"Lex, wake up." Beau says in a hushed tone. "C'mon!"

"Huh?" She lifts her head and cracks an eye open, giving her fiancé a dirty look. "The hell do you want?"

"We gotta get to your parent's house."

"What?"

Beau throws her a pair of jeans and a hoodie. "We gotta go."

Lexi jumps out of bed and gets dressed, confused as hell.

"Beau, what's goin' on?" She asks when she buckled up.

He can't bring himself to look at her. "It's Riley."

+++

Lexi shoves past people as she books it down the hospital corridor. "Excuse me!" She shouts. "Ah!" She gasps when she trips over her feet.

Beau catches her with a hand around her arm. "Room 431." He tells her and she speeds up, tears in her eyes.

She swings the door open and squeaks when she sees Riley, her daddy in a hospital bed.

"Mama." She chokes out, wrapping her arms around Jo as she sits in a chair next to the bed. "What happened?"

"I don't- I don't know." Jo whispers back, blinking back tears. "Somethin' with his heart." Beau stands behind his fiancé, his hands on her shoulders.

A doctor comes in and tells them what's going on.

He had a heart attack. He was sitting at home when his chest started hurting- feeling really tight. He couldn't catch his breath. He couldn't stand without holding onto something and as soon as he let go, he hit the floor.

He couldn't get himself up with his legs and arms feeling numb.

He laid there for a couple hours, trying to force himself back up but he just couldn't do it.

Thank god Jo got off work early.

A couple more hours, who knowns.

Jo has her hand in Riley's, her thumb brushing across his chilled knuckles. She sniffles quietly. "I'm glad y'all're here."

"Of course, Mama." Lexi whispers back, her head on her shoulder.

They sit in silence, the only thing in the room is the beeping from the machine hooked up to Riley.

Jo lays on the vacant bed next to her husband while Lex is curled up on the chair and Beau is on the floor next to her.

"You look just like your mother." She's pulled out of her featherlight slumber by that soft, calming voice.

"Daddy." She whispers back, grabbing his hand. "Hi." She smiles weakly. "How're you feelin'?"

"I'm okay." His voice is raspy and tired. "Don't you worry 'bout me." She chuckles, tears in her eyes. "How's your mama?"

"Tired." She drops her other hand on top of their joined ones. "Worried."

"I'm fine." He forces out, wincing as he sits up.

"What- what're you doin'?" She asks, her hand on his shoulder.

"Gotta hit the can." He mutters back, letting out a sharp breath as he swings his legs over the side of his bed.

"Ri, what-"

"I'm okay, Joey." He grunts, standing on weak and shaky legs. He goes to take a step and stumbles.

Beau immediately stands and gets him steadied.

"I'm fine." He mutters, pulling his arm away.

Jo slips out of the room to get the doctor or a nurse.

Riley grips Beau's arm as he goes to take another step but falls, hitting the tiled floor with a heavy thump.

"Daddy!" Lex gasps, standing to help him back up.

A nurse comes in and helps him to the bathroom then back to the bed.

"I told y'all I'm... I'm fine." He can't catch his breath.

He screws his eyes shut, his hand on his chest as he hunches forward. His chest is heaving but no air is coming in or out.

The nurse sits him back as Riley clutches his arm, a cold sweat breaks out across his forehead.

The heart monitor starts to beep irregularly.

Riley lays back while the nurse tries to get him calmed down but when his eyes roll back, the machine flatlines.

"No." Lexi whispers, grabbing Jo's arm.

Lexi cries out, her face buried in Jo's shoulder as she sobs, her entire body trembling.

He's gone.

Forever.

+++

Lexi has decided to take some time off from school and move back home, Beau went with. She couldn't bring herself to let Jo be all alone in that big house without her husband there.

It's been incredibly hard for everyone, family, friends and coworkers, to fathom that he's gone.

It's blown up on social media. Other musicians posting tributes to him, posting videos of them playing covers of his songs and it's touching, really.

Their house is filled with flowers people have sent them in their time of grieving.

Jo can't stand to look at them.

She keeps telling them she's fine, that she just needs to adjust but you can never get used to having the void in your life after years and years of being together.

+++

She's been trying to distract herself by helping Lexi and Beau plan their wedding and it's been working up until the ceremony.

It's still hard to talk about.

It's been a few rough months since Riley passed but today has to be the hardest.

Lexi and Beau are getting married today.

Jo and the rest of the bridesmaids have been helping her get ready while Beau is hanging out with his groomsmen.

Lex's mind is full of the empty promise that Riley had made. She couldn't bring herself to let Jo walk her down the aisle, it was either her dad or no one.

Jo understands.

Lexi feels a little selfish for doing it this way but no one can replace her daddy.

"Okay, it's about to start!" Josephine, Dani and Morgan's daughter says, smiling warmly at the rest of the bridal party.

The girls and Jo head down to the living room to pair up with a groomsmen to walk down to the alter.

Morgan and Michael are waiting by the door.

"Why aren't y'all sittin'?" Lex asks, looking between her future father in law and favorite uncle.

They share an emotional smile. "We're gon' walk you down the aisle." Morgan says.

"What? N-no, I can't-"

"Riley told us that if anything were to happen to him before your weddin' he'd want us to walk you down-"

Lexi chokes back a sob and looks down. Morgan wraps an arm around her and she blinks back tears.

"C'mon, let's go get you married."

+++

There isn't a dry eye in the house when the ceremony ends. Every single groom, bridesmaid, the pastor, and guest, are all crying.

Lexi grins as Beau grasps the sides of her face to kiss her. She laughs against his lips, tears rolling down her face as she kisses him back.

Beau pulls away to press his forehead against Lex's which makes her and Jo cry harder. Riley always always did that to his girls.

Beau can't wait to carry that on to his kids and wife.

+++

A few years later, Lexi is laying back on a hospital bed, her sweaty hand gripping Beau's equally sweaty one.

Jo is there beside her, using a cold rag to clear her daughter's face from the sweat dripping off her nose and chin.

"One more, c'mon Lex." Beau says to his wife.

Lexi whimpers and shakes her head, breathing so hard that she's starting to get dizzy. She looks at Jo who nods and she gives another push, crying out in a raspy voice.

There's a wail that fills the room and Lexi lets out a laugh-choked-sob.

Her son has finally joined them.

Beau kisses Lex on the top of her head, tears in his eyes as he pushes his wife's hair out of her sweaty face.

"I'm so proud of you." Jo says, smiling at her daughter. "You did it, baby."

She chokes out another laugh as a nurse unties her gown to lay the newborn across her chest.

"Do y'all got a name yet?"

"Yeah." Lexi coughs. "Riley Michael."

Jo smiles. She was told they had a name picked out but wasn't going to find out what it was until he was born.

Riley Michael Hardy, a tribute to his grandfathers and everyone is beyond happy for the small family.

She misses her daddy with her entire being but naming her child after him helps her make her peace with his passing and move on.