Leo was home for his week off for thanksgiving.

"What's up," Annie asked sitting down in the coffee shop with him.

"When you first met mom how was it," Leo asked.

"Do you mean the first time we actually talked and I heard her voice or in person," Annie asked.

"In person," Leo said.

"Her and I Skyped, it was the precursor to zoom, for about six weeks first. Once a week sometimes twice," Annie said, "emailed and used whatsapp almost daily before she came to a conference at UBC."

"The first time you met her though," Leo asked.

"I was 19," Annie said , "Mama was 40. She sat down in the library with me and helped with my anatomy homework. I was learning about the heart. Then we chatted. And she hugged me. I knew very little about her but she knew a lot about me. It felt right. I was nervous meeting her. But she made it clear to me in the very beginning that she would be there and in my life as much or as little as I wanted and I was in charge. Leo, you decide when you're ready to see them and how much you want them in your life."

"What if things hadn't gone well with mom," Leo asked.

"Then I probably wouldn't have seen her again," Annie admitted, "but I was naive I only thought it would go well. Her emails and texts had been positive so why wouldn't coffee?"

"How did it work," Leo asked.

"I met her at UBC at the end of November, in December she came to the jingle bell jig and watched me dance, then she came up with Dad and Leslie and all of us on a ski trip for 2 nights, then I went to visit originally for 2 or 3 nights in February then it stretched to 5 because I wanted to stay and she wanted me at the cottage with her," Annie explained.

"Were you nervous," Leo asked.

"Yes," Annie said, "she was two. It wasn't a normal situation."

"What if I'm not good enough for them or they're disappointed in me," Leo asked.

"I worried about the same thing," Annie nodded, "and it took a few conversations with her to work through over many years. Your grandparents are going to love you and want you to be happy. Do you want me to come tomorrow? I can sit in the same coffee shop somewhere else and I have a paper I need to finish."

"Paper," Leo asked.

"For the peds cardio journal," Annie said, "I don't want to but Meg is pushing me to publish it."

"Your like 45 you can say no to your aunt," Leo pointed out.

"Not to my chief of surgery," Annie said.

"Can you," Leo asked.

"Not if I want my grant," Annie said, "it's a million I need it to move to my next phase. Help children

"Just write the paper," Leo said.

"I don't have time," Annie said, "my family comes first."

"Your kids," Leo said.

"And you, Allison, Asher, Ev, Mama and Uncle Owen," Annie smiled, "my dad, Chris, Jenna, their boys."

"When did you live with mom for the first time," Leo asked.

"I never have," Annie answered, "I've stayed with her for a few weeks but never actually lived. The longest was about 3 months and I was 24. I stayed with her for about 6 weeks the summer when I was 19."

"What if there's other family," Leo asked.

"Uncle Owen, Nana," Annie said, "I met your dad the same day I met Mama. Then I met Nana that February."

"But do I have to," Leo asked.

"No it's your choice," Annie said, "if you want I can be in the coffee shop tonight. I can be there if you want me to or you can come over after. "

"I want to go alone but will come over after," Leo said.

"Okay," Annie said, "I'm only a text away. I know this is nerve wracking. You can do it. I'm always here."

"I know," Leo rolled his eyes.

"No matter what happens you are my baby brother," Annie promised, "Leo I love you. You are my baby brother. I am here no matter what you find out I'm here and ready to listen."

They finished their coffee and Leo drove to meet his grandparents.

At the second coffee shop Leo approached an older couple.

"Are you Mr and Mrs Dickinson," Leo asked.

"Yes," Carol replied, "I'm Carol and this is John. Leon?"

"Leo," Leo answered.

"They renamed you," John said, "what is your full name?"

"Daniel Robert Altman-Hunt," Leo replied.

"They kept Leo as a nickname," Carol said.

"My sisters and I all use nicknames," Leo said.

"You have sisters," John said.

"Two," Leo said, "Annie and Allie. I'm the middle child."

"What's the age gap," Carol asked.

Leo answered, "24 years between me and Annie then 11 months between me and Allie. Did my birth mother have siblings?"

"No," Carol said, "we only had Brittney. Then you came along and we were so excited. You were 18 months when she disappeared with you."

