In A Heartbeat

Chapter Thirteen

Riley had kept her promise to Denny to bring Sam over to meet Carol and Jeremy. She'd

been a little nervous, they had both despised Linda, but then again she could hardly

blame them. They were both immediately taken with Sam. At the first get-together, Sam

had come across as very open and friendly. Only Riley knew that despite Carol's probing

Sam had actually told her very little about herself personally. It'd been so skillfully done that neither Carol nor Denny had realized it. As time passed and Sam began to trust them

she'd gradually opened up a little more. Now over two months later Riley could honestly

say that Carol and Denny were Sam's friends as well as hers. Sam took great pleasure in

hearing all the tales Denny told about her from medical school and work. Sam had

laughingly told her it was payback for encouraging Jess to tell stories about her.

Riley looked up when the sound of laughter interrupted her thoughts. They'd invited

Carol and Denny to the condo for dinner and she'd been working on a salad to go with

the dinner Sam was making. Taking in the scene before her, her eyes narrowed. Carol

was standing behind Sam at the stove, her hands on Sam's broad shoulders and she was

leaning lightly against her back as they talked. Carol laughed at something Sam said.

Riley cleared her throat loudly and two heads turned at the sound. Carol raised her

eyebrow in question but never removed her hands from Sam. Sam got a good look at

Riley's face, Uh Oh! I know that look! Before she could move away from Carol Riley spoke.

"If you can't keep your hands off my girlfriend, I'm not going to invite you over any

more." Riley told Carol in an only partly teasing tone.

Carol flushed with embarrassment and quickly removed her hands from Sam. It wasn't

the first time Riley had mentioned her penchant for touching Sam. Carol didn't know

what it was about the beautiful cop that just seemed to draw her to her. She'd always

been a very tactile person but Sam just seemed to bring that trait out in her even more.

She grimaced to herself; you'd think I'd know by now how Riley reacts to someone

touching Sam. Carol was saved by a cry from the other room.

"I better go check on the baby." She said quickly making her retreat.

Riley got up and approached Sam. Sam wrapped her up in a loving embrace and leaned

down to kiss her. "She doesn't mean anything by it Babe." Sam tried to assure Riley.

"I know." Riley admitted blushing. "I can't help it. I hate seeing another woman's hands on you no matter how innocent. Poor Kellie must think I'm the biggest bitch around."

She said remembering her reaction to Kellie touching Sam the first time they'd gotten

together at O'Grady's for drinks. Sam had hoped by Riley getting to know Kellie it

would ease her jealously. Riley sighed. "Carol has always been the touchy feely type, it never bothered me before."

Carol came back into the room. She walked over to where Riley was still wrapped in

Sam's arms and put her hand gently on Riley's back.

"I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." Riley apologized. "I just don't know what comes over me sometimes. I see a woman touch Sam, no matter how innocently and this jealous bitch just jumps

out."

Carol ran her eyes appraisingly down and back up Sam's body. "Can't say I blame you

Kiddo."

Riley grinned when Sam blushed at Carol's blatant appraisal. The three women shared a

laugh easing any remaining tension.

A banging at the front door announced Denny's return. "I'm going to kill him if he wakes the baby." Carol declared as she headed for the front door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

They sat eating dinner and discussing Carol and Denny's plans for the upcoming holiday.

It would be Jeremy's first Thanksgiving. Denny's parents had yet to see the little boy and

would be flying out to spend the holiday with their new grandson.

"I bet you'll be glad to miss the 'command performance' next week." Denny commented to Riley.

Riley grimaced. "Yeah I sure won't miss spending an evening with those pompous jerks."

Sam looked over at her questioningly.

"Every year at Thanksgiving my uncle hosts a dinner to support the homeless. Part of the proceeds from the tickets goes to provide Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless at a

local shelter. These blowhards stand around all night in their fancy suits and pat

themselves on the back for their great contribution to the community. If they just donated

all the money it took to put on the dinner they could probably provide food to a local

shelter for a year." Riley ranted. "Since my uncle sponsors the event I was required to attend, with an escort he chose of course. I wonder how he'll explain my absence. I've

been there every year since I was eleven. He'll probably tell them I'm dead." She said bitterly.

