Begin Again: A Jaddison Fanfic Chapter 6

Notes: This is a fanfiction based on characters from the TV show, Private Practice. This fanfiction looks at Jake and Addison’s story (as well as the other doctors at Seaside Wellness Group) after Private Practice ends. They’re married and take care of baby Henry together. This story and chapter were originally posted on Archive of Our Own on February 16th, 2022. This is chapter six so it is necessary to read the fifth chapter before moving on. This has been edited to include headings and images.

Begin Again: Chapter 6

After a long hug, Jake and Angela finally let go of their embrace and Jake kept his hands on her shoulders and smiled. And Angela was just relieved he didn’t say, “I told you so”. But it was the farthest thing from Jake’s mind. All he saw in her now was his little girl, the one that used to crawl into bed with him months after Lily died.

She was so grown up now, and Jake couldn’t be prouder of the woman she was becoming. But it was moments like these when all he saw was his little girl again. After letting go of their hug, Jake went over to help bring the shopping bags upstairs to Angela’s new room as Addison followed them closely behind with Henry in her arms. After dropping the bags, Angela examined the room in awe for a minute. She’d only ever had her small room at the house she grew up in and her small dorm room. This guest room was not only bigger but it was also so elegantly designed.

Her room at the old house may have well as been a snapshot of Angela’s eight-year-old self with the lilac-colored walls she, Lily, and Jake painted and the princess stickers still stuck on the dresser. Her childhood bedroom was now inhabited by a new family after Jake sold the house to move in with Addison. And when he first asked her about the house, Angela gave him her blessing to sell it, but she admitted to herself that she’d still miss it. But seeing her new room made her excited for things to come.

Addison and Angela Start Decorating

Addison’s guest room was much more sophisticated and grown-up. It was a room that Angela always envisioned for her grown-up self. The bedroom had a nice minimalistic vibe to it with a cream color palette with small wooden accents as well as a spacious closet and private bathroom. Angela had never had her own bathroom before so this was all a big change in pace. But a good one, at that. After letting Angela marvel at the room for a few minutes, Jake finally spoke.

“Why don’t I get dinner started and you guys can start unpacking?” Jake offered.

“Sounds good,” Angela said.

“Oh, are you gonna help us too?” Addison asked Henry as he started reaching toward the shopping bags on the ground. Henry just giggled in response, leading the ladies to laugh along with the little boy.

“I can’t believe how big he’s gotten,” Angela cooed as she walked closer to Henry, who was still in Addison’s arms. By the look on his face, he was happy to see her.

“I know!” Addison replied. “And he’s walking now,”

“I know, I heard,” Angela said, impressed. Henry gave her a sweet smile as he wrapped his small hand around her finger.

“I can’t believe you started walking without me,” Angela joked. “I still remember when all you did was stare at me,”

Both women let it hang in the air for a minute. Henry really was growing up and starting to show a personality. He was more than just a cute, drooly baby now. He was still cute and drooled a good amount but he was starting to form words now and clumsily walking from place to place. It was far different from what he’d been like when they first met.

Angela Meeting Henry for the First Time

“Come on in,” Jake opened the door wider, letting Angela into the beach house.

After meeting Addison at the practice, Jake kept Angela in the loop on how their relationship was progressing. And she couldn’t be more excited for them. When Jake told her that he was moving in with her, Angela was ecstatic. It seemed a little soon to be moving in, but she knew Jake had been pining for Addison for over a year. And she knew Jake didn’t make this decision lightly, even if he was a true romantic at heart.

When Jake and Angela got to the kitchen, they found Addison in the living room, picking Henry up from his placemat on the ground.

“Angela, hi!” Addison greeted her excitedly.

“Hi Addison, it’s nice to see you again,” Angela replied, her eyes glued to the baby attached to Addison’s hip. Jake told her about Henry but she’d never met him before this point. And she had to admit he was a pretty cute baby.

