Chapter Seven: I'll be okay
"It's time to let you go, it's time to say goodbye. There's no more excuses. no more tears to cry. There's been so many changes, I was so confused. All along you were the one, all the time I never knew..."
It's true when they say that some good thing never lasts, especially if you happen to work in Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital. The time for celebrating the love between Miranda Bailey and Ben Warren didn't last long because right after the couple said their "I do's" Adele Webber passed away. It has been a month since it happened and things are starting to pick up but knowing the hospital's history, the calmness wouldn't last long. It has also been a month since the phenomenal kiss between Jackson and April at the wedding happened and things are almost back to normal, much to the dysfunctional couple's dismay. April partially realized that she still has strong feelings towards his best friend and no matter how hard she tries; she can't seem to get him off her mind and heart. Jackson on the other hand is also trying his best to fight his unlabelled feelings for April, he's abiding by her friend zone rule diligently and for some unknown reason he's succeeding. It's not as if April is making it hard for Jackson or something because she's doing the exact opposite, she's making it like a walk in the park for him and no matter how the Plastic Fellow denies it-it's ruffling his feathers, BIG TIME.
Jackson was sitting on the couch inside the Attendings' Lounge when April saw him; he was sitting on the couch while staring blankly at the cookie tin sitting on top of the table. "Jackson?"
Jackson turned his gaze towards the door and saw April standing between the gaps; "Hey" he greeted.
April stepped inside the room and closed the door behind her; "You okay?"
Jackson stood up from his perch and stuffed his phone inside his lab coat pocket; "Yeah, why?" he asked casually.
April shoved her hands inside her pockets and studied Jackson's face; "You seem like your thousands miles away just a minute ago" she replied.
Jackson plucked the cookie tin on top of the table before throwing April a re-assuring smile; "I just received a call from my Mom, she's coming to town to work on a case at Seattle Pres and she wanted to make sure that I deliver this to Dr. Webber."
"Oh."
"Yeah-err—so I better go and find him" Jackson said.
April nodded; "Sure" she replied.
Jackson walked towards the door and stepped out of the room without a back glance.
April walked towards the couch and plopped down; she and Jackson didn't have the chance to talk much about what happened at the wedding because of what occurred after. She closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath; "Stay between the boundaries you set yourself Kepner, a kiss is just a kiss-it doesn't have to mean anything, just forget about it" she muttered to herself.
oOo
Jackson was walking along the hallway when he spotted Richard standing by the nurses' station; he made a bee line towards the older surgeon and cleared his throat to get his attention.
Richard tore his eyes away from his chart and stared at the man standing right in front of him; "Is there something you need Dr. Avery?" he asked.
Jackson lifted the cookie tin in his hands and extended it towards Richard; "Sir, cookies from my Mom"
Richard shifted his eyes to the cookie tin before staring back at Jackson; "That won't be necessary" he replied politely.
Jackson ignored Richard's response and pulled a piece paper from his pocket; "It actually comes with a message and I'm supposed to read it to you to make sure that you get it" he said. He then opened the paper and began reading it; "Richard I'm in town doing a case at Seattle Pres, left you several messages and wasn't sure if you got them. I just want to make sure you're okay I'm worried about you...Baby" he paused and met Richard's gaze. "To be clear, that was her and not me"
Richard smiled; "Please tell her I'm fine"
Jackson tucked the paper back inside his pocket and lifted the cookies again; "Oh no-you gotta take the cookies sir" he insisted.
Richard cleared his throat; "That's such a nice gesture, but I'm trying to avoid sweets but would you like them?"
Jackson understood Richard's hesitation; "Err-I can put them in the Lounge and everybody can enjoy them" he conceded.
Richard smiled gratefully at the young surgeon; "That's a fine idea" he said before turning around and walking away.
Jackson sighed and watched the older surgeon go.
oOo
"Why are you standing there looking so glum?" April asked as she walks towards Lexie.
Lexie shifted her face towards the red head; "They're releasing the judgement today" she replied.
April plucked her charts from the nurses' station and began perusing it; "That was fast" she said. She then paused and shifted her gaze back to the brunette; "That's good right?"
"I'm actually torn about it" Lexie admitted.
April snapped her chart closed and furrowed her brows; "Why?"
"If the decision is in our favour then it means that this hospital is negligent-whatever reward we get out of this case will be paid by this hospital. There are 6 of us in that crash, what do you think will happen to this place if they end up paying us with hefty sums?"
April pursed her lips as she thinks, after a moment her eyes widen when realization dawned on her.
Lexie sighed; "This is still a business Apes and it doesn't take a genius to figure out what will happen if they end up paying us." She then closed her eyes tightly and bowed her head; "On the other hand, I want justice-that crash almost cost us our lives, living in the woods for so long-I didn't think we'd all survive" she said ruggedly.
April shifted closer to her friend and gently wrapped her arm around the other woman's shoulder; she pulled Lexie to her side and began rubbing her arm soothingly. "Whatever happens-happens Lex, we just have to take it as it comes, stop worrying"
Lexie just nodded.
oOo
"I heard that today is judgement day-I hope that the odds will be in your favour" Owen said as he walks side by side Derek.
Derek punched on the elevator button; "Yeah-I hope so. How are you holding up?" he asked as he stares at his friend.
Owen stuffed his hands inside his lab coat pocket; "I'm good" he replied.
"You and Cristina are good?"
Owen smiled; "Yeah we are, it's just weird sneaking into Karev's house early in the morning"
Derek threw the Trauma Surgeon an amused look; "You do know that you don't need to sneak in right?"
Owen chuckled; "Call it dysfunctional but I think it's kinda exciting"
Derek shook his head.
oOo
"Avery!"
Jackson turned around and saw his mentor walking towards him, Sadie in tow; "Hey"
Mark stopped right in front of his prot and gestured towards her stubborn patient; "Look what the cat dragged in" he said.
Sadie rolled her eyes at Mark before turning towards Jackson; "Hey Dr. Avery, nice seeing you again"
Jackson tucked the cookie tin between his arm and waist; "It's nice to see you again Ms. Allen" he said politely.
Sadie smiled at Jackson brightly; "You can call me Sadie Dr. Avery no need to be so formal" she said.
Jackson smiled back; "If you insist...Sadie" he replied.
Mark shifted his eyes between the two before grinning widely, an idea popping into his head. "Avery why don't you take Sadie to my office, I need to take care of something I forgot to do earlier, is that okay?"
Jackson shifted his gaze to Mark; "Okay" he replied.
"You really don't have to do that Dr. Avery—I know my way around this hospital, I'm pretty sure I can find it just fine, I know you're busy" Sadie said, her cheeks reddening.
"It's alright, I don't have anything better to do. Now, why don't we head there" Jackson offered.
Sadie threw Mark a look; "You really didn't have to ask him Dr. Sloan it's-"
"Now now Sadie, be a good patient and just follow Dr. Avery, he already said that it's okay, no need to worry about it"
Sadie let out a nervous chuckle before turning towards Jackson again; "Err-lead the way" she said awkwardly.
Jackson turned toward Mark and handed him the cookie tin; "Here you can have this, if you don't want it you can leave it inside the Attendings' Lounge" he said.
Mark accepted the cookies and nodded; "Go on, don't let me keep you two" he said.
Jackson turned toward Sadie; "Let's go" he said before turning on his heels.
"Lead the way" Sadie muttered.
Mark smiled widely as he watches the pair walk along the hallway.
"Is that Jackson?"
Mark spun around and saw his fiancé walking towards him; "Yeah" he replied.
Lexie stood right in front of Mark and furrowed her brows; "Who is he walking with?" she asked.
"Sadie Allen, my tonsillectomy patient" Mark replied with a huge smile.
Lexie placed her hands around her waist and studied Mark's face; after a moment her eyes widen in disbelief because she instantly knew what his fiancé is doing. "Are you-are you playing cupid?"
"Am I that obvious?"
"I can't believe you!" Lexie said indignantly.
"Err—why?" Mark asked, clearly confused.
"What about April?"
Mark copied Lexie's stance; "What about Kepner? As far as what I know she friend zoned my boy so I don't see why Jackson can't see other women"
"But-but the wedding-the kiss?"
Mark rolled his eyes; "That was a month ago Lex"
Lexie wrinkled her nose; "So you're telling me that the kiss meant nothing to Jackson? Did he tell you that?"
