Chapter Ten: Hurt
"Seems like it was yesterday when I saw your face, you told me how proud you were but I walked away. If only I knew what I know today..."
It's a common saying that there will always be a rainbow after the rain; but does that apply to a storm too?
"Maybe we should get started?" Owen asked.
"But Jackson isn't here yet" Meredith said while eyeing the people inside her room.
"He's been a hero last night; he dislocated his shoulder saving a kid from a bus crash" Mark said while coddling his godson.
"What bus crash?" Meredith asked.
Arizona threw Meredith a confused look; "You didn't know?"
"She had a baby, she doesn't know things" Cristina said.
"What happened?" Meredith asked.
"A church was evacuating some people and their bus overturned" Lexie explained.
"Good news is everyone survived and there are no major injuries" Owen supplied.
"And bad news?" Richard asked.
Owen shoved his hands inside his lab coat pocket; "The blood bank is flooded and the E.R looks like it was ransacked."
"So we need to close the E.R?" Derek asked.
"We're dangerously low on meds and personnel can't make it due to flooding" Owen explained.
Cristina crossed her arms on top of her chest; "So we really need to close the E.R"
"Can we do that?" Mark asked.
"You are the board and I'm telling you that the E.R cannot open today" Owen said.
"What do we need? I can try to coordinate with suppliers" Meredith said.
Derek turned to his wife with a raised brow.
Meredith rolled her eyes; "I had a baby, I'm not dead"
Owen nodded; "That's a good idea, if they have it then we want it but for the mean time, let's make sure that our inpatients are taken care of and discharge who we can"
"Like me" Meredith said.
"You just had a C-section which is considered as a major surgery, you're staying" Lexie said.
"Hey guys, sorry if I was late" Jackson said from the door.
"You look terrible Pretty Boy" Cristina said while eyeing Jackson.
Jackson rolled his eyes; "What did I miss?" he asked, ignoring the Cardio Surgeon's jab.
"We're closing the E.R today, we're low on supplies" Mark said.
Jackson cocked his head to the side; "Can we do that?"
"Apparently we can" Derek said.
"Okay then," Jackson replied.
Owen open his mouth to speak but wasn't able to do so when pagers started beeping simultaneously; he plucked his from his pocket and read the message. He furrowed his brows and shifted his eyes to the other surgeons inside the room; "Did you receive a page from Kepner?" he asked.
"Yeah, 911 at the pit" Arizona said.
Jackson swallowed hard upon hearing April's name; he checked his pager and furrowed his brows when he saw that he didn't get one.
Mark noticed the disappointed look on his prot's face so he walked towards Meredith; he gently placed the baby back into his mother's arm and made his way towards the other surgeon.
"Let's see what's going on down there then," Richard said.
Mark sidled up beside Jackson and shifted closer; "She knows you're still indisposed, don't take it to heart" he whispered.
Jackson turned his head to the side; "It's done" he said lowly.
Mark's eyes widen; "You and Sadie-"
"Yes, we're done" Jackson replied.
"How did she take it?" Mark asked curiously.
Jackson winced; "She cried but she said that we're good" he replied.
Mark let out a relieved sigh; "Good, I thought she'd bitch slap you"
Jackson can't help but chuckle; "Expect for the worst and hope for the best" he said.
Mark grinned; "Exactly"
"Are you guys done having your moment?" Lexie asked.
Mark turned towards his fiancé and placed his arm around her shoulders; "Come on love, let's go down to the pit and see what Kepner needs" he said jovially.
oOo
"Kepner what's going on here? We're closed to incoming Traumas" Owen said.
"Tell that to them, there was a mudslide in Madrona. A bunch of cops and fire fighters got hurt during evacuations. There are also bunch of civilian casualties as well" April explained.
"What about Seattle Pres?" Richard asked.
"They're worse off than we are" Owen interjected.
"All right, let's do this" Callie said.
Owen turned towards his surgeon's and interns; "Get me every suture kit, laceration tray, foley and test tube that you can"
"Lenny Shulte, a captain ladder company, 54. Unconscious at the scene with G.C.S of 13, BP's been constantly dropping. Last was 85 over 60" The EMT said.
"I-can't get a good breath" The patient croaked.
"Increase his O2 to 10 litres" Owen instructed. He then began examining the patient's chest; "Can you tell me if something fell on you or your chest?"
"I don't know" Lenny replied. "The last thing I remember, I was helping an old lady out of her house, did she make it?"
"I'll check" Owen replied.
The patient shuddered and started coughing out mud.
"Turn him to his side" Owen said while pulling him. "It looks like he aspirated mud, let's get him to Trauma Room 1, let's get a chest XRAY and start him on antibiotics, Kepner can you handle this?"
"Yes Chief" April replied.
"Take him away then" Owen said.
April nodded and began pushing the gurney away.
oOo
"I was walking towards the car and suddenly the hillside just goes and I'm falling. I see my squad car coming down on top of me so I managed to roll out of the way but my leg was caught under it, can you salvage it?"
"I think so, we'll get Ortho down here" Mark said. He then pointed towards the wound on the patient's neck; "I'm gonna take a look at that nasty laceration on your neck, though, it has a lot of embedded debris" he said. He started cleaning the wound and narrowed his eyes upon noticing some discoloration around the area; he cleared his throat and turned around. "Dr. Avery?" he called out.
Jackson tore his eyes away from the patient's chart; "Yes?"
"Come here for a second" Mark said.
Jackson placed the chart at the foot of the bed and walked towards his mentor.
Mark smiled at his patient; "Sasha, this is Dr. Avery and he's a colleague" he said.
Sasha let out a pained smile as an acknowledgement.
"Can you take a look at her wound?" Mark said as he shifted away from the side of the bed, giving the other surgeon space.
"Certainly" Jackson replied. He then leaned forward and began inspecting it; after a moment, he shifted his eyes back to Mark and subtly nodded.
"We're gonna need to take some culture from your wound, there's a little discoloration surrounding it, just to be on the safe side" Mark explained.
"Whatever you think is best Doc" Sasha replied.
oOo
"Give me an update here Kepner" Owen said as he enters the Trauma Room.
April turned towards the nurse and shoved her hand inside a surgical glove; "Captain Shulte has decreased breath sounds on the right, worsening tachypnea and persistent SATs in the 80's-took me forever to find a chest tube" she replied. She then turned towards the patient and began prepping the patient's chest; "Okay Lenny, something in your chest cavity's preventing you from breathing well so we're gonna insert a chest tube which should help you breath better. Is there anyone that we can call for you?" she asked.
"Call my wife-Marla"
Owen shifted closer to the table with a large syringe in his hand; "You're gonna feel a little nip, okay?" he said.
"Okay"
Owen injected the anesthetics to the patient's chest before turning towards April; "Insert the chest tube" he instructed.
April nodded; she then shifted towards the patient and began her work. Once she's in, she connected the tubes and felt her eyes widen upon seeing dark liquid oozing from the patient's chest; "Chief, I think there's a diaphragmatic rupture, his colon has been pushed up into his chest."
Owen winced; "The risk of infection is extremely high, we're gonna need to open him up" he said. "He's gonna need an XRAY and prep him for surgery-I'm gonna scrub in with you"
"Alright" April replied.
Owen turned towards the nurse; "Tell Bailey to man the E.R while Kepner and I are in surgery" he ordered.
"Right away Chief" The nurse replied.
"Let's get going then" April said while tugging on the side railing.
oOo
"Did you get the results back?" Jackson asked.
Mark sighed; "Yes and its Necrotizing Fasciitis. I need to get her up to surgery right away" he said.
Jackson cringed; "How did she get that?"
"It must be the water from the mud that she got stuck in, it's a breathing ground for those suckers"
"Need a hand?" Jackson asked.
Mark eyed his student's arm sling; "You sure you can handle it?"
Jackson rolled his eyes before taking off his sling; "Torres is just over reacting, my shoulder is bruised and not dislocated, I can manage" he said.
"I'm tugging you out once I see fit, got me?"
"Yep-god knows I need to keep my mind off of things" Jackson said.
Mark cocked his head to the side; "Did you already talk to Kepner?"
Jackson sighed; "I didn't have the chance to, she's been busy at the pit and the last time I checked, she's in surgery with Hunt"
Mark thumped his hands on his thighs before standing up; "You'll get your chance, she won't go anywhere, don't worry" he said with a smile.
Jackson nodded in agreement; "Yeah-you're right, I'll just talk to her after our surgery" he said.
"Let's go prep our patient then"
oOo
"No, no, no" April while shaking her head.
"Let's run the bowel" Owen said.
"The abdomen's fully contaminated" April replied.
"Just run the bowel, we're gonna resect this and get out of here-let's get ready to pack him" Owen said.
"He's bleeding through the packing and there's still stool coming out" April said as she pulls another blood soaked lap pad out.
"Damn it! We need to take it out and resect more intestines" Owen replied as he works furiously.
"How's his I.N.R?" April asked.
"The last one was 6" Knox replied.
