Suite Life on Campus, Season 4

by SprouseGoose

The fourth and final season of SLOC finds everyone beginning their senior years of college and planning for their lives after they graduate.

15. Lost and Found

Episode 15

"Lost and Found"

I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did.

Wait...In this story, I created some of the characters, so I will actually own them.

Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves.

And as to the ones I create, who they are is up to me, so...

New Haven

After watching Theo be lead away by the campus police, Cody and Bailey didn't have time to stand around and pat themselves on he back as hey had to hurry so they could be on time for their Computer's and the Law class at 10:30. But, they did make it just in time and smiled at the thought that it would be their last class for eleven days. Once they walked out of it, they wouldn't step foot into another one until the Tuesday of the week after next. So, with that in mind, they didn't mind sitting there taking notes and even had big smiles on their faces as they did. And even better, just like Professor Brownell had in their first class of the day, their professor ended his lecture at 11:30 and dismissed the class fifteen minutes early. Of course, Cody and Bailey went up to the podium and asked him if they could go ahead and get their appointment with him out of the way then. He agreed, and they headed over to his office. And the rumors were true. Due to the...prurient topic they had chosen, he was completely enthralled with their project. Once they were done with their presentation, he just grinned at them and told them it certainly looked like an A in his opinion. He also told them as long as they turned in their homework each of the final three classes after the break, they wouldn't need to take the final to get an A in the course.

Well, that news was just the cherry on top of their day. That combined with seeing Theo finally busted gave them both a very rewarding feeling. And how did they celebrate their good fortune? By going home and doing their usual Friday chores a day early! Cody and Bailey reasoned that since they didn't have classes the next day on Friday that they would head back to Boston that morning. So, by six thirty that afternoon, their room was spotless and they had their laundry done. As they stood around their bed packing their bag for their week back in Boston, Cody turned to Bailey.

"I know after today that I shouldn't be complaining about anything, but can I put in a request that we look for a place in Boston with a washer and dryer?"

She smiled. "Getting tired of the laundry room all ready?"

He sighed. "Kind of. It would be nice to have our own so we wouldn't have to spend two hours a week sitting down their with our laundry to make sure no one stole our clothes. Instead, we could do a load whenever we needed to and then focus our attention on whatever it is we needed to while they washed."

"Yeah, that would be nice. Do you still want to go looking at places tomorrow afternoon?"

"I think we probably should. It'll be close to noon when we get back, so that will give us five hours to walk the area and see what's available."

Bailey nodded. "Okay. Before we go to bed tonight, we'll look online and see if we can find some phone numbers. And while one of us drives tomorrow, the other can make phone calls and try to make appointments."

Cody agreed, and they went back to packing their bag. Just as they finished doing that, they heard a knock at their door. Answering it, they found Gertie and Tapeworm standing there with curious looks on their faces.

"Well? What happened today? Did Theo get arrested?"

Bailey smiled. "Tell you what. Why don't we head on down to the dining hall and we'll tell you everything while we eat."

So, that's what they did. After going through line and getting their evening dinner, the four of them found a table in the corner where no one would intrude or overhear them. And once they sat down, Cody and Bailey gave Tapeworm and Gertie the blow by blow account of what had happened that morning after their psychology of food class. Once they were finished, both Tapeworm and Gertie's eyes went wide and their mouth fell open in shock.

"He really tried to attack you guys?"

Bailey nodded. "Yeah, but I gave him a kick to the knee to stop him..." She paused. "Though, I didn't hear that crunching sound Maya was telling us about. I need to talk to her when we get back to Boston and try to find out what I did wrong. Of course, maybe that lecture hall didn't have the same acoustics that the aquatic therapy area at BU does..."

By now, Tapeworm was laughing and looking at Cody. "So, what's next for you, Champ? You going to fight Mayweather or Pacquiao next? Or are you going straight to MMA? I guess that since I've been helping train you, that makes me your Mickey or you Apollo..." He paused. "Nevermind. They both ended up dying. I will say though, if I hear you start shouting 'Yo, Bailey!' from now on, I'll have to deck you myself!"

Cody shook his head and laughed too. "I think you can forget about any future pugilistic endeavors from me. I think I learned the hard way why boxers wear gloves..."

"So, what happens next?"

"Tomorrow morning, we're stopping by the campus police station to officially press charges against him. But, due to what the cops said, it looks like the feds are going to get first crack at him. And I know this sounds really bad of me, but I'm hoping Theo is really 'popular' in the federal pen."

