PART I — MORNING CHAOS

INT. JO AND LINK'S HOUSE — MORNING

Jo is crouched beside an open moving box, shifting a few kitchen towels aside.

She pulls out a small stuffed puppy.

JO
Found it. 

Link looks over from the hallway.

LINK
Good. Now can we find the kids?

Jo gets to her feet, Bubble in her hand.

She gives him an amused look as she passes.

JO
One thing at a time.

She heads upstairs.

Link turns back toward the entrance, pulling his car keys from his pocket.

Children's jackets hang on the hooks above the entrance bench, a school backpack wedged between them. One small sneaker lies abandoned on the floor.

LINK
Scout! Luna!
Time to go.

No answer.

He checks his watch.

LINK (CONT'D)
Guys, come on. We’re leaving!

SCOUT (O.S.)
I can't find my shoe!

Link looks down.
The sneaker is right beside his foot.

LINK
It’s right here!

He waits a moment.

Nothing.

Link looks toward the stairs.

LINK (CONT'D)
Scout?

Still no answer.

He exhales, already knowing how this is going to go.
He slips his car keys into his pocket and heads upstairs.

INT. JO AND LINK'S HOUSE — UPSTAIRS — CONTINUOUS

Luna sits on the floor outside the nursery, struggling to close her backpack.

Jo approaches.

JO
Look who I found.

Luna looks up, her face lighting up.

LUNA
Bubble!

She reaches for the stuffed puppy and hugs him tightly.

LUNA (CONT’D)
Where was he?

JO
Hiding in one of the kitchen boxes.

LUNA
Scout put him there.

JO
I don’t think he did, honey.

Luna doesn't look convinced.

Jo crouches beside her and notices the open backpack, stuffed almost to bursting.

JO
Luna, how many books did you put in here?

LUNA
Three.

Jo pulls out one book.

Then another.

And another.

And another.

She finds a fifth.

JO
Five.

LUNA
That one’s for my teacher.

Jo smiles.

JO
You have plenty of books at school, sweetheart.

LUNA
But these are mine.

Jo looks at her.

JO
I know. And they'll be here when you get home.

She puts the book for Luna's teacher back into the backpack and zips it closed.

LUNA
Can I take Bubble?

JO
Not today, honey. Come on, give him a kiss. You'll see him tonight.

Luna frowns.

LUNA
That's not fair.

She kisses Bubble's head.

JO
Come on. Put these back in your room. Bubble too.

Luna gets to her feet.

Jo hands her the four remaining books.

Luna gathers them against her chest, Bubble tucked under her arm, and heads into her bedroom.

From the nursery, a baby begins to fuss.

Jo glances toward the sound, smiling. 

Luna reappears.

LUNA
I want to say goodbye to Hattie and Peyton.

JO
Okay. Quickly.
Daddy’s waiting for us. 

They step inside.

Nardie stands beside the changing table, Peyton resting against her shoulder.

Hattie lies awake in her crib, looking around.

Nardie smiles as they enter.

NARDIE
Hattie just woke up a few minutes ago.

Luna goes straight to Hattie's crib.

She rises onto her toes.

LUNA (CONT'D)
Bye, Hattie.

Jo lifts her slightly so she can kiss her sister's forehead.

JO
Gentle.

LUNA
I know.

Jo smiles and sets her down.

She leans over the crib herself.

JO
Morning, beautiful.
Mommy’s got to go to work.
I'll see you tonight.

She kisses Hattie’s forehead.

Then turns to Peyton.

JO (CONT’D)
And you.

She brushes a finger over Peyton's cheek and kisses her head.

JO (CONT'D)
Be good for Nardie, okay?

Nardie smiles.

Peyton squirms against Nardie’s shoulder.

JO (CONT'D)
Her tummy’s still bothering her. She was up half the night.

Nardie gently rubs Peyton's back.

NARDIE
Poor thing. 

She looks down at Peyton.

NARDIE
We’ll try some belly rubs, huh? 

