Seattle Move

14. Big Brother

Amelia and Owen were both out of breath, their mouths locked in a passionate kiss. Their hands were tangled in each other's hair, their bodies pressed closely against each other.

They were in an on-call room. They had been secretly seeing each other for a couple months now, knowing that their relationship could cause quite a stir among their colleagues if anyone knew. But they couldn't keep their hands off each other, and the on-call room was one of their only escapes.

Just as things were getting heated between them, there was a knock on the door. Both of them froze, their hearts racing.

"Ignore it," Owen mumbled against Amelia's lips, but the knock persisted.

Amelia reluctantly pulled away from him and turned to answer the knock, gesturing for Owen to stand to the side so no one would see anyone in the room with her. But, to her surprise, when she opened the door, it was her brother, Derek, standing on the other side.

She quickly closed the door and turned to Owen, panic evident in her eyes. "How did he know I was in here?" she whispered. Owen shrugged.

Derek raised an eyebrow, clearly noticing Amelia's unease. "An intern saw you come in here," he explained through the closed door.

Amelia's mind raced. Derek didn't know about her and Owen, and she didn't want him to find out. She opened the door a crack and peeked out. "What do you need, Derek?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Derek's expression softened, and he stepped closer to the door. "I need your consent to clip an aneurysm. I'm staying in Seattle now and not working for the president anymore," he said, his voice filled with regret.

Amelia's heart dropped at the mention of the president. Derek and Meredith had fought over his job offer, and in the end, Derek had finally chosen to stay in Seattle and work under Amelia, after going back and forth between DC and Seattle. "Of course, I'll give my consent," she said, trying to hide her anxiety.

Derek noticed something was off with Amelia and stepped even closer to the door, trying to get a better look at her. "Is everything okay, Amy?" he asked, genuine concern in his voice.

Amelia forced a smile and nodded. "Everything is fine, Derek. I'm just a little busy at the moment," she said, hoping he would take the hint and leave.

But Derek wasn't one to give up easily. "I just want to offer some brotherly advice," he said, his gaze lingering on the room behind her.

Amelia's stomach dropped, knowing that Derek could sense that something was off. She took a deep breath and mustered up all the courage she had. "What is it, Derek?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Derek's expression turned serious as he looked directly into her eyes. "Amelia, you can't keep sleeping with the doctors and nurses at the hospital. It's unprofessional and it will only end in disaster," he said, his tone firm, "And, if the chief finds out, it could lead to disciplinary action."

"I know, Derek," she promised, silently pleading for him to leave.

Derek nodded, somewhat satisfied with her response. He then turned to leave, but before he walked away, he looked back at her one last time. "Just be careful," he said before disappearing down the hallway.

Amelia let out a sigh of relief and closed the door, turning to face Owen. "That was awkward," she huffed.

"Maybe it's time for Derek to know about this?" he suggested, his voice shaking. She could see the worry on his face, and she knew that it was time to come clean.

She took his hand in hers and squeezed it gently. "Are you sure you want to make this official?" she asked.

"I just think it's time we tell Derek because he'll be around more often, especially with the kids and Meredith," he explained.

Amelia felt her heart sink. She had hoped that Owen wanted to make their relationship official, that he felt the same way she did. But it seemed that their interactions were nothing more than a fling for him.

"Right, of course," Amelia said, trying to mask her disappointment. "It's just a casual thing, no need to make it a big deal."

Owen nodded, not noticing the hurt in Amelia's voice. "We should probably keep it between the four of us, though," he continued, "No need to tell everyone else, especially not the board. We're just sleeping together, after all, it's not a serious relationship or anything."

Relationships were okay, sleeping around wasn't, and they had yet to define what they were doing as a relationship. He didn't want to push her, especially considering she still had a lot of adjusting to do, and her son to take care of. He didn't mind waiting for her to figure it out while they continued doing whatever it is they were doing.

Amelia, on the other hand, felt like she had been punched in the gut. They were just sleeping together? It wasn't anything serious? She swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill. "Right, of course. No need to tell anyone," she agreed, her voice betraying her emotions.

But Owen seemed oblivious to her feelings as he continued talking, going over the plan for when they would tell Derek. Amelia couldn't focus on his words, her mind was too occupied with the realization that she had been fooling herself into thinking that their relationship meant more to him. She had never clarified their status, but she didn't think he would so boldly remind her that they were just having sex.

As she sat there in silence, listening to Owen talk, she knew that there was no going back. They were just two colleagues who happened to be sleeping together, nothing more. And as much as it hurt her, Amelia knew she couldn't force Owen to feel something he didn't.

With a heavy heart, Amelia pushed her emotions aside and focused on the task at hand. She agreed Owen would tell Derek about the two of them and then she would move on. She was Amelia Shepherd, chief of neurosurgery, and she couldn't let a fling with her boss bring her down.

She had really thought there was something special between them, though, but it seemed she was wrong.

Owen nodded, satisfied with his plan, whilst Amelia was still lost in her thoughts. "Okay, so I'll tell him tomorrow. Everything will be okay," he reassured her, trying to hide his own nerves.

They both knew that Derek's reaction could go either way, but they also knew that they couldn't hide their relationship forever. Or whatever it was that Owen wanted to call it.