Charlie hadn't stopped trying to figure out if Ashley was to be the new hospital manager. Pete had, so far, refused to divulge any information to anyone other than James regarding if he'd even asked her as Charlie had suggested back in August, never mind if she'd accepted the offer. Charlie was obviously suspicious, figuring out the week he'd taken off in September was to see her rather than his family that no one had ever heard about before.
Sometimes, Charlie's insistence ended in him walking away, disappointed in his lack of information. Mostly, it ended with him being kicked out, disappointed in his lack of information. Whatever he did, Pete refused to share anything to do with the hospital. At this point, Charlie wasn't entirely sure if he was even leaving. So obviously that made him even more determined to find out.
"Charlie, please, you've been trying for months to get information out of me," Pete sighed, healing a few broken bones, "you've got nowhere so far. What makes you think you're going to succeed today?"
Abigale grinned, wrapping up a few burns and sending them back out to work.
"Because maybe this time you're tired enough to let something slip."
"Do you really never give up?" She smiled at him from her seat, "and besides, what's with your obsession with this Ashley-Rae?"
Pete laughed as Charlie froze, looking as though Abi had just stepped on a landmine - which she had, in a sense.
"It's not an obsession, I'd just like to know who to expect once Pete leaves." He turned, narrowing his eyes at him. "If he's leaving at all."
"Charlie, if you are not sick or injured, please get out of my hospital." Pete sighed, sitting back on his chair.
He tried to protest but left very quickly when Pete pulled out his wand.
Pete sighed, shaking his head, refilling his mug with coffee.
"So who is this Ashley-Rae girl? Like, was she Charlie's girlfriend or something?" Abigale joined him.
He smiled softly, knowing why she was really asking. "No. I think he'd have liked her to be, but.. no. They were best friends, though, at one point she was going to move in with him rather than going to Scotland with her dad."
Abi nodded, not saying anything for a while. "Why'd she leave? If she was supposed to move in with Charlie and he liked her so much?"
Pete sighed, eyes trained on the entrance. "She didn't know he liked her. Actually, neither was really aware of the other's feelings, there were very few of us that were aware of it. But her dad got badly injured, and she felt responsible for him, and guilty for not stopping him from getting injured. The guilt ate away at her when he was in here, it wasn't fun to watch."
Nodding, Abi sipped her tea. From what Pete was saying, she didn't know what anyone at the sanctuary saw in Ashley-Rae, considering how they all spoke so highly of her and she really didn't know why Charlie was so hung up on her after all this time. But whatever, she wasn't going to compete if there was no hope. There was part of her, however, that hoped that Ashley-Rae didn't come back. Maybe then Charlie would get the message that she didn't like him back, maybe then Abi would have at least a small chance.
-
Pete looked up as he was handing over to James for the night to see Charlie loitering rather gingerly by the front. "Charlie, are you injured?"
"Yeah," he muttered, holding out his arm where they could see multiple bite wounds. "Kiwi decided I was a chew toy."
James groaned, making Pete laugh as he walked out. "Good look with that one, James."
Charlie tried a smile, but it was very clear that he was in pain.
"Come on, let's see the damage." James sat in the chair by the bed, looking over and healing his arm as best he could. "Now, other injuries? And don't even think of lying to me."
Charlie rolled his eyes, "just a bump to the head."
James glared before checking him out, trying a few tests on him in spite of all of his objections. "Damn it, Charl, you've given yourself a concussion."
"It's just a bump!" Charlie stood, backing away towards the door, "it's minor, nothing to bother you with-" He ran into something, so turned, jumping back as he saw Ashley-Rae staring him down with her arms crossed.
"Sit. Down."
Grinning, Charlie took a few more steps back. "What, no 'princess' this time?"
Ashley raised an eyebrow, pointing to the bed he'd just vacated, leaving Charlie to sit back down, a mix of emotions bubbling inside him.
Laughing, James walked over and greeted her, "so, you're my new boss. How've you been?"
"Please don't call me boss, I swear I'm younger than you. And I've been decent, finally escaped the clutches of my father. How have you been, holding up here ok?"
James shrugged, "better when Charlie was at his brother's wedding. Even stayed at home for a few days after they got attacked, which is not like him at all."
Ashley laughed, "you can thank me for that later."
"I'm right here guys!" Charlie complained, making the two Healers laugh.
"Sorry Charl. Anyway, I'm gonna crash on one of the beds at the back. Mind waking me a half hour before your shift ends?"
