CHAPTER 11

Seattle-Tacoma Airport

7:55 AM

Cristina entered the airport glancing around looking for signs of Burke. She went to the departure station and notice that people are already falling in line to get their tickets and passports checked so they could pass.

After the last person in line was finished, Cristina approached the blonde lady, the one who was checking. "Miss, is there a Preston Burke in the flight that's about to leave?"

"I'm sorry Ma'am, but we can't give you any information about our passengers. It's strictly confidential for their own safety."

"You don't understand, but he can't go because…" Cristina didn't want this lady to hear her proclamation of love. She couldn't think of anything that would be helpful for the situation, "because… it's because I'm pregnant and he is the father."

"Ma'am I understand that you're in distress but I really can't help you. I wish I could but it will cause me my job." The lady slowly turned to leave.

"Do you want this child to be fatherless? Someday I am going to tell my child that he didn't have a father because of you." Cristina thought that the pregnant thing would help because the last time which was unplanned made Burke come back to her. Actually she just couldn't think of any reason that she can convince the lady to let her pass.

The thought of Burke gone in her life suddenly knocked her senses. She turned her head at the plane leaving. A certain mark on her heart starts to hurt more as if she is experiencing an angina now. Except that she won't have a stroke in a few seconds instead she feels that her heart would stop beating anytime.

From the place she is standing, she couldn't move. She was wrong cause now she thinks she is suffering from stroke. She finds it hard to breathe suddenly. Cristina raised her arms embracing herself struggling to keep her balance.

I am Cristina Yang, the best intern in Seattle Grace Hospital. I am focused, very competitive and confident. I will never let any guy control my life. I am always on top of my game. I will do everything to become the best and I will even surpass him.

Cristina drove out of the airport's parking lot. She decided to go to the hospital but she wants to stay away from anyone who could ask her questions about Burke or why she isn't present during the pre-rounds and plus she has to hide from Bailey because of Meredith's excuse.

SGH Cafeteria

7:55 AM

George and Alex is watching Izzie because she is busy munching off her cookies. They couldn't believe that a model could eat like this as if she has not eaten for days. Meredith is with them staring into empty space while eating her salad.

George destructed Meredith's focused, "Mer, where's Cristina?" Meredith didn't know what to answer cause she knows Cristina would be angry at her if she told them. After a few seconds Meredith had arrived with an answer but Izzie answered while finishing all the cookies on her mouth, "She's probably in the airport to stop Dr .Burke."

"Why is Dr. Burke leaving?" George surprisingly questioned Izzie then Meredith.

This time Izzie shut her mouth for Meredith to answer cause she doesn't really know what's happening between Burke and Cristina.

Meredith is very restless, wondering if Cristina was successful in stopping Burke or if she missed Burke's flight.

"With Burke gone this is bad. We'll be facing her warpath again. I mean come on guys, isn't the Nazi's warpath is enough for us to handle?" Alex commented to Meredith but she just ignored him. Izzie and George just laughed at him.

Derek saw Meredith with her friends and approached them. "Meredith, Dr. Bailey is looking for you she's in the locker room." Meredith just left them without saying anything.

"What do you think did she do?" George asked Alex.

"Maybe it has something to do with Cristina," Izzie suggested, "Oh my God! What if something bad happened to Cristina?"

"Are you telling us that she might have missed Burke's flight so she killed herself?" George said in a higher tone to both of them.

"O'malley, Yang is not that stupid to kill herself over a guy. She'll find someone new." Alex insultingly said to George.

Derek's presence was totally ignored by the three, but he doesn't care cause his mind is drifted away from a far place. But that didn't stop him on getting worried if something bad happened to Cristina. Burke will be terribly broken and the worst is he failed Burke for looking out for her.

Nurse Station

9:00 AM

Derek saw Cristina dressed in her scrubs reading the scheduled surgeries. He really felt bad realizing she missed Burke's flight.

"Cristina…" Cristina is very happy to see him. She figured out that the only person who wouldn't ask her a single thing unless it's about medicine is him.

"Dr. Shepherd, I noticed you have a scheduled Ventriculostomy-Atrial Shunting. Can I scrub in?"

"Dr. Yang, would you mind to explain the procedure?"

"Ventriculostomy-Atrial Shunt is where you put a valve to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid from the brain and carry to the other parts of the body."

"What are the possible complications and what predisposes the patient to those complications, Dr. Yang?"

"Shunt malfunction, shunt failure, and shunt infection. If the shunt is disconnected, blocked or have been outgrown by the patient, the cerebrospinal fluid will start to gather to the brain again and produce one or more symptoms such as seizures."

"That's excellent Dr. Yang. Please prep Micheal Smith. His room is 8112. Please monitor if there are any changes in his vital signs, in his ecg and if there are any murmurs or dysrhythmias."

"Right away, Dr. Shepherd," Cristina left him in a good mood.

