Chip
He was sitting in his trailer, in between scenes, and raised his phone to his ear. "Hey, son," his mom said when she picked up. "How was the first night home?"
He couldn't help but smile. "Hectic. Humbling. Amazing," he responded. "Sometimes all at once."
"Taking care of an infant can certainly be challenging," she said.
"Connie did better than me. I mean, it's been a long time since I had to take care of an infant. Luckily she wasn't that demanding." He paused. "So when are you coming?"
"Cathy and I decided to fly down next week. She's taking care of getting us an Airbnb nearby."
He frowned. "You really don't have to do that, you know. The two of you can stay with us," he said. She had told him that when she'd first talking about coming to see Ryleigh. He'd hoped she would change her mind, but apparently not.
"Oh, honey, no. You don't need guests while you're getting used to a newborn. Besides, it isn't just the two of us."
"Who else?" He held his breath.
"Taylor, Chase, and Addie," she said. "Cathy can only stay a week, and then they will come after she leaves, but you seriously don't need us all there at any given time." She paused. "Besides, I think having a separate place to stay would be the best way to handle this."
He was sitting up straight in the chair. "They still want to come?"
He could hear the smile in her voice. "They do. They want to meet their baby sister."
He looked up towards the ceiling of the trailer and blinked several times. "Does it mean...?"
"it means they're more open to...the possibilities. I would just let things happen as they do, Chip. You and Connie both." She paused. "Can you do that?"
She had always told him he was too impatient. About everything. He also knew he needed to just let things happen naturally. "Yeah," he said. "I'll do my best."
"I mean it, Chip. This wasn't a simple decision for them."
He knew he shouldn't feel angry, but he did a little. "Why not?" He could hear the stubbornness in his voice, hear the irritation.
She sighed on the other end of the line. "Chip, this was not a simple thing for them. Or easy. It's a lot to absorb when you find out that your parents are getting divorced and your dad already is in a relationship with someone else. And then add the complication that that someone else is pregnant." She paused and he waited. "Connie is lovely. She makes you happy, something I now realize you hadn't been. But the kids love Patty. She's their mom. And right now, choosing you, even for a short time, feels disloyal to her. She's the injured party..."
He frowned. "Mom," he said, interrupting. "That's not..."
"I get it, Chip. It's not like that. So you say. But the kids don't look at it that way. You walked out on them. That's how they see it. But they also love you. You're their dad. But they're conflicted. And now they have a baby sister, and no matter how this all goes, she's not to blame just because she was born." She sighed. "Look, I'm not trying to stir things up for you. I just want you to go into this with eyes wide open. Don't push, the way I know you do. Don't try to overcompensate, the way I know you do. Try, Chip."
He sighed. "Okay," he said. He knew she was right. He needed to play it cool, not get too excited and go overboard. This would be a big step, for all of them, and he wanted to be sure he was playing it right.
He sat watching the production crew set up for his next scene. It was an emotional scene with Clare. Actually all of the scenes were like that, as Deacon worked through everything after the accident and after finding out about Maddie. He also had an emotional scene with Connie in the episode, once she was ready to return to work. She had still talked little about that, had not spoken to either Callie or Dee about it, and didn't particularly want to.
She was standing in the middle of their bedroom with Ryleigh, while he was sitting on the bed pulling on his boots. It was super early and Ryleigh had been up and down all night, so he was already exhausted. "It's like a million degrees outside," she said. "How can you wear those boots?"
He looked up and she was smiling. He smiled back. "I'm gonna have to wear 'em for my scenes today, so I might as well." He got up from the bed and walked over to her. He put one hand on the back of Ryleigh's head and the other on her waist. He leaned in to kiss her. "What are you doing today?"
She was rubbing Ryleigh's back. "Well, maybe sleeping. Hopefully she'll finally go back down and I can get a little nap. Plus I need to start getting things straightened up for your mom and everyone."
"They're not staying here, so you don't have to," he said.
She gave him a quizzical look. "You're sure they don't want to stay with us?"
"Mom thought it was too much." He leaned down and kissed the top of Ryleigh's head, then kissed her. "You don't need all that to deal with anyway, on top of a new baby."
"But it's your mom, your sister, Chip," she protested.
He smiled. "I know. But there's a lot going on right now, and you don't need that too." He cleared his throat. "You heard from Dee or Callie lately?"
