*Author's Note- First off I want to apologize for the delay in posting. It was not my intention to take so long with posting the chapter. I had the worst writer's block- it honestly took me almost two months just to write the first few paragraphs of this chapter. Thank you for being patient with me and for all of the reviews from the previous chapter. I appreciate the support and I hope you enjoy!

Have you ever fed a lover with just your hands?

Closed your eyes and trust it, just trust it?

Have you ever thrown a fistful of glitter in the air?

Have you ever looked fear in the face and said, "I just don't care?"

It's only half past the point of no return

The tip of the iceberg, the sun before the burn

The thunder before the lightning and the breath before the phrase

Have you ever felt this way?

~Pink~ Glitter in the Air~

" Hey. How'd your surgery go?" Meredith asked as she approached Cristina who had just exited a nearby waiting room.

" The guy flat lined almost as soon as I opened him up. There was far too much damage to his heart. He died less than an hour in," she explained with a sigh as she headed towards the ICU.

" He's not there." Cristina stopped dead in her tracks.

" What do you mean Owen's not there? I just saw him this morning and he was fine…"

" You need to stop jumping to conclusions. He's fine."

" Then where is he?" she asked as she absentmindedly followed Meredith to the elevators.

" Bailey, Webber, and I all agree that as of now, Owen seems to be out of the woods. Even though his blood pressure is still low, his heart rate has held steady for the past two days. We'll still keep a close eye on him, but we feel confident enough to move him to a regular room so he can continue in his recovery." Cristina let out a long sigh as she sunk against the elevator's wall. It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders knowing that Owen was out of the ICU.

" Why are you carrying Owen's gym bag?"

" He said something about not wanting to roam the halls of the hospital in a paper thin gown," responded Meredith as they got off the elevator and her pager went off.

I need to take this. Owen is in room 321," she instructed as she handed Cristina the bag. Cristina found herself smiling as she headed down a hall, quickly finding herself at the door to Owen's room. She quietly opened the door and entered the room only to find what appeared to be a sleeping Owen.

Cristina stood by the foot of his bed quietly, contemplating whether or not to leave and return later. Just as she turned towards the door in an attempt to leave, Owen's voice stopped her.

" Leaving so soon?"

" I thought you were sleeping," Cristina replied as she placed his bag on the couch that now occupied his room.

" I see you found Meredith," he stated as Cristina placed a kiss on his cheek.

" I did. Do you want to get dressed?"

" Would you mind helping me get cleaned up first?"

" Ah, come on. You don't want Nancy giving you a sponge bath?" she asked, naming an elderly female nurse.

" You're funny," Owen joked as Cristina brought out a tub of warm, soapy water and a washcloth.

" You know, under different circumstances, this could be incredibly hot," she remarked as she turned down the covers and began gently washing Owen's legs.

" Yeah…you could be wearing one of those 'naughty nurse' outfits," he replied with a smirk.

" You wish," she replied as she moved to un-do the top of his gown. Cristina felt herself wince at the site of the bandages that lined Owen's chest, covering his wounds. Seeing them and knowing the damage that had been done to his body brought up fresh memories of just how close she had been to losing him.

" Are you okay?" Owen asked, picking up on the sudden change of Cristina's demeanor.

" It's been a rough day, that's all," she said, lying.

" Are you sure?"

"Who shaved that monstrosity of a beard off?" asked Cristina as she changed the subject

" Shepherd took pity on me and brought me a razor and shaving cream earlier," explained Owen as Cristina returned the washcloth and water to the bathroom.

" You were starting to look like a deranged lunatic," she replied as she brought the gym bag closer to Owen's bedside.

" Come on. It wasn't that bad," he jokingly argued as Cristina locked the door and closed the blinds before withdrawing a blue t-shirt, grey sweatpants, and a pair of boxers from the bag.

" Bottoms first," Cristina instructed as she pulled the covers down. An unusual gentleness overcame her as she carefully helped Owen to an upright position at the end of the bed. She watched his face contort in pain as he steadied himself, dizzy from the sudden movement.

" Do you need a second?"

" No," he replied quickly, shaking his head. Cristina bent and slowly inserted Owen's feet into the corresponding holes of his boxers and pants, pulling them up as far as she could.

" On the count of three I need you to stand up for me, okay?" Owen nodded slowly as Cristina carefully wrapped his arms around her neck.

One…two…three." Cristina instantly felt his legs give out as he collapsed against her, his body showing obvious signs of weakness from the injuries it had sustained. Owen's breathing became faster as he struggled to remain upright. Cristina pulled his pants up as quickly as she could before assisting him in laying back down. A groan of frustration filled the room as Owen's head hit the pillow, his body suddenly overcome with exhaustion from the seemingly easy task of getting dressed.

" I hate this. I feel so…helpless. I…"

" You were shot twice a week and a half ago. You almost died…but you didn't. You're alive. You're breathing. Give it time. Soon enough this will all just be a distant memory," Cristina said as she placed a gentle kiss on Owen's cheek. For Owen, he found himself secretly shocked at Cristina's change in demeanor. Even in all of their years together, he very rarely, if at all, saw her act as gentle and caring as she was in this moment. It tugged at Cristina's heart at the same time to see Owen in such a weak, vulnerable state. Though she had seen glimpses of his vulnerability during his struggles with PTSD, watching Owen struggle with the aftermath of the shooting was an entirely different experience. The look of sheer exhaustion after getting dressed was unusual to see on the face of someone who barely broke a sweat after running five miles.

" Are you going to help me with my shirt, or are you going to keep staring at me with that goofy look on your face?"

" I do not have a goofy look on my face," Cristina retorted as she pulled off Owen's hospital gown, once again exposing the numerous bandages on his chest. In record time she disconnected the various wires and monitors he was connected to, saving the oxygen for last. Before Owen could process what she was doing, Cristina had pulled on his t-shirt and reconnected all of the wires and oxygen.

" Feel better?" she asked as she helped Owen get situated under the covers.

" I'll feel better when I can get out of this bed and start walking around," he pointed out as Cristina stashed his gym bag in a closet.

" You don't make a very good patient," Cristina stated as she glanced at her watch.

" When does your shift end?"

" 45 minutes from now. I need to go check on a few patients to make sure my interns haven't killed anyone. I'll come back…" she said, her words trailing off as she realized Owen had fallen asleep. As Cristina exited the room and quietly closed the door behind her, an uneasy feeling came over her. She couldn't shake the thought that everything seemed too perfect. It was as if she and Owen were easily falling back into the same familiar routine, yet none of their problems had been resolved. Cristina quickly pushed the thoughts out of her head and headed off in search of her interns.