"Why did I do this?" she repeated his words.
"Yes, terminate the pregnancy," he said. "Especially without telling me. You didn't give me a chance to discuss what we were going to do about it. Granted we have only known each other about two months but I still think I deserved some sort of say in it."
Cristina stayed silent for a moment.
"So when you came to Millbrook to the clinic, what was your intention?" she asked.
"I wanted to stop you from going ahead with the procedure. I wanted us to talk about it before you did anything. I wanted us to make a decision as a couple about what would be the best thing for us," he said. "That's what I wanted. I wanted us to talk."
"Okay," she said. "That's fair enough."
"Then why?" he asked. "Why did you do this?"
Cristina took a deep breath before she spoke. "I didn't."
"You didn't what?" he asked.
"I didn't go through with the procedure. I am still pregnant. Nearly two months," she said, quietly.
"Oh, my God," he yelled in happiness. He picked up her up in his arms and swung her around. "You didn't go through with it. I am so happy."
He put her down but he noticed that she did not reciprocate with equal enthusiasm. "I had second thoughts about it after seeing a counselor at the clinic. So when you saw us that day, that was after I had changed my mind."
She sat down on the sofa, as she continued. "That night, when I came home, I finally made up my mind. I decided I was going to keep the baby."
"You have made me the happiest man in the world," he said, with a huge grin on his face. "I am going to be a father."
"Yeah," she said. "So how much do you want to participate in this pregnancy?"
"What kind of question is that?" he asked. "How much I want to be part of this? I am all in, baby, through all of the appointments and ultrasounds, right up to the delivery."
"Okay," she said. She got up and took out her appointment schedule that Olivia had given her and handed it to him.
"These are my appointments with Dr. O' Malley over the course of the pregnancy. He will be my primary doctor during the pregnancy. I also have an appointment with Dr Withers at the Brewster Hospital, who will probably be the one delivering the baby," she said.
She watched as he keyed in all of her appointments into his phone. For such amazing news like this, Owen wondered why Cristina was not as enthusiastic about it. She just seemed strangely quiet. She got up and handed him a copy of the ultrasound.
"Here is the baby. It doesn't look like much because it is early in the pregnancy," she said. He stared at the peanut-shaped blob. This was his baby. His heart swelled with pride.
"When is the baby due?" he asked.
"Late March, early April," she said. "A spring baby."
"That would be nice. All the flowers will be coming out, then," he said. "Have you told your parents?"
"No, not as yet, I was going to wait till I passed the first trimester," she said. "No need to get them all hyped up, in case I lose it."
"You are not going to lose it. You are going to take care of yourself. I am going to take care of you. How many more weeks again before the trimester is over?" he asked.
"About four more weeks," she said.
"Can I tell my mom? She is going to be over the moon about it," he said.
"If you wish," she said. "The only people that know about this are you, me, Meredith and the doctors and nurses at the Huntsville clinic. Just remind her that I am not yet out of my first trimester."
He just kept smiling at her. "Do you want to talk about us as a couple? Our future together."
"Us?" she repeated. "We are not a couple."
"What?" he said, incredulous at her statement. "We're having a baby, Cristina. Of course, we are a couple." The smile was wiped from his face.
"I am having your baby. It doesn't mean we're a couple," she said.
He didn't understand what was going on with her. "What is the matter with you?"
"Nothing," she said. "If that is all, I think I am going to go to bed, now. I am feeling exhausted. I think you know your way out."
He was dumbfounded, as he watched her go into her bedroom. He sat on the sofa. What in the world was going on here?
He went to her door. "Cristina, I am leaving now," he said. "If you want to talk some more, please call me." There was no answer, so he assumed that she was asleep.
Actually, she was not. She lay in her bed, silently crying. She was a mix of emotions and hormones. She was actually glad that she had told Owen about keeping the baby and she knew that he would be a decent and good father.
When she thought about Owen, all she could think about was the look of utter revulsion he had on his face when he saw her, coming out of the clinic. He hadn't even waited for her to say anything. He had looked at her like if she was dirt. It had hurt her deeply.
Cristina listened for the door closing, before turning in her bed and going to sleep.
Owen drove home, still not knowing quite what to feel. On the one hand, he was beyond ecstatic. On the other hand, he was troubled by Cristina's attitude towards him. What did she mean that they were not a couple? They were a couple before the trouble started. So why couldn't they be a couple now?
He parked his truck and went into the house. "Mom," he called out. "Mom, I have the most amazing news."
Susannah came running from the kitchen. "Please tell me you are back together again. You have been miserable without her."
He didn't quite know how to answer that, so he decided to tell her the other news. "Mom, Cristina is pregnant. About two months along, mom," he said. Susannah screamed with joy. She had been waiting for news like for years. With her daughter, Charlotte, running around the globe, it had become more likely that Owen would be the one who would be providing her with the grandchildren. Her dream had finally come through.
She hugged her son, tightly. "I am so happy for you and Cristina," she said. "Where is she? Is she going to move back in here?"
"She's at home. She said she was tired and she went to sleep. And I don't think she has plans to move back to the farm," Owen said. Susannah immediately recognized the strain in her son's voice when he spoke.
