Quote of the day: though there will be darkness, but believe it after that darkness comes light.

  
    Ashley tried to force herself awake, trying to see if she could wake up, but it was proving to be hard. She felt as though something heavy was sitting on her. She wanted to wake up from this dreadful state badly, but couldn't.

    It was terrifying, there were several pictures floating through her mind, pictures of her father, and of Greg's eyes. She felt paralyzed as she couldn't wake up, all she could do was lay there stiff and watch as her most horrible night flashed before her eyes.

     Her head felt heavy with pain, she couldn't tell how long she had been there, but she knew it had to have been long. She tried to remember why she was lying on a spot, how she got there.

    She remembered leaving Greg's office, heading home, then she remembered the car, the car that her father had been driving, her eyes flew open with fear, and this time she succeeded in prying them open. She blinked a few times to see if she could make sense of where she was.

   She found herself staring at a white ceiling, she turned her head sideways to see a side table. She looked beyond the table and saw a certain brunette lying on a couch, crouched up in the weirdest way possible, definitely sleeping.

     She didn't need anyone to tell her that she was in a hospital, she could see the clear signs, but since when did hospitals start looking like hotel rooms?

    She saw Chloe shift lazily on the couch, she wondered how she is able to sleep comfortably on the tiny thing. Chloe's eyes opened slowly and when they fell on her she got up immediately and ran towards her.

      "Oh Ashley, you are awake, finally," Chloe said sobbing lightly. 

   Ashley raised her hand up to pat Chloe's brunette hair, that was when she saw it, her left arm was wrapped in a 'short arm cast,' that would only mean that one of her bones was broken. It had to be her wrist, she felt most of the pain coming from there. She couldn't say how she felt about a broken wrist, but she was grateful to still be alive. Chloe raised her head up, her grey orbs were teary, it tug at Ashley's heart.

   She tried sitting up, when Chloe noticed this and got into action helping her, "how long have I been out?"
    
     "Its been over 24 hours Ashley, how could you do this to me?" Chloe screamed dramatically, typical.

    "I'm sorry Chloe," she said.

    "No, don't apologize, how did it happen?" She asked staring at her with outmost curiosity.

    "It was him Chloe," she said. Chloe's eyes went wide with fear immediately.

      "I knew it, I knew it had to be him, I just knew it," Chloe said with fear. "Wait, let me call Greg to let him know you are awake."

     "No!" She screamed snatching Chloe's phone out of her hand. "You can't call him... I... I broke up with him, and I resigned," she said this with fear, she wasn't sure of how Chloe would react.

       "I know, and I'm angry."

     "You know? How?"

      "Yes, he told me," Chloe said with a glare. "I was so scared when I got the call, so I just went up to him immediately, unaware that you guys broke up."

     "He knows about my accident?" Ashley asked quietly. She didn't want him to know, she needed to be as far away from him as possible.

      "Of course, why do you think you are in a VIP ward?" Chloe said with an eye roll.

      "What! He paid my bills?" She screamed. She can't have him paying her bills, she will only get more indebted to him, and she had already taken more than enough from him.

    "He did Ashley, he was very scared you know. I have never seen him so disoriented, he was here all through the night, he only left because he had an urgent meeting."

   Ashley was surprised that he would still care for her, he should hate her now after the break up, why was he still doing this? This was making things hard for her, he can't be seen around her.

     "Chloe, I told you I didn't want to get him involved in all this shit..."

     "And why is that?" She heard a voice say from the door. Ashley looked at the door to see Greg Marshall standing in all his gorgeous glory, he looked breathtaking in a grey suit, but she couldn't admire him now, he was no longer her boyfriend. She found herself staring into his eyes, fear filled her immediately, she recalled how the only thing she could think of was his eyes and her father, she really didn't like waking up to see them, she was terrified of what would happen if he were to find out who she was.

     He stalked into the room towards her, she could tell that he was angry, and she clearly wasn't ready for whatever argument was going to ensue now. More importantly she didn't know how to act around him, he was her ex in two ways, ex-boss,  and ex-boyfriend.

      "Welcome back Greg," Chloe said smiling at him.

   "Hello Chloe," he said. He moved closer to her and sat on the bed facing her, she bent her head avoiding his gaze, she felt quite uncomfortable by his close proximity, he was making staying away hard for her, "Ashley!"

   Ashley looked up at him and couldn't help but gasp at the raw emotions she saw in his green eyes, he looked pissed, yeah, pissed. "Mr Mar..."

     "Will you cut the act," he cut her off harshly. "Give me one good reason why you couldn't tell me that some douche bag was threatening you?"

     She turned to face Chloe who in turn mouthed a 'sorry' to her, she had really fucked up at this point, how does she explain to Greg that it wasn't something to be concerned about. She just hope Chloe didn't tell him the person threatening her was her father, or that her father was Hunt Wells, but she couldn't have, if she had told him, he wouldn't be here.

   "I didn't think it was any of your business," she said coldly. Greg frowned at her.

       "It is my business Ashley, I'm your boyfriend!"

     "Ex." Ashley corrected. She saw his eyes squint into a deeper frown, anymore and he wouldn't have eyes again.

