Chapter Three-Hundred-Ninety
After thirty minutes of sitting with Nick in silence and soaking up all of the kisses and cuddles that he was giving her, Ashley leaned up and kissed his cheek softly.
“I’m gonna move to the seat next to you, kay?”
“Are you sure?” Nick asked sincerely and he gently cupped her chin with his forefinger and thumb and tilted her head back so she was gazing up at him and he looked her over with deep concern in his eyes.
“Mhm.” She cupped his chin in return and brought his lips down on hers in a soft kiss. “I’m fine I promise,” she reassured.
“Okay,” Nick replied after a moment and he waited until they were at a stop light as he could just hear AJ now if he unbuckled them while the van was moving. When Wiley stopped at a red light he unbuckled them and Ashley moved over and sat beside him before putting her own seatbelt on again and Nick copied her with his. Once she was situated again, she leaned forward and peered over the seat at Bella and saw that she was sleeping peacefully. Ashley couldn’t help but smile some at her precious little girl and she reached out and gently ran her fingers through her brown hair as she watched her sleep for a few moments. After awhile, she glanced back at AJ who seemed to be deeply engrossed in his book. She contemplated this for a long moment, and then deciding she would take her chances, she unbuckled her seatbelt and slid down onto the floor very quietly before crawling toward the front of the van and Nick watched her in amusement. She made it as far as the side of Bella and Laila’s seat before AJ noticed.
“Damnit Ashley Elaine!” AJ lectured, instantly causing her to cringe. “You know how I feel about you not wearing your seatbelt, so why must you deliberately annoy me?”
“Cause its my job,” she insisted as she continued to crawl a long the floor until she finally reached Dakota.
“Welcome to the joyous older siblinghood,” Kori told him amusedly from the front passenger’s seat. AJ rolled his eyes and watched his sister stressfully as she gently cradled Dakota’s face in her hands and leaned up and kissed her forehead softly.
“I’m sorry I scared you earlier sweetheart…it wasn’t my intention,” she told her gently. “I’m okay.”
“Promise?” Dakota sniffled as she fought hard not to cry again.
“I promise,” Ashley told her while resting her forehead against hers. “I love you very much.”
“I loves you too,” Dakota replied softly and Ashley held her arms open for a hug, causing her to lean into her and wrap her little arms around her neck as Ashley kissed her cheek. After a few moments she pulled away and moved over to Sarah next, held her arms open, and Sarah leaned forward to hug her too.
“How about my little Sarah? You okay?” she asked her knowing if Kota freaked out, Sarah had to have if not on the outside for all else to see, then definitely on the inside because she is the most fragile out of the two.
“Yeah,” Sarah answered and Ashley gently rubbed her hand over her back. After making sure all three children were okay she crawled back to her seat again. When she crawled up into it she glanced back at AJ deviously. AJ narrowed his eyes at her and she just laughed never receiving so much pleasure in her life – well, not this kind of pleasure anyway. She buckled her seatbelt then while silently deciding to herself that it’s a lot more fun to mess with him then it is with Kori because he’s new and therefore not as immune to her antics.
“I love you big brother, very much” she told him innocently and AJ scowled.
“Walk it off AJ,” Kori laughed. “She’s like a parasite, she feeds off of your anger.”
“How much longer do we have?” Ashley pouted somewhat, feeling slightly restless.
“Not very long,” Wiley was the one to answer her. “Twenty minutes at least.”
“Can we put Guns N Roses in?” she asked and Nick chuckled causing both Kori and AJ to look at them curiously.
“Nothing, Nothing long story” Nick and Ashley both said in unison. “One of those, you had to be there moments” Nick added.
“And why am I being asked to put it in?” Kori asked as she reached down to Ashley’s share of CDs.
“Just go with it,” Nick insisted. “It helps her to deal with the stress.” Kori got out Guns N’ Roses and put it in and the instant she did, Ashley sat back and relaxed throwing herself into the music and the wonders of Slash’s guitar playing.
