Notes: This is a fanfiction based on characters from the TV shows, Grey’s Anatomy, and Private Practice. This rewrites parts of season 16 of Grey’s Anatomy and season six of Private Practice. But this fanfiction tells an alternate story of what happens after Amelia finds out she’s pregnant with who later becomes baby Scout. In this alternate universe, Derek is still alive but it’s not enough to calm Amelia, who freaks out about her pregnancy. So, Amelia calls Jake and Addison in L.A. This story plays around a little with the timeline of both shows. Specifically, Mark’s funeral doesn’t happen until after Jake and Addison get engaged. This is part two so it is necessary to read the first part before moving on. This story has been edited to include headings and images.
Not Again: Part 2
“Why don’t we bring this party back to my place?” Derek suggested after everyone got their chance to hug Amelia.
So, that’s exactly what they did. Addison mass texted them all Derek’s address, where some of Grey Sloan’s doctors, as well as Derek’s kids, were waiting for them all. The party ended up being pretty big just from the sheer amount of people. Great choice in takeout food, cute handmade blue cupcakes, some games, and more than enough people offering to help clean up afterward.
Most people at the party spent their time introducing each other and learning more about each other. Some of them already met some of Seaside’s doctors, but for the most part, no one really knew each other. Derek’s family met everyone from Amelia’s LA family and were pleasantly surprised by them all. They all knew Sam and Naomi from when Derek was in med school but even then, it’d been so long since.
“I don’t think I know you yet,” Maggie said, coming up to Addison. She was making her rounds with everyone and had just gotten to the redhead. And she had no problem meeting everyone. In fact, she found it exciting.
Addison Meets Maggie
“Maggie Pierce,” Maggie said, extending a hand out for a handshake.
“Hi,” Addison said, surprised and accepting the handshake. “Addison Montgomery,”
“You wouldn’t happen to be the Addison Forbes Montgomery, would you?” Maggie asked, knowing full well of the doctor’s stellar reputation.
“Uh, yes, that would be me,” Addison confirmed.
“Oh my God,” Maggie said, shocked. “Your work in maternal-fetal medicine is incredible,”
“Thank you,” Addison said, genuinely. “You’re Meredith’s sister, right? And Richard’s daughter?”
“Yes. You know Meredith and Richard?” Maggie asked, still stunned.
“Yes, I used to work here,” Addison explained.
“How did I not know this before?” Maggie asked no one in particular. Addison just laughed in response.
“I actually knew Richard in New York too,” Addison added.
“Richard in New York?” Maggie asked. “I don’t know if I can even picture it,”
“Well, it’s true,” Addison took a sip from her drink. “He knew me and Derek from when we were residents at Mt. Sinai,”
“Wow, he’s known you for that long,” Maggie thought about it further. “Wait, you and Derek?”
“Yeah,” Addison said, noticing that no one seemed to tell Maggie anything. “You do know I’m Derek’s ex-wife, don’t you?”
“I know he was married before Meredith,” Maggie started. “But they didn’t tell me he was married to Addison freaking Forbes Montgomery,”
Addison chuckled. Maggie was definitely different from what she expected. Though if she were honest, she didn’t really know what to expect.
“Sorry,” Maggie caught herself fangirling over the surgeon.
“No, don’t be,” Addison insisted. “It’s always nice to be reminded,”
“So, where are you working now?” Maggie asked.
“Actually, I have my own private practice,” Addison explained. “In LA,”
Addison Fills Maggie In
“Interesting,” Maggie gathered. It was a little odd to hear this legend of a surgeon working in a smaller medical practice, but to each their own, she thought.
“You didn’t want to work at Grey Sloan anymore?” Maggie finally asked.
“Well, as fun as it was working with my ex-husband, the girlfriend he left me for, and the guy I cheated on him with,” Addison laughed. “I needed a change,”
“Totally understandable,” Maggie understood now. There was still a lot she didn’t know, but this was a good start.
“This is…quite the party,” Amelia admitted to Derek as they stood around watching all the kids play.
“Well, you are having a baby,” Derek pointed out as he took a sip from his drink. “And this is what people do when you have a baby,”
Amelia grew quiet. Even with all the noise around them, Derek noticed.
“Hey, you okay?” Derek asked, placing a hand on his sister’s shoulder.
“Yeah,” Amelia snapped out of it and gave him a small smile, hoping it was enough to convince him she was okay. Derek didn’t buy it, but he could see that she was trying. Whatever was bothering her, he knew he couldn’t get it out of her. At least not now.
“Auntie Amelia?” Amelia looked down to find Henry pulling gently on her pants with one hand and a piece of paper in the other.
“Yes?” Amelia asked, sweetly. She already knew he wanted to give her another picture.
