It was the last ski weekend of the year and they all gathered at the cabin.
"I'm a little nervous about Dan coming," Annie said as her and Teddy unpacked the groceries.
"It's fine," Teddy promised, "it's your turf."
"Is it okay that Faroke is back in the room with his parents. He has to hate that," Annie said, "it puts Dan in the loft. Are we doing what we did at New Years?"
"Check with nana but I think so," Teddy replied.
"Jenna's still getting used to the family weekends, " Annie said.
"She just needs to relax," Teddy said, "enjoy the down time while we ski. Nana and David have the babies."
"How are things going for them with Jenna's family," Teddy asked.
"Not great," Annie said, "religion is a big issue. Chris and Jenna are both totally over the whole religion thing. Dan is dropping it because Chris is happy."
"Dan is dropping the religion thing," Teddy looked shocked.
"He is," Annie replied, "it was never him that pushed it. The religious perfection was always Leslie. Josh and I are pretty casual about it. We go if it works, Ellie is read bible stories and will know the essentials but it's up to her if she wants it when she's older."
"Did you have a choice," Teddy asked.
"No," Annie replied, "it was too big of a deal to grandma, grandpa and Leslie. They had to have us as the perfect christian family. Obviously C and I don't fit that mold."
"You both went on to do what is right and help people," Teddy said, "you live it."
"Dan used to call it head vs heart," Annie said, "head say the right things and are nice to your face. Heart actually live it."
"I get that," Teddy said, "how are other things going?"
"What do you mean," Annie asked.
"Are you eating," Teddy inquired.
"It's getting a lot better," Annie said, "I'm still seeing the therapist every other week. Mama I'm working on it. We're starting to really get to the root of why. It's okay. I just can't be pressured about what I eat or how much. I'm working on listening to my body and what it needs."
"I was looking for a yes or no," Teddy replied.
"You usually want more," Annie said.
"Are you happy sweetheart," Teddy asked.
"Happier than I was in October," Annie said, "still working on a few things. Things are going really well with Dan. I'll never fully trust him the way I trust you and dad but it's getting better."
"Things with Josh," Teddy asked.
"We're good," Annie replied, "busy as always but we wouldn't know what to do with calm."
"We never get to know real calm," Teddy agreed.
"There's always something," Annie laughed, "I still prefer my home days with Ellie."
"She's a good baby," Teddy said.
"Hardly a baby now," Annie replied.
"She'll always be your baby," Teddy answered.
"A year ago we were up for the last ski trip and I spent it on the couch while nana knit," Annie smiled, "I thought I was massive."
"You were adorable," Teddy replied.
"I was so big by the end," Annie said.
"And you couldn't tell from the back," Teddy replied.
"It surprised people for sure," Annie agreed.
"Will you have another," Teddy asked.
"We've thought of one more," Annie said, "but Ellie is still nursing and I'm going until at least her birthday then we'll go from there. I want a year or two of my body being mine after that. Have two or three years to enjoy Ellie first. There's no rush. I'm only 30."
"You are," Teddy agreed, "just don't leave it too long."
"I won't leave it 25 years," Annie teased.
"That wasn't planned," Teddy said, "I really thought you were my one and only."
"I'd miss my baby siblings," Annie said, "and having you here."
"I probably would have stayed in Germany," Teddy said, "I was content and missed you like you won't believe but we had it figured out."
"I still don't know how you functioned being apart for so long," Annie said, "if that was Ellie I couldn't do it."
"Different time and different circumstances," Teddy said.
There was a knock at the door.
"Who knocks," Teddy asked.
"Dan I guess," Annie replied.
Owen opened the door, "hey Dan come in."
"Thanks," Dan replied, stomping the snow off his shoes.
"Where's your gear," Owen asked.
"Truck," Dan replied.
"Need a hand," Owen asked.
"It's one bag, a sleeping bag and my ski gear," Dan said.
"I'll unlock the shed for your skis," Owen said, "boots come in the house."
"Boots shouldn't be cold," Dan said.
