Chapter 6

I have no interest in Grey's Anatomy and my use of the characters is done without consent. No copyright infringement intended.

To the people who have sent me personal messages asking for updates. I'm sorry this took so long. Hope it's worth the wait.

He got up early the following morning to go to work. Except for the woman sleeping in his bed and the additional place setting at the breakfast table, very little about his routine had changed. This morning his pace was slower and he moved about the apartment very quietly. She was still asleep and he didn't want to wake her up. After making her breakfast he went to check on her one last time before leaving. Standing next to the bed he pulled the blanket over her. As he leaves the room he stopped at the door and lingered there for a while just watching her sleep. She looked so at peace laying there, as if that was where she belonged. There is so much potential here he thought, if only things were different. For a brief moment he wished he had never met her. She disrupted his life, everything about her suits him. She fit so perfectly in his arms, looked so good in his bed, if things were different he knew she would fit perfectly in his life. She stirred in her sleep and it broke his concentration. " What the hell am I doing?" He thought to himself. Quietly, he closed the bedroom door, went to the table, wrote one word on a piece of paper, grabbed his briefcase and left the apartment.

Throughout the day he found himself constantly checking his watch. He hadn't seen her all day. Earlier that morning he had called his home just to make sure she left on time, and wouldn't be late for work. There was no answer. He assumed she was there at the hospital and that all was well. But he couldn't help wondering, and between checking his watch and looking toward the gallery, he spent every minute not thinking about his patients, thinking about her. Finally, late in the afternoon while completing his final surgery of the day, she appeared. At first he didn't see her but he sensed her presence. He looked toward the gallery and she was there, sitting amongst all the other interns, munching on some sort of snack. She eats like a bird he thought. It's very rare when he would see her sitting there without snacking on something. She was sitting between O'malley and Grey and she must have taken offence to something O'malley said because he could see her elbow as it enters George' side. He smiled and thought to himself, She is really going to castrate him one of these days.

At the end of his shift he made one final stop on the fourth floor to check on a patient before going home. She was standing there, next to the nurses station, reading through a patient's file. He walked up to her, and whispered "Not here trying to pick a fight with the nurses, are you?"

She didn't look up from her file, didn't even act surprised to see him there, she just answered. "Why would I do that?"

He smiled, "Because you are developing quite a reputation for yourself where the nurses are concerned."

"Don't believe everything you hear."

He was glad to see that she had put yesterday behind her. It's what any good doctor should do.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

She looked up at him, then back at the file before answering "Yes"

"Did you eat your breakfast?"

"Yes, father."

He smiled. "I'm not your father."

"Then stop acting like it."

"Ok, just so you know, any more sleep overs and I'll have to start charging you rent."

He almost choked on his own saliva when she replied. "And how much do I charge for your voyeuristic viewing of my body?"

A nurse passed by and he lowered his voice. "That sounds like prostitution. Anyway, I never looked at your body last night."

She inclined her head. "You didn't"

He shrugged his shoulders. "No, I didn't. I took your shoes off, but that's all. You have very small feet."

"Yeah," she answered, looking down at her feet. They're in perfect proportion to my body." She stopped writing and looked at him, her eyes traveling from his head to his feet and lingering there. "You have big feet. What is that in proportion with?"

He bit down hard on his lip to avoid laughing out loud. She had no sense of decorum and seems to enjoy making him uncomfortable. "Dr. Yang, think before you speak."

She handed him the file which he hesitates to take "I don't need that file."

"Just hold it and pretend that you're reading it. I don't want the nurses to think that you're standing here talking to me because you like me."

He took the file and started to turn the pages "heaven forbid that they should think that."

She started to leave but after two steps she stopped and retraced her steps. "Oh Dr. Burke, I think I may have left something at your place this morning, do you mind if I stop by to pick it up later?"

"Not at all. What did you forget?"

"A black bra I was wearing last night, I think I may have left it in your bathroom."

He looked around, lowered his voice and whispered. Cristina. You weren't wearing a bra last night." The moment the words left his mouth he knew she had him. "There's a good explanation for . . . "

She cut him off "I rest my case."

