Gravity Chapter 8: Now you tell me, a grey's anatomy fanfic

Chapter Eight: Now you tell me

"Is there anything that can make you happy? I don't know what to say to make it better. Seeing you like this, down and hurt so badly when you have been so kept together..."

It has been a week since April finally admitted out loud that she's in love with Jackson; 7 days, 168 hours, 10,080 minutes, 604,800 seconds to be exact and much to her dismay she's still counting-because like what she told Lexie, the pesky emotion won't seem to go away. A lot has happened within a week; the E.R was forcefully shut down because as per Alana Cahill its hemorrhaging resources-Jackson is now officially dating Sadie Allen. She's now doing more General and Neuro since Trauma is no longer an option-Jackson seems to be happy with Sadie. The interns are in full panic because as the days progressed, they're also getting closer to being cut off the program-Jackson is moving on and she's still stuck on the same spot where he left her. And oh, Matthew and Stephanie seem to be getting along perfectly, that's the only good thing that happened so far.

"April?"

April shook her head to clear her mind and turned towards the voice; "Hey"

Derek placed his hands on his hips and cocked his head to side; "What are you doing here?" he asked.

April hopped off of the bed and snatched her lab coat from the side; "I just needed a minute to think. Did you need something?"

Derek eyed the Trauma Attending; "I'm sorry our plan didn't work"

April smiled, albeit sadly; "Well-we can't sell a new house with the used shag carpet now, can we?" she joked.

Derek cracked a smile; "We can if we promise to disinfect and tent it" he replied.

April giggled.

Derek gestured towards the door; "I have to do rounds on the patients we operated on last night, want to keep me company?"

"Isn't Lexie under your service?"

"Lexie is currently under her older sister's beck and call, she's her favourite person today"

April grinned; "I can imagine Lexie's face"

Derek chuckled; "You should see Mer's" he replied.

oOo

"So you're telling us that nothing is really happening with you and Wilson?" Cristina asked curiously.

Alex scowled at Cristina before yanking the fridge door open; "How many times will I have to tell you that we're friends-just friends!" he huffed irritably.

Cristina took a bite of her banana; "But you we're like K9's in heat last night, howling and growling-LITERALLY" she said after swallowing.

Meredith and Lexie both laughed at the Cardio Surgeons facial expression.

Alex grabbed himself a bottle of water before snapping the fridge shut; "We were trying to distract you guys from having LOUD monkey sex" he quipped.

Cristina smirked; "So you're telling me that you've been listening all along? Oh evil spawn, just stuff Wilson's turkey it's a lot better than listening" she teased.

Alex glared at Cristina before taking a sip of his water.

"Oh goodie, Pretty Boy is here" Cristina said happily.

Jackson threw Cristina a confused look as he makes his way to his locker; "Did I miss anything?" he asked.

Cristina leaned back on her chair; "I saw you at Joe's last night with your girlfriend and she seems a little wasted, were you able to stuff her turkey? Because Alex here prefers to listen to loud monkey sex than actually doing it"

Jackson scrunched his face in disgust; "You actually eat with that mouth?" he asked. He then turned towards the Ped's Fellow and smirked; "Still pining for Wilson, I see" he teased.

Alex scowled at Jackson before storming towards the door; "You're all very annoying!" he growled.

"Stop harassing Alex" Meredith said in a chastising way.

Cristina shrugged her shoulders; "Evil spawn just makes it so easy"

Meredith rolled her eyes.

Jackson tugged on his scrub top on; "Hey Lex, is Mark in already?" he asked.

"Yeah, he's in his office" Lexie replied.

Jackson slung his stethoscope around his neck and grabbed his lab coat from his cubby; "And oh, Sadie wants to know if you prefer Italian or Mexican?"

Lexie crossed her arms on top of her chest petulantly; "We're still doing that?"

Jackson shrugged his shoulders; "It was your fiancé's idea, not mine" he replied.

"Like a double date?" Meredith asked her sister as she rubs her belly.

"It was Mark's stupid idea, god knows I don't want to do this stuff" Lexie mumbled.

Jackson placed his hands on his hips; "Well you should've told him so, now he managed to loop Sadie into this and she's taking it seriously"

Cristina shifted her eyes and noticed April standing by the door; "Hey Apes!" she called out loudly.

April stepped into the room and let out an awkward smile; "Morning" she said. She then turned towards Meredith and Lexie; "Err-Derek sent me here to see if you can spare Lexie for just an hour? He needs help for his post ops" she said.

Lexie cocked her head to the side; "Post ops for?" she asked.

"For the patients we operated on last night"

Meredith threw April a confused look; "Why didn't he take you instead? They're your patients too"

April shifted in her feet; "I was supposed to but then I have to go somewhere" she replied.

"Go where?" Cristina asked curiously.

April turned towards the Cardio Fellow; "I'm doing a ride along, the EMT's need help, they're being re-routed to Seattle Pres with a kid who's under massive Trauma so-I'm it" she explained.

"You're going with Matthew then?" Lexie asked excitedly.

April turned her gaze towards Lexie; "I'm not going with Matthew, I'm helping him" she clarified.

Jackson furrowed his brows; "You mentioned that the patient is a kid, why are they sending you and not Karev?" he asked, speaking for the first time.

April shifted her gaze to Jackson; "Alex is currently doing a pictorial for the new face of this hospital so Hunt decided to send me and this is a Trauma case Jackson, that's my specialty in case you have forgotten"

Jackson pushed away the niggling feeling inside his chest and just nodded.

Meredith noticed the tension between the odd couple and turned towards her sister; "Go but make sure that you're back after an hour, okay?"

Lexie hopped up to her feet before smiling at her sister; "Okay" she said. She then turned towards April; "Walk with me?" she asked.

April smiled at Lexie; "Sure, I'll see you guys later" she said before making her way towards the door, Lexie in tow.

"Be safe Kepner! God knows those ride along with our doctors doesn't end well!" Cristina yelled.

"Will do! See ya!" April replied.

Jackson turned towards Cristina and scowled; "You didn't have to say that you know? She'll be safe" he huffed before storming out of the room.

Cristina wrinkled her nose and turned towards Meredith; "What did I say? I only wanted to remind Apes to be safe"

Meredith chuckled; "He's pissed enough that April will be with Matthew and you just reminded him of our luck with these things. He'll be worried sick all day, thinking that his best friend might die in that ride along"

"Oh, you're right" Cristina said.

Meredith shook her head.

oOo

"Pretty Boy is here, can I go now?" Alex asked irritably.

"Just a minute Dr. Karev" Alana replied as she peruses the pictures.

"Who pissed on your cheerios?" Mark asked.

Jackson crossed his arms on top of his chest and stood beside his mentor; "I didn't know that this hospital allows ride alongs, do you know anything about that?" he asked.

"Why? Did they ask you to do a ride along?"

Jackson scoffed; "As if I'll step foot inside that freaking ambulance. April did the ride along; it was supposed to be Karev but his doing this stupid thing"

Mark sighed; "Let me guess, she's riding with Taylor?"

"Don't remind me!" Jackson huffed. He then cleared his throat loudly; "Am I needed here? Because if I'm not I'd rather check on my patients" he said rudely.

Alana tore her eyes away from the computer; "Just give me another minute and your next" she replied curtly before shifting her eyes back to Alex. "One more pose and you're done Dr. Karev and please try hard to smile this time"

Alex groaned.

oOo

"Thank you for doing this, I'd rather have you on board than Dr. Karev, no offense but he's a douche" Matthew said.

April laughed; "Alex can be douchey but he's a good doctor"

Matthew winced; "I know that-he just doesn't seem to like me" he admitted.

April smiled; "Don't worry it's not just you, he doesn't like anyone" she said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah"

oOo

"Can you please explain to me why we're being followed by these idiots around?" Alex whispered to Jackson.

Jackson huffed; "If you don't have the slightest idea then I don't have one" he replied lowly. "Did you know that you could have avoided this?"

"How?" Alex asked.

"You were supposed to do a ride along to Seattle Pres, the dorky paramedics needed help with a kid who have undergone Trauma"

Alex scrunched his face; "Fuck! And I'm stuck doing this?" he asked indignantly.

Jackson shrugged his shoulders.

"Who did they send?"

"April" Jackson replied.

Alex smirked; "She's doing the ride along with McGooglyEyes?"

"Yeah" Jackson replied gruffly.

"That explains your pissy attitude" Alex said as he pushed the door to their patient's room open.

"I'm not acting pissy!" Jackson snapped.

"Whatever Avery" Alex said. "Good morning Brian"

Jackson rolled his eyes.

oOo

"And here we have a fully electronic records system, everything you need to know about any client at anytime. Smart, streamlined and very efficient" Alana said proudly.

The buyers look impressed.

Owen walked towards her and smiled; "I'm Dr. Owen Hunt and I'm the Chief of Surgery here in Seattle Grace Mercy West. It's nice to see you all this morning, now let me give you a tour" he said politely.

"This way please" Alana gestured towards the hallway.

Callie turned towards Richard and frowned; "Have you seen their website?"

Richard shook his head; "No, have you?"

"I did and it's not pretty, well aside from the Pegasus that keeps on galloping every 5 seconds."

Richard cringed; "Did it even have some information about the hospital itself?"

Callie shook her head; "Not a single word about healthcare, am I crazy to think that we're screwed?"

"No, you're not the only one who thinks that" Richard said. He then stood up from his perch; "Fancy a road trip?"

Callie stared at the old Chief of Surgery before grinning widely; "I'm driving" she said.

oOo

"Have you seen the men in suits?" Lexie asked.

Mark snapped his chart closed; "Yeah, why?" he asked.

"They're the potential buyers?"

Mark nodded; "I think so" he replied.

Lexie sighed; "We're screwed"

"I know"

oOo

"Ma'am you can now step away from the patient, we're here to help"

Izzie tore her eyes away from the patient, her eyes widening upon recognizing the woman who's jogging towards her; "April Kepner?"

April paused and stared at the blonde woman tending to their patient; "Izzie Stevens?" she asked in shock.

Izzie let out a small smile; "Fancy meeting you again, it would've been nice if it's under a different situation."

April hastily kneeled right in front of the patient and began examining the extent of the damages; "I know, it's nice seeing you too but why are you with the patient? Are you related?" she asked.

"No, I was driving along this neighbourhood and saw the accident happen, I stopped by and helped" Izzie replied.

April winced upon seeing the dark bruise that's starting to form on the kid's stomach; "It's actually a good thing that you happen to pass by" she said. She then turned to Matthew and Nicole; "We need bandages and oxygen, stat" she said.

Matthew and Nicole hurriedly made their way towards the ambulance rig.

Jackson checked his phone and sighed when he didn't see any messages; "I hope you're safe" he thought. He then pushed the door open and stepped inside the room; "Good morning everyone, I'll be the one to conduct this seminar, I will teach you basic wound closure using the interrupted 2 layer technique, I expect that by the end of this day each and every one of you can perform it flawlessly" he announced loudly.

"That's the best we can do, we need to take him to the hospital or he'll die" Izzie said.

April turned towards Nicole; "What did Seattle Pres said?" she asked.

"They're slammed and they cannot accommodate us" Nicole replied.

