**Hi, first of all thank you for the thoughtful reviews. I guess I should take tears/crying/sobbing/box tissue as a compliment? :)

Second, some of my readers wonder how Owen could tell other people about his cancer before Cristina and his children. Well, do you recall the first person Izzie told about her cancer? It's Cristina. I think it makes total sense that once you figure out on your own that you have cancer, you are reluctant to tell the people you love because you're afraid they can't handle it. Instead, you normally go tell the people that you consider emotionally detached. That's the point.

Third of all, my dear readers, I know Owen's sickness breaks your heart, but let's take a minute to appreciate the fact that Cristina is building a medical school. The second medical school for Washington State!

Last but not least, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I look forward to your feedback. :)

CARRY YOU HOME

A song for your heart, but when it is quiet

I know what it means and I'll carry you home.

I'll carry you home...

Teddy turns up the volume when Radioactive, the song that she's been obsessed for a few days, is aired on her favorite station. Somehow the bass, the beats and the rapid tempo magically calm her mind as she is on the way from Berkeley to Stanford. It only takes Teddy 50 minutes to drive on the route that is mapped for one hour and ten minutes. She's in a hurry. She wants to visit her father before his surgery.

"Ding dong." Teddy impatiently rings her sister's apartment. Bailey shows up at the front door, surprised:

"Teddy, what are you doing here?"

"Is Faith inside? I need to see her." She answers anxiously.

"Come in. She's not in the apartment right now. Have you tried calling her?"

Teddy walks inside the apartment and sits on the couch while Bailey fetches her a bottle of water.

"I've called her twenty times already but she doesn't pick up the phone. Is she with Daniel again?" Teddy swallows half the bottle of water then catches a breath.

"She's in the library. She'll have a very big presentation that counts 25% of the course grade tomorrow, so looks like she's gonna be there with her group mates all night." Bailey sits down next to Teddy and gives her a concerning look. "What's going on?"

"My dad…my dad, he's diagnosed with stage III kidney cancer and he's gonna have a big surgery tomorrow. I want to be home but when I searched for the flight tickets, the earliest flight from Oakland to Seattle is at 8:00a.m tomorrow and that will be too late." She stutters.

"Calm down, Teddy. We'll see what we can do." Bailey pats Teddy's back as she's about to cry again. "Do Theo and Faith know about your dad's situation?"

"No, they both don't pick up the phone. Theo is with his chess team to Los Angeles for a competition already, that's why I come here and look for Faith. We can drive home tonight and see our dad in time." Teddy says, her voice shaky.

"You plan to drive twelve hours straight, Teddy? That's insane. Plus, I don't think Faith can go with you. As I said tomorrow's presentation is very important to her. You should wait until she's done tomorrow then tell her." Bailey answers with determination.

"Okay, please don't tell me what to do again. I don't care if you think I'm crazy. If Faith can't go with me then I'll go by myself. I drive pretty well." Teddy gives Bailey a stern look then stands up, grabbing her bag and intending to leave.

"Hold on, dear. I have an idea. Wait here and let's see what we can do." He holds her hand and pulls her down the couch. Bailey surfs the internet on his phone for ten minutes or so, then his face suddenly brightens up.

"We can drive to Oregon which takes about seven hours. There's a flight from Portland to Seattle and the plane departs at 6:00am, which means you can be at Seattle in time to see your dad before surgery."

"Really? But then I'll have to leave my car in Oregon." She looks puzzled.

"No, we'll rent a car here and we'll drop it at Portland airport. That way you can leave your car at my place." He beams.

"Thank you, Bailey. You always help me out. I'll see you later." Teddy stands up once more and Bailey pulls her down again.

"Teddy, I'll go with you. I'm not gonna let you drive seven hours straight in the dark. You're not an experienced driver." He shakes his head and sighs.

"No, Bailey, you have class tomorrow. You can't just skip class because of me. I can handle this." She is very keen on leaving by herself.

"My group presented the case two weeks ago; I can skip tomorrow's class. Let me go with you. I wanna be with you."

Teddy's tears start to fall down as she saw the way he concerned about her. "I'm sorry to bother you, Bailey. I'm really not okay today. I want to be with my dad because he has cancer, for God's sake. It's not any random fever or illness. It's cancer."

