Chapter 41
A/N #1: Unfortunately, even though I really wanted to finish First Steps by the story's three-year anniversary on June 14, obviously I missed that date, although there's only a couple of chapters left...I think. As for this chapter, better buckle up, friends, we're in for a bumpy ride...
...Lucy pulled away, and gazing up at him curiously, asked why it had taken so long for anyone to find him when Pendleton was practically next door to the hospital. Wyatt's heart sank. And that's when it all went to hell and back...
Cupping her soft cheek, Wyatt swallowed thickly before admitting, "Well, sweetheart, I...see, I didn't actually have go to the base this morning, even though I sorta gave you that impression...I discussed it earlier in the week with Dr. Evans, and we decided I might be able to get some closure–the doc's real big on that kind of thing-if I went to the cemetery and visit Jessica's grave, probably 'cause I was never able to bring myself to go back after the day she was buried. And yeah, I should've said something, but I just didn't want to worry or upset you since things have been kinda stressful for us the past couple weeks..."
Shit. No sooner were the words out of his mouth when Wyatt realized he'd made a big mistake, judging by his girlfriend's lightning-quick reaction. The snowy white bandage on Lucy's cheek stood out in sharp contrast to the hurt and anger rapidly suffusing her pale complexion.
"I don't understand," she whispered, staring at him in bewilderment. "The cemetery? What cemetery? You mean the one where Jessica is buried? That's where you were this morning? You decided that was more important than taking Jamie to his friend's party? I've been so concerned about you for weeks now, Wyatt, but you didn't think to mention this little field trip you and your therapist planned because you didn't want to worry me? Why would you keep something like that from me?" The fierce emotion of Lucy's words belied the quiet intensity of her voice and made Wyatt's heart ache with regret. How the hell had he thought "begging for forgiveness" was the lesser of two evils?
Before he could respond, Jamie stirred and blinked sleepily. His blue eyes widened and his lower lip trembled when he caught sight of Wyatt. Giving him a meaningful glance, his girlfriend murmured under her breath, "We are not done with this," before turning away from Wyatt and saying cheerfully, "Look who's here, Sweetie." The mingled joy and distress on his young son's face twisted up Wyatt's insides almost as much as Lucy's unmistakable wrath.
Sighing inwardly, he hurried around the end of the bed and gently scooped up the little boy, who immediately burst into tears. "Daddy, Daddy, we was in the car and Miss Lucy yelled 'put your head down' but there was a big loud bang and I tried to be brave like you but I hurted my head and I was so scared and you didn't come, Daddy," he sobbed against Wyatt's chest. Carefully settling in the chair beside the bed, he held Jamie close.
"Shh, don't cry, buddy, Daddy's here now." Acutely aware of the woman he'd hurt observing the two of them pensively, Wyatt did his best to sooth the agitated child, who clung to him and cried as if his little heart was breaking. By the time his tears dwindled away to mere hiccups, Lucy had awkwardly climbed out of bed, and avoiding his concerned gaze, modestly gathered the oversized hospital gown around her petite form as best she could before escaping into the bathroom. While she was still in there, Nurse Laura returned to check on Jamie. Wyatt spent the next few minutes keeping his son calm while the friendly nurse deftly took his vitals and even coaxed a shy, teary smile from the five-year-old when she promised to get him a popsicle for being such a good boy.
The second the bathroom door shut firmly behind her, Lucy sank down on the closed toilet seat, awkwardly burying her face in her hands as the tears fell silently. Only days ago, Wyatt had cried in her arms and swore he was through with keeping things from her. What the hell happened to his promise? It wasn't that she thought his visit to the cemetery was necessarily a bad thing...no, what broke her heart was being kept in the dark this morning. Why would Wyatt think it was alright to behave that way? Why? Even more troubling, she wondered if the accident hadn't happened, would he have told her about visiting the cemetery at all?
