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Post by Dr. Owen Hunt on Jun 15, 2010 0:57:23 GMT -5
Owen had spent the whole day in the apartment, cooped up. He would pace the living room for a while before he would stop and sit down on the couch and watch some show on TV. He sighed heavily and slumped back where he was sitting, his head against the couch cushion. He looked up at the ceiling, once again letting the thousand yard stare take over. He was once again pulled back to Iraq, this time he was in a Humvee. He was sitting across from Teddy, their companies having combined when half of their units had been killed. Owen was staring at her and she had managed to smile, even through the sand and grime on her face, and the darkness of the day.
Owen could do nothing but smile back. At that time, that smile pulled him from the morbid thoughts of the war and set him back on why he had come here in the first place.
He shook his head and was brought back to the present where he was locked up in Cristina's apartment. He growled out of frustration and grabbed his cell phone off the table. He text Teddy, 'Feeling a little...caged in. Drinks at Joe's?' he sent to her. A few minutes later, when he was dressed, he sent another text, 'On my way there now.' he clicked send and was out the door.
He walked across the street to Joe's and sat at the bar. Joe came over to him and smiled, "Glad to see you're alright, Owen." he poured him a beer and a shot on the house and set it in front of him.
"Actually...can I get a single malt scotch?" he asked and Joe took the beer away and filled the cup up with the scotch, way over the two finger mark. Owen sipped at it, looking down at the bar after he thanked Joe, his mind going a million miles a minute.
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Post by Dr. Teddy Altman on Jun 15, 2010 1:50:24 GMT -5
Since the shooting happened, Teddy seemed displaced not sure of why she was there anymore. She never really did fit in at Seattle Grace. Only reason she was there was for Owen Hunt. When he called her all those months ago, she thought he finally was going to show her his feelings for her. She knew he had them and how could he not had seen hers for him all these years? He wanted her in Seattle. This was it. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out the way she had planned. She knew Owen had feelings for her, but his heart belonged to someone else, her resident, Cristina Yang.
When Owen ran back into the hospital to save Cristina, she knew his choice and it wasn’t her. She accepted it. Maybe it was best that she moved on and find a life without him in it. It was too hard for all of them, and although she would miss her friend, it was the right thing to do. Teddy stood at the Cardio Wing desk when Interim Chief Webber came by to check on the condition of Derek Shepherd. “Dr. Webber, when you have a moment, I would like to speak to you regarding my contract.” “Well, I can’t make any decisions such as that. You will have to wait until Shepherd returns.” He crossed his arms and looked at her with a concerned glare. “Are yo unhappy here, Dr. Altman?” Teddy took him off to the side by his arm. “No. I’m not. I’d like to leave as soon as you can find a suitable replacement for me. I had an offer back in New York, I think I should have taken it when I had the chance. It’s still on the table.” She swallowed hard and let out a deep sigh. “Yang now needs someone who can challenge her. I can’t do that anymore.” He rubbed his chin and knew the real reason why she wanted to leave. He looked hard at her. “Are you sure this is what you want? You have thought about this?” “Yes. I need to leave Seattle.” Those were hard words to keep down , but she had to. Just as those words came out of her mouth, she received a text from Owen to meet him at Joe’s. She looked at the time and in fifteen minutes she was getting off. “Well come to my office tomorrow, and we will see what we can do.” He nodded and put a hand on her shoulder. “I would hate to lose you , Dr. Altman.” Teddy nodded and said “Thank you” humbly.
She gave the charts to an intern to finish up for the night as she went to change and meet Owen at Joe’s. Why she would just run to him after he ran off to save Cristina was beyond her. But they were friends. Friends. That’s what she kept telling herself. When she found out Owen was shot, she didn’t go running to him . She kept her distance and that was what she was going to do tonight. Keep her distance.
It was not unusual to see Owen throwing a beer back, but he had a single malt scotch and to Teddy that meant he was drinking something away. She nodded to Joe to get one for her too as she sat beside him. “Got your wing clipped, huh??”
