Babysitting Alex

" Couples on the beach doin' the dirty tricks.... La la la la ". Ava Adams sighed and closed her laptop. Her stepbrother, Bobby was back and it meant she was in for more trouble tonight. Her joy at being hired as a babysitter dampened the moment she heard Bobby's voice. " Where have you been? " He said, the moment she came downstairs. He staggered, and Ava knew then that he was drunk. She rolled her eyes inwardly but replied anyway. " I came down the minute I heard your voice. Where's Ben? " She looked behind him, in search of her second nightmare. Ben, her step dad was much worse than a beast. Her mother, Dawn had married Ben when she was 12. Her birth father, Davis, died in a car accident and things had not been easy for them. Dawn married Ben few years later and things were going smoothly for them, except for her nasty stepbrother of course. Ben, at that time, was a rich businessman but all that crumbled when his company went bankrupt. Bobby had blamed it all on her mother for

" You okay? " Jack asked in concern, looking her over. " Yeah I'm fine " she answered, her voice betraying her. " Okay. Are you still willing to be his babysitter? " He queried. " If you'll allow me to " She answered, her gaze not on Jack but Alex. " Mind you, Alex understand every word spoken and harsh words or harsh treatment won't be tolerated. He feels pain too " He stated, all humour gone in his voice, replacing it with the tone of a protective brother. Ava was somewhat annoyed with Jack's words. How could he say that? Placing her hands on her hips, she told him quietly, " Everyone is different, Jack. We're all different. I don't know if you're saying this because you've had experience with cruel babysitters before but I'm assuring you that I'm way different from those people. I can't treat a human that way, and definitely not a sick one. You don't generally assume everyone is the same " She exhaled heavily. She couldn't believe that she had talked to him like a mother

Jack sighed, " Will you eat it yourself then? " But Alex shook his head and looked at Ava. " Let me give it a try, Jack " Ava said and Jack handed her the tray without a word. Ava went over to Alex and sat beside him. Slowly, she fed him and he ate every bit of what she fed him. Ava began, " What did the doctor say about his.... his.... " She couldn't find the right words to describe what was on the tip of her tongue and she couldn't possibly called it mental state, not especially in front of his brother. Jack quite understood what she meant. He replied, " The doctor said it's shock and it has to do with the part of his brain that formulate words. Sure, he understands every word spoken but to voice out and reply is difficult for him. It's temporary though. He'll be back to normal very soon " He exhaled a long breath. Soon, Alex finished eating and Ava wiped his mouth with a napkin and made to get up but Alex drew her back, and she fell on his chest. Jack looked away

Summoning up courage, she stood up and went over to him. She drew the nearest chair close to him and sat, his manly scent drifting to her nose. " I'm hungry, aren't you? " She asked sweetly, giving him an innocent smile. To her utmost surprise, he nodded and her eyes lightened up at that. She picked up a spoon eagerly and fed him almost every food Margaret laid down. Of course she ate too, she had never had such a delicious meal before. Back at home, her daily meals were sparse and she ate for survival, even a dog's feed was better than her meals. This tastes like heaven, she thought as she scooped in another mouthful. Alex didn't complain or threw a tantrum, instead he ate everything. The guy sure had a large appetite, she thought. But why had he refused to eat such a large food in Jack's presence? She wondered. Then a thought came to her, maybe he saw her as a person he could be free with or a friend perhaps. Oh, don't be full of yourself, he would never consider yo

Ben cleared his throat " You'll pay for this, Ava " He swore softly. " Yeah you will, I promise you that " Bobby added. Ava looked unfazed by their threats " Well? " Ben cleared his throat but couldn't get words out. Before they came here, they had been so sure Ava would fulfill their request but now, he was not so sure, especially not with the kind of cold welcome they received from her. He had no idea how she would receive the news. He sighed, they should have thought of a plan B before they left home. Taking a deep breath, he started to speak but Bobby beat him to it. He thought his father was too slow so he took it up on himself to ask Ava. Ben thought his son was brave, foolishly brave if he must add. Clearing his throat and maintaining eye contact, Bobby started talking " The thing is, we're in real need of some urgent cash and we've tried all possible ways to get it but... " He let his voice trailed off. He looked at Ava to see if she was listening. Su