At the hospital

"He left?" Charlotte asked in disbelief and noticed her voice slightly shaking.

Ava nodded and squeezed her hand compassionately. "He came to the bar yesterday night and told me," she said calmly. "He goes back to Rebun Island."

"Without… without saying goodbye to me?" Tears gathered in Charlotte's eyes. She couldn't believe that he just left her with what they had.

Ava closed her eyes in frustration for a moment. She had hoped so much that Jon would have changed his mind and driven to the hospital to say goodbye to Charlotte. Many things would have been easier for the young woman that way. Suddenly she had Jon's words back in her ear. "The life I live isn't hers. There are worlds between us. I could never give her what she has now." Would have all been different, if they were in the same social class?

"But… but I love him!" Charlotte cried out, sobbing. "I opened my heart to him and believed that he feels the same way for me."

Charlotte's voice broke and Ava carefully took her in her arms. She didn't know what else to say. Jon had made his decision, even when she believed that he shared the same feelings for Charlotte. Maybe it was better this way. "You barely even know him," she said, although she knew how lame that excuse sounded. She moved a strand of hair out of the young woman's forehead. "Get better first," she said softly.

Tiredly Charlotte shook her head. "That doesn't change anything about my feelings for him," she said quietly. Her head sank against Ava's shoulder. "I wish Ray would have finished what he had started," she then said after a moment of hesitation.

Ava gently pushed her off and looked at her in horror. "What are you talking about?"

"I wish I was dead." Charlotte closed her eyes and leaned her head back against Ava's shoulder. "You don't know what it's like to lose everything over and over again," she mumbled. "First Declan, then my baby, then Jon…"

"You have me, Jack, Emily, Daniel…," Ava began to list. "We love you and we'll never leave you alone, no matter what happens. You can always count on us."

Charlotte smiled sadly. "Yes, I know," she said. "But that's no replacement for a partner." She took a deep breath. "I really believed Jon and I had a future."

Sweet, little, naive Charlotte, Ava thought and softly ran her hand over her head. She was still so incredibly young with her 20 years. She still had all her life before her. It hurt to see that the young woman seemed to have given up. But at the same time she was also angry with Jon, who had screwed up one of Charlotte's dreams of the future again. "Is it okay for you, if I quickly check on Emily?" she asked.

Charlotte nodded. "You go. I'll be fine by myself." In her head a plan had grown, and it was better, if Ava didn't know about what she was about to do.

Ava squeezed her hand once more and then rose. She would rather not leave the young woman by herself. Her words had shocked her deeply and made her thoughtful. Charlotte wouldn't hurt herself? She tried to banish the burdensome thought, while she made her way to Emily's room.

Ava had barely left the room, as Charlotte pulled the infusion needle out of her arm and then crawled out of bed. With her last visit her mother had brought her some stuff as well, amongst others, her purse with her credit card and her ID. Now she only had to see how to get out of the hospital unnoticed. Although she still felt slightly shaky on her feet, she managed to get dressed. She took her bag, opened the door and peered outside. The hallway was empty; none of the personnel was visible. Probably the doctor had his ward round right now. One more reason to hurry, for soon they would notice her disappearance. Nobody bothered or held her back, when she got into the elevator and drove down. But the whole time her heart was beating wildly by fear that they would notice her escape after all. Not until she had gone past the entrance and stood outside by the cabs, she gasped of relief. She walked towards a car, opened the door and got in. "To the airport," she said with a slightly quivering voice. The cab driver nodded and accelerated. Ava had told her that Jon wanted back to Rebun Island. So he would take a flight to Japan then. She didn't know, if his plane was up already or if he was still waiting; she only knew that she needed to get to the airport. She wouldn't give up on this love that easily. She wanted to hear out of Jon's mouth that he really didn't feel anything for her; for Ava hadn't told her a real reason for him to just leave without saying goodbye to her. She leaned back and closed her eyes. She was tired and her head ached. Whether it was still for the concussion or for the thinking, she couldn't tell. The drive to the airport took only 20 minutes and when she emerged with shaky legs, after she had paid the driver, she walked towards the entrance with slow steps.

Ava was relieved that Emily seemed all right. For almost an hour she had sat by the bed and listened to her friend's stories. To not bother Emily unnecessarily she had avoided to tell her about the conversation with Charlotte. But although that whole time she told herself that time would heal all wounds, she was worried. That's why she decided to check on Charlotte again. She took a deep breath, before she entered the room and then stared confused at the empty bed in front of her. "Charlotte?" She walked to the adjoining bathroom and looked inside. Not a trace of the patient. Maybe they had taken her to examine her, went through her head and she went to the nurses' room and knocked on the window. "Charlotte Grayson?" she asked shortly, when a nurse appeared.

