"Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Knotts." Addison opened the door, two unknown faces following closely behind her. "Uh, this is Angie and Simon McConnell. They're the parents that Kayla's surrogate for. They wanted to meet you two."

Amelia looks up, "Well, I'd— I'd shake your hands, but.." She puts her gloved hands up.

"But I will." Athena tried to shake their hands, only to be glared at. "Or not, that's okay too." She awkwardly smiles.

"Dr. Montgomery told us what's happening. Eddie doesn't want to hear this, but our babies are barely viable." Angie spoke.

"He's well aware." Amelia smiled, and took off her gloves.

"We know this is horrible to ask after all that Kayla's been through, but..please don't do this." Simon pleaded.

"We are so close to having our family." Angie stared at her, waiting for a reaction out of Amelia.

Amelia looks at Addison, "Would you talk with us outside for a minute?" She asks Addison, motioning for Athena to follow.

They all walk outside the door, Amelia stares at Addison as she slowly turns around.

"You thought if I saw the parents with their sad faces, what, I was just gonna back down? Look, I'm doing the right thing." Amelia said in a low voice, so Angie and Simon couldn't hear her.

"Not for the babies. The risk is too high." Addison keeps a straight face.

"The Addison Montgomery I know would wade through fire for a patient. She wouldn't whine about the risks. I mean, she'd go all super woman on me trying to convince me to do the surgery. What is it? What, you're settling in your personal life, so now you're willing to settle with your patients, too?"

"I am not settling Amelia." Addison said, simply.

"You have feelings for somebody else. Pete has feelings for his kid's mom." Amelia shakes her head, as Athena stands silently. "You say it's great. You don't seem great."

"You— you have no idea what you're talking about." Addison stuttered.

"She's right, Addie." Athena spoke. "Kayla could live again. She could live. I'd give anything for my parents to live."

"You seem sad, Addison. And you should be." Amelia walked closer to Addison.

"Okay, what— you both are way out of line here."

"You should want more..more for yourself and more for Kayla."

Amelia walks back into the room, Athena following behind her, "You should be ashamed of yourself."

Later that night, when both their shifts were over, "Do you— maybe, wanna get a drink?" Athena asked.

"Oh, uh, sure." Amelia smiled.

"I just, want to get to know you better, that's all." Athena puts the fallen black locks of hair behind her ears. "I should probably get your number so I know where to meet you at."

"Oh, yeah. Of course. Here." Amelia handed Athena her phone so she could put her number in.

"Here you go. I'm gonna go home and change, but I'll see you there." Athena smiled back.

"Yeah." Amelia watched Athena leave.

🪷

Once Athena got home, to her and Charlotte's shared apartment.

"Charlotte!" Athena yelled through the house. "Charlotte!" She said in a singing voice.

After figuring out she wasn't home she decide to change into a sage-green tank top, and black leggings, her stomach showing a little.

She put her hair up into a nice ponytail, no bumps showing.

"I'm should write a note or something." She scrambled to find a pen and paper, but eventually did.

She wrote these exact words, "Out at the bar with Amelia. Probably will be home late. Don't wait up." Then added a smiley face.

"Perfect." Athena sat it on the kitchen counter.

Once at the bar she saw Amelia waiting outside her car.

"Why, hello there." Amelia said.

"You look nice." Athena said in a fake accent, "Ya here on a date?"

Amelia scoffs, "I wish." Amelia smiles.

"You went home and changed too." Athena noticed.

They walked up to bar, and sat down, "I'll take a..margarita, please. And for you?" She looked at Athena.

"Uh, Vodka Cranberry." She spoke, "You like margaritas? You should come to Charlotte and I's house. She makes good margaritas."

Their drinks were sat on the bar table. "Thanks."

"So, you have any siblings?" Amelia asked.

"Uh, yeah. Two." Athena told her.

"What are their names?"

"I'm not sure." Athena lied. "I have a different mom than them, and my mom kept me from my father. So I never met them. Or him for that matter."

"Ah." Amelia nods.

"What about you?"

"I have a brother, as you know. Derek. And three sisters. Kathleen, Liz, and Nancy." She sipped on her margarita, "Earlier you said you'd give anything for your parents to live, what happened?"

"Well, my mom had an ongoing heart disease. And my step-father died in a car accident. And, like I said, I haven't met my father." Athena looked into her drink.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Amelia rubbed her back. "My father died when I was only five years old. He died in his store when a couple of guys wanted to take his watch."

"Hmm. Let's talk about something happier." Athena decided.

🪷

The next morning Athena had a blaring headache.

"I figured you'd have a headache." Charlotte said from the door, scaring Athena.

"Jesus! Charlotte!" Athena yelped.

"There's water on your table." She points to the glass of water sitting on the wooden table. "You came home later than you usually do."

"Yeah." She drinks the water. "Amelia and I kept talking, then never stopped."

"Did you have fun?" Charlotte asked, like she was her mom.

"Yeah. She's really nice. And your gonna have to take me to get my car from the bar."

"She asked about you yesterday."

