35. Jet
Chapter 35
Jet
“Again?” William throws his cards onto the hospital sheets with a deep rumble of a laugh. “At least I know you never let an old man win because you feel sorry for him almost dying and all.”
“You just faked it so you could get some pretty doctors and nurses looking after you,” I say as I scoop them up and add them back to the deck with mine and start to shuffle.
“Must be costing a bit.” William fixes me with the same stern look that keeps sliding onto his face since he was brought into hospital. I ignore him, as I have been doing each time he’s commented on the private hospital we’re in.
“Ready to get beaten again?” I arch a brow at him as I split the card deck in two and riffle shuffle in my hands, ending it in a bridge finish.
William whistles, then chuckles. “Now you’re just showing off. ”
I deal the cards, then lean back in the hospital chair beside his bed. He rolls his lips, eyeing me with a smile over the top of his cards.
“Careful, Gramps. Jet will cheat to make sure he wins.”
“Ava!” William drops the cards onto the bed.
My shoulders tense, every muscle in my back coiling tight as the fury being aimed at my back takes on its own heat, like a laser searing through my clothes.
I turn and meet her eyes.
“Ava?”
She flinches when I say her name. I turn around, carefully gathering the cards up and putting them back into the case, willing the sudden ache in my throat to go away.
“Packing up because you know I was about to beat you this time?” William jests.
“I’ll leave you two to have some time alone.”
I rise from the seat, tucking the cards into my jacket pocket. The minute I turn, her eyes meet mine again, like she hasn’t taken them off me since she walked into the room.
“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in LA?” The venom in her voice is harder than any slap around the face.
“I’m just leaving.” I step toward her, and she tenses, the pain I’ve caused palpable in the fine lines around her tired eyes .
“Good.” She sinks into the seat I’ve just vacated, taking William’s hand in hers. Her face softens to the Ava I recognize as she gazes at him.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine, love.” William looks past her to me. “Where are you going? Sit down, you just got here.”
“I can’t stay.” My gaze slides to Ava, her spine straight as she sits stiffly in the seat pretending I’m not here.
“He’s busy working on a new business deal, aren’t you?” she says, keeping her back to me.
William seems to register the sudden plummet of temperature in the room, and he looks back and forth between the two of us.
“Look, I know you two kissed and whatever.”
“Gramps,” Ava gasps.
“I was young once, love, I know how it is.”
“Oh my god,” she mutters.
“But whatever happened, you’re both here now. And you’ve come to see me, not each other. So leave whatever this fall out is between you outside, you hear me? You can go back to ignoring each other after.”
“Yes, Sir,” I answer immediately.
Ava’s eyes dart to my face, then she exhales, shaking her head in defeat. “Fine,” she mutters, sounding anything but pleased.
“Sit down,” William says to me. “Get that other chair.” He points to one across the room.
I stay rooted to the spot until he jabs a finger toward it again. Then I slowly walk over and curl my hand around the back of it, twisting it to face the bed before I sit, conscious of giving her as much distance as I can. It fucking wrecks me that she can barely stomach to be in the same room as me.
“Jet’s been here since I was brought in,” William says to Ava. Her eyes widen as she glances at me with a look of surprise. “And he’s just got back after I kicked him out to take a rest. I’d like him to stay. At least until I beat him at cards. You know he’s won five days straight?”
“Five days?” she croaks.
“Nearly had you on day three, though.” William chuckles at me and I tip my chin in agreement.
“You did.”
“You two have been meeting up for five days?”
“Jet brought your suitcase back from Magnus’s house for you. Couldn’t let him leave without beating him at a game first. We’ve had to have some re-matches, but I’ll get there. Don’t get complacent.” He winks at me.
“Never.” I nod.
“Were you the one who found him?”
It’s the first time she’s spoken to me in over a month with something other than contempt in her tone. And I want to fucking cling to it like a life buoy. Ask her to repeat it, just so I can record it and play it on a loop, hoping it’ll allow me to get to sleep at night. Because the nights are the worst. When I’m alone with my thoughts. My regrets.
