I felt weird.
My body was stiff and rigid and when I tried to move I couldn't; I was too weak.
Then I felt it, a searing hot pain in my head. It was like a migraine on steroids.
I wanted to cry out because of the pain but some part of me couldn't muster up the strength to do it.
Then set in the confusion.
I didn't know why I felt this way and suddenly I was overwhelmed with a sense of pain, panic, and fear.
Not knowing what to do I began to silently cry.
I was aware of the tears in my still closed eyes and the whimpers that left my lips but sounded so far away.
"Car, Car baby, you're okay." I heard a voice. It was Ashton's voice.
This made me cry harder.
"Wake up baby, open your eyes." He said and I felt something warm on my face.
Slowly I dragged up my eyelids, light hitting them harshly and I shut them quickly.
"It's okay." He said to me, and I tried again.
This time my eyes stayed open and I began to frantically scan my surroundings.
"Hey, Car." I heard Ashton say and I followed the sound of his voice, looking up to my right where he stood above me.
His eyes were full of worry and a concerned smile was on his lips.
Still confused, my eyes fluttered around figuring out quickly that I was in a hospital. That fact alone shot panic right through me.
I was still crying because I didn't know what was happening and when I figured out where I was I began to cry harder.
"It's hurts." I managed to get out, shutting my eyes.
"What hurts baby?" Ashton asked me.
"My head." I whisper cried.
"Is she okay?" I heard someone who I thought was Ann ask.
"She's in pain and she won't stop crying. Get her nurse." Ashton said and I felt his thumbs moving across my cheeks.
Suddenly his hands were gone and a colder set of fingers began to touch the skin of my arm until I felt the sharp pinch of a needle pierce my skin.
I whimpered at this but a few moments later I felt a bit more relaxed, then slowly felt the pain begin to fade away. I turned my head to the side, my eyes closed and exhaled.
I stayed that way for several minutes until I knew I wasn't crying anymore and I couldn't feel the throbbing ache in my head, and opened my eyes again.
Ashton was still standing next to me. His face even more concerned than before.
"How do you feel?" He asked me and when I opened my mouth to speak no words came out.
I closed it and cleared my throat.
"What happened?"
My voice was barely a whisper.
"You have a concussion and you had a seizure, well nine of them actually." He said and my eyes furrowed.
"What?"
"Do you not remember?" He asked me.
"No?" I shook my head against the pillow.
I began to search around in my head for memories or any recollection of having a seizure and couldn't.
Ashton, noting my confused state bent down to place his hands on my cheeks again.
"Hey, don't worry. Just focus on getting better." He murmured to me and my eyes flashed to his brilliant hazel ones.
"Ash." I whimpered and he moved closer so that his cheek pressed against mine.
"Shh shh shh shh shh, I've got you. You're okay now. I know you're confused but it's going to be alright."
"Why did I have seizures?" I asked, my voice jerking.
"Well we think you fell down the stairs and hit your head, causing you to have the seizures. But the doctors are still looking into it." He said, pulling away so that his eyes could look into mine and his hand could caress my cheek.
"I'm scared." I whispered.
"I know baby, I'm scared too." He said, his eyes not leaving mine.
"Mommy's awake!" I heard none other than Gracie exclaim and I looked over to see her and Ender at the doorway of my room, Calum standing behind them.
"Car." Ender said, his voice cracking and they both ran over to me.
I sat up, immediately pulling my composure together.
"You're awake." Ender flung his arms around me and I pulled him in for a hug.
"Yeah." I said and felt him break down in my arms. "Hey, I'm okay. Don't cry baby I'm okay." I placed my hand on the back of his head, pulling him close to me.
"I'm fine." I breathed, trying to assure him and myself. My fingers softly ran through his hair as I tried to console him.
"I thought you were going to die." I heard him sob and my heart shattered into a million pieces. This was the second time I had done something to make him feel like I had left him.
"It's okay now." I rested my head on his, holding my little brother.
