That Guy

Baby Chloe Hunt is a popular visitor in Seattle Grace. When Owen shows up on a day off to handle paperwork, carrying Chloe in her car seat, he is surrounded by nurses eager to babysit and take Chloe off of his hands.

Grateful, he lets them carry Chloe and her diaper bag off. He goes into his small office, takes off his leather jacket, and tackles the paperwork. Two hours later, he pulls on his jacket and merges from his office, empty car seat in hand. He wanders through the ER department, trying to find his daughter.

He notices a tall man holding a briefcase standing by the nurse's station, looking like he's waiting for someone. Owen quickly looks him up and down – somewhat older than himself, proud stature, dark-skinned with slightly greying hair, dressed like a professor, seems to be developing a mid-life thickness around his waist.

The man looks at Owen and the car seat. "Missing a baby?"

Owen nods. "The nurses are babysitting my daughter somewhere."

"Ah. How old?"

"She's three months old." The stranger smiles pleasantly and seems to want to talk. "Do you have kids?"

The man shakes his head. "No, not yet. I just ended a relationship, so kids are not in the plans right now, but I do hope to have them."

Owen nods. "Being a father is a feeling like no other." He looks the man up and down again. "Are you waiting for someone?"

The man nods. "I'm visiting the hospital for a special consult – and here is the man I've been waiting for."

Chief Webber walks up, surprised by Owen's presence. "Dr Hunt, I thought you weren't in today."

Owen shrugs. "I had some paperwork to catch up on. I'm just looking for Chloe right now, she's visiting with the nurses."

The Chief nods. "So – your wife is at home?"

"Yep, she was up all night with Chloe so she's getting some sleep."

The Chief looks curiously back and forth between Owen and the stranger. "Have you two met? This is - our Head of Trauma."

"Owen Hunt. Nice to meet you." Owen extends his hand to the man.

"Dr Preston Burke, likewise," he replies, firmly shaking hands.

Owen tries not to visibly flinch. Preston Burke. That guy who dumped Cristina and made her all confused about who she was and what she wanted. That guy who made her distrustful, and made her bristle for years when the word "marriage" was said. He had silently cursed that guy for a long time, but as Cristina started to trust in him, his anger had died. He hadn't thought about that guy in a long time.

"Ah, you know my work?" Preston asks, with a touch of smugness. Owen wants to punch him. Oh, I know your work.

"No," Owen says. "Not really."

Preston looks confused as the Chief is distracted by an intern. Owen turns his head as he hears a baby crying from around the corner.

"There's Daddy," Nurse Lynn appears, holding a crying Chloe in her arms. She hands Chloe and her diaper bag to Owen. "She was a very good girl, she had a bottle and a diaper change, and she just started to miss Daddy so we came looking for you."

Owen smiles and kisses Chloe's forehead. She looks at him and stops crying when she recognizes him. "Thanks for watching her."

"Any time!" Lynn looks back and forth between Owen and Preston with some amusement before walking away.

Owen rubs Chloe's back as she nestles into his neck. He sneaks a glance at Preston, who is staring at his daughter in surprise. Owen hides a smile behind Chloe. He's used to people being surprised that his baby has Asian features, but he suspects that Preston's shock goes deeper.

"Preston, the patient is waiting for your consult," Chief Webber says, trying to draw Preston's attention away and looking very uncomfortable.

"By the way," Owen says to Preston, catching his attention and looking him straight in the eye. "Cristina Yang is my wife, and this is our baby." He holds Chloe so Preston can see her face clearly. The Chief sighs as various staff in the ER suddenly try to not look like they are eavesdropping.

Preston looks at Chloe with a curious smile. "Well. I must offer you my congratulations then. She is a beautiful child. How – how is Cristina?" He looks at Owen quickly.

"She's good," Owen says amiably. "The pregnancy was a little rough in the end, but she is a champ, and she's loving motherhood. She might even extend her maternity leave."

Preston nods absently, looking at Chloe. Owen feels his temper starting to rise, watching that guy stare at his daughter, even if it is benignly. "Well, I won't keep you from your patient," he says, squatting down to place Chloe in her car seat.

"Ah yes," Preston says. "Er – give my regards."

Owen looks up and nods courteously, before turning back to Chloe and buckling her in. He digs in the diaper bag for her toy lamb and hands it to her, clipping it to a strap. He smiles softly at her, and adjusts her straps. He looks up again and sees the Chief walking with Preston to the elevators.

He chuckles and picks up the car seat and the diaper bag, and heads towards the exit. His cell phone rings as he reaches his car in the parking lot. He carefully places Chloe at his feet by the car and digs his phone out from his jeans. He chuckles again when he sees that Cristina is calling.

"Hey beautiful."

"Hey Owen. How is work?"

"I'm done, we just got to the car. I'm going to put Chloe in and we'll drive straight home, unless you need me to pick something up?"

"How is Chloe?"

"She's good. The nurses watched her for me. She had a bottle and a diaper change and took out an appendix."

"Good girl. Did you – who did you see?"

He stifles a laugh. "Oh, we ran into a few people."

"Anyone I know?"

"Yes." He digs his keys out.

"Who?"

"Gossip moves quickly, I see." He starts unlocking the car.

"What does that mean?"

"It means you've heard that Preston Burke is visiting Seattle Grace today."

He can almost hear her scowl. "Well?"

"Well, we met, briefly, and he sends his 'regards' and he thinks Chloe is beautiful, which is true." He smiles down at her, patiently waiting in her car seat and clutching her toy.

"And?"

"And he just got out of a relationship and doesn't have any kids and I think he is jealous of me. If he didn't have a patient waiting, I'm sure he would have challenged me to a duel." Silence. "He's not what I expected," he admits.

"What did you expect?"

"I'm not really sure. Someone less – ordinary." He tosses the diaper bag on the back seat.

"Callie saw him and says he's getting fat."

Owen laughs. "Well, I don't know what he looked like before, but he does look like he's getting the middle age spread."

Cristina is silent for a few moments before asking, "What did you really think of him?"

"Not much," Owen says honestly. "I thought he was pompous. You can do better than him."

She laughs then. "Indeed. Can you pick up something for dinner?"

"Sure. See you soon."

"See you."

Owen disconnects the call and puts the phone away. He carefully lifts the car seat and places it into position, buckling it in properly and double-checking. Chloe smiles at him again. She's only been smiling for a couple of weeks, and it makes him smile in return.

Years ago, he could never have imagined that Cristina and he would ever have a child that was the perfect blend of them, but here she is. She most resembles Cristina, but she is also destined to be tall and freckly, and she truly has the hands of a surgeon.

"I'm a lucky man," he says softly, leaning in to kiss her forehead. And he never gives that guy another thought again.