I've been rewatching Grey's and forgot just how much I loved these two together! I just had to get it out and thought I'd post here for all the Tenry lovers. Enjoy 3
To know love is to know pain. It was a fact Teddy knew to be true from a young age. It began with her parents, their love coming with terms and conditions, and followed her through her first crush and first love. It always ended with pain. As she found herself in adulthood, a common pattern occurred when she would fall in love. Any relationship she had, she knew it was never one hundred percent in. Maybe it was like a safety net, knowing they couldn't love her as much as she loved them meant it wouldn't hurt as much when they left, right? That the end wouldn't be as painful as it could have been if the love had been real. But now it was. It was real and scary, because for once they were both all in.
She remembers telling him that it would just be a good story, but now she thinks it may be her favourite love story, and she just couldn't get over that it was happening for her. They had been living within their blissful bubble the last few weeks, until the heartbreak of reality crept back in, him needing another surgery. Suddenly the dream is shattered and she is in love and in pain just as always. Yet something about this one feels different, because this time he's the one that is more in it than she is. She can't lose him when they are just getting started, when she is just beginning to allow herself to be loved, truly and deeply.
It's hard to miss the little sparkle in her eye, the unconscious smile that spreads across her lips when she says his name. Their relationship feels natural, their post date dinners building a solid foundation of the home Teddy never knew she was constructing, it was if one day she just realised what it felt like to come home. Talking and being with the one you love the most feels like a sacred gift between the two. One shattered by the inescapable image of him coughing up blood at their kitchen sink, his eyes drenched in fear as they look through her. It replays in her head, thinking of all the ways she could have stopped it, seen it coming, although in her logic she knows there was nothing more she could have done. Now she waits like the anxious wife she used to send interns out to, waiting for an answer, an update, a sigh of relief to be had.
Operating is a good distraction, it is not something you can jump into if your mind is somewhere else. She knows Cristina's talent better than anyone else in the building, and knows her husband is in the best hands possible. She tells herself this like a broken record so she can focus on the woman laying on her table. It becomes a prayer.
For as long as Richard worked as a doctor, it wasn't until recently he truly understood what it was like to be the loved one, the spouse wanting nothing more than for their loved one to be okay. To know absolutely everything is being done to make sure they have more time, because once that time is gone, there's no getting it back. He trusts Altman's judgement, and Cristina's skill, but it's in times like these where he knows he must think like a doctor. He agrees with Teddy on doing a less invasive procedure, but ultimately decides to go with his original plan of opening him up. He brings in Cristina to appease both Owen and Teddy, keeping her unaware of the patient lying on the table. Ultimately it's Richard's instinct that saves Henry, although more difficult than they had initially anticipated, Cristina is nothing if not a cardio God in the making.
It's not until they are scrubbing out does Richard reveal to Cristina who the patient is. She becomes quiet, looking through the glass to Henry as he is wheeled into Post, and back at Richard, at a loss for words.
"Does Dr. Altman know it was me?" Are the first words she's able to get out.
"It was at her request. If you're up to it, I think you should be the one to give her the good news." Richard replies.
"I uh, yes sir, I can do that."
Cristina makes her way from one OR to the other, entering as Teddy seems to be nearing an end to her procedure. As soon as her presence is known, she can feel the heaviness of Teddy's eyes weighing on her. She looks both hopeful and nervous, hoping for the best and expecting the worst. She takes in a deep breath before returning her concentration to her patient.
"Dr. Altman, I just wanted to let you know that Henry is on his way to Post now. The surgery was successful, although it didn't go as we had planned, but it's nothing that can't wait until you're finished here."
"He's okay, though, right?" Teddy asks as the worried wife.
"He'll be just fine. Did you want me to finish up in here so you can head down to see him?"
"Uh, no, that's fine I'm fine here. Thank you, Dr. Yang." Teddy looks at Cristina, who nods slightly in silent understanding.
