Ava

Bella went back to sleep a little while after she got more pain medicine and ate a burger and fries with a chocolate cake for dessert.

Jaxson and I agree on sharing the fold out couch. I decided on not going to see my father especially after Jaxsons interrogation, or whatever you want to call it.

How could he possibly know? That's the thing he can't know. Yeah he's seen a few of the bruises my father permanently left on me but I gave him believable excuses.

He's just guessing. That's all it is. I'll just continue to deny it. I have to.
———————-

"What are you doing?" I hear Jaxson say lifting himself up. His arm is slung across me.

"I'm taking of picture of my best friend betraying me and sleeping with my girl" I hear Micheal say.

I roll my eyes at how delusional he is. I love him though.

Groaning I say "get out" while keeping my head buried in the pillow and he chuckles.

"Please tell me there's nothing else you have to show us" Jaxson says crossing over me. That really got my attention.

I turn to face him. He shakes his head no. "I came to spend time with my best friend, my future wife, and my stepdaughter" he says.

"We're at the hospital. What can we possibly do?" "We don't have to do anything. I haven't seen you two in three years and now you're like a packaged deal." he says.

I raise an eyebrow. "We have a kid together, that doesn't make us a packaged deal" I tell him.

"It doesn't matter, I missed you two and now I have both of you together" he says. I smile at him.

I probably shouldn't have stopped talking to him but truth is I cut everyone off after I found out Mr. Ross died.

He was like a father to me and I didn't take it well. I was getting abused more and more each day and I was pregnant.

But when my babygirl was born everything in me wanted to do better for her. I have my little angle and I've never been happier.

"Yeah sorry about that" I tell him. "Sorry? You didn't talk to me for three years straight for no reason..." I don't know what to say.

"... I'm still going to marry you though" Micheal adds to lighten the mood. I chuckle "It's illegal to be married to more than one person" Jaxson adds and we all laugh.

The sounds of little coughs let's us know that my baby has woken up. She doesn't look sad or in pain anymore.

She practically leaps into Jaxsons arms with the biggest smile she can manage. That smile warms my heart every time.

"When can I go home?" She asks me. "When the doctor comes to see you" I tell her poking her tiny nose.

She smiles "let's call him" I nod and click the button. "After we leave can we go see the puppies?" I shake my head no.

"You need to get some rest today. But I promise I'll take you tomorrow"I tell her and she smiles.

It takes the doctor 7 minutes to answer the call. He says he's happy to see Bella smiling and that she will be able to leave as soon as we sign her release forms.

Bella rejoices once he leaves. She is ready to go home. I split half the paperwork with Jaxson.

He occasionally needs the answer to a question about Bella he doesn't know, by occasionally I mean every 10 seconds.

Shawn plays goldfish with Bella while we finish up the paper work and give it to the lady at the front desk.

Shawn leaves before us to go finish some work until we take Bella home. When we get back Bella gives us both a hug before running upstairs.

I assume she went to play. Jaxson and I on the other hand are starving. Bella ate breakfast at the hospital.

I quickly make a couple of pancakes while Jaxson types something on his laptop. When I'm done we each have three and eat in silence.

I am too tired to even start a conversation. "I'm going to sleep" I tell him sitting my plate in the dish washer.

He nods "I'm gonna try and get some work done in my office, your office? The office" he finally deciding on what to say.

I laugh and make my way upstairs into Bellas room. I'm surprised to find her spread out on her bed asleep.

It must be all the medicine they've been giving her at the hospital that makes her so tired.

I decide to just sleep in my room. Jaxson is in the office so it doesn't matter.

I get one of my shirts out the walk in closet and stand in front of the mirror. Slowly taking my shirt off I reveal the many dark purple bruises.

I hate them, but there is nothing I can do about it.

The sound of the door opening scares me and my hands flew up to cover my breast, even though I'm wearing a bra.

" MY GOD I AM SO SORR-" he says before his mouth and eyes widen. "Can you get out please" I tell him still covering my chest.

Jaxson

I'd seen some of her bruises the day she woke up in a crop top but with her shirt off it looks as if her entire torso is covered in black and blue spots.

"Jaxson... get out" she repeats. I just stare at the bruises. How can someone do that to another person?

