A/N: The story is set in the summer when Faith is 23 ; Theo and Teddy are 17.
Two days before Theo meets Jane…
Owen drives his truck to the garage and the rest of the family were already standing at the door, waiting for Faith to come home in her first summer of medical school.
"Faith!"-Teddy slips out an exclamation that expresses more of a surprise than an excitement.
"What happened to you?"-Folding her arms, Cristina furrows her eyebrows.
"Nothing, Mom! It's still me."-Faith reluctantly responds to Cristina as she hugs her mother.
"So now you join the Ginger Team, too?"-Theo looks at his sister with concern. He gives his father a questioning look but Owen shrugs.
The whole family stares at Faith, the Stanford first year medical student. Faith smiles shyly, letting her parents and her siblings examine her auburn hair and her multiple piercings with curiosity.
Owen and Theo help carry her luggage to her room while Cristina and Teddy pull Faith onto the couch.
"How's Stanford? Awesome, right? Did you apply into any summer research program yet?"-Cristina smiles, cupping her older daughter's face.
"Mom, give me a break. I'm only here for a week. Do you really want to talk about school?"-Faith mumbles.
"Okay, how about you tell us why you dye your hair auburn and have multiple piercings? You shouldn't wear those fancy earrings when you visit your professor's office, Faith."-Owen is standing at the kitchen, looking out to the living room where his wife and his children gather.
"What's wrong with it? I just don't like…black hair anymore. Besides, Mom has two earrings on her right ear."
"Uh huh, but my earrings are cute, unlike yours. Seriously, you can't wear those around medical school. You look like a rebel."-Cristina lectures her daughter.
"Tiger Mother of Battle Hymm."-Faith murmurs.
"Faith, don't say that to your mom."-Owen scolds. He looks serious at his daughter.
"Okay, I'm sorry Mom. I'm still me, nothing changes. And I am not overloaded. I still do well at school. So please don't worry. Can I go to my room now? My flight was delayed and waiting in the airport was exhausting."
Faith excuses herself from the family talk and walks upstairs. The twins watch their older sister carefully and discuss:
"You said she skipped puberty, Ma. What now?" Theo asks his mother.
"I don't know. Seems like puberty has revisited her. She's entering her rebellious phase." Cristina comments as she watches Faith walking away.
"Something is troubling her. We need to figure it out soon. If she keeps this mood, she will ruin our graduation, Theo."-Teddy remarks.
Later that night, Cristina and Owen lie on their bed, wide awake. They surely miss their daughter yet they worry about her more. She doesn't look happy as she supposes to if she had a successful school year.
"May be she's just too stressed out with school work." Cristina turns over and snuggles in Owen's arms.
"That's unlikely of her. She has always handled the stress well. We always say there's the trauma surgeon gene in her."-Owen runs his fingers through Cristina's black and shiny hair."Hm, Faith and you were always in a team, and she betrayed you. Now she goes for red hair." Owen chuckles.
"Yeah. I still go with my theory that puberty revisits her. I mean, she was never a rebel. She aced all her exams. Never came home late. Took care of the twins well. Never had any stupid boyf…OMG, she must have a boyfriend, Owen. She is in love. That's why it changes her completely." Cristina drops her draws as she is shocked with the revelation.
"I always wish she'll date some decent, badass doctor one day. But by looking at her piercings, I think that guy is nowhere near a doctor stat." Owen sighs.
"So who is the Tiger Mother now, Owen?" Cristina smiles and kisses his thin lips.
"Yeah, I guess when it comes to my daughters, I'm the Tiger Father. Rawr." Owen suddenly flips up Cristina's tank top and bites her nipple gently.
"Ouch!"-Cristina hits Owen. "I hate you".
oooOOOoooo
Next morning, Teddy sneaks into her sister's room and tickles her.
"Teddy! Wake up!"
"Get out! Gosh, I'm sleeping." Faith groans.
"No no no, wake up Faith. And go shopping with me today. I'm looking for a dress to my graduation."
"Don't you have more than enough dresses in your wardrobe? Don't waste money".
"I graduated the third in my class, Faith. I deserve a dress." Teddy purses her lips.
"Yeah, when you get to Berkeley, all your friends are either Valedictorians or first in their class. It's really nothing to brag about." Faith mumbles hazily.
