Ashton walked over to Adalyn, pulling her into his chest and wrapping his arms around her.
“You are to text me throughout your shopping excursion, so I know that you are safe. If you start to get tired, then you come home so you can relax,” he told her. “If I find out you didn’t listen, I will spank your ass,” he whispered in her ear as he placed a kiss and backed up, enjoying the blush that covered her cheeks at his admission.
“Everything will be fine Ashton. He probably isn’t even around anymore. You did put him in the hospital after all,” Aislyn told him.
“You better stay safe,” he told Adalyn, swatting her ass.
“I will,” she told him, leaving the safety of his arms, and walking toward his waiting sister.
The three most important women in his life walked out of the house laughing and talking about all the shopping they were going to do that afternoon. He hadn’t let Adalyn out of sight in weeks, and it was difficult for him to do it now. He knew that they would never knowingly put her in danger, but not knowing where Andrew was at all times, made him nervous.
“Your mother is not going to let anything happen, son,” his dad told him.
“I know that, but the not knowing is driving me insane, Dad,” he explained to his father, not afraid to show him the fear he had.
“Would it make you feel better if we went along?” his father asked, squeezing his shoulder.
“No, she will just think that I don’t trust her, and it will give her another reason to cry,” Ashton told his dad.
“She loves you, Ashton, and she knows you love her and want her safe,” he told him.
“Dad, she cries about everything,” he told him with a groan.
“Welcome to the club, son. Pregnancy is a wonderful and exciting time for the parents to be, but there are also the things that make you want to scream. Your mother cried about a dust bunny when she was pregnant with you,” he chuckled at the memory.
“Dust bunny?” Ashton asked, confused.
“Yes, your mother had reached the stage in the pregnancy where everything had to be clean. Like hospital sterile clean. She had cleaned the entire living room and all she had left to do was dust. She was dusting the bookshelf, when a clump of dust fell from the cloth, and she couldn’t find it. She was crawling around on her hands and knees when I found her, sobbing about a bunny getting away. I was so confused. It took her three hours to calm down enough for me to understand what she had been trying to tell me. She never found that damn dust bunny either,” his dad had laughed at the memory.
“She cried hysterically this morning about her favorite jeans not fitting. She cries about stuff like that all the time,” Ashton told his dad. He wasn’t being mean in the least. He was confused as to how to help her, when he didn’t understand why such simple things upset her so much.
“Pregnancy is difficult, even though it is one of the most beautiful things a woman can go through. Just be there for her when she has a dust bunny moment, it will pass,” he told his son, clapping him on the shoulder.
They both sat down to watch some television, but neither of them were actually watching it. They were both lost in their own thoughts, about the women they loved.
An hour had passed before Ashton had realized that he hadn’t heard from Adalyn.
“Dad, can you check your phone and see if Mom has texted,” Ashton told him.
Looking at his phone, he realized he didn’t have any messages either. “No son, nothing.”
Ashton dialed Adalyn’s phone, it rang four times before he hung up and dialed his sister. After calling all three women with no success he began to panic.
Ashton’s phone rang, looking at the screen he saw that it was Silas calling.
“Silas, what’s up,” he said.
“Ash, you need to get to the hospital. There’s been an accident,” Silas told him sadly.
“We need to go to the hospital, Dad,” Ashton yelled as he hung up on Silas and ran toward the door.
They made it to hospital quickly, even though time felt like it was dragging by. Ashton ran toward the hospital, almost tearing the door off the hinges as he opened the door and ran toward the lady at the reception desk.
“I was told I needed to get to the hospital,” he almost screamed at the poor lady.
“I got him, Maddy,” Silas told the startled woman.
“You need to calm down, Ash, they are not going to let you back there if you don’t,” Silas scolded, understanding his fear.
“Your mom and Aislyn are slightly banged up, scratches and cuts, a few stitches. They are in here,” Silas pointed to the two rooms in front of them.
“Where’s Adalyn,” Ashton growled.
“We aren’t sure, Ashton. Your mom and Aislyn were unconscious briefly due to the collision, when they came to, she was gone,” Silas told him solemnly.
“What do you mean gone?!” he yelled.
“Gone, as in not in the vehicle,” he explained.
Ashton’s dad had already made his way to talk to a doctor about putting his girls in the same room. A few minutes later, they were in the same room, and Mr. Montgomery had placed a chair between the two beds, holding each of their hands in one of his. Silently waiting for them to wake up.
Ashton, however, was a hot mess. He was pacing and unable to sit. He had kissed both his sister and mom on the forehead, telling them he loved them, but then went back to pacing. Silas had ordered him to stay there at the hospital with his family, while he went and looked for Adalyn.
Over the next four hours, Ashton became more anxious and unbearable. The doctor had informed the men that the girls would be staying overnight for observation. Silas had checked in a few times with Ashton, with no news, but trying to keep him in the loop.
The sun was beginning to rise in the sky when there was a commotion outside the room. Ashton hadn’t slept at all the night before, but hearing the commotion, he was in the hall asking the first person he could what was going on.
