Chapter Fourteen: Lego house
"I'm gonna pick up the pieces and build a Lego house, if things go wrong we can knock it down. My three words have two meanings, there's one thing on my mind, it's all for you..."
Euphoria is marked by a feeling of well being; elation in other words. It has been a long time since April and Jackson both felt it at the same time and they can't help but bask in it. Ever since they officially got back together, they've been spending time with each other almost every day; April still hasn't decided if she wants to move in with Jackson but she always finds herself spending the night with him anyway. They haven't had sex yet but not without lack of trying on the red head' part; she wanted to jump him right after the Gala but for some unfathomable reason Jackson is holding out on her. She tried to talk to him about it once but her boyfriend keeps on giving her ambiguous answers, instead of pestering him like what she used to, she just decided to let it go-he'll tell her once he's ready anyway, she's sure of that.
Stephanie yanked the curtains open; "You paged me?" she asked while trying to catch her breath.
"Dr. Edwards, Ben Bosco and his wife Joyce, he's got an ankle fracture" April explained while clearing the supplies she used.
"The moving walkway thing at the airport, we were running to catch our connecting flight to Alaska to see the northern lights and I stepped on that thing and my foot just snapped" Ben explained.
"I heard it, it was a loud crack" Joyce said with a chuckle.
April stood up from her perch and smiled at Stephanie; "He's gonna need a full work up and Ortho consult, also get a chest XRAY cause it might be surgical. Keep me posted?" she asked.
Stephanie smiled back; "Okay, I'll get those XRAY's" she replied.
April handed her tab to Stephanie and patted the intern's shoulder as she passed her by; "Thanks!"
"Welcome Dr. K" Stephanie replied. She then turned towards her patient; "Let's get started then" she said.
April made her way towards the nurses' station and leaned forward; she grabbed herself another tab and began updating the electronic board.
"I'm bored"
"Aren't you with Shepherd today?" April asked.
Lexie yawned; "I am but he's with Torres today, they're working on Mickey" she replied.
April shifted her eyes towards the electronic board; "How about Mark?"
"He's in surgery with Jackson" Lexie replied.
"Meredith?"
"Working on her research, N.I.H grant proposal"
April leaned forward again and placed her tab back on its charging rack; she then turned towards Lexie and smiled. "Want to take a break? I just sent Edwards to do a full work up on my patient so I'm free for the next 30 minutes."
"Coffee?"
"Yep"
Lexie pulled away from her perch and smiled widely; "You buying?"
April smirked; "Only if you'll review with me"
Lexie rolled her eyes; "You mean, review you."
oOo
"Why do you need my help with this surgery again?" Jackson asked. "It's abdominoplasty, I've done this hundred times."
Mark paused and stared at his prot; "Would you rather do boring paper works then?"
Jackson thought for a moment; "Good point."
Mark rolled his eyes before shifting his eyes back to his work; "Have you convinced Kepner to move in with you?"
"Nope, not yet" Jackson replied.
Mark chuckled; "That's what you get when you use hardwood floors and washer-dryer as your bargaining chip"
"She didn't say no, she's still thinking about it"
"It's been weeks, close to a month. If she's still not showing any signs of moving in then that's your answer."
Jackson rolled his eyes; "April is not like that"
"If you say so" Mark replied. "Clamp, please"
"She's also studying for her boards, she'll be taking it next week, I want her to pass so I'm giving her all the time she needs"
"About that, how is she doing?"
"Mesh please" Jackson said. "She's doing good, I've been helping her review, I'm quite sure she'll pass"
"She will, I'm sure" Mark said.
"How about Lexie?" Jackson asked.
Mark chuckled; "My fiancé has a legendary photographic memory, I'm sure she'll pass."
"I forgot about that!" Jackson replied with a chuckle.
"I decided to fly out for Lexie's boards-she doesn't know, I plan on surprising her. How about you? Any plans of tagging along with Kepner?"
Jackson sighed; "I want too but I don't want to screw things up for April, you know what happened the last time I was there with her, she failed."
Mark furrowed his brows and shifted his eyes towards Jackson; "Does she blame you for it?"
"No..."
"Then ask her. Based form what I know, she screwed up the last time because she got nervous and not because you screwed her brains out."
"Stop being crass! Geez!" Jackson hissed.
Mark snorted; "It's not being crass, I'm telling the truth"
"Well, keep it to yourself, April will have my ass if she hears you talking about it"
"Whatever you say Avery, whatever you say"
oOo
"This is killing me! I don't know if portal vein is enough to get that stupid grant!" Meredith ranted in frustration.
"Why do you need that stupid grant for? You own this hospital, have Avery approve a budget release or something" Alex suggested before taking a large bite of his apple.
Meredith plopped down on her chair; "But I don't want Jackson's money! I want N.I.H's money"
Alex rolled his eyes; "Then stop whining and start writing your blasted paper"
Meredith huffed; "I'm trying! I've been staring at this computer for over an hour now and all I have is this" she said while pointing at the screen.
Alex stood up from his chair and made his way towards the desk; he leaned forward and began reading. After a moment he wrinkled his nose and stared at Meredith; "And it took you an hour to type that?"
Meredith pushed Alex away; "Not helping Alex, not helping" she said with a glare.
"I thought I taught ya'll better?"
Meredith and Alex both turned towards the door and saw Miranda and Richard staring at them.
"I'm on break" Alex said while wiggling his apple.
"And what's your excuse, Grey?" Miranda asked with a raised brow.
"I'm working on my N.I.H proposal" Meredith replied. "And I'm failing miserably"
"You're peeing on a tree, huh?" Miranda said with a smirk.
Meredith wrinkled her nose; "That metaphor is disgusting"
Miranda chuckled.
"What's your proposal about?" Richard asked curiously.
Meredith leaned back; "I'm currently working on portal veins"
Richard perked up almost instantly; "Your mother is working on the same thing"
"Err-how did you know that?" Meredith asked.
"It's written in one of her journals, the one you gave me" Richard replied.
"I think you should read the journal Mer, your mom is brilliant-whatever is written there, I'm sure as hell it'll help you get this grant" Alex said before taking another bite of his apple.
"Listen to Karev" Miranda suggested.
Meredith shifted her gaze to Richard; "Do you have the journal?"
Richard beamed; "I'll get them to you"
oOo
"Edwards! I just saw your broken ankle, no need for surgery just splint" Callie said.
"O-okay, thanks" Stephanie replied.
"What's up with you? Why do you look so stressed?" Shane asked as he walks towards his friend.
"Because I am stressed!" Stephanie replied. "Have you seen Dr. Kepner?"
"Nope, why?"
Stephanie didn't seem to hear Shane's response because she made a bee line towards Cristina. "Dr. Yang!"
Cristina halted her steps and turned towards the intern; "Yes?"
Stephanie turned the tab towards Cristina; "Can you take a look at this?"
"Holy...wow!" Cristina gasped.
Stephanie shifted her eyes to the Cardio Attending; "I mean, it's bad right?"
Cristina tapped on the screen, studying the image closely; "This is a rat's nest of an A.V.M in the left ventricle, it's probably pushing in on the valve. If it's not treated, he'll be dead in months."
Stephanie turned towards the patient's bed a couple of feet from them; "He came in for a broken ankle and now I have to tell him he's dying."
Cristina followed the intern's gaze; "Okay, let me look at the blood work and we'll tell them together."
Stephanie turned towards Cristina and nodded; "Okay..."
oOo
"I'm tired, aren't you tired?" Lexie said.
April threw her best friend an incredulous look; "How can you be tired? Your just asking and answering questions"
"My brain can only take so much you know"
"You have a photographic memory I'm quite sure you can take it"
Lexie pouted; "Aren't you at least frightened that you might short circuit me or something again? Like last time?"
April rolled her eyes; "Fine" she said before shoving her flashcards inside her lab coat pocket.
Lexie grinned triumphantly.
April leaned back and took a sip of her coffee; "Is Mark flying out with you on Monday?"
"Huh? No, why? Is Jackson going with you?"
"I don't know, he didn't say anything" April replied.
"Do you want him to come?"
April bit her bottom lip; "Yes but I don't think he wants too" she paused and sighed. "He might not admit it but I feel like he's still blaming himself when I failed last year"
Lexie furrowed her brows; "He's still on that?"
"Yep"
"Did you ask him?"
"Nope but I know him well enough" April replied.
"Okay, but just ask him anyway, maybe he's just waiting for you to say something" Lexie suggested.
April nodded; "I'll do that."
oOo
Cristina turned the monitor towards the patient; "It's a very deadly mass, its a large veinous malformation and without intervention immediately, I'm afraid the prognosis is very bad" she explained.
"Yeah that's the thing-uhm-I've been dying of that for years" Ben said.
Cristina turned her face towards Stephanie, surprise written on her face.
Stephanie threw her patient an indignant look; "You knew about this and you didn't mention it?"
"I'm sorry" Ben replied.
"In your medical history there's-"
"I was so hung up on missing our plane" Ben interjected, cutting the intern off midsentence.
"It's an inoperable A.V.M. he was diagnosed with it for a year" Joyce explained. "It's terminal, so we just quit our jobs and just started travelling."
"Okay, did your doctor-he or she tried treating it with radiation?" Cristina asked.
"Yep, tried that"
"Intravenous coiling?"
"Yeah, no dice" Ben replied
"How about transplant? There are alot of-"
Joyce stood from her perch and grabbed Cristina's hand; "Sweetie, I know its hard, it was hard for us too but you have to let it go" she said softly.
Cristina threw Joyce a baffled look before turning her gaze towards Stephanie.
Stephanie subtly shook her head; clearly baffled with what happened.
oOo
"Where are you going?" Mark asked as he watches Jackson dump the towel down the bin.
"I'm gonna go find April" Jackson replied.
Mark smirked; "Can't stay away from her that long huh?"
"Yep" Jackson replied before turning on his heels.
"Think about what I said; we can surprise our girls on their last day, do a makeshift celebration for them-hell, that could pass for a double date too, it's like hitting two birds with one stone, damn I'm brilliant!"
"Don't tell me Lexie is still pestering you for that double date with us?" Jackson asked.
Mark rolled his eyes; "She never shuts up about it, so do me a favour-let's go through with this, we can consider this as our first ever P.P.U.A"
Jackson cocked his head to the side, a clear look confusion written on his face; "P.P.U.A?"
Mark grinned widely; "Plastic Posses Ultimate Adventures!"
