At the age of four and a half Morgan was a very intelligent girl. She had learned how to read at the age of three and had a knack for arithmetic. But her greatest strength was her creativity. It was no surprise to any of her mother's friends that she was smart it was more the creative side that impressed everyone. The child had found a love for all music and had begun taking violin and piano lessons when she was three and a half. Her teachers considered her a child prodigy because she had learned to play very well in six months and in a year had begun composing short songs. Morgan's piano teacher claimed that the only reason Morgan didn't play the harder songs was that her fingers were not long enough to stretch the different intervals.
Cristina was proud of her daughter, as any mother would be. Surprisingly to many, Cristina was able to juggle being an intern and being a single mother very well. Everything had worked out for Cristina, just like Meredith had insisted it would.
Cristina, Morgan and Meredith were at one of the parks close to Cristina's apartment building. While Morgan was playing on the jungle gym, the two friends, Meredith and Cristina, sat on a bench talking.
"Have you heard that Chief Webber is bringing in a new head for cardio?" Meredith asked as she took a sip of water from her bottle.
"Another one? What's this the seventh in five years? What was wrong with Dr. Gordal?" Cristina replied after putting a potato chip in her mouth.
"Dr. Webber said that he wasn't what he was looking for. Dr. Gordal didn't really fit into the whole 'surgical family,'" Meredith told Cristina. "I think he has been trying to fill Dr. Burke's shoes ever since he left. The new guy is supposed to be a pretty good surgeon. Hopefully he'll stay longer than the last six." And maybe mend a few broken bridges too, Meredith thought to herself looking at her friend at her side.
"Hopefully, does the guy have a name?" Cristina asked watching her daughter who had moved to the sand box and was building a castle.
"Dr. Webber told me, but I forgot it," Meredith said slightly wincing at the fact she had lied to her best friend.
"So we're gaining another nameless surgeon who might be gone in six months." Cristina said.
"Don't look at it like that, you've got to be optimistic," Meredith said.
"Right, Meredith, do you have the time?" Cristina asked.
"Yeah it's four thirty. Why?"
"Morgan has got a violin lesson at five fifteen. I need to take her home and get her cleaned up. Look at her, I swear she is the only little girl that tries to get really dirty." Cristina said pointing to her daughter.
"She doesn't look that bad," said Meredith, "My god-daughter just likes to have fun."
"Yeah getting dirty." Cristina said looking at Meredith. "Morgan come on. We gotta' go."
"Coming mommy," Morgan called as she stood up from the sand box. The little girl looked at her pants and tried to dust them off with her hands, causing sand to fall into the sand box. She looked up to see her mother staring at her and decided to flash her mother a big smile, which caused Cristina to laugh.
"Come on munchkin," Cristina said reaching her hand out to grab her daughter's smaller darker one. "Bye Meredith," Cristina said as she and Morgan walked home.
Before they got out of sight Morgan turned around and waved to Meredith, "bye Meredith," she said.
"Bye," Meredith said turning to her car." She felt guilty for not telling Cristina that the new head of cardio was going to be Dr. Preston Burke, Morgan's father.
The next morning Dr. Burke looked around the surgical floor. It was the same as when he had left. Burke had returned because he realized that he did not like all the paper work that came along with being Chief of Surgery. He missed just performing surgery with out the pressure of finishing a ton of paperwork.
Burke had missed Seattle too. He missed the weather not getting too hot and the scenery. Most of all he missed Cristina. After breaking up with her, Burke needed to get away. Being around her constantly was unnerving for him. Every time he had seen her in the hall, he was reminded of the heartbreaking look on her face when she realized that he was ending their relationship. He thought he could get away, but for the past five years whenever he closed his eyes he saw her face.
Burke walked to the Chief's office and knocked on the door.
"Come in," Dr. Webber said. He had been expecting Dr. Burke to come by his office.
"Dr. Webber it's good to see you again." Dr. Burke said as he walked over to the desk and stretched his hand out.
Dr. Webber grabbed the outstretched hand and shook it, "It's good to see you too, Preston. I am glad to finally have you back. We haven't been able to find someone to fill your shoes. I'm curious. What brought you back?"
"The paperwork, there was just too much of it. I also missed the scenery. It feels like I've come home from a long, terrible vacation." Burke told him.
"Didn't think you could handle the paperwork. Although, I thought you would be able to handle the weather you did grow up there," Dr. Webber chuckled to himself.
"Well, it was just a little hotter than I remembered." Burke said. "Everything looks the same."
"Well everything is just about the same. Drs. Shepard are still here as well as Dr. Bailey. Adele is planning a little dinner party tomorrow night. She's invited the Shepards along with Dr. Bailey and her husband. She wanted me to ask if you'd like to join us?"
"I think I may come. I still have to unpack a few boxes, but I'll try. It'd be great to see her again." Dr. Burke said.
"She'd like that. I'll let you get to work. I'm not paying you to sit here and talk with me." Dr. Webber said.
Burke got up and left Dr. Webber's office. His first shift started in twenty minuets, so he went to the attending's locker room to put his things in a locker. As he came out of the locker room, he looked up and saw the woman who had haunted his thoughts for five years, Dr. Cristina Yang.