‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Sarah Drew Hasn’t Given Up On Jackson And April Yet

Grey’s Anatomy is known for its shocking storylines, but the ABC medical drama really did it this time, with a flashback-filled episode that had Japril fans all over the place with emotion. While fans may have seen the end of Jackson and April’s (Jesse Williams, Sarah Drew) marriage coming, what they didn’t probably see coming—SPOILER ALERT—is that April is pregnant.

In an interview with TV Guide, Grey’s Anatomy star Sarah Drew said even she was shocked by her character’s pregnancy revelation in the episode “Unbreak My Heart.” While the timing is far from ideal, the actress says she sees April’s bun in the oven as positive thing for the long struggling couple, despite the fact that they’ve already signed their divorce papers.

“I was completely shocked when I read that in the script. I was like, oh my gosh. But I loved it. It was this beacon of hope that we could cling onto. So, I love it. I had no idea it was coming, and I’m so glad that it did.”

Diehard Grey’s Anatomy fans know that after the couple tragically lost their son Samuel Norbert last season, April left Jackson twice to grieve alone. When she came back and was ready to fight for their marriage, Jackson questioned if it was worth fighting for.

In the TV Guide interview, Drew joked that her Grey’s Anatomy character put more effort into making her marriage work than Williams’ character did. The actress pointed to how her TV husband wouldn’t budge when it came to trying to save their marriage. (Example: He gave up on marriage counseling after just a few weeks.)

Still, after all these TV docs have been through, the Grey’s Anatomy star believes April would have been willing to work on things if Jackson hadn’t looked away when she asked him if he was sure he wanted a divorce. And it probably would have helped if he hadn’t had her served with divorce papers at work—in front of a crowd of people in the middle of the emergency room.

“I think that if she could in any way stay in this marriage and reclaim the love of her life and make amends for whatever happened, she would do whatever she could. But he’s not budging.”

Of course, the way the episode played out, Grey’s Anatomy fans don’t know if April knew about her pregnancy before or after she signed the divorce papers. Sarah promises that Grey’s fans will find out the sequence of events in the next few episodes. She also teased that while she certainly hopes the baby is Jackson’s—April was fighting to save her marriage at the time, after all— anything is possible in Shondaland and on Grey’s Anatomy.

Drew added that her favorite part about this surprising new Grey’s Anatomy storyline is that there is now a real sense of hope for her character, who will treat her unexpected pregnancy as “her one great gift and joy in the midst of the pain and destruction of the divorce.” And while April will be “all about the baby,” the new bundle of joy could also be what it takes to bring the couple back together.

“I always, always, always hold out hope for Japril. I think there’s always hope. Nobody’s dead. There’s always hope as long as they’re both still breathing.”

Take a look at the video to see a scene from the “Unbreak My Heart” episode of Grey’s Anatomy.

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

[Photo By Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for The People’s Choice Awards]