Gertie paused. "What about what he said about his parents helping him beat the charges?"

Bailey shrugged. "We'll see, but with this going to the feds first, I'm not sure how much pull they'll have. Federal judges and district attorney's are appointed positions and not elected ones. His folks offering them a huge bribe in way of a campaign contribution won't work. Plus, he violated the deal he made when he left Princeton. I don't think they can get him out of that again..."

"I sure hope so..."

She smiled. "I have faith everything will work out. Besides, its Thursday night. We need to hurry up and eat because there is a new episode of The Big Bang Theory on tonight..."

And hurry they did. Once the episode was over, Gertie and Tapeworm headed back to their room to do some homework while Cody and Bailey finished up what they needed to do before heading back to Boston in the morning. The next morning, they were up early and caught the shuttle to the parking garage to get their car. and from there, they doubled back to the campus police station. There, they formally pressed charges against Theo. But it was there that they got some very good news.

The detective they had been working with had the biggest grin on his face. "You two would have enjoyed the show last night. Cavanaugh's parents showed up here, and he began smirking at us telling us he would be back out on the streets in less than a half hour. But instead of bailing him out, they chewed him out and told him that they weren't going to help him this time. Instead, they hoped him having to face the consequences of his actions for once would finally make him grow up. When they left, all of the color drained from his face. I don't think our boy Theo is going to have a very good time for the next fifty or so years..."

With that to buoy their spirits, Cody and Bailey headed back to Boston with the biggest smiles on their faces.

Boston

And two hours and a half hours later, Cody and Bailey pulled their car into the parking garage of the Boston Tipton. Grabbing their bags, they headed up to their suite and found it empty. Figuring Zack wasn't back from class yet, they threw their stuff on to their bed and headed across the hall to Carey's suite. And when she saw that it was them standing in her door way, she immediately engulfed them both in a tight embrace.

"I'm so glad you two are finally back! And the fact that I get you two back a day earlier than I expected is even better!" She paused. "You two aren't skipping class are you?"

Bailey laughed. "Not at all. We only have real classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And we usually spent Fridays working on our EP&E papers, but we handed in our final drafts of those a few weeks ago."

Cody grinned. "Plus, it just made sense for us to come back today for several reasons. For one, we have tickets to the Yale and Harvard football game tomorrow afternoon over in Cambridge."

Carey nodded before she thought of something. "About that...who are you two rooting for in that game? On one hand, you have your current school, and on the other, you have your future one. Seems to me that that could cause some divided loyalties..."

And at the exact same time, both answered without even thinking. "Yale!"

She was taken aback by the fervor of their answer, but just laughed. "Alright then. I see your loyalties aren't divided after all. Now, you said you had other reasons to come back to Boston today. What are those? Having something else you have to do today or tomorrow or just plan on resting up?"

Bailey smiled. "We wish we could take it easy because I think we've both earned some down time. But we have several appointments to look at potential places to live over in the the neighborhoods around the medical school. Hopefully, we can find some place halfway decent and get this off our list of things to do."

Carey nodded. "Well, I still wish you two would reconsider staying here at the Tipton, but I wish you good luck. Actually, I would offer to go with you and help, but I already told Arwin I'd help him check the new microphones we just got. It took several years, but I think we finally have ones that won't make me sound like a chipmunk when they go bad."

Cody winced. "I remember that now..." He shook his head. "Well, have fun and good luck to you too." He paused as he suddenly thought of something. "Speaking of things work around here nowadays, have the found a new manager to take over for Esteban yet?"

Carey shook her head. "Not yet. Since this is the chain's flagship hotel, I think they are still looking for just the right candidate to take it over. I just hope they find someone who isn't too much of a pain in the butt. I even tried to convince Moseby to come back, but he said no thank you. Something about enjoying working nine to five nowadays and having a wife he wants to spend time with. But, if you ask me, I think he's just getting soft in his old age."

"Well, you can't blame him for that. Its not like we made things all that easy for him...especially Zack."

"Speaking of Zack, you're brother is a little bit upset with you. He claims he was violated when he went to get fitted for his suit for your wedding. Do either of you have any idea what he might be talking about?"

Cody cringed again, but Bailey busted out laughing. "I seriously doubt he was, Carey. Arturo had some fun messing around with Cody when he measured him, and I'm sure he did the same thing to Zack too. At the worst, Arturo probably slapped him on the butt when he was done with him."

"Well, I'm just telling you what he told me. So, be forewarned."

