Recollection

The next morning arrived quicker than I expected. I awoke to Ashley terrorizing his closets. Back and forth between the two of them. Clothes flying out of each, landing where they may on the floor. Far from their point of destination..his suitcase.

"Why didn't you pack ahead of time?" I asked.

Ashley just glared and continued his whirlwind around the spacious room. He stopped again to rearrange the mounds of pillows around me. He then took Punk out of his playpen and plopped him down in the center of them.

"Here ya go Punk! Play up there with Mommy!" he said planting a kiss atop Hunter's forehead before going back to the task at hand.

I kept my eye on Punk as he fiddled all around the huge bed. I smiled each time a laugh or a giggle came out of his little body, mostly due to Ash playing some game with him.

"I'm gonna miss this!" Ash picked Hunter up into his arms and planked down beside me on the bed.

"I'm gonna miss the both of you so much. You sure you won't go?" he asked sweetly.

"Ash, we discussed this." was all I could say before I turned my face away. I couldn't bear to see the saddened look in his eyes.

With Punk still in his arms, he went back to the task of packing up his belongings. I hopped along to the adjoining bathroom.

Sitting on the toilet was when the tears came like a volcano erupting. I tried my damndest to keep the sobs quiet but Ash obviously heard for he shot in like a bullet. He drew me into his embrace and I sobbed even harder.

It was going to be hell emotionally to let Ash leave for a month.

"I'm okay." I said pushing Ashley away.

"You sure sound it! Autumn, talk to me please?!"

I couldn't find the words, I just sobbed and sobbed into his bare shoulder. Ashley just held me, fingers smoothing my hair.

I could feel Punk's eyes on me, such a small thing wondering what was wrong with his Mama.

After a good ten minutes, the sobs subsided and Ashley handed me a bit of toilet paper to blow my nose, then more to wipe after using the facilities. I hopped over to the sink and Ash helped wash my one hand.

"Autumn, what the hell is going on?"

"Nothing!"

"Yeah right, you're so damn emotional lately. Crying at a drop of a hat."

"It's nothing." and hopped out of the bathroom hoping to escape Ashley's pondering. But it was for nothing as he followed close by firing off the questions like a loaded cannon.

"..Is it me?"

I parked myself on the bed and screamed "Yes!" and the questioning stopped.

"Yes Ash, it's you! It's you and Andy and Niki and everybody else! I can't handle all you guys doing my work for me and I can't repay any of you."

"Aut.."

"Shush! I can't pay any of you back for what you've bought for both me and Punk. I can't pay you guys back for all your time wasted on my stupid ass."

"Autumn! For fuck's sake!" I knew by the tone of his voice I hit a nerve badly. "Enough!"

I watched as he paced the room for a few minutes before going into the bathroom and turning the shower on full blast. He came back out and forcibly told me to get my ass in there.

He wrapped my plaster-cased hand up and stripped himself and Punk down to nothing.

Grabbing onto my free arm, he forced me into the shower stall closing the door behind him.

I knew he was very angry for he was quite rough cleaning my hair and body. He took ease with Punk though. Once the three of us were finished, we got out and he had me sit upon the toilet cover while he dressed Punk and found me some clothes.

When he came back in, he was on his phone. I didn't pay attention to the conversation when I probably should have when Ash ended it by saying we'll be ready in about twenty minutes.

"Ash..no!"

"You're not fighting me on this one. You and Punk are coming with me and that's final!"

He practically threw the clothes on my body and began tying back my hair once finished. He did a quick makeover on me and then went on to get himself dressed quite quickly.

I heard the doorbell chime and Ash disappeared with Punk downstairs. I hopped out into the bedroom before he came back up with Andy and CC in tow. Both came over to give me each a hug before CC grabbed onto the bags awaiting and Andy wrangled me up into his arms.

We all went downstairs and outside to a van waiting. Andy placed me into the front seat, buckled my seat belt and climbed in back with Jake and Jinxx. CC, Ash, and Punk soon followed and we were all off to LAX to head overseas for the next month.

Notes