“This is for you and the baby,” Henry reached out with the picture he drew.
Amelia Gets Another Surprise
“Thank you, Henry,” Amelia said, touched. When she turned the piece of paper around, she saw a drawing with everyone from LA including all the kids, Amelia holding a baby, and a few other people in the drawing she couldn’t quite make out.
“Wow,” Amelia said, looking over the picture. As she started going through each person he drew, there was one she recognized as Derek, which was sweet considering Henry barely knew him. And there was one more person in it she couldn’t quite place. A man with grayish-white hair. Or maybe just gray hair that wasn’t fully colored in.
“Who’s that supposed to be?” Amelia asked, crouching down to point the man in the picture out.
“Oh,” Henry said, looking a little guilty.
“What?” Amelia asked, smiling. The boy looked like he was excited about something.
“That’s your surprise,” Henry whispered not so quietly.
“My surprise?” Amelia asked, confused. “What surprise?”
And as if on cue, the doorbell rang.
“Who else could it possibly be?” Meredith asked over the crowd.
“Your surprise!” Henry exclaimed, jumping up and down.
Amelia, still confused, walked over to the door with Henry, where Addison and Jake were already waiting.
“Okay, what’s going on?” Amelia asked them.
Instead of saying anything, Addison opened the door to reveal Dr. Sheldon Wallace. He’d been in the Bahamas the last time she heard from him. She reached out after hearing from Addison that Miranda passed. But despite that, Sheldon wanted to stay away for a while longer. But it’d been a few years since. Sheldon still looked the same except his hair was closer to being white. Just like in Henry’s picture.
Amelia Breaks Down
Upon seeing him, Amelia couldn’t hold in her emotions anymore. Despite her larger body shape, she went in for a hug, tears streaming down her face. Derek, as well as his family and all the Seattle doctors, were confused.
“You’re here,” Amelia said, wiping the tears from her face.
“Of course, I’m here,” Sheldon said, simply. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world,”
Despite many guests’ confusion, the Seaside Wellness doctors were all too excited to see Sheldon. It’d also been a long time since they’d seen him. They knew he was coming after Addison told them all, but actually seeing him in person feels like a dream.
After Miranda died, Sheldon needed time to grieve. And they all knew it, even though they all not so secretly hoped he’d come back to the practice. But they also knew that Sheldon knew how to take care of himself, and if being on an island somewhere sipping a mai tai made him happy, so be it.
After giving Sheldon and Amelia some space, the rest of the Seaside doctors quickly came up for a hug. It felt like forever since they’d seen him. They all emailed and called from time to time to check-in, but this was different.
“Are we supposed to know who that is?” Jo whispered to Alex, who was eating something while standing next to her.
“I don’t know,” Alex shrugged, his mouth half-full with food.
Addison Meets Jo
It wasn’t long before everyone went back to socializing amongst each other. Sheldon joined the Seaside doctors and caught everyone up with everything over the past few years. Apparently, he just got back into dating and met someone who was on vacation from Malibu. So, it turned out he might come back to the practice after all. Though, he admitted it was still too soon to tell.
Then, they all went back to meeting and conversing with each other. Seaside and Grey Sloan doctors colliding. Most people at the party had kids so it was a lot of introducing themselves as well as their kids. And Link definitely had fun playing with the kids. He liked to think of it as preparing for fatherhood, which just warmed Amelia’s heart as well as solidifying her love for him.
“Karev,” Addison said, seeing Alex in the kitchen.
“Dr. Montgomery,” Alex nodded his head to acknowledge her as he took a big swig of his drink.
“It’s nice to see you, Alex,” Addison said, grabbing a water bottle from the cooler, noticing how much Alex was drinking.
“I hear you’re a mom now,” Alex said.
“Yeah. He’s over there playing,” Addison smiled as she pointed him out in the crowd of kids.
“That’s great,” Alex said.
“Hey, you have to try these. I don’t know what they are but they’re amazing,” Jo said, coming into the kitchen and stuffing Alex’s face with some kind of hors d’oeuvre.
When she saw Addison watching them, Jo suddenly felt slightly embarrassed.
“Sorry,” Jo said, quickly.
“Don’t be,” Addison chuckled. “Alessandro’s does have the best Italian food in the city,”
“Jo,” Alex started as he finished swallowing. “Addison Montgomery. Addison, this is Jo,”
“His wife,” Jo added, now noticing Alex must’ve had a lot to drink.
Jo Finds Out About Addison and Alex’s Past
“Oh yeah,” Addison started as she reached her hand out for a handshake. “I heard you got married. Congratulations,”
“Wait, you’re Addison Montgomery?” Jo asked as accepted Addison’s handshake. “As in the double-board certified OB/GYN and neonatal surgeon, Addison Montgomery?”
