32 Weeks
"We're going to start you on a round of antibiotics," Lydia announced as she entered the hospital room in her scrubs, "And I'm going to start you on terbutaline to try and stop your labor. Based on the amount of amniotic fluid that you've lost, I would guess that it's just a hole in the amniotic sac. If we can keep the babies there for another three weeks, I would feel a lot better."
"So, you want to wait to deliver the babies?" Lucas clarified, looking at Lydia incredulously.
"Amniotic fluid regenerates, as long as what I lose is less than what's being made and as long as I don't get an infection, it's better if we wait," Riley cut in, squeezing his hand.
"We'll keep her in the hospital to be monitored and if anything goes wrong we can have her in the OR in three minutes," Lydia promised.
"So, we're back to waiting?" Lucas sighed.
"We're back to waiting," Lydia agreed, giving them a tentative smile before she left the room.
"We just can't catch a break, can we?" Lucas asked as Riley shifted her position in the bed. Her hospital gown was itching her skin and she felt claustrophobic among all of the tubes and machines.
"We haven't seriously talked about girl names," Riley changed the subject, feeling calm despite how out of control everything seemed.
"I thought you wanted Hope," Lucas gave in, running his free hand through his hair.
"I like Hope, it just doesn't entirely feel right," Riley sighed.
"I think we're going to have to see them before we can decide on names," Lucas suggested and Riley nodded, "You were going to tell me something before everything happened."
"I bought the ranch, Lucas. I know I made a big deal out of moving here and I love it here, but for one summer that was our place and when Farkle sent me the listing it seemed like fate," Riley explained, relieved to be getting everything out in the open.
"So, we now," Lucas trailed off.
"We now own a house here and a ranch in Texas," Riley supplied.
"Mommy," a voice called, footsteps echoing on the hardwood.
"What's wrong?" Riley questioned, looking up from her medical textbook. Her daughter appeared around the corner; her light, brown hair, that was all her father, half straightened.
"Mattie blew a fuse, again," the girl complained, placing her hands on her hips.
"Doing what?" Riley questioned, as she made her way towards the fuse box.
"He has all of those fish tanks in his room that it really doesn't take much," she groaned, following along behind her mother.
"Mer, you're the one who plugs in a straightener, a curling iron, and a blow dryer. I think it's a team effort," Riley pointed out, opening the fuse box and flipping the switch.
"I wanted a sister, Mom," Mer reminded her, placing her hands on her hips.
"If you have complaints about the gender of your siblings, I suggest you take it up with your father. He happens to be the one who determines that part of the DNA," Riley laughed, ruffling her daughter's hair.
"Lots of women your age are still having babies," Mer said, glaring at her.
"Did you get that line from your father?" Riley asked, taking a deep breath.
"No, but you're the only one who doesn't want another baby," Mer pointed out.
"I have my reasons."
Riley snapped awake, wincing her way through the contraction as she took in her surroundings. Lucas was asleep in the chair next to her bed and the machine next to her was recording all of her contractions. She could see the monitors that showed her the babies' heartbeats.
Everything was fine, but she had this feeling that something was terribly wrong. She pulled her phone from the table next to her bed and found several missed calls from Maya and Josh. She'd already talked to Roy and Farkle after she had been admitted. They were supposed to be taking Hailey to the airport in the morning and there wasn't anything actually happening at the hospital for them to be here for.
She dialed Maya's number and waited as it rang.
"Riles, Farkle called to tell me you were in the hospital, what's going on?" Maya demanded as soon as she picked up.
"My amniotic sac is slightly ruptured, but everything looks fine," Riley assured her.
"Don't you have two?" Maya questioned and Riley wondered if she was googling the medical terminology.
"Yes, each of the babies have their own amniotic sac, we're just not entirely sure which one is ruptured or if they both are. Either way, I'm no losing enough amniotic fluid to be worried, yet," Riley replied, adjusting the pillow behind her back.
"Well, either way, Josh, Noah, and I will be flying out next week," Maya insisted.
"You don't have to do that," Riley argued, imagining how awkward that entire situation would be.
"Tickets are bought, you're stuck, but you're going to want me there as a buffer, anyway," Maya replied, a note of amusement entering her voice.
"From what?" Riley pressed.
