All is Found

10

Pat just held me against him for what felt like hours. My arms clung to him like a new born to their mothers. I didn't want to let go. After a while and a gallon of tears Pat finally pulled me off of him.

            "Where have you been Ashlyn? Bobby and Eli have been here demanding I tell them where you are along with planning Eds funeral arrangements it has been a stressful couple of days." Pat said and led me over to the couch I have spent countless of nights sleeping on.

            "That night I went to dinner with Bobby and Logan was actually a surprise party for me for signing the new contract. I don't know how he did it but my signature was on the final page of the new contract. I couldn't live under his control anymore Pat. I left the party and came home to find you and Ed..." I stopped my sentence there. I didn't want to finish it. I took a few deep breaths and put my head in my hands.

            "I walked to the bridge that's over the river and I was going to jump off. Thea, the cop who spoke with you, saved my life. She pulled me back over the rail and has been letting me stay with her while I've been deciding what I'm going to do next." I said.

            Pat didn't say anything and just pulled me into him. We didn't say anything for a while. I know my time with him is limited right now and I shouldn't be wasting it but I couldn't help but just wanting to be held by him.

            "Did you plan Ed's funeral yet?" I asked after a while.

            "Not yet. I've just been calling our family to let them know of his passing. Our son Nicholas is going to be coming up from North Carolina with his wife tomorrow to help me plan everything. I want you to be there Ashlyn. You're like our daughter and I know he would have wanted you to sing at the service." Pat said and moved some of my hair off my face as I sat back against the couch.

            "Whatever you need me to do. Do you need help with the expenses? Funerals aren't cheap." I said speaking from experience.

            "No dear, we have bought plots a few years ago and money set aside for this for a while now. Ed will just want you to help me get all his pictures together for the boards at the wake." Pat said with a chuckle.

            "We'll find the most embarrassing ones of us and have them on display for everyone to see." I said and chuckled with him.

            "He would like that a lot. His favorite picture was us at that drag show in New York City when we came down to see your show." Pat said.

            "That picture was my lock screen on my phone for the longest time." I said remembering that weekend.

            That was one of the best weekends. I had flown Pat and Ed to New York City to watch me play Madison Square Garden and put them up in a 5 star hotel. The tour was in support of my third album and was right before my siblings were killed. That was the first time I played Madison Square Garden as the headliner. I wanted Pat and Ed there to celebrate the big night and I ended up bringing them on stage during the encore along with my siblings.

            Bobby gave me the weekend off so Saturday was spent on a shopping spree while Asher decided he would find a bar and watch the Sox game. Sunday I had my assistant find us a drag show to go to. Asher wanted to sit out again but Pat and Ed dragged him along with us. The show was so funny and luckily we were seated in a dark corner of the place. We went along with the show and went hard on the bottomless mimosas when one of the drag queens started to perform to one of my songs.

            I pulled our waitress over and took my hat off and she knew who I was right away. The waitress took the microphone from the bartender and cut the music before coming over to me again. The waitress hauled me up to the stage with the drag queen and everyone in the audience yelled out excited shouts. The drag queen was going to sing and perform to my song but we ended up singing it together and dancing around the stage.