Chapter Six

Chapter Six: Old Boyfriends, Crashes and Interruptions.

I stared at his face, my mouth open.  Was I really seeing this?!  It couldn’t be!  David Brown?! David f*****g Brown?!  Oh god!  No way!  He stared back at me, his honey gold hair falling over his deep blue eyes.  His face was cute, with a perfect jaw and perfect nose.  His body was well formed, with thick muscles covering his biceps and showing through the tight, blue t-shirt he was wearing.  He stood up, his tray off food completely forgotten.  He’d changed, and I mean really changed.  Why hadn’t his name registered when Jackie had told me? Probably because Ash had just nearly kissed me.

David Brown, my old boyfriend.

We’d dated at the age of eight, well, when I say dated, I mean we went on play dates to each other’s houses.  Our parents had thought it was cute, and David had even kissed me on the cheek a few times.  He had been one of my only friends that weren’t Demon Hunters.  I lost contact with him when my parents died, and hadn’t hurt from him since.  He tried to call me when he found out about my parents, but I’d ignored his calls, wanting to be alone.  I’d felt bad towards him, but at that moment in time, I’d been full of sadness and anger.  I blinked as I looked at him, all the memories flooding back to me, making me sad.  I sighed a little and turned on my heel to walk out the door again.

“Ayre!” David’s rough voice said. 

Okay, that was different. The last time I’d spoken to him he had a high voice, this was before puberty.  I froze where I stood, that voice… it was sexy.  My god, what was wrong with me?! I’d already fallen for two guys in the matter of a week!  I looked at him over my shoulder and swallowed loudly when I saw his cute face.  He was nowhere near as sexy and cute as Ash, but he had that face that was easy to love.  I shivered and thought about Ash, he’d nearly kissed me this morning, but that didn’t mean anything. He might have thought it a good idea at the time, using something like a kiss to make sure I wouldn’t burst into tears.  God, what was I going through?!  David saw me shiver and raised an eyebrow.

“Erm.. I gotta be somewhere,” I mumbled, a pathetic excuse. 

I stormed out the building and slammed the door behind me, Jackie ran over to me and pulled me out the crowd of people still outside the door, trying to catch a glimpse of David.  Clearly, Jackie and I weren’t the only ones thinking that David was hot.  Jackie stopped a little way from the crowd.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, frowning.

“I know him,” I told her.

Jackie raised an eyebrow at me.

“How?” she asked.

“Childhood friends,” I told her, looking at my feet.  “And we sort of went out when we were little.”

Jackie’s eyes widened in shock.  She looked a little furious that I’d already dated David.

“You’ve dated him already?!” she asked.

“Yes, sort of, we were eight, though, Jackie,” I told her, rolling my eyes at her expression.  “He’s just an old friend, feel free to make a move on him.  Now, I’m going back home for some more sleep, tell them I’ll be back tomorrow to start the basics with him. Also, if anyone tries to disturb me, I will not be held responsible for my actions.”

We both grinned. 

“’Kay, Ayre,” Jackie said, grinning.  “I somehow don’t think anyone would be stupid enough to even try and drag you out of bed!”

She laughed and waved as I walked off, heading towards my car.  I could hear the woman in the crowd, all talking about ways to get into the dining hall.  But there was only one entrance, not even a fire exit, which was quite dangerous.  And guards were covering the only entrance, so no way would anyone get in there that wasn’t allowed.  Like Jackie.  As I climbed into my car, I looked back to see Jackie talking to another girl in the crowd, who glanced back at me.  I slammed my car door shut and turned on my engine, causing a few people to look at me as I pulled out of my parking space.  I drove out the parking lot and headed down the road, easily clearing the speed limit in moments.  I sighed and sat back, clipping my seat belt into place, taking my eyes off the road for just a second.

