CHAPTER 30 – DON'T LET ME GO

Can you pick Sofia up from daycare? Emergency just came in, I don't know what time I'll be home. Arizona.

Amelia stared at her phone's screen for a long time, her eyes reading the text multiple times, backwards and forwards, over and over again. No please, no kisses, not one single tender word for her partner... The text was as cold and as clinical as it could get. One could conclude the neurosurgeon was simply the babysitter from such a text.

Sure they were in a middle of a fight, but the lack of warmth still hurt. Arizona always, always, ended up her text with a kiss, so to not see one at the end of this one felt like taking a punch right in the guts and it made the neurosurgeon feel even more uneasy than she already was. The brunette could read the blonde's frustration in between the lines and she felt her madness grew.

Arizona didn't have the right to get angry at her for wanting some distance. The neurosurgeon was an independent grown ass woman for fuck's sake. She could handle things just fine, she didn't need her partner to hover and ask her if she was alright every five minutes. Amelia should be allowed to have some personal space to think and breathe freely without any interruptions or someone breathing down her neck.

Deep down, she knew Arizona was just doing that because she was worried and because she cared about her, but Amelia wasn't a child. She felt like she was suffocating under Arizona's maternal protection. This very thing she usually cherished and found utterly lovable about Arizona felt like too much those last few days.

It's fine, I'll get her as soon as I finish my shift. Amelia.

Arizona was just about to wash her hands for her imminent surgery when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She opened Amelia's text and, while she was glad Amelia was willing to take Sofia home with her, the harsh tone behind the words rubbed her the wrong way.

She hated this. This fighting thing they had been doing for the last couple of days now. Amelia and her had never fought before, not really at least. But over the last week, the blonde could tell Amelia had been hurting. She didn't know why, but she could tell and the fact that the brunette had been refusing to talk about it infuriated her beyond imagination. How was she supposed to help if she didn't even know what was up? And it worried her because the more she was trying to help, to offer her comfort and her presence, the more Amelia was pushing her away.

But more than anything, she hated how it reminded her of her first marriage with Calliope. While she knew it wasn't the same, she couldn't help but feel like Amelia was slipping away from her, just like her ex-wife had. Arizona felt like she wasn't good enough.

She huffed loudly, pocketed her phone back and focused her mind back onto the nine years old kid lying on the table that she was about to cut open. Now wasn't the time to get sidetracked. About mid-surgery, the pediatric surgeon's cell phone rang and she gently asked Mary, the pediatric nurse's aid, to check it.

"Dr Sheperd said she and your daughter just got home, Dr Robbins. Would you like me to text back?"

"No thank you, Mary," Arizona sighed.

"Uh-uh, trouble in love paradise?" Meredith asked teasingly to her colleague.

"Tell me about it. Amelia has been frustrating lately. Something's obviously bothering her but every time I try to talk to her about it, she just clams up. "

The general surgeon's surgical tools froze for a brief moment into their patient's thigh and immediately got back to work a few milliseconds later, but Arizona still noticed the temporary stillness.

The pediatric surgeon looked up at her with her eyebrows furrowed, "You know something I don't."

"No," Meredith said firmly, her eyes locked into their patient's leg and suturing the muscle with far more focus than she actually needed.

Arizona tilted her head slightly to the left, studying the general surgeon's demeanor with squinted eyes. The slight tensed shoulders, the small twitch of her lips… the blonde could tell Meredith was lying through her teeth.

"You do," she replied confidently. "Did she talk to you?"

"Amelia doesn't talk to me about anything but the kids," Meredith looked up at her like she was crazy. "She has you and Owen and Derek for the other stuff."

"Then how do you know what's wrong with her?"

"I don't, I just told you."

"I hate being lied to, especially by my friends."

"Fine," she admitted grumpily. "I know. There. Happy now?"

"What is it?"

"I'm not telling you. It's not my place to say," she hissed.

"But how can I help her if she won't tell me what's going on?"

Meredith stopped her hands from working and looked up at her friend, noticing how concern Arizona was over Amelia's unusual behavior.

"Look, you both have a lot of baggage. And while some of your scars are physical, Amelia's are all emotional."

"I know that. We both have been through some pretty ugly stuff, and as dark as it is, we always talk about them. But now, she's pushing me away and we're fighting over what, I don't even know!"

"Well, you should respect the fact that she's not ready to share this piece of her with you just yet and you should give her the space she wants instead of yelling at her for not opening up about it. She'll come around when she's ready," the general surgeon said, not loud enough to qualify as a yell but almost.

