Status: prewritten 12 chapters and counting.
Painting Flowers
Chapter 17
JACKS POV.
"Dude, wake up." I feel someone jump on my bed.
"Fuck off."
"Jack." Alex's voice wakes me up. There's a very specific tone in Alex's voice when something bad is happening. I don't hear it very often, and I definitely haven't heard it in atleast a year. Slowly, I realize I haven't heard Ashtyns voice yet. Shit. I jolt up and look first at Rian, who's sitting on my bed, then at Alex who is standing in the door with a piece of paper in his hand.
"What happened?" Alex walked over to us and handed me the note.
Hey boys,
I'm sorry I had to do this. I had to drive back to New York. There was an emergency, I can't explain, and I don't want you to worry. I'll call you when I can and explain everything. I'll see you at New Years. Also, May has all of your presents. Jack, tell your parents I said thanks for letting me stay. I haven't had a holiday like this in too long.
With love,
Ashtyn.
I looked up and couldn't find words.
"Here." Zack was in the room now, handing me a mug of hot chocolate.
"I don't understand."
"Want me to call Sam? See if she knows anything?" Zack asked, leaning against the wall.
"No." I said quietly. They all looked at eachother, I knew what they were thinking. Alex nodded and Rian and Zack left the room. I could hear my mom humming christmas carols downstairs. Nothing really seemed to matter. I fell back against my pillows and sighed. My mind was racing. What could have made her leave in the last 6 hours?
"Dude, what happened last night?" Alex finally spoke.
"I don't know, man. Why do I get the feeling that she bailed on Christmas morning to go see that Nathan guy." He sat down on the end of the bed, a look of understanding on his face.
"You really like her, don't you?"
"I told her I was falling in love with her last night."
"WHAT?!"
"Yeah. I know." I said, covering my face. "No wonder she bailed."
ASHTYNS POV
"Quit staring at your phone and call him already."
"I can't."
"Why not?" I just looked up and shook my head. I can't even speak. Tears start falling and I'm immedietely embraced.
"Shhhh."
"I don't understand." I sobbed. "How could this happen?"
"I don't know, babe."
"Ashtyn?" I look up and see Val, with a puffy face and scared eyes.
"Come here, sweetie." I take her from Sam and sit her on my lap.
"Why are you sad?"
"I just don't like hospitals very much."
"Why?" She asked, making me smile in spite of myself.
"Nothing you should have to understand." I said before I realized that it was too late. Sam watched me frozen there, looking at this beautiful innocent girl with tears in my eyes.
"Do you know what happened last night?"
"Kind of."
"Nathan tried to explain it to me."
"Really?" I looked up at him, surprise clear on my face. He had been so good, he spent his entire Christmas morning at the hospital waiting for me.
"Yep. He told me that when Santa took her to see your mommy and my daddy can't come home right now cause he's saying goodbye." She said simply. "It's okay. I'm fine. He told me that it was okay to miss her and that whenever I talked, she'd listen and that she didn't want me to be sad. He told me that she didn't want to miss me, but she's going to be okay cause she's with her best friend. Isn't that right?" She looked up at Nate, smiling softly. All three of us had tears running down out faces.
"That's right." I whispered. "Sam, can you take her to get some breakfast? I need to talk to the doctors."
"Yeah, sure."
I waited till they left before speaking.
"You're amazing, you know that?"
"I remember having to have the same talk with another little girl. Come here." He hugged me close. "You know how much I care about you. I'd do anything for you. You have to know that. But now, you need to call that guy that's crazy about you and tell him you're ohkay, cause he's probably freaking out right now." He wiped the tears off my face and handed me my phone. "I'll go see what the doctors say about Paulo."
"Thanks."
I took a deep breath and dialed Jack. Straight to voicemail. Fuck. Well, okay then. I clicked Alex's name in my phone and waited.
"Ashtyn? It's about damn time!" I can hear the panic in his voice.
"Why isn't he answering his phone?"
"Maybe you should just talk to him."
"Alex." I cut him off.
"He's freaked out."
"Why?"
"Well, maybe cause he told you he was in love with you and it took you a grand total of 3 hours to bail on him." He said. He wasn't angry, but I could hear the protective tone in his voice.
"Alex, just let me talk to him. Please? This has nothing to do with him. But I want to tell him first." I hear a sigh.