“Yes!” Alex answered for Addison, his words slightly slurring. She forgot how nice it was to be a superstar surgeon. Her reputation followed her when she went to LA, but not everyone made a point to remind her of it.
“Hi,” Jo said, suddenly nervous to talk to her and embarrassed of Alex’s drunken demeanor. “I’m Dr. Jo Wilson,”
“Nice to meet you, Dr. Wilson,” Addison smiled.
“You’ve grown quite a bit since I last saw you,” Addison commented, regarding Alex. But she’s then immediately reminded of his slurring words. “Though, not too much I see,”
“So I’ve heard,” Alex said, rolling his eyes a bit.
“You used to like that about me,” Alex continued to slur, laughing slightly as he thought back on their past.
“What does he mean by that?” Jo asked, immediately suspicious.
“She had a thing for me,” Alex snickered.
“It was a million years ago,” Addison brushed it off.
“You guys…?” Jo started, not sure how to finish the sentence. She could go with “dated” or “slept together”, but neither sounded like a good option.
“Just once,” Addison said, quickly. “And then, you blew me off and I moved to LA so it turned out to be a good thing,”
“You ran her out of Seattle?!” Jo asked. “We could’ve had Addison freaking Forbes Montgomery as an attending if it weren’t for you?”
“I probably would’ve left anyway, to be honest,” Addison interjected, just wanting to resolve this lover’s spat. But she also wasn’t lying. “Seattle just had too much history”
Addison and Alex Catch Up
“What is going on with you, anyway?” Jo looked at Alex, who continued nursing his drink. When he didn’t respond, Jo stormed out of the kitchen, frustrated.
“What is going on with you, Karev?” Addison asked, taking his beer bottle out of his hand and onto the counter.
“Do you remember when I called you for help with Meredith’s trial?” Alex asked, finally giving in after Addison stared him down.
“Yeah…,” Addison said. Meredith’s trial for committing insurance fraud was months ago but she did remember getting an email and a subsequent phone call for a statement to help with Meredith’s defense.
“I called Izzie,” Alex revealed.
Addison stayed quiet. She didn’t know what it was, but she knew he had more to say. There had to be more there if he was gonna bring up Izzie of all people. When he didn’t continue, she had to speak up.
“And?” Addison finally asked.
“She’s good,” Alex said, offhandedly. “She has kids,”
“That’s great,” Addison said. “Isn’t it?”
“My kids,” Alex finally added.
“Are you sure?” Addison asked, hesitantly.
“Yeah,” Alex took a deep breath. As if he’d been holding his breath. “I asked,”
“Why would you…,” Addison tried to think of why he’d ask that. From the sound of it, he hadn’t heard from Izzie in a while.
“I gave her my sperm,” Alex added.
“When she was sick, she froze her eggs just in case, and I…I gave her my sperm,” Alex explained as he started to laugh at how small of a thing it seemed at the time.
“Wow,” Addison said, surprised.
“Yeah,” Alex said, picking his beer back up from the counter to take a sip.
Addison Gives Karev Some Advice
“What are you gonna do?” Addison asked.
“I don’t know,” Alex said, honestly, as he took another big swig of his drink.
“Well, you can’t just ignore it,” Addison said.
“Why not?” Alex asked, mid-swallow.
“Because…look at you!” Addison pointed at him.
“Yeah, I know,” Alex admitted.
“What does Jo think?” Addison asked, glancing back at Henry still in the living room playing.
“Nothing,” Alex said. “She doesn’t know,”
“She doesn’t know?” Addison asked, surprised.
“What good would it be to tell her?” Alex asked, feeling a little attacked.
“She’s your wife,” Addison pointed out. “You can’t just leave her in the dark,”
Alex was quiet for a minute. Addison kept looking at him, curiously.
“I don’t even know how I feel about it yet,” Alex admitted, quietly.
“Well,” Addison started, as she began giving some thought into the situation. “Maybe it’s okay you don’t know how you feel about it,”
“Don’t you think Jo at least deserves to know that much?” Addison added after Alex didn’t say anything.
“I don’t think it’s fair to dump all of this on her when I don’t even know what I wanna do about it,” Alex explained.
“So what are you gonna do?” Addison asked, honestly.
“I don’t know,” Alex said, honestly. “I think…I wanna meet them,”
“Okay,” Addison said, taking a sip of water.
“Then, meet them. But tell your wife first,” Addison added, eyebrow raised as she walked out the room.
Amelia Gets Closer to her Due Date
She was right. He knew she was. But he didn’t want to lose Jo. He was finally in a good place in his life. He wasn’t a little kid anymore, he was a man. But part of him always thought about Izzie, what their life could’ve been if she’d stayed. Or if he went with her. The truth was, he didn’t know what he wanted. All he knew was that he had to meet his kids. Their kids.