"Wow," the blonde replied, a little taken aback by the powerful and hard yet honest statement.

"Sorry, that was kind of harsh."

"No, I- uh, it's okay," she wrapped her mind about what Meredith had just said. "I appreciate it. I guess I hadn't realized how pushy I was being with her. I just- I hate seeing her in pain like this, you know? I want to be able to help the best I can. And she never asked for alone time before, she usually seeks comfort so it's hard for me to take a step back. It's even harder to do when I don't know what's going on inside that big and beautiful brain of hers. But you're right, I should be more patient."

Today was the day of her dad's death anniversary. Twenty seven years ago, two men came in her father's shop and decided to shoot him for his watch. Decided to deprive the two children hiding behind the counter and the three playing at home of their devoted and caring dad. To deprive his wife from her loving husband.

The brunette was sobbing on the couch, waiting to have put Sofia to bed to eventually break down and finally release the inner tension that had been building up inside her body over the last week.

"'Melia?" asked a soft and sleepy voice.

Amelia quickly wiped her crocodile tears away and put her fakest smile on, hoping Sofia wouldn't notice her puffy and reddened eyes. She looked over the back of the couch and saw the little girl shuffling towards her, her stuffy in her arms and her big dark chocolate eyes were full of drowsiness.

"Oh, hey sweetie. What are you still doing up? Nightmare?" she asked, her maternal instinct kicking in before she even knew about it.

"I heard you crying," Sofia said softly as she climbed next to her on the couch. "You okay?"

The neurosurgeon let out a humorless laugh and gently grabbed the child's hands in hers. "I'm going to be, baby. It's just that today is a special day and I'm feeling a little sad. I'll feel better tomorrow, I promise."

"Today's special? Is it your cumpleanos? Why are you sad if it's your cumpleanos?" Sofia frowned.

"It's not my birthday Sof'," she took out a deep breath, trying to think of the better way to phrase her thoughts without sounding too scary or inappropriate for a six years old. "When I was a kid, just like you, my daddy died. Today is his death anniversary, so I miss him a little more than usual."

Sofia squeezed her hands and Amelia almost started crying again at the comforting gesture. "My daddy died too. I don't remember him a lot porque I was a chicita when he passed away. But every year, Mama and Mommy light a candle on the day he died and they tell me all of these stories about him and Mama and I pray. I'm not sure my daddy can hear us in heaven, but I hope so. Maybe we can light a candle up for your daddy?"

"When did you get so wise?" Amelia let out a small smile through her tears, astonished by the Latina's kindheartedness.

She felt so proud to be able to call this compassionate and thoughtful six years old hers. The child obviously inherited this side of hers from her mommies.

"You'll have to light it up though. Last time I tried to use a match, I almost burned Mama's casa down and I got yelled at a lot. Mama said I needed adult supervision, whatever that means," Sofia said with a nonchalant shrug.

"Come on, let's find the matches and the candles," Amelia chuckled.

Five minutes later, both brunettes were cuddling together on the couch, a small candle burning brightly on the coffee table. Sofia cuddled against the neurosurgeon, seeking warmth and comfort that Amelia was more than happy to provide.

"What was your daddy like?" Sofia asked innocently and then yawned, her eyes trying as hard as they could to stay open.

Amelia could tell the little Latina was about to fall asleep so she dropped a kiss onto her forehead before launching into one of the most cherished memory she had of her dad while her hand tenderly caressed Sofia's back. Her eyes were transfixed on her child's body as she spoke, feeling her little body growing heavier and heavier on top of her as time ticked by, her soft breaths eventually evening out.

When Arizona came home, exhausted both physically and emotionally from her shift, she was pretty surprised to find dim light coming out of their bedroom doorway since it was almost two in the morning. Assuming Amelia had fallen asleep with it on, she quietly got rid of her shoes and coat and made her way to their room.

The door was half open so she carefully opened it fully and the blonde was taken aback to see Amelia wide awake in their bed. The neurosurgeon was holding a visibly worn out watch, her eyes pensively transfixed onto the small item as her fingers ran over it back and forth, obviously immersed into her own bubble.

"You're still up," the pediatric surgeon whispered neutrally, not really sure what mood to expect from her girlfriend.

Amelia's eyes left the watch and looked up straight at her. Arizona couldn't read the expression etched onto her face and she hated it.

