A/N: Not a single review? *makes a sad face* Is the story so bad? Don't you like it? If no one tells us whether you like it or not, we don't know that… so should we go on posting? We're going on writing the story anyways, but if no one is interested, we don't have to post it here :-) Just sayin'… here's us hoping for a few reviews, so we can be sure we should post the next chapters here, because there are already some lined up for you :-)
Mark Sloan POV:
Mark stared at his mobile phone, still undecided whether to take Julia's call or not. He sighed heavily before finally answering his phone. Julia wouldn't give up anyways. He knew her at least that well.
"Hey, Babe!" he said and waited for a couple of seconds if she would say something. Which she did.
"Where are you? I thought we had a date?" Julia asked straight away.
"In the hospital. Sorry, we got an emergency," Mark lied, but only seconds later Julia called him on his lie.
"That's not true. You're not in the hospital, I am. When you didn't show up, I thought maybe you were delayed and decided to come by to collect you, but guess what? Your friend Doctor Hunt told me your shift was over an hour ago, and that you left an hour ago. So where are you?" She didn't even give Mark the chance to react in between her monologue, and now Mark felt really bad for lying to her.
"Listen, Julia. Something came up, and I have to give you a raincheck if that's okay," he tried, but was cut off by Julia immediately.
"No, it's not okay. Are you cheating on me?" Julia demanded to know.
Mark sighed. "No... no, of course I'm not cheating on you, but there is a problem with Jackson and he needs me."
"Jackson again? Why am I not surprised? Mark, you're his boss, not his nanny, and now swing your ass here, I need to talk to you," Julia gave back.
Mark almost didn't recognize her, because her voice was so different. And normally she was calm and understanding, but not tonight. Maybe she was on her period, but of course Mark wouldn't call her on that.
He turned around to give Jackson a sign that it will take a few more minutes, but when he did, Jackson was just leaving. Mark rolled his eyes annoyed.
"Listen, Julia, I gotta go, okay? I'll talk to you later. I'll make it up to you, I swear, but right now I have to go."
And with those words he ended the call and turned his phone off. He shouldn't have taken the call in the first place, and instead be there for Jackson like he had promised him.
He grabbed his jacket and ran out of the bar, only to see Jackson a few feet away.
"Jackson! Avery! Please wait!" he screamed after him and tried to catch up with him, but Jackson just didn't stop.
"Please, I'm sorry. I meant what I said in there."
He just hoped, Jackson would stop or turn around again, so he could see his face and talk to him eye to eye.
Jackson Avery POV:
Mark was a very persistent man.
Jackson would give him that.
He could hear Mark calling his name and the thought of trying to explain why he bailed made his stomach hurt.
Turning around Jackson plastered a smile on his face "It's okay, man" Jackson said loudly over the wind "It's my own shit to deal with"
Mark jogged the few feet between he and Jackson until the man stood directly in front of him.
"You feel awkward talking about whatever it was that happened between you and Kepner, I get that" Mark said "but keeping it inside kills you man, I can tell from experience"
Jackson hated feeling so exposed. It brought the man back to being 16 years old and finding out Ashley Meeks, his high school sweetheart, had been secretly dating somebody Jackson thought was his best friend.
That night his older brother Lewis had caught him crying in their backyard.
He and Lewis were never particularly close. They could blame it on their age difference. 6 years could be a lifetime when it came to a sibling connection.
It was more than that, though. There had always been animosity between the two. Something that kept the two brothers from ever really feeling like family.
The guy had come to the backyard to smoke. Their mother was strongly against it and if she knew of her son's habit she would have skinned him alive.
Hearing his brother approaching Jackson tried to wipe away the few spare tears that rolled down his cheek, but he knew it was of no use.
When prompted, Jackson had told him the truth and the disappointed sigh from Lewis made him feel worse then he already did.
"The girl was a slut" Lewis said. The man was never one to mince words and he usually said it in the most offensive way possible.
"Hey!" Jackson exclaimed.
"You're really going to stick up for her?" Lewis asked "I'm sure she could care less right now, probably banging the upholstery off of some tacky BMW"
"I loved her" Jackson told his brother honestly.
"It made you weak" Lewis had told him. Jackson could see how his brother saw him and it only made the teen want to dig himself all the way to China.
Jackson's initial reaction was anger, but the years would prove that it was the one piece of advice from his brother that carried any weight.
Life always proved it. Over and Over again.
When you realize the girl you love will never really love you.
When one of your best friends dies from a gunshot wound and even though it takes hours for him to succumb to his injuries you never get a real chance to say goodbye.
A girl who was probably one of the best people you will ever know is damaged because you couldn't make the right decisions.
It was easier to lock it away. Don't ever let them see you weak, because that's what ripped you apart.
That's what keeps you stagnant.
The problem is it wears you out.
Each time it happens Jackson can feel a small knick inside of his body. Maybe that was what was missing. Why people always left Jackson. He had been losing a small piece of himself every time and now there was really nothing worthwhile left.
