To Be Needed

Part 2

"Ash, where are my pants? I can't find them!" Jesse shouted from the basement.

Ashby was in the kitchen finishing up breakfast. She stopped and looked in the direction of the stairs. She rolled her eyes. She'd bet any money he would find them any second, and in exactly the same place he left them too.

"Never mind! I found them!" Jesse shouted a minute later.

Ashby nodded and went back to putting everything on the table.

"Ash, where are my shoes? I can't find them!" Leon shouted next from upstairs.

Ashby sighed this time. "Geez you people need to make a list of where you leave your shit so you realize how retarded you sound asking for it the next time you want it." She said to herself.

She ignored Leon because she knew he too would find them.

"My bad! I found them!" he shouted again.

Ashby looked up to see Mia walk into the kitchen slowly, holding seven-month-old Maria in her arms. "How are you this morning, Mi'?"

Mia just shrugged. "All right I guess." She said as she handed over the baby.

Ashby watched her friend sadly. She hated to see Mia like this, but she didn't know what to do. Poor little Maria didn't understand and often fussed when she was with her mother. Maria had stopped taking Mia's breast after only a month. Mia was stressed and depressed. She can't really handle taking care of a baby. Ashby knew Mia loved her child, but she was still dealing with the loss of Bryan and what he did to the 'team'.

Ashby took the bottle she had prepared off the stove went to the living room to sit on the couch. It was easier to feed Maria on the couch than sitting on the small chairs in the kitchen.

"Hey guys, breakfast is ready. Come eat before it gets cold." Ashby said towards the stairs as she sat down.

She didn't have to yell because once food was mentioned the boys heard it. They all came rushing down the stairs.

Ashby made Maria comfortable and began to feed her.

Vince stopped in front of her, letting the others beat him to the food.

He watched her. She was great with Maria. When Maria gets fussy at night Ashby will bring her downstairs and sit on the couch and sing to her until she falls asleep. Vince would sneak down the stairs to watch. He's been doing it for a while now. No one knew.

Ashby glanced up to see Vince staring at her intently. "What?" She asked.

He shook his head and made his way into the kitchen. She didn't want to know what he was thinking. He didn't want to believe what he was thinking either.

Ashby sighed when the house was finally empty. She was burping Maria against her chest. She had the house all to herself until three when Mia came home and would take over with Maria so Ashby could go to the one class she was taking. It only met three times a week at four in the afternoon for three hours.

When Ashby was done burping Maria she set her down in the baby carrier. She walked with her into the kitchen, setting her on one of the chairs. Ashby needed to clean the kitchen up. Ashby cleaned while making faces at Maria to keep her happy. Maria liked it when you played peek-a-boo. She would laugh and laugh.

After the kitchen was cleaned Ashby started to do some of the household chores, because she knew no one else would do them. She put in a load of laundry. Cleaned the living room. It took longer than normal because Ashby had to play with Maria to keep her occupied, but she didn't mind. After hours of cleaning the house and finishing up a couple of loads of laundry Ashby set up her schoolbooks in the living room to get in some studying time. She laid Maria down on the blanket on the floor. Ashby laid on the floor on her stomach, catching up on some reading.

After an hour of reading Maria began to get fussy. "Uh oh, sounds like someone needs a nap. Come here, sweetie. How about a song? Would you like that? I bet you would." Ashby said, speaking gently as she pulled Maria into her arms. She lied down on the couch on her back so Maria could lie on her stomach.

Maria began to squirm.

"Tale as old as time. True as it can be…"

Maria stopped squirming once Ashby began to sing her favorite song. Ashby kept singing the song, until Maria fell asleep. Warm and comfortable, Ashby soon fell asleep as well.

Vince walked into the house to find Ashby asleep on the couch with Maria sleeping peacefully on her stomach. Ashby had her arms around the baby, holding her in place so she wouldn't fall. He walked over and kneeled down next to Ashby's face.

"Ash, baby, wake up," he said gently into her ear. He didn't want to wake the baby.

Ashby steered, but still held on to Maria. She opened her eyes to see Vince hovering over her.

"What is it? What's wrong?" She asked, worriedly.

