" Hey, you sure you’re okay?"

      Ashley turned back to the man kneeling in front of her. She scanned her memory, trying to place his face among all the people who came to visit Spencer, but all she drew was a blank.

      "How do you know my name?" she spoke, a puzzled look in her eyes.

      " Oh, I’m sorry we haven’t met. My name is Arthur Carlin, i’m Spencer’s father. I moved back to Ohio after her mother and I split, but I decided to move back a couple of weeks ago. After Spence got sick I was flying out here every month. I decided I needed to be here for her and the rest of my family." he sat down on a nearby stool before continuing. " I just figured you were Ashley. I mean Spencer talks about you all the time. When I call it’s always Ashley this and Ashley that. It gets a bit tedious sometimes, I probably know everything down to your shoe size, but I’m happy she’s met such a great person."

     Ashley once again looked towards the bed, a small smile emerged on her face. Spencer was the first person to ever make her feel special, to truly care about her.

     Looking back towards Arthur she asked, " So what happened."

     " She caught a small lung infection. The doctors said it was lucky that they caught it early, who knows what might’ve happened if they hadn’t" His voice grew softer as he tried to conceal the tears forming in his eyes.

    They sat in silence for a bit, each trying to process the gravity of the situation. Suddenly they heard a small voice come from towards the bed.

     " You two look like someone just died. "

     Arthur and Ashley’s eyes looked up, staring at Spencer who was now awake smiling at the two of them. Arthur walked towards holding his daughters hand.

     " Hey sweetie, how do you feel?"

      " Like a million bucks dad, couldn’t be better." Her voice was hoarse. She looked away from her father and towards Ashley, their eyes locked and Spencer could see the fear and emotion behind the older girl’s gaze.