She frowned. "No. But Greg's handling all that, you know, running interference for me." She made a noise. "I half want to tell them I'm not coming back."
He frowned. "You're not really serious, are you?"
She frowned back at him. "Would it be so terrible if I didn't? I mean, this is our daughter I'm talking about. I'd be doing it for her. To be there for all these new moments, to be a real mama to her, like I didn't get to be with Yoby." She really looked angry. "Is that really what you're thinking?"
He shook his head. "Nah. I'm sorry, baby. I just..."
She sighed then. "I know what you meant. But I have an infant who just spent three weeks in the hospital." She nuzzled her nose into Ryleigh's neck. "I just would hate to leave her every day," she said, her voice filled with tears.
He pulled the two of them into his arms and shushed her quietly. "I know. I was being selfish," he said, as he held them tightly.
She looked up at him. "I know you want me to come back. I guess I'm just not ready yet and I really just don't want to think about it right now." She tried to smile. "Give me a minute to get used to having her home."
He thought about the look on her face, the sadness he saw in her eyes. He was being selfish. But without her, the show wouldn't work. And after it had taken so long for the network to confirm renewal, he felt like they were on shaky ground enough as it was. But she was his partner, the love of his life, the mother of his youngest daughter, and that was more important. He breathed in deeply, knowing he'd take whatever happened in stride if it was what she wanted.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Clare walk up and sit in the chair next to him. "Hey," she said, a smile on her face.
"Hey."
"I was sorta surprised our scene wasn't rescheduled," she said.
"You were?" he asked.
She nodded. "I mean, you just brought your baby home, right?" He nodded. "They could have given you a few days."
He smiled. "Maybe. But it's just this one scene and it's just this morning. And it gives Connie some alone time with the baby."
Clare smiled. "You're a good man, Chip. I hope Connie appreciates that."
He just chuckled.
Connie
She stood by the bassinette. Ryleigh was still sleeping. Actually it was more like she was finally sleeping. Yoby had been a good sleeper, but then he'd also been 6 months old when she brought him home. She felt like she'd been up and down all night. Chip kept telling her he could help, but she wanted to do it herself, get Ryleigh to comfort herself. She didn't cry a lot but she was fussy and couldn't seem to settle down for long. So she walked her and nursed her and changed her and cuddled with her.
At 3 in the morning, she wasn't sure she could do it anymore and she cried. That was when Chip shushed her and got up with Ryleigh, carrying her into the nursery. When she woke up again, he was back in bed beside her and Ryleigh was asleep. The baby had woken up briefly when Chip got up to go to work and then went right back down.
She was happy Ryleigh was home, but she hadn't known it would be like this to have a newborn. When they first put her down, she had fallen asleep quickly and she had whispered to Chip that maybe Ryleigh would be an easy baby. Don't say that out loud, baby, or it'll never be this way again. Seemed like he'd been right. This was not easy. But she was sleeping, so she thought maybe it was a good time for a shower. She stood a little longer though, just watching her baby.
Ryleigh's breathing was even. Her tiny lips were pursed together. Her skin color was good, which made her realize how pale Ryleigh had been when she was born. She had just a few wisps of dark hair on her head. She'd told Chip she thought Ryleigh looked like him.
"She does, babe," she murmured. Chip was holding her as they sat on the couch in the den. She leaned over and touched her finger to Ryleigh's nose very gently. Ryleigh looked around and finally focused her eyes on her.
Chip looked at her and smiled. "She knows her mama," he said. "And looks like her too."
She shook her head. "She has your blue eyes. And your hair color." She let her fingers trail through the hair on the back of his head.
He had gently laughed. "Connie, you have blue eyes. And don't forget, I know you're a brunette."
She frowned. "How do you know that?" she asked.
"Well, you told me. After I asked." She frowned again and he gave her a side eye and a rakish grin. "When one color is not like the other..."
She felt herself get red in the face. "Chip," she said sternly, but he just laughed.
She felt a little warm then, when she thought of it. Right down there. She squeezed her legs together and then decided she really needed to take advantage of Ryleigh sleeping and take a shower. She picked up the baby monitor and walked into the bathroom.
