Chapter Three
Ashlee was shown to Pete's room once she regained her composer. She stood up on shaky legs, clutched her father's arm and followed the nurse in the cheery looking scrubs down the hallway to Pete's room in the ICU. She stood at the door for a good few minutes before looking up at her father.
"Go on baby." He said softly. "I'll be waiting out here. Go see your husband." She nodded slightly, agreeing with him a little. She gently turned the handle and slowly opened the big door. She moved in the room slowly, and gasped loudly when she saw Pete laying on the bed, wires and tubes running into his body. The noise of the ventilator that was keeping him alive made loud hissing noises as Ashlee gingerly approached the bed.
"Oh Pete." She said softly, the tears falling steadily. She gently reached over and touched his face. She ran her finger along a scratch on his cheek.
"Baby, I need you…" She whispered running her finger along his hair line. His hair looked all messy and disheveled…so unlike Pete. "I need you to get better baby. I need you so much." She sobbed. She leaned down into his shoulder and took in his scent. "I need you to wake up. Our lives together just started baby. I need you to help raise our baby. I need you. I love you so much." She cried. She looked down at him and just cried, there wasn't much more that she could do. She only looked up when she heard the door creak, and saw both of Pete's parents standing at the door. Even from where she was sitting, she could see the tears pouring down Dale's face. When they walked in, Ashlee immediately turned to Pete again and just stared at him. She ran her fingers through his hair as his parents moved to the opposite side of them as her and talked to him. She just leaned in to him and listened, holding his hand. Maybe, if she acted like everything would be okay…it in fact, would be.
That night, way passed dark, Joe came to the room to collect Ashlee. He found her asleep on a chair, laying in the most uncomfortable position it seemed. He gently shook her shoulder and jumped himself when she did.
"Baby, why don't you let me take you home?"
Ashlee immediately shook her head. "No." She said groggily.
"You were sleeping baby, you need to get some…"
"No. I want to stay here with Pete." She spat. Joe took a moment to regain his stance.
"It's not good for the baby for you to be sleeping in a chair like that."
"I don't care." She snapped. She turned to Pete and watched his heart rise and fall with every assisted breath he took. "I don't want to leave him. He doesn't like being alone." She whispered.
"Ash…he'd want you to go home and get some rest." She turned around to see Pete's younger brother, Andy standing in the doorway. Andy had been away the passed week with his girlfriend, but obviously had gotten the call. Ashlee immediately stood up and ran to Andy. He was her closest confidant on the Wentz side, other than Pete. She hugged him close, her tears rising in her eyes again, soaking his shirt.
"You should listen to your dad Ash." He whispered into her hair as he hugged her close. "My little niece or nephew needs some rest."
"I need to stay with Pete." She cried.
"Listen to me." Andy pushed her gently so she was facing him at arms length. "I'm going to stay with him. And the second something changes, you're the first number I'm calling, okay?"
She nodded slightly, not liking the way he was talking to her but agreeing at the same time. She was really tired; it had been a long day. She placed her hand on her small stomach before looking back at Pete and then to Andy. She reached up and hugged him once more before going back to the bed. She bent over and touched his hair before placing a kiss on Pete's forehead and then his lips.
"I love you so much." She whispered into his ear. "I'll be back first thing in the morning." She waited for a moment, as if to see if he would respond. When he didn't, she walked over to her dad and let him hug her before leading them out of the room.
She had nightmares that night. When she came home to the empty house, it was eerily tidy. Obviously someone had gotten the place cleaned up and the caterers out of there fast. As she walked through the house, she felt the sobs coming to a head once more. As she walked into their bedroom, she nearly buckled. The sobs took over once more as she bent over and sunk her face into the comforter. She was terrified of what was going to happen to her husband, to her family and most of all to her dreams of living happily ever after. She cried for Pete, because she wanted and needed him to get better. She cried for the baby she was carrying, because she was scared he or she would never get to meet their dad. And she was crying for herself because she had no idea if she was strong enough to handle this. A knock on the bedroom door knocked her out of her revere and caused her to look up. Her mother, Tina stood at the door.
"Oh Ash…"
"Mommy…" She cried, not moving from her knees.
"Ash." She whispered, coming to her side. Tina gathered her daughter in her arms and just held on to her, hugging her close.
"I need him to be okay." She whispered. "I need him to."
"I know baby. And I bet Pete's fighting really hard to come back to you baby. I know he is."
"I hope so. Cause I can't live without him." She whispered.
But she couldn't sleep in their bed alone. She was plagued all night by images of what her life would be like without Pete and she didn't like it. Not one bit. She imagined herself raising their child, conveniently a boy in all her dreams, all by herself and it made her sick to her stomach. She spent the entire night staring up at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep. Not without him.