"We can't play this game anymore but can we still be friends? Things just can't go on like before but can we still be friends?"
Ohio: April's POV
"Hey pumpkin, did you see Dr. Hunt? I saw him wondering around the place, he looked lost that's why I approached him, he's looking for you"
April returned the rope on top of the barrel before dusting off her hands; "Yep I saw him" she replied.
"What does he want?" Joe asked.
"He offered me my job back" April replied nonchalantly.
Joe grinned widely; "That's good news!"
April threw her father a side glance; "Yeah—" she replied with a half hearted small smile.
Joe noticed his daughter's indifference; "What's wrong pumpkin? Aren't you happy?"
"Of course I'm happy—I'm just a little bit tired I guess" April lied.
"Why don't head back and I'll finish this?"
"I can finish this Daddy, don't be silly" April replied with a giggle.
Joe walked towards April and placed his hands on her shoulders; "I insist, go" he said.
April rolled her eyes; "Fine."
oOo
Toledo Express Airport:
Two weeks had passed and it's finally time for April to go back to Seattle; she's still hesitant about taking her old job back but her parents convinced her to go. So now, here she is-standing in the middle of the Airport, looking lost for some reason.
"Stop looking like your favourite pig just died, lighten up Apple-this should be a happy time because you're getting your job back" Libby said.
April pursed her lips; "You know why I look like this, I didn't want to come back."
Libby rolled her eyes; "You and I both know that's a lie, you love that hospital and the people there—hell, how many times did you skip on family reunions for them?"
"Fine."
Libby smiled, she walked towards her younger sister and reached for her hands; "You have nothing to be afraid of, he's not gonna be there."
April averted her gaze and sighed; "I know" she whispered.
Libby squeezed April's hands comfortingly; "You are a strong woman April, you'll be okay."
April lifted her gaze and met Libby's eyes; she let out small smile before pulling her sister into a tight hug. "Thank you for being there Libs, I love you."
Libby rubbed her sister's back soothingly before pulling away; she then leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on April's forehead. "Now go, you'll be late for your flight. Don't forget to let us know when you arrived there safely, okay?"
April nodded; "I will" she said.
Libby pulled April into another quick hug before taking a step back; "Go," she said while gesturing towards the boarding gates.
"Tell Sophie I love her and I'll see her soon. Love you Libs, drive safely" April said before turning on her heels and began walking away.
"Will do, love you too Duckie! Have a safe flight"
April laughed upon hearing her childhood nickname; "Stop calling me Duckie!" she said good-humouredly.
Libby just laughed.
oOo
Meredith entered the Attendings Lounge and dropped her charts on top of the table; "Hey Alex, why did an intern gave me compliment on the crown mouldings in my empty house? Are you still sleeping there?"
"Chicks like it better than the on-call room" Alex replied as he screws the bottle cap back on the milk.
Miranda stacked Meredith's charts neatly on the table as she stares at the bickering surgeons.
"Okay, that's disgusting. Now I have to have the place tented, give me back my key"
Alex moved towards the table and sat down; "You don't even live there anymore. What do you care?" he replied while putting his bowl on top.
Meredith narrowed her eyes; "Key. Please."
The door suddenly opened and admitted an excited looking April Kepner; "Hey you guys!" she said cheerfully. She dragged her luggage behind her and began looking around the room; "Can you believe we're in the Attendings' Lounge?"
"April, what are you doing here?" Meredith asked in surprise.
April stopped right in front of the table and faced her friends; "Oh, uh, Hunt came and got me on the farm in Moline. I was giving the pigs their breakfast and I turned around, and there's Dr. Hunt, offering me my job back, he didn't tell you guys?"
Miranda stared at April blankly as Alex shook his head.
"Did anyone else see Dr. Hunt in the barnyard?" Meredith teased.
April rolled her eyes at her friend before bending towards her luggage.
"When he appeared unto you, was he glowing at all?" Alex asked with smirk.
The door was yanked open again and this time a sour looking Jackson sauntered in; he's tugging his scrubs top up when he noticed a figure hunched behind the table, making him do a double-take when he recognized the auburn locks. "April?" he asked, clearly in shock.
April stood straight and turned around; she felt her breath hitch in her throat when she saw the person she least expected to see standing beside Meredith.
Meredith threw Jackson a side glance before smiling happily; "Hunt hired her back."'
"We think, it might've been Jesus." Alex teased.
April's eyes widen as she stared at Jackson; "I thought you went to Tulane."
Jackson averted his gaze and began pulling his scrub top off; "Uh, yeah. No, I-I-I changed my mind" he stuttered.
Miranda scowled at the Plastic Fellow; "Hey, you people are Attending's, you do not change clothes in front of everyone."
Alex turned his eyes towards April and caught her staring at Jackson's body.
"-like animals or interns because nobody wants to see all that"
Alex snorted; "Apparently Kepner does"
April shuddered and shifted her eyes to Alex; "What? N-no, I d-I don't. I-I wasn't-I" she stuttered and when she couldn't find the right words to say, she just averted her gaze.
Meredith threw April and Jackson an amused look.
Alex's pager went off so he plucked it from his pocket; he read the message and hastily stood up from his chair. "Gotta go" he said before scurrying away, leaving his breakfast on the table.
Meredith plucked her things from the table as well and smiled at April; "Me too. Welcome back" she said before following Alex.
Miranda opened her mouth to chastise her former prots but they were out the room even before she's able to utter a word.
Jackson pulled on a new scrub top before walking towards the door; he paused midway and turned his face towards April. "Glad your back"
April smiled awkwardly; "I am back-too. I'm also glad to be back" she said before biting her lip and avoiding Jackson's gaze.
"Okay" Jackson said before stepping out of the room.
April squared her shoulders before following her friends, leaving Miranda glaring at the mess they all left.
oOo
Jackson made a bee line towards the elevator and hit on the "up" button; he tapped his foot impatiently as he waited. Once the metal doors flung open, he boarded it hastily and punched the appropriate floor on control panel. "Fucking A!" he cursed loudly. When the elevator chimed, he didn't even wait for it to fully open and just slipped through the gap; he jogged towards the Burn Center and began looking for his mentor frantically.
"Jackson?"
Jackson quickly turned around and saw Lexie standing near the nurses' station, sporting a cane; he briskly walked towards her direction and stood right in front of her. "Where's Sloan? I need to talk to him, right now."
Lexie furrowed her brows and stared at Jackson worriedly; "He's inside the Burn Center—what's wrong? Are you-"
Jackson didn't even let Lexie finish her sentence before bolting towards the door; he yanked it open and stepped inside.
Lexie leaned on the counter and stared at the swinging doors perplexedly.
oOo
April's hands are still shaking when she reached the Chief of Surgery's office; she lifted her right hand and knocked. When she heard Owen's affirmative response, she pushed the door open and peered inside.
"Look what the cat dragged in" Cristina said with a large smirk.
April felt a smile tugging on her lips upon seeing Cristina's familiar face; "HI Cristina" she greeted.
Cristina stood up from her perch and walked towards April; "Welcome back Kepner, let me know if you need a tour" she teased.
April laughed; "I'll page you, don't worry" she replied.
Cristina waived her hand before exiting the room, closing the door behind her.
Owen smiled widely at April; "It's good to have you back on board Kepner, take a seat so we can get this show on the road. I know you're itching to get your hands bloody" he said.
