Chapter Three: A fools cry

"When the days are cold and the cards all fold. And the saints we see are all made of gold. When your dreams all fail and the ones we hail are the worst of all. And the blood's run stale I wanna hide the truth, I wanna shelter you but with the beast inside there's nowhere we can hide. No matter what we breed, we still are made of greed. This is my kingdom come, this is my kingdom come. When you feel my heat, look into my eyes it's where my demons hide, it's where my demons hide. Don't get too close It's dark inside It's where my demons hide..." Demons by Christina Grimmie

"For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction", this is the third infamous law of motion that Sir. Isaac Newton created. It basically states that every action, no matter how minuscule or enormous it is, it will always cause a chain reaction.

"What happened to him?" April asked while hovering over Jackson's unconscious body, panic evident in her voice.

Derek checked the I.V. lines before leaning towards Jackson; he opened his pen light and began prying his eye open. After a couple of seconds, he pulled away; "Everything is alright, he just fell asleep - must be the meds."

April folded her arms on top her chest; "Are you sure?"

Derek nodded; "I am" he replied. He then let out a small re-assuring smile; "It's normal for him to fall asleep again, he's still recovering."

"I-I see" April said. She then cracked a smile; "Or maybe he's just too shocked to see me" she joked.

Derek chuckled; "That's a big possibility."

April sighed as she stares at Jackson; "Just by looking at him I don't think he'll be waking up anytime soon - I think I should leave for now."

Derek studied the red head face and saw how tired she looked; "That's a good idea. You still remember how to go to our house?"

April met Derek's eyes; "About that Derek - are you sure? I don't want to impose."

Derek smiled; "Meredith wouldn't have invited you over if it's an imposition. It's really okay, don't even think about it."

April smiled back; "Thank you..."

"You're welcome. Now, go. You look like you're going to collapse any second."

April nodded; "Thank you again" she said before turning around and walking away.

oOo

"You paged?"

Cristina turned around and saw Mara standing behind her; "There's a man in bed 5 who stuffed his penis inside a hornets' nest, he can't pee."

Mara made a disgusted face; "That's nasty"

"It's stupid" Cristina said. She then leaned back on the counter and studied the other surgeon's face; "Prince charming already woke up, did you know?" she asked.

Mara's eyes widen in surprise; "Really? Do you know if he's okay?"

Cristina raised her brow; "Why don't you go and check on him after your consult so you would know for sure?"

Mara shifted on her feet, clearly uncomfortable; "I'm actually banned from visiting him..."

"Huh?"

"Dr. Avery, Jackson's mum, banned me from visiting his room - maybe because she caught me sleeping in there."

Cristina laughed; "That's why she looked pissed when I saw her."

"Yeah" Mara replied. She then cleared her throat; "I heard that April is back"

Cristina's laughter instantly died down; "Yes, she is."

"I haven't seen-"

"Cristina!"

Cristina turned around and saw Meredith dragging April whose eyes are fixed on her phone; "Hey."

Meredith halted her steps when she saw who's standing beside her best friend; she tugged on April's arm to make her stop.

April lifted her eyes and threw Meredith a questioning look; "What?"

Meredith placed her hands on the red head's shoulder and turned her around; "Let's go to the car."

April narrowed her eyes at her friend before she looked back, that's when she saw her; "It's okay" she said while pulling away. She then squared her shoulders and strolled casually towards where Mara stood.

Cristina pulled away from her perch and began walking towards April; "Come on Apes, let's get cof-"

April bypassed the other surgeon and stopped right in front of Mara; she let out a small smile. "Dr. Keaton, it's nice seeing you again."

Mara smiled unsurely; "Err - it's nice seeing you too"

"Jackson already woke up but he fell asleep again. He seems to be okay in the head, you can visit him later."

"O—okay"

Cristina switched her eyes between April and Mara before turning towards Meredith; "What the hell is that?" she whispered.

Meredith shrugged her shoulders; "I don't know."

April nodded at Mara before spinning on her heels; she made her way back towards her friends and looped her arm around Cristina's. "Now we can have coffee"

"Err - okay" Cristina said, still unsure about what happened.

Meredith threw Mara a fleeting look before trailing behind her friends.

oOo

Callie leaned forward and began checking on Jackson's cast; "Is it true? Kepner is back?" she asked

"Yeah, you just missed her, she was here 15 minutes ago" Derek replied.

"Everything seems to be okay" Callie said. She then met Derek's eyes; "How did it go? Was he awake?" she asked curiously.

Derek folded his arms on top of his chest; "He was awake but fainted after he said her name."

Callie snorted, trying to stop herself from laughing; "Well that's just grand."

"April said the shock might've gotten to his head that's why he blacked out."

"A viable explanation but my money is on stress."

oOo

"Gods, I missed this stuff!" April exclaimed after taking a large sip of her latte.

"Don't you have coffee in Virginia?" Cristina asked.

"Of course we have, it's just that nothing beats Seattle coffee."

"I didn't know coffee vary by state" Meredith teased.

April chuckled.

Cristina took a sip from her cup; "So - are we just going to ignore what just happened?"

April shrugged her shoulders; "There's nothing to talk about" she replied nonchalantly.

"Come on Apes, there's something to talk about!" Meredith said.

"Mer is right. You just don't approach your husband's girlfriend and greet her like a long lost friend."

April raised her brow; "Were you expecting a cat fight?"

"Of course not" Meredith said. "But we're also not expecting you to be cordial."

April sighed; "What do you want me to do then?"

"Err - ignore her perhaps? Act like she doesn't exist?" Cristina suggested.

"She's in Jackson's life, our paths will cross while I'm still here" April explained before taking another sip of her coffee. "- whether I like it or not"

Cristina sat up straighter; "Speaking of that, Owen wants to get a word with you."

April perked up upon hearing her mentor's name; "Chief Hunt? Where is he? I haven't seen him anywhere"

"He's out of town, attending a convention but he'll be here by the end of the week. He strictly asked me to tell you to wait for him before you go on flying out of the state again."

April chuckled; "My flight is not due until early next week, I'm quite sure I'll be able to talk to him."

"Good" Cristina said.

Meredith threw Cristina a knowing look before speaking again; "You'll want to talk to him, he's got a lot to tell you."

"Like what?" April asked curiously.

"I don't know, you'll just have to ask him" Meredith replied.

"OH MY GOD!"

April cringed; "Who's shouting?" she asked while placing her cup on top of the table.

Meredith smiled; "Why don't you take a look" she said while pointing towards the lobby.

April shifted on her seat to turn towards the voice; her eyes widen as she shot up from her seat. "Lexie!"

"You're really back!" Lexie shrieked. She hastily walked towards the red head and pulled her into a tight hug; "It's really you! I can't believe it's really you!"

April laughed as she returned the hug; "It's really me Lex."

Lexie pulled a fraction but kept her hands on April's shoulders; "It's been ages!"

"More or less 4 years" April said.

Lexie squeezed April's shoulder before letting her hands fall to her side; "I'm so glad you're back - even if it's due to an unfortunate event."

"I know" April replied. "So, how have you been? Where's Mark?"

"I just scrubbed out of my surgery and I came here as fast as I can. Mark is the same, his is just taking long but I bet he'll find you as soon as his done."

April took a peek at her watch; "Well I hope he gets done fast, I'm about to head out."

Lexie studied her friend's face and saw how tired she looked; "Don't tell me you came here straight from the airport."

"Bingo"

"That's why you look like crap" Lexie said.

"Gee Lex, thank you for pointing that out" April said while rolling her eyes.

Lexie chuckled; "I call it, how I see it - your eyes are red."

April blinked a couple of times; "Really?"

"Yes" The other three surgeons chorused.

oOo

Seattle, WA: 5 years ago

Jackson turned on his side and began reaching for his wife; his forehead crinkled when all he felt is cold mattress. He sleepily opened his eyes and saw that he's alone in bed; he slowly sat up and began looking around the room. "April?" When he didn't get any response, his brows furrowed; he scooted towards the edge of the bed and planted his feet on the floor. He stood up and made his way towards the bathroom; "Are you in there?" he asked with a knock. When he didn't get a response again, he walked towards the door and stepped out of the room; he made his way towards the living room and began his search again. It took him 5 minutes to realize that she's not there so he went back inside their room to get his phone. He was about to walk towards his side of the bed when he noticed a white envelope perched on top of her pillow; he felt his heart beat faster as he walked towards it. He reached for the ominous packet and flipped it open; he felt all the blood drain from his face when he saw the familiar seal of Tulane. He opened the folded paper and read it; his hands shook as he turned towards the next page. He felt his heart drop to his stomach when he saw a printed copy of an electronic plane ticket to New Orleans; he shook his head in denial as he threw it towards their unmade bed. He ran towards their walk in closet and yanked the door open; he felt his knees weaken when he didn't see any of her clothes. He staggered back and held on the door knob to steady himself; "What - what have you done?"

oOo

Cristina and Meredith are walking along the hallway when Jackson walked past them; they both halted their steps when they noticed his clothes. "Is it me or is Avery is still in his pyjamas?" Cristina asked.

Meredith frowned; "He is and he looks frantic."

"I wonder what happened" Cristina wondered loudly.

oOo

"Avery?"

Jackson closed the door behind him and made his way towards Owens' desk; he braced his hands on top of it as he leans forward. "Did April resign?"

"She did, she passed her resignation last week."

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me? I had the right to know about these things, she's my wife" Jackson shouted.

Owen didn't seem faced; he leaned back on his chair and frowned. "I didn't tell you because she told me that you already talked about it."

"And you believed her?" Jackson asked indignantly. He pulled his hands off the table and began pacing, trying his hardest to calm himself down; he then paused when a thought crossed his mind. "Did she tell you where's she's going? She's got to tell you - you're her mentor"

"She accepted the offer from Fairfax Regional."

"Virginia? What the fuck!"

Owen sighed; "Look, I didn't tell you that she filed her resignation because I thought you knew. When she came here to talk to me, she made it seem like leaving this hospital was a mutual decision. I tried to talk her out of it but she's already decided and I wasn't able to change her mind - I'm sorry."

Jackson placed his hands on his hips and bowed his head in defeat; he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He stayed like that for a couple of minutes before speaking again; "She really left" he murmured. He then made his way towards the door and opened it; "I'm sorry for shouting Chief, it won't happen again" he said before stepping out of room.

"What have you gotten yourself into Kepner?" Owen asked himself.

oOo

"You're a doctor for goodness sake, you should know better" Mark chastised as he pulls the blanket over Lexie's legs.

Lexie folded her arms on top of her chest petulantly; "I've been stuck here for fuck knows how long, can you blame me for trying?" she snapped.

Mark sat on the bed to face her fully; "I know that but Callie said your legs aren't ready yet, it needs more time to heal."

Lexie let out a defeated sigh; "Fine" she relented.

Mark smiled; "That's my girl."

Lexie opened her mouth to speak but wasn't able to do so when she saw Jackson's forlorn form; "Jackson?"

