From the scrub room, Bailey observed the people sitting on the floor in OR2 and smiled. They had saved a lot of lives in there, they lost some too but this life that they had bought into the world today in there was even more precious. A man with a gun had stood in that room and nearly destroyed them all. But the mother of that child had fought to save the man the gunman was targeting, even though being the hero that day had cost her everything. She had battled to save her husband from his war wounds and battled her demons to want to be a mother. Bailey laughed out loud as she thought, Cristina Yang gave birth in the OR! Muttering to herself as she slid open the door "If that beautiful baby boy is not a future Harper Avery winner, then I'm not Miranda Bailey!"
"I am sorry to disturb you but we need to get them both upstairs" Bailey spoke to Owen in a voice just above a whisper, as she put the brakes on the wheelchair she was pushing. She felt guilty for breaking up the scene in front of her. Dr Hunt had his sleeping son curled up in his arm, while Cristina had fallen asleep tucked under his other one, the sheet still wrapped around her legs.
Owen nodded silently, his face full of pride and contentment, and gently shook Cristina to wake her.
"Cristina...Cristina...it's time to go." Owen spoke directly into her ear, not wanting to break the bubble around his family.
"I'm too tired" Cristina grumbled as she slowly sat up. She instinctively looked for their son. Our son! Those words played in her mind on repeat, and she felt instant relief when she saw him sleeping peacefully in Owen's arm. She already felt like a mother and she didn't even have to try. Biology was a strange phenomenon.
"Come on now. Let's go and get you cleaned up and get this boy checked over." Bailey was giving Cristina her best "don't mess with the Nazi" face and Cristina, too tired to be defiant, let Owen and Bailey help her into the wheelchair. Owen gently place the baby into Cristina's arms and picked up her damp clothes and shoes that had been discarded on the floor, casualties of the firefight that had been their son's birth.
Cristina held her little boy tight against her chest, his tiny face pressed into her neck, his tiny fingers touching the stray curls that hung down. It made her smile as she thought about how his gestures were already like Owen's- her husband snuggled into her neck when they hugged and he always found an excuse to touch her hair.
As Bailey wheeled her towards the elevator to carry them to their room and Owen walked beside her, his hand on her shoulder, she felt like that all the pain she had ever experienced in her life had led her to this point. She was experiencing pure, undiluted, untarnished happiness for the first time and it felt wonderful.
An hour later, after Bailey had stitched her up, helped her to take a shower and change into some pyjamas, Cristina was lying back on the hospital bed watching Arizona weighing her son. Owen was already doing his over protective father act, watching everything intently, explaining to his son what was being done and why. The baby looked up at his father in awe, the heavy lashed brown eyes darting across his face as if taking his own optical snapshot of his new hero. As Arizona finished and Owen began to wash and dress his son, in the soft green baby grow the Chief had given them at the baby shower, Cristina mused, not taking her eyes off them for a moment, Lexie was right, what was it about a hot man and a cute baby!
Arizona turned away from the crib, leaving Owen to get his son dressed.
"He is 7lbs 12oz and 60cm long. He looks great." Arizona smiled at Cristina, as she scribbled on the chart. "everyone wants to come and see him. Meredith has told everyone how gorgeous he is."
"Can you tell them to come later? I am really tired." Cristina was telling the truth, but also she just wanted to curl up with her husband and their son and shut out the rest of the world. Just for a little while she wanted it to be them.
Arizona nodded and made to leave the room. Just before she got to the door, she turned back. "congratulations mummy and daddy!" She grinned, her perfect paediatric smile, opened the door and slid down the hall on her heelies.
Owen popped the last fastening on the baby grown and scooped his son up off the mattress of the crib, "come on buddy. Let's go see mummy." He could have sworn he saw a smile curl across the tiny rosebud mouth. His son was a genius-definitely his mother's son!
