Sleep to Dream - Part 16

[jyl22075]

The next month passed rather uneventfully for Coop and he couldn't have been happier about it. Ashlee was still staying with his dad and Doris, but he saw her everyday. She had finished his novels and had started editing his work in progress. Coop thought it was kind of sweet that she had not yet realized it was about her. She did keep saying how different it was from his previous works.

 

Coop had began seeing a grief counselor and even though he still hated the idea of talking about his feelings with a complete stranger, it did seem to be helping him. He was almost feeling normal again.

 

He still worried about Ashlee. Despite the fact that she seemed fine most of the time she was still having dizzy spells. She had been going to check-ups weekly and the kept trying different medications, but nothing seemed to be helping. Sometimes she would get so dizzy that she would just snuggle up in Coop's arms until she'd eventually fall asleep. Coop loved holding her, but whenever she drifted off to sleep after one of her dizzy spells he felt a knot of fear form in his stomach.

 

He was trying not to think it about that as he pulled in to his dads driveway. Coop had just had another counseling session and he was feeling a little worn down. He needed to see Ashlee. He unlocked the front door and found Ashlee sitting in the guest room. His novel spread out in front of her and her red pen in hand.

 

He leaned against the door frame and observed her for a few moments. She was so involved in her editing that she hadn't even realized he was there. “Butchering my work?” He asked a faint smile appearing on his face.

 

Ashlee glanced up, a grin sliding across her face. She finished writing a note on the side of one page then stood up and walked over to him, placing a kiss on his lips and wrapping her arms around him. “How was your appointment?”

 

“It was... good. Well... not good, but I think it's helping.” He said hugging her as close to him as he could. “I couldn't wait to get over here and see you though.” He gave her a wet, needy kiss, which Ashlee returned without hesitation.

 

He walked Ashlee back toward the bed, needing to be with her. She pulled away when he backed her in to the bed. “Coop, your papers...” his novel pages were spread out across the bed. He pushed them aside papers scattering across the floor. Ashlee let out a laugh and pulled his lips back down to hers. She sucked his tongue in to her mouth and Coop let out a groan.

 

As they fell back on the bed Ashlee tugged at the tee that was hugging Coop's chest. Her eagerness made him grin. He helped her pull off his shirt tossing it aside, Ashlee's hands immediately splayed across his chest, before moving around to the small of his back tugging him even closer. He had never realized that the small of his back was an erogenous zone until he and Ashlee had first made love.

 

He pulled her blouse off her and tossed it in the same direction as his shirt, but stopping short when he saw the lacy, black bra that she had been hiding underneath her clothes. It looked impossibly dark against her pale skin. For a moment, he didn't move, just taking in how beautiful she looked.

 

She raised an eyebrow, her blue eyes sparkling with pleasure. “Like it?”

 

“There are no words...” Coop said before kissing her again, slower this time, savoring her. He started to slip one strap down her shoulder when he heard a shriek.

Coop pulled away from her in surprise to see Doris standing in the doorway of the guest room. They had left the door open, he realized. Ashlee gasped and used Coop as a shield from her mothers gaze.

 

“Mom, what are you doing here? I thought you had a meeting...” Ashlee remarked from over Coop's shoulder.

 

“Obviously. It was canceled so I thought I would see if you wanted to have lunch.” Doris replied with an arched eyebrow. “Really, Ashlee... you are still in recovery. And, Henry! You should know better.” Coop definitely felt at a disadvantage having been caught by surprise and shirtless, so he said nothing.

 

“Mom, I feel fine... if you hadn't shown up I'd be feeling way better than fine...” She had mumbled the last part of that sentence in to Coop's shoulder and he let out a cough in an attempt to hide his laughter.

 

“What?” Doris, thankfully, had not heard her.

 

“I said, can you give us a minute here?” Ashlee lied easily.

 

“I don't know. Can the two of you be trusted alone?”

 

“Only one way to find out, Mother.” Ashlee had used such a fake sugary tone it was almost overbearing. Doris rolled her eyes and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Once she had left the room Coop and Ashlee shared a look before cracking up with laughter.

 

Ashlee managed to catch her breath long enough to put her blouse back on. Coop felt momentary disappointment at not being able to see that black, lacy perfection any longer. He sighed and pulled his shirt over his head.

 

“I should probably go out first, so I can try and calm her down.” She said, placing a soft kiss on his lips. “You can pick up this mess you made.” Ashlee gestured to the papers scattered everywhere, grinned and left the room.

 

Coop began stacking up the papers, smiling to himself. He was definitely going to have to invite Ashlee back to his place. At least there he knew they wouldn't be interrupted. As he finished gathering up all the papers and Ashlee's red pen, he heard Doris yell for him.

 

Coop raced down the hall in to the living room and found Ashlee lying on the couch. Doris was practically screaming her name.

 

“Doris, what happened?” He said running over to them.

 

“I don't know, one minute she was sitting here and the next she was passed out.” Doris was close to panic, Coop could hear it in her voice.

 

“Doris, call 911.” He said. Doris immediately nodded. Coop knew that giving her something to do was the best way to stave off the panic, because Ashlee was exactly the same way.

 

Coop sat next to Ashlee, fighting back the terror he felt. Only moments before Ashlee had been fine. At that moment he did the only thing he could think of; he prayed.