She wrapped Ryleigh up in a towel after she had bathed her, drying her off carefully. "Will you sleep better for mama tonight, baby girl?' she whispered. Ryleigh's eyes seemed to widen just a bit and she lifted her tiny hand to her mouth. She carried her to the changing table and put a diaper on her, then nuzzled the baby's tummy. "You smell so good, little girl," she said. Ryleigh seemed to smile at her, waving her arms around. She suddenly wanted to cry, but breathed in deeply, laughing at herself. "Your mama is such a crybaby, did you know that?" she asked. Ryleigh seemed to be staring at her intently. "I wanted you so badly and thought I'd never get the chance." She smiled. "But here you are and you're so precious and I love you so much." She leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Ryleigh's forehead. "Let's get you dressed, how about that?"
She reached for the little onesie she'd laid out before Ryleigh's bath. She couldn't remember who'd given it to her, but in pink cursive letters slanted across the outfit, it read 'Little Sister'. She had to wave her hand in front of her face to keep from crying. She looked at her daughter, who seemed to be staring into her eyes. "I have to stop this," she said, and she heard the shakiness in her voice. "Your brother and your daddy will laugh at me." She worked Ryleigh into the onesie and then slid a tiny cotton cap on her head. The nurses at the hospital had told her to have Ryleigh wear one regularly.
She picked Ryleigh up and held her in her arms, swaying back and forth. "Let's go sit in our comfy chair, shall we?" she asked, as she headed for the nursery. When she sat in the chair, Ryleigh started to root around a little and she reached for a burp cloth. Then she unbuttoned her top and unfastened her bra and let Ryleigh find her nipple. She sat back in the chair and watched her daughter. She could feel the gentle tugging and adjusted the baby a bit. The nurses also told her that she might feel sore at first – and she did – but that she would get used to it. In spite of the discomfort, she loved the feeling of bonding with her baby and was mostly grateful she was able to do it at all. Ryleigh was still very small, but she felt heavier than she had the very first time she'd held her in the hospital. She had seemed so fragile then and she and Chip were both glad to see her more filled out.
"Your big brother should be home in a day or so," she said, continuing to talk to her daughter. "He's been so excited. He was the one who gave you your very first stuffed animal – the unicorn. He's been waiting for you to come home, so I think maybe tomorrow we'll get him. And then your grandmother will be here and your Aunt Cathy." She sighed. "And we hope your other brother and your sisters will come meet you too." She ran her finger over Ryleigh's cheek. "One day we'll have to tell you about that, but just know that your daddy and I love you very much and we're so happy we had you. We'll always love you, sweet girl. I don't want you to ever forget that."
She heard the door open and close when Chip came home. She was laying on her side on the bed, with Ryleigh sound asleep next to her. She never wanted to stop watching her. She heard Chip's footsteps on the stairs and then down the hall.
"Hey," he said from behind her.
She turned her head in his direction for a second. "Hey."
"What's going on?"
"I'm watching Ryleigh sleep." He walked to the other side of the bed and got on it, being careful not to jostle the bed too much, turning onto his side to face her and Ryleigh. She smiled. "You were later than I thought you'd be."
"Lotta takes. Still home early though," he said, giving her a smile. "What have you been doing all day?"
She ran her fingers over his cheek. "Just watching her."
He smirked. "Not surprised." He grabbed her hand and kissed her palm. "She been sleeping all day?"
She shook her head. "No. I gave her a bath and fed her and then we just hung out and talked. About boys and school and what her dreams are." She grinned.
He raised his eyebrows and grinned back. "Sounds like a productive day. Although I think I may have to have a boy talk with her as well." Just then, Ryleigh opened her eyes and stretched one arm, kicking her feet just a little. Then she looked around until her eyes focused on Chip. He leaned over and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Hey there, baby girl," he murmured. He pressed his nose on her chest and rubbed it a little. Then he looked up at her. "Someone needs changing," he said. She waited. He pushed up. "Looks like the someone who's gonna do the changing is me."
She just smiled.
Chip
He brought Ryleigh back to the bed, freshly changed and smelling of – a little too much – powder. It had been a long time since he'd changed tiny diapers and, as he had done so, he was again amazed at how very small she was. It had been more than a decade since he'd had a newborn and he'd found that the wonder of a brand new life was still as sweet and thrilling as it had been then. She was a squirmy baby, not particularly helpful as he tried to get her cleaned up and into one of the little preemie diapers the hospital had sent them home with. He dressed her in a fresh onesie and then he looked at her for a moment before he picked her up, looking for resemblances. She did have beautiful crystal blue eyes, which he guessed were more like his own, Connie's being a darker blue. She had the usual little button nose a baby had, so no clue there. And what little hair she had was dark, maybe more like his own. His mom had told him, back when Taylor had been born, that it typically took a little time for baby's features to develop, so he supposed they'd have to wait with Ryleigh as well.
