The next day, Amelia picked Scarlett up at the same time and brought her to a meeting. Once again, Scarlett just listened. When the meeting ended, she was dropped back off at home.
That whole next week, Amelia and Scarlett texted at least once a day. Amelia made sure to check in and keep the girl on track. Scarlett had been clean and sober since she overdosed the week before, but it was a struggle for her. She used to smoke every night to help her sleep but since she was now drug free she couldn't. Scarlett would have to load up on melatonin to fall asleep. Some nights she'd even pull all nighters or stay up until sunrise. Scarlett found herself more irritable than usual and ready to snap at any moment. That Friday night the lack of sleep got the better of her and Scarlett lost it.
After Scarlett showered, Sam asked her and Luke to set the table for dinner while she cooked. Both kids listened to her and right when they finished, Travis walked over to the door and called,
"I'm going to Nick's for dinner."
"No you're not. You're grounded, remember?" Scarlett said to him as he passed her.
That week, Travis and his friend Nick crashed Travis' brand new car. So as punishment, Sam grounded him for two weeks.
"We'll see about that," Travis said with a smirk.
"Trav, just sit down. Mom just finished cooking dinner," Luke said to his younger brother.
"Oh please. We both know Mom isn't going to make me stay here for dinner," Travis said back with a bit of an attitude. Right when he said that, Sam walked in with a plate of grilled chicken.
"Where do you think you're going?" Sam asked Travis.
"Can I go to Nicks for dinner? His parents are ordering pizza," Travis said.
Sam shrugged and said,
"I guess so."
Scarlett was shocked.
"But he's grounded," Scarlett said.
"He learned his lesson," Sam told the girl.
"So does that mean I'm not grounded anymore?" Scarlett asked.
"Why would you ask me that? You are two different people, grounded for different reasons. All he did was get into a small car accident and you... well you killed your father," Sam spat in Scarlett face. Scarlett felt her insides heating up when Sam said that to her.
"Stop saying that!" Scarlett yelled and clenched her fists.
"Do not raise your voice at me young lady! Don't make me add another week," Sam threatened as she set the food down on the table.
"Are you fucking serious?" Scarlett asked. She couldn't believe it.
"That's it! You're grounded for an extra two weeks. You go to school and you come home. That's it!" Sam turned and yelled at her.
"I will not have you cursing at me in my own house," she added.
"This isn't your house! And I did not kill my father!" Scarlett yelled back.
"By the way, Scar snuck out of the house last Saturday and Sunday," Travis said before turning to leave. Scarlett glared at Travis before lunging at him ready to punch him in the face. However, Luke held her back.
Travis shot Scarlett a smile before slipping out the door.
"You fucking asshole," Scarlett screamed as she tried to fight Luke. Luke was bigger and stronger so he had to upper hand. Sam walked over to Scarlett and slapped her across the face to get her to stop yelling.
"I will not have you talking to my kids like that! Go to your room. We'll talk about your punishment in the morning. Now, get out of my sight!" Sam said to her sternly.
"Gladly," Scarlett muttered before ripping her arm out of Luke's grip.
"Crazy bitch," Scarlett muttered as she pushed past Sam.
"What did you just call me?" Sam asked and grabbed Scarlett's arm. Scarlett looked into Sam's eye and genuinely feared for her safety in that moment so she said nothing.
"That's what I thought," Sam said to her before letting her go.
Scarlett raced up the stairs and into her room, slamming the door behind her. Then she locked the door and broke down crying. She missed her dad. Her father would never hurt her, let alone raise his voice at her. Scarlett felt her phone buzz. It was her friend Jack. Jack was also one of her dealers and he texted and said he could get her a really good deal on some pills, oxy to be more specific. Scarlett instantly texted him back saying she'd take them and that she'd meet him tonight. After responding to her text, Scarlett wiped her eyes and looked around her room. She quickly packed a bag with some clothes, and then climbed out her window. There was a tree next to her window which she used to climb down. As soon s she landed, she hit the ground running. She made it to the bus stop where Jack planned to meet her. As she was waiting there, she couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. She felt her phone buzz again but before she got the chance to check it, a car pulled up and the driver rolled down his window. Scarlett didn't recognize him.
