Chapter 15: You Are in Love
Summary: Jake springs a date night on Addison while the kids go out to the Selena Gomez concert. Some bad news arises with Michelle.
It wasn't long before Friday night came. Maya informed Addison two nights before that Sam agreed to let the girls sleep over. When she asked if he put up a fight, Maya coyly told her he did until she guilt-tripped him. It was a good thing Addison wasn't her mother; she probably would've punished or at least scolded her for it. But as her favorite aunt, she admired Maya for her tact.
Addison reiterated the rules to all the girls this time, some of which were directed towards the older girls, the others for the younger ones. Sloan was to take everyone out to the pre-approved restaurant for dinner before the concert and find parking that was easy to find, even if it was expensive. Maya and Angela were in charge of keeping the younger girls in sight. Addison gave Sloan some extra money in case of emergencies and for the more expensive parking spot.
Before she knew it, Addison kissed Olivia goodbye and told her again to be careful. After they left, Addison settled on the couch and started looking through some paperwork. But about 20 minutes later, she heard the doorbell ring.
"Jake?" Addison asked when she opened the door. Jake smiled back at her before leaning in for a quick kiss hello.
"What are you doing here?" Addison asked.
"Well, I heard you were free tonight," Jake joked.
"You would be correct," Addison giggled.
"So, I thought I'd take you out for dinner," Jake added.
"And is there a reason why you didn't ask earlier?" Addison asked coyly.
"Well, I could've, but then I wouldn't be able to show up unannounced and surprise you like the spontaneous guy I am," Jake joked flirtatiously. Addison practically blushed.
"So, Dr. Addison Montgomery, will you go out on a date with me?" Jake asked.
"Yes! Let me just grab my coat," Addison said, giggling.
Jake opened the door for Addison as she slid into the passenger side of his car. He walked over to the driver's side and they were on their way. Addison tried to get him to reveal his plans, but he wouldn't budge. They pulled into a parking lot, and Jake guided her inside a nice steakhouse. They talked throughout dinner, discussing their work as Addison teased Jake for how rare he preferred his steak.
After dinner, Addison realized he wasn't taking her home. While driving, Jake didn't take the normal exit that would've led back to Addison's house. When she tried to ask him about it, he, again, wouldn't cave. Jake was being very spontaneous tonight and while Addison normally didn't like surprises, it intrigued her this time. She felt incredibly romanced. But when Jake pulled into the parking lot of Seaside Wellness, Addison was completely confused. It didn't phase Jake though as he parked the car, opened the passenger side door, and held out a hand for Addison to take.
"You…took me back to work?" Addison asked, confused as she stepped out of the car.
"Not exactly," Jake said coyly.
Jake and Addison walked hand-in-hand until they walked away from the practice and onto the Santa Monica pier. They walked the pier frequently since Addison liked the coffee stand that stood at the start of the dock, and it was a nice walk to go on when they needed some fresh air. But what Addison never realized before was it looked completely different at night. The Ferris wheel lit up the sky while the street performers took advantage of the natural light from the moon.
"So, this is where you wanted to take me," Addison commented.
"Terrible idea?" Jake asked jokingly.
"Definitely not," Addison smiled, blushing as Jake leaned in for a kiss.
"I can't believe I've never been here at night. Thank God Olivia isn't here; she'd beg to go on the Ferris wheel. And then she'd have nightmares about how high it was for a month," Addison chuckled. Jake laughed along.
"Yeah, Angela's never been up. She's still afraid of heights," Jake commented.
"Well, maybe we can all go up together someday," Addison suggested.
"I'd like that," Jake smiled.
"Have you gone up before?" Addison asked.
"Not this one, but I've gone up a Ferris Wheel once before. Lily was a real adrenaline junkie; pun not intended. She wanted to do anything and everything that sounded remotely dangerous. When I told her I'd never gone up one, she dragged me to one," Jake reminisced.
"And would you recommend it?" Addison asked, chuckling.
"If you can handle the height, yeah," Jake replied.
"Can you handle it?" Addison asked suggestively.
"I can handle anything," Jake said playfully, making Addison laugh.
They continued walking down the pier and even stopped to watch a street performer for a minute or two longer. Jake moved to stand behind her to hold her while they listened to the music. He left the musician a tip before they walked away at the end of the song. After walking back to the car, Jake drove Addison home and walked her to the door.