"Damn right" April said with a huge smile before taking a seat right in front of Owen.
"Kepner is here?"
oOo
Jackson halted his pacing and turned towards his mentor; "That's what I told you! I just saw her a couple of minutes ago. SHE'S HERE!"
Mark smirked as he crosses his arms on top of his chest; "So-what's the problem? You want her back, right?"
"Of course I want her back but I-I don't know what to do!" Jackson rubbed his face with his hands, clearly frustrated.
"Stop acting like a pussy and just talk to her. You're not gonna get things fixed if you keep on acting like this, grow a pair Avery, man up!" Mark said sternly.
Jackson pulled his face away from his palms; "Easy for you to say!" he huffed.
Mark rolled his eyes before turning around and walking away.
"Where are you going?"
"I have patients to check on, find me once you already got your balls back" Mark said. He then paused and turned towards his prot; "Don't you have a consult for excess skin removal this morning?" he asked.
"Shit!" Jackson cussed before running towards the door.
Mark braised his hands around his waist while shaking his head; "One peek and he's already a mess."
oOo
April walked towards the pit donning her navy scrubs and new attending's lab coat proudly; she entered the room and felt a smile tug on her lips upon seeing the familiar hustle and bustle of the E.R she grew to love.
"Kepner, come here!"
April shifted her eyes to the nurses' station and saw Alex standing there; she made her way towards her friend and smiled brightly. "What's up?"
Alex raked his eyes on April's body before whistling in appreciation; "You look hot in that scrubs."
April let out a chuckle; "Yeah right, what do you need?"
Alex brought his hands to his chest and feigned hurt; "Can't I compliment you without ulterior motives?"
"I know you too well Alex Karev, so spill, what do you need?"
Alex let his hands fall limp to his side before pursing his lips petulantly; "You're no fun Apes" he said. He then leaned towards the counter and plucked a chart; he waived it right in front of the red head and smiled. "I know it's your first day back but I also know that two weeks without getting blood in your hands is maddening, so-want to get your hands dirty and do a Hernia Repair?"
April snatched the chart from Alex and start perusing the notes with enthusiasm; "I could kiss you for this"
Alex smirked; "I've always known that you still have the hots for me" he teased.
April lifted her gaze from the chart and closed it; she placed it on top of the counter before taking a step closer to Alex. She slowly lifted her hands towards his face and rested it on top of his cheeks; she moved her face closer to his before smiling. "You wish" she said before pinching the cocky surgeon's cheeks, hard.
Alex yelped in pain.
April chortled happily as pulls her hands away; she snatched the chart from the counter and began skipping towards the door. "Thank you for the surgery Alex, I owe you one!"
Alex rubbed his cheeks as he scowled at April's retreating form; "That bloody hurt Kepner and you owe me two!" he yelled.
"I know! See you later!" April replied before rounding the corner.
Alex pulled his hands away from his stinging cheeks before sniggering; "Let's see if you will still thank me after you find out who you'll be operating with."
oOo
"—And we've set up a consult from General for the Hernia Repair" Jackson said before shifting his gaze towards his intern.
"Yeah—I did" Stephanie replied.
The door burst open as April sauntered in; she felt her heart drop to her stomach when she caught a glimpse of the other doctor who's working on the same case. "Hey-I'm it."
Jackson tore his eyes away from his notes and turned his gaze towards the newcomer; he felt his breath hitch inside his throat upon seeing April standing on the other side of the bed.
April forced out an awkward smile before turning her gaze towards the patient; "I am—I'm your consult" she said while fidgeting with her coat pocket.
"Oh—okay—Hi" Jackson stuttered. He then cleared his throat and turned his eyes towards the patient; "Uh, Dr. Kepner is going to repair your hernia, so-I'll just need to go over some incision points"
Roxie turned towards Frank; "Um, honey, could you—they want me to take off my robe."
"Roxie this is a big operation, I want to know everything that's gonna happen to you"
"Frank, please?"
Frank turned towards Jackson; "This is my fiancé, the love of my life. You guys do a good job, okay?"
April shifted her eyes to Jackson subtly before moving it towards the patient.
Jackson nodded; "Of course"
"I'll be right outside, babe" Frank said before leaning towards his fiancé, kissing her chastely on the lips.
April averted her gaze, obviously feeling uncomfortable with the public display of affection.
"Okay" Roxie replied. She waited for Frank to step out of the room before hopping off her bed and taking of her robe.
Jackson took his marker from his pocket and stepped right in front of his patient; "Okay." He then leaned right in front of Roxie and began drawing on the abdomen; "Now, I'm gonna start with some incisions here and here" he explained.
Roxie turned towards April; "The man's a saint, we've been together two years and we still haven't—you know, had sex" she paused.
April nodded and swallowed hard.
Roxie shifted her hands to her bulging stomach and squeezed it with a wince; "I mean when we cuddle, wh—when he squeezes me here, it makes me cringe. I just want to feel—pretty."
"You're already pretty" April interjected.
"You sound like Frank"
"Do you have any questions for me before the surgery?" Jackson asked.
Roxie turned her eyes to Jackson; "Just one—When?"
"I'm sorry?" Jackson asked while standing up.
"I think she wants to know when she and Frank-" April trailed off.
"When can I jump his bones?" Roxie asked.
April let out a chuckle.
Jackson threw April a smile before shifting his eyes back towards his work; "Your incisions will be healed in about two weeks. So after that, you and Frank can be as physical as you like."
April felt her mouth go dry so she swallowed hard.
"Two weeks? Wow! I just got butterflies."
April forced out a smile upon seeing Jackson looking at her.
oOo
"Where's the fire?"
April halted in her steps and turned to see who spoke; she felt cheeks flush upon recognizing the man leaning on the wall next to the patient's room. "Err-Dr. Sloan, it's nice to see you're doing fine" she said.
Mark crossed his arms on top of his chest before grinning widely; "It's nice to have you back Kepner"
April smiled shyly at the Plastics Attending; "T—thank you"
Mark gestured towards the patient's room; "You doing the hernia repair for my boy's patient?" he asked.
"Yeah-"
"I see, you guys should coordinate about the incision points so it will be easier for you to get good visibility" Mark said.
April nodded; "Okay"
Mark opened his mouth speak again but was cut off when the door beside him was pulled open; he shifted his eyes towards his prot and smirked. "Hey Avery"
Jackson was startled to see his mentor leaning casually on the wall; "What are you doing here?" he asked.
Mark pointed towards April; "I was just catching up with Kepner there," he said.
Jackson turned his eyes towards April and let out an awkward smile; "H—hey" he greeted.
April swallowed hard; "Hi" she replied She then shifted on her feet and gestured towards the elevator; "I-I have to go, I still need to talk to Karev—err—it was nice talking to you Dr. Sloan—Jackson" she said before turning on her heels and scurrying away.
Jackson let out a sigh as he helplessly watch April's back disappear from the corridor; he braises his hands around his waist and bowed his head.
Mark pulled himself away from the wall and stood beside his student; he lifted his hand and smacked him square at the back of his head.
Jackson jerked forward with the impact; "What the hell is that for?" he asked while facing his mentor angrily.
"That's the best you have? "HEY"?"
