Ashton tried hard to open his eyes, her sweet confession of love echoing in his head. The pain was killing him, but more than that, it was the inability to see her that affected him more. He could feel her tears drench his hand, making him restless. He made a valiant attempt to grasp onto her hand, but ultimately gave up. Why couldn’t he move his limbs, or utter a single word? Was he even alive?
A strange fear gripped his heart at the thought. All his life, he had lived recklessly, not caring whether he lived or died, but now suddenly he wanted to live. He wanted to feel Hayley’s love! He wanted a fulfilling life with her. Was he asking for a lot? Wasn’t he entitled to have her in his life?
“Ashton, wake up. I’ve rescued you, can’t you see?” she whispered brokenly. It broke his heart to know that she had done so much for him. She had moved heaven and hell to rescue him from the clutches of death. There wasn’t a doubt about her feelings for him. Her love was truly unconditional and true. He could feel it seep into his soul. If only he could open his eyes and kiss her, thank her for just being there for him. After he had given up and lost his consciousness on the beach, he hadn’t expected to see her again in this life, but maybe God had taken pity on him at last.
“Thh-ank y-ou,” he made a tremendous effort to mumble, but nothing came out of his throat.
Hayley gaped at him, watching his lips tremble a little. Her heart jumped with joy! He was fine now! He had made it!
“I’m glad you can hear me, Ashton. I’m right here with you. Rest and get better. I’ll take you home.” Her voice sounded like music to his ears, and he moved his fingers a little in response. Hayley smiled at his response, knowing that he could hear her.
The rest of the time Ashton slept, the painkillers injected into his body would take time to wear off. Hayley checked her phone to find messages from Alexander and aunt Jodie asking after Ashton’s health. She called them to update them about his condition.
“I’m indebted to you for taking care of my boy. He doesn’t listen to me at all. We haven’t been able to book flight tickets for today. We’re taking the morning flight to New York tomorrow. Once Ashton is discharged, bring him home. Don’t listen to him at all, Hayley. I can’t allow him to live there at the hotel all by himself,” said aunt Jodie.
“Don’t worry, aunt Jodie. I’ll bring him to you. He can’t live alone with his broken bones.”
“Will he need a caregiver?” asked aunt Jodie worriedly.
“No, I don’t think he’ll ever agree to one.”
“I know! These two boys are so stubborn.” Hayley grinned, knowing what she meant.
“And headstrong! They’ll get angry if you go against them,” she said with a chuckle, and aunt Jodie joined in.
“You can come down and help me, Hayley.” Hayley blushed furiously as this was what she wanted to do but couldn’t ask aunt Jodie.
“Sure, aunt Jodie.”
After disconnecting the call, Hayley was in the brightest of spirits, imagining herself with Ashton in his room. If she could, she would have stayed there with him!
Her dad came back with her stuff and took an update on Ashton. He sat and watched the nurse administer the medicines to him. “Don’t you think he should gain consciousness now?” he asked her worriedly.
“Yes, Dr. Drew is on his way here,” the nurse informed them. As they waited for the doctor to turn up, Ashton slowly opened his eyes and blinked to focus in the brightly lit room.
“Dad, he’s awake,” said Hayley, who had been watching Ashton closely. The nurse looked up from the chart in her hands and went to Ashton’s side. She kept the chart down and gave him some water to sip.
“How are you feeling, Mr. Pierce?”
“My chest is hurting badly,” croaked Ashton, slowly touching his chest.
“Yes, don’t touch it. You have three broken ribs. The doctor will be here. Tell him about the pain and he’ll increase the dosage of the painkillers.” Ashton nodded absent-mindedly, focusing his eyes on Hayley’s dad with surprise. Had he rescued him?
“Hello, son. It’s a relief to see you recover. Tell me when you’re feeling better. The cops who rescued you want to record your statement. They’ve rescued you in a critical condition from Canarsie Beach near the Belt Parkway. We had been monitoring you closely since this morning, after Hayley found your car outside our house. Who were the men? Why did they abduct you?” he asked, but Ashton shrugged in confusion, unable to tell him the truth.
“The cops traced you to Cypress Hills, East New York, Brooklyn. It’s a dangerous area where the infamous mafia don, Salvatore Gambino, has his hideout. The cops had to issue a nationwide arrest warrant for Bruce Kingsley, who abducted you. There was an offer of a reward to anyone who informed us about you. They broadcast it on all news channels and someone called to help us.” Ashton blinked with dread. He hadn’t expected them to unearth so much about Gambino and his past.
“They mistook me for someone else. Maybe they didn’t want me to give away information about their secret hideout. So they beat me up and threw me away to die.” Thankfully, her dad accepted his explanation and didn’t question him further. Ashton glanced at Hayley, but before he could utter a single word, the doctor arrived.
Hayley and her dad had to leave the room while the doctor checked up on Ashton. After a while, they were summoned back. The doctor had unwrapped the bandages to allow the wounds to heal. Hayley felt like kissing his bruises, but Ashton refused to even look in her direction. He was more interested in talking to her dad.
“I have to report to the resort. I just hope this won’t leave a dent in my career.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll have a word with your manager. You need at least a week’s time to recover,” said her dad.
“Hope I retain the job until then,” he sighed.
“You will. Your parents are arriving tomorrow. We will take you straight home,” said her dad. Hayley sat quietly, fidgeting with her hands, her heart bleeding with hurt. How could he just ignore her existence after recovery?
She got up and walked out of the room, unable to bear the hurt. Ashton could stay with her dad for all she cared. She sat in the cafeteria sipping her coffee and checking her phone. Maybe she would go home if he didn’t need her.
A call from her dad got her attention, and she accepted his call. “Yes, dad?”
“Where are you? I have to go home now. I’m leaving for Rome tomorrow morning.” Hayley blinked with surprise. She didn’t know her dad was leaving! Excitement coursed through her at the prospect of having Ashton all to herself for a day.
“I’ll be there in a minute.” She disconnected the call and quickly finished her coffee and rushed towards Ashton’s room.
“You didn’t tell me you were leaving!” she complained to her dad.
“I’m sure you can manage without me. I’ve paid for the expenses till date. They will forward the last bill to me at the time of discharge. Officer Stuttgart will be here tomorrow to take Ashton’s statement. Keep me updated in case you need help. I’ll send my PA.”
“I can manage, dad, don’t worry.”
“Study whenever you’re free. After you get back home, don’t miss out on college.” Her dad looked at the absent-minded look on her face with concern.
“I won’t, dad.”
“Ashton, take care and get better. Listen to your parents. I’ll talk to you when I return after a week.” Ashton smiled and thanked him, wondering what it was that he wanted to talk about. After he left, Ashton turned to give Hayley a hesitant look. The nurse had already left with the doctor, leaving the two of them alone with one another.
“Thanks for saving my life. Are you sure you want to stay here? I can manage,” he said, hesitating more.
“It seems you don’t want me to stay with you, Ashton.” She felt tears prick at her eyes again at his change in attitude. “I understand. I’ll leave if that’s what you want.”
“I’m not good enough for you, Hayley. With the way I look right now, I don’t need your pity.”
Hayley walked over to his bedside, glaring at him angrily. “I rescued you from the jaws of death, Ashton. I don’t expect you to look your best after what you had to go through. I’m sure these scars will heal with time. Why should I pity you? Please stop over-reacting and start thanking me instead for being so caring. Aren’t you glad that you started dating me? Well! What am I to you now?” Ashton laughed, but Gambino’s warning echoed in his head.
He had to stay away from Hayley, or she would be their next target! No, he couldn’t allow that to happen.