They were together now, they had been for months, but Jake was never the type to assume anything. And Addison found it endearing. As he stood right outside the front door, Addison kissed him and pulled him inside by tightening her grip around his shoulders before shutting the door.
Meanwhile, the girls were having a blast. Sloan knew Addison would never forgive her if something happened to any of the girls, so she was being responsible. She wanted to prove that she could do it - that she could be responsible enough to watch Olivia. She knew Addison didn't fully trust her and she understood why since she didn't have the most innocent past.
They arrived at the venue a little earlier than they needed to, but they'd gotten dinner first. Now the girls wanted some merch, so Sloan obliged. The girls chatted animatedly while waiting in line for the merch. They weren't entirely sure what they wanted.
"I want that one!" Olivia said.
"I want that one," Betsey said, pointing to a sweater.
"Actually, I want that one," Olivia replied indecisively. She'd already changed her mind five times while standing in line.
"Okay girls, what do you want?" Angela asked once they got to the counter.
"You have to decide now. There might not be any left after the show," Angela explained gently, hoping it got through to the girls that they had to pick now.
In the end, the girls ended up with two shirts each, both a size or two too big for them. Thankfully, Maya knew a trick. She quickly put the new shirts on each girl and tied them off at the waist so you could still clearly see what was on the shirt.
"Okay, girls, smile for the camera!" Maya said, holding up the phone. The girls smiled widely as Maya snapped a picture. Then she instructed them to turn around so she could take a photo of their backs.
She quickly sent them off to Addison and Dell. As a last-minute choice, she sent them to her mom as well, knowing she loved those two girls. When Dell's house burned down last year, she let them move into her house for a while. The first text back surprisingly came from Naomi, who was also surprised the parents let them take the younger girls out after dark since that was normally a no-go.
Addison and Dell let you take them out this late?
Sloan's visiting for the week. We're at the Selena Gomez concert with Liv, Betsey, and Dr. Reilly's daughter, Angela. It took some convincing, but they said yes.
Sounds fun. Keep an eye on the girls and let me know when everyone gets home safe. Love you.
Maya promised she would before pocketing her phone and turning back toward her surroundings to hear Angela's lecture to the girls. She resisted a giggle while listening to her lecture. It was similar to the one she received countless times as a kid.
"Okay, let's go find our seats before the show starts. Do you know where we are?" Maya asked.
Sloan looked down at the printouts in her hand.
"Holy crap. Addie got us amazing seats," Sloan showed them off to the other girls.
"Wow. Let's get to our seats before the crowd gets in," Angela said.
Everyone else agreed, and they all held hands to move to get to their seats. Maya pulled out her camera, taking a bunch of photos, including some better-quality pictures of the girls. She hoped the girls would have the best night.
Not too long after the concert started, the show completely mesmerized the girls. Maya was thankful she bought a 16-gig memory card earlier that week so she could take a million photos. She was so busy taking photos she almost forgot to enjoy the show herself until Angela nudged her.
The younger girls were on cloud nine, singing and dancing along. Maya couldn't help but take more pictures and videos. It was hard to resist when the girls were having so much fun and she wanted to show their parents that they made the right choice.
After the show, they headed backstage. According to the tickets, Addison sprung for backstage passes. Maya thankfully had her camera recording when they told the girls. Their screams said it all. A nice stagehand offered to take a photo of the five of them, so Maya handed over her camera, letting them grab shots of them.
Once it all ended, Maya sent a quick text to let Addison and Dell know they made it back to the car safely and were heading home.
Back at Addison's place, Jake stroked Addison's hair while she laid her head on his bare chest. She turned to look at him, her chin resting on him as she smiled. After a minute, she turned and reached for her phone in her bag.
"What are you doing?" Jake asked, chuckling.
"Just checking my phone," Addison said, making it sound like it was no big deal. She had a great time with Jake tonight, but now that she had some time to think she started to feel some separation anxiety from her little girl.
"I'm sure they're fine," Jake said, knowing exactly what she was thinking as he sat up against the headboard.
"Aww," Addison commented upon seeing the photo of Olivia and Betsey with their shirts.
"What?" Jake asked curiously, leaning forward toward Addison.
"They got t-shirts," Addison cooed as she showed Jake the photo on her phone. Jake chuckled.