"You sound just like Ma. Anyway, I thought you were always like Ma. Now what happened to dying your hair and piercings? Did you also get a tattoo?"
"I did." Faith sighs.
"Seriously? Mom will be outrageous to know about this. Oh my god. Let me see."
Faith pulls down her shirt's neck hole to reveal a four little letter tattoo down below the collar bone: FHDB.
Theo enters his sister's room to the girls' surprise.
"Theo!"
"Morning?!"-Theo has no idea what's going on that freaks her sister out.
"Close the door and climb up here."-Teddy whispers, crooking her finger.
Theo climbs up to Faith's bed and Teddy shows him the tattoo on their sister's upper chest.
"O.M.G. Looks who's the Trauma now."-Theo smiles mischievously.
"Are you gonna wear a strapless dress to my graduation, Faith? I think you'd better not."
"No, probably I should go shopping with you today, indeed."
"So what does the word mean, sis? FHDB?"-Theo asks Faith.
"None of your business."
"I know FH means Faith Hunt. So DB, is that someone's name, Faith? OMG our sister has a boyfriend, Theo!"-Both of the twins drop their draws as they realize the meaning of the tattoo.
"Okay. Shut up. Shut up. And don't tell Mom and Dad. I'm not afraid, I just don't want to hear lectures." Faith pushes her siblings off the blanket and sits up against the headboard.
"So tell me then. What happened to you? What changed you so much? Is he handsome? Is he a bartender or something? For he must be somewhat out of our family's taste to change you completely like this."Teddy asks her sister.
"Dad always wants you to date a doctor, Faith. I wonder what he'll say when he figures out all of this."
"Dude, he's a doctor. But there's no figure out of whatsoever okay? It's over." Faith warns her sister and brother.
"He's a doctor? So did he break your heart or something? Tell me!"-Teddy urges her sister to continue.
"Fine, yes, he's a doctor. We were totally in love but there were also many arguments so we decided to break up. And three days before I flew back here, I and my friends hung out in Las Vegas. I was drunk, and we, first year medical students, who never loved anything other than books, had our piercings and tattoos."
"Obviously, not everything happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." Theo shakes his head.
"Yeah, and as your sister, I'm telling you: never follow my footstep. Don't study too hard and skip your puberty only to visit it later. I'm like a rebel now. I don't even understand me."-Faith sighs.
"You're not the role model anymore, Faith. You're the Trauma now."-Theo chuckles, still excited about the newfound information.
"Anyway, sis, I hope you figure things out and be nice to our Dad and Mom. I'm sure they worry dead about you."-Teddy pats her sister's back.
"At least I don't feel guilty for I still do well in my first year at Stanford. I did much better than Bailey, guys. Mom's strict education pays off."-Faith smiles.
"Wait, did you have the tattoo after you broke up with DB? I mean, I thought you said it's over? Don't you regret?"-Teddy raises her eyebrows, quizzical.
"Regret? Well, not really. I mean I still love him. And he's my first official boyfriend. It's just that things don't work out for us. I don't really regret what I did."
Owen knocks on Faith's room as the door is locked.
"Faith. Are you awake?"
"Come on, don't tell Dad, okay?" Faith and the twins get out of bed, follow their Dad downstairs where a hearty breakfast is ready in the kitchen.
The atmosphere at the table is somewhat uneasy. Cristina and Owen can tell the kids know something as much as they can tell their parents really want to ask Faith about the details. But they try all means to avoid the topic of Faith so they discuss about Teddy and Theo's graduation.
"So what's your rank, Theo?"-Faith asks him.
"Second. Better than Teddy"-He grins.
"That's okay. You two are good, but don't think it's something to brag about. The better horse is the one than aces in the long run."-Cristina murmurs.
"Faith just lectured us this morning, Ma. She said the exact same thing. Come on."-Theo grimaces.
"Okay, you guys do really well and we are proud of you so far, kids. Your mother just don't want you to think this is good enough, because this is just the start, understood? But you all deserve some rewards. What do you want?" Owen smiles at the children who enjoys his breakfast enthusiastically.
"Can I have an Iphone, Dad?"