"Come here," the brunette said quietly and patted the bed next to her.

The blonde felt a huge wave of relief rushing through her system. Maybe Amelia was still mad at her but at least, she seemed open to dialogue. She did what she was asked and sat down next to the neurosurgeon wordlessly, letting time to Amelia to decide if she wanted to talk about whatever was going on or not.

"It's my father's watch," the brunette's eyes returned to the watch, her fingers rubbing the glass surface with delicacy. "When I was five, Derek and I used to play in the back of the store my dad owned. It was a small shop, nothing really special about it but I loved it. My big sisters never wanted to go there, so it was a safe place away from home for just me and Derek. I remember that day, my dad had just given me two pennies. I'd hide them in the big crack in the floorboard behind the checkout. I used to say I was saving them so I could buy a town," she confided with a sad chuckle. "Der was reading a comic book as usual, he was sitting right next to me and he would complain every time I would ask him to move his feet because they were in the way. Then two guys came in. We heard the bell ringing and then they started talking with our dad but we weren't really paying attention, they were just like any other clients. Until my dad yelled. So I-I peaked around," her eyes met Arizona's ones, needing to look at her to be able to finish her story, needing the strength Arizona was giving her. "They had already pulled a gun and they had already taken the money. And they also wanted his watch. I could see the gun aiming for my dad and I was so terrified, so I yelled. Derek stopped me, put his hand on my mouth and forced me to look away. My dad said he wouldn't give them his watch. So they fired. These two guys shot my dad for his watch," a few tears rolled down her cheek and she pushed them away. "I remember the loud bang of the bullet leaving the chamber. I remember the deafening silence that followed, the only noise being my dad falling down on the floor. I remember seeing his feet sticking out of the section. I was too scared to go and check so Derek got up. But he was already dead."

Arizona grabbed her lover's left hand and she squeezed it tight while her other flew to her cheek, her thumb stroking the tears away. For a moment she was at lost of what to do or what to say. She knew firsthand how painful grief was and how words were futile.

But seeing her partner like this, suffering and aching all over made her feel absolutely terrible. The more they were learning about each other, the more Arizona wished she could simply take the neurosurgeon's pain away. But it also helped her understand why Amelia often seemed older than she actually was. She had probably gone through more losses and more pain in her thirty five years of existence than most people ever would in their entire lifetime.

After a few minutes, she tried nonetheless, "I'm sorry for your loss."

"It's okay," Amelia blew her nose into a tissue.

"No, it's really not. I'm very sorry about today. And the last few days too. I was being pushy and impatient when I should have just dropped it and let you know I was here if you needed me," she laced their fingers together.

"It's kind of my fault too. I should have told you that I was going through something and that I needed some time alone instead of just insisting I was fine and pushing you away."

"I guess we both need to learn how to communicate better with each other," Arizona said lightheartedly with a small smile.

She was rewarded when Amelia offered her a shy grin back and she felt relieved because, no matter how small, it was the first real smile she had seen on Amelia's mouth in a few days.

"Yes, we do."

Bright blue eyes settled into saddened ones as Arizona caressed her cheek. She leaned in, pulling the neurosurgeon into a delicate and tender kiss. It felt like a reconciliation, like an apology for how stupid they had acted. All the anger accumulated seemed to magically float away as the other woman's lips touched hers. Out of breath, Arizona pulled away.

Amelia immediately invaded her personal space, burying herself into the pediatric surgeon's arms and safely tucking her head under Arizona's chin. The weight of Arizona's arm around her midsection felt familiar. She took a deep breath in, smelling the unique fragrance of hospital disinfectant and just plain Arizona. She had missed this. She felt like she was finally home for the first time this week.

"Derek avoided me," Amelia confessed. "I tried calling him a few times today but he never picked up. I tried going to his house at lunch but he wasn't there. He didn't return any of my calls. Why would he do that, Zona?"

The light quivering of Amelia's lower lip and the tears pricking her eyes suggested that Amelia was falling apart so Arizona lovingly ran her hand up and down her back.

"I don't know, baby," she dropped a kiss onto the top of her head.

"He was with me when our daddy died. He's my big brother, he should be here for me. When I lived in LA, he always called on daddy's anniversary. Why didn't he pick up?"

The utter sadness and vulnerability in her partner's voice only broke Arizona's heart down further. For a few moments, she wanted to find Derek and yell at him for not being there when his baby sister needed him the most. But she also knew grief was a very personal experience and if Derek hadn't picked his phone up, he probably had a good reason. It didn't stop her from wanting to strangle him though.

