One More Rodeo | Dakota | AU

[Ashley Bates]

It had been a while since Ash had driven into the city. On a whole it didn't agree with him much. He had always been a man of rather simple tastes and the city with its noise and its seemingly unending urban sprawl had always rubbed him the wrong way. Give him a horse and a wide open range to ride and he would be happy. That certainly seemed to be the case these past few years as he had been hiring himself out to one local rancher or another saving money and dreaming of something more. For the most part it was true too. He was happy doing what he was doing but something had always been missing to complete that picture and he thought he knew what.

Dakota was on his mind as he drove tonight. They had remained close over the years and had stayed that way even as they seemed to grow in different directions, Dakota to her job as a busy emergency room doctor, Ash to his country life. They had been trying the long distance thing for a while now but even though they kept in touch and tried to make time for each other it wasn't easy even under the best of circumstances which these, of course, we're not. Ash knew they couldn't last much longer apart and to be honest he didn't want to.

Ash was tired of the phone calls, tired of the mismatched schedules and most of all he was tired of not being with her. Miles of open plains and easy riding could be opening out before him with days of easy riding and time just to himself ahead but he had come to realize that if he didn't have Dakota with him then it wasn't really worth anything at all. She was the missing piece. She always had been. He had known that but as so often was the case knowing and doing were completely different things.

Ash wanted to fix that. It was the reason he was driving to see her tonight even though he hadn't bothered to tell her he was coming. He would find her, if she wasn't at her apartment then he would wait. He had time and he was going to do what he came here to do one way or the other. He had always been doggedly stubborn after all and that hadn't changed even after all these years.

He breathed a road weary sigh as he found parking and got out of his truck. The city was as busy as usual and even though the sun had set for the day people still went about their busy lives running here and there in a rush that seemed to Ash to be unending. The unfamiliar lights and sounds hit him hard as they always did and he knew that he probably looked out of place in his jeans, riding shirt, boots and cowboy hat. Still, he had a mission in mind and would not be distracted from it tonight no matter what those around him thought.

Checking his pocket one more time to make sure the little box that held the little object that was the cause of all this fuss was still where he had put it Ash set off down the street towards Dakota’s place. He knew his way will enough, it was the only place he ever really visited here unless Dakota ever wanted to go out and he was able to think as he walked. He was sure that he wanted this but he was unsure how Dakota would take it. Ash had never really been one for placing titles on their relationship. They loved each other and that was good enough. That being said he was about to do something very uncharacteristic for himself and he wasn't sure how it would go over. Still, he would not be turned away from his task by a little uncertainty. There were some things you couldn't know after all and as Ash reached out to knock on Dakota's apartment for he had decided not to worry. Come what may he was going all in one way or the other.

Dakota King

[Dakota King]

Dakota never pictured her life would take her this way or this far. It seemed like a whirlwind as she left camp to go to medical school. This time, she didn't study to be a nurse or even an EMT. No, she went all the way and became a medical doctor. And with the fancy Doctor title in front of her name, she could've had any normal job within a clinic, but Dakota liked a little bit of thrill. So once she completed her residency, she took up a position as an emergency room doctor in a city that was close to where Ash lived. He lived out in the country a good ways and Dakota rarely got the chance to see him. He was out doing his ranch things while she was pulling twelve or more hours in the ER. They rarely had time in their schedules that completely matched up to where it was plausible to even seeing each other.

And on this particular night, Dakota just got off of her shift at the ER. She was exhausted and ready to have a nice long shower. After a short drive from the hospital to her complex's parking garage, Dakota parked her car and made the way to her apartment. She was really not paying attention to anything. Once she got to her floor, she turned the corner to the hallway that lead to her apartment as she paused in her tracks. By her apartment door was a man she hadn't seen in a while. A very long while. She tilted her head to the side a bit as she walked towards him. "Ash?" she asked as she got closer to him. "What are you doing here? Have you been waiting long?"

