Authors: Beth Ashworth
He pulled at the collar of the shirt he wore as he jumped quickly to reply. “Actually, I plan on ending things tonight.”
Th
is news took her completely by surprise. “How come?” she asked, fixing him with a concerned look. But it was all a lie. Inside she was silently fist bumping and doing her own little happy dance that he was bringing this arrangement to an end.
“It isn’t what I want anymore,” he replied with a shrug. “But what about you,
cara
?” he said, deflecting the questions back at her. “I heard from Gabby that you’ve been dating somebody the last few weeks and you haven’t told me.”
Ashley
froze. She had been planning to bring it up during casual conversation, but just hadn’t had the right moment over the last couple of weeks. It was a weird topic to discuss, which was why she had been avoiding it. Her feelings were still jumbled, so she didn’t want to talk about it yet.
“Yeah, Ben is a nice guy,” she mumbled just above a shy whisper. And he was. It was just a shame that he wasn’t a patch on Marco. B
ut she knew the reason for this. Marco was unique and
completely
out of her reach.
“What time is it?” Marco bristled slightly as he cast a
hasty glance at his watch. “I’m really sorry to leave this, but I’ve got to be heading out. Do you want to talk tomorrow?”
“That’s fine,” she said, relieved at being able to get away from the Ben talk, but a little sad that they were parting ways again until tomorrow. “Let me pass you back to Gabby so she can say goodbye.” She got up from the sofa and walked into the hallway. “Gabby, take this and say bye to your brother,” she called from outside her door.
“Bye,
cara
.”
“Bye, Marco,” she replied, handing over the tablet to Gabby and heading straight for her room.
Closing the door behind her, she sat on the edge of her bed and pondered tonight’s conversation. She was thrilled that he was breaking things off with Sophia. Things had looked serious between them, so she was grateful that it was one thing for her not to think about. The jealousy she had developed was something she hadn’t noticed before. It almost seemed as if she was becoming possessive over him, which wasn’t right. They were just friends. Nothing more would ever happen between them. He didn’t want to fall in love with anyone, and he lived in a foreign country. She would be stupid to even think of anything more.
After all, s
he had Ben. Kind-hearted, stable and supportive Ben.
“The sooner he dumps this Sophia, the better,” Gabby muttered, pushing open Ashley’s bedroom door. “He gets far too involved in these things when he knows he doesn't want anything at the end of it.”
“He was acting a little strange,” Ashley said, lifting her eyes to meet Gabby’s stare. “Maybe he’s finally realising that he wants to settle down and find someone?” she suggested.
“
Who, Marco?” Gabby snorted and sat down on the edge of her bed. She pushed a stray lock of Ashley’s hair from her face and tucked it gingerly behind her ear. “I know that one thing my brother will never find is love. He just isn’t the type.”
Ashley bit her lip as she pictured a life without ever finding love. It was lonely, harsh and upsetting. She didn’t want that for him, not at all. He didn’t deserve it. He needed somebody to love him.
“Are you alright?” Gabby placed the back of her hand against Ashley’s forehead. “You’ve gone really pale all of a sudden. What are you thinking about?”
“I-I-I...” Ashley struggled to form a coherent sentence as a pounding resonated in her ears. She shook her head trying not to listen to the voices sounding in her mind. They were trying to coax her into something that she knew was wrong. He was no good for her. Ben was the one that she needed to focus on, but she couldn’t. Her mind refused to think straight as picture after picture of Marco invaded her thoughts.
“Ashley?” Gabby
touched her arm. “What’s up? You totally just spaced on me.”
Trying to disperse the images in her head,
she forced a smile and faced her best friend. “I’m fine,” she lied, avoiding the subject. “Come on, shall we get ready and go out?”
~
Ashley glanced ahead at the mass of people in front of them and sighed. The queue for Boutique was a lot longer than usual, which meant that they would be waiting outside in the freezing temperatures for a while.
“
I'm cold,” Gabby mumbled, huddling close to Ashley's body.
