A/N: Once again, thanks for reviewing! Enjoy the update :)

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Chapter 7 – The Letter

April awoke the next morning earlier than usual. She had showered, eaten, and dressed long before Jackson had even gotten out of bed and that was how she had planned it. She left for the hospital as quietly as possible and for the first time ever, she avoided her best friend. She stayed in the ER all day with Dr. Hunt while Jackson was on Dr. Sloan's service. She didn't even stop by her office.

When lunch time rolled around, she grabbed a cup of coffee and a sandwich and took her lunch outside. She just wasn't ready to face him. She had no idea how to classify her feelings for him and he had turned their world upside down last night.

"What's going on with April?" Meredith asked astutely as she watched the red-head leave the cafeteria. "This is the first time I've seen her all day."

"Something's going on with Avery too," Cristina added.

The two women immediately turned towards Alex. "What?" He asked.

"You live with them. Spill," Cristina demanded.

Alex groaned and rolled his eyes. "Avery's in love with Kepner and based on the fact that I came home this morning and he was asleep on the floor outside her room, I'm guessing he told her and it didn't go well."

Cristina and Meredith both looked equally shocked and Alex merely shrugged in indifference. He had seen it coming the whole time. They were so close; feelings were bound to develop.

After checking in with their burn patient, Sloan pulled Avery aside so that they could talk in private. He thought that a night with Kepner would cheer him up but his pupil was still not acting like himself and he was determined to discover the reason why.

"What's going on Avery? You can tell me what's bothering you. Is it Lexie?"

The younger doctor laughed at the irony. "No, it's not Lexie."

"The Boards? Your mother? What?" Sloan questioned. "You're unfocused. You're off your game so you need to tell me what's going on with you."

Avery angrily stuffed his hands in the pockets of his coat before he released a large breath and met Sloan's gaze. "It's April."

"Oh no." Despite what most people thought, Mark Sloan was very observant when it came to interpersonal relationships. "You fell for her." It was a statement not a question.

Avery nodded and confessed what was eating away at him. "And now she won't even talk to me."

After finding her bedroom door locked last night, he figured that he couldn't do anymore damage to his pride so he decided to camp outside her door. Karev found him sleeping when he came home and convinced him to return to his own bed. However, when he woke for the day and headed to the shower, April had already left for the hospital.

"Do you want some advice Avery?"

"Sure," he laughed. "I couldn't possibly screw this up any worse."

"Give her a little space," Sloan told him sincerely. "Make sure that she knows exactly how you feel about her and then give her some space." Avery looked truly dejected and his mentor felt for him. He clapped Avery on the shoulder and smiled. "If you need anything let me know."

"Thanks Dr. Sloan."

April sat on the bench in the residents' locker room and stared straight ahead. She wasn't looking at anything in particular but she couldn't tear her eyes away. She was having an absolutely terrible day. It was the worst day that she had had in a long time, and it was one of those days where she reflected on her decision to become a surgeon. She had lost two patients in the ER today and the only person that she wanted to see was the one person that she was avoiding.

The door to the locker room opened and April turned her head to see who had entered. She was both relieved and disappointed to see that it was not Jackson but Cristina. The focused doctor wasn't exactly her closest friend but she always told the truth and maybe that was what April needed right now.

"Tough day?" Cristina asked as she sat down next to the red-head.

"Tough day," April simply repeated.

There was a long pause in which Cristina untied her sneakers while April remained perfectly still. Her phone was buzzing in her pocket but she was afraid to answer it.

"He's your person," Cristina stated quietly.

April turned to her with a puzzled expression. "What?"

"Avery. He's your person. The first person you want to tell big news to. The first person you want to see after you've had a bad surgery. The person that you know will always defend you, help cover up your stupid mistakes, and you can trust to give you a dose of reality. Avery's your person."

"Yes. Yes he is," she admitted quietly.

"Trust me," Cristina said sincerely, "everything may seem unclear now, but you want to be with your person."