"Josh called your parents, they're on their way."
"Riles," Lucas called, as she entered their bedroom and tossed her jacket onto the bed.
"I can't believe that you said that," Riley said, refusing to look at him, as she kicked her shoes off.
"It's true; you don't want another child," Lucas pointed out, hovering uncertainly behind her.
"It's not that I don't want another child," Riley removed her earrings and set them in her jewelry box.
"Then why are we arguing?" Lucas asked, sitting behind her on the bed.
"Lucas, it took us three years of trying to get Nick. I'm forty years old, why should we set ourselves up for disappointment?"
"You know that this isn't about whether you can get pregnant," Lucas said and she turned to face him, incredulously.
"Are you really bringing it up?" Riley demanded, glaring at him.
"Do you really want to end this stage of our lives with a miscarriage?" Lucas returned.
"I can't go through it again. I know that you were excited when I told you that I was pregnant, but we've been happy with three kids. We've been happy with our life and we don't need to do anything to change it," Riley insisted, pleading with him to understand.
"You've been picking up extra shifts at the hospital," Lucas reminded her and Riley turned her back on him and busied herself with removing her makeup.
"Is there an accusation somewhere in there?" Riley asked.
"You're not happy. You said you were happy, but we've talked about you opening a practice and you've spent the last ten years giving me excuses why you won't. We worked through your neonatal fellowship, even though it was hard having you working such long hours, and we added on the extension to the house. I know that you've tried to be happy, but I don't think you're happy here," Lucas explained and Riley met his eyes in the mirror.
"It's your grandfather's ranch, Lucas, we couldn't just give it up."
"But maybe we should have because I'm happy and you're acting like you're just playing the part," Lucas sighed.
"Would you have been any happier in Wyoming?" Riley pointed out, "You were forcing yourself into that, too."
"I liked it there," Lucas disagreed, "And we have family there. Even Farkle and Zay decided to stay there."
"It doesn't matter because we're here and the kids are happy here and you're happy here," Riley ended the conversation.
"Your happiness matters, too," Lucas insisted and Riley rubbed her temples as she felt the beginnings of a headache.
"Then stop asking me for another baby."
"We can't send Farkle to pick them up," Riley groaned as they counted down the hours to when her parents flight would get in.
"Why not? They like Farkle," Lucas reminded her.
"This could be good, though. You go and get an entire car ride to show them how great you are," Riley suggested, biting her lip.
"Farkle's using the car, today, remember? We're stuck with the Purple Hearse," Lucas said and Riley let out another groan.
"Maya and Josh will be here next week, we just have to get through the next three days," Riley said, wishing that it would be as easy as it sounded.
"You're right. And, hey, at least it's not my parents flying down here," Lucas added.
"There's that," Riley agreed, their eyes meeting in an understanding gaze.
"Governor Friar, what a pleasant surprise," Riley tried not to groan as she opened the door. Almost a decade of marriage to his son and they hadn't progressed past his surname.
"Are the kids here?" he asked, looking past her shoulder.
"They're swimming in the back, did you, and your security want to come in," Riley suggested, looking at the men in suits that were standing behind him.
"Is Lucas here?" Governor Friar asked as she led him through the house.
"He's on a house call," Riley replied, pulling open the screen door to where her children were playing in the pool.
"Grandpa!" Nick called, darting out of the pool to embrace him. Riley watched as Travis embraced his grandson without any concern for his designer suit and a smile spread across her face, despite her best efforts to suppress it.
Riley moved back into the house, watching the children interact with their grandfather through the glass.
"Did you know he was coming?" Riley questioned as Lucas made his way through the door that led to the garage.
"No," Lucas said, placing a kiss on her cheek.
"I still don't think he likes me," Riley mused, turning back to the vegetables that she was chopping.
"I think you're growing on him," Lucas disagreed.
"Riley, you should have called us," Topanga insisted, as she moved over to the bed to embrace her daughter.
"It's not that big of a deal," Riley muttered, rolling her eyes as her father glared at Lucas across the room.
"You," Cory commented, his hands clenching into fists.
"Me," Lucas agreed, wearily.
"Can we do this another time?" Riley questioned, watching her heart rate go up on the monitor. The hostility seemed to have a physical presence within the room and even the babies seemed to respond to it.
