disclaimer:

I do not own the rights to the characters used. This fanfic is a non-profit, amateur effort not intended to infringe on the rights of anyone.

Author's note: I apologize in advance for any typos or errors. I really just wanted to get this chapter out, as the story is supposed to come to a close by the time the show is back on the air. Please review, I appreciate all the comments.

This isn't happening, Cristina told herself. This cannot be happening. I am asleep in the on call room and this is a nightmare. This man is not coding, this woman is not screaming at me, and I am not powerless to do anything.

"Why aren't you helping him?!" the blond screamed. Tears were tracking their way down her cheeks and her voice shook with the tumult of emotions she must be feeling. Cristina stared dumbly at her. This is a nightmare. To add to her misery, Alex Karev arrived for the code, looking like he'd just rolled out of bed. He must have switched call with someone, Cristina thought to herself absentmindedly. Of course he would be here to see this, to witness this scene.

"Do something, you're killing him," Cristina stood right next to Bailey, but the blond didn't yell at Bailey. She looked right at Cristina, as if Cristina had walked into the room and stabbed her father in the chest.

DNR. Do not resuscitate. Didn't people discuss these things anymore? He couldn't have told his daughter about the choice? Couldn't have mentioned it, even? By the way, honey, you might notice that when I code hours after surgery, the doctors won't do anything. That's on purpose, don't yell at them. I asked them not to when I signed this sheet of paper here.

Bailey explained the DNR, but it fell on deaf ears. Sobbing now, the blond grabbed Cristina's arm. "Please, don't you get it? You can help me. Owen doesn't want me. It's over. You won. You can help us, I'm not a threat. I'm no one. Just help my dad, please. Please don't punish him."

The worst kind of nightmare. Cristina opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. She looked down at where her arm was being held. The woman had a grip like a vice. I should know her name. Why don't I know her name?

"Your dad signed a DNR." Bailey said, prying the woman's hands away from Cristina.

"Help him you selfish bitch!" At this point you couldn't hold her responsible for what she said, she was worked up into a frenzy. They should have gotten her out of the room immediately, but it's not like the code team needed room to work. Every eye in the room swung to Cristina.

Bailey held the woman hands, squeezed them comfortingly as she tried to get the blond to make eye contact. "Dr. Yang cannot do anything. She is not punishing you. She literally cannot do anything. Your dad made his wishes very clear."

The blond snatched her hands back and staggered backwards, into her father's bed. She turned around, tears streaming down her face. "Get out. Get her out of here!" She was a beautiful woman. Tall and lean, hair falling in soft waves just below her shoulders, pale blue eyes like ice over a shallow lake. She had to be at least 5'8". She was stunning, even like this, with red-rimmed, puffy eyes.

"Dr. Yang, I've got this covered." Miranda Bailey moved toward the woman.

"Dr. Bailey?"

"You heard me, Dr. Yang. Go on. Now."

As Cristina left the room, it suddenly hit her that Bailey knew. She had found out about Cristina and Owen.

Cristina made her way back to the on call room and sat down on the bed, drawing her legs up to her chest and burying her face in her knees. Even if he hadn't signed the DNR, so few people come back from a code. Even if they'd got him breathing again, got his heart beating again, his body was giving up. He knew that, when he came into the hospital and discussed his options with his doctors. All of his options.

She didn't know how long she sat like that before the door to the on call room opened. "Yang." Bailey said. She sounded tired. She shut the door but turned on the light, sitting next to Cristina. "You girls. I've never seen two girls cause so much trouble."

"He was DNR, I didn't—" Cristina started to say.

Bailey stopped her with a look. "I am talking about Dr. Hunt. I am talking about you and Dr. Hunt."

Cristina put her legs down and shook her head, unclear what to say. "It's not like she said, they broke up before he came to Seattle Grace."

"And then her dad got sick and they came to this hospital. Now I agree, that's just bad luck but you—I don't even know what to say anymore. Because of all people, Yang, you should know what happens when you become romantically involved with a coworker. No, worse than a coworker, an Attending. Your boss."

Cristina opened her mouth to speak but again couldn't find a single word she was able to form. Bailey just shook her head, and stood. "Dr. Hunt is on his way in."

Cristina looked up in surprise. "You called him?"

"No."

"She called him?"

"No, Yang. Karev called him."