Jackson righted himself and scowled; "What do you want me to say? She can barely stand my presence and you just saw that!"
Mark placed his hands on his hips; "If you talked to her like I told you to then you wouldn't have to suffer this stupid awkwardness between the two of you."
"I'm trying here!"
"Based from what I just witnessed you're not trying hard enough"
Jackson threw Mark an annoyed look before walking away without a word.
"Really Avery? Hey? Grow a pair!" Mark taunted.
Jackson lifted his hand flipped Mark a bird.
Mark laughed.
oOo
April entered the cafeteria and began searching for a familiar face; once she spotted some of her friends, she hastily moved towards them.
Lexie smiled widely upon seeing April approaching their table; "April! It's nice to see that you're finally back!" she said jovially.
April smiled back at Lexie; "I'm glad to be back" she replied. She then cocked her head to side when she noticed that other surgeon is wearing scrubs; "Are you working already?"
"Not really. I'm stuck with admin work and babysitting duties-skills lab and I have to drag this stupid cane along with me, it's unflattering" Lexie pouted.
April chuckled; "You need the cane Lex and you're still recovering, so take it easy" she said. She then shifted her eyes towards the older Grey; "Have you seen Alex?"
Meredith swallowed her food before answering; "He got pulled into an emergency surgery a couple of minutes ago. Boating accident—teenage rebellion gone awry"
April pursed her lips; "Sounds to me that it will take him hours to finish."
"It will, the patient's right foot was completely shrivelled" Meredith said in a matter of factly way.
April grimaced; "Ouch"
"Cool!" Lexie said.
Meredith turned towards her sister and smiled; "I know"
April threw the sisters a weird look before shaking her head to clear her thoughts; she shifted on her feet and eyed Meredith. "Hey—you interested in doing a hernia repair tomorrow?"
Meredith turned towards the red head and stared at her sceptically; "Why?"
April smiled hopefully; "I have one tomorrow, you can have it if you want".
Meredith raised her brow as she scrutinizes April's too perky demeanour; she stared at her for a couple of more seconds before shaking her head. "No."
"Come on Mer, you know you want to" April cajoled.
Meredith shook her head; "Nope. Not interested."
April's smile vanished as a look of desperation crossed her face; "Please?" she pleaded.
"No."
April pursed her lips petulantly before turning on her heels; "Fine" she said before quickly walking away.
Lexie turned towards her sister and raised her brow; "What's wrong with her?"
Meredith shrugged her shoulders; "I don't know."
"We had something to learn, now it's time for the wheel to turn. Grains of sand, one by one before you know it, all gone..."
Jackson was double checking his patient's scans when he heard the door being opened.
April halted in her steps upon seeing the familiar figure sitting across her; awkwardly, she closed the door and greeted Jackson the best way she can without stammering. "Hey"
"Hey" Jackson replied.
April turned her eyes away and made a bee line towards her luggage; "Uh-we should agree on the positioning for the incisions' for our surgery so that I can have good visibility for the hernia" she grabbed her toiletries and walked back towards Jackson.
"Yeah-Uhm..." Jackson replied before turning towards the computer; he tapped on the screen and showed April the visualization. "I'm gonna go in here and then here" he said.
April leaned forward and began checking the areas; "Great. Good. Okay-that looks good. Good" she said.
Jackson turned towards April again and saw the toiletries she's holding. "Didn't Alex give you your new keys?" he asked while taking a peek at her luggage.
April followed Jackson's gaze; "Err-not yet. I'm still waiting for him to get off of his surgery" she said.
"I'm on call tonight, you can use mine" Jackson offered.
April shook her head; "No, it's okay-I'll just wait for him"
Jackson returned his gaze back to April and saw an open window to explain his side; "I wasn't able to meet you at Joe's that night April, because-"
"I'm revirginizing" April blurted out.
Jackson furrowed his brows and stared at her confusedly.
"Uhm-it's...it's a thing-revirginizing it involves a lot of prayer, which I had time to do in Moline, staring at the N'sync posters on my wall which kind of makes me think of Jesus as Justin Timberlake but my Pastor says that's totally fine you know, as long as I'm still talking to Him and keeping the communication lines open-"
"Okay, April, you-"
"It's my second chance, Jackson. I didn't think I'd get one but then Dr. Hunt showed up in Moline and offered me my job back and that was my sign that I get to recommit myself to God. I-I can accept His forgiveness and-and have a second chance" April paused and smiled; "A do-over, you know, without all the mistakes, just slate wiped clean-I'm"
"Revirginizing" Jackson snapped, cutting April off mid ramble.
"Yes!"
"Which is really your way of saying that you want to pretend that you and I never happened." Jackson said pointedly.
"No, that is not..."
Jackson stood from his perch and began walking towards the door without a word.
April turned around and followed him with her gaze; "It's-it's-it's not that simple-"
Jackson ignored April's explanation and closed the door behind him.
April stared at the door for a moment before walking towards the other direction; "Unbelievable! How can he be angry at me when he's the one who stood me up? I should've listened to his stupid voicemail message instead of deleting it perhaps I would have a clue why he's acting like a victim here!" she huffed with frustration.
"Let's admit we made a mistake but can we still be friends? Heartbreak's never easy to take but can we still be friends?"
"Hey you guys, morning" April chirped brightly as she entered the Attendings' Lounge.
"I still can't believe Owen went to a pig farm" Cristina said with an amused smirk.
"Believe it, he did" April said as she walks towards the coffee stand.
Meredith chuckled; "You ready for your hernia repair?"
April grabbed a cup and began making her morning beverage; "Yeah, my first surgery after my vacation."
Jackson entered the room and quietly made his way towards the locker area, not sparing a glance at the room's occupants.
Cristina raised her brow and turned towards Meredith; "What crawled up his ass and died?" she asked.
"I don't know" Meredith replied before sipping her own coffee.
April plucked her cup from the stand and made her way towards the table; she was almost there when she felt her body being hit by another person, making her spill coffee on herself.
"Shit!" Jackson hissed. He hastily leaned forward and grabbed a napkin from the table; he began patting it on April's drenched lab coat before gazing at her apologetically. "I'm sorry"
April's mouth hangs open as she tries to digest what just happened; she blinked a couple of times before she started tugging the napkin off Jackson's hands.
Jackson frowned when he suddenly remembered their last conversation; he hurriedly snatched the napkin away from her grasp and glared at April. "Actually—I know. Let's pretend this never happened" he said sarcastically before walking away.
April gaped at Jackson as he broodingly exited the room.
Cristina sniggered; "Don't take it personally, men are always grumpy when they're not getting laid. With the way Pretty Boy is acting, I bet he's experiencing his first ever dry spell."
April opened her mouth to respond but was cut off when Miranda peeked from the door; "Grey!" she barked.
Meredith tore her eyes away from her phone and turned towards the door; "Yes Dr. Bailey?"
"Scrub in with Kepner"
Meredith scrunched her face as she turned her gaze to April.
April threw Miranda an indignant look; "Dr. Bailey, all respect but I can handle a hernia repair on my own!" she protested.
Miranda just threw April the look before closing the door again.
"Well, you've been working with pigs, maybe she's worried you'll slaughter someone out of habit" Cristina said.
April glared at Cristina before stomping towards the locker room, clearly incensed.
"You're evil" Meredith said.
