As promised, here's the next part. I decided there will be a third part as well, so look out for that in a few days. Expect lots of explanations from everyone and kind of a group therapy kind of thing, I guess.
I know this is probably not realistic, but like I said, think of it as a movie. More like a Nicholas Sparks film, if you will.
Enjoy. I love your kind words for this! You guys have no idea how much they mean to me.
"You know… you going to do this for someone you hardly know, it's pretty amazing. And it makes you pretty amazing as well."
Eli threw his backpack to the ground and sat down on the bed beside his girlfriend. She put her hand in his and he took it, intertwining their fingers.
"You think so?" He asked her a moment later and she nodded, laying her head on his shoulder.
"I know how hard it is for you. I mean you're probably remembering what happened to you and having those memories can't be easy. But you're putting your own needs to the side for a girl who needs your support more than anybody else right now." Clare's eyes watered as she looked at him and remembered what they had gone through just a short year and a half before. She began to rub his hand with her thumb, "You can do anything. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for."
He looked at her and she lifted her head. He gently kissed her and then leaned his forehead against hers.
"I love you."
"I love you too." She whispered back and then kissed him again. "Thanks for being the amazing person that you are."
"Thanks for being you." He responded and then he kissed her again.
If he could relive that moment over and over again, he would in a heartbeat.
It was just one of those amazing moments you could never forget no matter how hard you tried.
Clare broke this kiss and smiled at him, her hand going to his cheek, she gently rubbed it and then put her hand down.
"Ready to finish packing?"
He looked around, pretending to think about it, before he leaned in and kissed her again, leaning his forehead against hers once more, "not really, I'd rather spend this time with you."
Clare smiled, "Good. I was hoping you'd say that."
"I can't believe you're making me do this."
Katie rolled her eyes, "Oh, stop being a baby, it's for your own good." She handed her sister the pink covered iPhone. "Call his mother."
She threw one of her shirts in her suite case and then rudely grabbed the phone from her. "This is the last thing I want to do right now."
"Maya…" Katie watched as she sat down on the bed and stared at her phone a few moments, before she took the seat beside her. "It'll be good for you, I promise."
"I really wish people would stop saying that." She whispered under her breath, but instead of saying anything more, she just did as Katie suggested. Fighting it was starting to become too exhausting for her.
She dialed the number, and brought the phone to her ear, taking a deep breath, and letting it out when the person on the other end answered, "Hello?"
"Uh, hi. Is this Laura?"
"Yes, who is this?"
She took another deep breath and then just came out with it. "It's Maya."
"Oh!" Laura gasped, and then she spoke. Maya could tell she was crying from the way she spoke, "I'm so happy you called."
"Yeah, I'm sorry for not responding to the letters, I was just…" She trailed off, unsure of how to say it. "I'm just sorry."
"I understand," Laura let out a breath she'd apparently been holding. "I know how hard it is for you."
"I bet it's worse for you," Maya said quietly. "He's your son."
"He's your boyfriend." Laura argued back. "You love him."
"So do you," Maya countered.
"It's a different kind of love, dear. I'll always love him as a son, but your love goes much deeper than that. And I'm aware of it, which is why I'd like to be apart of your life, if you'd let me."
She nodded even though she knew she couldn't see her. "I would really like that."
"Good." Though Maya couldn't see it, Laura was smiling on the other end. "I would love to meet you sometime."
"You actually will." Maya took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm coming down with my sister and a friend, if that's okay. This weekend, actually. We'd love to come see him. Or actually, I would really like it." She said once seeing the look on Katie's face. She made a face back at her, and then focused on her phone call.
"That wouldn't be a problem at all. We'll see you then."
"Okay." It was silent for a few minutes before Maya finally got the courage up to ask her next question. "What's going to happen to him?" She whispered, scared of the answer.
"No one knows, sweetie. But hopefully we'll find out soon."
Maya nodded, "Thanks again."
"I look forward to finally meeting you."
"Me too."
"Alright, well I've got to go, have a great rest of your night."
I'll try, Maya thought, but answered the kind woman, "You do the same." And with that, she hung up the phone. She stared at it emotionlessly, before turning to Katie. Neither girl made a move to say a word, Maya too consumed with her thoughts. She felt all of the emotion she'd been pushing away for the past few weeks bubble up, almost to the top, like she was going to erupt at any moment. "Katie?" She finally whispered, so quietly, she wasn't sure if Katie had heard her.
"Yes?"
Maya looked up, the tears in her eyes, showing Katie that Maya did in fact have emotions. "I'm so sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
Maya bit her lip, her lower lip trembling. "For everything." She whimpered, and then she put her head in her hands, and finally broke down, her shoulders shaking with every tear that fell and every sob that came out. Katie's own eyes filled with tears, as she immediately wrapped her arms around her sister and held her, gently rocking her back and forth as she did.
"It's okay." She whispered about five minutes later, stroking her hair as she started to slowly calm down. "I forgive you."
Though they were leaving in just a few hours, Maya had decided she should go see the school psychologist. She was done with acting the way she had before, now that she had another person to take care of, she couldn't be the girl she was the past few weeks. It was time to slowly turn back into the Maya she'd been before, whomever that was.
