Thanks for the reviews, folks! Well, the show is back and all I have to say is I hope Jolex isn't completely tainted by the writers this season lol. I suffered enough last season with Japril.
Enjoy!
April and Jo matched each other's pace as they jogged around Green Lake Park for their weekly morning run. They had decided to start a routine of meeting up on their days off – if their schedules coincided with each other's – and use the morning to squeeze in some exercise. It was only their second week, but as doctors, staying fit and healthy was important to them. Their jogs also allowed them to have their own gossip hour, especially if they needed to vent about their boyfriends.
Dressed in their workout attire – running jacket, crops and shoes – they were halfway through the paved path that outlined the lake as they concentrated on their breathing while also trying to have a conversation.
"I think Cat uses Alex as her main confidant for her personal issues," Jo blurted out. She glanced at April, who was focusing on inhaling and exhaling evenly. "Maybe I shouldn't see it as a huge deal, but you're a daddy's girl. Who did you talk to more about your problems?"
"My dad," she casually replied. "My mom didn't mind so much since she had three other daughters who gave her attention. Libby's her favorite anyway as her first born."
"Is it stupid that I'm worried?"
April looked back at Jo. "She's your only child. It's different for you. If it bothers you, then you should talk to Alex about that, or have a sit down with Cat. There has to be a reason why she won't open up to you," she suggested. "She also hasn't had a father figure in her life until now. It's an adjustment she seems to be enjoying."
Jo sadly smiled. "That's true, but do you honestly believe that Alex is a great source for dating advice?" she asked. "Yeah, I know a school dance is hardly a date, but she went to him for advice on how to ask a boy – a very stupid boy – to be her date. She told me she didn't ask me because she thought I'd go into Mom Mode and nag her about sex or whatever."
"Would you?" the redhead chuckled.
"No, of course not. At least not until she's in high school," she answered. "Believe me, the talk needs to happen before her first day of high school. Middle school and high school are two entirely different environments. Just because she's smart it doesn't mean she won't act stupid."
April softly smiled. "You're a great mom. Don't let Cat's closeness to Alex make you think otherwise. Think of this as a good thing. Makes your future a lot easier."
Her friend didn't have to say the magic word, but Jo knew she was referring to marriage. She wasn't sure if it was all in her head or if it was genuine, but she clutched her side and stopped running. "Oh, I have a cramp," she groaned, toppling over onto the grass beside them. "Let's take a break."
April stood above Jo as she lay on her back, attempting to catch her breath. "You want some water?" The brunette dismissively waved her hand and patted the spot beside her. She lay down beside her and sighed. "Hmm, a break does sound good."
"Do you think Alex would be open to going on a family vacation?" Jo curiously asked. "I've always wanted to take Cat to Disneyland. I've never been because the travel cost too much growing up, so it would be a first for the both of us."
"I think so. Disneyland was never his cup of tea, but maybe he'll change his mind because of Cat. He's grown up a lot since we moved here," she noted. April furrowed her brow as she stared up at the cloudy sky. "Jackson never wanted me to meet his family."
"What?" Jo replied, turning her head to look at April.
It wasn't until the morning after their date that April thought about what Jackson had told her. She had initially been worried that he was breaking up with her by the tone of his voice, but she was relieved to learn that he wanted to be honest with her about his family. However, the more she thought about it, the more confused she felt.
"After dinner with my dad on Valentine's Day, he told me that he never wanted me to meet any of his family. They don't even know he has a girlfriend. I understand he has issues with his family. He was worried about how they'd treat me. They're apparently very judgmental." April frowned. "Do you think some of it has to do with me?"
"What do you mean?"
"My past, the whole thing with Matthew. It's not exactly something to be proud of."
Jo shook her head. "That's ridiculous. You saw how Jackson reacted when his mother was here for his birthday. He wanted to crawl into a hole and die. He's ashamed of his family not you," she assured her. "I think he just wanted to protect you from whatever nonsense his family puts non-Averys through. I bet Lexie faced some scrutiny when they first met her."
"Okay, but how long would he have hidden me from them? Would he wait until a week before our wedding to tell his family that he's getting married?" April raised a finger before Jo could respond. "That was a rhetorical question."
"Well, I'm sure he would tell them earlier than that," she amusingly replied.
