Over the next few weeks, Ryan put together a very nice streak of top ten finishes. Fourth at New Hampshire. Tenth at Pocono and fifth at Watkins Glen.

The next race was Michigan and they were super busy. Ryan had so much going on, Olivia could barely keep track. Friday morning, she had just enough time to get breakfast ready for Ryan, but no time to eat herself. She grabbed a couple of protein bars and some bottles of water and threw them in her bag. That would have to do until she got a break.

By the time Ryan and Olivia got a break, Olivia realized she was shaking. They had about an hour free, and she also realized she had not only forgotten about the protein bars, but she had only drank about a half a bottle of water. She was lightheaded and sweating profusely. As soon as they entered the coach, she kicked off her shoes, hoping to cool herself a little.

She knew she needed to get something in her stomach, so she quickly began making sandwiches. A wave of nausea hit her, and suddenly the thought of food made her sick to her stomach, despite the fact that she knew she needed to eat. Her vision began to blur, and she dropped the knife she was holding because her hands were shaking so badly.

"Hey babe, are you okay?" Ryan asked concerned.

"I think my blood sugar might be a little low. I haven't had time to eat." She answered weakly.

He shook his head. "Have you been drinking any water?" He was scared. She didn't look good at all. In fact, she looked like she was about to pass out.

"A little, but not nearly enough." She admitted. She felt so stupid. She should have known better, especially with what had happened with Ryan at Daytona. She also knew she had a tendency for hypoglycemia if she didn't eat frequently enough. Blame it on her low body weight.

He watched as she swayed again. Her eyelids fluttered. He was near panic by now. "Let's go. You need to get checked out."

"Ry. Wait. I..." She began, but he quickly cut her off.

"Don't argue with me." He said sternly.

"I wasn't going to argue. I was just going to say I need my shoes." She pointed at the door.

He retrieved her shoes and helped her put them on, then practically carried her to the golf cart parked outside the coach.

******

"Your blood sugar is low, and you are also dehydrated. I am going to give you a glucose injection and fluids. You are slightly underweight, so it's very important that you eat regularly. Several small meals a day, and you need to drink at least five bottles of water a day. This heat is brutal." Dr. Robinson, the infield care center doctor told her.

Olivia nodded her understanding, as she hung her head. Yes, she knew better.

"Is she going to be okay?" Ryan asked concerned.

"She'll be fine. I need you to make sure she follows my instructions. Now Ryan, would you mind giving us a moment alone?" Dr. Robinson asked.

Ryan looked at Olivia. "Do you want me to leave?" He asked, hoping she would say no because he was still worried sick.

"I would like you to stay, but you have to go Ry. You have practice in fifteen minutes, and you can't be late." Olivia said.

"I don't care if I'm late. Let them penalize me." He argued.

"No Ry. You need to go. It's not fair to your team if they dock you practice time. I'll be fine." She squeezed his hand.

"Alright. Text Jeremy when you are done here so he can let me know. I love you." He placed a kiss on her forehead before leaving.

"I love you too. Have a good practice." She said.

As soon as Ryan was gone, Dr. Robinson asked "Olivia, when was your last period?"

Olivia's breath caught in her throat. She began backtracking in her head. Could it be?

"It's been over a month. I'm on the pill though, and I was told I might skip a period." She thought about the nausea and the lightheadedness. Sure they were signs of low blood sugar and dehydration, but they were also pregnancy symptoms. Oh God! She was not ready for this.

"Okay. We are going to run a few more tests." The doctor explained.

*******

"How's it feel?" Jeremy asked through the radio in Ryan's earpiece.

"Uh. A little tight in. Loose off." Ryan replied. He could not focus. The last thing on his mind was his car's handling. "Have you heard anything?"

"Not yet bud. Bring it in. We'll work on it." Jeremy replied.

Ryan headed for his garage stall. The last thing he wanted was to be in the racecar. What was taking so long?

*********

"Alright Olivia. I've got your test results back. You blood sugar is trending back up, so that's good. You are slightly anemic, vitamin D and B12 a little low, but that could all be related to your diet. As I mentioned before, you are a little underweight. Your..."

"I do eat. I just have trouble putting on weight. I've always been that way. What about the pregnancy test?" Olivia interrupted.

