Chapter 3:

A/N I've decided to lay off on the pregnancy scare for another couple of chapters. Doesn't mean it's not coming….just not for a while…I'm hoping to get you when you least expect it.

….

April woke slowly, stretching out her limbs and sighing contently before opening her eyes. She instantly smiled at the sight of the man next to her. Jackson lay wide awake on his side, smiling adoringly down at her as she lay on her back. April's eyes couldn't help but wonder down and settle on his naked torso, below his hips covered only by the bed sheet they shared. She swallowed awkwardly and returned his smile shyly. She would probably never get used to this.

"Morning", he continued to smile at her. "You're so beautiful when you sleep", he told her, pushing back a few stray locks of her hair behind her ear. She brought the sheet up higher over herself and she lay frozen next to him, beginning to feel the redness begin to show in her cheeks.

"Sleep well?", was all she could muster. She couldn't even bring herself to maintain eye contact. She looked at him, staring at his cheeks as he spoke.

"April", he chuckled, "last night was fantastic", he leaned in closer. "You're fantastic", he kissed her on the lips, his other hand caressing her cheek.

They were interrupted suddenly by the sound of a pager beeping sharply. April felt a wave of relief in her stomach as she rose from the bed, wrapping the sheet around herself as she went. "It's yours", she informed him, gently throwing him the pager. He caught it and glanced at the small screen.

"911 for the Pit", he groaned, rising from the bed and gathering the clothes scattered around the room after their wild love-making session the previous night. Before April even had a chance to turn around, he was half dressed and quickly throwing on his shirt.

"What time does your shift start", he asked, beginning to put on his sneakers.

"Midday", she answered nonchalantly, trying to maintain calm. The events of the previous night were running through her head at a million miles an hour. He nodded, walking over to her, smiling, his blue eyes sparkling with happiness.

"I'll see you at the hospital", he beamed, taking both her cheeks in his hands and kissing her passionately. April allowed her inhibitions go in that moment. Jackson had a way to melt her. As he walked out of the room, April pulled the sheet tighter around her and collapsed onto the bed, lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling in panic.

She loved him. She knew that for sure. But the whole virginity thing had meant a lot to her. Every time she and Jackson had sex, the guilt returned to eat her alive. She hated it, but she couldn't stop believing in her religion. He probably hadn't picked up on her discomfort this morning, but he was bound to catch on soon.

Suddenly her thoughts returned to Juliet, her patient from yesterday. That little girl was only 6 years old and she's already experienced everything life had to throw at her. Then it hit her! She needed to let all that guilt and awkwardness go! Jackson clearly adored her. Was willing to go to the moon and back for her. He was already there. She just had to meet him halfway. She loved him- that was clear. She sighed contently at her decision and sat up. Setting her alarm clock, she settled back into bed for a few extra hours sleep before her shift began.

…..

Jackson bit into his chicken and salad sandwich as he sat in the cafeteria with Yang and Meredith. He sat quietly as the two women discussed their patient problems, seemingly oblivious to the plastics fellow sitting with them. He spotted April entering the cafeteria and smiled, willing her with his mind to glance in his direction. She did. Her face instantly lit up with her usual bright smile as she spotted him across the large room. She placed some food on her tray, paid and walked over to the table. Sitting down next to him, she leaned in and gently bumped his shoulder with his.

"Hey", she grinned.

"Hey yourself", he returned the smile, his body remained close to hers, but only slightly. Enough for her and notice and to feel him. She smiled inwardly to herself. She liked it.

"Stop it you too", Cristina rolled her eyes, sipping her water through a straw. "Just get a room already".

April blushed and looked embarrassingly at the food in front of her. Jackson only gave her a glare that spoke volumes.

Meredith smiled compassionately. She'd really grown to like April. Underneath the annoying perkiness and high pitched voice was a truly kind and talented surgeon. She respected April. "Don't worry about her", Meredith told April with a shrug. "She's just pissed because her patient turned out to be non-surgical".

"It was gonna be such a kick ass surgery", Cristina whined to the table. "Stupid man…why did he have to go get better!", she exclaimed.

April supressed an answer to that because she realised it was supposed to be rhetorical. She began to eat her pasta salad with a small smile on her face. She was actually really glad with the way her life was going at the moment. She'd finally found a man who she loved and trusted. She was gaining the respect of her colleagues and making true, worthwhile friends. Sure, she'd failed her Boards, but it was just a stupid test she could take next year. She was truly content with her life.

Her pager's sharp beeping brought her out of her daydream and she stood up. "Crap!" she swore to herself as she glanced at the screen. "Crap! Crap! Crap!" she mumbled to herself.

"What is it?", Jackson asked worryingly. April didn't even reply as she grabbed her lab coat and ran out of the cafeteria. Maybe not everything was going quite according to plan…

…..

She rushed out of the elevator onto the Paediatric floor towards the room she knew too well. Arizona greeted her with a stern grimace.

"What's going on?", April demanded rushing inside the room as the machines around them were beeping profusely. A bunch of nurses were rushing around following Arizona's instructions. The small girl in the bed lay innocently, her eyes closed, oblivious to what was happening to her.

"You asked to be kept informed?", Robbins asked.

April nodded in reply, going to the girls side to assist.

"One of her fractures has become infected. She's septic. She's need surgery. Page Torres and meet me up there", Arizona instructed sharply, taking the brake off the bed and beginning to push the gurney out of the room followed by nurses.

April nodded in agreement and rushed out to the nurses' station watching grimly as Juliet was wheeled out down the hall. As she picked up the phone receiver to page Torres, her heart sank with sadness. She knew the chances for a such a young child weren't very strong. The death of child never sat well with a surgeon- no matter how many adults they saved.

….

The elevator doors opened and April found herself face to face with a young man. Probably no older than 25. He gave her a polite smile when she glanced at him, which she returned mindlessly. He was leaning casually against the back wall of the elevator, his hands stuffed in his coat pockets. If her mind wasn't with Juliet, it probably would've crossed her mind that he was kinda cute. Not Jackson cute…but cute enough. She pressed the button and stood in front of the man, her eyes staring blankly ahead of her.

"Having a good day?", the man asked her randomly. She looked at him over her shoulder with a small smile.

"Yeah it's been ok", the standard response. She had to show him she wasn't interested. Then it hit her. This was a staff elevator. He wasn't a doctor or nurse. He shouldn't be in here. Panic flashed through her system as her mind crossed back to memories of the shooting.

The gun.

The BANG.

Gary Clark.

Doctor Shepherd.

Reed.

The blood.

The blood. The blood. The blood.

Those flashes were quickly replaced with flashes of intense, excruciating pain as the young man drove a knife through her lower back. She fell to the ground in a heap on her side. The elevator doors pinged and the man stepped casually out onto a dark, empty floor.

"Your day is about to get a whole lot worse", he turned, looked down at her, smiling menacingly before walking away.

….

Thought I'd leave you with a tiny insy bitsy cliffhanger over New Years. I look forward to writing more in 2013!

Best wishes to all my readers/followers/reviewers for a fantastic 2013 filled with much more awesome kick ass Japril writing! Oh and more Grey's episodes of course.

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