Jackson entered the room and quietly walked towards the footboard; he braced his hands on top of it and bowed his head. "She's gone"

Mark shifted on his perch to turn towards his prot; "Who left?"

Jackson lifted his gaze and met Mark's; "April - she left me."

Lexie's eyes widen; "She did what?"

Jackson moved his eyes towards the bedridden brunette; "She left this morning, she took all of her things and moved to fucking Virginia."

Mark frowned; "What the hell did you do?"

Jackson threw his hands up in frustration; "I didn't do anything! I already apologized to her and I thought were already good!" he yelled.

"Lower your voice Avery, I don't appreciate you shouting at us" Mark warned.

Jackson let his hand fall limp to his side; "She left without even saying goodbye - she just fucking left" he said. He then walked towards the couch and sat down; he braced his elbows on top of his knees and buried his face into his palms.

Lexie didn't know what to say; she tapped on Mark's arm and gestured towards Jackson.

Mark sighed; he stood up from his perch and placed his hand on Jackson's shoulder. "Come on, let's go out and talk."

Jackson rubbed his face and stood up; he turned his gaze towards Lexie and sighed. "I'm sorry for shouting"

Lexie threw Jackson a sympathetic look before nodding; "It's alright, go talk to him."

"I'll be back" Mark said before walking out of the room with Jackson trailing behind him.

oOo

"Drink" Mark ordered as he held out a bottle of water to Jackson.

Jackson accepted it and popped the cap open; he took a large swig before putting the cap back. "Thank you."

Mark stood right in front of Jackson and placed his hands on his hips; "Now start from the beginning. I didn't quite understand your rambling - well, except for April leaving."

Jackson rested the bottle on his thigh and leaned back on the bench; he took a deep breath before speaking. "She left me - she didn't even say goodbye."

Mark frowned; "You didn't even hear her packing?

"I was sleeping" Jackson replied evasively.

Mark caught on; "You had sex, you fell asleep and when you woke up she's gone, is that it?"

Jackson threw Mark a disbelieving look; "What the fuck?"

Mark shrugged his shoulders; "Addisson did the same thing to me" he replied nonchalantly.

"Shepherd's ex-wife"

"Uh-huh" Mark replied. He then moved towards the bench and plopped down beside his prot; he then braced his elbows on top of his knees and turned his face towards Jackson. "Do you know where she went? When I found out Addie went here, I followed her."

"She accepted the offer from Fairfax Regional" Jackson said. "You know what tops this shit?"

"What?"

Jackson laughed bitterly; "She left me a printed copy of Tulane's program and a plane ticket to New Orleans."

Mark blinked a couple of times, clearly lost for words.

Jackson threw a side glance at his mentor before moving the bottle towards his mouth again, guzzling it - wishing it was alcohol.

"Damn" Mark muttered. He then sat straight and leaned back on the bench; "You should follow her - I think she still doesn't understand that you love her more than that stupid offer-" he then pauses to look at Jackson. "You did tell her that right? You did tell her you love her?"

Jackson froze.

Mark's face morphed into a frown; "You dipshit! You screwed her and you didn't even tell her that you love her? What happened to the advice I gave you?"

"I-I-"

Mark shot up from his perch and shook his head in disappointment; "You want to know what you should do?"

Jackson lifted his gaze and met Mark's; "What?"

"Get your ass on a plane and tell her you love her - because that's what a man in love does. He follows the woman he loves even if it means walking on burning coals or sprinting towards the edge of the earth without a single ounce of hesitation" Mark said before walking away.

Jackson gripped the bottle tighter as he mull on his next move.

oOo

Present time:

"You really don't have to take me, I can just catch a cab - I still remember the way" April said.

Meredith closed her locker and snatched her bag from the bench; "I know that but like what I told you a couple of minutes ago, it's alright - I'll take you."

April let out a defeated sigh; "Thanks"

Meredith smiled; "Come on."

The door to the Attendings' Lounge burst open as Mark Sloan stepped into the room; "Where is she? Is she still here?" he asked loudly.

"People aren't deaf here, stop shouting" Alex snapped.

April decided that it's time to show herself before those two get into an intense verbal sparring; she walked out of the locker room and announced her presence. "It's been a long time Dr. Sloan"

Mark grinned widely as he made a bee line towards April; he pulled her into a hug, lifting her feet from the ground. "Welcome back Kepner!"

April patted Mark's back as she giggles; "Put me down!"

Mark placed her back on her feet; "I don't normally tell people this but I missed you."

April beamed; "I missed you too" she replied. "Nobody talks to me like you do in FRTC"

"Only because they're afraid you'll sack their asses" Alex piped in.

Mark laughed boisterously; he then reached for April's head and mussed her hair. "Nobody threatens to file a sexual harassment case against me anymore since you left - so touché"

Alex snorted; "You're a freaking board member dude, everybody knows that."

April laughed.

"Like what you mentioned Karev, I'm a board member so stuff it" Mark said.

Alex rolled his eyes and just continued reading his magazine.

Mark cocked his head to the side and began perusing April; "You look different" he observed.

"Different good or different bad?" April asked curiously.

Mark folded his arms on top of his chest and furrowed his brows.

"What?" April prodded.

Mark grinned; "Definitely different good, you look hot."

April laughed; "Oh my, that's something if it's coming from you, thank you."

"You're welcome" Mark replied. He then noticed Meredith leaning by the doorframe; "You guys going somewhere?" he asked.

"I was about to take her home" Meredith replied.

Mark looked confused; "You're staying with them?"

April turned towards Meredith and smiled; "Yeah, they're kind enough to adopt me for the time being."

Meredith smiled back; "That we are."

Mark shoved his hand inside his labcoat pocket and pulled out something; he then held out a set of keys for April to see. "I actually have the keys to Avery's place, I thought you will be staying there while you're here."

April shifted on her feet, looking uncomfortable; "Err - I don't think so, that's not a good idea."

Mark furrowed his brows; "But Mama Avery told me that you're staying at his place, she told me to give you the keys" he explained.

April cocked her head to the side; "Why would she assume that?"

"Maybe because you're still her baby boy's wife" Alex offered.

"True" Meredith said with thoughtful look.

Mark jiggled the keys again; "You should go, it's not as if Avery is gonna be there and I'm 100% sure that he won't mind."

April shook her head stubbornly; "I won't do that, it's like invading his privacy or something"

Mark walked towards April and reached for her hand; he placed the key on her open palm and closed it. "Hold on to it until you decide you've had enough of the Shepherds. And besides, I'm not really good in keeping stuff - I don't want Avery bitching at me if I lost it."

April pushed the key towards Mark; "Give it back to him then"

Mark took a step back; "Even if I want too, I can't enter his room."

"What?"

"Complete Room Ban - Mama Avery forbid anyone from entering his room - well, aside from herself, you and Pretty boy's doctors" Alex said.

"Why would she do that?" April asked incredulously.

"She's peeing on a tree for you, she's marking your territory" Meredith said with a knowing smirk.

April looked more confused; "Marking what?"

Mark rolled his eyes; "She's keeping Keaton away from Avery because she's still carrying a burning torch for you."

"W—what?" April sputtered.

Mark opened his mouth to explain further but his pager cut him off; he fished it out from his pocket and began reading it. After a moment, he stuffed it back inside his pocket; "I have to go but keep in mind what I said, keep the keys" he said before walking towards the door. He pulled it open and was about to step out when he paused; he turned towards April and smiled. "It's really nice having you back Kepner and I hope you'd stick around for awhile."

April can't help but smile back; "Thank you."

Mark nodded before stepping out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Meredith cleared her throat loudly as she stuff her hands inside her pockets; "So, my place or Avery's?" she asked.

"Yours of course" April replied.

"You sure you want Mer driving? I vote for a cab" Alex said.

Meredith scowled; "Stuff it Alex."

April laughed.

oOo

"Did you give it to her?" Catherine asked excitedly.

"I'm offended, after all these years of looking after your petulant spawn? Really?"

Catherine chuckled; "I'm sorry darling"

Mark stood right in front of the Avery Matriarch and stuffed his hands inside his labcoat pockets; "I gave her the keys but I doubt she'll stay there - she's crashing with the Shepherds" he explained.

Catherine smiled like a Cheshire cat; "Leave the living arrangement to me, I'll take care of it."

Mark saw the look on Catherine's face and can't help but shiver; "Should I be worried?"

Catherine's smile turned into a full grin; "Not at all, dear - not at all."

"That makes me more worried" Mark mumbled to himself.

"What are you guys talking about?" Richard asked as he walked towards the odd pair.

"Nothing" Catherine replied. "Dr. Sloan is just regaling me with stories about Jackson's foray into life altering surgeries."

Richard turned his eyes towards Mark; "Life altering surgeries?" he asked.

"Yeah" Mark replied. He then took a peek at his watch; "Well I better head out, I still have a consult to tend to, it was nice talking to you Dr. Avery."

Catherine smiled; "See you around dear"

Mark smiled back; he then turned his eyes towards Richard and gestured towards the elevator. "I'll go now."

Richard nodded; "Okay"

Mark spun on his heels and made a bee line towards the elevator. "She's plotting, I might as well do a little scheming on my end - that man needs all the help he can get" he thought.

"Now, what are you really talking about?"

"It's nothing" Catherine said. She then looped her arm around Richard's; "I'm tired, why don't we have dinner before we go home?"

Richard decided to let the topic go, he'll find out soon anyway. "Let's go then."

oOo

Seattle, WA: 5 years ago

One week after April left:

Jackson groaned loudly when he heard an insistent loud pounding on his front door; he hauled himself out of the couch and groggily walked towards the door. He braced his left hand on the wall and yanked the door open; squinting at the men standing on the opposite side.

"Told you he's back" Alex said.

Mark took one look at his prot's hung over look and knew instantly that it didn't work out as planned. He shouldered past him and entered the flat with Alex trailing not far behind.

"Why don't you invite yourself in" Jackson grumbled irritably as he closes the door.

Mark wrinkled his nose in disgust when he surveyed the wreckage that used to be the living room.

Alex placed his hands on his waist and followed Mark's gaze; "Wow. I peg you as the neat type, I was wrong."

Jackson walked past the other two surgeons and plopped down on the couch; he rested his head at the back of the couch and closed his eyes. "What are you two doing here?"

"Checking if you're still breathing of course" Mark said. "In case you have forgotten, you still have a job."

Alex navigated his way through empty bottles of beer and sat on the only clear spot he can find; "What gives?"

Jackson opened his eyes and turned his face to the side; "What do you think?" he asked sarcastically.

"Obviously he didn't get her back" Mark said.

"Thank you Captain Obvious" Jackson quipped.

Mark rolled his eyes; he walked towards Alex and sat down. "Care to tell us what happened?"

Jackson pulled his head up and scoffed; "So you can gossip more? I don't think so."

Mark scowled; "Drop the attitude boy, you don't want to piss me off further."

Jackson ignored Mark and rested his head back.

