Lost and Found

Chapter 25

A/N:  I'm introducing Penny Blake in this chap. Here, she is a fourth year resident... because she plays an important role later.  Please, no flames! 

Also, Alex's sister Amber is about 25 years old.  Anyway, onward!

SIX WEEKS LATER:

Amelia covered her sleeping boyfriend with a blanket. Boyfriend. She had a freaking boyfriend. Owen had come over late last night, exhausted from surgery. They'd cuddled on the couch and watched late night TV over popcorn. They'd done something normal. Relationship-y. She didn't even know when the kissing had turned into something more, and the rides he gave her were more frequent, and there'd even been morning coffee... and morning-

"Ahem," A familiar voice interupted her rambling thoughts. Meredith.

"Oh," Amelia said, padding into the kitchen. "Hey," she said. It had been an interesting few weeks living with her sort of sister in law. Meredith had been... well she'd been under a lot of stress over the pending adoption of Zola. Amelia never knew Meredith had so many insecurities about... well, about being a mother. There'd been background checks, and home checks, and work checks... and parenting classes. But Meredith had plugged through all of them, and Amelia was happy for her. She hoped that she could be a sort-of- Auntie, Zola was adorable.

But Amelia kinda hadn't mentioned much about her and Owen. And this was his first time... staying over.

"So..." Meredith sighed, gesturing to the snoring doctor on her couch. "You and Owen?"

Amelia picked up a coffee mug and dumped a couple teaspoons of sugar into her cup while she waited for the coffee to percolate. "Yeah, me and Owen," she said.

"Okay," Meredith said slowly.

The way she said 'okay' bothered Amelia. Why couldn't she just be happy for her? Owen was a good guy. "I know he's your best friend's ex. I know you're looking out for him..." Amelia said, "it's just-" she swallowed hard, "I moved here to build a new life. You know me... you know what I lost. You lost the love of your life, you've cried over Derek. You know how much that messes people up. We both had to claw our way back from it. I'm not like you... I'm not all put together yet, and Owen knows that, and he's okay with that, so you should cut me some slack."

Meredith's cup banged sharply on the table, "You think I'm 'put together?'"

"Mer, you're adopting a freaking kid!"

"I don't know that... I don't know if I'll get her. " She shook her head, "I'm not judging. You don't think I haven't thought about what it would be like... to love... a man again? To be loved? To share my life with someone?" she laughed bitterly. "'Put together?'" she shook her head. "I'm trying so hard... to put one foot in front of the other. Just so I can pass one more stupid background check, one more evaluation, one more home check. I'm not 'put together,' Amelia. I see you... and Owen together and-" her voice broke. "You got a second chance," she breathed. "Don't ruin it. Especially with him." And with that, she picked up her coat and travel mug and stormed out.

xxx

"Well," Jo dusted off her hands, "That's it. That's the last of it." She looked around at the now fully furnished loft. Her heart pounded with excitement. "I can't believe it! We're moved in!" She clapped her hands. "Alex?" she asked, looking behind her.

Alex sat on the couch, a bottle of water in hand, staring blankly out at nothing.

"Alex?" Jo asked again, waving her hand in front of him.

"Huh?" he blinked.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "Is this about Amber?"

"She stayed two days and then she freaking ran away! Nobody knows where the hell she is!"