Go Baby Grow

Chapter 3 – Be With Me

Same day as Chapter 1

J- need favor. available? Ryder typed out in a text. He really did not want to leave Nolan's side. To be able to hold up his brother was an honor considering all the times Nolan had supported him. Ryder shot the text out and awaited a reply, hoping she could pick up Molly's paci and Nam and bring them to the hospital.

Depends, Julie wrote. My dad's freaking out. What's up?

Rather than trying to text the details, Ryder stepped out of the room and walked toward the ambulance bay. Once outside, he plopped onto a bench and called his friend.

Before he could begin speaking, Julie spouted with a slight but playful grumble, "What do you need, Hunt?"

"I'm at the ER. Molly hit her head and they're keeping her overnight," he explained.

Julie took in a slow breath and closed her eyes. "Will she recover? How bad is it?"

"I dunno. My mom's up in CT with another doc. I've only overheard bits and pieces of news," he detailed.

"How can I help?" Julie inquired, fully aware that Adam would be furious when she showed up late for their run. Her father was determined to prepare her mentally, physically, and emotionally for Plebe Summer before she showed up at the Academy and he'd been riding her non-stop.

"Head over to Nolan's and grab Molly's blanket… whatever she calls that stupid thing," Ryder expressed, not wanting to expend energy to search his memory.

"Nam. She calls her blankie Nam. I tried to teach her to call it Ryder but she refused to work with me," Julie teased, hoping to lighten Ryder's load.

Chuckling, Ryder responded, "Cute, Caldwell. How about I wrap myself around you and show Molly what a wonderful blankie I'd be?"

"How about I meet you at the hospital in 20 minutes?" she offered without comment to his innuendo. He threw them out constantly, and Julie consistently found ways to avoid responding to them. In her mind, Ryder was being Ryder. Replying to his flirting would only encourage him. Besides, she thought to herself, like he'd ever want a girl like me. I'm good ole Jules, not dating material.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX'

Still at school waiting to be picked up, Olivia sighed dramatically as she noted the time. I wish I could walk home. This is ridiculous, she pondered. Since texts had not been fully effective, Olivia tried calling Owen instead.

When he saw the caller ID, Owen cussed under his breath and answered, "Olivia… I'm sorry, Red."

"You forgot me, didn't you?" she quizzed him with a tone that hinted at disbelief and challenge.

"Livs… I need to tell you something. Molly's going to be fine," he lied as he braced her for the news. "But she fell and cut her head. I've been helping the team that's working on her. I'm so sorry you ended up stranded."

"Me too," Olivia popped off selfishly. "What am I supposed to do, Dad? Just wait here forever?"

"Text Ryder. See if he can come get you," Owen suggested.

"On the motorcycle? Sweet!" she exclaimed.

"Absolutely not," Owen insisted. "Nolan's car is here and so is Ry. Maybe he can use the Jeep."

"Oh," she sighed with disappointment. "Ok then. I'll call him."

"I really am sorry, Livs. I apologize that our plans went down the toilet," Owen emphasized.

"Uh huh," Olivia muttered as she ended the call. She was completely convinced that she'd been forgotten in the midst of the frenzy and wasn't pleased.

XXXXXXXXXX'

As promised, Julie arrived at the hospital twenty minutes after her initial phone call with Ryder. He had called her a second time to ask her if she could pick up Olivia. With the school on her route, the stop was no problem. When Julie and Olivia inquired about the family's whereabouts, the desk clerk directed them to the room where Nolan, Lissa, and Ryder were waiting.

Tentatively, Julie knocked and then opened the door. Gently, she announced, "Here's Nam. I brought one of her pacis too." After handing the items to Nolan, she hugged Lissa and held her lovingly. Julie whispered reassuring words to Lissa and the two began their own private conversation.

Nolan excused himself, hoping to locate Molly's whereabouts so Nam and Molly could be reunited.

Ryder and Olivia were left twiddling their thumbs. Trying to make an effort, Ryder inquired, "How was school?"

"Fine," Olivia answered without detail. "Well, the whole day was fine until Dad forgot all about me," she added with frustration.

"His day was hosed, Liv. He's been dealing with Molly," Ryder reasoned.

