Okay, so this took awhile and I'm so sorry. As we all know, writer's block is an awful thing and to be totally honest, for a while I lost my passion for writing. I don't think anything kickstarted it and it'll probably take some time to put out another chapter, so for that I apologize again. I just wanted to put something up because I was going through my stories and was debating on deleting some, maybe re-writing some, or even just deleting my account all together. But I was going through my stories and reading all the reviews and I just want to send out a big thank you to all who encourage me to keep writing and giving me positive feedback. I know I shouldn't, but I'm asking you guys to please be patient with me and enjoy this chapter.

It didn't surprise Charlie to see Lucas in Riley's hospital room. He knew exactly why Lucas was there and why Lucas' smile fell as soon as they were face to face. He nodded in recognition and stepped into Riley's view. "Hi."

"Charlie." Riley greeted him with a warm smile. "You're here."

"Of course." Charlie glanced back at Lucas, who hadn't let go of the door handle and stood frozen in place.

"Lucas, are you alright?" Riley asked but the response she got was him turning and leaving the room. She sighed, knowing she couldn't go after him if she tried.

"Was this a bad time?" Charlie frowned after Lucas' retreating frame. "I'm sorry, Riley, I didn't mean-."

"It's okay." She waved him closer and patted the empty spot next to her. She almost laughed at the sheepish look on his face as he scooted closer. "I didn't mean to worry you back at school."

He snorted while taking over the empty space. "I wasn't worried, Riley, I was scared out of my freaking mind. Everyone was. What happened?"

"I…I guess I've just been under a lot of stress." She fiddled with her thumbs and hung her head, ashamed and embarrassed that she'd let the situation go as far as it had.

"Take a number, Riles." Charlie leaned back and ran a hand gently through her hair. "I didn't mean to interrupt you and Lucas. Mr. And Mrs. Matthews didn't say he was in here."

Riley stayed quiet and stared at the end of her hospital bed; how would she explain to him what just happened between her and Lucas?

"We…" She began to explain with a shaky breath. "We were-."

"I know." He chuckled and gave her head a light scratch, almost like petting her. "It's okay, you know? To want to be with Lucas. I've already told you, Riley, I'm not going to stand in the way of your happiness. Whatever you decide, we'll still be friends and I'll still be by your side. To be honest, I didn't expect us to last as long as we did, but I'm really happy that you tried. It's not easy giving up your feelings for someone else and I never expected you to. I was just glad to be with you, Riley."

"How can you say that?" Riley whispered and let her hair fall into her face as tears threatened her eyes. "How can you be okay with me and Lucas when I hurt you, Charlie?"

"You didn't hurt me." He tucked a finger underneath her chin and tilted her face to his. "You could never hurt me, Riley. You're the most sincere, caring, and loving people I've ever met. You wanted Maya to be happy and you thought that by cutting yourself out, she could be. But it was never about Lucas, Riley, it's about you. It's about you and Maya and your guys' friendship. I'm sure Maya loved Lucas, but she loves you more and when you walked out of her life, she was devastated. There isn't one person on this planet that could make her happier than you, Riles."

"I'm a horrible person, Charlie." She argued and shook her head. "I harbored feelings for Lucas when I was in a relationship with you. I cut Maya out of my life because I couldn't bare the thought of her and Lucas together. I let Caprice treat Maya horribly because I was being selfish. I'm not the person everyone thinks I am."

"You're not horrible. You lost your way and that's not your fault. Everyone makes mistakes, but you have to learn from it." Charlie rested his head against hers and hugged her close. "In the end, Riley, you thought the decisions you made were in everyone's best interest. But truth be told, you never stopped to think about the consequences and that's why everything blew up in our face. You just wanted everyone to be happy, Riley, even if you weren't."

"I was." Riley swore, digging her face into his chest and staining his t-shirt with her tears. "I was happy with you, Charlie. I didn't want things to get so messed up between us. You're my best friend and I love you. It hurts so much that I can't be in love with you. You're such an amazing guy and any girl would be lucky to have you. I'm sorry you wasted so much time on me."

