She looked at him and sighed.
"You know that I do. There is no need for you to ask that question," she said.
"Then say it," he said. "Because every time you say we are not a couple, it's like you're stabbing me in the heart. Is it so hard for you to say?"
"Alright. I love you," she said. She wasn't looking at him, when she said it.
"Say it to my face," he said. "Say it like you mean it." She went up to him, took his face into her hands and looked directly into his eyes. "I love you."
"If you love me and I love you, then why can't we be a couple?" he said. "We're having a baby together, in a couple of months. That baby ties us together for the rest of our lives."
"Maybe I am just not ready to be a couple, again. Give me some time. Let me think about it," she said. "In the meantime, you are free to come to any appointments that I may have at the doctor."
This was so not what he wanted to hear. He decided to back off. Pressing her on the couple issue was just making her pull away from him even more, making him become increasingly frustrated with her.
"Okay, if that is what you want. I am not going to push you. I am going to give you the time that you have asked for," he said. "But don't think this is over between you and me."
"I never said it was over," she said. "I just don't think we are a couple, right now. I just need some space."
"Well, at least that is something positive coming from your lips that it is not over," he said. "I know that you love me, at least. I can hold on to that."
"Thank you," she said. She took his hand and allowed him to touch her stomach. "Our baby is in there," she said. The thought of it just made him melt on the inside. "Our baby" she had said. That sounded awesomely wonderful.
Before he left, he asked if he could still take her to lunch every day. She declined. She said that would him coming to take her to lunch was a "coupley" kind of thing and she wanted to stay away from that, for the time being.
She didn't kiss him but she did give him a hug. He held her tightly. He hoped that her thinking time would be short. He didn't understand her putting this space between them but he respected it. He hoped she would come around soon.
Over the next few weeks, it was really hard for Owen not to be with Cristina. He had not stayed over at her house in more than a month. It was killing him that he could not see her whenever he wanted. Sometimes he would be in town, during the lunch hour period and he could see her, having lunch with either Meredith or Jackson. She was carrying his child and he was banned from having lunch with her because it was a "coupley" thing. It was so unfair, he thought. He resented Jackson, immensely, that he had ample opportunities to have lunch with Cristina, while Owen could not.
Their next appointment was at the end of the first trimester. She had made it through without any mishaps and they were both exceedingly happy, as they sat in Dr. O' Malley's office. For the first time, Owen saw his baby on the ultrasound. He had that picture of the peanut that Cristina had given him but it was nothing like this. He could actually see the shape of a baby with a head, arms and legs. He cried when he saw the baby. His heart was filled with joy.
"Oh, my God, Cristina," he said. "There's our baby." She was crying, too. She touched the image on the screen. She could barely imagine that she had wanted to terminate this person, just a few weeks ago.
"Yes," she said. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. He was surprised but he gladly accepted any contact with Cristina.
"Well, I think that I should print these out for you," he said. He printed it out and handed one to each of the parents.
"I think I am going to frame it and put it up at the farm," Owen said. "Mom will love it."
"I am going to put mine in a baby book I am starting," Cristina said. "So when he or she gets older, they will be able to see what they look like when they were growing inside of me."
"A baby book to collect all of the memories! That is a wonderful idea," George said. He beamed at them. It was clear to him that they loved each other but they didn't act like a couple that was together. He knew Cristina still lived in the cottage, while Owen lived on the farm with his mom. He never saw them together in town. Owen was usually alone, while Cristina was mainly seen with that Avery boy or her friend, Meredith. He could see how much the man loved the woman but she seemed to be keeping him at arm's length.
"I am going to tell my mom and dad today," Cristina said. "I am now past the danger zone."
"You haven't told your parents, as yet. That's a little surprising," George said.
"Well, my sister Charmaine was pregnant last year and she miscarried in her ninth week. It was devastating to my parents because it was going to be their first grandchild. I didn't want to put them through that, in case it happened to me," Cristina said. "This baby is now going to be their first grandchild."
Owen was flabbergasted. He didn't even know Cristina had a sister named Charmaine. There seemed to be so much about her that he needed to know.
"Can I start telling other people?" he asked. "My mom knows, already but I was wondering whether it would be okay with you that it becomes common knowledge. That we are expecting a baby."
She nodded. "It's okay. It is not going to be long again when I can't hide it, anymore. So you can start telling your friends and the workers at the farm." Owen grinned from ear to ear. He had been waiting for this moment since she had first told him that she had kept the baby.
As they left the doctor's office, it was close to lunchtime. "Do you want to go to lunch?" he asked. "I am not asking because it is a coupley thing. I am asking because I am hungry and maybe you are hungry, too." He hoped that she wasn't going to make up some lame excuse not to have lunch with him.
"Alright," she said. "I am hungry, too. This baby has increased my appetite. Let's go to the diner." They walked to the diner, which was not too far from the doctors' office. If they were a couple, he would have been holding her hand.
They walked into Lucky Diner and found that their favorite table had just been vacated. "Lucky us," Cristina said, as she sat down. Teddy came over and started taking their order. Cristina ordered a substantially heavier meal than what she would normally order, while Owen ordered his usual.
He looked at her delicate face. It was a long time, since they had sat at the same table and shared a meal, together. She no longer came across to the farm for Sunday lunch, anymore and it was just usually him, his mom and Dr. Webber. Her absence at their table was very noticeable because all three of them knew that Cristina was pregnant with Owen's child. Everyone would stare at the empty chair that Cristina normally occupied. Though it was unspoken, they all thought about her.
