Chapter 62. Once Again

Ava’s POV

An antiseptic smell filled the room like a bitter roommate. I leaned back in the armchair beside Sophie’s hospital bed, chin resting on my knees, keeping vigil as she slept. Her cheeks weren’t quite so pale today, thank God. But something was wrong with me about her being like this- so silent, so motionless, hooked up to machines that beeped and whirred with every breath she took.

I’d been told to take time off. Almost shooed out of the studio until further notice.

“You can’t do anyone any good if you burn yourself out, Ava,” Claire told me. “Sophie needs you more than anything right now. We’ll relocate the shop to Mason’s complex. Anderson can go to hell.”

That’s what they’d done. Claire, some of our staff, and even some of the other volunteers were helping to move our store back to Mason’s complex.

They made me stay back with Sophie and get some rest myself. These few days are been really exhausting and I felt like I would collapse an