dr-shephcrd

[dr-shephcrd]

"He'd rather accept that I'm screwing with him," Amelia chuckled, winking. Brows raised at the mention of filters, and Amelia nodded along. "Lots of filters," she half-echoed, smirking. "I think that would have the opposite effect, y'know? The FOMO would only get increasingly worse, then you'd feel tempted to reestablish your social media and then you'd bear a whole lot more guilt about the subject. It'll just be a whole thing." She shook her head, offering her niece a small smile. "Maybe just.. what if you put yourself out there a tad more? I don't know what that looks like this day in age," she teased, rasping her voice for extra dramatic grandma effects. "Do things that are picture-worthy? Or something? Like, a pretty hike. Or a solo date to a fancy restaurant."

Mackenzie couldn't help but let out a laugh at this. "You're right; he'd never believe that his own child would betray him by saying his sister was better than he was." Her father was just egotistical enough to think he was the best of the Shepherd children, even if his own child didn't necessarily agree with that sentiment. While she knew what Amelia was saying was true, there was still a part of Kenzie that wondered if she was squandering her life away, working as a cafeteria worker at the hospital instead of out there at college, going to parties and living in the dorms. "I guess," she finally said, with a soft sigh. "Probably used a bunch of filters on them too." Though she had no room to talk there, as she did the same thing. "Maybe I should just delete all my social media and be done with it." Yeah, right.

#( mackenzie )

[dr-shephcrd]

"If I didn't own up to it, there's several women that love nothing more than reminding others of it," Amelia shrugged. It also helped that she, especially now as an adult, could admit that her childhood antics were nothing shy of absolutely entertaining, even if it was at her sisters' expense. "I mean, sure, we could call it something I like to do," she nodded, "but it's not often that the tables turn, so it might be a fun little switch-up. Plus, patients get all sorts of that the customer is right treatment when it comes to the little things, so I'd just keep pestering 'em with little demands like more blankets. Specific flavors of jell-o. The important things, y'know?" Nose scrunched at the mention of the other doctor, though she couldn't help but admit that there was enough truth to Mason's words. "You mean, a lawyer that's really hard to be around? To where, perhaps, the other lawyers might just give up and give us the case out of pure annoyance? 'Cause that's what that'd be."

"Wow, Amelia Shepherd is admitting that she was untrustworthy as a child. This is amazing." Mason was only giving her a hard time, as evidenced by the laugh he let out when he was finished speaking. "Wouldn't you rather be in the ER on the other side of the bed, though? That's what you all like to do, isn't it? Cut people open? Yeah... they might believe us. Or they might think we're just playing the long game with them." Mason snorted at this last quip. "Maybe if you find the lawyer equivalent of that Doctor Lewis he'll help you. That guy's a douchebag."

#( mason ) #it's really a beloved hobby of mine #i hold it near and dear to my heart

[dr-shephcrd]

"Pushed out of the nest... falling... something... there's a quote somewhere about it, there has to be." Nodding assuredly, Amelia grinned, "right?" Glancing back over at the interns, whose lost-ness only increased by the second, Amelia winced just slightly before looking back at Mark with another smile. "Perhaps... the mother bird needs nudged? Happy to do it. Say the word."

He smirked when Amelia said that he'd made a good point; always happy to hear that coming from her. "Falling out of the nest...is the valuable lesson." He let out a huff of air and rubbed at his face. He knew that Sofia was going through a lot, he just hoped that she wouldn't let it negatively impact her work or the work of the interns assigned to her. He hoped that she would ask for help from someone, even if it wasn't him, if she needed it. But she was a stubborn one; looking at all of her parents...it made sense.

#( mark ) #she said put me in coach let me bully her

[dr-shephcrd]

Scanning the script, Amelia nodded her head. "First of all, where're we starting?" Brows raised as she tilted the script toward Presley, waiting for direction. "And second of all, after this, I'm going to make the executive decision that we need to go do something fun. Not sure what that might be right now, but you, my dear, look way too stressed."

The weak smile strengthened when her mom agreed to help, wriggling her shoulders a little bit as she handed over the script to her mom. Amelia was her go-to when it came to needed to relearn lines...especially with how many rewrites had bee happening this year. "You're the best, mom. Thank you." The frustration still had a strong grip on her, but that had nothing to do with Amelia and so she tried to let it go for now.

