Code Blue • Jackson Avery

Chapter Fifty Two

Everyday for the past week I had flown to different cities to interview for a neuro fellowship.

I had just came home from NYC with Jackson. Our interviews thus far had been okay. We were being used as pawns to attract our relatives and so we both withdrew our applicants from a few places. We both, however, loved New York Presbyterian. It felt like home to me.

A distant memory of my childhood. It was where I fell in love with surgery and the O.R.

It was also nice catching up with my mom and having time for her and Jackson to meet. It wasn't often my mom had a full weekend off.

She loved him, just like I knew she would. She also loved the ring.

I went to the kitchen to look through the fridge for anything edible when a wave of nausea came over me. I instantly ran for the bathroom.

"Bella?" Jackson called out from the bedroom.

"I'm fine" I said wiping my mouth on a wash cloth. "I think I just got sick from the plane"

"Rest up we leave for boards in two days" he said. I sighed. On top of being sick now, I had the constant stress of boards looming over me.
———
The next two days I stayed in bed studying up for the boards. Despite still feeling sick, the boards don't stop for anyone. I had to muster through it.

I packed my bag and headed to the airport with Jackson. There we met the rest of them. Kepner looking paranoid as ever.

"What's wrong with her?" Alex asked I leaned over the garbage can.

"She's sick" Jackson said as he rubbed my back.

"I'm fine really. Just caught something" I said. We headed to the plane boarding immediately.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Meredith asked across the aisle. I shook my head yes.

Once we landed we were met with a van that shuttled us to the hotel. Kepner has already pissed someone off the moment we stepped foot inside.

"How do you manage to do it?" Alex asked. Kepner gave him a glare that meant shut up.

Meredith gets up from her chair and throws up on the floor. Alex immediately jumps up and Kepner begins to panic.

"Okay now both you and Meredith are sick. This not good" Kepner whined.

"Just shut up" I said. Kepner walked off in a huff.

"Zola has the stomach flu" Meredith said to me. "Maybe you got it from her last week"

I shrugged my shoulders relaxing on the couch in the lobby.

Once our rooms were ready we headed up. Jackson got a separate room to avoid getting sick. I was across the hall from Meredith and Cristina.

A knock came from my door the next morning.

"Come in" I said. I was watching tv when I look to see Cristina in a mask with an I.V and fluids.

"Just did this for Mer" she said.

"Cristina. I don't need the I.V" I said.

"Oh come on it won't hurt you wuss"

"No Cristina I don't need it" I said again.

"Come on your sick. You'll feel better in no time" she said.

"Cristina. I'm pregnant not sick. Don't tell Jackson. I was going to wait until after boards" I said. She instantly dropped the mask.

"Oh, ah, okay. Congratulations" she said before walking out.

I decided to get out bed and get dressed for the boards which would be starting in an hour or so. I put on my pant suit and curled my hair before trying my best to apply light makeup while also trying not to get puke on anything.

I exited 45 minutes later and went downstairs to be called on. 

"Good luck" Jackson said kissing me on the cheek before going I smiled. My name was called next and I headed in. Part one and two breezed by, the questions were fairly easy.

Part three, however, was hard. Hard to concentrate and hard to answer. Between my head being in the bucket and the nausea throwing me off I barely got a few words in.

Once it was over we collected our things and waited for the van to take us to the airport.

"How'd it go?" Jackson asked the group as he plopped down onto the curb.

"Horrible" Cristina said.

"I hope Alex made it" Kepner said.

"Alex make it?" Meredith said. We all looked at each other confused.

"He left last night while Jackson and I were at the bar" Kepner continued. I saw out of the corner of my eye Jackson give her a look.

The van came and Alex came run out.

"So you made it" Meredith said all relived.

"I missed the first part. I probably didn't pass" Alex said all out of breathe.

Cristina gave Meredith a look that there wasn't much she could to do to fix it.

The plane ride from San Francisco to Seattle was nerve wracking. By the time we landed and got back to the Seattle Grace it was already midnight. The boards results should be posted any minute.

"You got a time?" Jackson asked.

"4 minutes late. It's 12:04. Why is it 4 minutes late?" Meredith asked all panicked.

We all refreshed our phones. Slowly the results come out. Jackson passed first followed by Meredith, Cristina, me and then Alex.

"Where's April?" Jackson asked. We turned around to see April who had ran into the hospital to use the bathroom crying.

"I didn't pass".

We headed out back to the apartment. Jackson seemed uneasy the whole time.

"Are you okay? Are you getting sick you seem different" I asked as I dropped my bag on the floor.

"Look both Kepner and I got drunk and we kissed. Nothing more than that I swear" he said.

"Do you like her?" I asked all mad.

"No it was a moment of weakness. Believe me. She was so drunk she kissed me first" Jackson argued back trying to convince me.

I pulled my arm from his grip.

"Don't touch me. I need space" I said throwing fresh clothes in a bag and storming out of the apartment. I knocked on Meredith's door.

"Hey are you okay?" Meredith asked. I walked in to find her and my dad on the couch with Zola. Despite it being late Zola had full energy.

"Can I crash here for a couple days" I said trying to hold back the tears.

"Is everything alright?" My dad asked. I shook my head yes before the tears come streaming down. Meredith took me to the guest bedroom upstairs.

"Hey what's the matter?" She asked closing the door behind her.

"Look I'm gonna ask you this and if you say no I get it. Can you just be like a mom right now and not a friend cause I really just need comforting from my mom" Meredith shook her head.

"Jackson and April kissed at boards and I'm pregnant with Jackson's kid he doesn't know and I don't need my dad knowing either" I spewed out.

Meredith came and sat down on the bed next to me. I laid my head in her lap and she stroked my hair. The tears just kept flowing.