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Post by Dr. Owen Hunt on Jun 15, 2010 2:05:08 GMT -5
Owen had finished one and a half scotchs and a couple shots by the time Teddy sat next to him. He turned his head and looked at her before he took another sip of his drink. When she mentioned his arm he chuckled and nodded, "Yeah.." he said as he sipped the drink again. He put the glass on the bar top and sighed, "I spend...years in Iraq and come home alive only to be shot." he smiled at her a bit. "My luck huh?" he sent her a half smile and sighed as he furrowed his brows and his smile went away. "Always the hero..." he mumbled in a quiet voice. He shook his head and took a mouthful of his scotch and sighed again.
He looked over at Teddy, his brows pushed together making 'u's as he gave her a look that could have put a kicked puppy to shame. "I've..." he trailed off and let out a breath through his nose, clenching his teeth. "I've been thinking...a lot...about you.." he said as he looked down at the amber liquid in his glass. "I keep...finding myself going back to.." he trailed off, knowing she would get what he meant. That he continued to go back to Iraq in his mind. "And I keep...seeing you smiling.." he said with a breathy laugh. "And I remember how...I use to make sure that after every mission I would...make it back to the base to see you smile at me again.." He mumbled the last of his sentence into his glass as he finished it and put it back on the bar top.
"And then I go on leave...and I meet Cristina." he said as he hung his head a little. "And then.." he shrugged, "And then I'm torn." he looked at her again. "I try to make it back to the base to see you...but...it didn't feel...the same. I was in two places at once...Even that early on I was unsure where to go with everything...I don't know if I'm ever...going to be sure.." he let out a bitter laugh. "And then I bring you here...for Cristina. To...teach her...and all of the sudden I'm going to work to see you again...and I've got the best of both worlds and I'm together...in one place at one time.." He sighed and stayed quiet after that for a long while. "I don't want to be in two different places again.." he said.
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Post by Dr. Teddy Altman on Jun 15, 2010 17:48:35 GMT -5
She sat there drinking while his tone about getting shot saving Cristina, sounded regretful. Swallowing the scotch and letting it burn down her throat she coughed when he said “Always the hero..” It wasn’t the alcohol that made her cough, it was his words she couldn’t take down. She fought the urge to say “No one made you go back in that hospital to get shot. No one made you be the hero.” But she kept quiet realizing more and more she needed to leave.
Teddy listened to Owen going on about how he felt, how she made an impact on his day and how he felt whole with her around. These are things she didn’t want to hear and his analogy on being in two places then being in one place just made her laugh out loud as she tried to choke down the scotch once again. It was then she threw it back and quipped “Like having your cake and eating it too??” Another chuckle came out of Teddy as she asked Joe by a motion of her fingers to get them another round. She turned on her barstool to face Owen and tell him exactly how she felt about his epiphany.
“Because this is all about you and being whole, isn’t it? You know being sane and Owen feeling good enough to survive everyday? It doesn’t matter how Cristina feels or how I feel as long as you get what you need and want. You have your perfect place, your nirvana. You have my smile and you have Cristina’s love and affection and everything is so idyllic because we all smile for you.” The scotch was hitting her and then the next round she threw back before she went in on Owen again. “He’s the thing, Owen. I’m not smiling. I try to smile for you because I’m your friend. I have always been your friend and that’s what friends do even though they are dying inside. I am not smiling. It’s facade. And I know lately, Cristina isn’t smiling either. Your place is perfect for you, but it’s not for me.” Instead of crying the tears that were behind her eyes she laughed instead, not to be hateful, but everything was now coming off her chest.
“I can’t be in your one place. I can’t. I need my own place and I wish you could be there. I want you there. I need someone to smile for me and only me. Cristina needs someone to smile for her and only her. You can’t be in two places at the same time. Not with me. I finding my own place, Owen. I’m leaving Seattle”
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Post by Dr. Owen Hunt on Jun 15, 2010 18:03:52 GMT -5
Owen sat there and listened to what she said, each ending of her sentence making him feel like he was being shot over and over again. He sighed and ran a hand over his face and then through his hair. He had Joe pour him another drink and downed it. He swallowed it and put the glass on the table, the burn of the alcohol lost amongst the glasses he had before. He turned and looked at her when she said she was leaving he turned to her, his good elbow up on the bar.
Each time she laughed his heart dropped down to his feet and he felt a tightness in his throat. He cleared it and sighed again as he shook his head again. "So you're leaving.." he nodded. "You're leaving Seattle.." he mumbled. "My place isn't happy any more Teddy." he told her. "It's complicated. It's complicated because half of me wants to be with you, and the other half wants to be with Cristina. But I made a choice." he told her.