"But still," she scoffed slightly as she whispered to her brother. "Does that give him an excuse to completely forget about one of his kids?"

Drilling his eyes into hers, Ryder found himself unexpectedly defending Owen. Speaking at a low volume, he commented, "Holy hell, Olivia. The world doesn't revolve around you."

"I didn't say it did," Olivia retorted as she raised the volume of the conversation. "I asked a question, Ryder. How would you know, though? You weren't the one forgotten."

"Give it up, Princess," Ryder ordered with emphasis at a regular volume.

"Ryder… Olivia…" Lissa groaned. "I have no idea what's going on, but not here. Not now."

"Let's take a walk, RB," Julie suggested.

As they left the room, Lissa held her hand out to Olivia and attempted to smile. "I'm glad you're here," she told her teenaged sister-in-law.

In the hallway, Julie led Ryder toward the waiting room. They spotted an empty area and sat down. "What was that all about?" Julie asked with a mixture of disgust and curiosity.

"That little b# h," he began. "She's all pissed because Dad didn't pick her up like he'd promised. I didn't hear her say one word about Molly."

"She has a point, Ryder. How would you feel if your ride completely spaced? Besides, she's probably afraid to ask about Molly," Julie offered.

Ryder rolled his eyes, "I hate it when you're right, Caldwell. Pisses me off."

"If you weren't wrong all the time, I wouldn't have to spend my life correcting you, Dummy," Julie smiled as she leaned toward Ryder and bumped his shoulder playfully.

After a slight chuckle, Ryder leaned over and rested his head on Julie's shoulder. She repositioned her arm so it wasn't smashed between their bodies. After she pulled it back and swept it across Ryder's shoulders, she rested her head atop his. The two sat in the waiting room, silent and in the same position, for twenty minutes.

Breaking the silence, Ryder admitted weakly, "I'm scared, Jules."

"Yeah," she affirmed, unsure what was worrying him. He could be concerned about Molly, thinking about Plebe Summer, frustrated with Owen, or complaining about Piper. Lately, Ryder had many topics about which to groan.

"Can we go out to your car or something?" he inquired, not wanting to become teary in public.

"Sure," she readily agreed as she stood.

Although Ryder and Julie didn't think twice about sitting down with an arm around the other, they never walked that way. One action showed friendship and support, the other indicated a romantic relationship. To her surprise, as Ryder stood up, he grasped her hand and began to walk. Julie swallowed slowly, not wanting to pull away at such an emotionally tender time yet confused by Ryder's gesture. On its own, her hand melted into his as he led the way. The comfort and connection between the two friends flowed naturally.

When they arrived at the car, Julie pressed the key fob to unlock the doors. Ryder opened the back door for her and grinned weakly. Surprised but accepting of the invitation, Julie settled into the back seat and soon found Ryder's head resting in her lap. She was unsure what to do with her hands. As if he was reading her mind, Ryder reached his right hand up and grasped her right hand in his, bringing them onto his chest. Stretching his left hand backward without looking, Ryder pulled her left hand onto his head. Then he released his hand and set it on his stomach, hoping she would keep hers on him. His legs were bent as he attempted to squeeze his long body into the car.

Softly running her hand back and forth over his hair, Julie sat in peaceful silence. Ryder closed his eyes and kept a steady grip on Julie's right hand.

After a few minutes of comfortable stillness, Julie questioned gently, "What are you scared about, Ry?" Her choice of names was compelling. Although his family often called him Ry, nobody else did. To his friends, he was always Ryder or Hunt. To Julie, he was usually RB. She purposely looked out the window after asking, not wanting to put him on the spot.

His stunning green eyes gazed up at her. Except for the times Kayla would hold him on her lap or Amelia would snuggle him, he'd never felt so contented in a woman's presence. Julie's care and connection to him, he knew, was a complete given. Even when he was clueless, rude, wrong, or raw, he could confide in Julie and be confident that she wouldn't flee or stop caring. Besides being his best friend, Ryder considered her the best friend anyone could ever have.

He let his mind wander a while before responding to her question. His left hand rubbed his forehead and covered his eyes as he replied weakly, "Everything, Jules. I'm scared about everything and that terrifies me."

