*****

After their little fight in the docks, Mark and Ashley had driven back to the hotel. Now they were both leaning their backs against the head board of the comfortable bed, each holding a glass of scotch and their were watching some kind of action movie. Neither of them had spoken much since they were back, they just enjoyed the comfortable silence between them. However, Mark spoke up.

"Don't mind me asking, but why did you marry Jason? Didn't you guys break up around the time Addie left for NY?"

Ashley turned her head to look at him and nodded. "Well, it's a long story. I saw him again after you took off to Seattle. We went out for a drink and from one thing came another. I was blind and naïve at the time. Figured that maybe this time I could make it work."

"But why marriage though? I mean, I figured in a situation like that you would take things slow", Mark wondered out loud.

"Well, I never planned to marry him that fast. But at the time I didn't really know what I was doing. I was in a bad place, you know? Dad died, my best friends moved to another city and at the time, Jason was making me feel a little better, a little less lost. So when he asked me to marry him, I just kinda said yes", she explained, then took a deep breath before continuing.

"Dad would probably turn over in his grave if he'd ever know I married Jason, if he ever knew that I didn't grant him his dying wish. At least I had enough common sense to marry him with a whole bunch of nuptials".

Mark laughed at the last comment, before turning serious again. "If you're father told you his dying wish, then why didn't you grant it?"

Ashley shrugged. "I think I wasn't ready to leave NY. I used to think I belonged there, that I would spend the rest of my life in the Big Apple. And since we came to the conclusion that we'd be better off as friends, the need to follow you to Seattle wasn't so big".

Mark nodded in understanding.

Just then Ashley's phone started ringing. Getting off from the bed Ashley walked over to the dresser and answered the call. Listening quietly to the caller, she turned a whiter shade of pale. Mark noticed and instantly jumped of the bed and walked in her direction. When he reached her, he gently stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and letting her lean back against him. When she ended the call, she stood still for a few moments before turning around in his embrace.

"That was Bailey. Jason is …", she paused, her eyes not meeting his, her breathing unsteady. "He's dead".

*****

30 minutes later Mark and Ashley arrived at the hospital. Bailey had asked Ashley to come down to identify Jason, since apparently she was his emergency contact person and the rest of his family all resided in New York.

On the way down to the morgue they ran into Derek and Meredith.

"What you are guys doing here?", Ashley asked, though she was glad to see them.

"Bailey called us", Derek explained. "She figured you could use a friend or two. So, here we are!".

Ashley smiled softly. "Thanks, guys. It means a lot.".

When they walked into the morgue the coroner, Jack O'Ryan, walked up to them. "I guess you're here for the identification of the car crash victim?", he asked, his tone completely business.

Ashley nodded.

"Well, this way then please", he told her.

The coroner opened one of the doors and wheeled out a gurney, then – as if it was the most common thing in the world – he pulled back the white sheet.

Dreading what was coming next, Ashley took a few insecure steps forward, looked at the person at the gurney for a few moments before turning around. She took a deep breath before telling the coroner, "It's him. It's Jason Winters".

As the coroner put the sheet back over Jason's body and wheeled him back into the other room, Ashley quickly walked out of the morgue. She was standing in the hallway, taking deep breaths, when her friends reached her. Just when Mark decided to walk up to her, Meredith beat him to it. She walked over to Ashley and put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"You're okay?", she asked softly.

Ashley nodded, before looking up at her. "I will be fine. It's just so sudden. I saw him like 4 hours ago and he was still alive. What happened? I just need to know what happened".

"I'll go see if I can find his chart. Let's meet back at my office", Derek said, before walking off, knowing that right now, Mark and Meredith were all the comfort she needed.

*****

TBC! Please R & R!