Chapter 44
Ashby
The nurse was checking on Milow while I stood with Wesley near the door, where he was trying for the third time to convince me to eat something.
“I’m not hungry,” I muttered again, never taking my eyes off her.
She looked fragile in that hospital bed.
Her face was bruised, and her hands were wrapped in a splint and cast. And still there was that familiar calmness in her, that quiet strength she always carried.
It had always been like this with her. Even now, when she was allowed to be the one who hurt, she was still trying to hold herself together for everyone else.
“Come on, buddy,” Wesley said gently. “She’s not going anywhere. You need to eat something.”
“I’m not hungry,” I repeated, jaw tight. But my body betrayed me instantly with a loud growl rolling out of my stomach.
Wesley raised an eyebrow. “Right. And I’m Santa Claus.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t hide the amusement. “You got the hair right. Just need a beard and put on some weight.”
Wesley grinned and patted my back. “There we go. Go on now. The cafeteria won’t be open all night.”
I turned to Milow. The idea of leaving her alone didn’t sit right with me. “Can you…” I started, glancing at Wesley. “Can you just get me the food? Bring it up here?”
“Ash.”
I sighed. “Fine. Will you stay with her then?”
“Yeah, I can stay. I’ve already eaten,” he told me.
“Okay.” I sucked in a breath, tilting my head to get a better look at Milow around the nurse. “I’ll be back soon, Milow. Wesley will stay with you.”
She looked at me and nodded, her lips curling into a reassuring smile.
“I’ll bring her dinner in just a minute,” the nurse said, glancing at Wesley. “Will you help her eat? Otherwise, I can do it.”
“I’ll do it,” I said, already stepping toward the bed.
“No, Ashby, I’ll feed her,” Wesley said calmly, his voice leaving no room for argument. “Go eat.”
My jaw clenched, and I let out a heavy sigh.
Leaving her side felt impossible when all I wanted was to stay and help.
But I had to tell myself that she’d be fine.
Wesley would take care of her, and maybe it was even better this way.
I’d been by her side this entire time, and I didn’t want her to get sick of me.
Even when I knew that she probably wouldn’t, crowding her right now wouldn’t help anyone.
“Okay.” I looked at Milow one last time before stepping back toward the door, and as Wesley turned his back to me, I signed, [I love you so much.]
Milow’s smile deepened, and the reassurance in her expression was enough to carry me out of the room, but not enough to calm the storm in my stomach.
I found everyone sitting around a couple of tables in the cafeteria. Everyone was there, even Scarlett and Chelsea.
“Hey, champ,” Dad said, pulling up an empty chair next to him. “I got you a sandwich and a muffin.”
I sat down. “Thanks. She’s awake.”
“She is?” Mom straightened, a gentle smile pulling at her lips. “Oh, good. How is she doing?”
“I don’t know, Mom. How does anyone do after being brutally assaulted?” The words left me before I could stop them, and suddenly the table went quiet. I hated that I’d snapped, hated that the anger still burned in my chest.
Dad rubbed my back. “We know, champ.”
I clenched my teeth and stared down at the sandwich, then lifted my gaze to everyone. “I’m sorry,” I murmured with a sigh. “Wesley’s helping her with dinner. We should give her a moment to eat.”
Mom nodded, but I could see the impatience in her eyes. I felt it too. I wanted to go back up there.
“You should eat too,” Dad said again. “You haven’t eaten all day.”
I didn’t feel like it. My stomach had emptied hours ago, and my throat still ached, but I picked up the sandwich anyway and took a bite.
Stan and Scottie sat across from me, their expressions just as tired and worn as mine.
Scottie, even though she’d only just been in the hospital over the weekend herself, hadn’t stayed home to rest. She’d chosen to be here, to be close to Milow instead of taking care of herself first. I could tell she was still weak, but she had put Milow above her own comfort.
Evie was sitting next to Stan’s mom, Chelsea, at the end of the table, and she let out a sigh before picking up on a conversation they must’ve been having before I arrived. “I just hope there are real consequences this time. I’m glad you called the police,” she told Dad.
He nodded slowly, running a hand over his face. He looked exhausted. “The suspension was the first step. The police will be looking more into it now that they admitted to doing it.”
“They admitted it?” I asked, surprised.
“Yeah,” Stan said, clearing his throat. “I was in the principal’s office with them.”
I remembered him punching Bennett in the face while Madigan, Kallio, and Riveira all stood there. “Did you get suspended, too?”
Stan shrugged. “Just for a day. Hailie and Aspen got a month.”
Good. It wasn’t long enough, but at least it was something. I nodded. “And Bennett?”
“He got a week,” Stan said.
Chelsea reached out and ran her hand through Stan’s hair, smiling gently. “I’m proud of you all. For sticking together like that.”
“So you’re proud of me for punching a guy in the face?” Stan asked, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
“You punch guys in the face all the time,” Scottie reminded him.
“Yeah, but… this time I wasn’t legally allowed to.”
Chelsea laughed softly. “I’m proud of you for protecting your friends and holding another guy accountable for not being man enough to help.”
Stan grinned, leaning into his mother’s touch and kissing her cheek. “Love you, Mommy.”
The others laughed, and I found myself grinning too. Stan was a real mama’s boy, and he wasn’t ashamed to show it.
The pull to go back upstairs to Milow was unbearable, but I tried to hold myself in place.
I told myself that things would get better for her, that the worst was over.
She had already endured too much, and I wanted more than anything to make the pain stop and to give her the life she deserved.
A normal life. A life where she could go to school without fear and be surrounded by people who loved her exactly as she was.
I knew I couldn’t fix everything. I couldn’t erase the past and the memories. But I could protect her better. And I would, because until now, I had failed her.