A/N: I do not own Girl Meets World, the characters, the locations, the songs, and the quotes mentioned. But I do own this plot.

Guys, we need to try to save GMW. There's been news that MJ is in talks with other networks to continue the show and that Netflix is talking to Disney to release the show to them. We need to keep on going with everything to keep the show going - the story is now over!

Remember when the Board of Education tried to stop the English teacher from teaching the kids with comic books and when they tried to cut off the art program? What did our favorite characters do? They fought for what they believed in!

We gotta do the same for them. We gotta help Riley and the crew finish the story they're trying to tell us. So keep doing what you do, keeping saying what you're saying - our voices are being heard!

Also, I know some of you may not be a fan of Miley Cyrus but I thought the song I found by her suited perfectly for Maya's emotions in this chapter. So please bear with it.

#SAVEGIRLMEETSWORLD

You are the sunlight in my day,

You are the moon I see far away.

You are the tree I lean upon,

You are the one that makes troubles be gone.

You are the one who taught me life,

How not to fight, and what is right.

You are the words inside my song,

You are my love, my life, my mom.

You are the one who cares for me,

You are the eyes that help me see.

You are the one who knows me best,

When it's time to have fun and time to rest.

You are the one who has helped me to dream,

You hear my heart and you hear my screams.

Afraid of life but looking for love,

I'm blessed for God sent you from above.

You are my friend, my heart, and my soul

You are the greatest friend I know.

You are the words inside my song,

You are my love, my life, my Mom.

- A Poem for Mom; Champagne S. Baker

You tuck me in,

Turn out the light

Kept me safe and sound at night

Little girls depend on things like that

Brushed my teeth and combed my hair

Had to drive me everywhere

You were always there when I looked back

You had to do it all alone

Make a living, make a home

Must have been as hard as it could be

And when I couldn't sleep at night

Scared things wouldn't turn out right

You would hold my hand and sing to me

- Butterfly Fly Away; Miley Cyrus

Chapter Three: Rare Gift

After eating another scheduled dinner when Riley and I came back from our walk, I told - more like reassured - Ms. Mark that I was a bit exhausted from using all of my energy for the day and was about to go to bed early. She reminded me to take it easy with my head like Dr. Miller told me to, and Riley agreed with her. She gave me a kind kiss on the head and told me to have sweet dreams while I slept before she went to make a couple of private phone calls in the corridor, leaving the door afar to listen to me. Why would I want to dream when everything I want is slowly coming back to me in reality?

I didn't really feel tired at all. I just needed an excuse to be alone; too overwhelmed by the events of the day. I grabbed the duffle bag Riley brought, filled with spare clothes and some toiletries for me, and then I carefully dropped myself onto the wheelchair again and pushed myself into the bathroom.

The shower was more relaxing than my previous one. It used to stool without remorse and leaned back as the droplets pelted away the tension in my muscles and washed off burden of my shriveling form. Even dry-toweling my hair and scrubbing the lasagna out of my teeth seemed to make me feel newer. Wrapped in a towel, I wheeled back in my room. I couldn't tell if Riley was still standing outside of the door, talking on the phone, or if she went to the cafeteria for a quick snack. I tilted my head to peer into the crack of the door and I saw the side of her figure beside the doorframe.

She was definitely still there.

Sleep had caught up to me and was making my body feel heavy. I knew I was going to crash soon. I slowly dressed myself in the most comfortable clothes Riley brought for me, but I was a bit sluggish so I was able to put on a pair of loose sweatpants and an old Princeton sweater that was only one size too large for me but surprisingly snuggly. I can only assume it to be Riley's - I'd feel awkward if she ever lend me some of her fiance's or husband's clothes.

Once I was fully dressed, I dug out my electronics from the small bin, Dr. Miller left for me earlier and I plugged my earphones into my iPod. I was thankful to see it turned on normally and the touch screen only had a few mild scratches but not enough to ruin the sensibility. I settled it into shuffle, instantly finding my favorite song by The Smiths. Normally, a One Direction song would play because Riley has an unhealthy obsession with them, mostly with Zayn, and downloaded them in my iPod without me knowing so she could blast it in the radio of her car. She had been a major fan of that band since their first single so whenever we have free time, we would listen to their songs (secretly meaning, I'd whine while my ears bled and she fell into the spell of their English accents).

I put on the earphones, pressed PLAY, and lay down on my bed as I turned up the volume until my ears thrummed. I closed my eyes, awaiting for the yearned sleep, but the shady lights of the lamp in the far corner still intruded so I added a small pillow over my head to consume me away into darkness.

