#omeliaff

The sky slowly evolved in its colours, the light becoming yellower, the clouds lost their pink. Amelia rest her head back, and consciously relaxed her jaw, inhaling deeply through her nose. She had one hand wrapped around her mug of fruit tea, absorbing the heat, and her other moving in soothing circles against her taut stomach.  She was about a month from her due date, and the babies had limited room now, so their movement was restricted, more like sharp nudges and shoves, as if they were sharing a tent that was much too small for the both of them.

 Amelia took a sip of her tea and rest the mug atop her stomach, looking down at herself. In disbelief for a moment, she though, if someone had given her the ability to see into this moment a year ago, she wouldn’t have believed it. 

Before her mind wandered too far, and anxiety gripped too hard, she paused, and breathed deep, uttering “five things I can see.” She glanced up at the sky. “The sky… the clouds, the sun… The tree tops… snow” she breathed deep, and closed her eyes. Listening now to the sounds of her friends breathing heavily in their sleep behind her. 

One sound prompted her to snap her eyes open. She sat forward, eyes wide up to the sky. She put her tea down and stood slowly, pressing one hand against her lower back as it ached under her load. Her eyes were wide, filled with light. Among the clouds; A bird swayed across the sky mutely, Amelia’s eyes followed it. One of the babies nudged her and she held herself, ears twitching again at the sound of the bird wailing softly. She smiled up, at the first bird she’d seen since before this all began. He soured across the treetops, dancing in circles, as if he knew he had an audience. 

Suddenly another appeared and Amelia gasped, watching them circle around each other. Amelia quickly eyed Owen, looking undecidedly between him and the window. She moved to him slowly, keeping her eyes out of the window. Nudging him with her foot, she called his name in a whisper. His eyes sprang open and he sat up in a panic. She smiled, shaking her head and he immediately calmed. 

“Look…” is all she said, gesturing that he should follow her back to the window. She only knew he had followed by his presence behind her, his arms around her. He rest his chin on her shoulder, as if trying to see through her eyes. “Look up there” she whispered, pointing. His eyes captured the birds in their dance.

Amelia’s eyes glistened and she held Owen’s arms against her, smiling slightly, biting her bottom lip. The two birds swam in soft zig zags across the treeline and then soured upwards, up and up until they were up above the house, and out of sight. 

Amelia turned within the circle of Owen’s arms and smiled wider, tears dropping fast from her eyes. Owen smiled too, and they didn’t need to say anything. More tears fell and they kissed, sinking down onto the armchair, curled against one another, with arms entangled and embracing. Amelia looked up at Owen, at the sky reflected then in his shining eyes.

 He looked down, meeting her gaze, smiling contently. “I love you” he told her, and she nodded, uttering “I love you too…” whispering “so much” as she rest her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. She moved both of her hands to his chest, so that he had access to her whole stomach. He pushed his hand up under her white shirt and moved it in firm, shushing, circles, enticing a sigh from his wife's lips.

`The birds could still be heard, the first sound of life that had poured from the sky. Owen remained awake, eyes cast down at Amelia, draped across his lap. Her features were illuminated by the yellow of the sun. Her breathing deepened as sleep took her and her whole body slackened. Owen brushed the hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear, before pushing her shirt up over her bump. He rest his hand gently against it, running his eyes around her, taking in the sight. 

It was an odd feeling; feeling so incredibly lucky and unlucky at the same time, it was like a hand was wrapped around his heart, intermittently clenching and then unclenching its grip. He had to remind himself to not think about all that was wrong and all that could go wrong all at once. He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, pressing his lips to Amelia’s forehead, breathing in her smell. He remained in that position, lips against her, hand against large swell of her stomach. One of the babies shifted minutely, a twitch of movement under his hand, and Owen smiled, kissing Amelia again. 

“Owen…” Owen looked around, Arizona was sat up on the couch. Her eyes were wide and immensely blue in the light. Owen smiled tearily. “Is… that birds? That sound?” Arizona asked, dragging her index finger across her cheek to move her hair from her face. Owen chuckled breathlessly and nodded, looking back to the sky. The birds were in sight again. Arizona moved to the window and peered up, mouth agape. They both watched. Arizona curled her arms around herself, feeling the chill of the winter creep through the glass. Her mind was up with the birds though. “They’re beautiful…” she said, “I thought we’d never see anything again…” She beamed suddenly, and chuckled, shaking her head. “This… they are a sign I think” 

Owen nodded, smiling tightly, uttering “I think so too.” 

Arizona looked down at Owen, and at Amelia. Her smile softened, “She’s beautiful…” she said, pressing her lips, letting her eyes drift across the pair. She held herself tighter and wandered across to the mattress that Owen and Amelia shared, scooping up the blanket. She brought it back and draped it across them, gently lowering it onto Amelia so not to wake her. “Thank you” Owen spoke quietly. Arizona just nodded and made her way over the the fire, she leant down beside it and nudged the embers, placing some paper and then some wood on it. The fire fluttered at the edges of the paper and then regained, engulfing the debris. Arizona swiftly dropped another log onto it and then watched, hands in her lap, as the flames wrapped around it. Warmth built against her skin and she relaxed into her seat, smiling slightly.

 Owen closed his eyes. Though he could feel anxiety and worry at the very edges of his mind, he focused in on the feeling of utter contentedness and it swelled, one of the babies nudged against his hand.

TBC

Thank you for reading xxxx ALSO please reblog, I know I had many people reading this way back when, who didn’t/don’t follow me, more reblogs means it’ll find its way back to them. 

Already completely awake, Owen gave up returning to bed and instead, settled for going downstairs. He had always been a big fan of Christmas but after becoming a father, the holiday had acquired an even more special meaning. Owen just loved seeing his kids’ happy little faces on Christmas morning and with that thought in mind, he took his time arranging the presents underneath the big tree in the living room.

For the past two weeks, he and Amelia had managed the incredible task of holiday shopping all the while juggling their busy schedules at work and the kids’ end of term at school. But Owen couldn’t complain about it for he loved every minute of that season. And he just couldn’t wait for the moment the kids woke up and see how the living room had transformed overnight.

Owen was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t notice time passing. Feeling hungry and particularly inspired, he went to the kitchen to make an attempt at breakfast. It was usually Amelia who took care of that meal, but he was hardly ever up before her, so maybe after making sure the kids were in for a surprise when they woke up, Owen could also do something special for his wife too.

 Amelia walked down the stairs, attracted by the amazing smell of hot fresh coffee. She’d woken up to find the bed unusually empty beside her but the biggest surprise had been the snowstorm outside. The neurosurgeon wondered if that would compromise their plans to go for lunch at Evelyn’s house but she didn’t have a lot of time to dwell on it, because once inside the kitchen, she focused completely on the present moment.

Owen was taken by surprise when slender, feminine arms surrounded his waist from behind as a soft body pressed against his.

“What are you doing there?” His wife’s sleepy voice asked at the same time she pulled him closer, touching the side of her face to his back.

Owen gently leaned backwards, covering her arms with his as he slightly turned his head to the side, talking to her over his shoulder.

“Making breakfast for you guys.” He replied before she kissed the skin on the back of his neck.

“I thought that was on me.” She smiled lazily. Amelia knew she was holding him too tightly and practically preventing him from moving around to resume his cooking. But at that moment she wasn’t willing to compromise anything because she felt too comfortable to leave the warmth of his body.

