#maggmelia

[hurricanery]

handmade - pt. 2

A/N: I’ve been getting messages about this one and wanted to write a (fluffier than the previous part) sequel. And I think I might have actually managed some fluff without accidentally making it too dark and twisty?? But anyway, this is based on this prompt requesting Maggmelia be thrown in a bit. And it’s also partly inspired by this post by @amelia-ladychief-shepherd.

You can read part 1 here.

_______

legions upon legions of craftsmen

handmade my feelings

_______

It takes about a week for Scout’s true sleeping pattern to reveal itself. Amelia thinks back to the first night home, probably the last night she actually got a full night of sleep, and her whole being aches for the way Scout had slept soundly. Uninterrupted. He’d barely stirred. Amelia thinks back to that first night, and can’t hold back the delirious laughter that escapes her mouth. Her eyes glaze over as she rests her head back against the headboard of their bed. And she listens to the slight creak of the floorboards from the hallway, where Link currently walks back and forth, rocking their newborn gently in his arms.

Link crosses the threshold back into the bedroom, and Amelia raises her eyebrows at him in question.

Was this it?

Had he finally fallen back to sleep?

The relieved look on Link’s face is all the answer she needs. And there’s momentary bliss.

Until Link’s expression dwindles, his eyes widen in panic as he trips over a sneaker on the floor. He staggers forward slightly, but catches himself, straightening up right away. Amelia gasps, and holds eye contact with Link, until Link’s gaze shifts downwards to Scout in his arms. To survey the potential harsh awakening. The aftermath of the almost disruption.

But relief floods his face once again. And Amelia exhales, keeping her eyes on Link as he crosses the room towards the bassinet and carefully puts Scout back down.

He collapses onto his side of the bed a moment later, and turns over to face Amelia. He has to strain his neck to look up at her, as she’s still sitting upright.

“Why didn’t you sleep during my shift?”

My shift.

Amelia chuckles under her breath. They’ve really been taking shifts each time Scout wakes up. It’s their new routine. Because Scout requires constant movement in order to fall asleep. Continuous bouncing. And rocking. And especially walking.

“I couldn’t,” she mumbles. “Too much movement going on in the hall.”

Link pouts apologetically at this information.

“I don’t know what happened to me,” she continues in a whispered tone, shifting down to get fully under the covers again. “I used to be such a heavy sleeper. But now? Even the slightest creak of the floorboards and I’m on high alert.”

“Hm,” Link grumbles. And Amelia watches how quickly his eyes slip shut. She listens to how quickly sleep takes over his voice, too. “We should….sleep now….before….”

She thinks she witnesses the exact moment he falls asleep. And she tries not to feel jealous of his ability to slip into unconsciousness so easily.

She snuggles closer to him. Because she needs to. And she tries to brush off the idea that along with the slight change in Scout’s sleeping habits, her own hormones were changing, too. Her previous impatience, and even resentment towards Link, had slowly been shifting throughout the week. And suddenly, all she was craving was human touch. The same way Scout craved constant movement.

And Link puts up with it all, even in sleep. He subconsciously adjusts himself as he senses Amelia’s closeness, allowing her to nuzzle into his chest. And Amelia smiles to herself, finally willing sleep to take her.

It takes all of five minutes for it to start. For the tiny whimpers to fill the room. The soft whines from Scout that will undoubtedly turn into full blown wailing if someone doesn’t get to him fast enough.

Amelia’s eyes shoot open, and she regrettably pulls herself from Link’s warmth. Link barely stirs. And Amelia gets up to cross the room. “My turn,” she mutters.

_______

The following day, Amelia practically jolts awake. It almost feels like all she’s managed is a blink, and suddenly it’s morning again. It’s disorienting, and at the same time it’s frustrating. The complete lack of sleep.

What’s more confusing to her though, besides the rapid shift from night to day, is the fact that she’s woken up in an empty room. She quickly sits up in bed, eyes shifting around the room as she takes in the vacant spot next to her. When she swings her feet over the bed and stands up, she observes that Scout’s bassinet is equally empty.

She frowns to herself as she pulls a sweatshirt on, and slides her bare feet into her slippers. Scout’s basically been her alarm clock all week. She hasn’t woken up on her own accord in days. Scout’s cries in the early morning have completely grown to serve that purpose. Amelia realizes that that’s what’s most disorienting about this particular morning. The fact that she’s woken up naturally.

When she exits the bedroom and enters out into the hallway, her confusion grows. She hears voices from the first floor and she follows the sound. She stifles a huge yawn as she reaches the bottom of the stairs and rounds the corner into the living room.

