Ashton could feel being lifted and carried out to a waiting car, but he couldn’t open his eyes or move his limbs. An excruciating pain made him numb all over and he hovered on the brink of losing consciousness. He could feel the car move forward and the men whisper in their native language, but he couldn’t get up and check his surroundings. Every bump on the road increased the unbearable pain in his body and he was sure to have sprained some bones. The car stopped after a while and the men picked him up and dumped him on the ground before fleeing back to their vehicle.
“Let’s get away before the cops arrive.”
Ashton felt his back hit the soft sand beneath him. It was wet and cold! Did they leave him at the water’s edge to die? Yet he couldn’t open his eyes!
In the meantime:
Officer Thornhill received incessant calls from the police station, giving him fake updates about the case. “People have gone crazy after watching the news. They all want the reward money. It’s difficult to gauge the genuine lead to the case.”
“I hope the officer in charge here can lead us to Ashton,” said Christopher Barclay as they walked to where the NYPD 75th Precinct was stationed. They met Nash Stuttgart, the officer who was handling Ashton’s case.
“I’ve sent my men to Cypress Hills after receiving your call, but there’s been no update so far. I’ll call them and inquire.” However, before he could call them, his phone buzzed with an incoming call and he excused himself to take the call.
“Dad, let’s go to Cypress Hills, please,” pleaded Hayley, but her dad shook his head.
“It’s not safe to go there. It’s Don’s hideout.”
“They’ll kill him if we don’t hurry,” she protested.
“We’re trying to locate him, Hayley. We have to exercise caution here. After the news has been broadcast, no one knows how Gambino will react, but we had to risk it to get information on Ashton’s whereabouts.”
“It will be a matter of minutes now. We will save him, Ms. Barclay. Don’t lose hope,” said officer Thornhill. Officer Nash Stuttgart disconnected the call and came towards them with a smile of relief on his face.
“I just received a call from Officer Smith of the 69th Precinct. They found a man brutally wounded, lying unconscious on Canarsie Beach near the Belt Parkway. They have taken him to the nearest hospital. Can you identify him?”
“Yes, let’s go. Is the man critical? Have they found anything to identify him with? A wallet with his ID card or something?” asked officer Thornhill.
“No, nothing. They might have destroyed it before dumping him at the edge of the water to die,” said Officer Stuttgart with a grim look on his face.
“It might be Pierce. Cypress Hills is just a fifteen minutes drive away from the place. There’s a possibility that they’ve beat him up and dumped him there,” said officer Thornhill.
Tears pooled in Hayley’s eyes as she climbed into her father’s car. They followed the officer to the hospital, hoping that it indeed was Ashton. She would nurse him and heal him. She just wanted him alive!
“You need to be strong, Hayley, if you want to witness this. There is a chance the man isn’t Ashton. So brace yourself for the worst.” Hayley nodded, taking in a deep breath to calm herself. Even if the man wasn’t Ashton, she wouldn’t give up hope. She would seek Ashton out from the end of the world.
“Yes, dad. I can go to any lengths to seek him out.” Her dad gave her a brief glance, and the situation became crystal clear to him. Maybe his daughter was really serious about Ashton Pierce. He was the reason she stopped concentrating on her work and her studies. It was because of him she returned home late. He had to talk to her later, after they rescued Ashton. This couldn’t continue! She wouldn’t be able to graduate from college.
They reached the hospital and met Officer Smith from the 69th Precinct. After the introductions, he explained how badly injured the victim was when they rescued him.
“The wounds are recent. If left for a long time, it would have been difficult to save his life. He’s lucky that we were just completing our last patrol of the morning.”
“Has he gained consciousness yet?” asked Hayley’s dad.
“No, they’ve just transferred him to the ICU.” Hayley had a strong feeling that the man was indeed Ashton. “I’ll have a word with the doctor to allow at least one of you inside to identify him.” After five minutes, the officer returned to escort one of them inside.