I concentrated very hard on the music, my foot twitching along with the rhythm of the lyrics being sung into my ears, and the slow-tempo beat of the song being hummed into my head. By the fifth time I went through that song, it became a mantra in my mind. And soon, it worked; the heart-soothing thrums made my nerves cease from tingling. I listened to every song I've downloaded in my iPod again and again until I was silently humming along with the songs, then, finally, I fell asleep.

"Huh? Me? No...n-no way! This gotta be a joke or something!"

"It's not, Maya...You finally made it. You got the scholarship...the full ride...You're going to college and you're going to study art. You're going to live your dream. We gotta get you packing right now - your plane leaves in six hours."

What? Shawn? Where is he? I couldn't see him. I could feel him near but I could see where he is. Everything was pitch black. Too black. I couldn't trace the outline of a figure within miles.

"Hey Matthews, writing another lesson on the board again? You do know that we just graduated an hour ago. What else do you have left to teach us?"

"Just because you no longer need me to teach you things, doesn't mean you're done learning about the world, Maya. Right now, you're going to be your own teacher and your own student - the world is going to be your classroom - your experiences will be your lessons - and the way you handle them will be your final grade. This is just the beginning of your biggest test of them all - life."

What? That is Cory's voice. I can hear him speaking to me. He is somewhere. I need to find him. I need to see the man who became my first father figure in my life. I need to find the man who gave me a home, a life.

"You should be sleeping. You got a big day tomorrow and I don't think you want to end up napping during the valedictorian's speech. Smackle might not live it down if you did."

"I can't sleep."

"I can see that. Care to talk about it?"

"No...yes...maybe. I don't know."

"You're scared to graduate?"

"Yeah...I don't know why. I mean I had an elementary school graduation and a middle school graduation. I don't know why this one bothers me so much. It's the same as every other one."

"Maybe because this one will truly change everything. Your other graduations signify you going through another step ahead with the others by your side, knowing you're going to the same place, have the same closeness, have the same strong bond. This one...is taking you to different places around the world, doing new things, doing what you love, and not knowing where you're going to end up."

"If that's your way of comforting me then you need to practice more."

"Real life is a scary thing to face. But just know, no matter how alone you may seem, you never really are."

Topanga...I recognize that sort of language anywhere. She is the only one who could ever speak those sort of things full of meaning and powerful message meant for me. Where is she?

"Yo!"

"Ahh! Dude! Not cool! Do you know how hot that coffee was? You stained my favorite shirt too! This is vintage!"

"Calm down, Blondie. Just rub some Tide on that and it'll be brand new. Anyway did you guys get your letters yet? Mine came in this morning!" That was Zay.

"Yeah, I got it not too long ago. We're waiting for Lucas and Riley to open them together." That one was definitely Farkle.

"Oh, I already opened mine." That one, without a doubt, it certainly Smackle. "It says I got into Yale. Even if I didn't, I can already tell by the weight. Rejection letters are just an envelope, acceptance letters are a whole package like the ones we have now. Oh...um...except..."

"Oh…"

"Maya, you -"

"It's alright, Farkle. I guess it was sort of expected of me. Maybe I'm not meant to go to college."

I wish I could see them. I wanted to live out what was happening. But I couldn't figure out what was transpiring. Everything seemed scrambled and thrown out of place. I can't remember what went first.

"Have you applied for college yet?"

"Have you applied for the rodeo? I heard they're looking for a sucker for steer wrestling. Why don't you saddle on up and head over to wrestle that young steer like ya meant for, eh, Sundance? Make yer Pappy Joe proud with your cow-tippin, horseback ridin', bull-hoppin ways."

"Still haven't applied, have you?"

"Ah, get off my back, Huckleberry."

"It's okay...I haven't either."

"Really? Not gonna lie, I'm a bit surprised. I expected you to already have everything planned, aside from Riley, Farkle, and Smackle. Even Zay got his life straight."

"I thought I had it all planned too until the applications started coming in and some complications came with it."

"Can't decide whether you want to go or not?"

"Can't decide if I want to go to the one I want or the one my parents want me to go to and follow the family tradition."

"Which college is it?"

"Stanford University. All the way in California."

"Whoa, that's...that's...a little too far from home, isn't it? What's the other one?"

"Rice University. Back in Texas."

"Ah. Wanna go back to the land of wheat, eh. Back to milkin' the cows and grindin' the meat. Back to ridin' yer tractor down to the sunset with wind blowing yer cowboy hat off and listenin to the country blues."

"Now you're just blowing off steam, aren't you?"

"I got a lot in my mind! This is the only thing that's bringing me joy!"

"I'm happy to hear that."

