*Author's Note- I want to say a big thank you to those loyal readers and reviewers as well as to those new to the story. I truly appreciate all of the reviews. Thanks so much.


" Are you sure everything is working properly?" asked a puzzled Derek as he looked at the EEG monitor.

" Dr. Shepherd, I've been doing this for almost thirty years. I can assure you that the equipment is functioning properly. His results are remarkably well," replied the technician as he began removing the electrodes from Owen's scalp.

" Thanks for the help," said Derek as the technician handed him Owen's chart, which contained the results of the EEG. He stared at the papers as the technician exited. A puzzled look washed over his face as Derek looked from the results to Owen's seemingly lifeless body.

" I know you're in there somewhere Hunt. Don't give in just yet. Keep fighting." Looking at his watch, Derek realized both Cristina and Meredith's surgeries should be finished soon. He walked towards the door and paused before letting out a laugh.

" The thought of a grieving Cristina scares me. "


" Have you seen Cristina?" Derek asked Meredith who was sitting at the nurse's station outside of the ICU.

" No. I just got out of surgery about twenty minutes ago. Are those Owen's test results?" she questioned.

" Dr. Bailey, have you seen Yang?" he asked again as Bailey approached the two.

" I just saw her speaking with her patient's family. Are those Hunt's EEG results?"

" They are."

" What do they look like?" questioned Meredith.

" I'm not discussing the results until we can find Cristina. She's still officially his next-of-kin," replied Derek. A few minutes later Cristina burst through the nearby doors wearing Owen's scrub cap.

" Cristina."

" Are those his test results?" she asked as she took the chart from Derek.

" They are. Cristina, I want you to be prepared," he said as Cristina started to read over the results. With a sigh, she closed the chart and placed it on the counter. She slowly removed the scrub cap then turned and entered Owen's room, closing the door behind her.

" It's bad, isn't it? He's not going to wake up, is he?" Meredith asked, her voice filled with dread.

" Are you sure these are right?" asked a confused Bailey.

" I asked the technician the same thing."

" It's just…that…"

" What?" exclaimed Meredith as she took the chart from Bailey and anxiously read over it.

Are you sure?"

" I'm just as puzzled as you are. His MRI shows no apparent brain damage and the EEG is as close to normal as it can be. There's still a chance that he has brain damage that wasn't visible on the MRI. I've got another MRI scheduled in a few days if he doesn't wake up first."

" So he's in a coma, but has no apparent brain damage, and has signs of normal brain activity," Bailey said slowly as she tried to make sense of the information.

" I know. It doesn't make much sense…but when you think about it, none of this makes sense. What in the world possessed him to tackle a man with a gun and then try to wrestle it away from him?" questioned Derek.

" I don't know, but when he wakes up, I'm going to let him have it. Damned savior complex," Meredith muttered.


" The results of your EEG came back. Shepherd says they look good…so does your MRI, " Cristina said absent mindedly as she sat down at Owen's bedside. Not being one for small talk, she racked her brain for things to say in hopes her voice might awaken him.

So April was covering the ER this morning when this frat boy comes in, complaining of severe stomach pain. I was doing a consult and could smell the alcohol from across the room. Before she can get him back to a bed, he vomits all over her. They get back to Exam 2 and Kepner asks him to lie down so she can examine him. The guy refuses to sit then asks if he could see a male doctor. Jackson just happened to be downstairs at this point, so he agrees to examine the guy. It turns out that the guy had been at a frat party the previous night and drank so much he passed out. His frat brothers had taken it upon themselves to stick things up his backdoor. The X-Ray showed several foreign objects. After forty-five minutes of trying, Jackson decides that whatever is up there isn't going to come out without help so he pages someone from General Surgery and they take him upstairs to remove the objects surgically. Turns out the guy had two Matchbox cars and a plastic army guy inside of him." Cristina paused, waiting for some sort of reaction from Owen. The hissing of the ventilator and the beeping of monitors penetrated the otherwise silent room. Cristina sighed and reached for Owen's hand, taking it in hers.

"From the minute that you jumped out of that ambulance after traching the guy with a ballpoint pen, I felt a crazy attraction to you. Between that and you stapling your thigh shut without any anesthetic…" she said, trailing off as her pager began beeping. Cristina let go of Owen's hand to check the display. It was the ER. She stood, walked over to the phone in Owen's room, and dialed the number that was on the screen.

" This is Dr. Yang."

" Dr. Yang, we've got a cardiac patient being brought in," stated a nurse.

" What's the ETA?"

" Five minutes," replied the nurse. Cristina turned around suddenly as several of the monitors in the room began beeping.

