I am a little nervous about posting this chapter and the chapters to come. Though this is one of my favorite chapters, I feel like I might lose some of you based on the aforementioned "convoluted, haphazard version of poetic license" I take in the upcoming story line. Hopefully you all will enjoy my take on things.
"Get back!" Cristina bellowed, waving the pocket knife wildly in front of her. Coyote taming was not Cristina's specialty, but she fought valiantly, albeit ineffectively, against them to protect her fallen comrade. She had miscalculated the initial number of coyotes, approximating just two, but found upon arriving at the site that there were closer to five or six. She was correct, however, in assuming that a screaming human wielding a pocket knife would scare them. Four of them ran for the hills, but the remaining two jumped back, startled, then commenced growling at her menacingly. Damn, they must be really hungry to fuck with an armed, deranged lunatic.
"I am. A. Cardiothoracic. Goddess," she screamed, pausing between her words to swing the knife at them. "I will not go down like this!" She heaved generously for air, as she kept her wide eyes on the coyotes. They continued to growl, unyielding. She kept them a couple of yards back, keeping them at bay with her arm stretched out, knife in hand. She gulped. Maybe this was a bad idea, she thought, her heart pounding in her ears.
Just then, the one just out of sight, but still in her peripheral vision, lunged toward her. "No, no, no, no!" Fortunately, she was enough of a threat that it didn't feel confident to actually attack her, just scare her. He's trying to use my tactic! "That doesn't work on me, buddy," she said quietly, taking a defensive stance.
She dug one of the heavier rocks out of her pocket, and tossed it in her hand for a moment, focusing intently on her target to ensure she hit it. She remembered what Owen had taught her. Grip with your fingers. Build your momentum. Balance your weight. Find your stride. Follow through. She smiled. Finally, those agonizing hours of baseball tutoring had paid off. The rock was heavier than a baseball but still held a somewhat spherical form, so it was easy to grip, if nothing else. She wound up and heaved the rock at the coyote, hitting it in the shoulder, just left of her intended point of impact. The coyote whimpered and backed off, but still did not retreat. The second one also hesitated after his foe was hit, but only backed up one step, still baring his teeth and snarling.
They were smart creatures. She would give them that. After she struck the first one, they teamed up against her, maneuvering themselves no longer in front of her, but on either side of her to give them the best chance at success. It became a balancing act at that point. Cristina started to panic, fearing that as soon as she set eyes on one, the other would see it as an opportunity to pounce. As she pivoted from one foot to the other, she started to shake. Definitely. Definitely a bad idea.
She noticed after a moment that they were becoming predictable. Every time they lunged toward her, they jumped back just as quickly. They weren't going to attack her, at least not in that moment, so she took that time to think back to Seattle Grace, when they played that ridiculous baseball game against Seattle Pres. She and Meredith hadn't taken the game seriously, but she could never forget the moment when, without looking, Lexie hurled the ball at her opponent on first base, well out of her direct line of sight, and struck her in the chest. Cristina giggled at the thought, but quickly refocused. It seemed only fitting that Cristina take guidance from Lexie in that moment. She dug another rock from her pocket, and positioned herself exactly as Lexie had: feet together, torso bent slightly forward, rock held lopsidedly in both her good hand and bad hand. She waited then.
It took another moment, but just as she predicted, she noticed out of the corner of her eye, that the one to her right loaded its haunches. Prepared and focused this time, Cristina turned on her heels, and hurled the ball in its direction, hitting its snout. She heard it whimper and back down, but it still didn't flee. Instead, it howled in frustration and dropped down, now lying there staring at her. She took no notice in the first one, immediately retrieving another rock and returning to her pitching stance, just as Lexie had done. She smiled slightly, rocking back and forth between her left and right legs. She was in the zone. Lexie, I owe you one, she thought, preparing for the next attack. She didn't have to wait long, as the coyote to her left pounced without a sure signal, taking Cristina aback. Still, her reflexes were sharp, and she turned, pitching the ball at it, making contact with its exposed chest. This one let out a loud yelp before crashing to the ground. They made no mistake in taking her for a threat, but they were scavengers, and starving ones at that, so they both gave up the fight, and waited her out.
Their eyes never left her as she stood, still bouncing her weight from her left leg to her right, but she didn't care. She was back in Seattle, winning her hospital the game against Seattle Pres, and no one could convince her otherwise. "C'mon, giving up so soon?" she taunted, smiling arrogantly. "McDougall, you should be ashamed of your team, crying like little girls at the first sign of trouble." She stared straight ahead, determined to pitch the perfect ball. She dug another rock out of her pocket. "Batter up!" she yelled, making the coyotes perk up. "Alright, Hewitt from Gyne, prepare to meet your maker." She wound up, threw the ball, and hit the trunk with a loud knock. Cristina smiled to herself again. "Strike one!" The coyotes dipped their ears then, fearing she would aim at them next.
Cristina never backed down. She pitched rock after rock all night, screaming at her imaginary opponents until the sun rose. The coyotes had long since run off, realizing Cristina wasn't leaving anytime soon, so Cristina was free to collect the rocks she had already thrown and play imaginary baseball for as long as she liked. Just at the end cusp of dawn, when the sun had almost risen to its highest point, Cristina was in the middle of her fifth game. She had bases loaded, and was about to strike out Lancaster from Neuro, when she heard her name. She lowered the ball and listened. "CRISTINA!" It was Meredith. Cristina looked around, disappointed.
"Alright guys, we forfeit. Good game." Several hours prior, Cristina had taken a quick time-out between innings, and formed a makeshift shield from plane debris to cover the gaping hole Lexie was trapped under. She had promised to check back in later in the day when the rest of her crew was taken care of. She started to walk up the hill when she realized how exhausted she was. Baseball really takes it out of you, she thought, approaching the top. She heard her name again.
"CRISTINA!" It was sharper and deeper this time, indicating that Derek was with her.
"Coming!" she shouted, nonchalantly, breathing heavily.
She heard incomprehensible talk amongst the couple, who had apparently heard her, then Meredith shouted again. "Cristina?"
She could see them now, but through starry eyes. "Mer!" They ran to her as she palmed her knee with her good hand, catching her breath. They finally got to her, immediately examining her for signs of injury. "I'm…Good…" she breathed, her knees beginning to fail her.
"Like hell, you are!" She could hear Meredith choking up. "I thought I'd lost you-again. Where the hell were you?"
"Baseball…" she trailed off then, her knees crumpling beneath her. The couple caught her in her fall. It all came back to her then, her sanity finally returning. She cleared her throat, standing up on wobbly legs. "I'm good," she stated confidently, her strength somewhat replenished. The couple shared a look that indicated she was most definitely not 'good.' "There are some birch trees, right over there," she pointed to her left.
"You can handle this?" Derek asked his wife. Meredith nodded adamantly. "Okay, I'll go get the birch and meet you back at the site.
Cristina watched Derek go, and looked up at a glaring Meredith. "I got lost," she said simply, shrugging.
"Baseball?" Meredith inquired.
Cristina shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it. Help me back to the site, would you?" Meredith propped Cristina under her arm and guided her back to camp.
Did I just play five games of baseball against Seattle Pres?