“Well… Merry Christmas.” Owen replied with a chuckle, watching as she laughed along.

“Merry Christmas.” Amelia closed her eyes still smiling. She breathed him in and rejoiced in the familiarity of the scent on his old college shirt. “Can we wake up the kids? I can’t wait for them to see the presents.”

“You know,” Owen gently raised one arm above her and swiftly pulled Amelia from behind him to his front, where he could fully look at her. “Sometimes I wonder who is the biggest kid, you or them.”

“That’s a silly question.” Amelia pretended to be offended but then a huge smile made her adorable dimples move on her cheeks. “Me, of course.”

“Why did I even doubt it?” Owen agreed, delighted. She looked younger and fresher than ever in dark leggings and an oversized sweatshirt making it almost all the way to her knees. He chucked her under the chin and brought her face closer, brushing his lips on hers before resuming his attention to the eggs he was preparing.

Amelia leaned backwards on the counter, soon after sitting on top of it with her legs crossed at the ankles bouncing back and forth.

“Do you think the weather is going to give a break?” She asked her husband while he moved around the kitchen, getting utensils from the cabinets and ingredients from the fridge. Earlier that week, the weather forecast had predicted the possibility of a snowstorm around Christmas time, but no one imagined it would get that bad. “I would hate to miss lunch at your mom’s.”

Owen and Amelia had gone to New York a few times to spend the holidays with her family, but they’d usually stay in Seattle and either have Evelyn over or go up to her house to be with the rest of the Hunt family. That year, a few of Owen’s cousins were supposed to go to his mother’s house for lunch too, but after taking another look at the heavy clouds outside, the neurosurgeon realized there was a big chance they’d have to change plans.

“I don’t know,” Owen frowned and looked over the window, preoccupied. It looked like the storm had gotten worse ever since he’d woken up that morning and he wasn’t sure how safe it’d be to drive through the streets in those conditions. “Let’s check the news.”

Amelia went to the living room and turned on the TV, being soon followed by her husband who arrived with two plates in his hands. Owen noticed it was a little before eight in the morning and yet the street outside still looked dark and damp.

“I can’t believe we’re snowed in.” Amelia sighed, catching Owen’s attention.

He looked at her and couldn’t help chuckling at his wife’s frustrated expression. Amelia sat on the smallest couch with her feet propped on it, giving him a lazy pout as she caught up with the weather updates on the news.

“It could still get better.” Owen tried to sound encouraging, taking a sip from his coffee.

“Babe, they just said we should expect eight inches of snow. That’s gotta be a record.” Amelia said, bothered with the idea. She was really looking forward to going to her mother in law’s and she had a particular good reason for that. “The kids are going to be disappointed.”

Owen very suggestively looked at the pile of presents underneath the tree and then back at his wife, raising one eyebrow in defiance to her latest statement.

“Yeah, point taken.” She agreed with his silent argument. “I love it that you took the time to put all the presents there already.” Amelia teasingly blew him a kiss. “It’s very neat.” She went on making fun of Owen’s orderliness tendencies.

Her husband was very organized and it was no surprise the wrapped boxes were perfectly placed underneath the tree. Amelia wondered if Owen consciously stacked them in proportional distances or if it was something that naturally came to him after so much time being a disciplined military man.

“If I left it up to you, the presents wouldn’t even be here at this point.” He scowled, knowing very well how impatient Amelia was to properly wrap each toy.

Owen expected a witty comeback but instead, his wife simply blew steam off her coffee, looking at him over the mug with an expression that mixed playfulness and mischief. He noticed her wiggling toes under the colorful socks and couldn’t hold back a smile. Amelia loved Christmas and she was always excited about it.

“Are you curious to find out what I got for you?” He asked from his couch opposite the TV, looking to the side to be facing her.

“I know what you got for me.” Amelia smiled widely, half lying, half sitting on her sofa. She saw the raised eyebrow on her husband’s face and chuckled, too relaxed to bother hiding she wasn’t serious.

Owen noticed her loose façade and genuinely smiled, well aware she had no idea.

“Well?” He playfully challenged her. “What is it, then?”

Amelia kept staring at him with mirth in her eyes and then gave in, heartily laughing at his overly suspicious expression.

“Your undying love and affection?” Amelia attempted, watching as her husband cracked up laughing.

“You already have that.” He slightly tilted his head to the side, looking at her with a loving gaze before it was replaced by a smug one. “Just admit it you have no idea what you’re getting.”

Amelia smiled with genuine contentment. Owen was teasing her, but he had no idea what he was in for.

Even though every year they went out together to shop for the kids, it wasn’t uncommon that both Owen and Amelia got each other’s presents and kept the surprise. The year before, Owen had surprised his wife with a new laptop computer. At the time, the present had come in very handy because their twin sons had spilled chocolate milk all over her keyboard while watching a cartoon on Netflix. Amelia had been grateful for this thoughtfulness and she’d hoped to be able to return the consideration but it was very rare for Owen to actually need something, considering how well he took care of his stuff.

The idea had then surged after a particularly slow day in the ER a few weeks before. At the time, Amelia had been paged for a consult. The patient was a former athlete who’d been hit on the head and briefly lost consciousness while coaching kids. After talking to the man for a few minutes, Amelia had found out he was actually a former player for the team her husband and kids were so crazy about and when the guy told her about the highlight of his career, she instantly recalled a memory Owen had once shared with her years before.

Amelia wasn’t a sports person all that much, but she particularly remembered one of the few moments Owen had ever let his guard down enough to talk about his childhood. They had been discussing what to do for Christmas and as she recalled the happiest holidays of her life, all of which had been spent after settling down with Owen in Seattle, he’d asked her about the few Christmases Amelia had spent in New York with her family as a young child. The neurosurgeon confessed she didn’t remember much, but she had a very good recollection of one holiday she’d spent with her father and the moment he’d picked her up to put her a bright star on top of the tree.

If Amelia closed her eyes, she could still vividly hear her beloved father’s rich voice calling her his “Tiny Hurricane” as he had fun with her perseverance to reach the highest spot on their living room huge Christmas tree. But those memories weren’t in Amelia’s mind at the moment. Instead, she was thinking about how Owen had followed up her confession with one of his own.

Her husband had also lost his father at a very young age, but he rarely talked about how that had affected his life or made him feel. Amelia knew that while she had a hard time hiding how much the loss of a parent had turned her life upside down in the cruelest way, Owen had taken to himself the task of looking after his mother and sister and simply move on. But he had been only a nine year old boy at the time and Amelia knew it was way too much for a kid to handle.

She remembered the shy smile on his face when he’d told her about the happiest childhood memory he had. On the eve of the last Christmas Owen would ever spend with his father, the man had taken him to a football game. According to her husband, the moment had been special not only because it had been his father’s last Christmas, but also because it was the first ever playoff game their team had ever been a part of. Owen had described to her how happy he felt to see his team winning but mostly, to witness that historic moment in the company of his father.

From that day forward, Amelia had gained a whole new understanding of why the sport and that team mattered so much to her husband, to the point of affecting his mood and contaminating even their children. And as she examined him going through the channels on the TV, unsuccessfully looking for something interesting to watch on that Christmas morning, a flash of a memory came to her mind.