“Well, good morning,” Link enters the living room from the opposite entrance, the one attached to the kitchen, at the same time that she enters from the hallway. He sets a steaming mug down onto the coffee table and looks at Amelia expectantly.

“Where’s Scout?!” She questions, an alarmed edge to her voice.

And then she hears Maggie’s laugh from the kitchen, along with another voice, and comprehension begins to dawn on her.

Amelia continues towards the kitchen, and when she reaches the doorway, she pauses, a huge smile taking over her expression. Winston stands at the stove, doing his best to flip the pancakes in the skillet. Maggie stands slightly off to the side, rocking Scout back and forth in her arms. She’s laughing at the same time as she’s chastising Winston for his lack of skill in the pancake-flipping department.

She leans against the doorframe and watches the interaction in amusement, until Maggie finally notices her presence.

“Oh, hey!” Maggie exclaims in a hushed tone, conscious of the newborn in her arms. She steps towards Amelia, and Amelia crosses the threshold to meet her.

“I didn’t know you were up,” she continues, as Amelia walks forward and smiles down at Scout’s wide-eyed and curious expression. Maggie begins shifting Scout a bit in her arms. “Here, you probably….did you want to take him?”

Amelia’s overcome with another huge yawn and Maggie quirks and eyebrow at her, subconsciously pulling Scout closer into her own chest.

“You were supposed to sleep in this morning, Amelia,” she turns around to glance at the clock on the stove. “Link practically had to sneak down here to make sure of that.”

“It’s okay,” Amelia shakes her head. “I can take him.”

She steps forward at the same time that Maggie steps back.

“Wait,” Maggie chuckles. “We’re making breakfast. Let me hold onto him while you at least eat. And maybe have some coffee?”

Amelia squints, thinking about it, but eventually nods gratefully at the offer. Link enters the kitchen then, placing his hands gently on Amelia’s shoulders.

“I’ll make you a plate,” he squeezes her shoulders, just before he moves past her.

Amelia’s hands drop to her sides, and she’s dumbfounded for a moment. Taken aback by this level of support. She bites her lip, empty handed. And her eyes shift around the kitchen. Winston stacks pancakes onto each of the plates in Link’s hands. And Maggie bounces gently back and forth next to her, rubbing a finger against Scout’s pudgy cheek.

She smiles as she takes it in. The entirety of the moment. And she decides to go ahead and make herself some coffee.

_______

“How are your pancakes?” Link turns to her, to where she’s resting against the opposite end of the couch. He reaches forward to set his empty plate onto the coffee table. When he settles back against the couch cushions, his hands come to rest against her shins, giving them a squeeze. He starts to massage his way down to her feet as they rest in his lap.

“Good,” she mutters around a mouthful, and Link smiles at her, before focusing solely on his massage technique.

Amelia groans, shifting her back further down the couch and setting her own plate down onto the table next to them.

“You should finish your food,” Link remarks, continuing with the foot rub.

“If you keep doing that, I’m going to fall asleep,” she mutters in response, dismissing his comment about the food. She completely relaxes into the cushions and into the massage.

“Well then, I’m not stopping.”

She stares up at him, a blank expression on her face.

“You were supposed to sleep in, anyway.”

Amelia shifts her eyes to the kitchen, and she watches for a moment, the way that Maggie and Winston move around the room. Scout is still wide awake. She can tell by the way Maggie bounces around with him, talking to him in a gentle voice. Winston finishes drying the dishes, and he turns to Maggie, gazing at her. While Amelia gazes at them. And then it almost becomes too much for Amelia. The adoring look that passes over Winston’s face, and the way that Maggie is completely oblivious to it.

“Amelia,” Link mutters her name and she quickly snaps out of her stare. She can feel the sudden glassiness in her eyes as she looks back to Link. “Amelia….are you….crying?”

“No,” she mutters defensively. “I don’t know.”

Link stifles a laugh. And Amelia has to refrain from lifting her heel from his lap and kicking it back down harshly against his thigh. She suppresses the urge though, and tries to make sense of her feelings.

“I think you definitely need some uninterrupted sleep,” Link chuckles under his breath.

Amelia rolls her eyes. But nods in agreement. Link halts his hands, letting them come to a rest at her ankles, and Amelia stares tiredly at him. Before she decides. Before she gives in.

Then she’s moving. She’s shifting her body around so that her head rests in his lap instead. She curls up on her side, which allows for her line of sight to still be to the kitchen. Amelia breathes an exhale through her nose as a smile creeps onto her face. She observes as Maggie instructs Winston to sit on one of the kitchen chairs, and Winston opens his arms hesitantly. Maggie transfers Scout over into his arms gracefully, and then she stands up straight. She places a hand on his shoulder, as if she’s trying to get him to relax into the position a bit.