The emotional turmoil of his perceived betrayal coupled with her physical injuries was suddenly overwhelming. Sniffing quietly, Lucy wearily swiped at her damp cheeks and fought a powerful urge to go home to the apartment she shared with Amy and stay in bed for a week. At the moment, though, her options were quite limited. Of course, it was certainly possible to sign herself out of the hospital 'against medical advice,' but she was reluctant to do that.
Her heart sank at the unpleasant realization she had no car for the foreseeable future and was dependent on Wyatt unless she decided to call for a taxi or Uber since her sister was out of town. No, that wasn't going to work either because the police hadn't as yet recovered her bag from the scene of the accident, so she had no money. And what about her job? It was likely Lucy would have to take a short leave of absence from school. She made a mental note to have Wyatt contact Principal Christopher later on today (since her phone was likely as wrecked as her car), perhaps when Jamie fell asleep. Lucy sighed. One thing she knew–hiding out in a hospital bathroom wasn't going to solve any of her problems at the moment. How quickly her world had turned upside down because some idiot ran a red light, she frowned.
Both Logans looked up when Lucy opened the bathroom door as their nurse turned to leave the room. Trembling slightly, she held onto the door frame to steady herself before politely asking Laura if she could borrow a pair of scrubs. "Sure, Miss Preston, just give me a minute," the redhead answered kindly before leaving the three of them alone. Risking a quick glance at the chair beside the bed, Lucy's heart ached at the way Jamie's small fist gripped his father's shirt while Wyatt's strong arms cuddled him securely. Conscious of identical blue eyes watching her closely–Jamie curiously and Wyatt intently-she shivered and cautiously lowered herself to the side of the bed to wait for Nurse Laura's return. The strained silence in the room seemed to grow between the adults, broken only by Jamie's occasional sniff.
Thankfully, just about the time Lucy's nerves were nearing the breaking point, the nurse came back with a clean pair of plain blue scrubs and a few toiletries, including a scrunchie for her disheveled hair, as well as an ice pack for her shoulder. Thanking her profusely, Lucy ducked into the bathroom and cautiously unfastened the sling before setting it on the side of the sink. Dropping the thin hospital gown–and extremely grateful she was still wearing her bra and panties–she slowly, clumsily managed to get herself into the scrubs before struggling to re-fasten the sling. Leaning on the sink and panting lightly from the effort, Lucy looked in the mirror above the sink and grimaced at her pathetic reflection. Even though it certainly wasn't funny, she really did look like she'd been hit by a truck...
Lucy felt marginally better after splashing some water on her face (careful to avoid wetting the bandage on her right cheek) and gathering the tangled, unruly mop of hair at the back of her neck with the scrunchie. When she came out of the bathroom, Laura was handing Jamie a popsicle, so Lucy took advantage of the distraction to climb back into bed, gingerly settling herself against the pillows and closing her eyes with a weary sigh. Now that Wyatt was here to look out for his son (and considering her conflicted feelings at the present time toward the man she loved), all Lucy wanted was to sleep and escape reality for a little while...
Wyatt was considerably relieved when Lucy's breathing relaxed as she drifted off to sleep. While it may have seemed to her like all his attention was focused on child in his arms, he was excruciatingly aware of every move, every sound she made since he entered the room. He'd learned in the months they'd been dating that the quieter she got, the more upset Lucy was, and even though part of him fervently wanted nothing more than to clear the air between them, this hospital room was definitely not the place. Not only did Lucy and Jamie both need their rest, Wyatt couldn't bring himself to leave his son's side for even a few minutes to have a conversation the young boy might accidentally overhear otherwise.
No, he thought bleakly, as important as resolving this new crisis threatening their relationship was, it would just have to wait until sometime tomorrow after his loved ones were released from the hospital and he could take both of them home. Even if Lucy was still pissed off at him and resisted, now that he knew Amy Preston was out of town, no way in hell was Wyatt dropping her off at her empty apartment. No, Ma'am. Lucy needed Wyatt for the time being, and he was determined to take care of her—whether she liked it or not.