"We're not here to listen to your sob story; we just want to check if you're still alive and didn't drown yourself" Alex said.

"I'm alive, obviously"

Mark leaned back and folded his arm on top of his chest; "Care to enlighten me what happened?"

Jackson sighed and closed his eyes.

oOo

Flashback: Fairfax Regional Trauma Center

"-And this is where you will be spending most of your time here" Dr. Andrew Sanders said.

"What do you think?" Dr. Bobby Lawrence asked.

April studied her surroundings; "It's beautiful" she breathed out.

Andrew laughed; "You sound like a kid who first caught glimpse of Disneyland" he joked.

April laughed; "It does feel like Disneyland to me, our E.R. in Seattle Grace isn't this big."

Bobby gestured towards the large space; "This will be your new playground" he said proudly.

"Having said that, I think it's time to get your feet wet, are you up for it?" Andrew asked.

April turned towards her new Trauma Head and nodded; "Let's get started."

oOo

Jackson climbed out of the cab and fixed his eyes on the large hospital erected right in front of him; "The picture doesn't lie, this place is huge" he mumbled to himself. He then squared his shoulders and took a deep breath; "Time to find her."

oOo

"April?"

April lifted her gaze from the documents she's reading through; "Yes?"

"There's someone looking for you at the lobby, he says he's your husband" Andrew said.

April's face turned pale as her eyes widen in shock; "H-husband?"

Andrew furrowed his brows; "I take it that this is a surprise visit, you were not expecting him?"

April pulled her shaking hands off the counter and hid it inside her labcoat pockets; she tried calming her thundering heart inside her chest but it won't slow down. "N—no, it's u-unexpected"

Andrew cocked his head to the side; "Are you okay? You look kinda pale" he said with concern.

"I-I'm okay - just a little shocked" April replied. She then swallowed thickly and cleared her throat; "You said he's in the lobby?" she asked.

"Yes, he says he doesn't mind waiting for you, I saw him on my way here" Andrew replied. "If you want to go, you can - you really don't have to be here until tomorrow you know"

"Okay" April replied. "I'll see you tomorrow Dr. Sanders"

Andrew smiled kindly; "I'll just tell Bobby that you have matters to attend to and please do call me Andrew, I did call you by your first name."

April smiled back; "Thank you Andrew"

Andrew nodded; "See you."

oOo

Jackson splayed his hands on top of his thighs and took a deep calming breath; "You can do this, don't fuck it up" he muttered to himself.

"J-jackson?"

Jackson felt his heart skip a beat upon hearing his wife's familiar voice; he slowly turned on his seat and saw her standing behind him. "April"

April shifted on her feet; "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in New Orleans already?"

Jackson stood up from his perch and quietly made his way towards April; he stopped right in front of her and pulled her into a tight hug. "I missed you."

April felt her eyes water with tears when she heard him voice out the words that she's exactly feeling; she slowly lifted her arms and wrapped it around Jackson's waist. "I missed you too."

Jackson buried his face into April's familiar curls; "I've been such an ass - such an ass" he muttered lowly.

April couldn't hold back her emotions anymore; she tightened her hold on Jackson's waist and cried.

"I'm sorry" Jackson whispered, his voice thick with tears. "I really am."

oOo

April was staring blankly at the street when Jackson placed her iced latte right in front of her; "Thank you."

Jackson sat on the adjacent seat before taking a sip of his own drink; "You're welcome."

April followed Jackson's lead and took a sip.

Jackson placed his cup on top of the table and stared at his wife; "I'm not going to Tulane" he blurted out.

April met Jackson's gaze; "You've always wanted to go there - what changed your mind?"

Jackson's gaze didn't waver; "You."

April felt her heart skip a beat; "M-me?"

"This is it, time to confess" Jackson thought. He placed his clasped hands on top of the table as he leaned forward; "I haven't been completely honest with you April and I want to come clean" he said seriously.

April put her drink back on the table, her hands mimicking Jackson's; "Go on."

"I know I haven't been a good husband to you; I've hurt you more than I made you happy mainly because I put my feelings first instead of considering yours. I neglected you and made you feel like shit and words can't express how I regret that" Jackson paused and hesitantly reached for April's hand, trapping it between his. "You were right, we were best of friends before we got married, a piece of paper shouldn't have changed that but I somehow I felt like it did. I can't make myself be honest to you because I'm scared so I took the coward's way out - I lied."

"Stop lying then" April said softly.

Jackson braced himself before continuing, he knew that his honesty can make or break them; "The truth is I felt trapped - I still married you even though I felt like we're jumping in too fast. I pushed all my doubts aside because and I knew that it was the right thing to do. I mean, you are my best friend April and if some guy knocked you up and didn't take responsibility I would've beat him to a bloody pulp."

"Oh Jackson..." April mumbled hoarsely, tears starting to well in her eyes.

"I pretended that everything is okay between us even though I knew it wasn't. I kept you at arm's length because I know that if I let you close enough you would be able to see through my facade and end up hating me" Jackson paused and tightened his hold on her hands. "I lied about Tulane because I already decided that I'm not going. I couldn't bring the topic up because we were both grieving and it didn't matter anymore because I already chose to stay. You were right when you said that Tulane was my dream but I didn't tell you that it's not everything to me."

April couldn't hold her tears back anymore, it fell on her cheeks.

"I knew I love you but I wasn't sure if I'm in love with you because we've been stuck under the friend zone category far too long. I know for a fact that my feelings have changed after San Francisco but I'm stupid enough not to recognize the signs - it took me awhile to figure things out but I eventually did. That night, before you left, I was about to tell you everything but you didn't give me the chance to" Jackson pulled his right hand away and began wiping April's tears. "I'm in love with you April, I always have been. I didn't give up my dream for you because somehow you became the dream I never knew I neither wanted nor hoped for."

April lifted her left hand and wrapped it on Jackson's wrist; "I'm sorry I left the way I did..."

Jackson shook his head; "I pushed you away, it's my fault - I should have been honest with you from the start, I should've talked to you instead of bottling it all in. You are my best friend; I should have told you what I'm feeling."

"It's not all you, I have my faults too. I shouldn't have forced you to marry so soon, we should've taken our time."

"We should have but I don't regret it and I realized that now" Jackson paused and swallowed thickly. "Do you?"

April sniffed; "I don't as well..."

Jackson let out the breath that he seems to be holding; "We still have a lot to settle between us and I know it will take time but I want us to try..."

"I want that too" April replied. She then pulled her hand away; "But I don't know how...I mean, you're in Seattle and I'm here..."

Jackson looked taken a back; "Y-you're not coming home with me?"

April licked her lips nervously; "I-I cannot do that Jackson - I already signed a contract here" she replied lamely.

"I can call my lawyer and ask him if there's any way around that - if it has a bond then I can-"

"Jackson" April interjected cutting him off.

"What?" Jackson asked.

April shifted on her seat; "I want to stay here. I need to be away from Seattle for a bit - I-I can't be there after everything that happened...I need space to breathe..."

"Oh" Jackson said in shock, pulling his hand away.

"But that doesn't mean I don't want to fix things between us, I very much want too, I just can't be there..."

Jackson felt a surge of irrational anger flare inside his chest; "How can that work when you're in another state? How can we start fixing things when it seems like you don't even want to try?"

April threw Jackson a look of disbelief; "Are you saying that I'm doing this on purpose? I just told you my reasons - you're being irrational."

"I'm not being irrational because what I'm saying is the truth, you don't want to go back with me because you're still angry with our situation - with me."

April opened her mouth to speak but snapped it shut when words evade her; a feeling of disappointment weighing heavily inside her stomach. "Things haven't changed. He's still being selfish - he's still making this all about him when it's clearly not. What happened to putting my feelings first instead of his?" she thought. She pushed away from the table and stood up; "You know what, I don't want to fight with you - I'm just so tired."

Jackson also stood up; "I'm not instigating a fight, I'm here to compromise"

April couldn't hold it back anymore; "Compromise? Are you kidding me? Did you hear what you just said? You're ordering me back to Seattle, that's far from compromising" she lashed out.

"I just told you I love you, isn't that enough reason for you to come home with me?" Jackson said desperately.

April felt tears pooling in her eyes again, this time with anger; she shook her head and grabbed her bag from her seat. "You think saying that you love me will cut it, don't you?"

Jackson fisted his hands; "No but I hoped it was enough."

"Love is not the question here because God knows I do but you also have to understand that I can't go back there yet. Not after everything I've been through - I need time to pick up the pieces and I can't do that there."

"You say you love me but you can't give this up for me."

April let out a sad smile; "Things have changed Jackson even if I wish it didn't. I would have gladly dropped everything for you last week but not now" she half whispered. "Not when you're acting like you did a couple of weeks back" she added in her mind.

Jackson leaned forward to reach for April's wrist, stopping her from walking away; "Please don't walk away from this - from us."

A tear fell from April's cheek as she places her hand on his; "I'm not walking away, I'm just asking for time - I hope you can give me that" she said almost pleadingly.

"H-how much time do you need?" Jackson asked.

"I don't know yet..."

"You want me to wait for you indefinitely?"

April nodded; "If you will..."

Jackson took a deep breath; "Can I think about it?"

"Yeah, I guess" April tightened her hold on her bag. "I need to go, I have to go back to the hospital..."

Jackson let his hand fall; "Okay."

"You will call me to let me know what you decide, right?" April asked as she shifted on her feet.

Jackson nodded; "Yeah, I will."

April moved towards Jackson and wrapped her arms around his waist; she rested her cheek on his chest and closed her eyes. "My refusal to go with you doesn't mean I'm not willing to work things out. I love you and I want to be with you - just not in Seattle."

Jackson pushed his disappointment at the back burner and hugged April back; he buried his face in her curls and sighed again. "I understand and I love you too."

oOo

Two days later:

April felt her heart beat rise when she felt her phone vibrating inside her pocket; she hastily pulled it out and stared at it. When she saw Jackson's name flashing on the screen, she felt a smile tug on her lips before tapping on the answer button. "Hey..."

"I'm at the airport - my flight leaves in 5 minutes"

April felt her heart drop to her stomach as the smile fell from her lips; "Y-you're leaving?" she asked shakily.

"I have to April, I have a job to get back to" Jackson replied.

April walked towards the fire exit and stepped out; "Y—you've already decided then?"

"I haven't decided anything yet..."

April let out a bitter laugh; "You leaving without even seeing me is enough proof that you've already decided."

"Don't be like that, I just really need to go back."

"You know what, just go back."

"April-"

"Goodbye Jackson, have a safe flight" April said before ending the call. She leaned back on the wall and slid down to the floor; she gathered her knees to her chest and hugged it.

oOo

"Damn it to hell!" Jackson cursed as he pulled the phone away. He cursed again when he heard his flight being called again; he grabbed his duffel bag from the floor and hastily walked towards the boarding gate.

End of Flashback

oOo

"That was a douche move man" Alex said with a frown.

Jackson covered his face with his hands and rubbed it furiously.

