Two days later, Isabelle stared at the emails her sister was sending to her. As much as she and Arielle didn't get along, her sister had called with concerns and now Isabelle was mildly concerned and mainly confused.

"This is insane. She sent you all of these?" Wendell was scrolling through Isabelle's computer, his lab coat hanging over the back of the kitchen chair.

"So my parents are both having an affair." Isabelle rubbed her jaw and sighed. "I did not see this coming. At all."

"To be fair you are living in a completely different country. And Arielle is probably the nosiest person I have ever heard of." Isabelle snorted. "What can you even do?"

"I have no idea. And look at this, she's been talking to freaking Munroe. What an ass."

"He's that doctor ex that got you fired, right?" Isabelle nodded. Wendell made a noise. Isabelle smiled to herself as she looked at the email she had printed. It wasn't at all surprising that Munroe still talked to Arielle. He'd cheated on Isabelle with Arielle when her sister had been over to visit her and that bad been the straw to break the camels back on both the relationship between Isabelle and Arielle and Isabelle and Munroe.

"What an asshole." Wendell smiled this time and nudged Isabelle's knee with his own. "I'm not wrong. Anyway, I don't know what to do, man. I'm glad Ari told me about her suspicions but it's really up to her on what to do, isn't it?" Wendell shrugged.

"To be fair, I'm more concerned about Munroe's emails to your sister. He mentions you quite a few times." Isabelle shrugged.

"He's Munroe. Probably trying to wind her up. But I think I'm just gonna take a hands off approach to all of this."

"I still don't like it, Iz. Arielle must've been concerned to send the emails to you with the ones about your parents." Isabelle looked over his shoulder at the email he was looking at.

"Arielle has never shown concern for anyone but herself." Isabelle sighed. "All he's mentioned is that he wants me back and that I'm a disappointment.... He's not wrong, I do like to be a disappointment."

"You're not a disappointment." Wendell scowled. Isabelle grinned and kissed him on the cheek.

"I know." She rested her cheek on his shoulder. "Hey what are you doing next week?"

"Whatever it is you're wanting to do, I guess." Isabelle grinned. She closed her laptop that he was reading on and sighed.

"Good. Mel and Mabel both texted me to let me know that Mabel is having her big birthday party and I can bring a plus one."

"Oh that sounds like fun."

"Should be. Her grandkids will be there too and my gosh they are the cutest things you would have ever seen." Wendell sighed and put an arm around her. "But it'll be nice for you to come too."

"Of course I want to come. And we'll ignore this and you can tell Arielle that she can sort your parents out."

"That sounds like bliss." Wendell chuckled and stood up from his chair.

"Hey question."

"Shoot." He reached the fridge and opened it. He turned to her.

"Where's my Chinese from the other night?"

*************

Mel walked out of the nursing break room and pocketed her phone into her nursing scrubs. The emergency department was unusually quiet for a Friday afternoon but Mel was grateful for it. It gave her an opportunity to actually catch up on her piles of paperwork that her piling up beside her computer. It wasn't that she was putting it off but it was just that she really hated doing paper work. That was why having Isabelle around had been so helpful because that girl was a whizz when it came to getting work done. Especially paperwork.

As she walked around the corner, she walked face first into a person. She whelped and braced her hand against the wall rail as she made herself blink and sneer at the person that she'd run into.

"Really, Munroe?" Munroe blinked at her a few times and then a smirk came on his face.

"Ah, Mel. What a pleasure."

"Pleasure my ass. Watch where you're going."

"You're the one who needs to watch where you're going. You ran into me." Mel sighed and shook her head and moved around him and made her way to the nursing station. Munroe turned to watch her and spoke just before she disappeared into the nurses station.

"You lot heading to Mabel's birthday?"

"I think so. I am. Why? Don't tell me you managed to get yourself invited." She said it like a statement and leaned against the door frame, frowning at him. Munroe shrugged.

"The whole doctoring staff and ward staff has been invited. Which means I'm invited." Mel rolled her eyes. She pushed off the wall.

"You do realize that nobody here likes you, right?"

"Nah, Mel. You're the only one that doesn't like me." Mel snorted.

"I'd need to take off my socks to count exactly how many people here dislike you." He scoffed and turned on his heel, leaving her where she stood.

Danika popped up behind Mel, scaring the nurse half out of her mind.

"Shit, sorry girl. Just wanted to letcha know we've got call in. Serious crash involving five people."

"Yeah okay. Jeez woman, don't scare me so bad next time."

"Not my fault you scare easily." Danika snorted and patted her shoulder. "ETA Ten minutes, may need to notify theatre." Mel nodded and waver her off, shaking her head.

"I'll get to that." Mel turned around and hugged her way into the office, feeling officially done with the day.

***************

The day of Mabel's birthday arrived to a day that was crappy in weather and humidity.

Mel and Isabelle stood in their bathroom, Isabelle was attempting to straighten her hair while Mel was attempting to wing her eyeliner for the twelfth time. Isabelle snorted as Mel wiped it her right eye off again.

"Shut up." Mel grumbled as she moved closer to the mirror. Isabelle rolled her eyes.

"Honestly woman. You have no idea what you're doing."
"What, and you do?"
"Look, my sister thinks I want to help my parents who are both having affairs. I definitely know what to do in ALL cases."
"And what do you do?"
"Leave it to someone else to sort it out." She gave a cheeky wink that caused Mel to snort and mess up the eyeliner again.

"Do you want some help?" Mel shook her head.

"I've seen you try to wing eyeliner. You've never done it well." Isabelle shrugged as she pulled a strand of hair through the straightner and then put it down, turning it off as she did so. She ran her fingers through her hair, humming to herself as she did so. Mel saw the small smile on her face and smiled as well.

