sunshine ━ jackson avery

005. ━ ellie's secret

chapter five ━ ellie's secret
( season six, episode ten )

❝How soon can I come visit
so I can give you a hug?❞

THANKSGIVING

ELLIE STARED AT her phone sitting in front of her at the table, blocking out the noise in the residents' lounge. She gazed at the contact picture, debating on whether or not she should call. Letting out a heavy sigh, she brought the phone up to her ear.

"Hello?" Ellie stayed silent at the voice, unsure of what to say. "Hello? Ellie?"

"Hi, Addison," she whispered.

"Is everything okay?" Addison asked. "Did something happen?"

"No, nothing's happened," Ellie replied, shaking her head. "Um, my old hospital merged with Seattle Grace and, um, Mark and I have talked so... now you and I need to talk."

Addison let out a breath. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this call. I tried calling you after... everything, but you never answered."

"Yeah, I was maybe still a little mad," Ellie replied with a small chuckle. "I just need to know why... why did you sleep with Mark?"

"Look, Ellie, our marriage was in trouble for a long time. We'd been having problems, we just didn't tell each other that. And... I'm not proud of what I did. Lots of lives were ruined that night, including yours. But, Derek is with Meredith, Mark has moved on, I've moved on. Can you?"

Ellie sighed and held her head in her hand. "You know, when I was growing up, the only real family I had was Mark, the Shepherds... and you. And when you and Derek got married, you were the standard I set for love. I believed so strongly that you two were meant to be. I guess I was wrong."

"Ellie, sweetie, I loved Derek. I really did," Addison told her. "And I was right there with you, I thought we were meant to be. But, not all marriages work and unfortunately ours didn't. It's in the past now. I mean, Derek and Mark are working together again, they've put it past each other. You don't have to forgive us, but can you at least put it behind you?"

Ellie let out a breath as she ran a hand through her blonde locks. "I can, if you can answer one more question for me."

"What is it?"

"How soon can I come visit so I can give you a hug?" she asked.

Ellie could feel the smile on Addison's face as she chuckled. "I'll clear my schedule. I'll see you in a few days, Ellie."

"I love you, Addison."

"I love you too, El. Now, go be a kick-ass resident."

Ellie chuckled before hanging up and made her way to the ER. She joined her brother on his service. She helped him clean the wound on a man's leg after he tried to deep fry a turkey. She kept looking at him every time he screamed.