Disclaimer: I don’t own anything aside from the plot. Characters are created by the brilliant Shonda Rhimes. Grey’s Anatomy – JAPRIL A/U. Tell me what you think! Cheers!

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I lied and told her she'd be fine but we both know it was just a lie

I had to do it, coz I'd say anything to help me get through it.

Then she reached out for my hand and a simple touch was more than I

can stand and I had to turn away coz I knew all the hurt that she was feeling

I was feeling too but when it falls apart, there's no easy way to break somebody's heart

oOo

April slowly opened her eyes and groggily studied her surroundings; once she realized that she’s been moved, she slowly braised her palms on her side and tried to sit herself up.

“Whoa! What are doing? You can’t sit up!”

April turned her head towards her side and winced; “Hey...” she croaked.

Alex moved towards the bed and crossed his arms on top of his chest; “What do you think you’re doing? Lay back down Kepner” he chastised.

April groaned and ignored her friend’s reprimands; “My back hurts, how long was I out?” she asked while wiggling.

“Just a couple of hours, Lay. Back. Down” Alex said pointedly.

April huffed but relented; “I’m starving.”

“I bet you are but you know the rules, no food for you yet” Alex replied smugly.

April swallowed and closed her eyes; “I hate you” she said wearily.

Alex chuckled.

April opened her eyes again; “Ross, told me that my appendix ruptured before he was able to take it out, what happened? Were you there?” she asked.

Alex narrowed his eyes; “About that, what the hell were you thinking? What crossed that loony head of yours that made you decide to have an intern do your surgery?” he asked, annoyance clearly evident in his voice.

April smiled; “I wanted to teach and it was the perfect avenue to have my intern learn” she simply replied.

“Perfect avenue my ass! You’re not even awake so how can you teach him? And besides, did you know that Avery was hair breadth close to beating Ross into a bloody pulp?”

April’s smile faltered as her eyes widen in surprise; “J—jackson found out?” she stuttered.

Alex raised his brow; “You think having an intern’s name on the O.R. board performing a major surgery to an unknown patient wouldn’t make him or anyone suspicious?” he asked sarcastically.

April groaned; “Argh! That was a stupid call.”

Alex snickered, he then shifted towards the foot of the bed and plopped down; “You’re idea of being inconspicuous sucks,” he teased.

“What did he do?”

Alex leaned back on the footboard and crossed his arms on top of his chest; “He barged into the O.R. screaming at Ross like a bitch baby, then, he threatened the poor intern to do it right or he’ll never see the O.R again unless he’s the patient.”

“Oh shit. Poor Ross...”

Alex raised his brow while eyeing her with amusement; “You’re more concerned about your intern’s feelings rather than worrying about Avery’s wrath, interesting.”

April made a face; “Is he that angry?”

Alex scoffed; “Livid is an understatement. I had to grab his arm to keep him from barging inside the O.R. for the second time when Ross almost killed you.”

April bit her lower lip; “It’s not his fault, it’s my appendix that—“

“Don’t go there” Alex warned. He then narrowed his eyes; “Don’t go blaming your appendix for your intern’s lack of skills.”

April snapped her mouth close.

Alex’s pager instantly went off so he plucked it from his pocket; he read the message and hastily stood up. “Have to go, Arizona is paging me.”

April nodded; “Thank you for dropping by” she said with a smile.

Alex nodded; “Get well soon and don’t sit up” he reminded her before walking away.

“I won’t” April replied before closing her eyes to rest.

“You’re up.”

April’s eyes snapped open upon hearing a familiar voice; slowly, she turned her head towards door and just like that, her heart started thumping wildly. “H-hey”

Jackson stepped inside the room and walked towards her bed; he stood at her bedside and smiled at her. “I just saw Karev, is he bothering you? How are you feeling?” he asked softly.

April swallowed hard; “Err—no, he’s not. I—err--hungry.” she replied.

Jackson chuckled; “Good. You can’t eat yet.”

April laughed but it instantly evaporated when radiating pain ebbed sharply from her lower abdomen.

Jackson stopped chuckling and stared at her with concern; “You okay?”

April took a deep calming breath before letting out a pained smile; “Can’t laugh, incision hurts like hell.”

Jackson cringed; “Do you want me to up your pain-killers’ dosage a bit?” he offered.

April shook her head; “No, I’m okay.”

Jackson nodded before stuffing his hands into his coat’s pocket; he then cleared his throat and gazed at her silently.

April met his eyes before blinking a couple of times.

Jackson swallowed hard; “I know we haven’t got the chance to talk yet and there are still things that we left hanging...”

April nodded in acknowledgement.

Jackson began fidgeting with his pockets nervously as he continued; “But I think now is not the right time to talk about it...at least not yet...”

April swallowed hard; “Y-yeah...you’re right” she stuttered.

Jackson gauges her reaction before moving closer; slowly, he sat on her bedside and stared at her directly. “I still haven’t forgotten about what you said to me if that’s what you’re thinking...I--I’m still not sure how to feel about it, but after contemplating for a couple of days, one thing became glaringly clear to me... I can’t lose my best friend” he admitted.

April ignored the rippling ache inside her chest and painted the most convincing smile she can muster; “You won’t lose her.”

Jackson let out a relieved breath before smiling; “Let’s just give it time then we’ll talk again” he said. “It’s still me and you, we’ll be fine” he added with more confidence.

April felt tears stinging in her eyes but she fought it with all her might; she moved her shaking hand towards his arm and gave it a comforting squeeze. She then pulled it away and let out a pained smile; “We will be fine, it’s still me and you.”

Jackson flinched at her touch and hastily stood up from his perch; he loudly cleared his throat before smiling hesitantly. “I—Err—I have to go. I still need to do rounds but I’ll try to drop by again.”

“Thank you for your visit” April replied somewhat curtly upon noticing his uneasy reaction.

Jackson shoved his hands inside his pockets again; “No problem.”

April nodded and turned her gaze away.

Jackson stared at her for a couple minutes before turning on his heel and leaving her alone.

April waited for a moment before letting out a sob; tears quickly fell down her sullen cheeks so she attempted to turn to her side to hide her feeble cries. She was able to move in the position that she wants but the air got knocked of her lungs when she felt searing pain in her incisions, making her yelp loudly.

“April!” Meredith immediately rushed to her side and dumped her supply basket on top of the over-bed table. “What in the world--you’re not supposed to lie on your side!” she said while hauling the red head back to the right position.

April moaned in pain as tears continue to leak from her eyes.

“Are you crying?” Meredith asked incredulously.

“It hurts” April muttered.

“You’re crying because your incision hurts?”

April nodded; “Y-yes” she lied.

Meredith moved towards the over-bed and grabbed a pair of latex gloves from her basket; she slipped her hands into it and shifted towards the bed. “I need to check if you busted your incision open so stay still.”

April took a deep placating breath and nodded.

Meredith lifted the gown and frowned when she saw blood seeping through the bandages; “It’s bleeding. I have to change the dressing because it’s almost drenched” she said while shaking her head in disapproval. “You should’ve known better Apes, you’re a doctor for goodness sake! You know you’re not supposed to flip to your side after an operation” she chastised.

April sniffed; “I’m sorry...” she croaked.

Meredith moved towards her supply basket again and grabbed a tube of antibiotic cream and fresh bandages.

“Dressing her wound so soon?” Cristina asked as she sauntered inside the room.

Meredith turned her head towards her friend and rolled her eyes; “I didn’t have too if Little Ms. Stubborn here didn’t follow the post op protocol.”

Cristina plopped on the couch and raised her brow; “What’d she do?” she asked.

Meredith turned towards April again and leaned forward; “I found her crying like a baby trying to flip to her side” she replied while gently peeling off the sodden dressing.

“I think the pain-killers’ addled her brain a bit that’s why she didn’t thought of it. Right, Apes?”

April grunted in response.

Cristina snickered.

“Stop being stubborn April or you’ll end up staying on this bed much longer that you need to be” Meredith chastised before cleaning the blood stain and lathering the cream on her cut gently.  

“I’m sorry...” April said weakly.

“Hmmnnnn...” Meredith hummed as she covers the incision with fresh bandages. Once done, she gathered the trash in her hands and shoved it inside a plastic bag, including her used gloves. She then walked towards Cristina and plopped down on the sofa, crossing her arms on top of her chest.

April angled her head towards the two surgeons’ and let out a pained smile; “I was not crying because my tummy hurts, well, that contributed to my tears obviously, but it’s mainly because J-jackson was here...” she confessed.

Cristina’s eyes widen in delight; “Really? He came back already?” she asked excitedly.

“What do you mean?” April asked confusedly.

“He was with you the whole time in the Recovery Room, he just left your side when you were transferred here” Meredith explained.  

“Oh.” April deadpanned.

“What’s with the face? Aren’t you happy?” Cristina probed, upon noticing April’s reaction.

April moved her head back and focused her eyes on the ceiling; “I guess so...”

Meredith noticed April’s response and opted to give her space; she stood up from the couch and turned towards Cristina. “Let’s leave April to rest for a bit.”

Cristina stood up and began walking towards the door; “Okay, we’ll be on our way.” She then paused and turned her head towards the patient; “And Kepner, stop being hard headed and try to follow the post op protocols. Like what you told me before, protocols are there for a reason, you know” she said before throwing a loop sided smile.  

April turned her head towards Cristina and smiled; “I’ll try my best Doc.”

Meredith walked towards the over-bed table and grabbed her basket; she then turned towards April and stared at her seriously. “No more moving for you, lie on your back and don’t even try to flip to your side. If I ever hear that your wound is bleeding again, I’ll sic Alex on you” she threatened good-naturedly before snatching the plastic bag at the foot of the bed.

“I’ll behave, I promise.”

Meredith smiled approvingly and patted her leg; “I’ll leave you to it but stop thinking and try to get some rest” she said while throwing her a knowing look.

April nodded and closed her eyes.

Meredith stepped outside the room and closed the door behind her; she then moved towards the nurses’ station and leaned forward. “Check on Dr. Kepner’s room every 2 hours to make sure that she’s lying on her back. She’s not allowed any visitors at the moment, this includes her doctor friends. She needs to rest and she can’t be bothered for any reason, okay?” she instructed.

“Yes, Dr. Grey” The nurse replied.

Cristina raised her brow; “What’s that for?”

“I have a feeling that Jackson’s visit didn’t go well as we expected it to be and she’s upset about it.”

“Damn it!” Cristina swore.

Meredith chuckled; “Looks like we’ll owe Alex 100 bucks” she said.

Cristina frowned; “She’s not discharged yet Mer, I still have a couple of days and Avery is a total douche bag!” she spat.

Meredith nodded; “Douche bag indeed” she agreed.

oOo

Jackson was just rounding up the corner when he saw Stephanie walking towards him; he let out a pained smile and greeted her; “Hey.”

Stephanie smiled back; “Hey” she said before planting kiss on his lips. “I haven’t seen you all day.”

“I’ve been busy doing rounds, how about you?”

“I’ve been at the pit the whole day, nothing new. You done for the day?” Stephanie asked.

Jackson cringed; “I’m actually not. My mom left me some paper works to read and sign this afternoon but I haven’t gotten the chance to take a look at them yet so I have to stay longer” he explained.

Stephanie just stared at her beau, disappointment radiating from her eyes.  

Jackson noticed her reaction so he moved closer; he cupped her face into his palms and planted a peck on her lips. “I’m sorry, I’ll make it up to you this weekend” he promised.

Stephanie bit her bottom lip as she stared into his eyes; “Don’t make promises you can’t keep...” she whispered.

Jackson flinched in guilt; “I’m sorry...I promise, this time I’ll make it” he replied with conviction.

Stephanie eyed him for a couple of seconds before relenting; “Okay...”

Jackson smiled and planted another peck on her lips; “I’ll see tomorrow, have a good night” he said before taking a step back.

Stephanie threw him a smile before turning around and walking away.

Jackson watched his girlfriend turn into the other corridor before letting out deep sigh; “You need to think man, this is really unbecoming of you” he said to himself. He then shoved his hands into his pockets and continued his rounds.

oOo

Catherine Avery was walking along the lobby when she saw her son standing in front of the nurses’ station; quickly, she made a detour and walked towards him. “Jackson”

Jackson tore his eyes away from his tab and groaned loudly when he saw his mother standing beside him; “What are you still doing here Mom?” he asked with exasperation.

Catherine raised her brow; “I’m waiting for Richard were supposed to grab a drink from the cafeteria but he’s still talking with Dr. Shepherd. Was April already transferred out of the Recovery Room? I didn’t get paged, I was waiting for it” she said pointedly.

Jackson looked abashed; “Err—that, I forgot. Sorry mom. Yes, she’s already been moved into a room” he replied.

“Did you make sure that it’s the VIP suite and she’s comfortable?” Catherine asked.

“Yes Mom” Jackson replied.

Catherine nodded; “Good, give me the room number and I’ll drop by before I leave.”

“She’s been moved to the 3rd floor, VIP suite 3132.”

Catherine took mental note and smiled; “Thanks baby, I think I’ll drop by now since Richard and Derek aren’t done yet. Do you want to come?” she asked.

Jackson shook his head; “I still need to finish the scheduling for tomorrow and I already checked on her” he replied.

Catherine shrugged her shoulders; “Fine, see you in a bit” she said before walking towards the elevator.

oOo

Catherine exited the lift and began walking towards April’s designated room; she began reading the numbers on each door and stopped right in front of room 3132. “Gotcha!” she said triumphantly. She moved towards it and turned the knob; she pushed it gently and peered inside the darken room.

“Excuse me, Dr. Avery?”

Catherine paused and turned towards the nurse standing behind the station; “Yes?” she asked.

“I’m sorry but Dr. Kepner is not allowed any visitors at the moment” The nurse in green scrubs said apologetically.

“But why?” Catherine asked in surprise.

“Dr. Kepner’s incision bled just an hour ago, so, Dr. Grey specifically instructed us to let her rest for the time being. We’ll be checking on her every 2 hours to make sure that it didn’t bleed again.” The nurse explained. 

Catherine furrowed her brows; “Do you know why it bled?” she asked inquisitively.

“It bled because of constant moving and Dr. Kepner turned to her side.”

Catherine turned her gaze towards the room and shook her head; she then took a step back and closed the door behind her quietly. “I understand. Please make sure that she’s comfortable and well taken care of.”

The nurse nodded; “I’ll make sure, Dr. Avery” she replied politely.