"Annie taught us that," Owen replied, "she refused to let me put her boots in the shed."
"She shouldn't," Dan said ,"she has race boots."
"She got new ones the winter before Ellie," Owen said, "she was all excited it was the first time she had new skis and boots since high school. But she has both pairs of skis up here."
"She leaves them here," Dan asked.
"We all do," Owen said, "easier this way and we only ski here so it makes sense. We leave a lot of stuff up here things we only use here."
"What's the plan for the weekend," Dan asked.
"Swimming tonight after dinner," Owen said, "ski tomorrow, my mom, David and Jenna will watch the babies. Dinner and games usually tomorrow night and a relaxed snow day Sunday before we go home."
"Snow day," Dan asked.
"Teddy, Annie, Allison," Owen chuckled, "some genetic love of snow."
"Annie has always loved snow," Dan agreed.
"So does Teddy," Owen replied, "Allison does and Ellie is starting to. She loves her baby sled."
"Annie loved being taken for snow walks as a kid," Dan said, "she was my snow angel in the winter and my mermaid in the summer."
"She still walks the beach a lot with Ellie," Owen said, "they hike a lot with Ellie in the carrier."
"I did a lot with her in one on my back and Chris in the one in front," Dan said, "until she was about two and a half or three. Is there a good lake near here or Seattle?"
"What type of lake," Owen asked.
"Big enough for a boat ride," Dan said, "I have a 22 foot wakesurf boat. I want to bring all of you out on the boat. Get your kids tubing, see if Annie wants to try surfing again, she used to love it."
"Annie might," Owen said, "she needed a couple ski days after not skiing for a year but she's as fast and aggressive as ever. She loves to move, she still swims laps a couple days a week, goes to yoga and runs. We don't know where she gets her energy from."
"Neither did we," Dan said, "we used to think it was Teddy."
"Teddy is high energy and never stops," Owen said, "Allison is getting bouncier."
"There's a big unknown," Dan said, "we know nothing about Annie's bio father."
"We do," Owen said, "but that's for Annie to tell you if she ever wants to. Her sperm donor might not be around but she has two dads who chose her. Annie that's our choice."
Dan added his skis to the collection in the shed, he smiled seeing the old blue and white Atomic skis he had bought for Annie 15 years before and the black and gold K2 ones beside them. He knew the black and gold had to be Annie's; they were too long for the kids and too short for anyone else.
"How did you just accept Annie," Dan asked, "that summer in the hospital?"
"She's Annie," Owen said, "yes when I started to get to know her she was Teddy's daughter but the day she first scrubbed in with me she was a 19 year old kid. She looked like she was playing dress up in Teddy's cap. It was the first time I got her talking. About sea otters."
"Otters," Dan chuckled, "she used to love them."
"Still on her scrub cap," Owen said, "or starfish."
"Why on her scrub cap," Dan asked.
"Caps are personal," Owen said, "most tell something about the surgeon. Annie and Teddy both have an animal with meaning to them. Mine is a dark green camo, Josh has basketballs and soccer balls, Nathan's is just navy, Meghan has purple with daisies."
"Easy to figure out who is who," Dan said.
"It is," Owen said, "Annie is also one of the shorter surgeons so it helps."
"She was always the smallest one in her classes," Dan said, "her first day of preschool the other kids had almost a head on her. She wasn't even three yet. She might have been the smallest but she didn't let that stop her. She was the most active and the most talkative."
"Sounds like Annie," Owen agreed.
"Is she happy," Dan asked.
"Most of the time," Owen said, "she's strong."
After dinner everyone walked down to the pool.
"Terrorist," a boy screamed at Faroke.
"Curtis stop," Faroke said turning to walk away.
"Everything all right buddy," Owen asked.
"No," Faroke said, "Curtis keeps calling me a terrorist at school."
"He's wrong," Owen said, "and you know it."
"He wont leave me alone," Faroke said.
"Is that the kid you got in a fight with," Nathan asked.
"Yes dad," Faroke replied.
