59. Another Mother

After cleaning herself, treating her wounds, and taking her medication, Ashley let out a long sigh. There was one important thing she had to do today.

Ashley stared at her phone screen hesitantly for a long time. Before finally pressing the “Mom” contact and pressing the call button. She waited for the phone to connect.

Her heart was beating lightly when her mother's voice came from the other side. In a low voice, almost a whisper, Ashley said, “Mom,” she said softly as she heard her mother's voice on the other end. "Today I'm going to see Dr. Kim for a consultation on the treatment of my injuries. After that... Can I stop by to see her for a while?"

She didn't mention names, there was no need. Between them, it didn't take too many words to understand who she meant. A few seconds of silence passed, before her mother finally replied in a soft yet cautious tone, "Alright. I'll have them arrange access for you today."

Ashley breathed a sigh of relief. There was something warm and bitter all at once in her chest. This wasn't just a visit; it was about honoring a bond that had been kept in silence, about keeping a promise to a past she had never really left behind. She hung up the phone with her hands shaking slightly, realizing that today, once again, she would be opening the door to fragile memories... and facing the pain that she could only keep to herself.

For a moment, only silence could be heard from the other side, making Ashley's heart sink. She almost thought her mother would refuse. But finally, the soft voice replied, "Of course. But be careful, Ashley. Don't be alone for too long."

Ashley nodded even though she knew her mom couldn't see her. "I understand. Thanks, Mom."

Something inside her felt relieved. It wasn't just about permission, but also about recognition of her right to keep nurturing the feelings she had been hiding tightly.

Dr. Kim, the family dermatologist, greeted Ashley kindly. The white room smelled of antiseptic, and was cool from the air conditioning. Ashley sat in the patient chair while Dr. Kim examined her skin carefully.

“Your wounds have improved, but they still need extra attention,” Dr. Kim said as she turned on the light of a small dermatoscope. "I'm going to give you some creams and ointments. These will help fade the scars and speed up healing."

Ashley listened carefully, nodding at each explanation given. She received a prescription and instructions for the treatment she had to do herself at home. It was comforting to know that there was hope for her skin to return to its former glory-at least physically.

"Don't stress too much. Wounds on the skin can heal, but wounds on the heart... need time and attention too," Dr. Kim said as she gently patted Ashley's hand.

Ashley smiled a little. The words felt striking, but also warm.

Meanwhile, Josh, who happened to come home early, found the house empty. There was only a cold cup of tea on the table, and a silence that spread throughout the room.

For some reason, his heart wasn't at ease. He knew Ashley said she was going to see a dermatologist, but a strange feeling made him uneasy. With light and deliberate steps, she decided to go ahead.

She parked some distance away from the hospital to be inconspicuous, then walked quickly, hiding her face behind a hat and mask.

When he saw Ashley coming out of the consultation room on the third floor, he immediately followed at a safe distance. She didn't know why she was doing this. Maybe it was because she felt there was something Ashley wasn't telling her, or maybe it was because she was afraid of losing control of the girl, something that was slowly starting to grow into an obsession without her realizing it.

Ashley pressed the button for the elevator to the eleventh floor, and Josh quickly got into the next elevator. As soon as the doors opened on that floor, he was almost transfixed.

On the eleventh floor, the atmosphere was completely different. Unlike the other crowded floors, this floor was quiet and private, with only a few nurses in specialized uniforms. There was a hallway that led to a transparent door, with the name “VVIP Special Care Unit” printed on it.

Josh could only stand in front of that door. To enter, a special ID card was required. He clasped his hands together tightly, his eyes following Ashley who stepped in quietly, leaving him behind the transparent door.

He couldn't see clearly what was going on inside. But the curiosity swirling in her chest was burning.

Inside the quiet room, Ashley walked slowly through the clean corridor until she came to a room with glass walls. She opened the sliding door slowly and entered.

The room was silent, filled only by the soft buzzing of medical machines. In the center of the room, on a state-of-the-art hospital bed, lay a woman. Her body was thin, pale, with various medical wires and hoses connected to her body.

Ashley approached slowly, sitting on the chair beside the bed.

"Mom," she whispered, her voice trembling.

The woman didn't respond. Her eyes were tightly closed, her breathing maintained thanks to the ventilator. She had been lying in a coma for years, ever since the tragic accident that separated them.

Ashley reached out, grasping her mother's cold fingers.

"I'm coming, Mom," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "I know I don't come often. I... I'm scared, Mom. Scared to see you like this."

Ashley's voice broke at the end of the sentence. She took a deep breath, trying to contain her emotions.

"But I promise, Mom. I won't give up. I'll keep coming, I'll keep taking care of you... even if you can't hear me now."

Ashley bowed her head, letting the tears fall into her mother's hands.

Outside, Josh still stood frozen in front of the transparent door. He didn't know exactly what was going on, but his heart felt heavy. For the first time, he felt like a voyeur in Ashley's most fragile world, a world he had never known existed.

There was a stabbing guilt in her chest. Guilt that she had been ignoring.

After about half an hour, Ashley finally stood up, rubbed her face and whispered goodbye in her mother's ear.

She stepped out with her head bowed, not realizing that Josh had already turned around first and hid himself in the corner of the hallway.

Ashley walked out of the hospital at a slow pace, as if the whole world was heavier. She didn't realize that Josh was watching her from afar, feeling that there was a distance he could no longer bridge.

Because what Ashley kept in her heart was something deeper than just a physical wound.

And Josh, for the first time, was afraid.

Afraid that she was something too fragile... and too precious for his sinful self.