Title: Stronger Together, Chapter 10/?
Spoilers: Up to 2x01 ~ Recovery
Warning1: This story involves a character with a leg amputation.
Warning2: This story is male/male fiction. Don't read if you don't like!
Disclaimer: I don't own The Night Shift, so I'm just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.
A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.
A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
...
A/N3: I'm so excited to be back, but please bear with me! I'm getting back into writing and posting. I had to take some time away for personal reasons, the passing of my mom, my dad losing his second leg to the same infection that took his first one, starting to attend a church, getting baptized and becoming a Christian (don't worry, it doesn't change my love for Drew & Rick!), having to move out of my childhood home, lack of internet, getting a job, on top of several other things. Unfortunately, with life happening, I couldn't focus much on writing, so I had to put it aside for a while. Thankfully I could keep up watching Night Shift and now that I have some more free time and with all that Drew and Rick had happen and are going through in season 2-4, my muse has finally returned! I'm posting chapter 10 and piecing together chapter 11-14 or so. They were all mostly written in pieces in late-2014 and early-2015, so I'm more editing them and working on getting them ready to post, while also writing more to continue the story.
A/N4: There is a lot in this chapter, but I hope you all enjoy it! This chapter, along with the next several will bridge the gap between season 1 and 2. I will also mention some things we learn in season 2's premiere episode ('Recovery') that would have been dealt with between the seasons. From there, I will write my twist on the happenings for Drew and Rick and the characters of the show for season 2-4 and add on some original ideas, too, but I don't think I'll be focusing too much on everyone else, so this can be about Drew, Rick and their lives together. I love all the characters, and the night shift is one big family, so the characters will be around and we'll see what's going on with them, but I'm just choosing to maintain focus on Drew and Rick. I hope you all understand!
...
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
With lunch picked up, the four returned to Drew and Rick's place and had lunch with Wendy and Andi, telling them about the appointment and everyone was glad to hear that things were looking up. Rick admitted he still had hesitations at being too hopeful, but he was happy things were moving in the right direction.
Drew was surprised he'd made it through lunch without falling asleep, but once they'd eaten, he didn't have a choice. He had to go get some sleep before work or he'd be living off coffee and energy bars all night. Rick, even though he'd gotten a little sleep during the night, joined Drew for some time alone together.
"You don't have to always sleep when I do. I know I work opposite hours than a normal person," Drew commented, stripping down to his briefs and undershirt, before crawling into bed, where Rick was already, sitting up against the headboard of the bed.
"You think I do?" Rick laughed lightly, "you do remember I just got home from a fourteen-month tour, right? You know what deployments are like. A few hours of sleep here and there, patrols lasting days; I'm just glad to be home to a real bed. What's even better is having my wonderful fiancé in it, too," he explained, shifting to press a kiss to Drew's lips, "so I'd rather sleep with you, whenever you do and if I don't sleep as much, it's nice just being close."
"That's true," Drew agreed, smiling at him, "and I didn't forget. I just know my hours are not 'normal' to most people and I'd understand if you want to sleep at night."
"It's alright. I'd rather keep your schedule. We'll just make early morning appointments or late afternoon ones, so we have time to sleep before or after your shift," Rick told him, shifting to lay next to Drew and tugging the sheet up over them. He then draped his arm over Drew's chest and kissed him once more, "go to sleep, babe."
"Yes, sir," Drew smirked, lifting his right hand in a partial salute.
Rick couldn't help a light laugh slip from his lips at Drew's words, "that wasn't an order, soldier, but I could easily make it one, Lieutenant," he added playfully, though his mind raced with thoughts that he wouldn't hear those words much anymore. He didn't think he'd be able to stay in the Army with a missing limb, even if he could walk, run, jump and do all the physical activity he did before, and if he could, would he even want to?
Drew knew his fiancé enough to know when he had something on his mind and he quickly noticed he was thinking about something, so he reached up and rested his hand on Rick's cheek, "what's wrong?"
"You know me well," Rick took a deep breath, "just thinking I probably won't hear those words much anymore. Even if I can get back to everything I did before, I don't think I'll be able to stay in the Army, and part of me doesn't want to anyway."
He expected this conversation to come, but Drew wanted Rick to talk about it first; he knew it'd be a sore subject, "oh yeah? What are you thinking?"
"I'm not sure. Even if I'm able to stay in the Army, I will never be deployed again, which I'm totally fine with, but there's limited positions for me. Sure, I could train new classes of Rangers and make a difference that way, but I'm not sure that's what I want. And if I have get out, the Army will give me a medical discharge, allow me to keep my benefits and I'm sure I'll end up getting some sort of disability from them or the government," Rick commented, "and I think I'm leaning towards discharge, but I don't know. I love the Army and being a Ranger, but with how I'm feeling right now, I kinda wanna be a military spouse, focus on us and then start a family."
Drew shifted to sit up a little and wrapped his arms around Rick, "if that's what you want, you know I've got your back," he told him honestly. Rick's words surprised him, but he knew he didn't want to push Rick to do something he may not want to do. The idea of them having a family together warmed his heart; it was something that up until recently, he hadn't really thought he'd be able to have, but now, even the chance at having kids with Rick was something he definitely was looking forward to, "I won't lie, it'd suck not having you as an officer, but I'll support anything you want to do. You also know I'd love to have a family with you."
Rick knew it might not be the best time to tell him what his sister had offered, but he couldn't keep it from his fiancé any longer, "about that," he said softly, "remember last night when I told you I had to talk to you about something our sisters and I talked about?"
"Yeah," Drew nodded, eyeing him curiously.
"Um, Andi... She, um, offered to... She kinda blurted out that she'd be willing to be a surrogate for us," he told him, biting his lip and nervously waiting for Drew's reaction, unsure exactly how he'd take it.
