Chapter 10

Molly had been trying to contact Denise for the last fifteen minutes after they arrived at the hospital.

She didn't pick up.

Alex had been in the ER and got intensive care before he could get to the x-ray room. His leg might not be open fractured, but the discoloration gets worse on their way to the hospital makes Gale uneasy. Not to mention how bent Alex’s leg was. Alex was a champ. He holds himself from crying all the way to the hospital.

However, the moment the curtain around his ER bed drawn close and Julia was in the waiting room with Molly, Alex finally cry. He holds Gale's hand tightly, and at that moment, he lets out the frustrating sob that he had buried so Julia wouldn't see him cry.

Gale stroked Alex's head slowly and gently while the ER doctor examines his leg.

"Thank you, doctor Gale." He said after the doctor finished his examination and left them alone. He was already stopped crying

"No need to thank me." Gale said while smiling at Alex after he calmed down.

"What were you doing in the woods? Were you following a squirrel too?"

Gale snorted, and Alex grinned. "I wasn't following a squirrel. I just feel like walking through the woods. And then I heard screaming. Was that you or Julia? Because I know the crying was Julia's, but I couldn't pinpoint whose voice the screaming was."

"That was me," Alex said sheepishly. "Doctor Gale, will you check on Julia? She's so quiet, and I'm worried."

"She's with Molly. She'll be fine. I could stay here and give you company."

"I'll be fine on my own. Julia must be worried sick about me, and if you tell her I'm fine, she'll be less worry. Please, doctor Gale!" Alex pleaded.

Gale smiled and nodded. "Okay. Do you want Molly to come here? I think she's still trying to contact your mom."

"Yes, please. Thank you, doctor Gale."

Gale walked out of the curtain and saw Molly already walking towards the ER room while carrying Julia.

"Gale! Denise finally picks up. She's on her way, but she wants to talk to Alex." She said.

"You go on in. I was about to call you anyway." Gale glances at Julia, and she was already looking at him expectantly. He opens his arms, offering Julia if she wants to be carried by him, and she was willingly reaching out towards him. He lifted her and positioned her on his hips.

When Molly was gone behind the curtain, Gale walked out of the ER room. Julia didn't say a word. So Gale stayed silent too. He walked towards the vending machine because he was very thirsty. Maybe Julia would want something too when she sees it.

He stopped in front of the machine, scanning the items inside to choose what he wants. Gale looks from his peripheral eyes and sees Julia gazing at the rows of fruity drinks. Somehow, Gale knows that Julia would never say that she wants the drink. An idea came into his mind. He then wiggling his hand that carried her to get her attention.

"I can't choose," Gale said. "Which one do you think tastes good?" He offered Julia to choose for him even though Gale only wants cold water. Gale hopes she chose the one she wants so he could buy it for her.

She looked down at the machine again and pointed at the strawberry ones. "That one tastes good. But if I am thirsty, mommy always gives me water first. She said it's the best to ease thirst."

Gale was astonished and in awe of Julia's mother's way of teaching her and Alex.

"I also think that water is the best too. Are you thirsty? Do you want that strawberry flavour drink or water?" Gale asked as he chooses the water bottle on the vending machine.

"Mrs. Molly already gave me water from the dispenser there." Julia pointed to where the dispenser was. "But I'd like something sweet if that's okay..." She asked politely.

"More than okay," Gale said while smiling and push the bottom for the strawberry drink.

He crouched and took the bottles from the machine, then walked towards the waiting room and took a seat. He put Julia down on the bench next to him and helped her opens her bottle.

As time goes by, Julia became more talkative after he told her that Alex was fine and will probably be sent home today.

"I talked to Auntie Dee, and she will be here soon," Julia said in between her conversation with Gale.

"Auntie Dee?"

"Alex's mommy." She elaborates.

"Wait– Alex is not your brother?" Gale asked, perplexed.

Julia shook her head, and her red hair waving loosely above her shoulder as she did so. It reminded Gale with...

No, stop. Julia had nothing to do with Ava Shelley. Gale chastised himself internally.

"Alex is my cousin. Auntie Dee is my mommy's big sister." Julia explained simply.

Oh.

That explained then. Despite the same hair colour, Julia and Alex don't look alike in the slightest.

Alex's face is long. Julia's is square.

Alex's eyes are round, and they are grey. Julia's eyes are smaller than Alex's and they are hazel – shades of yellowish amber much like Gale's own eyes towards the center. In the middle, they are slightly greenish. Then in the outer circle, they are blue.

Alex's lips are thin but wide. Julia's lips also thin though the lower lip is fuller than Alex's, and they are not wide like Alex’s.

Alex's nose is the one that people called a roman nose. Julia has a button nose.

Alex's hair is straight. Julia's hair is neat curly.

They both have freckles, but Alex only has them scattered on his nose bridge. Julia has freckles all over her face, neck, and limbs.

"You have a beautiful eye colour, doctor Gale." Julia suddenly said. "I think I never met people with eye colour like yours before."

Gale was startled. He felt like he got caught inspecting her features. He chuckled softly before answering Julia. "They are, aren't they? They called amber. You have amber on your eyes too."

Julia looks fascinatingly at Gale's eyes. "I do?"

"Yeah, on the center. They are the same shade as mine." Gale informed her.

"Mommy said my eyes are called hazel, and they are rare. Is that true?" Julia inquired.

"I wouldn't say they are rare – they are uncommon. Your hazel, though – I think they are rare. I've never seen these kinds of hazel before. My friend has hazel eyes, but she doesn't have any blue in them." Gale explained as simply as he could.

Julia titled her head to the right. "What about your eyes? Are they uncommon too?"

"Yes, they are."

"Blue eyes are not uncommon. Are they?" She prompted.