“They’re cute together,” Link mumbles. Amelia can feel his fingers start to run through her hair and she sighs.

“Mhm.”

She lets her eyes rest momentarily. And she focuses on the pattern of Link’s fingers as he gently untangles some of the knots in her hair.

She’s so relaxed, she can’t tell how much time has passed when she feels Link’s phone buzz in his pocket. The proximity of the sudden vibration to her eardrum almost threatens her blissful moment. Almost.

She manages to keep her eyes closed despite Link’s movement. He shifts slightly to reach into his pocket for his phone, and Amelia grasps desperately to hold onto her restful state.

But then the feeling of his fingers in her hair stops. And that’s her first inclination.

She blinks her eyes open and stares ahead. Because she knows what’s coming. They’ve been talking around it all week. Avoiding it.

Link sighs.

And she knows.

“You still have to go, don’t you?”

It probably wasn’t worth it. All of the talking around it. And avoiding. Because it’s no longer avoidable. The fact that Link is scheduled to go out of town for the weekend. The surgery he’s supposed to travel to San Diego for, it’s been planned for weeks. And Scout was born a little bit early. Which wasn’t a part of the plan. But they’ve been avoiding the discussion. The reality of the situation. Because every time she thinks about it, she panics. And she gets all spinny-outy, at the thought of being on her own with Scout for the first time.

But avoidance is never a good coping mechanism for Amelia. So, they’ve been trying new tactics. New ways to deal with the hard stuff. Most of the time, it’s letting Amelia talk everything out until she accepts what she’s feeling. And most of the time, it also ends in a ‘gravity blanket’ situation, or some other form of physical closeness.

In this particular instance though, they’ve not gotten so far. They’ve yet to reach the healthy discussion part.

“I, uh….it looks like I managed to make it a one-night thing, instead of the whole weekend,” Link finally answers her.

It takes a minute for Amelia to process this.

She can feel him start to play with her hair again, this time just flimsily toying with her ends. She shifts, her hair falling from his grasp, and she rolls over so that she’s laying on her back. She looks up at him.

“You’re better at getting him to sleep than I am.”

“That’s not true, Amelia.” His face falls completely at the tone of her voice.

“It is. You’re….you’re very good at encouraging sleep.” She smiles a bit at this. “I swear, you have a very comforting presence. Puts people right to sleep....” She tries to sound sarcastic at her own words, but she’s not even fooling herself.

“It’s just one night,” he whispers. And she nods. And then they’re both interrupted by the sound of their son’s cries.

Amelia immediately sits up, springing into action.

“That’s his hungry cry,” she mutters, using a hand on Link’s knee to push herself up from the couch.

She meets Maggie halfway to the kitchen and Maggie passes off the crying newborn.

She then turns towards the stairs, glancing briefly in Link’s direction. “I’m going to go feed him upstairs. He’ll probably go right down after.”

_______

By the time the weekend comes, they both start to get less stressed about the trip. Partly because when necessary, they talk openly about their anxieties. But in all honesty, it’s mostly because of their gravity blanket routine.

Every night, after they get Scout to sleep, like clockwork. They settle themselves on the floor. And to much of Amelia’s delight, since her pregnancy is no longer an obstacle, she’s now able to be on the receiving end of this scenario.

The night before Link leaves, it’s a quieter routine. It’s safe, but it’s hushed. Conversation is slight. Which is fine. There’s not much left to talk about, since it’s already been talked all the way through.

“We should….”

“Sleep now while we can?” She finishes his sentence.

“Mhm,” he hums.

“5 more minutes?”

“Okay,” he agrees.

And then 5 minutes turns into 10. Eventually they go to bed, and eventually it’s morning again. By the time Link leaves the house, Amelia feels prepared, for the most part.

_______

Multitasking is one of her strong suits. It has to be. For her career and life in general. Multitasking is something she’s always strived at. She’s a fast thinker. And she often feels dragged down by those who need a minute to catch up.

So it makes no sense to her. That the level of multitasking thrown at her by motherhood, feels any different. Feels any less possible.

She’s climbing the stairs. And shifting Scout’s weight onto one side of her body. And cursing under her breath at the distinct ringtone of a FaceTime call that chimes from her back pocket.

She reaches for her phone at the same time that she crosses the doorway into the bedroom. And she sounds breathless as she greets the incoming video call.