"Then we'll have to take him to Redmond then" April replied with a sigh.

Izzie's eyes widen; "But this kid doesn't have an hour April, he will die!"

"I know that! But there's no other place to take him. Our E.R. has been closed, there's no other hospital who will take us in!" April replied, panic surging inside her chest.

"Can you call Hunt or someone? Perhaps they can make an exemption for this? This kid doesn't deserve to die April and you and I both know that" Izzie said.

April shifted her eyes to the patient; "Oh screw it!" she hissed. She then snatched her phone from Matthew's jacket pocket and hit on the speed dial button; she shifted her phone to her ear and bit her lower lip nervously.

"Who are you calling?" Izzie asked.

April turned her eyes to Izzie; "Someone who can help" she replied.

oOo

"Am I doing it right Dr. Avery?" Stephanie asked.

Jackson leaned forward and studied the intern's work; "You're pulling too hard, try to relax your hand a bit, that'll do the trick" he said.

"Thank you" Stephanie replied.

Jackson walked towards Jo but paused when his phone rang loudly; he quickly pulled it out of his pockets and felt a mixture of relief and dread upon seeing April's number. "I have to take this, you guys continue with your work" he said. He then hastily made his way towards the door and stepped out of the hallway; he hit on the answer button and shifted his phone to his ear; "Are you okay? Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Everything is okay-I know you're busy and I wouldn't call if it isn't an emergency" April replied.

Jackson furrowed his brows; "What happened?" he asked.

"The ride along I did today is a 10 year old kid-hit and run"

"Damn it! I still can't get in" Matthew's voice resounded on the other line, making Jackson gnashed his teeth; "Are you on your way to Seattle Pres?" he asked.

"Manually ventilate him again" April said.

"His SAT is still under the gutter, we have to load him now" Matthew said urgently.

"April?" Jackson called out, getting the Trauma Surgeon's attention.

"Seattle Pres is slammed so they're diverting us to Redmond but that's an hour away and this kid-he doesn't have an hour Jackson, he doesn't" April replied frantically.

"All right, all right, calm down. How are his vitals?" Jackson asked.

"Bad, we've got no airway, I can't crike. He's got sub-q emphysema. He will die en-route if we have to go way out there-he will die."

"Are you asking what I think you're asking?" Jackson asked.

"If I am, will you do it?"

oOo

"Chief a moment, please?" Jackson asked.

Owen turned towards the buyers and smiled; "Excuse me" he said. He walked towards Jackson and stopped right in front of the young surgeon; "Yes?"

"Kepner's calling with a hit and run kid, the ride along you sent her to"

Owen furrowed his brows; "Is she okay? What happened?"

"She's okay but the kid is not. Seattle Pres cannot accommodate them because their slammed, they're being rerouted to Redmond but that's an hour away and the kid doesn't have an hour because he's in a very bad shape. We're closer, much closer" Jackson explained.

"I see-I can arrange-"

"Absolutely not" Alana said sternly, interrupting the conversation between the two surgeons. "We're not a Trauma Center anymore, if we take them in and something happens to them-"

Jackson frowned and turned towards Owen; "Chief, it's a kid" he said.

Owen took a deep breath before meeting Jackson's eyes; "Protocol dictates the patient goes to the nearest Trauma Center and that's not us...I'm sorry" he said through gritted teeth.

Jackson placed his hands around his hips and stared at Owen disappointedly.

"Dr. Avery? Larry is looking for you" Stephanie said, Jo standing beside her friend.

Jackson's phone beeped so he took it off his pocket and read the message; after a moment he stared at his interns. "Can I trust you?" he asked.

Jo and Stephanie both nodded.

oOo

"Wow, this place looks like a ghost town" Jo said.

Jackson just raised his brow in response.

Jo stood straight and cleared her throat; "So, where do we start?"

"You can start by guarding the door, no one can know about this, no one comes in, do you understand" Jackson said seriously.

Jo nodded; "Okay" she replied.

Jackson stared at his intern before nodding; he then started clearing the space but paused when he heard raised voices arguing outside. He furrowed his brows and hastily made his way towards the door; he yanked the door open and saw Jo blocking Meredith from entering the room.

"I'm an Attending and I'm ordering you to let me in" Meredith said calmly.

"Well you're not my Attending today so no" Jo replied.

"Don't make me force you"

"Jo it's okay, I paged her, she's cool" Jackson said with amusement.

Jo cringed and threw Meredith an apologetic look; "I hope you understand, I would never ordinarily speak to you in that way and I look forward to working on your service again soon."

Meredith rolled her eyes and turned towards Jackson; "How can I help?"

oOo

"Where the hell is Avery?" Mark asked as he steps out of their patient's room.

Alex scratched the back of his head; "I just saw him a couple of minutes ago, maybe he's doing a consult?"

"He better make it fast because I'm not scrubbing in for him, this is your patient, not mine" Mark huffed.

"Don't I know it?" Alex replied.

oOo

April was just securing the IV lines of the patient and the next thing she knows-she's being thrown towards the end of the rig.

"April!" Izzie shrieked.

April felt her head hit the metal door and groaned when pain radiated inside her skull; she shifted her eyes towards izzie. "I'm okay-what happened?" she croaked.

"Mr. Paramedic there stepped on the breaks too hard" Izzie replied. "There are people here you know, slow down!" she yelled loudly.

"Sorry!" Matthew said apologetically. "I've been cut by a damn motorcycle but we'll be there in 10 minutes" he explained.

April placed her hand on her forehead and winced when she felt that it's wet; she hefted herself up and tried her best to move back towards her seat.

"Oh shit, you're bleeding!" Izzie said. She hastily grabbed a gauze pad from the first aid kit and handed it to April; "Here use this, looks like you'll need some stitches" she said while eyeing April's forehead.

April accepted it; "I know" she groaned as she started wiping it. She cursed loudly when she felt her phone vibrating inside her pocket; "Iz, can you get my phone from my pocket and answer it? It's Jackson, my hand is kinda bloody now" she said.

Izzie leaned forward and shoved her hand inside the jacket; she hit on the answer button and shifted to his ear. "Avery? We're almost there, be ready in 10"

"Who's this?" Jackson asked.

"It's Izzie Stevens-I'm at the scene, we don't have time for this, just be ready!" Izzie said before hitting on the end button.

Jackson pulled the phone away from his ear and cocked his head to the side; "Izzie Stevens? That name sounds familiar" he said to himself. He was jostled out of his stupor when he heard the door open; he resumed what he's doing, giving them a quick rundown of what he's able to sneak in. "I just snagged a monitor, a ventilator and central line kits" he said.

"I have saline, infusion pumps, a crash cart and Cristina" Meredith said as she dumps the supply on the bed.

"I'm sorry, they overpowered me" Cristina said lazily.

Jackson glared at Meredith; "The fewer people who know about this, the better guys" he said.

Cristina waved her hand dismissively; "I brought lackeys"

"No. I don't need interns" Jackson replied.

Cristina turned towards the interns; "No, this room has three internal exits, we'll have a look out on each one" she explained. She then pointed towards the exits one by one; "Happy and Ponytail you man the doors and Mousey, you be the nurse-we need gloves" she said.

"On it" Shane replied before walking away to fetch what they need.

"Why do I have to be the nurse?" Heather asked.

"We are gonna need lights, we can't work on the kid in the dark" Meredith said.

"No, if I turn on more overheads you can see it from the hallway" Jackson explained.

Meredith pointed towards the stand lights; "We can use those"

He was about to respond but was cut off when his phone started ringing; he plucked the device from his pocket and answered it. "Stevens? Where's April? Okay" he said before clicking the phone shut.

"Stevens? Who is Stevens? Where is April? Is she alright?" Meredith asked, concern etched on her face.

"They're pulling up now, let's go" Jackson announced.

Cristina jogged towards Meredith; "Did he just say Stevens?" she asked.

Meredith frowned; "He did, where the hell is April?" she asked as she made her way towards the E.R. doors.

Heather was the first to reach the doors, hitting the automatic glass panel hard when it didn't open. She quickly picked herself up and turned towards the Attending's. "I'm fine"

Cristina pointed towards the door; "That's why we need interns" she said.

Meredith chuckled.

Jackson fell into step with his colleagues; "The door won't open?" he asked. He then hastily walked towards the door and tried prying it with his hands.

oOo

April jumped off the rig and felt her vision blur for a moment; she grasped the door tightly and righted herself.

"Oh god, I didn't know you hit your head, I'm sorry!" Matthew said with wide eyes.

April let out a faint smile; "I'm alright Matthew, let's just get this patient in" she said.

Izzie hopped out next; "Move people, this kid doesn't have long" she barked.

April secured the IV lines on the bed and stepped right in front of the gurney; guiding them towards the pit.

Nicole sidled up next to her colleague; "I can't believe you injured the doctor who helped us!" she hissed.

"It wasn't my fault that the stupid motorcycle appeared out of nowhere!" Matthew replied.

Nicole shook her head; "Good luck on explaining that to her Chief"

oOo

"I need help here" Jackson said through gritted teeth.

Meredith and Cristina quickly moved towards the door and began helping Jackson; Cristina turned her head towards the interns. "A little help here?"

The interns all leaped into action and began tugging the door open.

April rounded the corner and hastily made her way towards the E.R. door; she let out sigh of relief upon seeing Jackson's face on the other side. "Jackson!" she breathed out.

"April what's going on?" Matthew called out when he saw the closed doors.

"I don't know" April replied. She then began pounding on the door frantically; "Jackson?"

"Pull! It's starting to give" Shane grunted.

"April?" Izzie said with wide eyes.

"More!" Cristina said while pulling harder.

"Go sit down Mer" Alex said, appearing out of the blue.

"Oh come on! Just because my uterus is occupied-"

"Go sit down, I'm not kidding. Give me your spot" Alex said sternly.

"What?" Jackson asked upon seeing Alex.

Alex shifted towards the door and began tugging it; "Don't worry, I ditched those imbeciles, Edwards is handling them"

"How did you know?" Jackson asked through gritted teeth.

"I paged him. You've got an incoming kid you're gonna need kid sized equipments" Jo explained.

"I brought a Ped's cart with a bunch of crap. Alright, are we doing this?" Alex asked.

"Alright guys on my count, one, two three!" Jackson said before pulling on the door with all the strength he can muster.

April felt relief flood her chest when the door gave in and opened; she yanked the gurney in and turned her eyes towards Jackson. "We need to do rapid sequence intubation stat!" she barked out.

Meredith's eyes widen upon seeing a familiar figure lagging behind them; "Izzie?" she asked in shock.

Izzie let out a small smile; "Long time no see Mer" she said.

"Oh crap!" Cristina muttered upon seeing Alex standing rooted on the ground. "Alex! There's no time now, MOVE!" she snapped.

Alex shook his head and began working on the patient.

Jackson turned his head sideways and stared at April's face; he narrowed his eyes upon seeing a huge cut on her forehead. "What the hell happened? Why do you have a cut on your forehead?"

April snipped the bandage, not taking her eyes of her patient; "I'm fine Jackson, this is nothing" she replied.

"But your cut is bleeding!" Jackson said sternly.

April tore her eyes away from the patient; "I'm what?"

