A/N: My first surgical clerkship is beginning in two days! (FYI: I am a nursing student) And I am so so so excited! But that also means lots and lots of long shifts and I probably won't be able to update regularly... :( I promise I will type whenever I can!


Chapter 4

2017 Maternity Ward, SGMWH

When Cristina walked into Meredith's room, Derek, Lexie and Mark are already there. While Lexie is busy showing Meredith the photos she took during her honeymoon, Derek and Mark are talking about last night's soccer game.

"Ahm-um." Cristina cleared her throat loudly to gain their attention. Lexie stood up from her chair immediately and tucked Mark's sleeve,

"Mark, let's go get some coffee for everyone while Cristina check on Meredith."

"Get a hot chocolate for Meredith, she shouldn't be having caffeine." Derek reminded the couples as they leave the room.

"Alright, who is presenting today?" Cristina turned around and put on her kick-ass boss face. A red-headed girl raised her hand and squeezed her way through the crowd of interns. She flipped to the first page of the chart and started reading.

"Meredith Grey, 38, 20 weeks pregnant. Admitted for fetal heart surgery. Baby is diagnosed with a progressive benign myxoma originated from the left atrium, affecting the aorta and the vena cava. Blood work comes back clean, but the ultrasound shows an invasion into the left ventricle."

"Good. Um, you, drowsy, what modifications should be made to the surgical plan as the tumour is invading aggressively?" Cristina nodded in appreciation, and pointed at one intern for answers. The intern nicknamed drowsy immediately started to flip through his notebook. However, nothing related to this surgery could be found. Just before Cristina throw him some sarcastic remarks, a deep, manly voice started talking.

"Previously, we planned to half deliver the baby and simply scrap off all bits of tumour. But with this kind of progression, a partial replacement of aorta and vena cava should be prepared. Also, we are looking at possible atrium and ventricular reconstruction. The worst case scenario is that the fetus will need a heart transplant immediately after born."

Cristina's body stiffens once she heard his voice. It's him, Preston Burke. She will never forget his voice.

"Preston! Why are you here?" Meredith exclaimed in surprise. Nobody told her Preston Burke would be here. She peeked at Cristina, and figures that she had no idea too.

"Hey Preston. Thanks for coming." Derek put on his McDreamy Smile and hugged his friend. "I invited Preston here for a consult. I thought it is a good idea to have him here, two brains are better than one right?"


Maternity Ward, SGMWH

"Derek Christopher Shepherd! How dare you invite him here without telling me! I am the cardio surgeon on this case!" Cristina barked angrily at Derek, her eyes is filled with venom.

"I am sorry. But this is Meredith we are talking about. I want everything to be the best for her."

"So you think I am not the best?"

"Honestly? Honestly, Cristina, you are very good. You are an excellent surgeon. But Burke, he has a lot more experience than you. That's why I want him to be the leading surgeon."

"Fine. He can do the surgery. I will find myself a seat in the gallery then." Cristina slapped the door closed angrily. Meredith looked at her husband with a disapproval look.

"What? Burke is the best cardio surgeon in the country, we know it and she knows it. Cristina will come around." Derek patted his wife's shoulder and comforted her.

"I know. But you should at least tell her before Burke arrives. It's not cool for her to find out like this." Meredith stared at the window. Suddenly, she think of something and she quickly turned her head facing Derek.

"Derek… I don't know exactly what are you up to, but I don't think you only invite Burke here to work on the baby."

"I have been having drink nights with Burke for a long time now. I can feel that he still loves her. And obviously Burke still has a place in Cristina's heart, if not I don't know why she didn't leave with Owen Hunt." Derek sat down beside Meredith and pushed a strand of her hair to the back of her ear.

"You want to get them back together?"

"Well… That's the plan. The two of them are the most stubborn people I have ever met. They really need some push."

"Derek…" Meredith shook her head and smiled at her husband's optimism. "Just don't let Cristina figures this out, I don't want you dead."


Skywalk Corridor, SGMWH

Cristina was leaning over the fence of SGMW's famous skywalk corridor when a cup of steaming coffee appears in front of her. Without looking up, she took the cup of coffee and sipped it before she talked.

"You know, bringing me coffee won't make me fall for you anymore."

"I know, and I am not bringing you coffee because I want to get in your pants. It is a coffee for coworkers. Since we are going to work on Grey's baby together, I figured we should have a more… friendly relationship."

"Huh, interesting. As I can recall, you are the one being hostile to me. You moved away from our apartment immediately after we sign the papers. Then you leave the hospital the day after, without even telling me. Oh your mama, even we are no longer together, I still put up with her and chat with her on phone every month. I have always been friendly. It is you that are hostile to me." Burke's words seemed to ignited Cristina's anger. She growled and stared at him bitterly.

"And one more thing, I am not scrubbing in with you. You can do it yourself, Dr Burke." She added before walking away.