"Maya." Ms. Barton smiled at her warmly, "Please take a seat."
She slowly nodded, "Okay." She did as she was told, and then started to play with the strands of her hair. "I—I'm sorry." She said a moment later, "I'm sorry that I didn't come sooner."
"Don't be sorry. I'm just glad you made the decision to come now." Maya nodded, biting her lip, she just decided to come out with the secret she'd been hiding long enough.
"I used to see a psychologist you know, when I was younger." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I had problems too. Cam wasn't the only one."
"What do you mean?"
She opened her mouth to speak, but found she couldn't.
"Take your time," Ms. Barton gently told her. "There's no need to rush."
"I—I'm bipolar." Maya finally said, "No one knows, not even my own sister. My parents did, but they chose to not tell anyone. They were too embarrassed and ashamed of me."
"Well, how did you control this before?"
"I took medication. I told my sister they were for bad periods and stuff and she believed me."
"Then what happened the last few weeks?"
"I—I stopped taking my medication." Maya was so ashamed for what she did; he felt tears come to her eyes again. "After what happened I decided there was no point in taking them. If something like that could happen to my own boyfriend, who by the way wasn't on any medication at all that I know of, then why couldn't it happen to me? Why was I the one who was so lucky? Why wasn't he lucky like me?" She took a deep breath, "and now I'm pregnant and it's his baby. I took a test and everything the other night, so know I definitely am. It's his damn baby and he might not even be here to see him or her grow up. It's just not fair!" She was becoming worked up by this point, her hands were shaking hard, and she felt the tears fall. "It's just not fair." She whispered and then finally leaned back in her chair.
"Alright." Ms. Barton said, "We're getting somewhere. That's good."
Maya looked at her confused, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that since the tragedy happened, you are the only student I have yet to see. I've seen everyone else, but you, including your sister, and now that you're in here, it's the first step to you getting over this. You will be okay, and I know that's hard to believe right now, but it's true. You will be okay, and I'll make sure of it." She leaned forward, "My advice to you, Miss Matlin is to go back to taking the medication. Tell your sister and tell whomever you want, about it. You cant keep it hidden forever, no matter what your parents tell you. It's not their secret to keep."
Maya nodded, "Okay. I'll tell my sister." She said quietly, wiping a tear away.
"Very good." Ms. Barton wrote down a few things and then looked up at her, a smile on her face. "I will see you next Thursday, same time."
Maya stood up, nodding again, she walked over to the door, taking her bag with her and putting it on her shoulder, "See you then." And with that, she walked out, finally ready to go face Cam and his family.
The train ride was uneventful. She mostly just silently stared out the window the whole time, listening to her music and watching as the scenery passed by while Katie and Eli talked about their future plans for school and what they were going to do with their lives later on and other things she didn't really care about at that moment.
She hadn't been ready to tell her sister about her bipolar disorder yet, so she'd just been silent. Katie knew not to push her, so she didn't. Instead, she just left her alone, which Maya was very grateful for.
After checking into the hotel they were staying in, Maya decided that she couldn't wait any longer, and went to the hospital Cam's mother had emailed her the information for a few days before.
Now she was standing in front of it, scared to go in, but knowing that she had to. Slowly she walked in and walked up to the front desk.
"Can I help you?"
Maya nodded, "I'm here to see Campbell Saunders."
The woman behind the counter sighed, "I'm sorry but only family is allowed to see him."
Unbelievable, she'd traveled all that way for nothing. Feeling defeated, she was about to turn around when she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see a woman she didn't recognize.
"Miss, she is family. Please let her come see my son."
"Alright, go ahead." Maya motioned for Katie and Eli to follow her and turned to speak to who she now knew was Laura.
"Thanks." She whispered, and then held out her hand, "I'm Maya."
Laura smiled, "I'm Laura," the interesting thing was, that instead of taking her hand, and shaking it, she had hugged her. And hugged her close. "It's nice to finally meet you." She whispered into her hair.
Maya nodded, "It's nice to meet you as well."
"Though I wish it were under better circumstances." Laura said as she pulled away and looked at her. "I'm sorry it isn't."
Maya didn't answer, instead she just pointed to Katie and Eli. "This is my older sister, Katie and that's our friend, Eli. They're both here for support."
"Well, I'd say you're a lucky one Maya."
Maya couldn't help but smile at that, "Yeah, I guess I am."
Laura didn't say anything more, instead just lead them down the hall and to the door marked 'Campbell Saunders'. Maya also couldn't help but noticed the room he was in was MC-143. How ironic, she thought.
"You ready to go inside?" Katie asked her, and she turned around to face her older sister.
"Yeah. I'm ready." Maya whispered, and then she hugged Katie. "Thank you for everything." She whispered.
Katie nodded, she didn't have to say anything for Maya to know she acknowledged it. Maya then hugged Eli.
"Thank you both." She whispered.
"We're right here if you need us," Katie said, before Eli could say anything, though he did smile at her and that was enough for Maya. "We're not going anywhere, okay?"