Later that evening he went home to find his apartment in better shape than the first time she slept over. The table was cleared, the breakfast dishes were in the sink and except for the towel on the bathroom floor, everything else was the same as he left it. She even took time to make the bed. He changed and decided to do the dishes. He was in no mood to prepare a meal just for himself. Lately, he had begun to question the merits of living a solitary life. Amazingly, he had never before done this. He was quite satisfied with his life the way it was. Work, friends, traveling when time allows, and the odd date when he chooses. Serious romance was really a thing of the past. Finding someone with whom he could share his life had become a chore. Past experiences have made him weary of women who seem to want to end his bachelorhood on the second date. And so he gave up, until she came along. He had to remind himself that even though she was there, their present situation dictates that she could never be his. But he could dream.

The day had been long and stressful and tomorrow would be no better. He had several surgeries scheduled including an open heart surgery. He lay across the bed and closed his eyes. Breathing in he inhaled the very faint scent of perfume, her perfume. He was lying on the side of the bed that he hardly ever sleeps on. Her side of the bed. Last night he had placed her there and was about to put one of his T-shirts on her, when he realized that she was wearing nothing underneath her own shirt. So he left her in her own clothes, covered her up and left the room. Now, here he was giving her ownership in his apartment. There was her side of the bed, her pillow, her toothbrush, even her bath towel. All these things were hers and yet he knew nothing about her. He wondered about her family and if she had a boyfriend. If she did, he was sure that they weren't living together. The thought of her having a boyfriend bothered him. He just couldn't imagine her in with anyone else. Last night when she cried and he held her, he felt like that was where she belonged. But in reality, she didn't belong to him, and he wasn't sure if she ever would. So, he slept on her side of the bed, his head resting on her pillow and dreams of a day when she would be lying there right next to him.

Cristina was on call that night and spent most of the time assisting in the ER. Her first chance of getting any sleep came at around two A.M. Finding an empty on call room she laid down and closed her eyes, but even though she was tired she couldn't fall asleep. She thought about the night before when she slept in his bed. She slept more soundly than even in her own. There was something about him that calms her. He could be an arrogant bastard at work. She had seen it. But with her he was patient and kind, and even though she tested him by saying the most shocking things, he never retaliated. She smiled to herself when she remembered the look on his face when she mentioned the size of his feet. He is handsome. She wondered if he knew how much. There must be a girlfriend somewhere she thought. No man so talented, so gorgeous could go unattached for long. He had told her that the woman with him at the mixer was not his girlfriend, but he didn't say that he didn't have one. Suddenly, she felt sad. As selfish as it may seem, she didn't want him to have anyone. He was hers, whether he knew it or not. He couldn't be anyone else'. His broad shoulders were hers to cry on, and those arms... She closed her eyes and imagined those arms wrapped around her and went to sleep.

The following morning she awakes at dawn, surprised that her pager had not gone off and she was able to get a few hours sleep. Peeking through the door of the on call room she could see and hear the sound of the hospital coming to life. It was the dawn of a new day filled with so much possibilities and hopefully, a few ground breaking surgeries. She prepared herself for work. Washed her face, brushed her teeth, and change into a pair of fresh clean scrubs then went to get her morning coffee. With a steaming cup in hand she went outside to breathe the morning air. It had rained the night before and although it was a bit chilly, there was a certain sereneness about the place. There was something special about being outdoors just after it rained and before the busy commuter traffic pollutes the morning air. It gave her a chance to clear her head and to think. It is said that before every storm there is a calm. This morning it was definitely calm and a storm was brewing at Seattle Grace.

Sitting on a bench outside the entrance to the hospital, her mind wandered to an apartment across town. He should be up by now she thought, maybe he was already at the hospital. She wondered why it was becoming increasingly impossible for her to get through a day without thinking about him. A smile creased her lips when she remembered their conversation the day before. She had an edge where he was concerned, and she knew it. As arrogant and self assured as he was, she could get under his skin, but she also sensed that he would only allow her so much before retaliating. She jumped up startled when a brown paper bag was placed in her lap. He was standing there, an amused smile on his face. "It's breakfast." He answered before she could even ask the question.

"I don't eat breakfast."

"You do when I make it." He reminded her

She opened the bag and was surprised to see what he had made her. "You're grooming me." She said, more to herself than to him.

"What?" He didn't know what she meant.

