40. Let Me Help You

Ashley gasped because she didn't expect her footing to be that weak just because of a few scratches. The pain that ran along her limbs was no joke. A sharp pain that both gripped and gave a shocking sensation, overcame and crept up half of her body.

Startled by the sudden weakening of her limbs strength—she herself was also unprepared because she thought she could walk well without relying on anything—Ashley raised her hands to grab onto anything nearby that she could use as a handhold to prevent her from falling. But since there was nothing around her, she just waved at the empty space. Making her body immediately unsteady and almost fell to the right.

Luckily, at that time, Jason was not too far away from her. The man was also quick enough to read Ashley's unstable movements. So that in one leap, his hand could immediately grab Ashley's body and pull her to him before she actually fell.

But Jason's sudden and obviously unexpected catch made Ashley even more shocked in the blink of an eye.

Spontaneously, she tiptoed to distance herself. While switching the pedestal on her hand that quickly held Jason's arm.

Jason automatically realized to let go of his embrace—which was actually only meant to help the girl, but might indeed risk causing discomfort. Since he also didn't want to cause any misunderstanding, he also swiftly switched to respond to Ashley's handhold so that the girl wouldn't be unsteady and could get back on her feet properly.

“I'm sorry,” Ashley shook her head while enduring both pain and embarrassment, ”I didn't know it would hurt so much to walk.”

“It’s okay. Just take it slow,” Jason said softly, trying to ease her surprise. Then he turned to Mr. Kwak, “can you get her a wheelchair?”

“I don't think I need it. Maybe I just need to try again for a while so I can get used to it,” Ashley expressed her refusal again.

“If you insist, and if you fall down halfway through... I'm sure you'll be in a worse situation than this,” Jason looked at Ashley. There was a clear hue of doubt on his face. Jason, for some reason from the few hours he had interacted with Ashley, made him have possible prejudice about her nature: a girl who pretended to be tough, or tried too hard to look tough.

Jason glared at Mr. Kwak who joined in on the hesitation, “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go get it,” then back to Ashley, “Let's sit down first, you will hurt more if you stand up.”

He then guided Ashley to sit back on the patient bed while waiting for the wheelchair to arrive. While standing next to the girl, Jason looked at the situation of the emergency room that was clearly displayed in his eyes.

Without any intention to look judgmental to Ashley, he murmured, “Sometimes, it's okay to accept help from others—even though you might be able to do it yourself.”

Ashley raised her head to look at the man. She realized that the words he had just said were meant to reprimand her. Surprisingly, instead of taking offense, Ashley absorbed it and sank into her own thoughts.

'Am I that kind of person—averse to accepting help for fear of being perceived as weak? Is it that obvious?'

She had been doing everything by herself. Although not in the context of her trying to build something or working hard from scratch—because everything she needed was always readily available. It was just that her life situation, which forced her to live in solitude and no one ever considered her existence, spontaneously triggered the side of her that wanted to stand out. That she was also capable of doing something great that deserved to be taken into account or given appreciation. To be able to get that, of course she must not be a weak person or act like a spoiled princess.

At least, that was a little bit of mindset that she may not realize has been deeply embedded in her own head.

Mr. Kwak arrived shortly after with a wheelchair and a nurse walking behind him. 

Once near Ashley, the nurse asked if there was anything she needed to do for her. Ashley, again without realizing it—as if it was some kind of ingrained habit that was hard to break—shook her head. But Jason quickly answered before Ashley could open her mouth to say no.

“Can you help change all her clothes?”

The nurse who came in at that time was not the nurse who handled Ashley or the old lady next to her. So she probably didn't know anything about Ashley's chronology and what her condition was like.

“Ah—of course. I will help you,” the nurse tried to check by scanning Ashley's general appearance. She saw that the fabric pants Ashley was wearing had been cut half down her thighs and there were rips visible at several parts on the pants. Also the red stain that took up almost Ashley’s entire white T-shirt. And most importantly, there were scratches which all seemed to have been medicated. “Did you get the results of your examination, Miss? Or maybe there's a part of your body that hurts a lot—so that I can pay more attention to it while helping you.”

“I have. They said everything is good. Only the wounds are visible on my skin. But somehow the pain seems to go all the way down to my bones.”

The nurse nodded while helping Ashley to move to the wheelchair.

“Since your wounds look quite numerous and extensive, it can have a very painful effect. It's okay. After you take your medicine later, the pain will gradually subside.”

“Please help her carefully,” Jason handed the paper bag containing the clothes to the nurse.

But Mr. Kwak interrupted them and suddenly uttered a long sentence that made no sense. 

“Umm, you see Miss, I think before you go I need to tell you something… that... everything’s in there,” Mr. Kwak pointed at the paper bag now in the nurse's hands, ”was all selected by the store clerk. I just said I needed a full set for a patient who had just been in an accident with multiple wounds on the hands and feet. Then the clerk asked me a lot of questions and I answered as best I could. I didn't know anything about what she took, and I didn't touch it at all. Um, yeah, that's… that’s about it.”

“What the hell do you mean?” Jason frowned, not being able to grasp the meaning of his driver's words in the slightest, “What's wrong with you?”

Ashley also didn't really understand why Mr. Kwak was trying to inform her at such length, but she felt no need to bother and simply replied with a smile, “It's alright. Thank you so much for your help.”

“Hh, just ignore him,” Jason gestured for the nurse and Ashley to hurry to the restroom to change her clothes. He then sat on Ashley's patient bed while glancing at Mr. Kwak with a strange look without wanting to ask any questions.