𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐃, 𝐚𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐧𝐞𝐫

𝐱𝐢𝐱. 𝐨.𝐫. 𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐲

April had Charlotte sitting on a extra hospital bed in a quiet hallway. She sat on a chair she'd found at the nurses station.

She had a tray of stuff she needed to use for Charlotte's stitches—but she still hadn't started due to Charlotte's shock.

Charlotte hadn't once let go of her hard grip on the hospital bed.

"Charlotte?" April asked quietly.

The brunettes breath catches in her throat, "Hm?"

"Are you okay?" April asked with soft eyes, unlike the way she looked at the woman only mere hours earlier. "I mean, of course you aren't. B— but what happened? Why are you so shaken up? I mean it's not like the movies we watch—"

"I hit my head off the medicine cabinet," Charlotte let out a breath, letting go of her death grip 0n the poor hospital bed sheets.

April nodded happily, it was working.

"Then what?" April moved slowly, patting the girls hand comfortingly, starting Charlotte's stitches. She numbed the skin around the wound, clipped the brunette bangs back, then started stitching the cut.

"U— um.. we took the baby out of the ambulance," Charlotte's hands laid in her lap, the shaking coming to a stop. "Then we.. uh.. got out."

"What happened when you got out?" April stopped the stitches to look up into Charlotte's blue eyes.

"There was the van and it crashed," Charlotte's hands moved to rest on the hospital bed. "I'm fine. I'm okay."

"No, you're not," April finished the stitches up. It was only a small cut but it went deeper than Meredith's.

"I— I need to help," Charlotte insisted.

"No," April said in a low voice which made Charlotte look down and laugh. "Can you please just stay with me for a little bit?"

"Okay."

"Oh," April smiled at the memory of stuffing a cookie in her pocket earlier in the day, as someone left one in the bottom of the vending machine—it was chocolate chip, Charlotte's favorite. "For you."

Charlotte looks at the packaged cookie, taking it from the redhead.

"Thanks?" Charlotte chuckled, holding it awkwardly.

"Someone left it in the vending machine. But if you don't want it I can—"

Charlotte pulls her arm back away from a rambling April, "No, I want it. Thank you."

"Did Charlotte Brown just say thank you?" April opened her mouth in surprise as the woman in front of her opens the cookie.

"You know I'd do anything for a chocolate chip cookie," She stuffs half of the cookie in her mouth.

April flashes a smile, "I know."

❄️

Owen instructed not to let Charlotte return until she was completely clear of any signs of shock or any shaking.

April had to go back to sit in the gallery of Dr. Altman's surgery, so she'd taken Charlotte with her.

Although, she wouldn't have done that if she knew she was going to be verbally assaulted from both Teddy and Cristina.

April could tell Cristina didn't mean it. Which surprised both Charlotte and April. But considering the situation the whole hospital was in right now, it wasn't as surprising.

"What is she doing up there?" Teddy asked grimacing behind the mask.

"Sorry?" Cristina snapped out of her thoughts.

"Kepner. She's been sitting up there like a gargoyle with Charlotte. I thought there was big trauma," Teddy muttered.

"Oh, yeah," Cristina gave them an apologetic look, and looks back at the blonde cardio attending. "Um, I don't know."

"Did you get a chance to check on Henry post-op before I pulled you in here?"

Cristina looks up, "I bet no one wanted her."

"What?" Teddy asked confused.

"Kepner," Cristina reminded. "Probably because her voice can peel paint off walls."

Charlotte grabbed April's hand instinctively, not looking over at her when she did it. April's never seen her do that with anyone before.

Was that new?

"Charge to two-hundred," Cristina impersonated. "Clear!" Cristina changed voice back, "I mean, a trauma is stressful enough. Who needs that?"

"You're—" Teddy laughed. "You're horrible."

"Push one hundred of lidocaine," Cristina said in a nasally voice. "Am I wrong? I'm right."

Teddy throws her head back with laughter, "Would you stop? Stop it. Kind of."

"You agree with me."

"Would you stop?" Teddy pleaded through tears of joy. "Okay, stop. Oh."

"She's obviously from the Midwest."

"Ignore them, okay?" Charlotte looked at April's sad facial expression.

April gave her a single nod, looking over at her in the process, "They're making fun of me."

"They do it to everyone," Charlotte assured.

"Cristina doesn't want to talk about Henry's surgery," April assumed. "So instead she's making fun of me."

"I'm gonna turn off the intercom," Charlotte moved to let go of April's hand.

"No, it's.." April went to tell Charlotte it was okay, really, but she just didn't want the brunette to let go of her hand, in fear she wouldn't hold it again. "I have to know everything that's going on. It's okay. I can handle it."

"You don't have to pretend with me, you know?"

"I know," April told Charlotte, but she was telling
herself more than she was telling Charlotte.

"Stop, April," Charlotte said in a rougher tone. "Stop lying to yourself— stop lying to me."

April swallowed, "Don't fight with me again, okay?"

"Okay. Not now, not ever," Charlotte agreed. "Who else is gonna stay up all night and eat chocolate chip cookies with me? Everyone else forgets about my hatred of popcorn. But you don't."

April chuckled softly, leaning her head down on the brunettes shoulder, "I missed you."

"I know," The brunette leaned her head down on top of April's. "Don't think I haven't noticed you were still buying my granola bars."

April didn't lift her head of the woman's shoulder until Owen came into the gallery awhile later, "They still going?"

"Whoo!" Teddy cheered.

"What the hell are they doing?" Owen crossed his arms.

"I.." April shook her head. "think they're having fun."

Cristina looked up at Owen, giving him a look that said everything.

"We don't need you anymore, Brown, so stay here with Kepner," Owen lifted his hand slightly leaving the O.R. gallery.

probably one of the
shortest chapters in
this whole book but cry