“
You were the one that said we were going out tonight. You obviously didn't take into account the November weather, did you?” Ashley scoffed as she ran her eyes over the small bodycon dress Gabby had squeezed her modest curves into. The deep orangey shade helped to bring out a warm summery glow in her natural olive skin tone.
She look
ed a striking beauty as usual, and Ashley couldn't stop the jealously swelling within her body. She was nothing compared to Gabby.
It didn't
matter that she had naturally soft hair and aquamarine eyes that sparkled in the sunlight. It didn't matter that the complexion of her pale skin was perfect in every way. She knew that she would never be able to compete. To the world, she would never be considered pretty, and it was all because of the major flaw spread across her cheek and neck that people struggled to overlook.
“
I am not waiting much longer to get into this place,” Gabby grumbled, tossing her rich, espresso coloured hair with her hand. “Hold my spot. I'm going upfront to see how many they are letting in tonight.”
Ashley nodded as Gabby stepped from her spot in the queue and onto the road
beside them. The line around the club had become so packed over the last thirty minutes that the pavement was now blocked solid with no way for her to get through.
“
She's got the right idea!” Ashley heard a deep voice boom from behind. “Push forward!”
Numerous bodies piled from the queue
and into the road to join Gabby on her quest for entrance into the club.
Ashley kept her focus on the orange blur
of her best friend's dress until it disappeared around the corner. She knew that Gabby's attempt would end in failure, but decided not to push the issue. Her best friend was a highly outspoken and bold individual, so it was usually a lost cause whenever she tried anything to change her mind.
“
Bugger,” Ashley muttered at the sound of The Jungle Book’s -
I Wanna Be Like You
as it sung loudly from her clutch. Embarrassment flushed her cheeks at the sound of her childish ringtone. Opening her bag, she fumbled past her make-up and money to locate her phone. “Hello?”
She
answered without looking, so that she could stop the ringtone from embarrassing her further. People's eyes were already on her from Gabby's earlier display, so she didn't need to attract further attention.
“
Ashley...”
She froze at the sound of Ben's deep sigh.
“Ben, is everything alright?”
“
Yeah... no... I don't know,” he replied with a sigh again. “I'm just sitting here thinking about things and ended up calling your number. Kind of weird, huh?” He laughed awkwardly to alleviate the sudden silence between them.
Despite the freezing weather, Ashley immediately felt the temperature in her body shift. Her palms grew increasingly clammy and warm as she tried not to read into Ben's growing unease.
“Is something wro
—
” Ashley stopped as loud shouts and screams echoed from the main road. Directing her attention towards the front of the queue, she tried to see what was happening.
“
What’s that noise? Where are you?” The concern was immediately evident in Ben’s voice.
“
Gabby and I decided to go out this evening,” Ashley whispered distractedly as she craned her neck to see what was going on above the heads around her. It sounded as if a riot had kicked off outside the front of the club, which was most definitely not a good sign.
She bit her lip
and continued to listen to the growing noise while Ben threw question after question at her.
And then she heard it.
The unmistakeable sound of car tyres screeching.
“
Do you need me to come and get you? Where did you go? Is Gabby nearby?” Ben pressed her for answers, his tone becoming angrier as her silence carried on. She couldn’t listen to him. The only thing that Ashley could focus on was the sudden hush of silence brought about. “Damn it, Ashley! Where the fuck are you?” he roared into her ear.
The sound of approaching sirens filled and swirled around her
head as everything came to a standstill. It didn’t sound as if only one was approaching. She could clearly make out at least three different sets of sirens coming from different directions.
The sounds
churned around her brain like a hurricane as a feeling of déjà vu swept over her. She had been here before. The oddly familiar feeling of dread and gloom was slowly materialising and cloaking her body in a thin veil.
“Where's that girl?” Ashley's eyes snapped up as she recognised the booming voice of the gentleman that had been stood behind her and Gabby from before. “Who was with the girl in the orange dress?”
A million thoughts rushed through Ashley's brain as the people surrounding her raised
their hands and pointed in her direction. Before she had chance to react, the gentleman had grabbed her arm and pulled her up the small side street towards the main road.
