Chapter 6 #2
My stomach dropped out my ass as I hurried forward, swatting the man aside when he tried to stop me from touching her.
“Ashley, hey, it’s me,” I murmured, barely breathing as I gently cupped her face in my hands and tilted her head back.
Her normally silky hair was tangled and messy, and I carefully finger-combed it away so I could see her properly.
“Hey, pretty girl,” I whispered when her eyes opened the slightest crack. “I missed you.”
She gave a small moan, and it was like a knife in my heart. What the fuck had they done to her?
“You’re Nathaniel Essex?” a woman asked, and I glanced up to see a different nurse standing there with a clipboard in hand. Her brow was pinched with worry, and the look she gave me was pure suspicion. “Do you have some ID, sir?”
I glanced at her name badge and bit back the urge to tear into her when I recognized her name. “Annette,” I murmured. “You’re the one who called.”
Her eyes widened with panic, and she gave the slightest shake of her head as she glanced around.
Maybe she wasn’t supposed to call me? Shit.
Now I’d probably gotten her fired. As smoothly as I could, I straightened up and retrieved my wallet to show her my ID.
“Here,” I said louder. “My ID. And I brought a copy of the paperwork that outlines my legal rights to discharge my fiancée from medical care.”
She took the paper from me, scanning it quickly before handing it back.
“Thank you, that looks…acceptable.” She bit the edge of her lip, then crouched in front of Ashley’s wheelchair.
“Hey, Ashley? Wake up, honey. I know you’re really out of it right now, but I need to know if you’re comfortable leaving with this guy?
You said he was your stepbrother, but he’s calling you his fiancée and something seems… off.”
I had to hand it to her—she had balls. She also seemed to genuinely care about my girl’s safety, and I found it hard to be pissed about that.
Crap. Not my girl. I meant, my friend. My friend who was a girl. My stepsister.
“Ashley?” the nurse tried again, gently shaking Layne’s shoulder.
That seemed to rouse her just enough to blink lazily in my direction. Then that sleepy gaze turned confused, and from confused to pissed . “You fucker, ” she drawled, like her mouth wasn’t totally obeying her. “I hate you.”
The nurse gave a startled sound, glancing up at me, but I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my lips. She was still in there. Drugged, sure, but not lost or broken.
“It’s a fine line,” I replied with a grin, shaking my head. “Tell the nice nurse that you’re happy to leave with me, so we can get the fuck out of here.”
She blinked a few more times, dazed and heavy-lidded, and for a horrible moment, I wondered if she would refuse to leave with me.
Then she shifted her gaze to the nurse and gave a floppy nod.
“He’s a selfish prick,” she mumbled, slurring her words a little, “but anything has to be better than this place.”
The nurse seemed torn, but gave a small sigh and straightened up once more.
“Okay, if you’re sure. This seems so unethical.
All of it.” That part was said quietly, clearly meant for herself and Ashley only.
Then she offered me the clipboard and a pen.
“Just sign here, Mr. Essex? Then you’re free to go. ”
I carefully scanned the paperwork before signing my name to it, but nothing stuck out as suspicious. Two minutes later, the nurse helped me load Ashley into the passenger seat of my truck, and I belted her in securely.
“The drugs should wear off in a couple of hours,” the woman told me with her brow pinched as I closed Ashley’s door. “They gave her way too much, though. I’d suggest getting her checked out by your own doctor in the morning.”
My brows raised at the genuine concern in her voice. “I will. Thank you for calling me.”
She jerked a quick nod, glancing around like she was worried someone might hear us, even out here in the parking lot.
“I should have done it sooner, but at least now I know I need to hand in my resignation.” Her smile was brittle as she backed away, her shoulders slumped as she made her way back inside the building.
Thank fuck some people still had a conscience in this world. A shiver rolled down my spine at the realization that without her call, we might never have found Layne.
“You’re going to be the death of me, Duckling,” I muttered under my breath as I buckled myself in and turned on the engine. Ashley was asleep, I was pretty sure, so I flinched when she replied.
“I hope so,” she mumbled. “As soon as these drugs wear off…I’ll kill you myself.”
I scoffed, because it was all I could do to hide my relief at hearing her speak. “After I just rescued you from a psych hospital? That’s the thanks I get?”
It was a minute before she replied, and I began to wonder if she was asleep again. “It’s your fault,” she finally murmured, her voice lacking any real heat. “It’s always your fault, Essex. I hate you.”
I swallowed hard, unable to respond to that.
It was my fault. If I’d handled things differently that night, or stopped her when she’d tried to leave the party…
maybe this wouldn’t have happened. That knowledge and guilt weighed heavily on my mind, so I bit back any smart-ass remarks and drove in silence.
We needed to get to a hotel. Ashley needed to sleep off the drugs, then we needed to get her checked over. Then, maybe, she might be willing to hear my apologies.
“I hate you,” she mumbled again, her eyes closed and her head resting on the window like she was sleep-talking. “I hate that you found it so easy to break my heart. You really are a cold bastard.”
Every part of me screamed that she was wrong. That she needed to know how much that’d hurt me to hurt her. But I kept my mouth shut and let her sleep. It was for the best…