Keeping a close eye on Jamie while he enthusiastically made short work of the orange popsicle, Wyatt looked up at a quiet knock on the door before it opened to reveal Bam and Julie. Aww, hell. He'd been so caught up in consoling his son (and apparently royally pissing off his girlfriend at the same time), Wyatt had forgotten about his best friends sitting patiently in the waiting area.
"Aunt Julie!" the little boy exclaimed happily, heedless of Wyatt hurriedly shushing him, fearful of them waking a clearly exhausted Lucy. Fortunately, a hasty peek at the bed confirmed she slept on, looking so small and vulnerable lying there, in that second, all he wanted was to take her away from here and never (ever) let her out of his sight...
Getting to his feet, he smiled and motioned for Julie to sit down, and carefully transferred Jamie onto her lap. Without missing a beat, the five-year-old snuggled against his honorary aunt and began to tell her and his Uncle Bam all about the scary car wreck while Wyatt drew a thin blanket over Lucy's slender form and tenderly tucked her in, pressing a soft kiss on her unbandaged cheek. Straightening, he took her small hand in his and watched her with a pensive frown for a long moment, the increasingly emotional stresses of this day starting to envelop him. All the good progress the two of them had made in the past month was probably shot to hell by his foolish decision to keep visiting Jessica's grave a secret from Lucy, he lamented.
His troubled thoughts were interrupted when Bam stood and came around the end of the bed to stand at his elbow to ask in a low undertone, "Hey, brother, you doing okay?" His friend looked a bit skeptical when Wyatt nodded rather unconvincingly, but thankfully, let it go. Right around the time Jamie yawned and fell asleep, Lucy woke, involuntarily wincing as she stretched stiffly before greeting Julie and Bam cheerfully enough. The adults spent the next hour or so quietly discussed the accident, his friends echoing Wyatt's gratitude for taking care of Jamie. Lucy blushed and waved away their appreciation even as she seemed to avoid meeting his eyes.
Not long after the Baumgardners went home, an aide brought in a light supper for all of them, but no one seemed to have much appetite. After a quick consultation with Nurse Laura, a narrow cot was brought in by two orderlies and set up against the wall for Wyatt, not that he got much sleep with Jamie needing to be woke up every two hours because of the concussion. The miserable night seemed endless, even with help from Lucy, who desperately needed her own rest. Wyatt tried to comfort his son, but as he remembered from his head injury weeks ago, falling asleep and being awakened over and over again was frustrating enough for an adult, but felt a hundred times worse with a young, overtired child. By daybreak, Wyatt was hard pressed to remember the last time he'd felt this tired.
Finally, after the requisite 24 hours of observation had passed since Jamie's CT scan when they were first admitted on Saturday morning, the patients were released from the hospital around noon Sunday with a thick packet of medical information and care instructions. To Lucy's relief, the police had recovered her bag from the wreckage–including her undisturbed wallet and surprisingly intact phone-and dropped it off at the nurses desk earlier. Luckily for Wyatt, Bam and Julie had thoughtfully retrieved his Jeep from the cemetery and left it in the hospital long-term parking lot sometime last night. It occurred to him on the elevator ride down to the lobby that one or both of the accident victims might be nervous about getting into any vehicle for the ride home, but thankfully, a tuckered-out Jamie dozed off before they were out of the parking lot, and aside from tensing up occasionally and gripping his right hand tightly for the duration of the short ride back to his apartment, Lucy seemed remarkably calm.
Predictably cranky at being woke up (again) once they arrived home, Jamie immediately protested when his Daddy carried him straight upstairs, his wide blue eyes filling with overwrought tears. Once Wyatt patiently dried his eyes and helped his fussy son into a pair of jammies and securely tucked him into bed, however, the little guy fell asleep almost immediately. He stood and watched Jamie for a long moment, just so damn grateful his son and Lucy were going to be fine. Turning on the Spiderman nightlight, and leaving the door slightly ajar, he went looking for her. She wasn't in his bedroom or either bathroom, so he went downstairs and found Lucy sitting at the kitchen table, still wearing the borrowed hospital scrubs.
