Harvest of Expectations Ch. 10

"Ashley, Ashley," Jim called, trying to get her to respond.

Ashley turned her head to the side and vomited about a cupful of Silver Moons mixed with chicken dinner on the floor next to her.

"Get some clothes on and then get out of here!" Jim told the three boys.

Steve had risen to his feet and was staggering about.

"Go screw yourself," he slurred at Jim. "This is my room and she's my date. You've got no right..."

"Neither do you," Jim said. "Now, get some clothes on and get out of here—and I'm not going to tell you again."

The three drunken brothers started shuffling around and struggling with their clothes that had been scattered about the room.

"A pair of pants will be enough," Jim said. "Once you're decent, ask Hildy—that's my date—to come in here."

In a few minutes Hildy was kneeling beside Jim looking at Ashley.

"Let's get her cleaned up," Hildy said.

Jim opened a drawer in a dresser and found someone's towels and washcloths. He tossed a towel to Hildy.

"You can start with this," he said. "I'll get some water on these."

He returned in a minute to find Hildy wiping the semen off Ashley's face. She had vomited again. Jim started collecting Ashley's clothes.

"I hope she'll be alright," Hildy said. "What are we going to do with her?"

"We can drop her off at her apartment. Rich and Chelsea will be there. I'm not sure exactly where it is. I can call them in advance."

"Let's try to get her into her clothes," Hildy sighed.

Ashley's body was limp. It was a struggle, but after some effort they coaxed her into her green gown well enough to take her downstairs.

There was a student directory on one of the desks in the room. Jim found Ashley and Chelsea in the book and dialed their number. There was a recorded message saying that the phone was out of order.

"Rich and Chelsea must have taken the phone off the hook," Jim told Hildy.

"Well, let's get her out of here," Hildy said.

Ashley was too drunk to walk. Jim lifted and carried her out of the room. It would have been easy except his injured wrist was painful. Steve and his two accomplices were sitting on a sofa waiting for them.

"You guys are fools,' Jim said to them. "If this had gone further, who knows..."

"Screw you," Stevie spat back.

"Fools," Jim repeated and carried Ashley down the stairs.

When they arrived at the first floor the band was on break, but Jim could tell that the party wouldn't be breaking up for a while.

"I don't know who to leave her with," he said to Hildy.

"We'll take her with us," she answered.

In the parking lot Joe Lawrence had just moved his car and the band's rig was backing up. Jim bundled Ashley into the back seat of the Rustmobile. He went over to Joe Lawrence who was looking at him with a puzzled look on his face.

"Ashley got pretty drunk sand passed out," Jim explained.

"I thought she was with Steve Sadowski," Joe said.

"He's out of it, too" Jim said. "We're taking Ashley with us so she can sleep it off and we can keep an eye on her. If anyone cares, let them know that she's with us."

*******************

Ten minutes later Jim pulled the Rustmobile into the driveway. Ashley was lying across the back seat. When Jim opened the door she murmured something he couldn't understand and he could see right away that she was still too drunk to make the short walk down the terrace steps. Hildy helped him drag Ashley out of the back seat and Jim carried her into the apartment.

"We'll have to put her in your bed," Hildy said.

Hildy turned down the bedspread and Jim set her down.

"Let's get her out of these clothes."

Jim lifted Ashley up so that Hildy could slide the gown off her. She had collected Ashley's underwear and shoes in a bag at the fraternity house and brought it with them.

"I don't have anything to put on her," Jim said.

"That's okay," Hildy said, "she can sleep naked under the covers."

She pulled the covers over Ashley.

The drunken young woman was motionless under the covers of Jim's bed. Jim bent low a couple of times to convince himself she was breathing. She was, and her breath smelled of booze and vomit at the same time. Jim figured that some sack time sleeping it off could only help things get better.

"Naked in my bed," Jim mused, "I guess she finally got what she wanted."