Still clutching her mobile phone, she tried to keep up wit
h the man as best as she could, despite the burning sensation currently ripping her feet apart. The leather of her heels dug painfully into the soft and supple flesh of her feet, but she refused to let it slow her down.
Something had happened to Gabby.
She struggled to capture her breath as they rounded the corner onto the main road. The place was completely manic—police cars, ambulances and fire engines. There were people milling about everywhere, their faces showing a twisted picture of torture and grief as they watched her pass.
“This is the girl with the friend in the orange dress,” the gentleman rasped at a nearby police officer.
An agonised scream ripped from the back of Ashley’s throat as she spotted the crumpled body of her best friend being worked on by a group of paramedics.
D
ropping to her knees on the road beside her, she reached out to grasp her hand, holding it tightly against her cheek that was now burning with her own tears. “You have to help her!” she begged, pleading with anybody that would listen to her. “You have to help her! You have to! You have to!” Her sobs overwhelmed and shook her body from head to toe.
She couldn’t believe that this was happening to her.
Steam poured from the polystyrene cup that the nurse placed on the table. “Here you are, lovely. Take a sip of this,” she said, her voice soft and filled with understanding.
“
Thank you,” Ashley whispered, her head unmoving as she continued to stare out of the window. She made no effort to turn towards the coffee she could smell. Right now, her attention was focused solely on the dark and sleeping city of London, its inhabitants sleeping peacefully, whilst her best friend was undergoing major surgery to her brain.
The nurse placed her hand gently on Ashley's shoulder.
“I know it's difficult, but try not to think of the worst. I'm sure our surgeons are doing the best they can for your friend.”
A large lump formed in the back of Ashley's throat. She couldn't think of anything but the worst case scenario. Her best friend had been struck forcefully by a car
and had landed awkwardly on the cold road. According to witnesses at the scene, the car had struck with impressive force, knocking Gabby cleanly off her feet before crashing into a series of cars nearby. The young driver behind the wheel had been killed instantly upon impact at the scene. It was another life that had been wasted and lost so young.
“
I'm sorry, but your friend has a fractured skull and a severe bleed on her brain. It appears that her head bore the brunt of the impact. We are rushing her into surgery to try and stop the bleeding.”
Ashley pulled and pinched the skin on her hands to the point that she could feel intense
pain. She welcomed the feeling as it consumed and distracted her mind from the events going on around.
The hospital... The accident... Her best friend...
The nightmare was surfacing before her eyes.
“No!” she shouted, shaking her head to disperse the memories t
rying to fight their way into her head. They sensed that she was weak and vulnerable right now, the perfect opportunity for them to breakout and ruin her completely.
T
he nurse hovered awkwardly in the doorway of the waiting room. Although she had been nothing but friendly and comforting towards her since they had arrived at the hospital over four hours ago, Ashley couldn't stop her growing feelings of annoyance towards the woman. She just wanted to be left alone to allow the events to sink in.
“
Miss, we need you to stay in the waiting room. Your friend is being rushed into surgery. You can't go back there. Just take a seat and we will keep you as informed as we possibly can.”
There hadn't been any news since they took Gabby into surgery when they arrived.
Ashley wasn't entirely sure if this was a good or bad sign. The cheerful nurse continuously promised her that no news was good news, but Ashley knew that she couldn't be fooled. Something was definitely wrong and they were keeping it from her.
Directing her eyes up at the fluorescent tube lighting above her head,
she clasped her hands together and sent up a silent prayer to the sky. It was the only thing she felt worthy of doing at this moment. She hoped that they would take pity on her, because after all...
Gabby was a fighter.
She was a ruthless warrior.
Her soul was impenetrable and strong.
There was no way that she would give up her fight for life so easily. She would take this over and come out on top as she always did. When they stopped the bleeding, Gabby would then be able to make a full recovery and this would all be just a distant memory. Ashley pleaded in her mind with anyone that could hear her thoughts. She willed for them to listen to her and give her some signal that things were going to be okay.
