Angels and Guardians Pt. 07

"None of that matters to me, Jill. I don't mind where you come from or what goes on at your house. What I don't like is that you wouldn't answer my texts, especially when they're asking you to come over and see Kim."

Jill plopped down on the bed, sitting next to Ashley. "I can't go. Not with my mom like this."

"If she's like this to you, why don't you leave? I'm sure Joe..."

Jill interrupted her. "Yeah, I'm sure Joe would sweep in and carry me off to his house. I don't want that!"

"Then, why don't you stay with Jasmine?"

"Because my mom needs me. I take care of..." Jill trailed off, starting to cry. "I used to be able to take care of her and the house. But I've been so busy lately, all I could do is mow the lawn yesterday."

"Where's your dad?"

"He left a long time ago."

"Well, I remember Joe telling me a guy came out when he dropped you off the first time he helped you."

Jill nodded. "Yeah, that was one of my mom's boyfriends at the time. He finally got tired of me making fun of him and generally making his life hell, so he left last year."

"So, where is she coming up with all that sex stuff she keeps yelling? I mean, she said I was a call girl, for Pete's sake."

"Well, that was because you're dressed nice."

"We just came from church!"

"All the same. Unless you dress ratty like her, you're a street walker in her eyes."

Something dawned on Ashley. "Is she, uh, challenged?"

"Is she challenged? What do you...ohh. No, she isn't like this all the time. But, when she goes out drinking like she did last night, she gets almost like dementia the next day."

Ashley got the picture now. She understood why Jill didn't want to leave her house this weekend. She also knew that Jill's leadership on the team and at school was practiced right here at home. Jill was basically the mother figure in the house, but an 18 year old can only do so much without help. She hugged Jill. "What can I do to help you?"

Jill squeezed her. "Just hold me for a bit."

Jasmine was pissed that Ashley ran out like that. She complained to Joe that without Ashley's help, the upstairs would take all day to clean. He told her that he would help her today, but Jasmine didn't change her mood. She changed out of her Sunday clothes and started scrubbing down the bathrooms while grumbling under her breath. Joe worked to vacuum the floors, and his own mood dipped a bit when he vacuumed his parents' old room. It was still weird to him that they were gone.

They had finished up, and around 2:30 Joe was in the kitchen preparing an early dinner for when Kim arrived. Jasmine was still bitching, seated at one of the barstools. Joe had enough.

"Can it, Jazz! She went to see Jill, which is what I would have done if she weren't around."

Jasmine tossed her head sing-song like to mock what he said and remarked, "Psht. Jill's fine. She doesn't need anyone to check on her. Lately, she needs a kick in the pants more than anything. All she does is hide out."

"What is with you?! You know Jill well enough that you should see something is wrong. I'm surprised you didn't beg Ashley to take you with her."

Jasmine drummed her fingers irritably. "I just can't help but think what sorry friends they are. Here we are, busting tail to get the house and dinner ready for Kim, and yet neither one is here helping. I'm over it."

Joe cut some steak into strips while he listened. "Like hell you're over it. If you were, you wouldn't still be talking about such nonsense. Now, what is really bothering you?"

"I don't know," Jasmine sulked.

"Well, figure it out quick. I know you don't want this to eat at you until it destroys your friendships with either one."

"Fine. Need some help?"

Joe nodded, and Jasmine set about packaging the prepped parts and putting them in the refrigerator, so they could be thrown together quickly when everyone was ready for dinner. Joe finished up browning the steak and worked with Jasmine to tidy up the kitchen. When all was done, they went out to sit on the side porch steps to wait for Kim's arrival. Dressed in jeans and t-shirts, they enjoyed the Indian Summer that had graced the South temporarily.

"I love her, Jazz," Joe blurted in breaking the silence.

"Jill?"

Joe looked at Jasmine sharply, then realized something. "Oh wow. I know why you're so pissed! Ha ha! Can't believe I didn't see it earlier."

"You oaf! What are you talking about?"

"You're in love with Jill."

"Where did you come up with that?!"

Joe noticed her absence of denial and knew his hunch was correct. "It doesn't matter to me either way, but it explains a lot about why you're mood is so dark this weekend."

Jasmine was resting her chin on her arm which was propped up by her knees. She couldn't look anywhere but the concrete driveway. "How do you figure that?"

"Well, something obviously has interrupted Jill's normal mood. It's taken her time away from you, so you're jealous now that Ashley went over to Jill's house." He put his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry. I don't think Ashley's gonna steal her from you."