When he finally stopped crying I moved back so I could look at him, pressing a kiss to his face.
"Mommy." I heard Gracie's little voice and I looked down to see her standing there, her lip between her teeth as her eyes watered.
"Come here Gray." I said and she pulled herself up onto the bed.
Opening a space for her in my arms I hugged her to me as well. She didn't cry as hard as Ender did but she still cried a little.
My body was exhausted and I couldn't sit up for much longer so l leaned back to lay down, bringing them with me.
Gracie cuddled herself into my arms and I wrapped them around her, pressing her to me. Ender laid down behind Gracie, looking at me with worried eyes.
I had almost forgotten about Ashton until I felt his hand on my shoulder and I turned my head to see him looking at me with a concerned look.
My eyes looked past him to see all of the people I loved.
Michael, Luke, Calum, and Ann sat on a sofa, watching me carefully.
But one person was missing.
"Where's Ari?" I asked Ashton.
"I don't think we called her. I can go do that now if you want." He said and I nodded.
"She's my emergency contact."
"Okay, I'll go call her." He said almost sombrely and I watched him leave the room.
Not trying to be rude and ignore the other people in my room, but out of pure exhaustion I turned back to Gracie and Ender.
My two little loves were hurting and wanted me to comfort them, but I was hurting too and I needed comforting as well.
My eyes opened when I heard the door open and Ashton walked in, coming straight to my bed.
"She's on her way." He said and I nodded. He moved to walk away but my hand reached out and grabbed his wrist.
"I need you." I whimpered and he nodded. He walked around the bed and I felt him get in behind me, his arm draping over my body.
I turned my head towards his chest, the presence of his cologne still there on his shirt.
"I'm going to be okay?" I asked him quietly.
"Yes love, you'll be just fine." He squeezed my waist lightly and I felt him press a kiss to my jaw when I moved my head back to get more comfortable.
I closed my eyes, wanting nothing more than to sleep and pray for some of my confusion to go away, but with no such luck. I was absolutely exhausted yet I couldn't sleep.
My mind was busy trying to figure out what had happened.
Nine seizures?
I'd never had a seizure before in my life.
And I had fallen?
I didn't remember falling either.
A bit more time passed before I heard the door opening and Ari's voice flood into the room.
"Oh, Car." She sighed sadly and I heard her footsteps come closer.
"Is she asleep?" She asked.
"I think they all are." I heard Ann's voice say. "Ashton only slept for two hours in the waiting room and Gracie and Ender weren't much better."
I wanted to cry.
Why was it always me that worried everyone to the point of tears and no sleep.
And then a thought hit me: Had I made Ashton feel the same way I had made Ender feel?
Had he thought I was going to die as well?
By her breathing I could tell Gracie was sleeping so I turned around in Ashton's arms so that my face was pressed to his chest.
"Babe." I heard him say and his arms circled tighter around my back.
A few minutes later I heard his soft snores, feeling comforted by the sound and hoping he would get some sleep.
"Where's her doctor?" Ari asked and I heard her and Ann move out into the hallway.
"Look at them." I heard Luke say.
"I know. They're really like a family." Michael said.
"I've never met a person more loved than Carter is. She has those two kids, and Ashton who love her more than anything." Calum added.
I listened to them talk and eventually I fell asleep.
The next time I woke up I felt different.
I opened my eyes to be met with a room of sleeping people.
Luke, Michael, and Calum were passed out on the sofa, Ari in a little arm chair. Ann wasn't in the room and Gracie and Ender weren't next to me in the bed.
"You awake?" I heard Ashton's voice above me and I looked up.
I was still in his arms.
I moved a little to sit up and he followed suit, pulling me more into his embrace when he did.
"Where are the kids?" I asked him.
"My mum took them to the house so they could get some new clothes and their toothbrushes." He said and I nodded, my head against his chest.
"Tell me what happened before I go insane, please." I gripped the fabric of his tee shirt in my hand.