As he handed the baby to Connie, she smiled. "Thanks, babe," she said. "I just feel like all I've been doing today is feeding her and changing her."
He resumed his position on the bed and laughed. "I thought y'all were solving the problems of the world," he said. "Or at least the problems of her world."
She laughed. "Well, maybe I did all the talking. She was a captive audience and a good listener."
He looked at her intently. "My mom called today," he said.
"Really? When is she coming?"
"Next week. With Cathy." He breathed in, then out. "She rented an Airbnb."
She ran her tongue over her bottom lip. "I think that's probably a good choice after all. They can come by in the morning and stay as long as they want, but I think it will be good for them to have some space to decompress." He nodded, then watched as she looked down at Ryleigh. "Did she say anything about your kids?"
"Not exactly." She looked back up at him. "At least exactly when they're coming. Just that they wanted to."
She looked at him and then sighed. "I'm worried about you, Chip," she said.
He screwed up his face. "Me? Why?"
"I know you're counting on this to just be one big happy family kind of thing."
He shook his head and frowned. "No, I know it's not going to be like that."
She reached out and touched his wrist. "But you're thinking that when they get here, they'll be under Ryleigh's spell and everything will work out." He looked off to the side. "But it probably won't."
"You don't know that for sure."
"Maybe not, but I think it's closer to being true than not. Sweetie, I broke up their family." He bristled. "It's true. Because of me, you're here and they're there and they won't be coming here after all. And then, you know, I think they probably thought you hung the sun and the moon and they found out you're just human, not perfect."
He looked back at her. "Connie, you don't know that." He looked at Ryleigh, then back at her. "Maybe when they come, seeing Ryleigh makes a difference."
She gave him a sad smile. "That's a lot to put on a tiny baby." She rubbed his arm. "They may fall in love with her, but it doesn't mean they'll fall in love with me. Look, I know you don't like it when I say we had an affair, but that's how they look at it. You know they do. It probably would have been one thing if that's all it had been. But I got pregnant. There's a real live baby. It turned everything upside down. It would be one thing for them to see her and love her in spite of that, but there's no guarantee."
He rolled his eyes and looked away. "You sound just like my mom."
"Maybe we're both right, Chip." Just then Ryleigh made a little mewling noise. "Oh dear, I need to feed her. She pressed her hand on his wrist and he turned to look at her. "Just don't expect too much and then maybe you'll be surprised. I think it's unrealistic to expect them to accept me, right now for sure, and maybe they never will. But I want you to have a good relationship with them and I'm not going to stand in the way." She smiled. "I love you, Chip, and I'm right there beside you." She slid off the bed then and reached for Ryleigh. She gave him an encouraging smile and walked out of the room.
He stood in the doorway, each hand pressed against the door jamb. She looked up and smiled and he smiled back. "I just want it all to be good and for everyone to get along," he said.
She nodded. "I know."
He walked across the room and slid into the chair next to her, putting his arm along the back of the chair behind her. He watched her with Ryleigh for a second, then leaned in and kissed her cheek. She smiled. "You're just so much smarter than me," he said. "And I think I want her to get that from you."
She turned her face towards him. "I just know how much this means to you, and I don't want you to screw it up by being too Pollyanna."
He laughed. "Pollyanna?"
She leaned her head back against his arm. "You know. The little girl in the Disney movies who always sees the bright side of everything. Even getting polio, or something."
He was still laughing. "I know who you're talking about, but you think I'm like that?"
She grinned, her eyes squinting merrily. "You are a lot of the time. But it's one of the things I really love about you too. You always look on the bright side." Then she sighed. "But I am serious. I don't think they'll want to see me. So please don't force anything, okay?"
He didn't like hearing her say that. he had hopes that at least Taylor and Chase were willing to give her a shot. "Don't think negative, Connie," he said.
"See that's what I'm talking about. Chip, I really want nothing more than to have a good relationship with your kids. They don't have to love me. I'd like for them to like me, but I don't expect that right away. It's more important to me that they reconnect with you. But let's just see how it goes, okay?"
