Are you very confused? I knew you would be! I am so sorry for the cliffhanger. I wanted to set everything up before this chapter. This will show Lucas's injury and how they got to the present day of last chapter. I ran through a couple of different ideas of what happened to him but I ultimately decided on this one! I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World or any of the characters

Chapter 37

"Riles!" Maya exclaimed as she saw her best friend at the end of the hallway. Riley turned around and saw all of her friends standing at the opposite end of the hallway.

"What are you guys doing here?" Riley asked, quickly walking down the hall to meet them.

"Did you really think that we were going to let you sit and wait for Lucas to be out of surgery alone?" Farkle asked.

"Plus," Zay said before stuffing his hands in his pockets. "We wanted to be here when Lucas woke up."

"That means a lot," Riley smiled at them. She knew it would mean a lot to Lucas too, even if he didn't show it.

"Did he go into surgery already?" Smackle asked, looking in the direction of his hospital room. She knew it was scheduled for that afternoon but she wasn't sure of the exact time. She figured if Riley was alone outside there was a chance he was either already in surgery or being prepped for it.

"Yeah," Riley nodded. "About twenty minutes ago. I was just coming back from the bathroom. His mom and dad are upstairs in the gift shop. They couldn't just sit around. None of us could."

"How was he?" Josh asked.

"Nervous?" Claire asked.

"He was quiet," Riley shrugged. "You know Lucas. He always has to be the strong one."

"He's going to be okay," Zay insisted. Riley looked over and could see that he was trying to convince the both of them. He was just as upset by all of this as she was.

"I know," Riley nodded. "The doctor said his leg will be as good as new. Nothing some intense therapy can't fix."

"He has to take at least a semester off, right?" Claire asked.

"Yeah," Riley sighed. "The semester starts next week and he won't be ready to go. Plus with all the therapy he has to go through, he is going to need to completely focus on his recovery."

"He'll be okay," Farkle insisted. She nodded and then looked down the hallway. Everyone could tell how antsy and nervous she was. The waiting was the worst part of it all.

"I'm going to go get something to drink," Riley said. "Does anyone want me to bring them anything?"

"I'll come with you," Maya offered but Riley shook her head.

"That's okay," Riley forced a smile. "I just need a minute alone," she turned and walked down the hallway. Her friends all watched her go and the feeling was glum.

"You think they'll be okay?" Smackle asked. "Being apart for a semester and Riley not being here to help with his recovery?"

"They definitely have a long road ahead of them," Josh said.

"But if anyone can do it," Maya looked down the hallway where her best friend just went. "It's Riley and Lucas."

GirlMeetWorldRucas. GirlMeetsWorldRucas. .

Riley took her coffee and sat down at one of the tables in the cafeteria. She twirled the cup around between her hands and let out a tired sigh. Her head hurt and her stomach was grumbling. She thought maybe food was what she wanted but one look at the choices made her want to throw up. She figured coffee was her only solution right now. She knew it wasn't that serious. She knew that his leg was going to be fine. He was going to be up and moving normally in months. It didn't stop the miserable feeling in her stomach though. It was all her fault this even happened. She was the one who insisted they go horseback riding that afternoon instead of the beach with their friends.

"Do the horses look extra angry to you today?" Riley asked. She looked around the stable and had a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had only been on a horse once in her life and that was a long time ago.

"Angry?" Lucas raised an eyebrow at her. He was petting one of the horses and he looked so natural doing it. She knew that he was going to make a great vet one day soon. "I think they look fine."

"So you think they will be okay?" Riley asked.

"Do you not want to do this?" Lucas asked. He could hear the skepticism in her tone and he walked over to where she was standing. "I mean, this was your idea."

"I thought it would be fun," Riley said. "Especially since we didn't get to go to Texas this summer."

"I think you are going to be okay," Lucas promised. "I will be here the entire time."

"Okay," Riley nodded. Lucas rested his hands on her upper arms and smiled at her.

"I love you," Lucas said.

"I love you too," Riley smiled wide. The two met halfway and shared a sweet kiss before turning their attention back to the horses.

Lucas walked over and got one of the horses out for Riley. He got it all ready to go and then extended a hand for her. She smiled as she took it and walked over towards the horse. He was about to set her up on the horse when suddenly the horse lifted up on its back legs. They both realized that the horse was freaking out and Lucas pushed Riley behind him. She stumbled back and watched as the horse continued to jump up and down, alternating between its legs.

"Woah," Lucas held up his hands and stood in front of the horse.

"Lucas be careful," Riley pleaded. She didn't like the sight of her boyfriend trying to calm down the horse. It made her feel incredibly nervous.

"I got this," Lucas insisted.

He kept his eyes trained on the horse and Riley felt her stomach twist. The horse was freaking out terribly and she saw two of the employees rushing over. Lucas was trying to talk in soothing tones but nothing was happening. That's when it happened. It felt like slow motion to Riley. The horse advanced forward on Lucas and he stumbled backwards before falling. The horse fell forward and one of the hoof's landed on one of Lucas's legs. She heard him cry out in pain and the two employees were able to get control of the horse after that.

