By greyeyedgirl
This is a request by darkangel, and is dedicated to her.
Summary: Cristina knew this wasn't in the plan. He wasn't in the plan. Neither of the Preston Burkes were, actually.
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Cristina looked down at the little boy's face, taking in his soft black hair and the tiny dimple in his chin. He puckered his lips slightly in his sleep, blowing a raspberry. Cristina felt Burke's embrace behind her tighten, and she smiled, as he rested his chin on her shoulder and looked down at their little boy.
He looks like Burke. He looks like Burke when he's sleeping. Cristina cautiously ran one hand over the back of the baby's head, combing his thick hair with her fingers. One of Burke's arms was looped around her waist as they sat together on the hospital bed, the other was holding the back of hers as they supported the baby's head.
Preston puckered his lips again in his sleep, making a soft 'puh!' sound. The tip of his pink tongue was visible from between his now open lips, and Cristina looked down and realized he had his father's mouth, too. She managed a tiny smile, wondering if he would be a trumpet player. Burke would make a good teacher to him, patient and willing to give out helpful hints.
Cristina knew this wasn't in the plan. He wasn't in the plan. Neither of the Preston Burkes were, actually. The plan was to not fail, to get into the top surgical program in the country, which she did. The plan was to work her ass off, to pull extra hours and practice suturing bananas, until she was the Best, and everyone knew it. Cristina had done that, too, all the way up to halfway through her seventh month, when Burke had put his foot down. The plan was to make Chief Resident, then become head of whatever specialty she'd chosen. She's a pioneer for young surgeons everywhere, renowned for her talent and dedication towards her career. She'd be the youngest Chief of Surgery in the country, not to mention one of the only female ones, and she would be the Best.
When she had first pulled her motorcycle up to Seattle Grace Hospital and yanked the helmet off her head, a few people had literally taken notice. Cristina Yang was hardcore, she was fierce and when the shoving started, she'd be the first to push. She was competitive, but that was her right. She wanted to keep her title, as Best of the Best. She was not at Seattle Grace to make friends or form attachments, she was there to learn, improve, and prove herself.
Yet she'd fallen for her boss. And nine months ago, when the stick had turned blue only two weeks after she had been married to Burke, she knew she would never be able to terminate the small life force growing inside of her. She looked at Burke, and she knew.
She didn't tell him about the pregnancy for a week and a half; in fact she avoided him like the plague. Instead, she sat in on-call rooms and thought about their future, wondered how this small child was going to affect her life, her Plan. Just the thought of having a baby didn't thrill her right away, she didn't know anything about babies that didn't come right out of a med school textbook. She didn't know how to handle them, and in all honesty she had no interest in doing so. She hated children, they made her uncomfortable and they scared her. Burke would be great with the baby, she knew, but he'd smirk at her when she couldn't get it to stop crying, or when she wasn't able to tell what was wrong.
Cristina looked down at the tiny child resting in her arms, and she still felt the fear. She still worried about what it would do to her career, how it would affect her plans. But it slowly donned on her that those were the exact same fears she'd had when she'd thought about getting serious, and then marrying, Burke. She smiled to herself. And that one turned out okay, didn't it?
Preston shifted in his sleep, rolling a bit in Cristina's arm. Burke tightened his embrace around her, craning his head over her shoulder to make sure the baby was okay. Preston let out a soft gurgle, blowing another raspberry before opening his eyes.
Cristina let out a soft breath. Before, when the nurse had first handed him to her right after he was delivered, his face was screwed up and flaming red, and she hadn't really got a look at his eyes. She could see Burke grinning out of the corner of her eye, and couldn't help letting out a little laugh. Burke's grin widened, as he turned his neck to kiss the side of her head.
"He's beautiful, isn't he," he murmured. Cristina felt herself tense slightly for a second, she really wasn't the type to coo over babies or go gaga every time she saw a stroller. But as she felt Burke's arm around her, and looked down at her husband in miniature, she had to smile, letting herself relax as the first little maternal spell that would show up so rarely in the coming years washed over her.
"Yeah," she said softly. "Yeah, he is."