It was like a slap in the face. Alex Karev had called Owen to swoop in and be the savior, to comfort this woman in her time of need. He probably hoped that he could push the two of them together to keep him away from Cristina. Because it would be impossible for him to mind his own damn business.

"Karev called him for her?" Cristina shook her head. Of all the shit things to do to someone. She should have seen it coming.

"No, Yang, Karev called him for you, because of what she said to you in that room. Dr. Hunt isn't coming here for her, Yang. And you'll see him after I see him, because I will be downstairs watching the doors. And when I have said what I need to say, I will let him know where to find you."

Cristina winced as the door to the on call room slammed shut behind Bailey. She fell back onto the bed, suddenly exhausted.

*

Twenty minutes later Miranda Bailey's stake-out near the hospital entrance paid off. She'd been sitting there with a pile of charts, waiting to catch sight of the tell-tale red hair on Dr. Owen Hunt.

He came in wearing jeans, a black T-shirt and that beat-up green jacket he seemed to live in. "Dr. Hunt, may I have a word with you?" Bailey said, jumping to her feet. She had to move quickly as Dr. Hunt rushed toward the elevator like a fireman rushing into a burning building. He looked exhausted, and she wondered what Karev had told him because the man looked pained.

"Dr. Bailey, this will have to wait I have to—I have to go," he said. He never stopped his progress toward the elevator, even when he spoke to Bailey, who he clearly wasn't interested in dealing with. The elevator slowed him down, and Bailey was able to catch up to him while he waited for it to arrive. He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets as he waited, avoided eye contact with her. As if she would go away if he just ignored her.

The elevator doors opened and he nearly toppled a couple exiting before he took a step back, raising his hands and backing away apologetically. The couple moved out of the elevator and Hunt stepped in, pressing the button. Bailey stepped in behind him.

"May I ask what your hurry is, Dr. Hunt?"

"Dr. Bailey, Dr. Karev paged me. Can this wait?" He asked, not unkindly, as the doors closed on them. Bailey pursued her lips and, just as the elevator started moving, she pulled a button and brought it to a stop. "What do you think you're do—"

"Dr. Hunt, I have something to say and I am sorry to tell you that you are going to listen to it. Because Cristina Yang is my resident. And tonight she was humiliated in front of an entire code team and one of her fellow residents. So with all due respect, sir, I'm going to need a moment of your time."

Owen Hunt caught his breath and turned to the woman next to him. He understood now what he was facing and why. Staring into Dr. Bailey's eyes he recognized a fierce protectiveness that he admired and appreciated, and so he stilled, giving her his full attention.

"Oh, I see, now I've got you," Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "All I have to do is say the name Cristina Yang and suddenly, you're all ears. Well that's good, because I have something to say. What's that you military types say? Do I have permission to speak freely, sir?"

Owen nodded. He didn't want to nod. He wanted to shake his head 'no' and get the hell out of this elevator. But there was only one way out of this elevator and it was through this angry little woman, so he nodded.

She spoke bluntly. "You better get yourself right."

Owen drew his eyebrows together, confused. Time seemed to have slowed, his heart rate slowed. The elevator buzzed, an angry noise in response to its upward progress being thwarted. "Get myself...right?"

"Yes. Get yourself right. Get your head on straight. Know what you're doing. Let other people know what you're doing. Let your ex-girlfriends know what you're doing. Take out an ad in the newspaper, Dr. Hunt, so that we can all know what you're doing and I don't have a hysterical woman accusing my resident of killing her father in front of the entire night staff. Because that is embarrassing, Dr. Hunt. I don't care who you are, that's embarrassing. And I will not have Cristina Yang humiliated by another Attending in this hospital."

Realization hit him like a truck. Another Attending. The failed wedding. A personal humiliation made professional. They had worked together. He found himself needing to throw up again. Bailey, not noticing his reaction to the news, probably not realizing it was news, calmly reached over and pushed the button again. Silence reigned in the elevator, and they resumed their ascent to the floor.

Once they were moving again Bailey said, "I hope that your personal life and/or the personal life of my resident will not spill over into the hospital again."

Owen shook his head. "No. No, They won't, Dr. Bailey."

Bailey nodded. "I'm glad we have an understanding."

Which was a funny thing to say, because Owen Hunt didn't understand a damn thing.

*

Owen found Hannah packing up her father's hospital room. He'd know she was probably on her way out, so he walked there first. Not out of any urgency to see Hannah, but because he knew Cristina would be here. Hannah could leave at any moment, and he didn't want to leave anything undone.

