Chapter 4

Christina was in a state of shock for days. Burke had told her that he loved her, in his own right about way, and all she could do was sit there with her mouth wide open and look at him. No wonder he left in such a hurry. He looked so embarrassed. Why couldn't she have just said it back and be done with it? She'd decided she would tell him the next time he came around, only he hadn't been back since the whole incident occurred. He was avoiding her.

Christina's first day back at work was slow, and people kept asking her if she was ok, to which she would reply

"Of course I'm ok, would I be here if I wasn't?" She didn't understand why people were being so concerned; her business was no business of theirs.

Bailey was surprisingly nice to her. She got a lot of easy patients, many of whom only needed discharging. This was a relief yet an annoyance to Christina; she wanted the complicated patients, the ones which required thought rather than a signature. She knew also that this would mean she'd have to cross paths with Burke. It would give her a reason to talk to him. The chance never came, and no matter how long she pleaded, Bailey wouldn't give her any 'difficult' patients.

Christina tried all she could during her short morning break to go and find Burke. He was in surgery, which was just her luck really. She went to the usual intern hideaway and stayed there till she had to get back to work. She sat alone, contemplating how she would go about saying it.

Meredith was assisting Doctor Burke in his surgery. It was an open heart surgery on a thirty five year old male. He had been on the waiting list for a year and a half, and a year of that was spent in Seattle Grace due to decreasing health. The heart couldn't have come at a better time.

"Doctor Grey hand me a swap…Doctor Grey?" Burke looked over his magnifying spectacles. Meredith was daydreaming about something and clearly hadn't heard him call her name.

"DOCTOR GREY!" Burke shouted. Meredith came out of her daydream with a start and handed him a swap, peering into the open chest cavity as she did so. The heart was enlarged to a gigantic size, Meredith had never seen anything like it.

"This guy was lucky," Burke said, as if answering Meredith's own thoughts, "Any longer and I think this heart would have given up."

The surgery went as planned, there were no real complications. A slight tear in the aorta meant a few more stitches had to be used compared to normal, but that was nothing for the amazingly experienced Doctor Burke. He finished the surgery and left another surgeon to close the chest cavity. Meredith followed him out of the OR into the scrub up room.

"Doctor Grey, please stop following me" Burke answered before Meredith even had time to speak

"Why haven't you been to see Christina? She thinks she has done something wrong."

"No Doctor Grey, she did not. I, however, did. I don't think I can face her after it. I don't know what to do. What do you suggest I do Doctor Grey?"

He looked her squarely in the face. He looked like a lost little boy. Meredith was amazed. This man, Preston Burke, was a highly acclaimed surgeon. Hospitals all over the country wanted him on their staff, and here he was, asking her for love advice.

Our focus is taken from the two, who are in the scrub room washing their hands after the surgery. They are deep in conversation, Meredith doing most of the talking. Doctor Burke seems to be hanging on her every word.

Izzie was checking up on a patient she had seen on the Friday. It was a fifteen year old teen who had been diagnosed with appendicitis and had to have immediate surgery to correct the problem. She was recovering well.

Alex saw Izzie talking to the teen and was immediately entranced. She looked like an angel, so beautiful. Her skin was flawless, and although her hair was messy, it fell perfectly around her face. He walked slowly to the open door of the room and leant against the door frame. Izzie looked up.

"What do you want Alex?"

"We've had this conversation before Izzie" Alex answered, as he walked into the room. He went to the opposite side of the bed, having to pass Izzie on his way. The space was limited and he had to press up to Izzie's back to get past. Izzie's breathe was caught by the sensation, Alex knew she wanted him, and that was proof. She'd tensed up again. It wasn't hatred that made her do that, definitely not.

Alex checked the teen's temperature and eyes, before smiling and walking from the room. Izzie watched as he walked away.

"He wants you, you know," The teen commented. Izzie had almost forgotten the teen was there, she was too encapsulated by the rhythm of Alex's walk. She snapped out of it and smiled at the teen.

"and you want him to" the teen added.

Izzie looked initially shocked by this, looking at the teen almost in horror. But then her features and expression softened. She was certainly coming around to that idea.

Meredith hadn't seen any of the interns during the morning, and the afternoon would be no different. She went down to their usual hideaway with her lunch, to find Doctor Shepard waiting for her, a chocolate pudding cup in his hand

"I come baring gifts" he said, cocking his head to the side, a cute half smile on his face. Meredith couldn't refuse a proposal like that. The two of them sat together all lunch, kissed quite a lot, then both of them went for the elevator and back to work as if nothing had happened. The only recognition of the event was a sly smirk Doctor Shepard sent her as he left her at the elevator.

"Things are definitely looking up for you Meredith" she said to herself as she walked back to her patients, a silent smile now spreading across her face.