Unconsciously, her fingers grabbed the hem of her white shirt and held it tightly, trying to compose herself.
"You must've been suffering so much, Asher…" She whispered softly through her trembling lips. "If it weren't for Acashia, I…"
Astrid didn't dare to think about it any longer, she looked down at her daughter. Her watery eyes stared at her daughter and her heart was overflowing with gratitude. "Acashia, you are really a kind child."
The little girl smiled from ear to ear, and when she spoke her happiness shined with the tone of her voice. "You think I'm kind?"
"Yes, you're my angel!"
"Does that mean you're going to stay with me more? And that you'll come with me whenever I want to visit my handsome friend?"
Acashia's words penetrated her heart. Her line of sight remained on her brother's handsome face. As she stared at his closed eyes, his plump and pinkish lips, it's as if a lump in her throat was preventing her from breathing normally.
"I will come with you, sweetie. I promise."
"That's great!" Acashia bounced up and down in excitement. "Does that mean we can stay here for a bit longer?"
"Sure thing swee —"
Astrid stopped talking when she heard the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer. It was the sound of 'click and clack' that sounded much like the guard's shoes who were assigned to look after them.
"Seems like the guard is here. We have to go now, darling."
Acashia frowned then looked down at her friend. "Do we have to?"
"We have to."
With a heavy heart, the two of them left Asher's room.
Before they close the door, the sweet little girl tugged on Astrid's shirt and said, "I promise… we will often visit my good friend. And my friend is also your friend! I'm sure he likes you!"
Nodding her head, Astrid leaned down and kissed the little girl's face.
When she looked up, the guard who was standing in front of them looked impatient as his boss.
"Where to?" She asked politely.
The guard hummed, then fixed his dark glasses. "Follow me."
Astrid nodded her head and took the little girl's wrist. The two of them were escorted towards the doctor who specializes in caring for someone with the same condition as Acashia.
When the two of them entered the door, she saw a handsome face. His features were different from Matthew Cullin's appeal, who was rough around the edges. Matthew Cullin had this air around him that screamed masculinity. His presence could be sensed by anyone as long as he's in the room.
He had stubbles of hair on his chin and jaw, and was always going for that 'after shave' look.
But this man wasn't like that. His charm was something that could be described as gentle. His crescent shaped eyes had this kind of softness that made people want to trust him with their lives. And he had this unique aura that magnetized people to him.
Acashia sighed when she saw the handsome doctor. "Doctor Christian Kutcher, I'm here again."
The man called Ian smiled after seeing the little girl. He looked at the two of them with kindness in his eyes, "Your father is a friend of mine, didn't I tell you to call me 'Ian' or 'Chris' instead?"
Pretending to be unhappy, the little girl pouted. "Okay then, Doctor Ian…"
The tables were turned and now Acashia pulled Astrid inside, asking her to come sit with her. The little girl cleared her throat, obviously was trying to get the attention of the handsome doctor and said, "This is my pretty friend!"
Almost at the same time, their eyes met.
Astrid smiled half-heartedly. "Hello."
She glanced sharply at the man's lab coat and the plaque that was placed on the middle of his table.
'Christopher A. Kutcher.'
This was the first time she heard of the name Christopher Kutcher. Being one of the highest paid models in the world, Astrid knew anybody who's anybody. She knew people from different professions, whether they are doctors, lawyers or even pimps and drug dealers. And yet… this man remained a mystery. Five years ago, she had not the slightest impression of this person.
All the while, Acashia who was standing on the side happily bragged about the handsome doctor. "Doctor Ian is a very good doctor. Daddy said he can cure my disease!"
Astrid smiled at the young girl. Her hand reached to the little girl's soft cheeks and pinched it softly. "Alright."
"You can trust me with her." The doctor added.
"Sure." Astrid nodded and slightly pushed the little girl towards the examining room where he'll check Acashia's condition. But before the door was closed Astrid said, "Please leave the door open."
The doctor nodded and smiled. He began to examine the little girl, and as he did, Astrid listened to the conversation between the two quietly.
Strangely, she always felt that the man in front of her was not as he seemed. It's as if the doctor was putting up a façade. As if he's hiding something.
"Just a doctor?" She mused to herself. "I don't think so… I have a bad feeling about this one." She said to herself as she observed the man and her daughter from the small opening of the door.
After spending five years in prison, Astrid had encountered so many persona's, so many people who were hiding behind a mask. She had seen people unveil their darker shades, their cruel side. And since she was detained and confined inside that horrible Psychiatric Hospital, her insight and intuition about people had saved her countless times.
