So, this is it guys! The last chapter! I hope you like how I wrapped everything up. I am pretty happy with it overall for my first story, and I am already planning my next one. I think I am hooked! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. You were all so encouraging, and I really appreciate it. Enjoy the final chapter of Chicago!
Chapter 10
"You know what, Jackson? I'm not doing this." April has that determined look on her face that she gets when she sets her mind to something.
Jackson raises his eyebrows, not quite sure what she is getting at. "You're not doing what exactly?"
"This. Any of this. I'm done walking around like there is a shadow behind me. I'm done looking over my shoulder, jumping at every noise, I'm done letting him have any more control over my life. He's probably still in Chicago and we are letting him get to us from halfway across the country. People forget to lock doors, and they lose their phones. I do have friends who would come visit me. There are reasonable explanations for all of this, but instead we are letting him have all the power. I'm done allowing him to do that to us. From now on, he is out of my head and out of my life."
Jackson can't help but smile at her with pride. When faced with a situation that would send most people spiraling, she always gathers her strength and rises to the occasion. And this time is no different. He could not be more proud of her. "You're right. We're just being paranoid 'cause everything's been so crazy lately. We shouldn't give him another thought." He gives her a quick kiss and looks down at his watch. "I should probably get ready for my consult. Meet you in the lounge at 5:00 to head home?"
"Yes. 5 o'clock."
Jackson turns to head up to his meeting, but turns back after a couple of steps. "Oh, and I forgot to mention, my mom is coming to dinner tonight."
"Your mom? She's back in town?" The last April knew Catherine was still wrapping things up in Chicago.
"Her plane should be landing any minute." His face looks hesitant for a moment and he apprehensively mentions, "So…do you mind cooking dinner?"
"Oh! Oh. I'm cooking dinner for your mom tonight? Umm, yeah. I mean, sure. I don't have anything planned, but I can figure something out." As much as April and Catherine's relationship has improved, April still feels the need to impress her, so cooking dinner for her adds a bit of stress to April's already stressful day.
"Everything you cook is amazing. Try not to stress about it."
April gives him a look that lets him know his advice is less than helpful, "Yeah, easy for you to say."
Her response makes him grin, and he calls over his shoulder while walking away, "I'll help! I promise!"
"Sure you will!" April calls back. Well, if nothing else, making dinner for Catherine Avery should be enough to take her mind of everything else, she thinks to herself.
"Jackson, will you taste this sauce? Does it need more seasoning?" April lifts a spoon to Jackson's mouth letting him taste the sauce she made to go with the pasta. She decided on pasta because it was quick and easy. Between making dinner, keeping an eye on Harriet, and making sure she looks presentable, quick and easy was just what she needed.
"Oh my God, that's good." Jackson takes the spoon from her hand and dips it back in to the sauce bringing another spoonful to his mouth. "Babe, this is amazing. My mom's going to love it. How are you such a great cook?"
April laughs, "A lot of practice. My sisters and I took turns cooking dinner every night, and I made countless dishes for church stuff, too. My mom made sure my sisters and I knew how to cook whether we wanted to or not. She always said that our husbands would appreciate it one day."
"Mmm. She was right."
April playfully smacks Jackson on the arm. "Hey! Stop eating all the food. There's not going to be anything left for your mom to eat." Jackson sets the spoon down in the sink and watches as April pulls the bread she baked out of the oven. Turning to him with a sigh, she says, "Okay, everything's ready. I'll just keep it warm until she gets here. Do you mind if I jump in the shower?"
"Yeah, go ahead. Harriet's still sleeping, so I'll just check the score on the game."
"Okay, I'll be fast." April tosses the pot holder on to the counter and heads for their bedroom, already anticipating how nice a hot shower will feel.
