Annoying isn't it? When you hear the same sound replayed over and over again in your mind. But then, you get used to it. And it's something you're familiar with. Something you expect to hear again and again. You want it to happen again because then it wouldn't be normal anymore and things would be unfamiliar and you wouldn't know what to do. That was exactly what Mary-Lynette kept thinking.
She didn't know what time it was – midnight, maybe. She'd been in the same hospitalised room for the past hour, staring at the motionless body before her that was supposed to be Ash. But it wasn't. He was too cold. Too pale. Too lifeless. He wasn't her Ash at all.
A nurse came in every ten minutes to check on him, look at his heart monitor then say some encouraging words to Mary-Lynette. She was putting on a brave face but Mare knew it was bad.
Ash had a black eye and his left arm was in a sling – the bone shattered. His forehead was in bandages, as was his chest. Mare felt helpless next to him. Of course it was the heart monitor that was beeping, repeating the same noise over and over. But it meant his heart was still beating and that was all that mattered.
Mary-Lynette bent her head down and kissed him on the cheek, refusing to cry even though there were fresh tears in her eyes. She had to be strong – for Ash. If she could hold back the tears then he'd be fine. But she did cry. She couldn't help it. Because there was no soulmate connection between them now, or if there was it was a one-ended sort of thing. Like running into a brick wall – there was nothing except her own mind, her own aura. Ash's – was grey. Not every colour of the spectrum as it was before. Dead. A lifeless aura. So… not Ash.
"Wake up..." Mary-Lynette whispered, nudging Ash slightly. She kissed him again, but this time on the lips. "Please wake up,"
The door to the room opened and Mare glanced up. A tall figure entered, a man with Ash's blond hair. He had Kestrel's yellow, hawk-like eyes and he was carrying a bunch of flowers. He cast a sideways glance at Mary-Lynette but didn't acknowledge her presence in any other way.
Mary-Lynette knew immediately that she was looking at Ash's father. He had the air of authority. He sat down on Ash's bed, opposite Mary-Lynette, and lifted up Ash's right, unbroken arm. He stroked it, even though he paid no real attention. His attention was drawn to the heart monitor. Mary-Lynette felt sour. There they both were, hurting more than they had in their whole lives.
But secretly, she was scared of Ash's dad. He was a true Night Person – evil, prejudiced, and a no-tolerance-of-humans kind of guy. What if he killed her?
"My name's Dorian Redfern by the way," the man finally said as if in the middle of a conversation with her. It threw Mary-Lynette off balance and she smiled awkwardly. "Mary-Lynette Carter," she replied.
"I'm Ash's father," he told her, looking down at his son before looking away again. Mary-Lynette nodded and knew he was asking her, silently, to tell him who she was to his son. Friend? Girlfriend?
"I'm, uhm, well… I'm kind of Ash's…" God, don't say soulmate. "Girlfriend, well, uhm, 'on the side' sort of thing." She lowered her eyes and stared blankly at Ash's face.
Dorian chuckled. "You seemed to look very intimate when I came in,"
Mary-Lynette tried to think of something to say. "Well, I wish it were more, but he… he's very distant with me. Hopefully, when he wakes up after this 'near-death' experience, he'll change." She knew it was a lousy lie but Dorian had no reason to disbelieve her. He nodded, grinning secretly. He was obviously thinking that Ash would never change for a human girl. Unless it were a change of clothes.
He started to arrange the flowers next to the card Mary-Lynette had left him. He glanced at it once and then picked it up, reading it. Mary-Lynette was too preoccupied with her unconscious boyfriend to care.
He frowned then wiped it from his face, replacing it with a grin. "How sweet," he noted, putting the card back down. "Well, Mary-Lynette, I'll be back sometime to check on him but I must go right now I'm afraid." He glanced at his watch, smiled wryly and started out the door. Mare was confused. If he were truly upset about whether his son had been in a car accident – wouldn't he have stayed?
As he left, he shut the door and then Mary-Lynette realised, trembling, what she'd put in the card. "No!" she wailed, lunging over to pick it up.
To Ash, my soulmate (and boyfriend)!
I love you Ash and I hope you wake up soon.
I know you were coming back, my shining knight, after slaying me a dragon!
I miss you, Ash. Come back to me.
XXX Love Mare (or M-Lin the Cursed, if you prefer) XXX
And Dorian had read it. Every word. He knew they were soulmates. He knew. And he was going to kill her. Loving a human was punishable by death – for all involved. But surely Dorian couldn't kill his own son! Right?
"But he's only a boy, sir, surely that that should affect family decisions. Usually you only put that option into effect when kin are old or…"
"It was one of his express wishes, doctor. I'm no more happy about it than you are but he is my son and I respect his decisions."
"But, sir, it could be classed as euthanasia if you do not have the proper documents. Or even murder."
"He is my son! There are no documents as to how he chooses to live! If he wants this, if he does-"
"Of course sir," the doctor looked down at his medical papers, at a loss. He looked so solemn and grim. "But to wish death on a child…"
"He is eighteen, an adult by my standards." Dorian bowed his head and let the tears flow. "I wish that… well I wish he wasn't such an idiot sometimes," he muttered, knowing that the doctor was falling for his act. "But if it's what he wants… I love my boy so much that…" he paused. "If you love someone, you let them go, right doctor? If it's what they want,"
The doctor smiled stiffly and nodded. "I'll schedule for the life-support to be removed next week. If it helps sir, Ash only has a 50/50 chance anyway. Removing the machine may save him from a painful death."
Dorian's head snapped up in mock surprise. "Death in a coma can be painful?" he asked. The doctor frowned. "Sometimes. A coma is like falling into a deep sleep and the patient still has vivid nightmares, which can grow worse. Ash may be experiencing nightmares that can lead to a heart attack. The body is vulnerable and…"
It was babble. Insane muttering words that were meant to make Dorian feel better. It did. It made him overwhelmed with happiness. Because he was going to prove he'd do anything to preserve the family honour, and wipe out the soulmate principle for good. It was also amusing to think that the doctor though of him as a weeping, distressed father. He was wrong. Very wrong.
"How many people can we expect to be present?" the doctor asked. Dorian bowed his head. "I'm afraid his mother can't attend, she's back home and hasn't heard the news – I'd hate for her to find out. She's very sick and it may…"
"Of course,"
"Well, I suppose Miss Carter in the room with him now would like to come," he smiled slightly but on the inside he was sneering. "And Ash's sisters would like to come too. Perhaps one of Ash's old friends as well."
"How many is that sir?"
"Six,"
The doctor nodded and jotted it down. "Would you require a-"
"No vicar. We're not religious." Dorian finished. "Thank you doctor," he nodded, politely and shuffled out of the room, mimicking a break down of tears as he left. Humans were so easy.
