note- I want to thank TurkeyGreen for her wonderful insight and amazing writing skills. She is a wonderful Beta and I am sure you will notice improvements to my writing skills as well as my grammar. This is all thanks to Turkey!

See The Love - Chapter 10

Cristina awoke naked once again in Owen's bed. This was happening more often as of late and she was starting to get used to it. She turned to her side reaching for Owen, only to find his side of the bed empty. She raised her head from the pillow, peered around the room but found it empty and quiet. She wondered if he had decided to head to his mother's house without her, choosing instead to face it alone.

She headed to the kitchen to feed her coffee addiction and found his note on the bar. "Went for a jog. Be back soon. Love U". She smiled as she dropped down into the chair with her coffee. She had to admit that she was dreading today. Not for her, but for Owen. She had been thinking of how her mother would react if she had pulled the same stunt Owen had pulled. She cringed thinking about it. But perhaps Owen's mother was different. It wasn't as if he had been on vacation. He was fighting a war.

She finished her coffee and decided to shower and get dressed. She needed to keep moving forward to not allow Owen a chance to back out of his promise. As she opened the bathroom door, she realized he had returned as she could hear him humming. "Humming?" She thought. He must be in a good mood. This was a good thing but it alarmed her slightly.

She rounded the corner and stopped in the hallway to watch him. He must have stopped at the store after his jog as he was hurriedly putting away some groceries. His thick red hair was a bit askew and the sweat ring on his Army t-shirt told the tale of his apparent aggressive jog.

"Good morning," he turned and greeted her with a grin. "Good morning, Dr. Yang"

"How was your jog?"

"Great. I feel great today. How are you?" he asked as he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into him.

"I'm clean! And you stink!" she exclaimed loudly while trying to pull away from him.

He released her while laughing as he headed into the bathroom discarding his clothing as he went. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure. What?"

"Can you get me a shirt and some jeans out of my closet?"

She did not respond, but headed to his bedroom with a smile. The fact that he actually trusted her to dress him made her feel good. As she opened his closet door she saw his Army fatigues and his uniforms. She reached out and ran her hand down the lapel of his jacket. She did not expect the sadness that hit her. The thought of him being in a war-torn country and her not knowing if he was dead, wounded or alive gripped her heart with fear. She was so in love with him now, and so thankful that she had not had to live through the fear and worry of each day wondering about his well being. It made her think of his mother and the anxiety that she must be feeling right at this moment and the 5 years prior. Her heart ached for his mother and for him.

"Did you find something?" He hollered from the shower.

"Yes. I have it laid out on the bed. Do you want some coffee for the road?"

"Yeah. That sounds great. I will only be a few more minutes"

"That's ok. Take your time"

"Can you come in here for a second?"

She stopped in the bathroom doorway while he stood in front of the vanity mirror. "Do you think I should shave? I mean shave off my beard? The last time my mom saw me, I was clean shaven"

"No. I like it. It's sexy. And if feel's good when you kiss me" she whispered as she reached out and touched his back as she sat down on the side of the bathtub.

"Owen, are you ok today? You seem a little to chipper and happy. I know how nervous you must be. Your not setting yourself up for an emotional crash are you?"

He didn't turn to look at her. He simply braced both hands on each side of the sink and let his chin fall downward. "How had this woman grown to know him so well in such a small amount of time?" He silently wondered. "I am scared as hell Cristina. I feel like climbing back into bed and pulling the covers over my head. What the hell am I gonna say?"

This was the Owen she was expecting this morning. She knew he was hiding beneath the facade. She knew he was falling apart inside.

"It's going to be ok. Think of the friends you lost. They would want this for you. Wouldn't they?" She could see his back tighten with tension.

"Would they? I think about their families every day. I think about their mothers, wives and their kids. They didn't get to say goodbye Cristina. Why should I get to reunite with mine? Why was I spared?" The last question came out in a raspy whisper.

"Me. You were spared for me. The fact that we met and have fallen in love, feels right. I know it hurts so bad sometimes that it's difficult for you to breathe in and out, but you can do this," she stood and turned him toward her. "Your friends are looking down on you and they want this for you. They want you to move on with your life. They want you to find happiness. You deserve happiness."

He stared into her eyes. His own eye's filled with tears. "I don't deserve you"

"Yeah well, maybe not, but you're stuck with me. Now, hurry up so we can get going. I refuse to let you back out of this"

He placed the razor back into the cabinet and took one last look in the mirror. Looking back at him was a face that he was afraid his mother wouldn't recognize, but his heart was still there. A heart filled with pain and sorrow but also filled with love. A love that he did not have the last time he had seen his mother. He hoped she could see the love and not focus too much on the pain and sorrow.