" Something's come up. Page Dr. Russell," instructed Cristina as she hung up.


A strange sensation ripped through Owen's body, startling him. It took him a moment to realize that he was back in his body and not in "limbo" or whatever it was. An agonizing, excruciating pain unlike anything he had ever felt consumed every inch of his body. What was going on? What had happened? Where was he?

" Owen?" Cristina rushed to his side as her eyes scanned the various monitors around her.

Owen. Can you hear me?"

" Owen. Can you hear me?"

In the midst of the panic, he heard a voice. Her voice. Cristina was there.

Cristina looked down as she felt something brush against her wrist.

" Owen?" She felt her heart pounding hard in her chest as she focused on his right hand, almost willing it to move again. Nothing. Had she imagined it? There it was again. The movement was so small and quick, if Cristina had blinked, she would have missed it. His fingers twitched several more times causing Cristina to race to the door where she pounded loudly on the glass, alerting a nurse.

" I need you to page Dr. Grey 911. NOW!"


Meredith yawned as she sat down in the locker room. Her shifts had gotten extra tiring as her pregnancy progressed. She slid on a pair of flats and placed her lab coat and tennis shoes into her locker. All she wanted to do was go home and take an extra long bubble bath. As Meredith slung her bag over her shoulder, her pager inside started incessantly beeping. A groan escaped her mouth as she rifled through her purse and extracted the pager.

'911 ICU.' Meredith exited the locker room and ran as fast as she could to the elevators. There was no way she was going to make it up the stairs with the way her feet ached.

Everything was happening at once now it seemed. He mustered up every ounce of strength as he fought to take a breath. A new wave of panic surged through Owen's body as he found himself struggling to breathe, his chest feeling as if it would crush from the suffocation.

" What's going on?" Meredith asked as she entered Owen's room, pausing to catch her breath.

" He was moving his hand just a few minutes ago," explained Cristina as another monitor began beeping.

" He's triggering the vent," replied Meredith as a choking sound escaped Owen's mouth. Cristina stood motionless as Owen's head thrashed around, fighting the tube that had been helping him breath. She stepped forward and grasped his hand.

" Owen. It's okay. Mer is here. You need to relax so she can get the tube out," Cristina explained calmly as Meredith put a stethoscope to his chest. The two watched as Owen's body began visibly relaxed at Cristina's words. Within seconds, the tube was removed and he was placed on regular oxygen.

" Owen. It's Meredith. I know you're in a lot of pain right now, but if you can hear me, I need you to squeeze my hand." She focused her attention on Owen's hand, which was resting in hers. For a split second it felt as if time stopped. Maybe it was too good to be true.

" Mer, I swear he moved his hand."

" I believe you. Give him some time." Cristina sighed then leaned into to place a kiss on Owen's lips.

" Owen Matthew Hunt, stop being stubborn and squeeze her damn hand." A smile crept across Meredith's face at the change in Cristina's demeanor. Even though Cristina was not always the best at expressing her feelings, it was clear just how much she cared for Owen. He was most definitely her person. A light squeeze startled Meredith.

" Page Dr. Shepherd for me," she instructed a nurse who had entered.

" Yes Dr. Grey," replied the nurse as she exited. Meredith turned her attention back to Cristina who was holding on tightly to Owen's hand. Even though her face was turned away, Meredith knew her friend was fighting back tears.

" The fact that he is responding to simple commands is a good sign Cristina."

" I know. It's just…it's hard to believe I almost lost him. You know I'm not a sappy person, but…"

" It's okay. I get it," replied Meredith.

" I don't know what I would do," Cristina said, her voice cracking. She laid her head down on the bedrail with a sigh, but almost immediately shot straight back up, her heart racing.

" What's wrong?" asked a concerned Meredith.

" His hand…he just…" Cristina stammered as a low groan echoed in the silence, startling both Meredith and Cristina.

" Owen?" Nothing. Cristina looked at Meredith, a defeated look on her face.

" I'm crazy. All of this…it's making me crazy. I'm hearing.."

" Cristina!" Meredith said, interrupting Cristina in mid-sentence.

" What?"

" Look!" Cristina turned in time to see Owen's eyes flutter open several times.

" Owen?"


Beautiful dawn - melt with the stars again.

Do you remember the day when my journey began?

Will you remember the end (of time)?

Beautiful dawn - You're just blowing my mind again.

Thought I was born to endless night, until you shine.

High

Running wild among all the stars above.

Sometimes it's hard to believe you remember me.

Will you be my shoulder when I'm grey and older?

Promise me tomorrow starts with you

~James Blunt~ High