That is Lucas. I can hear the Southern accent rolling off his words. I still could not believe that he is suddenly gone. I couldn't imagine it. I could hardly picture living off a day where he'd give me that challenging stare whenever I tried to break him by teasing him of his heritage and then the playful glint in his eyes when he sees I am nowhere near to getting through him. I want him to come back.

"Everything will be okay, baby girl."

"You think so?"

"I know so. You are my daughter, after all."

That voice...it sounds distant. Almost too faint for me to hear but I managed to hear what was said. It is a woman - I was sure of that. She sounded earnest, her words heartfelt. Almost like all of her faith in the world is in me, all of her heart is wholly held out in the open for me, all of her hope in me was strong, and her belief in the better of me was firm. It was too powerful that I'd cry if I was awake.

"I love you, baby girl."

"I love you too -"

"Mom!" I gasped out, wrenching upright out of the bed only to find myself faceplant on the floor with a groan, taking the small table full of used dishes with me and making them shatter on the floor with a clash. My sudden movement even caused my earphones to pull off the iPod from said table and it clattered on the floor with the broken glass.

The lamp on the corner of the room was still on. I glanced, disoriented, at the clock on the wall. It was eight-thirty-seven in the evening. I groaned as I tried to push myself up with my arms and turn myself onto my back, leaning back on my elbows. I was too alerted to go back to sleep now, too active to relax. I ran one hand through my hair, pulling off the elastic band I used to make a ponytail, then quickly combed through the plaits.

I only have fourteen hours left to sleep before the doctor comes in to run more exams on me but, somehow, even though my eyes drooped and my body demanded to be rested, I couldn't find the strength to because of the torment happening in my chest.

"Maya?"

I snapped my head up and saw Riley standing at the door, her face betraying her shock, holding a cup of instant coffee before she quickly rushed over to my side to help me back up on my bed. It was at that moment I realized I had been crying until I felt tears drip from the tip of my chin and heard a ragged sob rake through me.

Riley kneeled in front of me with her hand steadying her weight. Her hair was a mess; she looked like an electrical surge had pulsed through her. Her brown eyes were wide, vigilant, her lips pressed together in a tight line, and I could see she was trying to control her breathing.

"You're still here," I said.

"Yes, I am."

"You should be home with your husband. He's probably waiting for you, wondering where you are."

"I called him a few hours ago. He understands. He actually came by earlier but he had to leave because there was an emergency at his job," Riley said. She raised her hand to wipe away some of my tears. "What happened?"

"I had a freakish dream," I admitted. "And I fell off the bed."

"You're crying," she noted.

I reached up to feel my face with my hands and brushed my hair out of my face. My face felt wet like I expected it to be in my dream but it felt more like a flood broke through a dam. Salty tears coated my fingers and ran down my palms. I stared at them as the warm drops made tiny rivers down my hands.

One of Riley's slender, soft hands wiped more of my tears from my cheeks. She was calmer, but still attentive, Her eyes were red and weary - it pained me to know that it was partly my fault.

I couldn't explain the strain in my heart but I couldn't stop myself being thrown into Riley's arms and buried my face in the bend of her shoulders as I let out a series of strangled sobs into her shirt. My mother's voice echoes in my mind, one of the last words she said to me before I've fallen, played like a melody. An eerie melody. Her tenderness, her devotion, her friendship, her passion, her heart were all something special to me - she was special to me. I wish she had been the first person I saw when I woke up. More sobs broke out as tears flowed out of me and drenched Riley's shoulder.

Then the door swung open with a loud bang, startling both me and Riley out of our embrace, as Dr. Miller barged in. Following behind him were a couple of nurses, two of them I recognized. Their faces wore matching shocked expressions and their slightly red eyes seemed unhurried.

"What is going on here?" Dr. Miller asked, his words coming out in a rush, as he looked around the room frantically.

Riley answered for me; however, her voice was silent to my ears as I stared at the far wall, mostly in a numb trance as the nurses approached me to tend me in any way possible and to check on the status to my condition. My heart rate had lowered for a little bit, at least enough to not feel like it was going to erupt out of my chest, and my breathing remained labored but I did not feel anything else.

Just a dream, I thought. Just a dream.

I took a deep, shaky breath as I ran my fingers through my hair, and then jumped again when realization struck me like a lightning bolt in an electric storm. I thought about the time when I was six and a strong storm had hit New York. It had taken three days for it to pass by and the nights were a nightmare to me; I'd be under the covers, weeping in fright, as the rumbling thunders make the thin walls shake, the windows rattle, and shriek whenever a lightning would bright up the room because deformed shadow figures would appear in my bedroom. Then my mother would come in, crawl under the covers with me, and hold me tight as she sang a beautiful lullaby I didn't think could exist.

Mom, I thought. I want my mom. I want my mommy. I want my mommy here.

