A Little Luck

by Jill Sanders

  “Can we see her?” Cole asked.

  “Yes. She’s resting now, but in a few minutes, I’ll have a nurse bring you back, one at a time. We’re keeping her in a private room. Remember, even the slightest sounds at this point sound like bombs dropping to her.”

  The doctor stood up and they followed him out of the small room. Cole noticed that there were two officers waiting in the area. When they saw them, they started making their way towards the group.

  He had questions for them, but knew they would have their own in return. He was limited on what he could say, so he made an excuse and stepped out while her parents talked to the cops.

  Stepping out into the hallway, he found a private room and made a call.

  “RJ.” He ran his hands through his hair. “How’s that security going?”

  “Already in place,” RJ answered. “There’s a crew at the hospital, her room will be watched 24-7.”

  Cole glanced out the small window on the door and thought about how quickly the security detail worked. “Thanks.”

  “Sounds like your girl walked in on a standard recon.”

  “Yeah, makes me wonder what they were looking for.” After hearing the details from her parents, Cole knew that Ashley hadn’t walked in on a burglar. She was lucky to be alive, which meant, whoever had wanted the recon hadn’t authorized deadly force. At least not on civilians.

  “You said you spent the night there?” RJ said.

  “Yeah, two at my folks, one at Ashley’s since my return.”

  “We’ve got people on your parents’ place, but they packed up and headed to the airport half an hour ago.”

  “Good.” He knew his father had gotten his hint. Nick Miller was anything but a fool. He was sure that his mother just played ignorant for his sake. There had been a time when Cole would have told his mother anything, then shortly after graduation, he’d started keeping things vague with her and she’d retreated from him. It had broken his heart more than not calling Ashley.

  “We’ve got someone on their flight and they’ll be watched while they’re gone. We’ll have someone stop by your girl’s place and take a look for bugs.”

  “Thanks.” He leaned his forehead against the glass. “Any insights into Ashley’s condition that the doctor might want to keep to himself?”

  “No, from what we can tell, it’s your standard class two concussion. A few stitches and that’s it. She was having a hard time remembering the date and facts.” Cole could hear papers being shuffled and knew that RJ had her medical reports.

  Just then, there was a knock on the door. Looking out, he saw Eric on the other side of the door.

  “Gotta go.”

  “I’ll call if anything else comes up,” RJ said quickly before Cole hung up.

  “We figured you would want to see her next,” Eric said. “She’s awake. She was a little surprised that you were here.”

  He took several deep breaths, then followed the nurse back to the private room. The first thing he noticed was how pale Ashley looked. His heart did a funny crash and he felt himself drawn across the room until he had her gathered gently in his arms.

  10

  Ashley held onto Cole as her head spun. She didn’t know if it was from joy at being safe in his arms or from the bump on the head. All she knew was that she didn’t want him to let go.

  “I should have stayed,” he said into her hair. “I should have…” The rest of what he was saying was muffled, but she thought that he’d said it was all his fault.

  She leaned back slightly. “How is this your fault? I’m the one who left my spare keys in that stupid fake rock.”

  He sat next to her on the bed and then reached up and brushed a strand of her hair away from the bandages wrapped around her head.

  “I should have stayed,” he repeated.

  “You had a job to do.”

  “Yes, but…” She stopped him by placing a finger over his lips.

  “I’m just glad you’re here now.” She leaned back as her vision started to grey. “I think I need to shut my eyes for a while,” she said, feeling herself drift off. She felt a lot safer feeling his hand hold hers as she slept.

  When she woke again, her father was the one in the chair next to the bed, holding her hand.

  “Hey, pumpkin.” He leaned forward a little more. “How are you feeling?”

  “Thirsty. And dizzy.” She groaned and shut her eyes again as the room started spinning.

  “The doc says that will go away in a day or two,” her father said, causing her to groan again.

  “That long?” She felt her stomach lurch and wasn’t surprised when her father held up a small bucket for her.

  “The nurse said you might need this.” He patted her back as she emptied her already empty stomach.

  Groaning, she rested back for a second.

  “Here,” her father said. She opened her eyes and took the glass of water from her dad and sipped on it. Rinsing her mouth, she spat into the bucket again. Then her father went into the bathroom.

  “Where’s Mom?” she asked.

  “Grabbing us some dinner. It’s hard for her to see you like this.” He sat back down next to her, setting the clean bucket back on the table next to the bed.

  “Where’s Cole?” she asked, just as a nurse walked into the room. Ashley remembered seeing her earlier, but couldn’t remember her name.

  “Cole had some things to do, but he said he’d be back soon.”

  The nurse took her vitals, then turned to her. “How’s the pain now, Miss Scott?”

  “I’m a little woozy,” she answered.

  “That’s perfectly normal, but I can get you something to help. Do you think you could keep something down? Like soup?”

  Ashley thought about it and nodded after she felt her stomach growl with need.

  A few minutes later, a tray was brought in and she was given some pills. Shortly after, her mother entered with a bag of fast food for her dad.

