Flatts Fanatic

 Chapter 1

Heres a story that I started I hope you like it

 Gary Levox was not only the lead singer of Rascal Flatts but a lonely young man. He often dreamed of the day that he would settle down and get married ... but with the way things have been going lately that thought seems to slip out of his mind with each passing day. One day Gary was sitting down by the docks thinking when he heard a loud thud.

" Whos there!?" Gary said but no one answered

" Come on I know someones there!! " Gary called again at this point he was starting to get a little scared thats when he looked twords some bushes and saw what appeared to be some eyes. Gary slowly walked twords the bushes and began talking to whatever was there.

"Come on out..im not going to hurt you " Gary said in a soft voice

The thing in the bushes finally came out and when it did Gary was shocked at what it was.

There on the ground was a young woman who appeared to be in late 20's she had long brown curly hair and brown eyes she looked like she had been beaten or hurt by someone. Gary kneeled down and began talking to her.

" Hi ..... are you ok? " said Gary

all the young woman did was stare at him.

"you know Im not going to hurt you...I want to help you "said Gary

suddenly the young woman began to cry. Gary carefully took her in his arms and held her as she cried. after a couple of minutes she was done and Gary began to ask her some more questions.

"So.....whats your name? "asked Gary

"Ashley "said the young woman quietly

"Ok...Ashley....my names Gary "said Gary

They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Gary began to speak again.

"Why dont I take you inside and clean get you cleaned up ok "said Gary

"Ok "said Ashley

Gary took Ashley inside and had her hop in the shower. He got some old sweats of his and laid them out for her to change into when she was done. Gary thought she seemed like a really sweet girl he just hoped that he would find someone to settle down with someday

About a hour later Ashley came out of the shower. She found the clothes Gary laid out for her, changed into them, and slowly headed for the stairs. When she reached the stairs she heard Gary talking. Ashley stood there and listened to what he was saying.

Jay Im telling you this girl .... ya I know but....Jay she isnt like that ....Ok I'll talk to you later Said Gary

Hearing Garys conversation made Ashley very nervous for what reason she didnt know. She finshied walking down the stairs and into the kitchen to find Gary looking out the window. She didnt want to bother him so she just stood there. Gary felt a pair watching him and turned around to find Ashley standing there.

Hey said Gary

Hi Said Ashley

You hungry ... I can make something if you want said Gary

Ashley noded her head and sat at one of the bar stools. Gary walked over to the cupboard and grabbed a couple cans of Chicken noodle soup. Ashley watched Gary as he cooked. She thought of how sweet and kind he was to her. She wished that she could find a guy like that... all the other guys she has dated eaither beaten her or cheated on her. Ashleys thoughts were interupted by someone saying her name.

Ashley said Gary

Huh...what said Ashley

Your soups done said Gary

Oh....thanks said Ashley

They both sat there in silence Gary was thinking about Ashley and Ashley was thinking about Gary both of them were wondering what will come out of this.

After they were done eating Gary took Ashleys Bowl. Ashley sat there and watched him do the dishes. She concentrated on where he was putting everything just in case she was there longer than she thought she would be. After Gary was done he turned twords the counter to see Ashley looking at him with a look on her face that said what are you going to do next. He chuckled to himself, walked over to the counter, and leaned over it to talke to Ashley.

"Hey do you like sitting in front of fires?" Gary asked Ashley

" Ya......why?" Ashley Asked

" Here come with me " Gary said

Gary took Ashleys hand, helped her down from her stool, and took her into the living room. The walked deeper into the room. Ashley noticed a lot of pictures on the wall and on the mantle of a big fireplace. Gary led her to a big house.

" Here sit down and make youself comfortable...Ill get a fire started " Gary said

" Ok " Ashley said

Gary got up and started a fire. Then he walked back to the couch and sat next to Ashley...thats when the questions began.

" Soooo...how old are you? " Gary asked

" Im 29.....how bout you? " Ashley said

" Im 30" Gary said

" Ok ......... what do you do for a living? " Ashley asked

This was the question that Gary was dreading. Everytime he told a girl what his job was they were only interested in that and nothing else.

" Well....um....Im a singer in a famous counry band " Gary said nervously

" Really? which band? " Ashley asked

This made Gary even more nervous.

" Rascal Flatts " Gary said quietly

" Sweet...you guys are awsome!.......So what else do you do besides singing? " Ashley asked

Gary was shocked other girls werent really interested in anything else but his job.

" what? " Gary asked still shocked

" Dont get me wrong I think its kool that your a famous singer and all but that doesnt make you who you are...your way more than that ....soo tell me what else do you like to do? " Ashley said

" Im sorry about that...its just not many girls are interested in my other interests...they only care about my job " Gary Said

" Well they dont know what they are missing " Ashley said.

Gary smiled. He loved how interested she was in him.

" Ok well I like hunting, Fishing, Camping......" Gary said but he was cut off

" Really!!! I do too!! " Ashley said

" Really! thats awsome! soo what do you hunt? " Gary Asked

" I hunt deer, and turkey, basically anything you can kill with a bow..." Ashley Said

" Wait hold on you bow hunt!? " Gary asked

" Ya......" Ashley said wondering what he was getting at

" I do too!!! well I also go firearm hunting but I dont like all that much " Gary said

" Me too....plus the bow is soo much easier to hunt with " Ashley said

" Ya " Gary said looking at Ashley

" Ya" Ashley said looking at Gary

They both got lost in eachothers eyes. Gary saw the flicker of the fire reflecting in Ashleys eyes he thought that she was soo beautiful. He wanted to kiss her right at that moment but he knew it was wrong. What he didnt know was that Ashley wanted the same but she didnt want him to think she was trying to trap him. After a couple of minutes of staring at eachother Gary finally spoke.

" why dont I show you where your gonna sleep " Gary said

" Ok " Ashley said

Ashley was getting more comfortable around Gary. She was hoping that he would let her stay for a long time. Gary took Ashleys hand and led her upstairs to big bedroom.

" Ok  here we are....this is the guest bedroom and where you be sleeping " Gary Said

" Ok " Ashley said

Gary could tell that something was bothering Ashley.

" You ok " Gary asked

" Ya...im ok " Ashley said

" Really? cause the look on your face tell me otherwise " Gary said

" Is it that obveous?" Ashley asked

" Well to me it is...so whats up " Gary said looking straight at Ashley.

" Its just Ive never been in a place this big or bedroom this big..im just afaid that ill...." Ashley said before Gary cut in

" your afraid you'll get lost " Gary said

" Ya " Ashley said looking up into Garys eyes

Gary chuckled a little bit.

" You dont have to worry bout that ... my room is right down the hall... but if you do get lost Ill find you ok " Gary said

Ashley let out a small giggle

" Ok " Ashley said smileing

Gary smiled. Then he caught a glimps of the clock in the room.

" Wow its pretty late....lets get you to bed " Gary said

Gary walked Ashley over to the bed, tucked her in, and kissed her cheek

" Good nite " Gary said

" Good nite " Ashley said

Gary walked out of the room but instead of going to bed he walked downstairs and out to the back porch. He was thinking about what Ashley said eairler. He couldnt believe how much they had in commen and the fact that she was interested in other things besides his job was amazing. He was so deep in thought that he didnt hear Jay walk in.

" GARY HEY GARY YOU HERE! " Jay Yelled

Gary heard Jay call his name and rushed inside he didnt want him to wake Ashley up.

" Jay keep it down!!! " Gary said rushing into living room.

" Ok man calm down its not like Im going to wake anyone up! " Jay said

Garys eyes got wide he rushed up the stairs hoping that Jay didnt wake her up.

" Gary where you going!? " Jay said

Jay walked upstairs to find Gary standing in front of the guest bedroom door. Gary was about to open the door when Jay began to talk.

" Gary what are you doing? " Asked Jay

" Shhh! keep it quiet " Gary said

" Why its not like anyones in there " Jay said quietly  he didnt want to make Gary mad

" Actually there is " Gary said

" WHAT!!! " Jay said loudly

" Jay I said keep it quiet I dont want to wake her up! " Gary said

" Wait .. is it that girl you found in the bushes?" Jay asked

" ya it is " Gary said

" Well what is she doing here? " Jay asked

" Ill tell you when we get downstairs but right now i want to make sure she didnt wake up. " Gary said

Jay just nodded his head and Gary opened the door slowly. They both looked in the room to find Ashley sound asleep. Gary closed the door and they both walked downstairs.

" So tell me why is she still here? " Jay asked Gary

" Jay...." Gary said

" Just answer my question " Jay said rather annoyed

" Well......" Gary said

" Well what " Jay asked getting more annoyed as the time passed

" I dont really know..." Gary said

" GARY!!! WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DONT KNOW!!! " Jay said angerly

" Jay please be quite!! " Gary said

" NO I WILL NOT BE QUIET!!!! " Jay said

" Jay please I dont wanna " Gary said

" You dont wanna what wake her up .. good caus I do!! " Jay said walking twords the stairs.

" Jay dont do it...JAY!!! " Gary said

Gary ran up the stairs and tried to tackle jay...but it didnt work. Jay grabbed Gary and pushed him into a closet then locked the door.

" JAY!!!! LET ME OUT!!!!! " Gary yelled while banging on the door. but Jay didnt listen.

Jay walked to the guest bedroom,opened the door and turned on the lights to find ....... a empty bed.

" O boy " Jay said

Jay rushed back to the closet that he locked Gary in and unlocked it. Then he opened the door to find Gary with a pissed look on his face.

" What the hell did you do that for!! " Gary asked totally pissed.

" Thats not important right now! " Jay said worriedly

" What do you mean its not important? " Gary asked curiously

" Shes not there " Jay said

" What? " Gary said

" Gary I walked into the room and it was empty .... shes not there " Jay said.

Gary rushed passed Jay and into the guest bedroom to find Ashley not there.

" Ash " Gary said but no one answered.

Gary began to search the room high and low. He checked under the bed and behind the dressing but still found nothing. Then he looked over to the closet suspicious he looked inside.

" Ash " Gary said but she didnt answer.

