2 WEEKS LATER
"Oh!" Derek yells, just as I hit the ball straight out of the park.
"Haha! And you said I didn't have it in me!" I yell, swinging the bat around.
Derek, Jackson, Owen and I went to the park just down the street from my house after we have finished our shift at the Hospital.
"How long have you been playing?" Owen asked me, as I took off my helmet.
"Our dad used to take us to baseball games all the time. I learned when I was 4 how to throw a ball.."
"And since our father died, I kept teaching her until high school," Derek added as he patted my head.
"Well, you're really good? Why don't you pitch for the baseball game tomorrow afternoon?" Owen asked me, just as Jackson took his turn with the bat.
"Um, what about Teddy? I thought she was your pitcher?" I joked, knowing very well that Teddy could barely hold a ball in her glove."
"I think she'd like to rest for this game..she's had a lot on her plate." He sarcastically says.
Continuing to play for another 30 minutes, the four of us walk back to my house and enjoy some beers until Owen and Derek had to go home.
"You never told me you played baseball?" Jackson said as I laid my head on his chest while watching the T.V.
"You never asked? Just like I never asked if you played safety and wide receiver in college?"
"You know about that?"
"Your mother told me, a few days after the shooting she took me to breakfast."
"And what did you two talk about?" He questioned, probably worried his mother told me something she shouldn't.
"Well, that you love Waffles..but I already knew that. And..You have a lucky pencil?" I hesitated, not knowing if she was joking or actually serious when he told me that.
"She told you!" He urged, puffing a deep breath.
"That was true?" Getting up from laying on his chest, and turning around to face him.
"No?" He lied.
"Whatever," I said, lightly pushing his chest deeper into the couch.
"Okay, yes..it's true. So what else did my wonderful mother tell you."
"She said that you are very good with your hands.."
"I am..actually I'm an expert." Flirtatiously, running his hand over my stomach, I grab them.
"Okay, not like that? She said you're a very good builder."
"Oh, well just suck the fun right out of it, wotcha."
"And lastly she said, that you hate public speaking..and getting in front of a camera."
"I don't 'Hate' getting in front of a camera? I just..-"
"Get camera shy? Aww.."
"Well, you're used to it? I'm not..maybe that's why I only stand there?"
"To look pretty.." I joke, remembering what he told me a few months ago.
"You know, I've never actually talked to you about the things you like?"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Like where you've traveled? Are what kind of food you don't like? Stuff like that?"
"We've been together for almost a year and you still wanna know this?"
"Yes, I still want to know everything about you?"
"Okay. Well, I've traveled to England, Scotland, and France."
"For what?" He asked, cutting me off from the next thing I was going to say.
"...Work."
"Oh come one, Elena? That does not count. Where have you traveled that is not work related."
"Australia, New Zealand, and Spain." I blurt out.
"Please don't tell me for work.."
"No, I went with some of my friends at Med School. We decided that we need to see what the other side of the world was like before we're drowned in Internship, and Resident years."
"What did you do?"
"In Spain we visited the 'Sangrada Familia', Madrid, and even a little bit of Portugal. In Australia, we wondered around, enjoyed the food, and even managed to visit the inside of the Opera House. But my favorite was New Zealand..they had this huge Festival? Called Polyfest? They had six different stages in one park. Like Samoa, Maori, Tongan, and Niue..Oh god, you would have loved being there. And the FOOD!"
"I think I would have.." He laughs.
After a few minuted of talking about our adventures, I was so tired that I knocked out on the couch with him.
~
Walking back from the second floor of the Hospital, a large group of Residents and Attending's were called into the conference room by Owen.
"What's going on?" I asked Jackson who stood next to Mark.
"He's probably going to talk about some emergency procedures we have to follow." He whispers.
"Or. The large box on the floor beside him."
Leaning to the right, Jackson and I see a brown cardboard box, with an octopus design on the outside.
"Okay. Thank you all for coming. As you already know Seattle Grace is in this year's annual Baseball tournament, against Seattle Presbyterian."
Hearing the moans, and the whining from some people around me, I smirk at Derek who was doing the same thing.