Jackson grimaced before turning on his heels; "Do yourself a favour, try hanging out with Shepherd or Hunt or even Karev, you're exposed to too much estrogen, it's addling your brain and messing with your masculinity"
"I'm confident with my sexuality Avery stop being homophobic and consider what I said! It's a flawless and brilliant plan! It beats your washer-dryer crap!"
Jackson pushed the door open and stepped outside; he paused and turned his face towards his mentor. "Stop talking about my bargaining chip, what the hell happened to off the record huh? And if I say I'll think about it, will you stop your horrendous acronyms?"
Mark nodded; "Yeah"
Jackson rolled his eyes; "Fine, I'll think about it. See you later" he said before letting the door swing behind him.
"Get back to me by the end of the day!" Mark yelled before smiling widely.
oOo
"Stephanie, E.R. needs this bed, can you help me?" April asked as she tugs on the gurney's side railing. She then threw the intern a side glance; "And what is going on with Mr. Bosco? Why has a broken ankle been moved to pre-op for a cardiac procedure?" she asked as she navigates the bed towards the hallway.
Stephanie halted her steps, her eyes widening in surprise; "What?"
April paused and turned her face towards her intern; "You can't change the course of treatment like that without-"
"I didn't. The cardio consult declared it inoperable" Stephanie interjected.
April raised her brow; "So then why is he in pre-op? Who did the consult?"
"Dr. Yang" Stephanie replied.
April wrinkled her nose; "Go find Dr. Yang and check with her what happened" she ordered.
"Okay" Stephanie replied before taking off.
April shook her head and continued tugging the bed towards the vacant spot.
"Why are you moving beds?"
April turned around and saw Jackson leaning on the nurses' station; "Hey" she said with a smile.
Jackson pulled away from his perch and walked towards the red head; he gently pushed her aside and grabbed the side railing. "Where do you need this?"
April pointed towards the vacant spot on the corner; "There" she replied.
Jackson began pushing it towards the direction that April pointed at; "Where did you send Edwards off? This is what interns are here for, you know"
"I sent her to find Cristina" April replied as she trailed behind Jackson. "This isn't a Board Member's job, you know"
Jackson navigated the bed to the right spot; "Yeah it's not" he replied. He then turned towards April and grinned widely; "But it's definitely boyfriend duties."
April giggled; "I guess it is"
Jackson walked towards April and wrapped his arms around her waist; "Take a break with me?"
April placed her hands flat on Jackson's chest; "I just took a break with Lexie, I can't do that"
"Mr. 51% is asking you to accompany him for a break, will you refuse your boss?"
"You can't use that on me!"
Jackson smiled cheekily; "I can and I will" he replied. He then turned his face to the side and began surveying their surroundings; he perked up when he saw a familiar face walking towards the nurses' station. "Hey Alex!"
Alex turned around; "What?"
"Kepner is taking a 15 minute break, can you handle the pit while she's gone?"
Alex studied the couple for a minute before smirking lasciviously; "Are you sure you just need 15 minutes?"
April's eyes widen in mortification, her cheeks flaming; "Alex!"
Jackson chuckled; "Yeah, we only need 15 minutes"
Alex's smirk grew even bigger; "Impressive...fine, go"
Jackson didn't need to be told twice, he pulled his arms away from April and grabbed her hand instead; "Come on, no time to waste"
"But-"
"No buts" Jackson said as he pulls April towards the hallway.
Alex stared at the couple with amusement before shaking his head.
oOo
Meredith frowned; "Come on! I don't have time for this!" she said while tapping the printer.
Miranda snatched the first page from the printer and made her way towards the other chair; "Ischemia reperfusion injury in thoracic trauma, what happened to portal veins?" she asked as she sits down.
"I know Ischemia is boring but my mother's portal vein research is outdated. I mean, we've already grafted them from stem cells, and I don't want to spend my life being compared to my mother"
"Hey. She was a smart woman, it might be worse to never be compared to her" Miranda said.
Meredith shifted her eyes back to the computer, her temper flaring upon seeing an error message on the screen; "I can't find a way to take research further and I can't print this damn thing!"
"You alright?"
Meredith turned her face towards her former mentor; "We've bio-engineered blood vessels, from a 3-D printer"
"Yeah" Miranda replied.
"But I don't think anyone has ever printed a portal vein" Meredith said, a small smile curling on her lips.
Miranda raised her brow, clearly intrigued with the idea.
oOo
"Hey, any chance you need me today?" Lexie asked as she steps in the scan room.
"Yeah, come here" Derek replied.
Lexie walked towards Derek and fixed her eyes on the screen.
"Oh hell, that's why the sensors weren't lighting" Derek said while eyeing the scan intently. He pointed at the screen; "There's a glioma" he said before turning his gaze towards Lexie.
"Can you treat it?"
"I could try hitting it with some glue"
Lexie turned her eyes towards Derek; "Glue?"
Derek turned his face towards the screen again; "Embolization glue, we use it for A.V.M's, we pump super glue on the vessels, once the glue hardens, cuts off blood circulation to the tumor, I could try it" he said. He then cocked his head to the side; "No, it goes all the way to the brain stem, it's too dangerous."
"And going in surgically?"
"It's the same thing, I'm afraid of doing more harm than good"
Lexie sighed; "One of the lost cause cases then"
Derek nodded; "Yep"
oOo
April pushed Jackson on the bed and straddled his lap; she kissed him hungrily as she ran her hands along his chest.
Jackson caressed April's side before setting his hands on her hips; he let out a loud groan when the red head started grounding on him enticingly.
April trailed her lips towards Jackson's neck before nipping on his ear; she moved her hands to his side and began tugging his scrub's top up.
Jackson grabbed April's wandering hands; "April...we can't..." he moaned.
April moved her lips back to his lips and began placing butterfly kisses on it; "Why? Don't you want me?" she asked between kisses.
Jackson shifted April on his lap; "Does that feel like I don't want you?"
April pulled her lips away and buried her face on the crook of Jackson's neck; "Then why don't you want to?" she asked, frustration evident in her voice.
Jackson squeezed April's side; "Look at me" he said.
April pulled her face away and stared at Jackson.
Jackson wrapped his arms around Aprils back and met her eyes; "I want this with you April, more than you can imagine" he said seriously.
April cocked her head to the side; "Then what's the problem?"
Jackson tightened his hold on April's waist; "There's no problem, I just don't want to jeopardize what we have right now. I know that you want to wait April and I know that this revirginizing thing is important to you, so, we will wait"
April blinked a couple of times, clearly caught off guard with her beau's unexpected confession.
Jackson planted a soft kiss on April's lips before smiling; "We can still make out you know, I can just take a cold shower after."
April smiled slyly; "Can I at least join you?"
Jackson hauled April off his lap and deposited her on the bed; he crawled on top of her and settled between her thighs. "Trying to be cheeky with me again, huh?"
April tugged Jackson closer and wrapped her legs around his waist; she trailed her hands along his pecs before cupping his face. "You talk a lot" she said before pulling him in for a kiss.
Jackson made sure to braise his weight on his fore arms before returning April's frantic kisses.
oOo
April stepped inside the pit with a big smile on her face; she made her way towards the nurses' station and began checking the electronic board for updates.
"Dr. K?"
April turned around and saw her intern; "Hey Steph" she chirped.
Stephanie fell into step with her Attending and took a deep breath; "Dr. Yang is currently operating on Mr. Bosco-she found a fix for his A.V.M so he agreed to go through with the surgery."
April snorted; "Of course she'll find a fix for a hopeless case, its Cristina Yang, a cardio goddess, how can I forget!"
Stephanie nodded; "Yeah"
April narrowed her eyes; "But that doesn't mean she won't hear anything from me" she said. She then turned towards her intern; "Are they almost done?" she asked.
"Another hour, give or take"
"Good."
oOo
"Are you alright?" Derek asked.
Lexie shook the water off her hands before grabbing a towel; "Yeah"
"I'm sorry I dragged you into this"
Lexie dried her hands before turning towards Derek; "You have nothing to be sorry for Derek, I know what it is-don't worry about it."
Derek sighed; "Alright" he said before washing his hands.
Lexie shifted closer to her brother in law and nudged him on the side; "Don't go McDreary on me, I'm really okay"
Derek turned his face to side; "McDreary? You're into name calling too?" he asked with a raised brow.
Lexie grinned widely; "Occasionally"
Derek shook his head, amusement now marring his face.
oOo
"To a certain extent, time will tell. What we know for sure is we've done no damage to your heart and at this preliminary stage, it appears that the A.V.M won't continue to grow" Cristina said with a smile.
"So you're saying...I'll live?" Ben asked.
"Yes" Shane replied with a smile.
Ben's face fell; "Dear God" he gasped.
Shane threw Cristina a side glance, clearly baffled.
"Ben? Honey?" Joyce said softly. "We'll be alright, I know it's a lot of money. It's a crazy year but the world is a lot more fun with you in it. As long as we have each other, everything will be fine."
"Joyce we're screwed."
"I know."
"We're not just bankrupt, we're criminals"
Joyce chuckled; "I think we might go to jail" she agreed.
Shane scrunched his face with what he's hearing.
"Oh, we're so incredibly screwed" Ben repeated.
"Like a $2 whore" Joyce said.
"Yang, that's my broken ankle" April said as she saunters inside her patient's room. "How about a little head's up next time you wanna steal one of my patients"'
Cristina turned towards April, the expression on her face, a cross between distaste and disbelief.
April turned her gaze towards the bawling couple; "What happened?"
"I saved his life" Cristina replied before stepping out of the room.
April scrunched her face in confusion before walking towards the couple.
oOo
"So, I get that you saved his life but he was my patient you should've told me before-"
"We came up with a fix, you didn't" Shane replied before he began tapping on his tab.
"Are you still pissed about the other night? I'm with Matthew, it was inappropriate and it's not gonna happen again."
Shane tore his eyes away from his tab and stared at Stephanie; "What are you talking about?"
Stephanie frowned; "When you kissed me Shane."
A look of understanding dawned on Shane's face; "Oh, that. We were excited, it happened. I'm sorry it meant more to you"
"It didn't, what's happened to you?"
"What are you guys whispering about?" Leah asked as fall into step with her friends.
"Nothing" Shane and Stephanie said in unison.
Leah rolled her eyes; "Fine."
oOo
April shrugged on her jacket and grabbed her bag from the bench; she let out a tired yawn as she steps out of the locker room.
"Long day?" Meredith asked.
"Yep, I'm beat" April replied. "How's your proposal?"