“And you must be Henry,” Angela smiled at the little boy and gently toyed at his fingers. Soon after, he took hold of one of her fingers as he curiously stared at her.

As both women continued to coo over the baby, Jake walked towards the kitchen to finish dinner. After a couple of minutes of playing with his fingers, Henry finally gave Angela a small smile. They both just giggled seeing him smile at her.

Angela and Henry at Jake and Addison’s Wedding

Even at Jake and Addison’s wedding, Henry started having a habit of smiling whenever Angela showed up. He was still young, but he was starting to recognize people, places, and things. And it was exciting to see how his young mind was starting to shape.

“I guess it’s official,” Angela said to Henry as he sat on her lap. Henry looked back at her in wonder while wearing the cute little tux Addison bought him.

“We’re siblings now,” Angela said. Henry didn’t understand what this meant, but he could tell by the smile on her face that it was a good thing. So he smiled back at her.

“And just know,” Angela started as she repositioned him to face her. “I won’t let anyone hurt you,”

Angela scrunched her nose as she brought him closer to her face so that they’d touch noses. And Henry giggled back at the gesture. Seeing him laugh back at the gesture made Angela’s smile widen. When her mother was still alive, she used to do that all the time to tell her she loved her. Even though Jake was sitting with Addison at another table, he caught a glimpse of her with Henry and smiled.

Jake Remembers Lily

He knew Angela had grown up plenty since Lily died, but seeing her scrunch her nose against Henry’s reminded him of Angela and Lily. Angela had this overall demeanor of brushing off Lily’s drug addiction, she even joked about it from time to time. But he wasn’t so naive to think that it didn’t affect her.

Over the years, Angela grew into a strong and beautiful young woman and dealt with her grief over her mother with true grace. Seeing her now with Henry only proved that. Jake was amazed watching her. After Lily died, he was a mess. He wanted to die with her on their bathroom floor. But after the paramedics took Lily’s body away, Angela buried her head into his chest and he knew he couldn’t. He couldn’t let this little girl face the world alone. His little girl.

For a long time, he thought that Lily was it for him. His one true love. His only true love. And he’d just live out his days as Angela’s father. But then he met Addison. And it was like a breath of fresh air. He couldn’t quite explain it but Addison’s smile just made his face light up. He’d been attracted to women before, and he’d dated them on and off over the years. But he knew this was different.

When Jake Met Addison

When he walked up to her to smell the pineapple in her hand, the feeling only intensified. He felt a little stupid for leaning down to smell a pineapple of all things but to be fair, she did ask. And seeing Addison’s face that much closer to his gave him butterflies. And that damn smile was really something. When he saw her at the store again the next night in the red dress practically admitting that she too came back in hopes of seeing him, he knew he had to jump at the chance.

On their first date, they didn’t introduce themselves (per Addison’s request) and that somehow gave Jake the confidence to say the cheesiest line ever. He wanted to kiss her but the line he gave her was terrible and he regretted it the minute it came out of his mouth. But when she didn’t ridicule him for it and blushed instead, he was relieved. They both knew it was an awful pick-up line but she went with it anyway. And then she actually let him kiss her. And that’s when he knew he had her.

On their second date, the electricity between them was flying. And being with Addison gave him the confidence to suggest that she join him in Fiji. Something about being around Addison made him feel like himself again. The version of him that he thought he’d lost after Lily died. It’d been so long since she died, that he genuinely thought he was fine. He had a good life; Angela was a great, well-behaved, and beautiful young woman and Jake had his fun with women from time to time. But this was different.

Comparing Relationships

It took him almost a year to smile again after Lily died. But when he did, he knew everything would be okay. This was different. With Addison, things were better than just okay. With Addison, he knew he’d be happy. Truly happy. And if he had to wait for her to get over Sam to get her, he’d do just that. It’d been a long year of mixed signals, sexual tension, and frustrations over Addison and Sam’s on-and-off-again relationship. But when he finally got her, it was worth it. And their relationship may have moved fast once they actually got together, but it didn’t feel rushed. It felt right. Like they were exactly where they were supposed to be.

