Chapter Twelve: Better man

"This time I want it all, showing you all the cards, giving you all my heart. This time I'll take the chance, this time I'll be your man, I can be all you need, this time it's all in me. Last time I wasn't sure, this time I will give you more, I'm more mature, I'll show you. Last time I didn't know, I messed up and let you go, I need you - don't say no..." This time by John Legend

oOo

There comes a point in one's life where everything you want turns crystal clear. It's like, you wake up one more morning and suddenly, you're ready to dive into an unknown abyss without thinking twice. That morning when Jackson Avery woke up, he felt the same thing. He knew what his heart wants and he'll be damned if he doesn't give it all he's got.

oOo

April burrowed her face further into her pillow to stifle the loud blaring sound of her alarm; she expected Jackson to hit the snooze button right after it went off but that didn't happen. She opened her sleep laden eyes and started reaching for the pesky clock; she tapped it brusquely with her hand before sitting up. She turned her head to the side but was greeted by an empty space; "Where on earth is he?" she mumbled as she started climbing out of their bed. She planted her feet on the floor and slowly made her way towards the door; she stepped into the hallway and almost instantly, her olfactory senses were assaulted with the smell of pancakes and freshly brewed coffee. She raised her brow as she walked towards the living room; she halted her steps just as Jackson turned the stove off. "What are you doing?"

Jackson slid the last batch of pancake on the stack before lifting his gaze; "Morning beautiful, sleep alright?"

April perused the breakfast bar, a small smile ghosting her lips; "You've been busy" she said. Her eyes then strayed towards Jackson's apron clad body; "And you're wearing an apron" she mused.

Jackson smirked and playfully turned around to show his bare back; "And naked too" he winked.

April's jaw dropped; "Y-you're what?"

Jackson laughed as he grabbed the plate before rounding to counter; "Close your pretty mouth babe, I'm wearing pyjamas"

April swallowed her embarrassment; "You're an ass!"

Jackson ignored her statement and placed the plate on top of the counter; he leaned forward and planted a chaste kiss on April's forehead. "Eat up, we don't want to be late"

April pulled a chair and hopped up; "Eat with me?"

Jackson moved a plate right in front of his wife and started loading it up with pancakes; "I will but let's get you fed first"

April stared at Jackson with amusement; "I'm not a child, I'm quite sure I can manage"

"Can't I spoil my wife for once?"

"Well, if you put it that way..."

Jackson perched himself up on the chair beside April's; "Do you have plans after work?"

"Nope" April replied before taking a huge bite of her food. After a couple of seconds, she turned towards him; "Banana pancakes? Now I feel really spoiled."

Jackson grinned; "It's still your favourite, right?"

"Very much, thank you"

Jackson plucked a piece of bacon; "Since you don't have any plans tonight, want to go out on a date with me?" he asked casually.

April choked on her food; she clamped her hands on her mouth, trying to stifle her coughs.

Jackson bit his bottom lip to keep himself from laughing. He lifted his hand and gently thumped April's back; "You okay in there?"

April snatched a glass of orange juice and took a large gulp; after a moment, she turned her gaze towards Jackson, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Did you just ask me out on a date?"

Jackson let his hand fall to his side; "I believe I just did" he replied. He then swivelled his chair to face April directly; "So-will you go out on a date with me?"

April studied his face intently; "You're really serious?"

"Dead serious"

April's heart started twittering inside her chest; "Y-yeah, sure..."

"Pick you up at 6?"

"Pick me up where? The Attendings' Lounge?"

Jackson smirked; "Why not? It's the number 2 rule in the Avery Dating 101 book; "Always pick your date up"

"We're following our own dating rules then?" April asked.

Jackson nodded solemnly; "We are."

April smiled cheekily; "Then it's only fair that I follow the Kepner Dating 101 book too; "Thou shall not sleep with someone after the first date", guess I'll be moving back to my room after all."

Jackson seems to mull over April's words; "Let's just meet at the lobby."

April plucked her fork and started cutting her pancakes; "Alrighty then"

oOo

"Is it me or I haven't been seeing much of the Avery's lately?" Cristina asked.

Meredith took a sip of her morning coffee; "I think it's just you. I saw them yesterday."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And oh, did you know that some of April's friend's from FTRC came in yesterday?"

Cristina threw Meredith a weird look; "Friends? She actually has friends there?"

Meredith laughed; "We're starting this early, huh?"

Cristina snapped the lid back on her coffee and threw the used packets of sugar on the bin; "It's an honest question, I don't mean anything by it - I'm not being ornery"

Meredith didn't respond, she just raised her brow.

Cristina burst out laughing.

oOo

"Brooks! Give me an update!"

Heather jerked from her perch and hastily turned around; "G-good morning Dr. Kepner-Avery" she sputtered.

April smiled brightly; "Morning, update please?"

"Stomach ache patient in Bed 1, labs are already ordered and broken finger in Bed 2, I already paged Ortho and ordered an Xray"

April leaned sideways on the counter; "Slow day, huh?"

Heather nodded; "Yep"

"Have you seen Dr. Grey?"

Heather cocked her head to the side; "Mrs. McDreamy or Soon-to-be Mrs. Sloan?"

April snickered; "That's new-" she paused. "-don't let them hear you say that though, you'll be in big trouble."

"Duly noted"

"April!"

April turned around and saw Mara walking towards her; "Hey you"

"I've been looking for you! Where have you been?" Mara asked just as she halted her steps.

"Err-My shift just started 5 minutes ago, is everything okay?"

Mara crossed her arms on top of her chest; "You forgot."

"Forgot what?" April asked.

"You're supposed to meet us at Sea-Tac earlier!"

April's eyes widened; "Shit!"

Mara quirked her brow; "Yeah, shit"

"I'm sooooo sorry! I didn't mean to forget! Did Phillip and Kate make it on time? Why didn't you call me?"

"We tried calling you but you keep sending our calls to voice mail"

April stuffed her hand inside her lab coat pocket to fish out her phone. She tapped on the screen repeatedly; "The damn thing died on me!"

Mara chuckled; "That's what we thought"

April placed her phone on top of the counter; "I'm a very awful friend."

Heather cleared her throat; "Should I have that charged for you Dr. Kepner-Avery? I don't have anything better to do" she offered.

April turned her gaze towards the resident; "You do know that charging my phone isn't part of your job description, right?"

Heather shrugged her shoulders; "It's cool, it's not like I'm doing anything" she replied. She then propped her hand towards her Attending; "Give it here. I'll have it charged for you."

"Just give her the phone, no sense carrying it around when it doesn't even work" Mara pointed out.

April swiped the device off the counter and placed it on top of Heather's waiting hand; "Thank you Brooks" she said.

"No problem" Heather said before turning on her heels.

Mara tapped her fingers on her arms, her eyes fixed on Heather's retreating back; "You have a very helpful resident."

"Lucky me" April said. "Soooooo-how are you and Phillip?"

Mara cracked a smile; "We're good"

"Any plans of..."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?"

April threw Mara an aghast look; "What? Of course not! What in the world gave you that idea? How could you-"

Mara couldn't hold back, she burst into fits of giggles.

April caught on; "Not funny Keaton - you're very horrible!" she shrieked.

"I couldn't help it. You should've seen your face" Mara said.

"Get out of my E.R, you're not welcome here anymore" April said with a pout.

Mara leaned forward and patted April's head like a toddler having a fit; "Awwww Jackson's right. You really are too cute when you're all pissy."

"Shut it!" April huffed.

oOo

"Why are you whistling like a Psychopath?"

"Aaaaaahhhhh!" Jackson yelped, instinctively taking a side step.

