Even though he seemed calm enough now, a small part of Ava was still worried he was silently cooking inside.

"How's your hand?" Mr. Chastain asked after a while, breaking the awkward silence that hung around in his car. She hadn't meant to be bad company, but she just didn't know what to say.

"It's fine, really," she said while keeping her eyes glued to her lap. The bandages were starting to get soaked and she wanted to make sure absolutely no blood fell onto the seat of the car they were in.

It must have cost more than she'll make in ten years. As he sped along the highway she wondered if cars always went so fast. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been in one, usually, she took the bus or, if the distance allowed it, just walked.

"Ava," he suddenly said. His tone sounded serious and made her look up at him. "You know..." he said before drifting off as if he was carefully weighing his next words. "You know I won't get mad at you for dropping things, right? They're just things."

She looked at his eyes and realized he almost looked...hurt?

It was then that it dawned on her he wasn't angry, and he'd never been. She felt guilty for overreacting which in turn made him feel this way. He'd been nothing but nice to her and here she was, thinking the worst of him.

She tried to hold his gaze as best as she could as she whispered in return, "I'm sorry."

He briefly glanced back at the empty road in front of them and she wished he'd kept them on there. But he looked back at her with a sigh. "What are you even sorry about?"

Everything, she thought.

"For acting the way I did. I can see that you're upset, and it's my fault," she replied while looking down on her hands again.

"That's not why I'm upset, Ava. You looked like I was going to hit you," he explained frustratedly. "I wouldn't," he added soflty afterward.

Now she really didn't know how to reply. What should she say? Sorry again? That would be a sure-fire way to piss him off for real. So she just nodded in the hopes that he'd drop the subject, which he thankfully did.

Rain had started to fall outside and she wondered how much longer it would be. They'd been driving for quite some time but they hadn't even entered another town yet. By now, her hand was starting to throb, and every now and then pain would shoot through.

She didn't react to it, though.

The tapping of the raindrops against the windshield of the car made her eyes droopy but she didn't allow herself to sleep. What if she smeared blood on his expensive car in his sleep? She already had so much to feel guilty about and she didn't need that added to it.

After a few more heavy minutes a town finally came into sight and shortly thereafter the hospital as well. Mr. Chastain quickly parked the car and got out, making Ava stare at her seatbelt. What would be the best way to undo it without staining it? She hadn't made up her mind yet when her door swung open.

He blinked up at her a few times before seemingly understanding her predicament. He stepped forward while leaning over her to release the buckle.

"Come on," he urged while gently grabbing her elbow to help steady her wobbly legs. Together, they walked through the entrance and towards the ER. Upon looking at her hands again in the bright hospital lights it became clear the bandages wouldn't hold for much longer.

"Good morning, what's the patient's name?" a female nurse with greying hair asked them as they walked up to her. "Ava," Mr. Chastain answered as they reached the counter. "And what might be the emergency?"

Before either of them could answer she looked down and noticed Ava's hands. "Oh my, I think I can see what's going on. Please take a seat in the waiting area and fill out these forms while you're waiting for a doctor to come fetch you," she said as she held out a clipboard with a pen and some forms.

Before she could even think about taking it Mr. Chastain had already reached out to get it. "Thank you," his low voice replied smoothly. He briefly made eye contact with Ava as he turned around and walked toward the empty waiting area as the nurse had instructed.

Ava followed him and sat down in the chair next to his. Due to his large frame, occasionally his arm would brush against hers and she'd get tingles running along the spot. "So, what's your full name?" he asked her while looking at the forms.

"Ava Rose Romero," she replied, watching his fingers as he started scribbling down the information.

"That's a pretty name," he muttered offhandedly. But Ava had heard and she felt a blush creep up her cheeks. It wasn't often she'd get complimented, at least not the good kind.

"Date of birth?"

"December 10th, 1997."

"Any allergies?"

"No."

"Pre-existing conditions?"