Things weren’t perfect, not all the time, but the good outweighed the bad. He knew things were good between him and Addison, great actually. But he also knew there was still this uncomfortable energy that hung in the air when it came to Sam. Addison told him about her conversation with Naomi in the elevator. He was glad the two made up, but it didn’t change things with Sam. Were things always going to be this awkward with him? He liked Sam, he did. But he also knew how much she wanted him to be where he was now. He knew he shouldn’t let it bother him, but it did.

Angela Completing the Family

He took pride in being a good man, a morally good man. But he wasn’t perfect, despite Addison’s claims. He was human. He saw Sam trying to do the same. The only difference between them when it came to Addison was the fact that Jake was willing to take the leap with her when Sam wasn’t. He didn’t love being the rebound guy, but he kind of was. When they met at the grocery store, it felt magical. But after coming to work at Seaside, he saw how complicated getting Addison would be. Most men probably would’ve run. Sam would’ve run. But something about her made him want to stay. Something about her made him want to fight for her. And he wasn’t going to be scared off that easily.

With Angela back, and more importantly, away from her much older professor, things felt like they were finally falling into place. Even more so now than before. As much as they loved Henry, Angela made their family complete. Neither of their kids was biologically theirs, but they loved them nonetheless. With all four of them together as a family, it felt real. It felt complete.

The Montgomery-Reillys Have Dinner

After the girls finished unpacking their shopping bags (with very little help from Henry), they walked downstairs to find Jake taking a tray of lasagna out of the oven. As Addison strapped Henry into his high chair and started warming up his baby food, Angela helped set the table as Jake started portioning out the food onto the plates. As they sat together eating dinner, they could all feel it in the air. They were a family. Albeit, an untraditional blended family. But a family.

Addison stuck to surface-level topics during dinner. Like how Angela helped her at the office and what decor they found while shopping at the mall. And Angela wasted no time telling Jake about Addison’s first time trying a soft pretzel. Jake knew about Addison’s past, about her WASP-y family, but he too was surprised by it. They laughed as Addison talked about how uptight her family could be, or was. Angela commented on how she was surprised that Addison turned out so sane after it all and they continued laughing.

As great as this was, Jake just wanted to know what happened in Europe. Angela knew he had to ask at some point, but she wasn’t ready to hear him say he was right. But what she didn’t know was that that was the last thing he wanted to say. He just wanted to know if she was okay. And he wanted to punch Eli in the face for how he hurt her. Even though he didn’t know what exactly happened between them, he knew Eli was somehow responsible. Angela may have been jovial and laughing during dinner, but he could see behind her smile. He could see that while this was all a good distraction, she was still hurting inside.

Jake Tries to Talk to Angela

While Addison got a head start on the dishes, it gave Jake and Angela a moment to talk. Angela kept trying to distract herself by getting Henry out of his high chair and sitting on the floor beside him as he played with some toys on his playmat. As they did, Jake looked back at Addison, who too was admiring the two of them together. This was everything she’d ever wanted. What they both wanted. It wasn’t traditional by any means and it took a long time for both of them to finally get it, but here it was.

“Ange,” Jake started as he sat down beside her. Angela was holding a toy airplane as Henry played with a toy train. Around him were a myriad of other toy vehicles and when Henry saw Jake sit with them, he picked up a toy bus and offered it to him. After smiling back at him, Jake graciously accepted the toy bus.

“I know,” Angela sighed. “Just, please don’t say it,”

“Say what?” Jake asked as he glanced over at her after playfully scooching the toy bus on the ground close to where Henry sat.

“I told you so,” Angela said, mockingly.

“I wasn’t gonna say that,” Jake insisted.