"Where's mom?" I asked immediately when her dazzling face came to mind, and instantly tried to began to push myself closer to the edge of the bed, ignoring the concern orders of the nurses surrounding me.

Warm, gentle hands were on my face; the tender fingers lingering on my cheeks have caressed over my skin to wipe the tears away, and held my head still as I stared into the kind, chocolate brown eyes of this wonderful woman I feel blessed to call my best friend and surrogate sister.

"Maya...Maya, honey, you need to sit down and calm down for a moment," she insisted in a soft, sweet voice.

"No," I protested. "I...I need to see her...I...I-I need to see my mom!"

I pulled her hands off of my face by her wrists before I made an attempt to crawl off the bed. I didn't make it far enough before the nurses started to pull me back down on the bed but I used as much upper strength as I could against them, specifically when two of them are males, and I didn't listen to them or their explanations of medical procedures. I could even hear Riley crying to me to stop in the background of the chaos.

There was only one thing in my mind - the one person I am thinking about, and needed to see, to be able to have that ounce of peace I am missing the most. The voice of the mother in my dreams would not do justice in comparison to hearing it in real life. A memory is what it is. A moment in person is a lifetime. It is what has kept me warm, given me what I got, showered me with enough love for me to feel from her and a parent who never wanted me, and to support me through my struggles of my personal issues.

I'd rather face the Grim Reaper again and meet up with Gammy on the other side of the universe rather than not be able to hear my mother's voice again.

I avoided one of the nurse's hands that aimed for my arm and I tried to lung forward away from them when the door suddenly swung open on its own again. I stopped in a sudden halt, my movements frozen, and my lips parted slightly as I find myself staring into a pair of dark brown eyes. Her gorgeous inhuman face had stunned me in amazement - I couldn't believe it myself that she is standing here right now.

"M-Maya," she panted, breathless. Her face was flushed in a faint shade of red, her hair was a total tornado of chaos, and her clothes were wrinkled. There was a plastic bag hanging from her wrist.

I swallowed hard. "Mom," I whimpered as images of my memories of her in the past popped inside my head - her pretending to be Gimbo the Elf to give me a great Christmas, her in a waitress uniform, her getting the locket I always wanted for my fourteenth birthday, her getting the lead role against A-list actress, Anastasia Boulangerie (or Bobby Jo. I'm still confused about the whole thing), and her getting married to Shawn. "Mom!"

"Oh my God, Maya!" she rejoiced as she flew across the room and flung herself onto me, pushing her way through the crowd, latching her arms around my shoulders.

The force of her embrace had me stumble back into the headboard with a thud, but I didn't pull away from her, and I just wrapped my arms around her, my hands resting on the middle of her back as she quietly spoke into my ear in a hushed tone. Her face was hidden by my shoulder, her fingers were curled around the nape of my neck while muffled sobs shuddered through her body and my shirt absorbed her tears.

"I...I can't...b-b-believe it!" she stumbled over her words, her breath huffing against the side of my throat. "My baby girl...y-you're here...you're h-here!"

I only whimpered. It was all I could do. My throat was dried up with emotions. I brushed her hair, which I can tell she had cut very recently by the tips, behind her ear, and then softly pressed my lips against her temple. I knew she could hear and feel the rattling of my heart.

"Mom, calm down," I whispered as my fingers made slow, comforting patterns on her upper and lower back. "Everything is okay. I'm here - I'm back."

Mom nodded her head against my shoulder. "You're awake - you're awake - you're awake - you're finally awake! Oh my God!"

"Yeah, I'm awake, mom," I reassured her. "And I'm not going anywhere."

Her sobs were quieting a little, though, several hiccups came up from the back of her throat before she raised her head from my shoulder and pressed her forehead against mine as she brought up her hands to my face, her fingers trembling slightly while she gently caressed my face.

"Look at you," she said in awe. "My baby girl...You haven't changed a bit. I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," I said.

"I tried to come as soon as I got the call but they held me back at work," she told me. "I just can't believe you're really awake. They told me that they were going to pull the plug and...and...I thought - I couldn't be there to - I just couldn't watch -"

"Mom, mom, it's okay," I responded with a small smile.

It was ecstatic to be able to see the woman who gave me birth but I was a little sadden to see how much she has changed and I was not there to see her grow. She still has the features that I share with her to make her seem like an older version of me but her golden locks have faded in some patches into a dull gray shade, letting me know that she had grown old by mind and heart and there were faint laugh lines. It was like looking into the future.

Riley stepped forward, a small smile on her face.

"I tried to tell you sooner that your mom was on her way," said Riley. "I called her a few hours ago to let her know and I tried to tell you but you were already asleep. I knew you wanted to see her - you were calling for her in your sleep."