Catherine smiled at the nurse and nodded; “Thank you” she said before turning on her heel.

oOo

Jackson was about to enter the Attendings’ Lounge when he saw Derek and Richard coming his way; he stood right in front of the door and nodded in greeting. “Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Webber.”

“Avery” Derek responded with a smile.

“Jackson” Richard greeted.

Derek turned towards Richard and patted his shoulder; “I’ll see you tomorrow Richard, I’ll just check on Zola and Bailey” he said. He then nodded towards Jackson; “Have a good night” he said before leaving.

Richard turned towards the young attending and asked; “Have you seen your mother? We’re supposed to go to the cafeteria before she leaves.”

“She just checked on April but--there she is” Jackson pointed towards his mother.

Richard turned around; “There you are, I just finished talking with Derek. Are you ready to go?” he asked.

Catherine walked towards her beau and stood beside him; “I am.”

Jackson cleared his throat; “So, did you see April?” he casually asked.

Catherine shook her head disappointedly; “I found her room but I wasn’t able to talk to her” she replied.

“Oh, is she asleep?” Jackson asked.

“I wasn’t able to enter her room” Catherine clarified.

Jackson furrowed his brows; “What do you mean you’re not able to enter her room?”

Richard threw her a confused look.

“According to the nurse, her incisions bled an hour ago because April turned to her side like an errant child so Dr. Grey ordered no visitors at the moment hence I was not able to enter her room.”

Richard nodded in understanding; “Well, she’s been lying on her back for hours, we can’t blame her if she wants to move a bit.”

Jackson shook his head; “She knows she can’t, she just being stubborn” he mumbled.

Catherine smirked; “So are you,” she whispered subtly.

“What?” Jackson asked.

Catherine laughed; “Never mind. I have to go now baby, I’ll come tomorrow to check on April before I fly back to Boston” she quipped, quickly changing the topic.

Jackson nodded; “Drive home safely.”

Catherine moved towards her son and planted a kiss on his stubbly cheek; “Will do, have a good night” she said before pulling Richard away.

Jackson watched the couple disappear from the corridor before he turned towards the Attendings’ Room; he turned the knob and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

“Ooohhh look, Hulk is here!” Cristina teased.

Jackson rolled his eyes and moved towards the fridge; he yanked it open and plucked a bottle of water.

Meredith laughed as she shrugged her jacket on; “Hey Jackson” she said.

Jackson faced the two surgeons as he popped the bottle cap open; “You two heading home?” he asked before taking a swig.

Cristina stood up from the couch and snatched her bag from the coffee table; “Yep” she replied.

Jackson swallowed and nodded; “Have a good night” he said.

Meredith fished the diaper bag from the floor and slung it on her shoulders; “You on call?”

Jackson shook his head; “Nope, I’m just finishing some paper works for the Foundation and I’m out of here.”

Meredith nodded; “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.” She then turned towards Cristina; “Ready to go?” she asked.

Cristina nodded; “Night Hulk” she said before moving towards the door.

Meredith followed her friend; she was about to step outside when she heard the Plastic Attending calling her name. She paused and turned around; “Did you need something?”

Jackson cleared his throat and met Meredith’s eyes; “My mom checked on April awhile ago and she told me that she had some bleeding...is she alright?” he asked unsurely.

Meredith studied his face before answering; “She’s fine. Her incision just bled because she turned to her side, no biggie” she replied.

Jackson nodded in understanding.

“It was kinda funny though...”

“Why?”

Meredith stared at him directly; “Because I never pegged April to be a cry baby.”

Jackson’s brow rose in surprise; “She cried?” he asked.

Meredith nodded; “She did, it looks like her tolerance for pain has reached its peak” she said meaningfully.

Jackson’s mouth snapped closed; his jaw clenching.

“Is there anything else?” Meredith asked.

“No, thank you” Jackson replied tightly.

Meredith nodded; she then stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her.

“What was that about?” Cristina asked curiously.

Meredith grinned widely; “Looks like our wager is still on.”

Cristina stared at her friend and slowly a smirk appeared on her lips; “I’m loving this more and more” she said.

Meredith laughed.

oOo

Day One: April’s Post Op

“All scheduled surgeries for this day will push through; however, we would need some extra hands at the pit since Dr. Kepner is still indisposed. Is there anything else you guys want to discuss before we wrap this meeting up?” Owen Hunt said, when he didn’t get any response he gestured towards the door; “Let’s get to work then” he dismissed.

 Jackson hurriedly gathered his things and stood up; he walked briskly towards the door and stepped out as fast as he can.

“Avery!” Arizona Robbins called out.

Jackson paused and turned towards the Ped’s Attending; “Hey Arizona.”

Arizona walked towards him and smiled; “Why you running like the room is on fire?” she asked.

Jackson scratched his head and chuckled; “I just don’t want Hunt piling paper works on me again. I’m a doctor today” he said.

Arizona giggled; “Well, since you’re a doctor today, I just want to remind you that you have a consult for a cleft palette baby in an hour.”

Jackson saluted; “I’ll be there.”

Arizona shook her head in amusement; “Okay, see you then” she said before walking towards the other direction.

Jackson turned on his heel and began walking towards the elevator; when he reached it, he punched the “down” button twice.

“You know it won’t make that thing go faster right?”

Jackson’s head snapped towards the side; “Dr. Bailey, you’re back early!”

Miranda Bailey raised her brow; “Of course, I still work here” she replied starkly.

Jackson ignored her jibe and smiled; “You running the pit today?” he asked.

Miranda nodded; “Only the first half, I still have consults and Hernia Repair in the afternoon.”

Jackson nodded; “I’m heading there too, today, I’m a doctor” he repeated his earlier sentiment.

Miranda laughed; “Getting tired of meetings already?” she teased.

Jackson groaned; “Never was a fan of paper works and never will like meeting with the suits” he admitted.

Miranda threw him an emphatic look; “I feel for you kid.”

oOo

Meredith knocked on the door before opening; she then stepped inside and smiled at her patient. “You’re up early, good night?”

April nodded with a well rested smile; “Good night, I was so drugged up that I didn’t open my eyes until light is streaming through my windows.”

Meredith laughed; she then moved towards the foot of the bed and plucked the chart. She opened it and began reading the notes; “So how are you feeling today?” she asked.

April groaned; “I’m so hungry I can eat a whole cow.”

Meredith chuckled as she snap the chart close; she then moved towards the side of the bed and lowered the side railing; “Can I?” gesturing towards her patients tummy.

April pulled her hospital gown up; “The nurse just changed the dressing an hour ago, no bleeding” she said proudly.

Meredith pulled the gown down and pulled the side railing up again; “Good to hear. Knocking you up with drugs was a good call after all.”

April chuckled; “Yes it was” she replied.

“Did you pass gas already?” Meredith asked nonchalantly.

April blushed; “Yep.”

Meredith smirked; “Did you poopoo in the big girl potty?” she asked in a singsong voice.

April cleared her throat, clearly embarrassed by her friend’s standard post op questions. “Yep” she replied, clearly flustered.

Meredith braised her hands on the side railing and smiled; “You can eat already but unfortunately no solid food yet. Did they bring you breakfast?”

April made a disgusted face; “They did and it’s awful.” She then eyed her friend and smiled slyly; “Hey...You’re a board member here, why don’t you tell them to serve edible food to patients” she coaxed.

Meredith laughed; “I only get one vote and I don’t think that would be enough to evaluate the food.”

April pouted in response.

Meredith raised her hand to her chin, pretending to scratch it while thinking; “Hmmnnn...Come to think of it, your best friend is the chair of our board, he has the most powerful vote, why don’t you ask him instead, that for sure will change something” she said suggestively.

April scowled; “Never mind, I’ll just suck it up and eat the pity food this hospital feeds me” she said dramatically.

“Well in two days you’re out of here so you can eat anything you want, if that’s any consolation.”

April fidgeted as she tried to sit up; “I’d give my arm now for a nice juicy burger” she said wistfully.

Meredith leaned forward and helped her get comfortable; “I thought you have a cow as a pet?” she teased.

April smiled widely; “I do but I’m not eating my pet, it’s a different cow” she rationalized.

“Another peoples pet though,” Meredith pointed out.

April’s smile instantly vanished, leaving her with a disturbed look.

Meredith eyed her for a second before bursting into fits of laughter.

oOo

“You just need a few stitches and you’re good to go” Jackson assured his patient. He then turned towards his intern and cleared his throat; “Dr. Edwards, please get a suture kit and fresh bandages,” he said.

“Right away Dr. Avery” Stephanie replied politely before leaving.

Jackson turned towards his patient again and smiled.

“Dr. Avery?”

Jackson’s head snapped towards his right side and saw Bailey standing a couple of beds away from him; he turned towards his patient again and smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, this will only take a minute” he said before standing up. He then walked towards his co-attending and stared at her expectantly; “Is there something you need?” he asked.

“I just saw Robbins at the elevator and she asked me to tell you that you need to head to Ped’s right now for your cleft palette consult. There had been a misunderstanding with her scheduling and the patient is already waiting for you” Bailey explained. She then gestured towards his patient; “I can take this for you.”

“Okay then, she just need some sutures and I already asked Edwards to get the kit” Jackson said while taking off his latex gloves.

Bailey nodded; “Okay, I’ll go ahead and just explain it to her. You can go now” she said dismissively.

Jackson nodded; “Thanks!” he said before rushing towards the door.

oOo

Catherine Avery sauntered along the 3rd floor lobby with a purpose; she walked towards the nurses’ station and tapped her fingers on the desk. “Good Morning” she greeted brightly.

The nurse whom she spoke with last night smiled at her; “Good Morning Dr. Avery, here to visit Dr. Kepner?” she asked.

Catherine smiled; “I am, can she accept visitors?”

The nurse nodded; “No bleeding, so visitors are allowed” she replied.

Catherine chuckled; “That’s good to hear, well thank you dear. I’ll just go right in.”

“Go on ahead.”

Catherine left the nurses’ station and walked towards April’s room; she turned knob open and took a step in. She entered the room expecting to see the patient but she was met with an empty bed; she then closed the door behind her and narrowed her eyes. “April honey, where are you?” she called out.

The bathroom door was yanked open; “Dr. Avery?” April gasped, surprise clearly written on her face.  

Catherine frowned as she walked towards the bathroom; “Why are you walking un-attended? And what did I tell you about calling me Catherine?” she chastised.

April squirmed as she pulled the door wider; she shyly stepped out of the bathroom and began dragging her IV lines behind her. “I had to pee and I’m sorry, I always forget.”

Catherine met her half way and helped her walk towards the bed; “Why didn’t you call a nurse to help you sweetie? You know you can’t walk for a while.”

April lifted her feet from the floor and settled it on top of the bed; “I didn’t want to bother them,” she replied.

Catherine pulled the blankets to cover the stubborn surgeon’s legs and settled herself on her bedside; “You’re not bothering them, it’s their job to take care of you.”

“I know but I’m fine” April said with a re-assuring smile.

Catherine leaned forward and gently gathered April’s hands on her lap; “So, tell Momma Avery what happened? Jackson told me that you kept your operation a secret and you requested for an intern to do your surgery?”

“Err—“

Catherine squeezed her hand and smiled encouragingly.

April cleared her throat; “Err--I didn’t know that the pain I’m experiencing was from my appendix you see, I thought it was just because I had too much to drink the night before, so, I just came here to be hooked up with some fluids that will help me flush out the alcohol. But then, Dr. Torres found me and refused to hook me up without standard examination, then, Dr. Grey showed up with Dr. Yang and they started prodding me and that’s when I realized that it’s not hang over. I— I didn’t have the chance to notify Jackson because I was prepped for the O.R immediately” she explained nervously.

“And the intern?”  

“Oh—I--I initially requested for Dr. Bailey because I know that she doesn’t have any surgeries scheduled for the day and I didn’t want to bother the other Attendings’, but it turns out that it was her time off. Then I saw my intern assisting Dr. Torres and realized that it’s a perfect opportunity for him to learn first-hand...” April babbled while blushing profusely.

Catherine shook her head in amazement; “First, you don’t have to worry about bothering the other Attendings’ because it’s their job to help a patient. Second, you should never and I mean, never ever request for an intern to operate on you because their still babies and they can’t very well learn if their mentor died while their literally practicing on them. And lastly, you should always inform Jackson or me if you’ll be lying on top of the operating table, you’re family is in Moline and we are what you have here, so please make time to let us know. If you can’t talk with Jackson, honey, then call me instead” she said seriously.

April stared at her best friend’s mom and felt her affection for her double in size; she felt her eyes heating up with tears but she didn’t bother to hide it. “Thank you...that was really nice of you to say...” she mumbled.

Catherine squeezed the young surgeon’s hand and smiled endearingly; “You’re welcome baby, you know I care for you like you’re my own.”

Tears streaked down April’s cheeks but she ignored it; she squeezed the older woman’s hand and let out a teary smile. “Jackson is very lucky to have you...Thank you again...” she said.

Catherine smiled warmly; “He’s lucky to have you too, my boy chose well” she replied cryptically.

April ignored the older woman’s blunt insinuation and just chuckled nervously; “He did land himself a neurotic best friend, that’s saying something” she joked.

Catherine did not say anything but she threw April and knowing look.

oOo

Jackson was browsing through his phone when Arizona entered the room; he lazily slipped it back into his lab coat pocket and stared at her; “Did they sign the consent form?” he asked.

Arizona threw him a bright smile and nodded; “They did, they’re in the process of admitting her already.”

Jackson smiled; “Awesome” he replied giddily.

“I already booked O.R 2 for 10:00 A.M. tomorrow, we’re good to go” Arizona said.

Jackson nodded; “Yep, I’ll see you then” he said before standing up.

“Cool, see ya!”

oOo

“What the hell are you doing there? Are you hiding and nursing your broken heart?”

“Shut up! I’m just resting before I head to the pit. I just got off of a 5 hours surgery” Alex hissed.

Cristina chuckled; “Resting? Here? In the fire exit? Really?”

Alex rolled his eyes; “Yes, really. What are you doing here? Sexual rendezvous with your ex-husband?” he retorted.

Cristina crossed her arms on top of her chest and shook her head; “Nah, I’m actually here to use the stairs, crappy elevator is too slow.”

“Speaking of crappy elevators, you’re a freaking board member why don’t you throw money in fixing that instead of buying stamped coffee sleeves!” Alex said irritably.

Cristina shrugged her shoulders; “We haven’t had a board meeting yet but I’ll make sure that crappy thing is addressed. One signature from McPretty and I’m sure you’ll have a brand new elevator in a blink of an eye.”