Turning around, she faced Laura again. She then stepped forward as the older woman opened the door, allowing Maya to step inside first.
She closed her eyes a moment, taking it all in, before opening them again, and seeing her boyfriend on the bed, monitors and machines all around him, beeping and keeping him alive. She felt tears come to her eyes, and her hand flew to her mouth as she took it all in again.
She immediately ran to his side, and looked at him tears streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't hold in her emotions now, it would never be the right time to anyway.
"I'll give you a moment." Laura said and then stepped out to join Katie and Eli. Maya looked at Cam, guilt immediately coming over her.
"I'm so sorry Cam." She cried, laying her head on his bed by his leg. "I thought you were dead, I didn't know you were alive and—I hooked up with someone else. I regret that so badly, but I was so messed up. I thought I lost you for good and—and I'm so sorry." She sobbed, her hand unknowingly taking his. She lifted her head to look up at him, "This is all my fault. I should've seen this sooner, I should've known what was going on." She wiped away her tears a moment before speaking. "You can't die, okay? You just can't. There are a lot of people here who care about you a lot and—none of us can live without you. I can't live with out you—and neither can our child. We both need you, Cam. I need you. Okay? I love you and I just want you to stay here with me and never leave me." She whimpered, stroking his hand with her finger. "Please, Cam. Please stay."
She stopped for a moment, her eyes going over his sleeping form, a tear falling on his hand, before she finally spoke the words she knew he'd been waiting for the last two weeks of their relationship.
"I love you."
She didn't know how long she'd been out for, but when she woke up, her glasses were off her face slightly and her hand was otherwise occupied. Straightening her glasses on her face, she looked at her hand and noticed her fingers were intertwined with Cam's.
How the hell did that happen? She couldn't remember doing that.
Her eyes then trailed up higher, and she saw two eyes staring back at her, blinking. She tried to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming before she realized it in fact was real and she excitedly stood up. She let go of his hand, briefly, before running out into the waiting room where she saw Katie and Eli had never left their spots. She was very grateful for that, but knew she had to get a nurse and his mother over there, before she said anything to them.
"Laura! Laura! Come to Cam's room! Quick!" She excitedly told her, and the woman immediately jumped up. There was a boy with her, Maya didn't recognize, but paid no mind to him. Katie and Eli both stood up and all of them went into the room.
"Oh my god." Katie gasped once she saw him.
"I don't believe it." Eli smiled, though he was very surprised. "It's a miracle."
Maya nodded and a nurse rushed in, also in disbelief. "Mr. Saunders is awake? But how can that be?"
Katie smiled, "It's a miracle." She answered, as the nurse quickly removed the breathing mask so he could breathe properly. Then, she did a few things, before she told them it was okay to approach him.
Maya left the room then, letting his mother and whomever that boy was, talk to him first, Katie and Eli following her.
"Why aren't you in there?" Katie asked her, and Maya shrugged.
"I wanted to give him a moment with his mother and whoever that other guy is."
"That's Justin." Katie answered her unasked question. "His older brother."
"I somehow should've known that." The three of them laughed and Katie put her hand on her sister's shoulder.
"I'm so proud of you." She said, "I know that coming here was hard for you, but you did it, and then… a miracle happened. Obviously you had come here for a reason."
"You don't believe in that crap, last I checked." Maya narrowed her eyes.
"Well, now I just might. After what I saw happen in the last 48 hours, I really believe anything is possible."
"Yeah," Eli added, "It's like my dad says, 'the sun will always rise'. He told me that after my girlfriend died. Day turns to day turns to day. And the sun will always rise each and every one, don't ever lose faith, okay Maya? You'll always be stronger than you think you are."
Maya's smiled faltered, when she realized she had something she had to tell her sister—or well, Eli as well.
Taking a deep breath, she decided now was the time. "Katie, there's something I need to tell you."
Katie looked at her as she sat down and started to play with her fingers.
"What more trouble could you possibly be in? I mean…" The look on her sister's face, made her banter end there. "Sorry, I was trying to joke. What's wrong?"
"You know how when we were kids, mom and dad kept taking me to the doctors?"
Katie nodded her head, "I do, yes." She looked at Eli sideways. "What about it?"
"The pills I take everyday, aren't for the reason I told you they were for." Maya looked up at her, "I take it because I'm bipolar." Katie sighed, "I didn't tell you because mom and dad told me not to. They were embarrassed, I guess or ashamed and they just didn't want anyone to know." She bit her lip, "I'm sorry you never knew."
Katie just looked at her and gave her shoulder a squeeze, "I already know."
Maya looked confused, "What?"
Katie turned to Eli a moment before looking back at her. "I was in the bathroom one day and I found your pills out in the open. I walked outside with them as I'd noticed you hadn't been taking them much and they seemed to control your moods well enough. Eli was over with his girlfriend when I did, and he noticed the prescription was the same one he'd been taking for his bipolar disorder."
"Are you mad at me?"
"Maya I'm not mad, because now I know it wasn't you that kept the secret from me, what I was more worried about was your mental health. If you knew you had to take those pills everyday, why didn't you? Do you know how dangerous that is? What if something happened that was way worse than what did?"
