Cristina sags against the bathroom door as the water heats up. Burke's stuck at the hospital and it's too still in his place. She's had enough stillness today.
She feels like she's moving through a fog, that even though everything is okay, that life is much more feeble, much more hard to understand.
The thought that has been running through her head all day resurfaces: The two people I love could have died today. I could have died.
She lets her hair loose from its knot and steps under the hot water; her body jumping back a little as she realizes the water's too scalding. She adjusts the knob and then steps back underneath, letting the stream of warm water moisten her hair and run down her back, some of the tiredness seeping out of her body. She concentrates on her breathing, her eyes watching the steam rise up and over the shower curtain.
At some point she hears Burke call her name. "In here," she yells before stepping back under the now tepid water. She turns the knob up and the water reheats just enough to be enjoyable again.
She doesn't notice when Burke enters the bathroom, but suddenly he's pulling back the curtain and stepping towards her and she can't quite catch her breath.
She saw him briefly after everything was over and he had given her a quick hug—the extent of any emotion they showed in public—he'd had paperwork to worry about as well as fielding congratulations from everyone and she'd disappeared in search of Meredith.
As Cristina envisions her day again, everything starts to come back to the surface again and when Burke whispers in her ear, it pushes her over the edge. She sniffles and glances down at her feet, not wanting to look up at him.
But he notices. He pulls her towards him, lifting up her chin with his hand. His strong hands. "Hey," he murmurs. She can feel her chin quiver and she hears her sob echo hauntingly off the shower tiles. "Hey," he says again, hugging her. He runs his fingers through her hair, soothing her as she lets it all out, her ribcage shaking under his hands as she tries to breathe.
"You…I almost lost…and Meredith," she gasps, trying to speak, frustrated with herself for losing it.
"I'm still here," he says calmly. She nods, wiping at her eyes. She smiles weakly up at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and standing on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. Their mouths meet, softly and hesitantly at first, but grow more passionate and needy.
He gives her a small smile as they break apart and she smiles back, resting her forehead on his chest. They stand there, in an embrace, until the water runs cold.