Junky Chronicles Ch. 03

"What's up?" Ashley asked looking at Natalie.

"You have saved my life three times and I have grown to trust you. People don't fight that hard to save someone else's life and you never gave up on me. Here you are, fighting for my life again and you have no reason to be here and do so much for someone you don't know. I guess I wanted to say thank you and ask you for a favor that I don't really get to ask after everything you have just done for me," Natalie began, never removing her eyes from the crashing waves.

"I did it because I care and you don't have to thank me. Your time isn't up yet and I just believe that you deserve another chance at life and living again. Maybe I'm doing for my own reasons, things that I couldn't fix in the past or maybe I just saw what an amazing person you are. What do you need?" Ashley spoke softly.

"I think I lost a lot of goodness after everything that happened. But you are one of the few people I trust and I would prefer to talk to you. I don't want to share everything with your friend, I know you mean well and so does she, I'd just rather talk to you about it all, from there you can talk to your friend or whatever, but you, um, make me feel safe," Natalie almost whispered the last part.

Ashley's heart fluttered at the last part, she looked over at Natalie and saw tears forming in her eyes, "sweetheart, we're here to help you and you need to feel safe. Of course you can come to me."

Natalie smiled, still trying to fight the tears that was already spilling, "Thank you."

They sat in silence for a few moments, "Ashley?"

Ashley was pulled out of her trans, "yes?"

"What happened in your past?" Natalie asked, looking at Ashley for the first time since settling on the beach.

"Maybe I will tell you one day," Ashley smiled weakly.

Natalie watched as Ashley's mind traveled back to a time that held a lot of pain for her, suddenly Natalie realized that the pain she saw in Ashley's eyes that first time wasn't about what had happened to Natalie, but more about the memory it had triggered in Ashley. Those blue eyes held so much life and yet so much pain, Natalie wanted to reach out and hold the woman close.

"When I was in the coma after the car crash I had this dream, I only remembered it after I represented the donation to Peter and his family. It was so bright, everything was white and then Megan came walking toward me, she held this little boy's hand and they smiled as they approached. It was her and Logan, he was so beautiful, the perfect mixture of Devon and Megan. I looked at him and just knew that he would have been a handsome young man, I just wish that I could have had the chance to meet him and tell him how much he was loved. Megan talked to me there, she told me that my life wasn't over, that I was her soul mate but that I had someone else waiting to complete me. I still think she is wrong, I can't see how I could ever love anyone the way I loved her. But as usual she always had the counter argument, she said that I wouldn't love this woman the same way I loved her, but it would be strong and I would find happiness again. I trust with my life and I believe every word that she says, the reason I am telling you this is because of what she said next. She looked at me and told me that there are people who will need me, people who need healing and that I would be the one to provide it. Maybe she meant that we would help each other heal, I am hurting and certain things that she said I can't see happening, but I am still a good listener and I can be here for you," Natalie stared at the glistening water.

Bianca had walked to them to ask them if they needed anything from the shops and she heard the story that Natalie told Ashley. She had known Ashley for a long time and she knew about the hurt that Ashley carried with her, yet she could never get her to open up about it. She watched the two and something in that moment told her that Natalie would be the one to heal Ashley and vice versa. 'They will make each other happy,' Bianca thought to herself, before she walked away she heard Ashley voice being carried over the water.

"Sometimes we give our hearts to people who don't deserve it, people who trample over it and yet we keep holding on. I believed and prayed that things would change for my mother's sake, but it didn't. I loved my dad and I thought that what happened was normal, that it happened to everyone," Ashley started crying and Natalie moved to sit behind her and held the crying woman in her arms.

"It's okay, Ash, you're safe," Natalie said running her fingers through the woman's hair.

"I was thirteen when I realized that there was nothing normal about any of it. He came home that night and he walked into my room, I knew what happened next and I was powerless to stop it. My screams echoed through the house, for the first time my mother stood up and tried to stop him. But he overpowered her and started beating her, I tried to stop it but I couldn't, I tried so hard," Ashley sobbed hard, her body shaking with the violent tremors.

Natalie didn't know what to say, she simply held the woman and tried to fight back her own tears. She couldn't possibly understand what the woman had through in that time and how everything had affected her, but she tried to soothe the her as best she could.

"He beat her to death that night and then he turned to me, he threw me against a wall. His eyes were filled with rage as he walked toward, but by some miracle the neighbors heard m screams and the man from next door came running into the house. He saved me that night and my father is rotting in prison for murder and stationary rape. I went to live with my grandmother and they tried to heal everything that broke inside me that night, but I guess certain things never truly heal. So I became a surgeon, I wanted to save people and help them heal. That's why I fought so hard to save you every time. That first time you woke up after the murders, you still had hope in your eyes and you can't let that go," Ashley finished, her sobs still racked her body.

"I am so sorry, I can't begin to imagine what you have been through, but we can do this together. We can fight whatever demons we have and find hope again," Natalie said wiping her own tears.

What Ashley didn't know was she had given Natalie a reason to fight, Natalie had always been the person who took responsibility for everyone and everything. Ashley needed help as much as she did and she would help Ashley. Someone with a heart like hers deserved a happy life.

Bianca saw the connection that grew between the two women at that instant, she knew that it would all be okay. Sometimes in life two broken people can make a whole and that was what started happening in that instant.