Cristina lifted her eyes and stared at April; "You're head is bleeding Kepner, have that bandaged before you help us here" she said. She then turned her gaze towards Meredith's direction; "We need you here Mer and Izzie can you help April with her cut?"

"No, I'll help her" Jackson said.

"But the pat-"

"No buts, now step back and let me bandage that up" Jackson said.

April sighed and obediently took a step back; "Fine. Izzie can you take my place for a while?"

"I-I don't think-"

"Get your ass here Izzie and just help us already!" Alex snapped.

Meredith bit her bottom lip to keep herself from smiling; "Come on Iz, like the good old days" she said.

Izzie smiled at Meredith before joining the team who's working on the patient.

Jackson pulled April to the side and sat her down on one of the gurney's that's not yet been moved; "Sit down, I'll just get some disinfectant and bandages" he said.

April pursed her lips; "I'm really okay Jackson"

Jackson just narrowed his eyes at her and began rummaging for supplies; once he's satisfied with what he has, he walked back towards April and placed the supply beside the red head. "What the hell happened? How did you bust your head open? Tilt your head"

April titled her head up; "A motorcycle cut us so Matthew had to step on the breaks, I was securing the IV lines on the patient so I wasn't able to catch my bearing, I was jostled towards the door"

Jackson shifted the hair off of April's forehead and began examining the cut it with a frown; "You were thrown towards the door, does anything else hurts?"

"I'm really fine, can you just bandage me up?"

Jackson ignored April's protests;"This need stitches but unfortunately we don't have any time, I'll bandage it for now but I'll fix it later" he said.

"It's okay Jackson-really, I can handle it-"

"Can you stop being stubborn for a minute and just listen to me? Please?" Jackson half whispered.

April lifted her gaze and met Jackson's eyes; she stared into it for a moment and understood the look he's throwing her. He was worried, he's still is and based on the way he's looking at her, he's not planning on backing down anytime soon. She cracked a small smile and nodded; "Fine, you can take a look at it later"

Jackson smiled back; "Finally!" he said while cleaning the cut as fast as he can.

"If you're quite done there lovebirds, can you help us move this patient now? We need to take this kid to the O.R." Alex said, with a hint of teasing in his tone.

April felt her cheeks flush so she hastily hopped off the gurney; "O—of course"

Jackson shook his head as he gathers the supplies he used.

oOo

"So Dr. Avery is taking a powernap?"

"He likes to take a nap before a surgery" Stephanie replied.

"And Dr. Karev had a dentist appointment?"

"Even doctors have to go to the doctor. Meanwhile, have you seen the skin lab? Dr. Avery and Dr. Sloan grows actual skin, that'll be cool to see, don't you think?" Stephanie said with a large smile.

"Lead the way"

oOo

"Don't smoke, that's the big advice?" Callie huffed, clearly indignant.

"He examined me and found nothing wrong which in fact is the case" Richard replied.

"He was an idiot! He keeps checking his watch it's as if his time is more precious than his patient's life!"

"Point taken" Richard said thoughtfully.

oOo

"We have to move him people, everything is set?" April asked.

"Yeah, we're able to stabilize him for now" Jackson replied. He then shifted his gaze towards Shane; "Were you able to book an O.R?" he asked.

"Yes sir, everything is prepped" Shane replied.

"Good" Jackson said.

Alex took a peek on his watch and cursed; "Avery we have our gender re-assignment surgery in 10 minutes" he said.

"Shit!" Jackson cussed.

"Meredith and I can scrub in with Kepner, you two go ahead" Cristina said.

"You got this?" Jackson asked.

Meredith rolled her eyes; "We have Trauma, General and Cardio inside the O.R. Jackson I'm quite sure we got this" she replied.

Jackson chuckled; "Fine, no need to bite my head off Grey."

Alex gestured towards the door; "We have to go but page us if you need us, okay?" he said.

"Thanks Alex" April said with a grateful smile.

Alex smiled back; "You are badass surgeon Kepner, keep it up" he said. He then spun on his heels and began walking towards door, not even sparing a glance at his ex wife.

Meredith sighed and turned towards Izzie; "Can you hang out for a couple of hours? I'd like to catch up with you without a patient between us" she said.

Izzie smiled and nodded; "Sure-I'll just go freshen up a bit" she replied.

"Be prepared Izzie, it's an inquisition" Cristina joked.

Izzie chuckled; "I know" she replied.

"Dr. Kepner? The coast is clear we can go now" Shane said.

April threw Matthew and Nicole a look; "Thank you guys, you are awesome today, I'll keep you posted after the surgery" she said.

"No Dr. Kepner, thank you" Nicole replied with a shy smile.

"Yeah-again-sorry for the cut" Matthew said apologetically.

"It's just a cut it won't kill me" April replied, assuring her friend.

"Unless you have a concussion" Cristina pointed out.

April rolled her eyes; "I don't have a concussion Cristina, now let's move" she said.

Cristina snickered.

oOo

Stephanie shifted in her feet; "A—and after the anesthesia is administered, Brian will be ready for surgery."

"And when exactly are we gonna see doctor's Avery and Karev again?"

Stephanie licked her lips nervously; "Err-"

"Edwards, nice work" Jackson said as he saunters inside the O.R with Alex in tow.

Stephanie let out a sigh of relief; "No problem"

"We're ready to scrub in" Alex said. He then turned towards his intern; "Wilson, could you show our friends up the gallery? You guys can watch up there."

Jo gestured towards the door; "Come on, I'll take you there"

Stephanie stepped towards Jackson and cleared her throat; "Dr. Avery?"

"Yes?"

"You have a little bit of blood on your left shoulder"

Jackson spun on his heels and hastily made his way towards the scrub room.

oOo

"We are streamlining the process so we will significantly decrease the hospital's hernia complication rate and become a destination Medical Center" Alana explained.

"How many patients will this place accommodate at a time?"

"Upwards 30, once everything is finished" Alana replied. She then took a step forward but paused when she stepped on something sticky; she shifted her eyes to the floor and saw a speck of fresh blood staining the floor. She forced out a smile and turned towards Derek; "Shepherd, can you take over? I need to do something" she said.

Derek's eyes widen; "Oh-okay, right" he said.

Alana stormed towards the door and yanked it open.

oOo

"I hope you get it, the Brand Ambassador thing. I don't want to be the face of any hospital where I have to sneak around and risk my job just to do the right thing" Jackson said.

Alex scoffed; "Screw that, I hope you get it" he said. He then paused and his eyes crinkled to the side, a sign that his smirking behind his mask; "I always knew you'd do anything for Kepner-even losing your job for her" he teased.

Jackson also paused and met Alex's gaze; "She's my best friend, I'll do anything for her" he replied seriously.

Alex shook his head before shifting his gaze back on his work; "Best friend my ass" he muttered.

Jackson cleared his throat; "Tell me if I'm mistaken or not but Izzie is your ex wife, right?" he asked cautiously.

Alex sighed; "Yeah"

"Oh" Jackson replied. He then opted to keep quiet and focus his attention on his work.

"Who are you operating on Dr. Avery?" Alana asked as she enters the O.R, Owen in tow.

"My transgender patient, why?" Jackson replied.

Alana spun on her heels and exited the room with a huff.

Owen waited for the door to close before lowering his mask; "You guys are making my job difficult" he said. He then crack a smile; "Were you at least able to save the kid?"

Jackson turned around; "We did,"

"Good" Owen then gestured towards the door. "I gotta check on her"

"Okay" Jackson replied.

oOo

"This part of the lung is fried, I'm gonna have to do a resection" Cristina said.

"The spleen is out" Meredith announced.

"Let's irrigate with antibiotic solution" April said.

"Does somebody want to tell me where the hell this patient came from?" Alana asked as she enters the room.

April threw Cristina and Meredith a look before shifting her eyes to Alana.

"Whose patient is this?" Owen asked as he steps in.

Meredith, Cristina and April kept silent.

"Fine, you don't have to tell, we can just look it up" Alana said as she shifted towards the tray that holds the electronic tab. "All I need is the patient's name"

April squared her shoulders; "No, wait-"

Meredith noticed April's reaction so she decided to butt in; "I can do it. I'll look it up. It's my patient, you got this?" she asked, eyeing April intently.

"Yeah-go" Cristina replied.

"Appreciate your cooperation, thank you Dr. Grey" Owen replied.

Meredith stepped away from the table and took her gloves off; "Sure, no problem. I'm happy to" she said before stepping towards the tray. She grabbed the tab and began tapping on it; "Oh no"

"What?" Alana asked.

Meredith huffed in annoyance; "This keeps happening to me! I try to go into the patients file and this damn thing keeps on deleting it!"

Owen threw Meredith an impressed look before shifting his gaze back to Alana's back.

Alana stared into Meredith's eyes but Meredith didn't back down, she met it straight on.

"You were nonchalant, strong, and unaffected and you never wanted me to be there. I never saw your heart, that's how close you kept it, so right now I'm so unsure how to care..."

"What did you do?" Mark said as soon as he saw his prot step out of the O.R.

Jackson raised his brow; "Err-transgender patient?"

Mark narrowed his eyes as he shifted closer to Jackson; "You know what I'm talking about so quit the act" he hissed.

The door to O.R. opened and Alex stepped out next; he took a step back upon seeing Mark glaring at Jackson. "What's going on?"

Mark turned towards Alex and beckoned him forward; "Come here Karev"

Alex raised his brow but followed Mark's instruction none the less; "What?"

"What did you guys do?" Mark asked.

Jackson gritted his teeth; "Fine. We sneaked in April's patient and saved the kid's life. They were rerouted to Redmond and the kid was barely hanging on. If we didn't take them in the kid would've died" he explained lowly.

Mark stared at Jackson for a moment before shifting his eyes to Alex; "How's the kid?" he asked.

"We're not yet sure, Mer, Cristina and April took him to the O.R the same time we operated on Brian" Alex explained.

Mark nodded; "Good" he replied.

Jackson scrunched his face, clearly confused with Mark's reaction.

Mark turned towards Jackson; "What's with the face?"

"Err—you look like you were about to strangle me awhile ago" Jackson said.

Mark shrugged his shoulders; "Well you did forget to include me, we're the Plastic Posses were suppose to do this together"

Alex shook his head; "Here we go with the bromance again"

oOo

"Look guys, you don't have to do this. I brought the patient in so I should take the fall on this" April said while she walks side by side Meredith and Cristina, trying her hardest to convince her friends.

"Nobody's gonna take the fall because we're all in this together" Cristina said.

"But-"

"No buts April, you did the right thing. You save a kid's life-you made the right call and we're all standing with you in this" Meredith said with finality.

April felt warmth in her chest upon hearing her friend's words; "T-thank you" she said.

Cristina stopped in her tracks; "Happy, Ponytail and Mousey, what are you all doing here?" she asked.

"Chief Hunt paged us, looks like we'll be interrogated one by one" Jo said.

April threw Meredith and Cristina a look; "I'll talk to Chief Hunt, I'll take care of this" she said before walking towards the conference room.

"Apes wait!" Cristina said.

"April!" Meredith yelled.

oOo

Jackson's pager went off, so as Alex; they threw each other a look before reading the message at the same time.

"Something wrong with your transgender patient?" Mark asked.

Jackson turned his gaze towards Mark; "Hunt is paging us to Admin" he said.