"Yes, I know. And because I felt like it wasn't fair to Cam. No one caught his mental illness until it was too late. I felt like I should've been the one to be in his position and not him, which was why I went a little crazy."
"At least you didn't crash a car into a wall to try and win him back." Eli finally spoke, the girls both looked at him, concerned when he just broke into a smile, immediately relaxing them. "But seriously, the consequences of not taking your medication could have been way worse, I'm happy it wasn't, but take it from me. It's not fun."
Maya nodded, "I understand. Don't worry." Eli smiled at her, and nodded to let her know he acknowledged her words.
Before they could continue the conversation any longer, the door to Cam's room opened and his mother and brother walked out, causing the three of them to look up.
Laura gave her son's girlfriend a very warm smile, "there's a boy in there asking for you. I think you should go inside, he can't wait to see you."
"Maya…"
She heard his whisper, and looked up from her feet, slowly approaching his bed as she did.
"I won't bite you." He teased, and she rolled her eyes at that one. She sat down beside him, on the bed, her hand immediately going to his. Her eyes filled with tears, and this time she allowed them to fall as she bit her lip and looked up at him.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, "I'm so sorry all this had to happen to you."
"It's not your fault." He said quietly, and she looked down. "Hey, don't worry, it's okay. I'm still here."
"Yeah but you almost weren't." Maya suddenly snapped. "You tried to kill yourself. It wasn't an accident this time."
"I know, okay? But I just—it's hard to explain."
"Explain what? Why didn't you come to talk to me? Why didn't you just say that Zig had said something really fucked up? Instead—I was led to believe you were dead and made a lot of mistakes, I was so messed up. I just—" She couldn't finish her sentence. She started to cry and lay her head on his chest as she wrapped his arm around her and she lay herself on the bed. He rubbed her back and comforted her as she kept crying. After a few minutes, she looked up only to see he was crying too.
"I can't tell you what happened with me exactly, but I can tell you that I regret almost killing myself because of what Dallas and Zig did. I should've come to you, but… I wasn't in my right mind, I was, I was lost. And the only way I knew how to make myself feel better was to try and kill myself."
"But it made other people who care about you feel worse." She whispered and he nodded.
"I know. It was a huge wake up call for me. I'm so damn lucky I'm alive right now."
"Yeah, you are." She agreed and she took a deep breath, deciding to tell him what she had to tell him. "You know, you're not the only one who's emotionally unstable."
He blinked, "What?"
"I'm bipolar. I have been since I was a kid. You could never see it because I was always on medication and made sure I took it. But after you did what you did, I stopped, and everything that happened when I was younger, happened again, but obviously differently. Since I thought you were dead, I hooked up with another boy." She bit her lip, "But I ended it very soon after, it was only like twice. Once sober, once drunk. I hated that I did it and immediately regretted it." He didn't say anything so she continued. "I also found out like a week ago that I'm pregnant."
"You're pregnant?"
She nodded, "Yeah. Obviously the baby's yours since you're the only one I've had sex with."
"Wow, that's a lot to take in right now." He said and she nodded feeling guilty she looked down. "Can I ask you something?"
"Yeah."
"Was the guy you hooked up with a good kisser? Like was he better than me?"
Her mouth dropped open and he laughed, she playfully smacked him. "No, if it makes you feel any better, he wasn't even close. He was all sloppy and desperate and gross." She shuddered, but then looked at him. "Why aren't you mad?"
"Because Maya, I know you made a mistake and I also know you did it because you thought I had died. If I had in fact died, then there would be no reason for you to feel guilty."
"No, I would've felt it either way." She honestly told him. "I didn't mean to—I just-"
"I know." He whispered, "Don't be sorry anymore okay?"
She nodded. "So, what do you want to do about the baby?"
"The baby?"
She nodded again, "He/see is yours after all."
"Well, for one, I want to keep it. I mean, it's cheesy—don't you dare say it—but it's something we created and it's of us, together. You know?" He gently put his hand on her stomach, "And we'll figure this out, together."
"I think the pain medication is getting to your brain. What you said made no sense."
He blinked, "Yeah, it didn't, did it?"
She shook her head, and they both sighed. "We'll figure out all the baby stuff, like names and all that later, but right now… what did the doctor's say?"
"They said it's a miracle I'm alive right now, and well, I'm indefinitely on suicide watch." Well, duh. "And I have to go to therapy three times a week."
She nodded, "Have you decided if you were going to come back to Toronto or not?"
"It all depends on what the doctor's say. If they say I'm ready I'll go back, but if not… then what's going to happen to us?"
She leaned forward and kissed him gently, then she broke it and looked at him, her hand on his cheek. "I'm not going anywhere." It was a promise they both knew she'd keep. "I don't care if I have to ride a train every weekend, I'll come see you. And you can do the same for me, but bring flowers and chocolates."
He laughed, "Now you sound like you."
She studied him, "But you still don't."
He looked at her eyes, and then at her. "I will someday."
"Yeah," She whispered, laying her head on his chest again and cuddling closer to him. "Someday."
