Light ► JACKSON AVERY

chapter fourteen

JACKSON LIKED LAYNE.

He could no longer deny it. He didn't know what triggered his realisation. One second he was living in blissful denial, thinking that, 'hey, this is just what friends do' and the next moment he knew that his feelings ran much deeper than he could ever imagine. Once he had figured that out, everything else fell into place. It made much more sense now; why he always looked for her in a crowd, why his heart beat so fast around her, why he had to stop himself from getting closer and never letting go of her hand.

He liked her.

That was the only explanation.

It might have cleared up a lot for him, but one downside about it was the knowing. Whenever he was around Layne — granted, which was a lot — he couldn't help but worry. What if she knew? Could she see through his actions, through the look in his eyes? Did she know that his heart beat for her and her only?

Jackson sighed, glancing down at his black sneakers. He stood outside in the ambulance bay. Next to him stood Karev and Charles. They were all waiting for the incoming ambulance. He looked at them to see eager looks in their eyes. He had a pretty good feeling what had them so excited. He leaned forward and glanced sideways. "How close?"

"Two minutes."

Mark Sloan ended up joining the three of them. His hands were in his pockets. He had a knowing smile on his lips as he glanced at the three residents. He looked towards the front, shaking his head. "It's Nicole, right? Three guys waiting for an ambulance? Must be Nicole behind the wheel."

Charles smirked, proudly nodding his head. "Have you seen her ass? Man, I'd love to hit that."

Alex laughed, along with Charles. Mark looked more proud of the fact that he had gotten it right. Jackson shook his head, leaning forward once again to see the ambulance nearing them. The laughter stopped once Richard Webber joined them. They didn't quite know how to act around him. He used to be their Chief of Surgery, the top dog, the one at the top of the food chain. But, now, he was one of them. What were they supposed to talk about with him? Could they still banter like that with the Chief around?

"Morning, chief."

"Sorry about that, chief. I..."

Richard waved his hand in dismissal. How awkward it may be for them, it was ten times worse for him. "That's quite all right. And, um, I'm not the chief."

The ambulance arrived.

"Hey, Nicole."

Nicole had stepped out to open the doors of the ambulance. All eyes were on her, which was something she knew too.

"Hey. Nick Kelsey, 32, injured skiing off a helicopter. Vital signs are stable. It wasn't the helicopter that did it. It was the avalanche. Idiotic either way. He's got two idiot friends coming in behind him, but he's got the worst of it ... Open fracture to the left tibia and left hip fracture," Charles checked her out, not bothering to hide it. It didn't go unnoticed. "What are you looking at, Chachi?"