Chapter 17: Hello Seattle
Summary: After Charlotte learns about Amelia's secret, Amelia and Arizona have a moment that probably shouldn't have happened, and the Shepherds are gonna Shepherd in true fashion.
"Are you alright?" Charlotte asked, all accusations and anger gone now. Amelia and her feelings were the only things that mattered at the moment.
"I'm fine. Just…fat," Amelia chuckled, relieved the accusations were over.
"You're not fat; you're pregnant. And you're barely even showin','' Charlotte pointed out. Amelia gave her a small smile back.
"Yeah, well, I feel like I am. I know I'm about to be at least," Amelia sat down on the bed.
"Well, maybe you're gonna be one of those skinny girls that just expand in the middle," Charlotte joked as she sat beside her. Amelia laughed. Charlotte had a way of cheering her up.
"Now, come on. Finish gettin' dressed so we can get goin'," Charlotte said, standing up from the bed and holding out a hand to help Amelia up.
"Could you maybe not tell people? Especially my brother? I'm not ready yet," Amelia pleaded. Charlotte nodded in understanding.
"Addison knows, so you don't have to worry about her," Amelia added.
"You don't have to worry about me either," Charlotte insisted.
"Your secret's safe with me," Charlotte added.
Amelia nodded, thankful her friend would keep her secret, as she finished getting dressed. She still felt self-conscious, but she now felt better about the entire thing.
"There, look at 'ya. You look ready to knock 'em dead," Charlotte smiled, making Amelia blush.
"Let's go," Amelia said, looking at herself one more time in the mirror.
Amelia was unsurprised to see Olivia asleep in her car seat when they arrived back. Hopefully, she'd be awake by the time they got to the hospital and spotted Derek.
"All good?" Mark asked, looking between the two.
"Yup, all good," Amelia confirmed
"What took so long?" Mark asked.
"I had to dress up to impress one of your baby mamas if I'm gonna win her back," Amelia smirked.
"You know she's taken, right?" Mark asked.
"That didn't stop you from getting her girlfriend pregnant," Amelia fired right back.
"They were broken up," Mark pointed out.
"Condoms exist, bro," Amelia argued.
"When's the last time you used a condom?" Mark bit back.
"Last time I had sex? I don't need an STD. Thanks," Amelia joked. She guessed the condom broke or something had failed, but she wasn't about to tell him that.
"Hey! I've been clean," Mark protested, only making Amelia laugh harder.
"You guys realize there's an impressionable nine-year-old and six-year-old in the car?" Cooper pointed out.
"One's napping. She sleeps like the dead. And Mason's probably heard it all before; he does go to public school," Amelia shrugged.
"Alright, knock it off, you two," Charlotte said, rolling her eyes. She hadn't realized just how much Amelia reverted to a teenager around certain people.
"We going to the hospital now?" Cooper asked.
"Well, unless there's something else you'd like first," Mark raised an eyebrow suggestively toward Charlotte.
Charlotte rolled her eyes once again, unbothered. She knew he was just looking for a reaction and she wouldn't give it.
They rode in Mark's car, looking out the window as Erica and Mason marveled at the sights. Cooper promised they'd show Mason around at some point while they were here. When they figured out what was going on.
When they arrived at the hospital, Olivia was still asleep in her booster seat, but Mason was eager to get out of the car. He knew that they were there to help his mom get better, so the sooner they found Amelia's brother, the better.
"You guys go ahead. I'll stay with Liv until she wakes up from her nap," Mark informed them. Thankfully, despite Mason's eagerness, they all avoided a huge racket of noise getting out of the van, so they wouldn't wake the sleeping girl.
Amelia led the crew through the hospital, looking for Derek. She was thankful that enough people knew her so she could bypass security.
"Amelia?" Arizona spotted them first.
"Ari!" Amelia grinned, turning her flirting face on.
"What are you doing here? Derek didn't tell us you were coming," Arizona stated.
"It was pretty last minute. Plus, if he told you earlier, I wouldn't get to surprise you like this," Amelia teased.