“Hey!” Link’s cheerful disposition immediately softens when he sees Amelia’s impatient one. “Bad timing?”

“No, no, I, uh,” she props her phone up against the stack of books on her bedside table and sits on the edge of the bed, adjusting Scout in her arms so that she can gently rub his back. “He just usually sleeps right away when he’s fed. Like, sometimes even during, so-”

“He’s wide awake?”

“Yeah,” she sighs, and then tries to make her next words sound more lively. “How’s San Diego? How’d the surgery go?”

“Good, good. I’m hopping on my flight in like….2 hours, so. I’ll see you guys first thing in the morning.”

“I’m sorry,” Amelia mutters. “Red-eyes are the worst. I hope you at least sleep on the plane-”

Scout starts whimpering in her arms.

And Link assures her.

“Oh, I’ll be fine, I can sleep anywhere.”

Amelia starts to stand up, stepping slightly out of frame for the FaceTime call. Scout’s cries start to get louder, and Amelia starts to pace.

It’s like she instantly forgets about the call, as she makes her way towards the hallway. Exposing the fact that multitasking doesn’t transfer over to all areas of her life.

And Link chuckles to himself. But Amelia can’t hear it over the sound of Scout’s cries, or from where she currently walks the length of the hallway.

“Amelia, I’m going to call you back,” he tries, but he’s speaking to an empty room. He stifles another chuckle as he adjusts his own phone, hanging up the call.

_______

“Amelia,” Maggie’s whisper rings through the hallway and Amelia jumps despite the hushed tone. “Sorry. Is everything okay?”

Amelia nods, but struggles with the fussy baby in her arms. “I thought you were at the hospital?”

“I finished early. Link texted me.”

“Link texted you?”

The defensive edge to Amelia’s voice causes Maggie to choose her next words carefully.

“He said….you guys do this in shifts?” Maggie nods towards a whimpering Scout.

And Amelia huffs out a breath as she turns on her heels, keeping with her pattern through the hallway.

“Well,” Maggie adds. “I’m here to help, if you want it.”

“I’m really okay, Maggie. I just….have to keep moving.”

Maggie watches her turn again in her route.

“Do you want tea or anything? I was going to make some for myself.”

Amelia ignores Maggie’s offer, suddenly preoccupied with the volume of Scout’s distress.

“I’m going to make some,” Maggie breathes, turning back towards the stairs.

_______

When Maggie climbs the stairs again about 10 minutes later, Amelia gives her a warning stare. There’s a genuine quietness to the hallway. Scout doesn’t make a sound. And Amelia is now more stationary in her movements.

Maggie has a mug of steaming tea in each hand, and she raises both mugs slightly, as if gesturing that she’s going to go and set them down in the room.

Amelia follows after her a few moments later, when she decides it’s safe to do so. Safe to assume that Scout is finally out for the night.

When she enters the bedroom, a bewildered look crosses her face, and she has to hold herself back from voicing the loud questions that pop into the forefront of her mind. Her brows furrow as she takes in Maggie’s current positioning. Where she’s on her hands and knees on the floor, rummaging underneath the bed.

Amelia holds it together for the time that it takes to put Scout down. But then she turns around, and her tone is laced with confusion when she whispers into the room.

“What are you doing?”

Maggie straightens up instantly, startled by Amelia’s presence. She racks her brain for a minute, for an explanation, before she finally settles on just the truth.

“I, um,” Maggie swallows. And Amelia crosses the room to her bedside table. She reaches for the tea that Maggie had placed there, and offers an incredulous stare as she takes her first sip. “Link texted me.”

“I know.”

“No, yeah. So,” She pulls a package out from under the bed. “He asked me to make sure you had this.”

It’s just an unmarked box. Nothing special. And Amelia’s confusion grows.

“He was saving it for your birthday, I think? But then, I guess, he thought you should have it now.”

Amelia watches as Maggie stands, pulling the actual item out of the nondescript box. And then the actual packaging reveals itself. And Amelia can’t help the grin that spreads across her face, or the warmth that fills her chest.

It’s a weighted blanket.

She breathes out a sigh, and feels a stinging sensation in her eyes.

“It’s a weighted blanket?” Maggie adds, trying to gauge Amelia’s reaction.

“I can see that,” Amelia steps forward, taking the blanket from Maggie. She rips off the packaging and begins to unfold it. She lifts it around herself, and smiles hugely as she takes in the full weight of it.

“Are you…” Maggie trails off as Amelia circles past her, climbing into the bed. “Oh.”

Maggie chuckles under her breath, bemused, as Amelia relaxes into a comfortable position, adjusting the blanket to cover her completely.

