Mistakes of our past | Rhekker

Chapter 50- Pills

Connor woke to find the other half of the bed empty and the shower running. Ave must have been up early. Connor took the extra few minutes in bed, Sophia had spent the night at Nat's since the couple had a 5 am start and Natalie had the day off and was more than happy to drop off both Sophia and Owen to school.
Connor heard the water cut off and mapped Ava's movements in his head. Getting out of the shower, wrapping herself in a towel, wiping the mirror and finally washing her face. Connor got up from be and went to go join her in the bathroom.
"Ave" Connor knocked on the door.
"Yeah" Ava calling out. Connor opens to door to an unexpected sight, Ava was holding something over an open draw. She jumped and pushed in into the decorative towels they had stored in their, pretending to have been folding them.
"Hey Connor" She said with a hit of nerves.
"Hey, what was-"
Ava pushes her lips against his, silencing his worries. Distracted by Ava now in his arms he smiled down to her. "Good morning Cowboy" she said in a low tone, clinging onto him.
Connor immediately scooped Ava up in hims arms. She squealed and pulled her towel higher to cover her chest. Connor released the towel from Ava's grasp and it fell to the ground , pooling at his feet. "Connor" Ava exhaled blissful, feeling his lips on her neck. Carefully Connor placed her on their bed. Climbing on top of her he kissed her passionately, "Good morning Ave"
"I love you" he told her between kisses.
Crawling to the foot of the bed Connor leaned down to kiss Ava's growing belly. "Love you too" he kisses her bump before settling at the foot of the bed between her legs.

After the mornings actives Ava needed another shower, sharing one with Connor. Somehow they were completely on time for work.
"Connor I have your coffee ready to go" Ava called from the kitchen.
"Just a second" Connor called for the bedroom, putting on his watch. When he passed the bathroom on the way to the kitchen Curiosity compelled him to go in. He trust Ava completely, but he knew she found it difficult to talk about certain things.
Pulling out the basket of spare towels Connor stuck his hands down all sides, failing to find anything. "That's strange, so she is hiding something. I'm sure it's nothing, probably just girl stuff" Connor dismissed it in his head.
"Everything okey" Ava asked when he came into the kitchen.
"Yeah of course" he pulled Ava in for a soft kiss, resting his hand on her bump as they went out the door.

Connor went about his day but he couldn't get ava's odd behaviour in the bathroom out of his mind. At the last minute Ava was pulled into an emergency surgery, Connor offered to take her place since she was pregnant, but she insisted she could do it and they hadn't told everyone they were expecting yet.
Connor drove home alone, Nat still had Sophia and was dropping her off in two hours. So Connor had a full hour and a half, alone, to himself; this never happened.
He sat down to catch up on an episode of Jimmy Fallon, but the screen from this moving replayed in his mind. He was compelled to return to the bathroom, finding nothing out of the ordinary Connor checked all the other baskets, still noting.
Going into their bedroom Connor though of where Ava would his something she didn't want him to find. It would help if Connor knew what he was looking for, "it was kind of rectangular , with orange and white" he recalled, "and it was small"
So a small hiding place.

If I was Ave where would I hide something

It has to be somewhere she had in her old house to hide things. Connor went to her underwear draw, rooting through various colours of solid and lacy underwear, and checking behind all the bras. Connor check her desks draws and behind a all her medical journals, still nothing.
Just when Connor had given up all home his eyes landed on a her bookshelf. Ava had this old shelf in her apartment and had brought it with her for her selection of different books. It was tall, and deeper than a book, which meant plenty of vacant space behind all of Ava's favourites. Slowing Connor walked up to the shelf, studying all the books.
"Was he really going to do this?"
"But what if Avey's in some sort of trouble" he defended.
Running his fingertips alone the spines of several of the books, Connor noticed five were pushed in further than the others, as if they had been taken out and put back hastily.
Connor pulled them out, making sure not to drop them he reached his hand into the empty space and groped around. He fingers gripped an objected and he pulled it out into the light of day. It was an Orange prescription pill bottle that was half empty. The name of the person it was prescribed to, the pharmacist, and the name of the drug were all peeled off the bottle. "Ava" Connor sighed, he handed realises Ava had been struggling like this.

Ava came home shortly later, she did the surgery in record time and picked up Sophia on her way home. "Papa" Sophia threw her arms around his neck.
"Hi sweetheart, I'm so happy to see you. I can't wait to hear all about your day with Auntie Nat, but can you go play with your doll house for a minute while papa talks to Mumma" Connor asked Sophia, who ran off to her room without a second thought.
"What do you need to talk to me about?" Ava asked, taking off her jacket.
"Ava" Connor began, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I know you went through some this in Iran during your humanitarian work that you shouldn't have seen, and I know you have physical and mental scars from that which will never heal. I know I will never understand those things but I can get you help, we can get you help. Theirs programs for people struggling with addition that are ex-military"
Connor took Ava's hands in his, giving them a squeeze, "I want you around for as long as possible baby. And I want our baby to be healthy Avey, this isn't good for her, and you know it" Connor said sternly, having thought Ava would known better with their child.

"What?" Ava said in shock, laughing nervously.
"Ava I know your struggling with an adiction" he said pulling out the bottles of pills he found.
Ava's face feel into shame as she saw the pills in his hands.
"I don't know if it's pain killers or opiates, I don't know when it started but I'm going to put an end to this" He told her confidently.
Ava leaned back against the wall hanging her head in shame.
"Look Ava I had a buddy in the Navy who got into the same thing, you should see him now he turned it around-"
"They're anxiety" she interrupted him, saying it softly to her feet.
"They're what?" Connor said in confusion.
Ava flicked her head up to look at him, "There anti-anxiety pills, Connor"
Ava went into the kitchen, using a step stool she took down a box of documents from a cabinet above the fridge. "Careful" Connor told her soft, feeling his hands slip onto her sides, supporting her bump.
"I'm fine" she climbed back down, "here" she handed him the document.

100mg of xyz pills
Prescribed to: Ava Minrellea Bekker
Prescribed by: Dr. Daniel Charles
Date: 10th of April

To be taken orally once everyday until prescription is empty

Connor exhaled in relief that he had been wrong, before the guilt of of accusing his Fiance of having a drug addition washed over him.
"Ava I'm so sorry" he apologised, pulling her into a hug, "I shouldn't have presumed the worst of you"
"Don't be Connor. I know how it looks, taking pills secretly, given my history. You were trying to do the right thing. I should have told you from the beginning; it's just difficult, excepting helps after the military mindset"
"Ava my pride, obviously" Ava added with a chuckle.
Connor pulled away but kept her in his arms, "You never need to hide from me Ava"
"When did you get on them"
Ava leaned in to rest her head on Connors chest, feeling his heartbeat. "A couple of days after you were shot. I was having nightmares, seeing and smelling things that weren't really there. So I went to Dr. Charles for help. The pills help me sleep, he's lowered my dosage and it's safe for the baby, don't worry" She assured him.
Connor rested his chin onto of Ava's head, inhaling the familiar scent of her perfume.
"My brave girl" he closed his eyes.