A/N: Thanks to all who read and commented on Options, I really really appreciate it. :) I hope you enjoy this too.
February 14th
"Happy Valentine's," Owen says to his wife one wintry morning.
Without a word she leaps out of bed, runs to the bathroom and throws up.
II
February 15th
"Morning sunshine. Feeling any better today?" He sits beside her on their bed and strokes her hair.
"Ugh. No."
"Okay. Stay in bed. I'll let you have another day off."
She manages a smile. "Being the boss's wife has its perks, huh?"
"Not really. I'm just protecting my patients from your germs."
"Oh."
The way she sniffles is so cute that it's all he can do not to kiss her, but he's determined not to pick up her virus and end up in the same pitiable state.
"Owen?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you. Sorry I ruined Valentine's Day."
He smiles at her words, at her pathetic tone and sad, beautiful face.
"I don't mind. I know you hate it anyway."
"I don't... Well, a little. But I was excited about dressing up and going out for dinner together."
He kisses her forehead and pulls her into his arms. "We can still do that when you're better, okay?"
"Okay."
"Love you," he murmurs into her hair, and all he wants to do is sit there and cuddle her until she's well again. "I'll try and leave early today. Do you want me to get anything?"
"Mm..." She snuggles further into his embrace. "Some more mint tea and another box of Kleenex please. And a new body that doesn't hurt all over and has no vomiting reflex and doesn't leak liters of fluid from its nose."
"Oh you're so sexy," he teases and she starts to laugh but it quickly becomes a cough.
"Ugh. Shut up and go to work, Chief."
As he is about to leave, he shouts out: "I'll call you if there are any great cardio cases."
"Really?"
He laughs. "No, of course not. You can barely even stand up."
"Bastard!"
"Bye honey."
II
February 17th
"You look incredible."
Cristina twirls for her husband in her little gold dress and heels. "Thanks. I feel incredible."
"Really?"
"Uh huh." She puts her arms around his neck and kisses him, pressing her body into his. "I've missed you."
"I've missed you too, but we really need to leave."
"Mm, let's just skip dinner and have dessert right here."
He lets her kiss him for a long minute - she really is very persuasive, but he's hungry and he really wants his belated Valentine's date. "Come on baby," he murmurs eventually, "You definitely need to eat, you've lost so much weight over the past few days. We have all night to enjoy dessert."
Her pout is adorable and lasts until he resumes their little make out session on the backseat of their cab and then punctuates their meal with kisses at every opportunity. It isn't until they're back home, until she's naked and stripping him too, that the wine seems to really hit him.
"Happy Valentine's," she whispers, and he runs to the bathroom and throws up.
II
February 18th
"Are you okay?"
Owen groans and buries deeper beneath the covers.
"I'll take that as a no." She strokes his hair, kisses his forehead, mirroring his comforting gestures of just a few days ago. "Well, fortunately we're all stocked up on painkillers and anti-emetics. Shall I call you if there are any great trauma cases?"
"No. Please don't. The thought of surgery right now, the smell of the diathermy..." He pales considerably.
"Okay, I won't, stop thinking about it." Cristina can empathize so well right now, looking at him all sick and shaky. "Just rest up and I'll be back before you know it."
"Can you ask Derek and Richard to handle anything that comes up?"
"I won't just ask, I'll bully them into it."
He manages a smile. "You're the best wife a chief could ask for."
"I know, I'm pretty awesome. See you later."
She's almost ready to leave when he calls out: "Cristina?"
"Yeah?"
"Sorry I ruined Valentine's Day."
"That's okay. I hate it anyway, remember?"
II
February 21st
"Good day at work?" Cristina asks as her husband reaches the top of the Firehouse stairs.
"Yeah, I managed to get into the OR working on a fractured pelvis with Callie. It felt so good to be back."
She looks at him, at the colour in his cheeks and the smile on his handsome face, and then she walks over and kisses him quite thoroughly.
"What's this?" he asks at long last, finally noticing the pizza and bottles of beer laid out on the coffee table. "Valentine's Day take three?"
She doesn't laugh at his joke, only takes him by the hand and leads him to the sofa. "This is not Valentine's Day," she says seriously. "There is no fancy restaurant, no stupid glamorous outfits and no one is going to be sick. We are just going to eat pizza, watch a movie and then have all the crazy hot sex we've missed out on for the past week. Okay?"
Owen doesn't know what to say except for: "I was lying all along - I hate Valentine's Day too."
Fin.