Loving Him (Ashton Irwin a.u.)

Chapter 3

The next week-and-a-bit went by normally and I didn't see Ashton, but we did exchange a few texts.

The Sunday after I met up with Ashton I got a call from my parents. It was about my uncle Peter. He was getting worse.

He was diagnosed with lung cancer ten and a half months ago, just before Christmas. He'd been bed bound since, but now he'd been rushed into hospital. He couldn't breathe well.

I didn't hesitate. The second I hung up the call with my parents I ran to my boss for permission to leave work early, before jumping into my car and racing past all red traffic lights to get to the local hospital. I didn't care if I got a ticket. I didn't care if I got my liscence revoked. I was seeing my uncle, no questions asked.

When I pulled up to the hospital car park there were practically no spaces available. After driving round in circles for what felt like a lifetime, I found a half-decent space and leaped out the car, only to run straight into Ashton.

Who had a baby sitting on his forearm with its arms wrapped around his neck and its head resting on his shoulder.

I froze. Ashton looked at me, his eyes wide with panic, as it seemed.

"Ashton?" I gasped, incredulous.

"Maisie, I... Hi," Ashton said before wrapping his free arm behind me and pulling me to his chest for a quick, awkward hug. I was too shocked to hug him back.

When we pulled apart, I pointed at the chubby body he was holding onto so naturally and said, "What's this?"

As if only just remembering he was carrying a baby, Ashton looked at it for a visual aid, before looking back at me without saying anything. He looked like he couldn't think of anything to say.

"Are you babysitting?" I asked, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"Oh!" Ashton exclaimed, upsetting the baby, before bouncing it up and down in his grip and hushing it. I shifted my stance, more than a little uneasy at the sight of him naturally handling a baby that was about to start crying. "Yeah, yeah... I... Sure, yeah. This is, um, my sister's son. Yeah. She's busy. Asked me to watch him."

I squinted at Ashton and cocked my head to the side, with the suspicion that he wasn't telling me the truth. "Why are you at the hospital with your nephew?"

"He bumped his head," Ashton answered, rolling his eyes playfully, taking the baby's hand in his and playing with the fingers. I tried not to stare but I was extremely conscious of Ashton's actions towards his sister's son.

Ashton suddenly snapped his head back to me, asking, "Wait - why are you at the hospital? Are you okay?" He stepped closer and put his free hand on my neck. My stomach flipped at the skin-on-skin contact and I blushed fiercely.

"I... I'm just visiting."

"Oh." Ashton sighed a breath of relief. "Good."

"Yeah. I'd better get going."

"Oh," he repeated.

I waited as Ashton bent down to peck my lips and then took the baby's arm and made it wave at me. I laughed because Ashton clearly thought it was cute but I was freaking out inside. Seeing my love interest with a baby was...uncomfortable, to say the least.

Just before I rushed out of earshot, Ashton called me back.

"I had a really good time the other day," he told me, his voice gentle. "If you don't mind, I'd really like to take you out again."

"Yeah, I'd like that," I replied half-heartedly, my mind still in another place. "I... Uh, I need to... Yes. Ok. Yes, I'll go out with you again. When?"