If my ship sails from sight, it doesn't mean my journey ends, it simply means the river bends. ~ Enoch Powell

Owen wandered the halls in a daze. Had he really lost Cristina all over again? He barely noticed the people around him, as the hospital started to fall back into its usual rhythm, now that the power was back on. All he could feel was pain and confusion. She had broken up with him because she thought he couldn't be happy without a child. He wasn't sure if she didn't understand him at all ... or if she understood him better than he did. And he had no clue about what to do next.

He was shaken out of his reverie by someone slamming into him.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry," Callie said, stepping back. "I didn't see you."

He frowned at the tears running down her face. "What's wrong?"

"My ... my ..." she sputtered. "... Excuse me ..." Callie turned and sprinted down the hall.

Owen shook his head and kept walking. His attention was drawn by someone waving frantically at him – Higgins, the chief of Security. Owen braced himself for more bad news and approached the man, who looked shaken.

"Sir ..." The man was agitated. "One of my people ... she went down to the generator room with some of the firefighters, to check on things ... she found the Chief ... Dr. Webber ... sir ..."

Adrenaline flooded through Owen. "What? What was Webber doing there?"

"We think he turned the power back on." The man swallowed. "Sir ... the Chief is dead."

oOoOo

Cristina strode through the halls of the Cardio unit, checking on her patients. She longed to speak with Meredith, but her friend had just been through two surgeries and needed to be with her family. She'd texted Alex and Callie, but they hadn't responded.

Every few minutes, she pulled out her phone and stared at it. It was strange to not have a flirty or funny text from Owen waiting for her. Her fingers itched to send him a message, find out how he was doing. But she knew she must keep her distance, else they'd fall back into the rhythms of avoiding the issues that would certainly keep them apart in the long run.

"Hey Dr. Yang?" Dr Brooks approached her hesitantly. "The Pit is like, super busy, and all of the attendings are like, not around. Do you think you can come down?"

"Yes, Mousy," Cristina said, tucking her phone away. Work is what I need.

oOoOo

Barking orders, Owen sprinted through the basement, carrying a defibrillation kit. He was followed by Leah and orderlies pushing a gurney. As they entered the generator room, a security guard pointed them to where Richard Webber was lying on his back. A firefighter was administering CPR to the fallen chief.

Owen quickly placed his fingers on Richard's neck, wincing at the cool flesh. "Does he have a pulse?"

"No sir, we found him lying face down and we started CPR immediately but he hasn't responded," the security guard informed him.

"He was cold when we found him," the firefighter grunted.

Owen opened one of Richard's eyes and shone a flashlight in it. Then he hung his head, and prayed for strength. Quietly, he placed a hand on the firefighter's hands. "You can stop now."

oOoOo

As Cristina went from bed to bed, helping Stephanie prioritize, she wondered at Owen's absence. Was he on the vent? Was he okay?

A commotion in the hallway drew her attention. Stepping outside, Cristina frowned to see the chief of security ashen, comforting one of his guards as she sobbed. Two orderlies were pushing a gurney, on which lay a body under a sheet. One of the orderlies had tears running down his face.

Cristina turned to a grim firefighter, who was carrying his helmet. "What happened?"

"We found one of your doctors in the generator room," he informed her. "Looks like he turned on the power but got electrocuted. Poor guy didn't have a chance."

"Who?"

"They say he was the Chief," the man said.

"Owen?!" Cristina pushed him aside and sprinted after the orderlies. "Let me see him."

She lifted up the sheet and gasped to see Richard Webber.

oOoOo

Owen paced the floor of his favorite conference room. Normally, when he was in a quandary, he could rely on Richard for some advice and support. Now, he was on his own, quite literally.

His thoughts went to Cristina. The Board of Directors needed to be notified ... but he couldn't bear the thought of speaking with her now. His feelings were too raw, he was too vulnerable. If he saw her tonight, he would ... he couldn't imagine what he would do, but it would be painful.

