Their Second Chance

Chapter 3: Seeing her again

Ashton Pov:

    The hospital is in full chaos. A traffic accident occurred in the highway and most of the patients where sent here. I’m helping around the emergency room since I haven’t been call to the OR. I look at my watch and see it’s past six pm. I take my phone out and text Kenneth I won’t be able to make it to dinner. I so wanted to; it’s been a few days since I seen my friends. Also I wanted to see her again.

    I haven’t seen or know about Autumn for five years now. I told them years ago to not talk about her. Since then they haven’t. I only said it while I was drunk, but they took it seriously and I never dare to ask. I sigh and rub my temple. I can feel a headache coming. “Paging dr. Mercer to OR three.” I let the nurse finish with the patient and go to the OR. I’ve been a senior resident for a year now.

    I’m still built and have a lot more muscles from my workouts. Every woman in here throws themselves at me, but I do nothing to continue their desire. My hair is shorter but still a vibrant brown color. My eyes are still the blue that my two important women in my life loved so much. I clean my hands, and someone help put in the gown, gloves, the surgeons hair nest, and a mask over my mouth. I look through the window and see the patient. They are trying to stop the bleeding but can’t find where it’s coming from.

    “Can someone see where this blood is coming from?” Pat, another senior resident, yells. Once they are finished putting everything on I enter the room. “About time you got here.” I ignore her and start helping with stopping the bleeding. After hours operating on the patient we exit. I’m sweating a little but glad it’s over.

    “You up for s*x?” Pat asks me and I decline. She shrugs and walks away. I don’t know where she finds the energy after this kind of surgeries. I take my phone out and see a text from Ken. It’s fine dude. But you need to take some time off and see us. It’s been days and Sarah is getting impatient. I walk to the residents room and go to my locker.

    Before I change my clothes I texted him. I will. If I don’t that pretty bride to be can kill me. I already requested a day off for the day of the wedding. Tell her hi and to be careful with my future niece or nephew. I smile as I think of their pregnancy. I want to have what they have; a partner and children. Not now, in the future. Maybe in a few years.

    “End of your shift?” I look back and see Kyle. He is south Korean and has black hair and brown eyes.

    He has normal clothes on. I nod at him. “Yeah, why?”

    “Want to go get a drink at Mike’s?” He asks me. Maybe one beer will not be bad after a long day of work.

    It’s one in the morning maybe this will relax me. I’ve been on edge since finding out that she moved here. I’m glad I don’t have to get up early for work. We go to Mike’s, a bar near the hospital, and order some beers. I take my phone out and unlock it. She is still my background photo.

    Autumn made her social media accounts private and block my number. I understand why she did it. After what happened that night and how I left it’s understandable. I’ve wanted to make a fake profile at some point. I decided against it. That’s an invasion of privacy in her life. And that will only make her more angry and distant with me.

    “That your woman? Is she the reason I don’t see you dating? Or why you always turn me down to be my wingman?” I drink my beer. “She’s my ex.” His mouth makes an o shape and changes the subject. I see some women looking at me, but I don’t give them a glance. I don’t date or go on dates. I just f**k and have one-night stands.

    I lock my phone after seeing her photo. It also helps that the women don’t approach me if I’m looking at a photo of another woman. I finish my drink and tell Kyle I was leaving. He better not get drunk I’m not covering for him tomorrow. I enter my car and drive home. It’s a two-bedroom apartment, big and masculine, a bachelor pad. Kenneth used to live with me, but he move out a few months after Sarah moved to LA a year ago. I know they wanted their on space.

    It’s time like this that I feel lonely, coming to an empty place. I don’t dreed too much into those thoughts and showered. I eat something light and went to bed. I see some texts from my brother and answer him back. Dad also send me a text with a photo of Charlie, my little sister.

    She has a big smile on her face. I smile and answer him back. I know it’s late, but if I don’t do it now I will forget about it and then I’ll be busy at work to answer. Dad and Maria got back together a few years ago and Charlie was a surprise to say the least. She’s three now and I love her as much as I love Mason. He’s big now; everyone tells him that he is a mini clone of me. I close my eyes and think of my family, but two emerald eyes crash my thoughts like every night. All I dream it’s her.

    Two days later and work is still hectic. I’m walking to the emergency room from my break. It’s two in the afternoon. I hear a little girl crying and a woman and nurse Jackson trying to console her. She tells them she wants her mom. Nurse Jackson walks over to me. “Mercer you’re good with kids, please help me. She’s not calming down.” I pat his shoulder and walk over to the little girl.

    She has brown curvy hair that stops at her mid back. She also has the most perfect blue eyes. She is so cute in her jean overalls and red shirt with red converses. “Hi.” She lifts her head and looks at me. I give her my most charming smile. The one I use that every woman and girl falls for.

    “What’s your name?” She sniffles and cleans her nose. The woman helps her.