Jasmine elbowed Joe off of her. "You come up with that all by yourself, huh?"

"Well, when I said I loved her, you didn't mention my girlfriend, Ashley. You said Jill."

"I did? I knew you were talking about Ashley. I thought that's what I said."

He shook his head. "No, you didn't."

"Like anything is going to come of it anyway. I don't think she's interested in me."

Joe nudged her with his shoulder. "Eh, I imagine a relationship between two otherwise straight girls would take heaps of time. Just roll with what's given to you and see where it leads. You never know."

"Yeah, I suppose." Jasmine thought about what she didn't even really see until Joe said it. After some time passed, she said, "So, you love her, huh?"

He nodded. "Yeah. More than that...I'm pretty sure I'm IN love with her." They were quiet for a while until he finally said, "what size ring do you think she wears?"

Jasmine was still lost in thought and answered absently, "I don't really know...maybe a 4 or 5. Why?"

"I haven't noticed her wearing any rings. Not even her class one. I was thinking about a Christmas present."

"Then get her a 5. She can always have it sized down. Plus, it will allow some room when her hands swell normally." Then Jasmine inhaled sharply. "You aren't talking about A ring, are you? You're thinking about THE ring!"

"Maybe. I love her, Jazz. It's different than with Kim. Kim was fun and all, but it is so easy with Ashley. My heart fell for her even though I tried stopping it."

"That's great. Really. She drives me mad sometimes, but I can't think of a better couple than you two. I'd be happy for you both."

"Thanks. Please don't say anything to anyone. I told you, because you've been my sounding board all this time. I'd rather just you know for now."

Jasmine nodded then said, "finals are this week."

Joe replied, "yes they are." He smiled, knowing Jasmine would keep his secret safe. She always let him know that by changing the subject abruptly.

Ashley and Jill were laying in each other's arms on Jill's bed for some time when Ashley realized that Jill's mom hadn't shouted out a derogatory remark in a while. "Jill, I think she's asleep."

"Huh? Oh, I guess so."

Ashley sat up. "You need to get out of here. At least for a bit. Come with me to the house and see Kim. It'll be good for you."

Jill stretched. "I shouldn't leave my mom alone."

"That didn't sound very convincing. You know you need an escape. Come on...get ready."

Jill opened her mouth to protest, but then let it go. She got up and pulled off her sweats, looking in her closet for something to wear. As she got dressed she said to Ashley, "as much as I'm ashamed you saw my house like this, I'm really glad you came by."

Ashley waved off the embarrassment with a smile. "Me too."

Jill took her time getting her hair and makeup just right while Ashley patiently watched. Ashley had kindly asked Jill how things got like this, and Jill talked while she primped herself. She said that when her mom's boyfriend left, her mom fell into depression. She wouldn't lift a finger around the house, tossing trash and whatnot wherever she happened to be. Jill had picked up after her for a while, but it had gotten to a point that she just didn't feel up to it any more. She decided to keep her battle contained to her room and mowing what was left of the lawn. As for the yelling and insults, her mom had grown disenchanted with the dating scene, picking up random guys at bars for one night stands. And, if she didn't get any, she would take it out on Jill. Jill grew tired of being run over and recently started yelling back, having taken too much. She said she wasn't proud of fighting back, but at least it kept her sane.

Ashley listened through the story and said when it ended, "I wish I could offer some advice, but I just don't know what to say."

Jill was finished getting ready and stepped over sit next to Ashley on the bed. "You don't have to say anything. Just having you listen made me feel worlds better." She leaned over and kissed Ashley on her mouth. They shared the kiss for a few seconds and then got up to leave. Quietly, they stepped through the house and found Jill's mom in her chair asleep. Jill planted a quick kiss on her forehead and slipped out the front door. The two got in their respective vehicles and headed to Joe's.

Joe and Jasmine were still on the side steps talking about random things when they saw Kim's car pull up to the gate. She reached out to the box and the gate opened. She pulled up near the steps, parked the car and shut it off. Jasmine jumped up and opened the driver's door. "You made it!" she exclaimed.

Kim eased out of the car, stiff from the many miles. She wrapped her arms around Jasmine and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Yup. Oh my God, it is so warm here! I left Minnesota and it was 23, Tennessee was at 38. What is it here? 80?"

Joe came up and said while hugging Kim, "68, but it just got a little warmer when you pulled up."

Kim gave his arm a light slap. "Still the charmer." She looked around, noticing hers was the only car in the driveway. "Where's everyone else?"