 “Mr. Hughes?” Amelia made sure the guy was the patient she was supposed to see. “I see here on your file you had a trauma to the head while at work?”

“Yes,” a built middle-aged man with a radiant smile had welcomed her into the exam room. “I was just teaching one of the guys how to properly tackle a lineman when this klutzy kid ran into me and tackled me himself.” The senior guy laughed with forbearance. “I hit my head and felt dizzy. That’s why I came here.”

Amelia spent the following minutes collecting a history and examining the patient. He looked alright to her, but just to make sure, she’d ordered a head CT. And while they waited for the result, she remembered finding the guy’s history intriguing enough to make her want to ask:

“So, you coach football?” Amelia smiled, running her eyes on the screen before her.

“Yeah. High school kids.” The man nodded, proud of his work. “But I am a former player myself.”

“Oh, really?” Amelia had distractedly continued the conversation, too focused on examining the scans. “My husband is a die hard Seahawk fan.”

“I played for the Seahawks.” The guy smiled broadly at her, anticipating her reaction.

Amelia had a fun time laughing at the coincidences of life but just as she was about to discharge Mr. Hughes, his age on the files had caught her attention and she heard herself asking before she could contain it.

“Mr. Hughes.” Amelia laughed to herself to realize she had by accident become one of those people who stored football information like an encyclopedia. “Have you by any chance played in the Seahawks team that made to the Playoffs for the first time?”

The guy gave her a smug look, assuming the young surgeon in front of him was a big football fan too.

“If I played?” He smirked, too proud to hide it. “I scored the last touchdown in our first ever playoff game against the Denver Broncos.” The man smiled at her, gloating.

Amelia felt her heart racing as a crazy idea formed in her head. It was too much a coincidence that this guy had walked into her hospitals and been seen by her, of all neurosurgeons.

“Was it the Christmas Eve game?” She attempted, biting her lower lip to contain her excitement.

The guy mistook her reaction by fan admiration and held his head high, puffing out his chest.

“That very same one, young lady. We won thirty one to seven.”

“Yes, I know.” She smiled widely, thinking back about the day Owen had told her about this game and how he’d gone with his father. “I remember.”

“Aren’t you a bit too young to remember it?” The guy raised an eyebrow, suspicious.

Amelia stopped articulating a plan inside her mind and looked back at the guy, determined to make it happen. Judging by the smile on his face and how proud he felt to have his achievements recognized, she supposed he’d be up for what she was conjecturing.

“Mr. Hughes, I know you’re discharged but if you don’t mind sticking around, I’d love to buy you coffee.” Amelia smiled, charmingly guiding the guy outside the exam room. “I have a very special request for you...”

 “Amelia?”

Her husband’s voice brought the neurosurgeon back to the present moment and Amelia blinked twice before making eye contact with him.

“Hm, yeah?” she asked, embarrassed to admit she had no idea how long he’d been trying to get her attention.

“Come here look at this.” Owen’s voice resonated in the large living room and it was only then Amelia noticed he’d gone to stand by the window. “I know the snow is going to ruin our plans but we can’t deny it looks beautiful outside.”

Amelia dropped her forgotten mug with now cold coffee on the table and went in his direction, pulling the drapes even further to have the same view.

“Oh… wow.”

The scenery outside was indeed breathtaking and she smiled with contentment, wrapping one arm around Owen’s hips as she moved closer to him.

“We really are snowed in.” He stated, now utterly convinced.

“Yes…” Amelia smiled. At first she had rejected the idea but now that there was no alternative other than to accept the reality, she might as well enjoy it.

She collected the dirty dishes of their breakfast and took them the kitchen. By the time she made it back, Owen was resting on the couch watching an old Friends episode re run. As she passed through the Christmas tree, Amelia couldn’t help laughing at the insane amount of presents. As a rule, she and Owen hardly ever bought their kids stuff or stimulated them to be great consumers, choosing instead to place value on what they were rather than what they had. But at the same time, the two of them had a fairly comfortable financial situation, so they tended to go a bit overboard in the few occasions they allowed themselves to buy presents for their kids, such as birthdays and Christmases.

“Hey, did you get the twins that racket thing they were pestering about?” Amelia walked past him. For the past month, their six year old sons wouldn’t stop talking about the set.

“I did, but I am curious to see how they’ll try it out with this weather,” Owen pointed out.

“And did you remember it had to be in…”

“Green, yes, I remembered.” Owen finished the sentence for her, earning an adorable smile in response.

Amelia unceremoniously lay next to him, taking up all the space available.

“But you still don’t know what I got for you.” He teased, turning his neck to make eye contact with her while his wife moved next to him.

“I am pretending I don’t.” Amelia laughed. She had her back turned to the TV, completely facing her husband instead.

“You’re pretending you do.” He corrected her, too pleased with the soft hand that played with the collar of his shirt.

“I know what you got me,” she smiled mischievously. “It’s just what I needed,” Amelia added with a naughty grin, seeing the doubt in his eyes. “It’s a week off somewhere in the Caribbean. A break from everything. Seven days, only to myself…” the neurosurgeon laughed at her husband’s expression. “No kids, no Owen, no snow…” Amelia joked, loving that she had surprised him and her husband obviously didn’t have a witty comeback to that. “Just me and the sun and a lot of free time to do only what I want.”

“You already do only what you want.” Owen reminded her, playfully pulling one of her thighs to the top of his hips as he trapped her in his embrace.

“That’s true.” Amelia laughed in return, unable to hide his gentle bites were tickling the sensitive skin of her neck.

“Are you serious, though?” Owen asked, too confused to make sense of the situation. “Do you really want some time off alone? Because I had no idea that’s how you felt and I…”

His words were interrupted when familiar lips seized control of his own at the same time Amelia moved to his top, straddling his hips. Once his wife pulled apart, Owen saw the large smile on her face, added to a loving look in her eyes.

“Does it look like I want a break from you?” She asked as she bent to touch her forehead to his.

“No.” Owen smiled when her arms wrapped around his neck. “It looks like you want something else from me.”

Amelia threw her head back in a fit of laughter, unaware of how much that vision was pleasing her husband. He moved up on the couch just enough to sit back against the pillows, comfortably keeping her on his lap.

“You are cute,” Amelia playfully held his face between her hands, talking to him as if he were a child. She was still facing opposite the TV, but the neurosurgeon had watched that show so many times that she knew exactly which episode of Friends was on. “Oh my God, it’s the Christmas Armadillo!” Amelia laughed with anticipation, turning on his lap to finally face the television.

For the next minutes, she settled for watching the re run, having fun with it while playing with Owen’s fingers between her hands. The episode was almost over when a sleepy figure came down the stairs, surprised to find both her parents lazily lying down on the couch that Christmas morning.

“Good morning, sweetheart… Come here,” Amelia’s face showed how happy to see the child as she opened her arms to welcome their three-year old daughter.

Megan did as told, yawning on her way there, but as she passed through the presents under the tree, her eyes grew bigger with fascination.

“Santa was here!” The little girl celebrated, smiling from ear to ear as she reached her parents.

“He was,” Owen had fun with her innocence. Lucas and Thomas were already old enough not to buy the Santa idea anymore, but Megan and the twins still believed in it and Owen had to admit he loved that.

“Can we open the presents, dad?” Megan asked cheerfully, making herself comfortable on her father’s lap.