"Everyone experience grief differently. Maybe he needed some alone time this year."

"He could have told me. I needed him," Amelia cried out, her voice breaking and the water works starting again.

Arizona pulled her closer, not caring in the least that the neurosurgeon's tears were staining her top. At this very moment, she wanted nothing more than to take her partner's pain away. To make it all disappear into thin air. She could feel her own eyes watering but chose to ignore it. She wasn't the one who needed comfort right now, she needed to focus onto Amelia.

The blonde wouldn't be able to tell how long they stayed like this, hugging, crying and whispering sweet nothings. It felt like the world had stopped spinning for a while, like nothing mattered except there and then. Eventually, Amelia pulled away and straddled the blonde.

"You should invest in some waterproof mascara," the brunette kidded lightheartedly, her voice now hoarse and she grabbed a tissue to wipe the two blacks stains under the other woman's eyes away.

The joke, no matter how bad it was, made Arizona laugh and the tension that had been surrounding them for the last few days was finally gone, their usual intimate playfulness back.

"Why? Don't you think I look hot full of tears and snot?" she teased back and blew her nose.

The blonde was however surprised when Amelia looked at her, her somber blue eyes boring into hers with seriousness and care. A hand cupped her cheek, the brunette's thumb caressing her cheek softly back and forth.

"I think you always look stunning," she kissed her tenderly, wanting to show her she really meant it. "Do you miss Timothy?"

"Everyday," the blonde replied honestly, her hands snaking around Amelia's waist.

"You rarely talk about him."

It wasn't an accusation, merely a fact, an observation. It let the choice to Arizona to either reply or either not to. But Amelia had shared a big part of herself and her past tonight, and she wanted to return the favor. To show her that, while grief was hard to talk about, she would always be there for Amelia if she wanted to talk about it, or not talk about it and simply bury herself into her arms and cry.

"They say time eases the pain, but it doesn't. Not really, you know?"

Amelia nodded. She was all too familiar with what the blonde was evoking.

"Tim's always with me. Every minute of every day. Right here," she tapped over her heart. "He was my best friend for twenty three years. Growing up in the military, we moved around a lot. Never sticking around long enough to make friends so we were each other's friend. We were tight. When Tim first told me he wanted to join the army like our dad, I felt so proud. Sure, I was terrified but mostly proud. For twenty three years, he was the most important person in my world. My best friend, my worst enemy at times, my confidant… A bond like this just doesn't go away, you know?"

"Owen said it was difficult to grieve for him because they couldn't hold a proper funeral. Megan's body wasn't… in a good enough shape."

"They never did find Tim's body, so no real funeral for us either. Mom and dad – they've been in the military for so long, they're used to no body. Even if it was their son, they started grieving when the army told us Timothy was dead. However, I didn't. I couldn't believe it was really him. They must have made a mistake, because my brother couldn't be dead. Only when he didn't get home on the day he was supposed to after his tour in Iraq, I realized he was never coming back. Only then did I start to grieve."

"I don't really remember my dad's funeral," Amelia averted her gaze onto her hands, her fingers toying anxiously together. "I don't know if it's because I was young or because I repressed it. I just remember sitting on a pew, crying rivers for what felt like hours. I think my mom gave a eulogy? I'm not even sure. I do remember his casket going down though. I couldn't fathom that my dad's last home would be that stupid six foot by ten wood box. I thought it looked ugly."

"Did you go visit his tombstone a lot?" Arizona asked, her voice ever so affectionate and Amelia felt like she could tell her her worst secrets and the blonde would still be there for her, ready to comfort her.

"My mom used to take us about once a month to bring flowers and stuff. I could never set a foot out of the car. I knew that if I'd go over there, I'd just cry until I'd pass out. I used to tell Kathryn to give him a kiss for me."

"I think Tim would have liked you a lot."

"Really?" she asked, a little surprised.

"Yeah. Believe it or not but he had a thing for pretty brunettes with blue eyes," the pediatric surgeon said with a smile. "Plus he was as much of a dork as you are. You guys would've gotten along great and my life would have been impossible."

Amelia poked her ribs. "Fuck you, I'm an awesome dork."

"Of course you are. You're mine," Arizona grinned widely and softly hugged her closer and pecked her sweetly.

"Can you talk about something else, please? I feel like we did enough emotional vomiting for the decade to come."

