Disclaimer: I don't own anything
I Do?
Jackson Avery didn't like the fact that the mother of his child was dating. Every time she went out dressed to the nines with her beautiful red hair curled and her makeup done just right, it left a bitter taste in his mouth. The irony of it all was the fact that he was the one who asked for the divorce. Ever since those papers were signed, and although he disliked admitting the fact that April was right, he regretted signing them. Now, with April living with him for the foreseeable future, or as long as he could stretch it out, he was stuck feeling like he was so close to having what he wanted, but couldn't. They drove to work together, ate meals together, watch games on the couch like old times, and shared precious moments with their child. Expect at the end of the night they would go to separate rooms, and in the morning he would wake up to nothing but a cold pillow and not her smiling face. He hated this weird were friends living together and happen to be raising a child together phase they were currently in. All he wanted was for them to be the family he now knew they were supposed to be. For the past four months, that's all he has wanted, but he hadn't been able to phrase the words to April yet.
"What did the IRS send me?" Jackson thought allowed as he rocked Harriet in her swing. Currently, he was sitting on the couch in the living room going through the pile of mail and bills that had been awaiting him since getting home from the hospital. April had left him for coffee with a "friend" to tend to Harriet and go through some boring paperwork.
Harriet let out a small gurgle of displeasure as Jackson stopped swinging her to open up the IRS envelope. Taxes had never been his forte, and he had been overjoyed for the three years of his and April's marriage that she agreed to do the taxes. However, since the divorce had he since started filling his own taxes so it was no surprise that the IRS had sent a letter. The contents of the letter confused them, it seemed the IRS believed that he had wrongly filed as single. Being single was a hard pill for him to swallow, but it seemed even the IRS had a problem with being single. The letter though politely asked for him to send the certified, judge signed copy of his divorce decree. The request puzzled him, though, he didn't recall ever attaining a copy of his divorce papers.
The sound of the front door caused him and the baby to booth turned their attention to the front door. April had come back, earlier than he expected, still dressed in a stunning royal blue dress with a simple gray sweater draped over her shoulders. From the look on her face, it seemed she was pretty agitated, and Jackson hoped very much the date went very, very bad.
"She's still up?" April asked as she put her purse on the table next to the door, before walking to the couch and picking up her baby. Harriet giggled as her mother gave her sweet kisses on her cheeks.
"It's only seven," Jackson began warily, as he put the IRS letter down on the couch next to him. "You weren't supposed to be back till later," he added. April had left a mere thirty minutes before, and he was sure she wouldn't make it back before Harriet's bedtime at 7:30.
April shrugged as she bounced the happy baby on her hip. "Oh yeah, my date called me on the way there saying he couldn't make it," she said as she looked at Harriet. "It's ok," she smiled as she looked at Jackson. "I can tuck this one into bed tonight."
Jackson nodded as his eyes drifted to letter next to him. He wasn't sure if he could discuss matters of their divorce with April. They were on good terms, and he wanted to be on better terms with her, and perhaps talking about the divorce wasn't the best idea. Curiosity was getting the better of them, so Jackson decided it was worth the shot of asking April about her copy of the divorce agreement. "I have an odd question actually," Jackson began as he picked up the IRS letter. "The IRS needs a copy of our divorce papers, you don't happen to have them on hand."
April's eyebrows scrunched up. "I was actually going to ask that same question to you," she admitted. "I got that letter yesterday, and I can't find my copy either."
Jackson cocked his head, April didn't lose things. The redhead in front of him was the most organized person in the world, she could organize something as hectic as an overflowing Emergency Room and make it streamlined. "You weren't given a copy either were you?" HE asked.
"Wait?" April asked, alarm in her voice. "Are you telling me neither of us has the signed copy from the Judge that was supposed to come in the mail after we signed the papers?"
They had signed their papers with their lawyers who then had filed them with a judge. The judge had to sign the decree than a letter notifying each party of the finalization of the divorce was sent, or in this case, maybe it wasn't. "Maybe they were mailed to our lawyer offices?" Jackson questioned.