"Ashley's taking care of something," Joe said before Jasmine could fire off an ill remark.

Kim answered a little unsure, "Okay...well, I guess I better get my stuff inside." She turned and opened the trunk. Jasmine and Joe followed and helped carry in her things.

Jasmine helped Joe take the prepared ingredients from the refrigerator and assemble them for dinner. Kim sat at the bar and talked while watching. She said that her parents were sad that she was leaving, but hoped that getting her back "home" would help her cope with senior year.

Just then, the side door opened and Kim rushed to meet Jill and Ashley. "Where've y'all been?" she asked.

Ashley answered, "I had to rescue Jill from her chores."

Jill's eyes flicked over to Ashley and she mouthed a silent "thank you."

They all sat down to eat and Kim told the group about her trip down. The tales included her adventures in driving in snow, the strange people she met at rest areas, and the trouble she went through to find a hotel in Tennessee. The other three listened intently, and related what was said at the meeting with the lawyer yesterday.

The kitchen and dinner table was cleaned up and the group lounged around in the den, sipping drinks Joe had made. They watched a Christmas program, chatting once in a while about nonsense that a scene reminded them of. Ashley became aware of Joe's hand on her jeans at one point, petting her thigh absently.

When it roamed higher, she looked at him and caught 'that look.' "Did you want to go upstairs for a minute?" she whispered in his ear. He nodded, and she told the others with a wink, "we'll be back in a little bit."

The three other girls just smiled at them as they went upstairs hand in hand. Kim said to Jasmine and Jill, "they really do look cute together."

"Does that bother you?" Jasmine asked.

"Not as much as I had thought. It hurts a bit to know that I'm not the one who could make him that happy, but I am happy for him. You know?"

Jill nodded. "Yes, I do. They're both so sweet, it's hard to imagine either one being with anyone else, now."

Jasmine nodded and smiled, but held Joe's secret inside her as they settled back to watch the movie.

Some minutes passed when the group downstairs was suddenly startled by Ashley's scream. "Stop Joe! It hurts!"

They raced upstairs and Kim's hand shot to her mouth when they opened the door. Joe was standing on the opposite side of the bed, his quickly fading erection dripping in scarlet red. Ashley was naked on the bed, writhing in pain, a pool of blood forming on the sheets between her open legs. "WHAT DID YOU DO, JOE?!" Jasmine screamed at the top of her lungs while she darted to embrace Ashley.

"I don't...I don't..." was all Joe could stammer.

Ashley's face was soaked in her tears. She cried out, "Oh GOD, Oh GOD!"

Jasmine held Ashley, rocking her and repeated her accusation, "What the fuck did you do, Joe?"

Ashley grunted in pain, her face becoming ashen. "It's...not...him," she sobbed. "I don't hurt there...It's me...oh shit..." she trailed off and Jasmine felt her go limp.

Jasmine reached up to her own pendant and tapped in the sequence on her diamond. "Get her robe!" she barked at Kim.

When Kim disappeared into the other room, the network phone next to Joe's bed crackled, "Jasmine, are you okay?"

"Ashley's hurt bad. We need an ambulance now!" Jasmine shouted to the phone.

The security officer said through the speaker, "the team should be approaching the door now. I'll call a medical staff to assist."

"Hurry!" Jasmine screamed.

Kim returned with Ashley's winter robe. Jasmine snatched it and began working to put it on Ashley's limp body. She noticed Joe still standing there. "Joe, get dressed! She's gonna need you at the hospital to answer the doctor's questions about what happened. Move it!"

He snapped out of his shock and had just put his underwear and jeans on when the two security officers bounded up the stairs and burst into the room, weapons drawn. "What happened?" one of the officers asked.

Joe stuttered, "I don't know...she just started bleeding."

The officer saw the expanding pool of blood in the bed. "She's not just bleeding, she's hemorrhaging." He pressed a button on the radio clipped to his shoulder. "We need that ambulance NOW!"

Jill spotted Ashley's phone on Joe's nightstand, picked it up, scrolled through the phone book and selected the one that said MOM.

Chapter 26

Ashley's eyes fluttered and she heard Kim saying, "There she is!"

She felt incredibly groggy and had to concentrate to lift the lead weights that seemed to be attached to her eyelids. Her focus was slow to come, but gradually she made out that several people were crowded around her. Ashley slowly gathered her bearings as she put together the pieces that presented themselves to her. A bed with rails, scratchy sheets, soft flimsy gown, tubes growing out of her wrists. "Why am I in a hospital?" she asked the large figure next to her.

