Sunbreak, Wyoming had always been a lazy town. Blake may have believed that it was the kind of place you either ran to or away from, but Riley had taken to calling it home. She didn't mind that everything was closed by ten o'clock or that she had to drive three exits to find pretty much everything that wasn't essential for life, but she was aware that it was an adjustment.
"Frozen yogurt, Riles, who doesn't know what frozen yogurt is?" Farkle asked, staring at her intently over the reception counter.
"That pizza place over on Main does homemade ice cream," Riley pointed out, still trying to decipher the codes in Blake's billing spreadsheets.
"It's not the same," Farkle insisted.
"I'm sure there's a place that serves frozen yogurt somewhere around here," Riley offered.
"I checked, you wanna know how far away the nearest place is?" Farkle questioned.
"Three exits down?" Riley suggested.
"Four," Farkle corrected her, "I think we should open a place."
"You want to open a frozen yogurt store?" Riley clarified, turning away from the computer before she committed herself to an ill-timed business venture.
"Why not? I love frozen yogurt and you love frozen yogurt," Farkle reminded her, leaning in. He had that sparkle in his eyes that usually got people to agree with him.
"I'm a doctor and you're a lawyer, neither of those jobs prepare us for doing anything food or business related," Riley argued, hoping that he would see reason.
"My people in New York think I might be onto something," Farkle revealed, "I'm just offering you an investment opportunity to help plan for your future."
"I'm seven months pregnant, in the process of searching for a house, trying to run a medical practice, and up to my neck in student loans. Where do you think this investment money is going to come from?" Riley asked.
"When I'm incredibly successful, I just want you to remember that I offered," Farkle told her.
"You're actually serious?" Riley questioned, looking at him for any signs that he was joking.
"I originally wanted to invest in building a hospital, but despite my resources, my advisors have advised against it. I have much better chances at turning a profit over my frozen yogurt venture," Farkle informed her.
"When you said you had found a business opportunity here, I thought it was law related," Riley admitted, trying to wrap her mind around the idea.
"I, obviously, intend to continue in politics, but people are much more likely to trust a dictator who runs his own chain of frozen yogurt shops, then an international family lawyer from Washington," Farkle explained, shaking his hair out of his eyes.
"I don't even know what to say," Riley confessed.
"Say that you'll wear this campaign shirt," Farkle suggested, shifting gears and handing her a t-shirt with Roy's campaign poster on the front.
"Doesn't voting start this weekend?" Riley questioned, holding the t-shirt up so that she could see it.
"I expect you to wear it from now, until when the voting booths close," Farkle informed her, "It's the least you can do after missing the debate."
"I was delivering a baby," Riley reminded him, but she pulled the shirt over her work clothes, anyway.
"I'm supposed to meet Hailey to go over poling," Farkle said, glancing at his watch.
"Isn't she in school?" Riley pointed out, trying to keep up with Hurricane Farkle.
"We're meeting on her lunch break," Farkle clarified, picking up his bag of t-shirts and throwing them over his shoulder.
"Okay," Riley decided not to pursue it, turning her attention back to the computer.
"Are you and Lucas coming to dinner tonight?" Farkle asked, as he hesitated in the doorway.
"I think we might be doing our own thing tonight," Riley replied, wondering how Roy felt about Farkle taking over his household, "With the two of you leaving tomorrow, I thought it might be nice to have a quiet night in."
"It's a week in New York, Riles, and then we'll be back," Farkle assured her.
"I can't believe that you're willingly missing the voting," Riley snorted, trying to avoid the thought of them both being gone again.
"It's not like either of us could vote, anyway, and we both have some loose ends to tie up before we move here," Farkle reminded her, "Plus, with that shirt, I trust you to represent."
"Of course," Riley agreed, forcing a smile.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Farkle said, turning towards the parking lot.
"Bright and early," Riley muttered.
Riley shook her head at his antics, but couldn't stop the smile from forming on her face as she forced herself to go back to work. She wasn't making much progress and they still hadn't managed to find the order forms. She'd had to drive out and buy the supplies last week and it was quickly become a huge hassle.
"You ready to give up, yet?" Roy broke her out of her thoughts, sometime later.
"I'm making real progress," Riley argued, trying to look more alert then she felt.