"Do you want me to talk to him," Nathan offered.
"No," Faroke said, "telling Mr. Jones only made it worse."
"We can't leave it," Nathan said.
"Dad, I'll work it out," Faroke said.
Curtis followed them, "get out of here. No one wants terrorist muslims like you here."
"Enough," Owen command.
"Who are you to tell my son what to do," Mr. Jackson asked.
Owen quickly sized up the other man and saw the military tattoos.
"Major Owen Hunt US Army Medical command and chief of trauma surgery at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital," Owen said, "Faroke is my Nephew."
"Dr Nathan Riggs," Nathan introduced, "deputy chief of cardiothoracic surgery at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Faroke is my son. Faroke go get your mother please, she's in the baby pool with Catrina, Annie and Ellie."
"Corporal Troy Jackson," Mr. Jackson replied, "my apologies Sir."
"You will keep your son away from my family," Owen commanded.
"I don't know what's going on with Curtis," Mr. Jackson said.
"He has been calling my son a terrorist for weeks and attacked a girl pulling off her hijab," Nathan said.
"He got into a fight with another kid this week," Mr. Jackson said.
"Faroke," Nathan replied, "he thought he was defending Batool."
"People like that are the reason you weren't there when I was a kid," Curtis snapped.
Meghan joined the conversation.
Nathan introduced her, "this is my wife lieutenant Meghan Hunt also medical command and deputy chief of surgery at Grey Sloan memorial."
"I've heard your story mam," Mr. Jackson said.
"I don't know what's going on with the boys," Meghan said, "but it needs to stop. I will not have Faroke treated that way."
"I didn't know until today," Mr. Jackson said.
"It needs to stop for Faroke and Batool," Meghan said, "they boys need to sit and talk it through."
"They do," Mr. Jackson said.
"We don't condone Faroke hitting first or using his fists and was grounded for a week for that," Meghan said.
"Meg's who has Catrina," Nathan asked.
"Josh and Annie have both babies," Meghan replied, "I would prefer not to do this in my bathing suit."
"So would I," Nathan replied.
"I will get to the bottom of why Curtis is acting this way," Mr Jackson said.
"I hope it's a misunderstanding," Meghan said, "I adopted Faroke when he was 4 and I was held captive. He is my son and an American Citizen. He has been with me since he was 3 and lived here for the last five years. Faroke's birth parents were fleeing the violence, they didn't want any fighting."
"I understand mam," Mr. Jackson said, "my apologies. I will discuss this with my son."
"We will continue the discussion with Faroke as well," Nathan assured, "about not using violence to solve problems."
"Thank you," Mr. Jackson said, "we're going to go. Enjoy your night."
Dan had observed the whole thing and walked up to Nathan, "that's not bullying and that's not being dealt with at the school. You need to meet with the principal and demand answers and action. That's a school culture issue that students think it's okay to say. I've done this for 45 years. I know schools and I know teenagers."
"Faroke admitted to hitting first," Nathan said.
"He seems like a good kid," Dan said, "honest, respectful, great with the little kids."
"He is," Nathan said, "he thought he was doing the right thing and protecting a girl. But he went about it wrong when he swung first."
"He shouldn't have swung," Dan said, "if it was my school both would have been working with me and my counselor to resolve the problem. What did the school do?"
"Both got a two day suspension," Nathan said.
"Doesn't solve the problem," Dan grumbelled, "neither learned anything. They need to sit down and discuss it and work out a solution. Restorative actions. Principal, counselor, youth care worker."
"He's usually a pretty passive kid," Nathan said.
"I have two of those," Dan said, "passive until you push them far enough then they will snap."
"I've seen it with Annie," Nathan said, "she has a line you don't cross. But you know when you're getting close."
"I'm still getting to know her again," Dan said, "and Chris."
"The four of them are a good team," Nathan said, "Annie and Jenna have been attached at the hip since they came as interns. The sunshine twins. Chris grounds them."
"I'm going to go swim with Ellie," Dan said.
