When Your Eyes Speak - Jackson Avery

twenty-three

season six episode twenty-four 'death and all his friends'

Jackson's week was agonizingly slow leading up to Friday. He performed well in his surgeries and had been praised by his fellows but nothing seemed to be as monumental as the thought of what was to happen later that night. He had already bought a plethora of pancake toppings for his friendly date with Adeline and had planned on cooking up a storm. It would be their first private hang out with their feelings in the open and known to each other and after an awkward and long stage of not talking to one another. He wanted to leave a good impression on her, again.

Throughout his week he had received a lot of teasing from Charles, though it was all in a friendly manner. Charles was proud of his friend for being open and making amends with the girl but if you asked him he'd tell you he was sick of seeing his friend sulking all the time. Charles had to admit it, he was jealous because he secretly knew he'd never have the guts to tell Reed his feelings so in a way he was living vicariously through Jackson.

Jackson had only spotted Adeline a couple of times on Friday morning, admiring from a distance and his heart fluttering whenever he caught her eye. His day started with a trauma, a gunshot victim which took him into surgery. He was on Teddy's service, happy that he didn't have to share with Christina in the OR. The surgery was going well albeit Owen was acting a little hostile but Jackson knew it was none of his business.

When Derek walked into the OR and quietly informed Jackson of the current situation all Jackson found himself thinking about was Adeline. She was meant to be on Owen's service so with him in the OR she could be anywhere in the hospital, anywhere out in the open, a sitting duck. He cleaned up his act quickly as soon as Derek left, returning to his patient and apologising for his shaky hands. He couldn't leave the OR, not until they were given the all clear.

The remainder of the surgery was gruelling for Jackson; he wanted to be out there, he wanted to be with Adeline, protecting her and comforting her, shielding her from the terrible atmosphere. He didn't know that two of his friends were dead or dying, he hadn't seen the bloodstained girl we was in love with. It felt like everything seemed to drag on for so long and it was tortuous. There was tension between Teddy and Owen and it took everything in Jackson to not shut them up by telling them of the reason for the lockdown. He needed to wait until after the surgery.

Jackson was left in the OR with the nurses as Teddy and Owen made their way out, slowly taking their patient to the ICU. There was no use arguing with either of them, he knew their patient wouldn't last if he stayed in the OR. Jackson remained by the door as soon as Owen and Teddy left. There were only two nurses and the anesthesiologist in the room with him and Jackson couldn't let anything happen to them. He calmed them down from his position by the door, leaning up against it and listened out for any movement in the hallway, waiting for an all clear message. Adeline, please be okay, Jackson kept thinking to himself. Please, be okay.

Adeline stood at the corner of the hallway, looking down both sides before moving quickly across to the elevators. It had taken Christina and Adeline quite a while to get Derek into the wheelchair and to gather Meredith and April up. Christina seemed to be the most calm one there, consoling the two girls as Adeline came in and out of dazes. Christina could only imagine what she had seen. She had given Adeline the task of making sure they had a clear path to the elevators down to the OR, she had to keep her mind working otherwise she'd zone out again, break down to tears.

Adeline pressed the button to go down, tapping it repeatedly before the doors slid open. She turned back, waving to Christina and held the doors open as she wheeled Derek in, Meredith and April following. Adeline closed it as soon as the last person came in, pressing the button to the ground floor. Adeline anxiously started to tap her foot, growing more and more impatient by the second.