She didn't want to leave, but she knew she had to go back home at some point. Since it was their last day, Maya thought she'd surprise Cam with something. She walked into his room and handed him a gift bag, sitting down beside him; she pushed it towards him.
"Well open it." She pushed it towards him and he looked at her.
"It's not going to explode is it?"
She shook her head. "I don't think so."
He shrugged, "Alrighty then." And with that, he opened it, only to pull out a stuffed white tiger. "What's this?"
"It's your very own, Hoot." She said, "only I wouldn't advise you name him that, because he's not an owl."
Cam laughed and then kissed her. "I love it. I'm going to name him, Bentley."
"Bentley?"
He shrugged, "It's my dream car. Plus, I always kinda liked that name."
She made a mental note to remember that for the future.
"Now you won't be lonely anymore." She whispered, smiling at him. "He'll be here with you while I'm gone and while you're in this ugly hospital." She made a face, making him laugh and then turned to him. "Don't forget, we can call, email, text, facetime, whatever you want, every day."
He nodded.
"Though I wouldn't advise you get on Facebook just yet." Katie advised walking into the room to give him flowers and pointedly giving Maya a look. "Here, get better soon."
"Thanks, Katie." Cam smiled, "That's so nice of you."
Eli walked in then, and smiled at him raising his hand in the air. "Glad to see you're doing okay." He told him and Cam smiled at him too.
"Thanks."
"You should, they're the ones who—who got me out of this hole I was in. They made me… see that I couldn't be that person I was anymore, that I'm just me and that's all I'll ever be." She looked at everyone in the room. "And I've accepted that."
"Glad to hear it, My." Eli ruffled her hair and she adorably looked up at him.
"You ruined my nice hair."
"And you—wait you didn't do anything." Everyone laughed and Maya hugged Cam, holding him close to her. She was just happy he was okay now, and that she didn't have to be the crazy person she was before.
It just wasn't who she was.
Maya sighed, getting off the train, she walked into the familiar Toronto train station. Something she was not particularly happy about honestly. She sighed, playing with her phone a few minutes, as she texted Cam back to let him know she made it to Toronto okay.
She had deleted the video of her and Tyler off her phone and Facebook and checked to make sure there weren't duplicate copies hiding out somewhere. After double-checking it, she was satisfied enough.
"Oh, looks like our rides here." Eli smirked that famous, sideways smirk and Maya looked up to see Jake standing in front of them.
"No way." Katie smiled, and walked over to him giving him a hug. "You're actually here?"
He nodded, "Yeah, just doing my good friend here a solid, you know?" She smiled and nodded, then he looked over at Maya. "How are you? How was the trip?"
"It was fine." Maya said, as she walked up to him and gave him a hug. "He's going to be okay."
His eyes widened, "Really?"
"It's a miracle, man. Like one of those Christmas ones or something." Eli told him, "It was amazing."
"Really." Katie agreed, and nudged Maya who nudged her back.
"Hey… Eli, want to go get a… strawberry milkshake?" Maya suddenly asked and Eli looked at her confused.
"Say what now?"
"Just come with me." She said and he shrugged following after her, leaving Jake and Katie all alone.
"Well, that was weird." Jake said, scratching the back of his head, nervously.
"Even by Maya's standards that was… odd." Katie blinked and then turned to him. "I'm really glad you're here."
"Yeah," He smiled, "Me too."
Maya was watching them, rolling her eyes. "Why don't they just kiss and make up already?"
"I don't think it's that easy." Eli told her, as she turned around in her seat to look at him. "Give them some time to adjust."
"Adjust to what?"
"Having each other back in their lives again." He shrugged.
Maya looked down at her shake a moment, before looking back at him. "Thank you so much for everything you did for me. I know you barely know me, but I just want you to know I really appreciate it."
He smiled, "I'd do it all over again."
"I know. And that's what makes you my special new friend." She said, playfully poking him.
"Ow!" He feigned being hurt. "That was painful! Seriously, that wounded me deep down inside."
"No it wasn't! And it totally didn't!"
"Nah, you're right it wasn't. And it didn't." He laughed at her annoyed expression, before looking over her, pointedly looking up. "Looks like you got your wish after all."
"Huh?" Maya turned around, to see what he was talking about and saw Katie in a major liplock with Jake. "Oh, well, yeah. I guess I did." She smiled, "I'm just that good."
"Where have you been?"
That was the first thing Maya heard when she opened the front door and walked inside the house, Katie behind her after Jake and Eli dropped them off. Their father stood in front of them, their mother beside him, both with disapproving not impressed faces.
"Oh, like you care." Maya snapped, picking up her bag, she pushed past her father and went up the stairs. "You haven't been around the last few weeks, so how the hell would you know what's been going on?"
"Care to explain?" Her mother asked and Maya took a deep breath, turning around she looked at Katie, who looked back at her. Maya realized then that she probably saw the girl she'd been the last few weeks, and that probably worried her.
"Don't worry, I took my medication, promise." She said and Katie relaxed.
"Medication?"
"Oh please, don't act like you don't know. I told her, I told her everything. She knows I'm bipolar, and she knows you two made me hide it from her."
