All is Found - Chapter 46: Chapter 46

The night of the AMA's is kind of a blur. After we left the stadium we all went to Taylor Swift's after party where we definitely partied the night away. We all barely made our flights home the next morning.
When we got back home, the next couple of days were quiet. Thea was at work and Nikki spent some time at Malia's apartment, leaving me with an empty house. Well almost empty, I had four goldfish to look after. They kept me company as I started to work on some more songs for the new album.
I added the two songs I finished with I Prevail to my master board and started to think of the next set of songs I want to work on. Halsey is going to be flying into New York for the holidays and she is going to come and visit me for a few days before Christmas. We have plans to finish up the songs we have been working on so they can be done and added to the board.
Other than making music and starting to think of what to get Thea for Christmas, nothing else has really been happening. Thea had to work on Thanksgiving so Pat and I went out for dinner. She is working some extra shifts lately so she can get Christmas off. We did agree not to get each other anything crazy because we are going on vacation to the Bahama's the second week of January. That trip is going to be our Christmas gift to each other.
Today is one of those rare off days so we wanted to go out and do some Christmas shopping. Thea is picking me up and we are going to start our day by going to Music Emporium so I can get Nikki's Christmas gift. She has been wanting this custom guitar she saw the last time we went there but it was way out of her price range. I had the owner put it aside for me and now we are going to pick it up.
Thea pulled up to my house and honked to let me know she is out front. I grabbed my wallet and ran out the door. I hopped into her Bronco and gave her a kiss.
"That was a nice greeting." Thea said after we pulled away.
"Well if that is what you prefer, I could always greet you that way." I said and chuckled.
"I'll keep that in mind. So where is this store?" Thea asked and pulled away from the crub.
I gave Thea the directions as she drove and I played her the final cut of my song Paranoid. It was one of the songs that feature I Prevail and I was sitting on the edge of my seat to see what she says about it. This is one of the deepest songs that's going to be on the album, along with the heaviest.
"That was different from the new stuff you're making. Are you going to write more like it?" Thea asked as we pulled into the parking lot of the shop.
"I don't know yet, Breaking Down is heavy like it. I'm anxious to see what other people think about it." I said and sighed.
"Babe, this is for you, not what others think. Don't let that be the thing that drives you in making selections for your album." Thea said.
"You're right." I said and gave her a smile.
"I like it when you say that." Thea said and opened her door to get out of the truck.
I followed her lead and took her extended hand to intertwine with mine. We walked into the shop and I got to speak with the owner about the guitar for Nikki. Before I checked out he showed me a few of his other custom guitars and they definitely peaked my interest.
As he was showing us around to look at some of the other guitars we past a banjo and I stopped in my tracks. One of the songs I'm working on right now I think could use something different and I think I just found it. I asked if he knew how to play it and luckily he did and brought it into one of the sound rooms and played it a little for us. I recorded the few different melody's he played and I sang a little of the song I had already prepared over it.
Once I had the idea of the song down I thanked him and he walked us up to the register to purchase Nikki's guitar.
With Nikki's guitar in hand, Thea and I left the shop. We walked back to her Bronco and Thea opened the back hatch for me to slide the guitar inside. Just as she closed the trunk I heard someone call Thea's name and we both turned around.
When we turned around we came face to face with a man wearing a face mask holding a pistol pointed at us. We didn't have any time to react before he started to pull the trigger. The masked man shot Thea before she could do anything and then he turned the gun on me. I heard him get a shot off as I rushed him. He was surprised at my actions and didn't have a good enough grip on the gun as I came forward because I was able to knock the gun from his hands.
The gun fell to the ground and went off again. Just as I located where it fell I heard three more shoots go off. I ducked out of the way and looked back at Thea to find her on the ground holding a gun. I turned back to the masked man and saw him down on the ground. Thea. I turned back to my girlfriend to see her head laid back on the asphalt.
No. This can't be happening. I stumbled to her and saw her hand pressed into her stomach, blood starting to show between her fingers. I pulled her hand away and unzipped her jacket to find a pool of blood forming. No.
"Thea, look at me baby." I said and brought my hand up to the back of her neck. Thea's green eyes found mine and I could see her giving up.
