Ethan Whitmore #2
“Hi.” She finally spoke again, giving me a weak smile.
“Hey.” I stepped closer to her.
“Your friend is cute.” She looked away from me to look at Ace.
“See, you trippin.” He shook his head. “Yo’ ass needs to be focused on getting better, not sizing this nigga up.”
“You talkin’ like a hater. That shit is not a good look for you, dawg.”
“Nigga, please.” He smacked his lips.
I took a seat on the edge of the bed and gently grabbed Ava’s hand. She looked at me like I was crazy, then back at Ace as if she wanted him to do something about it.
“You think I’m cute?” I smiled at her while using my thumb to rub the top of her hand.
She didn’t respond right away; she just gazed into my eyes.
“Um huh.” She finally answered.
“That’s what’s up. You wanna know something?”
Again, she didn’t respond. She just stared.
“I think you’re beautiful.”
When I placed a kiss on her cheek, her mouth fell open in astonishment. Her eyes watched me in surprise as both me and Ace laughed at her reaction.
“Wow,” was all she said.
Leaning in closer, I kiss her again, but this time on the lips.
She removed her hand from mine and tried to shift her weight a little.
That kiss must’ve really taken her by surprise because the monitors started beeping, but she didn’t seem bothered.
In seconds, a nurse quickly walked in and took a look around.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, everything is good,” Ace answered. “What’s wrong?”
“Her heart rate increased. That’s why the machine is going off. It’s extremely important that she continues to rest. Getting upset and stressed can cause her levels to elevate, and she doesn’t need that.”
“Does it look like she fuckin’ upset or stressed? She’s good. That shit went off because this nigga in here flirtin’ and shit,” Ace said to the nurse.
“Appreciate your concern, but she’s good,” I said.
After checking a few more things, the nurse dismissed herself from the room. I could tell she had a slight attitude because of how Ace popped off at her. When I turned my attention back to Ava, she was still staring at me.
“Are you married?” she asked.
“Nah, not yet, but I will be soon.”
Again, she removed her hand from mine.
“And you’re kissing on me.”
“Aw, hell, I don’t think I can sit here and listen to this shit. Tell her what’s up, man. Maybe that’ll help her snap back.” Ace interrupted us.
Cutting my eyes, I mugged his ass. He got the point then stood to his feet.
“Aye, I’ma give y’all some space. You want something to eat?” he asked.
“I’m good.” I shook my head.
“I’ll be back.” He placed a kiss on Ava’s cheek. “Take it easy on my boy.” He chuckled.
The room was completely silent once Ace walked out. I couldn’t front, though. Beating around the bush with Ava wasn’t going to get us anywhere. I learned that from dealing with my mom.
“Are you comfortable?” I asked.
She nodded her head yes. I made myself comfortable beside her, locking our fingers together with one hand.
“Why are you here?” she asked again.
“To make sure you’re okay. Is that alright with you?” I kissed the back of her hand.
“You don’t even know me.”
I took my phone out of my pocket and silently scrolled through my pictures to find my favorite one of us together.
“You see this?” I showed her my screen. “We had fun that day. We were chillin at my Big Momma house.”
“That’s us?” She observed the picture closely, clearly confused.
“Yeah.” I chuckled at her reaction.
“We look happy.” She smiled, then glanced at me.
“Yeah, we are.” I kissed her fingertips.
“But I don’t… I don’t know you.”
I could hear the sadness in her voice. It took me a second to gather my thoughts before speaking.
“You know me. You just can’t remember right now.”
She sat quietly for a moment.
“Does that make you mad?” She gazed into my eyes.
“Nah, baby, I’m not mad. It’s not your fault.”
Tears welled in her eyes as she looked around the room. I used my thumb to dry her cheeks before replacing the wetness with kisses.
“Whether you remember who I am or not, just know that I love you. I can’t see myself ever stopping.”
She didn’t bother to respond. Instead, she leaned her body into mine and closed her eyes. I lay there with her, deep in thought. The only thing on my mind was how I was going to send Rob’s bitch ass to hell, first class. He was gon’ have to pay with his life for what he did to my baby.
Ava had spent a total of three weeks in the hospital.
When the doctors informed us that they were going to send her home, that was when shit got a little hectic.
Automatically, I suggested that she’d come home with me but her parents were against it, especially her momma.
The doctors suggested that she’d go home and resume her normal day to day schedule.
They said by doing so, it would heighten the possibilities of bringing her memory back.
It wasn’t a guarantee but they said it would be worth a try.
Her momma wasn’t trying to hear that. She was adamant about bringing Ava back home with her.
For so long, both of her parents had been in the dark about what she was going through with Rob.
Although I had been by her side, her momma wasn’t convinced that I would be the best care taker because she knew nothing about me.
We weren’t married, therefore I had no legal say.
I’m not sure what Ace and Aja said, but the day Ava was discharged her parents came to me and gave their blessing.
I promised them she’d be in great hands, and they were more than welcome to visit her at any time.
As long as I had her in my care, nothing else mattered.
However, I was glad she was willing to get to know me all over again.
With the help of her parents and siblings, I was able to get Ava’s place situated.
Well, it was actually our place. I had plans for our future, and purchasing a home for us to live in together was a big step for me.
I never even shared a house with Zenobia and we had a kid together.
The house Ava had recently purchased, I paid it off and left it as it was.
Although I knew she was excited about her accomplishment, I had to take it upon myself to upgrade her.
Whatever she wanted to do with the house in the future would be up to her.
Anyway, my baby was coming home today from the hospital, and I couldn’t wait.
I’d been by her side every day, and her memory of me still hadn’t come back.
I hadn’t let a day go by without telling her at least three times how much I loved her.
She was the same person, in a sense, but I could see a difference in her personality.
She was quieter. I had to find ways to bring her out of her shell a bit.
I did stupid shit just to see her smile.
Now, I can’t sing worth a damn, but she had me singing love songs.
I wasn’t complaining because it made her laugh.
That itself was like music to my ears. When it came to her healing process, I wasn’t worried.
I hired the best physical therapist in the country to come by three days a week.
Ava had to learn how to walk all over again, and the thought of that broke her.
It was my job to keep her motivated and encouraged.
As far as additional help, there was no need to hire home care because I made it my business to personally take care of all her needs myself.
That was the mistake I made when it came to my mother.
“Are you ready to see mommy?” I asked Savannah.
“Yeah.” She nodded excitedly.
I had her, Zoie, and Dakota at the kitchen table eating ice cream while we waited for Ava’s parents to pull up with her.
I would’ve picked her up myself, but they insisted on doing it.
I wasn’t trippin’, though. Her parents were cool as fuck, and we had somewhat created a bond since the incident happened.
Her mom couldn’t stop telling me how much she appreciated me and all that I was doing for Ava and Savannah.
I also hired a speech therapist, one of the best in the damn country, to work with Savannah.
Almost two weeks in, and I could tell a difference.
She wasn’t talking in complete sentences yet, but I could see the confidence she’d developed since starting.
I took it upon myself to do all those things because I loved Ava.
I loved Savannah too. As a real man, I do real shit and kept my word.
Taking care of my family was the realest shit I could ever do, so that’s what it is.
After the girls had their sweets, I made sure they were cleaned up and had them go sit in the living room. Big Momma was doing little shit around the house, making sure everything was in place. Ace, Aja, Duke, Julia, Stephanie, and Preston were in the living room as well.
“Yo, they’re about to pull up,” Ace announced.