Hello guys,
well...it's been a month and I'm sorry, but I sadly didn't had the time to write which was followed by a writing pad. Never dreamed that "Sydney White" would bring back my writing mojo ;-)
But anyway,here's the penumilate chapter, so enjoy!

Thanks again for reading and everything!

PS: Can I just say how broken my heart is because of the mid-season finale? I won't survive the hiatus for sure. But it was so damn beautiful...

Chapter XIX: Bring Me To Life

"So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself"

"So you made a decision yet?"

Jackson looked at his family and sighed. No, he hadn't. His freaking family was here, but his better half wasn't. How should he decide? Of course, he loved April more than anything in this world, but in the end his family was his goddamn family, right? But April, the women he loved so much that he had jumped in front of a gun for her was as important to him as his family. So how should he decide?

Penelope noticed the hesitation and walked to him, grabbed his shoulders and pointed out furious:

"Damn it, Jackson! You get your pretty boy ass down there again and live, do you understand me? You have a freaking choice which you can use! If I had the choice I would take it and go back! There's so much left for you, such as marriage, be a dad or a world-famous surgeon and everything. Why do you want to give that up? We will still be here when you return as a 140 years old grandpa, Jackson!"

The plastic surgeon was surprised by the words of his younger sister. But how right she was. He wanted to marry April some day and have kids with her, the whole package, but how could he get this while resting in heaven?

Sky walked up to Penelope and Josh followed him, both standing at the sides of their younger sister.

"If you stay here and don't go back," The oldest brother started and stopped to let his younger brother finish in a threatening voice:

"We'll make your stay here a living death."
_

April and Libby entered the lobby of the JFK airport and were greeted by Killian and Emma. The trauma surgeon knelt down to hug her little niece, which smiled brightly.

"Hey my little girl, how are you doing?"

Emma looked happily at her aunt and corrected:

"Imma big girl now, because I'll go to school soon, Auntie April!"

April chuckled and caressed her head before she got up to hug her brother-in-law.

"Heard that you met Captain Hook?" Killian laughed and his hazel eyes started to sparkle. They always did when he was laughing.

"Oh yeah, I did indeed. He was a lot more charming than in the fairytale."

Libby laughed, took the hand of her husband and said:

"And April is now prepared to kick asses at her boards. Dr. Hunt and I learned with her, so everything ought to be fine. Tomorrow's the big day!"

"I'll keep my fingers crossed," Emma said and grabbed her aunts hand. It was just too sweet how Emma treated her.

"Thank you, sweetie! Here, look. I took something with me for you. Hope you like it!"

April handed the present to Emma who smiled exited and thanked her.

"Emma, you can open it when we're home, okay honey? Your aunt and I are starving."
_

Libby stood in the kitchen and made dinner for her family. She was, just like her sister, an excellent cook which Emma and Killian very much appreciated. April sat in the living room on an armchair with her niece on her lap and read "The sleeping Beauty" out loud for her:

"At last the prince came to a chamber of gold, where he saw upon a bed the fairest sight one ever beheld—a princess of about seventeen years who looked as if she had just fallen asleep. Trembling, the prince knelt beside her, and awakened her with a kiss. And now the enchantment was broken.

The princess looked at him with wondering eyes and said: "Is it you, my prince? I have waited for you long."

So happy were the two that they talked hour after hour. In the meantime all in the palace awaked and each began to do what he was doing when he fell asleep. The gentlemen went on bowing to the ladies. The ladies went on with their embroidery. The grooms went on currying their horses, the cook went on slapping the kitchen boy, and the servants began to serve the supper. Then the chief lady in waiting, who was ready to die of hunger, told the princess aloud that supper was ready.

The prince gave the princess his hand, and they all went into the great hall for supper. That very evening the prince and princess were married. The next day the prince took his bride to his father's palace, and there they lived happily ever afterward."

"This is my favorite book, auntie April! Do you like it too?"

The irony behind the story nearly hurt her, but how could Emma know that Jackson was also "sleeping"?

"Yeah, sweetie, it's really nice. Do you want to hear another story until your mommy's done with dinner?"

Emma hopped of her lap and ran to her room to look for another book. Killian looked at his sister-in-law and finally admitted:

"I'm really sorry about Jackson, Libby told me. You know, if you need someone male to talk to, ask me. I just want you to know that, all right?"

April smiled weak and closed her eyes briefly to suppress the tears. Killian was a wonderful man, he was caring, sweet and so damn sympathetic it nearly hurt. But she appreciated it, she sincerely did.

