Go Baby Grow

Chapter 9 – Truth Be Told

Monday, April 19th

Amelia, Owen, and Lucas made their way back to Owen's office after the ultrasound. Lucas walked between his parents, holding their hands. Every few steps, he'd run ahead and they'd pull him up. The trio was nothing but smiles and laughter.

"Always amazing… hearing that heartbeat, seeing that tiny baby," Owen mused with joy.

"And then…" Amelia joked, "They turn into teenagers."

"Ha!" Owen exclaimed. "Yes." Lucas was busy jumping and being flung. He didn't listen to his parents' conversation, but did enjoy the attention he received as hospital staff regarded him with endearing smiles.

"What happened with Olivia?" Amelia inquired.

Owen recounted the morning and Olivia's attitude. He tried his best to be even and objective as he spoke. Occasionally, his frustration bubbled up as he described her words. Ending with a melancholy tone, he shared Olivia's stinging words about only loving his children and how she left with words of hatred.

"Owen, I'm so sorry," Amelia empathized. "Olivia at 15 makes the boys and Lissa look like a day at the park."

"Maybe the zoo…" he joked, "but still."

Amelia's eyes drooped with sadness and concern. She gritted her teeth and widened her lips, commenting, "Those words at the end stung, I'm sure."

Trying to remain in a professional, non-emotional state, Owen pursed his lips and quickly stated, "Yeah."

"How should we handle this?" Amelia questioned as she once again raised Lucas into the air as he ran forward.

"I was hoping you might have some ideas," he sighed. "I'm behind the eight ball with paperwork today. I spent the morning thinking about what she said."

"Let me think about it. You stay here and work. I'll do the school run and head home," Amelia assured him.

As they stepped into Owen's office, Owen encouraged Lucas to gather his blazer and school items. As Luke filled his backpack, Amelia's phone buzzed and she answered the call.

"Dr. Shepherd," she began.

"Mom?" Ryder groaned, obviously not in top form.

"Hey, Ryder," Amelia responded with gentleness. Owen glanced up from his desk with curiosity.

Ryder continued, "It's probably just from running too hard, but I just puked like crazy."

"Oh, Baby Bear…" she cooed as Owen glanced to the side with mild dismay. He wondered when she'd stop calling their legal adult son a baby.

"I was in PE and they were setting up this worthless, stupid game. I asked Coach if I could run instead and he was cool with that. I was trying to improve my time and pushing hard. After running five miles, I lost it. Totally gross," he groaned.

"What can I do to help?" Amelia inquired. "Or did you just want to check in?"

"I was hoping I could leave my bike here and come home with the Littles. Can I crash at home until I feel better?" he hoped.

"Of course, Ry," she assured him. "I'm on my way there now." She said goodbye and hung up the call.

"What's going on?" Owen questioned.

"Sounds like he overdid it today. Ran 5 miles and lost his lunch," she commented with a sideways smile.

"Maybe he ran too far away from it," Lucas suggested innocently.

"Maybe, Monkey," Amelia smiled as she side hugged her youngest. Continuing with Owen, she added, "He's going to hang out at home until he feels better."

"Uh… ok," Owen sounded, not entirely pleased. "We haven't really discussed that topic thoroughly, Mia."

"Owen, this isn't that," she insisted. "He doesn't feel well. He'll be back at his place by tomorrow, I'm sure."

With a casual shrug, Owen acquiesced, "In that case, no problem."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'

Amelia arrived home with Anna, Ria, Lucas and Ryder. After the Littles changed out of their uniforms, Anna and Ria were put to work preparing a snack while Lucas rested on the couch. Ryder, whose room was still full of clothes and possessions, dragged himself upstairs, into the shower, and then to bed. Owen had forgotten to mention to his wife that Olivia had lost the opportunity to attend dance that afternoon, which left Olivia waiting outside her school.

As the Littles and Amelia ate a snack outside, Lucas shared his experience of seeing the ultrasound. The twins were intrigued and peppered him with questions. Feeling mature, Lucas managed to answer each inquiry with some degree of accuracy.

"Can we go to the next one, Mama?" Ria begged. "I want to see the baby."

"Me too," Anna piped up.

"I'll try to make that happen. If not the next appointment, how about the one after that?" she offered. The twins celebrated and began asking what the baby would look like and how he or she might be different from the baby Lucas described. Amelia outlined some of the developmental steps the baby would undergo, trying her best to recall her med school maternity rotation.

The day provided a warm spring breeze and Amelia had opened most of the upstairs windows when everyone changed into casual clothes. She heard the phone ring and was about to run inside when she heard Ryder answer it.

