Nick wandered through the halls of the hospital, it was going on 6 at night. He’d told Amanda he was flying out to Manhattan on business. He wondered why he felt the need to lie to her, he supposed it was just easier that way. The bunch of flowers he was holding had caught his eye as he walked through the reception downstairs. It was a large array of red and white roses, all mixing in perfect harmony. He smiled to the nurses he’d spent many hours talking to, before cracking open the door to Ashlee’s room.
He smiled to himself and for no apparent reason as he wandered over to the rooms window ledge and placed the flowers in a vase he found under the sink. She looked so peaceful as he wandered past the end of her bed. He smiled to himself again, his plane would be leaving in a few hours.
“Someone ought to know you’re in here” he announced, expecting no response, and of none came
He wasn’t sure what to expect when he landed in Manhattan, had she run away because she didn’t like them? Would they ever care about her? He sighed to himself, whatever the outcome he had to try, for some unexplainable reason he felt a connection to the girl lying in the bed below him, he had to piece the puzzle together and make the pieces fit – whatever the outcome.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The plane touched down, a little bumpy due to the gusty wind around the airport. It took no time to gather a rental car – a silver BMW, it never ceased to amazing Nick how far you could get with a little money.
He knew his way around fairly good, he always took mental notes about certain cities when they travelled there on tours. Jotting down in his head all the places he would like to revisit, though as a tourist rather than an attraction. He stopped outside The Royal Hotel a flashy multi storied hotel with floodlights crawling up its perfectly crafted exterior. A valet quickly took his car as a porter organized his suitcases onto the trolley. He strolled inside, and had to admit the interior of the hotel was pretty damn impressive, but he was far from overwhelmed – this was the usual place he stayed.
He decided to get some sleep before setting of to Manhattan to track down Mr. & Mrs. Baker.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ashlee’s eyes stumbled around the room in confusion. Where was she? What were the beeping noises around her? it took her a few minutes to recognize where she was – a hospital. She didn’t know where or why, but she was sure that’s where she was. She tried to speak but her voice was quite and raspy.
“Hello?” she managed as her fingers traced around the dark bed searching for the bell
The door creaked open and the light flickered on. Ashlee struggled with the light for a moment while her eyes adjusted.
“What happened?” she questioned, her voice barely audible
“You were in an accident dear, you’re in the hospital” the nurse smiled sweetly as she wandered to the bed
Ashlee looked around the room, she was the only one there, but the whole room was covered in different types of flowers, each beautifully wrapped up standing proudly in multi-sized vases some even old jars.
“Who are all these from?” she questioned, trying to sit up, but her whole body felt weak
“From your boyfriend, such a lovely man, in and out of here every single day you know, you should be proud to have such a lovely boyfriend” the older nurse smiled, her slightly wrinkle framed eyes shining brightly with excitement
Boyfriend? Ashlee wondered - she didn’t have one. Well there was Jacob, but this wasn’t his work. He was a relatively nice guy – when he wanted something. She sighed to herself, could this all be from him – she didn’t know anyone else.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick awoke around 8 and stumbled, yawning frequently, out of bed. Rubbing his eyes gently her pattered into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“And you’re address?” the doctor questioned Ashlee as she sat bolt upright in the bed
“Look I’m fine, I’d just like to go home” she sighed, she didn’t have amnesia she remembered everything about her life – including every shitty little thing she would rather have forgotten.
“Miss you’ve been in a coma for sometime now it’s best –“
“Please just sign the discharge papers, I believe you cant force me to stay and I feel fine” she interrupted, anxious to see Jacob, the one who’d come to her bedside everyday like the nurses had told her
The doctor sighed. He’d done a through investigation into her injuries, she had little signs of anything that could harm her.
“Not even a day?” he questioned, hoping she would agree
“Please, I have a life I would like to get back to, I cant afford anytime off work”
“Alright, but could you come back tomorrow at lunch, for a check up?”
She nodded softly.
“It’s a deal” she smiled
“And if you have a headache of any type come in immediately, and it would be preferable for you to rest for a while”
“We all need to work”
“I’m aware of that, just take it easy. It was a big knock”
She smiled, nodded and thanked him for his thoughtfulness.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick knocked lightly on the white painted door and waited a step back from the door for an answer. Within a few seconds the door opened to reveal a smiling older lady, her hair slightly grey, but her eyes a bright and perfect blue. He suspected she would be around her 50’s but the blond hair and sun she probably once had, had made her look older than she was.
“Mrs. Baker?” he questioned
“Yes, are you selling something?” she laughed cheerfully
“No” he smiled “I’m here about your foster daughter”
“Marie?”
“No, Ashlee”
The ladies face dropped a bit.
“Ashlee doesn’t live here” she snapped quickly
“I know that, I’m a friend of hers, down in Florida”
“Florida? I thought she was in California. Obviously, I’ll be no assistance to you”
“Have you spoken to Ashlee lately”
“Not since she left. She left under bad weather, so we don’t speak”
“May I ask what happened?”
Mrs. Baker looked at him with wonder.
“How do you know Ashlee?” she questioned
“Actually, you’re daughter, Ashlee is, uh” Nick thought for a minute, he needed to find out what the ‘bad weather’ was she was talking about. All of a sudden something inside him pushed him to say something he knew he’d regret “She’s my fiancé” he blurted out.
“Really?” the ladies eyes gasped.
“She doesn’t know I’m here, I’m just trying to piece her life together, to help her you know” he spoke kindly.
She opened the door wider and gestured for him to come inside.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ashlee smiled in the bright sunlight as she bundled her things into the cab. She couldn’t help wondering what had possessed Jacob to do all the things he’d done. She instructed the driver where to go, and she prayed he would be there.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“So what is it, you’d like to know?” Mrs. Baker questioned, handing Nick a freshly made cup of coffee.
“Why she left New York” he stated, taking a sip
“Ashlee was shipped around a lot. She never had a terrible upbringing or anything like that, so don’t go thinking she did. But it’s always been in her nature”
“What has?”
“Depression, she gets it so bad sometimes, poor girl cries for days on end, and for no apparent reason, she never really had anyone she thought she could turn to. We sent her to therapists and for a while they worked, but she fall again, and I believe it was their fault”
“Whose fault?” Nick inquired, taking another sip
“The boys she dated. Always knew how to pick ‘em. Always going for the ones that hurt her, poor child kept blaming herself. I didn’t know how to handle her really. Then she got involved, 2 years back with Jacob, son of our next door neighbour, that was one summer a while back, anyway he moved back to Florida and she followed him. I warned her it would be the death of her. That chap was no good, everyone knew it, she couldn’t see it though”
“Sometimes we don’t see the thorns through the roses” Nick smiled
“Damn straight. We told her if she left with him, she wasn’t welcome back. We thought it would snap her into order, she was a young girl you see. But she was a damned determined girl, and she went with him, haven’t heard from her since” she leant back in her chair “I don’t suppose she mentions much about us”
Nick leaned forward in his chair “She knows you only ever cared for her” he smiled
“You will tell her I send my love, I would like to see her again”
“I’ll pass that along Mrs. Baker” he nodded. He toiled with telling her about the accident, but he decided against it, there was some bitterness between the two, he could see that much, and he wondered maybe if Ashlee might not want to see her.
“Thank you so much for your time” he smiled as he finished his drink
“Not a problem dear” she nodded
He smiled his approval, slowly but surely he was piecing the puzzle of the strangers life together – he was in fact, Following the steps back in time.