Sabrina ordered dinner (as usually).After dinner, Ashton helped with the cleanup.
"OK. I will be going now."
Sabrina looked at him with confusion obvious in her expression. "Where?"
"Home."
"Your things are here.", she reminded him.
"Uhm… I didn"t bring any bedsheets."
Sabrina narrowed her eyes at Ashton and started speaking swiftly, without giving him a chance to interject: "The bed is set up. You are welcome to use those bedsheets, they won"t fit on my bed. And there is a spare set in the linen closet. The towels are in the bathroom and I saw you pack your toiletries. Any more excuses?"
Ashton licked his lips nervously. The idea of spending the night in the same apartment with Sabrina sounds wonderful and torturous at the same time. But she has a point. They will be roommates, so he might as well get used to it. "I guess I"m staying at your place tonight."
"Our place.", Sabrina corrected him.
Ashton nodded and he hoped that his expression is not betraying his l.u.s.tful thoughts. "I will go and clean up. After the whole day of packing and unpacking, I need a shower."
Sabrina smiled.
They wished each other a good night and Ashton went to his bedroom.
As soon as the door closed behind Ashton, Sabrina got her phone and called Liz.
"Hey, can we talk?", Sabrina asked while walking to her bedroom. She does not want Ashton to overhear this. Not until it"s done.
"Sure.", Liz responded.
Sabrina took a deep breath and went straight to the point: "You mentioned that Jackson might be faking his epilepsy and that you can prove it. Can you tell me about it?"
"I"m not sure if I can prove it one way or the other.", Liz responded while picking her words. She was not sure if she should tell Rina that she (and Max) are nosy, but if she is going to discuss Jackson"s situation, she needs to admit it. "Rina, I need to be honest. I spoke to Max about your situation with Jackson, and we are investigating his condition."
Liz expected Sabrina to be upset that Liz told Max about her fake engagement with Jackson, or that Sabrina will be upset because they are digging into this. To Liz"s surprise, Sabrina only wanted to know the results.
Liz told Sabrina what they have: "We didn"t find anything solid yet. Somehow, Jackson is incredibly good in concealing his tracks. And that means that either he is lucky, or he planned for this. The doctor who diagnosed him eight years ago, died. And Jackson"s current doctor is referring him to a specialist who is out of the country and we are unable to trace him. There are two mentions of Jackson having a seizure, but all his test results after that came back normal. However, that does not mean that he does not have epilepsy, because it could be that his brain function returned to normal."
Sabrina didn"t like what she heard. She hoped that Liz forgot to say something. "What do you mean?"
"The irregular brain patterns a.s.sociated with epilepsy that can be measured are present only during the seizure and shortly after it. Everything else, including the seizure, can be faked."
Sabrina sighed. "So, you are saying that there is nothing you can do?"
"Unless I get to examine him in the hospital either during the seizure or shortly after, I can"t do much. That will prove if he has epilepsy now, not if he had it eight years ago."
As much as Liz thought that this is grim, Sabrina saw a ray of hope. She wanted to know the details. "If he has the seizure, can you examine him?"
"It is not that simple. I can"t examine him if he does not end up under my jurisdiction. For a person who experiences a seizure, normally you call 9-1-1. The person in Urgent Care would do the first tests. Other than the emergency number, you could call his primary doctor. If he is close by, he would take over, and if not, he would advise you to call 9-1-1", Liz explained.
Sabrina thought how Liz said a lot, but she still didn"t get her answer. "Can YOU be the person who examines him?"
Liz thought for some time before answering. "I could, but that means that I am in Urgent Care when he arrives or that I get the call if his primary doctor is not available. Which is not likely. As someone who claims to have epilepsy, Jackson should have an emergency card on him with important numbers. The procedure is to call those numbers first, and if I get the call, it means that the doctor listed on his card is not available and that the person making the call knows me as a neurosurgeon. Unless it"s an emergency, I don"t have the right to examine him."
Sabrina"s head was spinning. Why does everything sound so complicated? She wanted to confirm one point. "What if someone calls you instead of his primary doctor or 9-1-1?"
"If Jackson was conscious and he didn"t approve, then the person making the call can be sued."
"Thank you for explaining this."
"No problem.", Liz responded right away. "Rina, we will keep on investigating and let you know when we find something. We are careful so that Jackson does not find out about this."
"Thanks. Good night.", Rina ended the call without waiting for Liz to respond.
