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Amelia stood at the edge of her bed, methodically folding a small stack of Scout’s t-shirts. The rhythm of it usually helped her quiet her mind after a long shift, but tonight her attention kept drifting. From down the hall came bursts of laughter, loud and unfiltered, the kind that only came from pure, uncomplicated joy.
She paused, a soft smile forming as she listened.
“Okay, okay, rematch,” Lucas said, his voice mocking seriously.
“No way,” Scout shot back, giggling. “I already beat you twice.”
“That was luck. Beginner's luck.”
“I am not a beginner. I’m a professional robot fighter.”
Amelia let out a quiet laugh under her breath. She set the folded shirt aside and moved closer to her door, leaning lightly against the frame. She could picture them perfectly without even looking. Scout was probably kneeling on the rug, hands gripping the red robot controls as his life depended on it. Lucas sprawled on the floor, way too big for the tiny plastic game, but completely committed anyway.
There was a loud clack of plastic hitting plastic, followed by Scout shouting, “Get him, get him!”
“Hey, hey, no trash talk,” Lucas said. “That’s against the rules.”
“There are no rules.”
“That explains a lot.”
Another burst of laughter echoed down the hallway, filling the apartment in a way that made Amelia’s chest feel lighter than it had all day.
She shook her head, giving up on the laundry for now, and walked out toward the living room.
“Alright, what’s going on out here?” she asked, crossing her arms as she leaned against the doorway.
Scout looked up immediately, eyes bright. “Mommy! I’m winning.”
Lucas glanced over his shoulder. “Debatable. Highly debatable.”
“Not debatable,” Scout insisted.
Amelia raised an eyebrow. “Uh huh. And how many rounds have you played?”
Scout hesitated just long enough to give himself away. “Three.”
Lucas grinned. “Exactly.”
Amelia stepped fully into the room, nudging Lucas lightly with her foot. “You’re letting him win.”
“I am not,” Lucas said, sitting up straighter. “I am being outplayed by a very aggressive five year old.”
Scout pumped his fist. “Yes!”
Amelia laughed, then glanced at the game sitting between them. “Alright, I think it’s time for a new challenge.”
Scout tilted his head. “Like what?”
She walked over to the coffee table and picked up a slightly worn deck of Uno cards. “Like this.”
Lucas groaned immediately. “Oh no. I already know how this ends.”
“How does it end?” Amelia asked, shuffling the deck.
“You both team up against me.”
Scout gasped. “That’s a good idea.”
Amelia smirked. “I never said we were teaming up.”
“You didn’t have to,” Lucas said. “I can feel it.”
They all settled onto the floor, Scout practically bouncing as Amelia dealt out the cards. He held his hand way too high, completely visible to both of them.
“Scout, honey,” Amelia said gently, lowering his cards a little. “You have to keep them a secret.”
“Oh. Right.” He nodded seriously, then whispered, “But I have a lot of good ones, Mommy.”
Lucas leaned over slightly and tried to peek at his cards again. “I saw that. I’m already concerned.”
“No peeking,” Amelia warned, tapping his arm.
“Worth it,” Lucas muttered, looking half offended, when Amelia swatted at him.
They started playing. It was simple at first, a lot of back and forth.
“Green,” Scout said confidently, slapping down a card.
Lucas sighed. “Of course it’s green.”
“Do you not have green?” Scout asked.
“I might. I might not.”
“That means you don’t.”
Amelia placed her card calmly. “Or he’s bluffing.”
Scout looked between them, trying to process. “What’s bluffing?”
Lucas pointed at Amelia. “It’s when your mom tries to trick us.”
“I do not,” Amelia said, though she was clearly amused.
“You absolutely do,” Lucas replied.
Scout narrowed his eyes as he looked at his mom. “Are you tricking us?”
“Maybe,” Amelia said, shrugging with a small smile on her face.
Before either of them could play another card, a sharp knock echoed through the apartment.
All three of them froze for a second.
Scout looked up. “Are we in trouble?”
Lucas shook his head. “If we are, I’m blaming you.”
Amelia pushed herself up off the floor, brushing her hands on her scrub pants. “I wonder who that could be.”
She set her cards neatly on the kitchen island and started toward the door. Behind her, Lucas’s phone began ringing, loud and insistent against the coffee table.
“Of course,” Lucas muttered, grabbing it. He glanced at the screen, and his expression shifted instantly. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m on my way.”
Amelia slowed a little, glancing back at him, but another knock came before she could ask anything.
“Hey, but I hate to leave mid-game,” Lucas said, already standing, running a hand through his hair. “I have to go to the hospital.”
Scout immediately flopped face down onto the carpet. “No. That’s not fair.”
“I know, buddy,” Lucas said, dropping his cards. “Rain check, okay? I’ll let you destroy me again later.”
“No,” Scout mumbled into the rug.
Amelia reached the door and pulled it open. “Toni?” Her face lit up in a way she didn’t even try to hide.
Toni stood there, a little out of breath like she had come up the stairs quickly, hands tucked into the pockets of her jacket. “Hey. I was in the neighborhood, and I thought I’d see what you are doing tonight.”
