Howdy! Ok here's the next chapter…I still haven't written the next chapter for this one so an update may take awhile…sorry in advance…ok enjoy!
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Chapter Ten
"Excuse me…Miss…" I heard coming from my side as I lay in Spencer's arms. "Miss…"
I groaned and opened my eyes slowly turning my body towards the voice. I regained focus and saw the nurse from the day before standing next to the bed. I rubbed my eyes and sat up on the side of the bed. I looked back at Spencer and saw her still sleeping soundly and I smiled at how peaceful she looked especially after all she had been through.
"I'm sorry to wake you but we need to do one more exam before we can release Ms. Carlin." The nurse said in a calm voice.
I nodded my head and turned back to Spencer leaning down to kiss her softly on the lips. She began to mumble and I couldn't help but laugh at how cute she sounded.
"Spence…baby…you need to wake up." I said pushing a strand of hair out of her face. I leaned down again and kissed her trying to wake her up. I pulled back and heard a low groan coming from her mouth.
When I looked back at the nurse I felt a pair of hands begin to slide up my shirt reaching for my breasts. I snapped my head back around and saw Spencer's eyes still shut but her hands moving like they were on a mission. I saw the nurse turn her head really quickly and I reached down to still Spencer's hands.
"Ummm…Spence?" I said leading her hands out of my shirt. "Spence? I thought I told you about your hands!" I said playfully poking her in the side.
Her eyes popped open and looked at me trying to focus. She saw that her fingers were still touching my skin and she began to blush deeply.
"I'm sorry…" She said looking down.
"It's ok…I just needed you to get up so that they can check you out. You would like to go home wouldn't you?" I said holding Spencer's hands in my own.
"Yeah…" She took a deep breath and I knew she was thinking of Clay. I squeezed her hands and smiled at her. She smiled back at me and tried to not think about her brother's death.
"Good." I said kissing her softly.
The nurse stepped forward and started to look at Spencer's chart. She turned towards me with apologetic eyes. "I'm afraid you will need to leave the room for a little bit while we take a look at Ms. Carlin."
I nodded my head in understanding and turned towards Spencer. "Spence…I'm going to be right outside. I love you." I said loving the way it sounded and the reaction it brought from her lovely face.
She reached up and stroked my cheek softly. "I…I…" She looked down and I knew she was having a hard time saying those three words to me again. As much as I had thought we had moved forward I knew that it would take time to fully get back to the level we had been in before prom night.
I leaned forward and kissed her softly. I stood up and headed towards the door. I opened the door and stepped out and thought I heard Spencer say "I love you" multiple times but wasn't sure.
I closed the door and returned to my hospital chair from before. I sat for what seemed hours as the doctor went inside to check on Spencer. I let out a deep sigh and leaned my head in my hands.
"Coffee?" I heard from in front of me. I looked up and saw Mr. C. standing there with two cups of fresh coffee in his hands.
"Thank you." I said taking one of the drinks from his hands. I took a sip and sighed at how wonderful the hot liquid felt going through my body.
"So how are things between you and Spencer?" He said taking a seat next to mine.
"Better…" I said not really wanting to go into too much detail with Spencer's father. I trusted that he would look at the situation objectively but Spencer was still his daughter and a father's love was strong. I thought to the last few days with my father and a sadness took over me.
"Are you ok?" Mr. C. asked placing a hand on my shoulder.
I nodded and took another sip of coffee. I let my fingers tap along the side of the Styrofoam cup as the seconds continued to pass.
"Ashley…I want you to know that I am here for you to talk to alright?" He said squeezing my shoulder.
"I know Mr. C. I really do appreciate how wonderful you are to me. Right now I just have to work through some things on my own before I can tell someone else." I said staring at my fingers intently.
"I understand." He said letting go of my shoulder. He sat back and just let a comfortable silence fill the air.
The door opened and I stood up anxiously looking at the nurse hoping that everything checked out all right. I wanted Spencer out of this hospital as soon as possible so that she could go back home and begin healing her emotional scars.
The nurse and doctor stepped out of the room and looked at Mr. C. "Mr. Carlin…Spencer is doing very well. She seems to be more rested now and she is free to go as soon as you sign these papers." He handed a chart to Mr. C. and Mr. C. looked over the papers signing each where it was marked.
He handed the chart back to the doctor and the doctor nodded his head before moving down the hallway.
Mr. C. turned to me and I looked at him wondering what was going on in his head. He smiled and gave me a hug. "Well…let me go in there and talk to her for a little bit and then would you mind taking her home for us? Paula and I still need to speak with the funeral director about the service and Glen is not in the best condition to be driving."