"Hannah," he said from the doorway. She turned, and when she saw him her face crumpled. "I'm so sorry," Owen said.

Hannah nodded and rocked back onto her heels. "I can't believe it. The surgery went well. I mean, I know it was long, I know he was under a long time…and I know he's weak—was weak. I just can't believe this. I can't believe he's gone."

Hannah made no move toward him, and for his part he made no move toward her. He could feel the eyes of some of the floor nurse's on his back, and he hated himself for it. The amount of attention he was drawing, it was clear there must have been one hell of a scene earlier.

"I actually came to check on someone, Hannah, but I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for your loss."

Hannah nodded, and a tear escaped. Owen's heart went out to her. He'd respected her father, liked him even. He was a good man. It always hurt to lose a good man.

They stood for a moment before Hannah took a deep breath. "You should go," she said. "I'm going. I'm just finishing up here. I—I am so stupid, Owen, I said some really stu—"

"I heard, Hannah, don't apologize. You get to say stupid things today. Today of all days you get to say stupid things."

She nodded, bit her lip, and nodded again. "Everything about us, everything good about us, I don't know how you walked away from that. I don't know how you can stay away from that, from us. We were good."

Owen breathed in, his heart heavy. "I can't do this. Now isn't the time."

"I have permission," she whispered, taking a few steps forward. She still didn't stand anywhere near his reach. He got the feeling that if he made any sudden movements she would dart away, like a skittish cat. "I have permission to say stupid things. So I'm going to say a few things. And if it's a mistake, and you don't want to try, if you don't want us, then it won't be the worst thing that happened today."

"I wish you—" he tried to stop her, to save her from this.

"No. I waited. You went to Iraq so many times. I would have waited through even more, to be Mrs. Owen Hunt. I would have waited even longer." She took a deep breath, wiped her palms on her jeans and continued. "I didn't say a word about it, didn't ask you to get out. Didn't bat an eye any of the times you told me they were sending you, again. Because all of my patience was going to be rewarded. Eventually, you would retire. You would retire, and I would have all of you. For the first time, I would have all of you. And now here you are—out—and you gave that to some other woman."

"Hannah."

"I hate you for that."

"Hannah, don't lie about this. Of all things, don't lie about this."

"I waited for you."

"You didn't wait, Hannah. Neither of us waited. We grew up, grew apart. At the end I couldn't breathe I wanted out so bad. You stopped waiting in a different way."

"I waited for you."

Owen just shook his head. He looked her directly in the eyes. "Look me in the eye and tell me you waited for me. Look me in the eye and say that to me."

She looked stung. "You knew?"

He shook his head. "It was over before that."

She breathed in, wiped tears off of her cheeks and shrugged. "I guess it's a relief. To know why you just gave everything we'd worked so hard for to some other woman."

"That's not why. If it was meant to be, if we were both in it, we could have worked through anything. Any mistake, people can work through. If they really want it bad enough."

"And you didn't." She nodded, threw her head back to look up at the fluorescent lights before bringing her head back up and looking directly at him again. "I hate you for that, too."

Owen gave her a sad smile and left.

*

He found Cristina asleep, though all lights were. She lay, curled up in the fetal position, sleeping soundly. It was 3 am so he couldn't blame her. She looked peaceful, and he felt a surge of emotion as he locked the door and lay down behind her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back against his chest, the lights in the room still on above them. Cristina stirred. She yawned and stretched then, catching sight of her surroundings, said, "Owen?"

He kissed the top of her head, buried his face in her curls and said, "I didn't want to wait. Karev told me what happened. I didn't want to wait to see you, Cristina. I'm sorry, about what happened."

She nodded. "It's nothing. She was reacting. Her dad died right next to her. She just—lashed out"

Owen breathed in the smell of her.

"I don't know her first name," Cristina said after a few moments.

"Her name is Hannah." Owen leaned his head back onto the pillow. "What about yours? What's his name?"

A full minute ticked by. She was obviously considering something. He closed his eyes after the first fifteen seconds. He didn't need an answer now, maybe he wouldn't ever need an answer. He knew better than a lot of people that some things are better left in the past. But then, he knew better than a lot of people that time doesn't heal all wounds. She traced lazy figure eights up and down his forearm as she thought.

"How much do you know?" she finally asked.