a.n: I guess this is sort of a filler chapter, but it's important in the growth of Nicole and Waverly's relationship.

Initially I was going to skip over Nicole's recovery for the most part, but then I realised injuries like this are important and life altering, and I wanted to address the complications with this.

I know this is relatively uneventful compared to the previous chapters, but I hope it's realistic and interesting enough for you all lol.

p.s. MY ONE ON ONE WITH EM IS IN AN HOUR AND I'M FREAKING OUT! I'm nervous but also so excited ahh.

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in this chapter...

Waverly tries to balance work and caring for Nicole...
Nicole faces a complication in her recovery...
Is this goodbye to Toronto for Nicole?

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One week later...

With a huge smile and the soft melody of Ariana Grande floating from her lips, Waverly Earp glided round the corner into Nicole's room, coffee in both hands and a cream tote bag tossed over her left shoulder. Nicole was lying, as she always was, flat on her back propped up slightly, staring at the wall opposite. Each day Waverly had brought her different things to entertain herself with when she wasn't there - everything from books and magazines to movies and podcasts, but the truth was, Nicole was too distracted with worries to focus on anything else. Still, Waverly had made it her mission to spend every second being there for her; whether that was distracting her or simply holding her whilst she was shaking, she was going to be by her side through it all. Wynonna had flown back to Purgatory after a couple of days, once it seemed sure Nicole would make it and Waverly was okay to stay there on her own; Ash had to go back to work that week since she taught Chemistry at the local college, thus her hours weren't very flexible. That left Waverly, who was trying her darnedest to balance working from a distance and spending as much time with Nicole as the hospital hours would allow. She was exhausted, but happy, and she would take the lack of sleep any day if it meant she could be with Nicole, together, as a couple.

"Morning sexy." Waverly kissed Nicole's cheek, handing her one of the coffees and setting her bag down.

"Do you know the words to every Ariana song?" Nicole teased, watching her with a smile now gracing her face.

"Honestly, probably." Waverly shrugged with a goofy smile. "We used to dance to them at cheer practice."

"Which I'm still yet to witness." Nicole winked, getting a little blush and a laugh from Waverly.

"I'm not sure it's as sexy if we do it here, but when you're out, I promise..." She kissed her cheek. "I'll..." Then her forehead. "Dance..." Then her other cheek. "For you." Finally she kissed her lips, as Nicole smiled into the kiss, excited and giddy that Waverly was really her girlfriend. The momentary happiness was quickly lost, as she remembered all of the conversations she'd had with the doctors over the past week. Waverly had been there for them all, holding her hand and tracing circles with her thumb in comfort. She'd been there to hold her afterwards through tears or anger and to whisper reassurances, but it didn't take away from the reality of everything which was going on.

"You know I'm going to be in a wheelchair right?" She mumbled into her lap.

"Not forever love, only for a month or so, until your pelvis heals. And it's going to be okay, I told you, I'm going to be there to help and we'll do it together okay?" Waverly reassured with a furrowed brow and a tenderness in her tone.

"Thank you... for staying. If you have to go back, to work, you know it's okay, right? I'll be okay, I don't want you to -" Nicole still felt frustrated at the fact that she couldn't really do anything for herself at the moment and the guilt that Waverly was caring for her instead of being able to do her job was eating away at her.

"Nicole, I want to be here. I chose to be here. And I am working - I can do it remotely; it's all research and analysis. Plus your WiFi is actually a lot better than back at the station or the homestead." She laughed lightly. Although Waverly had left in a rush, she'd brought the key which Nicole had given her with her in case either Nicole needed her to get things from her house, or in a worse case scenario, she'd wanted it back. It had ended up coming in very useful as Waverly had been sleeping at Nicole's house, saving a lot of money on hotels and getting a little more insight on the private life of the redhead.

"You're working?" Nicole's jaw dropped in disbelief. "When?"

"Evenings." Waverly shrugged and brushed a hair out of Nicole's face. "I've got to leave here at 8:30." She pouted. "So I just go back to yours and work until I fall asleep." She smiled proudly, trying to hide the bags under her eyes.

"Baby." Nicole let out a breath. "You're amazing, how are you still awake?" She smiled, shaking her head. Waverly waved the cup in her hand.

"Coffee, and lots of it." She giggled a little, before getting a little more serious. "Plus you're not sleeping either, I know you're not, so we'll be sleepless together." Giving a little wink, Waverly continued before Nicole could reply.

"Anyway, I had an idea a few days ago and - thanks to Jeremy - now it can become reality." Waverly rummaged through her bag, as Nicole looked over as best she could from her position, with a confused brow and squinted eyes. She let herself take in for a moment how incredible Waverly looked, despite her tiredness and lack of makeup. The small girl had on a pair of her old navy blue Quayside PD joggers which were way too big for her, resulting in the waist tie being pulled tight into a huge bow, alongside a small, white, floral crop top, which was obviously the girls own addition. She looked like the perfect combination of comfort and fashion. A look only Waverly Earp could manage, Nicole thought with a smile.

