From Ashe Vol. 2: From Ashe, #2

By Joshua Piedra

Ashe Sawyer continues her journey to becoming a published author. The daily pressures of improving her writing and a job that leaves little room for sanity continue to act as hurdles in her way; however, Ashe begins to undertake a brand-new challenge: Renji Keita's jealousy over Ashe's newfound friendship with her co-worker, Jase. As Jase Grey attempts to get closer to Ashe, it triggers a reaction within Renji. After struggling to overcome and accept a turbulent past between himself and Ashe, the last thing Renji needs is someone driving a wedge between the two of them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joshua Piedra
• Release date: May 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223605744

Book preview

Contents

PREFACE

PAGE 8

PAGE 9

PAGE 10

PAGE 11

PAGE 12

PAGE 13

PAGE 14

AFTERWORD

PREFACE

Hello and thank you for picking up the second volume of From Ashe!

When I set out to write this series, I wanted to improve upon the many things that I got wrong with my previous works... just as I did with my previous series in relation to my first. The feedback I have received from the first volume, so far, has been overwhelmingly positive which is a very good feeling to have coming into a second volume.

Part of this is a lot of quality control on my part. I’ve pumped the brakes on releasing books quickly by, effectively, doubling the amount of time between releases as well as focusing on one book at a time. Normally, I would say I have the next two volumes written but that is not the case this time around. I don’t have Volume 3 written yet (at time of release) because I wanted to put my full focus on Volume 2 in order to make it the best story that it can be!

Hopefully, you will find the continuation of Ashe’s journey as entertaining as the first volume and, don’t worry! If you still feel frustrated with Ashe and Renji’s communication problems throughout this book, that’s a good thing because that was my intention! You all will be rewarded soon enough, though!

Carry on and I’ll see you on the other side of the book!

PAGE 8

Aftershocks

One simple phrase: I’m sorry I killed your parents. 

The gravity of such a statement reverberated throughout Ashe’s entire body, rendering her in a state of shock. She couldn’t react fast enough as Renji passed out, hitting his head on the coffee table in the process. Lying there in a small pool of his blood, Ashe looked down at Renji and feared the worst had happened.

Soon, sirens filled the air just as much as the tension did, the two of them sharing the same space for what seemed like an eternity. Ashe could only watch as the paramedics loaded Renji into the back of an ambulance, eventually speeding away.

Several hours later, Ashe sat by Renji’s hospital bed; however, by this time she wasn’t as worried about him as she first was when they had arrived. Earlier in the day, the doctor assured Ashe that Renji was quite lucky. All of his tests revealed that he did have a concussion but it was relatively minor and something that would resolve itself on its own in a week or so with some simple bed rest. There was also a laceration on the side of his head that did require several stitches but none of the injuries he sustained were life-threatening.

Ashe was extremely relieved to hear the good news. Since he did take a good bump to the head, he was rendered unconscious. All Ashe could do was sit there next to him and wait for him to wake up. That ended up becoming the hardest part of this entire ordeal but, knowing Ashe, she wasn’t about to just sit there and not keep herself entertained.

She scooted her chair closer to Renji’s bed to the point where she was flush up against it. She tapped him on the hand just to make sure that he was completely unconscious. When there wasn’t any reaction, she looked back at the door to make sure the coast was clear. Ashe then lifted Renji’s sheets along with his hospital gown and took a glance at a certain lower region of his body. As quickly as she looked, she put things back the way they were and cracked a devilish grin.

I thought it would have gotten bigger by now. This is what you get for refusing to eat right!

As Ashe said that, a nurse walked into the room to check Renji’s vitals. She also needed to draw some more blood just to make sure everything was okay and that his recovery was progressing as expected. After checking his pulse and temperature, she pulled out a needle and checked for a vein.

Okay, here we go! One little prick and I’ll be done and out of your hair.

Hehe… little prick, thought Ashe to herself as she giggled.

Once she was done, the nurse excused herself, leaving the two of them alone once again. Ashe let out a sigh as that momentary entertainment was nothing more than a mask she wore to protect herself from the immense guilt she had been feeling this entire time. Rather than try any more risque moves, she held Renji’s hand and spoke to him in a tone low enough so that only he could hear.

It seems as if all I’ve been doing as of late is apologizing to you, huh? I guess this will be another one of those classic Ashe moments because I truly am sorry that you’re in here. It’s my fault for pushing you so hard but… you have to understand just how much it hurts when you don’t talk to me. I know what you’re going through isn’t easy but you have to think about me and how I feel, too, you know!

None of this is easy for me, either but… now that you said what you needed to… I’m confused. What did you mean when you said that you killed my parents? Was that the reason why you couldn’t talk to me this entire time? Are you blaming yourself for what happened?