Amelia blinked, still smiling. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m really glad you did.”
Behind her, Lucas rushed out of his room with his bag slung over his shoulder.
“Oh, hi, Dr. Wright,” he said quickly, offering an awkward half wave as he tried to move out the door. “Uh, I have to go to Grey Sloan. Jules is out front waiting for me. Uh… Scout is throwing a tantrum on the carpet.”
“I am not,” Scout’s muffled voice protested.
Lucas gave him a quick pat on the back as he passed. “You absolutely are.”
“Am not.”
“Am too.”
“Okay, I’m leaving before I get dragged back into that,” Lucas said, already halfway out the door. He gave Amelia a quick look. “Text me if you need anything.”
“I will. Go,” Amelia said, nudging him out. And just like that, he was gone.
Amelia turned back to Toni, a little breathless now, a little overwhelmed by how fast everything had just shifted.
“Sorry. That was… a lot all at once. Hi. Hello. Uh.”
Toni smiled, soft and a little amused. “Hi.”
From the living room came an exaggerated groan.
“I’m still mad,” Scout announced, wiping tears away from his eyes.
Toni’s eyes flicked past Amelia, curiosity mixing with something more careful. “I’m guessing that’s your son Scout.”
Amelia nodded, her expression softening instantly. “Yep. That’s my boy.” She stepped aside, opening the door wider. “Do you want to come in?”
Toni hesitated for half a second, then nodded. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
As Toni stepped inside, Scout rolled over onto his back, arms crossed tightly over his chest. His cheeks were a little flushed, his hair sticking up in every direction from pressing his face into the carpet.
Amelia walked over and crouched beside him as she attempted to soothe him. “Hey.”
“I was winning,” he said, staring at the ceiling.
“I know.”
“And then Lukie left.”
“I know, baby.”
Scout turned his head slightly, finally noticing Toni standing a few feet away. His eyes narrowed just a little, curious and suspicious in that very five year old way.
“Who’s that?”
Amelia glanced back at Toni, her smile returning, softer now, a little more vulnerable. “This is Toni. Mommy’s friend from work.”
Toni gave a small wave. “Hi, Scout.”
Scout didn’t wave back. He studied her for a long moment, then looked back at Amelia. “Is she playing Uno too?”
Amelia huffed out a quiet laugh. “Only if you let her.”
Scout considered this very seriously. “She can. But no teaming up!”
Toni raised her hands slightly. “I wouldn’t dare.”
Scout pushed himself up into a sitting position, still clearly recovering from his protest but already moving on. “Okay. But I get to go first since Lukie left me hanging.”
Amelia smiled, brushing a hand over his hair. “Fair enough.”
She glanced up at Toni, a little hesitant for just a second. “Would you mind watching him for a minute so I can go change out of my scrubs?”
Toni nodded easily. “Yeah. I’ll shuffle the cards for us.”
“Thank you,” Amelia said, her voice softer now, something warm sitting just under it.
She looked back at Scout. “Hey, why don’t you tell Toni about what you learned at school today?”
Scout perked up immediately, any trace of the earlier tantrum fading. “Okay. But it’s a lot.”
“I’m ready,” Toni said, pulling out a chair at the table.
Amelia disappeared down the hallway, the familiar quiet of her room wrapping around her as she changed. She swapped out her scrubs for a soft T-shirt and a pair of worn-in sweats, pulling her hair down and letting it fall naturally around her shoulders. For a moment, she just stood there, listening.
Scout’s voice carried faintly down the hall, animated and fast.
“And then we did counting, but I already knew it, so I helped Jacob, but he didn’t listen, so I just did mine again.”
Toni laughed softly. “That sounds frustrating.”
“It was. But my teacher said I did a good job anyway.”
“You probably did.”
There was something about the ease in Toni’s voice that made Amelia pause. It wasn’t forced. It wasn’t careful in the way people sometimes were around kids they didn’t know. It was just… natural.
Amelia took a breath, then headed back out.
When she stepped into the living room, the Uno cards were already neatly stacked in the center of the coffee table, waiting.
But Scout and Toni weren’t there.
She turned slightly and found them at the kitchen table instead.
Scout was standing on his chair, leaning over a spread of papers, his small hands moving excitedly as he pointed to something. Toni sat beside him, angled toward him, fully engaged.
“And this is my name,” Scout was saying proudly, tracing the letters with his finger. “S C O U T.”
Toni nodded, smiling. “That’s really good. You stayed inside the lines, too.”
“I did that on purpose,” he said.
“I can tell.”
Amelia leaned lightly against the doorway for a moment, just watching them.
Scout grabbed another paper. “And this one is a picture of a tree, but it kinda looks like broccoli.”
Toni tilted her head, studying it seriously. “I see both, honestly.”
Scout lit up. “Right? That’s what I said.”
Amelia let out a quiet laugh, finally stepping fully into the room. “I leave for five minutes, and you’ve already moved the whole game.”
Scout looked over. “We’re not done yet.”