Alex scowled; "I'm sure it's the she devil"

oOo

"Kepner can't lie to save her life, she'll be screwed over this" Cristina said as she paced back and forth.

"I know! She stormed out on us! Cahill is probably grilling her now" Meredith said.

"What happened?" Jackson asked as he saw his friend's outside the conference room.

"Cahill figured it out?" Alex asked.

"They're taking us in one at a time to see who'll break first" Heather explained.

"I can't lie, I'm no good at it, they'll see right through me" Shane said nervously.

"Stay strong Dopey, you can do it" Cristina said.

Meredith began rubbing her temples; "They're suppose to start with the interns but April decided to be the hero and now she's in there, being grilled by Cahill."

"Kepner can't lie to save her life" Alex huffed before making a bee line towards the conference room.

"I'm just trying to find out what really happened?" Owen said softly.

Alex barged into the room, startling April in the process, making her see spots.

"You want to know what happened? I'll tell you what happened, A kid was dying and we kept him alive" Alex explained.

"Dr. Karev, hello. You mentioned the word we, who else is involved?" Alana asked.

"No one else is involved, it was my call" April interjected.

"I was" Jackson said as he entered the room. "This was my call, I took the kid in, I decided to treat him"

April opened her mouth to speak but Alex threw her a silencing look; "We saved his life"

Jackson crossed his arms on top of his chest; "And that's what matters, not these idiotic new policies or some stupid Ad campaigns"

"You can punish us however you want, we don't care because-"

"That's enough" Owen interrupted. He then shifted his eyes towards April and noticed her pale form; "Just go and take Kepner with you. Make sure someone checks on her, she looks pale"

"Well that's it? You're not gonna discipline them or something?" Alana asked indignantly.

April threw Owen an apologetic look before pushing away from the table; she shot up from her chair and saw spots dancing before her eyes again, making her stagger a bit.

Alex being the closest automatically grasped April's arm; "You okay?" he asked with concern.

April stood straighter and smiled at Alex faintly; "Yeah" she replied.

Owen ignored Alana; "Go" he gestured towards the door.

Alex tugged on April's arm; "Come on" he whispered.

April nodded and let Alex guide her.

Jackson sidled up April's other side and leaned forward; "Are you okay?"

"Yeah—just a little dizzy" April admitted.

"You should have Shepherd check your head Apes, you might have a concussion from the impact of the hit" Alex said.

April waved her hand dismissively; "This is probably nothing, I'm just tired"

Jackson closed the conference room behind them; "Let's have a look at the head," he said.

"No-"

"You gave me your word April, stop fighting me on this and just be a good girl and let the doctor work" Jackson said.

April sighed; "Fine."

Alex sniggered; "You guys sound like an old couple"

April rolled her eyes.

oOo

"This is a problem Owen and you know it. My presence seems to ignite an uprising which makes it a little tough for me to do my job. I understand that they're upset about the E.R closing and they wanted to save the kid's life but do you know how much this stunt would've cost this place if that kid had died on our watch? Pegasus would've backed out and without them, you're done. I'm trying to help you but I can't do it the people here keep on undermining me and goes around my back without being penalized for it. You people need to think about it because if you let them do this, you won't even have a hospital to work for" Alana said before storming out of the room.

Owen leaned back on his chair and began rubbing his temples.

oOo

"What happened to you? Why wasn't I informed about this?" Lexie asked as she made a bee line towards her friend.

April shifted her perch on top of the exam table; "I'm alright Lexie, no biggie"

Lexie began fawning over April's face; "Did you ask Derek to check your head?"

"I didn't have to but the people here are fairly convinced that there's something wrong with my head" April replied accompanied by an eye roll.

Lexie chuckled as she let her hands fall to her side; she then began looking around the room. "Why are you sitting here alon-"

The door to the exam room opened admitting Derek with Mark and Jackson in tow; the Neuoro Surgeon stood right in front of April and placed his hands on his hips. "I didn't see anything wrong with the scan, which is a good thing however how on earth were you able operate after that kind of impact?"

April cringed; "Adrenaline rush?"

Mark whistled; "You're one hell of a Trauma Surgeon Kepner, LITERALLY"

Lexie can't help but chuckle with her fiancé's antics.

Derek shook his head; "Well-I suggest you go home after you get your cut stitched, you need to rest, you're not on call tonight" he said.

April smiled at Derek sheepishly; "Yes Doc"

Derek smiled; "I'll leave you to the Plastic Posses then, you have a good night" he said before walking towards the door. "Rest Kepner, I don't want to see you skulking around the corners when I do my rounds"

"You won't" April replied.

Jackson shifted closer to the supplies to start gathering the stuff he need but his phone started ringing loudly; he hastily pulled it off his pocket and cursed upon seeing the name on the screen.

Mark turned towards Jackson; "Who's calling?" he asked.

Jackson winced; "Sadie, I forgot we're suppose to do the doubles tonight"

April felt the familiar pinch inside her chest but she mashed it down; she cleared the lump in her throat and shifted her eyes towards the people standing inside the room. "You guys should go-I can have Edwards stitch me up" she said with a smile.

Lexie turned towards her friend and furrowed her brows; "Edwards will not stitch you up, I will" she said.

"I'll just call Sadie and cancel" Jackson said as he stuffs his phone back inside his pocket.

April shook her head adamantly; "I can't let you do that Jackson, you've already helped me enough today. Go, have fun, you deserve it" she said. She then shifted her eyes between Mark and Lexie; "You two should go too, I'm sure Steph can help me with this" she insisted.

Lexie turned towards her fiancé and narrowed her gaze, letting her unvoiced words seep through the stare.

Mark understood Lexie's look so he cleared his throat, he turned towards his prot; "I'll take care of Kepner, you go on ahead" he said.

"You don't have to do that Dr. Sloan, like I said I can have someone stitch this, it's just a little cut" April protested.

Mark placed his hands on his hips; "I'm appalled April, you have the country's best Plastic Surgeon inside the room with you and you prefer an intern over me?"

"That's not-"

"I'll stitch you up, no more arguing" Mark said with finality. He then turned towards Jackson; "What are you still doing here? Go!"

Jackson stared at April; "Can you drive? You can just sleep here" he said.

"I can drive Jackson, stop fawning over me like a mother hen and just go" April said with a faint smile.

"Are you sure?"

"For the love of-we'll take her home, just go already!" Lexie snapped.

Jackson narrowed her eyes at Lexie; "I'm just concerned! No need to snap at me"

Lexie met Jackson's gaze directly; "I know you are but your girlfriend is waiting for you. So why don't you be a good boyfriend and leave now?"

Jackson stared at Lexie's eyes for a moment before letting out a defeated sigh; "Fine" he said. He then turned towards April smiled; "I'll see you tomorrow and call me if you need me, okay?"

"Okay" April replied.

Jackson stared at April for another minute before turning on his heels, exiting the room.

"I thought he'd never leave" Lexie huffed. She then turned towards Mark and gestured towards April's face; "Stitch away Country's best Plastic Surgeon" she said with a smile.

Mark laughed before shifting towards the supplies.

oOo

"Thank god you're still here!" Meredith said upon seeing Izzie sitting at the bench outside the hospital.

"I told you I'll wait" Izzie replied with a smile.

Izzie stood up from her perch and engulfed Meredith into a tight hug; "I missed you Mer" she whispered. "And I can feel a bump, how far long are you?"

Meredith laughed as she pulls away; "6 months" she replied.

Izzie helped Meredith sit down on the bench; "So how have you been?"

"We've been fine, you how are you? I was not expecting to see you this afternoon, you surprised all of us" Meredith said.

Izzie chuckled; "I was only giving first aid to a hit and run kid and waiting for the paramedics to arrive. I was not expecting April to hop off of the ambulance"

Meredith smiled; "She did a ride along today"

"How is she by the way? She hit her head quite hard" Izzie said with a wince.

"I asked Derek to check on her and I'm quite sure that Jackson will be stitching her up" Meredith replied.

Izzie nodded; "I see, I hope it's nothing serious" she replied. She then paused; "Where's Cristina by the way?"

Meredith began rubbing her stomach; "She's been pulled into an emergency surgery and she was not happy about it-she's actually looking forward to this" she said with a chuckle.

Izzie laughed; "Lucky me"

"So-are you here just to visit a friend or are you here for good?" Meredith asked.

"I'm still not sure" Izzie replied.

Meredith cocked her to the side; "What does that mean?"

Izzie took a deep breath; "Seattle Pres offered me a Fellowship and I'm still not sure if I'm gonna take it" she admitted.

Meredith's eyes widen; "That's good news Iz! You should take it"

Izzie sighed dejectedly; "I want too because I miss you all terribly but I don't think Alex will want me to be on the same state as him"

Meredith reached for her friend's hand and gave it a soft squeeze; "Alex will come around Iz, it's been 3 years."

"I hope so-"

Meredith stared at Izzie for a moment; "You're still in love with him" she concluded.

Izzie averted her gaze instantly; "That's no longer important Mer..."

"If you're still in love with him then why didn't you stay and fight for him?"

Izzie closed her eyes; "I wanted too to start over but Alex-he told me that he's better off without me, I only gave him what he wants" she said. She then took a deep breath squared her shoulders; "You see, that's the reason why I'm thinking twice about this job-I don't want to cause trouble again"

Meredith squeezed Izzie's hand comfortingly.

oOo

"You seem distracted, everything okay?" Sadie asked.

Jackson took a sip of his wine and smiled half heartedly; "Just tired" he replied.

"Oh I see" Sadie said. She then began pushing her food around her plate; "I thought Mark and Lexie will join us, where are they?"

Jackson cleared his throat; "Mark had to work on April so Lexie decided to stay behind as well"

Sadie paused, her eyes widening; "April? She's your best friend right? What happened? Is she alright?"

Jackson took a sip of his wine again; "Yeah she is. She had a little accident in the field this afternoon and needed stitching-that's also the reason why I was late, I was supposed to do the stitching"

"You should've told me Jackson, we could've cancelled this" Sadie said, guilt written all over her face.

Jackson can't help but smile; "It's alright Sadie, I'm sure April understands,"

Sadie's shoulders sagged; "I feel bad"

"Don't be" Jackson replied. He then gestured towards the food; "You should eat your food before it gets cold" he said.

Sadie stared at Jackson for a moment before nodding; "You're right"

Jackson picked up his cutlery and gripped it tightly; "She wanted you to come to this date, she will be alright-Mark and Lexie is taking care of her, focus!" he thought.

oOo

"Is this your apartment Kepner?" Mark asked as he pulled over.

"Yes, this is. I can't thank you enough for doing this, you shouldn't have to, I'm okay" April said shyly.

Lexie turned from her seat and faced April; "Stop thanking us Apes, we wanted to do this and you can't drive yet, you're still seeing spots" she said.

April unbuckled her seat belt and smiled at her friend; "I'm not seeing spots anymore I promise" she said with a chuckle. She then shifted closer to the door and pushed it open; "I better get to bed, my head is killing me a bit"

"Take some Tylenol, that should do the trick" Mark said with a smile.

"I will" April replied. She then climbed out of the car and closed the door behind her; she leaned forward and waved at the couple. "Thank you again for doing this guys, I owe you one. You both have a good night and drive safely" she said.