"Now he wants to bring me home to Boston, but I have a feeling he still hasn't told anybody about me. Meeting my dad seemed to have had an effect on him. What if they hadn't gotten along so well? Would that mean he still wouldn't even consider introducing me to his side? He likes to brag about me to everyone else!"
"At least he brags about you. Alex acts like it's too much work for him," Jo scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Maybe he does brag, but never when I'm around."
April shrugged. "Alex is arrogant about the most irrelevant things sometimes, but he hardly lets his sappy side come out around other people. On the plus side, his family does know you exist," she pointed out. "He is close to his family, unlike my boyfriend."
"Our boyfriends kind of suck," Jo lightheartedly stated.
"They do, don't they?" she laughed. "I suppose it makes sense. They're sort of brothers after all."
Jo tapped her fingers against the grass, then she sighed. "I know this defeats the purpose of our exercise plan, but do you want to go get some doughnuts? I'm actually hungry now."
"Doughnuts sound good," April agreed. She also preferred to end their run early due to the lactic acid building up in her quads. It had been a while since she ran long distances. The longest distance she had ran in recent months was down a hallway and into a patient's room at the hospital. "I might need some help getting up."
Jo pushed herself up onto her feet first before she extended her hand out to April. She pulled her friend up, then they started walking to their cars. "Maybe we should hit up a spa too. We should enjoy our day off, while the guys are stuck at work," she proposed. "I need some good masseuse hands on these muscles."
"Same here. This is the one time I wish Jackson was here to carry me to my car," she quipped. "A spa day sounds heavenly."
Jackson sat behind a computer at the one of the nurses' stations as he impatiently refreshed the browser after every five seconds. The announcement for the Harper Avery Award finalists would be listed that day, and he knew they posted the five finalists at exactly noon Eastern time. He checked his watch and the clock on the wall to ensure his timing wasn't off. The awards ceremony would take place in May, which was a little more than two months away, but he wanted to see the list, so he could prepare to meet the surgeons his grandfather would force him to speak with regardless if they were cardiothoracic surgeons or not.
"Dude, what are you doing?" Alex arrived to hear the annoying sound of the computer mouse clicking rapidly. He walked around the counter to peek over Jackson's shoulder. "Oh, award season. You know there won't be anybody from Seattle Grace since you basically cursed this hospital."
"Yeah, I know that," he retorted. "I have to check the list because my grandfather is gonna make sure I kiss their asses at the dinner. He's been doing this to me every year since medical school. If I know the names, I can do a little research on them, so I know what to say when we meet. It sounds stupid, but it's the only way to get him off my back while I'm in Boston for two days."
George approached the twosome with Lexie. "Did they announce the Harper Avery finalists yet?" he eagerly asked.
"No, and I swear, the Internet here is working so damn slow," Jackson agitatedly replied. "Why isn't it up yet? It's three minutes past noon in Boston. They're efficient with this crap."
"I'm surprised you're not given a secret notice ahead of time. Is it because you chose not to do your residency at Mass Gen? Did they somewhat shun you from knowing the confidential information?" Alex teased.
Jackson rolled his eyes. "The only people who find out ahead of time are those who are on the committee and the surgeons who are chosen as finalists. Not every Avery has special privileges."
Lexie leaned forward against the counter and smiled. "Rumor has it that someone from Seattle Grace did make the list."
"Are you serious?" he answered with raised eyebrows. "How is that even possible?"
"It's Altman, isn't it?" George speculated. "She has the whole stem cell research project that the board passed earlier this year. They gave her a grant that will allow her to grow hearts from stem cells. That's Harper Avery worthy."
"Didn't someone from Hopkins already do that?" Alex asked. "Besides, even if she is nominated, a surgeon from Hopkins always end up winning the award. Does your grandfather have a hard on for Hopkins or something?"
Jackson pursed his lips. "Actually, the stem cell research originated from Mass Gen," he muttered. "My cousin was in charge of the team who made the breakthrough for growing hearts. But of course, he wasn't nominated because he's an Avery."
"But I'm right about Hopkins," he declared with a smirk.
"Hopkins doesn't have a winner every year. They just happen to have a lot of great surgeons," Jackson defensively said. "Who knows? Maybe there won't be a finalist from Hopkins for a change. If Lexie's right about Seattle Grace getting a spot, he or she could have bumped Hopkins out of the running."