"So you're going to tell me stairs did that too?" I ask her. "I- it was a bad fall" she says. I walk up to her getting a closer look.

"Um" she says. I lift my index finger and trace the bruises . She stands as still as possible. Her side looks swollen and has the darkest purple spot.

I trace it but this time she lets in a deep breath letting me know it hurt. I nod my head and walk out.

Her father has obviously been abusing her for so long. There is no way in hell I wasn't about to beat his ass.

I'm halfway out the door when Ava runs down stairs yelling "Jaxson wait!" "What?"

"Where are you going?" she says pushing the door shut. "I think we both know where I'm going Ava" I tell her reaching for the door.

She stops me by placing her hand on the doorknob. "Please just think about what you're about to do" she says giving up the whole lie about falling down the stairs.

"Ava, he shouldn't be doing that to you. No one should be treating you like this" I tell her. I'm getting more upset with her.

"You're going to make it worse if you do anything" she says. "I'm trying to help you" I tell her.

"I don't need your help." "The bruises on your stomach say otherwise." "Why are you doing this?" she asks me.

"Why are you allowing him hit you Ava?" "IM NOT ALLOWING HIM TO DO ANYTHING" she yells at me.

"AVA YOU'RE BEING ABUSED" I yell back at her. She stays quiet. For a second I think I won.

She lets go of the doorknob and backs away. "You're going to be the reason Bella loses her mom" she says letting a few tears escape then she walks away.

What does Bella have to do with any of this? But most importantly why would Bella lose Ava if I'm only trying to help her?
————

I find her sitting on the floor of the patio house. She's facing away from me but I know that she's still crying.

Maybe she's crying because I yelled at her I'm not sure. "Ava" I say sitting beside her.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you" I tell her feeling bad. I never meant for her to cry. I just hate that she's protecting him.

She shrugs and continues to stare at the fireplace. "Why won't you let me help you?" I ask her mimicking her position by wrapping my arms around my knees.

"You can't help me." "I can Ava. I need to help you" "You don't understand Jaxson" she says finally looking me in the eyes.

"Help me understand!" "My dad is crazy Jaxson. If you do or saying anything about it he'll kill me" she says as more tears fall.

I wrap my arm around her. I realize I can never understand how she feels. I'm not the one being abused, she is.

"I'm sorry" I tell her as she sobs in my chest. She knows what is best for herself.

Two minutes pass before she calms down. "How can I help you?" I  ask and she pulls away.

Her eyes are red and she has mascara dripping down her face. "You can't help me Jaxson."

"Ava we can't let him continue to do this to you. It's not okay. What if he really hurts you one day?" I ask her.

"I just need a little time and then I'll get it to stop." She really believes I'm going to let her get abused any longer.

"How will you stop it?" "I'll leave the company" she says looking down. That surprises me.

From what I have been hearing, her company is the most important thing to her aside from Bella.

"I thought your company was the most important thing to you?" I ask and she nods. "But Bella's more important" she tells me.

I understand what she means. "What does this all have to do with Bella?" "I don't want her growing up thinking it's okay to have people hit her" excuse me?

"Has he hit you in front of Bella?" I'm sure she heard the rage laced in my voice. She shakes her head no and looks away.

"She probably knows though" I nods. That has to be the reason she doesn't like her grandfather.

"Why can't you just leave the company now?" I ask her. "He'll kill me, but if I get it to be the #1 company in New York I'm sure the consequences of leaving won't be as severe."

The plan sounds logical minus her getting abused from now til then. "Who's #1 now?" I ask her. Maybe I can buy the spot from them.

"You" she says. I'm more than confused. My company is literally bankrupt how could we possibly be number 1?

"How? We're bankrupt!" "You guys have the highest amount of revenue ever made." "How do I stop that?"

She chuckles a little. "You can't! It already happened. I just have to get our company to pass that number. We're so close. I just need a month." She tells me and I nod.

"Until then?" I ask her. "I'll just work. I'll help you with your company while still working on my own. The abuse isn't that bad. A push or two but nothing too bad. I'll try working home for a little while."

A push or two definitely didn't give her all those bruises, but I don't say anything. I don't want her to start crying again. I don't like it.

For the remainder of the day Ava sleeps and I do whatever work I can do on my own. I organize all the files I have in alphabetical order, highlighted more deals, and made calls organizing meetings with other companies.