"Hey, are you Scarlett? Jack sent me," the guy said.
Scarlett sighed. She took out her money and handed it to the guy in exchange for a bottle of pills.
"Thanks," she said to him before he drove off, leaving her all alone again. However, now she had drugs. She sat back down and opened up the pill bottle to look at what she got. Then she remembered someone texted her. She was worried it was Sam. However, it was Dr. Shepherd checking in to see how she was. Scarlett sighed and closed the pill bottle. Then she thought for a second and decided to call Dr. Shepherd.
Amelia was scrubbing in for a surgery when she got the call. Meredith was also assisting in the surgery so she was scrubbing in as well.
"Scarlett's fine, right?" Amelia asked in a worried tone. Then, before letting Meredith breathe a word, she added,
"I mean she usually answers her texts instantly. She's constantly on her phone. What teenager isn't? You don't think she doing drugs, do you?"
Meredith just gave her a look and said,
"So, she didn't answer right away. That doesn't automatically mean she's doing drugs."
"But still. It's been almost fifteen minutes," Amelia explained as she finished scrubbing her hands.
Before Meredith could reply, Levi, the intern who Amelia gave her phone to to watch walked in. The phone was buzzing.
"You told me to bring you your phone when Scarlett responded. She's calling you right now," Levi said and held up the phone.
"Answer it and put it on speaker," Amelia told him. She couldn't use her hands since she just finished washing them. Levi did what he was told.
"Hello?" Amelia asked when Levi held the phone up.
"Dr. Shepherd?" Scarlett asked in a broken voice. Instantly, Amelia knew something was wrong.
"Scarlett, what's going on?" Amelia wanted to know. Scarlett sniffled on the other side before saying,
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can do it anymore. This is too hard."
Amelia took the phone out of Levi's hand and took it off speaker phone. Then she turned to Meredith and said,
"Someone has to page Tom. I can't do this surgery anymore."
Then she walked out and put the phone up to her ear and said,
"Okay, where are you?"
Within ten minutes, Amelia pulled up to the bus station to find Scarlett sitting all by herself clutching the bottle of pills in her hand. Amelia got out of the car and took a seat next to Scarlett.
"Please. Let me get high just this once. I had a really bad night," Scarlett pleaded with tears in her eyes.
"Scarlett. Why don't we talk first?" Amelia asked.
"I can't do this anymore," Scarlett said to her.
"You can't do what anymore?" Amelia asked, eying the pill bottle nervously.
"I don't know. Life?" Scarlett said, but she phrased it as more of a question.
"Can I see the bottle please?" Amelia asked softly. Scarlett nodded silently and loosened her grip on the bottle, giving Amelia permission to take the pills from her. Dr. Shepherd carefully took the bottle away from her and then pulled her into a hug. Scarlett finally let out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding. Then the water works started again.
"You're okay," Amelia told her in a soothing voice as she rubbed her back.
Scarlett began to shake as she cried.
"You did the right thing by calling," Amelia assured her. When Scarlett calmed down enough, Amelia pulled back and asked,
"Did you eat dinner?"
Scarlett wiped away her tears and shook her head.
"Alright. Well, let's go then," the woman said and stood up. Scarlett stood up and sniffled. Then Amelia walked around and got in her car and Scarlett did the same.
Amelia drove Scarlett back to the house and the whole car ride, Scarlett explained what happened at her house.
"I can't go back there," Scarlett said at the end of her story.
"Do you have any other family in the area?" Amelia asked.
"My grandparents are the closest, but they live in California," Scarlett explained.
As Amelia pulled up to her house, Scarlett asked,
"Wait where are we?"
"We're at my place. You can stay here tonight," Amelia told her.
"Really?" Scarlett asked.
"Yeah. I live with my two sisters and their kids so I'm sure there's enough room for one more," Amelia said with a small smile as she got out.
Maggie was in the kitchen preparing dinner while the kids were watching a show in the living room.
"Hey, aren't you supposed to be in surgery?" Maggie asked when Amelia walked into the house.