"Still in shambles" Meredith replied. "I'll try to work on it tomorrow, my brain is about ready to explode"
April smiled encouragingly; "Don't sweat it, I'm quite sure you'll come up with a grant winning research, you're Meredith Grey"
Meredith chuckled; "You heading home?"
"Yeah, you?"
Meredith grabbed the diaper bag from the table and stood up; "Same here, I just need to pick up my kids from Daycare"
"I see, have you seen Jackson by chance?" April asked.
Meredith pursed her lips while in thought; "Hmmm, I think he's still in his office. I left him there after I used his printer"
April adjusted her bag and threw the other surgeon a grateful smile; "I'll go check on him to see if he's going home. I'll see you tomorrow Mer" she said with a wave.
Meredith smiled back; "See you tomorrow Apes"
oOo
"Okay, thanks" Jackson said. He then placed the phone back on its cradle before gathering the sheets of paper on top of his desk; he stacked it up into a neat pile before putting it inside a large folder.
"You make office work look so sexy"
Jackson's head snapped up; he then let out a huge grin upon seeing his girlfriend leaning on the doorframe. "It's only fair, you're super hot when your barking orders inside the pit"
April pulled away from her perch and closed the door behind her; she slowly made her way towards Jackson's desk, a naughty smile playing on her lips; "You find it hot when I bark orders?"
Jackson swivelled his chair to face April; "Yeah" he replied.
April threw her bag on one of the chairs before rounding the table; she boldly straddled Jackson's lap and rested her hand on the back of his chair. "Really?"
Jackson can't help but grin; "Really" he replied. He then placed his arms on top of the arm rest and met April's heated gaze; he licked his lips as he let his eyes fall to hers. "What are you gonna do about it?"
April let her hands fall down to his shoulders before trailing it towards his well defined biceps; she squeezed the firm muscle before leaning forward. She rested her left cheek on his right before whispering directly in his ear; "Anything you want love, anything" she said seductively.
Jackson felt his restrain snap; he angled his head to the side and captured April's lips into a demanding kiss. He wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and pulled her tightly to his chest; he trailed his right hand towards her nape and grabbed a fistful of hair.
April moaned loudly with Jackson's unexpected roughness; she wrapped her arms around his neck- deepening the kiss, exploring his mouth with the same intensity. She sucked on his bottom lip and started undulating on his lap rapidly; she mewled loudly when she felt herself close to peaking.
Jackson tightened his left arm around April's waist as thrust upwards involuntarily; he closed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth to keep himself from being loud.
April threw her head back as a loud gasp escaped her lips; she stilled on his lap as she rides out the pleasurable waves of her sudden climax.
Jackson's eyes snapped open; "Did you just?" he asked in disbelief.
April felt her flushed cheeks turn even brighter with mortification so she covered her face with her hands; "Oh god-I'm-I'm sorry!"
Jackson bit his bottom lip hard to keep himself from smiling; when he's 100% sure that he won't laugh, he moved his hands and began tugging on April's arm. "Stop covering your face babe, it's not something to be shy about"
April shook her head adamantly; "I can't believe I just-and your still-I'm a horrible person!"
Jackson couldn't hold it any longer, he let out a chuckle.
"Your laughing at me!"
"I'm not" Jackson said. He then began prying April's hands away from her face; "Come on babe, look at me."
April let her hands fall on her side but she averted her gaze; she started pulling herself off her beau's lap but wasn't able to do so when Jackson tugged her back.
"Look at me" Jackson said.
April bit her bottom lip as she met Jackson's gaze.
"I love you and I'm happy that I made you that happy"
"But you didn't-"
Jackson leaned forward and planted a kiss on April's lips, silencing another tirade. "It's okay"
April shifted on Jackson's lap and cringed when she felt his predicament; "If you want I can help you with that"
Jackson threw April a shocked look; "Huh?"
April let out a naughty grin before shifting herself further on his knees, creating a distance between them; she then leaned forward and captured Jackson's lips again into a kiss. Slowly, she let her right hand wander on his chest before moving it towards his crotch.
Jackson broke the kiss and hissed; "A-april...you-you don't have to-"
"Ssshhhhh..." April whispered as she continues rubbing him. "Let me do this for you...let go babe...just let go"
Jackson closed his eyes tightly as his breathing started to be laboured; he moaned out loudly when he felt his peak fast approaching.
"Let go babe...cum for me" April whispered.
Jackson felt the coil snap upon hearing April's words.
April pressed her lips towards Jackson, stifling the loud noise that for sure will escape his lips upon reaching his own release.
Jackson felt his whole body relax but his mind is still fuzzy.
April released Jackson's lips with a loud pop before smiling cheekily; "Better?"
Jackson opened his eyes, a dreamy smile curling on his lips; "That was-it's still-I can't think"
April giggled; she planted a chaste kiss on Jackson's lips again before hopping off his lap. "I think great is the word your looking for babe"
Jackson chuckled; "Yeah, that word"
April began fixing her clothes; "I don't know about you but I'm dying to take a shower, I feel-err-sticky"
Jackson shot up from his perch; "Let's go take a shower then" he said.
April paused and stared at her beau; "Together?" she asked somewhat hopefully.
Jackson smiled cheekily; "Your keeping your panties on Kepner so get your head off of the gutter"
April pursed her lips; "Yeah, I kept my panty on alright" she murmured.
Jackson laughed.
"And it's dark in a cold December, but I've got you to keep me warm. If you're broken I will mend you and I'll keep you sheltered from the storm that's raging on now. I'm out of touch, I'm out of love, I'll pick you up when you're getting down and out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now. I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind, I'll do it all for you in time and out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now, now..."
Monday: (Departure)
The week that April is both dreading and waiting for has finally come and she's close to having a panic attack. She tried calming herself by taking deep breaths but that damn breathing exercise does not seem to work today-of all days. She let out a defeated sigh and stared at her friends; "I don't think I can do this" she said.
"You can do this Apes, you've got this in the bag-just don't annoy the interviewers and you'll do just fine" Alex said.
Meredith pinched Alex's arm; "Stop being tactless" she chastised. She then turned towards the nervous red head and smiled; "Don't mind Alex he's just being an ass-he got one thing right though, you got this in the bag so relax and don't stress yourself too much" she said.
April felt her eyes sting with tears; "I don't want to fail, failing is not even an option!"
"Then don't even think that it's an option" Cristina said as she fell into step with Meredith. She placed her hands on her hips and stared at April; "We threw every possible scenario that we can think off and you answered them all correctly, not to mention you've read tons of books that will last you a lifetime-you'll pass Kepner, so stop worrying too much"
April tightened her hold on the strap of her bag before nodding; "O-okay-I-I can do this" she stuttered.
"Don't stutter, be confident, the interviewers want to see that" Meredith said.
April squared her shoulders; "Alright."
Alex moved towards April and wrapped his arm around her shoulders comfortingly; "Stop worrying, you'll crush them this year."
April turned her head to the side and smiled; "Thanks Alex"
"Is she still panicking?" Lexie asked she walks towards the group.
"Nope, everything is under control" Alex replied.
Lexie smiled; "Good"
"I'm not gonna ask if your prepared, I'm quite sure you already heard enough from my husband" Meredith said.
Lexie wrinkled her nose; "Don't remind me, he's been on my case since last night, one more question from him and I might end up strangling him"
Cristina smirked; "You sure he didn't damage your photographic memory with his incessant questioning?"
"Nope I'm intact" Lexie replied.
"There you are! I've been looking for you!"
April and Alex both turned around and saw Owen walking towards them; the Ped's surgeon gave the red head a comforting squeeze before pulling his arm away.
Owen stopped right in front of April and smiled widely; "You ready to show them what you've got?"
April smiled weakly; "Yeah"
Owen stared at April, his brows furrowing; he took a step towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Listen to me, I know you're nervous but you can do this. You worked your ass off this year and proved yourself multiple times, if you can handle a human shiska-bob you can definitely handle their measly questions. You'll kick their asses April, you just have to believe that you can. You are a soldier and I'm sure as hell that you'll pass with flying colors, so wipe that look off your face and smile, okay?"
April took a deep breath before meeting her mentor's eyes; "Thank you, I needed to hear that from you" she said with larger smile.
Owen squeezed April's shoulder and returned the smile; he pulled his hands away and shoved it inside his lab coat pockets. "Where's your luggage? Are you all set?"
"I already loaded my luggage inside the bus and yep, I'm all set" April replied.
Owen nodded; "Good"
"You guys done there? My boy here is getting a little antsy; he wants to have his girlfriend back"
Jackson elbowed Mark; "Shut up!" he hissed. He then threw Owen and April and sheepish look; "Carry on, I can wait" he said.
Owen chuckled; "We're done here, you can have her back"
April rolled her eyes; "You guys talk as if you can't see that I'm here."
"Can you blame us? You're so tiny we can't even see you" Mark teased.
"And you're wondering why I refused to change my specialty to Plastics" April deadpanned.
"Ouch!" Alex said with a smirk.
Mark grinned; "You're learning little red" he said, approval evident in his voice.
"Don't mind him, he's just being silly" Jackson said. He shoved his hands inside his lab coat pocket before shifting his eyes to the group; "Don't you guys have work to attend to?"
"Jackson!" April shrieked, clearly affronted with her beau's rudeness.
Meredith chuckled; "That's Jackson's not to subtle way of saying that he wants to talk with April-alone"
"Bulls eye!" Cristina piped in.
Alex smirked; "You lending her your binky Avery?"
"Shut up Karev!" Jackson snapped.
Alex, Meredith and Cristina laughed loudly.
Jackson walked towards April; "Do you understand know why I want them gone?"
April cringed; "Kinda"
"Well, good luck soldier, remember what I told you, okay?" Owen said.
"Will do Chief" April replied.
Owen nodded and began walking towards the other residents.
"You'll pass and we'll make sure that we have a bottle of tequila waiting for you when you come home" Cristina said with one of her rarest smiles. She then turned towards Lexie; "You too Little Grey, good luck" she said before walking towards the same direction as Owens'.
"Bring the booze, we'll have your celebratory party at my place. Break a leg you two, make your mentors proud" Alex said before walking back towards the pit.
"Call us if you guys need anything, okay? I'm sure you'll both pass so just relax and we'll you in Wednesday" Meredith said with a smile. She then leaned towards Lexie; "Make sure she doesn't freak out much" she said before walking away.
Lexie smiled; "Will do"
Jackson wrapped his arm around April's waist; "Can we have a minute now?"
April shifted her arm and wrapped it around Jackson's waist too; "Yep" she replied. She then turned her gaze towards the couple before them; "I'll save you a seat in the bus Lex, I'll just talk with Jackson"
"Okay, thanks" Lexie replied.