"Here!" The girl stood bolt upright, holding a little pink device in her hand, which Nicole recognised to be some sort of games console.

"What is it?" Nicole put her coffee down and reached out as Waverly handed it to her, holding it in her arm which wasn't in a sling.

"It's a DS. It's a little old now, but it still works. I thought about trying to get an xbox but I thought that might be a little far." She laughed a little. "So I got the next best thing. I always used to play it when I was stressed or angry, it would calm me down. I thought it might be fun for when I'm not here, plus video games are kinda our thing, right?" Waverly beamed down at Nicole, who had rested the device on her stomach and flipped it open gently.

"You're so sweet." Nicole looked up at the grin on Waverly's flushed cheeks. "You're gonna have to show me how to use it though, I have no idea." She grinned with a little laugh.

"Oh how the tables have turned 'Haught_Damn.'" Waverly winked, bringing back Nicole's username which received a groan and eye roll from the Sheriff.

"Oh goddddd. I can't believe you actually still wanted to meet after you saw that username." She laughed, shaking her head.

"I think it's sweet; besides, high school Nicole sounds like a pretty cool girl." Waverly kissed her cheek with a smirk.

"Let me guess... Ash?" Nicole sighed with a smile.

"So you weren't lying about the baseball team huh? Apparently you were kind of a jock?" Waverly bit her lip, the idea of the baseball image still too much for her to handle.

"I'd never lie to you cutie." She smirked. "I'll wear the baseball uniform if you wear your cheer outfit?" The smirk remained, but her eyes softened, silently asking Waverly if she was comfortable with that. She didn't want to force Waverly to do something she would be uncomfortable with, even if there was no chance of any of this for at least 4 months.

"Sounds like my high school dream." Waverly grinned, giving Nicole the confirmation she needed. "Anyway." The brunette decided to change the topic; she did not need to get all worked up about that fantasy right now; not whilst Nicole was in a hospital bed. "I've got more games, but I put Nintendogs in there." She blushed a little. The DS was a children's console, but something about the nostalgia meant Waverly turned to it occasionally as an adult, when she needed to just feel safe and distracted. Hopefully, it would become the same comfort for Nicole.

"You had me at dogs." Nicole smiled tenderly as Waverly reached to turn it on. The little opening music played and Waverly couldn't help the smile which appeared on her face at the memory as she loaded up the game for Nicole. The redhead couldn't take her eyes off Waverly; the juvenescent wonder in those gorgeous hazel eyes as she flicked the buttons on the device. Her small hand would brush against Nicole's which was still holding the device. Nicole had no idea if she would actually enjoy the game, but she didn't even care, because Waverly had chosen it for her and she knew that whenever she picked up the tiny pink device with floral stickers all over it, she would think of Waverly and that was all the incentive she needed.

"Alright, so you get to pick your first puppy and then-"

"OH MY GOD IS THAT A SHEEPDOG?" Nicole burst out at one of the options and Waverly couldn't help the hearty laugh which escaped her lips. "I've always wanted a sheepdog!" Nicole added and Waverly just watched, in awe of how Nicole could go from so calm, collected and confident to adorable and geeky in a split second.

"Really?" Waverly raised a brow, as Nicole's eyes were still locked on the screen, flicking through all of the different choices for her little sheepdog. "Why didn't you get one?"

"Din't have the time" Nicole shrugged, mumbling a little as she focused on the game. Waverly reached out and stroked her hair tenderly.

"Well maybe one day we can get one." She smiled; she'd also always wanted a dog and honestly didn't mind what type.

"Mhmm tha woul' be nice." Nicole replied and Waverly furrowed her brow, unsure whether the mumbling was coming from Nicole's adorable focus on the game or something else. She quickly decided to keep asking questions to find out.

"Did you ever have a dog growing up?" Waverly tried.

"Huh?" Nicole answered, still looking down at the game.

"I said did you have a dog as a child?"

"Wha'?" Nicole looked up at her and Waverly squinted her eyes with confusion and concern.

"Are you feeling okay baby?"

"Yeah'm fine." Nicole slurred and Waverly still wasn't satisfied, unsure whether Nicole was just tired or happy or what the hell was going on.

"Alright." Waverly paused. "Hey can you tell me more about the night you and Ash broke into the school gym, sounded kinda eventful?" The girl reached for the first story she could remember Ash telling her, panicking a little bit that something was wrong, and desperate to keep Nicole talking.

"Mmm was a fun night." Nicole smiled, but her eyes were a little blank, as though she was struggling with the answer. "We 'cided to see how hard 'twould be. An' din't go to plan... kinda broke the door." She smiled goofily and it lacked the precision or detail Nicole would normally offer in her stories, almost reliving the moments as she spoke. In that moment Waverly decided something was wrong and she wasn't about to wait a moment longer to find out back.

"I'm just gonna go and get a doctor okay baby?" She kissed Nicole's cheek and hurried to the door.

