Hello, It's Me
It had been 5 years since Cristina Yang had set foot on Seattle. Nothing much had changed. Sure, there had been a few more buildings being built, but otherwise it's still the same place she had left 5 years ago. The same old dreary winter weather, and people going about their daily activities with the same dreary look on their faces, mirroring the weather.
As she stood at the entrance of the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, all the memories of years she spent in the hospital, as an intern, a resident, and gradually an attending came flooding back to her, both the good and the bad. She recalled her intern and early resident years with Meredith, Alex, George and Izzie. Those were the good old days. Together, they were MAGIC. Halfway through residency, April and Jackson joined them, and although she initially hated them, they both grew on her.
She recalled Burke and how he left her at the altar. And of course Owen...whom she loved so passionately and fiercely. Unfortunately for them, they both had totally different priorities in life- he wanted kids, she wanted a Harper Avery. So they went separate ways.
She would be lying if she said she didn't think about him once in a while and miss him.
Meredith too- although they kept in touch often through FaceTime- she really missed seeing her 'twisted sister' and best friend in person. She knew Meredith had another child, a girl named after Meredith's mother, and she couldn't wait to see the youngest Shepherd child.
Of course the hospital also held bad memories she would rather forget. She would rather forget the day Gary Clarke pointed a gun at her while she was saving Derek Shepherd's life. She would rather not recall the plane crash which claimed Mark and Lexie's lives and how she suffered from PTSD for several months after that. But those were all memories engraved in her mind too.
Taking a deep breath, she finally walked into the main entrance of the hospital. The hospital lobby still looked almost the same as she recalled it to be, the reception desk was still at the same place, even the chairs for waiting family members were still at the same position they used to be. So was the entrance to the ER. The only thing that was different about the lobby were the Christmas decorations.
She turned left and entered the ER. There was someone she wanted to meet there, she knew exactly she could find him.
' Dr Yang!' a nurse who had been working in the ER for many years called out.
' Hey Erica' she gave the nurse her trademark smirk. ' Not changed a bit I see'
' You too Dr. Yang' the nurse smirked back.
' Do you happen to know where Dr. Hunt is?' Cristina asked casually, trying not to make it sound like she was desperate to see him.
' Oh, he's behind the curtains there, attending to a patient'. Erica pointed to a bed adjacent to them, with the curtains drawn.
' Alright, I'll wait for him, thanks'.
Just then, the curtains of the bed drew open, and Owen Hunt appeared from behind the curtains.
Cristina couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction upon seeing her. His jaw dropped, and his mouth was so wide open that a fly could fly in if he wasn't careful. He then pinched himself, as if not believing what he was seeing.
Cristina slowly made her way towards him, as he still stood rooted at his spot in shock.
' Hey Owen' she greeted, showing him her trademark loopsided smile. ' Yes, it's really me. I'm back here for a cardiothoracic conference, in case you were wondering.'
'Cristina!' he exclaimed. 'I'm so glad to see you. You haven't changed in a bit'
It was true. She still looked exactly the same as she did 5 years ago- with the same wild black curls.
' You too' she replied. ' You still look exactly the same to me..'
' Well, I'll take that as a compliment' he chuckled.
They both exchanged a smile, before an uncomfortable silence ensued. There were so many unspoken words between them, so many unresolved issues.
' So, how is everything going over there in Zurich?' Owen decided to break the silence.
' Great. Everything is going great.' Cristina smiled. ' I have published several medical journals and have done some ground breaking research. I am in the running for the Harper Avery Award'.
' Oh good, I'm so glad to hear that' Owen said sincerely.
' How about you?' Cristina asked. ' You look happy- I'm so glad for you.'
' Yes, I am' Owen replied. ' The ER is busy as usual- I'm handling it alone today as Kepner is down with the flu'
Cristina was about to ask him whether the reason he seemed happy was because he finally found someone special to share his life with, when suddenly someone called out Owen's name. The voice sounded somewhat familiar, she had heard the voice before, but she couldn't pinpoint who it belonged to.
So she turned around and followed Owen's gaze.
Derek Shepherd's little sister Amelia was making her way towards them. She was walking in large strides, as if in a hurry. In her arms, she was holding a toddler who was the exact clone of her. As she drew closer to them, Cristina noticed the baby bump she was sporting. She looked to be...maybe 5 or 6 months pregnant.
' Hi' Amelia greeted shyly as she reached where Owen and Cristina were standing. She extended her free hand to Cristina. ' Cristina Yang- long time no see. You still look great'
' Yeah, you too...' Cristina replied, taking her hand and shaking it in a serious manner.. ' You look...radiant'.
' Ermm...thanks' Amelia blushed. She then turned her attention to Owen.
