When Amelia opened her eyes again, she was in pain. She looked around her and saw all white. She heard a beep and saw a heart monitor beeping steadily at her side. An I.V. drip in her arm, along with a pint of blood. What had happened? Oh right, the limo had been hit, that was all she remembered.
She sighed, and she heard someone stirring, then she saw Ashton. Ashton had a cut above his eye that had stitches in it, but other than that, he looked okay. He was in clean clothes but looked weary.
"Ashton," she croaked out. "What happened?"
"Someone ran the stop sign and broadsided the limo. You got the brunt of it."
"How are you doing?" she whispered.
"I'm fine, except for a cut on my head," he said.
"How is Miles?"
Ashton chuckled. "He is just fine also, it is you we are worried about."
"How am I then?" she asked cheekily.
He smiled softly. "You will be okay also. You have a lot of cuts and bruises. You bled so much from the cut on your head, they had to give you blood."
"No wonder my head hurts, and I won't even be able to cover my wound with my bangs since my hair is short," she sighed dramatically, making Ashton laugh.
"You are something else, Miss Henley."
"So I have been told," she replied.
The door opened then, and the four cousins hurried in.
"Oh, thank goodness you are awake," Becky said, walking over to Amelia.
"I told you not to go and get food from the cafeteria," Jacque smacked Ellis up the side of the head, "we missed her waking up."
Amelia smiled at the boys and Becky. "Nice to see the lot of you too."
Jacque leaned down and kissed her cheek softly. "How are you feeling?"
"Like hell," she muttered.
Everyone laughed at that.
"You look like it too," Victor admitted.
"You look like a crash test dummy," Ellis supplied.
"Shut it, you two," Becky frowned. "A woman does not want to hear that she looks like crap, unless it is from another woman, right?" Becky asked Amelia.
Ashton chuckled. "I think she looks lovely, especially since we know she is going to be okay."
The other men nodded. "You are right, Ashton," Jacque agreed. "She is beautiful, and you scared the crap out of us, woman. We didn't think you would ever wake up."
"Your parents are going to freak," Becky then said.
Amelia looked at her. "You haven't talked to them, have you?"
"No, I wanted to make sure that you were okay first."
"Do not under any circumstances call them, or I will be forced to go home, do you understand me?" Amelia asked.
Becky smiled. "I have no problem with that, at all."
"Good, glad I made that clear. Now when can I get out of here?"
The boys laughed. "Tomorrow, maybe," Ashton said. "They want to make sure you don't have internal bleeding. You took quite a hit. The car hit the door right where you were sitting. You are lucky you are alive."
"I guess your limo was built to take a hit then," Amelia said.
"It is built like a tank, and bulletproof," Ashton nodded, "but not accident-proof. I am sorry, Amy, for this."
"It's not your fault," she said. "How is the guy who hit us?"
"Dead," Ellis supplied. "He wasn't wearing a seat belt and went through the window."
"Oh, that's not good."
"No, it's not," Jacque frowned, he then looked at Ashton. "We found something else out about the guy that hit you."
"What?" Ashton said.
"The cops found a note in the car."
"And what did it say?"
"For our freedom!"
Ashton frowned. "A suicide then?"
"It looks to be that way," Jacque frowned. "I think he hit your limo on purpose, trying to kill you."
Ashton swore, "I need to let my parents know."
"Why?" Jacque asked. "They won't do a thing about it, except tax the people even more, especially if they found out that Amy is in the hospital. Someone would need to pay for the hospital bill."
Amelia winced, and Ashton saw it.
"Amy, are you okay?"
"I don't know," she whispered.
"I can call the nurse for some pain meds," Jacque said in concern.
"No, don't," she whispered. "I don't want to have the taxpayers pay for my pain meds."
"Ouch," Ellis said, looking at Ashton, who looked furious.
"That is not going to happen, Amy. If I have to sell another car, those people are not going to pay your medical bills."
