A.N. Hello everyone, I want to say big 'thank you' to all who read the first chapter and even bigger to those who reviewed. I am thrilled to know you actually liked the beginning of the story.
Secondly, I need to make some explanations concerning the plot.
I am aware that residency years are not the same as calendar years but I don't know how this works exactly. So, I'm going stick to the normal time flow.
Meredith left sometime in the course of the 3rd year of her residency.
If you have any questions or I was unclear about something, just write! Oh, and to those who were concerned about the pairing, I can assure you it's 100% MerDer.
Here goes the 2nd chapter. Hope you'll enjoy it. Read & review, please. Cheers!
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Cristina Yang was standing behind the counter and filling in the chart of her newly admitted patient. She sighed with irritation. Another boring appie case. She hadn't assisted to a cardio procedure for a week now and she missed it. However, to be honest, cardio these days looked nowhere near as appealing as usual. It seemed that the head of cardiothoracic, Dr. Erica Hahn was constantly on the warpath, on the warpath against Cristina. Still, a bypass surgery or a valve replacement would be an awaited break.
Cristina raised her eyes from the chart and gazed at the everyday hustle-bustle of the Seattle Grace surgical floor. Surely, it was as busy as ever but for Cristina it seemed to loose its luster. She didn't know why she couldn't revive that sparkle she carried inside; the sparkle of enthusiasm that burned her alive every time she stepped into an OR. Since Burke left, work had been the centre of her life. And now she was terrified she might loose even that. She desperately needed to break the routine. A mischievous smirk appeared on her lips as she recalled the phone conversation she had with Meredith a few days ago. At this very moment Derek Shepherd hurried in front of the counter engrossed in conversation with the Chief. Yeah, that will certainly break the routineā¦
"You seem happy today," said Izzie, appearing beside Cristina as out of thin air.
"I'm just exercising my face muscles," retorted Cristina.
Soon they were joined by George and Alex and the foursome headed to the hospital canteen for lunch.
"So, what's this thing with the IEPS?" asked George with curiosity. "The whole hospital seems to be talking of nothing else today."
"Seriously, dude," said Alex, expression of pity on his face.
"It stands for Independent Educational Project for Surgeons, Bambi" Cristina provided the answer.
"Huh?" was George's only reaction.
Izzie rolled her eyes.
"It's like a super-selective super-intensive program for surgeons in training, George. The cream of the cream."
"No wonder he hadn't heard of it," chuckled Alex.
"Shut up, Evil Spawn," snapped back George. "So, why are they coming to Seattle Grace?"
"IEPS are surgical residents, but they don't spend their residency in one particular hospital. Every few months they change the place, either in the U.S. or abroad," answered Cristina.
"It's weird."
"It's genius, in two or tree years time they gain lots of experience, watch all kinds of procedures all over the world, observe different surgical styles. They're involved in research!"
"Wow, you seem really hooked on it. Why aren't you one of the IEPSs? Why did you choose Seattle Grace?"
"She didn't get admitted," teased Alex.
Cristina just scowled.
"They don't take people straight from med school. You have to complete at least two years of surgical residency first. And later, there was this thing with Burke..."
She remembered that moment, some two and a half years ago, when Meredith called her and announced that she had got in the program. For the briefest of moments, she resolved to follow her friend's steps. But when she put the phone away and scurried to pack her bags she realized she couldn't do it. Deep down, she was no longer the same Cristina Yang, the career-driven, ambitious Cristina Yang. She couldn't break free like Meredith did. The strings attaching her to Seattle tied too tightly around her now. She still had this feeling sometimes like Burke would come out around the corner in his lab coat with a chart in his hands. And she always thought that Meredith was the emotional one. Meredith had different reasons to quit, though.
"Hello, earth to Cristina," she saw Izzie's hand waving before her face.
"Are you O.K.? You're little off today," asked Izzie anxiously.
"I'm fine."
"About these IEPS people," George brought back the topic. "Does this mean we'll have to share our ORs with them, give them our most interesting cases for a few months?"
"No, they're only coming for two days, the so-called 'break shift'. It's like a final exam at the end of their residency. For 48 hours, they practically run the surgical floor. Those who make it will be the most sought after surgeons."
*
That afternoon, Cristina left the hospital earlier than usual and hurried to the apartment she was renting with Callie Torres. She wanted to tidy it up a little before the arrival of her guests. Fortunately, Callie seemed to have moved temporarily to her mysterious boyfriend. It meant that they will have time to talk all things through without unwanted party.
A few hours later, Cristina heard the doorbell rang and practically ran to open the door. And there was her person with two fat suitcases holding a little sleeping burden with one arm and tipping the cabman with the other.
"Seriously, what took you so long? I thought you wouldn't make it," grumbled Cristina with a mock reproach.
"Seriously, I used to think I'd never make it here again. But I did," said Meredith and smiled widely.
"Good," whispered Cristina with a matching smile. "About time."