"Wh-what? We absolutely did no such thing!" Her father defended, but neither one of their daughter's was in the mood to believe them or really listen to them explain themselves.
"Oh, and guess what! I'm pregnant. Yup, that's right, I'm having a baby. Oh and another thing, did you guys know that my boyfriend tried to commit suicide and was in a coma the last few weeks? Probably not. I didn't really want to talk about it since I assumed he was dead and all, but it turns out he's not. He's going to be okay. Katie though, she was there for me this whole time, unlike you two."
Her parents then—to both Maya and Katie's surprise—looked at her sympathetically.
"I—I don't know what to say." Their mother finally answered.
Maya's eyes filled with tears, and she just blamed it on the damn hormones.
"I really, really needed you guys these past few weeks. I just wanted you to be there for me. But you couldn't. You haven't before, and I know now that you won't ever be." She spoke quietly, her anger immediately vanishing and instead replaced by disappointment. She didn't say anything more, just ran up the stairs to her room.
"She went through a lot these past few weeks, and having you there, would've helped, but you two were off doing god knows what. But don't worry about it, I handled it and everything's fine." Katie glared at them and having nothing more to say to their parents, she just quickly followed ran up the stairs and in the direction her sister had gone. She gently knocked on the door and opened it to find Maya sitting on her bed. Katie sat down beside her, and took her hand. Maya fell back onto her soft comforter and smiled when Katie did the same.
It was comfortably silent in between them, when Maya interrupted it. "Do you think mine and Cam's baby will be as emotionally damaged as we are?"
Katie couldn't help but laugh lightly at that, "God I hope not."
"Yeah," Maya whispered looking up at the ceiling. "Me too."
She walked back into school, playing with the ends of her hair. She was a little nervous, but after the talk she'd had with Katie, she knew she'd be okay. It had been a few days since she'd gone to see Cam, and after taking the short break, which included going to see her therapist, she knew it was a good time as any to come back to school. So walking into her French class, she tried not to look at the empty seat, instead sitting where she normally did, keeping her head down, so no one would see her.
"Hey."
She looked up to see Tristan and Tori were standing over her, taking their seats next to her.
She bit her lip and turned to them. "I'm so sorry about the last few weeks, and for being a bitch to you Tristan. I was just—I'm sorry." She apologized again, afraid to tell them the truth about her mental state.
"It's okay." Tori put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "We understand." She gave her a small smile. "We both know the last few weeks haven't been easy for you." Her words were gentle, and Maya took comfort in that.
Her phone went off then, and Tristan looked at her. "Who's texting?"
She pulled her phone out of her pocket, a smile immediately coming onto her face once she read the message.
"If that's that boy you hooked up with, I have to be honest with you about that… uh, gross!" Tori made a face, causing Maya and her to laugh.
"No," Maya said a moment later, her voice in a raspy whisper. "It's someone who means much more to me than Tyler ever did." And with that, she turned the phone around, to reveal who exactly it was.
Tristan's mouth dropped open, and Tori's eyes widened, a smile on her face.
"No fucking way." Tristan managed to say in his shock and Tori was for once, speechless. "That fucker's alive." He whispered.
Maya nodded, reading the message over again. She looked up at them, "He's didn't die." She took a screenshot of the message, and then opened it, reading it again.
I miss you. Wish you were here. Bentley does too.
"How?" Tori finally asked her and Maya shrugged.
"No one told us he was in a coma. We all just thought he was dead. I went to go see him with Katie and Eli last weekend and I don't know, literally later that night when I woke up, he was awake and looking at me. Katie believes it was me that did it; the love we had for each other did it."
"Wait, I thought she didn't believe in that fairy tale romance crap." Tori looked confused.
"Guess she does now. But yeah, he's alive. That's all that matters to me."
"Well, I for one am happy for you, Maya. I know these last few weeks haven't been easy for you."
"Thank you, you know." Maya whispered, "For being there for me when I needed you."
"I know you would've done the same for me." Tori's eyes teared up, causing Maya's too as well, and they hugged each other.
"Aw, besties!" Tristan clapped his hands and they broke apart, laughing and wiping away their tears.
"I just have one question though," Tori said, wiping underneath her eyes. She didn't wait for Maya to respond, "Who the hell is Bentley?"
Maya laughed, "I got him a stuffed tiger so he wouldn't be lonely. Kinda like Hoot."
"Hoot?" Tristan looked confused as well.
Maya sighed, "It's a long story guys."
Tori and Tristan looked in between each other before turning to face, her, Tristan looking above her at the clock, "We've got time."
"Fine." Maya grumbled, causing them to laugh. "I'll tell you." And with that, she told them the story from beginning to end, about Hoot, Cam, and Bentley happy to have her two best friends back in her life again.
"Maya Matlin to the principal's office, Maya Matlin."
Maya threw her bag on the chair, and sat down in front of Simpson, looking at him, a bit annoyed. "You know, I really feel like I know this office well. I've been here enough."
Principal Simpson smiled, "I'm glad to see you're doing better."
Maya nodded, "Yeah I uh… I have some things I think I should tell you."