Alex huffed; “Let’s keep our fingers crossed. By the way, do you have any news if Avery grew balls yet?” he asked.

Cristina laughed; “Nope, still a Eunuch.”

Alex laughed.

“I still can’t believe that you actually have a chance of winning this wager! I never pegged Avery to be so...douchey” Cristina pouted.

Alex stood up from his perch and threw Cristina a look; “The nice ones are usually the douchey ones.” He then walked towards the door and yanked it open; “He might grow balls, who knows. Hell, maybe Kepner will even chop it off for us” he said before stepping out the room with a loud chuckle.

oOo

“Dr. Avery, please proceed to the main lobby. Thank you!”

Jackson heard his name being announced by the PA system and he was not happy about it; he was just on his way back to the pit when heard it and he has every intention of ignoring it. He continued his trek and turned on the next corner; he walked briskly towards the E.R. door and barged inside with a grin.

“Dude, didn’t you just got paged?”

Jackson shrugged his shoulders and began surveying the room; “Need help?”

Alex stretched his arms upward; “It’s a slow day today, I just discharged the last patient” he replied before yawning.

“Dr. Avery, please proceed to the main lobby. Thank you!”

Jackson swore colourfully.

Alex snickered; “I think you better get that, maybe something’s up.”

“I have a gut feeling that it’s just my Mother” Jackson grunted.

Alex patted his friend’s back sympathetically; “I feel you bro but you don’t want Momma Avery barging inside this room and dragging you by the ear, so you better get your ass there, and I say now.”

Jackson let out a defeated sigh and nodded; “I better go. Page me if you need me, I’m a free agent for the rest of the day.”

Alex nodded; “Will do.”

Jackson turned around and began walking towards the doors.

“Avery!”

Jackson paused and turned his head; “Yeah?”

“Since you’re free, do drop by Kepner’s room. She’s acting loonier than the usual, we don’t want her ending up at the cuckoo’s nest after all.”

Jackson felt his jaw involuntarily twitch upon hearing April’s name but he nodded none the less; “Is there anything else?” he asked.

Alex shoved his hand inside his lab coat pockets and shook his head; “Nope,”

Jackson turned towards the door again and continued his path; pushing the E.R. door with a loud bang.  

“There you are!”

“Are you the one that keeps on paging me?” Jackson sauntered towards his mother with a frown.

Catherine smirked before planting a smack on her son’s cheek; “Oh hush! I told you I was dropping by before I leave for Boston” she said dismissively.

“What time is your flight?”

Catherine looped her arm around her son’s arm and began dragging him; “It’s 3 P.M. so we still have enough time to chat. Why don’t you take your old mom out for lunch?” she suggested.

“You’re aware that I’m in the middle of my shift, right?”

Catherine chuckled; “I’m not asking you take me to a fancy restaurant baby, we can simply eat at the cafeteria” she replied.

Jackson rolled his eyes; “Lead the way then” he said.

oOo

“So why are you eating your lunch here again?” April asked as she watches her two friends eat their food from the couch.

Cristina took a sip from her soda can before grabbing the fruit bowl from her tray; “We’re just keeping you company Apes.”

Meredith nodded before taking a big bite of her burger.

April narrowed her eyes at them and huffed; “You’re not here to keep me company, you’re here to torture me.”

Cristina popped a melon ball and chewed with vigour; “And by what means are we torturing you?” she asked curiously.

April pouted; she then turned her gaze towards Meredith and scowled. “She’s eating burger. In my room. Where I can smell it, she’s evil.”

Meredith swallowed before replying; “Come on Apes, I’m not doing it on purpose, this is the only thing that caught my eyes.”

“Yeah right.”

Cristina raised her brow and pointed her fork at the bed-ridden Trauma Surgeon; “Why is she bitching about you eating a burger? Does it remind her of her pet or something?” she asked.

“Hey!” April said indignantly.

Meredith chuckled; “She’s pouting because she told me that she wants to eat a big fat juicy burger this morning but unfortunately she can’t.”

Cristina laughed.

April huffed and crossed her arms on top of her chest; “It’s not funny! I’ve been eating crap ever since I woke up. I’m dying of starvation here! And your both torturing me by eating those delectable edible food right in front of me!” she complained.

“Oh hush! You’re not dying, you’re hooked up with an IV” Cristina quipped.

Meredith nodded in agreement before taking another bite of her burger.

April watched the blonde surgeon with longing; “I hate you” she said without conviction.

oOo

Jackson sipped his soda as he listened to his mom drawl about her charity events and hospital stuff; to be honest, he does not even understand half of what she’s saying and he’s just indulging her to keep her out of his business.

“I think it will be better if I bring him along next time I visit. I mean, I did give April his number but knowing that girl, I’m pretty sure she conveniently forgot about it” Catherine finished.

Jackson frowned; “Who are you bringing? And why are you sending April some creeper’s number?” he asked.

Catherine waived her hand dismissively; “He’s not a creeper, I’ve known this Gyne Fellow for years” she said, emphasizing the last word.

Jackson sat straight and glared at his mother; “You’re setting her up with one of your minion’s, a Gyne Fellow none the less! Are you her pimp or something? What’s wrong with you?” he puffed, irritation clearly evident in his voice.

Catherine furrowed her brows; “Don’t you use that tone with me Jackson Avery, I’m still your mother!” she scolded. She then squared her shoulders and stared at him haughtily; “There’s nothing wrong with what I’m doing. April is single and she’s a beautiful flower waiting to be plucked by a real man” she said.

“The woman just broke up with her fiancé, give her room to breathe!”

Catherine’s demeanour instantly brightened; “I know that! That’s why I’m helping her move on! I’m giving her the options that are obviously not here in Seattle.”

Jackson scowled; “And what makes you think that she doesn’t have options here?” he challenged.

Catherine did a mental fist pump; she’s right, something is definitely up between her son and his pretty red headed best friend. Just watching her son scowl at her from across the table at a mention of another man is reason enough to believe that he’s feeling more than friendship for April. “Well do you have someone in mind?” she goaded.

Jackson opened his mouth to speak but closed it again; he shook his head and stood up. “I’m not doing this with you.”

Catherine bit her lower lip to keep herself from further teasing.

Jackson leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his mother’s cheeks; “I have to get back to work. Have a safe flight” he said before turning on his heel and walking away.

Catherine watched her son leave; once he exited the vicinity, she burst out laughing. 

oOo

At the other Table...

Jo Wilson sat beside her friend as she places her lunch tray on top of the table; “Is that Dr. Avery the renowned Urologist?” she asked, clearly in awe.

Stephanie nodded glumly; “The one and only.”

Jo took a piece of carrot from her plate and began munching it; “Did you say Hi to your future mother in law?” she teased.

Stephanie ignored her friend and began pushing the food around her plate.

Jo furrowed her brows and stared at her friend with concern; “What happened?”

Stephanie took a deep breath and turned towards Jo; “I think---I think I’m losing him...” she said.

“Jackson?” Jo clarified.

Stephanie nodded; she then placed her fork on top of her plate and leaned back on her chair. “I don’t know why but I have this gut feeling that I won’t be with him for long...” she confessed.

“Did you talk to him? Did you tell him that you feel that way?”

Stephanie shook her head; “Honestly? I can’t even remember the last time we actually sat down and talk.”

Jo sighed; “When did it start? The drifting, I mean” she asked.

Stephanie paused and thought for a second; “After he had an accident, after the storm.”

Jo furrowed her brows and started thinking about that day; she replayed every single detail of what happened and almost instantly, a thought hit her out of nowhere. “Oh!”

Stephanie turned towards her and stared at her inquisitively.

Jo swallowed hard and reprimanded herself for her reaction; she had no basis for her assumptions but it strung a chord that she can’t help but connect to the Plastic Attending’s indifference.

“What?” Stephanie asked.

 “Err---“

“Spit it out Jo! Did you know something?” Stephanie asked impatiently.

Jo cleared her throat; “I’m not sure if this is something substantial but there had been a talk...I’m not sure if you heard because you’ve been pre-occupied that time as well but...” she paused.

“Talk about what?”

“Err---I didn’t actually see it for myself because I was in the NICU with you that night but some nurses were talking about a commotion after the bus exploded” Jo said. She then crafted her words in her mind carefully and proceeded; “After the bus exploded everybody saw how Dr—Dr. Kepner lost it...They’re saying that she almost ran to the bus when she realized that Dr. Avery was still there, a lot of nurses said that she was hysterical and kept screaming his name.”

Stephanie stared at her friend, mouth hanging open.

Jo swallowed hard and continued with her story; “When Dr. Torres was tending to Dr. Avery’s wounds, Dr. Kepner came barging inside the E.R and began hitting him while crying...she’s was shouting some thing’s but was forced to leave because Dr. Torres asked her to take a walk...” she finished.

Stephanie closed her mouth and stared at her friend unseeingly.

Jo felt herself flush so she grabbed her cup and took a large swig; she then turned her gaze toward Stephanie and cleared her throat. “Steph?”

Stephanie shot up from her chair and hastily grabbed her lab coat on top of the table; she clumsily shrugged it on and turned her head towards her friend. “Thank you for telling me. I have to go” she said before bolting towards the door.

Jo’s eyes widen in horror as she watches her friend flee.

oOo

Jackson was staring at April’s door for more than 10 minutes now; he wanted to check on her, to see how she’s fairing but he just can’t seem to convince himself to take that step. He let out a frustrated sigh and stared at the ceiling; “What’s wrong with you? She’s your best friend for crying out loud! Common, get your shit together” he mumbled to himself.  

“Do we need to start praying in the hallway too?”

Jackson’s head snapped towards April’s door and felt his face flush with embarrassment; he cleared his throat and squared his shoulders. “Y-yang.”

Cristina stared at him like he was crazy; “Why are you staring at the ceiling like an imbecile?”

“I—err—I was just checking something out” Jackson replied lamely.

Cristina narrowed her eyes before a full blown smirk formed on her lips. She then took a step back and pushed the door behind her wide open; “Looks like you have another visitor Apes!” she announced cheerily.

Jackson eyes widen in horror.

“Who is it?” April asked curiously.

Cristina side stepped, giving the red head a clear view of the hallway. “Just the person you wanted to see!”

April’s eyes widen as she recognizes the man standing at the hallway; her heart started beating faster and her palms began sweating. “H—hey” she stammered.

Jackson mentally swore as he walked towards the door; he threw Cristina a dirty look before entering April’s room. He stood nervously at the foot of the bed and cleared his throat; “How are you feeling?” he asked.

April tucked some stray hair behind her ear and met his gaze; “I’m fine, just a little bit sore.”

“This is so painful to watch” Meredith mumbled to herself. She then stood up from the couch and began gathering their trash; she stacked the two trays together and placed her brown bag on top of it. “I’ll just ask maintenance to pick this up for us later, Apes.”

April turned her head towards Meredith; “Are you leaving already?” she asked anxiously.

Meredith fished her stethoscope from her lab coat pocket and hung it around her neck; “Yep, still need to do rounds” she replied.

April turned towards Cristina and threw her a pleading look.

“Can’t stay, I have patients’ too” Cristina said.

“Okay” April said with a nervous chuckle.

Cristina pointed her finger at Jackson; “He can stay and keep you company” she suggested.

Jackson opened his mouth to make excuses but Meredith patted him hard on the back; she then turned towards April and smiled brightly. “Now this is who I’m talking about Apes, most powerful vote among us, you need to take it with him” she said before scurrying towards the door and closing it behind her with a snap.

April’s eyes widen in horror.

Jackson crossed his arms on top of his chest and asked; “What do you need my vote for?”

April chuckled nervously and waived him off; “Don’t mind Mer, she’s just talking nonsense.”

Jackson narrowed his eyes at her; he then moved closer and sat down at the foot of the bed. “Come on Apes, Mer won’t mention it if it was nonsense, so what is it?” he cajoled.

“You really want to hear it?”

Jackson bobbed his head before throwing her an encouraging smile; “Go, shoot.”

“I—I was kinda telling Mer about the hospital food that’s being served to the patients...I kinda told her that it sucks...I mean, really sucks...like shitty sucks and since she’s a board member she—err—she can do something about it” April babbled nervously.

Jackson’s eyes widen in surprise and before he realizes it, he fell into fits of laughter.

April’s forehead creases in annoyance; “I knew it! I told you it was nonsense but you insisted on hearing it anyway! And it’s not funny Jackson! Patients don’t deserve shitty food!” she said shrilly.

Jackson bit his bottom lip hard to control himself from lashing out in laughter again; he then took a couple of deep breaths before he was able to speak. “Shitty food? What did they serve you?”

“You want an honest answer?”

“Of course” Jackson said with a straight face.

April wrinkled her nose in disgust; “It’s broth-y like, definitely colour brown, but I’m not sure what it is, I just forced myself to eat it because I’m super hungry.”

Jackson stared at her for a moment before his shoulders began shaking in mirth again; he then hunched forward and braised his hands on his knees before howling in the hilarity of her answer.

April crossed her arms on top of her chest and pouted.

Jackson noticing April’s grouchy reaction shook his head to clear his thoughts; he then straightened himself again and cleared his throat. “Come on Apes, don’t tell me you don’t find it funny?” he said while wiggling his brows.

April bit her bottom lip to keep herself from smiling at his antics; “I’m glad you find my misfortune amusing” she said dryly.

Jackson kept smiling; “Really? Broth-y like and brown?” he coaxed.

April looked away; trying to hide the smile that erupted from her lips; “Whatever.”

Jackson noticing it, chuckled; “Fine, I’ll talk to Human Resource and have them evaluate the current caterer that runs the kitchens” he acquiesced.

April’s eyes widen in surprise; she then turned her head to face him and studied his face. “Are you serious?”

“I am” Jackson affirmed with a smile.

April narrowed her eyes before leaning forward and slapping his arm.

“Ow! What was that for?” Jackson yelped as he nurses his stinging arm.

“That’s for being cheeky!” April reprimanded.

Jackson glowered; “I’m not being cheeky! I’m actually granting your request, a thank you would’ve sufficed.”

April glared back; “You can’t just agree without thinking about it first! What if I’m just messing with you? What if I don’t mean it and I’m just being a baby about it?” she challenged.

“Well are you?”

“Of course not!”

Jackson smiled at her cheekily; “Then there’s your answer” he quipped.

April stared at him for a moment before pursing her lips.

Jackson studied her reaction; “What’s wrong?”

