Just Family Chapter 11: My Father, My Hero, a grey's anatomy fanfic

Chapter 11: My Father, My Hero

When Oliver climbed up to the treehouse, he gasped loudly enough to wake Finley and Naomi. "You guys are sleeping together! You're not 'posed to do that. I'm telling." Oliver scurried down and ran to the house.

Finley rolled his eyes and grinned at Nai, "I guess we crashed. It's no big deal. He thinks 'sleeping together' means actually sleeping." Leaning over, Finley gave Nai a peck on the cheek.

Nai drew her shoulders in and pursed her lips, "I'm still kinda embarrassed. Are we going to be in trouble?"

Shrugging without worry, Finley assured her, "If they're mad, they probably won't say anything until after you leave. If they say something to your mom, just remember that Oliver doesn't know what he's saying. We didn't do anything wrong…just tell the truth."

Completely out of breath, Oliver burst through the front door and announced, "Mom! Dad! Finley and Naomi were sleeping together!"

Amelia looked up and moved her chin toward her shoulder as her eyebrows fell in confusion. Owen, now lying on the couch checking email on his phone, looked back over his shoulder and stated, "Excuse me?"

Still out of breath, Oliver sputtered out, "I…uh… I went to the… treehouse… and…"

"Wait. Oliver, take a couple deep breaths and settle down," Amelia prompted.

Owen mumbled softly, "He was just getting to the good part, Mia." Amelia offered a sly grin and a subtle shake of her head.

"Ok…ok," Oliver declared as he took audible deep breaths. He continued, "I got to the tree and their backpacks were on the ground. I yelled up for them to come to dinner, but nobody answered. So, then I climbed up and saw that they were asleep together. Finley had his arm around Nai and she was all curled up in her own blanket. They were sleeping together and that's not ok, is it?"

Chuckling, Owen responded, "Nai was wrapped in one blanket and Finley was wrapped in another separate one?"

"No, he was lying on top of a different blanket next to her. She was all wrapped up in her own blanket," Oliver clarified as if he was sharing crime scene details with a detective.

Amelia assured Oliver, "Thanks, Ollie. Dad and I have it from here. Go wash your hands and come back down to dinner." Oliver ran up the stairs as fast as he could. He was off to find Bronwyn before dinner and share the scandalous news. Few experiences were sweeter than telling one sibling about the other sibling getting in trouble.

Meanwhile, Finley and Nai came through the front door. He promised to walk in first and to do the talking. Nai's stomach was in knots both out of fear and embarrassment.

Amelia glanced up from slicing tomatoes and greeted, "Hey, guys." The twins were already in their highchairs eating Cheerios and babbling to one another.

"Hi," Finley responded as he walked up to his mom and uncharacteristically hugged her. He walked to the fridge and pulled out two Gatorades, then handed one to Nai.

"Hi," Nai said meekly with discomfort written all over her face as she awkwardly waved her hand close to her chest.

Gwen called out, "Nai! Nai!" Naomi walked over, thankful for the distraction, and said hello to the twins. Amelia, smiling, handed Nai two bowls and implied non-verbally that each twin needed one.

"Here, girls. Mmm…yummy, what are you having for dinner?" Nai asked the girls as she sat on the edge of Amelia's seat at the table.

Owen turned his head toward Finley, "Where have you two been?"

"Up at the tree house," Finley shared with utter nonchalance as he walked to his spot at the table.

"Hands, please," Amelia reminded. "Just use our bathroom – it'll be quicker."

"Right," Finley grinned. "Oh, hey, Dad. I'm supposed to give you this," Finley remembered as he dug through his backpack and found a sealed envelope from Mrs. Tonnington.

Owen glanced at the return address and wondered what the hell the Principal was mad about now. "Hmm… thanks, Fin."

Nai delayed in following Finley. When she did stand up, she leaned close to Owen, whispering, "It's good news. He won a big award at school today."

"What is it?" Amelia inquired as she carried the pizza and sliced tomatoes to the table.

"A sealed envelope from Tonnington. Nai says it's good news," Owen shrugged as he set it on the coffee table.