I smiled. "Thank you, Riley."

Riley nodded before she turned to the medical team. "Everything is fine now, doctor. It was just a child wanting her mother. I believe it is one of the more common reaction for a patient at a young age to have whenever they wake up from a coma."

Dr. Miller seemed impressed by Riley's knowledge then his lips twitched. "Yes it is, Ms. Matthews. I would like to apologize to Ms. Hart if we caused any stress on her in any way. It's instinct to react on the spot whenever one of our patients are showing unnatural behaviors."

"It's fine," said Riley. "But I think it's more appropriate to leave them alone for a while. Visiting hours don't end until nine-thirty, right?"

"We should." Dr. Miller turned to the others. "Let's move along, everyone. These ladies have lots to catch up to." Then he glanced at Riley. "Could I interest you in some coffee, Ms. Matthews?"

"I already have some." Riley gestured to the coffee she had on the table but then she chuckled awkwardly once she saw that the coffee was literally on the table and turned back to the doctor with pink cheeks. "I guess I could go for seconds." She looked over at my mother. "Do you want anything, Mrs. Hunter?"

Mom shook her head. "No, thank you, Riley. I had enough at the office."

"Alright."

Riley gave us a satisfied smile, her eyes holding a glint of contentment, before she left to follow Dr. Miller and the other nurses out of the room. I managed to catch her secretive smile within the crack of the door before she closed the door shut. As soon as the click of the door was heard, my mom immediately pulled out her phone and started to search through the apps.

"I need to call your father," she pointed out. "He probably already got the call but he needs to see it himself. I told him about the bad news when they told me but I think this will make him feel better. He looked so lost, more than usual, when I told him they were going to pull the plug on you."

"Isn't he on a tour with Guns N' Roses?"

"He is. He doesn't let that stop him from answering any of my calls. Besides it's already noon over where he's at. Their concerts don't normally start till six or seven."

I watched patiently as my mother clicked on Shawn's contact for a FaceTime session and looked at the screen anxiously whilst it rang continuously. At first, I thought he probably wouldn't respond to the call until the ringing stopped and the screen changed into Shawn's face close up to the camera, his eyes a bit unfocused and he was sporting a five o'clock shadow, but then he instantly lit up once he saw my mother.

I held my breath. I was flabbergasted to see how much he's changed over the years. He still have the same slick hairstyle I remember him to have only it was colored in the same gray as my mother's hair, worry lines were carved in the middle of his forehead, and small signs of wrinkles forming in his skin. The only thing that never changed was the passion in his eyes - it still glowed like a lighthouse.

"Hey babe," he greeted fondly, the tone bringing my heart to rest from the anticipation. It brings me great joy to know that after fifteen years since they got married that they still have that face of infinite adoration reversed for the other. Not even my incident was enough to break them apart - it seem to have brought them closer than ever.

"Hey hun," mom said. "Did you just wake up?"

"Yeah," replied Shawn in a dreary voice. "The concert from last night took a lot longer than I thought it would. They did three encores for the crowd and the meet and greet took more than an hour - I think maybe two and a half. Not to mention we had to find Duff at the after party too. We didn't get to the tour bus until eight this morning."

"Sounds like an eventful night," mom snorted. I hid my smile behind my hand.

"Tell me about it," Shawn groaned. "I hate to admit it but I think I'm getting too old for this. Maybe after the end of this tour, I'll retire from the band life and go back to posting for the 'Hit the Road' website. At least there weren't so many screaming fans when I did that job."

Mom giggled. "If it's what makes you happy somehow, babe. Anyway, I called you for very important news."

"Oh yeah?" Shawn yawned, leaning his head back on what I can identify as a couch and scratching his uncombed hair. "What about?"

"Hang on…"

Mom kept the screen facing her as she handed me her phone and I gingerly held it that way for a moment, a sense of hesitation crawling through me. It might not have felt like so much time flowed by to me, but it had been an eternity for Shawn. Then, after a deep breath, I turned the screen towards me and formed a shy smile at the buffering video of my step-father coming into focus as the connection went through.

Shawn's immediate reaction was an astonished gasp and he sat upright on the couch. I could hear some of the bandmates asking him if he was okay (all the while I am holding down the teen in me who is squealing in excitement) but he has his eyes trained on me, roaming over my face as if trying to find some sort of sign saying he was dream, that I was not real. Then his eyes glistened and his lips trembled but he quickly took a deep breath to keep his composure together.

"No way," he breathed out. "M...Maya?"

"Hi dad," I said with a grin. "Long time, no see."

"Maya, you...you're…" Shawn then lets out a merry laugh. "Kid, you...I don't believe it. You're awake. You don't know how much we've missed you. I got a call telling me they were going to - ah, forget about it. You're awake!"

