Hello everyone. I have always loved the song "Bound to You" by Christina Aguilera. The lyrics remind me so much of Japril. Here is just a little something to tide us over until the première. I hope to update this weekend. I don't know where its going now, but hopefully it will be an interesting journey. Please excuse any grammar and punctuation errors. Happy reading.
April silently fumed as she looked up from the sofa to the wall clock hanging near the entrance of their apartment.
Jackson had texted her at 5pm, just as her shift was ending, to tell her that he would be working late, again. It was the same imaginary pro bono patient that had supposedly required his services three nights this past week.
She knew he was lying to her, and as each second ticked off the clock her anger ticked up a notch.
"10:30 pm. I guess Jackson's booty call is going to go on half the night since I stopped putting out," she sighed while pushing aside a stack of medical journals she had put on the sofa with a package of Hershey's chocolate bars.
April gently rubbed her active baby bump as she shifted slightly from the mound of throw pillows she was leaning against to put her feet up on the ottoman.
No matter how mad she was it was hard to not smile when she felt her little one kicking.
"OK baby. Mama's hurrying," April cooed to her belly as she popped a piece of candy into her mouth.
Chocolate was big on baby Avery's list of must haves. Another reason April was convince it was a girl.
They had decided against finding out the sex of the baby. She was due so close to their wedding anniversary they were going to let it be a surprise present to themselves.
April shoved another pillow behind her trying to get comfortable.
She would kill for a back rub from Jackson right now. God did he give goooooood back rubs.
Since she was more likely to kill him, the pillows would have to do.
It had been ten days since April had allowed him to touch her in any way. Her body was drained, both emotionally and physically.
"Two more weeks baby and you are getting new accommodations."
Suffering with swollen feet, an aching back, and general exhaustion was not so much to endure when her reward was going to be a beautiful baby.
Although, April frowned, she was not willing to suffer through Jackson having an affair just so the baby had a father in the home. Tonight she going to confront him and tell him to end it or get out.
April never would have believed Jackson would cheat on her if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes.
They had been so happy, and it wasn't as though he hadn't been getting any.
They made love constantly since their marriage. They craved each other, even with her ever-expanding belly. First because they were in their honeymoon phase, then quickly, and un-expectantly, because of her hormonal phase.
If there was one man on the planet that didn't need to look elsewhere for a booty call it was definitely Jackson Avery.
The worse part, it wasn't even some random hook-up because of a marital argument or a drunken lapse in judgment.
Not that that would be anymore forgivable, but at least she would have felt less deceived.
No, Jackson had started sleeping with Stephanie again.
It was all just so sleazy.
"I guess breaking marriage vows is not unbecoming an Avery," she sarcastically thought while glancing again at the clock.
She wasn't even reading the journal she was now flipping through, she just needed something to do with her hands.
April began to fantasize about tossing the closet full of his beloved sneakers into the trash.
Better yet, not the entire closet, just the left sneaker from each pair. That would really send him into orbit. He would have a visual reminder of what he lost.
Poetic justice, since he was also in the process of losing her.
Tears started burning her eyes at the thought of them being over.
It just didn't make sense.
Their amazing physical relationship was nothing compared to the emotional connection they shared.
Once they finally admitted that they loved one another, it was like a floodgate had opened and they were able to talk about anything and everything.
The past, the present, and the future that seemed so clearly laid before them.
When she discovered she was pregnant they were so excited.
He seemed mesmerized by the changes in her body. He would linger over every inch of her, especially her abdomen where their baby thrived.
Jackson had always communicated by touch, and he and their child were bonding by that shared trait.
From the very beginning of her pregnancy, when he would caress her stomach, it was almost mystical.
As though she was feeling a father and child reaching out to one another. When the baby grew and then began to move, she felt the baby follow Jackson's hands. Like a purring kitten being petted.
She knew with every ounce of her being that he loved their baby.
That's what made his affair so unbelievable.
Why would he allow their family to be torn apart.
She tried to reason that maybe he was starting to feel too much pressure from running the hospital and the Harper Avery Foundation.
But even that seemed improvable.
He had grown more confident with his role in the HA Foundation as well as his hospital duties.
Jackson had matured into a top notch plastic surgeon that was quite capable of handling a family and a career.
Gone were the days that he hid from his legacy, and with that he became the man his father never was.
Something he had confided in April that he had feared most in his life.
The tears switched back to anger when she saw it was after eleven.
She was so full of pent up hostility that she was practically tearing the pages from the binding.
Jackson was lucky she was manhandling the latest edition of the New England Journal of Medicine and not a certain part of his anatomy.
April thought back to ten days ago.
She had a horrible day in the ER. One of the worst in recent memory.
A two year old toddler was brought in with one of the most severe allergic reaction to a bee sting she had ever seen.
They had done everything they could, but it was just to late.
Telling the parents was devastating as she could feel their anguish.
She went up to the burn center to find Jackson. She needed to feel his protective arms wrapped around her and their baby. Jackson always made April feel safe.
But what she saw shattered her.
She had caught them when they had apparently finished their romp.
Jackson was slipping out of the on call room, and Stephanie was clearly visible in the background putting her scrub top back on. April hid herself behind a linen cart, gripping the wall trying to calm her pounding heart. She had to process what was happening.
