When the merger happens it's not just the name that changes, Seattle Grace Hospital becomes the new, and somewhat improved, Seattle Grace Mercy West. The lives of the grace doctors change irrevocably with the intruding newbies; some are loved and so...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The house was encased in silence when she returned, not wanting to disturb the tranquillity, she slowly eased the door closed. By the missing cars, she assumed that those on the night shift had already left and the others were probably wrapped up in bed. She made her way down the hallway to her bedroom when she noticed the beam of light coming from the kitchen. Phoebe followed the hallway until she got to the doorway where she saw a solemn Jackson sat with an empty plate in front of him, seemingly lost in thought. She gently wrapped her knuckles on the doorframe to announce her presence. Jackson looked towards the door and when he took in her figure he shot up from his seat.
"Phoebe." He whispered. His voice quiet like she was a timid animal he was afraid of scaring away.
"I spoke to Lexie."She stated as she stepped into the room. Her statement blew him back into his seat. She was tired. Tired of being angry and of not talking to him. Tired of tip toeing around someone she used to be harshly honest with.She paused her steps when she stood on the opposite side of the counter.
"Phoebe... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I-I was drinking and I just wanted to not think, not think about you and about us." Jackson hurriedly tried to explain. Struggled to meet her eyes.
"Just stop, Jackson. I don't care if you were drunk or if you were thinking of me the whole time, it doesn't make it better. You kissed Lexie." She told him, her exhaustion clear in her tone as she stood opposite him, on the other side of the counter.
"I-." He tried to argue, his uncertainty clear in his face and voice.
"Mark kissed me."
"You kissed- is that where you were last night?"Jackson asked with his face full of jealousy and distrust.
"I wanted to give us time to cool off." Phoebe explained. "So, I stayed at Mark's..." Once she uttered his name, Jackson scoffed. "And he kissed me, okay?" Phoebe harshly clarified. "And you have no right to be annoyed right now, you did the same thing, except you kissed one of my best friends."
"Yeah, and you kissed another one!"Jackson countered.
"I'm sorry for kissing Mark it was a mistake, and I'm telling you that." Phoebe admitted while keeping eye contact with Jackson. "Why didn't you tell me?" Phoebe asked sadly.
"I wanted to." Jackson argued. "But I just didn't have a chance to; you didn't come home and then I barely saw you at work. I didn't want it to come from someone else." Phoebe just nodded, believing his words, she hadn't really given him a moment to tell her anything in the last 24 hours. "I came home." Jackson snidely added.
Phoebe only rolled her eyes. "I slept on his couch if you're dying to know. Nothing else happened because I stopped it."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better? What so something else nearly happened?"
"I didn't mean-It doesn't matter! Because nothing. Happened." Phoebe stressed, pausing between the last few words to emphasise her point.
"It doesn't matter?You... - you know what? It's fine. I mean it's not like we're actually together anyway, right?" Jackson dismissed avoiding her eyes. He took a few steps away distancing himself from her again. She could see him shutting down, shutting her out.
"Right." She scoffed, shaking her head. She too took a few steps away from him, ready to walk out of the room before she stopped herself. "I thought that we could actually talk about this. About us. But I guess I was wrong, apparently all we can do is argue." She muttered.
"You're the one that started this. We were happy yesterday morning but then all of a sudden-" He raged, pointing harshly to her as his feet carried him towards her.
"I never said I was unhappy with you! I wasn't, but I also couldn't keep it all bottled up anymore, Jackson. All I did was be honest with you, it's not my fault if you can't accept and learn from it." Phoebe.
"Give me a break! It's not like you were perfect. I never forced you to bite your tongue. You could have told me all this when it happened but you didn't. You don't tell me anything; how you're feeling, that you haven't been sleeping, how you feel about us! How am I supposed to know?" Jackson.
"I don't know." Phoebe sadly whispered, her anger diminishing. "I used to be able to tell you anything but I feel like we've just been lying to ourselves, hiding the bad and ugly parts hoping that they would go away."
"I'm not the best at showing it but you are the most important person in my life, and I hate that I haven't been there for you, that I've hurt you." He expressed as he looked to Phoebe's sad and tired face.
"I know but I don't think that's enough anymore."Phoebe whispered sadly, slowly coming to the conclusion that love wasn't always enough for a relationship. Not when it was built upon unsurmountable grief
Jackson only nodded before he walked out of the kitchen. Phoebe was met with the silence of the house once again and it wasn't until she heard his bedroom door slam that she let herself fall apart.