[Ashley Bates]

Ash had known that catching Dakota at home was an iffy thing. He was proud of how much success she had found in her career to no end but her job at the emergency room kept her busy. Far too busy for Ash's liking really. The problem was that he wasn't really sure how Dakota felt about it. He knew that she had always had a passion for helping people but what was it really worth if you didn't have time for yourself. That was the real question and he thought it might be the one that all this depended on. Would Dakota even want to start this new stage in their relationship with everything that she had going on? Ash didn't know but he hoped he could convince her.

Never being much for patience or long waits Ash was about to knock on her door again when it turned out he didn't have to. His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice behind him and that was all it took to send him back over the years to when they were younger and had first met. Things hadn't ever been particularly easy between the two of them even then. Granted they had worked through things alright and he wouldn't have traded those times, even the hard ones, for anything.

The sound of her voice also brought that old smile back. It had never come naturally to him that smile but Dakota had always seemed to be able to bring it out just like she had now. Temporarily pushing his thoughts to the side he turned to see the owner of that voice, the one that had ever been the most beautiful cowgirl to him. "Dakota." He said obviously happy to see her. "I haven't been waiting long. I wanted to see you so I decided to visit. Did I catch you at a bad time?"

[Dakota King]

Ash came to visit? The idea wasn't something new for the two of them, but usually Dakota got a bit more warning to these kinds of things. Something in Dakota's gut told her that there was something more to this than a spontaneous trip to see her. But what that something more was? Well, only time could really tell. She smiled and nodded her head when he said he hadn't be waiting long. Well that was good. She knew her shifts at the ER were pretty erratic and he was taking a big chance trying to catch her at her apartment.

She shook her head and smiled slightly when he asked if he caught her at a bad time. "Nope," she said as she looked at him. "You probably caught me at one of the best times. I just got off of work and I'm not scheduled or on-call for the next couple of days." It was a legitimate break for her and the fact that she got to see Ash? That only made it better. She headed over to her apartment door and dug her keys out of her purse as she unlocked her door. "Come in, come in," she said as she opened the door to let them both in. She looked over to him as she smiled a bit. "So how have you been, Ash?"

[Ashley Bates]

It wasn’t a bad time and the fact that he had come when she had a few days off was perfect. Well, it could be perfect if things worked out the way he hoped they would that was. If she turned him down here and now then he guessed that perfect weekend might be ruined but Dakota didn’t have to know about that just yet. Better to have them get someplace a little more private than here in some cramped apartment hallway where anyone could see them and barge in on their moment. Ash didn’t want that.

“It was good that I came then. I’ve missed you Dakota.” He said as she crossed in front of him and went to open her door. He had missed her, probably even more than she knew, and he wanted to put an end to that. Ash wasn’t sure what he could offer a woman like Dakota but he supposed it would be the same thing that had always worked for them in the past, his love. Granted it would take more than that to make this work but he had never been one to give up and go home just because something seemed difficult. He hoped Dakota would think so too.

“I’ve been well.” He said honestly enough even though he didn’t particular feel it at the moment. Dakota had the medicine to fix that but he would have to find a chance to ask her the question that had spurred this spontaneous trip first and even then there was only one answer her really wanted to hear. The time wasn’t right just yet however so he choose to wait for now and walked over to join Dakota inside the apartment. “And what about you? Not working too hard I hope.”

[Dakota King]

Dakota looked over at Ash and smile slightly at him. "I missed you too." She still couldn't shake the feeling in her stomach that something was entirely off. And her brain couldn't help but think of the worst case scenario. What was so urgent that he couldn't call? Was he sick? Was it terminal? Maybe it was the work getting to her head, but from the outside, he seemed fine. But Dakota also knew quite well that looks were deceiving. She tried to push those thoughts away as she let him into her apartment.

It was a modest two bedroom apartment that she decorated with a western flare. Once they were both inside, she closed the door behind them before she tossed her keys and purse onto her kitchen table as she took a moment to stretch. That hot shower was out of the question at the moment, but she really didn't mind the distraction. She turned back around as she chuckled and shook her head at his question. "I'm doing well too, but you gotta keep in mind that I'm working in the ER." She shrugged her shoulders. "It comes with the territory."

