Chapter Twenty-Four

"No, Ava! Wake up! Someone call the ambulance!" he screamed as she slipped in and out of consciousness. "Hey, Ava, don't do this to me. Ava, fucking wake up. I forgive you. Please, Ava," he said, and he carried her into the open.

Lucky for him, the ambulance was outside already. Immediately, the paramedics rushed her onto the stretcher.

"Sir, we need you to follow us," one of them said, and he immediately rushed in.

He watched them at the corner as they placed a gas mask on her face.

"Her heartbeat is decreasing, bringing out the defibrillator," one of them said, and Noah felt a vein in his body burst.

"We need to stop the bleeding from the gunshot," they said as they saw the wound in her chest.

"Charge!"

"Charge!" one of them screamed again, and Noah stared helplessly. He'd done it again. Because of him, they were going to lose Ava. It all felt like deja vu.

They rushed her down from the ambulance and immediately carried her inside the hospital.

He sat on the cold bench with his hands in his hair. For the first time in his life, he called out for God's help.

"If you really exist, please save Ava. I don't want to lose her," he pleaded with his arms together. The tension was too much for him to handle, so he occasionally stood up and paced around.

Then his phone rang in his pocket. It was Daniel calling. He held onto his phone, contemplating whether he should or shouldn't answer.

"Hello," he picked up after the third ring.

"Yeah, the airport called me. Ava is missing. I came to your house to check if she was there, but she wasn't and her phone keeps going to voicemail. Do you have any idea where she is?" he asked in a worried tone.

"Ava is in the hospital. She's here battling for her life. All because of me. Again," he said quietly.

"What the fuck did you just say, Noah?! She's fucking what?! What hospital are you in?" he asked, fury filling his voice to the brim.

"City Hospital. At the edge of town," he said, and he heard the phone hang up.

He slumped back in the chair. He stared helplessly at the door. His heart was in his chest. Then he felt a hot punch to his face, and he fell off the bench.

"Stay away from my sister, Noah Faustino. Haven't you caused her enough pain? She is in there fighting for her life, and you are still alive. You should be beaten to a pulp." Daniel landed a series of punches. They left Noah's face half disfigured.

He stayed on the ground and spat blood. He didn't want to fight back because it was all his fault. The nurses ran towards him as he spat out a huge chunk of blood.

Immediately, they rushed to treat his disfigured face. He deserved more than that beating. Pedro had told him to forget it and bury the hatchet, but he didn't listen.

Now he was in a situation that even the rich could not buy him out of. He came back and sat down.

"She got shot by Kendra. In her chest. She was kidnapped by her Louis."

Just then, the doctor came out of the room. Immediately, Noah stood up.

"Are you Noah?" he asked as he placed the stethoscope around his neck.

"Yes, I am. What's the news, Doctor?" he was on high alert.

"She's in critical condition. And she's still unconscious. We stopped the bleeding, but she kept calling out for Noah. For him to forgive her. She isn't fighting hard enough for her life. As a doctor, I don't really believe in this stuff, but I think you should talk to her," he said as he nodded at the door.

Noah glanced at Daniel and gestured for him to go ahead. He had no choice. Immediately, he rushed into the room.

She laid there with her eyes closed. He came closer to her, and he saw tears glistening on her face.

"Noah..." she whispered, and he linked his hands with hers.

"Noah, forgive me..." she said, and fresh tears rolled down her face.

"Noah, please..." she called again, and her heartbeat started to decrease.

"DOCTOR! HELP! SHE'S DYING!" he screamed, and doctors and nurses rushed in and sent him out.

He could hear the commotion in the room and felt as if his heart was going to tear out of his body.

Then the doctor came out.

"I need you to sit down, Noah," he said as he held his shoulders. Noah looked at the doctor with no hope in his eyes. And Daniel fell on the cold floor.

Noah shook his head, not believing. "I'm sorry, Noah. I'm sorry. I couldn't save—" But Noah interrupted him.

"Don't fucking say she's dead, or I'll kill you!" he yelled at him. "I'm freaking Noah Faustino." He pointed before he entered the room.

"Reconnect that fucking monitor, or I'll shoot every one of you!" he screamed at them. The nurse connected it and left the room for him.

"Ava, your not fucking dead. Wake up, Ava! Stop playing games with me," he said, but the monitor still didn't show a heartbeat.

"Ava, forgive me. I love you, Ava! If you leave me, I'll die," he said, and tears started falling, but still, no heartbeat.

"Ava, you are my life. I freaking love you. I'm sorry. I forgive you. I'll forget about the past, Ava. I love you," he said, but still, no heartbeat.

Then he realized it:

She was gone. He never got the chance to say goodbye. He'd lost the woman he loved the most.

"Nooooo. Ava. Fuck!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

He lay on the floor silently. His other half was gone. The girl he loved was gone.

Then he heard it. At first, he thought it was a trick sound. And he heard it again: the beep of the monitor.

Immediately, he looked up at her and her hands. A finger twitched.

"Doctor!" he called, and a young man entered. He looked at the monitor, and it beeped.

"This is a miracle! Nurse!" he called out, and he placed the oxygen mask back on her face. "I need you to leave the room for a second," he said, and he left the room.

"Daniel, she is still alive. I told you she was going to be fine," he said. Daniel stood up and hugged Noah.

"I didn't know what I was going to tell Mom. I was already devastated. I'm grateful, Noah. "

After a few minutes, the doctor came and informed us she was fine. They could visit her once she woke up.

Later on, Nathalie, Chloe, and Bella joined them in the hospital. And they all refused to leave the hospital until Ava woke up.

Lucky for them, the doctor announced she was awake the next morning, and her mother came right on time.

Nathalie and Chloe were shocked at how youthful her mother still was. She looked like she could still walk the runway without anyone knowing she was old.

"Can I see her?" Mrs. Durango asked as she stood beside the door.

"Yes, Mrs. Durango. You can enter first," Chloe answered

"Please call me Sarah," she said before she entered the room.

"Hey, Mom," Ava said weakly as she spotted her mother.

"Dear, don't stress yourself," she said as she rushed to her side.

Noah watched as they all took turns visiting her, and now it was finally his turn.

Daniel patted him on his shoulders to encourage him, and he entered her room. She was about to sit up, but he stopped her.

"It's okay, you need to rest," he said as he approached her.

"Noah, I'm sorry. He held a gun to your head. He threw—" She was stopped mid-sentence as Noah placed his hand on her lips.

"You don't have to. It's fine. I already know. I'm the one who needs to apologize for not listening to you," he said, and he sat close to her.

"It's fine. You don't have to," she said back to him.

"I love you," she said as she held his hands.

"I love you more," he said before leaving a soft kiss on her lips. "You really scared me, Ava," he said as he placed his forehead on hers.

"But you saved me," she said, and she smiled.

"I'll leave you to rest, okay?" he said before placing another peck on her forehead.