"We will, Mom..." Cody paused. "Actually, while I'm thinking about it, have you heard anything new regarding Maddie and Trevor?"

"Nothing in the past week or so. It seems that Zack and London have been secretly trying to find Trevor behind Maddies's back and let him know what was going on. Unfortunately, about a week ago, they discovered that he had taken an assignment in Afghanistan. London decided right then and there that she was going to pull out the big gun and called in her father's men to find him now. I haven't heard anything new this past week, but I wish them luck..."

Cody and Bailey could only nod somberly. "So do we."

"But, while everyone else knows now, Maddie doesn't yet. And since she's pregnant, none of us want her to just yet. That kind of news could have disastrous consequences. So, we're just trying to keep up appearances around her, so you two should as well while you're back. But I seriously hope he comes back to Boston soon. If not, I'm going to have to start jogging again."

"What do you mean, Carey?"

"Well, when London goes out with Todd, Maddie sometimes comes down here and hangs out with me. With her pregnancy cravings, she isn't holding back any..." She paused. "And well, who am I to make her eat alone?"

Cody just shook his head. "Okay. Well, we're going to get out of here and go to our appointments. Hopefully, we'll get lucky this afternoon and find something."

And with that, they headed off towards the Longwood Medical area of Boston near the Harvard Medical School. Deciding to take the subway instead of driving, they got off at second closest stop to the east side of their target are and figured they would move from east to west. Before they got started though, they decided to check out a restaurant they had heard a lot about in the neighborhood. After all, they would hopefully be living around there for the next four years, so why not go ahead and familiarize themselves with the local establishments.

By five o'clock that afternoon, they had been on tours of several places, but things weren't looking that good for them. With the money Harvard was giving them, their options turned out to be pretty limited. In fact, they quickly realized they were down to really only two places they could afford and still be withing walking distance of their future school. One was a two bedroom apartment in an old and run down building, and the other was a one bedroom apartment in a more modern one.

"Well, Bails...what do you think?"

She sighed. "I think we've gotten spoiled by our current dorm room. None of the places that will fit into our budget are anywhere as nice as it is..."

He nodded. "I know. So much for us being in a recession, huh? And I guess with us always living in the hotel, I had no idea how much apartments in Boston went for..." He sighed. "It would be nice if we could find a nice place that was rent controlled..."

"Tell me about it. And unfortunately, Harvard's married student housing is across the river and not really in walking distance..." Bailey shook her head. "Well, we know what our options are, Sweetie. Which one do you think we should go with?"

Cody paused. "Well, the two bedroom one would give us room to have a home office like we have now. But, with how old that place is, I would want Gertie to check out the soundness of the building so we'd know if it even will still be standing in four years..."

Bailey nodded. "I had the same thoughts. And while the other place was much more modern, we would be so cramped there and constantly on top of each other..."

He grinned. "You make that sound like a bad thing..."

She shook her head and laughed. "You know what I mean..."

"I do. Well, which one do you like best, Boo Boo? Whichever one you prefer, we'll go with it..."

Bailey paused to think before shaking her head again. "Honestly, Cody...I have no clue. I think we need to think about this some more and not make too rash of a decision." She sighed again. "I just wish we had more options to choose from..."

"Me too, Bails. Tell you what though. Lets head back to the hotel, and we'll call an agency to see if they can find any more places for us. Besides, its starting to get kind of chilly out here."

She agreed with his idea, and they began making their way towards the area's other subway stop when they saw something that surprised them. Where months before had stood a dilapidated block or row houses, they now saw a cleared lot with numerous wood frames having already been built.

"I don't remember this being here before..."

"Me either. I wonder what it is?"

They walked over to explore it, and that's when they saw the sign staked on the other side of it.

"Coming Summer of 2015 – Tipton Town! You're best selection of luxury townhouses in the Longwood Medical Area. Call 857-555-4653 to inquire about them today!"

Cody and Bailey just looked at each other in surprise. "London...She actually used our idea!"

Back at the Tipton

That same afternoon, Zack got back to the suite about two o'clock after his usual lunch with Maya. And once he walked in, he could tell something was different. For one, the mail had already been gathered and sorted into everyone's cubby holes. Second, the door to Cody and Bailey's room was open, and it never was when they weren't there. Walking over and taking a look inside, he saw two of their bags sitting in the middle of their bed, and that was all the proof Zack needed that they were indeed home. Briefly, he wondered why they were back so soon, but then he remembered they didn't have classes on Fridays. Normally, Zack would have just shaken his head about that, but he was in too good of mood. He only had a short two day week of the next week and then only full weeks of classes left once the break was over.