Carol glared at Denny for even bringing up the painful subject. "So Sam, Riley

mentioned you're going to your sister's for Thanksgiving. Is that something you do every

year?" she asked trying to change the subject.

"We usually celebrate Thanksgiving at my folks but this year my Mom finally convinced

Dad to take her on the cruise he'd been promising her. So Jess said she'd have the dinner

at her place. It'll be a much smaller crowd than is usually at my folks. Just Jess and Kim, my brother Frank and his wife and I think Jess mentioned one of Kim's brothers might

come."

Carol noticed Riley's face pale at the mention of the family dinner. She quickly changed

the subject again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Denny and Sam volunteered to do dishes. Riley protested but was overruled. She sat

cross-legged on the sofa with Carol, keeping her company while she fed Jeremy. Carol

glanced around the room; she still couldn't get over how much the room had changed.

Gone was the uncomfortable white couch and wing chair; in their place was a huge

rolled arm burgundy leather sofa. The glass and metal tables had been replaced with

sturdy wood tables with butcher-block patterned tops. There were framed photographs of

Riley's parents including several with Riley as a child on the side table next to the sofa.

The impressionist paintings were gone from the walls and in their place were several

wildlife prints. The mahogany entertainment center was still present but now the doors

were open and Carol could see a stack of DVDs on the top of the TV. It had been

transformed from a cold stark room into a warm inviting retreat.

Riley noted her perusal. "What?" she asked with a smile.

"Nothing," Carol replied. I was just marveling at how much this room has changed in the last few months."

Riley looked around. "Yeah, now it's really a home instead of just a place to live."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley lay in between Sam's legs using her chest as a backrest. She had specifically

bought the oversized sofa so she and Sam could share it like this. Carol and Denny had

left shortly after dinner. Denny had an early schedule at the hospital, as did she. They

were both trying to get as many of their routine surgeries taken care of as possible before the holiday. She tensed unconsciously at the thought of the holiday. Sam felt the

stiffening of Riley's body.

"What's wrong Baby?" she asked in concern.

Riley was startled out of her thoughts and jumped slightly.

"Boy you are really tense tonight. I know something's bothering you, you've been quiet ever since dinner." Sam brought her hands up and began to massage Riley's tight

shoulders.

Riley sighed; Sam had just gotten too good at reading her. She knew there was no sense

in pretending nothing was bothering her. Sam would just press until she finally told her.

"I was just thinking about all the work I have to get done in three days this week." Riley tried lamely.

Sam wasn't buying it. "Uh huh...you've got lots of work every week and you already told me you normally don't work on Thanksgiving." At the mention of Thanksgiving, Riley

tensed. "That's it isn't it? You're worried about Thanksgiving. I thought we talked about this. There's nothing to be worried about. You know Jess and Kim and are comfortable

with them right?"

"Yeah, they're both great and I do feel especially close to Kim."

"So what's the problem? We'll have a great time. Don't we always have fun when we get

together with them?"

"Yes we do but...they're not the only one's who're going to be there."

"But you've met Frank and Cheryl. I've met Kim's brother. Don't worry you'll like him."

Riley didn't say anything. "Come on Riley tell me what the problem is."

"Frank and Cheryl must hate me." Riley whispered in a tight voice.

"What!" Sam exclaimed in shock. "What would make you think something like that?"

She couldn't believe it when Riley started to cry. She wrapped her arms tightly around

Riley trying to understand where all this was coming from.

Riley finally got herself under control and explained. "The only time I ever met them

was the day you were discharged. I treated you so badly Sam, how could they not hate

me. I just about ran Frank down when I rushed out of your room that day. I saw the look

on your face as they wheeled you out of the room. You looked so defeated and Frank

looked so angry."

Sam had forgotten about that day or more truthfully didn't allow herself to think about it.

It was in the past and best left there. She and Riley were together and that was all that

mattered. Her brother had been shocked when she'd first told him she was dating Riley

but once he realized the depth of her feelings he'd just wanted her to be happy and she

had assured him Riley made her happy.

She pulled Riley into her lap and cradled her in her arms. "That's in the past Baby. We're together now and that's all that matters. You can't keep feeling guilty about that; let it go.

