So this is my first attempt on one shot stories. I have always adored the relationship between Owen and April, so I was inspired to write this fic after viewing 11x22. Please enjoy it and let me know what you think!
April Kepner strolls around the camp, eyes searching for the familiar curly strawberry blonde hair of her superior. She spots Owen sitting alone, enjoying his beer outside the tent. Slowly, she picks up a chair nearby and settles down next to him.
"Chief…"
Owen withdraws himself from the stream of thoughts. He resumes his delighted manner and smiles in response to April.
"Kepner. I'm not your chief. At least not here, not in the middle of a sandpit."
"Right, Dr. Hunt." April smiles back at him. She gently shivers as the wind blows up; it's really cold at night when one's in the desert. Owen's eyebrows slightly crunch up. He takes off his jacket and hands it to her.
"You'd better not be out here. Take the coat."
April obediently accepts his offer. She covers her front body with his thick jacket, eyes longing at the stars on the sky.
"I'm alright. A little chill is good. This is much better than Seattle's winter anyway. A change of air, indeed."
"How's Avery doing? Did he tell you about any Christmas party at the hospital?" Owen turns aside to look at April.
"No. I don't think they are in the mood of celebrating now that Meredith is still missing. Jackson was at Alex's house. He and a few docs threw a small Christmas Eve dinner. We were actually arguing when the bomb exploded. Then I lost signal."
Owen sighs. He knows the loss of Derek still affects everyone in that hospital. It would be difficult for him, too if he had to face the same four walls of the hospital over and over again, feeling he was trying to live among the dying patients, and the ghost of his dear friends, of Mark, Lexie and Derek.
"He must be very sad. It's supposed to be our first Christmas together as a family. Jackson, me, and our baby."
April's shaky voice interrupts Owen and his own thoughts. He gently squeezes April's shoulder, trying to comfort her. "Kepner."
"It's okay. I'm okay. I'm just a little angry about everything. About our baby. About Dr. Shepherd's death. About Jackson who's probably worrying about me, because the last thing he heard was the explosion, and I couldn't get back to him after the crisis is over. Also, I'm very upset that Lieutenant Dan lost his leg. All the three of our guys are severely injured, while their guy is in speedy recovery."
"There's injustice everywhere, April. And there's only so much we can do. The only reason I could save the Afghanistan guy is because you and Dr. Scot handled our men so neatly. And I didn't really have a choice. I took an oath."
"Yeah, and Lieutenant Dan is having the worst Christmas of his life, while the Afghan jackass has another chance to live and plot another bombing to us. I came here to save our guys' lives; I didn't sign up to save our enemies and give them another chance to destroy us." April rolls her eyes, arms waving angrily in the air as she speaks.
Owen gently smiles and shakes his head. "Kepner, that Afghan guy will not be let go freely. He will be interrogated, and our guys will do whatever necessary to retrieve information from him. We don't let them win that easily. And what we did was more than just saving this guy's ass. We did contribute to the progress of our duty."
Owen's reassurance makes April feel better. She leans back and relaxes.
"I wish I could save Lieutenant Dan's leg. I wish I could do more. My whole life, I've been planning things. I planned my wedding. I planned my baby's first three years. I planned to invite Derek, Meredith and the rest of the staff to our house on Christmas Eve. I planned my sutures to hold and that the highest dose of antibiotics will save Lieutenant Dan's leg from severe infection. My plans were always smart, and look at how things turn out."
Owen beams at April. Everything she's been through, he had been there. He had moments of doubts. He had visions of how his life would unfold. But now, experience teaches him the meaning of now. He lives for the current moment.
"I know. Despite all those, you're cut out to be a trauma surgeon. You're not Meredith, or Maggie, or Alex. You don't see patients weeks after weeks, you don't give them treatment plans. Patients come to us in critical situations, and our smart judgement and immediate damage control give other doctors the chance to work according to plan. All the decisions you made to adjust to the situations, they all turned out to be better than planned, right? You are good in the storm, Kepner. You're a trauma surgeon. You excel in chaos. You live for the moment. What do they say? Carpe something?"