"It wasn't a waste of time. It was getting to hold your hand, wipe away your tears, and protecting you from your worst fears. I got to know you in a way I never thought I could and I'm grateful for it. You don't ever have to be sorry for not being in love with me, Riley. Don't ever apologize for your feelings."

She let out a huge breath, letting her body relax and feeling the tears subside. They remained in a comfortable silence with the TV playing in the background.

"So," Charlie spoke up, "what about you and Lucas? I should have probably ran after him so he didn't get the wrong idea about us."

"You don't have to explain to him. I'm the one who has to explain. I've already put everyone in such a bad position and I don't want to do that to you."

"How did it go?" Maya stopped Lucas from storming out of the waiting room. She scoffed and grabbed onto his arm when he tried to push past her. "Hey, Huckleberry, I'm talking to you."

"Charlie came in." Lucas grit his teeth, grinding them together and stepping out of her grasp.

"And that's why you left? Seriously, Lucas, are you honestly still worried that they're going to stay together?"

"Why wouldn't they, Maya?" He huffed and crossed his arms. "Charlie's a great guy. He never pushed Riley, not the way I have. He deserves her. Not me."

"Huckleberry, I think you're forgetting one thing," Maya frowned and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Riley loves you. Not Charlie. You should know by now that she's always going to chose you."

"What do you think they're talking about?" Zay asked Farkle as they both stood off to the side to watch Lucas and Maya.

"Riley." Farkle answered easily. "It'll always be Riley."

"How did she look in there?"

"Tired." Farkle dropped his gaze to the ground and his mind went to the image of his best friend lying in the hospital bed, pale and skinny. "Exhausted, actually. When I went in there, I was ready to lay it all on her and tell her to stop being so stubborn. That Maya is her best friend and they needed to work it all out. But the machines and the wires…it scared me, Zay, and it made me realize how close we could have been to losing her."

"I gotcha." Zay nodded his head in agreement. "I was ready to let Lucas have it too, but he didn't need that. None of them did. I've never seen Lucas so scared in my life than when he was holding Riley in the gym."

"Charlie!" Auggie sang and ran to Charlie as he approached Cory and Topanga. Jumping into Charlie's arms, he beamed and asked if his sister was okay.

"She's doing just fine, kiddo." Charlie promised and carried him to his parents to let them know that Riley had fallen asleep once again. Topanga patted his shoulder and thanked him; she knew how much he loved her daughter and she was so appreciative for the kind of person he was. "I should head home. My parents are worried about her too and I said I'd let them know how she was doing when I got back."

"Of course." Cory nodded and shook his hand before he left; he may not have liked that Riley was in a relationship with him, but he knew Charlie had a good head on his shoulders.

"Oh, um," Charlie stopped short at the sight of Lucas and turned to Maya, "I think you should go in and see her, Maya. I know she's asleep right now, but when she wakes up, I think you guys should talk. I um, also told Caprice that it might not be a good idea to show up today, so you've got all the time you need to decide what you're going to do."

Maya opened her mouth to thank him, but no words came out and she couldn't understand why. She was glad Charlie stayed by Riley's side through the entire thing but her words caught in her throat and tears welled up in her eyes. It surprised her and everyone else when she launched herself into Charlie's arms and hugged him tight.

Charlie smiled and squeezed her frame to his, pulling back and giving her a nod to let her know that he understood why she had a hard time speaking. Sticking his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he sauntered past Lucas and stopped so they stood shoulder to shoulder. "You need to take care of her, Friar. I don't need to tell you how special someone like Riley is. So, please, take care of her."

Lucas balled his hands into fists and took a sharp breath as Charlie left the hospital. He wanted to dislike Charlie, but he really couldn't and it irritated him. Lucas didn't think he deserved any of Riley's affection because to anyone who didn't know their story, there was no competition. Charlie Gardner was the better of the two of them and Lucas couldn't compare.