Chapter 192: Do You Love me?

Avery hooks her fingers around the bottom of a share. Her injured shoulder aches as she clings on for her dear life. Something whacks her in the side of the head, and little black dots appear in her version. She turns her head and sees the transmitter swinging on the end of its cord.

"Avery, are you okay?" Evan's voice asks.

The helicopter creaks as it tilts in the air, and then she hears a harsh metallic grinding. One of the champagne bottles slides across the floor and whacks her painfully in the arm. She reaches for the next seat and just manages to grab the base. Slowly, she pulls herself toward the center of the helicopter. As her weight shifts, the helicopter begins to straighten out, but the grinding continues.

She lies on the floor, panting and exhausted. Before she can catch her breath, the helicopter tilts sharply forward. Her shoulder jerks painfully, and she feels herself flying through the air. She crashes into the partition behind the pilot's chair and feels the breath left her body. A sharp pain spreads through her abdomen. "Please help me, Evan," she moans.

Evan's voice comes from somewhere behind her, "Avery, listen to me. Get into the cockpit and grab the lever with the red handle. Pull it down slowly until the helicopter straightens out."

She can see the tip of the red lever; it's only a few feet away, but her entire body aches as if it's broken. She bites her lip and slowly crawls forward. Every motion sends stabs of pain through her stomach, but she continues pulling herself across the floor. She reaches up, and her fingers brush handle. Slowly she bends them, and then she pulls with all her strength.

The helicopter stops falling and begins to even out, but she can feel every muscle in her body weakening. One by one, her sweaty fingers begin to slip from the lever. The helicopter shakes violently.

"Bring us above her helicopter," Evan shouts over the wild wind. He grabs a rope ladder from an emergency compartment near the door and yanked it firmly to test its strength.

"No, sir," Robert says, "It's way too dangerous. Send a bodyguard instead."

Evan ignores Robert's warning and tosses the ladder out the open door. He lowers himself to the floor and carefully sticks his legs out the door and into the night. He grips the ladder with both hands and slowly begins to climb. The violent wind whips his clothing and makes it difficult to breathe. Above him, he can see Robert shouting, but it's impossible to hear the butler's words over the thrumming of the propellers.

The long rope dangerously swings as Evan climbs. He looks worriedly at the helicopter below. It's stopped plunging toward the Earth, but it wobbles violently in the air. Even if Avery can keep the helicopter from crashing, Evan doesn't know how he'll get inside. If he gets too close, the helicopter's blades will slice through the ladder and send him falling to his death.

Suddenly, Evan loses his footing. His foot slips on one of the rope rungs, and his body swings through the air. The rope burns his palms, but he tightens his grip and kicks his legs out in front of him, hooking his leg around the ladder. Then he continues his dangerous descent.

Avery screams as her last finger slides from the lever. The helicopter immediately begins to plunge toward the ground, and she's thrown into the dashboard. The levers and buttons dig painfully into her side, but she manages to grab the lever again. She grits her teeth and pulls.

The helicopter evens out, but not before it scrapes the top of a tree. The metal grates loudly against the wood, making a terrible tearing sound. She inhales painfully and pulls harder on the lever, slowly gaining altitude. Adrenaline courses through her veins, and the pain seems to ease.

She looks at the complex control panel and bites her lip. She has no idea what the hundreds of buttons and switches do. She tugs the black cord, pulling the transmitter back up to the cabin. "Evan, what should I do?" she asks, desperately hoping that he'll hear her. "I don't know how to fly this thing."

The transmitter crackles. "Wait for me," Evan's voice says.

"Evan, I can barely hear you," Avery says, "Tell me quickly how to land this thing. I don't even know where to land it."

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"Hold it steady," Evan says, "I'm coming for you."

"I'm scared, Evan," Avery says.

"Listen to me, and it's going to be okay," Evan says. "Now tell me, what's the first thing you want to do when we're safely on the ground? I know what I want to do." 

"I don't want to know," Avery screams as the helicopter tilts sideways. "I want to know which buttons I should press."

She waits for his reply but hears nothing but static and wind. Something crashes loudly behind her, and the helicopter tilts sharply. She screams and desperately looks for something to press. A warm hand rests gently on her shoulder, and she recognizes the long fingers immediately—Evan. He's panting heavily, and his hands are cold and rubbed raw and red. There's a sheen of sweat on his forehead, and his hair is messy and windblown. 

He takes control immediately, flipping switches and pressing buttons like a pro. As he works, he stands behind her, bracing himself against the back of her seat. His familiar scent engulfs her, and she inhales deeply. Within minutes, the helicopter steadies and starts to move forward.

"Did you miss me?" he asks. Though he doesn't look away from the control panel, his voice is low and sincere.

Avery feels her heart hammering in her chest, and she knows it has nothing to do with the adrenaline. The relief has vanished, and all of the old anger and hurt have replaced it. "Not for a second," she snaps.

"You always say no when you mean yes," Evan says. "If you say you don't miss me, it means you must miss me. If you say you don't love me, it means you must love me. If you tell me to leave you, it means you must want me to stay."

Avery wants to scream. Her entire body was on fire with pain, and she's almost just died, and all Evan can talk about is love.

"Tell me honestly, do you love me?" he asks. When she doesn't reply, he bends over her head, brushing his lips against her hair. "If you don't answer, I'm going to kiss you."

Avery shakes her head, dizzily. Black spots appear before her eyes, and a loud humming sound fills her ears. She looks up at Evan, and his face looks blurry. His mouth seems to be moving, but she can't hear words. The black spots grow bigger and bigger, and then she's engulfed in darkness.

The first thing she hears when she wakes is her name. Her eyes flutter open, and she stares up into Evan's pale face. His forehead is knotted with concern, and he whispers her name over and over like a prayer. One hand cradles her face while the other gently probes her head for injuries. She swallows painfully. "It's not my head," she whispers. "My stomach—" 

A fresh wave of pain makes it impossible to talk. She clutches her abdomen and moans. Evan's lips turn downward, and his face twists terribly with rage. He doesn't seem to know where to put his hands, and he winces every time she moans. She curls into a fetal position and closes her eyes.

"Darling, it's going to be okay," he whispers. "We're back in my helicopter, and we're going to the hospital. You're going to be okay. I won't let anything happen to you."

He takes her in his arms and pulled her onto his lap. She can tell he's gentle, but every movement is agonizing. She can feel the darkness rising again, and she lets it take her.

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