SHORT CUTS 4x2

"Anybody know anything about this?" Sam asked, holding a pink paper, a bunch of his colleagues following behind him.

"No idea," Pete sighed, walking right behind him.

"Well I came for the donuts," Sheldon exclaimed, only to be shut down.

"There aren't any donuts," Charlotte rolled her eyes. Still mad from the night before—Cooper and Violet on the phone, all night.

"Well, I've been terrible misinformed," Sheldon grumbled.

"Stick around Sheldon," Addison said, sitting beside Athena—who'd stopped using her crutches and just walked her best, which hurt at times, but she got through it. "Naomi said she wants to discuss something with all of us."

"Did— did we miss anything?" Violet and Cooper arrived together.

Athena scratched her neck, looking beside her, towards Charlotte.

The thing about being Charlottes best friend was listening to her rants about how Cooper spent most of his time with Violet rather than her. Charlotte would show up unannounced at their—used to be—shared home. Although Charlotte still had a room there, it didn't feel the same.

"Donuts, apparently," Sam answered, annoyed.

"Hi. Uh, so, uh, I— I have an idea that I want to talk to everyone about," Naomi placed the black folder on the conference table, her hand resting on the back of her chair. "Um, I, uh, well, okay, uh.. let me back up. Last night, uh, William White died." Naomi revealed, making everyone start giving their condolences.

"Oh, Nai."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't. Please don't. I'm fine," Naomi put her hands up, stopping them. "It's been a long time coming, and we both knew that it was happening, and I am fine, and I don't want to discuss it," Naomi exhaled, letting out her plan. "But what I do want to discuss it this— I want to merge Oceanside Wellness and Pacific Wellcare."

Everyone raises their brows, not know exactly what to say to the plan.

"I— I mean, wouldn't that be sort of complicated?" Addison laughed awkwardly. "I mean, the— the finance of it alone are—"

"No, no, no, no," Naomi stopped her. "It's not an issue. William left me his foundation to run.. with millions, many, many millions. So.. we now have the resources. We can do some good here. We— great even," Naomi said with a shaky voice. "You know, uh, you know, b— being a doctor is supposed to be a noble calling, but we know that's not always the case, you know? There's only so much money, and so much time, and— and the real world intrudes. And, uh, you have to compromise, but now we don't have to."

Naomi looked at Sam, "Sam— when Sam and I were first thinking about O.W.G., we imagined a practice where we could really get to know every single one of our patients and spend the time with them that they need. And now we can do that. We can do anything and— and everything. So.." Naomi trailed off, asking for the fellow doctor's permission.

"Sounds good to me," Pete nodded.

"I have no problem with it," Violet smiled at Naomi.

"Will this include full kitchen access?" Sheldon asked, making some people laugh.

"Everybody's on both floors all the time anyway, so what difference does it make?" Charlotte asked, looking across Athena and Addison.

"Anything else?" Cooper asked.

"Uh.. no, no. I— I— I guess not, Naomi smiled excitedly, dismissing all of the doctors.

Athena stumbled out of her chair, patting Naomi's shoulder on the way out.

"Are you okay?" Naomi asked, grabbing Athena's arm. She'd just been cleared for surgery at the hospital, although she'd been helping people at the practice. She wasn't sure about this, how would two cardiologists work?

"Fine. Just a little pain," Athena sighed.

"Maybe you should go back on the crutches," Naomi said, worrying for the girl. "We don't need to unclear you for surgery. We just got you back."

"It's okay. I'm fine," Athena snapped slightly. She knew Naomi was right, but she didn't want to go back on to the crutches. They were too much work. "Sorry." She apologized, walking away.

🪷

"Hola, Chica," Amelia stood in the doorway, smiling.

"Why aren't you in Seattle?" Addison asked, sighing as she put her hands on her hips.

"Well, as you know, I got to the airport and I was like 'Shit. I didn't say goodbye to Athena.' So I drove to the wedding, said goodbye to her, and then drove back to the airport, and remembered I'd already been there." Amelia bends her knees.  "So I went to Mexico instead."

Addison leaned to sit down on her desk, "The plan was to see Derek in Seattle."

