Cristina pushed open the door to their apartment and let out a long sigh. It had been a long day between the autotransplantation and the baby and her bumped surgeries. She glanced at the clock and wondered exactly how long Burke would take wrapping up that last emergent surgery.
"So much for dinner tonight." She muttered to herself and pulled out her cell phone to dial their favorite Chinese restaurant and order in.
After ordering their usual, she padded across the cold floor of their apartment into the bedroom to snatch up a tank top and a pair of his pajama pants and into the bathroom. She shed herself of her jeans and button up and slid into her more comfortable clothing and glanced up to a small purple container sitting on the medicine cabinet.
When she picked it up, it suddenly felt like a lead brick to her and she studied it carefully, flipping open the lid to reveal the little miniature pills that kept her from getting pregnant and kept Burke from getting what he wanted. Her eyes glanced through the different weeks and saw that she was ready to start her new pack.
She sat it down and plucked her cup from the counter, filling it with a small amount of water and she traveled back into the kitchen. Pulling the drawer open she pulled a new package from it and opened it's packaging.
It would be so easy to just take the pill and continue on with their life as it was. Their marriage was far from monotonous or boring, and she liked it that way. They played their games, they enjoyed their nights together. They went out to dinner often. They spent hours in each other's arms.
But there was no purpose other than just being with each other.
She ran her fingers over the little bubbles of plastic formed by the pills in their packaging as her mind traced over the possibilities. If she quit taking her pills now, they would have a kid within the next two years. Right in the middle of her fellowship or as it was ending. The time off would only extend it a couple of months.
Not that it mattered. She was well qualified to sit for her exams now, it was just a matter of completing the time requirements.
Cristina began working out in her mind how she could put in extra hours now and clear those hour requirements well before she ever gave birth so when her deadline came up, she'd still be eligible.
She ran her hand through her hair irritated with herself. Something in her had to want this child because there would be no way that she was trying to figure out how to make it work if she didn't. Letting out a long sigh, she dropped the pills into the trash.
Walking away only for a moment, she came back to them and plucked them out of the canister. She didn't want to take any chances.
As she dropped each pill into the toilet, she became a little more excited to see the look on Burke's face whenever she told him that they could try. After the entire packet was emptied, she pulled the lever and watched them all float away.
Her last line of defense against motherhood gone, she began to hope that she could do this for Burke. She secretly hoped that she could do it for herself as well, to prove her every nagging doubt wrong. She still wasn't 100 sure that she wanted this child. She did know, however, that she wanted Burke to be happy and she knew that the idea of having a purpose more than surgery and marriage was just another challenge for her to overcome.
And Cristina Yang was competitive to a fault.
She jumped as she heard a knock on the door and she remembered the Chinese order she'd called in and grabbed her cash off of the dresser before making her way to the door. When she pulled open the door she was surprised to see Burke standing there with a bag of Chinese.
"Oh, don't tell me you stopped to get dinner."
"No, I caught the delivery boy on the way up the stairs." He sat the bags down on the counter and pulled her close to him, pressing her body against his. "I'm not really hungry right now." He mumbled, dipping to kiss her softly.
"Oh?" She sighed delightfully as he trailed his lips over her neck. It was like he already knew what was coming.
"It's been one of those days." He confirmed as he slid his hands up her sides agonizingly slow.
Cristina grinned as she ran her fingers over the back of his neck, "I love those days."
He walked them back towards the bedroom, his mouth still trailing over her hot skin. Running his hands over the hem of her tank top and worked it up over her head, "I love coming home after one of those days."
She smirked for a second as she thought of teasing him by pulling away to go eat her dinner, but as he pulled the shirt away from her body and moved his mouth over the newly bared flesh she lost all coherent thought.
The only thing that mattered now was him.
As they made love, Cristina reveled in the way that Burke not only anticipated her every need, but how he took his time to meet them. He always made their lovemaking all about her. Every kiss, every soft touch, every gaze met was deliberate and perfect. Being together was as natural for them as breathing.
Afterwards, Burke pulled Cristina close, his lips brushing over her forehead. He spoke softly of his day, venting his frustrations with the various insurance companies that demand he use a certain type of suture and the countless time lost on the phone arguing with their representatives.
Cristina lay there silently, tracing patterns against his glistening skin as he spoke. She heard his words, but her mind was trailing over the fact that she'd just had unprotected sex with him. She smirked at herself. She knew that she wouldn't get pregnant so soon, she'd only quit taking her pill tonight.
"You're quiet." He observed, his voice slicing through her thoughts.
She glanced up at him, trying to devise the best way to tell him exactly what was on her mind. She let a small grin play upon her lips, "Do you know how expensive therapy is?"
He was taken aback by the question and then gave her a simple nod, "I'm fairly certain that we can afford it."
Cristina focused her gaze on his for a moment, seeing the growing excitement in his eyes and she felt a quiver in her voice as she shot back her reply, "Well, I hope so."
Burke pulled her closer, needing no more validation.
As their dinner lay on the counter long forgotten, they made love a second and third time. Every time, the sex only got better and better and as Cristina dozed off afterwards she couldn't help but smile at the fact that Burke now had a purpose long before their child would ever be here.