Of course, Zack found himself with the conundrum. Should he head over to the couch and watch television for a few hours or do some work on a project he needed to get done that wasn't due until the Friday after the break. When doing his homework won out, he did sigh and shake his head. So, several hours later, he was still sitting at the kitchen table working away when he heard a knock at the door. Getting up to answer it, he saw it was London, and she rushed in past him.

"Zack, we have a major problem!"

That caught his attention. "We do? What? What's wrong?"

London was pretty much freaking out. "Its been almost a week, and I haven't head back from Daddy's guy yet! I've heard zilch, zero, nada, nothing..."

"Okay, slow and calm down. What do you mean you haven't heard back from him yet?"

She sighed. "Well, you know he thought he had a lead on Trevor, right?"

Zack nodded. "Yeah..."

"Well, he hasn't contacted me again to let me know if his lead panned out yet or not. I have no idea if that was Trevor or not. Where we go from here kind of depends on that crucial piece of information!"

"Oh...gotcha. Well, what do we do now?"

London sunk onto the couch. "I have absolutely no idea. If you have any ideas, I'm all ears..."

Zack sat down next to her. "Well, I guess we just have to have a little faith then. We have to hope that it was Trevor and that he did find him. I mean...you did say he was around Navy Seals, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, you said yourself they don't like to be publicized. Plus, being they are in Afghanistan, I bet they don't want the locals to know they are there and what they may be up to. Add that to the fact that I seriously doubt there are many cell phone towers. Trust me, I remember how hard it was to get a signal out in the Atlantic Ocean, and the ship actually had a tower. So, London, try not to freak out about this too much. There are a whole lot of reasons why haven't heard anything yet..."

"I sure hope so because I think Maddie is getting even worse..."

Zack frowned. "She is? In what way? Is she acting more depressed lately?"

London shook her head. "Not really, but the way she plows through a bag of cheese puffs is disgusting. I feel like I'm back on the boat watching Woody terrorize the Mexican buffet again..."

He laughed. "Yeah, that was pretty always impressive to watch."

She just gave him a look. "If you say so, but at least Woody never had wild mood swings where he was smiling one minute and then crying his head off the next!"

"True, but then again, Maddie isn't going around saying 'Dang it!' and 'Hurtful!'. Besides, Maddie is pregnant. From what I've seen on TV, that sounds completely normal. London, you just have to be patient with her."

London just gave him another look. "Zack? How long have you known me? Have you ever known the word patient ever being used to describe me?"

Zack paused. "Well, no, I can't say I have. But to be fair, a lot of words people used to describe you with are no longer true. Maybe this time it can work in reverse?"

She sighed. "Maybe. I just wish I had something else to get my mind off of all of this for a little while..."

There is an old expression that says 'ask and ye shall receive'. Well, London did ask to get something else to focus on, and her wish was granted.. The door to the suite swung open and in walked Cody and Bailey. And when they saw London was there in the suite, both of them had looks on their faces that neither London or Zack could quite decipher.

"Hey guys...welcome back to Boston."

But both of them seemed to have blocked out Zack even being there. Instead, Bailey just kept looking at London. "London, you'll never guess where we just got back from...?"

She still didn't like the looks on their faces, but she shrugged. "Where?"

Cody spoke up. "The Longwood Medical area near the Harvard Medical School. And can you guess what we discovered there?"

London laughed as she now knew what was going on. "Oh, that? Yeah, I kind of borrowed your idea. You said what you would do if you had that kind of money, and well, I do have that kind of money. And Daddy thought it was a good idea too. Did you know that within a week of putting up that sign, the poor receptionist at Tipton Properties had already fielded close to a thousand phone calls inquiring about it? And within a month, we had already sold over 80% of the townhouses we're building. Daddy and I couldn't believe we didn't think of this before - build nice houses near hospitals, and doctors will flock to you! We've already sold out of the ones in Tipton Town and have a waiting list in case any fall through. We're going to make a killing on this!"

Bailey sighed and shook her head. "How nice for you..."

She grinned. "Oh, it gets even better! We're already looking into buying more property around there to build more more new housing. In fact, we're going to close on the Pemberton building next week. Once all the leases in there expire, we're tearing it down..."

Cody and Bailey looked at each other and groaned. The Pemberton building was the location of the one bedroom apartment they had found that was not only affordable but they didn't worry about the stability of the building's structure either. "I guess that just made our decision for us then, Bails..."

Zack spoke up. "What decision?"