April sighed; “It’s just that...it’s just that you gave in so easily. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s actually a good thing that the food won’t be shitty but I never expected that you would actually consider it without a formal proposal or something...” she admitted.

“Did you expect me to ask you to put it in writing?”

April slowly nodded; “Well, yeah. You always ask the other Attendings’ to do so,” she pointed out.

 “Well, this is different.”

“Jackson...”

Jackson’s eyes hardened as he stared at her; “I don’t understand why it can’t be that easy. It’s not like you’re asking for money or something, it’s just food we’ll be re-evaluating and there’s already a fixed allotment for that so it won’t be that complicated” he insisted.

April finally decided to admit what’s really bothering her; “I just don’t want people thinking that you’re evaluating the whole thing because it’s me who’s complaining. I mean, it’s bad enough that my room is upgraded to a VIP Suite when my insurance only covers for a private room...”

“April--”

April shook her head; “I—I know I am your best friend but I shouldn’t get more special treatment. I’m still one of your Attendings’ and if I want to have the food evaluated I should put it in writing.”

Jackson stared her for a moment before standing up; he then stuffed his hand inside his lab coat’s pocket and cleared his throat. “If that’s what you want then we’ll do it that way.”

April met his gaze and let out a relieved smile; “Thank you. I’ll work on it after I’m discharged.”

Jackson nodded; “There’s something you should know though...”

“What?”

“Your room was not upgraded to this VIP Suite just because you’re my best friend. It was upgraded because the whole board decided to put you in here” Jackson said.

“Oh.”

Jackson smiled before continuing; “They wanted you to be comfortable and well taken care of because they also consider you as one of their own. I know you’ll think that perks like this is not presented to all Attendings’ in this hospital but come on, you’re April Kepner, your one of us, even before we were labelled with this stupid titles.”

April bowed her head; trying to hide her embarrassment.

Jackson shifted closer the bed and leaned forward; he placed his finger underneath April’s chin and lifted her face to meet his gaze. “You shouldn’t be embarrassed about something that you can’t help. You’re not getting any special treatment Apes; you’re just being treated like familybecause that’s how you are seen in this hospital.”

April’s lips began to wobble as tears started pooling in her eyes.

Jackson playfully pinched her chin before pulling his hand away; “Don’t cry on me Kepner because Grey will have my ass if she finds out that you’ve been crying again” he teased.

April let out a chuckle before wiping her eyes with her hands; “I guess I don’t really have to put much effort into my proposal then” she joked.

Jackson threw her a loop sided smile; “I promise to read it thoroughly, if it makes you feel better” he jested.

April rolled her eyes; “Whatever!”

Jackson laughed.

oOo

Day Two: April’s Post Op

Jackson just finished washing his hands when Arizona sauntered in; she walked towards the sink and stood beside him. “Good job Avery, that was perfect. If Mark was here, he would’ve been so proud...” she whispered.

Jackson paused and turned towards the Ped’s Attending; “I hope so...” he muttered.

Arizona shifted towards Jackson and smiled; “I know so...”

Jackson smiled back; “Thank you” he said sincerely.

Arizona patted his back; “You’re welcome.”

oOo

April was just climbing back on her bed when Meredith stepped inside her room; she settled herself comfortably on her pillows and threw the general surgeon a bright smile. “Good Morning Mer”

“Looks like Little Miss Sunshine is back” Meredith observed with a smile.

April laughed; “I’m just feeling chipper today.”

Meredith walked towards the side of the bed and braised her hand on the side railings; “No shitty food today?” she teased.

April bit her bottom lip and averted her gaze shyly; “Err—“

Meredith smirked; “What did Jackson say?” she asked curiously.

April cleared her throat; “Err—he told me that he’ll consider it and re-evaluate...” she replied.

Meredith studied her friend’s weird reaction and furrowed her brows; “That’s good news, why do you look so glum all of a sudden?” she asked.

“Errr---“

“April--?”

April shifted and moved her gaze towards Meredith; “Why is my room upgraded to this VIP Suite Mer? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love this room but my insurance only covers for a regular private room and--”

Meredith took off her hands from the side railing and gestured for April to stop mumbling by holding her pointer finger up; “Why are you bringing up the room?” she asked confusedly.

April lowered her eyes and began picking her blankets.

“Kepner--?”

April took a deep breath before meeting Meredith’s eyes again; “It’s just that hearing Jackson telling me that he’d consider it right away made me think about things...”she admitted.

“What things?” Meredith asked.

April swallowed hard and averted her gaze again; “It—it makes me think that I’m somehow getting a special treatment that I don’t deserve and—“

“Stop right there” Meredith warned. She then hastily lowered the side railing and sat at her friend’s bed side; “Where are these thoughts coming from?” she asked.

“I—I just don’t want to be given privileges’ because—just because I’m Jackson’s best friend...” April admitted, insecurity evident in her voice.

Meredith immediately understood what the red head is pointing at; she then smiled at her fondly and gently moved her hand to give April’s arm a squeeze. “You’re being silly Apes,”

April’s eyes shifted towards Meredith.

“You didn’t get this room because you’re Jackson’s best friend. We decided to move you here instead because we all want you to be well taken care of.”

“R—really? But you guys find me annoying--always picking on me...”

Meredith chuckled; “Okay, think about it this way. We see you as a younger sister that we all love to tease because you’re such an easy target. We pick on you most of the time because you make it just so easy to ruffle your feathers and we’re not even trying. But Apes, that doesn’t mean we don’t care for you and we don’t see you as one our own. You’re family, part of our family here and wanting to give you the best care in this hospital is only natural and due” she explained.

April felt warmth in her chest as she digests Meredith’s words; Jackson was right, she’s in, she’s really in. Having that thought in mind she impulsively leaned forward and pulled the other surgeon into a hug.

Meredith returned the hug and patted the red head’s back comfortingly.

“Dude, what’s with the hugging? Is she bawling her eyes out again?”

April squeaked in surprise before pulling away from Meredith; she turned her head towards her visitor and huffed. “Nice to see you too Alex”

Alex snorted as he stepped in; he then moved towards the bed and stood right in front of Meredith. “Is Kepner being stubborn again?”

Meredith stood up from her perch and shook her head; “Nope, she’s just being her old silly self” she replied with a smile.

“Hey!”

Alex snickered; “Basketcase then,” he teased.

April rolled her eyes but a faint smile can be seen on her lips.

Meredith shifted towards the bed and gestured for April’s tummy; “Can I? I need to check if the wound is healing correctly” she said.

April nodded and began tugging her gown up; she pulled it too hard and winced when pain erupted from her incision. “Ouch!”

Alex threw April a disbelieving look; “Really?”

April made a face before leaning back on her pillows; “I didn’t mean to pull so hard. I’m sure it’s okay” she said.

Meredith leaned forward to look closely; she carefully peeked through the dressings and nodded. “Everything looks good.”

April threw Alex a triumphant look.

Alex rolled his eyes at her and crossed his arm on top of his chest; “She’ll be indispose up until next week right?” he asked, turning to the other surgeon.

 “Yep,”

April groaned; “Don’t remind me.”

Alex snickered; “Don’t look too disappointed Apes, I’m sure the pit won’t miss you” he said.

Meredith elbowed Alex and threw April a smile; “Look at the bright side Apes, you can use your free time to review for your boards, that won’t be so bad.”

April thought for a second before nodding in agreement; “You’re right.”

“You’ll crush them this year I’m sure, don’t think about it too much” Alex said nonchalantly.

Meredith threw April a “see-what-I-mean” look before hooking her arm around Alex’s; “Come on evil spawn, let’s leave this poor girl alone, we have a pit to run” she said.

Alex shrugged his shoulders before pulling Meredith with him; “Later Kepner!” he said with a waive.

Meredith winked at her before following Alex’s lead.

April watched her friends leave her room with a smile.

oOo

“Hey Avery the man I just wanted to see” Owen Hunt said as he fell into step with him.

“Hey Chief” Jackson greeted.

“I just received a call from Mass Gen’s Chief of Surgery” Owen said.

Jackson paused; he then turned towards Owen and narrowed his eyes. “Why? What does he want?”

Owen stopped and stuffed his hands inside his lab coat’s pocket; “He offered me an Exchange Attendings’ Program.”

“Huh? Does that even exist?”

“That was my initial reaction too because it’s the first time I heard about it but he said something that peeked my interest and I think we and the whole board should sit on it” Owen said.

Jackson crossed his arms on top of chest; “I guess we should, I’ll tell them once I see them” he said.

Owen patted the young surgeon’s shoulder approvingly and smiled; “I’ll reserve the conference room on the West Wing. I’ll see you guys there in an hour” he said before walking away.

Jackson watched Owen disappear around the corner before continuing his trek; he was about to head towards the lifts when Callie stepped beside him.

“Hey Jackson!” Callie greeted.

Jackson turned towards the Ortho Surgeon; “We have a meeting in an hour, Hunt told me to round you guys up. West Wing conference room.”

Callie pursed her lips; “My day hasn’t even started yet and you just have to ruin it with a boring board meeting!”

Jackson chuckled; “Blame Hunt, he’s the one who requested it.”

“Hey guys!”

Jackson and Callie turned around and saw Meredith and Alex walking towards them.

Alex stopped and stared at Callie; “What’s wrong with your face?”

Callie scowled; “There’s nothing wrong with my face Karev,”

Meredith chuckled.

Jackson shook his head before fixing his gaze towards Meredith; “We have a meeting in an hour, West Wing conference room. Tell your other half and your other, other half too” he said.

Meredith groaned; “Really? It’s too early for that!”

“Sing it Grey!” Callie pipped in.

Jackson rolled his eyes; “I didn’t want this as well, Hunt practically bribed me to round you guys up. Not my meeting, not my fault” he replied.

Alex made a face; “Make sure that you include this freaking elevator in your meeting, its taking its freaking time every damn day!” he said before turning on his heel and sauntering towards the staircase.

Meredith watched her friend in amusement before turning to Callie; “Find your wife as soon as your able, we have to be there in time so we don’t have to prolong the agony of just sitting there with papers. We have people to cut and lives to save.”

“I’m on it” Callie said before plucking her phone from her pocket.

oOo

“So just to be clear, Mass Gen is offering an Attending swap for the duration of one year so they can cross-train under different mentors?” Derek clarified.

Owen nodded; “Exactly.”

“Do we get to pick the specialties?” Arizona asked with interest.

Owen paused before shaking his head; “That’s what I actually wanted to discuss with you guys. Dr. Kurt told me that only pre-selected specialties will participate into this program.”

Jackson frowned; “Did he tell you why?”

“Mass Gen hand-picked them because they cross-matched their department deficiencies with ours. They wanted both hospitals to train under each other’s wing so every patient can get the same level of care under the tutelage of the best surgeons on their specific field in this country.”

Cristina whistled; “Looks like they thought about this thoroughly.”

Owen nodded; “They did that’s why it’s hard to pass on this offer. Don’t get me wrong, we have the best people in this hospital but we can’t deny that Mass Gen has their share. It would be a privilege for the hospital and it will definitely benefit our Attendings’ in the long run.”

Derek nodded in agreement; “It actually makes sense” he said.

“So, do you have a list of the specialties that their interested in?” Callie asked curiously.

Owen leaned forward and pulled out copies of paper from a folder; “Dr. Kurt faxed me the list, I reprinted it so each one of you can have one” he said before passing it around.

Meredith received her copy and began perusing its contents; “Wow, you’re not exaggerating when you said that their specific.”

Owen chuckled; “Dr. Kurt is very clear with what he wants” he replied.

Jackson perused his copy; “When are they expecting a response?”

Owen leaned back on his chair; “After the boards, so that gives us roughly two weeks to speak with our people.”

“Good thinking” Derek said thoughtfully.

“Cardio! Well, I for one, will consider this. I mean Mass Gen has top notch Cardio Thoracic surgeons.” Cristina said excitedly.

Owen threw his wife a smile; “I knew you’d volunteer in a heartbeat.”

Cristina smiled back.

Meredith glared at Cristina; “We’ll have to talk about it first.”

Cristina rolled her eyes.

Jackson cleared his throat; “Is this meeting over? Can we go now?” he asked.

Owen stood up and began gathering his things from the table; “Yep, you can all go. Thank you.”

Jackson instantly shot up from his chair and hastily walked towards the door; he yanked it open and breezed out without even looking back.

“What happened to him?” Callie asked her wife.

Arizona shrugged her shoulders; “No idea.”

oOo

April was reading a magazine when Jackson stormed inside her room un-announced; she watched him opened his mouth to speak only to close it again and start pacing. “What’s wrong?”

Jackson paused mid step and turned towards her bed; “Can I talk to you? I mean, like how we talk before?” he asked.

April raised her brow; “What’s wrong with how we talk now?”

Jackson shook his head; “I need to talk to you like how we talk before, I need to talk to April my best friend” he said agitatedly.

April studied his face before letting out deep breath; “I’m still your best friend Jackson regardless of what I told you last week. Now, tell me already, what crawled up your ass and died?”

Jackson stared at her for a couple of minutes before shifting closer to the bed; he closed his fists tightly and clenched his jaw. “My Mom is doing it again.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mass Gen’s Chief of Surgery just called Hunt this morning offering an Attendings’ Exchange Program”

April furrowed her brows; “I didn’t know we have those...”

“Exactly!” Jackson blurted out. He then shoved his hands roughly inside his lab coat’s pockets and began pacing again. “I feel it! It’s my Mom’s way of showing me that if I can’t go to Mass Gen then she’s bringing Mass Gen to me!” he said in frustration.

“What exactly is the exchange for? Did Hunt tell you?” April asked calmly.

Jackson huffed; “Mass Gen pretty much sent us a list of the specialties they want to cross train with us. And of course, Cardio Thoracic Surgery is on the damn list” he said sarcastically.

April cringed.

“My mom is ringing that damn bell again and I hate it! This is stupid! I already chose my specialty and I already trained under the best mentor anyone could ever wish for! Why won’t she just let it go?” Jackson bellowed as he continues with his pacing.

April felt bad for him, she really did; she understands how sensitive this topic is for Jackson and she can’t help but want to comfort him like the way she always did before. He may act indifferent about it to other people but not her, his best friend. Having thought of that, she decided to push her own issues aside and do what she always does. “Come here.”

Jackson paused and narrowed his eyes at her; “What?”

April scooted to the other side of her bed and patted the space beside her silently.

Jackson stared at her daftly.

April rolled her eyes; “Come here and sit” she instructed.