Cristina shrugged her shoulders; "Just saying."
oOo
Derek sat right beside Owen as they both stared at the hospital's lawyer standing right in front of them.
"You have the prerogative to sue Bayview Aeronautics for the injuries you've all sustained"
Derek sat straighter; "If I understand it correctly, you're telling us that we can decline the settlement they're offering and pursue a law suit?"
"Yes."
Derek turned towards Owen; "That changes the game" he said.
Owen nodded; he then focused his eyes on the lawyer. "If by chance they decided to sue, what will happen?"
"Bayview Aeronautics will be under investigation, I'm not gonna lie, it will probably take us months to see the result but it will be worth it."
Derek rubbed his chin while in thought; "We'll have to talk about it, Dr. Robbins is still indisposed so we need more time."
"Take all the time you need Dr. Shepherd, just contact me once you all come up with a decision."
"We will" Derek replied.
oOo
"You're working on Roxie Meyers today, right?" Mark asked as he finishes his notes.
"Yeah" Jackson replied.
Mark threw the other man a side glance before closing his charts; "You doing the surgery with Kepner?" he asked.
"Don't remind me."
"Still haven't talked to her?"
Jackson snapped his chart close and turned towards his mentor; "She wanted to pretend that we didn't happen, what's there to talk about?"
Mark leaned sideways on the counter and crossed his arms on top of his chest; "She wanted to forget that you cashed her v-card? Wow, you must've suck" he teased.
Jackson narrowed his eyes at his mentor; "It's not funny, I'm pissed. I tried explaining my side last night but she just shut me out and told me that she's revirginizing and all that crap."
Mark scrunched his face; "Revirginizing? What the hell does that mean?"
"She wants a clean slate without the all the mistakes, apparently, I'm a mistake" Jackson said bitterly.
Mark threw his prot a sympathetic look; "I feel for you man"
Jackson huffed in irritation; "And now I have to do this stupid surgery with her, just my luck"
"I can take over if that'll make you feel better?" Mark offered.
Jackson sighed; "No. I'll do it—I can do it" he replied.
"Are you sure you can keep your cools?"
"Yes."
"You can be professional?"
"Yes."
"You can-"
"I can do it, geez!" Jackson groaned. He then grabbed his chart from the counter and began walking towards the elevator; "I need to go scrub, see you later" he said dismissively.
"Find me once your done" Mark yelled.
"Will do."
oOo
"Shoot, this defect's too big. I'm gonna need some mesh, suction." April said as she worked on the repair.
"Here's an idea-let's just pretend the patient never even had a hernia then you wouldn't have to do anything" Jackson said bitterly.
"Would you stop? This is not a joke to me" April pleaded.
Jackson glared at April; "No, you said you're pretending that-"
Meredith stared at the couple confusedly; "What are we talking about?"
April threw Jackson a side glance before turning towards her work again; "If you would just listen-I'm not pretending it never happened."
"What never happened?" Meredith asked.
"It happened, I know it happened" April said.
"Could someone just please-"
"-But now I am wiping the slate clean."
Jackson rolled his eyes; "By acting like it never happened"
"NO!" April snapped.
"What never happened?" Meredith asked with exasperation.
"Nothing!" Jackson and April said in unison.
Meredith studied April and Jackson's face back and forth. "I-"
Jackson cut her off by glaring at Meredith and handing his instrument to a nurse.
Meredith narrowed her eyes at the two when realization dawn on her; "Oh. My. God"
oOo
Meredith is washing her hands along side April silently when Jackson entered the scrub room. She watches in amusement as April hastily walked away when Jackson stepped into the sink, making Jackson grit his teeth in annoyance.
Meredith waited until April stepped out of the room before snatching a towel above the sink and hitting Jackson on the head, reprimanding his actions; "She was a virgin."
Jackson paused and turned towards his friend; "I know that."
Meredith hit Jackson's head with the towel again; "You defiled a virgin" she chastised louder.
Jackson resumed washing his hands.
Meredith hits him again.
Jackson turned towards Meredith; "Stop hitting my head I swear I'll go full crazy on you, alright? I am a grown ass man, she's a grown woman."
"Yeah but she's-"
Jackson braised his hands on the sink; "She's what, April Kepner? Believe me, she is grown" he said. He then resumed washing his hands as he explained what happened; "I didn't manipulate her, I didn't defile her or trick her, I didn't take her virginity, she-she gave it to me, alright? This isn't about something I did to her, this is something we did together and she can't handle that" he paused and grabbed a towel. "So she is praying to Justin Timberlake, apparently and I'm pissed and it's a mess so just stop hitting my head."
Meredith shook her head as an amused smile appeared on her lips; "So Alex is a diseased manwhore-again. And April Kepner is no longer a virgin, wow I missed a lot with that plane crash."
Jackson smiled back; "Yeah-you missed a whole lot." He then braised his hands on the sink; "The Chief banged my mom" he added.
Meredith's eyes widen as she stared at Jackson in shock; "What? The...Owen banged-"
"Webber, Webber. Dr. Webber banged my mom" Jackson hastily corrected himself.
"Oh." Meredith gasped. "Oh. Oh. Oh my god"
"Yeah, I know"
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, he banged my mom too" Meredith said before walking out of the room.
"That makes me feel worse" Jackson said.
"It's a strange, sad affair. Sometimes seems like we just don't care, don't waste time feeling hurt, we've been through hell together..."
April sauntered along the corridors fuming; she can't believe that Jackson acted the way he just did a couple of minutes ago. He was acting like a jilted lover and its getting to her nerves; she didn't leave because she wanted to, she left because she didn't have a choice. He on the other hand treated her like crap and now he had the audacity to throw a hissy fit because she refuses to talk about it, COME ON. April scoffed as she stood right in front of the elevator, she punched on the "down" button and crossed her arms on top of her chest; "Stupid boards-stupid San Francisco" she spat bitterly.
"Are you talking to yourself now?"
April turned around and saw Alex standing behind her; she scowled at the Ped's Fellow before facing the elevator again.
Alex raised his brow; "Are you mad at me?" he asked.
April scoffed; "Mad is an understatement."
Alex shifted closer to the irate surgeon and bumped his shoulder to hers; "What did I do?"
April glared at Alex; "Are you really asking me that question Karev?"
Alex thought for a moment before it hit him; "Did your patient survive?"
"Of course she survived! I can do a hernia repair perfectly!" April snapped indignantly.
"I'm not talking about you doing the surgery, I'm asking if she survived the tension between you and Pretty Boy" Alex clarified.
April huffed; "There's no tension on my part, he's the one who's acting like a jerk" she paused and narrowed her eyes at the elevator. "Come on already! I've been standing here for ages! Stupid elevator!"
Alex sensing the red head's hostile mood decided to leave her alone for the time being; he took a step back and gestured towards the fire exit. "I think I'll just use the stairs, see you later Apes" he said before jogging away.
April ignored her friend and continued fuming in silence.
oOo
"Roxie Meyers has been moved to Recovery, you can check on her later" Jackson said as he entered Mark's makeshift office.
"Hey Jackson" Lexie said with a bright smile.
Jackson just nodded at Lexie and handed his notes to his mentor.
Mark perused the papers before closing the chart; "Perfect."
"Do you have a problem Jackson? You've been acting—weird lately" Lexie asked as she studies the Plastic Fellow's face.