Cody sighed. "We had found two apartments around the medical school we could actually afford. But, one happens to be located in that building London and her father are about to buy and bulldoze. So, it looks like our options are down to one..." He turned to Bailey. "Sorry, Sweetie..."

"Its okay. We'll just do what you suggested and try to find a firm to search for us. There has to be something else around there we can afford..."

London just began laughing. "Why would you do that? I know of the perfect place for you guys!"

They turned and looked at her. "You do?"

"Of course. After all, you guys did give us a multimillion dollar idea, and usually, that comes with a commission of some kind. Daddy and I have already discussed this. Now, he wanted to send you a basket of mini muffins to show our thanks, but I convinced him you two deserve a real finders fee here."

Bailey frowned. "Huh?"

London just continued though. "I think it was when I reminded him that you two got full scholarships to Harvard Medical School and he would no longer have to pay your tuition any more..."

"London! Focus!"

She smiled. "I was getting there. Actually, I was going to tell you two all about this this weekend, but it seems like you two had to jump the gun, didn't you? For giving us such a good idea, your reward will be on of the townhouses in Tipton Town. Of course, Daddy was being stubborn, but we did finally come to the agreement of giving you two one of the smaller ones..."

Cody and Bailey just looked at her again in shock before shaking their heads to clear their minds. "Wait a minute! Are you saying what we think you're saying?"

"Yes, I am. You two can stop looking for a place to live next year because you've already got one. And I really think you'll like living around there. About a block away, you'll have a grocery store, a pharmacy, a 7-11, a TGI Fridays, a Dunkin' Donuts, and a subway station. And just behind all of that is a park. And, I know this is the most important thing to you two, your new place will only be a five to ten minute walk to the heart of Harvard's Medical School..." London paused and began laughed. "Heart of the medical school! I made a funny! Yay Me!"

But Cody and Bailey were oblivious to that. Both of the pulled the other into a hug and began jumping around the suite in joy. Of course, Zack sat there on the couch and rolled his eyes.

"Seriously, London? You're giving them a place to live because they happened to come up with a good idea?"

She looked at him. "Zack...where are we right now?"

"In my suite..."

"The same suite I gave to you because you came up with the good idea of cleaning it up and remodeling it yourself?"

That shut him up. "Oh yeah..."

But by then, Cody and Bailey had stopped doing their dance of joy, and turned their attention back to London. "Is there anyway we can see what our place will actually look like?"

London nodded. "Of course. If I can borrow someone's laptop, I can connect to the Tipton server and access the floor plans for it."

Quickly, Bailey ran to get hers and logged into it before handing it over to London. A few moments later, London turned around the laptop so they could see the screen.

"Alright, here it is."

And when Cody and Bailey saw the plans for their future home, their eyes went wide again in surprise. "This is one of the small ones?"

"Of course. It's only a two bedroom townhouse, and it has less than two thousand square feet. The larger ones are much, much bigger."

Bailey pointed at the screen. "Look Cody! We'll have a garage! And the second bedroom is on the first floor with it. That would be a perfect home office!"

London laughed. "I don't think you'll need to use it for one..."

"Why not?"

"Here, look at the third floor. If you'll notice, the entire floor is the the master suite."

And they did. Their bedroom was huge, and the master bath was even nicer. It made their current one look tiny in comparison. And then they saw it - a study on the other side of the bathroom. Looked like London was right in that the other bedroom would stay a bedroom after all.

London continued. "And you'll notice there are two walk in closets, a his and a hers. I did have some changes made to yours specifically though. The hers closet is almost twice as big as the his one is. I felt like I owed that to Bailey, and that for once, she deserved a huge closet all to herself..."

That brought a smile to Bailey's face. "Thank you, London!"

Cody laughed. "Hey, fine with me. That's the least of my concerns right now..." He pointed to the plans for the second floor. "I mean, look at the size of that kitchen! I'm already drooling thinking of what I can do in there! And look at the size of that pantry!"

Both continued to look at the second floor plans when they both noticed something at the same time that made them smile. "A fireplace!"

London smiled. "Yes, all of them have them. And all of them will be electric heat instead of gas."

Cody noticed something else down on the first floor next to the garage. "Wait a minute! Is that a laundry room? Does that mean we'll have our own washer and dryer?"

"Uh huh. In fact, all of the townhouses will come fully furnished. Daddy says we can charge more that way." She paused. "Actually, that reminds me of something. On Monday, I'm supposed to be meeting with a decorator where we'll be discussing furniture, appliances and everything like that. You guys are welcome to join me and add your own input for your place if you want..."