“I was.”
An unreadable emotion passes across her face .
“Thank you,” she whispers, then she turns back to William and starts talking quietly, acting like I’m not here again.
I wish I wasn’t. I wish I hadn’t seen the hate in her eyes the moment she saw me. Because all I want to remember is the way she looked at me that night in Thailand. When I promised her she was safe and would never be alone again. When she still trusted me.
I pull my phone from my pocket, seeing a missed call from Hayden.
“I really should go.”
I stand at the exact moment the door opens and Zena walks through it carrying a cardboard tray with three cups inside.
“Jet.” She smiles as she sees me. “I didn’t know you were here. I’d have brought another coffee.”
“He’s leaving,” Ava says, her back still to me.
“I am.” I look at William. “I’ll come back another time.”
“That’s a shame,” Zena says. “Although I’m happy you two have made up. I knew it must have been a misunderstanding.” She smiles in Ava’s direction, missing the way her daughter’s shoulders stiffen at her words. “The hotel’s lovely, by the way. Thank you for arranging it all.”
Ava spins, pinning an accusing glare on me. “What?”
“Jet dealt with everything,” Zena chirps as she places the cup holder down onto the table beside William’s bed and then shrugs out of her coat. “And the flight and cars. I didn’t have to do a thing after he called. ”
I hold Ava’s eyes in silence as Zena swans about, straightening up things on the table, then walking over to the window to open it wider.
“You were the one who called Mum?”
I clear my throat and nod. “I was.”
“He tried to call you a million times, darling. Couldn’t get through,” Zena hums as she walks back across the room to get the coffees.
Ava lets out a small gasp, her lower lip trembling as something in her eyes makes my heart fall to my feet.
“I blocked your number,” she whispers. “It’s all my—”
“It’s not your fault, Ava.” My voice cuts through the room like a knife, making everyone fall silent and stare at me.
She blinks at me, her lower lids heavy with tears and I fucking hate myself more in this moment than I ever have in my life.
“Not your fault,” I repeat more gently, holding her pained gaze.
She makes a choked sound and turns away, gripping onto the back of her chair so she can stand. “I need some air.” She wobbles on her feet, and Zena reaches out, grabbing her before she falls.
“Darling, you’re so pale.”
“I feel a little sick.”
“You okay, love?” William asks.
“I’m fine.” Ava tries to brush her mother off, but Zena keeps ahold of her upper arms and studies her face with concern .
“You’ve not been sleeping well, and now this? This is exactly how I was when… Darling, are you pregnant?”
I move in a flash before I have time to comprehend what I’m doing, wrapping Ava in my arms, and holding her up as her legs wobble beneath her.
“Are you?” I look down at her pale face and into dim blue eyes.
“No.” She scoffs. “So you can get off me.”
She pushes at my chest, but I can’t let her go.
“Leave me alone! You’ve done enough.”
She wobbles again, her eyes losing focus, so I sweep her up into my arms, holding her close against my chest as I stride over to the door and kick it open.
“We need a doctor!”
Eyes snap up from the medical desk further down the hall, then two medical staff hurry toward us.
“I’m fine,” Ava mumbles in a weak voice.
Zena rushes over and grabs her hand, but I hold her tighter to me as a nurse reaches us and starts talking to Ava.
“This is your fault!” Zena’s brows shoot up her forehead. “She’s not been herself since you left her for that model. You left her, and now she’s pregnant.”
“I’m not pregnant,” Ava protests.
“You left my daughter. And now look what’s happened.”
“Listen to me,” I hiss. “I would never leave Ava without a damn good reason. I wouldn’t walk away from anyone I care about for my own goddamn selfish reasons. I protect the people I care about. I’d trade my happiness for theirs. Not that I’d expect you to understand that for one fucking minute.”
Her eyes pop wide and the color drains from her skin. “I… I... That’s not what it was like.”
I grind my teeth so hard my head starts to pound. I’ve said too fucking much. My arms tighten around Ava as I drag in a splintered breath.
