Owen pulled a beer from the fridge, smiling as he read Amelia's text.

Me: one. Brain-sucking tumour: zero.

They were supposed to be having dinner but she'd been paged in at the last minute to consult on a pituitary tumor. He was disappointed but he'd seen her eyes light up during the call and he couldn't help but find her enthusiasm contagious. He admired her passion and sacrificing nights at home was unfortunately the nature of the beast in their line of work.

He felt a wave of pride roll through him as he responded, adding that she shouldn't work too late. Her talent defied the impossible but it didn't come without a cost and she had a bad habit of running herself into the ground. With a sigh he slipped the phone back into his pocket. He didn't know when worrying about her had become his new thing but he always felt better knowing she was up at the house and not at the hospital pulling who knows how many shifts.

A knock interrupted his aimless pacing and he frowned crossing the small space and sticking his head out into the fresh night air. Derek was perched awkwardly by one of the fold-up chairs and he stepped down raising an eyebrow. They hadn't spoken since he'd been caught semi-naked in the mans living room and he rolled his shoulders trying to ease the tension building.

Derek focused his attention, drawing in a deep breath, "can we talk?"

Owen nodded wishing he'd started on something a little stronger than lager as the neurosurgeon dropped down into the nearest chair.

"Do you want a drink?" He offered the unopened bottle and when Derek accepted he stepped back inside the caravan to retrieve another one for himself. When he reappeared the man was looking a little more relaxed and Owen settled in the chair beside him, throwing out the neck of his beer in a silent cheers. There was no point walking on eggshells. They both knew the reason behind the visit and he took a sip, reveling in the bitter aftertaste before diving in. "So, I'm guessing you want to talk about Amelia?"

"You know she doesn't drink right?" He confirmed the question, turning the bottle in his hand around to inspect the label, "I mean when she comes round you can't just offer her a beer."

"I realize that." Owen tilted his head taking another long swig. He'd learnt that about her when she'd turned up at his door with a bottle of sparkling water instead of wine and despite her insistence that she had no game, he was completely taken with the gesture. He didn't have a problem with it. In fact he respected her more for choosing not to drink and the question of supporting her wasn't even an issue. "Look, I know what you're think-"

"Did you know she was dead for three minutes?" Derek cut him off intrigued by the surprised look that flashed across his features. The reaction gave him his answer and he took a drink trying to shake the images from his memory. It wasn't something he enjoyed reliving but it was pertinent and he forced himself to push the words out, "she crashed my car because she was high and then overdosed on painkillers-"

"Okay stop." Owen lifted his hands defensively, not because he was judging but because of the way he was becoming privy to the information. He didn't want to hear about her past from Derek. If she decided to tell him then it would be because she wanted to not because her brother had decided to breach her privacy. "I know she's had problems, we all have problems... but you're not giving her enough credit or me for that matter."

"I just want what's best for her-" he leveled his gaze, refusing to back down, "and I think you do to which is why you need to listen to me. Amelia needs stability. Look how far she's come since moving to Seattle. She's been focused, driven and I don't want to see all that hard work get thrown aside... and I'm sure the hospital doesn't either, not after Herman's surgery put it back on the map."

Owen shifted uncomfortably, trying to work out if there was a threat buried in the comment. He was a board member but he wasn't a director and even though his opinion held weight, if it came down to politics he was at a severe disadvantage. "I would never do anything to jeopardize her career, you know that."

Derek recognized the note of warning and sat back trying to ease the tension. "I do. I know you would never intentionally hurt her or her career but she's under a lot of pressure right now. Everybody's waiting for her to do the next impossible surgery and you're a distraction. If it goes wrong, I don't know if she'd be able to handle it on top of everything else."

Owen swallowed roughly trying to stop the words from echoing in his head.

A distraction.

That's exactly what Amelia had called him just before Herman's surgery and his chest tightened at the realization that Derek could be right. He wanted to support her, watch her achieve and grow as a neurosurgeon but if he got in her way, if something happened and it derailed her career he'd never forgive himself.

"Stop pursing it." Derek could see the doubt surfacing and took the opportunity to state his opinion. His sister might get a little angry, shed a few tears but that was far better than the worst case scenarios he had been up all night imagining.

"Just like that?" Owen tested the possibility on his lips, not sure that he could do it. He was falling hard and the idea of giving her up drove his stomach into knots but the notion that he was being selfish twisted just as painfully.

Silence settled between them and Derek pushed down the voice that told him he was being an arrogant asshole. He didn't enjoy what he was doing but it needed to be done and if all he had to do was place the seeds of doubt then it was just another sign that their relationship wasn't worth it. "I don't want to be the person telling her what she can and can't do, I don't want to say that to either of you. We're friends. I hope we can continue to be friends but I'm her brother and as much as I hate doing it, as much as she hates me for doing it, sometimes she needs to be pushed away from things that are bad for her."

"Right..." he mumbled the response, losing himself in thought until the scraping of a chair told him Derek was leaving.

He didn't say anything. There was nothing left to say and he blindly reached for his phone as the man's footsteps disappeared into the darkness. He wanted to call her, reassure himself that they were doing the right thing but she was in the middle of an important procedure. If he interrupted her work then he'd be doing exactly what Derek was afraid of.

He sighed letting the phone drop to the table.

Once Derek returned to Washington he would have some breathing space and until then, a few days to clear his head mightn't be a bad thing.