270 Ashton is missing

"Uhm… I don't know where he is. I saw him walk down the street and he was supposed to reach on time. I will go and look for him…" Sabrina said absentmindedly and ended the call.

Anxiety swelled inside Sabrina and she had a bad feeling about all this.

She dashed to her office and grabbed her purse before walking out. "Watch the store. I'm going to check if I can find Ashton."

Madison and Nicole exchanged confused glances. What does she mean by going to find Ashton? Did he get lost? But Sabrina was outside already, and they didn't get a chance to ask.

While walking on the street, Sabrina dialed Ashton, and the phone rang all the way.

"Hey... call me when you get this message..." Sabrina left the voicemail.

It's not like Ashton to not answer. 

Sabrina called Max, but he was in a meeting. Next, she dialed Hunter and told him that Ashton left around one o'clock and that he never made it to the café.

"He was supposed to be there half an hour ago. He is not answering his phone..."

"Calm down." Hunter advised. "Do you have any idea where he could be?"

"No. You know him better than I do. He is the most responsible person on the planet."

Hunter had the same bad feeling as Sabrina. "Do you think that Jackson did something?"

"I don't know." Sabrina responded irritably. "You and Max were supposed to keep your eye on Jackson. You tell me. Did he do something?"

"Rina, Jack left the hospital yesterday and since then he is at home. We are monitoring his cell phone and email, and there is nothing suspicious there." Hunter said as calmly as possible. "He had a number of visitors, friends, and relatives, and other than that it's quiet. How much we can tell, he is recuperating at home."

"Don't you have people watching over Ashton!?" Sabrina almost screamed.

Hearing Sabrina's anxiety, Hunter knew that 'no' is not an answer that she wants to hear. But he can't lie either. "We have people watching over you, your studio and apartment." Hunter heard traffic noise, and asked: "Where are you?"

"On the street. I'm retracing Ashton's steps."

"How do you know which way he went?"

"He always takes the same route." Sabrina responded.

Hunter thought about how that is a bad thing. If someone wants to attack or kidnap Ashton, his regular route is making things easy. "If Ashton is in trouble, you will not find him in the middle of the street. What is your plan?"

"He usually walks two blocks away and there is a cab station. From there he takes the cab to the café. I will ask at the station if anyone saw him take the cab an hour ago." Sabrina explained.

Sabrina heard Hunter, but if she gives up, what will she do? She thought of the possibility that Ashton took a cab and went somewhere else. It is not like Ashton, but it's possible.

She called Ashton's number again and it rang all the way until it reached voicemail.

Sabrina reached the cab station and approached a group of drivers who were gathered.

"Excuse me…" Sabrina called to get their attention. "Did you see this man today?"

The men looked at Ashton's photo on Sabrina's phone and confirmed that they know him.

"He comes here almost every day." One of the cab drivers responded.

Sabrina's face lit up with hope. "Was he here today? About one hour ago?"

The drivers exchanged glances before shaking their heads. No one saw Ashton today.

"Maybe he took a bus." One of the drivers suggested while gesturing down the street toward the bus station.

Sabrina bit her lower lip while thinking about how that is not likely. Ashton always disliked how buses make many stops and don't go straight to his desired destination. If he does not take the cab, he would rather walk or bike. But Ashton didn't have much time to reach the café and there is no way he would take the bus and be late.

More than once Sabrina offered him her car, saying that he can take it and pick her up when he is done so that they return together, but he always refused it with an explanation that she might need it while he is not around.

"I'm used without a car. Don't worry about me..." Ashton would say with a charming smile on the corner of his lips. 

Sabrina was getting desperate, unsure what to do next. She called Ashton's number and it rang all the way until it reached voicemail. Why is he not picking up?

Her phone rang again.

"What did you find?" Sabrina said immediately when she saw that it's Hunter.

"No one took a cab from that location to the café in the last hour." Hunter responded flatly.

"Where could he be?" Sabrina asked hopelessly. Every minute is suffocating, and she feels that Ashton is drifting away.

Hunter thought of something. "Did you call him?"

"Yes, he is not picking up." Sabrina responded.

"It's ringing?" Hunter needed confirmation.

"Yes."

Hunter cursed under his breath. How come he didn't think of tracing Ashton's phone? "Give me a minute. I will call you in a bit."

A minute lasted like an eternity to Sabrina. She was pacing back and forth in the area where cabs are parked and the drivers who were watching her were getting restless.