JO
Let's hope she likes that better than everything we tried last night.

Nardie rests a reassuring hand on Jo's arm.

NARDIE
We'll be fine.

A beat.

Nardie gives Jo's arm a gentle squeeze before letting go. 

NARDIE
Oh, we're almost out of—

JO
Diapers. I know. We'll pick some up tonight.

NARDIE
Perfect.

Luna reaches up toward Peyton.

LUNA
Can I kiss her too?

NARDIE
Of course, sweetheart.

Nardie bends slightly so Luna can reach her sister.

Luna carefully kisses her sister's head.

LUNA (CONT'D)
Be good, Peyton.

Jo watches her for a moment, smiling.

Then—

From down the hall—

SCOUT (O.S.)
I DON'T WANT TO GO!

LINK (O.S.)
Come on, buddy.

SCOUT (O.S.)
No!

Jo looks toward the door and briefly closes her eyes.

Nardie suppresses a smile.

JO
Here we go.

She takes Luna's hand.

JO
Come on, Luna. Say goodbye to Nardie.

LUNA
Bye, Nardie.

Nardie smiles warmly.

NARDIE
Bye, sweetheart. See you this afternoon.

INT. JO AND LINK'S HOUSE — STAIRCASE / ENTRANCE — CONTINUOUS

Link comes downstairs with Scout slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Scout squirms, protesting.

SCOUT
Put me down!

LINK
Almost there, buddy.

Link reaches the bottom of the stairs and sets him down on the last step.

Scout folds his arms.

One shoe on. The other still lies near the entrance bench.

Link stands in front of him, holding his jacket.

LINK
Come on, buddy. We have to go.

SCOUT
I don't want to go to school. 

LINK
I know.

SCOUT
I want to stay home with Nardie.

LINK
You have school, buddy. 

SCOUT
But Hattie and Peyton get to stay home.

LINK
They’re babies. They’re too little for school.

Scout considers this.

He remains firmly seated.

Link looks at him for a moment.

Then takes his car keys out of his pocket.

LINK
Hey. Want to unlock the car?

Scout looks up.

SCOUT
Me? 

LINK
Yeah. Jacket first.

Scout jumps to his feet and holds out his arms.

Link slips the jacket on him.

SCOUT
Can I have the keys now?

Link hands them over.

Scout heads straight for the front door.

SCOUT
I'M DOING IT!

LINK
Hey, wait for me!

Link follows him outside.

A few seconds later, Jo comes downstairs with Luna, holding her backpack in one hand. 

She spots Scout's abandoned shoe beside the bench and picks it up. 

Link reappears in the doorway, car keys back in hand.

LINK
Forgot his backpack.

He grabs it from the bench.

Jo holds up the shoe.

JO
And this.

Link looks at it.

LINK
Right.

LUNA
Where's Scout?

LINK
Already in the car.

He bends to kiss Luna's forehead. 

LINK (CONT’D)
Come on.

LUNA
Can I unlock the car?

Link glances toward the ceiling for a beat.

LINK
Yeah, okay. But let’s go!

Jo glances at the time.

JO
We're gonna be late again.

LINK
Everybody's dressed. We're doing great.

Jo holds up Scout's shoe. 

JO
Define dressed.

Link looks at it.

LINK
Mostly dressed.

Jo hands him the shoe.

She picks up Luna's jacket.

JO (CONT'D)
Come on, sweetheart.

Luna follows her toward the door.

From outside—

SCOUT (O.S.)
DAD! I BUCKLED MYSELF!

Link looks at Jo.

LINK
See? We're making progress.

Jo laughs softly.

They head outside.

PART II — THE DRIVE

INT. LINK AND LINK'S CAR — 20 MINUTES LATER

Jo climbs into the passenger seat and closes the door.

She settles back with a long exhale.

Link pulls away from the school.

For the first time all morning, it's quiet.

JO
I’ve already used up all my energy for the day.

Link glances at her.

LINK
It's not even nine.

JO
Exactly. 

He laughs.

They drive for a moment. 

