In A Heartbeat

Chapter Eight

Riley stepped out the operating room. She'd had to go back in and do further

debriding of the wound on her young patient who had been in the motorcycle

accident. The leg looked better and with an additional surgery for skin grafts

later it should heal completely. As she headed for the recovery room, she heard

her name called. She turned to see Dr. Stevens, the Head of Surgery heading

for her. Damn and I was in such a good mood too. Dr. Steven's had been a great

surgeon in his time but his surgical techniques were as outmoded as his

attitudes toward women. Riley kept hoping he'd retire. But he was for the

moment her boss so she plastered a smile on her face as she waited for him.

"Good Morning Dr. Stevens. What can I do for you?"

"Did you finish the surgery on the Phillips boy?"

Duh, Riley grimaced internally. I'm standing here in the hall outside the OR in soiled scrubs aren't I? Keeping the fake smile on her face Riley replied. " Yes Dr.

Stevens I completed the surgery. It went well and he's in recovery. I was just

heading over there."

"Good. I need to speak with you about another matter. I've been concerned

about your recent behavior. You need to be more careful about the friends you

keep. They seem to be unduly influencing you. I promised your uncle I would

look after you." He said in a lecturing tone.

Riley had no idea what he was talking about but his condescending attitude was

pissing her off. And the whole idea that her uncle thought she needed looking

after was infuriating. I'm 35 years old for God sake! She fumed.

"Dr. Stevens I have no idea what you're talking about. My friends are of no

concern of yours and I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Riley

replied trying to keep her temper.

"I'm speaking of the display you put on in the parking lot last week with that

woman." His tone of disgust made it clear what he thought of two women

kissing. "Your uncle certainly wouldn't approve of such deviant behavior."

Riley was shocked for a moment. She hadn't noticed anyone in the parking

lot. Then again, I was a little occupied. She snickered. When what Stevens said

really sank in Riley's temper flared. The guy had just called her a deviant. Now

she was really pissed. "My personal life is none of your damn business." She

shouted. Several people in the hall turned to watch the confrontation with

interest. They quickly turned away when Riley glared at them. She forced herself

to calm down taking several deep breaths. "Who I choose to associate with

outside this hospital is no ones business. I do my job and I do it well. My

personal life is not up for discussion." She told Stevens through gritted teeth.

"Now Riley I'm just trying to look out for you like I promised your uncle. You

really don't want to get involved with 'those people'." He explained as if speaking

to a stubborn child.

Riley's face turned red and her eyes flared with anger. She stepped up close to

the doctor invading his personal space. "I happen to be one of 'those people'

and I'll associate with whoever I damn well please. Stay out of my personal life!"

Riley was so angry she was stuttering. She turned on her heels and stomped

down the hall slamming into the recovery room.

Dr. Stevens stood watching her go. She always had been a stubborn child. It

was time to make a call to Rielly; he was sure he had no idea what his niece

was up to. Hopefully he could talk some sense into her.

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

Riley finished up in the recovery room and headed for her office. She was still

furious over the conversation with Dr. Stevens. How dare he try to tell her who

she could be seen with and that her uncle wouldn't approve! One of the reasons

she'd moved back to San Diego was to get out from under her uncle's thumb.

She grinned remembering the kiss in the parking lot. She hoped the old goat had

gotten an eyeful. Her pager shrilled interrupting her thoughts. Her grin widened

when she recognized the number. She hurried to unlock her office door. She

quickly dialed Sam's cell.

"Hello."

"Hi Sam. All done with your therapy?"

"Yeah, the slave driver let me go. I still say that guy gets way too much

enjoyment out of making people sweat."

Riley laughed. It wasn't the first time she'd heard Sam complain about Tony. "It's

for your own good Sam."

"Yeah, Yeah. So could I interest you in some lunch?" Sam asked.

Riley looked over her desk and the charts she needed to update. Oh what the

hell, s he thought.

"Sure, but would you mind if we ate in my office? I'm kind of swamped with

paperwork."

"No problem. I'll even bring it to you." Sam offered.

"Great Sam thanks." Riley said. She hung up after giving Sam directions to her

office. She settled in to do a little paperwork before Sam arrived.