Mark let out a defeated sigh; "I give up - you're hopeless" he said. He then stood up from his perch; "Come on Karev, time to go."

Jackson's hand fell on his lap; "That's it? You're not going to rip me off for being a world class asshole?"

"No."

Alex threw Mark a confused look; "That's new" he said as he stood up.

"Why?" Jackson asked, clearly disgruntled.

"I've already exhausted all the words of wisdom I have for you but none of it seems to get through your thick skull. You already had your chance to make everything right, you were on the right track but you boggled it up again. Second chances are only given to those who deserve it and even though it pains me to say it - you don't" Mark said bluntly.

Jackson sobered up upon hearing the truth in Mark's words; he opened his mouth to speak but snapped it close when he realized that there's nothing left to say.

Mark took the silence as a cue to leave; "Be at the hospital tomorrow and make sure to be on time, I'll give you hell if you don't" he said before walking away.

Alex trailed behind Mark but paused when he reached the door; "You messed up big time but that doesn't mean you can't redeem yourself. Everybody deserves a second chance man, even a self confessed asshole do too. If you really love her as much as you claim then you'll try your hardest to understand where she's coming from and learn to accept her decision. Long distance relationship is hard but it doesn't mean it's not worth it nor works."

Jackson turned his face towards Alex; "Thanks man"

"See you at the hospital tomorrow" Alex said before closing the door.

oOo

Present time:

Jackson stirred from his sleep; he swallowed thickly before slowly opening his eyes.

"You're awake."

Jackson turned his head to the side when he heard a familiar voice; "Hey" he croaked.

Mara moved towards the bed side and stood; "How are you feeling?"

Jackson swallowed again; "Better than a couple of hours ago, I guess"

"Do you want water?" Mara asked.

"Yeah, thanks."

Mara padded towards the side table and grabbed a bottled water; she opened it and stuck a straw inside. She then walked back towards the bed and angled the straw towards Jackson's lips; "Drink slowly" she instructed.

Jackson took a sip and almost instantly he felt relief; after a moment, he pulled away. "T-thanks" he said.

"Are you done?" Mara asked.

"Yeah"

Mara perched herself on the side of bed and stared at Jackson; "You gave us quite a scare there"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to" Jackson replied.

Mara rested the bottle on her knee, her brow raised; "Care to tell me why you're speeding along I-5 like the devil is on your heels? Where are you off to?"

Jackson came to know the look on Mara's face and he knew she would pester him until he tells her; "I'm on my way to the airport, I'm late for my flight" he admitted.

"To where?"

Jackson cleared his throat; "Err - to Virginia."

Mara blinked a couple of times, clearly confused; "Why are you going there? Is it for a conference or something?"

"It's not for work, I was planning on seeing April."

Mara stared at Jackson for a couple of seconds before a smile curled on her lips; "Well, what do you know!" she giggled.

"Yeah..." Jackson replied, his cheeks flushing.

"The purpose of your trip is not in vain because your wife is here"

Jackson fought the urge to smile but it was futile; "I know" he replied. "And I fainted"

Mara chuckled; "Oh my!"

Jackson scowled; "It's not funny Keaton, its humiliating!"

Mara shrugged her shoulders; "It is and you know it" she said with a smile.

Jackson sighed; "The meds hasn't worn off fully when she got here, I guess."

"You were dozed up with Vicodine, there's no way you could've fought that - it's a losing battle."

"Tell me about it."

Mara shifted on her seat; "We met a couple of hours ago, you know."

"What happened? Did she say anything to you? Did you say anything to her?" Jackson asked anxiously.

"If you're asking if there has been a scandalous altercation the answer is no, although by the looks of both Grey and Yang that's what their expecting" Mara said thoughtfully. "She was - pleasant and cordial, two things I didn't expect from her."

Jackson let out a sigh of relief; "That's good" he replied. "And besides, I'm not worried about a cat fight, April is not the type and your posh British upbringing will hold you back."

Mara narrowed her eyes; "Posh British upbringing? If you're not currently lying there beaten and battered I would have whooped your bloody arse"

"Bloody arse? I rest my case" Jackson teased.

"Argh! I can't believe people here are thinking that I'm sleeping with you! You're bloody annoying!"

"Hey! People here think I'm hot" Jackson protested.

"Hot? More like a wanker" Mara quipped.

"Did someone say wank? He's not allowed to wank yet because he's still prohibited from doing any strenuous activity - that includes self gratification"

Both Mara and Jackson turned towards the door and saw Mark standing by the doorframe; "Talk about rotten timing" the latter muttered.

Mark pulled away from his perch and made his way towards the bed; "Did I interrupt something? You're talking about wanking..." he said suggestively.

Mara shot up from the bed, her cheeks flushing; "I-I have a consult" she said as she deposits the water bottle on top of the overbed, leaving in a haste.

"Why is she in a hurry?"

"You're really asking me that?" Jackson asked sarcastically.

"You seem fine, your sarcasm is back" Mark said thoughtfully.

Jackson rolled his eyes; "Whatever" he mumbled.

Mark stuffed his hands inside his labcoat pockets; "I hope you're not planning on screwing Keaton because your wife is here."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not with Mara?" Jackson growled.

"I used to believe you but after hearing wanking? I'm not so sure."

Jackson huffed irritably; "You didn't even hear the whole conversation!"

Mark smirked; "What were you discussing that involves wanking then?"

"It's not wanking – it's wanker. It's a British slur, means I'm being stupid or something"

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh" Jackson said. He then shifted on his bed; "What are you doing here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be going home or something?" he asked.

"I was actually on my way out but I decided to check on you" Mark said. "Speaking of home, I gave your apartment keys to April."

Jackson furrowed his brows; "She took it?"

"Yep but I think it's only for safe keeping, she's crashing with the Shepherds - Mer and Derek adopted her while she's here."

"S—she's staying?"

Mark nodded; "Yeah" he replied. "Do you want her gone?"

Jackson shook his head; "Of course not! I'd tie her to a chair if I'll have my way with her"

"I didn't know you're into bondage and all that kinky shit" Mark teased.

Jackson stared at the ceiling, clearly exasperated with his mentor's antics.

Mark shifted closer to the bed and sat by the footboard; "There's one thing that's bothering me..."

Jackson moved his gaze back to Mark; "What?"

Mark folded his hands on top of his chest; "Why were you speeding along I-5 like a maniac? I mean, your apartment is just around the corner and I don't recall any errands that may took you away from the hospital - what gives?" he asked.

"Why did I surround myself with nosy people, again?" Jackson thought. He then moved his hands and placed it on his stomach; "I was late for my flight."

Mark furrowed his brows; "You're flying somewhere in the middle of a work week? Where are you heading? Boston?"

"Virginia."

Mark's eyes almost bulged out of its sockets; "You're going to see April!" he said loudly.

"There's no need to shout, I'm not deaf!" Jackson snapped.

"Sorry!" Mark mumbled. He then scooted closer to Jackson, his face full of curiosity; "Were you planning on grovelling on your knees to ask for her forgiveness? To tell her that you've been such a wanker and you should've come sooner?" he asked excitedly.

"That was the plan" Jackson admitted. He then gestured towards himself; "But as you can see, I didn't make it."

Mark grinned widely; "You weren't able to fly out there but you got her to come here."

Jackson fought the urge to grin back; "Yeah"

Mark studied Jackson's face; "Do you have a plan?"

"I just woke up from a drug induced coma, do I look like I had the chance to plot?"

Mark began thrumming his fingers on top of his knees, clearly in deep thought.

"You're scheming - I can see the wheels turning inside your head" Jackson said accusingly.

"What do you know about Selective Amnesia?"

Jackson frowned; "Is this some kind of a test? Are you checking if my mental faculties are intact? I assure you Derek already cleared me for-"

"It's not a test - just answer the damn question" Mark said, cutting Jackson off.

Jackson pursed his lips; "Not all memories are affected- just selected few" he answered grudgingly.

"I think you'll do well in the cuckoo's nest if I didn't take pity on you during your residency" Mark mused.

"Is this career-pathing now?"

Mark rolled his eyes; "Is your dear wife present when Derek told you that your head is fine?"

"No, she came in when I was convincing Derek to remove my damn catheter" Jackson replied.

Mark wrinkled his nose as his eyes travelled to the side; "You have a catheter on?"

Jackson snapped his fingers; "You're getting off track again" he said. "You show signs of ADHD sometimes, I swear."

"I have an idea and I think it might help you in keeping your wife here without tying her to a chair"

Jackson threw Mark a suspicious look; "Is it illegal?"

Mark look affronted; "Do I look like someone who would do illegal stuff?"

"Sometimes"

Mark ignored Jackson's response; "You used to do modelling before you went to med school right? How are your acting skills?" he asked somewhat giddily.

Jackson's face turned sour; "Acting? What the hell are you talking about? I didn't act - I just posed for some magazine covers, it didn't require any of that" he then paused and narrowed his eyes. "Why are you bombarding me with stupid questions?"

"When you saw April for the first time, did you show signs that you recognize her?"

"Yeah-" Jackson paused, his eyes widening in disbelief when he realized what Mark was hinting. "You want me to pretend that I have amnesia?"

"I always knew you were smarter than you look" Mark complimented.

"You're fucking crazy!"

Mark lifted his right hand and began studying his nails; "It might be crazy but it's your only shot to keep her here so you can woo her back. And besides, Selective Amnesia can be transient, meaning it doesn't have to last for more than 1 month, that will buy you enough time to come up with something, don't you think?"

"That won't work because I already called her name before I fainted - she knows that I recognize her" Jackson replied.

Mark turned his gaze to Jackson; "What part about the word selective don't you understand? You just have to pretend not to remember only the last 5 years of your life. That will explain how you were able to recognize her but as your best friend and not as your wife. You get to have an extra month to know her, woo her and make her fall in love with you again."

Jackson stared at Mark, his expression is torn between averse and impressed. "But-that means I'll be lying to her - again and I don't want to do that..."

"Of all the times to grow morals, you choose now? Really?"

Jackson leaned back on his pillows and closed his eyes, clearly contemplating Mark's words.

Mark shifted on his perch; "If it helps, Hunt is planning on stepping down as Trauma's Department Head because he wants to concentrate on being Chief, he's thinking about offering Kepner the job."

Jackson's eyes snapped open; "He's planning on stepping down? Why wasn't I informed?"

"Err –- because you almost died and not to mention your Mom barred all other doctors from entering your room aside from herself, your wife, Webber, Derek and Callie"

"She did what?"

"She did - I think the straw that broke the camel's back is when she saw Keaton sleeping inside your room when she arrived. Mama Avery is out for her blood because she thinks your screwing her on the side while April is out in Virginia."

"But I'm not screwing her!"

"I know that but she doesn't" Mark replied.

"What a freaking mess this is" Jackson groaned.

"Does my idea sound appealing to you now?" Mark asked with smirk.

"I'll think about it."

