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Bright white lights flashed above me and I got the odd sensation that I was being rushed forward. The flitting lights made me queasy and I could feel my stomach starting to come to my throat.
"Stop." I tried to groan. I opened my mouth but no noise came out and the lights kept rushing in straight white lines in a hypnotising manner.
"You're making me dizzy. Stop, please." There was a lot of shouting that I could hear over a muffled ringing in my ears. And my arm, my arm was very sore. Agonisingly painfully sore in fact. There was a stabbing, burning, pricking and seating feeling climbing from my arm and my ribs throbbed with a searing heat.
I had an immense head ache and everything began to spin again.
***
An obnoxious beeping brought me out of my sleep.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Slow and steady like a heart beat. I reached up to scratch the tickle under my nose and found an odd bit of plastic sitting across my face.
Just as I went to push and snatch it away a hand stopped me.
"Leave it." I swear I recognised that voice. That deep, husky voice that had an unusual scratch to it.
I opened my eyes and immediately closed them again due to the harsh light. I blinked quite a few times to get rid of the blur, but it took at least a couple of minutes.
When I could finally see I saw the tired face of Mason, I felt a small weight on my shoulders drop.
His hair was messy and stood up like he'd run his hands through it too many times, there were slight shadows under his eyes and he was still wearing a tux. He looked undeniably exhausted and pale.
"Why are you still in your tux from last night?" I asked, closing my eyes and stretching my arm only to wince and pull back quickly.
A pang and sting of pain lured away my confidence of my morning routine of stretching.
When there was no answer I looked up again to see the pained and retreated face of Mason. What was wrong with him? Why is he acting so weird? Why is my room so bright and why does my arm want to fall off?
"Huh?" I asked again unsure if I'd not heard his response or if he just hadn't spoken.
"The ball wasn't last night, Ashley. It was three days ago." He said, standing up and walking slowly to where I was lying from his seat.
He chewed on his bottom lip, blinking up at me with a careful gaze.
"What? What are you going on about?" I mumbled, shaking my head but stopping when a throbbing erupted in my head.
"Ashley, listen to me carefully and take in what I'm saying," he paused, sitting down and taking my hands gently in his, his eyes red bloodshot.
I nodded slowly, taking in a breath and preparing for something, I don't know what.
"Ashley, you were in a car accident. Lucas was driving and he was drunk. He swerved to avoid a group of teenagers and crashed into a lamppost. The car virtually pretzeled around it." He swallowed and I felt a great lump in my throat grow.
For the first time, I actually looked around my surroundings and saw that I wasn't in my room, I was in a hospital room with sterile white walls and floor.
"No, that can't be true." I whispered shaking my head again. Note to self: don't shake head, it hurts. I finally looked around the room and saw that he was right: I wasn't in my room, my arm was strapped to my side and I was in a hospital gown.
"Ashley, you're okay. You're in the hospital and we're taking care of you. I'm taking care of you." He whispered the last few words, and I squeezed his hand.
We sat in silence for a short while, his eyes wondering my face and mine focusing on my toes under the blankets.
I had so many questions.
"Tell me what you remember." He said softly, shifting his weight a little so he was sitting more comfortably on the bed and so he was now holding my wrist in his big safe hand, his long fingers wrapping around it. Despite my body aching with the shift of the bed he'd caused, I didnt want to tell him that, because right now he was the only thing keeping me sane.
I thought back to the night.
"I got ready and you were on the couch. Mel, Cameron and Lucas picked me up from the apartment." He nodded, ushering me to continue.
"I danced with Mel and Cameron. Lucas was drinking." I looked at him, my brows furrowed in confusion and he nodded again, pushing me, willing me to continue.
"Mel and Cameron were best dressed couple. Lucas and I won Mr and Mrs Darcy of the evening and we danced and..." I looked up at him, his eyes were resigned and I tried my hardest to find any kind of hint behind them. Was what I remembered true? Was it really Mason who danced us around the floor and kissed me so passionately?
"Mason and I won Mr and Mrs Darcy of the evening." I retracted slowly, and I couldn't help but flick my eyes to see the corner of his mouth twitching.
"Mason and I danced and Mason and I kissed on the dance floor." He sighed heavily and looked down at our entwined fingers, a true smile on his face.
I didn't know what to think.
"I got into the car with Lucas and he drove off after locking the doors." Masons smile faded and his eyes turned murderous and his mouth set in a straight line.
I felt my eyes go wide.
"Oh god! You told me not to get in with him!" I cried, my breathing picking up even though it hurt. Mason tried to warn me, tried to tell me not to follow him, not to go with him alone but I just got right into the car with him.
Mason shushed me and brought his hand to my face, smoothing my hair and wiping the tears I hadn't felt fall from under my eyes.
"Ash, it's okay, you're okay, we're okay." He reassured me.
"But you told me to not get in and I ignored you." I sobbed, ignoring the feeling of a hammer on my ribs. I reached forward with my good arm and grasped tightly onto his sleeve to stop him from pulling back. To stop him from ever leaving.