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

Riley had managed to clear some of her desk by the time she heard someone

knock on her door. She opened it to find a smiling Sam with an overloaded tray

in her hands and her cane hooked over her arm.

"Hi Sam. Come on in." Riley invited. Before Sam could step into the office Riley

heard someone else in the hall and glanced out her door. It was Dr. Stevens. He

gave Riley a stern look and glared at Sam before continuing down the hall. Riley

scowled pulling Sam inside and slamming the door.

"What was that all about?" Sam asked seeing Riley's scowl. The man had

looked familiar but Sam couldn't place him.

Riley took the tray from Sam's hands putting it down on her desk with a thump.

"That was my boss."

"Is it a problem me being here while you're working? I don't want to cause

problems for you. I can go." Sam said her disappointment obvious. She took a

step toward the door.

Riley quickly moved back over to Sam. "It's no problem. If I get paged then I

have to go. He's just a small-minded bigot who thinks he can tell me who I can

be friends with. He's a friend of my uncle."

Sam was confused. How would he even know they were friends and why would

he care? All of the sudden it hit her; why he'd looked so familiar. He was the guy

who'd seen them kissing in the parking lot.

"Oh Riley... I'm so sorry." Sam told her obviously distressed.

"Sorry for what?" Riley asked seeing the stricken look on Sam's face.

"He saw us kissing in the parking lot last week. I didn't even think about it, I just

figured that he was another doctor. I had no idea he was your boss. I'm really

sorry Riley." She apologized again.

"There's nothing to be sorry about Sam. I was the one who kissed you

remember." Riley assured Sam.

"But I mean... I'm sure you didn't want people to find out like that. This is all new

for you. I mean... I didn't want to 'out' you to your boss. You might not be sure

and people will talk... I don't want you to be uncomfortable or feel obligated or

anything... Sam's rambling finally trailed off. She wouldn't meet Riley's eyes and

stared at her shoes shifting nervously."

"Sam." Riley stepped closer into Sam's personal space. She reached up to

stroke Sam's cheek forcing eye contact.

"I don't care who saw us. I told you I'm tired of pretending to be something I'm

not and I meant it. You're not an experiment and I am sure. I promise." She

assured Sam. She put her hand on the back of Sam's neck urging her to lean

down. She sealed the promise with a soft gentle kiss. Sam sighed and pulled

Riley into a tight embrace when the kiss ended.

"I'm glad." Sam whispered next to Riley's ear. "Did he say something to you?"

Sam felt Riley's body go tense and her jaw clench. She ran her hands up and

down Riley's back trying to calm her.

"Oh yeah, he had plenty to say." She told Sam. "He informed me I should be

careful who I was friends with and not allow them to unduly influence me. Then

the bastard had the nerve to tell me he'd seem us kissing and he was sure my

uncle wouldn't approve of such deviant behavior." Riley ranted. "To top it off he told me I really didn't want to get involved with one of 'those people'.

Riley was obviously angry about the whole situation but Sam couldn't help

feeling guilty. She was the one who'd pushed Riley to be involved with her and

now she was suffering the consequences. Her heart ached for what she was

about to do but she cared too much for Riley to cause her any pain.

"Maybe it would be better if I didn't come around anymore. This is a big step for

you. You need to take some time and think about things. People will treat you

differently when they find out. Is this really the lifestyle you want to lead? I don't

want to cause any trouble for you at work or with your family." Sam regretfully

told Riley.

Riley tightened her hold on Sam. "The only thing that would be a problem Sam

is if you decided to walk away. I care about you deeply and I have thought about

it... a lot. I told Stevens my personal life was none of his damn business and that

I was one of 'those people'. Unless you've changed your mind about us." Riley

started to pull back out of Sam's arms as the realization hit her that maybe Sam

had changed her mind. "You haven't have you?" She asked fearfully.

Sam held on to Riley not allowing her to step away. Sam was amazed Riley had

outed herself to her boss. "No I haven't changed my mind. I just don't want to

see you hurt or estranged from your family because of me.

"The sooner people like Stevens get used to it the better. If he stopped talking to

me that would be great." Riley said smiling up at Sam trying to lighten the mood.

