All I could do was stare up at the ceiling as I laid on my back, phone held to my ear as I listened to Amelia rattle on and on about work recently. Complaining about one thing after another, constantly coming back to one of her various complaints about Addison.
"And she thinks that she has the right to say that to me!" Amelia practically shouted, nearly causing me to miss the sound of a door closing in the background. "To me! After what she did to Derek!"
"Amelia, hey, just don't let her get to you. Okay? You're your own person, she can't get to you if you don't let her." I told her before quickly changing the subject. "Is Abby there? I needed to talk to her about something."
"Uh, yeah, she's right here." Amelia told me before she handed the phone off.
"Hello?" Abby answered.
"Abby, how are you doing? I haven't talked to you in a while." I asked as I pushed myself up into a sitting position.
"I'm fine, just busy with school." I could almost imagine her shrugging her shoulders as she said this. "How're you doing? How's the baby?"
"He's still kicking about inside of me." I chuckled. "And I'm fine, tired from work but other than that I'm fine."
"You're getting plenty of sleep?" She asked, sounding as though she were the motherly figure in this situation instead of myself.
"Don't you worry about me. I have people here watching me like hawks." I assured her, thinking about Avery as the words left my mouth.
"Any guys?" She asked, a smirk clear in her voice.
"Shouldn't I be asking you these questions?" I shot back at her. "You're the teenager here, not me."
"Are we really sure about that?" She teased.
"Yes, we are." I nodded, even though she couldn't see me doing so. "I remember seeing your little pink butt when you were born and changing diapers on more than one occasion. Now, boys?"
"There's no one, don't worry. I'm not going to end up getting knocked up. I'm going to college like you and Dad did." She assured me.
"Good." I smiled at this, a small sense of relief filling me. "Good, that's what he would want for you, your mom too."
"Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?" She asked. "I don't mean to sound rude, but I have homework that I need to do."
"Actually, there is." I took a deep breath. "I know that we just moved you from New York to California a few months ago, making you start somewhere new in the middle of the school year, and that's likely the last thing that you want to do now, but I wanted to ask you. What would you think about moving up to Seattle with me?"
"Seattle?" I could hear the surprise clear in her voice.
"Yeah," I confirmed. "I know that these past few months have been crazy for everyone, but Seattle's my home now and I'd like it if you were here with me. There's a great high school near the hospital that I'm sure you would love. This would be the last move, I promise."
"Aunt Bria," she began, sighing. "I know that you like Seattle and, don't get me wrong, I do miss you, but I just had to start at a new high school. I'm just starting to get the hang of things here and I've made new friends. I don't want to have to do all of that again this year, at least not until summer. I don't want to be the new girl again, not at the end of the school year."
"I understand." I couldn't help but frown at her answer. "Look I need to get going, I have work soon. Have a good day at school, okay?"
"Yeah, have fun saving lives." She told me. "Love you."
"Love you too." I said just as the line went dead. A small sigh escaped me as I pushed myself up off of my bed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"What is it?" I was caught off guard by Callie as I looked over charts before rounds, seeing what new patients had been brought in last night.
"Excuse me?" I raised a brow at her.
"You just have this gloomy look to you so, what is it?" She asked me again, setting her own charts aside to give me her full attention.
"It's nothing." I shook my head. "Do you know where Murphy is?"
"In the pit with Bailey." She informed me. "Now what is making you all dark and gloomy?"
"I told you, it's nothing." I stressed the word nothing to her as I looked back at my charts, hoping that would get her off of my case.
"What's crawled up her ass?" I recognized Karev's voice as he joined us, grabbing a few charts of his own.
"Is it a requirement for everyone to get in everybody else's business?" I groaned, glaring at the both of them.
"At this hospital, pretty much." Callie shrugged. "Now spill."
"I talked to Abby this morning." I gave in, setting my charts aside.
"Your niece?" Callie asked.
"Yeah." I nodded. "I tried talking to her about moving out here since everything seems settled now. When I asked her about moving here though she told me that she doesn't want to. I understand that she doesn't want to change schools again right now, but I just miss having her around. It gets lonely in my apartment, it just being me."
"Get a cat." Karev suggested.
"Shut up," Callie rolled her eyes at him before returning her attention to me. "As for Abby, all you can do it wait it out. In a couple months school with be out and she'll be moving here over the summer. Plus, in a few months you'll have another kid in your life. Hell, by the time Abby's moving to Seattle you might be wishing she'd have stayed in Los Angles."
"Not likely, but thanks." I faked a smile as I saw Murphy came hurrying up to us. "Murphy, your late."
"Sorry, Dr. Grey needed help." She apologized before looking at Callie. "Dr. Torres, Dr. Grey needs you in surgery with her, car against cyclist."
"Just don't stress yourself out." Callie advised me before she headed for the elevator.
"What do we have Murphy?" I asked her as I handed her the chart for our patient undergoing surgery today.
"Oliver Whittney, age seventy-three, admitted last night was severe headaches that were later found to be caused by a tumor pressing against his temporal lobe." She briefed me as we headed down the hall, toward the patient's room. When we reached the patient's room I knocked lightly on the door before making my way inside, finding a few other people inside as well.
"Mr. Whittney, this is Dr. Howards, she'll be performing your surgery today." Murphy introduced me to the patient who only frowned when he saw me step into his hospital room.
"This is the doctor?" He frowned at me.
"Excuse me?" I furrowed my brows.
"Dad! Stop it!" One of the others in the room, a middle aged man, frowned at Mr. Whittney.
"Sorry about our father, he doesn't really know when to keep his mouth shut." A blonde haired woman apologized to me.
"It's alright," I assured them.