Silence.
The only sound that Ashley could hear was that of her own heavy breathing as she focused for something... Anything...
Beep. Beep.
Beep. Beep.
She caught the sound of a heart monitor in the distance as a patient walked past the waiting room. The noise froze her body completely. T
he sound. She hadn’t heard it anywhere but in her own reoccurring nightmares.
Beep. Beep.
Beep. Beep.
The veil of gloom tightened its grasp, securing and holding her captive against her will. It wanted to force her to dredge up the past she was trying to evade. But she wouldn’t do it. She had to stay strong and fight.
“I can't take this anymore!” Ashley channelled her mind and cried out with desperation at the sight of the empty waiting room. Without thinking, she picked up the steaming cup of coffee from the table and flung it as hard as she could towards the nearest wall. “Why haven't I heard anything yet?” she screamed as the polystyrene cup crumbled and splattered against the plaster. “I-I just want answers,” she choked, her body sliding towards the floor.
Hitting the ground with a small bump, Ashley pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face. Small sobs wracked her body as
she struggled to keep a lid on her emotions. She was being tortured. The world was trying to take away the closest person in her life and she could do nothing about it.
“
Can I contact anyone for you, dear?” the nurse said, reappearing beside her. “You might feel better if you had somebody here to help you through this.”
Ben's face appeared instantly in Ashley's mind.
They had been on the phone at the time of Gabby's accident. She remembered him shouting at her; he was worried. Then she had dropped her phone on the ground and crouched beside her best friend who was lying bloodied and unconscious in a heap.
Luckily, the gentleman who
had led her to the scene of the accident, had also retrieved both of their scattered belongings from across the floor and followed behind the stream of ambulances carrying other casualties to the hospital.
After reuniting Ashley with her and Gabby's possessions in the waiting room, the gentleman had given his well wishes before disappearing into the bitterly cold November night.
“No,” Ashley mumbled into her legs. “I don't have anyone to call.” Her phone was switched off and in her clutch bag on the table. She couldn't bring herself to speak to anyone at the moment. Ben had left a constant stream of text messages and missed calls which she had chosen to ignore so far. She couldn't explain things to people until she heard that Gabby was okay.
“
What about your parents, dear? Could you call them to come and sit with you?”
“
No.” She dismissed the nurse's suggestion without further comment. The last thing she needed was a visit from her parents. Considering she had gone almost seven years without them, she knew that she could fight her way through this too.
“
This is ridiculous!”
The sound of
a commotion piqued Ashley's interest. Lifting her head from her knees, she turned her gaze towards the doorway and found the friendly nurse also distracted by the same voice.
“
Non mi dica di calmarmi, accidenti!”
“
Do not tell me to calm down, damn it!”
Ashley's eyes widened with recognition
as the nurse stepped aside to allow Marco's form to appear. Immediately, a mixture of relief and worry crossed her mind. More tears threatened as she took in the pain reflected across his face. He hadn't made any attempt at trying to hide his feelings, the damage was evident for everyone to see.
“
Cara?”
Taking a deep breath, he took a few hesitant steps into the waiting room. “H-How did this happen?” His voice wavered with emotion as he continued to approach her.
“
I-I don't know,” she whispered. “Marco, I’m so, so sorry.”
Making no attempt to move from her spot
, Ashley watched as he unbuttoned the suit jacket he was wearing. Shrugging the garment from his shoulders, he draped it over the back of a hard plastic chair and lowered himself to the floor beside her.
He
wrapped an arm around Ashley's shoulders and pulled her tightly coiled body towards him. He leaned close and whispered softly into her ear. “We will get through this... Gabby will get through this. We need to stay positive for all of our sakes.” He squeezed her lightly as he let out a long and shaky sigh.
Without thinking,
Ashley tucked herself closer against Marco's body, welcoming the comforting warmth his presence gave her. She inhaled deeply, trying to calm her mind from the thoughts that were whizzing around her brain at an astronomical speed. Although, unexpectedly, she caught a slight waft of his scent which threw her off guard. She sniffed discreetly, finding reassurance in his decadent aroma of vanilla and sandalwood.
