Chapter 19: Ladies Man

Amelia was speaking with a patient's family in the main lobby as Owen stepped off the elevator and spotted her. They'd been called in the previous night when the ER was slammed with patients. After completing a six-hour surgery, Amelia was updating the family. "I anticipate that he'll make a full recovery," Amelia grinned. "He should be back in his room in about an hour. You're welcome to wait up there if you'd prefer."

"Oh, thank you, Dr. Shepherd-Hunt. Thank you so much," the wife of the patient exclaimed as she hugged Amelia. As Amelia was held in the embrace, she spotted Owen and motioned him over.

"This is Dr. Hunt. He initially treated your husband in the ER. His early interventions saved your husband's life," Amelia shared as she introduced Owen. The wife hugged him and thanked him, then returned to hug Amelia again.

The patient's sister-in-law glanced at Owen with a grin. She stood up and placed her hand on Owen's upper arm. Looking at him in the eye, the sister-in-law's sultry voice stated, "What would we have done without your help, doctor?"

Owen attempted to dismiss her praise, "I was just doing my job." He tried to catch Amelia's eye, but she was answering a question for another family member.

The sister-in-law glanced down at his ringless hand and offered a sly smile. "How long have you worked here?" she asked, attempting to make small talk.

"Let's see… about 10 years, I guess," Owen smirked. "You… uh… you live here in Seattle?"

"Yes, over in the Queen Anne neighborhood… all by myself," she emphasized.

Nodding, Owen responded, "Nice area. Very nice."

"I like it, and it's not far from here at all," she pointed out. Glancing down at his ringless finger again, she flirted as she inquired, "And you? Where do you live?"

"On Lake Washington," Owen grinned as his pager sounded. "Excuse me, I need to respond to this." He reached his hand out and shook the sister-in-law's hand. "Nice to have met you," he smirked awkwardly. Owen turned to Amelia and held up his pager, "Dr. Shepherd-Hunt?"

Amelia excused herself and followed Owen toward the ER, wondering aloud, "What's coming in?"

"Nothing," Owen smirked. "I just wanted to escape the flirty sister-in-law. The page was just a reminder about an upcoming meeting."

Amelia burst in laughter, "What the hell? You little flirt."

"I swear, I did nothing. She said she didn't know what they would have done without me, and then she started pawing me," Owen chuckled.

Amelia reached her hand in to her pocket and pulled out his ring. "Put this on, playboy." Earlier, he had asked Amelia to keep track of his ring as he headed into surgery.

With authentic relief, he put the ring on and sighed, "Thank you."

Laughing, Amelia shoved his shoulder and then wrapped her arm around his waist. "You're adorable. What is it lately that's bringing in the ladies? New cologne?"

"I don't know," Owen chortled with surprise and an uncomfortable smile. "I don't like it."

"C'mon," Amelia teased.

Owen raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes, "Really." He leaned over and kissed Amelia's forehead as he placed his hand on her bump. "I'm taken."

"You mean to tell me that when some hottie shows interest in you, you're not even a little flattered?" Amelia pushed.

"I already have a hottie that shows interest in me on a regular basis," Owen grinned as he put his hand on the small of her back and leaned down to kiss her.

Later in the day, as the family sat on the soccer field and watched Finley, Owen and Oliver took turns chasing Ella and prompting Gwen to walk as she held their hands.

Oliver reprimanded Ella when she threw a rock in the direction of the crowd, "Ella, throw rocks the other way, not toward people. You'll hurt someone." Ella narrowed her eyes and threw a rock at her brother. Oliver sighed and bent down in front of her like he'd seen his parents and Lynne model. "Ella…no. Don't throw rocks at people. That's not nice." She baby pushed him, not hurting him at all, but clearly expressing her authority. Oliver attempted to pick her up so he could carry her over to Amelia. The second he wrapped his arms around her, she turned into cooked spaghetti and wilted onto the ground. The fit and screaming began.

Recognizing their daughter's sound, Amelia and Owen both turned to see the situation. "I got it," Amelia stated.

Owen approached Amelia and handed Gwen to her, "No, I'll deal with it. You stay and kick back." Gwen, for her part, went along with the unexpected transition. She sat on Amelia's lap and began a game of peek-a-boo.

"What's up, Ollie?" Owen inquired as he ignored Ella's fit but stood near her.

"Dad, she threw rocks. I was nice how I said no. Then she threw a rock at me and pushed me before flipping out," Oliver explained. "She drives me nuts."