Gale nodded his head in agreement. "Blue eyes are pretty common."

"Mommy's eyes are blue. They are pretty."

"I'm sure they are as pretty as yours," Gale grinned at Julia, and she giggled.

The sound of the little girl's giggles made Gale's heart bursting with fondness. It felt just like when he was holding Dani for the first time. It made him want to have his own child. Gale smiled fondly at Julia, and she also smiled at him. He was relieved that Julia was not as quiet as before. She already calmed down and was less concerned because Alex finally got the intensive care he needed.

Suddenly Gale saw a shock of red hair in the hallway. It was in a messy bun. The owner runs towards the ER room. Gale was about to ask Julia whether that was her aunt or not when another redhead coming in a rush.

The latter made Gale froze in his spot.

The second red-haired woman that came in had her hair in a single braid, the same length and the same shade of Ava's hair that he saw in his dream. Even the way it bounced from left to right was identical. The body of the woman was also similar to Ava's in his dream.

Gale was too preoccupied with his reeling mind he didn't hear what Julia said to him before she runs away.

"Julia!" Gale called out.

At his exclamation, the red-haired woman stopped abruptly and turned around the same time Julia reached her and hugged her legs.

"Mommy!" Julia yelled happily.

The woman instantly flopped down and hugged Julia tightly. She buried her face on Julia's shoulder.

She was crying.

Gale didn't get the chance to look at the woman's face when she turned around because he was too focused on Julia and was worried when she suddenly ran from him.

After a few moments, the woman raised her head, and the sight of her face made Gale inhaled air sharply. His heart rates quicken, and he felt dizzy.

Appparently that woman was Julia's mother, and she was beautiful. The most beautiful woman Gale ever laid eyes on.

It's not the first time Gale has ever seen women with red hair – he met plenty before. But Julia's mother was... different. Her beauty was one of a kind that Gale would say ethereal. He was probably biased as he was obsessed with red hair because he had dreamt of Ava Shelley. But anyone would agree with him that Julia's mother's beauty was something else.

Freckles dotted every inch of her face like constellation scattering in the night sky. Even though her eyes were red-rimmed, the retinas were as blue as the ocean. Julia has her button nose. And her lips– her lips...

"Are you hurt?" The woman suddenly asked Julia.

Blood drained from Gale's face as he listens to her voice. This voice- she couldn't be...

"No, I'm not," Julia answered.

"I'm sorry I left you at home alone. Mommy wouldn't ever do that to you again. I was so scared, Jules. I thought you got hurt too," The woman sobbed.

Julia wipes the tears that stream down her mother's face. "I'm sorry, mommy."

"It's okay."

"I promise I will never get into the woods again."

"You can go to the woods. You know mommy loves to go to the woods all the time. But you can't go alone. Promise me you will only enter the woods if you are companied by adults." The woman said sternly.

Julia raised her right hand and stuck out her pinky.

"Pinky promise..."

"Pinky promise," The woman sealed it with her pinky.

Like realizing something, Julia jerked away from her mom and turned around.

"Doctor Gale!" Julia called out, and it made Gale flinched.

Before Gale could register what happened, Julia already stood in front of him and wrapped her hands around his wrist. Then she dragged him with her toward her mom.

When Gale finally gets his bearing back, he saw the woman's startled face. A moment before, her face was red from crying – now, it was as white as a paper. She stared at Gale in disbelief, and at that moment, he felt like he knew her.

Gale didn't know what to expect and what to do. He had a strong feeling that Julia's mom is Ava, but at the same time, he doesn't want her to be. If she is Ava, that means Gale couldn't pursue her as he had planned. She was a mother. That means she had partner.

Gale couldn't accept the idea of not having a chance to fall in love with Ava again. He spent five years denying all his dreams. Five years of denying how he feels towards the girl in his dreams. Five years of not knowing whether she's real or not. And when he finally was sure and determined to find her, Gale had never imagined that Ava could have moved on from him – that if she ever fell in love with him at all.

It was not something Gale expected would happen when he woke up today after hearing Ava saying I love you for the first time. He was so happy, so full of hope. Now it all crushed down.

Julia stopped dragging Gale, and he finally faced to face with her mom. She was still staring at him with her eyes that pierced through his heart.

A lone tear escaped her eye, but then she inhaled deeply and shook her head. She averted her gaze to her daughter while wiping her tears.

"Mom, this is doctor Gale. He found us in the woods and brought us here. He carried Alex from the woods to here." Julia started cheerily.

The woman smiled down at her daughter before she looks back at Gale. She smiled at him, and he couldn't breathe at the sight of her sweet smile.

He never felt like this before with Meryl...

Then the woman extending her hand. "Thank you so much for saving Alex and Julia, doctor Gale." She said, her voice resigned.

Gale blinked confusedly. He looks at her hand and then looks back up at her face. Refusing to look like a dumb person, Gale snapped out from his bewilderment quickly and took her hand. If he felt a shiver running down his spine and heard a hitch coming from Julia's mother's throat the moment their skin touched, Gale ignored them.

"It's nothing. Anyone would do the same. I'm Gabriel Blackwell." Gale couldn't help but introduce himself with his full name in the hope that this woman would introduce herself with her full name as well.

The sudden changed in her expression made Gale's stomach lurch uncomfortably. Her face fell, and disappointment was evident in her eyes.

"Avelyn Shelley," She said coldly before dropping Gale's hand and look at Julia again, clearly not wanting to look at Gale anymore.

Avelyn Shelley.

Shelley.

Avelyn.

Ava.

Ava Shelley.

Gale gasped inaudibly. His eyes felt hot as tears threatening to fall. It couldn't be just a coincidence.

Avelyn Shelley must be Ava Shelley.

His Ava Shelley.