Bailey looked up and smiled. "Oh yeah! We'll be there!"

London smiled back. "Good. Of course, you haven't said anything about my favorite part of these places - the fourth floor. Half of it will be a large storage room, and the other half is a private roof top deck. And speaking of privacy, you'll have plenty of that. All of the buildings will be in a rectangular shape with a courtyard in the middle. We're thinking of adding a community center, fitness area and pool there as well. Plus, that will allow us to up the association fees. I mean, almost everyone else but you two will be doctors. I'm sure they can afford it. But, all of the garages will face the interior, and there will be a security gate to make sure no non residents can get inside of there."

Bailey turned to Cody. "I was wrong! Somehow, our place next year will be even nicer that what we have now!" She paused and her eyes went wide. "And we'll have plenty of room to bring Porkers up to live with us!"

Cody smiled at her. "Fine with me. And what would you think about putting our hot tub up on the roof top deck?"

Zack finally spoke up again. "Wait a minute! When did you two get a hot tub?"

Cody just grinned at him. "Why the one we took from the ship of course..."

"But that's my hot tub!"

"And you're driving my car that I gave to you. I think this is a more than fair trade..."

Harvard Stadium

The next afternoon, Cody and Bailey headed across town to annual skirmish between Yale and Harvard on the gridiron, The Game. They even got there early enough to enjoy some of the tailgating festivities though they did pass on the numerous free drinks they were offered. The game itself was actually pretty competitive with Yale's kicker hitting a thirty-four yard field goal as time expired to give the visiting Bulldogs a one point victory. And to add insult to injury, Harvard's undefeated season was snapped by the hands of their most hated rivals. Of course, the Yale alumni weren't the only ones celebrating as the MIT fans joined them in celebrating as well. And as they exited the stadium, Cody and Bailey could only laugh about the whole thing. Well, they did until Cody head a familiar voice.

"Interest choice of apparel you're wearing, Mr. Martin..."

Cody turned around and was surprised at who was standing there before him. "Dr. Hyden..."

"Good to see you again, young man...even if you are wearing a blue sweatshirt with a giant 'Y' on it. But then again, I guess you are still a student there..."

Cody just laughed. "Well, I do still have to graduate from there. If some of my current professors saw me here in a crimson sweatshirt with a large 'H', they could make my life a living hell..."

Dr. Hyden laughed too. "Good point..." He turned to Bailey. "And I guess you are Miss Pickett. I've heard nothing but good things about you as well. We at the medical school are really happy you both have decided to join us next fall..."

She nodded. "Thank you, Dr. Hyden..."

He laughed again. "And I must thank you two for that. Several of my colleagues said if we had lost out on you two because of my interview technique that I would be one of the cadavers in gross anatomy next year..."

Cody smiled. "Well, I admit, I was a little bit...peeved at first, but after I got some good advice from Bailey's father, I realized I shouldn't let that get in my way. So, I decided to be the best medical student Harvard has ever seen. We both have."

"Good. And I believe you two are quite capable of doing just that. I look forward to having you both in class next fall." He smiled. "Though, from what I hear, both of your last names will be Martin by them. Congratulations on upcoming nuptials."

Bailey smiled. "Thank you."

"Well, I should let you two get going then. You two have a victory to celebrate, and I might get in trouble with some of the locals for congregating with two obvious Yalies..." Dr. Hyden laughed again. "I most certainly can't have that. I'll see you two next fall..."

He kept walking, and Bailey turned to Cody and teased him. "He doesn't seem so bad...at least not the monster you made him out to be..."

The Tipton

Even though they were officially on Thanksgiving break, Cody and Bailey did do some homework on Sunday afternoon. They hadn't planned on it, but when they saw Zack and Maya doing some themselves, they went ahead and did their Computers and the Law homework for the rest of the semester. They figured that would leave them one less thing to do when they got back to school. Monday brought with it Zack and Maya returning back to class for their brief two day school week. And while they did that, Cody and Bailey joined London at her meeting with the decorator for the townhouses. And the poor lady had no idea what she was getting into that morning. Cody and Bailey both had definite ideas about what they wanted, but when it came to their future kitchen, he was almost relentless with his exact specifications. To the decorator's relief, the meeting came to a humane ending, but she was so impressed with Cody's ideas about what materials to use that she offered him a job in her office. He just smiled and said he was going to give medical school a shot first. But if that didn't work out for some reason, he would keep her card on file.

