Joe and Ashley

Ashley tells her father that she is pregnant when she comes home from Woocott for Christmas Break. He wants to know how this could happen and who is the father. She says that she isn't sure as she was using birth control and didn't think this could happen. (She knows it is Joe's but doesn't want to tell daddy, at least not yet). Someone must have slipped something into one of her drinks that cancelled the pill.

"ASHLEY, MY NIECE, WHO ... IS ... THE BABY'S ... FATHER." Douglas Smith inquires.

(Author's note: Ashley is actually six months younger than her "brother" Jon. Jon had a bad O.R.V. accident and missed a year of school. Her birth mother was a younger sister to Doug Smith's wife and Ashley has been raised as a daughter since her birth mom died. Ashley was there often anyway as her mom had a **** addiction.)

Ashley tells him Joe Donaldsen. Her dad says he will look after both of them, if they get married and Joe drives a truck based from the Capital City terminal or works in the Capital City terminal. He will pay for her college at State University after the child is born. Joe agrees to this, no shot gun needed. They are married December 23 at the courthouse. Joe does well and soon is in charge of the Capital City Smith Trucking operations. Ashley never goes back to school as Joe Jr. is the first of six kids that she and Joe have.

Joe's job can almost support Ashley and the six kids, but the family is well cared for as Joe and Ashley are the best couple of the three Smith kids and have the most kids. Bill quietly announces he is gay and leaves small Green River City for New York City. Jon gets married and dies of a **** overdose before he graduates high school. His wife/widow has boy/girl twins. Jon's widow and her family move from the Green River City area a year after the twins are born.

Scroll back or start over to see how Kevin and Karen, Bobby and Amber, and Jon and Erica are three months after the night in the woods.