Ashley and Seth were sitting on the couch at her house. Her feet were in his lap and they were watching TV. Out of nowhere, Seth leaned over to Ashley and started tickling her. She squealed, jumped up and ran away. He chased her around the house. At one point she ran around the corner and hid there for a minute while she caught her breath. She couldn't see Seth, and she was suspicious of how quiet the house suddenly went. She peaked out from behind the corner of the wall and he ran around and caught her around the waist. They fell to the ground laughing. When she caught her breath, she kissed him.
She heard the Seth's cell phone ring from the kitchen where he left it on the counter. She growled into the kiss and Seth laughed. He jumped up to answer it, laughing still at her unimpressed expression. She followed after him. He grabbed his phone and leaned up against the kitchen counter. Ashley jumped up on the counter and sat beside him.
"Hello," he said breathlessly from laughing. The smile was gone from his face in an instant and she knew right away that something was wrong. His usual smile was replaced by a look of shock. She tried to catch his eye, but he wouldn't look at her. He was staring at the ground.
"Sam, what are you talking about?" -pause- "How could that happen?" - "Oh my God!" - "Where is Mom?"– "I am at Ashley's." He finally looked at Ashley for a second then back at the ground. "No, I won't bring her.
"Yeah, I'll wait outside" He hung up the phone and turned to her. Ashley jumped off of the counter and looked at him; his face was clear with worry and shock. She hugged him around the waist knowing something had to be wrong.
"Ash, I have to go." His voice was emotionless. He untangled her arms from around him and walked to the front hall.
"Seth, what is going on?" Ashley was worried now; she had never seen him act so…cold. When he didn't answer her she grabbed his hand, making him stop. "Seth."
He turned and looked down at her. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them and answering her. His answer was just a whisper, she had to strain to hear it. "I have to get to the hospital, my dad, he had a heart attack, he is in the ICU." His voice cracked at the end. "Sam is coming to get me."
Ashley's jaw dropped. "Let me come with you," she whispered back.
"Ashley, I don't know what will happen there."
"Exactly, I'm not leaving you. I am not letting you face that alone." She laced her fingers with his and squeezed his hand gently. He nodded and she grabbed her jacket.
Seth sat in the back seat with her while Sam drove. Ashley rubbed his hand with her thumb soothingly, never letting go of it. His face was hard and he hardly looked at her, no matter how many times she tried to catch his eye. Eventually she sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. He leaned his head down slightly to rest it on hers.
When they got to the hospital, Sam led them inside and to a room where she saw Sue sitting in a chair beside an unconscious man. Ashley and Seth both stopped at the same time and took in the scene before them. It took Ashley a minute to recognize the man to be Harry. The Harry she knew was strong and light-hearted, much like Seth. The man she saw in the bed was weak and pale. He was hooked up to an IV, with tubes all round him. Sue looked up as they entered the room. Her face was red and her eyes were puffy with tears. Leah was nowhere in sight.
Seth slowly released Ashley's hand and walked towards his unconscious father's bed. He stood beside Sue who was holding Harry's hand.
Seth reached out to his father and Sue took his other hand. Ashley debated going over to them, but in the end she decided to leave him with his parents, but didn't go far. She slowly and quietly walked out of the room to find Sam, she wanted to ask him what happened. Ashley got to the waiting room and found Terry talking to Sam. Ashley assumed he called her too, to support Sue. She walked up to them, a million questions on her mind. As she approached, she heard what sounded like a faint wolf howl from outside and stopped in her tracks. Sam looked towards the door, excused himself and rushed out.
"What happened?" Ashley asked is a hushed voice once she started moving again and reached her mother. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was biting her thumb nail. It was a habit she had given up last year, but she slipped up sometimes when she was really nervous or stressed, and right now she was both.
"I'm not sure. From what Sam told me, Harry was at home with Sue and Leah and he suddenly went into cardiac arrest. Sue called 9-1-1 immediately and Leah rushed out of the house. She hasn't been seen since. And no, we don't know what caused it." Terry answered the question Ashley had been about to ask. Ashley closed her mouth and listened. "I mean, I know Harry has high cholesterol and it made him at risk for a heart attack, but no one knows exactly what brought it on." Terry collapsed in a chair.
Ashley sat down beside her mother. "How long have you been here?"
"Not long. I only just got here. Probably not long after you."
Everything was finally sinking in. "Oh my god."
"It doesn't look good, the heart attack was severe. No one knows what will happen from here. The doctors have done all they can, now all we can do is wait."
