Page 96 of Whatever You Want

“We were talking about you. I was really hard on her.” She sobbed and buried her head on my shoulder. “I was just trying to help.”

“Shh…” I pulled her tight against me. “You did help. You called nine-one-one. If you weren’t on the phone with her when that bastard showed up, he probably would have killed her.”

My jaw locked up tight at the thought.

She lifted her head and wiped her tears away. “I just wanted you guys to work things out.” She hiccupped a sob. “She felt terrible for the things she said. She didn’t mean a word of it. Please tell me you believe me.”

“I’m not worried about that right now.” I was too worried about Ava and focused on staying calm.

“She loves you so much, Logan. I know what she had with Drew was real, but what she feels for you means everything to her. She felt terrible for the things she said. She was scared of her feelings, afraid of letting go of Drew. She was going to beg for your forgiveness.”

Amelia was rambling, probably in shock. I wanted to console her, but all I could think about was the attack and what Ava must have gone through. I was on pins and needles about the extent of her injuries. I wasn’t concerned with the status of our relationship because I decided on the way here, we were going to be together and make things work. I wouldn’t stop fighting for us until I took my last breath.

I slid onto the cold metal chair between Marco and Amelia, feeling like I was going out of my mind. I scrolled through my phone, looking for any updates as my knees nervously bounced. I had no idea how long I’d been here. It could have been five minutes or five hours. My focus had turned to shit, so I stood from my chair and started to pace. Marco handed me a water bottle.

“What’s taking so long?” I asked, running my hand through my hair. I haven’t stopped since I got here. I knew the hospital expected you to sit still and patiently wait for updates, but I was ready to lose my shit.

Finally, a doctor in blue scrubs appeared in the doorway. “Family of Ava Donavon?”

I stood and met her halfway across the room.

“Everything went well. I popped her shoulder back in place and bandaged up her ribs. The damage to her ribs did not require surgery but her shoulder will. She is going to need to follow up with an orthopedic surgeon to reattach a small piece of her scapula bone that broke away. I’m going to write up a referral so she can get seen this week.” She stuffed her hands in the pockets of her white lab coat. “I gave her a sedative so she could her rest. We did see a small skull fracture, which is common with head trauma. We expect it will heal on its own, but we’d like to keep her here for a day or two to watch for any swelling in the brain. Do you have any questions for me?”

“When can I see her?”

“You can see her now.” Her eyes scanned the waiting room. “Only one person at a time.”

I looked over my shoulder at Amelia. She waved me off. “Don’t be an idiot. You know your face is the one she’ll be looking for when she opens her eyes.”

The doctor gave me a kind smile and held her hand out. “Right this way.”

She was talking as she led me down the hall, but I honestly had no idea what she was saying. The only thing I could focus on was getting to Ava.

“Now, I just want to warn you,” she said as we approached the door. “Ava sustained a few facial injuries, so her face will look bruised and puffy. It’s going to take some time for the swelling to go down. We had a plastic surgeon look over her wounds, and the doctor was confident that there won’t be any permanent damage.”

“I understand.” I swallowed thickly. She gave me a sympathetic look that did nothing to calm my fears.

“Very well. I’ll give you some privacy.”

Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the quiet, sterile room. I’d just been warned, but the sight in front of me halted me in my tracks. I took in every line, every cut, every bruise. I’ve seen my fair share of unimaginable things during my police career, but nothing could have prepared me for this.

I dragged the chair closer to the bed and slumped into it. I grabbed Ava’s hand and winced once I got a closer look. Tears gathered in my eyes as they raked over her bruises. It was a good thing that fucker was dead, or I would have killed him myself. It almost did me in just thinking about what she had to go through. The pain she had to endure. What he fucking put her through.

I wanted to break something, or better yet, I wanted to haul my ass down to the morgue and tear that dead bastard apart from limb to limb.

I raised my hand to her purple and red cheek. “God, Ava, how the hell could he do this to you?” I clenched my jaw and focused on breathing through my nose. “I hope you realize that when you wake up, things are going to change. I am never ever letting you out of my sight again.” I glanced at the two IV poles and all the tubes running out of her arm. “As long as I have breath in my lungs, no one will ever lay a hand on you again. You are mine, Ava Donavon, and pretty soon that last name is going to change too. I swear to you, as God as my witness, we are going to move past all the bullshit and find a way to make things work. Because this heart of mine, regardless of what condition it’s in, is yours forever. You, Brina, and Madison are my entire world.” I rested my head in her lap to the sound of the monitors beeping in the background.

As the minutes passed, I sat there in silence and thought about everything that led to our breakup. There was so much that needed to be said, but I wasn’t sure where we would even start. All I could do was sit and think while she slept. I would give anything to trade places with her.

A small moan caused me to snap to attention. “Logan.”

I gathered her hand in mine and scrambled forward. “Oh, thank God. How do you feel, babe?”

“Water.” Her voice was hoarse. “I need water.”

I picked up the paper cup and brought it to her mouth. “Here, just a couple sips.” I lined the straw up to her lips as she bent her head forward to reach it.

“Thank you.” She looked around the room and down at the IV in her arm. Her gaze started to dart around the room. “Richard,” she croaked, but I placed a hand to her lips.

---