"Yes?" she asked, as she caught his eyes on her face. "Do I have something on my face?"
"No," he said. "I was just thinking how nice it is to share a meal with you," he said. "It has been a while." Teddy soon brought over their food. "Enjoy," she said.
Owen watched Cristina dive into her food. She was extremely famished as she wolfed down everything on her plate. Then, she started to pick up some of his fries and started chewing on that. Teddy came by and noticed that while Owen was still eating, Cristina had completely cleared her plate.
"Whoa, Cristina, that is quite an appetite you have there," Teddy said. "First time I have ever seen you finish your lunch faster than Owen."
"I was extremely hungry," Cristina explained.
Owen grinned. "She's eating for two," he said. The words were out of his mouth before he caught himself. Teddy's face broke out in a huge smile.
"Oh my God," Teddy said. "Congratulations, you two! That is fabulous news!" She gave both Owen and Cristina a hug. She turned around and faced all of the diners. "Folks, I have just heard the best news. Our population will be increasing by one in a couple of months. There is going to be a new Hunt baby joining our ranks." The patrons of the diner broke out in spontaneous applause and everyone came around and offered their congratulations.
As the crowd finally thinned around their table, Owen turned to Cristina and said, apologetically. "I am sorry that came out of my mouth. It was just a slip."
She turned to him. "Well, it is okay. We were going to start telling people, anyway. I just didn't expect it to be announced in such a public way."
"By the end of the hour, the whole town will know about it," he said. "Just prepare yourself for that. Word will spread like wildfire."
"It's just as well," she said.
"Can I walk you back to the mercantile?" he asked, hopefully.
"Yeah, sure, if you wish," she said. He got up and went to the cash register to pay. She waited for him just outside of the diner. They walked back to the mercantile.
"Soon I will have to start ordering maternity clothes," she said. "And I will be the size of a hippo and waddling down the streets."
"I think you will still be very cute, regardless," he said.
"Thank you, kind sir. But you are biased. I am having your baby, so you are forced to like me," she said, laughing.
They stopped in front of the mercantile, when Owen spoke, "I don't just like you and I am not forced to like you. I love you, Cristina. You know that," he said, as he took her two hands into his.
"I love you, too," she said. This time, she said it, without him having to ask her to say it.
He smiled. "Thank you," he said. He kissed her on the cheek and turned to leave.
"Do you want to come over tonight?" she asked. "You don't have to, if you are busy." Then, she paused. "Never mind, you don't have to."
He turned back. "I want to. I desperately want to. I will never be too busy for you." He grinned. This was a positive sign for him. Maybe her thinking time was soon going to be over. He could only hope.
With a quick look back, he left her there at the entrance of the mercantile. She was deep in her own thoughts when she bumped into Mr. Avery. "I hear congratulations are in order," Mr. Avery said. "So when is the baby due?"
"In spring," Cristina said. She spotted Jackson, helping a customer. He gave her a wave but he definitely had a strange look on his face. She was certain that he had already heard the news. She had wanted to tell him before he heard it over the town grapevine. After all, he was her friend and she saw him, almost every day. It was too bad that someone else had told him before she did.
She went back to her office and before she could even put her handbag down, her phone rang. It was Meredith.
"Cristina Yang, I just heard from a stranger on the street that you are pregnant," Meredith said, laughing loudly.
"Yes, well, I guess everyone knows," Cristina said. "I suppose people are excited because it is a Hunt baby and they are a prominent family. After all, the town is named after them."
"Well, the news traveled fast. My boss just scolded me about why I didn't tell her before," Meredith said. "Gotta go now."
She had just hung up, when another call came through. She looked at the number. It was Owen's home phone number."Hello, Owen, you got back to the farm really fast," she said.
"No, it is not Owen," the soft voice on the other end said.
"Oh, Mrs. Hunt, how are you?" Cristina said.
"I just got about 10 calls from townsfolk, congratulating me on the impending birth of my grandchild," Susannah said. "So you all have started to tell people."
"Yes," Cristina said. "Actually, it was done for us and then it spread all over town."
"That's how it is in small towns," Susannah said. "Cristina, I want to ask you a favor."
"Okay, anything you need from the store?" Cristina asked.
"No, nothing like that. I want to invite you to come over for Sunday lunch. You have not been to the farm in more than a month and we miss you at our table," Susannah said. "Please. You are part of our family, now."
Cristina paused. It was hard to say no to Mrs. Hunt, especially when she was asking so nicely. "Yes, I will be there," she said, finally.
"Wonderful, dear. I will have Owen pick you up at 11.30," Susannah said.
"Okay, thank you," Cristina said. As she hung up her mobile phone, her extension began ringing off the hook, as every mercantile employee called to congratulate her.
By the end of the day, she was exhausted from receiving so many congratulatory calls. She was very pleased when she heard another piece of news that was spreading throughout the town. It had soon replaced her pregnancy news as the topic of the day.
It turned out that there was now a break in the mayor's murder. The anonymous note sender had finally come forward and he had a very interesting piece of information to share with the sheriff. His identity was soon going to be known to everyone.
The town waited with bated breath.
A/N: Please leave your comments. Thanks.