"Go in, we'll wait for you to be safely tucked inside before we leave" Lexie said.

April nodded; "See you tomorrow!" she said before walking away.

Mark began thrumming his hands on the steering wheel, waiting for the red head to enter her building; once he heard the door closing, he shifted his eyes to his fiancé. "Did you know that Jackson almost risked his job for Kepner today?"

Lexie pursed her lips; "Yeah, I heard" she replied.

Mark tugged on the hand break and navigated the car out of the driveway; "And he was practically foaming in the mouth with worry when April showed up with a cut on her forehead? I think he's still hung up on her"

"You think?" Lexie said sarcastically.

Mark frowned; "Why do you seem pissed?"

Lexie crossed her arms on top of her chest; "I'm pissed because he's hurting April more with his confusing actions! He's starting to give mixed signals again and its annoying the hell out of me. He already made a choice, he's already with Sadie, thanks to you by the way, but doing things like this? Come on! It's already bad enough that April is still in love with him and-"

"Whoa! Kepner's in love with him? Who told you that?"

Lexie mentally cursed herself with her blunder.

"Lexie" Mark said sternly.

Lexie turned in her seat to face her fiancé; "Promise me you won't tell Jackson any of this and I'll tell you" she said seriously.

"I promise, now tell me-everything you know" Mark replied.

Lexie took a deep breath before spilling out the beans, all of it.

oOo

April locked her apartment door and tiredly made her way towards her room; she slumped on her bed almost instantly and closed her eyes. "You're one hell of an actor Kepner, one hell of an actor" she muttered to herself dejectedly.

oOo

Jackson pulled over on his designated parking lot and switched off the engine; instead of climbing out of his car, he leaned back on his seat and took a deep breath. He just declined Sadie's invitation to go up to her apartment and opted to go home; the dinner went good, considering the fact that he's been so stressed today. His girlfriend had been very understanding and even genuinely concerned with what happened. He sighed and closed his eyes tightly, April-she's been running in his mind all throughout dinner and it's driving him nuts-even the sight of Sadie wasn't able to take his mind out of a certain red head surgeon with a big cut on her forehead. Truth be told, he didn't want to leave her; he wanted to be the one to tend to her-to take care of her but the look that Lexie gave him somehow convinced him to scram the hell out. He let out another sigh and opened his eyes; he unlocked his door and climbed out of his car. "You have a girlfriend now and you're not a cheater, stop thinking about another woman on your date, shake it off, just be a good boyfriend to Sadie, she deserves that."

"No attention was given, no affection from you to heal the hurt. I was hoping, I was wishing-just to listen and to hear those words..."

"You're here" Alex said as April enters the room.

April threw Alex a smile as she closes the door behind her; "I don't recall if I already said thank you for yesterday but if I didn't...thank you Alex" she said sincerely.

Alex waved his hands dismissively; "Don't mention it-ever" he replied.

April can't help but chuckle at her friend's reaction; she made her way towards her locker and pulled it open.

"Your head alright? No concussion?" Alex asked.

April took of her jacket and folded it neatly; "Nope" she replied before stuffing it insider her cubby.

Alex leaned back on the couch and crossed his legs; "How did your head get busted anyway?"

April tugged on her scrubs pants up before turning her gaze towards Alex; "A motorcycle cut us so Matthew stepped on the breaks, I was securing the patient's IV lines that time so I wasn't able to latch on to something" she replied.

Alex cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with what he's about to ask next; "You were with Izzie, why didn't she patch you up? I'm quite sure they have supplies inside the rig."

"We didn't have time, we were 10 minutes away from the hospital and the patient is almost close to coding so we're both in full panic" April replied.

"I see" Alex replied before averting his gaze.

April grabbed her lab coat from her locker and snapped it close; she walked towards Alex and plopped down beside him.

Alex turned his head to the side; "Aren't you suppose to do rounds or something?"

"I still have 10 minutes before my shift starts" April replied. She then shifted herself to face the Ped's Fellow; "Have you talked with Izzie?" she asked cautiously.

Alex scrunched his face in distaste; "Why would I do that?"

April cocked her head to the side; "She's your ex wife"

"Ex being the operative word"

April tried a different approach; "We were able to chat a little bit last night when Lexie and I caught her talking with Mer..."

Alex glared; "You're telling me this because?"

April averted her gaze; "Well-it looks like she's been offered a position at Seattle Pres but she's thinking twice about jumping on their ship because she's considering you..."

Alex thought for a moment; "She's still thinking about that?" he asked with a sigh.

April shifted her gaze back to Alex and noticed the look on her friend's face; "She is...she doesn't want to cause you anymore trouble."

Alex sighed again; he then pursed his lips and met April's eyes. "I'm gonna kill you if you tell anyone I asked you this, do you understand me?" he asked seriously.

April was taken aback by Alex's words but nodded none the less.

Alex narrowed his eyes as he studies his friend's face; when he saw sincerity and concern, he knew he was asking the right person. "Do you think I should talk to her?"

"Yes" April replied without a hint of hesitation.

"Why?"

"Are you sure you want to hear what I really think?" April asked cautiously.

Alex rolled his eyes; "I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't want to hear what you think, I need female perspective here and god knows Mer and Cristina will just give me shit if I ask them"

April sat straighter; "Before I answer your question can you answer mine first? Because whatever I'll say will depend on your answer, can you do that?" she asked seriously.

Alex grimaced; "I don't like this one bit Kepner, we're treading dangerous grounds here-it's getting too personal"

April rolled her eyes; "We're way passed that stupid grounds the moment you caught me sneaking out of our apartment a couple of months ago."

Alex mulled April's words before nodding; "Point taken, shoot"

"Do you still feel anything for her?" April asked bluntly.

"How is that even relevant to what I'm asking?" Alex asked indignantly.

"It's a simple question Alex, yes or no. Answer it already, we don't have much time!"

Alex averted his gaze and crossed his arms on top of his chest defiantly.

April stared at the man sitting beside her before shaking her head; she thumped her thighs with both hands and stood up from her perch.

Alex's head snapped to the side, a scowl evident on his face; "Where are you going?"

April shrugged her shoulders; "You didn't answer my question so I don't have any perspective to give you" she said before shifting away from the couch. "I'll be frolicking around the whole day, find me if you are ready to answer my question and I'll give you mine"

"Get back here! You can't just leave me hanging!" Alex yelled in frustration.

April ignored his rants and pulled the door open; she stepped between the gaps and waved at Alex before stepping out.

"KEPNER!"

oOo

"Not a single word Mark, I'm warning you" Lexie said seriously.

Mark grimaced; "I still can't believe I didn't know any of this! If I knew how she feels I wouldn't have pushed my boy to date someone else"

Lexie pinched her fiancé's arm; "I told you but you just kept pushing!" she said irritably.

Mark yelped as he pulled his stinging arm away; "No need to harm me woman" he said while rubbing it. "And correction, you didn't tell me anything you just kept on giving me dirty looks and third degrees. How was I supposed to know what you mean? You're hanging too much with April, she's rubbing off on you, next thing I know, you're throwing me metaphors."

"There's nothing wrong with her metaphors!" Lexie said.

Mark stopped right in front of the elevator and punched on the button; he then turned towards his fiancé and raised his brow.

"Fine. I'm also not a fan of her metaphoric ramblings" Lexie conceded. She then narrowed her eyes; "But that's not the point here! You still pushed him to another woman and now my friend is heartbroken even before she had the chance to say it."

Mark guided Lexie inside the elevator and hit on the right floor; "Is she planning on telling him then?" he asked.

Lexie crossed her arms on top of her chest; "I might be able to convince her too" she replied. She then threw Mark a withering look; "But I can't do that now, can I? Thanks to you"

Mark winced; "You can still encourage her you know-he's just dating Sadie and I think she has a big chance of swaying him towards her."

"How do you know that? Did he tell you something?" Lexie asked.

Mark stood straighter; "He didn't say anything directly but his actions last night are enough, don't you think?"

"That's his best friend instinct kicking in" Lexie huffed.

"But I still think-"

"Just don't say anything for now, please? I'm already in deep shit because I told you, April will murder me with her scalpel if she finds out" Lexie interjected, cutting Mark off.

Mark opened his mouth to respond but the door chimed open.

Lexie let out an annoyed groan when she saw Jackson walking towards them; she leaned towards Mark and grabbed his hand tightly. "Not a damn word or you won't be able to sleep with me for a month" she sing songed.

Mark's eyes widen in shock.

Lexie smiled triumphantly and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek; "See you later" she said before bolting towards the other direction, avoiding Jackson in the process.

Jackson stopped right in front of his mentor and cocked his head to the side; "Are you alright?" he asked.

Mark blinked a couple of times before turning towards his prot; "Err-yeah. I think" he said dazedly.

Jackson raised his brow.

oOo

"I've been thinking" Meredith said as she walks between her husband and person.

"Thinking about what?" Cristina asked.

"I spoke with Richard briefly last night and he mentioned something about Pegasus" Meredith said.

"What did he say?" Derek asked.

"They went to Portland General yesterday-Richard and Callie, they saw how they operate and it wasn't pretty" Meredith replied, a pensive look taking over her features.

Cristina snickered; "Arizona and I checked their website last night and its pretty-that is if you're very fond of mythical horses galloping every 5 seconds" she said with sarcasm.

"Were you at least able to find any viable information about them?" Derek asked.

Cristina shook her head; "Nope but if you want to see the face of their hospital they have a huge picture of him there"

Derek wrinkled his nose in disgust; "They're really serious about that?" he asked as he punched on the elevator button.

Meredith stopped and shifted her eyes between her two companions; "I think we should buy this hospital" she blurted out.

Cristina's eyes widen, clearly in shock.

Derek turned to face his wife; "It's your pregnancy hormones speaking, I'm sure you don't mean that" he said.

Meredith narrowed her eyes at her husband; "It's not my pregnancy hormones speaking, I'm serious" she snapped.

"You are aware that we don't have the slightest idea on how to run a hospital, right?" Cristina asked.

Meredith crossed her arms on top of her chest defiantly; "We're doctors, we're smart, if there's anyone suitable to run a hospital it's people like us."

Derek turned towards the elevator doors, deep in thought.

"We are smart and we are suitable to run it-the question is can we afford it?" Cristina said contemplatively.

The elevator doors opened, revealing a huge portrait of Derek smiling at them.

"We should all sit down and talk about it, I'll call my Financial Advisor as soon as I finish my rounds" Derek said with scowl.

Meredith chuckled as she steps in the elevator; "What a great day to save lives!" she sing songed.

Cristina burst out laughing.

"Shut it!" Derek said through gritted teeth.

oOo

April walked towards the nurses' station and leaned forward; "Please make sure to monitor Mr. Kent's vitals and page me if you see any irregularities" she said politely.

"Yes Doc,"

April smiled; "Thanks Carrie, you're super" she said.

The nurse chuckled.

April was about check on her other patients when her pager went off; she plucked it from her pocket and read the message. "That's weird," she said before walking towards the elevators.

oOo

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Jackson asked.

Mark tore his eyes away from his tab; "No, why?"

Jackson placed his hands on his hips; "Because you just told me to go troll for patients" he replied.

