well you're making me very happy that I have my job. Hopefully this time Link can actually be in the room when you deliver," Carina said, finally letting out a laugh.
Luckily Amelia laughed right along with her. "Right, let's hope." She held up her two crossed fingers.
"Since the questions you came with got answered, do you want to have your first ultrasound today?" Carina asked. Hesitating for only a second, Amelia then nodded. She wanted to have something to bring home to show the daddy-to-be, times two. Because god they already had an almost one year old.
Amelia knew Scout would be fine with a new sibling. By the time the baby was born, Scout would be over a year and would practically have a ready-made playmate just a year in age away. Sure, they hadn't planned it like that, but it was a pretty nice age gap for a future bond. She and her siblings had been space out a bit more, making connections more difficult. Especially due to the fact that they all ganged up on her, what with Amelia being the youngest and all. One thing she was going to make sure, was that Scout always took care of his sisters and brothers, and vice versa. No more Shepherd sibling business where the youngest felt isolated from the family. Never again.
"Here's your baby," Carina said, bringing Amelia out of her thoughts. She kept getting lost in them more recently, and only certain people could bring her back. Although Amelia's thoughts weren't bad anymore, just inconvenient especially when someone was talking to her. However, Carina managed to get through, but mainly because Amelia's new baby was onscreen. "Completely healthy and the perfect size at this point in the pregnancy. You look like you're about three and a half months along."
"Wow." Amelia's vocabulary had dwindled to the bare necessities, yet that was the least of her concerns. On the screen next to her, was a tiny baby with a steady heartbeat. Just what she wanted to see, and what she was most thankful for.
Carina handed Amelia a printed out ultrasound picture, as she buttoned her shirt and picked up her coat off the floor. "I'll see you soon enough for another check up," Carina said with a smile. "Congratulations, by the way."
"Thank you so much." Amelia smiled right back, and carefully slid the picture into her jean back-pocket. She was walking on air as she left the hospital, over the moon. So different from what she had felt with Scout but she blamed that on the fact that before her second son, she hadn't had a good pregnancy experience to go off of. Now, with baby #2 (technically 3, but only her and Link's second), she had the positive time before, which meant less worrying this time around. She and Link would do plenty of fretting, although right now she just wanted to rush home and tell the loves of her life about the new person coming into their family.
When she got in the door, Amelia was greeted with the sight of Link and all four kids watching a movie. Scout was curled up on his chest, Ellis had her legs draped on Link's and Zola and Bailey were curled up under a blanket. It made Amelia's heart burst to think that soon enough, she and Link would have another kid to add to the pile.
A second passed, then Link spotted Amelia and got up, Scout in his arms. "Hey, how was the hospital?"
Trying not to give anything away, Amelia shrugged. "It was good. Can we talk for a minute though?"
"Of course." He turned to the kids and said, "Auntie Amelia and I are going to go talk, while I put Scout down, okay? Your mom will be home soon too." Zola and Bailey both nodded, and Ellis said nothing; she had fallen asleep like she normally did while watching TV.
Together, Amelia and Link climbed the stairs to her bedroom, which was now hers and Link's. Scout had a crib in Bailey's room, which he only used to sleep in. As much as it hurt Amelia to think about, she and Link would probably have to find their own place once the new baby got here, unless some room shifting happened.
Once the door was shut and Scout was lying in the smaller crib in Amelia and Link's room, Amelia turned to look at her boyfriend. Yes, they weren't married yet but that didn't mean they loved each other any less. They were each other's happy ever after, a reward after years of heartache, heartbreak and rough times. Sizing up the attractive body of Link made Amelia extremely appreciative of the reward she had been dealt. Of course, the perfectly sculpted figure of him was just an added bonus to his personality, which Amelia loved so much. She loved that he was carefree and easygoing and never called for much attention. He was complicated in some ways, though not nearly as complicated as her. He made her laugh and want to eat donuts for breakfast, lunch and dinner some days. He was the reason she had Scout, the reason she woke up with a smile on her face; even the reason she got up in the morning when things were rough. Atticus Lincoln owned her entirely, and Amelia Shepherd was more than okay with that.
"Are you sure everything's okay?" Link said, searching Amelia's face for answers. Her beautiful features didn't convey much, except that he should probably sit down for the news. So Link did, lying down on his side of the bed.
Amelia followed his lead and lay with her head propped on one arm, mirroring his pose. She stared into his mesmerizing blue eyes and did her best to calm down. He really was good at that, calming her down without saying anything. She especially appreciated his bear hugs, which made everything better when the state of her day said otherwise. She would never get tired of Link. Not even if they lived to be one hundred.
"Yes, I'm sure." Amelia nodded, to ease the worry in Link's face. Then she reached into her backpocket and withdrew the telling piece of paper, handing it to Link. "But I do have something to tell you."
"Is this what I think it is?" Link raised an eyebrow at her, and waited for her confirmation.
