Author's Note:

I'm so sorry that I haven't updated until now. I love this story and I'm so grateful for all the people who read it. This chapter is mostly centered on the friendship of Zay and Lucas in the second half; there will be a few flashbacks in the upcoming chapters. Try not to be too angry with me for late updating!

I have two ideas, possibly three as to who shot Maya and why she was shot. Your best wishes since all two (and possibly three) are all heartbreaking.

Lucas walked up to the counter, signing off on a few things while he was at it before the glass door, that separated the waiting room from the two women in a small room, slid to open up the space slightly.

"Thank you so much, Doctor Friar. I didn't know what I was going to do since I didn't know what was wrong with him," Josh began, offering a genuine smile.

The blonde mirrored the same expression and shook his head. "It's not a problem; I'm just glad he's going to make a full recovery." He gestured to his relatively new receptionist, giving her a look of slight disapproval when she had stashed her phone back under a group of files, and looked up to him with a guilty grin. "And Miss Hart here will help you with filling out paperwork."

There was a bit of small talk, things about the weather, and the issue with why cat had been brought in for the appointment. It was all things that Mrs. Lineon had taught her on the first day. Some part of him smiled proudly as he rifled through the papers in his own file to give his own report, his ears still in tune to their conversation.

"Your phone number?" Maya asked; even though he knew that it was one of the blanks on the paper, similar to those he had filled out for her in the hospital, he couldn't help but feel his eyebrows furrow together for a moment.

There was laughter at his side, the man obviously too amused by the question to answer it. "Are you asking for the papers or in general?"

'Isn't there a rule about receptionists being unable to date a client?' he thought snidely to himself, his teeth sinking into the sides of his cheeks. If he trusted the feeling in his gut, it told him he would end up here more often than he would let himself think.

"Maybe I'm asking for both," she countered, her blue pools becoming bright with life, "but I'm pretty sure you're supposed to be asking me if it's in general."

The next circle on the paper was drawn more aggressively than he would've liked. She doesn't have time to be asking questions that don't matter, does she? Well, she's Maya, of course she's going to do it anyway. It wasn't that it bothered him, but more or less that he knew she had better things to be doing.

Though Lucas hadn't known her a lifetime, or for more than ten days, he'd seen her type before. It was to get what she wanted by any means necessary, to stir up trouble, and the kind to get involved with someone who she would assume was off limits.

He went back to his work, tuning them out so that he could slide the file in front of her and visit with his next client. Somehow, whatever thing awaited him on a sterile table seemed more inviting than listening to what went on next to him. His ears perked up at the words, "I'll pick you up at seven," before the sound of the metal door pulling from its place.

Part of him couldn't help himself, the other part just a bit of the edge of being here for nine hours nearly. "I'm glad you're getting acquainted with the clients and I encourage that," he began, his fingers tapping against the glass door, "but be careful with that. It can get.. messy." His sapphire eyes searched hers before he gave a polite smile, proving that he too could have a sharp tongue.

Her red stained lips gave a slightly more sarcastic shape to them, even though they tried their best to mock his. "Of course."

The end of the day was when relief finally found him, when he was placing his long jacket into the washer and began peeling off his scrubs. He looked up to sound of sneakers, before going back to throwing his stained clothes in with his jacket. "How was your side of things, Nocnoc?"

"You can quit calling me that any day now. We aren't seven anymore," Zay clarified.

"You're the one who ran right into the bars of my fence while telling knock knock jokes; by the way, reflecting on some of the jokes you were telling, they're funny now." He gave a laugh while a shirt was thrown his way. "Do I look like the laundry boy?"

"You could've fooled me," Zay shot back, turning to his own locker.

Lucas laughed and moved to his locker, pulling out a gray shirt, along with dark wash jeans. "I was thinking we could hang out tonight. It's been forever since we have since everything's been so busy." There was a bit of silence to the statement before a soft sigh.

"Lucas, you're keeping me away from the ladies." Zay moved to lean against his locker, a few clicks of his tongue making a tsk sound. "But I guess if you're desperate for company, they'll make due for just one more night."

The blonde vet looked to his best friend before nearly booming with laughter. "Alright, Celine Dion Lover, make it my fault. I'm sure they'll survive without you somehow."

A playful shove was exchanged before a dark arm wrapped around his shoulder. "Actually, this time, I'm not making it up." After a skeptical eyebrow raise, more explanation followed. "Look, I know Riley gets all giggly and such around you, but I'm gonna go for it anyways. She seems like she would be a fun date."

"You mean a date that would jump in your arms the first time they got scared during a horror movie."

"Same thing, my man, same thing."

It was decided that they would go for something along the lines of either playing against each other in video games or watching a movie. After a wrestling match in the living room, that a well built Lucas won, it was time for the even bigger beat down in Call of Duty. (Granted, Zay gave him a run for his money. While the kid was lanky, there was definitely strength in the legs that the green eyed Texan hadn't been expecting.)

Cheese dip with miniature, bowl shaped Tostitos sat in the middle while he pulled out his best sniper rifle, kneeling on the top of a section of rumble while 'ZMastaofExplosions12' tried to find where he was hidden.

"Come on, man; hiding is for p-"

With a click, the round had left the end of the gun, hitting the soldier in the back of the neck. It had been just under the head, just on the beginning of the neck. The green title next to the soldier came from off of his side of the screen; on Zay's side, the man had fallen, face down, gun flung off to who knows where. "You were saying?"

A snide smile was tossed his direction, a soft exhale of frustration following. "I remember when I used to kick your ass at this game."

"That was before you became the guy that replaced me in baseball," Lucas reminded him, the slightly tempered expression turning into a proud one.

"That was good year for me; don't guilt trip me for you sucking." There were a few laughs exchanged while the game restarted, all while 'FuckboyFriar' found a new place to hide and double cross the one chasing him. It reminded him of the all days, where they actually had time that could be spent with the other instead of knees deep in study books or appointments at the office.

"Zay?" he said quietly, his character's had swiping away some underbrush to find a clever place to plant themselves.

On the other side of the screen, binoculars were raised to give further eyesight and range of the ruins mixed with vegetation. "Hmm?"

He paused, his lips pressed together. "Do you really think it's a good idea to take Riley out? You know, being as you two work together. It could get awkward if it hits the fan."

"Oh, Mr. Moral Compass, like you have room to talk. I remember Katie; the client that always needed to see you in the office because of something to do with her animal's test results." There was a playful shove given, causing a misfire on the dirty blonde's part. "Don't think I don't know what you were doing in there. Walls are thin and she had just about the healthiest dog in New York."

"...Focus on firing your own gun," Lucas retorted, laughing both from the next misfire on his part, but partially because he hadn't expected his "squeaky clean" reputation to have been remembered to have a dirty splotch. He'd always been considered the best of the bunch, but even he fell a few times.

Looking back on the mention of his unOrthodox method, he knew from the upcoming dread building in him. He wouldn't like it but he'd have to. She deserves an apology.