ตอน 28: The Decision

Morning came, and Noah was getting ready to sleep. Ava did not sleep much, but she didn't show that she didn't want Noah to worry. A few minutes later she gets a call from her mom saying she'll be the there to get them soon. Noah put his ripped clothes in a bag and put them to the side as he laid down on the bed, resting his back.

"Does it hurt a lot?" Ava asked.

"Depends what I'm doing. It doesn't hurt when I lay down."

The same doctor from yesterday came through the door as he was reading from a piece of paper.

"Hello, Noah," he greeted.

"Hello Mr Myers. How are you?" Noah asked.

"I'm good. I just came to check on your back and to put a new bandage."

Noah nodded as Mr Myers carefully took off the badge from his chest. He looked at the recovering cut as he gently applied some ointment on it.

"Use this daily and put it on the cut so that it doesn't get infected. You also have some prescribed painkillers to help you with the pain. And you should also change the bandage minimum 4 times a week."

"Okay doctor," Noah stated.

Mr Myers tore a piece of paper and signed it, giving it to Noah. He replaced the old bandage with a new one and secured it, he then got his stuff and left the room. Noah put the paper on the table next to him and laid down in his usual position. There was a soft knock on the door, and then a woman walked in.

"Hey, mom," Ava said.

"Hey Ava," she said as she looked at Noah, who looked like he'd been a terrible fight.

"Hey Noah, how are you doing?" she asked.

"Better," he responded with a small smile.

"Are you guys ready to go? We have to check you out first so you can be discharged."

They nodded as Ava helped Noah out of the door. They walked to the receptionist and were talking about whether Noah would need crutches to walk better when Ava saw the room of the lady from yesterday. There was something odd about it, so Ava walked towards it. She looked back to see her mom and Noah paying attention at the receptionist. Ava walked towards the room and carefully opened the door. To her surprise, there was no-one there, and the place had been cleaned up. She looked around to see if the woman was still there, but she was nowhere to be found.

She walked towards one of the nurses who was rushing back from another patient and pulled them to one side.

"Hey. Umm... I'm Ava. There was a lady who was in this room last night. Do you know where she is right now?" Ava questioned.

"She got discharged earlier this morning, with her daughter I presume," she replied in an annoyed tone.

Ava glanced at with disbelief. She could not believe that they had let such a dangerous person out of the hospital. The nurse gave her a dirty look, and as she was about to turn and walk away, Ava grabbed her hand.

"You have to listen to me. She's a very dangerous woman, she has to be brought back here," Ava ranted.

The nurse stepped forward and felt Ava's forehead.

"What are you doing?" Ava asked.

"Checking your temperature. You seem to be a bit confused or delusional. Did you hit your head or something?"

"No," Ava groaned, pushing her hand away.

The nurse looked at her up and down and walked away, wiping her arm from Ava's touch. Noah walked up to Ava with one crutch on his arm.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"She's gone."

"Who's gone?"

"The lady that I told you about. She's been discharged which means she's out there somewhere," Ava explained.

"It's going to be alright; we'll find them. But for now, you have to calm down."

Ava nodded as she walked with Noah towards her mom. Mrs Salford signed some papers and the three of them walked towards the car park. As they drove home, Ava's mom kept looking at Ava and Noah from the mirror.

"Thank you for driving us, Mrs Salford."

"No problem, Noah, and please call me Lucia. Ava has been really depressed since the tragic event with Annie, and you seem to make her very happy. I'm glad she has you," she confessed.

Ava smiled as she held unto his hand throughout the whole ride home. When they reached home, they entered the house and sat on the couch.

"Noah, do you want me to call your parents?" Lucia asked.

"I rather you not..."

"Why not? Did something happen?"

"Mom, I think it's best if you sit down," Ava suggested.

She sat down, and Noah explained the whole thing to her. Lucia was very astounded to hear this. She couldn't believe they had done that to him. But she realized that Ava knew what it felt like to have an alcoholic father and the extent it could have gone too.

"I'm really sorry about that, Noah. You should have never gone through that," she said sympathetically.

"Do you have any place to go right now?" Lucia asked.

"No."

"We could call social services, or find you a family home," Lucia suggested.

"No. I don't want to bother anyone."

"Mom, can I talk to you for a sec?" Ava asked.

Lucia nodded as they both walked to the kitchen.

"What's wrong darling?"

"Mom, he could stay with us."

"I don't know about that," Lucia doubtfully spoke.

"There's a spare room and Lucas is barely home. He's always with Mat. Mom, please?" Ava begged.

Lucia hesitated for a minute but then agreed. They walked towards the living room, and they both looked at Noah.

"Noah?" Lucia began.

Noah turned around and looked at the both of them.

"Would you like to live with us?" Lucia asked.

Noah blankly stared at Ava, who had the widest grin. He smiled back and cheerfully agreed. Ava ran to him and hugged him tightly but careful not to hurt him. While the both of them celebrated, Mrs Garcia stood at the door looking at them with a smile on her face.