His Fresh Start ✔ (Book Three)

Chapter 18

Marco examined the small red heart pinned to his white shirt. "Do you think if I have this in here, a beautiful girl will notice me and give me her number? Or we could skip the number thing, and she could ask me out."

"Of course." I chuckled. "You'd have to wait until the end of the shift to go on a date, though. Not a single table's free tonight."

"Valentine's Day." Marco sighed. "Ideal for those who have someone to celebrate it with and spend huge amounts on flowers that will wilt as soon as the holiday's over."

I nudged the guy's bicep. "Someone's bitter. Your time will come. If you need proof, look at me."

As I waited for Marco to answer, I swept my gaze across the table with  the desserts we'd prepared to make sure there was enough. If the displays of affection didn't give people cavities, our cherry clafoutis and chocolate mousse would.

"Cupid doesn't like me," Marco whined, returning to the steaming pot on the stove. "I don't ask for a six-pack or a house on the beach. I only want a girlfriend."

"You can eat a pastry," I said to cheer him up. "Only one."

A deep sigh left Marco's mouth. I did feel bad for him, but sometimes the best things happened when you least expected them, and focusing on what you wished you had could get in the way of your happiness.

I thought about Lou and threw a glance at the clock on the wall. I was taking her out to a friend's club out of the city to celebrate our first Valentine's Day together. My eyes widened. It was time to pick her up.

"Will you manage without me?" I asked Marco.

"Sure thing," he said. "Everything's almost ready. It's going to be a busy evening, but it's good for the business, isn't it?"

"Very good." I smiled. After the anniversary party, the number of customers increased, and we were fully booked more often than not. "Okay, I'm out. Call me if there's a problem," I said.

"Will do. Have a great evening."

I barely made a step when my phone vibrated. I unlocked the screen to read the text, expecting Lou to tell me she was running late. It didn't happen often, but work could be unpredictable.

Reading the message made my heart lurch.

Lou: On my way to Harris Memorial. Aiden fainted at our house. It looks bad. See you there.

"Shit." I ran my shaky hand across my face.

Marco walked up to me. "What's wrong?"

"It's Aiden," I said, shoving the phone into my jacket pocket. "They're taking him to the hospital. I'll tell you something when I know more, okay?"

"Please do," Marco said. "Don't worry about anything, okay? I've got it under control."

I gave him a nod and rushed out of the bistro kitchen, hoping I wouldn't hit the traffic on my way to where Lou was.

***

I was lucky. It took me barely half an hour to cross the city and get to Harris Memorial. I followed the indications of the staff and located the waiting room where Lou and Ellie would be.

I threw the door open and stepped inside the small space with nothing but chairs and a vending machine in one of the corners. 

Lou and Ellie were sitting next to each other.

"Hey," I said to Louise. She gave me a small smile but kept quiet.

"Ellie." I crouched down in front of the chair where Ellie sat not to tower over her. "What happened?"

Ellie broke into sobs. She tried to tell me something, but her words were impossible to understand. I got her a bottle of water from the vending machine and sat by her side.

Lou was the first to speak as she stroked a hand down Ellie's back. "Aiden came to take Ellie to their date, and he looked pale as a ghost. He fainted, and we called an ambulance."

An ugly feeling settled deep in my gut. If I was honest with myself, that feeling of foreboding hadn't left me since my conversation with Aiden at my house in the mountains over a month ago. I suspected he kept something from me, and I hated to be right. 

The door to the waiting room creaked open. To my utter surprise, I saw Alan in the doorway.

"Family of Aiden Kennedy?" he asked and stepped inside. "Follow me, please." 

Alan's eyes lingered on me for a heartbeat. Bile rose to my throat when my brain understood the implications of him being the one to talk to Aiden's family. He was a trauma surgeon. Trauma surgeons didn't make an appearance unless surgery was needed.

Alan led the way through a long corridor and opened the door to another waiting room. It was cozier and would grant us more privacy.

"My name is doctor Morris, and I'll be treating Aiden," he said.

I looked at my friend. "How is he?" 

"I'm not going to lie to you. It's bad, but we'll do everything we can. We're preparing him for surgery." 

"Surgery?" asked Ellie, her voice barely audible.

Alan gave her a curt nod. "Now, we need his brief medical history, allergies, any chronic illnesses. Can you do that for us?"

"Honey, you're the one who knows." Louise touched Ellie's arm. "Let's go help the doctors."

The girls rose to their feet and left the room.

"We don't have lots of time," Alan said. "Come with me."

Like I suspected, Alan led me to his office and made sure the door was closed before facing me. "How do you know the boy? You're not his family, are you?"

"No. He's dating Lou's daughter. Lou is my girlfriend. You saw her in the waiting room. Aiden and I aren't family, but I care about him. Can you tell me what's going on?"

"I guess you wanna know what's been going on."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Aiden has internal bleeding due to trauma. Judging by the bruises on his skin, he's been abused. Systematically."

My heartbeat slowed down, and my hands shook. It all made sense, but here was the thing — it should've made sense months back.

Not now. Not when an innocent boy's life was in danger because I failed to see the victim in him. I ignored all the signs and forgot that the less people sometimes said, the more things they hid.

Important things. Dangerous things. Things that could kill them.

Alan let out a deep sigh. "It's not the first case I've seen, Thierry. Usually, those who mistreat kids are close to them. Do you know who it might be?"

I nodded. "I have my suspicions, but I don't have proof."

"The police will find proof. We have to notify them."

"I understand, but can you wait? You haven't done anything yet, right? I mean getting in touch with his family, things like that?"

"Not yet," said Alan. "Tell me what you know."

I took a deep breath. "I think Aiden's father is the one who abused him."