He could tell Mark all this and watch as the man looked at Jackson like he wanted to admit him into a Psych Ward.
"I can't" Jackson told Mark and at the moment he couldn't look the older man in the eye.
The two remained facing one another for what felt like minutes until Mark slung an arm around Jackson's shoulder.
"Walk with me Avery" Mark said "It's a good night to get some air".
Jackson let himself get lead down the street. The man didn't have any fight left in him tonight.
Mark Sloan POV:
Mark could almost feel Jackson's inner fight, even though he didn't know what it was about, but the look on his face said a lot. It almost scared him how much he could read Jackson within the short amount of time they knew each other. Yes, they had spent a lot of time together, but Mark would say that he knew the younger resident almost better than Derek - who he knew since med-school - so that was maybe a little bit awkward.
When they reached a bench, Mark made Jackson sit down while he stood behind him with both of his hands on Jackson's shoulders and started rubbing them gently.
"Everything's gonna be okay," he whispered into Jackson's ear as he leaned down, before he ended his little massage and sat down next to him.
Jackson wasn't looking at him, but Mark didn't expect him to anyways. The younger resident seemed to be totally lost in his thoughts, and Mark was okay with that, was okay with just sitting there with him and actually being there, but he also wanted Jackson to know that he was.
He put a hand on Jackson's right knee and looked at him.
"You don't have to talk with me about anything, okay? I won't force you to and I won't make you. I just want you to know that I'm here, whenever you need me. And if it's just sitting here, looking into the sky... if that's what helps you, I'll be here as well. The only thing I won't do is leave."
He put up a smile, even though Jackson was still not looking at him, but he didn't care.
He still had no idea what happened between the two residents, but something was definitely not right between them and Mark was worried. More than he should. He had to think about what he would do if he lost Callie. He would maybe go crazy if he didn't have her to talk to and just have fun with. They went through a lot together, and he was sure, Kepner and Avery did as well. If he could do something to make everything better, to make them talk to each other, he would, but he didn't want to get involved too much and risk Jackson's friendship with it.
"You know what? I'm really proud of you," he said after a moment of silence.
He felt Jackson look at him and turned to the side.
"Why?" he heard Jackson ask.
Mark smiled. "Because you passed your boards, silly. And because you did great. At least as far as I've heard. You are an Avery." He winked at Jackson. "But you're definitely so much more than that, and if people only want you because of your name, they don't deserve you." He let out a sigh, looking at his hands. "I want you to stay, Avery. I want to keep working with you, because I think we're great together. We're a great team and together we could achieve so much. Like making Seattle Grace Mercy West one of the best plastic surgery facilities of the whole country."
A smug smile appeared on his face. "Of course I'm already pretty good by myself," he winked at Jackson again. "I'm Mark Sloan after all... but I could use a partner," he said earnestly.
Jackson Avery POV:
"You are an Avery, but you're definitely so much more than that"
The words caused Jackson to remember the first day he had been put on Mark's service. Enthused and a bit overexcited because Jackson had always secretly liked Plastics.
Cardio had been his field, but something always drew him to Plastics. People could recreate themselves or repair a blight that had been caused by nature or man.
When Mark had told him his looks is what mattered it made Jackson feel deflated. In Cardio, Cristina was better then he could ever be and if all he could accomplish in Plastics was be a pretty face he had to start considering if this field, if that hospital, was right for him at all.
The past year had erased Jackson's fears completely. Mark wasn't just one of the best plastic surgeons he knew, Mark was one of the best surgeons period.
The man knew his skill and knew it well. He found Jackson worthy enough to teach, despite their rocky start and if Jackson was completely honest with himself Mark Sloan made Jackson discover the passion for surgery.
The passion that was behind Cristina's eyes every time she held a heart, or when Alex sent a kid home well and with a prognosis of a long and happy life.
Jackson had performed surgery, but he had never really lived for it. He knew it was something he wanted to do for the rest of his life, but he was missing that fire in your gut every great surgeon talks about. With Mark and Plastics he had found it and for that Jackson would always be grateful.
Sitting hear now, on this cold bench and feeling so utterly hopeless having Mark say that Jackson was more then a name, that he was worth the effort, made him feel...worthy.
"I slept with April and now she hates me"
Jackson looked shocked that the words had come out of his mouth. He's not sure if he wanted it out in the air like that, but now that it was there was no taking it back.
Mark remained silent. His face neither shocked nor expected.
Mark had tried to get them to sleep together. Surely, he couldn't be that surprised.
That was it, though Jackson thought Mark knew Jackson would never do it because he wasn't that kind of man, Mark thought better of him and now that he knows Jackson wasn't what he thought he was reevaluating all the praise he gave the younger man.
What kind of man would do something so careless to a person like April Kepner?
The thought sent a cold chill down Jackson's spine. The idea of Mark being disgusted with him, of hating him, made him terrified. Jackson couldn't lose both, him and April.
He wouldn't have anybody left.
"Say something" Jackson said quietly "please"