"Something came up," Amelia told her. Then Maggie looked passed her and her eyes widened when she saw Scarlett.
"Oh hi," Maggie said with a forced smile. She didn't realize Scarlett was standing there.
"Scarlett will be staying here tonight," Amelia stated and gave Maggie a look.
"Great. I hope you like pizza," Maggie said with a nervous smile as she held up the pizza dough she was making.
Amelia put her hand on Scarlett's back and started to guide her towards the stairs.
"We'll be right back to help make the pizza," Amelia told Maggie. Maggie just gave Amelia an apologetic look and pathetic smile. Scarlett caught her off guard just then.
Amelia guided Scarlett to her room. She reached under her bed and pulled out a blow up mattress.
"Your choice. Do you want the bed, or the blow up mattress?" Amelia asked.
"The blow up mattress is fine," Scarlett said and set her bag down.
Amelia began to set up Scarlett's bed.
"Do you think we should call Sam and let her know you're somewhere safe for the night?" Amelia looked over and asked.
"No it's fine. I've run away before. She knows I have friends around town who let me crash at their place," Scarlett explained.
After Amelia blew up the mattress, she went down the hall to get sheets. When she got back, she found Scarlett patiently waiting.
"So, where exactly did you put the bottle?" Scarlett tried to ask casually as she looked around.
"Nice try," Amelia said with a smile.
Scarlett looked defeated. Then she looked to Amelia and said,
"My dad's funeral is tomorrow. Do you think you could drop me off? If you can't-"
"I can bring you," Amelia said quickly and the stood up so she was at the same level as Scarlett. Scarlett nodded and said,
"Thanks."
"Do you need me to drive you home in the morning to grab a dress or..." Amelia started to ask.
"No. I'd rather not see Sam before the funeral tomorrow. I uh... packed a black shirt and pants for the funeral," Scarlett said and motioned towards her bag.
"You could borrow one of my dresses, if you want," Amelia offered.
Scarlett quickly shook her head and said,
"No that's fine."
"Scarlett. It's your father's funeral," Amelia said seriously.
"I'm sure between the three of us, we can find you a nice black dress to wear for tomorrow," Amelia told her.
Scarlett still looked unconvinced and she said,
"You really don't have to."
"I want to. I want to be there for you. Whatever you need. If you want, I'll accompany you too, so you don't have to face Sam alone," Amelia offered.
Scarlett couldn't believe how kind Amelia was. She knew words couldn't express how grateful she was, so she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Amelia and said,
"Thank you, Dr. Shepherd."
Amelia was shocked at first but smiled and hugged her back and said,
"No problem."
When they went back downstairs, Amelia decided to introduce the kids to Scarlett. They were sitting on the couch watching tv. Amelia led Scarlett to the living room and said with a nervous smile,
"Hi guys. This is Scarlett. She's going to be joining us for dinner tonight. Scarlett, these are my nieces and nephews, Zola, Ellis, and Bailey."
She pointed out each child as she said their name. Scarlett gave them a small smile and waved to them. Zola looked Scarlett up and down and then asked,
"Is Scarlett our cousin?"
Scarlett looked to Amelia and then said,
"No, we're just friends," as she motioned between her and Dr. Shepherd. Amelia just stayed quiet and let Scarlett answer.
"You guys look the same though," Zola added. It was true, in that moment they both looked nervous and they had the same facial expressions and mannerism. Scarlett looked to Amelia who looked at her at the same time. There was a split second of recognition but then it passed.
"Uhh, okay umm, we're going to go help Auntie Maggie in the kitchen with dinner," Amelia said and nodded towards the kitchen. Then she walked into the kitchen with Scarlett behind her.
"What can we help you with?" Amelia asked Maggie.
"The dough is done, but you can put the sauce and cheese on," Maggie said.
"You got it," Amelia replied and got out the marinara sauce.
Scarlett and Amelia helped Maggie finished making dinner and by the time the pizza was all cooked and done, Meredith came home.
"Mommy!" The three ladies in the kitchen heard as Meredith walked in the door. Amelia popped her head out of the kitchen to see Meredith surrounded by her children. Mer looked up and then asked,
"What happened with Scarlett?"