"When pigs fly," Alex scoffed.
Jackson refreshed the website one more time and let out a sigh of relief when the announcement page updated. "It's up. Here we go." He quietly began reading the names of the finalists and the reasons behind their nomination. "Karev, do you know Craig Thomas from Mayo?"
"The dinosaur?" Alex chuckled. He cleared his throat when his coworkers stared at him unimpressed. "Sorry. Dude's just really old. Some of the attendings and residents placed bets on when he'd finally croak."
"That's terrible," Lexie playfully scolded him.
"Hey, Yang started it," he added. "She called him a fossil behind his back, but he's a good surgeon. April will be excited about this. She liked working with him even though cardiothoracic surgery's never been her thing. What's he up for?"
"Something to do with a new minimally invasive procedure for LVAD implantation." Jackson continued to read the list of the finalists. He hoped Alex wouldn't give him more grief over the fact that another surgeon from Hopkins was nominated. However, the final name on the list forced him to quickly blink his eyes, hoping what he saw was purely in his imagination. "Holy crap, Mark Sloan?!"
George's mouth dropped open. "You're joking." He noticed the smile that Lexie was attempting to hide from their peers. "You knew all along, didn't you? Sloan told you himself, and that's why you brought up Seattle Grace."
Lexie threw her hands up. "Well, it was the first thing he bragged about when he got the call at 5 AM. I promised not to say anything until it was official publicly," she sheepishly replied. Jackson appeared disgusted and annoyed. "His research for skin regeneration has been going well. Some of his burn victims' skin have had an accelerated healing period."
"Don't expect him to win," Jackson bitterly responded. "They're being courteous because we're number two in the country. That's one less surgeon I have to mingle with, though."
"Mark already asked me to be his plus one, and yes, I'm going," Lexie proudly stated.
Jackson suddenly felt a lump in his throat. Not only did he despise the fact that Sloan would be in Boston to meet some of his well-known family members but now, his ex-girlfriend would be tagging along. The other problem was he planned on bringing April home with him. The trip would be used as the first opportunity to introduce her to his family. Because they were familiar with Lexie, he already pictured an awkward encounter with Catherine.
He hadn't told April the specifics of when he would bring her to Boston yet. Now, he was reluctant to bring up the idea of taking her to the awards ceremony as his date.
"Maybe I should go too. We can make it one big family reunion," Alex quipped. He received a scowl from Jackson, who stood up and walked away from his coworkers. He decided to follow the pretty boy and caught up with him in a hallway. "C'mon, you know I'd rather eat turd than attend one of your fancy Avery functions."
"You've been annoying, but for once, you're not the reason why I feel like my head is about to explode," Jackson said as he placed his hand against his forehead. "Sloan being there completely screws up my plans. I want to bring April to this, so she can meet my family, but he's bringing Lexie."
Alex quickly shrugged. "So what? You two haven't been a thing for years."
"Exactly, but that won't stop my mother from insisting we get back together. If she sees Lexie and meets April that same weekend, she'll just compare the two of them," Jackson explained in frustration. "And I don't want my mother thinking that I can't do better than Lexie. See, this is the type of thing I was already worrying about even before I found out Sloan was nominated."
"I'm not sure I'm following you, dude," he replied, eying him suspiciously.
"I want to bring April home with me to Boston after I originally never wanted her to meet them. Her father was so laid back and appreciative that I knew it would be unfair to her if I didn't return the favor." Jackson inhaled sharply, slipping his hands into his lab coat pockets. "But my mother isn't like Joe Kepner. She meddles and acts like she always knows what's best for me. And she has trouble letting go of things. For example, Lexie. I just think she'll humiliate April and I don't want to put her through that."
Alex furrowed his brow. "So Catherine doesn't even know you're dating April?" His stepbrother shook his head. "Uh, that's kind of stupid. Was your plan to bring home April like she's a surprise gift for your mom or something?"
"No, I would tell her ahead of time – probably a week before going home, but I would tell her," he awkwardly answered. "Or maybe I can pretend I can't get the time off from work. Missing one awards ceremony won't damage the Avery name. There will be plenty of other Averys there anyway."
"Wow," he laughed. "I never thought you could be this big of a pussy."
Jackson clenched his fists inside of his pockets, using all of his willpower not to punch Alex. However, he was right. He was scared of Catherine Avery, but he was too embarrassed to admit it. "Screw you, man. Don't you have some peds patient to coddle upstairs?"
