After his father's death, Jay starts forgetting which way is up.
Riley wants to be there for him, but is overwhelmed with her fears and the uncertainty of their future together.
Will their relationship be strong enough to overcome all the obstacles...
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"Are you sure you want to go in alone? I could just wait in the waiting room." Jay suggested, his eyes on his very nervous looking fiancée.
The whole drive to the hospital was spent in silence, Riley wondering if she really did want to do this while Jay tried to figure out a way to support her without overstepping. Riley breathed in and out deeply the whole time, trying to settle her nerves. It didn't really work, but she figured it might eventually.
They sadly weren't too far from the hospital so they arrived in a matter of minutes. Jay had parked in front of the main entrance, patiently waiting for Riley to step out of the vehicle - whenever she was ready to. He ended up speaking up first as he could see the dirty looks he was being sent by the people walking by, not so subtly letting him know he wasn't supposed to park there.
"No, it's fine." She declined, picking up her things with shaky hands before pushing the passenger door open. Riley stepped out without giving Jay a kiss goodbye, probably too stuck in her thoughts to even realize, only to freeze right as she was closing the door. She breathed out audibly, her eyes trailing up to his. He could see the tears she had been holding back very clearly and it made his heart break into a million pieces. "Could you?"
He nodded with no hesitation whatsoever, "I'll go find a parking lot before people start slashing my tires and I'll be right in." She nodded, taking another breath before tapping her fingers on the door. She stepped away, closing the door so he could drive away. Riley watched him go and stood still right where he left her, waiting for him to come back.
It wasn't too long before Jay came jogging towards her, holding Aurora's bag as she was resting in the baby carrier with her head on his chest - his steady heartbeat lulling her to sleep. With his free hand, Jay grabbed Riley's and walked with her towards the admission secretary so she could guide them.
"Hi, we're here for uh," She panicked, glancing at Jay shortly before looking back at the woman, "Well I don't really know what name she goes by anymore, but Esther Mitchell?"
Jay felt a pinch in his heart as he realized the reason for her panic. She hadn't seen the woman in so long, there was a very good chance she built herself another life - with another husband and other kids. There was also very high chances that she didn't have the same last name as her daughter.
"Riley Mitchell?" The woman asked after typing in a few things in her computer, Riley nodded in response - nervously squeezing Jay's hand. "You can go up to the third floor and go straight to the nurses' station, they'll give you her room number."
"Thank you." Riley breathed out, walking off with Jay following her. She went straight to the elevator, keeping quiet. Jay could tell her mind was running at a hundred miles an hour, but he let her be. The couple walked out of the elevator and before they could even reach the nurses' station, a familiar older woman rushed towards them.
Riley frowned at the sight, definitely confused. "Agnes?" She stopped in her tracks, suddenly dropping Jay's hand. He was just as confused as his fiancée, so he kept quiet and waited for the older woman to explain herself. "What are you doing here?"
