A/N: Hey everyone! Two more chapters left! Thank you all so much, for hanging on! This is the longest chapter yet, so I hope I do right by everyone with it! :) Reviews:

Sand: We're definitely making progress! :)

Ghost: Thanks!

Skaidrew: Thank you! :) I definitely appreciate it! I am very glad you are enjoying.

Guest: (I'm not sure why your review isn't showing up in my actual reviews yet, but I did get the notification so I'll work off of that.) Very well stated. I think the doctor is going to make some progress. Lets see what we get. :)

As always...I do not own Girl Meets World, any of its characters or things referenced henceforth. This is just my brain running with what I've got.

DAY SEVEN

"Good morning, Riley."

She moaned softly, mumbling an incoherent response.

"Wow! I elicited a groan this morning. That's enough for me today."

Not really responding to the woman's sarcasm, she shrugged.

"Eh. There's obviously a reason I'm a doctor and not a comedian." And she sat down in the chair. "How are you this morning, Riley?"

"Fine."

"Yeah, I'm completely convinced now."

"Whatever."

"You were doing pretty good yesterday. What's changed?"

She shrugged. "Nothing."

Nodding her head, she leaned forward. "What changed?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Ah. We're back to that again."

"Back nothing. We never left."

"Alright then. Take me back to the days after Lucas left."

"Please...I don't want to talk about it."

She watched a tear trail down the girl's pale features. "I understand. But you need to. You can't heal until you deal with your feelings about all of it."

"I don't want to talk about this."

"I know you hate me right now. And you're going to hate me tomorrow. But eventually you will know that this is for your own good and you will be glad I made you talk about it. And further more, eventually you will know, that it isn't your fault."

Looking at the screen in front of her, she was glad she was in bed and her mom had kissed her goodnight.

She was going to have to tell her parents eventually. She wouldn't do it right away though. She couldn't be that far along, it had only happened six weeks before. According to this, most women didn't show until at least ten to twelve weeks along and even then it was just a bump.

She read the large letters on the site she was reading explaining that stress was one of the worst things on an expectant mother. And with what she'd been through lately, she wasn't sure what to label it but she was pretty sure it fit into the stressed category.

So it didn't really surprise her the next morning when she was in class and started cramping badly. It was almost as if she already knew what was happening, before it happened.

Running to the bathroom, she knew Maya would follow. She hated keeping her best friend in the dark like that, but she hadn't been ready to tell anyone except Lucas, and he wasn't about to want a baby. He had Missy.

There was no point to involve anyone else. But she knew when the blonde made her way in, she was going to have to tell her.

The next morning, She saw sorrow in her eyes. She couldn't take the sorrow. She needed to get away for a little while. Needed to escape. Standing from where she'd been sitting, she turned after taking the small pill. "I need to get back home."

"Alright. I called your parents and told them last night that you were staying over, and that you didn't feel good."

She didn't remember a lot about after getting to Maya's. "Thanks." And she grabbed her bag. "I'll call you later."

Maya nodded. "See that you do, Little Plant."

Turning before heading out the door, she stopped. "Promise you won't tell anyone?"

Nodding once more, she held up three fingers. "Scouts honor. Not a word will be spoken about any of it."

"Thank you, Peaches."

"Anything for you."

"That's where you're wrong...doctor. You will never make me believe it wasn't my fault."

"And why is that?"

A tear trailed down her face. "I slapped Lucas and told him to leave. I kept it to myself. I stressed out enough that I lost the baby. And I'm the one that closed myself off from everyone and ran away. I'm the one who started drinking." She whispered the last part. "Please...tell me how this isn't my fault?"