"I don't have any problem Lex, I'm fine" Jackson replied curtly.
Lexie cocked her head to side; "Well, you don't look like you're fine"
"How was the hernia repair? Did Kepner have a hard time fixing it?" Mark asked.
Jackson snorted; "Of course not. We talked about the incision points last night right? That's all we manage to talk about without biting each other's head off, stupid hernia—stupid general consult"
Lexie pulled her cane from the table and used it to point the vacant chair right in front of her; "Sit down Jackson, I think you need someone to talk to."
"I don't need someone to-"
"SIT. DOWN. NOW"
Mark leaned back on his chair and smirked at his student; "I suggest you follow her instructions Avery, she's holding a cane and I don't think she has any reservations on using it on you" he said.
Jackson opened his mouth to protest but Lexie thumped his waist with her cane; "SIT. DOWN" He let out defeated sigh before sitting down on the chair; "What do you want?"
"Start from the beginning that always works" Lexie said with satisfied look.
oOo
"What do you mean you can't come with me?" April asked.
"I have a scheduled surgery tomorrow morning Apes, I'm sure you can handle it on your own and besides, Jackson will be there with you—it's not as if you will be alone."
April let out a defeated sigh; "That's the problem, he'll be there-again" she mumbled to herself.
"What?" Meredith asked.
April shook her head before standing up from her perch; "Nothing. See you tomorrow, goodnight" she said before walking away dejectedly.
Meredith smirked; "Goodnight" she replied as she watches April walk towards the exit.
"Why are you smirking?" Cristina asked as she saddled next to her best friend.
"You know who did sleep together?" Meredith asked.
Cristina raised her brow; "Who?"
Meredith smiled widely; "April and Jackson"
Cristina's eyes almost bulged out of its sockets; "No way! Kepner did it?"
"She did it."
Cristina grinned; "Finally!"
"Except she's not doing it again"
"What do you mean?"
"Clean slate, she's revirginizing" Meredith replied.
Cristina scoffed; "Oh please! She's here, he's here—all she has to do is hear his voice and she's not gonna be able to think straight"
"Wanna place a bet?" Meredith asked.
Cristina smirked; "You're on."
oOo
April entered their apartment and shut the door behind her; "Alex?" she called out. When she didn't get any response, she locked the door behind her and made her way towards the kitchen; she placed her bag on top of the breakfast bar and pulled open the fridge. She leaned forward and began rummaging its contents; when she didn't find anything edible, she sighed and closed it. "What do you expect April, you're living with two sloppy men" she said to herself. She then grabbed her bag from the counter and walked towards her room; "It's unpacking for you."
oOo
"Are you done yet?" Alex asked irritably.
Jackson grabbed his bag and walked towards his impatient friend; "I'm done, why are you such in a hurry?" he asked.
"I'm hungry" Alex replied as he padded briskly towards the door.
"Err—you are aware that we don't have groceries, right?" Jackson asked.
"That's the reason why I'm in a hurry. You and I are going food shopping"
Jackson wrinkled his nose; "But you don't know how to cook"
Alex threw Jackson a loop sided smile; "Kepner does" he said smugly.
"Do you think that's a good idea?"
"What?"
"Making her cook" Jackson replied.
Alex scrunched his face; "Why? She loves cooking"
Jackson cleared his throat; "She seems to be in a foul mood"
"About that, what did you do? She seems royally pissed at you" Alex asked.
Jackson furrowed his brows; "Did she say something to you?"
Alex stopped right in front of his car and unlocked it; "No, is there something to tell?" he asked.
Jackson opened the passenger door; "No"
oOo
April just finished fluffing her pillow when she heard the front door open; she threw the pillow back to her bed and walked towards her door. "Alex? Jackson? Is that you guys?"
"Yeah, come here Apes, we need help with something" Alex yelled.
April stepped out of her room and made her way towards the living room; "Err—where are you guys?" she asked.
"Kitchen"
April walked towards the kitchen and saw her roommates unloading food from a huge paper bag; she crossed her arms on top of her chest and stared at them amusedly. "Is it me or did you guys just bought groceries?"
Jackson closed the cupboard and turned towards April; "Yeah"
April shifted closer to the breakfast bar and peered inside the brown bag; her eyes widen upon seeing a large chunk of frozen steak and some fresh vegetables. "You actually bought real food-wow" she said, clearly impressed. After a moment, she furrowed her brows "But you guys don't know how to cook"
Jackson and Alex both froze like a deer caught in headlights.
April stared at them for a couple of seconds before chuckling.
Jackson scratched the back of his head as he threw April a sheepish look; "The truth is we haven't eaten real food for almost a month now" he admitted.
"What did you guys eat then?"
"Simple, pizza, Chinese takeout and beer" Alex replied with smile.
April scrunched her face; "You lived off of those?"
"Yeah" Jackson replied.
April shook her head; "You guys are hopeless" she said. She then moved towards the counter and began taking out the food; "I'll handle this, you both do whatever you guys do—shoo!"
Alex smiled triumphantly; "Thanks Apes, you're the best" he said before walking out of the kitchen.
Jackson shifted in his feet; "Do you need help?" he asked.
"No, I'm okay, I can handle this" April replied.
"I'm sorry" Jackson blurted out.
April paused and turned his attention towards Jackson.
Jackson stuffed his hands inside his pockets nervously; "I was out of line this afternoon-no, I was a complete asshole to you, I'm sorry" he said with sincerity.
April studied Jackson's face and saw the truth in his words; she let out a small smile before pointing towards the potatoes and green beans. "You can wash those"
Jackson let out a sigh of relief before smiling; he walked towards the counter and grabbed the vegetables. "I can do that" He then walked towards the sink and started prepping.
"For the record, you were a real asshole inside the O.R, Meredith probably knows—err—what happened between us"
Jackson grimaced and turned towards April; "I'm sorry—I don't know what came over me, I just-"
"You don't have to apologize again Jackson, I'm just stating a fact" April said before letting out an appeasing smile.
Jackson bowed his head in guilt; "I'm still sorry..."
April threw a piece of cherry tomato on Jackson's head.
Jackson's head snapped up and turned towards April; "Did you just throw a tomato on me?"
April laughed; "Stop acting like a little puppy that's been kicked, you've been donning that look whole afternoon –cut it out"
"Puppy?"
"Yeah puppy, it's very unbecoming...especially for an Avery" April teased.
Jackson laughed-really laughed.
"We awoke from our dream, things are not always what they seem. Memories linger on it's like a sweet, sad, old song..."
"Keep in mind that there's still a lot of swelling and bruising" Jackson reminded his patient as he took off the binder.
April watched Roxie's reaction; "It's okay Roxie..." she said softly.
Roxie stared at her reflection on the full length mirror before smiling tearfully; "It's more than...it's there's nothing to squeeze."
April shifted her eyes towards Jackson and let out a small smile.
Jackson caught April's gaze and returned the smile; he shifted his gaze back towards his patient and waited for further questions.
"Hey Rox, the cafeteria was out of lemonade so I got you-oh sorry" Frank said apologetically.
Roxie turned towards her fiancé to show her body; she let out a teary smile before placing his hands gently on her tummy. "Hi."
Frank raked his eyes on Roxie's form before staring at her face heatedly.
