Chapter 13
Ashleigh froze, her eyes widening as Hunter turned and walked back into the elevator. Before she could follow after him, she heard a loud huff. Her mother was standing outside her father's hospital door, staring at them. The disapproval twisting her face was obvious.
Ashleigh quickly walked toward her mother.
"Do you always have to embarrass me in public?" Ashleigh's mother said when Ashleigh reached her.
Hunter's words were still echoing in her head.
They hadn't used a condom.
How could she have been so careless? Hunter had probably assumed she was on birth control, but she wasn't on the pill. She could never find one that didn't make her fat and achy. And since she wasn't dating anyone seriously, and hadn't been for the last few years, it seemed a natural choice to put her body first. She was always so careful. And now? One night with Hunter and she'd tossed all her good intentions out the window? What if she got pregnant? What would she do? What would he do? But then she recalled what he'd said the night before, and again this morning: that they had a second chance. He wanted her.
"Ashleigh, are you listening to me?"
Her mother's sharp tone broke through the haze of her thoughts.
"Yes, Mother."
"Why do you always feel the need to embarrass me in public?" her mother said under her breath.
Ashleigh looked at her, tipping her chin up. "No one cares, and it's none of your business who I kiss, or where, anyway."
"It is my business when you do it in public. It's bad enough you have to bare all for the world to see on the big screen, but this is a hospital."
"It was a kiss. You're overreacting."
"I can't believe you're even spending time with that boy again."
"You mean after you paid him to dump me? What kind of mother does that?"
"The protective kind who cares about her daughter's best interests, not that you ever appreciated it. Please tell me you're not dating him again."
"And what if I were?"
"You are better than him. You've always been better than him. You were head over heels and well on your way to getting pregnant. Then what would you have done?"
"Oh, so you saved me from teenage motherhood? Guess what, Mother, it was my decision to make. If—and that's a big if—I had gotten pregnant, I would have dealt with it. Me. And for your information, I'm not better than Hunter. He was, and is, a good man who cares deeply about his family. And trust me, that is a rare commodity these days."
"Don't I know it," her mother murmured.
"And besides, who I date is none of your business. Face it, Mother, you're a snob. You didn't want Hunter in my life, in our lives, because he's poor."
Her mother's mouth opened, but Ashleigh didn't let her speak.
"Well, I don't care whether he's poor or not. So, you'd better get used to seeing him around. It's a small town and I—" Could be pregnant with his child?
"You what?" her mother asked.
"I've always liked him, and that's that."
"Are you sure you're not just seeing him to get back at me? Because if you were, you'd be making the biggest mistake of your life."
"Don't be ridiculous, Mother. You don't have that kind of power over my life anymore, and my mistakes are my own to live with. Just like my life, which you don't have any part of."
Her mother's stunned expression gave her immense satisfaction. Almost as much as Hunter's kiss. Ashleigh reached for the door handle and opened the door to her father's room.
"Ashleigh!" her mother called.
Ashleigh ignored her mother. She was done. Why she thought she could come here and try to make amends or bury the hatchet, she didn't know. She'd been fooling herself.
The doctor stood next to her father's bed, a nurse on the other side, a clipboard in her hand. They turned to her as she approached, but Ashleigh was staring at her father. He was looking back at her, his eyes bright and alert.
"Daddy!" She ran to him.
He lifted his trembling hand to reach for her.
"You're awake."
His lips twitched in a glimmer of a smile.
"All right, Mr. Welsley. How are you feeling?" The doctor swept a small light across his eyes.
Her dad looked up at him and tried to respond, his mouth opening. But no words came out.
"No worries, Mr. Welsley. Just take it easy," the doctor said calmly.
"Is he all right?" Ashleigh asked.
The doctor smiled. "He's awake. Sometimes it takes a little while for patients to be able to talk and use their motor functions. Let's give him some time and see how he does."
Ashleigh nodded, tears of relief filling her eyes. She felt her mother moving to stand behind her, and looked up at her to see genuine joy on her face. Ashleigh was ashamed to admit that she was surprised.
Her dad squeezed her hand and opened his mouth again to say something. She leaned in closer. "What is it, Daddy?"
"No…" he rasped. She waited expectantly for him to form the next word. "…fighting."
She smiled. "Okay. Promise."
Then his eyes closed. Fear grasped her. She looked up at the doctor.
"It's okay," he said. "He'll be in and out for a while before he finds his natural rhythm again. Nothing to worry about. His vital signs look good."
Ashleigh had never been more relieved in her life. And she couldn't wipe the smile off her face.