"Okay, give him factor seven F.F.P.S and platelets. Faster Kepner"
"He's having arrhythmias, I can't get a pulse-I think he's in P.E.A" Knox said.
Owen took his hands off the patient's abdomen; "Starting compressions" he said.
"P.H is down to 7.1" Knox said while shaking his head.
Owen shook his head and stopped his compression; "Damn it Lenny" he said. He then turned his gaze to April; "Time of death, 15:56" he said.
April sighed sadly.
oOo
"What's going on?" Mark said as he enters the pit with Jackson in tow.
Alex turned around; "The fire fighter's captain didn't survive the operation" he said.
"Hunt and Kepner's patient?" Mark asked.
"Yeah" Alex replied.
"Where's April?" Jackson asked automatically.
Alex shifted his eyes towards Jackson; "She's outside, waiting for the wife" he said.
Jackson furrowed his brows; "She's gonna tell the wife? Where's Hunt?"
"Hunt's been tugged into an emergency surgery"
Mark turned his eyes towards Jackson; "She's gonna be fine, find her later-we need to go prep now" he said.
"Check on her" Jackson said, eyeing Alex.
Alex nodded; "Sure"
oOo
April swallowed hard as she watches her patient's wife step out of the car; she took a deep breath before walking towards her. "I'm Dr. Kepner, I worked on your husband, would you like to see him?"
The wife nodded tearfully.
April shifted closer to the wife and gently placed her arm on her back; "Okay" she said while steering her towards the door. She lead her through the corridor and stop right in front of a gurney; she nodded subtly towards the nurse and took something out of her pocket. "He's ring-Thought you'd wanted it back"
The wife accepted the ring with shaking hands.
"I'm so so sorry" April said sadly.
The wife nodded before shifting towards the gurney and leaning forward to hug her husband for the last time.
April took a step back and sucked in a breath; she moved her eyes away from the scene and shifted her eyes on the hallway-just in time to see Mark and Jackson wheeling a patient's bed towards the elevator. She bit her bottom lip hard and just opted to bow her head down.
oOo
Cristina entered Meredith's room and closed the door behind her; she sluggishly walked towards the bed and sat down. "I'm tired"
"How are you guys doing down there?" Meredith asked.
"We've been doing surgeries left and right. Owen has been pulled into an emergency surgery and I still have to wait for an hour" Cristina said with a yawn.
Meredith scooted to her right and patted the space beside her; "Come here and take a nap then" she said.
Cristina took off her shoes and moved towards the vacant space beside her best friend; she leaned her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. "Wake me up in 30?"
"I will" Meredith replied.
oOo
"Hey, have you seen Mark?" Lexie asked as she walks towards Callie.
Callie shifted Sophia on her lap before turning her gaze towards the resident; "He's in surgery with Jackson, Necrotizing Fasciitis patient" she replied.
Lexie shifted towards the couch and sat beside Callie; "I guess, I'll be staying longer then" she said.
Callie turned her sideways; "You can go to his apartment you know, you have a key" she said.
Lexie leaned back and rested her head at the back of the couch; "I don't want to go there alone" she groaned.
Callie chuckled; "Why don't you go home to your house then"
"Too tired to drive" Lexie replied.
"I guess you really don't have a choice then" Callie said.
"Yeah-on call room it is" Lexie replied.
Callie chuckled.
oOo
"You going home?"
April grabbed her bag from the locker and snapped it close; "Yeah"
Alex walked towards his own cubby and pulled it open; "I'm sorry about your patient" he said.
April sighed; "He was just doing his job by helping those people-he doesn't deserve to die"
Alex pulled his shirt on before turning towards April; "You did everything you can to save him Apes but sometimes we can only do so much"
"I know" April said.
Alex grabbed his coat and snapped his locker shut; "You have a ride?" he asked.
April shook her head; "I'm calling for a cab" she replied.
"Get your things, I'm taking you home" Alex said.
"It's okay Alex, I can just get a cab" April said.
Alex plucked his keys from his pocket and check for his phone; "You're not grabbing a cab, I'm taking you home. Your apartment is on the way, no need to waste money" he said.
April eyed Alex for a moment before nodding; "Okay-thanks"
"Let's go then" Alex said.
oOo
Jackson stepped out of the O.R and pulled his surgical cap off; he gently lifted his left arm and winced when pain shot straight to his shoulder. He was pissed at Mark when he threw him out of his O.R just a few minutes ago but now he's beginning to think that maybe it was the right call.
"There you are"
Jackson spun around and saw Richard walking towards him; "Did you need something?" he asked.
Richard stopped right in front of Jackson and placed his hands on his waist; "Your mother called me a couple of minutes ago to tell me that she's flying here tomorrow morning"
Jackson furrowed his brows; "Why?"
"She wants to check on the extent of the damages from the storm" Richard replied.
"Is that the only reason?" Jackson asked with a suspicious tone.
Richard winced; "And to check on you"
Jackson scowled; "You told her?"
"I had to, she was asking about you and you know your mother, it's impossible to lie to her" Richard explained. "I didn't tell her about your death defying stunt, I only told her you had some few cuts and bruises from helping out-I didn't even mention your dislocated shoulder"
Jackson closed his eyes and took a deep calming breath; after a few seconds he opened his eyes again. "Did she tell you what time she'll be arriving?" he asked.
"She flies out first thing tomorrow morning, so she should be here early noon"
"Did she need me to pick her up from the airport?"
Richard shook his head; "No, I'll send my driver to get her"
Jackson nodded; "Okay then, thanks" he said.
Richard gestured towards the elevator; "Well that's all-I'll go ahead, I still need to check on some of my patients" he said.
"Okay"
Richard spun on his heels and began walking away.
"Dr. Webber?"
Richard halted in his steps and turned his face towards Jackson; "Yes?"
Jackson shifted in his feet; "Have you seen April? Is she still in the pit?" he asked.
"No, Hunt already sent her home. I think she's catching a ride with Karev" Richard replied.
"I see, well-thank you"
Richard nodded before resuming his steps.
Jackson sighed as he watches the older surgeon walk away; "I guess you'll have to wait till tomorrow then," he said to himself.
oOo
The next day:
April sleepily entered the pit's entrance and was surprised to see people bustling around in a fast pace; she made her way towards the nurses' station when she saw Lexie and Alex talking. "Hey guys, what's happening here?"
Lexie peered behind Alex's shoulder and cringed; "There's another surge of mudslide in Madrona since it's been raining nonstop over night. A lot of people had already been evacuated but some are not fortunate, based from the call Hunt received, we're expecting at least 5 ambulances this morning" she explained.
"Why is this happening?" April groaned.
"Mother nature's wrath" Alex quipped.
"Karev, you're doing a ride along with me" Owen said as he fell into step with April.
Alex furrowed his brows; "Why?"
Owen sighed as he shoves his hands inside his lab coat pocket; "A kid had been severely injured and the EMT's doesn't want to move him for the fear of causing more damages. They need a surgeon on the field to assess the extent of the injuries before they make their move. There's an ambulance just outside the pit and they're the ones who will take us to the location so we need to leave now" he explained.
"I see, okay, I'll go with you" Alex said.
Owen opened his mouth to give further instructions but paused when his pager went off; he plucked the device from his pocket and read the message. "Crap!"
"What's wrong?" April asked.
"Shepherd is paging me 911 to O.R 3" Owen said.
"I can do the ride along by myself, it's just one kid" Alex said.
Owen shook his head; "That won't work, you will need help on this" he replied.
"I can go" April volunteered.
Owen turned his head to the side and stared at April; "Who's gonna handle the pit if you go?" he asked.
"Lexie can do it, she's a senior resident and I'm quite sure it won't take us long to get the kid" April said. She then turned her eyes to her friend; "You can handle it right?"
Lexie nodded; "Yes I can and if I need help then I'll just page the other Attendings"
"Are you sure you can do this Kepner? The last time you did a ride a long you almost had a concussion" Owen said seriously.
April rolled her eyes; "That was an unfortunate accident" she said.
Alex snickered; "That was not her fault, it's McGooglyEyes' fault"
"He has a name you know" April said, clearly not impressed with Alex.
Alex rolled his eyes; "Whatever" he said. He then turned his eyes to Owen; "Don't worry about her, she's with me" he said.
Owen shifted his eyes between the two surgeons before nodding; "Fine. Update me as soon as you guys reach the scene; don't do any death defying stunts because you are not trained to rescue, your job is to help the people after they've been rescued, are we clear on this?"
"Crystal" April replied.
"Yeah" Alex said.
Owen nodded; "Go and be safe" he said.
Alex gestured towards the door; "Let's go get this kid" he said before walking towards the door.
April nodded; "See you when I see you!" she said before following the Ped's Fellow.
Owen turned to Lexie; "Get Sloan or Avery to help you here until Kepner arrives, okay?"
"Okay" Lexie replied.
Owen spun on his heels and began jogging away.