April felt the shift in the air between the lovers so she averts her gaze; she turned towards Jackson and caught him looking at her intensely while licking his lips.
April felt her body react with his actions, making her panic. She hastily took a step back and walked briskly towards the door; "I'm sorry—I gotta—go. Excuse me" she said in a huff.
Jackson swallowed hard and shifted his gaze to the potted plant. avert
oOo
Jackson stepped out of his patient's room and closed the door behind him; he leaned on it and closed his eyes tightly. "What the hell is wrong with you? You were just starting to be friends with her again and you just have to mess it up by licking your stupid lips suggestively! You're fucking stupid Jackson Avery, a moron!" he hissed at himself.
oOo
April leaned back on the wall as she tries to even out her breathing; she placed her hands on her cheeks and felt how warm it was. "I can't believe you just ran out like that!" she said while patting it a couple of times. She slowly slid down to the floor and sat down; "Stop it April, you can't think about him that way—but those eyes—lips" she stopped and shook her head to rid her mind off of dirty thoughts. "You are revirginizing, stop thinking about fornicating! You should-you should avoid him for now—just until you can rein your hormones in-that's right-avoid him, easy"
oOo
"Are we suing?" Mark asked.
Derek stared at his hand before shifting his eyes to Mark; "I may never get to operate again, so—yes, I want to sue" he said.
Mark nodded; "If Derek wants to sue then I'm with him" he said.
"We cannot settle and just accept their money, I mean—we almost didn't make it" Lexie said shakily.
Mark shifted closer to her fiancé and wrapped his arm around her shoulder comfortingly.
"If we don't settle then its gonna be tons of court hearings and investigations?" Arizona asked.
"Yes" Owen replied.
Arizona leaned back on her chair and began rubbing her temples; "I don't know guys"
"The decision needs to be unanimous, if you need more time to think about it—then please do" Owen said.
oOo
The day went by slower than what Jackson have preferred and he's still blaming his hormones for his insensitive blunder. He knows for a fact that they were equally treading on dangerous grounds and any sudden movement in the wrong direction can make or break the 5 years friendship that they manage to preserve.
"Hey man, you okay?" Alex asked as he saw Jackson staring blankly at the wall.
"Yeah" Jackson replied.
"You heading home?"
Jackson turned his head to the side; "Yeah."
Alex braised his hands on his hips; "Are you waiting for Kepner?"
"Err—no, why?"
"She already left a couple of minutes ago, just saying" Alex said.
"I see" Jackson replied.
Alex stared at Jackson for a couple of seconds before deciding that he won't be getting any direct answers from his friend; he shook his head and turned on his heel. "See you at home, man" he said.
"Yeah" Jackson replied.
oOo
April pulled out the chicken from the freezer and placed it on the sink; she placed it under running warm water and waited for the ice to melt. She was able to successfully avoid Jackson the whole day and she's not proud of it; after last night, she convinced herself that she can be his best friend again but one look from him and she's already running for the hills. She let out a frustrated sigh and leaned back on the sink; will it always be like this? Will every gesture from him send her spiralling down to the depths of lust? Can she move passed this unhealthy attraction for her best friend?
"April?"
April almost jumped from her perch when she saw the man she's thinking about standing right in front of the breakfast bar, watching her. "Oh—Hi Jackson"
Jackson pointed towards the sink; "You left the water running"
April's eyes widen before quickly turning towards the sink; she switched off the faucet and let out nervous laugh. "I was defrosting the chicken,"
"We have microwave you know" Jackson said.
"I prefer doing it this way" April replied.
"I see..." Jackson murmured. He then swallowed hard and stuffed his hands inside his pocket anxiously; "April about this morning-I'm sorry"
April felt her heart beating wildly and her cheeks flushing; she kept her back on him and cleared her throat. "You don't have to apologize Jackson because you didn't do anything wrong. I was the one who walked out-it was not professional, I'm sorry" she murmured.
Jackson walked towards the sink and stood beside April; he cleared his throat and focused his eyes on the sink. "You had all the right to walk away-what I did, it was inappropriate"
April stilled her hands and turned her head sideways, looking directly at Jackson's face; "I-I understand how you feel because-because I kinda feel it too."
Jackson turned his head towards April, meeting her eyes; "You-you feel it too?" he asked, clearly aghast.
April quickly averted her gaze as her cheeks flush even brighter; "The attraction-the pull. That's why I ran away, it's driving me nuts" she admitted shyly.
Jackson felt a smile tug on his lips but he tried his best to stifle it; "It's driving me nuts too—just seeing you standing there—all I can think about is kissing you"
April eyes widen as the chicken slipped through her hands; she slowly turned her head sideways and swallowed hard upon seeing Jackson staring at her intently.
Jackson shifted closer, not breaking eye contact; "April I-"
"I'M HOME!"
April was so startled when she heard Alex's voice, making her jerk forward, hitting Jackson square on the nose with her forehead.
"Ouch!" Jackson yelped as he stumbled back.
April's eyes widen in mortification; she quickly shifted closer to Jackson and raised her hands to cup his face. "Oh god, I'm sorry!"
Jackson groaned as he felt April's hand on his face.
Alex peered inside the kitchen and frowned when he saw his two roommates standing by the sink; "What the hell happened here?" he asked.
"Oh god! There's blood! I think I broke your nose!" April said in panic.
Jackson pulled his hand away from his nose and saw blood; "I think you did"
Alex hastily walked towards the pair and stood beside April; he pulled her shaking hands away as he began checking the other surgeon's nose.
"Oh god! I'm so sorry—I didn't mean to—"
"It's not your fault, it was an accident and-ouch!"
Alex pulled his hand away and turned his gaze to April, clearly amused; "You're pissed at him that bad that you had to break his nose?"
"It's-it's broken?" April asked tearfully.
"Fortunately it's not but if you hit him a little bit harder then you might've succeeded" Alex replied.
"April didn't hit me on purpose, you startled her with your yelling that's why she accidentally hit her forehead on my nose" Jackson said with a grimace. He then turned his towards her best friend; "I'm sure that it's something that ice can fix, don't worry"
"I'm so so sorry Jackson-I-I'm sorry"
Jackson tried to smile to re-assure April that he's fine but the pain in his nose prevented him from doing so; "I'll just wash up in the bathroom, can you get me ice?"
April didn't need to be told twice, she hurriedly walked towards the fridge and started getting ice.
"Thank you" Jackson muttered before making a bee line towards the bathroom.
Alex crossed his arms on top of his chest as he watches the red head with amusement; "What are you guys doing that requires your face to be closethat close, huh?"
April froze.
Alex, noticing April's reaction let out a full blown smile; "Were you about to kiss?"
April slammed the fridge shut and cleared his throat; "O—of course not! Get your head out gutter Karev!" she shrilled, clearly flustered.
Alex's smile widen; "You are definitely about to kiss" he teased. He then spun on his heels and began whistling happily.
"We are not about to kiss!" April yelled.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night Kepner"
oOo
"What the hell happened to your face?"
Jackson placed his coffee on top of the nurses' station before leaning forward and grabbing his charts for the day; "I hurt my nose but it's not broken" he replied.
Mark shifted closer to his student and plucked the chart away from his hands.
"Hey! Give that back" Jackson protested.