"Pretty lady, I'm done, we can go home now!"
Acashia's soft yet cheerful voice snapped her from her musings. Astrid smiled and shook her head as she was pulled back to reality. "That's good. Should we call for the guard to have your Dad pick us up?"
"Yes!" Acashia answered. "But first can we get some ice cream?!"
"Sure, my little —"
"Did someone say 'ice cream', hm?" Doctor Ian asked with an ear to ear smile.
"I did!"
He looked at Astrid. "Can I come? My treat?"
Astrid shook her head and politely declined. "No thank you." She said with a smile. "Maybe next time?"
"Sure." The doctor raised his hand and waved goodbye. "Goodbye then? See you on your next appointment, Ms. Abel?"
Acashia payfully shot her tongue out then said her farewell right after. "Okay… bye, Doctor Ian!"
When the two of them were about to leave, the soft and gentle voice Christopher Wu stopped Astrid from stepping out of the door.
"Miss?" He paused, wanting Astrid to focus her attention on him. "What's your name?"
A soft, "Huh?"cascaded from Astrid's lips. She stopped on her tracks, having trouble steadying herself for she landed on her bad leg. She turned her head back to look at the handsome doctor. When she looked back at him, bewilderment flashed in her jet-black eyes, "Me?"
The man nodded, his handsome face looking as if he expected an immediate answer.
For the time being, Astrid was left stupefied. It was as if she had forgotten her own name. Meanwhile, Acashia hinted at Astrid's surprise. The little girl frowned at the doctor and said, "Find another pretty lady to talk to, Doctor Ian! This pretty auntie wants to be my Mommy! She's only for my dad! Don't think about her too often, you got it?!"
It was just a span of a second, but there was a hint of surprise on Christian Wu's features. He raised both of his hands and shook it as a sign of defeat. "Alright, alright. I won't talk to your pretty auntie anymore, Acashia."
"Good!"
Doctor Ian was laughing as the two of them left.
============
The two of them left the hospital silently. Astrid led the two of them to the waiting shed near the big oak tree where the guard told them to wait. "The scary old gourd told us to wait here, sweetie." She told the little girl.
"You mean, Mr. Guss?" Acashia said with a frown. "He is a bit scary. And grumpy."
A few minutes later, the familiar Panther arrived on the other side of the road. Astrid pulled the little girl to the other side of the road and raised her hand as they crossed the street. As they crossed the driver opened the door for them.
"Good day, Ms. Abel." He greeted the two, sounding like a robot.
The two of them slid inside the car. As they did, Acashia noted that Astrid had this sour look on her face. She poked the latter's side and said, "What's wrong?"
"Acashia, inside that Doctor's office I saw that you were playing around." She said with a stern voice. 'You shouldn't do that. Instead, you need to make sure you follow his instructions for you to heal properly. You understand?"
Acashia took a deep breath and puffed her face like a puffer fish. "Okay…"
The disappointed look on Astrid's face softened. She stared at her daughter's innocent face. She wondered why such a sweet and kind soul had to suffer from such a disease. She stared at Acashia's soft cheeks. Unlike the other children inside the hospital, her daughter was pale.
'She definitely looks sick.' She sadly thought. "Why would such a lovely child like you suffer such great pain?'
When the two of them arrived back at the Abel's mansion, Matthew Cullin was sitting in the dark corner of the living room. He was sitting behind a mahogany table, reading an important document or contract that forcefully grabbed his attention.
"Daddy!" Acashia ran towards her father. Her short legs pacing as her shoes tapped against the marbled floor. "I'm back with my beautiful friend!"
Instead of being greeted with a smile, Acashia was faced with the dark expression of her father. He was obviously unhappy with being disturbed as he worked. Barely putting away the documents in front of him. "That's good." He pushed himself off the chair and slid his hands under Acashia's arm to lift her up and place her on his thighs.
With a disdained, almost disgusted look, Matthew looked at Astrid who was still removing her shoes before she entered the mansion. "What did Christopher say? Did you listen?"
As she removed her shoes, Astrid noticed that small wounds and cuts on her leg appeared. She simply sighed and decided to keep quiet about it. "He said Acashia is doing fine."
Matthew watched as Astrid limped towards the couch, watching the woman with indifference in his facial features. "When will you be tested to see if you're a possible donor?"
"I don't know."
Matthew let out a sound of disappointment by clicking his tongue. The permanent frown on his face deepened. "You don't know or you don't care?"