Jackson eyed the space with uncertainty for a couple of seconds before moving; he slowly moved towards the bed sat down, making sure to maintain a respectable distance.

April rolled her eyes again and pulled him closer; she pushed him down on her pillows and leaned her head on his shoulder.

Jackson stiffened; “What—what are you doing?”

“You said you wanted your old best friend today, so here I am” April snapped.

“Oh.”

April took a deep calming breath as she willed her body to relax; “I know this is really hard for you because your mom hasn’t been subtle in letting you know what she wants but that doesn’t mean that she’s not proud of what you’ve achieved...” she threaded carefully.

Jackson’s body started to loosen up so he lifted his legs from the floor, fully reclining on the bed; he then leaned his head on top hers and scoffed. “I’m sure she is.”

April hit his chest with the back of her hand in a chastising matter; “She is.”

Jackson snorted.

April bit her bottom lip before speaking again; “Don’t be mad at me but I think the program is a good idea” she softly said.

Jackson let out a defeated sigh.

April took that a sign to continue; “Mass Gen has an impressive roster of Specialists’ that Attendings’ here can benefit from. I know Cardio Thoracic is definitely on the list but your Mom didn’t even mention it when she was here. For all we know, she may not even be aware about this Mass Gen hype.”

Jackson let out another sigh; “I doubt that...”

“You have nothing to worry about because they can’t force you to do something you don’t want to do” April said confidently. “Besides, I’m sure Cristina will be volunteering for that spot and Chief Hunt will let her because he just can’t say no to her.” 

Jackson sniggered; “She pretty much claimed the spot during the meeting.”

April giggled; “See? You have nothing to worry about Jackman. All you have to think about is how to make the Plastic Posse live forever.”

Jackson smiled upon hearing his old nickname; “You called me Jackman, it’s been awhile since I last heard that.”

April laughed; “I can’t very much call my boss Jackman now, can I?” she teased.

Jackson chuckled before lifting his arm and pulling her fully into his chest; “Shut up, I’m not your boss, I’m just your Jackman and thank you...” he whispered.

“For what?”

“For putting my perspective back into place. You’ve always been able to do that, you’ve always been good in making me feel better...”

April smiled to herself; “You’ve always done the same for me so we’re on equal footing.”

Jackson nodded; “Yeah...”

oOo

“Edwards! You’re in my service today, give me an update” Alex barked out.

Stephanie quickly walked towards the Ped’s Attending and started spouting the status report inside the pit; “Drunk guy in bed 1, sprained knee in bed 2 and I already paged for an Ortho consult. Abdominal pain in bed 3, I already ordered labs and another drunk guy in bed 4.”

Alex nodded his head in approval; “Good, scoot!” he said dismissively.

Stephanie let out a sigh of relief and quickly walked towards the nurses’ station.

“Looks like Kepner trained her well,” Bailey observed.

Alex snorted; “I don’t know how she did it, but miraculously she did.”

Bailey snapped her chart close and turned towards her former resident; “What’d you mean?”

Alex crossed his arms on top of his chest; “Let see, Kepner boinked Avery and pretty boy broke her heart. Then he started boinking Edwards right after Kepner set them up. Then Edwards was rotated to her service not long after she found out. If you were in Kepner’s shoes, will you be able to train the woman your man boinked right after he dumped you?” he asked.

Bailey cringed; “Where’d you learn all that?”

Alex smirked; “I have my ways.”

Bailey shuddered in distaste; “You’re a big gossip Karev, you should be ashamed, very ashamed.”

Alex shrugged his shoulders; “What can I do, I hear stuff.”

Bailey shook her head before walking away.

“Karev! Are you antagonizing Bailey again?” Arizona snapped.

Alex turned around to face his mentor; “Of course not, she asked, I just answered.”

Arizona rolled her eyes; she then stuffed her hands inside her lab coat pockets and moved towards him. “There’s something we should talk about, what time will you be off pit duties?”

Alex furrowed his brows; “What are we talking about?” he asked suspiciously.

“We’ll talk about it after your duties here, so what time?” Arizona asked, brushing off his questions.

Alex took a peek at his watch; “I still have an hour left.”

Arizona chirped brightly; “Perfect. Just go to Ped’s as soon as you’re done here, okay?”

Alex nodded; “Okay.”

Arizona turned on her heels and began walking away.

“What was that?” Alex asked himself.

“Dr. Karev! Incoming Trauma, car accident. Patient is severely burned but vitals are stable.”

“Edwards! Page Avery and follow me to Trauma room 1!” Alex yelled to his intern before rushing towards the incoming gurney.

oOo

Jackson opened his eyes groggily when he felt his pockets vibrating; he examined his surrounding sleepily before grunting loudly.

“You’re finally up.”  

Jackson turned his head and met April’s eyes. “Did I wake you?” he asked.

April pulled away and tried her best to sit up; “You dozed off while we’re talking, I wanted to wake you but you just looked so tired so I let you sleep.”

Jackson also sat up, yawning; “I’m having troubles sleeping lately, how long was I out?” he asked.

“An hour or two, give or take.”

“Really? It felt like hours” Jackson replied with a perplexed look on his face.

April smiled; “I bet it did, you were snoring like an over sized grizzly bear” she teased.

Jackson looked abashed.

April chuckled; she then moved to the side and slowly climbed off the bed.

“Where are you going?”

April grabbed her IV line and began walking briskly towards the bathroom; “I have to pee.”

“Walk slower, you’re not allowed to run yet.”

“Easy for you to say, you haven’t been holding it for over an hour!” April chimed as she closes the door behind her.

Jackson furrowed his brow in confusion; he then stood up from the bed and pulled out his phone from his pocket. “If you need to pee then why didn’t you go sooner?”

“I would’ve if you hadn’t been holding on to me with your dear life!”

Jackson froze like a deer caught in headlights.

April yanked the bathroom door open as the sound of flushing echoed behind her; she stepped back into her room, eyeing him as she moved towards the bed. “Don’t look too shock, you’ve always been extra clingy when something’s bothering you” she said nonchalantly.

Jackson’s breath caught in his throat as he continues to stare at April silently.

April climbed up her bed and covered her legs with her blanket; she then turned her eyes towards Jackson and raised her brow. “What?”

Jackson seem to snap out of his trance and cleared his throat; “N—nothing” he stuttered.

April gestured towards his beeping pager; “You might want to check that.”

Jackson unsnapped the pager from his pants and read the message, his brows furrowing.

“Everything okay?”

Jackson met her gaze before shoving the pager into his lab coat’s his pocket; “Err—yeah, it’s just...it’s just Stephanie” he explained.

“Oh.” April gasped.

Jackson mentally cursed himself before trying his best to rectify the situation; “She just need a consult at the pit.”

April averted her gaze and nodded; “You should go then, don’t keep her waiting.”

“It’s not what you think it’s really a--“

April met his gaze and smiled sadly; “Just go Jackson, it’s alright” she said dismissively. She then leaned back on her pillows and closed her eyes.

Jackson stared at her for a moment before dejectedly stepping out of the room, closing the door behind him.

April’s eyes instantly snapped open upon hearing the sound of the door closing; she then let out a bone weary sigh and shook her head. “You have to stop hurting yourself like this, he already made it clear that he just wants you as his best friend and nothing more. He’s in a relationship with another woman so you better stop thinking that this is more than what it really is, just stop...” she murmured to herself.

oOo

Jackson just entered the pit when he saw Stephanie walking towards him; “Car accident patient, severely burned, trauma room 1” she said before handing him a fresh set of yellow gown. 

Jackson immediately slipped it on as he sauntered towards the room; “Who’s your Attending?” he asked.

Stephanie fell into step with him; “Dr. Karev” she replied.

Jackson nodded before pushing through the door; “What do we have here?” he asked.

Alex turned towards him; “Car accident, superficial lacerations on the chest and arms. Possible head contusion and severe burns on his legs” he replied.

Jackson slipped on a pair of latex gloves; “And this day keeps getting better and better...” he mumbled to himself.

oOo

Day Three: Last day of April’s Post Op

“Knock knock”

April’s head turned towards the door; “Chief” she gasped, clearly surprised.

Owen stepped inside the room and strolled towards his student’s bed; “How are you doing?” he asked with a smile.

April smiled back; “I’m fine, dying to get out of here.”

Owen chuckled as he stuffed his hands inside his lab coat pocket; “You and just like every patient here.”

April laughed; “Well, I kinda understand them now.”

“So...I came here because I wanted to ask you something.”

April sat straighter on her bed and placed her hands on her lap; “Shoot.”

Owen took a deep breath; “I received a call from Mass Gen yesterday and they told me that their interested in conducting an Attendings’ Exchange Program. It’s unheard off I know but it’s happening, this program will actually allow each hospitals Attendings’ to work under the tutelage of this country’s best surgeons” he explained.

April nodded; because she pretty much know how it works since Jackson already told her yesterday.

Owen took that a sign to continue; “The specialties included in this exchange are specifically hand-picked and fortunately Trauma is included in the roster” he said.

April’s eyes widen.

Owen smiled; “Dr. Carlisle O’Brien is one of my colleagues and he’s currently the head of Trauma in Mass Gen. I’ve worked with him in Iraq and he’s one of the best.”

“What—what are you saying Chief?”

Owen shifted closer and sat himself at the foot of the bed; “I’m offering you a spot Kepner, if you want it, it’s yours” he simply said.

April’s jaw dropped open as she tried to digests what her mentor just said.

Owen seeing his student’s reaction, chuckled; “Don’t look too shock Kepner, you’re an excellent surgeon, you deserve the spot.”

April swallowed hard; “But—but---I’m not a board certified surgeon...I’m pretty sure Mass Gen would rather train a surgeon who didn’t fail their boards” she stuttered.

Owen leaned forward and gently squeezed her shaking hands; “You will be a certified surgeon after you take your boards so I’m pretty sure Carlisle will be honoured to teach you.”

April felt her face turn beet red so she averted her gaze shyly; “But Chief...I don’t think I deserve the spot—I mean there are other deserving Attendings’ here...like Jenkins! Yes, Jenkins! He’s been working so hard and he deserves the spot.”

Owen paused for a second before speaking again; “I’ve done a lot of things that I’m not proud of ever since I got this job and I know that I haven’t been the best mentor that I should’ve been when I took you under my wing. Now, I’m given the chance to rectify that and I won’t think twice about giving you that opportunity again. You’re a brilliant surgeon April, you always have been. I saw so much potential in you when we had that certification and I’m still seeing it every time a new trauma comes into this hospital. Don’t let one failure keep you from turning into a surgeon you’re meant to be.”

Tears well April’s eyes as she listened; “I—I don’t know what to say...”

Owen squeezed her hands again; “Promise me you’ll think about it and we’ll go from there.”

April sniffed and nodded; “I promise Chief...” she replied with a bright smile.

Owen pulled his hand away and smiled widely; “That’s what I want to hear.”

April chuckled before wiping her eyes; “Wow...Mass Gen...Wow...” she said, clearly in a daze.

Owen chuckled; “Well I’ll leave you to it” he said before turning on his heel and stepping out of the room.

oOo

Alex was sitting on the bench outside the pit when Jackson saw him; he walked towards his friend and plopped down beside him.

Alex turned his head sideways and frowned; “What do you know about the Attendings’ Exchange Program that Robbins is blabbering about?”

Jackson leaned back on the bench and crossed his legs lazily; “How’d you know?” he asked.

Alex leaned forward and braised his elbows on top of his knees; “Robbins told me about it last night, she wants me to consider it.”

“Are you considering it?”

Alex averted his gaze and opted to look ahead; “Off the record?”

Jackson nodded; “Off the record” he confirmed.

“I’m not.”

Jackson’s eyes widen in surprise; “She did inform you that you’ll be back in a year right?” he asked.

“She did.”

“Then why are you not considering it? Mass Gen’s Pediatric Program has the same calibre as Hopkins.”

Alex took deep breath before answering; “It just doesn’t feel right you know. Now I understand how Mer felt, how you felt.”

Jackson stared at his friend for a moment before nodding in agreement.

oOo

“KEPNER!”

April’s head snapped towards her bed side and was surprised to see Meredith and Cristina standing there; “Oh hey guys.”

“We’ve been calling your name for ages here. What’s wrong with you?” Cristina asked.

April’s cheeks flush as she let out an embarrassed laugh; “I---I was just thinking about something” she replied.

Meredith smiled; “Based from the flush in your cheeks, I bet your fantasizing about some Jackson action?” she teased.

April’s eyes widen in shock; her cheeks flushing an alarming shade of red.

Cristina howled in laughter.

April cleared her throat and tried her best to look stern; “That was not funny Dr. Grey. It’s---it’s inappropriate and I’m your patient!” she said shrilly.

Meredith waived her hand dismissively; “Loosen up Apes, I’m just messing with you” she said with a smile.

Cristina shifted closer to the bed and plopped down; “If you’re not fantasizing about McPretty then why are you staring at the wall with a smile like a loon?”

April licked her lips; “I just spoke with Chief Hunt and—and he offered me a spot for the Attendings’ Exchange Program with Mass Gen...”

Meredith’s eyes widen in surprise.

Cristina smiled widely; “Are you taking it? Because if you are we can definitely be roomies!” she exclaimed.

“You’re going too?” April asked excitedly.

Cristina nodded jovially.

Meredith cleared her throat.

Cristina cringed and turned towards Meredith; “I—Err—I’m still weighing my options.”

Meredith then turned her gaze towards the other surgeon and lifted her brow; “What about you? Are you jumping into the Mass Gen ship too?” she asked.

April stared at Meredith with uncertainty; she then moved her eyes towards Cristina and saw her subtly shaking her head. “Err---I’m still thinking about it...I—err—I still have to pass my boards first so, I’m not sure about it yet, yep, definitely not sure” she mumbled.

Meredith narrowed her eyes at her friends.

Cristina hopped off of the bed and hastily stuffed her hands inside her lab coat pockets; “Well, I’m off. I still have a cardio consult. I’ll see you later!” she said before scampering away.

April stared at the Cardio Surgeon in disbelief.

Meredith huffed and crossed her arms on top of her chest; “I can’t believe she’s actually considering it! She’s actually leaving me for the second time! First Mayo now Mass Gen and she can’t even talk to me about it! I’m her person! I deserve to know!” she seethed.

April shifted in her bed, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

Meredith moved her gaze at April; “And you! Have you even told Jackson about it? He’s still your person, he deserves to know too!”

“I—err—I will tell him. Yep, I will tell him after my boards.” April replied while throwing the frantic surgeon an appeasing smile.

