I managed to get my arm casted yesterday, but they couldn't do much for my ribs other than give me a sling for my arm and tell me to keep that side of my body still.
Still on pain meds - oral ones this time - I was able to walk around for a few minutes each day so I wasn't stuck sitting the whole time.
For the seven days I'd been here minus my missing three days, and Mason had stayed with me for all but two. He brought a thick blanket from home and his pillow, had showers here at the hospital under the excuse that he was helping me shower and did his best to keep me entertained.
But, after winning three games of monopoly per day there wasn't much he could do.
"Mason, please!" I dragged the word on, standing slowly out of bed to go for a short walk down the hallway and holding tightly onto his arm. Most of the dizziness had gone away but every now and then I felt a bit faint when I stood up.
"I'm not sneaking you out, Ashley." He flatlined, his face a definite no.
"Come on, I'm bored and I want McDonalds." He reached for my drip and held the pole as we walked down the long sterile stinking hallways that I had become custom to.
He shook his head again.
It was comforting though in a sense that he wasn't doing it because he couldn't be bothered but that he honestly just cared for my safety.
"When did you say no to a little rebellious nature, Mr Badboy?" I teased, as I nodded my night shift nurse a hello as she wheeled an elderly gentleman to a room.
"When my girlfriend was in a car accident and nearly died." He stated. I stopped where I was and he looked up from our feet where was making sure I didn't trip over them due to my tiny steps.
"Your girlfriend?" I asked, a grin peeking out from my sarcasm.
"Yeah, you know, the platinum blonde with the big boobs from arts?" I grimaced, he was talking about the girl who I'd bumped into our first day of uni.
"Oh you're so funny, dick." I reached tentatively for his arm again so I could keep going through my loop.
"Babe, if we're gonna do pet names I think we need to sit down and discuss them through." He laughed.
I completed my round, only needing to rest three times this time. Each day I was dealing with the pain better and making progress.
The doctors reckoned I'd be able to leave soon, which made me realise that I'd need to tell dad soon. I'd been putting it off which I know was really unfair on his behalf but I just didn't want to stress him out if he heard me in physical pain.
I wanted to wait until I could bear the pain to talk to him rather than break off mid conversation screaming and crying - which, believe me, happened on more than one occasion. I nearly gave Mason a heart attack on more than one occasion.
After a while all the days started blending together much of the time, I wouldn't even know if it was day or night unless I looked out a window or at a clock.
We'd already had dinner, but my body was telling me it was breakfast time. Weird.
Mason helped me back into bed, positioning my drip so I didn't get tangled up in it... again.
I shuffled to the side as best I could and patted the spot next to me.
Even though he'd been spending every night with me, he refused on most occasions to sleep on the bed with me.
He said he didn't want to accidentally crush me in his sleep if he rolled over. I told him he was being ridiculous, but then I thought of how I woke up with his arm wrapped around me a few weeks ago and was reminded of how heavy he actually was - and that was just his arm!
Today he obliged and sat on the bed with his arm behind my neck.
I flicked the tv on and resumed my place in GossipGirl. To my surprise, he'd actually been really into it. As if there wasn't enough of him for me to love.
Wait.
Love?
Oh no.
I can't say that yet. We only just officially started going out. I mean sure, I know he only drank his juice through a straw like a weirdo and that he loved peanut butter on toast when he'd had a bad day at uni to cheer him up, and that he made the best pad Thai I've ever had in my entire life, but that doesn't mean I love him.
"Ash, what's wrong? You've gone all red." He placed his hand on my cheek then my forehead to find that I was no doubt hot.
"Oh yeah, I was just thinking about something..." I mumbled, playing with the edge of the blanket.
He furrowed his brow but didn't continue questioning.
After about twenty minutes he got up and said something about having a shower. Well, that meant it was time for me to have one too. I hated having showers. They'd started off with sponge baths but I just didn't feel clean so I begged for nurses to let me shower. They showed me a few times until I said I was comfortable enough to do it alone... then I discovered how hard it was.
Sooooo, in a totally not weird way I got Mason to help me.
Really, I was fine doing my front, it was my back that I had trouble with, so I just got him to run a wet face cloth down my back after I'd gotten mostly dressed.
While he showered, I just sat on a small ledge outside the curtain. I had a feeling that the nurses knew since he never went home but still, it was kind of fun 'sneaking around'.
Sitting on the ledge I could smell his musky shower gel and I swear I would use it just so I could smell him all day.
The water turned off with a squeak and he came out from behind the corner with his towel wrapped around his waist showing off the almighty V. I never understood why girls were obsessed with it.
Now I do.
He smirked when he caught me staring and I narrowed my eyes at him. Yes he was gorgeous, yes he knew I knew he was gorgeous but he didn't have to make fun of me for staring.
"Do you think I don't catch you staring when I'm doing my makeup? Yeah, there's a mirror I can see you in, buddy." His face fell and I held back a laugh.
Admittedly, when I saw him staring at my behind through the mirror while I was doing my mascara back home, I may have, kinda, just a little leaned forward on the counter and closer to the mirror to... accentuate the angle?
Then when I leaned back and looked at him, watching his stunned expression of being caught was totally worth it.
I laughed at the memory while he dressed.
Staring in the mirror after doing my teeth I lifted my shirt up a little to look at my ribs the best I could.
A splotchy purple, red, blue, yellow and green mark that covered most of my side was prominent now, and got more prominent as each day went on.
I didn't hear the door open and close as Mason came up behind me. When he saw the bruise his face became murderous but his face isn't what scared me, it was the possible action behind it.
I didn't want him to make any move to avenge my injury. I would rather just leave Lucas and let the legal side take care of it. I didn't want Mason getting caught up in any of this.
"It's getting better." I lied and he saw right through me.
"It's getting worse."
"Well, it has to get worse before it gets better, I guess."
"I'm going to kill him."
"No you're not. You're going to stay out of it."
"I can't do that. He did that to you and got off fine."
"He won't be fine after my dads lawyer is through with him."
"I still want to smash his face in."
I turned and stared him square on, but he continued to stare in the mirror at my back.
I lifted my good arm the best I could and wrapped it around his waist, resting my head on his chest, listening to what would be the calming sound of his heartbeat if it wasn't going crazy.
He lifted his hands to my spine and trailed his fingers up and down in a feather light touch.
"Promise me you won't do anything." I whispered, pulling away slightly to move my hand to his chest, looking up at him.
His lips were pressed in a tight line as he looked down at me. I could feel his heart beat slow as I rested my hand over his heart. He didn't say anything, he only lifted my shirt to examine the bruising.
I watched him in confusion as he crouched down and rested on his knees. I rested my hand on his shoulder near his neck as his leaned forward and ever so softly placed a gentle kiss on my bruise just under when my ribs were broken.