Go Baby Grow

Chapter 31 – Nice to Have You Here

Tuesday, June 2nd

At 7:55am, twenty-year-old Rebecca Lurie parked in front of the lovely house and took a series of deep breaths. Glancing at the house number, she confirmed she was sitting in the correct driveway. Here we go… get out of the car, Becca. You can do this, she convinced herself.

She walked to the door and rang the bell. When Nolan answered, Rebecca inquired, "Mr. Tremblay Hunt?" Omigod, he's young, rich, and gorgeous, she noticed before correcting herself, and he's your boss, Becca!

"Miss Lurie," Nolan, dressed in Dockers, a button down and loafers, smiled widely as he extended his hand. "What a pleasure. Welcome to our home. Please, come in."

"Please, call me Becca… unless you'd prefer…," Rebecca mentioned as she stepped inside.

Interrupting, Nolan put her at ease, "Becca it is." He led her into the Living Room and invited her to have a seat. Setting her hands in her lap, she attempted to keep them still. Without appearing to check out the décor, she glanced subtly around the room.

Nolan sat down in a chair across from her and inhaled slowly while smiling professionally. He had already hired staff in his professional life, but hiring someone to virtually become part of his family was new territory. Lissa, feeling unable to leave her bed and face the day, sat in the bedroom nursing the babies. Her absence added to Nolan's hesitant feelings. "My wife isn't able to join us at the moment. May I offer you some coffee? Water?"

"No, thank you," Becca smiled awkwardly, worried about making her way through the interview.

Nodding, Nolan picked up the paperwork from the agency and reviewed it for the one hundredth time. "Your references are stellar, Becca."

"Thank you," she replied. "I've had the opportunity to assist a number of wonderful families."

Smirking, Nolan felt great compassion for the woman who was nearly his age. Although the power differential was wide, the age difference was negligible. "You've been a student at University of Washington for two years and have an impressive GPA," Nolan commented. "Why leave after two years?"

Becca hesitated before disclosing, "Sadly, even with financial aid, I'm unable to afford school."

Never in his life had Nolan been stopped from pursuing a goal due to finances. He flashed back briefly to his teen years, remembering Clarisse and Lissa's poverty. Responding from his heart, Nolan caught Becca's eyes and offered, "I'm sorry to hear that." He glanced down at the paperwork, taking time to consider his next question. "What have you been studying?"

"Elementary Education," Becca replied with enthusiasm.

"Your eyes lit up when you answered. Is teaching your long-term goal?" he inquired.

"I'd like to teach, or, maybe someday, continue my schooling and become a researcher in the field of child development," Becca detailed.

"As you interact with our toddler, Molly, please let us know anything you're able to figure out about her. Her behavior drives us into a state of confusion on a regular basis," Nolan joked.

Becca laughed and responded, "I look forward to meeting her, Mr. Tremblay Hunt."

"She's in the other room with my wife and our babies. I'm surprised she hasn't made her way out here yet," Nolan commented. "My understanding from the agency is that we'll spend the week working with one another and determining if we're all a good match. Lissa… umm… Mrs. Tremblay Hunt, will be here that entire time. I'll be here all day today. Wednesday through Friday, I'll be here as I'm able. My parents live next door and I'm the first of six. I'm sure many sets of curious eyes may stop by regardless of our request that they not do so."

"I'm the oldest of five, Sir," Becca smiled. "I understand large family dynamics. Everyone wants to protect one another but nobody wants the others to interfere."

Chuckling, Nolan agreed, "So true."

"Hi," Molly called out as she peeked through the Master Bedroom door.

"Hi," Becca beamed.

"Come here, Molly. Come meet… umm, how should the girls refer to you? Miss Lurie?" Nolan inquired as Molly ran to him at full speed and hid behind his chair.

"What would you and your wife prefer?" Becca inquired.

Shaking his head, deeply wishing Lissa was beside him, Nolan groaned, "I'm really not certain. I'll check with my wife."

"Hi," Molly giggled as she peeked from behind the chair and then hid.

"Hi, Molly," Becca echoed as she joined in the giggling.

Molly tentatively walked around the chair and found her daddy's hand placed lovingly on her back. "Shall we show Miss Becca our house, Molly?"

"I help," Molly insisted.

"Of course," Nolan chuckled as he scooped her up. "The main rooms are obviously in this space: kitchen, dining room, living room. We try to keep this area as tidy as possible. Follow me and I'll show you the girls' rooms." He guided Becca through the nursery and Molly's room before proceeding upstairs. "On this level, we have two bedrooms, a full bath, and this huge mystery space we haven't defined yet. We're able to offer housing as part of an employment arrangement."

Nolan set Molly down and she took Becca's hand. Imitating Nolan, she took her into each room. "What sort of information did the agency give you about us? Maybe I can fill in any blanks," he offered.

Coming into the open area, Becca stated, "Your names and address, your occupation and educational backgrounds, and a basic summary of the position. They also mentioned that you have three daughters, twin 3 month olds and a 15 month old."

"Did they refer to the babies as twins?" Nolan inquired curiously.