It's several hours later when she's finished repairing the woman's heart. Callie waits for her in the scrub room, still punishing herself for the outcome of someone who had been in her OR. Teddy is quiet as she scrubs out, unable to come back to reality just yet.
" Why don't I talk to the family? It was my mistake. " Callie offers, nearly begging.
"Which is exactly why I will be the one speaking to the family. "
"She is my patient."
"That I just spent hours trying to save."
"We both know you have other places you need to be."
A pause comes between the two, Teddy unsure of how to put her feelings into words. It's a weighted relief, one that still sits on her chest but at least now she is allowed to breathe. Now that it is over they must come back to reality, out of their blissful bubble and into their first real married couple fight. She doesn't know what to say to him when she sees him, just happy to know he is alive is enough for her right now. Seeing him so tired after surgery brings a sadness she hasn't quite gotten used to.
"The longer I am the surgeon talking to this woman's family the longer I can avoid being the hysterical wife waiting in post-op. So, if you don't mind, Dr. Torres, I will speak with the women's family." She releases the words holding back tears.
"Teddy..."
"We had a fight right before this. Our first real fight. I don't know how to do this Callie," Teddy begins to cry, tears falling down her cheeks. "What if we only get a few years and they're spent with him in medical school? What about -"
"Teddy! You need to go and be with your husband. Just be honest with him, I will talk to her family." Callie brings her in for a hug, Teddy whispering a thank you before leaving the scrub room.
She stops at his door, hesitating before she enters. Thankfully he's sleeping when she finally passes through the door, finding her spot in a chair beside the bed, holding onto his hand as she lets herself fall asleep.
She slowly awakes to the soothing feeling of Henry's fingers brushing through her hair. A smile spreads across her face before she shifts from her uncomfortable sleeping position. His eyes await meeting hers, lighting up as they do.
"Good morning." He speaks softly.
"How are you feeling?"
"Much better now that my wife is here." Henry says with a smile.
"We should probably talk about, before…"
"Before I started coughing up blood and had surgery? We should talk about it, but it doesn't have to be right now."
"Yeah?"
"Why don't we wait until I get out of this place?"
"I like that idea." Her fingers play with his hand, comforting her nerves.
"I love you." He says simply, needing her to feel the reassurance he knew she wouldn't ask for.
"I love you too, in a way that kind of scares me."
"In a good way or a bad way?"
"The bad way is you dying on me."
"I have never wanted to be alive more than I have since you." His hand reaches to gently cup her face, wiping away her tears. "What about the good way?"
"It can wait until we get home."
"Okay." He replies softly.
It's only a few days before Henry is allowed to go home, Owen giving Teddy a couple days off to monitor Henry, but mostly to take a break from living in the hospital. The reality of the fact settles in when they walk into the apartment just as they had left it. There had been no time to worry about the mess, and Teddy hadn't come back, couldn't come back, since Henry had been admitted.
"I don't know if we're going to be able to save that rug." Henry jokes as he makes his way over to the kitchen.
"I'm sorry I didn't even think to-"
"Teddy, it's fine, I'm fine. Why don't you relax and I'll clean this up. I don't want to brag but I'm quite good."
"Good practice for med school." She states and he simply smiles in return.
"I'll let you know when the crime scene has been handled."
She opts for a shower, though her body desperately craves a good sleep. As she stands under the hot water it's as if the past few days come back to haunt her. The last time they were in this apartment they were supposed to have their first fight and figure out how to move forward, instead it's her biggest fear. She lets tears flow with the water down her face, mourning how close she had come to losing him. It was something she knew could happen, they wouldn't have married if she didn't, but after she realised she was in love with him it was completely different. She wanted a future with Henry, she could see a future with him, but what would happen if it just went away one day? Her mind would often come here and quickly run away from the idea, it's when the doctor in her reminds herself that she has seen all ages and all accidents, and Henry could outlive her. The odds just didn't seem too blatant when he's coughing up blood and nearly dying in the OR.
