considering,” Leanne told her.
“I was worried,” Elizabeth admitted. “Does he always look so scary?”
Leanne laughed. “Ash has always been very intense. Ever since our parents died when we were little. He took on the role of caretaker for me and has been looking out for me ever since. He has always been dark and brooding. Then, when he was eighteen, he buffed up and has looked like a pro wrestler ever since.”
Elizabeth brushed the hair off his forehead. That’s when his eyes opened. Sky blue eyes that looked like they were shaped with thousands of tiny diamonds stared back at her. She instinctively jumped back away from him.
“Shit,” she grumbled. “Seems you have a talent for scaring me,” she said, schooling her features and putting on her figurative doctor hat. “How are you feeling, Ashton.”
The man chuckled and then groaned.
“Yeah, laughing is not your friend right now, big guy,” Elizabeth smiled.
“I feel like someone ripped my chest open,” he finally told her.
“Well, I wouldn’t have had to do that if you hadn’t gotten yourself shot. Can you tell me what you remember?” she asked him.
Ash shook his head and tried to clear the fog from his brain. “Eating a burger,” he mumbled.
Elizabeth laughed out loud. “I always knew fast food was bad for you, but this takes the cake, don’t you think?”
Ash wanted to laugh, but the memory of the pain he felt last time kept him from doing so. Instead, he grinned at her. “Yeah, that stuff will kill you.”
Wow, Elizabeth thought. If he was attractive before when he looked like a head hunter, he was gorgeous lying in bed smiling at her. She shook off the effects of his smile and kept talking. “Ok seriously, there is a detective that wants to talk to you as soon as you’re up to it. For now, they have been told to stay out until you feel like talking, but they need to catch the guy that did this to you.” Elizabeth sat gently on the side of his bed. “It’s ok if you don’t remember. A lot of people don’t.”
“I remember you saved me,” Ash said quietly.
“I told him what you did,” Leanne spoke up. “He wants to say thank you, isn’t that right, Big Brother?”
Ash nodded. “I heard you,” he said.
Leanne rolled her eyes. “That is not a thank you.”
“Thank you,” Ash corrected himself. But he knew that it was Elizabeth’s voice he heard that pulled him back from Hell. “I heard you talking to me.”
“You did?” Elizabeth asked with a raised brow. “What did you hear?”
Ash shifted his position and swallowed the pain so that he could look her in the eyes. “You will not die today, not on my watch,” he told her.
Elizabeth heard her own words from his mouth and chills and gooseflesh broke out all over her body. “You heard that?” she whispered. Ash nodded. “You were flat-lined.”
“I heard you. You pulled me back. You saved me.” Ash never broke eye contact. Even though the doctor didn’t know exactly what she had pulled him back from, he needed her to understand how much she saved him.
“That’s freaky,” Leanne said. “You didn’t tell me that.”
“Not for you to know,” Ash said, leaning back against his pillow.
In a desperate attempt to change the subject, Elizabeth stood. “I want to check out your incision, if that’s ok with you?”
Ash nodded and Elizabeth pulled the sheet down to his abdomen. She gently lifted the hospital johnny up so that she could see the staples on his chest. Dr. Tucker had done a great job closing him back up. The wound was red and angry, but showed no sign of infection.
Elizabeth touched his skin lightly and was surprised to see his muscles twitch. “I’m sorry, did I tickle you?” she asked. She looked up
“I was worried,” Elizabeth admitted. “Does he always look so scary?”
Leanne laughed. “Ash has always been very intense. Ever since our parents died when we were little. He took on the role of caretaker for me and has been looking out for me ever since. He has always been dark and brooding. Then, when he was eighteen, he buffed up and has looked like a pro wrestler ever since.”
Elizabeth brushed the hair off his forehead. That’s when his eyes opened. Sky blue eyes that looked like they were shaped with thousands of tiny diamonds stared back at her. She instinctively jumped back away from him.
“Shit,” she grumbled. “Seems you have a talent for scaring me,” she said, schooling her features and putting on her figurative doctor hat. “How are you feeling, Ashton.”
The man chuckled and then groaned.
“Yeah, laughing is not your friend right now, big guy,” Elizabeth smiled.
“I feel like someone ripped my chest open,” he finally told her.
“Well, I wouldn’t have had to do that if you hadn’t gotten yourself shot. Can you tell me what you remember?” she asked him.
Ash shook his head and tried to clear the fog from his brain. “Eating a burger,” he mumbled.
Elizabeth laughed out loud. “I always knew fast food was bad for you, but this takes the cake, don’t you think?”
Ash wanted to laugh, but the memory of the pain he felt last time kept him from doing so. Instead, he grinned at her. “Yeah, that stuff will kill you.”
Wow, Elizabeth thought. If he was attractive before when he looked like a head hunter, he was gorgeous lying in bed smiling at her. She shook off the effects of his smile and kept talking. “Ok seriously, there is a detective that wants to talk to you as soon as you’re up to it. For now, they have been told to stay out until you feel like talking, but they need to catch the guy that did this to you.” Elizabeth sat gently on the side of his bed. “It’s ok if you don’t remember. A lot of people don’t.”
“I remember you saved me,” Ash said quietly.
“I told him what you did,” Leanne spoke up. “He wants to say thank you, isn’t that right, Big Brother?”
Ash nodded. “I heard you,” he said.
Leanne rolled her eyes. “That is not a thank you.”
“Thank you,” Ash corrected himself. But he knew that it was Elizabeth’s voice he heard that pulled him back from Hell. “I heard you talking to me.”
“You did?” Elizabeth asked with a raised brow. “What did you hear?”
Ash shifted his position and swallowed the pain so that he could look her in the eyes. “You will not die today, not on my watch,” he told her.
Elizabeth heard her own words from his mouth and chills and gooseflesh broke out all over her body. “You heard that?” she whispered. Ash nodded. “You were flat-lined.”
“I heard you. You pulled me back. You saved me.” Ash never broke eye contact. Even though the doctor didn’t know exactly what she had pulled him back from, he needed her to understand how much she saved him.
“That’s freaky,” Leanne said. “You didn’t tell me that.”
“Not for you to know,” Ash said, leaning back against his pillow.
In a desperate attempt to change the subject, Elizabeth stood. “I want to check out your incision, if that’s ok with you?”
Ash nodded and Elizabeth pulled the sheet down to his abdomen. She gently lifted the hospital johnny up so that she could see the staples on his chest. Dr. Tucker had done a great job closing him back up. The wound was red and angry, but showed no sign of infection.
Elizabeth touched his skin lightly and was surprised to see his muscles twitch. “I’m sorry, did I tickle you?” she asked. She looked up
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