Superstitions

Chapter 16 - D-day

Hello, yes I'm still alive, I know it's been over a year since I last updated this story and I'm sorry about that. Since I've been in med school, I haven't had time to write. The good news is that I've finally graduated from med school, so I have more free time to write.
As you can see I changed the cover, I hope you liked it.

Enjoy !

CHAPTER 16 - D-day

The room was quiet, with a few rays of sunlight peeking through the curtains. Suddenly there was a shrill sound, Ava's alarm clock. The big day had arrived, the day of the operation. It took Ava a few moments to turn off her alarm. She and Connor were in a half awake, half asleep state. It was strange how the night had seemed so long and so fast at the same time. Together they must have slept an hour or two at the most. The room was silent again, neither of them wanting to talk or move, just enjoying the moment. But again an alarm went off, this time from Connor. They got up mechanically, in silence. Ava took longer, knowing that if she got up too quickly she'd get dizzy and feel her heart pounding. They continued their preparations before heading to the hospital. When they arrived, neither of them had said a word, just held hands so tightly that their fingertips turned white.

It was time for Ava to go into surgery, the stretcher bearer came to pick her up. Connor's leg twitched desperately as he tried to hide his fear, but to no avail. He had complete faith in the team, but it was his wife and daughter who were at stake. During the preparation sessions with Dr Virchow, Ava had learnt relaxation and breathing exercises, but when she wasn't there it was more complicated. She had managed to avoid panic attacks, but when she had to let go of Connor's hand, the fear overwhelmed her and tears welled up in her eyes.

"I love you, you're the two women in my life, you'll get through this," Connor said hoarsely.

Pull yourself together, you need to calm down, it's not good for you, for Sophia or for the operation, Ava thought. The sound of Sophia's name in her head made her realise that she was no longer alone, that she was responsible for this fragile little thing growing in her womb. She had to be strong for her.

"I love you too," she cried before disappearing down the corridor.

In the operating theatre, everything was done to create a relaxed atmosphere. The lights were dimmed, the table heated and the volume of the machines turned down. As agreed, Dr Virchow would begin the hypnosis session and give the green light to the surgeon when Ava was ready.

The hypnosis began. Dr Virchow had asked her to choose a place where she felt safe and comfortable. Ava had obviously chosen the operating theatre. She was in an advanced state of hypnosis so the operation could begin. The hypnosis continued in her flat, where she lay on the sofa with Connor. She held a baby in her arms, a little girl. All she could feel at the moment was a gentle warmth and a deep sense of happiness. After that, they were in a park similar to the one near their apartment, walking with a pram. Suddenly, a feeling of anxiety overcame Ava. The pram and Connor were gone, the park was no longer the same. She found herself alone in a dense forest, in an oppressive heat. Dr Virchow tried to calm her, but Ava couldn't hear him. The monitors began to go mad as Ava's dream turned into a nightmare. A little girl appeared, looking weak and coughing. That cough immediately sent her to her father's office in South Africa. She hid in the stairwell and listened to a conversation.

"Listen Sam, I did everything I could but she got worse. I know you didn't want her to go to the hospital, but it was necessary. Unfortunately by the time the ambulance arrived it was too late."

"No, no, no, she just had a bit of flu, how could that happen?"

"It seems that some of the children caught the cave fever, Mia must have caught it and with her immune system already weakened ..."

Sam was devastated, speechless as his anger rose. Since his wife's disappearance, he had taken to drinking and was prone to explosive rages and paranoia. It wasn't unusual for him to lose his temper in the middle of the night over nothing. When sober, he returned to the gentle, loving man he had once been. Sometimes a little too affectionate, as if trying to make amends.

A loud cough broke the silence. Sam stood up suspiciously.

"What's that! I want to see her, I want to see her body!"

"It's probably Ava, she's still a bit sick. I'm sorry about Mia, but that's not possible, the risk of infection is too high, the health authorities are already on our backs for the outbreak."

Ava was confused, she hadn't coughed. In a panic, she rushed to her room and covered her ears with her pillow. She didn't like arguments and she knew Sam could be violent. He was like a pressure cooker ready to explode and Ava's father was well aware of that. Sam got up and headed for the door. The front door slammed and the two adults continued their discussion outside as the argument escalated.

Back in the woods, the little girl locked eyes with Ava, her gaze pleading for salvation before she collapsed. As her body touched the ground, it turned into a swarm of bats that flew at Ava. Panicked, she curled up on the floor, trying to protect herself. The animals screamed at her, blaming her for what had happened, telling her that she had killed them.

The operating theatre was in chaos, Ava's body moving all over the place. The surgeons had had time to dilate her aortic valve and were working on her mitral valve, but they couldn't continue in these conditions. Dr Virchow was also concerned that Ava's already sick heart was beating too fast. She had no choice but to stop the operation and give Ava a strong sedative.

A heavy fog began to surround Ava, so thick that it muffled the bats' cries until silence reigned again. As it thickened, it became so dense that it even blocked out the light, and soon she found herself in total darkness.