"She what?" He gasped, shifting a little to look more at Rick, "she offered to... What?"
"She offered to be our surrogate and she didn't seem to mean only once... I didn't want to keep that from you, but I also know we can't let our moms know, so we're keeping it between you, me, Gabby and Andi," Rick explained simply.
Drew took a moment to gather his thoughts. Shock and disbelief were his initial reactions, but then the doctor part of him kicked in and he realized genetically a child carried by her could carry Rick's genes and hers, and since she and Drew had similar DNA, the child would carry a part of Drew, too. He honestly didn't care if their kids had their DNA or not, he'd love them equally, but he knew this was a chance that was extremely rare for same-sex couples and he didn't want to pass it up. Leaning forward, he pressed his forehead to Rick's and took a deep breath, "I know my sister and I have always shared a bond that not many truly get, not even our other sisters, and this would only continue our bond. I'm shocked she'd offer, but in a way, I'm not. I know her and she'd do anything to help me, just like I would to help her," Drew started, trying to fight his need for sleep so he could finish talking to Rick, "we need to talk, and then talk with her. If she's serious, and we figure some things out, I'd be open to it one day. I definitely wouldn't say 'no', because this is an opportunity not many get and just the idea of our child sharing a part of both of us would be amazing."
"It would be," Rick agreed, eyeing Drew, "and I know we've got some things to deal with first and a lot to talk about together and with her, but it's definitely something I'd like to look forward to."
"I think it's definitely something to look forward to," Drew smiled, pressing a kiss to Rick's lips, "I never imagined we'd be lucky enough to be engaged or have a family together. Now things are moving in that direction and I honestly am so happy and I wish I could really show you just how much, but I'm exhausted and I really need some sleep."
Rick smirked a little and shifted to wrap his arms around Drew's body, "I know how you feel. Even with some things changing and what happened to my leg, it's nice to know things are looking up for us, giving us more chances than we've ever had before. I'm just as happy and we've got plenty of time to show each other how much we love each other."
Drew nodded at him and kissed him once more, "so true. I love you."
"I love you, too," Rick replied, smiling at him and resting his hand over Drew's heart, "always."
...
Wednesday Night
Rick only got a few hours of sleep and found himself waking up a little after four in the afternoon, only three hours after they'd laid down. Drew was still sound asleep next to him, but had shifted to lay on his stomach, so Rick rolled away a little to sit up and watch his fiancé sleep. "God, I missed you," Rick murmured, reaching out to gently brush his hand through Drew's short hair, being careful to avoid the scar from the accident he'd recently found out about. Rick had so many things running through his mind that he felt like he was being pulled in several different directions, like a mental tug-a-war and the only time he'd really feel like he was alright was when he had any time alone with Drew.
Hearing his phone beep near him, he reached for his cell and saw a new message from his older brother, Justin. "Oh crap," Rick thought, groaning. He knew his mom was keeping his family back home updated, but he hadn't thought to contact them on his own yet.
Justin: I get you've had a lot happen, but couldn't wait any longer to hear from you. Let me know you're okay, alright? Call, text, video chat, I'm here. Love ya, bro!
Immediately after reading his message, Rick felt even worse that he'd taken so long to contact the rest of his family. He would make a point to contact Kelly later, but for now his mind was on Justin. He and Justin had been as close as siblings could be that were seven years apart in age, but when Justin, and their dad, turned their backs on Rick when he came out, Rick tried to get over the hurt and it took the Lincoln men some time to really come around to accept Rick for who he was. When they did, though Rick could easily have hated them, he'd worked through it enough in the time apart that he chose to forgive them. Since then, the guys had rebuilt their relationships with Rick and now, Rick knew that rough time was just a nasty fall into a dark pit that they'd all crawled out of and he was thankful they were back to being close again.
Starting to type a reply, Rick shook his head and quickly deleted the message and hit the 'send' button, wanting to talk to his older brother instead.
After two rings, the older Lincoln answered his phone, "hey, baby bro!" Justin greeted.
Rick smirked, happy to hear his brother's voice, even though he called him 'baby bro', "hey, Justin. I just got your message. Sorry it's taken me so long to call."
"Don't worry about it. I know you've had a lot going on. I'm just glad you're alright. Would have loved to have been there when it happened," Justin admitted, "Drew's not the only medical person you know."
"I know," Rick replied, taking a deep breath. His brother had started out as a firefighter, but after getting a back injury during a fire, he couldn't continue that career, so he became an EMT and then a paramedic, which is what he's been doing for years, "I passed out before we were rescued and didn't wake up until I was at the hospital, so I wouldn't have known you were there, but it would've been nice."
"I'm just glad Drew was there," Justin replied honestly, "and speaking of Drew, congratulations, by the way. I'm happy for you. Drew's a great guy and I'm glad to welcome him to the family, officially."
Rick smiled happily and looked at his sleeping fiancé, "thanks, bro. That means a lot. I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that."
"Good. So you guys are good? How's mom and Gabs handling everything from your point-of-view? They've told me a little, but I get there's more and is Drew's mom and sister down there, too?" Justin asked.
"They are. Drew's sister just got down here yesterday, but his mom's been down here since I got home from the hospital. All things considered, Gabs and mom are handling things well. Mom's had a few breakdowns, but I don't blame her. I've had my own," Rick admitted, taking a deep breath.
"Well, you sound great. Better than I expected. Mom's kept us posted, but it's not the same as actually hearing from you," Justin commented.
"Yeah, I get what you mean. I should have called sooner. Honestly, I'm sorry about it. I'll do my best to be in better contact now," Rick promised, glancing at Drew, "did mom tell you that we're out to people now? We're not hiding from the people we work with."