Mark thumped his hands on his thighs before standing up; "Good, that's all I ask. I'm heading off, I still need to fetch Lexie, I'm driving her home since Mer already left and Derek is staying overnight."

"Why did Mer go home?"

"She took April home because your wife looks dead to her feet" Mark said. "Based from Lexie, she came here straight from the airport after catching a red-eye flight, so she's tired."

Jackson smiled; "Looks like she still cares for me..." he mumbled.

"The more reason why you should think about my proposition - this might be the second chance you missed before" Matk said while walking towards the door. "Good night Avery, see you tomorrow"

"Night" Jackson called out. When Mark disappeared from his view, he leaned back on his pillow and mulled over Mark's suggestion. He raised his left hand and stared at the platinum band on his ring finger; would pretending not to remember everything that happened help or will it cause more problems? Can I lie to her again after what I put her through? White lie is still a lie after all.

oOo

Seattle, WA: 5 years ago

Flashback: Six months after April left

"Jackson! Are you even listening to me?"

Jackson pinched his nose bridge and closed his eyes; "It's hard not to listen to you when you're shouting Mom."

Catherine leaned back on her chair; "Is there a plan? I mean it's been half a year since your wife left, don't tell me you haven't figure out a plan to get her back?"

Jackson opened his eyes and stared at Catherine directly; "In case you have forgotten, I already tried that 6 months ago but she didn't want to come home with me."

"Of course she won't come home with you, you're lucky she didn't kick you in the balls when you pulled that bastard-y move on her" Catherine huffed. "I still can't believe you just walked in there, tell her you love her and expect her to drop everything for you and come home."

"I didn't know what to expect but it's clearly not rejection" Jackson mumbled.

Catherine sat straight and placed her clasped hands on top of the conference table; "Didn't she tell you that she's willing to work things out but she needed time? That doesn't sound like rejection to me baby."

"But she refused to come home with me, I told her I love her - you know I just don't throw words like that..."

Catherine raised her brow; "You're right but when you did, you made sure to throw it right at her face" she said as lifted her clasped hand and rested her chin on top of it. "And then you had the audacity to leave without even saying goodbye personally - a phone call? I thought you better than that."

"Sloan and his big mouth!" Jackson thought. He shifted on his perch; "I was licking my wounds, what did you expect?"

Catherine rolled her eyes; "And now you're comparing yourself to a dog"

Jackson had heard enough so he stood up; he began gathering the papers on the table and began stacking them together. "I can't do this now, I still have to go help with the storm prep."

"Fine but don't think this conversation is finished."

"As if you'll let me forget" Jackson mumbled.

oOo

Owen took his place on the stairs and stood right in front of his colleagues; "As you all know, there's a storm coming and this will bring in a lot of casualties. We're gonna need to make room for them, so let's discharge all patients that can be discharged. Post ops and long term patients are gonna be transferred to Seattle Pres further inland. We're gonna bring in supplementals; water food, meds, lighting and we're gonna be checking and refuelling the backup generators. As for you surgeons, push, postpone or cancel all elective procedures until after the storm. If you have any questions, please feel free to approach me-that will be all, thanks" he said before stepping down.

"It's already finish? What did I miss?" Jackson asked as he sidled up next to Meredith.

"It is, he didn't say much, he just repeated what we already know" Meredith explained. "And oh, all elective surgeries will be cancelled."

"Makes sense" Jackson replied.

Meredith placed her hand on her protruding belly and began rubbing; "Anyway, have you seen Lexie? I've been looking for her but I can't seem to find her."

"Did you try Sloan? They're always together."

"I'll go find them now" Meredith said before spinning on her heels and walking away.

"Slow down!" Jackson yelled out.

Meredith waved her hand dismissively; "I'm pregnant, not disabled!" she yelled back.

Jackson shook his head and went the other way.

oOo

"Make sure that's covered and make sure we have plenty of those" Owen said while pointing towards the sand bags.

"Storm prepping I see"

Owen did a double take, his eyes widening in surprise; "Kepner?"

April smiled; "Surprised?" she said as she stopped right in front of her former mentor.

Owen can't help but smile back; "I am" he said as pulls the red head into a bear hug.

April patted Owens' back before pulling away; "That's a lot of sand bags" she observed.

"We can never be too prepared" Owen replied. He then cocked his head to the side; "It's not that I'm not happy that your back but what are you doing here in the middle of an incoming storm?"

"I actually didn't know that there's a storm coming I just found out when my plane landed at Sea-Tac."

"You didn't see it in TV?"

April looked sheepish; "Believe it or not, I haven't gotten the chance to watch T.V. these days..."

"FRTC, running you ragged?" Owen teased.

April chuckled; "You have no idea"

"What brings you back?" Owen asked.

April let out an embarrassed smile; "I'm actually here for Dr. Sloan" she replied. She then tapped the messenger bag resting on her hip; "We have a patient that has gone through a terrible car accident, her face is a total wreck - she needs to undergo a facial reconstruction and since Dr. Sloan is the best, my boss sent me here to convince him to take the case."

Owen cracked a smile; "Don't let him hear you say that, his head is already big enough to fill this place."

April laughed.

Loud sirens fill the air as an ambulance zoomed past the two surgeons. Owen threw April a look before jogging towards the ambulance bay; "I can't believe we already have a casualty this early"

"People can be stubborn as hell" April replied as she trails behind Owen.

"Those words cannot be truer" Owen said. "What do we have here?"

"39 year old construction worker, wind blew him off the building, fell four stories to impale himself on 3 bars of standing rebar" The EMT said as he pulls the patient's gurney.

April leaned forward and winced upon seeing her patient's condition.

"Minimal blood loss on the scene, maintaining airway" The EMT reported.

"Okay" Owen replied. He then turned his gaze towards the E.R's entrance and saw one of the residents stepping out; "Murphy! Come over here!" he called out.

Leah turned towards the voice and began running towards Owen; "Yes, Chief?"

Owen pointed towards the patient; "Bring him to Trauma Room 1 and page Dr. Randall"

"Dr. Randall is not here" Leah replied.

Owen furrowed his brows; "What do you mean? He's supposed to be here by 7" he paused and checked his watch. "It's already 8:30"

"He called the pit a couple of minutes ago, he won't be in today - something about not being able to make it due to flooding, that's the reason why I actually came out here."

"Crap! We can't be short staffed today, especially in Trauma" Owen said exasperatedly.

April cleared her throat loudly; "If you need extra hands I can help"

Owen turned towards April, a hopeful look painted on his face; "Really?"

"I wouldn't have volunteered if I'm not up to it and besides, it's not as if I have anything better to do than to woo Mark Sloan for my case - we all know surgery trumps that."

Owen let out a sigh of relief; "You're an angel" he breathed out. "You want to start with this patient then?"

"I thought you wouldn't ask" April said giddily.

"Thank you" Owen said. He then turned towards Leah; "Extend Dr. Kep-Avery privileges and you can scrub in with her after."

Leah perked up; "I'll go ahead and do that."

Owen turned his gaze back to April, a smile playing on his lips; "Welcome back soldier, I'll check on you later" he said.

April mock saluted; "Yes Chief"

Owen chuckled even before he was able to stop himself.

oOo

"I will castrate that stupid man if I find out that he's lying" Meredith hissed.

"I can't believe he did this! Of all the stupid things to do, he chose this!" Cristina said.

Meredith sighed; "He's head over heels with that woman and I for one don't understand why."

Cristina pursed her lips; "Stupid evil spawn" she mumbled. She then turned her gaze towards the E.R. door when it opened; "Well that's early, I wonder-" she paused, her eyes narrowing. "Is that Kepner?"

Meredith followed the other surgeon's gaze, her eyes widening in disbelief; "It is-wait, what is she doing here?"

"I don't know but it looks like she will be working on that patient."

"We have to find out"

oOo

"You boys ready for our surgery?" Arizona asked as she enters the scrub room.

Mark turned his face towards Arizona and smiled; "We are, the question is are you?"

Arizona walked towards the sink and switched on the faucet; "You better make my kid look good or I'll strangle you two" she playfully warned.

"You'll never even notice that kid went into facial reconstruction after we're done" Mark said confidently. He then turned his gaze towards his prot; "Right?"

Jackson turned his head sideways and smiled at Arizona; "Right"

Arizona chuckled at her friend's cheekiness.

oOo

April is washing her hands when the door to the scrub room opened.

"I can't believe it - it's really you"

April turned towards the voice; "Callie!" she beamed.

Callie walked towards April and pulled her into a side hug; "I thought Murphy was shitting me when she told me that I'll be scrubbing in with you"

April laughed; "Believe me, when I arrived this morning doing surgery is far from my list"

Callie fell into step with April and started washing her hands; "Why are you doing this then?" she asked curiously.

"You guys are short staffed; the Trauma Attending on duty today can't make it due to flooding. Chief Hunt looked stressed out with the storm prep so I volunteered to take this off his hands - I got him to extend me some privileges"

"Privileges? Are you kidding me? Your husband owns half of this hospital, you can come here anytime and do as you please."

April grimaced; "Err-"

Callie realized her blunder; she turned her face towards the red head and threw her an apologetic look. "Sorry."

April shook her head; "It's okay."

"Oh my god, it's really you"

Callie and April both turned towards the door and saw Meredith; "Meredith!" the latter squeaked.

"You just got back and you're already scrubbing in for surgery? Not even a Hi or Hello?" Meredith said with an incredulous tone.

April giggled; "I'm sorry, I got side tracked with this patient - I want to hug you but I just finished scrubbing so that will have to wait" she said. Her eyes then lowered towards the other surgeon's tummy; "Oh my god, you're already showing!"

Meredith laughed; "I should be, I'm close to my due date."

April's lips curled into a smile even though her eyes shows a glint of sadness; "Are you excited?"

"Yeah, I guess I am" Meredith said carefully.

Callie felt the shift in April's demeanour so she decided to change the topic; she clapped her hands loudly to get attention. "Enough with the chitchat, we have all night to do that - why don't we assess the damage on our human Shiska bob."

April turned her eyes towards Callie; "Shiska bob?"

"Murphy's words, not mine" Callie quipped.

Meredith grinned; "He did manage to skewer himself with bars, the name fits him."

April shook her head with amusement; "Some things will never change."

"Damn right it won't" Meredith said.

oOo

"There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Owen turned around and saw Catherine making a bee line towards him; "Dr. Avery, is there anything I can help you with?" he asked politely.

"Is it true? Is my daughter in law here? I heard from some of your residents that she arrived and she's in surgery" Catherine said, her eyes gleaming with something akin to mischief.

"She is, she arrived this morning to talk with Dr. Sloan for a case but when she heard that we're short-handed at the pit, she volunteered her services so I extended her some privileges - I believe she's in O.R. 3 right now."

"The mountain came to Muhammad after all" Catherine said with smirk.

Owen scratched the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable with the topic; "Err - is there anything else? I need to go back to-"

"It's alright, you can go" Catherine said dismissively. "That's all I need to know, thank you."