LINK
How was Luna?

JO
She wouldn’t go into the classroom until she saw Camilla. Then suddenly I didn’t exist.

LINK
Hey, that’s progress. 

A beat. 

LINK (CONT’D)
And Scout?

JO
Walked right in. Didn’t even look back.

Link smiles.

A beat.

JO
Why is it always harder with me? I mean, with you, she just walks right in.

LINK
Must be a mom thing. 

Jo gives him a look.

JO
That’s your explanation?

LINK
It’s all I’ve got.

She smiles, looking out the window.

JO
You should've seen her with Peyton this morning.

LINK
What'd she do?

JO
She was telling her to be good with Nardie.

A small smile.

JO (CONT'D)
And earlier, she reminded Nardie to be careful with her head.

Link laughs.

LINK
She's going to be running that house by the time she's eight.

JO
She's already running it.

Link laughs.

Jo looks out the window, still smiling.

Link rests his hand on Jo's thigh.

She covers it with hers.

They drive for a while like that.

LINK
Think you'll have time for lunch today?

JO
Maybe. What time?

LINK
Twelve? I've got a knee scope at two.

JO
I've got a couple of patients to see this morning. Should be done by twelve-thirty.

LINK
Busy morning?

JO
Not really. 
A few checkups, some follow-ups. 
Nothing complicated.

A beat.

JO (CONT'D)
Which is fine by me.

LINK
No L&D?

JO
Not on my schedule today.
At least, that's the plan.

LINK
Okay.

Link gives her thigh a small squeeze.

She looks out the window for a moment. 

JO (CONT'D)
Anyway, twelve-thirty should work.

LINK
Good. I'll come find you.

JO
Okay.

They stop at a red light.

Link looks over at Jo.

She's wearing a grey dress, her hair falling in loose waves around her shoulders.

She's watching people cross the street, unaware of the way he's looking at her.

LINK
You look beautiful, you know that?

She turns toward him.

JO
You mean for someone who's slept three hours? 

LINK
We’ve slept five.

She gives him a look.

JO
Thank you. Like the difference matters.

He smiles.

LINK
Still beautiful.

She smiles despite herself.

JO
You're not looking too bad yourself.

LINK
Not bad?
You know the last time I wore a suit? Our wedding.

JO
Well, you look pretty good, actually.

He smiles. 

A beat. 

He leans across the console.

She meets him halfway.

The kiss is soft at first. Familiar.

Then Jo's hand moves to the back of his neck, keeping him there a little longer.

They draw back just enough to look at each other.

Neither moves away.

Jo leans in again, kissing him softly.

Then—

A horn sounds behind them.

They pull apart.

The light has turned green.

Link looks in the rearview mirror.

LINK
Okay, okay.

Jo laughs as he drives on.

Link settles his hand back on her thigh. She covers it with hers.

The music plays softly on the radio.

For a while, neither of them speaks.

Then—

LINK
I miss you.

Jo looks at him.

JO
I'm sitting right here.

LINK
I know.

He glances at her.

LINK (CONT'D)
That's not what I meant.

Jo watches him for a moment.

Then she looks down at their joined hands.

JO
I know.

Her thumb moves gently over his knuckles.

JO (CONT'D)
I miss you too.

Link smiles.

They drive on in comfortable silence.

INT. GREY SLOAN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL — PARKING LOT — MORNING

Link pulls into a parking space.

Jo checks the dashboard clock. 8:55 AM.

JO
How are we here already?

LINK
No traffic. Hit every green light.

JO
In Seattle?

Link smiles.

Jo checks the time again.

JO (CONT'D)
Wait, is the inauguration at nine or nine-thirty?

LINK
Nine-thirty.
We’ve got at least twenty minutes before we have to be upstairs.

Jo reaches for her bag.

Link turns off the engine.

A beat. 

LINK (CONT'D)
Twenty minutes, huh?

Jo turns toward him.

She catches the look on his face.

JO
Don't even think about it.

LINK
I didn't say anything.

