Let's Not Stay Away Anymore (Kaimelia)

10: The day after

"You know, I'm not usually one for sleeping all burrowed into each other like this with another person. My back always reminds me of the slow arrival of death afterwards, and the blanket somehow ends up over my head, my feet get terribly cold... But I must say this is pretty comfortable," Kai whispered gently, their sleepy hands untangling from Amelia's body to stroke her face as soon as she'd opened her eyes.

"Mmh," Amelia responded, the weight of yesterday piling on top of having just woken up.

"Good point," Kai smirked, pulling away from the half-asleep woman in their bed.

"I'll get coffee started."

Amelia's vision gradually cleared, watching Kai slowly fishing around the pile of clothes around their side of the bed but not finding anything that satisfied them, and ultimately walking to the closet naked, to grab a fresh shirt.

That'll do, they nodded to themself, not bothering to look past the deep plum button-down they then left open.

It'd be almost too easy to get used to this, Amelia thought, watching Kai walk to the kitchen to fill the kettle and put it to boil in nothing but the shirt and underwear.

It was the day after David's surgery, and upon this realization washing over her, Amelia sank back into the pillows, pulling the blanket over her face so as to save last night from the aggressive attack of this morning's sunshine.

Her mind wandered back to before she'd ended up at Kai's hotel.

The team's intense work at the lab had finally paid off. Meredith and Amelia had given the all-clear for David to get the surgery, and all four of them excitedly started the countdown till it would happen.

And then? It was over.

David came out the other end, groggy and initially unamused, Meredith having to remind him time and time again that pain was normal after any surgical intervention in those first hours of him waking up. He would be sleeping a lot in the coming couple of weeks, so eventually found it easier to grapple with having to stay in Seattle for an extended period of time. Therefore, Kai's hands weren't going to be as full with him for a bit now. They would soon start on the reports in the lab almost all alone most of the time, because, however pleased Amelia and Meredith were with their accomplishments, they both still had responsibilities outside of David and the project.

The night after the surgery, however, all almost too giddy with the fact David was all hopped up on pain meds and sleeping soundly, the team gathered in the furthest corner of the cafeteria to celebrate. 

Amelia had picked a mango smoothie ("Mango is fancy," she'd insisted to Kai who'd raised their eyebrow at her choice. "And it comes with a little umbrella if you ask nicely! They always give me one!" she beamed, so they eventually ordered the same thing) and Meredith had a coffee. They sat there silently, still in shock, as a few residents and other doctors started pouring in one by one to congratulate them, or check in on how David was doing, or ask some or other question about the surgery.

It wasn't the come-down they'd hoped for, but seeing their excitement reflected on other people's faces made it easier to internalize the gravity of what had happened just hours before.

At one point the cafeteria seemed to be buzzing, with a large group gathered around the table, eventually Meredith getting up to talk to a few residents, and a few other residents pestering Amelia with questions. Kai was largely left alone, and was contently sipping their smoothie, looking from one group to another, not being directly involved in the conversations, but contemplating their questions all the same.

Eventually Kai had had enough, standing up to lightly place their hand on Amelia's lower back, whispering, "You ready to get out of here?" while nobody was paying particular attention. Amelia nodded and felt herself reach for her coat almost too quickly. Meredith gave them both a knowing smile and a mouthed a 'thank you' as they turned to walk away.