Athena sips more of her water, "Oh, yeah? What did she ask?"

"If you were gay." Charlotte states, making Athena spit water out of her mouth. "Well don't freak out or anything."

"I'm gonna freak out. The hot, brunette, neurosurgeon likes me!" She screamed, immediately regretting it and putting her hand on her pounding forehead.

"Okay." Charlotte rubs her back for a second then gets up to leave, "I'll see you later."

"Yep." Athena groans.

🪷

Amelia and Athena stood in the scrub room, scrubbing their hands.

Addison walks in, "Are you here to talk me out of this again? Because—"

Addison cuts her off, "I'm here for my patients."

A few minutes later Amelia, Athena and Addison stood in surgery, Athena was silent.

"Ventriculoscope is in place..and I'm moving down the aqueduct." Amelia looks at Addison, "So far, so good."

Addison nods.

"You're doing great. Keep going." Athena told her.

"All right. I am in the aqueduct. Guide is in place. Preparing the stent. Almost there." She announces her steps.

"All right, heart rate's up to one-hundred-thirty. one-hundred-forty." Athena looks at the monitor.

"She desaturating." Addison said.

"She's throwing another clot." Athena said, worry in her eyes, but she didn't do anything.

"I'm gonna keep going." Amelia said, making Athena look at Addison.

"The babies are in distress. Athena." Addison stared into her eyes.

"All right. I'll need time to remove the clot." Athena said as the heart monitor started beeping erratically.

"Fetal heart rates are in the eighties. Let's prep her belly. I'm cutting her open. Amelia, step back." Addison took charge.

"I can do this, Addison." Athena told her.

"Just give Athena a chance." Amelia tried to stop her.

"As long as the babies are in there, she's gonna keep throwing clots. And they will not survive the procedure. I need to deliver the babies now. Amelia, step back." Addison stares at Amelia until she steps back, "Scalpel." She put her hand out.

She cuts into Kayla's lower stomach, "Baby number one." She said, holding the baby. "Call NICU. Get three vents and a central line set up."

Amelia stands there, staring straight ahead.

"Baby number two. Come on."

"Why wasn't I paged?" Vanessa came into the O.R.

"I have a full team here." Addison said, trying to get the babies out.

"I'm an attending on this case. You could've used me."

Addison ignores her, "Number three. Athena, you're clear to go." Athena steps in, ready to do the surgery. "She's floppy. No spontaneous respiration. I can't feel a heartbeat."

"Let me assist you." The attending spoke.

"I've got it. Set up an intubation tray."

"Let me help you." Vanessa walked closer to Addison.

"We are here because of you. This baby is like this because of you. The best thing you can do right now is back off." Addison raised her voice at her, "Give me an E.T. tube. All right. Suction. She's aspirated."

After Addison left Athena finished her surgery. "Athena."

"Almost there. Thirty CC syringe." She asks, a nurse handing it to her. She pushed the clear liquid out, "And clots and dissolving. Vitals are stabilizing. The rest is up to you, Dr. Shepherd." She places the syringe down.

"I almost killed her, Athena." She whispered. "And those babies—"

"They're in Addison's hands." Athena comforted her the best she could in an O.R.

"What am I doing?"

"You're doing surgery on a woman's brain..a— a surgery you said only you could do..a surgery you fought for. Stop standing there and start acting like a surgeon."

"You sound like Addison." Athena took in a shaky breath.

"No, I sound like you before you started losing confidence in yourself. Amelia, can you do this? Can you wake this woman up and bring her back to her family?" Athena paused, "Or were you just spouting a bunch of mess because you like to cut?"

Amelia inhales deeply, "I can do this."

"Okay, then. Go. We don't have all day. Adjust the scope. Set up the catheter for the stent. Let's show your brother he's not the only Shepherd who can make magic." Athena smiled.

"It didn't work." Amelia said, after the surgery.

They were looking through the window at Eddie and Kayla, "You don't know that." Athena told her. She wraps her pinky around Amelias.

"The other patients were at least marginally responsive by now." She looks at Athena, "I freaked out, Athena. Maybe I took too long. Maybe I should've stopped. Maybe Addison was—" Her rant gets cut off by Eddie coming out.

"She's in pain. Is that good or bad?"

They unlink their pinky's. They run into the hospital room, "That's not pain response." She whispers to Athena, using her flashlight to check her eyes.

"Whoa. Neither is that." Athena told her.

"Sweetheart?" Eddie asked his wife.

"Pupils are equal and reactive. Positive doll's eye response." Amelia tilts Kayla's head from side to side.

"Is she waking up?" Eddie asked.

Kayla moans, "Her brain stem reflexes are improving."

"She's waking up?"

"She's waking up." Amelia repeats. "She's waking up."

"Baby?" Eddie sat beside Kayla.

"She's waking up." She looked at Athena.

cute athelia moment

ship name (creds to
my bestie)

this is a longer chapter
then normal. u deserve it.
i wrote u a 800 word chapter
and posted it. then said i'd post
the next day and didn't 💀.