A Liberated Decision - COMPLETED!

Chapter 36

Liv had left to go home and change, leaving Ashley some time to rest up. The hospital was so clean and sterile. Nothing even close to what she would call home. She felt too contained and too impaired to leave. They had drugged her up with enough of a concoction of things to put an elephant out of pain. She had tried to get them to not give her anything, but they resisted that when she had nearly lost consciousness due to the intensity of the wound. It hadn't hit anything major, but had ripped up enough muscle to put anyone through agony.

The meds kept her fuzzy enough to not remember a lot of what had happened, but Dom's face kept flashing through her mind. He had been worried about her. So worried. A wrinkle of guilt lingered inside of her for giving him the attitude she had. She had thought about what he must have been feeling like while she had been on her way to the hospital. His wife had died in an alley. How could she have been so insensitive?

She groaned as she turned her head to the side. Smushing it into the pillow as hard as she could. She pinched her eyes shut. "I should have given him a second chance." She whispered into the pillow. The light beeps of the machines in her room messed with her thoughts. It was probably more because of the meds, but blaming the machines seemed more ideal.

Yeah, she was angry with Dom. No doubt about that. He had no right to make a decision for her. It was her choice in the matter if she wanted to see him. It did take her back when she had found out that Trent was his brother. Half related or however. But they could have gotten past that. She could have gotten past that.

She couldn't push past the love she already felt for him. Maybe it had been there when they were younger. Maybe that was why she had remembered him so clearly. Maybe that was why she had liked to tease him even in life threatening situations. And perhaps all of that was over with now.

Liv's word of telling her that she could join up with them lingered in her mind. As well as her denial of the offer. If Dom would have asked her, she would have said yes. Anything to be with him.

She still would give anything to be with him. Where had that thought been when he had been knelt down by her dying body? She should have welcomed him with open arms. Lingering in his presence. In his touch. Now, she was alone. Alone in a place that gave her the chills, regardless of all of the meds in her. There was no stopping the cold from hitting at her in the sterile room. The nurses gave her warm smiles, but she could see through the forcedness that they had put on. It was a façade. An act.

A knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts. She smiled at Stan as he came in with a bundle of flowers. "Are you resting? Should I come back?"

She bit back a laugh. She was anything but resting. "Reminiscing." The use of the word surprised her, but it was the one thing that slipped out.

"Oh oh. Could be a dangerous thing." He commented. More teasing than being serious.

Ashley's smile faded. "Damn right." Trying to think of the different things that had happened was something that was the last thing that she should be thinking about. She swallowed hard. Tears threatened, but she held them back. "I miss them."

"Who?" His eyes betrayed his question.

Ashley knew that he knew who she was talking about. "Your brother. And..." She let out a shaky sigh. There was no point in evading him.

"Dom?" He offered. Not forcing her to speak.

She nodded slowly. She missed them both. It was good, raw honesty. There was nothing better. Or more painful. "I shouldn't miss Dom. He doesn't deserve it. He should've..."