Across the Fence

Part 10

Two months later

Tom's POV

I'm catching a plane back to the UK,  filming has been put on hold due to an impending hurricane. So I'm getting the hell out of dodge just a couple of days before it hits landfall. Shelby insisted on coming with me, which is not going to be good  considering I'm not going to be able to avoid Ashley the whole time I'm home. I tried calling and texting her numerous times in the last month to no avail. I suppose she gave up on me, and I can't say I blame her, I pretty much blew her off.

Once Shelby and I arrive back at my place, I'm relieved to see Ashley isn't home, but I know I won't be so lucky for long, I'm going to have to face the heat at some point. Until then we order some take out and chill on the couch watching TV. Later on, Shelby and I were sitting in the Jacuzzi in my back yard when I see Ashley's back porch light flip on. I quickly stand up, "Shelby, come on lets go into the house, I'm getting cold. She looks at me like I'm crazy. " Cold? It's 120 degrees in the hot tub, come on get back in." "Tom?" I hear the very familiar voice say from across the fence. I turn around slowly and I'm surprised to see how tired and frail Ashley looks. "Ashley, How are you darling?" Shelby gives me a weird look and Ashley stares at me blankly. "Why do you care how I've been? I haven't heard from you for over a month and I didn't even know you were coming home." I sigh and run my hand down my face. "Shelby will you excuse us for a moment please?" She gives me a dirty look and opens her mouth to protest, but Ashley speaks up before she can get it out. "No, That's okay, I have to go to bed anyways, you two have a good night." She turns and walks back to the house  and disappears through the door. "What the fuck was that all about? I thought you broke up with her? I sigh loudly. "I never let her in on the secret"

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Ashley's Pov

I make it into the house before I break down in tears. It's not that I hadn't excepted the fact that it was over between us, but seeing him here in the flesh with his very beautiful co-star, just made it real. I think stress of crying made me even more weak than I was before, I just barely make it to the couch before my legs give out and I land face first on the soft cushions. I lay there for a minute trying to get my strength to make it to the bedroom, when I hear the front door open and Rhonda yell out for me. "I'm in the living room" She walks into the room and stares at me with a worried look. "Damn Ash, You look horrible honey, come on lets get you to bed, the chemo must have kicked your ass today." I smile weakly. "Yeah, it kicked ass and took names later." Rhonda laughed out loud, then helps me up from the couch. "You have lost so much weight, I could almost carry you." Tears start to roll down my cheeks again. "Tom's home." Rhonda lets out a sigh as she helps me into bed. "Ash, don't worry about that asshole, you need to concentrate on yourself right now okay?" I nod my head and close my eyes. "He had a woman with him, his co-star." Okay, get some sleep sweetheart. I'm going to stay with you tonight, just in case you need me." I start to shake my head. "No arguing, now go to sleep."

I wake up a couple hours later feeling extremely nauseous but I can't even get out of bed, so I yell for Rhonda. She comes running. " What's wrong Ash?" I sit up in bed. "I'm going to be sick, I need a trash can." After what seemed like hours, I lay back in the bed extremely spent, and fall back to sleep only to wake up thirty minutes later to do it all over again. At some point I must have passed out, because when I wake up, there is a paramedic standing over me putting a IV into my arm. "It's okay Ash, you got really sick, they're going to take you to the hospital." I nod and fall back to sleep.

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Rhonda's POV

Just as I'm about to get into my car to follow the ambulance to the hospital, I see Tom running towards me. "Rhonda, what happened, is Ashley okay?" I shake my head, and quickly jump out of the car. "No Tom, Ashley's not okay, she has cervical cancer, she found out right after you left for Hawaii." He seems to be unsteady on his feet when he hears the news. W-why didn't she tell me?" I scoff out a non humorous laugh. "She was waiting for you to call her, and you never did. You dropped her like a hot potato. After that she decided she was never going to tell you." Tom looks at me with remorse. "I'm a fucking dick." I slid back into the drivers seat. "You said it, not me."