terrible things - ashton irwin

thirty

Eventually, Ashton was admitted to the LA Junta hospital, and a nurse took us to a private room. She helped him into a bed, and I hopped up on the empty one beside him.

"Are you going to write this down?" Ashton wondered aloud. "In your journal?"

"I only write down the good parts of our adventures," I said.

Ashton snorted. "You can't write a book without a conflict."

I said, "Who said anything about a book? This is my journal. It's a turquoise notebook I got at Target for two-ninety-nine."

Ashton shrugged. "You never know..."

For some reason, this made me laugh. "Sure. I'll write a book," I told him, "as long as you promise to actually read it."

He held up his little finger. "pinkie swear."

But before I could lean towards him, a voice boomed from the doorway.

"So, just what do me have here?" We looked up to see a bearded giant wearing a lab coat and staring at us.

He introduced himself as Dr. Ellsworth, and he hadn't even asked Ashton's last name before he launched into a list of questions.

Did Ashton use drugs? Alcohol? Had he traveled internationally recently? Was he allergic to any foods? Had he eaten any spinach during last moth's E. coli outbreak.

Ashton shuddered at the thought of spinach. He answered no to everything.

I was still amazed by the doctor's size. He could have been a circus strongman, but now he's bending over Ashton's chest listening to his heart and lungs.

He was frowning.

He palpated Ashton's stomach, and Ashton inhaled sharply, wincing. I had to look away then. I couldn't bear to see him in pain.

After a several minutes, Dr. Ellsworth spoke.

"I'm going to send you to get a CT scan and an X-ray. There are...abnormalities."

Just because i was expecting to hear something like this didn't mean it didn't know the wind out of me.

I drew in some wobbly breath as Ashton said, "Actually, is it's all the same to you, Doctor, I'd rather not have those things."

"You might be very ill young man," the doctor said.

Ashton watched him, blinking his hazel eyes.

"Might," he allowed. "But let's just leave it at that. No news is good news, right? In the meantime, I do think i have a touch of the flu or something."

He offered the best rakish grin he could muster, which, considering the situation was pretty impressive.

"You have walking pneumonia," Dr Ellsworth said. "And pleurisy is likely. I can tell you that right now."

"Please let that be all he had," I whispered.

I suddenly thought of the orb Ashton had bought me in Mount Shasta, and I reached for it at the bottom of my backpack. I ra my fingers over the smooth surface. It was both worry stone and a good-luck charm.

The doctor turned to me. "And you?" he asked. "Are you in need of any medical care you'd like to refuse?"

I shook my head. "I'm just here for moral support," I said.

Dr. Ellsworth walked over to the side of the bed i was borrowing and touched my neck. His fingers were cool.

"I see the scar right here," he said. "It's from a burn isn't it?"