"And they should also now, that they have won for the past 2 years," Teddy added as she sat just cross the room.
"And they also have really nice uniforms!" Meredith said.
Looking annoyed Owen, grabs the box next to him and throw it on the table.
"If everyone can stop whining. I wanted to say, that this year..we will also have nice uniforms." Pulling out a navy blue baseball tee, with white lettering and printing around the main part of the shirts, he also pulled out baseball caps.
"You will all finally look like a team. Now that we have our head pitcher."
Looking over at me, Teddy gets all exited about being announced.
"Teddy," I say, interrupting him.
"..And Elena."
Hearing the whispers around me, I catch Teddy's eye, right before smiling at me for the first time since the whole Lung Transplant mishap.
"Alright then. Everyone grab a cap and a shirt, and be ready with your glove after work at Hale's field just across the city."
Waiting as everyone in the room left, I walked with Jackson to Max' room.
"Hello, Max?" I said as I knocked on the door.
"I'm in here."
Slowly approaching the bathroom, Jackson checks on him first before telling me it's okay.
"Sorry, I was just checking on the stitches." He said as he re-wrapped the bandages.
"You do need a new dressing, so I'll just make you a new one," Jackson added, as he put on some gloves, and left the room to prepare the tray for him.
"So you and that Doctor?" Max asks as he slipped back into his room.
"You guys together?"
Rising my eyebrows, I smile at him, before Jackson came back in.
"Yes."
"To answer your question."
Looking really confused, Jackson stood still at the door.
"Were you talking about me?"
"Noo?"
After he got his new bandages, I asked Jackson and Lexie to take him to his post-op scans.
Taking my lunch early, I managed to arrive at the best time during lunch. Pizza.
"3 please."
Continuing down the line, I grabbed vegetables, fruit, and even some garlic bread.
"You do know that just because you grab vegetables and fruit doesn't make it right to eat Pizza with it as well," Mark said, as he had the same thing, except the Pizza was a burger.
"I can say the same thing for you?" Looking down at his plate.
Jackson's POV
Rushing back down to the cafeteria, I skip the last few steps, before entering the cafe. People were already grabbing their food, and sitting down on their tables, but just as I touched the end of the food tray, I see Mark and Elena.
Probably making small talk, but it seemed like he was trying to flirt with her. Yet a gut feeling of mine didn't like whatever was going on between them.
Elena would occasionally smile, before looking past him to the cafeteria door and saw me. She immediately drew a huge smile on her face.
"Hey, Sloan," I said, patting his back.
"Avery! I was just talking about you?"
"Really, about what? Seems like everyone is talking about Jackson, but just won't tell Jackson." I said, putting my hands by my pant waist.
"Why are you speaking in third person?" Elena asked, before setting her tray on a table near the windows.
"Sorry, I'm feeling kinda weird lately."
"Well, knock it off. We have a face reconstructive surgery in a few hours, and I need your head in the game." Sloan said, in his football voice.
"Haha, okay? I will get my head in the game?"
Leaving us alone, I sit down with Elena for a little bit.
"So after the game, you heading to Joe's after?" I ask.
"Probably yeah, If we win."
Taking a bite of her pizza, I enjoy watching her eyes close, and roll as she takes her first bite.
"This is so good.."
"You act like you've never eaten pizza before?"
"I'm a Doctor. I get called for every consult and surgery. Do you think I can eat pizza like any normal person." She says frantically.
"Yes?" I urged as she takes another bite.
"Whatever..I'm eating as much as I can before practice tonight."
"Keep eating this and you'll never fit in your pants..or your scrubs."
"Ass." She hisses.
"What? I'm joking. You have a great figure..literally."
"Well, If you should know, I don't gain weight easily. SO I can eat whatever I want."
Reaching into her pocket, Her takes out her beeper.
"Speaking of doing whatever I want. I have to 'want' to talk to my brother."
Getting up from the table, she takes her plate and goes over to my side before kissing me goodbye.
"I'll meet you after your shift," I said.
~
"Avery." I hear Sloan say, just as I turn the corner.
"Sloan, what's up?"
"I wanted to let you know that our patient Henry, is going to need more procedures then we estimated."
