Owen is at the ER desk getting a file. Cristina almost gets within his view, but waits until he leaves to get the consult she needs. She watches him as his eyes smile while he talks to Derek who tells him some kind of joke, probably about their date last night. She's been avoiding Owen since she came to work in the morning, something that is not easy when she is working on two cases, one being a trauma. Somehow she manages to avoid him.
"I am going to need that consult ASAP before Mr. Knapp can get into the OR. It should have been here ages ago," Cristina tells the nurse, who looks at her in that don't-look-down-on-me-because-I'm-not-a-surgeon tone.
"Well, Dr. Yang, Dr. Hunt requires all residents to get consults directly from him now. So you will have to find him yourself. He's in a trauma surgery right now so you'll have to wait", the nurse looks at Cristina, and Cristina wonders if she notices?
"Since when? Usually the attendings will leave the consults here for residents," Cristina asks a question that she already knows the answer to.
"Since today. He said its a one day thing. Not sure why, but for any cases related to the trauma unit, residents must go through him," the nurse smirks at Cristina before going back to what she was working on.
"Whatever," Cristina takes a deep breath and walks away to go to find Owen, or at least to see where he's at in his surgery. The thought of having to talk to him makes her numb. "What did I get myself into?" The date was well enough, steak, potatoes wine, laughing, and kissing. The after is another thing altogether, why would he push her away? For someone to tell you you're beautiful out of the blue, takes you to a secret place for a hot vent kiss, and then on an actual date rejects your advances is just not normal.
"Now I'm screwed," Cristina sighs as she finds Owen's OR station.
Luckily Karev is on the case and is taking a break to run an errand. "Karev! When you get back in there can you tell Hunt I need the consult for Mr. Knapp. He has to get to the OR as soon as his scan's done," Cristina says half asking, half pleading.
"Ask him yourself, he's right inside," Karev grabs some supplies and some other items before going back to the OR door.
"I can't...face him right now,"Cristina trails off, hoping Karev gets the point.
"Oh I see, a girl thing.. what happened he couldn't get it up last night?", Karev laughs.
"Dammit, Karev. I have already been rejected once this week I don't need it from you too," Cristina looks down to the floor, trying to calm herself.
"Rejected? Well now that's interesting. I'll ask him, but I know what he'll say. If you're avoiding him, like I guess that you are, I'm sure he wants you to get it yourself. Wait here," Karev goes back into the OR, Cristina waits outside getting flashbacks of elementary school waiting in the principle's office.
Cristina watches as Karev goes back to the operating table with the supplies. He talks to Owen. Roughly about a two second chat, she notices Owen glances over at her for a split second, then shakes his head from side to side before getting back to the surgery.
Karev makes his way back to the door and opens it a crack,"He said to get it yourself, it'll be about 20 minutes."
"Fine..," Cristina sighs as she turns to walk away and almost runs smack dab into Meredith.
"Hey," Meredith looks at her all concerned and worried.
"Hey," Cristina answers trying not to look Meredith in the eye even though they are standing directly in front of each other.
"So Owen told Derek you guys were going on a date last night? How did it go?" Meredith blurts out as if she has nothing interesting to talk about but Cristina's love life. Of course it had to be in relation to Derek. Somehow Derek has become a virus in her relationships.
"Since when is that your business? If I wanted to talk to you about it I would have. Nothing is going on between me and Owen, at least not anymore. We work together. That's it," Cristina tries to hide her emotions as Meredith listens.
"I'm sorry it didn't go well. If it means anything, I can vouch that he really likes you and cares about you, he told me himself," Meredith says as she walks away toward some of her interns who are standing in the hallway.
Cristina tears up as she watches Meredith go, half wondering why she has to be such a bitch to her all the time. She goes over to the OR station and sits at the desk to work on some charts while she waits for Owen.
Owen, Karev and the rest of the team emerge to transfer the patient to the ICU. She watches as Owen raises Karev, "Good work Karev, go work on your charts and we'll have a drink at Joe's after."
"Sure thing," Karev gives Owen a slap on the shoulder before walking by Cristina, "He's all yours Yang, by the way, go easy on him."
"Whaaat?" Cristina looks up puzzled as to why Karev of all people would tell her to go easy on Owen.
Suddenly Owen is right in front of her. She can smell the sweat which is still in beads across his foreheadand down the sides of his face. He takes off his surgical cap before asking her, "I hear you need a consult?" He doesn't even look at her. She is also looking down and just hands him the forms for him to sign.
"I get it Cristina," Owen says as he signs the forms and walks away, not even waiting for an answer.
"Get what? WHAT?" She yells after him, he keeps going. How does he do that? She asks herself. Getting up from the desk she goes to find him. She bursts into one of the on call rooms, packing up some of his stuff.
"What do you mean, you get it?" Cristina asks him. He turns around to face her, directly. Staring down at her. Even now, she can feel him as he understands her and accepts her.
"I get it. You aren't ready, that's clear enough. Actually you made that perfectly clear all day when you were avoiding me," he says as he inches closer, she can feel his breath as it touches her forehead softly.
"Me? You were the one that pulled away, I made it clear that I was ready last night. You rejected me" Cristina's voice trembles in anticipation. "You'd think I'd be used to rejection by now, but I'm not."
" I would never reject you, not on purpose. Look, I choked last night. But my life is complicated enough, without someone pulling high school crap on me the day after we had a mostly romantic evening. You know this isn't easy for me and I'm not so sure how this is going to work. Mind games are not how I roll, but if you're content playing mind games, I guess there is nothing more to say," Owen kisses her on the forehead, as if to say goodbye, but instead they stay there for a while as he makes his way down her nose, to her lips where she melts. He pulls away slowly, and whispers "When you are ready, I will be here."
"Owen, I am. Ready. I just needed to know that you were," Cristina says and goes back in for a kiss. They tug at each other's clothes, pulling them off before landing on the bed next to them, so much for drinks at Joe's with Karev.