Meredith narrowed her eyes at April before plopping down on the bed; “You should tell him as soon as possible, I don’t think Jackson will take it kindly if he finds out that you’re leaving without saying as much as goodbye.”

April chuckled; “I doubt that, he’s kinda pre-occupied lately and I’m pretty sure he won’t even notice I’m gone, it’s just for a year.”

Meredith’s face softened upon hearing April’s words; she shifted closer and offered a small smile. “I’m pretty sure he would.”

April looked away; she then began picking on her blankets before meeting Meredith’s gaze again. “To be honest I really don’t want to leave Mer...Even if it’s just for a year...” she confessed.

 Meredith’s eyes widen in surprise; “Then why are you even considering it?”

April took a deep breath; “I just think that the distance will do me good you know...to forget...” she said.

“You’re leaving because of Jackson? You’re not fighting for him anymore?” Meredith asked cautiously.

“I already fought the battle and I already lost, landslide. He just wants me as a best friend and nothing more. Me leaving is my way of somehow giving in to what he wants because if I stay here, I don’t think I can go back pretending to being his asexual best friend and I don’t think I will like what I will turn into if do that.” April explained.  

“Oh Apes...”

April leaned forward and squeezed Meredith’s hand; “Jackson was a beautiful dream but a dream none the less. Sooner or later I have to wake up because if I don’t, life will pass me by. So now, I’m using this wonderful opportunity that Chief Hunt offered me, I’m choosing to live my life like I’ve always planned, this time, I’m choosing me.”

Meredith squeezed April’s hand back.

April let out a sad smile; “I’ll be fine. I’m gonna be fine. I just need time to suck it all up.”

Meredith took a deep breath; “Jackson is lucky have you, he’s just too stupid to realize it” she said.

April chuckled; “He does have his moments” she joked.

Meredith laughed.

“Thank you for listening, it’s nice to have a female friend” April said.

“No problem.”

oOo

“Why is everybody so depressing and sulky today?” Cristina asked as she stood right in front of her friends.

“Why are you acting like a ray of sunshine all of the sudden? Are you channelling Kepner today?” Alex replied sarcastically.

“Hey!” Jackson chided.

Cristina smiled smugly; “As a matter of fact I am.”

Alex frowned; “Why? What got you shooting rainbows?”

Cristina crossed her arms on top of her chest and raised her chin proudly; “I will take a spot on the Mass Gen project.”

“You already decided?” Jackson asked.

Cristina nodded.

“Does Mer know?” Alex asked.

Cristina’s smile faltered; “She knows that I’m still thinking about it” she said.

Alex huffed; “Well you better tell her if you’re going. The last time I tried to leave without saying goodbye she almost killed me” he said.

Cristina sighed; “I’ll let the idea sink in first before I tell her again.”

Alex nodded; “That’ll work.”

“Anyone else we know?” Jackson asked, referring to program.

Alex turned sideways; “Dude, you’re the chair of the board, you should know these things.”

“Dude, I wouldn’t be asking you guys if I have the slightest idea.” Jackson quipped.

Cristina chuckled; “Don’t harass pretty boy, he doesn’t know everything. Owen is the one who’s been picking on Department Head’s and everything is under wraps.” She then eyed Alex with interest; “I’m pretty sure Robbins saved you spot, so are you going?” she asked.

Alex stood up from the bench and stuffed his hand inside his lab coat’s pocket; “She did but I’m not sure if I’m going” he admitted.

Cristina frowned, clearly confused. “Why?”

Alex sighed; “It just doesn’t feel right.”

“Too bad, Kepner and I would’ve adopted you as our roommate.”

Jackson stiffened.

Alex raised his brow; “Kepner is going?” he asked.

Cristina nodded; “I just came from her room a couple of minutes ago. Owen offered her a spot and it looks like she’s considering it big time, she looks excited” she said, emphasizing the last word before turning her gaze Inconspicuously towards Jackson.

Alex subtlety moved his eyes towards the Plastic Attending too before responding; “Wow, that’s great. I’m sure Kepner’s shooting rainbows by now” he said.

Jackson’s eyes darkened as he continued to stare at the pavement.  

“Yeah she is, she was gushing over it when Mer and I mentioned the topic, she was---“

Jackson immediately shot up from the bench and roughly shoved his hands inside his coat’s pocket; “I have to go, I have a consult” he said before walking away without looking back.

Alex watched the Plastic Attending storm inside the E.R with a bang; he then turned his gaze towards Cristina and smirked. “Is Kepner really going?”

Cristina smirked back; “Not really but she’s not shooting the idea down completely.”

Alex laughed; “You’re evil, you know that?”

“What can I say? I love drama besides his stupidity is getting into my nerves. I’m pretty sure I will lose the damn bet so I might as well kick it up a notch. Make him squirm a bit, pretty boy is being too complacent and not to mention too stupid for my taste” Cristina said with a shrug.

Alex shook his head; “You’re one of a kind Yang, one of a kind” he said.

oOo

Jackson stormed inside the E.R. seething; he still can’t believe that Hunt offered April a spot without telling him. His temper flared even more when Cristina pretty much told him that she’s considering it; he clenched his fists tightly and shook his head. He can’t deal with this right now, he still has a pit to run; he needs to shut his mind off before he decides to pummel the Chief Surgery and argue with April until his face turns blue. He took a deep calming breath and began emptying his mind with murderous thoughts; he then focused his attention to nurses’ station and saw his intern for the day flirting with an O.B. Fellow. “Wilson! Status update. Now!” he barked.

Jo Wilson quickly gathered the charts from the desk and slowly approached him, apprehension clearly written on her face.  

Jackson felt his irritation ignite further; “Why don’t you walk a little bit slower, I have all the time in the world” he snapped sarcastically.

Jo seem to pick up her Attending’s foul mood so she ran towards him; “I’m sorry Dr. Avery, I didn’t mean to---“

“Status. Report. Now.”

Jo swallowed hard; “Kid with appendicitis on bed 1, I already paged Peds. Biking accident on bed 2, I already ordered scans to check if there are haemorrhages. Drunk guy in bed 3. Possible gallstones on bed 4, I already ordered labs and I’m still waiting for a consult from General. Broken femur on bed 5, I already paged Ortho” she said.

“Did you already get a consult for bed 4?” Jackson asked.

“I’m—I’m still waiting for Dr. Bailey, she’s just finishing up with--” Jo stuttered.

Jackson closed his eyes as he took a deep calming breath; “Page. Grey. Now.” he snapped.

“Y—yes Dr. Avery right away...” Jo said shakily before scampering away.

oOo

“As much as I want to stay and chat I have to go. Wilson is paging me 911 at the pit” Meredith said before hopping off of the bed.

April nodded; “Go. Scoot.”

Meredith shoved her pager inside her pocket and ran towards the door; “Talk to you later!” she said before disappearing from the door.

April leaned back on the pillows and groaned; “I miss work” she said to herself.

oOo

Meredith pushed the E.R. doors open and strolled in; she pulled her stethoscope from her coat’s pocket and slung it around her neck.

“Dr. Grey! Over here!”

Meredith saw the intern beside bed 4; she made her way towards her and cleared her throat. “What do we have here?” she asked.

“Possible gallstones, I already ordered the labs and I’m still waiting for the result” Jo replied.

Meredith turned towards her patient; “Hi, I’m Doctor Grey and I’ll be your consult for today. I’m just waiting for your lab results so just try to relax” she said.

The patient grunted in response.

Meredith smiled at the patient tightly; “Please excuse us for a moment.” She then shifted away from the bed and signalled for the intern to follow her. Once they’re out of sight and earshot she glared at the intern; “Why the hell did you page me 911 Wilson? You don’t even have lab results yet!” she spat.

Jo cringed; “I’m—I’m sorry Dr. Grey I wanted to wait but Dr. Avery insisted to have you paged” she explained nervously.

Meredith narrowed her eyes; “Did Avery know that the lab results aren’t here yet?” she asked.

Jo nodded vigorously.

“Where is Dr. Avery?” Meredith asked while scanning the E.R.

Jo swallowed hard; “He’s in Trauma room 1” she replied.

Meredith shifted her gaze back towards the intern; “I’ll talk to Dr. Avery. Find me as soon as you the results back” she said before turning on her heel and walking towards room.

Jackson was slamming the top drawer shut when the door suddenly flew open; “You’re patient better not be coding Wilson because if he is I’ll strangle you myself!” he snapped before moving to the next drawer.

“Are you so bored right now that you’re thinking about strangling interns for fun?”

Jackson froze mid-pull and turned towards the voice; “Oh it’s you” he deadpanned.

Meredith stepped inside the room and closed the door behind her; “What’s your deal? Why are you being cranky?” she asked.

Jackson scoffed; “I’m not being cranky! The intern that’s running my service today is just terrible.”

Meredith crossed her arms on top of her chest; “Wilson isn’t too bad, she actually gets the job done.”

Jackson slammed the drawer shut; he then turned towards the other surgeon and braised his hands on his hips. “Is April taking the spot?”

Meredith’s eyes widen in disbelief; “How did you---wait, did you ask Wilson to page me 911 just to ask me about that?” she asked.

Jackson rolled his eyes; “Of course not! I just asked her to page you for bed 4, did she page you 911?” he asked.

“She did!”

Jackson scoffed; “Now tell me she’s not so bad.”

Meredith studied her friend’s face; “Is this why you’re acting like a maniac slamming helpless drawers? Because you found out that April is considering it?”

Jackson eyed her for a moment before moving his hands towards his face, rubbing it furiously.

Meredith sighed; she then moved towards the Plastic Attending and pulled his hands away. “Stop that.”

Jackson’s hands fell limp to his side as he let out a defeated sigh; “I—I don’t want her to leave...I don’t understand why she’s even considering it...” he admitted.

Meredith bit her tongue to keep herself from blurting out April’s reasons; after she’s sure that she won’t give into the temptation, she opened her mouth to speak. “April hasn’t made any solid decision yet, she’s still weighing her options.”

Jackson closed his eyes tightly; trying to keep his emotions at bay. “So she’s really considering it. Do you think she’ll leave?”

“Do you want her to stay?”

“Of course” Jackson automatically responded.

Meredith moved her hand towards his arm and gave it a soft squeeze; “Talk to her. Give her a reason to stay.”

Jackson opened his eyes and shook his head; “I can’t talk to her now, I can’t face her” he admitted.

Meredith furrowed her brows; “Why?”

“I’m too worked up and too angry right now. I don’t want to barge inside her room and spout things that I won’t mean. I’ve already done enough damage and I don’t want to add more. I’ll talk to her once I cool down” Jackson said.

Meredith nodded; “That’s probably for the best. The way your acting right now will probably scare April, well, probably not, she knows how to handle you after all” she said.

Jackson’s demeanour instantly changed; slowly, a smile formed on his lips. “She does, she knows how to handle me at my worst, she always had that talent and I can’t explain how.”

Meredith smiled; “She’s your person.”

Jackson nodded; he then shifted towards the trauma bed and hopped up. “You know yesterday, I was so pissed about the crap with Mass Gen and I didn’t know where to go. I went to her room without thinking and started yelling. I was so ready to call my mom and ask her to cut her bull but one touch from her is all it takes for me to calm down” he said.

Meredith moved towards the bed and hopped up too; she then shifted to face Jackson and waited for him to continue.

Jackson’s smile faltered before he continued; “She still comforted me you know, even though I’ve been nothing but a douche to her. I know I don’t deserve her kindness after everything and I know for a fact that she should choose to go but I just can’t convince myself to let her...I’m selfish...” he said sadly.

“You should come clean to her and just tell her how you really feel” Meredith suggested.

Jackson licked his lips; “I want too, I really do. But every time I’m presented with a chance I just can’t make myself speak. I just can’t seem to suck it all up and forget the pain she caused me when she not subtly refused to start a life with me.”

Meredith’s eyes widen in shock; “You proposed??”

Jackson froze.

“Oh. My. God”

Jackson closed his eyes tightly as he mentally swore.

“Jackson!”

Jackson opened his eyes and turned his head sideways; he was about to open his mouth to confess but was disrupted by Wilson opening the door.

“Err---Dr. Grey, labs are in. It’s gallstones...” Jo said nervously.

“Get out! I’ll be with you in a minute!” Meredith snapped.

Jo cowered and closed the door hastily.

Jackson hopped off the bed and smiled at Meredith sheepishly; “Err---you should go” he said.

Meredith hopped off the bed too and narrowed her eyes at the Plastics Attending; she then crossed her arms on top of her chest and raised her brow. “I’m not going anywhere unless you continue what you’re about to say.”

“But you have patient and he might—“

“The patient has gallstones, not coding, so start talking.” Meredith snapped.

Jackson gazed at the general surgeon and saw no compromise in her eyes; he then let out a defeated sigh and started talking. “Fine. I asked her to marry me when we thought she was pregnant, I was all in and I was actually happy about it. I never thought I’d want kids but at that moment I really wanted one with her. Then her pregnancy test came back negative, I was still set on marrying her and giving her a huge field wedding with butterflies, she can even have those silly “mint-to-be” mints, that’s how in I was. But when she found out she’s not, she looked so relieved, like a burden was lifted, like it was a huge burden marrying me and having my kid and that hurt like a bitch.”

Meredith’s jaw dropped open.

Jackson shifted and shoved his hands inside his lab coat’s pocket; “Do you understand now why I wasn’t able to answer her when she told me she wanted me? I didn’t respond because I didn’t know the answer, I didn’t respond because I’m not sure if she knows what she wants” he said. He sniffed then lowered his eyes to the floor; “I want her for the long haul but I don’t think she’s ready for that yet, I can’t make myself go that route again and I definitely can’t lose my best friend just because I’m having troubles licking my wounds after she realizes that I was a mistake.”

“If you feel that way then why are you with Edwards?” Meredith asked.

Jackson sighed; “This will make me much douchier but Stephanie and I---we’re not serious. She knows from the start that it’s just sex but I think she’s getting too attached in this so I’m planning on talking to her this weekend to let her know...I don’t want to hurt her more than I already have...” he explained.

Meredith eyed Jackson for a moment before whistling; “You were not kidding when you told me that you and April are complicated, it was not just a Facebook status” she said with smile.

Jackson burst out laughing.

oOo

“Have you seen Steph? I haven’t been seeing much of her lately” Jo said.

Shane took a sip of his soda before answering; “She’s under Dr. Bailey’s service that’s why” he replied nonchalantly.

