JACKSON
"Jackson?"
The voice startled Jackson who had fallen asleep in the chair. He blinks a couple of times to wake up his sleepy eyes.
"You're up. Do you need something?" Jackson asks concerned.
"If I did, I'd do it myself" the woman replies.
"Ma! How are you feeling now?" he asks.
"Much better."
"I'll grab you a glass of juice." He moves towards the mini fridge stored in the corner of the room. "Tell me about your day"
"Well I'm here the whole day. There's nothing new with me. The real question is how was your day? I know there's something going on with you. Cmon spill the beans"
"Nothing is going on" Jackson says unknown to him that he is smiling like a teenager.
"I'm your mother. You think I don't know something has changed when my son wants to hum suddenly out of nowhere." Jackson hands over the glass of juice that he had just poured and looks at his mother realizing that he had been humming a song all the while.
"It's just that, there is this girl I met" Jackson speaks up and he can't help to keep that smile off. "She makes me want to follow my dreams, ya know forget the past and make it happen." he shrugs his shoulders.
"And? Tell me more about her" Catherine says and just then there's a knock on the door.
"Hello Miss Catherine and Mr. Jackson, how are you feeling today?" a young woman enters the room. "Hope I'm not interrupting a good mother and son bonding time"
"Well nope I'm glad you're here actually." Jackson says to the woman.
"Of course he would be. You see he met a girl. It's like I'm raising a teenager all over again." Catherine says.
"Well you know what they say when in love..." the lady in white says.
Jackson interrupts before she can say anything. "So are the reports here yet?"
"Well about that, the doctor will be here any minute" the woman replies.
Jackson is not able to breath hearing those words, the whole room starts to spin. The heart rate monitor beeping becomes apparent to him when just a while ago, it felt like everything was fine, like he and Catherine were at their living room talking casually over tea.
He knows exactly what the nurse means. He knows it's bad. He gains his composure back and looks at his mother, faking a smile so she doesn't realize it yet.
"April" Jackson spurts her name. "Her name is April, Ma" Jackson tries to change the topic.
"April? Wow that's a really pretty name." Catherine says happily.
"Her name does no justice to her" he says reminiscing how she looks.
"How are you feeling Miss Catherine" A tall red headed doctor enters the room.
"I'm feeling all better now. I can't wait to go home, cook some dinner and meet April. My boy here is in love" She says teasing Jackson.
"No... MOM... I just met her... I'm not in love..." He shakes his head all the while blushing and smiling.
"Well the reports are here and it looks like you're going to have to delay the dinner party, Sorry. But right now you've to take a lot of rest. I'm going to take this party outside."
With that Dr. Hunt escorts Jackson outside to the hallway.
"Dr. Hunt, what is it?"
"Jackson, your mother is not responding to the treatment." Dr. Hunt places his hand on Jackson's shoulder trying to comfort him.
"Is there anything else that can be done? Any other way. There must be something" Jackson says in disbelief.
"There is, but... I'll share you the details with you after I confirm about it. I need to get approval for it" Dr. Hunt says and leaves.
Jackson sits on the chair, tears rolling down his cheeks with his hands to his head wondering what to do. His phone vibrates and he sees that it's April.
"Hey is this a bad time?"
"No, what is it?" Jackson says voice shaking because of the tears.
"You don't sound good. Do you wanna grab a bite or something?"
Jackson would have been happy hearing those words if it was any other time but now he wasn't so sure what to do.
"I gotta take a raincheck. I'm sorry" he says
"Don't be. Well if you change your mind, I'll be at the waffle place I told you about the other day."
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APRIL
April sits at the table going through a million scenarios to how she would say the truth to him.
"Would you like to order anything Miss?" a young Indian man asked her.
April doesn't answer as she is lost in her own thoughts.
"Excuse me! Miss..." he calls out again which startles April and she looks at him. "My name's Vik Roy. Are you ready to order?" he says.
"No..." she says and looks out the window.