"He didn't need to tell me, I know these things. If Kepner wants to stay within her boundaries then it's only right for Jackson to find someone else."
"You do know that they still feel strongly about each other right?"
Mark rolled his eyes again; "I know that but they both refuse to do something about it. If they want to remain best friends just to keep each other then we'll let them, it's not as if we can do anything about it. We can't force them but this I can help him with, Sadie is a nice kid and I think she and Jackson will get along very well. She's 3 years younger than him and they both graduated from Harvard and she's from Boston, common ground is a good start"
Lexie shook her head in disappointment before walking out without a word.
oOo
April was typing her notes on the computer when she heard Jackson's voice; she discreetly spied on him behind the monitor and saw him laughing with a very beautiful brunette. She felt a heavy weight settle inside her chest so she quickly averted her gaze; she sank down on her chair and tried her best to hide behind the monitor.
"What on earth are you doing?"
April's head snapped to the side and saw Meredith and Cristina standing on the other side of the nurses' station, throwing her weird looks.
April let out a fake yawn and stretched her arms upward, feigning sleepiness; "Hey guys, what's up?"
Cristina placed her charts on top of the counter and smirked at the red head; "You don't have to pretend like your sleepy Kepner, we've been standing here for quite some time now" she said.
April sat straighter and cleared her throat; "I-I'm not pretending, it's true, I'm sleepy, really sleepy"
Meredith leaned towards the counter and threw April a rueful look; "Are you still pinning over Jackson?" she whispered.
April met Meredith's eyes before letting out an awkward chuckle; "Of course not! Don't be silly Mer, we're just best friends"
"Best friend my ass! You look like your favourite pig just died when you saw him with another woman" Cristina said pointedly.
"I AM NOT!" April shrilled.
Meredith chuckled; "You're riling her up Cristina, leave April alone" she said.
Cristina threw Meredith a look; she then leaned forward and stared at April seriously. "Just a piece of advice Apes, if you want to be with him then do something about it but if you don't then stop pining over him and move on with your life."
April pursed her lips as she hit on the save button; she stood up from her perch and grabbed her lab coat from the table. "I'll keep that in mind" she said before spinning on her heels and bolting away.
Meredith threw her best friend a curious look; "Do I smell concern there?" she teased.
Cristina shrugged her shoulders; "She's making googly eyes at him and he doesn't seem to give a damn, nobody seems to want to call her off of it so I did what had to be done."
Meredith smiled; "You do care"
"It's Kepner" Cristina rolled her eyes. "She's a friend."
oOo
"Here it is, you can wait here until Dr. Sloan comes back" Jackson said.
Sadie entered her designated room and sat down on the chair right in front of the desk; "Thank you" she said shyly.
Jackson leaned on the door frame and chuckled; "You've already said thank you multiple times now Sadie, it's alright."
Sadie's cheeks redden.
Jackson pulled away from his perch and grinned; "Well I gotta go I still need to check on some patients"
"Alright, thank you again Dr. Avery"
Jackson rolled his eyes playfully; "You can call me Jackson, I think we're way passed formality"
Sadie bit her bottom lip to keep herself from smiling widely; "If you insist...Jackson"
Jackson spun on his heels; "Later!" he said before walking away.
Sadie took a deep breath; "WOW"
oOo
April glumly entered the pit and made her way towards the Trauma cart; she grabbed herself a gown and quickly shrugged it on.
"Dr. Kepner? Dr. Torres and Dr. Bailey are already waiting for you at the E.R. doors" Stephanie said.
April finished lacing her gown at the back; "I'm aware. Is Trauma Rooms 1 &2, prepped?"
"Yes"
"Good" April replied. She then spun on her heels and jogged towards her waiting colleagues.
Callie turned towards April and studied the Trauma Surgeon's face; "Are you alright?" she asked.
"Yep" April replied. "Do you have any idea what they're bringing in?"
"Nope" Miranda replied.
Callie opened her mouth to question April further but her attention was diverted to the ambulances that just zoomed passed them; "Looks like it's gonna be a long day" she said.
"God knows I need distraction" April mumbled before making a bee line towards the ambulance.
Miranda threw Callie a knowing look before making her way towards the other ambulance.
oOo
"So...Shane will be spending the whole day just playing ping pong with Dr. Shepherd?" Jo asked while watching her friend and the other Attending inside the conference room.
Alex placed his hands on his hips; "Yeah, it's part of his therapy" he replied.
Jo turned towards Alex and smirked; "Do you want to place a bet? I'm quite sure that Shane has this in the bag."
Alex scoffed; "Yeah right, how much?"
"$500"
Alex scrunched his face before turning towards the intern; "Where will get that amount of money?"
Jo smiled; "I won't be eating lunch and besides I'm confident with Shane's talent, so, what do you say? Scared that he'll beat Shepherd?" she hustled.
Alex smirked; "You're on. If I win, you'll end up drinking water for your meals"
"I'm quite sure I'll win"
oOo
"Sadie is already inside your office, you should and check on her" Jackson said as he sidled up next to Mark.
Mark closed his patient's chart and turned towards Jackson; "Good" he replied.
Jackson stuffed his hands inside his lab coat pocket; "Is there anything else you need? Because if there's none, I'm gonna go grab coffee"
"Do you find Sadie-pretty?" Mark asked.
Jackson cocked his head to the side; "Why are you asking me that?" he asked, clearly confused.
Mark crossed his arms on top of his chest; "She's attractive and single, you're attractive and single. I think you two will make a lovely couple" he said with a large grin.
Jackson wrinkled his nose in distaste; "Why are you saying this stuff and why are we even talking about this?"
"I just figured that since you and Kepner are moving on with your lives-separately, I think it's about high time you find someone else to date" Mark explained.
Jackson eyed his mentor for a moment before shaking his head; he spun on his heels and began walking towards the other direction. "I'm not doing this with you"
"Think about it, you and Sadie already have a common ground, I think it'll work!"
"Stay out of it!"
oOo
April approached the ambulance and was startled when Matthew hopped out; he was pulling the gurney out and froze upon seeing April standing right in front of him.
"Hey Matthew, what do we have here?" April asked as she shifted closer to the gurney.
"Errr-strip accident" Matthew stuttered.
Miranda approached the other ambulance and threw the flustered paramedic an amused look; she then turned towards his partner Nicole and opted to ask her instead. "What do we have? MVC? GSW?"
Nicole smirked while handing out the chart; "Better, stripper pole" she replied. She then pulled the gurney out and began firing information; "Vitals are stable in the field, has abdominal tenderness from a crush injury" she said.
Miranda scrunched her face as she reads the notes.
"She slipped, make sure she's alright" The patient croaked.
"Off a pole?" Callie asked.
April tore her eyes away from the chart and stared at her patient with amusement.
The patient's wife met Miranda's eyes; "I—it was our anniversary they installed it right in the bedroom, I wanted it to be a surprise."
"It was...I thought I was gonna get na Ipad" The other patient replied.
Matthew cleared his throat; "She's stable and I think she just have a bruised tailbone" he explained.
April placed the chart on top of the gurney and bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing; she then turned toward Matthew and threw him a smile. "Let's get them in, shall we?"
Matthew started pushing the gurney, a shy smile painted on his lips.
Miranda wrinkled her nose, making Callie chuckle.
oOo
"Nice shot Dr. Shepherd! You put a little something on that backhand?" Shane said while grinning widely.
"7 serving 2" Derek replied before serving again.
Arizona burst inside the room, wearing a frown; "The lawyer called and they need us at the courthouse, NOW" she said.
Derek paused and took a deep breath.
oOo
Mark and Lexie hastily made their way towards the courtroom and paused when they saw that the judge is no longer sitting on the pedestal; "I think we may have just missed the whole thing" Lexie whispered.
"Let's find out" Mark said as he steered Lexie towards their friends; "We're sorry, I got hold up by a post op consult and Lexie had to finish her skills lab, is it bad?" he asked.
Meredith shook her head; "We won."
Lexie's eyes widen as her grip on Mark's arm tightened; "W—we won?"
Derek nodded; "He said the airline company had a history of mechanical problems with the plane, it was in public record and the hospital should've known."
"He found the hospital negligent" Meredith said.
"Did—did they tell you guys how much the award will be?" Mark asked cautiously.
"They already did" Cristina replied.
"They're giving us $15 million dollars" Arizona said.
"Whoa" Lexie gasped.
"Each." Derek added.