Owen nodded; "Okay."

oOo

"So everything is quite intact however that won't be the case once we pull the bars off" Meredith said while eyeing their patient.

April cocked her head to the side while studying the bars; "We need to cut it as close to the body as possible so it won't cause more damage when we pull it out" she said. She then shifted her gaze towards her intern; "Try the cutter Murphy" she ordered.

"I don't think that'll do the trick" Callie said while staring at the cutter.

Leah stepped beside the O.R. table and tried her luck; after a couple of seconds, she pulled the cutter away. "This won't do the trick"

Meredith heard the patient speak lowly so she leaned forward; she listened to his instructions before shifting her eyes to Leah. She repeated the exact information Leon told her and met Leah's gaze; "Understand?"

Leah nodded before hastily walking towards the door.

"Don't walk Murphy, run!" Callie said.

oOo

"I'm so glad you can make it, we needed some extra hands. Thank you" Owen said.

Ben pushed on the elevator button before turning towards Owen; "Don't mention it. I have nothing to do at home anyway, my wife is here and Tuck is with his Dad" he replied.

Owen gestured towards the elevator and waited for Ben to step in first before following; when he spun around he saw one of his residents walking briskly with the maintenance crew who's carrying a cutter. He furrowed his brows and placed his hand on the door frame; "Murphy what are you doing?"

Leah halted her steps and turned towards Owen; "Dr. Avery needed something to cut the bars and this is the only one who can do the trick" she explained.

"Oh, okay, go" Owen said.

Leah nodded and resumed her pace.

Owen turned around to face Ben when the door closed behind them; he furrowed his brows while in thought.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ben asked.

"Crap!" Owen cussed as he began punching on the elevator buttons.

oOo

Mark and Jackson was just stepping out of the elevator when Lexie saw them; "There you are! I've been waiting for you two to finish up!"

Jackson turned his face towards his mentor; "Do you want me to talk to the parents?"

Mark nodded; "Yeah, go ahead."

Lexie stopped right in front of the pair, her eyes fixed on Jackson; "You're not going anywhere, there's something you need to know."

Jackson raised his brow; "What?"

"April is here - she's in surgery trying to un-skewer a human Shiska bob."

Jackson's mouth turned agape as his eyes widen in shock.

"Are you sure that it's her?" Mark asked.

Lexie turned her eyes towards Mark; "At first I wasn't sure because it's all hearsay but Mer confirmed it, she was supposed to do the surgery with her but Hunt kicked her out."

Mark threw Lexie a confused look; "Hunt threw her out? Why in the world would he do that?"

"Because my sister is pregnant and it's dangerous to be there"

Jackson snapped out of his trance when he heard the word dangerous; "Why is it dangerous?" he asked, his brows furrowing.

Lexie shifted on her feet; "According from Mer, the bars that skewered the patient cannot be snipped by a regular cutter so they had to use a power tool to do that. O.R 3's floor is where the main oxygen line is, if the spark from grinding metal gets in contact with it - it might cause an explosion."

"And they still proceeded with the surgery?" Jackson asked through gritted teeth.

"What the hell is Hunt thinking? Are they manually ventilating the patient? Because I'm sure as hell that they cannot use the ventilator, it's too risky" Mark hissed.

Lexie cringed; "Warren is manually ventilating the patient while Chief Hunt and April cuts the metal."

Jackson cursed loudly before storming towards the fire exit, not bothering to wait for the elevator.

oOo

"That was a close call" April said as she took off her cap.

Callie chuckled; "I know - if Hunt and Warren didn't reach us in time, we might've blown up the entire surgical floor" she paused and bumped her shoulder with April's. "Then we could say that you came back with a bang - literally."

April threw the other surgeon a horrified look.

"I was just joking geez, lighten up"

April shook her head; "Mer is beyond pissed with Hunt" she said, changing the topic.

Callie stretched her arms upwards; "She'll get over it once she realizes that Hunt is just looking after her."

"Yeah - let's hope."

"Do you want to grab something to eat? I'm quite famished after that surgery"

As if on cue, April's stomach grumbled loudly, making her cheeks flush in embarrassment.

Callie laughed as she steps inside the elevator; "I think that answers my question"

April punched on the floor button before standing beside Callie; "Yeah"

oOo

Jackson burst out from the fire exit and made a bee line towards the surgical wing; he turned on the corner and almost collided with someone. "Shit!"

"What in the world - Jackson?"

Jackson caught his footing before lifting his gaze; "Mom? What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing, why are you running along the hallway like a raging lunatic?"

"I need to find April - the surgery is too dangerous, the room might explode, I need to pull her out" Jackson panted.

Catherine furrowed her brows; "What are you talking about? I just came from O.R. 3 and everything is intact and not to mention empty - I think they were finished when I got here."

Jackson braced his hands on his knees as he let out a relieved sigh.

Catherine took note of Jackson's agitation and smirked; "You were worried."

Jackson's eyes snapped up; "Of course I'm worried! Are you crazy?"

Catherine's smirk widens; "You came to rescue her, isn't that sweet" she teased.

Jackson stood straight and scowled; "I'm not doing this with you" he said before turning on his heels and walking towards the direction he came from.

"Make sure you don't shout at her once you see her!" Catherine chimed.

"Whatever Mom!" Jackson yelled back.

oOo

"This is so good" April hummed in approval.

Callie threw April an amused look; "Don't you have club sandwiches in Virginia?"

"Not as good as this one" April replied before taking another huge bite.

Callie shook her head as she dipped her fry in ketchup; "You're only saying that because you miss this place"

"That too"

Callie just popped the fry in her mouth when someone caught her eyes; "There's your man" she said while gesturing towards the door. She then lifted her hand and waved; "Mark! Over here!" she called out loudly.

Mark's head instantly turned towards their direction, his eyes widening when it settled on the red head sitting beside his best friend. He didn't waste any more time, he jogged towards their table, an excited smile curling on his lips.

April swallowed her food and grabbed her soda; she took a large gulp before wiping her lips with a napkin.

"No shit, it's really you" Mark said.

"No shit, it's really me" April quipped.

Mark blinked a couple times before letting out a fully belly laugh.

April smirked; "How have you been?"

Mark pulled a chair beside Callie and plopped down; "As you can see, still handsome as ever" he replied cheekily.

Callie snorted; "More like conceited"

Mark reached for Callie's arm and pinched it; "I heard that Torres"

Callie swatted Mark's hand away.

Mark placed his hands on the table as he fixed his attention to April; "Are you back for good?"

April shook her head; "Nope, I was actually sent here for you"

Mark looked surprise; "Me? Why?"

"Because you're the best Plastic Surgeon in the country" April said in a-matter-of-factly-way.

Mark grinned; "That's why I really like you Kepner, you always speak the truth."

"Or maybe she's just sucking up to you because she needs your help" Callie chimed.

April giggled.

Mark ignored Callie's jab; "What do you have for me?" he asked excitedly.

"It's for a facial reconstruction surgery for our patient who got into a terrible car accident. I brought all the information with me but I left it in the Attendings' Lounge because I had to scrub into surgery –- I can go get it now if you want."

"If I do the surgery, do I have to fly to Virginia or will you be sending the patient here?" Mark asked.

"It actually depends on your preference; you can do it here but if you decide to fly over there - we'll be covering all your expenses" April explained.

Callie whistled appreciatively; "Dang Mark, you get an all expense paid trip to Virginia, I say grab it."

Mark leaned back on his chair; "If I decided to do the surgery, am I allowed to bring someone to assist me?"

April already expected this question; "Yes, you have free reign on this surgery, you can bring whomever you want to bring."

Callie turned her gaze towards April; "Err - you do know that he'll choose Avery, right?"

April sucked in breath but kept her composure; "Yes, I'm aware" she replied. "Don't want to break the Plastic Posses after all."

"And you're alright with that?" Mark asked with a raised brow.

"As long as it helps Martha live a normal life - I'm fine with that" April replied.

Mark stared at April for a couple of seconds before nodding; "Okay, I'll do it. Bring me the files and scans so I can start formulating a game plan" he said as he stole a fry from Callie's plate.

April beamed; "Thank you"

Mark pointed the fry at April; "Tell your boss I'm only doing this because he sent you, if it were someone else, it would've taken me weeks to decide."

"I knew you always held a soft spot for me" April teased.

Mark grinned; "Only because you had the balls to threaten me with a sexual harassment complaint" he replied before popping the fry inside his mouth. "You're the first, which makes you special."

Callie grimaced with Mark's twisted logic as April burst out giggling.

oOo

It was near dusk when the storm started surging and the hospital is in utter chaos. All the Attendings' are scrubbing in and out of surgeries and it doesn't help that they are short staffed. Jackson has been trying to locate April for hours but luck was not on his side; he already searched the entire facility but for some unfathomable reason he can't find her.

"A couple of people are asking for blankets" Leah said as she approaches Jackson.

"One blanket per person, that's it" Jackson replied. He then turned towards the board and began updating it; he was half way done when he heard a loud crashing sound coming from the outside.

"Oh my gosh!" Leah gasped.

Jackson turned around just in time to witness a bus toppling over; "Shit!" he cussed.

"Move people!" Owen shouted.

oOo

"Where's Cristina?" Meredith asked groggily.

Derek stopped cooing at the baby boy in his arms and shifted his gaze to his wife; "She's doing a heart surgery with Webber" he replied.

Meredith scrunched her face; "She's performing a heart surgery in the middle of the storm?" she asked.

"The patient is a casualty from the storm" Derek explained.

"I see-where's Lexie?" Meredith asked.

"She's at the pit with Mark, they're helping out"

Meredith sighed; "Is everything alright down there?"

Derek moved closer to the bed and sat down; "Everything is okay, don't worry about it"

Meredith shifted in her bed and closed her eyes; "I'm tired..."

Derek chuckled; "You just gave birth to our baby boy, of course you're tired"

"Does Mark know you named our son after Bailey?"

"No and I know I won't hear the end of it."

Meredith chuckled.

oOo

Jackson was standing under the pouring rain when he heard April's familiar voice; he squinted his eyes and began searching for her. It only took him a second to see her standing beside Owen, barking orders left and right.

"I smell gas - it's coming from somewhere here" April yelled as she surveyed the scene before her.

"There's a fuel leak somewhere" Owen said. "We have to hurry."

Jackson threw all the caution to the wind and began jogging towards her; "April" he called out.

April turned around and saw her husband standing a couple feet away from her; "Jackson"

"You're really here" Jackson mumbled.

April let out a small smile; "Yeah I'm helping out"

"We have to set up an emergency triage and take all the Med's out" Owen said. He then turned towards his side and saw Miranda hovering beside Leah; "Bailey, can you set it up?"

"I'm on it" Miranda nodded.

"We gotta move everyone out - this thing's gonna blow!" Callie yelled as she straps a patient on a gurney.

"Avery! I hate to break this mini reunion but you need to start moving, you too Kepner!" Mark barked as he guides another patient away from the scene.

"I gotta go help" Jackson said.