"Why?" Nicole furrowed her brow.

"Your speech is a little slurred, just want to make sure it's not your medication okay?" She smiled, trying to present herself with confidence, but secretly worrying it was more than just the drugs the redhead was on.

"Mmkay." Nicole pressed the buttons with her one good hand, smiling like a child at the device. Swallowing, Waverly sucked in a breath before hurrying to find a doctor.

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Later that day...

"Alright, so the X-ray came back. It's as we expected when Waverly came to me earlier. You've got a mild infection in your liver which has spread to affect your brain. It's known as Hepatic Encephalopathy." Dr Dolls explained as both girls shared a worried glance, Waverly's hand falling instinctively into Nicole's to trace reassuring circles.

"It's not as serious as it sounds, thankfully you've only got an acute case, but it explains the slurring and the lack of cohesion in your thoughts. In this case, it will almost certainly be cured with a course of antibiotics. You should be over it in a week or so, and the symptoms will lessen in a couple of days." He nodded at them with a smile as they both audibly let out a breath.

"Thank you." Waverly nodded back and looked at Nicole who looked a little drunk and confused.

"Of course. I'll leave you girls alone now, if you need anything, you know where to find me." With a smile, he hastily left the room.

"As much as your slurring is adorable, can't say I'm not relieved it's nothing too serious." Waverly kissed Nicole on the lips.

"Slurring?" The redhead replied and Waverly bit her lip, it was going to be a long few days if she had to explain everything multiple times. But Nicole was going to be okay. That's all that mattered.

One week later...

"Waves, can I ask you a favour?"

"Anything." The small girl smiled back from the chair. She didn't even need to know what it was first, because meant it; she would literally do anything for Nicole Haught.

"Remember what I told you when I woke up?"

"Kinda hard to forget baby." Waverly winked, running her hand up and down Nicole's good arm.

"Well the house... the one I was looking at, I think tomorrow is the deadline for my confirmation, if it's not already gone to someone else." She bit her lip looking a little worried.

"I'm sure it hasn't. Not many people would actually choose to move to Purgatory." Waverly laughed, but seeing a raised brow from Nicole she hastily added more. "But they're missing out. It's an adorable place, lots of outdoor space, this bar which is full of character - you'll love it; the people are, mostly, very friendly and we're this close to getting a vegan restaurant!" She gestured wildly with her arms as Nicole smiled.

"Can't wait to call it home." The redhead smiled softly. "But that's actually what I need your help with."

"Mhhmmhh." Waverly raised her brows.

"Well I was hoping I would surprise you with the house when I moved in, but I guess you're going to have to see it earlier than I planned. I need to get a few documents from home to be able to secure the payment and I'm still not 100%, so I kinda need you to help me with everything." Nicole looked down a little awkwardly, not good at asking for help from anyone, even Waverly. But the brunette was incredibly good at reading the insecurities on her girlfriends face by this point, so was quick to step in and put her mind at rest.

"That sounds like great fun! You know I love planning, and this is exciting for both of us. I'd love to help however you want me too. We can do it together." She squeezed Nicole's hand with a huge smile.

"Are you sure?" Nicole had on her famous puppy dog eyes and dimpled smile that Waverly was sure she'd never be able to refuse anything. In this case though, she really did want to help; it felt like being involved in planning their future and the thought made her giddy. No matter how much work she had going on, she would find a way to make time for this between visits to the hospital and mounds of paperwork which were quickly flooding Nicole's house.

"Of course I'm sure! I'm so excited! Now show me this future home of yours!" Waverly grinned and pulled out her phone, handing it to Nicole, who slowly and slightly messily attempted to type in the information with one hand.

"Here, it's nothin' special, I just kinda like that it's a little different." Nicole smiled sheepishly as Waverly leant over, resting her head on her shoulder as they looked at the phone.

"It's blue!" She pointed out with a laugh, because of course it was.

"Yeah, do you like it?" The expression on Nicole's face was a little nervous and Waverly beamed at how adorably vulnerable she was being.

"It's perfect, it's so you." Waverly replied pecking her cheek. "Can I see the inside?"

"Um yeah here." Nicole swiped across, showing the front room. Half of the room was clad in blue wooden panels and the other white. There was a slightly Scandinavian feel to the place, with the patterned rug and hardwood furnishings. The kitchen was a pale yellow which surprised Waverly a little, but what wasn't surprising was how homely it felt. Nicole had always felt like her safe space, her comfort blanket through everything, and this house reflected that. It was only lightly furnished with a bookcase and TV cabinet; the bedroom only had a single white wooden panelled bed which was perfect as Waverly thought it would give Nicole somewhere to turn into her space.

"I love it Nicole, it's beautiful. Do you have plans for how you would decorate it?" Waverly kissed her shoulder softly.