"Hey, man, it's Ash."
"Ash? Are you okay?" He sounded genuinely scared.
"Uhm, not really. Valeriies parents were in an accident last night. Paulo hasn't woken up yet but Gemma..she..."
"Ashtyn?"
"I have to stay with Valerie. I'll see you when you're back for New Years, kay?"
"Ashtyn, I want to see you now."
"No, it's Christmas and you should be with your family and the boys."
"It's Christmas. Exactly. I want to be with you."
"I'm not ruining your holiday."
"You would never be able to ruin my holiday. I want to be with you."
"Jack, did you really think I bailed on you because of what you said last night?" Silence. "Jack, you know I feel the same way, don't you? I'm so sorry that I scared you."
"I'm sorry I thought the worst. Why didn't you wake me up? I would have went with you."
"That's exactly why I didn't. When I got that call all I could think about was Val, and then I went back in your room to grab my bag and I just stopped. I thought about what you had said and I couldn't breathe. All of it was like a fairytale, Jack. I didn't want it to end, but I had to go. I knew you would have went with me but look around. You have this perfect family and amazing future and I have none of that. My family is gone and I have a very few amount of people that I can count on. I've been so independant for so long because I had to grow up when I was 11. My world changed that day. I couldn't put all my problems on you. I couldn't."
"So I was right last night. You are second guessing us."
"Not at all. I want to be with you so bad."
"Then let's be together. Ashtyn, you said it yourself, you've been on your own for so long. Let me be there for you. Please?"
"Spend Christmas with your amazing family. We can talk later."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, and make sure to get a picture of Rian's face when Cassadee shows up."
"Well that explains the question mark inside the box. I spent 30 minutes trying to convince him you got him a box of invisible potatoes." He said, making me burst out laughing.
"You're insane, Jack Barakat."
"Don't pretend you didn't know that already, I met you at a Hustler Meet and Greet."
"Touche." I smile. "See you in a couple days?"
"Maybe I'll come up early, spend some extra time with you."
"Are you sure?"
"Definitely."
"Hey, Ash, the doctors want to talk to you."
"Ohkay, Jack, I have to go."
"Alright, I'll see you soon. I'll check on you later."
"Kay, merry Christmas."
"Dude, wake up." I feel someone jump on my bed.
"Fuck off."
"Jack." Alex's voice wakes me up. There's a very specific tone in Alex's voice when something bad is happening. I don't hear it very often, and I definitely haven't heard it in atleast a year. Slowly, I realize I haven't heard Ashtyns voice yet. Shit. I jolt up and look first at Rian, who's sitting on my bed, then at Alex who is standing in the door with a piece of paper in his hand.
"What happened?" Alex walked over to us and handed me the note.
Hey boys,
I'm sorry I had to do this. I had to drive back to New York. There was an emergency, I can't explain, and I don't want you to worry. I'll call you when I can and explain everything. I'll see you at New Years. Also, May has all of your presents. Jack, tell your parents I said thanks for letting me stay. I haven't had a holiday like this in too long.
With love,
Ashtyn.
I looked up and couldn't find words.
"Here." Zack was in the room now, handing me a mug of hot chocolate.
"I don't understand."
"Want me to call Sam? See if she knows anything?" Zack asked, leaning against the wall.
"No." I said quietly. They all looked at eachother, I knew what they were thinking. Alex nodded and Rian and Zack left the room. I could hear my mom humming christmas carols downstairs. Nothing really seemed to matter. I fell back against my pillows and sighed. My mind was racing. What could have made her leave in the last 6 hours?
"Dude, what happened last night?" Alex finally spoke.
"I don't know, man. Why do I get the feeling that she bailed on Christmas morning to go see that Nathan guy." He sat down on the end of the bed, a look of understanding on his face.
"You really like her, don't you?"
"I told her I was falling in love with her last night."
"WHAT?!"
"Yeah. I know." I said, covering my face. "No wonder she bailed."
ASHTYNS POV
"Quit staring at your phone and call him already."
"I can't."
"Why not?" I just looked up and shook my head. I can't even speak. Tears start falling and I'm immedietely embraced.
"Shhhh."
"I don't understand." I sobbed. "How could this happen?"
"I don't know, babe."
"Ashtyn?" I look up and see Val, with a puffy face and scared eyes.
