Warning: the next few chapters will be Jake and Addison centric flashbacks with snippets of Addison's grief, which we haven't seen up close since the beginning of the story. I'm so happy that you all are enjoying my Grey's updates; I've missed you all and I'm happy to be back. I currently have 2 Grey's/PP fics in progress; this one and Fighting Our Way Part I. I may update an old fic once I'm done with the first installment of Fighting Our Way, so be on the lookout for a chapter update on an old fic…or maybe I'll post a new fic. Just be on the lookout!
Grab some tissues, you're gonna need them.
Xx
September 2011
"So, you didn't wanna hire me," Jake Reilly is smug as he manages to corner Addison in the break room about 3 weeks after she's hired him.
"What was I supposed to say? Oh hey Sam, Jake's the guy I met in the grocery store, went on a blind date with, kissed and almost went to Fiji with to have hot sex for a week?" Addison hisses, glancing around the newly renovated break room to make sure no one around can hear their conversation.
"You're also leaving out the part where I was, or rather, still am your fertility doctor. Does Sam know that?" Jake raises an eyebrow as Addison takes a sip of her green juice out of avoidance.
"So Sam doesn't know then," Jake tilts his head to the side to get a good look at the redhead. Yup, she's still beautiful as ever, even if she is a bit neurotic.
"Samdoesn'tknowI'mdoingIVF," The words come out in a jumble, hidden behind a carefully planted swig of juice as Jake sighs.
"I'm gonna tell you now, this isn't going to end well. Most couples-"
"We're not like most couples; most couples aren't the ex-husband's of your best friend of 20 years," Addison says, suddenly no longer thirsty and no longer in a mood to have this conversation with him.
"Wait, Sam used to date Amelia? She's a little young but-"
"What? No! Sam, Sam is the ex-husband of my friend Naomi…the fertility doctor you replaced," Addison says, trying to jog his memory.
"Oh, right, her; I just thought-"
"Amelia is my ex husband's younger sister,"
"Well that clears things up; so you and Sam-"
"We're not having this conversation Jake," Addison warns as she practically stomps out of the break room.
Jake shamelessly watches her walk away, admiring her glorious ass in the process. He doesn't miss the amusing glances he gets from Cooper, Sheldon, and Pete.
"If I were you, I'd back off; Addison's with Sam," Pete warns as Cooper's lips form into a tight line.
"What? You sleep with Addison too?" Jake asks as Cooper's eyes widen.
"Addison's a beautiful woman, just not my type," he says before entering the break room behind Pete, leaving Sheldon the remaining man in the hallway.
"Did you sleep with Addison?" Jake asks Sheldon.
"I didn't, but Pete did," Cooper lets out a snort as Pete smacks him on the arm.
"Okay, so she's had a string of bad relationships, I can live with that," he says to himself, still watching as Addison makes her way into her office, promptly closing the blinds the minute she catches him staring at her.
April 2016
The person (a man she later learns) with the thick accent repeats himself.
"Mrs. Reilly?" Addison swallows hard, a sinking feeling in her gut as she shakily responds.
"Yes, what happened to my husband?" She immediately closes her eyes at the man's next words.
"There was an accident; your husband and daughter were white water rafting when their boat capsized. Your daughter was killed instantly and your husband, he succumbed to his injuries shortly after. I'm so sorry ma'am,"
Time stands still as the words slowly begin to sink in; Jake and Angela are dead.
The world seems to spin out of control as she holds the phone, wordlessly listening to the man's words as he again offers his condolences. But it doesn't seem to compute, Jake is dead, her husband is dead. Wait, wasn't she just kissing him goodbye at the airport 2 weeks ago with heated promises of hot welcome home sex several hours earlier? Wasn't he just promising to bring Henry home a souvenir? He was supposed to call her so that she could video chat with Angela and the babies. No, this isn't, this isn't happening, which is exactly what she tells the man on the other end of the phone.
"Am I being punk'd right now?"
"Excuse me, ma'am?"
"This is, this is some sort of joke, right? Because my husband can swim, my daughter, Angela can swim. No, this is, no! This isn't happening, did Jake put you up to this?" She asks, because she's trying to wrap her head around everything and, this type of information doesn't compute. Jake can't be dead. No, he, there's no way, there's just no way.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Reilly but-"
"No, don't you dare Mrs. Reilly me! Where is my husband? Where is he? You put him on the phone right now because there's no way, there is absolutely no way that he, that they're…what about my grandchildren?" Her breathing is ragged and at this point, people have started to gather, her co workers and even a few clients.