His phone blipped with a message. He flipped through and saw that Nancy had texted him. Shaking his head, Owen put away his phone without reading it. He was happy for Ethan and Nancy, but he also felt kicked in the gut.

"Hell of a night," he muttered, continuing to pace. He wondered where Cristina was.

oOoOo

Cristina was huddled with Arizona and Jackson in his hospital room, as they absorbed Cristina's news.

"He saved us," Arizona said sadly, her eyes filled with tears. "And he died alone."

"We have to tell the staff," Jackson noted. "God ... I have to call my mother ..."

Arizona's phone rang. She looked at it and then at Cristina. "It's Owen."

"Answer it," Cristina told her, crisply. "He knows, the firefighters said he pronounced Richard dead." She turned to Jackson. "We have to tell Bailey before anyone."

"Hello?" Arizona frowned. "Dr. Hunt? I've just heard the terrible news about Dr. Webber ..."

"I just can't believe it." Jackson shook his head.

"Yes, the Board does need to know," Arizona said. "I'm here with Jackson and Cristina. Did you want to speak with her?" She frowned as Cristina immediately shook her head. "I see. Well, um, I don't know where Callie is right now ..."

Jackson looked from Arizona to Cristina. "We also have to tell Derek and Meredith. Look, I'm banged up but I'm not critical. I'm in this."

"Leave this with the Board, Dr. Hunt," Arizona spoke into the receiver. "Thank you for your attention to this matter."

Arizona turned off her phone and exhaled. "Okay. This is awkward. We need to gather the Board together but um, I'm currently not speaking with my wife ..."

"I'll find Callie," Cristina offered. Then she looked chagrined. "Someone else is going to have to do all the talking with Owen. We ... aren't together any more."

"What?" Jackson looked back and forth between the two women. "Okay, we need to focus on Richard right now, but ... what?"

"You call your mother," Cristina told him. "I'll go tell Derek and Meredith, and then Callie. Arizona ... please call Owen back. He should be the one to tell Bailey."

"Okay, what can I do after I call my mom?" Jackson sat up and winced.

"Rest!" Arizona wagged a finger at him. "Do you want me to send Stephanie in?"

Slowly, he shook his head.

"April?" Cristina offered.

"No!" Jackson sighed. "Definitely not her."

oOoOo

Waiting in the Pit, Owen glanced at his phone as it buzzed again. He saw that Nancy had sent another message. He sighed and put away the phone. He could see Callie approaching him, with Ben and Bailey following.

"Dr. Hunt?" Bailey looked worried. "Do you know where Dr. Webber is? I've been looking for him."

"I do," he replied, heart sinking. "Why don't we step in here?" He gestured to an open exam room. All four of them entered the room, Callie quietly shutting the door.

"What's wrong?" Bailey felt fear as Owen turned to face her, grim. Ben took her hand.

"I'm very sorry," Owen began. "Dr. Webber ... Richard ... passed away tonight. There was an accident in the generator room after he turned the power back on. I'm so sorry."

Bailey looked to Callie for confirmation. Her friend nodded sadly. "I'm sorry, Miranda. Richard is dead."

"What?" Bailey grasped Ben's hand, hard. "Tell me what happened."

"A security guard found him lying dead on the floor," Owen explained, gently. "CPR was started right away but ... he never had a pulse. He was cold. He was surrounded by water and his jacket was burnt ... the firefighters think he was electrocuted. I'm sorry."

Ben gasped and gripped her hand tighter. Miranda Bailey looked down. "Take me to him."

oOoOo

Wearily, Cristina sat down in the board room and stared out the window. Not for the first time, she wondered where Owen was, how he was doing.

Her phone buzzed. She quickly glanced at the screen. Recognizing the name of a Seattle Presbyterian doctor, she quickly pressed "Answer".

oOoOo

Jackson winced as he listened to his mother on the other end of a painful phone call. "I'm so sorry, Mom."

"This is terrible," Catherine gasped. "I ... know that you must ... be telling me the truth ... but it's so unbelievable."

