Chapter Summary
Connor and Natalie are dead set on repairing the relationship between Will and April and establishing a friendship between the four but unfortunately Connor and Natalie don't really realize what they are reconnecting.Natalie was determined to repair the bridge between April and Will. She slyly asked Will his schedule and Connor followed suit with April. This was fun for Connor. He got to dust off his double "O" seven skills with Natalie but this time in hopes of a reunion for the estranged friends.
They passed each other in the hall at the hospital; she nodded his way, and he back to her to signal that the plan was on.
When Will arrived with Natalie at Molly's he saw April and Connor sitting at a table leisurely enjoying a drink. He took a deep breath in, still hand in hand, with Natalie who was leading him their direction.
"Not again Natalie," he thought.
"Hey Nat," Connor said with familiarity, "Saved you guys a couple of seats."
April looked to the empty chairs that now made sense.
"Oh man Connor what the hell?!"
Natalie hung her purse and jacket on the back of the chair and pulled at Will's hand. He was still standing; his apprehensiveness stunting his movement. He sat down looking irritated. He still didn't want to look at April and she was avoiding his face too.
"So I heard a small microbrewery opened on the West side and Molly's got a few of their beers," Natalie stated looking at Connor.
"You know I think I heard that too," Connor answered following her lead like a script.
"Let's see if we can try a couple of samples and maybe get a pitcher for the table?" Natalie responded keeping their charade going.
"Sounds good," Connor said with a pleased smile as he went to stand up.
Will was beginning to get up too when Natalie all but pushed him down by his shoulder.
"Nope, we got it," Natalie said smiling, "You two, sit, catch up," she said smiling at him then at April.
April looked to Connor,her eyes narrowing a bit, but he had the same encouraging smile Natalie had on his face.
"We've been set up," April said breaking the silence.
She was using the numbness that had formed inside her the Saturday she saw them at dinner and had learned of their plans for the evening.
"So it seems," Will said flipping the coaster over and over again with his fingers, "So... you and Rhodes?"
It was a statement and question, but it was laced with jealously, and frustration.
April nodded slowly looking at the table then she met his eyes; the numbness and hurt slowly being taken by jealousy.
It seeped into her tone, "You and Nat…?"
She chewed on the side of her lip as he met her stare and nodded.
"Seems kind of quick, but hey... you guys look happy so…. I'm happy for you," April rattled off.
She had entered into a passive aggressive tone that she had no control over.
"It's easy with her, she's clear about what she wants and that's me," Will said with the same passive aggressive tone but he finished the sentence with an arrogant smirk.
"Good," April quipped back.
"Yeah it's really good," Will said snapping back as fast.
The remark sent a stab to her chest that wounded the numbness. The feeling crept into her eyes and tears threatened to form until she took a deep breath swallowing her grief and channeling the numbness. Will saw it in her face, her eyes letting him know he'd went too far but it also let him know she was jealous.
"How could that be if she didn't want me anymore? Selfish," he thought to himself.
It didn't matter he had his dream girl he had Natalie. This had to end.
"They aren't going to stop this until we get along so let's just put this behind us okay?" Will said, his tone lighter not truthful and slightly demanding.
"I agree," April said trying to find some agency in his declaration.
Will nodded and took a deep breath in before switching the subject.
"I noticed you're still on days…. even with school in session?" he implored.
"I took the year off, after... you know everything, they let me defer up to a year but I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to take the full amount," April answered.
"I think you should go back as soon as possible," Connor said coming up, "The world needs brilliant doctors," he finished before he gave her a kiss on the cheek.
He set the pitcher down and Will looked away. It bothered him to have Connor commenting on a situation he knew he didn't understand unless April told him, which would've made his remark callous at best.
"We got the IPA," Natalie said right behind him sitting down.
She poured a bit into her glass and topped it into Will's as well.
"We good here?" she said as she finished the task. Her eyes still supportive but also direct.
"Yeah," April said with a smile she found from nowhere.
Will nodded too with a stressed smile. Connor broke up any gathering tension by asking,
"Who's up for trivia?"
Connor loved games and puzzles and he was always doing them on his phone. Everyone agreed to a game.
In her continuing effort at building up the friendship between April and Will Natalie suggested they be on a team and she and Connor would be the opposition. The game started oddly enough with April and Will still trying to find a place of comfort among all the words and emotions they couldn't say or express but as the questions and laughter about the answers came it had melted the tension at the table.
April and Will were transported back to the best times in their friendship; their mornings making pancakes, or talking on their way to brunch; after working late nights together.
A strange question involving dentures and Las Vegas came up and Will and April answered it quickly before bursting out laughing at their correct answer. Connor and Natalie guessed wrong laughing at the question but both looked over the table wondering how it had produced such a reaction between the two.
Will looked up at Natalie and she had that inquisitive scrunched look on her face.
"I had this neighbor that was in the- what did you call it April?" Will asked looking to her.
"Nuts and Twigs business," she said smiling and shaking her head.
"Yes! Nuts and Twigs retail! Anyway our mail was constantly being switched; packages coming to my place all the time always full of weird crap, all types of odds and ends kinds of things and then one day April was home," Will explained "And she accidentally opened one of the boxes-," Will said looking to April.
"-Yeah I had my hand all the way down this package because I thought it was the part to my favorite griddle but instead it was a bunch of dentures!" She shuddered, "All used!"
"Turns out he had tried to ship them to Vegas but got them rejected because upon inspection they realized they were used and it's illegal in Las Vegas to resell dentures."
"I still wonder why anyone would want used dentures," April said her face still grossed out by the memory.