"What's the matter, Owen? This should one of the happiest days of your life," she said.
"It is, mom, but…" he said.
"But what?" Susannah persisted.
"Cristina said we were not a couple," he said, still puzzled by Cristina's statement.
"That's nonsense, Owen. Of course, you are a couple. You're having a baby. You love that girl so much," she said.
"I know and I do," he said. "I don't know what is going on with her. I guess I will have to wait until she tells me. But she is wrong – we are a couple and I am going to prove it to her."
"Yes, son, you do that," Susannah said. "That young woman needs to know how much you love her."
The next day, he showed up at the mercantile, ready to take her to lunch, as he usually did. He went to her office and knocked but there was no answer. Mr. Avery was passing by and saw him there.
"Oh, Owen, Cristina is not here, today," Mr. Avery said.
"What, is she sick?" he asked, concerned.
"No, no, she and Jackson went to Des Moines to meet with suppliers. They will be gone for two days," Mr. Avery said. "She didn't tell you?"
"No, she didn't," he said. "Thanks for the information."
As he walked out of the mercantile, he called her. When she answered the phone, it was apparent she was having a conversation with Jackson. He heard her say, "Jackson, don't be ridiculous."
"Oh, hello, Cristina Yang here," she answered her phone.
"Hey, it's me," he said.
"Oh," she said. "How are you?"
"I am fine. I came to take you to lunch but found out that you weren't here. Mr. Avery said you and Jackson are away on a business trip in Des Moines," he said. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Well, we're just meeting with some suppliers," she said. "Nothing major."
"Yes, but you're gone for two days. I think you could have told me," he said.
"Why?" she said. "We are not a couple." She repeated her words from the night before.
"Why do you keep saying this?" he said, frustrated with her. She remained silent.
"Cristina, are you there?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "I am going to have lunch now. They just called us for our table."
"Can we talk when you get home? Please," he said. She paused before she spoke.
"Okay, I will be back on Wednesday night, really late, so I guess we can talk on Thursday evening. You can come to my place, if you wish," she said.
"I wish," he said, determined to get to the bottom of this.
"Okay, bye, Owen," she said. The last thing he heard her say, "Coming, Jackson" before she hung up.
Wednesday seemed to drag for Owen with Cristina out of town. He busied himself on the farm and did some paperwork at night. He hadn't called her because he knew she was busy. He wished that she would have called him but she didn't. He went to bed, early and woke up to the buzzing of his phone. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the screen. It was Cristina.
"Hey, babe," he said.
"Good morning, Owen. Just want to let you know that I am back in town and if you wanted to talk tonight, you could come around 7 p.m." she said.
"Okay, do you want me to come to take you to lunch," he asked.
"No, it is okay. I am going to work through my lunch, so I can leave earlier," she said.
"You have to eat, Cristina," he said. "You're carrying a baby."
"I am eating," she assured him. "Jackson will go to the diner and bring something for me. I don't plan to faint on the job, especially since no one at work knows that I am pregnant."
"Take care of yourself," he said.
"I will," she said. "I guess I will see you later."
"You can count on it," he said. "Bye, baby. I love you." He deliberately used words of endearment and made sure to tell her that he loved her. They were a couple, whether she believed it or not.
He found himself at Cristina's door, promptly at 7 p.m. She opened the door, dressed in her pjs.
"Are you alone?" he asked. She nodded. "Meredith is staying over at the sheriff's house so we can get some privacy to talk," she confirmed.
"Good," he said. "How are you feeling? Did you have dinner?"
"Yes, I just whipped up something really quick, just now," she said.
"If you want, my mom can send food over for you," he said. "We always have lots extra."
"It's okay," she said. "I can take care of myself." She was not giving him an inch, he thought.
"My mom is very excited about the baby," he said. "She is extremely happy. She says if there is anything that you need, just tell her."
"Your mom is a very generous woman," she said. "I am glad that she is happy."
"I am happy, too," he said. "Very happy. That's why I don't know why you keep saying that we are not a couple. We are a couple. I love you more than I have loved anybody else in my life."
She blinked at him, without saying anything.
He took that as a cue to continue. "I can't imagine my life without you and my child in it."
"Hmmm," she said. She bent her head, as if considering his words.
"What does that mean? Hmmm," he asked.
"So if I didn't have your child and did go through with the termination, would we still be a couple?" she responded.
He thought for a moment. "I will be honest. I was totally devastated when I thought you had gone through with the abortion. I felt betrayed by you; that you wouldn't come to me and at least talk about it, before going through with it," he said.
"Yes, but if I had gone through with the abortion, would you still have considered us a couple?" she asked again. "Would you have still wanted to be with me?"
He paused.
"It would have taken me a while to understand why you did it but I think with time, I think I could have gotten over it. I think we could have worked it out. I loved you, even before there was a baby," he said. "And I love you, now."
"Hmmm," she said.
"Stop saying that," he said. "That's driving me crazy. I have told you that I love you. But you keep questioning whether we are a couple. Maybe it is because you don't love me. I need to know. Do you love me?"
A/N: Please leave your reviews. Thanks for your comments.