Distilled Hearts (It's How We Breathe)
chapter two, "Cupid's Machine Gun."
By greyeyedgirl
"Woah," Isobel Stevens breathed, looking at the wreckage being wheeled into the OR. Cristina stood on her tiptoes, trying to see past Izzie's tall frame to where the action was, then pushed her out of the way, stepping forward.
"Ohhhh. Mine!" Cristina made a break for a nearby gurney, a man bleeding heavily from the head. At the same time, Burke noticed a man on the other side of the room, bleeding from the chest, and ran over.
"GSW to the chest, found at a restaurant after a shooting, we've got more coming in," The EMT pushed the gurney closer, as several people crowded around, one of them Dr. Burke. "Let's get this guy to the OR," Burke said, looking down. He glanced at the EMT momentarily. "Any one we should call?"
"My fiance's coming from the restaurant," The guy wheezed, obviously in a lot of pain. Burke looked down at him.
"All right, people, let's move."
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Burke exited the Operating Room an hour and a half later, wiping the sweat from his brow. It had been a difficult surgery, more than he'd expected. The bullet had proved reluctant to be removed, and then there'd been damage to be repaired. The guy had made it, though. He was fine for now.
On the other side of the hospital, Cristina stood with Bailey, looking down over a man with severe head lacerations.
"Twenty-nine year old male, suffering from severe lacerations and a GSW to the head, it looks like it just grazed, right there? You can see it where it brushed the skull, then became enlodged in the left front?" Cristina pointed, somewhat eagerly, to the spot on the head spouting blood.
"All right, Cristina, go get the results from the labs," Cristina nodded to Bailey, rushing off. "It's all right," Bailey said to the patient, nodding her head. "Sir, can you tell me your name? Someone we should call?"
"Na-Nathan Burke," the man murmured, his face straining with pain. "I was supposed to meet my wife at the restaurant, we got separated, she was watching the kids...we're just visiting," he said. "I can give you her number at the hotel..."
"Does she have a cell phone? If she heard about the shooting, I'm sure she'll be worried..."
Nate nodded, muttering the numbers as Bailey took a pen. "Don't...tell her what happened, all right? That there's a bullet in my head. It'll freak her out, it'll freak the kids out. This is supposed to be a fun little trip, the kids have been here before, they love Seattle, we were going to visit my brother...he's a doctor here you know..."
Bailey looked up from where she'd been double checking the notepad. "Dr. Burke?"
"Preston. You know him?"
Bailey nodded, staring down at him, then tried to smile. "Well, you just relax, Mr. Burke. We're going to take good care of you."
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"Dr. Yang, I need to speak with you." Bailey was quiet as she took Cristina aside, Cristina looked at her, bewildered, as she held on to the labs she had just got back.
"Um...Dr. Bailey?"
"Cristina," Bailey said softly. Cristina just looked at her. "The patient's name. Our patient. His name is Nathan Burke."
Cristina stared at her blankly. "Um...okay..." She shook her head in confusion. Bailey looked down, pained.
"He said he's in town to visit his brother. A brother who...is a surgeon here, and his first name is Preston."
Cristina took a step backwards. "That's Burke's brother?"
Bailey nodded sympathetically. "I'm afraid so." She looked down. "You are...of course...excused from this case..."
"No."
Bailey looked up at her. "Excuse me?"
Cristina looked at her, her lips tight, trying to shrug it off. "No big deal. Burke's brother. It's no big deal, I can do this." She tried to smile. Bailey looked at her incredulously, before turning and stalking off. "Interns," she muttered to herself. "So damn cocky..."
Cristina stared after her for a few moments, the forced, nonchalant smile frozen on her face.
"So. What time do you think you're going to get off tonight?"
Cristina jumped, spinning around.
"Burke!"
Burke smiled benignly, looking down. "You didn't answer the question. What have you got?"
"Um...a GSW."
Burke looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Well, I figured," he said laughing.
"A guy. With a GSW. To the head. Very bad," Cristina said quickly, nodding, frowning as she spoke. Burke raised the other eyebrow.
"Well, I just wanted to tell you..." He paused. "Don't freak out, all right?"
Cristina looked at him.
"It's no big deal. But my brother-he's a few years younger, he's 29-he's coming to visit me next week, he's bringing his wife and kids, ---"
Cristina gaped silently at him. "Kids?"
"Two. Olivia's...almost four, I believe. Justin's the baby, he's only six or seven months."
Cristina just looked at him. Burke sighed, looking away.
"Cristina. This is not a huge, commitment-crazy opportunity I schemed up to make you feel trapped or nervous. I want you to meet my family."
Cristina didn't respond, then cleared her throat. "I didn't know you had a brother, that's all."
Burke smiled. "Yes. He's three years younger. I have a sister, too, Ashley, but she's older by a year."
"Oh," Cristina said, semi-casually, giving out a small nod. "And...Nate will be here next week?"
"Ye-" Burke broke off, staring. "I didn't say his name was Nate."
Cristina looked at him, her mind flashing. "Of course you did," she said, her voice curiously high pitched. "How else would I have known? God, Burke," she said, forcing a very fake-sounding laugh.
Burke tried to smile, but he couldn't keep the hint of a frown off his face, trying to think back to the conversation.
"So. I have a surgery. But I'll talk to you later, okay?" Cristina looked up at him, her voice the same uncharacteristic pitch.
Burke looked at her curiously. "You're taking this better than I thought you would."
Cristina looked at him with the same nonchalant, fake smile, shrugging. "I guess so," she said, smiling. "Well, you go home, if you're done. You look tired. I'll be there as soon as I scrub out."
Burke watched her for a moment, then nodded, turning away. "See you tonight, Cristina."
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"Hey," Cristina said softly to Nathan, as she followed the two doctors pushing the gurney into the OR. "We called your wife, she's on her way, but we really couldn't wait any longer for the surgery. She said to tell you she loves you."
Nate managed a weak smile as the anesthesiologist pushed the anesthesia.
"It'll be okay," Cristina said. "Just close your eyes, and count backwards to ten..."