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CHAPTER TWO

AVA

The needle caught the light and I saw it coming toward. My body moved before my brain could catch up, slamming into the breakfast table and sending Julian's coffee crashing to the floor.

"Get away from me!"

The first doctor, a man with cold eyes and no expression, lunged. I grabbed the nearest thing, a butter knife, and held it out like it could save me.

"Don't come any closer."

Julian held up his hands. "Ava, baby, please. They're here to help you."

"Help me?" I laughed, and the sound coming out ugly and hysterical. "You want to drug me and lock me away so I can't tell anyone what I heard.”

"What you THINK you heard." His voice was so gentle. "You're exhausted, love. The treatment and disappointment of not having a child has broken something inside you and it hurts me. Let them help you.”

"I'm not crazy!"

I backed toward the door. Two more st—

The second doctor grabbed my arm. I screamed and fought as the butter knife clattered to the floor.

"Get off me! Julian, please!"

He watched from where his stood, his face concerned but his eyes completely dead.

"What the hell is going on?"

Sienna's voice cut through the chaos, watching from the doorway. Her eyes went wide at the scene.

Then she ran toward me.

"Get off her!" She shoved the doctor so hard the woman stumbled. "What are you doing? Julian, what the fuck are you doing?"

"She needs help." Julian's voice was calm. "She attacked me this morning and accused me of terrible things, Sienna. The doctors are going to—"

"She needs sleep!" Sienna wrapped her arms around me, and for one horrible second I let her. "Look at her, Julian. She's exhausted! Her eyes are red and she's shaking. When's the last time she ate? Slept?"

"Sienna—"

"Don't 'Sienna' me." Sienna pulled me tighter. "I've got you, babe. I've got you."

Then I remembered the words she said with that mouth the previous day. I pushed her away.

"Get off me."

She stumbled back, hurt flashing across her face. "Ava—"

"I heard you." My voice cracked. "In the study. I heard everything."

Sienna's expression didn't change. "Heard what, baby?"

"You and Julian, planning and laughing about how easy I am. About how Emma hates me, the samples he swapped so I could never—" I stopped and pressed my hand to my stomach.

The test.

I reached into my pocket, pulled it out and held it up like a weapon.

"I'm pregnant."

There was silence as they all stared at the tests, exchanging glances. Then Sienna's face crumpled into something that looked almost like pity.

"Oh, Ava." She stepped toward me slowly, hands up like I was a wild animal. "Baby, that's not real."

"It's real, I took it yesterday morning. I'm pregnant."

"Honey, you're holding a test, yes. But tests don't mean anything if you..." She hesitated then looked at Julian.

"If I what?"

"If you bought it yourself."

Huh!? How can they be saying this with concern and soft voices!!!

"Ava, we've been worried about you. The way you talk to yourself, the way you forget things. And now this?" He gestured at the test. "Where did you get it?"

"I bought it. At the pharmacy. Yesterday."

"Ava." Sienna touched my arm. "I went with you to the pharmacy yesterday and you bought aspirin. That's all."

My blood turned to ice.

"That's not true. I went alone. I—"

"You were confused." Sienna's eyes were so sad. "You kept saying you needed to buy something important, but you couldn't remember what. I thought it was just exhaustion."

"I'm not crazy."

"No one said you were crazy." Julian stepped forward. "But you're not well, love. You're seeing things that aren't there, hearing things that didn't happen, and now you've convinced yourself you're pregnant when we both know—" He stopped, letting the words hang.

When we both know you can't get pregnant.

I looked down at the test in my hand, staring at the real pi k.lines.

But was it?

No. No, I remembered buying it. I remembered the cashier's bored face, the crinkle of the plastic wrapper, the way my hands shook when I took it.

Didn't I?

"Ava." A doctor called. "The medication we have will help you think clearly. It will stop the confusion and the paranoia, but you need to let us help you."

"Don't touch me."

"Ava—"

"I said don't touch me!"

They moved towards me with the needle again, and this time I screamed. Then then Emma found the scene. She was still in her pajamas, hair a mess and eyebrows drawn into confusion.

"Emma!" I broke free for one second and grabbed her arms. "Emma, tell them. Tell them I'm not crazy. Tell them I went to the pharmacy alone. Tell them about the test."

She stared at me, still confused.

"Emma, please. You're my sister. You're the only one—"

"Ava." Her voice was quiet. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Of course she doesn't.

"Please. Please, Emma. I need you."

I was shaking her now in a frantic and desperate manner, her head snapping back and forth with each shake.

"Let go of me!"

She shoved me hard. I stumbled back and caught myself. But before I could reach for her again, her hand connected with my cheek.

Everything stopped as I touched my face to feel the burn. Emma held my gaze, peering at me with eyes I couldn't recognise.

"You need help, Ava." Her voice was steady. "We all see it. Why can't you?"

I looked around the room. Julian was watching with concern, Sienna was sipping a tear from her eye like this was breaking her heart and Emma—

There was no one on my side.

The test fell from my fingers, fluttered to the floor as tears dropped from my eyes. This time, I didn't fight when they took my arm.

Darkness pulled me under and the last thing I saw was my sister's face. The last thing I heard was Julian's voice: "Finally."