"Yeah a little. I'm an IKEA kinda girl." She grinned with a small blush. The small girl smiled back. They'd had many incredible conversations together, but something about this one felt special to her. With the distance and all of the drama of their day to day jobs, they'd never had much time for intimate, domestic moments and - even though they were sat in a hospital room - this felt warm and domestic and Waverly was loving it. "I quite like the furnishings so far. I want to get like a woven rug and cushions and I like the dark wood against the white wall." Nicole shrugged with her one good shoulder.

"That sounds beautiful. I can already see it." Waverly grinned and flicked back to the other photo. "This would be a perfect spot for your neatly lined boots." She winked, pointing to a corner near the door. "And here, I can see all of your cute astronomy books fitting." She pointed to the cubic style hardwood bookcase up against the staircase.

"And here..." Nicole continued, pointing to a blank space above the TV stand. "Would be perfect for that painting of us." She grinned and Waverly blushed at the knowledge Nicole still had the painting. "And here, I think we could fit a little wicker basket for all of our puppies toys."

"Oooo the dog talk already baby, that's a big commitment." Waverly winked.

"Welllll I am kinda moving across the country to be closer to you." Nicole paused before almost whispering the next part. "I think that's already a commitment."

"It sure is." Waverly blushed. "I love you so much. Thank you for doing this, for us." The small girl smiled shyly.

"I should have done it earlier." Nicole smirked. "We're 6 months behind."

"Well, at least it was worth the wait." Waverly grinned and kissed Nicole before looking back at the phone, flicking across the photos again to re-envision the place.

"What if I can't have babies?" Nicole burst out of nowhere and Waverly lifted her head up quickly to look at her; worry was painted all over her girlfriend's face.

"What?" She breathed out.

"You heard what the doctor said. There's a chance... we won't know for a couple of weeks if I can... what if I can't have babies?" She stammered again. When Dr Dolls had disclosed the possibility to them a couple of weeks ago, both of them had almost dismissed it, deciding there was no need to worry about it until it was an issue, but clearly it had been eating at Nicole more than Waverly had realised. She'd been too busy with everything else and the more immediate medical issues to even give it much thought, something which she was, in this moment, regretting.

"Well..." Waverly began, taking a big breath. "If that's the case, which we don't know for sure, then we'll decide what we want to do. We haven't ever spoken about children. If this wasn't an issue, would you want children?" She asked with a tint of hope in her voice and let out a breath of relief when Nicole nodded.

"Okay, well then, if you can't have them physically, I'll have our children." She smiled and stroked Nicole's cheek with her hand. "I know it's not the same, and it's not fair if that decision and opportunity is taken from you, but, no matter what, we will have children. Together. And they'll be your children as much as they are mine." Waverly tucked a hair behind her ear. "We'll find a redheaded donor and we'll have little ginger babies with dimples and hazel eyes." She smiled. "We'll have our family Nicole. I'll have your babies and we'll have a beautiful family, if that's what you want." Tears filled Nicole's eyes as she blinked wordlessly at Waverly who had let her thumb wipe away a few stray tears.

"You're incredible." She breathed out, shaking her head softly. "How do you always know the right thing to say?"

"It's easy to know what to say to you, because it just means being honest, because I love you, so much, and talking about our future like this makes me so excited aaannnddd a little horny, but mostly excited." Waverly blushed and let out a little giggle.

"I love you so much." Nicole rested the phone on her lap and reached out her hand to cup Waverly's jaw and look into her glistening eyes. "Meeting you was the best thing that's ever happened to me Waverly Earp." She grinned.

"Ditto." Waverly kissed her cheek, before leaning down and picking up the phone from the redhead's lap. "Now, tell me Sheriff Haught, what else can you envision here?" She gestured to the kitchen now.

"It's just officer now, remember?" Nicole forced a smile.

"Nope, still Sheriff to me. You earned that Nicole, and I've never seen Nedley so eager to promote someone who had hasn't even started the job yet. It won't be long until you're Sheriff of Purgatory." She winked. "That's kinda hot."

"You're sweet." Nicole shook her head with a laugh, as Waverly carefully nestled into the good shoulder. "Alright here." She pointed to the fridge. "Well I'd get a new one - that's ugly!" They both laughed. "But when I did, I'd be able to put my big collection of travel magnets on there." Waverly giggled.

"You've got a collection of fridge magnets?"

"I'm a very well travelled girl Waves." Nicole smirked and they couldn't help the shared laugh. They took turns to point out decorating ideas for the next few hours, snuggled up as close as the bed would allow and flicked between photos adding tiny details and bigger ones laughing and swooning at the visions.

Early the next morning, around 2am, Waverly sunk into Nicole's bed with a loud elongated sigh. She let herself rest for a few moments, breathing in the soft musky smell combined with a gentle sweet undertone. Though she probably should change the sheets, Waverly quite liked sinking into a bed which smelt of her girl and snuggling a pillow as though it was Nicole. Without turning to face the dresser, she reached out and fumbled to find her phone before flicking back to the house which, after tomorrow, would belong to the beautiful redhead who she was proud to call her girlfriend. Somehow, she had managed to find all of the documents which Nicole needed for the application: from her passport, to her birth certificate and bank statements - it definitely helped that Nicole was a very organised person. She was much better at 'adulting' than Waverly was apparently. Stressed about everything which was unfolding around her, Waverly found comfort in flitting through the photos of the house which tomorrow her and her girlfriend were going to work together to put a deposit down on. Before long, she'd drifted to sleep.

