Owen and Christina watched as Annie led Teddy out of the library.
Christina looked at Owen, "they look identical. If Annie didn't straighten her hair she would be mini Teddy. She is a bit shorter but it could be the shoes, Teddy likes heels and Annie was in flats."
"She has her mom's drive," Owen said, "she's going to push herself pretty hard. Teddy never stops and she gives everything she has every day. Someone is going to have to put the brakes on that girl before she burns herself out."
"Teddy will take care of her," Christina said, "but ballet lessons. That's so not Teddy."
"She's always loved that girl. I remember when Teddy first told me about Annie. It was about 5 years ago, Annie's birthday. I found Teddy sitting behind the OR tent, it was where she went when she needed a minute. She was sitting in the sand hugging her knees and crying. She had a letter from Annie's adoptive parents. The girl had just turned 14 and there was a picture of Annie in a tutu holding a massive trophy, and a copy of her school picture. She was a mini Teddy. It was then looking at the pictures that I realized who she was. So I got Teddy to tell me the rest of her story. I knew all about her residency, fellowship and her time at Columbia, but not much before that. Little bits about her childhood and family but she always avoided sharing about medical school or college."
"Why didn't you tell me she had a daughter," asked Christina.
Owen replied, " I promised her that I would never tell anyone. Not even Meghan or Beth. When she talked about Annie at my mom's was the first time she ever brought it up. She only spoke of Annie to me that once. I never pressed the issue with her either. I did see the pictures tucked into Teddy's journal but never asked."
"Teddy looked really happy today," Christina said.
"You were great with Annie, you usually hate teenagers," Owen said, "but I'm going to hold you to that bedside manner with patients that age."
"She looked relaxed. She's waited 19 years to have a conversation with her daughter. Then ended up doing one of the big mom jobs, helping with homework," Owen said.
"Teddy should ask her to come down to Seattle Grace and observe some surgeries," Christina suggested.
"Christina she's a 19 year old sophomore. Not a medical student, I think she'll ask Teddy when she's ready. But it sounds like Annie will need Teddy to guide her, this is where Teddy can really be that girl's mom. It would really help how Teddy sees you to reach out and offer guidance to Annie as well. Teddy is connecting Annie to a friend of hers here at UBC who is a cardiologist studying cardiac function in dancers. Annie gets to participate in the study as one of the subjects and help with some data entry," Owen said.
"Lucky kid, I would have killed for an opportunity like that when I was in college," Christina said, "or a mom that understood what I wanted to do."
"They seemed to have a real connection," Owen said, " Teddy never looks at people like that. She was relaxed and happy. That hug was a real mom hug, my mom hugs me like that. They'll end up pretty close. Teddy needs that."