Amelia, Link, and the kids arrive at the zoo nice an early, happy to miss the lines with four kids who are jumping around with excitement. "Hands held while we cross the parking lot" Amelia says and Zola, Bailey, and Ellis link hands with her, while Link puts Scout into the stroller.
They make it into the zoo without too much fuss, finding a bench near the entrance to pause, "lets sunscreen up then we can go see the animals!" Amelia says, opening her backpack and pulling out the bottle.
Sunscreen is applied and hats donned and before long, the group are ready to go. "Where shall we go first?" Amelia asks the group, "lions!" Bailey exclaims while Zola replies "giraffes" with equal enthusiasm.
Looking at the map, Amelia says, "the giraffes and lions are both this way" Amelia says pointing to the path on their left, "so we will head this way, and see them both."
They reach the lions first and Bailey is overjoyed, he runs up to the fence, looking around excitedly for the lion inside. Seeing the lion in the far corner, Link picks up Bailey on his shoulders to give him a better view.
"Look!" Bailey says from his new vantage point, pointing towards where the lion is stretched out in the sun.
Link puts Bailey onto his back when they eventually move on from the lions, playfully roaring as he chases a squealing Zola and Ellis with a giggling Bailey gleefully urging him on.
Amelia smiles sadly to see Link so happy and immersed playing with the kids, looking down at Scout in the stroller she pushes, she asks quietly, "will you be lonely if you don't have any siblings? I know you will have your cousins, and your dad could have more kids even if I don't, but would you resent me in the future? Would you ever think I resented having you? I love you more than anything else in the universe, but you are enough for me, I think" she speaks to her son as they follow the sounds of laughter towards the giraffes.
Cormac manages to get his boys out the door and into the car on time, a feat for any parents of teenagers who would rather sleep in, he thinks to himself. After fighting for the auxiliary chord, they eventually settle on some music as Cormac pulls out of their road.
"So, you and Dr Grey seemed to be having fun together last night" Liam says and both boys snicker.
"Did it bother you boys?" Cormac asks, looking into the rear-view mirror to catch Austin's eye.
"No, we have said it before and we will say it again, we just want you to be happy!" Liam says, indignantly, "you laugh with her, which I hear is flirting for old people" he adds with a cheeky smile.
Austin is quiet through this exchange, nodding his head in response to his brother's words, though Cormac notices a pensive look on his face and makes a note to follow up with his youngest about how he truly feels about the prospect of his father dating Meredith.
"Whose calling me old, I can run further than you any day of the week" Cormac responds to the teasing of his son who gasps, "ouch, cruel!" Liam says and they continue their drive to the soccer fields, his boys diving into a discussion about the teams they will be facing.
Meredith's shift is going quite well she thinks, she had one consult that took up an hour who came into the ER not long after she started, a boy fell off the monkey bars at the park and besides having a presumed broken arm, he had stomach pain. After scans for both his arm and stomach, and the ortho fellow on figuring out how they wanted to treat the break, she was able to determine that there was no nothing surgical causing the pain in his stomach and handed his case over to a resident to do further tests. That is how she finds herself at the OR board, trying to find anything to occupy her time on this surprisingly slow morning.
"Grey" Bailey says walking up to the board beside Meredith, "what are you doing here? Isn't today your day off?"
"I'm covering for Hayes, it is his boys' soccer final today" Meredith replies, turning slightly towards Bailey after finding nothing interesting to catch her attention on the board.
"Oh, well it is my boys' school showcase next weekend, would you cover for me then and spend the day away from your kids or is that reserved for a certain Irishman? Bailey says drily, looking at Meredith with her no-nonsense face.
"Well, I would love to take your shift for you, unfortunately I don't think that I could do the work you do, I mean, who would want me when you are the chief of surgery, I am nowhere near the surgeon you are, I just don't feel confident to be here in your place, imagine if someone came in needing a large emergency surgery, do you really think I can handle that? I am just your intern; I am much your junior" Meredith says earnestly.
"You do know you are my chief of general surgery, right Grey?" Bailey says, raising her eyebrows and staring down the woman who was once her intern and was now her friend and colleague.
"Hmm, I forgot! In that case, I am so sorry, however I feel myself coming down with something" Meredith says, coughing, "I just don't think that I will be well enough to work your shift next weekend" she adds, accidentally smiling at the memories of the elaborate excuses she and her friends used to come up with during their residency.
"You know you could just say you don't want to, right? You don't have to come up with crazy excuses" Bailey says, shaking her head. "You kids almost killed me those first few years" she adds, fondly, "always getting into trouble, it is a miracle that you didn't give me a heart attack, though maybe you did cause the one a couple years ago, I can't say you have gotten much better since you finished your residency" Bailey says, chuckling. "Be happy, Grey" she says, walking away towards the OR galleries.
"That was a really good game there" Cormac says, sitting down next to Austin under a quiet tree between the soccer fields while Liam is off getting popsicles for his brother and himself.
"Thanks, da" Austin replies, ducking his head and smiling.
"I am proud of you, you know" he says, ruffling Austin's hair, smiling as his son grins. "I wanted to check in with you about how you really feel about the idea of me dating" he says, bringing up the topic that had been haunting him since the car ride over that morning. "I know you and your brother said that you just want me to be happy, but what makes me happiest is you two, and I don't want to make you uncomfortable."
"No, I don't mind the idea of you dating" Austin says, staring out across the fields, Cormac sees the pensive look on his face and waits, knowing his youngest likes to think through his response before expressing his thoughts.
A few minutes later, Austin continues, "it isn't that I don't want you to date, I know you said that Liam and I make you happy but I do want you to have more, to have someone who is an adult too, and Dr Grey is lovely, and it is obvious that she makes you happy, I mean, did you see how everyone was trying to get you two together last night?" he says, laughing softly. "It isn't anything wrong, it is just…" again, Austin trails off, thinking to find the right wording, "it is just, I wonder if maybe you will move on from us, I mean we are teenagers, we are loud, and I know we don't listen to you, and we ask for so many things, so I wonder if maybe you would prefer her kids and kind of forget about us" he says, looking down to where he is fiddling with his hands in his lap.
"Oh Austin" Cormac says, pulling his son into his side, "I love you and your brother like nothing else, and even if I were to date someone, it would not change the way I feel about the two of you, Greys kids are young, but that does not mean they are any less work, and even if they were, you two are my little lads, I couldn't want anyone else to be my boys. I am sorry I ever made you worry, and if you ever feel like I am not giving the two of you enough attention, just yell at me, ok?" he says, tears in his eyes as he looks fondly down at his son. "I love you, and you and Liam will always own my heart, even if you go off to college and forget to speak to me, I will still love you the same, ok? You are stuck with me, even when you may hate me for taking away your phones or stopping you from partying constantly."
Austin nods, and relief fills his features to Cormac's joy. "Thanks, da" he says simply, perking up at the sight of his brother coming towards them, waving two popsicles in the air.
Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter is their second date...
Thank you to everyone who comments! I really appreciate you taking the time, knowing that you like it makes me so happy! xx