"Riley, I miss him, too, but you can't keep doing Blake's job and your own. Especially with how far along you are in your pregnancy," Roy told her gently.
"I'm not ready to replace him," Riley insisted, "And we have no guarantee that anyone else could do this job as well as he did, either."
"I'm ready to let someone try. We're going to make a real mess out of our finances if you keep trying to do them. I have no idea how you managed to get through math in school," Roy commented, sitting on the desk, next to her.
"I'm getting better at it," Riley disagreed.
"You're really not. Get yourself ready, Kid, cause it's time," Roy insisted, squeezing her shoulder before he started moving towards his office.
Riley let out a sigh, but turned off the computer. She was at least ready to admit that she wasn't making any progress on trying to figure the spreadsheets out. It was a slow day for patients, but she'd already had several days where trying to answer phones, do exams, and schedule appointments had been a bit much for her.
She straightened Blake's nameplate and ran her hand over his jacket, which she hadn't been able to bring herself to move from the back of his chair. There was a picture of his little sister sitting on the desk and one of Blake and her at one of the high school's basketball games. Roy had been there, as well, but he had refused to be in the picture. Letting anyone else take over his job would mean losing some of his presence from the practice and Riley wasn't ready for that.
She made her way to her own office, nearly tripping over one of the rugs on her way to grab her purse. Her medical license and diploma were still sitting on her desk, waiting to be reframed and hung back on her wall. She wasn't quite ready to do that, yet, either, however.
She'd been letting Lucas drop her off in the mornings and pick her up in the evenings, so that he could have her car during the day. He had interviewed at several of the veterinary hospitals in the area, but their local veterinarian was about to retire and Riley had already approached him about buying him out.
"Hi," Lucas greeted her as she slid into the passenger's seat of the car.
"Hey," Riley smiled, leaning over to kiss him. She had tried for a quick peck, but he threaded his hands through her hair and it went on slightly longer than anticipated.
"How was your day?" Lucas questioned, pulling away and turning his attention to the road.
"It was long. How was yours?" Riley asked, leaning back in her seat.
"I went out with Jack and you were right, I do like the work that he's doing," Lucas admitted.
"If we bought out his practice, it would keep you closer and you'd be helping with the farm animals," Riley repeated.
"I know, it just seems like a lot of house calls," Lucas said, turning on to their street.
"You don't expect them to bring the horses into the clinic, do you?" Riley pointed out.
"I think that I just need some time to wrap my mind around the idea," Lucas offered, "These are some pretty big life adjustments."
"I know," Riley sighed, trying not to let her worries show on her face. He was always pretty good at reading her.
"What do you want to do for dinner?" Lucas changed the subject.
"I was thinking that I could cook," Riley suggested.
"That sounds nice," Lucas agreed, reaching over to squeeze her hand.
Riley set her things on the ground, just inside the door, and kicked off her shoes as soon as she got in. The extra weight was killing her back and her ankles had started to swell, but she was trying to keep from complaining. She kept reminding herself how lucky she was to pregnant and how lucky she was that the babies belonged to Lucas. She wasn't sure where the two of them would be if they weren't.
She had pre-made a salad the evening before when Lucas was out for a jog and she set a pan of water on the stove to boil. Farkle had given her a pasta recipe that had been passed along from Zay and she figured that she might as well try it out.
"Is there anything that I can do to help?" Lucas asked, from where he had collapsed on the bed.
"I think that I've got it," Riley replied, leaning against the counter as she waited for the water to boil.
The pain in her lower back seemed to be getting worse, but she shrugged it off. She had plenty of aches and pains throughout most of her body.
Dinner was nice and Riley enjoyed the time that she got to spend with Lucas. She was trying pretty hard not to think about him leaving, but the thought was still in the back of her mind.
"I shouldn't go," Lucas informed her, as she watched him pack his bag. He'd been saying the same thing for the past two weeks since he had booked his plane ticked back to New York and Riley was pretty sure that it was for her benefit.
"You have loose ends to tie up, I get that," Riley assured him, adjusting the pillow behind her back. The babies were kicking directly into her ribs and she couldn't find a position that was comfortable.
"Yeah, but I could call my employer and have someone pack up my things," Lucas pointed out, pausing in folding up a shirt.