"Did she want me," Leo asked.

"She loved you," Carol said, "but she was an addict. We tried to get her help. She went to rehab when you were 6 months old and we tried to keep you."

"What are you doing now," John asked still having a hard time talking about Brittney.

"I'm at UCLA," Leo said, "Pre Med and working a few shifts a week as an orderly transporting patients around the hospital. I miss Seattle."

"Did you play sports," John asked.

"Hockey," Leo replied, "my dad hated it and wanted me to play soccer. I play the guitar, I'm the only one of my siblings who can play an instrument."

"Tell us about your family," Carol said.

"Mom and dad are in their 60s. My mom is a heart surgeon and ran Grey Sloan for most of my life," Leo said, "Dad is a trauma surgeon. They met in the army in the Iraq war; they were both field surgeons. Mom's parents have passed, dad's mom, Nana and I are close. My older sister Annie is mom's daughter, her dad Uncle Dan is around a lot and taught me to fish and drive a boat and ride a dirt bike. Mom and Dan always made it work for Annie. Annie is a kids heart surgeon, married and has 4 kids, she's in her 40s. My younger sister Allison or Allie is almost 20. She's pre med at UW and has a one year old daughter with her boyfriend."

"All of you are in medicine," John said, "that's impressive."

"Allison and I are trying, only Annie is actually practising," Leo said.

"How long have you been with them," Carol asked, "when were you adopted?"

"I was 4 when it was official but they started fostering me when I was 2," Leo said, "before I was even out of the hospital. Mom and Annie fixed my heart and then the way they tell it the more mom and dad looked after me in the hospital the more they loved me. Annie was my resident and Josh, they looked after me 24 hours a day for the first six weeks I was in the hospital. Mom and dad would help out and dad spent a lot of nights with me."

"Have you been loved," Carol asked, "did you find people who love you?"

"Yes," Leo said, "my parents would like to meet you."

"They didn't want to come," John asked.

"They did and so did my big sister but I have to do this," Leo said.

"Your sister sounds like a third parent," John said.

"Annie is," Leo agreed, "she's protective in a good way. She's the oldest of 5 kids she likes to look out for all of us. Even Chris who is her half brother on the other side. And he's only a year younger than she is."

"You have an older brother," Carol said.

"No," Leo said, "Uncle Dan has Annie, Chris and Jessica. Then mom has me, Annie and Allison."

"Dan is Annie's father," John said.

"Him and his ex wife adopted Annie. Annie grew up with them. Mom was 20 and single when Annie was born and in med school and then the army," Leo said, "they wrote letters and emails. Then Annie was my age when they saw each other for the first time."

"You talked it through with your sister then," Carol asked.

"She offered to sit in another corner of the coffee shop and work on her research," Leo admitted, "I spent the morning with her."

"Not your parents," Carol asked.

"Not yet but they want to meet you and sent me with a list of questions," Leo said, "Annie said she had a family friend sitting in the library at UBC when she met mom there for the first time. But I came alone."

"What do you want to know," John asked.

"What was Britney like," Leo asked.

"She was full of energy and played soccer she was the fastest kid on the field," John said, "she loved fuzzy socks and pink."

"She loved music and being with her friends," Carol continued, "she was a great singer. You have her eyes."

"How old was she," Leo asked.

"15 when you were born and 16 when she disappeared," John said, "we spent 5 years looking. Calling every shelter and hospital from here to LA."

"When she brought me to the hospital she said our last name was Nelson and she called me Leo," Leo answered.

"That's how you both disappeared," John said, "do you know anything or remember anything?"

"The first thing I remember is mom carrying me to the playroom at the hospital," Leo said, "mom and dad and Allison and Annie. It might just be the picture though. Mom calls it our first family photo. Allison and I in those all in one kid outfits. Mom and dad and Annie in scrubs."

Leo continued chatting with his grandparents getting to know more about where he came from.

"Will you keep in touch," Carol asked.

"We can," Leo agreed. He finally understood what Annie meant when she had told him knowing was freeing. His grandparents had loved him and wanted him. He had been wanted.