Frank knows how much you mean to me and he's happy for us."

"But it's a family get together..." Sam put her fingers to Riley's lips stopping her.

"Stop right there. We've been together over two months. You're my family! If you don't want to go then I won't go either. This is our first Thanksgiving together and I for one

have a lot to be thankful for and plan on celebrating it with you."

Riley smiled brightly at Sam as her fears eased. "You're my family too Honey. I have a lot to be thankful for as well. I guess I just let my fears get away from me. I haven't been to a family Thanksgiving since I was 10."

"Well you're lucky at least you don't have to face my folks...this year."

Riley gulped. The implication was clear. She glanced up at Sam and saw the

mischievous sparkle in her eyes. She used her free hand to poke her in the chest.

Sam laughed. "See... made you forget all about Frank and Cheryl."

Riley stuck her tongue out at Sam. Sam quickly leaned forward and captured the offered

appendage. Riley moaned into Sam's mouth. Sam pulled way then stood up with Riley in

her arms.

"Come on let's see what else I can make you forget about." She told her huskily as she headed up the stairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam glanced over at Riley as she shifted in her seat again. It was Wednesday and they

were on their way to Jess and Kim's. Sam was driving Riley's SUV. The closer they got

the more nervous Riley became.

"It's going to be fine. I promise." Sam tried to reassure Riley.

Riley turned in her seat to face Sam. "Um... maybe we should stay in a hotel? I

mean...um... they're going to have kind of a full house."

"Sure...if you want." Sam said agreeably. She pulled her cell phone off her belt and offered it to Riley. "But... you call Jess and tell her we're staying at a hotel." Sam added with smirk.

Riley scowled and pushed the phone back toward Sam.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We're here." Sam announced as she turned into a long driveway.

Kim and Jess had always come to San Diego. They'd invited Riley to come to Los

Angeles with Sam but with her schedule and duty call, she'd just never made it. Sam

pulled up in front of the first house off the main driveway. The driveway served several

houses with each having a separate drive branching off the main one.

Sam leaned over the console and took Riley's face between her hands. "Relax everything will be fine." She kissed Riley until she felt her relax and start to kiss her back.

"Come on." Sam urged Riley toward the house.

Riley looked around as she got out of the truck. The house was on a good-sized lot.

Riley figured it must be almost an acre. She jumped when Sam's knock caused the

loudest barking she'd ever heard to come through the door. She looked up fearfully at

Sam.

"That's just Thor."

She'd heard all about Thor but had honestly thought the women had exaggerated his size.

If his bark was anything to go on he must be huge. It sounded more like a roar than a

bark.

Jess opened the door slightly. "Hang on a sec...Kim's going to put him out back." Jess pulled the door open. "Come on in." She said reaching out to pick up Riley's suitcase.

Kim came back and greetings were exchanged.

The hallway to the bedrooms led directly off the foyer so they headed for the guest

bedroom. Riley looked around the room. The walls were painted a pale dusty rose. There

was a queen size sleigh bed with a thick crème and rose color comforter. The furniture

was all contemporary wood.

Kim opened a door and showed Riley the connected bathroom. "You share a bathroom

with the other guest bedroom. Kim explained pointing to the door at the other end of the

narrow bathroom.

"Frank and Cheryl are already here, they flew in early this morning. Why don't we head into the living room?" Kim said. As they exited the room, she pointed to the door across the hall. "That's our room." When they got to end of the hall, she gestured to a door opposite the foyer. That's the other guest bedroom that connects to yours through the

bathroom."

Frank and Cheryl were sitting on the sofa when they entered. Both of them stood up to

greet the new arrivals. Riley's body went tense as she entered the room. Sam noticed the

sudden change in body language and wrapped her arm around Riley's shoulder. Riley

looked first at Cheryl and a warm smile welcomed her.

"Hi Riley, nice to see you again." Cheryl greeted.

Sam squeezed Riley's shoulder and she relaxed slightly.

"Hi Cheryl." She reached out to shake Cheryl's hand and was surprised when the woman pulled her into a hug. She turned to face Frank.

