Jaelyn smiles brightly as Alissa rides right along side her and Cobalt. Anytime her students make a mile stone it makes her day, but especially when she gets to enjoy it right along with them. Like today, Alissa has made progress in her riding and her confidence so that she is able to ride out in the pasture.
"How do you like the great outdoors," she asks with a wink.

Alissa lets out a school girl giggle. "If this is what you grew up riding in I am officially jealous."

Laughing Jaelyn waves her hand in the air as if to dismiss it. "You have a super cool life yourself! Don't you go wishing for mine."

"You sound like you live in a dirt cave and eat crickets!" Alissa declares barely being able to contain her laughter. Her slight autism doesn't hold back her wonderful sense of humor.

This comment makes Jaelyn gasp for air while laughing. When she has regain her composure she replies, "No, far from it. I love my life, I'm just saying you should love yours too."

When they get back to the barn Alissa's mom and Tyson are waiting for them. Alissa insists on unsaddling and helping put Bob up, even though Tyson offers to do it for her. The couple watches as the mom, daughter pair leave the driveway. Tyson pulls Jaelyn so that her back is up against his torso and his hands can rest on her bulging belly.

"You know, cactus, I think baby is getting a little bit too big to go on rides." He raises his eyebrows and eagerly waits for her reply.

There is a pause before she answers, "You mean I'm getting too big."

He stutters a bit, "Well, I, uh-"

She laughs. "You will be happy to know I don't plan to do much more of it. Even bareback has become uncomfortable."

He isn't sure what to say so he lets a few seconds pass before he asks, "Have you talked to Gary lately? It's kind of quite without him around."

Jaelyn chuckles. "He wasn't that loud, but yes it is different without him around. The only news I have gotten about him, since he left, is what Brooke has told me. She said Peter is in ICU and not doing well."

"That's not good. I've been praying for all of them. It can't be easy."

***
Brooke waits anxiously for her two best friends to meet her at the local coffee shop for a much needed chit chat and worry release session. Kristen and Jaelyn both are about the same age as her, but yet already been through the whole getting to know you stage of life with a potential romantic partner. Seeking advice from them seems only logic, besides the fact that no matter how much he loves her Jeremiah has gotten tired of the boy talk. 

Only moments after the waiter has placed her iced hot chocolate coffee mix in front of her Kristen and Jaelyn walk through the front door. She waves them over with a relieved smile.

"So, what's the girl talk for the morning?" Kristen prods with a glistening smile.

Jaelyn laughs beside her and raises an eyebrow as if furthuring the question.

Brooke can't help it anymore! All of her worries, thoughts, ideas, and fears come barrelign out of her all at once. "I can't stand it anymore! I want to do something, but I don't know what. He hasn't called or texted much and when he does the news is always the same. It's driving me nuts so I can't imagine how he feels. I knwo it's silly and childish, but I keep thinking he isn't going to want to come back at all no matter what happens." She takes a breath and sighs.

Both of her friends sit with smiles on their faces which only furthers the festering emotions in her. "What is so funny?" she mumbles.

Kristen is the first to speak up, "It's not funny really, I just remeber when I had some of those same thoughts and now looking back it is kind of amusing."

Rolling her eyes Brooke takes another sip of her drink.

"Brookey, let me just tell you something about my brother. Gary, is loyal. He isn't going to run off and find someone better because in his mind he is already committed to you. Now, if there are like red flags everywhere that's diffrent." Jaelyn takes a drink then raises her eyebrows and adds, "And he can't think about two things at once. That's probably why he hasn't been talking much."

Slowly everything her friends have said start to sink in, make sense, and ease the restlessness in her mind. An overwhelming sense of guilt washes over her. "Oh my word, I am such a horrible person! How can I be upset with him for not talkign to me when he's over there facing all this?"

"Don't beat yourself up. Come on let's finish this coffee and go get some pedicures," Kristen cheers pumping her fist in the air. They all crack up laughing.

The three spend most of the day together window shopping, eating, and chatting. Everything from Jaelyn's baby-on-the-way to all the latest gossip from the salon they cover it all. Although she has really enjoyed the time with her friends it is relaxing to fall into her bed that night.