"Call your lawyer then and check!" April said, her voice slight elevated. Jackson knew that tone, it was April -is mildly freaked out- tone of voice. "I am going to bathe Harriet and then put her down, while you figure out how to set the IRS straight." Then without another word, April skimped out of the living room with the baby in hand.
Jackson leaned back onto the couch and sighed. Perhaps mentioning the divorce had not been the right idea. They were divorced. The paperwork was signed and sent to a judge to be finalized and they probably had just both skimmed past the letters without noticing. After all, they had gone through some drama after the divorce was over with April being pregnant again. Still, it was odd, neither of them had copies of their finalized divorce. Trying to think rationally, Jackson knew there was hundreds of reason they both had misplaced the papers or hadn't gotten them. Yet the irrational part of him was thinking that they hadn't gotten the papers for the pure fact they were possibly still married. Pulling out his phone from his front jeans pocket, Jackson skimmed through his contacts until he found his family's lawyer's personal cell phone number. After a few rings, the lawyer picked up.
"Hey, this is Jackson Avery, I hate to bother you this late, but I was wondering if you have a copy of the finalization of my divorce?" He asked. The lawyer was puzzled for few moments and quickly asked Jackson if he had not received it from the judge.
"No," Jackson replied, confused himself. "Do you not have a copy either?" The question was shockingly answered with a stern no. Jackson was silent for a few moments, as the lawyer tried to assure him that everything would be okay and that he would go to the judge and figure out what had happened with the decree.
"Wait," Jackson finally interrupted the lawyer's ramblings. "Are you trying to tell me that I am still married?"
The person on the other side of the call was silent for a few moments. "I just search the public records, and it very much appears to me that you are still married."
Suddenly Jackson's hands were shaking as much as they were when he stood up in the barn. He was still married to April. This was his chance to make things right, whatever had been the cause for his divorce decree did not find its way to a judge's desk, was the universe shining down on Jackson Avery right now. Right now, he felt as if he was back in Lake Tahoe saying his vows again, it just felt right being married. The lawyer's words brought him back to reality, and Jackson told the lawyer not to refile or talk to the judge, as he was fine being married.
Smiling to himself, Jackson dropped his phone onto the couch cushion. Suddenly his mind was wondering to where April had put his wedding ring because suddenly his finger felt raw without it. For weeks he had beat himself up for giving up too soon, but apparently, the universe had others plans, or God had other plans. No longer would Jackson have to see her dress for dates with other men, because the only dates she would be going on would be with him- her husband. They were married, and hopefully, he would no longer be waking up in an empty bed all by himself.
"Why are you so happy?" April asked as she walked back into the living room. She sat next to him on the couch not too close but not too far away. She had changed since putting down the baby, into an old gray Notre-Dame sweatshirt and black leggings.
Jackson took a deep breath and look at April, he had no clue how to tell her the news. Yet, looking at her all he knew was that she was the one. April had always been the one, and he had almost lost her because of his own foolishness. Now, he had a chance to make things right and he wasn't going to let this chance slide past him. "Stay right here I have to go get something," Jackson said, as he stood up. He went straight to his room- the lonely master bedroom that he slept his nights in- and into his closet. Quickly, he went to his safe and entered the code and retrieved a small black box that he thought he would never use again.
"What's in your hand?" April playfully asked as he entered back into the living room. The small velvet box was firmly in his left hand, and Jackson couldn't help but smile as he sat back down and put the box in front of her.
"Open it," Jackson said simply.
April hesitantly took the box, her eyes only filled with confusion at the sight of her diamond engagement ring and wedding band. She had given him her rings back after the divorce, just as Jackson had relinquished to her his thick silver wedding band. "I am confused why did you go get my wedding rings?" She asked, looking at him with a baffled look.
Baffled was good, he could work with a baffled April. A confused April usually led to a happy April in his experience. The look on her face was much like the one she got during an interesting surgery right before she managed to save the patient. "I called my lawyer-
"Should I call mine?" She asked, being the typical April and interrupting him like always.