“Clearly,” Amelia said, walking closer. Her eyes flicked to Toni for a brief second, something soft and grateful passing between them.
Toni glanced up at her. “He’s got a full portfolio.”
“Oh, he loves showing off his work.”
Scout held up another page. “This one is my favorite.”
Amelia leaned down slightly to look. “That’s mommy’s favorite one.”
“It’s me and mommy,” Scout said. “That’s her, and that’s me! I drew it for Mother’s Day this year.”
Toni smiled at that, looking back at Amelia, then back down at the drawing. “Wow, Scout, that is so good.”
Amelia smiled and rubbed his back.
Scout then looked at Toni, like he had just remembered something important. “Do you want to see my best one?”
Toni didn’t hesitate. “Yeah. I do.”
Scout carefully pulled another paper from the pile, holding it up like it was the most important one.
“This is my whole family,” he said proudly. “Mommy, Daddy, Jo, and my three sisters.”
Amelia blinked, caught off guard as she stepped closer. Her eyes moved over the drawing. Stick figures filled the page, each one a different size, some with wild hair, one much taller than the others, and three smaller ones clustered together.
She smiled, softer this time, something deeper behind it. “Woah, bud… this is so good. When did you draw this one?”
Scout looked down at it like he was trying to remember. “Um… yesterday. After nap time. Miss Carter said we could draw whatever we wanted, so I made everybody.”
“You made everybody,” Amelia repeated quietly.
“And I remembered Luna’s hair,” he added, pointing. “And the babies are little because they’re babies.”
Toni leaned in slightly. “You thought of everything.”
Scout nodded, completely serious. “Yeah. It took a long time.”
Amelia crouched down beside him, her hand resting lightly on his back. “I can tell. I love it.”
Scout beamed at that, then suddenly his expression shifted, like a new idea had just taken over.
“Can we go get ice cream?” he asked, looking between them. “Instead of Uno?”
Amelia let out a small breath, glancing toward the clock without really meaning to. “I don’t know, buddy. It’s getting kind of late.”
Scout’s face fell almost instantly. His shoulders slumped, and his lips pushed forward into a full pout. “But I want ice cream.”
“I know,” Amelia said gently. “But we can do it another day.”
Scout crossed his arms, looking down at the table, tears starting to form. “That’s not the same.”
There was a small pause.
Then Toni spoke up, her tone easy but certain. “I don’t see why we couldn’t.”
Amelia looked up at her, surprised.
Toni gave a small shrug. “It doesn’t have to be a big thing. Just quick ice cream, then we can come back home.”
Scout’s head snapped up, hope flooding right back in. “Really?”
Toni smiled at him. “Really.”
Scout immediately turned to Amelia, eyes wide. “Please?”
Amelia hesitated, just for a second, looking between the two of them. Then she exhaled, a reluctant smile tugging at her lips.
“Okay,” she said. “But quick. And no complaining when we come back, and it’s straight to bed.”
Scout launched himself off the chair he was sitting on. “Yes!”
Toni laughed softly, watching him bounce in place.
Amelia shook her head, amused despite herself, her eyes flicking back to Toni again. “You’re a bad influence.”
“Or a fun one,” Toni replied with a smirk.
Amelia huffed out a quiet laugh. “We’ll see about that.”
Scout already had his arm halfway through his jacket sleeve, even though his coat was completely upside down. “Hurry up, Mommy!”
Amelia walked over, trying not to laugh as she gently caught the sleeve. “Buddy… your coat is upside down. Remember, hood goes up by the head, not by your tush.”
Scout twisted around, trying to fix it himself and only making it worse. “I knew that.”
“Clearly,” Amelia said, smiling as she turned the coat the right way and helped him into it properly.
Toni leaned casually against the counter, watching the two of them with a quiet smile.
Once Scout was finally zipped up, Amelia grabbed her keys from the counter. “Alright, let’s go. I’ll drive. I’ve got his car seat in my car already.”
Toni shook her head lightly, pushing off the counter. “I can drive. I actually have a car seat too.”
Amelia paused. “You do?”
“Yeah,” Toni said, a little more casually than she felt. “I’ve got one for Zach. It’s already in the back. And it was my idea, so… I feel like I should at least contribute to the ride.”
Amelia studied her for half a second, then nodded slowly. “Okay. That works.”
Scout, who had been hopping in place near the door, stopped. “Wait.”
Both of them looked at him.
“Who’s Zach?”
The question hung there for a beat.
Toni’s expression softened just slightly as she looked at him. “Zach is my son.”
Scout blinked, processing. “You have a kid?”
“Yeah,” she said gently. “He’s a little older than you.”
Scout considered that very seriously. “Is he nice?”
Toni smiled. “Most of the time.”
Amelia let out a quiet huff of amusement.
Scout nodded, like that answer made perfect sense. “Okay. Maybe he can come next time.”
Toni’s smile grew, something a little more surprised slipping into it. “I think he’d like that.”
Scout turned back toward the door, grabbing the doorknob like he was in charge of the entire operation. “Okay, let’s go get ice cream now. My ice cream belly is empty!”