Chapter 411: Almost... at Home.
Chapter 411: Almost... at Home.
Ashley let out a slow breath and closed her eyes.
Her arm rested at her side, a plastic tube connected to the needle in her vein.
When she opened her eyes again, her gaze drifted to the blood bag slowly filling above her.
A heaviness settled over her chest, as though a massive boulder were pressing down on it.
For some reason, she felt like crying.
Ashley slowly closed her eyes again, trying to silence the dark thoughts threatening to surface.
Instead, her mind drifted to Liza and Tommy.
The first time she met Liza.
How strangely easy it had been to talk to her, as though they had known each other for years.
Building relationships—whether friendships or simply working alongside others—had always been difficult for Ashley.
Even when she worked as part of a team, she preferred being alone. Not because she thought she was better than anyone else.
She simply didn’t know how to be around people.
Friendship?
She had never truly had one. June had come the closest.
Every relationship that might have become genuine had eventually been destroyed by the Di Carpios.
Over time, Ashley had become awkward, guarded, and unsure of herself.
Yet none of that happened with Liza.
Everything had flowed naturally from the moment Ashley collided with her in the small hotel owned by Liza and Tommy.
For the first time, she met someone she could simply... be herself around. She grew so comfortable that she stayed far longer than she had intended.
That day, Lucian had nearly turned the entire city upside down, convinced she had run away again.
Then Liza introduced her to Tommy.
Just like Liza, Tommy welcomed her without reservation.
Ashley never once felt uncomfortable around either of them.
If anything, she felt warm.
Safe.
Almost... at home.
Time always seemed to pass effortlessly whenever she visited Liza’s flower shop.
They never made her feel nervous.
Never made her wonder whether she was too quiet... or too much.
The insecurities she usually carried simply disappeared around them.
Even after Ashley left the country with Dominion, they never failed to check in on her.
Liza regularly sent snacks—and especially tea—for both her and Lucian.
Ashley, in turn, constantly called them to tell them about the things she had done... and the things she planned to do.
When she excitedly told Tommy she was finally opening her first office, he had been the proudest.
So proud, in fact, that he kept telling everyone he met. Only to be scolded by Liza every single time.
They were such little things.
Yet to Ashley, they meant everything.
None of them shared the same blood. Neither had known her for very long.
Yet they cared for her...
For Primo...
And for Lucian...
As though they had always been family.
Tommy rarely left the country. Not only because of his age, but because doing so put his own safety at risk. Yet he hadn’t hesitated to attend her event.
He came to celebrate one of the biggest milestones of her life.
And now, he was lying in an operating room because of it.
*****
After the donation was complete, Ashley was escorted out of the donor room.
Liza was already waiting for her.
Together, they were taken to a viewing room overlooking the operating theater through a large glass window—a privilege arranged through Lucian’s connections.
The two women stood side by side, silently watching.
Only part of Tommy’s body was visible beyond the surgical drapes: the side of his face, one shoulder – nothing more.
Liza sniffled quietly as she wiped at her eyes.
Ashley pressed her pale lips together, the blood donation leaving her slightly drained. Liza had insisted she rest, but Ashley refused.
She wanted to stay close to Tommy.
Her eyes shimmered with tears. A lump formed in her throat as her hand slowly curled into a fist.
Then...
Liza reached over and gently took her hand.
Ashley turned, only to see Liza smile.
It was only a faint smile.
But somehow, it said everything words couldn’t.
"He’ll be alright," Liza said softly.
Her voice sounded less like reassurance and more like she was trying to convince herself.
"Tommy... will be alright."
Ashley swallowed hard before nodding.
"Yes..." A shaky breath escaped her. "He will."
Liza nodded with quiet approval.
She reached up and gently brushed Ashley’s hair behind her ear before looking into her eyes.
"Good girl." She gave Ashley’s hand a gentle squeeze before looking back toward Tommy. "Your Uncle Tom is a stubborn man."
A faint chuckle escaped her.
"He wouldn’t dare die. Not like this. Not because of this. He’d never leave that burden for you... or Lucian."
Ashley’s eyes trembled as she stared at Liza’s profile.
She bit down on her quivering lip, barely holding back her tears.
Perhaps it was because Liza hadn’t blamed her.
Or perhaps, that even now, Liza was comforting her when it should have been the other way around.
Ashley tightened her grip around Liza’s hand before turning back toward Tommy.
"He’s strong," she whispered. Fragments of countless memories with Tommy flashed through her mind. "Uncle Tom... will be okay."
Silence settled between them once again.
They simply stood there, watching.
Waiting.
Hoping.
***
Once the operation was complete, Tommy was transferred to the intensive care unit for close monitoring.
One of the bullets had passed dangerously close to his spine.
Fortunately, the blood shortage was no longer a concern.
Between the emergency units Tommy had kept on standby, Ashley’s donation, and the additional blood Lucian had managed to secure, the doctors had enough to stabilize him.
Later, after stepping away to use the restroom, Ashley quietly made her way back.
But halfway down the hallway, her footsteps slowed. Then stopped.
She slowly lifted her head, her eyes settled on the chapel doors.
Ashley swallowed.
Her shoulders sagged as she let out a long, weary breath.
For the third time in her life, she walked through those chapel doors.
Summoning the courage to step into a holy place to pray shamelessly... even though she believed she didn’t deserve to.