Jo smiles and gives him a light shove.

JO
Get out of the car.

Link grins.

Jo opens her door, but glances back at him before getting out.

He catches her look.

She smiles and steps out.

EXT. GREY SLOAN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL — PARKING LOT — MORNING

Jo and Link cross the parking lot toward the hospital. 

Link reaches for Jo's hand, gently leading the way.

JO
How long do you think this thing’s gonna take?

LINK
Thirty minutes?

JO
We’re talking about Catherine Fox.

Link laughs.

They reach the entrance.

As they step inside, their hands separate almost unconsciously. 

Neither seems to notice.

PART III — GREY SLOAN

INT. GREY SLOAN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL — CORRIDOR — CONTINUOUS

They make their way toward the elevators.

A group of nurses passes.

Jo exchanges a quick greeting with one of them.

Link walks beside her.

They reach the elevators and press the button.

JO
I'm already regretting these heels. 

She stops to adjust one of her shoes, resting a hand on Link's arm for balance.

Link watches her, smiling.

He steadies her with a hand at her waist. 

Jo straightens and catches his smile.

His hand lingers at her waist for a moment before he lets go. 

Then the elevator chimes.

The doors open.

INT. HOSPITAL ELEVATOR — CONTINUOUS

A few people step out.

Jo and Link move inside, followed by two hospital staff members.

Jo presses the button for the VIP floor.

JO
Bet they've got decent coffee up there.

The doors close.

Link leans against the wall beside her.

His hand finds hers.

Jo slips her fingers between his.

For a moment, they stand quietly, watching the floor numbers change.

Link gently brushes his thumb over her fingers.

Jo shifts a little closer to him, her shoulder resting against his arm.

Link glances down at her.

She keeps her eyes on the elevator doors.

The elevator slows.

The two staff members step out.

The doors close again. 

They are alone.

Jo looks at Link.

He turns toward her at the same moment.

Their eyes meet.

A second later, they're kissing. Passionately. Without hesitation.

Link draws her close, one hand at her waist.

Jo slips both arms around his neck, her fingers sliding into his hair.

For a moment, they forget about the elevator.

Link draws back just enough to speak.

LINK
(between kisses)
We need a whole day of this.

JO
Yeah.

She kisses him again, her hand tightening gently at the back of his neck. 

He smiles against her mouth.

The elevator chimes.

They pull apart, a little reluctantly.

The doors open.

A couple of hospital staff stand waiting, chatting. 

Jo catches Link’s sleeve and starts toward the doors.

LINK
(whisper)
This isn't our floor.

She looks back at him.

JO
I don't care.

Link looks at her for a beat.

Then smiles.

She leads him out.

INT. GREY SLOAN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL — ON-CALL ROOM — CONTINUOUS

Jo opens the door and peers inside.

Empty.

She catches Link by the hand and pulls him in, closing the door behind them.

He barely has time to turn around before she kisses him.

Link responds immediately, drawing her against him.

He turns them, pressing her gently back against the door as he kisses her again.

His hand reaches behind her for the lock.

A click.

Jo smiles against his mouth.

Link shrugs off his jacket, tossing it onto a nearby bed.

He loosens his tie, and Jo pulls it free, tossing it aside.

They barely break apart.

Her hands move to the buttons of his shirt, fumbling with them in her hurry.

Link glances down.

LINK
I need that shirt.

JO
Then help me.

He laughs softly and reaches for the buttons.

Between them, they manage to get the shirt open.

Jo pushes it from his shoulders, and it falls to the floor.

She draws him back into another kiss.

Link holds her close, his hands moving around her waist and up her back.

His fingers find the zipper of her dress.

Jo catches his wrist.

JO
We don't have time.

He looks at her, amused.

Then kisses her again.

Jo unbuckles his trousers, letting them fall to the floor.
 
Link hurriedly removes her panties. 

Still kissing, she guides him backward toward the bed.

Link sits on its edge, drawing Jo close.

She settles onto his lap, her arms slipping around his neck. Her grey dress still on.