"That's nice," Jake commented, kissing the side of Addison's head before resting his chin on her shoulder.
"Is it always gonna be this hard? Letting her go out with her friends all night?" Addison asked.
"Well, you'll still worry, but it does get easier. It helps that Angela's not six years old anymore though," Jake said playfully.
"Was Angela as much of a troublemaker as Liv?" Addison asked, turning slightly to the side while Jake kept his head tucked between Addison's head and shoulder.
"Sometimes. She wasn't nearly as dramatic, but she had her moments," Jake chuckled as he lifted his head, giving his girlfriend a chance to look him eye-to-eye.
"Olivia is definitely a Shepherd," Addison chuckled.
"The dramatics are on that side of the family if you couldn't already tell," Addison added.
"You sure you weren't dramatic as a kid?" Jake teased.
"No!" Addison giggled.
"I mean, don't get me wrong, I wasn't a perfect child. And if you asked Bizzy, she'd probably tell you I was plenty dramatic as a kid, but I wasn't nearly as dramatic as Liv," Addison added.
"You sure about that?" Jake teased. Addison giggled.
"The dramatics from Olivia come from the Shepherd family tree; believe it or not," Addison said playfully, putting her hands up in defense.
"Oh, you think I haven't noticed a certain doctor acting the same as your six-year-old?" Jake asked playfully.
"I know Amelia's a handful, but I promised to take care of her. Plus, I love her like she's my own sister, so she's stuck with me whether she likes it or not," Addison joked.
"Hey, I like having her around," Jake chuckled.
"She makes life interesting. Where is she, anyway?" Jake asked.
"She's been spending a lot of time between the hospital and the practice researching things to help Mason's mom. And she's still trying to stay close to Michelle. She's throwing herself into work to avoid her feelings," Addison sighed.
"How is she, anyway?" Jake asked.
"Where do you want me to start?" Addison asked, chuckling ironically.
"Wherever you want," Jake replied.
"Other than being a little overworked, I think Amelia's doing the best she can right now. I don't know Erica very well, but Cooper wants her to fight harder. I don't know, I kind of see where she's coming from. If I were in her shoes, all I'd want to do is spend all my time with Liv instead of feeling sick all day from all the chemo," Addison admitted.
"Yeah, I get that," Jake said, rubbing Addison's bare back softly as she held the blanket up to cover her chest. She leaned on his shoulder before he kissed her forehead.
Jake stroked Addison's cheek softly as she tried to give back a shy smile. He moved some hair from her face and leaned in to kiss her. Addison immediately deepened the kiss and let go of the blanket she'd been holding to cover herself. She wrapped her arms around him as he pulled her closer and led her back down onto the mattress.
When the girls arrived home, the younger girls were sound asleep in the back, worn out from their night. Maya snapped a picture before unlocking the door so the others could carry the girls in.
After tucking them into bed, Maya took one last picture, sending the photos out to the same three as earlier.
Made it home safe! They fell asleep on the ride home, so we put them to bed. They had a blast. Thanks for the tickets, Aunt Addie!
The following morning, the couple woke up to an insistent knocking on the door. Addison sighed, burying her face under the pillow.
"Make it go away. I'm trying to sleep with my boyfriend," Addison groaned.
"Give me another minute if you wanna go another round," Jake joked sleepily as he sat up. Addison whacked him with a pillow playfully.
"Jake!" Addison giggled.
"You said it, not me," Jake chuckled.
Addison giggled again before inevitably getting out of bed and putting on a robe. Then she went about heading downstairs.
The girls stood at the back door, waiting to be let in. They were all still in their PJs. It made them all look younger than they were. She had to giggle at the sight before unlocking the door and letting them in.
"Mommy!" Olivia charged at her, full of energy.
"Hi, baby! You have fun last night?" Addison asked.
"So much fun! Sloan got us T-shirts! And Selena Gomez was so so pretty too!" Olivia exclaimed.
"I saw the t-shirts. And I'm sure she looked very pretty," Addison giggled.
"Thanks for watching the girls. Betsey, your dad said he'd be here around lunchtime, but you're welcome to stay and hang out with Liv until he gets here," Addison said. Betsey nodded.
"Mommy!" Olivia called urgently, needing her attention.
"Yes, baby?" Addison asked.
