Chapter 15

 

. ~ .

 

THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT, Andre and Maria took turns sitting with Ava, talking with her, touching her arms, massaging her hands. She showed no signs of waking up and Maria had become upset again, managing to squeeze more tears out of her already drained eyes.

Andre comforted her as best as he could, telling her how Ava was a strong woman, reminding her of the doctors from her past who had predicted that she wouldn’t live to see twenty-one. They’d been wrong. Doctors were human, too. They could prognosticate this and that, say this will work and that will work, but not one of them could truly put an expiration date on a person’s life.

Sometimes, people put too much faith in doctors and not enough in God. It had been nothing short of a miracle that, with her heart condition, Ava was able to give birth to a healthy little boy and not have any medical complications. While it was distressing to watch her in a comatose state, being in that condition was another protection for her. It was a way for her body to shut down and give her time to rest and heal from just having open heart surgery.

 

 

SITTING IN THE café sipping on coffee, Andre glanced up at Maria who hadn’t touched her breakfast.

“Maria, it’ll do you some good to eat something.”

“Yeah. I know. I have a hard time eating when I’m worried.”

“Me, too, but I actually feel a little better. Come on...eat. We have to be strong for Ava.”

Maria smiled. Could she ask for a better son-in-law? It baffled her at how quickly Andre had swooped into her daughter’s life, made her happy, gave her stability and showered her with love. Andre was a stand-up guy, a man who committed himself to her daughter, who vowed to take care of her and love her. He was sticking to his promise.

Maria spread strawberry jelly on a toast, began eating then looking up at Andre she asked, “What attracted you to my daughter?”

A smile grew on his face. “She’s refreshing, and beautiful, of course, but she has a genuine spirit about her. I know she loves me and I don’t have to worry about her having any alternative motives.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, women I’ve dated in the past were very shallow...they presented themselves as women of depth, but once I’d gotten to know them, there was nothing there...just emptiness...women looking for stability through a man and what better man to find stability from than a millionaire.”

“Ava found stability in you.”

“You’re right...in me, and nothing more. Ava doesn’t care about money.”

“She shouldn’t...we grew up pinching pennies, especially after her father passed.”

“How was it for her...growing up without a father?”

“It wasn’t that bad in the beginning, but when she got older and saw other kids doing things with their father, she asked me a few times what happened to him.”

“What happened to him?”

Maria took a breath.

“Sorry,” Andre told her. “We don’t have to talk about it if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“No, it’s fine. I just get emotional thinking about it. Anyway, he was coming home from work one day and had a heart attack. His car crossed the center lane into oncoming traffic. He died at the hospital.”

“I’m sorry.”

Maria smiled weakly. Then taking a few more bites from her toast, she scanned the café while Andre took more sips of coffee.

“So, as I was saying,” Maria continued, “Ava comes from very humble beginnings. As the only parent, I tried to instill in her the value of hard work. I tried to be both her mother and father, but I don’t think it worked out too well, especially during the time the doctors diagnosed her with the heart condition.”

“Why?”

“Ava was a bright child. Even before she started walking, she knew a few words, you know. She was bumped up two grades in elementary school, because the teachers were impressed with her abilities, but when the news came about the heart condition, I saw the light bulb in her go out. It was around the time she began high school. Her grades dropped drastically and her enthusiasm for academics waned. I never thought I’d see her happy again. Then she met a guy.”

“A guy?” Andre said, with raised brows, anxious to hear about this guy.

“She fell in love with him...fell hard for him and I saw a spark in her again. In case you didn’t know, the guy I’m referring to is you, Andre.”

A smile grew on this face.

“You ignited a spark within her, Andre, and no matter what happens in this hospital, you need to know that you saved my daughter and I will be forever grateful to you for making her happy again.”

Andre smiled, appreciative of his mother-in-law’s kind words. “I’m going to go check on her.”

“Okay. I’ll meet you back in the waiting room,” Maria told him.

Andre hurried off, taking the elevator to the fourth floor. It seemed every time he was on his way to see Ava, he had to get there quickly, as if something would happen in the minutes it would take him to get to her room.

Once there, he slowly opened the door, watching the nurse by her side change an I.V. bag. She greeted him with a good morning before exiting the room, leaving him alone with his wife.

Andre sat down in the chair next to her bed, rubbing his hands together.

“Your mom and I are bonding,” he said to Ava, even though she probably couldn’t hear him. Dr. Burke mentioned that talking to her could help, and if for nothing else, it would keep Andre sane, giving him hope that Ava would come around. “She’s a sweet woman. Now I see where you get all of the endearing qualities I love about you, Ava.”

Andre rubbed his tired eyes and leaned back in the chair. “Ah...Andrew is fine, but he misses you. He cries for you. We all miss you, Ava.”

Fidgety, he stood up, leaning down to her, kissing her lips. “What would it take for you to come back to me?” He took her hand in his, placing her palm against his face. “What will it take for you to come back to me, baby?” he repeated.

He lowered her arm down, covering her properly with the sheets. Then he paced pack and forth in front of the windows for the umpteenth time. He wanted to take a shower, but he wouldn’t leave this hospital while Ava was here. Instead, he left the room and in the bathroom down the hallway, he ran cold water and splashed it on his face, blotting his face with a paper towel.

He hadn’t shaven in three days, but he still looked good, rugged and somewhat together – well except for the worry in his eyes, along with the puffiness underneath them that was forming due to lack of sleep.

Leaving her room now, he took the elevator to the ground floor and called Todd. He caught him up to speed on what was happening, on the fact that Ava had been in a coma since her surgery yesterday afternoon and how, even though he tried to have a positive outlook on her situation, he still felt afraid for her.

Next, he called his parents to see when they were coming back to the hospital. His mother had let him know that Andrew was still eating his breakfast and they would be leaving as soon as he was done. He reminded her to bring Andrew’s diaper bag and to make sure it was stocked with diapers, wipes, a few snacks and his sippy cup.

After hanging up the phone, he walked around outside for a moment, immersing himself in the thick, morning air. The sun was out and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. Birds were chirping, the dogwood trees celebrating the emergence of spring while colorful flowers swayed in the breeze. These beautiful things only made him think of Ava – the walks they’d taken together, the times they spent making love, the harmony and joy she brought to him, like earth’s creation brought tranquility to those who were intelligent enough to enjoy the beauty of it – who appreciated the uniqueness of the universe.

Ava was uniquely different from him in many ways, giving fuel to the adage that opposites really do attract. She was picky about food and would break up a sandwich into pieces as she ate it, while he was a devourer, taking huge bites at a time. She also paid attention to the smallest things, like for instance, on their walks, she didn’t like stepping on the cracks in sidewalks while he could care less about them. When he would do something to make her blush, her cheeks turned a rosy color, while he was so calm and collected, his facial expressions remained unreadable, even in front of crowds of people.

Deciding he’d ventured far enough from the front entrance, Andre turned around and headed back with his hands in his pockets. Staring down at the sidewalk, he smiled, paying attention to the crevices that separated one slab of concrete from the next and as Ava would do, he stepped over them, then grinned to himself. It seemed silly, but it made him feel closer to her and for a moment, he imagined she was walking next to him, doing the same – skipping over cracks in a sidewalk.

It’s funny the little things a person remembers about the one they love. Ava was with him, he was sure of it.