Lexie laughed as she hugged her tab to her chest; "Jumpy too"

"Where the hell did you come from?" Jackson scowled. "And for goodness sake stop skulking around!"

"FYI, I'm not skulking around. It's not my fault that your brain has gone AWOL" Lexie quipped, amusement still evident in her eyes.

Jackson straightened his lab coat; "My brain has not gone AWOL"

"Riiiigggghhhhtttt! That's why you're mindlessly strolling around the hallway when your ass is supposed to be inside the board room 10 minutes ago"

Jackson furrowed his brows; "What do you mean?"

Lexie arched a brow; "The meeting you arranged with Hunt yesterday, remember?"

"Shit!"

"Get your ass moving or it won't stay pretty for long"

Jackson didn't need to be told twice; he spun on his heels and made a line towards the opposite direction.

oOo

"Nice of you to join us" Cristina drawled as Jackson enters the room.

Jackson winced; "Sorry guys, I kinda-"

"Forgot" Lexie chimed happily as she closes the door behind them.

Jackson fought the urge to scowl at the brunette as he pulled himself a chair; "As I was saying, sorry for being late" he said before sitting down.

"Is he whistling along the hallway again?" Meredith asked with amusement.

Cristina snickered; "Oh boy..."

Jackson felt his face heating up with embarrassment; "I-What-I" he sputtered.

Owen cleared his throat loudly; "There's a folder right in front of you, please read it"

Jackson threw Owen a thankful look before snatching his own folder.

Owen shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips.

oOo

"You're all alone"

"Well spotted Alex" April said, her eyes fixed on the chart.

Alex plopped down on the vacant chair behind the nurses counter; "No Virginia motley crew today?"

"Nope, they're already on their way back"

"Can't stand to be in the same state as you, huh?" Alex teased.

"Ha ha, very funny Karev" April said sarcastically.

Alex chuckled; "Any interesting case here?"

April smiled sweetly as she snaps the chart close; "Don't worry, I'll make sure to page Arizona once a cool Ped's case walks right through the door."

"Oh come on! Don't be like that!"

"You expect me to give you an interesting case after implying that my friends can't stand me?"

"It was just a joke!"

"Again, not funny" April replied. She then snatched her chart from the counter and spun on her heels; "Laters!" she said cheerfully.

Alex lifted his feet on the table and crossed his ankles; "Good old Kepner is back on her high horse – very annoying" he mumbled as he closes his eyes.

"Err-Dr. Karev?"

Alex's eyes snapped open; "Yes?"

Stephanie hugged her tab to her chest; "Err-"

"Just spit it out" Alex barked.

"Dr. Kepner-Avery told me that you will be the consult for bed 4 since Dr. Grey and Dr. Webber is currently in a meeting" Stephanie replied.

Alex pulled his feet down; "How about Bailey?"

"She's currently in surgery"

Alex stood up from his perch; "Okay, what's on bed 4?"

Stephanie swallowed hard; "E-exploding bowel..."

"KEPNER!" Alex growled.

oOo

"That's all folks, you can get back to whatever you guys are doing" Jackson said.

Cristina shot up from her seat; "Thank god!"

Owen snatched his stuff and followed Cristina.

Meredith threw her best friend an amused look before turning towards Jackson; "Thank you for approving my 3d printer."

"You are welcome" Jackson replied. "And good luck with your presentation"

"That was a record" Callie chuckled.

Arizona nodded; "She let the meeting finish before bolting out of the room."

"I don't understand why you guys are anti-meeting" Richard said as he trailed behind the couple.

Derek thumped Richard's shoulder; "Let's just say that they haven't suffered through the meetings we're used to" he said.

Richard looked amused; "Point taken. Compared to those - this is cake walk"

Derek laughed.

Jackson was just standing up from his chair when he noticed that his mentor and his tattle tale girlfriend hasn't left their seats; "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere?"

"You're still pissy that I told on you?" Lexie asked with a pout.

"What are we? In Kindergarten?" Jackson asked.

Mark patted Lexie's hand; "He's still sore honeybear, better get going"

Lexie slapped Mark's hand; "Stop calling me that hideous name!" she hissed. She then stood up from her perch and made a bee line towards the door; "I'm gonna tell on you! I'm gonna find your Missus!" she said before slipping out of the door.

"Very mature Lexie Grey!" Jackson called out. "Very mature!"

"Cute" Mark said.

Jackson threw Mark a withering look; "What?"

"You two, you're fighting like kids – I think it's cute" Mark clarified as he stood up from his seat.

"You're hanging way too much with Lexie. You're beginning to sound like her, its bloody awful" Jackson said.

"And you're hanging way too much with Keaton, you sound like her" Mark said. He then furrowed his brow; "Hang on a second. You're not supposed to sound like Keaton; you're supposed to sound like Kepner. I know they're last names both starts with a K but please tell me you're not messing things up – AGAIN."

"FYI, April's last name is now Avery so it starts with an A. And no, I haven't been spending time with Mara. I say bloody because April forced me to do a Harry Potter marathon for 2 straight days, can you blame a guy for picking up swear words instead of ridiculous spells?"

"You are aware that bloody is not a swear word, right?"

"It is, if you add moron or prick" Jackson said cheerfully.

Mark braced his hands on his hips; "Are you calling me a bloody prick?"

Jackson walked towards the door, not bothering to answer Mark's question.

"Very mature Avery! Bloody mature!" Mark grumbled as he followed his prot out of the conference room.

"We're in a hospital not in Kindergarten, talk like a bloody doctor" Jackson teased.

"You're off my service!"

Jackson threw Mark an amused look; "Should I respond by saying, you're off my hospital?"

Mark thumped Jackson's head; "Don't be pompous! I own this hospital as much as you do, no wait - not as much. But I'm still part owner! And besides, you won't be who you are right now if not for me, stop being an ungrateful ingrate!" he chided.

Jackson scowled as her rubbed his head; "Geez, you don't have to hit me to make a point"

"Stop dilly-dallying boy, we have a case to tend to" Mark said as he strode along the hallway.

"Fine" Jackson grumbled.

oOo

"Sorry I'm late" Meredith said as she stepped into the room.

"This is Dr. Grey and she will be assisting us with the case" Alex said.

"Nice to meet you Dr. Grey" The patient's mother said pleasantly.

Meredith propped her hand; "Nice to meet you and again, sorry for the delay."

"It's not a problem, my son is still asleep."

"Gotta wake him up now" Alex said. He walked towards the side of the bed and gently tapped his patient's shoulder; "Come on buddy, we've let you sleep in long enough" he said as he pulled the pillow off Will's head.

"My big day started out as nightmare when a clown came in at dawn, asking me if I wanted a balloon animal" Will said sarcastically.

Meredith cracked a smile; "Clowns are a ped's floor hazard."

"Are you still gonna try to remove all of the tumors today? It just seems a lot to do all at once"

"Will's cancer is a very aggressive sarcoma. It's an all or nothing approach" Meredith replied.

Alex turned towards the monitor and tapped it; "We've come up with a plan to remove all of them, starting with number one. Some will be a snap, but there are a few tricky ones, like tumor number eight. It's deep in the liver but we'll do our best to get it" he explained.

"We'll try to get it" Meredith piped in.

Alex moved his eyes to Will; "Um, it's sort of like trying to get past level six. You know, there are some, uh, fighters but we need to be really precise."

Meredith smiled with assurance; "We will eat all those dots and kill all those ghosts"

Alex winced; "She doesn't play video games"

Meredith ignored Alex; "We'll see you in the O.R, okay?"