Owen smiled, "I know. I've got her from here, Oliver. Thanks for your help."

Oliver walked over and sat by Amelia so he could watch the game and vent to his mom about his experience. Meanwhile, Owen glanced down at Ella flatly. As he baby signed the motions, he uttered blankly, "Are you done?"

"Nooooo!" Ella screamed.

Owen watched the game from his current location and continued to ignore her snit. Within a few minutes of not receiving attention, Ella sat up and sniffled. Owen let her sit for a minute and then looked down seriously, "Done?" Ella nodded. She stood up and pulled on Owen's t-shirt, "Up."

"No, you walk," Owen insisted. She began to ramp up to a renewed fit and Owen flatly responded, "Ella Ray, we're not doing this. Hold my hand please."

Ella grudgingly held his hand as they walked over to Amelia and sat down near her on a blanket. "Sit down and let's watch Finley," Owen stated without affect.

"Nice work, handsome," Amelia praised as she patted his shoulder.

Owen glanced over his shoulder and smiled at his wife before returning his attention to the field. Bronwyn came bouncing back from the swings and wrapped her arms around Owen from behind.

"Daddy!" Bronwyn cooed.

Ella stood up and greeted, "Bonwyn!"

"I'm gonna sit with Daddy, Ella. I don't want to play right now." Bronwyn settled herself on Owen's left leg and put her arm on his back. Ella lay down and babbled. She was bored and wouldn't last much longer. She grabbed her shoes and rolled around on the blanket.

"Oh, hey, Mom," Oliver celebrated. "My new friend, Thomas, is over there. Can I say hi?"

Amelia glanced and made note of where Oliver was headed. She leaned to Owen and asked, "Doesn't that mom work at the hospital?"

"No idea," Owen answered while focusing on the game.

"Owen, I think she's new. We should go say hello," Amelia urged.

"Yeah, ok. Go ahead," her distracted husband muttered.

As Amelia began to stand up, Oliver was leading Dena and Thomas toward his family. Amelia walked toward them and introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Amelia, Oliver's mom. You look familiar…do you work at Grey-Sloan?"

Dena smiled widely, "I do. I just started there." Extending her hand, she continued, "I'm Dena. This is Thomas and my oldest, Bryce, is number 17."

"My son is out there too," Amelia indicated as she pointed to Finley. "I've already heard about Thomas at home. You just moved to Seattle, right?"

"About three weeks ago," Dena clarified. "The boys seem to be doing great. Do you just have the two plus the one on the way?"

Chuckling as she patted her bump, Amelia offered, "Uh…no. My husband and I have six, including this one. How about you?"

"Just the two, plus me. Just the three of us," Dena offered.

"C'mon over and join us," Amelia invited. "Owen?" Amelia stated as she reached her chair.

Owen glanced up and saw Amelia with another mom. He grabbed Gwen before standing up and turning around as he extended his hand, "Hi. I'm Owen."

Looking a little uncomfortable, Dena shifted her weight and lowered her chin, "Owen Hunt, right? Dr. Hunt?"

Smirking, Owen confirmed, "Yep. Here, I'm just Owen. I'm sorry, excuse me. Do we…uh… know each other professionally?"

"I just started working at Grey-Sloan. I recognize your face… you know, from the wall where all the pictures of the Chiefs are displayed?" Dena explained.

Owen blinked shyly then inquired, "So…how do you like Grey-Sloan?"

"It's been nice. Everyone has been welcoming and helpful. It seems like a great place to be," Dena offered.

"Remind me which department you're in…" Owen requested.

"I'm roving for now," Dena shared.

"Are you hoping for a position in a particular department?" Owen asked.

Dena smiled, "Actually, most of my experience is as a scrub nurse. I enjoy the OR."

Owen smiled. "Let's talk next time I'm there. I'll see if I can help. I'll be in during the day on Monday and Tuesday."

"Thanks," Dena grinned. "I really appreciate it."

After dinner, Amelia teased Owen, "I figured it out. You know why the ladies are chasing you, right?"

"No, I don't," Owen chuckled.

"They like you because you're nice," Amelia explained. "Like today at the field. Dena didn't flirt with you, but you were so thoughtful to encourage her to chat with you about an OR position."

Owen laughed softly, "Isn't that just being a gentleman? Or a nice guy?"

"Not every guy thinks about that," Amelia smiled as she swallowed a big drink of water with a shrug.

Chuckling, Owen inquired, "Should I stop being so nice