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Author Note: It's a 2015 miracle! I tried to get it up earlier, but alas here we are. You know the drill by now. R & R.

I'll Meet You There

Chapter 12

I'm jarred awake as my body clenches at the agonizing pain when I try to move and sit up. My eyes are unusually heavy as they slowly blink open to a poorly lit room. I continue to struggle and I can't help let out another uncomfortable groan at my body's soreness, coming predominantly from my left side.

The bland yellow hospital walls stare back at me with the same disdain they always have and my heart drops.

Not this again.

"Whoa, careful now." I hear Taylor's voice, and soon my eyes follow the sound to focus on the blonde girl as she leans forward and comes into better view.

"No… you shouldn't be here." I croak out under my breath, confused as she helps me try to sit up. I can't help grimace again at the pain, my body feeling extremely slow and uncooperative.

I look around the hospital room almost frantically as I try to notice any differences, anything at all. My eyes shut defeated as I let out a heavy sigh.

It's still the same.

I don't… I don't understand.

I rub my head with my right hand and wince, feeling the slight bump on my head as I collapse back into the firm mattress.

"Ouch, yeah I wouldn't touch that." Taylor suggests behind clenched teeth.

"What happened?" My voice strains out in a frustrated tone. It sounds more hoarse than usual.

The blonde frowns before reaching for a cup of water at the nearby table and bringing the straw to my lips. The replenishing feeling soothes my throat on the way down and I'm thankful for it. "You got sideswiped by a pick-up truck running the intersection. Fortunately for you, all you came out of it with was a dislocated shoulder, a few bruised ribs and a minor concussion. Consider yourself lucky."

I glance down and finally notice my left arm in a sling. "I wouldn't exactly call me that."

Taylor shrugs as she sets the cup of water down within my reach on my bed tray in front of me. "Well you didn't croak, so there's that. The doctor said there was some swelling but nothing to be overly worried about. He wants to keep you here overnight for observation, just as a precaution for your head."

"Wonderful…" I droll out in an unenthused tone.

"Yes, I'm also supposed to wake you up every fifteen minutes." An amused smirk creeps on the girl's face.

I shake my head and roll my eyes. "Even more wonderful."

"Well maybe you should've thought of putting down a different blonde for your emergency contact…or you know, your sister… or that music company partner of yours…" Taylor laughs and sits back in her chair, full well knowing I'm just messing with her.

I turn my head towards my friend and offer her a sincere smile. "Thank you for showing up."

"Mhm, don't mention it." Taylor hums and smirks smugly. "Plus your doctor is a total fox so… it's not all that bad."

"Of course," I laugh and hold my stomach, trying my hardest to not wince at the pain. I groan when I try to move my left arm, struggling with the sling's restriction. It certainly will test my patience. "How long did the doc say I'll have this thing hindering me for?"

Taylor leans forward and helps me adjust the sling to a more comfortable position. "He hasn't come back with your final scan results yet, but he said it shouldn't be on longer than three weeks. This one is just temporary until he can set the other one properly."

I wince at that answer, but in the grand scheme of things it could be much worse. I lean back against my pillow and sigh. All of this is exhausting and it seems to have finally started to catch up with my body. Both physically and emotionally.

"But at least they kept you on a drip for your ribs. This stuff will knock you out nicely for sure." She pushes the button to release more of the drug into my system.

I can feel it almost instantly enter my bloodstream and dull the pain.

"Why didn't you use that when I first woke up?" I grumble.

"Sorry, I forgot." Taylor mumbles apologetically. It's quiet for a moment when Taylor finally breaks the silence. "I uh… I called Kyla, Ashley." Her voice nearly squeaks with the honest confession.

I look up ready to object, but the strained look on Taylor's face immediately makes me decide otherwise. She's shrunken back into the chair, deliberately out of my good arm's reach.

"I didn't know what else to do, and I know it might not be my place, but she's your family." Her voice remains timid as she explains herself.

"Did she say anything?" I ask curiously.

She's quick to shake her head. "Not really. I think she was too busy processing what I told her. She eventually responded with a polite thank you, and then hung up." Taylor shrinks her chair and frowns. "I'm sorry, Ashley."

"No, you did what you thought was right in the situation." I wave her off, not wanting her to blame herself more than she already has. "Honestly, I'm not upset. I would have probably done the same thing if I were in your position."

"Good."

"And thank you for telling me." I sigh out honestly.

"Hell what'd be the point of keeping secrets… I figured you've told me enough crazy stories over the short span we've known each other that I might as well not keep anything from you."

I laugh and nod in agreement, knowing full well all the ridiculous things I've asked her to believe. And she has, usually without question. It's why I changed my emergency contact a few weeks back. Because I didn't know if Kyla would actually show up or not, and Becks has more than her hands full with the company right now. Being been constantly out of town trying to lock down more contacts, I can't rely on her to be on hand in case of emergencies.

"I actually ran into Aiden at the pharmacy before I got in the crash." I randomly spit out in recollection of the events leading up to my accident. "We talked and—"

"And I'm stopping you right there Ashley. You aren't implying that this is all linked in that crazy story of yours, do you?" Taylor shakes her head. "Cause if you tell the doctors that they're definitely going to take another look at that head of yours, and who knows… probably lock you up in the psych ward on floor five. You think these yellow walls are bland, just you wait."