Will nodded; "Okie dokie"

Alex nodded towards Will's mother and started steering Meredith towards the door; "Really Mer? Dots and ghosts? What are you playing – Pacman?" he guffawed.

Meredith elbowed Alex's side, making him grunt; "Shut it, I'm trying to appease him"

"More like trying to make you look like a clown" Alex said while rubbing his side.

"What got you in a pissy mode anyway?"

"Stupid Kepner made me work on an exploding bowel"

Meredith halted her steps to face Alex directly; "What did you do to piss her off?"

"Hey! Why do you automatically assume that I did something to her?" Alex asked incredulously.

"Because she has residents to take care of exploding bowels, I don't see any reason why she'd assign one to you"

"Good point" Alex said grudgingly.

Meredith rolled her eyes as she began walking again; "So, what did you do?"

"I kinda implied that her friends can't stand her"

"Yep, you deserved all the poo she threw your way" Meredith chimed.

"I hate you" Alex grumbled.

"Awww, I love you too Evil Spawn! See you in the O.R"

oOo

"What do we got?" April asked as she rushed inside the Trauma Room.

"Ella Holmes, 6, hit by a car, tachycardic and hypotensive" Leah explained.

"She was on a scooter. She knows she's not supposed to ride down the hill. I don't know what happened"

April turned around and saw Arizona walking by; "Arizona! I need you here" she yelled.

Arizona took one look at the patient before moving towards the patient's side; "I need an ultrasound" she ordered as she started gloving up.

Leah grabbed the portable ultrasound from her left and started applying gel on the patient's stomach.

"Is she gonna be okay?"

"Ma'am, we'll do everything we can" April re-assured. "Are you the mom?"

"No, I'm the sitter - they're out of town for a conference."

"Intraperitoneal free fluid" Leah concluded.

"Call C.T. and book an O.R just in case" April said while studying the scan she's holding. "She's got supracondylar femur fracture, we need to page Torres"

Leah nodded before bolting out.

The monitors started beeping loudly, making April jump up. Her head snapped towards the screen; "Her pressure is dropping"

"What is that?" The sitter asked in panic.

Arizona pulled the side railings up; "I can't wait for the C.T., I need to take her into the O.R"

"I have to call her parents, what am I supposed to tell them?"

"We'll update you as soon as we know" April said.

"Let's go!" Arizona said as she began tugging the gurney out of the room.

oOo

"So this is what you asked me to tend to?" Jackson asked while eyeing the other man assembling Meredith's new 3D printer.

"Yep" Mark said.

Jackson narrowed his eyes; "Help me understand something here - what exactly are we doing here?"

"You guys are fast"

Both surgeons turned around and saw Derek standing behind them. Jackson braced his hands on his hips; "Care to tell me what's going on?"

Derek pointed towards the man standing on the other side; "That man over there –- will be your next pro-bono case."

"That he is" Mark confirmed.

Jackson's forehead creased in confusion; "He is?" he asked. He then turned towards the man again; "But I don't see anything wrong with him."

Mark nodded towards the room; "Look again"

Jackson studied the man's face, after a moment, he turned towards Derek and Mark; "His left eye is twitching" he said.

Derek threw Mark a look; "Finally he gets it"

"Hey!" Jackson said.

"Think you can convince him to let you fix it?" Mark challenged.

"Of course I can" Jackson replied pompously.

"He's a guy, I don't think your baby blues will work on him" Derek said.

"Correction, his eyes are cross between blue and green" Mark corrected.

Derek looked amused; "Oh I'm sorry, I stand corrected - bluish green then"

"Stop talking about my eyes, I'm standing right here!" Jackson grumbled. "What's his name?"

"Meredith calls him Harvey" Derek said.

"I'm on it" Jackson said confidently. He then strolled towards the door and entered the room; he walked towards Harvey and started talking to him.

Derek fell into step with Mark; "Think he can do it?"

Mark huffed; "He's my man, of course he can."

"If you say so"

oOo

"Can you slowly pull out that lap pad to see if there's any bleeding?" Arizona asked.

"I don't see anything" Leah replied as she discards the pad to the side.

"Good" Arizona said.

"Is Dr. Torres gonna fix the femur?" Leah asked.

"Yeah, but she'll need some help so you should stick around" Arizona replied.

"Okay"

The door opened as April peeked her head in; "Is everything alright here? The baby sitter is asking for an update"

Arizona turned towards April; "Yep, we just need Callie to fix her arm and we're good to go" she replied.

"Thank god" April said. "Page me if you need anything?"

"Will sure do"

"Thanks!" April said.

"No problem"

oOo

"Ready with tumor number one" Alex said.

Meredith clamped the bloody mass with her forceps and gently tugged it out; "Okay, you see that? Already going great - one down."

"14 to go, I wish we had gotten to him sooner" Alex replied. "He was diagnosed already with stage 4, typical teenager. He ignored his symptoms; didn't want to ask help from everyone. And now he's got an abdomen completely covered with tumors."

Meredith lifted her eyes to meet Alex's; "Well, you're right. He is a typical teenager which means he can beat this. He's strong, able to fight. And what's better?"

"What?"

"He's in our O.R. - we'll make it work Alex, we'll do this" Meredith said.

Alex stared at Meredith for a couple of seconds; "You should print a spoon with your printer, that way we'll be able to reach tumor number two."

Meredith's eyes crinkled on the side; "Ass"

"You love this ass"

Meredith rolled her eyes.

oOo

"I still can't believe you were able to convince him" Derek said.

"Pay up Shepherd! Told you he can" Mark said from behind.

"You know what I can't believe? You guys betting on me and my capability, you're an awful lot" Jackson said.

Derek cleared his throat; "Vertebral artery is tortuous. It's compressing the facial nerve which is the source of the twitch"

"Nice save" Mark coughed.

Jackson fought the urge to roll his eyes at Mark; "Yeah"

Derek paused to stare at Jackson; "Want to do the decompression?"

"Suck up" Mark coughed again.

Jackson narrowed his eyes at the Neuro Surgeon; "Is that your peace offering?"

Derek quirked a brow; "Do you or do you not?"

"Hell yeah" Jackson replied.

Mark huffed in the background.

The door burst open; "Dr. Avery? Trauma's asking if we can take a look at the huge face lac" Heather said.

"Err, hello, I'm standing right here" Mark said.

Heather's eyes widen; "Oh! Dr. Sloan - you're here"

Jackson guffawed but didn't say anything.

"Well spotted. I'm gonna take a look at the face lac, I trust you two losers can fix this?"

"Get out of my O.R" Derek said nonchalantly.

"Whatever, face lac is more fun than decompressing nerves anyway" Mark said. He then pulled off his face mask and turned towards Heather; "Do you plan on hanging out here all day?"

Heather turned on her heels and bolted towards the door.

"Stop being mean to the residents" Derek said.

Mark rolled his eyes; "Whatever" he said.

"All right, securing the pad with fibrin glue" Jackson announced.

Derek moved his eyes to the screen; "You're gonna need a lot of that" he said.

"Okay, thanks" Jackson replied.

"That's enough" Derek said.

"Err, can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot"

"It's kinda not work related"

"I kinda know that" Derek teased.

Jackson cleared his throat; "Can you recommend a restaurant around the vicinity? I'm planning on taking April out tonight and I'm not sure what to choose"

"And for how long have you've been living in Seattle again?"

Jackson winced; "A couple of years"

Derek shook his head; "You kids nowadays, all you know is Joe's"

Jackson shrugged his shoulders; "There's nothing wrong with Joe's"

"I didn't say there is. I love that place, that's where I met my wife" Derek said.

