A/N: Cristina and Owen, from where season 7 left off.

It had all been a dream, she was convinced. The window barely allowed the sun to breach through, and she was sure the dim light that succeeded was all that her dream had left behind. The foggy light really did seem dreamlike.

But she was at Meredith's. She was awake – pinching herself usually did the job –, and she was at Meredith's. Meredith's and Zola, she realized, as a faint cry echoed from downstairs. It had so not been a dream.

"C'mon, baby. Just a few more minutes." Meredith's voice became clearer as she climbed up the stairs. "Hum… Cristina! Cristina, wake up if you haven't yet. I'm… I think I'm going now, because I woke up an adult. An adult, with a small baby sleeping next to me – when she slept, that is. So, as an adult, I'm going to face my problems and make Derek face their own. We're gonna face our problems." She concluded, satisfied, in a higher pitch. "I grew up. If I had to grow up, and wake up as an adult with an on-and-off-sleeping baby next to me, then he sure as hell has to man up."

Cristina sighed, and attempted to get out of bed. Stumbling across the room, she slowly grabbed the doorknob. And sighed again.

"I'm too sleepy. You woke me up, and I didn't need to. I'm too sleepy, and too weak to open the door. If you want a hug, come and get it. Open the door yourself." She murmured.

The door opened, and a grinning Meredith pulled her into a hug.

"Group hug. Everyone who is an adult and, or, has a baby in her arms gets a hug now."

A slightly amused Cristina kissed her cheek. "Bye kids. Have fun at work. Thanks for the wake up shout."

"Please. As if you weren't awake already." Meredith grabbed one of Zola's chubby hands. "Say bye-bye, Zola. Say bye-bye to Auntie Cristina. Cris? Tina? Ina? No?" She frowned at Cristina's glare. "Cristina it is. Say bye-bye, tell her to grow up, but in a nice voice." Zola gurgled happily and kept on chewing on Meredith's hair. "Bye-bye, Auntie Cristina, have a nice day and grow up, be an adult. My mommy is, and my daddy will be a man."

"That voice looks good on you." Cristina rolled her eyes and closed the door on them.

"As does everything." Meredith shouted.

Cristina stomped towards the bathroom, muttering swearwords to herself. Bloody non-dream reality.

SPACE HERE SPACE HERE SPACE HERE

"What have you got?"

"Man, late thirties, trauma to the head and chest. Lost him twice, but vitals are strong now."

"Great. I got him. Little Grey, follow me." Cristina shouted into the observation room. "We'll need a portable X-ray, go get it."

"Dr. Shepherd is currently using it, but I could go to radiology and ask if they could spare one more?"

"Why are you asking me? Go, go, and try to get back here before he's dead." Cristina waved swiftly and proceeded to clean all the blood. Lexie nodded quickly and hurried out of the ER.

The ER was crowded. Meredith was nowhere to be seen, and only Jackson and Alex were there helping.

"Damn it, where's Kepner?" She asked Jackson. "Isn't she supposed to be running this thing?"

"Hunt called her upstairs. We're in charge in the meantime." He said, his eyes unmoving. "The sutures aren't holding up. Page Bailey," He told the nurse. "We have to get him to surgery right now."

Great. Just great. Awesome indeed. Of all the days to be stuck in the ER with a considerable amount of blood in front of her…

"Don't worry, sir. We're taking care of you. Can you tell me your name?" Cristina eyed the panicking man. "You just woke up, but it's okay. You're going to be just fine. Can you tell me your name?"

The man tried to move his head, and bit his bottom lip. "I… I taste blood. Why do I taste blood?"

"Because you just bit your lip. Now can you tell me your name, so I can call your family?"

He winced as she pressed harder on his chest. "No… no. I taste blood. Real blood. And I can't… I can't really see. Why can't I see? I see red."

"If you see red, you can see." She sighed and looked around for Lexie. "We're taking good care of you. Now, if you could just tell me your name, so that I can call your family… One of morphine." She told the nurse holding the IV.

"No, no, this is not right." He started contorting in the gurney. "This is not right."

"Sir, please, if you move you risk permanent damage to both your brain and spine." Cristina grabbed both his hands and pressed them onto the mattress. "Please, stop moving. And start panicking, while you're at it. Damn it, can I get some help?" She called out, and the nurse offered. "No, not you. I need Grey. Either one of them. Go get them."

"I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I want to live. I don't want to die."

"You're not dying, sir. Now, if you just lay still…"

"No, I don't want to die." His hands pulled out from her grasp, and he hit her. She lost balance and tripped over a bucket, hitting her head.

Everything was foggy once again. The corners of her life were blurry, and she was feeling nauseated. No words would come out, and she wondered how long it would be before someone saw her. The man kept gesticulating, and the gurney was shaking alongside him. All because he tasted blood… Big deal, so did she, and you didn't see her panicking.

Wait… she tasted blood? Was that okay? That wasn't right, either. But she wouldn't panic, no. She knew better than that.

But her mind didn't. Before she was aware of what was happening, her eyes filled with tears, and she gasped for air. She was hyperventilating. She stretched her arm, but no-one would come. Did they find it normal that she was lying on the floor? She started crying, and the nausea worsened. Everything was darkening, she knew it was only a matter of time before she fainted.

"I'm here, now. What have you got?" The voices were too far away. "If you could help Alex, Dr. Hunt, I'll go see where I'm needed."

"Of course." Owen… Owen. He was there, that was his voice. "Karev, how are you doing?"

"I'm cool, sir. Yang was struggling a bit there, though."

"Yang? I don't see her." She tried to scream, but it was too faint to be heard.

"She was right here-"

"Cristina!"

The next thing she knew, his hand was on her cheek, and she tried to grab it before everything went dark.

A/N: Reviews and suggestions are highly appreciated, eheh. I'm making an attempt at a multi-chaptered story, and I need all the encouragement I can get, people. Thank you so much for reading!

Kisses, Febya