"They listed the girls by name," Becca explained, pulling a paper out of her pocket that listed: Molly, 15 mo, Emily, 3 mo, and Elizabeth, 3 mo.

Nolan read the paper and nodded, "Molly and Lizzy are adopted. They're biological sisters. Emily is our biological daughter. We usually don't point out the distinction, but it may be helpful information for you to know."

"Nole?" Lissa beckoned curiously.

"Upstairs, Blondie. Let me bring Becca down to meet you," Nolan replied.

Nolan was relieved to see Lissa dressed when he reached the Living Room. Although she didn't look her best, she had at least put some effort into her appearance and made her way out of bed. To Nolan, that was worth celebrating. Both babies were in swings and smiled when they spotted their daddy.

He introduced the two women and held the swings still for Molly because she wanted to kiss the babies. Then, Nolan made his way into the kitchen and brought both Becca and Lissa some water. He sat next to Lissa on the sofa as they faced Becca, who was now in the chair.

"What's your experience, Miss…" Lissa began as she searched Becca's resume. "Miss Lurie."

"I'm the oldest of five kids and halfway through an Elementary Education degree that has included quite a bit of classroom time," Becca began. "I also have the standard Red Cross certifications and a great deal of childcare experience with a number of families."

"Lovely," Lissa responded casually as she appeared to study the paperwork.

Sensing Lissa's indifference, Nolan eagerly pointed out, "Isn't that crazy, Liss? Becca's an oldest kid like me and studied Elementary Ed like you."

"Yeah… crazy," Lissa shrugged with disinterest. Looking at Becca, Lissa continued, "My husband has had an opportunity to show you our home and to speak with you. Do you have any questions for me?"

"I'm willing to cook, clean, run errands, care for children. I'm very flexible. Do you have certain tasks or priorities in mind for this position?" Becca asked.

With a slight scoff, Lissa admitted, "We used to have a fairly clear routine until mid-March when the babies were born. Everything's unraveled since then. We no longer know what the hell we're doing."

"I'm willing to figure out details as we go, Mrs. Tremblay Hunt," Becca assured her with a smile.

"You're welcome to dress casually most of the time. In fact, please do. Jeans, shorts, t-shirts… those are probably ideal around here. I'd prefer Molly call you Miss Becca, are you comfortable with that?" Lissa inquired.

"Certainly," Becca nodded. "How would you prefer I refer to you, Ma'am?"

"Mrs. Tremblay Hunt works," Lissa responded as if the answer was obvious.

Lissa turned to Nolan and questioned, "You told her about Molly and Lizzy? Karina? Yesterday?"

"Molly and Lizzy, yes. The rest no, but I can," Nolan mumbled back.

Standing up promptly, Lissa chose not to clarify her hopes. She suggested to Becca, "We're pretty backed up on laundry. Why don't I get you started on that?" As soon as the two women were out of range, Nolan fell back into the sofa and closed his eyes. The transition to having another adult in the house would take time.

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

Amelia had showered and dressed, but didn't think she should head next door so early. Sitting on the couch, she put her stethoscope in her ears and located the baby's heartbeat. The solid, steady whoosh relaxed her as she imagined holding the little baby. In her mind, she pictured a nondescript baby wrapped in a yellow blanket. It's large round eyes gazed up at she and Owen as she held their precious newborn child. Both Mommy and Daddy stared back with wonder as if this baby were their first.

As she imagined the family coming to meet the baby, a sense of completion filled Amelia's soul. This baby - this particular little human – would round out the Shepherd Hunt clan. In all likelihood, it would be spoiled. With three doting older sisters and an older brother all at home, the baby's experience of private time was slim. With his or her nieces next door, playmates would always be nearby.

Somehow, in a thoroughly unpredictable and surprising way, Amelia's sense of calling was shifting. Her breakthroughs, daring surgeries, and techniques now taught to neurosurgeon residents no longer fulfilled her. Rather than yearning to spend her time analyzing tumors and mapping out surgical plans, Amelia craved to be at the center of family frenzy, love, and relationship. Motherhood and accompanying her children and family through life was slowly becoming far more of a singular emphasis than she'd ever expected. As Nolan began his career and Ryder embarked on his adventures at the Naval Academy, their formerly career-focused mother was now entering her own new phase of life.

The first sounds of this new emphasis reverberated in her ears with a whoosh.

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

Three hours later, Owen came through the garage door and spotted his radiant wife blissfully napping on the sofa. He had been able to slip away for lunch and wanted to surprise her. Instead, seeing the sunshine peek through the leaves and dance on her face surprised him. The sight took his breath away.

"Mia…" Owen whispered tenderly in Amelia's ear after pulling the stethoscope off.

She smiled sleepily and inquired, "You're home. Did I nap the day away?"

"No," he chuckled as his eyes wrinkled in the corners. "It's lunch time. I even brought lunch: Chinese."

Leaning up to wrap her arms around Owen's neck, Amelia whispered, "You're good to me, Owen Hunt."