"Me, too."-Teddy and Theo grins.
"Accepted. How about we go shopping this morning?"-Owen suggests.
Owen and Theo patiently sit at a bench while Cristina, Faith and Teddy shop inside a clothing store. He remembers years ago when Faith was a little girl, Cristina and he took her to the mall just like this. He can recall well how he marveled at the two women in their white dresses. Now that his family has expanded, the bliss has been multiplied. This time he is ready with his state-of-the-art cell phone to take a picture of the three beautiful women.
Faith and Teddy are about to enter a fitting room when Cristina is gasping, trying to catch them:
"Wait for me."
"Hey Mom, can you go to a separate room?"-Faith asks Cristina.
"Why? We always share a fitting room!"
"I know, okay you can be with Teddy. I'll be in the next room."-Faith murmurs.
"Why? What's wrong with me naked in front of you? Oh, what's wrong with you naked in front of me? Do you feel okay? Are you hiding something?"-Cristina's eyebrows crunch up.
"No, just…."
"Faith. Don't lie to me. I'm your mother."
Tiger Mother of the Battle Hymm.Faith thinks to herself.
"Okay, fine." Faith takes off her clothes and reveals the tattoo down below her collar bone.
"A tattoo?"-Cristina is surprised.
"Yes, Mom."
"That's not too bad. I mean, you're 23. I'm not going to lecture you over a tattoo, Faith. I just want you to know I am your mother. And I am sad that you don't look as happy as you're supposed to be when you get home."
"That's a lecture, Mom".
"Okay. But I would love you to tell me what troubles you. We are to support you, not to scold at you."
"Alright, I'll tell you when we get home."-Faith sighs.
Owen has completed the third level of his game when the ladies eventually exit the clothing stores with huge shopping bags.
"Brother, take these, please." -Teddy smiles as she hands him their bags. "Now let's hit Apple Store, Dad. I love you". She runs toward to Owen and gives him a big kiss on his cheek.
Faith doesn't talk much as she did this morning and Owen notices her silence. He waits for the children to shop around at Apple when he pulls Cristina aside.
"I guess you know what happened to her?"
"She'll tell me when we get home. But she has a tattoo on her chest, Owen."
"My god, I can't believe she's our Faith."
"She's still our Faith, Owen. She's just a little rebellious. I think she's in love. For the tattoo is a term FHDB." Cristina smiles , rubbing Owen's beard.
"FHDB? Who the hell is DB?"-Owen talks to himself.
Owen and Theo are mowing the lawn and Teddy is cooking in the kitchen. Everyone seems busily enjoy the day off, so Cristina walks upstairs and sneaks into Faith's room, who is reading a heavy book.
"What are you reading?"-Cristina asks as she closes the door behind.
"Nothing. I just read ahead the material that may be relevant for the summer research."
"Oh, so you did landed yourself a summer research."
"Uh huh".
Cristina rolls onto the bed and snuggles her daughter the way Faith used to do when she was young.
"I like the tattoo, Faith. You will look sexy in a strapless dress."
"I didn't buy a strapless dress. I thought you and Dad would be mad once you figured out."
"Not really. The red color on your hair will wear out in a few weeks, too. It will be darker, and you will look beautiful. Just decorate it with some decent earrings, Faith. They don't match your overall look."
"I was just too busy to take them off and find the proper ones. But don't worry, I know how to dress professionally when the time comes."
"I know, I know. We never worried about you, Faith. I'm just sad that you are always the role model for me to lecture the twins. Now you told them your rebellious story and it would be harder for me and Owen to teach them."-Cristina closes her eyes, relaxing.
"They are good teenagers, Mom. They'll be fine. Don't worry too much. Don't let them skip puberty like me."
"You realized? Haha". Cristina laughs out loud. "So, when did you dye your hair and have the tattoo?"
"I went to Vegas a few days before coming back here. We were drunk and having fun so we all did something crazy."
"Yeah? Did Bailey join you guys?"-Cristina asks her
"No, I was with my girl friends only. Good girls gone wild. Bailey and I don't have a thing, Mom. He's just a good friend, a great friend, indeed, since we were toddlers."
"Yeah, I figured out you never liked Bailey. That's okay. I'm not interested in the Hunt-Shepherd matchmaking very much. We have enough drama. But who's DB then?"