"Yeah, well, plans change," Amelia plops herself in Addison's white chair. "What'd I miss?"

Addison takes her hands off her hips and crosses them over her chest, "Well, Naomi wants to merge the practices."

"That's cool," Amelia slouched.

Addison blankly nodded, and went on to tell her about Sam, and her—not knowing wether to tell Naomi or not, and if she were to tell her, she had no clue what to say.

Addison paced, "Fine. I'm gonna tell her. I'll just put it out there, and.. and see what happens."

Amelia nodded awkwardly.

"But that's not what you were wondering about, was it?" Addison lifted her perfectly sculpted eyebrows.

"I.." Amelia stopped herself, not knowing what to say to that.

"She's fine. You'd know if you asked her yourself," Addison said, only trying to protect her sister. "She's off the crutches, but you can tell she needs to be on them a little longer. She's upset and won't get out of bed half of the time, and it's not because of the pain. Look, it won't matter if you talk to her not, she's going to be upset until you speak with her."

"I'm not the one that lied, she did. And— and she cut things off with me first," Amelia frowned, looking away.

"But she also fixed things," Addison pointed out, tapping her heel on the wooden floor. "Apologize or stop messing with her. I had to drag her out of bed the morning after you left. You have a hold on her, that none of her other girlfriends have. So fix it, or break things off with her."

🪷

"Hey. I saw a piece in the Times about this new sushi restaurant in the Marina," Amelia threw her purse down onto a chair in Addison's office. She still hadn't talked to Athena. It was the next night, and she was avoiding Athena like the plague. "I thought we could try it tonight."

"Tonight is no good," Addison turned around, pulling a paper from her files.

"What, you already have plans?" Amelia asked visibly upset, she was excited to try the new sushi place.

"No, you do," Addison looked at Amelia's plane ticket, "You're flying to Seattle."

"Look, stop trying to fix things, Addison. You're not my mother," Amelia took a step back.

"Of course not. I'm far too young and pretty," Addison replied with a snarky answer, handing Amelia the ticket.

"Derek chose to cut me out of his life. And Athena won't talk to me," Amelia said lying about the second part.

"And I think that you should try again anyway," She pressed her lips together. "With both of them. Look.. it's up to you. Get on the flight. Don't get on the flight, whichever," The red head sat. "But either way, You can't sit around here drinking tequila, making excuses, and avoiding Athena," Amelia chewed her lip, looking at the woman. "You thought I wouldn't hear? She's my sister."

"Fine," Amelia turned to leave, picking up her purse off the chair, "I'll go, but you might want to consider practicing what you preach."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Did you tell Naomi yet?" Amelia responded with a question. "No more excuses."

🪷

Amelia shut the door of her car, lifting her eyebrows at the caller ID on her phone, surprised Athena's name was on her phone.

"Hi," Athena said surprised.

"Hey."

"I heard you left again," Athena looked out her bedroom window, her legs pressed against her chest.

"Yeah," Amelia nodded. "You heard correctly."

"Look. I'm really sorry about the secret. And I don't know what else to say to get you to forgive me. I don't even know why I kept it a secret," Athena laughed, biting her bottom lip. "But I did. Maybe I shouldn't have, but it happened. And you being upset with me isn't going to change the fact that it happened."

"I'm not mad at you," Amelia told her, leaning on her car door in the hospitals parking lot.

"Your not?" Athena said as more of a statement than a question. "Then why are you ignoring me? And— and avoiding me."

"I want to forgive you. So badly. I want to forgive you, but I don't know what to say. You let me down. I thought we were getting somewhere. And, I'm not ready to get into a relationship with you until I know your not going to lie to me again," Amelia crossed her unused arm over her chest, grasping her opposite arm.

"I understand," Athena's phone laid in between her shoulder and her ear, the Knotts girl playing with her hands nervously. "Friends."

"Yeah. Friends," Amelia agreed. "Do me a favor until I get back."

"What is it?"

"Go easy on your leg. I don't need you falling for someone else," Amelia said cheekily.

"Oh my god. That was so cheesy," Athena laughed.

"That was way out of character for me," Amelia looked towards the hospital. "I have to go, but, I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Definitely," Athena hung up, satisfied.