Chapter 78: Consider Your Options
After picking up the boys and the pizza, Owen drove up to the house. It was Oliver's turn to push the button to open the gate. The car drove onto the property and Simba and Nala came running up. They were barking happily as they followed the car toward the garage.
"Mrs. Rodriguez was cooler," Cristina quipped as Owen laughed.
"Oh, yeah. Right," Owen retorted.
"Who was Mrs. Rodriguez?" Bronwyn asked.
"My dog. Her hair was falling out and she liked to growl. She was cool," Cristina shared.
"She doesn't sound very cool to me. Our doggies are the superest. They're nice," Bronwyn stated.
The kids, backpacks and various items in hand, made their way inside and Finley returned to carry Ella in. Owen unbuckled Gwendolyn and held her in his arm as he ensured everything had made it from the car to the house. "Oliver? Can you come grab the pizza?" Owen called.
"I can take it," Cristina offered as she picked it up. "I got it, Oliver." When she entered the house, she set the pizza on the counter and said softly, "Wow…this. This is a house."
"Wander around," Owen prodded. "Or, hey, Oliver, can you show Dr. Yang around the house?"
"Sure!" Oliver proclaimed as he jumped up and grasped Cristina's hand.
"You want some Cab to take on the tour?" Owen offered.
"Please," Cristina grinned.
Owen handed her a generous glass of wine and instructed with a fatherly voice, "Don't…spill…" Cristina furrowed her brow and offered a small grin.
After the tour, dinner, and playtime, Owen excused himself to begin the bedtime routine. "Help yourself to anything. Wine's on the counter. Other beverages in the fridge. Make yourself at home," he encouraged as he carried his third glass of wine upstairs and hoped to return as quickly as possible.
The older kids remained downstairs as Owen put the babies to bed. Finley and Oliver sat at the table quietly working on homework. Bronwyn sat on the sofa, staring at Cristina. Cristina strolled around the kitchen, peeking at the photos and artwork on the fridge, and wandered around the Living Room, looking outside at the water.
Sensing Bronwyn's gaze, Cristina walked over to her and flatly asked, "Why are you staring at me?"
"I like your hair. It's curly like mine but super black and pretty. Does it hurt to brush your hair? Sometimes it hurts to brush mine. Mommy says it turns into a rat's nest."
"Yep, same problem. Brush or comb it in the shower when the conditioner is on your hair. It helps," Cristina offered with little emotion.
"You used to work with my daddy, right?" Bronwyn asked. Cristina nodded. Bronwyn continued, "You guys laugh a lot when you talk."
"I guess we do," Cristina agreed vaguely. "We used to be really good friends."
"What happened? Why aren't you really good friends now?" Bronwyn inquired with curiosity.
"I moved far away – to Switzerland. It's hard to be really good friends when you're so far away from each other."
"But you're still Auntie Mer's best friend," Bronwyn attempted to sort out.
"Well, Bronwyn. Being friends with your dad was different than being friends with Mer," Cristina responded as she grew weary of the conversation and walked over to the window.
"Why?" Bronwyn wondered aloud.
No longer able or willing to keep up the charade, Cristina disclosed, "We used to be married a long, long, long time ago." Cristina shrugged and stated the words factually as if the news were nothing significant.
"Whaaaaa?" Oliver asked with shock as he looked up from his homework.
"Bronwyn, my favorite 4-year-old, time for bed," Owen called down.
Bronwyn walked over to Cristina and hugged her legs tightly. Cristina looked down and asked, "What are you doing?"
"C'mere," Bronwyn smiled as she let go of Cristina's legs and curled her index finger over and over.
Cristina bent down and inquired, "What?"
Bronwyn flung her arms around Cristina and kissed her on the lips. "Good night," Bronwyn sung as she sung and ran up the stairs.
As Cristina froze in place dwelling in a sense of shock, Oliver asked her, "Why did you un-marry my dad? Or did he un-marry you?"
"You kids ask a lot of questions," Cristina grumbled.
Finley looked up, chuckled and caught Cristina's eyes. Cristina stared back at him. "Can I get you anything, Dr. Yang? I know my dad's taking a long time," Finley offered.
"Nice of you to ask. I'm good," Cristina replied. "I think I'll go sit outside unless…do I need to stay in here with you two?"
"No, but you're gonna get cold. Take a blanket from the couch," Oliver advised.
Cristina stepped outside and sat in one of the lounge chairs as she watched the water and listened to the night sounds. She closed her eyes as she wrapped up in the blanket and sighed.
"Oliver! Let's get to bed. Finley – you've got 45 minutes," Owen called down.
Simultaneously, both boys responded, "Ok." Oliver cracked open the outside door and said, "I liked meeting you, Dr. Yang. I gotta go to bed now."
"Ok…goodnight," Cristina quipped without moving.