"Are we taking a walk down memory lane now?" Jackson teased.

Derek chuckled; "We don't have time for that Avery" he replied. He then fixed his eyes on the monitor; "I know it'll sound touristy to you but do you know if April has been to the Space Needle?"

"I don't think so, why?"

"Take here there"

Jackson turned his face towards Derek; "Do they have food there?"

Derek threw his hands up in surrender; "Do you really live here?"

"I don't go to tourist spots" Jackson replied, his cheeks turning pink.

"You mean - you're trying to avoid classy places because you don't want to be called a snob on top of your name" Derek said with amusement.

Jackson cleared his throat; "That too" he admitted.

"Take here there" Derek repeated. "I'm sure she'll like it. The food is superb, the view is good and the ambiance is romantic, a perfect date night"

"Err-don't I have to call in for reservation for that place? It sounds kinda fancy"

Derek smiled behind his mask; "I can snatch you guys a table, I know someone who works there"

Jackson looked surprised; "You would do that for us?"

Derek shrugged his shoulders; "Why wouldn't I? Besides, everyone knows here that you need all the help you can get. I can help you, so I will do just that."

"Thank you so much man, I owe you one - name it and it's yours" Jackson said with sincerity.

"You're welcome" Derek replied. "And oh, I'm cashing that thing you owe me tomorrow, I'm leaving for D.C"

"Done"

"Always a pleasure working with you Avery"

"Ditto"

oOo

"Apes - wait up! Where are you heading?" Lexie asked as she jogs towards the red head.

April halted her steps and turned towards the voice; "I'm gonna grab a bite, I'm super starving" she replied. She then cocked her head to the side; "And why are you running around the hallways?"

"I was trying to catch you" Lexie panted. She fell into step with her friend and looped their arms together; "I'm coming with you, I want something to drink" she replied.

"Okay" April replied. "How's your day so far?"

"Not interesting. Just got done with my rounds" Lexie replied. "How's yours?"

April steered them towards the cafeteria; "Same old, same old."

"Really? No heart-stopping, mind-numbing, knee-buckling trauma?" Lexie asked.

April threw Lexie a look; "Wow, you're all pumped up with words today. You must really be bored."

Lexie threw April a withering look; "Play nice"

"Awwww, don't be like that" April said while patting Lexie's hand. "Don't be a grumpus"

"Please refrain from using alien language, humans don't understand them"

April narrowed her eyes; "You're not playing nice at all"

Lexie giggled; she then tugged on April's arm to move them towards the food display. "Hmmmmnnnn..."

April peered in; "I think I'll pass on the spaghetti and just order a salad" she said.

"You read my mind" Lexie said. She then turned towards the crew; "We'll have two salads, please"

"Dressing?"

"Honey mustard and-" Lexie paused to turn to April. "What's your poison?"

"I'll have the same. Two honey mustard for us - thanks" April replied.

"Why don't you grab us a table and I'll wait for our food?" Lexie suggested.

"Okay" April replied. She then grabbed her wallet and handed Lexie money; "A large bottled water too, thanks"

"Sure thing"

oOo

"Harvey, are you okay?" Derek asked as he eyed their patient.

Harvey moved the mirror closer; "I'm waiting for it to twitch, it twitched for 20 years" he mused.

Jackson braced his hand on the footboard, a smile playing on his lips; "You can wait all you want, but its gone."

"We got it" Derek said.

"Thank you" Harvey said, his eyes never leaving his reflection.

"Well, we'll leave you to it. We'll check on you later to help you with discharge papers, okay?" Jackson said.

"Okay. Thank you again doctors" Harvey said.

Derek tapped Jackson's shoulder and pointed towards the door; "We'll see you later" he said before walking away.

Jackson trailed behind Derek; "Doing pro-bono surgery always gets me into a good mood"

"I couldn't agree more" Derek replied. He then turned towards Jackson; "About SkyCity, I already called my contact. He already secured a table for you. Be there at 7 sharp."

Jackson's eyes widen in surprise; "You-that was fast!" he exclaimed.

Derek smirked; "Come on, say it."

"You're awesome!"

"I leave you with him for a minute and you already think he's awesome? What happened to Plastic Posses forever, Avery?"

Jackson turned to his side; "We're still on but I still meant that" he said. He then walked by Mark and patted his shoulder; "Derek is really awesome" he said.

Mark watched his prot's back disappear before turning his narrowed eyes to his best friend; "What did you do?"

Derek shrugged his shoulders and left.

"What the hell just happened?" Mark asked, dumbfounded.

oOo

"There's really nothing else we can do? We did everything we can, right?" Meredith asked.

Alex sighed; "We did"

Meredith stared at Alex for a moment; "We should close him then"

"Yeah, we should" Alex replied.

oOo

Jackson just stepped into the cafeteria when Lexie came barrelling towards him. He braced his hands on her shoulder to steady her. "Whoa! Where's the fire?"

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" Lexie shrieked.

"No harm done, what's happening?"

Lexie side stepped Jackson; "No time" she replied before running towards the staircase.

Jackson moved his eyes away from the brunette and began looking for his wife. He spotted her sitting in the corner, fully engrossed with her phone. He quirked his brow and started walking towards her; once he reached her side, he bent forward and planted a chaste kiss on her cheek. "Hey babe"

April almost jumped off her seat; "Shit!"

"Oh my, what a potty mouth you have" Jackson teased.

April reached for her husband's arm and pinched it; "Stop doing that! You know I hate it" she hissed.

Jackson chuckled as he pulled his arm away; he plopped down on the adjacent seat from April and grinned. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Are you playing Candy Crush again?"

April locked her phone and placed it on top of the table; "I got over that, I'm playing a different game now."

"Uhuh, Farm Hero Saga?"

April sniffed haughtily; "If you must know, I'm playing scrabble now."

Jackson tried his best not to scrunch his face; "Oh, good for you."

April ignored Jackson's reaction; "So, what are you doing here? Are you on lunch break?"

Jackson shifted on his seat; "Not really. I just came by to remind you to get ready before 6, I have our reservation at 7 and we can't be late."

April looked taken aback; "You're really serious about that?"

"Yes, I am. Having said that, I'll meet you at the lobby by 6?"

"Where are we going?"

Jackson shot up from his seat, a smile playing on his lips; "That's for me to know and for you to find out. See you later love" he said before walking away.

April turned on her seat; "Jackson!" she called out.

Jackson pretended not to hear April's rant and continued on his way.

oOo

It was 5 minutes to 6 P.M when Jackson spotted April; he shifted on his feet and grinned widely. "Five minutes early Dr. Kepner-Avery, I'm impressed"

April adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder with a smile; "I hate being late" she replied.

"You look beautiful" Jackson said while studying his wife.

April felt her cheeks flush; "Err-thank you?"

Jackson chuckled; he moved closer and offered his arm. "Shall we?"

April slowly wrapped her arm around his; "Where are you really taking me?"

Jackson started steering them towards the door; "It's a surprise."

"Okay"

oOo

April studied her surroundings before turning her gaze to her husband; "The space needle?" she asked curiously.

"Yep" Jackson replied as he killed the engine. "Wait here"

April threw him an amused look; "Okay"

Jackson smiled before climbing out of the car; he closed the door behind him and walked towards April's side. He pulled the door open and propped his hand; "Come on up" he said.

April stared at his hand; "Err..."

Jackson leaned forward; "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine" April replied. She slowly placed her hand on his and let him pull her up; "It's not that I don't appreciate you being gentlemanly but what's up? Why are you acting - weird?" she asked bluntly.