#( presley ) #send me a script or face the consequences of me making something up

[dr-shephcrd]

"Recklessness and some mild stupidity aren't always the worst attributes in these jobs," Amelia shrugged, winking at Andy. "Not the worst, for the ones who are smart enough to use it wisely. But also a fatal flaw." Taking on her final thoughts, she spoke with a confident nod, "unclear about which path this kid's taking, though."

Andy let out a relieved breath when Amelia expressed that the rookie was doing okay. She'd been quite worried given just how much of a rookie he was that he would be out for good with the injury that he'd sustained. She turned to look at the woman and narrowed her eyes before laughing. "No, we do not normally let rookies act in the way he did. He was...reckless."

#( andy )

[dr-shephcrd]

"Don't they... isn't that just a thing?" Brows raised, Amelia couldn't hide her amusement even if she tried. "It's got to be the age. Eighteen, you're finally an adult, but you're merely a little adult. Nineteen? Only a year older, but they're at least a 500% increase in sheer audacity." Spoken very matter-of-factly, Amelia let go of her teasingly serious expression and slid Cooper the coffee she'd promised him ( after she noticed him looking rather glum ). "Have you used the under my roof things against any of 'em yet? That was my mom's favorite way to start and end ultimatums."

"No. I'm being serious. My daughter has just...for some reason...decided that I'm the enemy." He expressed, trying to laugh it off even if it actually caused him a lot of pain. "She's living at home still, but that's not like a problem. If she's not ready to move out I don't mind. What I do mind is her acting like she's better than everyone now that she's nineteen."

#( cooper )

[dr-shephcrd]

"Howdy!" Amelia greeted Charlotte with a hauntingly perky tone in her voice, as well as a wide grin. "So, um, your patient, Lucy? Walters, I think," pausing with furrowed brows, Amelia slowly nodded, confirming with herself that she surely had the right name. "Lucy Walters, that's the one," nodding assuredly, "her husband got a little turned around doing whatever the hell it is husbands do while their wives are with you, and I was extremely bored between surgeries.. um, and so, very long story short, I can say with almost complete confidence that he has a pituitary tumor. Obviously, I need a few scans, but he doesn't really seem to trust me, so I was wondering if you might be able to help me out? Maybe reiterate the fact that I'm definitely not wrong?"

@charlottekingf

#( charlotte ) #this is not what it looks like mom i swear

[dr-shephcrd]

"I was one, and I've met plenty," she tilted her head, smirking. "Might be a nice little break, y'know? Hanging in the ER, bothering everyone. Sounds like a pleasant afternoon to me, aside from the being poisoned part. It's been long enough since we've messed with them, I'm sure they'll believe us this time." Winking, Amelia shrugged. "I might. I know a few lawyers. I don't know the laws about opening lawsuits against children, but surely someone'll help."

"Sounds like you have experience dealing with untrustworthy kids," Mason responded, before letting out a laugh as they started to move away from the kids. "Well, let's hope that doesn't happen because the last thing I need is my parents wondering what's happening to me and why a drink sent me in to the ER. They'll probably think it's just us pulling a prank on them like we used to do when I was a kid." Those were some fun times, though. As he watched her take the entire drink down at once, his eyebrow raised. "You're gonna sue them? Good luck with that, Aunt Amelia. Let me know how that works for you."

#( mason )

[dr-shephcrd]

Nodding, Amelia winked, "I'll probably tell him at some point, because it'll bring me joy. I doubt he'll believe me, but in my heart, I know the truth." Nose scrunched at the grandma confirmation, though at this point, there was no denying that the life Amelia led was close to grandma status. When she wasn't at the hospital, there was a good chance she was at home, in bed by 9pm. Throwing in drinking tea with some knitting, a hobby she'd picked up purely out of boredom and hadn't managed to make anything real, there was some moderate grandma-ing. "Some people just take good pictures," she shrugged, "that doesn't mean they're being more productive or having more fun. Just means they took a nice picture, probably spent hours sifting through other pictures deciding which to post, editing the pictures I'm sure, then thinking of captions and all'f that. It's got to be more exhausting having a lively social media presence." Just fully leaning into the grandma thing now.