He picked up his beer and took a long draw from it. He was quiet for a long while, closing his eyes every once in a while to take in her presence for as long as he was able. He swallowed thickly and turned his head and looked at her. "I have always loved you Teddy.." he said with a nod. "I will always love you." his eyes searched her face. He knew he was going to have to say everything he wanted to. "If you are going to leave, then leave...as much as I don't want you to leave.." he shook his head. "I want you to stay." he said. "You're a great doctor and I made the right decision having you come here for that..." he sipped the beer again. "I want you to stay because I want you in my life." he told her as he turned his head back to the booze on the shelf. "I want you with me....."
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Post by Dr. Teddy Altman on Jun 15, 2010 18:21:02 GMT -5
“Yes, I’m leaving. I’ve already talked to Dr. Webber about me resigning. “ The glass sat in her hand and she swirled the liquid around in it. It was hard to look at him because he had a way of sucking her right back in. “Well, the whole part of me can’t be with half of you. You made a choice and you have to live with it. Just like I do.” Another drink down her throat tried to numb any feeling she had. There just wasn't enough alcohol in the bar to do so.
Teddy couldn’t take the words of love anymore and his wanting her in his life. He had no idea how it was killing her inside. She just tilted her head back and let them go through one ear and out the other, because if she didn’t she would stay.
"I want you with me....." It was that final phrase that sent her to the edge where she could not tolerate this mutilation of her feelings. “Just stop! I need to go.” SHe grabbed her purse and threw down some money to pay the tab. She didn’t even look at Owen, she just turned on her barstool and left.
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Post by Dr. Owen Hunt on Jun 15, 2010 18:36:28 GMT -5
Owen knew that the last sentence would make her leave. Maybe that was what he wanted. Why had he invited her there anyway? He sighed rested his head in his hand, the heel of his palm against his brows as he breathed. He downed his drink and put money on the table and got up and went after her. He ran out into the ran, his hair automatically matting to his head and flattening out, the ends of it curling up.
He ran after Teddy and caught her arm. He stopped on the side walk and looked at her, his brows pressed together, once again putting on that kicked puppy look. He pulled in a breath and let it out. "Please, Teddy don't go." he said to her. He sighed a bit and ran his thumb against the sleeve of her jacket on her arm. "Please.." he mumbled.
"I..." he trailed off and sighed again. "I can't watch you leave again." he mumbled. "I dont want you to leave." he shook his head. "You'd rather live somewhere without each other?" he asked, his eyes narrowed to keep the rain from dive bombing into his pupils. He sighed a little again. "Teddy stay..."
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Post by Dr. Teddy Altman on Jun 15, 2010 21:13:19 GMT -5
The escape wasn’t a well thought out plan . The minute she stepped outside a crack of thunder hit and then a downpour. She couldn’t drive home with as many scotches as she had in her. It was best if she just headed back to the hospital and lay down for a few until she could drive or call a taxi. She wanted far away from the hospital and Owen and Seattle. She tried to remember the heat of Iraq and the sun beating down on her. As much as she once loved the rain when she got here, she was sick of it now.
Teddy dug in her purse for her cell to call a taxi and that’s when she heard Owen trying to stop her. Her head tilted back in frustration and that’s when she finally started to cry. She could now because the rain would just hide the tears. “Owen….just..just stop .” Her voice begged him with the sound of her heart breaking in her words. “You’re killing me…stop.”
She threw her arm away from his touch and backed away from him. “Don’t do this to me. Let me go. Just let me go , Owen.” It was time for her goodbye. This was the bandaid that had to be pulled off quick. She rushed into his body and pressed her lips firmly against his closing her eyes finally kissing him. She needed that one taste to remember and as quickly as it came, she pulled back and backed away from him once again. “I can’t stay. I gotta go. “Goodbye, Owen.”
Her feet took her quickly down the sidewalk where a cab was heading in the opposite direction. She put herself halfway out in the street and got it to stop for her. Opening the door she gave one last longing look to Owen before she slid in. The taxi driver asked where she needed to go and she only answered “The hell away from here.” Teddy tried not to look at Owen as they passed him by leaving him in the rain.
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