"She's in room 310," the nurse told her.

Ava shook her head, while trying to ignore the uneasy feeling that suddenly took control of her. "She's not there," she said quietly. "I looked. Is she being examined maybe?"

The nurse went to her computer, typed something in and then shook her head. "No, all examinations are done. She's supposed to be in her room."

"But she's not." Ava's stomach began to clench. For a moment before her inner eyes she saw Charlotte on the roof of the hospital, thinking about jumping. She grabbed the nurse's arm. "Come with me and see yourself!"

Hesitantly the nurse followed her and then entered the room. Her look instantly fell on the blood stain in the bed the pulled out infusion needle had caused. "Clearly, none of the personnel has removed that," she said thoughtfully. "The patient pulled it out herself."

"And where's she now?" Ava exclaimed, suddenly realizing that the bag that had been there before was gone as well.

"I have no idea. But as it looks, it seems she's left the hospital," the nurse said and stepped outside in the hallway. "I'll let the doctor know. Wait here for a moment."

"Is there any chance to get onto the roof of the hospital?" Ava asked with a slightly shaking voice. She couldn't banish that thought from her mind that Charlotte wanted to hurt herself.

The nurse looked at her, confused. "Why do you want to know?" she asked slowly.

"I was here earlier," she said hesitantly. "She was pretty upset, talked about rather being dead."

"Oh my God," the nurse exclaimed. "Why didn't you call the doctor? I'll tell the security." She disappeared and left Ava alone.

Ava wrapped her arms around her shaking body. If Charlotte hurt herself, it would be her fault! After all the young woman had unburdened her heart to her. She should have seen how desperate she really was. So desperate that she would really choose suicide? But there was another option as well that she hadn't thought of until now. She pulled out her phone and dialed Jon's number with quivering fingers. "Where are you?" she burst out right away, as he had picked up.

"At the airport. Why?"

"Charlotte disappeared," she exclaimed.

"What?"

"I told her that you're leaving the country," she admitted with a sigh. "After that she just left. Nobody knows where she is now. I talked to someone of the personnel. They want to send someone up on the roof of the hospital."

"On the... roof of the… hospital?"

The confusion was clearly audible in his voice. "It's just a guess," Ava said and sighed quietly. "I probably worry for nothing, but she was so sad and upset, so I thought she…"

"You think she wants to kill herself?!"

A hint of panic was swinging in his voice. "I don't know. Another option would be that she drove to the airport to keep you from going. She loves you, Jon," she exclaimed desperately. "Even if I had my doubts before, the conversation with her confirmed it now."

"She told you that she loves me?"

"Yes, and with exactly those words." She heard him laugh quietly.

"Then I made the right decision."

"I know, you think there's too many things separating you," Ava said, ignoring his comment. "But if you have a hint of feelings for her, then give yourself and her a chance." His next word baffled her.

"Okay."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. After all, I don't want to go back to Japan. What is there for me? Nothing. And you're right. I have feelings for Charlotte. I fought them, but our talk made me realize how much I'm about to lose, if I leave the country now."

"Why did you even go to the airport then?"

"To think. I was just ready and decided not to fly to Japan."

It took a load off Ava's mind. "Oh, thank God!" she exclaimed. "Then get in a cab and come to the hospital," she said.

"Didn't you say that it's possible she drove to the airport?"

"Yeah, right." She moved a strand of hair behind her ear. "Then have a look around at the airport. Maybe you'll find her there. Let me know if you find her. I'll keep you posted about the search on the roof."

"Do that. See you!"

Jon hung up and Ava turned off her phone as well. Just in time, because the nurse just entered the room again.

"She's not on the roof," she informed Ava. "Security searched all of it. Also, it wouldn't even have been possible to get on the roof that easily. You need a safety key. Only the guards have those."

Ava gasped in relief. One worry less. She quickly texted Jon and hoped that he would reply her that he had found Charlotte.

"Should I inform the relatives that Miss Grayson disappeared?" the nurse wanted to know.

Ava shook her head. "Not yet. I contacted a friend. Maybe she drove to the airport. I'll find out more soon."

The nurse was okay with that and left the room. Sighing, Ava sat down on the chair next to the bed and turned her phone back on. The waiting time had begun.