Loving Him (Ashton Irwin a.u.)

Chapter 7

I tugged on some jeans and the nearest top, pushing my arms into the sleeves of my jumper and grabbing my car keys. I didn't read the whole letter from Ashton through, just that Aiden had a fever and a rash and wouldn't wake up so Ashton's mother took him to A&E.

By the time I had arrived at the hospital it was 6AM, and worry was streaming through my veins. Maybe I hardly knew Aiden, but in the time I had been with him I had made a connection. I didn't know if babies could instinctively feel that kind of thing, but I knew I felt something special towards the meaty lump called Aiden.

Which is why I screamed at the receptionist as I ran in, "Where is Aiden Irwin?!"

She gawked at me, horrified, before typing away on her little computer to find out for me. A good few minutes later, she replied, "He hasn't been assigned a room or doctor yet, but he and his carers are in the pediatric wing of the hospital."

"Great, thank you, where's that?"

"Follow the signs, ma'am, I've got a queue of people behind you."

I glared at the lady and stomped off towards the maze of halls beyond the waiting area.

As soon as I reached the pediatric ward I was greeted with a whole group of worried-looking people, only a few of whom I knew as Ashton's immediate family. I didn't know who to walk to first, so I just hovered until Ashton's mother called me over.

"You must be Maisie!" she greeted with a rueful smile. "I'm Anne-Marie, Ashton's mum."

"Oh, Mrs Irwin, you must be worried sick," I responded while shaking her outstretched hand. "Do the doctors know what it is yet? Where's Ashton? And Aiden?" A whole string of questions swam through my head.

She tilted her head to the side slightly with the same sad smile on her face as she told me, "They suspect it's menangitis. Ash is in the room with Aiden."

A gasp escaped my lips as I brought a hand to my face, shock coursing through me. I never expected this to happen. I didn't know much about menangitis, but I knew it didn't like babies very much. Anne-Marie stood up, offering me her seat, and I gratefully lowered myself into it, resting my throbbing head in my hands. I couldn't get my thoughts together. What was going to happen to Aiden? Why wasn't Lauren in the room with him instead of Ashton? Why did Aiden have to get ill? Was he going to survive? Too many questions, not enough answers. All I knew was I was just as hopelessly worried as anyone else in the room, as if Aiden was my own son or grandson or nephew. I loved him.

It was incredible to think how quickly someone could love a child compared to how long it took to fall in love with a man or a lover. I suspected it was trust. A baby could never do you wrong, could never cheat you or cheat on you, rob you dry, lie to you. A baby would hold you and sense your sadness and comfort you without trying. The baby I met at first was just a stranger, an intimidation, though now he was so important to me that I couldn't help but cry at the news of his illness.

Ann-Marie put a gentle hand on my shoulder comfortingly and gave me a weak smile as she rubbed my back. "What are we gonna do?" I asked her quietly.

"Well, honey, all we can really do is sit and wait and hope for the best. Don't worry too much. He's in the best possible hands."

It was then that I realised that only a minute or so after meeting my boyfriend's mother I was sobbing in a hospital chair. Oh god - this was not a great first impression.

I wiped my eyes and tugged on my ponytail to make it tighter before standing up. "Mrs Irwin," I began, holding my hand out. "I apologise for my manners. We've just met. I'm Maisie Lee."