The remark broke the tension in the vehicle, allowing them all to groan and give their worries an outlet as they berated him for his insensitivity.
“Come on guys, you have to agree that was a genuine doofus move. I mean, if you’re going to nosedive, at least aim to fall on something soft and non-essential.”
At one time, she might have believed that the destruction of the beer mountain was genuinely more important to Rock Giant than the safety of his friend, but she’d learned better. The big guy was all heart under his hard-arse exterior. He was the biggest pussy cat she’d ever met. She suspected his jokes were a method of self-defence, so he didn’t have to show how worried he truly was. Looking between the members of Black Halo, it dawned on her exactly how close-knit a team they really were. They looked out for one another, even when they were plotting to murderlize each other, and their fates were heavily entwined. Ash’s issues affected them all, just as Xane’s had done, and so on. It eased her own concern a little knowing they were there for Ash.
“You’ll be pleased to know that at least half the beer is salvageable.” Xane read out the latest text from Luthor. He and Liam had volunteered to stay behind at Rockfield and see to the tidying up while the rest of them raced after Ash. How much actual tidying had taken place, Ginny didn’t care to speculate. Likely not much as Luthor had been exchanging texts with Xane every few minutes since they’d left the hospital waiting room. She was genuinely astonished to find the place spotless when they returned. The pyramid reconstructed, and the beer and blood stains washed out of the carpet. As it was well into the small hours, everyone drifted off to bed pretty promptly, though they did all give her hugs before they left. Rock Giant gave her an extra couple in order to tide her over, since she wouldn’t have Ash to snuggle with for the night.
“I’ll stay and act as a surrogate if it helps,” he volunteered. “And I’m not suggesting anything untoward, if you’re thinking that. I know it can be hard to be alone after a shock like this one.”
Yup, total teddy bear underneath the granite exterior.
“That’s sweet of you, but I think I actually need to be alone for a bit, in order to process everything.”
Their room felt horribly empty without Ash in it. Ginny pulled on one of his T-shirts grateful that his stuff was present, and she could at least surround herself in his scent. The bed was icy, freshly remade with a different duvet than the one Ash had been entwined in when he’d fallen. It smelled of laundry detergent. Right as her head hit the pillow, it occurred to her that the bed having been remade might not be such a great thing. Ginny leapt out of bed and lifted the mattress. The two envelopes were exactly where she’d left them. Thank the lord for fitted sheets, so whoever had remade the bed, hadn’t needed to do hospital corners. She’d been wavering over her decision but, Ash’s return to hospital had cemented her resolve. He couldn’t know about this. He didn’t need the extra trauma. More importantly, he needed to focus his efforts on his health, not have his energy side-tracked into other avenues, and he needed her support. If he knew the truth about her, she couldn’t be certain he’d still want her to be around for her to give him that. Definitely, it would be far better not to say anything yet. Soon, sure. Just not yet.
Okay, so maybe she was digging herself a bigger hole, but she just couldn’t tell him yet.
***
Ginny was waiting by the passenger door of Dani’s car the next morning, while a debate raged over who was doing the driving, and in fact which of the band members were heading back to the hospital with her, and which were required to stay so as not to disrupt their recording schedule, when Ash arrived by taxi. Ginny ran straight to him. “You’re out. How are you here? Why didn’t you call? What did they say?” she squealed.
Ash returned her tight hug, as she continued to bombard him with question after question.
“They’ve shaved you.” Rock Giant joined them, and wrapped them both in a bear hug.
Ash fingered the wound along his scalp. “Only a bit. It doesn’t look too awful, does it?”
Rock Giant leaned back to assess it properly. “I don’t think you’ll win any style awards, but I reckon a bit of a trim with the razor on both sides, and leave that bit long, and you’ll do.”
“You’ll do anyway,” Ginny reassured him. “Now explain how you’re here. We were coming to see you.” She retrieved a bag from the front footwell containing his clothes. It had occurred to her first thing, that he’d been naked when they carted him into the back of the ambulance. Indeed, he was currently sporting a very fetching pair of blue scrubs and a pair of slippers, she guessed he’d picked up in the hospital shop.
“They didn’t need to keep me, and I wasn’t hanging around pointlessly.” He shuddered. “Too much hospital time for a lifetime already.”
“But they have given you an explanation for what happened, right?”
Ash glanced around the courtyard, as if he expected a news crew to leap out from behind one of the stone pillars. “Shall we go inside, and I’ll update you?”
To save him the effort of repeating his diagnosis to seven different people, they all gathered around the dining table for the big reveal. Ginny kept a tight grip on Ash’s hand, fearing the worst despite Ash’s relatively upbeat mood. What if his joviality was merely a front, and he was going to clue them in on something catastrophic?
“I’m anaemic,” he said, to utter silence.
“And?” Luthor prompted, voicing what the rest of them were clearly thinking, judging by the frowns and intense stares focussed on her beloved.
Ash rested his shoulders against the chair back. “And nothing. That’s it.”
“That’s it?” Xane said, his incredulity bleeding into his voice.
“Well, and I have low blood pressure, because apparently I don’t drink enough. So, I have to drink more—but not alcohol. And I have to take these lovely horse pills.” He slapped a pill bottle down on the table before him. “Preferably to be washed down with copious amounts of orange juice. And I have to eat more meat and acres of leafy vegetables.”
Ginny picked up the pill bottle, and squinted at the label. “Weren’t these one of the things they gave you to take when they discharged you from hospital in Karlstad?”
Oh, yes, talk about him uncomfortably squirming.
“They are, aren’t they? They’re one of the things you flushed.”
“You flushed the meds they gave you?” Rock Giant clobbered Ash on the back and laughed. “Fucktard.”
Ash glowered, but Rock Giant’s bellyaching had already set the rest of the gang off laughing too. Spook was fighting it, leaving him with a lemon sucking pucker.
