Chapter 55

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Monday was the first day of work for both Cody and Bailey. Fortunately, their respective places of employment weren't that far away from each other. So, they decided they would ride into work together and alternate who would drive. They also decided they would pack their lunches everyday, and the one who had the SUV that day would pick up the other and they would eat lunch in a park in between their offices.

The first day at both of their jobs, they were both issued their scrubs for the summer. Cody's scrubs were the typical blue or green ones while Bailey's were in warmer colors like peach, pink and lavender. Of course this worked out just fine with them as they could wash them together every weekend.

Of course, the first day Bailey wore the lavender ones, Cody took notice.

"Wow..."

Bailey smiled. "What?"

"I'm just reminded of the dress you wore for the first Miss Tipton Pageant. You looked amazing in it. The color really brings out your eyes..."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah..."

Bailey paused. "I have always liked this color..."

"Maybe its a color you want to consider for your bridesmaid dresses?"

"Maybe..."

"Who are your other bridesmaids by the way?"

"I was thinking of asking Addison and Max..."

"Really? I thought you might ask one of your sisters..."

"I thought about it, but if I asked one, the other eight might take it as a slight. And I can't have all of them..."

"You can if you want to..."

Bailey laughed. "Cody, then there would be more people in the wedding party than in the seats..."

Cody laughed. "True..."

"What about you, who are you going to ask to be your other groomsmen?"

"I was thinking of asking Woody, Marcus and Tapeworm..."

Bailey grinned. "Awww...We could pair them easy then. Zack with Cassie, Woody with Addison, Tapeworm with Max...and I guess Marcus with London then..."

Cody laughed again. "Two years ago, you would have made Marcus an extremely happy guy with that..."

Bailey laughed. "What about our guest lists?"

"I've sent emails to Mom, Dad and Grandma to make a list of family members for us..."

Bailey nodded. "I did the same with my parents..."

"Beyond that, there are people I've written down like Maddie, Bob, Esteban, Francesca, Mother Ramirez, Chef Paulo, Muriel, Nia, Millicent, Norman, Mr. Tipton, Jo, Bill, George Daniels, Dr. Miller, and if my job goes well, Dr. Cole..."

"I've done the same. People like Khun Yai, Connie, Kirby, Murray, Rachel Baker, Dr. Douglas, and if my job goes well too, Dr. Ryan..."

Cody smiled. "Sounds like we are ahead of the game with the invite list..."

"Yeah, I think we are. And I want to stay ahead of the game."

Most of there early summer involved them going to work, and studying for their respective tests a few nights a week. Both were loving their summer jobs and were learning a lot. Bailey started off with more minor tasks such as bathing and grooming, but soon was doing more extensive activities. She had moved up to where she was drawing blood and giving injections. And she shadowed Dr. Ryan as much as she could. Along the way, she was picking up several tools of the trade. The animals all were very warm to her, and she was able to soothe even the most ill tempered or scared animals.

Cody, on the other hand, didn't have to deal with any actual patients...well, live ones at least. Initially, he was a little uneasy around corpses, but by making himself stay detached, he adjusted. After several weeks, he got to the point where it didn't bother him much anymore. And while he did find that aspect of the job interesting, it was the part where he got to help work on cures for other diseases that he found truly fascinating. Especially where they were testing treatments for heart disease. With Grandpa Charlie dying from a heart attack and his Grandma Ellie having one that could have killed her, he was especially interested in working on it.

And at home, they would usually spend Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday nights studying for the GRE and MCAT. Even though they both knew they still had six months before the tests, both wanted to be prepared and not have to cram for it while also dealing with their fall classes. Their plan was to finish their last prerequisite, Biochemistry, in the fall and have their scores back by Christmas or early the next year. Then, they would begin the application process.

Cody and Bailey hadn't really planned any vacations for the summer. Sure, they spent at least one weekend a month in Boston, but that was about it. They had discussed taking the Amtrak down to Washington DC, but decided they would save that for the next years spring break. And they looked into going back to Kettlecorn at some point over the summer, but finding a good time wasn't going to be possible. Both of their summer jobs were going so well that both were asked if they wanted to work some hours during the semester. Looking at their schedules, both agreed that they could work a few hours on Thursday and Friday afternoons. So, they wouldn't be having a last day of work.

But that didn't mean they didn't have other excursions to look forward to. On their soon to be wedding anniversary, they did go back to their bed and breakfast on the shore. The had their room booked for Friday and Saturday nights. (Jo had offered to feed Porkers on Saturday so they could have the whole weekend.) The weekend had gone very well, and on Saturday evening, they were walking on the beach again, hand in hand.

"Two years from today..."

Bailey turned to Cody and smiled. "I know..."

Cody began to think. "I have another idea I want to run past you..."

"What's that?"

"Well, this day and sunsets have always gone hand in hand. What would you think of having the ceremony at sunset?"

Bailey leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Sounds perfect..."

Cody smiled at her. "To me too..."

Bailey sighed in contentment. "You know, I really am beginning to think this is all going to work out like we hope..."

"Of course it will. We're doing this like we do everything else...we're tackling it head on and developing a plan to follow through..."

"That's right. Cody, you have no idea how comforting it is to have someone who understands how my mind works..."

Cody lifted her chin and grinned at her. "Oh, I think maybe I do..."

Bailey giggled. "Oh yeah..."

"That's why we make a great team..."

Bailey smiled. "Yeah, we do..."

Their other goal that summer was learning to play golf. Early on, they both flat out stunk. Several times, they would swing and miss. Tiger Woods (before he started to suck) they weren't. But as the summer went on, they both did improve. It didn't hurt that they found a book on the physics of golf. After reading that together, they both improved dramatically. Neither would ever win a long drive contest, but they were able to finally hit the ball into the air and straight.

It was early July that they received another letter for Sony Pictures Studio. This time, it was air dates for the College Team Tournament. Since it wasn't due to air until mid August, both tucked it away with a reminder to let their families and friends know to watch. However, since their first round match was to be aired on a Friday evening, they decided they would take a half a day off and drive up to Boston to watch it in person with Zack, Cassie, Carey and Arwin. Besides, the next day, Zack and Cassie would be moving into their new place

To be Continued...