I smiled widely and nodded. "I would love to take Spencer home for you…" I suddenly remembered that I didn't have my car and frowned. "I can't…I don't have my car…"
He reached in his pocket and pulled out a key. "Here…you can take our car. We will be leaving later and will just call you when we need a ride."
I stared at the key in my hand in disbelief. He was actually trusting me enough to drive his car and to take his daughter home.
"I trust you." He said seeing the doubt in my eyes. "I'll be right out."
He opened the door and disappeared inside. I sat back down and began to move the key along my knuckles. After a few minutes, Mr. C. left the room and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"She's ready to go…I would very much like it if you could please join us for dinner tonight. I think it would be great for Spencer to have you there."
I nodded my head and stood wrapping my arms around him. "Thank you."
Mr. C. pulled back and smiled once more before heading off. I watched as he made his way through the double doors and disappeared.
I opened the door and stepped back inside to find Spencer sitting on her bed in a pair of jeans and a loose t-shirt. I walked towards her and sat down next to her. She leaned her head against my shoulder and I kissed the top of her head.
"Thank you…" I heard coming from Spencer. I raised my head and turned her face towards my own.
"What for?" I said looking deep into her blue eyes.
"For being here…" She sighed and lowered her eyes. "After I pushed you, you still stayed with me. So…thank you…"
I reached for her hand and held it up to my chest. "You could never push me away…I'm like Super Glue baby…once I am on you I do not come off!"
"Nice analogy." She said smiling widely.
I shrugged my shoulders and winked. "Yeah wasn't too shabby huh?"
"No not at all." She said sarcastically.
"Now I think that we should get out of here." I said standing up. I held out my hand and Spencer took it sliding off the bed. She leaned against me and I stilled her wobbly body.
Once she was comfortable walking, we began to make our way to the door. I opened it for her and then I reached for her arm as we made our way out. She looked up at me with a confused look and I smiled.
"You know…your dad gave me the keys to his car to take you home. How bout we do a little joyriding?" I said smiling mischievously.
"You know technically its not joyriding when you get permission to drive it." She said ruining my fun.
"You always have to be so literal huh?" I said pouting.
"Come on Ash…take me home." She said sliding her arm through mine.
"Don't have to tell me twice." I said grinning as we took each step.
"No it's more like we have to tell you six times before you even begin to think about it." She poked me in the side and I gave her a stern glare. We made our way out to the car and we headed back to the Carlin house.
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"Spencer I love you…" Ashley said while we walked along the beach. She and I were the only ones around and the atmosphere was so light and carefree.
She had her hand in my own and I loved the feeling of her thumb tracing circles along my hand. I would glance over at times to see the sun hitting her face just right making her glow.
We ended up by the pier and we sat down looking out at the water. I leaned my head on her shoulder and just sighed as we listened to the waves hit the shore. I didn't want to move and neither did she.
She turned my head and lowered her lips down kissing me softly. I smiled and kissed her back just as softly.
"You're so beautiful Ashley…I'm so lucky to have you."
She smiled again and kissed me once more. "Spence…baby…you need to wake up…"
I looked at her with a confused face not knowing what she was talking about. I pulled her in for another kiss and let my hands make their way across her perfect stomach. They trailed higher and higher reaching for her perfect breasts just wanting to feel them.
Her hands covered my wrists and lowered them down her body and to the side. "Umm…Spence?"
I wondered why she had stopped my hands and wondered if she didn't want me like I thought she did. I looked at her intently trying to read her beautiful brown eyes but finding no answers.
"Spence? I thought I told you about your hands!" She said smiling.
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I felt a poke in my side and the images began to fade as I opened my eyes looking at a now blurry Ashley. I looked down and saw my fingers lying underneath her shirt and I realized that we were still in the hospital. I started to blush when I noticed that we weren't alone in the room.
"I'm sorry…" I said unsure of what I had done while I had been asleep. Hoping that it wasn't anything too embarrassing.
"It's ok…I just needed you to get up so that they can check you out. You would like to go home wouldn't you?" Ashley said holding my hands tightly in her own.
"Yeah…" I couldn't help but take a deep breath knowing that when I walked into the house nothing would be the same. I dreaded having to walk past Clay's door to find it empty and quiet. To see all his things lined up neatly and his books ready for school. The images would be too much for me and I wasn't sure if I could handle it.
I felt a squeeze on my hands and looked at Ashley who smiled warmly at me. I didn't want to let those thoughts take over me and I pushed them to the back of my mind. I smiled back at Ashley wanting to feel like my old self again.
"Good." Ashley said leaning down to kiss me softly. I loved the way her lips felt and I closed my eyes.
I felt a movement across the room and opened my eyes to see the nurse looking at my chart. She looked towards Ashley and I could see a look of apology written across her face. "I'm afraid you will need to leave the room for a little bit while we take a look at Ms. Carlin."