I've never felt more like shit then I do right now. I'm such a fucking screw up. I ran my fathers company into the trash, it would've happened eventually regardless of me actually working or not.

I never wanted to work with my dad so I have no idea how to run his company. I honestly don't even know what his company does.

I regret not working with my dad but not as much as I regret leaving to live in Europe. I left Bella. My innocent baby girl.

Not only did I leave Bella, I left her mother to raise her and to get beaten. My father has to be disappointed in me, but not as disappointed as I am in myself.

The sound of Bella hoping down the stairs makes me smile. I walk out the room I'm  turning into my new office and wait for her to get to last step.

I decide to just let Ava keep my old office since she obviously has more important work than me and I don't want to make her life even more a living hell.

Bella looks like she doesn't feel well but she still manages a smile. "Where's mommy?" she asks me. "Mommy's sleeping, she's really tired." "I'm hungry!" Bella says and the smile leaves my face.

It doesn't matter that it's 2am and we are sitting inside of McDonalds waiting for food. What matters is that it took 30 minutes to get us our food.

"What's taking them so long?" Bella whines "I'm not sure princess" I tell her. She definitely isn't feeling well.

"Do your stitches hurt?" I ask her ask her and she nods. "Ava will give you medicine when we get back" I tell her.

Once the lady finally brings us our food I can't help but laugh at the glare Bella is giving her.

I let her order everything including mine and Ava's food so I'm hoping whatever she got me is good.

"Can we eat at home?" she asks me. I tell her yeah and stack all the food. She falls asleep once we were almost back home so I struggle trying to carry her and all the food in.

As soon as we walk through the door Ava stands quickly from the staircase. She looks so worried.

"Are you okay?" I ask her as I walk into the living room and lay Bella across the couch.

"Jaxson, what the hell?" she says. What did I do now? "what?" "Jaxson you can't just leave with Bella without telling me."

"Why not?" I literally had her all day two days ago so what's the problem?

"Jaxson you realize I don't know anything about you. You're basically a stranger. It's not okay for you to just take my daughter without my permission."

"She's my daughter too!'" I tell her squinting my eyes. Are we really back on this?

I don't understand what the problem is. And now I'm a stranger? I'm starting to think Ava just wants Bella to herself.

"IT DOESN'T MATTER. I DONT HAVE YOUR NUMBER OR ANYTHING. FOR ALL I KNEW YOU COULD'VE TAKEN HER TO MEXICO. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FEEL WHEN I WAKE UP AND MY CHILD ISN'T HERE?"

If she can yell so I can I. "SHES MY CHILD TOO. AND COMMON SENSE WOULD TELL YOU SHES WITH ME IF IM OBVIOUSLY NOT HERE EITHER" I yelled back.

God, all I want is a relationship with my daughter. "NO! NO!" Bella yells running from the couch into the area where we we're arguing.

She stands in front of Ava "DON'T HIT MOMMY" she yells at me as she guards her mom.

Both Ava and I look at each other shocked. I don't know what to say. I would never hit Ava. I would never hit any women for all that matter.

She looks afraid of me. I can tell she has seen more than what Ava is telling me.

Ava is the first to speak. She gets down to Bella's height. "Baby, Jaxsons not going to hit me" she tells her.

Bella shakes her head no. "He's yelling at you, like grandpa does" Wow! "Yeah baby we were just arguing. Jaxsons not going to hit me, he's nice" she tells her.

Bella looks at me. "Promise you won't hit mommy?" she asks me I nod my head. "I promise I will never hit Ava" I tell her meaning every word.

She holds out her small pinky and walks up to me. I interlace my pinky with hers and she smiles up at me.

I feel worried but I'm not sure what I'm so worried about at the moment. "I'm hungry." Bella says to me.

I hand her the bag of food and she takes it into the kitchen struggling to hold it. It sucks that Bella thinks everyone's going to hurt her mom.

Ava looks up at me confused and hurt. "I'm sorry" she says on the verge of tears before turning and walking out back again.

"JAXSON" my daughter yells from the kitchen. I watch as Ava walks to one of the out side patios before I go check on Bella .

"I can't reach" she pouts. I chuckle  before taking the food from her and sitting her on the chairs at the island. Today has been stressful.