It
was alluring.
His smell enticing.
“How did you get here so quickly?” she asked, pulling away from him. The realisation of their closeness had finally sunk in and given her cause for alarm. She had only met this man face to face for the first time mere minutes ago, yet she had easily allowed his openly affectionate and friendly Italian nature to lure her in. She knew that she needed to maintain some sort of decorum whilst they were both running high on emotions and adrenaline.
“
Ah,” he smiled weakly. “My boss was fortunately able to arrange a private plane at short notice to bring me to London.”
“
Oh, you work for Callum Ellis, right?” Ashley recalled a previous conversation with him where he had discussed owning an up-market boutique in Milan that was being overseen by a wealthy new director.
“
Si
, Mr Ellis was appointed International Operations Director around eight months ago. He now monitors and manages all of the overseas locations,” Marco replied, his eyes watching for signs of movement outside of the waiting room.
“
I suppose it’s good to have connections like that,” Ashley shrugged as a nurse passed the open doorway. “Did they tell you anything? Do we have any idea how much longer it’s going to be?” she said, flicking her hand in the nurse's direction.
“
Niente,”
he sighed. “They won’t tell me anything other than what you have already been told. We just have to wait.”
Ashley scoffed. Waiting was most definitely
the last thing she wanted to do right now. Hospitals were not her favourite place to visit in the world. She just wanted to speak to her best friend to get reassurance that everything was going to be okay before the clinical white walls closed in and became too much for her. “I'm sick of wait
—
”
“
Are you both related to Miss Gabriela Conti?” a young surgeon interrupted as he strode into the room.
Nausea filled her stomach immediately from his
presence. “Y-Yes,” she squeaked, scrabbling to her feet alongside Marco.
“
She’s our sister,” he confirmed. “Can we go and see her now?” He picked up his jacket from the back of the chair and pushed his arms through the sleeves. “I take it the surgery went well?” he asked, holding out his hand towards Ashley. “I think we will both feel better once we’ve seen Gabriela.”
Ashley looked between the surgeon and
Marco's outstretched hand and took a step backwards. “Marco, I think something’s wrong,” she whispered, noting the surgeon's lack of response and nervous demeanour. “Is she alright?” she croaked. “Please tell me that you aren't here to tell us what I think you are going to say?”
“
I'm sorry,” he sighed. “But, unfortunately, Miss Conti passed away during surgery. We tried our best, but we were unable to stop the bleeding on her brain. She suffered a severe head injury which caused a subarachnoid haemorrhage on her brain. Following the initial CT scan we were able to locate the source of the bleed. It gave us hope of a successful surgery, which was why we prepped and rushed her straight through. But it wasn't until we commenced the procedure that we uncovered the sheer size of the bleed. We tried to control it as best as we could, but I'm afraid our attempts were unsuccessful.”
Marco raised his hand.
“S-S-Stop,” he pleaded. “I cannot hear anymore. I can't...”
Ashley felt the world slowly crumbling beneath her feet. Fighting back against the trembling in her legs, she
placed her palms flat on a nearby table and used its sturdiness as a support for her body. She shook her head from side to side trying to shake out of this nightmare. Denial struck her forcefully at her weakest moment. “She can't be dead,” she mumbled. “I won't believe it... There has to be more that you can do?” She looked to the surgeon for some form of confirmation.
“
I'm sorry,” he replied, his eyes softening. “We tried everyth
—
”
“
No!” Ashley curled her hands into tightly coiled fists. “Gabby can't be gone!” she screamed, slamming her fists heavily onto the tabletop. Pain seared through her fingers as a stream of tears erupted from her swollen eyes. She wouldn’t believe it... Not again.
“
I want to see her,” Marco announced.
“
Sir, I think you need some time first. We will gladly take you to see your sister once she has been taken to the chapel of rest,” the surgeon replied.