The rest of the party went without a hitch. By the end, most of the guests helped clean up. Most of the little ones started to doze off and everyone eventually left, either to their own homes or the hotel rooms they were staying in. Amelia said her goodbyes to the Seaside Wellness crew as they all congratulated her and promised they’d be back soon.
Eventually, Amelia’s due date got closer and closer, and Addison showed up in Seattle early just in case. Last time around, Amelia’s unicorn baby came early. But then again, it was anencephalic. But Addison wanted to be sure Amelia knew she’d be here for her, no matter what. Although this baby was a little more stubborn about arriving on time, Addison didn’t mind staying around Grey Sloan.
She missed Henry and Jake, but there was something about the constant hustle in a hospital that was unmistakable. LA was great, and she loved her life there. She had a family, a home, a place to call her own. But she’d be lying if she said she didn’t miss the rush that came with surgery after surgery. It was a void that her new life in LA didn’t fill. One she missed more than she realized. But she wouldn’t trade her new life for anything else in the world.
Amelia Goes Into False Labor
About a week before the due date, Amelia called, frantic, saying it was time. When Addison got there and checked, she wasn’t actually in labor.
“We’re having a baby!” Link exclaimed, excitedly.
“We’re having a baby!” Amelia repeated between deep breaths.
“Yes, but not right now,” Addison informed her as she pulled off her gloves.
“What?” Amelia asked.
“Looks like Braxton Hicks,” Addison explained. “False labor, when the uterus contracts and…,”
“I know what Braxton Hicks are,” Amelia stopped her, sitting up.
“So…no baby,” Link concluded.
“Not yet,” Addison added, arching an eyebrow at them as she started putting away the equipment.
“I really thought this was real,” Amelia said.
“Same,” Link added.
“Suddenly, they hurt less,” Amelia said, sending her, Link, and Addison laughing.
“Amelia,” Addison took her hands in hers. “You’re going to have this baby, but you need to relax. Everything’s gonna be okay,”
“Yeah,” Amelia breathed.
“You’re fine for now but remember, Braxton Hicks is your body’s way of telling you to slow down,” Addison added.
“I know, you’re right,” Amelia relented as she got up from the bed, with Link and Addison’s help.
“Well, since I’m not having the baby today, I’m gonna go change back into my scrubs,” Amelia joked as she went into the bathroom.
“Link,” Addison pulled him aside for a minute. “Watch out for her today,”
Link nodded.
“Keep an eye out for any painful contractions, page me if she has any more than five in an hour,” Addison explained. “We don’t want this baby coming before he’s ready,”
“Will do,” Link agreed.
Everyone Checks on Amelia
The rest of the day went well, with Link checking in with Amelia at least once an hour. If he couldn’t physically see her, he asked Addison or another doctor to make sure she was still okay. Amelia found it a bit annoying after realizing almost everyone around her was treating her with kid gloves.
But she had to admit, internally, of course, that it was endearing that her former sister-in-law and baby daddy cared enough about her to make sure she wouldn’t go into preterm labor. By the time the day ended, Amelia was not only exhausted but also happy to be home. Derek still treated her like a kid, but that was something she’d gotten used to over the years.
The Next Few Weeks
The next two weeks went by fast. After Amelia’s false labor, Jake and Henry came with Addison on her visits when they could and even Carolyn flew out to make sure she’d be here when the moment came. It was odd for Addison to see Carolyn again, given the fact that Carolyn never really liked her when she and Derek were married. Derek would lie and say she loved her, but Addison knew the truth.
It was even stranger now that Addison had a whole new life. She was happy, a wife, and a mother. Working at Grey Sloan definitely helped distract Addison as did Jake and Henry’s constant presence. Sometimes she forgot Carolyn was around, watching her. For Carolyn, it was strange too. She didn’t hate Addison, she never had. But she always knew Addison was wrong for Derek. It felt wrong to say that it was because they came from different backgrounds. Carolyn knew better than to just amount it to just that.
But something in her knew that Derek and Addison weren’t right for each other. She couldn’t pin down exactly why, but she knew she was right. Seeing Addison with Jake and Henry only confirmed her suspicions. Addison was happier than she’d ever seen her before.
And Carolyn knew, or more accurately, was told by countless people how great she was with kids. Especially given that she was a baby doctor. But she really was a natural with Henry. And it helped that her husband was a true gentleman. Carolyn didn’t know him well, but what she did know was that Addison found the right person for her.
Addison Works with Carina
Even though Addison was clearly Amelia’s OB, she still got Carina and a few OB residents to help out from time to time. Addison was fascinated with Carina, or more accurately, her sweet Italian accent and her study into orgasms. Plus, from what she’d seen over the past few months working with her, Carina was a great OB.