Mark took a step back, clearly in shock.
oOo
"Lennard Olsen, 67, came via EMS. His wife was on a stripper pole and fell on him while trying to execute a move called sexy flexy. His full exam indicates possible internal injuries" April explained to Stephanie. She then handed the intern the chart; "I'll need to order a scan so why don't you get Mr. Olsen's past medical history while waiting" she said.
Stephanie accepted the chart and nodded; "Sure thing Dr. Kepner"
April turned towards her patient; "I will be back" she said before exiting the room.
"Hey-"
April closed the door behind her and paused upon seeing Matthew standing right in front of her; "Hey" she replied.
Matthew scratched the back of his head; "I-I'm sorry if I sounded like a twerp a couple of minutes ago...I totally knew what to say but I-I was just caught off guard seeing you again" he said shyly.
April threw an appeasing smile at the EMT; "It's alright Matthew" she replied.
Matthew chuckled nervously; "It's just-you have this effect on me" he admitted.
April stuffed her hands inside her lab coat as she chuckles; "Well-I hope it's a good effect" she joked.
Matthew felt his cheeks flush; "Definitely good"
April bit her bottom lip; "Well-I better go, I still need to order a scan for Mr. Olsen" she said.
Matthew side stepped; "Err-go ahead, sorry for disturbing you"
"You are not disturbing me Matthew" April replied.
"See you around Dr. Kep-April"
April shook her head before walking away.
Alex scoffed upon watching the interaction between April and the dorky paramedic; "What a jerk" he mumbled.
"I think it's cute" Jo piped in.
Alex wrinkled his nose in disgust before shifting his gaze on his intern; "It's not cute, it's stupid"
Jo rolled her eyes before pulling away from the counter; "I have to go check on Dr. Bailey's patient, see you later" she said.
Alex waived his hand dismissively; "Go, work" he said.
"Hey! Have you seen Sloan?"
Alex turned around and saw Jackson standing behind him; "Why? You need some bromance loving?" he teased.
Jackson rolled his eyes; "Have you seen him or you haven't? James, the Crouzon Syndrome kid's parents are looking for him."
Alex leaned back on the counter and crossed his arms on top of his chest; "They're at the courthouse, they're rolling out the verdict today"
"That's today?"
"Yep" Alex replied.
Jackson stuffed his hand inside his lab coat pockets; "I hope they win this case" he said.
Alex nodded in agreement; "Yeah-they've been through hell because of someone's negligence."
"Right" Jackson replied.
Alex cocked his head to the side as he peered behind Jackson's shoulder; "Why is he still hanging around?" he asked.
"Who?"
Alex pointed towards the E.R. doors; "Dorky paramedic"
Jackson turned towards the direction that his friend is pointing at; his eyes instantly narrowing upon seeing the EMT. "That's Matthew, right?"
"Yes and he's been making googly eyes at Kepner the whole freaking time, it's annoying"
Jackson felt annoyance ebbing inside his chest; "April is still talking to him?"
Alex raised his brow; "Is she not allowed? You two called it quits right?"
Jackson glared at Matthew's direction for a couple of minutes before spinning on his heels; "I'm gonna tell James' parents that Sloan will see them later" he said.
Alex shook his head.
oOo
"I'm relieved...I heard about the judgement" Owen said with a smile.
Cristina sat down on the cot; "It hasn't really sunk in yet" she replied. She then thought for a moment; "Will you come with me with this thing tonight?"
Owen sat beside his ex wife; "It depends, what's the thing?"
Cristina wrinkled her nose with distaste; "It's kinda dumb, Arizona wants to have this survivor's dinner"
"Let me think about it, I still have a lot of work to do here" Owen replied.
Cristina leaned forward and planted a chaste kiss on Owens' lips; "It'll be fun if you could come" she said.
Owen smiled back before leaning again and capturing Cristina's lips in his.
oOo
"I still can't believe we won the case" Lexie said as she enters Mark's makeshift office.
Mark moved towards his chair and sat down; "Me too" he replied.
Lexie sat down right in front of the desk and leaned back; "The hospital will be paying us $15 million dollars each" she said. She then scrunched her face; "Yey! Bankruptcy here we come!" she mocked enthusiasm.
"I don't even want to think about it" Mark replied while rubbing his temples.
"Knock Knock?"
Mark moved his eyes towards the door; "Hey Avery, come in" he said.
Jackson stepped inside the room and placed his hands around his hips; "I heard you won congratulations" he said with a sincere smile.
"Thank you" Mark replied.
Jackson shifted his gaze to Lexie; "Why do you look so glum Lex?"
Lexie crossed her arms around her chest; "I just have a lot of things on my mind," she replied. She then turned towards Jackson; "Have you seen April?" she asked.
Jackson stood straighter; "I believe she's at the pit, Karev told me that he just saw her talking with the dorky paramedic"
Lexie's brows rose in surprise; "Really?"
Jackson scoffed; "Yeah, apparently, he's been acting like creeper, freaking annoying" he huffed.
Lexie threw Mark a meaningful look before standing up from her perch; "Well I'll go ahead and check on her, see you later!" she said happily. She then walked by Jackson and patted his shoulder; "Don't pout all day Jackson, I'm sure April still likes you" she teased.
Jackson shrugged off Lexie's hand; "We're just friends Lex, quit it" he hissed.
"Whatever you say Pretty Boy!" Lexie sing songed before exiting the room.
Jackson shifted his gaze to his mentor; "Your fiancé can be very annoying" he complained.
Mark laughed; "Don't let her get to you-she's still carrying a torch for you and April, she still believes that you two are meant to be, give her some time to move on."
Jackson wrinkled his nose in distaste; "Soul mates? She believes in that crap?" he asked.
"Cynical much?" Mark teased.
"Whatever. Anyway I came here to tell you that James parents are looking for you, they want a quick run over on your surgical plan"
Mark stood from his perch; "Alright, we'll go talk to them" he said.
Jackson just nodded and spun on his heels.
oOo
"April! There you are I've been looking for you in like-forever!" Lexie said dramatically.
April shifted her eyes away from the scans; "Hey! I heard, congratulations!" she said with a large smile.
Lexie sidled up next to her friend; "Yeah, thanks I guess" she replied.
April studied Lexie's face for a moment; "I take it that you're not quite happy with it, still thinking about the repercussions?" she asked.
Lexie sighed; "Let's not talk about it yet, I feel like my mind is about to explode"
April threw her friend a sympathetic look; "Okay" she replied. She then paused and smirked; "I think I have something that might lift your mood up a bit"
"What?"
"I have surgery in 10 minutes with Bailey, we're about to fix a diaphragm that's been punctured by a broken rib, I can kick Edwards off from the case and let you scrub in instead"
Lexie bumped her shoulder with April's playfully; "You just don't want to work with Edwards, you're still sore with her even after a month? Wow, you do know how to hold a grudge" she teased.
April turned towards Lexie and glared; "You know what, forget it. I'll just-"
"Whoa! I'm just kidding Apes! I'll be happy to scrub in with you!" Lexie said hastily.
April smirked before walking towards the door; "Then move it Grey!" she barked.
Lexie giggled as she follows the Trauma Surgeon out of the scan room.
oOo
"I thought Edwards is scrubbing in with us? Why is Little Grey all scrubbed up?" Miranda asked as she climbs up her stool.
"Lexie is a little bit left behind so I opted to bring her instead" April said as she takes her place on the other side of the table.
Miranda eyed Lexie; "You sure you're up to it? This will take some time?" she asked.
Lexie nodded; "I'll be fine Dr. Bailey" she replied.
"Okay then, let's start. 10 blade please" Miranda said.
oOo
"Looks like you followed my advice to heart, she's hot" Mark said with a large smile.
James smiled widely; "I blind them with my awesome personality so they forget that I have a weird face."
Mark stepped inside the room; "Well that won't be for long, you ready?" he asked.
"Ready as I can be, take me away Doc!" James said happily.
Mark turned towards Jackson; "Take him to pre-op, you're scrubbing in with me" he said.
Jackson grinned as he walks towards the patient's bed; "Let's go then" he said while tugging up the side railing.
oOo
"Whatever happened to just regular old sex?" Miranda asked while examining the extent of the injury. "Without poles or vaginas dressed up in rhinestone? When did plain old "Get Naked" become boring?"
Lexie eyes crinkled to the side, a tell tale sign that she's grinning behind her mask; "Rhinestones? Really? Where?"