Tuesday brought with it Cody and Bailey's annual trip to the suburbs to do their shopping for the Thanksgiving meal. The had even asked Maddies if there was anything in particular she was craving for the meal, and that ended up being a big mistake. Their page and half shopping list quickly morphed into one three pages long. Of course, they thought ahead and bought her some junk food to keep her from going after the ingredients they would need. And they decided to store everything in Carey's suite to avoid any late night raids by either Maddie or Zack.

On Wednesday, Zack and Maya were officially on their breaks too, but they still had to work that day. And while everyone was at their jobs, Cody and Bailey were hard at work preparing everything for the next day. Well, not everyone was at work. Maddie had an early doctor's appointment that morning, and London told her to go ahead and take the rest of the day off. So, she was up in the penthouse with them resting on the couch and watching Cody and Bailey slicing and dicing.

"I'm glad I finally got the chance to hang out with you two again. I've really missed you guys."

Bailey smiled at her. "Well, its good to see you again too, Maddie..." She laughed. "It'll be nice having someone else around to take the brunt of any wisecracks London makes..."

Maddie laughed. "Gee, thanks, Bailey...All I know is that I've kept hearing about the amazing job you two do with the Thanksgiving meal each year. I'm really looking forward to seeing and tasting for myself just how good you two are."

Cody looked up and smiled at her. "No pressure then, huh?"

She laughed. "Nah, you always were a good cook, Cody. I'm sure you still are, and if you taught Bailey, I'm sure she's wonderful as well..." She paused. "But Bailey, when it comes time for you to be in my position, I want you to remember how lucky you are..."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that not only will you have Cody around to rub your swollen feet for you, he's also a good cook who can cook you anything that you'll be craving..."

Bailey laughed and elbowed Cody. "She does make a good point, Sweetie..."

He sighed. "And yet, I'll still get yelled at when she is in labor..."

Maddie laughed too. "I think you'll be alright. So, tell me...how is life in the Ivy League? I want to know all about what Yale is really like."

Bailey smiled again. "Oh, its never boring, that's for sure. But we really like it. Its been the challenge we've both been craving."

"I would certainly hope so. I mean, after four years of it, you've signed up for four more." She paused. "I do have to ask though...isn't it weird to go from Yale to Harvard? You know, with the way they hate each other..."

"You know, we get asked that question a lot, but we don't see anything weird about it at all. We just see it as getting the best education as possible. And while we've loved living in New Haven for four years, it will be nice to be back in Boston again full time."

"It'll be nice to have you both back full time." Maddie looked down at her stomach. "Not only will I have two more babysitters, but Bailey, I have your first patient right here when you finally become a pediatrician."

Bailey grinned. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Cody looked up though. "You sure you want us to babysit? Do you not remember that one time Zack and I helped you our around here?"

Maddie laughed. "I do. I remember you ended up tied up with duct tape. And London told me about the time she and you, Bailey, watched the kids on the ship..."

"Yeah, I didn't do much better than Cody did..."

"Well, between the two of you, I think you can handle it. Besides, it would be like the circle of life. I mean, I did used to babysit Cody when he was younger..." She paused and shook her head. "No offense, but I'm still getting used to the fact that you two will be getting married in about eight months. Every time I think about it, all I see is the day that these two short blonde headed twins moved into the hotel..." She paused again and sighed. "...almost ten years ago. And that really makes me feel old."

"Maddie, you're not old. You're 24. You're only three years older than we are..." Cody looked up and grinned again. "And in case you haven't noticed, I'm not so short any more..."

"Oh, that fact hasn't escape my attention. I said the same thing to Zack. Its strange that you two are taller than I am now." She laughed again. "Though, I do hear that Zack hates the fact that you actually broke six foot while he didn't..."

Bailey laughed too. "Oh, you should have seen his face when the doctor told him he had. I seriously thought he was going to start doing cartwheels right there in the middle of the hospital waiting room..."

"Well, I'm glad everything worked out well on your other hospital stay too, Cody. And Bailey, kudos for saving his life."

"I had to. I love him way too much to let him get taken away from me without a fight. But, I have told him to never ever scare me like that again. Thankfully, he doesn't have another appendix that can get inflamed."

"I hear you. Well, I want you two to know that I really look forward to going to your wedding in July. It'll be the first time that London, Zack, Cody and I will all have been on a beach together since that trip we all took to Los Angeles years ago."