"You look lost" he grabs a chair and sits across her. "You can share with me."
"Excuse me. I'd like to be left alone right now. So if you'd just get out of my sight. That'd be real nice."
"Wow you're a biter. I like that." He says biting the thin air.
"Would you leave me alone like a normal person or do I have to punch your stupid face?" she says in disgust.
"Hey hey calm down. I'm just trying to make a conversation." he tries to reach for her when someone stops him.
"She asked you to leave." Jackson says staring at him. April's face lights up looking at him.
"Put a leash on your girl here." Vik says and Jackson readies his fist to punch when April stops him.
"He is not worth it." she says and offers him to sit down. "I'm so glad you could make it."
"I wish I could've been here sooner so jerks like him wouldn't waste your time." Jackson says smiling.
"Is everything okay?" April asks noticing he ain't his usual self.
"Well not exactly." Jacksons eyes become tearful.
"You can tell me. Did you eat? Let me get you something. What do you want?" April offers.
"Surprise me. Looks like you know this place better than anyone"
"Yeah I've been coming to this place since I was a kid. This is my safe zone. My parents would bring me here whenever there would be a happy occasion or sad or anything to celebrate. This was it. This was our go to place." she says as she orders two specials.
"So you still do that?" Jackson asks.
"Well I would've loved to do it still but I can't. They died a couple of years ago." April says with tears in her eyes. Jackson's heart pangs with the thought that her mother could also meet with the same fate if there is no other way.
"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have... Asked.." He says and reaches for April's hand. April wipes the tears off her cheeks.
"Well you didn't know. So it's ok, don't be sorry" April says and realizes she should be telling him the truth. Rip it off like a band aid. She grabs his hand and speaks up "I've got something important to share with you."
"Yeah me too. But you go first."
"Well... Huh.." she breathes out and chuckles nervously. "I don't know how to say this. You're going to hate me after this."
"Nothing could make me hate you. I like you." Jackson spurts out without realizing he just laid out his feelings on the table. April can't believe what she just heard. "I mean..."
"No. Wait. Please let me finish." April stops him as it dawns on her that he really likes her. "I'm a CEO."
"What?! I don't understand. You said you were... " he raises his eyebrows.
"Well I'm a CEO of a record company." As soon as he hears those words he removes his hands out of April's grip and places it on his forehead, rubbing it.
"Why are you telling me this?" Anger slowly creeping on his face. "Why now?"
"Please hear me out. I had no choice. I heard you singing the other night and I loved your talent. I liked your singing a lot. I wanted you to be associated with the company I work for. I heard about your fallout with another record company and I'm well aware of your hatred of music companies. I had no other way."
"So you lied to me? You decided you could be my friend just to play with my feelings? What do you think it makes me feel now?. I HATE YOU! Do you get that? All the people in your industry are the same. You all just want what you want regardless of how the other person feels about it. No matter how you get it, you just have to have it. Don't you? You're a self centered, obnoxious woman and to think I really liked you. YOU!! Of all the women in the world."
April feels those words stabbing her heart. Her eyes become tearful. Though it had been just a few weeks since they met, it felt like they've known each other for ages.
"Listen to me. I had no other choice. I had to do what I could to save the company from going bankrupt"
"By lying to me?"
"How else would you agree with me. I thought of paying what you wanted, any number, any digit. But then I realized you're not like the others, you are not a sell out. At the time I thought it was the best but as the days grew and the lies became bigger I realized I'm just screwing it all up. I'm really sorry for hurting you but I'm not sorry for trying to save my job"
"So all those innocent run-ins were just a set up?" he asks and she nods her head. "You think I'm gonna be ok with it now just because you're telling the truth? Guess what? You're wrong. You can just go to hell for all I care" He says and leaves without turning back.
April looks at his figure slowly fading and realizes her chest hurts. Her heart is broken. She had many arguments with many people but this one hurt her the most. She picks up her phone and sends a message to Izzie.
SENT : Ripped off the bandage. Start the search. I lost.