Jackson closed the door behind her; "I'm not being weird Apes, this is who I really am" he replied. He then averted his gaze; "This is one of the things I regret - I should have treated you better..."

April squeezed his hand; "Look at me"

Jackson lifted his gaze, albeit meekly; "Yeah?"

"I don't know where you got that idea but I don't remember you not treating me well."

"Come on Apes, we both know how shitty I've been towards you"

April shook her head; "It takes two to tango Jackson; that means I'm a shitty partner too" she explained. "Don't let the past ruin our night, eh?"

Jackson stared at her for a moment before nodding; "Okay, I'm sorry - I don't mean to be a downer" he said with a rueful smile.

April smiled back; "You better make this trip worth it Jackman, you know I hate heights"

Jackson tugged her to his chest and hugged her tightly; "I love you" he whispered.

"I love you too" April replied. She then thumped his back; "Enough with this, let's go on up before I change my mind" she mumbled.

Jackson kissed her head before pulling away; "Let's go."

oOo

April's eyes widen when she saw where Jackson took her; "Wow."

"You like it?" Jackson whispered.

April turned her face to him; "How long have you been planning for this?"

"Err-just this morning, why?"

April threw him an incredulous look; "Just this morning? You manage to get us a table just this morning?"

"Actually, just this afternoon" Jackson said sheepishly.

"That's crazy! Do you know how hard it is to get a reservation here?"

Jackson looked confused; "I didn't know that."

"Dr. Avery?"

Jackson turned his head to the side and saw a tall blonde man standing right in front of them; "Yes?"

"I'm Steve, the Manager. We already have the table waiting for you"

"Thank you Steve" Jackson replied. He moved closer to April, locking their hands together; "Ready?" he asked.

April took a deep breath; "Sure."

oOo

April took another bite of prosciutto, her eyes fixed on the window; "I love the view, it's very beautiful" she said with awe.

"I have to agree with you on that babe, the view here is indeed spectacular"

April tore her eyes away from the window and caught her husband staring directly at her; in an instant, she knew that he's not referring to the view outside the window but to her. "I'm talking about the nightscape, pay attention."

Jackson grinned; "I am paying attention" he replied before popping another prosciutto into his mouth.

The waiter appeared by their table, carrying more food. He shifted towards April side and carefully laid the plate right in front of her; "Hill's natural pork chop" he said.

"Thank you" April replied.

The waiter then turned to Jackson; "Mocha braised short rib" he said politely. "Bon a petit"

"Thanks" Jackson replied.

"You really can't resist caffeine, huh?" April said while eyeing his food.

Jackson shrugged his shoulders; "It sounded delicious so I ordered it" he paused with a thoughtful look. "Anything with coffee is good"

"Says the caffeine fiend" April teased. She then grabbed her cutlery and started cutting her chicken into bite size pieces; "Everything looks good, I hope it tastes as good as it smells" she said.

"You know it would, remember the theory about that?"

"What theory?"

"Whenever you get a whiff of something, it means you partly tasted it already" Jackson said.

April scrunched her face; "Argh! You shouldn't have said that - you gave me very nasty visuals."

Jackson smirked; "A little bit squeamish, Dr. Kepner- Avery?"

April grabbed her glass and took a large swig of her wine; "Bad Jackman!"

Jackson couldn't help it, he laughed.

oOo

The couple finished their food but decided to stay for another hour inside the restaurant; chatting and laughing about trivial things. It was close to 10 o'clock when an idea popped into April's mind.

"Do you know if the viewing deck is still open?" April asked curiously.

Jackson took a peek at his watch; "I think so, why?"

April grinned; "I haven't visited it yet and since we're already here, why don't we check it out?" she suggested giddily.

Jackson thought for a moment; "Come to think of it, I haven't been there too. Let me just grab the check then we can go."

"Can I go to the restroom first?"

Jackson stood from his chair and rounded the table; he stood behind April and braced his hands on the back of the chair. "Let me help you with that."

April threw Jackson a bewildered look; "Err-what are you doing?"

"Pulling a chair for you"

"Okay" April replied. She pulled away from the table and let her husband help her up for the second time; she adjusted her bag and smiled, albeit flustered. "I'm going to the ladies room now"

"Meet you out in the foyer?" Jackson asked.

April nodded; "Sure" she said.

Jackson lifted his hand to flag down a waiter; "See you there" he said.

oOo

April braced her hands on the railing as she took the view in; she breathed in deeply, her eyes scanning the night sky.

Jackson fell into step with her; "You are right, this is much better than the view from our apartment."

April turned her face to the side; "You think?" she asked cheekily.

Jackson rolled his eyes; he then leaned forward, resting his arms on the cold metal. "Did you enjoy yourself tonight?"

April copied his pose; "I did, this is really great Jackson. Thank you for taking me here."

Jackson cracked a smile; "I'm glad to hear that. And you're welcome."

They fixed their eyes on the sky, both basking in a comfortable silence. After a couple of minutes, Jackson pulled away from the railing to pluck his phone out of his back pocket. He tapped on the screen repeatedly before slipping it into his jacket pocket. Soft melody erupted from its speakers, jarring April from her trance.

"It's been a long time alone, I feel the change, like seasons change. I feel the need to let you know, I'm ready for love girl and I really want to let you know. And if you feel it too, then maybe we can possibly open our hearts and give it a try..."

Jackson took a step back and offered his hand towards his wife; "Dance with me?"

April stared at him incredulously; "Here? Are you crazy?" she asked, her heart beating wildly inside her chest.

"Yep, right here, right now" Jackson said seriously.

April stared at his hand for a moment; "Oh what the hell!" she thought. She bit her bottom lip as she slipped her hand on his; "You're lucky this place is deserted" she whispered.

Jackson pulled her to his chest, wrapping his arms around her waist; "It wouldn't have made a difference. I would still ask you to dance with me here, audience or whatnot."

April cracked a smile as she snaked her arms towards his neck; "What's gotten into you?" she asked.

Jackson kissed her forehead and pulled her closer; "We didn't get the chance to dance on our own wedding. I know how much you love that part, I'm sorry..." he whispered.

"I need to know if this love is even possible. We tried it once before but then I let you go. Back then we couldn't be but I hope that you can see I've grown and changed, I know I'm ready for love..."

"Jackson I-"

Jackson shook his head adamantly, interrupting her words; "I should have been a better man April and you know it."

April pulled a fraction to meet his eyes; "I think you have a faulty memory"

Jackson furrowed his brows, not understanding her statement; "Huh?"

April smiled sheepishly; "I was the one who wanted to get married abruptly, remember? You just gave me what I wanted at that given time. You can't blame yourself for a decision you didn't even make."

"But I should've known better. I should-"

"Are we playing the blame game now?"

Jackson stared at her for a couple of seconds before shaking his head; "No and I'm sorry."

April stood on her toes and planted a kiss on his chin; "Good. Just shut up and dance with me."

"Fine" Jackson replied as he rested his chin on her head. "Just dance, no talking."

"I'm not trying to say things are perfect but I know this one thing is worth it. As keeping you here right beside me, coz I need to know - Do you still love me like you used to? I want to let you know that I never want to let you go coz I'm ready for love..."

oOo

The next day:

"Why are you smiling like a loon?"

April turned around and saw Alex standing behind her; "Good morning Alex" she chirped happily.

"Did you get laid last night?" Alex asked with a quirked brow.

April ignored Alex's words; "So, I've got an interesting case for you today."

Alex folded his arms on top of his chest; "If you assigned me to another exploding bowel I swear to god I will kick your ass" he threatened.