"Why? I thought only needed the reconstructive surgery?"
"Yeah well, now he wants a-"
Looking at his eyes widen, and then look slightly down his pants, I was so confused in what he wanted.
"A, what?"
"An enlargement...if his penis." He blurted out.
"Oh. Why?" I questioned but then took my question back.
"No, I'm not calling her," I said, knowing exactly why he needed to tell me this.
"She's the only one in the world that can do this enlargement."
Shaking my head, I cross my arms as I look at him strictly in the eye.
"Fine, then you give me no choice. I'll have to call he myself."
"No, I'll do it. I'll call my mother."
Sneaking out of the Hospital, I go into a private room similar to the Residents lounge. Closing the blinds, I grab the seat at the end of the long oval table before calling my mother on speed dial.
"Hello, Honey? I'm surprised you called?" She said as I heard Doctors talking in the background.
"Hey, mom. How are you?"
"Don't 'how are you' me? You haven't called me since February..it's October now."
"Sorry about that. I meant to call you after the Shooting."
"What's going on over there? How's Elena?" She asked as I turned myself around in the char several times.
"She's doing good. Getting back at doing Surgeries and consults. Actually her sister came to Seattle Grace not that long ago."
"Lizzie? Kathleen? or Nancy?"
"No? How do you know all of them?"
"I know everything about Elena Shepherd. She's dating my son."
"What do you mean everything?" I asked, leaning on the table in front of me.
"I know about her relationship with her father. About the horrible custody war, he went through to get her away from that horrible household. Including those 4 half-sisters of hers."
Taking a deep breath, I'm relieved that she doesn't know about Elena's life away from her mother's house.
"How? I thought she had those files sealed?"
"Sweety, you're talking to your mother here? Catherine Avery. I can have any information about anyone in less than an hour."
Chuckling under my breath, I relax my back on the chair.
"So let my guess. The crack addict, Amelia. She was the one who visited Derek at the Hospital?"
"Yeah.."
"And it didn't end well, from the sound of your voice?"
"I wasn't there the entire time it happened, but I was there when it got to the ugliest parts."
"I'm just curious? Was Dr. Sloan there, by any chance?"
"Yeah? He was beside her the entire two days Amelia was here. Derek was too busy taking care of his sister."
"Huh? So what did you call me for?"
"Speaking about Sloan, he needs you to assist him in a surgery. One of his patients wants a penis enlargement, including the face reconstruction he also wants."
"Well, when is the surgery?"
"Friday? We still have to figure out what kind of face he want with his new.."
"Penis?"
"Yeah? Do you think you can make it?"
"Absolutely. I'll be there tonight actually."
"Great, I'll come and pick you up, we can have dinner with Elena."
"Perfect."
"Bye, mom. Love you."
"Love you, Jackson."
After ending the call, something about the sound of my mother's voice was off. Whenever I mentioned Sloan and Elena, her voice was stern. Almost angry like.
"Hey, I thought I'd find you here?" Elena says as she sneaks into the room.
"How?"
"I asked April if she knew where you were? Told me you had closed the blind in one of the conference rooms."
Pushing my chair back, I walk over to her as she sits on the table.
"Is everything alright?" She asks, as her eyes weren't blue anymore, but a brownish-grey.
"Are we okay?" I asked as I placed my hands on her arms.
"Yeah, why wouldn't we be?" She said, with concern.
"I don't know..I guess seeing Mark comfort you when your sister was here, it just made me feel like I couldn't do that for you?"
"Mark has been with my family since his parents died, he has a close relationship with Amelia, and my sisters. He knows how to handle them, and he also knows how harsh they can towards me."
Wrapping her small hands around my elbows, she puts her thumbs in the slight crack between my biceps and my forearm.
"Next time I'll come to you..because I know now that Amelia saw me here in Seattle with Derek, she's going to say something to my mother."
"Mrs. Shepherd?" I whisper.
"Yep, Mrs. Shepherd."
"Well, since we're talking about our mothers. My mother is coming into town today, and I told her that we can grab Dinner at your house. I can cook, don't worry." I say, kissing the top of her head.
"Okay, Bobby Flay. Let's see what you got." She jokes as she pushes me off of her.
