Normal | Rhekker

Chapter 58- Patrick

Connor woke up on the sofa, stretching out a sat up, rolling his neck. He was sick of sleeping on sofa. He relaxed his back under the hot water of the shower. And thought about a plan for the day.

He dried off and changed, knocking on Ava's door before letting himself in to get scrubs from his draws. She was asleep. Her back to him. She cuddled into half of the duvet, clinging to it tightly. Connor stopped to watch her, she was so calm
Connor stepped closer, her hair was tied back loosely, one single curl sticking out at the nape of her neck. He reached out to brush his finger against it, watching her hair spring back.
Ava crinkled her nose, stretching out further. Connor turned to the night stand.
"Connor?" She asked.
"I didn't mean to wake you" he cleared his throat.
"I was just looking for something"
Ava closed her eye again, "mhm"

"I'll, I'll start breakfast" he muttered as he left. Scrubs in hand. Ava rolled onto her back and watched him go, pressing her eyes closed tight. She had a heaviness in her mind, opening her eyes she made her way to the shower. Preparing for the day.
When Ava stepped out of the bedroom, dressed for the day her breakfast was on the counter, Connor having disappeared somewhere.She ate breakfast alone, leaving the house quietly by herself, and getting the train to work.

Connor got a coffee from the shop around the corner to the hospital, picking up a paper on his way out. He threw it down on the side of his desk, sitting down he sipped his coffee while opening his desk top.
Connor picked up the paper from his desk. The front image was of Ava leaving Patrick Moore's apartment in New York, in the same clothes she was seen in the day prior. He swallowed a lump in his throat and put his mug down.

Bekker's promiscuous adventures on the Upper East Side

And this had to come out after she'd come back. Maybe that was for the best really. He wasn't sure he'd cope seeing something like this while she was missing. Or rather hiding from him in New York. He put the paper down. Maybe they really were over.

Ava came out of surgery, running a hand through her hair she binned her PPE. Picking up her things she checked her phone and made her way down to the ED.
She picked up her iPad and read through her patient files, looking up over the ED she spotted him. This was his turf, she supposed. He was with one of the nurses, she smiled and laughed, touching his arm. Ava felt sick, but he was single now. What did she expect?
Ava pursed her lips, turning her head she left the ED, putting her iPad under her arm.
He had moved on, from her.

She opened the door to Ini's office, her face crumbling.
"Oh honey, what's wrong" she stood, wrapping her arms around her.
"I'm fine, it's. It's stupid really"
"I just- I just want my life back" Ava touched her nose.
"Oh Ava!" Ini wrapped her arms around her.
"It's stupid" she said. "I just, I don't know how to move through this"
"Come on, let's get out of here for a bit. Get you some fresh air"
Ava nodded, stepping into her office she pulled on her coat, grabbing her bag.

They found themselves in a late night coffee diner. Ava pouring her heart out over a mug of pour over.
"Is it strange that I want to fight with him?"
"I just cant keep with this tension and tiptoeing around each other"
"I get what you mean" Ini assured her.
"Victor and I were like that before I left for the states"
"But you two worked it out, right?"
Ini didn't reply.
"Right?" Ava pressed, this not filling her with confidence for the future.
"Im pregnant"
Ava's mouth fell open. "When we went back to Nigeria" Ini said.
"Oh my god congratulations!" Ava threw her arms around her.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"You just had so much going on" she shook her head, "I've only really told family"
"And Owen?" She said.
"Yes, he knows"
Ava leaned back in her chair, "maybe there is hope then"

They said their goodbyes and made their separate ways home. Ava let herself into the apartment, finding Connor at the kitchen table she stopped.
"Hey" she said.
"Hi" he stroked his mug of coffee. "I didn't know you were staying late"
She looked down at her scrubs, "I went out for a bit"
"With Ini" she took off her coat.

Ava moved to walk past him to her room.
"Can I talk to you?"
Ava turned her head, looking down to him, "sure" she sat down with him.
"I didn't know you knew Patrick Moore"
She paused, "I didn't know you knew, Patrick"
There was a silence after that.
"You didn't mentioned you'd seen him in New York"
"You didn't mention that you knew him" she shrugged "why would I bring it up"
Connor took a deep breathe "I didn't know you were seeing other people" he touched his face.
"Not that I mind". That was a lie.

That was a knife to the heart. Ava held his gaze. "I didn't sleep with him, Connor"
"I babysat his daughter, Lee, for him. It got late, I stayed the night"
She stood up, done with this conversation. "But since you don't care if I see other people maybe I should have"