April threw Lexie a side glance; "I think Dr. Bailey is talking about the wife, it looks like she has some-stuff on her-uhm-thing" she said. "Antibiotic Lavage"
"And I suppose men do it, bedazzled their penis?" Miranda continued.
April sighed; "I'm really trying not to think about it"
Lexie giggled; "You're still a prude Apes" she teased.
"I'm not!"
Miranda paused and turned towards the nurse; "Can somebody look that up?"
"On it" The nurse replied.
"Just foolish-idiotic" Miranda continued. She then paused and stared at April with amusement; "Kepner, you ever vajazzled yourself?" she asked.
April's cheeks pinked with embarrassment; she lifted her gaze from her patient and glared at the other Attending as a response.
"Oh, right. Jesus isn't a fan of the vajazzle" Miranda said. She then turned towards Lexie; "Little Grey?"
Lexie chuckled; "Mark will kill me" she replied.
"Right, you're fiancé is a Plastic Surgeon, I forgot" Miranda said. She then shifted her gaze to the other nurse; "Boki?"
Boki just shrugged her shoulders in response.
oOo
"Opening the stomach, Babcock clamp please" Meredith said.
"Lap pads" Richard said.
Meredith locked the clamp and pulled a giant hairball from the patient's stomach.
"Whoa!" Heather gasped.
Meredith lifted it; "Look at this!" she said in disbelief.
Richard focused his attention on it; "Would you look at that, a bezoar."
Meredith turned towards her intern; "It's a giant hairball" she explained.
Heather's eyes widen; "Like from eating your hair?"
Meredith nodded; "Like eating from your hair" she confirmed.
"I used to eat dirt" Heather said offhandedly.
Meredith paused and threw Richard a baffled look.
Heather noticed the shared look between her two superiors; "I haven't in years" she said defensively.
oOo
"Shane is winning, let's double the stake. $1000 bucks?" Jo said while walking towards Alex.
"Shepherd is winning, deal" Alex replied as he passed by Jo.
oOo
"Take him to recovery and don't forget to check on him after an hour to make sure that the pain meds are still in effect, okay?"
"Yes Dr. Sloan" Leah replied before following James' gurney out of the O.R.
Mark took his surgical cap off and stretched his arms upward.
"You okay?" Jackson asked as he watches his mentor.
Mark turned his head sideways; "I'm good, just a little bit tired, this is the longest I have been in the O.R. after that stupid plane crash"
Jackson pushed the door open and waited for Mark to step out; "I can be on call tonight, you should go home and rest"
Mark stepped out of the O.R and turned towards his prot; "Really? You don't have any plans?"
"Yeah, I'm good, I can do it" Jackson offered.
"Thanks, that's awesome. I just remembered, Arizona wanted to have this dinner for the crash survivors and she made reservations, no way to back out on that one" Mark said.
Jackson nodded; "All is set then, enjoy your dinner" he said. He then spun on his heels and began walking towards the elevator.
"Avery?"
Jackson halted his steps and turned towards his mentor; "Yeah?"
"I really think you should give Sadie a shot, she seems to like you" Mark said.
Jackson turned towards Mark and placed his hands on his hips; "You're really not letting this go?" he asked in exasperation.
"I just think that if you're really serious on being just friends with Kepner, you have to find someone else to divert your attention to, that way you won't be too focus on her" Mark explained.
"I'm not focused on April" Jackson said defensively.
Mark copied his prot's stance; "Your face turns sour every time somebody mentions Matthew's name" he challenged.
Jackson scowled; "It's because I don't like that guy!"
Mark pointed towards the young surgeon's face; "Like that, scowling."
Jackson huffed.
"Just think about it, Sadie gave me her number so if you ever change your mind just let me know, okay?"
"Fine."
"I want you to be happy, you're my best friend but it's so hard to let you go now all that could have been. I'll always have the memories, she'll always have you. Fate has a way of changing, just when you don't want it to. Throw away the chains. Let love fly away, till love comes again, I'll be okay..."
"So a little birdie told me that Matthew was here this afternoon, is that true?" Lexie asked as she walks side by side with April.
April turned her face towards Lexie and wrinkled her nose; "Who told you that?"
Lexie waived her hand dismissively; "It doesn't matter who, now tell me, why is he there?" she asked curiously.
April turned her face away and stared ahead; "Err-it's his job to bring patients in?"
"So...you're telling me that he's only here for work and nothing else? Did you already have coffee with him?"
"Yes, he was here for work and no, we haven't had coffee yet" April replied.
"You should, you know" Lexie replied.
April turned her face towards Lexie again; "Err-okay?" she asked.
Lexie halted her steps and turned towards her friend; "You're really serious about this friend zone thing with Jackson right?" she asked seriously.
April paused; "Y-yes, why?"
"Mark's playing cupid, he's pushing Jackson and Sadie together-if he can get his way, I'm sure he'll be able to convince Jackson to take Sadie out"
April felt a pang inside her chest but she mashed it down; "Sadie?"
Lexie sighed; "She's Mark's tonsillectomy patient last month, she's from Boston and graduated from Harvard as well, Mark thinks that it's a perfect common ground for the two to start something" she explained.
"Oh" April gasped. She then resumed her pace and rounded the corner; "Well-that's good for them right? I-I think that Mark's right-that's a pretty strong ground" she replied half heartedly.
Lexie followed the red head; "Are you okay?" she asked with concern.
April threw Lexie a smile; "Of course I am, I think it's a good idea you know, dating other people?"
Lexie studied April's face, clearly not believing a word that the red head is saying. She was about to call her friend off but a figure standing near the nurses' station caught her attention; "Err-is that Jackson's mom?" she asked while pointing towards it.
April halted in her steps and shifted her gaze towards the direction that her friend is pointing at; "Oh crap, yeah it's Jackson's mom" she replied.
"Why don't you go talk to her, she seems...off?" Lexie observed.
April bit her bottom lip; "I don't think that's a good idea Lex" she said.
Lexie placed her hands on her hips; "That woman likes you Apes and she looks...lost. You're her son's best friend, at least do something."
"But I still have to finish the notes for Mr. Olsen."
Lexie snatched the chart off of April's hand; "I'll finish it for you, I've been there the whole time and you can check it after" she said. She then pushed April forward; "Go"
April straightened her lab coat and sighed; "Fine."
Lexie gestured towards the older woman before spinning on her heels and walking towards the elevator.
April took a deep breath before approaching Jackson's mom; "Dr. Avery, Good evening" she said politely.
Catherine turned around and saw April standing behind her; she let out a sad smile before moving closer and engulfing April into a hug. "Hi sweetheart" she said.
April returned the hug before pulling away; "Are you waiting for Jackson?" she asked.
Catherine shook her head dejectedly; "I was actually hoping to talk with Richard but it seems like he's not ready to talk yet."
April reached for Catherine's arm and gave it a comforting squeeze; "I know I'm not in the position to say this but just give him some time-he'll come around"
Catherine stared at April before nodding; "I hope so-well, enough about me, did my baby boy tell you that I'll be dropping by tonight?"
April pulled her hand away; "He did mention it in passing this morning" she replied.
"Do you know where he is?"
April shook her head; "No, I just got off of a surgery-I think he's still with Dr. Sloan" she replied.
"I see, looks like I'll have to wait for him for a couple of more minutes. Do you mind keeping an old lady company while she waits for her son?" Catherine asked.
April stared at Catherine before smiling; "You didn't need to ask," she replied.
oOo
Jackson grabbed his jacket from his locker and shrugged it on; he checked his pockets for his phone and wallet before he closed it.
"You going home?" Alex asked sulkily as he walks towards his own locker.
"Nope, my mom is here, I'm taking her out for drinks" Jackson replied. He then paused and stared at his friend; "What's wrong with you?"
Alex took off his scrub top off; "I lost a $1000 bucks, stupid Shepherd can't even play ping pong right" he complained.
Jackson laughed; "Who did you bet against?" he asked amusedly.
"Wilson"
Jackson smirked; "You got the hots for her, a $1000 is nothing"
Alex scowled; "For the nth time I don't have the hots for he!" he growled.
Jackson brushed off Alex's reaction and began walking towards the door; "See you tomorrow Karev!" he said jovially.
"Whatever!"
Jackson sniggered.
oOo
"I thought you and my son are heading towards that direction" Catherine said with a pout.
April laughed nervously; "Jackson and I-we're just best friends; I don't know where you got that idea from"
"I would've been the happiest mother if you two are to date" Catherine said point blank.