"Well, I was at the vacation house with the guys and my phone rang. Ender called me saying that you weren't waking up and so Calum and I went over to the house. When we got there you were lying on the floor unresponsive, then all of the sudden you started to convulse and have a seizure. We called an ambulance and they came to get you and you stopped seizing but in the ambulance your heart beat started to slow down so they did CPR but you went into another seizure. Then they took you into the hospital and we waited in the waiting room until they could give us an update. Finally you had stopped seizing and they waited for a few hours to make sure you didn't have any more, then took you back for an MRI." He said and I let it all sink in.
"Oh..." Was all I was able to say.
"We're still waiting for your results to come back." He added and I nodded again.
"Ender thought I was going to die." I whispered.
"We were all scared Car." He rubbed my arm.
"Did you think I was going to die?" I asked him.
"I didn't know what was going to happen. But I knew that you were strong, and brave, and you were going to fight your way through it." He said.
I pressed myself into him more and he rested his head on mine.
"I love you." He said softly.
"I love you too." I said, choking up a bit and he moved his hand to stroke my back.
"You're okay baby, you're okay." He breathed, and I couldn't tell if he was saying that more to himself or me.
"I'm so scared." I whined into his chest.
"I know baby, me too. I wish I could take all your pain away."
His phone began to ring and he shifted to pull it from his pocket.
"Yes?" He asked.
"Her tee shirts are in the second drawer but she's going to get cold so get a sweater for her they're in her closet. Bras and underwear are in the top drawer and she has some yoga pants in there as well." He said and I looked up at him as he was telling probably Ann where my things were.
"My things are in the bottom drawer, if you could just grab me a shirt, boxers, and jeans that'd be great." He continued.
"Yeah. See you in a bit." He hung up his phone and went back to cuddling me.
This only lasted for a few minutes because soon a nurse came in to check on me, Ashton having to let me go.
He got out of the bed and stood next to it while the nurse lady asked me how I was feeling and then began to check different things.
"Are the kids okay?" I asked him as the nurse poked me with a needle and I flinched.
"A bit freaked out but I think they'll be fine." He said
"And are you okay?" I asked.
"I'm getting there." He sighed.
When the nurse was done I asked her if I could take a shower and she said yes.
Ashton helped me from the bed and followed me into the bathroom where I turned on the water to the shower, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I looked awful.
He stayed in the bathroom while I shed the horrid hospital gown and my undergarments, slipping beneath the spray of hot water and letting out a sigh.
I scrubbed up the best I could before getting out and wrapping a towel around me.
On most occasions I would've been nervous about Ashton being in here but I guess after him seeing me convulse twice he had probably seen everything by now.
I was standing in front of the mirror using a corner of the towel to dry my hair when Ashton came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, his body pressing into mine.
He didn't say anything but placed a kiss to my neck.
We heard voices in the room and he let me go, slipping out of the bathroom for a moment and coming back in with a handful of my clothes and a bag of my toiletries.
I quickly dressed and finished drying off my hair. I found my deodorant and body spray in the bag and happily applied them before brushing my teeth.
While I was getting ready Ashton changed clothes too, the both of us then returning to the main room where Ashton placed me back on the bed.
Ari came up to hug me and then ended up braiding my hair like she had done last time, Gracie sitting in my lap to watch.
When she was done, Ashton came to stand behind me, his hands on my shoulders while I held both Gracie and Ender in my lap, the two of them curling up on me.
Ender was telling me his version of what happened when the door to my room opened and who I assumed to be my doctor walked in.
Ender paused his story and I was secretly thankful, the images he had been describing to me were terrifying.
"Halle it's nice to meet you, I'm Dr. Thomas." He said in a grim voice.
"Hi." I said back.
"We have your MRI results back if you'd like to follow me." I scrambled off the bed, pulling on my shoes.
"Can I go with her?" Ashton asked and Dr. Thomas nodded.
Ann, Ari and all of the guys hugged me, and I bent down to hug and kiss Ender and Gracie before Ashton and I left the room.