"You're not doing it alone," A third voice said, and she turned around to see Katie standing in the doorway, their parents behind her. She walked in and sat down beside her, her father taking the seat behind them, and her mother taking the seat next to Katie.
"Wh-what are you guys doing here?" She looked at Katie, "Did you force them to come?"
Katie shook her head. "I was the one who told Simpson to call you in here though."
"But why?" She asked and Katie clasped her hands together.
"We want to talk to you, and we feel if your principal is here in the room, we can get a lot figured out." Her mother, Margaret answered, and Maya nodded, still a bit confused.
"Okay, well, let's get to talking." Simpson said, "Maya would you like to go first?" She looked at her parents, who nodded, before turning to her principal.
"I'm bipolar." She said. "I've been on medication up until the last few weeks when I stopped taking them, and that in turn made me into the messed up person I had been." She took a deep breath, "It wasn't common knowledge because my parents wouldn't allow anyone to know, not even Katie knew."
Simpson nodded, "And have you been taking your medication again?"
She nodded, "I have been the last few days, yes. In fact," She went into her bag and pulled out a pill bottle, "I want to give these to you to give to whomever you have to, for when I need to take them. I went to see my therapist again and she told me I had to be careful. So, at the risk of sounding like a child, I need someone to monitor me while I take them."
"Alright, fair enough. I will give these to the nurse, you are to see her when you need to go, and take the amount that is on the prescription, okay?" Maya nodded, "Good."
"We take full responsibility for you not knowing before." Margaret said, exchanging a look with her husband and oldest daughter. "And we want Maya to know that we weren't ashamed or embarrassed we were just scared."
Maya turned to them, "Scared?"
Margaret nodded.
"Why?"
"Because you probably don't remember this, but one night, Katie was at a sleepover with Marisol, and you were alone in the living room. You were playing with your dolls when for some reason something didn't go right, and you angrily threw it against the wall and then had a meltdown. You grabbed it and started to tear it apart, throwing the pieces everywhere, with no regard to where it was going or what you were doing. And then you sat down, and acted like nothing had happened." Her mother was in tears at this point, and Maya just sat there, unaware that this had happened. "You weren't you, and we were worried, so we went to take you to a doctor and they diagnosed you as bipolar. We didn't want Katie to know because we were afraid of what you would do if she did know."
"But wouldn't the medication help with that?" She asked and her mother shook her head.
"Not at first it didn't."
"It actually got worse." Her father said, coming up to them. "To the point where we had to send Katie away for a few days."
Katie looked up, "You mean… when I went to stay with Grandma?"
Her father, George nodded. "We sent you there while we tried to see what was wrong with Maya. We were almost at the point where we were going to send you to a hospital."
"But, the doctors figured out what was wrong in time, and gave you the medication that you needed so you wouldn't act up anymore. You were throwing things and changing moods so often it was worrying." Her mother concluded.
"Bipolar disorder can be very different in many ways. It can also affect families in a very big way." Simpson finally spoke. "I'm just glad you got her the help she needed in time."
Margaret nodded, "You don't know this, but the medication you take, is one of the strongest."
"It is?"
Katie nodded, "Yeah, Eli told me that. He takes it as well, so I can kind of understand it. It at least helps him function, which is what I assume mom and dad wanted for you, am I right?" Her parents nodded and she moved her hand towards them to have Maya see it for herself.
"So… all this time you weren't ignoring me… you were just afraid that I'd snap?"
Her parents nodded and her mother started crying. "We're so sorry we weren't here for you when you needed us. We just didn't know what to do, you were acting the way you were before and it scared us."
"It's okay." Maya whispered, "I forgive you."
She felt them hug her, and made a face, which Katie laughed at.
"We've also talked it over, and if it's okay with you both, we'd like to go speak with Maya's therapist for a little counseling session… as a family." George said and Maya and Katie immediately nodded, not needing to think it over at all.
"We're just so happy Katie was there for you when you needed someone, she's a really good sister." Her mother said in between wiping her tears.
Maya nodded turning to look at her, she smiled. "Yeah," She agreed, "She's the best." Katie smiled back at her, giving her a nod, and she turned back to Simpson. Before she could say anything, his phone rang, and he answered it, giving the family an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry, hello?" He nodded, "Yeah they're in here now, why? Oh. Oh." He had a look of shock on his face, looking up at Maya specifically. "Yeah, sure, they are more then welcome to come in." And with that he hung up, his attention going back to Maya.
She took a deep breath, "There's also something else I have to tell you-," But she was cut off by the door abruptly opening and Cam's mother of all people walked in. She looked at her, confused, "Laura?"
"Hello, Maya." Laura smiled at her, "I come all the way here with good news for you."
"For me?" Maya looked confused.
"And a surprise."
The door slowly opened and she saw her boyfriend walk in, a smile on his face, "Hey, Maya. Miss me?"
"CAM!" She cried excitedly and immediately got up, running over to him, she was careful to watch for his broken leg and cause him not to fall over, and wrapped her arms around him hugging him tight as he laughed and hugged her back, struggling a bit to balance on his crutch.
"Wow," Her mother managed to say, tears in her eyes again. "That is truly the most amazing thing I've ever seen."