April felt her cheeks flush as she averted her gaze; "I-I don't think-"
"Well—if you two aren't an item then I suggest you go and explore baby, there are other fishes in the sea but mind you, my son is the finest amongst them" Catherine finished with a wink.
"Dr. Avery!"
Catherine laughed; "I'm just teasing you" she said. "And stop calling me Dr. Avery, I'm not my father in law, call me Catherine, we're way passed formality and we're not at work"
"Okay...Catherine" April said obediently.
"Or you can call me, Mom if you'd like" Catherine added slyly.
April eyes widen as her mouth hangs open.
"I hope you're neither harassing nor pimping April again mom" Jackson said as he walks towards the bench.
Catherine turned towards the voice and grinned widely upon seeing her son; "I'm not!" she replied.
"Jackson!" April greeted, clearly elated with his presence.
Jackson stood right in front of the bench and smiled at his two favourite women; "Why didn't you have me paged? I should've met you earlier" he said.
"Oh hush! I have April here to keep me company" Catherine said.
Jackson turned his gaze towards April and noticed that's she still in her scrubs; "You're still in shift?" he asked.
April shook her head; "Nope, I'm about to go home." She then stood up from her perch and turned towards Catherine; "It was nice catching up with you again, I hope you two have a good night, I better head out" she said with a smile.
Catherine also stood up from the bench; "Why don't you join us for drinks? We're just heading to Joe's, I'm sure Jackson wouldn't mind" she offered.
April bit her bottom lip while thinking.
Jackson shoved his hands inside his pockets; "Mom's right, just one drink won't hurt" he said.
April shifted her gaze to Jackson; "Well-alright but I'll just meet you guys there, I still have to change" she said.
"We can wait for you here, it's no bother, right mom?"
Catherine threw April an appeasing smile; "Jackson's right dear, it's quite late to walk around the street alone, we can wait" she said.
"Are you-"
"We'll wait for you, now get your pretty ass up there and change" Jackson said with a smile.
April smiled back; "Okay, if you insist, be back in a bit" she replied before jogging towards the pit's entrance.
"Pretty ass? That's a classy way to compliment a woman" Catherine said as she sits down.
Jackson rolled his eyes; "It's April mom, she knows what I mean" he replied before plopping down beside his mother.
Catherine leaned back and crossed her legs; "How are you doing baby?" she asked.
"I'm doing good, how about you? Have you talked to Richard?" Jackson asked.
Catherine wrinkled her nose; "Let's not talk about Richard" she said. She then stared at her son; "Are you dating anyone?"
"Personal life-off limits, remember?"
"You're no fun!" Catherine pouted.
Jackson just shook his head.
"At least April is open about her life" Catherine said.
Jackson turned his face towards his mother; "What did she tell you?" he asked.
Catherine raised her brow; "She's you're best friend, I'm quite sure that she already told you what I know" she said with amusement.
Jackson averted his gaze and pursed his lips; "Yeah, we talk a lot" he mumbled to himself.
Catherine smirked; "Yeah-I'm quite sure you know about Matthew..."
Jackson gritted his teeth; "Yeah, I know Matthew"
"Did you know that they haven't gotten the chance to go out for coffee? I mean, is she the only doctor in your hospital? 30 minutes will do but I think she's holding out because she's interested with someone else..."
Jackson turned his gaze towards his mother; "Really?" he asked.
Catherine nodded; "Yeah-I'm a woman, I should know. If we like someone and they ask us out, it doesn't take that long to decide... just like now"
Jackson felt his face heating so he averted his gaze again; he cleared his throat and sat straighter.
Catherine smiled at her son's reaction; "Why don't you just ask her out like a regular guy, I'm quite sure that she'll go out with you, stop acting like a shy school boy asking his first crush out"
"We're not talking about my love life mom, stop it" Jackson groaned.
"Love life? Interesting" Catherine teased.
"You're impossible!"
Catherine laughed.
oOo
Meredith placed her cutlery on top of her plate and stared at her friends; she threw Derek a look before clearing her throat. "I have something to say"
The table quieted, signalling for the General Surgeon to continue; Lexie throwing her older sister an encouraging smile.
Meredith smiled back; "Derek and I-we're pregnant" she blurted out.
Arizona's eyes widen; "You're having a baby! Congratulations!" she chirped happily.
"Congratulations!" Mark said, offering his hand for a fist bump.
Derek laughed as he turned towards his best friend; fist bumping with him like the old times. "Thank you!"
Meredith turned towards Cristina; "I didn't tell you because I didn't think that I will be able to make it to my second trimester, hostile uterus and all."
Cristina smirked at her best friend; "I already knew you were, I'm just waiting for you to be ready and tell me. I'm happy for you" she said sincerely.
Meredith felt her eyes tearing up; "I hate this pregnancy hormones, it makes me cry all the time"
Cristina chuckled before pulling Meredith into a hug; "I'm not a hugger but I'm quite drunk and you're my person, so this is a clear exemption to the rule" she joked.
Meredith laughed.
oOo
"So if I understand it correctly, the insurance won't be paying a single cent and this hospital will be the one to shell out all the money?" Owen asked cautiously.
"Yes" The head of the board replied.
"But we don't have the resources" Owen replied.
The head of the board sighed and leaned back on her chair; "We'll be hiring a Physician Advisor that will be able to help with the cut backs, we're doing our best to keep the doors open but if worst comes to worst, we will be forced to file for bankruptcy and closed this hospital for good."
Owen fell back on his chair, flabbergasted
oOo
Jackson pulled over right in front of April's apartment complex; "We're here" he said.
April opened her eyes and began surveying her surrounding; she then turned towards Jackson and smiled. "Yeah we are, your navigation skills are improving"
Jackson chuckled; "You live 10 minutes away from the hospital, it's not that hard to find" he replied.
"Fair point" April said. She then unbuckled her seat belt and grabbed her bag from the dashboard; "Thanks for the ride Jackman, I appreciate it" she said.
Jackson placed his hands on the steering wheel and thought about what Mark said; he licked his lips and stared at April seriously. "Mark told me that I should date" he blurted out.
April's hand tightened on her bag, she turned her head sideways and met Jackson's eyes; "Y-yeah I've heard..."
Jackson's brows furrowed; "Heard from whom?" he asked.
"Lexie told me-Sadie's her name right?" April asked.
Jackson tightened his hold on the steering wheel as he cursed Lexie Grey mentally; "Y—yeah"
April tried her best to rein her emotions in, she smiled the most convincing smile she can muster; "I heard she's from Boston and a Harvard alumni too, looks like a perfect match"
Jackson studied April's face but no matter how hard he tries, he cannot read into it like before; "she's closing off again" he thought. "That's what Mark said, yeah"
April swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth before letting out another smile; "Then you should give it a try. I—I saw you this afternoon, she's very beautiful-you look good together"
Jackson furrowed his brows; "Where did you see us? I didn't see you"
"I was sitting on the nurses' station saving my notes when you passed by" April explained.
"You should've called me though, I could've introduced you" Jackson said.
April felt another pang inside her chest, this time, making her cringe; "I don't think that's necessary Jackson" she replied.
"Right-sorry" Jackson back pedalled. He then took a deep breath and squared his shoulders; "You should-you should go out too, you know."
April stared at Jackson for a moment; "he doesn't seem to care, maybe he's really moved on? I think it's about time I should too" she thought. "You're right...maybe I should finally take on Matthew's offer"
Jackson gritted his teeth; "Yeah—"
April nodded; she then let out a tight lipped smile before gesturing towards the door. "I should go, we still have work tomorrow"
Jackson nodded; "it's late" he replied.
April pushed the door open; "Thanks for the ride Jackman, I'll see you tomorrow, have a good night" she said before climbing out of the car. Once she's outside, she closed the door and waved at her best friend goodbye before turning around and walking away.
Jackson leaned back on his seat as he watches April enter the door; once he's satisfied that she's safely inside he let out a deep breath. "This is so fucked up" he groaned.
"Life passes so quickly, you gotta take the time or you'll miss what really matters, you'll miss all the signs. I've spent my life searching for what was always there, sometimes it will be too late, sometimes it won't be fair..."
Owen took his place on the stairs and cleared his throat; he stuffed his hands inside his lab coat pockets and stared at his staff. "Okay folks, let's start" he said loudly.
The chatter around the room quieted as all eyes focused on the Chief of Surgery.
