Disclaimer: They're not mine. Don't sue.
A/N: Thanks for all the lovely reviews. Bittersweet is really what I'm going for, so I'm glad you're all taking it well. Keep the feedback coming and feel free to mention what you like or even dislike about the story so I can make it better. I didn't really proofread this chapter because I really wanted to post, so there are probably mistakes scattered about. AND I've been getting some inquiries as to what Ashley's condition is specifically, but I've decided that I don't want to reveal it in the story. Allusion makes for more enthralling writing, I think. Plus, if you don't know what it is, then you won't know if I get the symptoms wrong. If you really, desperately need to know, I can disclose all when the story's done.
Spencer manages to get Ashley back to the hospital without incident. She was a little worried when Ashley couldn't stop shivering, but Spencer wrapped her up in blankets and she warmed up pretty quickly. She was asleep again as soon as her head hit the pillow, and none of the nurses object when Spencer sneaks out of Ashley's room. Spencer doesn't get home until the sky starts to lighten and that's when she remembers she probably should have called.
"Spencer, where the hell have you been?" Yeah, she difinitely should've called.
"I'm sorry, Dad. I was with Ashley."
"Until dawn? You couldn't pick up a phone? I was up worrying all night, Spencer. You didn't answer your cell, either." Spencer doesn't want to apologize again and she doesn't know what else to say. "Spencer, I don't have a problem with you spending time with your friends, you just have to tell me first. Don't make me worry."
"I know, Dad. I'm sorry." Spencer half-expects to get grounded or at least lectured, but she's just sent to her room.
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A loud ringing pulls Spencer out of her sleep and a blind arm flies out to the nightstand to silence an alarm clock. When that doesn't work, Spencer realizes that the ringing is coming from her cell phone somewhere one the floor. She flips it open and presses it to her ear, but she's still half asleep and forgets to say hello.
"Spence? You there?" comes Ashley's voice from over the line. And Spencer's awake again.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm here."
"Baby, I got good news for you." Spencer can't not smile when Ashley calls her baby.
"What's that?"
"Dr. Bryce said that my levels are down and I gained seven pounds. He's gonna let me take the day. I guess he didn't find out about last night," she laughed. "We can do whatever you want."
"Really? You can spend the whole day with me? You don't want to see your parents?"
"Hell no. They can get off their asses and come and see me, I'm spending today with my girl. Can you be ready in, like half an hour?" Spencer thinks she'd be ready in half a second if Ashley asked her to.
"I'll be waiting."
Spencer is all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in fifteen minutes. She only had to change her outfit twice. Clay and her father are downstairs eating in front of the TV when Spencer makes it to the front door. And she's so close, her hand is on the door knob and everything, when her dad stops her. Asks her where she thinks she's going. It's Saturday morning.
"I have plans with Ashley." And her dad rises from the couch.
"You saw her yesterday. You were out with her all night. Don't you think maybe you should give each other a break?"
"No," Spencer answers simply. Clay can sense the tension and promptly excuses himself.
"Spencer, I don't know if I like the idea of you spending so much time with this girl. I don't know anything about her, I've never even met her." As if on que, a horn honks outside.
"That's Ashley, I gotta go." But Spencer can't go because her father's hand is on the door and she can't open it when he's in the way. "Dad."
"She can come in and say hi," and his voice is soft, so Spencer is too worried. But Ashley doesn't know she's supposed to come to the door. Spencer was just going to meet her outside. It's a full five minutes before the door bell rings and Spencer's dad insisted that Ashley come to the door. Spencer pulls it open all too happily, her dad right behind her.
"Hey," Ashley breathes through a smile. She sees Mr. Carlin over Spencer's shoulder and actually stands up straighter.
"Hello, Ashley. I'm Spencer's dad," he all but knocks Spencer out of the way to shake Ashley's hand because now he understands, and he can see where Spencer's secrecy and reluctance came from and why, and he wishes Spencer had trusted him with this sooner. He was supposed to be the cool parent.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. C.," and Ashley almost loses her hand in his.
"Oh, please, call me Arthur. And come in, come in." He steps aside and lets both girls pass before ushering them into the living room to sit.
After they've exhausted all the small talk Spencer insists that they need to go, they have plans. And Arthur manages to get Spencer alone in the kitchen to talk to her. Spencer can't meet her father's eyes because she knows what he's going to say and she really doesn't want to cry right now. She takes a deep breath and waits for her dad to tell what she already knows and prays Ashley can't hear them.
"Spencer..." he starts. But he doesn't know where to go from there. So he just asks. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"What difference would it have made? It doesn't matter," but Spencer knows that's the complete opposite of true.
"Of course it matters, Spencer." He leans forward a little bit and lowers his voice, like he's going to tell a secret. "Ashley's obviously very sick."
"I don't need you to tell me that."
"Well, honey, I'm worried for you. Both of you. I don't want you getting into something you're not prepared to handle." Spencer scoffs at that. Does he honestly think Spencer hasn't run that through her head about a million times?
"Don't start shrinking me, Dad. I know...I know, okay?"
"I only want what's best for you, sweetheart. I just want you to be happy."
"I am." Arthur lets her go. He doesn't want to, but he does because sometimes parenting means letting your kids make their own mistakes. He does invite Ashley to dinner, though. He doesn't add that even his cooking is better than hospital food.
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A couple hours later finds Spencer and Ashley back at the beach. They'd had a long day. They spent an hour or so walking down Melrose, trying find new clothes that fit Ashley better. Spencer got a henna tattoo to match the real one on Ashley's lower back. They bought smoothies and Ashley pointed out all the drug paraphanelia being sold right out in the open on Venice beach and Spencer grimaced at the muscle-bound masses lifting weights that weighed more than she did. Around three, they got a late lunch. Lunch was two hot dogs each with everything on them. They gave five dollars to a girl singing and strumming on a corner for change. Spencer insisted that Ashley would sound better.
They'd found an empty stretch of beach to watch the sun go down but Ashley was adamant about chasing the tide and seagulls first. Spencer watched her from her seat in the sand as Ashley ran after a pack of birds with her arms spread wide. But Ashley got bored quickly and decided to make a sand castle. When that doesn't work, she settles for just drawing in the sand. She drags her bare heel to shape the words. Spencer can't see what she's writing from where she is. Ashley looks up for a moment and blows Spencer a kiss before returning to the task at hand. She calls Spencer over when she's done and steps back to admire her work before Spencer reaches her.
Ashley's obviously very proud and she's grinning from ear to ear. Spencer looks down and "Ashley loves Spencer" is scrawled in foot-long letters. Spencer smiles, leans over, and writes "Spencer loves Ashley more" just below it with her finger. It's decidedly smaller but far more legible. Ashley all but jumps into Spencer's arms and tells her that that's not possible. Ashley is small enough that Spencer can spin her around until they can't stop laughing.
They sit and watch the sky turn from blue to red to greyish-gold before Spencer tells Ashley that they should get going, they promised her dad they'd be back for dinner. Ashley just leans back in Spencer's arms and tells her she wants five more minutes. Spencer would give her forever if she could but five more minutes sounds a lot more feasable. Five more minutes and the sun's kissing the horizon and Ashley's kissing Spencer and neither of them notice as the tide slowly washes their words away.