"You're still pissed off about that?" April pouted.

"Don't get me started with how much I loathe you yesterday, you'll never hear the end of it" Alex said gruffly.

April shrugged her shoulders; "I won't apologize for that. A patient needed a consult, you're available so I sent for you."

Alex rolled his eyes; "You mean, you're out for vengeance."

April tried her best not to laugh but she's failing miserably.

"I knew it! You're a loathsome wrench!"

April laughed harder.

oOo

"Jackson?"

Jackson turned around and saw Meredith standing behind him; "Yeah?"

"What are you doing here?" Meredith asked.

Jackson pointed towards the row of bouquet of flowers; "Any suggestion what my wife would like?"

Meredith smirked; "You're buying April flowers?"

"Yeah, I didn't have time this morning and I wanted for it to be a surprise. I couldn't do that with her riding shotgun with me, so here I am"

Meredith stuffed her hands inside her labcoat pocket and started perusing the display; after a moment of deliberation, she pointed towards her left. "Get her that one."

Jackson cocked his head to the side; "You think she'll like that?"

"That looks like wild flowers, she likes that right?" Meredith asked.

Jackson threw his friend an amused look; "You do pay attention"

"What does that mean?" Meredith challenged.

"You must really like her more than you let on" Jackson mused.

Meredith winked; "Don't tell her that."

"Here you go Dr. Grey"

Meredith walked towards the counter to grab a small paper bag; "Thanks"

"What did you buy?" Jackson asked curiously.

"Eye mask for my patient and don't even ask why" Meredith warned. She then spun on her heels and started walking; "Oh, Mark is looking for you. Better get going, he's in a foul mood - Burn Center"

"Okay, thanks!"

Meredith waved her hand in acknowledgement as she trots away.

Jackson turned towards the woman standing behind the counter and cleared his throat; "I'll take that please."

"That'll be $10"

Jackson plucked a couple of bills and handed it to the woman; "Here you go, thanks" he said. He then leaned forward to grab the bouquet; he cradled it to his chest carefully as he stepped out of the shop.

"Dr. Avery?"

Jackson turned to his side and saw Leah staring at him with wide eyes; "Yes?"

Leah tore her eyes away from the flowers and cleared her throat; "Dr. Sloan sent me to get you. He wants you to head directly to the Burn Center, no detours allowed" she explained.

Jackson frowned; "He told you that?"

Leah nodded; "Yes sir" she replied. She then pointed towards the flowers; "Another thing Sir, he also told me to take care of your errands - if you happen to have any."

"Are you offering to deliver these flowers to my wife? it's not part of your job, you know."

"I know but I don't mind, I'm about to head there as well, I'm under her service today"

"Are you sure it's okay?" Jackson asked.

"It's fine" Leah replied.

Jackson moved towards the resident and carefully handed the bouquet over; "Make sure she receives it."

"Will do."

"Thank you"

"You're welcome."

"And Murphy?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell her to have a great day and she's beautiful"

"Will do" Leah replied with a grin.

oOo

"Matthew!"

"April!"

April chuckled; "It's good to see you again"

Matthew smiled meekly; "Same here, how have you been?"

"I'm doing great. And you?"

Matthew shifted on his feet nervously, peeking over April's shoulder from time to time; "Err, I'm good" he replied.

April followed Matthew's gaze; "Why are you looking over my shoulder?"

"I'm looking for your husband, I don't think he'd want to see me after what happened to our last ride along" Matthew admitted sheepishly.

April waved her hand dismissively; "Don't worry about that, I already explained our side - he got it eventually."

"I really am sorry about that, if I knew that it was not-"

"It's in the past Matt, don't sweat over it." April interrupted. She then braced her hands on her hips; "What's new with you?"

Matthew grinned; "I'm dating now"

April's eyes widen in surprise; "You are? Who? When?"

Matthew chuckled; "Yes, she's from our church and we just started seeing each other last week."

April grinned widely; "Oh my gosh! I'm soooo happy for you!" she exclaimed.

"I can see that" Matthew teased.

April was about to open her mouth to respond but wasn't able to do so when she heard throat clearing from the back.

"I think she has something for you" Matthew said with amusement.

April turned around and saw Leah carrying a bouquet of wild flowers; "Murphy?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you Dr. Kepner-Avery but Dr. Avery wanted me to give you this" Leah said as she props the flowers towards her Attending.

Matthew whistled; "Looks like someone has it bad for you" he teased.

April looked flustered; "Err-I-" she stuttered.

Leah cleared her throat; "He has a message too."

Matthew folded his arms on top of his chest, a shit eating grin playing on his lips.

April felt her face burn with a combination of embarrassment and happiness; "G-go on..."

"He wants you to have a great day and err-you're beautiful"

"Now I've seen it all" Matthew drawled.

April slapped Matthew's arm; "Shut it!"

Leah bit her bottom lip to keep herself from laughing.

oOo

"You paged?" Cristina asked as she peeked inside the room.

Alex beckoned her forward; "Come here."

Cristina walked towards the makeshift cradle; "What's up?"

Alex grabbed a pair of gloves and handed it towards his friend; "I've been treating him with diuretics and beta blockers but he's still got edema" he explained.

Cristina slipped on her gloves and started checking the baby; after a moment, she lifted her gaze to look at Alex. "We need to put in the graft, that's the only way we can get him out of here and you know that."

"Are you done with all the test prints?"

"Yeah, we finished it last night. Ross is printing out the real one now."

"Mer's spoon making printer works?" Alex asked.

Cristina raised her brow; "Does she know you're calling her 3D printer a spoon maker?"

Alex snickered; "I'm gonna ask her to print me a fork that will go with the spoon."

Cristina tried to stifle her laugh but end up snorting.

oOo

Jackson walked into the Burn Center, his eye scanning for his mentor's familiar face. He spotted him sitting on one of the vacant beds so he made his way towards him. "You paged?"

Mark lifted his eyes from his tab; "Great, you're here."

Jackson braced his hands on his hips; "What is this I hear about you sporting a foul mood? And why on earth did you sic Murphy on me?"

Mark sniffed as he placed his tab on the side; "I'm not sporting a foul mood and I did not sic Murphy on you. I asked her kindly to look for you."

"You asked her to do my errands" Jackson pointed out.

Mark waved his hand dismissively; "Never mind Murphy. How did it go last night? Did Derek really score you a table at SkyCity?"

Jackson threw Mark a disbelieving look; "You asked me here to gossip?"

"Not gossip Avery, men don't gossip - we talk"

"Technicalities" Jackson said.

"How was it?"

"The food was good and the view is great" Jackson replied.

"I'm not talking about the food dumdum, I've been there. I'm talking about you two."

"We're good, we both enjoyed it"

Mark smirked; "Did you hit home run then?" he asked while wiggling his brows.

"Stop talking about that, we're not allowed to talk about that"

"Oh come on! It's a question answerable by a yes or a no!"

Jackson checked their surroundings before responding; "No I did not hit home run and I have no plans of even attempting. I'm not gonna make a move, not until she says yes after I asked her to marry me again."

Mark's eye widen; "You're really serious about that? You're gonna ask your wife to marry you again?"

Jackson nodded; "Yes."

"And you're keeping it in your pants!"

"I am" Jackson replied seriously.

"You're sticking with abstinence? You're trying to be celibate when the object of your lust is sleeping beside you?"

Jackson cringed; "Don't even remind me"

Mark grinned; "Hard eh?"

"Driving-me-up-the-wall crazy" Jackson said solemnly.

"Just ask her to marry you tonight, that way you can get laid" Mark suggested.