"Miss, do you want coffee or water? How about you sit on the bench?" One driver offered.

"No. Thanks." Sabrina responded without pausing her steps.

Her phone rang and she almost dropped it. "Yes?"

"Rina, his phone is close to your location…" Hunter gave her the address. "Call him. Unless his phone is on silent, there is a chance that you will hear it…"

Sabrina quickly set her GPS app on the phone to the address Hunter gave her, and she saw that it's around the corner.

When she was nearby, Sabrina called Ashton and her heart stopped when she heard the familiar ringtone from the alley on her right.

Sabrina advanced slowly toward the sound which was coming from the end of the alley where big trash bags are stacked, and she was not sure if she should hope that Ashton lost his phone and it ended up in the trash by accident, that a homeless person took it, or that Ashton is next to his phone.

"Ashton!" Sabrina screamed when she saw him on the ground between the trash bags.

Ashton's face was bloodied and bruised, almost beyond recognition, but Sabrina recognized the clothes. His hands were also hurt, and there was an open fracture on his left forearm… someone beat him badly.

In her daze, Sabrina went on her knees next to Ashton and pushed the trash bags away. She put her shaky fingers on his neck, and she confirmed that there is a pulse.

Sabrina dialed the last number on her phone.

"Ambulance… Ashton needs an ambulance…" Sabrina said through sobs before she dropped her phone. Hunter was asking her something, but she didn't hear him.

Sabrina cradled Ashton's head and placed it on her lap gently. She remembers caressing his hair which was sticky from the blood, her tears blurred her vision, and Sabrina is not aware at what point ambulance arrived and how she reached the hospital.

…

~ Seattle, General Hospital ~

Hunter and Max entered the waiting room of the emergency area and saw Sabrina on the sofa, staring at the carpet.

"Rina?" Max called when he approached her.

Sabrina lifted her head slowly and broke down into sobs when she saw her brothers.

Max sat next to Sabrina and put his arm around her shoulders.

Max wanted to say that it will be OK, but he has no idea what is going on. He and Hunter know that Sabrina found Ashton in the alley and that he needed an ambulance. Based on the blood on Sabrina's clothes and hands, it's bad.

Hunter demanded to see the doctor who can tell them about Ashton's condition.

"How is he doing?" Hunter asked as soon as the doctor made his appearance in the waiting area.

The doctor bobbed his head. "The patient is unconscious. He lost a lot of blood. His left arm and three ribs are broken, and his skull is fractured. Currently, we are checking for potential brain damage and making sure he does not have internal bleeding."

Hunter and Max frowned. This does not sound good.

"Will Ashton be fine? Is his life in danger?" Hunter asked frantically.

The doctor didn't have an answer to this question. "We need to wait until all the exams are over."

Hunter was not satisfied with this answer. How can Ashton end up in such a sorry state? They are exercise buddies and more than once they sparred and Hunter is confident that Ashton would not fall down easily. And now it seems that someone dragged him into the alley and beat him up and no one noticed the commotion and intervened or called the police? Did Ashton just go inside alley and allowed someone to beat him?

Hunter hoped to get at least something useful. "Do you know what caused his current condition?"

"Blunt object, and there is a number of burn marks on his chest and back from a taser gun."

Hunter and Max both gritted his teeth. Taser marks on back and front? How many people attacked Ashton?

"We want to arrange him to be transferred to the Franciscan Medical Center." Max informed the doctor.

"You can file the request in administration…" The doctor started explaining and then remembered. "The police should be here shortly, to take statements."

The doctor excused himself. "The brain scan should be over. I will let you know once I have something conclusive."

Hunter and Max don't care about the police. They will deal with this their way.

"I will take care of the transfer." Hunter told Max. "You call Liz so that they expect Ashton."

Max called Liz and told her that Ashton is in the General Hospital, he didn't tell her about Ashton's condition, because she can probably find out much more than what the doctor in charge told them.

Next, Max called Ian. "Can you get footage from security cameras in the area where you located the phone earlier today?"

Max explained to Ian that they are looking for people who attacked Ashton. Considering that no one reported any commotion on the street, there is a chance that everything happened in that alley, but those who attacked him had to get in and out of that alley somehow.

Max ended the call and rubbed Sabrina's shoulder gently.

Sabrina looked up at Max with bloodshot eyes.

"He will be fine. Right?" She asked through sobs.

"Yeah." Max did his best to sound as convincing as possible. 'He has to be.'

---

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