"Oh don't misunderstand me, I didn't say you were completely without fault. But I'm betting hormones had to do with you slapping Lucas and telling him to leave, and there are a million reasons a woman has a miscarriage. It may have been stress, it also may have been because of something going wrong with the process, it may have been due to a chemical imbalance. It could have been because the egg wouldn't attach to the uterine walls. There are a lot of things that could have caused it especially in the first trimester. You have no idea that it was because of stress. Now yes, the closing yourself off and drinking was all you, but I also know that this type of behavior is indicative of a self preservation mode. Sort of a fight or flight response. And since you couldn't really run anywhere, you retreated into yourself and a bottle. Am I right?"

Not looking up, she barely moved her head up and down.

"So you see? Not all your fault." And she studied her. "I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Matthews. Try to see someone other than your immediate family. I know it's not easy, but don't take your friends need to help you, away from them."

DAY EIGHT

"Good morning, Riley."

"Doctor." she responded, disgruntled.

"Wow! I got a coherent response from you? How did I get so lucky?"

"You're going to make me talk anyway."

"You didn't let anyone back here yesterday after I left. Why is that?"

She shrugged. "I'm not ready yet."

"So you're going to go the selfish rout and keep everyone at arm's length?"

"I'm just not ready." She whispered softly.

"I disagree. If you want, I can be in here if you want to visit? We can talk about things and get things out in the open."

Looking down, she shook her head.

"Riley, you need to let them in." then she studied her. "You're worried they're going to look at you different now."

She shrugged. "They already look at me different."

"How do you know that?"

"I can see it all over their faces. They all...pity me." And the corners of her lips turned down even more. "It's hard to see it. It makes me want to just…"

"Disappear again?"

"I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me."

"Let me ask you something. If the rolls were reversed and it was Maya, would you pity her?"

"No." she spouted irritated. "I'd be scared for her, probably a little worried, but I damn sure wouldn't pity her."

"So why is it you're so sure that they pity you? Or even just Maya?"

"They all think they're guilty of some part of it. Those first couple of days, all anyone talked about was how sorry they were. As if they had anything to do with any of it."

"Does it make you mad that they feel responsible?"

"They don't need to feel anything."

"You don't like them taking the ball out of your lap do you?"

"It's no one else's fault."

"Why are you so intent on keeping the blame on yourself?"

"Because. It's no one else's fault." She repeated.

Doctor Stevens looked at the girl's hands. She was shaking. "Tell me about the first time you disappeared?"

Taking a deep breath, she glared at the older woman. "Why?"

"Why not?" And she tilted her head at the girl. "Because that's your secret place, isn't it, Riley? That's where you go, to escape the world."

The monitor beside the bed started beeping wildly. She didn't want to talk about this. That was her place. It was hers! How dare this woman try to take that from her? Looking away, she closed her eyes for a moment.

"Hey, girl! You looking for a good time?"

Arms wrapped around herself, she looked up at the guy making his way to her. What on Earth had brought her to this side of the tracks...so to speak? He was thin, with a beanie on his head, a black t-shirt with a leather jacket on over jeans that fit and black combat boots. "What?"

"What's eatin ya, sweetie? You look like you're having a hard time."

She shrugged. Why was she even talking to this guy? "I just need to get away for a little while. Get out of my head."

"I've got just the stuff."

"I don't want drugs." she muttered before turning and starting to walk away.

"No drugs? Alright then." and he took a step closer as she turned back toward him. "I've got just the thing for you." he said, smiling as he handed her a small flask.

Touching the mouth of it to her lips, she took a small drink, coughing as the liquid made its way roughly down her throat. It burned all the way down.

Laughing, the guy patted her on the back. "You alright there, Half Pint?"

"Don't call me Half Pint." She spouted, remembering how she hated it when people called her that before hand. That was before she hit her last growth spurt. Now, she was taller than most people, even though she was still little.

"Aight then, Little Bit. Don't get ya panties in a bunch. I didn't mean nothin by it. I just figured you'd appreciate that a tad more than 'Hey, Girl!' But I can stop."

Shaking her head, irritated, she shrugged and took another drink. "Little Bit's fine, I just don't like Half Pint."

Grinning, he nodded. "Aight then. You can finish that flask, I've got plenty more where that came from."