She was in a daze the rest of the day. Everything that she thought about their marriage was a lie.
He wasn't even trying to spare her feelings by going to a hotel or Stephanie's apartment.
Anyone could have seen them going into the on call room, and someone most likely had.
She wouldn't be surprised if entire hospital wasn't laughing behind her back.
They all probably would think she deserved it after running out of the barn with Jackson.
How could she not expect karma to someday bite her in the ass.
She was jarred from her thoughts when she heard keys enter the lock in the door. There he stood. Her not so prince charming.
Hey Babe, he said after hanging his keys on the hook and entering the livingroom.
"Anything left over from dinner? I'm starved".
Final straw. Definitely the final straw.
April's face broke out in red blotches and her teeth started grinding.
"Starved, I bet after the workout you had" she snapped. "And since when have you developed a palate for leftovers?"
Decorative pillows started flying at his face.
"April".
"Don't you dare use that smooooooth "April" with me. I am not in the mood".
"Yeah, well lately you haven't been in the mood for anything. What is your problem," he asked a little to forcefully for her liking.
"My problem. My problem! Errrrr!" She was swollen, tired, broken hearted, but more than anything else she was thoroughly pissed.
What did he expect, a warm dinner after screwing around with Stephanie all evening.
She wasn't even looking anymore at what she was throwing, anything that she could grab would do.
More pillows, medical journals, unopened Hershey's chocolate bars.
He faced a steady barrage of objects along with April's frustrated vocal grunts when she missed.
She paused for a split second feeling something familiar in her hand.
Looking down she realized it was her cellphone.
Jackson noted that was quickly sat safely in her lap. But then she spotted his remote and the game was back on.
He made a leaping catch like he was back in college stretching for a touchdown.
"Really?" he said as he got back up off the floor holding the remote.
"Yeah, really!" she shouted, not pleased that she missed destroying his boy toy.
Jackson was tempted to ship her off to Switzerland to visit Cristina since she liked mean Kepner so much. He didn't know what to do. For the past few weeks April had turned into a raging, hormonal stranger. He tried everything he could think of to pull her out of it. Nothing worked. In fact, she seemed to get more nasty and distant.
For eight months she had been the most adorable pregnant woman, and he stressed the word had.
Jackson was so enjoying her that he was willing to keep her as barefoot and pregnant as she wanted.
She was glowing, carefree, confident and horny. She was radiant. Until about ten days ago, at the end of her eight month, when she turned into a royal bitch.
He kept looking on her back for the off switch.
If this is what pregnancy hormones were going to do to her, he was making an appointment for a vasectomy and this baby was going to be an only child!
His mental musing momentarily distracted him until her slipper hit him squarely in the chest.
"Stop, just stop!" he barked as he dashed to the sofa and sat down facing her. He had taken her off guard so he was quickly able to grasp her hands gently, but firmly. He was practically hugging her to reach around the baby to her hands.
April was heavily panting from exertion and her anger. She blew at a stray lock of hair that was covering her left eye. Jackson was feeling a lot of things looking at his very pregnant wife while she was in this state. It was the closest they had physically been in ten days. Mostly he was feeling the need to kiss her.
April recognized that look. "He wouldn't dare," she thought to herself. "Didn't he get enough from his mistress tonight." Yeah, he would.
Jackson leaned in to her and captured her lips, reminiscent of their time in the mens bathroom in San Francisco.
"Oww," he yelled, pulling back from her and releasing her hands. She bit him. Of all the things he thought was going to happen, that was a shock. He put his hand up to his mouth only to realize she drew blood. She was taking this to a whole new level.
April had scooted away from him to stand up, facing him like a warrior going to battle.
"That's it. I give up!" Jackson stormed over to the kitchen to get a tissue. "I know the pregnancy is starting to take a toll on you, but you are seriously acting fucking crazy right now".
"You want to know what crazy is Jackson. Yeah, let's play that game. Let me see," she said tapping a finger to her lips while pretending to think. "Oh, I know," she snapped her fingers in the air as if she was suddenly stuck with a bright idea. "How about I strap an eighteen pound bowling ball to your man parts and you can see how that feels. How about we try that! And then, after you lug that around for I don't know, let's say nine months, I let you see me with another man as your reward."
"Wait a second. What?" Jackson was truly confused by that statement.
"I saw you and Stephanie," she vehemently replied. "You know, if you are going to start screwing around, at least keep it out of the hospital."
She saw it. It was a light of recognition that flashed in his eyes. Now he knew she knew.
"April, let me explain."
"I'm pregnant, exhausted, and broken hearted, but I am not stupid Jackson. I saw you and her in the on call room. What do you want to explain, what position you both prefer?"
Jackson felt horrible. She had been carrying this around all this time. He could see the pain in her eyes. How was he going to let her know he wasn't cheating. All he did was set out to help someone, but in the process he was hurting the one he loved when she was most vulnerable.
"I am going to bed. Don't you even think about following me," she announced. "I am too tired to deal with anymore tonight."
Jackson simply nodded knowing she needed to rest. He, on the other hand, needed to figure out how to make her understand it wasn't what it appeared to be. He wasn't cheating. He would never cheat on her. But he couldn't prove it to her without breaking patient confidentiality.