“Oh come on, Jake,” Angela said. “We both know you want to,”

“No, I don’t,” Jake insisted once more. Seeing how exasperated Angela was, he turned his entire body around to face her head-on and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“I just wanna make sure you’re okay,” Jake said more convincingly.

“I’m okay,” Angela nodded. “Really,”

Angela Apologizes

At this point, Addison finished washing the dishes and joined the rest of the family near Henry’s playmat. Except Addison picked him up and placed him in her lap so she could hold him close to her chest. When she did, Henry looked up and smiled at her and Addison kissed him gently on the nose.

“You were right about Eli,” Angela finally admitted.

Not knowing what to say next, Jake decided it’d be best to stay quiet. He knew it wasn’t easy for Angela to admit she was wrong. He wasn’t going to rub it in.

“I’m sorry,” Angela apologized.

Jake waited for another beat before saying anything. Instead, he just looked back at her. It still surprised him how much she’d grown. How mature she was already.

“I’m just glad you’re home,” Jake finally said.

At that, Angela leaned her head against his shoulder as Jake wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. Home. That’s what this place was now. For the first couple of weeks after moving in with Addison, it still felt a little foreign. Moving in was his idea and he was more than willing and ready to live with Addison. But as much as they both loved each other, it was an awkward start to cohabitating. It’d been a long time since either of them lived with a significant other.

Jake Going All in With Addison

Jake raised Angela after her mother died, but after she left for college, he’d lived by himself for the past couple of years. As for Addison, Sam lived in this house for a short time, but even then things didn’t feel all that different. He still had his place next door that he still called home, despite the fact that half of his clothes were in Addison’s closet. Sam’s beach house became a place where he could escape to whenever he and Addison got into an argument. A place he called home.

This was different. After proposing they’d live together, or more accurately, declared that he’d move in, Jake immediately packed all his things and moved them into Addison’s place. Once everything was packed and moved out, he put his old place on the market and Addison’s place became their place. He was all-in when it came to Addison. It was fast and a lot of change in a short amount of time, but it was right. He wasn’t going to let Addison run because she was scared. And Jake wasn’t going to let her go that easily.

After everything that happened between Sam and Addison, taking the plunge with Addison was the right thing to do. Not just because they loved each other and knew in their hearts that this was how things were meant to be, but because Addison needed the commitment. She needed the proof to really believe that this was real. That he was diving head-first into their relationship. That she could believe him when he said he loved her and wasn’t going anywhere.

Sam and Addison’s Relationship

Addison took a chance with Sam, went in head-first, and it backfired. She was more than ready to commit to him. Fully and completely. She was ready to have a baby with him. But his constant hesitations and attempts to make her feel crazy for wanting more broke her more than she was willing to admit. She’d done the same with Derek. He was distant and dismissive but she still fought for love. She still fought for the life they’d talked about having together since med school. Even though it didn’t work out, she was proud of that chapter of her life.

So when she was with Sam, she tried again. She went all-in and bet against the naysayers, even after seeing the signs that Sam would never commit to her. She wanted to believe she wasn’t fighting a useless war for love. That love, real love, full of promises and commitment, still existed. When it became clear Sam wasn’t going to last long, she had to admit defeat. And this became the second time Addison lost in her fight for love.

Jake was like a breath of fresh air. The last thing Addison wanted before she met him was to fall in love again. Or at least fall in love that fast and that deeply. She’d had other breakups but her breakup with Sam felt brutal. Naomi was her best friend and being with him made her lose her. It got better after they broke up the first time, but it wasn’t the same. Things still weren’t the same. And Addison knew deep down that it never would be. Not in the way it was before.

When Addison Tried Again with Sam

So when Addison met Jake at the grocery store, she fell hard and fast. He made her smile again after days of looking at Sam’s empty balcony. But instead of going for it, she fell back into her familiar patterns. No matter how much she wanted it, she knew Sam was never going to commit to her. Not in the way she wanted him to. Not in the way that Jake did. But she jumped back into bed with Sam because it was comfortable.