"Good luck Kepner" Mark said with a sincere smile.
April smiled back; "Thanks" she replied.
Jackson began steering her towards the back of the bus; once he found a secluded spot, he gently pulled April into his arms and hugged her tightly. "I'm gonna miss you-really really miss you"
April returned the hug with a smile; "I'm gonna miss you too babe"
Jackson planted a kiss on her temple before pulling away; he met her gaze and smiled. "You'll do great babe, stop worrying and just relax"
April stared into Jackson's eyes; "Would you still love me if I fail?"
"I'll love you no matter what happens" Jackson replied seriously. He then smirked; "But I'm sure you'll pass, you're too good not to" he said confidently.
April felt the tension automatically leave her body upon hearing Jackson's words; she wordlessly pulled his face towards hers and kissed him. After a couple of seconds, she pulled away but kept his face close; "I love you too and I'll ace that damn test even if it's the last thing I do" she said with determination.
Jackson pecked her on the lips; "That's my girl"
oOo
"Everything's all set, we're good to go" Mark said as he approaches his prot.
"You work fast"
"I'm a man with a mission, of course I'll work fast"
Jackson chuckled; "Lexie still doesn't have an idea that you're flying out this Tuesday?"
Mark grinned; "Nope, I even told her I have surgeries booked on that day so I won't be able to call her."
Jackson threw Mark an amused look; "Surprising people really gets you off, huh?"
Mark raised his brow; "Are you really sure you want to talk about what gets me off?"
Jackson scrunched his face in disgust before grabbing his tab; "Stop being creepy for a second! Geez!" he said before walking away from his mentor.
"Stop being homophobic!" Mark quipped.
"Your homophobic jokes are getting old, find something new!"
April handed Lexie the registration paper; "Here you go"
"Thanks" Lexie replied. "You okay? You're not freaking out or anything right?"
April let out a small smile; "I'm not freaking out, I'm actually quite calm"
Lexie cocked her head to the side and studied the red head's face; "Okay..."
April chuckled; "I'm not kidding Lex, I'm really not freaking out"
"Fine" Lexie replied. "Let's fill this up so we can head to our rooms."
April plopped down beside Lexie; "Let's"
oOo
Tuesday: (Exam Day)
"That was brutal! I don't think I can go on anymore, my head is just about ready to explode!" Lexie whimpered.
April winced; "That bad?"
"Super bad" Lexie said before taking a large swig of her drink. "How about yours?"
"It's pretty good"
Lexie let out a small smile; "Good, just keep doing what you're doing and I'm sure you'll be great" she said.
April smiled back; "Thanks. I'm quite sure you'll do great too, you have the country's renowned Neuro Surgeon as your mentor and not to mention your legendary photographic memory-that's a lethal combination in my opinion."
Lexie rolled her eyes; "You forgot to mention my skills"
"Oh that too!"
Lexie shook her head in amusement.
"April sweetheart is that you?"
April turned on her seat and saw Catherine walking towards their table; she automatically stood up from her chair and smiled. "Catherine"
Catherine pulled the red head into a hug; "I've been looking for you for ages!"
"I've been around" April replied as pulls away.
Catherine shifted her eyes towards the other occupant on the table; "Dr. Grey, it's so nice to see you"
"It's nice seeing you too Dr. Avery" Lexie replied politely.
Catherine smiled, she then shifted her gaze back to April; "How are you feeling baby?"
"Surprisingly I'm calm" April said with a giggle.
"That's good to hear-now, don't you two worry, okay? I'm 100% sure that you'll both pass with flying colours"
"Thank you" April replied.
"Well, I better get going, I still have to abide with the stupid rules" Catherine said disdainfully. "See me before you take off tomorrow, okay?"
April nodded; "I will do that."
Catherine leaned forward and kissed April's cheek; "Good luck baby" she whispered.
"Thanks" April replied.
"Dr. Grey" Catherine said before turning on her heels and sauntering towards the other direction.
Lexie fanned her face with her hand; "Jackson's momma is really intimidating, I still can't get used to being in her presence."
April sat back down; "She's intimidating but once you get to really know her, you'll love her" she said with a fond smile.
"Are you saying that as her baby boy's girlfriend or as her groupie" Lexie teased.
April threw Lexie an indignant look before aiming a crumpled tissue on the brunette; "Shut up!"
Lexie laughed.
oOo
"-page Torres if any complication arises with the implants, okay?" Jackson said.
"Will do" Dr. Winston Rogers replied.
"Are you harassing Rogers again?" Mark asked as he enters his prot's office.
"I'm not harassing him, I'm just reminding him-"
"Rogers you can go, I'm quite sure that you already heard his reminders multiple times" Mark said, cutting Jackson's off midsentence.
Winston stood up from his perch and threw Mark a grateful look; he then turned towards Jackson and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll look out for your patients, I'll call you if anything comes up, okay?"
Jackson stared at Winston for a couple of seconds before nodding; "Okay, thank you Winston" he said with a smile.
Winston nodded before walking towards the door.
Mark plopped down on the chair that the other surgeon vacated; "Rogers is not a dimwit, he can take care of your patients without reminding him every second"
Jackson pursed his lips; "I know that, I just don't want him bungling my patients"
Mark rolled his eyes; "Did you bring your things here or are you still going home?"
Jackson leaned back on his chair; "I brought it with me, you?"
"Brought it as well" Mark replied. "Have you heard from Kepner?"
Jackson shook his head; "Nope, you heard anything from Lexie?"
"Radio silence" Mark replied.
"I'm quite sure they're just busy with the exams" Jackson replied.
"True" Mark replied. He then thumped his hands on his thigh before standing up; "Well, I'll see you later-I still have patients to check on" he said.
"Yeah, see you" Jackson replied.
oOo
"Is Pretty boy flying out with McSteamy?" Cristina asked.
Meredith adjusted her baby boy in her arms before turning her gaze towards Cristina; "Yep"
Cristina smirked; "He's so whipped"
Meredith chuckled; "You only realized that now?"
Cristina scoffed; "Of course not" she said before leaning back on the couch. "Have you heard anything from Little Grey?"
"Nope, has April been in contact with Owen?" Meredith asked.
Cristina shook her head; "Nope and he's been on pins and needles since this morning" she said with a smirk.
"You can't blame the man, this is April's second try-if she doesn't make it again, that'll reflect badly on him."
"True" Cristina replied. "But I'm confident that Kepner will make it, she's ready for this-she has this in the bag."
Meredith threw Cristina a teasing look; "Admit it, you've always had a soft spot for April"
Cristina shrugged her shoulders; "She's like a weed, she grows on you whether you like it or not."
Meredith laughed.
oOo
April stepped out of her examination suite with a serene smile on her face; she titled her head up and closed her eyes. "Thy will be done"
"Amen to that"
April opened her eyes and saw her best friend sitting on one of the chairs on her left; "How long have you been sitting there?"
Lexie stood up and made her way towards the red head; "Not that long" she replied. "Let's go grab a drink, I badly need one"
April raised her brow; "Now?"
Lexie looped her arm around April's; "Yes, now. I need a stiff drink after everything that happened today."
oOo
"Let's go then"
"Do you think they're finish with their exam?" Jackson asked as he slams his door close.
"I hope so" Mark replied. He then turned on the ignition and tugged on the hand break; "We'll find out soon enough" he said.
Jackson buckled his seatbelt on.
oOo
"He's definitely checking you out" Lexie said before taking a sip of her drink.
"Huh?" April asked before popping a couple of nuts inside her mouth.
"10 o'clock, blondie by the bar"
April shifted on her chair and subtly followed the direction that Lexie pointed at; she felt her eyes widen in shock upon seeing the blonde man looking at their table. She quickly averted her gaze and gritted her teeth; "Shit!" she hissed.
"What?" Lexie asked.
"That's the guy I punched last year!" April whispered.
Lexie's eyes widen; "Are you for real?"
"Yes!"
"Omg Apes, he's walking towards us"
"What?!" April asked, panic evident in her voice.
Lexie opened her mouth to respond but wasn't able to do so when the blonde man stopped beside their table; "Dr. April Kepner, right?"
April felt her cheeks flush with mortification; "Damn it! He remembers me!" she thought. She then cleared her throat and turned her face to the side; "Err-yes, I'm sorry but do I know you?" she asked, feigning ignorance.
"I'm the douche you punched last year, Kevin Banks-Case Western Reserve"
April felt her cheeks turn even brighter; "Yeah-right, I-I remember now" she stuttered.
"I'm not being a douche again or anything but what are you doing here?"
"I didn't make it last year" April replied, clearly not comfortable with her admission.
"Oh" Kevin replied. He then shoved his hands inside his pockets and let out a boyish grin; "Well, if it makes you feel better, I didn't make too-your cuff addled my brain-I think, you pack a mean punch."
April can't help but laugh at Kevin's statement; "I don't punch like a girl, eh?"
"I'm sure as hell you don't" Kevin replied with a chuckle.
Lexie cleared her throat loudly before taking a sip of her drink.
"Oh sorry, where are my manners! Dr Banks-this is Dr. Lexie Grey, my best friend and colleague from Seattle Grace" April introduced.
Kevin offered his hand; "I'm the douche your best friend punched last year" he said with a smile.
Lexie shook Kevin's hand and smirked; "I heard" she replied. "Are you here alone?"
"No, I'm actually waiting for my friends, they just went upstairs to freshen up a bit"
Lexie leaned back on her chair and crossed her legs; "Why don't you join us while you wait for them?"
April's eyes widen in surprise.
Kevin turned his gaze towards April; "I don't want to impose or anything..."
"It's okay" April replied.
"Why don't I buy you girls a round before I join you, I mean, that's the least thing I can do for being an ass last year" Kevin said.
"That's really not necessary Kevin I-"
"I insist" Kevin interjected. "So, what can I get you?"
oOo
"Are you sure you got the right room number?" Jackson asked with a frown. "Because we've been standing here for 10 minutes and we're starting to look like stalkers"
Mark rolled his eyes; "You were standing right beside me when lady gave us the room numbers"
"Why are they not here then?" Jackson asked.
Mark perked up when a thought hit his head; "Aha I got it! Maybe they're at the bar? Knowing Lexie, she might want a stiff drink after a long stressful day."
Jackson thought for a moment; "Yeah, you might be right."
"Let's go get our girls then" Mark said with a large grin.
oOo
April's eyes almost bulged out from its sockets; "Really?"
