Picture Perfect

Chapter 55

    "Mommy wake up already!" I heard my son say insistently but I just couldn't seem to open my eyes. I wanted to but everything was just so hazy.
    "Sebastian you have to be patient. Mommy was hurt pretty badly. She needs to rest as much as she can to get better." I heard Aaron say, it sounded a little clearer but still fairly distant.
    "But her eyelids moved a bit Daddy, I think she's ready to wake up." Sebastian said with a weird mix of concern and confidence.
    How long had I been out that my son sounded so concerned. The last thing I remembered was Chyler firing my gun twice in my direction. Then Katie, the psycho serial killer and I falling to the floor.
    Suddenly relief swept over me. The last time I had seen Aaron and Sebastian they were passed out in the basement. They had looked lifeless in those chairs but since I heard them talking they must be okay, they were alive. Obviously I was alive too, I just couldn't seem to open my eyes. I didn't know why my eyes weren't opening and it was pissing me off. I just kept thinking, "Open eyes, open!" After about the twentieth time they finally opened though all I saw was the ceiling of a strange room. I tried to sit up but someone pushed me back down.
    "Easy there partner." Hayley said. "Aaron will you go get the doctor?"
    "Sure thing!" I heard Aaron say then I heard a door open then close.
    I tried to say something to Hayley but found I couldn't talk very easily.
    "Relax Ash, you have a tube down your throat. You shouldn't try to talk yet." Hayley informed me. "Just wait for the doctor."
    I didn't want to wait though, I wanted to talk now. I needed to know what the fuck was going on. Why was I here? What happened to Katie? Hell, what day was it?
    Luckily Aaron was fast because before I could physically try to pull the tube out the door opened.
    "Hello Ashlee." Said a voice that sounded vaguely familiar yet I couldn't place it. "You definitely woke up sooner than expected."
    I pointed to the tube and acted like I was going to pull it out.
    The doctor got the hint, "I wouldn't advise taking that out on your own Ashlee. It would be quite painful and you could cause permanent damage to your vocal chords."
    I managed to croak out a painful response, "Out now!"
    Hayley laughed and said, "May as well take it out Doc, she's gotta start bitching sometime. Unless you dope her up really well and quickly, she'll likely pull it out herself."
    The doctor looked me in the eyes then sighed, "Alright, you win." Then he turned to Hayley, "Give me a few minutes to get her cleaned up and checked out then she can have visitors again."
    It took twenty minutes for the doctor to double and triple check every word and number on the chart, then every machine I was hooked up to. Finally with a slight frown he took the damn tube out.
    "You know Ashlee, most people with your kind of chest injury stay out of it for at least twice as long as you did. But I have to say you are healing remarkably well."
    "Thank you!" I whispered. My throat felt raw. "What happened exactly? How long have I been out?"
    "You were shot through your upper left lung. The bullet slightly grazed your heart and lodged in the back of your rib cage. You've been in a medically induced coma for a week." He said and walked out of the room.
    The first person to come back in was Hayley. "How are you feeling partner?" She asked tentatively.
    "Sore. What happened? Bash is okay, right?"
    "Yeah, him and Aaron are out in the hall. Chyler and Kayla are here too."    "And that fucking crazy bitch Katie?"
    "Here at the hospital recovering, hand cuffed to her bed with twenty-four hour guards. Apparently Cain and Zebbie didn't appreciate her pointing a gun at you or drugging the boys. They knocked her off balance enough that her bullet wound was not lethal."
    "Well good thing neither of our wounds were fatal."
    Hayley forces a smile but didn't say anything.
    "What?" I could see she was deciding if she should say what she was thinking.
    With a slightly shaky voice Hayley said, "Your injury was very close Ash."
    "Are the animals okay?" I quickly asked, changing the subject though it was painful to speak.
    "Yes all five of your animals are fine." Hayley said, seeming relieved by the change in subject. She then added, probably in response to my confused expression. "Cain had three healthy kittens."
    "Oh." I said and nodded slightly. "So back to my original question. What happened?"
    ""Honestly I don't know for sure. Jameson and I entered the house and heard the gun shots. When we ran into the basement you were passed out and bleeding, as was Katie." Hayley explained, the emotion threatening to make her voice crack again. "You had me worried partner. I thought you were dead."
    "Can't get rid of me that easily." I whispered.
    "True, you're too stubborn for that." Hayley said with a slight smile. "Chyler is probably the better one to ask about details."
    "Before that I feel the need for a Bash hug. So where's my son?"
    Hayley smiled and left the room. Merely seconds later Sebastian flew into the room yelling, "Mommy, you're awake!"
    The voice that followed him was not who I expected, "Bash be careful, your mom still has some pretty big boo boos." Chyler warned as Sebastian climbed onto my bed.
    "Are you okay Mommy?" He asked. I could see tears forming in his eyes as he asked.
    "I'll be fine baby, just sore for a bit." I croaked with a smile.
    He laid down by my side and said. "I was scared you wouldn't be okay Mommy!"
    "I'll be fine little man, no need to worry about me. I'm tough."
    He sat up and asked, "Can I sleep here tonight with you?"
    I shook my head, "No baby, somebody needs to keep an eye on Cain and her kittens. Can you watch over them for me until I get home little man?"
    He nodded his head, "Daddy moved their box into my room after we woke up, Cain seems happy with it. But Zebbie's sad she can't sleep with me."
    "Well then I better get home soon so Zebbie can be happy again. But until then I know Cain and her kittens are in good hands."
    "Can I visit you while you're here Mommy?"
    "You better! And bring pictures of the kittens for me to see too." I said with a smile, willing my voice to sound stronger than it was.
    "Daddy has some on his phone. I'll go get it! They are so cute!" Sebastian said jumping off the bed and running out of the room before I could say anything.
    I looked up at Chyler and asked, "How are you doing?"
    She smiled slightly, though her eyes showed quilt. "Far better than you. I'm so sorry."
    "Feel like talking about what happened?" I asked gently.
    "About me stupidly thinking I could save the day?" Chyler said rolling her eyes.
    "Chyler, you saved me and the boys."
    "Right." She replied with a weak laugh. "But I nearly killed you Ashlee."
    "Kinda true but if you hadn't intervened that woman would have killed me for sure. That's huge."
    "I just panicked. There was the explosion, then you didn't come out of the house. I was scared." Chyler said, tears now flowing down her face.
    "It's okay Chyler." I whispered offering a smile then joked. "But before you walk into another crime scene can I take you to a shooting range, your aim needs a little work."
    Chyler actually laughed through the tears, "I know! I've always been a terrible shot!"
    I didn't know if it was the drugs likely still in my system that prompted my next question but for some reason I was felling bold, "When I get out of here can I take you to dinner?"
    "You don't have to thank me or repay me Ashlee." She said.
    "Actually I was thinking more along the lines of a first date." I said with a smile.
    Chyler walked up next to me and smiled, "I'd love to."
    Then she leaned in and kissed me on the lips. Good thing the doctor had turned off the heart monitor.