“Please, can I see him, dad?” asked Hayley with a pleading look on her face.
“Go ahead!” The nurse escorted her into the ICU and led her to a bed at the far end. Hayley gaped with horror at Ashton lying still, with his face covered in bandages. He was on intravenous life-saving drips and a sob escaped her mouth at seeing his condition. If only she could have saved him earlier.
“Do you know him, ma’am? The cops rescued him and brought him here. We didn’t expect him to survive, but he did.”
“Yes, I know him. How long will he be unconscious?” asked Hayley, slowly walking up to Ashton’s bedside.
“At least 24 hours, ma’am.”
“Can we shift him to a hospital near our home?”
“I wouldn’t advise that for the next forty-eight hours. The patient’s condition is still critical,” advised the nurse.
“Then don’t you have any personal ICU room where a caregiver can stay over with the patient?” asked Hayley, looking around the place where at least ten patients were accommodated. She couldn’t stay here with Ashton!
“We have three ICU suites, but those are expensive, ma’am.”
“I’ll pay, whatever the expense. Please shift the patient immediately.”
“You have to complete the formalities at the front desk, ma’am. I can’t shift the patient without their permission, especially since this is a police case.”
“Fine. I’ll do that right away.” Hayley walked out of the ICU with a determined look on her face. The moment she emerged, the officers and her dad caught hold of her.
“Yes, dad. It’s Ashton. I wanted to shift him to Columbia hospital but his condition is critical. They won’t allow us to shift him before 48 hours at least. Can we get a proper ICU room for him where I too can stay back with him, dad? Please, can we, dad?” she begged and her dad nodded.
“I’ll look at his condition first.”
“We’ll leave you with Mr. Pierce. Call me when he gains consciousness. We need to take his statement,” said officer Stuttgart. Her dad thanked the two officers for their help. After they left, he checked up on Ashton and completed all formalities to shift him to an ICU suite.
“Should I call Daniel Van Every?” asked her dad.
“No, dad. Let’s ask Ashton if he wants them to know.”
“I’m sure they might have heard the news and would be worried about him.”
“I guess so.” Hayley didn’t want Daniel Van Every to know so soon. What if he and aunt Jodie came over and stayed with her at the hospital? She wanted to stay over alone with Ashton.
Her dad called Daniel Van Every, but he and his wife were away in California where Jodie Van Every’s parents lived. They hadn’t seen the news! It shocked them and they wanted to return as soon as possible.
“My daughter and I are here with him. You don’t need to rush.”
“Thank you. Please send me your bank details. I’ll transfer funds to cover the medical expenses. In the meantime, we’re booking our tickets to return by tomorrow.”
Hayley felt upset that she wouldn’t be there with Ashton when he gained consciousness. “I’m going to the room to check if they have shifted him.”
“Here, keep some money and my bank card in case you need it. I’ll go home and get a few of your essential stuff.” Her dad left and Hayley went into the room where a nurse was administering some medicine to Ashton. It wasn’t the same nurse she had spoken to earlier, but she smiled at Hayley.
“Are you the patient’s sister?” she asked with interest.
“No! I’m his girlfriend!” she corrected her, her eyes wide and horrified. The nurse chuckled, and it calmed her a little.
“You two look so cute together. I’m glad he’s responding to the treatment. You can sit beside him and talk to him. It will help him recover faster.”
Hayley smiled at her suggestion. She would do that to heal him faster.
“Yes, I will. Thanks for the advice.” Her lunch arrived, and she hungrily tucked in. Having been busy with the search, she had forgotten to eat since morning. After lunch, the nurse left, leaving her alone with Ashton at last. She closed the door and pulled a chair to sit beside Ashton’s bed.
Touching his hand in a feather-light touch, she looked at his closed eyes and bandaged face with tears in her eyes.
“I love you, Ashton. I’ve rescued you. Won’t you open your eyes and see me even once?” A teardrop fell onto his still hand, lying limply in hers.