“Aren’t you worried about it waking Bella up?” AJ asked after a moment.
“Nah, Bella sleeps through Guns N’ Roses all the time. By the time she’s three she’ll be able to successfully tell you the names of everybody in the band.”
“Damn straight,” Ashley insisted. “This baby is being raised on rock n’ roll.”
“Goes to show how much Kori and Ashley are alike,” Wiley replied. “Spencer was raised on all of Kori’s music too.”
“They do have many similar qualities,” Nick agreed while reaching over and gently taking Ashley’s hand in his and lacing their fingers together. Ashley however, continued to silently rock out to Welcome to the Jungle as if nothing can touch her now.
~*~*~*~*~*
“What? No Denise, I’m sorry but I can’t right now. I have Summer and Ellie here and Ellie is sick and in bed. I can’t leave her” Ellie heard Kevin say as he stood out in the hall outside her bedroom and she hugged her Donald Duck closer to her. “And Summer and I have a lot of important things to talk about today. Can’t you get Howie to do it?” Ellie reached over and grabbed the remote to her stereo and she turned it down just a little bit more so that she could hear her daddy better. “Just because I’m the oldest…and tend to be the most responsible out of the bunch that doesn’t mean I have to do everything. Howie is perfectly capable of meeting with the label as I am.” He was silent for a moment as he listened to Denise on the other end.
“Well I’m busy too! I have a sick child to take care of, what’s his excuse?” “Isn’t that Lindsey’s job? I thought he was supposed to be helping her get back into mother mode?” “Well that’s all fine and dandy, I’m glad she has a job and I’m glad Howie is doing great in helping her and that he is happy, but what am I supposed to do with Ellie?” “Brian currently isn’t answering his cell phone right now and no one has a damned clue as to where he is.” “Of course I know this is important stuff but so is Ellie and seeing as how you are a mother I would hope you would understand that.”
“What is that supposed to mean? She’s always been my top priority!” Kevin huffed in irritation and Ellie watched his shadow on the wall out in the hallway as he paced. “Great why doesn’t everybody write down their list of why they think I’m such a bad father and give it to me so I can read it all at once?” “I’m not putting words in your mouth, that is what you are implying.” Kevin closed his eyes a moment, rubbed at his temples, and then spoke again. “All right fine. I’ll…I’ll find a way to get there. Bye.” He hit the off button on his phone and Ellie watched his shadow on the wall as he shoved his phone in his pocket and then he appeared in the doorway and gazed in at her contemplatively. After a few moments, he went on over to her and gathered her up into his arms blankets and all and delicately made her rest her head against his shoulder.
“Come on Princess, we’re gonna go meet with daddy’s record label.” Ellie held onto him with a firm grip and Kevin kissed her forehead softly as he turned and carried her downstairs. When he got down there he found Summer sitting on the couch in his t-shirt and her jeans and she was flipping through the channels on the television. She looked at him as he came down though and Kevin gave her an apologetic look.
“I’m sorry Sum, but something unfortunately came up – work related. I have to go meet with my record label…but if you stay here and wait for me I’ll be back in an hour or so and we can continue where we left off.”
“You are dragging that poor sick child a long with you?” Summer asked in the best sympathetic way she could muster. “Kevy that just won’t do. She should be here in her bed where she can rest.” Kevin felt Ellie’s hold tighten on him some at her words and he gently rubbed his hand over her back in a slow circular motion.
“She is really clingy to me right now honey…and besides, I feel a little clingy myself right now I would feel better if I had her with me so I could keep an eye on her.”
“I know you are concerned for her sweetheart, and believe me, I understand” Summer insisted gently. “But she’s obviously very sick and if she doesn’t stay here in bed its only going to get worse. Now, I know you don’t want that. So why don’t you leave her here with me and I’ll be sure to take really good care of her.” Kevin sighed softly and looked down at Ellie who was gazing up at him.
“Daddy no, please don’ts leave me here, please…” she pleaded as tears welled up in her eyes.
