Getting back to "Normal" | Rhekker

Chapter 50- Dinner

"Hey" Connor smiled, spotting Jay across the bullpen.
"Hey man, what are you doing here?" Jay replied, patting him on the back.
"Nothing, just thought I'd stop by and say hi"
"Yeah, okey, lets go over here." He suggested leading him over to the break room.
"How'd you get up here anyway?" Jay started making some coffee.
"I may have bribed Trudy" Connor opened a small box of donuts with one missing from the corner.
"Do you want one?" Jay nodded to the machine.
"I doubt you have any lattes in there"
"Lattes, seriously?" Jay sipped his drink.
"Let me guess, you take it black?"
Jay raised his brow and tilted his cup.

"As much as I love this stop by, I think we both know why you are really here, and it's not to see my beautiful face" Jay joked.
Connor exhaled shortly.
"How is she?"
"She's well, she's a hard worker, good at her job too"
"That's Ava alright" he smiled, remembering their time in the OR together.
"Was that all?"
Connor was silent for a minute, knowing this idea would probably get shut down.
"Can I see her?" Connor saw jays face change immediately.
"Or just speak to her?"
"I can't Connor, you know that" jay sighed.
"How do I know if she's okey?"
"I'll tell you Connor" he assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Im taking care of her, trust me, I'm bringing her dinner later this evening"
Connor didn't say anything but jay continued, "you have to stay strong man, she'll come back to you"
"It's been over a month"
"I know" Jay pursed his lips, placing a hand on Connor's back, he walked him out of the bullpen passing the desks and whiteboard as they went.

*

Ava was laying on her bed doing some breathing techniques to stop herself from going insane in this small room. She turned her head as her door opened suddenly.
"You should have knocked" she told him, returning her gaze to the ceiling.
"I could be been getting changed"
"Why are you sitting like that?" Jay put the bags of food down, watching Ava have her legs up against the headboard and wall.

"boredom" Ava sighed, pulling her legs back down.
"Hank still pissed at me?" Ava asked, taking a seat at her small desk.
"Yep" Jay took out one take away container and handed it to her.
"The fastest he's managed to get drugs off someone while undercover was three days, you did it in two"
"Ah, so I upstaged him" Ava nodding knowingly, opening her takeaway container.
"Something like that yeah" he took the fold up seat next to her. They ate in silence together, it was like this most meal times, Jay would bring her breakfast and leave lunch with her before returning to bring her dinner.

"So how's-" she began.
"He's fine, saw him at the hospital two days ago and then again today"
Ava nodded, it was a month yesterday since she'd left.
"Why were you at the hospital?" Ava pops some rice into her mouth.
"Hailey hurt her wrist while out on a call, I made her go. It's just a sprain but they gave her like a cast thing-"
"A splint" Ava says.
"Yeah, so she's on desk duty for a week until that heals"
Ava nods and bounces her ankle, leaning back in her chair.
"When did you see him today?"
"He came to the station to talk to us, nagging us to give you back to him"

"I didn't think undercover work would be so slow" she smiles.
"What you thought you'd have the case done in a week and be back to surgery"
"Something like that" Ava shook her head.
"Most of it is waiting around"
"You regretting it?" Jay said softly.
Ava stared into her rice and didn't say anything.
"Most people do"
"I'll be over soon" she says, "I can feel it"
Jay nodded, "that's the spirit"

"Is Connor - did it seem like he was seeing anyone?" Ava meets his eye.
Jays mouth hung open, "What, no? Ava he's not going to date someone while his girlfriends undercover"
Ava shrugged, "I just don't want him waiting around for ages when he could be happy"
"He'll be happy once we give you back, trust me" Jay laughed thinking of all the texts and calls he'd gotten from him about Ava.
"And what happened to that positive talk about getting out of here soon?" Jay nudged her shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah your right"

Jay took a sip from his water bottle, "have you been doing alright, since getting out of the hospital. I mean we didn't exactly see each other before now"
"I've been good, i am good. As much as I hated inpatient, I needed it" Ava admitted.
Jay nodded, eating his noodles.
"When we- I mean when, when we you know" jay stammered.
"Slept together?" She suggests.
"Yes, were you in a good headspace? I just, after I found out everything I felt like I was taking advantage of you" jay runs his hand through his hair.
"You weren't, trust me. I was the instigator if I'm remembering things correctly. Besides, I was heartbroken, so were you" Ava shurrged, eating a head of broccoli from her bowl.

"So you and detective Upton" Ava smirked.
"What about us?" Jay touched his neck nervously.
"Touching your neck, that's a bit of a give away, detective. You talked her into going to the ED, and you drove her there? Seems like your going the extra mile for your partner"
"We're cops, you get close with each other" he dismissed it.
"Oh, very close I can imagine" Ava laughed.
Her phone buzzed on the table next to her, Ava picked it up and read the message but ignore it.
"You not going to get that?" He asked, knowing the only person it could be.
"I'm meant to be on shift know, I'll reply in the morning."
"What did it say?"
"It was about the meet up on Friday, he wants me in something short" Ava scrowled at the fact he thought he had a say in what she wore.
"Got it" Jay nodded, making a note to find her a dress.

Ava put her empty container on the table and rubbed her eyes.
"I'm so tried" she whined, doing nothing had been strangely tiering.
"Go to sleep, I need to stay for another fifty minutes, I'll wake you when I'm leaving" he suggests.
"Okey" Ava goes to the bathroom, closing the door behind her she changes into a plain set of pyjamas and does her teeth before wandering back out to Jay.
"Goodnight" she says, slipping under the covers.
"Night" Jay puts his headphones in one ear.
Ava curled up under the thin duvet and closes her eyes, drifting off to sleep.