"Never mind that!" Hildy scolded and Jim felt he was in trouble again.

Hildy drew up a desk chair that was in Jim's room.

"I'm going to keep an eye on her until I'm sure she's okay," Hildy said. "She might throw up again and choke. Someone should be here if she wakes up."

Jim grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweater. He made his way to the front room and changed his clothes. Rich's bottle of cognac hadn't been touched since the night that Darlene and Hildy visited for the Colgate game. Jim decided it was time to get it out again. After searching for a few minutes he found the snifters and filled one each for himself and for Hildy.

"I brought you this to work on while you're watching her."

He handed one of the snifters to Hildy who took a sip. She had changed into her jeans while he'd been in the front room, and then retaken her place in the office chair watching Ashley.

"I haven't had any of this since Darlene and I were here last fall," she said.

She paused for a few seconds and looked down into the cognac, which must have had the appearance of maple syrup in the darkened bedroom.

"I think that might have been the night that I fell in love with you," she told him. "At least it was when I thought I might."

Jim was standing beside her. He bent low and kissed her on the forehead.

"That bed was meant for us," he said.

"I know," she said as she grasped her hand. "Something has gotten in our way again. Maybe we're jinxed. But what could we do?"

"I don't believe in jinxes," Jim said. "When things like his happen, something comes of it later on."

They watched Ashley for a while. It was clear that she would be passed out for a good while longer.

"Maybe we should have left her in the fraternity house," Jim said.

"No, we couldn't do that," Hildy said. "Think of what she looked like on the floor. She would have woken up like that with those three naked guys around her. Who knows what else they would have done. It would have been so humiliating for her."

"I suppose..." Jim started to say.

"I know what that feels like, to be looked at and laughed at and shamed. To be the subject in everyone's joke, for everyone to be talking about you in the worst way. It's worse than humiliating. It makes you feel like you're nothing."

"You're being pretty nice to someone who wasn't very nice to you not very long ago," Jim reminded her,

"There's a time for holding grudges and getting even, and this is not it," Hildy answered.

Jim took a sip of his drink. He looked down at Hildy sitting and watching. Her blonde hair seemed to glow in the darkness, almost like a halo.

"You're a nice person, Hildy," he said.

Hildy didn't answer, but Jim knew that she'd heard him.

"Actually, I take it back," he said. "'Nice' is too weak a word. You're a First-Class person—and at the top of that class, as well. At least that's what you are in my book."

"Your book is the only one that matters to me, Jim," Hildy said, not taking her eyes off of Ashley.

"I love you, Hildy. That's the only thing else I can say."

They watched together another hour and it looked like Ashley was sleeping it off. Hildy was trying to stifle a yawn, but Jim saw it.

"You better get some sleep on the sofa. You've got to drive to your Aunt Mildred's in the morning—and I think it's almost morning now. I'll stay with Ashley."

Hildy got up and went to the front room. Jim was behind her but stopped in a closet and got her a blanket. Hildy collapsed on the sofa and drew the blanket around her. Jim kissed her, then refilled his cognac and returned to the bedroom and sat in the chair that Hildy had been using. He was sure that Hildy was asleep already and he was thinking about her. He had told her that he loved her and he realized how easy the words came out. He had seen a different side of her and in what he'd seen she had earned his respect.

"We didn't get to make love tonight, but this was better."

***************************

Jim stayed with Ashley until he finished his last sip of cognac. Her breathing was regular and Jim was quite sure she'd be alright. He went to the front room where Hildy was sound sleep on the sofa, the blanket that he'd given her drawn up around her face. He sat in the easy chair nearby and soon felt himself drifting off to sleep, as well.

The next thing Jim remembered was the smell of coffee and a shaft of light trying to pry his eyelids open. He realized it was morning, and then he felt Hildy's kiss on his forehead.

"Good morning," she whispered in his ear. "I'm making French toast for us."