“You got to wait for your brothers.” Amelia smiled, leaning over to give her child an affectionate kiss on the head.

“Can we wake up the boys, then?” Megan reformulated her question, too excited to hide it.

Her parents weren’t surprised with her plot and laughed at the smart question.

“You be a good girl and let them rest for a while longer, okay?” Amelia replied after noticing it was a bit past nine in the morning. “I am sure they will be up soon.”

As Amelia had predicted, all four boys were up earlier than usual due to Christmas excitement. She was finishing making them pancakes for breakfast when she heard Owen explaining why they couldn’t go to their grandmother’s that day.

“What do you mean, we can’t go to Grandma’s? What about lunch?” Lucas asked, utterly alarmed. “What about Christmas lunch?!” The ten-year old boy looked from his father to his siblings, looking for support. “It’s the best meal of all, I look forward to this day all year long!”

Owen interrupted his task of picking up plates and cups for the kids in the cabinets and looked back at his oldest son, trying to hide his amused smile.

“Maybe mom can cook this year.”

Lucas’ scowl of disappointment transformed into one of absolute horror.

“What?”

“Dad is joking.” Thomas pointed out, laughing at his brother’s expense.

“He better be.” Lucas breathed in, noticing as their mother turned around from the stove and looked at them, extremely offended. “Christmas lunch is not something you joke about, Dad.” The boy added, reprimanding his father with a steel gaze.

“You know what, since dad is obviously the preferred cook, maybe he should take over breakfast.” Amelia suggested with a scowl, playfully sticking out her tongue in her husband’s direction when the kids couldn’t see her.

“Nooo, mom, your pancakes are the best. I want your pancakes!” Robbie intervened, oblivious to the bantering atmosphere around. “Please?”

Her son’s honest compliment made Amelia forget all about Owen and Lucas’ predicament. A while later, they finally gathered in the living room to open the presents and that was her favorite moment of the morning. Her kids’ happy little faces were always her favorite vision. And amongst piles of toys, costumes and sports gear, she finally got to find out what her husband had gotten for her.

Owen noticed the puzzled expression on her face as Amelia untied the knot to the small green box and then unwrapped it.

“What’s this?” Amelia narrowed her eyes, looking from the cute device that looked like a phone to her husband’s expectant gaze. She was having a hard time accepting that even after she’d gotten her present, she still had no idea what it was.

“You see this little play button right here?” Owen took a step in her direction to be heard, aware the kids were making a big mess around them with their new toys. Amelia nodded affirmatively in response, smiling with a mix of curiosity and excitement to find out the object wasn’t exactly a phone. “Click on it,” he instructed.

As she did so, Amelia’s smile grew wider when she heard the voice of her oldest son coming out of the device. With a startled expression, she looked from it to Owen, noticing how proud he looked.

“Just listen,” he answered, reading the unspoken question in her eyes.

For the following seconds, Amelia heard the record of Lucas narrating a familiar children’s book. When Owen noticed she’d recognized it, he skipped to the next file and this time around, Amelia heard another known voice reading a different book, only this time it was Thomas. Figuring it out, she skipped to the other files, delighted to find out each one of their kids had recorded their favorite story followed by a sweet message, even Megan who couldn’t even read yet.

“This is so absolutely amazing,” she smiled widely at her husband, stepping on the tip of her toes to give him a kiss on the lips. “How did you get this, where did you…?”

Owen breathed in the scent of her hair, far too amazed that she was genuinely enjoying his gift.

“Well, every night I see you reading your favorite books to them.” He shared, unable to hide how much that was special to him. “It soothes them, the kids love it and so do I,” he confessed, gently holding her chin between his finger and thumb. “So I thought, maybe you’d like to have them read the stories to you for a change. And now you can keep it and listen to it whenever you want.”

Amelia pulled him in for a tight hug, expressing with her actions how much she’d loved his thoughtful gift. Owen also gave her a cute gold bracelet and a box with her favorite brand of chocolate.

“Now it’s your turn.” Amelia smiled from ear to ear, picking from under the tree one of the few presents left. “Guys, come here.” She summoned her kids, wondering how they’d been able to keep the secret of the recorded books from her.

Owen noticed how anxious his wife looked and instantly figured out he was in for a surprise. The kids looked very excited too, so he winked at Megan, who looked at him with a large smile before he focused on the present in his hands.

“Ohh,” The trauma surgeon’s eyes got wide with appreciation when he saw what the package contained. “A Seahawks Jersey from the eighties…” He looked at his children with a wide grin. “Look, guys, that’s Krieg, number 17. He was the starting quarterback for the Hawks when I was your age.” Owen looked up and met his wife’s eyes. “I cant believe you found this. It’s amazing, babe, thank you.”

The kids reacted just as Owen had anticipated and he was too caught up telling them about the team that his wife had to slightly raise her voice to be heard.

“Babe,” Amelia stood beside him and gently caressed the hair on the back of his head as she looked from him to the Jersey. “Did you look on the inside to read what it says?”

Owen frowned in response, without the slightest clue what she was talking about. Flipping over the object, he looked for any kind of inscription that might be there and it was then that his eyes found dark letters that had been added with a permanent marker. To his delight, Owen recognized the signature of Dave Krieg, the starting quarterback who’d been an important part of his childhood. And next to it, a small handwritten note that completely threw him off his game.

Owen,

This is the Jersey I wore on the game that got the Seahawks through our first ever playoff game. I know you were there with your dad that Christmas eve and I appreciate your support. Have a Merry Christmas and Go Hawks!

Best wishes,

Dave Krieg, 17.

 Owen took a few seconds longer than usual to process the meaning of the whole gesture. Amelia thought it was a good thing her husband was sitting down, for Owen looked like he’d seen a ghost. Frowning heavily, he looked at his wife, knowing she could see he had a thousand questions in his eyes.

“Is this for real?” He managed to say after long seconds of hesitation. “Are you serious?”

“It’s very real,” Amelia replied with a giggle, having fun with how exasperated her husband looked.

Owen picked up the shirt again, holding the object like it was as fragile as crystal.

At that point, their kids had already gone back to their own presents and Amelia had to contain Danny and Robbie from destroying the house with a green racket each.

“But… How?” he looked up to find his wife’s loving eyes. “When? How did you do this?”

After looking around to make sure their kids couldn’t listen, Amelia bent down and whispered in her husband’s ear and replied to his question.

“I had to sleep with a few people,” she teased with a glowing smile. “Totally worth it, though.”

“Amelia!”

She laughed heartily and sat down by her husband’s side, briefly explaining how she’d come to treat a guy who’d played on the team and how he’d been able to pull a few strings and get her the jersey. After his initial shock had passed, Owen felt an immense gratitude for the lengths his wife had gone through to get him the present, and how amazing she had been to remember a story he’d long before shared with her.

“You’re amazing,” he told her, not the first time. Owen took another look at the shirt, thinking back about his father and how happy they’d both been on that winter day. “Come here.”

Amelia felt her husband’s arms tightly wrapping around her waist and she whispered loving words in his ears. They were just about to pull apart when the kids jumped in, making it a collective hug at the same time they loudly demanded their parents’ attention.

“Do you like the new videogames?” Amelia kissed Thomas’ hair and ruffled his hair affectionately before looking at the game in his hands. “Is it what you wanted?”