I felt my heart swell at the sight of the man who gave back the many fatherless years I had to go through and showered me with endless fatherly love. He gave me new experiences, new perspective in life, new style in clothes, newer support in my dream to study the arts, and a new beginning of life with a newly improved family. And to know that I lost twelve years of something I've wanted for years has torn my heart.

"And you're touring with our favorite band," I laughed, sniffling slightly, and then glanced up at my mom over the phone. "And you're a manager in the movie industry. How'd that happen?"

Mom chuckled. "I had to go back to college to get a bachelor's degree in theater and arts management. I managed to get a second job as a catering crew member and worked my way up - I was still working at Topanga's at the time. Because of my experience from that hit movie I did years ago, I was able to climb up the ladder quicker than ever. Before you know it, I'm a casting director and managing people."

"And I got the offer to tour with bands for photography," Shawn added. "Their manager, Vicky Hamilton, called me up one day saying she needed a new photographer for the band since their old one quit and somebody from my work had recommended me. They showed them some of my pictures of people who paid me for weddings, bat mitzvahs, and other events, and they couldn't pass me up. It took me a while to take the offer but Cory and your mother convinced me to go."

"I'm glad you took the chance to go," I said. "Both of you; you're doing something you love and I couldn't be so proud of you than I am now. I'm glad to know that you did so many things for yourselves."

"We knew you would be," said mom. "Although, I won't lie, we did do most of these things to keep ourselves distracted. The past few years were our toughest."

I frowned. "I missed a lot of years I didn't get to spend with you two."

"Doesn't mean you can't spend the next with us," added Shawn. I looked at him to see him giving me a comforting smile that I couldn't help but make my own smile. "Now that you're back, we could retire and act like a bunch of old folks." He paused and looked taken aback. "Did I really just say that?"

I laughed. "Yeah, you did. Are you coming home soon anytime? Riley said you have until next month for the tour to be over."

"Yeah, but I think I can come home early after the next two shows," he said. "After the last concert, it'll all be just interviews and guest appearances for events after. They don't need photos of that. I'll talk to Vicky about it."

"And I'll see if maybe I could reschedule some of meetings with potential clients for the rest of next month so we could have a family day," mom joined. Her voice was covered in dried tears and she sounded like she was going to cry again but she just sounded poignant. "I'm still in shock to see you awake and talking, baby girl. I don't even know what to say about all of this - I just - we thought you were never going to wake up again. It's been -"

"It's been a little hard without you around," Shawn finished; he could probably hear the difficulty in mom's voice.

I offered a calming smile. "I'm just glad to be back," I said, trying to keep my voice was breaking at the end of my sentence.

"Oh, honey," cooed mom as she wrapped her arms around me and cradled my head to her chest, stroking my hair with her manicured fingers. I closed my eyes momentarily while I listened to the familiar, comforting feeling of her thumping heart - the same one I had fallen asleep to many times whenever I had a nightmare or needed to have a good cry to let all of my emotions out.

"C'mon, don't cry, kid," Shawn consulted, his voice fuzzy through the corrupted connection. "You'll make your mother cry, too. I'm bad at handling crying women through a video call worse than I am in person."

His comment brought a giggle out of me and a small chuckle out of my mother as we parted from our loving embrace. I looked at the phone screen, seeing Shawn's image seem a bit disoriented in pixels.

"What's it like touring with the band?" I questioned. "Are you with Slash right now? Is he just as amazing playing the guitar live as he is in the albums?"

"It's absolute insanity," Shawn answered. "Being with them backstage is a whole other world. Maybe one day, for one of their concerts, I could string up a couple of VIP's for you. Your mother already met them but she didn't need my help with that. One of her clients are actually childhood friends with the bassist. Can you believe that?"

"Hardly," I huffed. "Did you get to meet any of your favorite actresses, mom?"

"Hmm." Mom tapped her cheek with her finger, a look of contemplation masked over her face. "I got to meet Julia Roberts on a set for a movie - I met Emma Watson for a presentation for her HeForShe foundation - Kristen Stewart for a meeting for her to be one of my clients - Jennifer Lawrence during an audition. But my favorite had to be meeting Jennifer Aniston at a coffee shop on a random day. She is such a humble person. The media can be so misleading."

I could feel a fluttering sensation in the pit of my stomach but it was not the bad kind. It was the best kind where I felt my ego burst for these two amazing people I am lucky to call my parents because they are living out careers that made them happy, kept them going forward since the incident, and that made me feel good. Just seeing Shawn sitting in a couch on a tour bus and my mother dressed in professional clothes made me feel more alive than I could ever remember feeling.

