ALL IN THE FAMILY 4x6

"He's been coming everyday for how long?" Athena asked. 

Amelia was hesitant when Athena asked her for a consult on this case. Especially after what happened a few nights ago in Athena's office. The two women had tried to speak about the interaction a handful of times—but never got very far.

"Two years ago, weekend ski trip," The chief of the home replied. "Georgie hit a tree, never regained consciousness. None of the neuro guys gave him much hope, but you're always good with referrals, so I just thought maybe—"

"We could help him come to terms with this," Athena finished for him.

Dr. Murphy nodded, "He hasn't let go at all."

"Amelia will be honest with him," Athena warned, leading the man into the room.

They enter as Amelia flashes her light in Georgie's eyes.

"Oh, uh, bright lights don't do much for Georgie," Georgie's spouse chuckles. "But she likes being talked to."

Georgie inhales and looks up at Amelia.

"See?" Bob insists. "You can say it's just a reflex. All the other doctors did. But I know it's more than that."

"The trauma to your wife's head damaged her reticular activating system, which controls her level of consciousness," Amelia's lips form a tight line.

"Like waking up. I know," Bob recalled.

"Then you also know that it is hard to determine how extensive the damage is," Amelia winced at her own words.

"Which means I could be right. She hears me and responds to me," Bob gave the three doctors a half smile.

"It's possible," Amelia admitted. "but Georgie is only manifesting primitive reactions— I mean, a twitch, a blink. After all this time, that doesn't bode well. Look, I can run a bunch of tests, but—"

"Then run them," Bob stammers.

"I don't want you to get your hopes up, Mr. Schwartz," Amelia wrapped her pink around Athena's—something she hadn't done since she slept with the brunette for the first time.

Bob chuckles, "Um, my hopes are already up. They have to be. Run the tests?"

Amelia gave him a single nod, looking at Athena, who nodded in return.

🪷

The next day, Amelia had went to Addison to rant about what was wrong with the patient, and in return found out Georgie was pregnant.

Addison had came into Athena's office—ignoring Amelia's pleads not to start a fight—to decide what the course of action would be.

But she instead was met with her stubborn sister.

"The woman is in a coma, Athena," Addison pointed out. "She can't move or speak, which means she cannot consent."

"They're husband and wife," Athena threw her head back onto her black office chair. "Sam is on my side."

"Wh—" That threw her off. "You think that being married means you don't have the right to say no?"

"No, I'm not saying that," Athena lifted her head and rubbed her forehead, done with this conversation already.

"This man climbed on top of a comatose woman—"

"Alright," Athena lifted her hands, "I— I am not defending what Bob did. But the man is broken. I mean, you look at him—you see how he interacts with her. He needs counseling, a— a way to accept that she's not coming back."

Athena's eyes drift over to her door, Amelia and Sheldon entering the office.

"Bob Schwartz is a sick, twisted pervert, right?" Addison put her hand on her hip, making Athena roll her eyes. "Please tell her."

"The husband could be using sex as an outlet for his grief," Sheldon shared his opinion. "Or, if he truly believes his wife can feel and that she can respond, then—"

"See?" Athena tilted her head. "Do we need to make a poll, Addison?"

"I've seen it before with families of comatose patients," Amelia agreed. "They suffer a loss that they cannot accept, and they try to ignore it."

Addison laughs like the three were crazy.

"These situations are complicated—"

"It's not complicated," Addison cut Sheldon off. "We call the police, and they arrest this guy."

"Oh, come on, Addison," Athena's forehead creases. "He is god knows how far into an emotional breakdown. He's— he's not trying to harm her. He's deluded. He bathes her, he— he feeds her. He—"

"He violates her," Addison said firmly. "And now he's actually expecting her to have this baby. I mean, I have seen a lot of things since I became a doctor, but this is unmanageable."

"Have the baby?" Sheldon's eyebrows snapped together. "What— is that possible with her in a coma?"

"Probably not," Addison declared, closing her eyes.

"It's happened," Amelia maintained eye contact with the redhead.

"Rarely," Addison specified. "and Georgie is already at risk of throwing an embolism. Pregnancy would increase that tenfold."

"Well, I'm not saying I necessarily think that Georgie should have the baby—"

"Well, unfortunately, Georgie doesn't have a say in this," Addison clenches her jaw. "And after I'm done, neither will Bob."

"What are you gonna do, take him to court, try and strip him of medical power of attorney?" Athena stopped playing with the pen in her hand as Addison makes her way to the door.