"As for my family, I've spent too many years already living the life my aunt and

uncle expected of me. I'm not going to do it any more. I understand now why my

father moved away from his family so he could live the life that made him and

my mom happy. It's time I did the same. And you Sam McKenna make me

happy." Riley adamantly told Sam.

Sam leaned down and took Riley's lips in a deep kiss. Riley moaned and

opened her mouth inviting Sam's tongue in to play. As their tongues wrapped

around each other in an increasingly erotic dance Sam backed Riley up and

pressed her against her desk. She pressed her good leg between her thighs.

Riley groaned as her hips began to thrust against Sam's leg. Sam's hand came

up and slipped beneath Riley's lab coat kneading her scrub-covered breasts.

She managed to release the tie on Riley's scrubs and slid her hand down inside

the front of her pants. Riley instinctively spread her legs further giving Sam

access. Riley moaned into Sam's mouth when Sam's hand pressed between her

legs and cupped her. Riley's pager shrilled interrupting.

Riley groaned pressing herself into Sam's hand. Sam growled in frustration at

the interruption. She pulled Riley tighter against her body as her fingers gently

stroked between her legs. Her face was pressed into Riley's neck where she

was placing open mouth kisses on the exposed skin.

Riley's pager shrilled again. "Oh God Sam please, you have to stop."

Sam growled again, "No don't want to." She husked against Riley's neck. She

continued stroking Riley feeling the wetness soaking through her underwear.

When the pager let out a third shrill beep, the two women forced themselves

away from each other. Their faces were flushed and they were both panting.

Riley finally managed to get her pants retied and checked the display on the

pager.

"It's the ER I have to go. Call me later!" And with that she was gone.

Sam stayed in Riley office until she managed to calm down and regain her

composure. So much for going slow, She thought as she made her way home.

She was still throbbing from their brief encounter.

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

Sam snarled in frustration as she slammed the phone back onto its cradle. She'd

gotten Riley's voice mail again. She'd been trying to catch up with Riley since

their encounter in her office. It was Friday and they'd been playing phone tag

since Monday. Riley in one of her messages explained she was not only

covering her call but one of her fellow staff. His wife had gone into labor early

and delivered their son 6 weeks prematurely. Riley was covering his patients

and call for him so he could be with his wife and son. Even though Sam

understood what Riley was doing, it didn't make not seeing her any less

frustrating. She'd even tried stopping by Riley's office in the evening hoping to

catch her between patients. The office had been empty each time. She'd paged

her three times in three days. The same OR nurse had answered her each time

informing her that Riley was in surgery and would get back to her. The third time

the same woman answered her page Sam could hear the amusement in her

voice when she promised her Riley would call her back. Sam had finally given

up not wanting embarrass Riley with her persistent calls.

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

Riley felt like she was slowly being driven insane. She hadn't had a frenzied

week like this since she was a Fellow. It seemed like the whole world was

conspiring against her to keep her from seeing Sam. The ER had been just

crazy; then Denny's wife, Carol had gone into premature labor and he'd called

asking her to cover his call and patients. They'd been friends since med school

there was no way she could refuse.

Paula one of the OR nurses had been razzing her about Sam's pages. Every

time Sam had paged her she'd been in the middle of an operation. It was just

her continued bad luck Paula had been the head nurse all three times. Riley

didn't want to ignore Sam so had been forced to ask Paula to call her and let her

know why she hadn't answered her page. Paula was one of the few OR nurses

Riley was friendly with.

Riley forced her attention back to the patient on the table. This was the last one

from an earlier MVA. She'd been in the OR off and on for the last 12 hours. She

was starving and her bladder was about to pop. As she was finishing up the last

of the sutures, her pager went off.

Paula was again the head nurse. She stepped behind Riley and slid her hands

under her gown to take her pager off her pants.

"Do I even need to look to know who this is?" She teased. She leaned close to

Riley so no one could overhear. Being careful not to touch her, she whispered in

her ear. "So when're you going to tell me who this Sam with the incredibly sexy

voice is?"

Riley ground her teeth together. "See who it is and answer the damn page

Paula." Riley ground out as her pager shrilly beeped again.