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2 weeks later...

"Ashley Gomez are those tears I see?" Nicole shook her head, wiping away her own tears with her right hand.

"Oh come on, like you've never seen me cry in the 18 years you've known me." Ash wiped away a tear.

"Only really watching the notebook." The redhead grinned.

"Well I shed a few tears when I thought you were gonna die." Her friend winked back.

"Oh wow I am honoured, I've made you cry twice in a month." Nicole's eyes sparkled with admiration for her best friend as Waverly stood quietly behind her, letting them have this moment.

"Seriously though Nicole, I was beginning to think this moment would never come. I didn't think it would be this hard, with technology and all." Ash scratched her neck. "I'm gonna miss you so much Nicky; I don't know what I'll do after a shit day of children setting their papers on fire, or spilling acid on their hands. You've been there for me through everything Nicole; we've been through a lot together, but you've always been the one I could turn too. I know I don't say this enough, but I'm so so proud of you. I've seen you go from cocky jock who somehow nailed her exams, to cocky cop who somehow nails every case." She laughed a little. "But I'm so proud of the woman you've become. I can't say I've ever met anyone with as much integrity or passion as you and I'm beyond happy that you've finally found the person for you." She looked up at Waverly with a smile. "Thank you, for giving her the love she's always deserved and for helping her realise she doesn't have to have her guard up all the time." She winked at Nicole. "Take care of our girl." The last part was directed at Waverly, but was stated whilst looking back at Nicole.

"Woah Ash I-" Nicole began with a stammer, wiping away the tears which were coming quickly now. "You're my best friend in the entire world and I'm still expecting a call everynight for you to rant about how Josh Taylor stormed out again." She winked with a laugh, regaining her composure. "Genuinely though, I wouldn't be where I am today without you; I wouldn't be the person I am today without you and I sure as hell wouldn't be as happy as I am without you. You've gotten me through things which I didn't ever see a way out of and..." She turned her head as much as possible to gesture towards Waverly. "I wouldn't have the other most important person in my life if it wasn't for you. Thank you Ash, for being there for me always, and nothing is ever gonna change that." If she wasn't in a wheelchair right now she would have thrown herself into her best friend's arms, but she didn't need to, as her friend leant down and carefully half-hugged her one side, kissing her forehead.

"I'm gonna miss your soppy ass, Haught." Ash smiled as she stood back up.

"And I'm gonna miss your unfiltered daily commentary Gomez." Nicole smirked.

The interaction was more emotional than either of them were used to. Although they had shared some late night sobbing sessions, this was different, they were both baring all, making themselves vulnerable as though it was the last opportunity they would have. Both of them knew it wasn't final; they'd see each other before long and probably video call often, plus they weren't the kind of friends who needed to see each other all the time. They knew when busy they could go for weeks without talking and then fall back together like they'd never been apart, but it didn't make this whole interaction any easier.

"I'll come and visit before you know it. I've gotta make sure you haven't made any hideous styling choices, although I feel like Waverly might have a few things to say about that too." She winked at the redhead.

"Oh I'm sure she will." Nicole nodded. "Thank you Ash, for this, for everything. I'm gonna miss your wise words." She grinned.

"I'll send you daily inspirational quotes." Ash smirked, getting a groan from the redhead.

"Oh goddddd. I instantly regret ever saying that." Nicole moaned, but she couldn't hide her smile.

"Alright, don't miss your flight." Ash wiped a last tear. "Call me when you land okay? I wanna make sure you've not ditched me already." She winked, lightening the mood for the leaving.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Nicole smiled back as Waverly grabbed the handles of the wheelchair.

"Thanks Ash, it was really nice to finally meet you. I'll see you soon." Waverly nodded and Ash quickly moved to give her a hug.

"I'll see you around Waverly Earp." She replied as the couple rolled away towards their exit.

Nicole sucked in a shaky breath, a combination of relief and sadness. Both of her departures from Ash and Jack had been hard, but in another sense, they had also reassured her that she had the best friends in the entire world and that everything would be okay - they would be okay. Jack had been incredibly busy, having to step into the role of Sheriff weeks earlier than either of them had expected as well as being thrown into the deep end with the wrapping up of the Baker case. Likely, it would take months for it to come to a trial and both Wynonna and Nicole would be called to testify which she was aware of and had come to terms with. However, Jack had managed to take an hour out of his day today to drive to the hospital just in time to catch Nicole before she was released and to say goodbye...

"Come in." Nicole shouted, not looking up from the DS on her lap. She automatically assumed it was a Doctor, and secretly wished Waverly hadn't chosen that moment to go to the toilet, just in case there was some news which might delay her release.