"She did," Justin replied, "I'm proud of you guys. About damn time. I'm waiting to see everyone's reaction to when you guys change your Facebook relationship status to engaged. I'll give you credit. You two were at least admitting you were 'in a relationship', even if no one was mentioned in it."
Rick laughed lightly, "I'll talk to Drew. I guess we're gonna go up to New Mexico soon so he can tell the rest of his family, before we do that. I'm looking forward to saying I'm engaged 'To Drew Alister'," he admitted, "don't know if he'll go for that, but we'll see. Either way I'll keep him," he ran his hand over Drew's back and smiled, glad he wasn't waking him up, "okay, enough about me. How are you and the family doing?"
"We're doing alright. The kids are growing like weeds. Looking forward to seeing you this holiday season... You are coming home at some point, right?" Justin wondered.
"I've missed them. I'll definitely be home sometime," Rick replied, adding another thing to his mental 'to do' list.
"Kevin's driving now. He hasn't gotten his license, he just has his permit, but I'm sure that will come this month before school starts," Justin added.
"Oh man. I can't believe he's already sixteen. Now I feel old," Rick groaned.
"You think you're old? I'm seven years older than you! How do you think I feel?" Justin laughed, and would have said something else, but a loud alarm near him went off, "I gotta go. I'm on a twenty-four-hour shift today."
"No worries. We can talk later. Be careful, bro," Rick replied.
"I will be. Talk soon. Take it easy, Rick," Justin ended his call.
Rick put his phone back on the nightstand and took a deep breath, smiling happily. "I'm so lucky our relationship is back to the way it was," he thought, turning to his side and draping his arm over Drew's back and settled in next to him.
"Does Justin know you called him while we were in bed together?" Drew murmured, having just woken up to hear the tail end of Rick's conversation.
"I don't think so," Rick laughed lightly, "he'd have been fine with it. He's gotten over all that. I didn't wake you up, did I?"
"Nope, just woke up at the end of your conversation," Drew replied, shifting a little to look at his fiancé, "everything okay?"
"Yeah, it is. Part of me knew that my mom was keeping them informed, so I didn't rush to call them, but another part of me tells me I shouldn't have waited so long to call," Rick admitted.
"Well, I'm sure they understand and are just glad you're alive, because I definitely share that feeling," Drew replied, shifting.
"I can tell," Rick winked, hooking his finger into the undershirt Drew had on and tugged him closer, "still got some time before you have to get ready for work?"
Drew shifted to crawl on top of Rick and straddled his hips, "I don't know. I mean, if we come up with something to do I probably wouldn't have to, but you know, if we can't, I should get up."
"Oh, I think," Rick sat up and wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed Drew on the lips, "we can definitely find something to do."
...
It was after five-thirty when the guys finally exited their room and joined their family members out on the patio, dinner in the oven. With the guys finally up, everyone moved back inside to have dinner, talking lightly about plans and arrangements for the coming weeks. Though Drew wanted to help clean up after everyone was done, they insisted he go finish getting ready for work and when he rejoined them, they were back outside on the patio.
Taking a seat next to his fiancé, he slid his arm around him, "I'm gonna have to go," Drew admitted.
"I know. It's okay," Rick replied, pressing a kiss to his lips, "you usually leave earlier than this, so I don't want you running late."
Drew nodded, "I'll be okay if I leave now," he explained, hugging his fiancé, before standing up to say 'bye' to the others. Once he'd hugged their moms and Gabby, he moved to Andi, "Andi, walk me out. I need to talk to you about what happened at the hospital the other day."
Andi narrowed her eyes in confusion for a moment, but then realized he must mean the hostage situation a few of the doctors had been in, "alright," she nodded, standing up and moving towards him.
Rick stood up on his good leg and gave Drew a tight hug, pressing a kiss to his lips, "love you," he murmured, pulling back to look at Drew.
"Love you, too," Drew replied, smiling at him for a moment before reluctantly pulling from him, "see you in the morning."
"Don't work too hard," Rick smiled, sitting back down and waving at him.
"I'll try not to," Drew smirked, moving inside and through the living room to the front door, Andi following him. Grabbing his backpack, the two siblings headed outside to his SUV, where he threw his backpack into the backseat and closed the door before opening the driver's door and then turning to his sister, waiting, "okay, so I kinda lied," he told her softly, glancing around to make sure they didn't have followers or others around to hear them, "yes, Jordan would like to speak with you about what happened and her issues, but that's not why I wanted to talk to you."
Andi nodded, pulling her badge wallet out of her pocket and dug out a business card with the police department logo on it, her name and contact information, "just tell her to call my cell phone," she said, handing it to him, "I'd be happy to meet up with her before I leave, if she'd like, or talk on the phone. We won't be able to talk directly about the case, but I can make a few calls."
Drew nodded, pocketing the card, "okay. Thanks. Um," he rubbed his neck nervously for a moment and then shook them away, "Rick told me."
"I figured he would," Andi nodded, slipping her hands into her pockets, "I'm sorry I brought it up when I did. It just happened."
"It's okay," Drew held up a hand to stop her, "I'm glad you didn't dance around the subject. Rick and I are a while away from having kids, but we do want to have a family one day. I'm partially shocked you'd offer, but with the twin connection we have, I'm not too surprised. I'm just... Are you sure you'd be up for it?" Drew asked, "I mean... It takes a certain type of person to be willing to carry a child for someone else, even if it is for family..."
Andi stepped forward and rested her hands on his cheeks so he'd stop talking and look at her, "Andrew," she started, using his full name to catch his attention, "yes, I am sure. I know it's a big decision for all of us and I never imagined it'd be something you'd decide tomorrow. I just want you both to know that when you're ready, let me know. We'll figure it out," she said honestly, smiling at him, "right now, what I know is that you and Rick are two of the most amazing men I've ever known and you will be just as amazing as dads and I would be more than willing to help you guys have a family."
