Chapter 104
Family Histories

They could spend hours on end just watching their boys exist in the world. Here were these pieces of themselves, a bit of him, a bit of her, still so small and new on the whole but growing every day. The more they grew, the more they learned… It was just sort of fascinating, wasn't it? And if there was ever a way to stimulate this effect, bringing two cats into their household was like going into toddler overdrive.

They'd never worried for a second that the boys would take issue, no. They were like their mom and dad, they were animal people. The biggest concern was instead with how the cats would adapt to their new environment and their small people. They felt pretty good about putting them together after those first few days, but then you never knew, right?

Whiskey and Shadow had been kept to their room for the first night, after which they'd had to be moved to the basement. It was one thing to want to give them a chance to acclimate, but then they didn't feel right about having to close off their bedroom door on their sons for all this time. From there, they were able to alternate going down to see how they were doing, to make sure they had everything they needed, to change the litter when necessary…

In those days, both Maya and Lucas were left feeling that things were going as well as they ever could. The cats were getting to know them, to feel at home. Neither of them was particularly noisy or all over the place, they were both quiet types, but each of them was so in her own way. With Whiskey, it was that whole intensity she'd had from the moment they saw her. The only way Maya knew to explain it was that, if she were human, she'd be a tall woman who made a habit of walking into a room and commanding attention… preferably in a power suit. Shadow, on the other hand, oh… Shadow, if she were human, would be a child… with the power of invisibility. She seemed mildly self-aware enough to understand that her color allowed her to go unseen, under the right circumstances. Beyond that, she was a little girl in cat form. There was just something in her behavior, in the way she carried herself, and interacted with her people, with Whiskey… Before they were ever introduced to the boys and anyone outside the house, they would be called by their names as much as they would be called Madam and Sweet Girl.

They'd been in the house a whole week before they were finally introduced to the boys and settled into the house proper. If Elliott and Noah had been older, they might have wondered why their Mom and Dad were acting so strange, smiling the way they did as they started going about their day the way they always did, having breakfast the four of them and Pappy Joe, the dogs underfoot and waiting for donations from the humans big and small. After they finished eating, Pappy Joe decided to take Trix and Lou for their walk, the better to make 'the introduction' easier.

Lucas stayed with the boys, up in the living room, while Maya went down and gathered Whiskey and Shadow. She carried them up the stairs, one in either arm, before setting them on their feet when they reached the top. Shadow looked back at her for a moment, but Whiskey just went right ahead and so she followed when she saw her go. Maya trailed after them. She wasn't about to miss the big meeting. Lucas wasn't going to miss it either, clearly, as he already had his phone out to capture the moment. Elliott had only just noticed him standing there, and he now moved to stand, too, a look of curiosity in his eyes. What was he up to? Meanwhile, Noah was standing by the couch, where he'd managed to pull himself up. He wasn't walking yet, but he could stand, and from his brand-new vantage point he would look around. Oh, he wanted to walk, he did. He understood the concept, the advantages… so many advantages. He'd watch them go, his brother especially. But then he'd try, and he couldn't quite manage it yet. He'd just fall down on his butt. He'd keep trying, he'd get it eventually.

That day as he stood by the couch, he looked around and he spotted Whiskey. He froze for a beat, and then he gave that sort of little shimmy he'd get whenever something made him want to move forward. Maya and Lucas would joke and say he was starting his engines. He knew what it was, he knew cats, he loved cats. He'd hung out many times with Diana and Farah's cats over the summer.

"Cat!" he spoke, pointing his index at her and at the same time making another failed step. He thumped down, which in turn drew Whiskey's attention as well as Elliott's. The cat came up to meet Noah, who reached out his hands for a moment before touching the white cat. Elliott came closer, too, and he was about to reach down when he saw the second cat coming behind. Shadow stopped where she stood before starting again like she'd made up her mind. Elliott crouched, sat on the floor, tipped his head down like he wanted to get as close to the black cat's eye level as possible. Shadow responded to this by approaching him and observing him, this way and that. In the end, she looked like she'd reached the conclusion that she liked this small human, and she advanced herself under his arm. Elliott went right along with this invitation and embraced her as gently as he'd been shown to do.

And that was it for the boys. They met the cats, and they loved the cats, and the cats loved them. The last big question was how Whiskey and Shadow would do with Trix and Lou, but that was resolved just as quickly as the meeting with Elliott and Noah. There was definitely a moment of surprise when Pappy Joe brought the dogs home and they came to encounter the cats, but that barely lasted long enough to matter. The two pairs kept sort of separate for the first few days, like they were sizing each other up, figuring out their place in the 'home order' now that they were aware of each other. But then the one thing both sides would have to come to see would be that the little humans and the big ones loved them all. Once that happened, hopefully, they could move on. Mostly, it felt like they started to properly co-exist because the boys didn't leave them a choice. The animals were all so protective of Elliott and Noah, whether they'd known them since they were still unborn or for less than a week, and the brothers loved to sit with their pets nearby, so what else were they going to do?