"Ma'am-"
"My grandchildren, I have 2 of them, Raphael and Isabella they're 3 and a half and 9 months, where-"
"Ma'am, there were no children on that rafting boat," the man tells her.
"Then you have to be wrong! My husband, his name is Jacob Miguel Reilly and my daughter's name is Angela Mariana Reilly. There's no way you have the right people, there's just, there's just no way!" Addison is shaking her head slowly back and forth as tears spring out of her eyes and run down her cheeks and the bridge of her nose.
"Ma'am, I know this is hard but-"
"No! You don't know anything! You don't know how hard this is to learn…" Her breath hitches at the exact moment Violet walks over, clearly sensing that something has happened.
"Addison…" Violet's eyes are kind as she watches Addison hold up a hand, walking further away from her, off towards a tree.
"What's going on?" Naomi and Sam have also walked over, sensing the commotion.
"I don't know, but whatever it is, it's bad," Violet's voice is fearful as she watches the range of emotions that flitter across Addison's face before Sam is rushing towards her as she drops to her knees, letting out a strangled cry.
"Addie! Addie, what's wrong? Addie, talk to me!" Naomi is crouching down in front of her friend who barely seems to be breathing.
"Jake's dead," Addison whispers before losing all consciousness.
August 2011
"Dude, I told you to give up on Addison," Pete says as he catches Jake staring at Addison for the thousandth time since he's been working at the practice.
"You can't blame him," Damien Sanchez, the new Sports Medicine specialist says with a shrug.
"I mean, she is kinda hot," Plastic Surgeon Noah Cleveland agrees.
"I'm not saying she's not hot, I dated her for a while. I'm simply telling Jake that he doesn't know what he's getting himself into, that's all." Pete says as he grabs a glass from the cabinet in the break room.
"Who doesn't know what they're getting into?" Amelia asks as she and the new midwife Paige Hamilton stroll into the break room.
"Pete is warning Jake to stay away from Addison, again," Another fellow doctor, DeWayne Matthews informs them.
"Ugh, either you're going to ask her out or you aren't," Paige says with a roll of her eyes as she shoves Pete out of the way to grab a bowl. The new doctors are adjusting fairly well with the old docs. Though there seems to be a weird bit of flirtation going on between Pete and Paige.
"I said the same thing!" Amelia says, grinning up at Jake who raises an eyebrow at her.
"I would've thought since you've known Sam the longest that-"
"I like Sam; do I think he's right for Addison? Hell no, I also thought that while my brother is a standup guy, asshole tendencies aside, he wasn't good for Addison, but nobody listened to me then either and well, we all know how that turned out," Amelia muttered, suddenly piquing the other doctor's interests. Juicy gossip about their new boss was always interesting.
"Oh quit lookin at me like that, my loyalty is to Addison first. But seriously Reilly, she and Sam are practically done, so be a man and swoop in there and-"
"She and Sam are not done," Jake says giving Amelia a stern look.
"Fine, fine, nobody bother Jake about Addison anymore. If he wants Sam kicking his ass for staring to hard at Addison, let him," Amelia says as everyone begins to mind their own business.
oOoOo
"So, you like her?" 18 year old Angela Reilly says as she and her dad stand in line at the movie theater.
"You remember the one I told you about a few months ago? The woman I met in the grocery store?" Angela nods before her eyes widen.
"Wait, Addison's the cute girl you totally flirted over pineapples with!?" Jake nods solemnly.
"Oh, dude that's…why are you working for her again?" Angela wants to know.
"I had no idea she owned that new practice, but you know me Ang. You know I never stay in one place too long,"
"So why are you perusing this woman when you know that in 6 months to a year's time you'll be gone? What if she starts falling for you? What then? You shouldn't string a girl along dad," Angela says quietly, thinking of her own recent break up with her boyfriend Marcus Payne.
"I'm not that guy Ang; you know me. I'm a total gentleman, but this one…Addison seems, different," Jake says with a sigh.
"I'd love to meet her; I'm totally a good judge of character," Angela smiles hopefully.
"I don't want you to scare her off," Jake teases as Angela wraps an arm around him and smiles.
"I didn't chase you off, did I? Best decision I didn't make, got me the best dad in the world," She says as Jake presses a kiss into her hair.