Listlessly dunking a tea bag in a cup of hot water, she looked even more fragile than she had while lying in the hospital bed—if that was possible. Crouching down beside her, he caressed her pale cheek. "Are you hungry, sweetheart? I could scramble a couple eggs or make you a sandwich," Wyatt offered, vaguely disappointed but not surprised when she shook her head slowly. It didn't sit well with him that she'd hardly eaten or drunk anything in the last 24 hours. How was Lucy supposed to recover if she didn't keep her strength up? he worried. Unable to help himself, Wyatt stood and rooting around in the fridge, pulled out a package of bagels and popped one in the toaster. While it was heating, he poured Lucy a small glass of orange juice and snagged her favorite strawberry jam for the bagel, all the while watching her unobtrusively from the corner of his eye.
A few minutes later, he set the hastily thrown-together meal in front of her and said quietly, "You can't take the pain pills the hospital sent you home with on an empty stomach, Lucy, so I made you a little something to eat." Startled from her thoughts, she blinked at him in confusion for a second before obediently picking up the warm bagel and taking a tiny bite. Exhausted and in desperate need of some caffeine, Wyatt made himself a cup of coffee before sitting down beside Lucy, who was staring off into space as she methodically ate the food in front of her.
Once she finished every bite, they sat without speaking for a few minutes until he couldn't take it any longer. While every protective instinct he possessed was urging him to postpone the vitally important conversation the two of them needed to have, to let Lucy finish eating and then tuck her in for a nap like Jamie, he also had an uneasy feeling letting hurt, angry feelings fester between them might do permanent damage to their relationship...and that he could not bear.
Time to cowboy up, Logan. "Lucy? Sweetheart?" Wyatt gently squeezed her unbound arm until she looked up from her plate to stare at him blankly. "I know you're really tired and hurting right now, and this is probably not a great idea, but can we just take a few minutes and talk through a couple things?" he asked hesitantly. Taking her indifferent shrug as a sort of half-hearted consent, Wyatt forced down his uneasiness and went for it.
Clearing his suddenly bone dry throat, he began, "I understand and apologize for the stupid-ass mistake I made by not only keeping my plans from you, but letting you assume I'd gone to the base yesterday morning. It was flat out wrong as hell and I'm sorry. I can't imagine how scary it must have been for you to be in an serious accident like that, especially with Jamie in the car and me nowhere to be found. This probably sounds like a weak excuse, but after our talk last weekend when I got so worked up, I thought about it and somehow convinced myself that maybe I was being too needy or too clingy or something lately, and it bothered me...a lot..." Shit. Judging by her angry reaction, that was the last thing his girlfriend wanted to hear...
"Are you serious?" Lucy interrupted hotly without warning, deliberately ignoring his attempted apology. Setting her jaw firmly at the rush of tears threatening to choke her, she abruptly pulled her arm from his grasp, annoyed her usually thoughtful boyfriend was hellbent on having this discussion when she felt so wretched. "It bothered you to need me? It bothered you to let the woman who loves you offer a big, tough soldier like yourself a little comfort when he's going through a difficult time?" she asked incredulously.
"Maybe I got hit on the head harder than I thought in that accident, but I could've sworn you told me barely a week ago you were done keeping stuff from me, that you were going to share everything with me–good and bad–because, and I believe your exact words were, I deserve nothing less. Wow...that vow lasted a whole seven days, lucky me," she jeered with a mocking smile.
When his face whitened at the low blow, Lucy's satisfaction was supplanted almost immediately by shame. What was wrong with her? She sounded like the biggest bitch on the planet. She couldn't believe the hateful words coming out of her mouth. Giving in to Wyatt and having this little conversation when they were both practically sleep deprived had been an enormous mistake. And while Lucy was furious with him, the crazy thing was, despite her anger and irritation, she couldn't find it within herself to dump all the blame on Wyatt for this mess they found themselves in since it'd been fairly clear to her early on in their relationship he still had unresolved problems with his wife's untimely death.