"Open it," Amelia urged with wide eyes and a smile full of anticipation.

"I will. After dinner. I'm hungry, let's eat," Owen stated as he began to stand up and make his way to the table with the help of his crutches. Amelia's mouth was agape as she returned to the kitchen to pour milk for the kids.

Oliver and Bronwyn came bumbling down the stairs and ran to their spots at the table. Owen raised his eyebrows seriously as they fell over each other trying to pull out their chairs. Clearing his throat was all it took for Owen to communicate that they needed to re-try their approach and come to the table calmly. Amelia observed as the two walked back to the stairs and re-attempted their approach. She yearned for that level of influence.

Finley and Nai returned and sat down at the table. Oliver looked at Finley and feebly tried not to laugh. Absolutely certain that Finley would be in big trouble, Oliver couldn't help but gloat. Bronwyn, having heard Oliver's big news, looked at Nai with skepticism as if she were saying, "And I thought I knew you…"

"Nai gets to pick the game tonight," Owen declared.

Not liking attention placed upon her, Nai sat back in her seat and responded, "Uhh… highs and lows?" It was the first conversation starter that came to mind, so she blurted it out.

"Do you want to start?" Amelia asked.

"Sure," Nai agreed. "My low was that it rained during break so we were all stuck inside. My high," she paused as she looked lovingly toward Finley, "was seeing Finley get a big award at school today."

"Really?" Amelia followed up. "Tell us about the award, Nai."

Finley tried to make light of his accomplishment as he shrugged and shared, "Everyone in the whole school wrote an essay. Mine won some state contest. It's nothing."

"Not just any contest," Nai nudged Finley's upper arm.

"Nai…stop it. I don't want it to be a big deal," Finley mumbled to his girlfriend.

"But it's super cool news," Nai retorted.

Owen interjected, "What's super cool?" Nai looked at Finley with a wifely glance that communicated, either you tell them, or I will.

"The President is going to be here on President's Day, and I have to read my essay at some event he'll be at," Finley shared before stuffing in a huge bite of pizza.

"What?!" Owen smiled. "Finley, that is a big deal. Congratulations."

"Wow!" Amelia mumbled as she swallowed a bite of pizza.

Finley wanted to turn the spotlight to someone else. Knowing Bronwyn would gladly speak about her day, Finley asked, "Bron – what's your high and low?"

"Ummm…my high was that me and Oliver and Daddy playeded hopspital and I got to be the Pretending Doctor and Daddy let me wear one of his real scrub hats. My low was that the gloves were way, way, way, way too big for my hands. Mama – you go next."

Amelia nodded, "Let's see...my high? I ate lunch with Uncle Derek and Auntie Mer. That was nice. I also had a really great surgery this afternoon that went very well. My low was getting stuck in traffic on the way home from work. Finley?"

Hoping he'd been counted as having gone since he spoke earlier, Finley sighed internally and offered, "My high was spending time with Nai after school. My low was…hmm…I don't think I really had a low today. Oliver?"

Puffing up and really wanting to say that his high was getting his brother in trouble, Oliver claimed, "My high was same as Bronwyn's. We had fun playing hospital with Dad and he taught me how to do some stitches. My low was having to do a bunch of homework when I got home. Dad?"

"Why did you have so much homework, Ollie?" Owen asked gently but firmly knowing that Oliver had probably goofed off and brought it on himself.

"Just that kind of day, I guess," Oliver shrugged with a grin.

As dinner concluded, Owen and Amelia made their way to the couch as the kids went about clearing and cleaning the table and kitchen. She was sorting through mail and he was about to open the Principal's letter. Amelia casually handed Owen some sort of official looking government envelope, "Here, this one's yours."

"Thanks," Owen grasped it and put it on his lap without looking at it. He opened Mrs. Tonnington's letter and read that Finley's essay was about his hero. He had won not only the school and area award, but also the statewide award. In addition to a scholarship that would be reserved for college, he was invited to read his essay at an event on President's Day. The contents of the envelope included the cover letter with basic information, a form to return confirming the family's attendance at the event, a basic background consent since the President would be in attendance, a sheet with directions to the event that would be held at McChord, and a copy of Finley's essay.

