A couple of weeks ago indecisivekepner sent me a message asking me what Catherine thinks of Jackson's behavior in MIMB. I didn't know…and still don't…at 11:25 p.m. on Friday night as I dive into Friday's prompt. Her question wasn't meant a prompt but I didn't know what I felt like writing tonight and even though I still don't I feel like diving in.

AN: Please remember I consider everything I do for MIMB and even TGO: Early Years as rough drafts before they go to their rightful homes on . If I mess up details big enough that you notice please let me know. I really just can't find everything and read back right now.

Note 2: Jackson and April are characters, aka FAKE people. On this show that I love so much, they do things that I feel are out of character for them. The writers of the show are not wrong, but neither am I. Neither is ANY writer on here. We all just write different circumstances for the characters and write how we think they would react faced with these. IF Jackson Avery were to cheat on GA, I do believe it would be for the reasons I have come up with in this world. I haven't revealed the reasons yet. I will, when it feels right.

100 Encore, Day 62 "Keep Breaking"

"Chlo, one more time, what are the rules?"

"Me an daddy not playin'. Just cuddlin' and watchin' t.v. maybe acause we miss each oder so much. An I hafta to help him getta water if he wants make his pillows higher acause daddy need our help awhile."

"That's right worm. Good job bringing coloring in here for both of you." Chloe shrugged. She wasn't allowed to watch a lot of t.v. at her mommy's houseor when her daddy and mommy lived together. She wasn't exactly sure what was happening right now, so she figured she'd play it safe.

"I'm just gonna be in the back talking with Nana. If daddy needs us he will tell you and you come get us, OK? Maybe daddy just wants to nap though and you can stay next to him and show him you're page when he wakes up."

"It's OK, baby I'm fine. I want to hear all about the park yesterday, did you go on the swings?"

She nodded. "And I goed on the slide. I missed you."

April started to leave the room, smiling in spite of everything. No matter what, Jackson was a good dad. She was impressed that as soon as he got home, all he wanted to do was focus on Chloe. Granted, he did have extra time to recover without her in the hospital, which he wasn't expecting. But she was impressed by his level of pain tolerance nonetheless.

"April…" She looked up, silent. "Thanks, for the bedroom and…"

"Yeah," she cut him off. "You're welcome."

"What are we coloring? Pick my page out for me, worm." April heard Chloe give her dad a big kiss on the cheek through the closed door. "Thanks, that was a big one, you missed me a lot, huh?"

"Oh course daddy…" April put her hand on the closed door, lingering for a second longer than she wanted to.

"Thank you, for letting him stay here…" Catherine pulled her back into reality.

"Why are you thanking me?"

"Because I know what he's done, and with whom. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't let him back. But I can't stay here as long as he needs care, and I've never been good at physically taking care of my own child, ironically. I'm glad you will be the one caring for him. He needs you, and he needs Chloe."

April shrugged as Catherine handed her an iced tea and they sat on the den couch, door closed. Of course Catherine had nosed out the details of the surgery from afar, and made sure she was in Seattle when it happened. But her son would not let her take control of anything, as she usually liked to do. He simply would not have it, until April didn't show up after surgery and he needed her help.

As much as they fought about Catherine's meddling, when Jackson hit rock bottom, she was all he had. She knew what happened, with whom, when, where, and why; and which pieces April didn't know. It killed her to hold back information, but this was her son's story to tell in his own time.

"What are you feeling about after he recovers, if you don't mind me asking?"

April talked to Dr. Crowe, but she didn't have anyone in her personal life to talk this out with. She simply diverted too much from her mother and sisters' beliefs to discuss it, and did not feel comfortable enough talking about it with friends. She had always been a loner before Jackson, he was her best friend.

So, well aware of Avery loyalty, April decided to jump in anyway. She had nothing to lose. After the other day, she already felt like she was drowning. "I don't know Catherine," her eyes welled up instantly. "I really don't know. The cheating was bad enough. I mean, maybe if he told me the whole truth from the beginning…well it would at least be easier to…to work though. But he let me go through the pregnancy and miscarriage while lying to me. Lying! I knew he cheated and, how could it get worse? If it wasn't for those strong pain meds I'd probably be desperate to get pregnant by that cheating, lying, fraud."

"Pride."

"Excuse me?"

"The trait we hold dearest to us in our little, odd family unit of three…for the long haul we were three, is pride."

"Sooo…you are blaming his pride for him cheating on me?" April's eyes widened.

"No. I think that what my son did to you and my granddaughter is horrible. It's disgusting. And there is nobody to blame here but Jackson." Catherine paused, thinking a second. "Well I should be fair. Jackson and the alcohol he chose to drink."

"So…" April blinked.

"So pride fosters secrecy."

"There are more secrets? Catherine, please…."

Her pursed lips said it all, but still she would not betray her son. "All I'm saying is…he learned the behavior from me…"

"And that lets him off the hook?"

"Not at all. Just..he's trying right? He's been trying with therapy?"

"Well. yeah but…"

"Keep trying April, keep letting him try…the walls I helped him build are strong, they are wide and they are tough to break. But you've done it, April. You are the first person to do it."

"Well, second, apparently."

"No the first…trust me, I'm his mother. And I know I'm probably scaring you because you are more than four years in and you are trying to raise that beautiful baby through this hard time and you thought you'd broken through the thing and I'm telling you there's more work to do but please, keep doing the work. Keep breaking those walls."

"Cheating and lying doesn't really scream, 'help me do better.'"

"No…but maybe just…help him anyway." She wanted to say more, she just couldn't.

April stood up without a word. No matter her iced tea was untouched, the conversation was over.

"Should I leave, April?"

"Don't be ridiculous. This is your one free night to spend with Chloe. But you are helping me cook, whether you like it or not." Catherine grinned and nodded, heading to the bathroom to wash up.

"What's going on in here?" April walked in to check on Jackson and Chloe.

"Shhhh….daddy takin' a nap." Chloe put a finger over her lips and stared her mother down.

"Alright well…you get to the kitchen to wash up and make dinner. You and Nana are in charge tonight. Mom needs a night off. But I will answer questions."

"Makin' special what my dad likes?"

April shrugged. "You are in charge."

Chloe jumped off the bed, stirring Jackson in the process. "Gotta tell her we makin' nuggets and fries an' geen beans fer him!" She mumbled to herself, in motion.

April shook Jackson's shoulder when she heard chatter in the kitchen. "You want a marriage at the end of this, you have two weeks. Two sessions to at least tell me everything. I don't care how much pain you're in, you come to each session with no prescriptions in your system…" She wasn't evil, something over the counter might take the edge off. "I want all of my questions answered directly, no bullshit. After you tell me the whole story….and maybe I confirm it with your mother, because she clearly knows," April cringed. "Then maybe we can work on rebuilding whatever is left of this…" She couldn't say marriage.

"Until then, I will help you walk, make you food, drive you places if I'm off…read the bedtime stories with a smile on my face…But please don't try to talk to me about anything unrelated to your knee or Chloe anywhere but that office."

He gave a small nod and closed his eyes again, silent. April added another pillow under his leg and slammed the bedroom door shut, heading toward the laughter in the kitchen to supervise dinner.