"Grooming me, you know. Being nice to me because you want something from me."

He tried to suppress a smile. "And that's grooming?"

"It's kinda like what a pedophile does, you know be nice so the kid will trust him."

He inhaled deeply. "Well, thank God you're not a child because if you were, I'd wash your mouth out with soap for comparing me to a pedophile."

"So, you mean you're not grooming me."

"Grooming you for what?"

She takes a grape out of the bag throw it in the air and catches it with her mouth. "I don't know . . . Sex."

"Cristina . . . I don't have to groom you for sex."

She looked up at him and he gazed directly in her eyes. There was something about the way he said her name, something sexual. She always thought that her name was simple and plain. But, when he says it, simple and plain became poetic. When he said that he didn't have to groom her it sounded like a promise. She averted her eyes. "Do you always feed your interns?"

"No."

"If I were your girlfriend, I'd be jealous."

"If you were my girlfriend, you would have no reason to be jealous."

"No!"

He stared at her. "No. Have a good day Cristina." She stayed outside and finished her breakfast. Aside from the regular breakfast stuff he had brought her grapes. How did he know that she liked grapes? Afterwards, she went back inside and an hour later. The storm broke.

IT started when Meredith, in the process of holding a patient's heart while Burke operated, popped a glove. She confessed to George but neglected to tell Burke. Hours later the patient's condition deteriorated. Meredith, feeling that she may be responsible, confessed in front of the patient's husband. Burke was upset and scolds Meredith for her actions. For the second time that day, he had to operate on the patient. It was discovered that Meredith was not responsible, but that the patient' heart muscles were too weak. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done. The legal fireworks had already started.

As soon as that storm ended, another one which had been brewing for five years touch land. This one would have a far more personal effect on Cristina, and threaten her budding relationship with Burke. It started when a patient. Mrs. Drake, was readmitted to the hospital complaining of chest pains. During routine surgery a towel was found in her chest cavity, underneath her lungs. The only way that towel could have gotten there was from a previous surgery five years before. Faced with the potential of a second lawsuit in one day, the chief was livid and assigned Bailey to find out who was responsible. Bailey assigned Cristina the task of finding the patients old file.

At first Cristina was eager to search for the file. She would have preferred to be in surgery but finding out who could have made such a careless mistake fascinated her. As a doctor she felt that she would never make such mistakes. She hoped that whoever was responsible, would be duly punished. She would end up regretting those sentiments.

In an old file room she went through boxes of files until finally she found it. She had an adrenalin rush. Finally she would know. She opened the file and her jaws dropped. It couldn't be . . . But it was. The surgeon was Dr. Preston Burke. Suddenly, she wanted to be anywhere but there. Wished she could turn back the clock and she was sitting outside and he brought her breakfast. That was impossible. The damage was done and the only thing she could do was give the file to Bailey and hope for the best. Whatever the outcome, he was still the best in his field. Her feelings began to change the moment she gave the file to Bailey. After telling Cristina to keep what she knew to herself, Cristina observed Bailey and Burke in an office in deep conversation. At the end, Bailey handed the file to Burke. After that, a day passed and nothing was mentioned about Mrs. Drake or the towel. Cristina began to feel that there was something wrong. Later that night at a party at Meredith's house, she approached Bailey and asked her what was going to happen. Bailey told her not to concern herself with it. Something wasn't right. She was sure of it and was disappointed that Burke was a part of it.

Unable to get any information about what was really happening, Cristina decided to avoid Burke. She couldn't look at him the same way without thinking about Mrs. Drake. She was also very aware that she was indirectly involved in any cover-up. She thought about talking to the chief but decided against it. She was new to the place, an intern. No one would believe her. For now all she could do is wait, and see.

During surgery that afternoon, Burke's eyes wandered periodically to the gallery. She wasn't there. He knew something was wrong but couldn't put his finger on it. Later that afternoon on his way to see the chief he ran into her. The moment she saw him she tried to go in the opposite direction but he caught up with her. "Can you slow down for a minute?"

She looked around her to make sure no one could hear. "I'm busy."

"Too busy to talk to me."

"Yes." She answered and quickly walked away.

Now his suspicions were confirmed. She was deliberately avoiding him. They had come too far. He needed to know what was wrong.