Burke had to find Cristina. She must be at Meredith's place now. He wondered if she had told Meredith everything. It didn't matter if she did. It didn't matter if she called him an ass. If his Mama were there, she would spite him for treating a woman who had given herself so completely to him that way. Yes, even his Mama would not have accepted this.

Every time he shut his eyes, the image of Cristina's agonizing face haunted him. It wasn't emotional shortcomings that stopped her from reacting. It was her heart. The moment he uttered that, he knew her heart skipped a beat—because his did that as well.

If she yelled back or call him a jerk, he might have felt better. Sometimes when people were fighting, all they cared was to defend themselves. They stopped listening and got louder and louder. Then one person suddenly pulled the trigger, and everything, everything they have worked so hard for got wiped out. Without a trace.

But who could blame him? He was only trying to protect himself. Cristina was wrong. He had long forgotten about how she walked away the first time. He really never held a grudge. But he was scared. He couldn't help wondering if there would be a next time. He could not operate without her. She had become his everything. He knew she had tried her best to be always there. But what if she decided not to? What if she walked away?

He wasn't Preston Burke the renowned surgeon anymore. She had no reason to stay. Once she got bored with all the sophisticated surgeries, she might flee. Once she realized how ordinary and uninteresting he was outside of the OR, she would go away. He was convinced that she stayed only to prove a point—that she would stick.

That didn't make him feel secure at all. It only added to his fear.

Driving frantically through the Seattle rain, he arrived at Meredith's doorstep, only to be greeted coldly by George O'Malley.

"I need to talk to Cristina."

"She's not here."

"I know she's here. Let me in," Burke almost shoved his intern to the door. He was losing his manners. He was acting like a mad man. But he didn't care as he howled.

"Back off," George tried to push his mentor away. i He didn't deserve to be his mentor. He didn't tell anyone about it, because he thought Burke would confess. Instead, he nearly killed his father. There was no friendship, no mentorship left.

Burke was shocked. Wasn't O'Malley his friend?

"I was worried about you. I was there for you. But you put my father's life in jeopardy. You and your blood-thirsty girlfriend," George spoke with distain. He couldn't believe the man he used to admire was nothing but a self-righteous liar.

"It wasn't Cristina's fault—"

"Go away."