George was staring at the wall. There was nothing more that could go wrong in their lives. The accident, the blindness, the fear, the affair, the secrets, the lies… it was all becoming too much for him to deal with. He focused on breathing, steadily in and out, attempting to forget all the things that had been following them the past few weeks. It's like they had been cursed or something. It was just one big chain of bad and unfortunate events, a chain they hadn't been able to break.

"George?"

He sighed, recognizing the voice instantly and hating his inability to keep a secret. "What is it?"

Cristina slipped down next to him. He'd locked himself away in an empty gallery, marking it as closed for repairs. It was a trick from the secret surgeries, the ones in which there were doctors being operated on; surgeons whose entire reputation was being superhuman in strength and intelligence. Except there wasn't a secret surgery in that operating room below them; it was dark, everything cloaked in a deep gray. "How are you doing?"

He laughed. She was genuinely worried about him, and he was laughing. It wasn't because she'd been humorous, not in the least—it was the nerves, the stress, and the pressure. He regained his composure almost instantly. "You're asking me how I'm doing? What's wrong with this picture? Seriously, you're the one who just found out about Megan…" he paused, because he knew more. He didn't want to say it, not to her. It was Burke's place to tell her, and it was Megan's place to tell him. She'd find out. He'd be there for her when she found out, just like she'd been there for him when Callie had died in 2007. She'd been the operating doctor after the accident. He'd been waiting for her to come home, getting worried. Then the phone rang and he smiled, thinking it was her telling him she'd be right there. "George, it's Cristina. I need you to come up here, okay?"

"Cristina, is everything okay?" He could hear her forcing herself to regulate her breathing, forcing herself not to get emotional. "I'll be right there!" He scribbled out a note for Callie, so that if he weren't there, she wouldn't worry.

Cristina was waiting outside for him, sitting on the bench, her head in her hands. "Hey, is everything okay?"

Cristina just shook her head. She looked at him, her eyes pink and bloodshot, her cheeks stained with tears. "George, it's Callie… she got into an accident today… she didn't make it, sweetie…"

"What were you thinking about, just now?" Cristina whispered, staring into his face, trying to read the emotions that were written there.

"Callie…" George smiled weakly, "I was going to break up with her, you know. That night… I was going to just tell her that I wanted to be friends, but I wasn't ready for what she wanted. I'm glad I didn't, though. I think it would've made it worse in the end… what happened to her, you know?"

Cristina nodded, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, I know." She smiled at him, a comforting, sad smile. "I should probably go check on my hopeless interns. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You really should page Izzie though, she's worried." She kissed his cheek and stood, exiting out as quietly as she entered, leaving him to replay his conversation with Derek just an hour earlier.

"Burke had an affair six years ago and has a baby he doesn't know about. Do you want to tell him?" Derek said in a rush, his pale face almost blending in with the walls.

"Wait, what?" George's heart dropped, a million thoughts racing through his mind.

Derek explained patiently the situation—he was the only one in the group, it seemed, who didn't know about Megan. And now, to make up for it, he was the first to know about Jayden. "And Megan doesn't want to tell him. I haven't really given her an option… but in case she doesn't, someone has to. And I don't really want to…"

"So you're pawning the responsibility off on me? Really nice, Derek! I can't believe you! You think this is going to be any easier for me to do, to ruin his life with Cristina in an instant? You're unbelievable!" George walked away, forgetting to say goodbye to Grace. He was fuming—all the responsibility of this life altering secret resting on his conscience… How dare he just pass this on to him?

"George, wait!" Derek was chasing after him. "Come on, I didn't mean that it would be easier for you… I know it will be difficult news to tell, regardless of who it comes from. I just… I didn't want to be the only one who knew…"

George spun, and was in Derek's face in a second, rage seething through him. "Next time you find out something like this, do me a favor, and forget you know me!" He turned again, this time not stopping for anyone.


"Derek, have you seen George?" Izzie asked, running into him in the hall.

"He went that way. If you find him, tell him I'm sorry." Derek rubbed his hands across his face. He was exhausted. There was so much that had happened in the past few months, and he wasn't sure he could handle anything more. It was going to tear him apart, this affair and its aftermath. It was selfish of him, really, to think how it would affect him. Cristina had come such a long way since she came to Seattle, and this would surely ruin her progress. She had grown up, she had learned to love and live without limitations, and it made her not only a better person but also an amazing doctor. Derek feared for her, quite honestly, more than he feared for Burke. Yes, Burke had changed—he was no longer the arrogant, self-absorbed surgeon, but had become this omnipresent humble man. Burke was going to lose everything he cared about, but he would not lose himself. Cristina would—she was set for failure either way, and Derek was preparing for the worst.


"Mer?" Cristina whispered into the darkened room.

"Yeah?"

Cristina stepped hesitantly into the room. "It's me… Has anyone been here to tell you about Richard?"

Meredith shifted in her bed, holding her breath. "No, what happened?"

"He… He died today, sweetie…" Cristina sat on her bed, holding her hand. "I'm so sorry…"

Mer just nodded, a tear slipping down her cheek. She didn't know what to say, or how she felt. She was upset her former boss had passed on, but she didn't know how she felt yet inside. He had been her mother's lover… he was her McDreamy, the one she left her husband for. But she was too strong, too stubborn to beg her way into his heart the way Meredith had—Richard refused to pick her, and stayed married, and her mother never moved on.

"When did he…?"

"Early this afternoon." Cristina whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks, unafraid. He had let her know it was all right to be human and a doctor, to be sensitive and strong at once. He had taught her to be the person she had transformed into, and now that person who was all too human was gone.


"Preston?"

He turned, slowly, knowing exactly who was behind him. "I thought I told you…"

"I know," she sighed, "But I'm not here for that. I have to talk to you—it's important…"

"Come on, we'll go into my office…"

He led the way, a few feet ahead. Something inside of him was screaming at him, telling him to run away from her. She was the one person who could destroy him on a personal level, and she was begging to speak to him. Nothing good, he was sure, would come from it.

"Please, have a seat," he said, gesturing to the chairs by his desk as he shut the door. He walked to his side of the desk, rummaging through papers.

"I'm not your patient, Preston. There's no diagnosis you can give to me… but there's something I can give to you." She paused, taking a deep breath. "A daughter… her name is Jayden Riley. She doesn't know you exist… I never mention her father to her, not in passing and not when she asks. It's getting hard to do now. She turned five a few months ago. It was brought to my attention recently you deserved to know. I'm not trying to ruin your life, but I couldn't keep it from you forever. She's a lot like you…"

"When can I see her?"

Megan's face fell, "No… you can't see her!"