"Negative. You are not pregnant." The doctor said.

Olivia waited for the relief to hit her, but instead, all she felt was...disappointment? How? Why? She was not ready for a baby.

"I want you to take it easy for a couple of days. Several small meals, plenty of fluids, and rest, rest, rest. I'd like you to stick around until Ryan is done." Dr. Robinson continued.

Olivia nodded her understanding and thanked the doctor, then sent Jeremy a text to let Ryan know she was done and would be at the care center waiting on him.

********

Somehow, despite his lack of focus, the #12 posted the fastest time in practice. The car was good, and this was a good track for him.

He picked up Olivia from the care center and got her back to the coach and into bed, despite her protests that she felt much better. She did look better, but he wasn't taking any chances. She always took such good care of him, it was time he returned the favor.

"Eat up. There's plenty more." He said, handing her a plate of spaghetti.

He smiled as her face lit up. She did like pasta. "I can't believe you cooked for me." She laughed.

"Well, don't be too impressed. It's sauce from a jar. I have no clue how to make that homemade sauce like you do."

"This is fine. Thank you." She smiled at him. He couldn't help but notice her smile looked a little forced.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He couldn't help but still be concerned.

"I'm fine. I...uh...for a few minutes earlier, I thought I might be pregnant. But uh. Don't worry. I'm not." She admitted.

Those words literally knocked the wind out of him. They had never talked about children before. He knew he wanted kids someday, and she loved children as well. They had only been together for a few months, so why did her admission sting so much? Was she relieved it was a false alarm? He couldn't help but feel a bit of disappointment as well. Sure the timing was off, but it wouldn't have been the worst thing ever. He would have been thrilled.

"What are you thinking right now? I know we never talked about it before, but how do you feel about kids?" He asked.

"I definitely want kids one day. I know now is not the right time. I always thought I would be married first, but I couldn't help but be a little disappointed that the test was negative. I know it's probably for the best, it's just..." She trailed off.

"It does sting a little." He admitted.

"How would you feel if it would have been positive?" She asked.

"Honestly, I would have been thrilled. The first time I saw you holding Louie, I started imagining you holding our baby. We had only been together for about a week, but I knew then that I loved you and wanted a future with you."

Tears of emotion filled her eyes. "I want that too Ry. One day. Yes it was a little disappointing, probably for the best, but at least I know that if it does happen, that we'll be okay with it."

"We'll be more than okay with it. I'm a little selfish because I want you all to myself for a while, but you're right. It probably is for the best."

"I love you Ryan Michael Blaney." She squeezed his hand.

"I love you more Olivia Grace James."

******

By Sunday, Olivia was feeling back to normal. She heeded the doctors advice. Several small meals, plenty of fluids. Today was race day, and she knew she would be busy, so she packed several snacks in her bag, along with several bottles of Body Armor.

The Menards Mustang was fast. Ryan ran in the top ten all race.

The final pit stop of the day was for fuel only, and Ryan was out of the pits first. However, he was informed they did not get enough fuel in the car, and he needed to save, save, save.

Olivia groaned as she pulled her headset away from her ears. Here we go again.

What the hell is it with this place? For the second time this year, we just gave this fucking race away.

Ryan went into fuel saving mode, dropping back to third place. He managed to save a little, but not enough. He ran out two laps from the finish and had to pit, turning a sure top five, possibly a win into a twenty fourth place finish.

Olivia was devastated for him. He drove his ass off only to be screwed by a pit mistake. She was dumbfounded. The team had been flawless the last several races. This was indeed a costly mistake.

Olivia hung back a bit and watched Ryan exit the car. He ran his hands through his hair a few times before putting his hat on. His head was down and he had a grim expression on his face. She knew from experience to give him a few minutes of space.

She wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and soothe him, but she continued to keep her distance. He finally looked up and locked eyes with her. His expression softened, and he motioned her over.

"I could really use one of your special hugs right about now." He said softly.

She was more than happy to oblige. She couldn't help but think how far he had come over the last couple of months. He promised to be an open book and not shut her out, and he kept his word. As he held her tightly, his face buried in her neck, he inhaled her scent and felt a wave of peace and calmness wash over him.

"Let's go home." He murmured in her ear.