       "Whatever floats your boat," he said with a smirk. The nerve of this guy. "Do you have any idea who the person threatening you might be?"

      "No," she lied.
   
      "Why do I feel you are lying to me Ashley?" He asked pulling at his tie, he was definitely frustrated she could tell.

      "Don't you have work to attend to, or something else?" She asked with an eye roll.

       "I don't," he answered with a glare. "Has the doctor been here after she woke up?" He asked facing Chloe. Ashley kinda felt insulted, he didn't even ask her.

    "No, she woke up not quite long," Chloe answered from the couch where she was crunched up again, weird position.

     Greg moved closer to her, he was now looking right into her eyes. She saw him raise his hand up making her shrink into herself, but instead of touching her he pressed a button she didn't even realize was behind her. "What are you doing?"

     "Ringing for the doctor," he said in an obvious tone. Ashley wasn't as shocked as she would have been before, simply because she remembered that she was in a VIP ward.

       "How do you feel?" He asked once he was sitting back comfortably in front of her. She gave him an annoyed glare and raised her casted arm up.

      "Broken," Ashley said plainly.

      He shook his head at her with a grin on his face, "that makes two of us."

     "So you find my pain pleasing?" She said in an accusing tone. Greg gave her a weird look before taking her hand in his. He traced his fingers over the cast, then he bent to place a kiss on it, she found herself blushing hard at this. Oh no, they were supposed to be exes.

       "Good day Mr Marshall," she heard a gruff masculine voice saying. The voice not only jerk her up, but also Chloe and Greg. Ashley looked up to see an elderly man in a white robe, definitely the doctor. Greg stood up from the bed giving the doctor ample space to inspect her, oh how much she hates hospitals.

     "Dr. Bryant, have you gotten the results yet?" Greg asked calmly. He sat on the side stool dipping his hand into his pockets. Ashley scoffed at that.

    "Oh yes, the X-ray result is out, " Dr. Bryant answered opening the blue file in his hand, she looked at him expectantly, "from the results, it shows that you have what they call a distal radius fracture." She couldn't make sense of what he was saying, but she knew fracture meant she had a broken bone, which was quite obvious with the cast. She turned to Greg and the look in in eyes stated that he didn't understand what the doctor was saying as well, Dr. Bryant smiled at them and continued talking. "It means your left wrist is broken, my lady."

      "Figured that out already." Ashley said with an eye roll.

     "What needs to be done doctor?" Greg asked shooting her a glare. She noticed Chloe also giving her an angry glare too, what did she do? She was the patient here.

    "Nothing much, in three days time she will start using the 'short arm cast,'" Dr. Bryant said getting her confused. Ashley thought this was the 'short arm cast,' it seemed the man understood her plight and explained better. "What you are wearing now is a 'forearm volar splint,' this is just to immobilize the bone for now."

      Ashley nodded as though she understood him, she looked at Greg who she found staring at her, she turned to face the doctor immediately, she couldn't bear staring into his eyes.

     "When can she leave?" Greg asked gruffly.

     "Whenever she wants," Dr. Bryant said with a shrug. "As I said the only major injury she has happens to be her fractured wrist, aside that, there are just a few scratches here and there."

     "How about tomorrow?" Greg asked again. Well, she wasn't the least bit pleased with him taking control of everything, he wasn't even her boyfriend anymore.

     "Oh yes she can, you just have to make sure she comes back by the end of this week to get the cast. And she will also have to he coming for series of check up, from the look of it, the bone should heal up within six weeks."

    Six weeks!  Six weeks was too long to be with a broken hand. She was bewildered at this fact.

    "Don't worry doctor, I will make sure she comes here," Greg said with a smile, the doctor nodded at him, and then Chloe before leaving her ward. She turned to face Greg With  a glare.

     "I don't understand what you are doing Greg," She said.

      "I don't understand you either," he deadpanned shutting her up. "Chloe, you should go home now." He looked at Chloe who was still crouched in that weird position as he said this.

     "Its okay Greg, I can still stay..."

     "No, go! The driver is out waiting for you," he said with a glare, then his look softened. "Come on Chloe I will be here."

   Chloe stood up reluctantly, she walked towards her and placed a kiss on her cast, sorry splint. Ashley scrunched her face up.

  "What's with people kissing my hand now?" Ashley asked in a sarcastic tone.

     "Because it makes not slapping you in the face easier," Chloe replied and left the ward.

    She turned to Greg to see him now seated on the tiny couch, she squinted her eyes at him in annoyance.

    "Go to sleep," he said dismissively.

     Ashley laid down on the bed, but not before shooting him an angry glare. She turned to face the other side not wanting to look at Greg, she started thinking of what she had gotten herself into.

   She had tried to leave, but it seems fate had something else in store for her. Fate had always been cruel towards her. She thought of her father and what he had done, she didn't even want to think of what he would do, she knew it won't be long before he attacked her again, and she knew this time he would get what he wants.

   She needed to leave no matter what, she just had to. Her fear and guilt won't let her stay any longer. If she stayed any longer then her death was guaranteed, it will either be from her father or from Greg when he found out she was the girl from that night two years ago. 

  Chapter thirty six.
Mary Aden.