"Really" Kevin replied solemnly.
April threw her hands up; "I thought he was just being nice!"
Lexie grimaced; "You're too naive Apes"
Kevin nodded in agreement; "He's been targeting interns for years, I say he got what he deserve-hell, I think he got off way too easily."
"I can't believe it!"
"I already told you that he kinda sleeps around women" Kevin replied before taking a sip of his drink.
"But you didn't say that he actually forces women to sleep with him" April replied.
"I didn't know" Kevin replied. "And besides, I'm quite sure he won't be able to do that to you, your boyfriend is much bigger than him"
"Jackson?" Lexie asked, amusement clearly written on her face.
Kevin turned towards Lexie; "I don't know the dude's name, all I know is that his bigger than Steve Johnson, the one with the pretty eyes?"
Lexie chuckled; "That's Jackson alright" she said. She then threw April a teasing look; "He was your boyfriend then, huh?"
April felt her cheeks flush; "Err-"
Kevin threw April an amused look; "I can tell that there's an interesting story behind Lexie's statement, care to share?"
oOo
"Are my eyes deceiving me or they're really sitting with a guy?" Mark said with a frown.
"Where?" Jackson asked.
Mark pointed towards the table at the far end side of the bar; "Right there with Blondie"
Jackson felt the familiar twinge of jealousy inside his chest upon seeing April sitting with another guy; he clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. "They are, let's find out what's happening there"
Mark nodded; "Lets."
oOo
"So I punched the guy and he's not even your boyfriend?" Kevin asked.
"He's my best friend-he'll still beat your ass regardless if he's my boyfriend or not."
"That's true" Lexie said with a smile. "He did kick one of our colleague's ass once"
"Really? Interesting" Kevin said. He then smiled at April; "So-if he's not your boyfriend, are you single?"
"No, she's not"
April turned around and saw Jackson standing behind her, her eyes widening in surprise; "What are you doing here?"
"Hey babe" Jackson said with a large grin.
"I thought you had surgery booked all day that's why you can't call me!" Lexie said while staring at Mark accusingly.
Mark smiled as he made his way towards Lexie; "If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise then"
April sprung up from her chair with a large smile on her face; she threw her arms around Jackson's neck and hugged him. "I missed you, thank you for being here"
Jackson returned the hug and kissed April's temple; "I missed you too" he replied.
Mark stared at his fiancé expectantly; "Don't I get a hug? I flew all the way here after all."
"Oh you big baby!" Lexie said. She then stood up and planted a kiss on Mark's cheek; "I'm glad you're here" she whispered.
Kevin cleared his throat and also stood up; "Err-your company is here, I better go" he said.
April pulled away from Jackson's arms but stayed by his side; "Jackson, you remember Kevin Banks, right?"
Jackson stared at the blonde man, clearly thinking where he had seen him before.
Kevin smiled; "I'm the douche that punched you last year after April socked me in the nose."
Jackson's eyes widen comically; "Case Western Reserve guy, right?"
Kevin chuckled; "Yep" he replied. He then turned towards April and smiled; "It was nice seeing you again April, I guess I'll just you around."
April smiled; "Yeah, see you around"
"Have a good night" Kevin addressed the group politely before walking away.
Lexie plopped back on her chair and stared at Jackson with amusement; "So-Blondie there managed to land a punch on your pretty face and you didn't kick his ass?"
Jackson sat down on the chair that Kevin vacated before rolling his eyes; "I wanted to kick the daylights out of him but I'm too busy holding April down."
Mark pulled a chair and sat down; "You let little red do the work for you?" he asked with a teasing smile.
April also sat down; "I was already on the edge and he insulted me, of course I'll do the beating" she replied.
Jackson turned towards his girlfriend and grinned; "I can still remember every detail vividly, you were on fire that night-so hot"
"Jackson!" April shrieked, her cheeks burning bright as her hair.
Lexie smirked at April; "Hence, Jackson cashing your v-card"
Mark laughed boisterously.
April covered her face with her palms; "Kill me now."
"Stop it, your embarrassing her" Jackson chastised the brunette half-heartedly.
"Just saying" Lexie replied.
The couples had a pleasant dinner together before they decided to go separate ways; Mark and Lexie decided to stay at the bar while Jackson and April decided to head upstairs.
Jackson leaned sideways on the wall as he watches the red head rummage her bag for her key card; "You are aware that this is the same room you occupied last year, right?"
April paused and turned her face towards Jackson; "Really?"
Jackson crossed his arms on top of his chest; "You don't remember?"
April felt her cheeks burn so she averted her gaze; "I don't remember the room number but I remember the things we did inside the room" she replied shyly.
"I bet you did..." Jackson said huskily.
April felt her breath hitch inside her throat; "Yeah..." she breathed out. She then pulled out the key card and began unlocking the door; "Did you get a room?"
Jackson threw his girlfriend a sheepish look; "I didn't-I was hoping you'll let me stay with you..."
April pushed the door open and gestured towards the room; "Come on in then" she said with a smile.
Jackson pulled away from his perch and smiled widely.
oOo
"How's the boards?" Richard asked.
Catherine sat down on her bed and adjusted the phone on her ear; "Same as last year-I saw April and Lexie by the way"
"How are they?"
"They look alright" Catherine replied. She then let out a chuckle; "April look tons better than last year, that's for sure."
"That's good to hear"
"How's my baby boy? Have you seen him today?" Catherine asked.
"Jackson is not here, he's there"
Catherine furrowed her brows; "What do you mean, he's here?"
"He flew out with Mark a couple of hours ago, they're heading there-to visit the two I assume" Richard replied.
"And he didn't even bother to call his mother to let her know that he's here?" Catherine said indignantly.
"Err-maybe he's on his way?"
Catherine scoffed; "I doubt that" she replied. She then stood up from her perch and straightened her dress; "I know where to find him and I'll go see him, call you later?"
"Do you really have to? Can you just wait until he finds you?"
"I know that boy, if I don't find him now, I won't be able to see him till my next visit to Seattle."
Richard sighed; "Okay"
"Call you later, love you!"
"Love you too"
oOo
Jackson sat up and placed his hands on April's swivelling hips; "You have to stop that baby" he grunted.
April stilled her movements and rested her forehead on his; "I'm sorry..." she panted out.
Jackson shifted his face closer and nudged his nose with hers; "Nothing to be sorry for babe, that was the hottest make out session in history"
April pulled her face away and met Jackson's eyes; "I beg to disagree, I think the one in your office is the hottest" she said with a smile.
Jackson closed his eyes as if in pain; "Please don't remind me-I'm in a very hard place right now" he groaned.
April pushed Jackson back on the bed and peeled her shirt off; she aligned herself perfectly on top of him before leaning forward. She nipped his bottom lip before shifting her lips towards his ear; "We can always do to other stuff you know" she whispered.
Jackson ran his hands on April's back; "What do you suggest?"
April started swivelling her hips again as she nips on Jackson's neck; "I'm sure you can think of other things"
"Celibacy be damned!" Jackson thought. He growled loudly before flipping them over; he pinned her to the bed and began kissing her frantically.
April returned his kisses as she tugs on Jackson shirt; she ran her hands along his well defined chest as he sat up.
Jackson threw his shirt on the floor before leaning forward again; he planted a couple of kisses on April's lips before moving towards her neck, suckling on the spot that he knows she likes.
April let out a loud moan as she pulled Jackson closer; she locked her legs around his waist before grounding on him hard.
Jackson let his lips trail down her chest, planting butterfly kisses around her clavicle; "You feel so good" he murmured.
"Yeah...you too" April breathed out.
Jackson ran his tongue along her neck before claiming her lips once again.
April moaned between kisses; she deftly moved her hands on Jackson jeans, trying her best to unbutton it. "T-take it off..."
Jackson froze; "Are-are you sure?"
April nodded adamantly; "Yeah...now"
Jackson didn't need to be told twice, he pulled away from April and sat up. He unbuttoned his jeans and discarded it in seconds; he settled between her thighs again and planted his lips firmly on hers.
April ran her hands along his back before boldly slipping it under his boxers; she squeezed his ass as she let her legs spread even wider.
Jackson buried his face into the crook of April's neck; his hips thrusting rhythmically into her panty clad core.
"I-I need more" April grunted. She then pulled her hands out of Jackson's boxer and moved it towards her own underwear, tugging it down.
Jackson lifted his hips a fraction to give her space to move; he slipped his finger under the straps of her bra and tugged it down. He let out a loud groan upon seeing her naked chest for the first time in months; he wasted no time and dove in.
April closed her eyes upon feeling Jackson's lips on her chest; she let out a loud gasp when he started suckling on her hard. "J-jackson...that-that feels so good-god..."
"April sweetie, are you in there?"
April's eyes snapped open; "I-oh god"
Jackson took that as a good sign so he continued nipping and tugging on her bud.
April began wiggling away; "Stop..."
Jackson stilled when he heard loud knocks coming from the door. "Did you order room service?"
April shook her head as she pushed Jackson up; "I think it's your mother" she replied. "Catherine is that you?" she called out loudly.
"Yes sweetie! I know my son is in there so fix yourself up and come join me for a drink, I'll be waiting for you at the bar, hurry up!"
"You gotta be kidding me!" Jackson groaned before pulling away from April and collapsing on his back.
April giggled; "Your mother has an impeccable timing"
"Damn it!" Jackson growled, frustration evident in his voice.
April leaned towards her boyfriend and planted a kiss on his lips; "We'll continue later, let's just humour her for now"
Jackson pecked April on the lips before sitting up; "Fine, only because you asked" he replied. He stood up from the bed and grabbed his shirt from the floor.
April righted her bra and pulled her undies up; she was about to put her shirt on but paused when she noticed the prominent bulge on her boyfriend's boxers. "Babe?"
Jackson tugged on his shirt; "Yeah?"
"I think you should take a shower first"
Jackson automatically lifted his armpit and began sniffing himself; "Do I smell bad?"
April giggled; "No silly!"
"Then why?"
"I don't think your mother will appreciate seeing her son with a hard on" April said candidly.
Jackson raised his brow; "Well, the son doesn't appreciate his mother popping out of the blue while he's in the process of ravishing his girlfriend."
April thought for a moment; "Good point" she conceded. "But I think you should still take care of that, I don't want you uncomfortable and I'm quite sure this drink will take longer than what we want it too."
Jackson shifted his eyes to his crotch and sighed in defeat; "Fine, just give me a couple minutes, I'll need plenty of cold water to douse this off."