As a habit, Bailey gently wipes away the tears on her face. "Shh…I hear you. We will be there in time to see your dad."

They take a cab to Aukland Airport then rent a car to start their road trip to Oregon. Bailey glances at the clock when he turns on the engine, it's 8:50 pm. Hopefully, they can arrive at Portland Airport in less than seven hours so that he can have an hour nap eventually.

Bailey gets on the freeway and starts to accelerate the speed. The interstate freeway is rather empty at night, so he drives a little bit faster than the limit. Occasionally, he turns his head to look at Teddy, who is longing out to the window and placing her chin against her palm. She looks deep in thoughts. He has seen this view before; it was the night after he held her hands through the popcorn package and made her upset. The more Bailey gets to know Teddy, the more he is exposed to a full spectrum of human's feelings. She can be so content in the morning and so melancholic in the evening. She can also laugh and cry at the same moment, just as she did when her parents scolded at her in Bailey's apartment. He thinks he loves Teddy because she has chosen to live to her heart's content.

"Are you okay, Teddy?" Bailey breaks up the silence inside the car.

"I knew…we knew something was wrong when he started to get thinner and get fevers in the afternoons. He always had super duper immune system. And now he has cancer. It's unbelievable and unbearable." Teddy shakes her head when thinking about her father.

"Yeah. Cancer occurs to people, Teddy. You just have to accept the fact and fight. Your father will fight, Teddy. He's a soldier." Bailey gently smiles, his eyes still focus to the dark road ahead of them.

"I will fight with him as well. I can sob all night now, but my father will only see the cheerful and supportive me. The chemotherapy will bring him down and make him moody, and he will need someone to lighten his day up. And my mom can't do that. She's busy building…" Teddy suddenly pauses. She remembers the non-disclosure that she signed in the board meeting.

"She's building what?" Bailey is curious of what Teddy is about to say. He's well aware that Grey Sloan is a rival of Kraums Institute.

"Nothing." Teddy grins at Bailey. Oh my, this girl is really not simple.

There's another comfortable silence as they both stare at the dark road. Bailey hears the thunders roaring from afar, he expects they are entering a rainy area.

"Do you feel sad about my father's cancer?" She suddenly asks.

"What?" Bailey stutters, unprepared for such question. He thought Teddy has shifted her thoughts toward some other topics, but it seems like she's still concerned about her father.

"It's okay, I don't expect you to have sympathy for my father. I would feel sad if Uncle Derek has cancer, however. I like him a lot. Unlike you, Bailey, he was always sweet and nice to me. He usually took me to the cafeteria and bought me ice cream when he saw me in the hospital with my dad." She gazes at Bailey and gives him a half sincere, half mischievous smile.

"Okay, you keep mentioning how I mistreated you when we were young. Was I really that bad?" Bailey smiles.

"Of course. You were hateful. I hated you very much." She genuinely laughs.

Bailey feels delighted to hear this little girl's laughter again. There is a moment of thoughts, then he clears his throat.

"Of course I feel sad and sorry that Uncle Owen has cancer, dear. He was always nice to me, until recently when he saw me with you. He's protective when it comes to his daughters, but I can understand that. I would probably raise my daughters the same way your father does."

"You're more mature than your age. You keep thinking about having a family and children." Teddy comments on Bailey's last sentence.

"You're also more mature than your age. You're caring, Teddy. And I love that." He gently smiles.

Bailey gives a stolen glance at Teddy who is looking down, probably blushing. He loves how his relationship with Teddy is playing out slowly but surely. The more he gets to know her, the more he's glad that Owen raises his daughters this way. Both Teddy and Faith have ladylike demeanor, and Bailey finds it quite charming. Well, to be honest, Teddy is not very much like her sister. She still has the characteristic of a youngest child: carefree and sniveling; yet she is quite different than the girls he has met, whose lives are all about romantic love, boys and sex.

Teddy changes the radio to classical music station. Bailey secretly grimaces, for this music induces sleep to him. Yet he doesn't comment on this because he's seen her yawning several times. She must have been crying the whole afternoon after she heard the news, and crying makes her sleepy. He glances at her snoring weakly and chuckles. Now his mind can be free from loving and caring feelings for a moment. He can shift his concentration back to medicine. As he said, medicine was his sole focus. Well, incorrect: medicine is his main focus. He also has another focus in his life, now that Uncle Owen has approved it.

