Surprises

Maya sat at home, watching Cops. She laughed at how crazy the criminals were, thankful the small city she was in didn't have people like that.

But she also wouldn't mind the thrill too much. It seemed fun enough.

She looked down at her phone, seeing that Ryan had never texted her back. It'd been four days since she'd last heard from Ryan. It worried her, but she knew if something was really wrong, Mrs. Walker would've told her.

She sighed and threw the phone to the side. She went to the kitchen and began cooking dinner.

Shrimp pasta sounded amazing to her right then and she grinned, ready to make it. Just as she began cooking, someone began knocking on her door. Loudly. In fact, they wouldn't stop.

"I'm coming!" They kept knocking and she ran, angrily to the door. "What the he- Ryan, what's wrong?" Ryan stood there, she looked tired and pitiful. She shook her head and flew into Maya's arms.

"She-she got into a wreck and had surgery and stuff and she doesn't remember me. She only knows her parents and brother. She thinks she has a boyfriend and- and she doesn't even like girls now. I tried to show her that we were together but the doctor asked me to leave because I was putting too much stress on her. But I love her." Maya held her tightly, surprised. Ellie lost her memory... that must really hurt Ryan. "It's been four days since she was hurt and they're saying they don't know if she'll ever remember." Tears fell down her face and Maya tried to wipe them.

"Ryan, I-"

"I smell food." Maya laughed and so did Ryan.

"I'm cooking shrimp pasta." Ryan took a deep breath in and sighed.

"Well, go finish then." Maya rolled her eyes and hugged Ryan once again.

"I will, don't worry. Just...know that what doctors say isn't always final. I know it for a fact. She still has a chance to remember, just don't give up. Okay?" Ryan looked at her skeptically but nodded.

"Okay." Maya smiled, rubbed her arms, then walked back to her kitchen.

"Maya." Ryan called behind her.

"Yeah?" She said getting back to the stove.

"Thank you." She mumbled, sitting on Maya's counter.

"I'm always here Ryan." Ryan nodded and watched her cook. Maya wondered what was going through her mind. How did this happen to Ellie? How had Ryan been taking things these last few days? Would Ellie ever really get her memory back?

"Can I help?" Ryan asked her. She turned and looked at her.

"Can you even cook?" Ryan laughed and hopped down.

"Girl, can I?" She asked, incredulously. "No, I can't. Please show me." Maya laughed and nodded. She showed Ryan what to do and they cooked together. Maya enjoyed cooking with Ryan. She was funny, but she was smart and listened to exactly what Maya said. "It smells sooo good." Ryan hummed, her stomach growling.

"When's the last time you ate?" Maya asked, really trying to make sure she was doing fine.

"Like two hours ago, but don't judge me." Maya laughed and shook her head at her.

"Now we just wait for it to bake." She said, putting it in the oven. Ryan nodded and the two hopped on the counter.

"How's work been? I'm sorry I haven't talked to you these past few days." Maya shrugged.

"It's okay Ryan, I was worried but now I know. Work's been great, actually. I enjoyed being back with my team. It might be hard for you to hear but we did a drug bust Monday. It was exciting, I had to chase down this guy and while I was, someone shot me, but the vest caught it. I've just got a bruise." Maya lifted the back of her shirt and there was a huge bluish bruise.

"They got you good." Ryan said, wincing.

"Yeah, but one of my boys got him. We ultimately got them all, and they're awaiting trial now." Ryan nodded, looking down.

"Seems like it makes you happy. You seem so excited, talking about it, even though you got shot."

"It does. I love my job." She nodded.

"Slowly, I'm beginning to understand why you two want to be police."

"Why's that?"

"Well... obviously to get the bad guys off the street. But... I get it even more now. The woman who hit Riley kept going, it took them forever to find her. Then this guy who hit Ellie, he was fifty three, drinking at three in the afternoon. It flipped her car over six times. They said she's lucky to be alive, meanwhile his car was barely messed up. So yeah, I see. You guys try to get people like that put away. But I just hate that you can get hurt in the process." Maya nodded.

"Exactly. It's a risk, but I go to sleep knowing I save people's lives. I don't make a lot doing it either, it's crazy. But I love it. It's a good thing they have these people in custody though. Some get away with it." Ryan nodded.

"Yeah, you're right." Ryan leaned over and sniffed her hair. "Doesn't smell the same today." Maya nodded.

"It was a crazy day at work today. It got sweaty." Ryan laughed and reached her hand up to take it out of its ponytail.

"I should ask you if I could play in it but I don't care." Maya rolled her eyes but turned so she could.

"Let me guess, as a child you were the girl who played in their hair?"

"Nope! I cut it all off." Maya turned, and Ryan was grinning. "It was funny seeing the little hairs poking out of the holes, shut up." Maya laughed and turned back around. "What do you do with it while you sleep?"

"I braid them."

"Hmm, interesting." She mumbled. It was quiet and she felt Ryan trying to mess with her hair. She could only guess she was braiding it.

"Don't get my hair tangled."

"Huh?" Ryan asked, focused. "I uhh... I'm not shhh." She told her before sighing. She heard Ryan's hands hit her lap. "Yeah I can't braid." She mumbled, laughing a little. Maya shook her head and took the ponytail, pulling it back up. She turned back towards Ryan with a smile.

"Of course you can't. Instead of braiding the baby's hair you cut it." They laughed and Ryan shrugged, pouting.

"At least I had fun, don't make fun of me." Maya laughed and threw her arm around Ryan.

"I'm not, I'm just stating facts." Ryan rolled her eyes and pushed her off.