"Man, kid, I can't wait till -" Shawn suddenly stopped as a light murmuring was heard from the background and he turned to the sound. "Maya, I'm so sorry but I gotta go. Vicky is calling me in for the band's rehearsal, but hey, how about later - if your mom is with you - we can talk all night like we used to? Sound good?"

I nodded eagerly. "Sounds like a plan."

"Good. I'll talk to you later, sweetheart."

"See you later, dad."

After exchanging a farewell, I tapped on the "END CALL" and handed the phone back to my mother. She quickly shoved it back in her pocket and shifted closer to me to take my hand in hers. I made my grip tight because I was afraid that this might be a dream within a dream and then I'd wake up to find myself alone in this hospital room, leaving me wilting away in sorrow like a flower. But the infectious smile on my mother's face has me grounded.

"If you take a picture, it'll last longer," I said jokingly.

"I've looked at too many," she countered. "Looking at the real thing is much more refreshing."

"Oh mom," I sighed as I brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I'm so sorry you had to go through all of this."

"Don't be sorry," she chuckled with little humor. "Nobody knew that terrorist attack was going to happen. Not even you. I'm just glad that they didn't manage to take you away from me for good." She held up the bag she had tied to her wrist. "I passed by the old diner on the way here. Figured it'd be the best way to welcome you back."

Mom placed the bag on my lap and undid the knot on her wrist before she opened it to pull out a foam container with an inviting aroma surfacing from it. My mouth was watery by the time I held it in my hands and when I flipped it open, the biggest smile was formed on my face as I admired the sight of the most heaven-like creation meant to be devoured by a hungry person like me; Nighthawk Diner's infamous Tuna Melt.

"I'm surprised that place is still open," I said playfully. "I thought they'd burn to the ground after you quit and went to Topanga's."

"Don't say that," she retorted amusingly, giving me a light tap on my leg. "The place was running fine way before I started working there."

I rolled my eyes and twisted around in a more comfortable angle to face her. "But you brought in more customers when you worked there. Everybody loved being served by you whether it was your charismatic services or your flirtatious ways with that waitress uniform."

"Maya Hart!" mom gasped in false incredulity. "You know that's not true!"

"Sure it's not," I replied sarcastically. "And it's Maya Hunter," I added. "Last time I checked, a very special man in your life, one who you are currently married to, has adopted me back at my freshmen year in high school, and neither you or I have been a 'Hart' for a long time now."

"Thank God," she sighed in relief. "I didn't know if you remembered that or not. I read that people tend to have memory loss when it comes to head traumas so I was mentally prepared for you to not remember Shawn or anybody else in case it went that far back."

"I don't think I could ever forget anybody," I said honestly.

Mom placed her hand on mine and gave me a genuine smile. "I know you wouldn't. I still needed to be prepared of the possibilities that life throws at us. But just know that whether it went down that way, I'd still love you the same like I always have for the past thirty-one years."

"I love you too, mom."

And I really did. I truly love this woman with every ounce of my heart and every fiber of my being. I regret those days when I used to resent her because I thought she had been the fault of my biological father leaving us and because I did not have a decent childhood like all my friends did. I still have loads to thank her for her sacrifices, even after I got a job during my sophomore year and helped her financially, I don't consider it enough for all that she went through for me.

"You want half of my tuna melt?" I held up one side up to her. "We could eat and talk like old times."

Mom beamed. "I would love that."

Mom took a set of plastic plates from the bag, along with wrapped utensils, and fixed up separate halves for us before she made a quick trip to the cafeteria to get bottles of water for us. She even brought two cartons of Edy's ice cream (vanilla for her and chocolate for me). We sat facing each other, legs crossed, our plates and ice cream placed between us on the sheets, and taking mouthfuls of the tuna melts.

"Can I know how you guys managed for the past years?" I asked carefully, watching her intently. I knew it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine like they seemed through the video call, that they put up their facade to not have me worried about their relationship like I used to be, and I knew she knew I wasn't the kind to fall for sugar-coated stories.

"In all honesty, baby girl, we were in a rut," she answered wistfully. "Shawn and I were in denial about you being in a coma for a while and when the reality of it set in, the guilt came in. We didn't exactly communicate so well about it and we ended up fighting most of the time. I'd take extra shifts at the diner - Shawn taking longer trips for his articles. We'd avoid each other if we're ever in the same room and we got used to be away from each other."

I inhaled deeply. "I'm getting the feeling this story is going to take a turn for the worst," I murmured softly then took a bite out of my tuna melt. I watched as mom's face slowly turned more bitter and her eyes dulled in misery.

"It did," she continued. "Eventually, I began to get suspicious of why Shawn has been coming home late so often and when I decided to confront him one night, I found him stumbling in all drunk."