“It is, mom, thanks,” the boy replied, visibly satisfied.

“You have to thank Santa,” Megan corrected her brother, not letting go of the three cute dolls she was trying to hold at the same time. “Right, mom?”

“You’re right,” Thomas acquiesced to his sister’s reprimand. “Of course. I am sorry, Santa.” He said, before playfully rolling his eyes when Megan looked away.

For the rest of the day, Amelia had fun playing with her kids as they explored the new gifts they’d gotten that morning. Owen cooked them lunch and in the afternoon, when the storm gave a break after inches of snow were already gathered on the floor, she laughed at her sons’ failed attempt to orchestrate a snowball fight when their feet couldn’t even make it to the ground outside.

Amelia used one of the art craft kits the children had gotten to skillfully crop five different stars. She instructed the kids to write their wishes on each one and then hang them on the tree. When the neurosurgeon realized Megan was struggling to reach the high place the little girl had aimed for, she stepped up to pick up her daughter and helped her put the star on the highest branch, smiling to think that years before, she had been the little girl to go for the top of the tree.

After having a blast reading the wishes the boys had written on their stars, Amelia followed Owen upstairs and they helped the little ones get ready for bed. She couldn’t remember the last time she and Owen had spent the entire day with the kids inside their house and she figured out that that Christmas could very well be added to their list of favorite holiday memories.

“I can’t stand that movie anymore,” Amelia whispered in her husband’s ear, careful not to make too much noise. They were in the couple’s king size bed, surrounded by their five children who made themselves comfortable as they watched Home Alone on the TV. “How many times have we had to watch it? Half a dozen?”

“More, I think,” Owen looked at her, watching the way her eyes glowed in the dark. He looked around and noticed all five kids were half way to sleep, especially Megan who could barely keep her eyes open. “By the way, babe… thank you for everything.”

Amelia noticed in the change of his tone that Owen was speaking from his heart. She turned her head to the side and discreetly gave him a peck on the lips, grateful for the man she’d married and everything he meant to her.

“You don’t have to thank me,” she looked around at their kids, very suggestively. “I didn’t make them alone, you know?”

Owen chuckled and waited until her smile slowly vanished to add.

“I wasn’t talking about the kids. I meant the presents,” he explained, noticing in her eyes that she was well aware of that. “But thanks for the kids too, I guess.” Owen made eye contact with her, grinning widely.

Amelia took a deep breath and searched for his hand in the darkness of the room. She gave his knuckles a kiss before revealing.

“Ever since the day you told me about that Christmas, I realized how you rarely talk about your dad,” Amelia said, hoping not to upset him. Owen wasn’t very comfortable letting his walls down and she knew it. They were having a lovely day, so she didn’t want to force him into anything. “But then I saw the opportunity to make that memory even more special and I just couldn’t let it pass.”

“What do you mean?” Owen asked with curiosity, touched by her consideration.

“Well, it’s just that…” Amelia breathed in and out before looking into his eyes, “this jersey represents how special that Christmas with your dad was, right? So it got me thinking…” she confessed after seeing he agreed with her assumption. “Maybe some day you can wear it to a game on Christmas and take our kids... So that the best Christmas you’ve had when you were a boy could become our kids’ version of their happiest Christmas too.”

Owen processed her words, emotionally moved by her confession.

“That is very sweet,” he leaned over to kiss her, knowing in his heart that Amelia was the woman of his dreams. “Thank you, babe.” Owen wrapped one arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer, feeling Amelia’s back gently colliding against his chest. He looked around and noticed the kids had already fallen asleep, all five too tired after the long day they’d had. “There is only one thing we got to add to that to make it the best moment, though.” He said, nibbling her ear before starting a trail of kisses on the column of her neck.

“Yeah?” Amelia raised her eyebrows, interested.

“You gotta be there too.”

She turned her head on the curve of his arm and looked up to find his expressive blue eyes.

“You can count on it,” Amelia affirmed, getting an affectionate smile in response. They moved on to the exhausting task of taking all the kids to bed and only after they were done, Amelia was able to properly lie down on her bed and relax. “Today’s been a good day.”

“It has,” Owen agreed, crashing beside her. She didn’t even need to look at him to notice how exhausted he was, because his voice already gave it away.

“Do you know what would make it even better?”

Owen frowned, looking at her with the same questioning eyes she’d just gazed him with moments before. Amelia was obviously up to something, or she wouldn’t be biting her lower lip like that.

“You know how we were watching that Friends episode earlier today and there was this Santa Claus costume that…”

“You can’t be serious,” Owen interrupted her, already laughing too much. On the episode Amelia was referring to, one of the characters asked her husband to keep a Santa Claus costume to be later used in the bedroom.

Amelia saw the amusement in her eyes and went further, determined to torment him. She rolled over in his direction and seductively blinked before whispering against his ear, knowing her words would be properly interpreted by her husband.

“I was a very good girl this year.”

Owen laughed at her shameless provocation and propped his head on his elbow, turning sideways to face her.

“You’re never good,” he reminded her.

“Ohh.” Amelia’s devilish smile made another appearance and Owen instantly realized he was in for another round of pestering. “I guess you’re going to have to do something about that, then.”

Owen laughed loudly, unable to hide how much he enjoyed her company. After kissing her lips, he placed one lock of hair behind her ear, gently caressing the side of her face with his knuckles as he looked into her eyes.

“So, which one is it going to be?” he narrowed his eyes and saw the way she laughed at his pretend seriousness. “Are you in need of a naughty Santa Claus or a disciplinary spanking?”

Amelia laughed her heart out, wrapping both arms around his neck to pull her husband closer for another kiss. She knew she was a handful, but what amused her the most was how positively Owen responded to that. There was no one else she’d rather spend that Christmas night with.

“You are all in one,” she let him know, looking at her husband with the loving eyes of someone who knew how fortunate she was. Amelia relaxed against her pillow, feeling the weight of Owen’s body on hers right before he kissed her neck, making her forget all about her playful fantasies. “Merry Christmas, babe.”

Owen looked up to see her eyes and smiled one last time before losing himself in the comfort of her arms. He’d had some pretty amazing Christmas memories throughout his life. But after Amelia had come to his life, she’d somehow manage to make that time of year have an even more special meaning to him. And he loved her for it.

“Merry Christmas.”

  ---

fact check: Dave Krieg really was the starter QB who led the Seahawks on their first ever playoff game (and playoff win!) against the Denver Broncos. And the timeline does fit Owen being a kid at the time before losing his father :) Everything I wrote about football history in this Drabble wasn’t made up, it really happened !

The first time it became very apparent that he was a jealous husband was a short two days after their wedding. While they had debated stay-cationing in Seattle for their honeymoon, the dreary weather and familiar faces of their coworkers pushed them to travel somewhere else. Somewhere warm, sunny and carefree. Preferable somewhere far.

Somehow they managed to plan their wedding and book a vacation package for Maui despite their short timeline. Amelia had scoffed at the extravagance of the trip, rolling her eyes as Owen selected the largest suite and a plethora of amenities. After she finally finished complaining he turned to her,

“Are you done yet?” he had asked, his voice on edge.

Astonished, she turned to him, “Pardon?”

He sighed greatly, “Are you done complaining yet? Because all you’re doing is wasting your breath.”

She humphed adorably, an angry pout settling on her face.