"Aight. I'm going to go and find my shoes. The ones that sorta match this dress." She smoothed the skirt of her blue dress down and padded out of the room.

Finding the shoes she wanted, Isabelle grabbed then and slid her feet into them just as her phone rang. She jumped as it buzzed and she answered it without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?"
"Hey Isabelle! It's me. Hannah. Hannah Booth."
"Hi Hannah!"
"How's it going, hun? Everything going okay?"
"Yeah, everything's going swell, I think. Getting ready to go out... Why, whaddya need?" Hannah laughed.

"I really just wanted to see how my friend was doing and how she was going aaaaand if she had managed to find herself a job because boy do I have a fantastic offer for ya."
"Did you even take a breath?" There was a pause.

"I live life in either pause or fast forward these days, okay? That's happens when you have kids."
"Awwww how are Hank and Heather?"
"Honestly they are gorgeous but man do I need a nap. And Booth is just amazing but I swear he needs a nap too. Two babies was one too many than we anticipated." Isabelle giggled. "Anyway, did you manage to find a job?"
"I've had a few interviews but nothing offered yet, why?"
"Do you by any chance want to come and hang out with me and the babies and probably Ange and Brennan? Just until you get a set a job." Isabelle grinned as she stood up from the edge of the bed and did a slightly staggered walk as she tried to gain her footing in her heels.

"That would actually be fantastic."
"Really?"
"If it means I get baby cuddles, I am DOWN." Isabelle heard Hannah laugh.

"I'm so glad about that, means I can actually probably get a proper shower in."
"Maybe even a bath." Isabelle laughed. She swore she could almost hear Hannah rolling her eyes.

"Whatever, egghead. Call me tomorrow to arrange when you can turn up, alright? Don't get to druuuunk!"
"Alrighty." Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Thanks Hannah!" She hung up and sighed, smiling more.

"Guess who gets baby cuddles!!!!" She yelled to Mel.

"Me!"
"I mean, if you want." Mel snorted. "But Hannah's just offered me some work with her and the kids."
"Oh thank goodness." Mel walked out of the bathroom, her eyeliner no longer winged and her make up done.

"Are you ready to go?"
"Wendell should be here any minute." She grabbed her purse and popped her phone in it. Mel ran a hand down her dress, smoothing it out as she grabbed the other pair of shoes that Isabelle had laid out for her.

Isabelle heard a knock on the front door and she grinned.

"He's heeeeere." She ushered Mel out of her room and towards the front door. She stopped briefly to make sure that the sleeves of her dress were sitting nicely.

"Come oooon."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Mel chucked Isabelle her cardigan and grabbed her own as she went to the front door and pulled it open to see Wendell standing there.

"Taadaa!" Isabelle grinned as Mel rolled her eyes. Wendell grinned as he looked them both over, his eyes meeting Isabelles.

"Well you ladies look stunning. As per usual."
"Aw, shucks." Mel blew him a kiss as she quickly disappered into the kitchen to grab her bottle of water.

"You look pretty dashing too, Mr Bray." Wendell rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around Isabelle's waist and kissed her. She grinned. He was dressed in his smart slacks and a jacket, fancying himself up from his usual gear.

"You ready to go?"
"Well I am. Not sure about Mel though."
"No, no I'm ready. I needed my water. Water is important. Hydration, bitches." Isabelle rolled her eyes. Slipping her hand into Wendell's, she motioned for Mel to follow through the door. "What? I'm not wrong."

When they turned up to Mabel's birthday, the party was in full swing. Mabel greeted the three of them at the front door.

"Izzy, ya gorgeous girl. Why's it been so long?!"
"Aww I missed you too Mabel." She bent down to hug the older woman. She hugged Mel as well and have Wendell a hefty pat on the back.

"Is everyone here?"
"Almost. It's about to rain so I should hope so." Mabel shook her head. "Honey, the grandkids are wanting to see ya. I told em you'd be here." Isabelle's face lit up.

"I need to go see these kids." She squeezed Wendell's hand. "Mabel, this is Wendell. Don't kill him. We like him." She kissed his cheek and dashed off to go find Mabel's grandkids.

"I'm not going to see her for awhile, am I?" Mel put an arm around his shoulders and grinned.

"Sorry bud. You're stuck with me. I'll make sure you meet the nice guys." She grinned. Mabel scoffed beside her and then ushered them inside as it started to rain.

Inside, Isabelle grinned as Mabel's oldest granddaughter, who was ten, shower her the new sparkles on her shoes her mother had put on for her.

"Isabelle, fancy seeing you here." A voice came from behind her as the girl ran off to get her brother and cousins to come say hi to her. Isabelle stood to her feet and pushed her hair behind her ears and turned to look at the owner of said voice.

"What's a guy like you doing in a place like this?" Munroe stood behind her with his arms crossed over his chest. She sighed.

"I didn't expect to see you, that's for sure."
"I love Mabel, why wouldn't I be here? Why are you here?"
"To make amends. To be a nice guy." Isabelle stared at him suspiciously.

"Is that so hard to believe?"
"Honestly? Yeah. You're an asshole."
"Is this about the whole getting you fired thing? You attacked me."
"You had it coming." She said firmly. "You know what you're like."
"An asshole? Yeah I am. But I was the best thing for you."
"We aren't going to go through this again, are we?"
"No." His eyes twinkled. "I actually wanted to offer you a drink. A peace offering." Isabelle frowned.

"Peace offering?"
"A beginning to working towards a civil acquaintanceship." Isabelle blinked, caught off guard.

"Okay. But just a lemon, lime and bitters."
"I know. I'll be right back." He motioned towards the bar but nodded in the direction of where a bunch of kids were running towards her. Isabelle watched him leave, feeling something weird twist uncomfortably in the stomach. Shaking her head, she turned around to greet the seven kids running towards her.