' Charlotte is running a fever, so she can't stay in the nursery. I gotta end my shift early and bring her back home now. I got Nelson to cover my postops for me. See you at home?'
' She ok?' Owen asked, kissing Charlotte on the forehead. The little girl felt warm.
' She was vomitting all over the place, according to the nursery staff' said Amelia, rocking the child in her arms.
' Ok, I'll see you both at home. Take care Char, Daddy loves you.' said Owen, kissing his daughter's chubby cheeks, and kissing Amelia on the lips, while subtly rubbing her baby bump.
Cristina watched the entire scene in front of her with amusement.
She had known all this while that Owen Hunt was a family oriented man and really wanted kids. What she didn't expect was for him to settle down so soon after she left, and with Derek Shepherd's baby sister some more. And now they have a child with another on the way. Life is amusing sometimes.
They both silently watched Amelia walk away with Charlotte, before Cristina finally broke the silence again.
' Oh wow' she mused. 'Derek Shepherd's little sister huh?'
' Yes- I love Amelia with all my heart and soul. She is an amazing neurosurgeon and she is the mother of my children.' Owen replied.
' Hey, hey, stop being so defensive' Cristina said, raising her hands in the air. ' I didn't say anything, did I?'
Owen chuckled. ' Sorry- it's just that- I get a little defensive when it comes to anything with regards to her. She is my soulmate and my life.'
Cristina remained silent for a while. She'd be lying if she said his words didn't hurt her. She hadn't found another man in her life yet, she was too busy chasing her dreams of winning the Harper Avery award. She still thought of him sometimes, as she was lying on her bed in the middle of the night. She always wondered how he was, whether he had moved on. And now the answer was obvious. Meredith never mentioned Owen during their FaceTime chats, and Cristina never dared to ask, for the fear of getting hurt. And now, this was the bitter truth.
But she had to accept the fact that Owen Hunt had moved on, and that he was happy, and he finally had the family he had always dreamt of having.
' I'm happy for you' she said finally, giving him a half smile. She was indeed genuinely happy for him now. She was happy that he was happy.
'Thanks Cristina. I hope you find your happiness too' said Owen sincerely.
' Yes, I'm happy with my work and my achievements' Cristina smiled.
' Owen,' she said suddenly. ' Do not let her go. She makes you happy and she is giving you everything you've ever wished for. Please do take care of her and cherish her.'
' I will, Cristina' Owen said, suddenly pulling her into a hug, which she accepted awkwardly. ' Thank you so much for your blessing, it really means a lot to me.'
' I've to go and see Meredith now..' Cristina said, pulling out of the embrace. ' Take care now.'
' Take care now' replied Owen. He stood there watching as Cristina left the ER to go find her best friend. He loved Cristina, he really did. But now Cristina was his past and Amelia and his children were his future.
' So why is Cristina back?' Amelia asked Owen that night in their bedroom, in the modest 3 bedroom house.
She had just put Charlotte to bed after feeding her some warm milk.
' She's here for a conference.' Owen replied. ' And to visit Meredith and the kids.'
' Are you sure that's all she's here for?' Amelia asked, cocking her head to the side, as if silently informing him that she isn't stupid.
' Well, she just wanted to say hi'
' She still has feelings for you Owen. I can feel it.'
Owen grabbed Amelia's hands in his.
' It doesn't matter if she still has feelings for me or not, Mia.' he said softly. ' What matters is that I have feelings for you, and not her.. She is my past, but you are my present and my future. You and Charlotte and our son.' he said, placing a hand on her baby bump and smiling in delight as he felt a strong kick. Their son was going to grow up to be a soccer player, there's no doubt about it.
Blue eyes met blue eyes and she finally smiled, showing off her dimples.
'Ok, I'll take that' she said softly. ' James and Ryan and unicorn baby are my past, and you, Charlotte and bean are our future too'
' We have to stop calling our son Bean' Owen laughed, causing Amelia to laugh too.
' Oh by the way, Cristina asked me to take care of you and cherish you' Owen suddenly recalled his conversation earlier on with Cristina.
' Really?' Amelia asked, her eyes wide open in surprise. She didn't think that Cristina would say such kind words about her. But then again, she didn't know Cristina that well.
' Yup, she did' Owen confirmed.
' That's really nice of her' Amelia said sincerely. Just then, she felt another strong kick in her belly.
' Let's forget about Cristina for the moment shall we- and focus on naming our son. He is getting impatient here. He wants to be named' said Amelia, rubbing her belly.
' Ok, agreed' Owen said, taking out a book of baby names and snuggling up on the bed with her. This is indeed the life he had envisioned for himself, a wife and kids. This was his present and future.
Author's note :I need help in naming their son. Any suggestions are very welcome! Not Christopher though, as it had been used many times by other writers, and I think it would remind Amelia too much of her father.
Comments and reviews are very welcome!