Owen thumbed through the papers, finally coming to the copy of the essay. He read the first paragraph and stopped. Handing the paper to Amelia, Owen choked up and suggested, "I don't think I can read this right now, but you might want to see it."

The essay began:

My Hero

by Finley Hunt

A hero is defined as "a person of character who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, displays courage or self-sacrifice." Most people deeply admire but never meet their hero. I am fortunate, because I know my hero well. My hero is my dad, Major Owen Hunt, M.D., U.S. Army.

Owen moved on to the envelope from the Army that Amelia had just handed him. After unfolding the letter, he squinted to read the small type. "Here," Amelia groaned as she handed Owen her drugstore reading glasses and reminded him, "You really need to get your eyes examined."

Shrugging, Owen put the glasses on and read. The letter was from Lieutenant General Rollins of the Pentagon. At first, Owen assumed the next paragraphs would be leaning on him to accept the job at the Pentagon that had been offered to him previously. He lightly perused the rest of the letter until he came to the part about being awarded a Purple Heart. Sitting up in his seat, Owen leaned toward the letter and learned that he, along with Risa (posthumously), would be awarded a Purple Heart by the President at McChord on President's Day. April was set to receive a civilian award at the event as well. The President wanted to focus upon the medics and medical personnel that often go unnoticed.

"Holy crap…" Owen muttered.

Amelia, teary, looked up from Finley's essay and asked, "What?"

"Check this out – guess I'll be at the President's Day event for sure. My presence is being commanded," Owen breathed out loudly as he handed Amelia the letter and rested his head on the back of the couch.

"Wow. Owen, I'm so proud. Proud of you both," Amelia proclaimed as he leaned over and hugged her husband. "And you really need to read this, but I'd suggest you go in the bedroom and read it alone."

Minutes later, Owen rested on his bed and read Finley's entire essay.

My Hero

by Finley Hunt

My dad fits the above definitions of a hero. After the bombing of the World Trade Center buildings, my dad enlisted in the Army to share his abilities as a trauma surgeon. He served in Iraq for five years. Even though he could have experienced safety and security by remaining a civilian, my dad courageously faced danger by offering medical care in the warring desert.

Being a hero, though, doesn't always mean serving in a war. Sometimes, it means dealing with the unexpected. Shortly after their wedding, my mom, Amelia, and my dad adopted three children: my three-year-old sister, my seven-year-old brother, and me. I was eleven and our biological mother, Kayla, had just died in a car accident. Our biological father, Blake, a firefighter, had died four years earlier in a building collapse. Since our parents were both gone, our new parents adopted us. We became a family.

Dad and our biological mom were cousins, and my siblings and I had grown up knowing Dad as Uncle Owen. Uncle Owen rushed to be with us and to take care of us when our biological mother died. Even though it was easy for us to tell that our new dad had never been a Dad before, my siblings and I knew for sure that he loved us and would always be our family.

Just a few months ago, my dad volunteered for another tour. Unexpectedly, he ended up in Sudan. He ran a clinic that helped soldiers and local residents with everything from immunizations to grenade wounds. He and his team saved hundreds of lives.

One day, their OR was attacked, and Dad was thrown to the ground. Even though one of the attackers had his foot on top of my dad's head, Dad ordered them to stop attacking one of his personnel. In retaliation, he was kicked violently, shot once in the abdomen and twice in the leg. When Dad came home, he had trouble moving and walking. Watching him go through the pain of physical therapy has made him my hero in a new way. He is determined to heal and to return to his work as a doctor.

In my opinion, being a hero means doing what needs to be done even if sacrifice is involved. My dad understands that in his family life, professional life, and military life. As a trauma surgeon at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in Seattle, my dad often works unusual and long hours to help people whose lives have been changed by a surprise accident, a diagnosis, or a death. As a soldier, doctor, and father, my dad is my hero.