"Is Liv here?" Arizona asked, looking around.
"Oh, wait, she probably has school, doesn't she? Addison doesn't seem like the type to let her miss school," Arizona rationalized.
"She's here. Mark has her in the car 'cause she was napping. He'll bring her in later. She'd probably murder me in my sleep if I didn't bring her," Amelia informed her.
"He's good with the kids. Not that he'd ever admit it," Arizona said.
"Yeah, well, he still thinks he's a big ol' macho man," Amelia teased.
"Anyway, do you know where my brother is? I need to go bother him. And please do not say an on-call room," Amelia shivered at the thought.
Arizona chuckled.
"I think he just got out of surgery. Your presence will probably bother him enough, so why don't I take your guests to his office to wait? You can go find him in the meantime," Arizona offered.
"Sounds like a plan. Can you text your baby daddy and let him know? Liv shouldn't sleep for that much longer," Amelia asked.
"Sure," Arizona said, pulling her phone out of her pocket as she guided everyone else toward Derek's office.
"Thanks, Ari!" Amelia called off, running off to go find her brother.
Arizona chuckled, leading the four toward Derek's office.
"I'm Dr. Arizona Robbins, by the way. Pediatrics surgeon. If you guys need anything, just page me," Arizona said.
"Why'd Amelia just dump us on you?" Cooper asked bluntly, without thinking.
"I mean, surely you have better things to do," Cooper added, trying to smooth things over, realizing his mistake.
"I do, but Amelia is an old friend, and friends help each other out," Arizona gave him a bright smile, not at all bothered by him. She'd dealt with plenty of people like Cooper before.
Cooper looked at her dubiously.
"She flirted with you. That was her flirty face. I've seen it before," Cooper said.
"I don't mind, it's harmless with Amelia. My wife doesn't mind because it doesn't happen every day. Any other questions?" Arizona asked the group.
"Is Amelia's brother as good as they say?" Charlotte asked, wondering if he was truly that good or if Mark, Amelia, and Addison blew smoke up his ass.
"He is. He's one of the best. Whatever you need, you're in good hands. Especially if Amelia brought you here. She wouldn't come for just anyone," Arizona hoped she soothed their fears. She was great with kids, but not so much with parents.
With no other questions, Arizona relaxed back against the wall, scrolling her phone while quietly listening to the other adults. This was always how she got things out of parents when they wouldn't be upfront with the information she needed for the kids in her care.
"You know it's wrong of Amelia to flirt with her when Amelia doesn't play for her team," Cooper commented quietly, thinking Charlotte would back him up. But she just glared back at him, as if silently telling him to shut up.
"Oh, yes she does," Arizona couldn't help but comment, her eyes still looking at her phone. Cooper looked at Charlotte like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Mainly, though, he wanted to see if she, too, would be as surprised as he was.
"Would you relax?" Charlotte scolded him. She knew. And he was surprised and maybe a little insulted that she didn't tell him. But with Charlotte already scolding him, Cooper stayed quiet. He didn't need the two of them to fight right now, especially not in front of Mason.
Erica had to admit that was kind of funny. Even she could pick up vibes from the brunette doctor. She was far too free-spirited to be confined to one gender, but she knew Cooper was kind of an idiot.
"Hey, did I miss anything?" Mark asked quietly, walking over with Olivia still asleep in his arms.
"Just Amelia's friend thinking she's somehow taking advantage of me," Arizona commented with a laugh. Her eyes melted at Olivia asleep in her uncle's arms.
"Doesn't everyone know she doesn't pick sides?" Mark asked, confused. He'd known since she was 14 when he caught her kissing a girl after school when he picked her up once.
"I guess not. Gaydar doesn't lie though," Arizona said.
"Yours is pretty spot on," Mark agreed.
Cooper was even more confused now. Did Mark mean Amelia wasn't gay? What exactly did he mean by that?
"I'm back," Amelia said in a sing-song voice with an annoyed-looking Derek trailing behind her.
