"Desperate Measures"

Avan headed to work, leaving Ashley alone with Alex. As soon as the door closed behind him, Ashley felt a sense of panic wash over her. She had been trying to stay positive, to believe that Alex would eventually catch up, but it was getting harder and harder to ignore the reality of their situation. She walked over to the mat where Alex lay, her heart aching with sadness. "Alex, sweetie, please," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Please talk to me. Please walk with me. What's wrong, baby? Why can't you do these things?" But Alex didn't respond. He just lay there, his eyes fixed on some invisible point in front of him. Ashley felt a lump form in her throat as she gazed at him. She had been trying to get him to talk, to make some kind of sound, but so far, nothing. She picked him up, cradling him in her arms as she began to pace back and forth across the room. "Please, Alex," she begged, her voice cracking with emotion. "Please say something. Just a word, a sound, anything. I need to know you're in there, that you're still with me." But Alex just lay there, his body limp and unresponsive. Ashley felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes as she gazed at him. She had never felt so helpless in her life. As the morning wore on, Ashley tried everything she could think of to get Alex to talk, to walk. She showed him pictures, read him books, sang songs, but nothing seemed to work. She was starting to feel like she was losing him, like he was slipping further and further away from her. As the hours ticked by, Ashley's emotions began to unravel. She felt like she was drowning in a sea of despair, unable to find a lifeline to cling to. She cried and cried, begging Alex to talk to her, to respond to her in some way. "Please, Alex, what is wrong?" she sobbed, her body shaking with sobs. "Why can't you talk to me? Why can't you walk with me? I need you, baby. I need you to come back to me." As the tears streamed down her face, Ashley felt like she was losing her grip on reality. She was trapped in a nightmare, and she didn't know how to wake up. All she could do was hold onto Alex, and pray that somehow, someway, he would come back to her. The silence in the room was oppressive, punctuated only by Ashley's sobs. She felt like she was screaming on the inside, but no sound was coming out. She was trapped in a world of silence, and she didn't know how to escape. As the day wore on, Ashley's tears began to dry, replaced by a sense of desperation. She knew she had to do something, but she didn't know what. All she could do was hold onto Alex, and hope that tomorrow would bring some kind of breakthrough.