"I'm over him, Mom. You don't need to concern about him."-Faith murmurs.
"No, tell me, please."
"If you insist, his name is Daniel Bernard. But long stories short, we broke up. And before you ask, no, I don't regret having his initials on my chest, because I still have feelings for him."
"So things didn't work out? Why is that? Is he a bartender or a waiter or something? For he absolutely changes you a lot."
"No, he's a doctor. Cardiothoracic specialty, just like you, Mom."
"Wow. Third year?"
"Erm…not really. He's my professor. Actually, he's also my research mentor. Or my boss, if you want to say so. I met him the first time when I worked in the clinic."
Cristina cannot utter a word. Her adopted daughter just repeats her history.
"Your superior, whatever it is. Oh God. So why did you guys break up?"
"Despite the fact that we love each other very much, and despite the fact that his lectures mesmerize me, we argue a lot. And it affects my study. So I think it's better we break up."
"Did you tell him you broke up?"
"No, I just…disappeared. I flew to Vegas the night of my final exam and flew back here the same day I came back from Vegas. I kept myself very busy so that I didn't have to talk to him about our issues again."
"So how serious were you two?"-Cristina whispers.
"So serious that he asked me to move in with him. But we also had to keep our relationship a secret, otherwise people would think he favor me over the rest. That itself was a huge issue, so I quitted."
"Faith…"
"What Mom?"
"Let me tell you a story, the story of the man who I almost wedded. My love story with Dr. Preston Burke."-Cristina sighs.
ooOOoo
"Owen"-Cristina touches her husband's shoulder from behind as he is sitting in the backyard, stargazing.
"Oh hey. Have some beer."
Owen shares her his beer as they sit next to each other, looking at the sky.
"I love the tranquility of the night, Cristina. All my life has been about trauma. Trauma at work, and Trauma at home." Owen chuckles, thinking about Theo.
"You officially have a new Trauma, Owen."
"I do?" Owen raises his eyebrows.
"DB stands for Daniel Bernard. Cardiothoracic doctor, who happens to be Faith's superior at Stanford."
"She dates a doctor? But wait, you say he's her superior?"
"Uh huh, professor, research mentor, boss, whatever. And they broke up. And the girl seems sad even though she was determined to end the relationship."
"It affected her, obviously. She went for a tattoo and piercing, poor little girl". Owen sighs. He goes inside to the fridge and fetches another beer bottle.
"yeah, she reminds me of my love stories with Collin Marlow, then Burke, then you. I hope she has a cold head just like me to know the right things to do."
"Yes, you had a cold head and a cold heart, Cristina. I almost drowned in winning your love. I had you, and then I even lost you. Too much to bear." Owen chuckles.
"The guy asks her to move in, Owen."
"I know I shouldn't say this. But I think you can see my point now, Cristina. All the serious guys want serious relationships with their lovers. It was so hard to persuade you that commitment and beautiful families and kids are what us men look forward to."
"Oh, are you snapping at me now? Do you want me to tell Faith that she should come back to the guy who asked her to move in because serious guys are good guys, and she should marry him and have kids?" Cristina raises her voice.
"No, no. It's not good if their love is destructive. Our love was once destructive, Cristina. She shouldn't follow our footsteps…"
"You sound like we made a mistake."-Cristina snaps at him." Are you back to the abortion and the Teddy triangle again? Do you really want to bring up the trauma?"
"No, I don't mean that. I think it's just better if she has a boyfriend that is on the same page, because obviously, she cares about education."
"On the same page, yes. Don't follow our footsteps. Yes. Really, Owen, you make me feel like I was the one to be blamed in our failed relationship. All you see is Faith following my footsteps and it's not a healthy thing for her…"
"Cristina, I never said anything like that." Owen also raised his voice.
"Ok, let's be honest here. I never wanted children. And that day when I picked out godmothers for our twins, God knew I freaked out as hell. I wanted to run away from all those issues, Owen. I wanted to escape. Thank God Arizona and April helped me stick to the plan eventually."