"As many of you know, Seattle Grace Mercy West has suffered a financial setback. The administration is working hard to keep the impact of that setback as small as possible. To that end, we're gonna have to initiate some sort of cost-cutting measures. The board has hired a Physician Advisor to help."
"What's a Physician Advisor?" Meredith asked.
"Well, she consults on maximizing efficiency, streamlining the processes, assessing where we can trim our budgets-"
"Who to fire and when to fire them" Miranda piped in.
Owen ignored Miranda's comment and continued; "She's here to advise and to help, I was hoping to introduce her in person but she seems to be late" he said while checking his watch.
"Oh-on her first day? Not very efficient" Cristina joked, earning a chuckle from her peers.
"You can expect to see her along the halls, in your labs, in the O.R" Owen said.
"So we're gonna have an accountant following us around the O.R's?" Derek asked.
"She's not an accountant, she is a trained surgeon. Frankly, she is here to try to help us, thank you for your cooperation" Owen said before stepping down and walking towards his office.
oOo
"Have you thought about it?" Mark asked as he walks beside Jackson.
Jackson yawned; "Thought about what?" he asked.
"About Sadie" Mark replied.
Jackson sighed as he stopped right in front of the elevator; he punched on the button before turning towards his mentor. "Will you stop bothering me if I get her number?"
Mark plucked his phone from his pocket before grinning widely at his prot; "I'll send it right now" he replied.
Jackson rolled his eyes.
oOo
"Lexie!"
Lexie turned around and saw April jogging towards her; "Hey, what's up?" she asked.
April stopped right in front of Lexie; "Can I talk to you for a moment? In private?" she asked shakily.
Lexie furrowed her brows; "Is everything alright?" she asked with concern.
April bit her bottom lip and just shook her head.
"Let's go, I know a place where we can have privacy" Lexie said as she tugs on her friend's arm.
oOo
Cristina stepped inside Owens' office and closed it behind her; "I'm sorry" she said.
Owen tore his eyes away from the document his perusing and let out a small smile; "its okay, I know you're just trying to lighten up the situation—in your own way" he said.
Cristina walked towards the desk and sat down on the chair right in front of it; "I just wish things would've been different" she said quietly.
Owen leaned forward and grabbed Cristina's hands; "Don't worry about it, we're trying our best to fix things. I'm just glad that you are here with me, that's all that matters" he said.
Cristina let out a small smile; "I'm glad I'm here too" she replied.
oOo
"Edwards! You'll be with me for an hour, Kepner is currently doing a consult but she'll be back soon. Give me an update" Miranda barked.
Stephanie began fumbling with her charts and began counting the beds.
Miranda placed her hands on her hips as she stares at the intern; "What the hell are you doing?"
"There-there's a woman on bed 4 who's complaining for shortness of breath" Stephanie stuttered.
Miranda scowled; "Did you check on her?" she asked.
Stephanie swallowed nervously; "I-I was about to"
Miranda spun on her heels and made her way towards bed 4; "Good Morning, my name is Dr. Bailey and I'll be your consult, my intern here told me that you're experiencing shortness of breath?" she asked while tugging off the stethoscope around her neck.
"More like shortness of life. I've been sitting here for 45 minutes and your intern didn't even bother to check if I'm still breathing" The patient replied. She then hopped off the E.R bed and stared at Miranda; "Dr. Alana Cahill, I'm the Physician Advisor, can you point me to Dr. Hunt's office? I'm 45 minutes late for my meeting" she said.
Miranda turned towards Stephanie and glared.
oOo
Lexie pushed April forward and closed the door behind them.
April turned towards her friend; "Are you sure we're allowed to be here?"
"I wouldn't take you here if we're not. People seldom go here because like you they like to think that its off limits but it's not" Lexie explained.
"Rooftops in Mercy West are off limits, that's why I asked" April replied.
Lexie stuffed her hands inside her pockets and fixed April a stare; "So what gives? What do you want to talk about?" she asked.
April blinked a couple of times before letting out a defeated sigh; "I told Jackson he can date Sadie" she blurted out.
Lexie's eyes widen in shock; "You what?!"
April turned around and opted to face the Seattle skyline; she let her shoulders sag as she fully lets her guard down. "He told me last night what Mark said and he looked like he wants to date so I told him, he can if he wants to"
"Let me guess, you're not really okay with it?"
April let out another dejected sigh; "I want to be"
Lexie stuffed her hands inside her lab coat pockets; "You guys are confusing me, you know that?"
April laughed humorlessly; "You're not the only one Lex" she said.
"You and Jackson had sex during the boards and then you left for Moline. You came back and you started going at it again but for some unknown reason you broke up out of the blue then you both decided to revert back to being best friend's again. I mean-who does that? You guys are nuts!" Lexie said with exasperation.
April turned her head towards Lexie and can't help but crack a smile; "Wow Lex, you're the only one who can summarize our story in 2 sentences."
Lexie rolled her eyes as she falls into step with the red head; "Don't try to be cheeky with me Kepner."
April turned her gaze back to the sky; "If I tell you something, can you promise me that you'll keep it to yourself?" she asked.
Lexie threw April a side glance; "I won't tell a soul" she affirmed.
April took a deep sigh, never taking her eyes off the sky; "Jackson and I broke up because we had a pregnancy scare"
Lexie gasped.
April ignored the other surgeon's reaction and continued; "It was during the time I asked you to draw blood for some tests, it was never about anemia, it was for a pregnancy test because I was 14 days late"
"Did you...?"
"No-I did not get an abortion and I was not pregnant, the lab switched my results with Meredith's because we both had the idea to name our specimen Jane Doe" April explained.
Lexie let out a sigh of relief; "What happened?"
"Jackson offered to marry me..."
"Oh my god!"
April turned toward her friend and smile sadly; "He offered to marry me because it was the honorable thing to do, not because he really wants to. I heard him talking with Mark that day, he told Mark that he was only doing it for the sake of the baby-because he didn't want our child to grow up without knowing his father" she explained. She then let out another sigh and fixed her gaze to the sky again; "He doesn't even know how to label his feelings for me-that's how unsure he was of his feelings. To be fair, I don't know what I feel for him too but I somehow have inkling that I might be in love with him, how does it feel Lex? How do you know you're in love?" she asked softly.
Lexie shifted closer to April and gently placed her arm around the red head's shoulders; "It-it really varies on people Apes" she replied.
"How did you know you're in love with Mark then?"
"My feelings for Mark are inexplicable-all I know is that, I love him so much that I can't sleep, I can't eat and I can't breathe without him by my side"
April felt the wind got knocked out of her chest as her eyes started heating up; "Fuck, I'm screwed" she said forlornly.
oOo
"Kepner where have you-what the hell is wrong with you?" Miranda asked as she watches April stop right in front of her.
April shrugged off Miranda's question and smiled at the General Attending; "Thank you for taking over Dr. Bailey, I'll take it from here" she replied politely.
Miranda placed her hands on her hips; "You have puffy red eyes, are you sure you can take care of the pit? We don't want another blunder here today after all"
April furrowed her brows and stuffed her hands inside her lab coat pockets; "What happened?"
Miranda gestured towards Stephanie; "She managed to make our E.R. look inefficient in a matter of 45 minutes"
"Huh?"
"Remember the Physician Advisor that the board hired to evaluate us?"
"Yes"
"Well, her first stop happens to be here. She pretended to be a patient to check how long our patient intake is, unfortunately Edwards there-forgot to check on her and made her wait for 45 minutes before she was tended to."
"Oh god" April groaned.
Miranda shook her head; "There's nothing we can do now, let's just try our best to make this pit more efficient next time Cahill comes. So-I'm asking you again, are you okay?"
April squared her shoulders and nodded; "I'm okay Dr. Bailey, I'll take it from here and I'll make sure that no single intern will slack off" she said confidently.
Miranda stared at April for a moment before nodding; "Okay then," she replied.
April spun on her heels and made a bee line towards the interns who are chatting idly by the nurses' station.
Miranda watched in fascination as the red head started barking orders, making the interns squirm and run towards their designated zone.
oOo
"You excited for our surgery? This is our first" Derek asked as he walks side by side Lexie.
Lexie smiled widely at her brother in law; "I'm more than excited" she replied giddily.
"This will be an 8 hour long and tedious surgery with high post excision mortality/morbidity rate, you ready?" Derek asked as he stops right in front of his patient's room.