Dan walked over to the baby pool.
"Does Ellie want to try the big pool with grandude," Dan asked.
"It might be a bit cold for her," Annie said.
"It's fine Annie," Dan said, "you were her age and we had you in Alouette lake which is way colder then the pool."
"Can we put her life jacket on first," Annie asked.
"You can," Dan agreed, he knew Annie was being over protective but this wasn't worth arguing about.
Josh picked Ellie up, "let's get your life jacket on Ellie Bug. Mommy is worried about you in the big pool."
"Hey, Annie said, "you agreed when we took her to the pool last week."
"To get you to chill," Josh said.
"She's not old enough for swimming lessons," Annie said.
"She can start baby ones in June," Josh said.
"Parent and tot," Annie replied, "we're already signed up. I'm looking forward to it. All the fun parent and tot classes start once she's 18 months. Rhythm and rhyme, story time at the library."
"You're going to do that," Dan asked as they walked into the big pool.
"As much as we can," Annie replied, "she needs those experiences."
"She does," Dan agreed, "have you thought of skiing?"
"Two and a half or three," Annie said, "see how her coordination is and when she's potty trained. I don't want to do that too late."
"You were two," Dan said, "Chris was two and a half."
"When she's ready," Annie said, "but she will ski."
"I'll help you teach her," Dan said.
"I'm actually looking forward to it," Annie said, "get the little harness and go to the baby slope with the magic carpet. Tomorrow Ellie gets to hang out with Nana and auntie Jenna."
"Is she okay," Dan asked.
"She is," Josh said, "Annie only lets Teddy, Meghan or nana babysit."
"When I move down I'd be happy to," Dan offered.
"In time," Annie said, "let her get a bit bigger."
"And me regain your trust," Dan said.
"Yes," Annie agreed.
Annie lowered Ellie into the water and the baby kicked her little legs. They let Ellie float on her back in her life jacket smiling as she waved her arms and kicked her feet.
The next morning the cabin was a whirl wind.
"Annie," Josh called, "what are you doing?"
"Feeding Ellie," Annie called.
"She had oatmeal and some eggs," Josh said through their door.
"And she wants this," Annie replied, "she was crying and pulling on my shirt. I'm better to do this before we go."
"Have you eaten," Josh asked.
"Not yet," Annie said, "I'm dressed, I can eat in the truck."
"What do you want," Josh asked.
"Toast," Annie said.
"With," Josh asked, "I'll have it ready for you."
"We have avocados," Annie said, "I brought 4 or 5."
"Just toast and avocado," Josh asked.
"Ya," Annie said, "leave a little of the avocado for Ellie she loves it."
"I know she does," Josh said, "the two of you."
"She's eating more real food," Annie said, "but let us finish and we'll be out for breakfast."
"Do you want coffee," Josh asked.
"Always," Annie replied, "my travel mug is by the sink I think."
In the kitchen Dan asked, "is Annie always the last up?"
"No," Josh said, "we've been up since 5:30. She's just feeding Ellie. She's ready to go and will eat in the truck."
"What does she want," Teddy asked.
"Just toast and avocado," Josh said, "her favourite breakfast."
"I have turkey bacon," Teddy said, "take her some."
"Teddy," Josh said in a warning tone.
"Just offering," Teddy said, "no pressure."
"Just reminding," Josh said.
"Take it if she eats it great if not it's not a problem," Teddy said.
Dan looked puzzled, he knew he had missed something. This was something major and about Annie's eating or health. He remembered her last year in BC how scarily thin she got but he hadn't known how to help. He wondered if that was still an issue.
In the truck on the way up the mountain Dan asked Chris, "is your sister really okay about eating?"
"You have no clue do you," Chris said, "how badly mom messed her up."
"What do you mean," Dan asked.
"Mom called her fat while she was pregnant and weeks after she had Ellie," Chris said, "Dad, mom always told Annie she was fat, Annie had to be the smallest person in the room."
"What happened," Dan asked.