"Lucas!" Riley yelled and she rushed forward before dropping down onto the ground next to him. She rested on of her hands on his arm and looked down at his leg.

"I can't move my leg," Lucas shook his head. She could see he was fighting back tears and that he was in clear pain. "I think some of the bones shattered."

"I need to call a doctor," Riley said.

"It hurts so bad," Lucas sighed. Riley bit her lip and ran her fingers through his hair.

"I know," Riley whispered. "I know."

Riley remembered the ambulance showing up and Lucas being taken to the hospital. All the x-rays and tests showed that a few of the bones shattered and that Lucas would need surgery to repair them. They waited for some of the swelling to go down before they could operate. Lucas spent the last few days in absolute misery. He was so angry and frustrated. She remembered how short he was with their friends and she knew it wasn't personal. She knew he was just frustrated by having to delay a semester of school.

It was all messed up. The two were supposed to move in together this semester. They had found an apartment at the start of the summer and they slowly started to move stuff in there. They alternated between their new apartment and New York. It was starting to look like home. Now she was going to be living in the apartment alone until he could make it there with her. He was going to have to stay in New York to recover and do his therapy. She knew that there was a good chance he would have to take off more than just a semester.

"Hey," Farkle's voice startled Riley from her thoughts.

"Hey Farkle," Riley said and then watched as he took a seat next to her.

"How are you holding up?" Farkle asked.

"I'm okay," Riley shrugged. She looked down at her coffee and played with the lid.

"How are you really?" Farkle asked. She looked up and could see him raising an eyebrow at her. She knew that there was no point in lying to Farkle. He could always see right through her.

"Sad for Lucas," Riley admitted. "And incredibly frustrated by all of this."

"He's going to be okay," Farkle insisted. "It's only a broken leg. The surgery is going to repair the bones and he will be recovering in no time."

"It's not that," Riley shook her head. "It's the mental part."

"You mean putting off college?" Farkle asked.

"He said something to me the other day," Riley sighed as she recollected the conversation. "He told me that he thought this was the universe's way of telling him that college wasn't for him. That maybe he should just drop out because he's already going to be behind."

"That's insane," Farkle scrunched his eyebrows together. "That doesn't sound like Lucas at all. He's always excelled at school and genuinely enjoyed it."

"He's so angry," Riley said. "I tried to explain that it's only a semester but he didn't want to hear it. He wouldn't hear it."

"He will," Farkle promised. "He just needed to get the surgery out of the way and then he will see that everything will be fine. He will come around before you know it."

"It sucks having to move into the apartment without him," Riley admitted. Farkle reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Everything will fall into place before you know it," Farkle insisted. "The two of you will be back together in your little apartment soon enough."

"I hope so," Riley nodded. Farkle squeezed her hand and she smiled at him.

"I know so," Farkle promised. "You're Riley and Lucas. Nothing will ever come between the two of you."

GirlMeetWorldRucas. GirlMeetsWorldRucas. .

Riley watched as Lucas slept in his hospital room. She knew that the surgery went well and he was going to be fine. His leg was wrapped up in a bulky cast, slightly elevated and he was still knocked out from the anesthesia. She wondered if he was dreaming. She had never been under anesthesia before and she wondered if he was peaceful. She looked at his face and thought that he had to be. His face looked like it had no cares in the world. She reached out and brushed a piece of hair off his face. She saw him stir slightly and she hoped that this meant he was waking up. His eyes started to slowly flutter and she saw the emerald green eyes that she loved so much looking back at her.

"Hey," Riley said.

"Hi," Lucas mumbled. She reached down and grabbed his hand before giving it a gentle squeeze. He looked down and she saw his eyes land on the cast. "I'm guessing it went well?"

"No problems," Riley nodded.

"Oh," Lucas said.

"How do you feel?" Riley asked.

"I don't know," Lucas said. "I don't have much feeling in my leg right now but I guess fine."

"It's going to be okay Lucas," Riley insisted. "The doctor said that you are going to be just fine."

"I'm glad the doctor is sure about that," Lucas said.

"Lucas," Riley sighed because she knew where this was headed. She knew exactly what he was thinking about right now. "It's only one semester."

"I'm not doing this right now," Lucas shook his head. He looked over at her and she could see that he was not going to be argued with. She decided that it was best to just let it go. He just woke up from surgery and there was no point in arguing with him.

"We'll get through this," Riley promised. He just nodded and closed his eyes again. She knew that he was going to have a hard time with college being delayed. She knew that he always had a plan for his life and career and it was all suddenly being changed on him. A semester felt like a lifetime to Lucas and he was going to hate sitting by while all his friends moved forward in their academic careers. She knew these next few months were going to be emotionally draining and brutal. It was going to really test the strength of their relationship.