Julie slid her hand down and rubbed his cheek. Wanting to honor his vulnerability, she hesitated to comment. Eventually, she settled on the words, "It's a scary time right now."

Rapidly blinking his eyes and attempting mightily to hold back tears, Ryder nodded. Having held him before while he shed tears, she knew his subtle signs – his bottom lip jutted out slightly, his eyelids blinked and his breathing quickened. Softly, she attempted to comfort him, "Oh, Ryder… I'm sorry you're hurting."

With those words, the tears began to fall. His tears fell nonstop without any effort. They were unstoppable, constant, and quiet. Although he hated crying, Ryder wasn't worried about doing so in front of Julie. With her, he knew he was safe.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX'

Derek looked lovingly at his nephew when Nolan located Molly. "I'm optimistic," he offered as he chose his words carefully. "Your mom and I have both been over her films and studied them in detail. We don't see any signs of brain bleeds, fluid buildup, or bone shifting. Nothing indicates any sort of permanent damage."

"We're out of the woods?" Nolan inquired as he sat by Molly's crib and stroked her arm.

Hesitating, Derek elaborated, "We'll watch her overnight and monitor her. She'll undergo at least one more CT, maybe more. Your dad noticed the cut was deeper than we initially assessed. She has two internal stitches and four external ones – you can see the externals, of course."

"Yeah," Nolan gulped. "Help me understand something – what exactly are you concerned might happen? Why observe her?"

Derek pursed his lips and pulled up a chair next to Nolan. He rested a hand on Nolan's shoulder and glanced toward Molly. "Concussion, bleeds, bruising that needs to be drained. Let's cross those bridges if and when they appear. Right now, let's focus on one hour at a time. Every time we re-assess, she has shown improvement. I'm hopeful, Nolan. I really am."

"Lissa's going to want to spend the night, which means the babies will need to stay as well. Can that be arranged?" Nolan requested.

"Absolutely," Derek nodded with confidence. "Do you want me to explain everything to Lissa?"

"No," Nolan stated confidently. "I'll talk to her." With that, Derek excused himself and encouraged Nolan to call him if any questions arose. Nolan reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell. Come on up to Peds – rm 1017, he typed, I'm with Mols. We can stay overnight with her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Want to head upstairs with me?" Lissa offered to Olivia after reading Nolan's text.

Feeling uneasy about seeing Molly hooked up to monitors and tubes, Olivia squirmed. "Maybe I should stay down here in case Ryder comes back and wants an update," she pondered aloud.

Lissa smiled gently and hugged Livs. She headed to Owen's office to pick up the twins and then proceeded to Molly's room.

When she arrived, Owen and Amelia were sitting with Nolan. Compared to the last time Lissa had seen Owen, he appeared far more relaxed and at ease. Lissa approached Molly; the baby was sleepy but awake. Weakly, Molly reached an arm up and muttered, "Mama…"

Lissa stopped the stroller next to Nolan and requested, "Can I hold her?"

"Of course," Owen confirmed. He helped navigate the tubes and monitors connected to Molly while Nolan brought a rocker near the crib.

Lissa sat down and enveloped Molly in her arms. Remembering that he had Nam and a binkie, Nolan handed the blankie to Lissa and put the binkie in Molly's mouth. Lissa hummed softly as she rocked. "Poor sweet girl," Lissa mused, "She's been through so much today." She looked at Nolan and shared, "I'm sure the babies are going to need to eat when they wake up. Be ready to switch kiddos."

"Absolutely," he grinned feebly.

Owen and Amelia excused themselves. They reminded the couple that Derek would be at the hospital overnight and that they'd return in the morning. Lissa shared Livie's location and mentioned that Ryder and Julie had gone for a walk.

Heading down to the ER, Owen and Amelia found Livie sitting in the consult room texting friends. She hadn't seen Ryder or Julie since they'd left earlier. As the three headed out to the parking lot, Amelia sent a text to Ry that read, Baby Bear – headed home. Need a ride or meet us there?

Ryder had dozed off peacefully after letting his tears flow. Seeing the text, Julie responded on his behalf, With J. My bike is here. Will be in touch later. Leaning her head back, Julie let her mind wander. Out of the blue a few minutes later, she realized she hadn't told her dad what was happening.