Drew smiled and stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her tightly, "thank you, Andrea," he murmured, begging his emotions to stay calm, "you don't realize how good that feels to hear you say that. We've only just talked about wanting a family, so to know we have a chance like this means the world to both of us and I don't think 'thank you' really expresses how thankful we are for your offer."
Listening to him talk, Andi smiled and rubbed his back, "you're welcome," she pulled away slightly to look at him, "there's no one in this world I'd ever do this for except for you guys and just to see you happy is all the thanks I'd ever need... As long as I can be their awesome aunt who spoils them like crazy and feeds them sugar before sending them back to their dads," she teased, trying to lighten the mood.
Laughing lightly at her words, Drew nodded, "you are definitely going to be their awesome aunt," he assured her, glancing at his watch and realizing he really did have to go, "when Rick and I decide anything, you'll be the first person we tell."
"Sounds like a plan," she nodded, letting go so he could get into his SUV, "now go to work before you're late, bro."
"Alright, alright, I'm going," he smirked, stepping away from her, "thanks again," he said as he climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine. Putting the window down, he closed the driver's door and looked at her, "see you later."
"Yep, I'll be here," she promised.
Drew nodded, backed out of the driveway and waved at her before he began his trip to the hospital.
A few blocks away from the house, Drew was trying to calm his racing thoughts. He was pissed that he'd never come out to Andi on his own, but he pushed it aside, knowing she understood and he wasn't going to dwell on the past. Focusing on the present and his and Rick's future together, including the amazing gift his sister had offered them, he decided to put her offer and the distant future in the back of his mind for the time being, so he could put all his attention to the near future. "Okay, I know we're not ready to talk a family right now, so as much as it's a wonderful offer and I'm thankful for it, I can't focus on it right now. I want to focus on me and Rick. He's gonna need me more and more over the next few months and I want to have a clear head for him. Once we get through the major obstacles coming at us, we can start to focus on more, like planning our wedding and maybe talk about a family," Drew thought to himself as he smiled and twisted his engagement ring on his finger, feeling his fiancé there with him, even though he was still at home, "our wedding. We actually get to plan a wedding. I'm excited things are going in the right direction."
...
End of July / Early-August 2014
After the hostage situation, everyone at San Antonio Memorial Hospital hoped to get back to 'normal', but that hope was quickly dashed. The hospital board suspended TC indefinitely, after Scott told them about his breakdown in the OR. TC's only way of coming back to work would be getting some help for his PTSD, so it would take some time for him to return. Landry also put in her two-week notice. She felt that the high-stress environment of the ER was not a good fit for her, like she first thought, so she was moving on to a little less stressful location. Ragosa also announced that he'd be taking some time off, due to some medical conditions that he'd just found out about, but wasn't sharing too much information with everyone. They were all confused and surprised at the sudden announcement, but were thankful he wasn't taking time off until the end of August, so he could still help with the transition of some temporary replacements for TC and Topher, who would be out at least six weeks. They'd be having two day shift ER attending doctors switch to nights for a few months, so Jordan wasn't the only attending physician on the night shift. Jordan reached out to Drew's sister for advice and then spent a few afternoons at the police station along with one of the hospital's lawyers, to explain exactly what happened, being honest with them from the start, like Andi told her to. After two days, she was quickly cleared of any charges, once they realized the whole situation. Technically Jordan was still the interim chief of the night shift, and after the legal incident, the board allowed her to remain in that position, but she found out that they were not going to find a temporary replacement for Ragosa, so she'd be doing his job as well. She wasn't looking forward to that, but agreed to take it on temporarily.
On the personal front of the hospital staff, they quickly figured out that Scott and Jordan broke up, so there was some strong tension between them for quite some time. Jordan also admitted to Drew and a few others that she and TC were rebuilding their relationship, but taking things slow, because she wanted him to get help for his PTSD, before they jumped back into a physical relationship. Drew also noticed that Kenny and Krista were getting 'closer' and he was curious if there was more going on between them than just being friends. He chose to not say anything, because he didn't want to get put into the middle of something, in case whatever relationship they had didn't work out, since he was friends with both.
...
At home, Drew and Rick just wanted to put July behind them, focusing on the good and getting life back to normal, but with family still visiting, it wouldn't be until they left that the guys could truly be themselves and settle into a routine. Until then they focused on spending time with their family until they had to leave.
Drew still had to work, not wanting to take time off right away, because they were still getting used to not having TC and Topher around, and dealing with the new attending doctors from day shift, who did things a little differently. Since Andi was only there for a short visit, she and Drew went out on his Saturday off to hang out for a while, before returning to Drew and Rick's so they could all discuss the next few weeks, knowing Drew and Rick would be going up to New Mexico soon.
Andi was the first to leave on Sunday, returning home to New Mexico, because she had to get back for work Monday.
Drew returned to work Monday evening and the week continued like the last few weeks had. The couple would get some alone time, while also spending time with their moms and Gabby. Wendy and Terry went a few times to help Janet Zia, Topher's wife, with the twins, while their older daughter was in school. Topher was improving, and was expected to be discharged soon, so the moms helped Janet out, until she could take some time off work to prepare for Topher to return home and by the end of the week Janet finally got a few weeks off, so though she appreciated the help from Wendy and Terry, she insisted she'd be alright and they should spend the last few days in town with their sons.
Wendy was the next one scheduled to leave, so she and Drew went out a few different times, just the two of them, and by Sunday, she was packing her car and heading home, having spent two-and-a-half weeks in San Antonio and was looking forward to Drew and Rick coming up to New Mexico soon. She would have stayed longer, but Drew's dad wouldn't be home until later in the week and she had some things she wanted to take care of.
With Wendy gone, Terry began sleeping at Drew and Rick's place, not wanting to stay at Rick's apartment alone. Most of Rick's belongings were already at their place now, except for the larger pieces of furniture and Rick was going to deal with that later.