"Son thanksgiving," Allison said to Asher.

"Tomorrow is my parents," Asher said.

"Friday I have to work for Black Friday," Allison said, "Saturday is friends giving and Sunday is my family. "

"Are we hosting," Asher asked.

"Ava is this year but I'm going to help," Allison said, "Ev will come, she's okay at Ava's."

"Who's going," Asher asked.

"Ava, Liv and that douche, Eden, Jonah, Carly, Kristen, their boyfriends. Ava dumped Luke; he wouldn't listen to her," Allison said.

"He was kinda odd," Asher said, "and he sucked with the kids. Is this a kid friendly event?"

"Ava said to bring her," Allison said, "but I'm thinking you bring her when you come for dinner. Or we ask Car or Ellie to babysit."

"Nisha again," Asher asked, "she's so good with Ev."

"I'll put it out in our girls chat and see," Allison replied, "Nisha was really showing last time I saw her."

"Do they need baby stuff," Asher asked.

"She's going to look through the outgrown clothes bins when they find out the gender," Allison said.

"The tiny tiny stuff would work," Asher said, "we got gender neutral."

"We did," Allison said, "but Nisha can read the ultrasound in seconds."

Allison had been texting in their girls chat and Nisha had jumped at the chance to babysit being off.

Nisha, "I want her. I love Ev. can you bring her to our place? Maybe a sleepover?"

Allison, "she can come over for sure. She's not ready for sleepovers yet."

Nisha, "her or you?"

Allison, "she's never been away from me all night. She can come hang out and fall asleep at your place."

Nisha, "we'll keep her, we have a crib now. She's good with us."

Allison, "I'm not ready. She's waking up at night again. In a strange place I don't know. If we were out of town and you were at our place maybe but she's just not ready."

Nisha, "I understand but wanted to offer you and Asher the time together. You've never had a night just to be a couple."

Allison, "it's been a while. But we had a date night last week my mom babysat."

Nisha, "if you wanted to have a whole night we're happy to baby sit. Go away overnight. Have time just you two."

Allison, "we're happy with date nights or to go with our friends for a few hours. I'd miss Everly."

Nisha, "we can help each other out."

Allison, "we will. It will be fun to cuddle another newborn."

Nisha, "she'll have lots of people to snuggle her."

Allison, "she? It's a girl?"

Nisha, "it is. Her and Ev will be good friends."

Allison, "I hope so. Come look at the bins of outgrown clothes. There's some she only wore once. Little Christmas dresses and pyjamas, her first thanksgiving dress."

Nisha, "you keep those special memory ones, her first Christmas and thanksgiving. Your favourites and we would love to look at the others."

Allison, "it's lots of onesies and leggings. She needs leggings or tights with her braces."

Nisha, "she's always so cute though. Her little dresses and she's getting a lot more hair."

Allison, "I put it in pigtails for the first time today. It's too cute."

Nisha, "pictures?"

Allison sent a picture.

Nisha, "that is the cutest thing I've ever seen."

Allison, "thanks. You feeling okay?"

Nisha, "I'm good. Looking forward to seeing all of you Saturday. Can we borrow a car seat?"

Allison, "you can. Thoughts?"

Nisha, "Faroke has a soccer game at 4:30 we thought she could go with us and I'll play with her on the playground then go for dinner."

Allison, "she'll love it. She likes swings and the slide."

Nisha, "is that okay?"

Allison, "always. She likes you guys."

Nisha, "does she have favourite babysitters?"

Allison, "my parents, Megan, you and Ellie. She's not fully sold on Cat."

Nisha, "Cat is begging us to babysit but she's so loud and rambunctious."

Allison,``I'm always happy to help out."

Nisha, "we'll hang out with the girls. Have you let Cat babysit?"

Allison, "she's did a couple hours so I could meet a group for a project when Ash was away but anything more than that no. My parents were home. She helps Auntie Megan on Tuesdays. Ellie is better because she stays focused. Cat gets distracted with Tick Tock or texting. It might be different with your baby. Ellie is the most insecure person I know but she's a good babysitter. Cat also doesn't do diapers. She took Ev to my mom to change."