"Did the food get delivered?" Amelia asked then.
"We distributed it," Jacque smiled, "the four of us," he said, pointing at his brother, and two cousins. "We also told the people why the prince wasn't there."
"And what did they say?" Amelia asked.
"You don't want to know," Ellis frowned.
"It wasn't good," Becky supplied. "It was pretty much a unanimous chant that the people didn't care if the prince died."
"Ouch," Amelia whispered.
Ashton winced. "I guess I deserve that. My family has not been good to the people, but I want to change that."
"You need to rein your mother in, is what you need to do," Jacque said. "That woman spends more money in an hour than the whole kingdom makes in a day, and your father doesn't stop her."
"I know," Ashton said, running a hand through his hair, "and when I went to tell my mother that I donated food, she only shrugged, and showed me the expensive decorations she was ordering for the ball next week."
"Wow, classy," Ellis said.
"I know, but how do I stop her?"
"Cut up her cards," Victor shrugged, "sell her jewels, sell her clothes."
"Yes, and have her murder me in my sleep," Ashton said dryly.
The boys chuckled. "Ashton, it sounds like you need to grow a set," Jacque told him, "just like your father does."
"So I've heard," Ashton said, looking at Amelia, who had her eyes closed.
"Amy?" Becky asked in concern.
"Go ahead and bash the royal family," Amelia whispered, keeping her eyes closed, "I'm just shutting my eyes because my head is killing me."
Ashton frowned and pushed the nurse call button. "We need some pain meds."
"Yes sire," came the response, and moments later the door opened and a nurse bustled in. "Sire, how are you feeling?"
"I am fine, but the young lady needs some pain meds for her headache."
"Of course," the nurse nodded, inserting something into the I.V.
"That will help you sleep also, Miss," the nurse said. She then looked at the room full of people. "You might want to keep your voices down, or leave so she can sleep."
"I'll stay and watch her," Jacque said. "Ashton, go and get some sleep. You've been here since yesterday."
"I don't want to go back and face that horrid woman," Ashton ground out.
"Who, your mother, or the Ho?" Ellis asked.
"Both," he said, "but I had better grow a set, as you so put it and go and see what they are up to."
He then left the room.
"If I didn't know any better, I would think he likes Amy," Ellis chuckled, watching Amelia who was now asleep.
"He doesn't like anyone but himself," Victor replied.
"True that but I see some good coming out of him," Jacque replied.
"It's about time too," Ellis grinned. "By the way, Victor, how was the shampoo this morning?"
Victor chuckled. "Oh, you mean the purple shampoo? We haven't been around long enough to see what color the Ho's hair is. Maybe we should." He looked at Ellis. "Come with me?"
"Certainly," Ellis chuckled. "We'll be back later, you two," and the boys left the room.
Becky sat on the couch, Jacque, by her side.
"Do you think that Ashton is having feelings for Amy?" Becky asked Jacque.
"If he is, he doesn't deserve her. She is too good for him."
"I agree," Becky smiled. "But she is too good for you, Ellis, and Victor, and you know it."
"We do, but it doesn't hurt to fall in love with her, as I think all of us have done."
"Yes, I think all of you also have," Becky smiled, watching her friend. "But in the end, it is her choice who she wants to be with."
"For her sake, hopefully, none of us," Jacque said dryly.
"Yes, for her sake," Becky agreed. "But the lot of you are better than her ex-fiance from what I heard."
"What about her ex. What did he do to her?"
"Apparently he was cheating on her with a cousin of Amy's."
"Ouch," Jacque frowned.
"Yes, and she walked in on them."
"If I had been her, I would have kicked his arse."
"She said all she did was walk out. She was actually kind of relieved. They didn't really get along anyway."
"Well, hopefully, Amy can find someone that does deserve her," Jacque said, watching Amelia sleep. "She is a special woman."
"Yes, she is, and yes, hopefully, one day she will find someone that deserves her."