Jo nodded in understanding; “That makes sense, lucky her.”

Shane made a face; “Lucky? How is she lucky? Bailey’s running her ragged, she’s always on night shift.”

“I’d take on Bailey in a heartbeat.” Jo said dramatically.

Shane smirked before crossing his arms on top of his chest; “I saw that you’re under Dr. Avery’s service, how is he so far?” he asked.

Jo shuddered.

Shane guffawed as he moved his eyes towards the Plastic Attending sitting a couple of tables away from them.

Jo shook her head and squared her shoulders; “I don’t know how Steph deals with him. I mean, that guy can be mean if he wants too, he’s so scary when his pissed. Stop staring!” she hissed.

Shane moved his eyes back to his friend and asked curiously. “What did he do?”

Jo shuddered again; “I don’t even want to remember it. I think I’ll talk to Murphy and try to bribe her so we can switch Attendings’. I don’t think I can last another day with him.”

Shane chuckled; “That bad eh?” he said.

“That bad.” Jo nodded in agreement.

oOo

“Why are you not eating? You not liking the Spaghetti?” Alex asked before stuffing his mouth with a forkful.

Jackson made a face before pushing his plate away; “I’m really not that hungry” he replied.

Alex shrugged his shoulders; “Suite yourself.”

“Hey guys!” Meredith greeted as she places her tray on top of the table. She then pulled a chair and plopped down.

“How’s your gallstone patient?” Jackson asked lazily.

“Stable and sedated” Meredith replied before picking up her fork.

Jackson nodded distractedly.

“Is that Kepner?”Alex said, pointing his fork towards the cafeteria door.

Jackson’s head instantly snapped towards the direction that the Ped’s Attending is pointing at before frowning.

Meredith turned towards the door and smiled; “It is, let me call her. APRIL!” she called out while waiving her hand.

“Is she even allowed to be here?” Alex asked.

Jackson lowered his gaze and began staring at his plate.

Meredith shifted his eyes towards Alex; “I don’t see why she can’t, she’ll be discharged tomorrow.”

“Oh right,” Alex replied.

“Hey guys!” April chirped happily.

Alex grunted before shoving a forkful of pasta in his mouth again.

Meredith pulled the chair beside her and gestured for April to sit down; “Let me guess, you’re dying of boredom.”

April sat down slowly; “You have no idea”. She then turned her gaze towards her unusually quiet best friend and smiled brightly; “Hey Jackman!”

“Hey” Jackson replied, his eyes still glued to his plate.

April furrowed her brows; “Are you okay?” she asked.

Jackson shifted on his chair; “I’m good.” He then moved his eyes towards his watch and hastily stood up; “I—uhm—I have to go. I’ll see you guys later” he said before bolting out of the cafeteria without looking back.

April watched Jackson’s back disappearing from the door before moving her eyes towards the other two surgeons; “What’s wrong with him?” she asked.

Alex snorted; “Dude is acting sulky all morning, maybe he’s on his monthly.”

Meredith laughed; “You’re horrible Alex, really horrible.”

Alex shrugged his shoulders; “Well it’s true. You should’ve seen how he snaps at the interns the whole morning; it put’s Yang into shame.”

April blinked a couple of times; “That’s weird, he’s always pleasant to them, he’s dating one.”

“Today he isn’t, it’s quite painful to watch, honestly.” Alex replied, completely ignoring her last reference.  

Meredith huffed; “It’s painful because it’s Wilson who’s on the receiving end. Give the poor man a break, he’s allowed to have bad days.”

Alex scoffed; “It’s not just Wilson and I don’t give a damn about her!”

“Mass Gen then.” April concluded.

“Yep” Meredith replied.

Alex took a sip from his cup and stared at April with interest; “Yang told us you’re sailing with the Mass Gen Ship, you excited?”

April’s eyes widen in surprise; “Err---“

Meredith kicked Alex under the table, making him wince. She then turned towards April and smiled encouragingly; “April hasn’t made any final decision yet but she has all the time in world to think.”

 April nodded in agreement; she then paused and suddenly a look of understanding dawned on her face. “Does—does Jackson know about this? I mean was he there when Yang told you?” she asked, clearly in panic.

Alex cleared his throat; obviously uncomfortable where the conversation was heading. “Err—yeah, he was but I’m pretty sure it has nothing to do with his—err—tantrums” he pacified.

Meredith kicked him again, glaring openly.

“Stop kicking me Mer, geez! I didn’t tell McPretty anything! It was Cristina who tattled!” Alex yelped.

“I guess I have to talk to him sooner than I expected” April said resignedly. She then turned towards Meredith and threw her a mollifying smile; “Stop kicking Alex, it’s okay. He would’ve found out anyway.”

“He would,” Meredith nodded.

“Nothing has been decided yet so I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal. I mean, a lot of things may still happen, you can still change your mind or he can change his mind, we’ll never know. And it’s as if you won’t talk to him again” Alex said with exasperation.

April sighed; “It’s complicated...Jackson and I. We don’t work that way, it’s better to diffuse the bomb now because if I wait longer, neither of us will like the aftermath.”

Meredith smirked; “I’ve been hearing that a lot lately, interesting.”

Alex stared at Meredith with a confused look; “You’re hearing about bombs a lot? Where have you been hanging out lately?” he asked.

“I’ve been around” Meredith replied mischievously.

April ignored her friends banter and wordlessly stood up from her chair.

“Where you going?” Alex asked with a frown.

“I need to find Jackson” April replied.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea Apes, he’s into one of his moods. I have a feeling that if you confront him right now it wouldn’t be pretty” Meredith warned.

“It will never be pretty, the worst thing he can do is shout and I can handle that.” April said dejectedly.

Alex’s face softened; “Look, I’ll find McPretty for you and send him to your room. You can’t walk around the hospital wearing your pyjamas and you shouldn’t be up your feet too long, you’re still healing in case you have forgotten.”

April moved her eyes towards her clothes and cringed.

Meredith winked; “Your pyjama is cute if that’s any consolation.”

April laughed.

Alex smiled; “Scoot Kepner, go back to your room. I promise to bring McPretty for you, even if I have to drag him by his ear” he said.

oOo

“Avery?”

Jackson moved his eyes towards the stairs; “Hey...” he mumbled.

Derek climbed up the stairs and stood at the landing; he then stuffed his hands inside his lab coat pocket and stared at the young attending. “You alright?”

Jackson lowered his eyes to the floor and nodded; “Yeah”

“Tough day?”

Jackson sighed; “Tough day.”

Derek walked towards Jackson and gestured to the space beside him; “May I?” he asked.

Jackson lifted his gaze and nodded.

Derek sat down on the step and stared ahead.

Jackson moved his head sideways and eyed the Neurosurgeon beside him; “Why’d you take the stairs?”

Derek met his gaze; “The damn elevator is running slow again, it’s annoying me.”

Jackson chuckled; “We should have that fixed, it’s inconveniencing us all” he said.

Derek nodded in agreement; “We should. How about you? What are you doing here?”

Jackson pursed his lips before turning his head away; “I just wanted some space to clear my mind I guess...”

“Hunt running you ragged?”

Jackson shook his head; “Nah, just personal stuff” he replied.

“Girl problems then?” Derek asked.

Jackson didn’t respond.

Derek leaned back and braised his elbows on the step behind him; “I’m not as good as Mark but I definitely know a thing or two.”

Jackson leaned forward and rested his arms on top of his knees; “How did you know?” he blurted out.

“What do you mean?”

“How did you know that Mer was the one? How did you know that’s she’s worth the risk?”

“I didn’t.”

Jackson’s head snapped sideways, surprise clearly evident in his face.

Derek smiled at his best friend’s star pupil; “It’s pretty simple, if you love someone they’re always worth the risk regardless if they’re the one or not.”

“Is love enough? I mean, it makes you do stupid things, it drives you crazy and more often than not it hurts like a bitch” Jackson said.

“Is it unrequited?”

Jackson furrowed his brows; “No but it’s complicated.”

Derek leaned forward and braised his arms on top of his knees; “Let me tell you a story, Meredith and I, we started complicated. I was going through a rough marriage and she was a struggling intern who’s trying to prove that she’s more than just her mother’s name. I never thought we’d work out because that woman, regardless of how much I love her is insane. She’s indecisive, impulsive, extremely complicated and she’s everything I never thought I’d want in my life. When she told me that she loves me and asked me to pick her over my ex wife, I walked away because I didn’t think she knows what she wants. I didn’t think that she was ready for the long haul but then a month after that, she almost died” he paused. He then turned his head sideways and met the other surgeon’s eyes; “Death has a way of putting the most important thing in your life into perspective, you see. When I saw Meredith almost died right in front of eyes it made me realize how stupid I was to think that I could simply walk away and go on with my life.”

“Isn’t walking away much easier though? I mean, it makes more sense.”

Derek smiled; “It is but some people are just worth everything.”

Jackson stared at Derek before averting his gaze, opting to stare ahead.

“Love is never logical Avery, most often than not we fall in love with someone we never thought we’d want to be with, oftentimes that person is not always what we expected.” Derek paused and chuckled; “Meredith was not what I have in mind when I thought about marriage again, she’s pretty much the most illogical choice. I mean, if I want her to be my wife then that means I’d be getting the twisted sister too by default simply because their like Walmart BOGO. But I learned not to mind and I embraced it because I knew what I was signing for when I wrote that post it and I meant every word.”

Jackson chuckled; “I remember hearing about that infamous post it.”

Derek laughed; “It’s a popular post it. When Mark learned about it he couldn’t stop mocking me.”

Jackson smiled and shook his head.

Derek then patted the young surgeon’s back and stood up; “She may not be what you expected her to be but knowing that she will love you with everything she has will be enough, believe me, it always is” he said before walking away.

Jackson watches as Derek ascended the stairs; leaving him with words to ponder.

oOo

Arizona entered the pit looking confused; she spotted her wife lacing her Trauma gown so she trotted towards her. “Hey I just got paged 911, do you know what’s going on?”

“Car crash in Pikes, a kid was involved that’s why they paged you, Karev is already waiting near the door.” Callie replied before handing her a gown.

Arizona accepted the gown and began shoving her arms into it.

Callie made a face; “I hate it when kids are involved, it reminds me of Sophia” she said.

Arizona shuddered; “I don’t even want to think about it.”

Callie nodded.

The E.R doors burst open as Alex came rushing through; “Get out of the way people!” he yelled as he pushes the gurney.

Arizona hastily laced her gown and turned towards her wife; “I better go check on Alex, I’ll see you later” she said before following the disgruntled Ped’s Attending.

“Go” Callie said before running towards the E.R door.

oOo

“How’s your day?” Derek asked as he walks towards his wife.

Meredith smiled tiredly and patted the space beside her; “I’m tired, just got off of surgery. How about you?”

Derek planted a kiss on his wife’s lips as he sat down beside her; “It’s a lazy day for me, my surgery got pushed into a later time because my patient insisted on waiting for her husband” he replied.

Meredith snuggled closer and buried her face into his neck; “Did you check on the kids?” she asked.

Derek wrapped his arms around her and let out a contended sigh; “Yep, Zola is enjoying her tea time with Sophia and little Bailey is napping like a champ” he replied.

Meredith chuckled; “Did you join their tea party?” she asked.

Derek laughed; “I would’ve, if I got there early.”

Meredith pulled her face away and tilted her head; “What held you up?” she asked.

Derek angled his face and met Meredith’s eyes; “Avery”

Meredith pulled away and made a face; “Is he still throwing a bitch fit?”

“I’m not quite sure if it qualifies for a bitch fit because he’s pretty much catatonic when I found him in the fire exit” Derek replied.

“He’s catatonic in the fire exit?”

Derek nodded; “I found him sitting on the stairs and looking at the wall.”

Meredith rolled her eyes; “I can’t believe he’s still sulking! I already told him to pull his crap together and just say what he wants to say, it’s not like she’ll reject him, he’s too stubborn for his own good!” she huffed.

Derek’s eyes widen in surprise; “So you know his girl problems?”

Meredith crossed her arms on top of her chest and nodded; “He didn’t mean to tell me, it just slipped” she replied. She then narrowed her eyes and turned towards her husband; “How did you know that its girl problems, did he tell you anything?” she asked.

“Not really, I just deduced it from how he’s acting.” He then made a face and met his wife’s eyes; “But he did ask me how I knew that you were the one.”

Meredith’s eyes widen; “Really?” she asked somewhat giddy.

Derek nodded; “He did but I feel that he has bigger issues, he’s so cynical about love. What do you know?” he asked curiously.

Meredith pursed her lips and thought about for a moment; “Off the record?”

“Off the record” Derek affirmed.

“He’s in love with April”

“Kepner? Our April Kepner?” Derek asked with disbelief.

Meredith nodded before smiling; “And she’s in love with him too”

“Wow”

Meredith chuckled; “I know.”

Derek frowned; “That explains his predicament, she’s getting married.”

Meredith shook her head deliberately; “Nope she’s not.”

“What do you mean? We watched the flash mob dancers and she said yes.”

“April broke up with Matthew after Jackson had the accident.” Meredith simply said.

“Oh.”

Meredith leaned back on the couch and sighed; “April confessed her feelings but Jackson said nothing that’s why everything is messed up” she explained.

Derek look confused; “But you just told me that he’s in love with her?”

“He is but he’s too stubborn to admit it. He’s holding a grudge because he felt that April rejected him the first time he proposed”

“Whoa! Hold on a minute there, Avery proposed?”

Meredith smiled upon remembering the Plastic Attending’s outburst; “He did, he offered fields with wild flowers and butterflies when he thought she was pregnant.”

“Wait, their doing it?” Derek asked, clearly gobsmacked.

Meredith ignored her husband’s reaction and continued; “April found out that she’s not hence her reacting like her old neurotic self and Jackson took it as a sign that she didn’t want to go through with it, so he called it quits and bailed.”

Derek paused and stared at his wife with amazement; he then shook his head and smiled. “How come I didn’t know all of this and you know?”

Meredith met his gaze and raised her brow; “Apparently being married and having kids’ makes you mature. And it doesn’t hurt that I married my McDreamy so they all think that we’re riding off to the sunset basking in our ever after.”

Derek laughed; “Are we riding a big white stallion named Rainbow Bright?” he teased.

Meredith laughed; “No, its McPony, our horse is called McPony” she corrected.

Derek laughed louder.

oOo

“What do we have here?” Callie asked as she rushes towards the incoming gurney.