Owen couldn’t help but release a small chuckle and grin, “Amelia, look at me.”

His stubborn fiancee reluctantly gave him her attention.

“How many honeymoons are you planning on having?” he asked seriously.

She looked perplexed, “Pardon?”

“I asked how many honeymoons you planned on having. Because personally, I’m only planning on having one - with you. All I want is to soak up the sun with my wife, and preferably she’ll be wearing a skimpy bikini. And if that means paying an arm and a leg, so be it.”

Amelia relaxed under his gaze, a blush creeping up her cheeks, “A skimpy bikini, eh?”

He smiled sheepishly, “A guy can dream?”

She leaned in slowly to press a kiss to his lips, pulling away ever so slightly.

“A wife can turn dreams into realities,” she whispered huskily before sashaying away, shooting him a wink over her shoulder.

If Amelia Shepherd was anything, she was true to her word. So after a morning romp in the sheets on their first day of their vacation, she had sent him down to the beach, promising to meet him there after a quick shower. He had protested originally, wanting to spend no more than a second apart but she enticed him with the thought of the warm sun and sand, eventually coaxing him to relent.

As soon as he left, a sly grin spread across her face. She showered carefully, meticulously scrubbing her body with a natural sea sponge, letting the citrusy body wash glide down her wet frame. Once she was done, she stepped out into the steamy bathroom and wrapped a plush towel around her body, enjoying the soft cushioning of the fabric. Raising a hand, she wiped the condensation off the mirror before reaching back to let her hair out of its bun. As she reached up to fix her hair, her newly adorned ring glinted in the light, and her mouth quirked into a smile. Amelia dropped the towel on the bathroom floor before going into the bedroom to rummage through her suitcase for Owen’s special surprise.

Owen had booked a cabana for them on the beach, equipped with a soft canvas mattress and curtains to draw around the whole bed. He had tied the curtains to the posts, enjoying the soft morning breeze coming off the water while he read his book. The dipping of the bag as the settled down her bag alerted him to her arrival. He slowly peeled his eyes away from the book to glance at her, his mouth going dry at her appearance.

In front of him was Amelia, wearing barely more than the blinding smile on her face. She was wearing on of the tiniest bikinis he had ever seen. It was dark blue, with small white stitching around the edges and playful tassels the ends of the strings. The triangular cups looked full with her small breasts, and the bottoms were barely there. Owen took his time dragging his down her body, appreciating the way that the suit had accentuated her features. Unconsciously, he bit his lip between his teeth, releasing a soft groan.

“Like what you see?” Amelia asked playfully, a lilt of amusement in her voice.

Owen nodded, sitting up and scooting to the edge of the bed. He reached his hands out to hold her hips, fondling the string of her bottoms between his fingers. Naturally, her hands came to rest on his shoulders, gently tickling the newly formed freckles she found there. Owen’s thumb swiped across the fabric at her hip, the smooth fabric gliding easily across his skin. A cheeky smile formed on his face as he looked up at her.

Amelia eyed him with a grin, “What?”

Owen chuckled quietly while moving his fingers across the top of the suit towards her ass, “I can’t help but wonder what the back of the suit must look like.”

“You’re incorrigible,” she laughed, before turning around.

Owen reached to cup her bottom, “And you love me for it.”

She looked down over her shoulder, “Damn right I do. Now enough feeling up my ass, let’s go swim!”

Owen allowed her to drag him by the hand to the water, where they proceeded to kiss and frolic through the salty waves.

The couple slept on the mattress in the cabana, exhausted by their early morning efforts and their play in the water. Amelia woke first, mewling softly as she stretched out across the warm fabric. She rolled her shoulders before crawling to the end of the bed to draw open the curtain facing the water. She eyed the pair of loungers outside of the cabana longingly, wanting to enjoy the heat of the sun directly on her skin, but she knew her sun lotion had been washed off by the ocean’s spray. She turned to glance at her new husband, who was gently snoozing. Amelia decided to risk it, and grabbed her book and sunglasses before going to rest on the lounger.

As the sun moved, Amelia moved with it, moving her lounger to further away from the shady cabana to sit more fully in the sun. She was so absorbed in her book that she did not notice the person approaching until a shadow loomed over her body. Startled, she looked up at the intruder, finding a handsome face staring down at her.

“Hello there,” he crooned with an easy southern drawl.

Amelia gave him a strained smile, “Uh, hello.”

“Hello darling,” he smiled, pulling up the other lounger to align them, “Anyone sitting here?”

As she began to answer he cut her off, “Great, I’ve been looking for a spot all day and what luck to find one with such a lovely lady - ” he paused, waiting for her name.

“Amelia,” she obliged.

“Amelia, beautiful face for a beautiful girl,” he smiled, “I’m Sam.”

Amelia nodded before reaching into her bag for her sundress. The stranger watched closely. Once he realized what the item was he piped up again, “No need to cover up for me, honey.”

She smiled curtly, “The sun is getting a little too warm on my shoulders.”

As she reached up to pull the dress on he grabbed her arm, halting her progress. She startled and turned to face him.

“How about I help you with a little lotion then? Your shoulders are looking a little pink,” he offered with a leer, his fingers wandering up her arm teasingly.

Amelia shrugged her shoulder lightly, dropping his hand from her frame, “I’m fine, thanks.”

His hand went back to her shoulder, gripping tighter than before, “Really, I insist.”

Amelia’s voice got lost in her throat as an unsettling feeling crept into her gut. Sam got up to stand behind her, his hands heavy on her skin. She froze in her place her stomach dropped further. Sam swept her hair to one side, and leaned down to whisper in her ear, “I’m going to need some lotion for this to work, love.”

As Amelia faltered and pulled her knees to her chest, the hands were suddenly pulled from her body.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Owen seethed at the stranger.

Sam released his hands from Owen’s grip and shoved the taller man back, “Lay off bud, we’re busy here.”

Owen tensed, his tall stature looming over Sam’s, “I suggest you leave, right now.”

“I’m helping out with a little sun protection, that’s all. Besides, I got here first dude,” Sam scoffed, turning his attention back to Amelia, who remained frozen in her seat.

Owen’s hand clamped firmly on Sam’s shoulder, his fingers pressing against the muscle. He leaned in and lowered his voice, “I’m only going to ask you one more time. Get your hands off of my wife.”

Sam winced as he surrendered, “Alright, alright. Sorry, man. She never mentioned being married or anything.”

Owen scoffed and gestured to Amelia’s left hand, “The ring on her finger not proof enough?”

The other man glanced at the ring and rolled his eyes before walking away, “Didn’t notice. No harm, no foul brother.”

Amelia snapped out of it as Sam walked away. She quickly turned to face Owen, her breath evening out as she saw his baby blue eyes staring back. He walked around to sit and the end of her lounger.

“Mia? Are you alright? What happened? Who was that guy?” he questioned rapidly, his eyes searching her face for answers.

She was at a loss for words, “His name is Sam. He uh- he came to sat here, and he cut me off when I tried to tell him about you. And then he touched my arm and…”

Owen’s eyes filled with concern for his petite wife, “And what?”

“I froze. I- I didn’t know what to say or do” she whispered.

Owen put a hand on her foot, and gestured for her to come closer. Amelia slowly released her legs, scooting over to sit beside Owen more fully. She pulled one of his hands into her lap, playing with the large digits. She rested her head against his broad shoulder, and he leaned down to press a kiss to her salty hair as his hand wrapped around her waist.