Rick's leg was continuing to heal and his pain had decreased a lot, so he wasn't taking much of his pain medication, something he was really happy about. He still had a few staples in his leg, so when he returned to the prosthetic office for his appointment Wednesday, Dan was happy to see how well he'd healed and with the shape of his leg, he took some more measurements and gave him the actual silicone stockings and liners he'd wear under his prosthetic, but he didn't want him to start wearing them until his leg was completely healed. Dan wanted to see him in another two weeks, figuring by then he'd be healed completely and be able to put a little weight on his leg, so he could get a mold of his limb, that would be the start of his prosthetic, and everyone was happy to hear Rick was on the right track of healing.
Returning to Rick and Drew's place, the guys went to get a few hours of sleep, while Terry and Gabby came up with dinner. Once the guys were up, they all had dinner together and Drew headed to work, giving Gabby, Terry and Rick a chance to spend some time together before the two left the next day, to return home to Washington.
...
Thursday, August 14, 2014
It was almost seven-am and Rick, Gabby and Terry were mostly up. Gabby was in the shower, Terry was packing and Rick was with her in the living room, "sweetheart, are you sure you guys will be okay?" Terry asked concerned.
"Mom, we completely appreciate you coming down, but we'll be okay. The freezer is packed full of meals you guys made, so we're set for a while and if we need something, we know how to call you," he assured her.
Terry eyed him and took a deep breath, "alright," she walked over and took a seat next to him, "I just..."
Rick took her hand and pressed a kiss to it, "I know. You just want to make sure we'll be okay. We will. Drew and I are a pretty good team."
"You guys are," she agreed, smiling at him, "just promise me if you need help you'll ask."
"I promise. If we need help, we will call," he replied, squeezing her hand gently.
Terry looked at him proudly and reached up to rest her hand on his cheek, "you've grown up so well."
"Well, I had a good teacher," he smiled, "I'm glad you came down," he told her honestly.
"I am, too, and I hope you know that I would have come down, even if I had to take a few weeks off work. It just worked out that it happened during the summer, so I didn't have to," she explained.
"I know," Rick nodded, "and same goes for Gabs. I still can't believe she followed in your footsteps and became a teacher."
"She's always loved school and she's doing great at the high school," Terry replied.
"Yeah, she's told me she loves it. I missed her whole first year teaching while I was deployed," Rick admitted, "but we talked about it. I'm proud of her."
"We all are. Next time you're home, visit her. I'm sure she'd love the surprise," Terry told him, "I would, too."
"Well, considering that you both teach at former schools I went to, her at my high school and you at my middle school, maybe, but it'll be weird, too," Rick admitted, sitting back.
"Why?" Terry wondered, looking at him, "some of your old teachers are still there. They'd love to see you."
"I know, but I'd be going back," he motioned to his leg, "different than when I was there and it'd bring back memories of playing sports and I don't know if I'll be able to do the same as I did before."
"Oh, sweetheart, you heard Dan. You can get back to all the activity you did, it'll just take time," she told him.
"Like I've said, I don't want to get my hopes to high," Rick replied, hearing the bathroom door open, so he knew his sister was done, "I don't know. I just don't want to think about things that might not happen. I'm trying to just focus on the positive right now."
"That's a good thing to do, but there is nothing wrong with hoping or setting goals to work towards. If you want to play sports again, make it a goal. You can do it," she told him.
"I am, I mean, yeah, I want to, but right now, my goal is walking. I figure once I can walk without crutches, I can work on jogging and running. Once that can happen, I'll work on sports, but that's a way off. I'd rather focus on the near future," Rick replied.
"Okay, then we'll focus on that," Terry confirmed, patting his knee, "I'm very glad Drew knows about all this medical stuff. He's a keeper. I'm so happy you guys found each other."
"Me, too," Rick smiled, glancing at his sister as she joined them, towel drying her hair, "Drew's my one and only."
"I need one of those," Gabby commented, "you've got someone, Justin and Kelly both have someone and they've got kids. I'd like to find the right one. I thought I had, but I was wrong," she replied, looking at Rick.
"Don't be in a hurry. You're young. You'll find that someone and when you do, the guys and I will check him out first," Rick replied, "not gonna have you get cheated on again."
Gabby smirked and nodded, "alright and, um, just don't mention anything to Justin. I haven't told him. I'm worried he'll..."
"You haven't told our older brother that Dylan cheated on you?" Rick gasped looking at her, "are you kidding? It's bad enough I'm here and I can't get up there right now to beat the shit out of the little asshole, but you should have told Justin!"
"And let Justin get in trouble for harassing him for something stupid? Dylan cheated on me. I've dealt with it. I'm moving on. He probably already has, too," Gabby retorted, sitting down to put her shoes and socks on, "don't. You haven't brought it up since it happened and I'd rather you not start going all big brother on me now; we're leaving soon and I don't want to leave on a sour note."
Rick eyed his sister, "you won't," he promised, "but bottling everything up will only make it worse later."
"I know," Gabby started, taking a deep breath, "I've dated guys before and we've broken up and I've moved on. Yes, this is the first time I've been cheated on, so yeah, it's a big deal, but then I look at you," she looked at her older brother, "and I see what happened and I see you fighting with everything you've got to get better, even though you don't have a leg right now and I realize that what happened to me is nothing compared to what happened to you. You have every right to be pissed at the world and be negative, but you're not. You're looking forward to getting your life back and you're happy. I think, if you can do that after everything that happened, then I can deal with a break-up," she moved and sat down next to him, "you're my inspiration."
"Wow," Rick started, slipping his arm around her shoulders, "I never imagined I'd be someone's inspiration. I don't feel like I am. I just feel like I'm living and fighting to get my life back."
