The Piano || 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬

|62|

Despite taking a long, warm shower that relaxed her muscles and eased the tension that had collected in her entire body, Ashley didn't sleep well, barely at all. She wasn't entirely awake either, however, but conscious enough to feel her mind drifting in and out of sleep. Unconscious enough so as not to be able to do anything. And all accompanied by regular cramps that didn't relent even as she tried to find a better position to sleep in.

To put it briefly, it was hell. And when her phone rang sometime in the early morning hours and she could finally peel her eyelids open, it felt like she hadn't had a second of rest.

Sleepily reaching over, she picked up the phone without checking who was calling.

"Ashley?" Sam's voice asked, and she hummed in confirmation. "Did I wake you?"

"Mh, yeah, but it's fine," she muttered, sitting up in bed. "Is Colby okay?"

"Yep, we're in the room the triplets rented in a motel nearby. Where they were supposed to stay the night after the investigation, I mean. They gave us strong pain meds at the hospital, and he was told to keep the ankle cool to avoid swelling." A second of silence filled the phone. "He's asking how you are."

Ashley hesitated, and before she could answer, a rustling reached her. Then, Colby's voice hummed, "Good morning..." He sounded like he wanted to add something, but decided against it. "How is your head?"

"It's... alright," she replied. "But I slept pretty shitty and have a headache now."

"So not alright?" he chuckled, and she let out a sigh.

"No, not really. What about your ankle, though?"

"I took some pain medication, so I don't really feel anything, and I've been resting and cooling it," he said, and she could practically hear the nonchalant shrug. "So, I'd say I'm pretty good. But I won't come back up there."

"And I don't want to stay here any longer than necessary." Ashley's voice was firm. She needed to get away.

"We've called a road service for you, it should be there in about an hour to fix the car," Colby said. "Matt's with them, so he can drive you back. Sam and I are waiting in the motel."

"Thanks," she said. "Are Nick and Chris still asleep?"

"Probably? Matt tried calling them, but no one picked up."

Ashley chuckled. "Alright, I'll wake them up and start packing up my and your stuff."

"Great, thanks a lot. My clothes are in my bag anyway, there should just be a charger somewhere and the stuff in the bathroom."

"No problem," she replied, smiling.

It was silent for a second before he added, "Sam says he should have a power bank lying around somewhere next to his bed, so look out for that. Oh, and the laptop and cameras and all that stuff on the coffee table. But I think that's pretty visible."

"That's it?" she asked, getting out of bed and holding the phone between her shoulder and jaw while she started pulling out clothes for the day out of her bag.

"That should be it, yeah," Colby replied.

"Cool, I'll take care of it. Just text me if you think you forgot about something."

"I will."

After a few more seconds of silence, the call ended, and Ashley laid the phone onto the bed before changing into fresh clothes. She didn't care to shower right now; a bit of deodorant would need to do. Then she took one of the painkillers that were left in the package and hoped that it would kick in quickly.

When she was ready, she knocked at the door to the other room, where Nick and Chris were sleeping.

"Rise and shine, boys," she called out. "We're getting out of here."

After a bit of rustling, the door was opened to reveal Nick, who was still pulling a shirt over his head. It was the same as yesterday since the triplets had left their clothes in the motel before they'd continued to Hoffman Hotel. Well, at least she wasn't the only one a bit off track.

Chris grumbled something, turning around in his bed. He'd taken the one further away from the window and tried to hide from the light by burying his head in the pillows.

"He can continue sleeping if he wants to," she decided, quickly scanning the room. "I'm going to start packing up Sam and Colby's stuff."

"What about breakfast?" Nick asked.

"Are you hungry right now?"

The pause was all she needed to know, and she stepped forward to the bathroom, where she started grabbing stuff and throwing it into a necessity bag she found standing on the sink. Either one of the boys didn't have one, or they both used the same. Ashley found herself smiling at the latter thought.

Back in the room, she saw that Nick was already gathering cables and putting mics, lights and cameras into their respective bags. He yawned every few seconds, but at least he wasn't in bed still. Other than Chris, who had barely sat up yet.

Ashley didn't mind. She just hurried with stuffing things away in either one of the bags since she wasn't sure what belonged to whom, while Nick filled the backpack with the equipment. It was done quickly, but before she could search the room for lost things, someone knocked on the door.

She quickly walked over and opened it. A member of the hotel staff was standing there, smiling apologetically. Behind him was Matt.

"A mechanic was ordered for you," the employee said. "I suppose you know about this?"

"Yes, thank you," Ashley said, smiling. "We'll be right there."

The employee left with a quick nod, and Matt entered the room. Chris had finally gotten out of bed and walked over to the bathroom, whereas Nick had put all the equipment away. The room was ready to be left.

Every other guest of the hotel was probably eating breakfast right now, but Ashley had no appetite. All she wanted was to leave this place, and she checked herself, Sam and Colby out with more impatience than what was appropriate. Did she care? No.

Outside, the mechanic was already working on the car. She'd parked nearby, and Ashley could tell that she was anything but happy to have been ordered to a place like this. But if they didn't want the car to be towed down the mountain, this was the only solution.

"It's things like this that are the reason why I'm telling you to get a license," Matt told Nick and Chris. "I'm only here because you need to be chauffeured out of here."

"Come on, you're talking like this is a common situation," Nick scoffed. "This is literally the most exceptional situation you could come up with."

"And yet it happened," Matt mused, kicking a stone over the pavement.

Ashley sat down on the curb and closed her eyes, listening to the triplet's bickering. The sun was shining comfortably, and she could feel herself relax. Despite all that had happened, she was still alright. And Colby was. And Sam and the Sturniolos, of course.

When she glanced at the hotel and compared it to the day before, it felt peaceful. A little empty, even. As if the dark cloud hanging over the hotel was usually missing.

When the mechanic finally stepped away from the car and closed the hood, Ashley smiled broadly at her. And she could have sworn that the trace of a smile tugged at the woman's lips, despite her annoyance. Today was going to be a better day.