Paula laughed not the least bit put off by Riley's response. Paula looked down at

the display. "Sorry Doc... It's the ER again."

"No not again!" Riley groaned.

She'd finished closing the incision and the patient was ready to go to the

recovery room. She quickly shucked her gloves and gown then grabbed the

pager out of Paula's hand. "Call and tell them I'll be right down. I have to make a

quick pit stop. Get this woman into the recovery room and I'll come back up and

write post-op orders on her as soon as I can. Page me if there's a problem."

Riley was out the door before Paula could respond.

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

Riley stumbled into her condo early Sunday morning. Denny's son was holding

his own and he'd come back to take over from Riley. He'd helped her clear out

the rest of the patients from a gang fight. After hearing what her week had been

like he'd told her to go home, telling her he'd cover the rest of Sunday and not to

come in until Noon Monday. Riley made him promise to call if there was a

problem and she'd come back in. She gratefully made her way home and

promptly fell into her bed fully clothed. She was asleep before her head hit the

pillow.

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

Riley rolled over with a groan. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand it

almost 10 am. Her bladder was screaming for relief and her empty stomach

wasn't far behind in its protests. She rolled out of bed to take care of her bladder

first. After grabbing a quick shower she felt almost human. She headed for the

kitchen to see what she could scrounge to eat. She hadn't had time to do any

shopping recently so she knew the cupboards were pretty bare. She started

opening cabinets wondering where the hell the cleaning lady put the coffee

maker this time. Riley had repeatedly told the woman to leave it on the counter

but every time Riley came back after she'd been there she'd put it away

somewhere else. Finally finding it under the counter she got a pot of much

needed coffee brewing. She managed to find some orange juice in the fridge but

not much else.

Leaning against the counter sipping her coffee she contemplated her options.

She could go grocery shopping. That idea was quickly squashed she had no

interest in that. She could go out to eat but the idea of eating alone in some

restaurant didn't appeal. Come on Riley, she chided herself, make a decision

already before you starve. Suddenly a third option came to her... Sam. I wonder if I could interest her in lunch somewhere. We never did get to eat the lunch she

brought to my office. Riley smiled at the memory of Sam at her door with the

over loaded tray. Then her body flushed as she remembered the feel of Sam

pressing her against the desk and her hand between her legs stroking her. She

felt herself get wet and begin to throb. Enough of that! She told herself forcing

the thoughts away.

She headed for the phone.

"Hello."

"Hi Sam, how's it going?"

"Who is this? Do I know you?" Sam asked teasingly.

Riley could hear the smile in her voice. "Well I sure hope so, you seemed to

know me pretty well when you had your hand down my pants." Riley slapped her

hand over her mouth. She didn't know what made her say these things to Sam.

She'd never made sexual comments like that to anyone before. Her base side

just seemed to take over every time she was around the woman.

There was a moment of shocked silence then Sam roared with laughter. "Hi

Riley... I missed you too." Her libido flared to life as she remembered the feel of

Riley under her hand. Sam had been careful not to make any overtly sexual

comments worried she might scare Riley off. Guess that's not gonna be a

problem, she snickered.

Riley was mortified, her face turned bright red.

"God Sam I'm sorry I just don't know what comes over me when I'm around you.

My mouth just runs away from me." She apologized.

Sam just laughed harder. "Don't worry about it Riley. I like it." Sam laughingly

told her. "So you finally got a break huh? Have you gotten any rest?"

"Yeah. Denny came back last night. His son is doing well. I got home about 2am

and just got up. I haven't had a week like this in a long time and hope I don't

again any time soon."

"Glad to hear you got some rest at least. When do you have to go back?"

"Not 'til Noon on Monday thank goodness." Riley said sighing in relief. "I was wondering could I interest you in lunch? I'm starving and the cupboards are bare

here."

"That sounds great." Sam enthused. "Any place special you'd like to go?"

"Want to come up here and then we'll decide?"

Sam immediately flashed to an image of Riley's condo. She didn't want to go

back there if she could help it. "Umm, how about we met somewhere in the

middle?"

Riley caught Sam's hesitation thinking maybe she didn't want to meet after all.

"It's okay Sam maybe some other time."