[Ashley Bates]

Ash nodded his head to her statement as he steeped inside and took a look around at their surroundings. Not much had changed since the last time he was here but that wasn't particularly surprising. What reason would she have to make changes after all? It was good though. He had always felt a little at home here maybe it was the decorations or maybe it was just Dakota but whatever the case this apartment didn't seem like the rest of the city to him. He could actually relax here and as they stood their talking he did a little bit.

As for her statement about her job he already knew the territory Dakota was talking about. She had always been busy since she got her job in the E.R. Ash understood of course, she was good at what she did and there was never a shortage of people needing her help. Still, it was a very different world than the quiet, usually slow paced life he was used to himself. Her comment did make him wonder though. How willing would she be to change all of that? That would be something he would have to find out. "It does." He said finally giving his agreement. "But I am glad that you have a few days off. I had something to talk to you about and it might be good to have some time to ourselves to think about it."

[Dakota King]

I had something to talk to you about... Dakota heard those words and her blood ran cold. It has to be bad. That's the only reason she could think of why he was here. He had a doctor's appointment and bad news. Probably horrible news. Was it cancer? Was it terminal? That's the only reason she could think of why he would come and see her with no advanced warning, especially if he wanted to talk. To tell her of his diagnosis and what little time he did or didn't have left.

Dakota gulped as she took a deep breath. She could handle this. She saw the worst case scenarios in the ER and saw people come in, but never leave. She could handle death, but this was hitting a little too close to home. She felt her throat tighten up a bit before she slowly nodded her head. "Yeah... sure..." she said calmly, trying to keep her voice even. "What did you want to talk about? Is... is everything okay?"

[Ashley Bates]

Perhaps it was due to his own nerves or maybe he was just too focused on what he was about to do but Ash did not recognize the tone of reluctance in Dakota's voice. As observant as he usually was he did not have the mind of a doctor like Dakota had and his thoughts did not naturally gravitate towards the worst case scenario. This being the case he was a little taken aback when she seemed reluctant to talk. Was this a sign of what was ahead? He certainly hoped not.

Ash gave her a quizzical look when she asked him if everything was okay. Not seeing any reason why it shouldn't be he didn't really know how to respond and the question took him off guard. He knew there were some who came up with incredibly elaborate proposals but his imagination had ever been a poor thing. He hoped that he could still make this special enough for her but he had always been a man who simply stated what was on his mind plainly and that's precisely what he intended to do here. "Everything is fine Dakota I just...well I had something to ask you." He glanced over at her couch and decided that was as good a place to begin as any. "Perhaps we should sit down first."

[Dakota King]

Everything was fine? Dakota didn't believe it. Not one bit. He was probably downplaying his diagnosis so she didn't worry too much, but she knew better. Why else would he drive over to see her out of the blue if something more serious wasn't happening? She looked at him as she slowly nodded her head. Ask her something? Was it a second opinion or if it was okay to be in his will? She wasn't an oncology doctor, but she could at least refer him to one if that was the case.

But he suggested that they sit down and Dakota knew that the news wasn't going to be good. She steeled herself. She could do this. She couldn't tell how many times she had to give bad news, but she was rarely on the receiving end. "Okay," she said as she headed over to the couch to sit down. But she couldn't relax as she sat down. She kept upright with perfect posture as she folded her hands in her lap. "What did you want to ask me?"

[Ashley Bates]

Ash moved over to the couch with Dakota and took a seat beside her. She was obviously tense for some reason but was that because of him and what she suspected he might do? He couldn't be sure. He had come this far though and there was no turning back now. He couldn't really come up with another reason why he would be acting so unlike himself anyways and he didn't want to either.

