Chapter 18: Adventures in Babysitting

Mid-April

"Let's get neuro down here now," Owen called out as he managed the incoming trauma. "Torres, what do you see?"

"I've got a fibula compound fracture. It's nasty but salvageable," Callie responded.

Alex rushed in, "You paged me?"

"Yeah, 16-year-old kid, skateboard accident. No helmet. Neuro's on the way," Owen reported as he glanced up. Returning his focus to the patient, he grumbled, "Get in there, Wilson – I need to see the area, there's too much blood." Attempting to pack the wound, Owen grabbed towels one after another.

"You need me?" Amelia asked as she stepped inside. Alex shared the basics as Amelia began checking pupils and reflexes. "Pupils are reactive. He needs a head CT before we do anything else. Bleeding under enough control for that, Hunt?"

"What?" Owen wondered aloud. He'd been focusing on his area of the patient so deeply that he hadn't heard Amelia's assessment.

"The bleeding, Owen. Is it under enough control for a head CT?" Amelia retorted.

Owen shook his head in response to Amelia's tone but then confirmed, "Yeah. Let's get the CT, then I'll meet you in the OR. Karev – take over here."

"You on it, Karev? Torres?" Amelia ordered as Karev, Torres and two nurses wheeled the patient toward the elevator. Amelia and Owen were left alone in the room.

As Owen ripped off his bloodied trauma gown, he grinned and offered, "Thanks for coming down so quickly."

"You're not going into that surgery, right?" Amelia asked with a leading tone.

"Yeah, I am," Owen insisted lightly. Confused, he added, "Why?"

"It's going to be extensive. You'll be on your feet too long. Karev can take it from here," Amelia explained.

Huffing with a hint of frustration, Owen smiled incredulously and stated, "Is that your job now, Mia? To keep track of how long your colleagues stand during surgeries? I'll be fine." He patted her shoulder and grinned.

As she left the room, she sighed and mumbled, "Don't come bitching to me tonight when your femur is furious and in pain."

Owen called out sweetly, "Don't worry. I won't." He rolled his eyes, both touched and tired of Amelia's tending.

A while later, Amelia entered the scrub area where Callie and Alex were already prepping.

Alex looked up and inquired, "How's the head CT?"

"Multiple bleeds. Some can wait but there are three that worry me. I'm trying to figure out which to attack first," Amelia explained as she began to scrub. "You're handling the abdominal injuries?"

"Umm… I was scrubbing in to assist. The kid is Hunt's patient," Alex shrugged.

Callie interjected, "Hunt can't stand that long, Karev. Can you take the lead?"

Stepping in with his scrub cap on, Owen began washing his hands, "How'd the CT come out?"

Catching eyes with Amelia, Callie explained, "It's going to be pretty extensive. You might want to sit this one out, Chief."

Rolling his eyes, Owen snapped, "I know what I can handle. Thanks, Torres."

Amelia entered the OR without a word, attempting to stay out of the debate. She could tell Owen was not going to listen to her anyway. Slicing into the teen's skull, Amelia immediately began working on the bleeds.

Torres and Karev entered the OR with Owen just behind them. After the nurse gowned and gloved them, Owen took the second position and told Alex, "It's a Peds case, Karev. Why don't you take the lead?" Alex shrugged and nodded as the two female surgeons glanced at one another. Owen might not have verbally admitted they were right, but at least he had been listening.

The four surgeons went about their extensive work quietly until Owen broke the silence. "I missed the results of the CT, Shepherd. What's before you?"

"He's got three significant bleeds. I'm slowing them all before repairing any. I need another set of hands in here, but Edwards and Derek haven't answered their pages," Amelia explained tersely.

"Can I help?" Owen offered.

"You're needed where you are. Thanks though," Amelia quipped a little too quickly. Owen stared at Amelia briefly before shifting his focus back to the surgical field.

"Hunt, let's attack that quadrant before moving on. Can you suction?" Karev asked somewhat uncomfortably.

"Sure," Owen complied. "Torres, how's it going for you?"

"His break is more extensive than I first thought. He's going to need a series of surgeries," Callie sighed.

"You paged?" Derek asked as he entered the OR.

"I need your hands in here pronto. I'm dealing with multiple bleeds," Amelia snapped.