Just as Scarlett walked into view.
"Oh hi," Meredith said with a smile to the girl.
"Hi," Scarlett said and gave her a little smile.
"Um, I invited Scarlett over for dinner tonight," Amelia told her sister.
"Oh, well, welcome. I'm glad you could join us," Meredith said to Scarlett with a genuine smile.
The family plus Scarlett all sat around the table eating their food and chatting.
Everyone was almost done eating when Zola said,
"Auntie Amelia, we learned about the brain in school today."
When Zola said that, Scarlett froze.
Amelia.
Maybe she just heard Zola wrong. There's no way Dr. Shepherd's first name was Amelia. It couldn't be.
"Oh, what did you learn?" Amelia asked enthusiastically.
Scarlett basically zoned out for the rest of that conversation, but she got called back in, when Maggie said,
"Scarlett."
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Scarlett said after blinking quickly a few times to get out of her trance.
"I asked what year you were," Maggie repeated.
"Oh, I'm a sophomore," Scarlett answered. It was clear she was out of it.
"Do you know where you might want to go for college?" Maggie asked.
Scarlett just shrugged and said,
"I haven't really thought that far ahead yet."
"That's fine. You still have a lot of time to decide," Meredith told her.
After dinner, Meredith went to read the kids some stories and put them to bed, while Maggie and Amelia helped Scarlett find a dress.
"That one looks beautiful," Maggie said when Scarlett walked out wearing one of Amelia's black dresses. It was simple yet elegant.
"I like that one too," Amelia said.
Scarlett tried on a few of Maggie's and Meredith's but they didn't fit her as well as Amelia's.
"I think this is the one," Maggie told the girl.
"Are you sure you're fine with me wearing this, Dr. Shepherd?" Scarlett asked and turned to Amelia.
"Of course. Plus, it fits you perfectly," Amelia told her with a smile.
"Thank you," Scarlett said.
"So, Amelia told me you used to live in L.A. How was the weather there? Probably a bit different from here, huh?" Maggie asked. Scarlett instantly looked over to Maggie.
"Amelia?" she questioned with a confused look.
It was clear she didn't know Dr. Shepherd's first name since she kept referring to her as that.
"It's my first name. I'm Amelia Shepherd. You don't have to keep calling me Dr. Shepherd. Amelia is fine," the woman explained.
"You're Amelia?" Scarlett wanted to clarify. She couldn't believe the woman's name was actually Amelia. She felt her heart starting to race.
"Are you okay?" Maggie asked.
Amelia took a step closer to Scarlet and as she did, Scarlett took a step back.
Amelia gave Scarlett a worried look.
"I uh, I can't really breathe in this dress and I can't get this zipper. Can you help me please?" Scarlett asked Maggie in a sort of desperate tone.
Maggie gave Amelia a confused look before unzipping the dress for Scarlett. Then Scarlett quickly made her way out of the room and down the hall to the bathroom where she changed out of the dress and back into her clothes. She passed Meredith on her way to the bathroom in a hurry. Meredith noticed how upset Scarlett looked and almost bumped into Amelia as she entered her room.
"What's wrong with Scarlett?" Meredith asked her sisters.
"I don't know it's like she was fine one second and the next she's not," Amelia said.
"Do you think her mood swings are due to her withdrawal?" Maggie asked.
"I don't think that's it," Amelia said and then walked out and down the hall.
She knocked on the bathroom door and asked,
"Are you okay?"
Scarlett was standing and staring at her reflection. She looked a lot like a younger version of Amelia. How could she have not noticed sooner?
She yanked opened the door to find Amelia standing there.
"Scarlett," Amelia called when Scarlett pushed passed her and started to walk down the hall back to her room.
"I'm really tired and I have a big day tomorrow. Do you think I can just go to bed now?" Scarlett asked and turned to Amelia with pleading eyes.
Amelia knew she couldn't say no, so she simply nodded. Maggie and Meredith took the hint and got up and walked out of Amelia's room. Shepherd gave the girl some room and went back downstairs with her sisters.