Nisha, "changing Ev can be intimidating with her braces and having to readjust them."

Allison, "I'm so used to them I didn't think about that. It's not easy though. Know she might not walk independently. Knowing she might never be able to run and play with the other kids."

Nisha," I can't imagine. Are you okay?"

Allison, "most days. I just had a long day. Bio chem test today and handed in a paper. I pulled an all nighter last night between school and a fussy baby and Ash started early today."

Nisha, "then go relax. It's Thanksgiving break for you now."

Allison, "will you come Sunday?"

Nisha, "we are."

Allison, "I've taken enough of your night. See you Saturday."

Nisha, "see you then. Don't tell everyone it's a girl we're going to say something on Sunday."

Allison, "I won't."

Asher said, "you and Nisha have gotten close."

"I guess," Allison said, "we have something to talk about now. She's nice."

"I really like her and Faroke," Asher agreed.

"They're babysitting on Saturday," Allison said, "she wants to take her to the park for Faroke's soccer game. Ev loves the park and Nisha is so good with her."

"Then you get a day with your friends," Asher said, "when was the last time you had time with Ava, Liv, Carly?"

"Ava slept over while you were away," Allison said, "on the couch."

"She slept on our couch," Asher asked.

"I offered and she's slept in my bed before but she says it's weird now that I live with you," Allison said.

"I'd rather not have other people in our bed," Asher admitted, "that's ours."

"Considering we made our daughter in Ava's guest room," Allison said.

"Let's not tell Ava that," Asher said.

"She knows," Allison said, "like 2 years ago when I told her about me being pregnant she asked when you and I."

"She knows everything doesn't she," Asher asked.

"Ava knows a lot," Allison admitted, "but there is a line she doesn't get to cross."

"What is that," Asher asked.

"Sex life," Allison said, "it's something Annie said to me one time that was something she would always answer my questions honestly but that part of her marriage is off limits to anyone other than her and Josh. It made sense the only people involved in our sex life are the two of us so we are the only people that get to know."

"Really," Asher asked, "you never talk to Ava about it?"

"Who do you tell," Allison asked.

"The guys know we live together so they assume," Asher said, "what does Ava know?"

"I've only told her it's better sober and that it's better the longer we're together," Allison said, "she's so not confident and Luke wants her to do things she's not comfortable with."

"Say no," Asher said, "she can say no to him."

"I've told her that," Allison said, "we talked a lot the night she slept over after Ev went to bed."

"Shes okay," Asher asked.

"She needed to talk," Allison said, "she broke up with him. It's better. I know you liked him."

"He was okay," Asher said, "I think he was kinda judging us and I didn't like the way he looked at you at the lake."

"That was weird," Allison said, "I forgot about that because then we had to rescue Ellie."

"Tomorrow are you okay with my family," Asher asked.

"It's one day," Allison said, "we haven't seen your siblings since her birthday. Your parents come over and see us or take us for dinner and that's going fine."

"I think my brothers might be jealous," Asher said, "that I got out and away from dad. You see dad when he's good dad."

"They could go away for school," Allison said, "it's Renee that I don't get."

"She's bought into the whole purity thing," Asher said, "dad said it but I'm not sure I ever bought it."

"If we get married you're not getting that virgin on the wedding night," Allison said.

"Neither are you," Asher said.

"I was never told the purity thing," Allison said.

"What did your mom say," Asher asked.

"She had said to be safe and to make sure I was with someone I really loved and felt safe with," Allison said, "someone I had been with awhile."

"We failed," Asher said, "on all parents' accounts."

"I felt safe and we waited to again. I feel safe and loved," Allison said, "we're together and we're planning to stay together."

"With out Ev would you," Asher asked.

"Maybe," Allison said, "you?"

"I liked you," Asher said, "I really liked you."

"I'm not doing what ifs," Allison said, "I think Ev helped and that she influenced our relationship but I don't think even with her I could have made myself be with you just for her. I spent weeks, months really telling myself we would be friends and take care of Ev but I fell in love with you. All I know now is that I'm in love with you and I want to be together forever. But it has to be what you want."

"I want this forever," Asher said, "we will get married one day."

"One day," Allison agreed.