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Summary: Ashlee, Ray's sister is 16 and lives with Ray. She gets sick. Ray tries to help her and succeeds. Then after a friend makes a joke about Ashlee being fat, she then gets sick in a different way. It is all up to Ray to save the last member of his family. Does he find out in time? Can he do it? You'll have to read to find out.
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Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I only own Ashlee. I created her so therefore she is mine and thus I own her. Once Again, I do not own these people, only Ashlee, the wonderful people at NBC do.
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Ray woke up to hear someone moving around in the apartment. He figured it was just Ashlee getting up to go to the bathroom or something else, so he rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. Then he heard something that sounded like someone retching. Ray got up from his bed, being somewhat what awake, groped around his room until he found the doorknob, and groped his way in the dark to the bathroom to find Ashlee leaning over the toilet emptying her entire stomachs content before him. He rushed quickly to her side.
"Hey," Ray asked in a soothing voice, "Are you alright?" as he rubbed her back in circles.
"I don't think so." replied Ashlee.
She was then interrupted by another bout of vomiting. Ray reached over to the door of the linen closet and reached for a washcloth and he dampened it with cold water from the sink. He turned around to find Ashlee lying on the floor with her face on the cool tile.
"Are you feeling any better?" asked Ray in a concerned voice.
He tried not to let his worry sound through his voice.
"No, I feel the same, like a piece of crap lying on the ground." Ashlee said as she laid her head back down onto the floor.
'Well, that's a nice way of putting it."
Ray then placed the cool washcloth onto her forehead. He bent down on one knee and picked her up. Ashlee felt Ray's strong arms wrap around her. She tried to wrestle out of his strong grip. As she tried to wrestle out of his grip, Ray gripped harder, with no intent of putting her down.
"Ray put me down, NOW!!"
"Nope, I am putting you to bed."
"Why?" whined Ashlee. "I can walk to my own room on my own two feet."
"Hmm, let me think about that for a minute. For starters you just threw up in the toilet. You are just lying on the bathroom floor and wait, you just threw up."
"But..."
"Not buts about it. I am not gonna stand here and hold you and argue. I'm the older brother; I know what I am doing."
"Yeah right!" muttered Ashlee under her breath.
"I heard that. And if I can remember correctly, I am the one who went to medical school and I am the one with the license to practice medicine. So I know how to handle a little bit of vomit and that means that I am most certainly not letting you go. The simple solution to this problem is putting you to bed, checking your temp, and giving you some fluids."
"But what if I don't want to?"
"It doesn't matter what you want. When you are sick, you are my responsibility. And that means that if I tell you to follow doctor's orders then you will."
Ray continued to move her to her own room and placed her in her bed and covered her up. Ray then replaced the washcloth on her forehead. As she was getting situated in bed, Ray left the room to go get the thermometer. He returned only a minute later, sat down on the chair that sat next to her bed and proceeded to take her temperature. She tried to fight it.
"Come on Ashlee, I am just trying to help you. You know that." Ray said in a soothing voice.
"I just wanna sleep, untouched and I think that you of all of people should know THAT!"
"I'm not going anywhere, so get used to it."
"UGG" Responded Ashlee sounding defeated.
"Told you that I always get my way," said a cheerful Ray.
"Only cuz I do not feel like arguing with you right now." Ashlee said while rolling over. She then faced toward Ray while lying on her bed with her covers piled high.
"Just tilt your head so that I can put the thermometer in your ear. It should only take a few seconds."
As Ashlee allowed Ray to stick the thermometer in her ear, he had a flashback to 3 years before.
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Flashback-3 Years Earlier
It was a low point even for Ray. Lewis had told him that he needed to get his act together and make a choice. He had to choose between his band or medicine. It took him a while to choose one over the other. Ray pondered it for a day. He weighed the pros and cons. He knew that he wanted to be famous someday and have all of the chicks to himself and he that it couldn't happen with medicine. But he also knew that he wanted to help people. He knew that could never be done with his music. It was then that he realized that medicine was for him. He knew that nothing was as physically or emotional rewarding as saving lives is. Plus playing in the band wasn't always a paying gig, so he figured that he would choose medicine. The next day started out like any other day. He got up and got dressed, and ate breakfast and jumped on the EL. He arrived at work, and after getting his chops busted by Weaver for being like two minutes late, he reported to the lounge. He went out to Frank and asked for a real gory case and to his dismay, he was overheard by Weaver. Dr. Barnett, we do not choose our cases. But then she was interrupted when the telephone rang. Frank interrupted Weaver in the middle of her speech and told Barnett that the phone was for him. Weaver dismissed him and Ray took the call. He was told that his father had passed away and that his sister Ashlee was left to him. Normally, the child would go to the mother, but Ray's mother had died while giving birth to Ashlee. It was something that he chose not to think about or discuss. Then there was dead silence and the person on the other line I am sorry for your loss. You may pick up your sister at Mercy Hospital. Ray rushed into the lounge and gathered his car keys. He then ran into Luka as he ran out of the lounge.
"Whoa." said startled Luka. "Ray, Where's the fire at?"
"My dad and sister were just in an accident. They are at Mercy and my dad didn't make it." said a sobbing Ray, "but I have to go, my sister..."
Luka looked into the tear strained face of Ray. He thought that he would never see that day where Ray, hardcore rocker, crying.
"Ray, go to your sister. She needs you more than ever. I'll take care of Weaver. No worries there."
"Thanks, I'll call when I know more about Ashlee's condition."
End Flashback
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As the thermometer beeped, Ray came back to reality and to the matter at hand. He looked at the there meter and read the temperature.
"101.3°, it's a little bit high, I'll be right back."
Ashlee moaned and rolled over not even caring about what Ray had just said. Ray noticed this and left the room and then later returned only a few moments later with a dose of Tylenol and a glass of water. He gently shook Ashlee and softly called her name.
"Ashlee, Ashlee." Whispered Ray.
"hmm." murmured a semi-sleeping figure.
"Ashlee, I need for you to roll over and face me for a second." replied a tired but concerned Ray.
"What do you want now? Are you satisfied that you woke me up?" Ashlee said crankily.
"You didn't fall asleep that quick." accused Ray.
"Wanna bet."
"I have something that is going to help you feel better."
"What is it this time? If it involves any kind of needles or anything of that sort then you can just walk right out of that door and just forget it."
"No it's nothing like that I have some Tylenol for you to take. It should bring down your fever and help you feel better." replied Ray with his doctor persona showing through.
"Then can I sleep, peacefully, uninterrupted, and left alone for like five whole minutes?"
"Sure, you just have to keep drinking water so that you don't dehydrate."
"Then take the Tylenol and drink all the water like a good girl."
"Okay, " said a groggy Ashlee." Hand over the drugs and nobody gets hurt."
Ray could tell she was trying to be comical but she was failing at it miserably. He handed Ashlee two Tylenol tablets and handed a glass of water to help the pills go down. She swallowed the pills and winced. Ray didn't think anything of it because the tablets were quiet large. She drank the water, handed the glass back, and rolled over. Ray sat there for a minute and watched her chest rise and fall for a moment. He had hoped that she would be feeling better by morning. And he went out to the living room. He lay down on the couch and turned on the late news.
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