He held my quivering hand in his as we walked down the hallway, my heart hammering in my chest.
When we reached a little consultation room Dr. Thomas put up the pictures of my head on the screen just like they had done last time and Ashton and I had a seat on the sofa.
My heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to fly out of my chest.
What if something was really wrong with me? What if I was really hurt?
"So Halle you've hit your head before correct?" He asked me.
"Yes." I gulped.
"What did they tell you when you hit it?" He asked.
"That I bruised my skull, and that it was healing." I said, my body becoming antsy.
"Did they say anything about where you hit it?"
"No." I shook my head.
"Okay well right here," He moved forward a lightly placed a finger on the side of my head where I had hit it last time, "Is a major pressure point."
"Okay?"
"Well what we think happened is that when you hit your head you damaged that pressure point. This caused you to black out when you fell down the stairs, getting the concussion."
"But what about the seizures?" Ashton asked next to me.
"Well the first seizure was brought on by her body going into shock, the eight after that were from her body going into distress." Dr. Thomas answered and I was still so confused.
"I don't understand." I said slowly.
"Halle have you been feeling stressed lately?" He asked me as he sat down on a rolling stool.
I thought for a moment. I guess with the whole Ashton situation, our sudden engagement, the soccer team, trying to raise Gracie and Ender, and trying to be the perfect fiancé for Ashton, I had been a bit stressed.
"I guess so." I shrugged.
"Well most of these seizures were brought on by stress. They're called dissociative seizures. If you don't bring your stress level down then you are going to continue to suffer from them."
My jaw was hanging open.
"So I'm having seizures because I'm stressed out? I've been stressed out before and I've never had a seizure, I'm stressed out now and I'm not having a seizure." I said.
"Something happened when you hit your head that triggered this response from your body." He said and I sagged into Ashton's side.
"So what does this mean?" Ashton asked.
"Well, I'm going to prescribe her some anti-anxiety medication. I also want you, Halle, to look into some ways to take some stress away. For now though, just take it easy until your concussion heals."
"So can I go home?" I asked.
"I want to keep you in observation for one more night, just to be sure and then we will discharge you." He informed us and Ashton exhaled next to me.
Dr. Thomas shook our hands and then led us back to my hall where we entered our room.
"So?" Ann asked as we stepped inside the room.
"Um, I have dissociative seizures that will happen if I get too stressed." I said and everyone looked at me slightly confused.
"I don't know." I sighed, my voice cracking at not knowing how to explain it and Ashton turned me into his body.
"Hey, you've gotta calm down love." He murmured in my ear.
I took a deep breath as I cried and suddenly I felt another pair of arms come around me, and then another, and then another, until I was immersed in a group hug.
Comforting words, I love you's, It's going to be okay's, and everything will be fine's, were told to me and I welcomed them greatly, but focused on Ashton's arm around my shoulders and his hand against my head.
Eventually they all let me go except Ashton. He wiped off my tears with the back of his hand and then led me over to the bed where he joined me.
At the moment I didn't care that we were being so affectionate in front of his mother, our friends and our kids; I needed to be consoled and he was comforting the girl he loved.
He laid back on the bed and I laid on my side, my head on his chest and my arm around his stomach.
"What did they tell you?" Ender asked from where he stood by us; everyone else turning their attention to us.
"Your sister has a condition called dissociative seizures that appeared when she hit her head the first time. So if she gets too stressed she will have seizures." Ashton answered for me.
"Oh." Ender said. "Can't they make it go away?"
"No, but they can give her some medicine to take so that she doesn't get stressed out." Ashton replied, his fingers running soothingly down my spine.
"Daddy, can we go get a snack from the machine?" Gracie came up to the side of the bed and peered over.
"I've got her." Michael said and went to stand up.
"No, I'll take her." Ashton said and kissed my forehead before he got out of the bed. "Come on Gracie." He lifted her up into his arms, carrying her out of the room.