April nodded; "Yeah, go" she replied before taking over the gurney that Callie is pulling.

Jackson jogged towards the bus and began peering inside; "I've got one more but I think she's stuck inside" he said before climbing up the wreckage.

Owen followed Jackson and slid inside; he navigated towards the other surgeon and saw a woman stuck under a bus seat.

"I'm gonna try to lift this thing, you pull her out" Jackson said.

Owen bend forward; "On the count of three, okay?"

Jackson secured his hands on the broken piece of metal; "1—2-3" he said before lifting it with all his might.

Owen pulled the patient out successfully; "She's out"

Jackson slowly lowered the seat back and let out a sigh of relief.

"I can't feel my legs, I don't think I can walk"

Jackson started looking around for a much closer exit but couldn't find any; he tilted his head and saw a glass window just above the patient. He threw Owen a look before bending down and grabbing himself a steel bar; "Ma'am I'm gonna need you to cover your eyes okay?" he said.

Owen pulled the patient to his chest and covered her frail form with his body; he nodded at Jackson before lowering his head.

Jackson jabbed the steel towards the glass and it easily gave away; he made sure that all of the glass shards are gone from the frame before turning his gaze back to Owen. "There"

"Move fast, this thing is a ticking time bomb" Owen said as he helped the patient up the window.

"My baby-I need to find my baby" The patient cried.

Jackson climbed out of the busted window; "You have a kid?"

"Yes - a little girl"

Owen gently laid the patient on a gurney and began strapping her; "Kepner, take her" he instructed.

April run towards Owen and began tugging it away; "Ma'am, please calm down - I'm sure your baby is already in there, we'll find her."

Owen turned his head to the side when he smelled something burning; his eyes widen when saw flames starting up. "We gotta get out of here, there's an open flame" he said while pushing on the gurney.

April didn't stop her movements; "Where's Jackson?"

"He's right behind us" Owen replied.

April moved her eyes behind them but saw no one; "He's not"

Mark heard the conversation so he stood up from his perch and began looking for his prot; "I don't see him anywhere"

"He was right behind us" Owen replied.

April stopped in her tracks and let the gurney zoom past her; she turned towards the burning bus and felt her heart drop to her stomach. "I-I need to find him"

"Is that Jackson?" Callie yelled while pointing towards the rear end of the burning vehicle.

"Avery! Come back here!" Owen shouted loudly.

April shifted her gaze to the direction that Callie is pointing at and felt dread surge inside her chest upon seeing his crouched form, trying to pull something out of the bus.

"Avery!" Callie called out again.

April felt her feet moving even before she was able to think.

Lexie's eyes widen when she saw April walking towards the bus; "MARK! APRIL!" she yelled while pointing towards the red head.

Mark took 3 large steps to grab April by the waist even before she made it far; he pulled her back to his chest - just in time before the bus exploded.

April felt herself being thrown back with the impact of the explosion; it took her a couple of seconds to gather her bearings before she was able to stand up. Her eyes scanned the debris that was scattered everywhere and felt horror rush inside her chest; "Jackson!" she yelled as tears cloud her eyes. "Jackson!"

Mark hefted himself off the ground and placed his hands on April's shoulder, trying to calm her down.

April shrugged off Mark's hands and began shaking her head in denial; "Nooooooo! Noooooooo! You can't die!" she sobbed brokenly.

Mark shifted closer to April and pulled the distraught surgeon to his chest; he forcefully turned her away from the scene and wrapped her into a tight hug. "Calm down"

April shook her head as she began hitting Mark's back; "Noooooo! He can't die - Noooooo!" she whimpered.

Mark gritted his teeth to control his emotions; "Calm down...Shhhhhh" he whispered as he began soothing April's back.

"Is that Avery?" Owen suddenly said.

Mark switched his eyes back to the scene and saw someone emerging from the flames; he felt relief surge into his chest when he saw Jackson walking towards them, a little girl safely tucked into his arms. "Kepner..." he said softly.

April didn't seem to hear anything and just continued crying; "It's over-Jackson is gone..."

"April" Mark said a little louder.

April shook her head; "He's gone-he left me...Jackson's gone" she repeated hoarsely.

"He's alive and he's walking towards us" Mark said gently.

April pulled her face away from Mark's chest and tilted her tearstain face towards him; "W-what?" she asked shakily.

Mark slowly pulled away from April and turned her around to show her.

April felt a mixture of relief, love and anger swell inside her chest; she choked back a sob as she stares at her husband in shock.

Jackson walked past them without a word and made a bee line towards the gurney; he gently placed the little girl in her mother's waiting arms before wincing.

Mark noticed April's reaction so he took it upon himself to start steering her towards the hospital.

Lexie saw the blank look on April's face so she hastily walked towards her.

Mark threw Lexie a look before nodding subtly.

Lexie automatically pried April away from her Mak's arm and pulled her into a tight hug; "It's okay Apes-he's alive."

April buried her face into Lexie's neck as gut retching sobs escaped her lips.

Mark turned towards Jackson and saw his injuries; "Let's get you fixed" he said. He then threw Callie a look before he began ushering the other man towards the door.

"But April-" Jackson protested.

Mark shook his head; "Not now, give her time, she's in shock"

Callie began pushing Jackson towards the door; "Mark is right-give her time"

Jackson let out a defeated sigh; "Fine" he relented.

oOo

"That was heroic but idiotic" Mark said as he began dabbing ointment on Jackson's forehead.

Jackson winced; "I can't leave the kid behind"

"You should've asked for help instead of doing it alone" Callie said in a reprimanding tone.

"I didn't need to, I got it" Jackson replied.

Callie rolled her eyes as she turns toward the nurse; "Arm sling please" she instructed.

"I don't need an arm sling" Jackson said petulantly.

Callie grabbed the sling and turned towards Jackson; "Are you an Orthopedic Surgeon?"

"No" Jackson replied.

"Shut up then"

Jackson was about to respond but wasn't able to do so when April came barrelling towards him; hitting him on the chest and shouting at him hysterically.

"You could've died! I could've lost you!" April shouted.

Mark rolled his eyes and shifted behind the tiny red head; he wrapped his arms around her waist and yanked her away. "Stop beating the man for goodness sake, he's injured"

April ignored Mark's words and stared at Jackson with a combination of fear and anger; "You could've died! What were you thinking?"

Jackson understood where April coming from so he tried his best to re-assure her; "I'm okay-I didn't die - I'm still here.

"I think you should take a walk Kepner, try to cool it down a bit" Callie suggested.

April glared at Jackson for a moment before wriggling out of Mark's arms; she spun on her heels and stormed away.

Mark placed his hands on his hips and stared at Jackson; "See what I mean when I said idiotic?" he said before turning on his heel and following April.

Jackson saw the look on Callie's face so he let out a defeated sigh; "I was not thinking-I know, stop beating the dead horse"

Callie shook her head before gently lifting his arm to his chest; "Hold it there for a second" she instructed. She then adjusted the strap on sling before shifting her eyes to Jackson; "She ran after you, you know?"

Jackson bowed his head and stared at his lap.

Callie gently guided Jackson's arm inside the sling; "If Mark wasn't able to grab her in time, she might've been hurt"

"I did the right thing Callie-I couldn't let that little girl die"

Callie secured the sling before meeting Jackson's eyes; "I know. Give her some time to digest it, she'll come around" she said. She then took a step back and smiled; "Stay here for a couple of hours, you're not allowed to move"

"But-"

"No buts!" Callie called out.

oOo

"Kepner!"

April halted in her steps and spun around; "What?"

Mark jogged towards the red head and stopped right in front of her; "You okay?"

April wiped her cheeks angrily; "I'm fine" she said while averting her eyes.

"What he did was idiotic because he could've died; I'm on your side with that. However you couldn't dismiss the fact that he saved a little girl's life. He's a doctor, his doctor instincts kicked in at the moment that's why he didn't think of himself-cut him some slack, he didn't mean to scare you" Mark said seriously.

April wiped her cheeks again before meeting Mark's gaze; "I know that-it's just-" she trailed off.

Mark let out a small comforting smile; "You don't have to explain anything to me because I know exactly what you felt, plane crash victim, remember?"

April let out a deep sigh before nodding.

"Callie is right, take a walk to calm down or stay in the Attendings' Lounge. Talk to him once you're ready, I'm sure he wants to see you"

"Okay"

"Good girl"

oOo

Catherine was washing her hands when the door to the dark scrub room opened; she turned her face sideways and saw Richard. "Do you have another case?"

Richard stepped inside the room; "I need to tell you something but I promise you that everything is alright."

Catherine shook the excess water from her hands before grabbing a towel; "Just spit it out"

"There has been an accident downstairs, a bus toppled over right in front of the hospital and it exploded" he paused and shifted on his feet. "Your son has been injured but-"

"What happened to my baby boy? Is he alright?" Catherine asked frantically, panic seeping through her voice.

Richard quickly moved towards Catherine and braced his hands on her shoulder; "Everything is okay - Jackson's shoulder was dislocated when he pulled a little girl out of the bus. He had some bruises and superficial scrapes but he's fine."

"My baby boy-"

Richard squeezed Catherine's shoulder comfortingly; "Why don't you finish up here and then I'll take you to him, yeah?"

"O-okay"

Richard let his hands fall to his side; "I'll wait for you in the hallway then"

Catherine squared her shoulders and nodded; "Just give me a few minutes"

Richard nodded before exiting the room.

oOo

Jackson was resting his eyes when he heard the curtains open; "I'm good, no need for meds"

"Are you really alright?"

Jackson's eyes snapped open upon hearing the familiar voice; "A—april" he said before trying his best to sit up.

April yanked the curtain close and walked towards the foot of the bed; she stared at Jackson's injuries and felt a tightening feeling inside her chest. "I'm sorry"

Jackson stared at April confusedly; "Sorry for what?"

"For hitting you and shouting at you..."

Jackson let out a small smile; "I deserved it"

April shook her head; "You didn't-you saved a little girl's life, I was being stupid"

Jackson stared at April for a moment; "Come here"

April averted her eyes; "I can't"

Jackson furrowed his brows; "Why?"

"I just can't-I don't want to hurt you further"

"I'm really okay April, you won't hurt me" Jackson said.

April bit her bottom lip as tears pool in her eyes; she took a deep breath before meeting Jackson's eyes again. "I want you Jackson-I love you"

Jackson's eyes widen in shock, clearly not expecting this.

April started pacing; "When that bus exploded and I thought you were gone-" she paused and hugged herself.

"April I-"

April halted her steps and stood by the footboard; "I know you think that I don't want you because I didn't come back to Seattle to be with you but you have to understand that I had no choice. I can't be here because this place keeps reminding me all of the things that I've loved and lost - first Reed and Charles, our baby and then you-"

"But you didn't lose me April, I'm here - I've always been here" Jackson interjected.