"How are you feeling?" Cory turned his attention to his daughter and crossed the room to give her a hug.
"Pregnant," Riley replied.
"Well, we know whose fault that is," Cory pointed out and Topanga let out a groan.
"Our daughter is in the hospital, Cory, now really isn't the time," Topanga insisted.
"Then when is the time? I, at least, had the decency to wait to impregnate someone until I was in a stable and committed relationship," Her father ranted, but Riley cut him off before he could continue.
"But Josh didn't and you still love him. I wasn't exactly an unwilling participant in getting pregnant," Riley reminded him, watching as the color drained out of her father's face at the proclamation.
"Your father and I are going to go check into a hotel, we'll be back to check on you later," Topanga said, wrapping her arms around her husband as she led him back out of the room.
"He didn't try to kill me," Lucas offered when they were out of sight.
"We still have to get through five more weeks and something tells me that they'll want to stay when our children get here," Riley pointed out, squeezing his hand.
"The Sunbreak house has six bedrooms," Lucas said, "The ranch only has three."
"The ranch has good memories and it's an important part of your family," Riley added, wondering if he was listing the number of bedrooms as benefits or detractions, "But I'll have to find a replacement at the practice and that might prove difficult."
"We have to make a decision soon, we can't afford to pay for both of them and we need a place to take our children home to," Lucas sighed.
"How far has it progressed?" Lucas questioned after the children had gone to bed. Riley held his hand as Travis explained the purpose of his visit; numb to how she should react.
"They think that it spread from the breast cancer that she had a few years back and we just didn't catch it in time. They're giving her a year and she has to continue treatments," Travis said quietly.
"Why isn't Mom the one here telling us?" Lucas demanded, "Didn't she think that we had a right to know."
"Your mother is a complicated woman and she's also a proud one. We spend most of our time pretending that nothing is wrong," Travis explained, "I just figured that you would want the opportunity to make your peace."
"Make my peace? After everything that she's put us through. You of all people, know how difficult she is. The two of you haven't lived together or even talked in years," Lucas reminded him, taking his hand from Riley as he ran his hands through his hair in agitation.
"We're living together, now. We're trying, Lucas," Travis said patiently.
Riley could tell from the set of Lucas's shoulders that the news was starting to settle in and that he was more upset about this then he was letting on. She stared intently at her lap as she tried to figure out how she could best support him.
"Do you want to come with me?" Lucas asked, when they entered their bedroom later that evening. He sat on the edge of the bed and Riley moved over to her vanity to start getting ready for bed.
"If you want me to be there, I'll be there," Riley replied, staring at her face in the mirror.
"Of course I want you there, but maybe it would be better," he trailed off and Riley knew exactly what he was trying to say.
"You should take the kids to see Maya and Josh while you're there," Riley sighed, running a brush through her hair.
"I can do that," Lucas agreed and she wearily met his eyes in the mirror.
33 Weeks
"Hi, Honey," Maya greeted her as she entered the room, "I brought you a surprise."
"Is it shiny?" Riley questioned, ready for a distraction.
"Not exactly," Maya shrugged as she extended an arm towards the door.
"Hey, Sugar," Zay smiled as he entered the hospital room.
"Zay," Riley returned the greeting, holding her arms out for a hug, "It's been awhile."
"Are you going to eat that?" Zay pointed to the tray of hospital food that Riley had shoved to the side.
"Go for it," Riley suggested.
"How's bedrest?" Maya questioned, sinking into the chair by Riley's bed. Zay had claimed the one that Lucas usually sat in and was poking at her Jello.
"Boring," Riley replied, shifting her position, "Has my father killed Lucas, yet?"
"Not, as of," Maya paused to check the time, "Two hours ago."
"This is disgusting," Zay commented, as he took a bite of her food.
"Then why are you eating it?" Maya questioned, rolling her eyes.
"I can't stop," Zay admitted, taking another bite.
"You look kind of tired," Maya mused.
"I've been having the weirdest dreams," Riley admitted, "They seem so real."
"Vivid dreams come with pregnancy. I did some of my best artwork when I was pregnant," Maya explained, shifting in the chair.
"Where is Noah? I wanted to see him."