April laughed; "Go."
oOo
Wednesday (Results Day)
Jackson loves his mother with every fiber of his being but sometimes he can't help but resent her-especially her timing. Last night, he was able to talk himself out into making love with her beautiful girlfriend, to throw the caution to the wind and just give in but of course that didn't happen because his mother showed up out of the blue and decided that it's time to have drinks with them-Catherine Avery the biggest cock-blocker of them all.
"Who pissed on your cheerios?"
Jackson turned his head to the side; "My meddling mother"
Mark sat down on the hood of the car and threw his prot a sympathetic look; "What did she do?"
Jackson averted his gaze and stared ahead; "Let's just say she showed up in a very inconvenient time"
Mark grimaced; "I feel for you man"
Jackson sighed; "Where are they anyway?" he asked, clearly changing the topic.
"Restroom" Mark replied.
"What are we doing again?" Jackson asked.
"We'll be spending the day at the Fisherman's Wharf" Mark said with a large grin.
Jackson threw his mentor a baffled look; "We'll be eating the whole day?"
"Have you been there lately?"
"No, it's been years since I last went there."
"You'll be surprised when you see it now" Mark said. He then stood up and made his way towards the driver seat; "And besides, we have very limited time, that's the only place those girls will be able to experience one of California's finest."
Jackson also stood up upon seeing the girls walking towards their direction; "Fair enough, Dungeness crab sounds good to me."
"I knew you would say that" Mark said.
oOo
"Tonight is results night, right?" Alex said as he enters the Attendings' Lounge.
"Yeah" Meredith replied.
Alex walked towards his friend and plopped down beside her; "Have you heard anything from Lexie"
"I spoke with Lexie this morning, she told me that it was mind numbing but she's confident that she aced it"
"She has an awesome memory, of course she'll ace it" Alex replied. "How about April?"
Meredith tore her eyes away from her charts and turned towards her friend; "I haven't gotten the chance to talk to her yet, I tried calling her this morning too but she's not answering her phone."
Alex grinned; "Maybe she's too busy boinking Pretty boy"
Meredith chuckled; "I thought about that too"
"She'll pass, she's ready" Alex replied.
Meredith nodded; "True"
oOo
"We're here" Mark announced jovially.
April peered through the windows curiously; "Where are we exactly"
"Fisherman's Wharf babe" Jackson replied with smile.
April turned towards Jackson's and grinned widely; "I've always wanted to go here!" she said excitedly.
Mark caught Jackson's eyes from the rear view mirror and smiled smugly.
"Dungeness crabs baby!" Lexie said enthusiastically.
Mark laughed; "I know love" he replied.
April unlocked her door and pushed it open; "What are we waiting for then?"
oOo
"Have you heard anything from Grey?" Owen asked.
Derek turned his gaze towards the Trauma Surgeon; "My wife or my wife's sister?" he asked cheekily.
Owen rolled his eyes; "Little Grey"
"Nope, she's with Mark right now, I doubt I'll be able to talk to her" Derek replied.
"And Kepner is with Avery"
Derek cocked his head to the side; "Why do you sound so glum?"
Owen sighed; "I haven't heard anything from April yet and I want to know how her exam went"
Derek patted Owens' shoulder comfortingly; "I'm sure she did fine."
"I know that-I'm just being a worrywart" Owen replied with a small smile.
"Don't worry about Kepner, she's doing fine"
Derek and Owen both turned around and saw Richard standing by the door; "How do you know?" the latter asked.
Richard leaned sideways on the doorframe and crossed his arms on top of his chest; "I spoke with Catherine last night, she ran into them."
"Catherine is an examiner again?" Owen asked.
"Yes" Richard replied.
"Does she know Lexie and April's standing?" Derek asked curiously.
"She didn't tell me directly but from what I gather, both of them are good"
Owen let out a relieved sigh; "Thank god" he murmured.
Derek can't help but chuckle.
oOo
Jackson was enjoying his first crab claw when he felt his allergies kicking in; he felt his arms prickling and his back started itching. He placed the claw back on his plate and wiped his hand with a napkin; he took several gulps of water, trying his best to look unaffected.
"Jackson?"
Jackson turned towards April; "Yeah?"
"Are you okay?" April asked while studying his face.
Jackson smiled; "Yeah, why?"
"Because your lip is a little swollen" April said.
Mark stopped eating and turned his gaze towards his prot; he studied the other man's face and frowned. "April is right, it looks like an allergic reaction."
"I'm fine" Jackson said dismissively. "Continue eating, don't mind me."
April narrowed her eyes, clearly in thought. After a couple of seconds, she turned towards her beau and pinched his arm; "You're allergic to crabs!"
"Ouch!" Jackson yelped. He pulled his arm away and began rubbing it; "No need to inflict more harm woman, my back is killing me as it is!"
Lexie chuckled; "You know you're allergic to them and yet you eat them, what's wrong with you?"
Jackson pursed his lips petulantly; "I love crabs and it's pissing me off big time that my body keeps on rejecting it"
April shook her head; she then turned towards Mark and held out her hand. "Car keys?"
Jackson furrowed his brows; "Why?"
April rolled her eyes; "I have anti-histamine in my luggage, that will help with the itching" she replied.
"You really don't have to do that, I'm okay, I can handle it" Jackson replied.
Mark stood up from his chair; "I'll come with you"
Lexie wiped her hands with a napkin; "I'll go with April, stay with McDaft over there" she said with a teasing grin.
Jackson scowled; "Hey! Stop with the name calling" he said while scratching his arm.
April planted a kiss on Jackson's cheek before standing up; "You did earn that name babe, Lexie is spot on" she said with smirk.
Mark guffawed, amazed with the other man's carelessness.
oOo
April eyed the cable cars with apprehension before leaning towards Jackson; "Are you sure this is safe?"
Jackson pulled April to his side and wrapped his arm around her waist; "It's safe and I'll be with you all thru out the ride"
April shifted her arm back and stuffed it inside Jackson's back pocket; "You have to distract me-I'm not very good with heights..." she admitted bashfully.
Jackson leaned forward buried his face into April's hair; "I can do that" he said before planting a playful kiss on her ear.
"In broad daylight? Really?" Mark said with mock disdain.
April turned towards Mark and snorted; "You were just mauling Lexie near the restroom a couple of minutes ago, you're the one to talk"
Lexie slapped Mark's back; "I told you she was watching!"
"Geez! No need to be violent Lexie!" Mark said while rubbing his back.
"Do you have the tickets?" Jackson asked.
Lexie pulled it out of her back pocket and wiggled it; "Ready to go sight-seeing?"
April took a deep calming breath before nodding; "Yeah, I guess so."
Lexie plucked two tickets and held it out to Jackson; "Here you go"
"You're not riding with us?" April asked confusedly.
Mark shook his head; "Nope, doing a double has limits-this is one of them" he said with a smirk.
"Please don't get us arrested with your public display of affection" Jackson teased.
"You're the one who's licking April's ear in public and you're worrying about us getting arrested?" Lexie snipped back.
"He is not-Lexie!"
"Take her away Avery, you don't want to get her started" Mark suggested.
Jackson began steering the red head away; "See you after the ride" he called out from his shoulder.
Mark nodded; "Enjoy love birds!"
oOo
April grasped Jackson shirt tightly as she buries her face into the crook of his neck; "Are we there yet?" she asked shakily.
Jackson chuckled as he rubs April's back soothingly; "We just ascended babe, I doubt we're already there."
"How long does this ride take?"
"I don't have any idea"
April pulled her face away and stared at Jackson indignantly; "You don't know how long we'll be suspended up in the air?"
Jackson threw April a sheepish look; "It's been ages since I last rode one of these, I forgot how long it usually takes"
April sighed in defeat; "I guess we'll just have to wait and see then."
Jackson wrapped his arms around April's waist; "I did promise to distract you" he said with a boyish grin.
April licked her lips as she stares into Jackson's eyes; "Yeah, you did."
Jackson leaned forward and pressed his lips on her forehead.
April closed her eyes, hugging him close.
Jackson trailed his lips lower until it reached the shell of her ear; "I love you..." he whispered.
April cracked a smile; "I love you too..."
Jackson hummed happily before moving his lips to cover hers.
oOo
"How long does this thing go?" Lexie asked as she watches the view from the window.
Mark stepped behind his fiancé and hugged her; "Roughly 30 minutes tops, I think"
Lexie leaned back and placed her hands on top of his; "This feels nice"
Mark rested his chin on Lexie's right shoulder; "It is..."
Lexie turned her face to the side and kissed his cheek; "Thank you for doing this"
"Doing what?"
"Doing this double thing that I keep on pestering you about, I know you don't like it because it's cheesy but thank you for doing it"
Mark tightened his hold around Lexie's waist; "I'll do anything for you love, you should know that by now" he replied "And yes you are right, I don't like doing doubles but it's Avery and Kepner-I don't mind going out with those two."
"Avery will always be an exemption to your rule huh?" Lexie asked, amusement seeping into her voice.
Mark shrugged his shoulders; "That kid is as good as my son, I think.
"I dated your son, then"
Mark wrinkled his nose; "I take that back"
Lexie giggled.
oOo
The couples spent the rest of the day exploring the whole wharf; they watched different kinds of street performances before they decided to go to Pier 39 for the sea lions show. They stayed there for a couple of hours, just eating and talking about anything that has nothing to do with the boards and its results. They just arrived at the Airport and the women were left to their own devices when the men excused themselves to return the car they rented.
Lexie plopped down on one of the metal chairs and stretched her legs; "I'm tired"
April sat beside her best friend and yawned; "Me too, I'm beat."
Lexie threw the red head a side glance; "But it's fun right?"
April smiled; "Yep, those sea lions are beyond adorable" she gushed.
"They are" Lexie agreed. She then sat straighter and placed her hands on her lap; "Back to reality tomorrow"
"I know" April replied. She then turned her face sideways and stared at Lexie; "You nervous about the results?"
"Kinda" Lexie replied while fiddling with her hands. "How about you?"
"Would you believe if I tell you that I'm not?"
Lexie met April's gaze and studied her face; "Really?"
April nodded; "Really"
"Wow...sex does really work like magic on you"
April wrinkled her nose in distaste; "It does not" she replied. "We're not even having sex"
Lexie's eyes widen in shock; she turned to her side to face her best friend fully. "You're kidding me right?"
April pursed her lips and crossed her arms on top of her chest; "I'm not."
Lexie looked dumbfounded; "But why?"
April sighed; "He's respecting my decision to wait..."
"Oh."
