September 23rd 2022

Chapter 176
Moving Forward, Looking Back

No one had forgotten what had happened on the morning when Noah Patrick Friar had turned three years old and, as the day had approached for him to turn four, the memory had been brought back around with a purpose. They wanted to make very certain not to have a repeat, or worse a new trick… To prevent this – hopefully – they had tasked big brother Elliott to ensure that the birthday boy started out his big day without a trip to the emergency room.

Noah was actually on his best behavior in the days leading up to his birthday. This wasn't to say that he was always all over the place otherwise, but this was so intentionally squeaky clean, down to moments where they saw him catch himself like he might have been about to do something he shouldn't. They knew it was on purpose because they were pretty sure they knew what was making him do it. He had made a wish for his birthday, and he was under the impression that, if he was bad, he wouldn't get it. Could they have told him he would have gotten it anyway? Yes, and they'd actually done it, without necessarily using the words.

Noah's wish had been for his little brother to be moved into his and Elliott's room on his birthday. It was going to happen one way or the other, so if they could make it particularly special, then why not? They'd been preparing for this move, and the boys had both been aware of and involved with these preparations, which was where Noah's 'good behavior incentives' became unnecessary. They might have found a way to be clearer about it with him, minding his age, but in the end, everything worked out for everyone, so all they needed to wait for was the day… Star Wars day…

It was still very much something he loved, maybe now more than ever, as he was getting older, and it was also something that both his younger and older brother loved, enough that barely a day could go by lately without them playing at being these characters or those… So, their parents had floated the idea – all while doing their best to keep the purpose hidden – to see if using this as a theme for their new room would be something they'd be into. They were definitely into it, and so that was what they would do… what they were already doing.

For the past two nights, the boys' room at the end of the hall had been off-limits, while Elliott and Noah had a 'sleepover' back in their little brother's room. They were not allowed to peek beyond the closed door… which was not a problem, what with Good Boy Noah out and about. The beds had been temporarily stuck in the nursery for them to sleep in, all the better to clear space in the transforming bedroom. Everything else was pushed into the middle of the room and covered up, and then the painting had begun. Maya had done a lot of research for ideas on how to proceed, and she'd chosen four of the boys' favorite locations, creating a landscape of these on each of the four walls, in what she hoped would be just the right level to ensure that they'd gladly grow with the designs for many years.

She worked at it a bit in the morning before work, and then in the afternoon and evening after getting home from school. Especially for these days, she'd come home during her extended breaks between Class Creatives and Mindscapes to continue at it so that, come the morning of the 4th of May, the walls would be painted and dried and ready for the next phase. Lucas helped where he could, whether that was assisting Maya in the room or making sure the boys didn't come sniffing around. Once the painting was done, they could start the process of decorating the rest of the room, putting everything in place, weeding out things that were due for it because of disuse or too much wear and tear. Whether he realized it or not, Noah had essentially requested a present that was as much for him as it was for his brothers, and this had motivated his parents to splurge just a bit… within reason. When they'd go into that room, they would flip out.

The final steps couldn't happen until after the boys were out of bed and out of house on the day, so they would have to wait. Most important now was to celebrate the brand new four-year-old. Would that morning sickness had given her a break on this day, it would definitely not have started with that rush to the bathroom for Maya, but it did, and all she could think as she went was that she didn't want this to be the first thing Noah would be aware of if he woke up now.

Luckily, he slept right through it, as did his brothers. Maya was able to get through the whole mess of cleaning up and pulling herself together again with Lucas there to help. From there the challenge became… waiting. The boys would wake up in time, hardly a need for their parents to come and wake them up early, no matter how tempted they were.

"I think I hear something," Lucas finally tapped Maya's arm and she had that same giddy smile to her as she'd passed on to more than one of their children.

His ear had been correct, and they'd gone to the room to find one, two, three boys in various stages of waking. As to the one whose birthday it was… Noah was still curved around holding his favorite Chewie, which never left his arms when he slept, but he was awake, and looking around the room at his brothers and then…

"Hey, Bee," Maya smiled when she saw that he'd seen her. The way he scooted his way to the inner edge of his bed, it was his signal that he wanted her to come and sit with him, and so she did. Once she was there, he pressed his head against her side and stayed there. "Happy birthday," she quietly told him, and he looked up at her, so she blew him down a kiss, carried from her hand down to his cheek. "And happy Star Wars day," she added, as though to say 'of course.' He nodded.