"If I have to, yes," Addison spoke freely.

"Addison—"

"You really disagree with me on this, Athena? Really?" Addison backs away from the door.

"Let me talk to him," Sheldon stepped in on the heated conversation between the sisters. "Maybe I can help him understand why he's doing what he's doing."

"I'll chaperone," Amelia volunteered, looking directly at Addison, her dimples popping out, making Athena smile.

Athena runs her pinky over her brow, "We're all pushing in the same direction, Addison."

Addison sighs, "Alright. I'll give you a day, one day. And we're not all pushing in the same direction, Athena. I am right. You're wrong," Addison points, leaving the office officially.

Amelia and Sheldon slowly turn to look at the brunette, who just looks down and shakes her head laughing.

🪷

"You know what I love about this place?" Amelia entered the kitchen without even sparing Addison a glance.

"My sister?" Addison asked sarcastically.

"None of this toting around thermoses, just good old environmental unsound, nonbiodegradable," Amelia turned around, lifting her plastic water bottle she grabbed from the fridge. "Here-for-a-thousands-years plastic bottles."

"Where are you off to all cheerful this morning?" Addison asked, she knew better than to ask that—knowing it was most likely Athena.

"Sheldon and I are gonna go talk to your buddy, Bob Schwartz," Worst than what Addison was anticipating.

"Is Athena going with you?" Addison finally looked up from her newspaper.

"Shouldn't you know that?" Amelia asked with raised eyebrows.

Addison clenched her jaw, sighing, and went back to reading her paper.

Amelia sat with her at the table that sits in the corner of the kitchen.

Addison exhales, giving up, "We're fighting over that case."

"You know she has a right to her own medical opinion?" Amelia pointed out. "If I had a sister like that, I would not be wasting my time arguing about work. You've already lost time, make up for it."

Addison rolled her eyes, "Make up yet?"

Amelia paused, "Oh, yeah we did," Amelia sips her water smirking, making Addison grimace.

🪷

Athena smiled as she entered her best friends office.

She hadn't seen the blonde in a day or two—Charlotte basically moved in with Cooper and Athena has been spending all her time at the hospital.. and at Amelia's place. Which is also Addison's place.

The two have been deciding what they wanted to do moving forward. Be friends with benefits, stay friends, something more?

They hadn't gotten very far. They'd get paged or.. well, I think you can figure it out.

"Hey stranger," Charlotte smiled back.

If Athena had known that smile would be stripped off her face in only two hours, she would have never left.

Athena sighed, holding back a smile.

"Have you and Amelia stopped going at it like rabbits, and decided what you want to do with your.. relationship?" Charlotte drew her eyebrows together in confusion.

"No," Athena crossed her arms, basically jumping onto the couch.

"Get your shoes off my couch," Charlotte looked at her best friend.

"Yes ma'am," Athena pulled her slip on Vans off her feet, placing the shoes at the edge of the couch on the floor, and swung her feet right back where they were just mere seconds ago.

The blonde rolled her eyes.

"Can you guys please just be a couple and stop annoying everyone by not being a couple?" Charlotte continued the previous conversation.

Athena huffed, "Why?"

"Because everyone is annoyed by it. Even Sheldon. And I didn't think that he cared that much but, it turns out he does—"

"You guys talk about us?" Athena stood, pulling her Vans back on.

"Oh yeah," Charlotte nodded.

Athena laughed, now standing, "Okay. I'll try my best to make it happen. But I have to get to the lobby to meet her."

"I can tell you really like her," Charlotte clicked her mouse. "And so can Pete, and Sam, and—"

"Okay, okay," Athena smiled as she grabbed the door handle, twisting it. She was almost outside the office when she stopped and turned back around, "Hey, Charlotte?"

"Hm?" Charlotte looked up from her computer.

"I love you," Athena nodded, making Charlotte frown.

"What happened?" Charlotte groaned.

"Nothing— just, in case something happens," Athena tapped her foot.

If only she knew.

"Okay.." Charlotte furrowed her brows. "I love you, too."

Athena smiled one last time and left the room to go meet Amelia out front.

and that leads to
MY LEAST FAVORITE
EPISODE IN THE
SHONDALAND WORLD!

i am very scared to
write for that episode.

so enjoy this while i
cry writing the next
episode.

also, happy thanksgiving..
a little gift from me to
you.

and maybe if your lucky,
i'll work my ass off to
finish roses so tilda and
mer can get together for
christmas!

xoxo