So, Carina being there for Amelia when she couldn’t was a big help. Especially when Addison skipped a visit to be there for Henry’s sixth birthday. Amelia FaceTimed, telling Henry that she wished she could be there, but promised she’d give him his gift the next time she saw his mom. And that’s exactly what she did. A lifesize mini Cooper car for Henry to ride around in.
“You really expect me to lug this big thing back to LA?” Addison laughed, looking at the box that was basically Henry’s size.
“You can even get it its own seat,” Amelia joked.
“You really shouldn’t have,” Addison said, continuing to inspect the box.
“He’s my godson,” Amelia added. “Spoiling him is my job,”
As big and extravagant as the gift was, Addison finally gave in and brought it back with her to LA. When Addison got home, Henry came running at her, just excited to open his gift from his Auntie Amelia.
The other great part about having Carina and the OB residents around was the fact that it gave Addison a chance to teach again. Addison severely missed that part of working in a teaching hospital. LA was great, but St. Ambrose wasn’t a teaching hospital. With Angela around more often than not, Addison had her moments of being able to teach her step-daughter a thing or two. But it was very different from her prior experience working at Grey Sloan.
Richard’s Diagnosis
Additionally, something was obviously going on with Richard, but all the doctors were perplexed. Multiple brainstorming sessions with multiple talented, world-class doctors, and they still couldn’t figure it out. Well, until they did. Amelia looped Tom Koracick in, her former mentor and fellow neurosurgeon, and Addison couldn’t help but jump in to help as well. After a while, they all figured it out. Cobalt poisoning from a hip replacement. Thankfully, it wasn’t dementia, like many of them suspected.
Once they determined the diagnosis, the doctors got to work figuring out where to go from there. Amelia wanted to help but then, her water broke. Fortunately, Addison and Link were there to whisk her away to the OB floor. And she quickly paged everyone necessary that wasn’t already around (i.e. Derek, Carolyn, Jake, and Henry). By the time everyone else arrived, Link and Addison already got Amelia changed and in bed.
After everyone gathered around, ready to be there for Amelia, Link got paged to help Richard. He didn’t want to leave, but it helped that Addison informed him it’d be hours before Amelia had to start pushing. When he kissed her goodbye, Addison couldn’t help but watch them fondly. And funnier to see that Carina was right about her orgasm study. Link was a good guy. And she sought comfort in knowing he’d take care of her and their son.
Amelia Gets Ready to Push
Over the next few hours, Addison and Carina routinely checked on Amelia and her progress. Derek and Carolyn stayed by her side, as did Jake and Henry. After making sure Amelia was settled, Jake called the Seaside Wellness doctors and it wasn’t long before Jake informed everyone that they were all on their way. Meanwhile, Henry worked on some homework he brought along and told Amelia all about how much he liked school so far. He was in kindergarten now, and it still blew her mind that he’d already gotten so big.
Eventually, it came time for Amelia to start pushing. By then, Link was almost finished helping the other surgeons with Richard. But he wasn’t back yet when she started. The doctors from LA were well on their way from the airport but they hadn’t arrived yet. Amelia was scared. No, terrified. And everyone around her could tell. Jake took Henry outside to give her some privacy, but Derek and Carolyn stayed with her for moral support.
“Alright Amelia,” Addison started. “It’s time to start pushing now,”
“No,” Amelia said, in pain. “I can’t,”
“Yes, you can Amy,” Carolyn said, holding one of her hands as Derek held the other on the other side of the bed.
“No, I can’t,” Amelia said again, starting to cry.
“I know it hurts,” Carolyn started. “But you can do this,”
“No, no,” Amelia started whimpering slightly. “I can’t do this. Not again,”
Derek and Carolyn looked up at each other. Did she just say “again”?
Addison Comforts Amelia
“Amelia,” Addison said, softly as she tried to calm her. “This baby is coming,”
“Addie, I can’t do this,” Amelia said again, crying.
“Yes, you can,” Addison said, walking over to her side as Carina stayed back to take over for a second.
“Amelia,” Addison said, softly. “It’s all gonna be okay. You’re okay, and this baby’s okay,”
“What if he’s not?” Amelia asked, continuing to cry.
Addison took a small, deep breath and dug through Amelia’s purse. Derek, Carolyn, as well as Carina, were all confused. Then, Addison found what she was looking for and pulled it out: Amelia’s sonogram.
“Look at this,” Addison started as she pointed out features in the sonogram. “Ten fingers, ten toes, and a brain,”
“What if it’s wrong?” Amelia continued crying.
