Sweet Summer Sunsets- A Robert Irwin FanFic

Ashley

As Cait and I walked up the steps of the deck, I couldn't help but smile over the way Robert put his arm around me and held my hand earlier. 

"So, are you and Robert a thing?" She asked as we made our way to the back door. 

"Yes and no," I explained, "we're taking things slow. We've liked each other for a while now, but we're making sure we take it slow and steady. But gosh, he's fantastic. "

"Yeah, he's quite sweet. And good looking too, but of course, you know that. I hope it works out for you two," She said quietly as we entered my house and made our way upstairs. 

"Well,  I'll see you in the morning," I said, opening the door to my room, "goodnight." 

"Goodnight, sleep tight," Cait called quietly over her shoulder. I went into my room and changed just into an oversized shirt that was my dad's. I checked my phone to see a text from Robert.

Robert: goodnight beautiful, sleep tight. call me if you have nightmares 

Me: goodnight Tarzan, you too. and I will :)

I set my phone down on my nightstand, rolled over, and closed my eyes. I soon drifted off into a peaceful sleep. 

The sound of my phone ringing blared through my dreams, disrupting my peaceful slumber. I blindly slapped my hand around on my nightstand, looking for my phone on the wireless charger. I answered it before I could make out who it was calling. 

"Hello?" I said, pressing my phone to my ear in one hand and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes with the other. 

"Hey, love...Uhm... I know it's early and you weren't going to wake up for a few more hours, but there was a storm about 30 minutes from here," Robert's voice came through the phone. There was no background noise so I figured he was out in the parking lot by the Wildlife Hospital, or in a room somewhere. His voice sounded worried, scared even. "And it had hailed... There are injured birds, and they just keep coming. We need all the help we can get here."

"Oh, dear. Yeah give me just a bit to get dressed and ready and I'll be right there," I said, slowly getting out of bed.

"Yeah,  Uhm...Please hurry. And be safe," he said before hanging up. 

I got up, quickly changing into some looser fitting jeans, so as to not rub against my healing leg and a khaki shirt. Going into the bathroom I checked my phone while brushing my teeth. It was 6:40 in the morning, the sun was already up and the sky was filled with streaks of pink and orange clouds. I threw my hair in a ponytail and went out to the back deck to slip on my shoes.

I jogged to the zoo, trying to get there as fast as I could. The warm early morning summer air tickled my arms as a gentle wind blew. Robert's worried voice alarmed me and made my heart stop. I've only heard that tone of voice from him when there was an animal emergency and I couldn't imagine if he would have the same tone for a people emergency. At least when he's injured himself he was rather calm. 

As I approached the zoo, I could see the lights on in the Wildlife Hospital and the bustle of people running around inside. Coming closer, I made out the figure of someone and figured it must've been Robert.

"Robert?" I called, slowly down to a fast walk to catch my breath. 

He came jogging to me, his arms wrapping me in a tight hug and slightly lifting me off the ground once he reached me. 

"Love, I'm so glad you're here." He whispered, his strong biceps squeezing me as he buried his face in my neck. "There's been over a dozen birds so far, and mum expects there to be tons more. I know it was just a storm but still," he explained once he pulled away.