"You're not letting this bring you down," Gabby told him, resting her hand on his knee, the first time she ever touched his leg since she'd been there, "you're fighting back."
Rick smiled and nodded, "yeah, I am, because, like I've said a lot recently, I realized I have a lot to live for and a life I want to get back to," he heard the front door open and turned just as his fiancé walked into the door, "and I have an amazing guy I want to grow old with."
Hearing Rick's words, Drew looked up and caught his gaze, "you talking about me?" He asked with a grin, closing the door. Dropping his bag by the door, he moved towards the back of the couch and leaned over to it, "hey."
"Hey back and yes," Rick nodded, leaning towards him and pressed a quick kiss to his lips, "welcome home."
"Thanks," Drew smiled, looking at the three of them, "everything alright?"
"Yeah, we're just talking," Rick replied, deciding to let the conversation settle.
Gabby reached up and rested her hand on Drew's shoulder, "do me a favor," she looked at him.
"What's that?" Drew asked curiously.
"Please take care of my brother. I don't just mean now, I mean forever," she replied.
Drew smiled and patted her hand before moving around the couch to sit on the coffee table in front of them, "I promise all of you, I will do everything in my power to take care of him, treat him right and be the best friend and partner I can be. I will never purposely hurt him and if I somehow do, I'll do anything I can to make it up to him," Drew reached out and took Rick's hand in his, "because he's the love of my life and I'm not letting go."
Rick lifted their joined hands up and pressed a kiss to Drew's hand, squeezing it gently at his words, "neither am I."
Gabby and Terry shared a smile and accepted his honesty, "okay. I'm gonna hold you to that. And if I find out differently, you've got some people to answer to," Gabby warned, hoping he realized she and Rick's siblings would defend their brother, "sorry, I don't want to sound mean or threatening, because I'm not saying you will, but after what I just went through..."
"I know," Drew nodded, knowing exactly what she was getting at, "and you don't have to apologize. You have every right to say that to me and I'm really glad he has people willing to look out for him. As I said, I will do everything I can do be the person he deserves, because I'm far from perfect, but I like to think we're perfect for each other."
"We are," Rick confirmed, looking at Drew.
"I completely agree," Terry replied, motioning for Drew to get closer.
Leaning forward, Terry and Gabby put their arms around both guys and the four shared a group hug, "I hope I can find someone like you one day, Drew. Rick's lucky to have you."
Drew smiled as he pulled back from their hug and looked at her, "I'm just as lucky to have Rick and you will find a great guy one day. Probably in the most random and unexpected place."
Rick nodded in agreement, smiling at his fiancé, "like Basic training."
"Yeah," Drew smirked, still shocked that they met on day 1 of Basic, "exactly like that and I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Neither would I," Rick replied with a grin, taking his hand in his again, "it's gonna make a great story for our kids one day."
Drew nodded in agreement, smiling at the thought of them having kids, "yeah, it's going to."
Rick shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, "okay, I love you guys, but if we keep talking sappy like this, I'm gonna hurl."
The group laughed lightly, "yeah, we probably should finish packing," Terry agreed, "but I'm just so happy to see you guys happy."
"Thanks, mom," Rick replied, tugging his fiancé towards him when both Terry and Gabby got up. Wrapping his arms around Drew once he'd settled next to him, Rick pressed a kiss to Drew's cheek and looked at his mom and sister, before eyeing his fiancé and remembering something that was said earlier, "I'm definitely keeping him."
...
Putting their conversation aside, Gabby and Terry continued to pack up and Drew and Rick helped them a little bit, before the four moved into the kitchen to have breakfast. Talking lightly during preparation and eating, Drew and Rick did the dishes afterward when Terry and Gabby went to finish packing and make sure they had everything.
By nine-am, Drew took their bags out to their rental car and gave the three Lincolns a chance to say their goodbyes. It wasn't easy, they'd all enjoyed the time together over the past few weeks since they'd been there, but the two women knew it was time to get home. They could see that Rick was doing really well; Drew was taking good care of him, so it made it easier to leave, knowing he was in good hands.
With hugs, promises to keep in touch and sharing 'I love you' with them, Gabby and Terry reluctantly said 'bye' and the guys wished them a safe trip and walked them to the front porch. Once their rental car was out of sight, they moved back inside. Drew closed the door behind them and saw Rick lean against the back of the couch so he didn't have to lean on the crutches, "you okay?" Drew wondered, stepping towards him.
Rick took a deep breath and nodded, "yeah," he murmured reaching out to wrap his arms around Drew and tugged him closer, "bummed to see them go, but I'm glad they were here. Looking forward to seeing them again."
"Me, too," Drew agreed, slipping his arms around his neck, "we'll see them this winter sometime."
"Really?" Rick raised a curious eyebrow at him.
"Yeah," Drew narrowed his eyes in confusion, "you didn't think you'd get to go home for the holidays?"
"Well, I don't know," Rick admitted, "we haven't really talked about it. I want to, of course, but if we're coming out to your family, won't they want us to go there?" He asked and when Drew gave him the 'I don't know' shrug, he continued, "I officially know what a couple deals with when they have to figure out who's family to spend what holiday with."
Drew rested his hands on Rick's shoulders, "true, but it's August. We have a few months to figure out all that. I kinda figured we could do one holiday in New Mexico, another in Washington and go somewhere for New Year's," Drew suggested, "it'll all depends on how much time I can get off, but we'll figure it out."
Rick smiled, nodding at his suggestion and then glanced around, "you hear that?"
"What?" Drew looked around the room, "hear what?"
"That's my point," Rick grinned shifting forward to press a kiss to Drew's lips.
"Why Captain Lincoln, are you suggesting we may be alone in our home?" Drew drawled, one arm slipping around Rick's neck as his other snaked around his back.
