Tap tap tap.
"Andy, please stop. I know you do that when you're nervous but it's really annoying." She barked at me, but I hardly heard her. The only thing on my mind was Sammi, Jinxx, and their baby.
Tap tap tap.
"I said knock it off!" She jumped to her feet, fuming. She turned to storm out when Jake grabbed her hand, pulling Ella onto his lap. I stopped tapping my foot but I was no less worried or angry. CC and Jake both ineffectively tried to comfort their girlfriends as we awaited the news. Juliet was in a similar if not worse state of mind than the other girls. I guessed that she was more upset being that she was supposed to be the godmother. I should have held her or tried to console her, but I couldn't make any sense of my scrambled thoughts, let alone move or even speak. We all knew what happened and that there was no chance of good news, but we needed a doctor's official statement for closure, I supposed. I heard CC lightly pound his fists on the table in anger. Ashley had not shown up or attempted to contact us, despite our desperate messages of somberness and sorrow. It angered us all but he was the least of our worries.
"Family of Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson?" A tall and stern-looking man in turquoise scrubs addressed us as we all stood in unison. The silence hung over us like a dark cloud. By the grim look displayed upon his face, we had all of the confirmation we needed. As if on cue, all three women burst into heavy, grieving sobs. A few tears rolled down CC and Jake's cheeks as well as my own. An extreme wave of light-headedness hit me hard, forcing back into my chair. I held my head in my hands. I wanted it all just to go away. I wanted it to be a dream. I wanted to cut. I just wanted a way out.
"I'm very sorry." The man wrung his hands as he stared gloomily at the cold tile floor. "You may want to give them some time alone to cope, but you may all see them now; only two people at a time. I am very sorry." Yet none of us made any effort to move. Somehow, we mentally seemed to agree that they would need some space right now. The doctor slowly retreated to a room down a separate hallway, leaving us to grieve the loss of someone we hadn't even met yet, but we all loved dearly. As if to make matters worse, I heard a light and slightly familiar chuckle from down the hall. I lifted my head to see the one person none of us wanted in our presence at the moment: Ashley.
He stumbled a little, clearly drunk and a bit giggly. His happiness angered us all, some more than others. His smile dropped a little as he seemed to notice our hostility towards him. He threw up his arms, nearly losing his balance, and laughed quite loud.
"What's with the sad faces? You look like someone died or something." He was hardly understandable through his heavy slur and long pauses between each word. I saw the look on Jake's face out of the corner of my eye and I seriously began to fear for Ashley's life. Jake looked as if he was ready to kill, and Ella took notice, too, as she drew back from his arms.
"Where the hell have you been, Ashley? What the hell, man?" Jake stepped towards Ashley, clenching and unclenching his fists in a constant motion. Ashley cocked his head to the side and laughed.
"I was nowhere. Not your business, Jake." His arrogance was aggravating, but I let Jake handle it.
"Really? Not my business? I think it is! We've been calling and texting you all damn night and you didn't respond to a single one. Probably because you've been drunk off your-" Ashley stepped closer and out a finger to Jake's lips.
"Shh. Don't swear, that's naughty." He giggled as Jake slapped his hand away. I knew there was no way to try to communicate with Ashley in such an inebriated state, but Jake had to try, and try he did.
"Cut it out, Ashley! I'm tired of this. You are such an ass, you know that?" Ashley seemed to become more serious in a matter of seconds as Jake threw more insults in his face.
"Shut it, Jake. I didn't do anything. Lighten up. There's nothing wrong with me. There's something so wrong with you!" He held out the word 'you' and Jake suddenly snapped.
"Nothing wrong?! You idiot! Sammi lost her baby! Can't you get that through your thick, drunk skull? Am I speaking in a different language or something? Can you understand that Ashley?" Something suddenly clicked in Ashley's brain, as he stood in shock, unable to say any more slurred comebacks.
"I… I didn't realize…"
"Damn right, you didn't realize! What do you have to say now, you little freak?"
I knew it had gone far enough. Jake began to speak again as I leapt between them, separating them before it got physical. Jake glowered at Ashley as he turned as sprinted, stumbling constantly down the long hospital hallway. We knew Jake was harsh on him, but it was the only way to get him to listen. A seed of guilt seemed to plant itself in the pit of my stomach, but I brushed it off as we all returned to our seats in the silence that remained.
A/N: I know, lamest filler chapter ever but it was really sad. I've been really busy lately, I'll try and update soon but I'm going on vacation for the next 5 days. Keep reviewing and commenting, I seriously love the feedback! Thanks for being patient with my lazy ass. Also, sorry for the swearing, especially in this chapter. Sorry if it bothers you. Thanks for reading!