Sam cursed herself. She just didn't want to go to Riley's condo. Good going,

now the woman thinks you don't want to see her. She berated herself. You're

such an ass McKenna. Suck it up and go to her place.

"No Riley I really do want to go out with you. I just thought if you're really hungry

it might be faster to meet somewhere." Sam tried to explain. "I'll be there in

about 30 minutes... okay?"

Riley feeling reassured and reminded of how hungry she was by her protesting

stomach quickly made a decision.

"No Sam you're right it would be quicker to meet somewhere and I am starving.

Where do you want to meet?"

Sam thought quickly. "Do you like BBQ? I know a great place in Normal

Heights."

Riley's stomach rumbled at the though of good BBQ. "OH that sounds great.

Where do I meet you?"

"The place is called Phil's; it's on Washington just off Goldfinch. Do you know

where that is?"

"Yeah I know that area. I'll meet you there." Riley said starting to hang up.

"Wait Riley I need to call ahead or we'll never get anything to eat. The place is

packed on the weekends. You trust me? I can order for both of us."

"Sure Sam go ahead and order for both of us. I'll meet you there." Riley said.

She quickly hung up and grabbed her keys. The day was looking up already.

She never noticed the blinking light on her answering machine.

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

Riley drove slowly past the restaurant looking for a parking space. She spotted a

pay lot and pulled in. She got the vehicle parked and was just reaching for her

purse when someone knocked on the passenger window. Riley jumped in

surprise then smiled when she saw Sam motioning her to unlock the door. She

hit the unlock button and Sam climbed into the truck.

"Hi there."

"Hi there yourself." Riley responded.

Sam leaned over the console and Riley leaned to meet her half way. They came

together in a soft gentle unhurried kiss. When the kiss ended they simply stared

at each other for several moments. Finally, Riley broke the silence.

"I missed you this week."

Sam smiled. "I missed you too."

Riley's stomach chose that moment to remind her of its presence. The sound

was loud in the quiet SUV.

Sam chuckled. "Let's get you something to eat before you fall over. When was

the last time you ate?"

Hum... let me think. I'm pretty sure I might've had some lunch yesterday."

"Riley! You need to take better care of yourself. You need to eat more regularly."

Sam complained.

"It's usually not this bad. I've just been really swamped and I've never quite

figured out how to eat and operate on someone at the same time." She

laughingly told Sam.

"Well come on then you need to eat before that damn thing goes off again." Sam

said pointing at Riley's pager on her belt. Sam's eyes slid down Riley's body to

the space between her legs before coming back up to meet her eyes. "That

thing has the absolute worse timing."

Riley gulped and her face flushed, she remembered well the last time her pager

had interrupted them.

Sam's eye's glowed with renewed arousal. She reached out to touch Riley.

Riley leaned back avoiding Sam's touch. "Sam... we should go into the

restaurant... please. If you touch me I won't be responsible for what happens."

Riley pleaded. She knew if Sam touched her it would be all over. It wouldn't

matter that they were sitting in her SUV in a public parking lot.

Sam shook her head trying to clear away the sexual haze she'd fallen into. She

reminded herself that they were in a very public place. She didn't know what

came over her whenever she was with Riley.

"I'm sorry, you're right. Let's go." She apologized.

Riley reached out and gently squeezed Sam's forearm. "You've got nothing to

apologize for. I just don't want to get arrested for public sex; with a police officer

no less." She teased.

Sam laughed wrapping her arm around Riley's shoulders in a quick hug.

Riley could smell the BBQ as soon as they got out of the truck. Her stomach

growled again loudly. Sam chuckled. Riley's eyes widened as they reached the

restaurant. There was a huge line streaming out the door. Sam saw her look.

"Don't worry, I called ahead. See the other door? That's for people who phoned

in orders."

Riley saw the second door Sam was pointing to and breathed a sigh of relief.

The BBQ smell was making her mouth water.

Sam led the way inside and up to the counter. Riley looked around while Sam

got their food. The restaurant consisted of several small rooms with wooden

tables and chairs. In a frame on the wall was the edition of San Diego Magazine,

which listed them as the best restaurant in San Diego. There was also a framed

tee shirt advertising, "Eat at Phil's". The first room also sported a brick fireplace.