In a slight panic, she pulled her phone out of her pocket. It had been set on silent and she'd missed three calls and four texts from Adam. Each one was progressively more tense and concerned.

Choosing to call him even though she preferred to avoid his anger and text, she placed the call and waited for his answer.

"Julia," he said firmly. "What's going on?" For the most part, his tone conveyed concern and curiosity.

Julie began to explain, "Dad, I'm sorry I didn't call or text sooner. Ryder's niece is at the hospital. He asked me to run to Nolan's house and…" Ryder awoke when he heard her voice, but kept his eyes closed and listened to the conversation.

"Home. Now," Adam ordered clearly as he interrupted. Ryder could clearly hear Adam's crisp and sharp words.

"I can't," Julie replied nervously.

"Excuse me?" Adam growled.

"Dad, Ryder's upset. Molly might have a concussion or other problems. Everything is kind of tense. He needs me here," she elaborated.

Adam insisted, "Ryder has a family who can support him right now, Julia. You've dug quite the hole for yourself and need to come home. I don't want to hear any more explanations. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir," Julie responded flatly, trying mightily not to come across as having an attitude.

"Ten minutes," Adam instructed, knowing the hospital was about seven minutes from their home.

With his eyes still closed, Ryder shared, "I'm sorry I got you in trouble with the Captain."

"I got myself in trouble," Julie claimed.

Ryder stretched and sat up. He hugged his friend and encouraged her to call him as soon as she could. She promised she'd try and pointed out that Adam would likely take away her phone the second she walked in the door.

"Thanks for being here for me today," Ryder offered. "It meant a lot to me, Jules."

Reaching out to hug him, Julie responded, "Anytime. Always."

"Good luck with Captain Consequences," Ryder winked as he made his way out of the car.

Julie chuckled and requested, "Pray for me. I'm in deep this time." With a grin, Ryder closed the car door and patted the roof of the car. He walked over to his motorcycle and rode over to Piper's.

XXXXXXXXXXXX'

Once they made it to bed, Owen and Amelia sat propped up against the headboard. Neither spoke and they focused their eyes forward. Exhaustion and concern filled them both.

"I'm happy you were home today," Amelia said as she scooted over and snuggled into Owen.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and drew her to his chest. Leaning his cheek atop her head, he whispered, "Me too." After a pause, he added, "Mia… it was scary. Lissa's voice was shaking when she called. When I showed up next door, the bleeding wouldn't stop. The babies were crying, Molly was screeching, and Lissa was trying to hold herself together. For a second, I felt helpless."

"Mmmm," Amelia hummed to assure him she was listening as he recounted his experience.

"She's so little," Owen pointed out. "My memory shot back to the first time we saw Molly… when we treated her in the ER. Oh God, Mia, it was… I don't know… blinding. Paralyzing. I should have moved faster. Why didn't I keep my head in the game?"

"You did, Owen," Amelia reassured him. "You jumped into action, you assessed Molly's situation and you brought her to the hospital. You did everything right."

"I didn't respond as quickly as I usually do," he regretted.

"Owen…" Amelia insisted softly but strongly, "Imagine if you hadn't been home. You were in the right place at the right time and responded wonderfully. You didn't delay treatment. In fact, you facilitated it."

As he kissed her forehead, Owen whispered his thanks to Amelia. He continued, "It was scary, wasn't it?"

"I felt like the CT results would never appear on the screen," she recalled. "And with each enlargement, I was worried I'd spot something horrible. There's a reason we should have stepped away. Derek and Alex indulged us, but they should have tossed us out to the waiting room."

"Derek is an amazingly talented neurosurgeon, but I was relieved you were right there reviewing the films," he admitted. "Knowing you were in the room was the only way I could step out." Owen slid down until he was flat on the bed, and Amelia readjusted so she ended up resting her head on his chest. Within seconds, both surrendered to their exhaustion as they were cradled safely in one another's presence.

Nolan and Lissa, 22;

Molly 1

Emily and Elizabeth (born 3/15)

Ryder 18, Julie 18 (Seniors in high school)

Olivia 15 (Freshman in high school)

Ria and Anna 10

Lucas 8 ½

Baby Hunt – due October 25