"Is Dr. Jake here?" Olivia asked.
"He is. Why?" Addison asked, curious.
"Because we're hungry! We want Dr. Jake's pancakes!" Olivia exclaimed. Addison giggled.
"Alright, come on. I'll ask if he can make you guys some pancakes," Addison said, giggling as she motioned for the girls to come inside.
"If he doesn't, I'm sure you can find ways to convince him," Sloan said coyly. Addison glared back, grateful that the younger girls didn't understand what she was implying.
Angela made a gagging face, well aware of what she meant. Maya looped her arm through Angela's as they walked inside.
"Trust me. It's better this way. Let me tell you, I've found my mom with some interesting people. Including Aunt Addison's brother," Maya said.
"Your mom and…?" Sloan asked, surprised. She'd known her for the last couple of years, and she didn't seem like the type to sleep around.
"Yeah," Maya confirmed.
"Wow," Angela commented.
"That's something I'll never be able to erase from memory," Maya shuddered.
Upstairs, Addison asked Jake, who was fast asleep again after less than ten minutes. She almost didn't want to wake him, but Olivia was her daughter, and she came first. And she envied that he could fall asleep so easily.
"Jake," Addison said softly, crawling onto the bed and gently nudging him.
"Hmm?" Jake asked as he turned over.
"Hi," Addison smiled.
"Hi," Jake chuckled sleepily.
"Did you really fall asleep again? Or is this your way of avoiding all the girls?" Addison joked.
"Hey, it's not my fault. You wore me out," Jake chuckled. Addison laughed a little louder than she intended to. And the girls definitely heard her, but they thought it was cute. She playfully smacked him softly with a pillow again.
"The girls are requesting pancakes. Your pancakes. Think you can handle that?" Addison asked.
"Yeah, sure," Jake chuckled as he straightened up.
"You might wanna get dressed, too," Jake pointed out as he grabbed his shirt from the floor.
Addison nodded in agreement after realizing she didn't have anything underneath her robe and made her way to the bathroom. She got dressed and the two of them came downstairs to greet the girls.
"Dr. Jake!" Olivia exclaimed.
"Hey Liv," Jake chuckled, always amused by Olivia's excitement.
"You girls have fun at the concert?" Jake asked, looking up at the rest of the girls.
"Yes! Thank you for letting me go," Angela said, moving to hug him.
"Of course. I'm glad you guys had fun," Jake smiled.
"Wanna help me make pancakes? I think I saw blueberries, your favorite," Jake asked. She nodded back, smiling, moving to find the ingredients.
Soon, the group recounted all about their night while eating. They were content to lounge around in PJs all day, and Addison didn't have the heart to tell the girls to get dressed. One day wouldn't kill Olivia.
When Dell showed up to pick up Betsey, she had insisted on a PJ day as well, so he agreed. He thanked Addison generously for the night and tried to pay for the shirts Betsey had gotten, but, of course, Addison refused. She had treated all the girls, so it wasn't a big deal. Plus, she really didn't need the money.
Sloan spent the next two days making the most out of the beach before she had to go home. Addison had been surprised by the maturity she showed over the week. She wasn't sure if she was growing up or just being on her best behavior. Either way, Addison was impressed. She had been so attentive to Olivia, even when Addison could tell she wanted to be left alone.
Before anyone knew it, Sunday night came around and Sloan was on a plane back to Seattle. And then, Monday came all too soon. Addison hadn't seen much of Amelia that weekend, but she did manage to pop up to say goodbye to Sloan and take her out for something. Addison wasn't sure, but she also wasn't sure she wanted to know. Amelia had also taken the time to talk to Olivia briefly about her concert, which Addison was grateful for. Even when Amelia was off in her own little world, she still showed up for Olivia.
The first thing Addison did after she settled into her office was check on Amelia in hers, where she had been effectively camped out for the last several days. Addison was all about using work to distract herself, but she just wanted to make sure her sister-in-law was still taking care of herself, especially now that she was further along in her pregnancy.
"Amelia?" Addison knocked on her office door, poking her head inside while hoping the woman was there.
"Addie, hey," Amelia looked up.
"Everything okay?" Addison asked as Amelia looked back down at the papers on her desk.
"Yeah, I think I figured it out," Amelia said.
"Figured what out?" Addison asked.