Sam noticed Riley's interest in the room and decor. "It used to be a private home

before being converted to a restaurant." She explained when she approached

with a full tray in her hands. "Come on let's find a seat."

Sam led the way toward the back of the restaurant. As they turned the corner

Riley's attention was on Sam's flexing gluts instead of where she was going. She

ran into someone sitting on a chair as she came around the corner. She had just

a second to see the hat and long beard before the old man slumped into her

arms. Riley panicked as she started to lower the limp body to the ground.

"Sam." She yelped. "Help!"

Sam turned to find Riley lowering the old man to the floor, her face showing her

panic. Sam couldn't help it she burst out laughing. She quickly set the tray down

before she dropped it. Riley looked at Sam in shock, and then glanced down at

the old man. That's when she realized it was a mannequin. Her face flamed red.

The look on Riley's face was priceless.

"I don't think even you can help him." Sam teased. Her laughter rang through the

room. Riley stood and placed the old man back on his chair. She crossed her

arms over her chest and glared at Sam. Riley glanced around seeing several

people chuckling at her encounter with the old man. Sam quickly made her way

back over to Riley. She put her arm around her shoulders and squeezed

consolingly.

"Don't feel bad, he startled me the first time I came here too." Sam assured her.

She led her past the old man and to a table in the next room. "Let's eat. I

ordered us BBQ Broham sandwiches, you're going to love it.

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

Lunch had been relaxing and fun despite her run-in with the mannequin. Riley

hadn't realized how much she'd missed having someone to do things with. When

she'd been with Keith, there had always been an underlying tension. She

realized in retrospect that though they had dated for a month she'd never really

relaxed with him. Being with Sam was comfortable; she was free to be herself.

Sam offered her an easy affection she'd never known with anyone else. With the

men she'd dated if she responded to any affection they offered they immediately

tried to escalate it into sex. Though she knew Sam wanted her as much as she

wanted Sam she never felt pressured. It was a liberating feeling.

Riley was disappointed their day had ended so soon. Sam was expecting Kim

and Jess. Sam had invited her to come with them to dinner. She had made an

excuse of still being tired. Truth was she wasn't quite ready to face Jess after the

way she'd treated Sam in the hospital. Even though she'd apologized repeatedly,

she knew she had hurt Sam and that her sister might not look too kindly on her

at the moment. Once we've been together for a while, then I'll see them again.

That way they'll know for sure I'd never hurt Sam again. She yawned as she

drove into her condo complex. She was still pretty beat and looked forward to

some much needed sleep. She couldn't wipe the wide smile off her face brought

on by her time with Sam.

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

Riley opened the door to her condo and immediately frowned. She didn't

remember leaving the living room light on. Stepping into the living room she

stopped dead in her tracks.

"Where have you been?" A gruff male voice demanded.

"Uncle Rielly, what are you doing here?"

"I left you a message on Monday that I would be here today. Where have you

been? I've been waiting over an hour."

"I'm sorry I didn't get your message. I've been at the hospital all week." Riley

said meekly staring at the floor.

Riley cursed herself for her meek response. She could feel herself falling back

into the role of the meek and mild child. Never cause any problems, don't rock

the boat. She looked up meeting her uncle's eyes.

"Is Aunt Margaret here?" Riley asked looking around for her aunt.

"You still haven't answered my question. I know you weren't at the hospital. I

called. Where were you?" He demanded again.

Riley was surprised at the amount of emotion in her uncle's voice. His voice

rarely gave any indication to his emotional state. He must be truly upset about

something. Riley couldn't help wondering what it was.

Before Riley could respond her Aunt Margaret came down the stairs. What the

heck was she doing upstairs?

Riley thought.

"I'm waiting." Her uncle reminded before she could greet her aunt.

"I went out to lunch with a friend."

"Was this the same 'friend' who has been hanging around the hospital?" He

sneered.

Just the way he said friend suddenly clued Riley into what this was all about.

That bastard Stevens had called her uncle. She would bet on it!