Maya and Lucas were both glad that they'd decided to go forth with the cat plan when they did. As it turned out, it wasn't so much the animals who needed time to adjust to the new residents, nor was it the boys. Suddenly, they had twice as many animals to look after as they used to have, and these new ones required different care in most every way. It was a lot to figure out, especially while already dealing with two dogs and two small children. It was definitely a bit chaotic in the beginning, but as ever they were up to the task, and in time they got everything handled. They had their cats, and everyone was doing great.

The bonus, which they would gladly credit to the presence of Whiskey and Shadow, was that Noah finally started to walk, and because he'd been doing something cute with Whiskey at the time, they'd already been recording. There was no real way to know if their interpretation was correct, no, but the way they saw it, Noah was encouraged to trail after the white cat, and that was what did it. He had a 'wobbly period' at first, but he got over that as fast as they expected him to. Before his parents knew it, the boy was walking steady, no more tipping over or dropping down. There was no one happier about this, it seemed, than his older brother. A picture now hung in the living room, showing Elliott holding his brother by the hand and walking along with him. They could have had several variations of it, too, for how he just kept doing it, and how Noah would now hold his hand out for his big brother to take. The funniest response Maya and Lucas had gotten, after they'd shared the picture with family and friends, was from Rosa, who apparently couldn't cope with 'this level of cuteness.'

The bath time 'prophecy' fulfilled itself not too long after this, and the results came in the form of a slip, a fall, and a trip to the ER, though not for any harm to either of the boys. Instead, as soon as Noah had gone and launched on his mad streak, Maya had gone off after him and not a second too soon. If she hadn't caught him when she did, he might have cracked his head on the doorway. But she did get him, and the victorious relief lasted no more than a whole second, as the momentum wasn't finished with her. She still had to set her foot back down, and when she did her foot found water, and it slipped, kickstarting a second bit of maternal reflex. She closed her arms around Noah at once, caring much more about safeguarding him than anything else.

The landing was neither dignified nor harmless, and Maya let out a cry of pain and surprise, even as Noah started wailing from the shock. Lucas already had Elliott in his towel, which was a small mercy as he moved over to his wife and younger son.

"Are you okay?" he asked Maya, even as she asked the same thing of Noah.

"Hey, you're alright, you just got startled. You're okay, yeah?" Maya promised Noah, holding his trembling little body in her arms. Possibly, she was shaking, too, but she couldn't tell who was doing what anymore.

The bombardment of sounds summoned Pappy Joe and the dogs, which did not help in bringing order to the situation. Trix and Lou were now barking nearby, and Elliott started to cry, same as his brother. Once Pappy Joe managed to pull back the dogs and make them stay in the hall, he was handed Elliott, allowing Lucas to take Noah and look him over. As expected, he was only scared by the fall, but he'd been cushioned from harm by his mother, all the way. He was passed on to his great grandfather, too. Now Maya…

"Where does it hurt? Can you stand?" Lucas asked his wife, maintaining what levels of clear-headedness he could muster while on the inside many a bell was ringing in alarm.

"Hurts a lot of places, couldn't tell you where in particular," Maya gritted her teeth. "Don't think anything's broken. Really, just give me a hand to…" Getting up, as it turned out, put her in touch with those parts of her which were afflicted. She cried out, and Lucas tried to steady her at once.

That settled the matter. Soon, Lucas was very carefully helping Maya down the stairs and out to the car. He returned inside to help Pappy Joe dress the boys so they could all get in the car, too. They were 99% sure that Noah was fine, but they were going there anyway, so it wouldn't be unwise to get that last percent locked in.

"Please don't call anyone unless this ends up as something more than 'you're going to be sore for a few days but otherwise nothing's broken,' okay?" Maya looked to Lucas as he drove. "Swear it."

"I swear," Lucas replied at once. Maya looked to the rear-view mirror.

"Pappy Joe?" she asked him.

"Heard," Pappy Joe replied.

"If they have to take Noah anywhere, you go with him," Maya continued laying down her instructions. "Leave me Elliott… and Pappy Joe."

So, they got to the hospital, and as the situation was recounted, Lucas kept his promise. He left with Noah as they went to examine him, while Pappy Joe stayed within sight of Maya, with Elliott in his arms, as she was looked over as well. Lucas had no trouble recounting exactly what the sequence of events was, and just how Maya and Noah had fallen. He didn't think he was ever going to forget that, much as he wished he could. The benefit here at least was that it helped the doctor to consider Noah, who had calmed down significantly since the moment in the bathroom, and soon enough they were able to assure Lucas that his boy was unharmed.

Even though it would take him no more than three or so minutes to get back to her, Lucas went ahead and texted Maya's phone so that whoever had it between her and Pappy Joe would be made aware that Noah was alright… and hopefully they'd already be able to tell him the same about Maya.

"Lucas?"

As caught up as he was in his own thoughts, the sound of his name broke in and made him stop to see where it had come from. He turned, and he was brought to discover a face he hadn't seen in several years. He still recognized it very well.

"Juliet?" he blinked, and the woman smiled, like not a day had gone by since she'd last seen him. She laughed as one might, when brought up before an unexpected but very pleasant surprise.