“I’m sorry baby but Summer does have a point…” he told her gently while crouching down and placing her so her feet were on the ground.
“Daddy no…no! no! no!” she pleaded some more while breaking down into sobs and she stomped her feet in tune with each ‘no’. She threw her arms around his neck and latched on tightly. “I wants to go withs you, I don’ts want to stay here, please…”
“I’m sorry sweetheart…daddy loves you so much and I’m only doing what I feel is best for you. Go on upstairs and rest and I’ll take you to Disney World tonight – but only if you rest up.”
“Daddy if you wants to do what’s best for me you’ll takes me with you!”
“I’ve made up my mind. Go upstairs please, right now. Or no Disney World” he demanded gently and he turned her around and lightly nudged her toward the stairs. Ellie broke down into heart wrenching sobs and headed for the stairs and as she went she grabbed onto Lil’ Rok on her way. Kevin watched her as she walked up the stairs, his own heart breaking as he did and he heard her door slam shut behind her before turning to give Summer instructions. The both of them were unaware however, that she’s locked herself in again and doesn’t intend on opening her door for anyone whose name starts with an ‘s’.
As soon as Kevin was gone, Summer smirked and turned and headed up the stairs. When she got up there, she tried the knob only to find out that it’s locked. She scowled then and made a fist and banged hard on the door causing Ellie to shriek and Lil’ Rok to bark.
“Open the goddamned door, right now you little shit!”
“NO!”
“I’ll find a way in there somehow, and when I do you are going to get it a LOT worse then I had planned, so you had better just open up right now and get it over with!”
“Well, you only gots an hour an’ nots a lot of brains to figure it out, so you hads better get on that huh?” Ellie snapped feeling highly safe in her room. Summer growled.
“Just for that…Elenore, just for that, if you by chance make it out of my beating alive, I’m going to marry your father and the first thing I’m gonna do is send you off to boarding school.”
“Go ahead an’ beats me up then! My daddy will never marry you after that, bitch!”
“You know I’ll just beat you in places he wont be able to see the bruises in and you also know that if you tell him what happens I’ll kill Lil’ Rok.” Ellie laughed amusedly despite the situation that she is in.
“I wont’s haf to.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing, nothing…” Ellie replied making sure she could hear the taunting tone in her voice. Summer growled venomously.
“Oh just you wait you little brat, just you wait!” she threatened, and Ellie heard her storm off to look for something that would help her get inside. Elenore waited until she could hear her slamming things around downstairs and then dove for her toy box. She threw it open and began pulling toys out frantically until she found her special walkie-talkie that reaches Josh. He promised her that he would always have it on incase he needed her when she insisted that she was a big girl now and no longer needed to sleep with him anymore. Well, he had better have it on now because he is her only hope. She pushed down the talk button and spoke into the walkie-talkie with a note of hysteria in her voice.
“Joshy! Joshy! Can you hear me? Joshy please answer!” she pleaded tearfully and then let go and waited only to get no reply. “Oh come on Joshy, don’ts let me down now!”
“Ellie? Is that you?” a voice spoke on the other end, but it wasn’t her Joshy.
“Chris!” Ellie cried, never being happier to hear his voice in the few short months that she’s known him.
“Ellie what’s wrong?”
“Go downstairs an’ tells Brian that’s I’m in trouble! Daddy is gone an’ he left Summer in charge of me an’ she’s gonna kills me!”
“Brian isn’t here, Grandma is watching us.”
“Then tells her instead! Or something! Christopher just goes! What part of she’s gonna kills me do you NOTS understand?”
“All right, I’m going, I’m going!” Chris snapped and Ellie scowled and put her walkie-talkie down. Just then she heard something run into her door and then a loud “OW FUCK! That was stupid…” She heard another loud pounding sound against her door then, and judging by the sound of it, Ellie decided that it was Summer’s foot. She doesn’t know if she is strong enough to kick her door in, but just incase she is, Ellie grabbed Lil’ Rok close to her and crawled under her bed and into the farthest corner.
