Emotional Connection

shower

Ashley woke in the early morning to Charlie already arguing about leaving with Pete and James. She shook her head to clear it before sitting up fully, watching Charlie trying to limp around to prove he was fit enough to go back to work. "Charlie if you don't sit your ass down in that bed your leg injury will be the least of your worries."

They all turned to her, surprised she was awake.

"I'm fine!"

She stood, taking something for her pain so she could focus. "You can hardly walk, princess. Sit down."

Charlie glared at her, grumbling about how he had work to do, but went back to bed anyway making James stare at her, half laughing, half amazed at what had just happened.

"Are you good to work today?" Pete asked, nodding to her knee.

Ashley tested It out before nodding, "I can take my full weight on it, I'll be fine. I'll just hit it with a few healing spells before I shower."

Pete nodded, "you can use my shower if you like, my hut is literally next door."

She nodded, thanking him, and turned to leave right as her dad appeared in the doorway with a bag.

"I thought you might have been called back here last night so I brought you some spare clothes." He held the bag out for her. "I gotta go, but have a good day, remember to eat!" He nodded before running off.

She stared down at the bag. "Sometimes I wonder how on earth he's still alive."

Pete gave her a strange look, but handed her the keys to his house anyway, taking over from James so he could clock out and get some rest.

She unlocked the door, quickly finding the bathroom as all the houses seemed to have the same layout. She grabbed a clean towel from the pile in the corner of the bathroom, showering as quickly as she could so Pete wasn't alone in the hospital for long. She knew in theory he'd been handling it alone before she arrived, but now she was there, she had to pull her weight.

She used a spell to dry her hair and a healing one on her knee before she forgot again, seeing it healing partially before she dressed and threw her clothes from last night in the bag and locking the door to Pete's house behind her before returning to the hospital, shoving the bag into her cubby before handing him back his keys. "Thanks, saved me having to walk all the way back to mine."

Pete nodded, "don't worry about it. If I'm honest I needed you here quickly so I can do inventory and you can watch the front and monitor the few we have in here."

Ash grinned, nodding, grabbing a pen and moving around to each patient, reading their charts and talking with them if they were awake enough about their treatments, discharging two of the four still in the hospital. It was different, treating multiple people, working in a hospital rather than on just her father, but she liked it, it suited her.

"So, Charlie, how are you feeling today?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Can I at least go home to shower?"

Ash laughed, sitting in the chair beside his bed. "And how are you going to stand in the shower? How are you even going to get there and back? Sorry, Charlie, you'll have to make do with the ones here in the back."

He pouted a little, but it didn't last long.

"Let's take a look at how well you're healing." She sighed, carefully unwrapping the bandages from his leg. There was new skin already forming, but it seemed fairly raw still, and Charlie wasn't as good at hiding his pain today as he was yesterday. "Ok, I'll get you some more cream and wrap it again, but you should be good to go home tomorrow morning."

He nodded, leaning back as she wrapped it back up. "What were you doing last night to split your knee?"

She glanced up at him, trying to focus on wrapping his leg again before getting into that. "I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk and tripped. Apparently, I landed directly on a rock or something for my knee to split so badly."

"And then you came here and pretty much passed out for seven hours." Charlie raised an eyebrow.

Ashley shrugged. "I was tired. Anyway, you're all done."

She stood to go to the back in case anyone needed her.

"Um..." Charlie started, looking a little embarrassed. "Do..."

She looked at him, curious as to what he was trying to say. She glanced to the next bed over, where one of the other trainers was sleeping, but she closed the curtain anyway. "Spit it out, princess."

He rolled his eyes, but still seemed embarrassed. "Obviously I'm in pain despite the potion. Would you be able to help me over to the showers? Just walking there and back, that's all."

Ashley smiled softly, "yeah, of course. Come on." She pulled him to his feet, putting her arm around his waist, "ok you can lean on me. I'm stronger than I look."