It was a good morning, as he remembered the events of the prior night. He pulled himself out of the chair and stretched and then made his way into the bathroom. When he came out Hildy was setting the table.

"I didn't realize you don't have any Maple Syrup, but I thought we could use this jam instead."

"Hildy," he said, "this has got to be the most civilized breakfast that's ever been served in this apartment."

They sat down across the table from one another. Jim was taking a sip of coffee.

"I love you, too," Hildy said.

Jim looked up at her. It wasn't what he was expecting her to say.

"I heard you say it last night," Hildy explained. "I didn't answer then. I don't know why. It was something I've been hoping to hear from you for months and there it was. I was thinking about it until I fell asleep."

"I'm sorry," Jim said, "it should have been in a more romantic setting..."

"It was perfect," Hildy said to him. "The sound of it is still in my mind. I'll never forget it. You just said it—it just came out without a hint or coaxing. It was natural. I knew that you meant it."

"I did mean it—I still mean it," Jim assured her. "I meant everything I said."

Hildy looked down at her food, which she hadn't touched.

"I wish I could stay with you today," she said, "but I have to go to Aunt Mildred's. It would hurt her so if I skipped it. As it is, I'll probably be late. It's just that she's getting old and..."

"It's okay Hildy," Jim said. "I think things are going to start happening fast. They have to. Graduation is going to make it that way. Then we can make plans."

Hildy nodded that she understood. She reached across the table and clasped his hand with one hand and ate with the other.

"I'll have to get going soon."

"At least stay until I take Ashley back to her apartment. I don't want her to wake up and find only me and then get the wrong idea."

They heard Ashley stirring in the bedroom.

"I'll clean up the dishes. You go in and talk to her," Hildy said.

Hildy got up and began to clear the plates. Jim went into the bedroom. Ashley had turned over on her side.

"Ashley, can you hear me? I know you're awake."

He heard a grunt from under the covers.

"Ashley, I know you don't feel well, but we've got to get moving soon. I'll take you to your apartment as soon as you get ready."

She pulled the covers from her face and squinted at Jim.

"How did I get here?" she demanded. "Where is Stevie?"

Jim recounted the basics of the prior night's events. Ashley said nothing.

"You can use the bathroom if you want. I put a clean bath towel out if you want to take a shower. There's a new toothbrush in its box, too. Your clothes are over there. You can cover yourself with this. It's the best I can offer you."

He tossed one of his sweatshirts onto the foot of the bed. In another situation Ashley might have been a seductress, clad only in a sweatshirt that barely reached below her hips after sleeping naked in Jim's bed—but not that time

Jim left the bedroom. He went back to the kitchen to see if Hildy needed help with the dishes. After a couple of minutes they heard Ashley heaving in the bathroom.

"It sounds like the patient is ambulatory," Jim said.

"I'll leave when you take her home. I'm going to collect my things in the bedroom."

Hildy was gone for a few minutes. Jim saw her returning to the living room and at the same time Ashley came out of the bathroom. The two women looked at one another.

"I'm glad you feel better," Hildy said.

Ashley didn't say anything. She turned and went back in the bedroom and closed the door.

"Don't expect any thanks from her," Jim said to Hildy.

"It doesn't matter," she replied. "It wouldn't mean anything, anyway."

"I want someone to take me home now," Ashley said from the hallway leading to the bedroom.

TO BE CONTINUED

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Dear Readers,

I know that the scene in this chapter in which Ashley is drunk in the fraternity house has some parallels to the recent rape trial that took place in Steubenville Ohio. In fact, this chapter was written and submitted for editing before that trial came into the news spotlight recently. The scene is an integral part of the chapter and the overall story. I don't think that a plot change is warranted. I did not intend to take advantage of the unfortunate situation in Ohio and I regret any mistaken assumptions to the contrary or if it detracted from anyone's enjoyment of this fictional work.

Thank you for reading my story and I hope that you have enjoyed it so far and you will continue to do so.

AW