He was about to back out when he heard a soft sniffle.

Gary crawled deeper into the closet. Thats when he saw her. She was sitting in the back corner of the closet with her knees up to her chest crying. Gary slowly crawled up to her and tried to get her to talk.

" Ash....sweetheart its ok " Gary said softly

Ashley lifted her head and reached out her arms for Gary to hold her. Gary took her into his arms and he comforted her.  What he didnt know was that it wasnt the arguing that scared her.

[b]Chapter 5 [/b]

After a couple of minutes Ashley finally calmed down. Gary wanted to know what was wrong but he also didnt want to push her.

" You wanna tell me what happened? " Gary said

" not really " Ashley answered in a soft wisper

" You know I cant help you unless you tell me " Gary said

Ashley was silent for a moment then she began to speak.

" I had a nightmare " Ashley said

" What was it about " Gary asked

" Matt Killed me and everyone I love and care about " Ashley said with tears in her eyes

" Whos Matt " Gary asked

" Hes a boyfriend from highschool....and the person who hurt me before " Ashley said

Gary didnt know what to say so all he did was hold her close and rub her back.

" Then after I woke up I heard you and someone else arguing " Ashley said turning her head to look Gary in the eyes.

" You were arguing about me......werent you " Ashley said

Gary let out a sigh then he spoke.

" Ya ..... he doest understand why your here " Gary said

" Oh......if you want me to go I will " Ashley said

" No I never said that.....I want you here its just ...." Gary said

" you dont know why I was here in the first place " Ashley said

" ya....kinda " Gary said

" well the reason is because I was running from Matt.....he came to my house and started hurting me so I ran and I ended up in your bushes...." Ashley said

" Well why dont you head home in the morning? " Gary said

" what if he is there? " Ashley asked

" Then Ill have to do something about that " Gary said

Ashley smiled and snuggled up to Garys neck.

" you ok now? " Gary asked

" Ya " Ashley said

What they didnt know was that Jay was sitting outside of the closet door listening to them talk. He was now begining to understand why Gary let her stay. Jay knew that Gary was falling for this girl and he was falling fast. Jay just hoped that he wouldnt get hurt.

The Next morning Gary took Ashley home. On the way to her house Ashley was very quiet and Gary questioned it.

" Hey you ok? " Gary asked

Ashley didnt answer she just kept on looking out the window at the trees and fields passing by.

" Ash " Gary said louder than before. Ashley just turned her head and looked at Gary.

" You ok? " Gary asked again

" Ya.....im fine " Ashley said

" you sure...you seem really quiet " Gary said

" Im just a little nervous is all " Ashley said

" Dont worry nothings going to happen " Gary said

" But what if it does? " Ashley said

" Well than it happens but you cant let that eat at you " Gary said

Ashley didnt respond she just turned her head and looked out the window that she had been doing the whole time.

After driving for 15 min they finally arrived at her house. Matts truck was no where in sight what was a relief for Ashley.

" You wanna come inside? " Ashley asked

" um....sure " Gary said

Ashley led Gary into her home. When they got inside everything was distroyed. Her furnature was ripped apart, tables broken if half, food thrown everywhere, her back windows were all broken.

" O my God!! " Ashley said completely shocked

" Wow ...... was it like this when you left? " Gary asked

" No..everything was in perfect condition and my dog ..... O no!!! " Ashley said

" Whats wrong? " Gary said

Ashley didnt answer she raced up the stairs and began calling her dogs name.

" Sadie! " Ashley called

Then Ashley heard a small whimper. She followed the sound of it to the back closet. Ashley opened the door and found her dog with a bloody paw and a severly cut stomach laying on the floor of the closet.

" Oh you poor thing " Ashley said

Gary came walking up behind them. Ashley turned around and Gary saw the sadness in her eyes. Gary knelt down next to Ashley and he saw why she was upset.

" What happened? " Gary asked

" Matt must of hurt her " Ashley said

" Ok ...um...I want you to go and get a first aid kit ok sweetie " Gary said

Ashley got up and went to get her first aid kit from the kitchen then she came back and gave it to Gary.

" Here " Ashley said

" Ok now I want you to keep her calm " Gary said

Ashley began to stroke Sadies ears as Gary wrapped sadies paw and stomach.

" Ash....I dont think you should stay here....he could come back and hurt you and sadie again " Gary said

" Ok but where am I supposed to go? " Ashley said

" With me to my place...ill take care of you and sadie so what do you say..will you move in with me? " Gary said

Ashley sat in silence. She couldnt help but think if is something she really wanted .... What if it turned out to be a mistake?

" Gary ...I dont know if thats a good idea " Ashley said

" Ash I promise you I wont do anything to you....." Gary said

" Gary dont get me wrong your a nice guy and all but we just met dont you think that would be kind of weird! " Ashley said

" No ash it wont .... not if Im trying to keep safe " Gary said

" I dont know " Ashley said unsure

" Just think about it would you rather stay here or with me in a big gated community!! " Gary said

Ashley sighed

" Ok....Ill move in with you...but only until I can find a new place to move into " Ashley said

Gary smiled he was so happy she said yes. Gary helped Ashley gather her things and load them into his truck. Then Ashley gently carried Sadie out to the truck and carefully got in. When they were all settled they headed off to Garys house. The car ride home was more conversational then on the way to Ashley house.

" Ya know you never told me what youre interested in " Gary said

" Well you already know about hunting,fishing, and camping....I also like swimming, hiking, songwriting..." Ashley said

" Wait you write songs? " Gary said

" ya I do " Ashley said now realizing what Gary was getting at

" When we get back to my place I want you to show them to me ok " Gary said

" Ok " said Ashley

They finally made it to Garys place around noon. Gary helped Ashley out of the car. Ashley took Sadie up to her room and laid her on Ashleys bed where she soon fell asleep. She walked downstairs to smell something really good. Ashley walked into the kitchen to find Gary cooking something over the stove. Ashley was happy that he cared about her ....but she had this feeling that something bad was about to happen.

The days turned into weeks and before they knew it a month has passed since Ashley had moved in. Ashley had not only grown closer to Gary but to Jay and Joe Don too. Ashley was sitting on the couch reading a book when the phone rang.


" Hello " Ashley said

" Hey pumpkin!! " said a voice over the phone

" DADDY!! " Ashley said rather extited

" Hey honey how are you? " Duane asked

" Im good hows mom " Ashley asked

" Shes good " Duane said

" thats good " Ashley said back

" Listen me and you mom were wondering if you wanted to move back home..we all miss you and you have people here who are dying to see you.. so what do you say " Duane asked

" Oh daddy I would love too!! " Ashley said

" Alright Ill see you in a couple of days ok " Duane said

" Ok.. Love you " Ashley said

" Love you to " Duane said

Ashley hung up with her dad and began to pack her things. Gary came home from the studio around dinner time. He was suprised that Ash hadnt started supper.

" Ash " Gary called

" Im upstairs " Ashley called back

Gary walked upstairs to find Ashley packing a couple of suitcases.

" Ash .. sweetheart what are you doing? " Gary asked

" Im packing " Ashley said

" Are you going somewhere?" Gary asked

" Ya I am " Ashley said getting another suitcase

" Oh....When will you be back? " Gary asked getting more worried and nervous as she answered

" Im not coming back " Ashley said packing some more clothes.

" What do you mean? " Gary asked

" Im moving back home with my parents " Ashley said

Garys heart broke he wanted so much to tell her how he felt but he didnt want her to stay because of how he felt . He wanted her to stay only if she wanted to.

" Oh that great sweetheart " Gary said trying to hide the sadness in his voice

" Ya it is I havent seen them in so long Im so excited to see them again!! " Ashley said

Ashley looked at the clock and then looked at Gary.

" Well I better get dinner started " Ashley said walking past Gary.

Gary could hear her humming a happy tune as she walked down the hallway. He knew that he was in love with Ash but he also knew that she was happy. The last thing he wanted to do was make her sad by making her feel she had to stay which would happen if he told her how he felt. But if he didnt tell her he may lose her. Gary was so lost and confused his mind was filling up with all of these thoughts and soon he got dizzy. Before he could sit down and calm himself down he blacked out and fell to the floor.

Gary woke up to the sound of loud beeping. He looked around the room to find a bunch of machines. It took him a couple of minutes to realize where he was and what happened. He started to panic when he remembered that Ashley was leaving. Jay and Joe Don walked into Garys room to find Gary attempting to take out his IV.

" Gary what are you doing! " Joe Don said

" I gotta get out of here I have to see her where is she Jay where is she!!!!! " Gary said in a panic voice

" Gary calm down man " Jay said

" No Jay I have to see her please tell me where she is!!! " Gary said

" Gary .... shes gone her plane left about a hour ago " Jay said

" No no no Your lying Joe Don please tell me hes lying " Gary said as tears filled his eyes

" Im sorry man .... but hes right shes gone " Joe don said

" but she did give us something to give to you " Jay said handing Gary a envolope

Gary looked at Jay adn Joe Don then he opened the envolope to find a letter.

Dear Gary,

I want to thank you for all you have done for me this past month. There arent many people out there who would do that. Im going to miss you but I hope we can see eachother again someday. Here is my number and email adress incase you want to talk. My plane is boarding so I better go. Talk to you later.
Ashley

Gary couldnt hold it in anymore he held the letter close to his chest while he cried. Jay and Joe Don had never seen him like this before. Jay told Joe Don to go and tell the doctor that he was awake. After Joe Don left Jay walked over to his cousin and calmed him the best he could. Jay was worried that this would change Gary and not in a good way eaither.


The next day Gary was allowed to go home. He was going to take it easy for a couple of days but other than that he would be fine. Jay dropped Gary off at home and then went to run some arrands. Gary walked into his home remebering that the last time he was there he was with Ashley. He thought of the first time they sat in front of the fire. He walked over to the couch as tears rand down his face. Sitting there brought not only more memories but more tears. Gary ended up crying himself to sleep and as he slept he dreamt of Ashley. Garys dreams ended when a loud thud woke him up. Gary opened his eyes and heard voices coming from the kitchen. He listened closely and identified them as Jay and Joe Don. Gary went back to a peaceful sleep while Jay and Joe Don were straining over what to do about Gary.