Jess had told him all about Sam and Riley's relationship. At first he'd been very unhappy

knowing how the little doctor had treated Sam but Kim had convinced him that was in

the past. His sister was in love with this woman and needed his support, Kim insisted.

Once he got over the shock of Sam actually admitting she was in love, he decided he

wanted to see for himself how Riley treated his sister. Though he had to admit when he'd

talked to Sam on the phone, his sister had never seemed happier. Still he couldn't resist

tweaking Riley.

"Hello, Dr. Connolly. I hope you're not going to try to run me down this time." He said teasingly. He had no idea of Riley's concerns with meeting him again.

Riley's shoulders slumped and her eyes dropped to the carpet. Frank was met with four

very angry glares. His wife added a sharp jab in the ribs to display her displeasure. Frank quickly realized he'd made a mistake. He reached out and tipped up Riley's chin. He felt

terrible when he saw the worry and pain on her face. He pulled Riley out from under

Sam's protective arm. He flinched at the look his sister threw him, she was furious. He

wrapped a shocked Riley up in his arms and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"I'm sorry; I can be such a jerk sometimes. I was just teasing you. Welcome to the

family." He said then gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. Riley was smiling when Frank

released her. Sam continued to glare at him.

"Hey Riley hasn't gotten to meet Thor yet. Why don't we go out back?" Jess suggested hoping to defuse some of the tension in the room. She threw her brother one last dirty

look. Everyone exited the room leaving Sam and Riley alone.

"Are you okay Baby? I'm so sorry about my brother. I'm going to kill him." Sam ground out.

Riley smiled at Sam and hugged her tightly. "Don't be mad at him Honey. He

apologized. He had no way of knowing I was scared of meeting him again. Just forget it

okay?" Riley could see Sam was still angry so decided to take her mind off her brother.

She pulled her head down and gently kissed her lips. When she felt Sam start to relax,

she escalated the kiss pressing her tongue into Sam's mouth. Sam was panting by the

time the kiss ended. Riley's eyes were sparkling as she watched Sam try to recover from

the passionate kiss.

"What were we talking about?" Sam asked with a grin when she got her voice back.

Riley laughed and all the remaining tension dissipated. They headed out to meet Thor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They stepped out a sliding glass door in the family room onto a large screen enclosed

brick patio. Tucked in a corner of the patio was a large jacuzzi with its own redwood

deck. There was a BBQ grill and a redwood table under the large enclosure as well as

several chaise lounges. A large expanse of colored gravel dotted with cactus extended

out from the edge of the patio. In the center of the gravel covered area was another

smaller patio, which had a cement table and benches sitting on it with a large umbrella

over the table. There were large slopes covered with ice plant and at the base of the

slopes, there were several citrus trees. Large pepper trees lined the top of the slopes,

providing privacy for the whole area.

Everyone looked up when Sam and Riley stepped out. Frank breathed a sigh of relief at

the relaxed look on Sam's face and the smile on Riley's. He'd gotten an earful as they'd

waited for the other two women to join them.

"So where's my boy?" Sam asked grinning.

Riley jumped when Jess let out a piercing whistle. She turned at the sound of thundering

feet and gasped. The biggest animal she'd ever seen was charging straight for her and

Sam. She stepped behind Sam in a panic and gripped her belt. Sam merely laughed and

slapped the tops of her thighs.

"Come on boy." Sam encouraged.

Riley was shocked when the dog managed to skid to a halt in front of Sam. She was sure

he was going to run them both down. She hung back fearfully as Sam enthusiastically

greeted the big dog.

Kim got up and came over next to Riley. "I reacted the same way. He is kind of

intimidating but I promise he won't hurt you."

Sam looked up from where she was having her face washed. She grabbed the dog in a

headlock. "You wouldn't hurt a fly, would you boy?" Thor woofed in agreement which caused Riley to jump.

Jess was watching with interest. Thor was normally a very aloof dog. He would greet

people but wouldn't seek them out for attention once the initial greeting was over. He

normally just walked way. Sam had been around Thor since he was a puppy and he

listened and obeyed her just as he did Jess, she was part of his pack. She wondered how

he'd react to Riley. He treated Cheryl and Frank the way he did most people. He greeted

them but that was it, unless they called him over, he ignored them.

