Baby A.
February 15, 2017.
Seattle, Washington.
It had been twenty-six minutes since Addison Montgomery had rushed into the OR. Meredith had been unconscious for almost an hour. He knew nothing of the status of the other twin, but the one in his arms was healthy, if not a little underweight. He was standing with her, staring at her sleeping face, while his lover rocked steadily in one of the nearby maternity chairs. She had been standing too long today and she had already thrown up twice. One of the OB/GYN's was crouched beside her, urging her to drink from a cup of ice water. She was refusing.
Owen bounced the baby gently, retreating to the chair beside Cristina. Their eyes met. She smiled weakly, glancing at the baby, and then finally took a sip of water. She ran her hand up and down her stomach, which was almost larger than Meredith's had been.
"Her name is Ellis," Cristina croaked, clearing her throat. "Ellis Shepherd."
He nodded, switching his arms around to help ease a sore spot. He had been holding her for a while and she seemed to be getting heavier. "Which was she?"
"Baby B." Cristina sat up a little, looking at the baby. She had warmth in her eyes, but she also looked exhausted. It had been a long morning. "She looks like Derek."
He could see the resemblance, even in such a young face. Ellis was fair-skinned, with a tuft of fine black hair on the top of her head. She would have curly hair, just like her father. He could already see it. She would probably be thin, like her mother, and she would keep those startling blue eyes. Her black hair would grow long and form ringlets over her shoulders. She would be beautiful, but it would be tragic if she was alone. Her mother and her sister had to survive.
Cristina sighed, lifting her shirt a little to press her fist into her side. She glared at the doctor beside her, who stirred every time she did. "Dude, seriously, go somewhere. Every time you move I think I'm going to spontaneously drop a baby."
The other doctor looked at Owen for approval.
"Go. I'll keep an eye on her."
Cristina continued to massage her stomach, watching the fleeing doctor until he was on the other side of the door. She laid her head back into the chair. "What a tool."
Owen laughed. "Go easy on him. You look a little off-kilter."
"I am, but not because of the pregnancy." She lifted her head, staring at him and then dropping her eyes to the baby. "I just keep thinking about what life would be like…"
He hated the tremor in her voice. "Meredith is in good hands."
"I know. I know that." She reached out for him, and he held the baby with one arm so he could take her hand. She pulled it to her face and shut her eyes. "I just need information. Can you go see what's going on? I'm fine. I'm really fine."
He had to debate on that one. He had found her standing in that room, standing in her friend's blood, holding the baby and shaking like a leaf. He brought her here to help her calm down, and it seemed to be working. She was actually sitting, resting. She was sipping dutifully from her little plastic cup. She occasionally nibbled on a cookie. He liked having her here where doctors and nurses were always passing through, because he expected her to drop like Meredith any moment.
He wanted to know what was happening, too. Meredith was his friend and she meant so much to Cristina. His desire for news was not as strong as his desire to protect Cristina though. He would know no greater pain than losing her.
"Hey," Cristina whispered, sensing his agitation. Her eyes were soft for the first time that day. She urged him closer, until she could rest her head on his hip. "Give me the baby. You can just tell one of the nurses to watch me."
He leaned down, carefully delivering the baby to her arms. "I'm surprised you're not trying to escape and go by yourself."
She took the baby like it was made of porcelain, smiling down at her with the same affection he had seen her show to Collin. It was a powerful maternal instinct, one that seemed to light up her world. She shrugged at his question. "I feel like vomiting and the room is vibrating a little bit. I think I'll stay right here."
He crouched, pressing his fingers to the joint of her wrist, right where a vein crossed over her radius. Her pulse was strong. "I'll ask Dr. Warner to come back in."
"Yeah, please do. Wait, who is that?"
"The tool."
She smiled a little. "Ah. Tell him to bring more cookies."
He watched her, admiring how gentle she was with the newborn. "I could put her in the bassinet, if you want to rest. That chair lays back."