Jackson threw Mark a disgusted look; "I'm not asking her to marry me just to get laid! Stop being an ass" he chided. He then moved towards the bed and sat down; "Last time I asked her to marry me was out of duress, look how that turned out" he said bitterly.

Mark shifted on his perch to face his prot; "Right feelings, wrong timing. You wouldn't have married her for the sake of the baby alone and we both know that."

Jackson nodded; "I know that. That's why I'm doing her right this time. I'm asking her to marry me solely because I love her and I want to spend my life showing her."

Mark blinked a couple of times; "Wow."

"Huh?"

"You really have a way with words" Mark said. He then lifted his hand and thumped his prot's back with approval; "Go get your girl and live your happily ever after"

Jackson smirked; "Sophia?"

Mark cringed; "Stupid Disney movies"

Jackson laughed.

oOo

"What do we got?" April asked as she briskly walks towards the incoming gurney.

"Lisa Campbell, 32. Found in an apartment trash chute. Compactor tore her leg up pretty good before it jammed" The paramedic replied as he navigated the gurney inside the Trauma room. "Lost a lot of blood in the field but vitals are stable."

"Why was she in the trash?" April asked.

"Foraging for food, probably"

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not homeless. I don't forage, I have a PHD" The patient said.

April took her place on the side and grabbed the cloth; "On my count. One, two and three" she said as she helped the paramedics lift the patient off the gurney. Once everything settled, she turned towards Leah; "Okay, start her on one gram of cefazolin. We need to clean this out. Page Plastics" she instructed. She then moved towards the mangled leg and started cutting off the gauzes; "Lisa, is there anyone you'd like us to call?" she asked.

"My boyfriend. I was in the trash chute for two days, he's probably worried sick - his name is Ted"

April lifted the gauze and saw how bad the wound was; she felt bile rise up her mouth but she pushed it back.

"If his wife answers, hang up and try again in an hour"

April froze, her eyes meeting Leah's; "Okay"

Leah shrugged her shoulders.

oOo

"Cristina! Wait up"

Cristina halted her steps; "Yep?"

"Do you want to sleep over tonight?" Meredith asked as she fell in step with her best friend.

Cristina resumed walking but not without throwing Meredith a confused look; "Err- why? I don't want to sleep in a bed with McDreamy on the other side."

Meredith chuckled; "He won't be there. He has another meeting in D.C"

"White House stuff?"

"Uhuh" Meredith replied.

"Out with it. I know there's more to it that girl bonding"

"Help me try and figure out why my research isn't working? And oh, help me with the kids too"

Cristina steered Meredith to their left; "Mmmnn-mmnnn. Sounds like fraternization."

"I have wine."

"I'll be there."

Meredith grinned; "Yeah, I figured."

oOo

Mark pulled his pager off his belt; "I have a page from the E.R" he announced.

Jackson lifted his eyes from his tab; "A consult?"

"Yep" Mark replied. He then eyed Jackson's posture; "Want to take it for me?" he asked with raised brow.

Jackson didn't need to be told twice; he shot up from his seat and bolted towards the door. "I owe you one!" he called out.

Mark shook his head in amusement; "Love strikes again" he said wistfully.

oOo

"Did you page Plastics?" April asked.

Leah nodded; "I paged Dr. Sloan-" she paused, her eyes moving towards April's back. "But it looks like he sent Dr. Avery instead"

April turned her face to the side and saw her husband walking towards her; "Hey you"

"Hey babe" Jackson said. He stood right in front of April, sporting a huge smile; "Did you receive the flowers?"

"I did, they're beautiful - thank you" April replied. "But next time, please refrain from asking residents to that for you - they're here to learn and not to deliver"

Jackson winced; "About that, it was Mark's doing not mine"

"I should have known" April mumbled. She then pointed towards the room behind them; "I need you in there. I have a patient who got stuck inside a trash chute for two days. Her leg looks mulled and I need you to check it - it looks pretty bad."

"Let's get to it then" Jackson said.

April walked towards the door and opened it; "I'm back Lisa. This is Dr. Avery, he's the Plastic consult."

"Hi Lisa" Jackson greeted.

"Hi" Lisa replied meekly.

Leah grabbed a pair of gloves and handed it towards Jackson.

"Thanks" Jackson replied. He then walked towards the stool that's positioned near the foot of the bed and sat down; "I'm gonna take a look at your leg first."

"Go on Doc" Lisa replied.

April sat on the adjacent stool, slipping her gloves quietly.

Jackson examined the extent of the damage for a couple of minutes before turning his eyes to Leah; "Go ahead and book an O.R. for debride leg repair."

"Right away Dr. Avery" Leah replied before stepping out of the room.

"Thought so" April whispered.

Jackson grabbed the tweezers; "Time to clean it" he said.

"God Lisa! I told you not to come to the party. I also told you not to have a secret affair with the head of the Sociology Department, by the way."

"I know! I know you're right. But you know, I wasn't going to go, but then everyone from the department was going so I went"

"Is that - shrimp tail?" April asked.

"No dear, it's a prawn" Lisa answered.

Jackson discarded it on a kidney basin; "Prawn it is."

Lisa turned her attention back to her friend; "Did you tell Ted about what happened?"

"No I didn't tell him. I was trying to preserve your dignity."

"Thank you."

"I didn't realize there was nothing left to preserve."

Jackson cleared his throat loudly; "Uhm, well, I certainly can't do anything about your dignity but if we're gonna preserve this leg, we need to get you up in the O.R"

"Sedate her. Maybe the anesthesia can do something to her brain, you know - to make it work again."

April bit her bottom lip to keep herself from bursting into fits of giggles.

Jackson did the same.

oOo

It was almost noon time when Lexie found April; she spotted the red head lounging inside the Attending's Lounge, eyes fixed on her phone intently.

Lexie closed the door behind her; "What's with you and mobile phones? Are you sexting with your husband now?"

April turned her phone towards Lexie; "I'm playing scrabble, not sexting" she replied.

Lexie plopped down on the couch; "Umph!"

"You look tired, what's up?" April asked as she stowed her phone away.

"Just got done with surgery" Lexie replied as she leans her head back.

"Basing from your tone, it didn't turn out well"

Lexie closed her eyes; "The patient died on the table. I was not able to get into his head in time"

"Aneurysm?"

"Yeah"

"I'm sorry to hear that, I'll include him in my prayers" April replied solemnly.

Lexie turned her head to the side; "Thanks" she said. "Enough about the depressing talk, tell me - what's new about you?"

April shifted on her perch to face the brunette; "You just asked me the same question yesterday, I think. And the answer still remains the same; nothing's new."

Lexie quirked a brow; "Some birdie told me that you and your husband went on a date last night and the SkyCity none the less!"

April grinned; "Yeah, I didn't expect that"

"And he had a resident deliver you flowers this morning"

"Care of your fiancé"

Lexie chuckled; "I figured."

April placed her hands on her lap; "I don't know but all this feels kinda new to me you know..." she admitted.

"Jackson acting like Prince Charming?" Lexie asked.

"Yeah, exactly that."

"Maybe he's trying to compensate for the years you spent apart."

"Maybe" April replied, worrying her lips.

Lexie sat up; "Let him"

"What do you mean?"

"Let him romance his way back to your heart."

April cracked a smile; "Romance his way back to my heart? What have you been watching lately?" she teased.

Lexie rolled her eyes; "Nothing that you haven't seen yet"

April giggled.

Lexie copied April's pose; "Just go with the flow and enjoy it. Jackson Avery putting his best foot forward is a very rare phenomenon."

April looked thoughtful; "He normally bats his eyes and poof, girls starts fawning on him."