I heard my intake of breath.

A couple of years ago, back at my sophomore year, when I was going through a phrase of being peer pressured into drinking by the drama club I had joined, Shawn had told me a story about a time he was going through a bad case of alcoholism. He explained to me about how he had been drinking for a week and nobody, not even Cory, noticed - how he fought with Uncle Jack about calling Grandpa Chet an abusive drunk - how he harmed his then girlfriend, Angela, when drunk - and how much he regrets for the pain he caused for his actions.

Shawn saved me with his story before I considered in taking the chance of drinking illegally and I never touched a glass of alcohol in my life. I don't think I even want to drink now that I am of age because I don't want to find out what kind of drunk I can be. But knowing that Shawn fell into that old habit of his, that sick depressive addiction, and learning what kind he is made me tremble in terror for my mother. I was scared to hear where this story could be going because I know I could not picture Shawn being the type to hurt my mother and because I know if he did then I might not be able to see him as the secure person I see him as.

"I was so upset with him for going back to that point and I told him how I felt about it and we ended up having a fight," mom kept on. "Things got heated and...then, um...well, Shawn, he...he sort of shoved me."

I had to spit out the bite I've taken because I started to choke on it and then took a two large gulps of water when my mother gave me the bottle. She had to give me a few pats on the back as a precaution.

"He...he what?" I panted, staring at her skeptically. I couldn't see it or I didn't want to see it; Shane, slurring his words, red eyes, and unsteady balance, shoving my mother, the woman he declared his love to and treated her like she was the greatest treasure on the highest pedestal.

"I know, I know," mom tried to reassure me. "It came as a shock to me too. I stayed over at Topanga's for a week before he came to apologize."

"But Shawn...Dad, he...he…"

"He didn't do any real damage, baby girl," mom said. "It was only a light shove. Besides we're past it now. The way he apologized was more than enough and really sincere. He took me to Le Bernardin, single table in a private room, and we talked about everything. We let out all that we've been feeling - being away from each other, hurt about you bring in a coma, and the way we've been dealing with it. Ever since then there hasn't been an incident like that again. We've helped each other through it all - I made sure Shawn didn't get near whiskey again - he made sure I didn't overwork myself. Soon we're doing things to keep ourselves distracted with things that didn't remind us of you and we ended where we are now."

"Oh, mom…" I reached for her hand with both of mines and soothen her knuckles with my fingers. "Look at me."

She complied. I leaned forward to make sure my eye contact with her, to let her see the thousand emotions running through me for her, for Shawn, for their marriage, and for our family. I tightened my hold on her hand.

"I promise, mom, that as long as I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you," I declared. "I won't let Shawn bounce back to his old addiction - I won't let you guys fall apart like that again - and I won't let anything take me away like that again. You can count on it."

And it was the truth. My whole life I've only ever wanted was to have my own family. A father who would be protective of me when it comes to my potential boyfriends, to wrestle around with during sports night, having have playful banters with, and to give me away on my future wedding day. A mother who I could come to for girl talks, to tease my father jokingly for his mistakes and embarrass him, to have a girl's day out with, to help me find the best prom dress, to help me plan my wedding, and to find the perfect wedding dress.

And I finally have all of that. I blindly hoped for it and it came true. It took a long while to have that dream come true but it did and I did everything I could in the past to make sure it stayed alive.

Life is going to have to do a lot more than a coma to snatch this away from me.

"I promise," I repeated.

"Oh Maya…baby girl…"

Mom reached over our food to wrap her arms around me in a steel grasp and I fell into the holy feeling of a motherly embrace I've been deprived of for so long.

This moment was a reminder that not everything in the universe was exactly terrible as it is trying to make out. This is the one thing in the world that is the most valuable to find and have daily; a mother's hug full of love and care. It is rare nowadays because some parents don't care about their children until they're lying lifelessly in their coffin or if they're escorted home in the middle of the night by a policemen for drinking illegally and shoving heroin into their body.

Their love isn't true until the couple of minutes of watching their child's body being lowered in their grave and the next day they are found in a bar, drunkenly getting into the car of a stranger, and leading said stranger into their home to have a night of ecstasy that they won't remember in the morning.

But I do have the best kind of love from my mother that is unconditional and unbreakable despite my mistakes and the possibilities of me never waking up again. She loved me even with the thought of me not knowing who she is or me never coming back alive. How many children in the world can say that now?

"I love you, mom," I whispered into her ear because I know my voice is probably choked up by my tears and I didn't want to alert her with how weak I could sound.

"I love you too, Maya."

And I hope she knows that having her as my mother is the most beyond amazing gift she has given me.

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