The Ones Who Failed Us

Chapter 22

Trigger warning for abortion. I wasn't really sure if I needed one, but better be safe than sorry. Enjoy ☺️

Leonardo's POV

Ever since Ava had told us everything, she had been acting unpredictable to say the least. She had refused to leave Teddy's side at times and would even physically fight us when we tried to separate them for more than a few minutes. We knew she was being protective of him, but we didn't understand why. Ava knew we would never hurt either of them, so why did she feel a need to keep a hawk's eye on him at all times?

Then, there were times when Ava wanted nothing more than to be held and comforted as she let out all the tears she had held in since Mom died. It was as if she was making up for the four years she lived without a shoulder to lean on, without anyone to protect her. I was finally seeing how immensely those years of abuse had impacted Ava, and it hurt to see how broken my once carefree little sister had become.

There have been countless times when we as her brothers have tried to reassure Ava that she was safe and that no one would take her from us, but none of us could make those thoughts leave her mind. Ava didn't have a sense of security in our family, not with Demetri still alive and looking for her.

Today, Ava was going to have her abortion, and we were all scared of how this would affect her. Abortion can stir so many strong emotions in grown adults, and there was no telling how our fourteen-year-old sister would handle this. All that mattered is that we would pick up the pieces afterwards because that is what family does.

With Matteo in Georgia, Emilio and Elijah had taken Teddy for the day while Alessandro, Ava, and I were waiting for our appointment at the clinic. Ava was showing a side of her that we hadn't seen since she first came to live with us. Her features were hardened, and she was wearing an emotionless mask. When Alessandro or I tried to hold her hand to reassure her that everything would be alright, she would slap our hands away. I guess I should have expected this regression, but it still hurt to watch her guard her emotions with such vigilance.

Alessandro had ensured that the clinic would be empty on the day of the abortion in case Ava had a panic attack or anything went wrong. The only people Ava felt slightly comfortable with expressing her emotions were with family, and we didn't want Ava to feel like people were judging her if she lost control of her emotions.

The nurses and Dr. Evans, the gynecologist overseeing Ava's care, were getting everything ready in the room Ava would be in during the exam. Alessandro had requested for a full exam to understand how much the abuse had scarred her body. If any treatments were required, then we wanted to fix it while Ava was still young to avoid any long-term physical side effects.

"Avalee Russo? Dr. Evans is ready for your appointment," one of the nurses called.

As Ava stood up, I asked, "Do you want us to inside with you?"

"I'm fine," she coldly answered. "I'll see you after the appointment is over."

Before Ava followed the nurse to the examination room, Alessandro said, "If you need us, we'll be outside waiting for you."

"You don't need to," she said with her back turned to us. "I'm sure you have work or something else that's more important than waiting for me. I'll call you when it's over."

"Aves, honey, look at me," Alessandro said quietly. Ava looked back briefly, sending us a glare as Alessandro said, "Nothing is more important than my family. I will gladly wait for you, okay?"

With a quick nod, Ava followed the nurse to the examination room leaving Alessandro and I in the waiting room. "Sandro, I'm worried about her," I said as I sat back down in the waiting room.