Sabrina was thinking about everything that Liz told her, and she concluded that there are a lot of variables. First, Jackson needs to have a seizure; second, he would need to be taken by the ambulance to the Franciscan Medical Center; and third, Liz is in Urgent Care.
Sabrina remembered that Liz said how as a senior surgeon she does not have any shifts in Urgent Care. Sabrina exhaled in defeat. After eight years with Jackson, she never saw him have a seizure, what are the chances that he will have one now? It sounds impossible.
Sabrina went to take a shower and she wondered how can she break up with Jackson? She knows that whenever Jackson feels wronged, he brings up his epilepsy, and so far it"s working. Well, it"s not that she really wanted to break up with him so far, but they had a few disagreements and every time the outcome was predictable: he mentions his epilepsy, Sabrina is overwhelmed with guilt and Jackson gets his way.
Sabrina has to admit that so far, Jackson didn"t have any big or inappropriate demands. That is why she always gave in and let him have his way. But now… it"s different. Sabrina does not want to stay with Jackson because there is Ashton and Sabrina wants her freedom.
For the first time in her life, Sabrina wants to be with someone.
Sabrina is aware that she needs to find a way to make a clean cut with Jackson because if he can bring up epilepsy for a small grievance, who knows how far he will go when she mentions breakup? Sabrina is aware that Jackson"s business is benefiting greatly from their fake engagement, and he will not let go easily.
…
Ashton came out of the shower and hopped on the bed. It"s nice and comfortable, smells fresh and the only thing that can make this better is if Sabrina is with him.
He stared at the ceiling which has matching geometric patterns like the one in Sabrina"s bedroom.
Ashton wondered if she slept off or if she is busy with something. He is not sure if he will be able to sleep. Probably not, Sabrina is right there, only a few steps away.
He laid on the bed while in his mind replaying events from that day. He spent most of the day with Sabrina and she is amazing.
A slight knock on his door got his attention. "Yes?"
He saw Sabrina walk in, wearing an alluring nightgown which is covering everything important, but he knows that it"s a thin fabric and it does not provide much resistance. Oh, G.o.d! Even her fuzzy slippers are s.e.xy! Why is she walking toward him without saying anything?
With her every step, his eyes widened more.
"What are you doing?", he asked in a shaky voice when Sabrina got on the bed and under the cover.
Sabrina looked at him and smiled. She is enjoying the fact that he is so nervous around her. "I noticed that you have incredibly good self-control, so you will not come to my room. And I don"t want to stay away from you so… here I am."
Ashton inhaled more than necessary. "You want to sleep here? With me in the bed?"
Sabrina gave a small nod in response. "The other option is that you come into mine."
Ashton"s eyes darted around nervously. He was not sure where to look. Even the cover which curved at the shape of her body was arousing. He closed his eyes and exhaled. This will be a very long night. But no matter how torturous this situation is, there is no way that he will tell her to leave.
"Ashton?", Sabrina"s half-whisper made him open his eyes.
"Yes?"
"I want you to know that this is not temporary. I will break up with Jackson, but I need to find a way to do it cleanly so that he does not cause us trouble later. Please, be patient a bit more."
Ashton smiled. This is the first time she mentioned a breakup with that shmuck who does not deserve her (aka Jackson).
Ashton moved closer and kissed her forehead. "I will wait as long as it takes. I told you before that I will never ask anything from you, and I mean it."
Sabrina wrapped her arms around Ashton. She licked her lips and demanded. "Kiss me."
"I don"t think that I can kiss you and stop at that.", Ashton admitted.
Sabrina moved toward Ashton and their bodies stuck together. She let out a satisfying hum at the amazing feeling of his firm body against hers.
Sabrina rested her head on his shoulder and placed her palm on his chest. She can feel his heart thundering and that is telling her that he is excited about this just as she is.
"You don"t need to stop.", she said in a half-whisper.
"Did you forget that we spoke yesterday about going slow?"
"You said that, not me.", Sabrina reminded him.
Ashton"s fingers disappeared in her silky blonde hair and he tucked her head at the crook of his neck.
"Sleep.", he said firmly when she tried to lift her head.
"I"m not sleepy."
"Why did you come to my bed?"
Sabrina tightened her hold on him and took a deep breath. "You smell nice."
Ashton laughed helplessly. Sabrina ignored his question and it is obvious that she didn"t come because she wants to sleep. This will be a very long night.
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