April pulled her arms away from her chest and turned to her side; "But I want to Lex-every night it gets harder and harder to resist it. It's not like I don't know what I'm missing, I know what I'm missing and it's driving me insane!"
Lexie bit her bottom lip to keep herself from laughing; she waited for a couple of seconds before speaking. "Talk to him then, tell him how you feel but before you do that, are you 100% sure that it won't create a conflict between your-err-beliefs?"
April fell back on her chair and sighed; "Good question."
Lexie grasped April's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze; "Think about it first and then talk to him, I'm quite sure that whatever your decision will be-he'll respect and understand it, he loves you too much not to."
April bit her bottom lip; "You think so?"
Lexie smiled; "No, I know so."
April squeezed Lexie's hand; "Thank you Lex"
"Welcome Apes" Lexie replied.
"Are you two having a Hallmark moment there?"
April and Lexie both turned around and saw Mark standing behind them; "Why do you keep appearing out of nowhere?!" the latter asked.
Mark chuckled; "It's not my fault that you two are so oblivious."
"Where's Jackson?" April asked.
"Starbucks" Mark replied.
Lexie pursed her lips; "You didn't get us coffee?"
"Of course I did, I left it with Jackson."
"There he is" April said.
Jackson walked briskly towards the trio and lifted the paper bag in his hand; "Something that will take our mind off of waiting" he said with a smile.
April smiled; "That's really sweet of you babe, now what did you get me?"
"I'm gonna paint you by numbers and colour you in. If things go right we can frame it and put you on a wall and it's so hard to say it but I've been here before, now I'll surrender up my heart and swap it for yours. Don't hold me down, I think my braces are breaking, and it's more than I can take..."
The flight went by smoothly and the couple parted ways in the parking lot with a promise to update each other about their results. April was able to convince Jackson to drop her off at her apartment rather than staying at his; the Plastic Surgeon was not pleased with the idea but conceded simply because he can't say no to her. So now, here they are-sitting inside Jackson's car, bidding each other goodnight.
"Are you really sure you'll be fine on your own?" Jackson asked worriedly.
April rolled her eyes; "I'll be fine" she replied.
"You'll call me when the results are in, right?"
April smiled; "You'll be the first person I'll call, don't worry."
Jackson leaned forward and pressed his lips on hers; he kissed it a few times before pulling away. "I'm sure you passed but no matter what happens, I'll always love you, okay?"
April pecked his lips one more time before smiling brightly; "Thank you" she replied. She then unlocked the door and pushed it open; "I better get going because if I stay here longer, I have a feeling I won't make it upstairs."
"Damn! I thought my plan worked" Jackson said with a grin.
April laughed; "I know you too well Avery" she replied. She then climbed out of the car and closed the door shut; "Have a good night babe and I'll talk to you later, drive safely" she said with a wave.
Jackson turned on the ignition; "Don't forget to call me-I don't care what time it is, just call me."
"I will"
"Go inside first, I'll wait till you're safely tucked inside your building before I go"
April blew Jackson a kiss before turning on her heels and walking towards the door; she threw him one last look before stepping inside her building, closing the door behind her.
Jackson waited for a couple of seconds before taking off.
oOo
"Is it in yet?" Derek asked again.
"Nope" Lexie replied while staring at her phone.
Derek plopped down beside his sister in law and narrowed his eyes at her phone; "It's past midnight, the result should be in 30 minutes ago, try power cycling your phone" he suggested.
"Give it a rest man, there are a lot board takers this year-maybe it's taking them a while to email them one by one" Mark said.
Derek rolled his eyes; "It's a standard automated email, it's not as if their composing personal messages with it."
Mark plopped down on Lexie's other side; "Good point."
"Is it in yet?" Meredith asked as she steps into the living room.
"Nope" Mark, Lexie and Derek said in unison.
Meredith placed her hands on her hips; "It's way past midnight, it should be in by now"
"That's what I said" Derek replied.
Meredith sat beside her husband and leaned back on the couch; "Have you heard anything from April?" she asked while looking at her sister.
"No, we agreed to call each other-whoever receives their results first, looks like she hasn't received hers yet" Lexie replied. She then leaned forward and placed her phone on top of the coffee table; she was just about to lean back on the couch when her phone beeped loudly. She hastily leaned forward and swiped the device even before any of the three beat her to it; she took a deep breath before checking the email.
Derek leaned forward; "What?"
"Did you pass?" Mark asked.
"Lexie!" Meredith shrieked.
Lexie fell back on the couch, a look of utter disbelief crossed her face; "I-I-"
"What?" The trio asked in unison.
"I passed" Lexie breathed out.
Derek leaped off the couch and raised his right fist triumphantly; "I knew it!"
Meredith laughed with her husband's antics; she then leaned towards her sister and squeezed her shoulder; "Congratulations Lex" she said.
Mark kissed his fiancé's cheek; "I always knew you'd make it, congratulations love" he whispered.
Lexie's lips slowly curled into a smile; "I passed-I'm a board certified surgeon, I can't believe it!" she shrieked. "I'm no longer a scut monkey! Yey!"
The other three surgeons laughed loudly.
oOo
April checked her phone for the nth time and still no email; she leaned back on her pillows and yawned. She unlocked the screen and tapped on Jackson's number; she shifted the phone to her ear and waited for the call to connect.
"Babe? Did you receive the email?" Jackson asked.
"Nope, haven't received anything yet" April replied.
"Don't worry, you'll receive it soon, just be patient."
"I am being patient, I just called to let you know that I'm sleeping-I'm so tired, I don't think I can wait for it"
"Are you sure? Do you want me to come over?"
"No, it's okay" April replied. "I'll call you first thing tomorrow to let you know if I receive the results, okay?"
"Okay"
"Goodnight babe, see you soon" April said.
"Goodnight, I love you"
"Love you too" April replied. She then pulled her phone away from her ear and tapped on the end call button; she placed her phone on her side table and shut the light off. She burrowed under the covers and closed her eyes; "Thy will be done" she mumbled before drifting into sleep.
oOo
The next day:
Lexie entered the pit with a mission-hunting her best friend. She tried calling April multiple times last night but the red head didn't answer; she was on the verge of calling Jackson to pry information out of him but Mark took her phone away and refused to give it back. So now, here she is, hours early for her shift-looking for the elusive April Kepner. "Edwards! Have you seen April?"
Stephanie tore her eyes away from her tab; "I heard about the news, congratulations Dr. Grey" she said. "And oh, I haven't seen Dr. K yet"
Lexie smiled at the intern; "Thanks. She'll be handling the pit this morning right?"
"Yep"
"Page me once she arrives?"
"Sure thing" Stephanie replied.
Lexie spun on her heels and made her way towards the door; "Thanks again Edwards!"
"Welcome!"
oOo
April wrinkled her nose and took a deep breath; she sleepily opened her eyes and blinked a couple of times. She turned on her side and grabbed her phone; her eyes widen in shock when saw the time. "Shit!" She yanked the comforter off her body and leaped out of bed; she threw her phone on top of the covers and briskly made her way towards her bathroom.
oOo
"Is it me or Kepner is not here yet?" Cristina asked before taking a sip of her grape juice.
Alex shoved the last bite of his cereal in his mouth before replying; "She's not in yet."
"Do you know if she passed or not?" Cristina asked.
"No idea"
"Good morning!" Meredith greeted perkily as she enter the Attendings Lounge.
"Looking at your reaction, I take it that Little Grey passed her boards?" Alex observed.
"Damn right you are!" Meredith replied jovially. She made her way toward Cristina and plopped down beside her; "Anything from April?" she asked.
Cristina shook her head; "Radio silence, she's not even here yet"
Meredith took a peek at her watch, her brows furrowing; "But it's 7-she should be here by now, did you check the pit?"
"Lexie just went there and there's no sign of her" Alex replied.
"Do you think she's gone AWOL?" Cristina asked.
Meredith turned her face to the side; "Why would she do that?"
Cristina shrugged her shoulders; "Just a thought"
Alex stood up from his chair and made her way towards the sink; "She won't go AWOL and I'm sure she passed that stupid exam."
Cristina glared at the Ped's Fellow; "I didn't say she failed, I said she skipped work, those are two very different things"
The door to the Attendings' Lounge burst open as April sauntered in; "Morning!" she chirped loudly as she made a bee line towards the locker room.
Meredith shot up from her perch and followed the red head; "April!" she called out.
April yanked her jacket off of her and stuffed it inside her locker; "Hey Mer" she replied. She then pulled her shirt up unceremoniously and began folding it; "What's up?" she asked.
Meredith studied April's form as she leaned sideways on the lockers; "What happened April, did you get your results already? Lexie tried calling you last night but you were not answering" she said softly.
April paused and turned towards Meredith, her eyes widening; "Shit! I forgot to check!" she said. She then shoved her shirt inside her cubby and grabbed her bag from the bench, fumbling for her phone.
Meredith threw the red head an incredulous look; "You forgot to check?!"
"Yeah, I was so tired last night that I couldn't wait for it-hence, me oversleeping today" April replied.
"Are you for real Kepner? You forgot to check your results?" Cristina asked as she plops down on the bench.
April finally found her phone and tapped on it; "25 missed calls and I didn't hear it? I must be really tired" she said in disbelief. "And 15 of them are from Lexie"
Meredith chuckled; "Well, she was burning the lines last night"
"What's this I hear that you forgot to-nice bra, purple suits you Apes, sexy" Alex said while eyeing April's form.
April didn't bat an eyelash with Alex's words and just kept on browsing through her phone; "Stop looking at my breast Alex, Jackson won't appreciate it."
"Then put some damn top on, your boobs are very distracting" Alex replied.
Cristina cocked her head to the side, clearly studying April's anatomy; "Kepner has a nice set of racks and I'm saying this in a heterosexual way."
Meredith laughed; "You don't have to explain anything to April, I'm quite sure she's aware how heterosexual you are."
"You've been staring at your phone for ages now Apes" Alex said.
April let her hand drop before shifting her eyes towards her friends; "Nothing"
"What do you mean nothing?" Cristina asked with a frown.
April turned her phone towards the Cardio Surgeon; "I didn't receive any email"
"Is that possible?" Meredith asked.
"I don't know" April replied.
"Power cycle your phone, maybe your signal is crappy" Alex suggested.
April flipped the phone towards her again and cringed; "Shit, I'm late! Hunt's gonna kill me" she said before placing her phone on top of the bench. She popped the button of her jeans open and shimmied out of it; she threw it carelessly inside her locker and turned around to grab her scrubs.
