Asher

Two days after Clara had left, fleeing like a thief in the night, I finally started to believe she wasn’t coming back. I shouldn’t be surprised she left, but I am. Apparently, she wasn’t all that different from Elena if one job could send her packing. She hadn’t wasted any time, hell she was probably already in New Orleans by now. So much for I love you. I was mad. Angry. Pissed off at her and myself. To top it off, the phone wouldn’t stop ringing no matter how much I ignored it.

I pulled a lasagna out of the freezer and set it on the counter to thaw, grateful that she’d at least had a few meals ready to go. It made me wonder if she’d planned on leaving like that all along. I had to shake off those thoughts, I couldn’t afford to let her take up more of my time than she had over the past few days. I was in the middle of making myself a sandwich when someone starting pounding on the door. Ignoring it the same way I ignored the phone, I finished my sandwich and pulled up a seat at the table.

“Since when don’t you answer your damn phone Asher,” Dolly asked, an angry scowl marring her face.

“Since I’ve been busy.”

She huffed. “Well, you stubborn mule, it’s been ringing because Clara is-,”

“Gone,” I cut her off, unwilling to talk about it.

“No, she’s-,”

“I don’t want to hear it Dolly.”

My words must have surprised her because her eyes flashed anger and then disappointment before she nodded and walked out the back door without a word. Boots sounding as she went down the stairs and away from me. Thank goodness.

I finished my sandwich, using every ounce of free energy to expel thoughts of Clara from my mind. I shouldn’t give a damn what she said to Dolly but I could admit to myself a certain level of curiosity about how she’d spun things. Casting me as the villain no doubt.

“Enough,” I admonished myself and grabbed my hat. It was time to meet Jesse for our weekly meeting.

“Where’re you going?” I asked, noticing Jesse wore a clean shirt and a serious expression.

He frowned at me but this wasn’t his usual frown, it was something else.

“Same place I thought you’d be heading. Guess not,” he said and walked away from me shaking his head.

“Come on man, where’re you going?”

He stopped but didn’t turn to face me.

“Not that you seem to care, but I’m headed to the hospital to make sure Clara’s alright. She’s hurt real bad.”

All the blood left my body.

“Come on,” he guided me to the car as I prayed in earnest for Clara.

* * *

“Dammit I just need to know how she is!”

The damn nurses wouldn’t tell me a thing about Clara and I was going out of my mind, desperate to see her. “What happened?”

“Come here young man,” Betty Driver grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the nurse currently scowling at me. I let Betty pull me to a set of matching hard plastic chairs. “Your Clara is just an angel and she wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for me.”

I sat and listened, heart in my stomach, as she told me about how Clara was clipped by a truck trying to help Betty avoid the same fate.

“She came around to stop a foolish old woman from putting herself in harm’s way and she ended up there instead.”

I offered Betty what comfort I could but I was too numb to process anything beyond Clara being in the hospital.

“Family for Clara Bloom?”

I shot out of my chair, along with Betty, Dolly and Jesse, barely stopping right in front of the silver haired doctor.

“Yes? How is she?”

The man gave me a patient smile. “Asher I presume?”

“Asher Hawthorne.” I extended my hand in greeting. “What can you tell us?”

He nodded gravely and looked back at his tablet.

“Clara has been sedated but she’s going to be alright. Her right leg is broken in several places, she has a concussion and a nasty gash on the back of her head. But she and the baby are alright.”

“Baby! What baby?”

The doctor frowned. “Clara is nine weeks pregnant.”

Pregnant. She was pregnant with my baby and she left me.

“I didn’t know.”

The older man smiled. “Neither did she, made me do all the tests twice.”

“Can I see her?”

He nodded. “She’s out of it now but she’s been calling for you. Follow me.”

My heart pounded as we followed the green lines up to the third floor and came to a stop outside her door. I took a deep breath, unprepared for what I’d see when I opened the door. Would Clara even want to see me?

“Not doing her much good from here,” Jesse mumbled behind me.

“I’m preparing myself. How’d you get up here?”

“Followed ya. Knew you’d need a push.”

Then the old man gave me a push. Literally. I looked up on the other side of the door and green eyes met mine with wariness.

“Clara I’m so glad you’re alright.”

She tried for a smile but didn’t make it. “I’m fine Asher you didn’t need to come.”

“Of course I did. God I think fifteen years were shaved off my life when I heard what happened to you.”

“I’ll be fine Asher. I always am.” She turned to look out the window and I couldn’t tell if she was tired or if I was being dismissed. “How’s Betty?”

Even now she was worried about someone else.

“She’s completely fine, except beating herself up that you got hurt.”

She shook her head, winced at the pain and fell back on the bed.

“Tell her she’s not to blame. It was a stupid accident.”

I nodded, because I’d tell her even though we both knew it wouldn’t do any good.

“I will. What will you do now?”

She shrugged looking defeated and in pain.

“When they spring me from this place I guess I’ll make my way to Boone’s couch. He’ll help me heal and then I’ll look for a job before…I’ll look for a job.”

“You really think you’ll be able to be on your feet in a hot kitchen for twelve hours a day with a baby in your belly?”