"I got him, you're safe." Thea said and coughed up blood.
"You did get him babe but I need you to stay awake for me Thea." I said and pulled my cell phone from my pocket with shaky hands and dialed 911.
"911 What's your emergency?" The operator said.
"My girlfriend just got shot please send help. I'm in the Music Emporium parking lot. My girlfriend is a cop, a... a sergeant, her name is Themis Ramsey, badge number 5072. Please, please hurry, she is losing a lot of blood." I said and pressed hard into Thea's stomach.
I didn't even know if they got the information because I dropped the phone and looked at Thea. Her face is getting pale.
"Ashlyn, listen to me. I never thought I would find love again after Allison, but I did. No matter what happens right now Ashlyn I need you to live for me." Thea said and coughed up more blood.
"You aren't dying on me Thea, not now, not ever. You need to hold on baby. Help is coming." I said and pressed harder into Thea's stomach.
As I did I felt a sharp pain in my side and I gasped. Thea noticed right away and started to unzip my jacket. With shaky hands she managed to get it undone and pulled it open. I looked down at my torso and found a red spot coming through my shirt. I got shot? Thea pressed her hand to the spot and I felt the pain again. I guess I got hit trying to get the gun away from him.
"Ashlyn you need to put pressure on this." Thea said her voice getting weak.
"No you're more important." I said and pulled her hand away from my side to focus back on her.
"You need to promise that you will continue on if I don't make it out of this Ashlyn." Thea said and my eyes found her again.
"I can't make that promise." I answered as tears filled my eyes. I could hear sirens in the distance and I knew that help is almost here. I turned away from Thea and looked behind me to see the flashing lights get closer.
When I turned back to Thea's face her eyes were closed. No this can't be happening. I looked up a little bit and found The Grim Reaper standing over her.
"No, you can't take her!" I yelled trying to will the tears out of my eyes so I could see.
"It's her time Ashlyn, she needs to come with me." The Reaper spoke.
"Take me, please take me instead. You need to take me." I pleaded.
Before he could say anything Asher, Ashley and Allison all appeared next to him. If the Reaper knew they appeared he didn't say anything.
"Ashlyn don't do this, it's not what Thea wanted." Allison spoke first.
"She can't die, I can't live this life without her." I said starting to feel the effect of my own gunshot wound.
"We can save her Ashlyn but it comes at a cost." Asher said looking concerned.
"Please save her, I'll do anything." I said pleading to them.
"Take my hand child." The Grim Reaper said firmly and held his boney hand out for me to take.
"If we do this Ashlyn, we can't guarantee your survival. If we do this you won't see us again." Ashley said and knelt down next to Thea and I.
"Take my hand child and you will be reunited with your siblings and away from this cruel world." The Reaper said.
"What about Thea?" I asked and looked at the Reaper.
"Her life would be spared. A soul for a soul." The Reaper said his hand still outstretched.
"Don't listen to him Ashlyn, we can save her, once we do, you need to fight like hell." Asher said and knelt down next to Ashley.
"But I won't be able to see you anymore." I said looking at my siblings.
"Look at how well you have been doing since you came home from treatment Ashlyn, you don't need to see us anymore. Please let us do this for you. Let us save your girl." Ashley said.
I could feel myself starting to get light headed and black spots started to swim in my vision. I don't know how much longer I can stay upright.
"Please safe her, I'm so sorry. I love you both so much but please save Thea." I said looking at my siblings.
"We love you to Ashlyn, we will always watch over you. Thea will live but you need to fight to live Ashlyn. Can you do that?" Asher said and put his hand on Thea's arm.
"I will." I said and nodded at them as my vision really started to fade.
"She'll say yes Ashlyn, you just need to stay alive to ask her alright." Allison said and put her hand on my shoulder. I swear it felt like she was here with me.
"Once I wake up I'm going to ask Thea to marry me." I said and nodded my head.
"Keep that thought with you Ashlyn and live." Allison said.
I felt someone shaking my shoulders and I looked up to see scared looking Malia in front of me. Before I could say anything to her my vision finally went black. The pain in my stomach started to fade and so did everything else around me.