⇢ CHAPTER 61

into Holly's bedroom, lightly shining on the couple that lied down on their sides in her bed. With Jackson's arm loosely around Holly, they did as many couples usually do-- fight.

"You know how April was the  car ride home." Holly reminded, her eyes looking up at Jackson's, "How she felt like she had no game and couldn't get in a relationship-- or even a one-night-stand, and there we were, coming back after a kiss--"

"Holl." Jackson started, trying to reason with her as she continued talking.

"It's just feels like an 'in-your-face' type of deal and I don't want that to offend her in any way and--"

"Sweetheart?" Jackson interrupted, a smile on his face as he was finally able to call her that. 

"What?" Holly sighed, running a stressed out hand through her face.

"You do realize the wedding was a month ago?" Jackson reminded.

Holly rolled her eyes at the statement, "April's still--" She paused mid-sentence, hearing footsteps begin to approach her door-- Holly's eyes widened as she slapped her hand on Jackson's chest and whispered, "Hide!"

"What?" Jackson frowned his eyebrows as Holly continued to nudge him before he ultimately rolled out of the bed just as the door opened.

"Oh, h-hey, April." Holly flashed her sister an unconvincing smile, making the older sister raise an eyebrow.

"Breakfast is ready." April announced, "Go and get first dibs on the French toast while I wake up Jackson--"

"No!" Holly shouted as April reached for the doorknob for Jackson's door, "I-I'll, uh, go tell him about the french toast." Holly chuckled, leaning against the headboard, "It's cool."

"Mm." April hummed with a nod before walking away after closing the door.

Jackson popped his head up from the side as Holly went to go check on him and he sighed, "Really?"

"Sorry." Holly grimaced before holding out a hand to help him up-- which led Jackson to pull her down and land on top of him, "I-- Jackson!" 

"What?" Jackson shrugged, holding onto her tighter as she tried to escape his hold on her, "It felt lonely down here and I'm hurt."

"Mm." Holly hummed before looking up at him, "Well, there's french toast, and I'm not planning on missing any of it." She smiled, giving him a peck on his lips before she quickly ran out of the room to the kitchen, knowing Jackson would inevitably steal all the toast.

✧

"Why are you here?" Derek asked, hitting the ping-pong ball against his board as he asked the Chief Resident who sat on the couch reading a magazine, "I thought you were going to spend time with your boyfriend?" 

"Boyfriend?" Ross asked before hitting the ball that Derek threw at him with his own racket-- his input made Holly squint at him.

"This conversation doesn't concern you, Ross." Holly noted, "Try harder to beat him at the game, I want to see an actual competition." She looked at Derek, "And he's in surgery."

"Ahh." Derek hummed before hitting the ball Ross threw his way with force.

"Whoa." Ross raised his eyebrows, beginning to suck-up as Holly flipped a page in her magazine, "Nice shot, Dr. Shepherd. You got a little something on that backhand?"

Derek, clearly uninterested, spoke in a monotone voice, "Seven serving two." He hit the ball as his phone, along with Holly's, began to ring.

"Hey, Derek, Holly." Arizona lectured as she entered the door, "Answer your phone."

"They're/We're in the middle of a game." Holly and Derek answered in unison, both concentrated on their own tasks.

"Well, you know what?" Arizona rhetorically asked as she grabbed the ping-pong ball before looking at the two, "Not anymore. The lawyer called, and they need us at the courthouse." At that, Holly and Derek's eyes widened, having previously thought the lawyers were calling for another set of questions, "Now."

✧

Rushing into the courthouse with a jacket over her scrubs, Callie quickly turned the corner and entered in time to see the lawyers packing up their things. "Did I miss it?" She asked the victims of the plane crash that sat in shock by the benches, "Damn it." She sighed, "I'm sorry. I got out of the O.R. as fast as I could, but I didn't think it was gonna happen today." Her eyes skimmed through their faces, making her face fall, "Oh, God. Was it bad?" Meredith shook her head, "It wasn't?"

Arizona blinked, looking at her wife before her eyes went forward, "We won."

"He said the airline company had a history of mechanical problems with the plane." Derek answered, the small bubble of hate for Owen Hunt beginning to grow, "It was in public record, and the hospital should've known."

"He found the hospital negligent." Meredith continued, making the smile on Callie's face widen.

"So we won." Callie let out a sigh of relief as her eyes looked at the judge before they went back to her friends, "When's he gonna tell us about the award? I mean... I hate to be all about the money--"

"He already did." Cristina responded, moving her face away from the seats in front of her.

"H-He's giving us fifteen dollars." Holly answered, the number making her feel lightheaded as she stared at the floor, ""

Callie's eyebrows rose in surprise, "Whoa."

✧

Biting her lip lightly, Holly walked down the hall in a calm yet rushed manner before she reached the attending's lounge. She opened the door and stuck her head in, not wanting to enter the area she was not allowed to be in as her eyes landed on Jackson, "Save me."

Cristina chuckled before she nudged Jackson as she, April, and Alex stuffed their mouths with cookies, "Go save your Juliet, Romeo." 

"What's wrong?" Jackson asked in concern once he reached her in a low voice.

"Callie's making us have a 'Survivor's Dinner' and it's just--" She sighed, giving him pleading eyes, "it feels like the last supper or something." Jackson released a chuckle at Holly's words, "It feels weird, and I know you have James' surgery later today and you need to show the interns post-op care but--"