Chapter 7
Ava woke up feeling far better than she had the day before. Her stomach didn’t roll as soon as she moved, and that was progress. She pushed herself up and sighed. Her body was still weak, and her stomach growled. She needed food.
She got out of bed and went to the bathroom, brushing her teeth and hair before pulling it up into a bun.
The door to Kelly’s room, now Ruby’s room, was closed.
Ava had no intention of waking her sister up and wanted to let her sleep as long as she wanted.
She had been through a lot lately and suspected that Ruby slept better when she stayed with her than when she was at home.
Home. With fierce determination, Ava grabbed a breakfast bar and sat down at her computer.
She looked up what she needed to do to get custody of Ruby.
It was time, and nothing would deter her.
After an hour of research and printing off paperwork to read through and fill out, she heard a door open.
She poked her head into the hallway to see Ruby rubbing her eyes.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” Ava said.
Ruby looked up. “Hi.”
“Hungry?”
Ruby nodded. Ava walked with her to the kitchen and got her set up with a bowl of cereal and then frowned. Cole hadn’t come out of his room yet. That wasn’t like him. He was usually up before her.
Ava walked over to Cole’s room and listened. It was quiet, so she cracked the door and peeked inside. The room was dark with the shades pulled. She could just make out the lump on the bed as Cole burrowed under his comforter.
“Cole,” she said softly so as not to wake him if he wasn’t already awake.
“Mmm?”
“You okay?”
“No.”
She walked over to the side of the bed. “Are you sick?”
“Yes.”
“Can I get you anything?”
“No.”
She left the room and went to the kitchen, pouring him a glass of ginger ale before returning to his room with the drink and a bowl. She set them on his nightstand.
“Shout or text if you need anything.”
He only grunted in reply.
She left the room, but paced outside the door. Seeing him sick after taking care of her and Ruby yesterday had her in knots. She wanted to force him out of his room so she could keep an eye on him. But that wouldn’t help anything.
“Ava?” Ruby called.
Ava went to the living room, where Ruby was seated, and sat down with her. “Yeah?”
“Is Cole okay?”
“He’s sick.”
“Oh no,” Ruby said.
“At lunchtime, let’s run to the cafe and pick up some soup for him.”
“Just like he did for me.”
“And me,” Ava said. She looked down the hall toward his room despite not being able to see it from where she sat. “I want to go check on him soon to make sure he doesn’t need anything.”
“Good idea. We can take care of him like he took care of us,” Ruby said.
“Exactly.”
Ava and Ruby watched a movie, but Ava’s mind was on Cole the entire time.
Focusing was hard when she knew he was suffering behind his door.
While she still didn’t feel one hundred percent, at least she wasn’t completely miserable and throwing up.
The only saving grace was that she suspected it was only a twenty-four-hour bug for the worst part since that’s what she and Ruby seemed to have.
“Do you have any homework you need to work on?” Ava asked.
Ruby sighed. “I don’t know. I haven’t been to school since I got sick.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Ava said softly. “Your backpack is back at Mom’s place, huh?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry. I forgot to grab it.”
“It’s okay. We can get it in the morning before I take you to school.”
Ruby smiled. “Thank you.”
Ava looked around and spotted a package sitting near the door. She hadn’t noticed it earlier. She picked it up and turned it over, seeing her name on it.
“Oh, Ruby, I think this is your phone.”
Ava tore into the package and sighed in relief at the cell phone.
Now Ruby would have a way to get ahold of her at all times.
She took it out of the box and went through the process of setting it up and then charging it.
While it charged, she saved her phone number and Cole’s into it.
Then she went through the phone with Ruby to make sure she knew how to use it and to practice calling her.
Once she was confident Ruby wouldn’t have any issues, she left it charging on the table and walked down the hallway to check on Cole.
She didn’t knock; instead, she cracked the door and peeked inside.
He was still lying in a heap under his covers, so she walked quietly over to him and rested her hand on his forehead.
His eyes cracked open as he looked up at her.
“Hey,” she whispered. “I’m going to go grab you some soup. Is there anything else you would like?”
“No.”
She noticed he had drunk the ginger ale she had brought him, so she picked up the empty glass and left his room with it. She set the cup in the kitchen and returned to the living room.
“Would you like to run to the cafe with me? You can pick out something to eat.”
Ruby hopped off the couch. “Yes!”
They went into their separate bedrooms and got dressed in warm clothes before heading out to Ava’s car. They drove the short distance to the cafe and parked before going inside.
Katie stood behind the counter making a coffee, but smiled when she saw them. “Hey, you two. I see you’re feeling better.”
Ava smiled. “We are, but now Cole is down for the count.”
Katie’s smile dropped. “Oh no. Are you here for soup?”
“Yes, please. Plus a salami sandwich for me and whatever Ruby would like.”
Ruby put her index finger on her lips and tapped it while looking over the pastries. “Could I get that yummy-looking thing right there?”
Katie looked at the display case to see what Ruby was pointing at. “That’s a cream cheese danish. And you sure can. Anything else?”
“How about a sandwich, Ruby?” Ava asked.
Katie leaned forward, resting her forearms on the counter. “How about I make you a special grilled cheese with tomato soup?”
Ruby’s eyes widened. “Yes, please. Thank you, Katie.”
“Thank you,” Ava said.
Katie smiled. “Of course. Give me a few minutes to get all that together.”
Ava and Ruby sat at a small table as they waited for their order.
“Ava? Ruby?”
They turned just as Eli approached them.
“Hey, Eli,” Ava said.
“Hey. No Cole with you?”
“He’s sick,” Ruby said.
“Uh-oh. Tell him not to bring that to work with him tomorrow.”
Ava smiled. “I don’t think he’ll attempt it.”
“Good. How are you doing, Ruby?” Eli asked.
“Good. I’m staying with Ava and Cole.”
Eli’s eyes flicked to Ava’s before meeting Ruby’s again. “I bet you’re having lots of fun. Just don’t let Cole get you sick.”
“He won’t,” Ruby said. “I got him sick.”
Eli laughed and held out his fist. “Attagirl.”
Ruby bumped her fist with his and giggled.