" Joe Don Ive never seen him like this before...its starting to worry me " Jay said

" I know its starting to worry me too...but what are we supposed to do " Joe Don said

" I dont know.....what should we do I mean if this gets worse there might not be anything we can do " Jay said looking in at Gary who was sound asleep on the couch.

" Your right...I guess all we can do is hope that it doesnt get worse " Joe Don said

Joe Don and Jay were lost, they were loosing there friend and the worst part is that he might never come back.

Weeks passed since Ashley left and Gary hasnt been taking it well. Jay and Joe Don have managed to keep him occupied but one day things went downhill.

" Hey Gary I gotta run somewhere you wanna come with " Jay asked

" No " Gary replied

" Ok .. Joe Don can I talk to you for a sec " Jay said

Joe Don looked at Gary then walked into the kitchen with Jay

" whats up " Joe Don asked

" I want you to keep a close eye on him....who knows what he is going to do " Jay said

" Dont worry man I will...now go on everything will be fine " Joe Don said

The both walked back into the living room and Jay left.  Joe don and Gary sat in silence for a while then Joe don began to speak.

" You know there are other people out there other than Smithers right? " Joe Don said

Gary just gave him a look and Joe Don stopped talking. Suddenly the phone rang. Joe Don went into Garys office and answerd it while Gary got up and went to the kitchen. Gary opened the fridge and took out the 12 pack of beer he had out. Then he walked upstairs and locked himself in his bedroom. He couldnt take it anymore he had to get rid of the pain even it was only for a couple of minutes. Gary sat on the bed and began to drink and as far as he was concerned nothing was going to stop him.

" Hey Gary that was lyric street and...." Joe Don said walking back into the living room to find Gary not there

" Gary " Joe Don said walking around the room.

Joe Don walked into the kitchen to find that Gary wasnt there eaither. Then he opened the fridge to find the 12 pack of beer that was there earlier gone.

" Oh no " Joe Don said

Joe Don then raced upstairs and began to check every room but when he got to Garys bedroom the door was locked.

" Gary " Joe Don said

" Gary come on man this isnt going to help anything " Joe Don said trying to get into the bedroom.

Gary was working on his 3rd beer and was feeling great.

" Come on Gary open the door " Joe Don said

" NO Just leave me alone " Gary said

" Gary what your doing is just going to hurt you even more " Joe Don said

" O ya and just moping around isnt " Gary said

Joe Don knew that he wouldnt get throw to him but he knew that Jay could. Joe Don walked into another room and called Jay.

" Joe Don Im busy what do you want " Jay said

" Sorry man but I got a problem " Joe Don said

" cant this wait till later? " Jay asked

" No Jay it cant " Joe Don said

" Ok this better be important " Jay said

" Jay, Garys locked in his bedroom with a 12 and by the soulnd of it hes pretty drunk " Joe Don said

" What!! are you serious I thought I told you to watch him " Jay said upset and mad

" I was until the phone rang but I was only gone for a minute " Joe Don said

" Ok ok Im on my way I 'll be there in a minute " Jay said

Joe Don sat down in the chair and waited for Jay to arrive. Jay got there about 45 minutes after Joe Don called.

" Ok has he come out yet " Jay asked walking up the stairs

" No " Joe Don said following him

Jay got to Garys bedroom and tried to get in but he didnt have any luck.

" Gary open the damn door " Jay said

" Why so you treat me like a 5 year old ... thats not going to happen " Gary said slurring his words . He was no on his 6th beer.

" Gary you gotta stop this is only going to hurt you even more " Jay said

" Thats not going to work..Joe Don all ready tried that one  " Gary said

Jay looked at Joe Don they both knew that there was only one person who could help Gary but would they be willing to.

Jay walked downstairs and into Garys studio to call the one person that would help Gary.

" Hey JJ " a voice said on the other end

" Hey Smitty " Jay said

" So how have things been " Ashley asked

" Um not so good " Jay said worriedly

" Whats wrong " Ashley asked

" Well its Gary....." Jay said

" Jay please tell me he isnt hurt " Ashley said franticly

" No .. Well kinda thats why Im calling you" Jay said

" what do you mean kinda " Ashley said  more franticly than before

" Hes locked in his bedroom with a 12 pack of beer getting drunk me and Joe Don cant get him out " Jay said

" Ok....then what does this have to do with me " Ashley said

" the reason he is getting drunk is because of you " Jay said

" what " Ashley said

" Smitty hes in love with you......its killing him to not have you here... your the only person who can get him to quit " Jay said

" Ok Ill be on the next flight out there " Ashley said

" Ok  Ill see you in a while " Jay said

Jay hung up with Ashley and headed back upstairs.

" Is she coming " Joe Don whispered

" Ya shes on her way " Jay said

A couple of hours later Jay and Joe Don heard a door close downstairs. Jay ran downstairs to find Ashley standing in the doorway with her suitcase.

" Is he still up there " Ashley asked

" Ya come on " Jay said

Ashley followed Jay upstairs and found Joe Don sitting outside Garys bedroom door.

" Hey Joey " Ashley said

" Hey Smithers " Joe Don said

Jay and Joe Don went downstairs while Ashley attempted to get to Gary.
Ashley knocked on the door but no one answered.

" Gary..sweetheart open the door. " Ashley said

" Ash? " Gary asked

" ya sweetie its me .... now open the door " Ashley said

" No...it cant be ... i must be dreaming " Gary said

" No sweetheart im really here if you open the door youll see me " Ashley said

A couple minutes of silence went by then Ashley heard someone playing with the lock on the door. Ashley grabbed the knob and turned it. She opened the door and slowly walked inside. There on the ground before her was Gary holding on to a bottle of Coors light. Gary just looked at her he had bags under his eyes, His once deep blue eyes were dull and gray, his hair was a mess, he didnt look like himself. Ashley went and sat next to Gary.

" Gary .... sweetheart why are you doing this " Ashley asked taking the bottle from Gary

" I had to get rid of the pain even if it was for a minute I just had to " Gary said

" Pain from what " Ashley asked already knowing his answer.

" You leaving " Gary said laying his head on Ashleys shoulder

" How did me leaving cause you pain " Ashley asked

" Ash...I..I love you " Gary said looking into Ashleys eyes

Ashley just sat there. She thought that she would never hear him say that to her ... but he did.

" Gary...I love you to  " Ashley said

Gary looked deeper into her eyes. He thought that this would be a great time to kiss her...but he was drunk he didnt want to scare her so he decided to wait until later.

" Hey why dont you take a long hot shower and Ill make you something to eat ok " Ashley said

Gary smiled and nodded his head. Ashley helped Gary up and he got in the shower. Ashley walked downstairs to make Gary something to eat.

" Hey how is he " Jay asked

" Well it looks like he is going to be alright " Ashley said

Jay smiled he knew that she would be able to help. Now things were looking up for not only Gary but Ashley too.

A couple of days later Gary was back to his old self all thanks to Ashley. Gary was spending as much time with Ashley as he could. He was waiting for the perfect moment to kiss her but it just hasnt seemed to come yet until one day.

" Ash sweetheart where are you? " Gary called out but she never called back. Gary walked around the house looking for her. Then when he passed the kitchen window he saw her, she was sitting down at the docks playing in the water with her feet. Gary smiled and walked down to sit with her.

" Having fun " Gary said sitting down next to Ashley

" Why yes I am you wanna join me " Ashley said

" Maybe " Gary said

" Come on " Ashley said kicking water at Gary

" Hey hey stop it " Gary said laughing

" What will you do if I dont " Ashley said playfully

" This " Gary said pushing Ashley into the lake

" Hey " Ashley said

" You deserved it " Gary said laughing

Ashley got out of the water. Gary thought that she would walk back to the house so he stood up only to be pushed into the water by Ashley.

" Ok ok were even " Gary said from the lake

Ashley giggled and jumped in the lake. Gary waited for her to come up but she never did. Suddenly Gary was pulled under the water. And when he came up he saw Ashley standing there laughing.

" Oh its on now " Gary said said swimming after Ashley

Ashley started swimming away but Gary was to fast. He grabbed her by the waist and they both fell under the water. They both came up laughing and soon they both became lost in eachothers eyes. This was the moment they both had been waiting for. Gary leaned in twords Ashley and gave her one of the most breathtaking kisses she ever had. They both felt this huge spark go through there body. As they pulled apart the both had big smiles on there face.

" Wow that was amazing " Ashley said

" Ya it was " Gary said still smiling

" Its getting dark we should proboly head back up to the house " Ashley said

" Ok...Ill race you " Gary said taking off twords the house

They both ran back to the house and got changed into dry clothes. Then Gary orderd a pizza and started a fire. While they sat in front of the fire Gary decided to ask Ashley some questions dealing with there realtionship.

" Ash " Gary said

" Ya " Ashley said

" How long are you staying " Gary asked

" Ill be here for another week " Ashley said

" Oh......" Gary said

" Dont worry Ill be coming back " Ashley said

" You mean like a visit " Gary said

" No I mean like moving back here " Ashley said

" Really " Gary said looking Ashley in the eyes

" Of course there is no way I would be able to leave you again " Ashley said

Gary smiled a big smile and Ashley snuggled up to his neck. He finally found the woman of his dreams and was happier than ever. But Garys happyness was going to be cut short.

Ashley was finally moved and settled into Garys house. They both were falling more in love with eachother as the days passed. One day in November Gary got a phone call from a friend who invited him to go hunting in Iowa for a couple of days. Gary agreed to go and decided to take Ashley with him.

" Hey baby can you come here for a sec " Gary called upststairs to Ashley

" Ya Gar bear " Ashley said walking down the stairs

" I have a suprise for you " Gary said

" Really!! " Ashley said getting really excited

" Ya but to get it you have to go sit on the couch " Gary said

" Ok " Ashley said walking over to the couch. Gary followed her and sat down on the coffee table across from Ashley

" Ok...so I got a phone call today " Gary said

" Ok...and " Ashley said wondering what this had to do with her suprise

" I was invited to go hunting in Iowa for a couple of days " Gary said

Ashley was silent she didnt know what to say so she just sat there.