“It’s not,” Addison said, putting the sonogram on the bedside table. “I promise. Your boy is perfectly healthy. And he will be just fine as long as you start pushing,”
“Addie,” Amelia started, her tears starting to let up a little. “I don’t know if I can do this again,”
“Well, I know you can,” Addison said, firmly.
“Dr. Montgomery,” Carina said sternly. Addison knew that meant Amelia had to start pushing.
“Amelia, push,” Addison instructed her as she went back towards Carina and changed out her gloves for a clean pair. After that, Carina moved aside as Addison took over.
Amelia Gives Birth
This time, Amelia started pushing, squeezing both her mother’s and her brother’s hands. Not long afterward, Link ran in and took Derek’s place. And Derek was happy for him to take over as he felt Amelia would crush the bones in his hand if he stayed any longer. Amelia kept pushing and squeezing their hands until eventually, a baby came out crying. When Amelia heard him cry, she took a sigh of relief.
“He’s crying,” Amelia said, almost out of breath.
“Yup,” Addison said, smiling as she cut the umbilical board and wrapped the baby. After cleaning him a little, she carried the squirmy baby to Amelia.
“Here he is!” Addison said excitedly as she placed him in Amelia’s arms.
“Hi,” Amelia said, out of breath as she looked down at her newborn baby.
“Hey there little guy,” Link said as he played with the baby’s fingers.
Another minute passed and Addison finally opened the door and let everyone waiting outside in. After she did, Amelia was surprised to see all the Seaside Wellness doctors were all there, with all their kids, mind you. And even Sheldon showed up with his girlfriend, Evelyn, with a special announcement. He was moving back to LA and Addison already offered him his job back if he wanted it. And he happily obliged. It wasn’t long before other Grey Sloan doctors came to join them. And Meredith even brought her and Derek’s kids by to meet their new cousin.
The Kids Meet the Baby
After all the adults got their turn with the baby, Henry gently tugged at Addison’s scrubs. Smiling at the reminder of how small Henry still was, Addison knelt down just for Henry to whisper something in her ear.
“Hey,” Addison said to Amelia as she stood back up. “I think the kids wanna meet the baby,”
Amelia smiled and handed the baby over. Not long afterward, Addison crouched down while holding the baby, giving Henry, all the other Seaside kids, and Derek and Meredith’s kids a closer look at him.
“Gently girls,” Charlotte warned the Cooplets.
All the kids stared at him in wonder, taking in the sweet newborn.
“What’s his name?” Lucas asked.
“He doesn’t have one yet,” Jake said, looking back at Link and Amelia.
“I kind of liked the name, Scout,” Link revealed.
“I do too,” Amelia said, smiling back at him. “But we can’t just name him Scout,”
“Why not?” Cooper chimed in.
“Because!” Amelia exclaimed. “Scout’s like a nickname. He needs a real name,”
“Who says Scout’s not a real name?” Violet asked.
“Yeah, Scout is a real name,” Sheldon added.
“Yeah, I like it,” Charlotte said, smiling.
“Hi Scout,” Henry whispered to the baby as he kissed his forehead.
All the other kids followed, calling him Scout and saying hi to him, despite the fact that the baby was half-asleep. Eventually, Addison passed the baby off to Meredith and her kids got a closer look at the baby. After that, Jake wrapped his arms around Addison from behind and kissed her sweetly on the side of her temple as they both admired their son and how gentle he was with baby Scout.
Derek Watches Addison with Jake
As all the kids were preoccupied with the baby, Derek caught himself staring at Addison with Jake. He was glad she was happy but it still felt so surreal. There was a time when he was the right guy for her. When he was the one who made her happy. Jake seemed perfect for her now. And seeing Addison as a mother gave him a warm fuzzy feeling inside.
They talked about having kids someday. One with his deep blue eyes and her fiery red locks. They made plans about what their life would look like together. Two or more kids, a big and beautiful brownstone in Manhattan, and stellar medical careers. They both became incredible surgeons and with Addie’s interior design skills and their combined incomes, their brownstone was indeed big and beautiful. But they just never got to the kids’ part.
They made their plans, and then, life happened. Before they knew it, their marriage was over. Derek spent years blaming Addison for it. After all, he did find her and Mark in their bed together. Literally in the throws of their affair. Seeing them in his bed, in their bed, poisoned everything for Derek. It made him question every part of their relationship up to that point. How long had it been going on?
Addison insisted it only happened once, that it was the first time. But he didn’t believe her. And when Addison told him later about how she stayed with Mark after he left, he felt like his suspicions were confirmed. Even more so when Mark continued pining for her when he came to Seattle. But he knew he was kidding himself by just blaming her for destroying their marriage. And it wasn’t just because of what happened at the prom.
