Chapter Text
PRESENT DAY
"We found her buckled up in an upside down Jeep that had flipped into an embankment. She has no memory prior to the rescue." The doctor explained to the police officer. "At least that's what we've been able to piece together. She hasn't spoken a word to anyone. She seems depressed. We still aren't sure the crash was an accident."
...
TWO DAYS EARLIER
"Baby, can you please take my bags to the car? Oh, and don't forget to pick up our wedding invitations while I'm gone." Ali reminded her fiancé of the to-do list she had written for her.
"I know. I know." Ash answered. She was a little annoyed that Ali had planned her days for her for while she was gone. She was a lot annoyed that Ali was leaving.
"Ash, don't be grumpy. I'm sorry I have to leave, but it won't be long."
Ash rolled her eyes and said, "Why do you have to go, anyway? The last time you worked with them they treated you like a piece of meat. I don't like you being there without me."
"I know. Their photographer was a total creep. But with our wedding coming up, I'm not gonna pass up work." Ali answered.
Ashlyn was referring to a sportswear company who had hired a photographer who constantly hit on Ali. He went as far as to corner her and ended up getting too 'handsy' with her. Ash was furious about the entire incident, but Ali begged her to let it go.
"Alex, I really don't want you to work with them."
"I can't bail on them now at the last minute." Ali protested. "I'm sorry, but I just can't do it."
"Whatever..." Ash replied and sighed loudly. She was so done with Ali, at the moment.
"Don't be mad." Ali said and followed her fiancé out of the room.
"Don't be mad?" Ash repeated. "You are totally disregarding my opinion. You shouldn't go. That's it. You're basically telling them that it's ok to treat women disrespectfully."
"Ash, you're making a huge deal out of something that isn't a big deal. I have to work. That's it. Besides this is my decision. Not your's! So get over it." Ali bit back.
She felt that Ashlyn was being too protective and slightly controlling. She wasn't going to put up with that.
"Whatever, Alex. Do whatever you want. That's what you always do, anyways!" Ash left and slammed the door behind her.
Ali was going to have to carry her own luggage to the car.
...
Ashlyn made it back just in time to drive her fiancé to the airport. There was a chill in the air between the two women on the way.
"Ash?" Ali said softly as she unbuckled her seat belt. Ashlyn had pulled up to the curb of the drop off area instead of parking and walking in with Ali, like usual. "Don't be mad."
Ashlyn turned her head away from Ali and continued to give her the silent treatment. If Ali was going to disregard her so easily, she wasn't going to be in any hurry to make things right.
"Ok..." Ali said. "I love you. I won't be gone long. See you soon." She said, trying to sound as positive as possible.
That night they both fell asleep on different ends of the country, missing the warmth of one another.
The next day, Ali had tried to call her fiancé, but Ashlyn ignored her every time. Ali knew she had upset her stubborn fiancé. She hoped that she wouldn't have to spend the rest of her time away in the dog house.
...
PRESENT DAY
Ali woke up suddenly and knew that something was wrong. She had a sick feeling in her stomach. Her chest felt heavy. She felt as though the universe had shifted. Something horrible had happened. She didn't know what it was, but she knew she needed to get a hold of Ashlyn.
...
"Pick up. Pick up." Ali said nervously. Unfortunately her plea was met with Ashlyn's voicemail message.
"Hey, this is Ash. Leave a message." Ashlyn's recorded voice said.
"Baby, please call me when you get this message. I'm so sorry. I need to hear from you." Ali begged.
Ali hung up and then right away called again.
"Hey, this is Ash. Leave a message."
...
"Miss, look up at me please." The doctor said. Ash wasn't cooperating with the medical staff. The doctor tried to shine a light into Ashlyn's eyes to see if they were dilated. A simple procedure that would normally take a few seconds took almost ten minutes.
Ashlyn had no idea who she was. All she knew was that there was a suffocating weight on her chest. She didn't care to cooperate with the doctors because she didn't care to live.
For some reason she knew that it didn't matter.
There was more missing than just her identity. She didn't know what it was, but it was too much for her to bear.
...
"Hey, this is Ash. Leave a message."
"Ashlyn Michelle! Please!!!" Ali exhaled loudly onto her fiancé's voicemail. "Baby, I'm coming home early. I can't stand being away from you, especially when you're mad at me."
Ali caught the next flight home.
...
"Ash!" Ali yelled as she pushed through the front door of their shared house. "Ashlyn?" Ali searched all of the rooms of the small house and started to cry when she found Ashlyn's phone on the kitchen counter. She checked to see if at least Ash and seen that she called, but knew something was really wrong when Ash's phone revealed that it hadn't been touched for two days.
Ashlyn never got her messages.
...
"Mom, I don't know what to do. I've called the police and all of the hospitals in the area and no one has anyone matching her description. It's like she just disappeared." Ali explained. Her mother could hear her voice tremble in fear.
"Honey, she probably needed a break. You said you got into a fight. She wasn't expecting you home for two more days. She probably is fine and has no idea what you're going through." Deb said, trying to encourage her daughter.
"No, Mom. Something's not right. I can feel it. Ashlyn's in trouble. I have to find her."
...
Ashlyn pulled at the white hospital linens that covered her. She pushed them aside as she sat up and swung her legs over the bed. She felt a dizzy haze pound in her head from the quick movement. She brought her hand up to the huge bump on the back of her head and grimaced at the sharp pain from touching it.
Ashlyn slowly made her way to the small window in the room and searched for some kind of answer to who she was and what had brought her to the hospital. Nothing looked familiar to her.
She closed her eyes hard and when she opened them her focus shifted to her reflection in the glass. She brought a hand up to the window and outlined her face with her fingertips.
"Who are you?" Ash asked the reflection. Her voice was rough and quiet from the lack of use.
Ashlyn was deeply wounded. Her head injury would heal, she may or may not get her memory back, but that wasn't the wound she was suffering the most from. Ashlyn's heart was aching and she didn't know why.
...
"We ran Jane Doe's plates and found an address. We're gonna send an officer there to see if we can find anything else out about this woman." The officer informed the doctor.
...
"The police say your name is Ashlyn Harris. Does that sound familiar?" A nurse asked her confused patient.
"Sorta." Ash answered honestly.
"Don't you worry. We're gonna find your family." She promised.
"Ok." Ash said. She didn't know if that was a good thing or not. She didn't know anything.
...
A man in his forties dressed in a neatly pressed uniform knocked hard on the front door of the address he had been given for Ashlyn's Jeep.
The door opened to reveal a man in his twenties.
"Sir, I'm here looking for a family member of Ashlyn Harris." The officer said.
"Who?" The man asked.
"Ashlyn Harris. She was in a car accident and this is the address that popped up when we ran her plates." He explained.
"Oh, sorry. Maybe she lived here before my wife and I moved in. I've never heard of her."
"Thank you for your time." The officer said and left to try to find someone that could help the poor woman at the hospital.
...
"A-S-H-L-Y-N. Ashlyn." Ali carefully spelled out her fiancé's name for the officer.
"How long has she been missing?"
"Two days...that I know of." Ali answered.
She was sitting in a busy police station with her dad. He kept an arm around her to transfer as much strength and support as he could. Ali was a wreck.
"Were you two fighting before this disappearance?" The officer asked.
"She wouldn't just leave me!" Ali answered angrily. "She wouldn't leave me." She repeated again, but this time with a quiet sadness.
"Ma'am I'm just trying to get as many details as I can, so we can find your fiancé." The officer explained.
"I'm sorry." Ali apologized. "I'm just scared I'm going to lose her. I feel like I already have."