Anyway, back to medicine. As Bailey is driving, he tries to remember the symptoms of the diseases he has learnt in his Immunology class. He will have a quiz the day after tomorrow and he has only studied one third of the chapter.

The car rushes through the darkness in silence for two hours or so when a thunder roars wildly and Teddy wakes up. She blinks her eyes a few times and glances at the clock which indicates 1:30a.m. She adjusts her seat upright and drinks some water to stay awake.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry Bailey. I have fallen asleep for two hours." She panics.

"It's okay. I'm not sleepy." He quietly answers.

"You should have some sleep. I'm wide awake now. I can take over the wheel." Teddy insists.

"I said it's okay. Don't worry, I'm very flexible about sleeping. Medical school trains you to sleep whenever you want and stay awake whenever you want." Bailey gently smiles.

"That's why Faith's eyes are tired and with dark circles now. She used to have beautiful eyes." Teddy sheepishly giggles.

"Yes, I agree she has beautiful eyes." Bailey recalls how his friend's eyes twinkle every time she smiles.

"Anyway, I'm awake now. I should keep you company as you drive. I owe you a lot, Bailey, I wish there's something I can do in return." Teddy genuinely confesses.

Bailey smirks. He likes it that Teddy usually feels guilty about his generosity and eventually she offers to do some favor for him. Last time, he said he wanted to date her. But now what favor from Teddy does Bailey want?

"I don't know yet. When I figure out I'll let you know." Bailey chuckles.

"Oh that sounds just like my line. Just a friendly reminder that you still owe me one favor. And I will let you know once I figure out." She snorts at him.

"Okay. My pleasure." He beams at her.

"Anyway, I really wish you don't have to skip class, Bailey." She sighs, thinking about how she ruined his tomorrow.

"Tomorrow class is not important to me as of now. If you feel guilty, I can give you my lectures and you can ask me questions from it. How about that?"

"Deal." Teddy beams at him.

Bailey removes his Iphone from his jeans and hands it to Teddy. "It's in the notes app." She opens the app and looks at the list of notes currently appeared on the screen. She's surprised to see all sort of random notes Bailey saved in his Iphone. Based on the first line of each note, she can tell some of them are lecture notes he took in class; others are addresses of restaurants in Stanford that he likes, and so on.

"Look for the fourth one from top down." Bailey instructs her.

Teddy shifts her sight to the fourth note, of which first sentence is "Immune class 6". What pops up to her eyes is the note right below it, of which the first sentence is "I'm in love with you, Teddy Hunt." She bites her lip to prevent a smile. Quickly, Teddy opens the note and read the contents:

I'm in love with you, Teddy Hunt. Why do you keep breaking my heart?

Looking at the date, Teddy realizes it's the night before the banquet that they argued about Bailey hooking up with Jasmine. She gently shakes her head, thinking about how foolish she was. She types in the note:

I love you too,Bailey.-Teddy.

"What are you doing? Can you find it?" Bailey is furious.

"You have many cool games in here. Anyway, note number four. I will ask you the symptoms and you tell me the disease, okay?" She smiles at him.

"Okay." Bailey nods. His eyes still focus on the road ahead.

"Cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, bluish color to the lips and face, rapid pulse…."

"Athsma."

"Fever, night sweats, swollen lymph nodes in neck, groin and under the arm…"

"Burkitt lymphoma."

...

Teddy continues to ask Bailey's lessons as the car rushes swiftly through the border of the state. When they arrive at Portland Airport, Bailey looks at his watch which indicates 2:00 a.m.

"Great, we arrive two hours earlier than planned." He grins.

"Let's head to the Holiday Inn and we can take a nap there." Teddy suggests.

"Why not stay at Sheraton? It's just four floors above us?" Bailey gestures his head towards the escalator, his eyebrows furrow with confusion.

"It's very expensive, Bailey. It's like three hundred per night!" She rolls her eyes.

"So? I can afford it." He grimaces.

"No, you paid for the car rental and the flight tickets already. I owe you a lot. I'm gonna pay for the hotel, and I want to stay at Holiday Inn. It's eighty dollars per night." She shakes her head firmly.

"Since you're on a tight budget then why don't we sleep on the bench now?" He groans.