When he left I sat up, rubbing at my eyes and noticing everyone staring at me.
"Sorry, I'm a mess right now." I sniffled and Ann came forward to put her arms around my shoulders.
"No, you're scared and confused and still healing. If you weren't acting this way then I'd really be concerned. You'll get through this Carter."
Her motherly tone, actions, and feel surrounded me and I closed my eyes, my head resting on her as she hugged me.
This woman was going to be my mother in law some day, and I was so absolutely thankful for her presence in my life.
I knew she loved me like a daughter and that made me feel so incredibly happy.
When Ashton came back in he set Gracie on the bed and she shimmied up into my arms as Ann released me.
"Mommy we got you your favourite." Gracie beamed up at me and placed a chocolate candy bar in my hand.
"Aw, thank you Gracie." I hugged her.
"Daddy let me put the coins in the machine!" She exclaimed and I let out the first laugh I had had since I woke up.
"He's pretty cool isn't he." I smiled at her and Ashton came up on my side of the bed, leaning over and bumping his nose against Gracie's, causing her to giggle before he kissed her cheek. She grinned happily and I watched the exchange with love in my eyes as she kissed his nose and he hugged her under her arms, lifting her off the bed.
She wrapped her legs around his stomach and her arms wound around his neck as he held her.
"Are you sure she's not their kid?" I heard Ari comment to Ann and a soft smile graced my lips.
"He loves that little girl so much." Ann said as she proudly watched her son.
"So when can we go home?" Ender asked me.
"Tomorrow. They want to keep me in observation for tonight." I reached over to take his hand.
Then I realised that today was a Monday and he wasn't at school.
"You need to go to school tomorrow, End." I told him and he frowned.
"Why?" He whined. "I wanna be here with you."
"I know you do bud, but you already missed three days when we went to Sydney and then today, you don't need to miss anymore." I shook my head.
"But Car, what if something happens?" He threw his hands to the side frantically.
"Why don't I take you and Gracie home for the night and in the morning we can stop by here before you go to school?" Ann suggested.
He thought about that for a moment.
"Fine." He said.
"Thank you, so much, that's so sweet of you." I smiled at Ann and she patted my hand.
"Don't worry about it, I'm happy to help." She assured me. "Are there certain instructions on what to do with these kiddos." She poked Gracie's nose causing the little girl to thump her head down onto Ashton's shoulder, giggles spilling from her lips.
Ashton and I filled her in on what we normally did with the kids at night and then decided they would leave in a little bit.
Ashton had set Gracie down on the bed again and she sat in front of me.
"Mommy, you have to take your medicine." She said and I gave her a confused look until she handed me the candy bar her and Ashton had brought for me.
"Oh, is this my medicine?" I asked her, and she nodded happily.
"Yes. You have to eat the candy to feel better." She informed me.
"Okay." I smiled. "Wow Gray, you're smart. How did you learn so much about medicine?" I played along.
"I'm a doctor." She said proudly.
"A doctor? Wow!" I gasped playfully. "Well what are the doctors orders to make me feel better besides the candy?"
"Hmm." She put her fingers to her lips as she thought and then lifted her head up with an excited expression. "Cuddles!"
"Candy and cuddles, sounds like the best medicine." I smiled.
"I'll give you cuddles now." She said and curled herself up to me. I wrapped my arms around her, smiling. She really was the sweetest thing.
She giggled happily and snuggled up to me, her little body warm and soft.
I noticed Ashton come around to the end of the bed and snap a picture of the two of us with his phone.
We cuddled on the hospital bed until it was time for her, Ender, and Ann to leave.
"Do you feel better?" Gracie asked me as we sat up.
"I feel much better, thank you." I smiled at her.
"Wait! The doctor ordered one more thing!" She said and leaned in to kiss my cheek.
"Now I feel much much better." I pulled her in for one more hug.
We both got off the bed and I went to hug Ender.
"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" I said and he nodded. "Alright, I love you. Be good and help Ann with Gracie."