And as for the accident yesterday morning, she just couldn't in good conscience fault Wyatt for that either. It had been a terrible accident, nothing more. No, what was tearing her apart was his apparent lack of trust in her. Lucy knew Wyatt struggled at times with sad feelings about his wife since they started dating, she really did, but maybe, her battered heart murmured, maybe the damage done to him when she died was too great...and that truly terrified her. Lucy had never loved–would never love-another man like she did Wyatt Logan, but she was starting to wonder if her love alone wasn't enough for him, and maybe they didn't have a future together...
"C'mon, Lucy, could you just be reasonable for a hot second? If you'd let me explain..." Wyatt snapped, his temper rising, but it was evident his normally gentle girlfriend had reached the limits of her patience and was quickly getting herself riled up to the point of no return. Even as he frantically tried to think of the right thing to say to diffuse the situation (that he created) before God forbid, Jamie woke and caught them arguing, Wyatt's never-ending guilt raised its ugly head, making it hard for him to string together two rational sentences in his own defense in the face of her increasing fury.
"You want me to be reasonable, Wyatt? How is it unreasonable that after all the times I've done my best to be supportive while you worked through your issues about Jessica, you couldn't be honest with me? Don't I deserve your trust after everything we've been through together? Why did omitting the truth about your trip to the cemetery yesterday seem like a good idea to you? Not to mention letting me assume you were going to the base. From where I'm sitting, I think the answer is pretty clear that deep down, you really don't trust me enough, Wyatt."
Adding the effects of a sleepless night to all the stress he was already feeling from worrying about her and Jamie, Lucy's (not entirely wrong) accusation hit a nerve with devastating accuracy and shattered what remained of Wyatt's already frayed self control. "The hell? Now just hold on a damn minute there–that's not fair, Lucy," he growled in frustration. "I'm trying to explain if you'd just listen, but it seems like you'd rather put the words in my mouth. Maybe I shouldn't even bother when you obviously have all the answers 'cause you're the person in this relationship with all the fancy education and I'm just a dumb soldier, right? Because that's what it looks like. And while we're at it, I actually have a question for you-why did everyone at that damn hospital assume Jamie was your son? Did you tell them that? Because you're not his mother!" Wyatt's technically correct-but unnecessarily harsh—declaration hung ominously in the air between them. Oh, God...where had that come from? What was the matter with him?
Lucy drew a shuddering breath. Her shock and pain at his sharp words was so great, the maddeningly persistent throbbing of her shoulder paled in comparison and it actually physically hurt to breathe for a few seconds. There was that temper again, and I only have myself to blame, she thought, staring numbly at Wyatt's stricken expression. When he instantly reached for her, Lucy held up a shaking hand to keep some distance between them, trying desperately to collect her thoughts. If she didn't get the words out now, it was possible she never would. After a tense moment during which she and Wyatt merely watched each other with varying degrees of sadness and regret, the hoarse whisper fell from her trembling lips.
"I'm well aware who the mother of your son is, Wyatt, and have been since the night you first invited me to dinner," she answered wearily. "That would be your wife, the woman you put on some kind of pedestal since her tragic death five years ago. God knows you've always had the right to grieve for her in your own way and time. Somehow, though, instead of allowing yourself to heal and eventually coming to peace with your loss, you've let the grief and sorrow and anger build up inside of you and make Jessica into the perfect wife and mother...and I've tried, but can't compete with that kind of perfection. We've known each other for six months now, and honestly, at times, it feels like you really aren't convinced anyone could or even should replace Jessica as Jamie's mom, and that breaks my heart."
She swiped absently at the tears slipping down her face. Wyatt sat motionless, a puzzled, anguished expression on his face that only made her want to cry harder. Maybe it had been a little cruel of her to say it out loud, but Lucy was feeling so overwhelmed by her feelings, so discouraged, she couldn't keep quiet any longer. Gathering her faltering courage, she swallowed hard and made herself finish it.
