Page 36 of Asher's Answer
“That’s not happening,” Josh argues, shaking his head. “I know Charlie. He’ll ask for you, Ash.”
I want that. I desperately do. But it doesn’t feel right. “Over his own parents? I can’t…”
“You and Marie both go,” Grant says in a tone that brooks no arguments.Huh. Maybe Charlie gets a little of his Daddy-vibe from him, after all.“Then we’ll all come back tomorrow and take shifts.”
Have I mentioned that I love his parents?
Chapter Sixteen – Charlie
The septic smell of the hospital hits me before I open my eyes. I wince against the bright lights and groan, disoriented. A doctor checks my vision briefly and asks me what I remember -getting out of the car, gunfire, yelling- and nods, explaining that I took two bullets. It feels surreal. I’m a beat cop. I’m not a detective. I don’t even usually work Robbery and Homicide. My life isn’t like an episode ofLaw and Order.
“You were lucky,” the surgeon tells me. “The bullet in your thigh missed the femoral artery by a fraction of an inch. We were able to successfully remove the bullet intact. You suffered a femur fracture, though, for which we needed to insert a metal rod into the bone. You’re going to need crutches for a while and a physical therapy regimen to regain full movement. Recovery’s probably going to take a few months.” He tilts his head to the side, “The second was to your right pectoral and was a clean shot through. No significant damage, but you’ll have some scar tissue on your chest and shoulder blade. I expect you’ll probably need physical therapy to prevent muscular atrophy in your chest and shoulder, too.”
I nod as I take this in, my brain still fuzzy.
“Are you in any pain?”
I have a dull ache in my chest and my thigh, but other than that, I can’t feel anything. I shake my head. “No.” My mouth is dry and feels like it’s been stuffed with cotton wool. I try to clear my throat, which hurts. I assume they put a tube down it during surgery. “Water?”
A nurse materializes from out of nowhere and hands me a cup with a straw. “Sip it to start,” she instructs and it’s difficult not to slurp the whole lot, but I do as I’m told.
“They’ve got you on the good stuff, so I’m not surprised nothing hurts,” the doctor carries on with an amused little smile, “and I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re still sleepy. You’re going to need to rest for a bit.” He pauses. “You’ve got quite the number of visitors out there. We can only send two people in, but I’ll let them all know you’re going to pull through.”
I frown, the words taking a while to process. By the time I move to ask about Ash -who is probably going out of his mind with worry- the doctor’s already gone.
I try to stay awake, but my eyes are heavy and I doze off before the doctor comes back.
* * *
When I wake up again, I can feel the pain. My leg and chest hurt like a bitch. I groan, once again disoriented, and blink as I get used to the light again.
“Charlie,” my mother’s voice, full of relief and love, makes me wince. I’ve got a headache, too, apparently. “Oh, sweetheart, you’re awake.”
“Mom,” I moan, “Volume down. Jesus.”
There’s a gentle, tinkling -but still watery- giggle from the other side of the bed and I whip my head over, suddenly unconcerned with how bright everything is. I still squint, though. “Ash?”
He leans forward and grasps my hand, careful of the IV line attached to the back of it. “You scared me, Charlie,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to the inside of my palm. His soft lips against my skin are a healing balm for my soul.
“I’m so sorry, baby.” What else can I say? Even though none of this was my fault, I left him alone and worried.
He smiles softly at me, then glances over my head. “So…I met your mom…”
“Yeah; I apologize for anything she’s said or done while I’ve been out of it.”
She smacks my uninjured shoulder lightly on my left side. “Behave, Charles.”
I make a face. “Ugh. Really? I almostdied, Mom, you can let up with the Charles crap.” Even though it was meant to be a joke, I watch my mother’s eyes fill with tears and hear the shaky inhalation from my boyfriend and…alright, I’ll admit it, my comedic timing sucks right now. Blame the morphine. “Shit. Sorry. I was trying to lighten the mood.”
“You’re an idiot,” Ash observes.
I turn my head back to face him and look him over properly. His eyes are red-rimmed but sharp. There’s no sense of Little Ash about him. I’m surprised that he’s not even hovering near the brink of his little headspace. I’m glad, but surprised.
“Ted talked me down from my anxiety attack,” Ash offers, as though he can read my thoughts on my face. “And your family is amazing, too. I’m gonna keep your mom if it’s all the same with you.”
Above me to my left, my mother laughs and pats my shoulder. It’s her sign that she’s happy for me and that she approves of my boyfriend. A little ‘don’t fuck this up’ and a lot ‘we’re keeping him, too’. I blink back tears.
God, I love this man. He’s worked through his issues of his boss seeing him little because he knows how much Ted’s friendship means to me. And his easy acceptance of my intense (but admittedly loving) family brings a lump of pure emotion to my throat.