"No," Jackson stated, "Or well I guess that depends on what I am about to tell you." April titled her head, and he could tell she was only becoming more interest in what he had to say. Encouraged by the good sign, he took a deep breathe in and hoped for then best. "According to my lawyer and the public records, we are still married."
April's jaw dropped, and her eyes widen. Patiently, he waited for a few moments for one of her signature April Kepner freak outs, but it didn't come. "We are still married?" April questioned.
"Yes, we are still married which is a shock I know," Jackson began as he took her hand. "It's a good shock, though, April. I don't want to call my lawyer and get him to refile the divorce, I want to stay married."
"Oh my god!" April exclaimed as she stood up. "I am a cheater!" She practically yelled, and Jackson prepared himself for the freak out that had certainly begun. "I have gone on dates with other men and I am married! That's a sin, Jackson, the legal system and its flaws have caused me to sin and it is not okay! I thought I wasn't married, and now I am married even though I was supposed to be on a date right now!"
Jackson couldn't even comprehend everything she was saying. April was flustered her hands flailing around, and he could see that she was struggling for breath. Soon enough, she would finish with her rant when she realized she needed to breathe and that she was being irrational. "Can we not I don't know do something normal for once?" She angrily questioned. "We go from friends to sleeping together, to I am engaged to another person but lets gets married, then divorced. Ohhhh but wait, were not divorced were married, were married and which is what I wanted but it wasn't supposed to happen like this! We were supposed to do it right this time!"
Realizing that April was close to finishing her rant, Jackson stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Deep breath April, deep breathes," he instructed. April listened and stop talking and took slow deep breaths.
"Arizona only told me to go out on dates to make you jealous," April began after a few moments of breathing. "I had it all planned out, in a few months you were going to break down and ask me on a date. We would date for once in our relationship, then after a year or so we get remarried and go back to Lake Tahoe and have a wedding and Harriet could wear a cute flower girl dress," April said quietly looking down at the floor.
"So you're okay with being married to me still?" Jackson asked quietly, as he and April caught eyes.
She smiled softly, her brown eyes slightly tearing up. "Yes, I am. I really, really am so happy that we are because I have always wanted you," she admitted. "The question though hasn't been if I want you, it's if you want me."
Jackson knew he caused her a lot of pain. He had made April hurt in more ways than one and he would never forgive himself for it. Marriage was about the ups and downs, and they had gone through one major down. "Lake Tahoe is only 13 hours away," he found himself saying with a smile. "How about we pack the kid up, get her a dress on the way, and go renew our vows," Jackson suggested.
April smiled, "You know you never did tell me how you know that?"
Jackson grinned, and for the first time in months allowed himself to wrap his arms around April's waist. "We aren't a normal couple April, we don't have a cute dating story because we never needed it, just like we never needed those lawyers. Marriage is hard, and I realize that now, I realize that there are going to be times that our world falls apart, but you are the person I want to put the world back together with," he said, before crushing his lips against hers.
After a few minutes of remembering how good his lips felt good against hers, April pulled away. "It's already eight o'clock, if we want to get to Lake Tahoe we should leave soon," April stated.
Jackson smirked, "Or we could wait until the morning," he stated before kissing her neck. "Because, since we technically are married, there's no reason not to have sex tonight," he murmured before kissing hard against her lips.
"You're right," April smiled as she pulled away. "So, tomorrow I get to marry Jackson Avery," she said with a grin.
Jackson grinned. Tomorrow, everything would be better. No longer would their family be broken, misplaced, and struggling to survive in their odd arrangement. Finally, their family would truly start. Once again they would promise to be together for the rest of their lives, and Jackson knew without a shadow of a doubt they could survive whatever life handed them. At the end of the April Kepner was the woman he wanted to come home to, and nothing would ever change that.
AN: I hoped you enjoyed this short one shot! Thanks for reading and please review!