Lexie nodded; "Exactly."

April then moved her eyes to meet Lexie's; "It's just - gaaaaaahhhh!

"Just tell me what's really bothering you" Lexie suggested.

April took a deep breath; "It's just-he's doing awesome stuffs for me and I don't know how to reciprocate. He wants to make things better for us because he's trying to compensate for his "wrong doings" but I'm at fault too. It's not as if I can send him flowers and we're even! It's frustrating - gaaaaahhhh!"

"Hanky-panky, I'm sure he'll love that"

April threw Lexie a confused look; "Err- what?"

Lexie fought the urge to roll her eyes; "Sex. Reward him with sex. You can never go wrong with sex."

April's cheeks started to redden; "S-sex?"

"Yes. The thing you do with your partner. You let him take off your clothes then you do the same. Then you kiss him and he-"

"I know what sex means!" April shrieked.

Lexie giggled; "Then why do you sound so appalled? He's your husband, you can have all the sex you want without having to worry that God will frown on you" she explained.

April licked her lips; "That's it? I just have to-err-reward him with that?"

Lexie looked amused; "Say it with me Apes, say the word sex" she teased.

April ignored Lexie's teasing; "You really think that will be enough?"

Lexie shrugged; "Every guy wants sex Apes, I don't think Jackson is any different."

April fell back on the couch, clearly mulling over Lexie's advice.

"Just try it, I'm quite sure Jackson will appreciate the gesture" Lexie said. "And besides, how long has it been? 4 or 5 years - Hello cobwebs!"

April shot up from her seat; "You're awful!"

Lexie laughed; "And you're still a prude!"

April smiled; "Thanks for the advice, I'll put your suggestion into consideration."

"Don't over think it too much. We don't want you daydreaming about it while tending to a patient. That'll be, let's just say uncomfortable" Lexie winked.

April shook her head with amusement before walking towards the door; "Bye Lexie Sloan" she chimed cheerfully.

Lexie wrinkled her nose; "Take that back!"

"Not in a million years" April retorted before stepping out of the room.

oOo

It was almost time to check on their trash chute patient so Jackson found himself walking towards Lisa's room; he just rounded the corner when he saw his wife walking towards the same direction. "April!"

April halted her steps; "Hey, checking on Lisa?" she asked.

"Yep" Jackson replied.

April turned the knob and entered the room.

"You're gonna send her flowers and then you are never going to see her again" Lisa's friend said to the phone. When she saw them entering, she covered the mouth piece with her hand and gestured towards the door; "I'll take this outside" she said.

"Okay" April replied as she made her way towards the side of the bed.

"Oh, tell him he kisses like a turtle's butt" Lisa piped in.

April gently grasped Lisa's hand and started taking her pulse; "Is she breaking up with him for you?" she asked.

"I can't be trusted to do it. I'm crazy" Lisa replied. "But first step is admitting you have a problem right?"

"That's right" April replied approvingly.

Jackson positioned himself by the foot of the bed and slowly lifted up the blanket, checking their patient's leg.

"No more secret romances, no more married men" Lisa said firmly. She then moved her eyes towards Jackson, appraising his looks; "Hey, what are you doing this weekend? You're beautiful" she said with a smile.

April slowly lowered Lisa's hand back on the bed and started tapping on her tab; "Wow, another hit without batting an eye lash - I guess I am right" she thought grudgingly.

Jackson froze, his eyes meeting Lisa's; "Err-"

Lisa didn't seem to be deterred; "And you've already seen me naked. So, you might as well buy me dinner" she continued.

April bit her bottom lip and threw her husband a side glance.

Jackson felt April's stare so he stood straighter; he put on a not interested face before responding. "Well, I actually have plans with my wife, so..."

April fought the urge to grin smugly; "Damn right you do" she thought.

Lisa looked abashed; "Stuck in a trash chute - check. Prawn stuck in my leg - check. Embarrass myself in front of my surgeons - double check. Yeah, that about sounds right, I can die now."

April threw Lisa a rueful look but did not say anything.

Lisa leaned towards April; "You know, he really should wear a ring. It's not fair going around looking like that" she whispered.

April's eyes zeroed on Jackson's hand and noticed that he's not wearing any ring; she met his eyes and raised his brow. "Totally agree"

"It's in my locker, I had to take out during surgery" Jackson whispered.

"Fair enough" Lisa replied.

April nodded; "Alright, fair enough."

Jackson threw Lisa a smile; "Get well soon" he said.

"Thank you"

oOo

Jackson and April left the hospital later than they usually do. April had to scrub in an emergency case right after they visited Lisa's room. They were both bone tired from their busy day but April had something else in mind; the reward Lexie suggested that afternoon.

"Babe? Are you alright in there?" Jackson asked as he knocked on the bathroom's door. "You've been there for quite some time now"

"I'm okay, I'll be out in a minute" April replied as she wiped the shaving cream off her right leg.

"Okay, I'm gonna turn in now, I already locked all the doors"

"Alright" April replied. She waited for the tell tale sign of footsteps before discarding the towel into the laundry chute. She walked towards the mirror and started examining the green lingerie she's wearing; "You can do this April. It may have 5 years since you last did the deed but I'm sure as hell you still know what to do" she psyched herself. After a couple of minutes of staring at her reflection; she took a deep breath before turning on her heels. "Tonight is your lucky night Jackman"

oOo

Jackson was just flumping his pillow when he heard the bathroom door open; he climbed into the bed and pulled the comforter to his lap. He was reaching for the book on his side table when he noticed a shadow lurking by the door; he lifted his gaze and felt his breath caught in his throat.

April leaned sideways on the door frame; "You're still awake" she pointed out.

Jackson let his hand fall as he cleared his throat; "Y-yeah" he rasped out.

April pulled away from her perch and began making her way towards the bed; she stopped by the edge and started crawling up, intentionally flashing her husband her lady bits.

Jackson's eyes automatically zeroed on her chest; a surge of lust heating his blood, making his heart beat erratically.

April sat on her haunches, trying her best to look seductive; "I hope you're not too sleepy, I have something else in mind" she said sultrily.

Jackson swallowed hard; "Think of Karev in a tutu, think of Webber making out with your mom!" he mumbled to lowly.

April cocked her head to the side; "What are you saying?"

Jackson shook his head; "Nothing" he replied. He then pulled the comforter to his chest, willing his body to cooperate; "I'm-errr- knackered. I'm turning in - goodnight" he said before falling into his pillows, quickly turning his back on his wife.

April's eyes widen incredulously; "What the?" she thought. "You're saying no to sex because you're-you're knackered?"

"Yep, maybe next time babe. Goodnight" Jackson replied hastily, closing his eyes in effect.

April opened her mouth to speak but words seem to escape her; waves of insecurity and hurt clouded her mind, making her irrationally angry. She crawled towards the edge of the bed and stood up; she wordlessly made her way towards the door, slamming it behind her. "Better man my ass! Gaaaahhhh! Stupid suggestion, why did I even listen to that? Of course he doesn't want to have sex with me - I'm not pretty or sexy enough! Stupid idea, stupid Lexie and stupider me!"

Jackson's grip on the comforter tightened, he didn't like denying his wife what she wants but he also knows that he can't afford anymore slips. God knows he wants to ravish her silly the moment she stepped into the room but for some unfathomable reason he managed to control himself. "I'm sorry Apes, I just want to do things right this time - I'm working on it, please understand."

That night, when he gave into sleep; he knew that it would be the first time that they would go to bed angry - at least, on April's part and that is, if she decides to sleep beside him after what happened.