Lexie shifted her eyes back to door and watched as her friend's climb up the rig; she felt goose bumps crawl up her arms and neck when an ominous feeling settle inside her chest. She hastily shook her head and squared her shoulders. "Your PTSD is kicking in again, shrug it off Grey, they'll be alright" she said to herself.
oOo
"Are you still pissed at me?"
Jackson tore his eyes away from his tab and turned his head sideway; "Is that coffee for me?"
"It's yours if you admit that I did you right by kicking you out of that O.R" Mark said.
Jackson pointed towards his arm sling; "Isn't this enough admission?"
Mark placed the cup right in front of his prot and grinned widely; "Did you ask Callie to take a look at it?"
"She almost gone berserk on me when she saw me walking without my sling this morning, she practically shoved me into an exam room and wrapped me with this thing"
Mark laughed; "That explains the change of color, you had a blue one yesterday"
"Yeah" Jackson replied.
"Are you guys busy?"
Mark turned around and saw Lexie standing behind him; "It depends on what you need us for" he replied.
Lexie rolled her eyes as she shoves her hands inside her lab coat pockets; "I need an Attending at the pit, Hunt asked me to check if any of you two is available" she said.
Jackson threw Lexie a confused look; "Why? Is April not in yet?"
"She did a ride along with Alex, they're needed in the field" Lexie replied.
Mark furrowed his brows as he places his hands on his hips; "What do you mean field? They went to the mudslide site?"
Lexie nodded; "Yeah"
Jackson turned his gaze towards Mark, concern and worry evident on his face; "Is it safe to send our doctors there?"
Mark stared at Jackson for a moment before shifting his gaze back to his fiancé; "What did Hunt say? Is it safe?"
"Hunt said that they just need to get the kid and bring him here and he specifically told them not to replicate Jackson's death defying stunts last night"
"Good" Jackson replied.
Mark nodded; "I see" he said. He then plucked his own coffee from the counter; "I'll go help in the pit, you're not gonna be much help there with your sling."
Jackson nodded in agreement; "Page me, if you need me"
"Will do" Mark said as he steers Lexie towards the elevator.
oOo
Alex pulled his phone away from his ear and shoved it back inside his jacket; "I already told Hunt that we're here" he said.
April zipped her jacket close; "Alright, let's go then" she said before scooting towards the door and hopping out of the rig.
Alex followed April but tugged on the red head's arm even before she's able to move.
April turned her face towards Alex; "What?"
Alex stared into April's eyes with full seriousness; "Remember what Hunt said, no heroic stunts or rescue. We're here to just get the kid and that's it, understand?"
"Awww...you care about me after all" April teased.
Alex narrowed his eyes; "I'm not kidding Apes, you know our luck with these things."
April reached for Alex's other arm and gave it a comforting squeeze; "I understand"
Alex tugged his hand away; "Let's get this kid so we can get the hell away out of here" he said.
April cracked a smile; "Yeah-let's go" she said.
"I would hold you in my arms, I would take the pain away. Thank you for all you've done, forgive all your mistakes. There's nothing I wouldn't do, to hear your voice again. Sometimes I wanna call you but I know you won't be there. I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do and I've hurt myself by hurting you..."
"So we were able to remove all the necrotic tissues but the lab suggests that your organs are beginning to fail" Mark said.
"Is there anything you can do?" Brian asked.
Jackson shifted closer to Mark; "Well—-we're giving you some powerful antibiotics and we're hoping that that stops the process but-"
"But I might not make it" Sasha finished.
"We are going to do everything that we possibly can" Mark said.
"We want to get married now" Brian said while looking at his fiancé. "No matter what happens, we want to married-we need a chaplain"
"Yeah, okay-we'll find someone" Mark said. He then turned towards Jackson and gestured towards the door; "Let's go"
Jackson nodded.
Mark stepped out of the room and walked towards the nurses' station; he grabbed his tab and began updating the information. "I'll go check the chapel downstairs to see if they have an available chaplain and I'll let you know so we can make arrangements for them" he said.
Jackson fell into step with Mark; "They're really getting married-wow" he said.
Mark placed his tab back on the counter and smiled sadly; "It's times like this when it really hits you"
"What hits you?"
"The severity of the situation clears our vision; it makes us realize the most important thing in our life and helps us decide our next step. Brian deems Sasha as the most important person in his life and his next step is marrying her despite of her condition" Mark paused and turned to fully face his prot. "I was in the same situation as Brian when I decided that I want to marry Lexie, so I know exactly how he feels."
Jackson nodded in understanding; "I see..."
Mark placed his hands on his hips; "I better find that chaplain, we have a wedding to attend" he said.
"Go"
oOo
"I was able to clear his airway for the mean time but it looks like he swallowed mud" April said as she wipes the little boy's lips.
Alex grabbed a bandage from the first aid kit; "I was able to take out the debris on his wounds but his leg is badly mangled, we need to take him to the hospital as soon as possible" he said.
"My-bother" The little kid croaked.
"Hey-we're here, we're gonna take good care of you, don't be scared" April said soothingly.
"Bother-kichen"
April furrowed her brows as she leans forward; "You have a brother?" she asked tentatively.
The boy nodded; "Kichen"
"He's in the kitchen?" April asked.
The boy nodded again.
April turned her head sideways; "Did the EMT tell you that this kid has a brother?" she asked.
Alex tore the tape with his mouth; "No, why?"
April shifted her eyes to the house right in front of them; "He has a brother and he's in the kitchen" she said.
"I'm sure the EMT's got him" Alex said.
"Doctor?"
Alex turned his face to the side and saw an EMT looking at him expectantly; "Yeah?"
"Chief Watson wants to talk to you for a second" The EMT said.
Alex stood up from his perch and stared at April; "We'll lock and load when I get back, stay with him, okay?"
April nodded; "Go"
Alex spun on his heels and began following the EMT.
"Baby-Bother" The kid croaked again.
April moved her eyes back at the kid and bit her lip; she stared at him for a couple of seconds before shifting her gaze on the house. She placed her hands on her waist and began checking it intently; she squinted when she caught a little movement under the front porch swing. She bends forward and focused her eyes on that specific spot; she felt the wind get sucked out of her as her eyes widen.
oOo
Jackson shifted the phone on his other ear; "Come on, what about Hassan?" he asked. "He's at the pile too? You realize they can't all be at the damn pile."
Mark puffed out breath upon hearing Jackson's statement.
"No, I don't care what religion they are, just give me somebody-anybody that can officiate this" Jackson paused and narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, as a member of the board, I'm gonna say you want to stay away from phrases like "Even a Catholic" alright? Just get me back when you got one, okay? Bye" he said before slamming the phone back to its cradle.
"No one's available?" Mark asked.
"They're all on the pile" Jackson said.
Mark peered behind his prot's shoulder and saw a familiar face walking towards their direction; he hastily pulled away from his perch and gestured towards hallway. "Momma Avery is coming this way and she looks pissed, I better head out, see you later" he said before scurrying away.
"What are-"
"Baby!"
Jackson scrunched his face and cussed lowly; he took a deep calming breath before turning around. "Mom"
Catherine stopped right in front of her son with wide eyes; "Richard didn't tell me you hurt your shoulder!" she said with panic. She began fussing on Jackson's arm before shifting her hands on his face; "Oh baby!"
Jackson can't help but crack a smile at his mother; "I'm fine Mom, my shoulder is just sore and Torres already took care of it for me" he said with an appeasing tone.
Catherine let her hands fall to her side and narrowed her eyes at Jackson sternly; "What the hell were you thinking?! You're the one who keeps reminding me that you're a doctor and not an administrator but the minute I fly back to Boston you seem to forget that and turned yourself into a rescuer in which may I remind you that you're not trained for!"
Jackson grimaced; "It was a little girl Mom, I couldn't leave her"
Catherine stared at his son's face before letting out deep breath; she shifted closer to him and pulled him into hug. "You did the right thing baby-it's just, you're my son and I don't want anything bad to happen to you...you're all I have left"
Jackson wrapped his good arm around his mother's shoulder; "I'm not going anywhere Mom-I'm safe"
"Good because I don't know what I would've done if something happened to you"
"I know..."
oOo
"I'll tell Dr. Hunt that-" Alex cut himself off when he heard a loud crashing sound and people started yelling. "What the hell was that?" he asked as he turns around.
Chief Watson began running towards the site, pointing at the house near the ambulance; "Looks like the front porch collapsed" he said.
Alex quickly snapped his head towards the ambulance and saw that April is not there; he felt a niggling feeling inside his chest so he sprinted towards it. He shoved his way through the crowd and made a bee line towards the vehicle; he yanked the back door open, hoping to see the red head safely tucked inside. "Where is Dr. Kepner?"
"She said she's going to find you, she asked us to load and lock this kid" The EMT replied.
Alex felt dread and panic surge into his veins; "I'll find her" he said before slamming door close again. He pulled his phone away from his jacket pocket and dialled the red head's number; he shifted the phone to his ear while waiting for the familiar sound of ringing. He felt fear wash through him when the line got disconnected and he heard nothing; he tugged the phone away just in time to hear Chief Watson screaming his name. "Damn it Apes! What have you done?" he asked shakily.
oOo
Mark wrinkled his nose; "So you're telling me that I can get certified on line and marry those fire fighters? Me?"