They hadn’t even been together for a full year but they’d known each other since med school. Something about being with Sam felt familiar. And at the time, it was enough. She knew it wasn’t right, knew it wouldn’t last. But she wasn’t ready to jump into something new. Not yet. When Jake showed up to interview for Naomi’s spot in the practice, Addison’s heart skipped a beat. She didn’t want to admit it, but she still had feelings for Jake. She’d just gotten back together with Sam and was happy. Or happy enough at least.

Addison tried so hard to make it work with Sam but even she knew it was a futile effort. They were in a weird situation and both of them wouldn’t admit the inevitable. That it’d end all over again. They were comfortable together and neither of them was ready to let that go. That is until they couldn’t pretend anymore.

Angela Tucks Henry In

Addison marveled at Jake as he comforted Angela. Part of the reason why she fell in love with him was because of how great of a father he was. She didn’t know about her when they met. In fact, she didn’t know about Angela’s existence until much later in their friendship. But neither did the rest of the practice. Jake was private that way. Less so now that he’d settled into Seaside Wellness quite nicely.

After another minute of Jake holding Angela, the three of them went back to playing with Henry. He was starting to catch onto things. He recognized people now and remembered sounds like an ambulance siren or the whooshing of an airplane. Even more so since Jake liked to fly his toy airplane in the air and make the sound, which amused Henry every single time. He was starting to form a personality, finding things that he liked and didn’t like. His motor skills were starting to form as he began gripping onto things tighter and liked toys that made sounds.

As it started to get late, Henry eventually started yawning. It was finally his bedtime. As Addison started to clean up his toys, Angela picked him up, ready to take him to his crib.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Addison insisted. As much as she loved Angela, her WASP-y ways started kicking in.

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Angela insisted back. “You don’t mind if I put you to bed tonight, do you?”

Angela looked down at Henry, who rested his head against Angela’s chest as his eyes became drowsier.

“I think he’s in good hands,” Jake commented as he folded Henry’s playmat.

Angela Being a Good Sister

As Addison finished cleaning up, she stood up and smiled back at Angela, who was starting to bounce Henry up and down as he cuddled in her arms.

“He does have a pretty great big sister,” Addison said as Jake put an arm around her waist. When he did, Addison leaned into him as her face fit right under his chin.

At the sound of that, Angela looked up at both of them and smiled as she continued bouncing Henry to sleep. Soon after, she went up the stairs to put him down. Once Angela placed Henry gently into his crib, she was surprised to see Addison when she looked up. She was smiling back at her as she watched Angela taking care of her new baby brother. After letting the moment hang a bit longer, Angela finally spoke.

“Do you really think I’d make a good sister?” Angela asked.

“Of course,” Addison said without having to think about it.

“I just…,” Angela started. “I’ve never had a sibling before,”

“Well, it helps that he’s still so little,” Addison remarked as she checked on Henry, who was sound asleep in his crib.

“You’ll have plenty of chances to screw up,” Addison joked. “And it’ll still be fine,”

Angela chuckled slightly as Addison walked over and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, guiding her out of Henry’s nursery and towards her new room.

Addison Remembers Amelia

“So, this is really my room now?” Angela asked.

“Yes, yes it is,” Addison said as they both stood back to admire the room. It was still pretty bare given that it’d only acted as a spare guest room for the most part. There was a time when it was Amelia’s room, but after Jake moved in, Amelia finally found her own place. But as much as she loved Amelia and wanted her to stay, Amelia found her place in Seattle. She missed her but knew that Seattle was the right place for her now.

Having her here in Los Angeles was great. It gave Addison someone to talk to again after Naomi left. Someone to really talk to, honestly and without judgment. But she also knew that as great as LA had been to Addison, it was rife with too much hurt for Amelia at times. This was the place where Amelia relapsed, where she lost Ryan, and most tragically, where she lost their baby. She’d gotten through it all and come out the other side, but it still felt messy.