The figure reached up and smoothed her hair. "Shh, baby. We'll get to that later."

She focused on where the voice came from and her expression got lighter. "Hi Joe." Ashley lifted her head to greet him, but a sudden wave of nausea hit. Joe recognized the look and thrust a plastic pan under her chin. She vomited a small amount of bile into the pan, then collapsed back.

Joe took a damp washcloth and wiped her mouth, then took a glycerin swab and ran it along her cracked lips. "Don't try to sit up, or that will happen again." He poured a small cup of ice water and put the straw at her lips.

Ashley took a couple of sips and laid back to try to let her stomach settle. She mentally took inventory of her body and found that her finger tips, toes, and tongue tingled of being numb. There was an uncomfortable pressure in her abdomen. With her eyes still closed she said, "Fuck, I'm on drugs, aren't I?"

Joe stroked her forehead with the back of his fingers. "Yes, sweetie. You've had surgery, so they're being given to quiet your pain. There's also a good amount of antibiotics to kill the infection. Together, they'll make you loopy and queasy for a while, so just lay there and relax. If you try to sit up again, all you'll do is make yourself throw up."

"Where's Mom?"

"I'm here, sweetheart. It's good to see you awake."

"I'm not sure I'd call this awake." Ashley still had her eyes closed, fearing that if she'd open them, the room would start spinning again. "How long was I out?"

Jasmine said, "since you passed out in my arms yesterday."

"What happened?"

Joe continued petting her face. "We'll talk about it when you're stronger. Rest for now."

She didn't open her eyes, but her face contorted in a mixture of anger, frustration, and fear. "Tell me now! What's so bad?"

Joe looked around the room and most of who was there took the hint and stepped up to tell Ashley that they were there and would be back after dinner. She thanked Jill, Kim, Jasmine, and Sally for stopping in to see her.

Once they were gone and all she perceived in the room was Joe, she asked weakly, "now can you tell me what's going on?"

Joe sighed. "Are you sure you want to do this now? The news isn't going to be pleasant."

Ashley turned her head toward his voice and opened her eyes. The walls seemed to tilt suddenly and she snapped them back closed, willing her stomach to quiet itself. "Yeah, I want to know what's wrong with me."

"Very well. Last night you started hemorrhaging profusely, and fainted when you lost too much blood. We took you here and it was determined that the accident a few months back damaged your insides more than any test could show."

"So, I was bleeding inside the whole time?"

Joe shook his head. "No, but a couple of your organs had their walls weakened."

Ashley waited for Joe's pause to end, but it didn't. "Go on."

"Well, you had to have emergency surgery to stop the bleeding. The only way to do so was to remove the damaged organs."

"So... what? I'm living without a spleen or something?"

Joe had to swallow hard to keep from losing control of his emotion. "No, Ash. You're ovaries ruptured."

She went pale, but thought of something to try to stay somewhat upbeat. "Well, women have embryos implanted all the time..."

"Darling, I'm so sorry. But that won't work for you, either. They also found your uterus damaged inside. It had to be removed as well. Other than adoption, children will not be possible for our future." He grabbed a fresh damp cloth and gently wiped away the tears that were escaping the corners of her eyes.

Ashley caught the part about no kids, but missed what he said about the future. "Did we...did I cause this by having sex with you?"

"No. The doctors said it would have happened at that moment regardless of what you were doing."

"But, other than cramping lately, I felt fine. I mean I squirted for the first time just the other day. How can this be?"

Joe took a deep breath. "I don't know. I told the doctors about all that and they figured that the hidden damage triggered extra hormones, making things feel that much better."

"So you told them this with my mom in the room?"

"No, I talked with them privately, hoping it would help your treatment somehow."

Ashley exhaled a shaky breath. "So she doesn't know what I've been doing with you...or Jasmine."

Joe sighed deeply. "She didn't...until just now."

Ashley turned pale. "What?"

Mrs. Roberts took Ashley's hand in hers from the other side of the bed. "I'm still here, Ashley."

"No, no, no, no," Ashley kept repeating over and over, thrashing her head from side to side. Joe quickly brought the pan back under her chin as she retched strongly. Ashley heaved nothing but sound the first few spasms, and produced a bit of bitter bile on the last. Joe repeated cleaning her up and gave her some more water. Ashley was about to say something, but the thought of what her mom knew sickened her again. Joe patiently held the pan as Ashley purged the water she just drank, and continued for several more heaves. He hit the nurse button then wiped her mouth.