Derek nodded, "I'll scrub in."

Owen glanced up at the monitors and mumbled, "Something's not right."

"Huh?" Alex asked, unable to understand Owen's words.

"Something's off," Owen said a bit louder. "What's going on?" He nodded toward the monitors.

"Maybe he's lost a lead," Callie explained.

Owen double checked all the leads on the boy's chest, "They're all in place. Are they all attached to the machine?" The nurse checked and confirmed that they were. "Amelia, take a look at his EEG."

"I'm a little busy at the moment, Dr. Hunt," Amelia responded respectfully but slowly.

"Derek!" Owen called when Derek entered the OR, "Will you review the read out before you begin? Something's not right."

"He's losing too much blood," Derek observed. "Torres, how's your injury? How controlled?"

"The bone's a mess but the bleeding is managed," Callie answered.

The monitors began sounding before Karev or Hunt could respond to Derek's question. "He's coding," Owen called out.

"Let me pack this first!" Amelia called out.

"Hunt, let Karev run it or I swear I'll drag you out of here by your right leg," Callie warned insistently. Owen put his hands up in front of his chest but said nothing.

"Clear!" Karev hollered. He shocked the boy three times before Amelia suggested, "Wait. Let's check pupils." She leaned down and exclaimed, "Dammit. Both blown. He's braindead. Thanks, everyone for your work. Is family here yet? What's his donor status?"

"I'll go check," Owen offered sadly as he headed toward the scrub area. Owen found the parents and took them aside to a private room to let them know their son had died. He explained the efforts that had been attempted to address their son's extensive injuries. Gently and with practiced finesse, Owen brought up the topic of organ donation. The family readily agreed. Owen looked compassionately at the parents and offered his deep condolences.

Owen returned to the OR to see Karev, Torres, and now Bailey standing by. The Shepherds no longer needed, had stepped out. "Let's proceed. Parents gave full consent. I'll call UNOS. Bailey, this is your show now."

"Hey…" Amelia began as she met Owen in the hallway. "Let's connect. I'll wait for you."

With a grimace, Owen responded, "I'm going to be awhile. Parents gave full consent. I'm calling UNOS right now."

"How can I help? Let me make some calls or start paperwork or whatever's on your list," Amelia insisted.

Owen blew a puff of air upward from his bottom lip, then nodded, "Thanks. Follow me."

The two worked together in complete synchronicity as the organ donation process unfolded. At one point, Owen hung up the phone and sighed heavily. He put his face in his hands and rubbed, eventually running his fingers through his hair. Amelia, on another line, reached out and put her hand on his knee.

When she completed her call, she asked gently, "What's up?"

"I don't know. It all just hit me. The kid's liver is headed to Boise for preemie triplets. Just kind of close to home, I guess. Are you holding up?" Owen wondered aloud.

Amelia smirked, "Yeah, I'm great. Why don't you take a break? When did you eat last?"

"Shouldn't I be asking my pregnant wife that question?" Owen chuckled as he leaned back in his chair.

"Well, if it'd make you feel any better, I can restate it. How about you take a break and go get your pregnant wife something to eat?" Amelia expressed with a sly grin.

Owen smiled as he beheld her presence. He stood up, kissed the top of her head, and said softly, "I'll be right back."

Down in the cafeteria, an attractive brunette in her early 30s approached Owen. "Excuse me, I'm sorry. Do you work here?"

Owen, hungry and starting to get crabby, felt like being snarky and responding, "What gave it away? The lab coat? Scrubs? ID badge?" Instead, he grinned and confirmed, "Yes, I do. Can I help you with something?"

The woman glanced at his hand and smiled. He was not wearing a ring because he'd taken it off before surgery. Her eyes moved to his lab coat, "Oh my, Chief of Surgery? I'm sure you have better things to do than answer my silly questions. Never mind."

"I've got a minute. How can I help?" Owen offered as he leaned against the wall by the soda machine.

The woman went on to describe her plight – one particular nurse caring to her sister was proving to be a challenge. As she spoke, she lightly stroked his arm or glanced again at his ringless finger. Owen wasn't sure if the woman was flirting with him or if he was reading too much into her actions. "I'm really not trying to complain," the woman assured him. "I'm not looking to get her in trouble – I'm just trying to figure out how I can help the nurse see how she's not helping my sister's attitude."