"Ditto; got me the best kid ever…but that still doesn't mean you get to meet Addison," Jake says as Angela lets out a little groan before they order their tickets.
April 2016
Amelia is racing over to where the small crowd has gathered around Addison. She pushes past a few of the other doctors before crouching down in front of her sister-in-law.
"Addison? What happened?"
"She's fine Amelia, she fainted," Violet explains as Damien Sanchez and Esai Ramirez carry Addison inside one of the tents.
"She's obviously not fine, she fainted!" Amelia shouts as Charlotte races over to see what's going on.
"What happened to Addison? When I left she said she was about to call Jake," Charlotte glances over at Addison, who's slowly coming to.
"Amelia, there's something you should know," Violet says, gently placing a hand on the young neurosurgeon's shoulder. The look in Violet's eyes causes everything to shift; something bad has happened.
"What happened?" Violet glances over at Naomi and Sam, who are standing off by a tree on what appears to be a very serious phone call.
"Amelia…there was an accident, Jake and Angela are dead," Violet tells her.
"What? No? No, Jake's not, Jake can't be…"Amelia's eyes widen in shock at Violet's words.
"Jake and Angela were white water rafting earlier today and the waves got out of control, Addison tried to call Jake but…" Violet's voice is soft, comforting as everyone else stands there in shock.
"Wait, Violet, are you sayin…" Charlotte's eyes are just as wide as Amelia's; no one can believe it.
It's not until Addison lets out a gutwrenching scream of Jake's name, followed by an even more heartbreaking sob that everyone believes it's true. Sam walks over to the group, a look of anguish on his face and a heavy sigh on his lips; Naomi is in the tent with Addison, holding her close as she sobs.
"Sam…" Charlotte's arm is wrapped around Amelia, keeping her steady as Sam sighs once more, running a hand over his bald head.
"It's true; Jake and Angela were Whitewater rafting but they weren't expecting rough current. The boat capsized and took Angela under first, she hit her head on a rock, cracked her skull open. Jake tried to help her but, the water was so rough on his body…he got banged up pretty bad out there before help could get to him. He only lasted a few minutes after they got him to the hospital," Sam says as everyone glances over to the tent where Addison is asking Naomi why this happened through her sobs.
"Jesus goddamn Christ; just when you think it's over…just when you think we're done feeling pain, this happens," Charlotte lets out a ragged breath as Cooper moves to stand beside her, gently rubbing her back.
"I need to be with her, Jake was my family," Amelia has tears in her as she rushes towards Addison.
"Amelia," Charlotte's hand is gentle on her shoulder, though Amelia wrenches away.
"No! Don't Charlotte; Addison is my sister and Jake is my brother, I need to be with her right now," Charlotte's touch is a bit more firm this time.
"Amelia, Addison's gonna need somebody to look after Henry; you're his godmomma, she wouldn't want anybody else with him but you," Charlotte stares into Amelia's eyes, hoping that she gets it. Henry doesn't know, it'll be hard for him to understand what's going on.
"I get it, but please, at least let me see her?" Charlotte doesn't argue further, she and everyone else simply watch as Amelia makes a mad dash for the tent where Addison is.
December 2012
"I still can't believe it, you're getting married again!" Naomi is in a full on grin as she sits beside her best friend, admiring her huge engagement ring.
"Yeah, me either; we've only been together-"
"Doesn't matter how long you've been together, what matters is that you love him and he loves you and your son. He has to, he's already filed a petition to adopt Henry once you're married," Naomi says as Addison sighs heavily.
"Addie, what is it?" Naomi asks.
"What about you Nae?" Addison asks.
"What about me?"
"Everyone around you is getting their happy ending; I mean, Cooper and Charlotte-"
"Who just lost one of the Cooplets," Naomi is quick to point out.
"But they have each other, they have Mason, and Caroline, and Rachel. Amelia's got James and Colin, Pete and Paige are dating, all of the other doctors are already married with children. Sheldon found love before he died…"
"The only people who aren't finding happiness are me, Sam, and Violet is what you're saying" Naomi points out.
"Oh no, Violet's extremely happy with her book and she's got that sorta kinda fling with the bookstore owner,"
"So what you're hinting at is that…no, Addison no!" Naomi practically shouts.
"You don't even know what I was gonna-"
"You were gonna suggest that Sam and I-"
"I wasn't thinking about Sam," Addison says as Naomi narrows her eyes at her friend.