"I was on my way up there, actually," Alex insisted, stopping when they passed an elevator. "But thanks for confirming to me what I already know, Mr. P."
Jackson ignored the cackling echoing in the hallway and used the nearest stairwell to make his escape. Finally, he felt as if he could breathe again without someone suffocating him with smart ass comments. He hoped Altman or Yang would give him work to do because he needed a major distraction from thinking about the latest upcoming events.
While waiting for their masseuses to arrive, both Jo and April were reading e-mails and text messages from their cell phones. So far, they had received manicures and pedicures. Now, it was time to relax with a Swedish massage. Both of them lay flat on their stomachs with only a towel covering their backsides.
"Oh, Dr. Thomas is a finalist!" April squealed after reading the first part of the Harper Avery Award nominees list. She turned her head to look at Jo and smiled. "He was one of the nicer attendings at Mayo. Weird sense of humor, but he liked me."
"Did you see who else is nominated?" Jo zoomed in on a specific name on her cell phone, then she showed it to her friend. "Mark freaking Sloan! This has to be a joke, right? I know he had some research breakthrough, but really?"
"I'm not so sure a likable personality is one of the qualifications, but we should be happy for the hospital. Jackson said Seattle Grace hasn't had a nomination since he started his residency. Perhaps his theory of nepotism working against us isn't necessarily true," she suggested. "I do have my loyalties, though. Dr. Thomas winning would be amazing. They've been wanting him to retire for years because of his age."
Jo set her cell phone aside and rested the side of her head against her arms. "Can you imagine how much more arrogant Sloan will be if he wins, though?" She stuck her tongue out in disgust. "I don't think I'd be able to handle it."
"You two don't work together often, so it wouldn't be too bad." April raised her eyebrow at the brunette. "What are you planning on specializing in anyway? When we first met you didn't have a clue. Narrow your choices down yet?"
"Uh…" Her specialty was a topic that she hardly talked about because she still couldn't decide which area she was most interested in. Even general surgery left her feeling indifferent. She thought she might eventually end up in proctology if she couldn't make up her mind. "Nope. Still testing the waters. You and George are in Trauma, Avery has Cardio, Alex is surprisingly in Peds and Lexie is trying Plastics. I don't know what everyone else is doing, but I might be the only person in our class who hasn't zoned in on a specialty."
"You still have plenty of time anyway. Don't stress about it," April assured her. "There's always Neuro. Lexie's not there to wrestle it away from you."
Jo quickly shrugged. "Maybe my calling is General. Ortho might not be a bad option. Heard Torres is a good teacher."
"I've seen her pop a hip back into place so fast as if she's easily connecting a Barbie doll's leg back into its socket. It's kind of intimidating, but amazing at the same time," she acknowledged. "You know, I can see you doing the same thing, especially on days when Alex frustrates you or something."
"I could even practice on him," she jokingly replied.
April received a text message from Jackson and she laughed at the amount of emojis used after one simple sentence. "Does this seem odd to you?" she asked Jo, holding her phone out for her to read. "He wants to have dinner tonight, but what's with all of the winks and hearts? And I don't think the boy praying is supposed to mean anything. I think he hit that one by accident."
Jo examined the text message, scrunching her nose. "A secret code for sex? I have no idea," she chuckled. "Seems like it's the first time he's ever used emojis and it got out of hand. Weirdo."
"It's kind of sweet," she insisted as she replied to her boyfriend's message. "I think he has a surprise for me. I don't know what it could be, but this text is out of the ordinary. He's not an emoji type of guy."
Sounds great! I'll bring dinner to you!
Jackson smiled after reading April's reply while he ate his lunch in the cafeteria. "O'Malley, do you mind spending a few hours away from the apartment tonight?" he politely asked. "April's coming over and I want to be alone with her, talk about important stuff."
"When you mean 'talk' you actually mean sex, right?" His roommate teasingly responded. "We're grown men. I know when you want time alone with your girlfriend, and I respect that."
"No, I'm serious. It's not sex. I have to talk to April about some things, and there's a good chance she won't take it well."
"Are you breaking up with her?" George curiously asked. "What happened? You two have been happy together since you started dating."