Everyone at Seaside Wellness loved Amelia and they all worked so hard to take care of her. But it’d been time for her to move on and grow up. Really grow up. And if she could do that in Seattle, where her brother could not only look out for her but repair their fractured relationship, all the better. But as much as she knew Seattle was better for Amelia, it didn’t make Addison miss her any less.

Angela’s New Room

After admiring the room for another minute, they both began opening up the various decor they’d bought from the mall earlier. New sheets, pillows, pillowcases, blankets, and even some paint samples. The decor they bought had a modern feel to them, an underlying black, white, and gray color palette. But Angela’s personal touch included subtle pops of lilac, which began transforming the room from being a stark guest bedroom to definitively becoming Anglea’s room.

“Wow,” Jake finally came up after Angela and Addison changed out the bedding. “Looks like you guys kept busy today,”

“What do you think?” Angela asked.

“It looks great,” Jake remarked.

“I had a lot of help,” Angela said as she looked over at Addison, who looked back at her and smiled.

“Oh please, Angela’s got a great sense of interior design,” Addison added.

“Not as good as yours,” Angela insisted as she continued changing out pillowcases on the bed.

“She’s right you know,” Jake said before Addison could get a word in.

“Well, I guess I have Bizzy to thank for that,” Addison remarked as she finally accepted the compliment.

After that, Jake helped the girls finish up and they all headed back downstairs to just hang out in the living room. Jake turned on the TV and found a basketball game playing as they all began chitchatting about just about anything. Well, anything but Eli, which Angela was still staying quiet about. While both Jake and Addison wanted to know what happened, they both thought it was best to just let Angela tell them on her own terms, in time. So, they said nothing, at least for the time being.

Angela Looks for a Job

The morning after, Angela offered to watch Henry for the day while Jake and Addison went off to work. In fact, she said it was the least she could do while she figures out what to do next. And Jake and Addison didn’t really have a problem with it so they agreed. As Jake and Addison worked, Angela took care of Henry. In her free time, she did some research on what she could do until the school semester ended. There were about two months left until then, she couldn’t go back to school until the new semester started.

Angela looked into different types of temp jobs but knew she wanted to be involved in the medical field somehow. She was still only pre-med, however, so she knew her options were pretty scarce. The best she could probably find was a receptionist job, or perhaps a lab assistant if she was lucky to find one available. But then, it finally hit her. Jake and Addison worked at a private medical practice. Not only that but they were friends with Charlotte King, the chief of staff at St. Ambrose. Surely she could ask if there was something available at either Seaside or St. Ambrose.

When Jake and Addison got home, Angela was waiting for them, ready to present her case. She knew Jake would probably just give her a job, or at least do everything needed to get it for her, but she wasn’t sure how Addison would react. She wanted to be prepared, she wanted to make sure she had a sound argument.

Jake and Addison Come Home

The first thing Addison did after hanging up her coat was head straight for Henry, who was thrilled to see her. Jake also hung up his coat and greeted Angela with some surface-level small talk. Angela was so nervous she let him keep talking until she felt ready. She had a speech planned out in her head but Addison intimidated her more than she thought she would.

She was, after all, one of the most accomplished surgeons in the country. Jake really married up with Addison, Angela thought. And Jake was well-aware of that fact. With Angela aspiring to also be a doctor, talking to her about a possible job at Seaside or St. Ambrose felt like a daunting task. She loved Addison, loved how happy she made Jake, and loved that she and Henry became part of her family. But this was different. No, this was professional.

“Addison,” Angela started after Jake finished talking.

“Yeah?” Addison asked, nonchalantly, as she readjusted Henry in her arms.

“I was wondering if Seaside Wellness had any receptionist or lab tech openings,” Angela said with more conviction and confidence than she felt inside.

Jake and Addison were both surprised. Angela wanted to work with them?

“Well, our receptionist is about to go on maternity leave next week,” Addison thought out loud for a minute.

