The Importance Of Trust
Chapter 8
"Good Morning."
Owen's voice was the first thing Cristina heard when she woke up. Owen's arms around her were the first things she felt: Still unmoved from the night before.
Cristina opened her eyes her clock that read 5:30.
"Good Morning," She turned around in his arms to face him. Their eyes met and she pressed her lips to his.
Owen deepened her kiss and moved so he was on top of her. Cristina brought her hands to his neck and brought him closer.
"Really? Now?" Cristina gave him a mischievous smile and questioned him as he lowered his head to kiss her neck.
"Why not?" Owen said smiling.
"We have to go to work."
"Only one of us does," He said and went back to kiss her lips. "And she friends with the Chief and his wife."
"She still has to go to work," Cristina added but still pulled him closer and kissed him.
The pair picked up from the night before, only this time laugher was in the air.
Cristina arrived to the locker rooms an hour later. She missed seeing Meredith and Alex first thing in the morning to give her the overnight gossip. This morning she walked into the quiet room only to find Jackson alone, going over a patient's chart.
"Hey," Jackson greeted her.
"Hey," Cristina responded. She acknowledged Jackson's chart on the table. "Altman's patient?"
"Yeah."
"Are you on the case?"
"I think she wants us both." Jackson raised his eyes to look at her. "It's a pretty big case."
"Okay," Cristina said and turned her back on him to open her locker. "I have to check on Meredith and Derek before I can start."
"You're already late," Jackson started. Cristina turned her head to give him an annoyed look. Jackson met her eyes and seized the moment. "Do they know?"
"Excuse me?"
Jackson closed the chart and stood up. "Do Meredith and Derek know about your Harper Avery Award?"
Cristina took a deep breath and put her bag into her locker and slammed the door shut. She angrily walked over him, and stopped within inches of him.
"Listen to me. First of all, it is not my Harper Avery Award. And second," She added pointing her index finger at him. "Everything that we talked about last night stays between us. You are not to repeat anything I told you," Jackson raised his eyes. "Or you figured out yourself. You took advantage of me with alcohol."
Jackson smiled. "I. Did. Not." His pager went off.
"Oh, look at that," Cristina said sarcastically. "Your pager just save me from messing up your pretty-boy face."
Jackson was torn was between laughing at her and feeling threatened by her. His smile was still on his face as he left the room.
Cristina went back to her locker and her anger slowly left her when she strongly opened the little door. A strange smile appeared on Cristina's face as she changed into her scrubs.
It was after seven before Cristina made it to Derek's patient room. The blinds were still halfway closed, an obvious sign that visitors were not welcome. But Cristina saw the corner light of the room turned on and pushed opened the door.
"It took you long enough," Derek voice filled the room as Cristina entered it. Meredith was sitting up beside Derek, her legs out in front of her on top of his blanket. Cristina walked to Meredith's side of the bed and looked at the small bed. "Oh, damn," Derek said sarcastically. "The bed is too small for Cristina to join us."
"What, you think just because you're the patient, I won't kick you out of bed?"
"No, I think you would," Derek responded, "But I think this is one instance where Meredith with choose me over you-"
"We expected you an hour ago," Meredith said, trying to change the subject.
"You were up an hour ago? You know one of the perks of not working right now is that you don't have to get up quite so early." Cristina took her place in a chair beside Meredith side of the bed.
"Not really. A nurse has already been in here this morning." Derek said.
"So, where were you? Any new hospital gossip we should know about?" Meredith asked her.
There was a pause. Derek eyebrows narrowed as he looked at Cristina.
"She was busy having morning sex," he said. Meredith eyes widen and a smile was brought to her face.
"Hey!" Cristina started in protest.
"It's the only reason Cristina would be late to the hospital," he paused. "Plus, it's all over your face."
"I don't like you," Cristina said to Derek.
"Right back at you," Derek paused debating whether to go on. "What I want to know is which guy you had morning sex with."
Cristina did a double take. "Where the hell is McDreamy?"
"Sorry," Derek said with a smile on his face.
Meredith put her efforts into changing Cristina's scolding look at Derek. "Did you work whatever out with Owen?"
Cristina met Meredith's eyes and said casually, "Yeah."
Derek caught Cristina's smirk. "I think I just found out who she had morning sex with." This time both women gave him disgusting looks. "Sorry, I think the morphine combined with the medicine is messing with my head."
Cristina raised her eyebrows. "Clearly." There was a pause and Cristina looked at Meredith. "Have you seen Alex this morning?"
Meredith sat up higher. "Yeah, briefly. He is getting much stronger. He looks good."
"Good." Cristina pager went off. It was Jackson needing her assistant with Teddy's patient. Cristina took a deep breath, "I have to go."
"We'll see you in the cafeteria for lunch, then?" Meredith said.
"Both of you?" Cristina questioned.
"Yeah," Derek said. "I can eat solid food and I need to get out of this hospital room."
Cristina stood up and walked to the door. "All right, then," She said. "See you later."
The rest of the morning went by uneventfully. Owen came to watch Cristina in surgery with Jackson and Teddy. Even though all three of them were visible in the O.R. galley, it was obvious to both the surgeons inside the O.R. and the galley up above that Owen's eyes were only fixed on Cristina. Cristina was thankful just to have to surgery go by smoothly without Jackson blurting something out.
