NovelEnglish
16. First Suspect
Chapter 116
“What do you mean she slipped into a coma?” Theo asks with an unmistakable tremble in
his voice.
My heart was once again thudding against my ribcage. It felt like it wanted to punch a
whole right through my fucking chest.
I try to think clearly, but it’s like my brain can’t function. Time slowed down as the doctor
spoke. All I
heard was a ringing in my ear.
I stumble back and fall on the seat I had vacated. Gabe and my dad put their hands on
me, but I shake
them off. I didn’t want their comfort. I wanted the doctor to tell me that the surgery had
been a success
and that in a few hours Ava would wake up.
“She had a total of four bullets. One hit her head, the second hit her chest, the third hit
her stomach, and
the final one hit her thigh. We were able to remove three of them successfully, except for
the one in her
skull. It was lodged too deep and removing it would have killed her.”
Fuck. I don’t know what to feel or think about that. He is telling us that Ava will have to
live with a bullet
stuck in her head. How is any of that fair? She was okay this morning before things took a
turn for the
worst.
‘At least she’s alive,‘ a voice whispers.
I ignore it. She was alive, but would she stay alive? That was the main fucking question.
2. over, had to drill her skull to drain
“We were able to stop the bleeding, both internal and external. We,
fluid, which helped with the swelling in her brain. She flat–lined twice. It’s after the second
time that she
slipped into a comma. For now, she’s in ICU.”
If I thought nothing could hurt me worse than seeing Ava get shot, then I was wrong.
Hearing that we
almost lost her twice destroyed me. It is like being stabbed by a thousand sharp knives. I
wouldn’t wish
anyone this fucking pain. Not even my worst enemy.
“Will she wake up?” I breathe hoarsely. “Will she be able to make a full recovery?”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
“At this point, we can’t really say. This isn’t an induced coma, and we can’t assure you that
she’ll wake up
in a few days. She might wake up tomorrow, in a few days, in a few months, or she might
not wake up at
all. For now, we’ll give it a few days to see whether she’ll wake up.”
The possibility that she might not wake up nearly brought me to my knees.
1/4
+15 BONUS
I push those thoughts away. I can’t think like that. She’s strong; she’ll wake up. In a few
fucking days, she’ll
be up, glaring and snapping at me.
“What about the bullet in her brain? Will living with it have any effect on her?” Nora asks
as tears run down
her cheek.
I can’t even begin to imagine how hard this must be for her. I can’t ever imagine facing
the likelihood of
losing Noah. It’s just too much to even think about.
“There are some who live perfectly normal lives, and there are others who are affected.
She might have
trouble remembering things, have speech and hearing issues, or have trouble recognizing
words, letters,
and numbers. These are just a few things that might be affected by the kind of injury to
her brain. Right
now, we can’t say for sure. We have to wait for her to wake up.”
If she wakes up,
He doesn’t say the words verbally, but it’s in the way he looks at us. The uncertainty is in
his eyes.
Nora nods as more tears fall down her face. Theo pulls her into his arms and hugs her
close to his chest.
The strong couple I know is nowhere to be seen. The only ones standing in their place are
two concerned,
heartbroken parents.
“Since it’s already past visiting hours, you’ll have to come back tomorrow, and even then,
we will only
allow one person in the room with her. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll take my leave.”
We nod at him, and he leaves just as mom comes back with the boys.
Noah immediately comes to me, while Gunner goes to his father.
“What did the doctor say? Is mom okay?” He looks up at me with hope, shinning his eyes.
This is the hard part of being a parent. Knowing whether to tell your kid the fucking truth
or lie to them.
Should I tell him that the doctors aren’t really sure his mother will wake up from the coma,
or should I lie
and tell him that she’s okay?
“The doctors aren’t sure, Bud. We’ll just have to wait and pray.” I decide to go with
honesty.
If lied and, God forbid, Ava never wakes up, he would end up hating me for lying that his
mom was okay.
He doesn’t say anything. Just looks at me before looking at the floor.
1
After a few minutes of silence, I turn and face the rest.
“Since we won’t be able to see her today, I think you should all go home, get some rest,
and come back
tomorrow.”
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+15 BONUS
“No,” both Corrine and Letty refuse at the same time, followed by Nora and Theo.
i try to convince them that I’ll let them know if something comes up, but they refuse to
budge. In the end, everyone decides to stay except for Emma, Cal, Kate, and my parents.
My parents agree to go home only after I tell them that Noah can’t stay in the hospital and
that he needs someone with him. Cal agrees for the sake of Gunner. The boy was already
yawning even though you could see the worry in his face.
Gabe sits by my side after they leave. There is little talking. Mostly we just sit in silence,
that is until Brian
arrives.
I’m sorry I got here late. We had to interview the witnesses about Ava’s shooting. I’m
really sorry for what
happened to her.”
I nod my head.
“Have you found anything?”
“The witnesses couldn’t give us anything beyond what we already know and have seen on
the video”
Shit. I was hoping they would have something. A starting point.
“Is she in any state to be questioned?” 1
My face shuts down, and my voice hardens. I know it’s not his fault since he doesn’t know
the details, but
it just pisses me off.
“She’s in a coma,” I grit out.
“I’m sorry,” he says remorsefully, but it doesn’t do anything to elevate what I feel inside.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“Is there any information you can give me? Has anyone been threatening her? Following
her? Any
suspicious person lurking around her? Any information, no matter how small, could help.”
I shake my head. “None. I have nothing.”
He just nods before turning to the rest.
“I don’t know if I’m imagining it, but when she called me, she sounded stressed and
desperate. It may not
be anything, but she just didn’t sound like herself. I thought that maybe she was
struggling with her past traumas given that the news about Gunner triggered her.”
“Who is Gunner?”
“Emma’s son. She kept him hidden until Ava found out the truth and revealed it to us,”
Travis answers,
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*15 BONUS
Emma looks at the floor, hiding her emotions.
“Why would she keep him hidden?”
“She didn’t want him in her life, and she didn’t want us to know about him. Calvin, who is
the dad, and
Gunner moved next door to Ava. That’s how she was able to connect the pieces.”
Brian was now fully facing Travis. “And how did that go down?”
“Not well. We are all pissed at her and since she still insists on this stupidity, mom gave
her an ultimatum:
mend the fences or we cut her off from our lives.”
“I’m sure Emma didn’t take that well.” Brian questions further.
“Not at all. She was and still is pissed, especially at Ava for revealing the truth.”
Brain rubs his chin as his mind works. You can clearly see the wheels turning in his head.
I’ve known Brian
for a long time. Something was going on inside his head.
“I see,” he finally says after a while.
“See what, exactly?” Gabe and I ask him at the same time.
“According to what Travis has told me, I may have my first suspect.”
“What?” Travis asks, just as Corrine whispers,
“Who?”
He gives a firm and thin smile. “Emma”
The rest look at him like he has grown another head or something. I just stare at him
contemplating. If
you look at it from his angle then sure, Emma might have motive.
The only question is: is her anger, hatred, and bitterness towards Ava enough to want her
dead and to
actually plan a hit on her?
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