*                                               *                                                *

It took ten or so minutes for the sobbing to subside before Ashley and Spencer actually talked. Spencer was lying in her hospital bed and Ashley sat on its side, tucking a piece of hair behind Spencer’s ear.

"I love you, Ash" Spencer said meekly, though she meant every word.

 "I love you too" Ashley replied, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

 "Ash…I’m sorry for-"

 "I know." Ashley said, a small smile on her face. "And I’m sorry for-"

"I know." Spencer replied, laughing in spite of herself. Ashley took a breath and reached into her pocket, knowing she had to hurry things up. She took out the small velvety box, extravagantly marked "Tiffany & Co.", and creaked it open. Spencer’s gasped as she drank in the sight of the gorgeous silver band. The light coming in from the window struck it in all the right places, only adding to its brilliance.

 "If you still want to…" Ashley’s voice trailed off as she looked away, not sure if she would be able to handle rejection. Spencer’s hand cupped her face and turned Ashley back towards her. Ashley only had to look into her eyes for an answer. It was right there, staring back out at her.

Spencer had fallen asleep, clasping Ashley’s hands in hers. Ashley wordlessly tucked the small box into her pocket as she watched Spencer sleep.

 Just as she was starting to experience some semblance of normalcy the door creaked open to reveal Aiden’s guilty face, "We have some company, Ash." he whispered. The portly cop who had questioned her earlier slid in from behind, a stern ad unforgiving look on his face.

*                                                     *                             *

Gray sat his desk, combing through the stack of paper’s that embodied Casey’s medical records. He adjusted his glasses as he tossed another sheet of to the side in frustration. "It’s all the same.." he muttered. Never in Kevin Gray’s life had he seen such an indepth collection of notes. Casey Taylor had, in her seventeen years on earth, accumulated 134 pages of records. She’d seen a phyciatrist since she four and visited with a private doctor for the last eight years. However, it was the fact that she had walked into a hospital thirty six times since she was seven that really threw Gray off. Colds, flu’s, stomach aches, head aches…There were so many headaches. Gray leaned back in his chair and took a swig of water in an attempt to clear his head. That’s when he saw it. Out of the corner of his eye, Gray spotted a manilla, blue bordered, sheet, lightly crumbled and tucked underneath the stack he had yet to go through.

Curious, he yanked it out from under the rest. His eyes scanned the letter head, then the body. His eyes bugged out at the same time his jaw dropped, "Jesus fucking Christ…" He whispered. "Jesus fucking Christ…"

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