After a while, Owen broke the silence.

“Sorry,” he murmured, a guilty look in his eye.

The brunette’s head turned to face him, her loose waves brushing across his chest, “What?”

Owen shrugged softly, “You know, for peeing all over you and stuff. I know you can stand up for yourself and well, I’m sorry.”

Amelia squeezed his hand before settling it on her thigh. She reached to hold his face, turning his gaze toward her, “Owen, thank you.”

His eyebrows gathered in confusion, “For what?”

“For telling him off. Getting him to leave,” she replied.

Owen’s eyebrow raised, “You’re happy I did that. You know, peed on you or whatever?”

Amelia laughed softly, “You need to word that better. But yes, I guess I am.”

He quirked a smile, “So you like it when I do that?”

Her eyes sparkled as she pretended to ponder the idea, “Maybe.”

A grin spread across Owen’s face. He reached over to pull her lithe body onto his lap and leaned down to whisper in her ear, “So you like it when I tell the world that you’re mine?”

A shiver ran down Amelia’s spine, goosebumps forming across the surface of her skin.

“When I tell people to stop staring at you, because only I can do that?” he continued.

She nodded mutely, her breasts rising and falling as a flush spread across her chest.

“When I tell people to get lost because you’re my wife,” he crooned.

Amelia turned, grabbing his face in her hands before putting her lips on his. Owen smiled as they kissed, his hands possessively gripping on her ass while her fingers raked through his short hair. His scruff tickled her as he kissed a line from her mouth down her jaw, nipping on her tender skin here and there. She moaned gently, turning her head to catch his mouth again. Amelia moved her legs to straddle his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck as she softly rocked her hips against his. Owen dug his fingers into the flesh of her ass, grinding her harder on him. Amelia pulled away slightly, her voice breathy as she whispered, “I think it’s time you take me back to our cabana.”

She stood still at the end of the bed, worry, and guilt morphing her face. “Alright” Owen uttered, brushing back Amelia’s hair, Amelia nodded,  reaching for his hand and squeezing it momentarily. Mrs Shepherd watched their interaction and felt guilt grip her tighter.

“I’ll be back in a bit” Owen said, glancing up at Mrs Shepherd before leaving.

Amelia sat with her head resting against the headboard, eyes closed, hands running slowly over her stomach, trying to calm the movements of the babies, who’d started kicking up a storm the moment she saw her mother. She felt her mother's eyes on her and opened hers, meeting her gaze. She stood awkwardly, arms wrapped around herself. Amelia took a deep breath, and pat the space next to her, tilting her head.

They sat in silence, Amelia continuing to breathe evenly, hands continuing her administrations of her bump. “You must be due soon, no?”

Amelia chuckled softly, closing her eyes again, “nope… I have another two or so months to go”

“Really? Wow” they fell silent again. Mrs Shepherd ran her eyes over Amelia and frowned, confused by her size, as Amelia plucked up the energy to talk to her.

“There’s two in here” She said, opening her eyes to catch her mother’s reaction.

“Twins, you’re having twins?” her tone rose, as did her brows.

Amelia smiled, settling her head back and closing her eyes again. Mrs Shepherd, peered down at her daughter’s stomach in awe.

“I…. I’m sorry Amelia” She started, becoming tense. Amelia’s smile faded, but she continued her even breaths, and her soothing hand motions. Her mother, watched her as she continued. “I was wrong, about you… getting married, I should have been there, I… seeing you with him, with Major Hunt”

“You can call him Owen”

“Owen, I’m sorry… I was wrong”

“It’s fine”

“No, it… it isn’t, please just let me make it up to you? To… to do that I need you to let me be in your life, please Amelia”

Amelia bit her bottom lip and squeezed her eyes shut harder, breathing becoming more erratic, she inhaled quickly and deeply, breathing even again. “Shhh now” she muttered to the babies, stilling her hands, pouting. “Mom, I… I don’t know… this is too much right now”

“Amelia, it’s simple you just…”

“No mom, it’s not, I can’t just forgive you just like that…. You missed something that…. That was important to me Mom, and I was on my own, with no family… and you just…. You just…. God damnit!” she yelled and curled over herself, clutching her stomach.

Mrs Shepherds eyes widened and she sat up, sitting on her knees, “Amelia… Amelia what is it…”

“No it’s… damn it” Amelia shook her head, closing her eyes. She fidgeted in her spot, trying to find a more comfortable position.

“Major Hu…. Owen!” Mrs Shepherd called out, leaning towards her daughter but stopping just beside her.

Owen ran in, brows furrowing, speeding to Amelia’s side, Jilly ran in with him, standing beside him, resting her chin on the mattress.

“Hey, hey, what is it? talk to me” Amelia shook her head, quickly grasping Owen’s hand and pushing it towards her lower spine. Owen sighed, and perched on the edge of the bed, nodding and understanding.

He knead into her muscles, looking up to Mrs Shepherd, taking in her worried expression. “She’s having a false contraction” he told her, frowning slightly.

Amelia leaned against Owen, bathing in the comfort of his presence beside her, breathing lengithly through pouted lips.   

Mrs Shepherd nodded, shifting backwards slightly, a tear stringing from her eye. “I’m sorry, I’ll… Amelia, I never meant to…” she struggled for words, shaking her head.

“Mom… don’t, It’s okay Mom, its...”

“Amelia, I think you should take a nap, they’re moving like crazy, and this day…” Owen uttered softly, meeting Amelia’s tired, teary gaze. Her contraction slowly ceased and she nodded, laying her hand over Owens where it rest against her stomach.

“Alright?”

“Okay…” she mumbled, inhaling again, as deep as her diminished lung capacity would allow for.

“Mrs Shepherd… would you like some tea, something to eat?” He said, standing up. Mrs Shepherd nodded sharply and shifted off of the bed. “Sure… I’ll see you in a bit?”

She said, pausing at the door, looking back at her daughter. Amelia simply nodded, closing her eyes and turning onto her side.

“So, Owen…. How… how did you and Amelia meet?”

“Um, we met through work… just kinda forming a connection over time, I was friends with Derek” Owen said, busying himself making tea and a sandwich. Mrs Shepherd nodded, clasping her hands in her lap. “So how long…”

“Listen, Mrs Shepherd, I know you love your daughter, and I know from what Amelia has told me that your relationship hasn’t always been so… peaceful, but… Amelia needs peaceful right now. Can… can you please just go about this… situation, in a way that’s not going to, to…”

“I get it, and yes, I… yes, you know, I think this has already been a lot… I’ll go find a hotel and come back tomorrow, will you be home” She said, standing up.

Owen’s posture sank, and he sighed, “No, I mean, yes, Amelia’s on leave… just at least have your tea first, and eat some food, Amelia will be feeling better once she’s woken up, and she won’t like it if you’ve left.”

Mrs Shepherd pursed her lips and nodded, glancing down at her feet. She shook her head, eyes welling with tears. “I don’t know what to do… to get her to forgive me.”

Owen frowned, bringing her the food and drink he’d prepared, lolling his head to indicate that they should move into the lounge.  They sat on the couch, “You hurt her, you just need to understand. This kind of…. thing, it just takes time”

Mrs Shepherd sighed sadly and took a bite of the sandwich.

