Chapter Nine: Scared to death
"You can leave me, take away all that I have. You can want me, love me for who I am. Choices, romance, taking me high in the air, flying, so scared, afraid not to see you again. 'Cause I'm scared to death, now that I'm losing you, I'm scared to death, knowing I can't get through, I'm scared to death, living this so lonely life without you, I'm scared to death..."
It's amazing how we never realize the worth of something until were on the verge of losing it. The clarity the word end brings when you're standing at the edge of a cliff struggling to keep your balance-all the doctors in Seattle Grace Mercy West are exactly in the same spot right now, albeit differently.
"We're screwed, aren't we?" Meredith asked upon seeing Derek and Richard's face as they entered the Attendings' Lounge.
Derek dropped his suitcase on top of the coffee table and plopped down beside his wife; he tugged his tie loose and yanked it off his neck. "That guy we just talked to was a pompous ass, he can't even talk to us without barking orders at his staff at the same time" he muttered.
Richard went towards the fridge and pulled it open; he got himself a bottle of juice and popped the cap open. "He made us wait for an hour and only saw us for 10 minutes, I hate guys in suits" he said before taking a swig of his drink.
Derek leaned back on the couch and rested his head at the back; "That's the only investor Stan contacted"
Meredith rubbed her stomach as she let out a defeated sigh; "Yep, we're toast. We'll be galloping with Pegasus then"
"We have no other choice" Richard said. He then gestured towards the door; "I need to run, I have Lap Chole in 30 minutes, contact me if anything comes up okay?" he said.
"Yeah" Derek and Meredith replied in unison.
oOo
Alex cheerfully leaned on the counter and smiled widely at the nurse; "Can you page Dr. Kepner? I need a consult" he said.
The nurse tore her eyes away from the computer and stared at Ped's Fellow; "Dr. Kepner changed shifts, she will not be in until 8 this evening and she's not on call, I can page Dr. Hunt instead if you want?"
Alex's smiled faltered as he stares at the nurse; "Are you sure? Because I just spoke with her last night and she told me that her shift starts at 7 in this morning" he said.
The nurse shifted her eyes back on the computer and began typing on the keyboard, after a moment she turned her eyes back to Alex; "I'm sure, her schedule has been updated"
Alex furrowed his brows before pulling away from the counter; "It's okay, you don't have to page Dr. Hunt, thanks" he replied. He then plucked his phone away from his pocket and began fiddling with it, when he found April's number he tapped on the call button and shifted his phone to his ear. He heard it ring for a couple of times before it was redirected to her voicemail; he pulled his phone away and hit on the redial button again.
"Who are you bugging this early?" Lexie asked as she walks towards her friend.
Alex signalled for Lexie to wait; "Hey Apes, where the hell are you? I need to talk to you ASAP, call me as soon as you hear this message, okay? Bye" he said before tapping on the right keys to make sure that his message gets delivered.
"Why are you calling April?" Lexie asked.
Alex stuffed his phone back into his pockets; "Did she tell you that she'll be switching her shift today?" he asked.
Lexie furrowed her brows; "No, did she?" she asked.
Alex nodded; "She did. I asked the nurse over there to page her but I was told that there have been some changes on her schedule, it's weird because I spoke to her last night and she told me that she'll be in early today."
"April doesn't like night shifts, she's a morning person" Lexie said. "You just tried calling her phone and I assume you were routed to voicemail?"
"Yeah" Alex replied.
Lexie stuffed her hands inside her lab coat pockets; "I wonder what happened?"
"I don't know" Alex replied.
oOo
"Avery!"
Jackson robotically turned around and saw his mentor walking towards him; he forced out a small smile and nodded. "Yeah?"
Mark stopped right in front of his prot and cocked his head to the side; he studied the young surgeon's face and noticed his blood shut eyes. "What's up with your eyes?"
Jackson blinked a couple of times; "What's wrong with them?"
Mark placed his hands on his waist; "They're blood shut and you have huge bags under them" he said. He then grinned widely when an idea popped into his head; "You spent the night with Sadie?"
Jackson just frowned in response.
Mark's smile instantly vanished from his lips; "Don't tell me you're still upset with yesterday?"
Jackson turned around and returned to his charts; "I'm not upset about yesterday" he replied.
"Then what crawled up your ass and died?" Mark asked.
Jackson closed his eyes tightly and let out a defeated sigh; "I'm the world's biggest douche" he mumbled.
Mark shifted closer to the counter and leaned on his side; "Why do you say that?" he asked.
Jackson's eyes snapped open and shifted his gaze to Mark, meeting his eyes; "April told me she loves me last night and I threw it back at her face" he admitted miserably.
Mark's eyes widen; "W-what?"
Jackson braised both elbows on top of the counter and buried his face into his palms; "She told me she's in love with me and didn't tell me because she thought I was happy with Sadie."
Mark mentally cursed; "What did you say? Do you feel the same for her?"
Jackson began rubbing his face gruffly; "I don't want to answer that question now, all I know is that I royally screwed up and I don't know what to do."
Mark stared at Jackson's forlorn demeanor; "Do you still remember what I told you right after the accident? The night I asked you to bring Sophia in for the very first time?"
Jackson pulled his face away from his hands and turned his face towards Mark; "You said a lot of things that night, what exactly are you asking me?" he asked.
Mark met Jackson's eyes seriously; "I told you that night that if you love someone you say it, even if you're scared that it's not the right thing-even if you're scared that it will cause problems and even if you think it'll burn your life to the ground you have to say it and then you go from there"
Jackson wrinkled his nose; "And you're telling me this now, because?"
"Because it looks to me that you're also in love with her but you refuse to say it" Mark said bluntly.
Jackson felt the air get knocked out of his chest; he stared at Mark for a second before scowling at the other surgeon. "You're crazy, you know that?"
Mark pulled away from his perch; "Think about what I said Avery, life is too damn short to be keep on dilly dallying. Don't wait till it's too late" he said seriously before walking away.
Jackson watches Mark disappear around the corner before resuming his work.
oOo
April threw the blankets off her body and let out a puff of air; she sat up from her bed and scooted towards her headboard. She plucked her phone from the side table and began checking for messages. She felt her brows rise upon seeing a new voicemail coming for Alex; she tapped on the screen and shifted the phone to her ear. She listened to his voicemail and furrowed her brows; she pulled it away and tapped on Alex's number. She shifted the device back to her ear and waited for the call to connect; after a few rings, her call was routed to voicemail. "He asked me to call him but he's not answering, smooth Karev-very smooth" she huffed. She then placed her phone back to her side table and let out a dejected sigh; "Why did I listen to Sloan again? This is the second time I heed his advice and I always ended up being screwed, gaaaahhhh!"
oOo
Richard was just stepping out of the O.R when he saw a familiar figure walking towards him; "You didn't tell me you're coming" he said.
Catherine Avery stopped right in front of her beau and smiled; she shifted closer to the General Surgeon and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "Hi baby"
Richard can't help but smile at Catherine's endearment; "It's not that I'm not happy to see you but what brought you here?"
Catherine began drawing circles on Richard's chest; "I was invited to Seattle Pres to assist on a surgery but the patient coded on the table" she said.
"I'm sorry" Richard said.
Catherine sighed; "I am too, he was so young to die" she replied.
Richard opened his mouth to respond but his pager went off; "One moment" he said. He then plucked the device and read the message; "I have to get this, but this won't take long, lunch?"
Catherine patted Richard's chest; "I'll go find my baby boy, just text me when you're ready" she said with a smile.
Richard leaned forward a planted a soft kiss on Catherine's lips; "See you later" he said before walking away.
oOo
"Alex"
Alex tore his eyes away from his tab and turned towards the voice; "Yeah?"
Arizona gestured towards her patient's room; "Please order a CT contrast for him, I just need to do something."
Alex furrowed his brows; "Is something wrong?"
Arizona shoved her hands inside her lab coat pockets and shook her head; "Nah-just a quick consult" she replied evasively.
Alex studied Arizona's face for a moment before nodding; "Sure" he replied.
"Thanks!" Arizona chirped before spinning on her heels and walking away.
oOo
"So you're telling us that we'll be galloping to the future?" Cristina asked with a scowl.
Derek sighed; "We did our best"
"Doesn't Stan know any other investor? Other foundations perhaps?" Mark asked.
"There are some but most of them cannot shell out the amount we need" Richard replied.
"How much more do we need?" Lexie asked curiously.
"$175 million" Meredith replied.
Lexie's eyes widen; "Wow! That's a lot!"
"So-there's really nothing we can do?" Arizona asked.
"I'm afraid not" Derek replied.
Meredith grasped her husband's hands in hers; "Well-we tried"
Derek nodded; "We did."
oOo
"Baby!"
Jackson froze mid-step; "Please don't let it be my meddling mother-I don't need this now" he mumbled to himself.
"Jackson!"
Jackson closed his eyes and cussed lowly; he turned around and forced out a smile. "Mom"
Catherine made a bee line towards her baby boy and engulfed him into a tight hug; "I've missed you!"
Jackson returned the hug; "You just saw me a month ago" he said through gritted teeth.
Catherine chuckled as she pulls away; she cocked her head to the side and cupped Jackson's face into her palms. "You look tired baby, is Sloan running you ragged?"
Jackson pulled his face away; "Sloan is not running me ragged, we don't even have that much patients here" he replied.
Catherine let her hands fall to her side; "I heard, your E.R. has really been closed?" she asked.
"Yeah, so no patients. All I do is suck fat all day" Jackson said with a huff.
Catherine chuckled, she then paused when a thought hit her; "If you don't have an E.R then what happened to April? How can she practice her specialty here then?"
Jackson felt a biting sting inside his chest upon hearing the red head's name, making him wince involuntarily; "S-she's doing more General and Neuro and Sloan let her scrub in with his surgery"
Catherine noticed her son's reaction; she opened her mouth to question him further but decided against it when she saw emotions swirling in his eyes. "It was not the right time to pry but something's definitely up" she thought. She then cleared her throat and stood straighter; "I see. I'm heading to the cafeteria to grab coffee, want to join me or would you rather suck fat?"
Jackson stared at his mother for a moment before letting out a small smile; "Coffee."
oOo
"There you are! I've been looking for you" Richard said.
Jackson plucked his coffee from the table and stood up; "This is my cue to leave" he said. He then leaned forward and planted a kiss on his mother's cheeks; "Call me before you leave tomorrow" he said.
"I will baby boy" Catherine said affectionately.
Jackson rolled his eyes; "Dr. Webber" he acknowledged before walking away.
Richard sat on the chair that Jackson vacated; "I still have 10 minutes before we can leave for lunch" he said.
"I can wait" Catherine replied before taking a sip of her coffee. "That was a fast consult"
Richard leaned back on his chair; "It was really not a consult, I just needed to speak with Shepherd"
Catherine let out a teasing smile; "Gossiping then" she concluded.
Richard chuckled; "We don't gossip, I don't know what you're talking about"
Catherine rolled her eyes; "Men are worst with gossips"
"Not in this hospital" Richard quipped.
Catherine chuckled; she then leaned back on her chair and studied her beau's face. "Jackson told me that Pegasus will officially own this hospital tomorrow, how do you feel about that?"
Richard sighed; "Don't remind me."
Catherine's demeanor instantly turned serious; "Pegasus runs crap, I've seen it. I don't think this hospital stands a chance if they take over."
Richard nodded in agreement; "We went to Portland General to see it firsthand and it was not pretty. I'd rather retire than work for them" he paused. "I never thought I'd retire even before I'm ready"
Catherine leaned forward and grasped Richard's hands in hers; "Mass Gen is an option you know. I'm sure I can find a spot for you and Jackson" she said earnestly.
Richard gazed into Catherine's eyes; "I've worked so hard for this hospital only for it to be taken away by them, it's not fair" he said sadly.
Catherine squeezed Richard's hand; "I know..."
"We tried you know-to buy this hospital. Meredith and the other doctors who are involved in the plane crash all decided to make the purchase. Derek and I went to meet with this pompous CEO of the company we're supposed to partner with but it didn't work."
Catherine raised her brow; "You are all planning to buy this hospital?"
Richard chuckled; "Yes, but our luck ran out so were all at stalemate."
"How much more do you exactly need?"
Richard sighed and stared at the ceiling forlornly; "We're $175 million short" he admitted.
Catherine stared at Richard's face as the wheels started turning inside her head.
oOo
"Where have you been?" Mark asked as he noticed Jackson walking towards his direction.
"My mom is here" Jackson replied.
Mark threw his prot a sympathetic look; "I feel for you man" he said. "I'm doing a Breast Augmentation in 30, want to scrub in?"
"I can't, I'm doing a Gluteal Lypo on Mrs. Burkis in 10" Jackson replied.
Mark grimaced; "That's your 2nd Lypo for the day, right?"
Jackson frowned; "I know because if Pegasus sucks fat, so do I."
oOo
April just locked her car when her phone rang loudly; she plucked it from her pocket and tapped on the answer button. "Alex, what's up?"
"Where the hell are you? You didn't return my call!" Alex huffed.
April rolled her eyes; "I tried calling you but you sent my call to voicemail" she replied.
"Where are you?"
April began walking towards the hospital's employee entrance; "I just pulled up in the parking lot, I'm currently walking towards the entrance-why do you keep asking where I am? Did something happen?"
"I'll meet you there" Alex said before hanging up.
April pulled the phone away from her ear and stared; "Did he just hung up on me? Meet where?" she asked incredulously. She then shoved her phone back inside her pocket and continued her trek; she pushed the door open and stepped inside. She began walking along the familiar hallway but halted her steps when she heard her name being called.
"Kepner!"
April turned around and was surprised to see Alex jogging towards her, coming from the opposite direction; "You're starting to creep me out."
Alex stopped right in front of the Trauma Surgeon and grinned widely; "I've been looking for you this morning but you changed your shift"
April shifted in her feet; "Yeah I did, I-err-I needed to do something this morning, so yeah, I did" she lied.
"Do what?" Alex asked.
"Chores?"
Alex threw April a sceptical look, clearly not believing her fib.
April cleared her throat; "So, why are you looking for me again?" she asked.
Alex automatically grinned again; "Guess" he said somewhat giddily.
April scrunched her face; "Err-you got laid?"
Alex stared at April for a moment before laughing out loud.
April can't help but crack a smile; "At least someone's happy today" she thought.
Alex's laugh died down after a couple of seconds but a smile is still visible on his lips; he shoved his hands inside his pockets and cleared his throat. "So-I talked to Izzie last night"
April's eyes widen in surprise; "You-you what?"
Alex bit his bottom lip to stop himself from grinning like a loon; "I spoke to her last night and we're good."
April stared at Alex cautiously; "When you say you're good, do you mean you're good because you settled your issues and you guys are moving forward or you're good because you got back together?"
Alex just grinned widely as a response.
April's eyes widen; after a moment, a large smile blossomed on her lips before throwing her arms around the Ped's Fellow.
Alex laughed jovially as he wraps his arms around April's waist; he hefted her from the floor and began twirling her around.
April giggled; "Put me down Alex!"
Alex gently lowered her back to the floor; "You were right, she still loves me. We're not yet back together because there are still some things we need to settle but we're on our way"
April felt tears stinging her eyes; "Oh Alex! I'm so happy for you!"
Alex can't help but smile at April's reaction; "I've been looking for you all day because I wanted you to be the first to know" he explained.
April wiped at her eyes; "I don't know what to say..."
"Thank you Apes" Alex said sincerely.
April reached for Alex's arm and squeezed it; "You're welcome, I'm happy it worked out for you"
Alex grinned; "It did."
April chuckled; she then checked her watch and saw the time; "Well, I better get in there, my shift starts in 10 minutes, I still need to change into my scrubs" she said.
"Okay" Alex replied, still grinning widely.
April shook her head before gesturing towards the hallway; "Got to go, see you tomorrow" she said before turning on her heels and walking away.
"Have a nice shift!" Alex called out.
"Will do, have a good night and say Hi to Izzie for me!" April replied while waving her hand.
Alex chuckled; "Okay!"
oOo
Jackson was just pulling on his jacket when the door to the Attendings' Lounge opened; he closed his locker shut and grabbed his bag from the bench. He was rounding the corner but paused when he collided with someone; "Sorry" he said.
April felt her breath hitch inside her throat when she realizes who she bumped into; she awkwardly took a side step and bowed her head.
Jackson felt a pang inside his chest upon seeing April's reaction; he nervously cleared his throat and stared at her. "You-you're just coming in?"
April lifted her head and met Jackson's eyes; "Y—yes" she replied.
Jackson shifted in his feet; "I thought you were on morning shift today?"
"I-switched shifts, I had to take care of something this morning" April lied.
"I see" Jackson replied, not believing it one bit.
April gestured towards the lockers; "I need to change, good night" she said.
"Okay"
April didn't even bother with a response and hastily made a bee line towards the locker.
Jackson stared at the spot where April stood a couple of minutes ago; guilt and inexplicable pain swirling inside his chest. He took a deep breath before forcing himself to move; he threw the locker area one more look before completely turning his back and walking away.
April waited for the familiar sound of the door closing before she let out the breath that she seems to be holding; she walked towards the bench and sat down. "You can't avoid him forever, eventually you'll have to work with him so you better learn to suck it up" she said to herself. "As if that's easy" she thought.
oOo
The next day:
Jackson groggily turned to his side and tried reaching for his phone; he clumsily snatched it from the side table and tapped on answer button without checking. "Hello"
"Good morning baby! I need you to come into my hotel as soon as possible"
"Why?" Jackson croaked.
"I'll tell you when you get here. So get your ass off your bed and come see me, I'll be waiting for you. Be here in 30 minutes, okay?"
"This better be good" Jackson said irritably before disconnecting the call. He placed his arm on top of his eyes and let out a loud groan.
Cristina and Owen are walking along the hotel lobby when they saw Meredith and Derek standing near the elevator; the Cardio Surgeon let out a yawn before stopping right in front of the couple. "Do you know why Webber asked us to come here?" she asked.
"No idea" Meredith replied.
"Have you seen him already?" Owen asked.
"We haven't" Derek replied.
"You guys are also here?"
The couples turned around and saw Mark walking with Lexie, Arizona and Callie in tow.
"Webber called you too?" Cristina asked.
"Yes, we were about to head to the hospital early but he told us to come here first" Arizona replied.
"This is weird, is he treating us for breakfast or something?" Mark asked.
Lexie rolled her eyes; "You and your obsession with food"
"Hey, is that Jackson?" Callie asked while pointing towards the revolving doors.
Mark turned around and saw his prot walking towards the reception desk; "Avery!" he called out.
Jackson turned his face to the side and saw his friends standing near the elevator; he furrowed his brows and made his way towards them instead. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked.
"Richard asked us to come here" Meredith replied.
Jackson opened his mouth to speak but the sight of Richard walking towards them stopped him; he pointed towards the elevator. "Why don't you ask him,"
Richard smiled pleasantly; "Good morning everyone, thank you for coming in such a short notice" he said. He then gestured towards the hallway; "Come with me" he said.
Meredith threw Cristina a look before walking towards the direction that Richard pointed, making the other surgeon's follow.
Richard noticed Jackson lagging behind; "You're mother is waiting for you in the same room Jackson" he said.
Jackson threw Richard a confused look; "She's there? Why?"
Richard just smiled mischievously; "You'll know soon, now come on, we don't want to keep her waiting long" he said.
Jackson stared at Richard for a moment before nodding; "Okay" he replied grudgingly.
oOo
April sleepily walked towards the couch and plopped down; she rested her head at the back and closed her tired eyes.
"Long night?"
April opened her eyes and smiled upon seeing Miranda standing by the door; "Good morning Dr. Bailey" she greeted.
Miranda rolled her eyes; "Don't pretend to be perky, I know you're tired" she said before walking towards the fridge.
April chuckled before standing up from her perch; "Today's my off that's why I'm trying to be peachy" she replied.
Miranda closed the fridge; "Good for you then, have you seen Webber?"
April yawned; "Nope, haven't seen anyone yet"
Miranda placed her hands to her hips; "I wonder where everyone is"
oOo
Jackson furrowed his brows upon seeing his mother standing right in front of his friends; he made a bee line towards her and stopped beside her. "Mom, what is happening?"
Catherine Avery smiled widely; "Have a seat, I'm about to tell you" she replied mischievously.
Jackson walked towards the empty chair beside his mentor and plopped down
Mark threw Jackson a side glance; "You're Momma is a morning person, isn't she?"
Jackson crossed his arms on top of his chest as he leans back; "She's a 24 hours type of person, she's always perky any time of the day-it's freaking annoying" he grumbled.
Mark chuckled.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Dr. Webber brought to my attention the fact that all of you have been looking for an investor to partner with you in purchasing Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital" Catherine said.
Jackson narrowed his eyes at his mother; "This is not good" he thought.
"It is my pleasure to tell you that the Harper Avery Foundation would like very much to take you up on that offer."
"Fuck!" Jackson thought.
Relieved sighs and laughter echoed inside the empty ballroom.
Catherine smiled upon seeing their elated faces; "We only have one condition, only one. Since the foundation will be putting up the majority of the funds, we would like a representative of our choosing to sit on your board of directors" she explained.
"You can choose whomever you want!" Mark said enthusiastically.
Jackson bowed his head and gritted his teeth, trying his best to control his temper.
Catherine chuckled at Mark's antics, she then clapped her hands to get everyone's attention; "My dears, we only have a couple of hours to make this bid, do you want to do this thing or not?"
The doctors all rose from their seat and began patting each other's back happily.
Jackson shot up from his chair and stomped towards his mother; "You woke me up at the crack of dawn just to tell me you're coming to Seattle to be my boss?" he asked, irritation evident in his voice.
Catherine turned to face her son and smirked; "No sweetheart, you misunderstood. The foundation is electing you as our representative-with the majority of the stocks that means you are in charge and not me."
"What the hell are you talking about? I don't want to be in charge" Jackson said indignantly.
Catherine shifted closer; "You are aware that if we don't do this certain people will be laid off, right?"
Jackson scrunched his face; "I know that! But that doesn't give you the excuse to just buy it!" he hissed.
Catherine rolled her eyes, her son can be daft sometimes; "Your E.R. will be turned into a Hernia Center, without your E.R. who do you think they'll be laying off first?" she asked while staring at him intently.
Jackson stared into his mother's eyes for a moment before it dawned on him; he felt his anger ebb away as overwhelming gratitude replaces it. "His mother did this for him, she thought about intervening even before this Pegasus shit hits the fence-she understood that this buyout might cause him April since the hospital will no longer need Trauma Surgeons. She's doing it for him-for her." He cleared the lump in his throat, trying his best to stifle his raging emotions; "I-I-don't know what to say" he rasped out.
Catherine smiled as she cups Jackson's face; "Just give your mama a kiss because she just bought you a hospital" she teased.
Jackson cracked a smile before planting a chaste kiss on his mother's cheek; "Thank you" he whispered.
"You're welcome baby" Catherine murmured.
oOo
The day progressed in such a fast pace that all of the doctors involved in the buyout didn't seem notice; they were able to come up with a bid that sealed the deal even before their shift ended. Now, all of them are a proud owner of a $268 million dollar hospital and everything is back to its rightful place; no more ludicrous Hernia Center, no more sneaking around to save a patient's life and no more Alana Cahill-it's a win-win situation for all of them and it felt damn good.
"So-shall I call you Boss now?" Mark asked with a teasing tone.
Jackson tore his eyes away from the documents his perusing; "I'm sorry what?" he asked confusedly.
Mark stepped inside the conference room and braised his hand on top of the swivel chair; "Shall I call you Boss now?" he repeated with a huge grin.
Jackson rolled his eyes; "I'm not your Boss, we're all part of the board" he replied.
"But you're Mr. 51%, you can pretty much veto our votes" Mark said.
Jackson leaned back on his chair and just sighed tiredly.
Mark noticed the stressed look on his prot's face so he back pedalled with his jabs; "Come on, I'm only kidding" he said with an appeasing smile.
"I just-I don't know if I can do this" Jackson admitted.
Mark pulled the chair his holding and sat down; "What do you mean?"
Jackson gestured towards the scattered paper on the desk; "I don't think I'm cut out for this" he said. He then fixed his gaze at Mark; "I've been running away from this for so long but it somehow managed to back me in the corner."
Mark grimaced; "I'm sorry, I was just joking a couple of minutes ago-you're not my Boss, we're all equal here"
"I knew you were" Jackson said glumly.
Mark sat straight and met Jackson's eyes; "Look, I'm not gonna pretend that I know what it feels like to run away from a family legacy because my family doesn't seem to give a shit about me, what I do know though is the feeling of being backed in the corner."
Jackson sat straighter as he listens to his mentor intently.
"It's not a very good feeling because it's as if you're suffocating and you can't do anything about it. But this corner that you're saying that you've been shoved into, this one is different-you know why?"
"Why?"
Mark smiled; "Because we're on the same corner too, you won't be alone" he said. He then pointed towards the papers on the table; "I don't know what all this shit means and last night when Derek was going through the hospital's financial statement-he didn't understand a damn thing too, he just ended up with a terrible headache. We are not all cut out for this Avery because we're doctors and not lawyers. We were all pushed in the same corner because we chose to, because we care about this place and the people who works with us, it maybe suffocating at first but I think it'll be worth it" he said.
Jackson stared at Mark pensively, clearly mulling his words.
Mark repeated his earlier sentiments; "You're not alone in this, you have us with you-we can run this place" he said confidently.
Jackson can't help but smile at Mark's fervour; "You're not afraid of screwing up?"
Mark sniffed haughtily; "We own this damn place, who will dare tell us that we screwed up?"
Jackson laughed loudly, feeling elated for the first time.
Mark smiled upon seeing the relief from Jackson's face; he then stood up from his perch and gestured towards the desk. "Your brain is fried so there's no sense going through them tonight. Pack up and let's just go home" he said.
"But-"
Mark placed his hands on his hips and pinned Jackson with a stern look.
Jackson stared at Mark for a moment before rolling his eyes; "Fine" he said.
Mark smiled again; "Good boy" he said before helping him collate the papers.
Jackson just shook his head; "Maybe this won't be bad-you did this for your friends whom you call family-you're doing this for her after all" he thought.
oOo
April walked into her living room with her laundry hamper in her arms, she made her way towards the couch and plopped down; "Laundry day on my time off, Yey!" she said to herself sarcastically. She plucked a shirt from the basket and placed it on her lap; she was about to fold it but paused when she noticed her phone vibrating on top of the coffee table. She leaned forward and grabbed it; she checked the name on the screen before tapping on the answer key. "Hey Lex, what's up?"
"I've been calling you for hours now! Why are you not answering?" Lexie said loudly.
April cringed and pulled the phone a couple of inches away from her ear; "Why are you shouting?" she asked.
"I have good news and I'm dying to share it with you!" Lexie said giddily.
"Will you be shouting all throughout this call?" April asked.
Lexie laughed loudly as a response.
"I'll put you on speaker so I can fold while you shout" April said. She then tapped on the screen again and placed her phone on the space beside her; "Talk to me, what's your news"
"Pegasus didn't seal the deal tonight"
"Err-how is that good news Lex? If they didn't seal the deal then that means that we're all screwed"
"No silly! Pegasus didn't seal the deal because we did!" Lexie said proudly.
April paused and turned her gaze on her phone; "I don't think I understand you correctly, come again"
Lexie laughed; "We bought the hospital!"
April's hastily grabbed her phone and switched it back to handset mode; "You did what?!"
"We bought the hospital ourselves" Lexie replied.
"I didn't know that the hospital gave you that much money for you to be able to buy it back"
"Oh-our money, albeit combined is not enough, the hospital is worth way more than that"
April leaned back on her couch; "Then how on earth were you able to buy it?"
"Jackson-well, technically it's his Momma that helped us pay for it but she appointed Jackson as the foundations representative" Lexie explained.
April's eyes widen in shock; "Catherine-she bought the hospital for Jackson?"
Lexie giggled; "She did-it was crazy!"
April blinked a couple of times, willing everything to sink in; "I-I don't know what to say..."
"I know you're still shocked but this is a happy time Apes! You're finally getting your E.R. back, no need to be stuck with General or Neuro, you can finally practice your specialty!" Lexie said ecstatically.
April can't help but smile; "That'll be great"
"I know! Well, I have to run, I still need to check on some post ops-I'll call you again once I'm done, okay?"
"Okay-thank you for telling me Lex" April replied.
"No problem! Talk to you later!"
April pulled the phone away from her ear and lowered it to her lap; she stared at the device pensively as thoughts began swirling in her mind. "The E.R will be re-opened so there will be Trauma again; she doesn't need to worry about her job and finding a new Fellowship anymore. The place will be run by competent people who happen to be her friends too, so it will be-Oh god, Jackson, he will be her boss now..." she thought. She then sagged back on the couch and groaned; "Crap!"
"Something's changing, giving me fears run through my head. Only find me, give me the eyes I will understand. Words left unsaid, leaving me weak in the edge, getting over, I'm running scared, I can't comprehend..."
"You're early" Cristina said as she enters the conference room.
Jackson tore his eyes away from the documents his perusing; "I have to be because I don't understand a single thing about this stuff" he said while wiggling the paper in his hand.
Cristina chuckled, she then pulled a chair and plopped down; "Don't sweat it Pretty Boy, all of us doesn't understand it as well-we'll manage" she said somewhat supportively.
Jackson can't help but smile at Cristina's words; he then pointed towards the box of doughnuts on the table. "Help yourself, it looks like we'll be here long" he said.
Cristina eyed the box before shifting her eyes back to Jackson; "No need to woo us Pretty Boy, we won't veto you" she teased.
Jackson shook his head, a smile still pasted on his lips.
Cristina leaned forward and grabbed herself a doughnut.
"Good morning" Lexie said brightly.
"Morning" Jackson replied. "Where's Mark?"
Lexie pulled a chair adjacent to Cristina and sat down; "He's with Derek and Mer, I think he's convincing them to let him use their kitchen" she said.
Jackson wrinkled his nose; "He's what?"
Lexie waved her hand dismissively; "He's kinda obsessed with cooking lately, Arizona taught him a thing or two so now he likes to call himself as Master DoctorChef"
Cristina snickered; "Is he still making those scones? Owen said it's quite good"
"Yes, I still make them. I can make you a box if you want-free of charge" Mark said with a grin as he enters the room.
"I take it that Mer and Derek let you use their kitchen?" Lexie said.
"If I don't let him he'll just be bugging me for the rest of the day" Derek said as he steps into the room.
"He does make good scones and he promised to make me those yummy banana cupcakes I saw on TLC" Meredith said with a smile. "Win-win situation for me"
"I'll download the recipe from the internet, you'll have your cupcakes before this weeks end" Mark said as he sits down beside his fiancé.
"My kitchen is yours then" Meredith replied.
Jackson threw his mentor an amused look.
"Are we late?" Arizona asked as she enters the room.
"Nope, we haven't started yet" Jackson replied.
Richard closed the door behind him and made his way towards the vacant seat; he eyed the pile of papers on top of the table while sitting down. "Looks like we'll be here for awhile" he said.
"We are so, grab a doughnut" Cristina said before taking a bite of her own.
oOo
"Edwards! You're with me today" April said with a pleasant smile.
Stephanie walked towards the Trauma Attending and smiled back; "Morning Dr. K" she greeted.
April handed her tab to the intern and began walking towards the elevator; "Let's see if you did your homework, tell me about our patient" she said before hitting on the button.
Stephanie stepped inside the elevator; "Bradley Parker, 31 years old. End stage A.L.S, trach dependent and had a lap-chole three weeks ago."
April stepped out of the elevator; "What else?"
"Now his chief complaint is hematochezia-he actually used that word" Stephanie said with amusement.
April paused and turned towards Stephanie; "Yeah, he was an internal medicine resident at Mercy West when I was there" she explained.
Stephanie's eyes widen in shock; "He did a residency with A.L.S?"
April resumed her walk and made her way towards their patient's room; "He was diagnosed second year and worked till he couldn't anymore, he's an amazing guy-he's an amazing friend" she said. She then frowned when she heard blaring music; "Is that coming from his room?" she asked before pushing the door open
Stephanie shrugged her shoulders and followed April inside.
April's eyes widen upon seeing the room crowded with their fellow Mercy Westers; she walked towards the bed and began looking where the music is coming from. "Hey, could you turn that down?" she asked. When nobody answered her she made a bee line towards the overhead and switched the radio off; "Hey guys, what the hell is going here? This is a hospital, there are very sick people here" she said pointedly. She then faced her patient and narrowed her eyes at him playfully; "That includes you too, Brad"
Brad just responded with a smile and a wink.
April shook her head and turned towards the crowd; "Okay, everyone out. Let's go, come on"
"It's alright, I invited them" Brad rasped out.
April crossed her arms on top of her chest and waited for the people to disperse; when everyone left the room, she shifted towards the side of the bed and smiled. "Uhuh-well, Dr. Edwards and I need to discuss your next steps, so maybe if everyone could leave" she said while eyeing the remaining people inside the room.
"I already know my next step" Brad interjected. "I'm donating my organs"
April's smile faltered as her eyes widen in shock.
"We do organ donations after the patient's is brain dead, you're nowhere close to brain dead" Stephanie said, clearly confused.
Brad coughed loudly.
"He's doing D.C.D-donation after cardiac death" Brad's mom explained.
"He can give it after his heart stops" Brad's father added.
April felt a lump form inside her throat, making it hard to speak. She just stared at her friend, willing for him to explain himself.
Brad understood April's silence; "I'm being kept alive by this vent, once we disconnect it, booyah"
April felt her eyes stinging so she bit her lip hard, trying her best to control her emotions in front of her friend.
"Chief Hunt signed on it, welcome to my funeral" Brad said.
April sucked in a mouthful of breath before shifting her gaze to Stephanie.
oOo
"Knock, knock"
The laughter died down as all eyes turned towards the door.
Owen stepped in with Catherine, he cleared his throat; "You guys done here?" he asked.
Derek and Meredith pushed away from the table and stood up; "Yep, we just finished discussing things"
Cristina also stood up; "Well gotta work now" she said.
Arizona and Richard followed their lead and also stood up.
Catherine smiled; "Well that's good, I need to borrow Jackson for a moment"
"He's all yours" Cristina said with a snicker.
Jackson rolled his eyes before standing up from his perch; "What for?" he asked.
Catherine waited for the other doctors to pile out of the room before she walked towards her son; she gestured towards the folders and stood right in front of him. "Did you read through them?"
Jackson let out a tired sigh; "No, I did not read through them, as I couldn't possibly read through them as they are not in English" he said.
"I understand..." Catherine said soothingly.
Jackson met his mother's eyes; "I am not a lawyer and I am not an accountant-so I don't understand a damn thing about it" he ranted, frustration evident in his voice.
Catherine leaned forward and touched her son's arm; "Nobody understands those documents baby, that's why we hire these smart people to explain them to us. All you really have to do is hear what they have to say, ask a couple of questions and trust your gut. You have to put your game face on and listen to the suits-"she paused and smirked. "And try not to nod off when they start talking about debt to equity ratios, it's like sedative."
Jackson took a deep breath; "Are the suits here?" he asked.
Catherine nodded; "They're waiting for us in the South Conference Room, you ready?"
Jackson squared his shoulders; "I guess" he replied.
"Let's go then"
"One more thing, when we are there, I'm not Sweetheart, okay?" Jackson said sternly.
Catherine smiled widely; "Okay...baby" she teased.
"Mom!"
Catherine chuckled.
oOo
April was scouring the whole hospital for her mentor but she can't seem to find him; she leaned towards the nurses' station and buried her face into her palms.
"You alright?"
April hastily pulled her face away and turned her head sideways; "Have you seen Hunt?"
Alex placed his tab on top of the counter; "Nope, I haven't seen anyone in fact" he replied. He then leaned on his side and stared at April; "What's wrong?"
"He signed off on a D.C.D patient and he happens to be my friend" April replied glumly.
Alex grimaced; "That's tough"
"Don't I know it" April replied. She then sighed; "What about you? What are you up to?"
"A rebellious teen refusing for a kidney transplant, she locked herself inside her bathroom because she doesn't want to lose her hair" Alex replied.
April cringed.
"I had to steal her boyfriend's phone so I can coerce her to go with it"
"Did it work?"
Alex grinned pompously; "Nobody can refuse me"
April rolled her eyes.
Alex pulled away from his perch; "Well, good luck with your patient, I'll see you later, I have an O.R. to book"
April just waved goodbye.
oOo
Jackson just got off the meeting with the suits and his head is aching terribly; he sat down on a vacant swivel chair behind a nurses' station with the intent of hiding from his mother. He reclined on the chair and closed his eyes tightly; he let out tired sigh as he rubs his temples.
"Rough day?"
Jackson opened his eyes and turned his head to the side; "More than rough. The men suits and my mother made me stare at numbers for so long, I think I'm gonna puke" he admitted.
Callie threw the Plastic Fellow a sympathetic look; "I feel for you"
"There you are!"
Jackson groaned as he sat straight.
Cristina smiled widely at Jackson before handing him a folder; "Can you sign this for me? It's a heart and lung domino transplant, my patients agreed to swap their organs when they realized that they'll both die if they wait for UNOS" she explained.
Jackson opened the folder and checked the info; he then shifted his gaze to Cristina; "Why do I need to sign off on this, you're a board member, you can authorize it" he said confusedly.
Cristina shrugged her shoulders; "You're the head of the board, your signature is needed"
Jackson plucked his pen from his breast pocket and signed his name on the dotted line.
"Where are you going Mer?" Cristina asked.
Meredith stopped right in front of the nurses' station; "I'm picking up Alex's kidneys"
Jackson handed the folder back to the Cardio Surgeon; "Alex's kidneys?"
Meredith realized what she just said; "Oh-I'm picking up kidneys for his patient" she corrected herself with a chuckle.
"You're not picking up any kidneys Grey, it'll be delivered to us" Miranda said as she walks towards her former prots.
"I'm sorry what?" Jackson asked.
Miranda placed the handbook she's carrying on top of the counter; she opened it and flipped to the right page. "Donated kidneys coming from outside a certain radius will be flown unaccompanied saving personnel hours."
"Is that the Pegasus handbook?" Cristina asked curiously.
Miranda closed it with a snap; "Yes"
Meredith turned towards Jackson; "Are we waiting for the kidneys to be delivered or should I go there?" she asked.
"Have someone call them first to check" Jackson replied.
"Okay" Meredith replied.
"Good call" Miranda said. She then cracked a smile; "Not too bad Bossman" she teased.
Jackson groaned; "Stop calling me Bossman, I'm not anybody's boss!"
"Except you are" Callie said with a grin.
Jackson rolled his eyes.
oOo
Catherine was walking along the hall with a purpose; she has been looking for an elusive red head for a couple of minutes now but all her attempts seem to be futile. She rounded the corner with every intention of trying her luck on the surgical floor but halted in her steps when she spotted her stepping out of the elevator. "Jackpot" she thought happily. "April baby!"
April shifted her eyes away from Stephanie and turned towards the voice; she swallowed hard upon seeing Catherine walking towards her.
Stephanie noticed the change on April's demeanor so she followed her gaze; "Is-is that Dr. Catherine Avery?" she asked with wide eyes.
April let out a nervous chuckle; "Err-yeah" she replied.
Stephanie turned her gaze towards April; "I should check on the O.R to make sure everything's ready—" she said while gesturing towards the other direction.
"You can't just leave me here!" April said lowly.
Stephanie cringed; "She seems eager to see you and we need to make sure we have room, see you in an hour Dr. K-sorry!" she said before hastily scurrying away.
Catherine stopped right in front of her son's best friend and pulled her into a tight hug; "It's so nice to see you again baby! I've missed you!"
April cringed as she hugs the old surgeon back; "It's so nice to see you too" she replied.
Catherine pulled away, a smile visible on her lips; "How are you baby?" she asked, concern seeping through her words.
April can't help but smile at Catherine; "I'm fine-I heard what you guys did-well, I don't know if I'm in the position to say this but-thank you" she said with sincerity.
Catherine waved her hand dismissively; "Oh don't thank me! We only did what had to be done, this hospital deserves more than a mythical creature that doesn't do anything but gallop around"
April giggled at Catherine's antics.
Catherine shifted to April's side and looped her arm around the red head's arm; "Join me for coffee, I heard from your intern that you have an hour to spare" she said.
"Sure but I'm buying, God knows you already spent enough money paying for this hospital" April joked.
Catherine laughed loudly.
April smiled.
oOo
"You do know we have on call rooms right?"
Jackson's eyes snapped open and turned his head towards the voice; "Hey" he said while sitting up.
Alex placed his tab on top of the counter and smirked; "I heard what you guys did, total badass"
Jackson cracked a smile; "It was Mer's idea, she's the badass" he replied.
Alex chuckled; "I can't tell her that, she might kick my ass-sensitive pregnant hormones"
Jackson laughed.
Alex leaned on the counter; "Do you want me to call you boss now?" he teased.
"Only if you want to get fired" Jackson quipped.
"You can do that?" Alex asked.
Jackson just leaned back on his chair and smirked.
Alex looked thoughtful for a moment before grinning; "Badass!"
Jackson laughed; "Is your kidney here?"
"Nope but it'll be here in an hour" Alex replied. He then scrunched his face; "It's still weird having it delivered you know, you changing that policy or something?"
"I don't have the slightest idea, we'll see" Jackson replied.
Alex then thumped his hands on top of the counter; "Well I better go, I still need to prep my patient."
Jackson nodded; "Okay"
Alex paused when a thought hit him; "Have you seen Hunt by any chance?"
Jackson checked his watch; "He's in surgery, why?"
Alex pursed his lips; "April is looking for him-something to do with him signing off on a D.C.D patient of hers" he explained.
"Err-yeah, he's into surgery"
Alex studied his friend's face; "She's kinda upset about it, she said that it's her friend" he said cautiously.
"Friend?"
Alex nodded; "Yeah, hey-I better get going, see you around man" he said before walking away.
Jackson furrowed his brows; "Friend?"
oOo
"Is everything ready?" April asked as she falls into step with Stephanie.
Stephanie turned towards April; "Yes" she replied.
April took a deep calming breath before letting out a tight lipped smile; "Let's go then" she said before pushing the door open to the O.R.
Stephanie threw her Attending a concerned look before following her inside the room.
April waited for Brad's family to settle down beside the O.R. table before she walked towards it; she put on a brave face as she stopped beside him.
Brad smiled serenely at April before nodding, telling her that he's ready.
April felt emotions clog her throat so she just let out tight lipped smile as a response; she plucked the syringe containing the drug that will induce cardiac arrest from the tray and shakily injected it directly into his IV lines. She pulled the syringe off and placed it back on the tray; she took a step back to give the family space. She walked towards Stephanie but paused midway when she heard loud noises outside her O.R; she furrowed her brows and threw Stephanie a confused look.
"Where are you going?" Cristina asked.
Alex turned his gaze to his friend; "Surgery" he replied.
"What O.R. are you in?" Cristina asked.
"O.R. 2" Alex replied as he hauled his patient's bed right in front of it. "Why?"
Cristina furrowed her brows; "No, I'm in O.R. 2"
Alex frowned; "No, you're not. I am" he replied.
"No, I have a domino transplant, heart trump kidneys" Cristina insisted.
"I'm getting a kid off dialysis, she's a flight risk" Alex said loudly.
"Can you guys shut up? My patient is trying to die here and he'd like to do it silence" April said while peering from the door.
Alex cringed; "Sorry Apes" he said. "How long is he gonna be? Yang needs the O.R"
"I've got an O.R." Cristina said.
April felt her temper flare, she stepped out of her O.R and scowled at her friends. "I told you guys to shut up!"
"Hey! All of you shut up and calm it down" Callie intervened. She then gestured towards the O.R. board, let me see what we can do, okay? Just calm it down" she said before turning walking towards the board.
Jackson heard the commotion and decided that it's time to step in, he's a board member anyway; he walked towards the bickering surgeons and squared his shoulders. He turned his gaze first at April and cleared his throat; "Kepner, go back to your patient-he can take as long as he needs" he said softly. He moved his eyes towards Cristina; "Yang, you're in O.R. 2" he said.
Alex frowned; "What? Come on man!"
Jackson threw his friend an apologetic look; "I'm sorry Alex but Yang is right, heart and lungs trumps kidneys, take the patient back to holding and the next available O.R is yours" he said.
Alex pursed his lips petulantly; "Fine" he said before tugging on his patient's bed backwards.
"Sorry evil spawn" Cristina said.
Alex rolled his eyes; "Whatever"
April threw Jackson a grateful look before stepping back into her O.R; she checked her watch and took a deep breath. She walked towards the operating table and stood behind Brad's parents; "It's almost time" she softly said. "When the monitor goes-he's gone. They'll have to start operating so...we should probably pay our respects now."
Stephanie stepped beside April and gently squeezed the Attending's arm in support.
April threw Stephanie a saddened look before shifting her gaze back to the monitor when it started beeping loudly. She sucked in a deep breath before walking towards it, she switched the device off before checking her watch again; "Time of death-18:46, start the clock" she said.
Brad's mother leaned forward as she whimpered in anguish.
April felt her heart breaking as she watches the scene before her; she checked the timer near the bed and noticed that their down to 4 minutes. She walked towards Brad's mother; "Hazel, we only have 5 minutes or this will all have been for nothing" she said gently.
Brad's mother refused to budge and just kept crying.
April shifted her eyes back to the timer and saw that they only have a few minutes to spare; she shifted closer to the distraught mother and began tugging her away from the body. "I'm sorry Hazel...I'm so so sorry...come on" she coerced. When she was able to pull her off, she passed her to Stephanie and nodded towards the team that's waiting inside the scrub room. She took a step back and tried her best to control her emotions; "He's in a better place now-a place where it no longer hurts" she murmured to herself as tears fall down her cheeks.
oOo
"Edwards, a word please" Jackson said when he saw Stephanie walking towards the elevator.
Stephanie obediently walked towards Jackson and stopped right in front of him; "Is there something you need Dr. Avery?" she asked.
Jackson stuffed his hands inside his lab coat pockets as he shifted in his feet; "Your D.C.D patient, is it Bradley Parker?" he asked.
"Yes" Stephanie replied.
"I see" Jackson replied. "Do you know where April is?"
Stephanie threw Jackson a sad look; "I think she went to the tunnels-she was crying the last time I saw her"
Jackson sighed; "Okay, thanks"
Stephanie nodded before walking away.
oOo
April leaned back on the wall and hugged her knees to her chest; it's not the first time she that she lost a patient and it's definitely not the first time that she lost a very close friend however this is the first time she lost both voluntarily. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes tightly; "Suck it up, it's better this way" she murmured to herself sadly.
"April?"
April's eyes snapped open; she turned her head sideways and saw Jackson standing a couple of steps away from her. She hastily wiped her cheeks and sat straighter; "H-hey"
Jackson took a tentative step towards the gurney that April is sitting at; "I didn't know that it was Brad-I just saw his name after I signed off on the papers from the harvest team"
"Yeah-it was him"
Jackson gestured towards the space beside April; "May I?" he asked cautiously.
April eyed Jackson for a moment before nodding.
Jackson climbed up the gurney and sat beside the red head, keeping a respectable distance between them. He then turned his head sideways and stared at April with concern; "Are you okay?" he asked gently.
April bit her trembling bottom lip and just shook her head; it's been an emotional draining day for her and her chest feels so heavy. Seeing someone close to her die right before her eyes again brought back ugly memories; she didn't want to do it but she didn't have a choice. A sob escaped her lips even before she got the chance to stifle it; she buried her face into her palms and tried to cry the hurt away.
Jackson didn't think twice; he shifted closer to April and wrapped his arm around her shoulders; he pulled her into his chest and enclosed her tiny frame into a tight hug.
April pulled her hand away and burrowed her face into Jackson's neck; she grasped his scrubs top on as she bawled.
Jackson closed his eyes as he pulled her closer; he hates seeing April hurting like this-it made him feel helpless. He knew that seeing Brad die brought back painful memories for her, if he only knew earlier that her patient was one of her closest friends, he wouldn't have let her take the case. "I'm sorry Apes-I know it had been hard for you but he's in a better place now-he's no longer hurting" he whispered.
April's grip on his shirt tightens as her cries intensified.
Jackson began rocking her back and forth; "It's alright-Ssshhhhhh-it's gonna be alright" he whispered.
"I-I can't-I-really can't-"April managed to choke through sobs.
Jackson opened his eyes; "Can't what?" he asked softly.
April pulled her face away from his neck and turned her tear stained face towards Jackson; she hiccupped and sniffed. "I-I can't lose you too-you can't die on me Jackman-promise me you won't die on me..." she said brokenly.
Jackson felt his heart break upon seeing the pain etched on April's face; he wiped the tears on her cheeks and met her gaze seriously. "I won't die on you-I promise. You'll always have me, I'm not going anywhere" he said.
April chin wobble as fresh tears pools in her eyes.
Jackson sighed and pulled her back into his arms; he planted a soft kiss on her head before leaning back on the wall. "I'll never leave you Apes, it's always gonna be me and you, I promise" he whispered.
oOo
"Hey, have you seen April?" Lexie asked as she peers inside the Attending's Lounge.
"Why are you just standing by the door like a creeper?" Alex asked.
"I'm not allowed in here, this is the Attending's Lounge" Lexie replied.
Alex raised his brow; "You are aware that you now own this place right?"
Lexie thought for a moment before wrinkling her nose; "Yeah right, still not used to that" she replied. She then stepped inside the room and closed the door behind her; "So, have you seen her? I tried calling her phone but she's not answering"
"Last time I saw her she was with her D.C.D patient" Alex replied before taking a swig of his juice.
Lexie walked towards the couch and plopped beside the Ped's Fellow; "She had a D.C.D patient? That's sad"
"You know what's sadder?" Alex asked.
"What?"
"He's her friend"
Lexie's cringed; "That's-tough"
"That's what I told her too" Alex replied.
Lexie opened her mouth to speak but was cut off when the door was jarred open, admitting Jackson in. The Plastic Fellow didn't seem to notice the two people occupying the couch as he made a bee line towards the locker area.
"Hey Jackson, have you seen April?" Lexie called out.
"Yeah, I'm taking her home. Why?"
Alex turned towards Lexie and raised his brow; "You're what?" he asked loudly.
Jackson rounded the corner carrying April's stuff together with his; stopping right in front of his friends. "I'm taking her home, I can't let her drive when she's this upset" he explained.
Alex's brow furrowed in concern; "Is she alright?"
Jackson sighed; "Today was hard for her because it brought back bad memories, she's a little bit shaken up but she's alright"
Lexie stared at Jackson; "You sure you can take her home? Mark and I don't mind, we can drop her off" she offered.
"I'll take her home" Jackson replied.
"Okay" Lexie replied.
"Stay with her, she needs you now" Alex said seriously.
Jackson nodded; "I'll see you guys tomorrow, have a good night" he said before stepping out of the room.
"Do you think it's a good idea to let Jackson take April home?" Lexie asked.
Alex turned his face to Lexie; "If there's someone April needs now, it's her person. Jackson is her person-so yes, I think it's a good idea"
Lexie pursed her lips; "Okay then,"
oOo
Mark was leaning casually on the nurses' station when he spotted his prot walking briskly towards the elevator; "Hey Avery, where's the fire?" he asked.
Jackson turned to his side and saw Mark; "I'm gonna head out, just page me if you need me" he said before punching on the elevator button.
Mark furrowed his brows when he noticed the stuff Jackson is carrying; he pulled away from his perch and began walking towards him. He stopped beside the young surgeon and raised his brow; "Are you stealing women's clothes now?"
"I'm not, these are April's clothes-I'm fetching it for her" Jackson replied.
Mark's eyes widen; "Are you-?"
Jackson turned to face his mentor; "Nope we aren't" he replied.
"Then why are you doing this?" Mark asked.
"April had a rough day and she's upset, I can't let her drive herself home so I'm taking her there instead" Jackson explained.
"What happened?"
Jackson punched on the elevator button again; "Damn we have to get this fixed" he said irritably. He shifted his gaze back to Mark; "It's a long story but to cut it short, one of her patients died and he happens to be a close friend"
Mark narrowed his eyes; "Loved ones aren't suppose to be-"
"It's a D.C.D patient, she didn't break any rules and Hunt signed on it" Jackson said defensively.
"I don't give a damn about the rules, what I meant to say is, she's should've let someone else do it-seeing someone you care about die is hard" Mark clarified.
Jackson sighed; "I know-she's pretty much broken about it"
Mark threw Jackson an empathic look; "Are you sure you can take her home? I mean-I can probably drop her off with Lexie" he offered.
"No, it's okay. I'll do it, she's already waiting inside my car" Jackson replied.
"Okay then," Mark replied.
"Finally!" Jackson said loudly when the elevator doors opened. He stepped inside and punched on the appropriate floor; "If you see my mom tell her I went home and don't forget to be here early-we have a board meeting first thing-we'll be discussing about re-opening the pit."
"Okay boss!" Mark said with a small smile.
Jackson rolled his eyes.
oOo
April stared at the dimly lit parking lot right in front of her as she contemplates her current situation; when she first went to the tunnel with the intent to cry her heart out she didn't expect Jackson to show up. They've been pretty much avoiding each other ever since the screaming match in her apartment but seeing him standing there when she needed him the most made her realize that Jackson will always be there for her, rough patch or not. He showed her that he can set aside their personal issues and be whatever she needs-which makes it difficult for her because she can feel herself falling even further for him. "If only things are different right now" she thought glumly.
"Hey-I'm sorry if I took long, got held up by some people on my way here" Jackson said.
"It's alright, you didn't make me wait long" April replied.
Jackson walked towards April and stopped right in front of her; "Mark thought I was stealing women's clothes so he had to ask" he said while handing her things over.
April cracked a small smile; "He's just looking out for you" she replied.
Jackson smiled; "I know-kinda annoying sometimes"
April looked thoughtful for a moment; "Like a mother hen"
Jackson can't help but chuckle at April's words; "Don't let him hear you say that or he'll force feed you with his scones" he joked.
April wrinkled her nose; "He's still doing that?"
Jackson nodded; "Yep and he just managed to convince Mer and Derek to lend him their kitchen so expect more baked goods in the next coming days"
"Well-he does make good scones" April said.
"That's what Cristina and Mer said"
"Thank god I'm not the only one who thinks that, I thought there something wrong with my taste buds after I ate one"
Jackson laughed.
April smiled; "See? We can do this, we can be friends again" she thought.
'Cause I'm scared to death, now that I'm losing you, I'm scared to death, knowing I can't get through. I'm scared to death, living this so lonely life without you. I'm scared to death, falling in love with you, I'm scared to death, there's nothing that I can do. I'm scared to death, what if you won't be around anymore..."
Three months had passed since the hospital's transition and everyone seems to be in a better place. Meredith and Derek are almost 9 months pregnant and just counting the days before they meet their second child. Cristina and Owen are still trying to come up with a compromise that will let them stay together. Alex and Izzie officially announced that they've moved in together and thinking about tying the knot again while Mark and Lexie finally decided on their wedding date. April is focused more on her studies because her board is coming up and she's determined to pass. She's also been very busy with the newly refurbished pit because ever since the board decided to re-open it, Owen pretty much gave her free reins. Jackson on the other hand had been extremely busy, he's been splitting his time between admin work and surgery, being the head of the board is taking its toll on him-hence another aspect of his life is suffering. He's still with Sadie though, much to everyone's dismay. After April's unexpected confession Mark thought his prot will finally man up and admit his feelings, he expected them to be a couple by now especially after the moment they shared with the Trauma Surgeon's D.C.D friend, unfortunately things doesn't work that way-more like, Jackson doesn't think that way. They were good though, they're no longer avoiding each other like a plague, there's still lingering awkwardness between the two of them but they manage.
"Kepner, how are we doing?" Owen said as he walks towards his prot.
"Take a look" April said while gesturing towards the beds. "From ambulance arrival the entire intake only took 22 minutes and 11 seconds, our new E.R. works" she finished with a proud smile.
Owen shifted his gaze back to April and smiled; "Just like it's supposed to"
April opened her mouth to respond but couldn't when a loud explosion shook the whole hospital; "What hell was that?" she asked, panic evident in her voice.
"The tanker must have blown" Owen replied. He then shifted his eyes towards the E.R. doors when he heard muffled screams coming from the outside; he gritted his teeth upon seeing a man in a hospital gown being eaten by flames. "Call the Burn unit, we're gonna need a gurney" he shouted loudly.
"Dear god" April gasped.
oOo
Lexie pulled away from Mark to catch her breath; "I really need to get going"
Mark began nipping on his fiancé's neck; "Derek has Ross, I'm quite sure he can spare you a couple of more minutes" he murmured.
Lexie cocked her head to the side, giving Mark an easier access to her neck; "That feels so good" she moaned.
Mark chuckled; he then began trailing his lips towards Lexie's face, he was about to reach her lips but paused when he heard his pager beeping loudly. "Seriously?"
Lexie can't help but giggle at Mark's reaction; she planted a soft kiss on his lips before burying her face into the crook of his neck. "Looks like someone is looking for you"
"Where the hell are my Fellows? They're supposed to take over when I'm busy!" Mark said petulantly.
Lexie pulled her face away and planted another kiss on Mark's lips before hefting herself away from his lap; "Running their own service of course" she quipped.
Mark plucked his shirt from the floor and shrugged it on; "These are the times I miss having Avery as my resident, he takes care of things and only pages me if needed"
Lexie tugged on her scrub top on before pulling her hair up in a ponytail; "Well, you can't expect him to swoop in for you now, he's got a lot on his plate" she replied.
Mark grabbed his pager from the coffee table and read the message; he automatically shot up from his perch and grabbed his coat. "A tanker blew, I'm being paged to the pit"
Lexie's eyes widen; "A tanker blew?"
"Yep and you're coming with me, all hands are on deck" Mark said.
oOo
Mark hastily walked towards Miranda and Richard; "I got your page-is this—"
"The human fire ball" Miranda replied.
Mark grimaced; "Let's get him to the burn unit right away" he said while tugging on the gurney.
"Okay let's roll" Miranda said loudly.
"Everybody listen up, we're gonna be receiving more patients so buckle up, this will be a long day" Owen shouted.
April hastily laced her trauma gown as she ran towards the incoming gurney; "What do we have?" she asked.
"Elyse Cruse, 37 weeks pregnant, hypotensive in the field with abdominal bruising and second degree burns on her right arm" The paramedic explained.
"Page O.B!" April called out to the nurse. She then shifted her gaze to her conscious patient and let out a comforting smile; "I'm Dr. Kepner, can you tell me your name?" she asked.
"My name is Elyse Cruse"
"Okay Elyse-"
"I don't care about me, just do everything you can, just save my little girl-please"
April leaned on the gurney; "How about I save you both?"
"Yeah-that'll be great"
April let out another smile before began tugging on the gurney while barking orders; she hauled it on one of the open spaces and began examining her pregnant patient. "She has abdominal tenderness to palpation" she said. She then shifted her eyes on the monitor when it began beeping wildly; "Damn it! She's having decels, her BP is dropping" she said. She then moved her eyes to the patient; "Okay, Elyse, stay with me, okay? Just try to stay with me?"
"Is my baby okay?" Elyse asked in panic.
April leaned forward and placed her hands on Elyse's hips; "We're gonna roll you to your side now, okay?" she said before turning her to her side.
"My baby-"
"Try not to worry" April assured her patient as she secured a pillow on Elyse's side. She turned her gaze to her nurse; "Page O.B again, right now-please?"
The nurse nodded and briskly walked away.
April turned her eyes to the monitor; "Come on! Where the hell is OB?"
"What's happening?" Elyse croaked through tears.
"Kepner, she's bleeding" Alex called out from the other gurney.
April threw Alex a look before leaning forward to check it; "What?"
Alex hastily made his way towards April's patient and began checking her; he took a peek under the gown and stared at the red head. "Cord's prolapsed, we need to secure it."
"What's happening?" Elyse asked again.
April turned to Elyse; "Your baby's umbilical cord has dropped and it's now trapped against her body and that's why she's in distress" she explained.
Alex pull on a new set of gloves and leaned towards the patient; "Ma'am, we need to keep the cord inside, so your baby doesn't lose any more oxygen. To do that, I'm gonna have to place my hand inside, I'm really sorry but it's gonna hurt a lot, okay?" he said gently.
"Did you call my husband?"
April nodded; "I did, now hold my hand" she instructed.
Alex waited for the patient to nod before trying to push the cord back but after a moment he stopped and shook his head; "We need to get this baby out, where the hell is O.B? Tell them to meet us in the O.R. now!" he asked.
"Right away" The nurse responded.
April pulled the side railing up; "Elyse we're going into surgery right now to take care of your baby, okay?"
Elyse nodded.
April met Alex's gaze before nodding; they both pulled on the gurney and began pushing it.
oOo
Jackson stepped inside the Burn Center and was surprised to see the amount of people bustling around; he furrowed his brows and began looking for Mark. When he spotted him standing by a patient's bed, he made a bee line towards the older surgeon.
"His arm is broken and it needs to be fixed ASAP, page Ortho" Mark ordered.
"Right away Dr. Sloan"
"What the hell is going on? Did something happen?" Jackson asked.
Mark turned around; "A tanker blew" he replied.
Jackson frowned; "And why I wasn't paged about this?"
"The majority of the patients hasn't arrived yet but you'll get your page, don't worry" Mark said in an appeasing voice.
"I hate being the head of this hospital-all I do is attend stupid meetings, I should be out there helping patients for goodness sake, I'm a doctor!" Jackson said in frustration.
"Be a doctor then, you're the head of the board, delegate" Mark said.
Jackson mulled his mentor's words; 'You're right, I'll do that " he said.
"Now that you're here, ditch the lab coat and come with me. Let's swoop down the pit and snag ourselves a patient" Mark said.
"Like the good old times?"
Mark grinned; "Plastics Posses in action"
oOo
April found herself walking towards Elyse's room an hour after the surgery; they we're able to take the baby out safely but there had been complication and too much bleeding. Her vitals are stable for the moment but there are no assurances that she will be able to pull through; she stood by the door and listened to her husband's heartbreaking pleas. She felt a pang inside her chest as she watched him plant a kiss on Elyse's cheek before stepping outside the room She waited for a couple of minutes before entering it herself; she stood by the door and stared into her patient's frail form.
"Hey-I'm just gonna check on her burns" Jackson said as he enters the room.
April turned her face towards Jackson and just let out a tight lipped smile.
Jackson made his way towards the side of the bed and pulled a stool; "How is she doing?"
April sighed; "Not well. She's acidotic and her creatinine's sky high" she replied. She then paused and shook her head dejectedly; she stared at Elyse for a second before shifting her gaze back to Jackson. "You know, they dated in college"
Jackson uncapped the antibiotic cream before throwing April a look; "Yeah?"
April nodded; "But then her Dad died so she had to leave school and they lost touch, till about 3 years ago when they both randomly decided to move from Wisconsin to Seattle and join the same bowling league, how weird is that?"
Jackson slipped on his gloves and met April's eyes; "That people join bowling leagues?"
April rolled her eyes before shifting her gaze back to her patient; "The universe kept pulling them together...just waiting for them to see that they were meant to be together and then..." she paused and stared at Jackson.
Jackson shifted his eye to the patient's arm; "And then a tanker explodes and she ends up in the hospital-yeah" he said.
April took a deep breath; "Yeah-"
oOo
"What are you doing here? I thought you're flying out for the TED conference?" Mark asked when he saw his best friend standing by the O.R table.
Callie gestured towards the patient; "I was but then...baked Alaska over there" she said glumly.
"Are you the only Ortho here?" Mark asked.
"Nope but I'm the only one available to take on this surgery" Callie replied.
Mark grimaced; "Sorry"
Callie sighed; "Let's just get this over with" she said.
oOo
April felt her heart beating erratically as she run towards Elyse's room; she felt dread fill her chest upon seeing Jackson doing chest compressions on her patient. She hastily slipped on gloves as she made a bee line towards the bed; "What happened?"
Jackson shifted his eyes to April; "I was doing my exam and she started bleeding from her incisions and her IV sites and she dropped into V-fib, we just shocked her once"
April pulled the paddles from the nurse; "I'll take over, charge to 150" she ordered.
Jackson pulled his hands away; "Push another epi" he ordered.
April placed the paddles on Elyse's chest; "Clear" she said before turning her eyes to the monitor. When she didn't see any changes she shifted her eyes back to Elyse; "No...no...no...no...Clear" she yelled as she shocked her again.
Jackson turned his gaze to the monitor but didn't see any changes; "Charge to 200" he ordered.
"Clear!" April yelled again. "Come on Elyse!"
Jackson shifted his gaze to April, willing her to look at him.
"Push 5 of epi, now!" April ordered.
Jackson leaned forward and grabbed the paddles from April's hands; "April we lost her"
April paused and met Jackson's eyes.
"Okay?" Jackson said softly.
April bit her bottom lip as she shook her head in denial; she hastily pulled her hands away and stormed out of the room.
Jackson handed the paddles back to the nurse as he watches April walk away.
oOo
Jackson has been looking for April for over an hour now but he can't seem to find her; he knew that she was upset about losing her patient that's why she's hiding. He already tried the tunnels, the Attending's Lounge even the rooftop like what Lexie suggested but it was all for naught. He shoved his hands inside his lab coat pocket and just decided to give her space; he was about to make his way towards the Burn Unit when he noticed a lone figure sitting on a gurney beside the window. He narrowed his eyes and instantly recognized his best friend's auburn hair; he let out sigh of relief and hastily made his way towards her.
April felt someone standing beside her and she automatically knew who it was; she shook her head gently and let out sigh. "I don't know why this one is hitting me hard-I don't even know her"
Jackson sat down beside April but said nothing.
April continued staring ahead, not even sparing Jackson a glance; "It's not supposed to happen this way-it's not right" she said while wiping the tears that ran down her cheeks.
Jackson braised his hands on the bed and leaned back quietly, lending ear-being what she needs.
April began tugging on her hands before turning her face sideways; "I can't tell him-I can't tell him-Uh-I can't make him feel worse just 'cause I feel bad"
Jackson sat straight and faced April; "I'll do it" he offered.
April shook her head; "No-no, I'll do it-I can do it-I just..." she paused when she felt a lump forming in her throat. "I need a minute..." she croaked.
"Okay" Jackson replied.
April tried to hold it together but it was just too much for her; heart breaking sobs escaped her lips as fresh batch of tears fell down her cheeks. She leaned towards Jackson and buried her face into the crook of his neck.
"Hey-" Jackson said before lifting his arm and wrapping it around April's shoulders. He pulled her closer to his side and began rubbing her arms up and down, trying his best to comfort her.
April cried harder.
Jackson leaned his cheek on April's head as he closes his eyes; he really hates seeing her like this-so helpless and broken.
April choked on her sob so she slowly pulled away; she didn't anticipate Jackson's face to be close to hers so she froze.
Jackson turned his face towards April and his eyes automatically fell on her lips; he swallowed hard before shifting his gaze to her eyes. He felt his breath hitch in his throat when he saw unbridled emotions swirling in her hazel eyes and in that very unlikely and unexpected moment-he finally understood what Mark meant-what he's been running away from for so long.
"Hey-"
April and Jackson immediately pulled away from each other and turned towards the voice.
Alex threw his friends a rueful look; "I was-uh-coming to give the mom an update on her baby, Elyse Cruse"
April stared at Alex a saddened look before bowing her head.
Jackson threw April a concerned look before turning his gaze to the Ped's Fellow; "Yeah-she didn't-um-she didn't make it. We were gonna go tell the husband now,"
"No-I was, I was, I will-I just-I need a minute" April interjected before wiping her cheeks.
Jackson turned towards April and sighed.
"I just have to pull myself together" April said before bowing her head again, trying her best to gather herself again.
Alex stared at his distraught friend; "Chest Peckwell's name's on the file, you want me to make him do it?"
April lifted head just as Jackson turned his eyes to Alex; "Yeah" they said in unison.
Alex sighed; "You okay?"
April nodded.
Alex stared at April for a couple of seconds before spinning on his heels and walking away.
April turned her eyes towards Jackson and let out a sad smile; "Thank you..."
Jackson took a deep breath; "You're welcome" he said.
oOo
"Have you seen Chest Peckwell? I've been paging him for 10 minutes now and that douche bag is not responding" Alex said with a scowl.
Lexie tore her eyes away from her tab; "Nope, why are you looking for him anyway?"
Alex's scowl instantly vanished; "I need him to tell April's patient's husband that his wife did not make it" he said with a sigh.
"Where's April?" Lexie asked with a concerned look.
"She's with Avery"
Lexie's eyes widen; "Jackson?"
Alex nodded; "Yep, she was crying again and Pretty boy was comforting her"
"Oh"
"Yep," Alex replied. He then peered behind Lexie's back and saw a familiar figure entering the pit; he narrowed his eyes and scowled. "There he is, see you later Little Grey" he said before storming towards the other doctor.
oOo
Jackson's shift just ended and he's about ready to go; he already checked in on April but she told him that she cannot leave the hospital yet, so now, here he is-nursing a glass of whiskey at Joe's. Today has been emotionally taxing for the both of them albeit in different ways; his unexpected realization by just looking into her eyes shook him to him to his very core. The moment was inappropriate, the timing was imperfect but the feeling was indescribable, beyond what he expected. It's as if the dark fog clouding his eyes suddenly dissipated into nothing and he was able to see clearly-for the first time. He doesn't have the slightest idea how the realization happened though, it kinda sprung on him out of the blue. Maybe it was her eyes? Peering into them—even for a just a brief second, made him see a glimpse of how much emotion she carries. Maybe it was her tears? Seeing them showed him how much compassion she's capable of. Maybe it was her lips? Hearing the words love and you in the same sentence might have done the trick. Or maybe it was just all of her; her fragile strength, her neurotic rants, her infamous metaphors-man, he can go on for hours. He let out a small smile before grabbing his glass; he took a sip of his drink and he didn't even mind the bitter taste. Mark was right-he needs to admit his feelings and learn to say it out loud just like what April did but before he does that, he needs to settle the score with Sadie first and that's something he's not looking forward to.
"Slowly, gently, choosing me will make me then you're one and only, I pray that our love will begin. 'Cause I'm scared to death, now that I'm losing you, I'm scared to death, knowing I can't get through. I'm scared to death, living this so lonely life without you. I'm scared to death, falling in love with you, I'm scared to death, there's nothing that I can do. I'm scared to death, what if you won't be around anymore..."
It has only been a week after the tanker explosion and Jackson is still in stalemate; he tried several times to break if off with Sadie but every time he's close to actually doing it she says and does nice things that makes him feel guilty-resulting to him chickening out. He told Mark his predicament to seek advice and his mentor already gave him an earful; the older surgeon even offered to do it for him if he can't grow balls, he declined of course-he's a decent guy after all.
"Did you already do it?"
Jackson tore his eyes away from his tab; "It's not that easy" he replied.
Mark leaned on the nurses' station sideways and crossed his arms; "In other words you chickened out-again" he said.
"I'm possibly breaking someone's heart, there's no easy way to do it" Jackson said defensively.
"You didn't have any trouble breaking Kepner's heart"
Jackson glared at his mentor; "That was not on purpose."
Mark pulled away from his perch and lifted his hands in mock surrender; "Just saying" he said.
"I'm doing it tonight, okay? I'm ending it" Jackson said.
"You're breaking up with her in the middle of a storm? Seriously?"
"I don't want to prolong this anymore because I already stalled multiple times-I can't continue lying and pretending that I'm happy with her when I know for a fact that I want to be with someone else. It's not fair to her, for me and certainly not for April-so yes, I'm doing it in the middle of the storm and nobody will stop me this time."
Mark stared at Jackson for a couple of seconds before a large approving grin appeared on his lips; "About time you grow some balls"
Jackson can't help but crack a smile.
oOo
April was just coming from the parking lot when she noticed a truck parked near the ambulance bay; she briskly walked towards it and saw her mentor barking orders to the maintenance crew.
"Make sure that's covered and make sure we have plenty of those" Owen said while pointing towards the sand bags.
"What is all this?" April asked while eyeing the bags.
Owen turned towards April; "Weather reports say a massive storm is coming, hurricane force winds and heavy rain-they say its three days out" he explained.
"So we have time to prepare then?" April asked.
"Exactly" Owen replied. He then lifted his hand and wiggled a handbook; "So for the E.R. we're gonna need to overstock supplies and blood products. Let's get ready for double capacity intakes-that means extra beds and gurneys in the hallways."
April accepted the handbook and began perusing it; "Okay"
oOo
"Do you know what this meeting is for?" Lexie asked as she sidled up beside her sister.
Meredith turned her head sideways; "Did you come home last night?"
Lexie met Meredith's eyes; "Nope, I slept at Mark's" she replied.
"Okay" Meredith replied. "Owen has an announcement about the storm or something"
"I see-here he comes" Lexie said before shifting her eyes to the Chief of Surgery.
Owen took his place on the stairs and stood right in front of his colleagues; "As you all know, there's a storm coming and this will bring in a lot of casualties. We're gonna need to make room for them, so let's discharge all patients that can be discharged. Post ops and long term patients are gonna be transferred to Seattle Pres further inland. We're gonna bring in supplementals; water food, meds, lighting and we're gonna be checking and refuelling the backup generators. As for you surgeons, push, postpone or cancel all elective procedures until after the storm. If you have any questions, please feel free to approach me-that will be all, thanks" he said before stepping down.
"That was fast" Lexie said.
Meredith wrinkled her nose; "I hate postponing surgeries, I have 2 scheduled surgeries for today and it looks like it's gonna be cancelled."
Derek leaned forward and planted a kiss on his wife's temple; "You're 3 weeks shy of your due date, this is a good thing" he said.
Meredith narrowed her eyes at her husband; "I'm pregnant, not disabled"
Lexie cringed; she slowly took a step back before bolting away.
"Coward!" Derek called out.
Meredith turned to her side and saw that her sister's gone; she shifted her eyes back to Derek and scowled. "Great! I'm gonna ask her to buy me a doughnut but now she's gone and it's your fault!"
Derek smiled; "I'll buy you a doughnut" he offered.
Meredith hastily spun on her heels started walking towards the direction Lexie disappeared to; "I don't want you to buy my doughnut, I want Lexie's doughnut" she said petulantly.
Derek watched Meredith waddle away before shaking his head in amusement.
oOo
"Clear the hallways for cots, people will come looking for shelter" April said as she walks briskly towards the E.R doors.
"How bad can this be?" Leah asked as she trails behind her Attending.
April threw her intern a look; "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, right?" she said. She then stopped right in front of the ambulance; "What do we got?"
"39 year old construction worker, wind blew him off the building, fell four stories to impale himself on 3 bars of standing rebar" The EMT said as he pulls the patient's gurney.
April leaned forward and winced upon seeing her patient's condition.
"Minimal blood loss on the scene, maintaining airway" The EMT reported.
"Okay, let's go" April replied before tugging on the gurney.
"Please let his name be Bob" Leah murmured as she began guiding the gurney.
April stared at Leah confusedly; "Why?"
Leah turned her face towards April; "Shiska-Bob"
April glared as a response.
"My name is Leon" The patient croaked.
"The patient's awake and responsive" The EMT said with a scowl.
Leah's eyes widen; "Oh my god, I'm so sorry"
April scowled, clearly not impressed with her intern; "Get him to the O.R and order for an XRAY. Page Grey and Torres" she ordered sternly.
"Right away Dr. Kepner" Leah replied.
"Kepner!"
April lagged behind when she heard her name being called; she turned around and was surprised to see her mentor walking towards her. "What's your case?"
April bit her bottom lip to stifle her excited smile; "Human Shiska-bob"
Owens' eyes widen; "That's a big case"
"Yep!"
"A big case you can show the AMA you can handle" Owen said with a knowing look.
"Exactly, I'm gonna crush them this year" April said confidently.
Owen chuckled; "Operate away. Page me if you need me to tug you out when things got hairy" he said.
April grinned; "No need for that but I'll keep that in mind" she said.
"Go!"
April didn't need to be told twice; she quickly spun on her heels and run towards the elevators.
oOo
"You boys ready for our surgery?" Arizona asked as she enters the scrub room.
Mark turned his face towards Arizona and smiled; "We are, the question is are you?"
Arizona walked towards the sink and switched on the faucet; "You better make my kid look good or I'll strangle you two" she playfully warned.
"You'll never even notice that kid went into facial reconstruction after we're done" Mark said confidently. He then turned his gaze towards his prot; "Right?"
Jackson turned his head sideways and smiled at Arizona; "Right"
Arizona chuckled at her friend's cheekiness.
oOo
"So everything is quite intact however that won't be the case once we pull the bars off" Meredith said while eyeing their patient.
April cocked her head to the side while studying the bars; "We need to cut it as close to the body as possible so it won't cause more damage when we pull it out" she said. She then shifted her gaze towards her intern; "Try the cutter Murphy" she ordered.
"I don't think that'll do the trick" Callie said while staring at the cutter.
Leah stepped beside the O.R. table and tried her luck; after a couple of seconds, she pulled the cutter away. "This won't do the trick"
Meredith heard the patient speak lowly so she leaned forward; she listened to his instructions before shifting her eyes to Leah. She repeated the exact information Leon told her and met Leah's gaze; "Understand?"
Leah nodded before hastily walking towards the door.
"Don't walk Murphy, run!" Callie said.
"I'm so glad you can make it, we needed some extra hands. Thank you" Owen said.
Ben pushed on the elevator button before turning towards Owen; "Don't mention it. I have nothing to do at home anyway, my wife is here and Tuck is with his Dad" he replied.
Owen gestured towards the elevator and waited for Ben to step in first before following; when he spun around he saw one of their interns walking briskly with one of the maintenance crew who's carrying a cutter. He furrowed his brows and placed his hand on the door frame; "Murphy what are you doing?"
Leah halted her steps and turned towards Owen; "Kepner needed something to cut the bars and this is the only one who can do the trick" she explained.
"Oh, okay, go" Owen said.
Leah nodded and resumed her pace.
Owen turned around to face Ben when the door closed behind them; he furrowed his brows while in thought.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ben asked.
"Crap!" Owen cussed as he began punching on the elevator buttons.
oOo
April felt tired but none the less fulfilled; they were able to save Leon's life and the outlook is looking quite good.
"Guess what I did today?"
April placed a box of medicine on the top shelve before turning towards the voice; she let out a small smile upon seeing an excited Jackson walking towards her. "What?"
"Sloan let me take a lead on a facial reconstruction surgery, I'm the primary surgeon" Jackson said giddily.
April's eyes widen in surprise; "Wow-that's your first right?" she asked.
"The very first and Sloan said it won't be the last, he's quite impressed with my graft" Jackson said proudly.
April smiled; "I always knew you'd be a great surgeon, congrats" she said sincerely.
Jackson felt a tug on his heartstring upon hearing her say those words; April had always been supportive of his career choice and she never fails to remind him that he'd be great with it. He shifted closer to the shelves before smiling fondly at the red head; "Thank you. Hearing you say those words means a lot to me" he said seriously.
April smiled turned playful; "Just don't let it get to your head, we don't want you turning into those pompous big shot Plastic Surgeons in Hollywood"
Jackson can't help but laugh at her statement, after a moment he cocked his head to the side; "How about you? How's your day? Anything interesting came to the pit?" he asked.
April grabbed another box of medicine from the box and resumed her stacking; "Yep. A human Shika-bob came in" she replied nonchalantly.
Jackson's eyes widen; "Shiska-bob?"
April nodded; "Yep. He fell from a construction site and managed to impale himself on a rebar that happened to save his life"
Jackson cringed before grabbing himself a box, helping her with her chores; "That must've been messy" he said.
April chuckled; "It was, we almost blew up your O.R"
Jackson paused and furrowed his brows; "Huh?"
"We didn't know that sparks from grinding metal combined with oxygen can cause an explosion, it was a good thing that Owen and Ben caught us early"
Jackson let out a relieved sigh.
April turned her head to the side and smirked; "You're hospital's safe" she teased.
Jackson wrinkled his nose; "I'm not worried about this hospital" he paused and stared at April seriously; "I was worried about you"
April felt her heart skip a beat; she felt her cheeks flush so she hastily averted her gaze. She cleared her throat and grabbed another box; "Err-okay" she said, clearly flustered.
Jackson can't help but grin upon seeing the flush on the red head's cheek; "Just give me a couple of more hours Apes-I'm almost there" he thought.
oOo
It was almost dusk when the storm started surging; the hospital is now bustling with patients and all the Attending's seems to be having emergency surgeries left and right. Meredith and Derek's baby also deemed that it's the right time to meet the world so right after she got kicked off from April's surgery, Derek Mark Shepherd was born.
"A couple of people are asking for blankets" Leah said as she passes by Jackson.
"One blanket per person, that's it" Jackson said as he walks away.
"Matthew! What are you doing here?" April asked as she passes by Jackson, seeing her paramedic friend.
"My rig is still down in Pike's Street, it won't start. Nicole and I had to walk all the way here" Matthew replied.
April stared at Matthew's soaked form; "Do you want some towels to dry yourself?"
Matthew smiled; "How can I help?" he asked.
"Go grab some blankets" Owen replied when he heard Matthew's question.
Matthew nodded; "Okay-Err-Can you tell Steph that I'm here if you happen to see her? She thinks I'm still in the rig" he said.
April smiled; "Of course but let go get you a towel first"
Matthew smiled again; "Thanks"
April was leading Matthew towards the supply closet but halted her steps when she heard loud screeching tires; she turned her head sideways-just in time to see a huge bus topple over right outside the window. "Oh god"
"Move people!" Owen shouted loudly.
oOo
"Where's Cristina?" Meredith asked groggily.
Derek stopped cooing at the baby boy in his arms and shifted his gaze to his wife; "She's doing a heart surgery with Webber" he replied.
Meredith scrunched her face; "She's doing a heart surgery in the middle of the storm?" she asked.
"The patient is a casualty from the storm" Derek explained.
"I see-where's Lexie?" Meredith asked.
"She's at the pit with Mark, they're helping out"
Meredith sighed; "Is everything alright down there?"
Derek moved closer to the bed and sat down; "Everything is okay, don't worry about it"
Meredith shifted in her bed and closed her eyes; "I'm gonna take a nap, I'm tired"
Derek chuckled; "You just gave birth to our baby boy, of course you're tired"
"Does Mark know you named our son after him?"
"No, I haven't told anyone yet" Derek replied.
Meredith let out a tired chuckle; "Mark will have a field day"
Derek smiled; "Be ready to eat his new creations because he'll be baking more cakes once he finds out" he joked.
oOo
"Hurry! I smell gas!" April yelled as she wheeled her patient briskly away from the crash site.
"There's a fuel leak somewhere" Matthew replied.
"We have to get everyone away from this" Jackson shouted before hefting himself up the bus and sliding inside the door.
"Set up an emergency triage and take the Med's out, Bailey can you do this?" Owen asked.
"I'm on it!" Miranda replied before running towards the hospital.
"We gotta move! This thing's gonna blow!" Callie yelled.
Mark turned towards the bus; "Avery! Hurry up!" he called out before ushering his charge away.
Jackson appeared from the door; "I've got one more, she's stuck inside" he said before disappearing again.
Owen climbed up the bus and slid inside; he navigated towards the other surgeon and saw a woman stuck under a bus seat.
"I'm gonna try to lift this thing, you pull her out" Jackson said.
Owen bend forward; "On the count of three, okay?"
Jackson secured his hands on the broken piece of metal; "1—2-3" he said before lifting it with all his might.
Owen was able to pull the patient out successfully; "She's out" he said.
Jackson slowly lowered the seat back and let out a sigh of relief.
"I can't feel my legs, I don't think I can walk"
Jackson started looking around for a much closer exit but couldn't find any; he tilted his head and saw a glass window just above the patient. He threw Owen a look before bending down and grabbing himself a steel bar; "Ma'am I'm gonna need you to cover your eyes okay?" he said.
Owen pulled the patient to his chest and covered her frail form with his body; he nodded at Jackson before lowering his head.
Jackson jabbed the steel towards the glass and it easily gave away; he made sure that all of the glass shards are gone from the frame before turning his gaze back to Owen. "There"
oOo
"You okay?" Richard asked as he steps into the scrub room.
Cristina turned her head sideways; "That was-" she paused and turned to face Richard fully. "You made me a better doctor tonight, Dr. Webber, thank you" she said with sincerity.
Richard walked towards the sink and smiled; "You're welcome"
Cristina smiled back; "I'm gonna go check on Meredith, she delivered our baby just an hour ago"
"Grey's having a baby, well what do you know" Richard said with a surprised look.
"In the middle of the storm" Cristina said.
Richard chuckled.
oOo
"Move fast, this thing is a ticking time bomb" Owen said as he tugs on the side railing of the gurney.
"My baby-I need to find my baby" The patient cried.
Jackson turned his eyes back to the bus and began checking it again; he narrowed his eyes upon seeing a pink shoe lying near the bus' rear end.
"I'm quite sure your baby is already in there Ma'am" Lexie said as she began pulling on the gurney.
Owen turned his head to the side when he smelled something burning; his eyes widen when saw flames starting up. "We gotta get out of here, there's an open flame" he said while pushing on the gurney.
Lexie nodded and began carting it in a fast pace.
"Where is Jackson?" April asked while running towards them.
"He's right behind us" Owen replied.
"He's not!" April said loudly.
Mark shot up from his perch and began checking the vicinity for his prot; "He's not there"
"He was right behind us" Owen replied.
"Yeah, I saw him too" Lexie confirmed.
April felt her heart beating erratically upon seeing that the whole bus is already lit up with fire. She took a step forward and tried her best to look for her best friend.
"Is that Jackson?" Callie yelled while pointing towards the rear end of the burning vehicle.
"Avery! Come back here!" Owen shouted loudly.
April shifted her gaze to the direction that Callie is pointing at and felt dread surge inside her chest upon seeing his crouched form, trying to pull something out of the bus.
"Avery!" Callie called again.
April felt her feet moving even before she was able to think.
"APRIL!" Lexie yelled loudly.
Mark moved in lightning speed and was able to catch up with April even before she made it far; he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back to his chest-just in time before the bus exploded.
April felt herself toppling backwards and falling down to the wet pavement; she hastily pushed Mark away and pulled herself up. She saw debris scattered everywhere and felt horror surge inside her chest; "Jackson!" she yelled as tears cloud her eyes. "Jackson!"
Mark pulled himself of the ground and tried placing his hands on April's shoulder to calm the red head down.
April shrugged off Mark's hands and began shaking her head in denial; "Nooooooo! Noooooooo! You can't die! You promised!" she sobbed brokenly.
Mark shifted closer to April and pulled the distraught surgeon to his chest; he forcefully turned her around from the scene and wrapped her into a tight hug.
April began beating Mark on the back; "Noooooo! He promised-he told me he won't leave me...Noooooo!" she whimpered.
Mark gritted his teeth to control his emotions; "Calm down...Shhhhhh" he whispered.
"Is that Avery?" Owen suddenly said.
Mark switched his eyes back to the scene and saw someone emerging from the flames; he felt relief surge into his chest when he saw Jackson walking towards them, a little girl safely tucked into his arms. "Kepner..." he said softly.
April cannot understand Mark's words so she just buried her face into his chest while she whimpers; it's over-Jackson is gone. He left her too and she didn't even get the chance to tell him she loves him for the last time-he's gone.
"April" Mark said a little louder.
April shook her head as she continues to cry; "He's gone-he left me...Jackson's gone" she repeated hoarsely.
"He's alive and he's walking towards us" Mark said gently.
April pulled her face away from Mark's chest and lifted her tearstain face towards him; "W-what?" she asked shakily.
Mark slowly pulled away from April and turned her around to show her.
April felt a mixture of relief, love and anger swell inside her chest; she choked back a sob and stared at her best friend in shock.
Jackson walked passed them without a word and made a bee line towards the gurney; he gently placed the little girl in her mother's waiting arms before wincing.
Mark noticed April's reaction so he took it upon himself to start steering her towards the hospital.
Lexie saw the blank look on April's face so she hastily walked towards her.
Mark threw Lexie a look before nodding subtly.
Lexie automatically pried April away from her fiancé's arm and pulled her into a tight hug; "It's okay Apes-he's alright" he whispered.
April buried her face into Lexie's neck and began crying again.
Mark turned towards Jackson and saw his injuries; "Let's get you fixed" he said. He then threw Callie a look before he began steering his prot towards the door.
"April-" Jackson protested.
Mark shook his head; "Not now, give her time, she's in shock"
Callie began pushing Jackson towards the door; "Mark is right-give her time"
Jackson let out a defeated sigh.
Lexie wrapped a towel on April's shoulder before handing her a paper cup filled with water; "Drink this" she ordered.
April wiped her cheeks with her hands before accepting the cup; "T—thanks" she rasped out.
oOo
Lexie sat beside her friend and stared at her cautiously; "Are you feeling okay now?"
April emptied the cup and placed it haphazardly beside her; she took a deep calming breath before turning her face towards Lexie. "I thought I lost him-he could've died"
Lexie cringed; "Yeah but he's alive-and he saved a little girl's life"
April turned her face away and stared ahead; "He could've died" she repeated. She then hastily hopped off the gurney and yanked the towel off her shoulders; "He could've died" she said more forcefully before storming away.
Lexie jumped out of the gurney and followed her friend; "April!"
oOo
"That was heroic but idiotic at the same time" Mark said as cleans the wound on Jackson's forehead.
Jackson winced; "I just can't leave the kid behind" he replied.
"You should've asked for help instead of doing it alone" Callie said in a reprimanding tone.
"I didn't need to, I got it" Jackson replied.
Callie rolled her eyes as she turns toward the nurse; "Hand that arm sling" she instructed.
"I don't need an arm sling" Jackson said petulantly.
Callie grabed the sling and turned towards Jackson; "Are you an Orthopedic Surgeon?" she asked.
"No" Jackson replied.
"Shut up then" Callie replied.
Jackson was about to respond but wasn't able to when April appeared out of nowhere and began hitting him on the chest, he wasn't able to move both from shock and the pain.
"You could've died! I could've lost you!" April said hysterically.
Mark rolled his eyes and shifted behind the tiny red head; he wrapped his arms around her waist and yanked her away. "Stop beating the man for goodness sake, he's injured"
April ignored Mark's words and stared at Jackson with a mixture of fear and anger; "You could've died! You promised me!"
Jackson understood where April coming from so he tried his best to smile; "I'm okay-I didn't die...I'm still here" he said soothingly.
"I think you should take a walk Kepner, cool it down" Callie suggested.
April stared at Jackson for a moment before wriggling out of Mark's arms; she spun on her heels and stormed away.
Mark placed his hands on his hips and stared at Jackson; "See what I mean when I said idiotic?" he said before turning on his heel and following April.
Jackson let out a defeated sigh; "I was not thinking-I know, stop beating the dead horse"
Callie shook her head before gently lifting his arm to his chest; "Hold it there for a second" she instructed. She then adjusted the strap on sling before shifting her eyes to Jackson; "She ran after you, you know?"
Jackson bowed his head and stared at his lap.
Callie shifted closer to Jackson gently placed his arm inside the sling; "If Mark wasn't able to grab her in time, she might've been hurt"
"I did the right thing Callie-I couldn't let that little girl die" Jackson said.
Callie secured the sling before meeting Jackson's eyes; "I know and it was the right thing to do. Give her some time to digest it, she'll come around" she said. She then took a step back and smiled; "A woman who runs towards a burning bus to look for a man she cares for-is a woman worth keeping. Keep that in mind Avery, stop wasting more time" she said before walking away. "Stay there for a couple of hours, you're not allowed to move"
"But-"
"No buts!" Callie called out.
oOo
"Kepner!"
April halted in her steps and spun around; "What?"
Mark jogged towards the red head and stopped right in front of her; "You okay?"
April wiped her cheeks angrily; "I'm fine" she said while averting her eyes.
"What he did was idiotic because he could've died; I'm on your side with that. However you couldn't discount the fact that he saved a little girl's life. He's a doctor and he took an oath; his doctor instincts kicked in at the moment that's why he didn't think of himself-cut him some slack, he didn't mean to scare you" Mark said seriously.
April wiped her cheeks again before meeting Mark's gaze; "I know that-it's just-" she trailed off.
Mark let out a small comforting smile; "You don't have to explain anything to me because I know exactly what you felt, plane crash victim, remember?"
April let out a deep sigh before nodding.
"Callie is right, take a walk to calm down. Go talk to him once you're ready, I'm sure he wants to see you"
"Okay"
"Good girl"
oOo
"Excuse me, do you know where I can find Dr. Avery?" Sadie asked.
Miranda tore her eyes away from her patient's charts; she studied the beautiful brunette woman standing right in front of her and raised her brow. "And you are?"
Sadie smile shyly; "I'm Sadie Allen-Jackson's girlfriend"
Miranda's eyes widen; "Oh" she gasped.
Sadie tucked her hair behind her ear; "I was supposed to meet him tonight but he never showed up, I called his office and his assistant told me he's here-so I opted to come here" she explained.
"I see" Miranda replied. She then took a side step when he saw Callie walking along the hallways; "Torres!" she called loudly.
Callie turned her head to the side and saw Miranda beckoning her forward; she made her way to her and stopped beside Sadie. "Yep?"
Miranda gestured towards Sadie; "Avery's girlfriend is here-she's looking for him. Do you know where he is?"
Callie turned to face Sadie and began looking at her from head to foot; "You're Sadie?" she asked after a moment.
Sadie chuckled nervously, clearly not used to being stared at; "Y-yes"
Callie nodded before shifting her gaze towards Miranda; "I got her, I'll take her to Jackson. Webber is looking for you, something about the Meds" she said.
"Okay" Miranda said before turning around.
Callie placed her hands on her hips; "I'll take you to him then" she said.
oOo
Jackson was resting his eyes when he heard the curtains open; "I'm good, no need for meds" he said.
"Are you really alright?"
Jackson's eyes snapped open upon hearing the familiar voice; "A—april" he said before trying his best to sit up.
April yanked the curtain close and walked towards the foot of the bed; she stared at Jackson's injuries and felt a tightening feeling inside her chest. "I'm sorry"
Jackson stared at April confusedly; "Sorry for what?"
"For hitting you awhile ago" April replied.
Jackson let out a small smile; "I deserved it"
April shook her head; "You didn't-you saved a little girl's life, I was being stupid"
Jackson stared at April for a moment; "Come here" he said.
April shook her head again; "I can't"
Jackson furrowed his brows; "Why?"
"I just can't-I don't want to hurt you further"
"I'm really okay April, you won't hurt me" Jackson said.
April bit her bottom lip as tears pool in her eyes again; "I want you Jackson-I love you"
Jackson's eyes widen in shock, clearly not expecting this.
April swallowed back a sob; "When that bus exploded and I thought you were gone-I lost it."
"April I-"
"I know you don't want me that way I want you but I just have to let you know that I meant what I said the last time we talked. When I thought you-you died I thought I wouldn't have the chance to say that to you again-but now-now that you're okay and alive-I want to make sure you hear it-that you know it's true"
"April I-"
"You don't have to say anything back-I just want you to know how I felt and that I'm proud of what you've done-Mark was right, it was heroic" April said with a small smile.
Jackson felt his heart swell with so much love for this woman standing right in front of him but he can't help but be annoyed with her too because she keeps cutting him off. "Are you done?" he asked.
April felt her heart drop to her stomach upon hearing the tone of his voice; she gnashed her teeth together, silently braising herself for another round of rejection.
Jackson sat straighter on the bed; "Listen I-"
"Jackson! Oh god!"
Jackson's head snapped towards the side and saw Sadie standing by the curtains; he sucked in a mouthful of breath as he cursed mentally. "H-hey"
Sadie made a bee line towards the bed and gently cupped her beau's face; "Are you alright? What happened?" she asked with worry.
"I'm fine" Jackson replied.
Sadie trailed her hands towards Jackson's neck and pulled him into hug; "I was so worried" she murmured.
April felt like she's been dozed with cold water upon seeing the scene right in front of her; "Damn it! How can you forget that he's in a relationship?" she thought. She subtly bowed her head and hastily wiped at her eyes; she took a step back cleared her throat. "Err-I'll leave you two alone" she said.
Jackson's eyes snapped towards April, his eyes widening in panic; "Shit" he thought. He pried Sadie's hands away from him; "April-wait!" he said.
April ignored Jackson and spun on her heels; "Get well soon Jackson, see you around" she called out behind her shoulder.
"Crap!" Jackson cursed.
Sadie pulled away and sat by Jackson's bedside; "What?" she asked, clearly confused with his outburst.
Jackson saw Callie shook her head behind the curtain before walking away; he shifted his eyes back to Sadie and took a deep breath. "We need to talk"
A/N: And I'm just getting started here people! ^-^ Soooooo-what do you guys think? Did I do justice with the storm? I had fun writing this very long chapter and I'm quite sure I'll enjoy writing the next since it'll be all me! LOL. Tell me what you guys think-leave a comment! Cheers! ^-^