Jackson sighed in frustration. "I'm not breaking up with April. That's not even a consideration," he retorted. "I just have a feeling that what I want to tell her will upset her. I don't know how much, but she won't be happy about it for sure."
"Am I allowed to know what it is?"
"Well, it basically has to do with me going home to Boston for the awards ceremony… and not bringing her with me," he timidly replied, poking at the poor excuse of a meatloaf on his plate with his fork. "It's just… I can't do it."
George stared at him concerned. "Why not?"
Half of the answer to Jackson's problem entered the cafeteria, which erupted with applause when Mark appeared. The plastic surgeon soaked in every second of the congratulatory ovation, smugly grinning and offering thanks to those who were nearby as he walked past various tables.
"That's why," Jackson muttered, using his fork to point out Mark. "He's bringing Lexie to the dinner, and my mother still has this crazy infatuation with her."
"Okay, but how does not bringing April make this all better for you? Wouldn't bringing her prove to your mother that you've moved on?" George implied. "And part of Lexie's world revolves around Sloan, so she's bound to notice that too."
"Yeah, and if April's there, I have to introduce her to probably around 30 of my relatives. It would feel like I'm throwing her to a pack of wolves," he irritably stated. "And if my mother doesn't accept her right away, it's over. I think my mother's opinion of April will be a deal breaker."
George frowned at his insecure friend. He was used to seeing Jackson as the more confident person between the two of them. Despite Jackson's reasons, he believed his roommate would be making a huge mistake in his relationship if he decided to leave April out of his family tradition. "You're assuming the worst when it could actually be the opposite result."
"I'd rather play it safe than be sorry later," Jackson argued.
Mark approached their table after picking up a lunch to-go in a plastic container. "Avery, it's a shame you chose not to participate in my skin regeneration research. I would have named you in my acceptance speech. That award is going to look mighty fine in my office," he boasted.
"The only way you'll be displaying that award is if you steal it from the actual winner," Jackson bluntly replied. He slightly furrowed his brow at the plastic surgeon. "Hate to break it to you, but you're most likely not winning this."
"Ah, is that the sound of jealousy ringing in my ears?" Mark sneered. "You and I could have been a really nice team. I even had a name for us, but since you opted out of Plastics you don't get to hear it."
"How unfortunate," the third year resident sarcastically answered.
Mark grinned as he walked past the table. "But Lexie will be in my acceptance speech. Hope that's okay with you."
Jackson rolled his eyes and shook his head after Mark left the cafeteria. "Why do people continue to assume that I'm not over Lexie? I've been over her for a long time now! I have a girlfriend whom I love and I am happy with."
"And also hiding from your family," George mumbled, but it was audible enough for Jackson to overhear. He received a scowl from his roommate and sheepishly smiled. "Sorry, but that's what you're doing."
He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Don't remind me."
Sitting together at the small dining table, Jo, Cat, Jeanette and Alex were having dinner, a Hawaiian style pizza with salad. Jo had asked Alex to pick up the pizza on his way to her apartment. She hoped ordering her daughter's favorite pizza toppings would put her in an enthusiastic mood.
The 12-year old watched Jo suspiciously as her mother grabbed her third slice of pizza. "Is something wrong?"
"Why do you ask that?" she casually replied.
"Because you hate Hawaiian pizza. You give it the stink eye whenever I order it," Cat pointed out. She furrowed her brow as she eyed her mother and her great grandmother. "Someone's dying, huh?"
"Cat!" Jo chuckled. "Of course not. I can enjoy Hawaiian pizza every once in a while. And Alex is a fan, so eating this for one night won't kill me. Besides, it's not so bad. In fact, I should have ordered extra pineapple on this pizza. I think they were stingy with the pineapple."
Cat looked at Alex, who simply shrugged and stuffed his mouth with pizza. "What's going on?" she curiously asked. "Mom, no offense, but you're being weird."
Jo sighed as she set her pizza down onto her plate. "Alright, fine. I was hoping we could get through dinner before telling you what I have in mind for your spring break, or even summer vacation, whichever might be more doable for all of us," she answered with a smile. "I thought this year we could fly down to California and spend a few days at Disneyland. That sounds fun, right?"
"Disneyland? Really?" her daughter excitedly said. "Alex is coming too?"
"Well, if he wants to," Jo stated, eying Alex. "He's welcome to join us. Would you not want to go if he wasn't?"