Mark placed his tab on top of the counter and crossed his arms on top of his chest; "Cahill is on a roll after your stunt last night. If she happens to see you sitting here like you've got nothing better to do then that can send her to a tailspin and start evaluating the efficiency of our department."

Jackson grimaced; "You're still pissed about that?"

Mark rolled his eyes; "I'm not and I'm quite proud that you stuck your ass to save that kid's life."

Jackson studied Mark's face for a moment; "Okay..." he replied.

Mark let out a small smile; "Now go and troll for cases. Make sure to use your Avery sparkle, that'll do the trick" he said.

Jackson rolled his eyes and spun on his heels; "Page me if you need me" he said while walking away.

"Will do" Mark replied.

oOo

"I'm in" Lexie said without hesitation.

Meredith smiled at her sister; "I knew I could count on you" she said.

Lexie chuckled.

"Err-we're only $60 million dollars combined, I'm quite sure this hospital is worth more than that" Cristina said.

Lexie bit her bottom lip; "I can talk to Mark, I'm quite sure I can convince him" she said.

"That only bumps us up to 75" Derek replied.

"I can move some of my assets around, I think I'm good for $3 million" Richard offered.

Meredith turned towards Richard; "Are you sure about that?"

Richard smiled; "I'd rather lay all my assets on the line rather than have Pegasus run this place" he replied.

Meredith reached for Richard's hand and gave it a soft squeeze.

"Did you guys tell Arizona? Another $15 million can bump us to 90" Derek said pensively.

"I haven't gotten the chance to see her yet but I can look for her" Meredith replied.

Derek sat straighter; "Okay, I'll call my Financial Advisor first and we will regroup again at a later time, we need to get back to work before Cahill sees us" he said.

oOo

"Dr. Sloan, you paged?" April asked as she enters the scrub room.

Mark turned his face towards the door; "You busy?" he asked.

April shook her head; "No I'm not, I'm just checking on some of Derek's patients" she replied.

Mark shook off the excess water from his hands; "Want to scrub in with me? I need some extra hands here" he said.

April shifted in her feet; "Err-I don't mind but where is Jackson?"

"He's around, checking on some of his patients" Mark lied. He then gestured towards the O.R; "I know this is not your specialty but so as Neuro, I just think that it's only fair that you get to experience life changing surgeries, hacking brains gets a little old sometimes" he joked. "Don't tell Derek I said that" he added as an afterthought.

April can't help but chuckle at Mark's antics; "I won't tell on you." She then bit her bottom lip apprehensively; "Are you really sure you want me there?" she asked.

Mark let out an appeasing smile; "I wouldn't have page you if I didn't want you in there and besides this isn't a complicated surgery or something, it's just a typical Rhinoplasty so we'll just be hammering someone's nose" he said.

April raised her brow; "Will you actually let me hold the instruments?" she asked.

Mark's smile widens; "Even better, I'll let you hammer her nose. I'll meet you in there in 5, scrub fast" he said before walking towards the door.

April cracked a small; "You're on. See you in 5."

oOo

"Pegasus did not back out-thank god. They will be signing the papers a day after tomorrow" Alana said with relieved smile.

Owen forced out a smile; "That's good then" he said half heartedly.

"We will have to go over the numbers tonight so please try to avoid surgery if you can help it"

Owen sighed.

oOo

"Avery, come here!" Callie called out, beckoning him forward.

Jackson walked towards Callie and stood right in front of her; "You need a consult? I'm free" he said with a smile.

Callie narrowed her eyes; "Don't use your sparkle on me, it ain't working, I'm immune to it" she said.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Jackson replied.

Callie rolled her eyes; "Why are prancing around? Didn't Mark tell you lay low for awhile?" she asked.

"He doesn't need to lay low, what he did-they did yesterday was the right thing to do, they saved the kid's life" Arizona said. She then turned her gaze towards Jackson; "That was a right call and you don't have to feel guilty about breaking their stupid rule."

Jackson smiled widely at Arizona; "Thank you" he said sincerely.

"I'm not condemning what you guys did, I actually find it ballsy" Callie quipped. She shifted closer to Jackson and leaned forward; "Have you heard anything about this buyout?"

"Not a single idea, why do you know something?" Jackson asked.

Arizona leaned forward to; "Can you keep your mouth shut?"

Jackson threw Arizona an indignant look; "I'm not Mark, I can keep my mouth shut"

"Good, come with us" Callie said.

oOo

"This is way better than dealing with brains, right?" Mark asked.

April nodded in agreement; "Yeah-this is less stressful"

Mark turned towards the nurse; "Forceps" he asked. He accepted the instrument and shifted his gaze back to his work; "Plastics is not as hard core as Neuro or Trauma but we do have our own edge" he paused and stared at April. "We get to change people's lives and make them a better version of themselves-we heal their minds Kepner and that alone is hard core."

"I-I haven't thought of it that way" April admitted shyly.

Mark chuckled before moving his eyes back to the patient; "Plastics is one of those specialties that is often overlooked, hell-even my fiancé jabs at me from time to time" he said truthfully.

April giggled; "Well your fiancé is a Neuro junkie and she also happens to be the sister in law of the country's most renowned Neuro Surgeon, of course she'll take a jab at you, she pokes fun at Trauma whenever she's at the pit."

Mark laughed.

April paused and cocked her head to the side; "I just realized something, I haven't congratulated you on your engagement yet-congratulations" she said with sincerity.

Mark paused and met April's eyes; "Why thank you Kepner, I didn't realize that too" he replied.

April's eyes crinkled to the side, a sign that she's smiling behind her mask; "Lexie told me how you proposed I think it's sweet,"

Mark threw the red head an amused look before moving his eyes back to his patient; "You're the only one who think it's sweet. Lexie, Callie and Avery didn't think so, they thought it was inappropriate" he said with a chuckle.

April turned towards the nurse; "Lap pads" she said.

"Here you go doctor" The nurse replied.

April accepted it and focused on her work again; "Telling someone you love them and asking to spend forever with them is always sweet, regardless of the-err-situation"

"Exactly my point" Mark said. He then let out deep breath; "When I saw her lying there and just barely hanging on to her life-I just couldn't let that moment pass without telling her how much I love her and how much I want to spend forever with her."

April just kept silent, willing for Mark to continue.

Mark took that as a sign and continued; "I know Lexie thinks that I don't have a romantic bone in my body because of my 2 botched proposals-I know she deserves more than that, but what can I do, when you know, you just know."

April paused; "Awww..." she gushed.

"Let me tell you something Kepner" Mark said.

"Go on"

"If there's one thing I learned about the plane crash it's-there is no perfect time to tell someone you love them, if you feel it in your heart and you know that it's true then say it and make sure you say it out loud. Don't waste your time thinking about the repercussions even before you make a move because if you do, it might be too late."

April blinked a couple of times before clearing her throat.

Mark paused and met April's eyes; "Always go for broke-consequences be damned, timing be damned, other people be damned. Just get it off your chest and then go from there" he said wisely.

April shifted in her stool; "That's a very-good realization Dr. Sloan, I'll keep that in mind" she said shakily.

Mark's eyes crinkled on the side; "Don't tell Lexie I told you all that, I don't want her thinking that I'm turning into a mushy pansy" he said.

April stared at Mark for a moment before bursting into giggles.

"Mission accomplished" Mark thought triumphantly.

oOo

"Where are we going?" Meredith asked.

"I called my Financial Advisor and he was close enough to drop by, well be meeting him at the parking lot" Derek explained.

"Oohhhh, you work fast McDreamy, pretty impressive" Cristina said.

Derek chuckled; he then pointed towards the man sitting on the hood of a car. "He's already here, let's hurry" he said, walking briskly ahead of them.

Cristina shifted closer to Meredith and looped her arm to hers; "Why do they all look-geeky?" she whispered.

Meredith let out a giggle; "He's helping us, play nice" she said.

"Just saying" Cristina replied.

Derek turned towards Meredith and Cristina; "Here they are" he said.

"Hi Stan" Meredith said with a smile.

"It's nice to see you again Dr. Grey" Stan said politely. He then shifted his gaze to Cristina and offered his hand; "I'm Stan Grossberg, I'm Dr. Shepherd's financial advisor" he said politely.

Cristina shook the other man's hand; "Dr. Cristina Yang, it's nice meeting you-Stan" she said.

Stan smiled and pulled his hand away; "I know you guys have limited time so let's get this show on the road" he said.

oOo

"Thank you for letting me scrub in with this surgery Dr. Sloan" April said as she dry's her hand with a towel.

Mark discarded his towel on the provided bin and smiled at April; "Is it too late to sway you to change your specialty?" he asked as he opens the door and held it open for April. "You haven't started your Fellowship yet and you have logged in enough time with Plastics, I can take you under my wing"

April giggled as she steps out of the O.R; "I don't think I'm a perfect fit for it, you Plastic people loves perfection and precise movements, I don't think I can do that all the time."

Mark braised his hands around his hips; "I saw you work in there, I'm confident that you will do well."

April smiled at Mark while shaking her head deliberately slow.

"Damn! I almost had you there! I should've used more charm!" Mark said.

April laughed.

"Hey"

Mark and April both turned around and saw Jackson walking towards them.

Jackson stopped right in front of them and placed his hands around his waist; "What are you guys doing here?"

Mark grinned and gestured towards April; "Kepner just had her first nose job" he said proudly.

Jackson threw April a look, slightly confused with Mark's statement.

April playfully rolled her eyes at Mark before meeting Jackson's gaze; "I assisted him with a Rhinoplasty" she explained.

"Oh"

Mark patted April's back; "She has steady hands and she's hot, everything a Plastic Surgeon needs in their arsenal"

April's cheeks flush bright red; "Dr. Sloan!"

"What? I'm just saying," Mark replied.

April cleared her throat and gestured towards the other direction; "I-I better go, I still need to check on some patients-thank you again for letting me scrub in Dr. Sloan" she said hastily. She then threw Jackson a look; "Err-see you around" she said before scurrying away.

Mark followed April with his gaze; "Think about it Kepner! We can make room for you in our team!" he called out.

April's giggles echoed along the hallway.

"You just called her hot again" Jackson said pointedly.

Mark turned towards his prot; "She is" he replied nonchalantly.

"And you let her touch your patient which you seldom do."

Mark shrugged his shoulders; "There are no Trauma cases and I'm quite sure she's had enough of Neuro and General so I took her in, no big deal"

Jackson crossed his arms on top of his chest and narrowed his eyes.

Mark stared at Jackson's expression; "Are you jealous?" he asked.

"I'm not jealous!" Jackson replied.

Mark grinned; "Your nose is flaring and your normally sparkly eyes are dark"

"I'm not!" Jackson snapped. "You're already engaged and Lexie will skin you alive if she finds out that your flirting with April"

"I'm not talking about you being jealous because of that-I thought you were jealous because you think that I'm replacing you" Mark said with a smirk. He then spun on his heels and began walking away; "You still have time Avery, use it wisely."

Jackson mouth hangs open as he watches his mentor saunter away.

oOo

"As per Federal Law, physicians cannot own and run the hospital for which they work for however you could ally yourselves with a for-profit or not-for profit agency which would be owner pro forma then all of you could form your own management company which would be hired by this foundation. Basically you would run the day to day operations much like board of directors" Stan explained.