The beeping increased and Mason looked worriedly to the monitor, his eyes wide with confusion as he tried to calm me down.
"Ashley, you need to calm down." He said, his voice rising in caution.
I couldn't though, I was hyperventilating and I didn't know why. Surely I could have realised this without going into a full panic attack. Masons hands fussed over me, smoothing my hair and holding my hand telling me to calm down.
My breathing hitched as I felt a sharp stabbing pain that took my sight away momentarily.
He was in front of me now, one knee on the bed trying to get me to look at him.
"Ashley, please sweetheart, calm down." I could feel the hot tears pooling down my face and Masons face flitted in and out of my vision.
Just when I thought I was going to pass out, I felt a pair of lips on mine. I heard the monitor go up even faster for a moment before starting to relax and return slowly to normal.
Mason pulled back, his hand still at my jaw just as a nurse walked into the room.
"Is everything okay in here?" She asked, walking over to the minister to check its levels.
"You had a bit of a jump here, honey. Is everything alright? Do you need anything?" She asked. At least I had a nice nurse, last time I had an old cow who told me off for being sick.
Mason looked at me then back at the nurse who was focusing on his hand which was still cupping my jaw.
"No, thank you. I think we're fine... just got a little excited." The nurse looked over me once more before nodding and walking slowly out of the room, closing the door behind her.
I still held on tightly to Masons dress shirt, keeping his hand on my face. His touch was comforting and assured me that he was actually there not just a figment of my imagination.
"Do you hate me?" I whispered up to him, looking him square in the face, fresh tears brimming in my eyes.
He let out a breath and shook his head lightly, his eyes too becoming a little moist. He brought his face closer once again and pressed his lips to mine.
Only it wasn't hurried this time to stop a panic attack, it was soft and reassuring. A kiss that told me everything I needed to know.
When we parted, he held my hands and played gently with my fingers.
"Lucas?" I asked, wondering what happened to him.
A deep set scowl appeared on Mason's face as his hands became stiff in mine.
"I don't know how...it's a miracle really that he wasn't killed... he left that accident with a concussion and that was all. No broken bones, no fractured ribs, no smashed in head." He turned murderous and it scared me a little.
I leaned forward but thought better of it when I felt and sharp stab at my side.
"Ah!" I let out, not meaning to but sometimes the voice just says what the body feels and it snapped Mason right out of his killer trance.
"What's wrong? Do you need morphine? I'll get the nurse." He stood up quickly and rushed towards the door.
"No stop!"
He paused at the door, his hand resting on the handle and staring at him confused.
"I'm fine. Please come back." I gave him the puppy eyes and pouty lip I'd perfected many years before that and he came and sat next to me again.
Mason filled me in on everything from the night before till today.
Apparently, I was out for so long because I had to go into emergency surgery in case my ribs punctured my lung. I currently have two pins in to keep them stable, and I broke my arm in two places in my forearm and fractured my funny bone.
Both Cameron and Mel had been to visit but I was unconscious so I had no idea. Mason said that Mel had tried to give me a makeover but the nurse dragged her out.
I also had to call my dad.
He'd been informed that I had been brought into hospital but because I'm legally an adult for some ridiculous reason they didn't tell him anymore without my consent.
"I have to call my dad," I said to Mason, my head resting awkwardly on his shoulder since he was lying next to me in the bed that wasn't really fit to hold two people.
"Do you want me to do it?" He asked, his eyes closed and voice muffled from exhaustion.
"No it's okay, I'll do it." But not today, I'd rather have a shower and put on my own clothes before calling dad. I'd rather be me than broken me.
"You need to go home," I said, pulling myself up a little. The doctors had given me enough pain medication so I could make minimal movement which is better than no movement.
"No, I'm staying." He argues, determination clear in his voice.
"Mason you're exhausted. Have you even been home?" He lifted his arm and wrapped it around my shoulders gently.
"Not really, I followed you both on my bike and was the first person there. I was the one to ride with you in the ambulance." I felt my heart swell a little at that. And with his words, I felt something push against my memory.
"I'll call Mel and you can go home, have a shower and get some sleep. " I reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone and searched for Mel's name.
He deliberated for a bit before nodding and getting out of bed slowly as to not shift me too much.
Mel's screamed of excitement meant I needed to hold the phone a foot away so she didn't blast my eardrums as well.
I passed the phone back to Mason and he stood awkwardly before nodding with his lips pressed tightly together and turning for the door.
It was like he didn't know who's to say goodbye. I couldn't ignore the longing I had for his touch even though he was only a few feet away from me.
He needed a push to show that I wanted him.
"You aren't gonna kiss me?" I asked, a cheeky smile on my face and he turned with a smirk.
Striding over and pressing his lips to mine. His hand caressed my jaw and I sighed when he pulled back.
"You just can't keep your hands off me, can you?" He asked, running his hands down his body playfully and I laughed before pushing him away with my good arm.
"Don't ruin a good thing, Mason. Get your cute butt out of here." He walked away holding his suit jacket and just before he closed my door he slapped his toosh.
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