Title: It's Real, Very Real
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Note: First time posting for this couple so I am nervous indeed! :) But I have completely fallen for them so thought I'd dip my toe into the fic pool with this little oneshot that came to me tonight. You can say it fits around 10x18 where we saw April's new wedding ring.
I hope to post a much longer story later this week. I'm very eager to hear how this reads, so please leave a comment on your way out. Thank you!
"So does that mean I'm officially discharged?" Evan asks with a charming grin as he signs the last of his release forms in the ER.
A car accident had brought him into the hospital, but April had finished assessing his minor injuries while Jackson was applying the dressing to where he had completed a row of stitches. Evan was a professor at Seattle Community College, and a friend of Derek's. Derek had asked Jackson to personally handle his stitches when his friend had called from the ER.
"Yup, that's it!" April said brightly. "In and out, that's our motto. It's not really our motto, but you know, it would be a good motto. You're good to go."
Evan chuckled as he looked up from his paperwork, putting down his pen to direct his attention towards April. "You're cute. How about dinner?"
"I- uh, what?" April blinks in surprise, almost dropping the tray she'd been setting aside. It clangs loudly and she winces at the sound. She looks at Jackson out of the corner of her eye in panic, but he's too busy grinning to himself, his plastic surgeon hands busy at work to finish the dressing.
"How about dinner? What time do you get out of this place?"
"Not until nine, but that's not- I mean-" She catches Jackson grinning at her in amusement and ignores him, turning back to Evan to say politely, "Thank you, I'm flattered, but I'm married." She waves the fingers of her left hand where she wears the ring no one can miss. She knows that with certainty because everyone had been blindsided by it when they'd first seen it and had a snarky or awed comment to make. "See?"
"Yeah, no one can miss that rock," Evan says with a shrug. "I just figured it's so big it had to be fake."
April gasps at the accusation, moving her ring immediately out of his line of sight as if he's offended the diamond. He's certainly offended her. "It's real. Very real. So real that I was scared out of mind wearing it the first week, I thought I'd lose it anytime I washed my hands or scrubbed in or did the dishes-"
"April," Jackson interrupts from the other side of the room.
She glares at him, because now he decides to interrupt? April turns back to Evan, breathing in deeply before she smiles at him one more time. Customer service, it's all about quality patient care and customer service, she reminds herself.
"I'll let Dr. Shepherd know you've been discharged and you can see your regular doctor to have the stitches taken out in about a week," April informs him as she tosses out her gloves and grabs her stethoscope.
"Are you sure I can't just come back here and see you?" Evan asks with a wink. "I mean, a ring that size? He's gotta be compensating for something, if you know what I mean-"
April releases the tiniest of growls she can't contain and moves to the ER curtain to leave. "Goodbye, Mr. Ackerson. Dr. Avery will give you instructions on changing your dressing."
"God, she's feisty." Evan chuckles as he looks back at Jackson. "I like it."
"Yeah, that's Dr. Avery for you," Jackson comments with a smirk.
"Dr. Avery? I thought..." Evan trails off, eyes widening when he notices the name embroidered on Jackson's lab coat. "I thought her last name was K something."
"Maiden name. We thought it'd be confusing at the hospital."
"Right." Evan nods, swallowing nervously before he throws Jackson an apologetic grin. "Uh, sorry? Talk about awkward."
"Awkward for you, man, it was hilarious to me," Jackson says with a broad grin as he grabs a brochure on taking care of stitches and passes it to his patient. "And the ring?" He winks at Evan as he adds, "Definitely real. There's nothing to compensate for either. Trust me, my wife has no complaints."
"I told you you shouldn't have given me such a big ring," April grumbles when Jackson finally joins her at the nurse's station. She's done her paperwork and staring at her ring as if searching for flaws. "Now people think it's fake and that you... you know!" She blushes at what Evan had been implying, avoiding Jackson's gaze in embarrassment.
Jackson just chuckles as he quickly signs off on his paperwork, throwing an arm around her as he tells the on call nurse that they're heading upstairs for coffee. "Who cares what he thinks? I just care what you think."
"Yeah, well, I still think it's too much." But she smiles up at him as the fingers of her other hand trace the diamond lovingly. "But it's very pretty, so thank you again."
"Then that's all that matters." He ushers her into the luckily empty elevator, quickly hitting the button for the doors to close before anyone else can board.
Knowing exactly what he's doing, April laughs and shakes her head even as he pushes her against the wall, his head bending to nuzzle at her collarbone. "Jackson!"
"Sorry, just have to make sure my wife is happy and that everything's in working order." He drops a kiss on her mouth, lips gliding against hers in a hurry as they enjoy the adrenaline of a quick, stolen kiss.
"Everything is working fine, you dork." April wraps her arms around his neck, returning the kiss with equal fervor, moving back just in time when she hears the ding of the elevator reaching the attending's lounge floor. "Come on, two more hours then we can go home. You promised me coffee."
the end ~