"Oh, so you wanted to flee from our marriage again? Were me and my plans always too much for you to handle, Cristina? Why did you never trust me? I told you everything would turn out fine and that you would love the kids. I hope you don't say now you still haven't changed your mind." Had they been arguing in daylight, Cristina could have seen Owen's flushed face now.
"Please, that's unfair. I do love our children, Owen. I never wanted children but I came around because I loved you. Okay, all my life I never imagined having children. Many factors attributed to it, but I came around because of you." She pleaded.
"Then tell me those factors. For we are married for freaking 17 years now, let alone those two years of destructive marriage that we tortured each other."He gasps.
"Fine. My mom was strict, you knew that. My dad died when I was nine, you knew that. I never got along with the Rubeinstein family so I pretty much lived on my own until I married you. Also, Burke scared the crap out of me for demanding a serious relationship when all I wanted was to study and be on top of the game. I had an ectopic pregnancy, with his child. And last but not least, he left me in the altar."
"You had what? Ectopic pregnancy?" Owen almost jumps up the garden chair.
"Hello. Another trauma in the family for you, I guess? Yes, I never told you about that. For it was irrelevant to our relationship."
"It's one of the reasons why you had an abortion, Cristina." Owen pointed.
"I don't know, do you see a lot of trauma in my personal life? That's why I just wanted to focus on medicine. I never understood the bonding between parents and children, Owen. I mean, I love my dad a lot. But my memory with him ended when I was nine. And I was not raised that parents compliment their children. I was raised in discipline. So, feelings, love and affections are not my things, Owen." She sighs.
"And you never told me any of that. You gave me little pieces of you, years after years. Even now, you have a secret to share with me. I worked my ass off to earn your love, Cristina. It just seems like you never gave any crap about me. At least, you could let me in, share with you your darkness, and help you heal."
"No, you would ask me to see a shrink, which I would refuse. And if I agreed, that means I would be submissive to you once more."
"If a shrink worked out, why didn't give it a chance? It helped me."-Owen stands up and turns to face his wife.
"I just don't like it! See, you wanted me to do this and that so that we could be on the same page. Do I ever force you to do something that you don't like about your personal life?"-Cristina heads up, arguing fiercely with her husband.
"No, you don't force me to do anything I don't like. And I thank you for that. But, I was so sad Cristina, sad, sad for years; for our love didn't mean anything to you. Our love didn't worth you to change and come around any bit. No matter how I begged you to stay, you left for Zurich. No matter how I begged you to give the fetus a chance, you gave up its life. And you traded me for surgeries. My love was never compared to your ambition, right? It never stood a chance."
Cristina plants her hands on her hips, ready to argue their lifetime issues with Owen, but caught off guard as he starts to shake vigorously. He gasps as he paces around the garden, chest pounding rapidly. Realizing that he's on the verge of having a panic attack, she jumps over him and wraps him in a tight hug.
"Owen, Owen, just relax."
He cries in agony, trying to break free from her arms:
"Go away. Please go away."
"No, no, don't resist me. Your metabolic rate will decrease. Eventually your pulse will slow down."
Still not letting go of Owen, Cristina hugs him for a while until he can pace his breath.
"Let's go inside, Owen. Let's sleep tight. Then we can talk about it tomorrow. I will share with you as much as you wish. I will talk through out of this with you, and we will never revisit these issues again. We need to straight things out if we want to live together for the rest of our life."
Cristina grips Owen's arms and leads him inside the house as he slowly recovers from his panic attack. Under the dim light, she catches a glimpse of his sweat-glistened, flustered face. They stop dead in their tracks when three dark shadows come into their vision.
Owen turns on the light. The three children have been standing in the living room, gazing at their parents.
"Erm, how long have you been listening to us, kids?" Cristina clears her voice uncomfortably.
"I'm sorry, you two yelled so we came downstairs to check out. Are you alright, Dad? I can get you some water."-Faith murmurs.
"Go to bed, kids. And don't ever think anything about what your mom and I just said. It's our matter, not yours, okay?"
"Yes, Dad. Goodnight." Faith, Teddy and Theo quietly go upstairs.
**Why do Theo and Teddy call their mother Ma? I will explain in later chapters.
**So, how do you guys like it? If you have time, please review for me, I love reading them. It motivates me. Also, there will be sunshine after the rain. Just wait for the upcoming chapters! :)