It wasn’t that easy to begin however and as he sat there trying to figure out what exactly he was going to say he reached over to put a hand over hers in her lap. He looked at her there for a moment and then gave a dry chuckle of a laugh deciding just to get everything out in the open. "I didn't expect it to be this hard." He said with a shake off his head and then he cleared his throat before starting in on what might be the most important conversation he would ever have. "I love you Dakota. Ever since I can remember you’ve always been the one, always been the girl I couldn’t do without. Before I started I just wanted you to know that.”

[Dakota King]

Dakota was hoping he would drop the news quickly and have it just be like a band-aid and rip it off quick. She took deep breaths to steady herself and mentally prepare herself. His diagnosis could've been anything. There was a lot of diseases that were terminal without it being cancerous. But now? She had no clue and she had to prepare herself.

And all he seemed to do was just stall. Maybe he was nervous about how she would take it? He should've known that she dealt with this kind of thing on almost a daily basis, but it was something completely different when it was this close to home. She nodded her head slowly as she moved her hand so she was slightly gripping his. "I know," she said softly as she smiled at him slightly. "And I love you too, Ash. So what was it you wanted to tell me?"

[Ashley Bates]

This was the moment he had been waiting for, the point of no return. It was time to put up of shut as they said and taking a deep breath to steady himself that's exactly what he did. "Dakota I've been doing a lot of thinking recently. Thinking about us. About what I want us to be. We've been through a lot together you and I. There have been a lot of storms that have tried to keep us apart and it hasn't been easy but we've come through on the other side. Lately though I can't help but think this distance between us is becoming our greatest challenge yet. I miss you Dakota...gods I miss you and not having you with me all the time is tearing me apart."

Ash paused here moving his hand to his pocket. The little box that he had been checking almost compulsively since he left this morning had been in its place a moment ago and still he found himself hoping that he hadn't lost it somewhere on the walk over. If he had then he was about to look like a fool. Fortunately his hand found the familiar shape easily enough and his heart slipped back into its proper place. "I’m tired of just getting by with you Dakota. I want to change all that if you’ll let me."

Ash slipped the tiny box out of his pocket bringing it around so that Dakota could finally see it. He let he hand go for a moment so that he could open it and that she could see what was inside and as he did so he also slipped out of his seat going on knee. "Riding the open range isn't really worth much if I don't have you by my side so what do you say? Would you like to go on one more rodeo with me and be my wife?"

[Dakota King]

Dakota took a deep breath as she mentally prepared for the news he was going to tell her. It wasn't going to be easy for the both of them, but they would make it through somehow. But as he kept talking, Dakota was waiting for him to drop the diagnosis, but it wasn’t seeming to happen. In fact, what he was saying was not matching up to what she was preparing at all. Not in the slightest. Instead, she was hearing words she wasn't quite expecting and she thought she was mishearing him until he got down on one knee.

"What?" she managed to shriek out as her eyes went between Ash and the ring. There wasn't a diagnosis in there at all. So did he...? He made the trip out here for one little thing. Tears watered up in her eyes as she could only do the next logical thing. She reached out to slap his shoulder. "You're proposing? I thought you came out here to tell me you're dying."

[Ashley Bates]

Ash hadn’t been expecting many possible outcomes to the question he proposed. In fact, there were only two real answers to a proposal and he knew which one he hoped Dakota went with. As usual though things turned out to be much more complicated for her than they were for him and Kota threw him for a loop when she didn’t give him the simple answer he was looking for. Instead she slapped him on the shoulder, admittedly not very hard, and that was not at all what he had expected to happen.

Things didn’t become any clearer when she mentioned that she thought he had been dying. In answer he stared up at her with a quizzical expression unsure of if those tears were of happiness or frustration. He thought back over the last few minutes wondering if he had said anything to make her think that and yeah, he guessed when you looked at it from that prospective things could be misunderstood. Still, that didn’t change one very important fact. “I’m not dying Dakota. I’m sorry for making you think that.” He said as he stood slowly and held out his arms to her. “I am proposing though and I would be honored if you said yes.”