April laughs. "Carpe Diem." "And Owen, did you think about my wedding when you said about my decisions to adjust to the situations and stuff?"
Owen bites his lips and smiles sheepishly. "Errr..yes. That was one hell of a wedding, Kepner. You two kept us on the edge of our seats for the whole ceremony. Hahaha."
"That was embarrassing. I made fun of myself in front of the entire guests." April shakes her head apologetically.
"Hey, Avery started it first." Owen still chuckles.
"Yeah, but then I left Matthew at the altar and…ran away with Jackson. I never planned to be a runaway bride."
"You…adjusted to the situation, for the better outcome, I suppose?" Owen shakes his head, laughing. He tries to steer her attention to the happy parts of her life. Owen knew April joining the army was to get away from the tragic things that happened to her. Talking about the lost baby would bring not only her but him back to the dark place, and both of them would prefer to move on from it.
"Yes, for the better outcome. I love Jackson. I always have." April looks down at her thighs and sheepishly smiles.
"I hope you feel good about working here, in the thick of it all."
"I do. I was excited to join you, Dr. Hunt. And I hope Meredith could be like me, having something that makes she feel good and peaceful again. Do you think she's alright?"
Owen longs at the yellow shades coming from the gate of the camp. The lonely lights bring him flash backs of his happy time, with Cristina, Meredith and Derek, of all the joy and fun he had with his coworkers in Seattle.
"Meredith is strong, Kepner. I believe she will come back one day. She and Cristina had been through a lot, and their resilience has always amazed me and Derek. Her children, Bailey and Zola, will bring her back to us."
Owen's thoughtful face brings April back to all the joy and tears they altogether had at Grey Sloan Memorial.
"I used to have a crush on Dr. Shepherd, you know. And Jackson had a crush on Cristina. I can't believe it, hahaha." April suddenly laughs.
"Really? How did you know? Were they ever together, Cristina and Jackson?" Owen shyly asks.
"Uhm, Jackson told me, but I think it lasted shorter than a fling. Don't tell me you're jealous, Owen." April cheerfully pats Owen's shoulder. He embarrassingly remains silent.
April slowly drops her mouth in surprise. "Oh my god, you are. It's nothing, Owen. I think Jackson said it was one time he and Cristina did something against their superior's order, and there was a party after, and he was high he tempted to kiss Cristina. But she was very clear that she was involved, and so it lasted less than a minute."
Owen gently exhales. He can still recall that day vividly, and it was his order that Cristina and Jackson disregarded. They were fighting. But they were madly in love back then.
"Jackson and Cristina were good partners in the OR. They understood each other. They saved Derek in the shooting." Owen stated.
"Oh yes, the shooting. And you were shot. I can't believe we survived and moved on from all that crap." April rolls her eyes.
"We didn't go through all the tragedy for nothing. You're gonna be fine, Kepner. You will recover from whatever you're running away from." Owen smiles and reassures her.
"You're gonna be fine, too. Owen. You have always been good. Calm and stoic."
"Me? I'm okay! There's nothing wrong with me. I'm not running away from anything. I appreciate it, but you don't need to worry about me. Don't tell Jackson or Derek or Webber to have a guy date with me like when Cristina left. It's awkward." Owen scoffs.
"You keep mentioning Cristina. All this time, you've been thinking about her. All this year. I can tell you're not over her yet. You're running away from your pain." April sighs.
"That's not true." Owen shakes his head with determination.
"Okay." April plainly responses. She gazes at the stars and doesn't bother arguing with him anymore.
"It's just, I just…I want to find joy again in my life. I want to stop thinking about the friends that walked away from me. That hospital was my second family. I met George there, the first student who made me feel enthusiastic in teaching. He was in the same batch with Meredith and Cristina. He was cut out to be a trauma surgeon, you know, and I really enjoyed being his mentor. He enlisted in the army, then a bus killed him. It was way before the merger."
April gazes at Owen sympathetically.
"Then Altman. I was glad she came to Seattle. We were close friends, and we went through a lot together. And Henry died, so she had to flee away. But I'm happy for her, you know, it would be too much for her to stay in the same place her husband died. And then Mark, and Derek. They were great friends. We set up the wrong foot at first, but we got along. We bonded over building the house for Meredith and Derek. Do you think why Derek gave me a discount on the trailer rent?" Owen laughs out loud, thinking about how Derek considered it a gesture of brotherhood.