"Can we see our room now?" Elliott asked, sitting up on his knees on his bed.

"Tonight, after you get back from preschool," Lucas reminded him, and he sighed, disappointed to have to keep waiting, but at the same time displaying his ability for patience. Promises were promises, and they had never been told otherwise, but it was still valid for them to make sure that things hadn't changed. For all they knew, the room could have been ready by now.

They were up and ready earlier than usual, thankfully without so much rushing. The plan for the day required in part that the brothers be put in their great grandparents' hands as soon as possible, the better for their parents to get moving. As discreetly as possible, they would be joined by David Olsen, who would come and help Lucas shift the beds and any other heavy furniture as it needed to be moved, everything placed where it needed to go so that, on one more long break, Maya could come back and do the rest, from making the beds with the brand new bedding sets to organizing the toys, and the books, the closets and any other decorations. She didn't get to finish it all before she had to go back, but she got close enough that the rest of it could be taken care of when she came home from work at the end of the day.

The patience had been so well rewarded, as the boys' gobsmacked, loud, and elated reactions showed. They spent so much time taking it all in with this look like they couldn't quite believe that this was the same room as before or that it was theirs that they nearly didn't want to go down for dinner. It got even better when they all got to go into their beds that night, enough that their parents briefly worried that they wouldn't go to sleep, too motivated by their surroundings, but it was far from that. They went off to sleep after their story, and they all looked like they would be having some very adventurous dreams.

"We're going to need to get that second crib back up, huh?" Lucas came up to Maya as he found her standing in the doorway of the now unoccupied room across from their own. It was one of the benefits of their having had Elliott and Noah so close to one another, wasn't it? They'd had two cribs in their house ever since their second boy had come along, which meant that the pair growing toward taking over the nursery would be taken care of already.

"Yeah, well, I think it can wait a little longer, can't it?" Maya turned halfway to face him, looking at herself and her small bump. He reached down to touch it with a smile.

It was the very next morning, as Elliott and Noah – and Jamie where he could – were talking about how much they loved their room, that Lucas got the call he'd been waiting on.

For the last couple of weeks, he'd been working to make this happen. It was hard to say if it would have taken longer, or if it would never have happened at all, if not for the history provided by his grandparents in the past, but they wouldn't dwell on that, no. What mattered now was that it was happening. Lucas was going to revive the news segments up at Sullivan Stables… or he was going to try at least.

It wasn't a done deal yet, as he learned when he went in for the meeting he'd been called to. There was interest in it, potential, but they were going to need more. They were going to need to see how it would all shape up, so it wouldn't be an immediate commitment. He would get a trial run. If this trial run satisfied them and, of course, the viewers, then they would get to look at the future of their association. That worked for him, one hundred percent. He would never want to push for this to happen if it was no good. Now, all he had to do was make sure they'd see him and what he offered and want more.

After the meeting, he'd gone right to the middle school to bring Maya lunch and let her know how it went. She was thrilled for him, as he knew she would be, just as he knew that she'd be ready at once to help him prepare for his trial segment the moment he asked it. They had a week to prepare and then to get it recorded. Lucas had been put in touch with the film crew that would assist him, and now all he needed to do was work out everything so that they'd be ready.

"I know that look in your eyes, Friar," Maya nudged his foot when he sat there, quietly off in his head. "You're going to be amazing, I know you are. You are so passionate about the ranch, and what it represents, and you know your audience, and you've got that whole guide voice going for you… I have a really good feeling about this, and so should you."

"I do," he promised her, smiling and humble. She had to know he wouldn't be nearly as confident if wasn't for her, for how much he could feel her confidence in him and how strong it was. It made everything feel just… more alive, full of colors. That was who she was, and that was one of the many things he loved about her. "I can't wait for the boys to see me up there…"

"Oh, they're going to love it," Maya agreed with a laugh. "Daddy on TV?" she intoned with a look of childish awe that replenished his smile. If he could just accomplish that, if he only ever got that… it might be enough.

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners