Chapter Eleven: Like you'll never see me again
"If I had no more time, no more time left to be here. Would you cherish what we had? Was it everything that you were looking for? If I couldn't feel your touch and no longer were you with me. I'd be wishing you were here to be everything that I'd be looking for..."
oOo
A famous author once wrote that love is never having to say your say sorry. April was sceptical when she first came across that line because ever since she fell in love, she's been feeling sorry for a lot of things, but now, seeing Jackson sitting right in front of her and asking her to take a chance with him-that statement can't be truer, she can never be sorry for falling in love with him.
April blinked a couple of times, she then leaned back on her pillows and blinked some more.
Jackson stared at the red head with alarm; "April? Are you alright?"
April's eyes started pooling with tears and before Jackson can say another word she burst out crying.
Jackson shifted closer and gently gathered her into his arms; "Hey...calm down...I'm sorry-I didn't mean to make you cry..." he whispered while rubbing her back soothingly.
April fisted Jackson's scrub top with her hands as she buries her face into his neck; "I'm-I'm so mad at you right now-I'm so mad-I'm crying..." she sputtered.
Jackson cringed; "I'm sorry love...please don't cry..."
April tightened her grasp and cried harder; "I-I'm-so-mad at you-I want to-deck you" she hiccupped.
Jackson can't help but chuckle at April's words; "Will decking me make you feel better?" he murmured.
April pulled away and glared at Jackson through tears; she sniffed loudly and cleared the lump in her throat. "Are you laughing at me?"
Jackson cupped April's face and began wiping her cheeks; "Of course I'm not-I'm just so happy to see that you're almost back to normal"
April swatted his hand away and began wiping her cheeks; she then sniffed before frowning at Jackson. "You're not getting off the hook that easy."
"I know and I don't plan to" Jackson said earnestly. He then slowly grasp April's hands and stared directly into her eyes; "I've fucked up everything between us and I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am because I seriously don't know where to start. I've hurt you so much and I know I'll have to work hard to make it up to you, to make things right-so, please believe me when I say that I'll try my best to win you over, to prove to you that I deserve the second chance I'm asking you..."
"I-I think you have forgotten something..."
"What?" Jackson asked.
April sniffed; "You already have a girlfriend remember-Sadie?"
"About that-Sadie and I, we broke up. That's what I've been wanting to tell you for days now but I keep on missing my chance" Jackson explained.
April's eyes widen as her mouth hangs open, clearly in shock.
Jackson squeezed April's hand comfortingly; "It's not your fault so don't even think about blaming yourself. It was wrong of me to start a relationship with her when I'm clearly in love with you and I explained that to her-I apologized profusely and she accepted, so we're good" he explained.
"I-I don't know what to say..." April mumbled.
Jackson smiled; "You don't have to say anything sweetheart...I'll wait" he said sincerely.
April coughed involuntarily upon hearing the second endearment coming out of Jackson's mouth.
Jackson's eyes widen; he then leaned forward and placed his hand on April's forehead gently. "You're coughing, I'll page Cristina to check on you-you might have caught something, you're also warm" he said with a worried frown.
April swallowed hard and cleared her throat; "I'm okay-Derek will check on me later, I'll just tell him" she said.
Jackson shook his head and stood up from his perch; "You need a Cardio consult and I'm quite sure Shepherd will be paging her too."
"Jackson-"
"No buts April," Jackson said sternly.
"She's only been awake for a couple of minutes and you're already arguing?"
Jackson and April both turned towards the door and saw Lexie and Mark standing outside her room.
"April is coughing, I'll go page Yang" Jackson said before spinning on his heels and walking towards the door hurriedly.
April rolled her eyes; "He's over reacting, I just coughed once"
Mark frowned as he steps into the room; he made his way towards the bed and pulled the stethoscope out of his lab coat pocket. He hooked it on his ears and placed the other end on April's chest; "Take a deep breath for me Kepner" he instructed.
April sighed; "I'm really okay and-"
"Be a good patient and just listen to your doctor, take a deep breath" Mark said sternly.
April pursed her lips but followed Mark obediently.
"Another" Mark said as he moves the stethoscope. After a moment, he pulled away and slung it around his neck; "Everything is normal" he said.
"I told you so"
Lexie shook her head as she walks towards the bed; she opted to go to the other side since Mark pretty much took all of the space. She carefully sat herself at her friend's side, minding the IV lines; she then placed her hand on top of April's hand and stared at her intently. "How are you feeling?" she asked.
April turned her gaze to Lexie and smiled; "I'm okay, I don't feel like I've been squashed by the front porch" she joked.
Lexie winced; "I understand now how you felt upon hearing my answer when you asked me the same question after the plane crash"
April can't help but chuckle at Lexie's words.
Lexie smiled; "I'm really glad that you're okay...you gave us quite a scare there."
April grasp Lexie's hand and gave it a squeeze; "I'm glad to be okay too..." she replied.
Lexie squeezed April's hand back; "I shouldn't have let you leave that day-I had this ominous feeling inside my chest but I chose to ignore it and blamed it on my PTSD. If I only told you how I felt perhaps you wouldn't be lying here..." she said guiltily.
April shook her head; "Don't think that way Lex...it isn't your fault. It isn't anybody's fault, ride alongs and I don't really go well, I guess"
Mark scoffed; "That's your last ride along Kepner, kiss ambulances goodbye because you're not getting near one again...ever."
April turned her face towards Mark; "I'm a Trauma Surgeon, I'll have to go near one to get to my patient's"
Mark contemplated April's words for a moment before looking at her thoughtfully; "You're right but you're not setting foot inside a moving one-you're forever banned from riding them."
Lexie nodded in agreement; "You and ambulances don't mix well, better stay away from them"
"Pretty Boy wasn't kidding, Sleeping Beauty is now awake"
April peered behind Mark's back and saw Cristina entering the room with Jackson in tow; "You really paged her?" she asked in disbelief.
"I did, you were coughing awhile ago and I don't want to take chances of you getting any infection" Jackson explained.
"I coughed because you called me sweetheart and love, I'm not used to endearments coming out of your mouth!" April blurted out. She then felt her eyes widen as her cheeks started to flush; she rested her head back on her pillow and closed her eyes. "Oh god, I didn't just say that out loud"
Mark laughed boisterously while Lexie bit her bottom lip to keep herself from giggling.
Jackson felt his cheeks flush so he bowed his head and cleared his throat.
Cristina threw April an amused look before walking towards her bedside; "Don't be too hard on Prince Charming, he's just worried that his kiss might not be enough to make you feel better-he's feeling a little inadequate" she said.
"Hey!" Jackson yelped.
April eyes snapped open; she turned her head sideways and stared at Cristina. "What do you mean kiss?"
Cristina smirked as she tugs the stethoscope off her neck; "The kiss of true love of course, the one you see in Disney movies" she replied. She then hooked it on her ears and placed the other end on April's chest; "Take deep breath for me now"
April ignored Cristina and narrowed her eyes at Jackson; "Did you kiss me while I was unconscious?"
Jackson looked affronted; "Of course not! I wouldn't take advantage of you that way!"
"If you aren't already injured I'd smack you, I asked you to breath and not talk" Cristina said, clearly not impressed by being ignored.
April threw Cristina a sheepish look; "Sorry" she mumbled before following the other surgeon's instruction.
Cristina listened for a couple of seconds before pulling the stethoscope away; "There's nothing wrong with your lungs, as far as I'm concerned it's all good" she said. She then turned her head towards Jackson and smirked; "It may have been your endearment that caused her to choke" she said.
Jackson face flushed even brighter; he cleared his throat and shifted in his feet. "Oh okay..."
Cristina turned her gaze towards April again; "McSteamy is right, you're forever banned from ambulances, you don't mix well with ride alongs"
"I know" April said.
Cristina shoved her hands inside her pocket and threw April one of her rarest smiles; "I'm glad you're okay Kepner"
April smiled back; "Thank you" she replied.
"Well, as much as I want to stay here and chat, I still have a couple of patient's to check on" Cristina said. She then gestured towards the door; "I'll head out and try to find Owen, I'll tell him that you're already awake" she said.
April nodded; "Okay, thanks for checking on me"
Cristina waved her hand dismissively; "Stop thanking me, it's okay" she said before turning on her heels and walking towards the door.
Lexie stood up from her perch; "Well, I better head out, I also have to finish my rounds"
"Thank you for dropping by Lex" April said.
Lexie smiled; "Get well soon Apes, I'll drop by again later" she said before rounding the bed and walking towards the door.
"Kepner I'll be back with Shepherd and Hunt later to do some post ops, so rest" Mark said as a reminder.
April threw Mark a confused look; "Aren't resident's supposed to do my post ops?" she asked.
"We're handling this case personally so there's no need for pesky residents" Mark said. He then turned on his heels and followed his fiancé; "I'll leave you to my boy and please stop arguing, you need to rest" he said.
"Yeah-sure" April replied.
Jackson waited for Mark to fully leave the room before making his way towards the April's bed again; he stood at the side and stared at April directly. "I'm sorry if calling you sweetheart made you feel uncomfortable...it just slipped out and I promise not to use anymore endearments"
April met Jackson's gaze, her cheeks flushing red; "I-it's not that it made me feel uncomfortable-it just caught me off guard...I'm not used to you calling me pet names" she admitted bashfully.
Jackson felt a smile tug on his lips; "Okay..."
April let out a small smile before yawning tiredly.
"I should let you rest-you just woke up and you still need to recuperate" Jackson said.
April nodded; "Yeah-I'm a little bit tired..."
Jackson stared at April for a moment before clearing his throat, clearly nervous about what his about to ask next. "I-I know that everything is still on pause right now but can I just kiss your forehead before I leave?"
April felt her breath hitch in her throat upon hearing Jackson's question; her heart and mind battling hard for the chance to answer his request. She shifted her eyes to meet Jackson's gaze and saw raw emotions swirling in them; she swallowed hard before nodding slowly, giving in to her heart's silent pleas.
Jackson let out the breath that he didn't know his holding before smiling gratefully at April; he leaned forward and gently pressed his lips on her forehead. He closed his eyes tightly and let all his pent up emotions seep through his lips; after a moment, he pulled away and opened his eyes. "I love you and I'll wait for your answer, take all the time you need"
"T-thank you..." April said breathily.
Jackson threw her a boyish smile; "I'll check on you again later, rest well" he said.
April nodded before closing her tired eyes; "See you later Jackman" she whispered.
Jackson can't help but grin widely upon hearing her words.
oOo
"Lexie! Come in here!"
Lexie turned her head to the side and saw her sister beckoning her forward; she placed her tab on top of the nurses' station and began walking towards the room. "Hey"
"I heard that April is awake, how is she? Have you seen her? How's her SATs and brain function?" Meredith asked.
Lexie smiled as she walks towards the bed; "She's awake and yes, I have seen her. Her SAT's are up and her mental faculties are intact" she said.
Meredith let out a relieved sigh; "Thank god!" she said. "Can you grab me a wheelchair Lex?"
Lexie sat near the footboard and threw her sister a confused look; "What do you need a wheelchair for?"
Meredith smiled meaningfully; "Can you be a good little sister and take me to April's room? I want to see her"
"Err-I don't think that's a good idea, you're still not allowed to move that much" Lexie replied.
"I'm not gonna move much, I just need to sit on a chair and you'll push me. I promise it won't take long, please?" Meredith said.
Lexie stared at her sister for a couple of seconds before hopping off her perch; "Fine. But if we get busted I'm blaming your ass" she said while walking towards the door.
"Thank you Lexie! You're the best sister in the world!"
Lexie chuckled; "No need to suck up Mer, I'm already getting you the blasted chair!"
Meredith laughed.
oOo
"I heard that Kepner's awake" Owen said as he watches Jackson walked towards him.
Jackson let out a small smile; "She is"
Owen smiled back; "Good, I'll check on her later"
Jackson leaned forward and grabbed himself a tab; "Yeah..."
"There's one thing I also need to talk to you about" Owen said.
"What's it about?" Jackson asked as he taps on the screen.
"Board stuff" Owen replied.
Jackson grimaced; "Yeah, can it wait?"
"Yeah it can and oh, before I forget. Remember Cara McAdams? your pro-bono facial reconstruction surgery with Mark?" Owen asked.
Jackson tore his eyes away from his tab and stared at Owen; "Yeah, what's up with that?"
Owen placed his hands around his waist; "We need to push that surgery back, we don't have enough funds to support it."
Jackson frowned; "That can't be, Sloan and I checked it before hand"
"It's actually related to the thing I need to talk to you about. All funds are being re-allocated to storm repairs until further notice" Owen explained.
"What? Who said that?" Jackson asked.
"The board did, so it's you guys" Owen replied.
"But this surgery was booked way before the storm" Jackson explained.
Owen sighed; "I know but I don't make the rules here, I just get to implement them"
Jackson placed his tab on top of the counter before placing his hands around his waist; "Is there anything we can do? I mean, this lady really needs this surgery..."
Owen thought for a moment; "Well, let's see...You can do 3 liposuctions today-I'm quite sure that can pay for Cara's facial reconstruction. The money needs to come from somewhere and that's the only high paying surgery in Plastics that we can derive funds from"
"So-if Mark and I agreed to suck fat, we can push through with this surgery?" Jackson asked.
Owen nodded; "Yeah,"
Jackson sighed; "Fine, we'll do it. I'll go talk to Mark and tell him. Can you reschedule our surgery first thing tomorrow morning?"
"O.R 4 is yours" Owen said.
Jackson let out a small smile; "Thanks"
"You're welcome"
oOo
"Promise me if it looks to gnarly, you'll just close him up" Alex said as he places the retractor on the patient's chest.
"Will you stop wringing your hands?" Cristina reprimanded.
"I can't help it, this kid has been my patient for a very long time" Alex replied.
"I know and I'll try my best so take a chill pill" Cristina said.
Alex took a deep breath and shifted his eyes back to the open chest cavity; "April's awake, did you see her already?" he asked, changing the topic.
"Yeah, Pretty boy paged me to check on her just a couple of minutes ago" Cristina replied. She then turned towards Boki; "Forceps please?"
Alex furrowed his brows; "Why?"
"She had a coughing fit and he was scared that she might have caught something"
"Did she?"
Cristina met Alex's gaze, her eyes twinkling with mirth; "Nope, she's on the clear. Kepner choked because Pretty boy called her sweetheart"
Alex guffawed.
Cristina laughed.
oOo
"I think you have another visitor Apple" Libby said while gesturing towards the door.
April turned her head to the side and her eyes widened in surprise; "Mer! What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"
"I wanted to check on you" Meredith said with a smile.
Lexie wheeled her sister inside the room and parked her wheelchair close to April's bed; "I'll be back in a few," she said.
Meredith threw her sister a side glance; "Thanks Lex!" she said.
Lexie rolled her eyes but a smile is visible on her lips.
Libby stood up from her perch and gestured towards the door; "I'll grab something to eat, I'll be back in a couple of minutes"
April nodded; "Okay"
Libby smiled at Meredith before stepping out of the room.
"Where are you parents?" Meredith asked.
"They're at their hotel, they'll be here tomorrow morning" April replied.
Meredith nodded; "How are you feeling?"
April let out a small smile; "I actually don't feel anything, pain killers are heaven sent"
Meredith chuckled; "I know, I had to rely on them after I had my surgery too. Now we can say that we know how it feels to be on the other end of a scalpel"
April laughed.
Meredith's smile slowly faded as a serious look took over her face; "What you did was dangerous Apes..."
April's smile faltered; "I know..."
"But I also know you did that to save a little boy's life"
April nodded; "I just couldn't leave him there-he was so young and he has a full life ahead of him"
Meredith leaned forward and placed her hand on top of April's hand; "You are a good person and you did the right thing" she said. She then let out a small smile; "But next time that you decide to be a good person, please deviate from life threatening situations? Can you do that?"
April smiled back at her friend; "I promise"
Meredith squeezed April's hand; "No more ride alongs for you Kepner"
"Not you too" April said while rolling her eyes playfully.
oOo
"Our pro-bono surgery will be pushed tomorrow morning" Jackson said as he enters Mark's office.
Mark tore his eyes away from his tab; "Why?" he asked with furrowed brows.
Jackson sat on the chair right in front of the desk; "We don't have enough funds to do it" he explained. "And oh, we need to suck fat today to be able to go through with it tomorrow"
Mark grimaced; "Why don't we have funds?"
Jackson leaned back on his chair and crossed his legs; "All pro-bono surgeries will be pushed back because the funds we originally allotted for them will be used for storm repairs"
"Who implemented that rule?"
"Us"
Mark frowned; "I don't remember discussing that, do you?"
Jackson sighed; "It hasn't been discussed yet by us but it looks like it's an old policy of the old board."
Mark leaned back on his chair and nodded in understanding; "I see" he replied. "How many liposuctions do we need to do to cover for Cara's surgery?"
"Three"
"Damn that's a lot" Mark said.
"My thoughts exactly" Jackson replied.
Mark stared at his prot; "Do you want to do it together or do you want to do it separately?"
Jackson thought for a moment; "We need to do at least 3-why don't we do one of each and do the last one together?" he suggested.
"You're a smart boy Avery" Mark complimented.
"I know"
Mark stood up from his perch; "Since we'll be sucking fat all afternoon, I might as well page Owen and Derek so we can work on Kepner"
Jackson also stood up; "You'll do the post ops now?"
Mark nodded; "Yup, want to come?"
Jackson averted his gaze and shifted in his feet; "I'm not sure if she'll want me there..."
"Why?"
Jackson scratched the back of his neck anxiously; "I kinda told her I love her and I want her with me"
Mark's eyes widen in shock; "You what?"
Jackson met Mark's gaze; "I confessed my feelings and went for broke-just like what you told me to."
Mark quickly rounded his table and stood right in front of Jackson; he grinned widely before giving his prot a congratulatory hug. "Atta boy! I'm so proud of you!"
Jackson patted his mentor's back somewhat awkwardly; "Err-thanks?"
Mark thumped Jackson's back before pulling away; "What did she say? Are you two officially together?"
Jackson sighed; "We're not..."
Mark's smile faltered; "Why?"
"She's still mad at me and she wants to deck me" Jackson said with a wince.
Mark blinked a couple of times before bursting out laughing; "She wants to deck you?" he asked in disbelief.
Jackson pursed his lips; "It's not funny so stop laughing!"
Mark placed his hands on his hips while shaking his head in amusement; "I can't blame her, you deserved a good smack"
"Hey!" Jackson protested.
Mark stared at Jackson; "Well you do. She told you she loves you twice and all you did was run for the hills, you can't just expect her to let you off the hook that easy."
"I know that" Jackson said glumly. "And I told her that I'll wait and do whatever it takes to deserve that second chance I'm asking her"
Mark nodded approvingly; "Good."
"Can you just give me an update after you do her post ops? I really don't think she'd want me there..."
Mark began walking towards the door; "You don't even have to ask, of course I'll tell you."
"Thank you..."
oOo
"Time's up guys" Lexie said as she enters her friend's room.
Meredith turned her face towards the door and smiled; "We're done," she said.
Lexie stopped behind Meredith and placed her hands on each handle; "Did you have fun talking with Mer?"
"I did, we talked about the wonders of pain killers" April said.
"Pain killers are god gift to men" Lexie said seriously.
April beamed; "Exactly my point"
Lexie chuckled; "Well, I better take her back to her room, we don't want her husband thinking that his wife has been abducted"
Meredith waved her hand dismissively; "He knows where to find me"
"That I do"
All three surgeons shifted their eyes towards the door and saw Derek, Owen and Mark standing by the door.
"Busted" Lexie mumbled with a wince.
Derek can't help but chuckle at Lexie's reaction; "I'm not mad, I already knew that I can't keep her away from April's room" he said as he steps inside the room.
Meredith winked at Lexie; "Told you he knows" she said.
Lexie rolled her eyes; "It's good that he knows" she said. She then tugged on the wheelchair and began hauling it backwards; "We have to go, they need space to check on Apes" she explained.
Meredith waved at April; "I'll soon be discharged, I'll visit you again and I'll bring our new baby"
April chuckled; "As much as I want to see your baby, you can't bring one inside the ICU" she said as she watches her friend being wheeled away.
"Nope but you can sneak one in" Mark said with a large grin.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that" Owen said as he walks towards April's bed.
"Come on Hunt, a rule doesn't apply to us" Mark said playfully.
Owen rolled his eyes; "That's why I said I'll pretend I didn't hear that"
Derek laughed; "The plane crash addled your brain, you're slow" he teased.
"Oh" Mark said.
Owen stood beside April's bed and placed his hands on his hips; "How are you feeling?"
April smiled at her mentor sheepishly; "It depends if you're gonna scold me"
Owen stared at the red head for a moment before sighing; "I'm still mad at you because you broke protocol and it almost killed you but at the same time I'm proud of you too because you did it to save a life. I'm also happy because I'm talking to you right now and you're brain faculty seems to be fine, so I'm really torn between those three emotions, I think I'm at impasse."
April threw Owen a rueful look; "I'm sorry Chief, I promise not to play hero again and I'll just stick with pit duties, no more ride alongs for me" she said sincerely.
"She finally got it!" Mark said.
"You're really banned from ambulances April, you can't go near them anymore" Derek said with a small smile.
April threw Derek a smile; "You're like the 6th person to tell me that"
"And I'll be the 7th, that's your last ride along" Owen said firmly.
April shifted her eyes back to Owen and nodded timidly; "Yes Chief" she said.
"Now that we have established that, let's get this show on the road, I still need to suck tons of fat" Mark said jovially.
"I don't wanna forget the present is a gift and I don't wanna take for granted the time you may have here with me 'cause Lord only knows another day is not really guaranteed..."
"Thank you Doctors" Libby said sincerely. She then stepped into the room and closed the door behind her; "You're really popular here Apple, you've been receiving visitors every few minutes" she said as she walks towards her little sisters bed.
April opened her eyes and smiled tiredly at Libby; "They're like my second family here..." she said.
Libby settled herself at the foot of the bed and smiled; "That's good to hear, at least now I'm complacent that a bunch of people is looking after you" she said.
"Yeah" April replied.
"Your doctors told me that all your tests came back good; you didn't sustain any damages on your head which is miraculous since you hit your head pretty hard"
"Thank god" April said.
Libby leaned back on the footboard of the bed while eyeing April; "Yeah..."
April stared at Libby for a moment before wrinkling her nose; "Out with it, I know you want to say something" she said.
Libby crossed her arms on top of her chest; "So...I've talked to Jackson..."
April's eyes widen; "You did? What did you tell him?"
"Nothing he doesn't already know" Libby replied.
"What did you tell him? Oh god!"
Libby rolled her eyes; "Calm down Apple, I didn't say things that will incriminate you. I just told him that I'll gut him like a pig if he hurts you again"
April covered her face with her hands; "I can't believe you told him that! It's embarrassing!"
Libby leaned forward and patted her little sister's thigh softly; "He had it coming Apple and he didn't take it in a bad way so don't worry" she re-assured. "I'm actually quite impressed, he didn't cower in fear-he faced me straight on and promised me that he'll never hurt you again and oh, he did mention that you are his everything"
April pulled her hands away from her face, revealing her flushed cheeks; "He-he told you that?"
Libby nodded; "He did, he's got it bad for you" she said with a teasing smirk.
April smiled shyly at her sister; "He-he did tell me that he's in love with me..." she admitted.
"He did tell me that too" Libby said while winking.
April began fumbling with her blanket; "He asked me for a chance... a do-over, he told me that he understands that I'm not letting him off the hook easy and he's gonna try to do his best to deserve the second chance he's asking..."
"That's wonderful Apple! Did you tell him that you'll give him a chance?"
April averted her gaze; "Err-no, I told him that I want to rest..."
Libby wrinkled her nose in distaste; "You're running away from him"
April's eyes widen in shock; "I'm not!"
"You are" Libby simply said.
"What gave you that idea?" April challenged.
"Your reaction"
"But-but I haven't even thought about running away! I was shocked and I just had my skull drilled open! I need time to process everything first and-"
Libby rolled her eyes; "And you're making excuses...again" she said, cutting her sister off mid rant. "I thought that being in an accident will make you realize that life is too short to be wishy-washy but I'm clearly mistaken"
"I'm not wishy-washy!"
Libby sat straight and stared at April with full seriousness; "Stop dancing around with him; you love him and he loves you, you're on the same page so just get together-you've already wasted enough time"
April bowed her head and stared at her lap; "I know that..."
Libby leaned forward and gathered her little sister's hand in hers; "Don't be scared to put your heart out again just because you've been hurt, who knows, maybe the 3rd time is really a charm"
April can't help but smile at her sister's words; "Does that saying apply to my love life too?"
Libby smiled back; "It's still better than your metaphors"
April giggled.
Libby squeezed April's hand; "Talk to him and make things right, I want you to be happy."
April took a deep breath before nodding; "Yeah...I think I will..."
"Good girl"
"Can I take a nap first? I'm kinda knackered" April said with a yawn.
Libby stood up from her perch; "Sleep away beauty, I'm gonna go check on mom and dad"
April yawned again; "Go back to your hotel and come back tomorrow morning with them. I'm quite sure I'll be sailing with pain killers tonight so I'm not gonna be a good company"
"Are you sure? I can stay longer if you want" Libby offered.
April shook her head; "No its okay, visiting hours is almost over anyway..."
Libby shifted closer to the bed and planted a soft kiss on April's forehead; "Okay, I'll be back with them tomorrow morning. Ask them to call me if you need anything, okay?"
"Okay..."
"Love you Duckie" Libby said.
April groaned; "Love you too"
oOo
"You're scrubbing in with us?" Jackson asked when he saw Lexie inside the scrub room.
Lexie turned her face sideways and smirked; "Yeah, I have nothing better to do"
Jackson walked towards the sink and began scrubbing; "No mind blowing surgery with Shepherd?"
"Nope"
"You guys are early" Mark said as he enters the room.
"Yeah, I just can't get enough of sucking fat" Jackson said sarcastically.
Mark fell into step with Jackson and bumped his shoulder with his; "We're doing this for a cause so don't pout too much"
Jackson shook of the excess water from his hands and turned towards Mark; "Sucking fat for a cause, we should use that as our new slogan" he said with a grin.
Mark cocked his head to the side; "That idea doesn't sound bad, people will stop looking down on us" he said thoughtfully.
Lexie rolled her eyes as she makes her way towards the O.R. door; "Stop being sloppy and let's get this over with, I still need to visit April!" she said before stepping in.
Mark raised his hands up; "You heard the boss, let's go now" he said before walking towards the door.
"Whipped" Jackson snickered.
"I heard that Avery!" Mark said.
oOo
"I talked with Owen, we have a Board meeting tonight" Derek said as he enters his wife's room.
Meredith shifted her eyes away from her baby and stared at her husband; "Where are we supposed to have this meeting?" she asked.
Derek sat on Meredith's bedside and smiled at the tiny bundle in her arms; "I'm not sure yet," he replied.
"Do you have an idea what the meeting is about?"
"Budgeting, storm repairs" Derek replied before cooing at their baby. "Can I hold him?"
Meredith nodded and gently placed Mark on his father's waiting arms; "More paper works, perfect" she said.
Derek coddled his son to his chest; "It's not that bad, we just have to decide the repairs we need to prioritize."
"If you say so" Meredith replied. "I'll still be discharged tomorrow, right?"
"Yep,"
"Good, I'm sick of this bed" Meredith said with disdain.
Derek chuckled.
oOo
Jackson cleared his throat; "So...what happened to April's post ops?" he asked.
Mark paused and shifted his eyes to his prot; "Shoot, I almost forgot, sorry-everything is alright. Derek did his standard neuro tests and Kepner passed with flying colors, her incisions are also healing quite well so we can move her off the ICU" he said.
Jackson nodded; "I'll arrange a room for her then,"
"It's a private room, right?" Lexie asked.
Jackson threw Lexie an affronted look; "Of course it's a private room, I'm not about to send her to the ward"
Lexie giggled; "Calm down lover boy, I'm just messing with you"
"I can't believe you fell for that" Mark said with a chuckle.
Jackson glared at the couple standing right in front of him; "I'm never operating with you two again"
The O.R door flung open as Owen peered in; "You guys almost done here?" he asked.
Mark turned his eyes towards the door; "Yep, we're finishing up. Why?"
"Just reminding you guys that we have a board meeting at 7" Owen said.
"West wing conference room?" Jackson asked.
"Err-that's what we haven't decided yet-I still need to check with Shepherd, Mer is still confined"
"Can we have it inside her room? She has a big room" Lexie suggested.
"The room doesn't have enough chairs" Mark replied.
Owen thought for a moment; "That's actually not a bad idea, I can ask someone to bring some chairs inside" he said.
Lexie threw her fiancé a triumphant look.
Mark shifted his eyes to his prot; "We're not operating with her again"
Jackson laughed loudly.
oOo
"Nice...I didn't know we can have board meetings outside the conference room, this is much comfortable" Cristina said as she plops down on Meredith's bed.
Meredith chuckled while scooting to her left to provide more space "I don't know if I should feel special or annoyed about it"
Cristina reclined back on her best friend's pillow and smirked; "You should be annoyed"
"You shouldn't be annoyed; we're actually doing this because we need to and you'll be discharged tomorrow, look at the brighter side" Owen said as he pushes the last chair inside the room.
Meredith playfully narrowed her eyes at the Trauma Surgeon; "Sweet talking me won't get you anywhere Hunt"
Owen chuckled; he then began placing folders on top of each chair.
"What's that honey?" Cristina asked.
Owen turned towards the bed and handed each woman a piece; "It's a list of the things we need to talk about" he replied.
Meredith opened her folder and began scanning it; after a moment, she wrinkled her nose and turned her head sideways. "Your pseudo husband is on a roll"
Cristina didn't even bother opening her folder and placed it on her lap; "We'll get through it in a breeze, we all know Mr. 51% would rather spend his idle time inside Kepner's room"
Meredith shifted closer to Cristina and lowered her voice; "Speaking of those two, do you know if there's still something going on between them? I heard from some nurses around here that Jackson almost tore the O.R down when he found out that April got hurt? I wasn't able to ask him yet because I'm sure as hell that he'll deny it and Derek refuses to talk about it"
Cristina turned her face to Meredith; "I was operating with Alex the same time that they brought Kepner in, I heard some distinct shouting outside and I'm very positive that Little Grey was the one who received the brunt of Avery's wrath"
"We should ask Lexie then?" Meredith asked.
Cristina nodded; "I think she's our best bet"
Meredith nodded in agreement; "We'll pry the information out from her"
"Your wife and my ex wife seem to be in a deep serious conversation, should we get worried?" Owen asked as Derek saunters in.
Derek threw his wife and her best friend a look before turning his gaze back to Owen; "They're just gossiping"
"How do you know the difference?" Owen asked, clearly baffled.
"Simple, they don't a have a tequila bottle between them" Derek said with a smirk.
"Oh"
"If you guys are thinking about tequila, can I at least have a glass of club soda?" Richard asked.
Owen peered behind Derek's back; "I got us some bottled water" he replied.
Richard chuckled; "Is everyone here already?"
"Nope. Mark, Lexie, Jackson and Arizona aren't here yet" Derek replied.
"I'm here"
Richard turned around and saw Arizona smiling brightly behind them; "1 down, 3 to go then" he observed.
"I saw Lexie, Mark and Jackson scrubbing out, they won't take long" Arizona replied.
Owen pointed towards the hallway; "They're actually here, let's all get inside so we can start this" he said.
"So every time you hold me, hold me like this is the last time. Every time you kiss me, kiss me like you'll never see me again. Every time you touch me, touch me like this is the last time, promise that you'll love me, love me like you'll never see me again..."
April groggily opened her eyes and swallowed hard; she turned her head to the side and blinked a couple of times. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Not long...did I wake you?" Jackson asked.
April shook her head; "No...I woke up on my own" she croaked. "Why are you just standing there?"
Jackson shifted in his feet; "I-I didn't want to disturb you...I'm actually just checking on you"
"You're watching me sleep?"
"Err-kinda, but I'm not a creeper or anything" Jackson said with an embarrassed smile.
April can't help but giggle at his statement.
"I should let you rest..."
April thought about Libby's words; "Why don't you sit with me for a while? I don't think I'll be able to go back to sleep yet..."
Jackson's eyes widen in surprise; "Are-are you sure?"
April let out a teasing smile; "Bashfulness doesn't suite you Jackman"
Jackson chuckled; he then stepped into the room and made his way towards April's bed. He stood at the side and smiled; "Being cheeky now Kepner?"
April laughed.
Jackson shoved his hands inside his lab coat pockets; "Mark told me that you passed all your tests with flying colors, they're thinking about moving you out of this floor" he said.
"Really?"
Jackson nodded; "Really"
"I'm glad" April said with a relieved sigh. She then furrowed her brows and eyed Jackson; "Err-You can sit down on my bed, you know-it's alright"
Jackson met April's gaze; "You sure? You're not gonna be uncomfortable?"
April rolled her eyes; "I wouldn't ask you to come here if you're making me uncomfortable"
Jackson let out a nervous laugh as he sits himself down, keeping a respectable distance between them.
April threw Jackson an amused look; "You're the one who looks uncomfortable"
Jackson shook his head; "I'm not..."
"You sure?"
Jackson smiled; "Yep, I'm quite comfortable here"
"If you say so" April said. She then shifted in her pillows and cleared her throat; "Libby told me that you guys talked..."
Jackson cringed upon remembering his unexpected encounter with the eldest Kepner sister; "Yeah...I kinda bumped into her along the hallways..."
"You told her about your feelings..."
Jackson felt his cheeks redden with embarrassment; "Yeah..."
April swallowed hard; "So...you really want this? You're serious about us?"
Jackson peered into April's eyes with full seriousness; "I want this April-I want us. I haven't been this sure in my entire life..."
April felt her heart skip a beat upon hearing his confession; it's the very first time she heard him speak about his feelings freely and it's making her reel-big time. He was really not kidding when he told her that he's all in and it's just starting to sink in; she felt butterflies storming inside her stomach, a warm tingly feeling settling in her chest.
"April?"
"Wow..." April breathed out.
"Wow?"
"Yeah...everything you said is just starting to sink in...It's just-wow"
Jackson can't help but smile; "Can I hold your hand?" he blurted out.
April bit her bottom lip, clearly contemplating his question.
"But it's okay if you don't want to, I'd totally understand..." Jackson back pedalled.
"Stop dancing around with him; you love him and he loves you, you're on the same page so just get together-you've already wasted enough time. Don't be scared to put your heart out again just because you've been hurt, who knows, maybe the 3rd time is really a charm" Libby's words echoed loudly in her ears again. She took a deep breath before meeting Jackson's eyes; "You can hold my hand Jackman" she said with a smile.
Jackson didn't waste time; he gently placed his hand with hers and laced their finger's together. "This is the first time we've held hands" he said thoughtfully.
"Really?"
Jackson nodded; "Yeah" he said. He then lifted their clasped hands to his eye level and stared at it; "And our hands fit perfectly together"
April guffawed.
Jackson smiled; "Too cheesy?"
"Yeah" April said with a grin.
Jackson tugged their hands to his lips and planted a chaste kiss at the back of April's hand; "I love you April and I'm not scared to say it out loud now, will you let me show you?" he asked while staring into her eyes.
April's eyes widen as her cheeks started to redden; "I don't understand-how-I'm not yet-what-"
she stuttered.
Jackson read April's reaction clearly; "I'm not talking about sex Kepner, get your head out of the gutter!" he teased.
"Oh!" April gasped, her whole face burning with embarrassment.
"You're more beautiful when you blush" Jackson said fondly.
April averted her gaze; "Stop that!"
"Stop what?"
"Stop saying those things...I'm not used to hearing you say those things..."
Jackson moved up the bed; "Look at me"
April slowly shifted her eyes back to Jackson; "Why?"
Jackson met April's eyes; "I'm in love with a brilliant, gorgeous Trauma Surgeon and I won't get tired reminding her that every day."
April sucked in breath; "You really love me, huh?"
"More than you can imagine" Jackson replied.
April felt like her chest is gonna burst with so much emotion, so before she knows it-she's leaning forward and kissing Jackson like her life depended on it.
Jackson smiled between the kiss before shifting closer to April; he gently pushed her back to her pillow to make her more comfortable, he then leaned forward and began kissing her back with the same vigour.
April gripped the lapels of Jackson's lab coat to pull him closer; she was tugging on it hard when she accidentally elbowed her abdomen, causing her to yelp in pain.
Jackson hastily pulled away; "What happened? Are you alright?" he asked with panic.
April closed her eyes as she tries to ride out the pain.
"April? Tell me? What's wrong?" Jackson asked frantically.
April swallowed hard before opening her eyes; "Elbowed-incision-hurts..." she sputtered.
"Shit! I'm so sorry!" Jackson shot up from his perch and began surveying his surrounding; "Let me just get some gloves so I can check on your incision" he said. He then shoved his hands inside his lab coat pocket to get his sanitizer but found out that it's not there; "I forgot to bring my sanitizer-I need to-"
"Stop panicking" April said with a wince. "Breathe"
Jackson took a deep breath.
"It's not your fault, I elbowed myself-I got carried away. I'm sure this is nothing"
Jackson shook his head; "No-we'll have to check on it. I'll go get some gloves and check it-just stay there" he said before storming towards the door.
April can't help but giggle; "As if I can go anywhere" she mumbled to herself. "Ouch"
"I should've been more careful with her, damn it!" Jackson said as he steps out of the room.
"What did you do?"
Jackson's head snapped to his left and saw Lexie walking towards him; he mentally cursed before turning towards the resident. "I need to check on April's incisions because it hurts, can you get me some gloves?" he asked.
Lexie stopped right in front of Jackson and furrowed her brows; "You can't check on her, she's not your patient-you're a loved one. I'll go page Hunt or Mark to check on her" she said.
"No need to page them, we just need to check on-"
"No buts!" Lexie said adamantly. She then took a side step and made a bee line towards the nurses' station; "Hey Anne, please page Dr. Hunt"
"Sorry Dr. Grey but Dr. Hunt is not on call tonight and his shift already ended a couple of minutes ago" Anne replied.
"Oh I see, can you page Dr. Sloan then?" Lexie said.
"Dr. Sloan is also not on call..." Anne replied.
Lexie threw an appeasing smile; "You can page him, he wouldn't mind. I'll be waiting just right here so you won't get into trouble."
"Okay" Anne replied before picking up the phone.
Lexie turned away from the counter and stared at her friend; "What really happened?"
"We were just talking and she-err, accidentally elbowed her abdomen"
Lexie studied Jackson's face and noticed his flushed cheeks and slightly swollen lips; she placed her hands on her waist and raised her brow. "Just talking?"
Jackson cleared his throat; "Y—yeah, just talking"
Lexie smirked; "If you say so..."
"Your fiancé is walking this way" Jackson said while peering behind Lexie's shoulder.
Lexie quickly turned around; "Mark!" she called out.
Mark bypassed the nurses' station and walked directly towards Lexie; "You paged?" she asked.
"I did, can you check on April? Her incision hurts" Lexie explained.
Mark furrowed his brows and shifted his eyes to his prot; "What the hell happened?"
"We were talking and her incision hurts..." Jackson replied.
Mark raised his brow, clearly not buying Jackson's story; he then made his way towards his patient's room. "Get me some gloves and some dressing, I might need it" he said.
Jackson didn't need to be told twice; he hastily bolted towards the nearest supply closet.
Mark entered the room and saw April wincing; he made his way towards her bedside and placed his hands on his waist. "What did you guys do?"
April's eyes snapped open and turned her head sideways; "Dr. Sloan, I-what are you doing here?"
"Jackson told me that your incision hurts, what did you guys do?"
April felt her cheeks flush and quickly averted her gaze; "I-we-didn't do anything. We were just talking and then I accidentally elbowed my stomach"
Mark threw April an amused look; "You're really not good in lying" he said.
"I've got the gloves and supplies" Jackson said as he enters the room, Lexie in tow.
"Hey Apes!" Lexie chirped.
"Hey..." April said while throwing her friend a pained smile.
Jackson fell into step with Mark and handed him a glove; he then shifted his eyes to April and let out an apologetic smile.
April smiled back but cringed when Mark lifted her hospital gown.
Mark whistled; "You kids are barred from making out, you manage to make her wound bleed" he said.
"We're not making out!" April and Jackson said at the same time.
Lexie giggled; "Definitely making out" she concluded.
"Shut up Lex!" Jackson hissed, his cheeks flushing red.
Mark shook his head; "I need to change the dressing, its drenched" he said. He then turned towards Jackson and fixed him a stern look; "No ravishing my patient until we move her out of this floor, are we clear?"
Jackson swallowed hard; "Yeah-"
April covered her face with her hands; "This is so embarrassing!"
Mark chuckled; "No need to be embarrassed Kepner, I understand"
"That makes it much worse" Jackson mumbled to himself.
"How many really know what love is? Millions never will. Do you know until you lose it that it's everything that we are looking for. When I wake up in the morning, you're beside me. I'm so thankful that I found everything that I been looking for..."
A day has passed since the awkward incident and April has already been moved to her private room; her parents and her other sister's arrived the very next day and they show no signs of leaving her room anytime soon, much to April's chagrin. Jackson on the other hand tried his best to stay away from Mark and Lexie because they keep on badgering him for details which he's not about to give away. The moment he shared with April has put him up into a very good mood which clearly didn't go unnoticed by his peers; they keep throwing him knowing looks and he didn't even bother to hide his smiles.
"Pretty boy! Come over here!"
Jackson turned his head to the nurses' station and saw Cristina standing beside Meredith; he made his way towards his friends and fixed his eyes at the General Surgeon. "Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be at home resting and enjoying your Maternity leave?"
Meredith waved her hand dismissively; "I'm bored to my wits end that's why I came here" she replied.
"Your idea of relieving boredom is going to the hospital?" Jackson asked with an amused look.
Meredith smiled; "It's my second home so, yes."
"Owen told me that we'll be having a party to raise money, is that true?" Cristina asked.
"Yup, a fund raising gala" Jackson replied.
Meredith wrinkled her nose; "Rubbing elbows with Richie Rich? Thank god I'm on maternity leave and I don't have to attend"
"If I'm forced to go, you will go" Cristina said.
Meredith turned her head to her best friend; "That party is for work and I'm not working so I'm not obligated to go"
"Err-you actually are, you're part of the board and it's important that we show them a united front" Jackson explained.
Meredith narrowed her eyes at the Plastics Attending; "Does my husband know this?"
Jackson nodded; "He does and he's kinda excited about getting more funding for his Department."
Cristina nudged Meredith's shoulder playfully; "Come on Mer, time to up your game. You can't let McDreamy outshine you...again" she heckled.
Meredith thought for a moment before turning her gaze towards to Cristina; "You're right" she said. She then turned towards Jackson; "When's this Gala again? I need to go shopping"
Jackson grinned; "Saturday next next week"
oOo
"I can't believe his holding out details on us!" Lexie pouted.
"I don't think there's much to tell, it looks to me that they just kissed" Mark replied before taking a sip of his coffee.
"I doubt that. April won't kiss him that soon-I think there's begging involved" Lexie said thoughtfully.
Mark chuckled; "He'd grovel if she wants him too, that's how in love he is with her"
Lexie giggled; "I think it's cute"
"It is" Mark replied.
Lexie leaned back on his chair; "I haven't been able to talk with April yet, her parents and sisters won't leave her bedside"
"You can't blame them, Kepner almost died. I was glued to your bedside"
"I wonder if Jackson had any luck talking to her?"
"I doubt that" Mark replied.
Lexie shook her head; "Poor thing"
oOo
"I'm really fine. Why don't you guys go out for lunch? Explore Seattle, it's only your second time here and I want you to see how beautiful it is" April said.
"We didn't come here to explore sweetie, we came here to take care of you" Karen said.
April smiled at her mother; "I know that Mom but I'm really alright. I have a lot of doctor's keeping an eye on me and I have nurses at my beck and call" she explained. She then shifted her eyes to her father; "Besides, the last time Dad and I talked, he mentioned that he wanted to see the Space Needle, why don't you guys go there-you can have lunch there, it's like hitting two birds with one stone."
"I did say that" Joe said with a sheepish smile.
Libby shot up from her perch and threw her sister a teasing smile; "Come on guys, this is Apple's polite way of saying that she wants alone time with Charming."
"Libby!" April said, clearly mortified.
Karen smiled endearingly at her second youngest daughter; "Aww honey, you should've just said so" she said.
Joe chuckled; "So that's the reason why I keep on seeing Jackson around the hallway"
"Daddy!" April shrilled.
Alice and Kimmie hop out of their seats; "You should introduce us to your boyfriend Apple, it's not fair that only Libby knows him" the latter said.
"He's not my boyfriend Kimmie!"
"Yet" Alice piped in.
"Gaaaaahhhh! You guys are impossible!" April shrieked, her face turning red.
Karen chuckled; "Let's not aggravate your sister any further, let's just go now-I'm kinda hungry too" she said.
Joe grabbed his jacket and shifted closer to April; he leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his little girl's forehead. "We'll see you tomorrow pumpkin"
April threw her father a grateful smile; "See you tomorrow Daddy"
Karen also leaned forward and copied her husband's action; "We'll bring you something good tomorrow, promise" she said.
"Thanks Mom" April replied.
Libby patted April's leg; "I'll tell Jackson you want to see him if we happen to pass him by" she said with a wink.
"Libby!"
Libby rolled her eyes; "I'm just kidding, take a chill pill"
April huffed.
"We'll be back tomorrow Apple, love you!" Alice said.
"Love you too" April replied.
"See you tomorrow Duckie!" Kimmie teased.
"Stop calling me Duckie!"
Alice looped her arm around Kimmie's and began ushering her out; "Bye!" they said in unison.
"Don't mind Kimmie, she's just reeling you up. See you tomorrow" Libby said with a wave.
Joe wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulder and began steering her towards the door; "Rest well pumpkin, love you"
April smiled at her parent's retreating form; "Love you too!" she chirped. She waited for a couple of minutes before falling back on her pillows and closing her eyes; "Finally...peace" she said with a relived sigh.
oOo
"There you are! We've been looking all over for you!"
Jackson turned around and saw two familiar red head's standing before him; "Err-hi" he said awkwardly.
Meredith looped her arm around Cristina and began pulling her away; "We'll see you later Jackson!" she said happily.
Jackson turned his head towards his friends and threw them a pleading look.
Cristina snickered; "Good luck Pretty Boy!" she whispered before letting Meredith guide her away.
Meredith winked.
Jackson internally groaned before turning towards April's sister again; he forced out a smile as he proffered his hand. "We haven't properly introduced yet, I'm Jackson"
Kimmie shook the surgeon's hand first; "I'm Kimmie" she said before pulling her hand away.
"Hi Kimmie" Jackson said. He then shifted his hands towards the other red head; "You're Alice, right?"
Alice smiled brightly before accepting Jackson's hand; "That's me" she said.
Jackson shoved his hands inside his lab coat pocket; "It's nice to finally meet you two, April told me a lot of things about you guys" he said.
Kimmie eyed Jackson; "She told us a lot of things about you too, did you know that she named a pig after you?"
Jackson's eyes widen in surprise; "She did?"
Alice nodded; "She did, it's not your full name though-she likes to call him Jax"
Jackson chuckled.
"So-you like our sister?" Kimmie asked bluntly.
Jackson's smile froze, clearly not expecting this line questioning. He cleared his throat and stood straighter; "Yeah...I love her..." he admitted.
"Oh my gosh!" Alice gasped.
Kimmie smirked; "You've got balls, I like you"
Jackson can't help but chuckle; "I'm happy to know that you like me" he said.
"Are you guys together?" Alice asked.
"Err-no-err, we're taking things slow..." Jackson replied.
Kimmie rolled her eyes; "My sister has been in love with you since forever and you seem to feel the same, just be together already" she said. She then stared at Jackson seriously; "We'll feel much better knowing that there's someone looking after her once we leave..."
"You don't have to worry about that Kimmie, I'll be looking after her regardless if we're together or not" Jackson replied.
Alice sighed dreamily; "Aren't you just a dream boat?"
Jackson chuckled; "If only you knew what I did, you'll probably castrate me and feed my parts to your pigs" he thought.
"Stop harassing Jackson! April will have your asses for it!" Libby reprimanded. She then shifted her eyes to Jackson and let out an apologetic smile; "Please don't mind my sisters, they're just being nosy."
Jackson met Libby's eyes; "It's alright..." he said.
"We're heading out, Apple practically threw us out her room-we're too noisy for her taste. You can go check on her if you'll like" Libby said with a teasing smile.
Jackson felt his cheeks flush so cleared his throat; "Err-okay..."
"No need to act bashful Jackson, we all know you two are dying to spend time together, hence, throwing us out of her room" Kimmie said.
"Kimmie that's enough!" Libby snapped.
Kimmie cringed; "Geez! I'll stop, no need to sound like Mom!"
Jackson stared at April's sister with amusement.
"Well we better head out, Mom and Dad are already waiting for us in the lobby. We'll see you tomorrow Jackson" Libby said.
"Take care of our sister Jackson" Alice said with a wave. She then began tugging Kimmie's arm; "Leave him alone, let's go" she murmured.
"It was nice putting a face to a name, see you tomorrow!" Kimmie said.
"It was nice meeting all of you too!" Jackson replied with a smile.
Libby patted Jackson's arm before following her sisters; "Go ahead lover boy, she's all yours" she said with a wink.
Jackson watched as the Kepner sisters board the elevator; he shook his head but a smile never left his lips.
oOo
April yawned before slowly opening her eyes; she shifted in her bed to make herself more comfortable before surveying her surroundings sleepily. She turned her head to the side and was surprised to see Jackson sitting on the couch, quietly perusing some documents; "H-hey" she croaked.
Jackson's head snapped up; "Did I wake you?"
April shook her head before letting out a small smile; "What are you doing?" she asked.
Jackson placed the papers on top of the coffee table before leaning back on the couch; "Budgeting stuff, I'm not good in math" he groaned.
"I'm good in math" April said.
Jackson threw April a look; "I know you are but I don't want you over working your pretty little head-in case you have forgotten, you are a patient who've undergone surgery."
April pouted.
Jackson chuckled; he then stood up from his perch and made his way towards April's bed. He stopped beside her and gestured towards the small space at her side; "May I?"
April threw Jackson an amused look; "Go on, I won't bite"
Jackson sat down and stared at her seriously; "How are you feeling? Are you okay?"
April smiled; "I'm fine, I can't feel anything, Vicodin does wonders"
Jackson let out sigh of relief; "Good-that's good. I'm sorry I hurt you last night..."
April stared at Jackson confusedly; "Hurt?"
Jackson winced upon remembering April's pained expression; "I didn't mean to make your incision bleed...I'm so sorry..." he said guiltily.
April pulled her hand under her blanket and gently placed it on top of Jackson's arm; "It was not your fault, I kissed you first, remember?"
Jackson let out a small smile; "Yeah-you did and it felt awesome..."
April's bowed her head to hide her flushed cheeks; "It did..."
"April?"
April lifted her gaze and met Jackson's; "Yes?"
"I know I don't have the right to ask you this and I'm not asking you this because I'm rushing or anything-I just want to know one thing and it's really okay if you don't answer me right now because I'd understand but I really want to ask you this-"
"You're mumbling Jackson" April said with a giggle.
Jackson scratched the back of his neck, his whole face reddening; "Err-yeah, sorry..." he murmured.
April took pity at her best friend's plight; "Just ask and I'll try my best to answer" she said.
"I-I-Do you still feel the same towards me?" Jackson blurted out.
April's mouth turned agape as a puzzled look settled on her features.
Jackson coughed to hide the insecurity his feeling; he cleared his throat and sat straighter. "Err-I shouldn't have asked, I'm being stupid-just forget I asked" he backtracked.
"You are being stupid"
Jackson's face fell; "I know and I'm sorry" he said while averting his gaze.
"Look at me" April said gently.
Jackson lifted his gaze and met April's eyes; "What?"
"You do remember that I kissed you last night, right?"
"Yeah..."
April cocked her head to the side; "Do I make it a habit to kiss people I don't have feelings for?"
Jackson took a couple of minutes before he realized what April meant, he felt his heart soar and before he knows it, he's grinning like a man who just won the lottery.
April shook her head, a tiny smile visible on her lips; "He aced his MCAT's and have an M.D at Harvard's and yet he can be pretty daft if he wants to be" she thought.
Jackson tried to wipe the triumphant grin off his face but he's failing; "So-you still love me?" he asked hopefully.
April smirked; "I didn't say that"
"But you just said that..." Jackson trailed off.
"I know what I said but you won't hear me saying it again" April said. "Besides, I'm not letting you off the hook easily, remember?" she added cheekily.
"Oh."
"You have a lot of sucking up to do to deserve that second chance Avery" April said with a teasing smile.
Jackson returned the smile; "So-does that mean you're giving me that second chance?"
April sniffed haughtily; "Again, I never peg you to be daft"
"Forgive my daftness...I've never been this in love before" Jackson finished with a wink.
April bit her bottom lip to keep herself from smiling widely.
Jackson's face turned serious; "We'll take one day at a time, we will not rush" he said. He then gently gathered April's hand into his; "Thank you for taking this leap of fate with me April...I promise that I won't muck it up. I'll try my very best to show you how much I love you..."
April felt her breath hitch in her throat as her heart started beating erratically, her cheeks burning brighter than before. "I-I still can't believe how easy it is for you to say those words..." she said in awe.
Jackson lifted their joined hands to his lips and planted a soft kiss on it; he then gazed into April's eyes and smiled. "I never thought I'd be able to utter those words freely too but you make it seem so easy"
April felt her heart skip a beat but she tried her best to compose her features; "Are you sweet talking me now Avery?"
Jackson blinked a couple of times before bursting out laughing.
April smiled widely.
"So every time you hold me, hold me like this is the last time. Every time you kiss me, kiss me like you'll never see me again (can you do that for me baby). Every time you touch me, (see we don't really know) touch me like this is the last time (see every day we never know). Promise that you'll love me, (I want you to promise me) love me like you'll never see me again..."
It has been a week since April had her surgery and she's more than ready to get discharged, her sister's and her Father already flew back to Ohio which bought her a little breathing space; she loves her family with all her heart but spending too much time with them can be a little bit suffocating-especially if they keep on teasing you about your love life. The past week has been an emotional rollercoaster for her, more on the blissful side though, Jackson-there's no word to describe that man; he'd been a total dream boat, as per Alice's words. Ever since he learned that she's giving him a second chance to prove himself, he kept surprising her on every turn; for example, she never pegged him to be the heart and flowers type of guy but looking at her room now, nobody will doubt that. She had never seen this side of him and to think she'd known him for 5 years; where is he hiding this persona? Is this the real Jackson Avery that she never noticed all along? If it is, then she's the luckiest woman in the world.
"APRIL!"
April wrinkled her nose and shook her head to clear her thoughts; she then turned to her side and saw Lexie standing by her bedside. "Why are you shouting Lex?"
Lexie crossed her arms on top of her chest and stared at April worriedly; "Are you okay? Should I page Derek to check your head?"
"Of course not, I'm okay" April replied.
"Are you sure? I've been standing here and calling your name for quite some time now and you were not responding"
April smiled at her friend's concern; "I'm fine Lex, I was just thinking about something" she explained.
Lexie raised her brow; "Something?"
April nodded; "Yep" she affirmed. "By the way, have you seen Chief Hunt? He's supposed to discharge me today"
"Speaking of that, that's why I'm here. Chief Hunt needs to know who'll be taking care of you once he discharges you. Have you talked with your parents?"
April scrunched her face; "Err-actually no. As much as I love my parents I don't think I can stand them hovering around me, one week is enough."
Lexie cocked her head to the side; "So-are you telling me that you'll be alone in your apartment?"
April nodded; "Yeah, I'm a doctor and I can take care of myself" she said confidently.
Lexie stared at April for a second before wrinkling her nose; "Hunt will not buy that"
"He can't keep me here, there are other patient's who'll need this room."
"I doubt that, we have a couple of rooms available" Lexie replied.
"Not helping Lex!" April huffed. She then threw her friend a pleading look; "Please help me think of something? I don't want to be stuck with my parents or my sisters-I'll go crazy!"
Lexie thought for a moment; "Hmmmnnn, you can always talk to Jackson? He's Mr. 51% and he can very much order Hunt to discharge you?"
April scrunched her face in distaste; "I'm not gonna use his position, that's so wrong"
Lexie shook her head; "You're right" she amended herself. She then let out a small smirk; "Ask him to stay with you for a couple of days then, I'm sure he wouldn't mind"
"Lexie!"
Lexie shrugged her shoulders; "What? I'm just saying. He spends all his time here anyway, he possibly left his butt print on the couch, I'm sure he won't mind checking on you from time to time"
"I can't ask him to do that! We're not even together, it's very inappropriate!"
"We're playing that game again? Well if we are, then look at it as if you're asking your best friend a favour."
April began rubbing her temples; "I don't know Lex, I'll think about it. Worse comes to worst, I might ask my Mom to stay with me for a while if Hunt won't budge."
oOo
"Avery!"
Jackson halted his steps and turned around; "Yeah?"
Owen walked briskly towards the Plastics Attending and fell into step with him; "I'm discharging Kepner today, do you know if her parent's will be staying with her after?" he asked.
Jackson cocked his head to the side; "Err-I'm not sure. Have you talked with them?"
"I dropped by her room this morning but I didn't see them there. I haven't talked with April yet because I have an idea what she'll tell me" Owen said.
Jackson chuckled; "I also have an inkling" he said.
Owen smirked; "Can you at least talk to her first? She's your best friend, right? Try to convince her that I'm doing this out of concern and not punishment?"
Jackson thought for a moment; "I'll try" he said.
Owen patted the young surgeon's back; "Thank you" he said.
"Welcome" Jackson replied.
oOo
April just stepped out of the bathroom when the door to her room opened; a smile automatically made its way to her lips upon seeing her visitor. "Hey Jackman"
Jackson closed the door behind him before smiling widely; "Morning beautiful,"
April felt her cheeks flush so she averted her gaze; "Don't you think it's too early for flattery?" she mumbled while walking towards her bed.
Jackson followed her lead and made his way towards her bedside; he smiled at her mischievously before pulling out something inside his lab coat.
April gasped in surprise.
Jackson presented her with a single long stemmed yellow rose; "A pretty flower for a very beautiful lady"
April accepted the proffered flower with a shy smile; "Thank you-you didn't have to"
"Of course I have to, you're being discharged today" Jackson said. He then sat down near the footboard and smiled; "And just because I want to" he added.
April's cheeks burned even brighter.
Jackson decided to give April a breathing space so he backtracked; he cleared his throat as he leaned back. "So-you're getting discharged today, you excited?"
April groaned; "Don't remind me..."
"You're not excited?"
"I'm excited to get out of this place but I'm not excited to live with either of my parent's again, they'll just be hovering and it will drive me insane"
Jackson chuckled; "I kinda get that, I had to literally push my mom out of my apartment after the bus incident to make her leave"
April let out a giggle; "How did that turn out?"
"Not good" Jackson said with a grimace.
April sighed; "I don't know what to do"
Jackson eyed April for a moment, contemplating if he should voice out the suggestion that Lexie spouted when he saw her. He knows that the idea is a little bit overboard but it might help with her current predicament, it wouldn't also hurt that he'll be able to spend more time with her-it's a win-win situation for the both of them, he hopes.
"You're staring at me like you want to tell me something, out with it Jackman"
Jackson threw April an amused look; "Am I that obvious?"
April rolled her eyes; "I can pretty much hear the wheels turning inside your head from way over here, out with it."
"I have an idea but I don't think you'd like it..."
April cocked her head to the side; "As long as it doesn't involve dumping me with my parents, I'm all ears."
Jackson licked his lips nervously; "I-I can talk to Hunt and tell him to discharge you with the-"
"You're not using your position Jackson, that's unprofessional" April said with narrowed eyes.
"Will you let me finish?"
April crossed her arms on top of her chest; "Go on then,"
"Back to what I'm saying, I can talk to Hunt and ask him to discharge you without your parent's supervision because I'll volunteer to stay with you for the mean time"
April's mouth turned agape.
Jackson winced; "Bad idea?"
April snapped her mouth close and opens it again, she tried to form words but nothing intelligible seems to come out.
Jackson stood up from his perch; "I'll give you time to think about it-err, page me once you come up with a decision" he said.
April nodded.
Jackson turned on his heels and began walking towards the door; he pulled it open but didn't step out yet. He turned his head towards April and threw her a look; "Please keep in mind that I'm not offering this because I'm expecting-err-sex, I just really want to take care of you" he said before closing the door behind him.
April blinked a couple of times; "Wow" she breathed out. She then shifted her eyes to the lone flower he just gave her before groaning; "I don't think I can continue resisting you much further-you're making it hard-really hard."
oOo
Jackson was just stepping out of O.R 2 when he saw Lexie approaching him; he took off his surgical cap and stared at her. "You need something?"
"April has been discharged."
Jackson's brows both rose in surprise; "Really?"
Lexie shoved her hands inside her lab coat pocket; "Yup"
"She's going home with her parent's then?" Jackson asked.
"Nope"
Jackson rested his hand on his hips; "How on earth was she discharged then?"
Lexie grinned mischievously; "Why don't you ask her? She's kinda waiting for you in her room" she said before quickly turning on her heels and walking towards the direction she came from.
Jackson furrowed his brows as he watches the other surgeon leave.
oOo
"I'm really gonna be fine Mom, you don't need stay and take care of me. I'm a big girl and I'm a doctor, I can handle myself"
"It just doesn't feel right leaving you after you had a major surgery..."
April threw her mother an appeasing smile; "You don't have to worry about me, I have people here that will look after me" she said. "I'll make you a deal, if I feel that I can't fend for myself then I'll call you"
Karen eyed April with full seriousness; "You promise?"
April nodded earnestly; "I promise" she replied. She then leaned forward and pulled her mother into a hug; "I'm gonna miss you Mom but you better leave, you don't want to miss your flight and your taxi is waiting for you"
Karen returned the hug, after a moment she pulled away; she cupped her daughter's face with her hands. "No more death defying stunts, do you understand me?"
April cracked an apologetic smile; "I swear"
Karen leaned forward and planted a kiss on April's forehead; "Call me if you need anything, okay?"
"I will" April replied.
Karen plucked her bag from the foot of the bed; "I love you Apple, take care of yourself" she said.
"Love you too Mom, call me once you landed safely, okay?"
"Okay sweetheart, I'll see you soon" Karen said before stepping out of the room.
Jackson was walking along the hallways when he saw April's mother walking towards the elevator; he furrowed his brows as he ran towards her. "Karen?"
Karen halted her steps and turned around; she let out smile upon seeing her daughter's best friend. "Jackson"
Jackson stopped right in front of the old woman and smiled back; "Are you leaving with April?"
Karen shook her head; "No dear, I'm about to leave for Ohio. April insisted that I go home instead of staying with her"
"Oh"
"You know how stubborn she can get" Karen said.
Jackson can't help but chuckle; "She can be very stubborn" he replied. He then stood straighter and stared at April's mother with full seriousness; "Don't worry about April, I'll look after her"
"I feel much better now, knowing that she'll have you to look after her. Thank you Jackson" Karen said with a relived sigh.
Jackson smiled; "You're welcome" she said.
Karen then smiled knowingly at the young man standing before her; "My daughter chose well"
Jackson's eyes widen, clearly stunned.
Karen patted Jackson's shoulder affectionately before walking towards the elevator; "I trust that you'll take care of my little girl Jackson, you kids be happy now"
Jackson turned around and watched as Karen boarded the elevator; "Thank you..." he called out loudly.
Karen winked; "Your welcome...son" she said before hitting on the close button.
Jackson can't help but grin upon hearing Karen's statement.
April just finished zipping her bag when she felt a familiar presence looming by her door; she turned her head sideways and smiled. "You keep appearing by that door, it's disconcerting sometimes"
Jackson leaned sideways on the door frame; "I just ran into your Mom a couple of minutes ago, she's going home to Ohio" he said.
April slowly edged towards the side of her bed and sat sideways; "She is"
"How were you able to convince Hunt to discharge you without any supervision then?" Jackson asked.
April averted her gaze shyly; "I-err-I told him about your offer..."
Jackson's eyes widen in surprise; "So-you've decided?"
April nodded; "Yeah..."
"You're okay with it?"
April shifted her eyes back to Jackson and met his gaze; "I trust you Jackman and you're just looking after me, right?"
Jackson nodded earnestly; "Yes, I just want to take care of you..."
April smiled; "Then it's settled then, you can stay at my place for the mean time, it's gonna be like the good old days when we used to have sleepovers" she chirped.
Jackson grinned, April's enthusiasm is infectious; "Yeah, like the good old days" he repeated.
April then paused when a thought hit her; "Crap!"
"What's wrong?"
"I just remembered that I live in a one bedroom apartment" April said.
Jackson threw April a confused look; "I already know that Apes, I've been to your apartment already."
"You can't stay there overnight, I can't make you sleep on the couch, you're too long for that-you'll hurt your neck" April explained. "You can just check on me for a couple of hours, that'll work"
Jackson crossed his arms on top of his chest; "That'll beat the purpose of me looking after you, don't you think?"
April crossed her arms on top of her chest too, copying Jackson's stance; "I won't let you suffer while you look after me, it's already enough that I'm bothering you with this"
Jackson pulled away from his perch and began walking towards the red head; he stood right in front of her and stared intently into her eyes. "You are not bothering me in any way or form. I love you and I'd be happy to take care of you-in fact I'm excited to do this" He then let out a small smile; "I haven't taken care of anyone aside from myself so I'm apologizing to you now if I end up doing a crappy job."
April let out a small smile; "You've always taken care of me and I don't think that'll be an issue" she replied.
Jackson sighed; "I think I've hurt you more..." he admitted dejectedly.
April captured Jackson's hands in hers and laced their fingers together; "I won't deny that you did hurt me but that won't erase the thousand good things you did for me Jackman"
Jackson squeezed April's hands; "I'm sorry I hurt you..."
April shook her head; "The past is the past and we can no longer change that, let's just move forward, shall we?"
Jackson stared at April for a couple of seconds before nodding; "Okay..."
April let out a small smile; "Now for our current predicament, I think we're at impasse" she said.
"I have another idea..."
"Shoot"
Jackson licked his lips nervously; "You can stay at my place for a while? My apartment has two bedrooms with an ensuite bathroom, plus it's only 15 minutes away from the hospital" he offered.
April shook her head adamantly; "I can't impose on you like that Jackson-that's like your bachelor's pad, your private place, it wouldn't feel right"
Jackson tugged on their joined hands; "Listen to me, you're not imposing April and I wouldn't have offered it if I didn't want to" he said seriously. He then cleared his throat; "Besides, I haven't brought anyone in my place if that's what you're thinking, you're the first-well, aside from my meddling mom"
April's eyes widen in surprise; "You mean, you haven't even brought...Sadie there?"
Jackson shook his head; "No. We haven't even been dating that long, we always hang out outside or some time's her place" he replied.
"And you want to let me stay there?" April asked slowly.
Jackson took another step closer towards April; "Yes, I want you to stay there."
"Are you sure?"
Jackson let out a small smile upon hearing April's tone, she's close to caving in; "I'm 100% sure"
April bit her bottom lip hard, clearly contemplating. After a couple of minutes, she met his eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay..."
Jackson smile turned into a full grin; he impulsively planted a kiss on April's forehead before taking a step back. "I'll go get changed then we can drop by your apartment to get some stuff then we'll go to my place" he said excitedly.
April can't help but smile at Jackson's reaction; "Okay" she replied. She then paused; "Wait-aren't you in the middle of your shift?"
Jackson threw April a boyish smile; "Perks of being head of the board" he said.
"You're playing hooky?" April asked incredulously.
Jackson winked before turning on his heels; "I'll just change into my street clothes then we'll leave this place. I'll be back 10 minutes tops" he said before walking towards the room, an excited bounce evident in his steps.
April watched as Jackson exited her room; "What have you gotten yourself into April Kepner? Is this how you take things slow?" she asked herself loudly. She then remembered Jackson's earlier words and shook her head; "We're still taking things slow-this is just a temporary set up, it's still one day at a time" she said before a contented smile appeared on her face. "I wonder what his apartment looks like?" she thought giddily.
A/N: Sorry for the late upload, I kinda suffered from a severe mental block after I watched episode 10x16-the post nuptial agreement gave me a lot of bunnies-they keep running inside my head and it took a me few days to shoot them down, one by one. LOL! ^-^ Unexpected twist, eh? How am I doing so far? Does this chappy meet your standards? This has a lot of JAPRIL moments and I hope I did them justice. What do you think will happen with these two? Will they be able to abide by their own rules and keep their hands to themselves? Let me know what you think about this one so leave me a review! Thank you again for reading-till next chapter! Cheers! ^-^