Jackson murmured more condolences into the phone, as she cried. Through the gaps in the curtains around his bed, he could see April hovering, looking guilty.

His mind flashed back to their conversation earlier. When she'd basically asked him to stop her wedding.

"Don't put this on me," he had told her. "If you don't want to marry him, don't marry him."

Stricken, she had fled. Guilt had lashed through him, especially after Stephanie had come in to check on him. Before the awful news about Richard Webber.

"I'll fly out to Seattle as soon as possible," his mother choked out. "I can't ... my poor Richard."

"He was a good man." Jackson hung his head. Of course his mother's relationship with Richard had made for some very uncomfortable moments ... but they had made each other happy. And he was going to miss Richard's sage advice and steady presence. He wondered how the hospital was going to survive without him.

oOoOo

Dressed in his street clothes, Owen waited outside of the morgue with Callie. When his phone blipped again, he grimaced to see another message from Nancy. He turned the device off.

The doors swung open, and Bailey exited. Her face was streaked with tears, and her head was held high.

Somber-faced, Owen walked with Ben and Bailey to the parking lot. She was pre-occupied with her thoughts, keeping her eyes forward as they silently walked. Only when he held her door open for her, did she address him.

"Thank you, Dr. Hunt." She glanced at him, and then away. "You do him proud, okay?"

"I will." He closed the car door and then stepped away, watching them drive away in the rain.

Shaking his head, Owen turned and walked back into the hospital. He could see staff members glancing at him, sorrow on their faces.

Out of the corner of one eye, he saw Cristina approaching him. He would always be able to pick her out of a crowd.

Apprehensively, he waited for her. Her face was a mask, like it always was when she couldn't handle her pain.

"Nancy's been trying to reach you," Cristina said. "You have to return her messages."

He blinked. "Not tonight. I can't ... deal with them tonight."

"You have to." Cristina held up her phone. "Seattle Presbyterian called me, as Paul's doctor. Owen ..." She licked her lips. "Paul had a stroke on arrival. He didn't make it."

Owen visibly sagged, saddened and shocked by another blow on a terrible night.

She lifted a hand as if to touch his arm, to reassure him, then dropped it. "Owen ..." Her eyes filled with tears. "Ethan is in a bad state. You should go to him."

He stared at her. He could tell that it was costing her, to urge him to go to Ethan, and away from her.

"Cristina ..." Owen could only stand there, watching the woman he loved struggling with the situation before them. He knew that if he left ... they really would have no future together. He wished with all of his heart that she would ask him to stay.

"You should go to him," she repeated, before turning and walking away.

Owen watched her leave until she turned a corner, out of sight. Sighing, he pulled out his keys.

oOoOo

"What?" Sleepily, Meredith looked back and forth between Cristina and Derek, certain that she'd heard them wrong. "... Richard?"

Cristina nodded, as Derek rocked his sleeping son. "We would've told you earlier, but you needed your rest."

"Oh my God." Meredith laid back on her pillow and stared at the ceiling. She couldn't fathom the hospital without her father figure.

"The rest of the Board will take care of things, your job is to take it easy and get your strength back," Cristina informed her.

Meredith glanced at her. "How is Owen?"

Cristina looked down at the floor. "He's gone."

oOoOo

The chaplain of Seattle Presbyterian showed Owen to a quiet room, where two familiar people were waiting.

"Dr. Hunt!" Ethan ran towards him, his face anxious. He grabbed Owen's hands.

Owen crouched down in front of him. "I'm so sorry about your dad," he told the boy, gently grasping his shoulders.

Ethan nodded, tears streaking down his freckled face.

"Oh, Dr. Hunt!" Nancy ran to him and into his arms. "I'm so glad you came."

"Call me Owen," he said, hugging her. "What can I do to help?"

"I want to leave," Ethan said. "I never want to see a hospital again."

"Of course." Owen let go of Nancy and cupped Ethan's face. "I'll drive you to the hotel."