“Its okay Lil Rok…I’ll keeps you safe…I wont’s let her get you,” Ellie insisted softly. She listened as Summer made many more attempts in kicking her door down, and when she tried just about everything, she stormed off again, but not before muttering “He has to have a hammer around here somewhere for Christ’s sake.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
When Doctor Johnson, Annabelle, Peyton, and Julie finally arrived in Stillwater Oklahoma and pulled into the driveway of the home he grew up in for the first half of his childhood, they discovered Brandon standing outside waiting. Doctor Johnson had phoned him ahead of time and told him they were almost there.
“You’re that excited to see me finally home that you would actually stand outside to wait for me Brandon?” Doctor Johnson asked with an amused grin as he got out of the car.
“Are you kidding me?” Brandon asked while walking up to his brother and he pulled him into a hug. “This might as well be Christmas because that’s what it feels like to me.” Doctor Johnson hugged him in return letting Brandon cling to him as if he were a little boy who hasn’t seen his big brother in years.
“It feels good to be home again,” he told him with the most content grin that Brandon has ever seen on his brother’s face since they lost Kayline. “I didn’t realize how much I would miss this place.” While the two siblings were busy reuniting, Annabelle and Peyton got out of the car. Annabelle opened Julie’s door and the anxious six-year-old crawled out and took a look around. The house that stood tall before her was a nice Victorian home painted in light blue with white trimmings and windows. The porch was sort of circular like with brick steps that matched the driveway and a u-shaped entrance. It has a white picket fence surrounding it and white wooden poles that held the roof cover up over it so one could sit under it to hide from the rain, or to simply enjoy the shade. There are two floors, plus a basement and an attic in which had three circular windows while all of the rest of the house had squared ones. The rooftops were triangular and painted dark blue and to complete the beautiful Victorian, there was a brown brick chimney. The yard they stood in was the greenest yard Julie had ever laid eyes on with lots of tall trees and bushes in the front and back of it giving the place a sort of private look to it. Julie quickly decided that she simply adores the whole idea of the house and wants to stay in it forever.
“Mommy it looks like my dollhouse,” She pointed out enthusiastically.
“It does, doesn’t it?” Annabelle agreed amusedly. Hearing Julie’s happy announcement caused Doctor Johnson to finally pull away from Brandon and he turned and grinned at the little girl before gathering her in his arms.
“Well, you certainly sound excited. Does Miss Julie approve then, hmm?”
“Uh-huh,” Julie nodded. “Will you show me around Stevie, please?” Doctor Johnson glanced over at his brother then, who suddenly turned his full attention on Peyton. He gazed at her for a long moment as if he hadn’t seen such a beautiful woman before in his life and he was falling in love with her all over again in that very moment. Peyton stared back at him in return blushing slightly at the over dramatized look on his face and he beckoned her to him with his finger. Peyton not needing to be asked twice suddenly ran at him, flung herself into his opened arms wrapping her legs around his waist and as he was grabbing her chin to bring her lips down on his, the powerful impact of Peyton jumping into his arms knocked Brandon backward. Brandon yelped as he fell back into the grass onto his back bringing a laughing Peyton with him. Brandon chuckled happily and proceeded to kiss her, something he’d been longing to do for so long. Doctor Johnson shook his head amusedly and wrapped his arm around Annabelle’s waist then.
“Why yes I will,” he answered Julie’s question and he began to lead them toward the house leaving the reunited lovebirds alone.
“They’re crazy” Julie informed as she watched Brandon and Peyton with an amused grin on her face.
“Mhm,” Doctor Johnson agreed with her before cupping his own girlfriend’s chin, tilting it up, and leaning down and just lightly grazing his lips over hers. Watching Brandon with Peyton had reminded him that he himself hasn’t been able kiss his own girlfriend all day since he’d been busy driving for most of it.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chapter
Enjoy =)
Enjoy =)
