EVA'S P.O.V.

"What happened to you?"

"How did you faint?"

"What did the doctors say?"

It started with this. Then proceeded to this - 

"Is she going to be alright?"

"Oh my god. Poor girl."

And then it turned into this- 

"Acute Stress disorder?"

"What the hell is that?"

"Why is this happening?"

"What is the treatment?"

And no, it didn't really end. At least not until the nurse came rushing into the room, hearing the loud voices wondering whether I had a heart attack or I was being murdered. 

Too bad for the nurse that she had to see me still alive sitting on the bed and being surrounded by my 'family' who was trying to find out that what is wrong with me.

After making sure to threaten Jess, Jake, Ryder and Jennifer to not make noise in the hospital else they all will be picked up by their collars and thrown out - the nurse had finally left. 

But were these people around me satisfied?

Who am I kidding ? Of course they aren't satisfied.

I sighed as I told them almost everything that happened excluding the part wherein I was going to tell Ace about my past and everything. It was difficult to tell them everything but I managed to do it. Thank God Ace wasn't here. He left just after giving that snarky comment about the forebrain. 

After telling my life story to the guys and girls, I was at last allowed to breathe. Am I not the patient here? Shouldn't they be taking care of me instead of choking me to death with questions. 

I guess my whole family consists of CBI officers. That would explain their incessant questions.

"So you will be fine right?" Jennifer asked with concern that melted my heart away. Almost a year and I am still not used to having a 'family' that cares for me. 

"Yes Jenna, I will be fine. Actually I am better now." I said honestly, feeling loads better than before. Enthusiasm definitely helped.

She smiled at me, making me smile in return.

"So when are you going to get discharged?" Jake asked from the couch he was sitting on. Yeah, the hospital room is quite big. Are all hospital rooms so big? 

Who am I kidding?

Of course not. This would most probably be the biggest and most expensive quarter of the whole hospital considering that Ace was associated with me- Scratch that - I was associated with Ace. Damn. Am I that identity-less?

I made a mental note to think about this later.

So as I was thinking, the room is quite big. It has a single hospital bed in the center, all the medical equipment are right beside it while a side table is situated on my left side. The room further has a couch on which three people can easily fit and that is why Jake and Ryder are comfortably  sitting on it. Besides that a chair rests on my right side, which has been taken by Jenna right now. And Jess preferred to leave the one empty space on the couch and instead took her place on the bed I was lying on, towards the lower end giving me enough space to comfortably lie. 

"I don't know that yet. But hopefully today only, I don't think I can tolerate these monotonous clothes, pizza free-meals, and boring hospital much longer. I need to go out." I said scrunching my nose. 

"Yeah, we  figured that out. We came in back then when you admitted in here, but you were unconscious. We were so worried for you." Jessica said. 

"Yeah, and on top of that - earlier we were bombarded with the fact that you were being kidnapped and all that drama. I swear to god, I was surprised when I heard from El-sis that you are back. We wanted to meet you but you were sleeping. So, Jessica, Jake and I decided to see you in the evening. But before we could reach you, Ace had pulled his Husband britches up by taking you out on a romantic date." Ryder said.

I was about to interject by saying it wasn't a romantic date but before that, I was again shown that I was the patient- by not letting me speak.

Jessica continued for him- "Yeah, and what exactly did you two do, on that romantic date that you fainted, is still a mystery which I sincerely hope would be answered by a baby."

Wait what?

Baby?

Son of a biscuit?

Ugh no.

My flushed face was not invisible as ripples of chuckles went around the room making me redder. I was on the height of being embarrassed. 

Damn.

"Okay okay. I think enough of teasing for today. As much as I would love to have junior Ace and Junior Eva in the house-" this made my eyes widen "-I think if we don't stop Eva is going to faint again." Jennifer said with a playful smile.

I think I am going to faint. They want me to procreate children who would be the junior version of me and Ace? 

Someone pity our mother earth, the amount of burden she would have to carry!

I was about to dig a hole in the bed and then hide myself inside it to save myself from further embarrassment but at that moment, the door of the room opened signaling the arrival of someone else. All the heads turned towards the door as John walked in. It had been ages since I saw him, and right now I wasn't sure as to what I thought of him.

It's the first time I am meeting him after Ace told me about his dark side. I don't know what to feel. I believe Ace ,of course, but I don't know how I should behave with John right now. Should I be normal ? Or should I be rude? 

The internal battle inside me was still progressing when John asked me -

"It has been so long since I last saw you, dear. How are you Eva?"

His fatherly and kind tone was making it difficult for me to act rude with him, as my emotional self reminded me that he was still my father-in-law. No matter how much I hated him for what he did to Ace, I couldn't bring myself to behave differently in front of him.

"I am fine, John. Good to see you here." I said giving a fake -outstretched smile. 

He came closer to me and side hugged me wishing me a speedy recovery. After that, we all talked a little bit about my ASD, therapy and everything else. 

It was around six in the evening when John and the others finally decided to take my leave. Ace was still not in sight. 

"Well, you are coming back home by tonight, yeah?" John asked. He was behaving completely normal with me, which was expected, so I decided to go with the flow and suppress my urge to confront him. 

"I wish I could. But the doctor came earlier and informed me that I need to stay the night." I said, remembering my conversation with the doctor before John came. 