Owen shrugged his shoulders; "That's the only way those two can get married, all the chaplains are out helping with the storm victims"
"There are storm victims here too!" Mark said.
"I know that-hold one moment" Owen said as he plucks his phone from his pocket. He checked the screen before tapping on the answer button; "Karev, you on your way back?" he asked. "What? What do you mean-"
Mark crossed his arms on top of his chest as he watches Owens' face turn pale; "What's going on Hunt?" he asked.
"Damn it!" Owen cursed loudly.
Mark shifted in his feet, clearly not liking what he's hearing.
"Are you on your way back? Don't let her circle down the drain and get her here as soon as possible-I don't care-tell those damn EMT's to step on it, I'll book an O.R. and make sure we're ready when you pull over, call me again as soon you reach the corner, okay, bye"
"What happened?" Mark asked sharply.
Owen let his hand fall and tightened his hold on his phone; "There had been an accident on the site and-Kepner is-she's-"
"She's what?" Mark demanded.
"She's-she's been hurt badly and Karev is bringing her back"
Mark cursed angrily.
Owen shook his head to clear his mind and squared his shoulders; he hastily made his way towards the nurses' station. "Book O.R. 3 and have it on standby. Page Shepherd 911, right now"
"Why do you need Derek? What happened to her?" Mark asked, panic evident in his voice.
Owen turned towards Mark; "The rescue team had to pull her out of the rubble when the front porch collapsed-she used herself as a shield to cover the little boy they found her with. She's has a possible TBI and lacerations on her body" he said gravely.
Mark cursed again; "How's her SAT's?"
Owen sucked in breath; "She's barely holding on" he admitted.
Mark clenched his fists tightly; "Did she had contact with some mud?"
"She did-the porch collapsed with the weight of the mud"
"I'm scrubbing in-the mud is contaminated with some flesh eating bacteria-her laceration and wound needs to be cleaned thoroughly" Mark said.
Owen nodded; "Be ready then,"
"I found the website where you can get your certification, it's a short course and you can finish it in 30 minutes"
Mark spun around and saw Jackson standing a couple of steps away from him; he threw Owen a side glance and saw him shook his head subtly. He gritted his teeth and forced out a smile; "That's great however I would need you to take that certification for me" he paused and cleared his throat. "The ambulances from Madrona are on their way here and all hands are on deck-so, I need you to take it and wait for me in Sasha's room, okay?"
"Do you need some extra hands here? I'm quite sure they will under-"
"No" Mark said, cutting Jackson off. "Sasha doesn't have much time and you know it, I need you there more than I need you here-I'll come find you once I'm done, do you understand me?"
Jackson furrowed his brows; "Okay" he said. He then spun on his heels and began walking towards the door.
Mark turned around and faced Owen.
"Chief?"
Owen peered behind Mark's shoulder; "Yes Avery?"
"Is Karev and April on their way back?" Jackson asked.
Mark felt his whole body stiffen as a lump form in his throat.
Owen cleared his throat; "Y-yeah, they're on their way back"
Jackson smiled; "Good, can you page me once they arrive? I need a-a quick consult with April" he said.
Owen can't seem to muster an answer so he just nodded.
"Thank you" Jackson said before turning around and resuming his pace.
"She better be alive when they get her here" Mark said through gritted teeth.
Owen closed his eyes and let out a deep calming breath; "She will be"
oOo
"You can't die on me April, I swear to god I'll follow you to the place you call heaven and haul you back here to kick your freaking ass" Alex said as he gripped April's hand tighter.
"We're about to round the corner Dr. Karev" The EMT yelled from the front.
Alex kept his hand on April's as he pulled his phone from his pocket with the other; he furiously tapped on it and shifted the phone to his ear. He waited for the call to connect and gritted his teeth; "We're rounding the corner, be ready" he said.
oOo
Derek walked towards his best friend and noticed the grave expression on his face; "What's going on?" he asked.
Mark turned his head sideways; "Kepner has been involved in an accident in the field"
Derek frowned; "What the hell happened?"
Mark shifted his eyes back to the driveway; "The front porch collapsed while she's trying to save a little boy" he replied.
The E.R doors burst open and Owen came out jogging; "They're here" he said. He fixed his eyes on the driveway just in time to see the ambulance driving towards them; he laced his Trauma gown hastily and ran towards the vehicle even before it stopped, Derek and Mark both in tow.
The back door was immediately pushed open as Alex's jumped out; he gripped the tail end of the gurney and began hauling it down. "I was able to control the bleeding on her open wounds but her head is badly bruised-her stomach is distended and I was able to secure her shoulder. I-I did everything-everything but I can't make her wake up-she's been unconscious since they were able to pull her out-she coded once but I was able to bring her back"
Derek grabbed his pen light from his breast pocket and began checking April's eyes and reflexes.
Owen tore his eyes away from April's frail form and met Alex's eyes; "You did good Karev-we'll take care of her now. Go clean yourself, Robbins will be working on the kid, page Webber" he ordered.
Alex staggered back and nodded; he shifted his eyes back to the gurney and swallowed hard. "Don't let her die..."
Derek tugged on the side railing; "We need to take her to CT-let's move her now!" he said.
Owen and Mark nodded and began rushing the gurney towards the E.R doors.
"Hey Pretty Boy over here!"
Jackson halted his step and turned his head to the side; he cracked a small smile and made his way towards Meredith's room.
"What's this I hear that you're off marrying people now?" Cristina asked.
Jackson rolled his eyes as he leans on the door frame; "Mark's patient's wants to get married today but all the chaplains are out."
"You're neither a chaplain nor a minister, how will you marry them?" Meredith asked.
"Hunt told Mark that there's this website you can get certifications on-he was supposed to do it himself but he's needed at the pit so he asked me-no, ordered me to do it"
oOo
Cristina smirked; "You're not only the boss of this hospital now, you're also our new stand-in chaplain. You Avery's are really over achievers!" she teased.
"I'm only doing this today so don't get too excited" Jackson said.
Cristina opened her mouth to tease Jackson further but her pager went off; she plucked it from her pocket and read the message.
"Who is it? You just got here" Meredith said.
Cristina stuffed her pager inside her lab coat pocket and hopped off the bed; "Evil Spawn is paging me to O.R. 2" she said.
Jackson furrowed his brows; "Karev?"
"Yeah" Cristina replied. She then made her way towards the door and waved her hand to Mer; "See you later Mer" she said.
Meredith noticed the look on Jackson's face; "What's wrong?"
"I wonder if April got tugged on his surgery, I told Hunt to have her page me as soon as she arrives" Jackson said with a pensive look.
"You can always check the O.R boards, you know? No need to stress yourself thinking about it."
Jackson shifted his eyes to the General Surgeon and smiled; "That's a good idea" he said. He then pulled away from his perch and turned around; "See you later Mer" he said before walking away.
oOo
"She has intracerebral hematoma on her frontal lobe and her GCS is lower than the average, I need to open her up to relieve the pressure on her brain" Derek said as he studies the CT results.
"Can I debrid her wounds while you do that? I need to make sure that it's not infected or we'll have a bigger problem, we don't need her organs shutting down on us" Mark said.
Derek shot up from his perch; "Yeah-let's go, we don't have much time" he said. He then threw Owen a look; "Has O.R 3 been prepped for craniotomy?" he asked.
"Yes" Owen replied."I'll also scrub in with you the ultrasound says that she's bleeding internally"
"Have the nurses page Lexie, I need her there" Derek said.
Owen threw Derek a look; "Are you sure that's a good idea? April is pretty much her best friend" he said.
Derek turned his head towards Mark; "Can you talk to her? I need her to scrub in with me because I can't have an intern-not in this surgery."
Mark took a deep breath; "I'll talk to her"
"I'll meet you in the O.R" Derek said as he steps out of the CT room.
oOo
Jackson stepped out of the elevator and began walking along the surgical floor; he rounded the corner and was surprised to see his mentor standing right in front of O.R. 3 with Lexie and Derek.
"I need you to be her doctor and not her friend, can you do that?" Derek said seriously.
Lexie wiped her cheeks and bit her bottom lip hard; she stared at Derek for a moment before nodding.
"I need an audible answer Lexie" Derek said.
Lexie swallowed hard; "Y—yes"
"Good, I'll meet you there in 5 minutes, scrub fast" Derek said before rushing towards the O.R. doors.
"Why are you crying?"
Lexie and Mark both turned around saw Jackson; the latter cleared his throat and pushed his fiancé towards the door. "Go scrub, Derek needs you in there" he said.
Lexie averted Jackson's eyes and made her way towards the O.R without a word.
Jackson furrowed his brows as he watches Lexie disappear from the door; "What's wrong with her?"