Rick nodded and slipped his hands under Drew's t-shirt to rest them against his warm skin, "that's exactly what I'm saying," he murmured, loving hearing him call it their home, "what should we do about it?"
Drew grinned and stepped back from Rick long enough to lock the front door, then turned back to him and pulled his t-shirt off, "we don't have anywhere to be... until I have to go to work tonight and I..." He leaned in and pressed a kiss to Rick's lips, "think we should go to bed."
"Oh yeah?" Rick licked his lips, loving the sight of his shirtless fiancé. Reaching out, he rested his hand on his chest and grinned brightly, "I think we should, too."
...
The guys made it to their room, crawling into their comfortable bed, before taking their time making love to each other without worry of being interrupted by someone barging into their room. Soon, both were content, happy, relaxed and drifting off to sleep.
Hours later, Drew woke from his dreams to find himself on his back, Rick leaning against him with his hand on his chest. Smiling, Drew ran his hand through Rick's hair, laughing lightly at how shaggy it was getting. It'd only been a month since he'd gotten home, but his hair grew pretty fast and it was already a few inches longer than it had been. Drew had never known Rick to have longer hair, only the standard military cut, and he was curious how he'd look with it longer. He'd only seen pictures of Rick from high school and college with it longer, but it wasn't the same as seeing him the same way in real life.
"Don't stop," Rick murmured when Drew's hand stilled on his scalp, "feels good."
"I didn't wake you, did I?" Drew asked softly, continuing what he was doing.
"Yeah, but it's okay," he replied, his eyes still closed as he relaxed against Drew.
Drew smiled at his fiancé and shifted to press a kiss to his forehead, "just realizing I've never known you to have hair that wasn't cut really short."
"I used to wear it longer. Probably will if I'm not working. It'll go if I go back to work," Rick replied, opening his eyes to look at him, "you okay with that?"
"Yeah, it's your head. You always look great," Drew replied, "just new to me. That's all."
Rick nodded and shifted a little so he could look more at Drew and leaned in, pressing a kiss to his lips, "can I ask you something?"
"Of course," Drew nodded, reaching up to brush his other hand over Rick's cheek.
"Do you think we would have met if I hadn't joined the military?" Rick wondered, something they'd never really talked about before, but recently, it'd been on his mind.
Drew was silent for a long moment, thinking about their lives and trying to figure it out, "honestly, I don't know, but what I can say is that I fully believe we're meant to be together, so somehow, if we hadn't met when we did, I have faith we would have met one day."
Rick smiled and slid his arm around him a little more in a hug, "I feel the same way."
"Nice to know," Drew returned his hug and smile, pressing a kiss to his lips before looking at him, "what's on your mind?"
"Nothing, really, but I just had a dream that reminded me of a conversation I had with one of the civilian contractors working with my unit," Rick admitted, "they told me with what I knew and what I was doing for the Army, I could get paid a lot more by working for a contractor. I'd pushed it aside and just thought of it now. I love the Army and I'm glad I joined, I'm glad I met you when I did, I just mean, if I had started working with a contractor and not joined the Army, we wouldn't have met when we did."
Drew nodded in understanding and tightened his grip on his fiancé to hold him close, "we would have met somehow, even if you hadn't joined the Army."
Rick smiled at him and leaned closer to his fiancé, "I meant what I said, I'm glad we met when we did."
"Me, too," Drew agreed, nudging Rick so he'd lay on his back. As Rick took the hint and shifted onto his back, Drew crawled over him and straddled his hips, "because we might not be engaged right now if we hadn't met when we did."
Reaching up, Rick rested his hands on Drew's chest, letting his fingertips gently brush over his toned abdomen, "so true and I'm really glad we're engaged," he sat up slightly and slid one arm around Drew's neck to pull him close, "because I'm really looking forward to being your husband," he added, pressing a kiss to his lips.
Drew deepened the kiss and smiled as they pulled apart, "I can't wait, but maybe right now, we could focus on soaking up the alone time."
Rick smirked before kissing him again, "babe, I love how you think."
...
"You know, we really need to pack. I can't do it all while you're at work," Rick muttered a while later as the two laid contently together.
"Oh yeah," Drew murmured, "we're leaving in the morning."
"Don't tell me you forgot," Rick commented, sitting up to look at him, "you're not getting cold feet are you?"
Drew took a deep breath, "no, it's not that," he sighed, "it's just nerves."
Rick nodded, "yeah, I know that. It was not easy to tell my firefighter father I was gay."
Glancing at him, pieces fell together and Drew nodded, "you said he didn't take it well?"
"Not at first. Justin didn't either, but they came around," Rick replied, rubbing his shoulder gently, "your mom, Andi and Maria know, so I'm pretty sure Liz has figured something out. I just wish I could tell you how your dad will take it."
"Me, too," Drew agreed, "nothing he's gonna say is gonna change my mind, I just... I don't know. There's so many scenarios."
"True and I bet you've been trying to figure each one out, haven't you?" Rick wondered, "I've been there before. I know what's going on in your head."
"I'm glad I'll have you with me. Wish I could have been there for you," Drew murmured.
Rick rested his hand on Drew's chest and nodded, "that would have been nice, but I was alright. I mean, yeah, it hurt, but I had my mom and my sisters' support, so it wasn't like everyone in my family turned their back on me."
Drew nodded and took a deep breath, "that's good. I know a lot of people back home. I grew up there, but I don't really have a lot of super best friends back there. The few guys and girls I do know are more just acquaintances now. We've grown apart a lot since we graduated high school."
"That's understandable. Same here. You've met the two close friends I have from school. The rest I grew apart from," Rick replied.