Her eyes are swollen and cheeks stained with tears when she gets out of the shower, wrapping herself up and taking a glance in the mirror. Henry comes in as she's lost in thought, and the tears can't help but return when she lays eyes on him. He brings her into his arms, holding her with every ounce of strength he has. It only takes her a moment to tightly return his embrace, breathing him in as if she's taking her first breath.
"I'm not going to medical school." He whispers to her, making her cling to him more fiercely.
"I don't want to be the reason you don't do something you're passionate about."
"No, it's not- I know how I reacted, it wasn't great, but being in the hospital I had nothing but time to think. I think I loved the idea of getting to be a part of your world. You bringing me to your surgeries, it was just amazing. At the end of it, it was just me wanting more time with you. Med school, for me? Maybe in another life it could have been for me, but I don't think I can do it in this one. I've made my peace with it, promise."
"I'm happy you get to be my husband in this life." Teddy pulls back to hold his face in her palms, gazing into his eyes before leaning in to brush against his lips. "I love you."
"I love you, Mrs Burton." He can feel her smile against his lips.
"Is there anything else you can see yourself doing?"
"Why don't we start with dinner?"
Henry leaves Teddy to finish drying off and orders from one of their favourite places, one they had found somewhere between their second and fifth after-date meetups. She comes out to find Henry lighting candles on the small table, everything else already set.
"Special occasion?" She asks, Henry turning to face her. She's changed into sweatpants and an old army t-shirt, looking cute and comfortable.
"Isn't it always?" He smiles as he takes her in. "You know I've done this for you before, when we were having our non-date dates."
"Oh is that what they were called?"
"Appropriate name, don't you think?"
"It's very cute."
"Luckily you made the right decision in the end."
"Yeah, lucky for you!" Teddy laughs as they enter back into their natural banter, Henry's confession in the bathroom helping to clear the air.
Before Henry can make a retort, a knock on the door pauses them. They sit and unpack their dinner before quickly diving in. Henry had never been able to develop an appetite for hospital food, and between surgeries and stress Teddy hadn't done much better over the last few days. The meal seemed to disappear rather quickly, leaving both satisfied and full. Henry can't help but get lost looking at Teddy, who's picking at the remnants of dessert still left on her plate.
"You know when you asked me earlier if there was anything else I could see myself doing?" Henry brings her attention back to him. "Is having kids something you've ever wanted?"
"I um, yeah, I mean I've thought about it, I just didn't know, didn't think it would happen for me. But kids, with you? I like that idea." She can't help the wide smile that spreads across her face as she answers.
"Really? You know it's not just my good looks that are genetic, right?"
"Yeah, yeah I know." She can't help but tear up once more. "Having kids, that's what I thought about when you were talking about med school. It's what I was going to talk to you about the night we were, when you um…"
"Nearly died in the kitchen?" He jokes and she can't help but smile back. "I guess great minds think alike."
"So you're sure? You want to have kids? With me?"
"Seeing as you are my wife I would hope they would be with you. Teddy, I'm all in on this with you. I fall more in love with you every day, you are my reason for wanting a future, having crazy dreams like being a dad. But I don't want this to be something that you're just going to do to make me happy. I want you to want this with me."
She stands from her seat and makes her way over to him, straddles his lap as her fingers begin to play with his hair. As she gazes at him, she can't help but imagine holding a baby with his eyes looking back at her, smiling at the thought. He holds her to him closely, looking at her as if it's his first time seeing the stars.
"I want to have your babies, Henry Burton." She says as she leans in to capture his lips with her own.
"You don't need to lie to get me into bed y'know?" He deepens the kiss, feeling her giggle against his lips before getting lost with him. He slowly moves from her lips to her neck, brushing gently against her skin as he covers every inch.
"I missed you." She breathes softly. He pauses to pull back and look at her.
"I'm right here babe."