The next 24 hours were excruciating. Leah showed up about an hour after the rest of them and stayed by her father's side. Terry and Sam were the only two who ever left the hospital. Sam was in and out all day, and Terry had gone to the Clearwater's to get fresh clothes for the family, who were all staying the night. She had also gone home to pick up some fresh clothes for Ashley, who insisted to stay the night with Seth, and to take care of Rosie. Sue hardly ever left Harry's side and when she did it was to use the washroom or talk to Terry or her children.
Leah had been incredibly strong throughout this, and Ashley admired her for it. She had been through so much and she handled the situation the best out of everyone.
Seth refused to leave the hospital and Ashley refused to leave him. He seemed to be handling it the worst. He constantly appeared to be in a daze that only Ashley could break him out of, but only for small periods of time. He spent much of his time in Harry's hospital room with the rest of his family. Ashley went in occasionally, but sometimes she felt as though she was intruding on what could be the family's last moments together. Other times Seth would be sitting in the chair next to his father's bed and pull Ashley into his lap and just hold her. She did her best to be comforting, but she knew how this felt. She went through the same thing with her dad.
Everyone handles grief differently, but it was hard to reassure someone when you yourself had no idea what would happen. On the odd occasion you did feel better, you also would feel guilty for letting yourself be happy when you should be suffering.
At one point, Terry and Ashley had convinced Sue and Seth to leave Harry's room to go to the cafeteria for some food, both of them realizing neither had eaten in hours and it would only hurt them. Ashley went back to Harry's room so he wouldn't be alone. There she found Leah had come into the room while they were gone.
She was sitting by herself, tears running down her face. Ashley hesitated for a second before sitting down in the chair next to Leah. She and Leah had never been particularly close, Leah seemed to hate Ashley, but Ashley knew she couldn't leave her like this, alone. She knew what Leah had been through already and she didn't deserve to go through this by herself, especially when she saw that Seth had Ashley here and Leah had nobody. Her Sam was in and out, but he couldn't offer her any comfort without making it worse and she knew that, and it just made the entire situation worse.
Leah was too strong and proud to want to talk about it. Ashley gently nudged the other girl, letting Leah know she was there. Leah leaned against Ashley and started crying. She kept muttering something like "It's my fault, all my fault. I'm so sorry." It was so quiet Ashley wasn't even sure if she was hearing Leah correctly so she simply let the other girl cry on her shoulder. She had no idea how long they stayed like that, but finally they heard Sue and Seth's footsteps coming down the hall, and Leah got up and left after offering Ashley a small smile of appreciation that Ashley returned.
She felt very tired and emotionally drained. Terry had tried many times to get Ashley to come home but she wouldn't. Terry had even brought Rosie to visit because the dog was anxious being away from Ashley. She tried to get Seth to go for a walk with her, but he wouldn't leave the building. Ashley understood Seth didn't want to leave in case something happened, so she was quick on her walk with Rosie.
Late that night, Ashley walked into Harry's room and found Leah and Sue, both asleep in their chairs. Seth was awake and standing next to his father. He had bags under his eyes and they looked red from crying. Ashley took his hands and led him out of the hospital room, he didn't resist. He led him into the cafeteria and sat him down at one of the tables. She got herself a cappuccino from the coffee machine and Seth a black coffee. She wanted him to get some rest, but she knew he wouldn't so she hoped the coffee would help him. She walked back to the table where she found Seth with his head on the table, asleep.
She sat down quietly beside him and held her cappuccino in her hands, keeping them warm and sipped at it slowly. She was determined to stay awake so that if anything happened, she would be there to wake up Seth.
The boy she cared about so much looked much younger when asleep. He looked even more innocent. The thought sent a pain thought her chest, no one as purely good as Seth deserved to go through something like this. Ashley put her cappuccino down and brushed the hair out of her boyfriend's eyes and shifted closer to him.
After a while she saw one of the nurses come running through the cafeteria doors. She quickly scanned the room and her eyes fell on Seth and Ashley. Ashley immediately knew something was very wrong. She shook Seth to wake him up and by the time the nurse was there, they were both ready to follow her.
The three of them ran through the hospital in what seemed like slow motion. The hall stretched on forever. None of them spoke to each other.
They rounded the corner and the nurse stopped at the door to let them in. Seth stopped dead in his tracks when he got through the door and Ashley ran into him, not expecting the halt. She heard a deep but weak voice and she peeked out from behind Seth.
Harry was awake and somewhat sitting up. Sue had just kissed him on the lips and Ashley heard the heart monitor falter.
"Even after 20 years, you still make my heart stop when you kiss me," Harry told her while wiping the tears from her eyes. She caught his hand, held it to her cheek and closed her eyes.
"You are the most beautiful wife a man could ask for, and an amazing mother. I know you'll take good care of them. I wish I listened to you more. I love you Sue, and I will always love you. I want you to know that I completely understand if you find someone else though."