I push myself up with my good arm and sit up further. "I'm not crazy."

"Please, we both know that's not true." She scoffs loudly.

"They can't all be coincidences." I try to reason. "It's just too much."

She holds up both her hands in the air as she leans forwards. "I'm not saying that. I'm saying you shouldn't be talking about this type of stuff around people who are clinically and also legally allowed to throw your ass in the loony bin if they overhear us. Let's wait until you're discharged from this horrible place before you do anything crazier, okay? One obstacle at a time."

"Okay," I laugh to appease the girl. "I promise. No crazed confessions."

-o-

I feel the warmth of a soft hand on my forehead and my eyes slowly open at the touch.

"What are you doing here?" I hum as I naturally lean further into the hand.

I notice the sides of her mouth quirking upwards to form a small smile before she answers. "Taylor mentioned you had gotten into a small car accident when I called her, and being the nice considerate person I am, I figured my father's infamous soup might be better than the crumby hospital food I know they try to pass off as edible."

"You called Taylor?" I ask excitedly, still unknowingly a little bit dazed from the drip.

Spencer ducks her head and attempts to hide the sudden rosiness of her cheeks. She tries to subtly clear her throat before her eyes reach mine again. "Well my mother saw your name when she was working last night and she might have mentioned it to me… When you didn't pick up your phone this morning, I called Taylor."

"You've talked to your mother about me?" I can't help the proud smile appearing on my face as I mentally leap in the air and click my heels together.

Spencer huffs and rolls her eyes. "She inquires about my life sometimes… which you recently have become a part of, so yes, your name has come up once or twice in conversation." Her head tilts to the side as a charming smirk wipes across her face. I can hear a small laugh as she just stares at me. "I didn't realize being my friend was something to smile so big about."

I look away embarrassed and blush, not realizing I was even smiling to begin with. "I'm sorry, it's probably the drugs they have me on. They make me happy, but loopy."

"Well it makes me happy to see you're alright." The blonde smiles as she holds up a white bowl in my line of vision. "And I did owe you a soup after all." She places the bag on my bedside table as she jumps half way up on my bed, one leg bending as the other hangs loosely off the side. "Taylor mentioned you were okay…and it's not that I don't trust the girl's judgement, but I wanted to make sure you were actually alright."

"Well I appreciate the concern." I feel my nose start to crinkle but I consciously try control myself despite my face's resistance. "And of course, Mr. C's amazing soup." I add for healthy measures.

She's right though, the hospital food really is horrendous.

"Of course." Spencer laughs as she scoots closer. The air is still for a moment before Spencer quickly bows her head so I can't see her gaze, "I know it's silly, but I was really worried about you, Ashley."

I melt at the genuine sentiment and reach my hand towards hers. "Hey, I'm okay. Look," I straighten my posture as I try my best to sit up without grimacing in pain. "No broken bones or anything. I'm fine—just bruised and a little battered, but I'm still here." I outstretch my arms and smile wide as the girl takes the hint and curls into my good side.

My body instantly relaxes as Spencer snuggles closer.

I can never get tired of this feeling; of Spencer in my arms. Or in this particular situation, singular arm as my left is still in this uncomfortable sling. It will no doubt get in the way somehow in the future.

Nevertheless, it's an overwhelming comfort that I've come to miss the past few months.

And I'm treasuring it now for all its worth.

Every single second.

We lay there together quietly as the serene feeling of comfort washes over me and begins to null me back to sleep. Just as I'm about to drift off completely, Spencer's soft voice brings me back to consciousness.

"So I might have had ulterior motive in coming here in addition to the soup."

I hum as my eyes open slowly and I feel the girl adjust in my embrace. "Besides seeing me?" My eyebrow cocks wickedly as I pull back slightly to gauge her reaction.

Spencer just rolls her eyes and smiles at me. I notice the small tint of pink on her cheeks when she dips her head slightly towards the ground. "I sort of started my first draft of my new script…"

"New script?" I repeat curiously, both eyebrows now scrunching together as my interest is peaked.

"Yes, a brand new script." Spencer nods timidly. She subtly tries to hide as she side glances me. "Someone convinced me that I should write about something I feel truly passionate about."

"Spencer—"

"No, you were right Ashley." She confesses adamantly as she gently places her hand on top of mine, her shyness suddenly disappearing. "I should challenge myself and not take the easy route, especially when it's as important as my future and my career. I weighed the options of both sides and I'm choosing what I want. It just took an outsider's opinion to get me to the right conclusion." She tilts her head down to capture my gaze before giving me a reassuring smile.

"Is that what I am, an outsider?" I ask playfully.

"Well you're an outsider to my group of friends… so kind of." She squints and her head teeters back and forth.

I nod in agreement because she makes a fair point, and my rift with my sister will only make being around Spencer and her friends that much more difficult.

A family reunion is a little more than overdue anyways.

"I'm going to go see Kyla after I get out of here, to smooth things over between us. I know it's a work in progress, but she's my family so I'm not going to give up that easily when our stubbornness gets the best of either of us. It's not one of the better Davies' traits we inherited."

Spencer giggles in amusement and squeezes my hand. "Well I'm happy to hear you're trying to make amends."

My eyes smile at her with the utmost sincerity, unable to avoid the gaze of those blue eyes. "I am. I want the people in my life to me proud of who I am."