~
"Okay, Elena it's your turn!" Owen yelled from the outfield.
Standing in third base, Elena ran out of the field house and onto the base mountain.
"Let's go, baby!" I yelled as I caught her eye when she turned around.
Winding back slowly, she takes a deep breath, before rotating her arm around, and just as the ball meets the back of her thighs, she lets the ball slip through her fingers.
"Curve Ball!" Derek yells excitedly.
"STRIKE!"
"Yeah! One more Elena!" Sloan yelled as he stood on first base.
Doing the same thing again, she throws even harder this time, as the ball snaps on the catcher's glove.
"There you go!" Sloan yelled again.
Taking off her glove, Elena smiles over at Owen who stood next to Mark.
"Rest that arm, Elena! We're gonna need it for tomorrow game."
"You did great. The way you took that breath, and just let the ball slip through your fingers was stunning." Mark said as I approached her.
"Thanks, Mark. I just hope Seattle Pres. can't pitch as good as me."
"I don't think anyone can be as good as you." He said, touching her shoulder softly, before nods his head, and heads towards Derek.
Waiting for him to leave, Elena glances up at me.
"You did amazing," I said, wrapping my arms around her waist.
"Thank you. I felt the pressure coming."
"What pressure? You got this in the bag, baby?"
Seeing a smile emerge from her lips, it was so sincere that her dimples on the sides of her cheek were perfectly round.
"Come on, we have to shower before I pick up my mother from the airport."
~
Elena's POV
Hurrying up the stairs, I rip off the sweaty clothes on my body, and turn of the water. Taking off the makeup on my face, I brush my teeth, before hoping in the shower.
Scrubbing down all the nastiness that I have contaminated from the Hospital, and the baseball fields, I turn off the water and turn the corner just outside, and into my closet.
Throwing on a gray knitted sweater that crossed in the front of my chest, I grabbed a pair of black jeans with 2 ripped slits on the knees, before putting on a pair of brown ankle boots.
"Elena, we're here," Jackson said as he came back from the Airport.
"I'll down in a minute."
Brushing my hairs softly, I tried not to destroy my natural curly waves, and applied a subtle amount of makeup again.
Turning off the lights in my bedroom, I go down stairs to see Catherine and Jackson petting Tobes.
"He's trained," I said as I stood next to Catherine.
"Oh, Elena. It's great to see you..in one piece." She said, as she firmly grabbed my arms.
"I'm lucky to be in one piece."
Cracking a few more jokes, Jackson leaves his mother and me alone in the living room.
"Do you want to head outside? The stars should be at it's peak." I said to her, as she dropped her bag on the couch and wrapped her jacket tightly around her.
"I wanted to ask you something, Elena?" Catherine says as I bend one of my legs to sit in a little nook beside a window that looks into the kitchen.
"Yeah?"
"Do you love Jackson?" She blurts out, with no hesitation.
"Why would you ask that?"
"I've seen the way Mark Sloan has looked at you. The day of the shooting? I heard about how he kept you by his side when Amelia was in town, two weeks ago. Do you still have feelings for him? Or for my son?"
Staring into her brown eyes, there was a glimmer of hope. Hope that something would come out of my mouth that would involve Jackson's name.
"I was in love, and the feeling was even more wonderful than I ever imagined it would be."
"So, this thing with my son..it's- a"
"I never said it was Mark?"
Taking a minute to let her comprehend what I'm trying to say to her, she rest he arm on the shelf.
"There's something different about Jackson. Maybe it's his love for the people in his life, or his genuine personality, to put his loved ones before him. I never had that? I was engaged to a man, but he died from heart failure. Then Mark came in the picture, and I never thought that I would ever be attracted to my brother's best friend."
"...But Jackson...he's my best friend. He's the only person that I trust with my life, more than Derek. He cared for me, when I was going through a year of hell. Despite his relationship with Mark, also being his friend, and his mentor.."
"Dinner's almost ready," Jackson said as he peaked him out the door.
Getting up from the nook, I wait for Catherine to get up.
"If you wanted an answer towards your first question....Yes." I whisper as I walked into the house.