"No, no," Cristina said, reaching down to lean the chair back. She was still staring at the baby, never letting her eyes stray. "Meredith is in surgery. Baby A might… might be dead already. I have to hold Ellis. For Meredith. I have to hold her."
He leaned down and kissed her forehead, wishing she didn't sound so desperate. "I'll be back soon. Try not to go into labor."
"I make no promises."
He left her cooing over the baby, with a nurse hovering in the doorway to watch her. His nerves took over as he headed upstairs, and recalled, quite violently, how this morning had begun. He had to stop in the middle of the hallway, experiencing flashes of his most recent nightmares. Cristina, losing her life in childbirth. It blended with the sound of a helicopter thrumming in the distance, with the taste of sand in his mouth, with the heat of a grenade blast.
Someone touched his shoulder and the hospital came back into focus.
"Owen? Are you okay?"
Callie stood behind him, holding Collin on her left hip. Her eyes were wide. Her expression made him wonder just how freaked out he looked. "W-What?" he responded, stuttering.
"You were just standing there, holding your head," Callie informed him, glancing around. "Did you bump into that invisible chandelier back there?"
Collin started crying and reaching for him. He was the only child that refused to stay in the daycare. He had severe separation anxiety and he had bonded somewhat with Callie, so he had gone willingly with her when Owen had escorted Cristina down to the nursery. He was just realizing that he had been separated from his parents, and he was very upset. When Owen took him, his crying stopped and he shoved half his hand in his mouth, sniffling.
Owen wished he could get over his distress that easily. He leaned against the wall, taking a few deep, deep breaths to get his nerves to settle.
Callie put her hand on his shoulder. Her voice fell into a kinder tone. "Hey, you okay? Because you look like you're freaking out."
"I'm not… freaking out," he said, forcing himself upright.
"Whoa, I'm not challenging your manhood here. I've seen you all sweaty and shaky before, remember? It didn't go too well."
That night in the bedroom. He could remember it clearly. Callie had come in to find him choking Cristina in his sleep. He could not remember her entry, only how she had looked at him when he finally realized where he was. It had been an unforgettable event.
"Let's sit down for a sec."
"I have to go see what's happening."
"I know what's happening. Come sit down and I'll tell you."
He sighed, following her to a nearby bench and slumping onto it. "Fine. I'm sitting. What's going on with Meredith? Is she alive?"
"Would I look so chipper if she were dead?" Callie responded.
Owen smiled. It was such a relief to hear that. "And what about Baby A?"
"Alexandra is alive. Alex performed an emergency trach and she's on oxygen. Her throat is messed up, but he's hopeful. With the right plastic surgeon she could make a full recovery."
"Alexandra?"
"Lexie for short."
He nodded. He had forgotten that Meredith wanted to name her children after the people she had lost. Ellis was her mother, who had died from Alzheimer's, and Lexie was her little sister, killed in the plane crash. It was cruel irony, to have Lexie go through so much during her birth. It was like Meredith was being punished again, losing the same person twice.
Callie rubbed his shoulder, twisting her lips. "Um, so, Meredith is stable. I think they were setting up a transfusion for her when I left. Addison swooped in like a vagina ninja and nipped that internal bleeding in the bud. She's going to check on the baby now. I was just taking Collin down there."
"I'll join you guys, if that's okay."
"Do you want some water first?"
"I'm fine."
She stopped him from getting up, putting on her serious eyebrows. "Owen Hunt, if you don't come with me to get some water right now I'll call the psych ward on your ass."
"Well that escalated quickly," he responded. He wasn't sure if she was serious.
"We are done with tragedy here. Do you hear me? Done with it. And you look like you could totally flip a table right now. So we're going down to get some ice water and you're gonna let yourself calm down. I'm done with tragedy."
He tried to speak.
She held up her finger. "Done with it. Get your ass in gear."