She turns on the water and lets the steam begin to rise while she undresses. She tosses her clothes in the hamper next to the wall since she planned to wear one of her favorite dresses for dinner with Catherine anyway. The glass door is already foggy when she opens it and steps under the stream of water. For a moment, she just stands there, letting the water wash the stress of the past week off of her. She rolls her head from side to side so the strong pressure falls across her neck, relaxing her muscles. She leans her head back under the water as it falls onto her hair and drips down her back. The tension releasing from her body sends chills down her spine. For the first time in a long time, she is thinking about nothing – not Dotson, not work, not sleepy middle of the night feedings – nothing.
Her peaceful moment is interrupted when the shower door opens. She jumps seeing Jackson, completely undressed, looking in at her through the steam.
April's hand goes to her chest as she tries to slow her breathing, "Oh my gosh, you scared me, Jackson! Your mom's going to be here any minute. What are you doing?"
Jackson steps in to the shower, closing the door behind him. "She is running late. So, I thought, since we have some time…" His hands find her waist and his mouth finds her neck, kissing her while she sighs and leans into him.
"This may be the most amazing shower I have ever taken." She mumbles, distracted by his mouth on her skin.
Jackson pulls away and looks down at her with narrowed eyes, "Oh really? And I wasn't even in here yet. April Kepner, what were you doing in her all by yourself?" He grins, thinking of what he hopes she had been doing, but when she pushes his chest and rolls her eyes he knows that isn't what she meant. That doesn't stop him from teasing her about it, though. "I mean, I can leave if you want to be alone."
She laughs, blushing at what he was hinting, "Stop it, Jackson. You and I both know I would much rather have you in here. I was just saying, the water feels amazing. I could stay in here for hours."
He places his hands on her hips, pulling her back to him. "Well, I don't know if we have hours…but we do have some time, and I think we should make the most of it."
He kisses her, softly and slowly at first, to match the calm she has found in the shower, and then he deepens the kiss wanting to make sure her mind stays in the present. She raises her arms, wrapping them around his neck letting the feeling of the water falling against her back and Jackson's body against hers overtake her thoughts completely.
Jackson's hand slides up the sides of her waist, taking her breast in his hand and rubbing his thumb back and forth over her nipple. April sighs and moves her hand to grip his hard erection in her hand, slowly rubbing him up and down until he puts a hand against the shower wall and whispers, "Damn" under his breath. Her free hand moves to the sensitive skin between his legs, teasing it with her fingers and massaging his testicles. He leans his head against his forearm that is resting against the wall now and closes his eyes, enjoying April's hands on him. He can feel himself growing harder in her hands and he reaches down to cover her hand with his own stopping her motions. His voice is low and husky, "April. I came in here to take care of you. Not the other way around."
April stands on her tip toes and pulls his face down to her so she is close enough to whisper in his ear, "Well, if you want to take care of me, then you should be inside me."
Not needing another invitation, his hands are on her ass lifting her up to straddle his waist. He keeps one arm under her and one behind her so she feels supported and her legs press into his hips. She wraps her arms around his neck and leans her head back against the wall as his mouth moves down her neck.
Suddenly, April opens her eyes and lifts her head from the wall. "Jackson, wait."
He continues kissing her neck, trying to distract her from her thoughts. "Why?"
"Did you hear that? What was that?"
Jackson lifts his head to look in her eyes. "I didn't hear anything. No more being paranoid, remember? Our daughter is sleeping soundly right outside the door, and you are naked and wet in my arms. Everything is perfect. Okay?"
She smiles back at him, knowing he is probably right. "Okay," her voice softly agrees and leans forward, kissing him to encourage him to pick up where he left off. "Mmm," he moans against her mouth. "We should probably hurry."
April wiggles her hips against him, pressing her center closer to his waiting erection. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
He moves his hand under her to line himself up at her entrance. His eyes flicker to hers and he enters her slowly, watching her eyes close and her mouth fall open as he presses deeper into her.
"Jackson," she breathes his name and begins to move her hips in small circles letting him know she wants more because her position between him and the wall gives him all the control.