"She's just a little bit stressed out with this surgery" Mark replied evasively. He then placed his hands on his hips; "What are you doing here? I thought I told you to monitor Sasha"
Jackson shifted in his feet; "I just checked on her and it looks like the antibiotics are doing the trick, lab says she's improving" he replied.
"Good. No one's handling the pit now since Derek pulled Lexie from the pit; I need you to go stay there and assist the residents and the interns"
"Where's Hunt?" Jackson asked.
"He's in surgery" Mark replied.
"Okay" Jackson replied.
Mark gestured towards the O.R. door; "I need to get in there now, run along and boss the interns or resident's around" he said.
Jackson shook his head; "As if people here don't boss them around enough"
Mark forced out a smile; "Go,"
Jackson spun on his heels and made his way back, temporarily forgetting his purpose of going to this floor.
Mark waited until Jackson disappeared from the corner before he stepped into the O.R.
oOo
"I could take care of this kid, you should take a rest" Arizona said.
Alex shook his head; "No-I can't just sit there and wait, I need to do something" he replied.
Cristina stepped into the O.R. and walked towards the nurse who's holding up gloves; "What do we have?" she asked as she slips her hands inside.
"His broken rib punctured his left lung" Arizona replied.
Cristina stepped right in front of the operating table and leaned forward, assessing the damages; "What happened to this kid?" she asked.
Arizona lifted her eyes from her work and stared at Cristina; "It's one of the casualties from the mudslide in Madrona"
"I see" Cristina said. She then shifted her gaze to the side when she noticed Alex's eerie silence; "Evil spawn, are you okay?" she asked.
Alex cleared his throat; "Y—yeah"
"You're awfully quiet" Cristina said as she began working fixing on the tear.
Alex pulled a blood soaked lap pad and cleared his throat; "Have you heard about Hunt's surgery?" he asked.
"Retractors" Cristina said. "No, should I?"
"You should because it's April who's in there"
"You mean, Owen is working with April, right?" Cristina asked.
Alex didn't respond.
"Alex" Arizona said gently.
Alex's grip on the forcep tightens; "No, he's working on April-there had been an accident on site-she got hurt while saving this kid's baby brother" he said.
Both Cristina and Arizona froze, their eyes wide in shock.
Alex shook his head to clear his thoughts and just continued his work.
oOo
"I need to take the spleen out, it's no longer salvageable-she's bleeding too much" Owen said.
Mark turned towards the nurse and handed her the specimen vial; "Take this to the lab and have them run a culture. Tell them to push everything at the back and have this one prioritized, I need the results as soon as possible" he said.
"Right away Dr. Sloan" The nurse replied before scurrying away.
"I have debrided all her wounds, I just need to wait for the results to come back-there are no visible discoloration on any of the sites which is a good sign" Mark said.
"I already evacuated all the clots, I'm about ready to close" Derek said.
"I'll go get Callie so she can take a look at-"
Mark wasn't able to finish his sentence when the machines started beeping wildly.
"Her BP is dropping-she's down to v-fib" Knox said.
"Damn it!" Owen cursed loudly as he pulls his hands away.
Mark shot up from his stool; "Starting chest compressions, now" he said as he placed his hands on April's chest.
Lexie took a step back as she choked out a sob.
Derek turned his eyes towards his sister in law; "You're not her friend now-you're her doctor" he said sternly.
Lexie didn't seem to hear Derek's words because her eyes are glued to the O.R table.
"Hand me the paddle, charge to 100" Owen said. He placed the paddles on April's chest; "Clear"
"Lexie" Derek called out loudly.
Mark pulled his hands away and fixed his gaze at the monitor.
"Still no heartbeat" Knox said.
Lexie let out another sob as tears began running down her cheeks, soaking her mask.
Derek's head snapped to the side and stared at the nearest scrub nurse; "Get Dr. Grey out of here, now!" he barked.
The scrub nurse hastily made her way towards Lexie and began steering her towards the door.
Mark placed his hands back on April's chest and started the compression's again; "Push 5 of epi now"
"Come on Kepner, don't do this, you are a soldier-you can't die on us. Charge to 150" Owen said.
Mark automatically pulled his hands away.
"Clear" Owen said.
Mark shifted his gaze back to the monitor; "Come on Kepner, we need a heartbeat"
The machines stopped beeping; "We got a pulse" Knox said.
"Son of a bitch" Mark said with a relieved sigh.
Owen handed the paddles back to the nurse; he shifted closer to April and leaned forward. "Don't you dare code on us again Kepner-don't you dare" he whispered.
oOo
"I thought you're only doing Admin works today?"
Jackson tore his eyes away from his tab; "I was but nobody is handling the pit at the moment, all of them seems to be in surgery" he said glumly.
Catherine smiled; "Don't look so glum baby, just give it a few days and you'll be back into an O.R" she said.
"I know, what are you doing here anyway?" Jackson asked.
"I'm actually looking for Richard, we're supposed to have coffee" Catherine replied. "Have you seen him by any chance?"
Jackson pointed towards the nurses' station near the Outpatients receiving area; "He's there" he said.
Catherine turned around and saw his beau charting; "There he is, well-I better go to him" she said.
Jackson nodded; "Go"
"Do you want me to get you something from the cafeteria?"
"No, I'm good"
"Okay baby, see you later" Catherine said before walking towards the other surgeon.
Jackson shifted his eyes back to his tab and began updating the information on the electronic board.
"-it's terrible. I heard they only did that ride along to help a kid and now she's the one fighting for her life. I hope she pulls through-she's always been pleasant to work with"
Jackson felt all the air get sucked out of his lungs as his whole body stiffens.
"Do you know who's operating on her?"
"I checked the O.R board when I passed by the surgical floor and I saw Shepherd, Sloan and Hunt's name"
Jackson heard a loud ringing in his ears as his eyes started blurring; his grip on the tab his holding loosens, dropping it on the floor with a loud clatter.
Catherine halted her steps and turned around; "Baby?"
Jackson didn't respond; he just stood there frozen, his feet rooted on the ground.
Catherine narrowed her eyes and noticed that her son's face have gone pale; she hastily retraced her steps and stopped right in front of him. "Jackson? What's going on?"
Jackson blinked a couple of times before bolting towards the door without a word.
oOo
"How's the bleeding?" Derek asked.
"Everything is under control, I'll close her up" Owen replied.
"I'll do the stitches if you don't mind-I don't want her to have ugly scars" Mark said.
"No problem" Owen replied.
"Why the hell was I not informed about this? You hid it all from me! I of all people deserve to know this!"
"This is the exact reason why they didn't tell you! They need to focus on April right now and they can't deal with your anger while trying to save her life at the same time!"
Derek shifted his eyes at Mark; "I think you should go out there and talk to him, we don't need him barging inside this room" he said.
Owen nodded in agreement; "I'm still packing her up, it will still take time before I can close-go calm him down and give him an update" he said.
Mark nodded and stood up from his perch; "This won't be pretty" he said with a grimace.
Owen turned his gaze towards the scrub nurse; "Page Dr. Torres"
oOo
"What do you mean I can't get in there? I own this fucking hospital so I can do whatever I want!" Jackson yelled loudly.
Lexie placed her hands on her waist; "I own this hospital too and you're not going in there!"
"Yeah but I'm Mr. 51%! I get to call the shots and you very well know that I can veto you all out!"
"Really? You're bringing that up now?" Lexie snapped.
Jackson gritted his teeth as he tries to stifle the emotion that's raging inside his chest; "Look, I'm not trying to pick a fight with you-just let me see her Lexie-I need to-" he paused and swallowed back a sob.
Lexie felt her heart go out to her friend; "I know you want to and I wish I can but like what I've said, they don't need you hovering on them while they do their job-Derek kicked me out of that O.R too because I can't hold it in and it's causing distractions for them so please, just listen to me" she pleaded.
Jackson placed his hands on his hips and bowed his head down; he closed his eyes as he takes deep calming breaths.
The door suddenly opened and Mark stepped out; he closed the door behind him and stared at his distraught student. "She's fine"
Jackson felt something snap inside his chest upon hearing his mentor's words; he felt tears run down his cheeks as relief wash through him. "She's alive-she's safe" he thought. He staggered back and leaned on the wall for support; he felt his knees gave in as he slides down to the floor.
Mark quickly made his way towards Jackson and squatted right in front of him; "You okay?" he asked with concern.
Jackson couldn't talk pass the lump in his throat so he just shook his head; he gathered his knees to his chest and hid his face into the crook of his arms. He's been trying to hold it together for a couple of minutes now but he couldn't anymore; his shoulders shook as gut wrenching sobs escaped his lips.
Mark turned his face towards his fiancé; silently asking for help-clearly not sure how to deal with this kind of situation.
Lexie didn't think twice; she walked towards Jackson and sat down on the floor beside him. She gently wrapped her arm around the whimpering man's shoulder and pulled him closer to her; "It's alright-let it out, she's safe-April is alive" she whispered.
Jackson didn't budge from his spot and just kept his face hidden.