Vince didn't understand why she always assumes something bad happens when she's woken up. It must be her mother instinct, he thought afterwards. "Nothing. It's a little after three-thirty. Mia can't leave the shop they're swapped. Dom sent me to take over so you can go to school," he explained.

Ashby sat up slowly, still holding Maria against her body, trying not to wake her. "If they're swapped, then you should get back to the garage," she instructed.

"I can't. I gotta watch Maria so you can go to class. I'll be fine. I've watched you a hundred times. I'll be okay for a couple of hours." He stated confidently as he sat down next to her on the couch.

Ashby frowned. "Are you sure, V? I can skip class. I can get notes from someone else." Ashby didn't really think Vince could handle Maria on his own. He was okay if she or Mia was around, because he had someone to hand Maria off to if she became too fussy.

"Yes. Now go before you're late." He said, taking Maria from her. He cradled the baby in his own arms. Maria began to stir, but then fell back asleep.

Ashby stood up and stretched. "All right, but call my cell phone if you need anything. I'll leave it on vibrate." She instructed as she gathered up her schoolbooks from the floor.

Vince watched her. She was the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. He wondered why it took him so long to see it. He never realized how perfect Ashby was until now.

"I'll be fine. Go already." He said, shooing her out.

"Okay, okay. I'm going. Thanks, V. I owe you one." She said as she leaned over and kissed his forehead. Ashby ran out the house after scooping up her car keys.

Vince smiled as he watched her leave. He could definitely get use to the feel of her lips.

Ashby made it to class with five minutes to spare. She chose a seat in the back in case Vince called. Halfway thru class they receive a twenty-minute break. Ashby chose to stay behind to get some reading done, that she couldn't do earlier.

When other students started to file back into the class her cell phone began to vibrate.

"Hello?"

"Ash, you gotta come back! I can't get her to stop crying. I've tried everything. She's been going non-stop for almost half an hour. I can't get a hold of Mia or any of the others." Vince shouted into the phone over Maria's cries.

It sounded like Vince was about to start crying himself.

"Okay, I'm coming right now. Five minutes, V."

Ashby snapped her phone shut. She gathered her belongings and rushed towards the front of the classroom to the door.

"Going somewhere Ms. McCloud?" The teacher asked her sternly.

Ashby stopped briefly. "Sorry, family emergency." She stated and ran to her car.

Ashby pulled up in front of the house. She didn't even bother to turn off her car. She rushed into the house to see Vince holding a screaming Maria. He was trying to calm her down, but to no avail.

He let out a breath in relief when he saw Ashby. "Oh god, Ash' I can't get her to stop. I don't know what's wrong." He said, in a panicky voice.

"V, what happened?" She asked as she took the baby from him.

"I don't know. One minute she was fine, then the next minute she just started to cry and wouldn't stop no matter what I did," he explained. He was fidgeting around Ashby, because he didn't know what to do.

Ashby rocked Maria gently. "I know, sweetie. It's okay. Shush baby. It's okay…" Ashby checked her diaper, but Maria didn't need to be changed.

"Did you feed her?"

"A little after you left. I burped her and everything. She was fine. We were just sitting here watching TV when she started hollerin."

Ashby continued to rock the baby. "V, go turn off my car." She instructed because he looked like he needed something to do otherwise he was gonna freak out.

Vince gladly went to her car.

"Okay sweetie. It's okay. Shush…do you want me to sing to you? I bet you do, don't you baby." Ashby spoke softly, hoping her calming voice would help soothe Maria.

"Tale as old as time. True as it can be…" Ashby began to sing Maria's favorite song. Sure enough after a couple of bars Maria began to quiet down. Ashby sat down on the couch, still singing to Maria.

When Vince came back inside his jaw dropped. Ashby was sitting on the couch singing to Maria, who had finally stopped crying.

"How do you do that?" He asked, amazed.

Ashby smiled at him, but continued to sing until Maria fell asleep.

Vince sat on the couch next to her, watching her. There was so much he wanted to tell her, but didn't know how. "You'd make a good mother." He said, softly.

Ashby leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thanks. That means a lot V."

If he only knew, she thought sadly.