Chapter 14
AVA
The tang of antiseptic filled her nostrils as she slowly came out of a haze she didn’t understand. A distant beeping echoed in her ears. She groaned, her features twisting as she tried to determine what was happening in the first few moments of consciousness.
“Avs…” Alex’s voice sounded so far away.
“Alex,” she murmured before struggling to open her eyes.
The dimly lit room was unfamiliar. The beeping sped up as she shifted on the uncomfortable mattress. “Alex?”
Her voice took on a more panicked tone before details started to fill in. She lay in a hospital bed, but why?
“Hey,” Alex said, his features pinched with worry though he forced a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “There are those beautiful green eyes.”
“What happened? Why am I in the hospital?” Her groggy voice sounded raspy to her. “And why is my mouth so dry?”
“That’s probably the medication. Here I’ll get you some water.” Alex hurried across the room to pour water into a plastic cup and dunk a straw in it, holding it out to her.
“Thanks,” she answered, trying to sit up.
“Easy, easy, Avs.” He pressed a gentle, but firm hand against her shoulder. “You’ve been through it.”
Her confusion made her head hurt. “Through what?”
“You had a subdural hematoma. Not severe, just needed some medication to take care of it. You’re all good now.”
Despite his reassurance, she heard the strain in his voice. “And what about you?”
“I’m not the one who was in a car accident.”
“No, but you’re the one who must have dealt with all of this.” She reached for his hand.
He avoided her gaze as their fingers laced together. “It’s okay.”
She watched his careful movements, the concern etched deep in his features. Each gentle touch spoke volumes, stirring a warmth that Chris’s recent coldness had failed to extinguish. Why, she wondered, did Alex’s presence soothe her so profoundly when Chris’s absence left a hollow echo?
“It’s not. That must have been scary for you.”
He huffed out a laugh. “It was. I found you…just lying there. I just…I panicked.”
She squeezed his hand. “I’ll bet. Oh, Alex, I’m so sorry. It was a really bad night for you, wasn’t it? First the accident, then the kiss, then Chris showing up, and now this.”
Something flashed in his eyes that she couldn’t read as she listed the issues he’d faced.
“Speaking of Chris, did you tell him I’m in the hospital?”
Alex nodded. “I did, yes. I…called him when they were assessing you. I couldn’t stand waiting alone.”
“Aw, Alex. I’m so sorry. I hope, at least, he behaved himself.”
“He wasn’t so bad, I guess.” Alex shrugged nonchalantly.
Ava glanced around the room, wondering where her fiancé was. “Did you ask him to wait in the waiting room?”
Alex slid his gaze sideways to Ava. “No, he, uh, got hungry and decided to go eat.”
Ava glanced at the clock on the wall, noting the time. “Oh, wow, it’s been hours. You must be hungry, too.”
“I couldn’t even think about eating right now,” Alex whispered. “I just wanted you to wake up.”
She squeezed his hand again. “I’m awake. Go get something to eat.”
“I am not leaving your side, Sparky. No way.”
She forced a tired smile. “I’m okay, Alex. Go eat. I’m worried about you. You look exhausted.”
“I’ll live. I’m not leaving you.”
She shimmied sideways in the bed. “This bed is awful but lay down next to me.”
“Avs, I’m okay.”
But he wasn’t. He was exhausted from the long night of waiting and worrying. His eyes stung, and he knew he needed sleep, but he also wanted to keep vigil with her.
“Come on. I’m still pretty tired, myself. We’ll fall asleep together.”
His features pinched, his eyes turning glassy.
“Come on. If you don’t climb in, I’m going to try to stay awake with you, I’d much rather doze off again. I want to sleep some more, and I’d rather do that with you close to me. I’ll feel better.”
“You’re lying so I go to sleep,” he said, shifting the hospital table aside as he perched on the edge of the mattress.
“Alex Stone, are you calling me a liar?”
“Maybe,” he said as he kicked off his shoes and slid closer to her.
With an arm wrapped around her, she snuggled closer to him, laying her head and her hand on his chest.
He wrapped his hand around hers, as she sucked in a deep breath.
“So,” she said, the sound of his heart echoing in her ears, sending warmth through her, “are you going to fall for my lies?”
He rested a cheek against the top of her head. “Maybe.”
A large yawn punctuated his statement.
“Sounds like it,” she said with a giggle. “Close your eyes, Ace. Go to sleep. I’m fine.”
She let her eyes slide shut, waiting until his breathing turned rhythmic before she allowed herself to drift off, too.
A clattering startled her awake. She sniffed sharply, her eyes snapping open.
Chris tossed his keys onto the heater in the room. The expression on his face betrayed his annoyance.
“Hey,” she murmured, trying not to wake a still-sleeping Alex.
