Chapter 59 Part 59
Maggie
She found Asher in the waiting room, holding a woman’s hand. It didn’t even occur to her to be jealous. Asher smiled when he saw her, slowly let go of the woman’s hand, and wrapped his arms around her.
“I’m so glad you found him, and that you’re okay,” she said.
He didn’t say anything; he only hugged her tighter. When he did finally let go, he took her hand, and led her back to where he was sitting.
“Maggie, this is Charlie; she’s Bear Claw’s mother,” Asher said.
“It’s nice to meet you, Charlie, even under these circumstances,” Maggie said.
Charlie gave her a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Maggie. Asher’s been telling me all about you and Melody.”
Maggie smiled, too, and sat down next to Charlie. “How is he doing? Have you heard anything yet?”
“Not yet. They confirmed four broken ribs on his right side, so now they’re doing other tests, but they don’t think he has internal bleeding. Asher said he would’ve been dead if he’d had internal bleeding.”
“What the hell happened out there?” Maggie was now looking at Asher.
“They lured him out there with the pretense of wanting to know more about vision quests, beat him up, and left him there. He lost consciousness for a while; he’s not sure how long. He knew it would be better to get to the cave instead of trying to make it back to town in the dark.”
“I’m so angry at those two boys. How could they do this to him?” Charlie asked. Her eyes were glistening with tears, but beneath the wetness, anger swirled.
“It’s assault, Charlie. Plain and simple. You let the sheriff arrest those boys,” Asher said, harshly.
The door to the waiting room opened, and Dr. Carmichael scanned the area. He saw Charlie, and headed toward them. Asher stood up when the doctor reached them.
“And?”
“He’s fine. There’s no internal damage other than the broken ribs. His shoulder was dislocated, and he’ll be tender for a few days. His eye doesn’t seem to be damaged, and we’ve reset his broken nose. He has some contusions on his back and face, but they’ll heal on their own. I’ve got him on fluids now, and I’d like to keep him overnight to monitor his vitals.”
“Can I see him?” Charlie asked.
“Of course,” he said, before turning to look at Asher. “Bear Claw wanted me to tell you that he will never forget what you did for him.”
Asher only nodded, and Maggie looked at him, squeezed his hand, and smiled at Charlie. Charlie hugged them both, and hurried after Dr. Carmichael to be with her son.
“We should go,” Asher said. “He’ll be okay, which is all I wanted to know.”
“Okay,” Maggie said.
Asher didn’t ask for the keys, but he did open the door for her, and she smiled sadly. Even tired, and probably cold, he was still her gentleman. Asher leaned his head against the seat and closed his eyes as Maggie drove back to the ranch.
“Are you hungry? Or do you want me to run you a bath so you can soak that chill out of your bones?”
Asher smiled, as he took his jacket and boots off. “I’ll just take a shower. I’m not that cold. Then I could probably use a decent cup of coffee, and some food.”
“It’ll be ready when you’re done,” Maggie said.
Asher pulled her into his arms again and hugged her tightly. “Thank you for coming to the hospital.”
“Of course. I know you like the boy, plus I was worried. I wasn’t sure in what condition you’d find him, and I wanted to be there for you if he was…”
“Dead?”
Maggie looked down, but nodded her head. “I’m glad he isn’t.”
“Me, too. The kid’s smart. He did the absolute right thing, and I knew exactly where to go look for him.”
He kissed her forehead, then started up the stairs. Maggie wrapped her arms around herself as she watched him walk up the stairs. She shook her head, and headed into the kitchen.
When Asher walked into the kitchen, dressed casually in sweats, Maggie had fried bacon and sausages, eggs with toast, and had a steaming cup of coffee waiting for him on the table.
He ate like a man half-starved, and Maggie watched him inhale his food. Asher always finished everything on his plate, and he always closed his eyes when he took that first sip of coffee.
“You always eat like you’re not sure when you’ll get to eat again,” Maggie said.
“In the Army, you don’t always know when you’ll eat again.”
“I think you can safely assume that you’ll get three meals here every day,” she said.
Asher smiled. “I know. Some habits are hard to break.”
“Like the way you sleep.”
Asher frowned, and shifted in his seat. “What’s wrong with how I sleep?”
“Your hand is always on your abdomen, clenched.”
“When you’re on assignment, it’s better to sleep with your hand on your gun. My vest had a holster in the front, so I slept with my hand on my gun.”
“Can I ask you something?” Maggie’s hands were wrapped around her own cup of coffee.
“You can ask me anything. I don’t know if I’ll always answer everything, but I’ll try,” Asher said.
“Are you happy?”
Asher’s smile grew. “What makes you think I’m not?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes it feels like you’re drifting away. I get the feeling that sometimes you get lost in your own memories,” she said.
“I do sometimes, but I’ve seen a lot of bad things. It doesn’t mean that I’m not happy. I am.”
“You changed my life, Asher Fitzgerald. You let me hit you with a broom, and then you changed my life.”
“You changed mine, too. I couldn’t love Melody any more even if she were my biological daughter. Every day I get to spend with the two of you, brings a little more light to my darkness.”
“It might sound corny, but you really are my hero,” Maggie said, softly. “I love you, Asher.”