"Uh-huh. I'm pregnant." Her eyes, ones that were sometimes green and sometimes blue, watched Link's face as he processed her news.
What Amelia did not expect was for Link to burst out laughing. "That's amazing and I love you. You've just made me the happiest man alive, and that's coming from a guy who watched Barbie cartoons all afternoon." He leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to Amelia's lips. She immediately melted into his touch, thankful that his reaction was nothing short of overjoyed.
Sighing in relief, Amelia flicked her eyes up to meet Link's. "We're going to have two kids under two. For at least half a year. Carina said I'm three and a half months along already."
"Wow. Well I'm up for it if you are." He winked at her, and she just melted all over again. The pure joy etched across his face was home. Wherever Link and Scout were, that was home. They were what made her life worth living. They got her through the hard times in the past, and the hard times to come. Living through a global pandemic with one baby wasn't easy, and bringing a second one into the world while everyone was still recovering from COVID-19 wasn't going to be a walk in the park either. But Amelia knew that no matter what, she and Link would find a way to smile.
Link watched as a small smile split across Amelia's face. The one dimple she had on the left side of her face made him smile every time he saw it. He marvelled over how cute it was, and how she managed to pass it down to their son. Scout was quite a serious baby for nine-and-a-half months old but when you got him to giggle, his one-sided dimple was out in full force. He had Link's eyes, Amelia's round cheeks and would definitely make heads turn when he got older. Girls or boys, because Link and Amelia weren't about to assume who their son would end up with. That was another thing they refused to do; put their child through any unnecessary stress. All their kid needed to know was that Mommy and Daddy loved him; no ifs, ands or buts. They would always love him for all of eternity. As long as Link would love Amelia, ring on her finger or not. He wanted so badly to get down on one knee at this very moment, however he and Amelia had agreed to wait. Now with their second baby on the way, they would probably wait even longer. That was okay, Link would wait forever as long as he got to have Amelia wake up beside him every morning and fall asleep in his arms every night. Which they totally did, of course.
"Can we keep it a secret, just for a little while?" Amelia whispered into their comfortable silence.
Link nodded without hesitation. "We can wait as long as you like." He knew why she wanted to wait without her saying it out loud. Meredith had just become well enough to come home from the hospital a few nights a week-the rest she spent sleeping overnight to be monitored-and what with the branded COVID vaccines starting to emerge, the timing was not great. But Link knew this was real, their baby was as real as they were now, lying together and soaking in the quiet.
Too much silence, almost. Link wanted to chase away the thoughts, and to distract Amelia from hers too. "I hope our baby has your eyes this time," Link murmured into Amelia's hair. His lips tickled her neck, making Amelia squirm every so slightly. She smiled, running her fingertips up and down Link's arm as she went along with his little game.
"I hope our baby has my love for dressing fancy and your hair colour." Amelia let out a chuckle. "Because no offense, sweatshirts and jeans aren't the only thing you own in this house."
"Very funny," Link rolled his eyes but he enjoyed her teasing. "I hope our baby has my positivity and your passion for doing what's right."
"I hope our baby has my facial structure because we all know mine's better, and your craving for donuts. Actually, scratch that, I don't want our kid to be wanting sugar for breakfast, lunch and dinner like you do." The pair laughed again, sending out soft echoes into the room.
The game went on for a bit longer, although the hopes became more silly. Amelia was at peace finally, her heart rate calming down. She knew that it was okay to be excited; having Scout had taught her to just let go, and open your arms wide to whatever life gives you. It's okay to worry, that's part of living. But to let it consume you and take your rational thoughts away, that wasn't alright. So Amelia had since tried to adopt Link's outlook on life; positivity if nothing else. It seemed to be working for the most part. Although Amelia sometimes cried in Link's arms when everything became too much. She had done that more often recently, Amelia remembered. She had also felt the need to shove all other priorities aside to have sex with her baby daddy, and more often than "normal". Those were definitely the hormones talking.
Speaking of, Amelia decided that now was a perfect time to feed her want for Link. She turned in his arms and put a hand on his cheek, then pulled his face in for a kiss. His lips collided with hers, one of his hands settling softly on her belly. Their baby was getting nice and cosy in there, and would hopefully keep residence for the next six or so months. Six months was a long time, but it couldn't come fast enough for Link. He was ecstatic to meet the newest member of the family, and for Scout to have a brother or sister. As an only child, he was happy to give his son what he had never had; a built-in best friend.
As their kisses deepened, Link couldn't help but think about what Amelia had said before Scout was born. Her words had been a wish, saying "promise me we'll always fight for our dreams." But what Link didn't tell her in that moment, was that she and the family they'd started, was his dream. It was all he ever wanted and all he would ever need. Her, Scout and their unborn child. And what was extra special is that this dream, this perfectly beautiful dream of his, was a reality.
hope y'all enjoyed this :) planning on posting this fic on Tumblr once I finish chapter 3 (which will probably be up by the end of the week) come say hi thedefinitionofendgame