Mark reached forward and gave Jackson's arm a comforting squeeze; "I need to get back in there to help Derek and Owen-we'll take care of her. Stay with Lexie, I'll have someone find you once we're done. I promise you that we won't let anything happen to her-we've got her" he gently said.
Jackson pulled his tear stricken face off his arms; "Don't-don't leave her side-please? Just don't leave her alone" he rasped out.
"I won't. I'll stay with her" Mark said seriously. "Are you gonna be alright?"
Jackson sniffed loudly; "Y-yeah"
Mark nodded and stood up silently; he walked towards the door and stepped inside the O.R. once again.
Lexie squeezed Jackson's shoulder; "Let's go sit somewhere comfortable and I'll get you something to drink" she said.
Jackson turned his face towards Lexie; "I'm sorry I screamed at you-I didn't mean to" he said.
Lexie shook her head; "You don't have anything to be sorry for-I understand"
"Some days I feel broke inside but I won't admit. Sometimes I just wanna hide 'cause it's you I miss and it's so hard to say goodbye when it comes to this. Would you tell me I was wrong? Would you help me understand? Are you looking down upon me? Are you proud of who I am?"
"You asleep?"
Meredith opened her eyes and turned her head sideways; "I'm trying but I can't" she replied.
Alex entered the room and walked towards the couch; he plopped down and rested his head back.
Meredith eyed her friend; "You okay?"
Alex sighed; "Yeah"
"Is everything okay?"
Alex opened his eyes but kept it glued to the ceiling; "April has been in an accident and your husband is operating on her now."
Meredith's eyes widen in shock; "What-what happened?"
"We did a ride along to pick up an injured kid from the site and she just decided to be a hero" Alex said. He then shot up from his perch and began pacing angrily; "Hunt told us specifically that we're only there to stabilize the kid and bring him here. I told her to stay put while I talked to the EMT's Chief because he wanted to talk to me-I was gone for a couple of minutes Mer-just a couple of minutes and the next thing I know people are screaming and rescuers are pulling her out of the rubble, how fucked up is that?" he bellowed. He paused and gritted his teeth; "Kepner is not the type to break rules-she's the only one among us who actually follows it and the moment she decides to break a protocol-poof-her life is hanging by a freaking thread!"
"Calm down Alex" Meredith said.
Alex didn't seem to hear his friend's plea, he scrunched his face as he continued his pacing; "She was barely breathing when they were able to pull her out-there was so much blood and she's just lying in my arms. She coded once you know? We were in the freaking ambulance on the way here and she almost died there-in the freaking rig of all places! She decided to code where she knew I couldn't do much and-"
"Pick up my baby" Meredith said, cutting her friend off.
Alex paused and turned towards Meredith; "What?"
Meredith gestured towards the bassinet; "Pick up my baby" she repeated.
"Why?"
"Don't ask questions and just get my baby"
Alex threw Meredith a confused look before walking towards the bassinet; he gently lifted the tiny baby and cradled him into his arms. He walked towards the bed and leaned forward; "Here" he said.
Meredith shook her head; "The baby is for you"
Alex frowned; "Huh?"
"You're agitated and you're freaking out, hold him and he'll calm you down" Meredith explained.
Alex took a deep calming breath and stood straight; he shifted his arms closer to his chest and stared at the tiny bundle in his arms.
"I'm sure April has her reasons why she broke protocol, like what you said-she's a stickler for rules. I know you're worried about her that's why you're pissed but you mentioned that Derek has her-he won't let anything happen to her so calm down"
Alex shifted his gaze back to Meredith and took another calming breath; "You're right, she's in good hands, they won't let anything happen to her" he said.
Meredith smiled; "Kepner is a tough cookie, she'll pull through"
Alex can't help but crack a smile; "When did you become so optimistic? You used to be the queen of pessimism-you're a sucker for bad news"
"Drowning and being held at gun point and still surviving does that, I guess" Meredith said thoughtfully.
Alex shook his head.
"Hey"
oOo
Lexie and Jackson both raised their heads.
Cristina placed her hands on her hips; "Owen and Mark asked me to find you to let you know that April is being moved to the ICU" she said.
Jackson shot up from his chair; "Can I see her? Is she awake? How's her SAT's?"
"You can see her after a couple of minutes and no-she's not awake but her SAT's are improving" Cristina replied.
Jackson let out a relieved sigh; "Thank god" he breathed out.
Cristina threw Jackson a sympathetic look; "She's strong Avery, she'll make it through"
Jackson met Cristina's eyes; "I know-can I go see her now?"
Cristina nodded; "3rd floor, Mark's old room" she said.
"Thank you" Jackson said before bolting towards the elevator.
Lexie stood up from her perch; "Is Mark with her?" she asked.
"Yes, they're all assisting with the transfer"
Lexie shoved her hands inside her lab coat pocket; "I'll go check on her then,"
"Go"
oOo
"We should call whomever she listed in her emergency contacts" Derek said while eyeing April's frail form.
"I'll go over her files and make the call" Owen replied.
Mark placed his hands around his waist and stared at Owen; "You should ban her from doing ride alongs, she's a lightning rod for accidents when it comes to riding ambulances" he said.
Owen sighed; "I should've known that this will happen-the last time should have been an indicator"
"Don't beat yourself up about this, it's not your fault" Derek said firmly.
"I don't know..." Owen said.
"Derek is right, this is out of your hands. Don't put blame where it is not due" Mark said.
"How-how is she?"
All three surgeons turned around and saw an haggard looking Jackson standing by the door; Mark beckoned him forward. "Come in"
Jackson stepped into the room and made her way towards April's bed; he bit his bottom lip hard as he gently placed grasped April's hand in his.
Derek cleared his throat; "She had an intracerebral hematoma on her frontal lobe but I was able to evacuate the clot. I had to put her into a drug induced coma to let the swelling subside so that her brain can heal" he explained.
Jackson felt his knees weaken upon hearing the prognosis so he sat down at the side of the bed; "Is t—there any lingering damages to her brain?" he asked as he looks at the Neuro Surgeon.
Derek placed his hands on his waist and sighed; "I really can't tell, we still need to wait for her to wake up but I'm hoping for the best" he said honestly.
Jackson shifted his eyes back at April; "I see"
Owen decided to speak next; "She had massive internal bleeding because her spleen was severely damaged so I had to take it out. All of her other organs are unharmed and functioning at a 100%" he said.
Jackson just nodded robotically.
Mark shifted closer to the footboard and braised his hands on it; "Callie said that all her bones are intact and there's no significant damage on the veins. Her right shoulder, knee and ankle are all dislocated but she already took care of that."
Jackson turned his head back and stared at Mark; "Did you check her wounds?"
Mark nodded; "I checked them one by one and debrided them all. I also run a culture to be sure and the labs came back clean" he said.
Jackson let out a relieved sigh; he then shifted his eyes back to April and gently ran his thumb on top of her hand. "Can you-can you guys leave me alone with her for a while"
"Of course" Derek replied.
Mark pulled his hands away from the footboard and took a step back; "We're going" he said.
"I know you'll want to stay with her tonight so I'll make arrangements" Owen said.
"Thank you" Jackson replied.
Owen nodded before stepping out the room.
Jackson waited for the sliding door to close before shifting closer to April; he leaned forward and gently ran the back of his hand on her pale cheek. He felt tears run down his cheeks but this time he didn't bother to hide them; "This is how you must have felt that night, huh? When I found out that this happened-it's like my world suddenly stopped spinning and the ground I'm standing on started crumbling away. I couldn't breathe-it's as if my head is about to burst and my heart is a second away from ceasing to beat" he paused and sniffed. "You keep me on my toes Kepner but you also brought me down to my knees. There still a lot of things I want to say to you but I won't say them now because you have to be awake to hear them-I'll wait for you to open those pretty eyes so I could stare into them again. We've got you Apes and I'm gonna damn make sure that you're well taken care of, come back to me soon, you promised me too, remember? It's always gonna be me and you-I didn't die that night because I kept my promise, now it's time for you to hold your end of the bargain" he said desperately. He then lifted April's hand to his lips and planted a gentle kiss at the back; he then shifted it to his cheek and closed his eyes,
oOo
"How is she?" Lexie asked while staring at April's room.
"She's holding on" Mark replied. He then wrapped his arms around Lexie's waist and planted a kiss on her forehead; "You okay?" he asked.
Lexie tilted her face and met Mark's eyes; "I'm sorry"
"You don't have anything to be sorry for, she's your friend and it's a normal reaction."
Lexie felt her eyes stinging; "She's more than just my friend-she's my best friend" she paused and averted Mark's eyes. "We didn't get along at first, I was a complete bitch to her but then I get to know her better and I finally saw what Jackson sees in her. April-no matter how much you pick on her and insult her, she doesn't hold grudges." She swallowed the lump in her throat and wiped the tears that managed to escape her eyes; "She's a good person and I can't understand why this happened to her"
"Shit happens Lex-even to good people" Mark said. He then placed his finger under Lexie's chin and tilted her face up; "April is a tough person and she will pull through this. She has a lot of things to live for and that man inside her room-he'll do everything he can to make sure that she knows that"
Lexie furrowed her brows as she sniffed; "What are you talking about? That's his best friend instinct kicking in again"
Mark smiled; 'No-that's his lover's instinct kicking in. He finally figured it out; he's in love with her too" he explained.