He stepped onto her bedroom balcony wearing only boxers and announced, "Hey, Mom, Olivia is beyond pissed and is waiting for a ride home. She tried Dad's cell and yours."

"She has dance rehearsal today," Amelia commented with confusion.

"I dunno," Ryder shrugged as his eyelids hung low and his pale face frowned. "She just bitched me out for something that's not my problem. I'm going back to bed."

Amelia left the Littles outside and went to retrieve her cell. When she picked it up, she saw a text from Owen that read, Damn. Forgot to tell you Livs coming right home from school. No dance bcs she was sassy. Headed into surgery. Sorry.

Pressing Olivia's contact info, Amelia called her daughter and received a crisp answer, "At least somebody is calling me back."

"Hello to you, too, Olivia," Amelia responded with a chipper tone.

"I've been forgotten. Again. Again. Did you catch that? This isn't the first time," Olivia complained. "And why is Ryder answering the home phone?"

"I'm on my way, Livs. Big mix up. I'm so sorry," Amelia apologized.

"Fine," Olivia sighed. "I'm out in front of the school. In the sun. Exposing myself to skin cancer."

Amelia chuckled as she ended the call. After a quick call to Lissa to see if the Littles could play in her yard for twenty minutes, Amelia headed to the Montessori school.

"It's about time," Olivia huffed as she opened the door to the SUV when Amelia arrived.

"Let's try that again," Amelia suggested.

Olivia settled into the passenger seat and snarled, "Thanks for picking me up an hour late, Mom."

That's a slight improvement, Amelia thought. Her text tone sounded and Amelia requested, "Livs – can you read that to me, please?"

"I guess," Olivia huffed. "It's from Ryder. Still puking," she read before adding commentary, "Disgusting. Like I need to know that." She resumed reading the text, "Can you grab some ginger ale and crackers? What's his deal? Are you his new personal assistant?"

"He's home sick, Livs," Amelia commented flatly. "We'll stop at the store. It's calling being a family."

"He doesn't even live with us anymore. Why is this our problem?" she sneered.

"Olivia Elise…" Amelia began as she raised her voice. Stopping herself, she thought, Don't lose it. That's what she wants. She wants a reaction. Changing her tone, Amelia continued sympathetically, "It sounds like you've had a bad day."

"Let's see, it began by being the only one ready on time, then being turned into a slave. Then Dad flipped out and ruled that I couldn't go to dance after Lucas kicked me. Not the other way around, Mother – that little monster kicked me and I got in trouble. Then I forgot about my math test and wasn't ready and sat in the sun for an hour while every damned freckle appeared and covered my skin. Yeah… bad day," Olivia summarized.

"That's a pity, Livs," Amelia commentated without engaging. "Dad's not going to be too thrilled to hear about that math test. Why wasn't it written in your planner?"

"Geesh! You two never cut me any slack. I'm not perfect like Nolan," Olivia yelled and reacted.

Calmly, Amelia responded, "I asked a question. What's the answer?"

"I guess I forgot to write it in my planner," she snarled. "It's called being human, Mom."

After stopping briefly at the store, Amelia dropped Olivia off at Nolan's to lead the Littles home. She pulled into the garage and stepped inside, just in time to hear Ryder throwing up.

She poured a small glass of ginger ale and grabbed a graham cracker before walking upstairs. She set them on Ryder's nightstand and collected a washcloth from the hall closet before knocking on the bathroom door and calling Ryder's name.

"You don't want to come in here, Mom," Ryder moaned. "I… uh…" He vomited again before finishing his sentence, "I didn't make it in time. Just leave me paper towels and spray and I'll clean it up."

"Oh, Baby Bear," Amelia sighed. "I can handle that."

"It's bad, Mom. I can't ask you to do that," he answered through the door.

"I'm not so sure you're sick from running, Ryder," she observed.

"Me either. I'll spare you the details, but I've progressed past post-running barfing," he shared as only Ryder could.

"Do you have a fever?"

"I have no flippin' idea," he responded before losing it again. "Isn't there some magic drug you can give me for this?"

"It depends on your symptoms, Bear," she responded. "Let me come in and take a look."

Olivia, stepping from the stairs into the hallway, bellowed, "Sickening. It STINKS up here."

"Olivia, your brother is sick. Calm down," Amelia advised. "And go get me paper towels and the spray bleach from the laundry room, please."

"Of course, Ma'am," Olivia quipped in a British accent as she curtseyed.

"What's with her?" Ryder inquired through the door. "What a brat."

"She's… she's 15," Amelia responded, unsure what else to say.

"I wasn't like that when I was 15," he replied.

"Ha! You were your own unique kind of challenging, Ryder Blake," Amelia joked.

