Ashley sat in the stiff hospital chair. She gazed at Spencer never once taking her eyes off of her. She wanted to cry, but she had no tears left. She softly groaned and dropped her head into her hand as memories of what had happened just four short hours ago flashed through her mind. She heard the warning shouts over and over, and could feel herself being pulled down to the ground. She was finally able to tear herself out of the flashback, and opened her eyes suddenly. She raised her head and looked at Spencer's face.
"I'm sorry." She whispered into the dim room. She wasn't supposed to be in the room by the rules of both the hospital and Spencer. Spencer had passed out when she heard that her brother had been hit, and the doctor recommended she stay over night to make sure she was stable before she went home. Ashley knew she had to go see Spencer, and at the hospital was her best bet; Spencer had told her father that she didn't want to see her and Ashley was devastated with the news that Spencer didn't want to see her, but she knew that the fact that Spencer had told her dad and not her mom was a sign that there was hope. If Spencer had told her mom that, there would probably be police officers standing by the door, looking for a one Ashley Davies, brown hair, brown eyes, five foot three… So she knew there was hope.
"I'm so sorry," Ashley said again. "I shouldn't have even had to think about the choice between you and Aiden. I love Aiden, but I'm in love with you. I know I've been spending all that time with him, but he's like my brother. And I needed someone to talk to about you. You're completely new territory to me. I've never been in love with someone. I should have told you that then, so that I wouldn't have to sneak in here now." Ashley sighed. She wondered how she could feel so empty, but her body could feel so heavy. "When those guns went off, the first person I thought about was you," Ashley paused. "Aiden pulled me down, but I just wanted to get to you. I just wanted to keep you safe. I'm so happy that you are, even if you never talk to me again. You deserve to live." Ashley scooted further up in her chair so she was closer to Spencer. She reached for her hand laying on the bed, but caught herself; she didn't want to wake her up. She squeezed her hands together, as if Spencer's hand was between hers. "I love you," her voice cracked. She thought she had no tears left, but what she really had lost was her will. The tears fell. "I love you so much," her voice dripped with desperation.
She sat rocking in her chair for a few moments before she composed herself. She wiped her eyes and sat up straight. "I love you, Spencer." She said one last time. She looked at her phone to check the time. 1:17 AM it read. She didn't realized how long she had been sitting there she gathered her bearings and headed toward the door. She looked back at Spencer one last time before she left. "No matter how long it is until we fix this, or even if we never do, I will not be with anyone either than you. I'll wait forever if I have to." She whispered her promise into the air, and then quietly shut the door behind her.
The moment the door closed, Spencer's eyes slowly opened. "I love you too,"sShe whispered at the door, "and I hope to God you don't have to wait forever."