Chapter 8: Weekend Getaway
So, honey now, take me into your loving arms.
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars.
Place your head on my beating heart.
Amelia rolled off of her naked husband and fell on the bed with an elated sigh. Her darling face was overtaken by an enormous smile. As he continued to lay on the bed, Owen's eyes were soft and relaxed as he returned her gaze with a dreamy smile. With a light tone, he whistled, "That…was amazing." In full agreement, Amelia chuckled deeply and raised her eyebrows playfully. Having to discover sexual positions that were possible with Owen's injured knee had added a whole new spice to their love life.
They had only been at the cabin for two hours, but the highest priority of the weekend was well underway. Agreed upon on the way out of town, the plan was to hole up in bed, to talk and reconnect, to eat out, and to have oodles of sex. They celebrated with a high five when they agreed upon the blueprint.
"Damn…" Owen grumbled with a light-hearted tone.
Amelia sat up in shock, worried something was seriously amiss. "What?" she inquired anxiously.
"I'm hungry," Owen grinned. "That means I have to get up and take a shower."
"You can throw on some clothes, can't you? We'll never see any of these people again," Amelia chuckled.
"You most certainly don't want to be anywhere near me as-is, Mia," Owen laughed. "You… uh… we… that was quite the workout."
When your legs don't work like they used to before,
and I can't sweep you off of your feet,
Will your mouth still remembers the taste of my love?
Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks?
Amelia flirted with a sly smile and agreed they should probably both take a shower. "It wouldn't hurt for me to shower. Should we save some water and hop in there together? I mean, just in terms of doing our part to save the environment."
Owen hummed and put forth, "I'll see you in there, pretty lady."
If a list were ever created that detailed how to physically and emotionally reconnect, a shared shower would be listed in the top options. Owen's strong and un-injured hands rubbed and massaged Amelia's back with deep squeezes. He worked his way up to her hair, running his fingers through it gently and kneading her scalp. She turned around and soaped up his chest and neck, laughing about whether or not his stubbly hair needed shampoo. Working her way below his torso, Amelia not only turned Owen on but also truly helped him since he was still unable to fully bend. From his feet, she worked her way up and slapped him playfully on the ass when she reached it.
"No fair!" Owen, sitting on a tall plastic stool, hollered with a laugh. "You know I can't stand up to retaliate."
Amelia bravely worked her way between his legs and whispered in a sultry tone, "Can you reach me here?" Owen leaned in, simultaneously kissing her and chuckling. His hand slid over her breasts before making their way downward. He teased her as he playfully squeezed her ass with both of his hands. The kissing and playing continued until they'd run out of hot water and discovered they were beginning to shiver under the cold water.
Your soul could never grow old, it's evergreen.
And, baby your smile's forever in my mind and memory
Later, they sat at a candlelit table with a plastic tablecloth in a little, family-owned Italian restaurant. Owen grabbed a crayon from the paper cup on the table and doodled on his paper placemat. He began the conversation – one of the many they would have over the next two days, "If you were to name the top five concerns since I've been home, what might they be?"
Amelia grinned and said in a lighthearted tone, "Why do I have to go first?"
"Because I broached the topic first?" Owen asked, hoping she'd proceed.
With a gentle smile, she grabbed a crayon and began to share her thoughts. Coloring gave her a reason not to look in his eyes as she spoke. "Five, huh? Well…definitely not sex," she started with a coy smile. Under the table, she rubbed her toes along his left calf. "Concerns, hmm? Learning to communicate and connect again…how to read each other, synergy. I don't know if that's one or two or four," she giggled lightly. "It's a start anyway."
"I think the biggest question for us is figuring out what it means to be family," Owen admitted as he looked up at Amelia with love and grasped her hand. "Everything seems to wind its way back to that. How do we parent together? Everything from clarity on rules, logistics, and routines. How do we balance our needs for solitude with family and couple time?"
"You know what I'd like, Owen? I'd like some kind of code word to communicate that the other one needs to take a deep breath and calm down," Amelia proposed. "Like when you snapped at Finley about holding Ella up in the air and everything snowballed into an argument."
"That's fair," Owen nodded. "What should the word or words be? Owen you're being an ass? Or did you have something else in mind?" he suggested with a cheerful and cooperative voice.
For the first time since they'd begun the conversation, Amelia looked up at her husband. She was grinning and trying not to laugh. "You're a smartass. That's one thing I truly love about you."
"How about a phrase the kids wouldn't find strange? You know, we could use it and nobody else would think it was out of context? Something like 'another way to see it,' 'you know, I've been thinking about this and…' or …"
"I need something easy and brief. My brain is full enough," Amelia admitted. "How about the word 'perhaps' followed by whatever makes the most sense at the time – then it's flexible depending on context. And that's not a word either of us really use."
"So, let's play this out. I'd snap at Fin and firmly order him to put the baby down and you'd say something like, "Perhaps you could hand me the baby, Finley" or "Perhaps we should start thinking about dinner" or whatever," Owen processed.