I had no idea what happened next, all I heard was a crash and then nothing.  I opened my eyes to find myself on the ground, well, the ground that was outside my window.  Shattered glass was everywhere and I could see something dark on the black tarmac.  I could feel it against the side of my head, sticking to my hair.  Out the front windscreen I could see some cars that had been battered up.  My windscreen was broken, and so was my driver’s side window, hence all the glass and why my cheek was pressed against the cold tarmac.  I could smell something burning somewhere.  One of my arms was above my head, the other was on my hip, my hand dangling behind me.  I felt a sharp pain and moved my head a little, wincing as I did so.  I saw a large piece of glass stick out my side and started to hyperventilate.  I knew that wouldn’t help and tried to calm myself down as I heard people shouting.  People were moving outside the car, coming over to my car or checking the other cars.  I returned my gaze to the piece of glass embedded in my side and tried to calm myself.  I would make it worse if I panicked.  I felt dizzy and sick, and whenever I moved my head, it swam and my vision blurred. 

I felt tired, but I knew I couldn’t sleep, I had to stay awake.  The seatbelt I’d been putting on before the crash was underneath my side, digging into it.  The pain from the glass was bad but I tried to block it out.  I didn’t move, I might damage my spine or something.  I knew what the dark, sticky stuff was that was around my head and soaking my top, it was blood, and it was coming from my head, the dull, throbbing pain in the side of my head. It was slowly getting more and more painful.  Someone ran towards my car, they stopped when the noticed me awake and got to their knees so they could stick their head through the frame that the windscreen had been in.  It was a man, he looked about forty, maybe older.  His hair was silver and he was wearing horn-rimmed glasses.  He looked at my face and smiled a little.

“The ambulances will be here soon, honey,” he said soothingly.

I nodded numbly. 

“I’m not going to move you encase I damage anything but I’ll stay with you,” he told me.

I nodded, it hurt, so I stopped.  I could hear sirens approaching.  I was breathing heavily, but that was from the fact that I hadn’t really calmed down yet from seeing the glass in my side.  I looked at the man’s old-ish face to calm me down.  I looked past him to see someone stood near my car.  Oh dear god!  It was Ash.  And he looked like he was about to kill me.  His eyes traced the blood of blood around my head and then travelled along my body, seeing all my cuts and scrapes that I’d gotten off the glass.  I whimpered at the pain and his eyes locked onto mine.  His eyes were dark, meaning he was trying to resist my blood. My breathing started to regulate.  He calmed me down, even with that look on his face, the look of a killer, of someone who wanted to kill me.  The old man turned to see what I was looking at but Ash disappeared before he could catch a glimpse of him.  I let my eyes close, the pain was getting too much, and the loss of blood was making me sleepy.  The man tried to keep me awake, but in the end, I let the darkness take me.

 

I was comfy, that was the first thing I felt when I woke up, next was the pain.  I gasped and my eyes flew open, catching a glimpse of a white ceiling before I sat bolt up in the… bed?! Hang on!  I glanced around the room, it was bare, apart from the bed, beeping machines next to me and a plastic chair next to my bed.  There was a window on my left, and it was open, sending a cool breeze into the room.  I shivered and clamped my hand to my side when pain shot through it.  I could feel a dressing on my wound and one of the side of my head.  I was hyperventilating again, which made my ribs hurt.  I must have broken some ribs as well, or just bruises something there.  I was wearing one of those horrible white hospital gowns, the kind that opened at the back, and if you bent down, anyone behind you could see your butt.  I looked at my arms and saw them covered in bruises and scratches.  I sighed as the memories of the crash came back.  I could only remember before, trying to put my seat belt on, my eyes only left the road for a moment, and then… nothing, up until I woke up after the crash, bleeding.  Then that man had come and…

“Ash!” I gasped.

I looked around the room, expecting him to be there, but he wasn’t.  I swallowed the lump in my throat and sat back against the pillows, holding my head, my eyes closed.  I breathed in deeply and then out.  I tried to remember the crash, but I couldn’t.  All I could remember was a crash noise, and then I woke up on the floor with the crash over.  I didn’t even know what caused it.  Probably a truck or another car crashing into me when I was speeding and not looking.  Damn that seat belt, why hadn’t I put it on before I’d set off?!  I thought about my car and groaned! It would cost a fortune to fix, and I didn’t even know the rest of the damage yet.  Good thing my motorcycle was still in storage at the Training Centre.  I’d use that until my car got fixed.  In some ways I liked my motorcycle better than my car, it was easier to park, I could weave in and out of traffic instead of sitting in it and I could fill up the tank at the Centre. 