Olivia returned to the hallway and threw the paper towels toward Amelia. "I'm not coming any closer to that germ-infested disease zone," she avowed.

"DON'T throw the bleach!" Amelia called out just before Olivia almost did exactly that. "Set it down and leave it right there. Oh… and head to your room."

"Why?" Olivia argued.

"Because you've been snarling and sneering at Dad and I all day. Go. Now," Amelia maintained.

Standing in the hallway, daring her mother to respond, Olivia placed her hands on her hips and stated plainly, "No."

"Olivia Elise. That wasn't a request. I was telling you to go," Amelia pointed out.

"Well, I'm not doing it," Olivia argued.

Ryder popped his pathetic, bed-head ridden head out the bathroom door and yelled, "Either go or I'll put you there. Stop mouthing off."

"Make me," Olivia challenged.

Ryder stood up and grabbed a towel to wipe off the sweat he was experiencing from his fever and chills, then stepped out the door. "You really want to test me?" he quizzed. Olivia ran to her room and slammed the door.

When Ryder turned around, Amelia was already in the bathroom cleaning up a hospital-worthy mess. "Mom, knock it off. Get outta here. I got this," Ryder contended.

"I'm a doctor, Ryder. It's just barf. No big deal," she insisted.

"You're pregnant and it's my barf. I want to clean it up," he prodded with a grin. "Do I need to threaten you too or are you going to listen to me?"

Amelia pulled off a pair of gloves and washed her hands. "There's ginger ale and crackers on your nightstand."

"I love you, Mama Bear. But I'm not gonna hug you," Ryder quipped. Amelia headed to her bed to take a brief catnap. She was peaceful and happy that her boy was home. The house wasn't the same without Ryder, and she missed his presence terribly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'

When Owen arrived home at 5:30, nearly two hours later, the Littles were at the table working on their homework. They each called out a greeting.

"Where's Mommy?" Owen inquired as he gazed at the spotless kitchen with no dinner in process.

"I dunno," Ria reported. "She went upstairs to help Ryder throw up and never came back down."

"Where's Olivia?" he asked, wondering if the Littles had been left to their own devices all afternoon.

Ria smirked and looked at the ceiling. With hesitation, she shared, "I'm pretty sure she's in her room. Mama tried to send her there and they argued, then Ryder yelled at her and I heard a door slam."

"At least he's being useful," Owen mumbled under his breath. "And you three have been down here alone?"

"Dad… we aren't babies," Anna informed him factually. "I told these two that since I was the oldest one down here, I was in charge. I'm happy to share that they've behaved well." Her mature recounting caused Owen to internally chuckle.

"Thank you, Annabelle. I'm proud of you for being so responsible. Ria and Lucas, great job listening to your sister," Owen praised. Little did he know that Anna had already mastered the art of bribery. A few minutes earlier, they had each finished a generous helping of ice cream.

Owen loosened his tie as he headed to his closet. Amelia was asleep on their bed snuggled under a blanket Evelyn had made for them. He stopped and smiled at the sight of his incredible wife. Proceeding to the closet, he threw on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Before worrying about shoes, his bare feet padded over to the bed. He slipped onto it and wrapped his arms around his wife. With his stubbly cheek rubbing against her smooth skin, Owen whispered, "I'm home, Mia."

Instead of speaking, she sighed happily and nuzzled into him. He ran his hands over her hair and gazed at her the way he had for over ten years. Her presence and beauty never became commonplace to him. After softly kissing her, he spoke softly, "Why don't you rest and I'll take the Littles to dinner?"

"That'd be great, Handsome," she responded gently without opening her eyes. "Livs is in her room. Ryder helped make that happen. He's either in the bathroom or in his room… poor baby is sicker than sick."

"Wasn't from a hard run, huh?" Owen questioned.

"Gastroenteritis," she diagnosed. "Or maybe food poisoning. Whatever it is, it's violent."

"Did you give him anything for it?" Owen checked.

"He might need some Levsin. I gave him a Zofran. He's still nauseous and vomiting, but not as often," she charted aloud. "Poor kid. Might want to check on him."

"DADDY!" Ria hollered at full volume from the main level.

"You rest. I've got all this," Owen encouraged as he stood up. He walked to the top of the stairs and called down, "What do you need, Victoria?"

"Lucas just threw up all over the dining room and Anna's mad at him and now he locked himself in the bathroom and won't let me help him," the informer of the family recounted.

Owen made his way to the bathroom by the kitchen and knocked on the locked door. "Luke, it's Dad."

Crying, Luke responded, "I got sick all over the place."

"It's ok, buddy. That happens," Owen assured him.

"Anna said I'm in trouble," he cried.