Still… I want to hear the words from your mouth. I want to know what you’re thinking so that I can tell you how wrong you are! To do that, I need you to wake up first so stop making this girl wait and open your damn eyes!

Ashe’s tone got a little more aggressive towards the end but it was proof of how much she cared about him. Unfortunately, Ashe would have to wait two more hours before Renji rejoined the conscious world.

Ashe was sitting there playing a match-3 puzzle game on her phone when she heard a noise next to her. She looked over as she heard Renji stirring. His eyes slowly opened and tried to focus on the scenery around him. Immediately, he reached up and grabbed his head, wincing in pain, as he attempted to sit up. Ashe cracked a warm smile as she watched him come back to life. 

Renji took one look around and noticed that he wasn’t exactly in his bedroom. Soon, the beeping of his vital monitor coupled with the sight of an I.V. in his arm tipped him off to where he was. Renji slowly turned his head until his eyes met with Ashe who was now sitting in the chair with both her arms and legs crossed.

Ashe…?

Took you long enough! Geez… you wasted half the day laying there like a zombie! I was about to go get a toe tag and call it a done deal! Luckily for you, I have more patience than people give me credit for.

Renji sat there and looked at Ashe with a blank expression on his face. While he figured out that he was in the hospital, he was having a difficult time remembering just why he was there. He could ask Ashe for the details; however, for some reason, he couldn’t formulate any words. The only thing he could do is sit there and talk to himself via an inner monologue.

Something must have happened for me to end up in here but I don’t exactly remember what… or how. I know that I passed out in the forest before so maybe that happened again? The last time I passed out, it was recalling my memories when Ashe wanted me to open up to her but I don’t remember doing anything like that so just how in the hell did I end up in here? Aside from my throbbing head, I feel fine. Did I make Ashe angry and she hit me with something?

Ashe seems pretty calm, though. Maybe it’s because she realized that she knocked me out and is trying to play it off like it’s no big deal? That seems like something Ashe would do, too. 

I don’t know what to think. What I do know is that no matter how much I try, it’s like my voice doesn’t want to come out. How am I supposed to ask Ashe what happened if I can’t even formulate any words!? I guess I’ll just sit here and wait for the doctor to show up. Maybe I’ll get some answers, then. Sorry, Ashe. Just bear with me for a little while until I get this figured out.

Renji didn’t have to wait long as a nurse came in to do another routine check when she noticed Renji sitting up in bed. She immediately called for the doctor to alert him of the situation. A few moments later, he arrived and grabbed the chart at the end of Renji’s bed, giving it a once over.

"Mr. Keita. It’s good to see you up! You gave us a bit of a scare but after we ran your tests, things look to be fine-ish. You do have a mild concussion, though so I’m going to order you to stay in bed for a while and get some rest. We’ll make sure you get a follow-up scheduled with your primary in a couple of weeks to see how you’re progressing. Before we do any of that though, how are you feeling right now? Any pain? Any discomfort or abnormalities?’

Renji opened his mouth but nothing came out… for the most part. There were a few, barely audible squeaks that escaped. The doctor looked up from his chart and wondered why Renji hadn’t answered him yet.

Mr. Keita?

Renji tried talking again but was still unable to. Concerned, the doctor pulled out a penlight and asked him to open his mouth. After doing a quick examination, he rubbed his chin for a moment. He then placed his stethoscope against Renji’s chest and asked him to take a few breaths. After taking a listen, the doctor became a bit concerned.

Your breathing isn’t normal. There’s a hint of obstruction when you inhale. I’m sorry to do this to you but I want to do a laryngoscopy and investigate your larynx. The test can be a little uncomfortable but I’ll need to perform it to determine where we go from here. I’m sorry, miss, but the test can look a little unsettling. It’s best if you give us some privacy.

I’ve already seen him naked. I think I can handle watching you shove a scope down his throat.

When the hell did she ever see me naked!? I can’t even remember a time where I’ve ever been in front of her without my clothes on!

It’s actually going to be going in through his nose, not his throat. If you believe you’re fine with it then you can stay and watch.

The nurse brought in the scope and handed it to the doctor. He asked Renji to tilt his head back and close his eyes. The doctor made sure that the camera was turned on and began to thread the scope up his nose. 

Renji winced a bit as the doctor maneuvered it until he got to Renji’s larynx. Ashe looked at the monitor and was quite amazed to see what the inside of Renji’s body looked like. The doctor could clearly see that there was some inflammation which gave him a good idea of what was causing Renji’s problem.

Okay, I’ve seen enough, Mr. Keita. I’m going to pull the scope out now. This will feel a little weird so I apologize ahead of time.