Derek wants to ask her about what happen in the airport or if they meet but he knows that Cristina doesn't like talking especially when it is very personal. The only person that could make her talk is Burke and her friends especially Meredith.

At the cab

7:30 PM

"I'm getting worried of Cristina. She's not answering my phone calls. I can't believe her." Meredith complained to Izzie and George.

"I can't believe she let us took a cab home." Izzie whined to George.

"Maybe she followed Burke that's why she isn't calling us and who knows Cristina and Burke might be okay now. They are spending time together in Alabama? Right?" George waited for Meredith to answer.

"I hope your right, but what something bad had happened to Cristina? What if she had an accident if she ever followed Burke?" Meredith is now sounding desperate.

"Cristina will be fine. Because she's Cristina. She is independent. She is fine. Seriously. Wherever she may be, and whatever is happening to her, she will be fine. She's strong and we all know that." Izzie consoled Meredith.

The taxi driver dropped them off to Meredith's House. George saw someone sitting in front of the door. It was so dark that they couldn't figure out who the person is from inside the taxi.

He had a comfortable sleep in front of Meredith's House. He actually planned to go to the hospital but Derek said Cristina is not in the hospital and that he should just stay for a while in the airport but he didn't. Instead he tried to go to places where he thinks Cristina would go. Like the restaurant where they had their first date. Cristina is not really that dramatic when it comes to places. Sure the on-call room is special but nothing else occurred to him about places that Cristina loves to go except for the OR room where she thinks. He also went to Joe's but didn't found her there and Joe said that she didn't even lay a foot in the bar. He was just awaken by the engine of the taxi far from front of the house. He saw in a blurred vision that the people inside the taxi is looking at him. It got to him that it must be Meredith, Izzie and George but he started to be alarmed when didn't see Cristina with them. Maybe she is not in the hospital but they are her friends where could she possibly go. He started to wonder why they are walking slowly towards him as if they are a spy ready to attack an assassin.

Meredith walked slowly followed by Izzie and George. Before coming towards him, they made a plan where if the guy attacks them they have to do whatever it takes to knock him down since they are three of them. The only problem is the man is huge and muscular.

They approached the man. When they got a little clear view of him, they immediately recognize him and feel relief.

4th Floor

9:30 PM

Alex just saw Cristina with a patient. He is wondering why is she here cause what he knows is she came to the airport to stop Burke. He figured out right away that it is either she was successful in stopping Burke or she missed his flight.

Alex couldn't believe that they are done. Not that he is getting emotional toward her friend's relationship but because of all the couple you know in the hospital. They are the ones who are unexpected and not just that they are the ones who were really committed to each other. Not that it's obvious but just because of the fact that they are together makes it true. They have a relationship in a way that others wouldn't know if they didn't come out in public and also because of there effective professionalism when it comes to their career.

Alex always thought that they are the ones who are going to make it through that they will really end up together. With all the things they've gone through when Burke broke up with her, Cristina's miscarriage, when Burke got shot and when Cristina helped him keep his tremors. They were such a great team. He never thought that Cristina would really commit to a relationship because of her emotional stunt but she did. Sure they fight, but as she said they are sticking and the thing which is obvious to everyone is that they only have eyes for each other.

Every time he sees them working in the field, he never see them displaying public affections instead he'll see them working hard to cure their patient but hand in hand. You'll never hear them saying I love you, I miss you, and take care but hear them about patients with interesting cases, he'll see them looking into each other's eyes with full of love which is very oblivious to everyone around them and biggest gesture he just see between them is buying each other coffee. Alex didn't get what the coffee meant but he is sure it is important to them. When Burke gives her coffee, he sees how Cristina's eyes sparkle when she looks at him then they both continue to work. Alex just heard from Meredith that Burke and Cristina's great, envious to everybody and meaningful relationship just started out with coffee.

Burke always ask questions directed to her first cause he knows she'll always answer them correctly not that he's giving her special treatment but whether we deny it or not she is the best and everyone can really see that. It's just obvious that Burke wants to spend time with her. But Alex only said that remembering the time when Burke had a patient that was on fire while he was operating on her. He was late then and Burke during their pre-rounds he asked her first but they gave George the case so he wouldn't get one.

Everyone never thought that Cristina and Burke would hooked up and would get serious. They just assumed that what's between them would be just casual sex I mean everyone is doing it in the hospital having casual sex with anyone but when Cristina moved in with him and people see them working together, fight, date each other, and go home together; they all found out that they really are a couple.

Everyone was so surprise because getting involved with your attending is a big no-no because they will have to face a lot of consequences. Burke and Cristina are not the kind of people who would do that because of their strong commitment to their careers but they did. No matter how big the consequences are they fought for their relationship believing each other is that worth it.

Now they are gone. Alex felt bad because they are just like the other couple another used to be. Something so rare and special is nowhere to be seen in the hospital.