I opened my eyes again and looked at the window, it was going dark, and there wasn’t a clock in the room so I had no idea what time it was.  I wanted to close the window, but I couldn’t be bothered to get out of bed.  I looked at the machine next to me, checking my heart rate and pressure.  The steady beat told me I was okay, and that I was still alive and not dead.  I glanced at the IV drip going into my arm and grimaced.  One thing I hated more than Demon’s…. needles.  Yes, that might be a little sad, me, the one that takes on all sorts of monsters, afraid of needles! Its humiliating.   But I didn’t think it was natural, and I was always afraid that the metal would snap and become embedded in my skin. 

I sighed and collapsed back onto the bed again, making pain shoot through me.  I heard the door open a little bit and pretended to be asleep, I really didn’t want to get into a conversation right now.  I was tired and in pain, whatever was in the IV clearly wasn’t working to fight against the pain.  I wondered what day it was, how many days or hours it was after the crash.  I could have been in a coma for five years and I wouldn’t know.  It felt like only seconds ago I’d been in a car crash and had woken up, blood all around me.  I winced at the memory.

“You know, many people don’t dwell on the past so much,” came a voice to my left seconds after the door closed.

My eyes flew open and my head jerked to the left to see Ash sat in the chair next to my bed, a smirk on his face. I scowled and ran my eyes over him.  He was wearing a tight, black t-shirt that showed off his abs.  The black jeans were a little loose on him, but they looked sexy on him.  His trainers were black also, with a streak of red going along the sides.  I rolled my eyes at him, not caring if he heard my thoughts anymore, he must have heard my thoughts in the bedroom this morning, well, morning of the day when I crashed.  I let my eyes drift to his face and he grinned at me.

“I don’t dwell on the past much,” I told him, grinning a little.

Why did this man always make me happy?!  Even when I was in a hospital bed recovering from a car crash. 

“Really?”  Ash raised one eyebrow.

God damn, he looked sexy doing that.

I blushed immediately when I thought that.  Suddenly, his face was above mine, his hands either side of my head, the tip of his nose touching mine.  I breathed in deeply as he smirked, his cool breath washing over my face.  I looked into his red eyes and swallowed loudly.

“I saw you after the crash,” I said.  “You left because of all the blood, right?”

Ash nodded, his eyes tracing my face as he spoke.

“I wanted to drink your blood, Ayre,” he said, his cool breath washing over my face again.  It made my eyes closed as his lips moved closer to mine.  “I didn’t want to, so I left.  I’m sorry for leaving you there.  I was nearby and then heard the crash, and then your scream.  When I got there, I looked around and there you were, lying in a puddle of your own blood.  I nearly killed you there and then, Ayre.”

I shivered at his words.  I knew how easily he could kill me, either drinking all my blood, or snapping my neck, or just plunging his hand through my chest and ripping my heart out.  But I didn’t want him to kill me.

“Now, why would I want to do that?” Ash asked, reading my thoughts obviously. 

“I don’t know,” I said, swallowing again.  “You tell me.”

“Ayre, I don’t want to kill you.”

“What do you want then?”

“I want-”

Before he could finish his answer, the door opened, and then Ash was gone.  I sat up and watched as Jackie slipped into the room, not noting that I was awake, and looking down the corridor, probably checking for nurses.  It was dark by now, and I was sure it was way past visiting hours.  She gasped when she turned around and saw me sat there.

“Jesus, Ayre, don’t do that,” she hissed, coming over to the bed and sitting down in the chair Ash had recently occupied.  She moved her fringe out of her face.  I noticed she was wearing dark clothes, probably better for running through dark hospital corridors at night. 