"Is that a DS Haught?" Came a male voice through a smirk, causing Nicole's head to shoot up from the device.

"Sheriff Anderson. You look great in your new uniform." She winked at her friend. Jack blushed and looked down at his feet shaking his head as he moved forwards into the room.

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner Haught. I came a few times at the start to make sure you were okay, but it's been getting harder and harder to take time out to visit." He looked up, guilt written on his face.

"Hey, Jack it's fine. Trust me, if anyone knows how crazy it can get at that station it's me." She laughed a little. "Plus it's not like I've been alone anyway, I've had company." The blush which crept onto her cheeks made Jack grin like a schoolboy, his smile touching his reddened ears.

"Indeed you have, and where is Miss Waverly Earp?" He smirked. "I've waited a long time to finally meet her, I'm not leaving without at least saying 'hi'."

"Well you won't have to wait." Nicole nodded as the door opened and Waverly hurried in.

"I looked on the way back to see if they had anymore of those protein bar things, but -" Waverly cut herself off as she looked up from her bag to see a young Sheriff standing over Nicole's bed. She paused unsure whether she should stay or leave and give them space.

"Waves, this is Jack, the new Sheriff and-"

"Oh! I know Jack!" Waverly tossed her bag over a chair and ran over, holding out her hand. "It's so nice to finally meet you! I'm Waverly, Nicole's girlfriend." She smiled at the girl in the bed who was looking with a proud grin at the two people she loved interacting.

"I know who you are." Jack shook her hand with a laugh. "I've heard all about you." Waverly blushed instantly, remembering her conversation with Ash a few weeks ago.

"Well not ALL I hope."

"Waves!" Nicole laughed loudly from the bed beside them as Jack gave a confused look.

"Sorry! But Ash said-"

"Of course she did." Both Jack and Nicole answered at the same time shaking their heads. Now it was Waverly's turn to look confused, but she didn't have long to wonder, before the conversation continued.

"Anyway, I'm glad you two worked it out. I'm just sorry things happened this way. I should have gone with you." Jack swallowed, remembering the gunshot which shattered the room as he opened the door to the warehouse.

"Jack, we both know it's not your fault what happened." Nicole looked at him with reassuring eyes. "I shouldn't have gone alone; I would never have left if I'd have had any idea who... or what it was. It was a stupid decision; I can't believe how reckless I was." Waverly rested her hand on her arm as the Nicole shook her head frustrated.

"Hey, you're passionate about your job. It's beautiful." Waverly cooed. "But... I think we can all agree no more attending issues without backup. And bulletproof vests." Waverly pretended to be annoyed, but Nicole had spent a month apologising for the lack of bulletproof vest and Waverly was finding it hard to be annoyed at her when she was sitting in a hospital bed professing her love for her.

"I'll take that deal." Jack grinned and held out his hand to Nicole who shook it.

"Deal." Nicole confirmed. "How are things at the station?"

"Oh no. We're not talking about that right now. You get out in an hour and I want to have a break from everything that's going on in the outside world. To say goodbye properly. The station is fine and I've been managing the public speaking, I'm going to do my best with it, you know that. But now, I want to know how Waverly Earp has managed to convert you to... Nintendogs?" He smirked, looking over the device.

"You'd be surprised it didn't take much convincing." Waverly winked at the young Sheriff.

"Oh really? Didn't know you were such a sap Haught." The blonde man smirked, knowing full well Nicole put on a hard exterior, but had been known to cry watching Bambi.

"I'm not. I'm playing it for Waverly." She bit her lip, hiding a smile.

"Of course you are baby." Waverly paused stroking her hair, then mouthed to Jack. "That's why she's already filled the entire kennel." The two shared a look.

"I'm not blind Waves, I can see you talking about me." Nicole squinted with a smile.

"Nicole Haught, I would never." Waverly feigned offence, bringing her hand to her chest.

After an hour of playful banter and catching up, Nicole was feeling a lot more relaxed about her departure from the hospital, when they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Dr Dolls stuck his head in.

"Miss Haught?"

"Yes."

"I'm here to carry out your final assessment and give you the information you need to be good to go at home. I'll give you a couple of minutes to finish up and then I'll be back." He nodded, dipping out of the doorway.

"I feel like we've already done this goodbye." Jack grinned. "But for the sake of it, I'm gonna miss you bossing me around Haught. I'm gonna miss our movie binges - now I'm going to have to cry at the fox and the hound all alone!" Nicole's eyes widened as though he'd just embarrassed her in front of her crush. "Seriously though, thank you, for everything. I would tell you to take care of Waverly... but I think you're gonna need to take care of each other." He smiled. "I'll miss you Nic." He reached down and squeezed her thigh tenderly.

