You're Mine

chapter 112

Monday, 26th December:

Logan: 13; Layla: 7; Leo: 4; Twins: 1; Eleanor: 2

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"Not you taking over twenty minutes in the bathroom again.", Owen complained. He was waiting for his wife in bed, while she was next door. He heard her chuckle and shook his head as he smiled.

Amelia was just about to walk back into the bedroom when her husband's phone started ringing. It was pretty late, so it could only be somebody who didn't know they were on vacation in Europe. She decided to eavesdrop at the door.

"Hunt.", the redhead took the call. "Merry Christmas to you too, General.", he said, causing his wife's heart to drop. "You need me for another tour? But I was officially discharged from my service in fall. No, there's no way I can volunteer again. I have five children, one of them has special needs. I can't leave my family for another tour. Yeah, sorry, thank you.", he replied and ended the call. "Are you coming out, or not?", he softly asked.

"You aren't going?", the neurosurgeon questioned in disbelief. She had totally expected him to say yes to the offer. She was slowly coming out of the bathroom, looking really scared. Her husband shook his head.

"I've almost lost you and the kids once, I am not ever risking that again.", the trauma surgeon informed her. "Come here, Honey!", he sweetly ordered and opened his arms for her to climb into. He cupped his wife's cheeks and wiped off the tear that had escaped one of her eyes. "So, that was one great Christmas, don't you think?"

"I've absolutely loved it. Best Christmas I've ever had.", Amelia agreed, still snuggling with him. "Our flight goes at 12pm tomorrow, so we'll be in Seattle at 1:30am German time, which is 4:30pm our time, right?", she wondered.

"Yep. We have to keep the kids as awake as possible, so that they can go to bed early tomorrow. I mean, my mom is staying with them on Wednesday, but we will go to work.", he reminded her, hearing her groan.

"I really enjoy cutting into brains, but I've also very much enjoyed the free time with you guys and our friends.", the brunette shared. "I mean, the vacation was as relaxing as a vacation with children can be. But it was fun anyway."

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Wednesday, 28th December:

Logan: 13; Layla: 7; Leo: 4; Twins: 1; Eleanor: 2

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"That was one good day at work.", Amelia summarized after talking to her husband about it for the whole ride home. They had taken the car together since they had worked the same hours. "Well, hello there, my sweet Angels!", she beamed at Luna and Lucas, who ran over to their parents. Eleanor followed. "Hi, El!"

"Do you hear that?", her husband questioned confused. "Hey, everyone!", he greeted Logan and Layla, who were playing some game with each other, and his mother that had watched the twins from her spot on the sofa. "Where is Leo?"

"He's upstairs.", Evelyn replied as Owen put the twins back down and gave each of them a kiss. "This morning, I told him that today he has to be a boy since he was born one. And as long as I am watching them, he cannot be a girl. Apparently, that made him mad."

"YOU WHAT?", the couple replied at the same time, totally in shock. Her daughter-in-law immediately ran upstairs, now very aware what crying sounds her husband had heard. "Leo...Honey...where are you?", she asked, standing in the middle of the hallway.

"I'm hiding.", the four-year-old answered in a mumble, making it hard for his mother to find him. She was searching for him for ten minutes, until she finally found him in the huge laundry basket. "Oh, you found me.", he sniffled. "I didn't feel like a boy today, so I'm hiding. Because grandma doesn't want me to be a girl."

"How did you even manage to get in there, my Love?", the brunette wanted to know, gently lifting the child out of the basket, and walking into his room with him. He shrugged. "Baby, if you want to be a girl today, then you are. It does not matter what your grandma wants. What matters is what you want. You're your own person. Did you eat something?"

"No. I didn't eat because I didn't want to. I was hiding, remember?", the mini blonde responded, not sure how his mom could have already forgotten. She, on the other hand, had hoped he hadn't been hiding all day. "Only breakfast. Can I be Leo, she, her, hers today then?"

"Of course, Sweetheart! How about we go shopping this weekend and while your siblings get to pick out some new clothes, you do too. It can be any kind of clothes.", Amelia suggested. "Even dresses and skirts or whatever you wanna wear.", she added, causing the child's eyes to light up. "Now let's go downstairs and have a big snack."

"Okay, Mama.", Leo finally agreed and let her carry her downstairs. Her grandma tried to apologize to her after being lectured by her son, but she wouldn't have that. "I don't wanna hear it because you don't mean it. Talk to me once you mean it.", she demanded.

"Let's have a snack, everyone!", her mother announced. "Leo is very hungry, she didn't eat lunch.", she informed her husband, not in the mood to talk to Evelyn either. What kind of educational methods were those? Owen noticed the change in pronouns and made a mental note to use the right ones for his kid.

"Maybe you can give her some of my Smarties. Always makes me feel much better.", Layla immediately caught up on it as well, making her parents really proud. She didn't totally understand how it worked but who was she to judge? Nobody called her a boy either, when she didn't want it, so why would it be okay when someone did it with one of her siblings?