"So you're telling me that we can actually do this?" Cristina asked.

"That's what he's trying to say" Meredith replied.

"We would also need one specific paper to come up with a bid" Stan said.

"What do you need?" Derek asked.

Stand turned towards Derek; "We need the hospital's financial statement because that will contain all information we need.

"How the hell can we get that?" Meredith asked.

"Owen-he's the Chief of Surgery, he has access to these things" Cristina replied.

Stan cringed; "You can't let him know- I'm 100% sure that the hospital made him sign non-compete, non disclosures, if he breaches them they will fire him or sue him" he said.

"We're buying this hospital behind his back?" Cristina asked with furrowed brows.

Meredith turned her gaze towards Cristina; "Owen can't know Cristina, we can't risk his job. We're not even sure if this will work-we still need funding"

Cristina thought for a moment; "Owen-I spoke to him an hour ago, he told me that he'll have a meeting with the board to run over some details about the buyout, I'm quite sure that they'll have a copy of the hospital's financial statement there. I'm just not sure how we'll be able to get around by that"

Derek smirked deviously; "Leave it to me" he said.

Meredith raised her brow.

"What's this? All this time I thought you didn't need me. Now I've gone from you and now you tell me. You're in love, but that's not what it was, all those times that passed by with no signs and now you're telling me. You miss me, why couldn't I see? And my heart don't agree with what you're telling me..."

April rode the elevator without a specific floor in mind, she just punched the button carelessly while mulling over what Mark just said. The Plastic Surgeon's words ignited something inside her chest and she can't help but feel that he's actually encouraging her to confess her feelings. Could it be that Lexie told him something? Nah-her friend wouldn't do that to her, Lexie gave her word and she completely trusts her. She was jostled out of her trance when the elevator doors chimed open; she surveyed her surrounding and let out a chuckle when she realized where she was; "Very fitting" she said to herself. She then stepped out of the elevator and welcomed the rare Seattle late afternoon sun shining down on her; she closed her eyes and let the wind caress her face. "Should I go for broke-consequences be damned or should I just keep my mouth shut and continue with what I'm doing?" she asked herself.

oOo

"Lexie told me what you guys are up to, what did Stan said?" Mark asked as he sidled up with Derek.

"Are you in?" Derek whispered back.

Mark grinned widely; "Of course I'm in, you guys are" he replied.

Derek smiled; "Good"

"I spoke with Arizona before I went ahead and find you, she told me she's also in. I added our money up, we're up to $90 million, but I don't think that will be enough to buy this place" Mark said.

"I know, Stan told us we would need to find for profit or not for profit agency that will support us, because even if we have the money, under federal law we can't run and own this place at the same time."

"We're hosed then?"

"Nope, Stan gave us some options and we will be exploring it after we a get a hold of the hospital's financial statement. We need to have an idea how much this whole stuff costs" Derek explained.

Mark wrinkled his nose; "How on earth will you be able to get that?"

"Don't worry about it, we have our own plan" Meredith said, appearing out of nowhere.

Mark jerked away from Derek and halted his steps; "Where the hell did you came from Grey?"

Meredith chuckled at Mark's reaction; "I've been trailing after you guys for quite some time now, you were speaking quite loudly" she said.

Derek chuckled as he pulled Meredith to his side; "Sneaking up on people is your expertise now?" he teased.

"Nope, sneaking up on my husband and his best friend is" Meredith replied.

Mark laughed.

oOo

"So-I just spoke with Mark" Arizona said.

Callie raised her brow; "You two coming up with new recipes to force feed me and Sophia?"

Arizona chuckled; "We make a good team when it comes to cooking, don't tell me you don't enjoy it"

Callie cracked a smile; "Fine"

Arizona sat beside Callie; "They're planning on buying this hospital, they're coming up with a plan to outbid Pegasus and I told them I'm in" she whispered.

Callie's eyes widen as she turned towards her wife; "R-really?"

Arizona nodded; "Really."

"B-but is the feasible? Can you guys really do that? I mean-do you even have enough money?"

"I still don't have any idea but Derek has been talking with his Financial Advisor, Mark will get back to me by the end of the day, he'll talk with Derek first"

"Wow-that's just wow..." Callie breathed out.

"I know" Arizona replied.

oOo

"Did you get it?" Derek whispered as he pulls his wife to his side.

Meredith bit her bottom lip to keep from grinning widely; she lifted her lab coat partially, revealing the information they need.

Derek planted a kiss on Meredith's temple; "Your nefariousness is sexy as hell" he said with a large grin.

"I aim to please" Meredith replied.

Derek laughed out loud.

"We're regrouping in our house, right?" Meredith asked.

Derek pulled out his phone from his pocket; "I'll text them"

oOo

April pulled her bag from her locker and snapped it shut; she slung it around her body and tugged on her jacket. She made her way towards the door and pulled it open; she stepped out and began walking towards the hallway that leads to the exit.

"Kepner!"

April halted her steps and turned around.

Alex jogged towards the red head and stopped right in front of her; he braises his hands on his waist and puffed out a breath. "I'm still waiting for an answer you know"

April turned around and faced Alex fully; "You didn't give me an answer too"

"You're really gonna make me say it?" Alex groaned.

April raised her brow; "It's a yes and no question Alex, I don't know why it's so hard for you to pick" she quipped.

Alex stared at April for a moment before letting out a defeated sigh; "Fine."

April crossed her arms on top of her chest, clearly waiting for an answer.

Alex took a deep breath before meeting April's eyes straight on; "I still feel something for Iz-I married the woman for heaven's sake so obviously the feelings I have for her is not something I can just shove into a drawer and forget it ever existed."

April's face softened; "Oh Alex..."

"I know it's stupid because it's been 3 years and I've been screwing around like crazy but I guess when it comes down to who I really want-it will always be her-only her" Alex admitted.

April felt her eyes stinging at Alex's words; she can't believe that a guy such as Karev has the capability to love just as much as everybody else, he never disappoints-he still can surprise her in every turn.

Alex studied April's face; "Oh no-don't cry on me now, you can't cry about this Kepner! I need your perspective here not your tears" he said.

April sniffed loudly; "I'm not gonna cry-you just caught me off guard there. Wow-you never fail to surprise me, you just say the nicest things in the weirdest moments and when you're not being a jerk."

"Blah blah-yes, I'm full of surprises, now what?"

April squared her shoulders, Mark's words swirling around her head; "I think you should just tell her how you feel and go from there" she blurted out.

Alex scrunched his face; "That's not what I'm asking you! Are you fucking out of your mind? You know our history why would I do that? I just wanted to know why I need to talk to her" he said indignantly.

April shifted in her feet; "Look, I know this is kinda stupid-"

"You think?" Alex said sarcastically, cutting her off.

April paused and glared at Alex; "Do you want me to continue?"

Alex snapped his mouth close and gestured for April to continue.

April took a deep breath; "I know this is kinda stupid because like what you've said, I know your history but is your past more important than your future or present? You asked for a woman's point of view so I'll be blunt with you; a woman, who puts a man's feelings first before her career-especially in our field, is a woman who still cares for you deeply. You're a doctor Alex and you know how hard it is to find a job these days, if she didn't give a fuck about how you would feel, she would've just jumped in their ship and never showed her face here."

Alex crossed his arms on top of his chest defiantly; "It doesn't erase the fact that she abandoned me"

"But she came back and in return you pushed her away" April retorted.

"How do you even know that?" Alex asked, clearly surprised.

April raised her brow; "Are you really asking me that question?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"Fine" Alex huffed.

"You can never change the past Alex but you can do something now, if you still feel what you've felt for her before then don't waste more time and just tell her" April said. She then let out a sad smile; "You are lucky because based from what I saw from her last night, she's still on the same page as you. Go for broke Alex, there's nothing to lose anyway, you only have her to gain."

Alex stared at April for a moment; "You think-you think so?"

"I know so" April replied.

"You sure?"

April let out a chuckle; "Woman's perspective-we all think alike."

Alex cracked a little smile; "Thank Apes, that was very enlightening" he said sincerely.

"Glad to help" April said. She then gestured towards the exit; "Gotta go home-I still have an early shift tomorrow" she said.

Alex nodded; "Yeah-drive safely" he said.

April nodded and spun on heels; walking towards the exit.

"April!"

April paused and turned her face back to Alex; "Yes?"

"If I'm going for broke, you should do the same thing too so if they both dump us then we can nurse our broken hearts together, you bring the booze and I'll let you crash in my own couch, I'll even have it tented especially for you" Alex said with a smirk.

April can't help but chuckle at Alex's words; "Good night Alex" she said before continuing her trek.

"I'm serious here!" Alex yelled out.

"Good night!" April yelled back.

oOo

Jackson is unlocking his car when he noticed April heading towards his direction; he opened the back passenger door and threw his bag at the back seat. He closed it with again with a loud snap and leaned on his side; "April" he called out.

April tore her eyes away from her phone and halted her steps; she turned towards the voice and felt her heart skip a beat upon seeing Jackson leaning casually on his car. "H-hey"

"You going home?" Jackson asked.

"Yeah, how about you?"

Jackson stared at April for a moment; "I was planning on heading to Joe's to grab a beer, want to join me? It's been awhile since we last had a drink, I kinda miss my best friend" he said with a boyish smile.

April tucked some stray hairs behind her ear nervously; "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Jackson threw April a confused look; "Err-I don't get what you're asking" he said.

April swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth; "You have a girlfriend now Jackson-I don't want you to get into trouble, I'm quite sure there are people from the hospital there."

Jackson furrowed his brows; "You're still my best friend April and the people in this hospital knows that. And I'm quite sure Sadie won't mind, she knows you-well not in person but she still knows you"

"Oh"

Jackson pulled away from his perch and began walking towards the red head; "So-you up for a bottle or two? I'm buying" he said with a smile.

April stared at Jackson; "How can I resist that smile, argh!" she thought. She tightened her hold on her phone before letting out a small smile; "Sure, but I have to go home early, I have an early shift tomorrow"

Jackson grinned from ear to ear before falling into step with April; "Let's go."

oOo

Mark closed the fridge shut and placed his hands on his waist; "How can you live in this house? You don't even have food!" he asked incredulously.

"Simple, we eat out" Meredith replied.

Mark stared at Meredith; "But you're pregnant! You're supposed to eat healthy food, not processed food"

Lexie can't help but giggle at her fiancé's reaction; "Don't worry your pretty little head over it, when my sister says they eat out, it's normally gourmet food-not McDonalds" she explained.

"True" Derek piped in.

"You have this amazing kitchen and you don't even use it?" Arizona asked as she steps beside Mark.

"Feel free to cook here if you want to" Meredith replied with a large smile. "I don't mind eating home cooked meals once in a while"

Callie turned towards Meredith and shook her head subtly.

"I saw that honey!" Arizona said.

Callie turned her gaze towards her wife; "I didn't say anything!"

Arizona rolled her eyes.

Cristina plopped down beside Meredith; "Where's Webber?" she asked.

"Surgery gone late but he's on his way" Meredith replied.

Derek threw the papers on top of the coffee table; "I don't understand the majority of this stuff, it's giving me a headache" he said.

