Chapter 44- Please Don't Go

"Why hasn't she woken up yet?" Topanga sobbed into Cory's chest. "It's been three months. She should have woken up by now, Cory." Cory rubbed her back and tried to console his wife.

"Her brain and her body are still healing, honey." He reassured her. "The fact that they have not taken her off life support is a good thing. It means that there is still brain activity." He lifted her chin with his fingers to look into her eyes and kissed her gently. "She is still in there, somewhere. Why don't we go talk to her? The doctor said she may be able to hear us, somewhere in her subconscious." They walked back into the room to sit at the bedside of their daughter.

Maya was already sitting at Riley's side, holding her hand when Cory and Topanga came in. She gently squeezed Riley's hand and stood up, offering her seat to Topanga, who hugged Maya and accepted the empty seat.

"I'm gonna go take a walk, if that's okay." Maya said. "Maybe I'll go see the baby in the nursery." Topanga nodded, sniffing back tears.

"Yeah, that's fine, Maya. Let us know how she is doing." Topanga replied and turned back to Riley.

Maya could navigate the hospital with her eyes closed. Being here almost every day for three months with Riley, she had memorized the hallways and the number of steps between Riley's room and the nursery. As she rounded the corner to the nursery hallway, she could see baby Matthews from the other side of the glass. She had grown so much since coming into the world three months ago. She had the fullest head of dark hair, just like Riley and her eyes were blue. Likely, they would change as she got older, but right now they were blue.

There was a new nurse working in the nursery today. Maya watched her curiously as she took vitals from the babies and logged them into their charts. She seemed especially interested in Riley's baby, coming back every couple of minutes to check and re-check her vitals.

'Weird,' Maya thought to herself, 'but I am not a doctor. What do I know is normal in a hospital?' She shrugged it off and daydreamed about the day when all of them could go home together, and didn't pay attention to the nurse, switching the hospital bracelets between baby Matthews and another baby next to her.

As Maya said her goodbyes to the baby behind the nursery glass, she made her way back to Riley's room. As she neared the room, she noticed Cory and Topanga were standing outside the room, Topanga sobbing hysterically. Maya's walk turned into a run when she started seeing a flood of doctors run into the room, and heard the overhead system scream out an alarm.

"CODE BLUE! CODE BLUE!"

"What is going on?" Maya yelled to Cory. He turned to her with the most defeated expression on his face.

"She flatlined, Maya." He sobbed. "She flatlined. Riley is dying."

Maya froze to the spot and hit her knees.

"Where am I?" Riley thought out loud. "What is this place?" Looking around, she noticed what resembled a forest, with huge green trees and the most fragrant flowers. Everything was slightly hazy, as if she were in a dream. There were deer and rabbits that came right up to Riley and allowed her to pet them. "Am I a Disney princess? What is going on?"

"This is your version of Heaven, Riley." A voice came out of nowhere. Riley jumped and turned around.

"Mrs. Svorski?!" Riley exclaimed. "What are you-" She suddenly made the realization. "But if you are- and I- that means-". Tears started to well up in her eyes. "I am not ready to go yet. I have a family and I have Maya. And I am supposed to have a baby. I wanted to raise my baby and Maya's baby together.

"Riley," Mrs Svorski explained, " You already had your baby. Three months ago." Riley looked at her, confused.

"Three months ago? What do you mean?" Riley questioned, even more confused. Mrs. Svorski took her by the hand and gently led her.

"You have been in a coma for three months. In that time, they had to deliver your baby because of the accident."

"Accident?!" Riley almost shouted. "I was in an accident? But I don't remem-"She absentmindedly touched the back of her head. She gasped. "I remember now! Did they ever catch him? The guy who hit me?"

Mrs. Svorski shook her head. "Those are not questions that I can answer, my dear. I am just your subconscious, taking a human form that you recognize in a place that you feel comfortable." She gestured to the meadow and the forest with the deer. "If you want to go back, you need to fight. Hard. Right now, your body is giving up. Go and fight." With that, Mrs. Svorski disappeared along with the meadow and the forest. Riley was left, standing alone, in vast nothingness.

The team of doctors finally got Riley's heart to come back and got her vitals to stabilize. Her doctor spoke with Cory and Topanga at the bedside.

"We were lucky to get her back this time." She explained. "As her body shuts down, this will happen more often. We may not get her back next time. You may need to start preparing yourselves." She gave them a knowing look and left the room.

Maya rushed to Riley's side.

"Riley!" Maya yelled. "Riley, please don't go. You have a baby and a family. And me. I'm your person and you are mine. Ever since we met as little kids. Please don't leave me here alone without you." She pleaded, tears filling her eyes and spilling out. She took Riley's hand and squeezed. Suddenly, and unexpectedly, Riley squeezed back. Maya gasped and looked up at Riley.

"Riley?!" Maya exclaimed. "Are you awake?"

"Hey, Peaches." Riley replied, weakly.

"Oh, my gosh. It's a miracle! My baby's alive!" Topanga shouted, grabbing Cory and hugging him tightly. Cory, not saying a word, smiled and kissed his daughter on her forehead and squeezed her other hand, gently.

After the doctor came in to check her vitals, giving her an incredible prognosis, all things considered, she ordered Riley to rest.

While Cory and Topanga slept in Riley's room, Maya decided to go home and spend some time with her own baby before coming back tomorrow. But first, she would say goodbye to Riley's baby. Turning that same familiar corner, something was off. She could no longer see the baby from where she stood. She quickened her pace and gasped in horror when she reached the window. Riley's baby was gone.