"Sure," she chuckled. "How was Sof tonight?"

"She was an absolute angel. I-uh, she found me crying on the couch. She talked a little about Mark and how apparently you guys always light a candle for his anniversary so we did that and then she kept me company until she fell asleep. She was a real champ about the whole thing."

"We taught her well then."

"You did. She's the most precious thing on earth."

Amelia was silently eating a banana in the attending's lounge and reading the newspapers at the table while April was resting on the couch, her arm dropped over her eyes in order to block the sunlight.

"Hello April, hello honey," Arizona greeted as she walked in, looking as fresh and as cheerful as ever.

April mumbled something in acknowledgement and the blonde chuckled, taking a seat next to Amelia.

"Hi there beautiful," the brunette replied, way more enthusiastically.

She stopped her reading to kiss her girlfriend good morning.

"Anything interesting?" she motioned to the paper with her chin.

"Not really. My horoscope did say I would be blessed today though, and you just happened to skip right through the door, so I'd say it's pretty accurate," she smirked as she looked at the blonde.

"Dork," Arizona chuckled and kissed Amelia again just for being cute.

They both heard a disgruntled moan coming from the couch. "You guys are sickening," Kepner said. "You're grosser than a couple of teenagers."

"Well, at least those sickening gross teenagers are getting laid," Arizona taunted April, knowing full well her best friend was going through a dry spell.

"You're mean," April said grumpily and blindly threw a pillow at Arizona, missing her by a few feet.

A beeping was heard and all three surgeons looked down at their pagers out of reflex.

"Mine," the redhead whined but quickly got up anyway. "Guess my nap will have to wait," she muttered as she walked out.

"So, I'm going to Derek's after my shift," Amelia said confidently.

Arizona grew suddenly concerned and it must have shown because Amelia squeezed her thigh reassuringly in response and grinned fondly at her.

"Relax. I called him this morning and I told him I wanted to talk about yesterday and why he didn't pick up. He said we have a lot to talk about so I should just come over tonight."

The pediatric surgeon let a small breath of relief, still not one hundred percent convinced about it. On one hand, she feared the conversation would not stir in a good direction and that her partner would end up in an even worst state than last night. On the other hand, Amelia had amazing emotional strength and resilience and Arizona trusted her judgment. If she wanted to go and talk with her brother, then Arizona was going to support her and be ready for whatever the outcome was. Good or bad, the blonde would be there. She squeezed the other woman's hand.

"Good. Now, please tell me my horoscope for today?"

Arizona and Meredith were scrubbing out of surgery and the pediatric surgeon eagerly looked at her phone. When she saw no missed phone call and no text, she sighed, obviously disappointed.

"What's wrong?" Meredith asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"No sign of Amelia. I'm getting a little worried."

"Come on, she must be sleeping. It's pretty late."

"I know. But she said she would let me know how it would go with Derek."

The general surgeon gave her a reassuring smile. "No need to get worried, Robbins. She must simply have forgotten. I'm sure she's waiting impatiently for you at home."

"You're probably right."

When Arizona eventually got home, it felt lonely. No Sofia or Amelia to brighten her evening. She grew more anxious because Amelia still hadn't text her or call her to tell her where she was and it was getting pretty late. The blonde tried calling her, at least to tell her good night and that her side of the bed was cold, but Arizona went straight to voicemail. She quickly shot Derek a text to ask him what time Amelia had left him and she went to wash the day away, hoping the warm water would wash away her worry too.

Meanwhile, Meredith parked home and she was surprised to see her house as lit up as a Christmas tree. She walked inside carefully, not really sure why the lights were still on. She quickly found her answer though. Derek and Amelia were cuddled up and fast asleep under a blanket onto the couch, The rescuers' end credits rolling onto the TV screen.

Knowing Arizona must be worried sick on the other side of town to not have found her girlfriend home, the general surgeon took a snap of the two siblings sleeping "found something of yours." Knowing their couch wasn't that comfortable to sleep on, Meredith softly shook her husband awake.

"Huh?" he asked.

He looked all around him groggily, seeing his sister still asleep next to him and his wife leaning over them.

"What's going on?" he whispered.

"Midnight is what's going on," she teased him playfully.

"Shit," he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, noticing everything was still on. "We were watching The Rescuers but I guess we fell asleep."

"I gathered as much. Come on, let's go to bed," Meredith said as she turned the TV and the lights off.