"I love you with all my heart, Wyatt Logan, and want to spend the rest of my life with you because we could build a wonderful life together, but I'm starting to have doubts it will ever happen. You've given the memory of your first wife such power over you and your heart, that truthfully, there doesn't seem to be much room left for me. And one last thing and then I'm done with this little chat we're having...for your information, I may not have carried Jamie beneath my heart for nine months or given birth to him, but yesterday, when it counted–when he needed me to be-I sure as hell was your child's mother. And I'm truly sorry if you don't want to hear that, but the time to be truthful with each other is now, if we have any hope of staying together."
Taken aback by her painfully honest admission, Wyatt stared at the woman he loved with all his heart...the woman he hoped to marry. Had she felt this way all along-the whole time they've been dating? While Lucy had a right to be upset about him keeping his visit to the cemetery from her, he sure as hell didn't agree with the rest of it.
"Listen, I know how bad all of this looks, and I am sorrier than I can say for losing my temper and hurting you with the mean comment about not being Jamie's mom. I'm even more sorry for somehow giving you the impression there isn't room for you in my heart, because that's just total bullshit. Lucy Preston, you've had all of my heart for months now, and will until the day I die. It's understandable any woman would have doubts from time to time about stepping into a first wife's shoes, even without a child in the picture–I get that, I really do. But, sweetheart, while God knows I've got plenty of issues and made my share of mistakes since we began dating, pretty sure your persistent insecurity is not one of them."
He wanted so badly to take back the nasty comment the second it left his mouth when her sad dark eyes widened in shock, her face completely losing the little bit of color restored by the small meal he prepared. Dammit. Wyatt was instantly ashamed because the jab about Lucy's insecurities was hitting below the belt, and he knew it. Seriously, it never failed to amaze him since he'd met her that someone as smart and kind and beautiful as Lucy Preston could ever have a reason to feel insecure about herself. Before he could spit out another apology, though, she stood suddenly and swaying slightly on her feet, said dully, "That's enough talking for now. I think we both need some time to think. I'm going to take a shower and lie down for a while if you don't mind."
Without bothering to wait for his reply, Lucy turned and walked out of the kitchen. A tiny voice in her head that sounded a lot like Amy cheered her impressive "mic" drop moment, but she wasn't feeling particularly proud of her cowardly escape just now. Although it didn't feel right to walk out on Wyatt in the middle of such an important conversation, every ounce of self preservation she possessed was screaming at her to get out of there. While well aware of how much remained between them to be discussed, Lucy dimly realized she was in no shape–physically or emotionally–to continue doing battle with the man she loved. Her brain felt thick and fuzzy from a lack of sleep last night, and her injured shoulder ached so badly right now she wanted to cry.
Slowly dragging herself up the steps, she took a minute to check on Jamie, grateful the five-year-old was still fast asleep. Thank God he was going to be alright. Standing outside Wyatt's bedroom door, Lucy forced herself to listen carefully for a few seconds, but there were no sounds coming from downstairs. Maybe he was trying to give her a little space, she thought, yawning widely. Inside his room, Lucy hesitated outside the master bath-torn between a fervent desire for a hot, restorative shower and the rest she needed so badly.
In the end, Lucy decided that no matter how disgusting she felt, sleep had to come first since she could barely stand. Out of habit, she swiped one of Wyatt's soft, faded tee shirts from the dresser. Awkwardly removing the cloth sling, she wiggled out of the hospital scrubs and her underwear and managed to slide the comfortably large shirt over her head. As she turned towards the inviting bed, Lucy spied the framed picture on top of the dresser that Julie had taken of her and Wyatt at the Camp Pendleton Christmas Gala. Gently touching her fingertip to Wyatt's handsome, smiling face, her heart swelled with love, and hope, too. We were so happy that night, she thought wistfully.