"I know that but that's not the point! I-I need to give myself time to cope and this is not the right place to do that-"

Jackson was getting upset; "What about me? Did even stop for a second and think about me? You left me April - you packed your fucking bags and fled to another state without even telling me. I tried talking to you for weeks before that but you didn't give me the chance to explain my side. I followed you to Virginia to make things work between us but you denied me that chance - again!" he exploded.

April braced her hands on the footboard and bowed her head; she closed her eyes to compose herself.

Jackson narrowed his eyes when April didn't respond; "Did you leave me high and dry because you want to punish me?" he asked with an accusatory tone.

April looked hurt; "I considered you, that's one of the main reasons why I decided to leave - I wanted to give you back the shot you lost when you married me and please stop telling me that Tulane is not your dream because it is - your priorities may have shifted but stop denying that you somehow regret giving it up because we both know it's the truth. You said I didn't give you the chance to explain, you're right but how can make myself do that when you lied to me during the times I needed you to be honest with me the most?" she paused to clear the lump that formed inside her throat. "No, refusing to come home with you is not some ploy to punish you. I chose to stay because I was not strong enough to face my demons here yet. If I came back with you 6 months ago it would've broken my heart every single day and you would have ended up resenting me because I'm not the same April you fell in love with. I distanced myself because I needed to find the pieces of me that I lost when everything started falling apart. I love you Jackson - I really do but every time I remind myself how much, I can't help but feel the pain too."

Jackson leaned back on his pillow with a pained look on his face; he wanted honesty, now it's biting him in the ass. He didn't know the extent of the hurt he caused April and now that she finally confided in him, he doesn't know how to proceed; "What do you want to do?" he asked shakily.

"I-I don't know..."

"Are you leaving again?"

April let out a resigned sigh; "I have to..."

Jackson felt his heart sink to his stomach; he swallowed the lump in his throat as he braces himself for the next question he's about to ask. "Do-do you want a divorce?"

April's eyes widen in shock; "D-divorce? You want a divorce?"

Jackson shook his head slowly; "That's the last thing I want but how can we make things work when your 5000 miles away and show no sign of wanting to come back?"

April took a step back, a look of hurt and betrayal marring her face; "Is that your solution or Is that your way of giving me an ultimatum? Come home or you'll serve me divorce papers?"

"You know that's not what I meant-"

"That's exactly what you mean" April said while shaking her head in disbelief, cutting Jackson off.

"Nobody is signing divorce papers now or in the near future."

Both Jackson and April turned towards the voice and saw a stern looking Catherine standing by the curtains.

"Mom this is a conversation between-"

"Shut up Jackson, you've said enough" Catherine snapped. She closed the curtains behind her and placed her hands on her hips, staring at the couple menacingly. "I'm only saying this once so you two better listen to me carefully, nod if you understand."

The couple nodded.

"You didn't hear a single reprimand or scorn from me when you decided to get married and conveniently forgot to inform us - I overlooked that because I saw how happy you were" Catherine paused and glared at her son; "But divorce is a different topic and I'm putting my foot down on this one. Marrying her without informing me has some ramifications and I trust that you know that, right?" she asked.

"I know that but if she wants a divorce I'll give it to her" Jackson said.

April threw Catherine a confused look; "What ramifications? What are you two talking about?"

Catherine turned towards April; "When you signed your marriage certificate without a pre-nuptial agreement, you became entitled with half of his inheritance. If you two file for a divorce, you walk away with half of it" she explained.

April's eyes widen in shock; "But I don't want his money!"

"I know that baby that's why I'm happy that he married you" Catherine said with a smile.

April opened her mouth to speak but when she can't form words she snapped it close.

Catherine moved towards her daughter in law and began rubbing April's back; "There there, don't panic - just take a deep breath"

Jackson leaned back on his pillow and closed his eyes tightly; "I'm tired - I don't want to talk anymore."

"I'm not divorcing you"

Jackson's eyes snapped open as he sat straighter; "Huh?"

April shook her head; "I won't take half of you inheritance like that - I didn't marry you for your money, I married you because I love you"

"Then it's settled" Catherine said somewhat gleefully.

Jackson badly wanted to tell April that he loves her too but for some reason he couldn't make himself speak.

April took Jackson's silence as defeat so she turned towards Catherine; "I- I have to go, I still have a patient to tend to"

Catherine nodded; "Go on sweetie, I'll catch up with you later"

April turned on her heel and left quietly.

Catherine waited for a couple of minutes before walking towards the side of the bed and pinching her son's side; "How dare you bring up divorce? I thought you wanted to win her back?"

"Ouch! I didn't mean to! I just wanted to know what she wants - she didn't even tell me if she's still willing to work things out and besides she's not staying here..."

Catherine folded her arms on top of her chest; "After everything you said? I'm surprised she even bothered explaining her side and didn't just slap you senseless."

"You were eavesdropping on us?" Jackson seethed.

"Hard not to when you're both shouting"

Jackson scowled.

"Maybe April is right, maybe you two need time apart to think about what you really want. I'm not saying that her method of leaving is right but her reasons are - that woman loves you baby and I say she's worth the wait."

"I know that" Jackson said resignedly. "It's just that every time I try to tell her what I really want to say, it doesn't come out like that way - it's as if I'm always shoving my foot in my mouth, Sloan is right, I'm hopeless"

Catherine placed her hand on her son's hand; "You're not, just try to take it slow and mull things over."

Jackson puffed out breath; "Yeah, I really need to think it over."

oOo

The next day

"Are you really leaving?" Meredith asked.

April stopped cooing at Bailey and turned her eyes towards Meredith; "Yeah, I have to get back to Virginia" she replied. She then moved towards the bed and gently laid the dozing baby on her friend's arms; "I really have to go, my flight leaves in an hour" she said.

"What did Sloan say? Will he take the case?" Cristina asked.

April smiled; "He will, he'll get back to me once he finalizes his treatment plan"

Cristina nodded; "Mission accomplished then"

"Yep" April replied. She then shoved her hands inside her pockets; "Well, I have to get going now" she said.

"Have a safe flight April and feel free to come back anytime" Meredith said with a smile.

"I'll keep that in mind"

"Owen is at the pit if you want to catch him" Cristina said.

April nodded; "Thanks, please tell everyone I said goodbye and I'll miss them?"

"Will do" Meredith replied.

April waved at her friends before walking out of the room.

oOo

Owen was sorting through some charts when April saw him; she jogged towards her mentor and tapped him on the shoulder. "Chief?"

Owen turned around; "Oh, there you are"

"I just stopped by to say goodbye, my flight leaves in an hour" April said.

"You're leaving so soon?"

April bobbed her head; "Yep, work waits for no one" she joked.

"Thank you again for helping out yesterday, you've been a great help - I kinda miss having you here" Owen said sincerely.

April smiled widely; "It was not a problem and I kinda miss having you boss me around too"

Owen chuckled; "That's new"

"April?"

April turned around and saw Catherine standing beside the nurses' station; she turned towards Owen and gestured towards her mother in law. "Duty calls"

Owen nodded; "Go ahead and have a safe flight."

"Thanks Chief" April said before walking towards Catherine.

"You're leaving already?" Catherine said with a pout.

April stopped right in front of the old woman and smiled; "I am" she replied. She then leaned forward and pulled her mother in law in a tight hug; "I'm sorry for everything and please take care of Jackson" she whispered.

"You have nothing to be sorry for dear girl" Catherine replied. She pulled away and cupped April's face; "You take care of yourself, do you hear me? You leave everything to Mama Avery and I'll fix it for you"

"Thank you"

"My son loves you baby, his head is just stuck inside his ass. Don't give up on him just yet - promise me?"

April placed her hand on top of Catherine's; "I promise"

Catherine smiled; "That's my girl, now run along, you still have a plane to catch" she said as she pulls her hand away.

April squeezed Catherine's hand; "I'll see you soon"

"Have a safe flight!"

"I will" April turned on her heel and began walking towards the exit without looking back.

oOo

"You awake?"

"The question is, did I even sleep" Jackson grumbled.

Mark plopped down on the bed, leaning back on the footboard; "She's gone, she left an hour ago."

Jackson averted his gaze; "I know..."

"You're still not gonna do anything about it?"

Jackson shook his head; "No, maybe we really need time apart to sort ourselves out."

Mark look impressed; "Did you come up with that on your own?"

"Nope, it's April's idea."

Mark nodded; "Yeah, I think that'll work" he paused and stared at Jackson seriously. "Just make sure that you don't fuck around while you're sorting yourself out."

"Noted" Jackson replied.

End of flashback

oOo

Present time:

"You did what? Are you crazy?" Lexie shouted.

Mark grimaced but kept his eyes on the road; "It's not as if I ordered him to fake amnesia Lex, I just gave him the idea."

"You know he values your opinion, I won't be surprised if he starts acting cray cray tomorrow!"

Mark guffawed; "Cray cray? Really?"

"If this blows out of proportion I'm blaming you - you and your out of this world idea."

Mark slowly stepped on the break when the light turned red; "The ball has been in Jackson's court for 4 years now, don't you think it's time to get the ball rolling?"

Lexie shook her head in disappointment; "If only he took the time to pull his head out of his ass then those 4 years shouldn't have been wasted. Everybody knows how miserable his life has been ever since she walked out after that storm - he's stupid pride just got in the way."

"We can't do anything about the past but we can definitely do something now"

"Fine."

oOo

The next day:

April and Meredith just came from Daycare after dropping Bailey and Zola when Callie spotted them; the Orthopedic Surgeon lifted her hand and began beckoning them over.

"I think Callie is calling us" April said.

"Looks like it" Meredith replied.

"Morning Callie, what's up?" April asked.

Callie grinned widely; "I just came from Jackson's room and he's awake - he's looking for you."

"Really?" April asked with a raised brow.

"Yep" Callie confirmed.

"What are you waiting for? Go" Meredith said with an encouraging smile.

April smiled at the other two surgeons; "I'll check on him now" she said.

"Go on" Callie said.

"Thanks" April said before turning on her heels.

oOo

Jackson was playing with his wedding ring when he heard a faint knock on his door; he tried his best to sit straighter and waited.

The door opened slowly as April's head popped in; when she saw that her husband is fully awake, she stepped in. "Good morning"

Jackson's lips curl into his infamous smile; "I expected you to be here when I woke up, where have you been?"

April blinked a couple of times, clearly confused with Jackson's pleasant reaction; "I'm sorry, I didn't expect for you to be awake this early, especially with the amount of pain killers that they used on you" she said carefully. She then winced; "I think it still has some effect on you - you're way too perky" she added.

Jackson rolled his eyes playfully; "You're still a bucket of laughs Apes"

"Something is amiss here - he doesn't call me Apes anymore, after the fall out - it's always been April" April thought. She folded her arms on top of her chest as she slowly made her way towards the side of the bed; "Jackson?"

"Yep?"

April eyes flicked towards the platinum band between his fingers; "What ring are you holding?" she asked apprehensively.

The smile on Jackson's lips faltered as he began twirling the platinum band with his fingers; he stared at it for a couple of minutes before meeting April's eyes.