Meredith leaned forward and squeezed her husband's knee; "Let's wait for Richard, I'm quite sure he can understand that stuff a bit" she replied.

"Where's Grossberg?" Mark asked. "Isn't he supposed to be here as well?"

"He's on his-" Derek cut himself off when he heard the door bell ringing. He was about to stand up from his perch but Callie waived him off since she's the closest to the door. The Orthopedic Surgeon walked toward the door and pulled it open; "Richard is here with-I think he's your Advisor" she said.

Richard stepped inside the threshold; "I saw him walking along your driveway and he introduced himself to me" he explained.

Callie closed the door behind the two men and took a deep breath; "Let's get this show on the road" she announced.

oOo

April emptied her beer bottle and placed it on top of the bar counter; she wiped her lips with a napkin and turned towards Jackson. "I have to go"

Jackson checked the time on his phone before turning his gaze to April; "It's still early" he complained.

"If I don't get out of here I might blurt out something I think I'll end up regretting in the morning" April thought wryly. She then hopped off her stool and smiled at Jackson; "I know but my shift starts early too" she quipped.

Jackson plucked his beer and drained it with one go; he placed it back on the counter and stood up from his perch. "Let's go then,"

"You can stay Jackson, you don't have to go home too, you know" April said.

Jackson shrugged on his jacket; "Nope, no sense staying here alone-it gets boring" he replied. He then smiled and gestured towards the exit; "Come on, let's walk back" he said.

April tugged on her bag strap and nodded; she turned around and made her way towards the exit. "There is no perfect time to tell someone you love them, if you feel it in your heart and you know that it's true then say it and make sure you say it out loud. Don't waste your time thinking about the repercussions even before you make a move because if you do, it might be too late" she thought. She pushed the door open; "Stop thinking about it!" she chastised herself.

Jackson stepped behind her and held the door open; "You said something Apes?" he asked.

April cleared her throat; "N-no, I didn't say anything" she replied. She then threw Jackson a look before she resumed her pace; "Always go for broke-consequences be damned, timing be damned, other people be damned. Just get it off your chest and then go from there" she thought again. She bit her bottom lip as her heart started pounding erratically; she felt her breath hitch in her throat, forcing her to cough out loud.

Jackson placed his hand on her lower back; "You okay?"

"Y-yeah" April replied. "You need to get the hell out of here, you're losing it" she thought.

Jackson studied his best friend's face; "You look kinda pale, I can drop you off" he said with concern.

"No-I'm okay" April replied with a forced smile. She then surveyed the parking lot and noticed that their almost right in front of Jackson's car; she gestured towards it and cleared her throat. "There's your ride, see you tomorrow" she said hurriedly.

Jackson raised his brow; "I can walk you to your car, you're only 3 cars away" he said.

April halted her steps; "Stop it" she said offhandedly.

Jackson paused, taken aback with April's reaction; "I'm sorry?"

April turned and faced Jackson fully; she took a deep breath before meeting his eyes. "Just stop it" she calmly said.

"Stop what?"

April felt her eyes stinging but she ignored it; "Stop being so nice to me-don't make things harder than it already is, so please, just stop"

"I'm being nice to you and it's making things hard? What do you mean by that?" Jackson asked indignantly. He then narrowed his eyes; "How does that make things hard?" he demanded.

"There's no perfect timing-consequences be damned-just get it off your chest and then go from there" Mark's words keep on repeating on April's head.

"April?" Jackson said loudly.

April met Jackson's eyes and she can no longer hold it in; "I love you" she blurted out.

Jackson felt the air got knocked out of his chest, his eyes widening in shock.

April's hands flew to her lips, her eyes widening in mortification; "Oh god"

Jackson remained silent, still reeling from the unexpected confession.

April took a step back; "I-I'm sorry-I don't have any idea-I shouldn't have said that-I'll-I'll just go..." she breathed out before quickly spinning on her heels, walking away as fast as she could.

Jackson watched April run towards her car, his feet firmly rooted on the ground.

oOo

"Whoa! That's freaking a lot of money!" Callie gasped.

Derek leaned back on his chair; "I think I'm having a migraine"

"We only have 2 days left to find an investor and to make a bid, based from what I heard, Pegasus will be sealing the deal a day after tomorrow" Richard said.

"I have a specific company in mind, I can ring them up tomorrow and see if they can meet some of you. No offense, but I think Richard and Derek will be the best candidate to speak with them" Stan said.

"I can go" Richard said.

"You go McDreamy, I'll tell Owen you'll be in late" Cristina said.

Derek sighed; "Okay"

oOo

April slumped back on her couch and covered her face with hands; "What the hell have you done?"

oOo

Jackson climbed out of his car and slammed his door shut, not bothering to lock it; he stormed towards April's apartment and yanked the door open. How can she say something like that and just walk away? How can she throw words such as love and just expect him not to say anything. He stomped his way up to the stairs and made a bee line towards her door; he stopped right in front of it and began pounding it with his fist. "Open up Kepner I know you're in there, I saw your car" he said through gritted teeth.

oOo

April jerked forward upon hearing the loud pounding on her door; she shot up from her perch, her eyes widening in fright.

"I'll be pounding on this door the whole night if I have to April and I'm not kidding. So just do us both a favour and open this damn door-NOW"

April swallowed hard; "It's-it's already late Jackson-just go home, we can talk tomorrow" she said shakily.

"That won't work because we both know that you'll just be avoiding me like a plague so just open this damn door so we can talk now!"

April cursed lowly; she wouldn't be able to convince Jackson to go away, especially when he's this worked up. He's causing a scene and it won't take long for her neighbours to notice; she let out a defeated sigh and walked towards her door.

"Open up!" Jackson yelled again.

April rolled her eyes and began fumbling with the locks; she took a deep calming breath before yanking the door open.

Jackson didn't even bother to wait for April to invite him in, he just sauntered inside her apartment like he owns it. He then turned towards the red head and narrowed his eyes; "What the hell was that?"

April closed the door behind her and leaned her back on it; "I'm sorry-I shouldn't have said that"

Jackson braised his hands on his hips as he walked towards April; "So you don't mean it? What-you said that L-word just for the heck of it?" he said accusingly.

April felt her eyes stinging with his unjust accusations; "Do you think I just throw words like that for fun? That I blurted it out just for the heck of it so I can screw with you freaking head?"

Jackson felt his temper flare; "Are you telling me now that you're in love with me?"

April couldn't hold it in anymore; tears ran down her cheeks even before she got the chance to respond.

"Oh come on!" Jackson huffed, both from annoyance and the niggling guilt.

"Just get it off your chest and then go from there" Mark's words echoed inside her head again. She hastily wiped her tears and swallowed the lump in her throat; "I love you-I've been in love with you for quite some time now and it took me awhile to figure out what this feeling is because I have never felt them before" she said.

Jackson shook his head; "I'm sorry but I'm having a hard time digesting what you're telling me"

April felt a sharp pain inside her chest, prompting fresh batch of tears; she wiped them quickly and sniffed. "I know I should've been honest with you and just told you the moment I realized it but how can I do that when you look so happy with someone else"

Jackson frowned; "Are you pinning the blame on me now? Are you telling me that you didn't tell me how you felt because I started dating someone else?"

"I'm not blaming you, I'm just explaining why I didn't tell you" April replied.

"Oh please!"

Jackson's reaction triggered a certain emotion inside April's chest; images started flashing before her eyes, making her remember all the things that happened between them. She clenched her fist tightly and took a deep calming breath; "Please leave, I don't want to do this anymore-just leave"

"You always do that! You keep on shoving issues inside a freaking drawer and locking it away that's why we're not able to truly fix it because you don't want to freaking talk about anything!" Jackson accused.

April threw Jackson an incredulous look.

"Don't look at me like that because you and I both know its' the truth! You're the one who wanted to pretend that you and I never happened; you're the one who looked so relieved that you didn't have to marry me, you're the one who put the stupid boundaries and you're the one who told me to date Sadie!"

April felt something snap inside of her; "You want to talk about it, fine let's freaking talk about it! You wanted to know why I insisted to pretend that you and I never happened it's because that's what you showed me! I gave you my virginity and I don't regret that, not one bit. I overreacted fine that's my fault but what you did after?" she scoffed. "You treated me like I was nothing; you fawned over Lexie right in front of my face and stood me up when you're the one who insisted that we talk. You didn't even have the decency to text me to at least let me know you're not coming, I waited for you-for two hours, I gave you a month to at least explain but what did I get? Nothing"

Jackson opened his mouth to respond but April cut him off.

April wiped the tears from her cheeks; "You wanted to know why I was so relieved about not being pregnant? You proposed to me and made it seemed like you were all in but not even 24 hours after that emotional speech I hear you speaking with Mark telling him the opposite. If you were in my place what will you do? Will you still want to be married to someone who married you out of obligation? I acted so relieved eventhough it was killing me because you made me feel like it was the reaction you would have wanted to see. I played my part well to make you happy but you threw it back at my face and made me feel like I was on the wrong. You're the one who broke up with me so don't go on blaming me for putting up the stupid boundaries!" she paused and took a deep calming breath. She felt the anger ebb away, leaving her weary; "I told you to date Sadie because that's the only way for us to maintain the boundaries so that you and I can move pass this" she paused again and met Jackson's eyes directly; "You're still my best friend Jackson and I wouldn't want you to be stuck in the same place as I am. I told you how I felt not because I'm expecting you to say the same thing; I said it out loud because I can no longer lie to myself" she explained.

Jackson swallowed hard as he staggered backwards, he wanted honesty and now it bit him in the ass. He didn't know that April felt that way and he certainly didn't know that he was able to hurt her that much, now he just feels like the world's biggest douche.

April stepped away from the door and pulled it open; "Now that the air has finally been cleared between us, I think it's time that you leave" she said quietly.

Jackson felt dread creep inside his chest; "April I-"

"Don't say anything Jackson-please? I can't argue with you anymore, I'm too tired and I don't think I can stand being in the same room as you, so please-just go"

Jackson stared at April's downtrodden demeanor and felt guilt gnaw inside his chest; he's hurting her again and god knows that the last thing he wanted to do. He took a deep breath and quietly made his way towards the door; he felt sadness radiating from the red head as he passed her by and automatically his heart started to ache. He clenched his fists tightly when he heard the door closing behind him; he felt the familiar stinging in his eyes so he hastily made a bee line towards the stairs.

April leaned back on her door and slowly slid down to the floor; she gathered her knees to her chest and buried her face into the crook of her arms. "Just just get it off your chest and then go from there" she said loudly.

oOo

A/N: Another long chapter with them dancing around each other and it's annoying, I KNOW but I can't just put them together without having a go at each other first-it wouldn't be "THEM" if they just fall into each other's arms like they don't have issues to settle. (Just saying ^-^)

So—the infamous "talk" finally happened and everything is laid out in the open-no more skirting around each other and no more misconceptions-the FUN part starts now. The following chapters will still showcase some of the key scenes from the original, mostly about the merging because I still want them to own the hospital. The storm will still take place but it will be twisted in a way I imagined it to be. Again, feel free to leave me a review, I'm really considering what you have to say and I'm trying my best to incorporate it too. Cheers! ^-^