Cristina noticed Alex ogling the red head so she stood up from her perch; she walked towards her friend and slapped the back of his head. "Stop looking at Kepner like she's a piece of meat"
"I'm not!" Alex said while rubbing the back of his head.
Cristina turned Alex around and began pushing him out of the locker room; "Men!" she said disdainfully.
Meredith pulled away from her perch; "I'll catch you later Apes and don't worry, I'm sure you passed" she said with a smile.
April turned her face towards the other surgeon and smiled back; "Thanks Mer"
Meredith walked away; "Welcome."
oOo
Jackson shrugged on his lab coat on before hanging his stethoscope around his neck; he grabbed his tab from his table before stepping out of his office.
"Avery!"
Jackson turned to his side and saw Owen walking towards him; "Morning Chief"
Owen stopped right in front of the Plastic Surgeon; "Morning, where's Kepner?"
Jackson threw the other surgeon a confused; "She's in the pit"
Owen placed his hands on his hips; "She's not, I just came from there,"
Jackson furrowed his brows; "Her shift starts at 7, she's supposed to be there"
"I know that, that's why I came to see you" Owen replied. "Did she get her board results?"
"I don't know, she told me that she'll call me this morning to let me know if she received it but I never heard anything from her yet, I'll go check the pit again."
Owen nodded; "Send me a message if she's there, okay?"
"Will do."
oOo
April was leaning on top of the counter checking her phone when Jackson saw her; he made his way towards his girlfriend and stood beside her. "Good morning"
April turned her head to the side and was surprised to see Jackson standing beside her; she threw her boyfriend an apologetic look before planting a kiss on his cheek. "I overslept that's why I wasn't able to call you-sorry"
Jackson placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side; "It's okay, I knew you were tired. You alright?" he asked.
April sighed; "I haven't heard yet."
Jackson kissed her temple; "Don't freak out, I know you passed."
April turned her face towards Jackson and let out a small teasing smile; "Well if I didn't, you can't blame yourself on this one-it's was all on me."
Jackson chuckled; "You're starting to freak out, calm down."
April giggled.
"Coming through!"
April pulled away from Jackson and stared at the incoming gurney; "What do we got?" she asked.
"Human pincushion" Leah replied.
"Kathleen Kane, 38, Human vs. Shattered baseball bat. Puncture wound to the chest and looks like a distal radius fracture, BP is 85 over 135" The paramedic said.
April smiled at her beau before jogging towards the Trauma Room.
"The batter was jammed with a fastball and the bat just exploded, you know?" The patient's husband explained.
"My jersey is really messed up" The patient croaked.
"Don't worry about that baby"
April slipped her hands under the patient; "Okay, everybody, ready? On my count, 1-2-3" she said before guiding the patient towards the bed.
"Somebody paged me?" Callie asked as she enters the room.
"Possible colles fracture" Leah replied.
Callie rounded the bed and stared at the patient's husband; "Uh—sir, I need you to wait outside. Right now she needs you to give her space so we can work on her" she explained. "We need another nurse in here"
The patient's husband nodded before stepping out of the room.
"Decreased breath sounds on the right, we need a chest XRAY in here stat!" April barked out.
"Right away" The nurse replied. '
"I'm dizzy and it's dark" Kathleen murmured. "Am I dying?"
"No ma'am" Leah replied. She then turned her eyes towards April; "Her systolic's down to 78"
"Tell Dante" Kathleen said. When Leah didn't respond, she grabbed her arm; "Tell Dante, if I die..."
"You're not dying" Leah replied.
"You need to tell my husband, promise me"
Leah leaned forward; "Of course"
"He-he needs to know and tell him..."
Leah gripped the patient's hand; "I will, what is it?"
"I cheated on him with his brother" Kathleen said before fainting.
April stilled her movements and stared at Leah with disbelief.
Leah met April's eyes; "What? What did she say?" she asked indignantly.
April shrugged her shoulders and grimaced.
"But did you hear what she asked me?" Leah asked.
April pulled the syringe off; "People say crazy things when they're in shock, C.T. ready for us?"
"Hey Kepner, did you hear back yet, by the way?" Callie asked.
"No, not yet"
"Hmmmmm"
April paused and turned towards Callie; "You think that's bad?" she asked.
Callie met April's gaze; "You think it's good?"
"So should I tell her husband?" Leah asked while eyeing the two Attendings.
oOo
"I can't find April, I surrender!" Lexie said exasperatedly.
"She's was at the Attendings' Lounge, I just saw her a couple of minutes ago" Alex replied.
"Where is she now?" Lexie asked.
"The pit, where else?"
"Do you know if she received her results yet?"
Alex shook his head; "Nope, she hasn't receive anything."
Lexie frowned; "Is that normal?"
"I don't know" Alex replied. He then closed his chart with a loud snap before turning towards Lexie; "I'm sure she passed."
"Yeah but for now I have to get my hands on her"
oOo
"How did it go? Did Kepner pass?"
Jackson leaned back on his chair and stared at his mentor; "She hasn't receive any emails yet"
Mark leaned on the doorframe; "Until now?"
Jackson nodded; "And she's starting to freak out."
Mark crossed his arms on top of his chest; "Did you at least calm her down?"
"Yeah"
"You do know that she passed right? That the email is just delayed"
"Yeah"
Mark frowned; "Then why do you look so negative?"
Jackson sighed; "I'm not being negative-it's just-I've been here before but I'm still scared shitless of the possibilities."
Mark pulled away from his perch and made his way towards the desk; he plopped down on of the chairs in front and stared at Jackson. "What are you really scared about?"
"I don't want her to fail. I don't want her to go through the same ordeal again-I know she told me that she'll be alright but I'm having a hard time believing that. I love her man and I don't know what I'll do just in case things don't go her way, I can't lose her again-I really can't."
Mark leaned back on his chair and sighed; "I get you, well-all you can really do is be there for her, whatever the result may be."
"I know, I just hope she lets me..."
"You've come a long way, I'm quite sure she'll let you in. April loves you as much as you love her, even a stupid board result can't change that."
Jackson cracked a smile; "Thanks"
"Welcome."
oOo
"Is this part of the logo? It's gotta be the source of all this blood" Leah said while suctioning.
"Nope, there's blood coming somewhere else superiorly" April explained. "We're gonna have to extend the incision, scalpel?"
"I don't have to tell Dante, right?"
"Who's Dante?" April asked.
"Brother in law"
"She's gonna live, okay?" April said.
"No, I know" Leah replied. She then shifted her eyes towards the open cavity; "It's just, there's a big bleeder that we haven't found yet."
"Murphy! Snap out of it!" April barked.
Leah averted her gaze and continued suctioning in silence.
oOo
"So she's in surgery now? Perfect!" Lexie said with sarcasm.
Stephanie winced; "Sorry Dr. Grey...I really haven't seen her come in-I just learned from Leah that she's scrubbing in with Dr. K"
Lexie sighed; "It's okay, not your fault" she replied glumly.
"There you are, I've been looking for you"
Lexie turned around and saw Derek walking towards her; "Hey"
"I need you to scrub in with me, I have a Craniotomy in 10" Derek replied.
"For what?"
"Aneurism" Derek replied.
"Will you let me hold the actual instruments?" Lexie asked.
Derek smiled; "You'll just have to wait and see" he said before walking away.
Lexie turned her gaze towards Stephanie; "He didn't just do that, right?"
Stephanie winced; "He did."
Lexie spun on her heels and followed Derek.
oOo
It was past lunch time when April stepped out of the O.R; she managed to fix the bleeder on her human pincushion patient however she didn't make it-she stroked out even before Callie was able to repair her bones. Now, she's sitting on top of an abandoned gurney near the supply closet; staring at her phone, waiting for her board results.
"You okay?"
April tore her eyes from her phone and saw Jackson standing close to her; she let her shoulders sag and sighed. "I just lost a patient and now I'm waiting for more bad news."
"Still haven't heard?" Jackson asked before sitting down beside his girlfriend.
April let hand fall to her lap and faced him; "You know when I failed last year, I found out before I got home that night-it's been almost 24 hours and nothing" she paused and cocked her head to the side. "I think if you failed twice, they just stop talking to you and hope you get the hint."
"I'm pretty sure that's not how it works" Jackson replied.
April opened her mouth to respond but her phone chimed loudly; she lifted it to eye level and stared at the screen. "It's them, it's here"
Jackson shifted on his seat and stared at the red head; "Good" he said.
April felt her heart beat wildly as she stares at the message that will change her life; she let her thumb hover on the screen, trying her best to not freak out.
"Babe?"
April shook her head and held out her phone to Jackson.
Jackson's eyes widen; "Me? No, I don't-"
"Please? I can't" April pleaded.
Jackson stared at April and saw the look of desperation on her face; he let out a defeated sigh before taking the phone out of her grasp.
April shifted closer and stared at Jackson intently.
Jackson shifted his eyes towards the screen and tapped on it; he felt elation fill his chest when he read the result.
April slapped his thigh; "What?!"
Jackson sighed; "Just..." he paused. He then flipped the phone towards April and smiled widely; "Congratulations."
April fixed her eyes on the screen, not believing her beau's words. She scanned through the words and felt happiness surge inside her chest upon seeing the word passed; she shifted her eyes back to Jackson, her eyes widening comically. "Yes?"
Jackson nodded; "Yes"
April jumped out of the gurney and did a happy dance; "Yes! Oooohhh, thank you god! Yes!"
Jackson hop off the gurney and pulled April into a tight hug; "Congratulations babe, I'm so happy for you" he whispered.
April hugged Jackson tightly; she snaked her arms around his neck and pulled his face down. "Thank you and I love you."
"I love you too" Jackson replied before capturing her lips into a deep kiss.
A/N: And I'm back! ^-^ As per your request, I'll still continue writing this story-I'll delve further into their relationship and go from there, I guess. This is my ever first attempt to write a smutty scene and I absolutely have no idea what I'm doing to be honest, I hope its enticing enough and I'm sorry if it's not. LOL! ^-^
I over wrote again, I wasn't expecting this chapter to be this long but knowing me, once I start writing I can't seem to stop. I hope this isn't too much of a drag to read, again, tell me what you think. I love hearing from you guys-your feedback keeps me going, it makes me write faster. ^-^ so, if you have time, hit me up with a review! ^-^
Do you think April will move in with Jackson? Interesting offers from different hospitals are sprouting left and right, will someone be wooed away? Next chapter will out by the end of next week, hopefully, so stay tuned ^-^ Again, thank you guys for reading! Cheers!