Brooke can't help the restlessness she feels as she lays wide awake in her bed at midnight. There is nothing she wants more than to be sound asleep, but her mind wouldn't shut off, her body wouldn't relax. As her grandmother used to say, "When you can't sleep it's God trying to talk to you."

This makes Brooke smile. Sweet, sweet, Grandmother. Always giving advice in the classic 'grandmother' fashion, but always there to comfort you to. Growing up Jeremiah and Brooke would always spend at least a week at Grandmother's house. They would help her weed her garden, they would frolic in the waist high grass next door, and eat all the delicious cookies they could hold. Those were the times that drew the siblings as close as they are now. And it is because of Grandmother that they are both firm Christians.

Brooke smiles, those summers she never worried about what she looked like, that her shoulders where broader than what the cool girls said they should be, or that she still stuck by her brother's side even though she was a 'big girl'. She always ate more than was healthy, but never cared. She would pick more fights with Jeremiah, but always spent the night playing checkers in the blanket forts they made.

She drifts to sleep with a dream about Grandmother's house.

"Jeremiah! Don't you dare stand on that table," Grandmother screeches from the kitchen.

With the giggle gone from his boyish lips his face turns solemn and he quickly hops down before another word can be said. Brooke on the other hand, hands Grandmother a rolled cookie with a grin. Grandmother winked at her and glanced over her shoulder. "Why don't you come help us with some cookies Jeremiah?"

Rather reluctantly, because he doesn't want to show just how excited he is, he steps forward and helps Brooke roll the dough into little round balls.
***
Gary wakes up to the brightness of the sun shining through the curtains of the hotel room he originally got for Carol, but last night she sternly informed him he was to sleep in it. Glancing over at his phone he is shocked at the time. Nine fifteen in the morning. Not since the week after college finals can he remember sleeping in that late.

Hurriedly he jumps from bed and throws some clothes on. Surprisingly he notices that his light green button up is slightly wrinkled, but doesn't stop to change or fix it. To his advantage everything goes with his dark blue jeans so he doesn't have to worry about matching stuff in a hurry.

He slides his comb under the running water before raking it through his hair. Although he doesn't know why he is in such a hurry, he is. Everyday for the past week and a half the doctors have told he and Mrs. Carol the same thing. Nothing has changed and unless it does he won't be here long.

For some reason unknown to him there is an urgency around him. He only spends five seconds on brushing his teeth before he rinses his mouth and pulls on his boots. As he is already hallway out the door he grabs his hat and breezes down the halls until he is crossing the road to the hospital.

As he walks inside he quickly spots Carol sitting in a corner. That can only mean one of three things that they are running tests, he's gotten worse, or he's gotten better. His arm immediately drapes around her shoulders as he sits next to her. "I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier. How is he this morning?" It is a question they have asked back and forth often and now takes much to ask.

Turning to him she begins to sob. "Oh, Gary! He needs life support."

As he lets her bury her face in his shoulder he doesn't breath, just stares off at the plain white wall with his expression as grave as possible. This can not be happening. It just can't. There is so much Gary wants to tell Peter, talk to him about, and do with him. Why him? Why now? Why can't it be just a few more days to tell him a proper goodbye?

The questions and thoughts are endlessly running through his mind even as Mrs. Carol speaks to him. "I can't do it. I can't let him go, but I can't keep him here suffering," she sobs.

His shirt is now soaked with tears, but he doesn't notice. He doesn't even know the ones running down his own cheeks. As if someone snaps him back to life he says, "I know, I know how you feel, but you are doing the right thing." He tries to use his most comforting tone, but the tears welling up in his throat don't make it an ideal situation. Not to mention the fact that he knows just as well as she does what Peter would want them to do. Even though he knows they will be honoring his best friends wishes there is no way in the world it makes it one bit easier to hear the news.

A/N
Oh my word! I just realized that I totally didn't update last week! I'm so sorry! Here it is... and feel free to remind me Thursday that it is update day! 🙈

Anyway! Who's your least favorite character?