Month Three

"Urgh." April huffed, sniffling as she dropped into a spare seat beside Jackson at the cafeteria table he had commandeered. Looking up, he smiled with empathy and pushed over his untouched bowl of soup. "It's chicken."

Pushing it back to him, she groaned and slumped against the back rest. "I can't face that."

"Still feeling rough, hey?" He asked, reaching out his palm and pressing it to her forehead. She did indeed feel clammy. Finally it seemed she had succumbed to the stomach flu that had just finished its rampant spread across the rest of the hospital staff.

With a feeble nod, she tipped her head and pressed it against Jackson's jacket. Lovingly, he stroked her cheek and allowed her a few moments to rest.

The vomiting had started not much after Jackson had finally recovered from his own bout of illness. The temperature and fatigue were now clearly taking their effect also.

Of course, April had staved off all his attempts at getting her to stay home from work. Claims of oppression and woman's rights, soon ceased them. Not that he was entirely sure why or how these were relevant to the concern he was expressing. Though it soon became apparent, it was just another way she was able to win the argument. However, he had had to admit her defiance and determination were extremely impressive, considering he knew just how unwell she must have been feeling from his own experience. A week off from work had done him the world of good. Again, not that she wanted to hear this.

"I have surgery soon." April grumbled quietly against his shoulder. "If I can stay awake long enough that is."

Jackson raised an eyebrow at his wife's admission and cleared his throat.

"What?" She asked with trepidation. She knew this was Jackson's way of expressing concern. Something that had occurred to her long before their marriage.

"Well erm… do you think you ought to be operating if you're feeling unwell?"

Sitting upright, April enabled Jackson to turn to her and instantly catch sight of the annoyance in her expression. "Did I question your abilities to patch up faces and surgically enhance women's breasts when you were sick?"

Jackson laughed a little and rolled his eyes. "You're so cranky when you're sick."

"I am not cranky." April scoffed before turning away from her, huffing to further express her dislike for his need to interrogate her.

"Cranky… but beautiful." Jackson added, before taking to his feet and collecting his tray from the table. All April could muster in response, was to roll her own eyes before struggling her feet to follow him across the cafeteria.

"Where are we going?" She asked, struggling to keep up with him as he strode into the bustling corridor.

Turning back, he grinned. "I'm walking you to surgery…. If you're going to insist on going ahead."

Even in her current state, April mustered a smile at the knowledge of her husband's gesture and picked up her speed, falling quickly into step beside him. "I am not cranky when I'm sick… am I?" She questioned as they weaved through the crowd.

Jackson laughed once more, before reaching out and capturing her hand in his own.

"Let's just get you to surgery."

*/\*

Sure enough, Jackson stuck to his word and brought his wife right to the scrub room of OR1, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead before he allowed her to slip behind the sliding door.

"I'm not kissing your sickly lips." He echoed, grinning widely as he slipped back the way they had come. He also had surgery this afternoon but it didn't seem to matter if he was a few moments late, as long as April was safely where she should have been.

"You got a keeper in that one, April." Arizona murmured as April took her space beside her friend at the scrub basin. "How sweet of him to walk you to surgery."

April nodded, sniffing loudly as she bent of the basin, soaking her hands and lower arms under the warmth of the water. Arizona noted the lack of words as a certain cause for concern. "April? Are you ok?"

Dropping her scrub brush, the older woman stepped closer to April and touched her shoulder. Surgery could wait until they had had chance to talk and re-scrub.

"April?"

It took a few moments before she could bring herself to look up from the basin, tear stained eyes instantly resonating with her friend. Arizona sighed and reached out to ease April round to face her. "What's wrong? You and Jackson haven't fought, right?"

The question was odd, considering what Arizona had just witnessed but she had asked it anyway. She knew all too well how easy it was to put up an act when things were crumbling beneath the surface of a marriage.

April, however, shook her head and used her damp wrist to wipe stray tears from her cheeks. "N-no, we-we're great." She managed through choked sobs.

"Then why are you crying?" Arizona asked, confused at the sudden appearance of tears if all was as well as April claimed.

A few moments of silence proceeded the silence, apart from an occasional sniff from April, as she asked herself silently why, exactly, she was crying. Yes, she was tired, exhausted in fact and aching, and sick and her sinuses were blocked but that was no excuse to cry. April Kepner was a strong, fearless, kick ass trauma surgeon. Despite her weaknesses, on the odd occasion which had caused her to shed a tear or two, she was not usually the type of woman who cried with reason. None of it made any sense.

"April?" Arizona said quietly, penetrating the silence.

The red head looked up, caught sight of the concerned expression in her friend's features and dispelled a heavy sigh. "I honestly have no idea."

Arizona laughed softly, reaching out to touch her friends elbow. "You look tired… are you sick? Maybe that's why you're so tearful?"

April nodded. "I think I caught the stomach flu from Jackson."

Arizona tipped her head knowingly. "Callie and Sofia caught it from me. It's nasty. No wonder you're so tired… maybe home is better than operating?"

Although the younger surgeon almost wished to protest, she found herself nodding in agreement with Arizona's suggestion. She had to admit, the ache she was experiencing in most her entire body, and the constant sense of nausea with every moment, was beginning to get a little too much to 'push through'. All that seemed to be consuming her now was the need for her bed sheets, aspirin and a hot water bottle. The thought of the sight of an open body on the operating, almost had her wanting to hurl.

"I think you're right." She agreed. She knew Jackson would be grateful she had finally listened to someone, even if it wasn't him.

Offering her friend a warm smile, Arizona turned back to the scrub basin and flicked on the steaming water once more. "Just sleep. You'll feel much better once you have. Trust me." She called out as April turned, hitting the button to open to automatic door into the corridor.

"Jackson!" She exclaimed, almost colliding with her husband as she stepped from the scrub room. Clutching her chest, as he steadied her, she offered him a confused expression. "I thought you had surgery this afternoon?"

"Mine was cancelled… what about yours?" He asked, peering through the door behind her to see Arizona stepping into the OR.

Sheepishly, she flicked her gaze from her eyes from her husband and spoke. "I'm too sick to operate."

The sound of her husband's hearty laugh reached her ears as he took in the sound of her defeat. She knew he was going to enjoy taking credit for first making such an observation, even if it wasn't his advice to go home that she had chosen to listen to. It was still acceptable, she felt however, to pout at his childish 'I told you so' routine.

"Stop laughing. Take me home."

Her husband nodded, reaching out his hand for her to take. "I might not be able to promise no laughing… but I will gladly take you home."

Accepting the offer his hand for support, they set off together toward the attending lounge to change. As they walked April continually felt Jackson kept stealing glances in her direction as they did so, before she finally felt she needed to question him. Raising her eyebrow, she caught his gaze. "Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

Jackson shrugged and expressed a glint of teasing in his features. "You are definitely grumpy when you're sick."

April rolled her eyes and squeezed his hand a little tighter with her own. "But still beautiful right?"

Jackson nodded and brought her closer to him, lifting his arm to wrap over her shoulder, still ensuring their hands remained knotted together. "Definitely still beautiful."