"No, you've been driving for almost six hours. You deserve a decent place to sleep. You can stay at Sheraton or the bench if you like, I'm gonna head to Holiday Inn. It's just half a mile. It's the next building, Bailey." Teddy walks away before Bailey has another chance to argue with her.

"Fine." He rolls his eyes then chases after her.

"Seriously, how rich are you?" Teddy twists her lips aside and casts a side glance at Bailey as they strolls towards Holiday Inn.

"Multiple times richer than you." He sheepishly smiles as he walks next to her.

"Like, how multiple? I have $9,000 in my account." She purses her lips.

Bailey rolls his eyes and thinks for a moment. Then he murmurs. "Six times."

"You have $54,000 in your account? How did you make such big money? Did you play stock?" Teddy drops her jaw.

"I…just happen to have." Bailey shakes his head and blushes.

"Oh, you're lucky. My mom never gives me a lot of money. Sometimes my dad gives me a hundred bill, and that's all. They say they only take care of my dorm and my tuition expense, of which my scholarship already covered a hundred percent. That is so unfair." She grimaces.

"Well, your dad bought you a Mercedes Benz." Bailey beams at her.

"Right, that's true. I guess he loves me very much." She chuckles.

"Come one, walk faster, Teddy. It's about to rain. You have such short legs." He teases her as he hears the thunders roaring.

Teddy stares at him then runs after Bailey.

"Too late." Bailey shakes his head as the rain starts to pour heavily on them.

"Do you want to go back to the airport?" Teddy yells out as the sound of the rain is louder than her voice.

"We're more than halfway. Let's run faster." Bailey holds her hand then pulls her forward to the Holiday Inn that stands afar in the foggy rain.

They run for five minutes and finally arrive at the circulation desk of Holiday Inn.

"Double bed please." Bailey impatiently taps his finger on the counter. Water keeps dropping from their soaked clothing onto the floor.

"Sorry." Teddy miserably smiles at the receptionist.

The receptionist slowly types on his computer for a while. He eventually shakes his head with regret.

"Sorry, we run out of double bed room. We only have suites and single king bed."

Bailey turns around to look at Teddy. Since she's the one to pay, he lets her make the decision.

"How much is the suite and how much is the one bed room?"

"The suite is $265 and the king bed is $75."

"Please book us the single-bed room."

They take an elevator to the third floor and stop at room 312. After they enter the room, Bailey opens his suitcase and takes out the laptop.

"I hope it is not wet." Teddy gives him a concerning look.

"No. My suitcase is water proof. The laptop is fine." He smiles then turns on the laptop and sits at the desk.

"What are you doing?" She gives him a quizzical look.

"Study while waiting for you to take a shower." He answers without removing his eyes from the screen.

"I don't bring any clothes with me. I was gonna change my clothes when I come home in Seattle." She sighs.

"Here, take my hoodie." Bailey takes out a green cotton hoodie from his suitcase and hands it to Teddy.

"Still, I don't have…pants." She shakes her head, blushing.

"Ohh…I haven't thought about that." He rolls his eyes.

"But it's okay. I know what to do." She cheerfully takes the hoodie from Bailey and visits the bathroom.

After ten minutes or so, Teddy walks out of the bathroom. Curious, Bailey turns around to look at her. He wonders what she's going to wear in place of her wet jeans. Here she is, swimming in his large hoodie. She wraps a white towel around her belly to replace the soaked bottoms.

"Why are you smiling?" Teddy snorts at Bailey chuckling.

"You're swimming in my hoodie." He stares at her little body with delight.

"It's your turn to take a shower. You're also wet." She purrs her lips.

Bailey walks into the bathroom, chuckling to see Teddy's shirt, jeans and bra align neatly on the hanger. He takes off his clothes and dries everything using the hair dryer before hanging them next to her clothes. When Bailey walks out, Teddy is lying on the tiny couch. She looks at his robust bare chest and flushes.

"What? Don't act like you never saw a man's bare chest before." He rolls his eyes at her facial expression.

"Ignore me." She tries to close her eyes.

"Sleep on the bed, I'll be staying up studying." Bailey gestures his head towards the king bed.

"You study now? We only have 3 hours to sleep. You should sleep on the bed, you are tired, Bailey. I'm happy sleeping here." She smiles at him.