"No, it's not that. I mean, if it was just the three of us, then someone would have to sit alone on rides. Don't a lot of rides seat two people together? I don't want Nana to feel left out," Cat explained. "And Alex eats here all the time, so he's considered family, at least I think so."
Alex smirked as he chewed his food. He thought Cat's reasons were a little half-assed, but he was flattered nonetheless. "Sure, I'll go. I went with my family when I was a kid, but I barely remember the trip," he answered after he swallowed, then he pointed at himself. "But I'm not wearing any goofy looking hats while we're there."
Jo clapped her hands together and grinned. "Then it's settled." She looked at Jeanette. "Is this okay, Nana? You'll be able to take some time off from work?"
"I'm pretty sure I have some vacation days left. This is a great idea, Josephine," the older woman complimented. "What made you decide to plan this vacation now?"
"I think we're in a stable place financially right now, and I have enough money in my savings that I can spend some of it without feeling guilty. And I've been wanting to take Cat to Disneyland since neither of us have been there before. The flights, the hotel, the park tickets – I'll take care of it all," she proudly said. "I put in a lot of hard work for this. I want all of us to feel rewarded."
"I'd like to chip in," Alex proposed. "I'll take care of the hotel, okay?"
Jo shook her head and smiled. "It's fine. You don't need to pay for anything."
"Nah, I insist. I'm practically hopping onto your bandwagon, so the least I can do is help out."
"No, really. It's okay, Alex. This is on me."
"Yeah, but-"
"Alex! I can take care of this! I've been taking care of my family even before you came along," Jo sternly replied, catching everyone off-guard with her outburst. She took a deep breath, then she pushed herself up onto her feet. "Excuse me for a minute."
Alex waited until Jo went outside to the front porch before he excused himself and followed her. He closed the front door behind him and slowly approached her. "What is your problem? I thought that spa day with April was supposed to help you relax or whatever."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak out like that. I just think I'm losing my cool status with Cat, and I was hoping this vacation idea would help me out a bit," she admitted. "It sounds stupid, but she's been opening up to you way more than she opens up to me. She sees you as this amazing, great person. I don't want to become the so-called evil parent when I have to discipline her."
"Dude, c'mon. That's not gonna happen. We're just bonding and stuff. It doesn't mean she thinks less of you as a parent," he assured her. "Isn't it better that we're actually talking instead of her giving me the cold shoulder every time we're in the same room? Because I thought she would do that after our first encounter. I'm not exactly the kid whisperer regardless of how much time I've been spending in Peds."
Jo softly groaned, pressing her hands against her cheeks. "I think I'm going nuts. This is the first time that I'm in a relationship where my boyfriend and my child get along, and I'm not used to that. Hell, I've never experienced my boyfriend knowing about Cat and being okay with it until now. I'm used to it being just Cat and I, and my grandmother." She dropped her hands to her sides. "I'm going to sound like an awful girlfriend for a second, but I feel like I have to compete for Cat's affection."
"Yeah, I get it. You don't have to feel that way, though. You're still her mom. I'm just… the guy whose ass gets kicked whenever we play Xbox," Alex lightheartedly replied. "To be honest, I think that's the real reason why she's nice to me."
"You know you're more than that to her," she laughed, wrapping her arms around his waist. Jo rested her head against Alex's shoulder and sighed. "I don't sound crazy to you, right?"
Alex smiled and kissed the top of his girlfriend's head. "Crazier than your normal crazy? Nope." He snickered when she playfully pinched his sides and he squirmed out of her grasp. "But seriously, can I chip in for the trip? It's not because I think you need help. I just want to do it."
"Okay, fine. You can… pay for all of the overpriced food they probably sell down there," Jo answered with a smirk. She grabbed a hold of his hand and led him towards the door. "Let's go back inside before Cat assumes I'm dumping you. Oh, and one more thing."
"Yeah?"
Jo held on to the doorknob, but she didn't open the door yet. "I want to meet your parents," she stated, looking over shoulder at him. "I've met Amber, so I want to meet the rest of your family. Hopefully, before the start of our fourth year. Deal?"
Alex offered a half-smile as he followed Jo into the apartment. "I guess that can be arranged. We'll see."