He nodded, then leaned in and kissed her. "Okay." He kissed her again. "You really are the smartest person I know," he said, smiling at her.
Connie
She had washed and dried the Little Sister onesie, so Yoby could see it. She was struggling to get it on her daughter. Ryleigh didn't make it easy. For such a young baby, she was surprisingly stubborn about having clothes put on her or even a diaper put on her. She leaned down to Ryleigh's face. "I hope this doesn't mean you're going to want to run around without clothes on, sweetie," she said. Ryleigh stared at her, her mouth open just a bit, almost like she was smiling. That's what she'd decided to tell herself at any rate. "You're going to be meeting your big brother soon and I want you to have just the right outfit for it. So be a good girl and let me get this on you, okay?" She straightened up as she snapped the onesie closed. "And please don't spit up all over it, okay?" She smiled and leaned down again. Ryleigh patted at her nose, as though she wanted to grab it.
She was so in love with her daughter. She really hadn't known how it was possible to let someone else into your life and just expand the love, instead of diminishing it. She had wondered sometimes if she could let anyone else into her heart after Yoby came to her. But her heart had just seemed to expand when Chip came into her life. And now with Ryleigh, it just expanded again. She lifted Ryleigh up and put her against her shoulder. Chip would be home soon, after picking up Yoby. She missed her son and wanted him home with them, so they could start feeling like a family. Yoby knew Ryleigh was coming home and she was anxious to see how he reacted to her.
She headed downstairs and set Ryleigh down in the baby seat that was sitting on the kitchen island. She slid a light blanket over her, tucking it under her arms. She fixed herself some iced tea and then leaned on the counter, staring at her daughter. Ryleigh had such a serious look on her face that it made her smile. She reached out and rubbed the back of her finger on the baby's cheek. Ryleigh jerked her arms out and made a little cooing noise. "Oh my God," she whispered. "You're just the most amazing baby." She smiled. "I'm so glad your daddy and I made you."
Just then she heard the door open and she turned towards the sound. Yoby ran in, his eyes filled with light, a huge smile on his face. "Mama!" he cried, running into her arms.
She grabbed him up and held him tightly, letting herself feel his arms around her neck. Then she pulled back and looked at him. "You're home!" she cried. "I'm so glad to see you." She looked over his shoulder at Chip. He was smiling at her. She looked back at Yoby and then turned back towards Ryleigh. "Here's your sister, Yobes. Ryleigh." He started to reach, so she set him on the counter, next to the baby seat. Ryleigh slowly turned her head to look at him. Chip stepped up beside her, putting his arm around her waist.
Yoby reached out and touched her gently. Ryleigh lifted her arm and he turned towards them with an excited smile on his face. "She likes me," he said softly.
"Well, of course, she does, buddy," she said. "She loves you. You're her big brother."
He patted Ryleigh, very gently, as she stared at him. Yoby looked up at her. "Can I hold her?"
She held her breath for a moment and looked at Chip. He smiled, then looked at Yoby. "Sure you can, buddy," he said. He picked up Yoby and put him on the floor. "Let's go sit on the couch and Mama can bring Ryleigh in."
"Okay!" He ran into the den and jumped up on the couch, with Chip following. She picked up Ryleigh and as she carried her in, noticed Chip slide Yoby over towards the middle and then sit next to him. She walked over and sat on the other side of her son.
Yoby looked so excited and it made her smile. "Scoot back, sweetie," she said. she watched as he moved himself back. "Okay, hold your arms out." Chip helped him get them in the right place. "Now when I put her in your arms, I want you to hold her close, okay?" Yoby nodded. As she shifted Ryleigh from her arms to his, Chip helped him hold her the right way and then kept his hand under Ryleigh's head.
Yoby looked up at her. "She's so little," he said, looking almost awestruck.
She nodded. "Yeah, she is. Your little sister."
Yoby grinned. "Little sister." He looked back down at Ryleigh and she looked over at Chip, her heart full. Our family. He looked up then and winked. She felt so complete.
When Chip got into bed, she snuggled up to him. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer. "You happy?" he asked.
She smiled and nodded. "I'm happy." He rolled onto his side and leaned in to kiss her. She put one hand on his cheek, letting him explore her lips and her mouth. "I love you," she whispered, when he pulled his lips from hers.