"I already wasted my night, now I have to study to catch up with the material. Well, I don't mean I wasted my night because I really wanted to go with you. It's just that I really have to study otherwise I'll fail this class." He sighs. "Plus, you look miserable in that couch. Just sleep in bed." He insists.

"Okay. It's a big bed. You can sleep on the left side, I will only take a small space on the right side." She smiles. "Looks like my dad is not here to yell at me for sleeping with a man anyway." She mumbles then walks to the bed.

Not long after hearing Teddy's weak snoring, Bailey turns around and gazes at her. He has come to love the feeling of studying in a tranquil night and turning around to witness this little girl sleeping. Bailey is a grown up man; he has his intense desire and affection. Yet when it comes to this little girl, he enjoys things to be progressed in a slow and steady way. There is something innocent and angelic in Teddy that makes him nervous to have physical contact with her. He has touched her bare body, he has swept her sorrow tears, he has planted a kiss on her lips, yet he still regards her as a delicate flower that he only dares observing with great adoration.

Bailey tries to study until 3:20pm but he can't stay awake anymore. He turns off a few lights then walks to the bed and lies down on the left. An evil thought crosses his mind as he stares at her chest pounding rhythmically inside his thin hoodie. "She has a flat chest, just like her mother." He chuckles then quickly falls asleep.

Bailey wakes up exactly at 4:50a.m. He has a habit of waking up early during week days because he knows it's the best time to study. As he blinks his eyes, he realizes he has taken the blanket to his sole use. He must have been cold at night because he was sleeping half naked. Turning around, Bailey sees Teddy's back facing him. The towel that she wrapped around her bottom was fallen off from her body; it lies flat on the white sheet. He gazes at the cute little butt covered in black lacy panty and shakes his head apologetically. He gently removes the blanket from him and throws it over Teddy's body. Too bad, she's awake now.

Teddy removes the blanket and stares at herself. As she realizes she's only wearing an underwear, she yells out loud. "Oh my god! Did I sleep like this all night?"

"Relax." Bailey sits up and turns away. "I haven't seen anything. I just wake up." He grimaces. This girl is really troublesome.

"How come your towel is still intact with your belly? Did you toss and turn when you slept at all?" She gazes at him jealously.

"Of course the towel fell off. I just…had the blanket covered me." He murmurs.

"So I sleep in this form all night? With you in my bed? Oh my god." She wraps the towel around her belly then stands up angrily.

"Hey for your record, you asked me to share the bed! Also I have seen you without clothes before. I've seen many naked bodies, Teddy! I'm a medical student! I don't…"

Teddy shuts the bathroom door angrily before Bailey finishes his sentence. Five minutes or so she walks out in her old clothing, gesturing her head towards the bathroom: "Your turn. Quickly, or we'll be late for the flight."

A mischievous idea crosses Bailey's mind. As he walks passed by Teddy, he pats her butt: "Cute butt!" then rapidly enters the bathroom before she has a chance to yell.

…

Teddy stays silent throughout the flight from Portland, Oregon to Seattle, Washington. Bailey takes out his laptop and continues to study. When they almost landed, he eventually speaks up.

"Look. I'm sorry. Just wanted to have some fun with you." He sighs.

"It's not about the ass patting thing. I'm fighting with myself internally. I'm supposed to be sad but…I just feel cheerful. I'm a bad daughter." She looks down and murmurs.

"You feel cheerful when you're with me." Bailey is happy to hear Teddy's confession.

"I'm serious, Bailey." She grimaces.

"Look, you don't always have to feel sad when you think about your father. You said you will support him and fight for him, so staying carefree and cheerful is totally a good thing. Come to him with your positive thoughts and I'm sure it will help him recover faster. Mental support plays an important factor in recovering from cancer, Teddy." Bailey glances at Teddy.

"Are you sure?" Her lips gently form a smile.

"I'm sure. You have no idea how powerful your smile has positive impact on people around you, Teddy." He reassures her.

"Thank you, Bailey, for everything." She looks at him, her eyes sparkle with love.

"Can I hug you?" Bailey murmurs.

Teddy quietly nods. Bailey wraps his arm around her shoulder and Teddy leans on his chest. He feels her warmth for the first time.

...

**Please don't hate Faith because she always happens to be absent every time Teddy visits her. You know she's away for a reason. Plus there is always two side of a story, wait until you hear Faith's!