Aly-Oops!

Chapter 24- Aly I'm Scared

"Asher!" I yell out in a frenzy.
"Dad!!" I shriek.

"Everything alright?!" My dad calls from the living room.

My dad is a nurse so I call for him during these types of things...

"No...."

I just keep staring at what appears to be a passed out Asher on the kitchen floor.

I neal down next to him, and now that I have a closer look I can see that his forearms and his eyelids are twitching.

"Ash...wake up!" I exclaim as I place my hands on his shoulders and shake him back and forth.

His eyes sluggishly open about less than halfway.

"What is going on?!" My dad exclaims as soon as he finds me on the floor next to Asher

"I don't know! I just found him like this. He came in for a snack and the next thing I know..."

"Ok! Ok!...Asher, I need you to look at me so I know you can hear me. Asher...Asher." Dad directs sternly as he crouches down beside Asher across from me.

Ash opens his eyes slowly before shutting them tightly again.

"So what are we going to do?!" I cry.

"Call his mom. He needs to go home." Dad tells me.

"But he can't go home!" I cry. "His mom just called telling him he can't come home!"

"Well he obviously can't stay on the floor like this."

"You're a nurse!" I cry.

"And that's his mom! There's not much I can do, Alessa. Especially if I don't have his family here. I'm sure whatever he can't come home for can wait in a medical emergency."

I slowly get up and start to cry.

"Ok. I guess I have more experience than you with this. Give me his mother's phone number. I'll go call and you stay with him here, alright?"

I nod slowly as I pull my phone out of my pocket.

"Here." I hand it to my dad with Sienna's contact open.

Dad grabs it and walks back toward our living room.

"Asher..." I cry as I stroke his hair.

No wonder he was so uptight. Something wasn't right with him...

"Now this next story takes place outside the apartment of a seventeen year old boy here in Philly. Bringing it to you, Lisa."

I look up at the television that is still playing in the corner. The channel 8 News is on. It's usually on in our house. Except it tends to be just a continuous loop so after a while the same stories play over and over again.

"Yes, if you look around there are many television crews and reporters just swarmed outside this young basketball players apartment. Apparently the young basketball prodigy, Asher Westman, who was recruited to play for Villanova University was already in the process of being screened for suspicious drug and steroid use had yet another incident today when he pushed an opposing player on the court."

"YOU'RE DISGUSTING YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES! Sienna yells from behind the reporter.

I am in absolute awe...

It looks like hundreds of reporters are outside Ash's apartment to question today's incident. Don't they realize that Todd was being so aggressive toward Asher?! Asher didn't just push him out of the blue.

"I have with me here the boy who claims to be pushed by Westman and is looking to press charges."

As soon as Todd appears with the news reporter and she places her hand on his shoulder I feel like I'm going to be down on this floor too...

"Those steroids made him so strong I was nearly beat to that gymnasium floor."

I think my jaw is going to drop to that gymnasium floor!!

"Aly, I cant get in touch with her, I called 911. The EMTs should be here soon."

"Dad..." I utter as I point up to the television.

"What's going on." Josh asks from the doorway to the kitchen.

"It's ok, Josh. The ambulance is coming because Asher isn't feeling well. Just wait outside ok?"

I would rather him not see Ash like this.

"Why? I want to see him."

"Joshua! OUT!" Dad demands.

"Okaaaayyyy..." He whines.

"EMS!" I hear from the doorway and before I know it a crew of first responders are swarmed around Asher.

"I just found him laying on the floor I don't know what happened..." I cry.

"He's seventeen but I couldn't get in touch with his family at all. He's my daughter's boyfriend, I consent on their behalf." Dad tells the crew.

"Ok...What's his name?" One of them asks.

"Asher...Asher Westman. January 14, 2000." I tell them.

"Asher, bud. Asher...ASHER!" The EMT tells while shaking him back and forth.

Ash's eyes open slightly more than they did the last time we called him.

"Responsive to voice...ok, we are going to transport him to the hospital to get this checked out. Any medical history you know of?"

"He has Tourette Syndrome...oh and he is color blind...and...uh...hmmm...I think he may have hurt his knee one time last year when he fell playing basketball but it was just a bruise...and I think he maybe gets allergies occasionally when the weather changes but it's usually just a runny nose at most and it always clears up in a day or two...and...ummm...."

"Ok, Miss. That's enough info..."

"He has Tourette's? So does he like...." One of the other EMTs asks.

"Huh? No....no....you know only like less than ten percent of people with Tourette's curses? He just has physical tics and makes noises and stuff. I don't know if that's relevant to this at all I just found him here." I tell them before I actually start crying.

"Ok,...ok...We will take good care of him alright?" The EMT tells me as he puts his hand on my shoulder.

I nod.

"Been together a while?"

"About a year, but he's like more than a boyfriend...he's my best friend."

"Aly." Dad whispers to me. He motions for me to come to the side while the crew lifts up Ash to move him to the stretcher.

"I'm going to drive to the hospital and meet you guys there. I think you should go on the ambulance with him."

"Me? I'm a mess..." I cry.

"Alessa. He needs you with him."

I just glance into my father's eyes.

"Ok."

I follow the crew out of our house and direct them back to the parking lot.

"Alright..the ambulance is right here."

"Thank you so much...." I say softly as I step inside and take a seat.

Weeeewooooweeewooo....

I grab onto Ash's hand and cry some more as I lean forward and rest my forehead on his chest.

"....Aly?..." he mumbles softly.

"Asher!" I exclaim.
"You're awake."

Asher's eyes are open now, but he looks kind of tired and confused.

"Asher do you know where you are? Do you remember what happened?" I ask.

"Aly...."

I continue holding his hand and just gaze into his bright colored eyes as he softly utters

"....Aly, I'm scared..."

I'll never forget that sound in his voice and that look in his eyes....