Getting back to "Normal" | Rhekker

Chapter 31- Spider

When Connor woke up he felt warm and relaxed, not even remembering the nights events. Connor ran us thumb up and down, feeling something warm and soft under his hand.
His eyes fluttered open and he realised the softness under his hand was someones ribs..
"Ava?" Connor inhaled sleepily, pulling his hand back.
Her eyes were open and gazing blankly towards the ceiling. Ava glanced down to him and hastily sat up, shrugging her cape back onto her shoulders as she quickly exited her room. Connor sat up on the bed in confusion, rubbing his brow.

Did we.....?

No.

Connor thinks back about the events of the night, trying to remember how Ava ended up in his bed.

Getting out of bed, checking on Ava. AVA

It all comes flying back to Connor with embarrassing clarity. Looking around he remembers that she wasn't in his bed, he was in hers.
"Oh Ava" Connor sighed, running his hand through his hair.
Connor got up and had a cold shower, trying to figure out how he's going to face Ava after last night. He dries off and goes into the kitchen, hoping she's still getting dressed in her room, she isn't.

Connor inhales shortly, seeing her leaning against the counter. A vanilla latte next to her in a to go cup, like always.
She watches him enter the kitchen and doesn't say anything, hiding behind her coffee cup.
"Good morning" she smiles sweetly. 
"Ava, about last-"
"It's fine" she shakes her head.
"No Ava, I shouldn't have forced you to do something you didn't want to and make you a part of it" he apologised.
Ava chuckled, "you didn't force me to do anything, Connor. You were upset, we basically just hugged"
"For a long period of time" she added.

Neither of them spoke for a moment and Ava pursed her lips.
"You've been having trouble sleeping for a while, you mentioned it"
"Yeah" Connor said quietly, tapping his fingers against his mug.
"And it was-"
"Yes." Connor said shortly, Ava already knew the answer.
"Connor, I think you should see someone about this" she placed a hand on his arm.
"I am. It's not Daniel, it felt wrong talking to him, as his colleague and his client"
"Tell me about it" Ava laughed slightly.
"I've been seeing this women, Violet, on the other side of town. For a few months now"
"That's good to hear" Ava rubs his arm slightly, smiling.

"Thanks, for last night" he smiles, feeling more comfortable, sipping his latte.
Ava bumps her hip against his, "Anytime" she smirks, strolling off.

*

"Dr. Rhodes, Dr. Bekker, patient incoming!"
Ava rushed to the gurney side, pushing it as Connor joined her.
"His valves failing, who put it in?"
"Doc at another hospital , family wanted to come here to get the best treatment"
"Okey lets get him upstairs" Ava pushes him into the lift.

Ava scrubs her hands with Connor by her side. They say nothing but the mood in the room if different to that of yesterday's. Ava dries her hands quickly and pushed the OR door open with her hip, finally able to breath again after escaping the small room with Connor. He joins her a moment later and she opened the patients chest.

"God" Ava sighed, "Stiches are all over the place, he might need a whole new valve"
"We don't have one currently in the hospital"
"Well we're going to have to find one" She said, undoing the stitches. Ava moved quickly and confidently in he OR as Connor helped and watched her, he found himself doing that a lot.
Ava looked up at met his eye, paused for a seance, her hand pausing before steadying its self  and getting back to work.

They were able to put in a short term pump to stabilise the patient while they waited for a new valve.
"Those were some nice stitches in there. Fast" Connors said as he scrubbed out.
"Oh well you know how I am, I hate sloppy work" she smiled, drying her hands. As she moved to leave Connor brought a hand to her shoulder.
"We're good, right?"
Ava gave him a short smile and a nod, "of course"
Ava left the scrub room and Connor dried his hands, not convinced by Ava, despite her confidence.

Connor waited in the doctors lounge at the end of shift, keeping an eye on the lift doors, waiting for Ava. He saw the doors open and her step out from bending the, wrapping her jacket tighter around herself from the ED cold. Connor left the doctors longe and smiled at her across the room, making his way over to her.
"Hey"
"Hi" she shivered in her coat.
They left the ED together, not sharing many words until they got home.

*

"Crazy day in the ED so I heard?"
"Yeah, suspected rabies case. We were wrong, thank god" Connor ran a hand through his hair, going over to the stove.
"It's my night to cook" she reminded him, taking the pot he had just picked up.
"But I want to cook"
"After a rabies scare?"
"It helps me relax, besides I like cooking for you - and others" Connor said quickly.
"Okey, but I'm helping, you've done it the last few days"
"Okey" Connor coincided, letting her take the pan.

Ava chopped the veg while Connor got started on the rice and seasoning the chicken. They worked well together, like in the OR, everything was perfectly time with them, like they'd rehearsed it. Once everything was in a pan choking Ava leaned back against the counter and fixed her hair, checking her emails before putting her phone away again. Connor started putting the dishes into the dishwasher after insisting he do it since Ava normally did. Ava wandered into her bedroom to get some lip bam, gently rubbing it over her Cupid's bow.

Ava heard a soft gasp come from the kitchen followed by some silence.
"Is everything okey?" She asked, walking back into the kitchen.
"Don't move" he held out his hand to stop her from going any further.
"What's wrong?" She asked, staring to get worried.
Connor hand moved to the floor, pointing to a small creature between them.
"A spider, seriously?" Ava laughed at the little thing, taking a step forward.
"Ava don't scare it"
She took an empty cup and some paper from the counter, swiftly catching the creature before it could escape.

"Are you sure you're claustrophobic and not arachnophobia?" She laughed, wandering over to the balcony door to let the creature out.
"He was a big one" he argued, finally calming down.
"I am never taking you back to South Africa with me if your afraid of a spider smaller then a saucer" she laughed, waving her hand and going back over to the stove.

Connor typed some things into his phone, looking disgusted at his screen. Ava glanced down at the device, tasing some of the sauce.
"Don't google them, it'll freak you out" she warned him, spotting Connor looking at South African spiders.
"Their the size of plates!"
"I told you not to google them!" She laughed, flicking off the stove top and plating up the dinner. Connor ate happily, distracting himself from the spiders. Ava put the dishes in the dishwasher and they went their separate ways to get ready for bed.

Ava passed by Connors door in her thick winter pyjamas. Something compelled her to stop, maybe it was the need to say goodnight or not wanting to feel alone going to bed.
"Hey" she breathed, still unsure of what she was going to say.
"Hey" Connor smiled up from the online news paper he was reading.
"Is everything okey?"
"Yeah, yeah. I just wanted to say goodnight"
"And to watch out for the spiders" she added.
"I will, Goodnight" he turned off his tablet to give her his full attention.
"Goodnight" Ava nodded, her feet still stuck to the ground.
Connor glanced better her and the empty space on his mattress, putting his hand in it gently.
"No one else is going to take it" he grinned, flashing his teeth.

Ava sleepily walked to his bedside, crawling under the covers.
"Goodnight Ava" he touched her hair weightlessly.
"Goodnight Connor" she exhaled, curled up in a ball next to him.
He finished his news article, glancing down at Ava every so often. Studying the flush in her face and how calm she look. In a true Ava sense she soon rolled over with her back to him, cuddling into a chuck of the duvet. Connor smiled and put his iPad down, setting into the mattress next to her.