"He's with Josh for the day. I can bring him by later," Maya promised.
"How are you and Josh?" Riley questioned.
"You want to hear a good Maya and Josh story?" Zay spoke up and Maya shot him a glare.
"Yes," Riley said, leaning forward in interest.
"You say anything and the last meal you eat will be whatever that was," Maya hissed.
"What happened?" Riley demanded, looking between them.
"I may have, sort of, possibly kissed him," Maya admitted, staring intently at the floor.
"When?" Riley asked, turning to Zay when it appeared that Maya wasn't going to answer.
"Noah screamed the entire flight," Zay complained, "Nothin' any of us could do could get him to quiet down. And we tried everything; we fed him, we read to him. People were looking at us like they were planning to throw us off the plane. So, Josh finally got the kid to sleep and."
"And I was so relieved that I kissed him," Maya finished.
"Maya?" Riley pressed.
"What?" Maya returned.
"Is this going to be a recurring thing?"
"I don't know, we haven't even talked about it," Maya confessed, looking around in agitation.
"Maybe you should," Riley suggested, leaning back.
"When are you going to decide on a house with Huckleberry?" Maya changed the subject. Riley figured it was a good sign that Maya was back to nicknames with Lucas.
"I don't know; he refuses to show favoritism towards either one. It makes it very difficult to figure out what he wants to do," Riley complained.
"What do you want to do?" Maya asked, looking happy to no longer be the main topic of conversation.
"I want to be happy, with Lucas, and our children," Riley groaned.
"I don't think it matters where you live, then."
"Riles, you're out of toothpaste," Auggie called, as he found her sitting in the couch in the living room, gazing out of the window.
"There should be more in my bathroom, under the sink," Riley suggested, turning to look at him.
"You want to talk?" he asked, making his way into the room
"Do you?" Riley countered, folding her arms.
"I will, if you will," Auggie suggested and Riley gave a nod.
"Lucas and the kids have been gone for three weeks and I miss them," Riley explained, "And without them here, I feel kind of lost."
"Why don't you go join them?" Auggie said, sitting down next to her.
"I don't know, there's this part of me that can't believe I really let them leave without me, but Lucas told me to stay here," Riley sighed.
"And you listened?" Auggie asked, incredulously.
"I know that normally nothing would have kept me away, but we've been so tense lately. We used to fight, but now we just don't talk and I'm watching the love of my life slip away from me."
"You should do something," Auggie insisted.
"I don't see you out there fighting for your own marriage," Riley pointed out, "That's why you're here, right?"
"I love Ava, Riles, but she's all I've ever known. I've catered my entire life to trying to make her happy and I realized that I missed out on making myself happy, in the process. I'm not sure that I even want to fight, anymore," Auggie confessed.
"I know what it's like not to have Lucas and as hard as things in our marriage have gotten, I still think that's worse," Riley said, thinking through his words.
"I thought that being here would help me see what it's like not to have her, but I don't think that it's going to be that easy. I kissed, Hailey, you know."
"I'm sorry?" Riley asked, looking at him in shock.
"It was before I was married, when we were in college. I kissed her and we agreed it was a mistake, but I've always wondered," Auggie shrugged.
"That's the problem with decisions, you always have a whole other set of possibilities that you miss out on when you make them," Riley groaned.
"Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if you had stayed in Wyoming?" Auggie asked.
"All the time."
34 Weeks
"I don't like him," Riley said as she looked through the pile of candidates that Roy had brought her.
"He's perfectly qualified to fill Blake's position," Roy insisted, as she added him to the discard pile.
"He's not going to fit in with the vibe of the office. Roy, he lists golf as one of his hobbies," Riley wrinkled her nose.
"I like golf," Roy protested.
"Exactly, our third person can't be another you. They have to have energy and dreams. They have to be young and vibrant and full of life," Riley insisted, discarding the next one.
"You're making this process incredibly painful," Roy groaned as he watched her.
"When we meet the person who is going to replace Blake. We'll know it," Riley said, tossing aside another candidate.
"We aren't going to find another Blake," Roy sighed, "There was only one."
"I know that," Riley pleaded, "But none of these people feel right."
"Please don't make her choose," Lucas added, from where he was resting his head on the edge of Riley's bed, "This is the only thing keeping her entertained."