Derek Reminisces
Their marriage was already spiraling before then. Derek rarely ever came home from the hospital anymore. He was working harder than ever, trying to prove how great of a doctor he could be. How great of a surgeon he was. He felt the system was against him. Everything he did felt like it wasn’t enough. Meanwhile, Addie excelled at everything. She wasn’t just successful, she was already world-class. Her career was everything he wanted for his own. He just didn’t get it as easily or as fast as she did.
Part of him blamed her for it. It was wrong, but it didn’t make it any less true. Either way, Derek would never admit it. Addison didn’t know it, but it didn’t matter anyway. Derek avoided coming home, avoided talking to her. And she didn’t know why. Not really, anyway. She knew he was focused on his career and that he was frustrated that it hadn’t gone farther.
She just thought Derek got lazy when it came to their marriage. Addison wasn’t his best friend, wife, and confidante anymore. She was someone he took advantage of. He assumed she’d stay with him through whatever he was going through. It’d been almost two years of Derek sleeping in on-call rooms most nights instead of coming home. Almost two years of Addison coming home to an empty house, going to bed alone.
Derek and Carolyn Confront Amelia
But here she was now, happy and in another man’s arms. One that treated her well, one that was the perfect husband and father that she needed. He was the guy Derek should’ve been when he was her husband. And he was the guy that would make her happier than Derek probably ever could. He was happy for Addison, but seeing her new life was strange because she was living the life they always wanted for themselves.
After everyone shuffled out of the room, it was just Derek, Carolyn, Link, Amelia, Carina, Jake, Addison and Henry left. But Link left shortly afterward to check up on Richard. And Carina followed suit to take Scout to rest in the NICU. Henry, however, was starting to fall asleep in Jake’s arms as he sat on his lap. It’d been a long day for everyone, but especially for a now six-year-old.
“What did you mean by ‘again’?” Derek finally asked.
Carolyn looked at Amelia as well, as Amelia looked down at her fingers.
“Amy?” Carolyn asked as Amelia stayed quiet, looking down at her fingers.
“Addie?” Derek looked up at his ex-wife, who was standing close to Jake as he held onto their sleeping son.
Addison looked over at Amelia, who finally looked up. She was biting her lip and Addison knew she was doing everything she could not to cry again. She wanted Derek and Carolyn to know, but she didn’t want to if Amelia didn’t want them to know.
“It’s okay,” Amelia said, directed at Addison. “You can tell them. I just…I can’t,”
“Tell us what?” Carolyn asked, demanding to know the answers.
Addison Fills Them In
“Amelia had a baby before,” Addison started as she walked closer to Amelia laying in the hospital bed.
“What?” Derek and Carolyn exclaimed, simultaneously.
“You mean, I have another grandchild out there somewhere?” Carolyn asked.
“How could you not tell us?” Derek asked, looking at both Amelia and Addison.
Hearing her family talk about her unicorn baby made Amelia finally break out into tears. Not small, gradual ones. But a big ugly cry. But with everything going on, she couldn’t help it. Once she started openly crying, Addison jumped up onto the bed and held her ex-sister-in-law.
“Are we gonna get an explanation?” Derek asked after letting Amelia calm down a bit.
“Where is my grandchild?” Carolyn demanded to know. Amelia just buried her head deeper into Addison’s arms.
“He died,” Addison said, softly.
“What?” Derek and Carolyn asked, surprised.
“Amelia got pregnant when she was with me in LA,” Addison started.
“You let my daughter get pregnant and you didn’t call any of us?!” Carolyn was on the verge of yelling. Addison shushed her slightly as she glanced back at a sleeping Henry on Jake’s lap starting to stir slightly.
“I wanted to,” Addison insisted. “But it wasn’t mine to tell,”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Carolyn asked Amelia softly, hyper-aware of how emotional Amelia had gotten. When Amelia continued not saying anything, Carolyn and Derek looked back up to Addison.
Derek and Carolyn Demand Answers
“What happened?” Derek asked, softly.
“He was anencephalic,” Addison revealed.
“What does that mean?” Carolyn asked, looking to Derek for an explanation.
“It means he was born with an underdeveloped brain and an incomplete skull,” Derek explains, giving his mother the clinical description of the word.
Carolyn clearly wanted to ask more but didn’t exactly know what to ask. When Addison looked at Derek, she could tell he felt the same. Except he knew more about the condition.
“So, what happened?” Derek finally asked after a minute.
“I had a baby,” Amelia finally spoke, sniffling as she wiped the tears off her face.
“You didn’t…?” Derek started to ask, but it felt wrong to say “abort” or “terminate” the pregnancy. Either way, he knew he didn’t have to say it to them. They knew what he meant.
“Didn’t what?” Carolyn asked. Addison and Amelia knew what Derek meant, but Carolyn definitely didn’t understand.