Turning around to find his wife gazing at him, Owen tilted his head to the side and smiled at her. She looked beautiful- her hair was wet and twisted up loosely at the nape of her neck. She was wearing a pair of plaid pyjamas trousers, a black vest and her favourite wooly cardigan. She looked exactly the same but totally different. She looked
Returning the adoring look being bestowed on her by her amazing husband, Cristina tapped the mattress, gesturing for Owen to bring their son and lay next to her. Owen climbed carefully onto the bed and laid on his back. He settled the baby on his chest while Cristina wriggled to get comfortable in the remaining space. The small hospital bed felt suddenly more comfortable now that the 2 men in her life were in it with her.
"He needs a name." Cristina slid down the bed and laid her head on Owen's cheat directly opposite their son. His brown eyes opened a little wider as his mother reached out her hand and stroked one finger underneath his. He immediately gripped his fist around it, not wanting to let go of the woman who would define his life.
As her son gripped her finger, Cristina felt confused. She almost could not remember what her life was like before he arrived but that was crazy- he had only been here for a couple of hours! At the start she hadn't wanted him, now the thought of not seeing him, not being with him or losing him felt too frightening and painful to contemplate.
"He looks so like you. What about Cristian?" Owen was only half joking, he did like that name.
"I'm Jewish!" Owen could feel Cristina roll her eyes against his chest. He smiled and dropped a kiss on her head.
"You did all the hard work, so you decide. For me it doesn't matter what we call him. He is our son, that is not a small thing, that is everything." Owen's voice was full of emotion. He rubbed his son's back gently and the baby snuffled his nose onto his scrubs.
"Daniel." Cristina offered the name quietly, not quite sure how Owen would react.
Dan had been Owen best friend in Iraq and, as he lay dying in Owen's arms, he had made Owen promise that he would get home and live. Owen had not been living until he had been able to love and be loved by Cristina. She was his whole life. Until today. Now this little boy had opened his heart even further and he now inhabited the space that had been reserved just for him. If it was possible he loved his wife even more now than he ever had, she had given him the chance to be a better man once again.
"Cristina...you don't have to..." Owen's voice faltered as Dan's face flashed across his eyes. But not in the way he had when he had lived and died in his nightmares, this time he was smiling. As if he was looking on to be sure that Owen had kept his promise and seeing that he had Dan was free. And so was Owen.
Cristina pushed herself up and rested her chin on her hands, her face inches away from her husband's. "Iraq is part of who you are, Dan was part of who you came back as." Owen averted his eyes and she took his face in her hands, forcing him to look in her eyes, and stroked his beard. "I hope that our son is as brave, loyal and kind as you are. I hope, in the battles and wars in his life, he fights hard for what he loves like you have always done, like you fought for Dan, like you fought for us."
"are sure?" Cristina lightly kissed his lips and gave a small nod as she pulled her lips away.
Owen tentatively asked, "Can I put forward the middle name?"
He paused to take a breath, "Michael."
Cristina felt the tears prick in the backs of her eyes. Her Dad's name was Michael.
"thank you." Cristina sniffed, thinking how much she wished her dad could be here to see his grandson. Owen squeezed her tighter into his side and they lay there in silence for a few moments, remembering those they had loved and lost and how they were still connected and part of the life of this little boy.
Turning his head so his chin rested lightly on the soft hair on the baby's head "welcome to the world Daniel Michael..." Owen paused, they had not decided on the surname.
"Hunt. welcome to the world Daniel Michael Hunt. I may be a Yang in here." Cristina gestured around the room to indicate that she meant in the hospital. " but I am Cristina Hunt in here." she laced her fingers through Owen's hand and placed their combined warmth directly over her heart.
Stretching his lips to kiss his wife, Cristina could taste his tears and Owen could taste hers. She deepened the kiss, letting him know that they were now in the after of the after. He responded, moving his tongue slowly against her, letting her know that he wasn't going anywhere without her or Daniel.
"I love you, mummy." Owen wrapped his arm around Cristina and stroked her arm and Daniel's back in perfect harmony.
"I love you too, Daddy." placing her hand on top of Owen's as the rhythmical stroking lulled Daniel to sleep, she closed her eyes.
She wanted to enjoy these moments, when it was the 3 of them, their perfect family, living the huge life for the 40 years or more that Owen had promised them.
Just before she drifted off to sleep, she murmured, "We love you, Daniel."