“A woman was found in an abandoned building,” was all the nurse as she ran toward the direction of the incoming stretcher.
When Ashton’s gaze met a very tired Silas, he knew. He ran out of the room and toward the stretcher. It was Adalyn. She was battered and bruised and unconscious. A medic was trying to hold him back.
“Sir, you can’t be here, you need to leave,” he yelled at Ashton.
“Let me see her,” Ashton yelled and fought to get free from the grip of the hospital security and now a very concerned Silas.
Silas had been the one to find her. It was breaking his heart to see his friend this scared.
“Let them do their job, Ash. I don’t want to have to cuff you,” Silas growled at his friend.
“Tell me what happened!” he roared.
“They are taking her back so they can get her hooked up to some monitors. We don’t know the extent of the damage yet. I know you are scared, but you need to let them do their job so they can take care of her,” Silas said as he hugged his friend.
“How did you find her?” Ashton asked after several minutes of deep breathing.
“There were calls coming in about shots being fired around an abandoned building,” Silas explained.
“Are you telling me she was shot?!” Ashton screamed.
Ashton ran toward the nearest nurse he could find. “I need to know what is going on with my fiancée now,” he growled at the nurse.
“What is her name, sir?” she asked calmly, understanding his distress.
“Adalyn James. She was brought in about a half hour ago,” he told her.
It seemed like forever when a doctor in blue surgical scrubs came out, walking toward an anxious Ashton.
“Are you the family of Adalyn James?” he asked.
“She is my fiancée,” Ashton said walking closer.
“Adalyn made it through surgery fine. We were able to remove the bullet. She has some cracked ribs and some stitches. She will have to stay for a few days to keep an eye
on her,” the doctor explained.
“What about the baby,” Ashton asked.
“The baby seems to be fine for now. We will keep an eye on the baby as well, but don’t be surprised if she loses the baby,” the doctor told him.
“What the fuck do you mean?!” Ashton yelled.
“In cases like this, it is very common for miscarriage to happen. It is just the way these things work,” he told Ashton.
Silas saw the look on Ashton’s face and jumped in between the two men before Ashton’s fist could make contact with the surgeon. Silas grabbed him, pushing into the wall behind him.
“You can’t punch the surgeon, Ash,” Silas told Ashton as he felt his entire body begin to shake as anger filled him.
“He is a heartless bastard,” Ashton growled.
“He is a surgeon, Ash, he can’t do his job properly if he cares about all his patients. You can’t take it personal,” Silas told him.
“I have to see her,” Ashton yelled over Silas’ shoulder toward the surgeon he wanted to knock out for his uncaring nature.
“You will be informed when she is moved to her room, until then you need to calm down before I have you removed from the hospital,” the surgeon told him cockily.
“I am going to let you go. You need to go let your family know what is going on,” Silas told him, shoving him in the direction of the room he had spent the last several hours.
Ashton sat in the room after letting his family know what was going on. His mom and Aislyn sat in their beds, watching Ashton fight the need to be in control. It was agonizing for them to watch because he was always so controlled. He was anything but, at the moment.
“Ashton Alexander Montgomery,” his mom called over to him.
He stood slowly from the chair he had been sitting in and walked over to his mother’s side. She leaned over and wrapped her arms around him and hugged him and that is when he lost it. A sob ripped from his chest and cried for the first time since all this craziness had begun. She held him like she had done when he was a small boy, and let him feel everything, without judgement.
Aislyn sat in her bed, silently crying as she watched her brother, who was larger than life itself, cry for the first time since they were kids. She felt responsible for everything considering it was her idea to go baby shopping. Now everything was a mess.
Ashton laid next to his mom, letting himself give into the pain, of the possibility of losing his child and being unable to protect the love of his life. He had never felt so defeated in his life. He didn’t know what he was going to do if that surgeon was correct. Silas would probably have to lock him up if anything happened to Adalyn or the baby.
There was a knock on the door and Silas entered. “I just wanted to let you know that we found Andrew, Ashton.”
Ashton was off the bed and in front of Silas faster than anyone expected. “Where is he,” Ashton seethed.
“He was just brought in due to blood loss. He’s been shot,” Silas explained.
“What do you mean?” Ashton asked, confused.
“He gave me his statement on the way to the hospital. Have a seat while I explain everything,” Silas told his friend.
“Andrew admitted that he had been watching Adalyn for the last couple weeks. When he saw that you had let her go with Ais and your mom, he decided it was the perfect time to make his moved. He caused the car accident and took Adalyn from the car when they were unconscious. He took her to the abandoned building where he had tied her up. When he wasn’t paying attention, she got lose and tried to get away. He caught her and roughed her up, not knowing she had found his gun. She shot him, when he was struggling to get it away from her it went off and he shot her. He left her there in the abandoned building, unconscious, after knocking her out, bleeding,” Silas told the story that Andrew had told him.
“So he beat the hell out of, tied her up, shot her, knocked her out, and then left her to bleed out in a disgusting building where no one would find her?!” Aislyn screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“That about sums it up,” Silas told her sadly. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “He is going to do a lot of time behind bars if he lives through surgery,” he told her.