Following a Chinese takeout dinner, Jackson deposited April onto his bed and planted kisses along her neck. "Thanks for bringing dinner," he said in between kisses. "I've actually never tried that place before."
"Yes! I finally scouted a restaurant you've never been to. It's a miracle," she quipped. Jackson was already occupied with unbuttoning her sweater, but she hoped that their dinner was more than a night of sex. "Umm, is there something special about tonight?"
"Special?" He raised himself up with his arms and positioned his body above hers. "What do you mean?"
April shyly chewed on her bottom lip and smiled. "The text you sent me was a little fishy to me. You've never sent me a message with emojis before, and when you finally do it's an overflow of them." She softly giggled. "It was cute, but strange."
Jackson forced himself to laugh. He hoped he could hold out on telling April how he felt about the awards ceremony after sex as a way to soften the blow, but he figured clothes wouldn't be coming off until he confessed. "Oh, I just wanted to talk to you about something, but it can wait."
"What did you want to talk about?" she probed.
"Uh, did you see the finalists for the Harper Avery Award? Impressive, huh?" he timidly answered. "Who knew Sloan was worthy of the award? The man's the biggest jackass in the hospital, yet he managed to impress the committee."
April stared at Jackson with a puzzled expression on her face. "That's what you wanted to talk about? I mean, I gotta be honest with you. I'm rooting for Dr. Thomas from Mayo." She rested one of her hands against his chest. "But really, what did you want to talk about?"
He desperately didn't want to lie to her, so he moved away from her and sat upright on his bed. "Ever since medical school, my mother and grandfather have forced me to attend the awards ceremony. I'm fully expecting a phone call and a formal invitation in the mail next month. I thought about bringing you as my plus one."
Her face lit up as she sat up to face him. "Oh, my gosh. Are you serious? Of course, I'll go!"
"Actually," Jackson started with a grimace. "I'm not going. I thought about it, and I don't want to go this year."
"Why not?" April slightly frowned. She couldn't help but feel disappointed because she thought this might be the only chance she could ever attend a Harper Avery Award ceremony.
"Because Sloan will be there, and he's bringing Lexie." Jackson suspected that April had no idea what the problem was based on the blank expression on her face. He already hated himself for what he was going to say next. "My mother is still attached to her, so it would make for an awkward encounter. She'll be raving about Lexie and comparing you to her. I don't want you to go through that."
April waved her hand in front of her chest. "Okay, let me get this straight. You don't want to bring me home to Boston to meet your family because of your ex-girlfriend, whom I'm on good terms with? And you don't think your mother will like me as much as she likes Lexie? You're trying to make excuses, so I don't have to meet them."
"No, I do want you to meet them – just not yet. Not on that weekend," he insisted.
"You know, it would help if you told your mother that you're seeing someone else before that weekend. The only reason why she would even think to try to get you back together with Lexie is because she thinks you're still single!" She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "If you want my opinion, I don't think you actually want me to meet your side at all. You don't think I'm good enough to meet them."
Jackson immediately shook his head. "No! That's not why. It's not you, April. It's my family. They're difficult people and-"
"And you don't think I can handle them? Was your whole speech about how strong of a person I am a load of crap?"
"Of course not! I meant all of that. Listen, I'm just worried that whatever comes out of my family's mouths will rub you the wrong way."
April scooted off the bed and adjusted her sweater. "Well, right now, everything coming out of your mouth is rubbing me the wrong way, so I'm going to leave," she angrily replied. "Instead of worrying about how your mother will judge me, maybe you should think about how you're going to defend me if she does. It sounds like you wouldn't do a damn thing about it and would let me suffer alone. But whatever, I've been through hell and back, so a snobby mother won't faze me. I can defend myself."
Jackson sighed, chasing after April when she walked out of the bedroom. "Please, don't go. I'm sorry for upsetting you, but I wanted to be honest." He stepped in front of the door before she could leave. "I'd rather spend that weekend here with you, doing things together that I genuinely enjoy. I'll introduce you to my family another time. I promise."
"When will this 'another time' be?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. He remained silent as he gazed down at the floor. "I think you need to learn how to get past your issues with your family, Jackson. They're turning you into a coward."
Jackson stepped aside when April reached for the doorknob. He winced after she left his apartment and slammed the door shut behind her.
Don't worry, this won't ruin their relationship. April's just annoyed at the moment lol. Let me know what you think, please! :)