"I will. I love you too." He hugged my waist.
I moved to Gracie again.
"I'll see you tomorrow too. Be good. I love you." I caressed her behind her ear.
"I love you too Mommy." She beamed up at me and I kissed her forehead.
Ashton hugged Ender goodbye and then picked up Gracie.
"Bye baby girl. I love you." He kissed her cheek.
"Love you Daddy." She hugged his neck. "Wait! You have to give Mommy cuddles and kisses so she feels better."
"I will give her all the cuddles and kisses she needs." Ashton assured her and she nodded up happily at him.
I hugged Ann goodbye and Ari as well since she decided she should go too.
When they left I went to the bathroom and then came back to see Ashton laying on the bed waiting for me and I crawled up to join him.
Luke, Michael, and Calum were still on the sofa on their phones while I cuddled into Ashton's side, following Doctor Gracie's orders.
Ashton pulled out his phone and placed it on his stomach so we could both see the screen, him scrolling through different apps.
"Woah." He said when he got on Twitter.
"What is it?" I asked, my fingers drawing circles on his stomach.
"You're apparently a pretty big story. Look." He pointed to a picture with his thumb of our engagement photo and then pressed it.
We both began to read silently the article that was attached.
EXCLUSIVE
E! News reports that Carter Chase, fiancé of Ashton Irwin who is the drummer for the popular band 5 Seconds of Summer was rushed to the ER Sunday night.
Irwin and Chase had only been engaged for nine days when she was admitted into the hospital.
Sources say she had a seizure but nothing has been confirmed by 5sos's rep.
Sources also say that Irwin hasn't left the hospital since his fiancé was taken there by ambulance.
All other members of the band have been photographed going in and out of Haven Harbour Hospital, along with Irwin's mother, Chase's little brother Ender and Gracie who is the child Irwin and Chase are raising together.
We will update the story as more information becomes available.
"What do they mean by sources?" I asked Ashton.
"Probably someone at the hospital told them the info to make a quick buck." He sighed.
I rolled my eyes and then snuggled my face back into him.
"Distract me?" I mumbled and he let out a little laugh before going to his music folder. He put it on shuffle and skipped through the songs until he found one he wanted to listen to.
I felt his body vibrate as he hummed above me the unfamiliar tune.
When the song was over it moved to the next one.
"Yes!" Luke said and I glanced up at him.
"Luke loves Ed Sheeran." Ashton said and I looked down to see the song titled You Need Me, I Don't Need You by Ed Sheeran on the screen and listened as the words flew by quickly.
"I'll say the words that you blush." Ashton said into my ear when the singer said those words and I giggled, a dazzling smile on his face.
The singer continued to rap and when the song was over the room got quiet again.
"I can rap." I said randomly and everyone's head turned to look at me.
"Oh this I gotta hear." Michael grinned.
I sat up a little bit and was met with Ashton's amused look.
"Okay you ready?" I asked and they all continued to smirk at me.
I took a deep breath. "Yo yo yo-" I began in the most gangster like voice I could manage and then fell into a fit of giggles; not being able to continue because of how ridiculous I sounded.
Ashton burst into laughter above me and so did the rest of the guys.
"That was great!" Michael cried.
"You could win a Grammy for that performance." Calum managed to say.
Luke was laughing to hard to speak.
"That was cute." Ashton laughed in my ear and I looked up at him with a happy smile.
The guys stayed for a little bit longer before deciding to brave the paparazzi and fans that were buzzing around outside.
I hugged them each goodbye, thanking them for being there.
A nurse came by a few minutes later with two trays of food for me and Ashton.
We sat on my bed to eat and when we were done Ashton set them out in the hallway.
He set the music on his phone on shuffle again and we laid in the bed for a little longer.
"You know, I think doctor Gracie was right, candy, cuddles, and kisses were just what I needed." I said as I rested my head on him.
"I'm glad you're feeling better." He murmured to me.
"Me too." I sighed.