"I know you think I've done a lot for you, but you've done just as much for me." Nicole smiled. "When I became Sheriff, it was supposed to be the best thing to happen to me, but it was so much harder than I expected. People weren't exactly over the moon with a female Sheriff in charge and I felt more alone than ever. But then I met you, this driven, excited young cop who I saw so much of myself in and you helped me through that time and I owe my career to you." She nodded. "You're already a great Sheriff Jack, and we can still have Skype movie dates - I've got a lot of practice." She grinned at Waverly, then back to Jack. "I'll miss you too Jack."

"Goodbye Nic, get home safe." He moved to the door. "Let me know when you land okay?" He smiled at both of them. "It was nice to meet you Waverly, I'll be sure to visit. Take care of yourselves, you deserve this." With a final smile, he left the room and was hastily replaced by Dr Dolls.

"Alright Nicole. I've just gotta do a few more checks, just to make sure, but then you're all good." He moved over to the bed and Waverly took a little step back to give him access.

"How's your sister Waverly?" He asked and Waverly looked at Nicole with a raised brow.

"Umm..." She began, not sure how to answer.

"Her arm. She hurt her arm right?" Dolls clarified, clearing his throat and Waverly squinted, but answered anyway.

"Oh yeah, she did, cast is off now. Much to her relief." She smiled knowingly.

As Dolls moved around, checking blood pressure, heart rate, cohesion, responsiveness alongside a few other tests, he went over all of the after care they had to be aware of at home.

"Alright, so the wheelchair will only be needed for three more weeks, then slowly you should start to switch to crutches. Maybe, take a small walk with them to start with and spend the rest of the day in the chair. Gradually you'll be able to use the crutches less and less, but it could take a few months to be entirely off them." He nodded. "Fiber is incredibly important. We always recommend beans, grains and fruits and less salty foods. But, I already get the impression you're on a controlled diet anyway, due to your job." He smiled and both Waverly and Nicole nodded. "Also, taking fibre supplements wouldn't go a miss. Just to make sure you don't fall behind at all. Benefiber and Metamucil work really well. You've got your medication obviously and we recommend drinking even more water than usual and perhaps cutting back on the caffeine, just for a month or so." Nicole's eyes widened and she turned to Waverly who bit her lip trying not to laugh.

"NO COFFEE?" She half yelled, as though that was the most important part of this discussion.

"No you can still have coffee, maybe alternate between caffeinated coffee and decaf." Nicole groaned audibly.

"Only for a month Nicole." Waverly shook her head with a small laugh. Instantly she received a pointed glare from her girlfriend and threw her hands up in defence. She caught the eye of the doctor and gave him a reassuring look, silently telling him she would limit her coffee intake.

"One more thing." Dolls finished the examination and pulled out a file which he handed to Waverly. "It's a good idea to alternate between cold packs and heated pads on the area for about 10 minutes every 2 or so hours." He directed this part to Waverly, making sure she took it all in and she nodded understandingly. "Alright, follow all that and you should be good to go in a few months." With a wide grin he turned back to Nicole. "Your levels are all fine. You're all set to go. And I have some good news." He paused with a beaming smile. "The scans came back. Although we can never be 100% with fertility, the incident hasn't caused any issues, from what we can see, you should be able to have children, should you want to."

Nicole's jaw almost dropped. She had known today was the day she was set to leave, but she'd spent at least four days attempting to prepare herself for the worst, but now it was finally here. Not only was she about to leave hospital, but she was finally going to move to Purgatory, to be near Waverly permanently AND she would be able to have children if they decided that. As if able to read her mind, Waverly reached out a hand and squeezed hers on the bed.

"Let's go home baby." Nicole swallowed and nodded as Dolls left to get a wheelchair.

----------------------------------------------------

Getting Nicole on the plane was a lot harder than either of them had anticipated. Waverly couldn't help feeling guilty for how little thought she'd ever given to how difficult it was for people with disabilities to get around. The way she had just jumped on a plane to rush to Nicole's side over a month ago would have been far more difficult if she'd been in a wheelchair. She had entirely taken for granted the things in life which she had. However, the trip was made more difficult than it needed to be as Nicole didn't like accepting help or getting any sort of preferential treatment, despite how much it helped.

"We don't need to go a back way. Thank you, but we're fine going the same way as everyone else." Nicole nodded to the security man who had generously offered they go through the cargo corridor so Nicole wouldn't have to worry about being bumped.

"Ummm, baby?" Waverly asked and Nicole leant up, her face serious. "I think we should go the back way. Its not a big deal, but it just means we don't risk someone running into us." She practically pleaded with her eyes; today had already been long enough. "Do it for me. To make my life easier?" Waverly knew that saying it was for her benefit would make Nicole give in; it was the easy way out.

"Okay fine, if you think its safer." She looked back at the man. "Thank you for this."

"No problem, thank you for everything you do." He smiled. They had both been surprised when the guy had recognised Nicole from the local news reports about Tucker. It was more than likely that this recognition was what had gotten them this special treatment, but Waverly wasn't about to complain.