"I don't know what to do when he wakes up. I don't know how I should act towards him, you know? He risked his life to save me and I don't know if I can handle this. I will be in his debt forever and I don't know how I can make it up for. There are so many things I don't know right now."

Killian pursed his lips and looked like he was searching for a good advice. They heard Emma tossing books on the ground, not able to decide whether she wanted to hear Inky the Indigo Fairy for the hundredth time or Red Riding Hood. The actor opened his mouth slowly and finally replied:

"I can totally understand why you feel this way. I don't think that as soon as Jackson wakes up, his feelings for you will be vanished. He had a pretty good reason to risk his life for you which is his love for you. And I don't need to tell you what you feel for him, so there's no need for you to act different around him, when he's awake again. Sure you'll feel guilty for what happened, but you have to remember that it was his choice. Just show him that you love him from the bottom of your heart, there's nothing you can to additionally."

April hated herself for crying again, but she stood up, dried her tears with her sleeve and hugged her brother-in-law.

"Thank you so, so, so, so much, Killian."

"It's okay. But from now on I don't want to hear a single doubt about this, you understand me?"

He answered, slightly laughing at the end. April smiled in response and looked for her niece to arrive with a DVD in her hands.

"Auntie April, can we watch Tangled together?"
_

April woke up at five o'clock the following day. Woah, today was the day, the day which showed whether she was a good surgeon or not. Crap. She hadn't slept well, she was hunted by Jackson's eyes the whole night. Slowly, she rubbed with her hands over her face and groaned because she was still tired. Could she call Izzie? Well, it was two o'clock in Seattle...but she could at least try. April grabbed her cell and wrote her shortly whether she was still awake. She didn't got an answer immediately, so she turned on the TV in her room and zapped through the channels. Finally, she stopped when she saw a commercial for the army, they were looking for soldiers and surgeons...army surgeon? Her cell went off and she saw Izzie's ID.

"April, why are you up at five o'clock? You need sleep."

"It's two o'clock in Seattle, I could ask you the same question?"

Izzie hesitated but then answered honestly:

"I've been tied up in bed...and in the good way."

April giggled slightly, but replied:

"Yeah Izzie, too much information. But anyway, I'm awake and I'm freaking out. I didn't sleep well and I just saw a commercial for the army and now I'm thinking about joining the army."

"April Kepner. Don't you dare! You are not joining the army, am I clear? You won't throw away your life like this!"

"Whoa, hold your horses! I wasn't saying that I will definitely join the army, I was just thinking about it, all right? I mean after Yusuf...who was from Al-Qaeda, nearly killed Jackson, I want to help. I feel guilty for not being able to help Jackson, you know Izzie?"

"As if anyone would be able to think straight in this position. April, I beg you as your best friend, please don't do it. Don't get me wrong, it's a honorable thing and I seriously look up to Hunt, I really do. But, my god April, Jackson will wake up and then you'll be there for him. This is your own Iraq, soldier."

April smiled slightly and exhaled slowly. She felt pathetic for acting like this, Jackson should wake up soon or she would go nuts. Damn, she was happy that she had Izzie.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you, Izzie?"

"Oww, love you too, honey. So now you try to fall asleep again and kick asses at the boards! We're all rooting for you!"

April could hear the smile in her voice and responded:

"Thank you guys! See you!"

April laid her cell back on the night stand and stood up to left for the bathroom to take a shower. While the water flowed down her body she went through all the relevant questions again and again, she wasn't going to fail twice.

Izzie left her house and arrived at the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital at six o'clock in the morning, she had some important message for someone special. She changed in her scrubs in record time and went up to the ICU. Hesitating, she stood in front of Jackson's room and observed him before she entered it to speak to him. They said that people in coma could hear them so hopefully he would listen.

"Okay, Jackson, listen to me. April is a human wreck and she fucking needs you. She doesn't know what to do anymore and this will cause terrible decisions. April, the women you love, thinks about joining the army, okay? You have to save her again before she does something bad to her. I beg you on my knees, please wake up, Jackson. Please, do it for April, your mother, your sister and your friends, especially Alex. They need you."

Izzie could've sworn that she had seen his eyelids flutter, but she was imagining it for sure.
_

"April," Jackson mumbled shocked while he sat on a stone next to the vanilla field. Okay, now he was the one who was nuts. Did he just heard Izzie in his head? Talking about April and begging him to wake up? April's thoughts about joining the army? How in the name of the almighty did he heard Izzie talking? And why was he so convinced that it had happened in real life and not in his head? What if April would really do such a thing? He should go, ask somebody about it. Mark. He would ask Mark.

