At Savana's healing halfway point, the doctor cleared her to walk again and to clear her for the nannying class she needed. Michael brought her home and helped her in, much like he did when he brought her home from the hospital, and helped her move around. Her left leg still wasn't working right, and he was determined to get it back to normal. He danced with her around the house to whatever song they played, and everyone else enjoyed hearing their laughter all over.
Niall's drinking had calmed down from what it was, as school started within the week, but he still wasn't over Lindsay. He felt guilty, and even though he sent her those names, she still hadn't said anything to him, but she was walking around the house frequently. Seeing her happier made him happier. He didn't sleep much, nor did he eat a lot, but he was always told to by Liam.
Sierra and Ashton were ready for the new term, especially since so many things happened over winter break. After Savana's hospitalization and healing and Lindsay's relationship difficulties, Sierra felt like her health and relationship were stable. She was worried about the 'future talk' with Ashton like Savana had with Michael and Lindsay had with Niall. She felt like she wanted to talk about it with him. She really did love him, but she didn't want to jinx anything, especially in the honeymoon phase.
Sierra and Lindsay waited for Harry and Luke in the dining room. Savana had left early to pick up a baby she was going to nanny for four weeks and the four of them had similar class times on campus. "Come on boys! We can't be late on the first week!" Sierra called out.
Ashton sat on the sofa in the living room, smiling at her, but the conversation that played in her head about baby names made her not want to look at him. She was worried he would think things are moving too fast, and leave. She looked down at her hands and shuffled them awkwardly.
"You know," Lindsay said, not breaking eye contact with her phone screen, "We can talk about it, if you want to."
Sierra smirked at her, "Code name talk in the car."
"Who and what?" Lindsay still stared at her phone.
"Puppy dog eyes and the twilight zone." Sierra smiled.
When they were getting to know each other, they decided talking in code would be a safe bet, especially if they wanted to talk about the boys, but didn't have a way out of the room. Ashton had been 'Puppy Dog Eyes,' Niall was 'Baby Boy,' and Michael was 'Sweet Pea.' A nickname that Savana has used in front of him now multiple times. They knew they were channeling their inner middle school selves and they liked that.
They'd also come up with nicknames for instances. The future with one of them would be the 'Twilight Zone' because it was a gray area for everyone involved. Current relationship talk would be considered 'Current Events.' They thought it would be obvious enough that no one would really ask. Anything else, Lindsay liked to call it what it was. They liked the code, but they all thought that naming it all would be annoying to keep up with.
"We'll be waiting in the car, boys." Lindsay called out as she grabbed her bag, while Sierra walked downstairs in front of her.
Sierra turned her head slightly, "Why'd we go down early?"
"So we don't have to talk in code the whole way, duh." Lindsay smiled as they threw their things into the car. "So, what's got you so worked up?"
Sierra sighed, "Well, I know you and Niall have talked about the future and kids and stuff, even though I know you're going through a rough patch right now, and Savana and Michael have talked about kids a lot, and I kind of just keep telling Ashton we'll talk about it later. Now I want to talk about it with him. Not because you guys have, but because I feel like it would be okay. However, I get this feeling that, if I do, he'll end up thinking that I'm too forward and leave me. I really don't want that to happen. What do I do?"
"If you're too nervous to do it in person," Lindsay said after a moment, "Text him and let him know that there's something on your mind that you need to tell him. Don't text something cryptic like 'we need to talk.' That will scare him to shit. I would probably say something like 'Hey, I know you might not want to, but I'd like to have a conversation about the future and stuff.' and if he asks, go into detail about it. Don't be afraid to ask if he's okay with it. It's always nice to ask before jumping into something so big."
"Well, how did you and Niall start talking about it?"
Lindsay shook her head, "I was looking through Instagram and I follow a lot of accounts that post pictures of babies. I kept showing Niall, and he asked if I ever wanted kids. I told him I might want one or two, and he asked if I had names picked out. I guess he started the conversation."
"If I may be honest," Sierra cringed, "I don't really want to know how Michael and Savana started discussing it."
Lindsay smiled a bit, "Yeah, you know she'll give you a lot more information than you asked for."
"I mean, yeah, but at least she's honest." Sierra said, "She'd be a good story teller or writer."
"Why'd you think that?" Lindsay was genuinely curious.
Sierra looked at her with wide eyes, "She doesn't leave out any details."
The boys finally walked out, looking rushed, and got into the car. "We're sorry, I couldn't find my bag." Harry said as he put on his seatbelt.
"Gosh," Lindsay smiled, "Took you long enough!" she joked as she backed out of the driveway. Out of the corner of her eye, she gave Sierra a reassuring wink.
Sierra smiled back and opened her conversation with Ashton, beginning her mile long text.
