A/N: Alright, we're back to the regular Wednesday/ Saturday update schedule for those of you who survived the ride. Now, onward!

Riley felt her heart pound against her ribcage as the plane landed in Virginia. Once they got word that Lucas was okay, Captain McCall made arrangements so Riley, Maya, and himself would be there soon after Lucas arrived at Bethesda Naval hospital. Needless to say, Riley was nervous about seeing him. All they knew was that he survived. They didn't receive any information on his current condition, but from what Riley gathered, he was probably in pretty bad shape. How else would he be after spending several hours tossing through choppy waves? Definitely not unscathed, that much was certain.

As the plane began to taxi, Riley looked over at Maya. She had helped her so much during these past few days; to her, it was amazing at how Maya held up through it all. But right now, she seemed to be showing her true colors on this whole matter. A mix of worry, grief, and relief was painted over her face. It worried Riley at how much had slipped by her in the past few days, especially with her best friend!

Even though she felt bad about not 'being there' so to speak for her best friend, she could hear Maya's voice echo throughout her mind.

Don't you dare feel bad about this! You've been there for me so many times in the past, and while we both were in a bit of a bind, you needed it more than anyone.

Riley shook her head and placed a hand on Maya's shoulder. This action caught her best friend off guard and caused her to jump slightly as she turned towards Riley.

"You okay?"

Maya nodded. "Yeah, just really tired… especially after this whole ordeal."

"If you need to talk about what you went through, you know I'm here for you."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Maya smiled. "And don't worry. If I need to talk about it, you'll be the first one I will call. And right now… I'm fine."

Riley nodded, but she wasn't quite convinced that her best friend was fine. Maya was giving her the benefit of the doubt considering Riley nearly lost two of her closest friends in the period of a day, but Maya still nearly lost a dear friend in high school. However, there's something that Riley had grown to know about Maya since they first met when they were young. She wasn't going to talk until she was ready. And right now, she wasn't ready.

OoOoO

Everyone walked down the hallway towards Lucas' room as the doctor helped put his condition into perspective for them.

"The CAT scan revealed minor swelling on the Lieutenant's right frontal lobe. As a result, he's suffering from a pre incidental neurological deficit."

Captain McCall let out a small groan. "In English, please?"

"It's retrograde amnesia," the doctor explained as they all slowed to a halt. "He'll have some memory loss previous to the trauma."

Riley bit her lip. "Is that normal?" she asked.

"In thirty percent of the cases, yes," the doctor nodded.

It was Maya's turn to jump in. "Will he know us?"

"It's hard to predict," he continued. "He seems to be able to recall the distant past…"

"And the recent past?" Riley interrupted.

He shrugged. "I'd say it's shaky. We're hoping it's temporary, but we'll know for sure once the swelling subsides. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish my rounds."

As the doctor left, another set of footsteps approached the group from behind. Riley and Maya turned around to see Farkle walking towards them. The two young women ran up to him and engulfed him in a bear hug, grateful to be with their high school friend.

"How are you doing?" Riley asked.

"Are you okay?" Maya added.

He nodded as he returned the embrace, happy to be with them again. "Yeah, I'm fine. They just cleared me about an hour ago… have you gone in to see Lucas yet?"

Riley shook her head. "No, they were just informing us about his condition. I'm just so happy that he pulled through."

Maya watched as Farkle bit the inside of his cheek, causing some alarm to go off inside her. "Yeah, yeah… that he is," he trailed, pausing for a brief moment before he continued. "Look, Riley, why don't you go in to see him first?"

She looked at the three friends and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

Maya nodded. "Yeah, go on ahead."

A small smile made its way onto Riley's lips as she turned towards the door. But before her hand fell on the door handle, she froze.

After a few moments of silence, Maya spoke. "What is it, Riles?"

"I-I'm scared," she stuttered as a wave of emotions came over her. "I know what the doctor said, but I'm not sure what to expect in there."

Maya walked up to her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't freak out, everything will be okay. Just expect Lucas behind that door. No matter what happens, he's still your Lucas."

Riley nodded and headed through the door. Once the door had shut behind her, Maya crossed her arms and walked over to Farkle. "So, what do you know?"

Farkle raised an eyebrow at her question. "What are you talking about?"

"When Riley said she was happy that Lucas pulled through, you bit the inside of your cheek. The angle you were at was far enough to hide it from Riley, but not from me. So spill it, what do you know about what happened to Lucas during that night?"

The young lieutenant froze as the memories from what he saw that night came flooding back to the front of his mind. Lucas' diminishing pulse and breathing rate. His falling body temperature. Nothing able to bring him back up to the land of the living, despite all of the medical team's efforts. The flat line that echoed through sickbay. All of the shouts and sounds of electricity being sent through his friend's body. The flat line persisting. The CMO calling for the time of death. At least five minutes of arguing with him to keep trying, along with the hot tears that spilled down his face. And then, by some miracle, Lucas gasping for a much needed breath, and the room filling with hope once again.

Farkle sighed as he pulled himself out of the sea of memories. "Nothing that needs to be brought up at this point. He's fine now, that all that matters at the moment."

"Are you sure?" Maya asked as she raised an eyebrow. "Because if you need to talk about it, I'm here for you."

He nodded. "I know, and some day, I may take you up on that."

A/N #2: Let me know what you thought of it! We'll see the gang visiting with Lucas next chapter. See you then!