Forever & Always || Redlyn

A Call

Ashlyn was back at home, having rested well at the hospital. Hazel was old enough to not be crying a majority or the time, but the new baby wasn't. Plus, they both woke up early. Ashlyn quickly lacked sleep, as did Big Red.

"Can you get Thomas this time?" Ashlyn groaned, rolling over to face her husband in the middle of the night.

"Yeah, sure." Big Red got up and left. Ashlyn had fallen back asleep by the time he was back after having calmed their son down and put him back to sleep. He laid next to her.

"What?" She mumbled, hearing him get in bed.

"Nothing Ash." He hugged her from behind.

"G'night babe." She held onto his hand as she slowly drifted back to sleep.

"Night." He softly kissed her head.

The following day, the two of them were practically asleep all morning. Ashlyn, being unemployed, was home with the kids all day anyways, so she had no need to be outstandingly awake. Big Red had the day off, having requested it. They spent the day mostly together (Hazel was at preschool), besides when the other insisted their partner take a nap.

"Well rested?" Ashlyn asked Big Red, who came back to the den from their bedroom. He sat by her, nodding, as he tried to fully wake himself. He gave up, leaning on her shoulder with a small groan. She shifted, making sure she was still holding Thomas as well as she could.

"Babe..."

"Yeah?"

"I don't know, I'm just tired..."

"Yeah, I know." She kissed his forehead. "Today's been a weird mix of awful and amazing."

"How come?"

"We've all been together the whole day, we haven't had to do much." She shrugged. "But we haven't had to do much. That feels weird. Plus, I'm still tired despite not doing much..."

"Besides taking care of a family."

"Yeah. That's true." She gave him a half smile. "Okay, let's talk."

"Too tired."

"I'll talk then." She smiled. "But you're gonna have to answer."

"Okay."

"Just 2 kids?" She asked. "Is that still what you want?"

"I'm not going into labor, it hardly matters what I want— but yeah."

"Well, I mean, you have a say." She said. "If you said you wanted more and I didn't— that would be different. But I don't want any more..."

"You sound unsure."

"I don't want any more yet. Maybe in a few years. Maybe no more."

"That sounds great." He smiled, kissing her lightly. "That's it?"

"Yep."

"Then I'm going back to sleep." He said, already speaking into her shoulder again. She smiled lightly.

"Yeah. Okay."

"I mean I'll stay up. I'm just tired."

"Okay."

"Do you wanna sleep though?" He asked. "Or, you know, want me hold Thomas or something."

"Yeah, thanks." She handed Thomas to him. He adjusted, holding him. She leaned against him, letting out a calm sigh. She felt like she was going to fall asleep, before her phone rang. She looked at the contact. She seemed surprised.

"What?"

"I'll be right back." She answered the call, walking out of the room. He sat there patiently, admiring his son. Unlike Hazel, it wasn't hard for them to agree he looked most like Big Red, but he did like noticing the parts of his son that reminded him of Ashlyn.

"Who was that?" He asked when she came back in.

"Just hearing back about an audition. I mean, I haven't auditioned yet, just a chance." She smiled, taking her spot next to him.

"What amazing thing are you working on this time?" He asked, kissing her both gently and firmly.

"It's an open casting thing." She shrugged the question away. Or, she thought she did.

"Ash."

"They just reminded me there was this casting call for Broadway. It's open, so basically everyone ever auditions, but also Broadway means New York... we live in Utah. I like Utah." She added.

"I do too." He nodded. "But I'm pretty certain you'd like Broadway."

"I guess I can audition? It can't hurt." She shrugged slightly.

"Yeah. I'll remind you, just like with the tour, that you've gotta follow your dreams."

"I just never had enough time with you or Hazel that time." Her eyes watered. "Hazel didn't have me for almost a year. And I could barely help you with anything. And I just missed you, both of you."

"This would be different. We'd be in New York together, all of us."

"It's not even gonna happen."

"Don't say that—"

"No, it's not doubt, it's just quite literally super unlikely." She smiled slightly, kissing his cheek. "You wanna pick up Hazel or watch him?" She gestured to Thomas.

"I'll watch him."

"Okay, I'll see you in a little while." She waved. She grabbed her purse and headed out.

"Babe?" Ashlyn asked. She was struggling to fall asleep that night.

"Yeah." He groaned, waking up.

"How would I even get to New York? I'm not sure money would work—"

"Go back to sleep." He interrupted groggily. She was propped up, so he reached his arm around her and pulled her down. Their faces close, he kissed her.

"But there's so many issues—"

"You're going Ash, we'll get you there." He closed his eyes. "Back to sleep, you'll feel better."

"I never was asleep."

"But we went to bed hours ago." He said. She shrugged. He hugged her tightly, trying his hardest to be comforting despite the fact he was barely awake. A hug seemed like a win-win. "Night."

"I can't sleep." She sighed.

"We'll do what we have to do, you're getting to New York. I promise."

"But that's even scarier..."

"Love." He kissed her. "I know."

"I mean..."

"Yeah, maybe I don't literally know. But I know how things like that feel and I know how things like this make you feel. I know why you're nervous. It makes sense."

"Yeah, I guess it does." She whispered.

"Talk in the morning?"

"Yeah." She nodded. Finally giving in, she added. "Goodnight." She laid there. She still couldn't begin to fall asleep. Eventually, he caught on to that. They both faced the left, Big Red wrapping his arm around Ashlyn's waist. He gently ran his fingers through her hair with his other hand, calming her, until she eventually fell asleep. They fell asleep around the same time, resulting in his hand still there until about an hour into his sleep when he turned away.