As the doctor gently removed the scope, Renji ended up coughing a few times. It sounded odd as there wasn’t any voice with the cough. It sounded like small pockets of air being forced out of his body.

The scope showed some inflammation. It’s not severe enough to be considered vocal cord paralysis, though, which is good news. It does; however, mean that it is a result of the head trauma you experienced and for that, I want to run another round of tests and keep you here overnight for observation. I’ll also give you some anti-inflammatories to help with your larynx and the issue should resolve itself on its own. Just don’t try to speak for a couple of days to give your throat a chance to relax, okay?

Renji nodded as the doctor then turned his attention to Ashe.

You’re more than welcome to stay the night with him if you’d like. If all goes well, we’ll get him out of here by Noon tomorrow. Besides, he could probably use a friend right now anyway.

With that, the doctor headed out, leaving Ashe and Renji alone. Once everyone was out of sight, Ashe got up and knelt on the edge of Renji’s bed, embracing him in a hug.

I’m really glad you’re going to be okay. Truth be told, you scared the bejeezus out of me. When I saw the blood coming from your head, all I could think of was the worst. I really thought I might have lost you. After everything I’ve gone through, I don’t know what I would have done if I did.

Ashe pulled herself away from Renji and that’s when he noticed that she had some tears in her eyes. Renji raised his hand and began to wipe them away with his thumb, shaking his head ‘no’ in the process as if to say ‘don’t cry.’

Ashe cracked a warm smile that, in turn, made Renji crack one of his own. Even though this was a tender moment, Renji was intently listening for clues. This caused him to realize that the only explanation was that he, indeed, passed out but he still couldn’t remember why or how. All he could do was sit there and continue listening to piece more of the puzzle together.

Now that you’re awake, I have to, once again, say I’m sorry. I made you feel guilty for holding your memories in and then you tried to talk to me on your own and look what happened! Directly or indirectly, it doesn’t matter… the fact is that I did this to you, Renji.

Ashe couldn’t hold back her tears anymore and began crying. Renji rubbed her upper back to comfort her, hoping that it would calm her down. Instead, it did the opposite. Ashe leaned in and hugged him again, crying into his shoulder. Even though he held her close, his mind was lost in thought.

So I did fall again but was it really that bad? I do remember something about wanting to talk about my memories but… I can’t remember what those memories are! ARGH!!! This is so damn frustrating! I wish I could just ask Ashe if… wait. Ashe is a writer… writing! I can ask her through writing!

Renji let go of Ashe and then motioned for something to write with. Through her tears, Ashe understood the gesture and looked around, wiping the tears away from her eyes in the process. She spied a small notepad and pen placed on top of a table near the foot of Renji’s bed. She got up and retrieved them for Renji where he then wrote down what he wanted to ask her.

How did I fall? Ashe said as she read the note out loud. You don’t remember how you fell?

Renji shook his head no in response.

You…

As Ashe was about to answer him, she was suddenly reminded of that horrific sentence that Renji screamed at her right before collapsing. She tensed up fearing that if she were to repeat it back to him, he might end up passing out again. With Renji in his current condition, there was no way she was going to risk something like that. 

You tried to tell me something important but you couldn’t get the words out of your mouth. You tried and that’s when you collapsed, hitting your head on the coffee table in front of the sofa. I’m sorry, Renji but I don’t know what you were trying to tell me. Can you remember it, by any chance?

Renji shook his head ‘no’ which caused Ashe to let out a huge internal sigh of relief.

It’s probably because of the concussion. I bet it’s pretty frustrating to not be able to remember it, huh?

The look of disappointment on Renji’s face hurt Ashe. She knew very well what Renji said; however, she would gladly accept the pain of lying to him if it meant protecting his health. Convinced by Ashe’s words, Renji laid back down as he wanted to get some more rest; however, his head was still throbbing and it made things a bit complicated. Renji asked for the pen and paper again where he wrote down another request.

Can you ask for some aspirin?

Ashe gave Renji a thumbs up before heading off to find a nurse. Once she left, he let out an exhaustive sigh.

I’m not dumb, Ashe. You hesitated when you answered my last question. You knew exactly what I tried to say to you so why aren’t you telling me? Is it something that I’m not supposed to hear? 

It just hurts being lied to like that… especially when I can’t remember it for myself. I was hoping that you would help me but, instead, you chose to lie to me. I don’t know what I should do…

Ashe returned with the nurse who, instead of giving Renji pills, injected a pain reliever into his I.V. Within moments, Renji was feeling pretty good and a bit groggy. Since he couldn’t feel the pain in his head, he decided that he was going to let everything be for now and focus on getting