Andy turned and kissed Jazmina's head softly before getting out of bed. He grabs his phone off his night stand and walks out of his room, to the sitting room. He sits down on the love seat and dials Ashley's number.
"Hey you've reached Ashley, I can't talk right now because I'm too busy being awesome. Please leave your name and number after the beep, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible."
The line beeps and Andy sighs. "Ash, babe it's me.. Please forgive me for not standing up to my dad. I panicked and didn't know what to say or do. Please call me back so we can talk about this." he says as he stretches out on the love seat.
Ashley probably hates him for not standing up to Chris. But, the truth was, Andy was still very much afraid of what his dad was capable of. The last fist fight he had with Chris landed him in the hospital with a broken nose, bruised ribs and a concussion.
He looks up at the clock that hung on the wall. "Well, it's only eight thirty.. May as well close my eyes for a bit and call him again later." He says softly to himself as he heads back towards his bedroom. He pulls the covers back on the bed, climbing carefully in bed beside Jazmina. She snuggles close and snores softly.
Andy smiles as he begins to drift off into a peaceful slumber.
It's about ten o'clock when Andy opens his eyes again. He picks up his phone, checking it. No missed calls, no new text messages.
Worried, he dials Ashley's number again.
"Ashley, please answer me baby. I'll do whatever you want, we can move to Missouri like you wanted. To your parent's farm... Just please call me and tell me that you're okay.. The weather is terrible outside and I'm scared.."
He said, fighting to keep his emotions in check.
He sighs, hanging up the phone. He watches Jazmina sleep next to him, stray brown hairs that didn't go back into her braid fall into her face. She breathes slow and steady, snoring softly like Ashley.
He smiled and kissed her head, pulling her close before drifting back into the darkness.
The sound of his cell phone wakes Andy from his slumber. He rolls over, half asleep and picks it up.
"Hello?" he mumbles.
"Andy, It's Juliet.." the voice says. Andy rubs his eyes and slowly sits up, careful not to wake his daughter.
"Jules, why are you calling me so late?" he asks, looking over at the clock. The clock reads twelve thirty.
"Andy.. there's been an accident." Juliet says, her voice nearly cracking. Andy is instantly shaken from his sleep.
"Accident? What kind of accident?" he whispers.
The line goes silent for a few moments. Andy takes a few deep breaths, trying not to go into a panic attack.
"Juliet?? What kind of accident? Is it Ashley? Is he okay?" he asks.
Juliet sniffles in the background, trying to muffle a sob.
Andy's heart sinks, sending chills up his spine as he waits for a response. Tears begin to sting at the corners of his eyes.
"Juliet... please... what happened..." he pleads.