"Don't worry, Aunt Amy, I'll always know you're the best of the Shepherd siblings. Just don't tell my dad I said that." He didn't need to hear just how much Kenzie thought Amelia was better than he was and cause friction in the household. "That sounds pretty unpleasant, but I don't blame you for wanting to give your eyes a break from the walls of the hospital. This place is a pretty good place to come for a break." Kenzie couldn't help but nod her agreement with her aunt's further words. "You're definitely acting like a grandma, but I'll give you a free pass this time because what you say makes sense. It just sucks that it's always out there for people to see and not measure up to."

#( mackenzie )

[dr-shephcrd]

"That's a good point," raising her coffee cup like she was raising a glass of champagne for a toast, Amelia nodded her head and took a drink. Amelia winced slightly, only having interacted with Sofia a handful of times since she'd arrived in Seattle and having nearly no interactions with the interns, therefore unable to form any sort of consensus. "Can't say for certain that there's much of a lesson here, maybe she's just trying to push the baby birds out of the nest? I mean, they've literally just hatched, so they're not flying. They're just landing on the grass." Trailing off, realizing that she was not helping Sofia's case in the slightest, she looked over at Mark, "maybe that's the valuable lesson? Falling out of the nest?"

His eyebrow raised at Amelia's words before he laughed softly, shaking his head. "See but this just shows the hopelessness. None of them are taking the initiative to just ask. And really if they're not going to ask a question like this, it makes me worried about what else they won't ask about." Though it was a bit mean, if not a bit funny, that Sofia had just left them to their whims. "I will hope Sof has some sort of lesson in this."

#( mark )

[dr-shephcrd]

"And don't you forget it," she spoke with a wink. "Unfortunately," Amelia nodded, inhaling through her teeth, "I do have a few consults over the next couple of hours, so sleep isn't attainable just yet. So the goal, at the moment, is being as awake as possible and the bonus of the outdoors is that it does help my eyes adjust from the microscope a little more than the hospital halls." The I'm fine that came from her niece was almost laughable, and Amelia did crack a slight smile. "Well, that's really all you see, isn't it? Not to, like.. act like a grandma here, but isn't that the entire point of social media? Just to make everyone else think you're having the best time?"

"Makes sense," Kenzie replied with a soft shrug. "Twelve hour surgery and your first thought is to come out here instead of trying to get some sleep? You really are badass, Aunt Amy." Any other person would probably go straight to the closest bed, but clearly Amelia was not most people. "Me? Yeah, I'm ... fine." Just having an existential crisis, she added to herself, but it wasn't anything she needed to bother her aunt with. "Just tired of seeing everyone's perfect little lives all over social media."

#( mackenzie ) #mamaw amelia at ur service

[dr-shephcrd]

"Yeah, well, join the club on that one," she deadpanned, still grinning just slightly. Her brow did furrow, only because she felt entirely helpless in that situation. Something about her position in all of this made her the least helpful, especially since it wasn't like she could just go meddle. Somehow it was the meddling that felt out of pocket at that point, not anything beforehand. "Well, you have kids," she spoke with a shrug. "Isn't that a thing.." divorced felt too rough of a word still, ".. separated couples use against one another? You send messages back and forth via the kids. I've seen it done plenty. You know who I'd pick for the draft of which kid's getting that job, but I figure I'll at least let you have that decision."

The urge to mock Amelia? Strong at is always is, but Arizona doesn't manage to get a word out, not until she's halfway down the hall. It somehow takes forever for her brain to be ready to multi-task as it is, and that fact is much stronger when she's around the brunette. "First of all," she begins, tone mocking - and surprisingly done crying, "I hate you so much, and second of all, Callie. Imagine if she quit bullying me for one day. She won't even look for my Healey's in the house. I mean, they're part of my brand, I need them, they have nothing to do with the separation."

#( arizona ) #we are a curse

[dr-shephcrd]

"Kids aren't trustworthy," Amelia muttered, "they lure you in with big eyes and chubby cheeks and sweet smiles, then they prove to you that they're all the same. Just little con artists." Ending her rant with a hint of a smile, Amelia put on a kind face to the kids, then once they turned away her expression fell. "When we're in the ER later, I hope they at least put us next to each other," she spoke with a nod, just before throwing the drink back, figuring it was best to take it all at once rather than slowly. After swallowing, she attempted to keep a poker face, but the sour grass-y taste crept up and made her eyes water. "Those kids are about to get sued."