"I don't want to go there!" The boy protested, loudly. "I want to go home!"

Nancy hung her head, overwhelmed and exhausted. "Please, Ethan. Not now."

"I'll take him," Owen softly said. The others turned and looked at him. Ethan looked confused while Nancy was weary.

"I'll take him tonight," he clarified. A brief look of hope on Ethan's face encouraged him to speak further. "I'll … take care of Ethan for as long as you need me to."

The boy tentatively smiled while Nancy stared at Owen. "Are you sure?" She frowned. "You're his doctor…"

"I've gotten to know Ethan quite well," he replied. "I … would like to be a friend now, not a doctor. Your friend too."

She looked at Ethan, who was watching them in suspense. "Do you want to go with Dr. – Owen?"

He nodded and wiped a tear from his eyes.

"Okay," she sighed.

oOoOo

Cristina stood on the vent and stared straight ahead, as her hair flew up in the gusts. She felt numb, as if traumatized all over again and needing to hide from the pain lashing her insides.

What have I done? Suddenly she was facing a life that Owen would not be a part of. Intellectually, she had known that she didn't have a future with him. Something inside of him longed for something that she could not give him. She cursed at the unfairness of it all, that her soulmate would never be completely happy with her because he needed to be a parent. But she did not regret giving him the opportunity to find fulfillment. She loved him that much.

"Surgery," she said softly. "I will always have surgery. Surgery gives me joy."

She closed her eyes and tried to recall the thrill she'd felt earlier, feeling around in the dark and saving a life against incredible odds and the rush of knowing she'd become a better doctor. But all she could remember was the look on Owen's face, when he'd first brought her to the very spot she was standing on now. When she had forgotten her troubles and laughed. It was if he was standing in front of her, grinning in the most appealing way, because he had made her happy ...

"What have I done?" Cristina wondered aloud, sinking to the floor and clutching her head.

oOoOo

"What is this place?" Ethan looked up at the firehouse in the dim light. "Is this a real fire station?"

"It's ... where I used to live," Owen sighed, unlocking the front door. "I need to get a sleeping bag from the storeroom, the place I'm staying only has one bed. You can have it."

The boy followed him inside, eyes wide. "Is ... is that a fire pole?" Ethan ran over to it and reverently touched the cool metal. "You have a fire pole?"

"Uh huh." Owen smiled quietly. "You can wait here, I won't be long ..." He stopped talking and watched Ethan sprint up the stairs. Listening to the boy's footsteps, he knew exactly where he was going.

Grinning, Ethan came sliding down on the pole. "This place is cool!"

Owen chuckled. "Yes, yes it is."

"How come there's no furniture?"

Owen coughed. "My ex-wife is trying to sell it."

The boy turned and looked at him. "You're divorced?"

He nodded. "You've met her ... Dr. Yang." Suddenly Owen realized how little he and Ethan knew about each other.

"Oh." Ethan ran his hands along the fire pole again. "How come we can't stay here? I like this place."

"Well ..." Owen checked his watch and winced at the time. "You've had a very long and terrible day. You should sleep in a warm bed."

Pleadingly, Ethan glanced at him. "I want to sleep here. I like to camp."

The look in the boy's eyes touched Owen. "Okay, we'll camp here for the night. I'll get two sleeping bags out of the storeroom."

Ethan grinned. "Can I go down the fire pole some more before bed?"

"Yes." Owen exhaled as he saw the boy run up the stairs again. He reflected that he ought to feel fulfilled, getting to take care of Ethan and possibly take him in for a long time. But instead his heart felt incomplete, standing in the firehouse without Cristina.

Many people view a hospital as a place full of pain and heartbreak and death. That is true, but it is not the whole picture. Within the walls are hope and love and sacrifice. Even faced with the agony of losing a loved one, again and again we see family members courageously offer their own bodies or the body of their loved one, so that a part of them will continue to live and thrive.

This chapter written by angelamermaid.