  She finished half of her soup just as Cole knocked on the door. Her parents left with the excuse of going home to check up on their cats.

  “How are you feeling?” He moved over to the side of her bed.

  “Better,” she said after thinking about it. “The room stopped spinning.”

  “That’s good.” He pulled out a bundle of flowers from behind his back and handed them to her. They were blue hydrangeas, her favorite.

  She buried her face in the bundle, and then laid them on her chest. “When do I get out of here?”

  “Doc says tomorrow,” he answered, sitting next to her. She groaned in disappointment. “Hey, I’ll be right here with you.”

  She reached for his hand. “Thanks.”

  “Do you remember what happened?” he asked after a moment.

  “Not much, only…” She thought about it and an image of blue eyes flashed behind her eyes. “Blue eyes.” She shrugged. “If that means anything. I doubt it since about 8% of the world has blue eyes.”

  He chuckled. “How do you know that?”

  “Art class.” She sighed. “About 33% of Caucasians.” She thought about the other facts she’d learned during her Realistic Faces classes in Paris. “It’s like hitting the lottery if you have heterochromia.” She smiled as he looked at her in confusion. “If your eyes are different colors.”

  He took her hand. “Sounds like your brain didn’t get too messed up.” She could see he was joking, but still, she worried when other parts of her mind were foggy.

  “If I could only remember what I was doing this morning.” She frowned, still coming up with a big blank spot when she thought about what it was she’d been doing before being attacked.

  “They say it’ll come back to you in time.” He took her hand up to his lips and pressed them gently on her skin, causing her entire body and mind to relax.

  “I do, however, remember clearly that you were supposed to be somewhere else.”

  He sighed heavily. “Later,” he said softly. “When we’
re alone.”

  She looked around in question. They were alone in the room. “Are you saying there’s someone else in here with…” She stopped as there was a light knock on the door.

  Her eyes moved to his as he shrugged and mouthed, “Later.”

  She was checked again, given a little more soup along with some orange Jell-O and a few sips of club soda.

  By the time the nurses left with the empty tray, she was tired and felt her head drooping.

  “Go ahead, close your eyes. I’ll be here,” he said softly.

  “You don’t have to go save the world or anything?” she asked, hearing her words slur together.

  “Right now, the only person that matters to me is right here.” She felt him place another soft kiss on the back of her hand as her mind drifted off.

  Her dreams were filled with color and shapes. Her fingers itched to paint everything she saw, but her body wouldn’t respond. It was like she was buried in quicksand. The more she tried to move, the harder simple movements got. Vibrant colors started running and mixing, turning everything into a dull greyish brown. Ruining everything she wanted to remember.

  She felt herself starting to spin with the colors, starting to fade with them, reaching out, she tried to steady herself, to hold onto something solid. Her hands and nails dug into the sides of the walls, only to slip in the paint, scratching her way towards the top of a long circular room. She screamed just as she felt herself slip down further.

  “Hey.” Cole’s soft voice sounded directly next to her.

  Suddenly, she realized he was holding her, his body pressed tightly against her own. She was shaking with the dream. When she went to move her hands and hold onto him, she realized she was tucked under the blankets tightly.

  Wiggling, she freed her hands and reached for him.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah.” She rubbed her hands over her face and pushed her hair away. It was sticking to her face, which meant she probably looked like a disaster. But since the lights were so low, she doubted Cole could notice. “Bad dream.” She sighed and rested her head against his shoulder. Slight pain surfaced from the knot at the base of her skull, but it was a million times better than earlier.

  “How are you feeling?” His hand was rubbing her shoulder.

  “Better. A little hungry.” She felt her stomach growl.

  “I can buzz them and have them bring—”

  “Don’t say more soup.” She groaned.

  “How about a sandwich instead?” He shifted away from her. She missed his heat instantly.

  “I’ll go arrange it. Anything else?”

  “Chips, a soda, how about a brownie?” she added trying to think of what the cafeteria might still have.

  “I’ll be back.” He walked out of the room and she immediately got up. When she felt the room spin, she leaned against the bed for a moment before everything settled back in place. Then she slowly made her way across the room to what she hoped was the bathroom.

  Once inside, she hit the light switch. Pain exploded behind her eyes. She reached for something to steady herself, but fell to her knees on the hard tile floor. It wouldn’t have been so bad had she had her clothes on, but the stupid thin hospital gown was too short, and her bare skin slammed into the cold tile. Pain shot out from her knees, but she was too focused on the massive shooting pain in her head to care.

  Grabbing her head, she slid the rest of the way onto the cold ground and cried out.

  “What the….” Cole said directly behind her. He lifted her in his arms and carried her back into the darkness.

  “No.” She tried to fight him. “I need… I have needs,” she cried, keeping her eyes shut tight.

  “Oh.” She felt him shift, then start walking again. “Did the light bother you?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she whispered, not wanting to raise her voice too much.

  He carried her back to the bathroom and switched the light off. “Do you need any help?” he asked, setting her down.

  Her feet touched the cold tile and she chanced opening one eye. When her head didn’t explode, she shook her head. “No, I’ll be okay.”