"Yeah, that's about the same with me. I still try to keep in touch on a regular basis with a handful of close friends from school. I don't know," Drew looked towards the window, "does it make sense when I say that it feels like my life really started when I joined the Army? I know I had a life before the Army and the Army isn't the only part of my life, but..." Drew sighed, not really sure how to explain.
"You hid yourself from your classmates, because you didn't want anyone to know you were gay. In a way, joining the Army was the line you drew in the sand, so to speak, between being gay and hiding. You still had to hide from people in the Army, yes, but we met when you joined the Army and two years later we became a couple, so you put your past behind you and focused on a future where you could truly be yourself, in all senses of the word," Rick told him.
Drew smiled at Rick's words and nodded, "yeah, exactly. Joining the Army was the turning point in my life. Sure, I couldn't be 'out' like civilians could be, but that didn't stop us from finding each other, which I'm so thankful for," he looked at his fiancé and reached up to brush his hand along his cheek, "now you're the best part of my past, present and future."
Rick leaned into his touch and returned his smile, "you're the best of mine, too," he replied honestly. After a moment he smirked, "but don't think that confession is gonna get you out of packing, mister."
"Can't a guy be sentimental without it meaning something else?" Drew sighed dramatically.
"Of course he can, but if you thought I'd forget I needed help to pack, it didn't work," Rick replied patting him on the chest.
"Damn it," Drew sighed again and nodded, "fine. I'll help pack."
Rick laughed lightly, "thank you."
...
It wasn't that Drew was trying to get out of packing, but it wasn't the most fun thing to do in the world. He appreciated his talk with Rick and was glad Rick did change the subject, so they could focus on more important things than worrying about how his dad would take his coming out. That was the main reason for their trip to New Mexico and Drew hoped it wouldn't ruin their little getaway.
Drew was looking forward to showing his fiancé around where he grew up. He knew he didn't talk about 'home' much, so Rick only knew a few bits and pieces that Drew had shared over the years, or what Rick had learned recently from Wendy and Andi. Drew was ready to finally open up about his past and knew this wouldn't be the only trip they'd take to New Mexico.
For the next few hours, the guys worked on packing. They were going to be gone a little under a week, so they didn't need a whole lot of clothes, but it was two of them packing, not just Drew throwing some things into a bag for a short trip there for a holiday or a rare long weekend at home.
It took a few hours, but both Rick and Drew got duffel bags packed with some clothes and other necessities. They were going to stay at Andi's place, in 'Drew's Room', Andi's guest room that he always used, so Drew already had some things there, and they could always run to the store if they needed something they'd forgotten.
Now that Rick was home and living with Drew, both guys had laptops and phones and other gadgets floating around the house and since they were only going to be gone a short time, they didn't pack many of them, other than their smartphones and chargers.
By six that night, the guys had finished packing and were mostly ready to go, their bags piled by the front door, now that all of the boxes from Rick's apartment had been moved into the garage temporarily. The guys ate one of the many meals their moms had made while they were there and had left in the freezer and soon found themselves kicked back in the living room on the couch.
"I'll be getting off sometime after midnight. I don't know exactly what time," Drew commented, glancing at Rick.
"That's fine. I'm surprised you could get off early, anyway. It's cool and works out, but I didn't expect it," Rick replied.
"Same here. Jordan offered and it's an eight-hour drive, so I definitely could use an extra few hours to sleep before we go," Drew told him, "you sure you'll be okay here by yourself?"
Rick glared at Drew, "don't even start. I'll be fine."
Drew smirked and wrapped his arms around Rick, "alright, I'll lay off. Call me if you need something," he replied, "did you hear from your mom or sister? Did they get back to Washington okay?"
"Yeah, actually Gabby just messaged me and said that their plane just landed at the airport," Rick replied, motioning to his phone, "my dad's picking them up."
"Oh, cool," Drew smiled, "I'm glad they made it. I feel like we should do something to thank them more than just saying it."
"I wouldn't know what," Rick told him, "but yeah, we could so something."
...
Thursday Night
It seemed to be quieter than usual in the ER and Drew was thankful for a slow night. He knew it'd be easier to leave if they didn't have as many patients, because he hated putting them in a bind, but everyone assured him they were glad he was getting some time off, he deserved it after everything that had gone on in his life in the past month.
...
Friday, August 15, 2014
"Drew, why don't you get going," Jordan commented, a little after one-am.
"You sure?" Drew asked, setting his chart down on the nurse's station, "I can stay longer."
"I know, but you just discharged your last patient and I'd hate for you to get involved with a detailed case that keeps you here until the end-of-shift. I promised you could get off early, and I'm sticking to it. Go home, get some sleep, have a fun and safe trip, spend some quality time with your fiancé and enjoy your family," Jordan smiled, patting him on the shoulder.
Weighing his options, Drew nodded and smiled at her, "thank you, Jordan. I appreciate you letting me have some time off."
"You're welcome and you deserve it Drew. You've been through a lot recently, but you've really stepped up here and it's been noticed and very much appreciated," Jordan smiled, "so go. Don't worry about work for a while and we'll see you later."
Drew nodded again and smiled, "alright. Thanks."
...
Up Next: The guys take a road trip to Drew's hometown and Rick finally gets to tease his fiancé about where he's from!
A/N5: Hope you all enjoyed! Please be gentle, but let me know what you think! I know I spanned some time in this chapter, but I did want to move forward. After New Mexico, we'll see more of them at home, Rick's gonna go through some stuff and soon we'll be getting into some areas touched on in season 2... But I'm twisting up some of it. Hope you all are willing to stick with me and them!
A/N6: You may notice Drew's older sister's name has changed. Many years ago when I first created her character, I named her Sydney, 'Syd' for short. Season 3 introduced us to Syd Jennings, so since only chapter 9 had a scene with her on a phone call, I made an executive decision to change the character before I moved forward, so I can use the character of Syd Jennings and there will be no confusion.
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