"Annie has fought with an eating disorder since high school," Chris said.
"And it got bad after she went to the house," Dan asked.
"I don't know she shut me out," Chris said, "but she got really scary thin around her birthday."
"How did I not know," Dan asked.
"Because you let mom control what you knew," Chris said, "you knew what mom was doing to Annie. Why did you let that happen?"
"I honestly didn't know," Dan said, "your sister did a lot of damage but your mom allowed it. I saw though it last spring. When we were down with Jessica and I watched how Evelyn, Meghan and Teddy talked to all of you. They way they treated all of the kids. My side of the family didn't do that well with Annie either. When they call came down and mobbed her."
"She invited the aunts and female cousins to Jenna's shower," Chris said, "only Jenna doesn't know the plan."
"My mom," Dan asked.
"Of course Annie talks with grandmere almost daily," Chris said.
"She never says anything," Dan commented.
"Since Annie's 29th birthday," Chris said, "Ellie was the turning point. Annie needed a mom other than Teddy. Some one who knew her as a little girl so Annie let grandmere back in. The morning after Jessica's surgery they were at the house with us. Annie sat on the couch sobbing and grandmere just held her and rubbed her back like when we were kids. Annie is picky about who she lets in and get close."
"Will I ever be back in that circle," Dan asked.
"Dad they invited you this weekend," Chris said.
"Owen did, Dan replied.
"Owen would do the formal invitation but he wouldn't unless Annie wanted it," Chris said.
They reached the ski area and got lift tickets Dan was a bit confused about the six surgeons identifying themselves as doctors and giving their phone numbers to ski patrol. They always identified themselves so they could help out if needed. Dan was learning that being together as a family and helping others were really important. It wasn't too different from what he had intended for his kids. Work together, do what's right and help where you can.
"I haven't skied baker in 15 years," Dan said, "Annie do you want to lead?"
"Josh is better at it," Annie said, "we ski as a group for the most part. Ali and Leo are in lessons. It's better for everyone."
"Something groomed to warm up," Owen suggested.
"Sure," Annie replied, "high speed cruising?"
"That works," Josh agreed, being the only one on a snowboard he sometimes got frustrated by the love of moguls.
Annie was on the first chair left with Teddy.
"So far so good," Annie said.
"It's going better than I thought," Teddy agreed.
"Dan was thinking of driving back after skiing," Annie said, "he didn't want to push his luck."
"He's welcome to stay," Teddy replied.
"I told him that but I'm also okay with him going back to Cloverdale tonight," Annie replied, "I can't fully relax with him yet."
"I know," Teddy replied, "but it's better."
"I still can't tell if he's judging me or not," Annie said, "I don't know what to believe."
"I know sweetheart," Teddy answered, "it's a lot to work out."
"I don't even know what of my childhood was true anymore," Annie said, "how could he see what she was doing and go along with it?"
"I don't know that's what confuses me," Teddy agreed.
"Then to just snap out of it," Annie said, "and why for Ellie and not for me? Why couldn't Dan do it for me?"
"Last spring I had him agreeing to counselling for all of you," Teddy said, "himself, Jessica, Leslie. But Leslie wouldn't do it."
"Do you know why," Annie asked.
"I think she was embarrassed," Teddy said, "or knew that once you sat down like that her years of manipulation would come out."
"But why not for me," Annie asked.
"I can't answer that," Teddy said, "but he's here and he's trying."
"For how long," Annie asked.
"There's more to hold him here now," Teddy said, "Chris, Jenna, their little guy."
"We need to work more on her shower it's going to be big," Annie said.
"So Jenna gets a big one but you wouldn't let me host one," Teddy said.
"We had a wedding a year before," Annie argued, "Jenna hasn't had anything to celebrate her. It's her turn to be celebrated."
"Will you do a first birthday for Ellie," Teddy asked.
"Of course we are," Annie smiled, "just family and close friends at our house. Nothing extravagant. This is more for me anyway."
They reached the top of the chair lift and turned sharply into the first run of the day.