"I already know that Derek, we've been working on Jimmy's case even before the stupid plane crash, let's not make him wait even longer" Lexie replied.
Derek grinned; "That's why I like having you in my service, you got balls. Now, let's say Hi to Jimmy" he said before pushing the door open.
Lexie bit her bottom lip to keep herself from grinning like a loon, Neuro is definitely her specialty.
oOo
"Just press the button up here if the pain is not tolerable, okay?" Jackson reminded his patient.
"Yeah" James croaked.
Jackson smiled; "I better head out, I'll check on you again later" he said before spinning on his heels and stepping out of the room. He was closing the door behind him when he spotted his mentor walking towards him; "Don't you have anything to do? If the Physician Advisor sees you doing nothing she might sic Hunt on our department."
Mark waived his hand dismissively; "They can't cut anything from Plastics, there are only 4 Fellows here and you don't have to worry about being cut off, you're last name will save you."
Jackson glared at Mark; "That makes me feel a whole lot better, using my last name" he said sarcastically.
Mark rolled his eyes; "Fine. They can't cut you off because I'm sticking my ass out for you, you're mine and they cannot touch what's mine, happy?"
Jackson cringed; "Now that doesn't sound right"
"Whatever, I know you get me anyway" Mark replied.
"What are you doing here anyway? Are you bored? Why don't you trail behind your fiancé instead of bugging the hell out of me"
Mark pursed his lips; "Lex is operating with Derek, Acoustic Neuroma."
Jackson whistled appreciatively; "Wow, Shepherd is starting with a bang" he said. He then paused; "Wait-doesn't that take hours? Can Lexie handle that?"
"She can handle it, she's tough cookie" Mark replied.
Jackson nodded; "I see."
Mark eyed Jackson for a second; "So...you already made the call?" he asked.
"Here we go again" Jackson mumbled as he began walking away.
Mark leaned on the counter and crossed his arms on top of his chest; "Your phone cannot make a call by itself Avery, you actually have to use it! Call her; I'm sure she's dying to hear from you!"
"I'll call her because I want to call her and not because you bullied me into it!"
oOo
"Brian Turner, age 55. Minor head injury, vital signs are stable" Matthew said as he hopped off the ambulance.
"Fall off the damn ladder cleaning the damn gutter" The patient croaked.
Matthew smiled at April; "I was gonna say that-fewer damns" he said while handing his notes.
April smiled back and accepted it; she turned her attention towards Stephanie and stared at her. "You'll need to know if he lost consciousness in the field"
Stephanie turned towards the patient; "Sir did you lost consciousness in the field?" she asked.
"I didn't fell in a damn field, I fell in my damn yard" The patient replied.
April glared at the intern; "Ask the paramedic not the patient" she said sternly.
"He was conscious the whole damn time" Matthew supplied, making April crack a small smile.
Stephanie looked abashed; "Can we start over?" she asked.
"No time. Get him triaged, go" April said before running off towards the other incoming gurney.
oOo
"45 minutes in an E.R. bed before I saw a doctor?" Alana asked with a raised brow.
Owen cringed; "Well, that's not good"
"No it's not. I'll have to add that to the things that needs to be re-evaluated" Alana said carefully.
Owen gritted his teeth as he leads her into his office.
oOo
April entered the Trauma Room and raised brow in amusement as she watches Stephanie listen to Matthew's report; she noticed the faint blush staining the intern's cheeks and she can't help but chuckle at how flustered the intern looks. She bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling as she slipped on her gloves; "Stop" she interjected, making Matthew pause. "Dr. Edwards, what injuries are we more concerned on this patient?" she asked as she shifted closer to the bed.
Stephanie paused; "We always start with the ABC's" she replied.
"If you'd been listening to Matthew here, you'd already have your answer. Can you start over?" April asked.
Matthew nodded; "There is significant damage to the dashboard" he said slowly.
April turned her gaze towards her intern; "What's the basic law of motion Edwards?"
Stephanie threw her Attending a confused look; "The basic law?"
April rolled her eyes; "Energy cannot be created or destroyed but can change in form or be absorbed"
Matthew threw April an impressed look.
Stephanie's eyes widen; "Which means the impact to the dashboard was absorbed by the patient."
"So-the injuries of the patient we're most concerned with are?"
"Knee injury, possible pelvis, c-spine" Stephanie replied somewhat triumphantly.
"Matthew here stabilized the pelvis in the field so now you can start your exam" April said with a little smile.
Stephanie let out a relieved smile before she started working on the patient.
April smirked at Matthew.
oOo
"You give tough love in here" Matthew said as he took a sip of his coffee.
"Am I too hard on her?"
Matthew chuckled; "Not really" he replied.
April raised her brow as she took a sip of her own coffee; "You don't sound convincing there"
"Fine, you were scary in there" Matthew admitted.
April laughed; "I know how I sounded inside the Trauma Room Matt and its okay" she said. She then paused and leaned back on the bench; "Interns need tough love-it's the only way for them to learn. Babying them and holding their hand won't work because I already tried that and instead of earning their respect I ended up being called The Dud" she said thoughtfully.
"The Dud? What's that supposed to mean?"
"The least wanted Attending-in short, the most pathetic doctor in this hospital" April replied.
Matthew winced; "That's awful!"
"Don't I know it?"
"I've been seeing you work for quite some time now and you are clearly not The Dud" Matthew said.
April smiled; "I already set them straight but thank you for saying that" she said.
Matthew smiled back.
April shifted her eyes to her coffee and began stirring it; "You're sitting beside a guy who clearly likes you and yet you don't feel anything. You saw him interacting with the same intern you saw Jackson teaching and instead of being jealous-you actually think they make a cute couple? What the hell is wrong with you April? Are you losing your freaking mind? No I don't think so-you're just in love-in love with the wrong guy, stupid love!" she thought.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
April tore her eyes away from her coffee and shifted her eyes back to Matthew; "Uh-sorry"
Matthew took a sip of his coffee; "I lost you there for a second" he replied.
"Yeah" April replied. She then sighed and leaned back on the bench; "I just have a lot of things on my mind I guess."
Matthew stared at April for a moment; "It's not working, right?"
April turned her head sideways; "What's not working?"
Matthew winced; "This-between us, you don't feel anything?"
April's eyes widen in shock, totally not expecting Matthew to be blunt.
"Bummer" Matthew said with an embarrassed smile.
April cringed; "I-I'm sorry..."
Matthew leaned back on bench, his shoulders sagged in defeat.
"I'm sorry Matthew-you seem really nice and kind and you're really good looking but-"
Matthew turned his face sideways, facing April; "You're already in love with someone else" he finished.
April bit her bottom lip and sighed.
"You love him that much?"
April nodded.
Matthew turned to face the Trauma Surgeon; "Does he know?"
April's grip on her cup tightened; "It's complicated"
Matthew cocked his head to the side; "Love is not complicated, people are" he said wisely.
April turned towards Matthew, a small smile visible on her lips; "That's a good one" she said.
Matthew stared at April with full seriousness; "If you love this guy then tell him because he's really lucky. You're one hell of a catch Dr. April Kepner, it's just too bad that I wasn't able to catch you before you fell" he finished with a rueful smile.
April's eyes started to sting; "Don't say things like that, you're gonna make be bawl like a bitch baby!"
"Don't cry on me now, if there's someone who deserves to cry-it's me. I've just been officially dumped over coffee" Matthew joked. "On our first date" he added as an afterthought.
April giggled as she wipes her eyes hurriedly; "I didn't dump you per say-I just didn't want you to wait on someone whose in love with someone else"
Matthew pretended to scratch his chin while in thought; "Point taken"
"But kidding aside, I still want to be your friend Matthew...I hope you'll let me" April said seriously.
Matthew let his hand drop to his lap before smiling at the red head; "That's a no brainer Kepner, of course you can be my friend."
April grinned and offered her hand; "Let's shake on it then,"
Matthew chuckled before shaking April's hand; he was about to pull his hand away but April won't let go. "Err-why are you holding on to my hand?" he asked.
April continued grinning; "As a friend, I think I know someone who's kinda interested in you" she said.