"Yeah, I guess it will, won't it?" Cody paused. "That reminds me..." He turned to Bailey. "I wonder if there is anyway to keep all seagulls away from our wedding. I would hate it if the one who enjoyed torturing me decided to show up then and there..."

"I think we'll be fine, Cody. I mean, we lived on the boat for three years, and you only encountered it the one time..."

Maddie just laid her head back and sighed. "Speaking of the boat, the one time I visited you all there, I almost ended up married myself. I remember thinking then that my life couldn't get any more messed up. Guess I was wrong..."

Bailey smiled at her. "Well, if it makes you feel better, your then pint sized prince may actually be able to shave now..." She elbowed Cody again. "That would put him one up on Cody..."

Cody rolled his eyes, but Maddie was still melancholy. "Yeah, great..." She shook her head. "You know, I really envy the two of you. You both have your futures planned out to a tee. Both professionally and personally, you have it all. You guys make it seem so easy while my life is in shambles..."

Bailey shook her head. "That couldn't be any further from the truth, Maddie. I know you've heard all about our periods of mutual stupidity. Cody and I aren't immune from doing dumb things that we later regret. We we're just fortunate that we were able to get our heads out of our butts and overcome all of that."

Cody nodded. "Bailey is right. To paraphrase The Shawshank Redemption, we had to crawl through our own river of crap before we came out clean on the other side. And once we did that, we made a vow to each other never to let stupid stuff come between us ever again."

Maddie sighed again. "Yeah, but even then, it was obvious to everyone but you two how much you still loved and wanted to be with each other. I saw it myself in the e-mails you both sent me. I wanted to smack your skulls together and knock some sense into you both. I'm just glad you two finally figured it out on your own."

"So are we, but we are grateful for everything that taught us. We realized that all relationships require constant maintenance and upkeep. We learned we can't take each other for granted and to to appreciate every day that we have each other. And there isn't a day that goes by that I'm not grateful that Cody and I found our ways back to each other."

"Same here. Not only is she my partner and my fiancee, but Bailey is my best friend. I don't know what I'd ever do without her."

She smiled at him. "You'll never have to find out."

Maddie just shook her head at seeing them being so loving with each other. "I'm happy for you both. Really, I am, but sometimes, I just think maybe love isn't enough..." She rubbed her bulging belly. "I mean, look at me. My date for your wedding will be this little bundle of joy right here..."

Bailey shook her head too. "You don't know that for sure. I mean, who knows? Maybe Trevor will be back from Afghanistan soon and you two will be able to work everything out like we did?"

Maddie just laid there for a moment before it fully sunk what Bailey had just said. And as soon as it did, her eyes went wide, and she whipped her head around to look at Bailey. "Afghanistan? What are you talking about, Bailey?"

Instantly, Bailey realized her slip of the tongue and tried to cover it up. "Ummm...I...I meant to say England. Cody and I were watching a show about Afghanistan last night on TV, and it must have been fresh on my brain. Sorry about that..."

Maddie wasn't buying it. "Uh uh. I know you, Bailey. You would never get those two mixed up like that. Now, what did you mean about him coming back from Afghanistan?"

Cody sighed. "Nobody wanted to worry you, Maddie, but it seems that Trevor took an assignment in Afghanistan. Don't be upset with them, but London and Zack have been trying to find him and make sure he's safe."

Maddie just sat there stunned for a second. But that didn't last long as tears began forming in her eyes. "Oh my God! What have I done? He could be killed! My baby could lose its father before its even born!"

Immediately, Bailey ran over to comfort her. "Now, don't say that. We all have to hope that he'll come home safe and sound. I truly believe he will, so you should too."

"But what if he doesn't?"

"You can't think like that, Maddie."

She buried her face in her hands. "But I can't help it! If anything happens to him, it would all be my fault!"

Bailey just rubbed her shoulders trying to comfort here while Cody just stood there not sure what to do. Fortunately, the awkward moment by a knock at the door to the penthouse. Bailey looked up and mouthed to Cody. "Get rid of whoever it is!"

He nodded and went over to open the door. And when he saw who it was standing there, he couldn't help but to smile. "Maddie, you have a visitor here to see you..."

Her face was still buried in her hands. "Tell whoever it is that I'll talk to them later..."

"Does that include me?"

Immediately, Maddie's head shot up as she recognized that voice. Standing there in the doorway was a young man on crutches and his left knee in a large brace.

Maddie shrieked. "Trevor!"

To be Continued...

AN: Yes, this is an unusual time for me to be posting, but I'm sitting in the middle of a Continuing Legal Education class right now bored out of my mind. So...