"I meant to ask you, if you got the job with the FBI, you'd stay here right?" Maya shrugged.

"Well, the office is about thirty minutes out. I would like to go to a bigger office in a big city one day." Ryan nodded.

"Just don't go anytime soon because I'll uhh... be bored." Maya smiled and Ryan looked up and smiled at her too.

"I'd be bored too Ryan." She winked and bumped Ryan's shoulder. Maya leaned over and kissed Ryan's cheek, making a blush cover Ryan's face. "Aww."

"Shut up." Ryan grumbled, looking away. She wanted to smile, but she forced it back. "I want you to be happy though. I know I freaked out about the whole thing, I even apologized to my mom. I'm still scared of losing her."

"Thank you Ryan. And it's good that you apologized. I hope you two are close again. As for being scared of losing her, that's understandable." Ryan hopped down from the counter and looked at the food through the oven.

"I'm hungry." She mumbled, looking at it. The food looked so amazing, she didn't care if it was done or not, she just wanted to eat it right then.

"I guess you're in luck then." Maya said, scaring her. She was behind her, also looking at the food.

"Really?" Ryan asked excitedly. Maya laughed and nodded.

"Yes, I'll take it out and fix us plates." Ryan grinned and rubbed her hands together. Maya took the pasta out and someone knocked at the door.

"Aww, really?" She asked exasperatedly. "Do you know who it could be?"

"No... I'll go check." Ryan nodded and Maya left the kitchen. Ryan peeked through the kitchen door and watched as Maya opened the door. A woman stood there and hugged Maya. Maya stood there rigidly. "Mom, hey what're you doing here?"

"I was just coming to check on you. You don't call as much, are you busy?" Her mother asked, looking around.

"Uhh, I have a friend over." Her mother raised her eyebrows.

"A friend?"

"Yes, just a friend." She nodded and Ryan frowned. There was tension between the two. Maya didn't seem comfortable with her mother. Ryan shook her head, not wanting to invade on their privacy. She looked around the cabinets for plates, finally finding them.

She took two out and sat them on the counter.

She didn't know how much Maya would want, so she just put a lot on the plate. "That seems good enough." She mumbled and shrugged. She looked in the fridge for a coke, which was Maya's favorite. She got a Sprite for herself and smiled. She knew Maya didn't like Sprite, but Maya knew that she did. She wondered if Maya bought it for her.

She shrugged, not knowing. Maybe Maya had actually been talking to another girl. She was such an attractive woman, of course she could talk to whoever she wanted to. There's that ex, of course. Ryan frowned, thinking about the girl who Maya almost had sex with.

She shook her head and grabbed the plates, bringing them to the table. Then she got the drinks and brought them too. She tapped her legs, so hungry, wanting to eat right then. But she would wait for Maya, it would feel weird if she didn't.

She wondered what they were talking about, if Maya needed to be saved. She thought about getting up to go but she didn't know for sure. She sighed and rested her head on her hand, staring at the food. Her stomach growled and she sighed again. Thankfully, the steam was still coming out of it. She frowned and groaned, slumping back into the chair.

"Thank you for fixing the plates Ry. I'm sorry I took so long." Ryan sat up straight and smiled.

"It's fine Maya." Maya laughed and sat down. As soon as she did, Ryan began eating.

"I saw you just now, but we'll ignore it." Ryan laughed sheepishly. "This is a lot of food." Ryan shrugged.

"Yeah. But if you don't eat it I will."

"It was sweet of you to get it ready and wait for me though. I know you were really hungry, so thank you." Ryan smiled.

"You're welcome." She began to quickly eat the food. It tasted even better than it smelled. "I didn't expect you to be able to cook but this is delicious." She told Maya, her mouth full.

"Well, thank you. I think." She mumbled. "But you can come over anytime and we can cook." Ryan laughed and smirked.

"I can come over anytime anyway." Maya rolled her eyes.

"I never said that before now."

"You don't have to say it. You bought Sprites for me." Maya's mouth dropped and she shook her head quickly.

"No, I-I started liking them... uhh recently." Ryan raised her eyebrows and nodded, knowingly.

"Oh wow, that's crazy. They weren't open and the cokes were mostly gone."

"Saving them for last." Maya shrugged and blurted out.

"Maya, one: you're a horrible liar. Two: I've never seen you flustered until now. Three: they're for me and I appreciate the gesture, so calm down." Maya frowned, even more embarrassed now.

"No I'm not! I've got a girlfriend who likes Sprite and I bought them for her." Ryan's eyes widened and she was surprised. She didn't quite like that, but she was happy before Ellie was hurt. Why shouldn't Maya be?

"Introduce me to her." Ryan countered and Maya stared at her before sighing.

"Fine, I bought them for you. Don't say anything about it, I was just being nice." Ryan grinned widely before stopping and frowning.

"So that means that you also don't have a girlfriend, right?" Maya raised her eyebrow.

"No, why?" Ryan shrugged and sat back in her chair.

"Just... because I think I should meet her as your uhh, closest friend?..." Ryan felt like calling them friends was weird, but obviously they weren't dating. But she was lying about the girl. She obviously liked Maya and although she wouldn't act on it, she couldn't stop how she felt.

"Oh, okay. Yeah, that's true." Ryan looked up at Maya, who was looking down at her plate. She knew that Maya liked her, but probably thought she was off limits because of Ellie.

Ryan didn't know what to do though. She felt like at this point, everything with Ellie was over since her being hurt. But she didn't want to give up on Ellie.

What was she supposed to do?

A/N I don't know how I got into Ryan's mind instead. Oh hell, what am I doing? I didn't change it because I liked how it ended up anyway. Ugh.