"Come here, sweetie." I take her from Sam and sit her on my lap.
"Why are you sad?"
"I just don't like hospitals very much."
"Why?" She asked, making me smile in spite of myself.
"Nothing you should have to understand." I said before I realized that it was too late. Sam watched me frozen there, looking at this beautiful innocent girl with tears in my eyes.
"Do you know what happened last night?"
"Kind of."
"Nathan tried to explain it to me."
"Really?" I looked up at him, surprise clear on my face. He had been so good, he spent his entire Christmas morning at the hospital waiting for me.
"Yep. He told me that when Santa took her to see your mommy and my daddy can't come home right now cause he's saying goodbye." She said simply. "It's okay. I'm fine. He told me that it was okay to miss her and that whenever I talked, she'd listen and that she didn't want me to be sad. He told me that she didn't want to miss me, but she's going to be okay cause she's with her best friend. Isn't that right?" She looked up at Nate, smiling softly. All three of us had tears running down out faces.
"That's right." I whispered. "Sam, can you take her to get some breakfast? I need to talk to the doctors."
"Yeah, sure."
I waited till they left before speaking.
"You're amazing, you know that?"
"I remember having to have the same talk with another little girl. Come here." He hugged me close. "You know how much I care about you. I'd do anything for you. You have to know that. But now, you need to call that guy that's crazy about you and tell him you're ohkay, cause he's probably freaking out right now." He wiped the tears off my face and handed me my phone. "I'll go see what the doctors say about Paulo."
"Thanks."
I took a deep breath and dialed Jack. Straight to voicemail. Fuck. Well, okay then. I clicked Alex's name in my phone and waited.
"Ashtyn? It's about damn time!" I can hear the panic in his voice.
"Why isn't he answering his phone?"
"Maybe you should just talk to him."
"Alex." I cut him off.
"He's freaked out."
"Why?"
"Well, maybe cause he told you he was in love with you and it took you a grand total of 3 hours to bail on him." He said. He wasn't angry, but I could hear the protective tone in his voice.
"Alex, just let me talk to him. Please? This has nothing to do with him. But I want to tell him first." I hear a sigh.
"Hey, man, it's Ash."
"Ash? Are you okay?" He sounded genuinely scared.
"Uhm, not really. Valeriies parents were in an accident last night. Paulo hasn't woken up yet but Gemma..she..."
"Ashtyn?"
"I have to stay with Valerie. I'll see you when you're back for New Years, kay?"
"Ashtyn, I want to see you now."
"No, it's Christmas and you should be with your family and the boys."
"It's Christmas. Exactly. I want to be with you."
"I'm not ruining your holiday."
"You would never be able to ruin my holiday. I want to be with you."
"Jack, did you really think I bailed on you because of what you said last night?" Silence. "Jack, you know I feel the same way, don't you? I'm so sorry that I scared you."
"I'm sorry I thought the worst. Why didn't you wake me up? I would have went with you."
"That's exactly why I didn't. When I got that call all I could think about was Val, and then I went back in your room to grab my bag and I just stopped. I thought about what you had said and I couldn't breathe. All of it was like a fairytale, Jack. I didn't want it to end, but I had to go. I knew you would have went with me but look around. You have this perfect family and amazing future and I have none of that. My family is gone and I have a very few amount of people that I can count on. I've been so independant for so long because I had to grow up when I was 11. My world changed that day. I couldn't put all my problems on you. I couldn't."
"So I was right last night. You are second guessing us."
"Not at all. I want to be with you so bad."
"Then let's be together. Ashtyn, you said it yourself, you've been on your own for so long. Let me be there for you. Please?"
"Spend Christmas with your amazing family. We can talk later."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, and make sure to get a picture of Rian's face when Cassadee shows up."
"Well that explains the question mark inside the box. I spent 30 minutes trying to convince him you got him a box of invisible potatoes." He said, making me burst out laughing.
"You're insane, Jack Barakat."
"Don't pretend you didn't know that already, I met you at a Hustler Meet and Greet."
"Touche." I smile. "See you in a couple days?"
"Maybe I'll come up early, spend some extra time with you."
"Are you sure?"
"Definitely."
"Hey, Ash, the doctors want to talk to you."
"Ohkay, Jack, I have to go."
"Alright, I'll see you soon. I'll check on you later."
"Kay, merry Christmas."