Derek picked his sleeping sister up bridal style and gently lay her down onto the bed into the guest room before sliding next to his wife under the sheets.

The next morning, Amelia woke up as confused as she could be. First of all, she was wearing clothes which she absolutely hated to sleep in and secondly, the harsh rays of sunshine were hitting her straight in the eyes. However, it wasn't what had wakened her up.

"Auntie Amelia?"

That was what had wakened her up. She rolled away from the sun and forced her eyes to flutter open, her hands rubbing the sleep away. A quick look down at herself informed her she was still fully clad into yesterday's clothes and if Zola's face standing barely a few inches from hers was any indication, she was still at Derek's.

"Hey Zola," she greeted, her mind foggy.

"Daddy's making breakfast," the little girl said in that particular tone that children thought was whispering but really wasn't. Still, the neurosurgeon appreciated the effort her niece was trying to make for her. "You should come before we eat it all. Plus Scooby is on."

"Thank you sweetheart," she dropped a kiss on her forehead and Zola scattered away, running down the stairs seemingly as loudly as humanly possible.

How she had ended up into the guest room was a mystery. The last thing she remembered was Bernard and Miss Bianca running around. She sat up onto the edge of the bed and stretched her limbs around before heading downstairs. Zola and Bailey were sitting at the dinner table, giggling happily while Derek was in the kitchen, flipping pancakes with Ellis tucked on his left hip. She kissed Zola and Bailey good morning and went to her brother. As soon as baby Ellis saw her auntie, she extended her arms and she babbled joyfully.

"Hi Der, hello babygirl," she took the baby in her arms, peppering her face with soft kisses, happy to hear her giggles fill the room. "Someone's in a good mood."

"Hey sis. Slept okay?"

"Like a baby. How did I end up in the guest room though?"

"Carried you," he shrugged nonchalantly. "Mer came home around midnight and found us sleeping on the couch."

"I'm glad we got to talk yesterday, it was really great," she said shyly, her hand caressing Ellis' feet to help her calm some of her nervousness down.

"Me too. We should do this more often," he said honestly, brotherly care shining into his blue eyes. "Oh, and you better call Robbins. Meredith said she was worried about you last night."

"Fuc- Funk. I meant funk," she quickly caught herself before swearing in front of her baby niece. "I told her I would text her but then my battery died and I completely forgot. Can I borrow your phone?"

"Sure," Derek fished his cell phone out his pocket and handed it to her.

Amelia placed Ellis onto her highchair and went to isolate herself. If Derek ever saw her acting like a lovesick teenager with Arizona, she would never hear the end of it. She eagerly selected Arizona's name to call her.

"Hello?" Arizona answered drowsily.

"Zona? It's me, Amelia."

"Oh hey," Arizona forced herself to wake up a bit and sat up, glad to hear her lover's voice. "I'm up, I'm up. I'm guessing it went okay since you slept over?"

"Extremely so. I'm sorry I didn't call or text. My phone died and then Derek and me passed the whole evening with the kids, it went out of my mind."

"It's okay, 'Melia. Meredith texted me when she got home. I'm just really happy it worked out with your brother."

"Still, I'm sorry."

"You should feel sorrier about letting me sleep all by myself. I had to find you a replacement so I wouldn't get too cold," the blonde teased sleepily.

Amelia's curiosity was picked. She knew April was working last night and it was Callie's week with Sofia. "Who in the hell?"

"Dakota from the gift shop."

The brunette could easily guess the sleepy smirk adorning the other woman's features. "Oh yeah?" she chuckled. "I hope she was respectful and didn't take advantage of my short leave of absence to make a move on my partner."

"Nah, she was very well-mannered. She's nowhere near as comfy and as cuddly as you, though."

The neurosurgeon could almost hear her pout and she wanted to teleport herself next to her to kiss it away.

"How about I come home so we can rectify that then? Snuggles and a late morning in, what do you say?"

"I say it's time you come home already, wifey. My arms are feeling lonely."

"Sold then," the neurosurgeon giggled. "I love you, see you in a bit."

"Love you too, mwah," she made a kissing noise and hung up.

A huge smile on her lips, Amelia went back to the kitchen feeling lighter on her feet.

"You're not in trouble, are you?" Derek asked as she came back.

Amelia handed him his phone back and he pocketed it. "Nope."

"Are you staying for breakfast?"

"No, thank you. Sleeping Beauty is waiting for me back home," she said joyfully, grinning from ear to ear.