He usually likes to start slow and enjoy her body as much as possible, but he quickens his rhythm earlier this time, thrusting into her hard and fast, knowing they don't have much time.
The intensity of his movements causes her to slip a bit and he grabs the outside of her thighs to lift her back up. "You okay?"
"Harder," her response comes out as almost a whimper, pleading with him to give her what she needs, and he responds, thrusting deeper and harder into her as her moans let him know he is bringing her closer to climax. "Yes! Just like that!"
It is not long before feeling herself come undone, she drags her nails across his back and calls out his name. The combination of her inner walls tightening around him while his name falls from her lips has him finding his release in her soon after.
Their foreheads meet and they stay still holding on to each other until they are ready to let go. Their breathing slows, and Jackson slowly sets her feet on the floor keeping his hands on her waist to steady her still trembling legs.
"Wow." She places her hands on his shoulders for support and smiles up at him.
"Yeah, wow." Jackson reaches over to grab her shampoo realizing that she came in here to actually shower before he joined her. He starts to tell her that he will wash her hair, but the look on her face stops him. She is looking behind him, through the fog of the shower door and to the window across the bathroom. The blinds are closed, but through the cracks he can see what has her distracted. The red and blue lights flashing just outside their window are shining brightly into the bathroom. "What in the world…"
Exchanging a look of concern with Jackson, April twists the handle to turn off the water and follows him out of the shower. They quickly throw on some sweat pants and t-shirts, lean over the playpen to see Harriet still fast asleep, and head down the hallway into the living room. Simultaneously, Jackson's phone vibrates against the coffee table and someone is pounding against their door. Jackson grabs his phone and motions to April to stay where she is, "Do not open that. I'll get it." He looks down at his phone. "I have twelve missed calls from my Mom. What in the world is going on?"
He walks to the door, with April a few steps behind him, and opens it to find Catherine and two policemen.
"Mom? What is going on?"
"Jackson, I have been calling you and calling you! Why didn't you answer your phone? I thought something happened to you. I thought he got in here!"
"Sorry. I was – we were, umm, wait, what do you mean "he got in here?" Who? Can someone just tell me what is happening?"
One of the policemen speaks up, "Sir, could we come in? We have some things we need to speak with you about."
Jackson steps aside, allowing the policemen and his mother to enter. "Um…should we sit?"
They sit, with the policemen on one end of the couch, Jackson and April on the other, and Catherine between them. After exchanging a look, one of the men speaks, "Mr. Avery, is it?"
"Uh, Dr. Avery, but yes." Jackson responds.
The office clears his throat and continues, "Dr. Avery, it appears that there was an intruder outside of your home attempting to get in. Your mother saw him outside a window as she approached your house and called us. She parked down the street so she didn't scare him away. Smart thinking, actually. He probably would have ran had he seen someone coming. Did you happen to hear or see anything unusual in the past few hours?"
"What?" April's voice is barely audible. Jackson feels her body tense next to his, so he scoots closer to her taking her hand in his.
"No. Not that I can think of, no. I mean, we haven't been home from work that long, but I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary."
The officer turns to April, "And Mrs. Avery? What about you? Did you see or hear anything?"
"Um, I'm n – I um – you said he was outside our house?"
"Yes ma'am. That's correct."
"And where is he now?"
"In the back of our patrol car in your driveway. We have an officer watching him. We confiscated his belongings and we are running his information to see what we can find on him." The walkie attached to his belt clicks and static fills the room until another voice breaks through.
"Hey, Dan? Could you come out her for a second? There's something you might need to see."
Detaching the walkie and bringing it to his mouth, he responds, "Yeah buddy, I'll be right there. Excuse us Dr. Avery, Mrs. Avery. We'll be right back." The officers stand and head out to their cars leaving Jackson, April, and Catherine alone on the couch.