"Nope."

"Anything else that may be medically relevant?"

"Not that I know of."

He nodded while writing down the last few answers and she couldn't help but admire his neat handwriting. Everything was clear and legible, unlike her own caveman scribbling.

"Miss Ava?" A voice called out. A male doctor stood a few feet away from them. "I'm doctor Jameson," he introduced himself. He looked as if he wanted to shake her hand but quickly thought the better of it before asking her to follow him.

Unfortunately for her, Mr. Chaistain followed behind as well.

"Let's take a look," he said as he started to unwrap the bandages. The movements hurt her hands but she knew complaining wouldn't do her any good, it'd just make the process last longer.

"Hm," the doctor said as he inspected her hands almost the same way Mr. Chastain had. "That's definitely going to need a few stitches," he confirmed while turning them upside down, "Is that glass?"

Ava sheepishly nodded in reply, making the doctor prompt her for a more elaborate answer. "Could you tell me what happened?"

Ava dreaded having to tell the doctor what had happened and decided the best answer would be short and sweet. "I dropped some glassware."

"And then tried to pick it all up with her bare hands," Mr. Chastain added while shooting her a disapproving look.

Right, and that, Ava thought.

 "Yes, that's generally not a smart thing to do as I'm sure you've found out by now," the doctor replied distractedly while gathering supplies from the cabinets. Embarrassed, she felt her cheeks heat up again and this time she knew Mr. Chastain saw as he was currently looking straight at her.

"Alright, here we go," the doctor said as he wheeled his cart of supplies towards her.

By the time they stepped out again she was absolutely exhausted. Not only did she not get to return to her bed but the whole situation had drained her of all her energy. The morning sun had started to brighten up the sky along the treelines and she knew it'd be light out before they would reach the estate again.

Her hands somehow looked even worse as the swelling had started to set in but at least all the glass was removed. Her left wrist hurt anytime it moved but the doctor had assured her that it was just bruised.

In the end, she only needed stitches in two places, both on her left hand. Which meant that she could continue to work as she was right-handed.

She was surprised to find that Mr. Chastain opened her car door for her again. Her hand had stopped bleeding and there would be no reason for him to do that now.

She softly thanked him as she got in and buckled her seatbelt again. Mr. Chastain did the same before starting the car and driving off. By now, the roads were starting to get busier and every now and then a car would pass them.

Mr. Chastain didn't say anything on the way back, maybe he felt just as exhausted as she was. The ridiculous speed they were going at ensured that they made it back to the estate in record time but he didn't move after turning off the engine. So she didn't either.

For a while, they just sat in silence in front of the mansion. All the lights were still off and she knew Lauren and George hadn't shown up yet.

"You should probably take the day off," he said while still in thought. She turned to look at him but he was staring straight ahead. "I had a day off yesterday," she protested in return.

"Your hands are all fucked up, Ave, just take the day off."

Ave.

Did he misspeak or was it a nickname he'd decided to give her? They weren't close enough for nicknames, she decided. He probably made a mistake.

"Alright," she said, giving in.

"Alright," he confirmed before finally reaching for his buckle and undoing his seatbelt. Ava mimicked these actions before opening the door on her side and following Mr. Chastain inside.

As they reached the grand staircase in the hall he stopped walking before turning to her. "Listen, I'm not mad at you. But if I see you working today I will be."

She turned her gaze to the floor and nodded. "Understood," she replied.

"Go get some more sleep," he said as he turned to walk up the stairs. She watched his figure move up and disappear around a corner. After waiting for a few more moments and hearing the door to his room open and close she made her move towards the supply closet.

There was no way she'd leave this mess for someone else to clean.

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Again, I haven't proofread yet but that's the danger about daily updates haha

If anyone has any tips on improving the story in any way I'm open to suggestions.

Anyway, let me know if you liked this chapter.

Maybe vote if you did?

You don't have to if you don't want to though.

xx May