Page 113 of Asher's Assignment
Once Shawna walked out of the room, Esther took a few moments to digest their conversation and to let her mind clear a little more. She’d essentially lost an entire day. What happened in that timeframe? Did the police catch Lennox? Was Leah okay? Asher appeared fine, so at least her mad dive to save him worked.
She scrubbed at her eyes above her oxygen mask, trying to rub away some of the grittiness. Sleep still pulled at the edges of her mind, but she wasn’t ready to let it take hold again yet.
The movement made her slide down the mattress a little, increasing the ache in her back. Shifting, she only made it an inch before agony zinged through her side and her ribs. A grunt of pain escaped her, and she clutched at the sheets, waiting for the wave to pass.
Maybe she should hold off on moving until Shawna hooked up her pain pump. The backache wasn’t that bad, all things considered.
“Essy?”
Asher’s deep, sleep-roughened voice penetrated the pain waves. She looked over to see him sit up. A moment later, he stood and crossed to her side.
“Hey.” He skimmed her hair back from her forehead. His touch did more to banish the pain than any amount of willpower. “Welcome back. Do you need me to get the nurse?”
“No,” she managed to push out. The pain was receding. “I’m all right. I wanted to sit up.”
“Do you want me to help?”
She rolled her head. “I’ll wait until I have more pain meds on board. Shawna was just in here. She said she’ll be back soon with a pain pump.”
His head bobbed a moment before he yawned. “Oh, sorry.”
Esther squinted up at him. “How much sleep have you had in the last few days?”
He waved a hand. “I’m fine. I slept at the farmhouse. It was fitful, but I’m sure I got plenty with all my naps. There wasn’t much else to do.”
“And since then?” She noticed even through her foggy brain he’d left that part off.
Asher lifted a shoulder. “A couple hours. But stop worrying about me. How are you?”
“Tired. Sore. But I’m fine.”
He snorted. “No, you’re not.” He wrapped one of her hands in his. “Why did you do that, Esther?” One hand went to her face. His fingers skimmed her cheek as he brushed at her hair again. “I can’t lose you.”
A lump formed in her throat, choking off her words. She forced her dry mouth to swallow, but it only allowed a whisper to emerge. “I can’t lose you, either.”
The door cracked open with a soft knock.
Esther glanced over and saw Detective Stroud poke his head into the room.
“Can I come in?”
She pressed her lips together, wishing he’d waited just a little longer. What felt like a precious moment with Asher had slipped through her fingers with his arrival.
“What’s up?” Asher straightened, but didn’t let go of her hand.
Stroud came inside. “I got a hold of the prison housing Vanessa Burnwell.” He turned to Esther. “And I was hoping you’d be awake.” He offered her a kind smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. “Welcome back to the land of the living. How are you doing?”
“I’m all right. Who’s Vanessa Burnwell?” She frowned, not recognizing the name.
“I’ll get to that. How much do you know about what’s happened since yesterday?”
“Nothing. I just woke up a few minutes ago.”
His face pulled. “Okay. Let me give you a quick rundown.”
Esther’s eyes widened as he went through all that had occurred. What stuck out, though, was that Lennox got away. She’d nearly died, and he was still roaming around out there. She understood why Asher let him go and was grateful he’d stayed to help her, but it stuck in her craw that the man had slithered away. Why couldn’t he have tripped on his way out the door and smashed his head into something hard?
“So, this Vanessa woman is the key?” she asked.