    “Anna.” Her eyes are red and puffy. Looking at her height and face she looks in the age of four or five. “Yours?” I chuckle, she’s attentive. “Ashton.” She moves her head to the right. “I’ve seen you before.” I hide my confusion at her words. How could she seen me? I never meet her before or seen her. “Why are you crying?”

    Anna rubs her eyes and I move her hands away from them. “You’ll hurt your pretty eyes.” She looks at the door and sigh. “I want my mom.” I look at her and don’t see any injury. “Jackson come here.” He comes to me. I get up and whisper to him. “Why is she here?”

    “She fell from a swing at her school and said that her leg hurt. We’re waiting for the mom to get here to do an MRI. We know nothing is broken, but the mom insisted on the phone to do an image of the girl’s bone.” Moms can be protective, after seeing a lot of people coming into the ER nothing fades me. I nod and get on my knees, to Anna’s level even though she’s sitting in the bed.

    “I know you want your mom, but she’s on her way. Your teacher is here. Do you have someone else to call and come here or at least to talk to you until your mom gets here?” She stays quiet and nods her head rapidly. “Aunt Sari.” She stops crying and her face looks less puffy. I see she has some freckles in her cheeks, so cute.

    I want a daughter like her. She’s nice and is not acting all bratty like some kids that come in here. I’m taking my phone out when the woman next to her answers her phone. “We are in the emergency room. When you enter you’ll see us. Okay.” Anna was looking at her the entire phone conversation. “Your mom is here.”

    “See? It didn’t took her long.” She smiles and we talk while we wait for her mom. She told me that a girl accidentally bump into her while on the swing and she got push out of it. The emergency room for some reason quiet down and was almost empty. Which is weird, specially at this hour.

    “Anna?” I turn around at the voice. I recognize it anywhere and no matter how long it’s been.

    I look at her, she has changed. But is still the same. Her hair is shorter, and she is a little build. She works out.

    Autumn is in a tie neck sleeveless jumpsuit. But the outfit looks like a shirt and pants since they are different. The pants are black, and the shirt part is grey with thin white and black lines. The tie is black too. She has some black heels on too. She looks beautiful as always. Always making my heart beat faster and taking my breath away.

    “Mommy!”

    Autumn runs to the girl and looks at Anna. “Oh my princess! You okay baby?” Once she sees that Anna is fine she gives her a kiss on the forehead. Autumn doesn’t look at me. Avoiding me like the plague. I look back at Anna and something in my brain clicks. She has brown hair, blue eyes. Like me.

    I put on an expressionless face to hide my hurt and anger. I don’t want to scare Anna off or start a scene. I’m a professional and I don’t want to risk my job for a petty fight. I can’t believe she keep our daughter from me. No, she wouldn’t do that. And if she did, they will be a perfectly good reason for her to do that.

    Maybe she married someone and it’s not even mine. Or she didn’t married but still had a child with someone. It’s been five years. Anything can happen. But the thought of her having a child with someone else makes my blood boil. “Ms. Margaret thank you for accompanying her and calling me.” She tells the woman that came with Anna.

    “It’s okay Ms. Maverick. It is my job after all to watch over her while she is in my care.”

    The woman leaves after saying goodbye to Autumn and Anna. Autumn fidgets in front of me. “Mommy dr. Ashton was nice to me. Thank you.” She gives me a smile and I return it to her. She is so beautiful. Is she really my daughter? Because apart from those two features I don’t see anything else that resembles me or Autumn.

    Autumn smiles. “That was nice of him. You scared me princess. You sure you are okay?” Anna nods at her and starts playing with something in her hands. It looks like she’s playing with a necklace. She lets it go and I look at it carefully. It’s the tulip necklace I gave Autumn so many years ago on her birthday. Wait Anna mention an aunt name Sari. Is that Sarah? This is starting to give me a headache.

    I turn to Jackson while I massage my forehead. “Take her to do the MRI.” Jackson doesn’t waste time and puts her in a wheelchair just in case. Autumn is by her side. I follow them as Jackson wheels the chair. Once in the MRI room Autumn and I wait outside. “It’s not what it looks like.” I turn to her. Her eyes are bright green as ever. My two emerald stones. I look away not wanting to get lost in them. She lied to me.

    “And what does it look like?” I sigh and even thought I don’t want to know the answer I ask her the question in the back of my mind. Scared to know she kept her from me. That I lost five years of her life. “Is she my daughter?”

Autumn Pov:

    I look at him. He looks sad, angry, tired, but most of all confused. “Is she my daughter?” I close my eyes.

    His question came out shaky and I can hear the pain. Why did she had to fall down the swing? Of all days. Yesterday was her first day of kindergarten. She didn’t cry or protested. Anna took it pretty well. She was actually excited to meet new kids and make friends.

    I was about to answer him, but the nurse came out with Anna. I open my arms and lift her. I caress her hair and breath in her scent. It calms me down to know she’s fine. The nurse gives Ashton the image of Anna’s leg and he looks at it. “Everything looks okay. No broken bones. She most have it swollen a little. Put some ice and muscle cream in it and she will be all good. Don’t let her do any running for the rest of the day.”