Ashley nodded and returned her focus back to me. "Spence…I'm going to be right outside. I love you." I couldn't help but blush hearing her say those words. This time I knew she meant it and I wanted to make her feel just as loved.
I let my hand find her cheek and stroke it softly. "I…I…" I couldn't say it for the life of me. I felt it in all my body but for some reason my mouth would not say those three words. I looked down ashamed that I couldn't say what I wanted to especially since I had said to her those same exact three words only the day before.
Ashley kissed me softly and stood up heading towards the door. She opened the door and stepped out.
As she made her way over, I couldn't help but whisper to her what I had wanted to say just a few moments ago. "I love you Ashley…I love you….I…love you." When the door clicked shut I let out a sigh not knowing if she had heard me or not.
The nurse looked me over and checked my wound on my back. She made a few notes and we waited for the doctor to come by.
"How long have you two been together?" The nurse asked me as we waited.
"For a little while…" I said unsure if I wanted to talk to a complete stranger about my relationship.
"You two are very lucky…" I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I mean not to be here…I mean because you two look very much in love…that's something very rare to have."
"Thank you." I said looking towards the door where I was sure Ashley was waiting.
The doctor came inside and checked me over once more. He said I was ready to go home and let me know that he would have my father sign the release papers once he left the room. I nodded and he handed me a bag that was sitting on the table. The nurse and doctor walked towards the door and headed outside.
I looked inside the bag and pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that my parents had brought me. I slid the clothes on and sat on the side of the bed.
After a few minutes, I noticed the door open and my father step through. He smiled at me and walked over taking a seat beside me.
"How are you feeling?" He asked me softly.
"Better…I actually was able to sleep last night…" I admitted softly. "I didn't have any nightmares like before."
He placed an arm around my shoulder and kissed my forehead. "I'm glad to hear that. I know this is going to be hard on you but we can pull through this together. You have your mother, me, Glen…and Ashley here to help you."
I nodded and sighed knowing that he was right. "I've been wrong about her Dad."
He looked at me with a raised eyebrow not knowing what I was talking about.
"I have been so unsure of her feelings about me…but…she really does love me. I guess I was scared that she would run…." I said looking down at my hands.
"But she hasn't." He said turning my head towards him. "I don't think she's planning to either. Just let things go at their own pace. Don't rush to find the solutions because you will only create more problems."
I nodded my head and wrapped my arms around him. We sat for a few more moments, and finally he stood up.
"Let me send Ashley back in. She's getting kind of anxious waiting out there. I'll take care of your bag." He said before stepping out.
I watched him leave wondering why he told me he would take care of my bag. My thoughts subsided when Ashley reappeared at the doorway.
She walked towards me and sat down. I wanted to feel her body and so I lowered my head to rest comfortably on her shoulder. I felt her lips touch my skin as she kissed my head and I closed my eyes.
"Thank you…" I said softly as I leaned against her. She turned my face to look at her trying to read my eyes.
"What for?"
"For being here…" I felt guilty for the way I had treated her and I sighed looking down. "After I pushed you, you still stayed with me. So…thank you…"
She brought my hand to her chest and I could feel her heartbeat beating faster. "You could never push me away…I'm like Super Glue baby…once I am on you I do not come off!"
"Nice analogy." I couldn't help but smile at what she said because it was the sweetest thing I had heard even if it was a somewhat odd analogy.
She shrugged and winked at me putting my mind at ease. "Yeah wasn't too shabby huh?"
"No not at all." I said with a hint of sarcasm.
"Now I think that we should get out of here." She stood up and held out her hand to me. I took her hand and slid off the bed leaning on Ashley for some support.
I gathered my balance and we began to head towards the door. Ashley held the door open for me and reached for my arm. I looked at her oddly wondering who was planning on taking me home and why Ashley was the one walking me out. She looked back at me with a huge smile and I finally figured out that she was my ride.
"You know…your dad gave me the keys to his car to take you home. How bout we do a little joyriding?" I saw her Cheshire cat smile as her eyes twinkled.
"You know technically its not joyriding when you get permission to drive it." I said with a smile.
"You always have to be so literal huh?" She pouted and I smiled loving how cute she was when she did that.
"Come on Ash…take me home." I said sliding my arm through hers.
"Don't have to tell me twice." She said as we made our way to the front. I noticed the huge grin on her face as we moved.
"No it's more like we have to tell you six times before you even begin to think about it." I poked her in her side and she gave me an intense look, which I couldn't help but love. I took a deep breath as we made our way to the car and back to the house where I wasn't sure if I could still call it home, not after everything had changed.