"Never," Sue whispered. "I'll love you forever."
Harry smiled weakly at his wife. "I know."
Ashley and Seth still stood in the doorway and Ashley realized what was happening. Harry was dying and everyone knew it. Seth gripped onto Ashley's hand and they walked over to Harry's bedside.
He turned to Leah who now had tears escaping from her eyes.
"Daddy, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."
"Honey, no. It isn't your fault. You couldn't have known. None of us did. You will be the strongest of them all and you will teach them so much. I love you baby girl."
"I love you too Daddy, so much." Leah got out in between sobs. She squeezed his hand and he squeezed it back weakly. Finally he turned to Seth.
"Dad - I -," Seth stumbled on his words.
"You make me so proud. You are pure and kind and strong. You will take good care of your mom and sister. Ashley too, take care of her, she's good for you." Harry looked over at Ashley and smiled. Ashley smiled back and mouthed "Thank you" through tears. "I love you, Son."
"I love you too Dad."
"I love you all, forever."
And with those last remarks, Harry's head fell back on the pillow and his eyes slid shut before the heart monitor went silent. Ashley gasped, her eyes filling with water. Leah and Sue burst into tears and the nurses came in to try and save Harry. It was no use, they all knew he was gone. Ashley slid her arms around Seth's frozen figure, and wrapped them around waist. She squeezed herself to him, and cried into his shirt. He held onto her as if she was the only thing keeping him there.
Eventually Leah, Seth and Ashley left the room. They walked into the waiting room just as Sam was coming through the front doors. He froze and looked at the three of them. His questioning eyes fell on Ashley. She shook her head slightly and Sam rushed over to Leah. He pulled her into his arms and she lost it all over again. Ashley couldn't even begin to imagine how much pain Leah must have experienced in the past 24 hours.
Moments later Terry walked in with Emily. Both knew instantly what happened. Terry ran to Harry's room to comfort Sue and Emily stood in the door for a minute. She was just staring at Leah and Sam. Leah noticed and pulled away from Sam. He looked confused for a second before seeing Emily behind them. He walked with Emily in the direction of Harry's room after a quick "I'm so sorry."
Seth wrapped one arm around his sister's shoulders and the other around Ashley's waist. The three of them stood there for a minute. Terry came out and offered to drive them home. Leah thanked her and they walked out to the parking lot, leaving their father behind.
They found the car waiting outside the hospital with Daphne sitting inside. She got out when she saw them approaching and hugged Leah tightly. The two had become close since Daphne's arrival. She squeezed her sister's free hand before they all got into the car.
Nobody spoke on the way to the Clearwaters'. Ashley was sitting in the back seat with Seth. Leah was on his other side, leaning onto his shoulder. Daphne was in the front passenger's seat. She kept checking on Ashley through the mirror. Daphne looked anxious as if asking if she was alright but did not want to break the silence to do such. Ashley would nod or try to smile when she caught her sister's eye in the mirror.
When Terry pulled into the driveway, Leah got out but Seth just sat there. Ashley had to tug him out of the car and lead him to the front door. Leah who was ahead of them let herself in before running back out suddenly and into the forest. Somewhere close by Ashley and Seth heard a howl.
Seth was suddenly alert and went to run into the forest after her, Ashley followed close by. As soon as they got to the edge of the forest Paul emerged from the forest and stopped them.
"I'll get her. You stay here for when your mom gets home," Paul told Seth, his hands on Seth's chest stopping him from going further.
Seth lost it and started yelling at Paul. "Since when did you care what happened to Leah? Paul, that's my sister out there! Did you not just hear that wolf howl? She could be attacked! I can't lose her too!" Seth had lost the power in his voice by the time he finished yelling at Paul.
Paul started shaking, but when he looked past Ashley and Seth, Ashley noticed that he saw Daphne getting out of the car. He calmed down instantly and tried talking to Seth in a calmer voice. Daphne was at Paul's side, rubbing his arm soothingly.
"Seth, dude, trust me. I'll get her. Nothing will happen to her, I swear."
Daphne jumped in. "Besides, think of how your mom would feel if she came home and both you and Leah were gone?" Seth opened his mouth to argue but could not think of one for Daphne's logic.
"Just go inside and wait for her. Paul will get Leah and everything will be fine. Ashley, you will stay with him, right?"
"Of course," she agreed in a heartbeat, she wasn't planning on leaving anyways.
Seth was defeated and gave in. Ashley took his hand and pulled him through the front door. She got him up to his room. He was dead on his feet and looked like he would collapse of exhaustion at any moment. The second Seth was in bed, he fell asleep. Ashley kissed his forehead and left the room.