" I told them I would go only if I could do something " Gary said

" Oh..." Ashley said

" You wanna know what it is " Gary said

" sure " Ashley said with sadness in her voice.

" I said I would only go If I could bring you with me " Gary said

Ashley perked up and looked at Gary.

" You mean I get to go with you!!! " Ashley said

" Ya " Gary said smileing

Ashley let out a cry of delight, tackled Gary to the floor, and kissed him passionately. When they broke the kiss Gary had a look on his face that Ashley had never seen before. Then Gary pulled Ashley in for another kiss. This kiss wasnt just full of passion, it was full of a longing and desire that neither one of them had felt before. After that kiss Gary picked Ashley up and carried her to his bedroom where they made love to eachother for the first time. Every touch and Every kiss lit a fire in both of them., A fire neither one of them has ever experianced. Laying in Garys arms afterwards felt right to Ashley. She had finally found the man of her dreams. She was now more in love with him than ever before. She knew that there love was un breakable or at least thats what it seemed like.

Chapter 14

The next night Gary and Ashley left for there trip to Iowa. The drive was a long one but they finally made it 2 days later. The first night they didnt get anything. But the second night Ashley got a big 12 point buck.

" GREAT SHOT BABY!!!! " Gary said to Ashley when they found the buck

" You really think so? " Ashley said

" Think so? baby look at him hes huge!!!! " Gary said excitedly

Gary then began to attempt to get the deer back to the main area.

" Hes pretty heavy...I think we could put him by the stand and come back with a four wheeler later " Gary said to Ashley

" Ok " Ashley said

They both got the deer to the stand and headed back to the main site. Along the way back Ashley got her foot caught in something. She didnt realize it at first but then felt a huge pain overcome her leg. She tried to walk but she couldnt move. The pain in her leg got worse and worse until she couldnt bear it anymore.

" GARY!!!!!!!!!!!1" Ashley yelled in a sever amount of pain

Gary was only a couple feet in front of Ashley when he heard her screaming. Gary dropped his bowe and rushed back.

" Baby whats wrong " Gary said rushing back twords her. Then he saw it. Around Ashleys ankle was a bear trap. Bear traps were not allowed on this property so Gary didnt even consider looking out for them.

" Oh boy ..um.. ok Ash I need you to sit still ok " Gary said

All Ashley could do was nod her head. Gary then grabbed the trap and pulled it open.

" Ok now I need you to pull yourself backwards ok " Gary said

Ashley did as Gary asked. She pulled herself back and as her leg hit the ground she let out a loud scream.

" Baby shh baby calm down shh its ok " Gary said trying to help her. Gary didnt know what to do then he rememberd the walkie talkie that was handed out to them in case something happened. Gary took out his and began to call back to the main site.

" Help I need help " Gary said into the walkie talkie

" Ok LeVox where are you? " Dan said. Dan was one of the people running the hunt.

" We are about halfway in the woods behind the shack...please you have to hurry Ashleys hurt and loosing a lot of blood " Gary said

" LeVox stay calm we are on our way ok." Dan said

Gary turned off his walkie talkie and held onto Ashley.

" Ash stay with me ok " Gary said with tears running down his cheeks.

Gary could lose her he wouldnt be able to live without her. But if he didnt get her to the hospital quick her chance of making it will be slim.

Finally half a hour later help finally arrived. They loaded Ashley onto a steacher and took her out of the woods with Gary close behind. Gary had told Dan about his bowe and the deer under the stand. Dan said that he would get them and would get them to him later.

Gary could see the fear in Ashleys eyes as they loaded her into the ambulance. It broke Garys heart to see so much pain and fear in her eyes. It made him want to trade places with her but he knew it wasnt possible. Gary followed the ambulence in his truck. Once they arrived at the hospital Ashley was rushed into surgary and Gary was asked to stay in the waiting room.

" The doctor will be out in a little while to tell you more on whats going on " The woman at the desk said

Gary thanked her and walked over to a chair in the corner of the room. He pulled out his phone and called Jay, he knew that he would be able to come for support and to keep Ash company. The phone rang twice before Jay answered.

" Hey man hows the hunting going " Jay said

" Ok " Gary said trying to hold back the tears

" It doesnt sound ok......whats up" Jay said

Gary couldnt hold it anymore he broke down and cried.

" Gary whats wrong? Is Ash ok? " Jay asked concerned

" N..no s..shes in surgary " Gary said through sobs

" Calm down Ill be on the next flight out there ok? " Jay said

" Ok" Gary said hanging up with Jay.

Gary sat there in silence. All he could think about was Ashley not making it. Suddenly he heard his voice being called. He looked up and saw a young doctor calling his name. Gary walked up to him and told him who he was.

" Ok so your the young man with Ms. Smith am I correct? " the Doctor said

" Ya .... Is she going to be ok? " Gary asked

" Well she sufferd a sever cut to the leg and a lot of blood loss, but she is a fighter, Its going to be hard but I dont see why she wont pull through" the doctor said

Gary let out a sigh of releaf she was going to be ok thats the only thing that matterd.

" can I go see her " Gary said

" ya shes in room 320 " The doctor said

" Thanks " Gary said

Gary walked to Ashleys room. When he opened the door he saw her. She was laying in bed. She turned her head and smiled at him. Gary smiled back, It was going to be a long healing process but he was going to be there helping her get back on her feet.

Ashley made her way back into the hotel room with Gary close behind. She put her crutches down and hopped onto the bed.

" ouch " Ashley said

" you ok?" Gary asked

" Ya I think its time for me to take my meds again " Ashley said as a shock of pain overcame her leg

" Ok " Gary said getting Ash her meds.

After she was done Gary took her glass and set in on the table next to the bed, then he crawled into bed and laid his head on Ashleys lap. He was hoping that she forgot about the dream thing but that thought was crushed within seconds.

" So tell me about this dream " Ashley said while running her fingers through is hair

" Oh...it was nothing " Gary said hoping that she wouldnt ask anymore about it.

" Gary I know its something " Ashley said

" Ok Ill tell you but you gotta promise not to laugh " Gary said

" Ok " Ashley said

" Ok we were running through a field of wild flowers and all of the sudden you fell I ran back to see what happened and I found you hanging off a cliff and before I could help you fell and died " Gary said

" Oh sweetheart it was just a dream..." Ashley said kissing the top of Garys head

" I know but it seemed so real " Gary said snuggling up closer to Ashley

" I know sweetheart, but I dont want you to quit sleeping because of it " Ashley said

" Ya I know " Gary said

" Hey why dont you try to sleep and if anything happens Ill be right here Ok babe " Ashley said

" Ok" Gary said yawning

Gary closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep and soon after he did Ashley did too. In his sleep Gary could feel himself snuggled up to Ashley he just hoped that he wouldnt have another nightmare like that again.

The plane ride home was long but soon the arrived at home. As they got into the house Ashley went striaght to the stairs and began to hop up them. Gary walked into the house and saw this. He dropped the bags and ran to help her.

" Baby what are you doing? couldnt you wait for me help you? " Gary said grabbing her arms.

" Gary Im fine " Ashley said

" Im just worried about you is all " Gary said

" theres nothing to worry bout Ive done this before " Ashley said as Gary let her arms go. Then she finished going up the stairs and went into the bedroom.

Gary just stood there. What did she mean by Ive done this before? Was it because of matt? Gary waited a couple of minutes before he went up to talk to Ash.

" Hey " Ashley said holding notebook

" Hey, I have a question for you " Gary said leaning up against the door frame

" Ok " Ashley said

" What did you mean by Ive done this before? " Gary asked

" Well, when I was 14 I broke my leg, and I tore something in my leg when I was 20 so Ive been up and down stairs on crutches before" Ashley said

" Oh " Gary said

" Hey come sit with me " Ashley said patting the bed

Gary smiled and sat next to her. Ashley was writing something in her notebook and Gary got curious to what it was.

" Watcha doin " Gary asked trying to get a peek of what she was writing

" Nothin " Ashley said pulling the notebook away.

" Come on let me see " Gary said reaching for the notebook

" No the song is really bad! " Ashley said

" Oh so its a song..now you have to show me!! " Gary said tickleing Ashley

" Gary stop!! " Ashley said laughing

Gary finally got hold of the notebook and read what she wrote and he was shocked at was written on the paper

I hope you never lose your sence of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances, but there worth taking
Loving might be a mistake, but its worth making
Dont let some hell bent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
( Wants to look on there youth and wonder where those years have gone)

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me that youll give faith a fighting chance
And if you get the choice to sit it out or dance

Dance
I hope you dance

I hope you dance
(Time its a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on there youth and wonder where those years have gone)

(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
( Wants to look on there youth and wonder where those years have gone)


" Wow that is amazing!! " Gary said looking at Ashley

" Really? " Ashley asked

" ya it is" Gary said smiling

Ashley smiled back. Matt never thought that her songs were Amazing or even good for that matter.
_________________

add text, images, video, widgets, etc...Later that night Gary was down in his studio going over song ideas with Jay and Joe Don.

" Hey how bout this one " Joe Don said

" Ya that one looks good what do you think Gary" Jay said

Gary was to busy stareing off into space to hear what they were saying. The words of Ashleys song were buzzing around in his head and he couldnt concentrate on anything else.

" Gary " Jay said but he still said nothing

" GARY!!! " Jay said yelling this time

" Huh...what?" Gary asked perking up

" whats wrong with you we were asking you about a song but you were to busy staring off into space" Joe Don said

" Sorry....I had something on my mind " Gary said

" Well why dont we talk about it " Joe Don said

" Well its kinda hard to explain......" Gary said

" Just try " Jay said

Gary couldnt think of the words to explain Ashleys song so instead he decided to show them. Gary got up and walked out of the studio.

