Owen leaves the hospital at the end of s14, April gets a promotion, and Mapril/Jaggie aren't a thing.

He sees her exiting Bailey's office, looking so happy and vibrant and alive, and he can't help but smile at her. She catches his eye for a moment, beaming as she walks down the hall towards him, and he's a little unprepared when she practically lunges at him for a hug.

"Bailey offered me the head of trauma position! I finally get to be a department head!" She explains, her giddiness contagious as he wraps an arm around her. Its been so long since they've shared a genuine hug, and he finds himself wanting to soak up every second of it.

"Yeah? Thats amazing, Apes. You deserve it." He congratulates, thinking about just how hard she's worked over the years and how its so nice to finally see that be recognised. He pulls back for a moment, looking down at her with concern, "Are you sure you're okay though? To-"

"To take on such a work load after my accident? Yes, Jackson. Bailey already asked me that. I'm okay now, really."

He's been struggling to deal with his feelings since her accident - feelings that he was sure he'd made an effort to bury when he'd asked for a divorce, but now? Now he wasn't sure that he even wanted to bury them. Almost losing her had knocked him for six and made him realise just how much he couldn't live without her - didn't want to live without her, or imagine a life without her in it. He's known for a while now, but it hadn't felt like the right time to say anything whilst April was still recovering from her injuries and throwing herself back into work once she'd received the all clear. There's a strong possibility that April wouldn't even want to give him another chance (not that he would blame her if that was a case), but he wants to at least try - especially now that he finds himself believing in a higher power. There's nothing for them to fight and disagree over now.

They release each other from their grasp, and she begins walking towards the hospital daycare to check on their daughter in daycare. Feeling his shot slipping away from him, he finally speaks again.

"April?"

"Yeah?" She asks, stopping and turning back around on her heels to face him again.

"Uh..." He clears his throat, suddenly feeling a bit nervous as he scratches behind his ear, "Did you wanna...I don't know, have dinner tonight? To celebrate your promotion? I can cook."

"Uhm, sure." She's a little taken aback by the invitation, because she can't remember the last time that they actually spent any quality time together. It was probably before she'd moved out, she thinks. Since then, their interactions had mostly just been about Harriet, but they'd been getting back to feeling like friends over the past few months, at least. She takes the opportunity to tease him a little, narrowing her eyes, "By 'cook' do you mean you'll order Chinese, stick it on a plate and dispose of the boxes before I get there?"

"Hey, I cook!" Her facial expression doesn't change at all, so he smirks and lets her have this one, "Alright, fine, you got me there. If it makes you feel better, I'll make sure to get extra fortune cookies."

"That would be nice." She's glad that it's not a subject of resent or anger anymore, given their last experience with fortune cookies didn't exactly go over too well, "What time should I come over?"

"Is eight okay?"

"Works for me. I'll see you then." Her lips purse together momentarily, before she spins around on her heels once again and continues on her trip to see Harriet.

He couldn't help but smile at the redhead as she wandered off, feeling hopeful for the first time in a long time. He knew that, this time around, he was going to tell her how he felt, and hopefully not mess it up.