Chapter 16

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Ava had not slept the whole night after that horrible outcome on the show. She wondered if she should sue. Hold on to her claims to the end. Or she might be further exposed. She wondered if she should clock in at work tomorrow or just make a run for it. She had only wanted one thing and one thing only. Connor Rhodes. She had lost him once, and wasn't about to lose him again. She had a perfect plan to replace his family, make her own. Now that had blown to smithereens. She had no plan right now, but she would have one by tomorrow. If she could only get Connor alone, get to explain. He had come to her when she had reported sick at work that time. He had yelled at her but he had come. Maybe this time he would come again. She was going to call in sick, she wasn't going to work today.

…

Connor walked into work that day amidst cheers and congratulations. He was finally off the hook and Ava was exposed.

"Had my money on you the whole time. Didn't doubt you one bit." Dr Stanton said, giving him a hug and pat on the back.

Doris rolled her eyes, pretending to write on a chart, "Nobody won that bet if you asked me." She said.

"I would have." Monique said, and walked away.

"Eyes in the headlights, what do you know about men?" Doris said after her in an undertone.

"Maybe not your kind of men, Doris. There are some special ones, believe it or not." Maggie said.

Doris just rolled her eyes.

…..

Connor wasn't surprised when he heard that Ava wasn't coming into work today. He had predicted she wouldn't. Even for a psychopath, some things needed a moment.

"So, you're off to see how she is?" Dr Latham asked.

"I must. Despite what we've been through we're still colleagues. I have to at least check on her." Connor said.

"Sure. That's very benevolent of you, Dr Rhodes." Dr Latham said.

….

Ava rushed to the knock on the door, hoping hoping hoping. As soon as she opened the door, it was him. She started to cry.

"Hey hey hey." Connor cooed, getting her back inside, closing the door behind him.

That was even better. Last time he just stood outside the door and yelled at her.

"Ava, whatever it is, it can't be that bad" Connor said.

"I've miscarried the baby." She said, through tears.

Connor blanched, "You miscarried or aborted?"

Ava looked at him through her tears. "You always have to see me as the monster to the end, don't you?"

"No no, I'm sorry. Come here." Connor said, taking her into his arms. She was surprised and hesitant at first for like a second then she rushed into his arms, her tears now heaves of sobs. He led her to her couch and held her.

"Connor, what they said about me last night. It wasn't true." Ava said

"I know. I know." Connor continued to coo. "I came here to check on you. To see if you were doing ok."

"You still care about me." She was convinced now. He had come to check on her as she had predicted, and now he held her through her crying. This was great. Maybe the right moment to make her move.

"Of course I do." Connor said

"Connor I want us to start over. We can start over, go somewhere together."

"Ok. Go where?"

He was really listening to her, even consenting. She may really have a chance here.

"I don't know. Somewhere nice, anywhere away from here."

"Yeah, but this is home for me you know. I can't just leave and go with you wherever…" Connor laughed.

"Oh but Connor, we can always come back. Like you did with Robin."

"Yeah, and there's still Robin…I don't know Ava. What will I do with her?" Connor said

"We can always get rid of her." Ava said with new enthusiasm.

"Get rid of her how? Like you tried to do that last time?"

Ava blanched, suspicious, she didn't say anything.

"See that's the only problem with you Ava. You want us to run away together but I don't know anything about you. You've never done anything or risked anything for me."

"Connor, everything I've ever done I've done for you."

"Yeah, like what?" Connor said.

"Your Hybrid OR. Your father. You've never been grateful to me."

"I was. I was grateful but I didn't know what to be grateful for. For the Hybrid OR you slept with my father to get it so that I would stay in Chicago. I appreciated that, even though I didn't get to say it. But that's all…"

"It's not all."

"Yeah, you mentioned my father but you denied having anything to do with that."

"I did it for you Connor. For you. So that we could be together."

"My father was stopping us from being together." Connor concurred.

"He threatened to tell you everything about me sleeping with him. But it was for the Hybrid OR, you know that now."

"Yeah, I know. And…?"

"The insulin was quick and untraceable and very clever." She said, sounding impressed by herself.

"That it was." Connor said. "It's easier to get together now he's not here anymore."

"That's why I did it." She beamed.

"And Robin's kidnapping? That was you again doing it for me?" Connor asked.

"I met this guy through an acquaintance, he said he would take care of it. I only had to give him a few details and the time to make the call."

"That was clever." Connor said, at this moment he wanted to strangle her.

"Yeah, I knew that Robin would be at the swimming pool around lunch time. I bet you didn't even know that."

"No, I didn't." Connor said. "Look, I have to go and cover your shift at work. How about I come by again tonight and we can make those arrangements?"

"You have to leave?" She sounded dismayed.

"I have to. Remember, we are one fine surgeon short today. I'll have my hands full covering for you." He gave her a peck on the cheek and walked out of the apartment.

"Nice Job Dr Rhodes." Detective Russek said through the wire.

"You got everything?"

"That and more.'

"Good. Because if we give her any more time she'll be going to get rid of my family. You heard her."

"What we've got is enough to pick her up."

Good job there." Dr Charles said when Connor got to the surveillance van. "Like Reese's father, she is calculating, very clever. Aware of her every move beforehand. She is almost invulnerable but to her obsession, in this case that's you. That's why she was able to give you all that information without thinking it through too much."

"Plus you worked her like a pro." Jay said.

"And another thing, my guess is she was never pregnant. The way she reacted to losing that pregnancy and the convenience. I would like to have her tested after you take her in, I bet there was never a baby to begin with." Dr Charles said.

"Fabricated everything. Pychos man." Russek shook his head.

"I'll be happy to make the arrest." Jay said getting out of the van with Burgees. "She'll be going away for murder one, attempted murder and all the other stuff. That's a long time."

….

Further investigations later proved that Ava had attained the key to Conner's room from the Hotel receptionist, who claimed to have been coerced into it. He was going to face his own charges, not to mention losing his job.

"History and background also came up with something," Jay said to Connor, after the arrest. "There was a mysterious death at Lakeshore where Ava was doing her internship. Turns out she poisoned a fellow student with much the untraceable way. It could never be proven but guess who took a step further up the ladder when that winner died? Ava. And it was just pure coincidence and luck, right?"

"So, she won't be going down for that one?" Connor asked

"Not for that one, cold case. But she will be going down for your father's and Robin's kidnapping. We have enough to put her away for almost twenty years. If she's lucky her psychosis will land her in an asylum, for the same time though." Jay said.

"Thanks man." Connor said, shaking his hand. It was finally over and he could now go on with his life.