Mark placed the chart on the counter and placed his hands on Jackson shoulders; "Keep still!" he chastised. He then placed his hands on his face and began checking his prot's busted nose; after a couple of seconds of scrutinizing it, he pulled his hand away. "It's definitely not broken but you can't talk with our patients looking like that"
"What do you mean I can't talk to them?" Jackson asked indignantly.
"You might give out a wrong impression, we're Plastic Posses, we have to always look good. A busted nose does not look good, therefore you're out of commission today, you can do my post ops"
"But-"
"No buts Avery, I'm saving our reputation here. Now, be a good boy and just stick to the Burn Center for now, I'll page you if I need you to scrub in" Mark said with finality.
Jackson scowled at his mentor before grabbing his coffee from the counter; "Whatever" he said before storming away.
oOo
April was glumly staring at the E.R. doors when Meredith saw her; she made her way towards her friend and fell into step with her. "Slow day?"
"Yeah, I've been standing here for 30 minutes now and still no Trauma" she replied.
Meredith chuckled; "Aren't you supposed to be thankful that nobody got hurt?"
April pursed her lips; "I want to get my hands bloody today, I need surgery to take my mind off of things"
"Meaning, you need to take your mind off of Jackson"
April bowed her head as her shoulders slumps; "You know."
Meredith shifter closer and bumped her shoulder to Aprils; "Lighten up Apes, it's just sex not the end of the world. Besides, Jackson is your best friend and he cares for you, I can't think of any better person to cash your v-card than him, it also doesn't hurt that he's hot—you know" she said with a teasing smile.
April chuckled; she then turned her sideways and stared at Meredith; "I broke his nose last night" she blurted out.
Meredith's eyes widen in shock; "You what?"
April winced; "It was an accident I swear! We were having a moment but then Alex came barging in and I panicked—I ended up hitting him on the nose with my forehead."
Meredith stared at April for a couple of seconds before bursting into fits of laughter.
"It's not funny Mer! I hurt him!" April shrieked.
Meredith placed her hand on her stomach as she tries to contain her laughter; she bit her bottom lip and took deep calming breaths.
April pursed her lips.
oOo
"Mark was not kidding when he said you look—different" Lexie said as she slowly walked towards Jackson.
Jackson scoffed; "He basically took me off some of his cases because of my nose so Mark is not my favourite person at the moment so please don't mention him"
Lexie chuckled; "Don't be such a baby, I'm sure Mark just doesn't want you to over work yourself especially with your condition."
Jackson turned his face towards Lexie and glared at her; "My nose is just a little swollen Lex, it can't be classified as a condition."
"Fine, geez! No need to be snippy with me" Lexie said as she settles herself on one of the chairs. She placed her cane beside her before looking at Jackson curiously; "What really happened to your nose?"
"None of your business" Jackson quipped.
"Come on! I can tell there's an awesome story behind it" Lexie cajoled.
Jackson tore his eyes away from his charts and sighed; "April accidentally head butted me but instead of hitting my forehead it landed on my nose."
Lexie wrinkled her face; "What in the world were you doing that caused her to head butt you?"
"She didn't head butt me on purpose, we're having a moment but then stupid Karev decided to show his eyes and April panicked."
Lexie started giggling at the hilarity of the situation; "Oh god, I can imagine her hitting your nose! She must've freaked out after!"
Jackson let out a small smile upon remembering his best friend's tearful expression; "She was mortified and she thought she broke my nose" he said.
Lexie stared at Jackson's expression before shaking her head in amusement; "You got it bad Avery, you got it bad" she said.
Jackson ignored Lexie's taunting and just focused his attention back to his work.
oOo
All the first year surgical Fellows and Attending's are eating their lunch together in the cafeteria; Alex noticed April's lack of interest in her food so he decided to just tease the Trauma Attending. "Hey April, how's your forehead?"
April lifted her eyes from her plate and glared at Alex; "Shut up Karev, I'm not in the mood" she snapped.
Cristina threw April a curious look before shifting her eyes to Alex; "What happened to her forehead?"
Alex sniggered; "She head butted Pretty Boy last night and almost broke his nose"
Cristina's eyes widen as she turns her gaze back to April; "You're that pissed?"
April pushed her plate away and rested her forehead on the table dejectedly; "I didn't hurt him on purpose, it was an accident!" she groaned.
"How can you head butt someone by accident?" Cristina asked indignantly.
Meredith cringed and patted April's back comfortingly; "Don't mind them Apes, they're just teasing you" she said.
April groaned again.
"Pretty Boy! Yoohooooo! Over here!" Alex yelled while waiving his hands to get Jackson's attention.
Jackson saw his friends sitting around a table near the door so he decided to join them; he pulled a chair right in front of April and sat down. He placed his tray on top of table before cocking his head to the side; "April? You okay?" he asked concernedly.
Alex snickered; "You're the one who's sporting a swollen nose and you're asking her if she's alright?"
Jackson scowled at Alex; "How many times do I have to tell you that it was an accident Karev?"
Alex raised both his hands in mock surrender; "Just saying man, just saying" he said with a smirk.
April lifted her head from the table and winced upon seeing Jackson's face; "I-I'm sorry"
Jackson let out a small comforting smile; "It's alright—it doesn't hurt" he replied.
"I still feel bad" April admitted.
"Well don't accidents happens all the time Apes and I'm quite sure you didn't mean it" Jackson said.
"Of course I don't mean it" April replied.
"Well there—all settled. So stop feeling bad and just eat your lunch" Meredith said with a bright smile.
April pulled her plate towards her again and threw Meredith a smile; "Yeah, you're right" she said.
Cristina opened her mouth to speak but was cut off when her pager and Meredith's pager both went off; she pulled it out of her pocket and read the message. "Did you just get paged to Admin?" she asked Meredith.
Meredith furrowed her brows before meeting Cristina's gaze; "Yeah, I did" she replied.
Cristina stood up from her perch and stuffed her pager inside her pocket; "We better get going, must be something about that stupid settlement" she said, clearly annoyed.
Meredith took a last sip of her juice before standing up; "Gotta go peeps, we'll see you later" she said.
Cristina waived at her friends before walking towards the door with Meredith in tow.
Alex also stood up from his perch; "If they have been paged to Admin, I'm sure Robbins also did. I gotta go head up to Ped's, catch you later" he said before jogging towards the door.
"But your food" April said while looking at Alex's half eaten salad.
"He was never a fan of salads in the first place" Jackson said. He then plucked his fork from his tray and began eating.
April chuckled; "Point taken, he's always been meat person" she said.
Jackson shoved a mouth full of greens in his mouth and winced when his facial movement caused his nose to throb.
April noticed Jackson's discomfort and felt guilt wash over her again; "Does it hurt when you eat?"
Jackson chewed and swallowed his food before responding; "It's a little sore but nothing that I can't handle"
April sighed; "I really feel bad" she said dejectedly.
"It was an accident Apes, no need to wallow in guilt" Jackson replied.
April nodded as she started pushing her food on her plate again.
Jackson placed his fork on his plate again and cleared his throat.
April lifted her eyes from her plate and threw Jackson an expectant look.
"I-I think we still need to have the talk April—you know, to clear the air between us"
April bit her bottom lip as she heart started beating wildly inside her chest; "I know" she murmured.
"Tonight okay?" Jackson asked.