    I nod at him. “Thank you.” The nurse already left. I put her down, “Anna put your hands on your ears and mumble.” She moves her head to the side and looks at me with her puppy eyes. She later looks at Ashton and he nods. She does as we say.

    We move a little from her, like two feet away. “Now is not the time to explain. One, because you are working. Second, because it’s not the place. But I know that you won’t stop thinking about it.” I sigh and tell him the truth, “She’s not your daughter.”

    He gives me a reluctant and confuse look. “She has brown hair and blue eyes, like me.” He points to her and himself.

    I move to him, but he takes a step back. “You’re lying to me. You all did.” I shake my head. I’m about to say something but he stops me. “You kept her from me. I can’t believe you did that. I don’t want to talk to you right now.” He walks away and I let the tears fall.

    “Mommy?” I look down and Anna is looking up at me. “Why are you crying?”

    “It’s nothing baby girl.” She faces the way that Ashton left. “Did that man hurt you?” I shake my head again. I take her hand and walk out of the hospital. Once in the car I try to breath in and out. I take my phone out and called Sarah. “Hey girl. What’s up? Is Anna okay?”

    “Hey.” My voice came out shaky. “She’s fine.” I breath in and out. “That’s good. Are you okay?”

    “No. I saw Ashton.” She hisses. “So he knows?” I look in the mirror and see Anna looking at me a little sad. “Not everything, but he didn’t believed me when I told him that she’s not his.” Now that I’m calm I start the car and drive to the gallery. I need to finish some work since I left when they called me an hour ago about Anna.

    “Well you have to explain it to him.” I look at the mirror and see that Anna felt asleep. “I tried Sarah. He didn’t let me. He just left, like always. Like he did five years ago after that night.” Remembering that moment makes me a little mad. “Give him time. Kenneth and I will talk to him, okay? But you’re the one that has to explain everything. If he thinks for a second that little girl is his, he will want custody of her.”

    I should have told him a long time ago. “Yeah. I’ll call you later.” We said goodbye. I’m already parking. I unbuckle Anna and carry her in. I take her to my office and lay her on my sofa. Maggie sees us and says a low hello. I walk out of my office and go to Maggie.

    “Maggie can you do me a favor? Buy me some chocolate ice cream, please. It’s for Anna.” She nods. Maggie is sweet and kind. The first time I meet her three months ago I fell in love with this woman. She is exceptional and professional. She doesn’t complain, but if she needs to speak up for herself she does it. She takes care of the gallery and it’s my assistant part time.

    I need someone to tell me my day to day or I will forget everything. I go back to my office. It’s simple; it has a white desk, red chair, a black sofa, and some file cabinets. My art studio is upstairs, and it has a little kitchenette. This actually used to be mom’s studio.

    She gave it to me about a year ago. She said that she needed to pass it on. I didn’t want it. But since I’m the only one in the family that is an artist and knows about this stuff I had no other choice. The thought of mom selling the place felt weird. I look at my beautiful princess and smile. She always lights up my day.

    Anna scrunches her nose and opens her mouth a little in her sleep. Maggie comes in and tells me she put the ice cream on the fridge upstairs. I nod and thank her for the little errand. I need to put a little kitchenette in here too, for her and the clients.

    I take my heels off and put some fluffy slippers that I brought with me from home. My phones screen lights up, receiving a text. This is his number. He yelled at us, well at Kenny. He is really mad at Kenny and decided to give him the silent treatment. But he wants the two of you to talk, tonight. We will babysit for you.

    I lick my lips feeling them dry all of a sudden. Okay. Thanks. I’m sorry for everything. I’ll fix it. She doesn’t take long to answer me. You better. I don’t want Kenneth to look for another best man. I chuckle and smile a little. Promise. Now don’t get to work up, baby needs positive vibes.

    I add him to my contact since I deleted his number five years ago. He left me all alone with no letter or text or voice mail after a night of making love. No explanation. Even though we weren’t together. Still it was disrespectful and rude. It’s Autumn. Sarah told me you wanted to talk tonight. He doesn’t answer me.

    I get impatient and look at my phone every minute. But nothing. He must be working, and I should be doing the same. I can’t concentrate. I look at Anna yawning and rubbing her eyes. “Mommy. I’m hungry.” I go to her and give her my best hug ever. “Maggie bought you some chocolate ice cream. You want some?” She nods. I don’t do this. But I know she needed it after being in that hospital.

    I walk out and get it for her. A few minutes later she is devouring the ice cream. She has it all over her little mouth. I see my phone screen light up. I unlock it once I see it’s Ashton that texted me. He sent me a text with a location pin with it. Meet me at this address at 7pm. I let out a breath and calm down a little.

    Seeing him after all this year’s brought all those feelings to the surface. I try to bury them but it’s impossible. It’s like he pushed himself into my life and doesn’t want to let go.