Chapter 0239 âDad, where is mom? I asked Cal why he was picking me up instead of mom, but he said, Youâll explain everything,â he says, a mask of concern firmly on his face.
Damn this was hard. I had time to come up with a way of delivering the news, but words fail me.
âIs she having the baby? Is that why we are at the hospital?â he pushes.
I take a calming breath before opening my mouth to speak.
âYour mom was hurt really badly, Buddy. The doctors are with her right now and theyâre doing everything to make sure that sheâll be fine.â
My heart breaks at seeing the tears that fill his eyes. He shouldnât be going through this. He shouldnât be here worrying about his beloved mother.
âWhat about the baby?â His voice is hoarse when she asks that.
I smile at him. âYou have a baby sister, Noah. Just like you wanted.â
His eyes widen, and wonder fills his face, right before a smile takes over his features.
âCan I see her?â
âNot yet. Not until the doctors are done checking her out to make sure sheâs fineâ
The smile stays in place for a while until it starts slowly slipping. The tears that he had controlled, start. falling down his cheek.
He doesnât make a sound though. He silently cries.
âWill she die like grandpa? I donât want her to leave me, dad.â His voices catches at the end and I pull him into my arms.
I hug him to my chest while fighting my emotions and trying to be strong for him.
That is a question he shouldnât have to wonder. A possibility he shouldnât have to consider.
Whoever did this to Ava was going to pay dearly. He or she messed with the wrong person. For the pain they have caused they are going to feel it tenfold.
âNo, she wonât. Your mom is strong. Iâm very sure that sheâll pull throughâ I murmur in his ear.
We stay like that for a while before he lets me go and climbs on my thigh. He then lays his head on my chest and holds me tightly. Noah is a strong boy, and the fact that heâs behaving this way shows just how vulnerable he is.
+15 BONUS We continue waiting. I stand up, pace, and then sit down over and over again. Noah never leaves my side, even for a moment.
Every minute that passed without a word, I slowly die inside. I was afraid that the delay meant that things werenât going as was expected It was hours after Ava had been taken in for surgery when her parents arrived.
âWhere is my daughter?â Nora rushes in. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy.
This is the first time that I have seen Nora and Theo disheveled. Theyâve always been put together. Even when Ethan was sentenced. Yet today they looked like hell had frozen over.
Itâs understandable, though. They lost more than twentyâfive years with their daughter, and now they face.
the risk of losing her for good.
Before anyone can answer, the door opens, and a doctor comes out. The look on his face tells me everything I need to know. He didnât have good news.
I turn to my mom. âCould you take Noah and Gunner to get some snacks, Iâm sure theyâre hungry.â
She nods her head and calls the boys to her. Noah gives me a look, but I assure him that everything will be okay.
I know I F***ing lied, but I canât have him here in case the doctor delivers terrible news.
âMr. Woods...â he begins, but stops.
I grit my teeth and force my jaw to work..
âFucking say it,â I snarl as I brace myself against what might be an announcement of a death.
âSheâs alive, but she sl*pped into a coma during surgery,â he says calmly, delivering one more blow that none of us were expecting.