invasion ↠ jackson avery ✓

41

[JACKSON AVERY]
Seattle, Washington

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Jackson found himself between April's arms, and he felt a tight squeeze on his right shoulder. When he lifted his eyes he found Alex by his side, giving him a reassuring look and a nod. Once April let go of him, they moved towards the chairs and while April took a seat and said hello to Catherine and Webber, both Alex and Jackson stood right by the edge of the window.

Neither of them said anything.

In fact, no one said anything.

Everything was under control down in the OR by this time. Bella's stats were back to normal. There was no excessive bleeding, though the sight of all the surgical towels they used to pack her beforehand, now bloodied and thrown on the floor, sent a shiver down Jackson's spine. He couldn't process this, which he knew was due to his inability to want to process it. This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening to Bella.

Frustrated, Jackson ran his hands over his face. He could feel Alex's stare on himself, the question lingering between them in the tense air. To make it disappear, Jackson exhaled and said instead, "I had no idea you were visiting."

Karev seemed to think over that statement before he told Jackson, "It was unexpected for us, too."

"It feels like it was meant to happen," April chipped in, then. Jackson turned to her but April's attention was focused on the OR. Even from a few steps away, he could see the way her eyes moved and followed every move the surgeons made in there, working around Bella with extreme care. "This was not how I expected to see her but she is alive, and she is fighting through this."

April was hopeful and it pulled something out of Jackson. It brightened the same spot in him. Allowed him to let go of the tension that struck his muscles together. It felt like the entire day had gone by since he found out about the accident and he hadn't had a moment to think of anything else than Bella, or do anything but walk around with panic rooted in his every step.

The realisation hit him like the feel of a bucket of ice being thrown down the back of his shirt. Without friends present to hold his hand and ease his worries, he was completely locked in his own mind. The very place where he knew he shouldn't be at a time like this. But what else could he have done?

Who else could he have turned to?

Jackson felt like he had no one. Jackson felt like he had no friends.

Bella was being operated on. Alex and April were elsewhere. It left him alone. Terribly alone.

The next time Jackson heard anyone say anything other than instructions for tools—Alex asked for the intercom to be turned on so they could all stay informed—was the moment Meredith announced she was closing.