  “Okay.” He hesitated. “I’m keeping the door cracked, just in case.”

  She wanted to argue, but didn’t have the energy now. She waited until she heard the door creak, then immediately did her business.

  She wanted to check the mirror to see what kind of shape she was in, but knew she couldn’t chance turning the lights on again. Instead, she splashed cool water on her face, neck, and arms as best as she could. She wanted a shower, but it would have to wait until the morning.

  When she stepped out, Cole met her and lifted her into his arms again to carry her back to the bed.

  “I could have walked,” she said, after he set her down.

  “Then I wouldn’t have gotten to hold you.” He smiled down at her.

  By morning, Cole had his new plan all laid out. After Ashley had eaten and fallen back to sleep, he made the necessary calls and arrangements.

  Bright lights, loud noises, and quick movements caused her intense amounts of pain, so his plan was to have her avoid all of it for at least the next seven days, which meant getting her out of the city.

  He’d been thankful when Amber replied to his text in the middle of the night. He knew that the newlyweds were in Italy and figured it was in the middle of the day over there.

  His message had been short.

  Text me when you can. I have a question. - Cole

  -Heard that you’re there with my sister.

  -Yes. Can I borrow your husband’s house in the hills for a week?

  -Are you taking my sister there?

  -Yes, she needs to get away from all the noise and stress.

  -Yes, we will arrange for the Andersons to meet you there. I’ll text you their contact info. If you let her know, she will arrange for all the groceries etc. for the week stay so you don’t have to leave my sister alone.

  -Thanks, enjoy the honeymoon.

  -Thank you for taking care of her. I’m glad you returned.

  Now all he had to do was tell her parents he was hiding her away. Oh, and convince Ashley, as well.

  After Ashley woke up, she showered and he sat outside the bathroom listening to every sound. Her mother had shown up early and delivered an overnight bag with a change of clothes and other items for Ashley.

  He’d known Ann most of his life. His parents had been friends with Ashley’s parents for as long as he could remember. Still, he felt a little nervous bringing up his proposed trip. When he heard the water turn off, he turned to Ann, who had been sitting in the corner of the room, watching him.

  “You’re really concerned about her, aren’t you?” she asked before he could say anything.

  “Yes,” he answered truthfully.

  “Are you going to tell me what happened between you two in Paris?” she asked.

  “Paris?” He frowned. “What did she tell you?”

  “Nothing.” Ann smiled. “She didn’t tell any of us that she’d run into you there, we could tell.”

  When he remained silent, she continued. “There were a few days that she was on top of the world, and then”—Ann frowned—“something changed in her. She started painting again. We all knew it had to be because of you.”

  “Me? Why me?” He felt his heart skip.

  Ann only smiled back at him, making him feel uncomfortable.

  Clearing his throat, he decided it was now or never.

  “I’ve checked with Ashley and Tom, and they’ve agreed to let us borrow the house in the mountains for the next week so Ashley can recover in comfort and not worry about the stress and noise of the city around her.”

  Ann was silent, the smile still on her lips as her eyes ran over him.

  “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to take her there.”

  “Amber called me earlier. It’s one of the reasons I packed a bag for Ashley. If you think you can handle playing nurse, I�
�m sure Ashley will be thankful.”

  His heart did a little jump of relief.

  “I’ll be thankful for what?” Ashley said, stepping out of the bathroom, looking fresh.

  Ann stood up and walked over to give her daughter a light hug. “Cole wants to take you on a slight recovery vacation and asked our permission.” She kissed her daughter’s cheek and looked at him over her shoulder. “Which he has.” She patted Ashley’s shoulder. “Now, I’m supposed to meet your father for breakfast.” She turned to go. “You will keep us posted?”

  He nodded quickly. “Thank you,” he said before she left.

  Ashley turned to him, a slight frown on her face. She’d removed the white bandage over her hair, and he knew that before they left, the nurse would have to clean the one still stuck to the back of her head.

  “What was that all about?” she asked.

  “How’d you like to go spend the next week at Tom’s cabin?”

  Her eyebrows shot up, and he was surprised by the smile that filled her face. “That actually sounds wonderful.” She sighed as she sat down across from him. “I was wondering how I was going to avoid life for the next week while my head settles back on my shoulders.”

  Two hours later, after a very tasteless breakfast in the cafeteria, he helped Ashley into his rented truck and drove away from the hospital. He spotted the tail instantly and switched to side roads to try to lose them.

  Ashley lay back in the seat with dark sunglasses covering her eyes. He knew she was avoiding opening her eyes as much as she could since the sun had chosen today to shine more brightly than it had in days.

  “This is killing me.” She groaned as he took another turn down an alleyway.

  “Sorry.” He frowned at her and checked his mirrors again. He handed her his sweater. “Here, put this over your face. It will help block out the light.”

  She pulled it over her face and groaned in appreciation. “Nice.” She settled back. “Wake me when we get there.”

  He’d texted the Andersons a list of what they would need for food and knew it was taken care of, but it had taken a few calls to RJ to make sure what they needed for their safety would be available as well.