"It's just an idea. I think anything is going to be awkward at first," Amelia acknowledged.
"That could work. I like it because it doesn't sound like we're overruling the other," Owen pointed out.
"Well, Dr. Hunt…looks like we're able to figure this crap out after all," Amelia chuckled. "Can we use that as a codeword to call a temporary truce, too? You know, if we're starting to get into an intense debate and the other wants to step back for a minute."
Owen chuckled, "Basically, we'll use 'perhaps' any time we'd rather slap the other one upside the head?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Amelia guffawed.
I'm thinking about how people fall in love in mysterious ways,
maybe it's all part of a plan.
Well, I'll just keep on making the same mistakes,
hoping that you'll understand.
"Can I admit something?" Owen muttered as he resumed coloring and avoiding eye contact.
"Of course," Amelia responded with a curious expression.
As he held a purple crayon and drew back and forth repeatedly in one area, Owen sputtered with embarrassment, "I really hated hearing Avery call you Amy."
"Oh, Owen," Amelia responded with gentle compassion. "I would've never invited him to do so if I'd known. I'm sorry."
"I feel like an idiot that I have a problem with it, and I don't want him to know because I'd feel like even more of an idiot but think about the people given that honor. Derek, Addison, your dad, and me. Family," he highlighted.
"And Ryan. He did too," Amelia said softly.
"Yeah," Owen nodded with sympathetic eyes. "I know you and Jackson supported each other while April and I were gone. I'm guessing you had some deep and meaningful conversations. Still…he's not family. I dunno…I'm starting to feel pathetic."
"You consider it an honor to call me 'Amy,'?" Amelia grinned tenderly with the best coy, endearing and charming youngest child expression she had.
Maybe just the touch of your hand…
I fall in love with you every single day
Owen chuckled and looked at her with a wide smile, "Yes. Absolutely. The day my Mia told me I could call her Amy, I felt like I'd fully arrived." He blushed as he shuffled in his chair.
"But nobody else…nobody…calls me Mia," Amelia pointed out with affection just as the waiter brought their food. "I mean…Derek's kids call me Auntie Mia, but that's not Mia by itself."
Owen reached over, grasped Amy's hand and kissed it, then asserted, "I love you, Mia Shepherd-Hunt."
Amelia, with her free hand, fed him a bite of her ravioli as she mouthed, I love you, Owen Hunt.
Oh, baby, we found love right where we are
And we found love right where we are.
Later, after making love again, the couple rested in each other's arms. They began chatting about the kids – funny stories of hijinks during Owen's deployment, observations about Fin's quickly shifting emotional ups and downs, and Bronwyn's absolutely annoying baby talk. Whenever the couple stole away to be alone, conversations about the kids always slipped in.
"How are we going to handle another one, Owen?" Amelia asked with a tinge of trepidation. "This little guy – poor kid – is going to come along and have to find a place amidst the chaos."
"We'll do it the same way we made it through instant parenthood and high risk, preemie twins. We'll do it like we learned how to co-exist in an OR without throwing a scalpel at the other," Owen kidded. "Mia, we'll do it. And you know what? That little guy will quickly discover the benefits and wiles of his existence as a youngest child. He's going to be just fine."
"Wiles? Are you implying that we youngest children employ trickery and deceit?" she asked with widened eyes and an open mouth.
Owen shrugged and leaned over to kiss her, quickly changing the subject. "Names? Did you pick those out while I was gone?"
"No," Amelia shook her head. "I like the idea of using your name as a middle name. 'Something Owen Hunt.'"
Owen looked off into the distance, "The parts already determined sound fantastic – a name for a brilliant, charming, hard-working…"
"smart ass," Amelia interjected with a giggle.
"That's a given in this family, isn't it?" Owen retorted.
Amelia giggled and mentioned, "I'm 15 weeks along and entering into the stage where I'll just look fat. Maybe it's time to start sharing the news. Why don't we tell the kids tomorrow night at dinner?"
"Sounds good. Who's taking the lead? You or me?" Owen sought to clarify.
"You're the one who knocked me up, pal. How about if you fess up," she winked.
The weekend was energizing and fulfilling for both Owen and Amelia. While there would continue to be unexpected bumps in the road, their reconnection process was now well underway. Discussing parenting roles helped clarify expectations. Both promised they would resume their evening chats after dinner, although Amelia was a bit worried that Finley might feel displaced. Her idea was to try having the three of them chit chat after dinner and the try to connect as a couple at another time.
When my hair's all gone and my memory fades…
I know you will still love me the same
Owen's greatest fears were that his snappy mood was pretty much guaranteed to happen now and then and that he'd heard that the toughest time for re-adjustment was actually months after a soldier returns. For her part, Amelia's greatest fears were renegotiating roles and responsibilities both in the present as Owen healed and then again as he recovered. Both agreed wholeheartedly that communication was foundational. They committed to work hard at communicating with one another and to intentionally spending time together as an entire family.