He draws her closer. 

Jo cups his face in both hands and kisses him again.

Their kiss deepens.

For a little while, nothing else demands their attention. The world outside that room falls away, leaving them a moment entirely their own. 

CUT TO:

INT. HOSPITAL ON-CALL ROOM — LATER 

Jo and Link lie together on the narrow bed.

Link is in his underwear, his arm wrapped around Jo. She's still wearing her grey dress, tucked against his side, her head resting on his bare chest.

His fingers move slowly along her arm.

Neither seems particularly inclined to move.

A quiet moment.

LINK
We should use this room more often. 

Jo laughs softly against his chest. 

JO
I've been in more comfortable places.

A beat.

JO (CONT'D)
But it beats the supply closet.

He smiles and kisses the top of her head.

A moment.
 
LINK
Think we could finally take that honeymoon?

Jo lifts her head to look at him.

JO
You remember we have four kids, right? 
And two of them are babies. 

LINK
I know.

A beat. 

LINK (CONT’D)
At this point, I’d settle for a room with a door that locks. 

Jo smiles.

JO
With a king-size bed where we could stay all day.

LINK
Room service. True crime documentaries. We wouldn't have to leave the bed.

She laughs.

JO
That does sound nice.

She leans up and kisses him.

He smiles, his arm tightening around her for a moment.

Jo settles back against his chest.

Then her eyes drift toward the clock on the wall.

She freezes.

JO
Oh my God.

LINK
What?

JO
We're late.

Link turns his head toward the clock.

LINK
Oh.

Jo sits up abruptly.

JO
Come on.

She gets off the bed, retrieves her underwear, and quickly dresses.

Link reaches for his trousers.

LINK
I'm coming.

He gets up and pulls them on, then reaches for his shirt on the floor.

Jo straightens her dress and retrieves her bag.

She moves to the small mirror beside the door, running her fingers through her hair and trying to smooth the loose waves back into place.

Behind her, Link hastily buttons his shirt.

He fastens two buttons into the wrong holes. 

He doesn't notice.

He grabs his tie from the floor and his jacket from the bed, hurriedly slipping the jacket on. 

Jo gives herself one last look in the mirror.

Link joins her.

LINK
How do I look?

She doesn’t even look.

JO
Fine. Let's go.

Jo reaches for the lock, turns it, and opens the door. 

INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR — CONTINUOUS

Jo steps out first.

Link follows, still straightening his jacket.

They stop.

Bailey stands a few feet away in a sky-blue pantsuit, tablet in hand.

She looks at Jo.

Then Link.

Her eyes drop to his shirt.

A beat. 

BAILEY
Mm-hmm.
You might want to fix that.

Link looks down.

Two buttons are fastened into the wrong holes.

LINK
Oh.

He starts undoing them.

Jo presses her lips together, visibly embarrassed. 

JO
Morning.

BAILEY
Morning. 

She looks between them again.

JO
We weren’t—

Bailey raises a hand.

BAILEY
I don’t want to know. 

Jo closes her mouth.

LINK
No, but—

BAILEY
Lincoln. Don’t. 

A beat.

BAILEY (CONT’D)
Four kids. I understand the need to be creative.

Jo closes her eyes.

Bailey returns to her tablet.

Link finishes fixing his shirt. 

JO
Wait. Aren't you supposed to be upstairs?

BAILEY
I could ask you the same thing. 

A beat.

BAILEY (CONT’D)
Inauguration's been pushed back. Meredith's stuck at the airport.

Jo looks at Link.

Link looks back at her.

BAILEY (CONT'D)
Meanwhile, the rest of the hospital is still open. Patients still need doctors.

She walks off.

Jo watches Bailey walk away, then turns to Link. 

A beat.

LINK
Well, that could've gone worse.

Jo gives him a look.

JO
How?

Link considers that.

He has no answer.

Jo shakes her head, a reluctant smile breaking through her embarrassment.

They head toward the elevators.

FADE OUT.