"Erica's tumor; there's this study from New Zealand where they're experimenting with this type of surgery…," Amelia started to explain.
"New Zealand? I don't think Erica's gonna go to New Zealand," Addison commented.
"Amelia, you saw how hard it was for Cooper just to get her to do chemo. She's not gonna travel to the other side of the world for some experimental surgery," Addison added. She didn't want to discourage her, but she also wanted to make sure she wasn't going to pitch this idea just to get shot down.
"I know, but I think there's a way we can help her here," Amelia said.
"How?" Addison asked curiously.
Amelia explained the surgery, which came with its own set of unique risks. The riskiest part was when Amelia said it had to be done in 90 seconds.
"I know you're fast, Amelia, but 90 seconds is…," Addison started.
"Ridiculous; I know," Amelia finished her sentence.
"So, what makes you think you can do it in 90 seconds?" Addison asked.
"Well, that's where I'll need your help," Amelia said.
"What do you mean? I'm a good surgeon, an excellent one, really, but I'm not a neurosurgeon," Addison said. Amelia rolled her eyes slightly; she wasn't wrong, she was one of the best surgeons in the country - one of the best in the world, actually, but this wasn't the kind of help Amelia was asking for.
"I need you to get Derek's help," Amelia said.
"Derek?" Addison asked. She practically felt like she'd heard wrong.
"Yes, Derek. There's no way I'm going to be able to resect this tumor alone in 90 seconds; you said it yourself," Amelia explained.
"And you need me to convince him to help you? Amelia, he's your brother," Addison pointed out.
"But he's your baby daddy," Amelia joked. This time, it was Addison's turn to roll her eyes.
"I'm just his screw-up little sister; you have leverage," Amelia added.
"You're not a screw-up, Amelia," Addison said softly.
"I am. But thank you for saying I'm not," Amelia said sincerely.
"So, can you ask Derek to come out here?" Amelia asked.
"I guess I can pull a few strings," Addison replied playfully. Amelia practically squealed before running over to hug her. Olivia really did take after her aunt.
She held the younger woman for a moment before stepping back carefully, eyeing her up
"You're sure you're okay?" Addison asked.
"Yes," Amelia confirmed.
"So, how's Michelle?" Addison asked after Amelia went back to sit behind her desk. Amelia sighed.
"You just had to ruin my good mood," Amelia said sarcastically.
"I'm sorry; I am. I'm just trying to take care of you," Addison said.
"I know you are, but I never asked you to," Amelia said.
"You didn't have to," Addison said gently. There was a pause until Addison gave her a look, wanting her to answer her original question.
"Michelle's fine. Her symptoms are getting worse, but medically expected," Amelia said.
"And the baby?" Addison asked hesitantly. She was worried that Amelia wasn't paying attention to her body and pushing past her limits. Not to mention the lack of prenatal care.
"She's fine," Amelia brushed it off.
"She?" Addison asked. They hadn't done an ultrasound to check the sex of her baby yet, but she knew that expecting mothers were usually pretty good at getting a feel of what their baby's gender was.
"Or whatever," Amelia added.
"Amelia…," Addison started.
"What now?" Amelia asked, exasperated.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be a pain, and I know you're trying to help, but I'm fine, Addie. Really," Amelia insisted.
"I think you should get a checkup; just a general one to make sure everything's okay with the baby," Addison said. Amelia gave her a look.
"Look, you'll get up in the chair and I'll just take a look to make sure the little bean's healthy at 25 weeks," Addison added.
"Did you just call my fetus a bean?" Amelia asked sarcastically.
"Would you rather I called her an acorn squash?" Addison joked.
"A what? That's even worse," Amelia commented.
"Well, that's approximately how big the bean is right now. Probably. I don't really know that for sure 'cause I've never seen the baby…," Addison trailed off.
"Okay, okay! If I let you do an ultrasound, will you just let this go?" Amelia asked. Addison smiled. She knew she could get her to agree.
"Fine. I have an opening at two; meet back at my office," Addison said before leaving.
Amelia sighed and threw herself back into her research, hoping she'd get paged for a surgery before two o'clock so she'd have an excuse not to see Addison.
A/N: Chapter title was inspired by the song, You Are in Love by Taylor Swift. If anyone finds that totally OOC couple mentioned, you get a virtual cookie.
