Chapter 35 #5
I broke out into a deep sob against my father’s chest. Lorelai fell apart in his arms, too.
He held us both and allowed us to fall apart.
* * *
My heart remained pounding against my chest as I entered the emergency room of Saint Mary’s Hospital with my family.
Dad, Ellie, and Lorelai looked terrified from what happened.
I didn’t blame them. I was so scared, too.
Before I left Second Chance, Daniel told me he’d handle locking up the shop, and Joanna was quick to offer to help him clean everything up.
I was grateful for that, for my friends.
I could hardly think straight, let alone handle the bookshop.
We hadn’t received an update yet from anyone, which made it feel all the more haunting. Dad, Lorelai, and Ellie went wandering the hospital halls to try to shake off their anxiety. I stayed seated, hoping for answers.
Until I heard a deep voice grabbing my attention.
“Karla.”
I turned around to see him again.
Ash.
My whole body froze as he stood in front of me. He only held his stare with mine for a moment.
What in the world was happening?
Why was Ash standing in front of me?
And why did I still get those stupid wordlet butterflies from him staring at me?
Wait.
None of that mattered.
What mattered was my grandmother and me figuring out if she was all right or not.
“Is my grandmother OK?” I asked.
“Yes, she’s OK. We got her responsive, and she asked for you and your family. I was able to get your name and your dad’s on the visitors’ list. It might take a second to get the information into the system, but your names were added. She’s going to be OK, Karla.”
A wave of relief washed over me as Ash’s words settled into my soul.
She’s going to be OK.
Without thought, I pulled him into a tight hug and choked on the sob that had been sitting heavily in my throat.
“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice shaky from nerves.
I didn’t know if they were nerves from everything that unfolded with Grandma Claire or because of the fact that I was currently in the arms of the boy who saved my life.
I didn’t even know if my “thank you” was for Grandma Claire or for me.
He hugged me back. Maybe a little tighter than I hugged him, and my fingernails were pretty much digging into his muscular back.
The side of his face brushed against mine before I pulled back and dropped my hold from him. I didn’t want to hold him the way I used to. Not after the way we ended things. The hug was mainly a “thank you” not an “I missed you.” Even though my stupid heart did miss him.
It didn’t know how not to. I hated how much I loved being held in his arms again, even if only for a split second.
Without hesitation, his hand moved to my face, and he brushed away my tears. The small touch once again sent a wave of warmth to my system.
My mouth parted to speak as I stared into his eyes. “Wha . . . what are you doing back in Chicago?”
He went to answer, but before he could, a woman sitting at the reception desk whistled loudly in our direction. “Hey, hot stuff. You missed my birthday party last night,” she said. It was clear that Ash was the hot stuff she was speaking to.
Ash looked up and smirked toward the woman. The beautiful redhead with a set of knockers that would’ve done numbers on Baywatch. She pressed them together as she leaned in his direction.
I instantly felt like I was intruding on a private conversation.
“Sorry about that, Heather. I crashed after a long shift.”
“You owe me birthday shots,” she said, winking his way.
I wanted to disappear as soon as possible.
A man called out to Ash, breaking up the conversation between the two of them.
“Hey Ash-Ash, we gotta hit it!” the man said from behind us. I turned to see it was the other paramedic that was at the scene earlier. He was the one who drove Grandma Claire to Saint Mary’s. I probably owed him all my praise, too.
The guy’s eyes fell to me, and realization set in for a moment. “Oh, hey. I hope your friend is OK, ma’am.” Even though he didn’t know me, he didn’t look shocked by my scars at all. All that seemed to exist in his hazel eyes was a true heartfelt statement.
“Thank you,” I replied to him. I turned toward Ash, wanting to say something, but no words came to mind.
His head must’ve been emptied, too, because he simply nodded once, before turning away, leaving me in the waiting room dazed and confused.
I wasn’t certain if the situation before me actually happened or if I’d slipped into an odd world of delusion.
“Was that the paramedic who was at the scene?” Lorelai asked as she walked up to me with a bag of M&Ms from the vending machine. She poured a few into her hand before placing the small pieces of chocolate into my palm.
“Yes,” I replied, still staring at the now emptied hallway that Ash disappeared from. “He said Grandma Claire is stable and should be OK.”
“That’s great news.” She knit her brows together. “But if it’s such great news, then why do you look like you’ve just seen a ghost?”
Because I think I just did.