Then she registered the presence of the small boy with the blond curls, and there was no reason to suppose this would be anyone but Lucas' son, especially as she'd know he existed, him and his brother, both. Even though the two of them hadn't seen each other… oh, since not too long after his grandmother's funeral, since he'd stopped going to her ranch… she was still in contact with enough of the family that she'd known about the boys. She'd sent gifts at both births.

"This is Noah, isn't it?" she asked, and Lucas nodded. Only now did they both seem to remember where they were. This wasn't the kind of place where running into someone you knew was a good thing, not entirely. If they were here, then someone had to be sick or hurt. "What are you doing here?" Juliet asked before he could.

"We were finishing up bath time with him and his brother," Lucas explained, brushing at Noah's curls, which had been left to exist as they would after the bath. There had been no time to worry about any of that. "He started to run off, and my wife stopped him, but then she slipped and fell. I went with him, he's fine, but I have to get back to…" His phone pinged, and he looked at it at once. It had still been in his hand.

Maya: Nothing broken, we can go. 366.

Lucas breathed. He hugged his baby boy and he breathed before sharing the news with Juliet.

"Oh, that is good news," she echoed his sentiments.

"I should get back to…" he started to say, but his manners demanded further intervention. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Me? Oh! Yes, yes, I'm just visiting a friend who had surgery, nothing major," Juliet promised him. "Listen, I'll let you go on ahead, but I would like to talk some more, some other time…"

"You know my grandfather's house? Pappy Joe?" Lucas asked. She nodded. "We live there now, drop by any time in the next few days, we'll be there."

The return home felt a lot different from the drive up to the hospital, as was to be expected. The tension had gone away, and they really only just wanted to get there already, to put this whole night behind them. Maya especially just wanted to be able to lie down in her own bed. She'd dreaded the idea of having to stay there overnight, so when they'd told her she could go home…

Pappy Joe brought Elliott up the stairs, and Lucas brought up the rear with Noah. The great grandfather was left in charge of the young brothers, who'd thankfully fallen asleep on the ride back, and Lucas returned to the car to help Maya up into the house.

"You could just stay down here on the couch tonight instead of taking the stairs," Lucas suggested. She shook her head.

"I want to be up there with you," Maya insisted.

"I don't mind sleeping on the floor if…"

"Upstairs," she cut him off with an appreciative smile. He understood. 'With you' wasn't just him, it was their sons, too. "Please?"

"Alright," Lucas breathed, pausing to kiss the side of her head before helping her along. Up to their room they went, and after he'd helped her change and settle into bed, he sat next to her.

"See, this is good," Maya hummed, eyes closed as her hand reached to find his. He gave her hand a squeeze. "Can you get the monitor? I know they're asleep, I just need to…"

She was trying to keep herself relaxed right now, and he got why. She was going to have to take things easy for who knew exactly how many days, especially with the fall semester starting before long. She didn't want to have to miss school… again. But right now, she was still hearing the last notes of the panic she'd felt, and she needed to know that the boys were okay. He gave her the monitor, and she held it like it was her safety made tangible. To further bring her down to reality again, Lucas told her about his encounter.

"That's the woman from your grandmother's ranch, right?" Maya asked, and he nodded. She thought for a moment and… laughed?

"What?" Lucas asked.

"Wasn't she the one who gave us… the bath towels?" she gestured off toward the bathroom. Lucas thought back to the hooded blankets their sons loved so much.

"Yeah, she was," he confirmed. Those had been one of her gifts after Elliott's birth. They had been staples for over two years in this house.

"You know, of all the times you've mentioned your grandmother's ranch… I know you haven't been there in years, but I keep thinking how I'd like to see it someday."

"I will take you there," Lucas vowed. "You and the boys." This made Maya smile.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," he nodded. "It's been too long… I kind of miss it sometimes." Maya looked at him, tapped the space next to her. Lucas got the message and came to lie down at her side.

"Think I can get away with just texting everyone about what happened tonight and ask them to pretend like it never happened?" she asked with a pitiful hope.

"I know I'd like to forget," he turned on to his side to look at her. The rest of the statement was unnecessary. No matter how she told them, they'd need more than that to be reassured. The parents would descend on the house to check on her, on Noah… It was normal, it came with a family who loved and supported them, as they'd done for years. "Juliet should be dropping by in a day or two…"

"That'll be nice," Maya smiled, tracing her index along his hand where it sat on the mattress between them. She could tell he didn't want to lean too close to her in case some pain flared up.

"When I was little, I used to tell my grandmother I was going to be a vet. That's where it all started, at the ranch. I was going to work with her, with the horses," Lucas told her.

"I can see it," Maya quietly replied. He probably would have done it, wouldn't he? If it wasn't for their change of plans?

"Hey…" Lucas looked back up at her, tempting that nearness by reaching over to touch her face. He was looking at her and he wanted her to look at him, to know he had no regrets. It didn't matter how many times he had to remind her. He would do it every time because it was his truth.

TO BE CONTINUED

See you next week! - mooners