Arizona pocketed her phone with a smirk, walking up to Amelia and pulling her in for a kiss. Shocked, Amelia didn't pull away. In fact, she deepened the kiss. It'd been a while since she'd kissed Arizona. They'd been friends off and on during residency, but they'd cooled off when Arizona applied for fellowships and eventually moved to Seattle.
Eventually, Derek made a disapproving noise, causing them to break away. Mark lowly whistled at the two.
"Get a room!" Mark called out quietly, still very aware of the sleeping little girl in his arms.
"You wish, Sloan," Amelia smirked, still trying to recover from the unexpected make-out session. That definitely did something to her hormones.
"I'll text you later, Amelia. Let me know if you're sticking around for a few days. We should catch up!" Arizona called out casually, wheeling off and leaving the small group alone.
Amelia's face only got brighter seeing her brother's disapproving look.
"Cheer up, big bro. I brought you a present all the way from Los Angeles. Well, two actually," Amelia corrected herself.
Derek's face instantly softened upon seeing his little girl in Mark's arms. Mark then willingly transferred her over.
"She's been out for about an hour. She should be awake soon," Mark informed him.
Derek rocked a still-sleeping Olivia in his arms until, finally, he saw her move to rub the sleep from her eyes. When her eyes opened, they widened as her entire face lit up.
"Daddy!" Olivia exclaimed. Derek chuckled, pulling her in closer to his chest.
"What'd I tell you, kid?" Amelia joked, lightly stroking her hair from the back.
She snuggled into her daddy's arms as everyone watched, giving the two a moment to catch up.
"So, you brought me a tumor," Derek said. This was usually his sister's sense of humor.
"Derek, this is Erica. Erica, my brother, Derek," Amelia said, introducing the two.
"Did my sister put you guys up to this?" Derek asked them.
"You think I'd come all the way out here for nothing?" Erica asked bluntly.
"Erica's got a massive gliosarcoma. Think you can resect it?" Charlotte asked, looking over at the older Shepherd. Derek glared at Amelia; did she really drag these people out here for what probably was an inoperable tumor?
"Just hear me out. I have an idea, but I can't do it alone," Amelia prefaced.
"Yeah, Addison told me. Whatever it is sounds crazy. 90 seconds, Amelia? Really?" Derek asked.
Amelia explained the research she'd done on gliosarcomas and the experimental procedure she read up on from New Zealand. Derek listened intently and nodded along. This idea was a little crazy, but it sounded like it could work.
"So?" Amelia asked after laying out her argument.
"It's gonna be a close one," Derek said honestly.
"But…?" Amelia asked, knowing it was likely he'd give in.
"But I think it's worth a try," Derek said. Before he even finished the sentence, Amelia hugged him, relieved. Olivia was just glad to be part of the unexpected hug, as Derek was still holding the little girl.
"Are you gonna surgeon on Miss Erica, Lia?" Oliva asked, making sure she heard right. It was a lot of grown-up words she didn't understand, but she wanted to know what was going on.
"Yeah, baby, that's what we're gonna do," Amelia confirmed. Olivia nodded, snuggling her daddy, not ready to be put down. It'd been a few weeks since she saw him last. Longer than normal, she thought.
"So, that's Olivia's dad," Coop commented quietly, watching the two interact. He'd never met the man before, so he was mostly just talking to himself.
He stood a few steps away, watching Amelia interact with her brother and niece. He could see Olivia really loved her dad by the way she tightened her grip in his arms every time he moved, unwilling to be put down yet.
As Amelia caught Derek up on the case and introduced him to everyone, he paged Lexie, who showed up to guide Erica to get her scans. Cooper, Charlotte, and Mason stayed back and decided they'd walk around a bit. Erica and Cooper were firmly in the camp of not overexposing Mason to his mom's medical needs. Charlotte disagreed to an extent, but it wasn't her place, so she just went with it. They agreed to keep an eye on Olivia until the siblings finished with Erica. Amelia had assured Derek that they were fine with her.