“I mean, it’s not a permanent job but -,” Addison started.

“That’s perfect!” Angela exclaimed, letting her excitement get the best of her for a moment. But after that, she straightened her posture and remembered to keep her composure from this point forward.

Angela Gets the Job

“You want to be our receptionist?” Jake chimed in.

“Well, I still have another two months until a new semester starts. And I thought it’d be in my best interest to get a temp job until then. And since I’m pre-med…,” Angela continued but Addison interrupted before she could finish the rest of her prepared speech.

“I think that’s a great idea,” Addison remarked.

Angela was surprised. Addison may be her new stepmother and they liked each other fine, but she didn’t think she wooed her over that much yet. She had a full speech plan and even printed out her resume. But here she was, already agreeing to hire her. Or at least agreeing that it was a good idea.

“We can get Laura to start training you tomorrow morning if you want and…,” Addison said as she continued listing other details.

“Wait, you’re really gonna hire me? As your new temp receptionist?” Angela interrupted her.

“Of course,” Addison said, nonchalantly as if this wasn’t a big deal. Because in her mind, it wasn’t. She may not have known Angela for too long just yet but she knew she was a very capable young woman. Plus, bringing Angela in as Seaside’s new receptionist (even if it would only be temporary) would give Addison more of a chance to bond with her. And it would give Angela an opportunity to learn more about medicine and the medical field as a whole.

Addison Remembers Alex Karev

Something about teaching Angela about medicine excited her. As terrible as Addison’s initial experience in Seattle was, teaching was her saving grace. She loved teaching the residents and seeing them grow into great doctors. Alex Karev was an incredible pediatric surgeon now and she even heard that Izzie Stevens went into surgical oncology.

As much of a pain Karev was at the beginning, she liked knowing that at least some of her teachings influenced him. He tried not to show it but she could always see how much he really cared about their infant patients by the way he’d constantly check on them and sit in the NICU watching them. And while she knew Izzie’s time in Seattle had its fair share of messes, she truly did remind Addison of herself as a young resident. Izzie was much perkier and more optimistic than Addison had ever been, but the way she cared about her patients was very reminiscent of a younger Addison.

In all honesty, she couldn’t wait to see what kind of doctor Angela would become. It was still way too early to tell but working at Seaside Wellness would be the perfect opportunity for Angela to get some hands-on experience. And of course, the bonding aspect of it. It’d been a long time since Addison really got to teach anyone. The last time she felt that way was with Dell, and she didn’t expect it, but she really missed it. Angela would be the perfect fit to fill that void.

“Looks like you’ve got a new job,” Jake remarked as he grabbed a beer out of the fridge.

“Wow,” Angela said, letting the moment sink in. “I had a whole speech and everything. I even printed out my resume,”

Angela Comes to the Office

“Why?” Jake asked as he swallowed a sip of his drink. “Of course, we’d hire you,”

“Well, I know you would,” Angela joked. “But this isn’t a small thing, it’s Addison’s practice, you know? And this is a big deal for me,”

“I think it’ll be nice having you in the office,” Addison remarked. “Plus, it’ll give you a chance to learn more about medicine if you’re up for it,”

“I’d love that,” Angela said, beaming from ear to ear.

“Great,” Addison returned the smile as Henry began reaching down towards the floor, signaling that he wanted to be let down to play.

The next morning, all four of them went to the office together. While they rode the elevator up, they couldn’t help but feel like this was how it was supposed to be. The four of them, together, and a family. When the doors opened, they were greeted by Naomi, Sam, and Violet, who were all talking around the reception desk.

“Morning everyone,” Jake greeted, cheerfully with his arm around Angela’s shoulder.

“Hi!” Naomi greeted her with an equal amount of enthusiasm. “Angela, right?”

“Yeah,” Angela laughed nervously.

“It’s nice to see you again, Angela,” Violet said, politely.

“You too,” Angela said back.