He ran through the fields and finally found Mark with Lexie at the small sea that bordered on the farm. Mark looked curiously at him and Lexie seemed to be confused by the panic on Jackson's face.

"Which ghost scared you? I thought you were used to us."

"Do you sometimes hear the voices of other people, people who still live, in your head?"

Now it was Mark who looked puzzled. Jackson continued hesitating:

"Because I just heard Izzie Stevens in my head, begging me to wake up, to stop April from becoming an army surgeon. Did that...did that ever happened to you?"

Lexie answered quietly:

"Yeah, I sometimes hear Meredith, my sisters and father. You're not crazy...I guess."

"Torres. I hear her often. I know that Arizona cheated on her."

Jackson's eyes grew wide in shock...so what he heard was true? April was seriously thinking about moving to Iraq? Now, he knew how he had to decide and it was April who he would choose. His face went a little pale when he said slowly and carefully:

"I gotta get back to her."

"If this is what you really want, do it. And finally use my advice for real, pretty boy. It was a damn good one."

Jackson laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Don't worry I will. Do you know where my family, Reed and Charles are?"

"We're here."

Jackson turned around to see his father, Sky, Josh, Penelope, Reed and Charles standing there, looking at him with mixed expressions on their faces. They smiled happily for him, even though their eyes seemed to be pale and sad. Damn it.

"We'll see you again. When you're grey and old," Charles chuckled and patted his friend on the shoulder. Jackson arrived at Mark ans hugged the other half of the plastic posse tightly.

"Take care of Torres for me, please. She'll need you, Avery."

He smiled in response and walked around say goodbye to everyone, hugged them tightly while his eyes slowly filling with tears. But he blinked them away and looked one last time at his family and friends and said weakly smiling:

"I love you all, but I want to live again, I need to."

And with these words he left his family and friends and woke up in a bed at the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital...
_

April sat down in the cab that had waited outside of her sister's house. She waved one last time at Libby, Killian and Emma and then leaned back in the seat. Her phone was ringing and she discovered Hunt's ID, which made her frightened.

"Chief Hunt! I-I-Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. I just called to know how you're doing?"

"Um well, I'm nervous, near to freaking out, but I'm fine I guess. I wanted to thank you again for helping me, learning with me, you know? Thank you so, so much, Chief!"

"No big deal, really. Oh! I-I-I just got paged, it's an emergency. Well, anyway, everyone's rooting for you, we believe in you, Kepner."

"Thank you, Chief. Bye!" April smiled, fortunately Hunt had called her, even though it was short. She put her cell into her purse and looked outside to see the Upper-East Side pass by.
_

"Did the muscles on his jaw and throat just twitched?" Callie whispered incredulous and looked at Alex who stood next to her. And then Jackson started to cough, he fought against the tube in his throat.

"Oh my god, he's waking up. Someone page Yang and Hunt!" Callie yelled and moved to Jackson, whose eyes were now wide open and looked panicked. His face looked unnaturally pale and sweaty. Callie grabbed his hand, while Alex took the tube out.

"Hey, hey, Jackson, I'm here, Callie. Try not to move, Alex is already helping you."

A few seconds later, Hunt and Yang arrived, hurrying to the plastic surgeon. Alex finally got the tube out of Jackson's throat and watched the cardio and trauma surgeons work. Damn, he was happy that Jackson was finally awake.

Owen checked the pupils, while Christina examined his heart's condition. Jackson's mouth opened and he was able to croak quietly April's name, but Hunt told him to stop. The trauma surgeon replied:

"Welcome back, Jackson. We'll leave you alone with Karev before we do more checks on you, all right?"

Alex looked surprised at the chief but nodded and sat down on the chair next to the bed and said smiling:

"About freaking time, dude. You scared a lot of people here, you know. You were in coma for a about a week." Alex noticed the questioning expression on his friend's face, which inquired for April. Of course. "April's in New York, retaking her boards. She should be at the hotel in an hour or so. She was a mess, she sat on this chair and cried next to you. Izzie took care of her, your mother and sister were here, too."

Jackson smiled sadly when he heard about what April had to live through because of him. Damn. He opened his mouth again to speak, but closed it abruptly because he realized why he was awake again. April wanted to join the army. His face went a little green but also pale. He had to try a few times before he was able to say:

"April wants to join the army. I need to call her."

Thanks again for reading and please leave me a review! :)