"Ladies and gentlemen, as we begin our descent—please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position…"
Amelia tuned out the flight attendant's announcement, cerulean hues gazing out the window of the plane. It had been almost two weeks since her birthday; the day she'd made her decision to fly to Seattle. She took her time with the preparations, not wanting to do anything that could possibly alert Addison that something was amiss. She'd also never done anything like this before, and her anxiety was constantly trying to convince her to change her mind.
But her head and her heart were pulling her toward Seattle.
She managed to convince Reese to help her by giving her a ride to the airport and letting her use his card information to buy the plane tickets. Addison had given Amelia a credit card to use—but Addison got alerts to her cell phone anytime she used it, so that wasn't an option. He was hesitant, but agreed, knowing she would just find someone else to help her if he didn't.
The day before her flight, Amelia had texted her mother—asking if they could have a movie night. She wanted to spend time with Addison, not knowing when she would see her again once Amelia left New York. Although Addison worked a lot, she and Amelia had spent pretty much all of their free time together since the girl was born. Amelia hardly ever slept away from home, and she'd definitely never gone out of town much less out of state without Addison at her side.
She felt guilty for what she was about to put the woman through, but she also had ulterior motives behind the movie night. Anytime they had one, Addison had an extra glass of wine—which meant she'd sleep that much harder.
Once her mother was out for the count, Amelia grabbed the bag she'd had packed for weeks from under her bed. She double checked to make sure she had all of the essentials before writing a quick note for Addison. She left it on her pillow, knowing she wouldn't overlook it there.
Reese had been waiting, his car idling down the street.
Reality hadn't set in until she was in the line, waiting to go through airport security. She almost turned back; almost begged Reese to come back for her. But she needed to do this.
Amelia gripped the armrests of her seat when she felt the plane start descending, her eyes squeezing shut as anxiety coursed through her veins. She didn't open them until she felt the wheels of the plane touch down on the runway, her entire body visibly relaxing once it did.
Once she'd found the exit of the airport, she pulled her phone out—powering it on. She ignored the sinking feeling in her stomach when she saw the amount of text messages and missed calls she'd had waiting for her. She pushed it aside, opening the Uber app and setting her destination for Seattle Grace Hospital. She was picked up shortly after, and next thing she knew—she was walking through the front doors of the hospital.
Amelia's heart was pounding so hard she was sure everyone in the lobby could hear it. She approached the receptionist, her words almost instantly getting caught in her throat. "Excuse me," She managed to croak, her hands starting to shake a little. "I'm looking for Derek Shepherd."
"Do you have an appointment?" She asked flatly, obviously more interested in her cell phone.
"I—well, no…" Amelia stuttered, having not been prepared for that question.
"Unless it's an emergency, you have to have an appointment," She interrupted, her voice thick with annoyance.
An idea struck her just then, and though she knew it wouldn't get her straight to Derek—it would get her closer than she was now. She felt the color drain from her face, and when the receptionist's annoyed eyes glanced up to see why the girl was still standing there, Amelia's eyes rolled in the back of her head. She braced herself for impact as she collapsed, and though she hadn't actually passed out—she felt like she might after her head hit the hard linoleum.
"I need some help over here!"
Next thing she knew, she was being lifted off the floor and being loaded onto a stretcher.
"What do we have?" She heard a woman's voice ask whoever was pushing the stretcher.
"Jane Doe, looks to be about fifteen or sixteen; she showed up, asking for Dr. Shepherd before she collapsed. Olivia said she hit her head when she went down, so I think she's going to need a head CT."
"Ironically enough, Shepherd's the neurosurgeon on call—get her into trauma one, and I'll page Shepherd."
After a couple of seconds, Amelia felt the stretcher come to a stop—and felt hands all over her, hooking her up to various monitors. She tried not to wince when she felt a needle pierce her skin, but her anxiety reflecting on the heart monitor.
"Her heart rate is elevated; should I page Cristina?" The male doctor asked, and Amelia realized she hadn't heard the female doctor return.
"It doesn't seem too drastic; let's wait until after Shepherd does a neuro exam. Then we can see about a head CT and an echo…"
Crap, Amelia thought. That sounds expensive...
Her eyes fluttered open, looking back and forth between the doctors—her eyes wide with panic.
"Ma'am," the woman spoke. "Do you remember what happened?"
Amelia shook her head slightly, playing into the narrative that she'd actually fainted. "N-no," she stuttered, "Where am I?"
"You're at Seattle Grace Hospital; you fainted. Can you tell me your name?" the male doctor asked, taking her temperature before letting her answer.
"Amelia," She responded quietly, carefully sitting herself up the bed,
"O'Malley," the woman spoke, motioning to the male doctor. "You have this until Shepherd gets here?"
"Yes, Dr. Bailey," he responded with a small smile. The woman excused herself, and O'Malley used a stethoscope to listen to her lungs. From there, he took her blood pressure, notating everything in her chart. He pulled a small pen-light out of his pocket, having her follow it with her eyes.
Amelia was still blinking away the spots in her vision when another man entered the room.
"What do we have?" He asked, and Amelia immediately knew it was him. She didn't know how—she just knew.
O'Malley handed her chart to the taller gentleman, and Amelia blinked away the last few spots—her eyes meeting another pair of crystal blue optics. Those eyes… they were her eyes.
"Go ahead and schedule a CT," he told the younger doctor.
"Yes, Dr. Shepherd," O'Malley said, confirming her suspicion before leaving the room.
"Is that really necessary?" She asked anxiously, her hands fidgeting in her lap as he approached, checking her eyes again with a small flashlight. He chuckled quietly, chalking it up to the young girls' nerves. "So…you're Dr. Shepherd?" She asked, trying to keep her voice casual.
"I am," he said, his voice steady and kind. "Have we met before?" He asked curiously, putting the pen light back into the pocket of his white coat.
"Not exactly," she answered, her hands starting to shake. She felt the color drain from her face again as reality set in. This was him. He was right in front of her.
…was it wrong that it upset her that he didn't immediately recognize her? She knew that wouldn't be possible, considering Addison most likely hadn't told him she existed…but still.
Her heartrate on the monitor increased again, and he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's okay," he said, noticing the spike. "Where are your parents?"
"My parents?" She asked, and he nodded slowly, mild concern creeping in when she hesitated to answer. "M-my mothers in New York…" She responded, knowing there was no point in lying.
"And your father?"
"I've never met my father," She answered quietly. Derek eyed her speculatively, and Amelia could've sworn she saw a flash of familiarity behind his cerulean eyes.
"What's your name?" He asked, setting her chart aside.
"Amelia," She responded quietly.
"Amelia…" He let out a quiet chuckle, a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. But Amelia noticed it didn't quite meet his eyes. "That's my sister's name…what's your last name?"
Amelia felt her heart sink a little. "My…last name?" She asked, and he responded with a subtle nod. "Montgomery. My last name…is Montgomery."
Derek was the one who looked pale now as he sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes narrowing slightly as he took in the girl's features. "How old are you, Amy?" He asked, and she felt her throat tighten at the nickname. The only person who'd ever called her that was Mark.
"I'm fifteen," She responded, her words slow and careful.
Derek looked away, his lips moving quickly, counting backward in a hushed whisper. He swallowed thickly, his eyes returning to the girl. "What's your mother's name?" He asked, though by his tone—Amelia felt like he already knew the answer.
She took a deep breath, wiping the sweat from her palms onto her jeans before answering.
"Addison," She said softly. "My mother's name is Addison Montgomery."