"Now that Derek's gone, do you think Meredith will sell the trailer?" April asks.
"I think you and George would become good friends if you two met, April. You two are alike." Owen smiles.
"Maybe, maybe you consider finding a new place to live, Owen?" April forces a grin at him.
"Why?" Owen furrows his eyebrows.
"To break free? To move on?"
"I don't care where I live, Kepner. Most of the time I crash in the on call room. The firehouse was the only house I wanted to buy and live in. I spent a lot of effort fixing it and decorating it. You know Cristina. She was never interested in decorating." Owen chuckles and gulps some more beer.
"We are walking down memory lanes." April pulls the jacket closer to her as another wind blows up.
"We are." Owen chuckles.
"I guess it means this is my last tour. I miss that freaking hospital. I miss Alex's scornful eyes. I miss Callie's funny jokes."
"Me too." Owen nods in agreement. "I love that place." He shyly smiles and looks down.
"I wish Meredith comes back. I wish Cristina comes back, too. It will be like the old time, when all of us walk around and joke and make fun of each other."
"I know, right? I hope for the same." Owen sighs.
"You still love her?" April blinks her eyes.
"April!" Owen rolls his eyes.
April pauses for a while to observe Owen. Finally she murmurs. "I can tell you do. You can't blame me for asking Jackson or Shepherd or Webber to hang out with you. You clearly were hurt. You love her a lot."
"I didn't blame you. I appreciated it." Owen emphasized.
"Good." April beams at him.
Owen exhales deeply. He pauses for a moment to reminisce all the things that happened to him. Slowly, he turns around, eyes gazing at April and smiling sheepishly.
"She's the love of my life, Kepner. But I'm learning to live happy right now, until we meet again."
"Yeah." She nods and pats Owen's shoulder.
The mentor and the student don't talk anymore. They just sit there and enjoy the tranquil atmosphere of the night until April's phone rings.
"Jackson!" She excitedly screams his name when he face appears on the screen.
"April! Finally I can call you! Are you okay? I heard the explosion!" Jackson looks worried.
"There was an explosion, but I'm totally fine! Hey, Merry Christmas to you, sweetheart! How's everyone over there?" April beams at the screen with content.
"Oh, I'm home already. It's 9am now in Seattle. We're doing good. Webber, Maggie and Arizona were at Alex's house, too. We opened the Christmas gifts. And I get a sandwich grill for our house, April!" Jackson smiles.
"Good, that means you don't have to spend 6 bucks for a breakfast sandwich anymore." April snaps back at him and laughs.
"Urgh." Jackson moans. "Also Alex gave us a Macallan bottle."
Owen is sitting next to April and enjoying their conversation. He sits up as he hears about the bottle of wine. He reaches for April's phone and turns it to his sight.
"Hey, Avery. You have a whisky?"
"Hey, Dr. Hunt. Yeah, I do." Jackson shows up the bottle to the screen.
"A 18 year old whisky, nice! Macallan is good. Best Scottish whisky in my opinion." Owen nods.
"It is? Well bring my wife home safely and we can enjoy it together." Jackson laughs.
Owen hands the phone to April. He sits back, leans on the chair and realizes how much he miss everyone at Grey Sloan Memorial.
"Guess what, April. Alex called Meredith four times last night and she finally picked up. She's taking a rest because she is having another baby." Jackson smiles and scratches his head as he talks to the phone.
"Oh my god, she is fine and having another baby. It's great news." April drops her mouth and laughs wholeheartedly.
"Yes, she is. Alex is gonna visit her soon after New Year." Jackson nods.
Aprils turns aside and beams at Owen. He smiles back at her, speechless. His heart fills with joy as he hears the news. He worried about Meredith, but now everything is fine. He looks at the stars above and contemplates his life. Doubts, Owen has it for sure, once in a while. But he has always had faith in the resilience of his and his fellows'. He has always believed the best is yet to come, and life is about making every single moment count.
Carpe Diem, April had said.