At the pinnacle of her career, orthopedic surgeon Ava King conquers the lucrative medical field of London.
A wild and intimate night with competitive Formula One driver James Ellis ends with Ava being stood up. The rejection leads her straight into...
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And then I see her.
Ava stands close to the lake embankment wearing a nervous smile and a powder blue summer dress. Her hair is styled in soft waves, and it's the first time in a while I've seen her with a dash of makeup and sans spectacles. I blink several times to make sure this isn't a mirage.
Have I maybe created an alternate reality??
She looks fucking amazing!
"Ah to be young and in love," the nurse chimes, nudging me in my ribs. "Have fun, love birds!"
"Thanks, sister." Ava smiles politely as I slowly edge towards her. "Hi!"
"Hey, love. You look beautiful!" I gush, holding her in my arms, lifting and swinging her off the ground as her body clings to mine.
"I missed you so much, Jamie!" She breathes into my neck.
And I officially feel like a knob for questioning things.
"I missed you, too."
Ava reaches up and plants a soft kiss onto my lips, her full lips touching mine and sending me into the clouds.
"Come," she practically giggles, grabbing my hand and walking us over to a shady area overlooking the small lake, where I find a picnic basket and a checked blanket already laid out.
"What are you up to?"
"Our last date was in Nice; this was way overdue." She chimes and it feels like I have my girl back. "Besides, you've been putting up with my crazy ass for a while, and I just want to say thank you."
"There's no need—"
"Yes, there is. You've saved me, in more ways than one, Jamie. I'll never be able to repay you, but I guess I can start off somewhere." Her voice quivers for a second and she quickly clears it.
We settle onto the blanket and it feels like old times. We chat nonstop while enjoying a few sandwiches and snacks, and some really tasty homemade iced tea.
Even though Dr. Khan had explained the episodes of psychosis, it's nice hearing it from Ava's perspective.
"I think I just so badly wanted to be better and get over it without actually working through it first. With Daniel I switched off and avoided addressing the topic until I forgot about. I thought it would be the same this time around. But these last few days have really been an eye opener. Contrary to what my paranoia thought, Dr. Khan is not out to get me. And we've made progress. He thinks I'm ready for the next step."
"Please say that means you're coming home." I feel like Leo did, I'm the king of the world!
"Not entirely. He is allowing day passes. I guess since the night terrors are a telltale sign of my mental well-being, he'd rather I be here for that. But we both agree that this place isn't for me. It has definitely helped to see what could become of me if I don't face my demons. He feels I should be part of a program of sorts."