" Hey where are you going? " Joe Don asked

" Ill be back in a sec " Gary called back

Gary walked upstairs to his bedroom to find Ashley peacefully sleeping. He snuck over to the nightstand and took the notebook. Then he snuck out of the room and back to the studio.

" Ok now are you going to tell us? " Jay asked

" Well I thought I would show you instead " Gary said handing Jay the notebook.

Jay place the notebook on the table so Joe Don could read it to. Gary sat there and watched as there faces turned from concentration to amazement.

" Wow thats great man I like how you made it full of emotion " Jay said

" Jay I didnt write it " Gary said

" Gary if you didnt write it than who did? " Joe Don asked

" Ash" Gary said

" Are you serious? she really should think about song writing" Jay said

" You really think so? " Gary asked

" Ya, if she wrote something like this just imagine what else she could write " Joe Don said

" Ya I mean this could really be a smash hit for someone " Jay said

" Wait Jay say what you just said again " Gary said

" I said that this could really be a smash hit for someone " Jay said

Gary leaned back in his chair, he was thinking about what Jay said when someones name popped into his mind. He quickly sat up, this person was perfect, there voice just went with the song perfectly but would they want to sing Ashleys song?
_________________

add text, images, video, widgets, etc...Gary had been prepairing to ask this person to sing Ashleys song but for some reason he never did. Ashley was back to normal she didnt have to do physical therapy anymore and could do basically anything she wanted. One day Gary was walking down to the studio when he heard someone singing. Gary followed the sound to his garden. He walked deeper into the garden to see Ashley playing a acoustic guitar and singing. Gary thought her voice was amazing, he felt like a angel was singing. Gary snuck up behind her and just stood there as she sang. Ashley jumped when she turned around and saw Gary standing there.

" OMG Gary you scared me " Ashley said

" Sorry I was in the house when I heard you singing so I thought I would come and listen " Gary said

Ashley blushed. If Gary could hear her from inside the house who knows how many others heard her.

" Really " Ashley said her face was now a dark red

" Hey its nothing to be imbarrassed about, you have a amazing voice " Gary said

" I dont think it amazing " Ashley said

" Are you kidding your voice made me feel like I was hearing a angel sing " Gary said

" Im not sure about the angel part " Ashley said

" Trust me it was " Gary said kissing Ashley

" Thanks " Ashley said after they pulled apart

Gary could tell something was wrong. Ashley was starting to act kid of strange and it was starting to worry Gary. Gary was going to question it but before he could Ashley got up and quickly walked back into the house. Gary followed her, at this point he knew that something was definately wrong and he was going to get to the bottom of it.

Ashley was walking up the stairs when she felt someone grab her hand.

" Gary let go " Ashley said

" No I wanna know what wrong " Gary said

" Gary theres nothing wrong now please let me go " Ashley said trying to pull away but Gary didnt let go

" There is something wrong I can tell by your attitude now come on and tell me " Gary said getting annoyed

Ashley just looked at him and yanked her arm out of his grip. She then started to walk up the rest of the stairs, but Gary wasnt going to let her walk away. Gary followed her and wrapped his arms around her wais then he pulled her close to him.

" Gary let go " Ashley said wiggling around

" no not unil you tell me what wrong " Gary said trying to make sure they didnt fall, but it was too late. Before Gary knew it they were both falling down the stairs. Gary landed on his back with Ashley still in his arms. Ashely broke free from Garys grip and took off running.

" Ashley wait " Gary said chasing after her.

Ashley ran out the front door and down the sidewalk. Gary tried to catch up to her but she was to far ahead.
_________________

Ashley was running hard and she was running fast. She turned her head and watched as Gary disapeared into the distance. Then she slowed her running down to a walking pace. She couldnt think of the words to expain to Gary how she was feeling. All she needed was some time alone and she knew Gary wouldnt let her have it, Or would he? Ashley was thinking about what she had just done when she found herself at a local park. The park was empty so she decided to go sit on one of the swings. While at the park Ashley found a soulution and let all of her worried just float away and before she knew it, it was dark outside , but back at the house things werent going so well.

" where the hell is she?" Gary asked himself while pacing his living room floor. Then Gary heard a car outside. Thinking it was Ashley he rushed to the window only to find the car just drive by. Gary couldnt take it anymore he grabbed his keys and walked out to his car. If Ashley wasnt coming to him he was coming to her.

Back at the park Ashley decided to head home. As she walked thoughts of how she was going to tell Gary flooded into her mind. Ashley looked up to see a truck that looked exactly like Garys pull up. She stopped dead in her tracks as the truck pulled up next to the sidewalk. When the window rolled down she heard Garys voice.

" Ash get in the truck" Gary said

" Gary?" Ashley asked

" ya now get in " Gary said

Ashley got in the truck and Gary drove off. Ashley looked at Gary, she could see the anger in his eyes. Then she turned her head and looked out the window. Finally they pulled into the driveway and just as Ashley was going to get out the door locked. Then she turned around and found Gary looked straight at her.

" Why did you run? " Gary asked trying to keep himself calm

" I just needed to be alone with my thoughts, and they way you were questioning me it seemed that I wouldnt be able to be alone here " Ashley said

" Why didnt you just tell me that? " Gary asked calmly

" I didnt want you to take it the wrong way " Ashley said

" You know running just made it worse right? " Gary said taking her hand in his

" Ya..it did but I did figure out a way to tell you why I was acting weird " Ashley said

" Oh ok ....... so are you going to tell me now or later? " Gary asked

" Now would be a good time " Ashley said

Gary turned his body and focused on what she was going to say.

" Well I have always wanted to be singer, thats the main reason why I moved here but when Matt came back around that all changed. He wouldnt let me sing or even write music. Today was the first time I actually sang and played in 7 years and when you told me I sounded like a angel felt really great. Now I know your going to ask me to sing in front of people and I would love to its just....." Ashley said

" Its just what " Gary said gently whiping the tears from her cheeks.

" What if Matt finds me and hurts me or worse hurts you I would never forgive myself if you were hurt by him " Ashley said

" Oh sweetheart you dont have to worry about him, Im a pretty big guy, and plus Jay and Joe Don will be here too " Gary said

Ashley just looked up at Gary and smiled.

" So are we ok now? or do I have to beg" Gary said giving Ashley the puppy dog face

" No you dont have to beg " Ashley said laughing

" Come on lets go get something to eat Im starving! " Gary said putting the truck in drive and pulling out of the driveway.

Gary took Ashley to a local burger stand then he took her to a local park where they sat in the truck and ate. As they were eating it started to rain. Ashley looked at Gary then jumped out of the car. Gary watched her as she walked to the drivers side and pulled him out of the car.

" What are we doing? " Gary asked laughing

" Well I thought we could dance in the rain " Ashley said

Gary chuckled and took Ashley into his arms. They danced around the parking lot singing and danceing as they spun around. This is where both of them wanted to be, dancing and singing while in eachothers arms.

The next day Ashley wasnt feeling so good. When she woke up she had a really bad headache and she has been sneezing all morning. Gary had left before Ashley woke up and when he got home he could tell something was up.

" Hey sweetheart how are ya feeling? " Gary asked as he walked over to the couch where Ashley was laying.

" Fine " Ashley lied

" Are you sure you look pretty pale " Gary said

Ashey was about to say something when she began to sneeze really badly.

" Oh baby your sick " Gary said

" Im fine " Ashley said

Gary didnt believe her. He placed his lips on her forehead. Ashley felt really warm so Gary went and got the thernomator.

After Gary took Ashleys temperature he read what it said. Gary was suprised at what he read.

" Um.....baby I need you to go get dressed ok " Gary said with worry in his voice.

" Why? " Ashley asked

" Ill explain to you after you get dressed " Gary said

Ashley didnt say anything she just went and did as Gary asked.

While Ashley was upstairs changing Gary tried calling Jay but he didnt answer so instead he called Joe Don.

" Hey man whats up? " Joe Don said as he answered the phone

" Ash....Ash...Ash is sick " Gary said still shocked at what her temperature was

" Gary, how sick is she? " Joe Don asked

" Her temp was 104...104 Joe Don thats not good " Gary said panicked

" Calm down......where is she now " Joe Don said

" upstairs getting dressed Im taking her to the hospital " Gary said walking back and forth in his kitchen

" Ok Ill get a hold of Jay and we'll meet up there ok " Joe Don said

" Ok " Gary said

Gary hung up with Joe Don and went out into the living room just as Ashley was walking down the stairs.

" So where are you taking me? " Ashley said holding on to railing as she suddenly got dizzy.

Gary rushed over to Ashley and helped to a chair.

" Im taking you to a doctor " Gary said

" Why Im fine " Ashley said

" Your sick, you temp was 104...baby thats not a good sign " Gary said

Ashley didnt respond. She hated to admit that she was sick, but with what Gary just told her there was no hiding it.

At the hospital Gary was sitting in the waiting room while the doctor was checking Ashley. As Gary was sitting there Joe Don came rushing in along with Jay.


" hey how is she? " Jay asked

" I dont know..the doctor is with her now " Gary said

" Tell us more about what happened " Joe Don said

" Well I came home this morning to find her laying on the couch. She looked really pale so I asked her how she was feeling. She told me fine but I knew she was lying. Then when I kissed her forehead she felt really warm so I took her temperature and it was 104......" Gary said

Jay and Joe Don didnt know what to say. They both knew that a temperature that high wasnt good.

" So how long have you been here? " Jay asked

" Almost a hour " Gary said

" Oh " Jay said

Everything became quiet. The time flew by and it wasnt long before another hour passed. Finally the doctor came out to update Gary.

" How is she? " Gary asked

" Well she is really sick, we have her hooked up to a IV right now, she seems to have a cold but thats not what is making her really sick." Doctor Miller said

" Well if its not a cold thats making her sick than what is? Gary asked

" Well we have found what appears to be spots along some parts of her breast....." Doctor Miller said

" What does that mean?" Gary asked hoping it wasnt what he thought it was

" Well we think it might be cancer but we are not sure " Doctor Miller said

Garys heart sank.