"Yes Uncle Rielly. I went to lunch with my friend." Riley said calmly offering no further details. Hoping to avoid the coming confrontation, she tried to change the

subject. "I'm sorry I didn't know you were coming or I would've been here to

meet you. One of my colleagues had a family emergency and I was covering his

call as well as mine. I got home early this morning. It's the first time I've been

here since Monday."

Rielly ignored what she'd said and went right to the heart of the matter. "I have

been hearing disturbing things about this 'friend'. I have a standing in this state

that I won't allow you to tarnish. This deviant behavior is unacceptable. I forbid

you to see that woman again."

"You went through a terrible ordeal when Keith was killed. He was such a

wonderful man and it must have been such a shock. You're just confused; we

know you're not 'that way'. This woman is taking advantage of you and trying to

corrupt you. We can get you the help you need." Riley's aunt added helpfully.

"WHAT?" Riley shouted, truly shocked. She'd known her aunt and uncle would

react poorly to finding out she was gay. But this! She couldn't believe what she

was hearing. Her uncle was worried his precious image might be tarnished and

her aunt thought being gay was something you choose. My God, do these

people think we're living in the 19th century? She asked herself incredulously.

"First off... No one corrupted me. I'm gay!"

Margaret gasped in shock.

"Secondly... I'm 35 years old and I will be friends with whoever I chose." Riley

stated emphatically.

Her uncle bolted up from his chair stomping across the room to stand right in

front of Riley.

"You will do as you're told! No niece of mine is a queer." He thundered. "I will not have you and your deviant friend embarrass me in front of my colleagues and

friends."

Riley took a step back in the face of his rage. Sam's face suddenly appeared in

her mind. Her back straightened and she squared her shoulders. Not this time

Uncle Rielly, not this time, she chanted to herself. She took a step back toward

her uncle.

"No I won't! I'm a grown woman and I'll associate with anyone I choose. I'm gay

and that's not going to change. The sooner you get used to it the better. Riley

adamantly declared. "And Keith who you think was so wonderful tried to kill me!"

she added for her aunt's benefit.

Her uncle's face turned purple and the veins pulsed in his forehead. Riley was

becoming concerned he was going to have a stroke.

"You're parents would be so ashamed." Margaret said in a sad voice.

Riley glared at her aunt.

"That's where you're wrong." She told her aunt trying to remain calm. "My

parents always encouraged me to be myself whoever that was."

Riley's uncle finally found his voice again. "I'm sure your Mother manipulated

him into believing that tripe. If it wasn't for that white trash little slut he married

your father could have made something of himself. Instead, he ended up

working as a common mechanic. If he had stayed in Los Angeles where he

belonged he would still be alive." Reilly ranted.

Riley couldn't believe the hateful words that spewed from her uncle's mouth. Her

anger soared at the horrible things he was saying about her beloved mother.

"My father loved my Mother and would've done anything for her. They were

happy together. He didn't want the empty life you have with your pretentious

friends and fake stature. He left LA to get away from you!" Riley raged.

Riley's head jerked back from the force of her uncle's slap. She put her hand up

to her bleeding lip.

"Your aunt and I did everything for you. Took you in, raised you as our own and

this is the thanks we get. You're the same white trash your mother was. You

should have died with her." He yelled.

Riley stood frozen in front of her uncle. Her aunt just stood by and watched, her

face a mixture of pity and disgust.

"Don't ever contact us again. As far as I am concerned I don't have a niece. And

don't expect any money from the family estate," he continued.

Riley actually laughed. Of course, to him that was what it was all about, money

and stature. "I don't want your fucking money." She sneered in her uncle's face.

Her aunt's eyes bugged out in shock. She'd never heard Riley use such

language."

Riley's head snapped back again as her uncle struck her across the face. After a

moment of shocked silence, Riley found her voice.

"Get out of my house before I call the police." She stormed over to her aunt who

backed up in alarm. "Give me your set of key's... right now." She demanded. She

quickly handed Riley a key ring. As her uncle reached the door, Riley made one

last comment. "My father would've been ashamed to have you as a brother."

Her uncle took a step back toward her. "Don't even think about it." Riley warned

picking up the phone.

When the door slammed behind them, Riley slumped to the couch and let the

tears she'd been holding back finally come.