Pulse

Loose ends

    I wake up to a vibrating sound, pulling me out of my sleep. I open my eyes and look around to see Asher's phone vibrating. Collapsing back into the bed, I nudge Asher.

"Babe. You're phone is ringing." I sleepily mumble. I look over to the clock, 4:00 am. Who the hell could be calling at this hour? I hear Asher answer his phone, mumbling a hello. I am about to fall asleep when Asher's yelling wakes me up.

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me?" I can hear the anger in his voice. He is sitting up when he throws his phone into the bed. His hands are running through his hair.

    I sit up, concerned. "What's wrong?" I move my hand to his back, leaning my head against his shoulder. I look up at him and can  see that his jaw is clenched.

"My mom was drunk driving and she hit someone. My dad lied when he said she completed rehab and was sober. She checked out and has been drinking this whole damn time."

    A silent "O" forms on my lips. I get out of bed and start packing our things. "Well let's get going. We can maybe make it there by morning. You should be there. And I'm coming with you."

   Asher walks over placing a kiss to my cheek. "You're amazing, you know that right?" I smile at his remark.

   It is the middle of November and I am 6 months pregnant. I pack my warm clothes and waddle my way to get Charlie's things together while Asher is finishing packing. Charlie is coming with us considering it is 4 am. We load up my jeep and hit the road.

    We are about an hour from his parents when my nerves begin. My last visit here was not a pleasant one. Sensing my nerves, Asher reaches over and grabs my hand.

"It's going to be okay babe." He places a kiss to the back of my hand before moving his hand to my large belly. I place my hand over his as he rubs my belly, only to be rewarded with a strong kick.

     Asher's grin is from ear to ear. He loves feeling the babies kick. "I'm so excited to meet them." He says as he picks my hand back up and places another kiss to it.

     Our happiness is short lived as we pull into his parents driveway. Dread replaces the joy I was previously feeling. Asher places a kiss to my forehead as he leads the way into his parents house. I follow behind with Charlie at my side.

We walk into the house to find his dad sitting at the kitchen table. His head jerks up as he hears us enter. Surprise fills me as he gets up and walks over to his son, pulling him into his arms.

"Thank you so much for coming son." Asher nods at his dad and returns the hug. Moments go by before they release each other.

"Dad. Do you remember my girlfriend Carson?" Nerves flutter through me as the attention turns to me. I step forward, with Charlie at my heels, to shake his had.

"Hi Mr. Miller. I'm Carson." My hand meets his and a smile forms on his face.

"Please, call me Jim. And I'm sorry about your visit the last time you were here. Things-"

I cut him off before he finishes. "You don't have to explain yourself. I completely understand." His gaze looks me over from head to toe, stopping at my swollen belly. I can only imagine what he is thinking. Asher walks over next to me and gets on his knees,placing a kiss to each side of my belly.

"And these are my babies." Asher states proudly. I look over to Jim nervously and see him smile.

"So I take it things between you are pretty serious."

Still on his knees, Asher looks up meeting my eyes. His gaze never falters from mine as he replies.
"She is the love of my life."

I wake up the next morning expecting Asher to be next to me. Instead I find Charlie sound asleep next to me. I wrap my arms around him and snuggle into him, using him as a pillow. Eventually finding some motivation, I crawl out of bed and walk down stairs. I find Asher in the kitchen going through all the cabinets.

"Did you forget where the food is?"

A smirk appears on his face. "No. I'm just dumping out all the alcohol in the house."

I nod, not knowing what to say. I just take a seat and watch him as he goes through all he cabinets and drawers. After he is done he comes over and takes the seat next to me. We are both silent until he decides to speak. "I should go wake up my dad so we can go to the hospital."

    We are at the hospital and are walking down the hall to see Asher's mother. I can hear yelling from the hallway. As we get closer to her room, I realize it is her that is yelling. We enter the room as the nurse is leaving, giving her a sympathetic glance.

    Asher's mom is in the bed. Her leg is being held in a straight traction. And her arm is in a sling. Her eyes narrowed in on Asher.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Venom is laced in her voice.

   Asher is unfazed by her cruelty. He walks over to the side of the bed and stands there. "Why did you check out of rehab?" He challenges her.

   His mother scoffs, shaking her head. "I don't have to answer to you."

  I am unable to contain my silence any longer. I step forward next to Asher. I am unable to control the anger in my voice. "No. You have to answer the person you hit. Do you know how lucky you are you didn't kill them?"

    I glare at her, waiting and searching for any remorse. There is none. Instead she turns her cold tone to me.

"You have no idea what your talking about."

"I have no idea what I'm talking about." I mutter under my breath, in disbelief at her words. I am losing a battle with my anger. "My parents died because they got hit by a drunk driver. So don't fucking tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. Someone just like you, who never thinks about consequences or anything else, decided to have a drink and go driving. That person is the blame for my fucked up childhood." I spit the words out.

   Asher wraps his arm around me, placing a kiss to my temple. He lets go of me and leans in closely to his mother.

"You need to get your shit straight. You've been dealt shitty cards, but you need to deal with it. I'm not going to allow my children to be exposed to someone as toxic as you. It's your choice to get sober, but I will not be around if you choose not to."

   He straightens up, putting his arm around me and leading me out the room. I can feel his mothers gaze on me as I leave.

   We are in the hallway waiting for Asher's father to finish speaking with his mom when Brooke comes walking towards us. I roll my eyes, wanting this day to be over.

"Hey Asher." She turns her gaze to me. "Hey Carly. How have you been?" I watch as her gaze travels down, stopping and again fixating on my stomach.

   Asher puts a protective hand against my belly. "It's Carson, Brooke. But you knew that. Now leave us the fuck alone. You think would have gotten the hint after you showed up unannounced, but I guess not."

   Asher grabs my hand, leading me down the hall towards the elevator. I can feel Brooke's eyes on us as we are waiting for the elevator. A smug smile crosses my face as Asher tightens his grip on me, knowing that her interference is finally over.