"We're going to have to be apart eventually," Riley reminded him, pressing a hand to her stomach in an attempt to shift one of the babies' positions.
"You could come with me," Lucas suggested, "I'm sure you want to see Noah and your family."
"We're supposed to start interviewing receptionists this week and I need to be here," Riley said, giving him an apologetic smile. She wasn't sure whether she was more upset about Lucas leaving or trying to replace Blake. The timing was all around bad.
"You're not going to change your mind about us, while I'm gone?" he checked, abandoning his bag to collapse next to her on the bed.
"No, are you?" Riley asked, rolling onto her side so that she could see him.
"I think my mind's pretty made up when it comes to you," he assured her, resting one of his hands on her stomach.
"You'll call me when your plane lands?" Riley questioned, burrowing into his side.
"And when I get to my apartment and every free chance that I get," he promised.
"You should shower tonight, we both know that you won't get up early enough to do it tomorrow," Riley suggested, though she didn't move from where she was positioned.
"You'd better be careful, you almost sound like a wife," he joked and Riley immediately tensed, "What?"
"Nothing," Riley replied, moving back to her side of the bed, "I just remembered that I need to check my email."
"Right now?" Lucas asked skeptically, as she retrieved her laptop from her top drawer and laid it in front of her on the bed.
"You should finish packing," Riley dodged the question.
"Okay," he agreed, hesitantly, moving into the bathroom.
The next morning was cold and Riley found herself hitting the snooze button as soon as her alarm went off. She could feel Lucas's arm around her waist and his breath on her neck and she just wanted a few more minutes to enjoy it.
Logically, she knew that he was coming back. There was just too much that could go wrong in one week. Riley knew how precious time was and how quickly everything could change, but she also needed him to leave and choose to come back to her. She needed to know that she was what he really wanted and that he wasn't going to regret it years down the road.
From her position, she could see the clock on the wall. Lucas's breathing drowned out the sound of the ticking, but she was surprised to watch as the minute hand moved. That couldn't possibly be a good sign.
"It's time to get up," Riley murmured, running her free hand over the arm that was by her waist.
"Five more minutes," Lucas suggested, burying his face into her hair.
"I already gave you an extra five minutes," Riley replied, but she didn't pull away from him.
"It's just one week," he said quietly and Riley wondered who he was trying to reassure.
"I've changed my mind, maybe you should stay," Riley sighed, threading her fingers with his.
"Maybe we should just never move from this spot," Lucas added and she laughed.
The knocking at the door pulled them out of their conversation and Riley reluctantly got out of bed, pulling on her robe before she made her way over to open it.
"Farkle sent me to make sure that Lucas is up and getting ready," Hailey revealed, her hands in the pockets of her sweatshirt. She was still in her flannel pajama pants and had pulled her hair into a messy, bun on the top of her head.
"Yeah, he's up," Riley lied, glancing over her shoulder at his slowly moving form.
"Okay, I'll let him know," Hailey groaned, turning to make her way back to her own house.
"You'd better start moving," Riley suggested, closing the door.
"You're the one who takes forever to get ready," Lucas reminded her, but he was already getting out of the bed.
"I do not," Riley disagreed, though in truth she probably did.
She made her way over to her dresser and snagged the clothes that she had laid out the night before. Lucas had taken her advice and she was the only one that needed to shower that morning.
"Did you want to go up to Roy's house for breakfast?" Lucas questioned before she could close the door.
"I'm sure whatever food they're having is better then what I have here, but I'd kind of like to hold onto this a little longer," Riley admitted, leaning in the doorway.
"I'll throw some bagels in the toaster," Lucas suggested and she smiled as she watched him. It was easy to forget that there had ever been a time that he wasn't living with her.
"I'll be out in a minute."
Breakfast was a bittersweet affair. Her hormones left her more prone to unexplained fits of crying and it was a challenge to try and keep herself from dissolving into tears. They'd gone years without talking or even seeing each other, but this felt worse somehow.
"No emergencies while I'm gone," Lucas insisted, pausing to kiss her as he collected their dishes.
"I'll do my very best," Riley agreed, rolling her eyes as she heard a car honk from outside.
"It'll go by fast," Lucas promised, as he grabbed his bag.