“Patient is Chris Roberts, 34 years old.  B.P is 130/80, deep lacerations on his chest, broken ribs and left arm is broken. Possible TBI due to the skull fracture and severe burn on his face and legs.”

“Page Avery, Shepherd and Yang! Let’s move this patient to Trauma Room 1 now!” Callie yelled.

oOo

Jackson was just about to enter the E.R. when he saw Cristina walking briskly towards him; he pushed the door open and waited for her to catch up; “You got paged too?”

Cristina threw him a thankful smile and entered the E.R.; “You with Trauma Room 1 too?” she asked while walking towards the room.

“Yep” Jackson replied.

Cristina pushed the door open and stepped inside; “What do we have?” she asked while gloving up.

“Car crash victim, he has deep laceration on his chest, few broken ribs that punctured his left lung, I’m still waiting for the scan results to check if the ribs also damaged his heart.” Callie said. She then turned towards the Plastic Attending; “2nd degree burns on his face and arms, I’m not sure if his left ear is ripped off” she said with grimace.

Jackson slipped his hands into latex gloves and walked towards the patient; he leaned forward and began examining the patient’s face and ear. “Ear is partially intact, I’ll have to attach it so it doesn’t fall off and I can pretty much fix his burns at a later time.”

“Hey, I just got your page. Do you already have the CT and MRI results yet?” Derek asked as he entered the room.

“Brooks! Show Dr. Shepherd the results!” Callie barked.

Heather scampered towards the Neurosurgeon, dragging the screen and scans with her.

Derek began examining it; “I don’t see any brain swelling but I can definitely see a clot near the hippocampus, I need to get in there before it causes problems” he said.

Ross barged into the room panting; “I already have the scans!” he announced.

Cristina walked towards the male intern and snatched the films from his shaking hands; she studied it and frowned. “We need to book an O.R now, his broken rib just narrowly missed his left aorta but it can still bleed and cause haemorrhages.”

“Ross! Book O.R. 3 now. Make sure they prep it for both Neuro and Cardio” Callie said.

“I’m on it!” Ross said before leaving the room in a rush.

Jackson took off his gloves and eyed his peers; “Page me after you guys are done so I can work on him” he said before turning on his heels.

“Will do. Come on guys let’s move him!” Callie said.

oOo

“Damn it!” Alex cursed.

Arizona closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Alex braised his hands on the O.R table and bowed his head; “Damn it!”

Arizona swallowed hard and cleared the lump in her throat; “Call it Dr. Karev” she said.

Alex just shook his head.

Arizona opened her eyes and stared at the Ped’s Attending; “There was nothing that we could’ve done differently that would have saved her life Alex so I’m asking you to call it” she ordered.

Alex’s head snapped up; he then turned his gaze towards the wall clock and gritted his teeth; “Time of death 18:42” he said before ripping off his surgical gown and sauntering out of the O.R room.

Arizona watched her Attending leave before turning her sad eyes towards the little girl’s lifeless body; “Let’s close her up” she said.

oOo

Jackson just stepped out of the elevator when he saw Alex slumped on the floor; he stuffed his hands inside his lab coat’s pocket and walked towards him. “Why are you sitting on the floor?”

Alex clenched his fists and leaned his head on the wall; “I just lost a patient, a kid, she’s too young to die” he said.

“Car crash kid?”

“Yeah” Alex grunted.

Jackson puffed out air; “Dad is on his way to surgery but he’s stable.”

Alex nodded and began standing up; he then pulled off his cap and let out a deep sigh. “I still need to tell the kid’s Mom.”

Jackson nodded; “Okay.”

Alex moved towards his right but paused; “I promised Kepner that I would haul your ass over to her room even if I have to drag you by the ear” he said before sighing tiredly. “She wants to talk to you badly that she’d risk blinding everyone in this hospital walking around in her pyjamas, it would be a huge favour for me if you would just go there man. I’m too worn out to listen to her neurotic chants and I don’t think I would be too nice either, so please just go there already” he said before walking towards the elevator.

Jackson watched the elevator’s door closes before he cussed loudly.

oOo

Meredith was strolling along the hallway looking for her husband and best friend; she was about to turn to the corner when she heard her name being called.

“Pst! Grey!”

Meredith turned around and saw no one; she furrowed her brows and began scanning her surroundings.

“Grey! Over here! Supply closet!”

Meredith turned to her left and saw Jackson peeking behind the door; she braises her hands on her hips and raised her brow. “What in the world are you doing there?”

Jackson opened the door wider and gestured for the other surgeon to come closer; “I need to ask you something” he said.

Meredith obediently walked towards the closet and stood right in front him; “What?” she asked.

Jackson yanked her inside the room and closed the door behind them.

“Hey!”

Jackson threw her a look before he started pacing; “I---I can’t do it! I can’t go there!” he said agitatedly.

Meredith leaned back on the door and crossed her arms on top of her chest; “What the hell are you saying? Are you having one of your melt downs?” she asked.

Jackson shook his head; “No—no this not one of those” he said distractedly.

“Good! Because I don’t have April’s patience, so, out with it! What do you want?”

“I just spoke with Karev and he practically ordered me to march inside April’s room and talk to her! I can’t talk to her! I refuse to talk to her! I’m not yet ready to talk to her! I still have a patient that I need to tend to for goodness sake! And I I’ll only end up screaming at her! I can’t do it, please don’t make me go there!”

Meredith scrunched her face; “Are you sure this is not one of your major melt downs? You’re acting quite like it” she observed.

Jackson paused and shook his head; “Nope, definitely not. I just tend to scream and throw things and not much of a talker when I’m that pissed.”

Meredith cringed; “I definitely don’t want to see that. So, what do you want me to do?”

Jackson took a deep calming breath and braises his hands on his hips; “Can you talk to her? I mean, can you tell her that I can’t drop by tonight because I still have surgery?” he asked hopefully.

Meredith eyed him for a moment; “What’s in it for me?” she asked.

“Name it and it’s yours” Jackson replied automatically.

Meredith’s eyes widen in surprise; “Wow! You are desperate.”

Jackson licked his lips nervously; “I am, so please?” he asked.

Meredith stuffed her hands inside her lab coat pockets and nodded; “Okay.”

Jackson let out a sigh of relief; “Thank you! You’re my saviour!” he said happily.

Meredith smirked; “I’m not cashing out the favour yet but you owe me one.”

Jackson nodded; “You got it.”

Meredith offered her hand; “Let’s shake on it pretty boy.”

Jackson rolled his eyes before clasping their hands together, shaking it.

oOo

“Hey Apes!” Meredith greeted cheerily.

April tore her eyes away from her book and smiled; “Hey!”

Meredith stepped inside the room and left the door open behind her; “What are you reading?” she gestured towards the book.

April dog-eared her novel and lifted it, so her friend can see; “Love Rosie by Cecilia Ahern” she replied.

Meredith nodded; “I haven’t read that, I’m not into long novels I’m afraid. What is it about?” she asked.

April placed the book on top of her lap and let out a shy smile; “Err---you don’t want to know.”

Meredith walked towards the bed and sat on top of it; she then leaned forward and snatched the book from the other surgeon’s lap.

“Hey!” April yelped; she then leaned forward and began tugging the book from Meredith.

Meredith raised the book on top of her head and began swatting April’s prying hands; “Stop it or I won’t discharge you tomorrow!” she threatened.

April’s eyes widen; “You wouldn’t dare!” she said, clearly aghast.

“Try me.”

April narrowed her eyes and huffed; she then leaned back on her pillows and crossed her arms on top of her chest.

Meredith lowered her hands and opened the book; she flipped the first page and began reading the synopsis. After a couple of lines she snapped it closed and stared at April; “Seriously? Please tell me you’re not reading this book because it reminds you of you and Jackson?” she asked.

April leaned forward and fished the book out of Meredith’s hand; “Of course not!”

Meredith raised her brow; “Really?”

April averted Meredith’s gaze and turned to her side; she hastily pulled the drawer open and shoved the book inside. “Really.”

“Fine. But I’ll only believe you because you want me too.”

April turned towards Meredith; “Thank you. So, what brings you here?” she asked.

Meredith cringed; “Actually I came here with a purpose.”

“Spill” April said with a smile.

“Jackson sent me.”

April’s smile faltered; she then eyed the other surgeon for a couple of seconds before sighing in defeat. “Let me guess, he doesn’t want to talk to me?”

Meredith shook her head; “It’s not that, he’s actually into surgery. I ran into him a couple of minutes ago and he asked me to tell you that he won’t be able to talk tonight.” she explained.

April smiled sadly at her friend; “You don’t have to cover up for him, I expected it anyway.”

“But he really is—“

April shook her head dejectedly; “It’s okay. I knew it wouldn’t be easy. I guess I’ll just have to give him time.”

Meredith pursed her lips as she leans back on the footboard; “He’s really into surgery Apes, I’m not lying. However, I think you’re right, you should give him time to cool down and once he’s done being a baby then you guys can talk it out.”

April nodded in agreement; “Yeah.”

Meredith smiled; “Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about something else” she offered.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“I’ll be discharging you tomorrow, you can finally watch those chick flicks you rented.”

April giggled; “Oh god, don’t remind me” she said.

“That bad?”

April bit her bottom lip to keep herself from laughing; “I rented The Notebook, If only, A walk to remember and Sweet November. Now tell me if it’s conducive to watch after an operation.”

Meredith laughed; “Oh god, you really are planning on bawling your eyes out!”

April nodded with a big smile; “I also bought my friend Jack Daniel so he can accompany me with my journey, I think he’s still waiting on my sofa.”

“Well you better tell Jack sorry because he won’t be messing with you till next month.”

April scoffed; “I know when to mess with Jack, I’m still a doctor, I know this stuff. I also know I can’t screw him tomorrow because I still need to wait till this stupid hole in my stomach heals.”

“I thought you were still hung up on boinking Avery? Why the hell are you thinking about screwing this Jack fellow? You haven’t even left this damn hospital yet.”

April’s head snapped towards the door.

Meredith turned towards Alex and saw him leaning against the door frame; an idea popped into her mind so she slyly turned towards April again and threw her conniving look. “Who told you she’s still hung up on Avery? She’s moved on and she can do whatever she wants, in fact she can screw Jack after two weeks. No need to wait for a month Apes, I stand corrected.”

April’s closed her mouth and turned her face towards Meredith; “Really? You can’t take that back now Mer because I’m so ready, especially after all these stress” she replied with a big ecstatic smile, completely missing the general surgeon’s sexual innuendo.

“What the hell Mer?” Alex asked, clearly appalled with his friend’s suggestion and it didn’t help that April seems to think that it’s fine.

Meredith turned to Alex and raised her brow; “Well April can screw whoever she wants, she’s a grown woman and she’s entitled to have some fun” she said.

Alex made a face; “Damn it! I really have to kick Avery’s ass now for not showing up. I told him clearly to come by Kepner’s room to shed some light into her deteriorating mind but of course he bailed!”

“My mind is not deteriorating!” April yelped.

“Whatever! I need to get out of here before I lose my own mind!” Alex huffed. He turned on his heel and began walking away; after a couple of seconds he stopped and retraced his steps. “By the way, you can’t have sex with that Jackfellow yet! You screw him tomorrow and you’ll end up in the E.R. without experiencing orgasm, so, give it two weeks! Geez you’re a doctor Kepner think like one!” he said exasperatedly before leaving.

April’s eyes widen in mortification; “Did he just--? Did he think—? Oh god, he thought--” she stuttered.

Meredith burst out laughing. 

April felt her face flush in embarrassment so she hastily grabbed her pillow and began hitting Meredith with it. “It’s not funny! He thought Jack Daniel was an actual guy I was screwing! It’s alcohol for goodness sake!” she shrilled.

Meredith deflected the pillow and hastily snatched it away from her mortified friend; she then hopped off the bed still laughing. “Come on Apes, live a little!”

April shook her head; “No. No. No! Oh god! That was---that was evil Meredith Grey!”

Meredith hugged the pillow to her chest and stifled her laughter; “It wasn’t! It was just Alex! At least we got rid of him.”

April narrowed her eyes at her friend; “It’s Alex! He’s one of the biggest gossips in this hospital! It’s already bad enough that people knew that I was pining over Jackson and went bat shit crazy when the bus almost blew him up!” she paused. Her eyes widen in horror; “Oh god! People are going to know that I’m planning on screwing someone even before I got discharged! Oh god!” she panicked.

Meredith shook her head; “You’re thinking too much again Apes, I mean how bad can it get? Alex won’t definitely tell anyone outside our circle—“ she then paused. “Oh shit!”

“What??”

Meredith threw the pillow back at April and began walking towards the door.

April frowned; “Where the hell are you going? You can’t just leave me here after what you did!” she yelled.

Meredith waived her hand dismissively; “Can’t stay, need to find Alex! Talk to you tomorrow! Good night!” she said before exiting the room hurriedly.

April watched the other surgeon scamper out of her room.

oOo

Meredith barged inside the Attendings’ Lounge with a bang; she scanned the room and felt her heart drop to her stomach when she didn’t see the Ped’s Attending.

“What’s wrong with you Grey?” Callie asked.

“Have you seen Alex? I need to talk to him” Meredith said urgently.

Callie raised her brow; “He just left 10 minutes ago, told me he’s going home to sleep” she replied.

“Crap!” Meredith cussed.

“Is something wrong?” Callie asked.

Meredith puffed out a breath and stuffed her hands inside lab coat pockets; she then walked towards the table and pulled out a chair. “I might’ve said something that he might misconstrue.”

“He had a rough day Grey, no matter what you say to him, he will misconstrue.”

Meredith sat on the chair and sighed; “I’m hoping that it’s not this one.”

Callie stared at the other surgeon and shrugged her shoulders; “Just talk to him tomorrow.”

Meredith nodded glumly; “I guess I don’t have any other choice” she said.

Callie shrugged her jacket on and plucked her bag from the coffee table; “Well, I better get going now. I still need to pick up Sophia from day care. I’ll see you tomorrow” she said before walking towards the door.

Meredith nodded; “Okay, good night!” she replied. She then furrowed her brows and turned towards the door; “Do you happen to know if Jackson’s surgery is finish?” she asked.

Callie pulled the door open before answering; “Last time I checked he’s still fixing the ear and it was an hour ago. I’m pretty sure he’s not done yet because the patient has massive burn injuries.”

“I see, thanks Callie. See you tomorrow.”

Callie waived her hand as she steps out of the room.

Meredith watched the door close before groaning; “Stupid joke” she said to herself.