"Well, excuse me for thinking I was doing something kind. Next time I'll just give them the money and tell them to keep the drink to themselves." Because whatever the hell was in this cup was not lemonade; not even close to it. He doubted there was even any lemons in it. "Look at you, taking one for the team," Mason teased, before heading to the group of kids in the middle, who were staring eagerly at him clearly not having witnessed his initial disgust with the concoction. "My friend here would like one of your drinks, too," he told them, putting more money down on the table. "My treat," he added, turning back to Amelia.

#( mason )

[dr-shephcrd]

"Mine?" Amelia spoke with raised brows, "I know better than to drink lemonade made by elementary schoolers. I was one once, so I know good and well that I took plenty of non-lemonade ingredients out of my mother's pantry and threw it in the pitcher before charging innocent neighbors top dollar for it." With a grin, she takes a deep breath, "but, I'm no bitch. So, I suppose I'll suffer next." Amelia turned to a few of the concession stands, where there were three different groups of kids selling alleged lemonade. "Which group of germs did you get it from?"

Mason couldn't tell if Amelia was just trying to get him to drink it for the comedy factor or not, but he also had to admit she had a point. It would be pretty rude not to drink it when it had been prepared specifically for the event in question. Sighing, he decided the best thing to do would be to be a man and down the drink in one go. If he could do shots, he could surely down this. Right? "Here goes nothing," he said, tossing it all back in one go and forcing himself to swallow before nearly gagging. "That was nasty. Where's yours? You should have one, too. For charity."

#( mason )

[dr-shephcrd]

It was late, there was a mass casualty in the ER and not a doctor in the building was safe from being dragged in every which direction. It wasn't anything beyond normal realms of exhaustion, but when Amelia happened to catch a glimpse of someone nearly tumbling down the steps she hardly reacted. That was, until she saw who it was. With that shit eating grin of hers, she slipped her hands into the pocket of her jacket, shoulders lifting in a quick shrug. "I don't think I want to share that with anyone else, no," she giggled, "I'd rather keep it to myself and think about it a few more times, just for the joy of it." After a beat, she did cock her head to the side, "you good, though?"

He was almost out of the hospital doors when Jackson realized he'd left his car keys back in his locker. He was pretty sure he'd forget his head if it wasn't attached to his shoulders. Letting out a soft sigh, not relishing having to walk all the way back to the locker room to grab his stuff when all he wanted to do was head home, he wasn't paying much attention as he made his way up the stairs when he missed one and nearly fell. Looking around, he spotted someone nearby and his cheeks started to turn pink. "Well, that could have ended a whole lot worse. Think we can keep this embarrassing moment to ourselves?"

#( jackson )

[dr-shephcrd]

"Don't mean to alarm you," Amelia started, pausing to take a sip of her coffee. "But a little bird of yours happens to be on my service at the moment, and those are her interns. She sent them on a scavenger hunt, or something maniacal. I haven't seen her all day, but they keep acting really casual about the fact that they have no idea where their little mother duck is." Cracking a smile, Amelia chuckled, "can't blame her, though. This might be some of the most entertaining interns we've had in a minute."

Mark glanced at the person sitting next to him and then glanced down the hallway at the group of interns that looked more lost than he thought should actually be possible. They'd been at the hospital for the last month and somehow still didn't know how to get from one section of the hospital to another, even with the signs and symbols meant to lead patients and families in the right direction. "Sometimes it's hard to understand and remember how hopeless interns are. And then the new group comes in and I'm reminded all over again."

#( mark ) #the bird is the goose

[dr-shephcrd]

The frustration in her daughter's expression was one Amelia could read a mile away, and given the stack of papers in her hand, she knew exactly what was going on. Approaching with caution, knowing better than to cause Presley to lose her place, Amelia raised her eyebrows when prompted. "When have I said no?" She sat down beside Presley, leaning back with her hand out, ready to give an oscar-worthy performance.

Presley rubbed at her face in frustration, looking over all of the changes that that had been made to the script that they'd been working on for the past month. She didn't understand how it had taken this long for the director to decide that they weren't happy with everything, but it was more than a little frustrating. Hearing the sound of someone walking toward her, she looked up from the pieces of paper in her hands and forced a weak smile. "Any chance you might be willing to help a girl run some lines?"

#( presley )