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It’s been a week since Ava has been in the hospital. The doctors were worried about her mental health after they took all the tests and saw how she was reacting to everything; she would go in and out of whatever mental breaks she was having.

One minute she would be fine and talking normally, giving Charlie a statement and the next she would be right back there, thinking it was happening all over again.

It was heart breaking to see and to know that there was nothing I could do for her.

It was odd because she seemed to be responding to Daley really well when she was having an episode. I could see in his eyes that this wasn’t the first time he had done this with somebody.

His walls came down with Ava and it was something that I didn’t think he was capable of. Ava responding to him and not me made me both hurt but made me glad at the same time.

“I think it’s because he’s a new face,” Elena says from beside me as we watch them talk through the window in the hallway.

“Yeah?” I ask, not taking my eyes off Ava.

“They say that sometimes it takes a stranger to get through to someone. She’s improved a huge amount in the last week.”

I scrub my hands up and down my face and turn to her. The worry, and lack of sleep, is obvious on her face and I can see the sadness in her eyes when she looks at Ava but also the overwhelming love that she has for her.

“It’s gonna be fine,” I say and place my hand on her shoulder giving a small squeeze. “The doc said she could be out as early as the end of the week.”

She nods and takes a deep breath, pulling her sweater tighter around her. “Have you considered what you’re going to do when she gets out?”

I shake my head in answer. I hadn’t thought past getting her better and out of this sterile place.

“Corey? Can I have a word?” Charlie asks, coming up behind us and gives his mom a kiss on the head before walking away.

Following behind him, we make our way to a corner and he turns to face me, his whole demeanor serious.

I can tell this is the sergeant mode and not the Charlie mode.

“He escaped and slipped through the cracks.” His jaw clenches as he looks away and then meets my eyes, a fire lit behind them. “Can’t find a location on her dad yet but Ty and the guys are working on that as well.”

/> “How the fuck can a giant like that slip through the cracks?” I growl.

“Connections.” Charlie shrugs. “I’ve spoken to the D.A and they’re not gonna press charges against Ava.”

“I should fuckin’ hope not, it was self-defense,” I fume, my hands clenching into fists.

He nods, not saying anything else and looks over to where Elena is still standing and watching Ava. “How’s Ava holding up?”

“Better than yesterday, she’s only had one episode so far today.”

“Is Daley in there now?”

“Yeah.” I sigh, leaning against the wall. I haven’t slept for days and it’s starting to catch up with me.

“Why don’t you go and get some proper sleep? I can hold the fort here.”

Shaking my head, I push up off the wall. “Nah, I’m not going nowhere.” There’s no way that I’m leaving her again, not after what happened this time. I’m gonna protect her until my last dying breath.

“It wasn’t your fault, Corey.”

“Wasn’t it?” I ask and clench my jaw. “If I would’ve been here she never would have been in that situation.”

He blows out a breath and clears his throat. “We could all say we had a part to play in it, I mean, I gave her that money to take to him. Nobody but that evil son of a bitch is to blame and he’s gone now. For good.”

He has a point but I can’t help thinking that I should have been there for her.

I turn at the sound of a door opening and watch Daley as he says something to Elena and then looks around, spotting us in the corner he walks over to us.