Mistakes of our past | Rhekker

Chapter 43- Awake

"How are things at home?" Daniel asked, taking a sip from his coffee.
"Good, yeah. Sophia still wants to know where her dada's gone" Ava said uncertainly, still unsure about this whole therapy thing.
"How are the pills working out for you, are you sleeping any better?"
"Their going well, I'm sleeping again. Quality sleep"
"I'm going to keep you on the same dosage, we'll review in a month to see if you'd still need them"
Ava purses her lips, not loving the thought of being reliant on pills for the foreseeable future.
"Your not weak or in away different for needing or reaching out for help" Daniel tells her, having seen this behaviour with past ex-military patients.
Ava looks him straight in the eye, knowing that he can see right through her.
"I should be getting back to work, my breaks nearly over" she brushed him of, exiting quickly, not wanting to be seen leaving his office.

"Hey Cowboy" Ava greeted Connor, stopping by his room on the last few minutes of her break. Taking a seat next to his bed she took his hand, lowering her head she took a minute just to be still with Connor. To be grateful that he was alive, even if it was because of the machines surrounding him.
Feeling a light tug at her hand Ava smiled, "I know baby"
Ava's moment was broken by her pagers call, giving his hand a quick kiss Ava said her goodbyes, promising to be back soon.

After a long, but rewarding surgery and serval consults later Ava finally had a moment to visit Connor again, bring Sophia's latest art work with her. It was the three stick figures of themselves again, this time on a camping trip in the woods.
"Fresh air will make Papa better" Sophia had told her confidently, breaking Ava's already crumbling heart.
Taking a seat again she took his hand, "Alan used to go camping with me, up the mountains. I loved it, you could see for miles over the ocean" she rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand.
"I presume you never went camping with your dad, if you did you never mentioned it. I Can't really imagine him doing that though" Ava chuckled slightly, feeling another squeeze on her palm.
"We'll have to take Sophia camping when you wake up"
Ava felt another squeeze on her palm, "see you agree with me, I'm holding you to that cowboy" Ava joked, before feeling yet another squeeze on her palm.
"That wasn't a reflex, their too frequent to be" Ava realised her eyes shooting up.
Moving to the head of the bed Ava looked down at him, "Connor, squeeze my hands if you can hear me"
It took a second but a light squeeze came, "Page Dr.Halstead" Ava shouted out of the room.

Ava could see Connors darting about under his eyelids, "come on Connor, come on" she chanted softly as Will came running in.
"What's going on"
"Increased mussel movement, responsive to light and is following commands" Ava confirms while Will checks Connors eyes again. It's slow to start but Connors eyes begin to open groggily. Upon realising that he's intubated Connor fights it, panicking.
"Breathe Connor" Ava assures him while Will takes out the tube.
"Sorry about this one buddy" Will apologises, pulling th tube out of Connors throat.
After a coughing fit and a couple shallow breathes Connor was taking air in on his own. "Ava" he croaks, closing his eyes again.
"I'm here Connor, I'm right here. It's Will and me" She tells him softly, brushing the hair from his forehead.
Connor managed to open his eyes again, keeping them open. A flood of emotions runs past his face as he realises where he is.
"Do you remember what happened Connor" Will asked, handing him a glass of water.
Connor thinks of a minute before nodding: "their was a shooter"
"What happened after that" Connor asked softly, turning to Ava.
Ava swallows hard, feeling tears prick in the back of her head.
"Two shots were fired, one hit you in the chest. The bullet nicked an artery, we removed the bullet but when we were stitching you up you coded. We gave you two rounds of eppie, and you were shocked five times. You turned it around and we were able to resuscitate you. You've been in an induced coma for two months since" Ava explained, looking focusing on his hand, afraid to meet his eye.
"PD will have to come down and interview you about the shooting Connor" Will reminds them. "I'll give you a minute before they get here" he added, having seen first hand the distress this had caused Ava.