When Kat Came Back

Chapter 46

It didn't happen all at once, as much as they'd hoped it would. The first day was Ashlynn curling her fingers when someone squeezed her hand. The next day, if someone spoke her name, Ashlynn's eyelids fluttered.

"She's hearing us," Patricia said when Patrick and Andy came back from the hotel where they'd gone to shower and change their clothes. "When you say her name, her eyes flutter. Watch. Ashlynn?"

Patrick watched Ashlynn's eyelids flutter. They opened, just a little and just for a split second, but they did open. Patrick kissed Ashlynn's forehead.

"We're all here waiting for you, Ash," Patrick said. "You take your time. Heal. As long as you need. But we're here for you."

Ashlynn's eyes fluttered again. Patrick smiled. She'd heard him.

David was singing one of his songs, and playing his guitar for Ash when her eyes suddenly snapped open.

"Ash?" Patrick said, sitting up.

Ashlynn looked around the room and looked scared. Patrick picked up her hand and tried to get her attention.

"Ash," he repeated. "Ash, you're okay. You're okay."

Her eyes rolled back and closed. Her heart rate evened out. She was either unconscious again, or asleep.

Everyone was gathered around her,

The next day, Ashlynn opened her eyes and looked around again. Patrick smiled at her. She looked at her mom, sitting beside her, stroking her hair and humming to her. She looked at her father and her stepmother. Melinda smiled at Ashlynn, David kissed her knuckles. She looked at Andy, sitting at the foot of her bed. He smiled at her. She looked at her brother. His eyes were full of tears but he was smiling at her.

Then she just lay back and looked ahead of herself. She'd look at whoever was talking if they made it clear they were taking to her but otherwise she just stared ahead of herself.

Everyone talked at Ashlynn but she made no attempt to respond. She'd listen. It was clear she was listening, but she wasn't responding. Direct questions elicited only a minimal response. A nod, a head shake or a shrug. Patricia explained to her what had happened. Ash didn't really react.

After another couple of days, Ash was discharged from the ICU and admitted to a regular medical floor. While she was there, the nurses and physiotherapists started trying to get her out of bed and walking again. There was some question as to whether the bleed from her stab wound in her neck had left her with any disability. She wouldn't, or couldn't, answer how she was feeling.

Although she was a little unsteady on her feet, Ashlynn was able to walk. She needed only a little support simply from having been in bed and unconscious but she didn't seem to be otherwise affected.

Patrick was walking with her on her third day on the medical floor.

"Ash," Patrick said. "You're doing great. You're gonna be okay."

Ashlynn stopped walking and looked at her brother. He couldn't tell if she was trying to say something or not, but she shook her head, turned around and started walking away from Patrick. He turned around and followed her.

"Ash?" He said catching up to her. "Ash, what's going on?"

She looked at him and he saw the pain and sadness in her eyes. She clearly remembered what had happened. Patrick wrapped her in a hug as Ashlynn broke down into tears and cried silently.

"Aww, Ash," Patrick said, holding his shaking sister as she silently cried. "It's gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay."

She shook her head. Patrick tried to console her, rubbing her back as he held her.

When she seemed to have stopped crying, she looked up at Patrick, shook her head again and walked towards her room.

Patrick followed and Ash climbed into her bed and curled up on her side with her back to Patrick.

"Ash, what's going on? Huh?"

Her shoulders were shaking and Patrick knew she was crying again.

He tried to touch her shoulder, but she shrugged him off. He decided to give her the space she seemed to want.

He sat there, letting Ash be. Their mom was expected back any minute, and might be able to get Ash to talk or something.

Andy came in with a coffee for himself and one for Patrick.

"How's she doing?" He whispered, assuming Ash was asleep. She turned around and looked at Andy, before turning back over and pulling her blanket over herself.

Patrick sighed. Andy nodded.

"Go for a walk," Andy said to Patrick.

"I just got back from one with Ash," he said.

"You need to go for a walk, Patrick," Andy insisted. "Go get some air. I'll keep an eye on Ashlynn. You haven't gone outside in a few days."

"I don't want to leave her," he said.

Ashlynn turned back over, frowned at him and turned away.

"Well, I guess Ash doesn't want me here," Patrick frowned.

He got up and left the room. Andy sat in the chair Ashlynn was facing.

"Hey there, Sweetness. What's going on, huh?" He asked her. Ashlynn just looked at him. She shrugged but she didn't say anything. Patrick, David and Patricia had spoken with her doctors and they were going to do some assessments to see if Ashlynn's inability to speak was pathological or psychological. Or if she was just refusing to speak for whatever reason.

"Everyone is worried about you. You haven't said a word since you woke up.  I know you're dealing with some scary things, but you gotta talk to someone."

Ashlynn shook her head.

"Ash, come on. You can't keep everything bottled up. It isn't healthy."

Ashlynn looked at Andy.

"I can't," she whispered. "I can't talk about it."

"But you can speak!" Andy said.

"Don't tell anyone. I don't want to talk. They'll make me talk about... that. And I don't want to."

"Ash, you gotta talk to someone about it. You're going to make yourself sick keeping that bottled up."

Ashlynn turned over away from Andy. It was the last he heard her speak for a long while.