A few more songs played and I decided to change into some pyjamas, sliding off the bed.
I dug through the bag Ann had packed for us and found a tee shirt. I continued to look for some shorts when I felt a pair of arms around my waist.
A new song had started and I recognised the voice as that Ed Sheeran person again.
"Dance with me." Ashton said softly and I started to laugh.
"What?"
"Dance with me." He turned me around so he could look at me. His face was serious but the corners of his lips were turned up in a tiny smile.
"I don't know how to dance." I shook my head.
"I'll teach you." He tugged on my hand and pulled me out into the middle of my hospital room.
My cheeks were blazing as he stood in front of me.
"Okay put your hands on my shoulders." He said and I did as such. "Good."
My fingers intertwined themselves behind his neck while his hands went to my waist and he pulled me closer to him.
He began to sway us side to side to the rhythm of the song, my face still hot.
"People fall in love in mysterious ways. Maybe just the touch of a hand. Well me I fall in love with you every single day. And I just wanna tell you I am." Ashton sang the lyrics to the song in my ear.
I hid my face in his chest and I felt him press a kiss to my hair.
"I'm still so worried about you Car." He murmured into my ear. "I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life...when we were in that ambulance and your heart rate started to go down...I thought you were going to die."
I sucked in a breath, my forehead against his collar bone.
"I'm sorry I made you think that. When Ender was telling me about what happened and he told me how Gracie was crying and you were panicking...I feel horrible. This is the second time I've done something that ended up with me in the ER and my brother thinking I was going to leave him."
"Car baby, it's not your fault. Life is full of things you can't control, and this is one of them."
"I know, but still, I just want to be the perfect sister, and mom, and fiancé, and then I had to fall down the freaking stairs..." I sniffled.
"Hey, look at me." He said and I glanced up into his eyes. "You are the most amazing sister, mom, and fiancé, and I love you so much. We are going to get through this, okay? As a family."
I nodded at this and then placed my head in the crook of his neck, our bodies still swaying to the music.
"I love you too." I said softly and saw his cheeks raise in a smile.
As the song ended, Ashton tilted his head down to connect his lips to mine.
I hadn't kissed him properly since I'd woken up in the hospital, and my body physically relaxed in his arms.
I moved my head back as he continued to kiss me, adjusting our angle so he didn't have to crane his neck.
His lips glided gracefully and blissfully between mine and my body melted into his.
He kissed me for a little longer until we both were breathing a little heavier, him keeping his face close to mine.
"I love you." He said, his forehead resting against mine.
"I love you too. Thank you for staying here with me."
"There's no where else I'd rather be than with you." He brought me into a hug.
He held me for a while, both of us just enjoying being in each other's company.
Eventually he pressed a sweet kiss to my lips and released me so we could both change into pyjamas.
A nurse came by to check on me before I went to sleep and decided to hook me to an IV with a saline bag to replenish my fluids.
Ashton laid next to me in the small space, his hands running down my hair, face, and neck to comfort me.
When the nurse finally came back to take the IV out I curled myself into his body, glad to be rid of the needle.
He brought his phone out again and I watched as he began to type out a tweet.
'After a long day of tears, hugs, and watching Carter attempt to rap, I got to dance around a hospital room with my fiancé and now get to cuddle her to sleep. I love you my beautiful, strong girl.'
He then attached a photo of me sitting up in the bed with Ender sitting next to me and Gracie in front of us as I was playing a hand game with her.
He shared the tweet and then dropped his head down to rest his head on mine.
"That was sweet of you, thank you." I smiled.
"Of course love." He squeezed me a bit. "Now let's go to sleep."
I nodded and he pulled the blanket up over us to block out the cold.
After the long and exhausting day I fell asleep knowing that tomorrow I would get to go home.
--
don't worry guys, there's still a lot more to come!
this is going to effect basically everything from now on, so Carter and Ashton will both be struggling with this new change in Carters health.
anyways, comment and vote if you'd like and I'll have the next part up soon.
much love xx