Chapter 25.

Magnetic.

Seattle, Washington.

August 1, 2019.

Something about a polished desk made her want to put her feet up on it, so Cristina cleared away the keyboard, the paperwork, and the little knick-knacks Shane had gotten her to warm the place up, and crossed her legs on the lovely surface. She felt like she had gone back in time, back to her first day working at the Institute in Switzerland, before she lost Phyllis, before Collin was even born, before the twins and Henry and reuniting with Owen.

Before life got so much more complicated.

Cristina stayed that way for a while, letting her mind run wild. Owen was working first shift at the hospital today, and she had sent one of her minions to check and see if her two problem children, Callie and Adham, were also working. It was a real secret party at the hospital. Callie might let her secret out and ruin her life while she was right across the road, and still too far away to defend herself. Adham might go to the daycare to visit Henry, which Cristina has explicitly forbidden, and Owen might walk in and find him hovering over Henry. It was possible, also, that Owen would make the connection himself – but that was the least likely scenario. Cristina had decided long ago that Henry looked nothing like his father, with a different skin tone, and features that were much closer to hers. His hair was also getting thick and puffy, less curly than when he was born, and his sightless eyes were getting darker as he got older, like hers.

She might have been stressed by all of these possibilities flitting around in her head, but being at this new research facility, with her feet propped up on her new desk, with bright future mapped out before her, took the edge off of it.

Shane came to her office around noon, delivering a stack of papers he had compiled for her. He took a seat across from her desk, mimicking her posture, and they started filling things out in tandem. It was just like old times, except Shane was no longer her student, but her colleague, and she was not the head of this place, but a lowly employee.

It felt better that way.

"If they shortened this paperwork, maybe more people would revolutionize medicine," Shane grumbled as he turned over yet another form, sliding it across her desk for her to sign.

Cristina scribbled her signature and the date, sliding it back. "Maybe."

"Why are you so… chipper?"

"I got a shiny new office."

Shane was still a young man, though deep into his thirties now. His smile made him look like a plucky intern again. Having him there was a comfort he could never understand.

He waited a few minutes before speaking again. "If you want, since you have two jobs now, I could help out with Henry. I could take him to see Dr. Farrah sometimes."

Shane had offered that before. Cristina nodded to the idea. She had gotten the same from Meredith, and it lifted the burden away from her a little. Sometimes she thought about the great lengths she was going to, just to keep Owen from finding out the truth, and it made her feel like a villain. It was especially hard when Owen twirled around the house with Henry in his arms, or held his hands to help him walk, or stayed up with him in the middle of the night because he had a fever. Callie was right. Owen was his dad, and he had a right to know about Adham.

She had that on her mind when she filled out the last document in her pile, and placed it lightly on the appropriate stack.

"I can finish these," Shane said when she tried to skim some off of his pile. "You should go catch the end of that conference. I know you have a crush on the keynote speaker."

Cristina nodded. "I would definitely leave Owen for Oliver Brightly. He knows it, too."

She got up, stretched, and gazed out the window, happy for her view of the central fountain, and flicked Shane in the ear as she passed him. He swatted at her.

Downstairs in the auditorium, the seats were packed with doctors and researchers attending the opening moments of the Neo-Nate Cardiothoracic Conference. Cristina slipped into the back and watched Oliver Brightly cross the stage with youthful vigor, talking about revolutionary medicine and surgical trials going on at the PCRC at the moment. He was over six feet tall, requiring elevated surgical tables, but his face was soft and boyish. He had a web of curly blonde hair atop his head and eyes as blue as that bottled lightning people put out on Halloween – but Cristina was not attracted to his looks. His mind was something spectacular. He had conceived the Pearlman Centers and made them a reality, brick by brick. He was an incredibly accomplished surgeon, and not even forty yet, with this magical ability to mend very sick hearts.

His speech was drawing to an end when Burke came to stand beside her. He smiled, folded his hands behind his back, and leaned in to say, "He really knows how to kick off a conference."

"Please tell me these people aren't staying here," Cristina responded.

"No, they're all getting bussed to the convention center down on Main Street, after the tour."

Cristina looked out over the crowd, recognizing some of the surgeons in attendance. "He sure can pull the numbers."

"Oliver is magnetic," Burke said simply.

Cristina agreed She watched Oliver Brightly as he came down from the stage and clasped the hand of the first person to approach him. Even as the auditorium began to empty, he moved through them expertly, delivering smiles and greetings all the way. He stopped to fluff his tailored gray suit every now and then, the very definition of high class, but there was this humble light in his eyes, that he was at the same time very proud and very surprised by what he had created.

She could think of no better word for him than 'magnetic.'

Burke nudged her shoulder and motioned toward the stage. "He wanted to talk to you." He nudged her again when she didn't move, laughing, "Cristina? Close your mouth."

She shut her jaw with an audible click, and followed him as he carved a path toward the stage. Burke was a big guy and the crowd seemed to part in his wake, leaving Cristina a free place behind him – she put her hand on the back of his black suit, regretting that she had only dressed business casual today, and got glimpses of their destination as they walked.

Cristina shook the awe off of her face as they came upon the stage, a towering thing made of midnight-blue stained wood, with thick red curtains waiting in the wings. It was much nicer than the stage at Grey-Sloan, but then again, research facilities raked in way more money than hospitals.

"Preston!" Oliver saw Burke approaching over the tops of the heads of his guests, and he quickly excused himself. He barreled toward Burke and wrapped him in a bear hug. "I looked for you when my plane landed, but I think you were in a meeting."

Burke waited until the man released him to respond, clasping him on the shoulder – Cristina suspected he was holding him at bay, to avoid another surprise hug, which Oliver looked more than willing to deliver. "Sorry about that, a trial interview went a little long."

Oliver stared at him for a long moment, like he was drinking him in, and then he finally turned to Cristina. He smiled, an almost dizzying expression, and held out his hand. "Oliver Brightly."

Cristina took his hand and shook it, "Cristina Yang."

"Oh, I know. I know." He laughed. "I've read everything you've ever published, and I'm a big fan of your work with the Lotus Valves."

Cristina was thrown by that, and she grasped for a response, "Um, thank you."

"I hope you've liked it here so far."

"Well, today is actually my first day."

"Ahh. Welcome, then." Oliver shook both of their hands again. "I have to get going, to lead some of the tours. But it was nice seeing you two." He flitted off in the same fashion that he had appeared, greeting people enthusiastically left and right all the way to the back of the auditorium.

Cristina watched him go, murmuring, "I just met Oliver Brightly. I touched his hand. His operating hand. I touched his surgery hand, Burke."

Burke looked at her seriously. "Were you ever this impressed to meet me?"

"I was at first, at that stupid mixer they held before we came in as interns, but you turned out to be a real drag." She found his expression had deepened into a scowl, and she patted his shoulder, giving him a smile. "Lighten up."

He gave a settling hmph and strode off toward a side door. Cristina followed the crowd back to the entrance, getting another passing glance at Oliver as he led a tour group down into the main lobby, no doubt to show off its lovely pillars. She turned right, ran up the stairs, and went back to her office, breathless, to tell Shane about her encounter.

He was even less thrilled than Burke.