"Cancer? Ashley couldnt possibly have cancer. " Gary thought to himself

" How bad is it? " Gary asked after a couple of seconds

" Well we dont know right now.... we are taking her in for surgary tomarrow morning " Doctor Miller said

" Does she know? " Gary asked

" No.....we were going to have you tell her " Doctor Miller said

" Oh ......ok " Gary said

" She is in room 215 on the second floor if you would like to see her " Doctor Miller said

" Ok thanks " Gary said walking back to Jay and Joe Don

" Hey what did the doctor say? " Jay asked

Gary just looked at them. How was he supposed to tell them? How was he going to tell Ash?

" Gary is everything alright? " Joe Don asked walking over to Gary.

Gary tried to speak but the words wouldnt come out. All Gary was able to do was nod his head no.

" Whats wrong? " Jay asked

" She....she " Was all Gary could say before the tears began to pour down from his eyes.

" Gary is she.....gone? " Joe Don asked

Gary nodded his head no.

" Then what is it? " Jay asked

" they think she....she has cancer " Gary said

" Wow......how bad is it? " Joe Don asked

" They dont know if its even cancer.....they have to take her to surgary tomarrow " Gary said

" Oh......have they told her? " Jay asked

" No they want me to tell her " Gary said

" When are you going to do that? " Joe Don asked

" I dont know.....how am I supposed to tell her? " Gary asked falling into a nearby chair

" Just come out and say it " Jay said

" Jay its not that easy " Gary said looking up at him

" Then tell me another way " Jay said

Gary just looked down at the floor. He didnt know what to do.

" I guess I should go see her " Gary said

Jay and Joe Don watched as Gary walked out of the room.

" Man he crushed " Joe Don said

" I would be too if the woman of my dreams was in the posititon Ashley is in " Jay said

" What should we do? " Joe Don asked

" Well right now we should go talk to Ash...shes going to need us there " Jay said walking out of the room with Joe Don following.

Gary was standing in front of Ashleys room. He knew that he had to tell her, he was just worried at how she would re act.

" Hey baby " Gary said walking into the room

" Hi " Ashley said

Gary pulled up a chair and sat down, it was now or never.

" Baby i need you to listen to me ok " Gary said taking her hand

" Ok " Ashley said getting worried

" Tomarrow morning they are going to take you to surgary " Gary said looking into Ashleys eyes.

" What! why? " Ashley said getting scared

" They think you have...cancer " Gary said

Gary could see a huge amount of fear overcome Ashleys face.

" C....cancer? " Ashley said as the tears rolled down her face

" Ya....baby its going to be ok " Gary said taking Ashley in his arms.

Gary didnt know What Ashley was going through. All he knew was that she needed him now more than ever.

That night Ashley layed awake in bed. She was too scared to fall asleep. Gary had falled asleep in the chair next to her with his head on her lap. Ashley started to gently run her fingers through Garys hair. She couldnt help but think of how this was affecting him. She knew she had to pull through not only for herself but for Gary too. Ashley was taken out of her thoughts when he stirred.


" Whats wrong? " Gary asked sitting up.

" Nothing ... Im just scared " Ashley said

Gary got up and layed next to Ashley in the bed. Then he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

" Now I want you to go to sleep ok " Gary said kissing the top of her head

" Ok " Ashley said.

Ashley soon fell into a peaceful sleep and before she knew it they were waking her up to take her to surgary.

" Ill be back in a minute to take you down " Doctor Miller said walking out of the room.

" Gary " Ashley said looking at him as her body began to shake.

Gary got up and sat on the edge of Ashleys bed.

" Hey its going to be ok " Gary said

" What if its not....what if I die " Ashley said crying

" Shhh its going to be ok I promise you'll be ok " Gary said taking her in his arms, he knew that she could die but he had to stay strong.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and doctor miller entered.

" Sorry but its time to go " Doctor miller said

Ashley looked at Gary, he could tell she was terrified.

" Ill be right here when you wake up ok " Gary said kissing Ashley

Ashley nodded her head and doctor Miller took her out.

" Ok we'll need you to wait in the waiting room while shes gone, the doctor will update you in a little while " The nurse said

" Ok " Gary said walking out of Ashleys room.

Gary was walking down the hallway when he ran into Jay and Joe Don.

" Hey did they take her down?" Jay asked

" Ya....shell be gone for awhile " Gary said

" Well lets go get something to eat " Joe Don said

" Ya ok " Gary said walking twords the cafeateria.

While they ate Gary kept thinking about Ash. He hoped and prayed that she would pull through.

Jay was watching Gary closely. He could tell that he was scared and he had every right to be.

After a hour the guys went up to the waiting room. Joe Don and Jay were trying to keep Garys mind off of Ashley but it wasnt working.

3 hours went by before the doctor came out.

" How is she? " Gary asked hoping she was doing fine

" Miss Smith is doing fine, but there is some bad news " Doctor Miller said

Garys heart was beating fast

" Bad news? what does he mean " Gary thought to himself

" What is it? " Gary asked

" Well we went in and checked out the spots along her chest and they were cancerous " Doctor Miller said

Gary turned pale. His worst fear was coming true.

" But we caught it early so we were able to get rid of it, just to make sure we have her schedualed for chemo tomarrow afternoon, any questions " Doctor Miller said

" When can I see her?" Gary asked

" Well they are finishing up, when they are done I will come and get you " Doctor Miller said

" Ok, thanks " Gary said

Doctor Miller left and Gary went and sat down with his head in his hands.

" Cancer how Can she have cancer? " Gary said to himself

Gary was scared, what if he lost Ash? what would he do?

Gary had falled asleep in a chair that was in the corner of the waiting room. Jay and Joe Don were sitting next to Gary when Doctor Miller had come out to get him.

" Hi are you to with him? " Doctor Miller asked Jay and Joe Don

" ya, Im his cousin and this is one of his good friends " Jay said

" Ok, I was just coming out to let him know that he can go see Miss Smith now " Doctor Miller said

" Ok thank you " Joe Don said shaking Doctor Millers hand

When Doctor Miller left Jay and Joe Don started to wake Gary up.

" Gary, Gary you need to get up " Jay said Shaking Gary

Gary moaned and turned his head away from Jay.

" Gary come on man you need to go see Ash " Joe Don said

Garys eyes flew open and he looked at Joe Don.

" Did you just say I need to go see Ash? " Gary asked

" Ya, the doctor just came out and told us you were allowed to go see her now " Joe Don said

Gary got up from the chair and went straight to Ashleys room.

When Gary got inside Ashley was sleeping. Gary couldnt help but think how much she looked like a angel. Her face was pale and she was hooked up to a couple of machines.

Gary walked over to her bed and carfully took her hand. As Gary did this Ashley woke up.

" Hey " Gary said

" Hi " Ashley said

They both sat there in silence before Ashley began to talk.

" So you know whats going on tomarrow right? " Ashley said

" Ya I do " Gary said

" Gary" Ashley said

" ya" Gary said

" Do you think it will come back? " Ashley asked

Gary didnt know what to say, he wasnt expecting a qustion like that.

" I dont know honey, I guess we have to hope and pray that it wont " Gary said

Ashley just nodded her head and went back to sleep. As Gary was watching her sleep he thought of what Ashley said. What if it does come back?

Ashley was allowed to go home the next day after her chemo. As of right now the cancer was completely gone.

The months changed from spring to fall and from fall to winter. But as the months changed so did Ashley and Garys relationship, they both were in love more than anyone could imagine.

One Day in December Ashley was watching the snow fall from the kitchen window when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist.

" Hey GarBear " Ashley said leaning into his embrace

" Hey AngelBear " Gary said kissing her neck

" You hungry? I can make you a sandwhich if you want " Ashley said

" As good as that sounds I think I would rather start with desert first " Gary said picking Ashley up and taking her to the bedroom where they made love.

Later that night after they made love Ashley was running her hand up and down Garys chest.

" Whatca thinkin bout? " Gary said

" Stuff " Ashley said snuggling up to Garys neck.

" What kind of stuff " Gary asked

" Like how much I love you, How lucky I am to have met someone like you, that kind of stuff " Ashley said

" I love you to baby, Im so glad I found you in my bushes that day " Gary said kissing Ashley when all the sudden Ashley started to laugh.

" what? " Gary asked looking at Ashley

" Nothing " Ashley said

" Come on tell me whats so funny! " Gary said

" No its stupid " Ashley said

" Come on, please " Gary said giving Ashley the puppy dog eyes

" Ok fine if you must know I was just thinking about how stupid we will sound by telling people how we met " Ashley said

" What do you mean " Gary asked while he played with her hair

" Well if someone asked you how you met me what would you say? " Ashley said

" I would tell them how I found you in my bushes and holy cow that does sound stupid " Gary said

" See " Ashley said giggleing

Gary just turned his head and kissed Ashley, and they made love again.


A couple of days later Ashley wasnt feeling well. Every time she would smell food she would get sick. This went on for a couple of weeks before she went to the doctor. Ashley couldnt help but think that it was the cancer coming back. As she sat in the waiting room she prayed that it wasnt the cancer. The doctor calld her name and she was taken to a small room.

" Ok Miss Smith my name is doctor hart " Doctor Hart said

" Hi " Ashley said shacking her hand

" So what seems to be going on here " Doctor Hart said

" Well for the past couple of weeks Ive been getting these dizzy spills and Ive been having nausia " Ashley said

" Ok lets take a blood sample and we'll go from there " Doctor Hart said

Doctor Hart drew some blood from Ashleys arm and sent it down for testing. Then Ashley was givin some meds for her upset stomach and dizzy spills.

Ashley arrived home to find Gary not there. She went, sat on the couch and read her book. After a hour Ashley fell asleep. As she slept she dreamed that her cancer came back and she died leaving Gary alone in this world. Then she woke up. As she sat up she couldnt help but think that her dream was a sign that her cancer was coming back, but she would soon find out that it isnt cancer that is making her sick.

Gary came home around 6 to find Ashley sleeping on the couch. He flashed back to the day they found the cancer. Gary knew something was wrong, Ashley has never slept during the day or taken naps for that matter. Gary walked over to the couch and knelt down in front of her. Ashley felt his presance and woke up.

