Push

Chapter 44

Ali Krieger POV

Ash and I are heading to the hospital to go see Cameron and relieve Kelley. When we reach her room, we see Kelley in bed beside Cameron. Both are asleep as Kelley has her arms wrapped around Cameron.

"Kelley." Ash whispers tapping Kelley awake. She groans and eventually opens her eyes. "Switch spots." Soon Ash replaces Kelley in the bed and they try their best not to wake up Cameron in the process.

"Rough night?" I ask Kelley as I see bags under her eyes.

"Her fever spiked again and she had two nightmares when she allowed herself to fall asleep. She eventually fell back asleep about an hour ago." She tells us in her morning raspy voice.

"Her and those nightmares." Ash whispers and shakes her head as she looks down at Cammy.

"Pinoe is waiting for you outside in the rental car. Wash up and get some rest." I say and she nods.

"I'll see you guys later. Keep me posted." With that she walks out the door.

"You think the nightmares will ever leave her?" I ask Ash.

"I have no idea. It's just one thing after another for this kid. Hopefully she can catch a break soon. We all need a break." I know what she means. It's been a rollercoaster of good and bad but that's just life.

"Thank God we can head back home after she's released." I whisper and I sit on the chair to Cameron's left side.

A nurse comes in and looks over Cameron's vital signs and checks her temp.

"Her temp seems to be going down." The nurse smiles. We smile back happy to hear some good news. "The doctor will be here in about two hours to talk to you about when she can leave."

We just sit there and scroll through our phones trying to allow time to pass. Cameron is still sleeping which is good. She's going to need it especially if she wants to recover quickly.

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We are headed back to the hotel with Cameron right now. Her doctor gave her the all clear to be discharged. He said if she has a fever just to give her Tylenol and if it gets too high to head back to the ER. She didn't have a fever since last night with Kelley which is good. Pinoe picked us up and Cameron is asleep against my shoulder as Ash is upfront.

In a few hours, we are going to go out to dinner to meet Adam. Cameron and Adam were insistent on having us meet before we leave for Florida tomorrow. We get to the hotel and walk to Cameron's room and she heads right to bed. Once we know she's okay, we head back to our room.

"Be nice to him when we see him." I warn Ash.

"Gasp. You know I'll be on my best behavior." She smirks but I know her. She's very protective.

"Ash, I'm serious. It's important to Cameron." I urge her.

"I know. I know."

We nap and wake up to a text from Cammy.

It says, "Change of plans. I don't feel too hot to go to a restaurant or to even get out of bed. I texted Adam and he's going to bring take out for you guys and soup for me."

We freshen up and head over to Cameron's room.

"I just feel fatigued and weak." Cam tells us as we ask her how she's feeling. I touch her forehead but she doesn't seem to have a fever. "He should also be here in about 5 minutes."

"Where's Kelley?" Ash asks Cameron.

"I told her he was coming and she excused herself for a couple of hours. I told her she should stay but she insisted on giving us space."

"That's nice of her." I state. 

There's a knock on the door and I walk to open it. There stood the one and only Adam.

"Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Adam." Adam sticks out his hand for me to shake.

"Hi, Adam. I'm Ali and this is Ashlyn." I say pointing to Ash who is leaning against the drawers trying to look intimidating. I give her a look to stop it. She knows exactly what she's doing.

"Hi Ashlyn." He timidly says.

"Hello Adam."

"Ugh these are for you guys." He hands us flowers and the food he bought us.

"Heyyy babe!" Cameron speaks up interrupting the awkwardness.

"Hi baby." He walks over and pecks her check with a kiss. "Here's your soup."

As we eat and Ash decides to start her investigation process. This woman is something else.

"So what's your last name, Adam?" She starts.

"Jordan." He says getting caught off guard.

"Where do you live?" She asks another question.

"A couple of miles from Santa Monica."

"What are your intentions with Cameron?"

"Okay, Ash, enough with the 21 questions." Cameron cuts off Ashlyn.

"What? I just want to get to know him." Ashlyn defends herself. I chuckle knowing she's doing it on purpose.

"It's fine." Adam tells Cameron. "What else do you want to know?"

"You see he's fine with it." Ash keeps going. "Tell me about your family."

"Um." He hesitates and I see Cameron put her hand on his arm. Ash just asked the wrong question didn't she. "Never really knew my father. He was killed in Iran while serving in the U.S. Army. From what I have been told her was funny and disciplined. My mother raised me and my siblings. I have a younger brother and older sister. I'm a middle child." He finishes up.

"Have you thought about serving?" I ask.

"I would be lying if I said it never crossed my mind. But for right now, I have to take care of my family. My mother is struggling with her health and I'm doing my best to provide for her and my siblings." He simply says.

There was a silence that fell over us.

"Nice tats." He points to Ash trying to ease up the room.

"Thanks. The ones you do aren't too shabby either." Ash points to Cameron's arm.

"I started drawing at a young age and my passion turned into my career. Not many people can have that reality." He says.

All three of us nod and agree as we feel the same about soccer.

"I totally get where you are coming from." Ash says. Do I see her warming up to the dude? It seems like Ash and Adam are in their own world talking to each other.

"They found a common ground." Cameron whispers to me as we watch them talk about different passions, tattoos, and life. "I warned him she might question him."

"I warned her not to." We laugh knowing Ash's protective self.