Yes, it was true they'd both said some pretty awful things in anger just now, but in a way, maybe it had been for the best to get some of it out in the open. She and Wyatt loved each other too much to give up a future together because of some unresolved issues. Now they could move forward, together, and work on improving their relationship. And with that, Lucy fell into a deep, dreamless asleep.
Staring at the empty doorway in dismay, Wyatt struggled to make sense of what had just happened. Thank God her sister wouldn't be home until sometime tomorrow, otherwise, Lucy probably would've called Amy to pick her up at the hospital. Hell, even worse, after his cheap shot, she might've been tempted to take a taxi or Uber to her apartment if she had to, anything to get away from him–not that Wyatt could blame her, not after the awful fight they'd just had. Unpleasant as it was to contemplate, though, their conversation was in no way over. Not when there was still so much in his heart she deserved to know, things he needed to share with her, many of which Lucy had apparently misunderstood from the very beginning.
Unfortunately, despite Wyatt's sincere intentions, he'd really messed up the weekend so far, starting with the secret visit to the cemetery yesterday morning. Well, the blame could probably be split equally between him and the moron who drove his pickup into Lucy's car, he reasoned dryly. Except...giving in to the impulse to start a heavy discussion about their relationship without letting her get some rest after coming home from the hospital hadn't been the best idea he'd ever had. Dick move, Logan. So, yeah, that was definitely on him...just one more thing to be sorry for. No wonder Lucy had been having some doubts lately, Wyatt thought unhappily.
To put it simply, all he wanted was for Lucy to marry him and share his life, and maybe have a child or two together. Jesus, the woman owned him, heart and soul, and had for months. Wyatt couldn't bear to think she might not understand or believe how much he loved and needed her, because the plain truth was, except for his child, there was no one in the world more important to him than Lucy. If he had to prove it to her every day for the rest of their lives–then so be it. Rough as it had been for them to hear some hard truths from each other today, maybe it was good they'd cleared the air some, because only with total honesty between them could they repair the damage and move forward.
With shaking hands, he cleared the table and put the dirty dishes in the sink before heading upstairs. He peeked in Jamie's room, relieved his son was still napping peacefully, before squaring his shoulders and slipping inside his bedroom. Privately grateful to find Lucy already asleep in his bed, Wyatt was encouraged to see she had swapped the worn hospital scrubs for one of his old tee shirts. Hurriedly undressing, he lifted the covers and curled himself around her slim body, extra careful not to bump her sore shoulder.
Wrapping his arm securely around Lucy's narrow waist, he rubbed his cheek against her messy dark curls. "I love you so much, Lucy Preston, and I'm sorry I hurt you," he whispered, closing his eyes with a tired sigh. Sure, things were a little shaky at the moment between him and the woman he loved, but Wyatt wasn't necessarily discouraged. In his heart, he knew without a single doubt he and Lucy still loved each other fiercely, and that their relationship would survive this terrible argument and eventually be alright, because anything else was just unacceptable...
A/N #2: Whew! That was kinda scary :/ My apologies to those of you who found Wyatt and Lucy's argument a little hard to read, but I felt it was necessary for them to work through these feelings they'd obviously been keeping from each other if they're going to have a happy ever after. Full disclosure, First Steps fans...that heartbreaking, take-no-prisoners showdown is a moment I've been both dreading and looking forward to since I got the idea for Wyatt's line "you're not his mother" after posting the first couple of chapters of this AU story three years ago. I'd like to give a special shoutout to my fellow author, Once Upon A Whim, for her thoughtful, generous input with this particularly angsty scene.
A/N #3: Also, I'm sorry for the month-long delay since I last updated (as a reward, this chapter is longer than usual). While struggling with all this super heavy ANGST, I was inspired to take a quick break to write some Lyatt fluff, a new Logan twins one-shot titled, "Summer Hearts," as part of my "Hearts" universe (please check it out if you haven't already–and yes, that was a shameless plug, lol). As always, my sincere thanks to all of you still following this story, especially if you feel like leaving a review-it's such a joy to write about Lucy and Wyatt for my Timeless friends :))