When Owen arrived at the hospital he pushed Ethan and Evan's first birthday to the back of his mind. Once the fabric of the navy blue scrubs touched his skin his emotions of possibly missing them blow out their first candles went out the window. His family was placed to the side when the ambulance doors went flying open. His mind averted and solely focused on the task at hand; a patient with multiple gsw's to the abdomen. As always Owen gave strict orders and instructions to the medical staff at hand. During surgery he took point and with the help of fellow surgeons, stabilized and operated to perfection as a team. When he knew the patient was stable enough and going to make it he allowed the emotions he was holding back to be released. It pained him that he was missing Ethan and Evan's first birthday. One year ago today was one of the most fulfilling days of his life and when he and Cristina were shocked and surprised to know little Evan had been baking in the oven right along with Ethan. He could not imagine his life with out those two boys.
With so many hours gone by Owen immediate scrubbed out, quickly discarded his scrubs and changed into civilian clothes. He jetted out of the hospital and ran to his truck. He was determined to not miss his sons blowing out their first candles. He wanted to be the one holding the camera, and capturing the special moment himself.
The street lights were not on Owen's side. Every traffic light he came to happen to be red. At each stop he would twiddle his fingers on the steering wheel just waiting for the light to turn green so he could quickly accelerate closer to home. It had been five minutes since he left the hospital and immediately called Cristina.
"Hey. I'm in the truck on my way home. I'll be there soon." Owen assured Cristina.
"Okay. Well hurry. It's getting late and the kids are getting antsy."
"I will. And give Ethan and Evan kisses for me."
"I will. Now hurry up and get home." Cristina said and was already placing the phone down.
"Hey," Owen yelled through the phone.
Cristina fumbled the phone. "Yeah? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just wanted to tell you I love you." Owen said.
Cristina smiled through the phone. "I love you too."
"And do not start handing out presents or start cutting the cake without me. Wait for me."
When he hung up the phone he yet again came to another red light. It was as though some super natural forces were against him on this day, which was frustrating him to oblivion. It never took this long to get home. When the light turned green, Owen stopped the dancing of his fingers on the steering wheel, gripped it and again accelerated towards home. Only this time he was thrown off route by another car nicking the tail of truck and sending him flying into a corner traffic pole.
As the truck started spinning it seemed like it was doing so in slow motion for Owen. Once he felt the impact of another car hit his truck he knew he was going to go spinning out of control. He was anticipating his truck to hit something but it felt like it was taking an eternity to do so. When the side of truck did finally make contact with the pole his head hitting glass and metal knocked him senseless. He blackout momentarily and was quite disoriented. Somehow he managed to fathom what just happened. His breathing became rapid and felt scared. He found it difficult to try and move, especially his arms. Panic was seeping through. He managed to tame his frightfulness and reach for his phone. He needed to call Cristina. As he attempted to flip open his phone he was stopped by gushes of warm blood streaming down his forehead and covering his vision. He was becoming lightheaded and within seconds drifted off to the sound of faint ambulance sirens.
- - - - - - - -
Derek briefly hesitated, wishing that the page he received was wrong, wishing he could give Cristina anything but the answer he was about to pitch.
"Yeah. It's Owen." Derek answered in a cracked voice before quickly putting on his coat and rushing to his car. It sent shockwaves through all of them. Cristina had no more words and no more questions. The knot still very present in her stomach, and a new one was forming in her throat. Izzie and George rounded up all the kids and secured them safely in her minivan and followed Alex and Derek to the hospital. Meredith stayed behind with Cristina trying to get her to take steps to her car.
The car ride seemed to last an eternity for Cristina. The whole way Meredith kept trying to comfort her, assure her that everything would be okay, but Cristina's ears would not allow her voice to enter. Her brain needed concrete facts about her husband, and Meredith possessed none. As they drove further to the hospital they came to a stop. It was the accident scene and Cristina's eyes caught sight of Owen's truck. The tail of his truck crushed and the driver's side smashed into the traffic pole. She was a doctor and she just how extensive his head injuries would be. Unbeknownst to Cristina, her eyes began producing tears at a rapid rate.
When they did reach the hospital Cristina needed assistance from Meredith to exit the car. Tears were still streaming down her face. Her heart rate now increased, afraid to walk into the halls of the hospital. Each step was becoming as heavy as stone to take.
At the hospital things seemed to be happening sporadically. One moment Cristina was entering the hospital doors and the next she was standing in front of the OR board searching frantically for Owen's name. Shepherd was operating on him right now and she was contemplating on whether to rush to the OR or not.
Cristina did not know how she ended up in the scrub room, just several feet away from Owen's body laying on the operating table. She collapsed down in front of the door, not able to bring herself to scrub in or even look through the glass window. Her ears were fully intact now. Hearing all the medical terms, his stats, and Derek's voice all giving her concrete facts about her husband. Words such as "hang more O negative," "subdural and epidural hematomas" and "possible swelling of the brain" or "high pressure in the skull" made her tears stream down at a faster pace, as if her eyes were a faucet. The thought of losing Owen was not something she could bear.
Within a matter of minutes different and frantic words were escaping the mouths of Derek and the nurses. "Get the crash cart." Those words sliced her heart open. The sound of a flat line made her body shake violently and as the paddles shocked Owen's heart it jolted Cristina's as well. Her husband was slipping away. As Derek and his team continued with shock and after shock Cristina curled into a ball on the floor of the scrub room. Thoughts of her father entered her mind. The events of the car crash and her efforts to save her father swirled through her brain. With each shock being sent to Owen's heart it ripped old wounds from the day Cristina lost her father. The pain she felt.
This very moment, this awful accident was the main reason why Cristina originally did not want children. She knew what it felt like to lose a parent and never wanted to possibly subject any child to feel that loss. Here she was, with two one year old boys, spitting images of Owen, and their father slipping away from their lives.
How would she tell Ethan and Evan? How would she raise them without Owen? How would she survive without her soul mate who constantly breathed life into her? All those questions haunted her and none of which she had the answers to.
a/n: Short chapter, but a long juicy one is on its way. Thanks for the reviews, please keep them coming because they are what keep the fic alive. :)