"Yes you were, almost 20 years and you're still a shitty liar," Naomi laughs, reaching out to grab the chocolate sitting on the table.
"Okay, so maybe I was thinking about it. If I'm being honest with myself, I think that's why he and I weren't able to work out. He wasn't willing to commit, not fully," Addison says quietly, unable to look up at Naomi's face.
"Addison…"
"He hasn't been able to fully commit to anyone since you two divorced," Addison is quick to remind her.
"No, I just…Sam left me, okay. He woke up one morning and divorced me and that, that hurt Addie. He divorced me and then, as much as I love you, he started dating my best friend since college. I don't…why'd you do it, Addison? Why did you and Sam betray me?" Naomi has tried not to ask that question but, with the way things have been progressing with Jake and Addison, she has to know.
"I…Nae, it happened over time I guess. You moved away, started dating Fife and Bryce, and Duncan, and Archer, and William. You sort of moved away from the both of us and, well, you were that happy medium, that person we both turned to and, we were already friends and, it just…I think we were both hurting over losing you and-"
"Addison, you didn't lose me," Naomi groans.
"Just, hear me out; you were angry at me because I took over the practice, you were angry at Sam because he divorced you and he was angry at you because of how you handled the Maya thing. We were all hurt and we'd all hurt each other. Sam was vulnerable, I was vulnerable and, we were weak. I know it's not what you wanna hear but, we were both weak. He was dealing with the Maya thing and I was still reeling over our thing and then my family drama happened and, Sam was there," Addison says with a small sigh.
"So because you two were lonely and vulnerable you and Sam-"
"I honestly thought it would work; he was familiar, there was no new, getting to know you dance but then…when I realized that he had all of the things I didn't with you, things that I wanted and he wasn't willing to budge on…I knew it was over," Addison says as Naomi looks at her, really and truthfully looks at her.
"So you think Sam didn't want kids with you because-"
"He'd already shared that with you," Addison says softly.
"What about Derek, you and Derek-"
"You know there was that one time, with the miscarriage. We never talk about it but, he had no problems adopting children with Meredith and having more children with her,"
"Okay, there's-"
"Same thing with Cooper; he already had Mason and even though Charlotte was adamantly against it at first, she was willing to share that with Cooper, even though he'd already had that with Erica," Naomi sighs hard, shakes her head.
"What about the other women he dated? What about Stephanie, she's nice,"
"Stephanie doesn't want kids," Naomi sighs heavily, resting her head against the cushions of Addison's couch.
"That doesn't mean anything Addie, it just means-"
"He'd say your name, late at night when we were asleep. He thought I never heard him but, he would say your name," Addison looks almost ashamed to admit that and Naomi nearly chokes on her chocolate.
"Wait, Sam would-"
"Yep, he doesn't know that I know, I never told him," Naomi takes Addison's hand and squeezes it.
"Oh Addie, I'm-"
"I'm over it Nae, honestly; I found my perfect guy and I'm never letting him go," Addison grinned as Naomi nodded.
"I really hope so too; I hope that you and Jake last forever. You deserve to be happy Addie,"
April 2016
Naomi can't wrap her head around what's going on right now. Addison is in her arms sobbing hysterically over the loss of Jake. Damn, even thinking of him causes a lump to form in her throat. She really hoped this would be different for Addison, she really did. Now her best friend's entire world has been shattered after she's spent the last 9 years working to put it back together after everything that happened with Derek.
"Why?" Addison's mournful question makes Naomi look down at her. Addison's head is resting in her lap, much like it was when Bizzy died a few years back.
"I, I don't know Addie, but I promise you're gonna get through it. I promise you will, I'm right here, we're all here for you," Naomi soothes, running a hand through Addison's hair.
"But Henry, Henry will never…this wasn't supposed to happen!" Addison sobs even harder as Naomi holds her tight, her own tears spilling down her cheeks as the tent opens.
"Addie…" Amelia is just as much of a mess as Addison is as she rushes towards her sister-in-law. Naomi stands, moves aside as Amelia envelops Addison into a soul-crushing hug, which only seems to make her cry harder. She's about to leave the two alone for some privacy until Addison calls out to her.
"Nae, I need you, I can't get through this without you. Nae, don't don't leave me again," Naomi sighs as she sits beside Addison, holding her hand Amelia tries to soothe the ache in her heart, but no one can make this go away, unless they can make Jake and Angela come back to life.
But this isn't a fairytale; you can't bring back the dead.
Chapter 8 to follow…