"Oh. That's so sad. I was hoping you would come back today, I had an important announcement to make." He said as sadness enveloped his eyes, making me internally wince at how deceiving looks can be. I can't imagine how John could pretend to be the most amiable man I have ever met yet be the one who ruined the Parker family by giving Ace and Jenna some invisible scars that have still not healed. My hatred for John was strong yet deep down in my heart, I was hoping that some miracle happens which will prove John innocent. I could not stand the thought of losing another person who was like a 'father' to me. But the loss was inevitable because there was no way that Ace could have been mistaken  John for doing such a shameful act. 

Pushing my debating thoughts inside, I gave him a small smile to show my helplessness to get a discharge today. 

"Okay enough with the gloomy looks, we should stop before she becomes more depressed than this hospital itself." Jake announced, making me chuckle. 

"Yeah, I think the better topic to talk about is junior Ace and Eva!" Jessica winked and said, making everyone in the room laugh.

While I face palmed myself. Not again!

 *

*

I listen to the beeping machine beside me as my eyes stay wide away at 1am trying to process my life. And health, of course. 

The ceiling above was getting boring to watch as hours had passed since I was staring at them. Everyone left two hours ago, reluctantly of course, when the nurse shooed everyone away saying "we don't have so many bed and it is not allowed to stay the night for so many people". Then the fights for who will stay the night began. And oh boy! 

They were arguing when Ace walked in through the ward doors and announced that he was staying the night, no questions should be asked. 

I was surprised at that yet a giddy feeling crept up my stomach seeing his concern for me. 

And naturally, no one dared to challenge Ace and reluctantly everyone left. 

And then Ace also left.

And here I am lying on the bed alone, with sleep miles away from me. 

Why did Ace leave me here alone? I wondered. 

If he didn't want to stay and had some work, he could have let someone else stay the night. Someone who could be physically present with me so that I didn't have to stare at the freaking boring ceiling all night long. 

I groaned as I tossed around on the small bed, trying to relax myself and be comfortable. 

But hospital beds and comfortable? Not a good combination. 

*

A trail of roughness sneaked up my arms as I tried to ignore it. The deep slumber I was in, forced my eyes closed as I refused to open my eyes and see what was causing the disturbance. But the trailing continued as I felt someone touch my cheeks, stroking them gently yet it seemed foreign. 

I threw my hands in air, trying to push away the hand - still  with my eyes closed. The thing they had given me as medicine was too strong to let me think of anything else other than sleep. 

So I snored as the surrounding world melted away as my consciousness was lost again. 

*

14 hours later

The strange sounds of thuds and thumps finally woke me us, as I tried to open my eyes after doses of drugs I was given. The last two days were swirling in my head like a blurred video, making me wince as my eyes adjusted to the piercing white light of the hospital room I was in. My eyes averted to my left, where I could see the silhouette of two men. 

As I tried to focus and sit upright, Ace's face appeared as I saw him beating a man who was laid on the floor. I gasped as I witnessed Ace beating the shit out of the man who looked close to his death.

Tumbling and twisting, I managed to get out of shock and rush to Ace's side. If I didn't he would definitely beat the life out of this poor man. God knows what he did to provoke Mr. Apathetic. 

"What are you doing? Stop it Ace!" I shouted, trying to pull Ace off the man.

Ace was surprised to see me standing behind him, and for a second his grey eyes were normal. But the very next second, it turned dark as he spoke-

"Step back." 

And -

Thud. 

He started hitting him again. 

"If you hit him even once more, you will be a self acclaimed - monkey!" I yelled idiotically.

Ace's hand stopped mid-air, making me relieved. His head turned towards me as a weird look masked his anger. 

"Well, she is witty." The man who was getting beater, managed to say. I turned my attention to him as I finally noticed his features. He was in his 30s and was average looking. He was dressed as the staff of the hospital. 

If Ace had shown any traces of stop beating the man, he again changed his mind as he threw one more punch on the man's face. I gasped. 

That would have hurt, a lot. 

"Asshole." Ace muttered. 

"Ace you need to stop!" I said, now losing my patience. He was going to kill the guy sooner or later. He  needed to be stopped. 

Whack.

"Ace either you stop now, or I am calling the freaking police." I threatened him.

Well, wrong move. 

"If you don't stop speaking, I am going to hand you over to the police myself Eva. So shut the fuck up." Ace yelled, not stopping. 

He is going to get kicked now. 

"I should shut myself!?" I asked in shock. "You are the one beating a guy mercilessly and I am supposed to shut myself?" 

Ace stopped for a second, and turned to me. 

I looked into his eyes, daring him to say anything which will justify his actions. But he didn't.

"Yes Eva. You should shut up. Don't even for a second think that this is some movie where you would say my name and I would stop beating and being angry. Earth to Eva! This is reality. I don't give a shit about what you expect from me. I do what I fucking think is right. And for what this asshole did, I will not regret killing him too. If you get that, then bang! Good. Else you can get lost from here." He said with a blank face.

After almost year, I thought he might have changed. He might have improved. 

For once I had thought, maybe my changing feelings for him were on the same page with him changing him as a person. 

But I was so wrong.

Heyyyo my readers!

It has been sooo long since I updated. I can't believe I have at last updated this book. I know many readers might have actually left the story because of my inactivity, but I really hope those readers find their way back. 

I can't make any solid promises yet, but I am trying to update as much as I can.

Hope you all understand!

Tell me if you liked this chapter, in the comments below. Read, vote, comment!

Till then,

Keep reading!