Getting back to "Normal" | Rhekker

Chapter 48- Patient

Ava was laying on her bed curled up in a ball in Connors hoodie, watching her phone, willing something, anything, to happen. She went up to wash her face and wake herself up a little when she heard a faint buzzing from her room. At first she thought she was imagining until she stuck her head out the door and saw the screen flashing. Ava dove onto the bed and picked up the phone

"Hello?"

"Andreas, how's things been? Look I need you to do a drop with me to this hospital down town. I got a friend on the inside you can get you in, it's just he can't Administer it"

"Yeah, I can do tomorrow" Ava nodded.

"Yeah girl, I'll pick you up. I'll send you a time and place and you just be there"

"See you tomorrow, Johnny"

"Yeah, yeah, bye sweetheart"

Ava hung up the phone and put in on her duvet, until the one hidden in her headboard began to ring. Ava pried it open and fished out the phone.
"Hello?"

"Looks like our favourite German is doing well" jay said into the phone

"Your listening to my calls now?"

"Always was"

"Good thing I'm only ringing one person, and one person only" Ava sighed.

"You still missing him?" Jay said after a pause

"Of course I am"

"You'll see him again, Ava"

"I know, I know. Now go do your police thing and let me get some sleep, I've been waiting for that call for hours"

"Goodnight Ava"

"Night"

Jay picked her up the next morning and dropped her off five blocks from the park where she was set to meet Johnny. Ava waited on a bench and huddled waiting for Johnny to get there. A car horn below behind her and she turned to spot a truck.
"You Andreas?" A asked from the window, chewing some gum.
"Depends who's asking"
"I'm Johnny's friend"
Ava approached the car and got in the passenger side door.

They drove in silence and she dropped her off at the visitors entrance.
"Thank-" the car sped off before Ava could finish. Ava turned quickly in the cold, and pulled her jacket tighter around herself. She headed into the hospital, it was one she'd heard of but never been to, they didn't have a very large CT department.
"Andrea, there you are" Johnny approached her from a vending machine on the wall.
"Thought you were going to be a no show" he took a bite into his snicker bar.
"Yeah, your friend dropped me off"
"Joey Jr., yeah. My bro" he ran a hand through his hair and hit the button to the elevator.
"Do all of your names begin with J's?" She asked, leaning back against the wall.
"Oh yeah, is me, Joey Jr. and Jenny" he laughed in realisation.
"See this is why I'm the dealer and your the nurse" he chuckled, pointing to her as the door opened.

"Right in here" he pointed to an open door. They were in the private area of the hospital, Ava could see an elderly man in the bed watching a rerun of a hockey game.
"Mr. Hollow, it's good to see such a loyal customer back with us" he clapped his hands together.
"This is my girl, Andrea"
Ava gave a polite smile and Jonny took out a plastic bag and handed it to her.
Ava sat on to stool next to the bed and opened the bag to get the needle ready. She contemplated what she could do, drop the needle? Smash it, make a break for the door?
None of which had positive outcomes.
"You okey down there?" Mr. Hollow asked worriedly.
"Yeah" Ava nodded shortly and got back to work with the tourniquet she glanced up to him.

Ava looked to the table next to the patient was a very old copy of the Chicago Daily. It was the one that spotted Connor and her coming out of the ballet. Ava's heartbeat quickened, was this a set up, why was that here if it's so old? You couldn't really see Avas face in it anyway, you'd only recognise her from the photo if you already knew her, her hair was patently covering her identity. Ava pushed her fears down and met her patients eyes as she slid the needle in like she'd done thousands of times.

Ava strong hand suddenly came down onto her shoulder making her jump.
"ow" the patient wailed as the needle jiggled in their arm.
"Don't scare the girl when she has a needle in me!" He scolded Johnny.
"Sorry, it's her first time doing this, she's a little on edge" he squeezed her shoulder.
The patient followed Ava's gaze to the paper.
"Ah, you're probably wondering why I have such an out of date paper. All the papers here are all out of date, that's the newest one and it's not even about doctors from this hospital. It's that Rhodes man- from Dolans and Rhodes- he always struck me as very arrogant, leaving and not supporting the family business. You know his sister, runs it?"
"I completely agree" Ava smiled insincerely, "would you like me to go to the shops and get you today's paper?"
"Well isn't she a dream" he beamed to Johnny, and handed her a five ten dollar bills
"It's no problem" Ava sat up and tucked the paper under her arm, with their photo to her waist.

She walked out of the room with Johnny and got into the lift. The doors dinged open and Ava moved to exit the elevator to the shops for her patient.
Johnny's hand slammed I front of her, keeping the door open but stopping her from leaving.
"Pro tip girl, don't get close with the patients, their not your actually patients" he hissed.
"It's one thing" she refused to back down.
"Fine but you're finding your own way home"
Ava pushed his hand out of the way and let the elevator, she bought today's copy of the paper and hid the old one in her jacket form any prying eyes.
"Here you go, Mr. Hollow" she handed him that days paper.
Mr. Hollow was laughing at the hockey match on the tv. Ava left the paper on his breakfast tray, figuring he'd find it eventually.

Ava left the hospital and walked to the subway station, buying her ticket with the change from the paper. She started her ten block walk home, shuddering in the cold. Around block six a car horn blew behind her. Ava ignored it and continued to walk down the street. The horn blew again and the car picked up behind her.
"Why do you walk so fast?" Jay said as he pulled up beside her.
"Oh, hi" she breathed, her breath appearing before them.
"Get in. Come on" he waved his hand.
Ava went around the side of the road and hoped in the car, blowing air into her hands.
"Why were you walking, I thought he was dropping you back to the park. I was just driving to meet you from the coffee shop like we agreed to" he pulled off the side of the road to her motel.
"He thought I was getting to close to the patient, I offered to buy him today's paper"
"Why'd you do that?" Jay asked.
Ava unzipped the top of her jacket and pulled out the paper, unfolding it to show the photo.
"Oh!" Jay stopped the car and they jerked forward.
"Do they know?!"
"No, you can't really see my face in the photo and they don't know my real name, but it was a close call" she admitted.
Jay began to pick up speed again as they drove forward, "to close" he muttered into his hand.

Jay drove her back to the motel and got out of the car with her. "What are you doing" she asked. "We need to get rid of this" he held the paper up.
"Here" Ava pulled the trash can into the center of the room.
Jay took out a lighter and dropped the paper and a spark into the can. They let it burn for a minute before jay picked it up and put it out with some water.
"For what it's worth you looked nice in the photo"
"Thanks" Ava muttered, placing her hands on her hips.
"I'll take this with me" Jay picked up the can and took it with him.

A/n: Hi guys, long time no see. 😬 I've been busier then normal lately but I did not realise it had been nearly two weeks without a chapter, that was very mean of me. But with these extra two weeks I've gotten to a better place with working out the plot and pacing for this book. 😍
A few more chapters to go and we we'll be back to normal scheduling. ❤️
Thank you for your patience