Completely breaking the rules, Owen brought the carton-filled bag over to the coffee table along with a couple forks and two large glasses of water. He opened a container and dug directly into it, filling a fork with noodles that he fed to his wife.

"If you spill, we are so busted," she teased.

He grinned, "I'll take my chances." Slipping off his tennis shoes and resting his feet on the table, Owen stretched out and requested a bite of Egg Foo Yung from Amelia's container. She held it above his open mouth and began to bring the food to his lips when it fell off the fork and landed beside the V neck of his scrubs. Leaning over, she slurped up the bite with a giggle, then fed him a fresh bite.

"If I saw the kids do something like that, I'd say it was disgusting. But, you, you're adorable," Owen flirted.

"If our children were eating off one another's chests, I'd find it more than disgusting," she laughed. "But with you… well, I could take off your scrub top and adorably eat my whole lunch."

With hysterical laughter, Owen swung his arm underneath and then around Amelia's back. He pulled her in close and kissed her. "You're my favorite reason to laugh, Mia," he shared softly, adding another kiss atop her nose.

The two continued to feed one another and somehow managed to avoid further spills. When a little sauce remained on a chin, the other cleaned it off with a laugh. Once lunch was over and the empty containers littered the coffee table, Owen slid behind Amelia and caressed her body. She placed her hand on top of his, letting him guide it as he moved.

"If we're going to proceed in this direction," Owen warned, "we need to proceed. I need to be back for an Attendings' Meeting at 1."

"Stay her and attend me," she quipped. "It will be a long, arduous, sweaty process." As they laughed together, Amelia's phone rang.

"C'mon! You're not at the hospital! You're not on call!" Owen protested with disbelief.

"Oh, I'm continuously on call. Did you forget about our offspring?" she grinned. She looked at the phone and answered it, "Hi, Nole."

"I thought you were stopping by today," Nolan responded. "I was starting to worry about you." Owen could hear Nolan's voice and began to cover Amelia with kisses from hip to ear.

"I'm still planning to stop by," Amelia promised. "Dad surprised me for lunch." She shot him a playful look of warning when he gently tickled her.

"Great! You should both stop by then! Come meet Becca," Nolan piped up enthusiastically.

"That's the nanny? How is she?" Amelia inquired.

"Fantastic. Really great," Nolan celebrated. "Come meet her, Mom."

Amelia frowned at Owen and he knew what she was about to say. She covered the mouthpiece to the phone and whispered, "We really should pop over there."

Rearranging himself and his scrubs, Owen sighed. He slid out from behind his wife and gathered the containers on the table as he grumbled, "Let's go."

After concluding her call, Amelia followed him into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "You're a really great guy, Owen," she praised.

"Someday," he declared as he rotated while remaining in her grip, "I'm stealing you away to a land where there are no pagers and no phones." He kissed her and then held out his hand with a grin, "Let's head over there."

A few minutes later, Amelia and Owen let themselves in. Lissa was napping, Lizzy was in a swing, and Emmy was in Becca's arms as Becca unloaded the dishwasher. Nolan was wrestling on the floor with Molly, and she was growling at him. Her latest joy was to growl.

"Look who's here, Growler," Nolan announced. "Go get Papa."

Owen knelt down and growled at Molly who immediately growled back. He tickled her then picked her up and brought her close for a kiss. Becca dried her hands on a dishtowel and headed into the Living Room.

"Mom… Dad… this is Becca Lurie. Becca, my parents, Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Hunt," Nolan introduced.

"Nice to meet you, Becca. Welcome to the chaos," Owen smirked as he shook her hand.

Molly patted Owen's chest and stated, "Papa."

"This is your Papa, Molly? You are such a lucky girl!" Becca enthusiastically replied.

"We're going to get along great," Owen laughed as he glanced at the nanny.

"And who is this?" Becca inquired as she motioned toward Amelia.

Molly attempted to lean down and Owen tried to assist her without knowing what she was trying to do. She patted Amelia's bump and then patted Amelia's chest, sharing, "Baby… Gamma."

"Grandma has a baby in her tummy. You love babies," Becca celebrated.

Not yet able to enunciate the full moniker, Molly pointed at Becca and told Amelia, "Miss-ecka."

"You know everyone's names today, Little Miss," Amelia winked as she grasped Molly's hand. Turning to Becca, Amelia joked, "I'm relieved to see this monkey hasn't caused you to run away yet."

"She's too adorable for that, Ma'am," Becca chuckled.

"May I?" Amelia asked as she motioned for Emmy.

"Of course," Becca readily agreed as she handed the baby to Amelia.

"Come sit down," Nolan urged. "We don't need to stand in the entry all day."

Owen, Amelia, and Nolan headed for the sofa while Becca slipped away quietly and returned to the kitchen. Nolan whispered as Molly attempted to climb onto his lap, "She's great."

"Where's Lissa?" Owen questioned.

With a frown, Nolan replied, "Napping."

Looking up from the baby in her arms, Amelia requested, "Do you mind if I go say hello to her?"

"Please do, Mom," Nolan agreed as he reached out for Emmy. "She'd love that."