Chapter 8 - The First Meeting
A week later, the doctor cleared Clara to be moved out of the ICU into a private luxury recovery suite on the top floor of the hospital.
It was a bright, sunny afternoon. The snow outside sparkled under the crisp winter sun.
Clara sat up in her hospital bed, wearing a soft cream-colored sweater Mrs. Gable had brought for her, her dark brown hair brushed nicely, her cheeks finally regaining some healthy color. Her heart was pounding so hard against her ribs she thought she might faint.
The door to her private room clicked open gently.
Asher walked in first, holding the heavy wooden door open.
Behind him came two tiny figures holding hands.
Lily and Maya were dressed in matching winter dresses—red velvet with white fur collars—and black shiny shoes. They stood in the doorway for half a second, their green eyes wide as they looked at the bed.
"Mommy!" Maya shrieked.
"Mommy!" Lily cried out.
The two little girls broke away from Asher, their small feet flying across the hardwood floor, scrambling onto the side of the hospital bed with desperate, wild joy.
Clara let out a loud, heartbroken sob of pure happiness, opening her arms wide and pulling both of her daughters into her lap, burying her face in their soft, fragrant hair, kissing their cheeks, their foreheads, their hands, weeping uncontrollably.
"My babies! My sweet, beautiful girls!" Clara cried, holding them as if she would never let them go again. "I'm so sorry! Mommy is so sorry she left you!"
"We were in the big car, Mommy!" Maya babbled through her tears, hugging her mother's neck tightly. "Asher took us to the big house with the soft beds! He has teddy bears as big as mountains!"
"And he gave us chicken soup!" Lily added, her small hands wiping Clara’s tears away. "He didn't let the bad men touch us!"
Clara looked up over the heads of her daughters at Asher, who was standing quietly near the window, his hands tucked into his suit pockets, watching the reunion with a soft, warm smile, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears.
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"Thank you," Clara whispered to him, her voice choked with emotion. "Thank you for bringing my world back to me."
"You don't ever have to thank me, Clara," Asher said gently, walking over to stand beside the bed, reaching down to stroke Lily’s hair. "You three belong together. And as long as I'm breathing, nobody will ever separate you again."