Sam stood up and pulled Riley out from behind her back. Riley gulped when she

realized the dog's head came up to her chin.

"Riley this is Thor. Thor this is my girlfriend Riley," she introduced.

Riley stood perfectly still when the big dog stepped forward and sniffed her. She met his

large dark eyes and was surprised to see the intelligence and gentleness shining there.

She reached out to stroke his ears as she'd seen Sam do.

"Hi there big guy." She greeted softly. Her eyes widened further when he moved forward to lay his head on her chest. She continued to stroke his head as he let out a big sigh and closed his eyes in pleasure.

"I'll be damned." Jess muttered.

Riley pulled her eyes away from Thor to see the shocked expressions on everyone's

faces. Sam was grinning from ear to ear. Riley took a step back when Thor pressed his

weight against her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and resumed her caresses.

"What?" she asked with a smile.

"There's only one other person besides Sam and myself he's ever reacted to like that.

Normally he'd just sniff you and walk away." Jess explained.

"That's what he does with Frank and me." Cheryl confirmed.

"Wow...really." Riley smiled brightly as she intensified her rubbing of Thor's head and ears. He groaned in pleasure never moving his head from Riley's chest. "So who was the other person?"

"Me." Kim answered with a smile of remembrance. "I think that's when Jess realized I wasn't her average date." Kim teased. "Alright come on you big moose you're crushing Riley." Kim told the big dog trying to pull him away from Riley. He wouldn't budge.

"Don't get too comfortable there big guy... that's my spot." Sam informed Thor as she helped Kim pull him away from Riley's chest. Riley blushed when everyone chuckled.

"He really wasn't hurting me." She assured Sam as they went to sit down. Thor followed Riley and as soon as she sat down, he dropped down at her feet and put his big head in

the lap.

"You're out of luck Sam, looks like he's claimed her." Jess laughingly told her sister.

Sam leaned down until she was eye to eye with the big dog. "Mine." She growled laying her head on Riley's belly.

Everyone roared with laughter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley smiled and stretched. She was lying in bed waiting for Sam. After working that

morning and then the tension of meeting Frank and Cheryl again, she was exhausted.

The day had turned out wonderfully after the less than stellar start. She'd relaxed and

gotten to know Frank and Cheryl a little better. She was a little concerned about Kim; as

the evening had progressed, Kim had seemed pale and listless. When Riley had asked

her if she was all right, she'd insisted it was from not sleeping well the previous night.

She might've believed her if she hadn't caught Jess's equally worried look. She'd dosed

off waiting for Sam and started slightly when she felt her warm body press against her

back.

"Sorry I didn't mean to wake you. You alright?" Sam asked as she curled up around Riley putting her big hand on Riley's stomach and pulling her close.

"Yeah, you were right." She admitted. "Frank and Cheryl are great; I'm glad I got the chance to know them better. It's a shame Kim's brother's plane got grounded in Chicago

by the storm."

Sam was rapidly losing interest in the conversation. The press of Riley's body against

hers was taking her mind to thoughts of other pursuits. She pressed a little harder against Riley's back and slipped her hand under her shirt. Sam was surprised when Riley

stiffened and pulled her hand away. Riley had never refused her advances before.

"What's the matter Babe?" Sam questioned as she tried to slip her hand back under Riley's shirt.

Riley grasped the offending hand and pressed it to her stomach outside her shirt. "Your sister and Kim are right next door and Frank and Cheryl are on the other side of the

bathroom." Riley whispered.

"So what?" Sam leaned down kissing Riley's neck trying to distract her. Riley's grip on her hand loosened and Sam slipped it up to softly cup a breast through her tee shirt.

Riley gasped at the contact but pulled her hand away from her breast.

"We can't." Riley insisted.

Sam rocked her hips against Riley and continued to kiss her neck hoping to change her

mind. When Riley failed to response after several minutes Sam sighed in frustration and

stopped.

"I'm sorry Honey, I just can't." Riley tried to explain her voice hitching.

