Chapter 2

Hospitals always made Ashley feel nervous, and Los Angeles emergency hospital wasn’t any different. The waiting room appeared normal enough, with the mandatory out of date magazines that Ashley had been sifting through for the last two hours with increased irritation. She tried not to think about the life threatening bacteria that could be lurking between the pages of the magazines and now without doubt would have transferred to her very fingertips with each turn of the page; instead she focused all her attention on the paragraphs in the article ahead of her.  Frustrated she let out a load exasperated sigh, there was no use, the words could have been in French or German for all the sense they were making. Slapping the magazine closed she threw it with the others and slumped heavily back in her chair. Tired eyes flickered to the clock; she’d now been waiting three hours.

‘Excuse me, I was just wondering how much longer’ Ashley’s voice held all the charm of Russian wrestler and she didn’t care.

The receptionist gave a stern glare, she’d been enjoying the ending of a mill’s and boons novel and it was just getting to the juicy bit.

 ‘When the doctors say it’s alright, there is nothing more I can do’

Ashley smile was as fake as her mother’s breasts, but she knew an argument wouldn’t help her cause.

  Both women eyed each other warily, as if gunslingers before a shootout until Ashley glanced back at the clock and doggedly headed back to the waiting room.

‘What a bitch’ she cursed under her breath to nobody in particular.

Needing some solace Ashley closed her eyes; she wasn’t a religious person but found herself in prayer nonetheless. A distant cough startled her and tired eyes darted around the room for the offender. It was early but the sick and injured had already filled the waiting room, an old man erupted into another coughing frenzy and Ashley felt a moment’s guilt at her irritation. It was hard not to notice all the different kinds of people, and at least sickness didn’t discriminate.

‘You can see him now’,

Ashley looked up and was confused to see a nurse staring at her; it took a moment for the words to soak into her exhausted brain and even longer for her body to register