"Yeah—I don't have anything to do"
Jackson let out a sigh of relief; "Where do you want to talk? We can head to Joe's or we can stay in the apartment, it's up to you"
"We can just talk in the apartment, I'm not in the mood to drink" April replied.
"Alright then, we can order in so you don't have to cook"
"Good idea."
oOo
"Why is Owen not here?" Cristina asks as she sat down.
"I was told that this meeting is exclusively for us" Derek replied.
Meredith sat beside her husband; "I think they want an answer."
"If McDreamy wants to sue I'm with him" Cristina said.
Derek threw Cristina a smile; "Thank you"
Cristina waived her hand dismissively; "If there's a person here who lost so much it's you and we have your back"
Meredith smiled at her best friend; "Thanks"
Mark pushed the door open and peered inside the conference room; "Hey—you guys have been paged to?" he asked.
"Yes—you with my sister?" Meredith asked.
Mark pushed the wider to reveal Lexie; "I'm here" she said.
"Don't you just stand there, come inside" Cristina said.
Mark steered his fiancé inside the room and pulled chair for her; once Lexie is settled, he took a seat beside her.
Arizona was wheeled next to the room; Callie raised her brow upon seeing her other friends already settled. "This is a full room, you guys have an idea what's this about?" she asked.
Arizona tilted her head towards her wife; "I think it's about the crash" she said.
Mark pushed the chair beside him towards the back, giving room for Arizona's wheel chair.
Callie threw her best friend a thankful look before guiding Arizona's wheelchair next to the Plastic's Attending; she then leaned forward and planted a kiss on the other woman's head. "Text me once your done, I'll check on Sophia" she said.
Arizona nodded; "Yes, thank you" she replied.
Callie waived at her friends before exiting room.
"So—we're not settling right?" Arizona asked.
Mark turned to his side and stared at Arizona; "I thought you want to settle?" he asked curiously.
"I thought about it and I think that it's only right to go after the one who caused all this. By settling, we're practically giving Bayview Aeronautics a free pass and it might happen again to other people, they may not have the same luck as us-so, no, I'm not settling" Arizona explained.
"That's exactly my point" Derek said.
Arizona smiled at Derek; "I understand now where you're coming from now"
Derek nodded.
"Where's the legal counsel then?" Lexie asked.
"She should be here any second" Derek replied.
"The waiting game starts now" Meredith said.
oOo
"Hey man, I'm heading out. You coming home?" Jackson asked as he walks by Alex.
Alex sighed; "I can't, I have a kid that coded a couple of minutes ago. I need to monitor his vitals overnight" he said.
Jackson grimaced; "Sorry man" he said.
"It's okay. You heading home?"
"Yeah" Jackson replied.
"Is April staying here or is she coming home with you?" Alex asked curiously.
"She already went home"
Alex smirked; "Don't try anything funny with her again Avery, I won't be there to save you" he teased.
Jackson rolled his eyes before walking towards the elevator; "Whatever Karev, goodnight" he said with a waive.
Alex snickered.
oOo
April just hung up the phone when Jackson opened the door to their apartment; "I already called for Pizza, it should be here in 30 minutes tops" she said.
Jackson closed the door behind him and threw April a smile; "Let me guess, half Hawaiian and half Pepperoni?"
April chuckled; "Yeah and I bought beer, it's in the fridge"
"Awesome" Jackson replied. He then gestured towards the hallway; "I'll just change into something comfortable, be back in a minute" he said.
April nodded; "Yeah, go ahead" she said.
Jackson nodded and made his way towards his room.
April watched Jackson disappear from the corner before letting out a deep breath; she closed her eyes tightly as she leans her head on the back of the couch.
oOo
"—I ended up working on his post ops the whole day"
April threw Jackson a guilty look as she took a swig of her beer; "I know I've said it multiple times already but I'm still sorry..."
"I didn't tell you about my day to make you feel guilty, you know" Jackson said.
"I know, I know—I just feel bad" April said glumly.
"It's really okay April, don't worry about my nose much-I'm still handsome" Jackson said with a boyish grin.
April let out a small smile; "I'm happy to see that my forehead didn't even bruise your ego" she teased.
Jackson laughed.
April shook her head in amusement before taking another sip of her beer.
Jackson watched April intently before clearing his throat; "Err-I can't pretend that it didn't happen—I can't do that" he blurted out.
April instantly felt the air around them change when she met Jackson's eyes; she studied his face for a moment before deciding to tell him the truth. "I know, um, me either. I c-can't stop thinking about it-the more I think about, the more-the more I try not to think about it, I'm thinking about it" she mumbled.
"Yeah, I know" Jackson replied. He then shifted in his seat to face April fully; "Do you want to get married?" he asked seriously.
April wrinkled her nose; "Uh, what?"
"Because if you're serious about this whole revirginizing thing, that means that the next guy that you sleep with is probably gonna be your husband, right? That's what you want?"
April gulped loudly and nodded.
Jackson cleared his throat before continuing; "And I am not ready to be anybody's husband. And I really don't think you're ready to be anybody's wife. So let's remember that it happened, make sure it doesn't happen again, unless we want it to-unless we are -ready" he explained.
April bit her bottom lip as her eyes strayed to Jackson's lips; she lifted her eyes to meet his again; "I'm, um, I can't be near you or I might..."
"Me too"
April felt the palpable sexual tension surrounding them so she averted her gaze; "Okay, so we, um-"
"We stay away from each other-for-for awhile"
April's eyes involuntarily moved towards his lips again as she nodded; "Okay...Um-so I'm just gonna-walk away now" she replied.
Jackson licked his lips as he watches April intently; "Um-bye" he said huskily.
April felt her cheeks flush as she continued staring at Jackson; "Err-bye" she said but she's still not moving, not even an inch.
Jackson's eyes strayed towards her lips and before he realizes it, he's leaning forward and cupping April's neck—pulling her towards him and mashing their lips into a heated kiss.
April automatically wrapped her arms around Jackson's neck; finally giving into her impulses—throwing her reservations and cautions to the wind.
Jackson hauled April into his lap before wrapping his arms tightly around the red head's waist.
April moaned loudly; she straddled Jackson's lap and continued nipping on his lips.
Jackson kissed her lips a couple of times before trailing his lips down to April's neck; "Are you sure you want to do this? We really don't have to do anything if you're not sure" he asked between kisses.
April closed her eyes as she cocked her head to the side, giving Jackson easier access to her neck. "I want to..." she moaned.
"Are you sure?"
April's eyes snapped open and sat herself straighter; she cupped Jackson's face into her palms and stared intensely into his eyes. "I'm sure Jackman, take me to bed" she said breathlessly.
Jackson grinned widely before slipping his arms under April's legs; he hastily stood up from their perch on the couch.
April squealed as she wraps her arms tightly around Jackson's neck; "You don't have to carry me you know, I can walk" she said between giggles.
"I know but I'm comfortable this way" Jackson said as he navigates them towards his room.
April leaned forward and began nibbling on Jackson's ear.
"Keep doing that and we won't make to my room" Jackson whispered raggedly.
April giggled; "I think hallway sex is-hot" she whispered.
Jackson groaned; "You're killing me."
April laughed before burying her face into his neck.
Jackson stepped inside his room and grinned widely; "Finally!" he said.
April grabbed the door when they passed it and slammed it close behind them.