Sam tried to force away her rising libido. "It's okay... just get some sleep." Riley dropped off to sleep very quickly. Sam lay for a long time before she calmed enough to follow

her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley's eye's fluttered open. She was disoriented for a moment trying to remember where

she was. Oh yeah...Kim and Jess' . Sam was still wrapped around her from behind. One of her large hands was cupped around her breast. Riley smiled and gently eased away

from Sam putting a pillow in her arms to replace her body. There wasn't a clock in the

room but peeking out the drapes Riley knew it was still early. She put on her robe and

quietly opened the door and stepped out into the hall. She almost ran into Jess coming

from the other direction.

"Sorry I didn't mean to wake you." Jess apologized.

"Oh you didn't, I'm just so used to being up early and with staying someplace new..."

Riley explained with a shrug.

"There's a pot of coffee in the kitchen. Just give me a minute and I'll join you."

Riley had already noticed the tea and dry toast Jess was carrying. "That's okay, I'm sure I can manage on my own. Don't let me mess up your breakfast."

"This is for Kim; she's uh... um...feeling a little under the weather this morning." Jess explained uncomfortably.

"Is there anything I can do?" Riley asked concerned for her friend.

"No, she'll be fine. Well I better get this to her. I'll meet you in the kitchen in a bit."

Riley couldn't help wondering what was going on. Just something about Jess' demeanor

was off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley made herself a cup of coffee and sat down on a stool at the counter to drink it. She

heard a sound coming from outside, it sounded like whimpering. She followed the sound

to the sliding glass door they'd gone out last night. Thor was standing on the other side

whining pitifully. His tail began to beat a taboo on the glass when he saw Riley.

"Hey big guy." Riley greeted him as she slid open the door. She blocked the door

keeping him outside. "I'm not sure if I should let you in or not. Are you supposed to stay outside?" She asked him. He looked her in the eye and made a strange woo wooing

sound. "Hush now" she scolded him "You'll wake everyone up." Thor hung his head looking pitiful. Riley felt bad she'd hurt the dog's feelings. She set her coffee cup down

and stepped outside to console the big dog. She jumped at the sound of soft laughter

behind her.

"I swear he must practice that look when we're not around." Jess laughingly told Riley.

"He knows I can't resist him when he looks pitiful and obviously neither can you," She teased.

"I heard him whining but wasn't sure if I should let him in or not."

Jess shook her head still amazed at Thor's behavior toward Riley. He had his head resting

on her chest as she stroked his ears. "Sure he can come in; I just put him out to take care of business while I took Kim her tea. He's a housedog; he doesn't like being outside

alone." She stood next to Riley and joined her in petting Thor. "Come on let's get you some breakfast before everyone wakes up." She told Thor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley helped Jess in the kitchen finishing up the last dishes for dinner while everyone

else continued to sleep. Jess had prepared almost everything in advance and now it was

just a matter of getting everything cooked at the right time. They started working on

breakfast. Jess was going to make pancakes. Riley sat at the counter while Jess gathered

what she needed.

"Jess...I don't mean to pry but um... is Kim really okay? She's looked really tired the last two times we've seen you guys. I just care about her." Riley blushed at her forwardness.

Jess stepped over and hugged Riley surprising her. "It's nothing she won't get over, I promise." Jess told her with a grin.

Riley looked at her questioningly but Jess refused to explain further. She could see the

mischievous sparkle in the eyes so like her lovers.

"We're about done here why don't you go see if you can rouse my sister and I'll wake

Frank and Cheryl.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley glanced at the sprawled figures around the room. Frank was on the couch with his

head resting in Cheryl's lap and appeared to be sleeping. Kim sat in the Morris chair with

her feet up on a small footrest. She'd eaten the least of all of them at dinner and looked

tired. Jess lay on the floor near her chair with Thor who had his head resting on her

thigh. They were both asleep. She snuggled closer to Sam where they sat on the love

seat. Sam had her feet up on an ottoman and her head resting back against the couch.

They were recovering from eating the huge Thanksgiving dinner Jess had made.

The day had been incredible. It'd begun with breakfast in the family room. They had all

gathered on the floor in front of the TV to watch the parades and eat their pancakes.