Olivia got excited and wanted to find her Uncle Richard, so off they went. She couldn't find him in his office, which disappointed her, but they continued until they found him near the surgical board.
"Uncle Richard!" Olivia yelled, running to him.
"Olivia, get back here!" Cooper called, trying to chase after the young girl. He knew Addison would surely kill him if he injured or lost her daughter.
Olivia had ignored him. She knew she wasn't supposed to run in a hospital but she saw Uncle Richard. He was in charge, in her mind, afterall. Even though in reality he had stopped being the chief years ago.
"Well, this is a nice surprise. Your dad didn't say you were coming. Is your mom here?" Richard asked. Olivia shook her head, wrapping her arms around his neck once he picked her up.
"Olivia," Cooper panted, catching up with her, who was now safely in the arms of the older gentleman.
"You're not supposed to run off," Cooper said, making sure she heard him.
"I'm sorry, but It's Uncle Richard! I wanted to make sure he didn't go into surgery before he saw me!" Olivia exclaimed.
"Liv, did you run off on your babysitter?" Richard asked, giving her a pointed look, which she ducked her head at.
"This is Uncle Richard. He used to teach Mommy and Daddy when they were baby doctors," Olivia Informed the group, changing the subject, knowing Uncle Richard wouldn't tell on him.
"Then he moved here, and he asked Daddy to come here. And then Mommy and I came here. Then, Mommy went to California 'cause she hates the rain, and now we know you!" Olivia explained as if they needed to know everything.
"Well, that is true," Richard agreed with the girl.
"Hey, do you want to draw on the whiteboard? I think it's been a little empty without your drawings," Richard asked. He knew she loved doing it, and it kept her distracted since he assumed her father was working.
"What about you, son?" Richard asked Mason, handing him some dry-erase markers.
"Sure," Mason shrugged. He was a little old for doodling, but he could use the distraction. Plus, he saw Olivia's eyes widen excitedly when Richard suggested he join her.
"What's that?" Oliva asked as Mason finished up his drawing on the other side of the board.
"A robot," Mason said simply. Olivia walked over to get a closer look.
"Cool," Olivia marveled at the drawing.
"What'd you draw?" Mason asked, humoring the girl.
"Look at it! It's a kitty! Like Milo!" Olivia exclaimed, showing off her drawing.
Olivia was obsessed with the orange tabby cat that Addison had adopted a few years back. They usually found him sunbathing or lying out on Olivia's bed at bedtime.
"That's cool," Mason commented as they continued making little drawings on the board.
"Alright, Erica, just stay still and your scans will be up soon," Amelia said through the mic as Erica lay in the MRI machine.
"I've known about this tumor for a while now. Trust me, I know the drill," Erica commented as she lay flat.
"So, you didn't think of asking me to help you yourself? You had to get Addie to ask for you?" Derek asked as he leaned back slightly in his chair after Amelia turned off the mic.
"And what fun would that be?" Amelia joked.
"You could've told me," Derek pointed out.
"You would've said no," Amelia countered.
"You don't know that," Derek argued.
"Derek, you always tell me no. It's like your favorite word or something," Amelia chuckled.
"It is not," Derek insisted.
"It is! Unless you're a six-year-old little girl named Olivia," Amelia said.
"I tell her no all the time; you just don't hear it," Derek remarked.
"Sure, you do," Amelia rolled her eyes, chuckling. She knew Derek always defaulted to being the good cop, whether it was with her or with Addison. That little girl had him wrapped around her little finger.
The siblings stayed quiet as they waited for Erica's scans to show up. They stared at the scans, talking together for a few minutes before they let Erica out.
"Okay, so we got your scans. We just need to do a blood panel and you're free to go today. We'll discuss a plan tomorrow once we get everything back," Derek informed the woman.
"Think our kids have found themselves in trouble?" Derek asked in a friendly tone, hoping he could make Erica feel comfortable.