“Hey. This looks…cozy.” His words had a hollow ring to them, his eyes not quite meetings hers. Was it just jealousy she detected or was it something more?
Her shoulders slumped at the words. “He was exhausted.”
“So was I. I stayed up most of the night, too.”
“Let’s not argue, Chris,” she said. “We’re all exhausted. Maybe you ought to stretch out in the chair there. We’ll all get some rest.”
Chris stared at her with an unimpressed expression etched into his features. “No, I’ll be fine. I did get some sleep earlier when you were asleep.”
“And some breakfast,” she murmured.
He heaved a sigh as he sank into the chair. “I see we’re still at it, huh?”
She flicked her eyebrows up. “We? You’re the one who walked away.”
“And I came back. Your good buddy, Alex, wouldn’t let me see you.”
Ava heaved a sigh. “I asked him to do that. I just…wasn’t feeling well, I was upset, and I didn’t want another argument.”
“Yeah, well, maybe if you’d let me see you, we wouldn’t be in this position.”
“That’s not…Chris, you’re not a doctor. I probably would have passed out regardless of us seeing each other.” Ava adjusted the sheet higher on both her and Alex. “Look, let’s not argue.”
He scrubbed his face. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just…exhausted.”
“I’m sure you are. We all are. It’s been a rough few days.” She reached for his hand.
He wrapped his fingers around hers. “It has been. I really wish you’d walk away from this. Ava, this is dangerous.”
“I’m not leaving Alex to deal with all of this.”
He leaned back in the chair, letting their hands slip apart as he nodded. “Fine. Then, let’s try to wrap it up as quickly as possible.”
“We all want that, Chris. I don’t think Alex is having the time of his life here. And I don’t think he would have set up an accident that could have killed me.”
“Fine, okay. He’s not doing this. I just… wish we could put this behind us.”
Before she could answer, Alex groaned next to her, wriggling. She twisted to face him, finding him still asleep, snuggling closer to her.
She stroked his hair until he settled back into his rhythmic breathing.
“You should get some more rest, too,” Chris said as he opened the recliner and shifted back in it.
“Yeah, I’m pretty tired. Are you going to close your eyes, too?”
He slid his eyes closed. “Yeah.”
“Do you need a blanket?”
“No, I’m good. Just…relax, Ava. Try to rest.”
She twisted back to Alex, studying his features as he slept. Across the room, Chris’s light snoring floated on the air. She slid her hand into Alex’s before she closed her eyes, too.
Alex’s fingers tightened on hers, suddenly. She fluttered her eyes open, noticing his features pinching. “Don’t go…please…stay with me.”
His soft, pained pleas hung between them.
“Shh,” she soothed.
His features relaxed, his hand loosening. She let her eyes close again, but the words played on her mind. What was he afraid of losing?
When she woke again, she found everyone else awake and a nurse checking her vitals. “Hey,” she said with a sleepy smile. “Any chance I can break out of here?”
“Things are looking good. We’ll probably be sending you home today,” the nurse answered.
“Yay,” she cheered with a grin.
The nurse smiled at her before shuffling from the room, making a few notes on her chart.
“Give me my clothes. I want to be ready when they cut me loose,” Ava said, waving a finger at the bag of clothes on the heater.
Chris rose from his seat in the recliner. “Ava, I think we need to talk about what’s going to happen next.”
“What do you mean? What’s going to happen next is we’re going home to look at those files. They’re our best lead right now.”
“Whoa, you are not going home to work,” Chris said.
“Yeah,” Alex said, shoving his hands into his pockets, “for once I agree with Chrispy Creme. Avs, you need to rest when we get home.”
“I can rest and look at a piece of paper at the same time,” she argued.
“I think you need to really rest,” Chris answered. “I don’t think you should rush your recovery. I actually think we need professional help.”
Alex screwed up his face. “Professional help?”
“Yeah, for what?”
“Your care. Ava, you probably should be resting in bed until your ribs, wrist, and concussion heal.”
“Okay, so?” Alex asked. “I mean, I’ll do whatever Ava needs, but…”
“But someone needs to keep an eye on her, take her meals, that sort of thing.”
“Yeah,” Alex said with wide eyes. “Us.”
“Us?” Chris asked. “I’m not a nurse.”
Alex rolled his eyes at the man. “I can be the nurse. It’ll be fine.”
“Are you two finished?” Ava asked, annoyance lacing her voice. “I don’t need a nurse. I don’t need waited on. I may not run any marathons in the next few days, but I can sit on a couch. I may even be able to play video games!”
Chris clicked his tongue. “I don’t know how good of an idea that is.”
“Or you could stay in bed, and I could move everything to you,” Alex said with a grin.
“Still don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“It’s fine. I need to do something to pass the time. We’ll work on the files, play games, and I’ll rest.”