"It is." George agreed and Katie got up, putting her hand on her mother's shoulder.
"See?" Katie smiled. "She'll be okay."
"What are you doing here? When did you get here? And how did you get out of the hospital so soon?" Maya was asking question after question causing Cam to just shake his head and pull her in for another hug.
"I came to surprise you, I got here about thirty minutes ago, we just had to drive from the train station and they let me out, seeing that I was going to be okay under the careful watch of my mom, brother and therapist, they told me I was ready to be let out." He smiled at her, "I then decided that I wanted to come back to Degrassi."
"But you—and—you did?"
He nodded. "I wanted to be wherever you are, Maya."
"Really?" She smiled and he nodded.
"Really."
She turned around to face Simpson and her family. "Cam's here." She said, blushing.
"That is clear." Katie answered, and Maya rolled her eyes, hugging him again.
"Cam's going to start school with you in a couple weeks." Laura told her. "I think he'll be okay… with you here."
"I agree." George said, smiling at him, he walked over to him. "If you ever need a place to stay, you are welcome to stay with us."
Maya and Katie's mouths dropped open in disbelief. Their parents would normally never allow a boy to stay over, not counting when Cam did before all this had happened as they hadn't even been home, so to hear that, was a surprise to them both.
"To make you feel more at home," Margaret told him. "We haven't exactly been there for these girls, but now we'd like to start, and you are more than welcome to be apart of it."
"Thanks," He was touched, "that means a lot." He then looked down at Maya's stomach, and then back up at her. She bit her lip and looked down, playing with her hair a moment.
"I have something to tell everyone," She said looking first at Katie and then at Cam. They both gave her an encouraging smile and she continued. "I'm pregnant."
"We know." Her mother gave her a soft smile, "You told us the other night."
"In that case, I was telling Laura and Mr. Simpson."
"Looks like we have a lot to talk about." Simpson said, and Maya nodded.
They definitely did.
"So you haven't seen anyone yet?"
Maya and Cam were still in the office, holding hands, and swinging them back and forth while Cam stayed balanced on his crutches. Maya thought it was entertaining watching him, though she did help him a few times when he fell and almost ate shit.
"Nope, not Dallas, not the coach, not the team, not anyone yet." He told her honestly. He sat hopped on one foot to a chair and sat down, looking at her, as she sat in the seat next to him, his eyes following her.
"Are you ready to see them yet?"
He shook his head.
"I don't blame you." She rubbed his hand with her thumb and then leaned her head on his shoulder.
"What the fuck? Cam?"
They both looked up to (unfortunately) see Zig was standing there, a look of shock on his face.
"You're alive?"
"Do you really need to be an asshole about it?" Maya demanded.
"I don't believe it." He looked more pissed off than happy, Maya noticed. So after looking at Cam he silently nodded, and she stood up, grabbing Zig's shirt, she pulled him outside of the office and then angrily turned towards him.
"What's your problem? Why are you even in the office?"
"I had to pick up something for my teacher…" He looked at her, "Why are you in there? Oh right, you're a badass now, your name got called."
"Look, you don't know anything." She began, "I've had a rough few weeks."
"It looks like you're doing pretty fine now." He said, his eyes going to the office where she saw Cam was watching them, but he quickly turned around. She put her head down, her hand against it a moment before looking back up at Zig.
"You are such an ass. I don't even know why we were ever friends in the first place!"
"Because you befriended Tori, and if I remember correctly, you were the girl I cheated on her with. How is she even friends with you after that?"
"Shut up!" Maya yelled at him, so loud, he jumped a little bit. She would've laughed at that if she wasn't so pissed off. She then got closer to him, her blue eyes almost menacing with the way she was looking at him. "What she and I do is none of your damn business." She spoke oddly calm. "So stay out of it, and stay the hell out of my life." And with that, she purposely bumped into him, causing him to stumble as she walked passed him.
"You're just as psycho as he is." He scoffed and she spun around again.
"What did you just say?"
"You heard me." He simply said. "You two totally deserve each other."
"Fuck you—no wait, that wont ever happen." She smirked at his shocked face. "I'm sure everyone at this school knows what a jerk you are, good luck trying to find a girlfriend. Sucks that you're in grade 9 and still have three years left here, doesn't it?"
He didn't say anything, so she continued.
"And for your information, Zig… not that it's any of your damn business or anyting, but I'm bipolar." His mouth opened slightly. "Think next time you speak." And with that, she was back inside the office with Cam, who immediately hugged her.
"Everything okay?" He asked her and she looked up at him, biting her lip, she nodded.
"Yeah." She smiled and kissed him, "Everything's perfect."
Fun fact: this story is kind of (but not all as it's also based on the episode) based on a true story.
In any case, have you noticed I put bipolar disorder in like everyone of my stories? Yeah there's a reason for it. PM me and I'll be more than happy to tell you.
I really hope it ends up somewhat like this in the show. I don't want Cam to die, he's such a good character and I relate to him, Maya and their relationship a lot.
So, tell me what you think! I'd love to hear it, even if it's to say how horribly cheesy it is. I won't be offended, seriously. I promise.