Matthew's cheeks instantly flush bright red as his eyes widen in shock.
oOo
Jackson gnashed his teeth together and forced himself to turn around and walk away; he went to the pit with the intention of asking April to join him for coffee but it seems like she already found a new coffee buddy. He glumly entered the pit again and let out dejected sigh; he made his way towards the nearest on call room and pushed to door open. He entered the room with another sigh and walked towards the bed; he plopped down and fell on his back. He closed his eyes and covered it with his right arm; "You gotta stop this, you're the one who pushed her to entertain Matthew, you shouldn't feel like this" he muttered to himself. "Time to move on Jackson Avery"
"I won't give up, I won't give in. I can't recreate what just might have been, I know that my heart will find love again. Now is the time to begin. I'll be okay, coz I can't hold on forever..."
"How's your first surgery?" Mark asked while leaning on the wall.
"It went well considering I had to throw Cahill out of my O.R." Derek replied.
Mark whistled as he pushed away from the wall; "She's really spying on surgeries?" he asked.
Derek scrunched his face; "She is and it's very annoying" he huffed.
"I feel for you man" Mark said.
Derek took off his scrub cap off; "Lexie is just scrubbing out, she'll be out in a minute. I, on the other hand needs to find my wife"
Mark smirked; "Speaking of your wife, I heard she's been crying all over the place and terrorizing Ross all day"
Derek chuckled; "She's a little bit hormonal as of the moment" he replied.
"Don't let her hear you say that, there'd be hell to pay"
"Why?"
"I'm talking from personal experience bro, Callie gave me hell when she heard me talking to Arizona about her hormones" Mark explained.
"Oh, I see. Well, thanks for the advice, I'll keep that in mind" Derek said with a thoughtful look on his face, he then gestured towards the elevator; "I'm heading out, see you tomorrow" he said before walking out.
"Good night!" Mark called out.
Derek lifted his hand and waved goodbye; "Night" he said.
Lexie stepped out of the O.R. and saw her fiancé standing on the hallway; "What are you doing here?" she asked.
Mark turned towards Lexie and smiled; "Picking you up of course" he said.
"I'm tired, I want to go home" Lexie replied.
Mark walked towards Lexie and began rubbing her arms; "We can crash on my place" he said huskily.
Lexie stared at Mark's face and remembered April's crying form; she narrowed her eyes and pulled away. "I'm not in the mood Mark, I'm going home with Mer and Derek" she said.
Mark's eyes widen in surprise; "But we had plans tonight" he said, aghast.
"I changed my mind. Why don't you just bother Jackson again, bully him until you get him to cave in and date your stupid patient" Lexie spat before sauntering away.
Mark stood rooted on the spot.
oOo
Jackson checked his phone as he briskly walked towards the elevator; he run towards it when he saw the doors closing. "Please hold it!" he yelled. He let out a relieved sigh when the doors opened again; "Thanks-are you alright?" he asked as he stepped inside.
"Lexie ditched our date night and opted to go home with Meredith and Derek" Mark said.
Jackson punched on the button and turned to face his disgruntled mentor; "Maybe she's tired? She's been in the O.R. for what-8 hours?"
Mark shifted his gaze to Jackson; "She ditched me because I keep on pushing you to date Sadie"
"Huh? But why?"
"I also don't know" Mark replied.
Jackson sighed and shoved his hands inside his pockets; "You can tell her that you're not pushing me to date Sadie-I'm dating her because I want too" he said quietly.
Mark's eyes widen; "What do you mean you're dating her?"
Jackson cleared his throat; "I called her up this afternoon-we're grabbing a drink at Joe's tonight, that's where I'm heading now" he said.
Mark cocked his head to the side; "What changed your mind?" he asked, clearly confused with his prot's decision.
Jackson shrugged his shoulders; "I think you're right-I think it's time to start seeing other people. This thing with me and April-it won't go away on its own, I have to do something about it, so, here I am, following your advice, I'm dating" he explained before turning around to face the door.
"Crap" Mark muttered lowly.
Jackson turned his face towards his mentor; "Huh?"
Mark shook his head; "Err—nothing, have a good date" he said.
"Thanks" Jackson replied.
oOo
"We'll wait for you in the car, take your time!" Meredith said before dragging Derek towards the exit.
"You just want to have your way with Derek! 15 minutes and I'll be out there so make it fast!" Lexie called out.
"Thank you Lex!" Meredith replied with a giggle.
Lexie smiled as she shook her head; "Pregnancy hormones" she muttered to herself.
"I thought you have a date night with Mark, what are you still doing here?"
Lexie turned around and saw April walking towards her; she smiled at her friend and patted the vacant seat beside her. "I cancelled, I'm tired, come sit with me while I wait for my sister to have her wicked ways with her McDreamy."
April let out a giggle before plopping down beside her friend; "Let me guess, pregnancy hormones gone wild?"
Lexie chuckled; "Yeah, well-it beats her crying spell. Have you heard about her bitching on your star student the whole day?"
"I saw it with my own two eyes, thank God I'm no longer an intern" April said.
Lexie nodded in agreement; "Thank God she accepted me as her sister"
April chuckled; she then leaned back on the bench and titled her head upwards. "I had coffee with Matthew today"
Lexie's eyes widen; "Really? How did that go?"
April turned her head sideways; "I told him not wait for someone who's in love with someone else" she said.
"Oh Apes..."
April shifted her gaze away and continued staring at the night sky; "I don't want to string him along, Matthew is a nice guy and I don't want to end up hurting him. This feeling I have for Jackson-I don't see it fading away any time soon, It took me awhile to admit that I'm in love with him and I think it will take longer to fall out of love with him" she said.
"Are you telling him then?" Lexie asked.
April turned her gaze back to her friend and smiled, albeit sadly; "He's moving on Lexie and I just told him that he can date, I won't go back my word just because I was able to finally figure out my feelings for him" she said. She then let out deep breath and thumped her hands on her thighs; "I can't hold on forever Lex so I'm gonna try to move on as well-I'll just focus on my boards so that I can with my Fellowship."
Lexie threw April a concerned look; "No offense Apes but you're starting to freak me out a bit" she admitted.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be okay" April replied with an appeasing smile.
"Err-okay"
oOo
Jackson entered Joe's and started scanning the place; when he spotted Sadie he hastily made his way towards the brunette. "I'm sorry I'm late"
Sadie turned towards Jackson and smiled; "You're not late, I just arrived 5 minutes ago, meeting ran late" she replied.
Jackson smiled back; "Same here, post op ran late too. Let me get you a drink, what do you want?" he asked.
"Gin tonic" Sadie replied.
"One gin tonic coming right up, be back in a minute" Jackson said before making a bee line towards the bar.
Sadie waited for Jackson to turn around before letting out the breath that she's been holding for awhile; "Calm down Sadie, keep your cools" she mumbled to herself.
Jackson leaned on the bar and smiled at Joe; "I'll have one gin tonic and jack on the rocks" he said.
"April didn't want her usual Jack and Coke?" Joe asked as he prepares the drink.
Jackson scratched the back of his head as he chuckles; "I'm not with April" he replied.
"Oh, sorry-I just thought, never mind" Joe said sheepishly.
"It's alright" Jackson replied.
Joe placed the freshly made drink right in front of the surgeon; "Here you go, should I keep your tab open?" he asked.
Jackson grabbed the drinks; "Yeah, thanks!" he replied before turning around and walking towards their table. "This is your first step on moving on, don't choke Jackson Avery, you can do it!" he thought. "Here goes nothing" he mumbled.
A/N: Told you there will be other people involved! Knowing Jackson and April's history—not everything runs smoothly simply because she's too indecisive & he's is too guarded. A simple kiss during a wedding won't be enough to break whatever it is between them-YET, because they're both too stubborn for their own good. I'm still following the original time line, it's easier that way-it keeps me from messing it up too much and for you to be able to understand the emotion behind the scenes because I'm sure you've watched the episodes multiple times (^-^)/
I would also like to take this opportunity to say my heartfelt thank you to those people who continue to follow and read this story. You guys are my inspiration-my reason to keep writing. Your awesome reviews keep me going and makes me smile this big (^-^) Again, THANK YOU! Next chapter will up next week (hopefully), I'm quite excited to write it actually, a lot of bunnies are running through my head, I hope I can put them into words before they hop out. And oh, I'm also thinking of bringing back someone from the previous seasons, want to guess? Click on the review button and let me know what you think about this chapter! Cheers!
PS: I'm still blown away with episode 10x13, the writers outdid themselves, it couldn't have gone better than that. Gotta love Jackson's crass proposal and April's facial expression, I still can't get over his dialogue about bears and not talking with everybody, that was HILLARIOUS! LOL! ^-^