Loving Him (Ashton Irwin a.u.)

Chapter 4

The five work days between Monday and Friday passed slowly, bar the interesting news stories. It was a tough week of working nine-to-five then visiting my uncle Peter in hospital in the evenings with my parents and brother. It brought the four of us together, despite my distant state due to the condition Peter was in. He'd been awake a couple of times when we visited him, but he was on too many steroids to be able to talk that well. His condition wasn't getting better. But it didn't seem to be getting worse either.

And when Saturday came I found myself going to Peter in the morning without my family, and he was awake. And we had a conversation.

"Hey, Uncle Peter," I said softly as I bent down to squeeze his shoulders in a hug gently. He couldn't hug me back because of all of the wires he was attached to, but when I pulled away and sat down I saw he was smiling limply at me.

"Hello," he greeted before wheezing out a few coughs.

"Do you need water?" I asked, grabbing a glass by his bed and filling it up at the tap in the corner of the yellow-painted room. When I got back to him he'd finished coughing but he took the water gladly.

"Why'd you come visit me?" he slurred.

"Is it a bad time?"

"No, never! You're just not with your parents, that's all. I thought you preferred to see me with them and old Ed. Now let me tell you something, Mais. I never liked the name 'Edward.' Always thought it was too fancy for our family. But 'Ed'... That suits us better. Sounds more like a block of wood, 'Ed' does. Ed's better."

I laughed at his randomness and nodded my head in agreement. "I'm sure you're not the only one that think that."

"Do you think that?" I didn't answer, but my contained giggles were answer enough. "I thought so. I have a very popular opinion, you know."

"I know," I said, but it wasn't true. He had a very controversial view on life - an often racist view - but sometimes when my parents weren't around he said a few things I couldn't help but agree with.

"So what brings you to this side of the door?" he asked, his eyelids starting to droop a little bit. I knew I'd need to leave soon.

"I wanted to see you, say 'hi.'"

"You saw me yesterday, what's going on?"

"Well I've got a...date later so I won't see you then."

"OOH!" he exclaimed, his sudden reaction making the IV line going into his hand strain a little, and he winced. "Who's the guy?!"

I blushed a little and bit my lip. "His name is Ashton, we met in Starbucks a couple of weeks ago."

"What does he do? Doctor? Lawyer?"

"He's a teacher."

Uncle Peter sighed. "He ain't much good to you if he's not making the big bucks, darling," he said.

"Since when?" I asked, my brows furrowing and my arms crossing over my chest.

"I was only joking, calm down!" he said quickly with a wheezy laugh, before doubling over in another coughing fit.

I reached for his glass of water, but by the time I'd turned around to give it to him he'd fallen asleep.

I stood up from the chair and left the room, smiling at the nurses in the ward before leaving the hospital altogether, tears in my eyes.

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That evening I started getting ready for my date with Ashton at six o'clock. I'd just ran errands all day, wearing tracksuit bottoms, a slouchy cut-out top and my big-frame glasses, but now I was ready to dress "fancy". I liked dressing up. It was one of those distractions people are always looking for - like music, or drawing.