"I guess a couple more weeks wouldn't hurt," Roy decided.
"They have to mesh with us," Riley repeated, looking through another file.
"I have patients this afternoon and your mother has been filling in as our receptionist. I asked Farkle to watch her, but there's no telling what she's done, while I've been gone. I'll see you later?" Roy said, standing up from his seat.
"Good luck," Riley offered, as he left.
Riley winced and Lucas's head snapped up as he seemed to sense it, "Everything okay?"
"I've just been having little contractions," Riley admitted, "But they don't feel serious."
"You'll let me know if they start to?" Lucas insisted, twining his fingers with hers.
"I promise," Riley agreed.
"We need to make a decision on the house," Lucas changed the subject, though his eyes were still on the various monitors that were hooked up to her. He knew what all of them were by now and Riley had half-a-mind to suggest they hire Lucas to replace Blake. He'd learned a surprising number of medical things over the time he'd been taking care of her.
"I'm waiting for you to tell me what you want," Lucas informed her, "I don't want you to just go along with what I suggest."
"And I don't want you to just go along with what I want," Riley added.
"So, what do we do?"
"I have a compromise for you," Riley said, climbing into the bed next to Lucas. He had been distant since he'd gotten back and Riley knew that it was time to do something to bridge the gap.
"Auggie's taller than me," Lucas complained and Riley groaned as she realized that he wasn't listening.
"He's grown up," Riley pointed out, curling into his side.
"He tried to bench more than me at the gym the other day, too. He didn't, but he's close, Riley, and he's a lot younger than me. He'll probably still be improving, when I go into a decline," Lucas panicked.
"I still find you very attractive," Riley whispered into his ear, finally earning his full attention.
"How attractive?" Lucas asked and Riley resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"You're still in amazing shape, you've paid off all your student loans, which is pretty hot, and you're the father of my children," Riley listed, "You could still pose on the cover of magazines, while your wife now has gray hairs."
"Since when?" Lucas said, rolling over so that they were both facing each other on their sides.
"I found a few while you were gone," Riley admitted, "But that's not what I want to talk about."
"I'm not sure that I can handle anything heavy right now," he informed her and Riley reached out to cup the half of his face she could get to.
"I've come up with a compromise," Riley repeated, stroking his cheek with her thumb.
"Okay, what's your compromise?" Lucas gave in, watching her wearily.
"I'm ready to try for another baby," Riley offered, watching as his face brightened, "But, I want to move."
"Where do you want to move to?" Lucas asked hesitantly.
"I don't know, but I need a change, Lucas. I love this ranch and I love that it's a part of your family and a part of ours, but when I bought it, I was trying to capture who we were in the past and we've grown and changed since then. We're not those people anymore and we weren't when I bought it," Riley explained, watching as he thought her answer through.
"So, what you're saying is that it's time to let go?" Lucas clarified.
"I've let the past control me for far too long, the letting go is overdue."
"Okay," Lucas agreed, "But I think we need to start trying for a baby immediately."
"Immediately, huh?" Riley smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and closing the space between them.
"Gray hairs, or not, you're still the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen," Lucas assured her before pressing his lips to hers.
"How long have you been having these contractions?" Lydia asked, interrupting their conversation as she moved over to the computer.
"They're not strong," Riley said.
"But they're pretty close together, I'm going to examine you," Lydia said, pulling on a set of sterile gloves and moving to the foot of the bed, "The amount of amniotic fluid that you're discharging has increased. I think this might be it."
"It, it?" Riley asked, "Like the babies are coming, right now?"
"Enjoy the contractions that you're having right now because it's only going to get worse from here," Lydia said, tossing her gloves into the garbage and leaving Riley and Lucas a moment to process what was happening.
"I think we should go," Riley turned to him, squeezing his hand.
"What?" Lucas asked.
"I think we should move to the ranch in Texas. It's where you grew up and we have lots of happy memories there," Riley listed, "And it's what you want, right?"
A contraction kept Lucas from responding and Riley's free hand went to her stomach as she breathed her way through it.
"I think you need to see the house that I bought for us before we make any decisions," Lucas said when it had passed.
"We're having the babies," Riley laughed, as the knowledge hit her.