“Most women choose to end the pregnancy before coming to term,” Addison explained as delicately as she could. “Anencephalic babies don’t survive for very long. A few hours at most,”
“Oh,” Carolyn said, sadly.
“Why didn’t…?” Derek started to ask but again couldn’t say the words. “Why did you have the baby anyway?”
The room grew quiet. Quieter than it was before. Carolyn and Derek were waiting for an answer. But both Addison and Amelia found it hard to say it out loud.
“That’s my baby sister you’re talking about here,” Derek said, a little louder than perhaps he intended, as he turned around and ran a hand through his hair.
“I know,” Addison said, quietly as she tried to shush him.
“You really think I don’t know that by now?” Addison glared at him and started muttering. “11 years…,”
Jake Steps In
“Mommy?” Henry asked, softly as he started rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Addison carefully got out of Amelia’s hospital bed and moved over to comfort him.
“Hey, lovebug,” Addison said, rubbing Henry’s back gently. When Henry looks up, he lifts his arms, signaling that he wants her to hold him. Shortly afterward, Jake and Addison switched places carefully but swiftly.
“Amelia decided to donate her baby’s organs,” Jake finally explained after Addison sat with their sleepy son.
“What?” Derek asked, surprised. After getting shushed by Addison again, who was gently rubbing Henry’s back, Derek backed off slightly.
“She wanted his life to mean something,” Jake continued. He could tell Derek and Carolyn weren’t happy, but he also knew Amelia couldn’t talk about it. Not now, anyway. And if they wanted to make him out into the bad guy, so be it.
“The hospital let you do that?” Derek asked. He knew it was controversial, to say the least. And while he personally supported Amelia’s choice, he knew there were plenty of people who didn’t, or wouldn’t.
“Not exactly,” Jake admitted. “But Charlotte’s the Chief of Staff at St. Ambrose so she helped us put together a transplant team and with the aftermath with the board,”
“Wait wait wait,” Carolyn interjected. “Why wouldn’t the hospital let you donate organs?”
“It’s…a controversial procedure,” Jake started to explain.
“Why?” Carolyn asked, still curious.
“Because the baby’s still alive when they do the transplant,” Derek finished for him.
Derek Explains Further
“Why not wait until after…the baby dies?” Carolyn asked, struggling to finish the thought.
“Because they won’t be viable anymore afterward,” Jake continued.
“So…let me get this straight,” Carolyn started. “This organ donation is essentially killing a baby, then?”
They were all quiet for a minute. She wasn’t necessarily wrong, but it wasn’t as simple as she was making it sound.
“Yes,” Addison finally said, softly. “But it’s a baby that’ll die a few hours after it’s born,”
“And he’ll never walk, talk, crawl, or eat,” Addison continued. “He might still technically be alive, but he’ll never have a life,”
Carolyn nodded, signaling that she finally understood. And Amelia let out a small breath as if she’d been holding it in the whole time. Addison continued holding a sleeping Henry but Amelia looked over to her past Jake and gave her a slight smile with tears in her eyes. Having Addison’s support for her decision meant everything to her. Back then and now.
“You still should’ve told us,” Carolyn added as she moved some hair out of Amelia’s face.
“I couldn’t,” Amelia said.
“You did the right thing,” Derek finally said, sitting on the bed next to her.
Amelia broke down crying all over again and leaned into Derek’s shoulder. Carolyn joined in comforting Amelia by moving closer to gently stroke her back. Jake looked back at Addison with a still sleeping Henry and smiled.
They both knew it was a long time coming for Amelia to finally tell her family about her unicorn baby. It wasn’t what she wanted or what she expected would happen, but Jake and Addison both knew it was what she needed.
Additional Notes
If you’ve read my other stuff before, you might already know that I just had to make Maggie a fan of Addison’s. They’ve never met in the Grey’s Anatomy universe but I am an adamant believer that Maggie would absolutely fangirl all over Addison. I also added the part with Addison and Alex because I think it helps justify Alex’s exit from the show a little more. Plus, I always thought it was funny that people pointed out on Twitter that both Addison and Jo slept with Alex and were in the same room together but had no idea. Something about that was amusing to me but I wanted to find a way to organically bring up the fact that Alex and Addison slept together so this is the best way I could figure out how to do that.
And as much as I love Addie, it’s not practical for her to just fly back and forth so much so Carina’s there to help and we never got to see them meet either but I like the idea of them working together. Lastly, I had to bring Sheldon back for good, I just had to. I love that he finally found love at the end of Private Practice but it was bittersweet so I just wanted to have a better happy ending, to be honest. But I still wanted to keep what the writers did with him. Thank you all so much for reading and I’ll be back soon with another fanfic or at the very least, an update to my other stories.