“Sorry,” I mumbled, resting back against the pillow.  “I didn’t exactly know you were going to sneak into my room.”

“How are you feeling?” she asked, breathing a little more heavily than usual.

“I’m good, just a little pain,” I told her, turning my head to look at her.  “How long has it been since the accident?”

“Three days, they kept pumping you full of drugs.  You’ve got two broken ribs, a cracked skull, a deep wound - which is held together by eleven stitches might I add - and you’re covered in scrapes and bruises.  What happened?”

I paused for a second, thinking of my injuries, okay, I’d had worse, but that was still bad.  I guess I was right about the ribs thing, that’s why I found it painful when I breathed in deeply.

“I have no idea, I was driving, and I’d forgotten to put my seat belt on.  I took my eyes off the road for a second, for a second! And next thing you know, I’m lying in the wreck of my car, bleeding and barely conscious.”

“You can’t remember anything else?”Jackie said softly.

“No, sorry.”

“Well, anyway, Boss told me that you’ve got six weeks off until you’re better.”

“Six weeks?!”

I was outraged!  They can’t stop me from coming in for six weeks, I’d go mad!  I looked at her, mouth open a little as she shushed me.

“Shut up!” Jackie said, glancing at my door.  “Or the nurses will know I’m here.”

“Sorry, but six weeks?!  He does know that he’s going to drive me insane, right?” I asked, still outraged.  Next time I saw him, I was going to slap him. 

“Yeah, sorry, but it was four months originally, I managed to get him to lower it, you owe me big time!”

Jackie grinned at me and I grinned back.

 “I’ll get back to you on that, I can’t really owe anyone anything at the moment,” I told her.

I sighed.  Jackie frowned. 

“So, what happened after I passed out?” I asked Jackie. 

“Well, we heard the crash,” Jackie told me.  “And went running to see if we could help.  Then I recognised your car and registration plate.  I started to worry and when they pulled your body out of the car I really started to panic.  You were paler than usual and your clothes were covered in blood.  I got to the hospital at the same time as the ambulance, but didn’t see you go inside.  It was a few hours before I could get any information on you, and even then they said you were “stable”.  David was blowing his nut, going mad and demanding-”

“Hang on, David?!” I asked, frowning.

“Yeah, he heard the crash too and when he saw you he got into the ambulance before the paramedics could argue.  He stayed for a few hours on your first day here, but he had to go back to the Centre to start his training.  By the way, you don’t have to teach him the basics, we got someone else to do it.”

I sighed and closed my eyes for a second.

“Do you want me to leave?” Jackie asked quietly.

To answer her question, I yawned.

“You can stay if you want, but I think I might get some more sleep,” I mumbled to her.  “Even though I’ve been sleeping for five days, whatever drugs they’re pumping into me must knock me out of a regular basis.”

Jackie chuckled and stood up.  I yawned again.

“Night, Ayre,” Jackie said, heading over to the door.  “Don’t let the beg bugs bite.”

“Ha!  Bed bugs! That’s so old!” I mumbled, grinning and closing my eyes.

I heard her chuckle again and then the door opened.  I heard her step out and then the door closed.  I sighed and relaxed into my pillow, hoping that sleep would take me quickly. As I was about to drop off, something cool began to stroke my hair, but I was too close to sleep to wake up.  I could guess who it was anyway, it was Ash… well, hopefully it was Ash.  I smiled a little.  I felt his mouth at my ear, but I was too far into sleep to understand what he said.  But it sounded something like “I’ll be here when you wake up!”  My smile got bigger on my face as I drifted off, Ash’s cool hand still stroking my hair.

Author's Note

Don't judge me please!

Reviews

[Cherrie Palmer]

your story is very strong and visual. Your dialog has a natural feel to it. When you get a chance read over each chapter you have a few typo's a "my" where a "me" goes and so on. But over all a great story!!

[Coyote Poetry]

The story is getting more interesting. You have create a very good book. I like the style of this book. I like the demons to be cold and heartless. Demon hunters need to be ruthless and strong. I look forward to reading more.
Coyote