After walking quickly down the freezing cold back corridor, passing only a couple of people pushing huge delivery carts around, they'd made it out into the boarding area. Usually Waverly would get a coffee and sit and read for a while, but a coffee was out of the picture: she had no free hands and she was too busy stressing about making sure they were in the right place to get on the plane. The day felt surreal for so many reasons and it was only now starting to hit her.

Firstly, Nicole was in a wheelchair and - as temporary as it was - it was still an adjustment. Aside from that, there was a delivery van en route from Toronto to Purgatory at that very moment, moving all of Nicole's things. They had to make sure everything was moved in, get her set up in the new station and work out a routine for Waverly to be able to take Nicole to and from the station. Alongside that, Waverly hadn't seen Wynonna in over a month and she was so beyond excited to see her again - it was the longest they'd ever been apart! Waverly had expected to sink back into her busy everyday life and wrestle with trying to forget everything she'd ever had with Nicole, but instead, she was returning to her old life and morphing it into an entirely new one.

Waverly would stay at the homestead still, now didn't feel like the right time for them to move in together. They wanted the moment they decided to move in to feel special, and it had only been 7 months, no matter how serious it had quickly become. Originally, the plan had been for Nicole to stay there with her, but the fact Waverly's bedroom was upstairs had ended that plan. Nicole's place had, similarly to the homestead, one bedroom upstairs and one downstairs, so it made more sense for her to be there. That meant however, that Waverly would have to get up even earlier to drive to Nicole's, help her dress and have breakfast, get her in the car and drive her to work - thank God they would be working in the same building.

"Can anyone with priority boarding for flight 7, direct to Purgatory please make their way to gate 7, the flight will begin boarding soon." Waverly started to push towards the entrance, but Nicole instantly looked up to stop her.

"What are you doing?"

"Ummm I'm going to board our flight?"

"But we got here after all of these people." Nicole stated as if it wasn't obvious.

"Yes, because we're slower, because I'm not that strong. But we have priority, because we have a particular seat."

"But they've been waiting." Nicole argued.

"Yes and they're going to be waiting even longer if we don't get on now." Waverly huffed, wishing her girlfriend would make this easy for her.

"Fine." Nicole sank back into the chair. Truth was, she had always been a team player; through sports at high school and working as a cop, she'd always been surrounded by a team of people to share the moment with. It wasn't that she lacked confidence, she definitely didn't, it was more that she just didn't like being the centre of attention and right now, as Waverly pushed her towards the entrance, she was definitely the centre of attention.

Seeing the obvious lack of comfort in her girlfriend's expression, Waverly stopped briefly before reaching the entrance and leant down. "It's gonna be fine Nic, we're almost home now." She would have kissed her cheek, but she wasn't sure it was a good idea to draw any more attention to them right now. Waverly wasn't sure the use of the term 'home' would bring the comfort it was supposed to, Nicole hadn't even been to this house before; it was hardly likely to be her home already. "I mean, not home home, but your new place -" Nicole looked up with a smile.

"It's home now. Because it's where you are." With a grateful nod, Nicole looked forwards, indicating for Waverly to keep going.

The brunette gently stroked Nicole's hair before pushing forward and - giving a brief, but grateful smile to the chirpy flight attendant - pushed Nicole up the ramp and onto the flight.

Once settled and briefed by the - as Waverly, much to Nicole's frustration had pointed out - very attractive flight attendant, they flicked on the TV screen. Legally Blonde filtered through and Nicole let out a loud laugh, getting a side glance from Waverly.

"What?" She enquired.

"This film has followed me through literally every stage of our relationship." Nicole laughed again.

"What do you mean?" Waverly raised a brow.

"On the way to find Wynonna, that was when you told me it was your favourite film. Then... on the way back ho- to Toronto..." Nicole caught herself; she never wanted to think of Toronto as home again, it hadn't even felt it when she was there, so it was more habit than anything that she'd called it such. "It was on again and I almost had a breakdown on the plane." She laughed again. "And now, on the next step, when I'm finally moving to be with you, here it is again."

"I mean there aren't many options." Waverly winked. "But it is a good omen." She kissed Nicole's shoulder and snuggled in as they watched the, now happy, film together.

----------------------------------------------------

a.n: So Nicole did it! She's moving to Purgatory!

Alright. I'm gonna be honest. I'm probably only going to do two more chapters of this. I know shocker. BUT I've decided to end this soon and make it part one of a series. I have had A LOT of people reach out to me and ask for a proposal and wedding and it's something I've always wanted to write, but I feel like it makes more sense in a future part of this story. I don't want to rush it, I want to be able to explore all of the domestic ups and downs of a relationship, to explore the planning, the hen nights, the ceremony, maybe even the honeymoon etc. Of course I'll have to come up with ways to intertwine some drama haha - it wouldn't be purgatory without it! But that's my idea. So I hope you're all okay with that and that you enjoy the final few chapters of this beautiful journey.

Feel free to leave feedback or ideas for future chapters, I take it all into consideration, but if you want to reach me privately you can find me @waverly_angel_earp on instagram or @charzpov on twitter <3 x - thanks for 7k reads :) char x