A few minutes later, Finley came outside, "Umm….Dr. Yang?"
"Yes?" Cristina responded without opening her eyes.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but I need some help with my homework and my dad's still upstairs. Can you help me?" Finley asked with hesitation.
Cristina sat up and inquired, "What subject?"
"Biology," Finley responded.
"I can absolutely help with that," Cristina proclaimed as she stood up and walked back inside.
Cristina and Finley were laughing as she explained his homework to him and coached him as he worked. She encouraged him, "Way to go. You're a pro."
"But wait, this next section is different," Finley pointed out with disappointment.
"Oh, it's so easy now that you know the other section. Here, let me make up a problem to explain it," Cristina offered.
Finley heard the garage door open and Amelia stepped in a few moments later. Trying her best to make the situation comfortable and smooth, Amelia grinned happily, "Hi, Cristina. Looks like Finley's hitting you up for homework help, huh?"
"It's no problem," Cristina dismissed. "He's a biology natural." Amelia cocked her head and smiled, not having experienced Finley as gifted in biology.
"Can I get you anything? Wine? Water? A snack?" Amelia asked Cristina.
"Thanks, a refill would be great," Cristina smirked as she looked up from Finley's homework.
Amelia set down a bowl full of pretzels and filled Cristina's wine glass before sitting down on the other side of Finley. She asked him, "How'd the night go?"
"Great. Dad got pizza. Bronwyn was Bronwyn – she asked Dr. Yang a million questions," Finley reported. He turned to Cristina and added, "I kinda felt sorry for you."
"Fin? How's the homework going?" Owen asked as he came down the stairs. "Oh, hey! Hi Aims. You're home early," he observed as he walked over and kissed the top of Amelia's head and stood next to her. "What are the three of you up to?"
"Biology," Finley shared with a happy tone.
"You're least favorite. Saved the hardest homework for last, huh?" Owen inquired.
"It's your least favorite?! Why? You get all this," Cristina insisted as she nudged Finley's shoulder.
"I understand it when you explain it, but not when my teacher tries to explain it," Finley clarified.
"Sounds like we'll need to set up some Skype sessions," Owen chuckled. "Time for bed, Finley."
"Goodnight, Mom," Finley offered as he hugged Amelia. Then he extended his hand to Cristina, "Thanks again for your help, Dr. Yang. It makes so much more sense now."
"You bet," Cristina responded.
"Good night, Dad," Finley shared as he walked by Owen and half hugged him.
"Love you, bud," Owen shared as he grasped Finley more firmly and squeezed.
"You guys have great kids," Cristina complimented Amelia. "Normally, I can't stand kids. Yours aren't so bad. They're…tolerable."
Amelia smirked, holding in shocked laughter, "Thanks, Cristina. Have you guys been able to visit at all? I'm guessing there were many distractions."
"We had some time during dance class," Owen shared. "Oh, hey! Mia…."
"What?" Amelia asked eagerly.
"Gwendolyn crawled today. Maybe about 4 feet the first time in my office and then all over the place here at home. She kept her leg in place. She's got it down. It was fantastic," Owen's face lit up as he described Gwen's accomplishment.
Amelia popped up and wrapped her arms around Owen, "That's incredible." She stood on her toes to reach Owen's face and he leaned down to meet her face. He picked her up and they kissed. Cristina looked at Finley's textbook as if she was oblivious to the romance in front of her. Remembering that Cristina was in the room, Owen put Amelia down. He kissed Amelia's head once again before heading to the kitchen to replace the wine glass he'd left upstairs.
Owen offered, "Mia, can I get you something while I'm in here?"
"No thanks. Sorry to be such a downer, but I had a long shift and I need to crash," Amelia explained. "Cristina, the guest room is made up for you. I wasn't sure if you were heading back to Derek's or not."
"I hadn't even thought about that," Owen stuttered.
Cristina followed, "Me either. I forgot I rode in with you and your kids."
"And we've both been drinking. Guess you're stuck at the Chaotic House of Hunt," Owen proclaimed.
"Do you need to borrow anything? C'mon upstairs with me – I'll get you whatever you need," Amelia offered with a grin.
Cristina felt awkward as her ex-husband's new wife welcomed her so warmly into their home and prepared to lend her clothes, make up remover, and anything else she might need. Amelia led Cristina into the Master Bathroom in search of a brush, cotton balls, and some eye makeup remover.
"Let's see – why don't you search through these drawers for a brush. Really – grab whatever you need in terms of toiletries. The guest bathroom should already have soap, shampoo, all the stuff you'd find in a hotel. I'll go grab you some PJs, a pair of sweats and a t-shirt," Amelia proposed.
