Friends or Something More?

Reunited Again

Reunited Again

Chapter 32

Cristina's POV

   The next day... visiting the hospital

      My nerves build up when Alex parks the car in the familiar yet strange parking lot. Familiar because I used to come out here twice a day, but strange because it's been redone quite a bit. My feet hit the pavement and my legs begin to shake. I try to play it off like it's nothing, but Mer can tell I'm nervous. She puts a hand on my back and guides me to the entrance. Before we enter, she pulls me to the side. "Cristina, you're going to be fine. I'll be with the whole time I promise. Okay?" I sigh but nod. Alex squeezes my shoulder and we all head in together. 

        I manage to make it halfway into the lobby before Edwards and Wilson spot me. They stare at me in disbelief but then look happy to see me. Jo comes over first so Alex goes the other day. She frowns but brushes it off. Edwards then comes over a few seconds later.  They hug me and rapid fire questions at me in unison. "I'm here to visit for the next two weeks. I might even do a few surgeries. Depends on what Bailey says." Steph guides me towards Bailey's office. "She'll totally let you do some surgeries. Now we have to let everyone else know you're here." I freeze up a bit but try not to make it obvious. 

     10 minutes later... I'm hiding an empty waiting room behind closed doors while Steph makes the announcement of my arrival. I can hear every word clearly. "Guys, I'm sorry to pull a Karev here but there is someone special here visiting for the next couple weeks. She meant to come to the rehearsal dinner but her flight was delayed." I take that as my cue to come out. Everyone's jaws drop. Gee they must be really surprised to see me. I'm face to face with Callie, Arizona, Amelia, Bailey, Weber, Ben, Riggs, Maggie, Jackson, and April. The one person I don't see is Owen. Everyone hugs me and greets me warmly except for Amelia. She gives me the biggest death stare of all time. I've never even met her but she must know that I'm the love of Owen's life, which is enough to set her into a blind rage. 

       After I catch up with everyone for a bit, Bailey tells me I can team up with Alex on a peds/cardio case. That alone makes my day. Any day where I can be in the OR is a good day. I have two hours of downtime before I have to see the patient. Bailey is giving me that out of courtesy. I plan on roaming the halls a bit and seeing what's the same and what's changed.  As I begin that process, I slam into a tall muscular guy. When I look up, I see that it's Owen and my heart races. His eyes bug out of his head and we both take in the sight of one another. 

       "Cristina?" I blush a little bit. "Hey Owen." "Cristina, what are you doing here?" "I'm here for the wedding. Two of my best friends are getting married. Did you not expect me to come?" He looks taken aback at that statement. "I was aware of the possibility but now that you're here, it changes things." He takes a step towards me and I take a step back. "Owen, Amelia already has given me several death stares. If you give me anything more than a handshake, she will probably come after me. You do realize that right?" 

         He sighs. "I know but I can't help it Cristina. I love Amelia but she's not you. She's not YOU." "Owen, it'd be wrong for us to get too deep. We can be civil and make small talk, but if it goes beyond that again, I don't know if I'll survive two weeks here. I'm also going to be assisting on some surgeries so I'll be in the hospital often." His small smile turns into a frown. "Yeah I understand but I have the right to be your friend. Don't you agree?" "Yeah.... I guess." "Good, now let's talk for a bit. We have a lot to catch up on." 

         We find an empty on call room and make sure to close the door but not lock it. "How's running your own hospital going?" "It's going great. We've been successful in many clinical trials, recently got some big funding, and hired a few new residents. Plus Shane's still working for me. When I first moved to Zurich, it was hard having to adjust to new surroundings, but having his familiar face around was comforting. How's everything been here?" "It's been pretty interesting. A lot of drama needless to say but also some good things. Derek died, Callie got together with the doctor that killed Derek and then they broke up a few months later, Arizona got fully custody of Sofia, and Amelia and I got married. That's only the beginning of it." 

        "Where as the time gone Owen? Years have gone by already. Before you know it, we'll be retired and spending out days bitching in rocking chairs on the porches of our houses in the countryside." I manage to get a laugh out of him. "Gee Cristina. I forgot how morbid but funny you were. Nice to have that sense of humor back." I smile. "It's good to be back, even if it's just for a little while." Out of nowhere, he grabs one of my hands and strokes it. "I wish that a little while would become permanent." "Owen, I can't. I wish I could but I can't. I own my own hospital and have to go back and run it. Shane's only getting payed to run it for two weeks." "That's true. We'll just wait and see what happens I guess." "Yeah... I guess." We sit in silence together for a bit before I go off to find Alex to meet our patient. 

Hoped that you guys liked this chapter! :) -Mary