"I love you," Riley stopped him at the door, burying her face in his chest as she hugged him.
"I love you, too," Lucas replied, "More than you'll ever know."
He kissed her one last time, pressing her against the door as they both tried to memorize the moment. Farkle honking again, broke the two of them apart and Riley reluctantly moved aside, so that he could pull the door open.
"You'll take care of him?" Riley questioned, as she leaned through the driver's window of the hearse to give Farkle a hug.
"I'll do my best," Farkle promised, kissing her cheek as she pulled away.
"I should be worried about who is going to take care of you," Lucas pointed out, putting on his seat belt.
"Drive safely and call me when your plane lands," Riley insisted, backing away from the car.
"You worry too much," Farkle snorted, pulling on his sunglasses.
"Don't stay late at the practice," Lucas added, watching her through Farkle's window.
"I promise," Riley agreed, waving as they drove away. It was strange that she felt homesick before they had even gotten out of sight.
Riley slowly made her way inside and finished gathering her things for the day. The place looked oddly empty without Lucas's clothes thrown around it. She was looking forward to his presence in her home being more than just what would fit in a duffel bag.
She took the time to make the bed and paused as she found his jeans from the night before. She rolled her eyes and tossed them towards the hamper, but stopped when she heard something heavy hit the floor. She turned to see a black, velvet, box had fallen from the pocket and was now positioned, innocently, outside of the bathroom.
"I shouldn't touch it," Riley murmured to herself, unable to look away from where it had landed. It really could be anything from earrings to a necklace and the last time she had looked at anything that fell from his pockets it had ended in his engagement to Maya.
Unable to stand the tension, Riley crossed the room and bent over to retreat it. The pain in her back flared and she had to hold onto the wall to keep herself from falling.
"It's karma," she murmured, trying to breathe through the pain. When the pain had passed she managed to pick up the box, but she had learned her lesson about trying to open it. She set it on his side of the bed and headed out to work for the day.
"You keep wincing," Hailey informed her, from where she had taken up residence at the reception desk. She was out of school and had volunteered to help out.
"It's nothing," Riley insisted, moving her hand from her back and trying to concentrate on the prescription that she was writing.
"If it's nothing, then you won't mind having it checked out," Hailey challenged, her eyes narrowing as she stared Riley down.
"My OB/GYN is two hours away," Riley reminded her, leaning against the counter as she felt another wave of pain.
"There's a Nurse Midwife in Branson," Hailey suggested.
"I know, I considered going to her, but Lucas insisted on a doctor and I don't have the energy to argue with him about medical practitioner equality at the moment," Riley explained.
"Why don't I give her a call?" Hailey suggested, her tone nonchalant.
"That's unnecessary, I'm totally fine," Riley argued, except she was hit with another wave of pain and she had to close her eyes to get through it.
"Dad?" Hailey called out and Roy came running at her tone.
"Riley, you okay?" Roy asked, moving to her side.
"No, I'm not okay," Riley finally admitted, turning to look at him with fear in her eyes.
"I suggested that we call the midwife in Branson," Hailey said, getting up from her chair.
"I think that the drive to the hospital might be worth it," Roy decided and Hailey grabbed the car keys off of the desk.
"Why does this always happen when Farkle and Lucas are gone?" Riley questioned, as they moved towards the door.
"Do you want me to call them?" Hailey asked, opening the door as Roy helped Riley out.
"No, not until we know something is actually wrong," Riley replied, easing into the back seat.
She kept her eyes trained out the window as they pulled onto the road, but she was already pretty sure of her diagnosis. She placed both of her hands on her stomach and found herself praying that everything would work out.
I've made up all of the names for places in Wyoming, so whatever I've described comes from my imagination. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed last chapter! Did anyone else see the new intro for season 3? I loved the idea of making it similar to Boy Meets World, but I was kind of hoping for more hints into season 3. Thanks for reading and I would love it if you would leave me a review!
Codename R.A.L-Yeah, that was what I was reading. I made it all the way to the end, but I probably should have stopped sooner.
Guest-I have this problem, where I watch the Maya and Lucas videos and I read some of their stories, even though I know that it will upset me. I don't like them together, either, which is weird because I'm usually all for the teasing kind of relationships, but something about them together just doesn't work for me.