Cristina began in the top drawer, feeling very odd about going through Amelia's bathroom even with Amelia's encouragement. She happened to glance up and saw Owen's familiar razors, cologne, and favorite toothpaste on his side of the vanity. She had no interest in sexually connecting with him, but these little everyday items made her miss their companionship. Still in search of a brush, Cristina opened the third drawer and was surprised to see the used pregnancy test. She paused briefly as she noted its result. Quickly closing the drawer and opening the fourth drawer, Cristina found a brush. Her list of basic needs was completed.
Amelia stepped back in with a friendly tone, "Find everything you need?"
"Yeah," Cristina replied with a soft grin. "Thanks again, Amelia. You're a consummate host."
"No problem," Amelia smirked. "Just let us know if you need anything else. Do you know where the guest room is located?"
"Oliver gave me a tour earlier. I'll go set all this in there," Cristina uttered slowly as she recalled the test she'd come across and wondered about it.
"If Oliver gave you the tour, I'm sure it was entertaining. I know he's ours and that I'm biased, but he's among the funniest kids ever," Amelia chuckled.
"He's great. They all are," Cristina smirked. Excusing herself, she added, "I'll let you get some sleep."
"Have fun catching up downstairs. I'm sure Owen is happy to have some time with you. Sleep well," Amelia stated in a bubbly tone as she began to yawn.
Wow is she like 'Ideal 2nd wife' or what?! Cristina thought to herself as she walked down the hall and turned the corner. She has no apparent concerns about me being with him. She's nice to me and pretty much lets me move in and go through her bathroom drawers. Wow. She's well adjusted.
When Cristina returned to the Living Room, her hair was up in an elastic and she was wearing Amelia's sweats and a Harvard sweatshirt. The clothes were far more comfortable than the work clothes she'd worn all day.
"Those look familiar," Owen quipped as he saw her and swallowed a drink of wine.
"She's… uh…. way too nice, Owen. So nice. You went from the Wicked Witch of the West as a wife to Glenda the Good Witch," Cristina observed. "I don't think I would have ever been so gracious to your ex-wife if you'd had one when we were together."
"I planned the order knowing that," Owen sarcastically communicated. His eyelids were beginning to weigh down from the wine and his quips were becoming less thoughtful and less reserved.
"Right," Cristina reckoned as she threw a couch pillow at him.
The two sat down and resumed their conversation that had begun at the dance studio nursery.
"I've been thinking about your predicament," Cristina expressed. "I'm not going to give you specific advice, but I have some questions for you to consider."
"Go for it," Owen invited her as he rested his feet on the coffee table.
"The way I see it, you have a series of considerations, not one choice," she began jotting notes on a notepad. "Before you think about this one more minute, ask yourself about your identity. You're a father, husband, surgeon, soldier, etc. Which is or are most central? Which is most important to you right now – not in the past, not possibly most important in the future. Which is most important right now?"
"Before number 2, an aside: let go of your pride and ego about what you said to Derek. Talk with him about this or not. It doesn't matter. But as long as you hold on to your ego on this, it could affect your process. So, get over yourself."
Owen interjected, "I didn't hear a question there. Just a lot of bossy thoughts."
"Shut up," Cristina continued. "Number 2. Deployment. Does it have to be connected to the Pentagon part? Ask yourself about the timing, location, risk, and length of tour. Are any of those negotiable? Are there creative ways to help the Army out without leaving your family for many months? What are the possible outcomes and consequences if you do go and if you don't?"
"Number 3. The Pentagon Job. Maybe you could be a consultant, even a civilian consultant and work from here or go to DC occasionally if you want the job. Unless you want to relocate. Do you want to relocate? Would you be happy long term in a desk job? Would you miss surgery? If you could design it, what would the ideal arrangement be?"
"So that's all about you," Cristina declared. "Ask and answer those questions and then you'll have a focus for discussing all this with Amelia. And whatever you do, Owen, don't mess things up with her. She's a catch and she's nuts about you."
"She told you that? That she's nuts about me?" Owen queried with a tinge of embarrassment.
"No. I can just tell. She's like a less arrogant, female version of McDreamy. Great hair, attractive, mostly kind and thoughtful, brilliant, dedicated, blah, blah, blah…the list goes on and on. If she's not your first priority in all this, Owen, you're being an idiot," Cristina acknowledged.
"More wine?" Owen offered.
"Nah…I'm falling asleep as we speak. What time do things get rolling around here in the morning?" Cristina wondered aloud.
Owen chuckled, "The kids will start stirring around 6:30 or so, but the guest room is at the other end of the house. I'm home all day tomorrow – I'm not going in until 6pm so you can sleep as late as you like if you want to wait to go in. Otherwise, you can go in with Amelia – she'll leave at about 7:40 with the 3 older kids." Reaching for her wine glass, Owen grasped it and set it on the table. He stood up and reached toward Cristina to help her stand.
As she stood, he embraced her innocently and like a sister. She returned the embrace as she heard him say softly, "Thanks for your insights."