They'd hooted and hollered, good-naturedly arguing over which float was the best and

what balloon was everyone favorite. It brought back fond memories of the

Thanksgivings spent with her folks when she was a child.

They'd spent the rest of the day hanging out watching football. Riley had never been

much of a football fan but watching the game with Jess, Sam and Frank was an

experience she wouldn't have missed for the world. Kim and Cheryl had just shaken their

heads; they were obviously used to the sibling's antics.

The enjoyable day had continued with dinner. The siblings had teased and taunted each

other through out dinner telling stories of holidays past. The atmosphere had been

relaxed and the teasing all in fun. She'd blushed profusely when each person at the table

had stood and personally welcomed her to the family. She had thanked everyone and

then surprised herself by kissing a beaming Sam in front of them. It was the most

wonderful Thanksgiving she could remember since her parents passed away. She felt

herself drifting off to sleep from all the food she'd eaten and the warmth of Sam's body.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley's eyes fluttered open. She was lying with her head in Sam's lap and she was softly

stroking her hair.

"Welcome back." Sam murmured softly.

Riley sat up rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She was the last to awaken from their

impromptu nap. Jess entered the room carrying a tray with six glasses of champagne.

Everyone looked at her quizzically.

"Ah... good everyone's awake." She said with a teasing wink at Riley.

She handed out glasses to everyone and then went over to sit on the footstool at Kim's

feet. She smiled sweetly up at her and Kim nodded her head in response.

"Kim and I have an announcement to make and would like all of you to join us in

celebrating." She paused to make sure she had everyone's attention. "Kim's pregnant."

Frank whooped and pumped his fist. "Yes!" he exclaimed.

Cheryl smiled at them and raised her glass to both women. Riley was happy for them,

just one look at them and she knew how much they both wanted this child. She was also

relieved to know what was wrong with Kim. Jess's cryptic comment from that morning

now made sense. Yes, Kim would eventually get over her morning sickness. She

congratulated both women.

So far, Sam hadn't said anything and appeared to be truly shocked. "Pregnant?" she finally repeated.

"Yep," Jess grinned. "A little over three months."

Riley could almost see the wheels turning in Sam's head as she tried to work it out.

Sam's eyes widened as it all suddenly came together. Her gazed traveled over to her

brother and her mouth dropped open in shock. His smirk said it all. She glared over at

Jess in outrage.

"You didn't!"

Jess wasn't sure what Sam was talking about. She was confused by Sam's reaction and a

little disappointed. She thought she'd be the first to congratulate them. "What?" she asked in confusion.

"Tell me you didn't get her pregnant in MY BED!" Sam demanded, obviously outraged at the thought.

Jess and Kim both burst out laughing. Jess winked at Kim then turned back to her irate

sister. "Oh yeah! I most certainly did." She told Sam with a smirk then puffed her chest out in pride.

"That's just gross." Sam whined.

"We did change the sheets." Jess laughingly told her.

"We're turning over the mattress as soon as we get home." Sam told a grinning Riley.

"Hey Sam, I donated in the guest bedroom." Frank threw in.

Sam growled at her brother.

"And I helped." Added a smirking Cheryl.

Sam put her hands over her ears. "Too much information." She whimpered.

Riley patted her consolingly on the thigh as the room erupted in laughter. When the

laughter died down Sam stood up and stuck her tongue out at her brother. She bypassed

Jess and went directly to Kim. She leaned down and kissed her softly. "Congratulations, you'll make a wonderful mom." She told a glowing Kim. As she walked past her sister,

she smacked her on the back of the head. "That's for using my bed!" she said then squeezed her shoulder in congratulations.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley stared out the windshield. The drive back to San Diego had been quiet. She had so

many emotions whirling around inside she just needed time to think. She'd shared a

tearful goodbye with Frank and Cheryl that morning when they'd left to fly back to San

Francisco. They'd invited her and Sam to come visit. The leave taking with Kim and Jess

had been even more emotional. For the first time in 25 years, she knew what it was like

to be part of a family. She glanced over at Sam marveling at how much her life had

changed in just a few months since meeting her. When Keith had barged into the trauma

room Riley had feared her life was about to end. She hadn't realized it at the time, but in a heartbeat her life had ended and a new one had begun.