Page 6 of Ashton’s Mountain Man (Men of Fire Mountain #5)
CHAPTER 5
Ashton
What the hell happened? I thought to myself…
I tried to groan as I noticed the beeping and sharp smell of bleach that assaulted my sense of smell as I tried to open my eyes. Why was it so hard to open my eyes? Why was my throat so dry and a heaviness on my chest? Where the hell was Wyatt? I began to panic… Disorientation surrounded me as I attempted to move, but pain radiated through my whole body.
“He’s awake!” a voice shouted. “Wake him up and get a doctor.”
I forced open my eyes and squinted, trying to adjust to the bright stark lights all around me and white walls.
“It’s okay, man. You’re okay. Everyone is safe. Your boy is fine.” He continued as my vision cleared, and I made out the figure in front of me. Why the hell was Cole here? What had happened? “You gave us all a scare back there. I’ve sent Maxwell to wake West.”
I blinked twice at that news, just as the doctors and nurses entered the room and started to gather around me, checking me over as I coughed a couple of times before I was offered a sip of water to help clear my throat.
It was as if time stood still as they explained the last few days to me.
The accident, and what had happened to my leg and, in reality, how lucky I was. My recovery ahead was going to be long and difficult to gain back the full movement and strength in my leg, but I was alive. I hadn’t sustained any other damage elsewhere, and I’d been healthy prior, and active, which stands great to aid in the process of my recovery.
I couldn’t believe how much worse it could have been.
It could have been my little boy…
“We’ll leave you to get some rest for now, and I’m sure the rehabilitation team will be coming to see you shortly. They’ll over your plans for when you get out of here and where you’ll be staying,” the doctor stated. “You’ll need a lot of help and support.”
“That’s okay, Doctor. He has me.” That smooth, deep voice that set my body wild sounded from the doorway. I gazed across, and my heart squeezed tightly, knowing he’d been standing there, watching us. That he’d actually even been in the hospital when I knew how much he hated them. “He has his family too—the mother of his child and little boy here. We’ll be ensuring he gets all the support he needs.”
“I’d just advise that you make sure that you discuss all the options with the team when they arrive,” the doctor confirmed before walking toward the door and halting when Cole and Maxwell entered. “Make sure you don’t spend too long here with him. He really does need his rest.”
“We’ll make sure of that, Doctor,” Maxwell replied before looking between the two guys. “I’ll make sure of it myself. He needs to gather his energy to heal. I’m sure these two can both agree on that at least,” he uttered as Cole nodded before shifting his weight on his feet and letting out a sigh, watching the way West was perched by me.
I could understand that he was just being protective of me, and he had every right after having been there, listening to my drunken tales as I finally opened up about my feelings about the guy who got away all those years ago as our friendship grew. It hadn’t mattered that I never revealed names or anything about my hometown or the smaller details to him. That night gave away everything after that showdown at Zane’s and Jed’s celebrations.
“You have other options for your recovery,” Cole added, walking across to the bed, his hands cupped behind his neck as Maxwell shook his hand slowly at him. “You don’t have to do this. I mean, you also have the rehabilitation unit, and you could?—”
“Cole, what did we say about this earlier?” Maxwell winced before mouthing a “sorry” to West. My brow furrowed, trying to gather my thoughts. “I know, but I have to say it. Who else will? I only know who this guy was to Ashton before and—fuck!!”
“Cole.” West lifted his head up from bedside me, his eyes red rimmed and swollen from the guessing of tears or lack of sleep he’d had. “I guess you were the one my guy?—”
I gasped at those words as he gazed at me for a moment and squeezed my hand gently. I winced at the wires contracting under my skin before turning my attention back to them.
“Have you ever done something you regret? Wished to have acted sooner or not been a fool prior in life?” he asked as Maxwell coughed and smirked, reaching for Cole’s hand and rubbing his thumb across the top. “You see, I admit, I’m not a perfect guy and am full of errors.” West chuckled loudly, throwing his head back as he ran his hand through his luscious brown hair and flicked it away from his tired blue eyes with his fingers. “I’m willing to bare all those flaws and work on them however long it takes to be the man he deserves,” he choked out as I let a tear fall down my cheek, and Cole leaned closer into Maxwell’s side as he wrapped his arm around him. “I want Ashton to have every opportunity possible in life, and I want that to be with me. I just hope it’s not too late for him to want that with me too?”
“I’m sorry for—” Cole began as I waved hand in the air, and West just shook his head.
“You were just being his friend, and I couldn’t wish for anything else,” West confirmed. “You were looking out and protecting him.”
I coughed to grab their attention.
“I’m right here,” I moaned, as Cole and Maxwell chuckled. “Talking about me, as if I’m not just leading him,” I uttered, attempting to push him in the shoulder, but failing miserably with no strength left. “You know I want you too.”
“Then that’s settled,” West confirmed, his tone turning rough and deep. “Nothing else matters. Now it's time for you to rest,” he told me, before bending and placing a kiss to my lips without a care for the fact that we still had an audience. “That’s an order. Come on, you two. You can come back in the morning, if I let you.” He winked as the three of them pushed each other in the shoulders, sharing a moment together, and I waved them goodbye.
Now I just had to concentrate on getting better and try to wish away the raging hard-on that West caused…
Such a fucking shame we weren’t somewhere more private and he could have given me a hand.