Lexie's eyes widen; "Really? Oh my god!" she gasped.
He then sighed and shifted his gaze towards the room; "He already broke up with Sadie and he's planning on telling April how he feels-he was supposed to tell her today but then this happened" he said.
Lexie followed her fiancé's gaze and looked at the couple sadly.
"There's nothing I wouldn't do to have just one more chance, to look into your eyes and see you looking back. I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do and I've hurt myself..."
It has been 3 days since the terrible accident have had happened and April hasn't opened her eyes yet. Derek confirmed that the swelling has subsided and her brain is healing well and they just need to wait for her to wake up in her own pace. Her family was able to fly out from Ohio and they've been in constant vigil beside April's bed, much to Jackson's chagrin. Her parents were very receptive to him ever since they learned his name; it turns out that April had been telling them about him since their Mercy West days. Libby, April's older sister is a different story though; she was polite yes but sometimes Jackson' can't help but feel that she's observing him a little too closely and it's making him uncomfortable.
"Why are you standing out here?"
Jackson turned his head to the side and saw Cristina walking towards him; "The room is kinda full" he replied.
Cristina stopped beside the Plastics Fellow and turned to face the room; "They're here early" she observed.
Jackson leaned back on the nurses' counter; "Yeah"
Cristina threw Jackson a side glance; "Is she awake?"
Jackson sighed; "No"
"I see but don't worry she'll wake up soon, she just needs time"
Jackson nodded; "Yeah"
Cristina shoved her hands inside her lab coat pockets; "Did you try to kiss her?" she asked seriously
Jackson's head snapped to side and threw Cristina a baffled look; "I'm sorry-what?"
Cristina cracked a small teasing smile; "For her to wake up. Kepner has always been a firm believer of ever afters-the one you often see in Disney movies? Maybe she's just waiting for her true love's kiss, like Cinderella" she said.
"Sleeping Beauty you mean?"
Cristina spun around and saw Alex standing behind her; "What?"
Alex placed his hands around his waist and threw Cristina a displeased look; "Cinderella is the chic who lost her shoe while trying to run like hell. Sleeping Beauty is the chic that pricked her stupid finger on a spindle of a spinning wheel and slept for god knows how long" he explained.
Cristina scrunched her face; "I can't believe you watch Disney flicks evil spawn"
Jackson blinked a couple of times before bursting out laughing.
Alex and Cristina both turned to face Jackson and watched as he laughs his heart out.
Jackson quickly turned around as he bends forward with laughter, actively ignoring the stares his receiving from his friends. He laughed until he felt tears stream down his cheeks-he laughed till it's no longer funny and laughed till his voice turned hoarse, choked with tears.
Cristina threw Alex a look, silently asking the other surgeon to comfort the other man.
Alex subtly shook his head and pushed her towards him instead.
Cristina sighed before shifting closer; she placed her hand on her friend's shoulder and turned him around to face her. She fixed him with a stern look and began wiping his cheeks; "Stop crying because April is not dead, she will wake up soon and she doesn't need you bawling like a bitch baby" she said. She let her hands fall to her side before softening her look; "We're all looking after her and Derek is doing his best as well, she's in good hands and she will be alright."
Jackson clenched his jaw and nodded curtly; trying his best to reign his emotions.
Alex cleared his throat; "Yang is right man, Kepner is a survivor she'll pull through this" he said.
Jackson didn't respond and just shifted his eyes back to the room.
oOo
"J-jac-son"
Libby shot up from her chair and hastily made her way towards her sister's bed; "April?"
"J-ac-son" April mumbled as her eyes started to flutter.
Libby let out a sob of relief as she punched on the red button above April's bed; she gently grasped her sister's hand and gave it a soft squeeze. "Wake up Apple...please open your eyes" she choked out.
April wrinkled her nose as she opens her eyes.
"Thank god!" Libby gasped.
April blinked a couple of times, trying to focus her eyes; she swallowed hard and instantly felt the dryness in her throat. "W-wa-er" she croaked.
The doors suddenly opened and Derek sauntered in.
Libby took a step back but kept her eyes on her sister; "She just woke up and she's asking for water" she said.
"Can you get her some?" Derek asked.
Libby nodded and quickly bolted towards the door.
Derek stood beside April's bed and grabbed his pen light from his breast pocket; "April? Can you tell me who I am-a name will do" he asked gently.
April swallowed again; "D-rek"
Derek let out a sigh of relief before smiling; "I'm gonna have to do some tests, is that okay?"
"Ye—a"
Derek turned the penlight on and began his basic Neuro exams.
Libby stepped inside the room just as Derek is finishing up; she walked towards him and handed the cup silently.
Derek adjusted the angle of the bed and took the cup from Libby's hand; he shifted it close to April's lips and made her grasp the straw. "Slowly"
April took a couple of sips before pulling her lips away; she blinked a couple of times before clearing her throat. "What-happened?"
"You've been in an accident in the field and you hit your head hard" Derek explained.
"What happened to the little boy? Did he make it?" April asked.
Derek can't help but smile; "He's fine, thanks to you" he said.
April let out a relieved sigh; "How long was I out?" she asked.
"3 days" Derek replied.
"3 days?" April asked. She then tried sitting up but winced when she felt a sharp pain on her abdomen; "Ouch" she groaned.
"What do you think you're doing?" Derek asked with a bewildered look.
April turned her face to side; "Why does my stomach hurt like hell?"
Derek placed the cup on top of the overbed; "Does it hurt?"
"Yeah"
Derek clicked on the pain meds button thrice before shifting his gaze back to April; "The accident caused massive internal bleeding so Hunt had to open you up to control it. Your spleen was severely damaged so he had to take it out but everything else is intact" he explained.
April sighed tiredly; "What else? Can I see my chart?"
Derek chuckled; "No you can't, you're a patient not a doctor"
April pursed her lips.
Derek placed his hands on his waist; "Your right shoulder, knee and ankle are a bit tender because you dislocated it but Callie was able to fix it so you don't have to worry about them" he said.
"What else?"
Derek shook his head; "No, that's about everything" he said.
April nodded; "I see"
"I'll be back to do some more tests later but for now I'll go ahead and update our people, they've been waiting for you to wake up for days now" Derek said with a large smile.
"Get Alex?" April asked.
Derek threw April a confused look; "You don't want me to get Jackson?"
April felt her cheeks flush as she shook her head; "Err-get Alex first, please?"
"Okay" Derek replied. He then spun around and walked towards the door; he was about to step out but paused and threw April a back glance. "Glad to have you back Kepner"
April smiled; "I'm glad to be back" she replied.
Derek nodded before stepping out into the hallway.
"You gave us a scare there" Libby said.
April's eyes widen upon hearing a familiar voice; "L-libby?" she called out.
Libby walked towards the bed and sat at April's bed side; she gently grasped her little sister's hand and placed a chaste kiss on it. "I'm glad you're okay"
April felt her eyes pool with tears as she tugs on Libby's hand; "Come here and give me a hug"
Libby leaned forward and gently wrapped her arms around April's form; after a moment she pulled away and wiped sister's cheeks. "Mom and Dad are are also here, I just sent them back to their hotel to rest but they will back tomorrow morning"
April sniffled; "I'm sorry I made you worry" she said.
Libby shook her head; "You have nothing to be sorry for Apple because you did the right thing" she said.
"I couldn't leave him there-he's so young to die"
"I know love" Libby replied.
April smiled; she then shifted in her bed and swallowed hard. "Please don't tell me that Alice and Kimmie are also here-they'd give me hell if they find out what happened"
Libby laughed; "They're not here yet but they will be soon, you have time to prepare."
April groaned.
oOo
Derek entered the Attendings' Lounge with a huge smile on his face; "April's already awake and she's fine" he said loudly.
Lexie's eyes widen; "Really? Thank god!" she gasped.
Cristina turned her head sideways and smiled widely; "Told you she'll wake up today, pay up"
Alex narrowed his eyes but a smile is visible on his lips; "I'll pay you later" he replied.
"I can't believe you guys!" Arizona said, clearly aghast.
Callie chuckled; "Wagering is their favourite past time" she said. She then turned her eyes to Cristina; "How many days did Mer bet on?" she asked.
"4 days" Cristina replied. "Ha! I've always known that Kepner loves me more, she doesn't want me to lose!"
Alex rolled his eyes.
Derek shook his head at his wife's best friends; he then shoved his hands inside his lab coat pockets and fixed his eyes on Alex. "She's asking for you Karev, go see her"
Lexie scrunched her face; "She asked for Alex? Why?"
"I have no idea" Derek replied.
Alex thumped his hands on his thighs and stood up; "I'll go see her then" he said. He then walked towards the door and left the room without a word.
"Where's Avery?" Derek asked.