"What do I call you, Drink Man?"

The corners of his lips reaching his eyes, he laughed. "Name's, Benny."

Taking another drink, she felt her head get fuzzy and things started to fade away. Numbness claimed her and it was so welcome. She took another long drink. If this is what disappearing was, it felt really good.

Soon, before she realized it, she was hidden from even Rileytown.

She heard another voice behind her. Male. "Hey, Benny! Who's your new friend?"

He was equally thin, but he looked a bit nicer in demeanor.

"Skip, this is Little Bit."

"Young aren't ya?"

Staring, she stood there. Bound by this new boost of confidence, she shrugged. "What's it to ya?"

"Easy, Killer. I didn't mean nothin by it."

That had been the second time that exact phrase had been said to her in the last hour and a half.

Laughing, Benny slapped Skip on the side of his shoulder. "Go take her to get something to eat, man. I'll see you later." And he turned and walked off.

Turning toward the small brunette, he smiled. Throwing his arm around her shoulder, he looked down at her. "Well, come on, then, Little Bit. I know a place right around the corner here. Owner's my peep so he won't call anyone for you being … under the influence."

"Thanks."

"Riley?"

"I don't see how this is relevant."

"Because it's important to you. And it needs to be dealt with."

"I'm not ready to let go of that part of my life, yet."

Watching her closely, she nodded. "I can see that you're not." Then she lifted her left leg from her opposite knee and leaned forward. "Tell you what. I'll make you a deal. You let one of your friends back here, I don't care which one, and we can talk about it later. Deal?"

Glancing up at the woman, she hesitated before finally nodding.

Smiling at the small victory, she stood. "I'll see you tomorrow, Riley. Would you like me to send someone in?"

Shrugging, she looked through the outside window. "I don't care."

"Miss Matthews?" And she waited until the brown eyes met her own. "Talk to them. They need to know you're still in there."

"What if I'm not?" She got out in a whisper.

"You are. You've just got to get through all the darkness you've put yourself in. Stop retreating and try facing the world. You'll see, it's not as bad as you thought."

"Peaches."

The smile wasn't big, but it was genuine. She couldn't help but be relieved simply from the fact that she'd said her name. It was more than she'd gotten in the last two weeks. "Hey, Little Plant." Came the quiet reply.

She looked down and studied her hand. "Peaches, I want to apologize."

"Apologize?" And she sat down in the chair beside the bed. "For what?"

"I put you in a bad spot asking you to keep my secret."

A tear dripping down her cheek, she shook her head. "You're my best friend. I would keep any secret you ever asked."

"I know you would. But as your best friend, I had no rights to ask you to do that."

"Do you know, at first, all I could think was I couldn't believe you were trusting me with something so huge."

"Then after?"

She shrugged. "I was scared. You stopped talking to everyone except me, and that was only when you were drunk. I missed my best friend. You trusted me with something so big, then you shut yourself off."

"I didn't want you to be a part of that world. I needed to get away. Where I wouldn't be judged."

"I never judged you. What right would I have, to judge anyone?"

Letting her breath out through her nose, she shook her head and looked down at her hands once more.

"You need to talk to Lucas, Riles. There's so much you two need to discuss. You being in here, it's killing him. Especially now."

Meeting her best friends eyes, she didn't stop the tears that brimmed. "I hate that everyone looks at me differently. Everyone out there...I heard them all when I first got here. They all pity me. 'Poor Riley.' The girl who got herself knocked up then lost everything because of a stupid misunderstanding. I can't stand the looks, Maya. The way my parents look at me? Like they should have known what was going on. It's even awkward with Shawn."

"Honey, it's going to be awkward. We almost lost you. What if it had been me? What if I had been the one in trouble? What would you tell me about people being awkward?"

Inhaling sharply, she turned back to her best friend. For a long moment she didn't say anything. She wouldn't realize in that moment, what that one question would do for her.