" Hey, is everything ok? " Gary asked

Ashley looked at Gary and thats when the tears began to come.

" Ash? " Gary said

Ashley reached foreward and wrapped her arms around Garys neck as she began to cry.

" Ash whats wrong? " Gary asked lifting Ashley onto his lap.

" Gary I think its back " Ashley said in betweed sobs

Gary tensed up.

" Back how can it be back? " Gary thought to himself

" No no no it cant be back " Gary said as the tears began to roll down his cheeks

" Gary I think it is " Ashley said

" Wait what do you mean Think? " Gary asked

" Well Im not sure if it is, I went to the doctor today and had some blood drawn, she was going to call me when the tests came back " Ashley said

" So theres hope " Gary said perking up

" ya i guess " Ashley said

" Hey thats good, maybe its something else " Gary said trying to make her feel better

" But if its not than what? " Ashley asked

" Well we will worry bout than when we find out ok " Gary said

" Ok " Ashley said

" Now come on lets get something to eat " Gary said taking Ashley into the kitchen.

After they ate Ashley and Gary snuggled on the couch and ended up falling asleep. The next morning Ashley was woken up by someone singing. Ashley sat up to find Gary not there, she walked into the kitchen to find him cooking breakfast and singing.

" Good Morning" Ashley said wrapping her arms around his neck

" Morning " Gary said turning his head and kissing his cheek.

Suddenly the phone started to ring.

" Ill get it " Ashley said kissing Garys cheek

Ashley walked out into the living room and picked up the phone.

" Hello? " Ashley said

" Hello my name is Doctor Hart is Ashley Smith there? " Doctor Hart said

' This is she " Ashley said

" Well hello miss Smith how are you? " Doctor Hart asked

" Im good, still feeling sick but Im ok " Ashley said

" Why dont we go over your test results " Doctor Hart said

Ashleys hart began to beat fast, she was scared that it wasnt going to be good news.

" Ok " Ashley said

" Well it seems that your pregnent " Doctor Hart said

" Im pregnent!! " Ashley said getting excited

" yes it looks like your about a month along now, we will have to make a appointment for a check up in about a month, any questions? " Doctor Hart asked

" No thank you " Ashley said

Ashley hung up the phone and began to twirl around.

" I cant wait to tell Gary!! " Ashley said to herself

" OMG Gary!! how am I supposed to tell him we never even discussed this, oh how will he react? " Ashley asked herself.

Ashley was lost how was she supposed to tell Gary there having a baby when they havent even talked about it?, what if he doest want it?
_________________

Ashley was pacing the room thinking of ways to tell Gary.


" Just come out and say it ya thats it " Ashley thought to herself

" Ok Ill tell Gary later, maybe " Ashley said to herself

" Tell me what? " Gary asked

" Gary " Ashley said shocked

" Ya, sweetheart whats going on " Gary asked

" Um Gary can we sit down, we need to talk " Ashley said

" ya sure " Gary said walking over to the couch

After Gary sat down Ashley came over and sat next to him.

" So, what do we need to talk about " Gary asked taking Ashleys hand in his

" Well, how do you feel about having kids " Ashley said

" I would love to have kids, I actually was hoping that we could have kids someday " Gary said

" Really " Ashley said

" Ya, why dont we go and try " Gary said kissing her neck

" Gary we dont need to try anymore " Ashley said

Gary pulled away and looked at Ashley.

" What do you mean? " Gary asked confused

" Gary, Im pregnent, your going to be a daddy " Ashley said

" A baby, we're having a baby " Gary said shocked

" Gary? " Ashley said

Gary sat there for a minute. Then he smiled a huge smile.

" OMG A BABY!!! " Gary said excitedly

Gary picked Ashley up and spun her around.

" So your not upset " Ashley said after Gary put her down

" No, baby you just made me the happiest man in the world!! " Gary said kissing her and giving her a big hug

" How do you think Jay and Joe Don will react? " Ashley said

" Well lets go find out " Gary said leading Ashley out the door.

Ashley was glad that Gary wasnt upset. She couldnt wait to start a family with him.
_________________

Gary walked quickly over to Jays house. He was literally pulling Ashley along.


" Gary slow down your not going to miss them or anything " Ashley said

" Sorry Im just so excited " Gary said

Gary slowed down his pace and they walked the rest of the way to Jays house. When the got to the driveway they were happy to see Joe Dons car there.

" Yes now we get to tell both of them at the same time " Gary said

They walked up the steps and Gary began to knock on the door.

" Hey Jay open up man!! " Gary said banging on the door.

" Alright Alright Im coming!!! " Jay said from inside the house

Jay opened the door to find a nervous Ashley and a very excited Gary.

" Hey guys whats up? " Jay asked

" Wheres Joe Don? " Gary asked

" In the studio..why? " Jay said

" Go get him, we have some news to tell you " Gary said

Gary and Ashley walked into the house and over to the couch while Jay went and got Joe Don.

Jay came back into the living room with Joe Don close behind.

" Ok so what is this news that you need to tell us? " Jay asked sitting in the chair

Joe Don sat on the otherside of Ashley.

" Well....how would you guys feel about being uncles? " Gary asked

" I would be thrilled!!! " Jay said

" How bout you JD? " Gary asked

" I would love it!! " Joe Don said

" Why are you guys thinking about having kids? " Jay asked

" Well.....we dont have to worry about trying anymore " Gary said

" Gary are you saying what I think you saying? " Jay said leaning forward in his chair

" If your thinking that Ash is pregnant than yes " Gary said smiling

" CONGRATS!!!!! " Jay and Joe Don said getting up and hugging both Ashley and Gary.

But there was something off about Ash. She wasnt really reacting like everyone thought she would. She was quite and seemed really nervous.

" Gary can I see you in the kitchen for a minute? " Jay asked

" Ya " Gary said walking into the kitchen with Jay

" Whats up? " Gary said sitting on the counter

" Well have you noticed anything differnt about Ash? " Jay asked

" No.....not really " Gary said

" Gary when you go back in there study her, Im sure you'll find something odd " Jay said walking back into the living room. Gary jumped off the counter and followed him.

Gary sat next to Ashley. He studied her like Jay said and he noticed what Jay was talking about.

" Jay can I talk to you for a minute? " Gary said getting up and walking back to the kitchen

" Gary, you see what Im talking about? " Jay asked walking into the kitchen

" Ya...but what do I do? I dont want to make her upset " Gary said looking into the living room at Ashley who was sitting with Joe Don.

" Talk to her and if she doesnt want to talk about it then dont push " Jay said

" Ok....I think Im going to take her home " Gary said walking back to the couch

" Hey AngelBear you ready to go? " Gary asked

Ashley just nodded her head and got up from the couch.

" Hey you take care now " Joe Don said giving Ashley a hug

" Ill see you later Smitty " Jay said giving Ashley a hug

Ashley walked outside while Gary said goodbye to Jay and Joe Don

" See ya later man " Joe Don said

" And dont push it " Jay said

" Ok....talk to you guys later" Gary said walking ouside

The walk home was quiet, Gary hoped that nothing serious was wrong.
_________________

Ashley and Gary walked into the house and right away Gary started to ask Ashley questions.

" Ash are you ok? " Gary asked

Ashley didnt answer. She just walked over to the couch and sat down.

" Ash, please answer me " Gary said walking over and kneeling in front of her.

" Gary do you think Ill be a good mom?" Ashley asked

" Oh shes worried about being a parent " Gary thought to himself

" Of course you will " Gary said taking Ashleys hand

" Gary I just dont feel like I will be, I mean what if I do something wrong and they grow up to hate me " Ashley said

" Hey dont think like that, trust me you'll be a good mom " Gary said

Ashley wanted to believe him, but with the way she was feeling it just wouldnt happen. Ashley felt like this for the next two months. Ashley was three months pregnant When she started to fall in love with the baby. The guys were on tour and Ashley was at home missing Gary like crazy.

Ashley was watching T.V when her cell phone started to ring.

" Hello? " Ashley said

" Hey baby " Gary said

" Hey cowboy, hows the tour going?" Ashley said

" Oh Ash its great, I have never seen so many fans in my life" Gary said

" Wow sounds like your one popular band " Ashley said

" Popular doesnt even describe it " Gary said

Ashley just giggled.

" So anyways how are you and the baby doing? " Gary asked

" Well the morning sickness has finally started to kick in and we get to find out if this baby is a boy or girl in two months " Ashley said

" Sounds like fun " Gary said laughing

" Not really but Ok " Ashley said

" Listen baby I would love to talk some more but there calling me for sound check " Gary said

" Ok love you " Ashley said

" I love you to, Ill call you later " Gary said

Ashley said goodbye to Gary and hung up the phone. She started to think about the baby and what it will look like. Soon Ashley fell into a deep sleep and dreampt one of the most wonderful dreams

Ashley woke up around midnight to the sound of a phone ringing.

" Hello? " Ashley said half asleep

" Hey sweetheart sorry if I woke you up " Gary said

" Its ok " Ashley said

" Well I just wanted to say goodnight " Gary said

" Ok....well first why dont you tell me about the concert " Ashley said

" It was great but it would be better if you were here " Gary said

" Awe thats sweet " Ashley said

Suddenly Gary got a idea

" Hey why dont you fly out to one of the cities and finish off the tour with us " Gary said

" Gary I would love to " Ashley said

" Ok, Ill make the arrangements and call you tomarrow ok " Gary said

" Ok " Ashley said

" Ok, well Ill let you go you sound tired " Gary said

" Alright, goodnight " Ashley said

" Goodnight " Gary said

After Ashley hung up with Gary she laid back and closed her eyes. She was so excited to see Gary she missed so much. That night Ashley dreamed of Gary.
_________________

The next day Gary called Ashley around noon to tell her the arrangements for her visit.

" Hey so I made the arrangements and you flight for Vegas is schedualed for tomarrow morning, you should be recieveing everything else in the mail today ok babe" Gary said

" Ok " Ashley said

" God I cant wait to see you, I miss you so much " Gary said

" I miss you too " Ashley said

Ashley and Gary talked for a couple of hours before they said goodbye.
Right after Ashley hung up with Gary she went and started to pack.
Ashley packed, ate then took a nap. She was only planning on sleeping for a couple of hours but she ended up sleeping until the next morning.