"I love you," Lucas said, staring at her intently.
"I love you, too. Always," Riley promised.
For the first time in weeks, Riley was allowed to get up and roam the hallways. She'd vetoed the epidural because she felt that it was somehow fitting that she delivered her children the same way that Rose had. It had been Rose who had given her hope, when she had been read to give up.
"This is a lot worse than I thought it would be," Riley admitted, as she bent over to brace herself through another contraction.
"You're doing great," Lydia assured her, "Your parents are in the waiting room and the rest of your family; blood and otherwise are on their way."
Lucas was currently in the waiting room giving her family an update.
"And now I'm here," Maya said, stopping in front of Riley.
"I thought you were waiting with everyone else," Riley said, as she looked up.
"You got me through my birth and now it's my turn to get you through yours," Maya said, holding her hand out.
"Ring power?" Riley asked, as she took her best friends hand.
"Ring power," Maya agreed and the three women continued their trek down the hall.
Riley's labor progressed more quickly than they had planned on, probably because they had spent so much time trying to put it off. She only made it a few laps before the pain became enough that she was ready to be back in the privacy of her own room.
"You could still get the drugs," Maya said, as Riley attempted to breathe through the excruciating pressure that she was experiencing.
"I don't need the drugs," Riley insisted, grinding her teeth.
"But no one would think less of you, if you did get them," Lucas assured her. He seemed to be suffering just as much as she was and Riley almost considered the epidural just because she knew that he didn't like seeing her in pain.
"I'm not getting them," Riley repeated and then let out a groan.
"I think we're just about ready for you to start pushing," Lydia said, from the foot of the bed. Maya and Lucas had each taken one of Riley's sides and Riley's forehead was coated in sweat.
"Now?" Riley questioned as she grunted her way through another contraction.
"Now," Lydia agreed and Riley concentrated her efforts on getting her baby out of her, "I can see the head, there's a lot of dark hair."
"Really?" Riley asked, bracing herself to push again.
"I think two more pushes will get this one out," Lydia encouraged her.
Riley complied and a smile spread across her face as her baby slid out into the world. It immediately started crying and Riley realized what all of those mother's meant when they said that their babies were perfect. She couldn't imagine anything more beautiful than the baby in front of her.
"It's your boy," Maya smiled, as Lydia handed Riley the baby.
"He's so little," Riley said in wonder as she cuddled him to her chest.
"He looks like a Matthew," Lucas said and Maya nodded her agreement.
"Matthew Friar," Riley tried, and the baby opened his eyes to look up at her, "I think he likes it, too."
Riley felt a dizziness overcome her as she handed the baby to Lucas.
"There's a little more blood than what I'd like to see," Lydia admitted, as she looked up at Riley.
"That's more than a little," Maya disagreed, as her attention turned to the foot of the bed.
"Let's get her to the OR," Lydia demanded, panic taking over her face. One of the monitors had started beeping loudly and Riley felt like she might fall asleep.
"Wait," she said as they started to wheel her bed out of the room.
"What?" Maya asked, following along beside her. Lucas was still holding the baby, frozen as he tried to process what was going on.
"Summer, my daughter's name is supposed to be, Summer," Riley told her.
"She will be," Maya promised as everything went black.
Thank you for reading! So, I've discovered that I get inspiration to write, whenever I open my textbooks and try to focus on reading them. You can thank Bioethics for the last half of this chapter. I'm trying to get all of the big characters some screen time and it made this chapter really fun to write. I put hints for the plotline of the sequel all over, so I'm way interested to hear your thoughts.
In other news, I'm thinking that I'm going to take down, "Heat Stroke," for the time being. I do love the idea of exploring Maya's story, but all of my inspiration lately has been for this one and I'd like to be able to have, "Heat Stroke," be quality writing and not just me forcing myself to hit plot points. I also, am juggling school and I would like to spend some time on some of my original work, so trying to do two stories at once might prove to be a bit much.
Thank you for everyone who reviewed last chapter! I know, I'm behind on responses, but I figured you would rather have the chapter, so that's what I've focused on. I'm hoping to get caught up in the next few days. I am so excited for the show to air this weekend! And between that and some of the stuff I have going, it might be a few days before I have the next chapter up. Thanks again!