"He's in surgery with Mark" Lexie replied.
Derek turned towards his sister in law; "Can you tell him after the surgery? I need to go update my wife"
Lexie nodded; "Sure"
oOo
"Doesn't it feel good to be back in surgery?" Mark asked.
"Yeah" Jackson replied glumly.
Mark paused and lifted his eyes to stare at his prot; "Don't be like that" he said.
"I can't help it"
"I know but you have to buck up. She'll be awake soon and she won't be happy with you if she finds out that you've been slacking off with your job"
Jackson sighed; "I know"
Mark shifted his eyes back to his work; "No more moping around, let's just focus on giving this woman a nose that will put any other noses into shame."
Jackson can't help but chuckle at his mentor's antics.
Mark smiled behind his mask.
oOo
"You called his name" Libby said while eyeing April.
"Huh?"
Libby smiled teasingly; "You were calling Jackson's name when you're waking up" she clarified.
April felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment; "Oh god"
Libby chuckled.
"Did Derek hear it?" April asked, clearly mortified.
"No, but if he came a little bit earlier he might've" Libby replied.
April closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands.
Libby smirked; "I have to give it you sis, you know how to pick your man. Jackson is hot and he seems to care for you a lot"
April pulled her hands away from her face; "Of course he cares for me, I'm his best friend."
"I think he sees you more than that" Libby said thoughtfully.
"What do you mean?" April asked, curiosity seeping through her voice.
Libby leaned back on the footboard and crossed her arm on top of her chest; "He's always around and I think he sleeps here every night after we leave. I caught him sleeping by your bed side once but I didn't have the heart to wake him up because he looks so tired. And oh, he looked awful when we arrived-his eyes are blood shut and puffy, he looks like he'd been crying"
April rested her head back and sighed.
Libby threw April a curious look; "Aren't you gonna say anything?"
"I need to talk to him" April said.
"I can page him if you want" Libby said.
April lifted her head and met Libby's eyes; "No-he'll be here as soon as they tell him I'm awake"
"Okay"
"Shepherd told me that Sleeping Beauty is finally awake but she might've hit her head hard because she's calling for the wrong prince"
April's head snapped to the side and can't help but smile widely at her friend; "Alex"
Alex stepped into the room with a huge smile; "You sure you want to see me and not Pretty boy?" he teased.
"Come here" April said.
Libby stood up from her perch; "I'll go call Mom and Dad to tell them you're awake" she said before walking towards the door.
Alex stopped at the bed side and placed his hands on his hips; "How are you feeling?" he asked.
"I'm good-no pain or whatsoever" April replied.
Alex nodded; "Good" he said. He then shifted closer to the bed and sat down; "I'm still mad at you"
"I know-that's why I asked for you" April replied.
Alex eyed April for a couple of seconds before speaking; "You scared the hell out of me, you know that? You ran into an unstable house even though I told you not to and you coded on me inside a freaking ambulance where you know I can't very well do much."
April reached for Alex's hand and gave it a soft squeeze; "I'm sorry" she said ruefully.
Alex sighed; "I know you did that to save a kid's life so I'm trying my hardest not to be too pissed" he said.
April let out a small smile; "Thank you for not letting me die, I owe you my life."
Alex squeezed April's hand comfortingly before pulling his hand away; he then narrowed his eyes playfully and smirked. "You Mercy Wester's take competitions into a higher level"
April threw Alex a baffled look; "Huh?"
Alex stood up from his perch; "Avery jumped into a burning bus to save a little girl's life just a couple of nights ago. A day after, you ran into an unstable house to save a little boy's life and had the whole porch collapse on you-I think you deserve to win this round, being squashed by a porch trumps burning buses, don't you think?"
"Alex! We're not competing!" April said incredulously.
Alex chuckled as he walks towards the door; "If it's not a competition then it's a sign that you guys are meant to be together-you'd make power couple, our hospital's poster heroes or something, helps with our revenue, ya know" he said.
oOo
"You guys done with your surgery?" Lexie asked as she walks towards her fiancé and Jackson.
"Yep, just sent our patient up to recovery" Mark replied.
Lexie stopped right in front of both men and grinned widely; "April's awake, Derek said that she's fine and-"
Jackson didn't wait for Lexie to finish; he was gone in a flash.
Mark couldn't help but chuckle at his prot's reaction; "You think he'd make to her room without foaming in the mouth?"
Lexie laughed.
"If I had just one more day, I would tell you how much that I've missed you since you've been away. It's dangerous, it's so out of line to try and turn back time. I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do and I've hurt myself by hurting you..."
Jackson made it to the ICU floor in records time; he ran like his running for his life which in turn is actually true because the person he deemed to be his life has finally come back to him. His April kept her promise and he couldn't wait to see her again; he carelessly rounded the corner and unexpectedly crashed into someone.
"Ouch! Geez!"
Jackson hastily bend forward to grab the phone on the floor; "I'm so so sorry" he apologized profusely.
"I take it that you finally heard the news?"
Jackson shot up and felt his eyes widen upon seeing Libby standing right in front of him, smiling amusedly albeit rubbing her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you rounding the corridor-I should've walked instead of running and-"
"Stop apologizing Jackson its okay, I know you're just excited to see my sister" Libby said with a chuckle, cutting Jackson off.
Jackson threw Libby a sheepish look; "Well-yeah" he admitted while handing her phone back.
Libby grabbed her phone and stared at Jackson; "She was calling your name, you know? When she's about to wake up, you're the first name she mentioned"
"R-really?" Jackson gasped.
"Yeah, she was calling out for you"
Jackson felt his heart beat faster as he met Libby's eyes; "I-I better go see her then"
Libby nodded before taking a side step.
Jackson decided to walk rather than run; he doesn't want to crash into someone again.
"Jackson?"
Jackson halted his steps and turned his head towards April's older sister; "Yes?"
Libby turned around; "My sister loves you so much and I can see that you feel the same way for her" she paused as her face turned serious. "Hurt her again and I won't think twice about gutting you like a pig, do you understand me?"
Jackson met Libby's eye straight on; "You have my word, I won't hurt her again...ever. I love her, April is my life and I'll make sure she knows that" he said truthfully.
Libby smiled back; "Good. Now go tell her that, god knows you've wasted too much time dancing around each other"
Jackson grinned widely; "Don't mind if I do" he said before turning on his heels.
Libby crossed her arms on top of her chest and watches as Jackson walked briskly towards April's room; "The right prince came around after all" she said.
April heard the door open but kept her eyes closed; "Were you able to talk to Mom and Dad?" she asked.
"April..."
April's eyes instantly snapped open upon hearing a familiar voice; she turned her head to the side and saw Jackson standing by the door. "Jackson, hey-"
"I want you and I love you too" Jackson blurted out.
April's eyes widen in shock; "W-what?"
Jackson walked towards the bed but kept his gaze firmly on April's; "That's what I was suppose to tell you the last time we talked but you didn't let me speak and keep cutting me of. Now it's my time to talk, will you listen?" he asked as he stopped at her bedside.
April was only able to nod.
"I love you and I always have and that's the truth. I don't know when it exactly happened and how it happened-all I know is that I'm so much in love with you that I can't even see straight right now. I tried to hide it and kept convincing myself that we're better off as friends because I somehow managed to stupidly convince myself that if I give in to these feelings I might end up losing you. I hid what I felt behind our friendship and ignored what my heart has been telling me for the longest time because I was a coward. I was afraid to admit that I wanted you too because I'm scared that if I say it out loud then the universe will conspire and take you away from me-like how they took away my dad" Jackson paused and let out a sad smile. "I have abandonment issues and I swear I'm not saying that because I want it to justify my actions because nothing I say will. I'm only mentioning it now because I just want you understand why it took me so long to say it back and why it scared me shitless when you told me how you feel. I'm not good at relationships because I'm emotionally stunted; I'm only good at building walls and pushing the people I love most behind it. I'm not repeating that mistake April, this time I'm letting you in" he paused again and took a deep breath. He shifted closer to the bed and sat down; he gently grasped April's had and laced their fingers together. "Because I realized that my love for you is far greater than that fear. After what happened with me in the bus and you on the site, I understand Mark now-he's right when he told me that life is too short to be second guessing my feelings. I know this is not the right time to ask you this because you just had brain surgery and your mind might still be fuzzy but I can no longer wait; I love you so much April and I want you with me. I promise you now that if you take me back, I'm all in-I'm yours completely. Give me another chance to love you the way I should have and I'll try my damnest to make you happy-just take this leap of fate with me, let's go for broke together this time-be- with me?"
A/N: Boom! ^-^ A cliffy for an ending, I know I'm evil but I can't help it! What do you think Jackson means when he said "He's all in"? Will April take him back? Is this the start of the most coveted happy ending? Tell me what you think and leave a review, you know how I love hearing from you guys! ^-^ And oh just to give you a clue about my next chapter, the title will be: "LIKE YOU'LL NEVER SEE ME AGAIN", Till next time! Cheers!