The next morning Ashley got everything together then left for the airport. two hours later Ashley was on the plane and on her way to Vegas where Gary was waiting for her.

Back on the Guys tour bus Gary was running around like a mad man.

" Gary man calm down your going to give yourself stroke! " Joe Don said trying to calm Gary down.

" Im sorry but everything has to be perfect " Gary said rushing to the back bedroom to set everything up.

" Hey JD whats going on? " Jay said

" Well....that " Joe Don said as Gary rushed back to the front to grab some extra blankets and then into the back again.

" Wow he really needs to calm down " Jay said

" Ya thats what I told him but he wouldnt listen " Joe Don said

" Im gonna go talk to him " Jay said

Jay walked to the back of the bus to find Gary about to rush back to the front. As Gary was about to walk past him, Jay grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back.

" Jay what are you doing? " Gary said trying to get past Jay again

" Trying to slow you down " Jay said

" Jay I need to get through Ash.... " Gary tried to say but was cut off by Jay

" Ash is going to be here in 5 hours, you have plenty of time to get things set up, now please go sit down and relax " Jay said

" But.... " Gary said

" No buts now take a deep breath and go relax " Jay said

Gary did as Jay asked and went to the front couch and sat down.

" Hey man " Joe Don said

" Hey " Gary said

The guys sat there and talked for a couple of hours then Gary started to get things ready. By the time Gary was getting things all wrapped up it was time to go get Ashley.

" Gary come on man we gotta go! " Jay called to the back of the bus.

" Coming " Gary called back

Gary walked off the bus and met Jay and Joe Don at the limo. The car ride there was quite, Gary was really nervous and didnt feel like talking.

" Hey why are you so nervous? Its not like this is your first time seeing her or anything " Jay said

" Well I wanted it to be a suprise " Gary said

" What are you talking about? " Jay asked

Gary put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a velvet box. He opened the box and inside was a diamond ring.

" Gary are you going to....propose? " Jay asked

Gary nodded his head yes.

" I just want everything to be perfect, please dont tell anyone " Gary said

" We wont, will we Joe Don " Jay said

" Ya " Joe Don said

Gary smiled, he just hoped that everything will go as planned. This was going to be the best day of his life, but will Ashley give him the answer he was hoping for?
_________________

At the airport Gary was impatently waiting for Ashleys flight to land.

" Come on man relax, everything will we fine " Joe Don said

" But what if......" Gary started to say but was cut off by Jay

" Her plane just landed " Jay said pointing to the gate.

Gary turned around to see a bunch of people walking around. Finally he spotted her, Gary raced over to Ash and gave her a huge hug and a passionate kiss.

" Ive missed you so much " Gary said hugging Ashley tight

" Ive missed you to " Ashley said returning the hug.

" Wow look at you, your already starting to show " Gary said after they pulled apart

" Ya I guess I am, I havent really noticed " Ashley said

" Come on lets go get your bags " Gary said

They walked over to Jay and Joe Don.

" Hey smitty!! " Jay said giving her a hug

" Hey JJ, Hey Joey " Ashley said

" Hey Smithers " Joe Don said giving Ashley a hug

After Jay and Joe Don gave Ashley a hug they all went and got her bags.

" Is this all " Gary said

" Ya thats it " Ashley said

They guys took Ashley and her bags out to the limo. The ride back to the venue was more chatty then on the way there. Gary decided that once they got to the venue he would go on and propose.

" Jay, Joe Don can you put her bags on the bus I want to talk to Ash " Gary said once they got back

" Ya " Jay said knowing what he was really going to do

Jay and Joe Don put her bags on the bus while Gary took her hand and leading her down the sidewalk to a beautiful lake. Gary stopped at a bench and had Ashley sit down.

" Here sit down " Gary said

" Alright " Ashley said

They sat there in silence for a moment.

" Gary this lake is so beautiful " Ashley said

" ya it is " Gary said

Ashley closed her eyes and relaxed as the breeze blew through her hair.

" Ash?" Gary said

" ya" Ashley said

" Will you marry me? " Gary said

" Excuse me? " Ashley said unsure if she heard him right

Gary got down on one knee and pulled the velvet box out of his pocket. He opened it up and Ashley was breath taken by the ring that was inside

" Ash I love you so much, not only are you going to be the mother of my child, your my better half, I love you with every breath in my body I cant imagine life without you so what you you say will you marry me? " Gary said

Ashley felt the tears roll down her face, she couldnt believe it he was actually proposing

" yes " Ashley said

Gary got up and place the ring on her finger, then he pulled her close for a long, passionate kiss.

" I cant wait to show the others " Gary said as they walked back to the bus

" I cant eaither, just think of how the fans will react when they find out " Ashley said

" Hey why dont we tell them, then we can see first hand how they will react " Gary said

" you mean like having me go on stage tonight and you show them " Ashley asked

" ya " Gary said

" Ok sounds like fun " Ashley said

Gary was so happy, not only was he going to be a daddy he was marrying the woman of his dreams.
_________________

" WOO" Jay screamed through the mic

The fans went crazy. Ashley was standing off the side of the stage watching. The guys were halfway through the concert when Gary looked over at Ashley.

" Hey ya'll I want to make a special announcement " Gary said as the stadium went quiet

" Ok Ashley baby will you come out here" Gary said

Ashley walked out and the fans began to wisper among themselves.

" Ok this here is my beautiful girlfriend and well shes now my fiancee " Gary said

The fans went wild. Ashley could here screams, whistles, and clapping rise throughout the stadium.

" Thanks and theres one more thing, Were having a baby " Gary said

Thats when the whole place exploded. Ashley had never seen so many people go crazy at one time, it was amazing.

Gary took Ashleys hand and walked her off the stage.

" I love you " Gary said

" I love you too" Ashley said

Gary and Ashley shared a quick kiss before Gary ran back to the middle of the stage.

The rest of the concert went by fast. The fans were really energetic which made the concert even more amazing.

" Hey baby " Gary said as he walked off the stage

" Hey " Ashley said

Gary walked twords Ashley and tried to pull Ashley in for a hug.

" Gary no your all sweaty " Ashley said laughing

" Oh come on you know you want one " Gary said

Ashley started to jog down the hallway wiht Gary close behind her. Gary caught up to Ashley and pulled her in for one of the biggest bear hugs ever.

" Ewww " Ashley said giggleing

" You know you like it " Gary said

" Oh really " Ashley said

" Ya, you wanna know why you like it " Gary said

" Why? " Ashley asked

" Because now we get to take a shower " Gary said kissing Ashleys neck

" Hmmm that sounds good " Ashley said

Gary and Ashley headed for bus and took a shower. They made love until the water ran cold. Gary picked Ashley up and carried her to the back bedroom where they made love some more.

Jay and Joe Don walked on the bus to hear a noise coming from the back.

" Youve got to be kidding me " Joe Don said laughing

Jay walked back to the back bedroom and banged on the door.

" Hey, knock it off!!! Dont make me turn the hose on you two!! " Jay yelled

The noise stopped. Gary looked at Ashley and smilied. They both knew that this was the begining of a new life with one another.
_________________

That night laying in bed Ashley and Gary talked about thier future, the concert, just all sorts of things.

" you know we still need to set a date for the wedding " Ashley said

" ya....how bout we do that right now " Gary said getting out of bed and grabbing his jeans and pulling his cellphone out of the back pocket. Gary then got back into bed and flipped it open.

" Um how bout here " Gary said pointing to the cell phone screen.

" Ok...that will work " Ashley said

" Ok then its settled, we're getting married in July " Gary said

Gary and Ashley fell asleep in eachother arms both of them excited to get married.

The months had come and gone and before Gary and Ashley knew it, it was 2 days before the wedding and things were getting crazy. Ashley was now 5 months pregnant and was really showing. Ashley was sitting outside by the pool trying to relax but it wasnt really working.

" Hey " Gary said sitting next to Ashley

" Hey " Ashley said

" You nervous? " Gary asked

" Ya " Ashley said getting really quiet

" Its going to be ok, I promise " Gary said kissing her cheek

" Come on, I think I know what will make you feel better " Gary said taking Ashleys hand and leading her into the house. Gary walked Ashley over to the couch and had her sit down. He then began to rub her feet and her shoulders.

" hmmm that feels so good " Ashley said sinking more into the couch

Soon Ashley fell asleep. Gary picked her up and carried her up to bed. After he layed her down he sat next to her and watched her sleep. He couldnt believe that in a couple of days Ashley was going to be his wife.

The next day went fast, finally it was the big day and Gary was nervous as ever. He was pacing Jays living room floor hoping that everything will go ok.

" Cuz sit down before you wear a groove into my floor " Jay said

" Im sorry,I guess Im just nervous " Gary said

" Hey everything will be fine dont worry " Jay said

Gary wasnt the only one who was nervous. Ashley was going insane over at Garys house. Joe Don had gone over to Garys to check on Ashley and her found her running around.

" Woh slow down there sweetie this running around isnt good for you or the baby, now sit down and relax " Joe Don said taking Ashley over to the couch.

" Im sorry, Im just really nervous " Ashley said

" Hey before you know it you'll be walking down the asile and meeting the man of your dreams, now take a deep breath and calm down " Joe Don said

Ashley knew that Joe Don was right, she did as Joe Don said and before she knew it she was walking down the asile.

Ashley thought Gary was so handsome in his tux, and Gary thought Ashley was so beautiful in her long flowing gown. During the vows Gary couldnt take his eyes off Ashley and Ashley couldnt take her eyes off Gary. Soon Gary and Ashley were danceing as husband and wife.

4 months later Ashley gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Megan Lee Vernon. She had Garys deep blue eyes and Ashleys dark brown hair. Gary thought that Megan was a complete angel, like her mom.

Gary was indeed the Man in love with Ashley and they both wouldnt have it any other way.