“You need to have more faith in her”

“I do, Major... Owen, I do have faith in her”

“That was what stopped you from coming to the wedding, you thought she had relapsed, you can’t do that”

“You don’t understand… With Amy it’s…”

“No, I do… you can’t keep reminding her of all the times she’s made mistakes, not when she’s good, when she’s trying to move forward. She does it to herself all the time, that’s what causes her hesitance, and fear, she’s scared of making the same mistakes, she doesn’t need to be reminded. You’re her mother and now you just need to be there for her… that’s what she needs…. Okay, she needs to not feel alone”

Mrs Shepherd nodded, pressing her lips together. “You’re right… I don’t get to see her, very much,  so I just remember what she used to be like, not…”

Owen nodded, “I’m just going to check on her, you can… turn on the TV if you like”

Owen climbed, carefully, onto the bed, lying down facing Amelia. She opened her eyes as soon as he settled beside her. “Hey you…” he whispered, resting his hand against her bump, finding more stillness than he’d felt earlier. “And you two” he continued, “have you been able to sleep?”

Amelia shook her head softly, “but the rest has helped, I felt like everything was spinning… the babies were going crazy”

“They’re calmer now” Owen said, lifting up her shirt to rest skin against skin.

“I had a chat with your mom” Amelia groaned at this, closing her eyes. “She’s sorry.”

“I know… I know she is” Amelia said, turning her face towards the ceiling, closing her eyes.

“She knows what she’s done”

“I know….” she looked back to him, meeting his eyes.

Owen nodded, smiling a little, “You hungry?” he said, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

 Amelia hummed, smirking. “Yes” She said, pulling his lips to hers, she kissed him hard.

 Owen pulled back to take a breath and chuckled. “For food Amelia, are you hungry for food? Your mom is just outside”

Amelia whined, “fine” flopping onto her back and shifting her legs over the side of the bed. “Sit me up husband” she ordered him, smiling, lying haphazardly with her arms and legs out in front of her.

“Yes your majesty…” he said, sitting up, pulling her with him.

“What ‘s my mom doing? Criticizing our decor, writing a report? Sending it back to my sisters?”

Owen chuckled, rolling his eyes, helping her stand. “She’s eating a damn sandwich Amelia”

Amelia nodded, holding his hand and pulling him to the closet, Owen frowned, “Amelia, why are you…”

“My legs feel like jelly, will you just stand there while I change?” she smirked, pulling her shirt up and over her head, her already bedraggled hair fluffed up further, “or do you have commitments other than watching me get naked then unnaked while not falling over?”

Owen grinned, shaking his head and leaning against the wall.  

“That’s it, yeah put it on… yeah right there” Owen quipped, smirking, eyes bright.

“Shut up Owen” she said, shaking her head, putting on her support belt, unbuttoning her pants.

“Oh yeah, pull down your trousers”

“Shut...up” She lifted one foot out of her pants and wobbled, reaching for the shelf, but Owen reached her before. She dropped her foot and sighed, leaning against Owen, “oh yeah, lean harder, that’s the spot” Owen teased. Amelia slapped his thigh, shaking her head.

“OH” he gasped, groaning sexually before chuckling.

“”OWEN!!” Amelia scorned him, standing up straight, glaring at him. Owen only smiled wider and kissed her, singing “Love you…”

“Yeah, love you too” she said, smiling lopsidedly, stepping out of her trousers, “Now, throw me those sweats, we need to get out there before she gives up on me again”

Owen sighed, passing them to her.

“Amelia… you both need to give each other a chance, if… if you want this to work”  

Amelia nodded slowly, taking the pants and a t-shirt out to the bedroom, sitting on the bed.

“I don’t want to give her a chance if she’s just going to…”

“You have to trust her, she’s your mother, and… you know, it’s not just you now, you have me, and you have our little ladies”

Amelia nodded again, pulling her t-shirt over her bump. She sat quietly for a moment, staring down. Owen moved to stand in front of her. “Would you help me put my pants on please? I can’t see or reach my feet” She passed them to him, fluttering her eyes.

He sank to his knees, speaking  “Yes me-lady” as he pulled each pant leg over her feet. She stood up, and tugged them up the rest of the way, stating “food” before walking past him out the door.

“Hey, mom”

Mrs Shepherd leapt up and span to face Amelia, “Hi, are you… you feeling better?”

Amelia smiled, taking a deep breath and moving around the sofa, placing her hands on her hips. “I am… thank you” Amelia nodded, looking down at herself.

“Good, good, sit down, please”

They sat at either side of the couch, facing one another.

“You’re such a tiny person, it’s odd to see you… so” she gestured with her hand.

Amelia smirked, cheeks dimpling, “so round, I know. It feels odd too sometimes.”

“You were always the smallest, even as a baby, not like your sisters, or Derek”

“Mom, I want to forgive you. Just… just promise me you won’t do this again?” Amelia blurted, done with small talk. Her question caused a pause.

“Oh Amelia, I promise” her eyes welled and she shifted forward. Amelia crossed her arms across her bump and held herself. Her mother spoke again, “I promise” she began to cry, and moved further towards Amelia, pausing with her arms raised.

Amelia nodded, tears stringing from her eyes at the motion. Mrs Shepherd wept and pulled her daughter into her arms, wrapping her up and holding her tight.

Amelia held her breath for a moment, “I had a baby in LA, and he died,” Her mother stopped breathing, frowning, her body became rigid, Amelia continued, “he, I held him and he lived for forty three minutes and he… he died, and so did his dad, we didn’t know I was pregnant, he… aspirated on his own vomit, I woke up and he was dead”

Her mother pulled back, and opened her mouth to speak, but Amelia continued, “And I had a brain tumour, we found out this year, it’s gone now, but… yeah”

Her mother continued to cry, covering her mouth with her hand.

Owen entered then, standing behind them. “We’re having twin girls” Amelia said, taking Owen’s hand. Mrs Shepherd pressed her lips together, eyes wide and wet. Amelia squeezed Owens hand.

“Mrs Shepherd have some of your tea… maybe” She nodded, turning in her seat as Owen ran around the couch to pass her the tea. “Owen will you get me some? Please” Amelia asked, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand.

Owen nodded, brushing her shoulder. Mrs Shepherds hands shook, as she brought her mug to her lips.

“Mom, I know it’s a lot… but I’m here now, and I’m happy, and healthy”

“Amelia, why…” She stopped, leaning forward and placing the mug down, closing her eyes. “I’m so… You’re here” She nodded, turning then and pulling Amelia into her embrace again.

Amelia felt warmth build in her chest and the babies both increased their movement. She took her mother’s hand and placed it against her stomach, letting her feel the strong turnings. Amelia closed her eyes, inhaling, “you still wear the same perfume” Amelia uttered, smiling tearfully.

“It’s my favourite, you know that” Her mother replied, combing Amelia’s hair with her fingertips. “I love you so much Amy, so so much” Amelia nodded against her mothers chest,

“how long are you here?”

“I haven’t booked my return yet, I was hoping a couple of weeks, there’s a bed and breakfast nearby” she said, Amelia sat up.

“You can stay here tonight, if… you you want to”

Mrs Shepherd smiled, “I would love to.”  

LINK TO CHAPTER 12

Thank you for reading!