Zena shakes her head, the whites of her eyes popping. “Ava, tell him. That’s not what it was like. You know it wasn’t like that, don’t you, darling?”
“I do, Mum,” Ava mumbles, seeming to use a whole lot of energy to answer as she grows weaker in my arms.
I ignore Zena’s frantic words tumbling out, focusing my attention on Ava as I place her down onto the hospital bed that’s been wheeled in for her.
“I was grieving. I’d lost my husband,” Zena babbles. “Losing someone you love means you need a fresh start sometimes. I had to move away. I was a mess; I couldn’t be the mother she needed. I thought I was doing what was best for her, that she’d be better with her grandfather.”
“Who are you trying to convince? Me? Or yourself?” I snap, losing all patience for the woman who let my girl down. The woman who left a scared child to grieve alone.
I turn away, using my body as a shield to block her out as I move closer to the bed. Ava looks at me with questioning eyes as Zena keeps blathering on behind me. I brace one hand on the metal frame and lean in .
“Best doctors and nurses in the world here, Ava. You’ll be safe.” I stroke her hair away from her face as the nurse straps a blood pressure cuff to her arm.
Her eyes track to the two medical staff before she looks back at me.
“You hate hospitals.” Her forehead creases with a frown. “You told me in Thailand.”
“That’s right, I do.”
“But you’ve been here since Gramps came in.” She searches my eyes, and a flare of hope ignites in my dead heart that for the first time in over a month she’s looking at me with something other than hatred in her eyes.
It’s enough to make my breath stall in my throat.
Zena starts sobbing theatrically and tries to push around me to get closer. I stay rigid like a wall around a fortress, protecting what’s inside. She scrambles to the other side of the bed instead, getting in the way of the nurse as she grabs ahold of Ava’s hand.
“Darling, are you okay?”
“Fine,” Ava croaks, her eyes never wandering from mine.
“You know I didn’t want to be apart. I asked you to come to LA so many times.” Zena keeps rambling, but Ava just looks at me, a barrage of questions building in her eyes. “And we’re having a wonderful time together, aren’t we? We’re going to be working together, going to red carpet events, celebrating your movie, your success,” she splutters. “It’s what you wanted. You said so yourself.”
I wish someone would slap her to shut her up.
“You’re going to be famous, Ava. We’ll be recognized everywhere we go. You and me. Mother and daughter. Your story will be talked about everywhere. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened. You’ll see. Aren’t you glad it’s out there now? Being shared with the world? It was too big not to share, Darling. You know I’m right.”
My stomach drops to my feet as the haunted look in Ava’s eyes grows with each blink.
“Jet?” she whispers, her breath catching.
Zena sniffles. “Look at me, darling. Look at me. I can explain. Mitch thought it was a good idea. You wanted to say yes when he suggested it, I know you did.”
My soul is torn from my body the second her pupils widen with realization. The second I see that stab of pain go right through her heart.
“What’s going on? Tell me the truth, Jet. Please ,” she begs, searching my eyes.
Every cell in my body goes on high alert as I’m frozen in place, witnessing her crumple in front of my eyes.
“Jet?” she chokes.
I lean in, running the backs of my fingers down her cheek as caramel and waterlily wash over me in delicate waves. Ones I’d happily drown in for her. The touch of her skin against mine brings enough strength to me that I can get out the words I should have told her months ago.
“The truth is, I wish you all the happiness in the world. And I’d do absolutely anything to give it to you.” I kiss her on the forehead, screwing my eyes shut as my chest burns. “ Anything, Firefly .”
She reaches for me, but I catch her hand in mine and squeeze it gently, before placing it onto the bed.
“You need to talk with your mum.”
“Ava?” Zena steals her attention, and she looks away from me for the briefest second, disbelief and heartbreak swimming in her eyes.
“Mum?” she sobs.
I turn away before I lose it and punch the wall.
“Look after her,” I say to the nurse, unable to look at anyone else in the room as I stride out.