But then lunch came.
Owen walked with Cristina to the cafeteria after congratulating her on another successfully surgery. Cristina saw Meredith and Derek sitting with Alex, and the rest of the hospital's popular attendings.
Desperate to become more a part of Cristina's family, Owen motioned to the big table. "Come on."
Cristina eyes spotted a quiet, small table away from the commotion. Time alone with Owen sounded nice. "Let's sit over there."
Unable to guide her to the table, with both his arms currently being used, Owen walked to the table, and sat down between Derek and Arizona.
Cristina, of course, followed and took her place between Meredith and Alex.
"Well, aren't we just one big happy family," Cristina whispered so that only Meredith and Alex could hear.
"Nothing like a hospital shooting to bring us all together," Alex whispered back. The three of them laughed and suddenly the table attention was focused on them.
"Hey, no Bailey-Interns secret jokes," Derek interrupted them. "We're eating together."
"Oh, I'm sorry, we're happy to find our own table," Cristina said to Derek a little mockingly.
"Or," Alex played along with Cristina. "We could just start talking in the Bailey-Intern secret language."
"Well, that's better. At least then I could understand you. I'll take that over the whisperings." Derek shot back.
Alex's eyes went back and forth between the Meredith and Cristina, wondering who decided to include the Attending in their circle.
"What?" Cristina exclaimed to the annoyed Alex. "It was a wedding present."
"You hate weddings." Alex whispered to Cristina.
"So true," Cristina said as she bit off part of her sandwich. Meredith sadly smiled at Owen, who heard Alex. Although having a hunch about Cristina's feelings about weddings, was astonished by what he was hearing.
As if on cue, Jackson arrived to the table with a note for Derek. Derek took it and the smile left his face.
"How did you find out about this?" Side conversations at the table were abruptly ended as Derek became serious and questioned Jackson, looking up at Jackson as he stood behind Derek's chair.
"Cristina told me," Jackson flatly stated.
Derek passed the note to Cristina, who quickly opened it. It read:
Is Cristina Yang the true winner of the 2007 Harper-Avery Award?
Cristina unbelieving her eyes, passed the note to Meredith and Alex. Meredith looked at her, suddenly worried. Alex then ripped the paper up for Cristina.
"I didn't tell him anything. I swear, Derek, he figured it out on his own," Cristina whispered, full of shame and regret.
"Okay," started Derek, calmly responding to Jackson's impatience. "Well, this isn't really an appropriate place to talk about this, if we can -"
"Is it true?" Jackson quickly said. All eyes at the table went back and forth between Jackson and Derek and Cristina.
"Jackson-" Cristina started.
"Is it true?" Jackson repeated to Derek.
"What is going on?" Owen finally said franticly.
"Why would Cristina lie about something like-" Derek started but Jackson again interrupted him.
"Why isn't she an Attending?"
"Jackson. Stop it." Cristina said firmly.
"What is your problem?" Alex yelled at him.
Callie and Mark seemed to catch-on to what was going on as Callie said, "I think you should leave."
"Now." Mark added.
"Why isn't she an Attending?" Jackson repeated.
Derek met Cristina's eyes for a spilt second before she sealed them shut and he addressed Jackson. "Because she broke the law." Eyes widen around the table.
"What?" Jackson said, not understanding.
"Yeah. You obviously have no idea what you are talking about." Derek firmly said. "This is a topic that is banned from being talk about within the hospital. If you don't leave us alone to eat in peace, I will ask you to take the day off."
With that Jackson left the table and walked out of the cafeteria.
"Chief, what is-" Teddy started.
Alex stood up and tried to pull Cristina up. With her eyes still shut, it took two tries for Alex to force her on her feet. "Come on." Alex took her hand and pulled her out of the cafeteria.
Owen, still confused about what was happening, stood up to follow them.
"Let them go," Callie said to Owen, urging him to sit back down.
Owen looked back at Callie, still standing. "Excuse me?"
"Just give her a moment," Meredith told Owen and he sat back down. "Excuse me." Meredith kissed Derek's check and left to follow them.
"Chief," Arizona started, speaking for the table. "You want to fill us in here?"
Derek looked back at a table filled with confusion. "You heard what I told Avery. The topic is off limits. Everything is okay. There is no reason to worry. Cristina is fine."
"Did she really break the law?" Arizona asked the question on everyone's mind.
Callie put her hand over Arizona's. "No, no, she didn't. Cristina is fine." Callie turned to the rest of the table. "What he's talking about happened a long time ago. Everyone should forget what just happened."
"Not likely," Teddy said. "We're all attendings here, Chief. Isn't there something we should know about?"
"No," said Mark firmly. "Everyone should let it go."
"But-"
"Cristina is fine," Derek addressed the table. "Professionally, personally, legally, and emotionally. If I find out that anyone questioned Cristina or Jackson about anything that has just happened there will be serious consequences."
"But-"
Not believing him, and worried about Cristina, Owen stood up to go find her. This time no one stopped him.
Derek watched cafeteria's doors closed behind Owen before turning back to look back at the table full of attendings. When he did, he saw everyone with worried looks on their faces.