There was another knock at the door and a doctor entered. “I was told the family of Adalyn James was in here,” he said looking at everyone in the room.
“Yes,” they all said simultaneously.
“She is in her room, and you can see her now. Which one of you is her fiancée?” he asked.
“I am,” Ashton said, stepping closer to the doctor.
“We are going to be doing an ultrasound to check on the baby if you would like to see,” he told him.
“Hell yeah,” he told the doctor.
“Let us know when we can see her,” Aislyn told him, knowing he was going to need some time alone with her.
Ashton nodded his head as he followed the doctor into the hallway. He walked silently behind the doctor, praying the entire way that his baby would be alright.
“Hi, sweetheart,” Ashton said as he entered the room to see Adalyn sitting up in bed slightly. He noticed how tired and worn out she looked and wished he could take her pain away.
“I am so sorry, Ashton,” she burst into tears, hugging him.
“You have nothing to apologize for, baby. I am so glad you are alright,” he said, fighting the tears that wanted to fall. He kissed her lips gently, not wanting to hurt her since she had stitches in her lip.
“You ready to see the baby?” asked the doctor that had come to get Ashton, with a smile.
They both nodded silently. The doctor pressed a button on the side of the bed, causing the bed to lay back a little more so he could access Adalyn’s stomach easier. They both held their breath as he squirted the gel on her stomach and moved the wand around quietly looking.
Without a word, the doctor pushed a button on the monitor, filling the room with the washing machine sound. Tears ran down both of their faces as they realized they were listening to the baby’s heartbeat. He stopped moving the wand over her stomach and let them watch the baby bounce around for several minutes.
“According to these measurements you are approximately twenty weeks,” the doctor explained. “Would you like to know the gender of the baby?” he asked with a smile.
“Yes,” Adalyn all but shrieked.
“You are having a little girl,” he told them. “I will give you both a few minutes,” he said as he handed Adalyn a towel to clean up her stomach and Ashton the pictures he had printed during the ultrasound. He quietly left the room, taking the machine with him.
“The baby is alright,” Adalyn cried, hugging Ashton tightly.
“Yes, she is a fighter just like her mom,” Ashton told her wiping away the tears that had been falling since he had heard the heartbeat.
There was a knock on the door and the entire family entered the room, wanting an update.
“Your granddaughter is doing just fine,” Ashton told his parents.
“Granddaughter?!” his mom asked, tears spilling over.
“Yes, she decided to cooperate during the ultrasound,” Adalyn said with a huge smile.
Everyone hugged her gently, not wanting to hurt her because of the surgery. They sat and talked about everything that had happened. They talked until visiting hours were over and were shooed from the room by the nurse.
Ten
Ashton was helping Adalyn carefully get out of the car. It had been a very long three days and he was finally able to bring her home where she belonged.
They walked into the house to the smell of food. Adalyn walked slowly into the kitchen where she found everyone sitting and talking. Well Mrs. Montgomery was cooking while everyone chatted. “It smells wonderful in here,” she said as she sat in her usual spot, Ashton not far behind.
“Mom has been here all morning cooking, so you don’t have to cook for a few days, at least,” Aislyn told her.
“That is so sweet, but you didn’t need t
o do that,” Adalyn told her soon to be mother-in-law. Mrs. Montgomery had told her on many occasions that she was to call her mom, but she had yet to do it. Eventually she would.
“Nonsense, sweet girl, you were just released from the hospital. There is no point in Ashton spending money on take-out so you don’t cook when I can do it for you both. Don’t worry yourself,” Mrs. Montgomery scolded, with a smile.
“It’s best not to argue, sweetheart. She will always win,” Ashton teased, grinning at his mom.
“I guess I am still getting used to not having to do everything myself,” Adalyn explained.
“Never again,” Ashton told her as he nuzzled her neck.
Adalyn pulled away from Ashton and walked toward Mrs. Montgomery, grabbing her hand, and placing it on her stomach, so she could feel the baby kicking.
“She really likes to hear Ashton’s voice,” Adalyn smiled at her.
“Those are strong kicks, she is going to take after her father for sure,” she teased her son.
“That is right. She will be able to defend herself, just in case I’m not nearby,” he said seriously.
“Is she still kicking Adalyn? I want to feel,” Aislyn said as she walked toward the two women.
“Yes, she is in there dancing around or something,” she giggled.
Ashton sat and watched the three, soon to be four, most important women in his life smile and chat about the baby and how excited they were. He was happy that they all got along so well.
“Ashton, I would like to take that shopping trip we weren’t able to take. I know what you are going to say before you say, and I will not take no for an answer,” his mom told him sternly.
“Mom, I can’t have the three of you going by yourself. I will not allow anything to happen to you again. I don’t think he would be stupid enough to try anything again. Hell, I don’t even know if he is out of the hospital or what his condition is, not that I care. I will only agree if you take me or Silas with you,” he told his mother, just as sternly.
“I understand how badly that scared you, son. I was there. I saw how devastated you were, but if I thought one second that it was unsafe, I would not go,” she told him, walking over, and giving him a hug.
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