April didn't respond and Cristina didn't offer any more words. She changed out of her scrubs and left April alone in the locker room once again.

The chief resident took a deep breath before she finally decided to change her clothes and head home. She pulled on her jacket and was surprised to find a piece of paper in her coat pocket. She pulled it out and recognized Jackson's handwriting instantly.

What chance did I ever have with a girl like you?

That's the real question that you should have asked me last night.

You're the most beautiful person I've ever known, inside and out.

I'll be whatever you want me to be. I love you, you just have to let me, or I can be your best friend, if that is easier.

I'm crashing at Sloan's for a few nights to give you some space. Let me know if you need anything.

Jackson

April carefully folded the note and placed it back in her pocket. She was practically sobbing now and she angrily wiped the tears away. Her phone began to ring and she tried to compose herself before answering.

"Hello," she said shakily.

"Hey babe."

"Hi Anderson!" She smiled to herself and hoped that smiling would make her sound more like herself.

"Listen, I feel really bad about getting all weird yesterday when you cancelled our date so I was wondering if you wanted to come over tonight and watch a movie."

"Yeah, I'd love to and I just finished my shift so I'll be there soon."

They exchanged goodbyes and she hung up her phone. She headed to the bathroom to splash her face with water before she left the hospital.

Anderson opened his apartment door excitedly but his smile quickly fell when he could see that his girlfriend was visibly upset. He pulled her inside and closed his door.

"April, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she shook her head. "Just bad day…bad surgeries," she muttered. She dropped her coat and purse in a chair and turned back to him. "Can we skip that movie?"

"Yeah sure. What do you want to do then?" He was pleasantly surprised when she grabbed his sweater and pulled him down for a passionate kiss. "Yeah, that's definitely a better idea," he chuckled. She pushed him towards his couch and he followed her lead.

He thought that things were getting fairly hot and heavy so he made the obvious suggestion as he kissed down her neck. "April, do you want to take this into the bedroom?"

She pulled away from him in a flash and covered her face with her hands. "I want to but I-I can't…I'm so sorry…"

She was crying and he was incredibly confused. He gently pried her hands away from her face. "Hey," he whispered softly as he cradled her face in his large hands. "We don't have to do anything you don't want, remember?"

She shook her head. She had hoped that being around Anderson would take her mind off Jackson but he hadn't left her thoughts at all. She recalled every piece of romantic advice she had ever received…from her mother, her sisters, Cristina, even Bailey. Anderson wasn't her person. He wasn't her 'Ben'. She didn't want to superglue herself to this boy.

"I want you to be but you're not…" She mumbled more to herself than him.

Now he was even more confused. "Can you just slow down for a second? You're not making any sense to me." She took a deep breath as he tucked her hair behind her ear. "What's wrong?"

"I don't think I can see you anymore Anderson," she told him sadly.

"Oh…"

"And I'm so sorry," she added quickly. "You're such a great guy and I really like you, and I know that I could fall for you but…"

She looked at him with a pained expression and everything clicked into place for him. "But you're in love with Jackson." He had hoped that Jackson's feelings for her were unrequited but deep down he had always known that they weren't. They had found each other long before he came along.

"How did you know?"

He chuckled humorlessly, "Why do you think I got so mad last night when you cancelled our date to cheer him up?"

"I am so sorry," she repeated.

"It's okay," he said with a weak smile. They sat next to each other on his sofa in silence until he spoke again. "I'm glad that you realized this now instead of later." He knew that she would be hard to get over. She was the woman who had given him a second chance at life. He found her hand and threaded their fingers together. "Thank you for saving my life."

She choked back a sob. "You're welcome." She kissed his hand before she let it go and moved to retrieve her jacket and purse. "I should probably go."

"April?" He called out as she reached the door.

"Yeah?"

He smiled, "He loves you too…a lot. Go, be happy."

A/N: This story is coming to an end so be sure to leave your thoughts!