"Mason wouldn't think of trying something with Charlotte around. She catches everything," Erica chuckled, sharing a knowing glance with Amelia.
"As for Olivia? I don't know. I've only met her a handful of times," Erica explained.
"She'll probably find something to get up to. Nobody in this hospital can say no to her," Amelia shot a pointed glance at Derek.
"Says the woman who helped another woman cheat today," Derek fired back.
"Arizona? Callie and Mark flirt more than Ari and I ever do. Besides, she just wanted to make Coop uncomfortable," Amelia pointed out.
"That's the definition of cheating," Derek argued.
"You're one to talk, bro," Amelia commented.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Derek asked.
"You couldn't even wait to divorce Addie before you started making googly eyes with your intern," Amelia said.
"That is not what happened. You know that," Derek argued, getting angrier.
"Addison's too nice to dump you," Amelia shrugged.
"Amelia. How many times do I have to tell you? I didn't cheat, Addison didn't cheat. We were separated. And we realized we were better off," Derek said.
Amelia rolled her eyes playfully, waving him off. It was just too easy to wind him up.
"Okay, I think I'm gonna go find my kid and take her to dinner. You couldn't have at least changed her before bringing her?" Derek asked, picking yet another fight with his sister.
"No, because we would've missed our flight. And Addison hates when she skips school, which, by the way, your kid hates. Maybe you can talk to Addie about that," Amelia said.
"Every kid hates school," Derek sighed.
"Okay, are you two done fighting?" Erica asked. It was like they forgot she was there.
"Sorry, yes," Derek apologized.
"Your kid's probably with my kid, so we might as well find them together," Erica suggested.
"That would likely be a good place to start," Derek agreed as the three of them walked out.
When they tracked down the kids, they found Olivia sweet-talking a nurse while waving her special badge around. They stood back, waiting to see what would happen, and sure enough; her charm worked. The nurse pulled out some suckers and stickers for the kids. They watched as she put all but one sucker into her pockets. Mason only took one of each, thanking the nurse politely.
Derek shook his head. Some things never changed because Olivia did it all the time whenever she was here. After Derek's short-term stay as chief, Olivia had become like the first daughter of the hospital. He tried to put a stop to it, but it never worked. She'd just bat her eyes behind his back and the nurses would be emptying their stash for her. He knew Addison didn't love the idea of giving her too much sugar, but Olivia would look at him and he'd cave just like the nurses did. He couldn't blame someone else for doing the same.
"Thank you!" Olivia's face beamed after the nurse peeled off the plastic of a sucker for her.
"Livvy," Derek called, chuckling.
"Daddy!" Olivia exclaimed, jumping down from the desk, and barreling toward him with the lollipop in her hand.
"You get any cool stickers?" Derek asked, picking her up and humoring the girl.
"Yeah! It's a yellow birdie!" Olivia said as Derek put her back down so she could pull one out to show him.
"That's a canary, Peanut," Derek said.
"Canary. That's pretty," Olivia commented.
"So, you ready for dinner?" Derek asked. Olivia nodded back.
"You figure out what you want?" Derek asked, remembering that he asked her to think about it earlier.
"What'd you think of?" Derek asked while Cooper, Charlotte, and Mason walked up.
"Fried chicken! Charlotte says it's her favorite," Olivia smiled as she looked behind her to see her.
"Sorry, I might not be the best influence on her," Charlotte said.
"Don't worry about it. I don't know about L.A., but we do have some pretty good fried chicken here. You're all welcome to join us," Derek offered.
"Thanks, but you guys go ahead. Mason wants to try a Seattle dog," Cooper replied. Derek raised an eyebrow curiously. In all his years here, he'd never heard of it.
"Robbie said they have cream cheese and onions," Mason said. It didn't sound appetizing, but his friend told him it tasted better than it sounded. And he wanted to see if his friend was right or if he just had weird tastebuds.
"Have fun with that," Derek chuckled before they all waved goodbye and went their separate ways.
"Amy, you coming?" Derek asked his sister.
