Doing The Dance (Jackson Avery Fanfic)

sixteen

2015

When I opened my eyes again, Luke was standing in the ER watching me sleep, Jackson still standing over me too.

"What the hell Tay?" Luke grilled. Jackson's eyes went wide and he looked from Luke and back to me.

"Oh so he gets to call you Tay but I don't?"

"Yeah well, I'm her best friend Avery. You're just her boss"

"You're her best friend and you let her drive home this way?" Luke scoffed.

"She wasn't like this when she left the hospital"

"She was bad enough for me to notice and I don't make a habit of looking at my residents too closely"

"What, ever since you dumped Steph for Kepner at Kepner's wedding?" Jackson went bright red, but with anger rather than embarrassment.

"Who told you about that?" He asked, somewhat level-headed considering what Luke had just brought up. Luke chuckled.

"Steph told me. She told me all about it" I groaned as the nauseous feeling came back, reaching for the tub and vomiting into it.

"Oh hell Tay, I think you should be admitted" Luke said.

"If you're just going to come here to offend Jackson and agree with Doctor Bailey then you can go back to Joe's. I'm not staying. Now unhook me from this and drive me home Avery" I growled. I went to sit up but quickly regretted it as nausea took over once again and I vomited for the hundredth time tonight. I sighed and rested back on the bed, knowing Jackson wasn't going to let me leave any time soon.

"What's wrong with her?" Luke asked. I heard Jackson sigh.

"I don't know. Bailey thought she might have picked up a flu-like bug but I think it's something else"

"Like what?" I muttered, opening one eye and looking at Jackson. I felt an itch on my arm so began to aimlessly scratch it when Jackson ripped my arm away from my scratching fingers, taking me by surprise.

"What the heck Avery?" I muttered.

"Do you see this?" He asked Luke. Luke's eyes went wide as he looked at my arm.

"Oh my god. What is it?" Luke asked. Jackson looked confused for a while before his brain seemed to finally snap. I was still in the dark and had no idea what was going on. Jackson let my arm go and I was able to look at the odd lightning-shaped rash beginning to spread on it. I poked at it a few times, mesmerized. Jackson was rushing to find my medical history on the iPad he was holding.

"This is crazy" I mumbled, watching the way the rash slowly crawled up my arm. Jackson walked back over and looked at Luke.

"Why was she at work today?" Luke looked back at him.

"Because it's Friday?"

"She had chemo today. She shouldn't have been here." Luke's eyes went wide as he looked at me. I shrugged. Jackson looked mad but I couldn't tell if it was directed at me or not at this point. I also didn't really care.

"Doctor Gallagher, you can go now. I'll update you when you come in tomorrow" Luke laughed.

"Nice try, I'm not leaving" I watched Jackson turn to Luke, making me gulp.

"You wanna come into my hospital and bring up something of my own personal past then act like you have the right to stay? You didn't know she'd had a treatment, you didn't notice how sick she was and you ditched her to go drink and find out all the embarrassing secrets I try to forget about. Go home Gallagher, I don't need you here and neither does she" Luke's eyes were burning with anger but Jackson wasn't standing down. Luke flicked his eyes over to me and I shrugged.