"Mom, did you see the guy? It's not…" Jackson doesn't need to finish the question. He knows his mother well enough to see by the look on her face that the man who was lurking outside their window is Jeff Dotson. He rubs his hand over his head and then wraps his arms around April pulling her to him.
Catherine sighs and puts a hand on April's leg to comfort her. "They caught him, baby. He is going to jail, and this time he is not getting out."
April sits up and looks up at Jackson with tears in her eyes. "Jackson," she whispers, "he was at our house. What if your mom hadn't –"
"Shhh. Shhh. Shhh." He pulls her back into his arms and runs his fingers over her hair. "Don't think about that. My mom was here, and he is caught. We are fine. You're safe."
A knock on the door causes them all to look up. "Come in!" Jackson calls, and the police officers open the door and come into the living room, standing instead of sitting this time.
"Mrs. Avery, can we ask you a question?"
April looks to Jackson and Catherine and finally to the officers. "Yes."
"Do you know someone named Jeff Dotson?"
The tears she had been holding back spill over on to her cheeks now at hearing his name out loud. "Um…yes, I do. He um..I –"
"He assaulted her. In Chicago. Last week. She is pressing charges against him. We're just waiting on his trial. It's him, right? He's the one who is out there in your car? The one who tried to break in our house?" Jackson's voice grows louder and louder as he speaks, unable to contain his anger.
There is hesitation in the officer's voice as he answers, "Yes. Mr. Dotson is the man we found outside your house. But, um, Mrs. Avery? I don't know how else to ask this, but…have you ever sent any photos to Mr. Dotson?"
"No!" April quickly responds. "I've never sent him anything. Photos? Of me? What photos did he have?"
Hesitating again, the officer finally steps forward and hands a photo to April upside down. "This is one of them."
Turning the photo over, April gasps. The picture in her hand is one she sent to Jackson months ago, an intimate picture that was only meant for him. "How did he…" And then she remembers. "My phone!"
"Excuse me?"
"My phone! My phone went missing today at work. And Hunt – Hunt said someone came by to see me. And yesterday, the door was unlocked. Oh my God…"
"I'm sorry, ma'am. I'm not following. You think he had your phone?"
Jackson suddenly realized that the events of the past few days were not just them being paranoid. Dotson was behind all of them. Looking up at the policemen, he advised them, "You guys might want to have a seat again. This is kind of a long story."
Six weeks later
The click of Catherine's heels against the tile floor let Jackson and April know that she is on her way back. With the mountain of evidence against him, Dotson chose to take a plea deal rather than take the case to trial, as his lawyers advised him he no longer had a chance of winning. Catherine, Jackson, and April had been meeting with their lawyers for weeks to discuss the options and what they wanted his sentence to be. And now the day was here. The Avery's lawyers were the best, but April knew Dotson's lawyers would be good, too. She looked up as Catherine approached them, trying to read her face for any hint of the outcome. Jackson took April's hand in his and pulled her to stand beside him, waiting for Catherine to speak. Her typically stern face broke into a smile, and she placed a hand against April's cheek. "We did it. You did it. He is going away for a very long time."
April let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. "He is?" she quietly asked.
"He is, baby. You will never have to see him again."
April let go of Jackson's hand to throw her arms around Catherine. "Thank you. Thank you so much, Catherine."
Catherine hugs her back tightly, "Of course, April. You are family. And no one messes with my family."
Jackson laughs, knowing how true that statement is, and opens his arms for April to rest against his chest.
"Well, I still have some paperwork I need to sign and some phone calls to make. You two should go home and rest. Enjoy each other and your precious baby girl. You have been through a lot, but now you can breathe." She kisses Jackson on the cheek and turns to head back down the hallway.
With a deep sigh, April leans back in Jackson's arms and looks up at him. "It's really over?" she asks.
"Yeah, babe. It really is." He places a soft kiss on her forehead, and takes her by the hand. "Come on. Let's go home."