"Nah, you all go, I'm gonna catch a cab and head back to the hotel. I'll order some room service and crash early. I might hit up a meeting while I'm free." Amelia shrugged it off, hoping he wouldn't press.
In truth, she still felt awful from the plane ride. She had pushed it down earlier for Erica's sake, but now that she had a chance to slow down, she felt like her head was pounding and her stomach felt like it might revolt if she didn't just lay down. Maybe she should call Addison and ask but that would be admitting she cared and that was something she wasn't ready to do. So she pushed it down and headed outside to grab a cab to head back to her hotel room.
Amelia could only manage to take her shoes off before she slipped under the covers of her hotel room bed and fell asleep.
A few hours later, Amelia awoke to the sound of someone knocking at the door. She grumbled, getting up ready to yell at whoever it was. When she opened it, she found Charlotte on the other side of the door.
"What is your problem?" Amelia asked angrily.
"I brought you somethin' to eat," Charlotte stated, letting herself in.
"Ew, no, Charlotte. I don't want that weird Seattle dog. I tried it once and puked, and I wasn't even pregnant," Amelia winced at the thought of it. She only tried it after seeing it on a list of foods you had to try in Seattle. Unfortunately, she went against her better judgment and tried it, anyway.
"Relax, I didn't get you that. And none of us liked it," Charlotte chuckled.
"So what did you get me?" Amelia asked, a bit curious but prepared to feel repulsed by it.
"Chinese takeout. We were in Chinatown and found a dim sum place," Charlotte said, setting a plastic bag on the table and untying it.
"You brought back a bunch of little dishes?" Amelia asked. She knew how it worked, and she knew it wasn't ideal to take a bunch of little dishes home.
"No, they had some chow mein. Noodles, chicken, vegetables. Now, come on, you've gotta eat something," Charlotte said, turning around and gesturing to the takeout box on the small hotel table.
"It's not for you, it's for the baby. Now sit down," Charlotte demanded when Amelia stood there, frozen.
Amelia's legs started walking forward as she sat down at the table. She looked up at Charlotte, who was glaring as she waited for her to pick up a fork or chopstick, whatever she wanted to use, to eat. Amelia turned back around, picked up the chopsticks, and started eating.
"Good," Charlotte commented as Amelia kept eating. She didn't realize it until she could smell the food, but she was starving.
"So, you guys hated the hot dogs, too?" Amelia finally asked.
"Yup. Whatever happened to a good ole classic hot dog?" Charlotte asked. Amelia giggled.
"So, why did you bring me food?" Amelia asked.
"Because I know you have a habit of skipping meals, and I know you didn't go with your brother," Charlotte said. The truth was, she wanted to make sure Amelia ate properly. If this was LA, she knew Addison would keep an eye on the younger woman, but they were in Seattle.
She didn't want to be the one who blew Amelia's secret, but if she didn't take care of herself, Charlotte decided she would.
"Thank you, Charlotte. You didn't have to," Amelia said.
"Of course I had to. Someone needs to make sure you eat. You have the eating habits of a 15-year-old girl left to their own devices," Charlotte joked.
Amelia chuckled, not even bothering to disagree with Charlotte. She knew she was right.
"I've been trying to be better, but It's hard. I've never been a big eater. Addison and Jake constantly put food in front of me, expecting me to eat," Amelia said, feeling guilty.
"I've seen you eat Amelia. Don't give me that excuse," Charlotte said.
"It's not an excuse. I've gotten better as an adult, but as a kid, I didn't know how to ask," Amelia muttered.
Amelia picked at her food, embarrassed she said that out loud. She hadn't said anything like that in years. Why did she feel the need to tell Charlotte everything?
"Just eat what you can, Amelia. Nobody's gonna shove it down your throat," Charlotte said, half-joking. Amelia blushed.
"Thanks, Charlotte," Amelia said. She knew this was the older woman's way of looking out for her while not saying so out loud.
A/N: Chapter title inspired by the song, Hello Seattle by Owl City.