Chapter 1
"Ali! Let's go!" Ashlyn yells through the house, just loud enough for Ali to hear through the music she has playing in her bathroom.
"I'll be down in 5." Ali replies back.
Ashlyn grumbles in her seat on the couch knowing it will be more like 15 at least.
They had just gotten back from Rio a few weeks ago and had been so tired. Both of them just wanted to lay low for a few weeks. This meant they hadn't gone on a date together for more than two months. Because of this, Ashlyn had a nice night planned out for the both of them, with an extra special surprise waiting for Ali at the end.
They were going to start off with dinner at Ali's favorite restaurant in Orlando. Then, they were off the to a carnival near the beach and would end up sitting at the beach together where Ashlyn would propose. Something she had been waiting to do for a long time, but figured it was too hectic to do before the Olympics.
After a long while of thinking about the night she had planned for them, Ali walked down the steps to where Ashlyn had been sitting for the last 20 minutes.
"Took you long enough!" Ashlyn said jokingly.
"Hey, this doesn't happen in an instant." Ali said.
"Oh, I'm just kidding." Ashlyn said. "This always happens, but this time I planned for it."
"Oh come on, I'm not that bad." Ali said laughing.
"That's what you think." Ashlyn said smiling. "Besides, I can't ignore my beautiful Alex."
Ashlyn leaned in and kissed her. Just a quick peck on the lips.
"Now let's go. I think you're going to be happy with what I have planned for the night."
As they drove through Orlando, Ashlyn couldn't help but gaze at Ali staring out the window. This was who she wanted to live with forever. She couldn't imagine her life without Ali. That was just one of many reasons she was going to propose.
"No, Ashlyn. You shouldn't have." Ali said with a big smile forming on her face.
They had pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and Ashlyn couldn't help but smile.
"This place is so expensive. Really. We should go somewhere else."
"Ali, no. This is where I chose. We already have our reservations. There is already a table waiting for us inside."
"Fine. But I'm serious. We don't need to be eating here."
They walked into the restaurant, hand in hand, and we seated at their table.
Once the waiter walked up to their table, Ashlyn was set. She wasn't going to let what Ali thought of her choice influence their night.
"We'll have the house cabernet."
Ashlyn could see the glare coming from Ali.
The waiter walked away and Ali was quickly on top of Ashlyn.
"Ashlyn! That wine is almost $200! We do not need wine that expensive."
"Ali. I promise you. I've got this. You have nothing to worry about for the night."
The glares from Ali continued as Ashlyn ordered some of the more expensive dishes for the two of them. Ashlyn knew it was all worth it because she wanted to make this night special and a day that the both of them remembered.
///
"Ashlyn, this place is awesome." Ali said quietly as they walked through the carnival.
"I knew you would love it." Ashlyn said with a peck on the lips.
///
As they rode on the ferris wheel, both of them looked out onto the ocean, the sun falling.
"This is why I love it here." Ashlyn said, somewhat to herself.
"I wish I could come and live down here with you. I think I could watch this sunset for the rest of my life." Ali said laughing.
"Maybe next year, I think I could talk to Tony and work out a trade or something. I want you down here with me too."
"I love being with the Spirit, but I love you more." Ali said with a grin.
"We'll see." Ashlyn replied with a sneaky grin.
Ali's head was laying on Ashlyn's shoulder and Ashlyn could sense that Ali was growing tired, but Ashlyn still had one more step in her plan for the night.
"Hey Alex, why don't we go down to the beach."
"That sounds nice." Ali said.
The two of them went down to the beach together and started walking along the shore.
"This night has been so nice. Thank you so much Ashlyn."
"Nothing else for my amazing Alex."
"I still wish I didn't have to leave you."
"I know. Me too. But let's not think about that now. Let's just have a nice time while we can be together."
Their conversation went silent after a while, but they continued to walk along the ocean. They were both growing tired, so Ashlyn knew she was going to have to pop the question soon. Just as she was about to turn to Ali and take a knee, she felt Ali's hand tense.
"Are you okay?" Ashlyn questioned quickly.
"Yeah, just getting kind of cold." She lied.
Ali hadn't been feeling all that great since they had left the restaurant. She had a headache and was kind of nauseous. She just had another wave of nausea, but she was trying to hide it from Ashlyn so as not to ruin their night.
"Here, take my jacket." Ashlyn said as she placed the jacket over Ali's shoulders.
"Thanks Ash." Ali said as she leaned in closer.
Once again, Ashlyn was about to turn to Ali and get down on her knee, but as she did this, Ali's grip loosened in her hand and Ali fell to the sand. Ashlyn rushed down to the ground and realized that Ali had just fainted. She tried to shake her awake a few times, but as the time passed Ashlyn grew more desperate as Ali was not waking up. Ashlyn quickly pulled out her phone and dialed 911. Still, Ali was laying the sand, unconscious. Ashlyn plead with Ali to wake up, and the tears started falling. A million ideas starting flowing through her head as to what was wrong, and none of them were good.
"Alex, please, wake up. I need you. I need you to be okay."
Ashlyn could hear the sirens getting closer, and the tears kept falling. The longer Ali stayed unconscious, the more Ashlyn became nervous. She looked down at Ali's beautiful face and all she could think was what if that hit she took in Rio is only now affecting her. What if she doesn't wake up. What if, what if, what if.
As soon as the ambulance arrived, the sounds around Ashlyn became a blur. The paramedics were asking her question about what happened and Ashlyn tried to answer as best as she could, but in truth, she had no idea what was happening.
The paramedics lifted Ali onto a stretcher and started wheeling her to the ambulance. Ashlyn still stood by her side, holding her hand. Just as they reached the ambulance, Ashlyn felt Ali grip her and saw her eyes flutter open a little. The tears of at least some relief started flowing from Ashlyn's eyes. She leaned down onto Ali thanking God that Ali was awake. But around them, the paramedics were talking gibberish and moving quickly. Ali had an oxygen mask over her face and they were already starting an IV in her arm. They tried to push Ashlyn out of the way, but she wasn't budging. The ride to the hospital seemed to last hours.
///
There wasn't a whole ton that they could do now that they were at the hospital. They were just trying to figure out what had happened. Ali was awake, but really groggy and didn't seem completely aware of what was happening around her. Ashlyn was still right by her side, holding her hand. She could see a few doctors talking quietly outside of the room and she desperately wished she could hear what they were saying.
A few minutes later a doctor walked in and started to ask Ashlyn some questions.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Fletcher. I'm going to be working with you until we figure out what's going on. So Ms. Harris, could you tell me what happened?"
Now that Ashlyn had calmed down a little, it was a little easier for her to comprehend and express what had just happened before her eyes.
"Um, we were just, uh, walking along the beach together when Ali fainted or something." Ashlyn said shakily. "I tried to shake her awake, but she wasn't waking up, so I called 911. She, uh, woke up, at least a little, right as we were getting into the ambulance."
"Okay, so nothing unusual before she fainted?"
"I, I don't think so. She was tired and she seemed a little tense, but she said it was because she was cold."
"We're going to have to run a few tests to see what's going on if that's okay with you."
"Yeah, of course. I just want her to be okay."
"We will do our best to make sure that she is okay." Dr. Fletcher said smiling. "I want to take some blood and get a CT and a few other tests done. Generally, patients would be a little more alert after fainting, but not worry. We will fix whatever is going on."
Once Dr. Fletcher left the room, Ashlyn leaned forward, and the tears started to stream down her face once more.