It was someone's kink and Will conveyed that look to April as they both laughed again at the memory. They were back in their world again. Their connection being seen for the first time by their partners. For Natalie's part she was enjoying their simpatico with the ever so often small splintered feelings that she put down at every chance when they popped up. But for Connor it was another seed inside his garden of curiosity and an unwanted feeling that was always growing inside of him.
"Wait, back up... did you say she was home?" his face neutral but confused, "You two lived together?"
April and Will broke out of their world for a moment; realizing that their trip down memory lane might be exposing the very feelings they both agreed that they would eradicate earlier. Will looked to April to answer.
"Yeah, for a couple of months while I looked for a new place," April said.
The answer was short and succinct, it wasn't a lie, but it definitely wasn't the total truth. Connor looked over and realized that the look in Natalie's eyes had changed to reflect a sobering truth he was not privy to; Will's were the same. Natalie may not have known the full truth but she knew enough to know why April wouldn't want to return to her apartment. Connor realized instantly that there was more to the story but he didn't press on. He nodded his head and said,
"Oh. Cool." His response tight and slightly agitated.
Natalie looked at her watch.
"I have to relieve the sitter, walk me home Will?" Natalie asked casually.
He nodded his head and everyone settled up venturing to the outside to leave.
"This was fun," Natalie said, "We've got to do this again sometime."
Everyone agreed before dispersing.
Connor walked April home; his mind still on the fact that he had so many questions that were still unanswered.
"Why was April in therapy and why would that be such a source of contention between her and Will?"
He couldn't help but feel that there was more to the story of them living walked up to her place and for the second time Connor noticed the photo of April and Will on her sofa table.
"So… you and Will...," Connor started.
The statement sent a pit to April's stomach and her heart began to race at his words.
"You guys lived together huh?" Connor finished.
April exhaled, "Yeah for a couple of months," she answered; still guarded, still repetitive, careful to keep her story straight.
"I liked your old place," Connor said..
He was fishing; hoping she would disclose more.
She nodded, "I used to, too."
"You guys never dated or-," Connor began asking.
"-Nope," April answered quickly hoping there would be no follow-up, "Never dated."
The answer allowed for the omission and the truth to still live. It allowed calmness to April's conscience with that answer.
She moved to give him a kiss, hoping to bury anymore investigative questions about her time spent with Will. The action backfired as Connor deepened the kiss, it felt nice but she had orders from her doctor to limit the physicality of their relationship, and his tongue in her mouth and the growing firmness against her leg let her know that she needed to put the brakes on things. She pulled away.
"I'm a little thirsty, do you want some water," she said moving to the kitchen.
Connor was a little surprised and taken aback at her hesitation; this was not them, not the April he knew. They used to not be able to keep their hands off of each other.
"Sure," he said, confusion in his tone.
She filled a second glass and handed it to him. She took a drink feeling his eyes on her. April smiled and he put his glass down using the movement to close the gap between them. He began pulling her face to his to kiss her when she stopped.
"-Connor, can we take things a little slower this time?" April asked, her slanted doe eyes connecting to his.
"-Uh, okay yeah, yeah that's fine," Connor answered, the hesitation coming from the now engorged feeling in his pants.
Of course he didn't want to, but he still loved her, and respected her and because he knew there was something she still wasn't telling him. He obliged, sure of the connection, but he chose patience. They hung out a bit longer and sat on her couch watching a movie before he went home.
Across town Will had walked Natalie home and she invited him in. He met her sitter, a young girl no older than sixteen, who was sitting on the couch chewing gum and texting on her phone.
"Owen is down, he's been asleep for about a half hour," the girl said before getting up.
Natalie thanked her and gave her money before letting her out. Will was playing with a stuffed toy on the couch letting it squeak in his hands. When the door closed Natalie had a smirk on her face.
"So we have at least thirty minutes before Owen wakes up."
She began taking off her shirt and walked over to him on the couch.
She straddle Will and he moved his hands up her back unhooking her bra and kissing down her chest to envelop a breast in his mouth. He stood up, her legs wrapped around him and headed down the hall to her bedroom.
They landed on the bed still kissing furiously but not unlike the first time they had attempted this at his place his body would not allow the betrayal of his true feelings. It was a rare experience for him to have his mind, body, and spirit be so disciplined but here it was obstructing his ability to move on. Natalie traced her hand down the stiffness of his stomach but could feel the striking dichotomy in his pants; it came as a surprise to her.
"Um- maybe too much beer?" She said with an empathetic smile.
Will sighed in frustration looking down at his stubborn appendage.
"Let's slow down," Natalie said.
He nodded and resumed kissing her, sliding his hand down her pants and into her underwear, pushing a few fingers inside of her. Natalie moaned into his mouth accepting the substitution until the monitor next to her bed rattled them out of their consolation. They stopped and looked at it. The soft coos escalating to actual cries as they both blew raspberries at yet another interruption.
"Well I guess that's that," Natalie said laughing but defeated, "You should probably go."
Will nodded. They had included any real interaction with Owen as part of them moving slowly and even though he was still pretty young the decision was agreed upon to keep the interaction to a gave her another kiss and then left to go home.
His journey home gave him a chance to think about why he was struggling with Natalie, an intrusive thought hit his mind.
"Was April having the same trouble, it was easier for a woman in the physical regard, were her and Connor-."
He had to stop there because anymore thought threatened the shaky truce he and April had just developed. He couldn't help but wonder if he'd made a mistake beginning the relationship before he'd given himself proper time to get over her.
"Nope."
He'd always wanted to be with Natalie and he was going to make this work no matter what.
