Ex-Husband's Regret

“What do you mean she slipped into a coma?” Theo asks with an unmistakable tremble in his voice.

My heart was once again thudding against my ribcage. It felt like it wanted to punch a whole right through my fucking chest.

I try to think clearly, but it’s like my brain can’t function. Time slowed down as the doctor spoke. All I heard was a ringing in my ear.

I stumble back and fall on the seat I had vacated. Gabe and my dad put their hands on me, but I shake them off. I didn’t want their comfort. I wanted the doctor to tell me that the surgery had been a success and that in a few hours Ava would wake up.

“She had a total of four bullets. One hit her head, the second hit her chest, the third hit her stomach, and the final one hit her thigh. We were able to remove three of them successfully, except for the one in her skull. It was lodged too deep and removing it would have killed her.”

Fuck. I don’t know what to feel or think about that. He is telling us that Ava will have to live with a bullet stuck in her head. How is any of that fair? She was okay this morning before things took a turn for the worst.

‘At least she’s alive,‘ a voice whispers.Text © by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

I ignore it. She was alive, but would she stay alive? That was the main fucking question.

“We were able to stop the bleeding, both internal and external. We, fluid, which helped with the swelling in her brain. She flat–lined twice. It’s after the second time that she slipped into a comma. For now, she’s in ICU.”

If I thought nothing could hurt me worse than seeing Ava get shot, then I was wrong. Hearing that we almost lost her twice destroyed me. It is like being stabbed by a thousand sharp knives. I wouldn’t wish anyone this fucking pain. Not even my worst enemy.

“Will she wake up?” I breathe hoarsely. “Will she be able to make a full recovery?”

“At this point, we can’t really say. This isn’t an induced coma, and we can’t assure you that she’ll wake up in a few days. She might wake up tomorrow, in a few days, in a few months, or she might not wake up at all. For now, we’ll give it a few days to see whether she’ll wake up.”

The possibility that she might not wake up nearly brought me to my knees.

I push those thoughts away. I can’t think like that. She’s strong; she’ll wake up. In a few fucking days, she’ll be up, glaring and snapping at me.

“What about the bullet in her brain? Will living with it have any effect on her?” Nora asks as tears run down her cheek.

I can’t even begin to imagine how hard this must be for her. I can’t ever imagine facing the likelihood of losing Noah. It’s just too much to even think about.

“There are some who live perfectly normal lives, and there are others who are affected. She might have trouble remembering things, have speech and hearing issues, or have trouble recognizing words, letters, and numbers. These are just a few things that might be affected by the kind of injury to her brain. Right now, we can’t say for sure. We have to wait for her to wake up.”

If she wakes up,

He doesn’t say the words verbally, but it’s in the way he looks at us. The uncertainty is in his eyes.

Nora nods as more tears fall down her face. Theo pulls her into his arms and hugs her close to his chest.

The strong couple I know is nowhere to be seen. The only ones standing in their place are two concerned, heartbroken parents.

“Since it’s already past visiting hours, you’ll have to come back tomorrow, and even then, we will only allow one person in the room with her. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll take my leave.”

We nod at him, and he leaves just as mom comes back with the boys.

Noah immediately comes to me, while Gunner goes to his father.

“What did the doctor say? Is mom okay?” He looks up at me with hope, shinning his eyes.

This is the hard part of being a parent. Knowing whether to tell your kid the fucking truth or lie to them.

Should I tell him that the doctors aren’t really sure his mother will wake up from the coma, or should I lie and tell him that she’s okay?

“The doctors aren’t sure, Bud. We’ll just have to wait and pray.” I decide to go with honesty.

If lied and, God forbid, Ava never wakes up, he would end up hating me for lying that his mom was okay.

He doesn’t say anything. Just looks at me before looking at the floor.

After a few minutes of silence, I turn and face the rest.

“Since we won’t be able to see her today, I think you should all go home, get some rest, and come back tomorrow.”

“No,” both Corrine and Letty refuse at the same time, followed by Nora and Theo.

I try to convince them that I’ll let them know if something comes up, but they refuse to budge. In the end, everyone decides to stay except for Emma, Cal, Kate, and my parents.

My parents agree to go home only after I tell them that Noah can’t stay in the hospital and that he needs someone with him. Cal agrees for the sake of Gunner. The boy was already yawning even though you could see the worry in his face.

Gabe sits by my side after they leave. There is little talking. Mostly we just sit in silence, that is until Brian arrives.

I’m sorry I got here late. We had to interview the witnesses about Ava’s shooting. I’m really sorry for what happened to her.”

I nod my head. 

“Have you found anything?”

“The witnesses couldn’t give us anything beyond what we already know and have seen on the video”

Shit. I was hoping they would have something. A starting point.

“Is she in any state to be questioned?” 

My face shuts down, and my voice hardens. I know it’s not his fault since he doesn’t know the details, but it just pisses me off.

“She’s in a coma,” I grit out.

“I’m sorry,” he says remorsefully, but it doesn’t do anything to elevate what I feel inside.

“Is there any information you can give me? Has anyone been threatening her? Following her? Any suspicious person lurking around her? Any information, no matter how small, could help.”

I shake my head. “None. I have nothing.”

He just nods before turning to the rest.

“I don’t know if I’m imagining it, but when she called me, she sounded stressed and desperate. It may not be anything, but she just didn’t sound like herself. I thought that maybe she was struggling with her past traumas given that the news about Gunner triggered her.”

“Who is Gunner?”

“Emma’s son. She kept him hidden until Ava found out the truth and revealed it to us,” Travis answers,

Emma looks at the floor, hiding her emotions.

“Why would she keep him hidden?”

“She didn’t want him in her life, and she didn’t want us to know about him. Calvin, who is the dad, and

Gunner moved next door to Ava. That’s how she was able to connect the pieces.”

Brian was now fully facing Travis. “And how did that go down?”

“Not well. We are all pissed at her and since she still insists on this stupidity, mom gave her an ultimatum: mend the fences or we cut her off from our lives.”

“I’m sure Emma didn’t take that well.” Brian questions further.

“Not at all. She was and still is pissed, especially at Ava for revealing the truth.”

Brain rubs his chin as his mind works. You can clearly see the wheels turning in his head. I’ve known Brian for a long time. Something was going on inside his head.

“I see,” he finally says after a while.

“See what, exactly?” Gabe and I ask him at the same time.

“According to what Travis has told me, I may have my first suspect.”

“What?” Travis asks, just as Corrine whispers,

“Who?”

He gives a firm and thin smile. “Emma”

The rest look at him like he has grown another head or something. I just stare at him contemplating. If you look at it from his angle then sure, Emma might have motive.

The only question is: is her anger, hatred, and bitterness towards Ava enough to want her dead and to actually plan a hit on her?