"Let me in, Luke. You're not in trouble," Owen promised.

"Daddy, how am I supposed to clean up this mess?!" Anna huffed.

"Leave it there, honey. Why don't you and Ree play in one of your rooms or watch some TV," Owen suggested.

"It's a school night," Ria pointed out.

"I know. Tonight, TV is ok anyway," Owen allowed.

Lucas unlocked the bathroom door, then sat in the corner crying. "I'm sorry," he apologized for the mess.

Not caring about germs, Owen wrapped his arms around Lucas and calmed him, "Buddy, don't worry. When you get sick, you can't always make it in time. How about if I run you a warm bath? You can clean up, put on PJs and rest?" Sniffling, Lucas nodded as he wiped his nose with his shirt. "Let's take off those clothes down here. You can wrap up in a towel while I clean up, then we'll make a bath."

"I don't want the girls to see me nakey," he whined.

"Buddy, they're in the other room. I promise they won't see you," Owen assured him. As Owen cleaned the bathroom, Lucas sat in the hallway wrapped in a beach towel. By the time Owen had completed the task, Lucas was asleep on the floor. His rosy cheeks gave away his health status. When Owen picked up the little boy, he could tell Lucas was feverish. Taking his temp after setting him in his bed, he discovered Lucas' temp was 101. Nothing too concerning, but something to watch, he thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~'

With the twins fed, Amelia resting, Ryder managing his own situation and Lucas asleep, Owen knocked on Olivia's door. With a snarl, she snapped, "What?!"

"Can I come in?" Owen requested.

"I guess," she harrumphed. When he stepped inside, she inquired with hostility, "What do you want?"

"Let's start with an apology," Owen stated plainly as he lowered his chin to his chest and looked directly at his daughter.

"For what?" Olivia snarled.

"Really, Olivia?" Owen responded as he stood and folded his arms.

With her lower lip jutted out slightly and her eyes fixated on the ceiling, she hesitantly and softly offered, "I'm sorry."

"For?" Owen pushed.

"I'm sorry for telling you I hate you and for arguing with you," Olivia offered, not meaning anything she said.

"Thank you," Owen nodded as he pulled her desk chair over and sat down. "Do you want to tell me what's really going on?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" she sneered.

"Olivia. You are not being yourself. I'm wondering what brought on all this anger. If you'd rather not tell me, that's fine. If you want to tell me, I'll listen," Owen promised.

With narrowed eyes, Olivia snapped, "You forgot me… again."

"I apologize deeply for that. I am very, very sorry," Owen offered. "No excuses… I really screwed up."

"Why don't I even matter to you?" she challenged.

"You do matter to me, Livs. You matter to me a great deal," Owen replied.

"I matter enough to you that you've forgotten me twice and that you expect me to be your junior wife if Mom isn't here," she commentated.

"I trust you enough to lend a hand when I can't do everything that needs to be done," Owen rephrased. "Do you remember when you were younger? Nolan helped, Ryder helped. It's part of the deal, Olivia. They didn't always like it either, but life is smoother when everyone pitches in."

"Whatever," Olivia huffed as she fell back onto her pillows and stared at the ceiling.

After a few minutes of uneasy silence, Owen summarized, "It sounds to me like you're feeling ignored and unappreciated."

"Do ya think?!" she sighed.

"How can I help remedy that?" he asked, wondering how everyone else in the house was doing and hoping Lucas was still asleep.

"Maybe you could actually teach me how to drive," she disclosed as tears fell.

Owen's heart sunk. He'd been promising Olivia he'd teach her to drive since her birthday in February. Any time an actual date made it onto the calendar, something always arose that caused the plans to be set aside. Life had been so chaotic that rescheduling their plans had slipped his mind.

"Can I give you a hug?" Owen asked.

"I don't want you to touch me," she cried, the little girl deep inside desperately wanting to sit in his lap while the rebellious teen tried mightily to hate him and his broken promises.

Saddened by the response, Owen tried not to take her comments personally. He knew she was a bundle of hurt, angst, and hormones.

"Can I apologize?" Owen inquired.

"Yes," she stated as she sniffled.

"Olivia, I have been unfocused and too busy and you've been impacted by that. I am very sorry," Owen tried.

"Whatever," she attempted to not care.

Owen grimaced and continued, "If you'll give me another chance, I'd like to take you out to the driveway in just a few minutes and we can at least start to learn before it gets dark. How's that sound?"

Rubbing her eyes and cheeks with her hands, Olivia grinned slightly. She tried not to be too enthusiastic about his offer. Her blue eyes meeting his, she nodded and stood up. Walking the few steps over to him, she wrapped her arms around him and whispered, "Thanks, Daddy."