She went back downstairs to explain to Terry that she was staying with Seth for now. As she walked out the front door she saw Daphne and Paul by the edge of the forest. He kissed her quickly before running into the forest after Leah. Daphne walked over to Ashley and put an arm around her little sister's shoulders, squeezing them tightly. The two of them walked back to their mom's car without a word.
When they got to the car, Daphne was about to get in, but Ashley stayed where she was.
"I'm staying here, at least until Sue or Leah gets back."
Her mother did not look impressed with her decision. "Ashley, you haven't slept in over 24 hours and you haven't been home in just as long. Don't you think it is time to come home?"
"Mom, I can't leave him now. Don't you remember what it was like when Dad died? I couldn't be left alone for longer than ten minutes. Daphne and I had to sleep in the same bed because neither of us could bear being alone. That's how he feels. I'm staying."
Ashley knew she hit a sensitive spot by bringing up her dad's death but she needed to prove her point.
"Mom, let her stay." Daphne's voice was tired as she defended her sister, probably remembering the exact feeling Ashley was.
"Fine. I should go back and help Sue anyways. Will you at least come home and get a change of clothes?"
"It's okay. I'm about the same size as Leah, I'll borrow some clothes from her. Call me if you need me for anything else." Ashley walked away from her mom's car and back into the Clearwaters' house.
She looked around the living room and saw multiple reminders of Harry. The family photo on the mantel, the large arm chair he always sat in, and his necklace with a small wolf charm on the side table. Ashley walked over to the table and picked up the necklace. There, she noticed that the living room looked like it had been cleaned in a hurry. The couch cushions were not put back properly, and the couch itself was shifted slightly. Ashley could see the indents in the carpet of where the couch usually stood, but it was slightly to the right.
Ashley didn't have much room in her mind right now to question it so she just ignored it walked up to Seth's room. He was still asleep in his bed, but the sheets were already tangled. He was obviously restless. Ashley sat down on the edge of the bed and brushed the hair out of Seth's face.
He had a look of worry on his face which Ashley didn't like very much. She missed the smile he used to wear constantly. She leaned down and kissed his forehead again before securing the necklace around his neck.
Ashley's exhaustion took over. She lied down beside him and fell sleep beside him.
At some point Ashley woke up and smiled. She hadn't opened her eyes yet but she could smell Seth's scent and felt his arms around her. Sometime while they were asleep, Seth had wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. It still amazed her how perfectly they fit together.
When she opened her eyes, she saw that she had her head on his chest, his cheek was resting on her hair. She heard voices coming from downstairs and figured that must have been what woke her up. She tried to carefully slip out of Seth's arms and get out of bed so not to disturb him, although he woke up anyways.
"Shh, go back to sleep," She whispered.
He was very groggy but became alert quickly. He caught her wrist as she turned to go.
"Please, don't leave me."
She looked down at him and could see in his eyes that he was desperate.
"Okay, I won't, I promise, but I will be right back. I have to go to the bathroom."
His face had become slightly more peaceful, but it still looked upset. She kissed his cheek. He smiled for a second before her face went back to a grimace. Ashley frowned and tiptoed over to the door and opened it.
It was Sam and Sue's voiced she heard coming from downstairs. She was on her way to the bathroom when she heard them mention Leah's name. Ashley stopped and listened to their conversation.
"How is it possible? Leah? I thought only males changed," Sue whispered to Sam.
"I don't know. None of the elders even considered this possibility."
"What will happen to her?"
"I just don't know, I'm so sorry, Sue."
"Well, I hope it helps her, fully understanding why you had to leave her."
There was a moment when neither of them spoke. Then Sue asked the question Ashley was looking for the answer to.
"Did Paul find Leah?"
"Yes, he's probably explaining everything to her now. I'm sure it will be a lot to take in."
"Do you think we should tell Seth?"
"Not yet, no. I hope Leah will be the last to change and he won't have to go through any of this. Besides, it has been a hard day for everyone, I don't want to add this stress to him."
Sue took a deep breath. "Where is he?"
"He is upstairs, asleep with Ashley. You should get some sleep too Sue. I'll look after everything."
"Thank you Sam."
Ashley quietly went back to Seth's room. Seth was had fallen back asleep, but when she laid down next to him, he wrapped his arms around her. She snuggled in beside him. She was incredibly confused by Sue and Sam's conversation. She didn't mean to eavesdrop, she just wanted to make sure Leah was alright. Now she was tired and confused. She wasn't even sure if it really happened or it was just a dream.
A/N: I tried making this one a little longer due to the fact that the last one was so short. Please continue reviewing and feel free to make suggestions :) Thanks.