He nodded. "I love you too." He kissed her on the forehead. "Thank you for all of this."
She breathed in. "Everything could have been so different," she said.
He shook his head and frowned. "But it's not. It's the way it's supposed to be. It all happens the way it's meant to. I'll never believe anything else."
His words made her want to cry, but she smiled instead. "God bless Nashville then, right?"
He smiled. "The city and the show." He kissed her again, then rolled onto his back. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
Chip
He didn't have a lot of time off, not like he usually would. They were filming what they could without Connie and it was compressing the schedule. He knew it wouldn't be long before they would need her to start filming if they were going to start the season on time. Not starting the season on time didn't seem like it was an option, so he worried she would feel pressured to come back to work much sooner than she wanted to. She had turned all of that over to her manager, deciding she couldn't deal with the stress of it while Ryleigh was in the hospital and now newly home.
He felt bad being at work so much, but she reassured him it was okay. Now that Ryleigh was home, she was thrilled to be able to spend as much time as she could with her. Dee and Callie had kept their distance from him, at least from the standpoint of talking about Connie's status. He and Connie hadn't talked about it either, at least not much. it was one of the reasons she'd passed it off. She was tired of thinking about it.
It would be a short day, since he had only two relatively short scenes to film, neither of them speaking scenes. Sometimes those could be the hardest though, having to say everything that was necessary without words, just through a look or a sound. The episode had a lot of Rayna scenes in it, which meant there wasn't as much to film with her not available. By the end of the week, they would be done with this episode and ready to start on the next. Connie would have a lot to catch up on and he wasn't sure how that was going to happen.
He leaned back. It was going to be an issue either way things had gone. If she'd gone full term they would have had to figure out how to disguise her obvious pregnancy. And then how to handle a maternity leave. He sighed. He felt somewhat responsible, although it was not as though it had been planned. Getting to watch her with Ryleigh had been amazing and worth everything they'd gone through. He smiled to himself as he thought about it. Then he sighed. He wanted her back on set. They had talked, some time in the past, about bringing both kids on set when they were working on the same days. He wasn't sure how many scenes they would have together in the beginning or when that might change. Rayna blamed Deacon for the accident and for almost killing her. Deacon took everything on his shoulders willingly. As angry as he'd been before the accident, that seemed to have all vanished when he was afraid she might die. But it seemed likely the writers would keep them apart for a while. There had been talk about bringing on a love interest for Rayna, or having her play the field a little, neither of which felt good. There was also talk of Deacon having a love interest as well and he was not excited about that prospect either.
He didn't have any control though. He just had to read his lines, trying to inject into them whatever emotions or feelings he thought Deacon would have. He hadn't realized how hard it would be to do that without her. it wasn't like she was the only person he had scenes with, but doing them with her had been so much easier. The words were easier, the smiles more genuine, the emotions more real. And the kisses – the kisses had been heaven. It was always hard to keep from kissing her the way he really wanted to, but the love he felt for her and she for him had made them mean more. The chemistry they had off screen had translated into what showed up each week on the small screen. He breathed in deeply and let it out, feeling a peace he only felt with her.
When he got home, Connie was sitting in the den. When he walked up behind her, he saw she was breastfeeding Ryleigh. She leaned her head back and smiled up at him. "Hey," she said. "Why don't you come sit with us?"
He smiled back. "I think I will." He rounded the couch and sat next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. She looked at him and he kissed her. He thought he saw something in her eyes when she had first looked at him, but when he sat back, she smiled, and he decided it was nothing.
"How was your day?" she asked.
"Good. Well, good in that we finally got what we wanted out of the scenes we were shooting today. Too many takes, though." He shook his head. "Sometimes I feel like they're just pulling this out of their asses."
She chuckled. "Oh, I remember."
He noticed then that there was a script on the coffee table. He reached for it. It was the first episode script. He flipped through it and saw Connie's notes in the margins. He frowned, then looked back at her, holding up the script.
The light seemed to go out of her then and she looked down at Ryleigh. She didn't say anything at first and he waited her out. Finally she sighed. "It looks like I need to go back to work in about 3 ½ weeks or the season won't start on time." She looked up at him then, a defeated look on her face. "We stretched it out as long as we could, but you know..." He saw the tears trail down her face before she leaned her head against his shoulder. He felt frozen for a moment, then put his hand on the side of her neck and kissed the top of her head.