“Hi Henry,” Violet cooed at Henry, who was equally excited to see his Auntie Vi.

“What are you doing here anyway?” Sam asked, curiously.

“Not that, it’s a bad thing,” Sam added, now hyper-aware of how his question must’ve sounded.

“Angela’s gonna be our new receptionist when Laura goes on maternity leave,” Addison announced.

Sam and Naomi’s Reaction

Sam and Naomi looked back at her a bit dumbfounded. This practice was supposed to be a cooperative practice, even though Addison technically owned it now. When Sam and Naomi were in charge, they voted on big hiring decisions. The receptionist job wasn’t exactly a big thing. Addison did the hiring for everything else after they dissolved OWG except for any new doctors. Partly because they already had enough as it was.

And everyone else was fine with it. But this was different. Or it at least felt that way. Angela wasn’t just some nobody they were hiring, she was Jake’s daughter. And Addison’s new step-daughter. Violet, however, thought it was a great idea. She and Addison talked previously about how she wanted to get to know her more. Plus, as much as Addison adored Henry, she always wanted a daughter. And Angela was the perfect solution to both.

Additionally, Sam was a little weirded out to see the family as a whole. It’d been a while since he and Addison had been together, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t still think about their relationship from time to time. This was her happy ending, and he was happy she finally got it. But he couldn’t help but think that this could’ve been his life. He loved Naomi, and he knew he made the right choice (not that Addison was a choice anymore by that point). But he still wondered how his life could’ve turned out if he’d gone for it. If he went all-in when she asked him to.

Laura, the Receptionist Trains Angela

“That’s great!” Violet exclaimed, giving her a hug, which surprised everyone. “Welcome to Seaside Wellness,”

“Thank you,” Angela said, graciously. The hug was unexpected, but it was a good surprise.

Instead of saying anything, Sam and Naomi just smiled politely back at all four of them.

“Laura, do you mind showing her the ropes?” Addison asked as she struggled to juggle a squirming Henry in her arms.

“It’d be my pleasure,” Laura said, graciously. She was just glad they now had someone to take over for her after she had her baby.

“I’ll come visit you later,” Angela whispered to Henry and softly pinched his cheek. To which he gave her a sweet smile.

Then, everyone went to work as Addison dropped Henry off at the daycare that used to be Pete’s office. By lunchtime, Angela had already started getting the hang of things. She quickly figured out how to manage their scheduling system, how to take a message for doctors, how to check patients in, and to immediately inform the doctors of any and all hospital emergencies regarding their patients. It wasn’t a hard thing to do but she knew it was an important job.

Angela Visits Henry at Lunchtime

Once it got to everyone’s lunch break, Angela went over to the daycare center first to check up on Henry. When she got there, he was playing with some toy construction trucks with Lucas. But when he caught sight of Angela, he gave her a big smile.

“Hi, Henry!” Angela exclaimed as Henry started clumsily walking towards her.

“Wow, you’re pretty fast for someone who just learned to walk,” Angela joked as she picked him up. Henry just giggled back in response.

After she picked him up, he cuddled his head under her chin and lifted the yellow construction truck toy he was holding to show her. As Angela continued playing with him in the daycare, she didn’t notice some of Seaside’s doctors started watching them from outside.

“Looks like she’s a pretty good big sister,” Violet commented.

“Yeah,” Addison breathed, her smile widening as she watched them play together.

Additional Notes

I know they never showed Henry at the wedding, but I’d like to think that he was there and that it was the first time Angela really spent time with him. Private Practice never showed them meet, but I think they should’ve. I have a few ideas for what happened between Angela and Eli but haven’t really written or fully fleshed that out yet but I do want it to be revealed eventually. I just don’t think she’d say anything just yet.

But I do love the idea of Angela going to work at Seaside with Jake and Addison and Addison getting another chance to be a teacher again. The last person she really got to do that with was Dell. And even then, it was pretty minimal (at least from what we saw on the show). Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!