James nodded, turning back to give her a strange look as he saw her hood moving. "What on earth-"
"Oh," Ash reached back, a tiny pair of paws reaching out and latching onto her sleeve, "this is Callia. I didn't like living by myself so I got her a few months ago, in early September."
James softened completely as he saw the kitten, asking really gently to hold her.
Ashley smiled, handing her over. "She can hang out with you for a while if you like, if things get busy just put her back with me, she'll settle."
James smiled at Ashley, cradling Callia.
She closed the curtains around a bed, laying down, sleep taking over almost immediately after her journey. But all too soon, James was waking her up again with a cup of coffee made how she'd always liked it. "Thank you." She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
"Come on, you can shower in the back or change in the office."
Ashley nodded, trying not to burn her tongue on the coffee she was gulping down. She grabbed a few clothes out of her bag, a towel and went to the showers.
James stood to the back, watching as they'd just passed the shift change for most trainers and often those with minor injuries waited until the end of their shift to come through. It was good to have Ashley back, though. He hadn't worked with her too much, but he'd seen her work on her dad as often as he came through the hospital, often late at night, so they'd had a fair relationship due to that. James was definitely surprised when she'd gone with him to Scotland after everything he'd seen of their toxic relationship.
"Ok, that feels a lot better." She spoke from behind him, tying her hair now shoulder-length, mostly blonde hair back from her face.
James was still trying to get over the hair.
"Does Pete know you're coming today"?
Ashley shook her head. "he knows I'm coming this week, but I didn't know when I'd make it so I couldn't give him a solid date. So I guess I'll be sort of a surprise to him."
James sighed with a smile.
"So, tell me about the new Healer, what's her name, Abigale?"
He glanced at her before sitting down, watching Charlie getting bored at the front. "Yeah. She's good, sort of the average we get in here. Pete and I think she has a thing for Charlie."
Ashley laughed, "what does Charlie think?"
James studied her expression before turning away with a slight smile. "He's not noticed, we don't think. He's a lot more oblivious than he'd probably like to admit. Oh, here's Pete."
Ashley stood properly, pushing herself off the wall where she'd been leaning, grinning as she saw Pete walking in, shaking his head at Charlie.
"Wondered when you were going to show up," Ashley called to him, making Pete turn to her in surprise.
"Ashley-Rae."
"As you live and breathe." She laughed as he walked over, and returned the hug. "It's good to see you."
He grinned, giving her a tight hug, "you too. Ready to take over all of this?"
Ashley took a deep breath. "Yeah. But if anyone calls me their boss," she gave a pointed look to James who simply shrugged with a small smile, "I'm making their life hell."
James laughed. "I'm off to bed. I'll see you later, Ash."
She nodded with a smile as he left. "So, when do I get to meet Abi?"
"Um... maybe a minute? She's usually slightly early for her shifts." Pete grinned, "unlike you."
"I was early occasionally!" Ashley tried to hide her smile.
Pete scoffed, "yeah, when you were working here during the night as well."
Ashley rolled her eyes, "most I was late was five minutes."
Pete hummed, smiling as a smaller girl walked through the door, eyes landing immediately on Charlie.
"You stayed here overnight? Who managed to get you to stay here for so long?" She laughed.
Charlie looked a little embarrassed.
"Abi, this is Ashley-Rae," Pete said, crossing his arms in front of his chest with a wide grin.
Abi stared, and it seemed as though all her blood drained out of her face. "Oh, um, hi." She smiled briefly. "So you're the new boss, huh?"
"Oh, Merlin-" Ashley sighed in frustration, walking away as Pete burst out laughing.
Abi looked between eh two, "did- did I say something wrong?"
Pete shook his head still laughing.
Charlie looked amused, looking at where Ashley was having some sort of internal struggle with whatever Abigale had said.
"I'm twenty-two! Merlin's pants, I'm too young to be a boss."
"You-you're only twenty-two? But didn't you work here like two years ago? You wouldn't have even had your qualifications."
Ashley sighed, defeated by the fact she'd have to explain it all again.
"She graduated early," Charlie spoke up, "from Hogwarts and as a Healer. Due to all her experience and the fact she was practicing constantly, she graduated in... what was it, Ash?"
Ashley's gaze softened as she looked at Charlie, "a little over a year and a half. Just after I turned nineteen."
Charlie smiled, eyes shining.
"Oh." Abi still looked as though she wasn't sure what to do.
Ashley sighed internally. Well, this was definitely not going to be an easy ride.