“Do you want me to sit in here? While I finish my tea?” Maggie asks, as she steps around to the other side of the bed.

“Mhm,” comes Amelia’s muffled reply.

Maggie crawls on top of the covers, seating herself against the headboard.

“I don’t get it,” Maggie laughs quietly, as she observes Amelia’s current positioning. “A weighted blanket? Does it not feel suffocating?”

“Hmph, no,” Amelia turns over a bit, her face peeking out more than before. “It’s comforting.”

“You and I are not the same.”

Amelia smiles at this. Completely relieved. Relieved at Scout’s cooperation right now. And relieved with the feeling that the blanket provides. She lets her eyes rest, and keeps them closed as Maggie voices her next question.

“How long til Scout wakes up again?”

“I give it an hour at most,” Amelia groans.

“Let me take a shift, Amelia.”

Amelia shakes her head, eyes still shut. “I need the practice….Link is like….he’s like this calm giant. Scout falls asleep so fast for him. Takes twice as long for me. It’s kind of infuriating.”

Maggie frowns at this.

“I’m sure that’s not-”

“No it is,” Amelia mumbles, sleep evident in her voice. “And that’s okay. He’s asleep now….that’s all that matters….”

Maggie takes her last sip of tea, and decides it’s time to slip out of the room, as discreetly as possible.

But, Amelia listens for every movement. She feels the bed shift with Maggie’s absence, and she hears her cross the room, to her side of the bed. The distinct sound of ceramic against wood fills her ears as Maggie collects her abandoned tea.

She hears the door click shut as Maggie exits the room and her eyes blink open. She turns over in bed, reaching for her phone on the bedside table to check the time. Link still has about an hour until he boards his flight.

She fights off the exhaustion that threatens every part of her being, as she unlocks her phone and opens up FaceTime. And she quickly adjusts the volume to the quietest setting, in time for the outgoing tone to ring out.

“Amelia?” Link's voice whispers out, full of uncertainty. “I can’t see anything, it’s dark.”

“That’s because I’m under my new blanket,” she whispers back. “And also it’s dark in here,” there’s a smile evident in her voice. Link can hear some shuffling around, and then the lamp gets turned on and some light filters through.

“There you are,” he smiles.

“Are you at the airport?”

“Just got here.”

Amelia nods, blinking against her exhaustion.

“Scout’s down?”

“Mhm,” Amelia mumbles. “I just wanted to call you back….and say thank you….for this….”

Her sentence trails off, but the sentiment is there. And Link’s smile widens.

Amelia’s blinks start to last longer, and her eyes remain shut with the last one.

“Amelia?”

He knows she’s fallen asleep. He would recognize the breathing pattern anywhere.

But, he has a hard time hanging up the phone this time around.

It takes all of his power to refrain from just staying on the call and watching her sleep. His thumb hovers over the end button hesitantly. But then his flight number gets called over the speaker system.

His thumb hesitates a moment longer. Wanting to prolong the moment, but also battling the realization that this flight is what stands between them now.

He stares for one more second, and decides it’s okay to whisper out, even if she can’t hear him. It feels like he whispers it to himself, or maybe to the people surrounding him in the airport. But he says it anyway, before he hangs up.

“See you in the morning.”

//

[hurricanery]

If you do not post it today that is ok do not feel pressure, would you give a spoiler of it? I am just so anxious hahaha

y’all make ME anxious but in the best way possible. i feel like you want me to spoil what the next chapter is abt?? but i won’t do that, so instead i’ll give you like ONE (ish) sentence from the next part. a little preview of some no filter amelia for u:

“Ha,” Amelia’s delighted revelation sounds gravelly, the sleep still evident in her voice. “I get it.”

She shifts her gaze to Maggie, who offers a pleading look in return. And then she looks back to Winston, who has since halted in the doorway. She can’t hold back the raspy sounding chuckle that escapes her lips. “You guys are sex friends. It all makes sense now.”

[hurricanery]

Can you make Lexie and Jo close friends in "if the sun comes up"? Well, I would love to see Amelia and Lexie be close too but she has Maggie.

i think there will be room for a lot of friendships in this story!!! love the idea of jo and lexie,,,,also love maggmelia. and from the tiny tiny bit we got of lexie and amelia in like season 8......i just think there’s lots of potential for lots of dynamics!

[hurricanery]

i loved handmade so much. And I was wondering if you could write a part two where they don’t sleep at all because the baby cries most of the night and then the next day everyone at the house realizes that so Maggie takes care of scout and some maggmelia included too please

ooooooh this is cute yes