Owen grinned when she finished speaking, "I'd be happy to pass along your concerns."

Placing her hand softly on his shoulder, the woman looked deep into his eyes, "Oh, could you? Thank you so much, Dr…" She looked down at his jacket and grasped the left collar gently, "Dr. Hunt. Let me give you my cell number – that way you'll have it in case you need to reach me for anything."

Smirking uncomfortably, Owen nodded and took the card. "If you'll excuse me…I have a colleague waiting for me. I'll call up to your sister's floor in about an hour and see what I can do for her" The woman thanked him again and was on her way.

"Hey, who's that, Chief? An old flame? She had her hands all over you," Alex laughed and whistled. "Wow."

"You need something, Karev?" Owen looked at Alex with a hint of impatience.

"Nope. Just admiring the scenery," Alex grinned.

When Owen returned upstairs and reached Amelia, he set food before her. "They were out of Nutella with tomatoes, so I had to grab some stray pickles with barbeque sauce," he teased. "Here's a water, salad, and a roast beef sandwich."

"Actually, pickles with barbeque sauce sounds intriguing," Amelia commented with anticipation.

Owen opened his own sandwich and held a pickle in front of his wife, explaining with charm, "This is the best I can do."

Amelia leaned in and bit the pickle. After Owen dropped the rest of it in her mouth, she kissed his fingers and offered a sultry laugh. The couple ate and Amelia provided an update on the organ donation details.

"I think I'm going to go lie down for a catnap," Amelia declared before asking, "Care to join me? Full disclosure: I really mean a nap, though."

Owen grinned and accepted the invitation. "Actually, that sounds nice."

They walked to the on-call room hand in hand. After closing the door, Amelia snuggled onto a bed and suggested, "Come snuggle in close with me on this tiny bed."

Owen walked over and positioned himself so that his shoulders and head were against the wall. Then he gently moved Amelia, nudged her sideways, and brought her onto his chest. She nuzzled her face into Owen's chest with a happy sigh as his muscular arm drew her close.

Amelia shared some thoughts about Gwen's latest PT appointment and celebrated the progress they were beginning to see. That led to a shared conversation about Ella and her new tantrum stage. "We need to manage her insistent ways now before she turns into teenage me," Amelia warned.

Their conversation drifted all over the place as they discussed various topics related to home and the hospital. Then Owen said, "I have something weird to share with you."

"Cool," Amelia responded without moving. "I like weird."

"I'm not exactly sure, but I think a patient's mother might have flirted with me when I was working in the ER the other day. Then today in the cafeteria, this attractive…" he stopped himself before offering too much description, "woman asked me if I worked here. It was kind of obvious that I do, with a lab coat and scrubs… Anyway, she touched my name on my coat and kept brushing my arm and my shoulder as we talked about a problem her sister was having with one of the nurses. I swear she kept glancing at my ring finger. Then she gave me her number. I'm not so sure she gave it to me so I could keep her posted on her sister and the nurse."

Amelia cracked up laughing. "You hottie… you scored some digits. I'm impressed."

Blushing, Owen responded, "No… I wasn't boasting. It was… awkward. I didn't know what to say."

"Baby, you've got more game than I thought," Amelia teased as she tickled his side lightly.

"Stop," Owen chuckled. "Seriously. What should I have said?"

"Umm… and here's my card, just make sure to call when my wife's not around?" she laughed.

"I can't believe I told you," Owen commented flatly.

"Or, tell you what, my wife is about to have our sixth child. I'm going to have quite the dry spell after she gives birth. Can I give you a call in… oh, say… 10-12 weeks when I'm feeling lonely?" Amelia chortled.

Owen grinned and shook his head.

"How about…" Amelia shot out another suggestion, "You are so not pregnant, and I find that amazingly attractive. What do you say we meet up at my lake house and…"

"Tickling will now commence," Owen announced as he playfully ravaged Amelia. The two laughed and squirmed around with joy until they were both lying down on the narrow bed. Owen caressed her hair and looked in her eyes. Their lips met and they kissed before ending up in an embrace that they held as they napped.