A Love That Will Never Grow Old

Chapter 8-yayyyyyyyyy me.

A/n: It's 3:47 in the morning, and I HAVE to stop writing at 6:30 so I can make my coffee, shove my freshly-laundered gym clothes in my bag, and brush my teeth again, before I leave at 6:50 for school. I still have to do four pages of Economics homework, not counting actually reading the chapter.

Wheeeeeee! It's okay. I sort of like avoiding my homework (which I've decided I do to an almost pathological degree). It freaks me out when I walk into the classroom, and I guess I like the little high I get. LOL, I should mention Civics&Economics is my first class.

Something is seriously wrong with me.

But on to the story.

grins Look up I said the word seriously! Go GA!

Okay. I'll stop now. :D

Does anyone else write such long author's notes?

By greyeyedgirl! 3:55 now.

"Dr. Burke said you're sick?"

Cristina looked up from her spot sprawled in the chair, her legs up on its arm, and a twizzler hanging from her teeth. "I am," she informed George.

"Wow. I-I don't know if I could do it, lie to my boss and boyfriend." George laughed a little as he said it.

"Ohmigod, look!" Cristina pointed to just behind George, and when he turned, she quickly licked her hands again. George turned back to her, confused. "See?" Cristina said, offering him her hands. "I'm all clammy."

George stared down at her. "Did you just lick your hands?"

They were interrupted by the sound of the door opening and a jingling of keys. Cristina swallowed the rest of the twizzler whole.

Burke walked into the living room, examining her face cautiously. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine. Much better." She smiled up at him, doing her sick-eyes. He reached for her hands. "You're still clammy."

George made a breathing noise in his throat. "I...I'm going to go to the bathroom."

Burke leaned down at her, pushing a few stray strands of hair out of her face. "You're pretty pale."

You'd be pale too if every time you took a nap you remembered your father molesting you. Cristina shook her head violently. She was not going to remember that. She was not going to remember Ashley.

Burke leaned down once again, kissing her forehead. "I checked in for you. Ashley's surgery is in an hour and a half."

Cristina straightened herself so she was sitting upright in the chair. "Is my dad there?"

"Yes. With his wife and your little brother and sister, I believe."

Cristina pushed her hair backwards over her head with her hand. It settled firmly just behind her ears. "Do you think-would you take me to watch the surgery? Like, you know...from the Observation Deck?"

Burke examined her face closely. "I thought you weren't feeling well?"

Cristina looked back at him, her eyes hooking on his deep brown eyes. "I'm not." Well, it's not a lie.

Burke kept his eyes locked on her. "Sure."

xXxXxXxXxXx

Cristina didn't even bother removing her coat as she settled herself down on the bench, Burke sitting next to her and wrapping his arm loosely around her waist. He pulled her head onto his shoulder.

Dr. Shepherd had just entered the O.R. There was a team of surgeons and nurses surrounding her little sister, with the anesthesiologist sitting to one side. She knew if she pressed her nose to the glass, she would just be able to glimpse Ashley's face. She stayed where she was.

"Hey." Burke kissed the side of her head, reassuringly. He slipped his jacket onto the side of her shoulder, bringing her closer to him. With a jolt she realized she'd been shivering. "It's okay," he murmured lowly. None of the surrounding doctors in the viewing room seemed to notice. They were in their own world, Cristina, Burke, and Ashley, with Dr. Shepherd forced to take landing on a planet he knew nothing about. It was okay, though. He was a good pilot, and he knew how to land, refraining from damage.

xXxXxXxXxXx

A world away in thoughts, but only yards in reality, Ashley lay in a deep sleep as Dr. Shepherd slowly removed her skullcap. She drifted away towards a dream she wouldn't be able to remember, the anesthesia swirling around her like mist. None of the Uglies, the Bad Things, the Beasties, were following her, and she got to play with all the little girls like she wanted to. She could hear one of them giggle in her hazy grey world, coming near her dressed in old-fashioned clothes. "Hi." The young'un said, smiling shyly. "Wanna play?"

"Yeah," said Ashley, following and laughing. "Let's play!"

xXxXxXxXxXx

Cristina shook and rolled over in her sleep, flipping back and forth on the bed, her face screwed into a frown. Dr. Burke woke with a start, opening his eyes to look down at her. She shook restlessly, her tired body turning left and right. "Cristina," he whispered. "Cristina!"

Her whole body rolled violently, her hair twitching on the dark pillow. "Noooooooo." Her moan was so pained, her statement was almost indistinguishable. "No, no, no." Her voice came out in little bursts of pain, her eyes clenched tightly shut, lost in a world of anguish and grief. A nightmare within the nightmare.

"Cristina," Burke said worriedly. "Hey, it's okay, wake up!" He shook the side of her shoulder lightly, staring down at the transformation in her face.

He gently rubbed her hands in his, murmuring reassurances in her hear. She awoke with a start, groaning, tears filling and soaking the pillows. Her hair became messy as her head shook, her face reddening into the familiar beauty. Burke tried frantically to contain her, to stop her cries, but it was to no avail. Then suddenly, as if actually awakening, Cristina seemed to really notice he was there, and her sobs lightened, her breathing erupting harshly. She sat up, still shaking violently, and Burke sat up with her, taking her vibrating body into his arms. "It's okay," he murmured. "You can tell me, it's okay, I'll take care of you, I love you."

"No," Cristina's voice came out in one that was not her own, a lifetime of horror and not being able to escape her past erupting in one final blow, which flew over her and attempted to crush her right into herself.

Cristina spoke again, and once again it was not her voice that escaped, or rather it was hers, but it was raspy and eerie, all in a few syllables. "It's not what people who love each other do," she whispered.

"What?" Burke looked genuinely confused, and pressed his head closer to hers to ear. He sat up quickly, staring at her with a look of shock, that is to say, one who's heard something so incredible, so horrible, and holding so much power, they simply cannot react. "What did he do to you?" He heard himself whisper, his voice a quiet reminder in the dark of what was real, just a contrast to the sound of Cristina's, and such a contrast to her words.

Cristina stared up at him, her eyes wide. "There was so much blood, Burke."

He stared at her, a loss for words.

Cristina's throat seemed to close up on her. "A lot."

He squeezed her hand so tight he thought he might hurt her, staring at her face with a dawning expression, a new realization of exactly what had occurred in Cristina's life. "Will you-can you talk about it?"

Cristina shook a little, Burke wrapped his arms around her and tightened his grip, but Cristina gave out a little nod.

"You don't have to," Burke whispered, tipping his head so just his lips brushed the side of her ear. "If you don't want to." His lips parted and reclosed, kissing her lightly, knowing with a strange feeling of satisfaction he was making her feel better. "But," he whispered, "I think if you don't, this will only continue to tear you up inside." His quiet voice sounded hoarse to his own ears, he could feel her collapsing into him at the familiar sound, one packed with so much love and devotion, caring with protection.

She was shaking very hard against his body, he couldn't seem to hold her hard enough, she was wrapping her arms around him and bringing him closer. "It's okay," she whispered softly, her voice trapped with soft, painful cries, unsteady in sound but its opposite in sanity. "I want to tell you everything."

xXxXxXxXxXx

And...we have an ending! (JUST FOR THIS CHAPTER, OF COURSE! This fic is nowhere neeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrr done. :D) Yay me, it's only 5 in the morning, I'm going to read the chapter I need for my economics homework, then get busy. (Haha, don't you love my charming sarcasm?) Give me lots of nice review, because you know my fic is like candy. Non-fat, yummy-tasting, chocolate-that-won't-kill-your-dog. Pshhhhh, you know you love me. : )